The Rancher's Legacy

by Jessica Keller

  He couldn’t afford to make the same mistake.

  The fact was, Piper’s injury rested heavily on his shoulders. The accident wasn’t Gabe’s fault. No, Rhett was to blame. He had thought he could set aside his responsibilities at the ranch for a few hours a day to continue working with clients. He had been wrong.

  * * *

  Macy finger combed her hair as she rushed up the steps to the mess hall. She shoved through the front doors to discover the dining area empty save for the cloying smell of maple syrup and bacon lingering in the air. She’d missed the staff meal completely but perhaps Cassidy had some leftovers tucked away.

  Cassidy stuck her head through the wide serving window that connected the kitchen to the eating area. “If you’re looking for Rhett he left down the back stairs a few minutes ago. Said he was making a call. He might still be down there.”

  “Rhett?”

  “Tall, handsome guy.” Cassidy held a hand in the air demonstrating how tall he was. “Partial to dogs and cowboy hats. Runs the place,” she teased.

  “Huh.” Macy played along. “You mean the one stubborn as sunbaked cowhide?”

  Cassidy winked. “Same guy.”

  “Not here for him.” Macy splayed a hand on her stomach as she entered the kitchen area. “I’m here for food.”

  “Tough break.” Cassidy wiped down one of the metal islands. “I’m fresh out of pancakes.”

  “That’s terrible news.” Macy wasn’t exaggerating. She had a soft spot for breakfast foods and Cassidy was an excellent cook. Cassidy’s pancakes deserved sonnets written about their greatness. “I overslept.”

  Cassidy stilled. “You?”

  “I know.” Macy held up a hand in defense. “I was up late working on details for the Easter egg hunt.”

  “How about this? You come in here and help me with dishes and I’ll whip up a batch of chocolate-chip pancakes just for you.” Cassidy motioned toward the wash area. “We can talk while we work.”

  Macy wasted no time rolling up her sleeves and heading to the deep sinks. She fished the scrubber out of the warm water and went to work on the first pan she found. “When I suggested to Rhett that we could plan the egg hunt without using much money, I might have bitten off more than I could chew,” Macy confessed. “I’ve been racking my brain trying to think of businesses we could approach as sponsors and I could ask them, but I know they would be more willing to donate if the pitch was coming from Rhett, you know? Everyone always dealt directly with Brock.”

  Cassidy carried a few more dirty dishes over to where Macy was stationed and plunked them into the sudsy water. She paused nearby. “So why don’t you go and ask him to do just that?”

  Cassidy had always been so matter-of-fact about things and Macy appreciated that character trait. Though not a Jarrett by blood, Cassidy was very much a part of their family—more so even than Macy, who had spent her whole life with the Jarretts. Macy’s mom and Mrs. Jarrett had been friends since high school, so Macy had been visiting Red Dog Ranch since she was one week old. Where there had been cracks and brokenness in Macy’s family, she had seen what she thought was perfection in the Jarretts. They were kind, they loved each other, they spent time together.

  Despite everything, she would never be connected to the Jarrett family in the way Cassidy was. Never connected in the way she had always wanted to be. Accepted, but not one of them.

  Suds splashed onto Macy’s shirt as she forcefully scrubbed a pan. “Rhett has a lot on his plate right now. Besides, I’d love to demonstrate that I can take care of something like this on my own—prove that he can trust me.”

  “First, refusing help doesn’t necessarily mean capable.” Cassidy pursed her lips. “Second, Rhett already trusts you completely.”

  Macy knew Cassidy had a soft spot for Rhett. When the family had finally accepted Wade was gone, Rhett had been the one to track Cassidy down and offer her a place at Red Dog Ranch. Her parents hadn’t been supportive of her keeping her baby—they told her doing so would ruin her life. But Rhett had convinced her that she was as good as family to the Jarretts and she and her child would always have a place here. He had been the protective older brother Cassidy had never had.

  Macy sighed. “He trusted me at one point in life, but that was a long time ago.”

  “All right. That’s it.” Cassidy tapped a finger on the counter. “Out with it, already.”

  “What—”

  “Don’t play coy with me,” Cassidy said. “It’s time you shared what went down between the two of you—because all I know is that one day you two were thick as thieves and then he left the ranch and you two suddenly started avoiding each other. It’s boggled my mind for the last three years and I’m never going to get a peep out of Rhett, so you’re going to have to be the one to spill.”

  He didn’t want me. I made a fool out of myself.

  Macy blew dark strands of hair from her face. “What’s there to say? We grew apart.”

  “Oh, don’t feed me that line.” Cassidy shook her head. “You won’t get out of this that easily.” She tossed a dirty dish towel into a laundry basket they kept near the sink. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”

  Macy pulled the plug from the sink, letting the water drain away. “Of course we are.”

  “Then tell me the truth.”

  “I want to.” Macy trailed her thumb over the scar on her pointer finger. “I just don’t think you understand how hard it is.”

  “Here’s what I do understand. If I could turn back the clock to when Wade and I had our last fight—” Cassidy’s voice clogged with emotion “—I would have done anything to stop him. To go after him. To get him to come home. Anything.”

  Macy wiped off her hands, making sure they were dry, and then rubbed Cassidy’s back. “I know you’d do anything to have Wade back. Wade loved you. I know he did. But what happened between Rhett and me...it’s not the same.”

  Cassidy turned so her hazel gaze connected with Macy’s. “You have a chance to make things right between the two of you,” she whispered. “A second chance, Macy. Don’t squander it. I’d give anything to have that with Wade.”

  Macy wrapped her arms around her stomach. “Did Rhett ever tell you he offered me a job? He wanted me to leave the ranch with him. Move away. Not together, of course.” Macy flushed, hoping Cassidy didn’t get the wrong impression. “He offered a high enough salary to cover rent in the area and things like that. An option so I wouldn’t be dependent on Red Dog Ranch for a home.”

  Cassidy popped up so she was seated on the counter. “He never said a word. I’m assuming you said no.”

  Macy nodded. “I did, but... I went to turn him down in person. Remember I was dating Jim? He broke up with me. Over Rhett. He accused me of being in love with Rhett and not him, and I’m ashamed to admit he was right.”

  “I honestly don’t know why Jim held on for so long. Anyone with eyes knew where your heart was.” Cassidy batted her hand. “And we don’t need to feel bad for Jim. He’s happily married and all that jazz now, so it’s all a good ending for him.”

  “I drove to Rhett’s new place right from the breakup and thought about how much I cared about Rhett the whole way there. When he opened the door... I don’t know what came over me.” Macy wrung her hands and looked away. “I literally clenched my hands in his shirt and yanked him down for a kiss.”

  Cassidy pumped a fist in the air. “You know it, girl!”

  Macy covered her face with her hands. “He froze. He didn’t kiss me back.”

  “He was probably just taken by surprise,” Cassidy offered.

  Macy swallowed hard. “When I stopped he said ‘Why did you do that?’ all horrified. He said it a couple times.”

  “What did you say?”

  “Nothing,” Macy said. “I turned and ran back to my car.”

  “Oh, no.”

&nbs
p; “Oh, yes.” Macy shrugged. “He called and left messages for the next few weeks saying he wanted to talk, that—” she put her fingers up to make air quotes “—we needed to discuss what had happened.” She lowered her hands. “But I was mortified. I avoided him.” After a lifetime of rejection from her father, then the breakup with Jim, which she realized was right but had still hurt, Macy hadn’t been able to face Rhett’s rejection maturely. If she could turn back the clock she would handle it all differently, but turning back the clock only ever happened in children’s bedtime stories. “By the time I decided to swallow my pride five months had come and gone. I called him once, all those months after. He never called me back. And that was it.”

  Cassidy arched an eyebrow. “You two have talked about this since though, haven’t you?”

  “It was three years ago.” Macy repeated what Rhett had said. No matter how much she wanted to make things right, if Rhett wasn’t willing to talk there was nothing she could do about it. “Everything’s changed now. It’s not worth rehashing.”

  “Macy.” Cassidy hopped off the counter and took her hand. “That man loves you. He always has.”

  “Yeah.” Macy released a long stream of air. “Like a brother.”

  “You’re wrong and I know you don’t believe me.” Cassidy offered a sad smile. “But I loved one of the Jarrett boys. I know how they think.”

  Macy needed to steer the conversation away from anything that would make Cassidy think of Wade. “It’s later than I thought. Can I take you up on the pancakes another day?”

  Cassidy nodded. “You never responded to my text—are you coming to our girls’ movie night tomorrow night? Shannon picked out To Catch a Thief. Come on, you can’t say no to a Cary Grant movie.”

  “You know me too well,” Macy said. “Of course I’ll be there.”

  Cassidy gave her a thumbs-up and then headed toward the back room. She paused when she reached the threshold. “You should talk to him, you know.”

  “I’m actually going to track down the man in question now.” Not that she was going to talk to him about their awkward moment three years ago, but she didn’t need to get into a circular argument with Cassidy over it.

  Macy checked her watch.

  She also had an appointment to keep in town and an idea simmered at the back of her mind. If she could convince Rhett to go along, maybe, just maybe the meeting could be the first step of his softening toward the ranch’s mission as far as foster kids were concerned.

  Lord, please help me convince him.

  “I think he’s still downstairs.” Cassidy jutted her chin toward the stairwell located along the side of the kitchen which led to the basement area. “I never heard the door open down there. It’s heavy and makes a loud sound whenever it closes.”

  Macy nodded and headed toward the stairs. She knew about the loud door and hadn’t heard it slam either. She paused at the top of the steps. When Cassidy was out of sight, Macy tugged out her phone and typed in Straight Arrow Retrievers. Macy had never gone to his website or sought out information about his business because doing so would have been like tearing open stitches for her emotionally. She had avoided all mentions of Rhett in order to protect her heart. If she could pack him away she wouldn’t have to hurt.

  But he was here now.

  She might as well know.

  Listing after listing popped up, revealing articles written about the awards that dogs he’d trained had won. One about a dog who now starred on a television show. Another dog he’d trained was being considered for induction into the Master National Hall of Fame—one of the highest honors a hunting dog could obtain.

  “Oh, Rhett,” she whispered. Her throat felt thick with both pride and sadness. He had accomplished so much in such a short amount of time. And while he had scheduled a few training appointments at the ranch, how much had he truly sacrificed in order to return home and meet the terms of the will so his family could keep the property?

  The low timbre of his voice drifted up the stairs. From where she stood, she couldn’t make out his words, but she was happy she wouldn’t have to go out searching for him.

  How many hours had she and Rhett spent as teens, and even into their twenties, hanging out in the mess hall’s basement? They had often run to the basement for their breaks during the summer and fall working hours in order to escape the heat and sun outside. Built into the hillside, the large basement area stayed cool even on the hottest day. They used to sit on the pallets, knee brushing knee, and talk about everything.

  She pushed cherished memories away. They only hurt. What was the point of reliving memories when she had no hope of ever making more with her old friend?

  Macy tucked her phone into her back pocket, rolled her shoulder and took a deep breath as she headed down the stairs.

  Chapter Five

  Rhett huddled on a pallet in between a stack of industrial-sized cans of tomato sauce and boxed pasta. He stared at his phone’s screen, willing his friend Hank to return the voice mail he had just left. He had discovered he got surprisingly good cell reception in the basement the other day, no doubt because a neighbor rented out land to a company to place a cell tower on his property.

  For a second Rhett considered joining Kodiak outside. After he had seen to her breakfast, Rhett had left her basking in the sun by the door that led outside from the basement with a bowl of water nearby. But as peculiar as it sounded, something about the cement walls and low ceiling brought Rhett comfort. Made him remember easier times.

  The edges of the long basement were lined with pallets balanced on cinderblocks, a way to keep the non-perishable food stored in a cool area away from the floor. The back end of the basement curved, providing a nook at the end that was great for hiding. Even with all the splendor outdoors, this had always been one of Rhett’s favorite spots on the property. He and Macy had called the back wall home base. If they’d needed to meet or got split up while working or during a game, this was where they’d always found each other later. Their meeting spot.

  Something he hadn’t thought about in a long time.

  Something he probably shouldn’t think about.

  Still, an image from their talk in his office flashed to mind. Macy with her head held high and a spark of pure stubbornness lighting her face. In that moment, she had taken his breath away and he couldn’t get it out of his thoughts. Since then ideas kept pestering him. Why hadn’t he come to terms with his feelings for her sooner? That day when she’d kissed him, it had been an unexpected—albeit not unpleasant—shock. Never good about surprises, he had reacted poorly. His mind had started overthinking, making his body freeze...pretty much the worst thing he could have done in the situation.

  If he could do it all over again? He would have wrapped his arms around her and he would have kissed her soundly, senselessly. Then he would have begged her to never leave his side.

  But he had botched his chance at happiness with Macy. She had called him after the kiss, once. It had been five months after everything had happened, but Rhett had been bitter about her ignoring all his initial calls five months before. He hadn’t returned her call, figuring it was her turn to try calling for weeks without an answer. But she had never called again. He always wished he had just swallowed his pride and returned her call.

  His life could have been so different if he hadn’t been petty in that moment.

  A part of him wanted to reinstate their friendship. He missed having her as his closest confidant. But when she had tried to broach the subject he had shot it down, if only to not have to hear her say they should disregard what happened and go back to being friends. The fact was he didn’t want only friendship with her and never would. He couldn’t only be her friend.

  But what about the very small chance that she wanted that too?

  No. He had to stop that train of thought. Rhett didn’t have time for a relationship with Macy or an
yone. If he ever entered into a relationship, he would want it to be at a time in his life when he could give his partner the attention she deserved, which was definitely not now.

  Not that he wanted one. He was fine alone. Great, even.

  He scrubbed his hand down his face.

  In another part of the basement they stored extra bedsheet sets and items staff or guests to the ranch might need. His father had wanted to meet basic needs for anyone staying on their property and never wanted any of the kids to feel embarrassed or ashamed if they didn’t have necessities required for overnight stays.

  It was something Rhett might not have thought about. Scratch the might—he certainly wouldn’t have come up with keeping toothbrushes and new stuffed animals on hand. His mind simply didn’t work that way. Yet another reminder he had no right attempting to run the foster programs at the ranch. Even if he could right the boat in a financial sense, he would never do Camp Firefly or any of the other programs justice. He lacked so many traits that had been second nature to his dad.

  Rhett dropped his head into his hands.

  He needed to let go of the grudge he harbored against the foster programs and the kids involved. It wasn’t their fault his dad had chosen them over his son. Rhett wanted to let go of his resentment. Truly. But how does someone cut out a piece of their heart that’s hurt for thirty years? What would be left if he did let it all go?

  Maybe he shouldn’t have sent the will to Hank. Maybe the only way to get over his grudge would be to forge ahead, embracing all the foster programs. But they couldn’t feasibly keep it up without affecting the long-term security of his family’s finances. What a mess. If only he could separate the hurt his father had inflicted from how he felt about the programs.

  He stared at the phone again. Should he call Uncle Travis? He closed his eyes. His uncle would tell him to make his dad proud or utter something along those lines. Give Rhett a one-way ticket for a guilt trip he hardly needed, considering he was already good at taking that trip on his own time.