The Second Chance Rancher

by Kate Pearce

  Cauy called out to him. “Hey, bro, you look like shit. What did you and Daisy get up to last night?”

  “What cattle?” Ignoring his brother’s cheerful insults, Jackson had to ask.

  Cauy looked at him as if he was crazy. “I told you last week. I took a few head off the Morgans they were about to send to market. We need to go fetch the cattle and put them on our land.”

  “Okay, good to know.” Jackson picked up a shovel.

  Cauy pointed. “Start on the other side of the barn. The Morgan Ranch guys are on their way.”

  “Got it.”

  Jackson mucked out the four stalls and led his newly acquired appaloosa horse, Rocket, out of the barn into the yard. He stopped, entranced by the scenery as the blue sky and the land rolled out before him and bumped against the foothills of the Sierras. His family had farmed the land for about a hundred years, and it was still his home wherever he chose to wander.

  Still amazed that he’d survived his years in the military without a scratch and been able to come home, he fetched his saddle and bridle. Cauy had paused to chat with Luis, the lead guy from Morgan Ranch. Eventually, Cauy came over, and they set off together.

  “Did you read your mail?” Cauy asked as he bent to unlatch the gate and relocked it as Jackson went past him.

  “Didn’t have time,” Jackson admitted. “Was it important?”

  “How should I know? I’m not into steaming open your letters and reading them, but I recognized the return address.”

  “You could just tell me,” Jackson argued. “And save us both a lot of talking, which you hate doing anyway.”

  “Nah.” Cauy gathered his reins. “We’ve just got to move part of the herd onto a new grazing area, so this shouldn’t take too long.”

  “How will we know which cows are ours?” Jackson asked.

  “Because Roy’s marked them for us, dumbass.”

  Realizing his brother was now in shut-up-and-work mode, Jackson settled into the saddle, clicked to his horse, and loped after Cauy. A couple of hours moving cattle around would keep both his hands and his brain occupied. He wouldn’t have to think about Daisy Miller at all.

  * * *

  “This Saturday?” Daisy silently groaned as Ian continued talking. “I’ve got a wedding up at Morgan Ranch.”

  “That’s okay, we can do it later in the day,” Ian said. “You’ll be done by then, yeah? It’s really important, Daiz. I wouldn’t ask otherwise. It’s a new venture capital guy, and you know we need the money for the A round.”

  “Did this guy approach us, or did one of you contact him?” Daisy asked.

  “He came to us, which is good, right? And he’s from a great VC company based in Sand Hill Road. We’ve got to start somewhere, Daiz.”

  “I suppose so,” she sighed. “It’s just scary.”

  “Don’t worry, none of us are going to allow ourselves to get shafted again,” Ian said. “We learned our lesson the first time. We’ll keep as much control as we can this time, okay?”

  “I wish we didn’t have to get any outside money at all,” Daisy groused.

  “I hear you, but we’ve made such great progress since you came back onboard that we really need to expand from the prototype stage, and we’ve already burned through most of our seed money.”

  Daisy mentally calculated the timing. If she got some help, she might be able to make the call. She was already aware that the team was making a huge sacrifice in letting her work outside Silicon Valley, so she tried to be as available as she could within the limits she’d set for herself.

  Limits that were slipping, and she needed to be aware of that . . .

  “Okay, that’s fine,” Daisy capitulated.

  “Great! This guy particularly wanted to hear from you, so that’s awesome. I’ll call you when the meeting is set up, okay?”

  “Perfect.” Daisy ended the call and stared blankly at the half-made centerpiece in front of her. Starting the whole process of expanding from a start-up to a fully staffed and financially viable company again was terrifying, but she believed in the product they were designing. If she wanted it to come to market, she’d have to conceal her doubts, cover all her bases, and make it happen.

  She also had ten more centerpieces to complete, and not enough time to do them, so worrying about Ian’s call and her other business would have to wait.

  “Or I can multitask and worry in my head while I use my hands?”

  Daisy was debating with an audience of one, but that wasn’t unusual. Dell, her assistant, wasn’t due in for another half an hour, seeing as he was attending classes at the community college. If he were available on Saturday, she’d get him to help her up at the ranch so she’d definitely be finished in time for the call.

  She worked swiftly, separating out the various flowers and greenery, replicating the identical design for each table. She preferred a more natural approach to arrangements, but the bride and her mother had been very specific about uniformity, so she was going along with their request.

  As she snipped and shaped the stems and leaves, she wondered what Jackson was up to, and then smiled to herself. He worked on a ranch. She knew exactly what he’d be doing—something involving horses, cattle, dirt, and the great outdoors. She’d never seen him on a horse. If he were anything like her and her brothers, who had learned to ride around the time they could walk, he’d probably look pretty spectacular.

  She remembered his father, Mark, all too well. Her family hadn’t liked him much because he’d refused to work with the other ranchers in the valley and then complained endlessly about discrimination whenever he’d gotten the opportunity. The Morgans, whose lands ran alongside the Lymonds, had also fallen out with Mark. Cauy had done a lot of fence mending, both literally and physically, when he’d come home and taken over.

  Jackson had the same dark coloring as his father, but Cauy looked nothing like him. Local gossip insisted Mark had hated Cauy because he wasn’t his real son, and recent developments seemed to point to that being true.

  Her cell buzzed, and she looked down to see a message from Jackson.

  Hey, do you want to come and have dinner at the ranch tonight?

  Daisy considered the pros and cons. She’d get some time to study up on this new venture capitalist before the meeting without her brothers breathing down her neck, she’d be fed, and she’d get to ogle Jackson Lymond. As long as she didn’t kiss him, what could possibly go wrong?

  * * *

  “Jackson, calm down. We’ve got this,” Cauy repeated patiently. “It’s Daisy Miller coming to dinner, not the queen.”

  “I know that, but I like to get things right.” Jackson stirred the cheese sauce with one hand and checked the roasting vegetables in the oven. He wasn’t a great cook, but he liked to try his hand at it occasionally. “I’m just about to stack the lasagna. If you hear her truck coming up the drive, let me know, okay?”

  “Yes, chef.” Cauy was shaking his head as he walked away. “I’m going to call Rachel. She’s bringing dessert because Mrs. Morgan made pie.”

  “Dessert.” Jackson winced. “I forgot all about that.”

  “Then it’s a good thing Rachel didn’t, eh?” Cauy was chuckling now. “I’ve set the table so you’re good to go.”

  “Thanks, bro.”

  Jackson checked the recipe in one of his mother’s old cookbooks he’d found on the shelf and put the lasagna together alternating roasted veg, tomatoes, cheese sauce, and sheets of lasagna with a final topping of grated cheddar and Parmesan. He covered the dish in foil and put it in the oven for just under an hour.

  Even as he let out a relieved breath, a truck pulled up outside. He found a marker for the recipe and slammed the book shut. No need to look like an amateur when Daisy came in. He could always check up on the details later.

  Cauy opened the kitchen door and ushered Daisy in. She wore jeans, cowboy boots, and a fluffy green sweater that reminded Jackson of a spring meadow.

  “Here’s your guest
, Jackson.” Cauy retraced his path. “I’m going to check on Rachel, okay?”

  “Thanks, Cauy,” Jackson replied. “Tell her to thank Mrs. Morgan for the pie.”

  “Hey.” Daisy smiled at Jackson and held up a six-pack. “I brought beer, seeing as we all like it.”

  “Great!” Jackson smiled back. “I’ve just got to clean up in here and then we can eat.”

  “I’m starving,” Daisy confessed. “It’s been—” She broke off as Jackson advanced on her to take the beer. “Nice apron.”

  Jackson looked down at his front. “It’s one my mom left behind.”

  “It’s certainly . . . colorful, and I love all the purple ruffles.” Daisy bit her lip. “The ribbons match your eyes, too.”

  “Thanks.” Jackson appreciated the twinkle in her eyes. “I have matching oven gloves as well.”

  “Awesome.” Daisy looked around the room. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Not really. Cauy’s done most of it. The lasagna’s in the oven. All I have to do is make a salad and we’re good to go.” He pointed over at the couch. “Why don’t you grab a beer and make yourself at home?”

  Daisy took her purse off her shoulder. “Would you mind if I checked my e-mails? I haven’t had much of a chance to get to them today.”

  “Go ahead.” Jackson nodded. “I’ll get you that beer.”

  * * *

  Daisy sat on the couch, did a quick check through her e-mails, and spotted one from Ian immediately. She read it through, noting the time, and looked up as Jackson approached with her beer.

  “Are you free on Saturday?”

  “What time?” Jackson sat on the arm of the couch, clinked bottles with her, and took a long swallow. He smelled like a really good Italian restaurant.

  “Between four and nine?” Daisy asked. “I’ve got to do something relating to my other job and I’ll need some privacy.”

  “You can come up here if you’re worried about your brothers,” Jackson offered.

  “That would actually work really well because I’ll be at Morgan Ranch for the earlier part of the day.” Daisy met Jackson’s gaze. “I’m going to need at least an hour, maybe two, completely to myself.”

  Jackson regarded her curiously. “Are you one of those influencers?”

  “Influencers of what?” Daisy wrinkled her nose at him.

  “Like on social media, they blog, or vlog, have huge followings, and make bank.”

  “As if.” Daisy laughed at the very idea. “I hate videoconferencing with a vengeance.”

  “How about instructional videos?” Jackson asked. “I bet there are people all over the world who’d be interested in learning new flower things.”

  “Stop fishing.” Daisy poked him in the thigh with her index finger and instantly regretted it because he was all hard muscle there. “I’m not going to tell you what my second job is.”

  “It was worth a try.” Jackson sighed and stood up. “I’ll ask you again after you’ve had a couple of beers.”

  “Dude, I have five brothers.” Daisy waved him away like the amateur he was. “I can definitely hold my drink.”

  The roasted vegetable lasagna was really good, and Jackson accepted Daisy’s compliments with a modest shrug of his shoulders. She was rapidly coming to the conclusion that if she did want to go out with someone seriously, he would make a great boyfriend. His relationship with his older brother was also warm, and coming from a large family, Daisy appreciated that.

  Rachel Morgan was always good company, and as she brought three kinds of pie, she was already high on Daisy’s awesome person list. Jackson had managed to find both ice cream and whipped cream in the freezer, so the pies had gone down a treat. Grace and her puppies milled around the table, trying to look cute enough to beg scraps but, like the Millers, the Lymonds didn’t feed them at the table, or at least tried to pretend they didn’t.

  “Would you like to walk over to the barn with me, Daisy?” Jackson put down his napkin and glanced across at her. “I’ve got to make sure everyone is tucked in for the night.”

  Daisy checked the time, surprised to see she’d been there for almost three hours and hadn’t thought about work at all. This was how she’d meant her life to be after she’d returned home, and yet somehow, it had gotten way more complicated.

  “Rachel and I will clean up, so take your time.” Cauy winked extravagantly at his brother. “Unless you have to go, Daisy?”

  Everyone looked at her, and Daisy hastily stood up. “I’d love to see the barn.”

  Jackson held the door open for her and they went out into the star-studded night. Being away from the city meant they got to see way more of the universe turning above them than most people ever would. It was a world away from Silicon Valley, and Daisy reminded herself to appreciate it.

  “It just occurred to me that seeing a barn full of horses isn’t exactly a new thing for you,” Jackson said as he took her hand.

  “True, but I haven’t seen this barn, and they’re all different,” Daisy pointed out. “It looks like you’ve put on a new roof.”

  “Yeah, we just did that with the money generated from leasing half the barn to the Morgans.”

  Jackson paused to check that the chickens were safely inside their run and was just about to shut the gate when Daisy pointed toward the shadowy side of the barn.

  “I think there’s one over there.”

  “Of course there is.” Jackson peered into the gloom. “I bet it’s Chunky.”

  “Chunky the chicken?” Daisy suppressed a gurgle of laughter. “Really?”

  “She’s a big strong girl.” Jackson crept toward the chicken. “Can you cut her off from the other side?”

  Fortunately for them, Chunky wasn’t the fastest of movers. Jackson soon had her tucked under his arm and restored her to the chicken coop.

  They resumed their walk until they stood in the center of the barn between the rows of stalls and the drainage channels. Jackson picked up a piece of straw and dropped it back into one of the stalls.

  “Dad left everything in a terrible state and dumped the whole problem on Cauy.”

  “Which my dad thought was odd because Mark never had a good word to say about his oldest son,” Daisy commented.

  Jackson turned to face her. “Cauy’s not his son.”

  “Ah.” Daisy nodded. “Right.” She should’ve known Jackson would just throw out the pertinent details without her even asking. It was lucky she was used to working with a bunch of guy nerds who basically did the same thing.

  “Mom was seventeen and pregnant when she married him.” Jackson’s smile was wry. “And Mark never let Mom or Cauy forget it.”

  Daisy went over to pet one of the horses who had stuck his nose out over the half-open stall door. “That’s tough. I can see why Cauy left when he was sixteen.” Daisy scratched the horse’s muzzle. “Why didn’t Mark leave the place to you instead, then? You two got on fine, right?”

  “When I wasn’t having to step in between him, Cauy, or Mom, yeah.” Jackson blew out a breath and came to stand beside her, his gaze focused on the horse. “Cauy offered me half the place—or even to give it to me, but I don’t want it.”

  Daisy blinked at him. “You don’t want to be a rancher?”

  “I do, but on my own terms.” He looked around the barn. “I want to create my own place. Something I’ve built for myself.”

  “I get that.” Daisy nodded. “Being the youngest in my family, I’ve always wanted to go my own way.”

  He propped one arm against the wall over her head and looked down at her. “May I kiss you?”

  Daisy warily considered him. “I’m not sure.”

  “Was the last time that bad?”

  “No, on the contrary, it was—”

  He risked a kiss and, with a groan, she surrendered and kissed him back. It was as fantastic as last time, perhaps even more so now that she knew the taste of him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and just held on as he fitted her a
gainst him, his hand planted firmly on her ass, the rigid length of his shaft between them.

  Eventually, he drew back, panting. “That was . . . good.”

  “That was amazing!” Daisy agreed.

  “So could you possibly consider the being-my-real-girlfriend thing again?” Jackson asked.

  Daisy eased out of his arms and walked away a few steps. “I can’t do that right now. It wouldn’t be fair to you. I don’t have time for a proper relationship.”

  He leaned back against the wall. “How about an improper one? Like just for sex?”

  “I’ve never done that,” Daisy said dubiously. “I don’t think they work.”

  “Why don’t they work?” Jackson asked.

  “Because usually one of the people involved is genuinely okay with that scenario and the other isn’t, but goes along with it hoping for more.”

  “Okay. I can see that.” Jackson nodded.

  “People get hurt.” She held his gaze. “I can’t . . . risk that again.”

  “Again? Did someone do it to you?”

  “I just said I’d never had a sex-only relationship.” She’d never even gotten close to it with Art, who was her only other boyfriend apart from Brody. Daisy continued talking, anxious to distract Jackson’s attention from dissecting any of her exes. “You really must learn not to ask all the most embarrassing questions right out front.”

  “Why shouldn’t I?” He shrugged. “I like to know how things stand.”

  “We’re just pretending to go out so I can finish my project without my family knowing. That’s what we agreed to,” Daisy reminded him.

  “So why are you kissing me back?”

  The fact that Jackson had a valid point made Daisy continue down the barn, meeting and greeting the horses as she went.

  Of course he kept talking as he walked behind her. “I mean, not that I mind you kissing me back, because it’s awesome, but wasn’t there something in our agreement about you considering really going out with me?”