Red Hot Rancher

by Maureen Child

  Madison sighed in clear disappointment. “I just want you to get past this, Gracie.”

  “Why’s it so important to you?” Madison had never even met Emma, so why did it matter so much to her what Gracie’s relationship with her sister was?

  “Because I care about you, dummy.” Madison shook her head and pushed aside the plate that still held half of her turkey club sandwich. “Ever since your sister got home, you’ve been so tense it’s ridiculous. You say you were furious and hurt when she left.”

  “I was.” God, the sting of that was still so fresh, the wounds inside ached.

  “Well, she’s back, and you’re still furious. It makes no sense, Gracie. The two of you are family.” Madison took a breath, shook her head and added, “And family’s everything.”

  Just like that, she felt terrible. She looked into the other woman’s green eyes, saw pain there and knew she’d inadvertently made it worse. Mad had lost both of her parents in a car accident just before she’d moved to Cache. She didn’t have siblings or aunts or uncles, so of course she would look at having a sister as being a gift.

  Long ago, Gracie had felt the same way. But having family didn’t mean everything was sunshine and roses all the time. And pretending otherwise was ridiculous.

  “I’m sorry, Mad.” She took a sip of her coffee. “I really am. I know how you feel about family. But sometimes, things can’t be put back together even if you want them to.”

  “Especially not if you don’t try.”

  “Really?” Frustrated, Gracie sighed. “This is my fault now? Just a couple of minutes ago, I was thinking that you were always on my side and how nice it was to be able to depend on that.”

  “I am on your side, Gracie. But that doesn’t mean I won’t call you on it when I think you’re wrong.” She set her coffee down and reached for Gracie’s hand again. Holding on, she said, “You’re important to me. I want you happy. And I don’t think you will be as long as this war with Emma is going on.”

  She pulled her hand free, crossed her arms over her chest and tried not to notice that she was acting like a child. “So I should end it? I didn’t start it.”

  “Does that really matter?”

  She thought about that for a long minute before admitting, “Yeah. It does.” Gracie saw the disappointment on Mad’s face, and ordinarily would have tried to wipe it away. But now, she just wanted her to understand. To see things the way Gracie did.

  “My whole life, Emma was—I don’t want to say a role model, because how lame does that sound—but I looked up to her. Trailed around after her.” Gracie sat forward, pushed her own roast beef sandwich aside and leaned both forearms on the table. “When our mom died, I felt lost, but Emma stepped right in. She’s five years older than I am and she just...became Mom, in a way. She made sure Dad and I were eating right, made sure I got to school, and she handled most of the ranch jobs alone because Dad was shattered.”

  “I know, you’ve told me,” Madison whispered.

  “Then she left, Mad.” Gracie shook her head and glanced out the window. The diner sat alongside the river and she noticed the jewel-toned leaves were now whipping into the air as the wind kicked up. Shifting her gaze back to the woman across from her, Gracie said, “It was like Mom died all over again. One day Emma was there and the next she was gone. She’d been taking care of everything and suddenly, she wasn’t. There was another empty hole on the ranch and this time there was no one to fill it.”

  “You filled it, Gracie.”

  A reluctant smile curved her mouth at the pride in Madison’s voice. But she hadn’t been in Cache back then so she didn’t know how badly Gracie had stumbled. How she’d gone through the days blind and lost, trying to figure out all of the things that Emma had done so easily. “Thanks, but I didn’t step up right away. I didn’t know what I was doing, Mad. I messed up. A lot. I had to learn overnight how to run the ranch. How to fire men who weren’t doing the work. How to stand my ground with men who looked at me and saw a kid.”

  “But you did it,” Madison said with just a touch of impatience in her voice now. “Everyone fails at first when they do something new. You’re not a failure because you messed up. You’re only a failure if you quit. If you stop trying.

  “That’s what you’re not getting,” Madison said, impatience now ringing in her voice. “You’re holding on to all of this old anger at your sister because you were tossed into the deep end. But, Gracie, you learned to swim.”

  She didn’t want to hear that. Didn’t want to believe it, and would have said so, but Mad wasn’t finished.

  “If Emma hadn’t left, maybe that wouldn’t have happened. Maybe you wouldn’t have realized that you’re a smart, capable woman on your own.” Madison smiled and shrugged. “And maybe... Emma leaving was the best thing that ever happened to you.”

  Her words were quiet, but the idea behind them was earth-shattering. Gracie had never thought of it like that before and she had to admit that Madison might have a point. Yes, she’d been in over her head at first, but she was the one who had kept the ranch running the past five years.

  She’d started in on her own dream of providing equine therapy by studying at the local junior college. She’d sold off some horses and bought others that would be a better fit for the clients she would start taking soon.

  She’d learned how to take a stand with the foreman, with her father. She had done it all and no matter how hard things had gotten, no matter how many nights she’d lain in bed crying with frustration and fear and anger, Gracie hadn’t run. She hadn’t quit. She’d grown into a strong, confident woman and she had to wonder if any of that would have happened if Emma had stayed. Wouldn’t she have simply stepped back and gone with the flow? Let Emma handle the big stuff and tried to find herself in bits and pieces?

  A rush of pride swelled inside her and Gracie had to silently admit that it felt good. Madison had a point, she realized and wow, was that annoying. It was hard to acknowledge that maybe it was time to let go of being mad at Emma. She’d held that hurt and fury so close for five years, how would she feel without it?

  “Gracie?”

  She came up out of her thoughts to smile at the woman standing beside their table. Jessica Whitehead, the principal of the local high school, had grown up in Cache and gone to school with Emma. She was tall, with short black hair, sharp brown eyes and a ready grin.

  “Hi, Jess,” Gracie said, then nodded at Mad. “You know Madison, right?”

  “Sure I do,” Jessica said with a laugh. “My dogs know her much better, though.”

  “Nice to see you.” Madison smiled. “How’s Max’s foot?”

  Jess waved one hand. “Oh, he’s fine, thanks to you. How he stepped on a bee is beyond me. My son’s been taking care of him and Max is deliberately limping now to get extra treats.”

  Madison grinned. “Sounds right.”

  “So, Gracie,” Jess said, “I heard Emma’s back. Is it true?”

  Gracie sighed a little, but nodded. “It’s true.”

  “Is she just here on a visit?” Jess shrugged. “I ran into Stephanie Cramer in the grocery store and she said she thought Emma had moved back permanently, but I didn’t know if I could believe the gossip or not.”

  “She says she’s home to stay.” And oddly, Gracie realized that she hoped Emma meant it.

  Jess gave a huge sigh of relief. “Oh, good. When you see her, would you ask her to call me?”

  “Sure. What’s going on?”

  “It’s complicated,” Jess hedged, “but I might have a job for her, if she’s interested.”

  Gracie blinked at her. “A job?”

  “Just ask her to call me, will you?” Lifting one hand to both of them, she said, “Good to see you guys. I’ve gotta run. My husband’s out in the car, ready to get our date night going. We’re headed to Kalispell for a movie.”

&n
bsp; “Have fun,” Madison said as Jess hurried off.

  “A job,” Gracie muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. “She’s gone five years, shows up out of nowhere, flowers, balloons, cheers from the crowd, and then presto—a job.”

  “Don’t look now,” Madison pointed out, “but you’re sounding bitter again.”

  Still irritated, she snapped, “And why wouldn’t I?”

  Madison glanced out the window. “Hey, it’s snowing.”

  Gracie’s gaze went right to the window. Snowflakes were flying along with the autumn leaves now and the snow was coming in thick. October snow wasn’t all that unusual in Montana, especially at their elevation. But this sudden burst of thick flying snow made Gracie think it would soon turn into a big storm. “We’d better get going.”

  “Right.” They left money on the table for the bill and tip, then hurried out to the parking lot.

  The wind was like a frozen knife, slicing right through them both and driving down to the bone. Madison tugged her hand-knit, bright red hat down low on her head and looked at Gracie.

  “It’s already coming down so hard, why don’t you just stay at my place in town tonight?”

  Gracie pulled on her own hat, then shoved her hands into her coat pockets. “No, I’d better get back to the ranch.” She threw a worried glance at the sky and got a face full of snow for her trouble. Shaking her head, Gracie said, “Dad’s alone there with the baby.”

  “Emma might be home by now.”

  “She might,” Gracie acknowledged, “but I can’t count on her. I’ve got to make sure everything on the ranch is okay and ready for the storm.”

  “Don’t look now, but you’re still in charge.”

  “Really?” Gracie shook her head. “An I-told-you-so right now?”

  Madison shrugged and smiled. “Couldn’t resist.”

  Laughing, Gracie said, “Fine. Point made. Again. I’ve got to go, before this gets worse.”

  “All right.” Madison nodded, then stepped up and gave Gracie a hard, tight hug. “Just be careful, okay? And text me to let me know you got home safely.”

  Gracie hugged her back, then let her go. “I will. And don’t worry. I’ve been driving these roads in all kinds of weather since I was a kid.”

  Helplessly, Madison shrugged. “I’ll worry anyway.”

  Gracie grinned. “I will, too. So get home safe. I’ll text you.”

  The ride to the ranch was harrowing and it seemed with every passing minute, the snow got thicker and the wind harder. Her windshield wipers were barely up to the task of keeping the glass clear and Gracie held the wheel in a white-knuckle grip. By the time she turned into the drive at the ranch, the snow was so thick she could barely see.

  A sudden blizzard wasn’t surprising, but it was a pain in the ass. She hoped the ranch hands had gotten all the horses into the stable—and she’d be checking on that herself as soon as she made sure her dad was all right. But the first thing Gracie noticed as she parked and jogged to the front porch was that Emma’s car wasn’t parked where it had been. Which meant she wasn’t home yet. And judging by this storm, she wouldn’t be turning up anytime soon.

  From the porch, Gracie turned and looked out at the swirling wall of white blowing over the yard. For the first time in five years, she felt worried for her sister.

  * * *

  Caden walked into the kitchen and realized the room was dark. How long had they been upstairs? He hit the light switch and the hanging copper-and-glass pendant lamps over the island blinked into life.

  His beer was warm, so he got a new one for both of them and then sat down beside her to grab a sandwich. For a few minutes there was an almost companionable silence between them. But Emma had never been one to appreciate quiet for long. Now was no different.

  “How did you do it?” she asked.

  “What?”

  “Build this place.” She swept one arm out as if to encompass the whole house. “I was only gone five years. How did you manage all of this so quickly?”

  He could have ignored the question on the grounds that she’d given up her right to know about his life. But why shouldn’t she know that he’d succeeded? That his life had marched on without her? Besides, he was damned proud of what he’d accomplished.

  He shrugged. “I found gold.”

  She choked on a sip of beer and slapped her hand against her chest as she coughed violently. Holding up one hand when he tried to help, she fought for breath. When she finally could speak, she only said, “Gold?”

  He nodded, satisfied at her reaction. Hell, he’d been nearly that surprised himself. “Remember how my dad used to talk about all the gold that was still up in the mountains waiting to be discovered?”

  “Of course I do,” she said, taking a sip of her beer. “The summer I was sixteen, we rode up to the high country a couple of times a week, looking for lost gold mines.”

  He smiled at the memory, then let it go. Because they hadn’t spent all of their time looking for gold. Up in the mountains, they’d had picnics and sex in the sunshine and skinny-dipping in the lake, which led to more sex and then once, even sex on horseback.

  Memories filled him, taunting him with images of Emma, reminding him what they’d had, what they’d lost. Finally, Caden deliberately shut his treacherous brain off.

  Taking a long sip of his beer, he set the bottle down onto the granite and looked at Emma. Her hair was a wild tumble, her eyes were shining, and her delicious mouth was curved in a half smile that tugged at something deep inside him. Looking at the beautiful woman next to him, he could still see the girl that had driven him crazy.

  Getting a grip, he said, “Well, when you left, I spent that spring riding the ranch.” He’d needed to be by himself. To be away from every place that reminded him of the woman he’d loved and lost. The problem was, he acknowledged now, almost every square inch of the ranch was imprinted with her memory. He saw her everywhere and had felt her loss as he would have a limb. So he had lost himself in a hunt for the gold that could change his life. Build his dreams.

  Caden forced a half-hearted laugh. “It got to the point where I swear my horse tried to hide from me every morning.”

  “Caden...”

  “Not an accusation,” he said, cutting her off. He didn’t want another damn apology that changed nothing. “I’m just telling a story.” His gaze locked with hers. “Do you want to hear it or not?”

  “Really do,” she said, picking up her beer for another sip.

  Nodding, he kept his gaze locked on hers and said, “You’d been gone a month when I found a nugget in the river.”

  “A single nugget didn’t do all of this,” she interrupted.

  One dark eyebrow lifted. “Am I telling this or not?”

  “Sorry.” She held up a hand. “Go ahead.”

  Shaking his head, he curled his fingers around the cold beer bottle and twirled it absently in the wet ring it had made on the granite. “I found the nugget, figured it had washed downstream.”

  “Makes sense.”

  Nodding still, he said, “So I followed the river, found a few more small nuggets, and finally after a few weeks I stumbled across the source.” Smiling to himself, Caden remembered that flush of success when he’d spotted the thick vein of gold behind an outcropping of rock. It was a stray ray of sunlight glittering on the golden surface that had caught his eye. Without that extra splash of light, he might have ridden right past it.

  “Anyway I didn’t have much equipment with me, but I hacked out a bit more, took it into Kalispell and had it appraised. Came back almost eighty-four percent pure.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah.” He laughed shortly. “That was pretty much my reaction. And the appraiser’s. Said he never saw raw gold that pure. It was 20k gold and I’d found a thick vein of it on the property.”

  “T
hat’s amazing, Caden.” She reached out to lay one hand on his forearm and he glanced down. He liked the feel of her hand on his arm and for that reason moved away from her touch.

  “It was. Dad laughed his ass off when I told him about it.” He chuckled a little at the memory. “You know how he loves being right.”

  “I do. So what happened next?”

  Caden shrugged, took a drink of his beer and looked at her. “A couple months later, I went back with Jack and we took out more.”

  “A couple of months? Why’d you wait so long to go back—” She broke off, and looked at him suspiciously.

  “I had a lot to do here,” he said flatly, avoiding her gaze. “Jack and I were working on the plans for this place, helping my folks move to Texas...”

  “All good reasons,” Emma said, and her mouth twitched as she tried to hide a smile. “But that’s not why you waited, is it?”

  Caden scowled at her, but Emma’s smile only got brighter and her eyes sparkled in the overhead lights.

  “You couldn’t find it again,” she said with a laugh in her voice. “Oh, my God. You got lost coming back to the ranch the first time so you couldn’t remember where the gold was!” Her laughter spilled out into the room. “You never did have a sense of direction!”

  He sighed and took a moment to enjoy the sound of her laughter. Emma had always teased him about his ability to get lost on his own damn ranch. And it felt...good, to hear it again. Though he still said, “This isn’t funny.”

  “Sure it is.”

  “Anyway...” He ignored the last of her chuckles and grasped hold of what dignity he could find. “We pulled in enough out of that one vein to build this place, stock it with horses and set my folks up with a smaller spread in Texas.”

  “That’s a heck of a story,” she said at last and he waited, sure there would be more. He wasn’t disappointed.

  “You’re still the only cowboy I know who can get lost on his own ranch.”

  “I don’t get lost,” he corrected. “I get turned around.”