The Rancher's Legacy (Red Dog Ranch Book 1)

by Jessica Keller

  For a microsecond Olivia considered calling The Haven and asking Jake, her foster aunts’ handyman, to come and help her. Until a glance at her phone showed it was dead. Again. Not that it mattered, because she had no intention of calling.

  Olivia never took the easy way out. She prided herself on being responsible and that included fixing a tire, even though she’d have to completely unpack her fully laden car to retrieve her spare.

  “Nothing good comes easily,” she reminded herself with a weary sigh.

  Olivia had her hand on the trunk latch when a rumble to her right made her pause. A half-ton truck beetled toward her, leaving behind a massive dust plume from the bumpy dirt track—well, you could hardly call it a road.

  Some might say you could hardly call the vehicle a truck. Rusted-out fenders, splotches of turquoise paint dabbed here and there—probably to contain the rust—and a cracked windshield numbered among its less noteworthy features.

  “At least his vehicle is running,” she chastised herself.

  He was Gabe Webber, foreman of the Double M, the sprawling ranch next door to The Haven. Olivia knew him, but only casually. Gabe had been employed after she and her foster sisters Victoria, Adele and Gemma had left The Haven to attend university.

  Years ago, when they were not quite teens, Olivia and the other girls had been brought here by Tillie and Margaret Spenser, former missionaries and aging owners of the huge stone house and pristinely forested estate known as The Haven. Despite their being dubbed troublemakers in the foster care system, the four girls had bonded while the Spenser sisters, whom they affectionately called “the aunties,” sheltered and lovingly raised them as if they were all part of one big family. Those precious years had created a debt none of the four girls could ever hope to repay.

  Over a year ago the aunties had come up with a plan to sponsor an outreach program at The Haven, a way to offer respite to troubled foster children. Victoria had set that plan into motion. Then last fall, Adele, Olivia’s second foster sister, came on board as the food and beverage manager. In a recent phone call to Olivia, Victoria had raved that the foster kids who now came to The Haven on a weekend, or for weeklong programs, loved the addition of trail rides to their activities, and she’d given a big part of the credit to the Double M foreman, Gabe.

  Olivia was happy for Victoria and Adele and The Haven’s success, but she didn’t intend to become part of it. Olivia didn’t do responsibility for kids. Never again.

  Gabe’s battered truck pulled up behind her car, motor purring smoothly. He climbed out. Six feet four inches and leaner than lean, Gabe Webber was always the image that came to mind when Olivia thought “cowboy.” Handsome and hunky, his crisp dark hair glistened in the sunshine as he whipped off his black Stetson and smiled at her.

  “Hello, Olivia. Nice to see you. Having trouble?” he asked in a low rumbly voice.

  Funny that she’d never noticed how deep his voice was.

  “Hi, Gabe.” Olivia glanced at him and then quickly away, lifting one hand to make sure her hair covered her scarred cheek. Gabe had seen the scar before, of course, and never once had he made her feel uncomfortable about it, but her actions stemmed from a lifelong habit.

  “My tire blew,” she explained. “I was about to dig out the spare.”

  “I see that. I hear you’re making a move to Edmonton.” Gabe assessed the damage, running one gloved fingertip over the shredded tire. “Starting a new job, your aunts said?”

  “That’s the plan,” Olivia agreed. “I need to find an apartment and get settled in before I start work, but first I wanted to stop by The Haven and see everyone.”

  “Organizing people, is that what you do?” Gabe clapped on his Stetson, then shoved it to the back of his head, sky-blue eyes darkening as he studied her nod.

  “Sort of. My official title was systems analyst, but the job was more about being an administrative assistant to a colonel.” She shrugged. “I was tasked with making his office run more efficiently.” Too much information, Olivia.

  “Uh-huh.” Gabe blinked. “Been a long time since you were here, Liv. Your Aunt Tillie and Aunt Margaret miss you.” His intense gaze shifted to scrutinize the other tires. Bald tires.

  “I miss my aunties, too, but it wasn’t always easy to get here from Ottawa,” she defended. Please don’t say I should have bought new tires. She’d used a hefty chunk of her precious savings to store her furniture and fund her move far away from the man to whom she’d given her heart, the one who’d lied about loving her. Edmonton would be her fresh start. “How’ve you been, Gabe?”

  “Busy. Since the Double M started offering trail rides, Victoria keeps us hopping.” His droll, dry comment didn’t tell Olivia he was joking, but his slow, easy smile did. “I make time to come over to The Haven every week on Fridays, though. Doughnut afternoons.” Gabe licked his full lips and grinned, white teeth blazing against his tanned skin. “Chef Adele makes the best glazed doughnuts. Besides, I enjoy her kids. Those twins are quite a pair.”

  “Yes, they are.” Olivia barely knew her adopted niece and nephew, Francie and Franklyn, but that was by choice. If she didn’t get too close to them, she couldn’t wreck their worlds as she’d done to other kids. She pushed up her sleeves. “I guess I’d better change—”

  Her words were cut short by the squeal of tires as a dusty white SUV barreled off the highway and around the corner. It slid to a halt mere inches from Olivia’s back bumper. She and Gabe both stared as a woman got out and marched toward them.

  “Lady, you have to slow down around here. There could be a horse wandering in the road and if you hit it, you’d be in trouble and so would it.” Gabe sounded irritated, which Olivia thought was odd for what she’d always thought such an easygoing guy. But then this cowboy loved horses as much as other people loved their kids.

  The woman seemed unfazed. “I’m looking for a Gabriel Webber.”

  “You found him.” Gabe frowned at her. “What can I—?”

  The words died on his lips as the woman racewalked around the front of her vehicle to the passenger side. She yanked open the back door and a moment later dragged forward a small boy and an equally small battered suitcase.

  “This is your son, Eli,” she announced.

  “I’m sorry, lady, you’ve got the wrong guy.” Gabe began shaking his head, but the woman interrupted.

  “Eve’s son. Your son.” She stared at him hard. “Eli’s almost six.”

  Olivia’s head had been swiveling back and forth between them, trying to figure out what was happening. At the word Eve, Gabe stiffened, but at the word six his face seemed to freeze.

  “Impossible,” he finally whispered, blanching.

  “Possible.” The woman nodded. “I’m Eve’s sister, Kathy Kane. We’ve never met, though we might have if you’d had a proper wedding instead of dragging my sister to some unsavory elopement and then dumping her when she got pregnant.” When she received no response to her angry criticism she continued. “I live in Calgary now. Where Eve lived.”

  “Lived?” Gabe squinted at her. His face tightened into a mask, giving away nothing. He glanced at the boy again. “She’s not living there now?”

  “Eve died a month ago. She had cancer.”

  Olivia knew less than nothing about raising kids, but she immediately knew it wasn’t right that the woman said the words so baldly, without even a hand on the shoulder to comfort the boy. And yet, Eli seemed untouched by the remark about his mother’s passing. He just stood where he was, staring at the ground, his little face pinched and sad.

  “I’m sorry,” Gabe murmured.

  “Me, too. She left a mess behind.” Kathy Kane was not a soft-spoken woman; nor did she make any effort to conceal her irritation. “I’ll clean it up. But I can’t stay and talk. I’ve got two kids at home and the neighbor will only watch them for a while longer. I’ve got to go. W
ait.” She went back to the car.

  For a moment Olivia thought Gabe feared she’d leave because he leaned forward as if he’d go after her. But Kathy returned quickly, carrying a huge handbag into which she dug furtively for a few moments before producing a bedraggled envelope.

  “Eve left you this. It’ll explain everything. I wrote my information on the back, just in case you need to contact me, though I’d rather you didn’t. I’ve done enough.” She stepped forward, thrust the envelope at Gabe, her jaw tight. “Don’t bring him back,” she growled, her voice low and threatening. “I can’t keep him. I got enough trouble raising my own kids and paying all Eve’s bills.”

  “But—”

  “You be good,” Kathy said to Eli, her fingers clutching his shoulder.

  Olivia saw the boy wince.

  “This is your dad. You’re gonna live with him, like we talked about. Bye.” Without another word or even an embrace, Kathy wheeled around, climbed into her car and roared back to the corner. She disappeared down the highway.

  Olivia remained silent, embarrassed that she’d witnessed the incident. Gabe’s frigid expression kept her from offering her sympathy, but then as he studied Eli, his icy appearance began to melt and soften. Longing filled his blue eyes—as if he couldn’t quite believe his dreams had just come true. Several long moments stretched until finally Gabe walked up to the boy and squatted in front of him.

  “Hello, Eli. I’m very pleased to meet you. My name is Gabe Webber.” He held out a hand, withdrew it quickly to strip off his leather work glove, then thrust it out again and waited.

  Olivia caught her breath when Eli looked up, staring into intense blue eyes that were an exact replica of his own. Their jutting chins had the same hard line. Dark crisp curls flopped onto prominent brows in an identical manner. The child was a mirror image of Gabe. There could be no doubt that man and boy were related.

  “Are you really my dad?” Eli’s murmur barely carried over the freshening wind whispering across the foothill grasses.

  “That’s what your aunt said.” Gabe let his unshaken hand drop. “I’ll have to read your mom’s letter before I know more.” He gulped, then added very quietly, “But I guess I am your father, Eli.”

  Big fat tears began to course down Eli’s cheeks. His shoulders sagged.

  “Why didn’t you come?” he asked, his voice breaking on a sob. “I prayed and prayed. Why didn’t you come?”

  Then, like a broken reed that just couldn’t hold itself up anymore, the little boy collapsed in a heap, sobbing his heart out.

  * * *

  He had a son.

  Gabe stared at Eli while his brain mentally regressed to the day he’d handed Eve a copy of their divorce decree. He could still hear her voice.

  You’ll be sorry, Gabe.

  No, Eve. I won’t. I wish our marriage could have worked out, because I loved you. But you don’t want me. You only ever wanted what Dad’s ranch could give you—money. Now you have it, though the stress and pain you’ve caused us will cost us a lot more than those few dollars you grabbed at. Goodbye, Eve.

  Then he’d waited for her to leave. Had she already known she was pregnant?

  “Gabe?” Olivia’s soft voice cracked the mirror of his past. She moved closer to meet his gaze, her silver-gray eyes clouded as she glanced pointedly at the sobbing child. “Do something,” she whispered.

  “I don’t know—” He spread his hands helplessly. The kid wouldn’t even shake his hand. What was he supposed to do?

  “Oh, for mercy’s—” Obviously exasperated, she walked to Eli and squatted in front of him. “Eli? My name is Olivia DeWitt. My aunties live in that great big house up there. See it?”

  Eli paused in his weeping, looked up and nodded with a sniff.

  “It’s called The Haven,” Olivia continued. “My sister is making doughnuts there today. Would you like to go with me and have some?”

  Gabe stared. He hadn’t seen Olivia interact with kids much. She always seemed aloof, or perhaps standoffish was more accurate. Yet here she was offering to take his son—his son?—for doughnuts. Just another thing his brain couldn’t seem to process.

  “The thing is, Eli, my car has a flat tire. We’ll have to ride up there with Gabe in his truck. Okay?” she asked.

  “Uh-huh.” Eli scrubbed away the tears, which left dirt streaks across his face. He stared at Gabe. “Is he my dad for sure?” he whispered.

  “I don’t know, but why don’t we forget about that for now and go enjoy the doughnuts. Maybe some lemonade, too. Deal?” Olivia held out a hand and, to Gabe’s shock, Eli shook it.

  They rose together. To Gabe it was as if some invisible bond stretched between them. A bond he hadn’t been able to achieve. That stung.

  “Could you drive us, please, Gabe?” Olivia asked, locking up her vehicle. “I’ll leave my car here for now. Gabe?” she prodded when he didn’t respond.

  “What? Uh, drive. Sure.” He could hardly tear his gaze away from the boy. His son.

  God, I’m going to need some help here.

  He put Eli’s small shabby suitcase in the truck bed without saying anything more, mostly because he couldn’t think of anything appropriate. And yet, as he drove to The Haven, a million questions rolled inside his head. Why? That was the most pressing of them all. It seemed that his questions, like Eve’s letter in his pocket, would have to wait till later.

  Eve. Every nerve in Gabe’s body tensed. Anger surged and the knot in his stomach tightened. Deceiver. Cheater. Liar. She’d been all of those, so why was he surprised by this? He clenched his jaw, braking a little harder than he should have in front of the huge stone house.

  “Livvie!” Tillie and Margaret Spenser jumped up from the shaded cedar bench outside the back door. Both rushed toward them as Gabe parked and walked around to open Olivia’s door.

  “Another of our dear girls is home,” Aunt Tillie gushed.

  “Just for a week,” Olivia said as she released Gabe’s helping hand.

  He thought that sounded like a warning.

  “But—”

  “My dear aunties, Victoria, and Adele have made their lives at The Haven and I’m very happy for them and you.” Olivia interrupted Margaret as she hugged her close. “But Gemma and I are still the family’s wanderers. I’m home for a visit, then I’ll have to leave here to start my job. But having two of your four foster daughters living here permanently isn’t bad, is it?” she teased.

  “It’s wonderful. All part of our God’s glorious plan, my dear. Where’s your car?” Tillie Spenser asked as she followed her sister in hugging Olivia.

  “Bottom of the hill. Blown tire.”

  Olivia’s unconcealed chagrin made Gabe smile, until Tillie released her and included him in the hugfest. Then she bent to study Eli.

  “Hello, young man. Welcome to The Haven. It’s doughnut day, did you know that?”

  “She said,” Eli responded, shooting a small smile at Olivia. The smile disappeared when he looked at Gabe.

  “This is Eli,” Olivia explained. “He’ll be joining us,” she managed to say just before being encircled by Adele’s adopted twins, Francie and Franklyn, who’d come racing around the side of the house.

  Gabe noted how quickly Olivia drew away from them.

  “Hey, guys, you’re kinda dirty,” she said, nose wrinkling at the muddy streaks on her formerly pristine white shirt.

  “Yeah. Choc’late mud pies.” Francie grinned. “We gotta wash ’fore we c’n eat doughnuts,” she told Eli.

  “It’s a rule,” Franklyn agreed.

  Gabe had loved the twins from the moment Adele arrived with them over six months ago. He couldn’t have been happier when she’d married his boss, Mac McDowell, owner of the Double M, because it meant the cute pair now lived on the ranch. He loved kids, had always wanted some of his own, but Eve—don’t
go there.

  He had a son. Gabe couldn’t make that sink into his brain. Nor could he comprehend why Eve hadn’t told him, especially after she’d become ill.

  “Come on.” Francie grabbed Eli’s hand. “Washup time. An’ don’t miss no dirt ’cause we can’t eat nothin’ till we get clean an’ the doughnuts are yummy.” She whirled to inspect the adults. “Uncle Gabe, you got dust on your cheek. You gotta wash, too.”

  “Yup, you do,” Franklyn agreed. He grabbed Eli’s other hand and drew him alongside, discussing crash-up cars. Eli went along with a confused look on his face.

  “Let’s do have some doughnuts,” Aunt Margaret said. She and her sister followed the kids inside. Only Gabe and Olivia remained.

  “I figured you wouldn’t want to explain to them about Eli until you have everything sorted out,” she said quietly.

  “Thanks.” He could feel her questions.

  “I didn’t know you’d been married, Gabe.”

  “At eighteen. For about three years.” Because she’d witnessed the debacle with Kathy, Gabe figured he owed Olivia at least a rudimentary explanation. “Eve was the new girl in town and I fell hard for her. My dad didn’t approve, though. We eloped, then she moved onto our ranch. I’d worked the ranch with Dad my whole life and I loved it, but Eve said it was boring and hated it. She started to cause problems—on the ranch and between Dad and me. I finally realized that when she looked at me, all she saw was a meal ticket.”

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  “Me, too.” He pursed his lips. Best to get it said and then forget it. As if! “Eve wanted out, so Dad agreed to sell off part of our land to pay her off. She took the money and ran, but Dad’s treasure, our ranch, was decimated. We couldn’t ranch on so little land, though he fought hard to make it work. Six months later he died from a massive coronary. I had to sell the land at rock-bottom prices.”