The Wrangler's Last Chance (Red Dog Ranch Book 3)

by Jessica Keller

  “At growing you, son.” She pointed at him. “I know you believe in God, Carter. But I wonder if you know what it means to walk with Him. Because despite loving God, your tree hasn’t grown roots and isn’t flourishing.”

  And there it was. He had finally managed to disappoint Mrs. Spira.

  Carter’s jaw went rigid.

  She must have sensed him pulling away, though, because she quickly snaked her hand across the table and took one of his hands. “Plants need food and water and sunshine to grow, Carter. If we don’t give them those things, they’ll die even when they’re planted in the very best soil.” Her thumb rubbed over the back of his hand. “Do you know how we water ourselves—in a religious sense? We pray, Carter. We spend time with other people who love God. We talk about God and worship Him.” She tugged his hand across the table so he couldn’t get away. “When you thought through all those reasons to not be with Shannon, did you pray about it? Did you ask God about your relationship with Shannon? Or have you only been directed by your own heart and mind—which, need I remind you, are affected by your...condition?”

  Carter swallowed hard. “I didn’t pray about it.” He swallowed again, feeling foolish. “If I’m being honest, I don’t pray very much at all.”

  “Yet you think you know what’s best in the situation? You think you know what’s best for her? All that without getting counsel from the One who wants the best for both of you?” She clucked her tongue. “Do you see what I’m getting at?”

  Mrs. Spira had been right to call him out. Carter was so used to being on his own and all his choices only affecting him, that somewhere along the road he had forgotten that God was with him. That God cared and wanted to be a part of his decision-making. That God had a good and perfect plan for the world and that included him.

  More than a decade had passed since he had prayed that first time, asking God to save him, but his prayers had been few and far between since then. How could he claim a relationship if he never talked to God? It was no different than thinking he and Amy could just pick up as siblings after going for so long without being in each other’s lives.

  He swallowed around the Texas-size lump in his throat. “What have I done?” His voice was a croaky whisper. “How could I let this happen?”

  Shannon might never want to see him after their argument. She was in the midst of mourning her sister-in-law and he had only made things worse for her. He should have held her and been there for her; instead he had left her alone and crying. Carter dropped his head into his hand. He probably didn’t deserve another chance with her.

  Mrs. Spira jiggled the hand she still gripped. “Get your heart right with God first. Focus on that and the rest will come to pass. Perhaps too much damage has been done with the Jarretts—for now that’s not something you can control.” She pressed up to her feet and rounded to where he was sitting. “But the most important thing is your relationship with God. Wrestle with Him. Pray. Do whatever you need to do to get back on the right path.” She pressed a kiss to his temple. “God never gives up on His children, and I’m not quite ready to give up on you, either.” She winked. “I still believe you’re going to grow a beautiful family tree. I think it’s all there, you just need the right nourishment first.” She squeezed his shoulder and then headed back to the front of the house, leaving Carter alone at the tiny table to ponder her words.

  Well, not alone.

  Carter bowed his head, closed his eyes and prayed for the first time in a very long time.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Shannon tested the door to the ranch’s office and found it unlocked. She knew Macy had been attempting to keep up with everything, but since the funeral, Hailey had attached herself to Macy so Shannon’s sister-in-law hadn’t been able to accomplish as much as she normally would have. Taking care of Hailey was the most important thing right now. Besides, Macy was more than eight months pregnant, so it was high time for the rest of them to start managing the responsibilities in the office.

  After clearing off a large table, Shannon lugged a crate full of mail from the front room and dumped it onto the table so she could sort through correspondence. Some items, like bills and donations, required immediate attention while others could wait. It was amazing how much mail could pile up in a couple of days.

  But the act of going through the letters piece by piece helped take her mind off everything, so she embraced the task. Wade and Cassidy had helped Shannon run the egg hunt that morning and afterward they had headed to their home. Shannon hadn’t wanted to go up to Rhett’s but she also hadn’t wanted to be alone in her own home. She had offered to help Cassidy start prepping food for Easter dinner tomorrow, but Cassidy had turned her down, saying Wade would be helping her and two people in the kitchen was enough.

  Shannon felt a little guilty that she needed a break from the grieving, but Rhett and Macy were with Boone and Hailey right now and they wouldn’t miss her for a few hours.

  When Wing Cosby had almost died, Shannon had thought she wouldn’t be able to survive another loss. But June was gone. They had been left with no choice but to accept the loss and deal with it. She was crushed to lose her sister-in-law, but at the same time, Shannon marveled at how God had strengthened and stretched her in the past month. Just like Rhett had said at the house, this pain wouldn’t break their family, it would only make them stronger.

  She lifted a large manila envelope from the pile and froze. It was addressed to Carter Kelly. The return address listed the veterinarian mission organization he had applied to.

  Her throat seized up.

  How had she been so wrong about him? After he left, Shannon had known what real heartbreak was. With Cord, it hadn’t been this way. She hadn’t felt hollowed out and raw after breaking up with him—she had only known relief. Now she knew that she had never loved Cord or any man romantically before. How she felt about Carter—she had never felt like that about anyone else.

  And despite everything that had occurred, she loved Carter Kelly. Loved him completely.

  Too bad it hurt so much.

  At the funeral she had left the seat next to her open, waiting, hoping Carter would reconsider. Even until the end, she had held on to the hope that he would slip into the service, take the seat beside her and lift her hand into his. Just be there. That he would show up and everything would be all right. They would go back to how they had been. The other day would have been a weird blip in the course of their relationship, nothing more.

  But he hadn’t shown up. Not then, and not since.

  Dr. Spira had been stopping by daily to check on Hawken and he had mentioned to Easton that Carter was staying at their house in town. That bit of knowledge shouldn’t have made Shannon breathe easier, but it had. Days ago when he left, Shannon had worried she would never see him again. She had figured he would be in a different state, starting a new life. But for now he had decided to stay in Stillwater, Texas, and she had to wonder why.

  A tiny seed in her heart couldn’t help but hope it had something to do with her.

  Shannon set the envelope down and sighed. She trailed her fingers over his name. If he had been around the last few days, she would have been tempted to spend time with him. She definitely wouldn’t have spent as much time with Boone and Hailey. Shame lanced through her, but she knew it was true. When Carter was near, she was drawn to him. She probably wouldn’t have been able to resist seeking him out, especially if they had made things official. She might have even sought him out for the very purpose of getting lost in his kisses, using him as a means to not deal with the swirl of emotions wrecking their way through her as she grieved. And doing that would have not only prolonged dealing with the grieving process, it wouldn’t have been a fair way to treat Carter or a good foundation for the beginning of a relationship.

  So while it hurt that Carter hadn’t been there for her when she had needed him most, she forgave him.

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nbsp; The front door to the office area creaked open. She looked up, spotting Rhett. “Hey,” she said. “What are you doing here?”

  He jerked his chin toward the pile of mail. “I was going to sort through that, but it looks like you beat me to the task.” Rhett lowered himself into a chair across from her. “I really appreciate all you’ve been doing this week to keep the place running.”

  She pulled her legs up onto her chair and gathered her arms around them. “It’s nice to feel useful for once.”

  “For once?” His eyebrows shot up.

  “You know how it is,” she said. “You and Macy run the place. Cassidy keeps us all fed. As head of maintenance, Wade keeps all the equipment and buildings in working condition. Everyone has a role.” She lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “Everyone but me.”

  “Shannon, look at me.” Rhett’s voice was soft and warm. “It was you who kept the ranch running when I didn’t live here, Boone went to school and we thought Wade was dead. It was you who held this family together and took care of Mom all by yourself after Dad died. You were the one holding our parents’ hands at the hospital when they found out about Mom’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. You have done more for this family and the ranch in the last few years than the rest of us combined. Without you, Red Dog Ranch wouldn’t be here today.”

  “Do you really...” Tears clouded her vision and her throat suddenly felt too tight. “Do you mean that?”

  “You know I’m not one to just say things.” He leaned forward in his chair, his arms resting on the table. “I’m sorry how we acted made you doubt your worth here and I’m sorry you weren’t aware of how much we appreciate and value all you’ve done for the family and for the ranch. If I’d known you felt this way, I would have made sure you knew the truth. I’ll do better from now on. In a week or two, let’s sit down and carve out a defined position for you here.”

  “I’d really like to help with training our staff members who work with the children and would love to oversee some of that. And I’d also love to expand the horsemanship program into something much bigger.”

  He nodded. “That seems like a good fit.”

  As he talked, she had set her feet back on the ground and laid her hands on top of Carter’s envelope. She fiddled with one of the corners, curling it up and then pressing it firmly back down.

  Rhett twisted his head in an effort to read the envelope. “What have you got there?”

  “Mail addressed to Carter.” She smoothed a finger over the lettering. “Looks like it might be the response from the mission organization he applied to.”

  A tilted grin made her big brother look adorable. “Are you going to bring it to him?”

  “Should I?”

  Rhett shrugged. “He deserves to know. Though we could always forward it or give it to Spira next time he stops by. He’s here often enough.”

  Shannon’s hopes plummeted. “Oh, right.”

  “Or—” Rhett tapped the envelope “—you could bring it to him and invite him to Easter dinner.”

  “And just why would I do that?”

  “Because you’re in love with him, Shannon.” Rhett’s smile was huge. “Because guys can be incredibly hardheaded and he may wish everything had ended differently but doesn’t know how to make it right. When Macy and I had our falling out—we lost so many years we could have been together because I was stubborn and thought she was better-off without me. Look at Wade. He loved Cassidy and somehow convinced himself that abandoning her for five years was the most loving thing he could do.” Rhett closed his eyes and shook his head. “Both of us were total blockheads who are incredibly blessed our wives fought for our relationships and kept pushing us.” Rhett grimaced. “I’m afraid Carter may have the same blockhead gene. It tends to be a dominant trait in the males of our species.”

  Could it be that simple? If she saw Carter, could they repair the damage they had both created and move forward? Rhett and Macy had. Wade and Cassidy had, too. Why not her?

  There was only one way to find out.

  Shannon hugged the envelope to her chest. “He deserves to know as soon as possible, right?”

  Rhett got up and unhooked one of the many keys from the wall. Shannon had never needed to own her own car because the ranch had a slew of vehicles dedicated to staff use. The keys hung on the pegboard in the office where staff members signed them out whenever they took one. “Take the Jeep.” Rhett dangled the key from his hand. “It’s got a full tank of gas and Wade finished all the tune-ups on it yesterday.”

  She took the keys from his hand and then leaned in, hugging him. “I love you, Rhett. Thanks for being a great big brother.”

  He kissed her on the check. “It’s easy when I have the best sister out there.”

  She gave him another squeeze and then headed out. She would figure out what to say to Carter along the way.

  * * *

  Carter was putting together a shelving unit for Mrs. Spira when the doorbell rang.

  “I’ll get it,” Dr. Spira called from the other room. A few seconds later he poked his head into the study where Carter and Mrs. Spira were working. “It’s for you, son.”

  Carter dusted his hands on his jeans and headed toward the front room. When he turned the corner and saw Shannon waiting there, his heart stuttered along with his voice. “Wh-what are you—you’re here.”

  “This came for you.” She held out a large envelope. “It’s from the mission.”

  He glanced at it and then up at her. With everything else going on, he had forgotten he had even applied. Carter licked his lips.

  She jiggled the envelope until he finally took it from her hands.

  “Well,” she said. “What are you waiting for? Open it.”

  But he was having a hard time processing beyond the fact that she was here. Shannon was three feet away and she wasn’t glaring at him or crying or telling him to get out of town. Ever since his conversation with Mrs. Spira, Carter had been praying for Shannon and praying that they would have an opportunity to reconcile. But he hadn’t wanted to crowd her by showing up at the ranch, especially not when her family was in the middle of dealing with a tragedy.

  Carter set the envelope on the table and took a cautious step in her direction. “I’m sorry, Shannon. I was a jerk about the funeral—I should have been there for you and done whatever you needed.” His words spilled out quickly. “I—I failed you. Leaving Red Dog Ranch, leaving you.” His next step brought them only a foot apart.

  The soft, warm expression she wore said it was okay to proceed, so he did. “I’ve never regretted something more in my life. I’ll never be able to make it up to you, but I’d like to try if you’re willing to let me come home. And I don’t mean Red Dog Ranch.” He lifted a tentative hand to her face to tuck a curl behind her ear. “I mean you, Shannon. Being around you—that’s the most at-home I’ve ever felt in my whole life.” He met her unwavering eye contact. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Carter,” she whispered. “I said some horrible things to you. I’m so sorry I called you a coward. You’re not. With everything you’ve been through in your life, you’re incredibly brave.”

  “I forgive you,” he said. “Will you forgive me?”

  Then her lips parted into a teasing grin that did all sorts of funny things to his insides. “I’ll forgive you under one condition.”

  He quirked an eyebrow. “Which is?”

  She looked up at him through hooded eyes. “Kiss me.”

  “Gladly.” He gathered her in his arms and found her lips. Found home. Her fingers found the sides of his face and trailed back to touch the hair at the base of his neck. Carter groaned and adjusted his mouth as he pulled her tighter against his chest.

  A loud whoop behind him caused them to break apart. The Spiras had entered the room at some point and were cheering, their arms around each other.
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  Shannon blushed and buried her face in Carter’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “I told you about Audrey. She’s the only person I ever dated. I’ve never been in a real relationship before.” He laid his cheek on top of her head. “Not like this, not where I was head over heels gone on someone. And I don’t know if I’ll do everything right.”

  Shannon pushed on his chest, setting herself back to look into his eyes. “We can make this work as long as we keep being honest with each other.”

  Carter nodded. Shannon was right; it was time to start being completely honest with each other. “The day of the horse show I got a call from my sister. She implied I may not be fit to be a part of a family.” His fingertips found her hair again. “That’s why I pulled away.”

  “I’m so sorry, Carter,” she said. “I know how much you want to reconcile with her. We’ll keep praying about it together, okay?”

  He swallowed hard. “I promise not to keep stuff like that from you from now on. We both know I’ve done a lot wrong so far, but if you’ll have me, I’d like to try.” He offered a tentative smile as she dashed a tear from her cheek.

  “And I promise I’ll pray more and keep working on myself.” He glanced back at the Spiras. “Mrs. Spira helped me see that was part of what has been getting me into trouble for so long.”

  Shannon hugged his middle. “I promise to pray more and keep working on myself, too. But I want to be with you, Carter. I want to be together.” Shannon slipped away from him and picked the envelope back up. “I think it’s time to open this.”

  Carter fumbled to tear it open but finally did. He pulled out the packet inside. “Welcome to...” “I got in.” He handed Shannon the letter. “They want me to be part of the South America trip this summer.”

  Shannon squealed, jumped up and down and then hugged him again. “I’m so proud of you.”

  “I’m not going to take it.” He tugged the letter from her grasp and let it fall to the floor. Then he took both of her hands into his. “For the first time in my life I have a reason to stay. I want to be with you and if that means passing up a hundred opportunities like this, I will.”