It Takes a Cowboy

“Don’t mind a bit,” he assured her. “Being downstairs with Jeff will give me a chance to get to know him better. He seems like a good kid beneath the bravado.”

Blair bit her lip. She wanted so badly to believe there was a good kid beneath her nephew’s troubled behavior. She had tried so hard to get through to him, to make up for the neglect he’d received during his first nine and a half years of life. She refused to believe it was too late to reach him.

Remembering the excitement on Jeffrey’s face during the plane ride, she hoped again that Scott would be the one to help him. She was encouraged by the way Scott had bested the boy in their brief battle of wills without setting off a tantrum. “I hope you’re right,” she said. “Jeffrey can be...difficult.”

“He’s dealing with the champ when it comes to that,” Scott answered with another of his quick smiles. “I want to talk to you about him after lunch. I have a few questions for you, if you don’t mind.”

She nodded, aware that Scott couldn’t help her if he didn’t know what he was dealing with.

He turned to look around the bedroom again. “I think you’ll be comfortable here. The bed,” he added, his eyes meeting hers as he patted the quilt with one hand, “sleeps great. I’ve spent many cozy nights in it.”

She swallowed, knowing it was inevitable that she would think of him when she crawled beneath the covers tonight. Had that been his intention? She couldn’t help wondering how many women had shared those cozy nights with him.

“We’d better get back to Jeffrey,” she said, reminding him—and maybe herself—that there would be no shenanigans this weekend.

She thought she heard Scott chuckle as she turned to hurry down the stairs. He seemed to find it amusing when he flustered her. Unless she wanted to spend the weekend being laughed at by him, she was going to have to start doing a better job of hiding her reactions to him.

Downstairs, Scott produced the picnic basket he’d brought with him and set it on the round oak pedestal table at the back of the main room. “Did you say you’re hungry, Jeff? We’ve got plenty of food here.”

Jeffrey looked torn between hunger and sulking. Hunger won. He sauntered to the table, obviously trying not to look too eager. “What’ve you got?”

Scott unloaded fried chicken, coleslaw, fruit and brownies from the basket, along with paper plates and napkins. It was all nicely prepared and packaged and looked quite appetizing. There wasn’t much conversation during the meal; everyone was too busy eating. By the time they’d finished, not a scrap of food remained. Blair didn’t know what they would eat the rest of the weekend, but she assumed Scott had made plans.

Blair asked Jeffrey to help with the cleanup afterward. He did so without enthusiasm, but also without argument, probably because he knew he would lose again.

“Okay, what does everyone want to do now?” Scott asked.

Jeffrey looked around the room. “Got a TV?”

“Nope,” Scott replied cheerfully. “Don’t need one up here. There are too many other things to do.”

“Like what?”

“Fishing. Hiking. Climbing. Watching birds and wildlife. Reading. Thinking.”

Jeffrey rolled his eyes. “I’d rather play video games.”

“You won’t find any of those up here, either. Looks like you’re going to have to find something else to do to entertain yourself.”

“Why don’t we go for a walk?” Blair suggested.

Scott smiled. “Good idea. I think you’ll approve of the scenery I’ve provided. Are you up to a hike, Jeff?”

“Maybe I’ll just hang out in here,” the boy answered, dropping onto the couch with his ever-present backpack beside him.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Scott drawled in that steely cowboy voice he’d used earlier. “Let’s all go for a walk.”

With a deep, long-suffering sigh, Jeffrey rose to his feet. “This is really lame,” he grumbled.

Scott only laughed and casually ruffled the boy’s hair. “Try to contain your enthusiasm, will you, pal? All this hyperactivity is wearing me out.”

Blair would have sworn she saw a quick flash of answering amusement in her nephew’s eyes, but he quenched it almost immediately. Scott definitely had his work cut out for him if he thought he could tame this little calf, she mused.

CHAPTER FOUR

IT WAS NO leisurely stroll down a neatly marked nature trail that Scott led them on, but a brisk hike through the woods. Over rocks and fallen limbs, around tree trunks and half-buried boulders, up steep inclines and down rocky hills. He pushed them like a cheerful drill sergeant, cracking jokes and keeping up a running commentary, but rarely letting them stop. Though she quickly grew hot and winded, Blair couldn’t help but enjoy the walk. It was such a beautiful day, and the scenery was breathtaking. It wasn’t long before Jeffrey stopped lagging sullenly behind and began to wander ahead, chasing squirrels, hopping from rock to rock, swinging on low branches.

“There really is a regular kid inside there,” Scott murmured, moving close to Blair so she could hear his softly spoken comment. “Bright, too. He asked several excellent questions about the operation of my plane.”