Second Chance Rancher

by Brenda Minton

  There were very specific reasons he wouldn’t date. His marriage to Tamara had taught him two things. Don’t marry a woman who isn’t interested in staying. And don’t marry a woman who doesn’t share your faith.

  Lucy had good reasons for avoiding church. What she didn’t get was that faith had nothing in common with the type of religion her dad had preached.

  Not that it mattered.

  He had everything he needed. Except, maybe he didn’t. He thought about the time spent with Lucy, sharing their concerns with one another, working together. Maybe he did want to find a woman he could share his life with.

  A woman who would be a partner in life.

  * * *

  Lucy had been working on the installation of the security system for an hour. For the first fifteen minutes she’d been alone. But then she’d become aware of her audience, a boy of about five. He had hidden behind the door and she’d caught him peeking out at her. He wasn’t very good at sneaking.

  Now, forty-five minutes into his surveillance, she decided he should come out of hiding.

  “I need someone to hold my tools if you’d like to help.”

  He reminded her of children she’d met in Afghanistan. They’d witnessed and experienced abuse, different than this child, but still it had changed them. She’d used American candy to befriend those Afghan children. The ones who had hidden in doorways, behind walls, in the shadows. Eventually they had ventured out. Chocolate was a universal language.

  The memories were bittersweet. Some of those children were still alive in Afghanistan. Some had been lost in the mire of war. Others had joined groups that fought against the American soldiers. One of those children had led Lucy and her friends into a trap.

  “What are the wires for?” the little guy at her side asked as he took the screwdriver from her hand, and then the hammer.

  “To keep you safe,” she answered. Children needed truthful answers, but not ones that would frighten them or keep them awake at night.

  “From my daddy?” he asked.

  She looked down at him, at blond hair and big gray eyes. He had a bruise on his cheek. She should have noticed sooner. She should do something to make him feel safe. He made the decision for her. He moved close to her side, sliding beneath her arm. She wrapped him in her arms and wanted to promise his daddy would never hurt him again.

  She couldn’t make that promise.

  “Yes, the wires will keep you safe.” She hoped.

  “Can I help?” he asked.

  “Yes, you can.” She started a screw, and then showed him how to place the screwdriver. “Can you do that for me?”

  He nodded, his bottom lip caught between his teeth.

  Soon she felt someone else had joined them. She knew he stood just to the right of the door. She glanced back over her shoulder and caught him watching, the brim of his white cowboy hat pulled low. He moved just inside and leaned a shoulder against the door frame.

  She gave her full attention to the little boy at her side, making sure that the wires would keep him safe from his daddy.

  “What’s your name?” she asked.

  “Tyler,” he answered, still concentrating hard on the screw.

  “How old are you?”

  “Five. I start kindergarten soon.”

  “You’re going to like school.” She put her hand over his to help him with the screwdriver.

  “I like Sunday school.” He looked up at her with trusting gray eyes. “Do you?”

  She was aware that Dane had walked farther into the room. He was watching, listening. Tyler had asked her a question.

  Mrs. Gordon. Sweetest Sunday school teacher Lucy had ever had. She’d read them Bible stories and let them move felt figures on the board.

  “Yes, I like Sunday school.”

  “Can I help you two?” Dane stood behind them now.

  Tyler suddenly tensed up. Of course he did. She gave him an encouraging hug and started him working on another screw, one she didn’t really need, but he seemed to want to do something positive.

  “Of course you can help.” She’d been kneeling with Tyler for longer than she’d realized. Long enough that her knees were stiff and she didn’t mind that Dane offered her a hand to pull her to her feet.

  “How much have you gotten done? I planned to be here earlier but Issy slept late after a restless night. I took her to Maria and brought pancakes for both of them.”

  “Thank you for feeding Maria and the tadpole.” She glanced down at the little boy now standing next to her. She ruffled a hand through his soft blond hair. “We haven’t done much. But we’ll need some wiring done. I’m sticking to the plan we made the other day.”

  “Gotcha. I’ll get started on that. I noticed the women were in the kitchen. Pastor Matthews told me to pass on the message that we’re invited to lunch.”

  Invited to lunch. She wanted to reject the invitation. She had things to do at the ranch. Her brother Alex had called and he was planning to come home. He thought that together they could get things back in shape, maybe replace the cattle that had been sold off and buy a few horses. She hadn’t told him yet that she had no intention of staying in Bluebonnet and being a rancher.

  “Tyler and I are going to get a little more done on this, and then we’ll head to the kitchen.”

  Dane stood there, watching her, probably trying to figure her out.

  “I’ll take a look at the wiring and when you’re ready for lunch, let me know and I’ll walk down with you.”

  The man didn’t give up easily. She remembered that about him. She remembered the day after her dad had caught them together. He’d demanded her father tell him where she was.

  She thought he probably still didn’t know where her dad had hidden her. She couldn’t imagine ever telling him. There were some things too painful to share, too painful to think about.

  Tyler tugged on her shirttail. “I’m hungry.”

  Lucy glanced around the room, at the work still needing to be done. And then she looked at the little boy, his gray eyes imploring her.

  “Guess it’s lunchtime.”

  Dane had been almost at the door. “I’ll just head that way with you.”

  Tyler ran ahead of them, leaving Lucy alone with Dane.

  “Do people know you’re a softy?” he asked.

  “No, they don’t. So don’t tell.”

  “Never,” he teased. “But I’m not surprised.”

  “Aren’t you?” She glanced up at him, getting lost for a moment in the blue of his eyes.

  “Not at all. You were always watching over someone. Kids at school who were being bullied, your little sister, even those rotten brothers of yours.”

  “The curse of the older sibling. You do the same with Haven.”

  “Maybe.”

  The women in the kitchen were talking and laughing. Tyler was sitting on the counter eating a slice of corn bread. Someone mentioned Gatsby the pig. He had been seen at the church and one of the kids had tried to catch him.

  She’d never felt really attached to this church or this town, not even to the people here, but seeing both through the eyes of an adult changed things. Maybe time and distance had helped her sort out all her feelings, toward her father and the town.

  As an adult she could see that God and her father’s church were not one and the same. The town, although they hadn’t done a lot to help, had done small things to ease the way. It had been one of the neighboring farmers who had given her a lift to Austin on the day she left home.

  He’d asked if she was sure. She’d told him she was eighteen and she was joining the Army. He’d wished her the best and dropped her off at the recruiting station. For the next month she’d worked hard, staying at a cheap hotel until she could leave for Basic Training.

&nb
sp; A hand touched her back. She felt the warmth of Dane at her side and she told herself to move away. Getting attached to him was mistake number one. She knew better. Staying detached meant staying safe.

  “Are you two joining us for lunch?” Pastor Matthews asked as he breezed into the room. She wondered if the man ever had a bad day.

  “I know I am.” Dane had moved away, his hand sliding off her back. He took a bowl one of the women handed him and he passed it to Lucy.

  She accepted, but then her phone rang. She set the bowl down to answer.

  “Maria?” she answered. “Is everything okay?”

  Dane was instantly on alert. Of course he was; his daughter was with her sister.

  “I’m sick.” Maria’s voice was weak. “I’m trying to keep Issy with me, but I’m afraid I can’t watch her the way I should.”

  “I’ll be home in five minutes. Sit in the bathroom with Issy, and I’ll come get her.”

  Dane didn’t give her a chance to explain. He was heading for the door and she caught up with him.

  “Hey, she’s fine,” she called out to his retreating back.

  He hesitated, just long enough for her to catch up. “It didn’t sound as if everything was fine.”

  “Issy is okay. Maria is sick. I’ll run out there, right the ship and you do whatever you need to do in town.”

  He looked torn and she wondered how often he trusted his little girl with others. He trusted Maria, Lois and Haven. But did he let anyone else help?

  “I can do this,” she assured him.

  He took off his hat and swiped a hand through his short, dark hair. “Yeah, I know. And I should have realized this was too much for Maria. She needs to take care of herself right now.”

  “I know she does.” Lucy hadn’t realized, though. She hadn’t thought about Maria being pregnant, sick, watching a little girl. “I’ll go home and make sure they’re fine.”

  “You need to make her a doctor’s appointment.”

  “Right. I think she has one coming up. Doc Parker did the initial exam but he told her she has to go to an obstetrician.”

  “I’m going to finish up what I can here, run by the feed store and then I’ll be out to get Issy. But if, for whatever reason, you need me to come home sooner, I can.”

  As she left she realized something about being home. She did have friends. She’d trusted her business partners, Boone and Daron, to have her back. They’d trusted her the same way. But her circle of friends had been small.

  Coming home to Bluebonnet, the circle had grown. And it included more than family. It included neighbors. And a man who was definitely more than a friend.

  Chapter Eight

  Lucy and Issy were playing in the yard with one of the kittens when Dane showed up to get his daughter. He asked about Maria, who had gone to bed as soon as Lucy got home, then he loaded up his daughter and drove away. Lucy was still standing on the front porch when a truck and trailer came down the driveway, the dust of Dane’s truck still circling.

  She headed for the stable, the direction the newly arrived truck and trailer were heading. When she got there, her brother Alex was out and the back of the trailer was open.

  “Welcome home,” he said as he unloaded a mare from the trailer. She was a deep red and fidgety. As she stood in the yard, ears attentive, Lucy stepped forward to admire her.

  “I could say the same to you,” Lucy said as she looked the animal over.

  He grinned, managing to look far younger than his twenty-five years. “Yeah, I guess you could. How’s Maria?”

  “Sick. I’d take her to the doctor but I’m not sure they can do much for morning sickness. Or in her case, all-day sickness.”

  “Probably not.” He handed her the lead rope. “Early Christmas gift. Hold her and I’ll unload her best friend.”

  He returned a minute later with a dusky gray pony. The smaller animal surveyed his surroundings, ears flicking and dark eyes curious.

  She reached to pet the sleek, red neck of the mare. The horse turned, nuzzling at her shoulder. “Her best friend is a pony?”

  Alex flashed a dimpled grin. “Yeah. I couldn’t leave her behind. I figure Maria’s little one will be able to ride her someday.”

  From behind Lucy came an excited screech.

  “Alex, she’s perfect. And you’re home.” Maria hurried to join them and she immediately made a beeline to her brother, gave him a hug and then turned her attention to the pony.

  Lucy gave her little sister a suspicious look. “I thought you were sick. Now you’re all dressed up. At three in the afternoon?”

  “I’m going to church. I thought I told you.”

  Lucy felt her heart shudder. “No. You didn’t tell me.”

  Maria gave her a sheepish grin. “Sorry. It’s an afternoon Bible study, not regular church. I told Bessy that maybe we could give her a ride. Because her car won’t start and Nina Tucker usually gives her a ride. But Nina is in the hospital.”

  Nina and Bessy. They had gone to Jesse Palermo’s church. Not for long. Both had been too knowledgeable of the Bible and unwilling to bend to her father’s will.

  Maria’s words sank in. “You told Bessy I would give her a ride to church? Me?”

  “Just a ride, Luce. You don’t have to go in.”

  Lucy led the horse to a stall. Maria and Alex followed. He put the pony in a stall next to the mare as their little sister leaned over the stall door to shower the little gray with love and attention.

  “She’ll be a good pony for your little girl,” Alex said, switching the conversation to something neutral.

  “Or boy,” Lucy argued, thankful for the reprieve he’d bought her.

  “We’ll know soon enough.” Maria continued to pet the pony. “But I don’t really care. Boy or a girl, the baby will be a blessing. So about church?”

  “I’ll drive you to church, Maria. But I’m not going to the Bible study.”

  “I understand.”

  “What time do we need to leave?” Lucy asked.

  “In about an hour. And can we pick up Bessy Moore, too?” Maria asked with a hopeful grin. “You don’t have to go in if you don’t want. Just drop us off and I’ll text when we’re finished.”

  “That sounds good. I’m going to throw something together for dinner. Alex, you eating with us?”

  Alex glanced at her from the mare’s stall, nodding as he did. “Yeah. But I’m with you. I’m not going to church.”

  * * *

  When they reached the church, Lucy helped Bessy out of the truck. The older woman, with her gray hair styled in a neat bun, smiled up at Lucy. Bessy wore a pretty print dress, white gloves and orthopedic shoes. She hadn’t changed much since Lucy had left home.

  “You’re sure you won’t come in with us?”

  Lucy shook her head. “No, but I’ll be out here waiting to give you a ride home.”

  “It isn’t the same,” Bessy said quietly, her gloved hand on Lucy’s arm.

  “I know it isn’t.” It was hard to admit it. But she knew the people in this building weren’t the same as the ones who had been there when her father held control of his small flock.

  Church wasn’t the enemy. God wasn’t the controlling figure her father had made him out to be. She’d known wonderful, loving Christians since she’d left Bluebonnet. She realized, as an adult, that she’d known plenty of good people in this town who hadn’t gone to her dad’s church.

  “Someday?” Bessy asked, her smile sweet.

  Lucy found she couldn’t resist Bessy. Her heart softened a bit as she looked at the older woman. “Someday.”

  Bessy and Maria left together, Maria holding the arm of the older woman, helping her over rough ground. Lucy stood next to her truck for a long time, watching as people park
ed and went inside. She could hear the voices raised in song. The old piano rattled the windows. It seemed a bit more than an ordinary Bible study.

  Lucy walked around the building. From inside she could hear Pastor Matthews but his words were muffled. The congregation laughed at whatever he’d said. There was silence for a moment. She walked on, toward the back door.

  She entered the building and walked down the hallway to the nursery, a small room with bright walls painted with Bible scenes. Noah’s ark on one wall, Jesus with children on the other. The walls were the same. That surprised her. It haunted her. She stood in the doorway. Children in the room looked up from their play to watch the stranger in their midst. The woman sitting in a rocking chair pushed herself to her feet.

  “Lucy?” The nursery worker spoke quietly, smiling down at the children as she moved toward the door. “It’s me, Opal Lawrence. We were in school together.”

  Lucy took a deep breath and remembered.

  “Yes, of course.”

  Relief came over Opal’s face. “You can come in if you’d like.”

  Lucy watched the children play. Issy was there. She had turned toward the door, a doll in her arms. “Lucy?”

  The little girl stood and took a few hesitant steps.

  Lucy stepped into the room. “Hey, Issy.”

  “Is my daddy here?” Issy eased forward. Lucy took hold of her hand.

  “No, just me. Do you want me to read to you?”

  Issy nodded so Lucy led her to a chair. The two of them sat together. Opal handed Lucy a book about David and Goliath. She opened it and found it was a pop-up story. She guided Issy’s hands to the figures of David, his sheep, and then the giant, Goliath. She read the story and with each page the little girl felt the characters.

  As Lucy read, the other children gathered close, standing at her side, near her feet or even sitting on the floor. She told of the five stones and the slingshot, and one little girl reminded her that David’s faith killed the giant, because that rock was little and giants are taller than the ceiling.

  When Lucy finished the story, she looked up and realized she had an audience. Dane stood there, in dark jeans and a button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He was leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest. His blue eyes were serious but the corners of his mouth turned up a bit, enough to know he wasn’t upset. He pushed away from the door and she felt small in the chair, his daughter on her lap. He was tall, and yet moved with the lithe power of a rancher, a cowboy.