Her Texas Cowboy Protector (The Winchester Cowboys #3)

Chapter Three

The following weekend, Landon stepped out onto the front porch as Natalie pulled up outside in her Jeep. His heart sped up as she waved out her window and smiled. Waving back, he strode down the steps and met her as she opened her door. “Did you have any problems finding the house?”

She climbed out and grabbed her purse as she shook her head. “Not a bit. Your directions worked like a charm. I also used Google maps, but that trailed off before I got to the ranch turnoff.”

He clasped her hand and escorted her up to the porch. “I have the horses saddled, but come inside first. I want to introduce you to Mom.”

Just then, the screen door opened, and his mother stepped out onto the porch. She smiled and called, “Come on in this house, Natalie. I’m so glad you’re here.”

He said quietly, “She’s been looking forward to meeting you.”

As they stepped up onto the porch, his mom reached out her hand. “I’m Debra, Natalie. I’m glad you made it here safely. That Austin traffic is terrible.”

Natalie grinned. “It sure is, ma’am. The drive out here was nice, though. What beautiful country. I can’t wait to go riding and see the ranch.”

Debra opened the door. “Come inside. I’ve made cookies. You all might want to eat a snack before you go, because you’ll probably be late for lunch.”

“Thanks, Mom. That’s a good idea.” He set his hand at the small of Natalie’s back as they followed his mother to the kitchen. She had the table laid with saucers and a platter of chocolate chip cookies. As they sat down, she made them each a cup of coffee.

Natalie smiled at his mom. “It smells wonderful in here. Did you just bake these?”

“I took them out of the oven right before you drove up. They’re probably still a bit soft.”

“Mm, I love them when they’re chewy.”

He put two on his plate and took a bite. “Mom, they’re amazing. Just like always.”

Debra smiled. “You’ve loved them since before you could walk.”

Natalie took one from the platter and bit into it. “Oh, man, this is delicious. You’re a wonderful cook, Debra.”

“Thank you. I love cooking for my family, and I sure do a lot of it. Even though Landon lives in one of the cabins, he takes most of his meals here with his dad and me.”

Natalie glanced at him and grinned. “Smart man.”

He nodded, biting back a smile. “I think so.”

When they’d finished, he quickly put their plates in the dishwasher and then kissed his mom on her cheek. “We’ll see you later. Thanks for the snack, Mom.”

“The cookies were awesome, Debra,” Natalie said as he took her by the hand.

“You all go have fun,” his mom said with a smile.

There was a nice breeze as they walked down the ranch drive toward the barn. “You’re going to ride one of our retired ranch horses named Old Ben. I’ll be on Reggie, my roping horse.”

“Old Ben, huh? He sounds sweet and right up my alley.”

He nodded. “He’s a real babysitter. Just perfect for someone learning to ride.”

“Great. Maybe I won’t fall off, then.” She glanced up at him and grinned.

“I wouldn’t let that happen.” He squeezed her hand and drew her closer to him. “You’ll be just fine. We’re only going to walk, and we’ll be in the pastures where it’s safe. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

When they walked into the barn where the two horses were tied, she asked, “Which one’s mine?”

“The one closest to us. He’s got his head down, all relaxed-like.” He walked over and gave the old horse’s neck a pat before untying him. “Let me take him outside, and you can hold onto him while I get Reggie.”

In the bright morning sunlight, he handed her the reins. “Just relax. He’s not going anywhere.”

She smiled and patted Ben’s neck. “We’ll be okay, won’t we, old boy?”

When he returned with Reggie, he looped the roping reins through his elbow and helped Natalie mount. “To make him walk, lean forward a bit and nudge him with your heels. To make him stop, pull back gently on the reins as you lean back slightly in the saddle. To make him turn right, press the left rein against his neck. To make him turn left, press the right rein against his neck. Don’t worry. He’ll understand you if you even get it half right.” Then he got on his horse, and they started off.

He glanced at her broad grin a few moments later and smiled. “Having fun?”

“This is amazing. I can’t believe I’m actually riding a horse.”

“Anytime you want to come over, we’ll go again.”

“Whose saddle am I using?” She traced the words engraved on the horn with her fingertip.

“That’s Dad’s. One of the championship saddles he won when he was younger.” He enjoyed the look of awe that came over her face. “Dad was a hell of a roper in his day.”

“Wow, that’s awesome. I can see where all you boys got your talent.” She reached out and patted Ben’s neck. “And just think, this guy used to rope with the best of them.”

“Yep. He was a good one. It was hard for him when we quit using him on the ranch. He’d watch us load up the other horses and get in the way, wanting us to catch him up too.”

A line furrowed her brow, and she rubbed the horse’s neck again. “Nobody likes getting old, do they, boy?”

They approached a pasture gate, and he leaned down from Reggie’s back and opened it, riding through and holding it for her as she came in. After closing it again, he said, “This is the Bent Tree pasture. You’ll see why in a little while.”

She gave him a questioning look. “That sounds interesting.” She pointed to a herd grazing in the distance. “How many cows are in this pasture?”

“Thirty-eight, and then there’s the bull. He’s a good one and doesn’t have a problem covering that many cows each year.”

“Covering?”

“That means mating with them. We seldom have an open cow in his herd.” At her quizzical look, he went on. “An open cow is one that doesn’t become pregnant when she’s put in with the bull. That’s not good. We don’t like feeding cows when we don’t have the payoff of a calf during calving season. We lose money.”

“What do you do with the open cows?”

“That depends on a lot of things, like the cow’s age: whether she’s a young heifer or if she’s getting old and near the end of her calving years. If she’s been open before, that weighs in on the decision too. If we decide not to keep her, we haul her to the auction barn.”

He noticed her frown and went on. “A cattle ranch is big business, and we can’t afford to let our feelings interfere with what’s best for the bottom line. Don’t get me wrong, though. We take good care of our animals. They’re fed right, the vet comes out when it’s necessary, and we treat any other ailments they have right away.”

She nodded, her look thoughtful. “I’m glad I don’t have to face a situation like that. It must be hard for you.”

He shrugged. “It’s part of the job. You learn to harden yourself to it after a while.” He glanced at her. “I love calving season, though. Watching the pastures fill with cute little calves that bounce around and play is a joy.”

She grinned. “Oh, I’d love to see that. I’ll bet they’re adorable.”

“They are. They’re hopping and skipping all over the place, and then they’re tired and curl up on the ground and sleep. It’s so funny.”

She laughed, her eyes shining.

Warmth spread through him. Having her here was wonderful.

She talked for a while about happenings at work while they rode slowly along.

Then he pointed off to the left. “See that?”

She shaded her eyes with her hand, peering into the distance. Then said, “The bent tree!”

“That’s right. It’s unique, isn’t it? Lightning hit it over a hundred years ago and it started a fire that burned nearly a thousand acres. The land and trees here were still damaged when my family built our original ranch house.” He motioned to the tree. “It grew back crooked from the damaged trunk.

“It sure is. It’s amazing that it can support itself.” She continued to stare at it while Ben walked placidly along the pasture road.

When she finally looked away, he reached for her hand. “I’m glad you’re here. I never go riding just for fun. This is nice.”

She squeezed his hand. “I’m having a blast. It’s so peaceful out here. I like the way the pastures look different. Like this one is all planted in something green, while the one across the fence has trees and long grass. Why is that?”

He explained the difference between a cleared field and a partially cleared field, and she gazed into the distance on the other side of the fence.

“So, is the natural grass healthier than the wheat you’ve planted?” she asked when she turned back to him.

“They’re both good for the cattle. We’ve never overgrazed our pastures, so the natural grass is good and healthy and full of nutrients,” he said with pride.

They rode and continued to chat or just enjoy the silence of their surroundings until they came to a large copse of oak trees. “Let’s stop here for a few minutes,” he said. “Let me help you down.”

As Natalie stood on her feet a moment later, she grimaced. “I didn’t realize I’d get sore so quickly.”

“It’ll get better. Just walk around for a minute or two.” He tied the two horses to a low-hanging branch with the lead ropes he’d left on them, then leaned against the broad trunk of an old oak.

Natalie gingerly walked around in the shade of the tall trees with their thick, leaf-covered branches. “This is beautiful, Landon,” she said as she looked up into the overhead limbs of the tree he was leaning against.

“It’s one of my favorite trees on the ranch. We had Carson’s wedding here under the shade of these trees.”

Her eyes widened and she looked all around. “I’ll bet it was an amazing wedding. I can just imagine it.”

“It was. We had a catered barbecue and a country-and-western band. All our friends and neighbors were here. Carson and Haley were so happy that day.”

“Haley? That’s Carson’s wife?”

“Uh-huh. She’s great.” He smiled. “They have a beautiful little girl named Aria, and they just had a baby boy.”

He clasped her hand and drew her close. “The wedding was very romantic. I think the natural setting was a big part of it.”

She smiled and leaned against his chest. “Were you a member of the wedding party?”

He bent his head close to hers. “I was best man. Their joy in each other was beautiful to see.” He brushed a soft kiss across her lips, and she sighed as he drew back.

Smiling up at him, she said, “I’m glad we stopped here.” She slipped her arms around his neck. “I like being with you, Landon.” She kissed him then, exploring his lips and then slipping her tongue into his mouth.

He moaned quietly as he stroked it with his. He kissed her with an intensity that mirrored his arousal and then drew back, pulling in a long breath. Smiling down at her, he said, “Wow, you’re amazing.”

“So are you, handsome.” Stepping back, she stretched her legs. “Are we ready to ride some more? I’m feeling better now.”

“Sure.” He untied Ben and led him over to her. Holding the stirrup firmly, he said, “Step up just like I showed you before.”

Straining a little, she put her foot into the stirrup, then grabbed the saddle horn and pulled herself up and into the saddle. Smiling triumphantly, she said, “Not so hard the second time, is it?”

“You did great.” He handed her the reins and then quickly mounted Reggie.

He turned them back toward the barn. He didn’t want her to get too sore this first time out. They held hands on the way back, their stirrups sometimes brushing as they rode closely together.

Reggie followed Old Ben’s lead and put his head down, plodding along.

When they reached the barn, Landon helped Natalie down again. She winced as she landed on her feet. “Oh, man, I’m going to be feeling this tomorrow.”

He chuckled. “You sure will. Was it worth it?”

She beamed at him. “Of course! I can’t wait to go again.” She patted Ben’s neck. “You’re a sweetheart, old boy. Thank you for taking such good care of me.”

Ben blew softly through his nostrils and rubbed his head against her chest, right behind his ear.

She laughed. “You like me, don’t you?”

“I’m sure he does,” Landon said, although Ben probably just wanted to get the bridle off. “Just give me a few minutes and I’ll unsaddle them.”

She followed him into the barn and watched as he untied the front cinch and unbuckled the back one, then unbuckled the chest strap before tugging the saddle and pad off Ben’s back. He hung the saddle on the saddle tree and put the pad on top to dry off. Then he took the bridle off and hung it up, leaving only the halter on.

Then he did the same for Reggie. “Now we’ll give them a bit of feed as a reward while we give them a quick brushing. It makes them feel good and rewards them for a nice ride. That way when we want to catch them up again, they won’t mind.”

“That’s smart—and I’m glad they get a treat. They deserve one.”

He handed her a brush, then put a bucket with some feed in front of each of them. “Brush Ben’s back and where the front cinch went. He’ll like that. And remember to brush in the direction the hair grows.”

He bit back a smile at the industrious way she went about the grooming. When they’d finished, the horses had already eaten their feed. “Step back, now, and I’ll take them out and let them go in the pen.”

She quickly got out of the way by moving into the tack room, then followed him outside. The horses jostled against each other, excited at the prospect of being released. Landon took off Reggie’s halter and he shook his head, then cantered out into the pasture. Old Ben even had the energy to trot off when he was free.

He smiled at the old horse and turned. The look on Natalie’s face went straight to his heart. It was filled with longing and so happy. He said, “Come back next weekend—or as soon as you can. We’ll go out again—and next time we’ll take a picnic lunch.”

“That sounds amazing.” She clasped his hand as he went into the barn to hang the halters up.

His mom had saved them plates from lunch, and he heated them up when they got in. There was nobody around, and his dad’s truck was gone, so he was already back out on the ranch. His mom was probably helping while he moved a tractor. His dad would have to meet Natalie another time.

“Let’s go climbing again,” Natalie said as she prepared to take a bite of the fried chicken thigh in her hand.

“That sounds great. Where do you want to go?” He took a bite of his mashed potatoes and gravy. His mom’s were the best.

“Why don’t we go to Reimer’s Ranch? It’s close to Austin, so we can do it in a day.” After another bite, she said, “Man, your mom’s a good cook. This chicken’s great.”

“She sure is. I’m a lucky man.” Then he said, “Reimer’s is good. When do you want to go?”

“How about next Sunday? I have several things going on Saturday at the store, but Sunday I’m free.” She took a bite of creamed yellow squash and rolled her eyes. “My God, this is so dang good. She must use real cream and a lot of butter. I’m going to get fat if I spend much time here.”

He chuckled. “Mom’s squash is one of my favorites. I could eat a ton of it. And next week sounds great. What time should I pick you up?”

“Is eight too early? You’ve got the long drive. And I’ll bring something from the store for lunch.”

“That’s sounds perfect. I always like to get an early start. And I’ll bring a cooler for the food and drinks.”

She gave him a high five.

After lunch, Natalie had to get back to Austin. He walked her out to her Jeep. She leaned against her door and pulled him close. “Hey, buster, I had a fantastic day.”

He cupped her face in his hand, kissing her softly. As he met her gaze, he said, “I did too. I’ll call you tonight.”

She covered his hand with hers and smiled. “I’d like that.”

He stepped back so she could get into her Jeep.

As she drove away, she gave a jaunty wave out the window.

He grinned and waved back.

His mom and dad drove up in his dad’s truck just then, and Debra climbed out. “Natalie had to leave already?”

He nodded. “She had some things she needed to do.”

“I liked her,” she said.

He nodded. “I do too.”

His mom smiled. “I could tell. Good for you, honey. I’m glad you found a nice girl.”

He grinned and followed his mom up the steps. He’d call Natalie around seven. He couldn’t wait.