Chapter Six
Josephine stood off to the side munching an apple while Logan loaded the wagon. He lifted sacks of flour, grain, and sugar without breaking a sweat. When he paused to take off his shirt, she nearly choked on a piece of fruit.
“Hey, Joe, fetch me that bag of coffee, will ya?”
Josephine saw his mouth move, but had no idea what he was saying. She was way too distracted by all that bare male flesh. “Huh?”
“Wake up, boy.” He pointed to a bag on the steps. “Get that for me.”
“Oh, okay.” Thank heavens it was a small bag. One she could handle. She met him at the back of the wagon.
“Thanks.” His hand brushed hers and a spark of electricity zipped up her arm. Logan jumped to the ground and tossed his shirt over his shoulder.
“Hop in the back, Joe.”
Josephine flung the apple core aside and wiped both hands down her pant leg. With any luck she could do this without making a fool of herself.
She glanced over at Logan, who stood there watching her every move. Darn man. At least he put his shirt back on. All that bare manly skin was making her goofy. With a leap of faith she grabbed onto the side and bent one leg at the knee trying to climb in the back. Her pants got snagged on something sharp and she hung there half on, half off.
“Damn, I’m stuck on something.”
Logan came over to take a look. “You’re caught on a nail. Hold on a minute.” He slipped one hand under her knee, wiggled around a bit and suddenly she was free. Before she could catch her breath, he planted both hands on her backside and gave her a shove. Cursing under her breath, Josephine scooted toward the back and rested against one of the burlap bags.
Logan rounded the wagon and took his place up front. His stretched one arm along the back of the seat and tapped his fingers while waiting for the sheriff and Ella to finish their conversation. Once Ella was seated, he snapped the reins.
While the wagon rolled down the road, Josephine made short work of the second apple. With her plans momentarily delayed, she listened attentively as brother and sister chatted good-naturedly.
All in all they appeared to be nice people. Ellabelle was definitely the most approachable and it was apparent she had a soft heart. Her brother was the exact opposite. Dark and brooding.
When they arrived at the house, Josephine noted that it was much bigger than the small shack she had lived in. The covered porch looked inviting with its swing, a couple of chairs along with a small table. It’d be awfully cozy on a rainy day or serve as an adequate cover from the hot sun.
Logan set the brake and jumped to the ground. He helped his sister from the seat before walking to the back. Without a word he began unloading the wagon.
Josephine shot him a glare.
“You plan on sitting there all day or can you give me a hand?”
Insufferable man. Josephine scrambled on her hands and knees to the wagon’s edge and managed to drop to the ground without embarrassing herself. Ella had already gone into the house and she found herself alone with her new boss.
A bit flustered that he assumed she was lazy, she held out her arms. “Well, what are you waiting for?”
Logan arched a brow. “Just how far do you think you’ll get with that snippy attitude?” He tossed one of the smaller sacks in her direction. She caught it, teetered backward a few steps, and landed hard on her ass.
Instead of offering a hand up, he had the audacity to laugh as she lay in the dirt. “You need some toughening up there, Joe.”
Embarrassed and feeling like a fool, she snapped, “Fuck off, old man.” As soon as the words popped out of her mouth, she regretted them.
All humor left his face. Logan jumped down from the wagon and strode toward her, stopping only when the tips of his boots met hers. His large frame blocked out the sun and he looked absolutely furious.
“You better learn to mind that mouth, kid, or we’re gonna have a problem, understand?”
Josephine gulped and quickly reconsidered her position. He loomed above her, all male and muscle. He may have the upper hand for the time being, but she’d make it clear that she despised being called a kid.
“I’m not a kid. I’m eighteen.”
Surprise flashed momentarily across his face then disappeared. He crouched in front of her and she fought the urge to scramble backward. “Is that so? Well, then, next time you curse me out, I’ll toss you over my knee and take my belt to your bare ass, is that clear?”
Not waiting for an answer, he yelled for Sully. A thin man with gray hair and beard ambled toward them.
While both men ignored her and worked on clearing out the wagon, Josephine got to her feet. Her entire body shook from his threat. She had to learn to keep her mouth shut and temper in check. Logan West was a huge man with powerful arms and large hands. No doubt he wielded a belt with precision. Her eyes dropped to his waist. It was a thick belt too.
Pretending to brush off her pants, Josephine secretly admired how the muscles in Logan’s arms bunched and flexed as he handed the items to Sully. The area between her legs grew damp as his threat took on a whole different meaning. What if he discovered she was a woman? Would he still spank her with his belt or use his hand? How would it feel to be facedown over his thighs while he punished her quivering flesh?
Josephine’s hands were ice cold as she pressed them to her heated cheeks. What was she thinking? She couldn’t be having tender feelings toward this rough, crude man?
Logan’s booming voice made her jump. “Sully, take this young man to the bunkhouse and show him around. He can bunk with Tiny and Jake. We’ll talk later about what I want him to do.” Without a backward glance Logan walked away.
Josephine fought the urge to poke out her tongue and watched his taut butt instead. Why not? She wasn’t planning on hanging around. She had to get away from Logan West before she lost all sense.
Sully asked. “What’s your name?”
“What? Oh, it’s, um, Joe.” She took in her surroundings as she followed Sully to the bunkhouse. When they went inside she got hit in the face with a stench so bad she nearly gagged.
Sully groaned. “Tiny, you eatin’ beans again?”
“Aw, Sully, don’t give me no grief. I got hungry, so I heated some beans.” He grinned widely, exposing a mouthful of crooked yellow teeth. “Who’s the new hire?”
“This here is Joe. Boss wants me to show him around.”
“Howdy, Joe.”
“Hi, Tiny.” Tiny was far from tiny. Stocky was more like it. Josephine studied her new living quarters. Clothing hung haphazardly over chairs and the small cook stove could use a good scrubbing. There was no way she could stay here and share sleeping quarters with a bunch of men.
“Howdy.”
Josephine’s eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. A man with a towel hanging low on his lean hips stood in the doorway. “Name’s Jake. What’s yours?”
Josephine choked out her name.
Jake shut the door and nonchalantly dropped the towel. Josephine averted her eyes, but not before she caught a glimpse of his manhood dangling between his legs. Land’s sake, she had to get out of here.
With a wide grin, Jake shook his head like a shaggy dog. Droplets of water flew everywhere. “For Chrissake, Tiny, go on down to the creek and take a bath. You smell like shit. Sorry about the language, kid. You’ll get used to it after you’re here a while.”
Tiny belched loudly while Josephine wished Jake would cover himself. Her eyes automatically dropped to his groin again.
“Don’t worry, yours’ll grow.” Jake tousled her hair as he walked by. “Hey, me and the boys are going into town for a few drinks later on.” He winked. “Why not come along. I can introduce you to Red.” He threw back his head and howled. Tiny joined in.
Josephine knitted her brows at all the carrying on. This ‘Red’ must be a woman and a loose one at that. Even Sully slapped his thigh and chortled.
Tiny grabbed his crotch. “Red’ll show you a good time.”
“Shut up, Tiny. You ain’t coming if you don’t wash up.” While Jake and Tiny bantered back and forth about bodily odors and who stank worse, Josephine broke out in a sweat.
“Um, Mr. Sully, sir, is there a place where I can wash up?”
A wide grin spread across Jake’s face. “That’s a good idea, Joe. You won’t regret tagging along.”
“Shut yer yaps,” Sully shouted. “Joe ain’t going nowhere until the boss says so.” He took Josephine by the arm and they stepped outside. “Pay those saddle bums no mind. There’s a barrel filled with rain water out back unless you want to go down to the creek. I can show you where it is.”
A good soaking sounded heavenly, but time was something she couldn’t afford at the moment. “Um, no, the barrel is fine.”
“Good. Wait here and I’ll get you a towel and some soap.” He went back inside and came out with a towel and a sliver of brown soap. “Once yer finished, come on back and I’ll show ya which cot is yours. Then we’ll find out what the boss wants you to do. Are you planning on working here indefinitely?”
Hell, no! “I suppose,” she lied. “I need to make some money.”
Jake poked his head out the door. “If ya want to wrestle with Red, you’ll need lots of money.”
“Whad I tell you, Jake? The kid ain’t going nowhere,” Sully bellowed.
Jake spit out a curse and ducked back inside. Seconds later he tossed a dark blue shirt at Josephine. “Probably too big, but it’s clean.”
Josephine thanked him. At least he’d put on a pair of pants. Jake was handsome but not as handsome as her boss, Logan West. Now where had that observation come from?
With towel and soap clutched in one hand and the shirt in the other, she forced herself to remain calm and managed to walk behind the bunkhouse even though her mind screamed to run like the wind and not look back. The rain barrel hugged the corner of the building.
Josephine wet the end of the towel and dabbed her face and neck while she perused the perimeter. Hope filled her heart when she saw the barn. Judging from the size of the ranch there had to be spare horses inside. Her pulse raced. It’d be risky and if she got caught, horse stealing was punishable by hanging.
* * *
Logan sat in the kitchen and poured another cup of coffee. So, Joe was really eighteen. It certainly came as a complete surprise and since he had lied so easily about his age, in front of the law no less, what else could he be hiding?
Logan shook his head in dismay. And what in the world was he supposed to do with the brash young man for the next two months?
It was Ella’s pleading expression that made him suggest hard work on the ranch would build good character. Damn, he had to learn to tell his sister no, but she might have had a point. Mr. Snodgrass often praised himself as being a reasonable man, but admitted that when it came to stealing or backtalk he relished harsh, cruel punishment and enjoyed every minute of it.
When Joe had thrown out his real age as if lying was no big deal, Logan was guilty of making the same threat, but he only did it in order to shock the boy into behaving. Time would tell if the threat had worked.
He scratched his head. The barn could always use a thorough cleaning. That thought brought a smile to his face. Standing ankle deep in horseshit would be a perfect punishment for an eighteen-year-old liar who had pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes. Then again, he’d be surprised if Joe could handle a shovel with hands that looked as smooth as a baby’s bottom.
Either way a strict lesson needed to be taught. Stealing and lying one’s way through life would only lead to jail time and a lot of heartache. As for his parents being dead, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Joe had lied about that too.
“You look so serious. What’s on your mind, Logan?”
He ran his thumb along his bottom lip. “Joe admitted that he lied about his age. He’s eighteen, not fifteen like he told Brody.”
Ella immediately sat down. “I wonder why he felt it was necessary to lie?”
“I don’t know,” Logan replied. He finished the rest of his coffee. “And I get the feeling that’s not the only thing he’s lying about.”
She narrowed her eyes. “If you’re right then that just proves all the more that he needs help. Take a good look at him, Logan. Maybe he was abused. He’s pencil thin for a young man. It looks as if he’s been on his own for a while and not eating properly. What are you planning to do? I don’t want him thrown out in the street and fending for himself.”
“Ella, you can’t take care of every stray that happens to catch your attention. Joe’s a man. He needs to toughen up if he’s gonna make it in this world by himself.”
“You’re probably right, but there’s something about him that makes me want to help him.”
“Now why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“You’re a good man, Logan. It’s obvious Joe could benefit from a father figure in his life.”
Logan nearly spit out a mouthful of coffee. “Now hold on, Ella. I had a tough enough time raising you. I’m not getting any younger.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“You know what I mean. I loved every minute of having you here at home and not off at some girls’ school.”
“Was I that difficult?”
Logan leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head, watching her through hooded lids.
“Well, aren’t you going to answer me?”
“I have to think about it.”
“Oh, you.” Ella threw a dishtowel at him. “I’m really going to miss you when Brody and I get married.”
“And I you.” All right, this conversation was getting way too sappy. He felt more comfortable being a grump. He shook a finger at her. “If Brody tries to harm you in any way, you promise to tell me.”
“I thought you said that a couple needs to handle their own problems without any outside interference?”
“That’s different. You’re my sister.” He drilled her with a stare. “I want you to give me your word on this.”
“Now don’t go getting all fired up. I promise to tell you.”
“Good girl.”
A knock sounded on the door. While Ella went to answer it, Logan continued to rack his brain about Joe. If his parents were indeed dead, then who the hell taught him that lying and stealing was okay?
“Come on in, Sully, and have a cup of coffee.”
Sully followed her to the kitchen. “No, thanks, Sunshine. I need to speak with Logan for a minute.”
“What is it, Sully?” Logan gave the man his full attention. Sully was much more than just a ranch hand. He was part of the family.
“I hate to bother you, but it’s about Joe.”
“Don’t tell me he got into trouble already.” Logan stood up and reached for his belt.
Ella wrung her hands. “Now Logan, don’t go off half-cocked.”
“Ella, Joe is in my care for the next few months. He has to learn that he can’t do whatever he wants without consequences.”
“Well, let’s find out what he did first.” She turned to Sully. “What did he do, Sully?”
Sully removed his hat and twirled it in his stubby fingers. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to Logan alone.”
Logan frowned. Something odd must have happened. Something off color Sully didn’t want to share in front of Ella. “Ella, don’t you have something to do?”
“No, I do not.” She glared at Sully. “Go on.”
“I took Joe to the bunkhouse like you asked. He met Tiny then Jake came in buck naked. I thought for sure he’d pass out.”
Logan released a frustrated breath. “So?”
“Anyway, we all laughed it off and um,” he glanced nervously at Ella, who rolled her eyes.
“For heaven’s sake, Sully. I’m getting married in two weeks. If you’re worried about using crude words in front of me, it’s too late now. Most of them I learned from you.”
“Settle down, little sister.” Logan scratched the side of his jaw. “What are you trying to say, Sully?”
“Jake invited Joe to town, um, to um, to have a meeting with Red.”
Ella’s cheeks bloomed with color.
Logan stood up and reached for his belt again. “Are you telling me that Joe left without permission? On his first day here?”
“Nope.”
“Sully, I’m in no mood to play guessing games.”
“He’s gone.”
“What!”
“I showed him where to get cleaned up and he never came back.”
“Are you telling me he ran off?” Logan didn’t wait around for an answer. He put on his hat and headed for the door with Sully at his heels.
“Logan, I looked everywhere. One minute he was here and the next, poof, he went missing.” He snapped his fingers. “Just like that.”
Logan stopped abruptly and swung around so fast Sully nearly knocked him over.
“Just like that,” Logan repeated sarcastically, his anger rising to a whole new height.
“Yep. I checked the barn and one of the mares is missing.”
Logan swore his head was going to explode.