Wild at Heart

Luke didn’t see much of either going on in the corral. Ropes flew helter-skelter. They caught indiscriminately on fence posts and people. Clearly at least one more adult was needed in that arena.

The boys had been in residence for a couple of weeks, so Luke already knew them all pretty well. Wading into the confusion was no problem for him. He called out a greeting to Emmett and Pete, who seemed overjoyed to see him.

“I’ll take these two.” He motioned to Ace, a skinny, dark-haired, tattooed boy with attitude sticking out all over him, and his unlikely friend, a pudgy blond boy named Eddie who was always eager to please. Nash had been their favorite cowboy on the ranch, but Nash was busy with his own neighboring ranch these days, so Luke had stepped in. By pulling Ace out of the confusion, Luke knew he’d remove fifty percent of the problem. Ace resisted being told what to do, but he had no trouble telling everyone else what they should be doing.

Luke brought them next to the fence. “Roping is not only a skill,” he said, “but an art.” He’d figured out that beneath the tough exterior, Ace had the soul of a poet.

“Not when I do it,” Ace grumbled.

“That’s because you’re treating it like a sport.”

Eddie slapped his coiled rope against his thigh. “It is a sport.” He peered at Luke. “Isn’t it?”

“It can be both, I guess, but when it’s done with style, it’s more than a sport. It’s an art form. Can I borrow your rope, Eddie?”

Eddie handed over his rope.

“Anybody can throw a loop and catch something,” Luke said.

“Not me,” Ace muttered.

“The trick is to make that loop dance.” Luke had always loved the supple feel of a good rope. He’d been lucky enough to learn the skill from an expert roper on a ranch in eastern Washington. Luke roped the way he made love, with concentration, subtlety and—he hoped—finesse.

But he didn’t like to show off, so he’d never demonstrated his skills to the folks at the Last Chance. Nash had known, but Nash would never have embarrassed him by making him perform on command like some trained monkey.

Ace needed a demonstration, though, because the kid wouldn’t be interested unless he could see the beauty inherent in the task. Luke built his loop and proceeded to show him. Not only did he make the loop dance, but he danced, leaping and weaving in and out of the undulating circle he’d created.

He was so involved that he didn’t realize all other activity had ceased and he’d drawn a rapt audience. He figured it out when he allowed the rope to settle at his feet and people started clapping. Glancing around, he saw that he’d brought the clinic to a halt.

“Hey, I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt the proceedings.”

“I’m glad you did.” Pete surveyed the circle of admiring boys. “You’ve just become our new roping instructor. Welcome to the staff.”

“Why didn’t you tell us you could twirl a rope like that, son?” Emmett asked. “I had no idea.”

“It never came up.”

“He didn’t tell you because he’s too cool to brag.” Ace’s hero worship echoed in every syllable. Then he gazed up at Luke, his expression intense. “I want to learn how to do that.”

“Good. I can teach you.”

“Teach me, too!” Eddie’s comment was followed by a chorus of others.

“Looks like you have a group of eager students,” Pete said. “We’ll be your assistants.”

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly as Luke worked with the boys. He didn’t remember he’d skipped lunch until his stomach started to growl.

As the boys were herded off to have dinner at the main house, Emmett came over and hooked an arm around Luke’s shoulder. “I’m buying you a hamburger and a beer at the Spirits and Spurs. You rode in like the cavalry today, and I appreciate it.”

“Thank you. I accept.” Luke recognized a golden opportunity when it was presented, and he wasn’t about to turn down the chance to talk to Emmett about Naomi. “Give me twenty minutes to shower and change.”

“You got it. I need to freshen up a bit, myself. I’ll bring my truck around to the side of the bunkhouse.”

Within half an hour Luke was sitting in the passenger seat of Emmett’s old but well-maintained pickup as they traveled the ten miles from the ranch to the little town of Shoshone and the popular bar. They rode with the windows down, and every once in a while they’d pass a stretch of road where the crickets were chirping like crazy.

It was one of those nights that wasn’t too hot and wasn’t too cold—the perfect night for lovers. Luke thought of Naomi, who was probably tucked into her tent right now. Before he’d ridden away, he’d made a quick survey and located that tent, a faded blue domestyle.

She was probably fine. Yet whenever he thought of her by herself, he had the urge to head on out there and make sure she was okay. That might not be particularly evolved, and an independent woman like Naomi wouldn’t appreciate an overprotective attitude from anyone, let alone some cowboy she’d just met. Funny, he didn’t usually have those protective feelings toward women, but with Naomi he couldn’t seem to help himself.

Right now, though, he had to stop worrying about Naomi sleeping alone in her tent and grab this chance for a private discussion with Emmett. He didn’t want to blow it. Once they arrived at their destination, their privacy would disappear.

Luke took a steadying breath. “I mentioned that I was riding out to check on Naomi Perkins today, right?”

“I believe you said something like that. Did you go?”

“I did, and she’s surviving great out there. It’s pretty amazing to look at those baby eagles.”

“So you climbed up to the platform?”

“She was nice enough to ask me, so I did. You built one hell of an observation spot for her, Emmett. She’s really set up well.”

“Good. I’m glad it’s working out for her. I kept meaning to go out and I haven’t made it, so I’m glad you did. She’s a scrappy little thing, but I can’t help worrying about her sometimes. Her mom and dad worry, too, but they’ve told me they’ve worked hard to give her room to be herself.”

All that fit with what Luke had sensed about her from the beginning. “So I guess she’s a modern woman who doesn’t need a man around to protect her.”

Emmett didn’t answer right away. “If you mean that she doesn’t need a man to physically protect her, that’s probably right,” he said at last. “She took karate when she was still in high school, and she could flip me onto my back if she wanted to.”

Luke thought about that. “Good to know.”

“And she takes other precautions. She has bear spray, and she makes sure her food is stowed. Naomi has a better chance of surviving out there by herself than some men I’ve known. But…”

“But?” Luke waited for the other shoe to drop.

“I could be way off base, but I don’t think she’s a true loner. I think she’d love to find somebody to share her life, as long as it was the right somebody.”

“Hmm.” Well, that sealed his fate. He couldn’t mess around with a woman like that. If Naomi yearned for someone steady in her life, he’d back off. His free-spirited father had tied himself to a job, a wife and a mortgage. He obviously regretted his choices. Luke had inherited that same free spirit, and he had no intention of repeating his dad’s mistakes.

“Then again, how should I know what’s in Naomi’s heart?” Emmett said. “I’m the last person who should give out opinions on such things. I’m a divorced man in love with a wonderful woman, but the idea of marrying her scares me shitless.”

“That’s not so hard to understand, Emmett. Pam Mulholland has big bucks and you’re a man of modest means. I watched my buddy Nash fall into the trap of marrying a woman who had a pile of money, and it was a disaster.” Luke paused. “Then again, he’s now planning to marry Bethany Grace, who also has a pile of money, and I think it’ll be fine.”

Emmett sighed. “So it all depends on the woman. And I know in my heart that Pam wouldn’t let the money be a problem, but my damned pride is at stake. I can’t seem to overcome my basic reluctance to marry a wealthy woman when I’m certainly not wealthy myself. I’m afraid I’ll feel like a gigolo.”

Luke dipped his head to hide a smile. The interior of the truck was dim. Still, he didn’t want to take the slightest chance that Emmett would see that smile. But if Emmett Sterling, the quintessential rugged cowboy, could label himself a gigolo, the world had turned completely upside down.

NAOMI HAD MEANT to spend one more night out at the research site before hiking back to Shoshone for supplies and clean clothes. But the visit from Luke had thrown her off balance. She decided to take her break that very afternoon.

After clearing her platform of everything except the webcam and securing her campsite, she hoisted her backpack and made the trek into town. A night sleeping in her childhood bed at her parents’ house would be a welcome luxury.