The Cowboy Code. Christine Wenger

from all of this?”

      “After I tried to talk him out of it, he confessed that he liked being on the road and seeing the world with my mother, that he’d grown tired of the ranch. And of course my mother was thrilled.”

      He’d thought three people loved the ranch as much as he did—Ellen and his parents.

      Damn, had he been wrong!

      And what was wrong with his judgment of people?

      The ranch meant everything to him. It was the reason he woke up every morning and the reason he went to bed exhausted each night. He knew every blade of grass, every animal and every tree on the property. It was his life’s blood.

      Someone like Maggie could never understand that, so he wouldn’t even try explaining it to her.

      “I’ll let you get settled then,” Joe said, then eyed her fancy blouse, slacks and strappy shoes. “I hope you brought some work clothes. If you’d like to change into something warmer, I’ll give you a quick tour of the ranch before the sun sets.”

      “I’d like that.”

      “I’ll wait for you in the living room.”

      He settled into his favorite overstuffed chair and prepared to wait a long while for Miss Broadway, but to his surprise she appeared just a handful of minutes later. Obviously she was used to quick costume changes.

      And change she had. Her dark blue jeans fit her snugly in all the right places. A pastel plaid blouse and a sparkly belt topped off her outfit, and it looked like she had on brand-new black cowboy boots.

      He gave a long whistle. “You look like you’re ready to go out on the town. You’re dressed a little too fancy for Cowboy Quest.”

      “Oh.” She shook her head. “My whole wardrobe is like this. I bought out Bloomingdale’s.”

      “Maybe you could go shopping.”

      “There are department stores here?”

      “Sure. The Mountain Springs Feed and Sundries has a whole bunch of clothes next to the fertilizer and tractor parts.” He winked.

      She laughed. “Let’s go.”

      “You think I’m kidding?”

      “I hope you are.” She picked up Calico and rubbed his ears. The cat snuggled up against her neck, pushing and rubbing her head against Maggie. The pure pleasure on Maggie’s face tugged at his heart, yet it troubled him to see the sadness in her eyes.

      “We’ll get to be good friends, Calico. Won’t we?” she asked.

      Calico purred his agreement.

      “I’ve always wanted a pet,” she said. “But my schedule just doesn’t…” She scratched the cat’s ears. “I can’t even take care of Danny.”

      “Yes, you can,” Joe said. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ve both been through a terrible loss—it takes time to adjust.”

      The lost look in her eyes made him want to take her into his arms, but Joe forced himself to get back to business.

      “We’ll use the golf cart and follow the Silver River,” Joe said.

      “Sounds good to me.”

      A few minutes later, when she settled in next to him in the golf cart, he caught the scent of some floral perfume that suited her perfectly. The light breeze tossed her blond hair around her face, and he liked it when it brushed his shoulder. Too soon, she restrained it with some kind of clip.

      He reminded himself again that this was business, not pleasure and that thinking about her perfume and hair wasn’t appropriate.

      To make matters worse, the ground wasn’t level here—it was a jarring ride. Maggie kept bumping into him, not that he minded, and every now and then she’d shoot him an embarrassed glance.

      Joe pulled up alongside of the river and drove slower. “Do you have any questions about the program?”

      She looked straight ahead and he heard her inhale. “My only priority is making sure that Danny is okay. The other thing I need to do is to help him satisfactorily complete your program or he’s headed for placement in a juvenile facility, and I don’t want that.” She took a deep breath, and bit down on her bottom lip. “And I’m supposed to come up with some kind of plan for better supervision of Danny when we get back home and a way to spend more time with him. That’ll be a challenge. If I could have found a better plan, I would have instituted it.”

      That lost look crept into her eyes again. “You’ll come up with something, Maggie. Maybe I can help.”

      Joe knew that he had been given a lot of power over her and her relationship with Danny, and if he were Maggie, he wouldn’t like it either.

      “It’s going to be hard trusting anyone with Danny,” she continued. “You see, I’ve had custody of him for the past two years. You’ve known him for—what?—twelve seconds?”

      “I understand your concern. I do. But Cowboy Quest met with one hundred percent success the first time. This is our second run.”

      “Define success,” she said, suddenly cooler.

      “On paper, I’d say success would be all the boys completing all the requirements. But what I’d really want would be for them to use the components of it—the practical and character lessons—for a lifetime.”

      She crossed her fingers. “I really hope that happens.”

      “Me, too.”

      “I read in your pamphlet that you have a master’s degree in special education,” she said.

      “With a minor in psychology.”

      She folded her arms in front of her. “And those cowboys in the bunkhouse? What are their credentials?”

      “Believe it or not, a couple of them have graduate degrees, most have bachelor degrees, but more importantly, they are good men and good role models. And they care about each and every kid.”

      “That’s good to hear,” she said. “How did you get into this, Joe?”

      He rubbed his chin. Where to start? “My own father wasn’t around much when I was growing up. Either he was busy hauling livestock around the country, or he was traveling with my mother, taking photos for travel books. If it weren’t for Mr. Dixon—my pal Jake’s dad—I would have been placed in a juvenile correctional facility and never let out. He helped me in more ways than one. I guess I’m paying that back.”

      He was worried about his program this time around. He had shared with his staff that the twelve boys they were getting seemed more difficult than the first group, and they all had a history of running away, including Danny. They’d all have to be extra vigilant.

      But he was going to think positively. He had a good team.

      “And if someone fails to complete the program?”

      “No one has yet.” Joe studied her. Her brows were almost touching, and her hands were clasped tightly on her lap.

      “But you’ve only had one run of Cowboy Quest so far. Danny’s future hinges on an almost untested program.”

      “I suppose you could put it that way.” He met her worried look. “But Cowboy Quest has been under a lot of scrutiny from the state and county. It’s being studied as a model for other, similar programs.”

      Her lips were pinched now, and she was looking away from him. She was definitely anxious.

      “Maggie, don’t worry. Cowboy Quest is not about the riding or the livestock. It’s about problem solving, maturing and working as a team. We use the Cowboy Code as a guide for basic rules of living. So don’t worry. The boys and I will do everything possible to get everyone through the program with flying colors.”