Texas Forever (The Tylers of Texas 6)

Beau and his family left before dawn the next morning, leaving no trace of their visit except the beds they’d slept in. Will and Erin were there to see them off, but Erin couldn’t help noticing a distinct coldness between the brothers.

At five thirty, Erin joined Will, Rose, and Sky for breakfast at the kitchen table. They’d be leaving for the Hill Country as soon as the meal was over. Rose was alert and animated, the men subdued, as if they were still waking up over their coffee.

“Any questions before we go, Erin?” Will asked. “Are you squared away to take over for the day?”

“I’ll be fine. I know what needs to be done.” Erin’s ankle was tightly wrapped beneath her boot. It still pained her but it was well braced. She knew better than to mention the injury to her father.

“Maddox will be checking the brood mares and stallions and starting on the remuda,” Will said. “That should be enough to keep him busy. If he needs help controlling a horse, call somebody. The rest of the boys know their jobs. Unless something unexpected comes up, they should do fine. Just make sure they know you’re watching, so they don’t slack off. You should have plenty of time to clean out Jasper’s side of the duplex.”

His voice broke slightly when he spoke of his lifetime friend. Although Bull Tyler had loved his sons, Jasper had been the patient, nurturing father figure who’d made up for Bull’s harshness, especially in Bull’s later life.

Will turned to Rose. “You’ll have a new neighbor when you get back here,” he said. “We’ll be moving Maddox, the farrier, into Jasper’s old quarters.”

Rose smiled. “Well, I won’t complain about having a handsome, young neighbor. But I’ll miss the long talks Jasper and I had on that porch, sitting in those old chairs and watching the moon come up.”

“I miss them, too,” Sky said. “I lived in the other side of the duplex for years before I got married. Those talks with Jasper gave me enough wisdom to last the rest of my life.” He put down his coffee cup with an ironic twist of a smile. “Almost enough wisdom to keep me from making a fool of myself.”

“I don’t believe that, Sky,” Erin said. “You would never make a fool of yourself.”

“Clearly, you haven’t asked my wife about that.” He rose from his place. “I’ll bring the truck around.”

The cost of having the hearse transport Jasper’s body to the Hill Country would have been more than the ranch could afford. Will had made long-distance arrangements for the grave to be dug in the cemetery next to the country church where Jasper and his Sally would have been wed. The grave would be waiting when the casket arrived in the covered bed of Will’s pickup, where it was resting now, wrapped in blankets and cushioned for the long, sometimes rough drive.

Jasper would have approved, Erin thought as she watched the truck drive away and vanish down the graveled lane that led to the main highway. He’d never been one for fancy trappings.

The ranch hands were already at their morning chores—feeding the stock, filling the water troughs, cleaning the pens and barns, and putting fresh straw in the stalls. Luke would be pitching in until breakfast time. After that, he would set up his equipment in the shed and begin his real workday. Sky had left instructions, but it would be up to Erin to make doubly sure that Luke had horses available and any other help he might need.

For now, it might be a good idea to show up around the ranch yard, let the men know she was in charge, and alert herself to any problems that might have come up, such as a sick animal or a damaged fence. It would mean a lot of walking on her sore ankle, but it wasn’t like a Tyler to show pain, she reminded herself. Trying not to limp, she set out across the yard.

The hands knew her—and they were decent men. Will didn’t knowingly hire any other kind. They greeted her cheerfully. A few of the old cowboys joked about her being the new boss, but it was all in fun. She had no reason to expect trouble from any of them.

Except, maybe, the kind of trouble that played havoc with her pulse when she was with Luke Maddox.

She found Luke in the stallion barn, forking hay from a wheelbarrow into the feeders. For a few moments she stood in the entrance, watching his smooth, sure movements. She’d noticed earlier how horses tended to stay calm around him. Something in the man’s demeanor inspired their trust. Even the high-strung stallions barely raised their elegant heads as he opened their roomy box stalls, refilled their feeders and water buckets, and took time to look them over, running his hand down their legs and nudging them to lift each hoof for inspection. It was as if he spoke a silent language that only he and the horses understood.

Sky had trained the animals to lift their feet so they could be easily shod. He had passed his methods on to Erin, who, he claimed, also had a natural ability with horses. But what she saw in Luke was not just skill born of experience. It was a pure instinct that bordered on magic.

Coming out of a stall, he caught sight of her. His dark eyes met hers, triggering a flash of memory—his strong arms cradling her across the paddock, the warm fragrance of his skin, his heart pounding next to her ear.

“Good morning, boss,” he said, giving the word a sardonic twist. “Any orders?”

Erin made sure her “business” mask was in place. “Sky told me you were set for the day. The brood mares are in the pen, waiting for you.”

“And their foals?” In the shadows, his deep-set eyes were the color of black coffee.

“The foals are with them,” Erin said. “Sky told me you didn’t want the mares separated from their babies.”

“Right. The mares will be calmer with their young ones close by.” Luke was all business, as they’d agreed he would be. It was as if last night had never happened. “I noticed that the mares were shod. If their hooves are in good shape, I’ll leave the shoes on them for now—unless you want them off in the rear. I’d recommend that if you’re going to breed them again soon. One good kick from a mare’s shod hoof can put a stallion out of business, sometimes for good.”

“Most of them are already pregnant, so let’s leave the shoes on for now. I’m sure Sky would agree with me.” Erin walked down the row of stalls to where Tesoro was kept. Hearing her voice, the stallion raised his head and nickered. She reached over the gate of the stall and stroked the golden arch of his neck, tangling her fingers in his creamy mane. Luke came up to stand beside her, studying the horse. When his shoulder brushed hers, Erin felt the contact as a spark of heat passing between them. She willed herself not to notice, but it was hard to forget that they were alone in the stable. If she were to turn toward him or reach out with her hand...

But nothing was going to happen. She stepped to one side, giving him more room.

“One more thing,” she said. “Remember to make sure I’m there when you work on Tesoro.”

“Not a problem. But I’ll need to know what you’ve decided about leaving his front hooves shod.”

“I thought about that. If it were early spring and Tesoro had a long breeding season ahead of him, I’d say take the shoes off. But by now, that’s mostly done. This fall, I’ll be riding him more, sometimes in rough country. So let’s leave him shod. The same goes for the other two stallions. They’ll be used as spares in the roundup. For that they’ll need shoes. Does that make sense?”