A Rancher to Remember--A Clean Romance

by Karen Rock

  Her hand rose to the now healed scrape and her mind flashed back to the Philippines. “Running from Duterte’s goons.”

  He leaned toward her, bracing his hands on the counter, brows lowered. “They were shooting at you?”

  She fit another apple on the slicer. “Best way to stop an unflattering story from getting out.”

  Daryl slapped the dough into a ball. “You could try not being a dictator and, I don’t know, give democracy a chance?”

  “Now, where’s the fun in that?” After a last crank, she pulled off the peeled sliced apple.

  “You love your job, don’t you?” Daryl shoved the marble roller into the dough, rotating the ball as he flattened it with brisk, efficient strokes.

  “Most of the time.” Her knife flashed as she cut the slices in half and dropped them into a stainless-steel mixing bowl.

  “What about the rest of the time?”

  “I’m lonely. It’s a pretty solitary job.”

  He looked up, dark eyes peering at her from beneath hooded brows. “So’s ranching.”

  “But you have the kids and...” Her voice trailed off, swallowing back her sister’s name as she cranked the apple peeler. He’d never see his wife, his partner, again.

  He trimmed the ends of the crust, transferred the dough and pressed it into the tin pie dish. “You never want to have children?”

  “No time.”

  “You’re not working now.”

  “No.”

  He smiled with a strange mixture of relief and approval. It made her instantly think, Don’t get any ideas, buster. I’ve got my own life. Just because I’m here doesn’t mean I’m necessarily staying.

  But she was tempted to. More so with each passing day.

  She couldn’t deny the attractive appeal in his dark eyes, strong jaw, the small cleft in his chin and the gracious, laid-back manner that suggested he didn’t know he was good-looking. He never had. She’d thwarted more than one would-be rival in college only to have him insist “Ashley” must have lost track of time when she stopped by to borrow a book at 2:00 a.m. or “Tara” must have expected someone else when she’d answered the door to their study session wearing lingerie.

  Perfectly innocent...

  And clueless...

  But she’d loved that humbleness about Daryl, his good, old-fashioned cowboy courtesy and humility. When she thought about it, he’d become exactly the kind of father she’d imagined he’d be...loving but firm, playful and a good role model. Most important, he loved them unconditionally and didn’t lay his expectations on them as her well-meaning father had. Somehow, she’d interpreted her dad’s insistence on her success as an unspoken understanding that just being herself wasn’t good enough, not when compared with all he’d done to help her be better than “good,” to be “great.”

  If she’d had children, she would have wanted Daryl to be the father. She’d planned on it, in fact, when she returned from Bosnia, never imagining her biggest rival would be her sister.

  “Thank you for doing this.” He passed her the pie tin.

  She dumped the syrupy apple mix into the pan. Daryl strode to her side and dropped the top crust over it.

  “It’s nothing.” She pinched the edges of the crusts with her thumb and index finger.

  Daryl joined her, tenting the dough. “It’s not nothing. The kids are excited for opening day tomorrow. I doubt they’ll sleep. It’s the first thing they’ve been excited about in a long, long time.”

  “I’m sure Leanne...”

  Their fingers tangled over the last inch of uncrimped dough and neither of them moved. Breathed. She felt his calluses as he gently squeezed her hand; he was a man who did hard, physical work, and it appealed to her more than any of the desk jockeys she’d met in her line of work. “I’m talking about you, Cassidy. You make them happy.”

  “I’m not doing anything special.”

  “You just can’t help it.” His eyes searched hers, a muscle jumping in his jaw as if he held back some strong emotion.

  “Help what?”

  He cupped her cheek and leaned his forehead against hers. “Being special.”

  She caught herself as she swayed toward him, yanking back so fast she stumbled. He caught her elbow and steadied her. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “No.”

  “It’s disrespectful of Leanne and you.”

  “Let’s just forget it.”

  “That’s the problem. I can’t forget it. Can’t forget you.”

  “Maybe I should go.”

  “No!” He ran a hand over his hair, leaving a trail of white. “I’m out of line.” His grave eyes landed briefly on her face.

  “I’m sending you to the penalty box, buddy,” she declared, and her shoulders loosened when Daryl’s face lost its intensity. Knowing he shared her mixed-up emotions filled her with a strange sense of joy and trepidation.

  “We’d better get moving if we’re going to finish up before the kids’ bedtime,” he said gruffly, returning to the opposite side of the counter. “I want to hear how you got out of that Bengal coal mining cave-in.”

  “Spoiler alert, I made it.”

  “For the record, you need to pause after saying ‘spoiler alert,’ so you don’t actually spoil it.” His eyes twinkled at her and he started up the mixer again.

  She cranked the apple slicer. “I thought it was fairly obvious.”

  He scooped out the dough when it finished combining and plopped it on the counter. “This could all be just a dream...”

  “Do you ever wish it was and you’ll wake up, life back to normal?”

  His hands stilled, and his eyes lifted to meet hers. “Then you wouldn’t be here.”

  “But Leanne would.”

  “Would she? There’s something I didn’t tell you.”

  Cassidy stopped turning the handle and pulled off the cored apple. “What?”

  “Leanne’s suitcase was in the Jeep, too.”

  The apple thudded to the counter. “Where was she going?”

  Daryl shrugged his shoulders slowly, as though they carried an enormous weight. “I don’t know.”

  “Was she leaving you?”

  “She must have been.” His voice broke.

  “I wish I could remember, Daryl.” She rubbed her temples, tears pricking the backs of her eyelids. “This must be so difficult.”

  Strong hands cupped her shoulders and she opened her eyes to stare into Daryl’s set face. “There’s nothing harder, but we’ll figure this out, Cassidy.”

  Would they? she wondered when Daryl returned to dough making. Her new cell phone hadn’t recovered any text messages between her and Leanne, nor had her email account shown any exchanges between them.

  Leanne’s final days remained an unsolvable mystery... Cassidy’s jaw firmed...yet she wasn’t one of the best investigative reporters for nothing. She’d find Daryl the answers he needed and leave once the country store was established, Joy strong enough to run it.

  What about the answers you need? asked a voice from within.

  Daryl swore they’d figure everything out, but perhaps some mysteries were better left unsolved after all...especially when it came to her and Daryl.

  CHAPTER NINE

  “WE’RE ALMOST OUT of pies!”

  Cassidy glanced up at Sofia’s ominous news, her stomach rollicking. The raven-haired woman whose husband, James Cade, managed Cade Ranch, waved at Cassidy from farther down the glass bakery display case. Above her, late-morning sunshine glinted on glitter-glue letters spelling out Grand Opening. Joy had deemed the sign homey and colorful to her worried grandchildren. Who cared if it wasn’t professional? Perfect?

  It had heart, which was most important when it came to their family-run business.

  “I’ll help make more once things die down
.” Cassidy boxed up a caramel-topped crumb pie, inhaling the sweet, buttery scent wafting from the kitchen behind her.

  “That’s not happening anytime soon.” Sofia pointed to the long checkout line, then at the crowd thronging the country store’s aisles.

  “You’re getting one of the last crumb pies.” Cassidy handed change to her customer and smiled. They’d opened their doors just four hours ago and were already down to only six dozen doughnuts, eighteen fritters and six pies.

  Beneath her green-checked smock, her sticky skin reflected her nerves and the humid air fogging the windows. She surveyed the packed space, alternately thrilled and terrified by the store’s instant success. They’d quadrupled the amount they baked to keep up with demand.

  Jewel Cade sauntered in through a side door, poured herself a cup of the free lemon water at the end of the bakery section and leaned against the glass display. Her fiery-red hair was tamed into a braid hanging beneath her tall black Stetson, and the skin visible beneath her freckled face glowed red. “I’m giving the pony a fifteen-minute break.”

  “Have you had a lot of riders?” Cassidy followed the next customers’ orders and filled a bag with fritters and doughnuts.

  “A lot?” Jewel sputtered on her drink. “At one point, we had a one-hour wait time. We’re down to twenty minutes, so I thought I’d give Twilight Sparkle a breather.”

  The waxy paper bag crinkled in her grasp as Cassidy passed it to the waiting patron. “Isn’t Twilight Sparkle one of the My Little Ponies?”

  Jewel’s fringed suede jacket swung with her shrug. “She doesn’t let fame go to her head.” With a wink, the cowgirl ambled away after snagging the sample plate of a cut-up doughnut and dumping its contents in her cupped hand. “Thank you kindly.” She tipped her hat with a grin and disappeared outside.

  Cassidy held in a chuckle, not the least bit offended, and brushed sugar from her gloved fingers. Seeing the Loveland and Cade blended-family members labor together, all focused on the store’s success, was deeply gratifying. Growing up, she’d carried the responsibility of her family’s accomplishments solely on her shoulders. Her father’s struggles leveled enormous pressure on her to be their success story. Yet the hustling Cade-Loveland clan proved triumph was better when shared.

  A young mother stepped to the front of the bakery line. She jiggled a fussing toddler on one hip. “Do you have chocolate chip cookies?”

  Cassidy shook her head and made a mental note to add cookies to their bakery offerings. They’d had multiple requests. “How about an apple-cider doughnut?”

  “What’s cider?” A towheaded boy peeped around his mother’s knees. He wore only a T-shirt and jeans, despite the forty-five-degree day. One toe poked through a hole in his ragged sneakers.

  “It’s like apple juice. Want to try a doughnut sample?” Cassidy chopped up another one and extended the paper plate.

  “Go ahead.” The mother gently nudged her son. “It’s free.”

  Eyes as big as saucers, he took the smallest piece and popped it in his mouth. An instant smile revealed a row of tiny teeth and deep dimples.

  “Good?” Cassidy prompted.

  “You can have one to split with your sister.” The mother smoothed a hand over her daughter’s wispy hair. “Okay?”

  When the little boy nodded, Cassidy passed him a doughnut wrapped in wax paper and another to his mother, waving away her crumpled bills. “It’s on the house.”

  “Oh, no. I couldn’t. We always pay our way.” The mother attempted to give back the doughnuts, but Cassidy shook her head.

  “Once you touch it, I can’t serve it, so it’ll go in the garbage anyway. Besides, these are getting old. You’re doing me a favor by taking them.”

  The mother eyed her skeptically. “Well...if you’re sure...”

  Cassidy recognized the same pride her family and their neighbors possessed, despite their money troubles. Pride didn’t cost anything and sometimes, besides love, it was all you had. Funny how she’d traveled the world documenting social injustice and forgot the dire straits in her own backyard. Western folks suffered because of weather afflicting crops, cattle falling prey to drought and jobs relocating to other countries, like the ones her father lost before his injury. She could document their plight while in Carbondale, another way to honor her sister and draw attention to an important issue.

  “Please. Take them,” she assured the woman. “And check out our clothing drive.” She gestured to a doorway. Above it hung the Many Hands, Doing Good poster. Inside was a small room where they’d organized a slew of donated clothing that’d exceeded her expectations. Carbondale was a generous, caring community. “We have so many coats and shoes, we’re out of room. Just ask for Joy or Emma. They’ll be thrilled to give you whatever you need.”

  “Can I get new shoes?” The hope in the little boy’s eyes made Cassidy swallow hard. She remembered what it felt like to want, to need and to do without.

  “Thank you, ma’am,” the mother said with a tremulous smile. She broke off a bit of doughnut for her toddler, passed it over and hurried to the clothing drive.

  Cassidy held in a sigh as she helped the next customer. If only Leanne was here to see her plans come together...better than Cassidy had dared hope. Traipsing around the globe, she’d felt fortunate to have escaped Western America. Now she saw Leanne had been the lucky one after all, with a supportive and loving family and community surrounding her.

  Why had Leanne been leaving them, her suitcase alongside Cassidy’s in the Jeep? Given his grief, Daryl seemed devoted to his wife. Yet somewhere along the way he’d stopped making Leanne happy and thus far, Cassidy had turned up nothing to explain it. In fact, the more time she spent with Daryl, the harder it was to understand how someone could not love him.

  Once, he’d been the love of her life and she’d never loved anyone since.

  Her cheeks heated as she remembered their near kiss in the kitchen the other night. Old feelings mixed with new for the mature, caring widower. She’d thought she’d loved him in college, yet her feelings now seemed more complex, tested by life’s realities. A reflection of the complicated situation? Undoubtedly. So much had changed; so much time had passed. But even though her sister was gone, Cassidy wouldn’t cross the line and explore her feelings no matter how tempted.

  Around Daryl, Emma and Noah, her loneliness disappeared. She was part of a real family with lasting relationships, something impossible for her to achieve, given her demanding career, her crazy travel schedule, the danger she placed herself in and her workaholic life. Since she rarely had time to enjoy her successes, however, what was the point of them?

  “Well, this place sure is nice.” Neil Wharton stepped to the counter. Blue eyes, similar in color to Boyd’s, gleamed behind his dark-framed glasses.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” she said beneath her breath, grateful Boyd and Daryl were driving wagons filled with customers to distant apple orchards and pumpkin patches.

  Neil’s teeth flashed in a wide smile. “Why not? Half of it will belong to me someday.”

  Her heart sank. “You’re a long way from proving that. Please leave.”

  “Now!” Sofia ordered, joining Cassidy. She planted her balled hands on her hips and glared.

  “Fine.” He settled a rancher’s hat over his cropped, silver hair. “But only if you agree to pass a message on to Boyd.”

  “We’re not doing you any favors,” Sofia hissed.

  “Excuse me.” Neil cocked his head and stared at Sofia. “Are you a relative?”

  “I’m Boyd’s daughter-in-law.” Sofia tossed her hair, the color high in her cheeks. “And Cades and Lovelands stick together.”

  Cassidy glanced nervously at the rest of the preoccupied Lovelands and Cades, grateful they’d thus far missed this exchange. The fledgling store couldn’t afford a brawl on opening day. “What’s the message?” />
  Neil’s smile reappeared. “Tell him I’ll agree not to exhume our father’s body if he’ll settle with me out of court. My lawyer will prepare a document with my demands.”

  Sofia snorted. “Over my dead body!”

  “Outta here!” Maverick, Daryl’s older brother, appeared. He dumped fresh peas into a depleted bin and stomped their way. So much for keeping the peace... He glowered down at Neil. “Trespassers will be shot on sight.”

  Neil’s smile fell. “This is a place of business.”

  “It’s still our private property.”

  “Fifty percent of it. The rest will be mine.” Neil lifted his squared-off chin. “Too bad this place will be demolished when I sell to the fracking company.”

  “Keep dreaming.” Maverick grabbed Neil’s elbow and hustled him outside before the other Lovelands noticed the argument. Cassidy flattened her hands against the countertop, faint with relief to have the situation handled quickly.

  Neil would not destroy Leanne’s store, or Loveland Hills, she vowed; this family’s fight was now her own.

  “Do we have any more jalapeño jelly?” called Sierra as she emerged from the preserves aisle.

  Before Cassidy could answer, Sofia’s son, Javi, who’d been overseeing coloring in the children’s play area, jumped up. “I’ll check!”

  “Have someone carry it back for you!” she shouted after Javi, then turned to her next customer.

  “I’ll supervise,” Maverick called, looking none the worse for wear, thankfully, after escorting Neil off the property.

  As Cassidy loaded another bag with doughnuts, the deep rumble of a tractor engine filled her ears. Daryl’s easy smile flashed when he stopped the vehicle outside a nearby window, hopped down and helped passengers off the attached wagon, depositing the pumpkins they’d picked onto green metal carts. Another wagon pulled up alongside it, Boyd behind the wheel. When he cut the engine, she caught the faint sounds of the sing-along Heath led outside for those waiting for the next wagon ride.

  She hummed the melody to “This Land Is Your Land” along with him and rung up her next customer. Heath had invited her to hear him and his band, Outlaw Cowboys, gig at Silver Spurs tonight, a local honky-tonk. It’d been a long time since she’d heard live country music, and she wanted to kick up her boots, let loose and celebrate the store’s successful opening once she finished baking for tomorrow.