Home on the Ranch: Wyoming Sheriff Page 5

  “School is out for you now, right?”

  Chase nodded. “Yup. I go to playgroup when Mom works.”

  “That sounds fun. What do you do?”

  “Stuff.”

  Holden grinned. “What kind of stuff?”

  “We make puppets and do experiments. This week we made different colors of slime. After lunch we have drawing time. And when we’re good, our teacher lets us shoot lasers or watch The Backyardigans and Arthur.”

  “Who’s Arthur?”

  “An aardvark, right, Mom?”

  “Yes. He’s a real character.”

  “I wouldn’t mind coming to make slime with you,” Holden said after his gaze met Jessica’s. “It sounds a lot more exciting than what I do all day long.”

  Chase turned to his mother. “Do you think Wilma would let him come?”

  She chuckled. “I don’t know. You’d have to ask her.”

  Holden sat back in the chair, loving this conversation. “We still have a couple of hours of daylight left, so I have an idea. After we eat our chocolate sundaes, how would you like to go look at a miniature horse?”

  One glance at their faces and he could see his suggestion had surprised both of them.

  “Could we, Mom?” her son cried with excitement.

  “Are you sure?” she asked Holden. “Do you have that kind of time?”

  “Tonight is my night off. The people who run the miniature horse farm live right by my ranch. They have a son who takes care of Blackie when I can’t get home. His name is Drake. Either he or his parents will show us around. I’ll text him.”

  Chase was higher than a kite at this point.

  Holden put his phone back in his pocket. “My brother and his wife bought my niece a horse from them and trailed it home for her as a birthday present.”

  “What a wonderful thing to do.” This from Chase’s mother.

  “If you’re ready, let’s walk through the complex to my office. My truck is out in the back.”

  “Do we get to ride in your sheriff truck?”

  “Yup.”

  Chase jumped up and down and the hat fell off. He reached over to put it back on his head. “Will you turn on the siren?”

  “I’ll do it when we get near my ranch.”

  Chapter 4

  The sheriff was turning out to be her little boy’s dream hero. In fact, this whole evening had come as such a pleasant surprise, Jessica was in a daze. All this time Chase had told her he didn’t like horses, but she’d thought it was because he was scared of them. She’d hoped that in time he’d open up and talk about it.

  Yet all the sheriff had to do was mention the miniature horse and her son showed no fear whatsoever. She would have never thought of a miniature horse to help him overcome his nervousness.

  While Holden picked him up and helped him into the car seat installed in the rear, Jessica climbed into the front seat without his help. She wondered if he always drove around with the child’s car seat, or only used it when his extended family came to visit. Whatever the explanation, he seemed to handle the situation as they took off for the south end of town.

  Chase asked a dozen questions about how everything in the sheriff’s truck worked. Jessica knew they’d gotten close to their destination when Holden made a left turn down a private road and she heard the siren blare. Her son was in heaven.

  She laughed and looked at Holden, who smiled back. This time her heart did a definite leap. It surprised her that it didn’t jump right out of her chest.

  He drove them farther along the road until they came to the entrance of the other ranch. A sign posted Simpson’s Miniature Horse Ranch. When the truck pulled around the rear of the ranch house, the siren started to die.

  Jessica saw a young man in his late teens come outside on the back porch. He walked up to them with a smile.

  “Hi, Sheriff. I heard you coming. Is it true someone wants to see our miniature horses?”

  “That someone would be Chase Fleming.”

  Drake opened the back door. “Hi, Chase. I’m Drake. Come with me and I’ll show you around.”

  With the hat still on her son’s head, he glanced at her for permission. She opened her door. “I’ll be right behind you, honey.” Jessica got out and started walking. Holden joined her.

  There were two corrals. One was large and contained two horses. Adjacent to it was a smaller one with three of the cutest little horses she’d ever seen. One was a sorrel and another was a palomino. The last one was a white Appaloosa with black spots and tail.

  “They’re adorable,” Jessica cried.

  Chase’s eyes widened. “They’re so tiny!”

  “Yup.” Drake grinned. “They’re smaller than you. Which one do you like best and you can lead him around?” He carried a small lead rope in his hand.

  Her son looked up at Holden. “Which one do you like the most?”

  “All of them. Shall we walk around and take a closer look? Then maybe you can decide.”

  “What about you, Mom?”

  “I can’t choose yet.”

  Jessica watched her son take hold of Holden’s hand. Already trust was building with this exciting man. How sad his wife had died. It was even sadder he didn’t have his own child to teach. He was a master.

  The four of them went inside the corral and slowly walked around. Two of the horses ambled away from them, but the Appaloosa came toward Drake.

  “That’s right, Chocolate Chip. We’re buddies, aren’t we?” He put the rope around his neck.

  “Chocolate Chip!”

  Holden laughed at Chase’s outburst. “He kind of looks like chocolate-chip ice cream.”

  “But he has black chips.”

  Drake grinned. “My father named him that when he was born. Dad has a sweet tooth. He named the palomino Caramel, and the sorrel Cinnamon Candy.”

  “That’s funny.”

  “I think so, too, Chase. Do you want to lead him around for a minute? He’s a very nice horse, gentle and friendly.”

  Jessica saw the struggle in her son’s eyes before he took the end of the rope Drake had handed him. Just being willing to hold it was a huge step for her boy.

  “Talk to him for a minute as you walk, Chase,” Holden encouraged him. “Pretend you’re taking your dog for a walk. Call him by his name. He’ll go wherever you go because you’re bigger than he is.” How clever of Holden to keep reducing her son’s anxiety.

  Chase took ten seconds before he started leading him with the rope. “Come on, Chocolate Chip.” Like magic, the horse began to follow. Pretty soon, the nervous lines around his mouth disappeared. “Look, Mom—”

  She exchanged a warm glance with Holden before she said, “I’m looking, honey, and I can tell the horse likes you a lot. Just keep on walking around.”

  The other two horses started trailing them. By now, Chase had broken out in a huge smile. “Hey, look, Holden—they’re following me!”

  Holden chuckled. “They’re happy you came to play with them.” In an aside to Jessica he said, “The Pied Piper has arrived, Mom.”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking.” Jessica pulled her cell phone from her purse and took some pictures.

  They circled the corral twice before Drake walked over to him. “Do you want to ride on Chocolate Chip for a minute? The sheriff will stay right next to you.”

  Jessica realized that he must have texted certain information to Drake because the teen was fully aware of Chase’s fear.

  “Do you want to try? You don’t have to.”

  Chase looked up into Holden’s eyes. “Will you lift me?”

  “Sure.” In an instant, her son was sitting astride the tiny horse. Holden put the end of the short rope in his hand. “Tell the horse you want to go for a ride. Say, ‘Giddyup!’”

  The moment was
surreal. Jessica held her breath before Chase yelled, “Come on, Chocolate Chip. Giddyup!” She watched Drake give the horse’s little rump a push and off they went while Holden walked at his side. The other horses followed.

  Jessica’s eyes misted over. This was the kind of experience missing in her son’s life since losing Trent. She would always be grateful to the sheriff for helping Chase start to build confidence around horses. It was something she couldn’t do in the same way. But after they’d been there a while, she felt they’d imposed on Drake too long. They’d all been having so much fun she didn’t realize it was getting dark.

  “Chase, honey? Guess what? We have to go home now. It’s past your bedtime.”

  “But I don’t want to go.”

  “I know.”

  “Tell you what, Chase,” Holden intervened. “Drake will let us come over another time.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  Jessica walked over to him. “No, Chase.” She helped him off the horse. “Everyone will be busy. Have you forgotten I work part-time on Saturday?”

  “I’ll be here no matter when you want to come,” Drake offered.

  Holden darted her a glance. “Maybe I can arrange things at work tomorrow to free up my schedule to match yours for a few hours.”

  “Could you?”

  The sheriff wasn’t immune to Chase’s plea because he said, “I’ll see what I can do and call your mother in the morning.”

  Chase was so excited he jumped up and down before smiling at Drake. “Thanks for letting me ride on Chocolate Chip.”

  Even her son’s manners were improving.

  “Anytime.”

  They left Drake in the corral and walked over to the truck. Jessica climbed in on her own. Holden opened the door for Chase, who got up on his own and strapped himself in. After their host slid behind the wheel and they took off, she turned toward Chase. “Don’t ask him to turn on the siren. It’s too late.”

  “Okay.”

  Once again her eyes met Holden’s. She figured he was relieved.

  “I had the best time of my whole life!”

  “So did I, honey.”

  “That makes three of us,” Holden chimed in.

  “Mom? Could we buy Chocolate Chip?” Good heavens. “Then I could ride with you.”

  Before Jessica could say anything, Holden spoke up. “There’s just one problem with that, Chase. You’re too big already to ride a miniature horse for more than a few minutes at a time. But he’d make a great pet. You could teach him tricks.”

  “That would be awesome!”

  Before long, they’d arrived at the public parking area by the sheriff’s office. After he shut off the engine, he turned to Chase. “If you want to ride with your mom, you should take a look at a couple of the Simpson’s ponies. If we do go over there tomorrow, Drake will show you a couple.”

  “But they’re bigger.”

  “That’s right, but don’t forget you’re getting bigger every day, too.”

  “Oh, yeah.” He’d made her boy think.

  Not wanting to waste any more of the sheriff’s time, Jessica got out of the truck while he took care of Chase. She headed for their truck and waited until he’d gotten into his car seat.

  “Take care of your mom,” she heard Holden say before he waved to both of them and entered the building.

  Jessica was touched that he’d had the presence of mind to even think it, let alone say it.

  “Mom? He left without his hat!”

  “That’s okay. We’ll give it back to him the next time we see him.”

  Chase didn’t stop talking as they drove home. This evening had been an adventure for her son, something exciting and out of the ordinary. He hadn’t had a time like this since before Trent’s death. Neither had she.

  When they got home, he put on his pajamas and brushed his teeth. “Come on. Time for bed.” She removed the hat. “You can’t sleep in this. I’ll put it on the bed post.”

  “I’ll give it to him tomorrow.”

  Jessica took a quick breath. “Don’t count on it. He’s a very busy man. We’ll have to wait and see.” She reached for some of his storybooks and read to him until he finally fell asleep.

  She watched TV for a few minutes before going to bed herself. Before she fell asleep, she wondered if Sheriff Granger would give her a call in the morning. Though she’d told Chase not to count on it, a part of her hoped she’d hear from him again.

  The next morning while she was fixing breakfast, her phone rang. “Mom—maybe that’s the sheriff!”

  Of course her son had been listening for the call. He’d come in the kitchen wearing the cap. She walked over to the counter and saw the caller ID. Her heart pounded before she picked up.

  “Good morning, Sheriff.” Chase was all smiles.

  “I’d love it if you’d call me Holden. Would you mind?”

  Her breath caught. “I’d be happy to.”

  “Does that mean I can call you Jessica?”

  She chuckled. “I’d prefer it. Mrs. Fleming sounds so formal.”

  “Agreed.”

  “I want to thank you again for the wonderful outing last evening.”

  “I’d like us to do it again. Are you free next Wednesday after work?”

  She knew what that meant. Today was out. She couldn’t believe how disappointed she was. “I can certainly arrange to be.”

  “Several emergencies have cropped up that will keep me busy through the weekend and then some. But I’ve cleared my calendar for Wednesday if that would work for you. Can you be ready by five thirty?”

  Her son’s eyes were studying her. “That would be fine. I’ll have picked up Chase by then.”

  “Here’s my plan. I thought I’d come by your ranch with my trailer and we can load your horse. Then we’ll stop at the horse farm, where Drake will make the miniature horses and pony available for Chase. If he wants to try riding the pony, then the three of us can take a ride on some trails leading from my ranch.

  “But if he isn’t ready for that, maybe I can talk Chase into riding on my horse with me. What do you think?”

  To go riding with Holden? She gripped her phone tighter. “I think you know what I think. We’ll look forward to it.”

  “Not as much as I will.” Those words sent a little thrill through her.

  “Thanks for calling.”

  “Tell your son I’m sorry about today.”

  “He’ll understand when I explain. Goodbye for now.” She hung up.

  Chase’s face had fallen. “I knew he’d have to work.”

  “He can’t help it, but guess what? He’s going to come and pick us up on Wednesday after you’re home from playgroup.”

  “But what if he can’t?”

  “He said he’d arranged for time off. Now, what do you say we eat? After I take care of Bucky, we’ll go into town and do some shopping until I have to go to work. Holden mentioned that you’re growing, and I can tell you are, especially your feet.” He giggled. “You need new cowboy boots and jeans. Let’s get going.”

  Already Jessica was thinking about Wednesday. While they were in town she figured she’d buy herself some new clothes, too.

  * * *

  Wednesday afternoon couldn’t come soon enough for Holden. The second he walked out of headquarters, leaving Walt in charge, he drove home and changed into jeans. Once he’d eaten, he grabbed his cowboy hat and went out to the barn to saddle Blackie so he’d be ready.

  After phoning Jessica to tell her he’d be there in twenty minutes, he hitched the trailer to his truck and took off. When he pulled around the back of Jessica’s house to the barn, Jessica and Chase were there waiting for him.

  The adorable boy was wearing Holden’s cap. Holden jumped down from the cab. “Hey, Chase. Look at you in your fancy new cowboy boots!”

>   “I got new jeans, too!”

  “We look alike.”

  Chase ran up to him and took the cap off. “I forgot to give this to you.”

  “It’s a present from me. You keep it.”

  “But Mom says it’s part of your uniform.”

  Holden darted her a glance. She’d put a lead rope around Bucky, the gelding. “That’s okay, Chase. I can get me another one. It looks good on you and I like the idea of you being a junior sheriff.”

  “Mom! He’s made me a junior sheriff and says I can keep the hat!”

  “So I heard. Congratulations! Aren’t you the luckiest boy in Whitebark?”

  There couldn’t be a more lovable boy around than Chase. He looked a lot like his mother. Holden had longed for a son or daughter, but Cynthia had been taken from him too fast. He turned to Jessica who was leading the horse to the back of the trailer. She looked sensational in a Western shirt and jeans, wearing her cowboy hat.

  With a smile, Holden opened the door of his four-horse trailer so she could lead Bucky to a stall and secure him. When that was accomplished, they all got in his truck and headed for his ranch. Chase entertained them on the drive with stories from playgroup.

  This time when they arrived at the horse farm and parked, he noticed Drake with a black pony on a lead rope that had been put in the corral with the miniature horses.

  Chase jumped out of the back and hurried over to the corral fencing, but he didn’t go in. Jessica was close behind.

  “Hey, Drake!” Holden called to him.

  “Hi, everybody! Hey, Chase. Come on in. Chocolate Chip is waiting for you. So is Sparky.”

  Jessica took her son’s hand, and they entered the corral. “That’s another adorable name, Drake.”

  “Sparky fits him.”

  “He’s not much bigger than the little horses.”

  “Nope. He’s the perfect size for you, Chase.”

  Holden could tell the boy was giving Sparky a wide berth. But it delighted him when he walked right up to Chocolate Chip, who rubbed his head against Chase’s chest, making him laugh.

  “That horse likes you a lot,” Holden commented. “If you’ll sit down, he’ll start to play with you.” Pretty soon, laughter filled the corral. Chase lost any fear as he got up and ran around with the tiny horse following him for the next ten minutes.