The Maverick Meets His Match (Hearts of Wyoming Book 2)(74)
She nuzzled Delanie's hair, breathing in the fresh baby-shampoo scent, careful not to crush the cowgirl hat hanging off the back of the child’s head by the chin strap. Mandy had bought it for her along with a cute little sundress for later. She hadn’t been able to resist.
Delanie waved as Ty maneuvered his new horse, Paddy, toward them.
She’d been amazed at what he’d paid for the horse, whose full name was Paddy’s Four Leaf Clover. It was sired by a champion cutting horse out of Texas. It was the kind of horse that would have been home in the arena. But Ty had wanted the best for his work horse, and he’d paid top dollar for it. Since he wouldn’t be staying for good, Mandy could only imagine he would use the animal as an investment, eventually leasing it out to some lucky rider.
“Unky Ty,” Delanie called.
The smile that lit her husband’s face at the title touched Mandy’s heart. Who would have thought this calculated businessman would go soft for a little girl.
“Hey, peanut,” he called affectionately. “You watching?”
She nodded as Ty waved and then rode away.
“Where is he going, Aunt Mandy?”
She could get used to being this little girl’s aunt for real.
“Your father and Uncle Ty are going to go into the herd, and when they see a heifer your father likes, they are going to bring it out of the herd. It’s called cutting, but it has nothing to do with anything sharp. They are just going to maneuver the animal to the edge of the circle, and then the cowboys, with the help of their horses, will get it to that pen over there.” She motioned to one of the holding pens. “Whatever heifers they put in that holding pen will be delivered in trailers to your house tomorrow.”
“They need all these cowboys to do that?” she asked, sitting up straighter, as if on alert. There were about a half-dozen mounted men who ringed the herd, including Chance Cochran and her brother. A few more sat on the railings of the holding pen, watching. Delanie was tense, a reminder that the little girl still had a ways to go in the trust department.
“Those cowboys are there to keep the rest of the herd together,” she explained, hoping to ease any worries. “See,” she said, pointing to Ty, who had moved toward one of the cows. "Uncle Ty’s on one side, and your daddy is on the other side. Let’s see if they can do it.”
Mandy frequently applauded with Delanie as the brothers worked rather deftly together for two men who hadn’t been in the same pasture for years. Only if she looked closely could she spot a bit of sibling rivalry. Though Ty worked his horse expertly, Trace showed more experience in maneuvering the cattle.
A half hour later, Delanie was getting fidgety, so Mandy headed her horse back to the ranch house, where her mother could fuss over the little girl.
“This may be the closest I’ll get to a grandchild,” Sheila grumbled as she helped the child change into the new pink polka-dot sundress. “I’m going to enjoy her while I can.”
And this may be the closest I get to having a child, Mandy thought ruefully.
As Mandy helped her mother and Mrs. Jenkins get the picnic table set and the meal ready, Delanie helped in the best way a four-year-old could, by playing her own version of house with the small set of plastic pots and pans Sheila had fished out of the basement and set in the yard. Seeing those old, familiar childhood items sent a pang of regret through Mandy. Those had been lovingly saved for her children. Not that she begrudged using them to amuse Delanie. On the contrary. It just served to remind her of what she wanted and might never have.
*
After traipsing through the line that formed for beef, burgers, and assorted salads, Ty took the seat at the head of the set of long wooden tables decked out with plastic checkered cloth. Surveying the friendly mob of cowhands and family who had gathered under the grove of trees to the side of the ranch house, an unfamiliar emotion filled him. Happiness.
“Great job out there. You two look like you’re born ranchers,” Doug McClane said as he sat down the table from Ty and Trace.
Ty nodded his acknowledgment and hoped the praise was sincere.
“Seriously, that was some real cowboy work. Guess you do know a thing or two about livestock,” Harold, who was sitting on the opposite side of the table, chimed in.
“Glad I got home to see it. Next, you’ll be taking on a bronc,” said Tucker, who had sat next to Harold, with a huge pile of food on his plate.
This was a man’s life. Running his own operation, working out in the elements with his herd. Doing something purposeful. Ty turned his back on ranching once. But it had been a certain ranch and for specific reasons.
He glanced over at Mandy, who was helping cut up Delanie’s burger into small pieces. Watching Mandy mother Delanie, he felt an uncomfortable twinge.
He wanted to give her that. To leave her with something. Something of his. The thought scared the living bejeezus out of him. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but he knew it wasn’t anything familiar. And it all centered around the woman hovering over his niece.
If they brought a child into the world, would that bring them closer or make the gulf wider?
“That’s some horse you bought,” Trace said, interrupting Ty’s thoughts.
“Should be. I paid enough for him.” Ty took a chomp of his burger, enjoying the juicy taste, glad for some distraction. He didn’t yet have the rapport with the horse that Trace had with his horse. But that would come. Paddy was so well trained, any rider could get a decent performance out of him.