Counterfeit Cowboy by Gail MacMillan Read Free Book Online Page B

“Banks is the name, ma’am. Jake Banks, your new hired hand. Pen?”
    ****
    “Shelby, what’s for sup—?” Travis Masters broke off in mid-sentence as he stepped into the kitchen.
    “Travis, meet Jake Banks, our new hired hand.” Shelby tried to sound matter-of-fact as she indicated the man sitting at the table. Inside, she was still feeling wobbly. She’d just signed a contract promising to teach Jordan Brooks to ride in a six-week period, plus keep his identity an absolute secret. Was she crazy or what? “I know I said we couldn’t afford help, but Jake has offered us a deal we can’t afford to turn down.”
    “What kind of a deal?” Travis took off his baseball cap and leaned against the cupboard, his arms crossed on his chest. A frown wrinkled his forehead.
    “He’s going to pay us.”
    “Come on, Shel. Don’t put me on.”
    “It’s true.” Jordan Brooks grinned up at him. “I need on-the-job training.”
    “Yeah? Why? Where’d you work last?”
    “Show in Halifax.”
    “Stables?”
    “On stage.”
    Travis’s eyes narrowed. He moved to the table to stare down at Jake Banks.
    “There’s something familiar about you. Did I meet you at a horse show?”
    “We’ve met twice. Once was behind the stables in Halifax. The second time involved a flat tire on the Cobequid Pass.”
    “Travis, meet Jake Banks, a.k.a. Jordan Brooks.”
    Shelby went to the vegetable bin by the door. As she began to select potatoes for their supper, she paused and glanced back over her shoulder. Her brother had frozen in place, staring at the new arrival.
    “I’ll be bunking here for the next month and a half while you and your sister teach me to ride like an old cowhand.” Jordan stood, grinning.
    “Jordon Brooks! Here in our house! No shit, Shel?”
    “Watch your language, young man. Yes, it’s a fact.” She struggled to contain the smile tugging at her lips. She gathered up potatoes and carrots and headed across the kitchen.
    “Ah, man, this is great! Wait until I tell the guys.”
    “That’s exactly what you can’t do.” Shelby dumped vegetables into the sink and turned to face her brother. “Mr. Brooks’ presence here must be kept an absolute secret. That’s a major term of this contract. From this moment on, he’s Jake Banks, a drifter we hired to help out for the summer. Understood?”
    “Ah, Shel…!”
    “Travis, there’s no room for argument. Mr. Brooks is paying us sixty thousand dollars not only to teach him to ride but to keep his identity and presence here a secret. It’s an important stipulation of the contract I just signed with him.”
    “Sixty thousand…?”
    “Provided we keep his presence here an absolute secret . Agreed?”
    “Yeah, yeah.” Travis looked crestfallen. “Okay. But it would be great to introduce him to the guys in my band.”
    “You have a band?” Jordan’s words held surprised interest.
    “Sure do. A bunch of the guys and I play at dances around here. Nothing like you and your group, though.” The last sentence came out shy and embarrassed.
    “Tell you what, Travis,” Jordan said, putting a companionable arm about the younger man’s shoulders. “If you and your sister manage to teach me to ride in secret, I’ll come back this fall as myself and let you introduce me around. It’s the least I can do for a fellow musician. How’s that?”
    “Terrific! Thanks, Jordan…Jake.”
    “There you go. Easy, isn’t it?”
    “Travis, will you show Jake the cabin? He’ll be making his home there for the rest of the summer. I’ll go down after supper with clean sheets and the vacuum cleaner. It hasn’t been used in a while. Hope you don’t mind an occasional mouse?” She cast him a challenging glance.
    “Hey, I may be what you call a counterfeit cowboy, but I’m no stranger to roughing it. And I’ve always had a good relationship with mice.” He headed for the door. “Come on, Travis. We’ll drive down in my truck. I have my stuff in the