Aurora's Cowboy Daddy (Rescue Ranch) Read online

  Her stomach grumbled, and she thought to take a shower, then going up to the big house and see if maybe Austin had cooked breakfast, or if there was something in the cupboard up there she could eat. The big house. She snickered to herself as she drank more coffee then headed for the shower. Wasn’t that what they called it on a ranch? She certainly hoped so because to her it sounded pretty cool.

  And she was sleeping with the foreman. Or was he a foreman? She needed to ask Holt if he had another name besides Papa Bear.

  The Papa Bear thing was another hurdle for her to make entirely. She still wasn’t sure about the Daddy thing. She could handle the Dom thing better, because at least with that she was staying in her age group. She supposed the two of them needed to have a talk about what exactly he expected of her. It would be better coming from him rather than coming from a website.

  Once she was cleaned and dressed her stomach punched at her once more. She made her way outside, only to stop and smell the fresh air that greeted her. One of the things she’d missed most in prison, even if it was just for six months, was fresh air; that and the night sky.

  She started toward the UTV and stopped when she heard the whiney of a horse. She turned to see Holt ride up. He wore what she thought of as his ranch uniform, jeans, a denim button down, chaps, boots, and his straw hat. He rode a beautiful brown horse, and he had the reins to another one in his free hand.

  “Morning, Sunshine,” he said.

  “Good morning.”

  “Go inside and get a hat off the rack near the door,” he said. “Then come back and mount up.”

  Aurora’s mouth dropped open. “You want me to ride a horse?”

  “I think I mentioned lessons your first day here,” he said.

  “I’ve never been on a horse,” she said. “And I haven’t eaten breakfast.”

  He chuckled. “Not sure what one has to do with the other, but go get your hat, mount up and we’ll ride to the house to feed you. Austin made cinnamon rolls. I had three of them. Delicious.”

  The thought of cinnamon pastry spurred her into gear. She retrieved a hat, and once she was back outside she stared at the huge animal she was supposed to mount. Holt had gotten off his horse, which grazed nearby while he stroked the horse he’d brought her to ride.

  “First thing you need to know is if you’re scared, they will sense it,” he said. “This horse is Molly. She’s an old gal, and she’s gentle. If you respect her, she’ll respect you.”

  “Respect,” Aurora said.

  “Now, the part of the saddle you need to know right now are the stirrups, the reins, and the saddle horn. You use the saddle horn to get on and off. Don’t grab it while you’re riding. That shows nervousness. Keep the reins in your hands and let your hands rest on your thighs if necessary. Relax and enjoy the ride.”

  “Okay,” Aurora said. She knew it was a one-word answer, but right now she didn’t care. Molly seemed to be the most enormous animal she’d ever seen, and despite his order not to be nervous, she was terrified.

  “Relax.” He stroked her arm. “Little kids ride this horse.”

  “Okay.”

  “And stop saying that.” He winked at her, but he also swatted her bottom, which made her yelp, and made Molly take a few steps back.

  “Now, always mount and dismount on the left. Put your left leg in the stirrup, keep the reins in your left hand, grab the saddle horn and push off with your right leg. When you’re up, swing it over, and settle yourself in the saddle.”

  “Okay.”

  “That’s three okays in less than two minutes,” Holt said. His look told her he was not amused. Instead of dwelling on it, though, he continued with the lesson. “Keep yourself upright. Don’t slouch over Molly’s neck. Once you’re in the saddle find the right stirrup and immediately put your foot in it.”

  “How am I supposed to do that without slouching over the side?”

  “Use your foot,” he said. “I’m going to stand right by you while you do it, baby bear. Just remember, don’t show nerves. Be strong.”

  “Okay.” She winced and said, “I’m sorry.”

  “We’ll discuss the okays later.” He patted the saddle. “Up you go.”

  It took her a few tries to get her foot in the stirrup. She held the reins in her left hand as he’d said, grabbed the saddle horn and tried to push off the ground. She immediately let go of the reins and fell flat on her butt, her left food leaving the stirrup when she lost her balance.

  “No, no, I can’t do this.” She stood up and dusted off her pants. “No way.”

  “So you’re just going to give up,” he said.

  “Yup.” She started back toward the house, but Holt stepped in front of her. “Take the reins, put your left foot in the stirrup, grab the saddle horn, and try again.”

  “I don’t want to,” she said. She was close to tears. Molly was a huge animal and she didn’t know how to control her.

  “But I want you to,” he said, his voice gentle. “This is something we can share, something that we’ll do together. I know your dignity is hurt right now, but if you give up, you won’t learn. Now, do as I ask.”

  She wanted to say no again, but she knew he was right. Horses were a big part of his life, and she would have to learn about them if she were going to live here.

  Following his instructions was easy, but pushing herself off the ground with one leg was not. It took her three attempts to get off the ground. When she was up, supported by her left leg in the stirrup she almost forgot to swing her right leg over Molly’s body. But she did, and seconds later she was sitting in the saddle.

  “I did it! I did it!”

  Holt patted her thigh. “Perfect,” he said, “except for one thing.” He had his hands on the reins, and she looked down at him.

  “What?”

  “Where is your right leg, baby bear?”

  Aurora looked down. Her leg hung limp. “Not in the stirrup.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up over it,” he said. “You’re learning, baby bear. Now, you dismount the same way, only in reverse. Swing your leg over and don’t take your left leg out of the stirrup until your right leg is firmly on the ground.”

  Was she supposed to do that now?

  “Before you get off, though, let me show you how to adjust your foot in the left stirrup so you don’t get hung up.”

  After he’d told her which way to point her toes, and how to keep them in place while mounting and dismounting, he asked her to dismount. She almost lost her footing on the first try, but by the time she’d gotten on and off four times she thought she had it down pretty good.

  “It gets easier as you do it,” Holt said. “Now, mount once more and let’s go up to the house.”

  “I hope there’s still rolls up there,” she said as she settled in her saddle. She had the up and down part memorized, but the riding would be difficult. She watched as Holt effortlessly lifted himself into his saddle. Then she realized that Molly hadn’t moved the whole time Holt had been teaching her. She patted the horse on the neck and said, “Thanks.” Was it her imagination, or did the horse whinny in response?

  “Use the reins to control her,” Holt said. “Left to go left, right to go right, pull back to stop. And don’t forget the saddle horn is for mounting and dismounting, and emergencies only. Don’t ever let go of the reins but keep them slack enough that you’re not putting pressure on Molly. Got it?”

  “I hope so,” she said.

  “I have faith in you,” he said. “Just ride beside me and enjoy yourself.”

  At Holt’s command she gently kicked Molly in the sides, and the horse started to walk behind Holt’s horse.

  “What’s his name?” she called out.

  “Ranger,” he said. “I’ve had him since I was sixteen years old.”

  “Horses live that long?” she asked.

  “Are you saying I’m old?”

  “Well, aren’t you?” He turned in the saddle and glared at her.

  “
That’ll cost you,” he said.

  They were side by side now, the horses walking at a gentle pace.

  “Do you take debit cards?” she asked.

  “Well, look who has developed a sense of humor.”

  “You’ve brought it out in me,” she said.

  “I’ll have to fuck you more often if this is the result.”

  “I’m free tonight,” she said.

  Holt burst into laughter and said, “It’s a date.”

  This was the life for him. It had been a late day with paperwork, dinner with his brothers and a movie afterward, but now the two of them were back at her cabin, and he planned on bending her over and fucking her until she couldn’t stand. But right now she straddled him, kissing him over and over. He’d let her take over when they’d returned, and so far all she’d wanted to do was kiss.

  He was going to have to tell her it was time to shake loose and take things to the bed. But just at that point his phone dinged and he groaned. The text was from Hawk.

  Transport needed from Ama to Rescue Ranch, ASAP.

  He checked his watch. It was almost midnight. It wasn’t unusual for a new client to come to the ranch in the middle of the night. He just wished it hadn’t happened now.

  “Clean cabin one,” he said. He’d taken off his boots when they’d come in; now it was time to put them back on. “We have a client coming. No clue if it’s a single or a family. I’m going to Amarillo now to pick her up.”

  “Let me go with you,” she said.

  “You need to make sure the cabin is ready.”

  “I did all that yesterday,” she said. “Mercy left them all clean, and I checked supplies and the like. It’s all ready.”

  He glanced at her. “You’re on the ball.”

  “I was bored,” she said.

  “Then we’ll have to find more things for you to do.” He had his boots on now, and he stood. “Shower and change, and meet me at the main house in twenty minutes. Pack an overnight bag, just in case. I’ll find out if we have to take one, or two trucks depending on who we’re bringing back.”

  He hurried out the door. This put a kink in his love life, but it happened with the ranch sometimes. You never knew when an abused woman would need help. You had to be ready at the drop of a hat, even if it meant you didn’t get laid.

  The family they were bringing back to the Rescue Ranch was a woman and four kids, plus their pets, one large dog and two cats. That meant they were taking two trucks. Holt drove one, and she rode with him. Kyle drove the other. The plan was to put the client and her children in one truck, and the animals in the other.

  “We’re going to be there before eight,” she said.

  “We’re going to the store first,” he said. “We allow them to bring pets, but we’re not really equipped for them. Which means we need to buy food, equipment, and whatever else we might need. All four of the kids are girls. We want to buy them some new clothes and shoes. Maggie at the center is sending us sizes. It should be on my phone now. Check it.”

  Aurora grabbed his phone and put in the code he gave her. Once it was unlocked she called up his text messages. “Kids ages 9, 7, 6, and 3.” She rattled off sizes. “You don’t want the girls to pick their own stuff out?”

  “Too dangerous for them to be seen in public,” he said. “This family is from Amarillo. The police officer I talked to said the wife has put up with this for years, and has finally had enough. I just hope she stays gone.”

  Aurora hoped so, too. She would love for the woman to be able to start her life over without being used as a punching bag.

  “So many times children of abused mothers become abused themselves,” Holt said.

  “Not this time,” she said.

  “You sound so sure of yourself.” He glanced over at her, and she felt a stab of need. She was sorry that their night together had been cut short, but she was thrilled to be doing her job.

  “What do you want to do at the slumber party?” he asked. The abrupt change of subject made her head swim.

  “You want to talk about that now?”

  “We have an hour drive ahead of us,” he said. “Without using your new smart phone, tell me what your ideal slumber party would be, and leave off the séance because we already know about that.”

  “I knew the girls at school had slumber parties, but I was never invited.” She looked out the window at the dark night around them. “The next day they’d talk about making pizza, and hot fudge sundaes. They’d play card games and sneak out to roam the neighborhood and ring doorbells at night. And then there was the séances. That’s what I remember. I’d come home and cry and my parents would basically tell me nobody wanted to be my friend.”

  “I want to be your friend,” he said. His words made her heart go pitter-patter.

  “It’ll be a weird slumber party with just the two of us.” Before he could answer she said, “But it will be fun.”

  “More ghost story movies,” he said.

  “Definitely.” She laughed. “Maybe I’ll learn to make brownies by then.”

  “Maybe.” He patted her knee and said, “Take a nap. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”

  She knew he was right, but she was too nervous to sleep, and she told him so.

  “Nervous about what?” he asked.

  “My first client,” she said. “Complete with family. What am I supposed to say to them? What am I supposed to do? Or say? What if I say the wrong thing?” She turned her face toward him. “What if she finds out I killed my husband and she wants out? What if…”

  “What if what?” Holt asked. “Stop beating yourself up. You’re going to do fine.”

  “So you say.”

  “Tell me about your first days in prison.”

  “Do I have to?”

  “Yes,” he said. When she didn’t respond he said, “Let’s hear it.”

  “Or what?”

  “Oh, somebody’s being bratty.”

  “It’s something I don’t want to talk about,” she said. She was talking loud enough that her voice filled the cab.

  “I want to hear it,” he said.

  “Then read my file, which I’m sure you’ve already done,” she said. She balled her hands into fists, then released them, and did it again.

  “I want feelings,” he said.

  “Is this my boss talking? Or the man who gave me my first, and second, orgasm? Or my Papa Bear?” She shook a finger at him. “You’re going to have to start wearing a name tag so I know who is talking.”

  They drove in silence for a while before he repeated, “I want feelings.”

  “You want feelings? Fine, I’ll tell you. I was scared to death. When I entered a room the door shut behind me and it locked. You heard it click. You couldn’t get out of the room unless a guard opened it for you. You were stuck. When you went to the bathroom everyone knew. When you took a shower they watched you. When you went to bed it was with a cellmate you barely knew and you wondered if she was going to attack you in the middle of the night. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

  Tears streamed down her face, and to her surprise he reached across the cab and grabbed her hand. He squeezed gently.

  “Is any of that going to happen to you now?”

  Her mouth dropped open. “What?”

  “It’s a simple question,” he said. “Are any of the things you just told me about going to happen to you now?”

  “No,” she whispered.

  “Then don’t be nervous.” He squeezed her hand again. “This all may be new to you, but you have me. I will help you with anything that needs to be done. All you have to do is call or text me and I’ll come running.”

  She wasn’t sure what to say, so she whispered, “Thank you.”

  “Consider me your best friend,” he said. “Now, close your eyes and rest so your blood pressure comes down a little.”

  “Yes, sir,” she said.

  “What was that?” he asked.

  Aurora laughed. “Yes, Pap
a Bear.”

  “Good girl, and while we’re in the store, remind me to buy some nametags so you know which role I’m playing at the time.”

  Aurora couldn’t help but laugh again. To her surprise, she took off her seatbelt and leaned over to kiss Holt on the cheek.

  “That’s sweet, but there will still be repercussions for screaming at me, just so you know.”

  “Yes, Papa Bear,” she said, and then she laughed.

  Chapter 10

  If someone had told her a week ago that she’d be strolling through a store at five o’clock in the morning with a cart full of girl’s clothing, shoes, and toys she would have told them they were nuts.

  Now she stood in front of the stuffed animals, wondering if buying one for each girl would be a waste of money.

  “There are board games at the cabin,” Holt said from behind her. Kyle was at the pet part of the store, loading up on food for the family’s animals. He’d helped them pick out clothes, and then they’d gone their separate ways.

  “I’m not looking at the board games,” she said. She picked up a stuffed bear and held it out. “What do you think, Papa Bear?”

  “I hope you’d rather hold the real thing than something stuffed.”

  “Silly bear,” she said with a laugh. “I’m talking about for the girls.” She turned the bear over in her hands. “I’d always wanted a stuffed animal.”

  “A bear, I hope,” he said.

  “A big one that I could hug.”

  He stepped around her and took a stuffed turtle out of the bin. “Pick out several so they can choose which one they want.” They picked out several bears, a snake, a panda, and an owl.

  “Did you get your nametags?” she asked him as she shook a bear in his direction.

  “You’re pushing it,” he said, and then he laughed right at the same time a deep male voice called out her name. She looked over Holt’s shoulder, and fear spread through her body.

  “Archie,” she said.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” the man asked.

  Holt turned and put himself between her and the man. She had to shift to her left to see him. Oh Lord, how was this happening?