wet. It better be dry before tonight or Iâll make you switch rooms with me.â
âGet dressed,â Nick told her. âThe cattle are trampling all over N.L.C. Industriesâ precious property and Jenny needs to round them up before the company owner finds out.â
Billie laughed. âA little late for that.â
Nick made his way down to the corral. The gate was wide open, and not one steer could be seen inside. Harry barked instructions to Frank Delaney. Wayne Freeman mounted a horse Jenny brought out to him and took off toward the river.
âWho closed the gate last night?â Harry demanded.
âI did,â Nick said, joining them.
Harry frowned. âWas it shut tight?â
âYes.â
âNot tight enough,â Frank drawled.
Not only had he closed the gate, but after he and Jenny returned from their ride, heâd chained it as well. The chain was now missing, which meant someone was trying to pin the blame on him.
He narrowed his gaze on Frank. Now wasnât the time or place for a face-off, and pointing fingers wasnât going to win him any friends. If anything, it would only alienate him further from the ranch hands. Deciding to keep quiet about the chain, he moved off to saddle Satan so he could round up the herd.
âB E GENTLE ,â J ENNY WARNED. She handed the reins of a small pinto over to Billie. âMy horses respond to voice commands and donât need extra kicks or excessive tugs on the bit.â
âI promise I wonât hurt him,â Billie said, hoisting herself into the saddle.
âAre you sure you can ride?â
For a moment Billie looked like she was about to lash into her with an assortment of colorful language, but then the young woman took a deep breath and replied, âYes, I can ride.â
Billie told the truth. The young woman kept up with an easy gait, and handled the pinto quite well when they circled a small group of steer at the far end of the field.
Even more of a surprise was the way Billieâs brother systematically drove the scattered herd into one large group. Jenny paused for a moment to watch.
If Nick Chandler was still saddle-sore from the previous day, he didnât let it show. Racing first in one direction, and then another, he completely dominated the field.
Where did he learn to negotiate hairpin turns like that? On his grandfatherâs Upstate New York ranch? Or the rodeo circuit? Sheâd thought the dark-haired cowboy had lied when heâd recited his resume, but there was no doubt the man had past ranching and riding experience. Did he just change the direction of the entire herd? Jenny straightened in her saddle. Rarely had she seen such expert precision, even in skilled professionals.
âGot to admit, heâs good,â Wayne said, riding beside her.
âHarry only hires the best.â She tore her gaze away from the dark-haired cowboy in the nice-fitting doeskin chaps and tried to change the subject. âHave you contacted Michelle?â
âShe wonât take my calls,â Wayne said, his voice tight. âGeez, itâs been almost two years since Iâve seen my little girls. I doubt they even remember me. If I had the money, Iâd get a lawyer to enforce my visitation rights.â
âI wish I could help you,â she told him, âbut I have creditors calling me day and night.â
Billie rode toward them with a stray calf.
âYouâre too tiny for ranch work,â Wayne called out to her.
Billie scrunched her nose and made a face at him. âAnd youâre too sweet. I thought you had to have a better vocabulary than that to be a real hard-nose cowboy.â
Jenny laughed. âWayne Freeman, meet Billie Chandler.â
B EADS OF SWEAT ran down the side of his face as Nick brought in the last of the herd.
âIf you hadnât left the gate open, this never would have happened,â Frank said, loud enough for everyone