The Texas Rancher's Return

by Allie Pleiter

  “You got ten minutes to get those hunks of fur off my property, Buckton.”

  That gave Gunner an idea. “Well, in that case I’m gonna need some help. Daisy’s not going to go nicely now that you shot at her calf. It’s going to take at least two of us. You can either wait until Billy gets here or you or one of your men can give me a hand.” Gunner hoped Brooke wasn’t behind him. If she came up over the hill to help, he’d have a hard time explaining her presence away.

  “I don’t think I’m of any mind to lend you anything,” Larkey said. “Maybe I’ll just fire my rifle again or gun the ATV engine to scare her off.”

  “Don’t!” Gunner shouted. That would be the worst thing to do. “You rile her more and she’ll likely charge us all. I’d like to keep my ribs right where they are, if you don’t mind.”

  “Nine minutes, then.”

  Russet gave another bellow. Nine minutes wasn’t enough time to get Billy over here—he’d be all the way back to the barn by now. If he called Brooke up from behind him to help, he’d place both of them in further danger. Right now the only way out was to try to coax Daisy and Russet back on his own—a nearly impossible task in the short time frame Larkey was allowing. If You’d like to make good on Brooke’s prayer, Lord, now would be the right time.

  Dismissing his father’s advice to “never turn your back on an armed and angry man,” Gunner turned his horse to face Daisy and her calf. Sensing the bison’s mood, Gunner’s horse balked. “Easy, fella. We got this. Just go slow.” Gunner moved two feet toward the animals. “Hee-ya!” he called as loudly as he dared, waving his blue bandanna. “Get on back to the Blue Thorn, Daisy.” He angled his position so that he placed Daisy between himself and Larkey’s gate.

  Russet took two or three steps in the right direction. “Good boy, Russet. Go on, mama, take your baby home.”

  Daisy turned her head to glare at Gunner. I’m sorry I got you into this, girl, Gunner pleaded silently. Just help me out here and we’ll be okay.

  His cell phone went off in his pocket, and while his first thought was to ignore it, the realization that it could be Brooke made him reach for the device.

  It was a text from Billy.

  Brooke safe. On my way.

  He wasn’t sure how Brooke had managed it, but he shot a gush of thanks heavenward and turned to Larkey. “Billy heard the shots and is on the way. We’ll have our bison out of here in ten minutes.”

  Larkey’s response was to hike his rifle up on his shoulder. “Excepting you only got eight.”

  He had to buy time. “Did you hear DelTex has somehow whipped up the legislation to take my creek? Eminent domain. Once all that legal mumbo jumbo is in place, don’t you worry that you’ll be next?”

  Lackey did not reply, but neither did he look completely surprised. How much did the rancher know?

  “They’re gonna eat me alive, Larkey, and only a fool would think they’ll stop with me.”

  Lackey snorted. “Quit your yapping and get those animals out of here.”

  “I’m trying.” Gunner moved his horse closer to Daisy and was rewarded with her turning away from him to face Larkey’s gate. Good. That was progress. Come on, girl, get out of here and do us both a favor. “They’ve got the politicians in their back pocket, Larkey. It won’t stop with my creek,” Gunner called as he circled his horse. “You know what happens when eminent domain kicks in. They pay us next to nothing and come up with reasons to take more. You’ll be next, Larkey, and you know it.”

  Evidently, he’d pushed an inch too far, for Larkey raised the rifle in his direction. “I said git.”

  Gunner was just about to risk heading toward Daisy on his own when he saw Billy come riding up to the Blue Thorn gate. “Look at that—Billy made it here in time.” He tipped his hat at Larkey, frustration tumbling with relief in his gut. “We’ll be outta your hair in no time. Sorry for your trouble.”

  It took fourteen minutes for Billy and Gunner to get Daisy and Russet off Larkey’s land and back behind the gate that closed them onto the Blue Thorn. Good thing Larkey stopped counting.

  * * *

  Brooke paced outside the barn, scanning the horizon every ten seconds. She didn’t know how many gunshots she’d heard, and her brain was concocting dozens of deadly scenarios. Why was it taking so long? For all she knew, Larkey could have ordered Gunner arrested for trespassing.

  It had taken every ounce of self-control she had not to ride up that hill behind Gunner. Once she’d worked out that she could dismount and follow the creek bed under the bridge that spanned the road, sidestepping the fencing that had been pulled down by the swollen current, Brooke had ridden for the barn and Billy as fast as she could.

  Please, Lord. Let them come home safe. All of them. Now that there was even the slimmest chance they could save Blue Thorn Ranch from DelTex and their legislative cronies, Brooke couldn’t bear the thought that they’d fail. Her grief that this had all been her fault was as powerful as it was irrational. She had no leverage over anything DelTex did. The fact was that if she hadn’t even tried to find a compromise, DelTex would probably have defaulted to eminent domain even faster than they had. This wasn’t her fault. But the drumming, overwhelming need to make it right? That was all her.

  And all Gunner. Her fascination with the Blue Thorn was only partly due to the beauty of the land and its animals. The connection she felt—the connection she could no longer cut—was to Gunner. To the way he was part of the land, the courage he’d shown to swallow his rebellious pride and come home to keep the ranch alive. To the wave of feelings that raced through her when he kissed her. His fierce sense of protectiveness and purpose struck a deep chord in her. She was so tired of struggling to make it alone, so weary of spending her days selling pretty houses. She wanted to be part of this, part of something real—part of Gunner’s life.

  Audie did, too. She came alive on the ranch in ways Brooke had never seen. Jim’s death had hit Audie hard. No one that age should be shouldering a lost parent. Audie’s connection to little Russet filled a need, made something settle for her that Brooke couldn’t explain but still knew to be essential.

  And Adele. What an extraordinary woman. Adele could teach her so much about life and strength and family. Yes, she loved her own parents, and always would, but life would be so much richer for Adele’s presence.

  I love him. I love all of them. I love this place. Please, Lord, please. I don’t believe You led me here just to watch it all go away.

  Brooke continued to pray, thankful Adele had taken it upon herself to distract Audie in the kitchen with making cookies. How could that woman stay so calm and collected while her grandson risked his life to save their land? She has twice the faith in You I have, Brooke prayed, feeling as if she was going to pace a ditch into the ground in front of the barn. She has so much to teach me. To teach Audie.

  “Hee-ya, girl!”

  Brooke practically fell against the barn in relief as she heard Gunner’s voice and saw the figures of two bison and two horses come down over the hill. They were moving very slowly, Gunner and Billy circling around the pair of animals.

  She heard the screen door bang open behind her and turned to see Adele and Audie on the porch.

  “They’re back!” Audie yelled and started running for the pastures.

  “Hold on.” Brooke caught Audie’s arm, remembering Gunner’s cautions about the danger of approaching threatened animals. If Larkey’s gunshot had spooked them, caution was needed. “We need to let Gunner and Billy bring them in first.”

  Brooke’s heart wanted her to run up the pasture hill with Audie’s abandon, but she held back. Gunner looked unharmed as he and Billy slowly guided Daisy and Russet into the holding pen. The minute the animals were contained, he came over the fence and pulled Brooke into his arms.

  “You clever woman,” he said into her
hair, tightening his grip. “You smart, brave, beautiful thing.” He kissed the top of her hair, making Audie whoop in surprise and giggle.

  The noise pulled Gunner down to hunch eye to eye with Audie. “Your mama is the smartest thing I’ve ever seen. You are, too.”

  “Are Russet and Daisy okay?”

  Brooke loved how Gunner took Audie’s questions seriously. “I think so. Right now, they’re scared and annoyed, but they’ll settle down in time. If I think he’s hurt in any way, I’ll check with the vet, ’cause you and I both know how special he is.”

  Russet’s not the only one who’s special, Brooke thought. If the way Gunner looked at her wasn’t already enough to win her heart, the way Gunner looked at Audie sealed the deal.

  “Hey, Audie, all this drama has me starved. Did I hear Billy say you made cookies with Gran?”

  Audie grinned. “Oatmeal chocolate chip.”

  “How did you know those were my absolute favorite? Can you go tell Gran to get some ready and help her out? We need to leave Daisy and Russet alone to calm down anyway.”

  Audie looked longingly toward the pen before consenting. “Okay.”

  As Gunner straightened up while Audie made for the door, Brooke took his face in her hands and kissed him again.

  “Wow.” A satisfying delirium washed over Gunner’s features for a moment. “Today has certainly improved.”

  “Did Larkey really shoot at Russet? Is that legal?”

  Gunner’s face darkened. “Legal? Yes. Right? No. Kinda like what DelTex is trying to pull, if you ask me.”

  Brooke tightened her hold on Gunner. “I was terrified he’d shoot you.”

  “I’d like to think he wouldn’t stoop to murder. Not that our friend Larkey seems to put much stock in laws.” He kissed Brooke’s forehead, and she felt it tingle all the way to her toes. “I’m okay. And so are you. How’d you ever think to go under the road and fetch Billy?”

  “I didn’t at first. My brain went blank for a minute or two. Only, I knew I had to do something, even if it was just getting out of there the way I knew you’d want me to. So I prayed hard and fast for an idea, and that’s when I saw that the fence under the bridge was knocked down by the water flow.”

  “I’m starting to grow fond of those prayers of yours.” Gunner stared into her eyes, and Brooke felt as if the whole sky had swallowed her in happiness. “I’m sorry I ever doubted you. I was so hurt and angry because...well, because I’d fallen for you. Hard. And today, just a little bit harder.” He ran his hand through her hair. “Don’t go back to DelTex. I don’t want you anywhere near that snake Markham. I want you here, beside me, fighting for the Blue Thorn.”

  Brooke hadn’t even realized how much she wanted to hear those words until Gunner spoke them. “What if we don’t win?”

  “We will. Even if not this battle, then the next one. I love you, Brooke. I need you here. I know it’s messy and we have to work a lot of things out but I think—”

  Brooke silenced him with a kiss. “I don’t think, I know. Yes. We’ll stay.”

  Gunner pulled his hat off his head. “Wait...did I just ask you to marry me?”

  She smiled. “Well, I am the communications expert here, so I’d say yes.”

  “And you did—say yes, I mean—didn’t you?” Gunner’s arms slid around her waist.

  “Uh-huh.”

  He rewarded her with a heart-stopping kiss. “Should I ask Audie if it’s okay with her?”

  “I love that you think of her. I love you. She loves you, too.”

  “Gran’s gonna go crazy when I tell her.” Gunner took her hand and walked toward the house. “Today just keeps getting better and better.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Really?” Audie’s eyes were as big as saucers.

  “Really,” Gunner replied, feeling his grin widen. “If it’s okay with you.”

  Her response was to fling herself at him with such a joyful burst that it knocked him over. “Yes! You sure can marry Mama!”

  “I can’t believe it,” Gran said from the couch, where she was hugging Brooke. “When I prayed and prayed God would make something good out of this whole mess, I hadn’t counted on this much good.” Gran was wiping tears from her eyes, and Brooke didn’t look as if her own tears were far behind.

  “Hey, not so much crying over there. This is happy stuff,” Gunner teased.

  “Big happy stuff,” Audie amended. “A dozen cookies happy stuff.”

  “Well...” started Brooke.

  She was cut off by Billy, who came through the door to stare amazed at Gunner and Audie sprawled on the floor while Gran and Brooke sat on the couch wiping tears. “Daisy’s calming down fine. What’s going on?”

  “We’re getting married!” Audie exclaimed.

  Gunner drew a breath to correct Audie, then stopped himself. It was true, in a sense, wasn’t it? He decided the best response was to grin at Billy. If anyone had told him he’d be grinning like this today, he’d never have believed it. Everything was still a mess, he was still in the fight of his life for his family’s ranch, but somehow he’d gained a rock-solid hope that everything would work out all right in the end. That changed everything.

  “You don’t say?” Billy said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Wasn’t expecting that.”

  “Neither was I,” Gran said.

  “Me, neither!” Audie called. “Can I see Russet now?”

  Gunner sat up and settled Audie onto his lap. She fit perfectly, something that made his heart flip over in his chest. “You’re still gonna have to wait. But we do have some cookies to pass the time, and your mama and I have a whole bunch of emails and faxes to send.”

  “Work?” Audie frowned at Brooke. “Today?”

  Brooke rose from the couch. “Very important work. After all, the Blue Thorn means even more to us now, doesn’t it?”

  Gunner watched Audie connect the facts—it was fun to see the idea light up her sweet face. “I’m gonna live here?”

  “That’s the idea. So don’t worry about Russet—you’ll be seeing a lot of him from here on in.”

  Audie’s grin just about melted Gunner’s heart. Whatever came from the stand they took today, he knew he’d fight with everything he had to save the Blue Thorn. The people in this room were as much his family as his brother and sisters scattered across the country. The Blue Thorn was the hub that held them all together. It was the place he wanted to build the rest of his life, now that he knew who that life included.

  He could never have predicted or planned the wild chain of events that had happened since he came across that little blue car outside his fence. And yet, looking back, everything seemed to line up in a perfect order toward the current moment. He knew what Gran would say about that. He knew what Brooke would say about that, too. And, for the first time in a long time, he believed it. God really could take any situation and turn it for good. God had watched over him, bringing just the right people into his life at just the right time. His faith—something he thought long abandoned—pushed up through the dry earth of his rebellion to spring new and green like the grass did every year on the pastures. Thanks for holding on, he prayed silently, feeling a deep, transforming gratitude. Sorry it took so long.

  He needed a ten-hour conversation with Brooke, but that wasn’t possible. At least not until they showed the world what they’d found in Larkey’s creek. The task was daunting, but Gunner felt stronger than he had in years. He realized now that it was Gran’s faith and Grandpa’s love that gave her the amazing resilience he so admired. It used to bug him how Gran’s response to any crisis was “God’s got it covered.” For the first time, Gunner felt as if he believed it, as well.

  He looked up at Brooke, a thousand things passing between them in the quiet way he held her eyes, before he lifted Audie
to her feet and stood himself. “Ready?”

  “Ready,” she said.

  For the next two hours, Gunner and Brooke downloaded photos, crafted emails, scanned Brooke’s press contact list, reviewed government watchdog web pages and even raided Gran’s address book in order to tell everyone who would listen what they suspected DelTex had done.

  “I should be terrified,” Brooke said as she rolled her shoulders while watching yet another fax inch its way through the machine. “But I’m not. I feel like...well, like I’ve been on the wrong road for a long time and finally found the right one. Does that make any sense?”

  Gunner came up behind her and rubbed her shoulders. It felt right—grounding and yet exhilarating at the same time—to be working alongside her. “I get it. My heart’s thumping in six different ways for twelve different reasons, but I’m not scared.”

  Brooke turned to look at him, her eyes radiant. He could envision seeing that same expression fifty years from now and never tiring of it. For a man who’d made a life of bumping from one thing to the next, that was a startling notion. “Heart-thumping?” she quoted. “Who knew you had a way with words? I thought that was my job.”

  She turned to tuck herself into his arms while the fax machine churned its way through the pages, and sure enough, his heart thumped harder. “And you? Coming up with a plan to gallop off and save the day? I thought that was my job.”

  Brooke laid her head on his chest, and an extraordinary peace wound its way around Gunner’s heart despite the chaos surrounding him. “If anyone had told me I could be so happy in the midst of such a mess, I’d have laughed in their face.” He kissed the top of her head. “Thank you.”

  That turned her face up to his. “Don’t thank me yet. The legislation may already be in place. We don’t know if any of this will work. The only outcome of all of this could still be my getting fired when I confront Markham with what I’ve found.”