One Summer At The Ranch. Rebecca Winters

because he couldn’t help himself. Tracy groaned. What kind of woman might she be?

      Tomorrow was Tuesday, and they only had four more days here. With her attraction to Carson growing, she’d found herself dreading the march of time, just like Johnny. But it suddenly dawned on her that without some signal from him, those days would seem like a lifetime.

      Another worse thought intruded when she heard voices in the distance. Johnny heard them, too, and sat up, rubbing his eyes. She reached for her watch, which she’d taken off to go swimming. It was four-thirty. Buck appeared to have arrived with the others.

      What if Carson had picked up on certain vibes from Tracy and had been including the Harris family in all their activities to keep everything on an even keel?

      Was it true?

      Maybe she was wrong, since she didn’t know Carson’s mind, but she cringed to think it could be a possibility.

      “Hey, Johnny!” Sam was right outside her tent. “What are you doing? We’re going swimming!”

      “I’m coming, but I’ve got to get my suit back on!”

      “Okay. Hurry!”

      Off came his clothes. Soon he was ready. “Aren’t you coming, Mom?”

      “In a minute. You go on.”

      In case Carson was up for more play time in the lake, she decided against going swimming again. Grabbing her hairbrush and Johnny’s beach towel, she left the tent and walked toward the others. Monica and Ralph waved to her. They were already in the water with the inner tube. “Come on in!”

      “I just barely got out! How was the balloon ride?”

      “Fantastic! You should try it before you leave the Tetons.”

      “Maybe I will!”

      The children were clustered around Carson and Buck, who were handing out life jackets. She sat down in a camp chair, ostensibly to keep an eye on the children. But it was hard to focus when there were two tall, well-built ex-marines ready to enter the water. She finally closed her eyes and gave her damp hair a good brushing while she soaked in the heat.

      * * *

      THE COLOR OF Tracy’s hair shimmering in the sun was indescribable. The fine strands could be real silver and gold intertwined. While the kids played with the Harrises, Carson kept his eyes above the waterline to take in the curves of her exquisitely proportioned body.

      Buck emerged from the depths next to him, coughing up a storm. “I agree she’s quite a sight,” he whispered when he’d caught a breath. “When are you going to do something about it?”

      “Is it that obvious?”

      “Not to anyone but me and Ross.”

      “We didn’t invite her family to the ranch for me to make a pass.”

      Buck scowled. “Hey, it’s me you’re talking to. I damn well know that. Tell me the truth. You haven’t gotten any signals from her that she’d like you to?”

      “I don’t know. It’s hard to read her. She’s warm and friendly enough when she’s with Johnny, which is most of the time.”

      “Maybe we need to arrange something this evening so she isn’t with him. Time is fleeting. Saturday will be here before you know it.”

      Carson threw back his head. “Thanks for making my day, Buck.”

      “Just trying to help things along for a buddy.”

      “Sorry for snapping.”

      “Forget it. There’s only one cure for your problem. I’ll tell ghost stories in the kids’ tent after everyone goes to bed. No adults allowed. While the Harrises retire to their tent, you and Tracy can sit around and talk. That ought to give you plenty of time to get creative.”

      “She’ll probably go to her tent.”

      After a pause Buck said, “Like I said, get creative and follow her.”

      “That’s been my idea since the moment we set up camp.”

      “Then I don’t see a problem.”

      “I wish I didn’t.”

      “Don’t let me down, buddy. You take first watch tonight and see where it leads. Wake me up when it’s my turn.” Buck did a backflip away from him and swam underwater to surprise the kids.

      That was easy enough for his friend to say, but Carson intended to follow through, all the same. The hourglass was emptying every second. He needed to mind his grandfather’s advice when he’d been teaching Carson how to wrestle steers. “Put your fear away and seize the moment without hesitation, otherwise the opportunity is lost.”

      Tonight might be one of the few opportunities left to find out what was going on inside her. Armed with a plan, it helped him get through the rest of the evening.

      While Carson and Buck explained why they were wearing canisters of oxygen and masks, Ralph Harris volunteered to build a small fire along the shoreline away from everyone. It would help them to avoid breathing too much smoke.

      Instead of rainbow trout, they served roasted Teton hot dogs and Snake River marshmallows. The menu was a huge hit and met with Johnny’s wholehearted approval.

      With their meal finally over, Carson put the food away. Ralph volunteered to douse the fire and make sure there’d be no sparks. Now that it was time for bed, Buck made his exciting announcement and the children scurried to the big tent for stories.

      The Harrises eventually said good-night. Before Tracy could say the same thing, Carson told her he’d walk her to the latrine. “In case Bigfoot is lurking.”

      “Carson!”

      He stood chuckling at a distance until she came out. “Maybe you’d better sit with me and have a soda until you’re not so jumpy.”

      “Are you intentionally trying to frighten me?”

      His pulse rate sped up. “Is it working?”

      “Yes.”

      “That’s good. I don’t feel like being alone on a perfect night like this.”

      “It’s incredible.”

      He liked the sound of that. They walked back to the camp in companionable silence. Carson waited for her to tell him she really was tired and needed to go to bed. Instead she sat down near him, staring out at the water.

      Before dinner she’d put on a navy pullover with long sleeves over her jeans. Everything she wore suited her. Earlier, while she’d been roasting her hot dog and the flames from the fire were turning to embers, they’d cast a glow that brought out the creamy beauty of her complexion. She’d left her hair free, flowing to her shoulders. It had a lot of natural curl. He’d never met a more feminine woman.

      “Tracy?”

      Her gaze swerved to his. “What is it? I can tell something’s on your mind.”

      He’d been about as subtle as a sledgehammer. “How would you like to go into Jackson with me tomorrow night?”

      “You mean me and Johnny?”

      “No. Just you. I want to take you dancing.”

      After a slight hesitation, she smiled. “I don’t recall that being listed on your brochure.”

      He took a deep breath. Damn if it didn’t always cause him to cough. “It isn’t. I’m asking you out on a date, strictly off the record. If the answer’s no, tell me now and we’ll pretend I never brought it up.”

      She looked pensive. “I’m afraid I’m not a very good dancer.”

      Carson still hadn’t been given the right answer. As far as he was concerned, this evening was definitely over. He