Cowboy Defender Page 3

  On the passenger seat were two new ball gloves, a couple of baseballs and a good wooden bat he’d bought on Saturday. He didn’t know if Henry owned a decent glove or not, but he would after today.

  He was definitely looking forward to working with Henry. He’d forgotten how much he’d once loved baseball until he’d tried on a glove in the store.

  Immediately he’d remembered the crack of a bat hitting the ball, the shouts and cheers from the parents who sat on bleachers and the joy of running full-tilt for a base.

  There was no question he hoped there would be an audience of one for the practice today. He could imagine Miranda sitting on her front stoop while he and Henry played in the front yard.

  They would be able to talk and maybe laugh together. He’d love to ask her out on a date, but he had a feeling if he did that right now she’d shoot him down quicker than a wild mustang could disappear in the pasture.

  Still, the excitement ratcheted up a bit as he turned down the tree-lined street where Miranda lived. It was a perfect day to toss around a baseball. The sky was a robin’s-egg blue and the temperature had climbed to the mid-seventies.

  He parked his truck at the curb in front of her place and got out. Her house was a two-story painted white with forest-green shutters. A nice wraparound porch sporting a couple of pots with colorful petunias added to the appeal.

  From a distance it appeared to be attractive and in good condition, but as he walked toward the porch he noticed that the wobbly wooden steps definitely needed some work and the paint on the shutters was faded and peeling.

  Before he could knock on the door, it opened and Henry bounded outside. Clad in a pair of shorts and a bright blue T-shirt, he looked ready to play.

  “Hi, Mr. Clay. I’m so happy that you’re here. I wasn’t sure if you’d really come or not.” He held in his hand a baseball glove that looked like it had been bought in a toy store.

  “I promised I’d come and so I’m here. How about you trade that glove in for this one.” Clay handed him the new ball glove.

  “For real?” Henry’s blue eyes widened.

  “For real,” Clay replied and looked just over the boy’s shoulder to see if he might catch a glimpse of Miranda, but there was no sign of her.

  “Like, it’s mine forever?” Henry asked.

  Clay laughed. “Yes, like, it’s yours forever.”

  A lump of unexpected emotion leaped into Clay’s throat when the young boy threw his arms around Clay’s waist and hugged him tight. “Thank you, Mr. Clay.” He finally released Clay and stepped back. He put his old glove down on the porch and placed the new one on his hand.

  “Does your mom know I’m here?” Clay asked.

  “Yeah, I told her when you pulled up in front of the house.”

  “Okay, then let’s get started.” Clay couldn’t help but be a little disappointed when he started playing catch with Henry and Miranda didn’t make any kind of an appearance.

  For the next hour the two of them threw the ball back and forth to each other. Clay showed the boy how to keep his shoulders positioned toward the thrower, how to stand on the balls of his feet and to keep his eye on the ball.

  It was obvious to Clay that what Henry needed more than anything was practice and he hadn’t even brought out the bat to see how well the boy could hit balls.

  It was right before five when Miranda stepped out onto the front porch. She looked utterly feminine and yet professional clad in a pair of navy slacks that showcased her long, shapely legs and a white blouse that had a pretty ruffle down the front. Her blond hair sparkled in the sunshine overhead and once again he was struck by how pretty she was.

  “Evening, Clay,” she said.

  “Hey, Miranda,” he replied. He wanted to bound up to the front porch and sit in one of the wicker chairs there and talk to her, but there was no invitation for such a thing either in her greeting or in her stiff posture.

  “Henry, it’s time for you to come in now and wash up for dinner. And thank you, Clay, for helping him out.” She turned and disappeared back into the house.

  A wave of disappointment swept through Clay. “So, are you going to come over again?” Henry asked eagerly.

  “Sure. How about tomorrow around the same time?”

  “Awesome,” Henry replied. “Mom is going to sign me up on a team soon and I want to be a really good player.” He gave Clay a quick hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Clay watched as Henry ran up the rickety porch stairs and disappeared into the house.

  The next day and Wednesday were the same thing. He and Henry worked in the front yard and Miranda didn’t make an appearance except to call Henry in for dinner each evening.

  Still, Clay was enjoying his time with Henry. He did seem like a good kid who was eager to please and showed a lot of gratitude to Clay. He also had a wonderful, carefree laugh that somehow touched Clay. Maybe it was because he’d been around Henry’s age when his mother had left him and taken all the laughter with her.

  Thursday when Clay arrived for more practice time, Jenny was seated on the porch with Henry. They both popped up and ran toward him as he got out of his truck.

  “You said we were going to work on batting today,” Henry said. “So Jenny is going to play outfield for us.”

  “I don’t know what outfield means, but I’m going to chase the balls when Henry hits them,” she said.

  “Perfect,” Clay replied with a laugh.

  He didn’t even bother to look for any glimpses of Miranda. Although he’d had ulterior motives when he’d first offered to help Henry, in the last couple of days it had become all about Henry and helping him to become the best little ballplayer he could be.

  Clay was happily surprised to discover that Henry had a good eye when it came to batting. Jenny was kept busy running after the balls her brother connected with.

  They’d been playing for about an hour when Miranda stepped out of the front door carrying a tray of colorful plastic glasses. Clay’s heart lifted at the sight of her clad in a pair of jeans and a navy tank top. Her hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail and she actually offered Clay a small smile as she approached them.

  “It’s a little warm today so I thought you all could use a nice cold drink.” She picked up one of the glasses and handed it to Clay.

  “Thanks.” All of a sudden he felt tongue-tied in her presence. Jeez, he’d made small talk with plenty of women in the past. He’d been hoping to talk to Miranda all week, so why couldn’t he think of anything to say to her now?

  Thankfully she busied herself handing out the drinks to her children, who carried them to the porch and sat down, and then she gazed back at him. “A beautiful day, isn’t it?”

  “Warmer than usual,” he replied as he caught a whiff of her sweet, evocative perfume riding on the air.

  “It’s really nice of you to be helping out Henry like you have been. He spends his entire evenings talking about you and baseball,” she said.

  “That must make you crazy,” Clay replied wryly.

  “It’s not so bad. It’s nice to see him so excited. You’re helping him gain some self-confidence and I really appreciate that.”

  “He’s a great kid and I’ve been enjoying working with him. He shows a lot of promise.” Clay took a drink of the lemonade, pleased with the nice conversation they were sharing.

  Henry set his drink glass down on the porch and ran over to where Clay and his mother stood. “Mr. Clay, we’re going to the carnival tomorrow night. Why don’t you come with us? That would be so much fun. Wouldn’t it be fun if we could all go together, Mom?”

  Clay wasn’t sure who was more surprised, he or Miranda. However, he wasn’t about to let this opportunity go by. “I’d love to join you all tomorrow night, but I think it’s something your mother and I need to discuss in private.”

  “Oh, okay.”
Henry turned on his heel and ran back to the porch. “Now you can talk in private,” he yelled back at them.

  “I sure don’t want to put you in an awkward position,” Clay began.

  “You mean like you did at The Cupcake Palace?” she interjected.

  He grinned at her. “Without us eating cupcakes together, Henry wouldn’t have a baseball coach.”

  “Touché,” she replied, and to his pleasure her mouth moved to a half smile that appeared to hold a touch of warmth.

  “Miranda, I would love to take you all to the carnival tomorrow night,” he continued. “It’s never much fun to go to those kinds of things alone.”

  The warmth he’d thought he saw in her eyes seemed to frost just a bit. “I’m sure if you really wanted to, you could find somebody to go with you.”

  “That may be true, but there’s nothing better than enjoying a carnival with a couple of kids,” he replied. He glanced over to where Jenny and Henry sat on the porch and then looked back at her. “Please allow me the pleasure of taking you and the kids tomorrow night.”

  Although he hadn’t thought much about the big festivities starting the next night until Henry mentioned it, more than anything at this moment he wanted Miranda to say they would all go together. He held his breath as he waited for her to reply.

  She looked toward the kids and then gazed back at him. “It wouldn’t be a date,” she finally said.

  “Of course not,” he replied hurriedly.

  “Because I don’t date.”

  “Okay, then it would just be an evening of us all hanging out together,” he assured her. “Besides, I promise to ride all the scary rides with Henry.”

  “Ha, you would be riding those rides with Jenny. She’s my little daredevil.” She stared at him for a long moment and then slowly nodded her head. “Okay, we’ll go with you as long as you understand it’s all about the kids and this has nothing to do with you and me having any kind of a relationship.”

  “I completely understand.” Clay tamped down his elation. “What time should I be here to pick you all up?”

  “Why don’t we make it around six? And we’ll want to stay until after dark. The kids always like seeing all the carnival lights.”

  “That’s part of the fun. Then six it is.” He looked over to Henry and Jenny who were still seated on the porch. “We’re all going to the carnival together tomorrow night.”

  “Awesome,” Henry yelled as he jumped off the porch and raced toward them.

  Jenny was right behind him, her pretty little features lit with happiness. “Do you like scary rides, Mr. Clay?” she asked.

  “I do,” he replied. “Scary rides are some of my favorites.”

  “Oh, good, because Mommy and Henry don’t like them. They’re just two old fraidy-cats.”

  “Then I’ll be your scary ride buddy.” Clay laughed as the little girl clapped her hands together and her blond ponytail danced up and down.

  “And do you like funnel cake?” Henry asked.

  Clay laughed again. “I love funnel cake.”

  “Only after you eat something better for dinner,” Miranda said. “We’ll get hot dogs or something for dinner before any funnel cake is allowed.”

  “Speaking of dinner... I’d better get back to the ranch before Cookie puts everything away,” he said. Cord Cully, aka Cookie, was the cantankerous old man who provided the meals to all the cowboys at the Holiday Ranch. “I’ll see you all tomorrow at six.”

  Minutes later, as Clay headed for home, more than a bit of excitement danced through his veins. No matter what Miranda called it, tomorrow night he was going to have his first date with her.

  Chapter 3

  Okay, she’d had a weak moment. That was the only way to explain Miranda’s agreement to go with Clay to the carnival. When he’d told her he’d like to take them all and that there was nothing better than enjoying a carnival with kids, she’d thought she saw a whisper of loneliness in his eyes. And that, coupled with all his work with Henry, had made for a weak moment.

  Throughout the day on Friday she fought the impulse to pick up the phone and call or text him and cancel the evening plans. It would certainly be the smart thing to do, but ultimately she hadn’t made the call.

  It didn’t help that Henry and Jenny were so excited about sharing the evening with him. They’d not only talked about it all yesterday evening but now at five-thirty they had already parked themselves at the front window to wait for his arrival. If she’d canceled the plans with Clay they would have been bitterly disappointed.

  There would be a lot of speculation when people saw them all together. People were definitely going to talk, but she was used to that. She had often been the topic of town gossip when she’d been married to Hank.

  She now focused her attention on the bathroom mirror. It was supposed to be a little cool this evening so she’d opted to wear jeans, a light blue short-sleeved blouse and a white cardigan sweater.

  She didn’t know if she was dreading or looking forward to the night. Certainly she was looking forward to seeing Henry and Jenny having fun. And it wasn’t as if she was really dreading spending time with Clay. She was just cautious...very, very cautious.

  Every afternoon when he had arrived to work with Henry, she’d spent a long time hiding behind the curtains in the living room and watching out the window as Clay interacted with her son.

  The first thing she’d noticed was how Clay’s shirt stretched across his muscled back and broad shoulders, and how his jeans clung to his butt and long legs. Yes, the man was definitely hot.

  What was even hotter was how often he had praised Henry and how patient he was with the little boy. There was also a lot of laughter between the two during the practices. It was hard to dislike a man with those kinds of attributes.

  For Henry and Jenny’s sake, she’d put up with Clay’s presence with them tonight, but there would be no more social activities between them in the future. The last thing she wanted in her life again was a party boy who loved the women. Been there...done that...and she never, ever wanted to do it again.

  She left her bedroom and went into the living room to wait for Clay’s arrival. As they waited, the conversation revolved around cotton candy and funnel cake and fun rides. It had been a long time since she’d seen her children so excited about a night out and at least part of that excitement came from Clay’s going with them.

  “There’s going to be a big crowd at the carnival, so it’s really important that we all stay together,” Miranda said. “That means no running off for anything. Do you both understand?”

  The two of them nodded. She wanted to make sure they knew this rule before they got to the festivities. Jenny was especially guilty of often wandering off or running ahead.

  At exactly six o’clock Miranda couldn’t help the unexpected butterflies that took wing in the pit of her stomach when Clay’s bright blue king-cab pickup pulled up in the driveway. She grabbed her purse and corralled the kids outside before he could even step out of his vehicle.

  “Hey.” He greeted them with that smile that flashed his dimples and seemed to brighten the air around him. “Are you all ready for some fun?”

  “Definitely,” she said, but her voice was drowned out by Henry and Jenny shouting with their excitement.

  It took only minutes to get the kids settled in the back and her in the passenger seat. She was definitely ready for some fun. It had been a long week with her students stressed over finals and acting out in ridiculous ways.

  “You look mighty pretty,” he said as he started the truck.

  “Thank you.” He looked mighty fine himself, clad in jeans and a black long-sleeved polo shirt that clung to his muscles and enhanced his blond hair. He smelled good, too. The fragrance of minty soap and a clean, fresh cologne wafted from him and filled the interior of the truck.

  “I hope
you don’t mind, but when we first get there I’d like to find Halena and Mary’s booth,” she said. “My mother is helping them out tonight and wanted us all to stop by.”

  “That’s not a problem. I always enjoy visiting with your mom, and Halena is usually a real hoot,” he replied.

  As they traveled to the old rodeo grounds just on the outskirts of town, the conversation remained light. Miranda felt herself beginning to relax, although the butterflies continued to swirl in the pit of her stomach each time she glanced at him.

  Of all the men in Bitterroot, why did Clay Madison have to be the one to give her butterflies? He was the antithesis of what she wanted in a man...if she’d been in the market for a man...which she wasn’t.

  She was grateful when they reached the fairgrounds where the musical sound of the carousal battled with the barkers who urged people to throw a ball or flip a ring or toss a dart for a big prize.

  The scents of cotton candy, sizzling hot dogs and freshly popped popcorn rode the evening air. The sounds and the smells made any deep thoughts impossible.

  “Will you ride the carousal with me, Mr. Clay?” Henry asked as they walked toward the festivities. “I want to ride it and pretend I’m a cowboy riding the range.”

  Clay laughed and threw his arm around Henry’s shoulders. “I’d be honored to ride with you, partner.”

  It should be Hank throwing his arm around his son, Miranda thought, but Hank would rather wrap his arms around a bottle of gin. However, Miranda had long ago become resigned to Hank’s shortcomings and she tried to be both mother and father to her kids.

  Still, she didn’t want her son to get too close to Clay. She didn’t want Henry to get hurt by any man. It was bad enough that Hank continued to disappoint his son on a regular basis.

  Although she would love for Henry to have a good, strong male role model in his life, there was no way that man would be Romeo Clay Madison.

  As they joined the throngs of people, she couldn’t help but remember all the reasons she was wary of Clay and his reputation.