A Rancher's Pride(47)

Shortening his stride to match hers, he led her across the yard and over toward the barn. He’d show her the new calf and its mama. Bring her out back of the barn to see the chickens. Take her for a ride on the calmest horse in his stable.

All of a sudden, he had a whole list of things he wanted to show Becky.

He had a lot of lost time to make up for.



KAYLA STOOD AT THE SINK, looking through the kitchen window and feeling the need to wring her hands like the heroine of an old silent movie. Some heroine she was.

Sharleen had gone up to her room after Becky had left with Sam. It had been more than an hour since then, and it was taking all Kayla’s willpower not to go track them down.

Becky could handle herself with Sam, that much she knew.

Reverse the roles, and she wouldn’t place any bets on Sam. He’d been so resistant to learning to sign.

She had watched through this window earlier, when he had left the kitchen and Becky had followed. When he had reached out and his daughter had put her small hand into his. His daughter.

Kayla gripped the edge of the sink, trying to anchor herself. Trying to stop the thoughts that were whirling in her head.

The fear that she could lose Becky. The knowledge that she was weakening when it came to Sam. She couldn’t lose. And she couldn’t weaken, couldn’t give in. Any indication of backing down, and he’d be all over that like ice cream on a summer sidewalk.

Through the window, she suddenly saw him emerge from the wide doorway of the barn. Alone. But as she watched, she discovered he held a horse’s reins. As he walked slowly forward, she saw the horse appear, too.

With Becky sitting upright in the saddle.

Kayla’s heart seemed to leap to her throat. She rushed across to the back door and out onto the porch.

“Sam,” she hissed, afraid that yelling his name might startle the horse.

He looked her way, put up a hand to stop the animal and waited while she crossed the yard toward them.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

He shrugged. “What it looks like. Taking Becky for a ride.”

“On a huge horse like that? She’s too little to be up on him all by herself.”

“No, she’s not. Heck, kids around here start to ride practically before they start to walk.”

“Well, she’s not from around here and she’s not used to horses.”

“I am.”

She wanted to wipe the smirk from his face. “That horse is three times as tall as Becky.” At least, it looked that way.

He laughed. “Don’t worry about it. The mare’s a cream puff. I’ll give you a ride on her next, if you want.”

She scowled at him. “That offer’s about as funny as the last one you made to me. Will you please take Becky down?”

“Why? She’s having a great time.”

Becky did look happy, way up there on the horse’s back. That didn’t make Kayla feel any better. For all her insistence over the years that her niece needed to be independent, that the child could handle herself, there were some situations she just could not manage. Kayla felt sure this was one of them. Though you couldn’t tell it by the grin on Becky’s face.

“Sam.”

Instead of doing as she had asked and taking Becky down from the horse, he put his foot in the stirrup and hoisted himself up, settling in the saddle behind her.

“There. Now she’s not all by herself.” He did something with the reins that made the animal turn and start walking away. He looked at Kayla over his shoulder. “We’ll be fine,” he assured her.

“Sam,” she said from between gritted teeth.

Another flick of the reins, and the horse started off at a trot. Becky gave her an excited wave goodbye.

Clutching her hands together, Kayla watched them go. She wasn’t overreacting. She wasn’t.

But in her heart, she knew she was. Not to the fact that Becky was up on the horse, but that Sam had ignored her request. Had taken her niece away from her, despite the protest she’d made.

Was this an omen of what was to come?

The thought turned her hands to ice. She could barely open the screen door. Once she’d grabbed her cell phone from the kitchen counter, she had to fumble to punch the buttons.

“Answer, answer,” she muttered when the ringing began at the other end. To her relief, a moment later, she heard Matt’s voice on the line.

“Matt,” she said, gulping, trying desperately to calm herself so he wouldn’t know how agitated she was. “Just checking in. I wanted to see if you’d found out anything yet about Sam.”