Josh Page 7

  Who was she kidding? He was the reason she was so reluctant to leave. She wanted to get to know him better. Not just the fearless hiker who had appeared on the mountainside in a snowstorm, but the real Josh Conway, the mysterious, enigmatic rancher who could make her heart trip over itself with nothing more than a smile.

  From the kitchen came a chorus of voices, male and female, old and young. She found herself amused at the snippets of conversation she could make out.

  An early storm somewhere.

  A road washed out in the vicinity.

  A leak in the barn roof.

  An entire herd of cattle stranded in snow up in the hills.

  It was enough to make her glad she wasn’t responsible for running things around here. Wasn’t there any good news to share?

  She pushed open the door and the voices went silent for just a moment, as though they’d all forgotten about the stranger in their home. Then, just as quickly, they were all speaking at once.

  “’Morning, sweetheart.”

  This from Josh’s grandfather.

  She shot him a dazzling smile. “’Morning, Big Jim.” As soon as she spoke his name, her gaze flew to Josh’s face, and she could see the laughter lurking in his eyes. Just seeing that sexy grin at their private little joke had her heart rate speeding up.

  “How’d you sleep, honey?”

  This from the woman Josh had described as a surrogate mother.

  “Like a baby, Phoebe, thanks to your warm hospitality.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “Coffee?” Josh indicated a tray of mugs on the kitchen counter.

  “Thanks.” She helped herself to a mug of steaming coffee and breathed it in before taking a sip. “Umm. That’s heavenly.”

  “Fresh-ground.” Cole’s voice rang with pride. “Half the pleasure’s in the smell of those beans grinding.”

  “I agree.” Sierra smiled up at him. “That’s the first thing I noticed when I walked in. That and the wonderful smell of corn bread baking.”

  That had old Ela grinning. “I’ll save you an extra slice.”

  “How’re those aching muscles?” Josh asked. “Did you use the jet tub?”

  “I was in it for so long last night I practically slept there. But it was worth every minute. I feel good as new this morning. How about you?”

  Before Josh could respond, Quinn walked in from the mudroom and greeted everyone. “Hey, bro. I thought I was an early bird.” He turned to his wife, who was just helping herself to a mug of coffee. “I’m usually the first one up, but this morning Josh beat me to it. Did you sleep at all last night, bro?”

  “Some.” Josh snagged a square of corn bread as Ela carried a tray of it to the table.

  “I left the barn chores for you while I tended to the horses out in the corral.”

  “I noticed.” Josh took his time polishing off the last bite. “You looked like you were having fun in the slush.”

  Sierra glanced out the window and was surprised to see sun reflected off a layer of fresh snow.

  “Some fun. After we eat, I get to do it all again at Cheyenne’s place.”

  “That’s the price you pay for having two ranches. Have you two given any thought to consolidating?”

  Cheyenne and Quinn shared a secret smile.

  Quinn dropped an arm around her shoulders. “We’ve been talking about it. But it’s Cheyenne’s legacy, and the decision has to be hers.”

  “Come and eat,” Phoebe called.

  As Sierra took her place beside Josh she shot him a sideways glance. “Isn’t it a bit early for snow?”

  “Not in Wyoming.” He accepted a tray of eggs scrambled with onions and red-and-green peppers, and he held it while she spooned some onto her plate. “We’ve been known to have blizzards as late as May or June, and as early as September.”

  Sierra arched a brow. “I guess that means you soak up as much summer as possible while you can.”

  That had the others smiling.

  Big Jim helped himself to a sizzling steak before passing the platter to Quinn. “This storm wasn’t that much of a surprise. We could see those storm clouds blowing in across the Tetons. That usually spells some severe weather.”

  “How severe?” Sierra looked across the table.

  “I’m afraid you won’t be heading to town anytime soon, sweetheart.” Big Jim smiled at Ela as she handed him a tall glass of milk. “We’ve got enough equipment to clear the roads here on the ranch. And the county will clear the main highways as soon as the snow stops falling. But they may not get to the outlying roads for a couple of days. There are a heap of miles between here and Paintbrush.”

  She ducked her head to hide the little jolt of pleasure that shot through her as his words sank in.

  “So.” Cole lifted his cup to his lips and drank before adding, “it looks like you’re stuck here with us for a while. I hope this won’t spoil any plans.”

  “I have no plans.” She looked around at the others. “I’m happy to stay. I just hope I won’t be in the way.”

  “Oh, trust me, you won’t be.” Phoebe gave a dry laugh. “We always welcome an extra pair of hands to help with the chores.”

  “Have you ever mucked a stall?” Cheyenne asked.

  Sierra laughed. “The only time I’ve ever seen a stall is when I’ve had to lead a horse from the stable to be saddled before riding. That was in Spain, when I was staying with a school chum whose family owned a vineyard.”

  Cheyenne’s eyes lit. “So you ride?”

  “Yes. Do you?”

  That had all of them laughing.

  “If you grow up on a ranch in Wyoming, you know how to sit a horse by the time you can walk. And you can drive a tractor by the time you’re eight or nine years old.”

  “You can drive at eight?”

  Cheyenne chuckled. “You can’t get a license, but when you’re the only available laborer, you do what you have to.”

  Sierra studied her. “Is driving a tractor different from driving a car?”

  Cheyenne shrugged. “Not that much. Are you thinking of taking a tractor to town?”

  There was another round of laughter.

  “I’m not in any hurry to get to town. But if you need someone to lend a hand, I’d like to try.”

  “Good girl.” Big Jim polished off the last of his steak and eggs and sat back with a sigh. “I think I’ve got enough fuel now to go full steam ahead for a few hours.”

  As he pushed away from the table the others followed suit.

  Josh turned to Sierra. “If you’d like to give us a hand in the barn, you can help yourself to boots, gloves, and a parka from the mudroom.”

  “Thanks. I’d like that.”

  He shot her a dangerous smile. “I wonder if you’ll feel the same way an hour from now.”

  “Careful, cowboy.” She opened the kitchen door and retrieved her camera from her gear before trailing him to the mudroom, where she located a pair of oversize boots, a warm, hooded parka, and a pair of leather gloves. “I’ll remind you that I managed to keep up with you on our hike down the mountain.”

  “So you’re not about to wimp out on me now?”

  “I’m thinking I ought to be able to handle a few ranch chores without breaking a sweat.”

  Josh threw back his head and roared. “Oh, I think I’m going to enjoy this.” He held open the door and followed her onto the back porch. “Come along, Ms. Moore.” He led the way toward the first of several barns and outbuildings. “Something tells me it’s going to be fun introducing you to the real world of ranching.”

  Sierra and Josh had opted to muck stalls, while Cheyenne and Quinn led the horses from each stall to a fenced pasture out back, where they were turned loose to run.

  Afterward Cheyenne and Quinn returned to the barn to fill feed and water troughs.

  Through it all they continued trading jokes and teasing insults.

  “I think Jake was smart to head out early this morning.” Quinn lugged a hose across the flo
or and began filling a water trough.

  “Did he take one of the trucks, or one of the ATVs?”

  “What’s an ATV?” Sierra asked.

  “All-terrain vehicle. They come in handy when we’re heading up into the hills in snow.” Josh paused to lift his wide-brimmed hat and wipe sweat from his forehead.

  “That’s what I heard around dawn.” She smiled. “It sounded like someone using a power saw.”

  “That’s what you heard.” Josh grinned. “And knowing Jake, he probably circled the house once or twice, just to rouse the household before he headed up into the hills. According to Jake, anyone who isn’t out of bed by five or six in the morning is lazy.”

  Sierra laughed out loud. “Lazy? At dawn?”

  “Ah, the life of a rancher.” Cheyenne looped an arm through Quinn’s and looked up at him with an intimate smile. “If we ever decide to blow off our chores, I’d be more than happy to sleep until noon.”

  “You?” Quinn dropped a kiss on the tip of his wife’s nose. “If you ever sleep that late, I’ll rush you into Paintbrush to have Dr. Walton check to see if you have a fever.”

  “Or a pulse,” Josh added.

  That had all of them laughing.

  Quinn looked at Josh. “Remember the time Phoebe and Pa rushed you to town and had old Doc Walton check you after that fall?”

  “From a horse?” Sierra asked.

  “From the mountain,” Quinn said matter-of-factly. “With Josh, it was always the mountain.”

  Sierra put a hand to her throat. “How far did you fall?”

  “I don’t know. It was pretty high.” Josh frowned. “The fall was bad enough. The hardest part was after I landed. I had to get myself home.”

  “Did you drive yourself?”

  He laughed. “I was only thirteen. I had to drag myself into the saddle of old Blue and hope he’d get me back before I passed out.”

  Quinn took up the narrative. “Phoebe was looking out the kitchen window and saw the horse coming slowly toward the barn. At first she thought it was riderless, because the reins were dangling, but then she caught sight of Josh lying forward in the saddle, holding onto old Blue’s mane. She went flying outside, hollering for Pa to come help. The two of them threw Josh, who was all bloody and not making a whole lot of sense, into a truck and started driving to town. Phoebe still refers to it as the longest drive of her life.”

  Josh saw the look of shock on Sierra’s face and tried to keep things light. “According to Phoebe, I was carrying on a very long and confusing conversation with my mother. Old Doc Walton was training his daughter, our current Dr. April Walton, in the intricacies of small-town medicine, and figured she needed to see for herself just how crazy ranchers could be. Together they mopped up a river of blood and managed to stitch me up before they set my broken bones and sent me home, with instructions to Pa and Phoebe to wake me every hour or so because of the concussion I’d suffered.”

  Sierra gave a shake of her head. “That would be enough to cure most people of climbing alone.”

  “Most people,” Quinn said with a laugh. “But not my crazy brother. Just weeks after Doc removed the cast from his arm, Josh was missing for hours, and returned to say he’d conquered a new peak of the Tetons.”

  When Sierra sent him a surprised look, Josh grinned. “I guess it’s like falling off a horse. All you can do is climb back in the saddle and give it another try.”

  “Falling off a mountain isn’t quite the same as falling off a horse.”

  Josh tugged on a lock of her hair. “That depends on where you land.”

  “And my brother landed on his head, which is why he’s still crazy after all these years.” Quinn dropped an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Come on. Let’s get the last of these troughs filled.”

  Sierra paused in her work to snap off a couple of quick shots of Josh, as he pitched a load of straw and dung into the wagon.

  He glanced over. “Quitting on me?”

  “Not on your life. Just taking a short break.” She grinned. “I figured I’d take advantage of the opportunity to record the life of a real working cowboy.”

  He winked. “I doubt you could sell many copies. Mucking stalls just isn’t pretty.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that.” She leaned her hands on the top rail of a stall and studied him. “Do you do this every morning?”

  He shrugged. “Somebody has to do it. If I’m busy somewhere else, one of my brothers has to take up the slack. Or one of the wranglers.”

  “How many do you employ?”

  “Depends. We have the biggest crew in springtime, during calving. And again in fall, for roundup.”

  “You actually round up your cattle?”

  He laughed. “How else would we bring them down from the high country?”

  “I don’t know. I never thought about it.” She suddenly became animated. “Will that happen soon?”

  “You bet. With this early snow, we’ll be looking at bringing the herds down to the lower pastures right away. That’s why Jake was on the trail so early this morning.”

  “So I might see some of the herds coming down from the hills before I leave?”

  “Count on it.”

  She touched a hand to the camera around her neck. “Oh, I can’t wait to get some shots of it.”

  Josh couldn’t resist laughing at the look of ecstasy on her face. “The real West and the Old West coming together in your mind?”

  She nodded. “Something like that.” She lay a hand on his. “Oh, Josh, I can’t wait to see them.”

  She caught the sudden narrowing of his eyes and lifted her hand away before returning to her chore.

  As she worked, she wondered at the heat she’d felt at that quick touch.

  What would it be like to have those big, work-worn hands on her, touching her everywhere? To have that sexy, smiling mouth moving over hers?

  The thought had her glancing sideways at the rugged man who was working beside her. At that very moment he looked up and caught her staring.

  He smiled and winked, and she actually felt her heart do one of those crazy somersaults.

  Damn him. He was too sexy for his own good. Or hers.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Cole hauled a saddle into the barn and tossed it over the side of one of the stalls, before turning to his son. “Phoebe’s got lunch ready.”

  “Thanks, Pa. It’s about time.” Josh hung his pitchfork on a peg along the wall. “I’ve worked up a powerful appetite.” He turned to Sierra, who was spreading fresh straw. Other than to take photos, she hadn’t stopped working since they’d first entered the barn. “Had enough of ranch chores?”

  She straightened. “I wouldn’t mind a break.”

  He shot her a teasing grin. “Admit it. You’re ready for a long rest on a white sandy beach.”

  “Oh. Doesn’t that sound grand?” She pressed her hands to the small of her back and leaned to the left, then to the right, stretching her aching muscles, before walking toward him. “Which would you choose? Hawaii or the Virgin Islands?”

  He led the way from the barn. “Right about now, I’d settle for any place where the sun was shining, and my only chore was choosing whether to have a cold beer or a hot babe.”

  As he held open the door to the mudroom, she brushed past him and felt her body strain toward his. “I’m sure you could have both.”

  He leaned close enough to whisper, “Since I’ve already got the hot babe right here, I don’t have any need for that beer.”

  Her eyes went wide and she turned to find his mouth inches from hers, curved into that sexy smile she found so appealing.

  It would have been so easy to lean in and touch her lips to his. With anyone else, she would have followed the urge without giving it a thought. But she wouldn’t let herself do that with Josh. He was different. So very different from any man she’d ever met. Cool. Reserved. Even though the temptation was great, she went perfectly still, hoping this time he would make the first move.<
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  She saw the way his gaze was drawn to her lips. Her heartbeat started to race in anticipation.

  Just then Quinn and Cheyenne burst into the room, laughing together in the way of two lovers completely comfortable with each other.

  Their two heads came up sharply, and Sierra and Josh stepped apart, taking great pains to look busy removing their boots, hanging their parkas, and washing their hands at the big sink.

  When they walked into the kitchen, Quinn and Cheyenne followed.

  Sierra stopped in her tracks and breathed in the heavenly scents that filled the room. “What do I smell?”

  Phoebe looked up from the oven. “Bread baking.”

  “Not corn bread. This smells like hot crusty bread.”

  “That’s it,” Phoebe said with a laugh.

  “You actually bake your own bread?”

  Phoebe exchanged a smile with Ela.

  “Bread. Rolls.” Ela stirred a pot of chili simmering on the stove. “If our men like eating it, we enjoy making it.”

  “I think you spoil them.” Sierra couldn’t help smiling as she watched Josh reach over Phoebe’s shoulder to break off a steaming hunk of bread.

  “You bet they do.” Josh popped the hot morsel in his mouth. “And we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Phoebe set the warm, sliced loaf on a platter in the center of the big table, while Ela ladled chili into bowls. Within minutes Big Jim and Cole came sauntering in from the mudroom, their sleeves rolled to the elbows, their hair wet and slicked back.

  Big Jim gave a deep sigh. “Nothing quite like bread hot from the oven, and even hotter chili.”

  Josh settled himself at the table beside Sierra. “A certain guest of ours, who shall remain nameless, thinks we’re all spoiled.”

  “You’re absolutely right about that.” Big Jim winked at Sierra as Ela set a steaming bowl in front of him. “This woman’s been spoiling us since Cole was a pup.” He tucked into his meal. “How about you, Sierra? Did you have a grandma who loved to spoil you?”

  Sierra shook her head and saw Ela turn to watch and listen. “Neither of my parents had family. Maybe that explains why they had no desire to settle down and have a real home.”