Rancher to the Rescue

by Patricia Forsythe

  Zannah stared at her father, her expression fixed, then shifted her attention to Brady. The two men watched her expectantly, waiting to see what she would do. Brady thought this must be similar to waiting for a volcano to erupt—first a puff of steamy smoke, then a full explosion.

  “No, he’s not,” she snapped.

  “Now, honey, I knew you’d react like this. That’s why I didn’t tell you. We’re having a bit of a cash-flow problem...”

  “Which I only discovered in the past couple of weeks, and haven’t even begun to solve—Oh!” she said, straightening. “This deal is why you didn’t want me to take over the bookkeeping, isn’t it?”

  “Well, see there. Now you won’t have to,” Gus said in a falsely hearty tone that made Brady cringe. This was rapidly going from bad to worse. “Gallagher here has had all kinds of business experience. Haven’t you, Brady? He’ll have everything straightened out in no time.”

  Brady flinched at Gus’s tone. He sincerely wished this conversation was taking place somewhere, anywhere other than this public area of the corral.

  Her expression incredulous, Zannah turned to Brady. “If you’re such a hotshot businessman, why would you want to invest in an operation that’s losing money?”

  “It’s a challenge.” Brady pressed his lips together. It was a lifelong habit he’d never been able to break, even though he knew it looked like a smirk. He was growing more and more uncomfortable and truly angry with Gus. Brady had made it clear that there would be no deal until he saw Eaglecrest’s books, but Gus hadn’t been forthcoming with the financial records—and now it appeared that Zannah was the one with that information, but she was struggling to make sense of it. He had absolutely no intention of buying in to a sloppy operation or of getting in the middle of a family squabble.

  Still, there was something that drew him to this place. He had to be careful and make sure his attraction to the ranch didn’t overrule his good judgment.

  He’d made his reservation at the cowboy college a couple of weeks ago with Gus and had carried through with it in spite of growing uneasiness with his potential partner’s business dealings and insistence on secrecy. In spite of all that, Brady still wanted to see how they ran the place.

  As far as Gus himself was concerned, Brady didn’t know if the man had been trying to fool him or his daughter. Maybe he was only fooling himself.

  Zannah obviously thought so, too. Her eyes lit with fury. “It’s a...a boondoggle, and it’s not going to happen.”

  “Zannah, you need to think about this rationally,” Gus said.

  “Why? You obviously haven’t. You...you did this behind my back...didn’t even tell me.” Her hands fisted at her sides, and tears filled her eyes. “How could you do that? And how could you spring it on me like this?”

  Brady’s gut twisted in dismay. She deserved an explanation, but Gus ducked his head and half turned from her as if he wanted to make a break for it. “Well, honey, I...”

  He was interrupted by Phoebe riding up. She said, “Zannah, we’re ready to start the short trail ride. Do you want me to go catch... Hey, what’s wrong?” She dismounted, rushed to Zannah’s side and placed an arm around her shoulders. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

  Zannah shook her head, but no one answered. The riding teacher regarded both men with an aggressive glint in her eye.

  Gus had told him about all the staff, so Brady knew Phoebe and Zannah were cousins. The two women looked very much alike, with their curly dark blond hair caught up in ponytails. They were of similar build, of medium height, lithe and strong. From a distance, it would be difficult to tell them apart.

  And they could muster up identical unyielding stares from their tawny brown eyes.

  “Uncle Gus? Mr. Gallagher?” Phoebe asked.

  Zannah straightened and drew in a shuddering breath. She responded to Phoebe with a shaky smile. “It’s okay. We can talk about it later. Go ahead on the trail ride. The guests are ready.” She nodded to where the others were waiting, standing by their horses or already mounted, watching the drama playing out across the way. She gave Brady a look that was much steadier than her voice. “As far as Belinda is concerned, I’m sure she’s gone to her favorite place. Mr. Gallagher will go get her. After all, it’s not a good idea to lose newly acquired property.”

  “What?” Phoebe asked.

  “Never mind.” Zannah summoned a smile. “Have a good ride.”

  “What’s going on?” Phoebe asked, surveying the small group.

  “I’ll explain later,” Zannah answered. “As soon as I understand it myself. If I ever do.”

  Phoebe regarded them with a confused look, then glanced over to where the other guests were waiting for her. With a nod at Zannah, she returned to her horse. “Oh, okay.” She pointed at Zannah. “But don’t think I won’t keep asking until I get all the details. See you later.”

  Gus turned and walked away rapidly. Brady almost envied the man his escape. Zannah sent an annoyed look after her father and turned one on Brady that could have singed his eyebrows off if he’d been standing any closer.

  “So?” he asked. “How do we track down Belinda?”

  “We walk.” She gave him a disparaging glance. “And let’s hope those new boots don’t give you blisters.”

  “I’ll be fine,” he answered, hurrying to catch up as she took off at a double-quick pace. He was taller, but she was faster, and she had the advantage of intense fury to speed her along.

  “So,” she said over her shoulder as he reached her. “How long have you and my father been planning this...”

  “Boondoggle?”

  “Deal,” she responded, then added, “Underhanded deal.”

  “A few weeks. Listen, Zannah, this is only an investment and, like I said, a challenge.”

  She stopped so fast and rounded on him so that he had to do some fancy sidestepping to keep from running her down. Color was once again rising into her face. He was beginning to be fascinated by how fast that could happen.

  “To you, it’s an investment. You don’t know anything about this place, which has been in my family for ninety-five years. You want to know about a challenge? Try running a cattle ranch during the worst of the Depression, or during a drought so bad that even the San Ramon River becomes nothing but a trickle, or when the price of beef falls so low that there’s no such thing as a profit margin and the only thing you see for miles is red ink.” She stabbed a finger in his direction. “Now there’s a challenge for you.”

  She whirled around and stomped away from him, but he doggedly stuck with her.

  “Zannah, you have every right to be mad,” he began, but she waved her hand as if she wanted to swat him away.

  “I don’t want to talk about this anymore right now,” she said. “And you can call me Miss Worth.”

  That almost got a laugh out of him. Instead of answering, he followed along as they moved onto a rough slope where he had to concentrate on where he was stepping, fighting back a loud groan as he slid on loose gravel. She’d been right about the boots. Blisters were forming.

  * * *

  FURY, PANIC AND feelings of betrayal warred within Zannah as the truth of what her father had done soaked into her mind. Her thoughts chased each other as she tried to pinpoint an emotion on which to focus.

  Hurt was number one, she decided. How could Gus have decided to sell half of Eaglecrest to someone, especially someone they didn’t know? She cast a glance over her shoulder and saw that Brady was concentrating on his feet, trying to keep up with her. She had walked this path so many times, she barely had to think about it, but the tenderfoot behind her would take a tumble if he wasn’t careful.

  Who was this guy, anyway, and where had he and Gus met? How much business experience did he have and was any of it in ranching? Or hospitality? How much money was he willing to risk in case she wasn’t able to get
Eaglecrest’s finances stabilized, let alone show a profit? And would he expect to be involved in the day-to-day operations?

  Right now, she could see Belinda in her favorite grazing spot by the river. The first order of business was to find out why she’d thrown Brady, then get her back home.

  “There she is,” she said, pointing.

  “I see her,” Brady answered grimly.

  Zannah stopped and looked at him. “There’s no point in being mad at her. She only did what horses do when they want to get someone off their back. It’s instinct.”

  “I know that, and I’m not mad at her.” He made a funny little gesture with his lips that Zannah couldn’t interpret, then said, “Are you going to show me how to catch her?”

  “Sure, it’s easy now that she’s had a little bit of a run and a snack. Although, just so you know, it’s not a good idea to let a horse eat with a bit in its mouth. It makes for a dirty bit, and they can’t chew very well.” She smiled sweetly. “But you probably already knew that, because you’ve had experience with horses before. Since you’re here to see how we run the place, you might like to know that’s the kind of thing we always tell our guests.”

  Brady raised an eyebrow. “I’ll write that down.”

  “See that you do.”

  Zannah walked over to Belinda, who didn’t even lift her head from the patch of sweet grass to acknowledge the newcomers. Taking hold of the halter, Zannah spoke to Brady over the mare’s neck.

  “Come hold her while I check the saddle to find out why she threw you.”

  Brady took the halter but said, “You watched me saddle her.”

  “Obviously not closely enough.”

  She undid the cinch straps and removed the saddle. After setting it on the ground, she lifted it to examine the underside, running her hand over the surface and tilting it up to the light.

  “Nothing here.”

  Next she removed the saddle blanket and flipped it over. “Ah.” She held it up for Brady to see. “Sand burrs,” she said. “They must have stuck in the blanket when it landed on the ground under the corral fence.”

  “Mea culpa,” he said. “My fault.”

  “Why yes, it is.” She handed the blanket to him. She knew it was partly her fault, too. She’d been so anxious to solve the problem she thought Brady was having that she hadn’t focused enough on the mare. “Here. Pick them out while I check her over. Then I’ll resaddle her, and we can head back.”

  Zannah took the halter rope from him and held it while she ran her hand over the mare’s sides to make sure there were no burrs stuck in her hair. She found one, and Brady found several in the blanket. Zannah double-checked it, too, before replacing it, along with the saddle.

  “There,” she said. “We can start back now.” She began walking, but Brady hung back. “What’s wrong?”

  “Okay if I ride?” He gave that odd twist of his lips again. “Your prediction came true. I’ve got blisters.”

  Zannah didn’t even bother to hide her grin. “Sure.” She handed over the halter rope and reins. “Feel free. Are you going to join the trail ride?”

  “No, I’ll take her to the barn and check to make sure there are no more burrs. Besides, there’ll be plenty of time for trail rides later. I’m going to be around for a while.”

  “So it seems,” she murmured.

  “We could ride double,” he offered, but she shook her head. The thought of sitting behind him, arms around his waist, was one she didn’t want to contemplate, and she really didn’t want to be the one in front, with his arms around her.

  “I could do with the walk.” She lifted a foot to indicate her well-worn boot. “And these stopped giving me blisters years ago.”

  She watched as Brady mounted in one smooth motion. “So you can ride?” she asked, noting that he was doing everything right that she’d noticed him doing wrong earlier—sitting straight but relaxed in the saddle, hands easily holding the reins and halter rope, calves snug against Belinda’s ribs.

  “Yeah. Learned years ago on my aunt and uncle’s farm. It’s like riding a bicycle. You never forget.” He touched his heels to Belinda’s sides and gave the reins an encouraging shake. The mare took off at a lope with her new, almost part owner giving every appearance of an expert rider.

  She watched him go. She could admire a good horseman, but she didn’t appreciate having been played.

  * * *

  GUS HURRIED INTO the ranch office, closed the door behind him and considered locking it. He’d known Zannah would be furious with him. He couldn’t blame her for that, but there had been no other way out for them. He was convinced of that. Besides, there was something else he had to do, something important, and this was the time to do it.

  He didn’t have to hide his project anymore. Zannah knew he was getting an investor now. If it didn’t turn out to be Brady Gallagher, it would be someone else with equally deep pockets. She would learn about everything else in due course.

  Opening an old steamer trunk that he kept beside his desk, he removed the books and maps he’d been keeping secret, enjoying the scent of leather that clung to the items and scratching his nose at the stir of dust that rose to tease him. He opened the desk drawer that Zannah had cleared earlier and used his forearm to sweep everything from the desktop into it so he’d have more room.

  He slammed the drawer shut and eagerly settled into his chair. It thrilled him to know that he didn’t have to hide these things away anymore but could study them at his leisure.

  He quickly became lost in them, making notes as he worked, and barely heard when the door opened and someone came in. He didn’t even look up until his daughter said, “Dad. It’s time to talk.”

  When she repeated her statement, Gus had to blink and pull his mind back from the past in order to focus on her.

  “Not now, honey. I’m...”

  “Ducking me.” Hands on hips, she stalked up to the desk. “How could you accuse me of doing something to make Belinda throw Gallagher?”

  He looked away from the hurt in her eyes. “I’m sorry about that, Zan. I guess I was worried. I overreacted.”

  “But why?”

  He gave a small shrug and gestured to the items spread out on his desk.

  Zannah looked at the maps and books. “And what on earth are you doing with old geological survey maps?”

  His answer came quickly. “I’m planning what I’m going to do next.”

  “Next? After what?”

  “After I turn Eaglecrest over to you...and Gallagher.”

  “Over to me,” she corrected. “Not Gallagher.” Her hands rose to her waist and she gave him the kind of no-nonsense stare he used to get from her mother. Esther had never let him get away with being evasive, and their daughter had that same talent.

  “I know you’re the sole owner, but I’ve always considered Eaglecrest to be mine, and Casey’s, too. He doesn’t want to run it. He and I have talked about this.” Her voice broke as tears swam in her eyes.

  Gus felt a sharp pang of regret as she went on.

  “When I made the decision to come home, learn to run the ranch, I thought you and I would be equal partners.”

  “Well, now you’ll be fifty-fifty partners with Gallagher. He’ll be buying in for half, but you’ll get your half free and clear. It’s your inheritance, your legacy.”

  Before she could object, he rushed ahead. “I know the ranch is in trouble, Zan. Has been for a couple of years. I kept things afloat by the skin of my teeth. It’s slowly gotten worse and worse since your mother died. She was the money manager. And, yeah, I know I’ve had ten years to get it right, but I was never any good at it.” He shrugged, embarrassed. “I always knew that, and now I’ve dumped the whole mess on you.”

  “But I can get things back on track. I know I can. We’ve got long-established guests who love coming back year
after year to learn more about ranching, and—”

  “But that’s only part of the business. You don’t ever know what’s going to happen with the price of beef.”

  “We’ve weathered fluctuations in the market before. We can do it again.”

  He shook his head. This was something he absolutely knew. “Honey, ranching can beat the stuffing out of you. It’s rewarding. Sometimes it’s even fun, but it never gets easier. Never.”

  “I’m not afraid of hard work.” She swung out a hand to encompass everything outside the office. “I started helping out when I was five. I learned to curry horses while standing on a stepladder, and I was practically born knowing how to ride. This place is our heritage—Mom’s and yours and mine, Casey’s and Vanessa’s and their kids’.”

  “I know, and that’s why I’m only taking on a partner, not selling outright. Besides, Gallagher or some other investor will make things easier on you.”

  “On me?”

  “I don’t want to see you working yourself to death on this place the way...” His voice trailed off as memories welled up.

  “The way Mom did,” Zannah finished for him, her face stricken.

  “Ye...yes.” He cleared his throat. “And her father before her, and his father.”

  “But this is different. I came back specifically because I want this responsibility. I want to do this.”

  “Your mom did, too. Even after we knew she was sick, she wanted to stay here.” His gut clenched at the memory.

  “It was her home.”

  “Yeah, hours away from the best doctors, the best medical care.”

  Zannah nodded, and Gus watched her face carefully. He knew he was screwing this up, but he had a goal in mind, an important one.

  “There was no cure for her. We knew that from the beginning. And it’s been ten years, so why are you doing this now—taking on a partner, putting us through this upheaval?”

  “When you got your degree in social work and went to work for the state of Nevada, helping people, families in need, I was relieved. You wouldn’t make much money, but it was away from here, from being tied to the ranch.”