Mountain Country Cowboy Read online

  Once he’d retrieved Joey, Cash found a place to sit midway back and to the side in the church’s auditorium where as a newcomer he wouldn’t feel so conspicuous. But at the service’s conclusion, there was no slipping out, for Jo Hunter had spied them and wouldn’t hear of Joey and him not joining the family for lunch.

  Rio didn’t look all that thrilled when her grandma announced his acceptance of the invitation, but considering fried chicken and mashed potatoes beat his own specialty—boxed macaroni and canned tuna—he was all for it.

  Maybe, too, he’d have a chance to share his ideas for the future of the Hunter’s Hideaway with a crowd more receptive than Rio.

  * * *

  It had been bad enough to have Cash actually take up her challenge to join one of the adult classes—she knew he did it to unsettle her—but now here she was sitting next to him in Grandma’s dining room surrounded by family. Surely Grandma didn’t intend for Cash to join them every week. This must merely be an opportunity before tomorrow’s family business meeting for him to get to know everyone on a less formal basis.

  “So what do you think of our choice of pastors, Cash?” From the head of the table, her father, Dave Hunter, smiled in his direction, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

  Cash passed a bowl of green beans to Rio. “Amazing grace, is all I can say.”

  Everyone laughed, including Aunt Suzy and Uncle Mac, Garrett’s parents—and Garrett would be laughing the hardest had he and his new bride been present. But that’s how it had been from the moment Cash walked in the door. Fitting right in. Charming the ladies. Drawing respect from the men—he’d done a top-notch job on that saddle repair, according to Luke. He had everyone eating out of his hand just as if he didn’t have a past that would appall any decent person.

  That appalled her.

  “Personally,” Uncle Doug chimed in with a knowing nod, “I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

  “Ever the optimist, aren’t you?” Her father shook his head, exasperated, as always, at his brother’s negativity.

  “Never seen a skunk change his stripe.”

  “Neither have I,” Grandma Jo, seated at the opposite end of the table, quietly agreed, “but I have seen the darkest of stains washed clean by the blood of the Lamb.”

  Grady laughed. “She’s got ya there, Uncle Doug.”

  Acutely aware of the man seated beside her, Rio sensed Cash shift restlessly in his chair. No doubt he knew that he could use a good scrub down after what he’d done to his ex-wife.

  She couldn’t fathom a court awarding him custody of his son with that blot on his record. Or had they? Tensing as suspicion dawned, she glanced past him to Joey, who was enthusiastically diving into a mountain of creamy mashed potatoes. The boy had never mentioned his mother in Rio’s presence. Had he been forbidden to?

  And if so, why?

  She glanced uncertainly at Cash as she dished out green beans, then passed the bowl to Sunshine on her other side. Could it be that Joey’s father was on the lam with an abducted child in his possession?

  A rock-solid arm brushed hers as Cash reached for a basket of rolls, jolting her from irrational speculation. Grandma had been in contact with a deputy who knew Cash. He’d know exactly where the former county inmate was now and would be aware if he’d taken off with the boy—as would every other law-enforcement officer in the state. Brax would have cuffed him, not shook his hand on Friday.

  Relax, girl.

  Conversation continued comfortably around the table for the remainder of the meal. Thoughts were shared on Garrett’s sermon and how good it was to see him married to Jodi Thorpe. How Luke’s Chloe had a birthday coming up. Then teasing speculation erupted as to how much bigger Delaney could possibly get before “Junior” put in an appearance. Should they call him Firecracker if he arrived on Independence Day?

  As the laughter died down, Uncle Doug stabbed his fork into a slice of cherry pie. “Anybody given thought to that Tallington outfit’s upcoming visit? How we’re going to lure them in?”

  The adults around the table groaned. Everyone except Cash, who sat up straighter, his interest piqued.

  Dad waved off his brother. “Come on, Doug. We’re thrilled with this opportunity. The timing is a godsend. But you know we don’t talk business at the Sunday dinner table.”

  “Maybe we should. This is a big deal. Probably one of the biggest breaks we’ve had since well before the economy bottomed out. This isn’t something we can leave to chance.”

  “We don’t intend to.” Luke pushed aside his now-empty dessert plate and slipped his arm around the back of Delaney’s chair. “You’ll get more than your fill of brainstorming at tomorrow’s business meeting.”

  Rio’d been to her fair share of those often heated family gatherings. Hunters always had plenty of opinions—and not all of them meshed well. Now the equally opinionated Cash would be thrown into the mix. Oh, joy.

  “Has anybody filled you in on this yet, Cash?” Uncle Doug stared down the table at the man beside her, who was whispering something to Joey.

  Cash straightened. “Pardon?”

  “This visit from Tallington Associates. Has anybody brought you in the loop on it yet?”

  “Actually—” his gaze flicked to Rio “—Jo and Rio have given me some background. I did research online last night, too.”

  “You did, did you?” Doug gave a nod of approval. “So what do you think? Do we stand a chance of reeling them in?”

  Oh, no. She didn’t want Cash launching into his dubious evaluation of the Hideaway, how it fell short of more sophisticated client expectations. Her brain scrambled for something to divert the direction the conversation was headed.

  And yet...

  Maybe if she allowed Cash to point out the Hideaway’s shortcomings, let him dig himself in deep with his know-it-all views, her family would recognize that he wasn’t the blessing they’d too quickly come to think he was.

  Cash’s gaze met hers, and she offered an encouraging nod.

  “You know, Doug...” Cash gave her uncle an earnest look. “I’d like to do a bit more research. I didn’t get as far on it last night as I’d like. But I hope to have solid ideas by Monday evening.”

  Dad laughed. “You heard the man. Topic closed for now, Doug.”

  Most around the table nodded, relieved that the enjoyable Sunday meal wouldn’t conclude with a knock-down-drag-out clash of opinions. Oh, well, they’d get the full impact of Cash’s soon enough.

  Not long thereafter, the gathering broke up, with the Hideaway’s restaurant serving staff arriving to clear the table. That was one of the advantages of owning a restaurant. “Catered” Sunday meals.

  In the lobby, Cash lingered near the door as she approached, Joey no doubt having joined her nieces at a nearby oak tree featuring a wooden swing.

  “Enjoyable meal.” He held open the door for her and they stepped out on the porch. “You’re fortunate to have a family like that.”

  “I am.” Although there were times... “Clever evasion you managed in there, not taking the bait from Uncle Doug. Once a week, we try to put the Hideaway on the back burner and give ourselves a break for a few hours.”

  Cash settled his hat on his head. “When your dad chided him right off the bat, I took it as a sign that wasn’t anything I wanted to get dragged into.”

  “Good choice.” But she couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty for the fleeting hope that he’d open his mouth and find himself toppled from the throne of her family’s favor.

  He nodded in the general direction of the stables. “Do you get much pushback from guests for not operating the trail rides on Sundays?”

  She sat on a porch railing, drinking in the heady scent of sun-warmed ponderosa pine. “Occasionally. Not often. It’s something Grandma Jo decided to stop offering, at least
on a regular basis, a few years back when the economy hit the skids.”

  “You reduced a prime opportunity to boost income right at a time when the Hideaway had been gut-punched?”

  She shrugged. “Grandma felt we were letting ourselves get sucked too much into a never-ending whirlwind where one day didn’t look much different from another. Becoming obsessed with the bottom line, no matter the cost to our physical, mental and spiritual health. She said if God took one day of rest out of seven, it wouldn’t hurt us to take our cue from Him.” She smiled. “As much as is possible, anyway, when you live and work at the same place and have guests on the property year-round.”

  Cash nodded as he rested a hand on the support post next to her, and their gazes connected with an unexpected jolt that sent her heart skittering. Did he feel it, too? He must have, for to her relief he immediately stepped back as if goaded by an electric cattle prod.

  Surely he wasn’t attracted to her, was he? While catching the eye of the good-looking cowboy fed her vanity—and while it might be amusing to daydream about coming home to a man like him and stepmothering his sweet little boy—she had no intention of allowing him to turn her heart into one more conquest among what were certainly his many. She was his boss. Nothing more.

  “Like I mentioned inside...” Cash looked across the parking lot as if gathering his thoughts. “I did do research on the Tallington folks last night. As I suspected, they’re pretty upscale. Some venues they book in Colorado, Washington and Oregon do offer horse experiences Sunday through Saturday. Trail rides. Riding lessons. So there might be pressure to do that.”

  Before she could respond, her nieces Tessa and Chloe came racing round the far corner of the Hideaway complex, Joey trotting almost reluctantly in their wake. Both girls squealed when they spied her.

  “Aunt Rio! Aunt Rio!”

  At the bottom of the low porch’s steps they bounced excitedly from one foot to another.

  “Will you take us riding on our ponies?” Soon-to-be first grader Tessa, her brown eyes and raven hair making her a miniature of her part-Apache mother, cut an excited look at her new cousin, Chloe. Despite a few years difference in age, they’d taken to each other immediately when Tessa and her mother joined the family.

  “Please, Aunt Rio?” Chloe looked to her with hope-filled eyes.

  Joey hovered silently off to the side as if trying to be invisible.

  “I’d be happy to do that as long as your folks are okay with it.” An hour on the trail with her nieces might be the ticket to getting her mind off the Tallington visit and her plans for the fall. And firmly off Cash, as well.

  “Ask your dad if you can come, too, Joey,” Chloe urged. Then the two cousins dashed back into the inn to seek permission.

  “Did you want to go riding with us, Joey?” Rio tried to make it sound as if it was nothing more momentous than walking around the corner to the tree swing. As if she wasn’t aware that he was uneasy around horses.

  The boy stuffed his hands in his pockets, avoiding her gaze. “No, thanks.”

  “We have gentle ponies. One that I rode when I was your age. Her name’s Misty. Like the storybook pony.”

  He looked at her blankly. Okay, he wasn’t a fan of that beloved children’s series.

  She exchanged a glance with Cash, who shook his head, his expression suggesting she drop the subject.

  “Can I go swing, Dad?”

  “For a few minutes.”

  When the boy trotted off, Rio placed her hands on her hips and turned to his father.

  “So what exactly are you going to do about that?”

  Chapter Six

  “About what?”

  She shot Cash an aggravated look he probably deserved for that lame attempt at dodging her question. “About a child of Cash Herrera not being into horses. So is he actually afraid of them or just not interested?”

  Good question.

  “He says he isn’t afraid. But I suspect it’s a bit of both. Fear of the unfamiliar and having no opportunity to develop an interest.” That was despite the fact that when Cash had first met her, Lorilee had been a decent competitor in barrel racing events. That’s how they’d met. At a county rodeo as teenagers.

  “So what—”

  At that moment a laughing Luke, Delaney, Chloe and Tessa poured out of the inn onto the porch, and from out of nowhere the German shepherd, Rags, dashed into their midst. Luke reached down to pat him, pausing to raise an inquisitive brow as he glanced between Rio and Cash.

  “Pardon our intrusion.”

  Cash wasn’t sure Luke was the least bit sorry. There had been a time when not many big brothers would have cared to catch their little sisters shooting the breeze with the likes of him. While there might be a few stray sparks firing between the two of them, Rio seemed as disinclined to pursue that any further than he did. So Luke didn’t have anything to worry about from Cash’s corner. He might want, though, to keep a close eye on Eliot, Brax and those guys at the church.

  “We were just wrapping up some business.” Rio, a soft flush staining her cheeks, stood. “I was thanking Cash for not letting Uncle Doug ramrod our Sunday lunch.”

  Luke’s forehead creased as the others and the canine moved on ahead to his pickup, the two kids assuring Rio they’d be back to ride after changing clothes. “I, for one, am not looking forward to tomorrow’s meeting, considering Uncle Doug will come loaded for bear.”

  “Surely Dad and Grandma Jo will keep him in line.”

  From her tone, though, Cash didn’t think she was optimistic.

  Luke let out a pentup breath. “Unfortunately, it’s not just him. I’ve heard rumblings from a few members of the extended family who also have a financial stake in this, even if they’re not employed here.”

  “Surely not Garrett. Or J.C.”

  “No, but a few of the other cousins are leaning toward Uncle Doug’s more extreme notions. Although we’re an entity with voting rights—which many on the periphery seldom choose to exercise—Uncle Doug can be persuasive when he wants to be.”

  “In some ways,” Rio said as she gripped the porch’s support post, “I wish we’d never heard of Tallington Associates.”

  “Now don’t go saying that. This opportunity could be a good thing if we keep a clear head. Make wise decisions.”

  The horn of his pickup honked.

  “Guess the troops are getting impatient.” He leaned in closer to his sister. “Thanks for taking Chloe for a few hours. With Anna and Travis at the youth group thing, Delaney and I’ll have the cabin to ourselves. A rarity.”

  She gave him a push. “Then you better get going.”

  “Actually—” Luke gave her a sheepish grin as he stepped off the porch “—we both were thinking along the lines of naps. Delaney’s not sleeping so well these days and, consequently, me neither.”

  Rio gave a squeal of laughter. “Oh, wow. Real life insights into the romantically exciting world of newlyweds. You make matrimony sound so irresistible. Not.”

  He shook a finger at her. “Yeah, well, one of these days reality will hit when you won’t be laughing so hard, and I’ll be the first to remind you.”

  The horn honked again, and she laughed as he hurried off.

  Still smiling, she watched her brother climb into his truck. Gave him a wave as he pulled away. When she turned to Cash, he got the feeling from the chagrined look in her eyes that she’d forgotten he was there. “I guess I don’t have to tell you I love that guy.”

  “That’s pretty evident. Sounds, though, as if you both have concerns involving what might transpire at the business meeting tomorrow.”

  “Seems the best of stuff can come, like most medications that are intended to do you good, with side effects. Like the setup of Hunter Enterprises.”

  “I vaguely rememb
er tales of how that came to be. Something to do with your uncle Doug’s divorce and a high-powered lawyer on his ex’s side who almost cleaned him out?”

  “Aunt Charlotte—who was out of the picture before I came along—tried to get her claws on more of Hunter’s Hideaway property and investments than what personally belonged to her former husband. So to protect family interests, Hunter Enterprises was born.”

  But the woman had done considerable damage not only to the family but to the town itself. Empty, boarded-up buildings here and there along the main road through town were evidence of the fallout of that decades-old retaliation by an ex-wife. Cash should probably consider himself fortunate that he hadn’t more to lose than he had. Then again, Joey had been enough.

  Rio’s forehead wrinkled. “So...where were we when Luke barged into our midst?”

  Cash wasn’t inclined to volunteer the abandoned topic, but instead stepped off the porch. “Guess I’d better round up Joey. Luke and Delaney’s Sunday afternoon nap sounds mighty tempting. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He started in the direction Joey had headed, but Rio hopped off the porch in pursuit.

  “Oh, wait. I remember.”

  He kept walking, but she caught up and snagged his sleeve, drawing him to a halt.

  “We were discussing Joey and his aversion to horses. What’s the plan there? Are you going to attempt to get him acquainted with them or let him miss out because, I assume, his mother didn’t consider it a worthwhile activity?”

  Lorilee had thought horses worthwhile before that interest got kicked to the curb in favor of a more entertaining pastime—collecting male hearts. Although she denied it, he’d long suspected her refusal to let Joey get involved with horses was a deliberately vindictive move aimed at the boy’s father.

  “Horses are a big part of my life.” He hooked his thumbs in his belt loops. “I’d like them to be a part of my son’s life, too. But my dad pushed me into things I didn’t want any part of. I don’t want to risk anything like that splintering the foundations of Joey’s and my relationship.”