The Cougar and the Cowboy

Trying another avenue for conversation and perhaps wanting to redeem himself after his remark, he asked, “Lucy asked if I’d ever been married and now I’ll ask you the same question.”

She started to laugh. “No, never been married, never been engaged…never had a serious relationship. I had a few dates when I lived in Magnolia, but it was just friendly, y’know? Lucy even helped me choose an outfit for the first one. Too many years of dressing like this…” she indicated her jeans and western shirt. “Besides, my dad taught me that if you can’t do something with passion and with your whole heart, then don’t do it at all. Marriage takes a lot of work and I guess I haven’t found the person who makes me want to put all my effort into it.”

Jace was nodding agreement. “Yeah, I figured a long time ago, I would probably be alone forever. When I was with the rodeo, there simply wasn’t time. I was in a different town every weekend. You can’t expect a woman to put up with that kind of loneliness. Then I devoted all my time to taking groups of hunters or tourists out into the wilderness for weeks at a time…another bad scenario for marriage. When the accident left me with this permanent limp and disfigured leg, I gave up even thinking about it.”

“I hope you take this in the way it is meant…I cannot imagine you not having women fall all over you. I mean, come on…you’re young…”

“I’m 42. Not exactly young, Dani,” Jace interrupted.

“Well, you’re not a senior citizen either. I think 42 is young and as I was saying…you’re the proverbial, tall, dark and handsome man every woman wants.”

He had to laugh at that. “The only woman who wants me is Maggie and she doesn’t want me for a permanent type of relationship. She tells me all the time she wants to get me in bed. I genuinely love Maggie. She keeps The Branding Iron going but as tempting as her offers sound, I’m not into just sleeping with someone for one night, either.”

“Well that’s a moral decision and I’m glad to hear you have some…morals, that is. So, you’ve never had a serious relationship? I find that hard to believe even though you’ve explained it.”

“There was one woman I thought I could possibly spend my life with. At least, I wanted to spend more time with her so I could figure it out for sure. Her name was Lorna and she worked me like an expert only I was too infatuated to see it. I took her group on a week-long outing in the wilderness. To say she was attentive to me would be an understatement. Someone told her I owned lots of acreage and a successful bar and restaurant. That was what attracted her interest in me…nothing else. I was extremely gullible and believed she was falling in love with me. When she found out the land she was riding on was BLM land and belonged to the government and that The Branding Iron was in financial straits, she went back to California faster than a speeding bullet.” He looked over at Dani. “And that, my new friend, is the extent of my love life. Sad, isn’t it?”

They both laughed. “I think we’re smart to stick with horses. They don’t break your heart…well, unless you have to part with one or they die,” Jace commented.

Dani looked out her window, pretending to watch the scenery and also to hide the few tears that escaped and slid down her cheeks but Jace noticed.

“I’m sorry. I forgot about the mare you lost. Want to tell me about her? It helps sometimes.”

Dani wiped the tears and took a deep breath. “She came with me from Texas. She was going to be the foundation of my herd. She was a beautiful, smart and well-trained animal and I loved her. I had her bred and was so excited to think I’d have my first foal on the ground but it wasn’t to be. I went to the barn one morning and found her dead. There was no sign of a struggle like there would be if she had a twisted gut or something. I couldn’t afford an autopsy but my vet believed she had a weak heart. The strain of the pregnancy …” her voice trailed off. “Anyway, the diagnosis was that she died of a heart attack.”

“I’m very sorry, Dani. That had to be a shock. So how did you manage to afford the new mare, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“I called Cal for the names of some breeders I could trust to sell me a new mare and maybe take payments or something. He called back and told me he had a mare that was too closely related to the stud they planned on breeding her to and he wanted to give her to me so she’d have a good home.”

Jace gave a low whistle. “Wow. I’d say that was your lucky day. She’s beautiful.”

Dani nodded. “I don’t believe him for a minute, like I told him last night. I worked for the Frasiers long enough to know they’re regarded as one of the best breeders in the southwest. They don’t make breeding mistakes like that. They could have used her but wanted me to have her. Since they know I would be opposed to anything that looked like charity, Cal made up the story. I know he did…even if he’ll never admit it.

CHAPTER 17

IN THE EARLY afternoon, they reached the exit they needed to avoid the construction delay. They found themselves immediately on a two lane highway. It was in good shape but would definitely decrease their speed which in turn, would increase their time.

Dani had driven for a while on the detour and Jace had just taken over again. According to their GPS, they were an hour away from getting back onto the interstate.

“This really isn’t a bad highway and I kind of enjoy all the little towns and villages, don’t you?” Dani asked.

“I would enjoy them more if every one of them didn’t have a stop light and a 30 mph speed zone. I’m getting tired of shifting,” he answered.

“I meant to ask about that. Did you buy the truck with a manual transmission because of hauling the trailer?”

“Yes and no,” was his answer. “It did seem like a good idea when I needed to haul numerous horses at one time but the main reason was because it was a hard sell for the dealer and he gave me a really good price on it.”

“We have to take our savings where we can find them,” she agreed.

“Do you mind if we stop in the next town for a bite to eat? Breakfast was a long time ago and our snacks are non-existent.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” she agreed. “My stomach is touching my backbone.”

The Main Street Café looked like a clean little eatery. Jace parked the truck and trailer, taking up two parking spots and they went inside. If they thought the town resembled Mayberry, they were sure of it when they entered the café. There were a few tables with chairs, booths along one wall and round stools at the counter. They were greeted with nods of heads and small waves as they found a booth and slid in.

The chairs around one table were occupied by several local farmers or ranchers. Jace thought they looked just like the ‘regulars’ at The Branding Iron.

“Where you folks from?” asked one of the men.