This Place Called Home: Includes Bonus Story! (Forget-Me-Not Ranch)

by Sara Richardson

  “Plus ten percent off for the fall sale. Come on.” Otis gestured for her to follow him. “Let’s go take a look.

  Approaching the shiny orange machine, Emery couldn’t stop the low whistle that seeped out between her pursed lips.

  “It’s gorgeous.” She walked around the tractor, getting a good look at the cast-iron front axle and the anti-scalp wheels. It wasn’t a Harley Davidson, but it would be fun to take it for a spin around the meadow. “How fast—”

  “Excuse me.” A man walked up from behind them, and Emery automatically took a few steps in the other direction.

  He wasn’t from around River Haven—she could tell that much. Dark leather jacket, jet black hair cropped short, and dark sunglasses. He looked like the guys she’s served with in the Army.

  Unease locked her ribcage tight. Trying not to be too obvious, attempted to get a better look at his face.

  “Hey there.” Otis hurried over to the man, likely sensing he had money to spend. “Can I help you find something?”

  “I’m looking for someone who might be staying in town.” The man didn’t remove his dark sunglasses. “Kelly Pryor. You know her?”

  Kelly Pryor. Emery’s heart plummeted, throbbing so badly it might as well have hit the concrete floor. Don’t panic. She couldn’t panic.

  Slowly, she turned and meandered to a rack of cowboy hats a few feet away, keeping her back to Otis and the man.

  Cupid trotted over from the dog treat aisle as though he’d sensed her distress.

  “Hmm. Don’t think I know a Kelly Pryor,” Otis said behind her. “Can’t remember ever hearing that name before.”

  He hadn’t heard the name because she didn’t use it anymore. A cold dread filled her, freezing over the onslaught of adrenaline. How had this man found her? Who was he? Did he work for Nick?

  “She might be using an alias.” Emery peered over her shoulder in time to see the man pull a picture out of his back pocket.

  Otis wouldn’t recognize her as the woman in the picture though. When she’d been in the military, she’d had blond short hair, cut just below her ears. Since then, she’d grown it long. She’d gained some weight back too on her gaunt frame, making her face rounder.

  Just in case, Emery quickly pulled a cowboy hat off the display and plunked it onto her head. Cupid whined near her leg, reminding her he was there for her , and she reached her fingers down to his soft fur, taking comfort in the fact that he never left her side.

  There was a long pause, likely because Otis was studying the picture. “I guess she looks a little familiar,” he finally said. “But I can’t place her.”

  “That’s what a few people told me at the coffee shop too.” The man had one of those commanding voices—much like her superior had had a few years ago.

  But again, they couldn’t have found her. She’d covered her tracks when she left that life behind. She knew one day Nick might send someone looking, and she’d made sure to be careful.

  Tilting her head, she took another peek behind her from underneath the rim of the cowboy hat.

  Otis had his head bent, looking at the picture again. “There’s something about her face,” he mused. “But I don’t think I know her.” Her friend shrugged and handed the picture back. “Maybe she just has one of those familiar faces.”

  “Or maybe you’ve seen her around.” The man impatiently shoved the picture into his back pocket. “Think about it. And keep your eyes out. I really need to talk to this woman.”

  Talk? He needed to talk to her? Emery felt for Cupid’s fur again, her hand starting to tremble. If Nick had sent this man, the last thing he would want to do is talk.

  Her old superior’s threat still thundered in her ears. You’d better watch your back. You come after me, I’ll come after you, and you know I have connections.

  “Sure, I’ll keep an eye out,” Otis said in his good-natured way. “While you’re here, you want to take a look at our fly-fishing rods? We’ve got the biggest selection in—”

  “No.” The man cut him off with a grunt. “I’m here on business. Let me know if you see that woman. I’m staying at the River Haven Lodge for a few days.”

  The River Haven Lodge. Emery’s throat seemed to shrink too small for her to draw in a full breath. That was less than five miles away from the ranch. Chances are he’d stop by there at some point too.

  “Got it.” Otis’s tone turned dismissive. “Have a good one.”

  Even after she heard the door open and close, Emery couldn’t seem to bring herself to turn around. She’d never been afraid of much. Growing up the way she did, she hadn’t been allowed to fear much. With her dad in and out of the picture and her mom hung over half the time, she hadn’t had anyone else to protect her.

  Going into the army at age eighteen, she’d thought she’d find a family—the kind of family who would be there for her, who would protect her. She had found that for a while. But then she was assigned to Nick’s unit and everything had shattered…

  “Well that guy was a real peach.” Otis shook his head with obvious annoyance. “Wouldn’t hurt a guy like that to go fly fishing, I’ll tell you that much. It’s a real stress reliever.”

  Emery tried to focus on what he was saying, but blood still swooshed through her ears.

  “I’ll betcha he’s a bounty hunter or something.”

  Or something. More like one of Nick’s henchmen. She shuddered. He was looking for her. Oh, God, Nick was looking for her…

  “Or maybe he’s undercover for the FBI,” Otis said excitedly. “Can you imagine? There could be a good old-fashioned car chase right here in River Haven.” He paused, looking Emery over closely. “You okay?”

  “Oh.” She raised her head, trying to fend off the sudden chills. “Yeah. Of course.”

  Right away, Cupid sat on her left foot. He always knew when she was lying. “I mean, I’m not feeling well all of a sudden. Headache.” And a gut-churning stomachache.

  She quickly took off the cowboy hat and hung it back on the rack. “Sorry, Otis, but I have to go.”

  At the magic word G-O, Cupid leapt off her foot and barked, already trotting to the door. Emery hurried after him.

  “What about the tractor?” Her friend asked, following behind. “You want me to put it on hold for you?”

  “Yes.” She froze right inside the door, peering through the glass to see outside. A black Jeep was still parked next to her truck. It had to belong to the man who was looking for her.

  She stepped out of view of the window. “Better yet, why don’t you put it on our account and deliver it right to the ranch?” She peeked out the door again. The Jeep still sat there. “In fact, can you also deliver the order I was supposed to pick up today?”

  “Of course, but—”

  “I have to run to the restroom.” That damn Jeep still wasn’t moving. What if the man walked back in here and saw her? What if he decided to interrogate her about Kelly Pryor? There was no way she would be able to stay calm.

  “Sorry. I might be in there a while.” The women’s room was the one place that man definitely wouldn’t walk into.

  “Come on, Cupid.” She race-walked her way past the tractors to the back of the store where the restrooms were and ducked through the door, locking it behind her. She would stay in here for hours if she had to. Maybe she’d never come out.

  I’ll come after you… It hadn’t been as much a threat as it had been a promise.

  And she knew Nick well enough to know he always made good on a promise.

  Chapter 3

  Welcome to River Haven

  Kyler slowed the truck the second the sign came into view, fully anticipating the police car hiding off to the side of the highway.

  Nash had warned him about the speed trap, reminding him that the local law enforcement didn’t have much to do besides pull people over in a town of less than a thousand people.

  Glancing in the rearview mirror for about the hundredth time on the drive up from Texas, he checked
on the trailer that hauled his Harley, making sure it was still there.

  He’d almost driven the minivan on this trek, but at the last minute had opted for his truck. He didn’t trust the minivan to pull the trailer.

  “The mountains are so big.” Bri’s voice hovered above a whisper, as if she didn’t quite trust the words to form.

  “They sure are.” Kyler turned his head to her, unable to corral the smile that spread across his face, but not wanting to make a big deal out of the statement.

  Bri didn’t start conversations. She occasionally answered him when he asked her a question, but otherwise she simply listened. Over the months, he’d gotten used to her silence, but hearing her make even a simple observation brought a swell of pride and hope so strong it nearly lifted him off the seat.

  “Wait until you see the view from the Forget-Me-Not Ranch.” He’d only visited Nash a couple of times over the last several years, stopping in on his way somewhere else, but he remembered the sweeping vistas from the property.

  “They have a pond too. Last time I was there I caught a nice rainbow trout.” Nice might’ve been an exaggeration, but he could tell fish stories with the best of them.

  Bri’s lips twitched with a half-smile, but she didn’t say anything else. Her gaze drifted back to the window again, her blue eyes large and bright as she peered out at the mountains.

  Kyler didn’t push her. The therapist had told him not to. In the beginning, Bri’s silence had made him panic so much that he used to hound her with questions, trying to draw any response at all just to make sure his niece was still in there. He’d been desperate to fix her.

  But Dr. Murray had told him she simply needed space. Space to think, to reflect, to navigate her new reality at her own pace.

  It would take patience the woman had told him. And he’d wondered once again what his sister had been thinking putting him in charge. He didn’t deserve the most important place in Bri’s life. He didn’t deserve to be the one to raise her and love her and protect her.

  And yet here they were.

  “Looks like we’re almost there,” he said, watching for their turn. “I can’t wait for you to meet Nash and Mack and Agatha.”

  Though the therapist had told him not to ask so many questions, Kyler figured Bri still needed to be talked to. She still needed to hear a voice, still needed to connect, still needed him to acknowledge her, even if she rarely acknowledged him back.

  “They’re some of the nicest people you’ll ever talk to,” he assured his niece. “Agatha is Nash’s aunt, but she was more like his mom growing up.”

  The girl turned her head to face him, a sudden curiosity lighting her eyes, though she didn’t give it a voice.

  “Nash lost his mom and dad,” he explained, resisting the urge to add a “too.” The situations were completely different. Nash’s mom had chosen to leave, and he said his dad had died of a broken heart. Then there was the fact that Nash’s guardian had done a stellar job of raising him.

  From everything Kyler had heard about Agatha, the woman had some kind of otherworldly gift when it came to loving people, to knowing what they needed.

  Kyler was a stark contrast to Nash’s aunt, always on his own, fending for himself. He didn’t know the first thing about love. “Nash’s Aunt Agatha raised him. He grew up on the ranch with her and a whole bunch of fun, cool animals.”

  “Does he still miss his mom and dad?” Bri asked quietly.

  The question put a crack in the walls around his heart. He would’ve liked to lie to her, but he couldn’t. “I think he does still miss them.” His friend had always been the serious, quiet type. Though Nash had come out of his shell and smiled a hell of a lot more since meeting his wife, Mackenzie.

  “My guess he won’t stop missing them. But he also found other people to love. Other people who love him. His mom and dad will always be part of who he is, and he won’t forget them.” Kyler would make sure Bri would never forget her parents either. “But he’s happy.” He prayed she would be too someday.

  Funny how he hadn’t said one single prayer since he’d been a kid praying for his dad to stick around for a few years, and it hadn’t happened. But then the moment he learned he was Bri’s guardian, somehow the prayers had started up again. Even if he’d lost faith for himself, he had to find some for his niece.

  Silence settled between them as Bri seemed to get lost in her own thoughts. Kyler turned his focus back to the road, wondering if he had said the right thing or the wrong thing. He always wondered.

  Up ahead, the dirt road that led to the ranch came into view. He drew in a deep breath. Was this the right thing to do? Take her away from everything she knew for a while?

  He hoped so because after this, he was out of options.

  Kyler took the sharp right turn slowly, easing the truck onto the rutted dirt road. They climbed a hill surrounded by aspen trees before the driveway dipped down into the ranch’s open meadow.

  Bri gasped, peering out the windshield at the view that had opened up in front of them. “There’s so many flowers,” she murmured.

  “They’re forget-me-nots.” Kyler steered the truck around the curve. “And Nash told me you can pick as many as you want.”

  He pictured Bri out picking flowers, playing the goats, riding the horses, and that hopefulness hiding inside of him swelled again. This would be a good place for her. A place for her to wander and heal…

  “There’s balloons!” Her voice had gained momentum. She pointed to one of the two log houses set off to the south of the pond. Sure enough, pink helium-filled balloons were tied to all of the front porch rails of Nash and Mackenzie’s house.

  As they pulled up, the front door opened, and Agatha rushed out carrying a glittery sign that read Welcome Bri!, followed by Nash and Mack.

  Relief flooded through Kyler when he parked the truck. To see Agatha and Nash and Mack all standing there to greet his niece—with balloons and a sign no less—gave him a sense that everything would be all right.

  Had he been the type of man to let out his emotions, he might’ve cried. For months he and Bri had been walking this road alone. Actually, stumbling along blindly would be a more accurate description.

  But they weren’t alone anymore.

  Before Kyler even managed to open his door, Agatha was already helping Bri out of the truck. He had never seen Nash’s aunt wear anything except for tattered T-shirts and overalls. Her white hair was always fashioned into two braids making her look more like a young farm girl than a woman in her seventies.

  “Welcome sweet girl!” The older woman enveloped his niece into a warm hug, still holding the sign in one hand. “We’ve been so excited to meet you,” she said, lowering to her knees to look into Bri’s eyes. “Oh, we’re going to have such fun together while we’re here! I can’t wait to introduce you to all the animals. We even have a new litter of kittens. Do you like kittens?”

  “Yes.” Bri’s voice had slipped back into her whisper mode, but she’d answered, and that was a big step.

  While Agatha continued to tell Bri about the animals on the ranch, Kyler greeted Nash with a handshake. “Thanks again for inviting us out here.” He’d never be able to thank him enough.

  “Thanks for coming.” Nash smiled, watching Bri interact with his aunt. “Hopefully Agatha doesn’t overwhelm her.”

  “She won’t.” His niece was already responding to the woman, smiling and asking questions about the animals shyly.

  “It’s good to see you both.” Mackenzie leaned in to hug him.

  Though he hadn’t known her as long he’d known Nash, he could feel her warmth. When his friend had told him he was going to marry a former business executive, Kyler had a hard time picturing how that would work out, but Mack was friendly and down to earth. She’d brought out the best in his friend.

  “I hope you know you’re welcome to stay as long as you want,” she said, pulling back to look into his eyes. “We have plenty of space and, as you can see, Aunt Agatha
is ready to turn Bri into a ranch hand.”

  “Thanks.” The word wasn’t nearly enough, but that was all he had to offer in return for their kindness.

  As a general rule, he’d never been comfortable with accepting help, but he was in over his head with this parenting gig and he needed all the help he could get.

  Nash walked to the truck and peered into the bed where Kyler had tied down all their luggage. “You want help unloading everyth—”

  “Is that a Fat Bob 114?” A voice interrupted.

  Kyler turned to see a woman walk out from behind Nash’s garage.

  “It is,” the woman said before Kyler could answer. She stalked straight to the trailer and seemed to take a good look at his bike. “Milwaukee Eight Big Twin Engine. Race-style fork technology.”

  Kyler was too stunned to speak. This woman knew her Harleys.

  She turned around to look at him. “Personally, I would’ve chosen the wicked red denim color, but I guess the vivid black is okay too.”

  Behind him, Nash and Mack both laughed. “Kyler, this is Emery Quinn,” Mack said, making the introduction. “She’s our animal care coordinator here at the ranch. Emery, this is Kyler and his niece Bri.”

  “Oh.” The woman’s voice gentled. “Right. I heard you were coming. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you too.” He took a few seconds to study her. Nash had mentioned Emery to him once or twice, but he’d never met her.

  He definitely would’ve noticed that long dark hair. Though her eyes wouldn’t quite meet his, they were pretty memorable too—a grayish blue framed by long thick lashes that held no trace of makeup.

  A tattoo peeked out from the neckline of the T-shirt she wore, but he couldn’t quite make out what it was.

  “I debated about the denim red but settled on the black for a more classic look,” he found himself saying.

  A wry grin defined the woman’s lips. “If I’m being perfectly honest, I would take either.”