Ambushed!

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  As the car’s tires crunched to a stop on the circular gravel driveway, she glanced to her right at the center section of the house with its mammoth front door. Two wings branched out from either side and were angled in a way that reminded her of arms flung open in greeting. A front porch lined with rockers ran the length of the house, and flowers bloomed in the beds on either side of the steps.

  Although the log house was immense, the effect was softened by strategic landscape lighting and the homey presence of those rocking chairs. No one would ever call this place cozy, but it was certainly welcoming. Morgan was dying to see the inside, but that wouldn’t be happening this morning, and maybe not ever.

  She turned to Gabe. “It’s gorgeous.”

  “I know. It represents seventy-three years of effort.”

  A lump of emotion stuck in her throat. “Gabe, do you know how much I envy you that kind of heritage?”

  Leaning over the console, he cradled her face in both hands. “It comes with a price,” he said gently. “You envy my heritage, but I envy your freedom.” He kissed her softly and released her. “I’ll be at your door at six tonight.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “It sounds more than good. I’ll be counting the minutes.” He’d started to climb out of the SUV just as the front door opened.

  Sarah Chance, dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, stepped out on the porch. “Gabe?”

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “You’d better get down to the barn. Jack’s there with Nick. There’s a problem with Doozie.”

  “Be right there.” Gabe turned back to Morgan.

  “Doozie’s the horse I brought home and she’s been a bone of contention ever since. Listen, if this turns into a thing, then I might be a little late tonight, but I’ll be there.”

  “Don’t worry about promising anything. You do what you have to in order to preserve the peace.”

  “I’ll do whatever I have to in order to preserve my sanity, which means spending the night in your bed.”

  “Gabe, not so loud. Your mother might hear you.”

  “You know what? I kind of hope she does. I’m proud to know you, Morgan O’Connelli.” With that he closed the car’s passenger door and gave her a wave before striding off toward the barn.

  Morgan was so intent on watching him go that she totally missed seeing Sarah Chance come around the front of the car. When she spoke, she was standing beside the open driver’s window, and Morgan jumped.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” Sarah cleared her throat. “But I thought I’d better grab the opportunity while you were here.”

  Morgan met the older woman’s gaze and discovered to her shock that Gabe had Sarah’s eyes. The resemblance was disconcerting, considering how much time Morgan had spent totally captured in the net of Gabe’s blue eyes. During the parade, Sarah’s sunglasses had hidden the resemblance.

  “It’s obvious that Gabe spent the night with you.”

  “Yes, he did.” Morgan decided there was no harm in a little white lie. “But he wanted to make sure he was back here to do…whatever was necessary this morning.” Morgan still wasn’t clear on what that was and hoped her vagueness wouldn’t hurt Gabe’s cause.

  “That’s good to hear, but I’m not really concerned about that. We’re used to having Gabe gone. He’s not nearly as attached to this place as the other two. I’ve braced myself for the day he tells me he wants to live somewhere else.”

  “I can’t imagine wanting to live anywhere else.” Once the words were out, Morgan realized she probably shouldn’t have said them, especially with the note of longing in her voice.

  Sarah was quiet for a moment. “I hope for two things for my sons. One is that they find a woman they can love with all their heart. The second is that the woman returns that love with all her heart.”

  Morgan wanted to say that she and Gabe were all about fun, not love. But telling that to his mother wasn’t quite as easy as she’d imagined.

  “The point is,” Sarah continued, “I’d hate for anyone to latch onto one of my boys because they fell in love with this.” She gestured toward the house and barn.

  Maybe honesty was the best policy. “I’m already in love with what you have here. But I’m not an opportunist, and even if I were, Gabe’s too smart to fall for somebody who’s only using him.”

  Sarah’s eyebrows lifted in a gesture so reminiscent of Gabe that Morgan caught her breath.

  “Let me put your mind at ease, Mrs. Chance. I’m a little jealous of the fact that your family has been here for three generations, but I am not in love with your son and he’s not in love with me. We’re enjoying being together, but we’re not serious about each other.”

  “If you can say that, then you don’t fully understand Gabe, and that worries me.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “When my son thinks enough of a woman to loan her his horse, it’s very serious.”

  8

  GABE RUBBED a hand over his day-old beard as he headed for the barn. He probably looked like some cowpoke down on his luck, when in fact he’d never felt better in his life. Great sex could do that for a guy.

  But he needed to forget about Morgan for now and concentrate on Doozie, the bay mare he’d saved from the auction block a few weeks ago. Her owner, Brad Bennington, had given up on her, convinced that her injuries, which caused her to founder, would cost him more money and time than he wanted to invest.

  Gabe knew what would have happened on the auction block. A horse with Doozie’s condition would end up at the slaughterhouse, and he wasn’t going to let that happen. True, founder was the same thing that had precipitated the death of the great racehorse Barbaro, but Gabe didn’t believe Doozie would die. So he’d brought her home to the Last Chance, because the ranch was dedicated to last chances.

  The lights were on in the barn as he approached. Butch and Sundance, two dogs Nick had found wandering along the highway, had taken up sentry duty on each side of the barn door. Butch was a mixed breed, mostly boxer, and Sundance looked like a border collie, although chances were he wasn’t a purebred, either. Gabe paused briefly to give them each a scratch. If Nick could rescue dogs, then Gabe figured he could rescue a horse.

  But Jack hadn’t been pleased when Gabe had brought Doozie home. She was hurt, and she wasn’t a paint, so Jack wouldn’t want to breed her. Gabe had known all that, but when faced with the knowledge that the young mare was destined to become dog food, he hadn’t been able to turn away. Doozie had a whole life in front of her, providing his brother Nick could cure her. And Nick was a top-notch vet.

  Inside the barn he breathed in the sweet mix of hay and horses. Seeing the place as Morgan might, he had a new appreciation for the old barn, which had been on the property when his Grandpa Archie brought his bride to the ranch. The barn had been through several renovations since then, but much of the original structure remained.

  Gabe found himself thinking of how much Morgan would enjoy walking around in here, listening to stories of his grandparents’ adventures starting married life in a barn. He wanted to share that with her, but bringing her here would only make her uncomfortable. Jack might naturally assume Morgan was casing the joint so she could find a way to make a profit from her association with one of the Chance boys. As for his mother, she’d always said that she wanted him to find a woman who loved him beyond all reason, and that wasn’t Morgan.

  Jack leaned over the open door of Doozie’s stall talking to someone, probably Nick, who was no doubt crouched down working on the mare’s hoof. Doozie herself stood patiently, her coat gleaming in the light from the overhead bulb.

  Gabe walked down the aisle between the stalls, pausing to stroke the muzzles of the horses poking their heads out to see who was there. Calamity Jane, the paint mare who had foaled last month and who was his favorite horse in the barn, clearly expected a treat. Gabe would have to bring her one later.

  Jack glanced up. “Here comes lover boy looking like he just roll
ed out of bed. Have a good time?”

  “That’s none of your damned business.”

  His brother nodded. “I’ll take that as an affirmative. A talkative guy is usually making up stuff. A silent man got what he went after.”

  Gabe’s jaw tightened. “I don’t think you and I should talk about Morgan, not after the way you treated her.”

  Jack’s dark eyes gave nothing away. “You’re probably right about that.” He tugged on the brim of his black Stetson and gestured toward the stall. “Your horse is not improving on schedule, little brother. That means she may or may not recover, and in the meantime, she’s costing the ranch a bundle.”

  “Since when are you all about the bottom line, Jack?”

  “Since Dad’s will put me in charge of it. I intend to keep this place solvent, and I can’t do it if we start leaking money for no good reason.”

  Gabe decided not to waste his breath arguing the point. There was a time when Jack would have thought saving a good horse was reason enough, even if that horse never made a dime for the Last Chance. His heart used to contain a large soft spot for animals in trouble.

  The new Jack had become a Grinch, and Gabe was still trying to decide what to do about that. In the meantime, he needed to see about his horse. He walked into the stall.

  Nick was in the midst of refitting the special shoe that allowed Doozie to stand on her injured leg without quite so much pain. “I’m doing what I can.” His gaze flicked up to meet Gabe’s. “But she’s not responding the way I’d hoped.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Gabe held the mare’s halter and stroked the perfect white blaze that ran from her forelock to her nose, like a racing stripe. “Hey, girl. You gotta fight, okay? Nick can only do so much, but part of this process is you wanting to get better.”

  Jack blew out a breath. “Jesus. Are we into woo-woo healing, now?”

  “Why not, if it works,” Nick said as he finished adjusting the shoe and stood. “She has an air of resignation about her, as if she’s given up. I hate to say this, but she doesn’t seem happy here.”

  Jack threw up his hands. “Obviously we need to improve her accommodations, then! Let’s turn the barn into a horsey day spa. Hey, we can pipe in music and maybe hire a shrink to analyze her inner feelings.”

  Gabe glanced at him. “Bite me, Jack.”

  “Oh, grow up, Gabe.”

  “Hey, you’re the one who’s regressing into some kind of anal prick!”

  Jack rolled his eyes. “Regressing, am I? Okay, maybe we need to import several shrinks, one for the horse, and one for each of us, so we can all get in touch with our feelings.”

  Nick packed up his supplies. “Might not be a bad idea.”

  “God, don’t you start, too!” Jack glared at both of them. “Look, you gave her a chance, Gabe. You brought her to the best vet in Wyoming, probably the best vet in the western states. If she can’t recover here, she’s not meant to recover. We should all cut our losses and—”

  “She needs a goat.” Gabe mentally slapped himself on the forehead. “Why didn’t I think of that before? She’s used to having one in her stall! I should’ve bought the goat when I bought her, and I didn’t even think of it. Let me make some phone calls and see if it’s still available.”

  Jack stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Hel-lo. Is this goat going to be free?”

  “Of course not. I’ll have to buy it from Bennington, assuming he kept it.”

  “If you get as good a deal on the goat as you did on the horse, I might as well file for bankruptcy now and save a little time.”

  “Dammit, Jack, it’s just a goat!”

  “And I’m not going to approve the purchase of said goat! We’re already into this horse for more money than I care to think about.”

  Gabe took off his Stetson and ran his fingers along the brim as he fought to keep his temper. “So you’re not going to approve the purchase of the goat,” he said quietly.

  Nick picked up his medical kit and stood. “Never mind. I’ll buy the goat.”

  “No, you won’t,” Gabe said. “I appreciate the peace-keeping move on your part, but I’ll buy the goat. I’ll be getting entry-fee refunds that should cover it.” But even as he said that, he was aware it was all ranch money. At this point, Jack was in total control of their finances.

  When their dad had been alive, each son had drawn a salary for work done around the ranch. Jack had always made more because he handled more responsibility, or he had until hooking up with Josie last summer.

  Gabe hadn’t been home to hear the fights between his dad and Jack, but Nick had reported they were loud and angry, with their dad threatening to cut Jack’s pay and Jack threatening to leave the ranch. The issue had remained unresolved and simmering as summer became fall. And then Jonathan Chance was killed.

  Once Nick had his veterinary license, he’d had a way to earn money other than ranch work. He had a few other clients in the area, so if the ranch disappeared tomorrow, he would be okay financially.

  As for Gabe, he’d never thought much about money. He’d had enough for his simple needs, and the Last Chance had paid for his competition every summer and the upkeep on his horses. He’d donated any prize money back to the ranch. The system had suited him fine. Until now.

  Maybe Jack was right. Maybe he needed to grow up. For ten years he’d concentrated all his energy on training cutting horses and winning competitions. Without the support of the Last Chance, he couldn’t have done that and couldn’t continue to do it. Maybe he needed to get a fix on where his life was going and exactly who was in the saddle making the decisions.

  But he also realized something else. He’d listened to the reading of the will, and it had clearly specified that the ranch belonged to all of them, not just Jack. If a dispute arose, each of them, including his mom, had an interest in the ranch.

  If anyone wanted to sell, the other three had to buy out the fourth person, which would undoubtedly require taking out a loan or selling off some acreage. Gabe figured his dad hadn’t expected this to happen, but he’d put the contingency in the will so that nobody would be forced to stay here. Gabe wanted to stay, at least part of the time, but Jack was making that option less and less palatable.

  “Oh, for Christ’s sake.” Jack blew out a breath. “Get the effing goat. But that better work.”

  “Or what, Jack?” Gabe walked out of the stall and faced his older brother. “Let’s put all our cards on the table. I brought Doozie here to give her sanctuary. You seem to be putting a dollar limit on how much sanctuary she deserves.”

  “Somebody has to!”

  “Do they?” Gabe held Jack’s gaze. “Is the Last Chance in such bad financial shape?”

  “Not at the moment, but that doesn’t mean we can afford to throw money away. Besides keeping us housed and fed, this ranch provides a living for a bunch of cowboys, plus Mary Lou. I have a responsibility to keep us in the black so we can continue the way we have in the past.”

  “Nice speech.” Gabe put on his hat and tugged the brim down. “But if I remember my history right, Archie and Nelsie dedicated this place to giving both people and animals a last chance at happiness. You can’t put a dollar value on that.” He turned to leave, but swung back as he thought of something else.

  “About Morgan,” he said.

  Nick groaned. “I don’t think now’s the time to discuss—”

  “No, let him say his piece.” Jack crossed his arms over his chest. “What about this real estate agent, Gabe?”

  “I’ve decided to invite her out here this afternoon. If she can make it, we’ll saddle a couple of horses and go for a ride around the ranch.”

  His brother’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

  “Because she’s a friend of mine and she’d love seeing it.”

  Jack’s derisive snort said it all.

  “So help me, Jack, if you do anything to make her feel uncomfortable while she’s here, I’ll clean your clock.”

  �
�You can try.”

  “Don’t give me a reason.” Gabe almost wished Jack would provoke him into a fight. Years ago Gabe hadn’t been able to hold his own against Jack, but he sure as hell could now, and he was itching to prove it.

  AT THREE that afternoon, against her better judgment, Morgan drove back down the long dirt road to the ranch house. Gabe had promised her a tour of the house before they took their horseback ride. Eagerness to see the inside of the house and the surrounding acreage vied with her dread of running into either Jack or Sarah.

  Gabe had promised to make sure she wasn’t treated like a smear of dung on the bottom of somebody’s boot. Morgan wasn’t convinced, but she couldn’t resist getting a peek inside the house and then spending the rest of the afternoon riding the range with cowboy Gabe. As she’d observed during the parade, he looked mighty fine astride a horse.

  He was sitting in one of the porch rockers when she pulled up, his hat tilted back, his booted feet out in front of him, and a grin on his face that made her heart lurch with joy. She was alarmingly glad to see him. On a gladness scale of one to ten, she’d rate this moment a fifty.

  Unfolding himself from the rocker, he picked up a straw Western hat from the chair beside him and ambled down the porch steps. She’d be willing to bet he’d brought that hat for her to keep her from getting burned during the ride. The thoughtful gesture touched her.

  As she climbed out of her SUV, she fought the urge to run around it and fling herself into his arms. They were, after all, right in front of the house with its many windows. If Morgan were Gabe’s mother, she’d station herself at one of them to observe the interloper’s arrival.

  A disapproving mother was a new experience for Morgan. She made friends easily, and mothers of the guys she’d dated had always liked her. She still kept in touch with a couple of them, even though their sons had married other women.

  But in those cases, the mothers had been pleased that Morgan wasn’t ready to get married right away. They’d wanted their sons to finish their degrees or achieve career goals before settling down. Apparently Sarah held the opposite view. She thought Gabe was serious about Morgan, which meant Morgan should be serious about Gabe.