had worked there for years, except for Nick, and he’d never caused a problem in the time he’d worked for them.
But with Jason and Ted in the mix now, she wouldn’t take any chances.
Wes got his bedroll and saddle and joined her. He always had her put her bedroll next to the SUV and he slept on the other side of her. They followed the same routine tonight.
“You okay, Rosie?” Wes whispered.
“Yes. I’m sorry about that. I know it was rude.”
“What he said was reasonable, you know. He didn’t know any of us.”
“I know, Wes, but it upset me that he’d criticize you for Dad’s behavior.”
“Don’t worry about it. He understands now. So everything’s okay?”
“Yes, of course.”
“All right. Go take care of business while I keep an eye on everyone.”
When she returned a few minutes later, she found Wes talking to Jason again.
She spread open her bedroll and sat down on it to remove her boots. Then she tucked them in the bottom of her bedroll.
“Why are you doing that?” Jason asked, distracted by her movement.
“Doing what?”
“Putting your boots in the sleeping bag.”
“Because I don’t want any creepy crawlies in there when I put them on in the morning.”
Jason raised his eyebrows and looked at Wes. “Does that happen?”
Wes chuckled. “Not often. But it happened to Rosie once, and she refuses to leave her boots out of her bag. But she’s got a little more room in her bag than most of us, ’cause she’s a lot shorter.”
Rosemary ignored the two men and settled her head on her saddle after removing her coat and pulling up the sleeping bag.
Jason was staring at her, but she pretended not to notice.
“If you’re worried, you can set your boots inside the SUV. Cookie doesn’t mind,” Wes told him.
“Nope. I’m not asking for special treatment. Where shall I bed down?”
“Anywhere near the fire. But be sure you leave Cookie a pathway. He’ll be putting wood on the fire in the morning so he can cook breakfast.”
“How about I put my roll next to you?” Jason asked.
“Sounds good to me,” Wes said with a grin.
Rosemary ground her teeth. At least Wes was beside her. She’d never sleep a wink if she thought the sexy millionaire was in the next bedroll. Her nerve endings seemed to be on full alert whenever Jason was near.
Slowly the camp settled down. The only noise was the crackling of the fire, even though it was banked up so it wouldn’t spread, and the howling of the coyotes and wolves.
Cookie’s activities the next morning awakened Rosemary. She unzipped her bedroll and immediately shrugged into her coat to ward off the cold. The sky in the east was showing some light, but the sun hadn’t yet put in an appearance.
Taking her boots out of the bedroll, Rosemary pulled them on just as Wes sat up. She silently motioned to tell him she was going away from the SUV for a few minutes. His nod meant he’d make sure none of the men went in that direction. When she reappeared, Jason was awake, too, though most everyone else was still asleep.
Cookie had the big coffeepot on the fire and he was getting out the huge skillet he used every morning. Without saying anything, Rosemary got out a large bowl and began breaking eggs in it.
She saw Jason lean over and whisper something to Wes. Though she wondered what he was asking, she forced herself to ignore him. Wes would take care of whatever was his concern. The scent of coffee was waking up the men as much as the small noises Cookie and Rosemary were making. In another five minutes, everyone would be up.
Wes led Jason to the stack of tin coffee cups. After each taking one, they made their way to the fire and Wes poured them both a cup of coffee. They squatted down by the fire, cowboy style, and enjoyed their drinks.
Rosemary handed Cookie the bowl of beaten eggs and took out a loaf of bread he had baked in advance. Taking a sharp knife, she put the bread on a cup towel and began slicing it into fifteen slices, one for each person on the roundup.
“Grub’s ready,” Cookie called.
The men hurried to get their tin plates and get in line for breakfast. Rosemary set the bread in a tin plate near the fire. Cookie served up the bacon and the scrambled eggs.
When Ted received his eggs and bacon, he reached for two pieces of bread. Without hesitation, Rosemary said, “Ted, we each get only one piece of bread.”
“But there’s extra.”
“Because Wes, Cookie and I haven’t eaten yet.”
Behind her a quiet voice said, “Ted.”
That was all Jason said, but Rosemary figured Ted could hear the threat in it as well as she could, because he returned the top piece back to the plate. “Sorry,” he muttered and walked away.
Nothing else was said. They seldom had conversation in the mornings. Some people didn’t want to chat while they were still waking up.
As everyone got ready to ride out, Wes called out, “Has everyone filled his canteen?”
Several nodded since they’d done this for years, but there were always a couple who forgot. Jason and Ted came back to fill theirs, too.
Rosie was looking forward to the start but she couldn’t help worrying about riding with Jason. She felt her life would be simpler if he left. He just made her nervous. And that was unusual for her. In Cheyenne, she’d never felt nervous whether she was speaking to the press or making a presentation to a client. Of course, her “clients” were other states. She worked for the State of Wyoming, promoting tourism. It had been a dream job.
Wes rode up, leading her second horse, a dun named Sandy. He always saddled her horse while she helped Cookie. “Here you go, Rosie. Maggie looks good today, but I thought you should give her the day off.”
“Of course. Yesterday was a long haul. Today won’t be quite as long, will it?”
“Not in distance, but the ride will be rougher as we move on up into the foothills.”
“Will Cookie be able to drive as far as we need to go?”
“Almost. We’ll head farther north before we turn back toward the ranch. He won’t have to move far for the next camp.”
“Good. He’ll need a little rest after yesterday and today.”
“I know.” He waited until Rosemary was in the saddle and got her sandwich before he headed
