“How are the weather preparations going?” Jake asked.
“We’re on top of things, even though I’m just able to man the phones. Winds are already gusting and blowing up whirlwinds of dust. Clouds are threatening to let loose with a deluge any minute now. Lanky’s heading up to the big house to check on Edna, just in case she needs help with anything. He should be there any second.”
“Sounds good. What about the livestock?”
“Got a couple of wranglers checking on the horses now. You know how spooked they get when a storm blows in. I had the cattle in pasture six moved to pasture five. Ground’s higher there and will drain off a lot quicker if we get the rain they’re forecasting. Feeding is taken care of.”
“And the rest of the wranglers?”
“Told Fisher and Morgan to hightail it on home before the storm hits. The others are probably in the bunkhouse sipping whiskey and cooking up a bunch of fajitas by now.”
“Edna tells me Tilson is still out with the ladies’ tour group,” Jake said.
“Just talked to him. They’re on horseback and not five minutes from the big house. Lanky will help him take care of the horses after he drops off the ladies.”
“That’s what I needed to hear. I’m less than five minutes from the gate myself.”
Streaks of lightning darted about the gray depths of the heavens as he broke the phone connection. A gust of wind made the truck shudder.
A big yellow dog ran the fence line just past the burned ruins of the old Baptist church. A shrieking murder of crows lined an electric line as if warning motorists they’d best get on home.
The first huge drops of rain began to pelt his windshield as he passed through the ranch gate. By the time he pulled into the three-car garage, the rain was falling in wind-driven sheets. He took the covered walkway to the back door.
Thankfully Tilson and the Saddle-Up group had made it back to the house, but not before the rain had hit. They were huddled in the kitchen, drenched to the skin. Carolina’s gaze met his as he joined them, but it wasn’t her eyes that brought him to instant attention.
Her firm breasts and puckered nipples were detailed beneath the clinging shirt. Arousal hit Jake so hard and fast it was dizzying.
He looked away quick, before the ache in his groin became a visible bulge.
He didn’t even like the woman. What the hell was wrong with him?
Tilson called his name and Jake jerked himself back to reality. “Sorry,” he said. “I missed that.”
“I was just apologizing for getting the ladies caught in the rain.”
“Actually, it’s our fault,” Carolina corrected him. “We were so impressed with the view at Cotter’s Canyon that we lingered too long.”
Cotter’s Canyon. His spot. More of a gulch than a canyon but special all the same. The place he went to get his head on straight. Now when he went there he’d most likely remember Carolina’s nipples pressed against the white cotton.
Stunning even dripping wet. Sinfully sexy.
Texas was full of beautiful women. He needed to get out more, see something more intriguing than cows. A date every now and then couldn’t hurt.
Edna stepped into the room, her arms filled with fluffy white towels. She passed them around, and the ladies took them eagerly.
“I’d best get back to the horses,” Tilson said.
“I’ll help,” Lanky said, “unless you want me to hang around longer, boss man.”
“No. You and Tilson just take care of the horses. Move quickly and take cover if need be. There are some extra ponchos on hooks in the garage,” Jake said. “Grab a couple.”
“Too late now. Besides, a little rain never hurt a cowboy,” Tilson said. “Mighty sorry for letting our guests get caught in the downpour, though.”
Unwittingly Jake’s gaze swept back to Carolina. She dabbed her face before wrapping long locks of dripping hair between folds of the thick terry.
“Where’s Lizzie?” Jake asked, coming to his senses to realize she was missing from the group.
“Headed straight to her room to get out of her wet clothes,” Edna said.
“You have a lovely daughter,” Carolina said.
“Really fun to be around,” Peg added.
“Thank you.” Obviously they’d seen the side of Lizzie she seldom shared with him anymore.
“We’re puddling your floors,” Carolina said, looking down. “If you’ll get me a mop, I’ll clean up our mess.”
“Guests don’t mop,” Edna said quickly. “I’m more worried about the four of you standing around in those wet clothes. Why don’t I show you to guest rooms and gather some robes? You can change into them and I’ll toss your wet clothes into the dryer. They’ll be ready for you to put back on in no time.”
All four of the women voiced their approval of that.
Jake walked over to the counter to start a pot of coffee while the women now draped in thirsty towels followed Edna to retrieve the robes. As usual, Edna was way ahead of him. The pot was full.
He was halfway through a mug of hot brew when Lizzie padded barefoot into the kitchen. Her long auburn hair was turbaned in a light blue towel. Her too-skimpy white denim shorts rode low on her hips. A blue cropped top showed far too much skin for his liking.
As tempted as he was to send her back to her room for something more suitable for guests, he decided to let it ride this time.
“Where did everyone go?” she asked.
“To change into robes so that Edna could dry their clothes.”
“I’ll go see if I can help.” She headed for the hallway.
“Lizzie.”
She stopped and turned toward him with a roll of her eyes. “What did I do now?”
“Nothing. I appreciate you helping out today. It was a...” He searched for the right words.
“Decent thing to do. I get it, Dad. Don’t sound so shocked. I’m not completely heathen.”
“I was simply saying thanks.”
“Yeah.” She nodded and left the room.
He couldn’t even pull off being appreciative and make it work with her anymore. How had the gulf between him and his daughter ever grown so wide?
Jake checked the weather radar on his phone. The entire county was getting hit, but the worst was north of them, toward Austin. He stamped to the mudroom, grabbed the mop from the closet and went to work on the floor.
“Keep that up and you’ll scrub the finish off the tiles,” Edna said, rejoining him in the kitchen a few minutes later.
He looked down. The floor was completely dry. He eased his grip on the mop handle as lightning zigzagged across the sky, followed by a clap of thunder that shook the windows.
“Keeps storming like this and a few of those low-lying roads are sure to flood,” Edna said. “Lucky we have plenty of spare bedrooms if the ladies need to stay over.”
A sleepover with Carolina was exactly what he didn’t need. “Storm will likely pass in a couple of hours.”
“Might. Might not. I’ll take some chicken out of the freezer just in case.