The Practical Pretender Read online

  Penny found herself moving to the cowboy as she gently laid her hands on his arms turning him around then embracing him in a gentle comforting hug.

  Dewis wrapped his arms around Penny pulling her tight and felt the tension in his chest and shoulders ease. She was like a warm security blanket straight from the dryer, or a tattered teddy bear that had dried your tears as a child. She smelled of lilac and elderberry and he breathed her in like the essence of life. He couldn’t remember ever feeling so accepted in a long time.

  Despite his anger and frustration about his situation, Penny seemed to only want to comfort him and he soaked her in like the sun on a cold day.

  “I’m so sorry,” Penny whispered against his neck. “It must have been painful to you as well.”

  Dewis closed his eyes soaking in the warmth, strength and kindness of the woman in his arms for another heartbeat then stepped back.

  “I was grown by then,” he said turning and setting the table. “Her boys did nothing but fight at the funeral blaming my father for driving her to another man. They fought with Dad, fought with each other, and even tried to pick a fight with me.”

  Penny could see the tension in the stiffness of the cowboy’s spine as he talked but occupied herself with releasing the steam from the pot and getting dinner ready to serve.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “I walked away,” Dewis said sadly. “I walked right out leaving my dad there alone and confused.” Dewis turned back to her his eyes shining with regret. “I should have slugged both of them,” he said with a wry grin. “Then everyone could have blamed me. Instead I walked away and left my father to struggle with his guilt and sorrow alone.”

  Penny placed the platter of steaming chicken and rice on the table then reached for Dewis’s hand. “I think you were the bigger man,” she said feeling the pain in his eyes to her very soul. “You couldn’t have fixed it anyway,” she finished.

  Together they took their seats and Dewis took her hand in his again saying a quick ‘thanks’ and ‘amen’ before they dug into their food, but after the prayer Penny didn’t release his hand when he pulled back and a sparkle of something seemed to peep through the pain of his soul.

  “So how long have you been trying to run this place all by yourself?” Penny said after supper as they rinsed the dishes and loaded the dish washer.

  “About four years,” Dewis admitted. “After Lizzet died dad wasn’t much use. He blamed himself for everything, felt like if he’d been a better husband none of this would have happened. He mostly did paper work and kept the books while I managed the day-to-day stuff. The big problem was that every time Mack and Jack showed up asking for money he didn’t argue, just wrote the check. They moved out and got their own place saying they were going to go to college together right after their mother died. Dad passed about two years later. He simply seemed to give up. ”

  Penny wiped out the shiny inner pot of the pressure cooker then slipped it into the dishwasher with everything else. It sure made clean up easy, then filled the little tab with detergent and turning it on.

  “Do you have things you need to do or do you want to watch TV again tonight?” Penny asked trying to coax a smile from Dewis. She’d actually liked the show they had started the night before and was hoping they could go back through the episodes they’d slept through the night before. Surely watching his favorite show would lift the cowboy’s spirits.

  “TV sounds good,” Dewis said. “Give me a half hour to put in an order for more fence wire then we’ll watch.”

  Penny grinned at the cowboy who headed off to another room his stocking feet shuffling on the hardwood floor of the kitchen.

  Turning the stove back on to boil more water Penny quickly cleaned the kitchen grabbing a broom and sweeping up any dirt they had tracked in.

  It was a beautiful room and she could get used to cooking here if she got the chance. She had told Dr. Lachele that she’d taken two weeks off of her regular life to explore this possible alternative. So far she was very glad she had.

  There were still moments when she couldn’t really get her head around the whole thing but if it gave her a cowboy like Dewis maybe it was worth it.

  Penny hated the fact that Dewis seemed to struggle so much for so little. At least while she was here she could try to ease some of his burden.

  Chapter 6

  That night as Penny sat next to Dewis sipping hot tea and munching on party mix she had found in the relatively empty pantry, Penny thought about life on a ranch and all of the things she had read about.

  “What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” she asked as they flicked on the television and moved back two shows to the ones they had missed.

  “I’m going to move a section of the herd in to the lower pasture,” Dewis said. “You’re welcome to come along if you’d like. I’ll give you a steady horse to ride.”

  Penny’s eyes lit at the mention of horses and Dewis chuckled wrapping an arm around her shoulders as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do. “You’ll take horses?” Penny asked almost breathless with excitement as she turned to face Dewis.

  “I could use the ATV but I like using horses to move the cows. I can turn them easier on horseback and don’t have to push them so fast either. Have you ever ridden a horse before?”

  “Only at the fair,” Penny admitted. “When I was a kid, my dad used to take me and let me go on the pony rides. It was my favorite thing in the world. I always wanted a pony. I asked for one every year at Christmas but I guess Santa doesn’t deliver ponies.”

  “I’ll give you some pointers tomorrow but mostly you just hang on and let the horse do his thing. All the horses here are working stock and they’ll look after you as long as you hold on tight.”

  Penny shivered with delight at the idea of riding after cows the next day. She knew she was a novice when it came to horses but that didn’t mean she couldn’t learn. She had always loved when authors wrote horses into their stories as characters in their own right. After all what was a cowboy without his horse?

  “No cooking tomorrow night though,” Dewis said shaking a finger at Penny and interrupting her thoughts. “We’ll head into town for dinner and do some grocery shopping. Trust me you’ll need to eat if you’re going to ride much.”

  Penny snuggled into Dewis’s shoulder, curling her feet up on the couch and sipping her hot tea. She felt safe and warm, and happy sitting next to the cowboy but she knew if she let it happen she could feel so much more.

  ***

  Dewis held the reins of the big buckskin horse steadying the stirrup as Penny slipped her foot inside and tried to pull herself up. The big horse turned its head looking at her reprovingly but Dewis only grinned.

  “Let me give you a leg up,” he said kindly linking his fingers. “Put your foot into my hands and hop on the count of three.” Penny nodded as the cowboy started counting to three bouncing on a booted foot.

  Penny yipped as she was lifted into the saddle almost falling over the other side but managing to steady herself by grabbing the saddle horn while Dewis chuckled. It was much higher up sitting on a horse than it had been on a pony and she looked down at the cowboy nervously.

  “You good?” Dewis asked dropping his hand to her thigh as he adjusted her stirrups to the right length.

  “I’m fine,” Penny said feeling hot tingles race up her leg from where his hand made contact. “It’s much higher than I remember,” she added looking out across the barn yard.

  Dewis ducked under the horse’s neck and shifted her other stirrup making sure her boots were in far enough to give her balance without getting stuck. “Don’t worry old Abe here is a cool hand,” he said patting the horse’s neck, “he will look after you. He’s getting up in years so will be less likely to go after any tough cows.”

  “You don’t think I’ll fall off do you?” Penny said still holding to the saddle horn with one hand, as Dewis placed the reins in her other one reminded her how to steer the hor
se by laying them against its neck.

  “I think you’ll be just dandy,” the cowboy drawled a big grin on his rugged face. “Sit up straight, stay easy in the saddle, and keep one hand on the saddle horn.”

  Penny laughed feeling herself relax a little as she adjusted to her position. The old horse sighed cocking a hip and shifting her off balance making Penny cry out again.

  “You alright?” Dewis asked as he swung up on a flashy bay.

  “He moved,” Penny said, as she pulled the reins a little tighter.

  “He’ll do that,” Dewis said, still grinning. “You don’t have to go,” he added more seriously raising an eyebrow in her direction.

  “No, I want to,” Penny insisted. “I’ll adapt.” There was no way she was missing out on this opportunity.

  “We’ll go slow,” Dewis offered. “Once we get out to the herd you hold back and I’ll do the rest.”

  Penny nodded wishing she had the skills to help him. What good would she be to him if he really did start to care for her if she couldn’t even ride a horse? Hadn’t he been working this ranch solo for long enough?

  Dewis clicked to his horse that moved into a smooth walk and old Abe fell into step making Penny clutch the saddle horn once more, but after a few steps when she didn’t land in the dirt she started to remember the thrill of riding and began to relax.

  “See you’re doing fine,” Dewis said letting Abe step up beside his own mount.

  Penny looked around her at the wide open grass lands dotted with cows. It seemed to go on forever and she could ride out in it and forget about the rest of the world.

  “Pretty isn’t it?” Dewis asked looking right at her.

  “Beautiful,” Penny said taking in the landscape with the purple hills in the background. “It looks like it goes on forever.”

  “I used to think about saddling up a horse and taking off as a kid,” Dewis said. “I thought, what if I rode a horse across the whole nation with no one to worry about but myself.”

  “Really?” Penny asked mesmerized by the idea. “Why didn’t you do it?”

  Dewis laughed. “For one thing Dad needed me and for another I could never figure out how I was supposed to feed me and a horse along the way. Just keeping horseshoes on would have been enough to break the bank.”

  Penny laughed at this practical side of Dewis. Dreams were wonderful, but they had to be tempered with hard work and realistic goals. It was why she had found it so hard to believe Dr. Lachele at the book club. Nothing could be so easy as to snap your fingers, or wiggle your nose and find true love.

  Penny was finally feeling fairly comfortable on her mount as they moved through a gate and into a pasture with a group of younger stock. She couldn’t help but grin as she watched Dewis lean down from his horse to unlatch the gate displaying his denim wrapped backside.

  “You hang back,” Dewis said wondering what Penny was grinning about. “I’ll get them moving and you can turn Abe in after the herd. Just having someone to follow along behind is a big help,” he added waving a hand as he kicked his horse into a trot and moved to the other side of the scattered herd.

  After a few minutes of circling and pushing the cows closer together Dewis started the bunch moving toward the barns and the lower pasture where he’d let the grass grow a bit more this spring.

  Penny watched Dewis turn his horse along the outer flank of the little herd keeping the animals bunched and kicked her horse into a slow walk behind. This wasn’t so bad, the horse was calm, and the ground was even…

  Penny screamed as the big buckskin skidded to a stop pivoting on his hind quarters and shot after a cow that leapt from the herd heading back in the direction they had come from.

  Penny clung to the saddle horn as Abe dashed after the cow turning the stubborn steer back to the herd at a gallop while Penny hung on for dear life, as all of the instructions Dewis had given her flew right out of her brain.

  Dewis heard Penny’s scream and turned his horse in her direction kicking it to a dead run as Abe shot out after a stray cow. To his surprise the brainy business woman held on, making the turn and falling in behind the cow that quickly dove for the safety of the herd.

  Dewis got to Penny as Abe came to a skidding stop completely unseating his rider who fell into the cowboy’s outstretched arms. Like a pick up rider Dewis snatched Penny as she was heading earthward pulling her in front of him on the saddle.

  “Are you alright honey?” he asked as Penny’s arms wound around his neck clinging desperately to him. “Penny are you hurt?” he asked again fear clogging his throat.

  “I’m alright,” Penny replied still clutching him by the collar. “I’m not hurt, I’m just scared.”

  Dewis wrapped his arms around Penny pulling her in tight as he guided his horse with his knees. “You did great,” he drawled softly. “You stuck to Abe like a pro.”

  Penny shook her head as her heart beat began to return to normal. “It was like being thrown in a dryer on the tumble setting,” she finally breathed. “I didn’t know which way he was going to go next. All I could do was hold on and hope to avoid whiplash.

  Dewis chuckled and the sound vibrated through his chest and into Penny’s ear washing over her like a warm wave as it chased the last of her fear away.

  Penny snuggled in closer enjoying the feeling of being held and holding someone. The realities of her own loneliness making her shiver all over again. She didn’t want to let go, she didn’t want the cowboy to disappear and leave her with only her books and her job.

  “You sure you’re alright?” Dewis said dropping his gaze as he lifted her chin with one finger so he could look her in the eye.

  Penny tried to nod but was drawn into those gorgeous eyes once more as she looked up into the cowboy’s face mere inches from hers.

  Dewis dropped his head slightly drawn by the longing in Penny’s eyes until his lips met hers in a sweet kiss. The kiss was soft and reassuring at first but quickly became something more as Penny sat up drinking in the cowboy, her fingers tangled in his hair.

  For several long moments Dewis kissed Penny, then reality slammed into him like a rock hard fist. Penelope Pembroke was only his pretend fiancée. He had no right kissing her the way he was.

  Feeling Dewis pulling back Penny opened her eyes looking into his troubled gaze. “Is something wrong?” she asked her voice a breathy whisper.

  Dewis shook his head gathering his thoughts. “I shouldn’t have done that,” he said easing his grip on her.

  “Why?” Penny asked hoping he understood how much she’d enjoyed the kiss.

  “You barely know me,” he hedged.

  “But I’d like to,” Penny admitted with a mischievous grin. “The only thing I can see wrong with you kissing me is that all your cows are getting away,” she said laughing as Dewis looked up and groaned.

  Kissing him softly Penny slid out of the saddle and walked back to Abe who stood calmly nibbling grass a few feet away.

  Still grinning, she managed to drag herself into the saddle as Dewis set out after the scattered herd once more.

  Chapter 7

  “You did great today,” Dewis said as they made their way back to the barn to put the horses up.

  “Sure after you had to save me from falling on my backside,” Penny said climbing down from her saddle. After the first episode with Abe she’d gotten back up and held on even tighter. “Oh, I feel like I can hardly stand,” Penny gasped still clinging to the saddle horn as her feet hit the ground.

  “It’ll take a few minutes to get your legs back,” Dewis grinned. “Even people who ride often feel like that when they first get off.”

  He swung down smoothly, his boots hitting the earth with a soft plop as he started leading his mount into the barn.

  “Yes, it seems to be a real problem for you,” Penny said her voice dripping with sarcasm as she followed him on wobbling legs.

  “I’ll take Abe for you,” Dewis offered reaching out and taking the reins “Why don’t
you get cleaned up and then we’ll head to town.”

  Penny nodded gratefully. All she wanted at the moment was to sink into a hot tub and soak the aches from sore muscles.

  Hurrying to the house Penny quickly ran a hot bath, stripped out of her dirty clothes and crawled in to the steaming bath feeling the hot water working out kinks in muscles she didn’t even know she had. All too soon she heard Dewis coming back to the house and she knew she had to get out. With a groan Penny pulled her weary body from the water and started getting ready for their trip to town. It would be nice to not have to cook that night, but at the same time she really wanted to curl up on the couch next to the cowboy and forget about the rest of the world.