Rancher to the Rescue

by Patricia Forsythe

“So,” Brady said slowly, his gaze on her as if assessing her reaction. “If this town is so important to you, and so is Eaglecrest, how did you end up in Las Vegas?”

  “Roll of the dice,” she quipped.

  “No, really. It’s an eight-hour drive from here.”

  “You asked me that before, and I thought I’d answered it.”

  “You did.” Brady looked out the window, his mouth turned down in a frown. “I guess I’m trying to understand your connection to the land, and how you could leave.” He shook his head and glanced back at her. “I don’t know.”

  It seemed important to him to understand this, so she said, “That’s where Casey and Vanessa were. He’s a botanist, and she’s a soil scientist. I lived with them for a while—a big thing for a couple of newlyweds, but they welcomed me and I’ll always be grateful. I needed to be away from here but with family.” She smiled. “Then when Emma came along the next year, and Joelle a year later, I helped out, worked, went to school.”

  “Grieved,” Brady added.

  She shot him a swift glance. “Yes, it got better for a while. Then Casey and Vanessa got jobs in Phoenix and moved. I had my own place by then, of course, and I had made some good friends, but the joy had gone out of things, and my job—”

  “Was killing you. Gus told me.”

  Zannah wanted to stop talking about this, but something about the way he leaned forward, those deep brown eyes of his compelling her to keep talking, made her go on.

  “Yes, Vegas isn’t an easy place. It’s built on tourism, of course, but the tourists often don’t seem to understand that it’s people’s hometown. It adds to the atmosphere of anything goes. People come there, thinking they’ll strike it rich.” She laughed ruefully and nodded to her dad. “Like with the Lost Teamsters Mine. They end up busted, homeless, dragging innocent children around with them. They’re hopeless and helpless.”

  She paused. “There was one family with two little kids—” Her voice broke, and she cleared her throat. “They were so badly neglected they nearly died. Honestly, I’d seen worse, but somehow that was the one that broke me. However, I searched until I found a responsible relative to take them—a grandmother in Colorado who hadn’t even known they existed.”

  Brady reached across the table and covered her hands with one of his. Her eyes full of tears, she looked up.

  “Did you do your best for them?”

  The warmth of his hand, of his expression, made the tears start down her cheeks.

  “Yes, of course. Everything the law would allow.”

  “Then, that’s all you can ask of yourself in any situation.”

  Nodding, she slipped her hands from beneath his and fumbled for a napkin from the holder.

  “Do you think that your experiences there may have colored your reactions to Gus’s decision to go look for the mine?”

  “What?”

  “Seeing so many people take a gamble and lose so badly must have affected the way you look at any type of gambling.”

  Zannah stared at him as the experiences of the past few weeks clicked through her mind.

  “Yes. They must have. I hadn’t thought about that.” It was disconcerting to think that he understood that about her, and she’d had no idea. What else did he understand about her?

  CHAPTER TEN

  ZANNAH WAS GRATEFUL that the waitress chose that moment to bring their drink orders. Brady held up his glass of cola and gestured for her to lift her glass of iced tea. He seemed to see that she needed a change of subject.

  “Here’s to the beginning of a beautiful partnership.”

  Zannah clinked her glass against his as she said, “Even though it was unexpected.”

  “You never know. That might turn out to be the best thing about it.”

  She smiled and settled back in her chair. It was oddly pleasant to be sitting here like this with him, to be having a normal meal, not their usual testy confrontation. Later, she would probably regret what she’d told him, how she had made herself vulnerable, but not now.

  “This is nice,” Brady said.

  “Yes, it’s one of the longest-running businesses in town. It’s always been popular.”

  “No, I mean being here with you, doing something out of the ordinary, having a meal and a conversation instead of having an argument about something with everyone on the ranch watching us.”

  She stared at him, wondering if he’d read her thoughts. It was odd that they were actually on the same wavelength.

  “Try to remember it will always be that way,” she answered. “Eaglecrest is its own small town.”

  “I’m coming to understand that. Tell me about this place,” he said, looking around at the stamped-tin ceiling and the original artwork with Western themes, some of which were truly terrible.

  He chuckled. “They should hire your aunt Stella to paint some better depictions of ranch life,” he said, pointing to a drawing of a cow with outsize horns, a badly misshapen head and enormous eyes. “That one could turn a person into a vegetarian.”

  Zannah laughed, warmed that he thought her aunt’s artwork was superior to any inside Sadie’s. “Most of these were painted by one of Clay and Sadie’s sons. Fortunately, he was better at operating a cattle-themed restaurant than he was at painting.”

  Brady smiled and went back to examining the décor—the photographs of rodeo cowboys with their shiny winners’ buckles, soldiers from two world wars preparing to march off to battle and local parades of riders on horseback.

  “You can see the whole history of the area in those photos,” she said.

  “Do you have any photos up here?”

  “No.”

  “That’s a shame.”

  He leaned over to examine the hardwood floor, which had long ago been deeply scorched with the brands of the local ranches. He pointed down and made a circular motion with his hand. “What about these brands? Is one of these yours? Ours?”

  “Yes.” She twisted in her chair and pointed across the room. “Over there, in front of that table for six, on the right hand side as you come in the front door and under the first east-facing window. When we came here as kids, Casey and I would race to see who could stand on all three of them first. We had to be sneaky about it, though, and pretend like we were taking a roundabout path to the bathroom, because if Mom caught us being disruptive, she would haul us outside.”

  Brady laughed. “She and my mom would have gotten along fine. So, the owners wanted people to brand the floor?”

  “The story is that Sadie and Clay sent invitations to all the local outfits to bring in their branding irons when they were putting the finishing touches on the place. I think the goal was to make it so much a part of the community, it would always be here.”

  “Looks like they achieved that.”

  “This has become a community institution, and a meeting place.” She nodded to a set of double doors across the room. “There’s a large room that people can rent for get-togethers. Like I said, it’s very popular. And the food helps,” Zannah answered on a blissful sigh as the waitress brought their order, unloading juicy barbecue sandwiches that had the spicy meat overflowing the bun, fries and dishes of creamy coleslaw.

  Gus finally managed to get away from his audience and joined them, eyeing the food with deep appreciation. “Yes, sir,” he said, on a happy sigh. “This is turning out to be a really good day.”

  For the next half hour, they talked about the town of Raymond, Gus telling Brady some of the more notorious happenings from years past.

  It helped her keep her mind off what she had told Brady. She rarely talked about herself, and certainly not to someone she didn’t know very well, someone she didn’t fully trust. Or did she? They may have serious disagreements about Eaglecrest, but she had no reason to think he would turn anything she had said against her. She found that comforting but
unsettling, because it meant she was truly beginning to trust him.

  After Gus paid for their lunch, they stood outside Sadie’s, discussing the errands they needed to do before heading home.

  “Good afternoon,” a man’s voice said. “How are things at Eaglecrest?”

  They turned to see Lucas Fordham strolling toward them. While Gus greeted him and introduced Brady, Zannah said a polite hello, then held back, observing.

  Lucas was a few years older than her. He and Casey had been friends growing up, but things had changed when they were in high school. Lucas’s father had died, leaving him in charge of the family ranch and other holdings. It had meant long days of work for a boy who wasn’t fully grown. He’d no longer had time to hang out with his friends, play a game of pickup basketball, go fishing or practice roping.

  He had grown up hard and fast, and she thought it had made him ambitious, maybe even ruthless. He was usually all business, serious-minded and completely focused on the next thing he had to do. So he was often asked to participate in community projects, to serve on the city council or to head up some committee or other. As the mayor of Raymond, Nancy Fellowes, had said, there needed to be somebody who was willing to lead the hard decisions and say no if necessary.

  Lucas was the person to do it. He wasn’t an easy man, but she’d never heard of him being dishonest.

  To be fair, she thought, the Fordhams had come within inches of losing their place altogether, and Lucas had been the one to save it. She doubted that the Fordham ranch ever had the kinds of financial problems that Eaglecrest was currently facing. Maybe his ruthlessness was understandable, but she was wary of him nonetheless.

  “I hear that you’ve got quite an extensive operation going on at your place,” Brady said.

  “True. We run cattle, and we have guests like you do, but with more entertainment options—zip line, rock climbing, ATVs, motocross.”

  Zannah bit her lip to keep from pointing out how some of those activities harmed the environment.

  “Keeps people coming back year after year,” Lucas continued. “’Course, the insurance on all that runs pretty high.”

  “Don’t doubt that for a minute. Mind if I come over and see for myself?” Brady asked, earning a look of alarm from Zannah.

  “You’re welcome anytime. Be glad to show you around. Maybe you’d like to try a few of our activities for yourself.”

  “I would,” Brady said. “I definitely would.”

  “Let me know when.” Lucas shook hands all around and then headed toward the bank.

  Zannah tried to tamp down her alarm, even as she hoped Brady wasn’t going to get any ideas about new activities at Eaglecrest. If he did, she would have to find a way to deal with it. After all, they were partners now.

  * * *

  TWO DAYS LATER, Gus made his departure, riding Daisy and leading Honus, who was carefully packed with everything he thought he’d need for a few weeks.

  Emma and Joelle stood and watched tearfully as he waved to the small crowd that had gathered outside the corral.

  Zannah stepped up to place an arm around each of their shoulders. “Don’t worry, girls,” she assured them. “Grandpa will be back.”

  “We thought he’d change his mind and take us with him,” Emma said.

  “We were sure he wanted us to go with him,” her sister added. “Won’t he need someone to take care of him?”

  “Make sure he comes back okay?” Emma’s lip quivered.

  Zannah gave them tight hugs as she tried to think of the best way to comfort her heartbroken nieces.

  “No, this is his adventure. He wants to go on his own,” she said, careful not to point out that having a couple of young girls along wouldn’t be very helpful, because his first concern would be their safety and comfort.

  “In fact, he needs to,” Sharlene added.

  Zannah turned to look at the older woman, who was watching Gus ride away. She was different lately, and it didn’t seem to be strictly because of the inn she was buying. Sharlene had a look in her eyes that Zannah had seen several times lately, one of longing, but also of resignation. It was as if she wanted something but knew she couldn’t have it, so she was forcing herself to move on.

  Zannah admitted that she might be imagining that. She had been through so many upheavals lately that she might have completely lost her ability to understand those around her, even ones she’d known her whole life.

  She wondered if Sharlene was regretting her decision to leave and open her own bed-and-breakfast. But she didn’t think that was it. The housekeeper was clearly excited. She talked frequently about her plans and the expectations of the investors in her inn.

  Zannah’s mind returned to the same thoughts she’d been having since the day Brady Gallagher landed in her life. Everything was changing. The situation, and the people she knew and loved. The question was, could she change, too?

  “Come on, girls,” she said, shepherding them toward the corral. “I’ll bet Phoebe needs our help.”

  * * *

  BRADY FELT A bit like a sneak for making an appointment to talk to Lucas Fordham and view operations at his ranch without telling Zannah. She hadn’t been too fond of many of his ideas, and he’d noticed that when they had met their neighbor in town, she hadn’t said much but watched how the men interacted. He couldn’t even begin to guess why. She was a puzzle to him, so he wasn’t surprised that he spent so much time thinking about her.

  As he drove over the cattle guard that separated the entrance to Lucas’s ranch from the highway, he made a mental note to get serious about buying a vehicle better able to handle the realities of ranch life than this sporty car. He’d call his dad about it. He was sure Gallagher Motors could help him out.

  His thoughts returned to Zannah. Talking without having an argument at Sadie’s had been pleasant. More than pleasant, he thought with a smile. He’d learned some things about the restaurant, about the community and her pride in it.

  Best of all, he’d learned some things about her. Important things about her background, her time away from Eaglecrest, how her time in Vegas had affected her. In a way, he felt like she’d given him a valuable gift that he would need to safeguard.

  He’d expected some last-minute resistance from her regarding him buying into the ranch, making them full partners, but she had obviously been swayed by her dad’s decision.

  Turning the other half ownership over to her had been a wise move from Gus. Brady could only hope that everything would run more smoothly between them with the agreement signed, sealed and delivered.

  He decided to quit thinking about her and focus on the task at hand. He’d called ahead and confirmed his appointment so he could pick Fordham’s brain.

  The driveway up to the ranch buildings was paved and well maintained, wide enough to accommodate two cattle trucks. It was a far cry from the one at Eaglecrest. Improving the road was at the top of his list of things to do.

  The closer he got to the main house, the more he straightened up and looked around with interest. Unlike Eaglecrest’s guest cabins, this place seemed to be self-contained. The main building was more of a lodge than a home, two stories high with wings on each side, probably added on later to double the number of available guest rooms.

  Beautifully lettered signs out front welcomed guests, pointing them to the parking area and giving directions to the various activities Fordham offered.

  The building itself was painted white with trim and shutters of dark green, highlighted with touches of a dark gold. It looked welcoming but also businesslike. The cabins at Eaglecrest could only be described as cozy, he decided, and realized that the two ranches attracted a very different clientele.

  The people who came to Eaglecrest wanted a slice of the Old West, a chance to experience something from the nation’s past, a rapidly disappearing way of life. They loved the animals, the
nights around the campfires and the simple camaraderie with the other guests.

  A group of people in their twenties who were dressed for hiking passed Brady as he stepped from his car. He watched them head for a trail whose directional sign indicated a four-mile hike.

  At Eaglecrest, he had found it interesting that many of the guests were older men who had, no doubt, grown up watching Western-themed dramas on television and were interested in experiencing that life but also wanted to return to a hot meal, a comfortable bed and functioning plumbing every night.

  He would have to research the viability of developing more hiking trails around Eaglecrest, maybe even charging for groups to be led by an experienced guide.

  From what he could see as he entered the lobby, this place offered all of that, but in a much more high-end atmosphere. He told the receptionist that he was there to meet with Lucas and was invited to have a complimentary beverage and freshly baked cookie while he waited.

  He took her up on the offer and munched on a chocolate chip one as he perused the brochures neatly displayed nearby. They all advertised additional adventures available to the guests. Zip-lining, rock climbing and motocross racing were offered, along with a list of prices.

  Brady’s eyebrows shot up when he realized how much the guests were being charged for these activities. Lucas Fordham was no slouch when it came to developing additional income streams.

  Yup, time for Eaglecrest to follow Fordham’s example.

  “Good morning, Brady,” Lucas said, reaching out to shake hands. “Did Gus get off for his gold-hunting trip?”

  “Yes, he did.”

  Lucas tilted his head. “How is Zannah handling all of this?”

  “She’s adjusting,” Brady answered, then felt disloyal for even discussing it with someone outside Eaglecrest. “Um, I’m surprised that so many people know what’s going on. I mean, apart from Gus telling people he’s going to look for that old mine.” He shook his head. “I still can’t believe he said so much.”

  Lucas shrugged. “It’s a small town. Even if he’d kept quiet, people would still know somehow. I’ve lived here my whole life, and it never ceases to amaze me.” He smiled and glanced around, obviously proud of his surroundings. “Part of the charm, I guess. So, what can I show you?”