The Lionhearted Cowboy Returns Read online

  Jay grinned. “Man, oh, man, you’re home less than a month and you’ve bought a couple of quality quarter horses and got a pretty partner, to boot. How did you get so lucky?”

  A few weeks ago, Jeff hadn’t felt so lucky, but things were starting to look better. He thought about Lacey again. No, a lot better.

  There was a tap on his shoulder and Jeff turned to find a pretty brunette. She was very young, and decked out in tight jeans and a fitted Western shirt. “You want to dance, cowboy?”

  Jeff held his panic in check. He’d never been the best dancer to begin with, but now…he wasn’t sure if he could do this.

  Before he could answer, his brother spoke up. “Why would you want to dance with this old guy?” Drew stood. “I’m younger and much better-looking.” He took the young girl’s hand and tugged her toward the dance floor. She didn’t look as if she were disappointed at all with the switch. When the music changed to a ballad, Jay got up and snagged a partner, leaving Brandon and Jeff alone once more.

  Brandon leaned forward. “She was a little on the young side. But it’s nice to know you can still attract them.” He shrugged. “Of course, it’s not the same if it’s not the right woman.”

  Jeff recalled his kiss with Lacey and his body stirred to life. She’d always had that effect on him. Hell, he was crazy about her; that hadn’t changed since the day they’d met.

  Jeff looked at his cousin. There was no use lying about it. “There’s only been one woman for me.”

  Brandon nodded, knowing who he was talking about. “Then don’t you think it’s about time you went after her?”

  The next morning, Chance Randell arrived at the Guthrie place. Nervous, Lacey climbed off Fancy as Jeff walked into the corral with his uncle. She’d never officially met Chance, only heard about him from Jeff and, of course, from quarter-horse circles. She wiped her forehead on her sleeve and went to greet them.

  “Lacey, this is my Uncle Chance.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Randell.”

  The handsome older man took her outstretched hand and shook it firmly. “Please, it’s Chance. May I call you Lacey?”

  “Of course.” She glanced at Jeff, then back to his uncle. “Jeff said you’re interested in Rebel.”

  Chance nodded, but his attention was on the liver-chestnut filly. “Of course, my wife threatened to leave me if I brought home another horse. So I’m glad Jeff got them.”

  Lacey smiled. “And I’m happy that saved your marriage.”

  He winked at her. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been sent to the barn over the years.” His expert eye and hands moved over the filly, letting out a soft whistle. “She’s a beauty.”

  Jeff smiled. “I’m trying to convince Lacey to train her seriously. To get her name out there.”

  “Are you training her?” Chance asked.

  Lacey nodded. “Last year, Trevor and I entered Fancy in a local reining competition, but I haven’t had much time for training lately.”

  “That’s all changed since the partnership,” Jeff began. “You should see these two working together.”

  “It’s not my expertise,” Chance said and turned to Jeff. “That would be Tess’s area, but I bet she wouldn’t mind stopping by to have a look.”

  “I might ask her,” Jeff agreed.

  Chance nodded. “So let’s see this stallion I’ve heard so much about.”

  They walked into the barn. Lacey stayed back, but Chance refused to let her lag behind, asking her questions about the layout of the place and complimenting her on the operation. After all the work she and Trevor had put in, that made her feel good.

  They reached Rebel’s stall and the stallion whinnied in excitement. Chance immediately went inside. With Lacey’s coaxing, the horse allowed the older Randell to look him over.

  “You say Bonnie is Rebel’s dam?”

  “Yes,” Lacey answered. “He’s a two-year-old, sired by Johnny Reb.”

  “He’s a good-looking horse. Your husband knew what he was doing.” Chance looked at her. “I’m sorry to bring up your recent loss.”

  “Not a problem. My husband would have liked you saying how much you’re impressed with his horses.” She wasn’t sad at the mention of Trevor’s name. He’d left a legacy in his horses. “I think the best way to honor him is to keep this bloodline going.”

  Chance nodded. “Then if it’s all right with you, I want to bring Rebel to my place and introduce him to two of my mares. I prefer to do live cover, but if there’s any risk of injury to the stallion, we’ll go AI. My foreman, Terry Hansen, handles most of the breeding and he takes all the precautions, and I’ll be there, too. But it’s up to you.”

  “I don’t have a problem with it.” Lacey looked at Jeff. “What do you think?”

  “I think we should pack Rebel up and go introduce him to the ladies.”

  Later that day, Jeff had Rebel loaded in the trailer and headed to the Randell Quarter Horse Ranch. He wasn’t surprised that Lacey wanted to come along. After all, they needed to decide on the stallion they wanted to breed with Bonnie.

  With the kids off with the babysitter, it felt strange to have Lacey to himself. Not that it mattered, there wasn’t anything going on between them but their connection to the business. He thought back to their kiss. Could he even classify what had happened between them as a kiss? A simple brush of his mouth against hers. It was enough to remind him of years ago, and that one stolen afternoon. Only he’d be crazy to think about getting another chance with her. His hand rubbed his thigh, quickly reminding him of his limitation.

  What he needed to do was help plan her and the kids’ future. He stole a glance across the cab to watch the quiet woman leaning against the headrest, her eyes closed. She looked tired, but it didn’t take away from her beauty or the fact that he couldn’t stop desiring her.

  His gaze darted back to the road. “Something wrong?”

  She sighed. “I don’t like to leave Colin and Emily. I spend too much time away at work as it is.”

  “Colin and Emily could have come along. They both know how to act around horses.” He meant it. They were good kids.

  She shook her head. “This is business, Jeff, so I prefer to treat it professionally. Besides, I’ll be busy getting Rebel settled. That might not be an easy job. He hasn’t been out of his barn before. You saw how he fought getting into the trailer.”

  Jeff turned off the highway. “So you’re along to mother him?”

  She tried not to smile. “This is his first time.”

  Jeff pulled the truck up beside the barn. “Don’t worry, it’ll come natural to him.”

  There was a playful expression on her face. “You mean what comes natural to all males?”

  He turned in time to see her pink face before she quickly climbed out of the cab. Had she been thinking about their one time together as well?

  He shut off the engine and got out, too. They met at the back of the trailer. He pulled his hat down to shield his face from the sunlight.

  She was working the gate when he stopped her. “I’ll do it,” he told her. “I can handle the heavy stuff.”

  Lacey stood back as he dropped the ramp. “I should bring him out.” Anything to put some space between her and Jeff. She couldn’t think about him as a man. Yeah, right. Jeff Gentry was definitely a hundred-percent male.

  She touched Rebel’s rump then ran a soothing hand along his flank, whispering reassuring words. She took hold of his lead rope and coaxed him to back up, aware of the narrow ramp, but Jeff was there guiding her.

  Rebel was finally out and definitely excited about his new surroundings. She held him securely, but the mare at a nearby corral was calling to him. The stallion showed evidence that he was very interested in the attention.

  It took the two of them and a stable hand to get Rebel into a separate barn and stall. Before Jeff could get out of the way, the horse had kicked him. He cursed several times and limped out.

  Lacey went to
him. “I should have warned you about him. Did he hurt you?”

  He grimaced in pain. “I’ll live,” he said, rubbing his leg. “Wouldn’t you know it, he got my one good leg!”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  GETTING kicked by a horse wasn’t funny, and Jeff wasn’t laughing. It had really hurt, but he hadn’t been going to drop his jeans to show everyone the bruise. Now there wasn’t a choice as he lay on the examining table in the emergency room two hours later. His leg was throbbing like crazy. What worried him was the horse’s hoof had caught him right above the knee. What riled him the most was that he hadn’t been able to move fast enough to get out of the way.

  “I said I was fine,” he told Lacey, looking at his uncle for support. Chance’s expression told him he wasn’t getting any.

  “Hey, I’ve been kicked a hundred times,” Chance said. “It’s nothing to mess with.”

  Lacey folded her arms. “Maybe if you’d gotten kicked in your hard head, we wouldn’t have to be here at all.”

  “Very funny,” Jeff said, seeing the worry on her face. “I’m fine.” He turned to his uncle. “So don’t call Mom or Dad. I don’t want them to worry over nothing.” He’d hate for them to go through that pain again.

  Chance agreed. “Then stop complaining and let the doctor look at you.”

  Jeff sighed and relented. “Okay. Now, will you two stop hovering? I can handle this myself.”

  Before they could argue the point, the doctor came in, carrying his chart. “Mr. Gentry?”

  “Yes, that’s me.”

  “I’m Doctor Stoner.” He shook Jeff’s hand, then glanced at the chart. “So you were kicked by a horse?” Without waiting for an answer, he turned to Lacey. “Are you Mrs. Gentry?”

  Lacey blinked. “No, I’m a…friend. His uncle and I brought him in.”

  “It’s always good to be cautious in these matters. I should examine the patient, so I’ll have to ask you both to leave.”

  “Of course.” Lacey glanced over her shoulder at Jeff as she went to the door. “We’ll be outside,” she told him.

  He waved them away. “I’ll be sure to holler if I need anything.” He wasn’t willing to strip down in front of Lacey. Not that he hadn’t dreamed of it for years, but not like this. Not with only one leg. Nope, those dreams had long since died.

  For the next thirty minutes, Lacey paced in the waiting area while Chance sat in one of the many plastic chairs, pretending to read a discarded newspaper.

  “Do you think you should call his parents?” she asked, wondering what was taking so long.

  He shook his head. “That’s up to Jeff. He’ll call them if it’s anything serious.”

  “Do you think it is?”

  Chance shrugged. “It’s a pretty deep bruise. I don’t think anything is broken, but that’s why we’re here, to find out.”

  She nodded, wishing his reassurance would calm her. “I’m worried there might be some damage to his knee. I don’t know much about the situation with the leg he lost, but doesn’t he need his good one? I mean, both his legs are good, of course, it’s just…” She only knew what Jeff had told Colin the night he’d found her son. That he’d lost part of his calf and his foot.

  “Lacey, let’s not borrow trouble. Jeff was able to walk in here and he’ll probably walk out of here with two good knees.”

  “He was limping pretty badly.”

  “He favored it a bit,” Chance corrected.

  “I never should have let him handle Rebel.”

  Chance stood and walked to her. “That stallion is his horse. More importantly, Jeff needs to handle things on his own. I think the last thing he wants is to be treated like an invalid. He’s gone through a lot and he’s already come so far.” He raised an eyebrow. “If you care about him as much as I think you do, don’t let him see your worry. He might mistake it for doubt.”

  She gasped. “I don’t doubt him.”

  Chance winked. “Good, because I don’t think my nephew thinks of you as a mother.”

  She couldn’t stop her blush. “It doesn’t keep me from worrying about him.”

  “Of course not, we all do. Trouble is, Jeff spent the last ten years in the army doing heroic things. That all ended when he lost his leg. Although we think he’s no less of a man, he needs to prove it to himself.”

  A pretty redheaded nurse walked toward them. Smiling, Chance went to greet her and pulled her into a tight embrace. “How’s my pretty niece?”

  “I’d be fine, if I could keep you Randells out of the ER.” She looked at Lacey. “Hi, you must be Lacey Guthrie, I’m Brandon’s wife, Nora. It’s nice to finally meet you. Only I’m sorry it’s here.”

  Lacey smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, too. How’s Jeff?”

  “Being just as disagreeable as the rest of the Randells who’ve been patients here. He’s fine, though, and very lucky there wasn’t any damage to his knee. The doctor will have instructions and medication for him.” She frowned, then lowered her voice. “I doubt it’s a good idea for Jeff to stay alone up at the cabin.”

  Chance nodded. “Not a problem, but I might need Brandon’s help with this.”

  “That can be arranged if needed.” Nora laughed. “Jeff should be dressed now.” She turned to Lacey. “Once he’s feeling better, I hope you both will come to the house for dinner, and bring your kids.”

  Lacey nodded. She liked Nora. “Thank you. That would be nice.”

  Nora hugged Chance once again and walked off, then returned pushing Jeff out in a wheelchair. He didn’t look happy.

  “Can we get out of here?” he grumbled.

  “Should I take you home with me, or to your parents?” Chance asked.

  “Neither, to the cabin,” he said.

  His uncle shook his head. “That’s not an option.”

  “I’m not going to Mom and Dad’s place. I only have to stay off my leg for a few days. I can handle that on my own.”

  Lacey watched the two Randell men glare at each other and she found herself speaking up. “You can stay with me.”

  Twenty-four hours later, Lacey knew one thing for sure. Jeff Gentry was the worst patient ever. He had rejected any and all help from her.

  Of course, the drugs had him sleeping a lot. That was definitely a good thing. Chance had gone to get some clothes from the cabin and brought them by. Jeff had moved into the small sewing room at the end of the hall upstairs. There was only a pull-out sofa, but he said it was fine. She’d also stayed home from work the previous night thinking he’d need her. He hadn’t.

  After supper, her kids went to watch some television while she fixed a supper plate for the patient. Jeff needed to eat. Taking pills on an empty stomach wasn’t a good thing. She set a slice of meat loaf and a baked potato on the tray, added a roll and some iced tea, then carried it up the wide staircase to Jeff’s room.

  The fourth and seventh steps creaked. That was just one of the many repairs that needed to be made in the century-old house. But in spite of it being overdue for a fresh coat of paint and the plumbing rattling, she loved the place.

  Lacey made her way down the long hall and heard voices. At first she thought it was the TV but soon realized it was her daughter. She stopped outside Jeff’s bedroom.

  “See, my dolly has an owie on her knee, too. Does yours hurt really, really bad?”

  Jeff had never had anything against kids, but he wanted to be alone to wallow in his own misery. “Not much,” he answered.

  “Did they put a big Band-Aid on it?” she asked. “Mommy has kitty cat Band-Aids if you want one.”

  He nearly smiled. Okay, so she was cute. “That’s all right, thanks. I’m good.”

  “’Kay.” She nodded. “I’m sorry Rebel kicked you.” She shook her head, sending her ponytail swinging back and forth. “He didn’t mean to. I think he got scared ’cause he had to go away. I get scared sometimes when I have to leave my mommy. Do you get scared?”

  Those big blue eyes studied him. “Sometimes.”
/>   “My daddy got scared.” She swallowed. “When he was sick, he cried ’cause he was going to miss me, Mommy and Colin. He went away to heaven.” She blinked back tears. “I miss him.”

  He felt his chest tighten painfully. “We all do, sweetie.” He reached out and touched her arm. That must have been an invitation because the next thing he knew the tiny girl was curled up against him, clutching her doll. He found all he could do was wrap his arms around her small frame.

  “Shh, Emily. It’s okay.” His voice was rough with emotion. “I know your daddy wouldn’t want you to be sad. He would want you to be happy.”

  She looked up and wiped her eyes. “That’s what Mommy says. But sometimes I get sad.”

  “Well, you come to me and I’ll tell you some funny stories about your daddy and you’ll laugh.”

  He needed to remember those good times, too. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  Jeff glanced at the doorway and saw Lacey watching them. Great. How long had she been there? By the look on her face, she’d heard it all.

  “I thought you might be hungry,” she said, and carried the tray inside. “Emily, weren’t you watching your favorite show?”

  “I want to talk to Jeff. He’s going to tell me stories about Daddy. He says I’ll laugh so much that I won’t think about being sad.”

  “Well, if anyone knows stories, it’s Jeff. But I think it’s time to say goodnight.”

  In a flash those tiny arms wrapped about his neck and she kissed his cheek. “Goodnight, Jeff.” Her warm breath brushed his face, making him realize all that he had missed being a soldier. “Happy dreams. That’s what my daddy used to say.”

  “’Night, sweetie. Happy dreams to you, too.”

  “I’ll be in your room in a bit, Emily,” Lacey said to her daughter. “So get into bed.”

  She put the tray on the desk and went to straighten the blanket over Jeff. He hated her fussing, even though he knew it was ungrateful of him. “You don’t have to do this, Lacey.”