by A. C. Wilson
Black Hills Blessing
(Black Hills Series, #2)
A. C. Wilson
~~~
Black Hills Blessing
(Black Hills Series, #2)
© 2014 A. C. Wilson
All Rights Reserved.
Amazon Edition
Thank you for downloading this e-book. Although this is an e-book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes.
If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy.
Thank you for your support.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
~~~
Cover Photos by Allison Hazen
Hazen Photography
http://allisonhazen2010.wix.com/hazenphotography
Cover Design by Ginny Gallagher
Gin’s Book Notes
http://ginsbooknotes.com
~~~
Acknowledgements
I’d really like to thank my new friends for their enthusiasm over taking cover photos, Nicole Michael and Nathan Pfortmiller. They are absolutely beautiful! Thank you Allison and Gin for taking just a dream of a cover and turning it into something so breathtaking!
Thank you to my very good friends, Michelle and Dawn for all of your tireless efforts to make the Black Hills Series one everyone should read. You make being an author much more fun! I appreciate everyone who has purchased and supported my books. You’re amazing!
Chapter 1
He leaned his head back against the cloth-covered headrest in his Dodge truck. His lids dropped tight over his brown eyes and he tried to understand just what the heck was going on in his life. Things had become so mired in everyday and he started to live for the moments he wasn't at work. Swallowing a lump that formed in his throat causing his breath to grow shallow and quick, Garrett Johnson desperately tried to get a grip. He wanted to be alone, but he didn't like being alone. Maybe he just hadn't found someone he wanted to be alone with. He groaned and gritted his teeth.
None of this is making any sense!
The South Dakota sun was starting to set on the western horizon and Garrett could feel the warmth leaving his body. The temperature in the truck was starting to cool and soon it would be cold if he didn't start the truck to turn the heater on.
Irony at its best! His truck had battery power, but it wouldn't start. If his suspicions were correct, the starter was acting up again. He figured it served his right for not fixing it before now. There was about six inches of snow on the ground already. By morning the weatherman was saying there would be close to a foot and better in some places. It was an unspoken rule that you stayed put in a snowstorm. He felt stupid. He had grown up in South Dakota and knew the crazy weather that happened often with no rhyme or reason. He shouldn't have thought he knew better.
Garrett shifted in his seat, peering out the section of window that hadn't fogged over yet. He looked one way and then the other down the deserted road. This was going to be an uncomfortable night. He looked at his cell phone for at least the twentieth time.
Dead. Brilliant move, cowboy! Oh yes! He was stupid. Huffing under his breath, Garrett cycled through any plan that might get him somewhere warm, preferably home to the Crossing Pines Ranch. By now his mother and father, Lacey and Travis Johnson, were wondering where he was. He had gotten into his truck and drove away after having one of hell of an argument with his father about the future of the family ranch. He slumped back down against the seat.
They want to leave it all to Matt! He couldn't deny he was more than pissed at the idea. He was flat angry! He felt betrayed. He wanted to reach out and hit someone. He shook his head. The heat and hate bubbled up inside him and he wanted to lash out.
Whatever gave them the idea that I didn't want to inherit at least part of the ranch?
Crossing Pines had been his home. He helped just as often as he could. It hadn't been all that much in the last year, but that was because Matt had moved to Hot Springs to start his soldier/horse therapy school. He had also just married Andy Martin, now Andy Johnson, and adopted her daughter, Harper. It wasn't Garrett's fault that his partner had ditched him with a booming business! He swallowed again. His head swam. If he didn't get out of this truck, he was going to self-destruct. He looked out at the ever shrinking patch of window he could actually see anything out of. As evening was settling over the South Dakota countryside, Garrett thought he could see one larger shadow coming down the road. It was hard to tell just where the road actually was because of the heavy snowfall that had already fallen. He waited.
Really, where was he going to go?
The shadow got bigger and closer. The windows were all fogged over and his heart beat faster in his chest. Just when he was wondering if he should open the door to see who it might be, there was a hard thump on his driver's side window. It made him jump and he cursed his overactive nerves. He turned the key and rolled down the truck window. Instead of sticking his head out to see who had knocked, a large sorrel nose thrust itself into the cab.
A horse! Garrett raised a hand first to block and then to pat.
"Are you Garrett Johnson?" A muffled voice came from just outside. A cowboy hat covered in snow. A heavy muffler and big winter jacket pulled tight against the bitter wind. It was tough to see just who he was looking at, but it was fine eyes of a startling gold that captured his interest.
"Yeah. You're looking for me?"
Stupid question. Garrett couldn't stop looking into those eyes! The muffled voice had him questioning just whether his rescuer was male or female. The cowboy hat nodded, unseating the snow that was starting to pile up on top.
"Travis called me. I think he's calling everyone out to look for you." The cowboy hat looked from the front of his truck to the back. Garrett knew what it looked like. He had rounded a curve going much too fast and slid into the barrow pit. Once he was in there was really no getting out without some help from a tractor. There was snow and dirt packed up clear to his wheel wells.
Nope, not going anywhere.
"Looks like you found me. This wasn't quite what I had in mind when I left the Crossing Pines." Garrett's voice was rueful and much like a child admitting a wrong. The cowboy hat nodded again.
"Well, we better get going before I don't know which way is home. Climb on up here with me. We can't reach the Crossing Pines tonight. We'll freeze before we get there." The horse's nose left the window as they backed up to let Garrett out of his truck. He rolled up the window and left the keys inside. Someone would help him out in a day or two when the snow stopped. It wasn't going anywhere in the meantime. He pulled his jacket up close around his neck and made sure all the buttons were clasped. He drew on his thick gloves and repositioned his own cowboy hat. Opening the door, he stepped one foot into the snow. He slipped as his full weight hit his feet. Quickly he gripped the armrest on the door and tried to find solid ground. For a moment he thought he heard a chuckle come from the rider, but when he threw a glance that way, he couldn't be certain.
Garrett gave the truck door a good push as he took three giant strides up onto the road. Once he was on the level surface, the horse stepped closer and the rider moved a booted foot out of the stirrup to help him get on. His eyes traveled from the well-worn leather, rounded-toe boot up a pair of thickly lined work pant-leg to the saddle. He couldn't stop himself if he tried. He wanted his rescuer to be female, but that was pretty unlikely here in ranch country. If it had been any of his neighbors, the guys wouldn't have split up from
their wives, if they had even allowed them to come with them. Garrett tried not to acknowledge the disappointment that started to build.
"Take my arm! We need to leave now." The curt command snapped his attention back to those gold eyes that currently threw daggers at him. Lifting his foot to place it firmly in the stirrup and grabbing ahold of the rider's elbow, Garrett hoisted his bigger frame onto the horse behind the rider. Feeling the slight frame of the rider's arm beneath his hand, Garrett almost choked on the obvious. This rider was a woman. Scooting closer, he did something that could have gotten him booted from the ride if he were wrong and he prayed he was not. It would be a long, freezing night in his truck if he were wrong.
Pursing his lips, he slipped his arms around the rider's waist and settled them just under the hem of the jacket. His heart slammed against his chest and it was somewhat of a shock to his system. He sure as heck hadn't expected this! His rescuer was a woman! Garrett didn't say anything. He wasn't sure what he could say that wouldn't sound ungrateful or well, male. The woman twisted slightly at the pressure of his hands around her waist, but she didn't say anything either. She turned her horse back down the road the way that they had come.
Garrett knew that there were only a couple of ranches they could reach before the cold overtook them. There was the Lazy Eight where Robin and Thomas Jamison had ranched for forty years. They were an older couple in their late sixties. He was pretty sure they didn't have any daughters. Wade and Jesse Jamison were ten years older than Nora, his older sister. There was the Randall Ranch, but as far as Garrett knew, Old Man Randall was alone. His wife had died fifteen years earlier, just after the old man had taken over the ranch. No one knew much about him or where he had come from. Garrett shifted his seat on the back of the horse. The horse's careful gait was starting to rub his jeans against the softer skin of his thighs. Mentally he gritted his teeth and tried to think about something, anything to get his mind off it. He leaned in against the woman's back and spoke close to her ear.
"Which ranch are we headed towards? I don't remember seeing you around here." Garrett waited, wondering if she would answer him. The wind had started to pick up and he was glad she shielded him mostly from the direct cut of the snow. Despite his better judgment, he stayed tight against her back.
"Randall Ranch." Her voice rose over the wind, but he didn't miss the force of her response. She hadn't liked his question. He opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it. There would be plenty of time for questions. He couldn't go home tonight anyway.
They passed two limestone markers and if he squinted against the driving snow, he could see the faintest light. There was only one. It seemed odd for a ranch house to have only one light on outside. The horse slipped once and Garrett seized the woman's waist in a vice grip before the horse righted itself. The weather had turned for the worst with deep drifts piling up against any rounded surface or stationary object. They were a hundred feet away from the house when Garrett realized the solitary light was a lantern hanging from the porch's eve. He leaned his head towards her ear again.
"Why a lantern?" He had to shout against the din of the wind that whipped around them.
"Power's out. It went out before I left to find you. Your father's call was the last one I received." She turned her head into him, shouting just as loud to be heard. Garrett couldn't ignore the pull in his abdomen. Just that small action set his nerves on fire. She halted the sorrel horse now covered in snow in front of the barn, at least it looked like a barn. It was small and sagging to the south end. Garrett slipped off the horse and lifted his arms to help her off. She eyed him warily, but slid into his arms just the same. No doubt she was stiff and sore from the ride as well as the bitter cold. It felt strange and surprisingly good as she slid down the front of him. He should have backed up, but he couldn't move. For a moment time stopped as all he could do was feel. She raised those striking gold eyes up to his face and he wondered just what she was thinking. Her lips were pressed firmly into a line and her features gave nothing away.
She is a tough one to read.
Pulling from his grasp, she pushed at the barn door and it whipped aside in the wind. Garrett took the horse's lead and led it into the soft light. Another lantern was burning on a large wooden table. Swiftly Garrett took the tack off and placed it into the woman's waiting arms. She ferried it to another room and came back with a couple fresh flakes of hay and a horse blanket. The chore went so much faster with them both engaged and it wasn't awkward. There was a pleasantness in doing an everyday task such as caring for a horse. Garrett liked the way it felt. The anger he had felt only hours ago had no place here. He looked once more around the small barn as she shifted towards the lantern.
"I'm going to blow it out. I don't want Maverick or the wind to knock it over." She jerked her head towards the horse in the stall as she brought the lantern towards the door. Once he was standing with his hand near the entry, she lifted the glass and blew it out. Everything went dark. The howling of the wind outside was muffled by the wood walls. She brushed by him as she pushed the door open. He followed her out into the blizzard that was swiftly becoming more of a danger than an annoyance. Securing the door to the barn, Garrett reached out and took a firm grasp of her coat. It was both to guide him and to support her. The snow near the barn was probably a solid couple of feet and the further they ventured into the yard towards the house, it lessened, but was slick. The ice underneath was hazardous. He felt his foot slip. She stopped when he reached out to steady himself.
"Be careful." She warned and turned to start once more across the yard. Before he could react, her feet had completely left the ground and she was slammed into the ever-deepening snow. Garrett shook his head trying to wipe the flying snow from his face. He heard her yell just as she landed, but the din of the wind made it impossible to hear it well. He bent to pull her back to her feet and she yelled out again. Instantly alert, Garrett hefted her up into his arms and prayed he wouldn't follow her to the ground. Gingerly he carried her the rest of the way to the house and up the three stairs to the door. The lone lantern didn't give off much light and the way it was being batted around worried him. Just as soon as he had her inside, he would come back and retrieve it before anything worse could happen.
She groaned in pain as he bumped her against the door jam. He blinked trying to adjust his eyes to the dimness of the room. He wanted to set her down, but he wasn't sure where to put her. Saved from asking, she pointed them through the mud room into the kitchen and through to the living room. A large fireplace burned bright and warm. It was a most welcome sight to be sure! Finding a rather sagging couch, Garrett lowered her gently to it. Her face was pale in the light. He didn't know if she was normally so fair skinned or if the pain was that bad. She closed her eyes and he guessed it was from the pain. He would assess that when he brought the lantern back inside. Straightening and stepping around the couch, he went back through the kitchen, mud room and out onto the porch. He tried to look into the dark to see just how bad it was getting, but the driving snow wouldn't allow it. Unhooking the swinging lantern from the porch, Garrett took it back into the mudroom and blew it out. Closing both the screen door and the heavy inside door, he turned back into the kitchen. He regretted leaving some snow on the floor, but he thought it might be better to leave his coat to dry in the living room near the hearth.
It was warm at least. He glanced towards the couch as he came into the room, stripping off his coat and gloves. His hat he placed on a straight-backed chair. He could feel her eyes on him and he smiled slightly. Her golden eyes fairly glowed in the firelight. She had shucked her heavy coat and hat just as he had. Hers rested in a pile on the floor. Garrett moved to the couch and bent to pick up the discarded clothing. Their faces were only inches apart and he felt that strengthening pull not only on his groin, but on his heart. The last thought snapped him back to the present, but not before he wondered how he had ever thought she might be male. Clearly her frame was smaller as well as her han
ds. She was lovely in a sort of rugged pixie way! He took the hat and coat closer to the hearth to start the drying process. He stood with his back to her for a few moments longer than absolutely necessary to his chore. He knew she still watched him. He cleared his throat and dove in.
"How bad is it?" He wiped a large palm over his face as he wondered just what had caused him to start their conversation with an intensely unfeeling question. He could have kicked himself. If she noticed, she didn't act on it.
Stupid. Not the first time he had labeled himself as such today.
"I don't think it's broken. Pretty bad sprain, I'm guessing." She said as she gingerly straightened out her leg and winced as her heel caught on the cushion. Garrett walked over, bending his six-foot frame and kneeling on the floor. He looked at her as he gently put his hand under her calf and began to examine her ankle. He tried not to squeeze or prod too hard. This required him pushing her pant leg up her leg and out of his way. It revealed a slender ankle underneath a wool sock.
"It's definitely going to hurt for a while. You should probably elevate it." He said as he stood.
"There's a pillow over on that chair." She pointed towards the corner, but he simply lifted her legs gently and deposited them on his thighs. He could hear her swallow hard. It was difficult not to laugh out loud at her reaction. She swiftly looked at the fire when his eyes swung to hers.
"So this is the Randall Ranch. What might your name be?" He asked, his voice deep and thick. He had been around the block enough to know that women responded warmly to it. Instead of relaxing into his conversation, she tensed. Her back straightened, her hands gripped each other tightly, and her lips thinned again.
What is with this girl? She acts like it's the most personal question in the world.