The Rancher's Redemption (The Millers of Morgan Valley Book 2)

by Kate Pearce

  “That’s my girl.” Ruth’s eyes were full of tears, which almost made Rachel well up. “Strong and sassy.”

  Rachel wished she felt the words more, but she was convinced that if she kept saying them that in time she would.

  Chase came in with a new load of wood for the fire and halted at the sight of Rachel and Ruth embracing.

  “Everything okay?”

  “It’s all wonderful.” Ruth was the first to speak. “How is January feeling this morning?”

  Chase made a face. “Still puking. But she says she’ll be fine for lunch, and I believe her. It’s amazing how quickly she perks up after she’s emptied her stomach.”

  “Thanks for the graphic detail,” Rachel said, grimacing. “Is there anything else at the house that needs bringing over?”

  Chase shook his head. “I did want to ask you about something, though, Rachel. Do you have a minute?”

  Rachel tensed as he took her through to his office. “This hasn’t got anything to do with Cauy Lymond, does it?”

  “No, why should it?” Chase gave her a funny look. “Raj, the guy who helped me out when you were stuck in the mine, contacted me a couple of days ago with a government job opportunity based in Sacramento.”

  “You don’t need a job,” Rachel quipped back.

  “But you do.” Chase clicked something on his laptop, and the printer went into action. “I told him about you and the kind of job you were looking for. I’ve forwarded you his e-mail, but I thought you might like a printout as well.” He picked up the sheets of paper and handed them to Rachel. “They’re looking for an engineer to work closely with the registry for historic California mines.”

  “The what?” Rachel looked down at the paperwork.

  “Like as a consultant and adviser. You’d get to visit abandoned mines and tourist attraction ones, make sure they follow safety regulations, and issue reports on the overall state of each mine.” Chase closed his laptop. “Is that something you might be interested in? The pay isn’t great, but it would be a good place to start your career, and it’s relatively close to home. They might even let you telecommute.”

  “Thank you.” Rachel looked up at him. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “There’s no rush.” He smiled as he headed for the door. “Look through the information, and get back to me or Raj after the holidays.”

  “It was really kind of you to find out about this for me.”

  He shrugged. “What else is family for?”

  “I’ve never had anyone look out for me before.” Rachel had to say it. “It means the world to me.”

  Chase turned to look at her, his expression suddenly serious. “You’re part of our family now, Rachel. Never forget that and know we’ll all be doing our best to make those lost years up to you.”

  She nodded and clasped the paperwork to her chest as he opened the door and went out. She might have been unlucky in love, but at the Morgan Ranch she’d discovered a family who loved her and wanted her to stick around.

  She swallowed hard. Having that sense of home made the thought of leaving so much easier. Whatever happened over the years to come she would never ever be a stranger here. She folded up the paper and went to put it in her coat pocket in the coatroom.

  Seeing Cauy again might not be quite so difficult when surrounded by all her family. And, if he put a foot out of line, having four big brothers might just come in handy....

  * * *

  Cauy braced himself against the wave of laughter and conversation coming from the Morgan dining room, fixed a smile on his face, and followed Jackson in search of their hostess. Of course, the first Morgan he saw was Rachel dressed in a yellow fluffy sweater and skinny black jeans laughing with Jenna beside the fire. She looked beautiful and like she didn’t have a care in the world, which was exactly what he wished for her in his less selfish moments. The rest of the time he just wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her forever.

  Carefully avoiding catching her eye, Cauy kept his gaze on Jackson, who was now shaking Billy’s hand and laughing, which wasn’t helping Cauy’s nerves.

  “Thanks for inviting us,” Cauy said to Billy. “Especially considering the circumstances.”

  “Would that be you claiming half my ranch, or you making my daughter mad?” Billy asked.

  “I hope to settle all those matters shortly, sir.” Cauy swallowed hard and held Billy’s gaze.

  “Good.” Billy nodded and turned away. “Ruth’s in the kitchen if you want to speak to her.”

  “Not bloody likely,” Cauy murmured to himself. He had the sense that if he wasn’t careful, all the Morgans would seek him out and demand answers he wasn’t yet ready to give. He spotted Dr. Tio sitting with an elderly lady in the corner and went over to them. Hopefully, that would give him time to steady his nerves before dinner got underway.

  Of course, when they were called to the table, some sadist had decided to sit Cauy opposite Rachel and a whole row of formidable Morgan men. He looked around for Jackson, who was comfortably situated between Nancy and her mom, and having a great time.

  Ruth finally emerged from the kitchen with Yvonne and Avery at her side to say grace. She got them started passing the massive plates of turkey, ham, and all the trimmings around the table.

  Cauy didn’t feel much like eating and took the minimum he could get away with to avoid looking either rude or weird. He jumped as someone leaned over to fill his water glass and the ice clinked.

  “I assume you don’t want wine, Cauy?” Rachel asked.

  He finally looked at her, and couldn’t look away. She was always beautiful to him, but today—after not seeing her for a while—she was his whole world.

  “No, thanks,” he managed to reply. “Water’s good.”

  She put down the water jug. “How’s Grace?”

  “About to have her puppies anytime now according to Jenna. I brought her with us. She’s in the house if you want to see her.”

  “Thanks, I’d like that.” Rachel took some turkey and passed the platter to her left, stopping to chat with Billy, which gave Cauy the chance to concentrate on his plate again.

  She didn’t attempt to draw him into anything resembling a conversation, and he knew he deserved it. Her ability to conceal if she was hurt and present such a calm front to the world was both an amazing advantage and a massive roadblock to understanding how she really felt. He had no doubt in his head that she would survive without him. She was a strong woman.

  But every so often, when she thought he wasn’t looking, she’d sneak a glance at him like she couldn’t help herself. He only noticed because he was doing exactly the same thing to her.

  The meal seemed to take forever, but even the Morgans couldn’t eat everything in the universe. Eventually, Ruth stood up to thank everyone for coming, and to recall the highlights of the year. Roy then thanked Ruth to great applause on behalf of all the guests.

  As Roy sat down, Cauy rose to his feet and waited for the conversation to die down, leaving a sea of curious faces staring at him. He’d never felt so exposed in his life. He cleared his throat and turned to Ruth.

  “Mrs. Morgan? There’s something I wanted to say to you.” He took the folded paper out of his pocket. “I know there has been some speculation that I intended to sue the Morgan Ranch for a parcel of disputed land. I wanted to set the record straight today.” He handed Ruth the letter. “This is from my lawyer, and states that I have no intention of ever litigating about this land, and that my heirs will never do so either.”

  Ruth glanced down at the letter. “Well, that’s mighty fine of you, Cauy. I never thought you’d go through with it anyway, but thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Cauy sat down to a smattering of applause and faced a row of Morgans. Rachel was staring at him as if he’d done something terrible. He met her gaze. Now came the hard part.

  “Would you like to come and check on Grace with me?”

  She considered him for a long m
oment. “Okay.”

  He followed her out into the lobby, and they both collected their jackets before braving the weather and heading for the ranch house that looked like the image on a Victorian Christmas card. Cauy’s boots crunched in the snow and his breath condensed as he followed her lead. Someone had threaded colored lights through the spindles on the porch and swept away the snow from the wooden planking. The whole place looked magical.

  Rachel held the screen door so that it wouldn’t bang on Cauy and stepped into the quiet house, shedding her boots in the mudroom and unzipping her jacket.

  “Where did you put Grace?” she asked.

  She turned only to find Cauy was right there. She took a step back and hit the wall. He stared down at her, one hand braced above her head.

  “I never meant to take your family to court.”

  “So they all kept telling me.” Rachel suddenly found it hard to breathe.

  “I only told you I did because I wanted you to think I wasn’t worth your time and energy.”

  “Well, it worked.” Whatever he was trying to do she wasn’t going to make it easy for him.

  “It didn’t work for me,” he sighed. “I thought I was doing the best thing for you—setting you free to find some nice guy, who was new, and unspoiled, and—”

  “Not you. I get it,” Rachel said. “But why?”

  “Because that’s what you deserve.”

  She raised her chin. “Who made you the judge of what I deserve?”

  “I’m not an easy guy to live with.”

  “So you’re high maintenance. So what?”

  He shifted his stance slightly so that he was even closer and leaned in. “So maybe I’m not good enough for you.”

  “Says who?”

  “Me, goddamn it!” He tenderly kissed her brow, and then her nose. “I suck.”

  “I know that.” She shivered as he kissed her cheek. “You’re an awful, terrible human being.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Whom I like despite desperately trying to convince myself otherwise.”

  “Then will you consider forgiving me for trying to push you away from me?” Cauy asked.

  She eased out of his half embrace. “It depends.”

  “On what?”

  He looked wary now, which she was enjoying much more than she should.

  “What made you change your mind and try and make things right with me?”

  “A couple of things.” He rubbed his hand over his mouth. “Firstly, my mom told me that if I really loved you I shouldn’t waste my time telling you, and secondly—”

  “Back up.” Rachel held up her hand. “Did you just say that you love me?”

  He met her gaze, his brown eyes clear. “Yeah, I did.”

  “Really?” He nodded, and she scowled at him. “Yet you still blew me off?”

  “As I was trying to say before you interrupted me, I didn’t think I had that right.”

  “To love me?”

  His mouth twisted. “Look at me, Rachel. I’m never going to be perfect.”

  “What makes you think I’ve ever wanted perfect?” she asked.

  “Because that’s what you deserve.”

  She rolled her eyes. “We’re back to that, are we? What if I want you, just the way you are. What if I love you?”

  “Then I’d be the luckiest man on this planet.” He reached for her, but she held up her hand. “What?”

  She was trembling so hard she thought she might pass out. “I want someone who will always be there for me—someone who will always put me first. I deserve that.”

  “Yeah, you do.” He nodded slowly. “I want to be that man.”

  “You do?”

  He pressed his palm to his heart. “I want to be here for you whenever you need a friend, or a lover, or just someone to shout at.” He formed his hand into a cup. “I want to hold you here, in my heart and soul like a bird that will fly away from me sometimes, but always return. Do you get that? Do you want that?”

  “That’s the most beautiful, poetical thing anyone has ever said to me,” Rachel whispered.

  He shrugged. “It’s how I feel.”

  “And it’s the most sentences I think you’ve ever spoken to me in one go.”

  This time she let him take her hand. “That’s good, right?”

  She collapsed against him, and he closed his arms around her and held her tight. She’d missed the taste and sheer strength in him so badly....

  “Are you going to let me kiss you now?” Cauy asked hoarsely.

  With a strangled sob, she flung her arm around his neck and raised her mouth to his. Their kiss was both a promise, and a welcome home—a commitment, and a revelation.

  “I love you, Rachel Morgan,” Cauy murmured between kisses. “I tried to let you go, and I don’t think I can do it again.”

  “You won’t have to,” Rachel assured him as she kissed him. His hands were roving her body, pressing her against the hardness in his jeans and making her want . . .

  A frantic barking echoed down the hallway, and Cauy’s head shot up.

  “That’s Grace.”

  He ran down to the kitchen, Rachel in hot pursuit, to discover Grace lying on her side in the dog basket panting hard. Cauy crouched beside her and then turned to Rachel.

  “The puppies are coming. Do you want to fetch Jenna?”

  She leaned in and kissed him one more time before rushing to put her boots on. There was still a lot for her and Cauy to work out, but one thing she was certain of—he would never go back on his promise to her.

  Laughing up at the falling snow, Rachel retraced her steps to the guest center. It was Christmas Day, her forever family surrounded her, Cauy had expressed his love for her in complete sentences, and she was about to become a doggie mamma.

  What more could any woman want?

  Kate’s Christmas Cracker Candy for Rachel

  (With thanks to Angela James of Carina Press

  for the original recipe)

  40 saltine crackers

  ½ cup of butter (I like to use salted butter.)

  1 cup sugar (I like to use light brown sugar lightly packed.)

  2 cups chocolate chips (I like milk chocolate, but dark is also good.)

  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

  Place the crackers side by side in a jelly roll pan lined with foil or silicone.

  Melt the butter in a pan and add the sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Do not let it burn; reduce heat a little if necessary.

  Spread over crackers with a spatula.

  Bake in oven for 5 minutes.

  Sprinkle chocolate chips over surface; you can get creative and try different kinds of chocolate, or add caramel. Cover with foil and leave for 5 minutes to melt.

  Spread the melted chocolate over the caramel.

  Add toppings (pecans, mixed nuts, sea salt, sprinkles, peppermint, etc.).

  Cover and place in the refrigerator or freezer to set for a couple of hours. (That’s where I keep mine.)

  Break it up, and eat! Repeat.