Judy Christenberry - Coming Home To The Cattleman

Quickly trying to cover herself, Jenny turned to Sam and asked, “How do they know the age of the cows?”

“They’re guessing, but if the cow has a young calf, you figure she’s pretty young. We’re going to help maintain the herd until they finish dividing it up. Then we’ll push the new herd into the next pasture.”

“Okay.” She followed her father’s lead, slowly approaching the herd and trying hard not to look in Jason’s direction again.

Sam told a couple of the cowboys to join Jason in cutting out the cows he wanted while they took their places.

“Oh, Jennifer, I forgot to tell you your horse is trained for cutting, so she may make sudden moves. Just grab the saddle horn, if you need to.”

She nodded, but she vowed not to do such a thing. She’d been taught without a saddle horn, and she now managed by staying alert and moving with her horse most of the time. Only a couple of times did she have to resort to grabbing the saddle horn.

“Good job, Jenny,” Sam said, riding toward her. “Let’s join the others and move the other herd.”

She followed him, not tiring yet. It had been a pleasure to work the herd. Even more, she loved hearing praise from her father. She hadn’t expected that. Several of the cowboys they joined nodded to Jennifer. She nodded in return and continued to herd. She didn’t think anyone would remember her from when she was little. Cowboys moved around a lot, and she was sure that none of the current cowboys were still the same as when she’d been at the ranch as a youngster.

“Is that little Jenny?” a voice called.

Jennifer looked around and was amazed when she saw a face she did recognize, saying in amazement, “Is that you, Buster?”

“It sure is! How are you?”

“I’m good, all the better for being back here.”

“Them are mighty fancy duds you’re wearin’,” he said, scratching his head.

Jenny blushed, knowing for certain that her outfit wasn’t right, now. “I know. It’s what I wore in New York. I don’t have any jeans.”

“You’d better get some jeans if you’re going to stick around here, girl.”

“I will, but it’s good to see you. I didn’t think Sam would still have anyone around from when I was little.”

“Yeah, I refused to run off when he was drinkin’ so heavily. I figured he’d come to his senses sooner or later.”

He continued to ride alongside her. “Were you happy in New York, Jenny?”

“No, not really, but I didn’t exactly have a choice.”

“I figured you did when you turned eighteen. That was a while back, wasn’t it?”

Jenny swallowed hard, knowing that she was going to be faced with this kind of questioning while she was staying on the ranch, but how could she explain why she hadn’t gotten in touch with her father, because the thought of him rejecting her again had been too much for her still-young heart to take. It had been her mother’s death that had finally made her realize that she was truly alone in the world and that she needed to finally move on with her life.

She turned to face the man she’d known as a young girl and smiled at him fondly. “I…I can’t explain it, Buster. But all I know is I’m glad I’m back now.”

“I’m glad, too, little Jenny. Real glad.”

Jason kept his eye on Jennifer all afternoon. She was a good horsewoman, he’d have to admit. She’d handled the mare he’d trained beautifully, not being overly aggressive or too hesitant. He’d expected her to mess up a lot more.

They hadn’t spoken for most of the day, but Jason couldn’t shake the moment they had shared when he had caught Jenny staring at him. He had seen what was in her eyes, and her quick blush had given her away. There was a lot more to this city girl than first met the eye, and even in fancy clothes, Jason had to admit she was a beautiful young woman.

When they dismounted at the end of the day, she didn’t ask for any help with her mare. After she unsaddled her, she rubbed her down before turning her out into the pasture. With a final pat, she watched the mare gallop to the other horses in the field.

“Did you enjoy riding her?” Jason asked behind her.

She whirled around. “Yes, yes, I did. Sam said you trained her. You did a good job.”

“Feel free to ride her while you’re here.”

“Thank you. That’s very generous of you.”

“No, you’re a good rider. Otherwise, I wouldn’t offer her to you. She’s a quality horse and deserves to be treated well.”

“Well, I appreciate that. Thanks.” For a moment they both just stood staring at each other. Then, without waiting for either him or Sam, she walked off back to the house.

By the time Jason and Sam got to the house, Jennifer wasn’t in sight. Rachel was busy preparing dinner.

“Evening, Rachel,” Sam said.

She turned and smiled at him fondly. “Good evening, Sam, Jason.”

“Did Jennifer come through here?” Jason asked.

“Yes. She went to take a quick shower. You have time to take one, too, if you’d like.”

An image of Jenny taking a shower flashed into Jason’s mind. Quickly he shook his head to dispel it, but the heat that flared inside him was going to need some cooling down.

“Actually, a shower sounds good,” Jason answered, and it was going to be nice and cold!

Jennifer changed into slacks and a blouse and drew her hair back in a ponytail. Then she headed downstairs to help Rachel prepare dinner.

Without asking, she set the table and then asked Rachel what else needed taking care of. “Put the rolls in the oven if you don’t mind, honey. That should make them ready when the meal is.”

“Shall I start pouring tea for everyone?”

“Yes, please. Goodness, you don’t even have to ask what I need you to do, do you?” Rachel asked with a smile.

“I hope not! I can figure out setting the table and fixing drinks. I’ll get used to fixing the bread, too. I guess the guys need those carbohydrates, with all the work they do.”

“Yes, they do. They put in a long day. How did you manage today, by the way? Was it too hard for you?”

Jennifer looked up in surprise. “No, I had a lovely afternoon. It was so relaxing being out in the fresh air and feeling useful. And Buster is still working here! I was quite surprised.”

“Yes, Buster stuck through the bad times,” Rachel said.

“I’m glad.”

“You’re glad about what?” Sam asked as he came in the kitchen.

“I was saying I was glad to see Buster today.”

“You recognized him?”

“Yes, of course. He used to help take care of me sometimes when I was little. Don’t you remember?”

She knew she’d said the wrong thing, though she didn’t know what exactly.

“I remember,” Sam said sharply, a sudden frown on his face.

Jason walked into the kitchen at that moment and, looking at Sam, saw the dark look on his face. Immediately, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Sam told him and pulled out a chair to sit down.

Jason studied first Sam and then Jennifer. She, too, had a strange, nervous look on her face, but since neither said anything, he joined Sam at the table. He’d find out what was going on later.

“We’re having T-bones tonight,” Rachel announced, with a smile, trying to dispel the dark mood that had suddenly fallen across the group.

Jennifer opened the oven and took out the bread. The rolls were a golden brown. She put them in the napkin-lined basket and covered them up.

When she put the basket on the table, Rachel brought the steaks to the table, followed by a dish of broccoli covered in cheese and another salad.

“We’re ready,” Rachel announced.

Jennifer sat down across from Jason and her father, but remained silent. She didn’t know why Sam had been upset over the mention of Buster, but something had certainly unsettled him. The last thing she wanted was to cause problems with the other cowboys on the ranch, especially when they hadn’t even sorted out their own relationship yet. Jennifer decided that she would try to talk to Rachel about it later.