“Do you like hamburgers?”
“Yes.”
“Then you don’t have anything to worry about.” His lips twitched when he glanced at Tracy. “Which bags are yours?”
“The two blue ones and the matching shoulder bag.”
“Here you go.” He handed Johnny the shoulder bag and he reached for the other two. “The van’s right outside.” Her son had to be surprised, but she noticed he carried the bag like a man and kept up with Carson.
They walked outside into a beautiful, still evening. She loved the dry air, but could tell they were at a much higher elevation than they were used to. The mountain range loomed over the valley, so close she felt dwarfed by it.
Their host shot her a concerned glance. “Are you all right, Tracy?”
“I’m fine.”
“The air’s thinner than you’re used to in Ohio.”
“It isn’t that as much as the mountains. They’re so close to us, I feel like they’re pressing in.”
“I had the same feeling in reverse when we reached Afghanistan and I got off the plane with no mountains in sight where we landed. I felt like I was in a constant state of free-fall. Without landmarks, it took me a while to get my bearings.”
“Coming from a paradise like this, I can’t even imagine it. Tony and I grew up on Lake Erie. He told me that after he got there, with no water in sight, he went into shock.”
“We all did,” Carson murmured. “On every level.”
She hadn’t talked to anyone about Tony’s war experiences in a long time and hadn’t wanted to. But this was different, because Carson had made a connection by being there, too. With that photo in his pocket, her son wouldn’t forget, either.
He guided them to the dark green van. It was easy to spot, with the same logo on the side she’d seen on the envelope. He stowed their luggage in the rear, then helped her and Johnny into the backseat.
“First we’ll head to the Silver Dollar Grill for some grub.”
“What’s grub?”
“That’s what the ranch hands call food. After that, we’ll drive over to the Boot Corral and get you outfitted. I think they even sell some mustangs.”
“What are those?”
“Cap guns. When I was little I had a mustang and played like I was Hopalong Cassidy.”
“Who was he?”
“Hoppy was a straight shooter and my favorite cowboy.”
His dark head jerked around to Tracy. “Did you ever see Hoppy?”
Her quick-study son was soaking up all this fascinating information like a sponge. “When I was a little girl my father had some old Western movies and we’d watch them. Hoppy was the good guy who always played fair. He had white hair and wore a black cowboy hat.”
“Hey—” He looked at Carson. “So do you!” Johnny cried in delight.
“Yup. I wanted to be just like him.”
Tracy smiled. “He had two partners. One old duffer was called Gabby, and the young one was called Lucky. I was crazy about Lucky. He was tall and good-looking.”
Johnny giggled.
“All the girls loved Lucky,” Carson commented. “That was mushy stuff.”
“Yeah,” her son agreed with him.
“Now we know where Lucky got his name, don’t we.” Carson winked at her. “I have a couple of old Western movies on CD, and you can see him in action.”
“Can we watch it tonight?”
“No, young man,” Tracy intervened. “When we get to the ranch, we’re both going straight to bed. It’s been a long day.”
“Your mom’s right, Johnny. Tonight we’ll load you up with one of those mustangs Hoppy used to use and all the ammo you want. In a few days, when I take you out riding, we’ll scout for bad guys.”
“I’ve never been on a horse.”
“Never?”
“No.”
Those blue eyes flicked to Tracy. “How about you?”
She shook her head. “I’m afraid we’re a pair of the greenest greenhorns you ever met. When I saw your dude ranch logo on the envelope, I never dreamed Johnny and I would end up spending time on one.”
His chuckle slid in under the radar to resonate through her. “With a couple of lessons that problem will be rectified and you can explore to your heart’s content. There’s no place like it on Earth. My grandfather used to tell me that, but it wasn’t until I came home for his funeral last November that I realized what he meant.” She heard the tremor in his voice.
He’d had a recent loss, too. Tracy sensed he was still suffering.
Carson broke their gaze and looked back at Johnny. “We have four ponies. I think I know the one that will be yours while you’re here.”
“Yippee!” Until this moment Tracy hadn’t thought her son’s face would ever light up like that again.
“You can name her,” he added.
Johnny looked perplexed. “I don’t know any girl names for a horse.”
“You think about it tonight, and tell me tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Carson smiled at both of them before closing the door. She heard him cough again before he walked around the car and got in behind the wheel. Something he’d picked up after being deployed, he’d said.
“What makes you cough so much?”
He looked over at Johnny. “There were a lot of contaminants in the air in Afghanistan. Stuff like smoke and toxins. Some of the soldiers breathed too many bad fumes and our lungs were injured. When I got sick, I was sent to a hospital in Maryland for special treatment. That’s where I met Ross and Buck. We became such good friends, we decided to go into business together after we got home.”
“Oh. Does it hurt?” Johnny almost whispered the last word.
“It did in the beginning, but not so much now. We’re a lot better than we used to be.”
“I’m glad.”
Her sweet boy.
“Me too, son.”
War was a ghastly reality of life. Carson and his friends were some of the fortunate ones who came home alive. She admired them for getting on with living despite their problem, for unselfishly wanting to make a difference in her life and Johnny’s. What generous, remarkable men....
As he drove them toward the town, she stared out the window. With night coming on, the Tetons formed a giant silhouette against the growing darkness. She shivered in reaction.
Instead of Johnny, who carried on an animated conversation with their host about horses and breeds, she was the one who felt oddly troubled for being so far away from home and everything familiar to her. This new world had taken her by surprise in ways she couldn’t understand or explain.
Chapter Two
Carson pulled the van in front of the newly erected cabin designated for the Baretta family. He’d asked one of the girls from town who did housekeeping to keep the lights on after she left. Earlier he’d made certain there were snacks for the Barettas, and in the minifridge he’d stored plenty of juices and sodas.
It