Nothing But Trouble (5 page)

She was standing now, balling her fists at her side. “I’m not going to wear the same clothes for a month and smell like-”

“Me?”  His lips were twisted into a wry grin.

“You said it.”

Damn, but she was pretty when she was all riled up.  He resisted the urge to goad her more.  “We’ll be camping near a stream or a pond most nights.  You can rinse out any unmentionables then and hang them to dry overnight.”

Her cheeks flamed again, as if the thought of her lacy underwear--yes, she was the kind of woman who’d wear lace--hanging on a line in Stoney’s full view was too much.  Actually, the thought of seeing a woman as pretty and fine as Melanie Summers out of her underwear was darned appealing.  Heat coiled inside him and he blinked hard to rid himself of his thoughts.  Had it really been so long since he’d had himself a woman?

She looked as if she were thinking, maybe assessing all the items packed neatly in her designer luggage.  “I need two bags.”

“One.”

“Look, I’m compromising here.  I won’t take more than what is absolutely necessary, but I do need the two.”

He propped his fists on his hips and heaved an impatient sigh.  “I was raised that it was impolite for a man to go searching through a woman’s delicates, but if I have to-”

“I’ll get it down to two small bags!”

My, oh, my what a fire Melanie Summers had bursting through her, Stoney thought with amusement.  A ray of sunshine one minute and a wild fire out of control the next.  One month alone with nothing but the wide open range and a citified beauty to keep out of a heap of trouble.  This ought to be as wild as an eight second ride.

Gerald Hammond's store was located on a downtown main street that looked like most other Main Streets in rural America.  Nothing fancy or pretentious about it.  Practicality was the name of the game.  Where else could you buy a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk along with all the hunting and hiking gear needed to outfit a Boy Scout troop?

“This map lists all the known hot springs up there in the hills,” Hammond was telling Melanie.  She leaned her slender body over the counter and looked on with genuine interest.  A strand of her dark hair fell forward and dangled between the swells of her breasts.  “There’s nothing like taking a dip in one of those springs after a long day in the saddle.”

“Oooh, that sounds so nice,” Melanie said, taking the proffered map.

“Stoney’ll get you there.  You be sure to check them out.”

“I will.”

Stoney plopped two pairs of hiking boots on the counter and stared stone-faced at Gerald Hammond.  Hammond cleared his throat as he caught the rough edged gaze.

Pushing the shoes in front of Melanie, Stoney said, “There’s a bench over on the far wall back there. One is size seven and a half, the other is eight.  Why don’t you try them on and check the fit with some heavy socks and see which is a better fit.”

Melanie gripped both pairs of boots between her fingers and paused just a second to notice the hard look on Stoney’s face.  To his relief, she turned on her heels and headed to the back of the store without giving her two cents worth.  Maybe she was figuring she’d caused enough trouble.  That’ll be the day.

Stoney waited until Melanie was well out of earshot to begin speaking.  “We’re not a charity case, Gerald.”

“Now, Stoney, you know how much folks around here look out for each other.  Hell, Wally and me use to go fishing through those same mountains when we were barely higher than this counter.  Don’t let foolish pride make you spit out honest earned money just because it was fed to ya.  It ain’t charity to send money in the direction it can do some good.”

“You knew my father would want me to take this job.”

“Damn straight.  You were a solid bull rider on the circuit.  I’ll give you that one.  But your family needs you on Black Rock.  You ain’t gonna to do them any good, especially since your father...”

Stoney felt the pulse in his tightened jaw.  “He may not have the use of his legs, but Pop is determined to continue working his ranch.”

Gerald’s face eased.  “I’ve known Wally all my life.  He’s hard workin’ and he’ll do what he can.  But you’re not going to do him any good if some bull does a dance all over your hide again.  I know what you’re thinkin’, but rodeo is no way to bail out the ranch.  Not this time.”

“I’m not riding every nickel and dime rodeo.  Cheyenne has a big purse-”

“Forget Cheyenne!” Gerald said, slamming his fist on the counter.  The sound echoed off the walls of the store.  The craggy lines in Hammond's worn face deepened, making him look almost frightening.  “Aren’t you hearing me, son?  You don’t have a whole lot of time to be wasting.  There’s no guarantee you’ll get a check just for riding.” 

“So you sent me some city woman who’s never stepped foot in the mountains before?”

“It’s been a bad year all around for everyone.  Beef prices aren’t getting any higher and what you do get is taken away by the land taxes.  What are you going to do?  Sell the ranch?  Isn’t that the only thing left?”

Stoney fell silent, a vice squeezing his chest.  As far as he was concerned, selling off the ranch was the last thing he’d do.  And then, only with the last breath he took.

Gerald pointed to the back of the store where Melanie had finished trying on the hiking boots and was now browsing through some paperback books on a metal rack.  He kept his voice low.  “I think Melanie Summers is the answer to your troubles.”

“I appreciate you thinking of my family, Gerald.  Really, I do.  But you couldn’t be more wrong.”  Stoney glanced back at the store where Melanie lifted her gaze from some book she’d plucked from the stacks.  She threw him a sweet smile.  That smile alone was enough to ignite a flame in him so strong, he felt his inside burn with desire.  A whole month alone with this highfalutin gal wreaking havoc with his peace of mind was going to be torture.  He had a whole month ahead of him of trying to remember that he was raised to be a gentleman in the company of a lady.  But there was nothing gentlemanly about the way Melanie Summers was stirring his insides.  “I’ll bet my last nickel this woman is nothing but trouble.”

* * *

Melanie woke the next morning to the sweet sound of birds singing outside her open window and pots and pans clanking in the kitchen below her bedroom.  The plan was for her and Stoney to start out early Saturday morning.  Only Melanie wished she didn’t have to wait another whole day to get started. 

Hanging around the ranch there wasn’t much chance of someone finding out she’d hired Stoney.  The chances of it getting back to her father were slim.  But Gerald Hammond seemed to have a penchant for small talk with all the customers who came and went.  If her father had enlisted the help of a snooper, then it would only be a matter of time before he tracked her to Black Rock.  She wanted to be long gone before that happened, giving him no chance to keep her from going.

She rubbed her eyes as she padded barefoot to the white painted dresser.  She was staying in Stoney’s sister Delia’s room.  Unlike her bedroom back home, this room didn’t have a private bath.  She’d have to be careful with her medical supplies, making sure she didn’t leave them hanging around for someone to see. 

Fortunately, she’d gotten use to the routine of pricking her finger each morning to take a sample of blood and testing it with her blood monitoring machine.  They’d come a long way in technology since she first found out she was a diabetic at age seven.  Back then, everything seemed so scary.  Her parents were always on edge about every little sniffle or sneeze she had and made sure she ate like clockwork.  They’d even hired a special chef to prepare her meals and snacks.

When Melanie was younger, a visiting nurse administered her insulin.  At age ten, she had finally had enough and informed her parents that it was her body.  She was going to take care of herself.  Of course, they’d fought her on it, like they did every other decision Melanie made to take control of her life.  But one day she’d decided enough was enough.  She crawled out of bed before her nurse was scheduled to arrive, and she pulled all the supplies out of the drug closet without anyone noticing.  She’d watched the nurse prick her skin, test her blood, and administer the correct dosage hundreds of times, making mental notes on just what to do.  When the nurse arrived, she proudly presented her with the empty syringe.

Edmund and Lorna Summers were fit to be tied, but Melanie didn’t care.  It was then that she decided she needed to take control of her health and had been taking care of it ever since.  Diabetes never got in the way of living as far as she was concerned.  It was her parents who’d refused to let her believe she was a normal capable person, despite the fact that she had diabetes.  It was the main reason her father fought so hard to keep her from going on the Kenya expedition.

She held the blood machine, which was about the size of a calculator, in the palm of her hand and waited until the machine made its reading.  When it was through, she filled the hypodermic needle and pinched the skin on her upper thigh and injected herself. 

After carefully putting all the used materials into a plastic bag and packing them in her luggage, she padded to the upstairs bathroom to shower.  Twenty minutes later, she skipped downstairs to find Adele making breakfast for the troops.

“There’s fresh coffee,” Adele said as Melanie walked into the kitchen.  “Would you like me to get you some?” 

“I’d love some.  But please don’t feel you have to wait on me.  I’m an unexpected guest, and I’d like to be more help than hinder.  Especially since I’ll be taking Stoney away from you for the next four weeks.”

Adele smiled warmly.  Melanie had the faint feeling there was more behind the smile than mere graciousness.  “The cups are in the cabinet over the dishwasher.”

Melanie opened the pine cabinet door, grabbed a mug covered with painted daisies, and poured herself a cup of black coffee.  Adele was still busy at the kitchen table, measuring out some dried food into tiny zip lock bags.

“Stoney always did like the beef jerky and fruits I dry every year.  I used to stuff a pack full for him and Joshua when they used to go out camping.  They haven’t done that in a while.”

“Stoney spends most of his time on the ranch then?”

Adele looked up, a flash of pain crossed her face, but it was gone just as soon as it came.  “He’s been home this year...since the fire.  Up until last year he was spending most weekends at rodeos.”

Melanie pulled the ceramic mug from her lips before she could take a sip of the hot liquid.  “He’s a rodeo cowboy?”

Adele chuckled.  “A bull rider.  Not that it’s hard to tell.  Only the stubborn ones are fool enough to ride bulls.”

She took a sip of coffee and let the liquid seep down her throat and warm her stomach before commenting.  “Seems dangerous.”

“That never stopped Stoney.”  Adele stopped filling a Ziploc bag in mid-motion.  “He’s been a fearless creature since his little feet started running across this kitchen floor.  Been riding since he was a kid.  He got hurt pretty bad a few years ago.  His hand got hung up in the leather strap they use to stay on the bull.  That animal tossed him about just like a rag doll.”  She shook her head and looked as if she were lost in a memory.  She began filling the bag again.  “I’m glad I wasn’t there to see it.  A mother should never watch her son do crazy things like that.  He’s much safer up in the mountains with you than on the back of some mean old bull, if you ask me.”

Melanie got the feeling she’d be safer taking her chances with the bull than the likes of Stoney Buxton.  “Speaking of Stoney.  Where is he?”

“He and Wally have been up since four o’clock.  There’s a lot of work around the ranch that needs to be done.  Mitch had some last minute obligations he had to take care of before tomorrow, but he’ll be ready then.”