Redemption Ranch

by Leann Harris

  Tyler glanced at her and they shared a moment of pride. “Riley, I just got a call from your mother. She has a meeting that is running late and told me it might be eight before she gets here.”

  “What?” Riley’s eyes grew large and he glanced around. “I’ve got to get home and—” His stomach growled and a red stain crept up his neck. “And I’m hungry. What does she think I’m going to do for food?”

  Signs of his panic screamed at Beth and she wanted to head off disaster. “I’m hungry, too.”

  Riley’s mouth hung open and he stared at her.

  “How about you, Tyler? You hungry, too?” Beth prayed he understood her effort to divert the boy.

  “I am.”

  Stepping toward Riley, she asked, “How about we go to the burger place down the road? That little place has the best burgers within fifty miles. When I want to treat myself, I go there.”

  Riley looked from Beth to Tyler. The alarm drained out of his expression. “Yeah, okay, that sounds good.”

  She slipped her arm around Riley’s skinny shoulders. “Thank you for agreeing to go. I can’t tell you how much I needed an excuse to stop there.” Grinning, she whispered, “None of the trendy people go there. It’s got big, greasy burgers in giant buns and the fries are to die for—” she closed her eyes and moved her head from side to side “—and my friends are all health nuts, wanting me to eat alfalfa sprouts and wheatgrass and all the things my cows eat. I can simply tell them I’m helping feed a young man who worked hard.”

  Riley’s chin came up. “Sure.”

  Beth smiled at Tyler. The man simply shook his head.

  “Then let’s finish with this horse, get the truck and go get burgers.”

  “Okay.” Riley went to put up Brownie’s bridle.

  Tyler stood staring at the boy.

  “You’re welcome,” Beth whispered in his ear.

  He jerked back. “What?”

  “I was simply responding to your thank-you.”

  “But I didn’t say anything,” he protested.

  She gave him a look that said “I know” and walked off, chuckling to herself.

  Chapter Four

  Tyler watched in awe as Riley inhaled the last onion ring. The boy hadn’t been shy about downing the burger and large fries he’d ordered. Beth had offered Riley some of her onion rings and he’d eagerly accepted them and devoured the remaining ones.

  Tyler tried to hold back his smile, but when his eyes met Beth’s and saw the amusement dancing there, his smile emerged.

  Riley sat back and sighed.

  “Are you full?” Beth asked.

  “It was good, and I won’t rat you out to your friends.”

  Beth’s mouth trembled as she tried to suppress her giggle. “I appreciate that.”

  Riley, sensing the light mood, grinned. “I know my mom sometimes gets on a kick to make me eat healthylike. She wants me to eat lettuce, tomatoes and other green junk.”

  “Junk?” Beth asked, looking at Tyler, then Riley.

  “Yeah, that other green stuff—broccoli, cabbage and other things like that.”

  Beth nodded, trying to be stern, but the humor in the air took the sting out of her comment. “Your mom’s right. Vegetables are important, but an occasional burger—”

  “With fries.”

  “—is okay. But the vegetables are important.”

  He shrugged. “Whatever.”

  Tyler chuckled, welcoming the joy and mirth of the evening. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed.

  “If we’re going to splurge, those fried pies look good.” Riley nodded toward the display of desserts on the order counter. He looked from Tyler to Beth with a hangdog expression. The boy knew how to work a crowd.

  Tyler shrugged and pulled out a couple of dollars from his wallet. Riley grinned, took the money and raced to the counter before anyone could object.

  Leaning across the table, Beth whispered, “I hope his mother isn’t going to be mad at us.”

  “Don’t worry. Susan will be grateful when she sees her son grinning and eating and trying to get his way.”

  Riley appeared at the table with the fried pie. “Cherry.” He quickly unwrapped the treat and took a bite. “’tis good,” he mumbled around the crust and cherries.

  “I have a weakness for the coconut,” Beth admitted. “They make their own pies.”

  Riley nodded and downed the rest of the pie in a few bites, followed by gulps of his soft drink. “I could use another one of those.”

  “I think you’ll get Tyler in trouble with your mom if you’re on too much of a sugar high. She might not want to trust Tyler again.”

  Riley studied Tyler, considering, then nodded. “Okay.”

  Tyler’s gut eased. He wanted to establish a relationship with Riley, but Tyler didn’t want to alienate Riley’s mom, either.

  “But, you might win some points if you brought a fried pie to your mom,” Beth added.

  The boy’s shoulders straightened. “I like that idea, but I don’t have enough money.”

  “Not a problem. I’m going to get a pie for myself and save it for my breakfast tomorrow,” she whispered in a conspiratorial tone.

  With the speed that only a thirteen-year-old boy could have, Riley jumped up and ran to the window. Tyler pulled another bill from his wallet. When Beth opened her mouth to object, he nodded his head. “My treat.”

  Her gaze locked with his, and he felt her response down to his toes.

  “Thanks.”

  “Not a problem.”

  Beth slipped out of her chair and joined Riley at the order counter.

  Tyler watched Beth, rattled by their unspoken exchange. It was only a fried pie, he told himself. But for Tyler, he knew he’d crossed some invisible line. He couldn’t identify it, but something in his heart had changed.

  * * *

  “How did you start at the ranch?” Riley asked as they drove back from the burger joint. Riley sat between Beth and Tyler in the front seat of the truck.

  “I grew up on a ranch.” She turned toward Riley. “I’ve been around horses all my life. When I was in grade school, I did barrel racing.”

  “Really?” Riley’s face filled with amazement.

  “I had a beautiful little horse that loved to race. She was the one who kept me practicing. When I didn’t want to race, Milly, my horse, would remind me I hadn’t worked with her that day. Can you imagine being nagged by your horse?”

  Riley’s jaw hung open. “You’re fooling me.”

  “Nope. Sometimes, Milly was worse than a big puppy, wanting my attention.”

  “I don’t believe that.”

  Beth glanced over at Tyler. From his expression, she knew he was enjoying this exchange.

  “Is that true, Tyler?” Riley asked.

  He glanced down at the boy. “Knowing horses, I’d say Beth was being straight with you. But if you don’t believe her, you need to get to know some of the horses at the Second Chance and then discover it for yourself. Prince Charming has his moments.”

  “You’re teasing me, right?”

  “I promise you, I’m telling the truth,” Beth reassured him. “I remember one time when my brother Zach blew out the side of our barn with his high school experiment.”

  Riley’s eyes widened. “Huh?”

  “It was for his junior chemistry entry in the science fair. Well, it went wrong and he blew out the side of the barn. Spooked my horse and she charged out of the barn. It took us two days to round up all the animals and for me to find Milly. She was so mad at Zach that she never let him near her again. Can’t say I blamed her.”

  Amazingly, both Tyler and Riley la
ughed. The sound made her heart sore.

  “My dad didn’t think it was so funny.” She joined the guys in their laughter until tears ran down her cheeks. She wiped them away. “Didn’t your brother do anything stupid like that?” The instant that last word fell from her mouth, Beth realized her mistake.

  The joy and laughter in the cab evaporated. Riley sobered and glanced at Tyler, then stared down at the fried pie in his hands.

  This time the tears in Beth’s eyes were from pain.

  Lord, give me the words to comfort. Taking a deep breath, she said, “I am sorry, Riley. I didn’t mean—I know you loved your brother.”

  He didn’t look at her, but nodded.

  How could such a warm, fun atmosphere instantly change? Beth stole a glance at Tyler. Every muscle in the man’s body had gone tight. Riley’s pain washed over Tyler. So not only had she wounded Riley, but Tyler, too.

  There were no words to make it right, so she remained quiet, praying.

  When they arrived at the ranch, Susan stood beside her new SUV. Zach and Sophie chatted with her.

  Beth wanted to say something to Riley, but no words came to mind. She opened her door and slipped out of the truck, allowing Riley to exit. He walked to his mom’s vehicle.

  “Did you have a good time, son?” Susan asked coming toward them.

  He shrugged and got into his mother’s car.

  When the woman turned back to Tyler, Beth introduced herself. “Riley had an amazing day. He helped me with one of the horses, was the side walker for a young girl and ate all his dinner and the rest of my onion rings. And devoured a cherry fried pie.”

  “Terrific.” Susan’s face lighted with delight.

  “I was telling Riley about my brother blowing up our barn with his high school chemistry experiment.” She looked at Zach standing behind Susan and saw his surprise. “When we finished laughing, I asked Riley—” tears choked Beth’s throat “—if his brother did anything like that.” Beth bit her lips. “I instantly realized my mistake. I’m sorry.” Tears slipped from the outside corners of her eyes.

  A sad smile filled Susan’s face and she grasped Beth’s hand. “Thank you for telling me about Riley’s progress. He was close to his brother, especially after my husband was killed in a car accident when Riley was in the first grade. His older brother tried to fill the gap left in Riley’s life.”

  Each word made Beth more miserable. “I am so sorry.”

  Susan squeezed Beth’s hand and drew her close. “Thank you for helping him.” When Susan pulled back, she wiped her own tears away. She turned to Tyler and brushed a kiss across his check. “You’ve been a blessing.”

  She walked to the driver’s door. “I’ll call you later, Tyler, and we’ll see about the schedule for next week.”

  “Okay.”

  Susan climbed into her car and pulled away from the ranch.

  Beth looked from her brother and sister-in-law to Tyler. She turned and walked into the barn. She needed to be alone with her pain.

  * * *

  Tyler stood planted to the ground. He felt like he’d just been through a firefight on the streets of Baghdad. How had the silly, fun night turned so deadly and emotional in an instant?

  Sophie walked to his side. “I’ll go talk to her.”

  Tyler knew Sophie would understand how to comfort Beth, but somehow that felt cowardly. “No, I’ll do it.”

  When Sophie started to object, Zach grasped her hand and pulled her toward the house.

  “But, but—” she sputtered.

  Zach leaned in and whispered something. Whatever it was, she didn’t push her objections, but walked with her husband to the house.

  Tyler faced the barn. He knew how to clear a house of hostiles, but he was completely clueless as to how to handle a weeping woman, and if he had his choice, he’d choose the hostiles. What did one say? I know you didn’t mean the stupid thing you said?

  That wouldn’t work.

  It was an innocent remark.

  That was it. He’d go with that line of thinking.

  As he walked in the barn, he thought about praying, but it was shallow and two-faced only to talk to God when he needed a favor. But lately he found himself needing to talk to God more and more.

  Once inside the structure, he didn’t hear any crying. Was that a good or bad sign?

  Slowly he walked down the first aisle as if he was walking through a minefield. When he approached Charming’s stall, he saw Dogger lying before it, then Beth inside. She stood with her face pressed into Charming’s neck. She turned her head to the side and she rubbed the horse’s neck with her cheek.

  “I didn’t mean to,” she whispered to the big gelding. The horse’s ears twitched.

  “I know you didn’t,” Tyler answered.

  She didn’t raise her head. “But I still hurt him.” Agony laced her voice.

  Although his heart ached, Tyler couldn’t deny it.

  “I was trying so hard.”

  “I think you did a lot of good work with him today. I saw him laugh for the first time.”

  She lifted her head from the horse’s neck. “Really?”

  “Yeah. Cut yourself some slack.”

  As the words finished ringing through the barn, they pinched him, too, as he realized the words were meant for him.

  She finger-combed Charming’s mane then moved away from the horse. “I can understand why Riley took his brother’s death so hard.” She leaned against the half-wall of the stall.

  “Paul told me about trying to fill the void their dad’s death left in Riley’s life.” He rested his forearms on the top edge of the stall. “Paul was a great guy and went to all Riley’s little league games. It was tough when he had his own games, but they worked it out. Riley attended Paul’s games.” The sadness and guilt of Paul’s death washed over him.

  “He was more than just someone in your unit.”

  “Yeah.” He fell silent. “We had a lot of things in common. We both lost our fathers and struggled. Paul and I became good friends.” They didn’t sit with each other and spill their guts, but there was a quiet understanding between them. Paul didn’t have to be guarded around Tyler and vice versa. It was a special camaraderie he had with few people. He knew that Paul would be grateful for the help he offered Riley. But the pain of the loss was an open wound.

  Beth slipped her fingers through his. Those small, strong fingers became a lifeline for him. He knew she shared his pain. Gazing into her eyes, he saw a quiet understanding. She didn’t try to offer him any words of comfort or try to have him analyze his feelings, but accepted him. Wounds and all.

  “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For understanding. You didn’t blame me and…” She nodded her head and pulled her hand from his. She gave Charming a pat. Dogger sat at her feet. She knelt and stroked the dog’s head. “You’re a lucky dog to have a good master.”

  Tyler hid his surprise at her comment, but his heart eased.

  Beth stood. “I’ll see you on Thursday afternoon. I’m helping Chelsea. I’ll pray that Riley will want to help with her again.”

  He nodded. As he watched Beth walk to her car, confusion filled his brain. Dogger whined.

  “What?”

  The dog’s soulful eyes pierced Tyler’s heart. He wanted to ignore the emotions that this evening had wrung out of him—that he’d spent the past year avoiding. How had Beth turned his comforting her to her comforting him?

  “I was nice to her.”

  The dog turned his head and looked in the direction where Beth had driven away.

  Somehow, Tyler understood the longing in Dogger’s eyes. Beth made things inside him shift. What was happening?

 
* * *

  Beth fixed herself a cup of hot tea and walked out onto the balcony outside her kitchen. Her apartment was above a shop in an old part of the city. The adobe buildings dated from the late 1800s, but within the past few years, the old buildings had been revitalized and young people had started to buy up the apartments created above the stores. The apartment was close to the main downtown store, which housed the buyers for McGill and Montoya Department Stores where she worked.

  “Lord, what did I do?” she quietly asked. Her cell phone rang. Beth walked into the kitchen and searched through her purse. The phone went to voice mail. Looking at the screen, she saw Sophie had called.

  Beth didn’t want to talk to anyone. Not yet.

  They’d made progress today. Riley had snapped out of his funk with a little tough love. Tyler had opened up beyond her wildest dreams. They laughed at dinner. They laughed in the truck at her stories of Zach’s adventure. That is until she put an end to it with her question about his brother.

  Her phone rang. Sophie again. Beth knew her ex-roommate well enough that Sophie wouldn’t stop until the phone was answered. Might as well face the music now. Beth grabbed her cell. “Hello.”

  “I’m glad you finally answered.”

  Beth grimaced. “I knew you weren’t going to quit until you talked to me.”

  “Are you okay?”

  All of Beth’s irritation evaporated. “I felt so bad, Sophie. You should’ve seen Riley’s face when I asked about his brother. I didn’t mean…”

  “Of course you didn’t. I’ve known you since college and never have you said anything cruel to anyone. I saw that boy with Chelsea this afternoon. Riley was into it. He made sure no one saw him, but when he knew the coast was clear his shoulders went up and he smiled. So don’t give up. If I recall, you were the one who dragged Zach to Second Chance, too.”

  Beth knew from the first time Sophie and Zach met at her parents’ ranch they were right for each other. Zach had stepped into the ranch kitchen dripping wet from the rain and clapped eyes on Sophie and stopped dead. They spent that weekend avoiding each other, but Beth knew there was chemistry between them. She tried all through college to get them back together. It was only after both of them had left the Army that they were brought together again by Zach’s injury. “Thanks, Sophie.”