Chapter Eight

Painted Moon Ranch sat on the east side of Green River near Cottonwood Creek. Opulent grandeur didn't describe its beauty. Towering stands of Cottonwood and Ponderosa Pine served as the perfect backdrop for the wind-blown sagebrush and huddles of wildflowers covering the sloping hills and rocky hummocks.

Hollis had visited the ranch on occasion, mostly to tag along with Eli and Stede on horseback through the immense prairies and majestic forests bounding Painted Moon, or to attend a Sunday barbeque where Angus steaks were the specialty. The main house she remembered as a monstrous—eighteen thousand square foot—maze of tiled hallways that went on forever, breached only by a dozen rooms branching off in all directions. The interior boasted a rustic western theme, complete with longhorn skulls, a mounted bobcat, a Mule Deer and a grizzly that greeted visitors in the spacious foyer. What the house lacked was a woman's touch, but then one hadn't lived at the ranch since Eli's mother died twenty years ago. Pictures of Jessamine, the woman with the glossy brown hair, hazel eyes, and cheery smile graced the walls and mantle in the Great Room. Eli once said his father had never gotten over his wife's death, thus, his mother watched over them from almost every room in the massive, rambling mansion.

Wood and metal buildings were scattered throughout the property, two barns, a chicken house, a bunkhouse, and numerous sheds she imagined held saddles and tack, equipment, and feed for the three hundred cattle and forty horses that called the ranch home.

Eli turned off the engine in the circular drive near the house. "Must be a little overwhelming for you, huh?"

"After living in an eighteen by ninety-foot trailer, where you can answer the kitchen phone in the bathroom, that's an understatement."

"Take your time; get acquainted with the house first, tackle the outbuildings only if you want to. No place is off limits, and no one expects you to know your way around right away." He looked toward the house. "You ready to go in?"

"Ready but nervous."

"Don't be. After I called Erline, I phoned Dad, told him you were coming to stay with us for a while. Come on, let's get you settled in."

Clayton Trace embodied virility, despite the wheelchair he navigated with speed and agility. Hair the color of sand, splashed with strands of silver, framed his ruggedly handsome face, a face plundered by the wind, sun and rain. A big-boned man, Hollis thought he must have been tall at one time, like Eli, before a riding accident broke his back and crushed his legs.

Despite his gruff voice, his genuine smile put her at ease at once. "Nice to see you again, Hollis. Eli tells me you'll be bunking with us for a time."

She extended her hand, aware of how his dwarfed hers. "Thank you, Mr. Trace; hope I haven't put you out by my sudden arrival."

"The only thing that puts me out is the Mr. Trace part. Call me Clay like all the rascals around here."

"All right."

"That's not another grin I see, is it?"

She gave Eli her deadpan face and turned to Clay again. "Your son makes me sound like an old grump."

"Makes me sound like one, too, so why don't we just ignore him?" He flipped his wheelchair around as if it was a toy and motioned her forward. "Let's go on into the Great Room and have something cold to drink."

"Sounds good."

Pervis entered minutes later with a tray of assorted sodas, a carafe of iced tea, and glasses. Father and son seemed to share a special bond as they talked about the lack of rain this spring, moving cattle to and fro for grazing purposes, and the number of calves born in the last two days.

"Listen to us, jawing on about humdrum ranch life. I'm sure you couldn't care—"

"No, please don't change your routine or anything else on my account." She took a swig of her iced tea. "I like horses even though I haven't grown up around them. Eli's taken me riding several times and, believe it or not, I managed to stay in the saddle the whole way."

Clay's booming laughter stirred the air in the room. "Good, whenever you have an itch to go riding, ask him to saddle that sprightly mare we bought last week."

"I will," she said feeling more relaxed than she had in weeks. "Painted Moon is an unusual name for a ranch, isn't it? I mean 'round here I've seen signs for the Flying T, The Lazy J, names like that."

"You mean Eli hasn't told you how Painted Moon got its name?"

"I don't think so." She glanced to Eli. "Have you?"

"Guess not, but Dad knows the story better than me. Go on, tell her; you know you're dying to."

Clay's face took on a serious expression. "This ranch has been in Eli's family for four generations. Settlers arrived in Green River Valley about 1860, including his great-great-grandfather. Like most of the small ranches and farms of the time, he named it after the family, the Trace ranch.

"Then the Ute and Shoshone took to fighting each other in 1866 over territory, hunting grounds, you name it. Most of the families 'round here hid in their cellars while a three-day battle played out near Cottonwood Creek. When it was over, the water ran red with blood, so did the grass, even the boulders surrounding the creek." He winked. "Some say there was so much blood spilled during those three days the moon was painted red."

"Is that a true story?"

"Yep," Eli said. "Some family members said the ranch was cursed after that so they changed the name to Painted Moon in honor of the warriors who died."

A chill raced down Hollis' spine. "You don't believe the ranch is cursed, do you, Clay?"

He flapped a hand in the air. "Nah, nothin' more than an old wives' tail, same as the prediction that one day the chickens will come to roost."

Eli's eyes found hers. "I think that's enough superstitious myth and lore for today. How about I show you to your room so you can rest before supper?"

"That does sound good." She came to her feet and smiled at Clay. "I kind of like superstitious myth and lore. Thanks for sharing that story, and thank you for opening your home to me."

"Like I told Eli, 'bout time we had a woman in the house again." His gaze drifted to the picture of the woman above the hearth. "I think Jessamine would be right happy you're here."

Eli picked up her overnight bag, took her hand and led her down a long hallway on the west side of the house. After giving her a quick tour of the room and the adjoining bathroom, he promised to return before supper, and then quietly closed the door when he left.

She didn't realize how tired she was until she stretched out on the bed. Seconds after her head hit the pillow, she closed her eyes and allowed sleep to suck her into a warm embrace.

* * *

Hollis flourished in the languid days that followed. Once the morning sickness abated, she felt guilty over the never-ending work and insisted on pulling her load. Eli showed her how to mend the cedar fences enclosing the stable yard and cattle pens, and she learned how to muck out stalls. By month's end, she'd even put her pitchfork skills up against Pervis and Curly any day.

No doubt about it, ranch life suited her. Most days, she wished she could stay on forever at Painted Moon, but that wasn't reality. Erline called at least twice a week, and while she didn't push her to return, Hollis couldn't just bail on the woman, her job at the salon, or her prior life.

While mending one of the rails on the fence in the corral and mulling over her dilemma, Eli suddenly appeared. Forearms resting on the top rail, he flashed a winning smile. "Look at you, tackling that fence all by yourself. You've come a long way in a month."

"I had a good tutor." She came to full standing height, caught him looking at the sky and followed the direction of his intense scrutiny. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Yeah, be a shame to waste it, don't ya think?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"I talked Pervis into packing a picnic basket before he and Curly left for town."

"A picnic. Hmm, sounds lovely. Can your dad manage if we're all gone?"

"Oh, yeah, he's watching the baseball game. Anyway, the guys will be back soon so what do you say?"

"I say I'm starved. I wonder what Pervis packed."

"Best way to find out is to put down those tools while I grab the food."

She gave him a thumbs-up. "You're on, but not until I change."

"Well, shake a leg then, we're burning daylight."