Rancher to the Rescue

by Patricia Forsythe

  Couldn’t a man have a dream without a timeline attached to it? Gus groused to himself. Thank goodness for these girls. They were enthralled without being judgmental.

  He pulled out a large sheet of paper and spread it on the desk. “One of the remaining miners did draw this picture of the cave entrance,” he said, showing it to them.

  Joelle frowned. “It could be any old cave entrance. There’s a bunch of them up there.” She nodded toward the mountains.

  “How are you going to find the right one without getting lost, Grandpa?” Emma wanted to know.

  Realizing he might be scaring them, he answered with a confident smile. “I’ve got maps, see?” He gestured toward the yellowed documents.

  “Yeah, maps are good,” Emma said. “Mrs. Gomez made us learn about them in school. It was hard.”

  Their matching looks of skepticism didn’t change, so he added, “Also, my phone has GPS, so I’ll be able to find my way with no problem.”

  “Sometimes cell phones don’t work up there,” Emma pointed out. “Maybe you can’t find your way home, or other people can’t find you if you’re lost.”

  Joelle gazed at him solemnly, a line of worry forming an exclamation point between her brows. “You’d be gone forever.”

  Touched by their concern, Gus gave them each a hug. “Hey, I won’t let that happen.”

  Suddenly Emma brightened and Gus felt encouraged until she asked, “If you don’t come back, can I have your room?”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “IT’S GREAT TO have you back, Juan,” Zannah said, smiling at the young man who had been gone for several days. “How’s your mom?”

  “Much better.” Juan set aside the bridle he had mended with a strip of leather and said, “She’s still weak from that lung infection, but she’s getting stronger every day.”

  Carolina Flores had worked for them years ago but had moved on to a better-paying job in town. Still, she was considered to be part of the Eaglecrest extended family.

  “Good,” Zannah said quietly. “That’s a big relief.”

  Juan’s deep brown eyes searched her face for a few seconds. He gave her a gentle smile, and added, “Don’t worry about her, Zannah. She’s going to get well.”

  She nodded and smiled, knowing he was trying to assure her that his mother was in no danger of dying. He was a gentle young man, barely twenty-one, who planned to become a veterinarian specializing in large animals. He was saving money toward that goal and Zannah wished there was some way they could help him. She knew that two weeks off from work had set him back. His mother had been off from her job in the county recorder’s office for over a month, so money was tight for the whole family.

  “I understand there’s a new boss here?” he asked. “Some guy who took over some of my chores.”

  “In a manner of speaking. He’s an investor.”

  Juan picked up the bucket of currying tools. “Well, I guessed he’s not a horse groomer.”

  “He learned his skills from online videos,” she answered, and the two of them shared a chuckle.

  “At least he was willing to try,” Juan pointed out.

  “Yes, I suppose that says something in his favor.”

  Juan shot her a curious glance as if questioning her choice of words. She was questioning them herself. Thinking that over as she headed out of the barn, she suddenly turned back. “Actually, he’s more than an investor. It looks like he’s going to be a full partner, or so my dad says.”

  “Good,” Juan said, nodding slowly. “You’ll need the help with Gus being gone.”

  “So they keep telling me.”

  “You sound like you don’t believe that,” Juan said. “Nobody else does, either.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He’s made some suggestions no one seems to want to try.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like trying to find ways to reduce waste in the kitchen.”

  “How did that go over?”

  “Not well. Cook’s not willing to try it.”

  “No one said anything about it to me.”

  “Why bother? They know you’re on their side.” Juan turned away. “I’d better get to work before someone tries to tell me how to do my job.”

  Zannah went outside, mulling over what he’d said. Brady hadn’t talked to her about it. Probably because he knew she wouldn’t support him.

  She regretted that her attitude was affecting the staff. Her only excuse was that she was still scrambling to find her way in this new situation.

  She checked in with Chet and Phoebe, who were introducing their newest guests to the routines of the ranch and to the horses they would be riding and caring for during the next few days, then went into the office.

  Brady sat at the desk, engrossed in a computer program.

  The room was stifling, so she left the door open and rounded the desk to open the windows. As a warm breeze stirred the papers on the desk, he looked up from the screen. He rubbed his eyes for a few seconds before giving her an ironic smile.

  “You’ve been here for a while now. What do you think of all the hard work that goes into this place?”

  “It’s hard,” he admitted.

  “But you’re not ready to quit?”

  “Nah, I like a challenge, remember?”

  He tilted his head and grinned in a way that made her heart do an odd little dance. She straightened and said, “As hard as this has been, it can get worse.”

  “You’re right about that,” he agreed, indicating the stacks of paper and the computer screen. “It helps to have a clear picture of the receipts and all the bills that need to be paid.”

  “Which side is winning?” she asked, sitting down opposite him, leaning back in the chair and stretching her legs out in front of her.

  “I think you know, Zannah.”

  When he didn’t go on, she glanced up to meet his gaze. “What?”

  He stood up and stretched, then came to sit on the corner of the desk. He propped one knee up, then idly swung his foot back and forth.

  Momentarily, Zannah was mesmerized by the motion. It was such an unconsciously male thing to do that she couldn’t look away. She had grown up around men who had been strong, self-confident and capable in their chosen fields. She had worked with men who were good at paperwork and the onerous details of government work. She had dealt with some of the worst kinds of men, ones who only understood brute strength and handed out abuse.

  Looking at Brady, though, she felt unexpected warmth for him, for his strength, his willingness to learn, his business knowledge, even his wealth of ideas—though she rarely agreed with them.

  Helplessly, she had to admit he was also really sexy. Startled at where her thoughts were going, Zannah finally pulled her attention away from his body and back to his solemn expression.

  “It’s time for us to discuss more ways to come up with additional income.”

  “I thought your Hawk’s Eye Mesa project was supposed to solve our cash-flow problems.” The thought still stung.

  “We’re still waiting on the environmental impact report, and Hawk’s Eye is not a sure thing, remember? It might not pay off until next year, or the year after that.”

  “Brady, I—” She stopped herself, recalling that she had to quit her habit of becoming defensive at every one of his suggestions. “What did you have in mind?”

  He blinked as if he was surprised at her sudden about-face. “There are only certain things we can control. There’s nothing we can do about the price of beef.”

  “It’s been pretty good lately.”

  “But we have to sell at market price, which only goes so high, and then, from what I can see, it can fall as easily.”

  “This looks like it will be a good year, though.”

  “So I hear, but even if we sell a majo
r part of the herd, it won’t get us what we need.” He paused for a second, obviously judging her reaction. Zannah kept her expression neutral.

  “We need to raise fees for the cowboy college side of things.”

  “Raise fees? It’s already pretty expensive. There are other outfits that don’t charge as much as we do. Won’t our guests go to them instead?”

  “The notes on the bulletin board in my cabin tell me you have—we have—loyal customers who come back year after year and recommend us to their friends.”

  “But will that keep up if we charge more? Will we be pricing ourselves right out of the market?”

  “I don’t think so. People want a quality experience and they get it here.” He lifted his hand and made a sweeping gesture toward the mountains. “And I’m betting there are few places that have this kind of spectacular view.”

  Zannah shook her head. “I don’t know. All these changes. You’ve only been here a few weeks. The deal isn’t formalized yet—”

  “And I’m still learning the ropes. Literally,” he said, nodding toward a coil of rope he’d been using to practice his skills. “We haven’t made my buy-in official yet because I had to learn as much as I could about the business. But the truth is, we’re drowning in a river of red ink and we’ve got to turn this boat around.”

  Puzzled, Zannah stared at him. “Boat?”

  “Never mind. I know I’m mixing my metaphors. My point is, we’ve got to come up with additional income.”

  “Raise fees, hmm? How much were you thinking?”

  * * *

  OUTSIDE THE WINDOW, Joelle and Emma leaned in to listen. Ordinarily, the conversations of adults didn’t interest them very much, but this was different.

  “What do you think Brady means?” Joelle whispered. “What river of red ink?”

  Emma shrugged and turned in the direction of the San Ramon. “That one, maybe?”

  “You think it turned red? Ick.”

  “Don’t know. Let’s go look.” Emma started off because as the oldest, and bossiest, she felt she had the right to lead the way.

  It was more than half a mile to the river, but they hurried, then stood gazing down at the water that looked the same as ever to them.

  The two girls looked at each other and shrugged.

  “Grown-ups,” Emma said, shaking her head.

  * * *

  BRADY WALKED OUT onto the wide terrace at the back of the main lodge and said good night to the guests who were leaving the getting-to-know-you party.

  Across the room, he saw several employees, including Chet and Juan, sitting around a table. They were laughing and sharing stories. It was obvious that they all knew each other well, had all been part of the same staff for a long time. They were friends, with Juan Flores as their leader, even though he was younger than most of them. Brady had already noticed that Juan had a warm, friendly personality and an ability to make people feel comfortable and welcome. It made for a tight-knit group among the staff. Brady understood that, as well as their reluctance to let a new boss in.

  “Good thing I like a challenge,” he murmured, walking up to them. “How about if I buy a round of drinks?” he asked.

  Juan looked up and grinned. “How about if you give us all a raise?”

  Everyone laughed, including Brady, who pulled out a chair and joined them. “Let’s negotiate.”

  * * *

  DARKNESS HAD LONG since fallen by the time Zannah convinced her nieces that it was time to leave the getting-to-know-you party with all of their new guests and go to bed.

  They knew better than to argue with her, because their father had warned them that if they caused any trouble, he would be right back to get them. They had to content themselves with mutinous looks at their aunt.

  She mollified them by reading an extra chapter of their current favorite book. They objected to their bedtime story, but she knew it was resistance only for show. They loved the bedtime ritual she had established with them when they were small.

  Once the chapter was finished and they were settled into their twin beds, Emma looked at her sister, who nodded.

  “Aunt Zee? Where’s the river of red ink?”

  “What do you mean?” Zannah paused as she was reaching for the light switch and looked from one girl to the other.

  “We heard you and Brady talking in the office.”

  “I didn’t see you.”

  “We were outside the window.”

  “That’s called eavesdropping.”

  “Yeah,” Joelle agreed. “We were eavesdropping.”

  Zannah laughed and came over to sit at the foot of Emma’s bed.

  “We know it’s not the San Ramon,” Joelle continued, turning on her side and propping one arm under her head. “We went down there to look for it.”

  “Red ink is only a saying people use meaning they’re spending more money than they’re making.”

  “Huh?”

  “Like last year when you two had a lemonade stand in front of your house. You earned money, right?” In answer to their nods, she continued. “But if you’d made less than you spent on your supplies, that would have meant you were in the red.”

  “So, Eaglecrest doesn’t have money?” Emma asked.

  “We have some, but we need more.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about that. Grandpa will find the lost mine, and we’ll have all that gold,” Joelle said with assurance.

  “Let’s wait and see if that happens,” Zannah hedged. She wasn’t going to discourage their belief in his ability to find the mine, even if no one else really thought he would.

  Zannah looked from one to the other of them. “Did Grandpa tell you that?”

  “No,” Emma answered breezily. “We know he’ll find the gold and we’ll all be rich.”

  “Let’s hope so.” Zannah’s mind clicked back to the beginning of this conversation. “Wait. Did you say you’d gone down to the river?”

  The girls exchanged looks in response to her sharp tone, then Emma answered for both of them. “Sure. How else were we going to see the red ink?”

  “You know you can’t go wandering off by yourselves without telling anyone where you’re going, don’t you? Don’t ever do that again.”

  “It was only to the river.”

  “Which can be very dangerous after a rain like the one we had a few nights ago.”

  When they didn’t respond, she prompted them, “Promise me you won’t go down to the river by yourselves again.”

  “We promise,” they answered in unison, but they exchanged the kind of look she had seen from them many times, as if they were silently communicating something other than agreement with her.

  For her own peace of mind, she ignored that as well as their reluctant tone, gave them each a kiss and flipped off the light as she left, hoping she had extracted a promise they would keep.

  * * *

  SHARLENE CHECKED HERSELF over in the mirror, then turned to the side to evaluate how she looked. Facing front, she gazed into the reflection of her own eyes and said, “You know you’re being ridiculous, right? You probably won’t be able to say anything to change his mind.” Looking down, she fluffed the skirt of the red summer dress that had been in her closet since last year—waiting for a special occasion.

  She loved the dress because it was exactly the kind of thing she would have bought in the old days when she had gone shopping with Esther.

  “I don’t know how special this is going to be, but it’s certainly going to be some kind of occasion.”

  With a shake of her head, she turned away. The price of being single her whole life was that she spent way too much time talking to herself, way too much time alone once the day’s work was finished. It might have been different if she had been in the main house with Gus and Zannah, because there would have been people around all the tim
e. She had her own place, though, not quite a cabin, but a very small house that she had enjoyed fixing up.

  It had been different when Esther was alive. They usually met in the evening after work to drink tea and discuss what had happened that day and what needed to be done tomorrow. These past ten years had been hard without her best friend, but Sharlene knew she had to stop pining and move on.

  If Gus could do it, so could she.

  She slipped on some sandals and smiled at her own vanity. She hadn’t worn these since the last time she had a date, and that had been last summer.

  “It’s all changing now,” she murmured and went out looking for Gus. Of course, he was in the first place she looked—the office. As usual, he had those blasted maps and papers spread out over every surface. She still didn’t understand what he hoped to learn from them, but she also didn’t want to ask because she had something to say.

  Sharlene closed the door behind her and quietly turned the lock so they wouldn’t be disturbed. Her stomach fluttered with apprehension as she stepped into the room.

  Gus glanced up to see who had entered the room, and his eyes widened with a mixture of surprise and alarm.

  “Uh, hey, Sharlene. You going somewhere?”

  “Yes, to see you.” She strode across the room and stood before him.

  His look grew wary, unsure of what was coming. “I thought you were mad at me.”

  “I am.”

  His brow wrinkled.

  “I want to talk to you, then I’m going into town to meet with my new partners.”

  “Partners?”

  “Several of us are getting together to invest in a business.”

  “What kind of business?”

  “A bed-and-breakfast. We’re going to fix up the old Mosely house and open it for guests.”

  “What?” He stared at her.

  “Lucas Fordham bought the place years ago and is willing to part with it for a song.”