The Cowboy's Secret

by Jill Kemerer

  Too bad he didn’t have anyone to celebrate with.

  He was about to leave his desk when he noticed the flashing light on his phone, signaling missed calls. He’d silenced the machine while he was working, and he was always working. Caller ID revealed his adoptive mother, Bonnie Halston, had tried to reach him four times in the past hour.

  Worry skated up Drew’s spine. Bonnie never called this late at night. Something had to be wrong. He had no time to ponder what that might be because the phone rang again.

  Bonnie.

  “Hey, Ma,” he said, using his fondest term for her. “I’m sorry I missed your calls. I’ve been—”

  “This is Mandy Brown, Drew.”

  Her voice jerked him back to the last day he’d spent on Hanging Hearts Ranch, their last time together before he left for college. He’d been so happy because Mandy had said she loved him and that she would eventually marry him.

  The jagged scar on the left side of his face tingled as his brain clicked through the next two months, up to the last time she’d spoken to him. The day Mandy Brown, his best friend and the only person he’d ever loved, had dumped him.

  “Drew? Are you there?” Her impatient voice snapped him back to reality.

  “Yeah. Sorry.” He cleared his throat. “What’s up?” Keep it casual. Pretend you didn’t share those moments...

  “I’m calling about Bonnie and Ben. Actually I’ve been calling for—never mind.” Mandy’s voice lost the edginess and softened. “It’s bad news, Drew. They’re in the hospital, in Whitefish.”

  “They’re both ill?”

  When it came to his adoptive parents, the Halstons, Drew’s recurring nightmare was of being orphaned as he had been when he was nine years old, of once again being swamped by loss and that awful alone feeling, like he’d never be part of a family again. That same fear was closing in now. “What’s wrong with them?”

  “Bonnie and Ben aren’t ill.” Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, Mandy spoke again. “There was a fire at the ranch, in the tack barn.”

  Was she, like him, remembering the hours the two of them had spent in that barn? Hours when they’d mended tack, polished saddles and cleaned pebbles from hooves while sharing their dreams for the future? Those special moments were embedded in Drew’s brain because Mandy was the only person with whom he’d ever shared his innermost thoughts. Later they’d shared even more.

  And then it was over and he had no idea why.

  Focus.

  “A fire?” Drew gulped, struggling to mentally prepare himself.

  In his mind he saw his foster parents standing beneath the big black metal sign that welcomed guests to Hanging Hearts Ranch, known locally as the Double H. Situated adjacent to Montana’s Glacier National Park, the ranch had been passed down through three generations of Ben’s family.

  What Drew had liked best about Bonnie and Ben were their three priorities. He’d always known he and his brothers, Sam and Zac, came first with the couple. Hanging Hearts Ranch ranked second, and the animals who lived there came third.

  No, make that four priorities. His foster parents loved God. Fiercely.

  Not Ben and Bonnie, God. You took my parents. Don’t take them, too.

  “How bad?” he asked.

  “Originally they were airlifted to Missoula, but they’re back in Whitefish now. I’m sorry, Drew,” Mandy said, her voice very quiet.

  “Tell me what happened,” he insisted through clenched teeth.

  “You remember what Bonnie’s like about her horses?”

  “Of course I remember,” he said, irritated that she’d imagine he’d forget a single detail about the Double H or anything else in his past. Including Mandy? “I lived with them for nine years.”

  “I know.” She cleared her throat as if it was hard to speak. “When the fire broke out, three of Bonnie’s favorite mares were inside the tack barn getting reshod. The farrier got one out, but I guess the others were too frightened to follow. Before anyone could stop her, Bonnie rushed in to rescue them.” Her wobbling voice revealed her shaken state. “I was moving some stallions. I didn’t see her go in or I would have stopped her. You have to know that, Drew.”

  “I know.” He had no doubt Mandy would have immediately interceded.

  She loved his adoptive parents, had grown up on the ranch next door and called them Auntie Bonnie and Uncle Ben since she could talk. Mandy had celebrated every milestone of her life with the couple. Drew had sometimes envied the bond between the three, a bond he’d never quite forged.

  “So?” he prodded, unintentionally sounding gruff. “Bonnie was injured?”

  “Yes. She got the horses out but tripped at the door. Burning timbers fell on her, scorching her face, arms and neck. She also has a broken leg.” Mandy paused, then added in a ragged whisper, “She would have died if Ben hadn’t rescued her.”

  Drew winced. His brother, Zac, said burns were the absolute worst injury he had to treat in his medical practice.

  “And Ben?” He almost choked on that question.

  “When he used his hands to put out the flames on Bonnie, his own clothing caught fire. He has severe burns on both his hands, his legs and his feet. Plus, he inhaled a lot of smoke.” Her voice trembled and she sighed. “The doctors say both their prognoses are good, but it’s going to be a long road to recovery.”

  Mandy paused, and Drew knew she was thinking through what she wanted to say next. He’d learned to read her silences years ago. She had always been sensitive to others’ pain and empathetic to a fault, which meant she was now searching for a way to tell him the worst possible news in the kindest possible way.

  “Finish it,” he urged, determined to get all the facts before deciding anything.

  “They have very good care, Drew. You know how folks here are. Bon and Ben are a part of Sunshine. It’s their community, their town. Whitefish is just where the hospital is. The folks in Sunshine have ensured that your parents know they care.”

  Drew could imagine how much the inhabitants of the small town would relish a chance to pay back his parents for all the things they’d done and given to their neighbors over the years.

  “Old friends from town and the church are taking turns being with them and watching over them, ensuring they have everything they need. As always, Ben and Bonnie’s attitudes are positive.” Mandy paused. “The thing is—I promised your parents I’d keep the Double H going.”

  “Shouldn’t be a problem for you. Haven’t you been ranch foreman ever since Ben and Bonnie went to Hawaii last year?” Drew frowned. He’d never quite understood why his parents had given Mandy the job, but since they had... He wondered why she’d become suddenly silent. “Are you there?”

  “Yes. I am their foreman.” Mandy sounded oddly hesitant. “And I’ll continue to do my job. That’s not the issue.”

  “So what is?” Drew was only half paying attention because his brain had begun to organize next steps.

  “The issue is... I need your help.”

  “My help?” He blinked.

  Mandy had always been strong, competent, independent. She had a knack for drawing people together. She prided herself on partnering with others to build success. People loved to work with her because she accomplished so much.

  But in the almost seven years since Drew had left the ranch, Mandy had never once asked for his help. Actually, she hadn’t even spoken to him since she’d announced it was over between them!

  “My help...” he repeated stupidly. “With what?”

  “Running Ben’s outfitting business. I know ranching and cattle. I don’t have the time let alone the knowledge of tracking wild animals, their customs and particular habitats. I wish I’d paid more attention, but I didn’t. I don’t know all the specific details that his annual bird-watching groups want to hear or the best viewpoint to see whatever animal his guest
s are interested in. The trail rides have always been separate from my job.” She paused. “But you know what’s involved, Drew.”

  “Hey, I—”

  She didn’t let him finish. “You and Ben tramped the forest constantly from the first day you came to the Double H. He showed you how to track, how to find the most secretive animal, how to translate their signs in the woods and the best time and place to observe them. Probably taught you tons more than that, too. Whenever he took someone out, you always went along.”

  “But that was eons ago—”

  “Bonnie told me you still go out with him every time you come back,” Mandy insisted. “She said you’ve kept up with his work, even researched some stuff for him.”

  “It’s not the same,” he argued. “Of course I’ll come visit them. But taking over for Ben—no. I can’t.”

  “His first group arrives the day after tomorrow.”

  “Cancel,” Drew said immediately.

  “No way.” A hint of worry underlying Mandy’s swift response made him frown.

  “Why?”

  “Because.” She waited, huffed out a breath when he didn’t speak, then quietly said, “I shouldn’t be telling you their business.”

  “If you want my help, you’d better.” Drew snapped, irritated that he was still affected by that soft catch in her voice.

  “Ben just took out a loan to buy six new ATVs so he can escort larger numbers on the high country trails.” Mandy spoke quickly. “He’s already committed to take several groups of inner-city kids on overnight, four-wheeling treks so they can see the caves.”

  Drew wanted to refuse again, but Mandy didn’t let him.

  “There’s also a school science group booked. It’s a commission from the school board with a promise for more if this goes well.” A smile colored her voice. “Ben’s delighted. You know how long he’s tried to get a school contract.”

  “And how determined he’s been to make everyone understand their responsibility to care for God’s earth,” Drew agreed. “I know, but—”

  She cut him off again. Drew’s temper began simmering.

  “Spring and summer are almost solidly booked. Canceling means Ben’s reputation would suffer. It also means forfeiting the deposits.” Mandy’s melodic voice altered, tightened.

  “Okay.”

  “Not okay. Without those deposits, we’ll never be able to cover the ranch loans,” she snapped. “Unless I sell some of Bonnie’s horses, and she’d never forgive me for that.”

  “No, she wouldn’t,” he agreed slowly, mulling over news of the loans. Ben hadn’t said a word. “That riding academy is Bonnie’s pride and joy.”

  “And I need those horses to keep it going. I’m doing my best to manage here, but—” Mandy stopped abruptly, then a moment later, she admitted, “I’m afraid, Drew. They could lose the ranch if we don’t make those loan payments.”

  Drew gulped. Lose the family inheritance, which the couple had striven so hard to grow and improve? Lose the loving, nurturing place where Ben and Bonnie had brought him and his brothers when they were hurting and had nowhere to go? Lose the place where kids and adults alike came to discover God in a new way?

  His parents would be devastated. Drew couldn’t fathom such a loss either.

  If the years of good stewardship at Double H Ranch ended—what then? Ben and Bonnie lived to ranch. Though they’d never actually said it, Drew had always known his foster parents hoped to pass on their legacy to him and his brothers. He had deliberately chosen to ignore their hope because it was still as unlikely for him as it had ever been. He just didn’t fit in at Hanging Hearts. Especially not now, with Mandy there.

  “It can’t be that bad,” he insisted. “A few new quads wouldn’t generate that big a loan. I can front them some money to cover it. It’s not a problem.” Making that offer helped Drew feel better about refusing Mandy. “Cancel and tell Ben’s clients he’ll be back next year.”

  “Good idea—if they return,” Mandy scoffed. “Ben probably didn’t tell you he has a competitor. And this guy is not shy about poaching clients any way he can. Canceling Ben’s clients offers him the perfect opportunity to move in.” She sounded annoyed. “Also, once committed to this guy, I doubt the school board would switch back to Ben.”

  “But Dad’s the best in the business,” Drew exclaimed. Mandy’s silence told him there was more. “What aren’t you saying?”

  “So they didn’t tell you.” She was probably biting her lip, hating to be the bearer of bad news, looking for a way to soften it.

  The memory filled his mind, and for a moment he was transported back... No!

  “Tell me what, Mandy?” he demanded.

  “They bought another quarter section. The Archers are retiring. They gave Ben and Bonnie first dibs on their property. Of course your parents had to buy it,” she said, her voice growing stronger, assured, more Mandy-like. “The Archers’ land provides access to Hanging Hearts’ entire northern section. A new neighbor might not be as agreeable about granting your parents’ permission to cross it.”

  “Not to mention that the Archers’ land has Willow Creek running through it.” Drew tugged at his shirt collar as if a noose was tightening around his neck. “Ben has wanted more water access forever.”

  “If you can’t help them out now, they could lose everything. Then what will Ben and Bonnie have for their retirement?” Mandy chided. “You know how emotionally and physically vested they are in this land and their animals. Can you honestly see them living in town, without horses and cattle, or the gardens, or the petting zoo?”

  An inner voice forced Drew to face facts.

  Walk away? Bonnie and Ben didn’t walk away when Sam, Zac and I were orphaned after the accident, or when we were stuck in the hospital, undergoing surgeries and in pain, with nowhere to go and no one to care. They were always there for us. They offered their home, supported, challenged and loved us into rebuilding our lives.

  “What do you need from me, Mandy?” Drew asked with resignation.

  “Help,” she said quietly. “Now. I’m stretched too thin with the ranch.”

  She did sound weary, not at all like the efficient Mandy Drew remembered, certainly not like the spirited girl with whom he’d fallen in love in high school. The one who’d repeatedly assured him that his facial scar didn’t matter. The girl who insisted that no matter where he went, his search to find the place he belonged, his true home, would bring him right back to the town of Sunshine, Montana, and Hanging Hearts Ranch.

  Drew had enjoyed growing up on the ranch. He’d loved Bonnie’s riding lessons and scouring the mountains and valleys with Ben, who saw God everywhere in the rocks and rivers and animals.

  But home? No, the Double H had never felt like the home he’d lost.

  “I know this is short notice. I know you’re consumed by work and that’s why you hardly ever come visit your parents, though they miss you like crazy.” The comment held a hint of condemnation. “Believe me,” Mandy assured him. “I wouldn’t have called if I had another option.”

  Wasn’t that the truth? Almost seven years had passed with no word from her.

  “The fire happened more than a week ago, Drew.”

  “What?” He frowned as he thought about it. “I was overseas, speaking at an analysts convention.” Dismay filled him at the thought of Ben and Bonnie alone, in pain, waiting for him to call them.

  “I figured it was something like that. Thing is, I haven’t been able to reach your brothers either. Apparently Sam’s on some overseas assignment reporting on something in the Middle East. He’s not answering his cell phone.” Mandy huffed a sigh, which immediately made Drew imagine her bangs puffing out from her forehead.

  Stop thinking about her! he ordered his wayward brain.

  “As usual, Zac’s unreachable at his medical mission in the Mali, Africa. Or wh
erever it is.” Irritation nipped at her words. “It’s probably better if you tell them about the fire anyway. Just don’t let them think they need to come rushing home. Bonnie and Ben will recover,” she insisted fiercely.

  “We three group text occasionally. My brothers aren’t prompt in responding but I’ll text what you’ve told me,” he promised.

  “Thanks.” A pause before Mandy asked tentatively, “So, can you come home?”

  “I—” Drew couldn’t think of one valid reason to refuse. He had nothing urgent scheduled, and anyway, he did all his work on his computer. He could bring it with him and do his next stock market analysis in Montana, at least for a while.

  Besides, he needed to see for himself how his adoptive parents were faring.

  “This ranch is their life, Drew,” Mandy said, her tone fiercely protective. “We can’t let it fail.”

  We. He liked the sound of that, though given their past, he had no business working on anything with Mandy. He’d loved her once and she’d rejected him. He wasn’t going to be so humiliated again.

  “The staff here will help however they can, though you might not know most of them.”

  Drew understood that she meant to remind him he hadn’t been back to the ranch since a one-day visit last Christmas, when he hadn’t seen her. Or the time before. Or the time before that. It was like she faded out of the picture whenever he arrived at the Double H.

  “The townsfolk will help if we need it, too,” she reminded. “Everyone’s very loyal to the Halstons.”

  “Yes, I remember how—”

  “Mama?”

  Drew frowned at the sound of a child’s voice.

  “Just let me finish my phone call, okay, honey?” Love flowed through Mandy’s voice. “Sorry, Drew. My daughter sometimes gets a bit impatient.”

  Mandy had a daughter?

  In the pause that followed, he had the strangest thought that she was summoning her courage. As if Mandy had ever needed to look for that.

  “Come home, Drew? Please?”

  The words flew out of his mouth without any conscious decision.

  “As it happens, my calendar is empty till mid-June or so.” He gulped. That wasn’t completely true, but he would make this trip, and he’d do what he could with Ben’s schedule. This was his chance to give back some of the love and care the Halstons had spent years showering on him. “I’ll be there tomorrow.”