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

by Sara Richardson

  Kyler couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of her. “You have a motorcycle license?”

  “Yeah.” She kicked out one hip like she was ready to take on any challenge. “But I happen to find myself between bikes at the moment.”

  “Thank the good lord for that,” Agatha chimed in from a few feet away. She was still holding Bri’s hand, and Kyler couldn’t help but notice the shine in his niece’s eyes. “Motorcycles are dangerous,” Nash’s aunt went on. “You should ride horses instead.”

  That drew a giggle from Bri. “But you can’t ride a horse to the store,” his niece said.

  “Sure you can,” Agatha countered. “And I’ll prove it to you after you’re all settled in. I’ll bet we could ride a horse to the ice cream shop in town.”

  “Really?” He hadn’t seen his niece’s eyes grow that wide since her last birthday party before death had stolen her joy.

  “Really.” Agatha tugged on Bri’s hand. “I have to show you your room first though. We painted it pink! And there are so many wonderful toys and books and stuffed animals all waiting for you.”

  Kyler swung his head to gape at Nash, his jaw dropped.

  His friend only shrugged. “We wanted her to feel at home here,” he said simply.

  Damn. Now his eyes were really burning. Bri was going to make an emotional man out of him yet. Not that anyone else needed to see.

  While he pretended to mess with a strap holding the bike down on the trailer, Mack walked over to Emery. “I’ve been wondering where you went. I didn’t see you come back from the supply run into town.”

  “Oh.” Even with his head bent, Kyler could see Emery bristle. “Yeah. Uh. The order wasn’t ready,” she said quickly. “Otis is going to deliver it here later this afternoon.”

  “That’s weird.” Mack pulled out her phone and started to scroll. “I thought his text said everything had come in.”

  “Yeah.” Kyler noticed Emery’s face had changed. Her cheeks seemed to have flushed. “But I think he was mistaken. He said he’s happy to deliver it though. Along with the new tractor. Speaking of, I should go make some room for it in the outbuilding.” She started to trot away. “See you all later.”

  Kyler didn’t have a chance to get in a goodbye before Emery disappeared. Still stunned by the woman, he turned to Nash and Mack. “What’s her story?”

  “Not really sure,” Nash said, looking at his wife.

  “She doesn’t say much,” Mack added. “We know she served in the army at some point, but that’s about it.” The woman’s smile held a certain degree of fondness. “She’s a little rough around the edges, but she’s great with the animals. They seem to form a bond with her.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with rough around the edges.” To him that phrase meant someone had a certain toughness and directness about them.

  In fact, her rough edges were what piqued his curiosity about Emery Quinn the most.

  Chapter 4

  Emery slipped out Agatha’s front door and waited a few seconds for Cupid to follow before quietly closing it behind her.

  The early morning air held a chill that made her zip her sweatshirt all the way up to her chin.

  Geez, it was cold out here this early in the morning.

  Cupid, of course, loved the cold. The dog took off running in the direction of the pond, like the change of temperature invigorated him.

  After not sleeping all night, she definitely didn’t feel invigorated. Every time she had closed her eyes, she’d had nightmares about Nick—that he was chasing her, stalking her.

  Emery peered back at the dark living room window. Usually she and Agatha shared a cup of coffee together before she headed out to feed the animals, but she couldn’t face the woman today.

  Agatha would know something was wrong. Somehow the woman always knew. She saw more than most people, and Emery couldn’t share her secret. Not even with the angel she’d found in Agatha.

  Gazing straight out at the purplish sky, she shuffled her rubber boots across the porch and crept down the steps into the dewy grass. With the colder temperatures at night, the grasses and flowers were starting to wilt and the green leaves on the aspen trees had already started to fade to gold.

  It wouldn’t be long before she’d be tromping through knee-deep snow to get up to the barn. The thought momentarily stopped her. Would she still be here in another month?

  She scanned the expanse of land she’d come to love so much—the meadow with its varieties of flowers and especially the tiny forget-me-nots barely popping up their petals above the short grass. She looked at the pond that reflected snow-capped peaks in the distance.

  It would break her heart to leave it all behind, but somehow Nick had gotten too close to her. His voice still hunted her. And she could feel his touch on her skin as vividly as she’d felt it when he’d held her down all those years ago.

  Refusing to let herself dwell on the memories, she marched onward to where Cupid had plopped his bottom down on the ground to wait for her. Maybe she could stay at the ranch. If Otis hadn’t recognized her picture, maybe no one else in town would either. The man who was searching for her could ask around all he wanted, but no one knew her as Kelly Pryor.

  If she hid out at the ranch and didn’t go into town at all over the next few days, he might move on. She just had to be careful, keep to herself. Lord knew she’d gotten good at that.

  Continuing on her path, she walked by Nash and Mack’s house, pausing to admire the Harley Fat Bob that still sat on the trailer attached to Kyler’s truck. Admiring the bike was better than admiring the man himself.

  Though the man did bear some resemblance to the motorcycle.

  They both had muscle, that was for sure. And they both had a rebellious vibe. From the little she’d heard about Kyler she knew he was a bull rider, and he looked the part—on the shorter end of tall but built as solid as that bike right there.

  His brown hair was cropped short like he didn’t want to mess with it, but his face is what had surprised her—dark, perceptive eyes and a smile that had temporarily made her forget she was supposed to be keeping to herself.

  Cupid trotted over to her as though he’d gotten tired of waiting.

  “Harley or no Harley, we are keeping to ourselves,” Emery murmured. She backed away from the bike and turned in the direction of the barn again.

  Kyler and his niece might be staying awhile from the sound of things, but she couldn’t get sidetracked. She’d do her job like she always did and make herself scarce. She’d become a master at being invisible.

  “You lay low, too,” she told Cupid. “Don’t do anything to draw too much attention to yourself.” Of course, that was easier said than done for him, being the beautiful boy he was. “It’s your bright blue eyes,” she told him, giving him a pat.

  The dog licked her hand.

  The rest of the way to the barn, Emery went through her list of chores in her head. She’d start with the feeding the pony. She knew she wasn’t supposed to have favorites when it came to the rescued animals, but Cookie had a special place in her heart.

  She’d found the Shetland pony while she’d been hiking last year. He was tied up at a neighboring ranch and was as skinny as anything. Emery had snuck under the fence and saved him, and when the police had gone to the owner, he claimed he’d never owned a pony, so Cookie had moved to the Forget-Me-Not Ranch permanently.

  That was when Emery had moved here permanently too. She’d been injured in the rescue, and Agatha had insisted she move into the guest room. Every time she got the notion to leave because she didn’t want charity, the woman talked her out of it, telling her she needed her around.

  And who was she kidding? Emery loved being here. It was the first place she’d felt grounded and secure.

  She opened the door to the barn and flipped on the lights while Cupid bolted to Cookie’s stall. As had become their custom, the pony greeted the dog with a snort, hanging his head over the fence, looking for a kiss.

&nb
sp; “I’m here too.” Emery approached the animal with an offering of carrots she’d swiped from the refrigerator on her way out of the house. “You’re a good boy,” she said holding her palm flat so he could gobble up the treat.

  In the year he’d been at the ranch, Cookie had gained all of his weight back and then some. His coat had become shiny again too. She ran her hand over his mane. “How about we go for a walk tod—”

  “Is that a baby horse?” a hushed voice asked from behind her.

  Emery whirled, her heart dropping at the surprise interruption.

  Cupid barked, but she gave a gentle tug on his collar to hush him.

  Whew. She let out a breath. It was only Brielle, Kyler’s niece. Despite the hammering in her heart, she smiled at the girl. “Actually, he’s seven years old. Maybe that’s around your age?” she guessed.

  Brielle nodded, standing in the doorway as though she was afraid to come any closer.

  Emery’s heart softened. The poor kid. Mack had told her Brielle’s parents were killed in a car accident a few months ago and she’d been struggling ever since.

  Emery wouldn’t say she’d ever been good with kids, but she knew what it was like to miss someone you loved.

  “Stay, Cupid,” she commanded, letting go of the dog’s collar. She didn’t want to overwhelm the girl. “The pony’s name is Cookie. He’s as sweet as a chocolate chip cookie. That’s why I named him that.”

  An unsure smile poked a dimple into Brielle’s right cheek.

  She really was a cutie. Cupid must’ve thought so too because he whined and swept his tail furiously across the ground where he sat.

  “And this is my dog, Cupid.” Emery petted his head. “He’d like to meet you, if that’s okay.”

  The girl nodded and held out her hand.

  “Gentle boy,” Emery admonished.

  Slowly, her dog made his way to the girl and then laid down at her feet, bowing his head slightly so she could pet him.

  Brielle reached her hand to his fur. “He’s soft,” she almost whispered.

  “Very soft,” Emery agreed walking to where they stood. “So is Cookie, actually. Would you like to pet the pony too?”

  “Can I?” The girl took a cautious step toward her.

  “Of course.” Emery scratched behind Cookie’s ears, showing her how. “He loves attention.”

  Everything about Brielle—from her voice to her movements was cautious, but she crept to the fence and reached out a hand.

  Cookie nosed her palm as though looking for a carrot.

  “All right, all right.” The pony obviously knew Emery was holding out on him. “Here.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out another carrot, handing it to Brielle.

  “Hold out your hand flat and keep your fingers back.” She positioned the girl’s hand for her.

  Cookie snorted and then gobbled up the carrot, leaving behind some slobber.

  Brielle giggled. “That tickled.”

  “It’s his whiskers.” She ran her hand over the pony’s soft muzzle and gestured for Brielle to do the same.

  “I didn’t know ponies were so soft,” the girl murmured.

  “I don’t think I did either before I met this fella.” Emery hadn’t been around too many animals before working at the ranch. Minus Cupid.

  “I’ve learned a lot about animals since I came here.” She strode to the hay stash and picked up a bundle for Cookie. “He also loves hay. Why don’t you put some in his trough?”

  “Okay.” Brielle gathered the the hay and reached her hands through the fence to throw it into the wooden feed dish.

  Right away, Cookie started to snarf it up, pieces of hay sticking out of his mouth at all angles.

  This time Brielle let out a full laugh. “He’s a messy eater.”

  “He sure is.” Something inside of Emery brightened at seeing the girl smile that way. For a little thing, she sure seemed weighted down and sad. But this place could change that. It had for Emery.

  “Hey, when he’s done eating, would you like to brush him?” Cookie loved nothing more than a good brushing. It was almost like he never wanted another bad hair day now that his coat was so lustrous. The pony was always tossing his head to get his mane out of his eyes.

  “I’d love to brush him.” The girl couldn’t seem to take her eyes off Cookie. “He’s so so pretty,” she said wistfully. “I wish I had a pony.”

  “I’ll tell you what…” Emery went to retrieve Cookie’s favorite brush from a shelf nearby. “While you’re staying here at the ranch, Cookie can be all yours.”

  Brielle’s mouth popped open.

  “You can help me feed him and you can brush him and maybe he’ll even let you ride him.” She hadn’t tried to saddle him up quite yet, but they could test it out and see if he was ready for a smaller rider.

  “Are you sure?” the girl asked in an awed whisper. “I can—”

  The door flew open with a loud thud and Kyler rushed into the barn. “Brielle!” He stopped dead in his cowboy boot tracks and stared at them.

  Cupid barked but Emery shushed him and stared back. It seemed the man had only managed to get halfway dressed before he’d left Nash’s house, throwing on jeans and his boots but no shirt. Without one of those huge belt buckles, his jeans sat low on his chiseled hips and…no.

  Nope. Forget that he had a strong defined chest. She had to stop looking at his tanned taut skin.

  “I couldn’t find you.” His gaze shifted to Brielle. “I was worried.” Judging from the gruffness in his voice, he’d been more than worried.

  “Sorry, Uncle Kyler,” Brielle muttered, looking down at the floor.

  “It’s okay,” he said quickly, raking his hand through his hair as though he’d only just realized it was sticking up. “But please, sweetie. If you’re going to leave the house, can you tell me first?”

  He approached the girl slowly and took a knee in front of her. “Even if I’m asleep you can wake me up. I always want to know where you are.”

  She nodded, peering up at Kyler from underneath her thick eyelashes. Geez, with a look like that, the man would never be able to tell his niece no to anything.

  “Okay, then.” He brushed a kiss on the top of her head and Emery swore the sight of that tough man on his knees in front of the girl who’d become his daughter awakened the butterflies that had been hibernating in her chest.

  “Can I brush the pony?” Brielle asked her uncle, showing him the brush Emery had given her. “She said I could,” the girl added, pointing at Emery.

  “Oh.” Kyler stood up and looked at Emery as though he’d just remembered she was standing behind them. “Sure. If Miss Emery said it’s okay, you can brush the pony.”

  “Sure it’s okay.” Emery stumbled to the girl, avoiding the sight of Kyler’s pecs. What was not okay was the fluttering in her chest. She made sure to keep her distance from the man.

  Cupid on the other hand, went straight to Kyler and gave him a good third-degree sniffing.

  “Like I was saying…” before the shirtless wonder had interrupted, “Cookie loves a good brushing.” She led Brielle into the pen where the pony was munching on the last pieces of hay. “Start right here on his flank.” She brought the girl’s hand up to the pony’s side. “And then gently brush down and back.”

  “Down and back,” the girl repeated mimicking the movement.

  “That’s perfect.” Emery stepped aside, joining Kyler on the outside of the pen.

  “Hi Cookie,” Brielle said softly as she brushed him. “You’re a pretty pony. Yes, you are. You’re the prettiest pony I’ve ever seen in my whole entire life.”

  The pony turned his head to the girl and edged himself closer to her as if soaking up the praise.

  Brielle continued to murmur and coo at the pony, though Emery couldn’t hear exactly what she was saying.

  “She hasn’t spoken that much since before the accident,” Kyler said quietly while they watched his niece.

  “Sometimes it’s
easier to talk to animals.” Emery knew that much to be true. If she accidentally spilled her secrets, animals would never tell anyone else.

  “This your dog?” Kyler leaned over to pet Cupid, and she tried not to notice how tightly the muscles in his back tensed.

  “Mmm hmm.” Maybe she should suggest he put on one of the heavy coats Agatha kept in here so she could think straight.

  “I’ve always wanted a husky but it’s too hot in Texas.” The man stood back to his full height. “He’s a beautiful dog.”

  Cupid rubbed his side against Kyler’s legs obviously enamored with the man. The traitor.

  “Yeah. He’s a good boy.” She stepped closer to the pen, distancing herself from Kyler again. “You can brush Cookie’s mane, too,” she told Brielle.

  “Like this?” The girl ran the brush down the pony’s fluffy locks.

  “Exactly like that.” She smiled and leaned into the fence. “You’re a natural. He’s really taking to you.” Cookie hardly ever stood that still for her. It was like the animal sensed the girl needed him.

  “I love him too,” Brielle murmured, carefully brushing a tangle out of Cookie’s mane.

  “Thank you for letting her take care of the pony.” Kyler’s low voice drew closer to Emery’s ear, and she had to brace herself against the impact as it resounded through her. “It’s good for her. I haven’t seen her this happy in a long time.”

  Emery tightened her grip on the fence rail. Why did his close proximity set her off balance? “It’s nothing.” Though a glow seemed to encircle her heart watching Brielle interact with Cookie.

  “No. You don’t understand.” Kyler’s hand came to her shoulder.

  When she turned her head and peered into his eyes, she wasn’t prepared for the emotion she saw in them.

  “Bri has been far away,” he half whispered. “And I couldn’t reach her. I tried everything. But now…seeing her here…there’s a light in her eyes again.” He let his hand drop back to his side, but his gaze still held hers. “So thank you.”

  The hopeful sincerity voice, in his whole demeanor, somehow melted the wintry frost that time and pain had built up on her heart.