Mattie Read online

  “You might be kinda small,” Matthew chuckled, “but you sure know how to pack it in.”

  “You have a great cook,” she said and took another bite.

  “Eat all you want Mattie,” Daniel said, gazing over at Matthew and grinning.

  “What part of Idaho did you come from?” Matthew asked, watching her shoveling in her food with barely chewing it.

  “A little town. You probably never heard of it,” she said with a full mouth.

  “Try me,” Matthew said.

  “It’s not important. I would rather forget the place,” she insisted.

  Well, that was not going to tell him much, he thought. The kid didn’t want him to know much, he could tell, which meant he didn’t want anyone to know where he was from. Maybe that drunk father was not as dead as the kid claimed, he thought. Matthew wondered if those dreams, Mattie was having, were fresh memories? Why else would he be so secretive about himself? If anyone was looking for him, he would be keeping a low profile. Mattie looked pretty young. Even if the kid’s father was dead, someone would be hauling him off to some foster-home he probably didn’t’ want to go to.

  “You have any brothers or sisters?” Daniel took over.

  “Nope. Just me and my horse,” she said, finally deciding she was full and sitting back in her chair.

  “I guess you didn’t like it much in Idaho,” Daniel surmised.

  “Too many bad memories,” she said. “Like I told your son, my father was a drunk. That should tell you all you need to know.”

  “Maybe,” Daniel said thoughtfully.

  “Well, I am off to the bunkhouse, if it is all right,” she said, pushing her chair away from the table.

  “Sure,” Daniel said.

  “I’ll go out with you,” Matthew offered. “You play chess? Maybe we could play a game since there is not much more to do around here when all the boys are out.”

  “You could go on into town with them if you want,” Mattie told him. “You don’t have to keep me company.”

  “I know, but I want to keep you company,” he said, taking her arm and leading her out the door. “I like getting to know our hired help. See ya later dad,” he said over his shoulder, and Daniel laughed.

  “Sure son. Take your time.”

  As they walked outside, Matthew turned her towards him.

  “Ok, sweetcakes, you know you don’t want to be living in that bunkhouse when those boys come back,”

  She raised her eyebrows.

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really,” he said. “If you think your drunken daddy was bad, four drunken horse wranglers are twice as bad, if you know what I mean.”

  “Your help is not safe to be around?” she asked wide-eyed.

  “Not for a kid that is so girly it hurts. You are going to be taking a lot of ribbing and I mean, a lot of ribbing!…” he trailed off.

  “I can take care of myself,” she said and started to turn away.

  Matthew grabbed her shoulder.

  “Maybe I could get my dad to let you stay in the house,” he suggested.

  Mattie was staring up into his serious eyes. He was really concerned about her, she thought. Suddenly she straightened up and pulled away, glaring at him.

  “You got something for me, don’t you?” she spat at him.

  “I am not attracted to boys if that is what you are indicating,” he said with a laugh. “Come on, sweetcakes, no boy has a butt like yours, and when those boys coming back here see it, I can’t promise I can keep them off your pretty little ass,” he said truthfully.

  “I’m sorry you are attracted to my cute butt,” she sneered, “but as long as you and the other boys keep their hands off of it, nothing else will bother me,” she said truthfully. “Don’t tell me your help are attracted to boys too.”

  Matthew cringed.

  “I think I put that all wrong,” he muttered. “So you don’t want to move into the house? My dad likes you and wants to keep you on. He’s just worried about the teasing that may take place.”

  “Well, I’ve been called worse things than sweetcakes,” she told him, thinking of some of the names her dad called her on his drunken bouts.

  “They can be pretty crude,” he warned.

  “Most men are,” she informed him, thinking of her father again.

  “Maybe your ears aren’t up to it,” he suggested.

  “My ears have heard enough to get by in this world, and more,” Mattie told him, narrowing her eyes at him.

  “Okay, if you think you can handle it,” he said reluctantly.

  “I don’t want any special treatment,” she told him. “If I gotta work the horses like the rest of the boys, then you don’t have to protect me from them all the time.”

  She was afraid if she gave in, she would never be able to convince them she was a boy, and as soon as they discovered she was a girl, it would all change. It would be worse than just taking some teasing for being a feminine looking boy. Besides, she was sure if they found out, Matthew would send her packing. After all, he thought women were a bother.

  “Have it your way, then,” he said shrugging, “but I think we should talk about a few things.”

  He took her hand and led her to the bunkhouse and then sat her down on one of the lower bunks.

  “So now, I want to know how old you are, and why you are on your own like this.”

  “My age is not important. I can handle the horses all right and I told you why I am on my own

  “Your father really isn’t dead, is he?” he interrupted.

  Mattie paused.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “You were having dreams about him when I woke you up,” Matthew informed her.

  “So…people dream about dead people all the time.”

  “What did he do to you, Mattie? I know he hurt you in some way.”

  “Not important. He probably can’t remember what he did, anyway.”

  “You say that like he is still alive,” Matthew pointed out.

  “He was dead to me, long before he died,” she told him. “It’s hard to remember when he really stopped living in my eyes. He used to treat my mom terrible when he was drunk and, the next day, didn’t ever remember. I was sort of glad when she died, just so she wouldn’t have to put up with him anymore.”

  “But you had to put up with him. What did he do to make him dead in your eyes?”

  “It’s personal. I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Okay. That’s fair. It’s your business, I guess. We just don’t want to get in trouble for harboring a runaway, if your daddy really isn’t dead.”

  “He is, and you won’t,” was all she said.

  “I’m sorry he put you through this,” Matthew said, touching her shoulder.

  “It’s not your fault,” she whispered, forgetting for a moment that she was supposed to be a boy, and then suddenly drew back from his touch.

  “I know, but I still feel bad. You don’t like to be touched, do you?”

  “No reason for you to touch me, no matter how much you like my cute butt,” she said trying to lighten the moment.

  “That wasn’t why I touched you. I just want to help you.”

  “You’re getting too close, Matthew,” she croaked, clearing her throat.

  “Just trying to get you to trust me, is all,” he admitted.

  There was something appealing about this kid, which he couldn’t quite figure out.

  “Your dad seems nice,” she said, changing the subject because she was feeling nervous from the way he was looking at her.

  “Yeah, he’s a really great dad. We get along most of the time.”

  His eyes wandered over her body.

  “You look uncomfortable, Mattie. Don’t let me make you feel nervous.”

  “Like I said, it’s always been just me and my horse. I kept my distance from my daddy and lived a fairly singular life. Not many friends. No one much took to my drunk daddy, if you know what I mean, so he scared off
most of my friends, of either sex. I’m just not used to talking to people much. But I’ll mostly be hanging around your horses. I talk horse language really well.”

  “Maybe you could learn to be more sociable,” he suggested.

  “Not much use for it. I came here to work horses, not get a social life,” she informed him.

  “Sometimes friends can come in handy,” he offered.

  “I like you okay,” she told him truthfully. “But you are a might too nosy for my comfort,” she grinned.

  “Okay, sweetcakes. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you. So you want to play chess with me, or not?”

  “Along with wrangling horses, my daddy also taught me how to play a mean game of chess. He cheated most the time, though,” she laughed. “Yep, the only two thing my drunk daddy taught me that was worth anything, I guess, is training horses and playing chess,” she smiled, narrowing her eyes at him. “So bring on the chess board, gorgeous,” she laughed up into his eyes.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Mattie sat on the front porch railing, facing Daniel, who was sitting in one of the four rockers, lined up on the porch. She liked Matthew’s father and wished secretly that she had of been blessed with a man like this to be her own father. He seemed stern and down to earth, but he also had a sense of humor and a gentle way about him. He tried to hide it most of the time, but Mattie could feel it seeping out at her when she least expected it. He seemed to like her and she certainly liked him.

  They had been talking about how she had raised Apache from an abandoned foal, into the striking looking horse he was today. The stud was a white Appaloosa with dark, cascading spots over his rump.

  “You know, if you want to breed that stud of yours, you could make a pretty penny doing it. I know some people. If you want, I could put the word out,” he told her.

  “I bred him once before,” she told him, “and that mare threw the prettiest filly you ever saw. I loved that little filly, but Daddy sold her right out from under me, as usual,” she frowned.

  “It’s hard to part with horseflesh you get attached to,” he told her. “They are like your children.”

  “I used to have a dog I really loved, but when he got hit by a semi, it hurt so much, I never could replace him. So it is just me and old Apache there.”

  She nodded to her horse who was at the fence tossing his head at her and calling out her like a lost puppy.

  “He wants me to give him permission to open the gate,” she laughed. “He knows how to do it, but won’t dare try unless I give him the signal to.”

  “That is one smart horse,” Daniel grinned. “So you want to use him for stud or not?”

  “Oh, he’d like being used for stud service all right. Like any male, he wants his filly,” she laughed, and Daniel laughed with her.

  Their conversation was interrupted by a loud commotion at the gate and Mattie turned to see a couple of pickup trucks, revving their engines, while the drivers waited for one of the passengers to get out and open up the gate.

  “Looks like the boys are back,” Daniel said, as he stood up and walked to the edge of the porch. “Come on down, and I will introduce you. They are kind of rough around the edges, but that’s the kind of lot you get who are best with horses,” he smiled.

  He nodded his head towards the trucks and Mattie slid down from the porch rail and followed him into the yard. Matthew came out of the barn, about the same time they approached the trucks and watched each man get out of each truck, whooping about something they had been talking about and yelling to the other man who climbing down from his truck as well.

  When they came abreast of Daniel and Mattie, they stopped and stared.

  “Boys, I want you to meet our new horse wrangler, here,” Daniel said.

  “What?” the tall blond, laughed, looking Mattie up and down. “That little twerp of a thing? You need to throw that fish back in the pond and wait for it to grow a little, Daniel,” he bellowed.”

  Everyone else laughed.

  “This here is Mattie,” Daniel said, “And I wouldn’t be too quick to judge if I were you. Why don’t you call your horse over here, Mattie,” he said grinning down at her and winking.

  “Sure thing,” she drawled and gave a whistle. “It’s that pretty stud out there in your pasture.”

  She pointed to Apache, who had perked up his ears and was eager to do his stuff. He trotted over to the gate, opened it, went through, closed it, and trotted over to Mattie’s side.

  “Now when any of you boys here, can teach your horse to do the same, then maybe you can talk. Go on, Mattie, show ‘em how to properly mount a horse.”

  Mattie clicked her tongue at Apache and he knelt down, letting her climb up on his back. Then she held onto his main while he stood and then reared up, pawing the air.

  “How about a rocking horse?” Mattie whispered in the horses ear loud enough for the men to hear and Apache started bucking nice and slow, in place. “Don’t think that man over there has any style,” Mattie said, pointing to the dark haired man with a battered looking hat on his head. “Maybe you should show him how to wear a hat,” she smiled.

  Apache strolled over to the man, took his hat off of his head, put it on the ground, gave it a stomp and then picked it up again and put it back on the man’s head.

  “Oh, that looks much better,” Mattie laughed.

  The men stood wide-eyed and were laughing and clapping at the same time. Matthew stood back, leaning up against the fence, laughing at the looks on their faces.

  “Let me down now, Pache,” Mattie said, and the horse knelt again, letting her slide off of his back. “Take a bow and then get back in your pen,” she commanded.

  Apache bowed, tossed his head, and then turned on his haunches and headed back to the pasture, opening up the gate, and going in obediently, closing the gate behind him.

  “That is some horse you got there,” the blond man praised. “Sorry what I said about you.”

  “Taught him everything he knows,” she told them.

  “Ok, now that you know what a little horse wrangler is capable of,” Daniel said, “It is time for introductions. This sassy mouthed character is Buck,” he told Mattie, and the blond touched his hand to his hat. “And that one with the beautiful squashed hat there is Clyde.”

  Clyde took his hat off, dusted it on his knee, and put it back in shape, returning it to his head.

  “That really good looking one, with the flashy green eyes and black hair is our black Irishman. Came out here to show us the Irish way to train horses,” Daniel grinned. “He’s Ian, McCloud, but everyone just calls him McCloud.”

  Ian nodded.

  “And Dusty there is the youngest. Just old enough to think he is a man, but young enough to get into a heck of a lot of trouble with the ladies. He has the smoothest mouth when it comes to flirting, if he could only use it on a couple of real fillies, he might have something there,” Daniel laughed. “Well, you met the bunch. Boys, as I said, this is Mattie. You can call him Matt if you want, but I think he is partial to Mattie, heaven knows why.”

  “Looks like a Mattie to me,” McCloud chuckled and Mattie did not miss the accent that gave away his heritage, as he spoke and looked her up and down. “Cute butt, you got there kid,”

  Mattie grinned.

  “I’ve been told that before,” she informed him.

  “Anyone ever tell you how really cute you look all over?” Dusty drawled.

  Everyone laughed.

  “Dusty will flirt with anyone that he takes a liken to,” Clyde laughed and slapped him on the back. “I didn’t know young boys was your style, Dusty.”

  “Welcome to the family,” Buck said, holding out his hand. “Later you can show us how you taught your horse all those things,” he said, shaking her hand so hard that it almost felt like he was going to break it.

  “Okay boys,” Mathew said sauntering up. “You can get better acquainted with Mattie tonight, but tomorrow, we will have a full day of work cut out for us, s
o I hope you got all rested up over the weekend. Oh, and I wouldn’t suggest anyone challenge that kid to a game of chess. His father taught him and he tells me the old man always cheated. I played him five games the other night, and he beat me hands down. Never could figure out how he was cheating though, so just don’t underestimate the kid.”

  They all looked at Mattie with awe written on their faces.

  “No one here has beat Matthew at chess yet,” Buck informed her. “You must have some smart brain to get the better of him at chess,” he praised.

  “I had a lot of time to study the game. I joined the chess club at school,” she said truthfully. “My daddy was a mean man. I had to beat him at something. That’s why he started cheating.”

  Matthew patted her on the shoulder.

  “I am sure Mattie here is full of surprises. You should have seen how he gentled down that paint filly. Took her in the round pen and had her leading before we knew it.”

  “Nice meeting you,” Buck said, turning. “I’m heading for the showers, though, and get a little shut-eye before dinner time. I think the weekends are sometimes more exhausting than the work days. Keeping those ladies pleased for all hours of the night…” he whistled and the rest of them laughed, as they followed him towards the bunkhouse.

  “Well, there you go,” Matthew said to Mattie as he laid his arm on her shoulder. “You met the crew. So what do you think? You gonna be able to stomach them living under the same roof as yourself?”

  “I stomached my daddy,” she said, looking at him sideways. “I could probably stomach just about anything now.”

  Matthew looked down at her. There was something pitiful about the look that kid was giving him, he thought. He gave her shoulder a squeeze. Mattie jerked her head up.

  “Not making a pass at me are you?” she asked.

  He grinned and removed his arm.

  “You’re pretty enough to make a pass at, sweetcakes,” he drawled. “Too bad you’re not a girl.”

  “Yeah, too bad. I’m kinda taken with you too,” she drawled back. “Only like you say, to you, women are just a bother.”

  Then Mattie walked away in the direction of the bunkhouse, trying to steel herself for what would meet her eyes when she entered.