“It is not a very large herd,” she acknowledged, but inside she was proud of her achievement. If someone had told her even a week ago she’d be herding cattle, she’d have laughed in their face. Now here she was, dusty, dirty, hot and happy. She dusted off the campero and put it back on her head.
“It doesn’t matter. There were only two of us and it worked.”
“I think I stopped needing to prove something,” she admitted. “And I just wanted to help.”
“Well, you did a fine job for a beginner. Are you sure you don’t want a job as a hand here?”
He was joking but the idea temporarily knocked Sophia off her pins. For a split second she thought about leaving her whole life in Canada behind and making a complete change. It was a giddy thought. But she dismissed it as quickly as it had come. It was also silly. She was no ranch hand, and she didn’t belong here. He was just teasing.
“You’re very funny, Tomas. And you know once Carlos is back you’ll have everything handled.”
Tomas held up a hand, halting any more discussion.
“What is it?” She looked around, wondering if he’d heard some animal she wasn’t aware existed in this part of the world. His eyes were sharp and his cheekbones taut as he scanned the pasture. “Are we in danger?”
“Sophia. For God’s sake, hush,” he commanded.
He looked at the retreating herd and she saw his lips move as if he were counting. “It is as I thought. We’re short one. Are you sure you didn’t miss any?”
Great. Had she messed up again?
“You take the far side, and I’ll come up this way. If you find ou
r missing cow, call out.”
Sophia nudged her mare towards the far side of the pasture. Why had her first thought been that of failure? Of doing something wrong? A fly buzzed around her head and she swatted at it, annoyed. She was far too desperate for his approval. Why did she continue letting him be so important?
Because he was the one person who challenged her, and seemed to think she could meet the challenges he put before her. He wasn’t setting her up to fail. He pushed. She was learning to push back. And dammit, she was learning to respect him, too. It would be easier to resent his perfect hide if she didn’t.
Tomas called out; Sophia had half hoped she’d be the one to find the stray animal just to prove a point. Instead she slowly made her way across the field to where Tomas was already examining the errant cow.
“She’s cut,” he said, examining the leg below the knee joint. “I don’t have my bag with me…”
Sophia interrupted him with a raised brows. “You mean you’re not prepared?”
“Not this time. We’ll have to ride back, and I’ll come back out with supplies. It’s not bad, but there’s always concern of infection.”
They rode back to the barn, Sophia managing an easy canter behind Tomas. When they rode into the barnyard, Sophia looked over at him. “Do you need help? I can come with you.”
“No, I’ll be fine. Let’s just turn Neva out for some fresh grass.”
Sophia helped him remove the saddle and bridle from Neva and she turned the mare out into the paddock by herself, a task she could never have accomplished a few days ago.
“Go enjoy a swim,” he said as he began packing things into a leather bag, but he paused to squeeze her hand. “I don’t know how long I’ll be, and you should enjoy the afternoon. I’m sorry I can’t join you, Sophia.”
She couldn’t quite erase the feeling that he was conveniently out of her path for the afternoon. But the incident was also a clear reminder to Sophia that this was a working ranch, and that Tomas’s job also included caring for the stock in addition to interacting with guests. And this week he’d been doing the jobs of four people—cook and host, handyman and gaucho. He looked weary as he mounted his horse again, but she smiled. “I will. I’ll see you later.”
The pool was gloriously cool, but after a half hour Sophia got out and spent a few moments basking in the sun. It was only early afternoon and she didn’t know when Tomas would be back, and even though he could be completely exasperating, the day seemed empty without his company. Carlos and Maria were returning and she knew Tomas had wanted to finish several jobs before their arrival. A new energy filled her as an idea blossomed. She knew Tomas expected her to soak up an afternoon of leisure. It was what he’d told her to do. But Sophia was quite enjoying exercising her own mind, and he would be in for a surprise when he returned if she had anything to say about it.
As the golden orb of the sun sank towards the horizon, Sophia made her last swipe with the brush, put it across the top of the can, and braced her hands against her lower back, easing out the ache.
Then a dot appeared on the horizon where the pampas met the sky and Sophia felt her heart thump. For a few moments she watched as it got gradually bigger, until she could see that it was horse and man. He was cantering across the plain, straight and tall in the saddle, and Sophia forgot her aching muscles and jogged to the gate. As she opened it, she heard the hoofbeats match the motion of the stride and she swung the gate wide to let them through.
The look of surprise on Tomas’s face as he slowed and trotted through the gap was worth all the hard work she’d put in.
She closed and latched the gate behind him and followed him to the barn. He dismounted, leading the gelding through and cross-tying him to remove the tack. Sophia hung back, simply watching the way Tomas’s muscles moved beneath his shirt as he removed saddle and pad.
But when the saddle was put away, the horse watered and turned out, Tomas put his hands on his hips and looked her up and down.