The Rancher's Family Secret

by Myra Johnson

  Lindsey debated whether she should mention their find and risk the possibility of word getting back to his grandfather. If Arturo thought they had any chance of paying off the ranch debts, no telling what shenanigans he might try.

  Audra scurried toward them, a package of tissue paper in one hand and a cordless phone in the other. “I have Alan Picton on the phone. He’d love to take a look—Oh, hi, Spencer. Did Lindsey tell you what we found?”

  “Haven’t had a chance yet.” Avoiding Spencer’s questioning stare, Lindsey grabbed the tissue paper. “Maybe we should, um...” She hoped her aunt would catch the meaning behind her pointed glance.

  Audra nodded and lifted the phone to her ear. “Hi, Alan. I’m going to let you talk to my sister-in-law. She knows more about these things than I do.”

  Lindsey’s mother took the phone and moved several feet away. Lindsey handed the tissue paper to her stepdad, then motioned Spencer to walk with her toward the barn. “Please promise you’ll keep this to yourself.”

  Spencer snorted. “Seems like I’m doing a lot of that lately. What exactly is going on?”

  She told him about the books and the hope they could be valuable. “Even a few hundred dollars could be our seed money to get the event venue up and running. Or if they’re worth a lot more, maybe we could pay off all Aunt Audra’s debts and she could get back into ranching.”

  Reaching the paddock, Spencer clucked to Ash to call him over, then grew silent as he stroked the horse’s neck. “That’d be great news for all of you,” he murmured, a frown belying his words. “I expect you’re counting the days till you can get back to your own life.”

  An automatic yes sprang to her lips, but she snapped her mouth shut before it escaped. With every day she spent on the ranch, the idea of leaving Gabriel Bend to return to corporate finance lost more and more of its appeal.

  * * *

  At the twinge in his gut, Spencer could only nod when Lindsey abruptly excused herself to deal with the stuff they’d hauled out of the old chapel. She’d responded to his remark with little more than a shrug, and he ached for something he could say that would keep her in Gabriel Bend, because the longer she stuck around, the harder it would be to see her go.

  Best to turn his attention to what he knew best—horses. After giving Ash and Cinnamon each a thorough grooming, he saddled Cinnamon for a short ride. The mare was a quick learner and longed to please. She’d make an excellent first horse for Timothy Fox and might even go home with him sooner than originally planned.

  Heading home later, he glanced toward the pasture where Audra’s horses grazed. Flash’s Navarro brand still intrigued him, as did the fact that his father had quietly made a gift of the horse to Charles Forrester. If only this act of kindness meant the differences between the two families would someday be resolved.

  Dad was unmerciful with Spencer that afternoon, though, handing him a long list of tasks involving the quarter horses. “And make sure Dazzle is ready for Jenny Thomas. She’s coming for her tomorrow at ten.”

  The barrel-racing mare was more than ready. When Jenny arrived the next morning, Spencer had the horse warmed up in the round pen. Jenny had brought her own saddle and tacked Dazzle for a trial run. Crossing the finish line, the girl was grinning like crazy.

  “She’s the whole package,” Jenny said, leaping to the ground. “Speed, agility, willingness. I can’t wait to enter her in competition.”

  “Be sure to let us know how she does.” Spencer allowed himself a moment of pride in his training, along with renewed appreciation for the quality bred into the Navarro horses.

  As Jenny led Dazzle from the arena, a shiny red Mazda drove up. “Finally. I didn’t think my fiancé was going to make it.” She waved as a lanky guy in stiff indigo jeans unfolded himself from the car. “Hey, honey, where’ve you been? You missed my ride.”

  “Sorry, I got lost finding the place.” The man strode over and offered Jenny a quick kiss, then turned to Spencer for a handshake. “Zach Muñoz. So, you’re the famed horse trainer I’ve been hearing about.”

  “That’d be a stretch.” Spencer dipped his chin.

  Jenny handed Zach the horse’s reins. “Take her for me, hon? I need to grab my checkbook and settle up with Spencer.”

  In the barn office, Spencer tried not to look too incompetent while bringing up her account on the computer. After locating it, he handed her a slip of paper with the balance due, then waited as she wrote out a check.

  Exhaling loudly, she passed the check across the desk. “With a million and one wedding expenses coming up, I have no business spending money on a horse right now, but I couldn’t wait.”

  An idea niggling, Spencer chewed his lower lip. “When’s the big day?”

  “We’re thinking June, after Zach finishes at UT. But the venues we’ve checked so far are booked solid through the summer.”

  “I might know of a place.” He hoped he wasn’t speaking out of turn. “It’s new, but they should be ready in plenty of time for a June wedding.”

  Jenny’s eyes lit up. “Really? Where?”

  “Right next door. My friend’s getting ready to open an event venue. There’s even an old family chapel they’re planning on fixing up.”

  “I’d love to see it. Do you think they’d have time to talk to us today?”

  “I’ll text my friend and ask.”

  Seconds later, Lindsey fired back a reply, complete with three thumbs-up emoji and a smiley face. YES!!! Send them right over!!! I’ll meet them out front.

  Relaying the message, Spencer offered to go along and make the introductions. He helped Jenny get Dazzle into the trailer, then took his usual shortcut across the barbed-wire fence while Jenny and her fiancé drove their vehicles. He reached Lindsey as she made her way down the front steps.

  Her bright smile stretched wide. “I can’t believe this—a possible client already!”

  “Haven’t I been telling you to have faith?”

  “I know, but...some days definitely make it easier than others.”

  Jenny pulled up in her SUV, and her fiancé parked his Mazda behind the horse trailer. Hand in hand, they ambled over. Spencer introduced them to Lindsey.

  “We still have a lot of work to do,” Lindsey said, leading the way around the side of the house, “but I hope you’ll be able to see the potential. So, you’re planning a June wedding?”

  Watching Lindsey transition into full-on business mode, exuding confidence even when Spencer suspected part of it was pretense, he admired her all the more. After turning Jenny and Zach over to Lindsey, he should have excused himself and headed back to work, but his fascination wouldn’t let him. Besides, as a member of the cleanup crew, he had a small stake in this venture, or so he’d like to believe.

  At the chapel, now empty of everything that had been stored there, Lindsey described her plans for sprucing it up inside and out. She paused, a fingertip to her chin. “By the way, have you had your engagement photos taken yet?”

  “That’s next on our to-do list,” Jenny said. “I wanted to wait until I brought Dazzle home so she could be in the photos with us.”

  Lindsey beamed. “I love that idea.”

  “And if you’re looking for the perfect backdrop...” With a meaningful glance at Lindsey, Spencer motioned toward the equipment shed. “If you have time, we could hop in the Mule and Lindsey can show you one of the most picturesque spots on the ranch.”

  When Jenny and Zach shared let’s-do-it nods, Lindsey shot Spencer a vibrant smile of thanks. A few minutes later, the four of them climbed into the four-wheeler. With Lindsey driving and Spencer hopping out to open and shut gates, they were soon at the river overlook.

  Stepping to the ground, Jenny sucked in a delighted gasp. “It’s gorgeous—exactly the kind of natural setting I’d been picturing.” She squeezed Zach’s hand. “What do you think, honey?”
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br />   “You’re right, babe, it’s perfect.” The spindly groom-to-be turned to Lindsey. “Can we coordinate with our photographer for right after the first of the year?”

  “Sure. Just give me a call.” Spencer could tell Lindsey was ready to burst, but she disguised it well.

  “Got a business card?” Zach asked.

  Lindsey grimaced. “Sorry, not yet. Still waiting on the print order.”

  Spencer felt pretty sure she hadn’t even thought of ordering business cards yet, but he was glad to have given her a reason to. For now, she did some fancy thing with her phone that transferred her contact info to Jenny’s. On the way back in the Mule, Jenny bubbled over with ideas she and Zach had been discussing for the wedding, and Lindsey promised to make some notes and start a file for them right away.

  Once the couple said goodbye and had driven away in their separate vehicles, Lindsey released a long, shaky breath. “I think I’m in shock. Do you think they’ll actually commit?”

  “Why wouldn’t they?” Spencer laughed. Crazy, how badly he wanted to kiss her. “You completely sold them, Linds.”

  “All thanks to you. I can’t wait to tell Audra.” Brows shooting skyward in a sudden look of panic, she pressed both hands to her cheeks. “What am I thinking? I can’t possibly pull this off without help. And besides—June? What if I land a job somewhere else by then? This was my pie-in-the-sky scheme to save the ranch. I can’t dump it all on Audra and then leave.”

  Spencer could have seen this coming a mile away, but at least he hadn’t been living in denial the way Lindsey had. Growing serious, he tilted his head. “If moving on was always your plan, how exactly did you see this playing out?”

  “I don’t know.” She sank onto the porch step. “Guess I never let myself think that far ahead.”

  He stood in front of her, feet planted apart and hands on hips. “Maybe it’s time you did.”

  * * *

  Spencer was right—Lindsey had focused so closely on the day-to-day details that she hadn’t looked too hard into the future. Much as she loved the ranch, staying on permanently had never been her intention. Not to mention that doing so would be totally unrealistic. She was a finance professional, not a rancher. And definitely not an experienced event coordinator.

  She looked up at Spencer and sighed. “I need a better plan.”

  The front door opened, and her mother joined them. “How’d the meeting go?”

  “They’re interested,” Lindsey said, pushing tiredly to her feet. “Now I have to figure out how to coordinate a spectacular June wedding when I have no idea what I’m doing.”

  “June? That’s months away.” Mom waved her hand. “You’ve got this, Linds. Besides, you told me you’d already talked with Holly and Joella about your event venue ideas. They’ll give you all the advice you need.”

  “What I need is for them to move to Gabriel Bend ASAP so I can hire them to take over and run the show.” She winced at how whiny she sounded.

  Spencer’s frown said he’d heard it, too. He shuffled backward. “I should get going. Y’all have a lot to work out.” He turned to go, then paused and looked straight into Lindsey’s eyes. “Whatever happens, whatever you need, I’ll be here.”

  His reassurance pierced her heart. Before she could find the words to thank him, he was halfway across the field.

  “I’ve always liked him,” Mom said, then added under her breath, “despite his grandfather.” Brightening, she reached for Lindsey’s hand. “Come on inside, honey. Audra’s antiques expert called back a few minutes ago.”

  All other thoughts vanishing, Lindsey followed her mother to the kitchen, where Audra stirred a pot of soup on the stove. “What did he say?” Lindsey blurted. “Is it good news?”

  “Let’s put it this way.” Audra cast an enigmatic smile over her shoulder. “It’s not exactly disappointing.” She stated the figure she’d been quoted.

  Lindsey staggered to the nearest chair. “That—that’s nearly half of your back taxes.”

  “And he’s only talking about the book that’s in the best condition. The others have value, too, although not nearly as much.” Taking a stack of soup bowls from the cupboard, Audra went on, “Alan knows someone who may be interested in buying the books, but he won’t be able to reach him until after the holidays.”

  Mom hugged Lindsey. “See, honey? Have faith. Things are looking up.”

  Thoughts spinning, Lindsey pulled herself together enough to help get lunch on the table. This close to Christmas, she wouldn’t make much headway with the county tax office. After the first of the year, though—and if Audra’s antiques friend came through for them—maybe Lindsey could convince the county to accept a big enough partial payment to forestall the tax sale proceedings and grant them a little more time to pay off the balance.

  Time to turn the ranch into a moneymaking event venue. Time to hire the right people to keep it running.

  Time to figure out where her life was headed.

  Have faith? If only it were as easy as Mom and Audra and Spencer implied. Lindsey was still trying to find her faith, crushed so long ago when her father walked out and turned her young life upside down. Her college decision to major in finance had become her way of making things add up again, figuratively and literally. Numbers didn’t lie. One plus one always equaled two.

  Church sermons and Sunday school classes had driven home another lesson, this one from the book of Luke, if memory served her correctly. When making plans to build a tower, one should count the cost to ensure there was enough to finish it, or else risk being mocked as a failure. Lindsey understood the spiritual truths implicit in the passage—that following Jesus required full commitment. But practically speaking, it was one more reminder that she needed to determine sooner rather than later what her role would be in the future of the McClement ranch.

  Chapter Nine

  It wasn’t until the Christmas Eve candlelight service that Spencer saw his brother again. He didn’t know for sure how Samuel had been occupying himself while staying at the Cadwallader Inn, but the few times they’d spoken by phone that week gave him the impression Samuel was using the holiday downtime to do some hard thinking.

  Maybe one of these days his twin would open up about whatever was weighing on him—if only Sam would ever stick around long enough. With busy lives and a big chunk of Texas separating them, staying in touch got harder all the time.

  Samuel walked in five minutes after worship began, which spared an immediate confrontation with Dad and Tito. That didn’t stop either one of them from shooting him annoyed glares, but with Spencer and his mother as buffers, they made it through the service without an unpleasant scene.

  Christmas morning was another story. Mom had just taken her cranberry-walnut scones out of the oven when Tito, speaking in rapid-fire Spanish, lit into Samuel about being a traitor to the family.

  “Stop. Right now.” Mom leveled her index finger at Tito’s nose. “If you can’t put away your bitterness even on the day celebrating our Lord’s birth—”

  “You don’t have to defend me, Mom.” Samuel pushed away from the breakfast table. “The old man can say whatever he likes about me. I’m leaving.”

  “Sam, no.” Spencer grabbed his brother’s arm. “It’s Christmas. Come on. Both of you,” he added with a pointed stare at his grandfather.

  Hand pressed against the center of his chest, Tito inhaled slowly. “All I have ever wanted,” he began, his voice oddly quiet, “all I have ever worked for is to secure the Navarro legacy for my heirs.” His gaze shifted between Spencer and Samuel. “For both my grandsons.”

  Spencer slanted a brow. His grandfather surely hadn’t meant to exclude Aunt Alicia and Uncle David’s son? Six years older than Spencer and Samuel, their cousin Mark had grown up in Montana, closer to where Uncle David’s family was from. He hadn’t spent much time at the ranch, but he was as
much an heir as Spencer and Samuel.

  Tito must not be thinking clearly, that was all. Dad had expressed concern about the elderly man’s health lately. Probably not the best time to bring it up, though. Spencer’s immediate priority was keeping his twin from storming out before they could spend what was left of the Christmas holiday together.

  “Sit down, Slam, please?” He offered his most persuasive grin. “You know you love Mom’s Christmas scones as much as I do.”

  With a sidelong glance at their grandfather, Samuel relaxed into his chair. “Okay, Spiny, for you and Mom,” he muttered. “But one more—”

  “There won’t be,” Mom stated. “Hank, honey, if you’d offer grace...”

  Dad’s typical short and sweet breakfast blessing seemed even pithier than usual, as if the tension around the table had short-circuited his thankfulness and his Christmas spirit.

  Spencer could relate. Something was definitely different about this Christmas. Yes, they’d had more than a few tense holidays over the years, especially when Samuel made one of his intentionally brief visits. But this year, a crackle filled the air, a sense that one ill-timed word or thoughtless act could set off an explosion that would damage the family beyond repair.

  Was it all related to what was happening next door? It seemed like Tito’s increasing obsession with the McClement ranch had kicked into overdrive not long after Lindsey showed up. Such thoughts stole any enjoyment from the bite of scone Spencer had just taken, turning it to dry, tasteless crumbs on his tongue. He washed it down with a gulp of coffee, then finished the rest so as not to disappoint his mother.

  After breakfast, Mom shepherded them into the living room, where piles of wrapped gifts lay scattered beneath the Christmas tree. With Tito holding silent court from his distressed-leather easy chair and ottoman, Mom directed the gift opening until all that remained was an untidy mound of discarded paper, boxes and bows.

  Spencer fingered the crown of the new black felt Stetson he’d admired in Lang’s Western Wear & Saddle Shop. “This is perfect, Mom. Thanks.”