Emily tried to glare at her father, but it hurt too much. She hated when he saw right through her. “I thought it would be a win-win situation. They could bag all the hogs they wanted and keep away from the elk.”
“I’m not saying that Otto guy was right. He could have killed you. He was a reckless shooter and Donovan is taking care of him.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean he kicked him and his party off the ranch and banned them. But you were wrong to go out there. You know better. I taught you better. You risked your life and I can’t have that.”
“I’m sorry, Dad.”
“So am I. I told Donovan that he had to go.”
“What?” Another blast of pain hit her as she tried and failed to get up. “Why? It’s not his fault.”
“Baby girl, I know that. He’s a good man, too, which is why this is so hard.”
“I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“I know it. I should have seen it coming, though. I should have known you’d never give up your cause to protect the animals. I had thought you and he came to an agreement.”
“We did. We compromised.”
“But then you went back on that because you thought you were doing right and saving the great white elk.”
“The hogs needed to be cleared,” she said weakly, but heard it as the excuse she was.
“He’s the one clearing out now. We mutually agreed to cancel the three-year lease. And once the ranch is sold, I’ll make it right with him to reimburse him for the hunting lodge.”
“Dad, you can’t. We need that lease.”
“I need you even more.”
“We were barely making it before. I’m going to need time to get the cell tower and the wind turbines set up. We need Donovan. I need Donovan.” She tried to get up again, but her body wouldn’t respond. She tried to fight through the pain, but it only made it weaker. “Dad. Help me.”
“You need to rest. You’ve got nothing to worry about. Your mother and I will take care of everything. We were wrong to put this on you and your sisters.”
All her worst nightmares were coming true. They were losing the ranch because of her. “No, you weren’t. We can do this. We can save the ranch.”
“This ranch doesn’t mean anything to me if you girls aren’t around. It’s not worth your life.” He cupped her chin and kissed her forehead.
“Where’s my phone? I need to talk to Donovan.”
“He’s busy right now. Let the man pack in peace. I’ll make sure he comes up to say goodbye.”
“I want to see him,” she said, blinded by the tears in her eyes.
“Baby girl, you need to realize that you can’t always get what you want.” Her father’s voice was kind and tinged with sadness. “Now, try to get some rest. We’re going to need to wake you up throughout the night to make sure you’re all right, because of your head injury. So rest while you can.”
“I can fix this,” she said. “I can.”
“You need to concentrate on getting better.”
“Are Janice and Kelly mad at me?” she asked in a small voice.
“They were worried about you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I know.” He put his hand on her forehead. It was warm and comforting. “I’m sorry, too.”
Even without her parents checking in on her every few hours, she didn’t get a lot of sleep. She played with the breakfast her mother gave her and only ate her toast because her mother hovered and fretted until she did.
Kelly played nursemaid around lunchtime and distractedly set up a tray for her across the bed. “What’s going on?” Emily asked.
Kelly smiled at her. “The usual things. Cattle problems. Sunflower is playing up her injury for treats. I think if she gets any more peppermints from us, she’ll have a sick stomach. But she’s loving the attention. Do you want to go and see her?”
Emily’s eyes flooded with tears. “Am I allowed out of bed?”
“The doctor didn’t say you were bedridden.”
She moved gingerly and she was still in a lot of pain, but a few more Tylenol and a hot shower worked wonders. Kelly helped her get dressed and supported her as they went slowly down the stairs.
“Are you sure you’re up to this?” her mother asked.
“Yeah. I might not be able to get back upstairs again, but so far, I’m moving.”
“How do you feel?”
“Like I got run over by a bus.”
“Don’t overdo it,” her mother said.
“We’re just going to the barn,” Kelly said.
“Be careful.”
Sunflower was glad to see her, even though Emily only gave her some baby carrots and an apple. Janice was there and changed Sunflower’s dressing and showed Emily her wound. The bullet hadn’t shattered bone and it had missed the vital organs, but Sunflower had lost a lot of blood and had been in surgery to remove the bullet. They had been lucky. A few inches lower and Sunflower would have died. A few inches higher and Emily would have been hit instead.
Kelly helped her to the bench when she started to shake. They left her there while they did some chores around the barn. Emily was glad to be out of her bedroom, although she was tired. She took out her phone and called Donovan, and she was surprised when he answered. She was afraid he was mad at her and would have let the call go to voice mail.
“Hey,” she said, her voice tremulous.
“How are you feeling?”
Emily almost started crying again when his voice was warm and kind. She didn’t deserve that. “It hurts, but I’m in the barn with Sunflower.”
“How’s she doing?”
“She’s back to her old tricks, but it’s going to be a long recovery.”
“How about you?”
“I’m all right. The concussion and my shoulder will slow me down for a bit, but not too long. Can I see you?”
There was a long pause and for a moment, she thought he would say no. “Sure. I don’t want to tire you out, though. Do you want me to come by later?”
“No. I mean yes, if that’s when you can get away. But I’d like to see you now.”
“All right. Give me a few and I’ll meet you at the barn.”
It was an eternity, but she heard his truck pull up and when he poked his head into the barn, she wanted to run to him. But she could barely stagger to her feet. And then somehow, he was there and she was in his arms.
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
“Shh, you’ve got nothing to be sorry about.”
“Don’t go. I can convince my father to let you stay.”
“It was my idea.”
She stiffened. “What? Why?”
“Emily, I’m falling in love with you and you know I can’t stay. And you don’t want me to.”
“I do,” she said. “I’m falling in love with you, too.”
He kissed her sweetly. “Thank you for that. But we’re too different. I’m a hunter. That’s what I do. I like it. I’m good at it. And I believe in what I’m doing. That’s the polar opposite of you and your beliefs. I don’t want to worry that our fundamental differences will put you at risk like this. It’s not worth it. I won’t risk you.”
“I’ll be better. I’ll change. We can make this work.”
“I don’t want you to change. You shouldn’t have to change. I know this is a loss to the ranch…”
“I don’t care about that right now. I care about you.”
“I had an idea. I’ve got hunting insurance that covers this type of thing. I’ll give you the information and you can file a claim. I won’t fight it, but it should give you enough to get you through until you find another renter. Someone who fits your values a little better than me.”
“Donovan, don’t do this. I don’t want you to go.” She held on to him tight and he hugged her back.
“You don’t need to be upset. This will work out. I’ll come back from time to time and visit.”
“Promise?” There was sti
ll hope, then.
“I’ll check up on you. Just remember, if Charlie comes looking for me, you haven’t seen me. And don’t believe a damned word he says. And don’t give him a nickel. Promise me.”
She nodded. “When are you leaving?”
“Tonight.”
“You don’t have to go so quickly.” She was losing him. He was slipping right between her fingers.
“The longer I stay, the harder it’s going to be to leave.”
“Where are you going?”
“I haven’t decided yet. Maybe back to Alaska. I missed out on a grizzly bear the last time I was there. I don’t suppose you want me to send you back a claw necklace?”
Emily couldn’t help the shudder that went through her. He was being deliberately gross to make this easier on her. It would never be easy.
“I want to make this right. I’ve done nothing but fuck up since I got back from Africa. I’ve ruined everything and I don’t know how to fix it.” She looked up at him. “Can you tell me what to do?”
“Would you listen if I did?” He smiled to take the sting out of his words and reluctantly stepped away from her. “Take care.”
“Donovan,” she said.
He paused, but she couldn’t think of anything to say that would make him stay.
“I know,” he said.
He kissed her gently one last time and walked away.
Chapter Eighteen
Emily was happy for her sister, but miserable for herself. Kelly and Trent were in full-on planning mode for their wedding as a way to lighten up the gloomy atmosphere around the ranch. While Kelly was going to be a beautiful bride, she also had tinges of Bridezilla. They wanted their wedding to be held on the ranch and Kelly was searching for the perfect setting and background for her engagement pictures. Kelly and Trent’s property would always be a part of the Three Sisters Ranch in all of their hearts—that is, until the rest of the ranch was parceled up and sold.
That was the current plan if things didn’t work out with the wind turbines and the cell tower. It broke her heart, but she wasn’t ready to throw in the towel yet. Janice and Kelly weren’t giving up either, even if their parents had resigned themselves to it.
The feral hogs were becoming more of a problem. All the ranch hands had rifles on their saddles and it wasn’t safe to venture out back in the woods. Emily wanted to see Ghost again, to see if she would bring them luck. But she wouldn’t risk any of the horses and she didn’t know the area back there as well as Donovan did.
It had been a couple of weeks since Sunflower had been shot and she missed Donovan like crazy. Sometimes she wandered around the hunting lodge looking for a trace of him. As she left the lodge today, she ran into her father walking up from the woods, a rifle in his hand.
“Dad,” she said. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m trying to track down the sounder that all these hogs are coming from, but they keep splitting off. What are you doing here?”
“I thought I left something here,” she said lamely. “Why are you walking?”
“The ATV broke down on me.”
“Again? We need a new one.”
“We need a lot of new things,” he grumbled, holding his ribs.
“Get inside and sit down,” Emily said, running to help him. “Let me get you some water. You shouldn’t be doing this all alone.”
“Don’t fuss over me, baby girl. I’m fine.”
He didn’t look fine.
“What did you think you left over here?” he asked, accepting the large glass of water she gave him. He drained it in one long swallow and asked for another.
“My heart,” she said under her breath. “Dad, I’ve been thinking,” she said louder when she handed him his refill. “I was wrong about Donovan’s hunting. I still don’t like the idea of killing animals for sport, but I can see all the problems we’ve been having since no one is here to keep them in check. And while I don’t eat meat, a few of the local soup kitchens have been calling because Donovan hasn’t been making any deliveries lately. People are going hungry because of me.”
He shook his head. “It’s not your fault people are hungry.”
“But I can make a difference here. I thought about all the good I was doing in Africa and I miss that. But I want to start in Texas. I want your permission to ask Donovan if he’ll come back to the ranch.”
“Something tells me you’re not doing this for the good of the hungry people out there.”
She smiled. “I love him, Dad. And I think he loves me.”
“He better,” Frank grumbled.
“I know we’ll never see completely eye-to-eye on things, but I think we can compromise. I thought I could handle the hunting tour groups, but I can’t. I told everyone it was fine, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t fair to him. And it wasn’t fair to you guys. I really screwed up and now the ranch is worse off than before. I want to make it right. I know we can save the ranch from foreclosure if we all work together and Donovan is a part of that.”
Her father regarded her thoughtfully. “I know you want to take over for me when I retire. You’ve been putting in the hours, but you have a long way to go.”
“I know. And I’m willing to keep on learning. I’m going to make mistakes, but just because I do, that doesn’t mean I’m not mature enough for the responsibility or that I should be patted on the head and forgiven because I’m the youngest.”
He nodded and sipped his water.
“Just don’t give up on me, Dad. And I won’t give up on you. It’ll be hard work, but the Sullivans will make this happen. We just have to hold out until the wind turbines turn a profit.”
Part of his mouth quirked up in a smile. “If you can get Donovan to come back, it’s all right by me.”
“I’ll not only get him back, I’ll make him stay here, too. No three-year leases this time. Twenty-five-year—minimum.”
Frank shook his head. “He’d be better off marrying you.”
“I’ll accept that as well.”
*
Donovan didn’t know why he hadn’t left Texas yet. It had been almost a month. Maybe because winter in Alaska wasn’t appealing. Of course, that didn’t explain why he wasn’t off to California instead. But then Emily called and asked to meet him at the Mustard Seed. And he realized why he was still hanging around.
He loved her.
He was early, so he fiddled with the radio trying not to relate to every sad love song the station played. After an eternity, she got out of her Uber ride and headed toward the truck. Donovan leapt out and met her halfway.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, bringing her in for a hug and a kiss. And if the kiss lasted longer than was polite in a social setting, he didn’t give a fuck.
“Good as new,” she said breathlessly. And then she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him again. He wasn’t sure they were going to make it to the restaurant. He could spend all day kissing her in the parking lot. But then her stomach growled and they broke away, laughing.
“Your mother hasn’t been feeding you?” he teased.
“Don’t tell her, but the Mustard Seed makes better vegetarian meals. She tries, though.” Emily slipped her hand into his while they walked to the restaurant. It felt like coming home. Maybe he could find a ranch hand job and stay in the area. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t do the work. It was how he’d survived after being emancipated. He could make ends meet by hunting. What Emily didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her. He wasn’t ready to give her up just yet.
They sat down and Carrie brought them their menus and beers. Emily wound up ordering half the menu again, and he tried the spaghetti with meatless balls. He didn’t have high hopes for it, but he liked seeing her smile when he ordered something different.
“I have a proposition for you,” she said with a cute little smile.
“You should have told me before we ordered. But it’s been a while, so I bet we can go out to the car and be back before lunch is served.”
�
�Tempting,” she said. “But I want to take my time with you.”
“Then you should have told me in the parking lot, and I would have brought you back to my place.”
“I was hungry, but we could go there after lunch.”
Heat flooded through him at her shy words and he wanted to start in right there, right now. But he could be patient. He was a hunter after all. But she wasn’t prey. In fact, the way she was looking at him was damned near predatory.
“But that wasn’t the proposition I meant.”
“Okay,” he said. As long as they were going to bed after this, she could propose all she wanted.
“We need to hire a hunter to take care of the feral hogs. Trent won’t let Alissa even play in the yard and the ranch hands are getting anxious. And Kelly is out of her mind. The hogs have been chewing on her gazebo and ruining the landscape for her pictures. Janice is worried about opening her women’s retreat with them wandering around. And my father is taking it upon himself to flush them out so he can shoot them.”
“Okay, okay. I get it. You’re up to your ass in hogs.” He refrained from telling her “I told you so.”
“I’m assistant manager of the ranch and I have full authority from my family to offer to lease you the same property, at the same rate as before. Except there’s one small difference.”
Donovan crushed the flutter of hope in his chest. She was going to ask for something crazy, like he had to shoot to wound the hogs or something like that. “I’m listening,” he said huskily.
“No more hunts.”
“You don’t have to worry about Otto. I wouldn’t work for them ever again.”
“Would you work for me?”
He leaned back in his chair as their food came. Donovan watched her as she dug into her VLT sandwich. “I can’t risk it. Risk you. Sooner or later, I’m going to piss you off and you’re going to put yourself in danger again. Sweetheart, it’s just not worth it.”
“I’m up to my ass in hogs, Donovan.”
He felt his lips twitch and speared a meatless ball and ate it before she charmed him into agreeing to give her everything she wanted. He blinked in surprise. Hot damn, that was a good meatless ball. He took another one and thought about it while he chewed. “What the hell am I going to do with the hunting lodge if there aren’t any more hunts?”
The Cowboy's Hunt Page 15