Miranda felt her anger leaving her as she stared at the old kitchen floor. A layer of wax left a thick residue on the stained linoleum. She eyed a box of steel wool Mable had brought and got up to fill a bucket of water. On her hands and knees, Miranda began to scrub. Mable followed suit, and the two of them slowly began stripping the floor. It was cathartic in its own way.
“He’s a tough one to figure out,” Mable said.
Miranda only nodded in agreement.
“Jesse’s father never forgave him when he opted out of the family business.” Mable continued to scour as she spoke. “It’s not so much he didn’t want to be a part of the family ranch. He wanted to build one of his own.”
“And that didn’t go over well with Jesse’s dad?”
“Langtry men are all stubborn. The whole lot of them. Jesse despises having anything handed to him.” She plunged the steel wool into the water. “If he had joined his brothers and taken over Bridle Dance, he wouldn’t think that was much of an accomplishment.”
“But it’s different. It’s an inheritance.”
Miranda would have given her eyeteeth to have a family. Let alone one who wanted her to join the family business.
“I know it. But Jesse never saw things that way. And his father never saw it Jesse’s way. Don’t get me wrong. Jesse respects his brothers for their decisions, but it wasn’t what he wanted out of life.”
“Sounds like he has something to prove.”
Miranda understood how he felt in that regard. A year of should haves and what ifs had passed since her mother’s death, combined with a broken engagement, and she still felt that way.
“He does. To himself. Jesse wasn’t in the rodeo spotlight like his three brothers always were. He’s an honest man. Just wants to make a life for himself. One he can be proud of.”
“I guess it’s noble when you think about it.”
While it wasn’t a choice Miranda would have made, she understood his reasons, to a certain degree. She always dreamed of what life would be like if she had been part of a large family instead of the disaster she came from. Jesse, on the other hand, felt the need to break free from his.
The grass is always greener.
“Jesse demands things his way. His way was buying this ranch. Years ago, the Carters promised to sell it to him when they retired. He saved every penny he ever made to buy this place. He was downright devastated when he lost it.”
“I’m sorry, Mable, but I refuse to feel bad about buying this place.”
“I’m not asking you to.” Mable stood and rubbed the small of her back. “I’m just making you aware of why he’s acting the way he is. In the end, he only wants a family of his own.”
So the cowboy was human.
“Why doesn’t he go back to Bridle Dance now?” Miranda wondered aloud. “At least for a little while, to regroup. Instead of this new job in Abilene.”
“Heaven knows his father tried to talk him into it. Jesse even considered it, for a spell. But like I said, he’s a stubborn one. I’m surprised he’s agreed to stay on and help you out.”
“He’s staying on for the sake of the animals,” Miranda said. “Not me.”
“Maybe so. But he’s still here.”
“For the time being.” A deep voice echoed throughout the kitchen.
Startled, Miranda knocked the bucket of water, sloshing half of it onto the floor. She scrambled for a roll of paper towels while avoiding any eye contact with him. She now had more of an appreciation for the man who stood before her. However, she wasn’t about to let her guard down around him just yet.
“Instead of eavesdropping,” Mable chided, “go see if you can find a mop.”
Without a word, Jesse left the kitchen.
Annoyed at the ease with which Jesse unsettled her, Miranda attempted to soak up the black water. This was crazy. Why does this man have such a hold over me? Whenever he was around, she was as nervous as a schoolgirl.
“Well, no sense crying over spilt milk,” Mable said, getting to her feet. “We best head into town and pick up some food.” Mable wiped her hands on a dish towel. “I’m famished.”
“Don’t let her drive,” Jesse interjected. He was standing there holding a rope mop like a knight ready to joust. “She’ll take you round in a circle and back again. You’ll end up starving to death.”
“We’ll have none of that,” Mable chastised him, pushing Miranda out the door. “Make yourself useful, Jesse. Mop up the floor.”
The woman ignored Jesse’s grumblings while Miranda found it impossible not to smile. Mable sure could put Jesse in his place at the drop of a dime.
“I’ll show you where everything is in town,” Mable said as she turned the key in the ignition of the old car. A loud backfire almost knocked Miranda out of her seat. “Then tomorrow you can buy yourself something decent to sleep on.”
“Thank you.”
Miranda hated to admit it, but she was grateful to Jesse for staying around and bringing Mable to the ranch to help her. Maybe he wasn’t so heartless after all.
“Mable, I need to talk to you about salary and what I owe you for the supplies you bought.”
“Not now, child. There will be time enough for money talk later on.”
“But—”
“I’m staying with my sister until I move back to the ranch,” Mable interrupted. “Why don’t you bunk with us tonight?”
“Thank you for the offer,” Miranda said. “But I really want to sleep in my own house. About the money—”
“First house?”
Miranda shook her head and smiled. She could take a hint. She made a mental note to discuss Mable’s salary in the morning.
“Yes. Something I’ve wanted for a long time. Only I never could afford it.”
“Come into some money recently?”
“Accidentally, yes.” Miranda stared out the window. Mable didn’t press further and Miranda didn’t offer. Some things were better left unsaid. At least for the time being.
Chapter Three
The cool morning air greeted Jesse as he stepped outside. A few more weeks would bring the onslaught of summer. The Hill Country’s steady breeze was a blessing throughout the warmer months, keeping the heat at a tolerable level. Still, Jesse liked to complete any form of hard labor before the noonday sun.
Outside the foreman’s house, a panting tongue and
