Her Rancher Rescuer

by Donna Alward

  And she was too scared to make the first move. Wouldn’t the old gossips back home get a kick out of that?

  “Well, I’m glad you agree,” she responded, letting her breath out slowly. “Was there anything you needed? I was just about to go finish up with the housekeeping upstairs. The trip to town put me behind.”

  “We’re leaving on our sleigh ride in an hour. I thought you’d like to join us.”

  “I should probably stay in and get things ready.” She said the responsible thing, though a sleigh ride on New Year’s Eve afternoon sounded idyllic.

  “There will be time to get things ready. Chuck said he is preparing a light meal for dinner because of the party later, and the Christmas decorations are still up. What more do you need? We’ll be back by four.”

  She really only needed an hour or so to set up the fondue stations and put out the few decorations she’d bought. That would still leave her time to get ready for the party.

  “I don’t expect to be treated to all the fun stuff the same as your paying guests, that’s all.” She looked up at him. “I came to work, you know?”

  “And you are, and you’re doing a great job. But the deal was also to give you a new experience for a few weeks. Let me do that. Come with us. There’s hot chocolate laced with Irish cream in it for you. And the best views in Montana.” He came closer and she felt her eyes open wider. It would take nothing at all for her to reach out and rest her fingers on his chest. To close the meager gap between them.

  “Besides,” he said softly, “I hate sitting up in that front seat all alone.”

  “So you’re just looking for a sled bunny,” she replied, surprised at how soft and husky her voice sounded in the large kitchen.

  “Company,” he corrected, and she might have felt brushed-off, except his gaze swept down her body and back up again, heating her from head to toe.

  “I might be able to spare a few hours.”

  “Great. We’re going to meet at the main doors to the barn. Dress warm.”

  “Yes, sir,” she answered. “Now if you’ll excuse me, dirty linens await.”

  “What an exciting life you lead,” he teased. Then with a wink, he said, “See you later.”

  She watched him walk out the door, all cool confidence and sexiness. What on earth was she protecting herself from?

  The answer came readily enough. It was old habits. She had a tendency to see any new relationship as “the one.” Jack wasn’t. They were both clear on that.

  Well, it was time for her to start some new habits. And Jack seemed like a very willing volunteer....

  The sleigh was ready and waiting, the horses shifting impatiently from one hoof to the other as the group mingled around the barn. The mood was definitely light and celebratory, with the guests chatting and laughing before climbing aboard. Blanket-lined benches ran up each side of the sleigh with more blankets stacked at the front for extra warmth. But the day, while cold, wasn’t frigid and the sun was shining brightly, warming the back of Amy’s jacket.

  “You made it.” Jack came out of the barn, pulling on heavy leather gloves. He wore a black Stetson—the first time she’d ever seen him in a cowboy hat—and she caught her breath. He looked taller, more rugged if that were even possible. His heavy jacket had sheepskin at the collar. The Cadence Creek men wore similar outerwear every day of their blessed lives, but it had never looked like that.

  “I did.” She smiled up at him. “Just made it, from the looks of things.”

  “We’re ready to go,” he agreed, and moved toward the back of the sleigh. “Okay, everyone, let’s board up and get this show on the road!”

  “He’s a handsome devil, isn’t he?”

  Amy turned at the sound of a clearly admiring voice. One of the group’s attendees stood beside her, a woman in her early forties if Amy’s radar was correct. “Shirley, have I got that right?”

  “Yes. You’re a lucky woman, Amy.”

  The implication that she and Jack were together sunk in. “Oh, that...well, we aren’t...” she stammered.

  “You’re not?” Shirley’s gaze sharpened. “Oh, I’m sorry. I just assumed, after the way he looks at you....”

  And just like that, Amy’s pulse took that damned leap it did every time Jack’s name came up. He looked at her? In what way? Amy wanted to ask but knew it would sound silly, so she schooled her features. “We’re just friends.” She couldn’t help adding, “But you’re right. He is a handsome devil. Emphasis on the devil.”

  She felt like she needed to put on her work hat, so she turned her full attention on the woman, reluctantly dragging it away from Jack and how he was muscling the tailgate away from the sleigh. “Are you having a good week?”

  “I am. We are. It’s been really relaxing, and good to get to know the new executive team better, too. We all stepped in after our takeover and it was a bit of a bumpy start. We did some teamwork stuff this morning that Jack suggested and really got to know each other better. Something to do with work and learning styles. The transition at the company has been a bit rocky. I think this is really going to help us going back.” She took a deep breath. “It’s so great up here, that we’re talking about coming back in the summer. Doing some of the other activities not available this time of year. I think the cattle drive would be fantastic.”

  Shirley did not strike Amy as an outdoor girl, but there was no denying her excitement. For a moment, Amy was proud she’d been a part of the week—even if it was a small part.

  “I hope you’re all going to ring in the New Year with us tonight,” she said sincerely.

  “We wouldn’t miss it,” Shirley replied warmly. “I’d better go get aboard.”

  “Me, too.” Amy followed her to the back of the sleigh, but once the other woman was aboard, Jack moved to put up the tailgate.

  “You’re up front with me,” he said, anchoring it into place.

  “I am? I don’t mind sitting in the back.”

  “I like the company, remember? Gets lonely sitting up there all alone.”

  Amy doubted it. She got the feeling that Jack enjoyed his solitude in the outdoors. He was turning out to be very different from the man she expected. What was really strange was that she’d been so sure that she didn’t want someone who resembled the men back home. And yet it was this Jack she really enjoyed being around. She’d been a little dazed and awestruck by the private jet and the huge house but that had worn off.

  He hopped into the sleigh and then held out a hand to help her up. She put her mittened hand in his gloved one, felt his fingers tighten over hers as she stepped up. Oh, expensive trappings were all well and good. Exciting and different. But this Jack—simple, chivalrous, ordinary—was the man that made her heartbeat quicken and her eyes light up.

  She wasn’t sure how to even make a first move. In his own words...he wasn’t interested in a relationship. He wasn’t that guy.

  And she wasn’t, either. Except her feelings of attraction hadn’t received the memo.

  With a quick smile he picked up the reins and they started moving. Bells on the harness set up a jingling sound in the clear mountain air.

  “Where are we headed?” she asked, taking a deep, pine-scented breath. They couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day. It was postcard-perfect.

  “North and then west. The hills there are stunning and there’s a little surprise waiting.”

  She peered up at him. His eyes sparkled at her from beneath the Stetson. “You’re a great one for surprises, Jack.”

  “Aren’t I, though?” He grinned, the reins slack in his hands, and the horses followed the invisible path beneath the snow.

  “And the hat? Was that especially for today? You decided to cowboy up?”

  He shrugged. “I wear it all the time in the summer. Boots, too. I told you this is a wo
rking ranch, Amy. The week of the cattle drive is insane. We have to separate the calves and the vet comes to help with the vaccinations. I leave the management of that to Miguel and Raffy—they’ve been doing it a lot longer than I have. But I’m in the thick of it, learning.”

  “And what about your business empire? Where does it fall into things?”

  He shrugged. “I’m still figuring that out. I don’t want to give it up entirely, but I’m not as hands-on as I used to be.”

  After a few moments of silence, he spoke again. “Are you disappointed? I know you said you’d had enough of those cowboy types back in Cadence Creek.”

  “Those cowboy types, as you put it, haven’t really worked out so well for me,” she answered. “And to be honest, I don’t really picture myself as a ranch wife, you know? I think it was just a matter of what was available.” She chuckled. “If I go away to school, I’ll be meeting all sorts of people. The kind who don’t wear boots and hats and walk bowlegged.”

  And none of those people would be Jack.

  The thought bothered her more than she liked.

  Chapter Nine

  The sleigh ride had gone perfectly to plan, much to Jack’s satisfaction. Moods were high, the weather fantastic and Raffy had ridden ahead and built a fire in the fire pit at the tiny cabin. When they arrived just before three, Raffy had cocoa steaming in a large pot on top of the iron grates. Everyone sat on the rough logs circling the fire, sipping rich cocoa and munching on Chuck’s delicious shortbread cookies. After a nice break, they loaded back into the sleigh for the return journey, the conversation a little more subdued.

  Amy sat next to Jack on the bench seat, her legs covered with one of the rough wool blankets to keep in the heat. As the afternoon waned, the temperature dipped, and despite any concern about appearances, Jack lifted his right arm and circled it around her, keeping her tight against his body. “It’s gotten colder,” he said quietly. “We should be home soon.”

  He drove the team easily with his left hand and was strangely gratified when her head dropped against his shoulder.

  “Sorry,” she murmured, barely loud enough for him to hear. “I think the cocoa’s made me sleepy.”

  The idea of her curling up against him, soft and drowsy, caused the exact opposite reaction in him. She’d been driving him crazy all week. He hadn’t expected her to end up being the sensible one and he was cursing ever saying that the ball was in her court where they were concerned. It wouldn’t take much pushing to make her come around. He saw the way she looked at him. Felt the way she responded to the simplest touch.

  But for some reason he felt the need to be careful. And the one thing that kept him from reneging on the agreement was knowing that he didn’t want to have any regrets from these few weeks. Or rather, he didn’t want her to have any regrets.

  It also made him rather uneasy, because it was the first time in a long, long time that he’d put a woman’s needs before his own.

  He chanced a look down. Her eyes were closed as she dozed, her head cradled by the curve of his shoulder. So relaxed. So trusting.

  He wished, for a brief moment, that she would be like this with him forever.

  And that scared him to death.

  They reentered the yard and he gave a nudge with his elbow, wanting to wake her before they actually stopped. “Amy,” he said, trying to keep his voice low. “Amy.”

  Her lashes fluttered open and his heart slammed against his ribs. Her cheeks were pink from the cold and her eyes looked sleepy and sexy.

  “I fell asleep.”

  “Yes, you did. Only for a little while. You clearly needed the rest.”

  “Did anyone notice?”

  “I don’t know. My back’s been to them the whole time.”

  She pushed away from his shoulder. “I shouldn’t have done that. Especially after talking to one of the guests earlier...”

  As they pulled up next to the barn she busied herself with folding the blanket over her lap, avoiding his eyes. He frowned. “Talking about what?”

  Still she wouldn’t look at him. “Oh, she just assumed that you and I were... I mean, it’s easy to think that, right? We’re close to the same age and all, you know...”

  It seemed like every time they spoke they never quite finished a sentence. As if they were both afraid of actually saying what was riding along beneath the surface of their politeness and proper behavior.

  “She thought we were lovers?”

  He was gratified to see the blush flare up her cheeks. “Together,” she corrected. “She thought we were a couple.”

  “Would that be so bad?”

  He pulled up in front of the barn door. “I don’t know what you mean,” she answered primly. “Would it be so bad if they thought we were a couple, or would it be so bad if we actually were a couple?”

  He wasn’t looking for a girlfriend. So he had no idea why he answered, “Take your pick.”

  He hooked the reins and hopped out of the sleigh, this time not offering his hand. He moved to the back and smiled and chatted briefly as he removed the tailgate, but watched out of the corner of his eye as Amy got out and began collecting blankets.

  When their guests were gone and started back to the house, Amy moved to carry the blankets into the barn. She could have just put them in the back of the sleigh, but Jack didn’t bother to correct her. Instead he unhooked the team from the sleigh, led them around the side of the barn to the corral and spent a few minutes removing their harness before setting them loose in the enclosed area.

  She’d be gone back to the house already. He was sure of it. But he walked the length of the barn anyway, heading for the tack room. He’d hang up the tack, take an hour of quiet to do the evening chores in Miguel’s absence.

  That she was in the tack room, staring up at a wall full of bridles, nearly knocked him off his pins.

  After a moment’s hesitation, he stepped inside. “Hey. I figured you’d be back at the house by now.”

  “In a bit. There’s an hour or so before the supper Chuck prepared. Everyone is just relaxing for a while.”

  “I see.” He moved to put the harness away, taking care to hang it just the way Miguel liked. Miguel kept everything in pristine shape and his pride and care showed.

  “I was thinking about what you asked.”

  “Which question?” He put his hands on his hips as he faced her.

  At least this time she met his gaze. “About if it would be so bad if people thought we were together.”

  Ah, so not the “if we were a couple” question. Good to know.

  “And what did you come up with?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Consternation showed on her face as she looked up at him, almost as if deliberating what—or if—she should say anything more at all. In the end she let out a breath and dropped her shoulders just a bit.

  “I just got to the point where I have the confidence to do something with my life that doesn’t revolve around a relationship, or the hope of one. I know that’s how I’m perceived and I haven’t actually discouraged it. That’s been my mistake. The truth is, I want to earn a spot in the world. To know I’ve done it myself.”

  “And you can’t have both?”

  “I don’t know how. I’m barely figuring it out as it is.” She gave a small, self-deprecating smile. “Jack, you’ve got to understand. My whole life I spent in a house with a woman who was crushed that her husband walked out on her. Whose whole existence and purpose revolved around that. I grew up thinking that being in a relationship was the only way I could be of value.”

  Her face changed. Her eyes widened and her lips dropped open as if she’d made a great discovery. “Holy cow,” she whispered. “I just got that right now.”

  He’d figured her dad leaving had left its mark
on her plenty. How could it not? But he hadn’t considered how much she’d been affected by the parent who’d been left behind.

  “You need to find your own identity,” he said, nodding. He understood that. “Look, Amy. I get it. After my accident, I struggled with finding out who I really was for a long time. It wasn’t a fast process.”

  It was unreasonable to think that Amy would have a magical shortcut to that revelation, wasn’t it?

  She blinked, an amazed smile touching her lips and lighting her eyes, which were far too blue in the shadowed light of the tack room.

  “But still, you did figure it out, right? I spent way too much time trying to succeed where my mom had failed. And you know what? It may not even have been her failure to bear. Sure, she could have handled it better. But maybe she didn’t know how. She loved him. She didn’t see it coming.”

  He could relate. “People react in different ways when their heart gets broken,” he said carefully. “And you may not know the whole story about their split.”

  She nodded. “She never talks about it.”

  “Maybe you should talk to her.”

  She nodded again. “Maybe. She’s relied on me. I know that. I feel like going out on my own is abandoning her like he did.”

  “But Amy,” he said, and he took a step forward, “you’re not abandoning her. And part of standing on your own two feet and making decisions is dealing with personal relationships, too. It’s not just about work or where you live. If you want to be there for her, you will. Whether you live twenty minutes away or twenty hours. The opposite is true, too. You could live around the corner and...” He shrugged. “Not be that close.”

  “Maybe. But school in Edmonton is a good place to start. A way to see beyond Cadence Creek without venturing too far. I feel like I need to be careful. Not try to jump in with both feet like I normally do.”

  * * *

  JACK COULD FEEL her slipping away. He should probably just let it happen rather than trying to hold on to something that was steeped in futility. “I thought you said you were in a rut and didn’t take risks,” he said to her.