Rancher to the Rescue

by Patricia Forsythe

  “Brady, keep her away from that corner. Don’t let her get out on the road,” Zannah yelled, coming up behind him.

  “That’s what I’m trying to do,” he called over his shoulder, racing to get ahead of the panicked animal, who spun quickly and evaded him.

  His worst fears came true when the heifer hit the corner fence post and it went down before her weight. She stumbled and went down with it but was up again in a flash, scrambling through the ditch and onto the wide-open space of the road, heading toward freedom, maybe even to town.

  “Darn it, Brady,” Zannah yelled as she flew past him on Trina and chased after the heifer. “Come on.”

  He didn’t answer, too annoyed with himself, but he spurred Buttercream ahead to try and turn the cow so it would be easier for Zannah to stop her.

  As he neared Zannah, though, he found himself riveted by the sight of her reaching for her rope with one hand while she held on to the reins with the other. In only seconds, she had played out a big loop and began twirling it over her head as she drew closer to her quarry. It was a motion so easy and natural to her that she might have been doing no more than tossing her hair over her shoulder.

  Brady wasn’t the least bit surprised when the loop landed around the cow’s neck, flipping her onto her side. Zannah jerked on the rope while her well-trained horse slowed and pulled back. Once the heifer was on her feet again, Zannah headed toward the pasture, leading the animal back to captivity.

  As she passed Brady, she couldn’t seem to resist a triumphant smile. “And that’s how it’s done,” she said.

  He stared after her, smiling, mesmerized by the memory of what he’d seen, the easy way she had caught that heifer. He’d never seen anything like it, like her. Every day, it seemed that he learned something new about her. And every day, he wanted to learn more.

  * * *

  SHARLENE LOVED HIM, but she was leaving him, leaving Eaglecrest, her home, everything. If she loved him, all of them, how was it possible for her to leave him? Them?

  Gus stood in an empty stall in the barn, staring down at the mass of items he still had to fit into his waterproof duffels. He had packed and repacked his gear. It had been ten years since he’d taken a lengthy ride into the mountains, when he’d made his cowardly escape from Esther’s sickroom. Not his proudest moment.

  This was different, though. He had a goal, something important to do.

  He planned to take Daisy and Honus, the two most sure-footed horses in their string. They could carry him and at least two weeks’ worth of food, as well as his tent and enough filled water bottles to tide him over until he located a source of fresh water near the search area. He knew of several streams that were no doubt swollen with their recent rains, so he wasn’t worried.

  If he ran out of supplies, he would call and ask Juan Flores to bring him more. He was taking several extra phone batteries and chargers with him and would save them carefully, even though he had promised his granddaughters that he would check in with them as often as possible and let them know when he struck gold.

  “At least someone believes in me,” he muttered.

  Turning away from his task, he sat down on a stool and leaned against the side of the stall. “That makes a total of three people,” he continued.

  He heard the barn door open and close, and Zannah called out, “Dad? Are you in here?”

  “Yeah, in Miler’s old stall. You need something?”

  She came and leaned on the door, her gaze taking in the clutter. “I need to see my father. Do you think you’ll be ready to leave by tomorrow like you’d planned?”

  “Not sure, but I’ve almost got this licked.”

  She laughed. “I can see that.” Swinging open the stall door, she stepped inside. “Need some help?”

  “Nah. Here, sit down.” He stood to give her the stool, then sat on a hay bale pushed up against the wall. They’d sat like this many times since she was a little girl, discussing school, life, the ranch, almost anything—at least until she’d reached adolescence and it wasn’t cool to spend so much time talking to her old dad.

  There had been some rough patches during her high school years, but they had weathered them and they’d all learned a few lessons.

  Things had changed, though, when Esther died. He wasn’t proud of the way he’d left most of the care to Zannah. He had no excuse except pure panic at the thought of losing his wife, then profound grief when it happened.

  Sharlene was right. The two of them had held each other up and propped Zannah and Casey up in the bargain. It was an experience, a bond, that would never break.

  Thoughts of Sharlene had kept him awake for most of the past two nights. He had to admire the amount of courage it took for her to tell him what was on her mind. She could have kept it to herself for the rest of her life, but she’d chosen to tell him she loved him. He still couldn’t wrap his mind around it. It might be one of the biggest things that had ever happened to him.

  He looked at his daughter, remembered the day she’d been born, so tiny and precious. He and Esther had thought they would never have kids before they were blessed with Casey, who had been born two weeks later than expected and arrived big and hearty, full of demands. Zannah, though, was tiny. She had released one cry after birth, but when the nurse had placed her on Esther’s stomach, she had looked around and licked her lips as if to say, “I’m here, world. What do you think?”

  All her life she had done almost everything he’d asked of her, and more, especially when caring for her mother. He was ashamed that he hadn’t fully grasped how tough that was on her and how impossibly difficult her job in Las Vegas had been.

  “Zannie, I’m proud of you,” he blurted.

  She looked up with a puzzled smile. “Thanks, but what brought that on?”

  “Just thinking. I don’t say things like that often enough.”

  She laughed. “You almost never say things like that.”

  “Shameful of me, since Stella and I never heard those words from our parents.”

  “I’m sorry. I know you two had a rough childhood.” She reached over and squeezed his hand. “If it’s any comfort, Casey, Phoebe and I had very happy ones.”

  He covered her hand with his, the rough calluses familiar to the touch, and gave her a grateful smile, then paused. She waited, watching him, obviously understanding that there was more to come.

  “Life was better for Stella and me when our grandparents took us in, but when they couldn’t keep us any longer, I was afraid we’d have to go back to our mom and dad. I couldn’t go back to that, couldn’t take Stella back.” He paused, hating the memories. “This place was the saving of me—Stella and me both. When I got a job here, Esther’s dad let me bring my little sister with me. She was only fifteen. We pretty much lived in two rooms, but we were our own bosses. There was no one to—” He stopped, seeing the pained look on his girl’s face, the tears starting into her eyes. He didn’t continue with his next words, which were “whip us.”

  “That’s when you taught yourself to be a good man. Grandpa Grainger was an example, but you taught yourself.”

  Grateful that she understood that, he said, “Thanks, honey. I’m glad you came home to help out, to take over.” When she started to speak, he said, “And I promise, it’s not only because I want to go off and look for the mine.”

  “I’m glad to be here, to be doing this again.” She glanced around. “It’s so good to be home.”

  He waited a few seconds, then said, “So Sharlene talked to you and Brady, huh?”

  “Yes.” Zannah gave a disbelieving laugh, then shook her head as if she still couldn’t grasp it. “Yes, she sure did. I never saw that coming, but she’s so excited about running her own bed-and-breakfast that I could only congratulate her. I don’t know what brought this on and she’ll be hard to replace, but I guess we’ll figure things out. She plans to be
here through Christmas and open her place after the first of the year.”

  “It’ll be a big change for all of us.”

  “Yes, but everything changes.” Her lips twisted ironically. “I’ve learned that since Brady came on the scene.”

  “Yeah, but Brady will make things better. Sharlene leaving will make things—”

  “Different, but we’ll adjust.”

  “I know. But...so many changes all at once.”

  “Most of them perpetrated by you,” his daughter reminded him, affection in her eyes. He was glad she was coming to terms with this in spite of the lousy way he had handled things.

  “I know. I know.” He cleared his throat and met her gaze. “Zannie, before I go on my trip, I’m going to sign the papers with Brady. Milton Fines, you know, the attorney in town, is drawing up the papers now. Have ’em ready tomorrow.”

  Her face fell. “Tomorrow? Oh, I thought I’d have more time, that you’d wait until you got back, saw how things were working out with Brady and Eaglecrest—and me.”

  Her pain and disappointment were like a dagger in his heart. He sat forward, earnestly studying her face. “I know, honey, but it’s not all bad. You’re signing the papers, too.”

  “Me? Why?”

  “Because you’re going to own the other half, free and clear, like I told you. My original plan was for you and me to each own a quarter, but that’s not fair to you. I won’t own any part of Eaglecrest after tomorrow.”

  “What?”

  He nodded and opened his hands wide. “Yup. When I come back, I’ll be a hired hand, like I was fifty years ago. But with better pay,” he added with a smile.

  “I can’t ask you to—”

  “You’re not. This is the right thing to do. I started this whole thing because we needed money, cash to keep the place going, and so you wouldn’t have the full weight of the place on your shoulders when I’m gone. This way, you and Brady will have time to figure out how to forge your own path without any interference from me. That’s another reason why it’s a good idea for me to be gone for a little while. You two can figure out how to work together.”

  Zannah heaved a mighty sigh. “That might be easier said than done.”

  * * *

  THE PAPERS WERE signed the next day, and Zannah found herself half owner of her family’s ranch, along with a man she’d known for less than a month. They stood outside the attorney’s office with Gus and Brady congratulating themselves and each other, and Zannah feeling as if her world had once again tilted on its axis.

  It was one thing for her to insist that she needed to be fully informed about everything that happened at Eaglecrest and quite another to see that fulfilled and to become a full partner.

  To make herself feel a little more normal, she called Phoebe to see how things were going. Her cousin reported that everything was fine and for Zannah to not hurry back. Brady called Chet, who reported the same thing.

  She hung up, reflecting that none of this felt normal. She wasn’t even wearing her usual boots and jeans, but at the insistence of her nieces and Sharlene, she had pulled a sundress from her closet, one she’d bought in town and never worn, as well as a pair of her favorite sandals. She glanced down and acknowledged that they would look much better if she ever took the time for a pedicure.

  As for Brady, new jeans, a crisply ironed shirt in pale green with the sleeves rolled up and highly polished boots made him look like the tenderfoot he was, but Zannah had to admit that he looked pretty darned good.

  In fact, Zannah admitted to herself, he always looked good. Even when he was participating in the down and dirty aspects of ranching, he looked—sexy. It was the only word that fit.

  Standing here in the bright sun, she could see reddish highlights in his dark hair. As he lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the sun, she helplessly watched the way his forearm muscles flexed and relaxed.

  The heat that washed through her had nothing to do with the warm day and everything to do with Brady—and the completely inappropriate thoughts she was having about her new business partner. She forced her attention back to her father.

  Gus rubbed his hands together and rocked up onto his toes as he looked from one to the other of them.

  “So, anybody interested in having some lunch? I’m buying.” He grinned. “Be the last time for a while that I can buy you lunch.”

  “I don’t know,” she began. “I feel like I need to—”

  “It’s a special occasion, Zannah,” Brady broke in. “Let’s celebrate.”

  “Good. Good.” Gus looked around. “Let’s go to Sadie’s, get some barbecue. Haven’t had a piece of their apple pie in—well, I don’t even remember.”

  They crossed the street to the oldest eating establishment in Raymond, founded in the 1920s. Sadie and Clay had long since passed away, but they had left their treasured recipes behind for Sadie’s descendants to use.

  The lunch crowd was beginning to thin out, but there were enough people who knew Gus and wanted to hear about his plans to look for the lost mine that he was quickly pulled away.

  “Be right there, Zannah,” he called over his shoulder. “Order me a beer, and the barbecue basket with sweet potato fries. Beef, not pork,” he added.

  Brady gazed after him doubtfully as they wound through the room to a table by the window.

  Zannah glanced back to see what he was looking at, then stumbled awkwardly when he stepped over to hold her chair for her. “Um, sorry,” she said. “Not used to wearing anything except boots.”

  Brady sat down opposite her and pulled two menus from the holder. He handed her one as he said, “I know what you mean. I’m two inches shorter today since I don’t have manure caked on my boots.”

  Zannah laughed and decided not to be nervous about having lunch with him. Gus would be joining them momentarily, and hearing him talk about his plans would smooth over any awkwardness.

  As for Brady. She stole a peek at him over the top of her menu. That green shirt he was wearing shouldn’t make him look even sexier and more appealing than usual, but it did. She wondered how long it would take him to look like a real cowboy, like the men who had grown up on a ranch. It would take a lifetime, if he stayed that long, which she doubted.

  He seemed to have shaved extra close that morning. His subtle, woodsy cologne had been teasing her all morning. She looked at his jaw, then at his lips. She had figured out that the odd little twist they gave occasionally wasn’t a smirk as she’d first thought, but a nervous habit he didn’t seem aware of. When he wasn’t doing that, he had beautiful lips.

  Not liking where her thoughts were leading her yet again, she quickly looked down at her menu. After they placed their orders, a silence fell between them, but it wasn’t an awkward one. Zannah was busy thinking about what this partnership was going to mean for her, and she suspected he was thinking the same thing.

  Brady frowned as he looked across the room. “Do you think it’s a good idea for him to be talking about this trip of his?”

  “Why not? As soon as he told one person, the news flew through town on wings of gossip.”

  “I think we’ve seen what gold fever can do.” He shrugged. “It’s highly contagious.”

  Zannah glanced over to where her dad was entertaining a tableful of local men. “Oh, you mean you think that someone might follow him into the mountains and try to take the gold if he finds it?”

  “It’s possible.” Brady answered slowly. He seemed to consider that for a moment, then said, “He probably owes money to some of those cattlemen—we owe money, that is.”

  Zannah glanced around. “No doubt, and some of them owe money to us.” She nodded toward one of them, an older man who was leaning forward, listening intently to what Gus was saying. “Jake Billings, for example. Last year, one of his bulls, a mean old Brahmin, got loose and trampled part of our fence. Ordinar
ily, he would have fixed it, or paid to have it fixed, but he’d been sick, so he couldn’t get it done. Dad and Chet took care of it, and I’m sure Jake doesn’t even remember how it all came about.” She met Brady’s gaze. “And no one on Eaglecrest will ever remind him.”

  Brady nodded. “Point taken.”

  “He’s known those men all of his life. They’ve pulled each other out of ditches, rounded up each other’s cattle, rented out their balers during haying season, attended every important event in each other’s families. No, there’s no possibility that any of them will hurt him.”

  “And we have begun paying them back.”

  She frowned. “I hear a but in there.”

  “Nah, not about him, or them. Growing up the way I did, moving so often as my dad pursued his businesses, I never felt like part of a community.”

  “It’s different here,” she admitted. “As far as my dad is concerned, do you think we could stop him?” she asked. “Look at him. I haven’t seen him this animated in...” Her voice trailed off. “More than ten years.”

  Brady gave her a swift glance, but she didn’t say anything else, her thoughts turning back through the years. Belatedly, she recalled both of her parents talking about taking an extended trek into the mountains, spending days exploring. That was a plan that went by the wayside when her mother got sick, but it must be part of the reason he was doing this now.

  As hard as it was for Zannah to understand this, to even believe it was happening, she could see that signing the papers, turning the operations of Eaglecrest over to her and Brady was giving Gus a new lease on life. Without the constant demands of the ranch and the college, he could pursue his own dreams.

  And he deserved that.

  Humbled by this realization, she looked up to see Brady watching her. He gave her a smile that said he understood what she was thinking, which was very disconcerting.