Hank nodded. “I told ’em you’d be just fine.”
“What else brings you up here, Granddad?”
Hank pushed his hat back off his forehead. “Well, I had this idea I wanted to run by you.”
“I hope it doesn’t have anything to do with moving home.”
“No, I think if this is where you want to be, then it’s the right place for you. My idea has something to do with Randell Corporation.”
“And this concerns me how?”
“Just hear me out,” Hank coaxed. “You know how we have guests that come to the ranch on vacation and want to work. They like the cowboy way of things.”
“And it’s always made money, too.”
“I was thinking this year, at summer’s end, I’d like to do an old-fashioned cattle drive. All guests on horseback, and we even have a chuck wagon with a cook to make the meals just like they did a hundred years ago. We can start at Chance’s place and drive the cattle across to your dad’s ranch. Then go on to Uncle Jarred and Aunt Dana’s and onto Cade’s lands, then finally end up at the Circle B. I have the quarters to house the guests.”
“Sounds like you’d be going around in a circle.”
“Almost. But we’d stay on private property, and if something does happen, we’re not far from help.” Hank raised an eyebrow. “So, what do you think?”
“Sounds good to me.” Jeff was surprised his dad hadn’t said anything. “How do the brothers like it?”
“I’ll tell them eventually, but right now I want the grandkids on board first. And I want you to be in charge.”
Jeff was caught off guard by this. “I can’t do it.”
“Why? You’ve been in the military for years, in charge of men, giving orders.”
“I haven’t been on a horse in a long time. Secondly, I don’t even know if I can still ride.”
“Sure you can. It’s something you don’t forget, especially since you were so good it. You could out-ride any of your cousins.” Hank smiled. “Even then you strove to be the best.”
Jeff knew he had drive. He’d proven it many times in the army, and it had saved his life more times than he could count. “That was before.” He rubbed his thigh.
“Before what? The accident?” Hank shook his head. “You’re just as good as before.”
“The army doesn’t think so,” Jeff said bitterly. “They seem to think you need both legs to be a soldier.”
Chapter Three
EARLY in the morning, Jeff closed Fancy’s gate. It had been a long time since he’d mucked out a stall. He didn’t like it any better than he had as a kid.
He’d only been a horse owner for a few days, but he needed the physical work. Outside of his daily workouts, he’d been pretty sedentary lately, unlike the days when he used to take five-mile runs every morning. He couldn’t handle that—yet.
He sat down on the bench next to the stall gate and rubbed his knee. Maybe he’d been pushing it. But that was how he did everything—to the hilt. He’d never held back, and he wasn’t going to now.
“What’s wrong with your leg?”
Jeff looked up find Colin standing nearby. Was the kid just lurking around, waiting to give him a bad time? “I’m just tired.”
Those blue eyes narrowed. “You get shot in the army?”
Jeff gripped the railing and pulled himself up to stand. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“Does it hurt?”
He didn’t want to talk about this. “Sometimes. What are you doing out here?”
“Mom said I should help you. What do you want me to do?”
“What do you usually do?”
“Dad used to let me exercise the horses, but Mom only wants me to clean stalls.”
“How about we do the cleaning first, then we’ll see about the riding part.”
If the boy was surprised at the answer, he didn’t show it. “Whatever.”
“Okay, let’s start with the first two stalls. I need fresh straw spread out on the floors.”
“Why? There aren’t any horses.”
“You’ve got a lot of questions, son. In the army, you don’t ask, you just do.”
“I’m too young to be in the army.”
Jeff smiled. “Guess you’re right. But there are two mares arriving tomorrow.”
Thanks to his Uncle Chance spreading the word about the Guthrie Ranch being open for boarding and training, they already had their first two horses. The only problem was he wasn’t sure he could handle it without help. “If you do a good job, we’ll talk about wages.”
The boy blinked. “You gonna pay me?”
Jeff nodded. “This is hard work. I’d like you to help out a few hours in the mornings. I need to learn my way around here. It’s been a while since I handled horses. So, are you available?”
The kid couldn’t hide his surprise. “Yeah. Do I get to help work the horses, too?”
“We need to talk to your mom about that. But from what I saw the other day, you’re an experienced rider.”
Colin puffed out his chest. “Since I was four years old. I’ll be nine next month.”
He liked the boy sharing that with him. “We still have to talk to your mom.”
“Talk to me about what?”
They both turned around to find Lacey dressed in her uniform for her job at the supermarket. She came down the aisle. Her hair was pulled back into a serviceable ponytail, showing off her high cheekbones and brightgreen eyes. Damn, if she didn’t get his blood going.
He finally found his voice. “I’ve asked Colin if he wants to help me for a few hours a day. I was going to pay him.”
“Can I, Mom?” The boy was excited. “Can I work with the horses?”
Lacey didn’t look pleased with the idea. “We’ll talk about it later. Why don’t you go up to the house and wash up, Colin? Mindy’s here to watch you and Emily while I go to work.”
“Ah, Mom,” he argued. “Why can’t I help with the horses like I did with Dad?”
“Colin,” Jeff began. “Your mom and
