The Cowboy's Family Christmas. Carolyne Aarsen

Three

      “Send them through now, Reuben. Keep them moving.”

      Reuben ignored his father’s barked commands and pushed the last of the cows into the pen keeping his horse right behind the last cow. He nodded for Chad to shut the gate. The poor guy looked exhausted, but then so did Leanne. She was slouched in her saddle now, wiping her face with a hanky. She had lost her hat in the race to get ahead of the cows. Her hair hung in a lank ponytail down her back, loose strands sticking to her flushed face.

      “Chad, come over here and help me get these cows done,” his father called out.

      Reuben leaned on his saddle, watching poor Chad clambering over the fence and joining his father on the walkway to help finish needling the cows. Beyond them, in the second, much-larger pen, the cows and calves were finally settled, munching on the hay. Once the rest of the cows were through, the work was done for the day.

      He arched his back, working out a kink, then slowly dismounted. He was going to feel every single muscle in his hips and legs tomorrow. He hadn’t ridden in years and yet was surprised how quickly the old skills came back.

      Leanne got off her horse, as well. She slipped the reins over the horse’s head then walked her horse toward him.

      Her expression was guarded as she trudged through the pen. Once again he struggled with her angry reaction to his presence. Where did that come from and what right did she have to be upset with him? She was the one who had betrayed him. Marrying his brother while he was giving her the space she said she needed.

      “This is just the first bunch?” he asked as she joined him, her horse heaving a heavy sigh as if the day had been too long for him, as well.

      “Yeah. We’ve got eighty more head up in the higher pastures.”

      “Shouldn’t this have been done a month ago?” he asked, stretching his neck. “Time isn’t on your side.”

      “We’ve been fortunate.” Her voice held an edge of tension, which annoyed him.

      “Considering your main hand just quit, I wouldn’t say that.”

      “It’s a glitch,” she snapped.

      “So you figure on gathering them tomorrow?”

      “I can’t. Your father and I have a meeting with the Cedar Ridge Rodeo Group tomorrow. It will have to wait until Friday.”

      “The weather is only going to cooperate so long,” he said, struggling to keep his frustration down.

      “I checked the forecast. We have a week of good weather ahead of us.” The anger in her voice wasn’t hard to miss.

      “I’m trying to help,” he said.

      “Now?” Leanne’s eyes narrowed. Then she seemed to gather her emotions. “I’m sorry. I appreciate what you just did.”

      He just nodded, realizing from the tension in her voice how difficult the apology was for her.

      “I couldn’t very well leave you hanging.”

      Reuben led his horse through a gate on the far side of the pen, trying to ignore his father’s yelling at Chad.

      “How many ranch hands have you been through in the past year?” he asked, opening the gate so she could lead her horse through.

      Leanne’s only reply was a halfhearted shrug. Which told him they’d probably been through a few.

      He wanted to push the issue but he had already said enough. Besides, what did it matter to him what Leanne and his father were doing or the difficulties they were having? It wasn’t his ranch and he had no skin in the game.

      You should stay. Help.

      On the heels of that thought came Leanne’s anger with him. Why should he deal with that on purpose?

      Daylight was waning by the time the horses were unbridled and released into their own pasture.

      Leanne closed the door of the tack shed and arched her back, her eyes closed.

      “You look beat,” Reuben said, feeling a touch of concern.

      “Just another day in paradise,” she quipped. Then she walked over to a bale of hay and was about to fork some to the horses when Reuben stopped her. “I’ll take care of that.”

      She nodded her thanks, then without another word to him walked toward where George and Chad stood. Reuben stabbed the fork into the hay bale, fighting his annoyance with her attitude. As if she had any right to be so cool with him.

      Chad was cleaning up the syringes and George looked up when he joined them. “Good work” was all he said, but coming from George, that was high praise. Then he turned to Leanne. “Is Austin in the house?”

      “Shauntelle texted me a few minutes ago. She just put him to bed but she brought supper. She’s waiting at the house until I can leave.”

      “You go then, Leanne. We’ll be right here,” George said, then he glanced over at Reuben. “You should join us for supper. I’m sure Shauntelle made enough.”

      He heard Leanne’s swift intake of breath but he didn’t bother looking her way, sensing he would see the same anger he had when he first came. Her reaction made him want to turn down the invitation, but the fact that his father had asked was a small acknowledgment of Reuben’s presence. A few crumbs tossed his way from his dad.

      And right about now, he was ready to take something, anything, away from this visit. If it wasn’t from Leanne then it may as well be from his father.

      “Sure. That sounds good,” he said.

      “You can wash up in the house,” George said, then turned to Chad. “When you’re done here, you can go home.” Then George walked away, leaving Chad with syringes and empty bottles to clean up.

      “How long have you been working for my father?” Reuben asked Chad, who was gathering up the syringes and dumping them into a large plastic tub for cleaning.

      “Few days. Not long.”

      “You ever work on a ranch before?”

      Chad slowly shook his head, looking apprehensive. “No. But I need the work. Got a family to take care of.”

      “You ride at all?”

      “I’m willing to learn.”

      Reuben held the man’s eyes, sensing the desperation in them. He’d have to be at the end of his rope to want to put up with his father’s abuse for the sake of a job.

      However Reuben didn’t give the poor guy another week. Chad seemed like a decent fellow but he needed someone who was able to take the time to help him out and show him the ropes. George would never be that guy. Leanne might, but he guessed any extra time she might have was taken up with Austin.

      There was no way they could keep this ranch going.

      This isn’t your problem, he reminded himself. You’re on your way out of here. Stick to your plan.

      But as he walked back to the house, George and Leanne walking ahead of him, he couldn’t shake the idea that the Bar W’s time was done.

      George and Leanne really needed to sell the place.

      * * *

      “So this job of yours. What will you do?” George was asking Reuben.

      “I’ll be contracting for a large engineering firm,” Reuben replied, his voice even and measured in spite of the antagonism in George’s voice. “This job will get me opportunities all around the world.”

      Leanne concentrated on her food, exhaustion clawing at her. The day had been emotionally and physically taxing. Devin’s quitting had created a huge problem she wasn’t ready to deal with. And while Reuben’s help was appreciated, his presence wasn’t.