Proposal at the Lazy S Ranch Read online

  Josie smiled. “Nice to meet you, Dolly. I’m Josie Slater.”

  “Welcome to Dolly’s Place.” She grabbed two menus and led them to a table in the corner. Once they were seated, Dolly brought over two mugs of coffee, and the busboy filled their water glasses. After they ordered a club sandwich and a hamburger, Dolly left them alone.

  Josie looked at him. She hated that she was so curious about Garrett’s past. “You seem to have a nice life here.”

  His gray eyes were distant. “It’s funny how looks can be deceiving.”

  * * *

  Later that night, Colt had retired to his room, but he couldn’t sleep. He thought about Josie and how quiet she’d been at supper. She had started to open up, to talk to him, but tonight she was quiet again. He knew she’d spent the day with Garrett. Had something happened between them?

  He fought to keep from phoning the Temple Ranch and having a word with the man. Colt stood and went to the window and looked out into the night. The security lights were on, so he could see all the way to the barn and into the empty corral.

  It was all quiet.

  Problem was he wanted to be the one who did the last walk through the barn to check on the horses.

  So many things had changed in the past few months. Two daughters had come home, one was engaged to marry. He smiled at the thought of Vance officially becoming a part of the family. Vance Rivers was a good man.

  Colt sobered. If he wasn’t careful, he could lose another daughter. Josie just might head back to California if she decided she couldn’t deal with her past.

  He knew everything about dealing with his past. He still couldn’t let go of their mother. Lucia had nearly destroyed him. He walked slowly back to his bed and sat down. He worked the buttons on his Western-cut shirt and then pulled it off. He kicked off slippers, and couldn’t wait until he was sure-footed enough to put on his well-broken-in Justin boots again. He stood and stripped down his jeans. He managed it all without Jay’s help. He might not get to cowboy much these days, but he still liked to dress like one.

  He turned off the bedside light, pulled back the blanket and got in. He laid his head against the pillow and stared at the outside lights making a pattern on the ceiling.

  He shut his eyes as the familiar loneliness washed over him. He’d had the same feelings for a lot of years, but hard work helped him fight off the worst times. He closed his eyes, hoping sleep would take it away.

  He must have dozed off when he heard the pocket door to his room open. It was probably one of the girls checking on him. When the figure moved to the bed, he caught a whiff of her fragrance. His eyes opened and his breath caught. “Lucia...”

  “Yes, mi amor. I am here,” she said, her voice soft and throaty. Her hand reached out and touched his face. Colt shivered as he looked at the woman he’d given his heart to so many years ago. Her face was in the shadows, but he saw the silhouette, the delicate features and the black hair that caressed her shoulders.

  He knew it was her. His Lucia.

  He blinked several times to get a better look, but his eyes grew heavy and he couldn’t keep them open any longer. He didn’t fight it, not wanting to disturb this wonderful dream.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  IT WAS ABOUT six the next morning when Josie awoke to the sound of voices outside her bedroom. She got up, realized how cold it was and pulled her sweatshirt over her head then went to the door.

  Outside in the hall were Ana and Vance. “Hey, what’s going on?” She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “Is there a fire or something?”

  The twosome didn’t smile.

  “Sorry to disturb you, sis,” Ana began, “but Vance needs to move the herd in from the north pasture.”

  “There’s a blizzard headed our way,” Vance added. “And we’re going to need every willing body we can get our hands on to help.” He glanced over her pajama-clad body. “Think you’re able to ride with us?”

  Ana gasped. “Vance, no. Josie hasn’t been on a horse in years. And it’s cold out there.”

  Vance grinned. “So our California girl can’t take the Montana cold?”

  The two were talking and leaving her out. “Hey, I can speak for myself.”

  They both looked at her. “I remember how to ride, and if someone loans me a pair of long johns and a heavy coat, sure I’ll join you.”

  “No, Josie. It’s not safe.”

  “Ana, you’d be riding out if you weren’t needed at the school.”

  Ana started to argue, then said, “You’re right, but if this storm is as bad as they say, the high school will be shut down tomorrow. So I need to go in today. But I want you to take Blondie. She’s a good mount and knows how to work cattle.” She glanced at her soon-to-be husband. “You better take care of her, or you’ll be moving back into the barn.”

  Josie left the couple to finish the argument and went into the shower. When she got back to her bedroom, she found thermal underwear, a winter coat, scarf and gloves on the bed and fur-lined boots next to the chair.

  Josie dressed quickly, then went down to the kitchen, where she found Colt and Kathleen at the table.

  “Hey, I hear there’s a storm coming,” she said as she poured some coffee.

  Her father turned to her. “I wish you didn’t have to go out in it. I sh...should go.”

  She sat down and began to eat the plate of eggs Kathleen put in front of her. “You will. Just keep getting better, and the next blizzard is yours.”

  She watched as a smile appeared on his face. Her chest grew tight and her eyes filled. Colt Slater smiling?

  “That’s a deal, but I’d like you to ride with me.”

  This was killing her. “If you get back on a horse, then I’ll go with you.” Why did it matter so much that her dad wanted to go riding with her? “Deal?”

  Colt’s blue gaze met hers as she stuck out her hand. “Deal.”

  They finished breakfast in silence, and she put on her coat, wrapped the scarf around her neck and chin and hurried out to the barn. She found Vance had finished loading four horses into a trailer.

  Once finished, he gave her a hat, and she climbed into the passenger side of the pickup as two more men got in the backseat. “We’re meeting the other men at the pasture gate.” The ride was slow over the dirt road and across Slater land as snow flurries blew, and she looked up at the dull gray sky with concern.

  They finally made it to the gate and saw the other trucks. One stood out. Garrett’s pickup. Of course he would be here to help a neighbor.

  She could deal with him for the sake of the cattle. The men unloaded the already-saddled horses. Josie went to Blondie and waited for Vance to give out the orders.

  “It’s a precaution, but I don’t want anyone riding by themselves,” he said. “We’ll work in teams. When visibility gets bad, we quit and go back to the house.”

  Everyone climbed on their mounts and Garrett headed toward her. “Looks like we’re a team.”

  Garrett knew that Josie wasn’t happy, but he didn’t care. He wanted to finish this and get back to his house and Brody. He was thankful he’d moved his herd yesterday.

  “We’ll take it slow,” he told her as he directed his roan, Pirate, through the gate behind her. At first, she looked a little awkward on her horse, but soon found her stride.

  “I can keep up with you,” she told him.

  She proved she was a woman of her word as she quickly rode behind the herd and managed to do her part.

  It was slow going over the next few hours as the mamas and calves resisted going along with the move and kept trying to run off, but the worst part was the size of the snowflakes, and the snow was sticking, even with the wind.

  Garrett kept thinking about a warm fire, some hot coffee and... He glanced at Josie. Why couldn’t he stop thinking about her? He spotted a stray calf and got him back to the herd. He hated that she’d been distracting him ever since she’d showed up in Montana.

  He pulled his scarf over his nose as the c
old burned his skin. He turned to Josie and called out to her, “You okay?”

  She nodded. “Just cold.”

  When suddenly another calf shot off, Josie kicked into Blondie’s sides and went after it. Garrett waited about five minutes, but Josie didn’t return.

  “Dammit.” With a call to Vance to let him know where he was going, he tugged Pirate’s reins and headed in the direction she’d gone.

  It wasn’t long before the visibility turned bad. Dammit, he knew this wasn’t good. He knew where he was, but did Josie?

  He cupped his hand around his mouth. “Josie!”

  With his heart pounding, he waited for some answer, but heard the roar of the wind. “Josie.”

  Finally, he heard his phone and pulled it out of his pocket. “Josie?”

  “Hey, I might be lost,” she said.

  “Can you see any landmarks?”

  “I’m next to a big tree. I passed over the creek a ways back.”

  “Stay there, I’m coming for you. Listen for my voice.”

  He adjusted his direction and kept calling out to her. He walked his horse through the snow building on the ground. Worry took over, and he knew he had to find her fast.

  After a few minutes he was about to call for Vance when he yelled out her name again. This time he got an answer.

  “Keep talking,” he told her, and he finally found her. She had roped a small calf. “What the hell?” He climbed down and reached for her. “Are you crazy?”

  “I thought I was doing my job.”

  “Well, going after one small calf isn’t worth losing your life, or mine.” He glanced around, knowing they had to get out of the weather. “Come on, I know where we are.” He helped her back on her horse, then he climbed back on Pirate and pulled out his compass again.

  “Think you can make it about a quarter of a mile to find shelter?”

  She nodded and wrapped the rope attached to her calf and followed Garrett. He took out his phone and let Vance know that he’d found Josie and they were headed for the homestead cabin.

  Garrett prayed they were headed in the right direction. There wasn’t much visibility left as the storm intensified, but finally he saw the black stovepipe peeking out of the cabin’s roof.

  He stopped in front of the porch and lifted her down from the horse, and began to carry her inside.

  “Hey, I can walk,” she argued.

  “This is easier,” he told her as he opened the door to the dark cabin and sat her down in a chair.

  “I’ll be right back as soon as I take care of the animals.”

  Shivering, she nodded. “I’m okay.”

  Garrett went back out and got the horses in the lean-to along with the calf. They were out of the weather, so he got some feed from the bin and pumped some water into the trough. He hurried back inside and found Josie had lit the lantern on the table and was putting wood into the stove. “Here let me do that.”

  She relented and sat back down in the chair. “I’m never going to hear the end of this, am I?”

  He kept working. “Probably not.” Once the fire caught, he turned back to her and took hold of her hands. “How are your hands, fingers?”

  “They’re fine.”

  “What about your feet. Do you still feel them?”

  “Yes, they’re fine. And no, I don’t feel sleepy. I’m feeling great.” She pulled her hands away. “So you can quit playing doctor.”

  “I didn’t realize I needed to play keeper.”

  “Hey, that could have happened to anyone. The storm decided at that moment to get worse.”

  Just then, Garrett’s cell phone rang. “Hey, Vance. Yes, we made it to the cabin.”

  “Then stay put,” the foreman told him. “We barely made it back to the truck with the men.”

  “How’d the herd survive?” Garrett asked, knowing Josie wasn’t going to be happy.

  “They’re safe as possible in these conditions.”

  “Well, count one more calf because we have him up here with us.”

  That got a laugh. “Stay warm. We’ll come dig you out tomorrow.”

  Garrett hung up the phone and looked at Josie.

  “So are they coming to get us?”

  He shook his head. “Not until morning if the storm stops.”

  “What do you mean, tomorrow?”

  “Josie, you were out in it. You saw that the visibility was close to zero. Do you really want to risk someone’s life to come and get you because you can’t stand to be anywhere near me?”

  * * *

  The small room was finally getting warm, but Josie was still miserable. Not because of the cold, but for the trouble she’d caused Vance and the men. She shouldn’t have been so set on going after the calf.

  “I’m sorry. I had no idea the storm was so bad, or how far the calf led me.”

  “Not a problem. I found you. Besides, this is a freak storm.” The wind roared. “We have enough wood to keep us warm until someone comes for us.”

  That wasn’t Josie’s biggest problem. They were going to spend the night here. Together.

  She sighed and looked around the rustic cabin that her great-grandparents built when George Slater brought his bride, Sarah Colton, here from Wyoming. There was the double bed against the wall with a nice quilt covering it. There was a small table and two chairs and a lantern in the center, also some personal items, candles, dishes and an assortment of canned food on the shelves. She had no doubt that someone had taken advantage of the cabin as their personal retreat. Ana and Vance?

  Josie got up, went to the one window over the sink in the cabin and pulled back the curtains. A little more light came into the space. But there was nothing to see but blowing snow. She glanced across the room to find Garrett watching her.

  “It’s a good thing that Ana and Vance have made this place livable.”

  She folded her arms and nodded. “It doesn’t look too bad. And there’s some food. Some canned stew and soup.”

  “And coffee,” Garrett added. “But sorry, no inside facilities.”

  His words nearly made her laugh except she could really use a bathroom right now. “How far away is it?”

  He did smile, and her heart took a little tumble. “Just a few feet around back behind the lean-to.” He buttoned his sheepskin-lined coat and waited for her to do the same.

  Once bundled up, he said, “Earlier, I strung a rope from the porch railing to the lean-to. We’ll string another line to the outhouse.”

  Suddenly the seriousness of the storm hit her. She paused. “You can’t see that far?”

  “I’m not taking any chances if the storm gets worse. Call it a safety net.”

  She gave him a nod, and he opened the door to a gust of wind. Once outside, he took her by the arm and escorted her to the edge of the porch and the lead rope. Together they made their way to the lean-to. After checking the animals, they trudged on, fighting the strong winds and biting temperature as they found the small structure. They finished their business quickly, then headed back to the cabin.

  He opened the door, and she practically tumbled into the warm room. “Oh, man, it’s crazy out there,” she breathed, feeling the cold burning her lungs. “How much worse is it going to get?”

  “I can’t answer that. We’re safe here, though. Vance knows where we are, and we have enough firewood and food to keep us for a few days.”

  She went to the stove to warm up. “A few days? We’re going to be here that long?”

  Garrett pulled off his gloves and put his hat on the table, but left the hood to his thermal up. He was chilled to the bone. He walked to the heat.

  “I can’t say, Josie. This is a big storm front moving through. It’s the reason we were moving the herd. And since we don’t have a radio, I’m not wasting the charge on my phone to find out.” He stood next to her. “In fact, you should shut off your phone, too.”

  She took it from her coat pocket. Her hands were shaking, so he took it from her and pressed the button.
“Thanks.”

  He saw the fear in her eyes. “It’s going to be okay, Josie. I’m just glad I found you.”

  She didn’t look convinced. “If I hadn’t taken off on my own, you’d be safely home in a warm bed.”

  “We can’t change that. Besides, there’s a bed here, and we’ll be warm.”

  In the shadows of the fire, he could see her eyes narrow. “You’re crazy, Temple, if you think I’m sharing a bed with you.”

  He knew ten years ago she’d have been eager to steal time away with him. He shook off the memory. “Why don’t we find something to eat?” He went to the group of shelves and found a large can of stew. He also found some bowls and flatware. “Looks like Vance and Ana have all the conveniences of home.”

  Josie glanced around. “I recognize her touches.”

  “The old homestead looks good.”

  He worked the can opener. “They’re going to build a house not far from here.”

  “Let me guess—you’re going to build it for them.”

  He smiled. “We’re working on some of the details. But not until the lodge is finished, and revenue starts coming in, then they’ll break ground. I’d say late spring.”

  “That will be nice.” Josie glanced at her watch. Two o’clock. It seemed later. She went to the window and looked out, but there wasn’t anything to see through the blowing snow.

  “Are you returning for their wedding?” he asked.

  “Of course. Ana’s my sister.”

  He dumped the contents of the stew in the pan, then took it to the cast-iron stove and placed it on top. “It shouldn’t take too long.”

  He wasn’t sure if that was a true statement. Being alone with Josie Slater wasn’t a good idea, not the way she still made him feel.

  He released a long sigh. It was going to be a long night.

  * * *

  Later, with a mug of coffee in hand, and only the sounds of the wind and the crackling fire, Josie was still uncomfortable. She knew that she had to start up a conversation just to save her sanity.

  “How long ago did your wife die?” Wonderful. Why not get personal, she thought.

  He turned from the stove, where he’d just added wood. He walked to the shelves, looked inside and pulled out a bottle of wine. “Natalie died six months ago in a car accident, but she hadn’t been my wife for two years.”