The Cowboy Code (3 page)

“That's good to hear,” she said. “How did you get into this, Joe?”

He rubbed his chin. Where to start? “My own father wasn't around much when I was growing up. Either he was busy hauling livestock around the country, or he was traveling with my mother, taking photos for travel books. If it weren't for Mr. Dixon—my pal Jake's dad—I would have been placed in a juvenile correctional facility and never let out.
He helped me in more ways than one. I guess I'm paying that back.”

He was worried about his program this time around. He had shared with his staff that the twelve boys they were getting seemed more difficult than the first group, and they all had a history of running away, including Danny. They'd all have to be extra vigilant.

But he was going to think positively. He had a good team.

“And if someone fails to complete the program?”

“No one has yet.” Joe studied her. Her brows were almost touching, and her hands were clasped tightly on her lap.

“But you've only had one run of Cowboy Quest so far. Danny's future hinges on an almost untested program.”

“I suppose you could put it that way.” He met her worried look. “But Cowboy Quest has been under a lot of scrutiny from the state and county. It's being studied as a model for other, similar programs.”

Her lips were pinched now, and she was looking away from him. She was definitely anxious.

“Maggie, don't worry. Cowboy Quest is not about the riding or the livestock. It's about problem solving, maturing and working as a team. We use the Cowboy Code as a guide for basic rules of living. So don't worry. The boys and I will do everything
possible to get everyone through the program with flying colors.”

Her grass-green eyes pooled with unshed tears and once again he felt the urge to comfort her.

The only reason he'd send in a negative report to Judge Cunningham on Maggie and Danny was if they didn't make
some
attempt to resolve their issues, but he wasn't going to tell her that yet. He needed to wait and see just how things played out, and just how hard Danny and Maggie worked on their relationship and solving the problems between them, logistical and otherwise.

From what he could see, Danny was a thirteen-year-old who couldn't be trusted to attend school and not run the street.

Maggie was trying to work and support the two of them, in a job with horrible hours, and in his current state, Danny needed more—if not constant—supervision. He needed a
parent.

Somehow in all that there needed to be a plan for their future together, or they would spend their future apart.

“Remember, Maggie, I have a vested interest in making sure that all the participants are successful. We have a good program here—but we're under a lot of scrutiny from the state. I don't want to give them any excuses to shut us down.”

“So you might lose your program, and I might lose custody of Danny.” Maggie took a deep breath. “Then we'd both better make Cowboy Quest a success.”

M
aggie tried to stay optimistic as she leaned back against the cushioned seat of the golf cart and watched the sun set over the rugged, snow-capped mountains in the distance. A sweet, unfamiliar heat washed over her. She was sure that it was caused by her new tour guide's hard, muscular thigh pressed lightly against hers.

She enjoyed listening to Joe talk about his ranch. She could hear the pride in his voice when he pointed out which animal won Bull of the Year from the Professional Bull Riders Association and which ones were up and coming.

But she couldn't forget how much power Joe had
over her. With one report to the judge, she might lose Danny forever. And here they were, both fish out of water, trying to fit into a program that they didn't have a clue about.

But as Joe said, it wasn't about the livestock or the riding. That they could probably muddle through with a little luck and a lot of help. It was the bonding between her and Danny that was going to be the hardest. There was a lot of hurt between them. But she had faith in Danny. She'd loved him since he was born, and she still did. Somewhere in that teenage mess was the Danny who loved her back.

As they neared a hillside pasture, she could see the silhouettes of bulls grazing in the distance. Beautiful horses graced the corral; more were in a lower pasture.

“Would you like to see the barn?” he asked.

“Sure.” Actually, she really didn't. She wanted to curl up somewhere and sleep. It had been a long traveling day.

He pulled up to the corral and several horses came to inspect them. He took a bag of sugar cubes from the glove compartment and handed some to her. “Keep your hand flat. You don't want to lose any fingers.” He jumped out of the vehicle and led her into the barn.

Lights blazed inside. As Joe walked past the stalls, he called all the horses by name, and she petted them.

“You sure look at home in a barn, Maggie.”

“As it happens, I grew up on a dairy farm in northern New York.”

His eyes grew as wide as his belt buckle. “Well, I'll be. And here I had you pegged as a bona fide city slicker.”

“Hang on. I
am
a city slicker. I've lived in Manhattan longer than I lived on my parents' farm. Besides, I didn't particularly like it. My sister, Liz, was the one who loved it.”

“And Danny is Liz's son.”

“Yes.” Even though Liz had been gone for two years, Maggie missed her every day. Danny looked a lot like her.

“And you think you've failed Liz because Danny is in trouble,” Joe said, pausing with a bucket of water for the next horse in line.

“Was that in the probation report, too?”

He nodded. “It said something to the effect that you felt like you failed Liz because Danny was arrested.”

Maggie felt like she was under a microscope.

He was here to run Cowboy Quest—not to analyze her. She was here to save her nephew. End of story.

They got back into the golf cart. Ominous clouds had darkened the sky, and the breeze had grown rough and cool. “What's Danny doing now?” she asked, changing the subject.

“Ronnie is giving him a tour like I'm giving you. If the other participants have arrived, they are all touring together.”

“Danny's probably hungry,” Maggie said, her own stomach giving a little growl. “It's been a long day, and he didn't eat much.”

“He'll be fine.” Joe checked his watch. “Dinner is in an hour.”

Just as they pulled up to the ranch house, the skies opened with a crack of thunder. Rain came down in a noisy torrent. They dashed inside. Joe lit a fire in the living room and they sat to warm themselves.

“You know a lot about me, Joe. Tell me more about yourself,” she said.

“There isn't much to tell.” He shrugged. “I was a fairly mediocre student in high school. My parents weren't around much then so I practically moved into Jake Dixon's house. It was Mr. Dixon who suggested that I could work my ranch, expand my stock contracting business and still do something with my master's in education. One day, I came up with the idea for Cowboy Quest.”

He paused and diverted his eyes, clearly uncomfortable talking about himself.

“Don't stop,” Maggie urged.

“Jake Dixon, our pal Clint Scully and I all help out on Jake's Gold Buckle Ranch. He runs several programs for kids during the summer, so Cowboy
Quest fits right in. Mr. and Mrs. Dixon handle most of the administrative duties.”

“And you handle the program part,” Maggie stated.

He nodded. “The three of us go way back to Mountain Springs Grammar School. After high school, we rodeoed together for years. The only one still chasing rodeos is Clint.”

“So what does a stock contractor actually do?”

“I furnish rodeo stock for rodeos—steers, broncs, bulls, calves. I breed them, too—buy, sell, trade.”

“Sounds like hard work, raising all those animals.”

“I'm not afraid of hard work.” He smiled. “And that's another component of the Cowboy Code. If we can get these boys up and working, they'll be too tired to think of getting into trouble, and at the end of the day, they can take pride in what they've accomplished. I hope that learning the value of hard work will stay with them when they go back home.”

“
If
you can get them working.”

“Oh, I will. Starting with dinner tonight.” He tipped his hat, excused himself and added, “I'll see you in a half hour.”

 

As Maggie walked to the bunkhouse, she caught the scent of horses again, heavy on the breeze.

She did some breathing exercises—she always
did when she was nervous. Only a handful of people knew that she suffered from stage fright, but now she was suffering from horse fright. She'd been dreading tomorrow, but the sight of the horses reminded her: riding lessons tomorrow.

She told herself that it'd be okay. She'd seen horses before, pulling carriages around Central Park. The tourists petted, posed and took pictures with them and they were as still as statutes.

But the Silver River Ranch was totally different from New York.

Here there were
real
horses. Horses that she'd be riding…in a saddle…by herself. And they were tall. It was a long way to the ground if she fell.

Maggie paused to check her way. She'd forgotten how dark it could be at night in the country. There weren't any streetlights, brightly illuminated office buildings or Broadway marquees to guide the way, and she could barely see the path in front of her. She stopped to let her eyes send a message to her brain, sorting out the shadows and shapes.

Then she made out the tall figure of Joe Watley approaching, carrying a flashlight. Relief washed over her as he called out.

“I thought this would help.” She heard a click, and he handed her a flashlight of her own. “Keep it while you're here.”

“Thanks.”

The bunkhouse was aglow in the distance, and it
looked warm and welcoming. She took another deep breath, and pushed thoughts of tomorrow aside.

“What's for dinner?” she asked as they walked.

“Cookie's mystery stew.”

“Shall I ask about the name, or don't I want to know?”

“He makes it different each time. One of the cowboys called it that, and the name stuck. The meat he uses is a mystery, too.”

“Ouch.”

They both laughed, and Maggie warmed to his sense of humor. Yet being with Joe—the whole situation—made her jumpy. If they walked in together, it would be like admitting that he was spending extra time with her.

Sure enough, when they entered, they were greeted with a moment of hushed silence. Then the talking and frivolity began again in earnest.

She noticed Danny right away, along with the poke in the ribs that the big kid on his right gave him. Danny winced, and so did Maggie. She clamped her lips together and took a seat at the head of the table, next to Joe—the only two seats left.

Everyone seemed to have been waiting for her to arrive before they ate, and she vowed that she'd never be tardy again. She checked her watch—five after six. She was only five minutes late.

Joe cleared his throat. “Gentlemen and Maggie,
let's take a minute to reflect silently on the bounty of the meal and the opportunity to be in Cowboy Quest.” He bowed his head.

Emulating Joe, the cowboys removed their hats and put them over their hearts. It took a moment before the boys in the program decided what to do, but eventually they bowed their heads—everyone but Danny, the smallest kid in the program, and his newfound friend, the biggest kid in the program. They smirked.

Joe spoke quietly. “Heavenly Father, thank you for this food which we are about to eat, and may everyone around this table get what they can out of Cowboy Quest, and more. God bless us all and keep us safe. Amen.”

“Amen,” echoed most everyone around the table.

A warmth, like a plush blanket, enveloped her. She remembered sitting around her parents' big oak table as they all bowed their heads to pray. As they ate, they'd discuss current events, school, the weather—anything and everything in between.

These days she always ate on the run—stopping at the deli next to her condo, or for Chinese take-out somewhere, or for a quick slice of pizza. Max's delivered, so she'd arrange for Danny to have most of his meals from there.

She hired a housekeeper, a math and reading tutor and got him a membership to the gym down
the street. They went to counselors. She did everything she possibly could to help Danny, but she still wished she could have given more of herself.

Now, even though there were two dozen other people at the table, she was sharing a meal with Danny for a change.

Speaking of meals, Cookie's mystery meal was stew, and it was fabulous, loaded with carrots and potatoes.

Ronnie tapped on his coffee mug with a spoon. “Let's all go around the table and introduce ourselves.”

After all the introductions were made, Maggie noticed that Danny and she were the only ones who came from the east coast. All the rest, including staff, were from either the west or southwest.

No surprise there.

Maggie found out that Danny's new friend was named Brandon Avery and he was from Billings, Montana.

As she stifled a yawn, Joe stood again. “Since this was a long day of travel, everyone will help with the cleanup. The Cowboy Quest participants will hit the hay ahead of schedule tonight because tomorrow morning will come early, five-thirty, to be exact. We have stock to feed and water, stalls to muck out and then you all will be taking riding lessons after your school lessons. Let me stress once
again that you'll get out of the program what you put into it—so give it your all.”

“He's getting free labor out of this. So, like, how many juvenile delinquents does it take to run a ranch?”

The guffaws and tittering washed over her like a tidal wave. She couldn't believe Danny would be that rude.

“Danny, you shouldn't—” Maggie began.

Joe held up a hand like a traffic cop, and she got his message: He was in charge.

“I've heard that before,” Joe said. “So I'm glad that you cleared the air, Dan. But if you really believe that I'm getting free labor out of this, well, then, I'd better fire all these cowboys, huh? After all, I won't need them because I have the twelve of you.”

This time it was the cowboys who laughed and snickered. The boys looked somewhat awkward, as did Danny and his new friend.

Maggie checked her watch. Seven o'clock. If she went to bed at eight, she'd have over eight hours of sleep. That was definitely more than she got in a typical night.

She was exhausted. Danny looked dead on his feet, too.

There was no way that she was going to be late on her first day, even if she was scared out of her mind. No way.

“I'm going to walk Miss McIntyre to the ranch house,” Joe said. “Then I'll be right back to help in the cleanup.”

She wondered if Joe had stressed that for the rest of the participants, or just for Danny.

Maggie sighed. In spite of the fact that Joe wanted to handle things, she had to find the time to talk to her nephew, to alleviate his concerns.

And make sure he didn't blow their last chance.

 

Joe walked Maggie up the brick walkway to the main house, the glow of their flashlights combining to illuminate the way.

He'd had an enjoyable meal with everyone, but particularly Maggie. He'd even arranged to take her into Mountain Springs tomorrow for some real Western wear. She needed cowboy boots—
real
boots—not those fluff designer shoes she'd brought.

He'd already received a heads-up from Quint that Danny's clothes weren't proper for ranch work, either. They were okay for a gangster, but there'd be none of that for the young Daniel Turner.

“I'm sorry I jumped in earlier, Joe.”

“That's okay. I'm sure it's difficult to make the adjustment from aunt and primary caretaker to just one of the guys.”

“Yeah, it's hard.” She shook her head. “As you
can tell, Danny's got a problem with peer pressure. He'll say or do anything for a laugh.”

“I know. I've seen it time and time again. Give me and my staff a little credit, Maggie, and trust in Danny a little more.”

“I've trusted Danny in the past. You can see where it got me.”

“But today is a new day.”

She knew Joe was right. She had to back off and calm down.

But it was too darn difficult when she was so desperate to help Danny.

“I'm sure it's much easier if there were two parents to help raise kids.” She sighed. “Are you married?”

He was quiet for a moment. “No, I've never been married. I was engaged once, but it didn't work out.”

He took a breath. “Look, Maggie, I've volunteered for the programs at the Gold Buckle Ranch for eight years now. And, yeah, I have a degree, but what I also have is a clean slate and an unbiased point of view. I can look at things more objectively than you.”