Home Is Where Hank Is (Cowboys To The Rescue 1)

by Martha Shields

  “Who cares?”

  “Hank, please...”

  He peered around her at the fire. “Casey’s the only one awake. He won’t say anything. And we’ll be up before the others, I swear.” He drew her closer. “Please, Alex. I don’t wake up with a beautiful woman in my arms every day. I want to enjoy it.”

  Alex sighed and sank into him. How could she argue with that?

  Reaching the outcropping perched above Eden Valley, Hank reined in and for the first time all day, took a moment to look beyond the herd. The sun had climbed high overhead as they drove the cattle ever upward to this rich, wide valley nestled between two mountains. Though it lay on public land, the valley had been feeding Eden cattle for nearly a hundred years. Hank’s great-grandfather had simply driven his cattle up the mountain. Hank now leased it. Sometime between then and now, it had been named after his family.

  The herd stretched out beneath him, an undulating sea of black Angus cattle. The grass they’d already begun to eat was knee-high and green, watered by snow melt and a creek running through the middle. It would last the herd about a month, when they would have to be driven higher to grass just now beginning to green.

  This was a good herd, one of the best he’d had in years. The winter hadn’t been too harsh, and he’d only lost a few calves to freezing temperatures or predators.

  Suddenly the words he was using penetrated. Best herd he’d had. He’d only lost a few calves.

  Hank had never thought of the herd as his before. For that matter, he never thought of the ranch as his. It had always been his father’s land, his father’s herd, his father’s house. He’d just been a caretaker, biding his time until he could leave. Until now.

  Regret hit him like a punch in the gut. He would never be bringing a herd to Eden Valley again. This land had been used by his family for nearly a hundred years—and he was the one losing it.

  Hank’s fist tightened on the reins, and his horse shied beneath him. He pulled the bay gelding back around, then scanned the valley again.

  He wished he could keep it, not only for himself and his children, but for Alex. She was the one who’d made this ranch his home, by trying to make it hers, by loving him.

  For the first time in his life, he could see himself growing old at the Garden. He could see bringing his sons to Eden Valley, and his grandsons...and daughters. He closed his eyes to savor the image of lifting a small golden-eyed girl up on a horse for the first time, when he remembered the rodeo.

  Hank swept off his hat and raked a hand through his hair. What about his dreams of becoming a gold buckle hero? Was he willing to give them up, when he was so close to having another go at them?

  He thought about the rodeo and the carefree life he’d had as a young man. But he wasn’t young any longer, not for a rodeo cowboy. He only had a few good years left to rodeo, at best.

  How could those few short years compare with having Alex for a lifetime? How could sleeping in a different cheap motel room every night compare with coming home to the ranch that had housed Edens for a hundred years?

  He suddenly realized that his dreams had changed. He only needed to be a hero to one person—Alex. He could always rodeo in the local circuit....

  Reality hit like a summer thunderstorm. What the hell was he thinking? He couldn’t keep the Garden. He’d been trying to figure out a way to hold on for the past three years, with no success.

  How could he let Alex give up her dream, when he knew he was about to lose the home she wanted—needed—so badly?

  He couldn’t. She deserved a better life than he could give her—nomads on the rodeo circuit.

  The loss stabbed deep as his gaze swept the herd again. He hadn’t known what he really wanted until it was too late. Until he was about to lose it.

  Pushing the dismal thoughts away, he straightened in the saddle and searched the perimeter of the herd for his men. They were spaced out evenly, waiting for his signal to ride in. The cattle had been spread across the valley and had already settled down after their uphill journey.

  To his left, Hank saw a column of smoke rising from the chimney of a small log cabin built before he was born. Alex was cooking one last meal before they headed down the mountain. Casey and his wife, Lila, would stay to watch over the herd until they were relieved by Jed and Derek in a week.

  Raising his arm, Hank gave the signal for his men to ride in, then reined toward the cabin.

  He spurred his mount into a gallop. He and Alex had ridden at opposite ends of the herd during the drive—he at point and she at the rear, riding drag. He intended on spending every minute possible with her on the way back.

  Casey and Buck watched him ride up as they loosened the cinches on their horses.

  “You sure are in a hurry, boss,” Buck said.

  Casey chuckled. “Yeah. You must be hungry.”

  “Question is, you hungry for the cook or her cookin’?” Buck slapped his knee.

  Hank dismounted, unperturbed by the ribbing. He’d done a fair amount of it himself last year when Casey was smitten. “Lunch about ready?”

  “Hell, I hope so,” Buck said. “I could eat a whole steer.”

  Their heads turned as one when the cabin door opened. Alex came out onto the porch. “You boys ready to eat?”

  Hank bounded up the four steps to the porch and took Alex in his arms. He didn’t give her time to protest as he kissed her hard and deep, ignoring the whistles and comments from their audience.

  “What was that for?” she gasped, when his lips finally released hers.

  “To thank you.”

  “For what?”

  He couldn’t keep the sadness from his smile. “For being you.”

  She frowned. “Hank, are you—”

  “What’s going on, Derek?”

  Jed’s call brought everyone’s attention to the tall cowboy. Hank glanced around. Derek hadn’t dismounted at the cabin but instead had guided his horse to the south side. The hand’s attention was somewhere down the trail.

  Hank pulled Alex to the edge of the porch. “What do you see?”

  “Someone’s coming up the trail, boss,” Derek told him.

  Relieved that Derek’s eagle-sharp eyes hadn’t spotted some kind of predator bearing down on the herd, he called, “Can you make out who it is?”

  The hand shook his head. “They’re riding the cherry roan mare from the Garden. Must be Claire.... Yep, it is. She’s riding like devil’s after her.” Derek spurred his horse and rode out to meet her.

  Hank hopped the porch rail and strode over to the spot Derek had just left. “What the hell...”

  “She wasn’t supposed to come with us, was she, boss?” Jed asked from right behind him.

  “She had a test yesterday in English that she couldn’t miss,” Alex told him as she came up and slipped her hand into Hank’s.

  “You think something happened to the Garden?” Casey asked.

  “Of course something’s happened,” Buck said. “Claire wouldn’t come racing up here for nothing.”

  “Whatever’s happened, we know Claire is okay,” Alex said.

  Hank squeezed her hand gratefully.

  “Maybe a barn burned down,” Buck said.

  “Or the house,” Casey added.

  Hank threw a glance around the group. “We’ll know soon enough.”

  The group became so quiet, he could hear the two horses’ pounding hooves get louder and louder.

  Finally Derek topped the hill. Claire was a length behind. In another three strides, she reined in the foam-flecked roan. “Hank, it’s Travis.”

  Hank grabbed her bridle, his heart slamming to a stop. All the rodeo injuries he’d seen over the years raced across his mind—from being gored by a bull to necks broken by falls from broncs. “What happened?”

  Claire’s wide, frightened eyes filled with tears. “He’s in the hospital in Phoenix. The doctor called this morning. He hasn’t—” she released a small sob “—hasn’t woken up yet.”


  “Bull riding?”

  She nodded. “The bull came after him when he got off. His ribs, his arm, his head. I can’t remember what all the doctor said. But they want us to come.”

  “As soon as we get fresh mounts.” He turned and searched the group. “I’ll take the gelding Lila was riding. Casey, give Claire Alex’s mare. Alex and Lila can take the roan and the bay.”

  “Right, boss.”

  Jed headed for the bay Hank rode in. “I’ll switch saddles for you.”

  Buck moved to help Casey with the other horses. Derek dismounted and helped Claire down from the roan.

  “I’ll get something for you to eat.” Lila turned toward the cabin.

  Alex put a hand on Hank’s arm. “Do you want me to come with you?”

  He shook his head. “We’ll be riding too fast for too long. You’d just slow us down. The others will be heading back this afternoon. Ride with them. You should be home by nightfall.”

  Casey led the gelding up then and handed Hank the reins. Hank kissed Alex on the forehead, looking like his mind was a thousand miles away, then mounted. Claire urged her horse beside his, and they conversed softly for a moment.

  Her eyes stinging with tears she refused to let fall, Alex backed away. Suddenly all the things Hank hadn’t said took on new meaning.

  He didn’t want her to go with him.

  She knew she had no right to feel this way, but she couldn’t stop the stab of desolation that swept through her. She wasn’t an Eden. She’d tried to make herself part of this family, but when family really mattered, Hank and Claire were riding off without her. The pain was achingly familiar—deserted again. Yet another place where she didn’t belong.

  Unable to breathe, she turned to escape into the cabin.

  “Alex!”

  His bellow stopped her in her tracks.

  “Where the hell are you going?”

  She turned slowly to see the hands parting to let Hank’s horse through. Her heart hammered at the look on his face.

  When he reached her, he leaned over, grabbed her under her arms and pulled her up in front of him. Burying his face in her neck, he breathed, “Why were you running away?”

  She held on with all her strength. “You were leaving me.”

  He pulled back so he could see her face, his own clearly confused. “Darlin’, you wouldn’t be able to keep up with us. I want you to go, but—” Suddenly he looked down, then behind him.

  Looking over his shoulder, Alex saw everyone staring at them.

  “Don’t you people have something else to do?” Hank scowled.

  They turned their heads toward Claire, who suddenly found her watch fascinating.

  “You need to get going,” Alex told him softly.

  “But I need to explain why—”

  She shook her head. “You already did. And Travis needs you. I’m okay now. It was just an old childish bugaboo of mine, being left behind.” She smiled as trembling fingers traced his unshaven jaw. “You chased my monster away.”

  His brows furrowed. “I did? How?”

  “By making me feel like you need me.”

  He searched the depths of her eyes before uttering, “God forgive me, I do need you.”

  Her heart hammering with love and excitement, she leaned forward and kissed him. They weren’t exactly the words she wanted to hear, but they were close enough. “You’d better go.”

  He kissed her once more, then set her down. “We’ll be gone by the time you get home. I’ll call from the hospital.”

  She nodded. “I’ll wait up.”

  He shook his head and turned the gelding around. “Get some sleep. I won’t call till morning.”

  “You’ll be flying?”

  “No. There’s not a plane out of Jackson until tomorrow. We can be there by then.”

  “Be careful,” she called as he and Claire rode away. Then she added softly, “I love you.”

  Alex ran down the hall and grabbed the phone on the second ring. “Hello? Hank?”

  “He’s okay” were the first words Hank uttered.

  “Thank goodness!” She sank to the floor in relief. “He’s awake, then?”

  “Yep. Came to last night. Can’t get much out of him, though. They’ve given him enough painkillers to kill a moose. He’s trussed up like a branded calf and keeps mumbling something about Japan. Maybe he’s dreaming about geisha girls.”

  “What’s wrong with him?”

  “Concussion, cracked ribs, multiple arm fractures, dislocated shoulder. You name it.”

  “When are you bringing him home?”

  “Can’t leave until tomorrow. The doc wants to keep him under observation at least twenty-four hours, make sure his brains aren’t scrambled. I told the doc they already were.”

  “Hank...”

  He sighed wearily over the line. “Damn, I miss you.”

  “I miss you, too. The house seems empty with nobody here but me and Sugar. What time did you get in?”

  “Around dawn.”

  “You probably haven’t slept at all, have you?”

  “No. Have you?”

  “I tried.” She stroked Sugar’s head as he jumped on her lap. “Long-distance is expensive. Be careful driving back. When should I expect you?”

  “Not till late. We’ll have to drive through because of Travis’s horses.”

  “Okay. I’ll keep something warm. Get some sleep, okay? You’ve got a long drive tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Bye, darlin’. See you soon.”

  “Hurry home.”

  The line clicked off and Alex stared at the receiver. In that instant she knew without a doubt that the Garden was her home. She didn’t want a restaurant anymore. How could customers be her family? She had a family right here who needed her, who wanted her as much as she wanted them.

  Grinning, she wrapped her arms around Sugar and squeezed, tears of happiness spilling onto his orange fur.

  Alex woke with a start, sending the book on her chest sliding to the floor. The loud thump helped clear her brain. Over the barking of dogs she could hear the low rumble of trucks coming up the drive.

  Hank was home.

  She jumped up and ran down the hall. A quick glance at the grandfather clock told her it was nearly midnight. She skidded to a halt at the mud room. Though her first instinct was to run outside and throw herself into Hank’s arms, she probably should check on their supper. The last time she remembered doing it was around ten.

  As she stirred the soup and turned up the heat, she heard one truck head into the garage. The other stopped at the barn.

  Dropping the lid into place, she hurried outside to find Hank walking stiffly across the yard to Travis’s rig. He stopped for a moment when he saw her. Since he looked like he couldn’t decide between coming to her or continuing to the barn, she took the decision away. Running down the steps, she raced across the yard to be enfolded in his arms. Their lips met in a hungry dance, then he buried his face in her hair.

  “Thank goodness you’re home,” she breathed.

  He kissed her again, deeply, then turned her in his arms so they could walk to Travis’s rig. “You were worried?”

  “You’re so late.”

  “Checking him out took the whole damn morning. It was close to noon before we left the hospital.”

  Claire came around the front of Travis’s truck as they approached.

  “How’s he doing?” Hank called.

  “About the same,” she answered. “You’d better help me open the door. He’s been asleep. He may fall out.”

  The cab door opened, and a deep, scratchy voice uttered, “I can do it.”

  As the door swung open, Travis tumbled out, his good arm scrambling for purchase. Hank caught him just before he fell face-down in the dirt.

  Travis cussed and shoved away from his brother. “I said I can do it.” He stumbled back a few steps, then squinted around at them. His eyes finally fell on the house.

  Alex held her breath. This man didn�
�t look or act like the same Travis she’d met a few weeks before. His angular, handsome face was swollen, the entire left side dark with bruises. His left arm was in a sling, cradled against his ribs.

  “He sounds drunk,” Alex whispered to Claire.

  “It’s the medicine.” Claire closed the truck door as Travis lurched across the drive. Hank followed. “He slept most of the way, thank Heaven. I might have killed him if he hadn’t.”

  “He must be in a lot of pain,” Alex noted.

  Claire harrumphed.

  “You want me to help unload the horses?”

  She shook her head. “I can handle it. Why don’t you see if Mr. Personality will let you help him to bed? Travis won’t let Hank touch him, and if I spend one more minute in his company, I’ll probably—”

  “All right.” Alex started across the yard, calling back, “In case you get in before I come down, there’s soup on the stove.”

  “Sounds great!” Claire called back. “I’m starving. Hank set a grueling pace that even I had trouble keeping up with. The only time I got anything to eat was when we stopped for gas. See if you can get some soup down Travis, will you? He refused everything I offered him.”

  “I’ll try.” Alex turned and sprinted across the yard. Just as she reached the porch, Travis began to teeter off the second step. Hank grabbed him from behind. The tirade Travis heaped upon his brother’s head as he jerked away was only halfcoherent, but the parts Alex could understand were all curses.

  Hurrying forward, she slipped under Travis’s arm. He tried to pull away, but she grabbed his belt and hung on. “Where you going, cowboy?”

  He looked down at her, his eyes trying to focus. “Alex?”

  “That’s me. Where we going?”

  Travis fixed his eyes on the screen door. “I’m going into my home. The house my great-granddaddy built near a hundred years ago.” He waved at the house expansively, his speech slurred. “The house he passed down to his son, who passed it to his son, then his son, then—”

  “I get the picture. But we won’t get there unless we walk. There’s three more steps to go, okay? That’s right. Good. One more.”