“Can I ride some more?” Brandon asked from the saddle.
“Sorry, kiddo. It’s time to let this little guy head back to the field and his friends. But first we’ll take care of him. Because taking care of our horses is important, right?”
“Yeah, we’ll brush him and feed him. Isn’t that right, Derek?” Brandon waved from the back of the horse.
Ruby smiled at her brother, who stood at the entrance of the barn, waiting. He was on his phone and a big smile spread across his too handsome face. He’d always been cute, her brother. And charming. She dreaded asking about the girl with the convertible. Maybe she wouldn’t. Not for a while.
Derek ended the call. “I just saw Eva Brooks coming up the drive, sis. Let me help Brandon take care of Peanut and you head on up and see what she needs.”
“Thank you.” Ruby watched as Brandon made a big attempt to dismount. Probably the way he’d seen his uncle, with a wide swoop of his right leg and then dropping to the ground on the left side. “Good job, Brandon.”
The little boy beamed. “I can’t wait to show Uncle Carson.”
“He’ll be proud. Now you help unsaddle and brush Peanut down. I’ll see you at the house.”
She left the two and headed down the path toward the house. Eva, already out of her car, headed for the front door with a couple of baskets. She nodded when Ruby waved.
“Hey, Eva. What brings you out this way?”
Eva lifted the two baskets. A cousin to the Stillwaters, Ben and Grady, she lived at their ranch, and Ruby had heard she was trying her hand in the kitchen.
“I brought dinner. We heard Iva wasn’t feeling well and thought this might help out.”
Ruby took the basket Eva offered. “Thank you so much.”
Eva, pretty with fair skin and red hair, blushed and closed her eyes briefly. “Don’t thank me until you’ve tried it. Fortunately, our cook did most of the work. My only contribution was the sweet potatoes.”
“I’m sure it’s wonderful,” Ruby assured the other woman.
Eva wrinkled her nose. “Don’t be so sure of that, Ruby. I’m just not sure what to do with myself. It seems like I’m always trying to find where I fit and what I’m good at.”
Ruby got that. Maybe she knew what she was good at, but she’d never known where she fit. “Maybe stop trying so hard. What you’re good at is what comes natural.”
“Thank you. I’m just a little out of sorts right now. I know I’ll figure something out, and Ben has been great to let me stay at the ranch,” Eva paused. “How is Iva feeling?”
“She’s good. Come on up to the house and see for yourself.”
Ruby led the way up the worn path to the front porch of the house. Iva stepped out, followed by Carson, who reached past her to hold the door so she could maneuver her walker. When Iva saw Eva, her eyes lit up.
“Well, Eva Brooks, what a sight for sore eyes. You haven’t visited in forever.”
“I’ve been busy at the ranch, Iva. But we wanted to bring you all dinner.”
Iva motioned the younger woman up and Eva went, taking the hug Iva gave her. Ruby smiled at the display. Everyone from forty years old and down was a kid Iva knew, had helped take care of or taught in Sunday school. She had deep roots in this community.
“This is wonderful,” Iva said, letting go of Eva. “Carson, you and Brandon should stay and eat with us. Eva, you, too.”
Eva had stepped off the porch, her keys already in hand. “No, I’m going to help do the dishes back at the house. But you all enjoy. I’ll stop back by and get the baskets in a day or two.”
“I can bring them over,” Ruby offered.
“Either way.” Eva waved as she headed for her car. “Enjoy your dinner.”
Not a chance of that, Ruby thought. Not with Brandon already back from the barn and cheering the idea of staying for dinner, and Carson telling Iva that would be great. Ruby’s safe world felt invaded by Thorns. Her heart felt invaded.
There was nothing to do but face it. She smiled big, as if it was all a great idea, and she handed the baskets to Derek, who took them inside. Carson held the door for Iva and Ruby waited on the porch, taking in fresh air and clearing her head. Brandon looked up at her, his grin splitting his young face.
“Are you mad?” he asked.
Ruby shook her head. “No, of course not. Why do you ask that, Brandon?”
“My mom always takes deep breaths when she says, ‘Brandon, you’ve gone too far.’”
Poor kid. It sounded as if his momma had a hard time with his energetic little self. Ruby brushed a hand through his dark hair and shook her head. “I’m not mad.”
“Okay,” he said, biting down on his bottom lip. “Not even at me?”
“Definitely not at you.”
He seemed okay with that answer and he reached for her hand, walking inside with her. Not for the first time Ruby saw this little house through the eyes of Carson Thorn. She saw the worn furniture, the paneled walls, the dim lighting. She saw it, and she didn’t care. This was her home. It was her safe place. And she loved it for all its worn, outdated fixtures. She loved the table in the kitchen, scarred but smooth pine that her grandfather had made by hand fifty years ago. She loved the way the kitchen always smelled as if something good was in the oven. And usually was.
Derek had placed the baskets on the counter and was pulling out the dishes. “Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, sweet potatoes and a chocolate cream pie.”
“Sounds lovely. I can’t remember the last time a neighbor brought me a meal.” Iva leaned in to look at the bounty.
Ruby stepped behind her grandmother and gave her a hug. “That is because you are always the one bringing the dishes. Now go sit and we’ll get this on the table.”
“There’s fresh sun tea in the fridge,” Iva said as she moved away. “Brandon, you come sit with me and tell me all about your riding lesson.”
Ruby watched her grandmother make her way slowly to the table. Her heart clenched with fear at the sight. Because Gran was slowing down. They would have to talk about the future. A hand, strong and firm, settled on her back. She closed her eyes at the comfort in that touch.
“It’s okay.” He spoke close to her ear.
She nodded, wanting to agree, but a tear squeezed past her closed eyes. She swiped it away, took a deep breath and opened her eyes to turn and smile up at him. Of course it was okay.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
But he was already moving away from her, away from the contact that she’d needed so desperately. She wanted to remind him that it had been his dad who’d betrayed him by trying to pay her off. His dad had made the decision that they weren’t suited. That they needed time to figure out who they were and what they really wanted.
What he’d meant by that, she’d known. Carson needed to go to college and meet someone more suitable. Someone better than the daughter of a small-time rancher who’d died trying to make his way in a sport that had killed him in the end.
She gathered plates and flatware as Derek filled glasses with iced tea. Carson had joined Ruby and Brandon at the table. It was odd seeing him there after so many years. She briefly remembered him at seventeen, all long, loose limbs and charm. Iva had known him forever and had loved his company at family dinners. Ruby had glowed from the inside out when he’d been around. He’d never seemed to mind that worn table, this worn house or the simple meals they’d served. Instead, he’d seemed to fit in, to enjoy his time with them.
Back then Derek had followed him the way Brandon followed him now.
Carson looked up, as if he knew she was watching. He didn’t smile. That was the difference between now and then. He seldom smiled now.
“Have they had any more thefts?” Iva asked Carson as Ruby set the table. Derek dropped something in the kitchen. She glanced through the opening and saw him picking up a tub of butter, the contents splattered across the floor.
“You okay in there?” she asked.
“Yeah, just clumsy,” he said as he swiped the mess with paper towels.
Ruby turned back to the table. Carson gave her a long look before answering. “I think last night. Someone cut fences over at the Johnson place.”
“Where are they taking the cattle and other things they steal?” Iva questioned, half to herself it seemed to Ruby.
“I don’t know, but they’re hiding it somewhere. Lucy said the sheriff’s department is going to take their helicopter up and search the area. They can see more from the air than we can from the ground. We can only go so far with truck, even with ATVs and horses.”
“Well, I hope they find them soon. This town can’t take much more of this. And I’m about to resign from the league.”
“I wish you wouldn’t,” Carson covered Ruby’s grandmother’s hand with his. “We need a voice of reason.”
“I’m well past being reasonable. I’m ready to retire, Carson. I’ve been on that league for fifty years. It’s time for younger people to take over. People with more energy. Put Ruby in my place.”
Ruby sat down across from Carson. “No, thank you. I don’t have time or energy for that. Not only that, but I’d get in a fight and then you would have to bail me out.”
He smiled at that, and she wanted to tell him it wasn’t funny. Instead, she passed him the chicken that had been brought over from the Stillwater cook. He served Iva and Brandon first. Derek had joined them and sat at the opposite end of the table. He scowled a little but then appeared to loosen up and smile.
It felt strange for this to be their family dinner with Carson and Brandon joining them. It wasn’t their typical quiet meal; instead, Brandon told stories using sound effects and wild hand gestures. Carson tried to calm him, but the little boy was on a roll. Ruby watched, amused by the two. And she avoided the looks her grandmother gave her from time to time.
And then a glass went over, spilling tea across the table. Brandon let out a shocked, “Uh-oh.” Derek jumped up to go after a towel.
“Am I in trouble?” Brandon asked, his bottom lip quivering.
“No, buddy, not in trouble.” Carson took the towel from Derek and cleaned up the mess. “But I think we do need to remember to move the glass back from the edge of the table and out of reach.”
“I got wild, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, just a little. But we’re working on that, aren’t we?”
Ruby watched, wishing Carson Thorn wasn’t so nice to little children and puppies. It would be easier to stay angry if he wasn’t so kind. At that moment he stood and wiped the ice and liquid on to his empty plate. He carried it to the kitchen.
Derek passed a piece of pie to Brandon. “You know what will make you feel better? Pie. And guess what else?”
Brandon shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“We’re having a special carnival at church next Sunday afternoon. We’re going to have a storyteller who dresses up like people from the Bible. And then we’ll have games and food. Want to come?”
Brandon let his gaze fall on Carson, who had just returned from the kitchen.
“I don’t know if we can.” Carson answered the unasked question. “It depends on what comes up at the ranch. If things are slow, maybe we can slip away for a few hours.”
“I’m always available to help if you need someone on a weekend, Carson,” Derek offered.
Ruby bit down on her bottom lip, amazed that her brother had the courage to ask. Carson didn’t sit back down. Instead, he stood behind Brandon’s chair.
“I could use some help from time to time, Derek. This past weekend I could have used someone to go with my trainer when he hauled horses for me.”
“I’d be willing to go.”
Carson nodded. “Time for us to go, big ’un. We have to check on that new foal and hit the sack early.”
Brandon scooted out of his chair. “Oh, I forgot about him. Ruby should come and see him, because he’s the prettiest horse ever.”
“Ruby is welcome to come see him,” Carson said. “And we’ll see about church.”
As he spoke, Carson gathered up more dishes and headed through the door into the kitchen.
“Carson, leave that for us.” Iva called out as he disappeared from sight.
“I don’t mind. I really appreciated you letting us stay. The ranch is pretty quiet with just the two of us. We were going to eat at the Little Horn Steakhouse until you offered dinner.”
He reappeared, standing in the wide door between the two rooms the way he had years ago. Ruby stood. “I should go out and make sure the barn is locked up.”
“Let me help you with that,” Carson offered. “Brandon and I are heading that way anyway.”
“Can I stay with Derek?” Brandon asked.
Carson looked from the little boy to Ruby’s brother. Derek shrugged a slim shoulder. “Sure thing. I’m going to clear the table and load the dishwasher. Brandon can help me out.”
“Behave.” Carson squatted in front of the little boy. “And be helpful.”
Brandon nodded, his eyes big. “And I won’t spill anything.”
“Spilling isn’t the end of the world, kiddo.”
And with that Carson and Ruby walked out the back door together. As they walked out she heard Derek telling their grandmother that he’d clean up and she could rest.
Iva didn’t argue.
“She’s starting to accept this,” Ruby said as they walked to the barn.
“It seems that way. But she won’t go down without a fight.”
“No, she won’t.” Ruby opened the barn door and Carson held it for her. She switched on a light. The dog, a blue heeler name Chet, raced in ahead of them. “Thank you for taking Derek’s offer to help.”
“I don’t mind. There’s always need for an extra hand.”
“Of course.” Ruby checked the stalls. All empty, the way they should be. She latched the doors from the inside. She locked the tack room door. They didn’t have much and it wasn’t the best quality, but they couldn’t afford to lose anything.
When she turned, Carson was standing close behind her. She looked up, meeting his dark eyes, shadowed in the dim interior of the barn. The air was heavy and warm, and smelled of hay and animals.
His hand brushed her cheek, and she closed her eyes at the familiar touch. Too familiar. Too heartbreaking. She shook her head slightly and tried to move away but he caught her, his hand on hers.
He pulled her close and leaned. And she didn’t want him to kiss her. But she did. She wanted him to hold her. She wanted that more than anything. Because in his arms she’d always felt safe. She’d felt as if someone would protect her and she wouldn’t always have to be strong on her own, fighting for her family, protecting her brother. Someone else would be there with her.
And then he hadn’t been. She reminded herself of that truth as a way to convince her heart that this moment couldn’t happen.
It did happen, though. He cupped her cheek and then spread his hand, holding her steady as he leaned, placing his lips against hers. His fingers delved into her hair. His other hand still held hers, keeping her close.
The kiss, slow and easy, transported her back to the girl she’d been, and she wanted to stay in his arms.
But she wasn’t that girl. She couldn’t be that girl.
The woman she’d become, the one who had been hurt, left to make her own way and now had a family that needed her more than ever, pulled back from him. She shook her head as she broke the kiss and she pulled her hand free from his as she stepped back.
No. She wanted to say it forcefully, with conviction. The word wouldn’t move past her lips. Instead, she looked up at him, wondering if that was regret in his eyes.
“Go home, Carson.”
He left her alone. The dog, unfaithful beast, followed him. Ruby sat on an overturned bucket and wondered what it would have been like to grow up in a family where she hadn’t always had to be the one making the right decisions. What if she’d had the kind of parents who’d done the gr
own-up thing while she’d lived the life of a normal teen?
That hadn’t been her life. And she wouldn’t undo what she had. She had Gran. She had Derek. She had a career and a home. She had life experiences that had taught her so much.
She waited until she heard Carson’s truck start before she left the barn and headed to the house.
Chapter Six
Carson stood in the center of the arena, the bay quarter horse on a long line that he held in in his gloved hand. He pushed his hat back and wished it would cool off. October should have been cooler. But it seldom was. From the fence Derek Donovan watched, leaning his arms on the top rail. The kid had showed up earlier that day, just to hang out. Carson had allowed him to stay. If he was here, he couldn’t get in trouble elsewhere.
He whistled and the horse came to a stop, standing without moving. Carson walked to the animal, coiling the rope as he went. He reached the gelding and the horse turned to look at him just a little, nudging his head against Carson’s arm. He pushed the horse away, checked the saddle on his back to make sure it was tight.
“You going to do that yourself?”
Carson looked up, nodding in the direction of Ben Stillwater, who had appeared out of nowhere. He hadn’t heard a truck. Ben must have ridden over from his place. He’d been doing that since he’d been old enough to saddle a horse. The few years’ difference in their ages hadn’t kept the two from being friends.
Even if Ben was a little on the wild side, Carson had always liked him. Maybe it was the difference in their personalities that had made them friends. Carson felt his responsibilities like weights shackled to his feet. Ben did his best to ignore responsibility, even though he managed to keep a tight rein at the Stillwater ranch.
“I usually do,” he answered Ben.
Ben stood next to Derek, his hat off, his hair curling in the heat. He glanced at the younger man. “Think he’ll get tossed?”
Derek shook his head. “No, he can ride him. Maybe.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, you two.”
Ben laughed. “Always willing to support a friend. So, I just came from town.”
A Reunion for the Rancher (Lone Star Cowboy League 1) Page 6