Falling for the Rancher

by Roxanne Rustand

  He nodded. “I need to talk to the bank and also my lawyer. When I get something drawn up for you to consider, I’ll let you know.”

  “Perfect. So, what do you think of the kitchen floor?”

  He surveyed the bare hardwood, impressed. It still needed all the steps of finishing, but the vinyl was gone, and a thorough sanding made it look a hundred times better. “You did all this?”

  “Worked on it every night. The bedroom floors are completely done. Last night I ran the barrel sander and edger over the kitchen floor, so next I can apply the sealer.” She reached for a tape measure on the kitchen counter. “Once we take the measurements, I can do some ordering.”

  “What have you decided?”

  “At first I wanted to just reface the cabinets. But after studying the poor condition of these, I’d rather replace them all. White upper and lower, with granite counters—ideally white with gray veining.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “I’ve chosen the style of cupboards in a catalog at the lumberyard. The lower ones have soft-close drawers, and some have special dividers. There are even toe kick drawers at the very bottom, floor level, to add more storage.”

  He looked at her in awe. “You amaze me.”

  “The floors have taken hours of unskilled labor and a lot of YouTube videos while trying to get it right. The cabinets I just need to choose.”

  “I mean everything. Your skill as a vet and dedication as a mom. Doing all of this work on the house yourself would overwhelm a lot of people. And then there’s your cooking. That dessert you brought Sunday night was amazing. Cloud—”

  “No, kladdkaka.” She grinned, her hazel eyes sparkling. “Pays to know a Scandinavian, I guess. We have the best desserts. And that one took just ten minutes in the oven.”

  “I’ve never had anything like it. It tasted like chocolate silk.”

  “Well, now. You might need to stop by now and then for supper, just to see what we’re having.”

  They got down to work taking measurements, then checked them a second time.

  By then it was time to go. They both headed out the front door onto the porch, and she locked the door behind them. “I really appreciate your help with this. I’ll order the cabinets tomorrow and let you know when they’re ready.”

  He gave her a quick one-arm hug, then caught her hand in his and gave it a little squeeze. “I just hope you’ll like it all when you’re done.”

  The shadows under the covered porch and the lowering sun made the space seem more intimate somehow, more private. When he drew her a little closer, she didn’t resist.

  And then, without a plan or even conscious thought, he bent down and kissed her.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Startled, Darcy stiffened, then found herself melting into Logan’s kiss. A sparkling sensation washed through her, filling her with warmth and wonder.

  Despite every resolution she’d made since Dean walked out on her, she curved her arms around Logan’s neck, pulling him even closer.

  It was Logan who finally broke away.

  He smiled down at her with that little half smile that deepened just one of his dimples, sending a shiver of awareness down her spine. His eyes darkened as their eyes locked.

  Then he dropped another swift, gentle kiss on her mouth that sent Fourth of July sparklers coursing through her veins all over again. And in that brief, sweet moment, he left her longing for more.

  When had she ever felt that way? Dazed, she tried to collect her thoughts as he jogged out to his truck.

  The answer was never.

  Not with Dean. Certainly not with anyone else she’d ever dated.

  She stood on the porch well after Logan’s taillights disappeared down the street.

  True, it had been so long since she’d been in Dean’s arms that she could barely remember any emotion he might have stirred, and now even those fading memories were clouded by his deceptions.

  Had he ever really cared for her? Loved her? Had there ever been a time when their relationship had been honest and real?

  She’d thought so...but maybe she’d only been a convenience. Easy prey. Just a bright student at the top of their class who would thus be a good money earner. A logical choice. Another set of hands at the clinic.

  Maybe he’d been having affairs all along and she’d been too blind to notice, caught up as she was with caring for their daughter, and working day and night to make their new clinic succeed.

  But that was the past and this was now. And this felt different.

  Even now she imagined she could still detect Logan’s crisp aftershave and the fresh scent of soap on his skin.

  Shaking off her thoughts, she hurried to Mrs. Spencer’s to pick up Emma with just minutes to spare.

  “You look funny, Mommy,” Emma announced when Darcy walked in. “You’re pink.”

  “Hmm...must’ve been the nice spring sun today.”

  Mrs. Spencer, a hefty woman shaped like a barrel, was no-nonsense and plainspoken with adults, but she enthralled kids from infancy to teens with her sense of humor and a laugh that shook her belly.

  Now she gave Darcy a head-to-toe perusal and pursed her lips. “I’d say it might be that handsome young vet of yours. He could make a statue blush.”

  “Mrs. Spencer.” Darcy glanced around the living room, hoping there were no other adults around. “Please.”

  The older woman’s ample middle shook as she chuckled. “From the chatter down at the cafe, I’d say everyone in town knows there’s something going on between you two. Don’t think it’s any secret.”

  “Well, tell everyone in town that it isn’t true. We’ve not gone on so much as a single date. I just work for him. And...I won him at that church auction, so that’s why he’s been doing some work at my house.”

  “Right. But I’ve seen sparks between you two when I’ve been at the clinic with my Rufus.” Mrs. Spencer waggled a forefinger, her eyes twinkling. “Great move on your part, I’d say, bidding at that auction. Anyway, I’m glad to have two vets in town in case Rufus gets sick again.”

  Darcy cast a wary glance around the toy-cluttered living room.

  Rufus, with claws sharp as scalpels and teeth to match, was a disagreeable cat whether sick or well, and he had a memory like a five-gigabyte hard drive when it came to remembering the clinic staff who had dealt with him.

  He also had a penchant for eating bizarre things like rubber bands and stretchy little hair ties left by the girls at the day care, which meant repeated trips to the clinic.

  Mrs. Spencer followed her gaze. “Don’t worry, dearie. I’ve started closing him upstairs when the kiddies are around so they can’t play too rough with him.”

  Darcy suspected the rough behavior might be the other way around. “I know you must be really tired at the end of each day, but would you know of anyone who might be willing to babysit for an occasional Saturday night?”

  “So I was right.” She chortled. Her eyes gleamed in triumph. “It’s always nice to help young sweethearts along.”

  Darcy couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “You do know I could be talking about needing you for a church meeting at night. Or...or...”

  “Well, whatever you’re up to, I can always use a little pin money, so just give me a call. If I can’t do it, you can always ask my niece. She might even come to your house.”

  On the way out to her car, Darcy tried to keep a firm grip on Emma’s hand as the child skipped and hopped and then tried going backward. “What has gotten into you, sweetie? Are you this glad to go home?”

  “Mrs. Spencer said you like Dr. Maxwell, so if you have a date then he can live with us. And then he could be my daddy ’cause I like him lots.”

  Darcy stifled a laugh as she tried to keep up with Emma’s childish logic, t
hough the potential for further embarrassment was obvious.

  “Sounds like an interesting plan, sweetie—except things are never that easy. Keep it to yourself, okay? It would happen only if it was meant to be, and I doubt very much that it will.”

  After Emma had her bath, stories and bedtime snack, and finally fell asleep, Darcy worked into the night staining the kitchen floor to match what she’d done in the bedrooms.

  As painstaking as the process was, it gave her way too much time to think.

  She’d never thought a kiss could be so sweet. So compelling. Logan’s kiss had reverberated through her long afterward, and though once she might have dismissed her reaction as silly schoolgirl nonsense, even now she could feel the touch of his mouth on hers and the dizzying way he’d made her feel.

  All with just a kiss.

  Obviously she was way too susceptible and needed to get a grip. She had to make sure it didn’t happen again.

  After Dean, she’d been absolutely sure she never wanted to risk a relationship again. Nothing could possibly be worth the stress, the uncertainty. And from what Logan had once said, he felt exactly the same.

  But what could have possibly gone badly enough in his life to make him that adamant?

  He was intelligent, compassionate, dedicated, with good career. Handsome...and he was obviously great with kids, because Emma loved him. Just thinking about how sweet he’d been with old Mrs. Peabody and her dog still made Darcy feel warm inside. The list went on and on.

  Then again, she’d blithely ignored the warning signs about Dean, and she’d learned that painful lesson all too well.

  She’d be a fool to ignore Kaycee’s muttered comment about something dark in Logan’s past, and his sister’s veiled reference about someone named Cathy. And what had Susan meant about a consuming anger that he’d never forgotten?

  Out-of-control anger was something she never wanted to face again with any man. Ever.

  The last swipe of the rag wet with stain took her to the kitchen door. Evening out that last swath of stain with the dry rag in her other hand, she surveyed the beautiful old hardwood that was now coming to life, then closed the can of stain and peeled off her gloves.

  After a shower, she curled up on the couch with her laptop and pulled up Google. Thought long and hard about what she was about to do.

  And then she typed in Logan’s name.

  * * *

  Logan picked up his cell phone. Stared at it, then looked down at Cedar, who was sitting by his chair at the kitchen table. “So what do you think, old girl? Should I do this?”

  The moth-eaten dog, now mostly covered in peach fuzz hair, laid her head on his thigh and looked up at him.

  “Is that a yes? I could use some help here. Extend the invitation—yes or no?”

  Cedar blinked.

  He’d been on farm calls all morning and Darcy had worked at the clinic until noon, so he hadn’t seen her since he’d kissed her last night. Even now he was second-guessing that move.

  He’d never been so uncertain about a relationship in the past, through the few that had come and gone. He should have been far more uncertain about the last one and then avoided it all together.

  But now, knowing about Darcy’s past and her justified fear about involvement, he felt like he was traveling through unknown waters, as unsure as any teenage boy facing the terror of asking for his very first date.

  What did he want here, really?

  He wasn’t even sure, except that being with Darcy and her little girl gave him a deep feeling of completion that had never been a part of his life. Whether he and Darcy were trading light banter or discussing vet cases, just talking to her made him smile. Made him want to be better, somehow. Made him long to be a part of a family. Her family.

  And Emma...what a little pistol she was. Bright and talkative and curious, she made him laugh and made him want to protect her from anything that might ever dare try to harm her. He only had to look down at her to feel a sense of warmth settle in his heart.

  Though after he’d impulsively kissed her mom last night, he might have thrown that all away.

  He punched in Darcy’s number, sat back in his chair and thanked God for church picnics and second chances.

  * * *

  “I didn’t expect to be here today,” Darcy said as she surveyed the shady city park. “What a perfect way to enjoy a Saturday afternoon.”

  Dozens of kids from the Sunday school classes were swinging, climbing on an old-fashioned jungle gym and lining up for the slides. Emma had already taken off at a run for her preschool friends, who were playing in a massive sandbox.

  Darcy angled a look at Logan over the top rim of her sunglasses, then adjusted them into place. “How did you happen to find out about it?”

  He shrugged. “There was a note about the Sunday school picnic in the church bulletin last weekend.”

  “It was nice of you to invite us. I’d forgotten about it, but this was good timing. I put down the first polyurethane coat on the kitchen floor this morning, and we needed to get out of the house. The fumes are really pungent.” She frowned, looking at the long, food-laden tables in the picnic shelter. “I’ll bet we were supposed to bring food. This is a potluck, right?

  “Got it covered.” He reached into a cooler in the back of his truck. “I bought a gallon of potato salad and a couple dozen M&M’s cookies at the grocery store on my way to pick you up.”

  He handed her a blanket, and he carried the food as they strolled together through the sun-dappled shade of the massive oaks, nodding to the church families who had already spread out blankets or commandeered picnic tables. “Do you see a spot you’d like?”

  “Up there on the knoll overlooking the playground.”

  She shook out the blanket in the deep shade beneath the massive branches of an oak while he took the food down to the buffet set up.

  He brought back cups of icy lemonade. “They’ll be having horseshoes, volleyball and also a softball game for the teenagers after lunch. Pastor Mark will say the prayer in a few minutes and then lunch will start. Are you glad you came?”

  “It’s a perfect day for this, and I’m so happy Emma’s having a chance to play.” She smiled softly, her gaze fixed on Emma and her little friends industriously digging in the sandbox. “Next year she’ll start kindergarten, and I hear that once she starts school, she’ll grow up in the blink of an eye. I feel like I have to savor every moment and memory before these years are gone.”

  She took a sip of lemonade. “I have to admit, I was a little surprised when you called about this.”

  “To tell you the truth, it’s been a long time since I’ve had any part of being in a church family. If you’d told me six months ago that I’d ever be at a Sunday school picnic, I would’ve said you were crazy. But I’m honestly glad to be here. Especially with you and Emma.”

  “She adores you, you know.” Darcy took another sip of her lemonade and flicked away an ant crawling across the blanket. “Probably too much. So I need to know something. Maybe this isn’t the right time and place, but it really can’t wait. I won’t let her little heart be broken again by someone who disappoints her.”

  She fell silent for a moment, then looked across the picnic blanket and met his gaze. “I did a search of your name on Google last night. I suppose you already know why.”

  He knew what she was going to say. Back home, too many people already had. He stilled, quietly waiting for her to rail at him, then turn her back on him for good.

  “I never would’ve thought to check, but your sister alluded to some trouble before you moved here. There were a lot of links to your name, but I couldn’t bring myself to click any of them. It seemed wrong somehow. I’d rather that you told me yourself.”

  “And you’ll believe me? I doubt it.”

  She
fixed her piercing eyes on his. “I haven’t known you long, but I’ve seen the kind of man you are. Tell me.”

  He didn’t ever talk about his past—not with friends or family. Not with the counselor Susan had hired. Any words he managed to find did disservice to the depth of his grief and loss. None came close to truly honoring his late wife.

  But he sensed that any chance to move on, any chance for a future, depended on getting this right. He took a slow breath and sent up a silent, rusty prayer.

  “I was married in vet school,” he said slowly. “Gina was a year behind me. The sweetest, prettiest girl I’d ever met, and she totally stole my heart. We loved the same things—skiing, camping, high adventure stuff. I couldn’t believe I’d found someone who loved all the things I did. We both wanted a big family and a horse farm in Montana, but we’d been married just two years when she died of stage IV breast cancer that showed up out of the blue. I was devastated beyond words.”

  “I am so, so sorry,” Darcy said softly.

  “Afterward, I joined a large vet practice and totally immersed myself in work. I was alone for five years. After losing Gina, I couldn’t even look at another woman. Then one day, the group hired a new bookkeeper.”

  He looked away, and had to pause before he could continue. “I’d been wallowing in my grief since Gina died, but this gal was so sympathetic, so understanding and kind, that I fell into spending more and more time with her. She seemed like a lifeline to me, but she must have thought I was a sitting duck. Looking back, I’m not even sure when it happened or if it did. But suddenly she was happily announcing that we were engaged.”

  Darcy scanned the sandbox at the bottom of the hill, where Emma was building a sand castle. Then she looked back. “I’m almost afraid to hear the rest of this.”

  “Every expression of sympathy, every seemingly heartfelt emotion Cathy expressed was a ruse to mask her real intent. I was only a cover who unwittingly helped allay suspicions about her because, after all, she was with me, and I was a full partner. She embezzled around forty grand before being discovered, and then she disappeared. When they caught her, the money was gone—gambled away at casinos.”