The Rancher's Texas Match

by Brenda Minton

  “Hey, that’s a long sigh for such a pretty day.”

  She turned, managing a smile for Josie. “It is a pretty day. I’m window-shopping.”

  “We should go in.”

  “No, I don’t think so. Moving forward isn’t easy, is it?”

  The humor in Josie’s eyes dimmed. “No, it isn’t. What does that have to do with furniture?”

  “It isn’t my house. It’s my brother’s house. He and his wife decorated it.”

  “And you haven’t made it your own?”

  They were walking toward the café. “No, I haven’t. It feels as if they will walk in any moment, so it would be wrong to change their home. It feels wrong to move into their home, their lives and their shoes.”

  “And that’s something I can understand. Moving on is difficult.”

  They entered the café that was less than crowded. They’d purposely missed the morning rush. The waitress, a young woman with a bouncy ponytail and braces, hurried forward to take their order.

  “I’ll take coffee and a cinnamon roll.” Josie turned her coffee cup for the girl to fill it.

  “I’ll have the same.”

  Macy waited until the waitress left. “I’m so sorry, Josie. I get so caught up in my life. How are you doing?”

  Josie shrugged a slim shoulder. “Some days better than others. Today is a good day. I can talk about it today. I can think about the baby and being a mom, and I don’t feel as if my whole life is a nightmare that I can’t wake up from. And today I’m trusting God instead of being angry with Him.”

  “Have you picked a name?”

  Josie grinned and wagged a finger. “No, and I’m not telling.”

  “I’ll get it out of you yet.”

  The door opened. Macy looked up, surprised to see Fletcher Snowden Phillips walking in. He shot her a look, shook his head and headed for the front counter, where the waitress was bagging up a to-go order. She didn’t have a clue why he’d be upset with her. And really, she didn’t care. Fletcher seemed to have a lot of his own baggage to deal with.

  “He’s called a meeting of the LSCL,” Josie informed her, pausing as the waitress returned with their breakfast. She waited until the girl left to continue. “I heard Gabriel Everett wasn’t happy about it and told him he didn’t have the right to call meetings. But Fletcher is determined. He says the Silver Star has become something other than what it started out to be, and he won’t have it being a blight on the community.”

  “I can’t imagine someone knowing that place the way he does and still believing it should be shut down.”

  “He’s always been against it. For as long as I can remember, he has disliked the ranch and the boys.”

  “I don’t know what Colby and I would have done without the ranch.”

  “How is Colby?”

  Macy pulled the cinnamon roll apart with her fork. “I’m not really sure. Some days I think we’ll make it. And then there are days that I’m positive I’m doing the wrong thing for him. There are days I just know that he needs more than I can give.”

  “More?”

  “A real family,” she admitted. “I don’t know the first thing about being a mother. So how could I be mom and dad to a little boy?”

  Josie touched her belly. “And do you think I do? Parenting is on-the-job training. And you already have the most important part. You love him.”

  “Yes, I do. And I am already at a place where I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

  “Then give it time,” Josie encouraged.

  On his way out Fletcher stopped at their table. “Good morning, ladies.”

  “Fletcher,” Josie responded. “You know Macy. Her nephew is at the ranch.”

  Fletcher gave her a long, steady look. “I’m not sure that’s the safest place for a young child.”

  “I believe it is,” she responded. “It’s been a great place for him.”

  “Aren’t you also on the LSCL committee to help find the missing members of the ranch?” Fletcher asked.

  Macy looked up at him, a bite of cinnamon roll on her fork. “Yes, Mr. Phillips, I am. And I intend to find them and make sure the boys get that bigger ranch.”

  “You will have your work cut out for you.” He inclined his head.

  Fletcher left, and Macy shuddered as he walked out the door. Josie’s eyes were big, and her lips twitched with a suppressed smile.

  Macy’s phone rang, and she reached into her purse for it. The number was out of state. She answered.

  “Hello, my name is Avery Culpepper. I received a message from Macy Swanson,” the chipper voice on the other end announced.

  Macy set her fork down. “I’m Macy Swanson. And I left that message, Miss Culpepper.”

  “Yeah, well, you found me. Old Cyrus was my grandfather. I didn’t know him, though. My dad left years ago.”

  “I see. Mr. Culpepper was very interested in finding you.” She hesitated, unsure of how to proceed because part of this message would include telling this young woman that her grandfather was deceased.

  “Was interested? Did he give up?” Avery Culpepper had a jarring voice. Macy told herself it was just the phone.

  “No, he didn’t give up. He passed away, and it was in his will that we should try to find you.”

  “Did he leave me something? He had a ranch, didn’t he?” The voice was definitely jarring. No blaming the phone for that tone.

  “Yes, he did own a ranch. Miss Culpepper, I really can’t go into this on the phone, and it isn’t my place to give specifics. I was just asked to find you.”

  “Right, okay, well, I’m kind of tied up right now. It might take me a week or so to get there. Haven, right?”

  “Yes, right outside Waco. But there’s really no need for you to come here yet. March is when everything will be settled. Let me give you the name of the lawyer so you can touch base and he can tell you what you need to do.” Macy sent a grimace in Josie’s direction because the other woman looked too hopeful, too excited.

  “Yeah, well, I’ll be there as soon as I get some business taken care of.”

  “But there’s no need for you to—”

  The call ended. Macy looked at the phone, amazed.

  “Well, was it her?” Josie asked.

  “I guess it was.”

  Josie’s smile disappeared. “What’s wrong?”

  She shrugged, “Nothing. She was just very...harsh?”

  “Maybe she’ll be better in person. And we don’t have to like her. We just have to find her,” Josie reminded her.

  “That’s true.”

  They were finishing their cinnamon rolls when the front door opened. Macy’s heart stuttered a little when Tanner walked in, taking off his hat as he approached their table.

  “Tanner, how are you this morning?” Josie shot Macy a questioning look before she offered the greeting.

  “Good, Josie. How are you doing?” He reached for a chair and pulled it to their table.

  Macy was glad when he sat down. Craning her neck to look up at him hadn’t been comfortable. As he sat down, he turned his attention on her.

  “We’re having a meeting of the LSCL to address Fletcher’s concerns. We’re also going to discuss our search.”

  “Oh, I just got off the phone a few minutes ago. With Avery Culpepper.”

  “That’s about the best news I’ve had today. The way this has been going, I wondered if Cyrus just wanted to mess with us all.”

  “I think we’ve all been feeling that way.”

  He stood again. “I’m going to meet early with Gabe. If you could be at his place in thirty minutes, we’re gathering in his library.”

  “I can be there.”

  “Good.” He inclined his head. “Josie, if you
need anything...”

  “Thanks, Tanner.” Josie smiled at him as he left, and then her inquiring gaze landed on Macy, her eyebrow arched; she tapped her fingers on the table.

  “What?”

  Josie stopped tapping. “That was interesting.”

  “Interesting?”

  “Macy, Tanner is a nice guy, but he doesn’t typically come in and sit down. He issues orders and moves on.”

  Macy could have agreed. That had been the Tanner she’d first met when she came to Haven. He’d been busy. He’d rushed in the day she arrived, telling her he was sorry, asking if she needed anything. He’d left a casserole on his way out the door and a card with his business number.

  This new Tanner was an enigma. And she liked him.

  “You’re quiet,” Josie said.

  “I’m sorry.” Macy shook her head. “I was thinking.”

  “About Tanner Barstow, no doubt.” Josie wiped sticky fingers with a napkin. “Chloe says he wants nothing more than to get married and have a bunch of kids. He’s been so focused on building the ranch and his business, she thinks he’s kind of gotten sidetracked.”

  “I really like Chloe, but I doubt Tanner wants her sharing his life with everyone in town,” Macy answered. At Josie’s widened eyes she realized she’d messed up. “I’m sorry. I’m just being overly sensitive. I’m worried about Colby, the ranch and what I’m going to do to make things right. And Tanner is...” What was Tanner?

  “A distraction?” Josie replied, unrepentant, it seemed. “A very gorgeous and super wealthy distraction.”

  Macy shook her head at her friend’s tenaciousness. “Yes, he is that. And I think I’ve already proved that I can’t be on a list of ‘wife and mother’ candidates. I can’t even manage to make one little boy happy.”

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

  “Tell that to my heart,” Macy replied, glancing at the clock on her phone. “I should get to that meeting. A rain check on shopping?”

  “Deal. But do me a favor. Give yourself a chance. And give Colby a chance.”

  Macy gave her friend a quick hug, and then she hurried out the door. She had twenty minutes to get to the meeting. Twenty minutes to prepare herself to face Tanner. She’d kissed him. She’d taken the first step. She’d never been that person. Not once in her life had she been the initiator in a relationship.

  But it had seemed so natural to stand on tiptoe and kiss his cheek. It had seemed just as natural when he’d turned into the kiss, and their lips had met.

  It had been a mistake. She had a list of reasons why. At the top of the list was Colby. He needed her. She doubted herself. When nothing was making sense or working out, how could this possibly be the right thing?

  * * *

  The library was starting to fill up. Tanner glanced at the paper in front of him, a letter sent by Fletcher, letting them know that the Silver Star had to be in compliance. They had a duty to keep the community safe. He wanted to blow it off, ignore it, but he couldn’t. Fletcher knew the law. He knew how to make problems for an organization that wanted to do good.

  Tanner shoved the letter aside and leaned back in his chair just as Macy walked through the door with Bea. He’d noticed earlier that Macy looked tired today. But that was the last thing a man ought to say to a woman.

  He noticed everything about her. When a man was trying to maintain a professional relationship with a woman, he shouldn’t notice her smile, or the way her eyes translated every mood. He also noticed that the tightness in his chest loosened up a little when she smiled a greeting.

  He took a deep breath and relaxed.

  Gabriel walked through the door, tense as a mountain lion about to pounce. He moved to the end of the table and then paused and turned toward the door as Fletcher entered. The two stared each other down. Fletcher lost that match. His gaze shifted, and he adjusted his tie and quickly took a seat at the opposite end of the long table.

  Macy was still standing, looking unsure. Tanner pulled out the chair next to him. She glanced around the room, as if looking for a better option. When she found none, she moved in his direction. Across the table from him, Mayor Elsa Wells peered at him from over the top of her glasses. In her fifties, she’d been his Sunday school teacher twenty years ago. And he guessed she still felt the need to keep him on the straight and narrow. At least that was what he would surmise from the look she was giving him.

  A lesser man might have flinched under the fiery look from the redheaded mayor of Haven. He managed a smile.

  “Let’s bring this meeting to order.” Gabriel Everett didn’t have his gavel, but his voice was firm, and everyone knew to end their personal conversations.

  The door opened, and Seth Jacobs, from a ranch close to Waco, hurried in. Behind him was Lena Orwell from the neighboring community of Fieldton. She served as treasurer of the group. Seth was the LSCL secretary.

  “Sorry I’m late,” Seth said as he took a chair on the opposite side of the table. “I’ve been doctoring cows with pinkeye.”

  Gabriel sat down in his seat at the end of the table. Tanner leaned back in his chair and waited because a quiet Gabriel Everett was a dangerous Gabriel. He let his gaze slide to the other end of the table where Fletcher was looking a mite uncomfortable. He had to guess he was severely outnumbered in this ridiculous task of trying to destroy an organization that had helped so many kids.

  “I’d like to start this meeting by discussing Fletcher’s claims.” Gabriel drilled his gaze into Fletcher, and the lawyer at least had the sense to look chastised.

  “These are not claims,” Fletcher started. “These are facts. The incidents of violence are on the uptick, and it is only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.”

  “And you know it is tied to the boys ranch, how?” Gabriel asked.

  Fletcher leaned forward, his gestures mirroring Gabriel’s.

  “I know it is tied to the boys ranch because the crime in Haven is generally low. It is steadily getting worse...”

  Tanner couldn’t take any more. “Fletcher, crime is getting worse everywhere.”

  “Fine, if that’s what you think. I believe the boys at the ranch are hurting our community.”

  “Then what should we do about it?” Gabriel jumped back into the conversation. “We aren’t closing the ranch, so try to come up with something else.”

  Fletcher let his gaze drift around the table, from person to person, more than likely looking for anyone who might be on his side.

  “I only know that we have to do something. We can’t allow our community love of that place to interfere with the safety of our citizens.”

  Bea cleared her throat, and Tanner knew that look on her face. She was about to blow. He guessed a person could say what they wanted or do what they wanted to Bea, but they’d better have sense to leave the boys on the ranch alone.

  “Fletcher, I’ve just about had it with your nonsense. One time a few years ago a boy soaped your windows. You haven’t gotten over that. And maybe it’s time you forget and forgive something that was really just a silly kid prank.”

  “I had to replace—” he started with a sputter, and then he waved his hands. “That has nothing to do with this. I want our community to be safe.”

  “And I want to change lives. As do the other people in this room. When or if you find evidence that incriminates one of our boys, you let me know.”

  Gabriel cleared his throat and looked around the room.

  “Well, I guess that takes care of that. Now we’ll discuss our searches for the missing alumni of the ranch.”

  Fletcher stood, pushed his chair in and stared them all down. Tanner didn’t mind at all. He gave the local attorney the same look, daring him to really say too much.

  “I think you all will regret this.” With that, Fletcher turned and le
ft.

  “Wow,” Macy said. “I guess he’s not a fan of the ranch.”

  “That’s an understatement,” Katie Ellis added.

  Gabriel rapped his fist on the table. “We need to discuss our searches. Anything new to share?”

  Tanner pointed to Macy and drew Gabriel’s attention to her. She raised her hand just slightly.

  “Macy? You were searching for Avery Culpepper?” Gabriel jotted down a note on his paper.

  “Yes, and she called me.” Her words hung in the air, and a murmur spread through the room and then died down.

  “And?” Bea pushed.

  “She’s actually very eager to come to Haven. I explained that she doesn’t really have to get here so quickly. But I think she might show up sooner rather than later.”

  Bea murmured, “Thank You, God.”

  “How do we know we have the right people?” Lena Orwell asked, a pencil stuck behind her ear and her red hair a bit of a mess.

  “We’ll have to check identification and backgrounds,” Katie piped up.

  Lena pulled the pencil out of her hair and tapped the table. “We’ll just have to be careful.”

  “We will be,” Bea assured her. “And I have a lead on Samuel Teller. He has actually donated to the ranch. It’s been several years, but I don’t think he’ll be hard to find.”

  “Anyone else?” Gabriel asked, looking first to ranch foreman Flint Rawlings and then momentarily to Tanner. And Tanner got it. No one wanted their skeletons dug up.

  Flint shook his head. “I’m following a few leads, but so far nothing.”

  Tanner shook his head. “I’m still looking.”

  Before he could say more, a loud ruckus ensued. Footsteps sounded in the hall, and someone shouted. Gabriel hurried to the door. He opened it to one of his ranch workers.

  “Something wrong out there?” Gabriel asked, his normally unflappable demeanor in evidence.

  “Yes, sir, someone put a rock through the windshield of Miss Bea’s car.”

  Tanner pushed back his chair and stood. They were miles from town, and very few people, other than the ones in this room, knew about their meeting. This was definitely getting personal.