“I bet that makes him happy.”
She nodded. “Are you gonna play with me today?”
“I gotta work.”
“Speaking of that,” Faith said, “maybe we should have a little private meeting before the men gather so we can discuss how we want to handle things.”
“You’re in charge. Just tell me what to do.”
As though suddenly lost, she looked at her father, then her mother, then swung her gaze back to him. “You were in charge of things before you left.”
He shrugged. “And now you are.”
She seemed surprised, but also pleased. He had little doubt she could handle all the responsibilities of managing the spread and all the men who worked for them. She’d spent a good bit of her youth out on the range with him and Dallas, roping calves for branding, moving steers from one pasture to another, mending fences, hauling hay. She knew the workings of the ranch as well as he did.
“I guess we’d better get to it,” she said.
While she gave her daughter a hug and a few final words, he meandered outside where the cowboys had gathered. He shook the hands of the men he knew, introduced himself to those he didn’t, noted the absence of a few familiar faces. A lot of changes had taken place since he left.
Then Faith wandered out. Denim pants looked better on her than on any man he knew, and he fought not to notice how her curves were a little more pronounced. The dress she’d worn last night had hidden a good deal. The clothes she wore now revealed everything, and not a single aspect of her wasn’t pleasing to the eye. Making her way into the center of the group, she came to stand beside him.
“What assignments are you giving us, Rawley?” one of ranch hands called out.
“Faith will be doing that, Beau,” he said loudly enough for all to hear.
“But you’re in charge.”
“Nope. I’m taking orders from Faith like the rest of you fellas.”
“We all thought Faith was just filling in until you got back,” Mike said.
“You thought wrong.”
“If you have a problem with me giving orders,” Faith said, “I can go ahead and give you what you’re owed, and you can move on.”
Mike shuffled his feet like he thought she might start shooting bullets at them and he needed to be prepared to sidestep them. “Just surprised is all.”
“I’m not sure why,” Faith said. “I’ve worked beside a lot of you since I was old enough to sit in a saddle.”
Rawley clapped his hands together once. A couple of men jumped. “I think that’s settled. If you’ll tell me where you want me, I’ll get right on it. I’m anxious to figure out what all has changed.”
“Why don’t you ride the perimeter, check the fencing? It’ll give you a chance to look things over.”
He winked at her. “Happy to, boss.”
She gave him a ghost of a smile, which had his heart soaring, gave him hope they were on the precipice of reclaiming the friendship they’d once shared. Wending his way through the gathered men, he ambled over to his horse and mounted up, heard Faith’s voice ring out as she issued orders. One of the things he’d always admired about her was her determination to do what needed to be done.
By mid-afternoon, Faith had taken care of everything she needed to, was pleased with the work the men were doing, pleased with almost everything except the slight awkwardness that still hovered between Rawley and herself. Several of the men had crossed paths with him during the day and reported his approximate whereabouts to her. Urging her horse into a gentle canter toward the north end of the ranch, she was determined to ensure everything was right between them before this evening.
Her family members weren’t big on gossiping about each other, but they did notice things—and worried when they sensed something wasn’t quite right. Her relationship with him meant too much to her, and she didn’t want it ruined because of unresolved issues from a long-ago night and feelings toward him that had begun to stir when she’d been much younger.
Not that finally finding him did anything to calm the anxiety, because the sight of him was awakening a stirring of desire she hadn’t felt in a good long while. He was restringing a section of the barbed-wire fence. Based on the glistening of his bronzed back, he’d long ago tossed aside his shirt. His broad-brimmed hat provided the only shade for miles.
Drawing her horse to a halt a short distance away, she simply watched in mesmerized fascination at the way his corded muscles bunched and stretched with his efforts, the manner in which his Levi’s pulled taut against his backside, outlined his thighs. He was all sinewy strength in motion, and she had the insane thought that if anyone ever made a moving picture of him at his labors, she’d gladly watch it for hours and never grow bored.
A thousand times she must have seen him without a shirt—washing up at the watering trough after a day in the saddle before coming inside to wash up properly, taking a dip in the nearby river where he’d taught her to swim when she was seven, and moments like this when it was simply too hot not to let nature’s occasional breeze waft directly over one’s skin. But never before had her mouth gone so dry, had she thought how pleasing it might be to take a lick of that salty flesh. She felt as though the champagne from that long-ago night was once again having its way with her, making her dizzy with a want for things she’d set aside, putting thoughts in her head that had no business visiting.
If she’d married Cole Berringer—or any man, for that matter—she’d have been settling, settling because she’d never been able to attract this man, to make him view her as anything other than a kid sister. It certainly hadn’t helped her case that she’d been a silly girl with flights of fancy who’d never known hardship until it came calling without warning.
