Rachel's Cowboy by Judy Christenberry

Author:Judy Christenberry
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2005-09-27T04:00:00+00:00

“DID J.D. SAY ANYTHING about my goulash?” Rachel asked the next morning.

“He said it was good. And he scraped the bowl of his dessert.”

“You’re avoiding my gaze, Madge. I can tell he couldn’t care less about my cooking.” Rachel sighed. “I still think I should leave so he won’t work such long hours to avoid me.”

“No, Rachel, don’t go yet. The work has to be done, anyway. He’ll come around.”

“You keep saying that, Madge, but he is one stubborn man. And I still don’t know what I did wrong.” Rachel took her breakfast dishes to the sink to rinse them and put them in the dishwasher.

Madge was folding clothes that had just come out of the dryer.

When the phone rang, Rachel was closest to it. “Hello?”

“Madge? I need you to take Ronnie to the doctor this morning. Can you do that?”

It was J.D.’s voice and Rachel knew he wouldn’t want to talk to her. “Just a minute.”

She repeated his message to Madge and she jumped up to take the phone. “J.D.? What’s wrong with Ronnie?”

“He’s vomiting and running a high fever.”

“Sounds like the flu that’s going around. I’ll be down there in about five minutes.” Madge hung up the phone and turned to Rachel.

“If it’s the flu, as I suspect, probably half the bunkhouse will come down with it. I’ve got to take Ronnie to the doctor in Abilene. I’ll be gone until lunch. Can you handle things here for me?”

“Sure,” Rachel said calmly.

“Thanks so much, Rachel. It’s such a relief to have you here to back me up.”

She smiled. “The only reason I can is because you’re a good teacher, Madge. Be careful,” she added as the housekeeper pulled on a sweater over her short-sleeved shirt and grabbed her purse.

Rachel took her lesson with Billy, riding outside the corral for the first time. She loved it.

Then she hurried back to the house. First, she put a load of clothes into the washer, then she got out the recipe for carrot cake and followed it exactly.

About the time she got the cake out of the oven, the washer finished and she put her clothes in the dryer.

Then the phone rang.

“Hello?” she said again.

“Is Madge back from the doctor?”

“No, she’s not. Can I help you?”

“Uh, I’m the cook at the bunkhouse and I got three guys down. They’re throwing up a lot and I think they’re dehydrating. And I don’t feel so good myself.”

“All right. I—I’ll try to get hold of Madge.”

Rachel disconnected immediately and dialed Madge’s cell phone. She filled her in on what was happening at the bunkhouse, and Madge gave her the bad news.

“It’s the flu, a severe strain. I’m going to get supplies now. I’ll buy lots of Gatorade and some of those masks for us to wear. Don’t go down there, Rachel. I don’t want you to get sick, too.”

“But, Madge—”

“Don’t go down there.”

“All right, I won’t. How do I call the bunkhouse?”

Madge gave her the number. “I’ll be there in an hour and a half, I promise.

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