Protector Cowboy, page 1
Protector Cowboy
Whiskey Valley: Bryant Brothers
Hope Ford
Contents
1. Natalie
2. King
3. Natalie
4. King
5. Natalie
6. King
7. Natalie
8. King
9. Natalie
10. King
11. Natalie
12. King
13. Natalie
14. King
15. Natalie
16. King
17. Natalie
18. King
19. Nat
20. King
21. King
Epilogue
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About the Author
Protector Cowboy © 2021 by Hope Ford
Editor: Kasi Alexander
Cover Design: Hope Ford
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Chapter 1
Natalie
“You’re excited, huh?” I ask my son, Elijah.
It’s a pointless question, though, because I know exactly how excited he is right now. This field trip is all he’s talked about for weeks, and he’s practically bouncing in his seat. “Yeah, Mom. It will be fun.” His eyes get big and his smile wider. “Do you think they’ll let us ride a horse?”
He sounds excited, so I try to refrain from flinching. I keep my thoughts to myself on that one because I hope they don’t plan on letting the kids ride. Considering the town of Whiskey Valley is a big ranching community, I’m sure a lot of the other kids have been on horses before, and their parents wouldn’t think anything of it. But not Elijah. We’re new to Whiskey Valley, and I can definitely say that neither he nor I have ever been on a horse.
I’m not even sure where this fascination with ranching has come from, but from the second we stepped into Whiskey Valley and stopped at the Sunset Diner for dinner, Elijah has talked of nothing else. It’s probably because the booth next to us had three cowboys eating dinner. And I’m talking real live cowboys, with the hat, belt, and boots.
Since then, he’s picked up every book he can find on “cowboying,” as he calls it.
“I’m not sure if they will or not, E. But I’m sure you’re going to learn a lot today and...” I pause for effect. “You’re going to be on a real live ranch.”
He looks at me with so much seriousness, and I’m pretty sure he’s holding his breath until he can’t hold it anymore. “I can’t wait,” he exclaims as if he may just burst from the anticipation.
He turns to look out the window, and I continue driving from our apartment over to the school. I know it was hard for Levi, my boss at the Sunset Diner, to give me this morning off, but when he hired me, I told him that I wasn’t going to miss any field trips. One, I know that E is not going to be young forever, and the time he wants his mom along is dwindling, so I need to be there when I can. Second, I hate for him to be out without me. It’s one thing if he’s at school and I know there’s a school resource officer there, but out on his own, in unknown territory, well, I worry. I know I’m being way overprotective, but until I know that my husband hasn’t found us, I can’t relax. Not yet.
I pull into the school and see the school bus that is taking us on the field trip already parked to the side of the building. I park in the lot and walk inside with E. He runs ahead with a few of his friends, and after I check in at the office, I walk down to his homeroom.
As soon as I open the door, it’s full-on chaos. The kids are all sitting in their seats, and there are parents, almost all moms, lined up along the walls. “Uh....” I stop, surprised to see so many faces. I’ve been on every field trip, and there’s never been this many chaperones.
The teacher comes to stand by me and mutters under her breath, “Well, at least I know you’re here to help. Do you care to take roll? We’re supposed to be on the bus in five minutes.”
“Sure,” I tell her, not understanding her comment about helping. Aren’t all these moms here to help? I take the paper from her and start calling roll and marking off names as I go. I do the tally and then tell her how many kids.
She goes into her field trip spiel of safety and behavior, and I swear the kids and I have heard it so many times, some of them are repeating it right along with her. There are a few boys with E, and they’re dressed in their jeans and have cowboy hats on their heads. I can see my son looking at them, and I wish I’d thought to get him something like that, but almost immediately I shake my head. We don’t have the extra money right now to buy things we don’t really need. I take a deep breath. Someday... someday I’m going to get him a hat and some boots.
The teacher has the students go first and the parents follow behind. As soon as all the kids are on the bus, I climb in and take my seat in the front, and Miss Olivia sits down next to me with a huff. The bus is buzzing with excitement, but I can tell that Olivia is overwhelmed. “You okay?”
She nods. “Yeah, just a little annoyed. Don’t get me wrong; I love parents that are involved. You know that.”
She looks at me, nodding her head, and I do the same. I mean, she’s always encouraged me to participate, and all her emails and notes home have had the same feel to them. “Yes, absolutely.” I look around the bus, and there are a few faces that I’ve seen on other field trips. I raise up a little and notice all the cars trailing behind us. “What’s going on?”
She rolls her eyes. “Well, today we have the most volunteers of the whole year, and they’re all women.”
She throws her hands up in the air as if she just explained it all, but I’m not catching on. “And...?” I ask her.
“It’s because we’re going to the Double B Ranch.”
I wait for her to continue, but she doesn’t. I shake my head. “I still don’t get it.”
She sits up straighter. “The Bryant Ranch...”
When she sees my blank expression, she shakes her head. “The Bryant Brothers... King, Chance, Griffin, and Ryan Bryant... one of the biggest ranches in all of Tennessee.”
I lift my shoulders. “I’ve never heard of them.”
She starts to laugh then, which attracts the attention of the students around us. I look over my shoulder and see E and his friends staring up at us. I give him a smile and turn back to Olivia. “Are you making fun of me?”
She puts her hand on my arm and wipes the tears from her eyes with her other hand. “NO! No, Natalie, of course not. But man, I wish there were more parents like you.”
“What do you mean?” I ask her.
She leans in. “I mean, you’re here for your son. The rest of these women that showed up for the first time today are coming along to see one or all of the Bryant brothers.”
My eyes get wide. “They’re here to, uh, pick up men?” I ask, aghast. I remember seeing Betsy Underwood, and she’s married. “No way!”
“Yes way. Have you really never heard of the Bryant brothers?”
I shake my head.
Olivia leans back in her seat. “Well, you’re in for a treat. They are nice to look at. And mostly nice, too. Well, except for King, anyway.”
“Well, I promise I’m not here to flirt.”
She rummages through her tote bag and pulls out some papers. “I know you’re not. Which makes me feel even better for this.”
She hands the papers to me, and I start to scan the text. Double B Ranch Camp... it’s the week of spring break... application and acceptance letter.
I stare at it open-mouthed. “What is this?”
“Every year, the Double B Ranch has a camp where they teach boys about ranching. I knew Elijah would be perfect for it... I mean, every paper he’s had to write this year has been on ranching. Anyway, I applied, and he was accepted.”
I am already shaking my head. “Olivia, I can’t afford this...” Dang, I wish I could. I can just imagine how excited Eli would be to do it.
Olivia takes the papers, flips to the back, and holds it up. “I applied for the sponsorship. See here?” She points to the bottom of the paper. “This was signed by King Bryant. He approved the sponsorship. It won’t cost you a penny.”
I lean back in my seat, stunned. It’s either that or fall over into the aisle. “Are you kidding me right now?”
She is smiling so big and impulsively as she reaches over to hug me. “No, I’m not kidding you. If anyone deserves this, you and Eli do.”
When she pulls away, I’m wiping my emotional tears off my face. “I don’t know how to thank you... I can’t believe...”
She shakes her head. “You don’t have to thank me. Just knowing how excited Elijah is going to be is thanks enough for me. You may want to thank King or one of the other brothers while we’re there at the ranch, though.”
I nod, holding the papers to my chest. “Absolutely... I’ll definitely thank them.”
The rest of the bus ride goes by in a blur. I’m still a little anxious, knowing Elijah will be all the way out at the ranch and I’ll be at the diner working, but there’s no way I can not let Elijah do this. This is like a dream come true for him. No, I’ll definitely let him do it. I’ll just make sure they all know that he can only leave with me. It will be fine.
Chapter 2
King
Of all days for my brothers to be late comin
“Does anyone know what we do here at the Double B?”
Immediately a hand goes up in the front. I take in the boy with the jeans that look as if they may be last year’s because they barely reach his ankles. As soon as I acknowledge him, his eyes widen, and he clears his throat. “Uh, sir, the Double B has been here for three generations. It’s a cattle ranch that has purebred Santa Gertrudis beef cattle. The ranch started with six heifers, five cows, and one bull that was bought from the King Ranch in Texas. Now it is home to over a thousand cattle and a hundred quarter horses.”
I nod, impressed. “What’s your name, son?”
His hands are fidgeting at his sides. “Elijah. Elijah Jones... sir.”
“Well, good job, Elijah Jones. I’m impressed. But we actually have over two thousand cattle on the ranch right now. Two thousand, five hundred and twenty-three, to be exact.” I wrack my brain trying to recall the name Jones. “Are you from a ranch around here?”
Elijah shakes his head when the boy next to him starts to laugh. “No, he’s never even been on a ranch before.”
The teacher, Olivia Banks, quiets everyone down. I remember her from my youngest brother, Ryan. They were friends growing up. When the kids all start to join in the laughter and she’s not able to get them in hand, I start walking toward the group. If they were my cowboys, I know exactly how I’d handle it, but I can’t do that with a bunch of kids. So instead, I walk up to Elijah and put my hand on his shoulder. Everyone quiets down when I lean down to talk to him. “So you’ve never been on a ranch before?”
His face is red. “No, sir.”
“Well, you’ve obviously done your homework to prepare for this field trip, and I think you need a crash course in ranching.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see my three brothers step out from behind the barn. They’re caked in dirt so maybe they didn’t do this on purpose, but I wouldn’t put it past them. I raise up. “Well, I’m going to leave you all to it. Miss Banks, is it okay if I take Elijah on a tour of the ranch?”
The teacher looks over toward the group of moms, but I refuse to follow her gaze. I’ve done my best to avoid the women staring at me as if they’ve never seen a man before. And I already saw Jacqueline in the mix. I’m definitely going to avoid her. She never wants to take no for an answer.
Miss Banks looks back at me. “Sure, Mr. Bryant. That will be fine.”
I lean down and look at Elijah, who’s beaming up at me. “What do you think? Is that okay with you?”
“Yes, sir,” he says, and I can hear the excited emotion in his voice. As I walk away, I nod at my brothers. “You’re up, boys.”
They look oddly at me and the boy I have my hand on but quickly realize they have about twenty kids that need their attention. I take Elijah into the barn. “So what do you want to know?” I ask him, expecting him to ask me if he can pet a horse or maybe even ride one.
He looks around the huge barn with his mouth hanging open. I stand and watch as he takes it all in. I recognize that look on his face. It’s the same look my brothers and I have anytime we’re out working the cattle. When he looks back at me, he says the one thing that blows my mind. “Can I muck a stall?”
I was already walking toward the stall that held Zeus, my stallion. I was going to get him out and let Elijah pet him, but when he asks that question, I stop and stare at him. “You want to muck a stall?”
Elijah cringes a little. “Well, I know it’s probably gross, but from what I read, it says when you own a ranch, you have to be willing to do the work, and keeping a clean barn is the first place to start for healthy animals. So I thought I should learn that first.”
I gape at him. I’ve never been around kids, but I know when I was his age, I sure as hell didn’t want to muck a stall. Just knowing that this kid has researched it and wants to actually work tells me a lot about his upbringing and what kind of kid he is. “Sure, we can muck a stall.”
Instantly, he’s shaking his head. “Oh no, I didn’t mean you. I’m sure you have better things to do...”
I’m already folding the sleeves on my shirt up. “No, you’re right, Elijah. Keeping a clean barn is very important. We’ll start there.”
Elijah nods, and I grab two shovels off the wall. We start at the first stall, and it isn’t long before we’re both dripping in sweat and have already made great progress. It only takes a second to explain what to do, and Elijah works quietly and steadfastly.
There’s a shadow that falls over us, and I look up to see one of the ranch hands looking at me nervously. “Sir, what are you doing? I was getting to it...”
“It’s fine, Alan. I’m teaching Elijah how to muck a stall. We’ll be out of your way when we’re done with this one.”
Alan looks as if he’s going to argue, but I give him a nod that it’s okay. When he walks away, I tell Elijah, “So now would you like to see the ranch?”
His face lights up, but then he shakes his head. “I’ve never been on a horse before.”
I take his shovel and walk out of the stall. When he comes out, I point to the door. “On a ranch, one of the most important things is to always close gates and doors. You can lose one cow or hundreds of cows if you don’t follow that instruction.”
Elijah turns back and closes the gate and locks it. “Okay, sir, it won’t happen again.”
I almost feel guilty as if I’d just gotten on to him or something. I’m very plainspoken and usually tell it like it is. “You’re not in trouble.”
He shakes his head. “Oh, I know I’m not, sir. You just wanted to make sure I knew. And I understand now how important it is.”
With each passing minute, I’m more and more impressed with Elijah. I feel like he’s hanging on every word I say, committing it all to memory. “So you know there’s other ways to see a ranch than by horseback?”
He’s shaking his head side to side, but he follows me through the barn, and I stop next to the side-by-side recreational vehicle. “There’s ol’ Bessy here too. She’s pretty good for getting around.”
Elijah points at it. “Wait, I get to ride in that?”
“You’ll have to wear a seatbelt.”
“Okay!” he says as he starts to bounce up and down on the balls of his feet.
I get into the driver’s seat. “Well, let’s go. We need to be back by lunchtime.”
I don’t have to say it twice because he’s in the seat next to me in an instant. As soon as he puts his seatbelt on, I take off down the dirt path. Along the way, I point out the pasture, a creek that runs along the ranch, and the bulls that are grazing, and he’s looking side to side, taking it all in until he looks at me. “This is the best day of my whole, entire life.”
And as I watch the pure, innocent excitement on his face, I have to agree with him. This is definitely one of my bests too. I needed this. I needed to see the ranch with fresh eyes. And seeing the wonder on Elijah’s face brings back to me how important this land is to me and my family. No matter what else is going on in the world, out here in the open, there are no worries.
Chapter 3
Natalie
Elijah is on cloud nine. He came back riding shotgun on a side-by-side with King Bryant. It was hard for me to just let him go with the strange man, but the way Elijah was looking at me when Miss Olivia asked, there was no way I could say no. My stomach was in knots the whole time they were gone, and I kept my eye on the horizon the whole time. I was finally able to take a normal breath when I saw them returning down the same dirt path they’d left on.
