to have any problem with it now, huh?”
“Thankfully, no. But those breech births still get my heart rate going. Too much to go wrong.”
“Nothing you can’t handle, Seth. You’re one impressive cattle rancher.”
Seth appreciated the vote of confidence, but it wasn’t a title he had earned, or even deserved. Neither the cattle, nor the ranch, belonged to him and he wasn’t sure they ever would. Still, his grandmother’s appraisal was thoughtful and he loved that she always had a compliment at the ready.
“Would you like to put in a special request for any particular cookie for next week?” he asked, needing to change the subject.
“You know my favorites are your peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. But Gus has that dang nut allergy. How about those lemon crinkle ones? Those are always a hit.”
“I think I can manage that.” Seth winked. They were his specialty. “And I’m serious about talking to someone about getting you all out of here. I think a change of scenery would do you a world of good.”
“Hard to remember there’s even a world of good out there.” Gramm shrugged. “Haven’t seen it in quite some time.”
That fleeting comment had Seth’s stomach bottoming out. Gramm deserved so much more. They all did. Right there, he made it his mission to make good on his promise.
“If you need anything, I’m just in that little house right over there.” He nudged his chin toward the one-bed, one-bath structure that each generation of Ford bachelors had resided in at one point or another. It was a ramshackle hand-me-down made of old wood, sturdy beams and dust-coated memories.
Josie looked everywhere but at Seth or his house. “All I need is Tiffany, Tammy, and Tawnya.”
Sisters? he wondered, but didn’t let his speculation form words. Josie didn’t seem like the type of woman who welcomed prying when it came to her personal life.
“My plants. They’re still in the back of your truck. I think that’s all that’s left.”
Plant was a generous word for what she referred to. Spindly, brown stalks poked out of dirt clods so dry a gallon of water likely wouldn’t even soften the soil and the chipped pots looked like they had been salvaged from a dumpster. Still, they must’ve meant something to her. She’d named them, for goodness sake.
“I’ll grab those and bring them right over.”
“Appreciate it.” Their gazes connected for a quick moment. “I’ll be inside straightening things up.”
Seth nodded. Josie was a difficult woman to read. Her face rarely faltered from her tight-lipped, tense-browed, stern expression, but there was a firestorm of emotion constantly brewing in her amber eyes that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Seth had been around downed power lines that gave off less energy.
Alternating thoughts wove in and out of his mind as he retrieved her potted plants. This is a great idea morphed into This is your worst idea yet, Ford. He knew his parents would agree with the latter, which said a lot because Seth had had some pretty bad ideas in his lifetime. Luckily, he executed few of the ones that popped into his head, but the fifth wheel that now interrupted the landscape meant there was no going back. He’d have to own this decision and Josie would have to make good on her word to train the horses. Anything less and his parents would have even more reason to cut him loose from the ranch completely.
“You can just leave those right there.” The screen door to her trailer was propped open, but even if she had welcomed Seth in to set the plants down, he doubted the cat that blocked the threshold would let him past. He felt a hiss building up each time he locked eyes with the judgmental feline. “Cowboy.” Josie stomped a foot. “Leave Seth be.” If a cat could shrug, this one did just that before sauntering into the depths of Josie’s trailer.
“Sorry. He doesn’t take well to strangers,” she offered, coming down the front steps to adjust the pots Seth placed on the ground. “He doesn’t take well to anyone, really.”
“Got it. I’ll be sure to give him a wide berth each time I come around, then.”
Josie’s head snapped up. “I won’t need you checking in on me, Seth.”
“Oh, I…I just meant—”
“I’ve got everything I need in this trailer and I’ll be borrowing the stuff I’ll require for the horses from my brother-in-law. I won’t be a nuisance to you. You have my word on that.”
“I wasn’t