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

by Jessica Keller

  “But it’s your dream.” She squeezed his hand at the word dream. “I’ll wait for you. It’s only three months. I would miss you, but I’ll be right here when you get back.”

  “It might have been, but dreams change,” he said. “I’ve changed.”

  Dr. Spira cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to barge in, but I have two bits of information that might help.” He held up two fingers. “The first is that particular mission allows spouses to go along and, being a member of the board of the organization, I happen to know they still have room on that trip for extras.”

  Carter’s mouth dropped open. He hadn’t known Spira was on the board—that was shocking enough—but had the man just suggested Shannon and Carter get married?

  The Spiras both smiled and nodded encouragingly.

  Carter moistened his lips and turned back to Shannon. “I’m not going to lie and say I haven’t already thought about marriage,” Carter said. “I want that with you and I’m already in my thirties, so I don’t want to wait too long.” He scrubbed at the back of his neck. “But...I’m forehead-deep in debt from my school loans, and if I go on this trip that’s three months without pay, which sets us three months back from even the hope of one day being in the spot where I have enough saved for us to be comfortably married and—”

  Spira coughed. “Which brings me to my second point.” The doctor held up a finger. “I always dreamed I’d leave my practice to one of my children one day, but they went and had the audacity to have dreams of their own, none of which included becoming a veterinarian. But then God brought me you.” He wrapped an arm around his wife.

  “And we think of you like our son,” Mrs. Spira said. “You’re family to us now.”

  Carter’s knees went weak at their declaration. He latched onto Shannon for support. Shannon wrapped an arm around his middle and squeezed him to her side.

  “So when you return from the mission, I’d like to give you my practice,” Dr. Spira said. “Free of charge, of course. That way you don’t have to worry about the expense of starting one from scratch. My practice may seem on the small side, but I can tell you, it does rather well.”

  Carter sank to sit on the coffee table. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “I’ll stay on for a year and advise you, of course. But then after that—” he looked at his wife and they shared a loving look “—after that we’re going to move to Galveston to be near our grandchildren.”

  “I can’t accept this. It’s too much.”

  Spira left the room for a minute and returned with a file folder in his hands. “Too bad,” he said, “I already started the legal process to change the ownership. I just need your signature.” He walked forward, holding out the folder. “I built this practice to be an inheritance, son. I never wanted to sell it.”

  Carter stood, but he ignored the folder and pulled the doctor into a hug instead. They had called him a member of their family. They had called him son. Carter reached out to Shannon and pulled her into their hug, too, and then he held out an arm, inviting Mrs. Spira into the embrace. She readily joined. The four of them stood there holding each other for a few minutes before they broke apart, everyone swiping at their eyes.

  “Would you all like to join us for Easter dinner tomorrow?” Shannon asked. Everyone agreed they wouldn’t miss it.

  Carter headed back to the guest bedroom to pack his things. As he slung the duffel holding his meager possessions onto his back, he couldn’t help but feel as if he was the richest man in the world. He had Shannon’s love, the Spiras’ acceptance and he had God’s guidance. Nothing else mattered in the world.

  After he said goodbye to the Spiras, he headed outside with Shannon. She reached for his hand. “Let’s go home.”

  He dropped his duffel bag on the ground so he could pull her to his chest unhindered. “You’re here, Shannon.” He drank in her gaze and the beautiful trust and vulnerability radiating from her smile. “That means I’m already home.” Then he brought his lips to hers and gave her a kiss that spoke of all the promises and dreams they would share together.

  * * *

  Be sure to watch for Boone’s story,

  coming later this year!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Their Wander Canyon Wish by Allie Pleiter.

  Dear Reader,

  The statistics aren’t pretty. One in three women will experience domestic violence at some point in their lifetime, and one in ten children is a victim of or witnesses domestic violence in their homes. If that’s you, know that you are worthy of love and it grieves the heart of God to see you mistreated. When you’re ready, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

  Carter and Shannon both deal with a lot of really tough things and I was so excited when they reached a happy ending. Make sure to look up the rest of the books in the Red Dog Ranch series. Each sibling gets their own story! Please connect with me on my Facebook author page and remember—book reviews are always greatly appreciated.

  Thank you for reading!

  Jessica Keller

  WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS BOOK FROM

  Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.

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  Their Wander Canyon Wish

  by Allie Pleiter

  Chapter One

  Out of order?

  Seriously?

  Marilyn Sofitel couldn’t believe the sign hanging from the large closed door in front of her. In all the years she’d grown up in Wander Canyon, the carousel had never been out of order. The whimsical, dollar-a-ride merry-go-round was the town’s pride and joy, the unofficial symbol of the tiny Colorado community. Housed in a big red round barn in the center of town, it was the one thing she could always count on to be there.

  Not today. How could the carousel be broken? And on today of all days, when her girls had been clamoring for a ride and she’d finally made the time to give them one?

  Her daughter Maddie scowled at the closed door. “Aw. Why’s it shut, Mom?”

  Margie, Maddie’s twin, squinted at the handwritten words inked messily onto a scrap of wood. She tugged on Marilyn’s sleeve and looked up. “What’s that say?” At six and a half, the girls were starting to read, constantly pointing out and asking about words. Usually she took joy in their eagerness to read. Not this particular moment.

  Marilyn tried to keep the frustration out of her voice as she pointed to each of the words. “It says ‘Out of Order.’”

  “What’s that mean?” Maddie said, her jutting lower lip telling Marilyn she’d already guessed.

  Marilyn’s chest sank at the idea of disappointing her girls. “It means the carousel is broken.” After a sad second she added, “Today, at least,” as an attempt at optimism.

  She’d been an optimist once. A starry-eyed young woman who chose to see the best in everyone and every situation. And now, here she was, back in Wander Canyon with no idea of her future and two daughters who wouldn’t get to ride the carousel today.

  She fought the urge to groan. Or cry. Or both. Today was a beautiful June Thursday, the day she’d chosen to be her first day of a new start. The day she was dropping off her first resumé to start the search for a part-time job. What did it say that she couldn’t get even this tiny little thing to go her way? She was bone tired of everything in life feeling—and being—broken.

  Suddenly the big double doors pushed open, sending the sign swinging from its twine on a single nail.

  “It’s fixed!” Maddie cried. “It’s...”

  “Hold your horses there, little lady. It’s not quite fixed...yet.” A tall man with messy hair and dirty hands lugged a bag of tools through the doors. The man’s glance took in Maddie, then Margie, and finally
raised his eyes to see Marilyn. “Ladies,” he corrected to the plural. “Little and—” he added a silky touch of flirtation to his tone “—not so little.”

  Marilyn couldn’t quite place the face, but it was familiar. Wander Canyon wasn’t so big that the familiarity surprised her. Growing up here, she recognized most faces around town, even after having lived in Denver since her marriage. “We were hoping to ride today,” she told him, even though it felt like stating the obvious.

  “Well, I was hoping to have it fixed today. As it is, I’m waiting on a part from New York. I can’t exactly duck down the street to the hardware store on something like this. So no rides yet. Sorry ’bout that.”

  Maddie’s pout filled her face and pinched Marilyn’s heart. “No rides.”

  The man set down his bag and crouched down to Maddie’s level. “Afraid not. Which is too bad, because you look like just the little girl to look perfect riding the bluebird.” He turned to Margie, making a show of considering her. “And you, well, you look to me like a zebra kind of girl.”

  “I like the rooster best,” Maddie said with great importance. The Wander Carousel was famous for sporting a full collection of unusual animals—fish, grasshoppers, lambs, birds, mice—but not a single pony among them. Every Wander child had a favorite, and they got to ride for free on their birthday. Marilyn’s twins, who’d been coming here to visit since they were toddlers, were no exception. It wasn’t their birthday, thank goodness, but the disappointment still stung.

  The carousel mechanic’s sky-blue eyes looked an amused sort of pained, if that made any sense. “Well, what do you know. I’m usually good with picking people’s favorites.” Looking at Margie, he scrunched up his face in mock thought. “Am I wrong about you, too?”

  “The zebra’s okay,” Margie said, always eager to please. “But I like the seahorse best.”

  He sat back on his haunches. “Wrong about both,” the man said. “Seems I’m off my game.”

  “Guess Mom’s!” Maddie said, somehow thinking this guessing game would rectify things.

  “Maybe I should.” The man straightened up slowly, scratching his chin in dramatic consideration as he rose. Marilyn felt as if he was giving every inch of her a once-over.

  Which was how she recognized him. Just as he reached his full height—almost a head above her—she knew he was Wyatt Walker.

  Wyatt had been a year or two ahead of her in high school. Too handsome and nowhere near enough well behaved, he’d been one of those boys mothers warned their daughters against. Charm and trouble wrapped up in a package that too many girls found irresistible. Not that she’d ever been one of them. They didn’t travel in anywhere near the same social circles, and Marilyn doubted they’d said three words to each other in high school. But she knew who he was, because everyone knew who Wyatt Walker was.

  If she recognized him, he didn’t seem to recognize her. “Hmm,” he said, still staring at her. Those mesmerizing eyes were a Wander High legend. “I’m going with...the owl.”

  She was relieved he’d guessed wrong. The gleam in his eyes told her he’d read too much into being right. “Actually, I’ve always been partial to the ostrich.”

  The moment she said it, the fact struck her as telling. An ostrich. The perfect choice for a woman who’d had her head in the sand for the last year and a half. Ouch.

  He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Wrong on all counts? I don’t know quite what to do about that. Except maybe introduce myself. I’m Wyatt Walker.” He pulled a bandanna from the back pocket of his jeans and wiped his hand before extending it for a shake.

  Marilyn wanted to say, “I know,” but instead shook his hand and said “Marilyn Sofitel. These are my daughters.” She touched each of their shoulders as she named them. “Margie and Maddie.”

  “Hi,” said Maddie, holding up her hand for a shake. Landon had always said his daughter would grow up to be president of something, given her outgoing nature.

  “Hello, Miss Maddie. Nice to meet you.” He gave Maddie’s hand a formal shake, then held out his hand to Margie. “That makes you Miss Margie, does it?”

  Margie, a bit of a tomboy, wrinkled her nose at the title. “Just Margie.” Landon had touted this daughter as the one who would invent something amazing.

  “Well, just Margie, my name is Wyatt. Nice to meet you. Sorry about the carousel. Are you staying for the summer? Will you be here long enough to come back when it’s fixed?”

  “We live here now,” Maddie said. “At Gram and Gramps’s house.”

  “Till we get settled on our own,” said Margie. Marilyn gulped at how her daughter parroted the words of a recent conversation. A conversation Marilyn had had with her parents the other night when the girls were supposed to be in bed. She raised an eyebrow at Margie, who responded with a too-innocent who me? shrug.

  Wyatt considered her again, thoughtfully this time. “Sofitel. Do I...know you?”

  Marilyn wasn’t quite sure if she should be glad or annoyed that she’d changed so much since high school. Those days felt a world away, and she certainly felt like a different woman from the cheerleader who had steered well clear of a boy like Wyatt. “Actually, we went to the same high school. I was Mari Ralton back then.”

  “Mari Ralton.” She watched recognition light his eyes. Those bright blue eyes and sandy blond hair—rebel long back then but cut shorter now—had been his hallmark back in the day. He still was an attractive man, if one went in for the “misunderstood” type. “I think I remember you.” He squinted his eyes in thought. “Cheerleader. Debate club, maybe? Not my class, though. One year behind?”

  “Two, actually. I moved to Denver when I got married.” She tried not to sigh. “And now we’re back.” She gave Wyatt a pointed look that she hoped told him she didn’t want to get into why she was back.

  He caught her meaning—sort of. “Well, then,” he said to Margie, “bring your dad with you when you come back and I’ll say hello to him, too. Maybe I can get his animal right.”

  Marilyn felt her chest tighten just as Margie’s chin tilted down and she said, “You can’t.”

  Wyatt offered her a questioning look, as if to say, care to respond to that?

  “My husband passed away last September.” She was still waiting for the world to stop turning for a handful of seconds every time she had to tell someone that.

  It was to Wyatt’s credit that he addressed his response to her daughters. “I’m mighty sorry to hear that. It’s a very sad thing to lose your daddy.” He raised his eyes to Marilyn. “I’m sorry for your loss. Glad your folks are here to help. Ralton—Ed and Katie, isn’t it? Down on the south side of the canyon?”

  That was Wander. Everyone knew everyone else. “Yes, that’s them.” The small-town friendliness was a good thing, mostly, only in her situation it made Marilyn feel a bit trapped. She hadn’t counted on the closeness rubbing so raw here. People had been nice, but she still felt too exposed. It was an uncomfortably tight squeeze to poke back into town salvaging the pieces of a once-pretty life. The promising girl who married well and moved away only to have to crawl back home.

  Stuck and broken. A bit too much like the pretty carousel that sat immobile behind those big doors.

  * * *

  Nice one, Wyatt. Bad enough you haven’t fixed the carousel yet, now you bring up two poor little girls’ dead father? Today was proving a nonstop tour of coming up short on things. Not quite sure what else to do, Wyatt offered Mari—Marilyn—as much of an “I’m so sorry” look as he could manage with the little girls staring straight at him.

  “You still on the ranch?” Marilyn’s question held a “let’s please change the subject” tone. He couldn’t really blame her, given the sad subject he’d raised.

  Oh, if she only knew her deflecting question raised an awkward topic of its own. “Um...no.”

  She, of course, looked surprised. �
��Really?”

  Wyatt shifted his weight to buy himself a scrap of time. By now he’d hoped to be done explaining why he’d moved off the family land and into the apartment above Manny’s Garage. Not many people—make that almost no one—in Wander could understand why a Walker would step away from Wander Canyon Ranch like he had. Most people scowled at him as if it was a genetic fluke—or at least a phenomenal disappointment—to bear that last name and not have ranching in his blood. Reaching for what you want in life shouldn’t have to feel like letting everyone else down. He tried to keep his tone conversational rather than irritated. “Chaz runs the ranch now. Or most of it, now that Dad’s trying to be retired. And married.”

  “Oh,” she said, nodding. “Mom said something about your dad’s new marriage. And Chaz, too, right?”

  Dad and Chaz’s recent marriages had indeed been the talk of Wander’s wagging tongues. It had been a relief when the Wander gossip mill focused on Dad’s fast marriage to Pauline. And then his stepbrother Chaz’s taking over the ranch. And then Chaz’s surprising marriage to Pauline’s niece, Yvonne. A little Wander Canyon soap opera tailor-made to shift the spotlight off him. The cascade of those three dramatic events had made it easy—well, easier—to slip out of his son-and-heir status when it came to the ranch.

  Of course, it hadn’t been anything close to easy. He’d wrenched himself out from under that yoke with pure brute force and open rebellion. Chaz was over it, Dad was trying to get over it, but the rest of the town hadn’t been so gracious. After all, it wasn’t hard to pin a new underachievement on Wander’s established bad boy. He was actually surprised Marilyn didn’t already know—but then again, she’d been living in Denver. Most days he sloughed the scorn off, but the sideways glances and disapproving tones were evidently getting to him. How else could he explain the sudden, uncharacteristic offer to not only help Manny out, but to step in and fix the carousel when it broke?