The Practical Pretender Read online

  Walking through the dark kitchen she looked out the window spotting a light in the barn. Outside a brisk wind was blowing across the yard, skidding clouds over the shimmering moon and Penny could feel the rain coming on.

  Hurrying back to her room Penny dressed, stomped into her boots and grabbed the heavy coat by the door. If something was wrong, she was going to find out what it was.

  Stepping out into the cool night air as the first fat raindrops began to fall Penny pulled the old coat tight around her. The chill wind buffeted her and she hurried toward the barn hoping to find Dewis there.

  Pulling the barn door open Penny blinked at the sudden brightness within as she fought the wind to pull the door closed again.

  “Dewis are you in here?” she called her voice quivering with fear and doubt.

  “Back here,” Dewis called his voice ragged.

  “What’s wrong?” Penny asked dashing to a stall at the back of the barn. “Are you hurt?”

  Dewis looked up at Penny, her hair was tangled and windswept, and somewhere along the way her makeup had all come off. She was breathtaking and perfect.

  “No, I’m not hurt,” Dewis said as he lifted a cows head from his lap and walked toward her. “I’m sorry if I woke you,” he said leaning over the stall door. “I heard the weather picking up and wanted to make sure I had the loft door closed. I wouldn’t want any of my hay to get wet.”

  Penny nodded feeling some of the tension leaving her shoulders. She had been worried that Dewis was having second thoughts about their relationship.

  “It’s a good thing I came out too,” the cowboy was saying drawing her attention back to the cow. “I found this heifer down with bloat and I need to get her up on her feet. She’s one of the ones we ran into the corral the other day to get ready for sale.”

  “What can I do to help?” Penny asked opening the stall door and stepping inside. She didn’t know much about cows but she could still help in some way if Dewis told her what to do.

  “I’m going to get a strap around her belly, can you hold it while I bring the bobcat around? If I can get her on her feet, I might be able to save her. I’ve already got a dose of medicine down her throat, but I’m not sure if it will be enough.”

  Penny nodded as Dewis grabbed a heavy nylon harness from the wall and began working it under the cow’s belly. She was amazed at how quickly he was able to get the straps under the cow, by rolling her one way and then the other.

  “Just hold this for me and slip it over the boom when I tell you to,” Dewis said kissing her cheek as he headed outside.

  Penny could hear the raindrops on the roof as the storm broke over them and wondered if Dewis would get soaked. He hadn’t been wearing any protective gear and was in nothing but jeans and a cotton shirt.

  The sound of an engine coming to life surprised her and she turned toward the main barn doors just as bright headlights flared.

  “Hold the strap up tight and slip it over the bar!” Dewis yelled over the sound of the engine and the lashing rain.

  Penny nodded lifting the straps high as he carefully maneuvered the machine into position. It took her a couple of tries to get the straps over the long steel bar attached to the front of the little digger but she finally managed.

  “It’s on,” she yelled back at Dewis who shifted some gears and began raising the bar, first pulling the straps taunt then lifting the cow until she was on her feet.

  Penny looked over at the poor animal that stood, head drooping and glassy eyed, in the middle of the stall.

  “Now what?” she asked as Dewis switched off the machine and walked back into the stall.

  “Now we wait,” he said draping and an arm around her shoulders.

  “What happened to her?” Penny asked. “Why is she sick?”

  “She ate something that wasn’t good for her, or maybe she ate too much then drank too much water. It creates an air blockage in their stomach and they bloat.”

  Penny looked over at Dewis. “Is it serious?”

  Dewis nodded turning troubled eyes toward her. His hair was plastered to his forehead from the rain and his shirt was soaked through. “We might still lose her,” Dewis said. “That’s cash on the hoof there,” he continued, “but more than that it’s a living creature that deserves to be treated right.”

  Outside the rain poured down and the wind rattled the barn doors. Dewis turned and headed back out to close the doors while Penny watched the cow sagging into the harness, its head only inches from the ground.

  “Is there anything else we can do?” Penny asked as a shivering Dewis returned.

  “Pray,” the cowboy said but his eyes remained worried.

  “I’m going to go get your jacket,” Penny said heading toward the stall door, but Dewis stopped her with a hand on her arm.

  “No point in both of us being wet,” he said shaking some of the water from his hair as he walked over to the cow prodding her stomach gently with his hands.

  For the next two hours Penny stood in the stall helping Dewis in any way she could as he worked relentlessly to save the sick cow.

  She watched him dose her again with medicine from a bottle and a hose and even try to ease the gas from her system through minor surgery but nothing worked.

  As night began to hint at morning, he lowered the cow to the stall floor knowing there was nothing else to be done.

  “I’ll call the vet for a post mortem in a couple of hours,” Dewis said his voice choked with anger, frustration, and sorrow.

  “I’m so sorry Dewis,” Penny said reaching up and pulling him close as tears poured down her cheeks. The man had done everything in his power to save the young cow but it had all been for naught.

  “It happens sometimes,” Dewis said trying to keep the hurt out of his voice. “It’s a ranch after all.”

  Penny pulled him tighter placing a hand at the back of his neck as he sagged into her, defeated.

  “Come on,” she said, “let’s get you out of those wet things.”

  Dewis walked along with Penny toward the house, his mind empty as exhaustion washed over him. He’d failed. It was part of the ranch life, but still he had hoped to save this one stupid cow. His whole life seemed filled with ups and downs, and more failures than victories.

  Leading him to the house Penny walked Dewis to the bathroom and switched on the shower as the cowboy shivered. He was soaked to the skin and she prayed he wouldn’t get sick.

  Helping him out of his wet shirt Penny smiled at him. “You get a shower,” she said softly. “Then come back to bed. A couple of hours of sleep will do you a world of good.”

  Dewis nodded, kissing her lips as he shivered again. “Thank you,” he said simply as she turned and walked out the door.

  Just having Penny there helped. Even with his disappointment in losing the cow her presence was a comfort.

  Climbing into the shower Dewis stood under the hot water letting it chase away the deep chill in his bones, the way Penny’s smile chased away the loneliness in his heart.

  Chapter 12

  The next day broke warm and clear and Penny was up with the sun. Dewis had already gone out to check on the rest of the stock and call the vet so Penny started breakfast. She had really hoped that the cowboy could have slept in a bit but chores waited for no one.

  “You coming out with me today?” Dewis asked shyly as he stepped back into the house, hung his hat on a peg and headed for the table where Penny was serving pancakes and sausage.

  Penelope could tell that Dewis was still uncertain about their burgeoning relationship but she knew she loved him and as soon as she could figure out how to make arrangements she planned on settling in here at the ranch for the long haul. All she had to do now was convince Dewis that true love really could blossom this fast.

  She only hoped that all of the effort that Dewis had put into the ranch would be enough to pull them through. Once he had full rights to the ranch again, she would tell him about her fat bank account back home and ho
pe that he would let her truly be his partner in life and ranching.

  “I think I’ll stay home today,” Penny said pouring a cup of tea and sitting across from the cowboy as he took her hand and bowed his head.

  Looking up from his prayer, Dewis squeezed Penny’s hand one more time then tucked into his breakfast.

  “What will you do?” he asked, his eyes lingering on her face.

  “I’d like to organize the house and do a little cleaning,” Penny said hoping she didn’t sound like she was trying to take over. She’d spent the past few days learning about the ranching side of things and today she wanted to set things up so that meal prep, laundry, and general household chores could be taken care of. If things worked out between her and the cowboy she could see this being her home.

  Dewis smiled brightly his green eyes full of a sweet light that touched her heart. “That sounds like you want to stick around a while,” he said. “You know I won’t hold you to anything if you don’t want to.” He finished lamely.

  Penny rose walking around the table to put her arms around Dewis’ neck. “I’d like to stay,” she said. “I’m starting to think that you and I are pretty good together and,” she hesitated for a second almost afraid to expose her heart. “I truly care for you Dewis.”

  Dewis shifted pulling Penny into his lap where he kissed her with all the feeling in his heart. She had stood beside him last night as he’d struggled and lost an age old battle. His pretty Penny seemed to belong right here with him and no matter how it had happened he wanted her to stay forever. He wanted her to be his wife as the years rolled by. Everything in him said she was the one for him.

  “I care for you too,” Dewis said breathlessly as he broke the kiss. “I just want you to know that even though I needed an emergency fiancée if I had to pick one again it would be you every time.”

  Penny smiled leaning her forehead against his as her heart overflowed. She knew that Dewis was still worried about the ranch and didn’t want her to feel tied to him but her heart had already abandoned that possible track and was his completely.

  “You’re breakfast is getting cold,” she said with a grin extricating herself from his arms.

  Dewis chuckled, letting Penny return to her chair as they both finished their breakfast. He had work to do and she had her own goals for the day.

  After Dewis headed back outside to get to work, Penny looked around her at the house. It was a beautiful old home and the parts that had been updated most recently looked like a showcase model home.

  It was as if all her dreams had come true all at one time and for a moment she wondered if it would be possible to call Dr. Lachele and tell her everything that had happened. On the other hand she had agreed to give the situation two whole weeks and then see. Somehow she knew that the purple haired firebrand would be in touch at the end of her two weeks. Penny only hoped that by then Dewis would be soul owner of the ranch and they could discuss their own future further.

  Giving the counter a final scrub as she placed all of the dishes in to the dish washer, Penny looked out the window where Dewis was riding toward her on his lean bay.

  A sudden sense of worry filled her and she hurried to the front porch. “What’s wrong?” she asked as Dewis pulled rein.

  “Nothing serious, I need a new pump on one of the watering troughs. It isn’t working. You want to go to town?”

  Penny tapped her lip thinking. “No I don’t’ think so,” she said, “I’m just starting the wash and want to clean the house a little today.” Part of her felt like a kid playing house as she had been cleaning and rearranging throughout the day.

  Dewis swung down from his horse and walked to the stairs leaning in to kiss Penny. “As far as I’m concerned this is your home Mrs. Faremore,” he grinned. “You do whatever you like, as long as I come home to you each night I’ll be a happy man.”

  Penny smiled a warm glow tingeing her cheeks. She was glad that Dewis was feeling like she was truly a part of his world now. “You keep talking like that and you might not make it to town,” she teased.

  Kissing her lightly again Dewis trotted to the barn to turn his horse out before jumping in the truck and heading for town with a backward wave.

  He smiled like he never had before looking in the review mirror at his lovely wife waving at him from the stoop of his home. It seemed like Penny was truly here to stay and he wanted her more than he had ever wanted anything in his life. Now if he could just sort out this mess with his brothers, maybe they had a chance.

  ***

  Penny turned back into the house as the pickup made the turn out of the ranch yard. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so content or so loved before in her whole life. Deep down inside she knew that Dewis loved her and that things would work out. She couldn’t remember wanting anything to go right so badly in her whole life and determined to do all she could to make sure that Dewis succeeded with the ranch.

  Taking this chance with the matchmaker/fairy godmother had been the best decision she had ever made and Penny grinned blowing a kiss to the wind.

  Penny knew that as crazy as it was she loved Dewis and that he loved her right back. Two people following their own lonely path had been pulled together at just the right time and place to make magic work.

  Heading for the hall closet she rummaged around until she found the vacuum. An hour later she had the whole house vacuumed and was searching for the mop.

  Penny was determined to have the place spit spot by the time Dewis got back. She couldn’t help but chuckle when she turned the couch cushions over finding an abundance of popcorn, remnants from the discussion she’d had with Dewis just two short days ago. Perhaps they were both crazy after all she thought, and then smiled realizing once more that they were just crazy in love.

  Penny had just started washing windows when a knock on the door drew her attention. It had only been a couple of hours since Dewis had left and he wouldn’t knock on the door, but she hurried to open it, anyway.

  “Oh, hello,” Penny said startled when she opened the door to see Jack standing there.

  “I came to take you to town,” the man said haltingly. “Dewis said he needs you to come to the courthouse, something about the marriage license.”

  “Why didn’t he come to get me himself?” Penny asked worry flooding her mind. “What happened?”

  “He’s gone to get Mr. Barney and sort out the problem but he said you had to come in to fix everything.”

  Penny scowled at the man, he didn’t seem too sure of himself and it was obvious that Mack was the one who had been trying to get his hands on the ranch all this time while Jack just went along with him.

  “I guess if you don’t come right up there the whole thing is over and he’ll lose the ranch for good,” Jack continued. “Mrs. Mavis must have done something wrong with that paper or something.”

  “You mean the lady at the court house?” Penny asked.

  “Yeah, the old bat at the court house,” Jack confirmed.

  Penny studied the man’s face for a moment before making up her mind. She didn’t know what he might be up to but if Dewis needed her she wasn’t going to let him down.

  “Let me grab my bag,” Penny said looking down at her jeans and T-shirt with a grimace. There was no time to change though, based on what Jack said so she grabbed her purse and followed him to the sleek sedan in the drive way.

  As they made the turn toward town Penny’s mind racing, she looked over at her husband’s step-brother suddenly feeling sorry for him. Didn’t he realize what an opportunity he had by becoming a part of the Faremore family?

  “Jack, why do you and Mack want the ranch so badly?” she asked watching his face for any sign of emotion. “Based on what Dewis said you don’t even like ranching.”

  “I don’t like it,” Jack admitted. “Me and Mack we like the big city, well Mack anyway. He’s always got something going and you never get bored there.”

  “How could you ever get bored out on this place?” P
enny asked shaking her head. “There’s always something to do. I’ve spent nearly my whole life in the big city and now that I’ve been here I don’t want to ever go back.”

  “Yeah, there’s always something to do on the ranch; work,” Jack spat. “That’s all there is on that place. From sun up to sun down you work your fingers to the bone. It don’t matter what the weather is you still have to work. No thank you.”

  “Then why not just let Dewis have it?” Penny asked. “If he can make it work, he’ll pay you and your brother a share of what it’s worth and everything will be square and even.”

  Jack looked over at Penny obviously startled at her words. “What do you mean square and even?” he asked.