A Home with the Rancher

by April Arrington

  Dani swallowed hard. “I know. And I didn’t mean it that way. I really didn’t. Please forgive me.”

  “For what?”

  “For doing to you what you’d never do to me.” A humorless laugh burst from her. “Because that’s what I’m doing, isn’t it? Trying to pluck that position out from under you?”

  “You’ve earned it, just like you said.” His words turned hesitant. “He misses you.”

  Dad? She doubted it. He was probably poring over a dozen contracts as she spoke. “Then why hasn’t he called? Told me himself?”

  “Is that why you’ve stayed down there for so long?” Scott asked. “To see if he would?”

  “No.” Something thudded in the distance, echoing across the field. She stepped further behind the stable. “Not at all.”

  “Then why are you still there?”

  “Because I really do want to help,” she said. That, at least, was completely true. “Did you know Mac has three kids? And that he’s a widower?”

  Scott groaned softly. “That has nothing to do with this deal. It’s business. Not personal. You’re getting too personal with Tenley—”

  “No, I’m not,” she said. “Besides, it’s not just Mac I want to help. I want to help Dad out by making the deal and I want to ensure this land is acquired by people who will preserve and take care of it. We’d protect it better than our competitors.”

  A low-hanging branch on the tree next to her wavered and a chipmunk sprang from the leaves then plopped onto the ground. He looked up at her and froze, his tiny ears pinned back and cheeks packed solid with treats, before darting off into the brush.

  Dani grinned. “It’s beautiful here. No one can deny what a treasure this place is and it’s worth whatever price Mac asks. It’s perfect for escaping corporate stress. You’d love it, Scott.”

  He blew out a breath. “Peaceful rest surrounded by nothing but mountains? I’d probably stay longer than you have.” His tone deepened. “But if you want to help Tenley, you need to make the sale now. One of the agents reported yesterday that a bank contact assured him two months—three at the most—is all that stands between that property and foreclosure. If the right agency holds their hand and places their bets right, that land will be bought with pennies.”

  Heart stalling, she tightened her grip around the phone. “And Mac will walk away with nothing.”

  “Yes.” Scott cleared his throat. “You’re one of my best agents and I need you here. Keep it professional, close the deal and come home. That’s a direct order from your boss.” His voice softened. “And a sincere request from your little brother. Dad’s not the only one that misses you, Dani.”

  “Ms. Dani!”

  She jumped, fumbling for the phone as it slipped from her fingers. Jaxon ran around the corner, breathing hard.

  “The horses got out.” He doubled over, hands on his knees, as he struggled to catch his breath. “Mr. Tim said to come help.”

  Dani dashed to the front of the stable, managing a quick “I’ve got to go” to Scott before shoving the phone back into her pocket. She drew up short at the edge of the field.

  The far end of the fencing—the one she’d backed into with the tractor yesterday—had toppled over, leaving a gaping hole behind. All eight horses, previously grazing in the field, had galloped away, the last one trotting off with a tail swish toward a nearby mountain trail.

  “Did you patch that corner you knocked out like I asked you to?” Cal shouted over his shoulder, running toward the stable.

  “Of course, I did.” She followed him then grabbed ropes off wall hooks at his direction.

  “Well, obviously, you didn’t do it well enough.” Cal thrust more ropes into her hands then started running back toward the field. “Get the lead out, girl, and take those to Mac and Tim.”

  She did, tearing across the deep grass and dirt paths as fast as her legs would carry her. Jaxon kept close to her heels.

  “I’ll take ’em,” Mac called out from astride one of the fastest horses, expression dark with frustration, his muscular arm stretching out for the ropes.

  Dani handed them over. “I’m sorry, Mac. The fence seemed solid when I finished last night.”

  “Not solid enough,” he bit out. “It’s gonna be hell rounding ’em up before dark.”

  She lowered her head, the disappointment in his face sending a fresh wave of heat up her neck.

  “I’m coming with you.” Jaxon sprang toward one of the horses already saddled for a trail ride.

  “No, Jaxon.” Mac tossed the ropes to Tim and two other hands who passed by on their mounts and galloped off in the direction of the escaped horses. “Stay here and watch your sisters.”

  Jaxon scowled, eyeing Nadine and Maddie as they stood watching from the other side of the fence. “But I want to go with you and help.”

  “Not gonna happen,” Mac said firmly, nudging his horse toward the mountain trail. He glanced back at Dani. “Let the guests know the trail ride and hike for today are canceled. Tell ’em they’ll get a refund. Then untack the rest of the horses and stable them.”

  Chest aching, Dani nodded then watched as he rode off, arms hanging helplessly at her sides.

  “Great. Now it’ll be forever before he comes back.”

  Dani looked down. Maddie stopped by her side, crossed her arms and frowned as Mac disappeared into the woods.

  “It won’t be forever,” Nadine said, jogging up behind her sister. “Dad’s the fastest rider here. He’ll catch ’em.”

  “Yeah.” Maddie’s frown deepened. “But he’s gotta find them first. And that part will take forever.” Her green eyes flashed up at Dani. “He was s’posed to take us to the creek later. Bet we won’t get to go now. I wish you would’ve fixed the fence better.”

  Dani squirmed. Funny how a few honest words from a child could make you feel two feet tall. She should’ve been doing her job, not lying and sneaking off for secret phone calls.

  Mac had hired her to ease his workload. Yet, here she was, steadily adding to it.

  “I’m sorry, Maddie.” Dani shook her head and sighed. “I know you were looking forward to spending time with him.”

  “It ain’t your fault, Ms. Dani,” Jaxon said. “He was supposed to take me fishing this morning and that didn’t work out, either. That’s just how it goes around here.” He jerked his chin toward the antsy group of guests, grumbling their displeasure by the fence. “Want me to tell ’em about the trail ride and hike?”

  “No, thank you, Jaxon.” Dani sucked in a deep breath and headed in that direction. “I’m the one that messed up. I’ll take care of it.”

  There were thirteen guests in all. After informing them the afternoon activities had been canceled and that refunds would be issued, Dani was left standing with only seven.

  “I didn’t drive all the way from Florida just to sit in a run-down room and stare at the wall,” a man grumped, shoving his gray hair more firmly under his cap. “Wouldn’t be so dang bad if we had cable. Or Wi-Fi. Or anything resembling modern amenities. Did you know only one of the outlets in our room actually works? My wife and I have to take turns charging our cell phones.” He harrumphed, straightened the belt on his jeans then started for the lodge. “Come on, Lou Ann. We’re getting out of here. It’ll be worth driving an hour just to find a hotel with dependable electricity.”

  “But, sir...” Dani leaned heavily on the fence, the sun-heated wood searing her skin as she watched him walk away.

  Make that five. There were now five guests left. She’d run half of Mac’s guests off in less than one day and there was no telling how much money she’d caused him to lose.

  A soft palm patted the back of her hand. “Don’t mind him, dear. Harold’s just disappointed that he won’t get to ride a horse today.” An older woman with a kind voice leaned closer. “He bought brand-new jeans and a pair
of boots just for the occasion.” She smiled. “And he’s been missing his baseball games the past two days on account of the TV not working. He likes the Marlins and they’re playing Cincinnati today.”

  “The Braves, Lou Ann.” Harold stopped and spun around, stressing, “The Marlins are playing the Braves. One of their biggest rivals and I’m going to miss it.”

  “What if I could guarantee you an uninterrupted viewing of the game?” Dani rushed out. “And a free trail ride as soon as possible? Would you give us one more chance?”

  He shifted from one foot to the other, eyeing his wife. “Well...”

  “The TV in the lounge works,” Jaxon said. He ducked between the fence rungs and walked over to Harold. “You could watch it with me.”

  “And it’s connected to a deck with a great view,” Dani added. “I’ll open up the windows and doors for some fresh, mountain air and arrange for snacks and anything else that would make it more enjoyable.”

  “I do like the peace and quiet here, Harold,” Lou Ann said. “And you can’t beat the scenery from that lodge. We won’t be able to watch the sun set behind those beautiful mountains in a hotel room.”

  Oh, please, please, take the offer and don’t let me disappoint Mac more than I already have. Dani held her breath as Harold studied her.

  “All right.” Harold looked down at Jaxon then nodded. “We’ll give it one more try. But I want that horse ride soon.”

  “Of course.” Dani smiled gratefully at Lou Ann, high-fived Jaxon then led the way to the lodge. “One baseball game coming up. Anyone else that would like to join in, please follow me.”

  Every guest—back up to seven now, thankfully—followed and twenty minutes later, they were all seated in front of the TV, baseball game on and snacks in hand. Jaxon, armed with two sodas, sat beside Harold on the couch and offered him one.

  Harold smiled. “Thank you, son.”

  “Anything else I can get you?” Dani asked.

  He shook his head. “This helps tremendously. Thank you...er...”

  “Dani,” she said. “We want you to enjoy your stay and I’m glad I could help.”

  She straightened, pride surging through her veins as she smiled at Jaxon, who chatted about baseball with Harold. Then she laughed as Nadine and Maddie smiled and munched strawberries with Lou Ann, fresh juice dribbling down their chins, their disappointments forgotten.

  This little taste of success was richer than any she’d experienced in New York. But her smile fell at the thought of Mac riding hard through mountain trails, tracking down horses she’d failed to keep watch over and the conflicting emotions warring within her chest made it clear that Scott had been right in at least one respect.

  She was making this personal.

  Dani eased away, returned to the paddock and began untacking the horses. Her hands stilled over a mare’s mane, her fingers threading through the thick strands.

  There was no way around it. This land was too precious to allow it to fall into negligent hands and the only way any of this would play in Mac’s favor was if she persuaded him to sell now—even if it left her looking like a villain in his eyes.

  Keep it professional, close the deal and come home.

  Dani patted the mare’s neck then pressed her forehead to the horse’s smooth hide. It was time to tell Mac the truth.

  * * *

  “WHOA.” MAC PULLED gently on the reins, bringing the mare beneath him to a stop, then cast one more glance at the empty trail behind him.

  “Wanna take one more look?”

  Mac faced Tim and shook his head. “No. It’s getting dark.”

  “There’s still some light left,” Tim said, tugging the mare he led to a stop beside his mount. “I can put this girl to bed then come back out and make one more round. That little bastard’s bound to be ’round here somewhere.”

  Mac grunted. Little bastard was right. Standing at only 15 hands, Bullet made up for his small stature with plenty of speed. The roan gelding was hard to catch in a fenced paddock much less roaming freely with a head start.

  “Nah,” Mac said. “Bullet’s long gone by now.”

  Along with the three and a half grand he’d planned to make off the gelding’s sell. Not only was he going to lose the much-needed cash to make a back payment on the ranch but he was probably going to lose future business from the couple interested, as well.

  Who’d buy horses from a man who couldn’t even guarantee they’d be there the day you came to pick them up? And worse, who’d bother doing business with you at all when there was a damn good chance your business would foreclose in a month or two?

  At least, that was what Jim Reid had predicted last week when Mac had gone hat-in-hand to the bank for another extension on his loan payments, only to be denied. And that was after he’d had to endure a half-hour “told you so” session rife with platitudes from the older man.

  “Told you not to hire that gal,” Cal shouted from the bottom of the trail. “Every problem we’ve had the past two weeks boils down to that ditzy chick—”

  “I didn’t ask for your opinion, Cal, and I’ll run this place as I see fit. You don’t like it, you’re free to leave.” Mac kicked his horse’s flanks and galloped past him. “Now, move your ass. You got work to do.”

  He urged the mare faster when he hit the valley, the hot wind whipping his face and the heavy pound of the horse’s powerful stride beating rhythmically through his frame. The hard ride shook some of the pressing weight from his shoulders and rattled loose thoughts he’d locked away years ago. The ones that burned his skin and punched another guilty hole in his chest every time they materialized.

  Where would he be now if he’d chosen a different path? If he hadn’t spent the past ten years trying to resuscitate his parents’ dead business? If he and Nicole had been more careful and not gotten pregnant then married at eighteen—

  Mac jerked the reins, bringing the mare to a halt and hanging his head. You wouldn’t have Jaxon, you selfish sonofabitch. You wouldn’t have Maddie or Nadine. And you wouldn’t have had seven good years of marriage with Nicole.

  There was no place in his life—or heart—for such weak, regretful thoughts. They were a betrayal to Nicole and his children.

  The steady pounding of a hammer brought his head up, his eyes roving over the green pastures and settling on Dani. She bent beside the broken fence, a hammer in one hand as she struggled to balance a wood beam on her hip and nail it home simultaneously.

  It slipped from her grip, banged against her knee then thudded to the ground. The colorful words she spat echoed across the valley and coaxed a smile to his lips.

  Damn, she was cute. Feisty. Prideful. Hardheaded, too. And she had the most tempting curves he’d ever seen...

  He peeled his attention away from the soft swell of her bottom and reminded himself that he shouldn’t notice. Matter of fact, he’d tried his best not to notice over the past two weeks. He’d tried to put his energy into training her instead of admiring her, but there were just so many things about her that he had trouble looking away from.

  Like the way the tip of her tongue touched the corner of her mouth when she concentrated on something. Or the way her ponytail swished across her back when she stomped away from one of Cal’s fussing fits. Hell, that shiny swath of hair had as much attitude as she did.

  And her laugh...ah, man. That sexy laugh of hers made his stomach tighten. Made him want to tug her close, feel her chest vibrate against his and her soft breaths sweep across his skin. Made him feel as though...

  Maybe that’s what it is. She made him feel. She reminded him there was a world outside of Elk Valley. One he’d grown brash enough to roam eleven years ago with or without Nicole. Right after his high school graduation ceremony, he’d told his twin brother, Nate, that he was joining him on the rodeo circuit then he’d packed his bags, planning to leave the next
morning.

  But that was before Nicole had told him about Jaxon. Afterward, that’d been the end of that.

  “Anything else you want us to do after we brush the horses down and turn ’em in for the night?”

  Mac shifted his attention to Cal who walked his horse slowly past, Tim and the recovered horses trailing behind. Cal’s head was tilted down and his voice was meek. As far as apologies went, that was the best Mac had ever seen from Cal.

  “No.” Mac dismounted. “Take care of Willow, too, then y’all can knock off for the day.”

  Cal clicked his tongue and Willow followed the rest of the horses to the stable.

  Mac made his way over to Dani. She stood, clutched the beam against her hip and glared at the broken fence.

  “Want some help?”

  She looked up, the rosy flush in her cheeks and wisps of hair clinging to her sweaty forehead making him grin. “I could use it.” She shrugged. “That is, if you feel like helping the person that cost you a stack of cash and ran your guests off.”

  He frowned and glanced toward the lodge. The sun began to set, casting a bright orange glow over the empty grounds. “They all left?”

  “Half of them.” She dragged her forearm across her face. “I bribed the rest of them with a baseball game on TV, then Ann closed the office and took made-to-order requests for dinner. They’re in the dining room eating now.”

  “Kids, too?”

  She nodded, smiling a little. “Jaxon helped the girls get washed up and seated. They requested a big fat cheese pizza for dinner.”

  Mac chuckled. His girls might be small but they could put a grown man to shame when it came to scarfing down a pizza. “Well, since that’s well in hand, I say we get to hammering.”

  He grabbed the hammer and a nail off the ground, squatted then motioned for her to put the beam into position. She did so, kneeling at his side and holding it in place.

  “I’m really sorry, Mac.” Her words were muffled. “I thought I’d repaired it strong enough.”

  Pausing, he glanced down and nudged her with his elbow. “You didn’t do it on purpose. It was a mistake. That’s all. You’re entitled to your fair share.”