The Wyoming Cowboy

“Susan. Anything you need, you ask me. Mr. Lundgren told me to tell you to go right on through to the dining room and he’d meet you there.”

“Thank you,” Tracy spoke for both of them.

“Welcome to the ranch, Mrs. Baretta.”

“We’re thrilled to be here. Come on, honey.”

They were almost to the dining room when a handsome, fit-looking man, probably Carson’s age and height, came forward. Though he wore a plaid shirt and jeans, with his shorter cropped black hair she could imagine him in Marine gear. His brown eyes played over her with male interest before they lit on Johnny.

“I’m Ross Livingston, Carson’s friend. You must be the brave guy who ate a buffalo burger last night.”

“Well...” He looked at Tracy. “Not all of it,” Johnny answered honestly. “It was too big.”

“I know, and I’m impressed you got through most of it.”

Tracy laughed and he joined her, provoking the same kind of cough she’d heard come out of Carson. “Excuse me,” he said after it had subsided. “It’s not contagious in case you were worried.”

“We’re not. Carson already explained.”

“Good. He got detained on the phone, but he should be here in a minute. Come into the dining room with me, Johnny, and we’ll get you served.”

They followed him. “Do you know if they have cereal?”

“Sure. What kind do you like?”

“Froot Loops.”

“You’re in luck.”

“Goody!”

Tracy refrained from bursting his bubble. Tomorrow they’d choose something else.

Ross guided them across dark, vintage hardwood floors in keeping with the Western flavor to an empty table with a red-and-white-checked cloth. A vase of fresh white daisies had been placed on each table. She found this setting charming.

When he helped them to be seated, he took a chair and handed them Saturday’s menu from the holder. “In a minute the waitress will come to take your order.”

She scanned the menu.

“Mom? Do they have hot chocolate?”

Tracy couldn’t lie. “Yes.”

“Then that’s what I want with my cereal.”

“I’ll let you have it if you’ll eat some meat. There’s sausage, bacon or ham.”

“And brook trout,” Ross interjected, smiling into her eyes as he said it.

She chuckled. “I think after the buffalo burger, we’ll hold off on the fish for another day.”

As he broke into laughter, the waitress came to the table, but she hadn’t come alone. Their host had arrived without his hat, wearing another Western shirt in a tan color. The chiseled angles of his hard-boned features drew her gaze for the second time in twelve hours. He was all male.

“Carson!”

“Hey, partner—” He sat down next to Ross and made the introductions.

“Where’s your hat?”

“I’ll put it on after breakfast.”

“I want to keep mine on.”

“Except that it might be hard to eat with it,” Tracy declared. “Let me put it on the empty chair until after.”

“Okay.”

The waitress took their orders and left.

Ross got up from the table. “Hey, Johnny, while you’re waiting for your food, I’ll take you out to the foyer and show you something amazing before I leave. Since I’ve already eaten, I have a group of guests waiting for me to take them fishing.”

“What is it?” Ross had aroused his curiosity.

“Come with me and see.”

“I’ll be right back, Mom.”

“Okay.”

As they walked away, she heard Ross say, “I’m glad you came, Johnny. We’re going to have a lot of fun while you and your mom are here.”

“Your friend is nice,” Tracy told Carson.

He studied her features for a moment, seeming to reflect on what she’d said. “He’s the best. Right now he’s showing Johnny the big moose head that was mounted years before I was born. It’s the granddaddy of them all, but you don’t see it until you’re leaving to go outside.”

“He’s fascinated by the big animals.”

“Did your husband hunt, or any of your family?”

“No.”

“I’ve never been much of a hunter, either, but my grandfather allowed licensed hunters to use the land during the hunting season, so I do, too. I much prefer to see the elk and deer alive. There’s great opportunity here to photograph the animals. I’ll show Johnny lots of spots. He can hide in the trees and take pictures of squirrels and rabbits, all the cute little forest creatures.”

“He’ll go crazy.”

“That’s the idea.”

To her consternation, Tracy found herself studying his rugged features and looked away. “There’s so much to do here, it’s hard to know where to start. When I read your brochure on the internet, I couldn’t believe it.”