The Rancher's Twins

by Carol Ross

  “I’m envisioning five little boys out front, catching frogs, playing hide-and-seek, baseballs flying.”

  “Many, many stick-sword-fight battles were waged in that yard.”

  Lydia grinned. “Which window did you sneak out of?”

  “By the time I was old enough to want to, I was too busy working to do much sneaking, but I did catch my brother Tyler sneaking back in one time.” Jon paused to chuckle at the memory. “He tried to tell me he was sleepwalking.”

  “You didn’t buy that?”

  “Not hardly. He was covered with mud, smelled like skunk and had a broken wrist. To this day, he won’t confess what he was up to. He still owes me, by the way, because I never told Big E. Took him to the doctor myself. And then we made up this story about how he fell in the hay barn stacking bales.”

  Lydia laughed and looked toward the house again. “It’s really charming. I love the porch.”

  “It is. On the outside. The inside used to be, when we were kids and Grandma was here. Now it’s been remodeled several times and since Zoe got a hold of it, it looks like... Like it belongs somewhere else.

  “Over yonder on that rise, you can see the guest lodge for the tourists. Along with the cabins.” The huge log-cabin-style structure had a grand entryway and tall windows. It looked inviting. Like tiny offspring of a more majestic parent, the cabins around it were simpler but constructed with the same rustic charm.

  Taking the fork toward his old home, Jon steered the pickup toward a scattering of barns and outbuildings, all painted a bright, friendly red. He parked on one side of the largest structure. A huge sign hanging on the end of the building read The Blackwell Family Guest Ranch.

  A woman stepped out of the barn and waved to them from the doorway. A marled cattle dog stood attentively by her side.

  “Daddy, there’s Katie. Can we go look at the pigs?”

  “Sure.”

  Jon, Trout and the girls got out. Gen and Abby tore off toward the barn. Jon signaled something to Trout and he took off after them. Lydia followed a bit more slowly, her attention sweeping here and there and taking it all in. The buildings appeared much older than those at the JB Bar Ranch, but everything looked neat and orderly.

  Lydia walked around the pickup to join him. She pointed up at the sign. “So, this is different from the sign at the entrance. The Blackwell Family Guest Ranch is like a dude ranch?”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  “But it wasn’t when you were growing up?”

  “No, it was not. We just had the cattle ranch.”

  “When did the dude ranch start?”

  “A few years back, after Big E married Zoe.”

  “Your grandparents are divorced and your biological grandma, Dorothy, lives in Texas?”

  “That’s right. Zoe is my fourth stepgrandmother.”

  “Your grandfather has been married five times?”

  “Unfortunately.”

  “Is he like a total jerk or something?”

  A flash of what look liked pain was there and gone in his eyes so quickly Lydia couldn’t be sure she’d seen it. “Mmm. That’s a tough one. Not really. He’s a good man in a lot of ways. Or at least he was...” His voice trailed off and Lydia could see he was uneasy discussing this topic. She was wildly curious but didn’t want to push. She watched him, tried to think of what she could say to ease his discomfort.

  “He just kind of went off the rails when my parents were killed. There was an accident and they drowned and our brother Tyler... He took it exceptionally hard. Big E and his second wife divorced. I did my best to keep us boys together and grounded but...” He leaned a hip against the vehicle. “It was tough. I was a teenager. I’m their big brother, not their dad. I felt a huge responsibility to the ranch after Dad died. Tried to step up and fill that role, too.”

  Lydia felt her stomach dip. No wonder he wasn’t sneaking out of windows like he should have been. She could only imagine the effect this tragedy and the ensuing family drama must have had on him, on all the boys. Big E, too. The Blackwell name seemed a heavy load to bear around here. No wonder his brothers had taken off. That’s what Lydia would have done, too. That’s what she had done with her own family. Lydia hadn’t been able to handle her parents’ divorce. She couldn’t imagine how it would have felt if they’d died and left her with four younger siblings and a ranch to run. Suddenly she felt exceedingly immature for leaving the way she had. But to be fair, she’d been a child. Like Jon.

  “You were only a kid yourself. You’re what, three years older than Ben and Ethan?”

  “Yep.”

  “There’s no way you could have been all that to everyone.” Lydia had to stop herself from stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him because of everything he’d gone through—losing his parents, a grandfather with relationship issues, strife with his brothers, starting his own ranch, marriage to a woman who was nothing but wrong for him and had ultimately abandoned him. And now he was trying to raise his girls all alone. Lydia was overwhelmed with sympathy and compassion and besieged by this impossible desire to...stay.

  His lips curved up at the corners as his eyes roved over her, the affection there making her limbs feel numb. The way his gaze lingered on her mouth had the blood whooshing through her veins. That kiss wasn’t going to be easy to forget, and too easy to repeat if she didn’t stay focused.

  He seemed to reach the same conclusion as he finally shifted his gaze. Granting her a small smile, he said, “Don’t be too sorry. We had a lot of fun growing up. Worked hard, played hard. There were plenty of good times. I just wish...”

  “You miss them,” she said simply.

  He nodded. “I do. My brother Ethan was here for a visit a couple of months ago. I don’t know... Hanging out with him and spending time here lately, it’s brought back a lot of memories.”

  “Ah, yes, Uncle Ethan.” Lydia gave him a knowing smile. “The girls adore him.”

  He chuckled. “He’s an easy guy to like. And you know the girls. Ethan being a vet means he knows everything about animals, probably more than a normal person would want to know. And the twins aren’t normal in that way,” he joked.

  “You got that right.” Lydia laughed. “If it has fur, Abby wants to cuddle it and Gen wants to ride it.”

  “That was me and Ethan. He was always trying to help every critter he came across. Me, I wanted to ride it or rope it. He adopted this batch of ducklings one time who showed up in the creek without their mama. Took care of ’em, even dug a pond by the chicken coop. And this one day I was practicing my roping and... Well, let’s just say that he did not appreciate me roping his ducks.”

  They laughed together.

  A pretty, red-haired cowgirl emerged from the barn. She pulled a pair of leather work gloves from her hands as she strode confidently toward them. The dog fell into step beside her. Lydia felt a tug of envy. Could she ever look that comfortable in jeans and cowboy boots?

  Jon said, “Lydia, this is Katie Montgomery. Katie, Lydia. Katie runs the Blackwell Ranch.” He pointed at the dog. “And this pretty lady is Hip.” He reached down and gave her ears a scratch.

  Katie flashed an affectionate grin at Jon before focusing on Lydia. “Not formally. My dad, Lochlan, is the foreman here. It’s nice to meet you, Lydia. Gen and Abby can’t say enough good things about you.”

  “I’ve heard plenty about you, too. Gen wants to be you. She says no one rides a horse like Katie.” The dog moved closer. Lydia bent over to greet her. “Hey, Hip, you’re a sweetie, aren’t you?”

  Katie’s eyes danced with a mix of warmth and humor. “Gen acts just like I did when I was her age. Jon once caught me trying to ride a green stallion when I was about, what, Jon? Nine or ten?”

  Jon chuckled and shook his head. “Yep, right around there. And you weren’t too pleased when I thwarted your plan.” To Lydia, he added, �
�She was standing on the inside fence rail coaxing him close with sugar cubes. I honestly don’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t found her.”

  “Um, duh, Jon.” Katie playfully threw up her hands. “I would have gone for a ride.”

  “A ride to the hospital most likely. That stallion was named Diablo for a reason.”

  Lydia enjoyed the camaraderie between them. The way they interacted made them seem like family, but then again, from what she understood they’d grown up here together.

  Zach’s pickup came into view.

  Katie shielded her eyes from the sun. “Nice of Zach and Matt to help. I need to get back to the cows, but all the building supplies are by the pen. Tell Gen and Abby the donkeys are named Henry and Edna.”

  “Donkeys?”

  “They arrived on Friday.”

  “Where are they? With the horses?”

  “No. They’re miniature donkeys. They’re in the small corral for now but they’ll need their own pen. I’ll put them in a stall at night until we figure something out.”

  “Miniature donkeys?” Jon repeated flatly.

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  Jon shook his head and walked to his pickup. He opened the toolbox in the back and grabbed his tool belt. “All right. We’ll get it done.”

  “Jon, I can’t thank you enough. I know you don’t have time for this.”

  “There’s no need to thank me, Katie, for helping to clean up a mess that you didn’t cause. I’m grateful you’re here. I can’t figure out what he’s thinking. Not that he’d care about inconveniencing me, but he has to know how much grief he’s causing you.”

  Katie’s smile looked strained. “We’ll get through it. Big E doesn’t deserve you, Jon, you know that? He doesn’t deserve for you to be here.”

  “But you do. That’s the point.”

  “Thank you. It means the world to me to hear you say it.” Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around Jon for a quick hug. “Just know how much I appreciate this and everything you’ve done. I couldn’t do this without you right now.”

  Katie moved away and called out a greeting and a thank-you to Zach and Matt. She smiled at Lydia. “I’ll see you later, Lydia. Feel free to bring the girls out for a look at our calves. I’m sure Gen and Abby will want to compare them to the JB Bar’s.”

  “I’ll do that. Thank you. I’m so glad to meet you finally.”

  Katie and Hip departed. Abby appeared in the doorway of the barn, a baby pig nestled in her arms. “Daddy, Lydia, look! Isn’t it so cute? Can we get pigs?”

  Jon and Lydia shared knowing grins.

  He whispered, “I swear I will find a way to get even with Zoe.” They walked toward Abby, who led them to a stall where Gen was inside with five more piglets. Abby opened the door and joined her sister.

  “Lydia, wanna hold one?”

  “I do!” Lydia went inside. Abby handed her a gray-and-white piglet. It made the cutest noises, then snuffled her armpit and nuzzled her neck. “Goodness, they are adorable, aren’t they?”

  Lydia could feel Jon watching her. She looked at him. Her smile faded while his went a little wider. Now that she knew what his lips felt like, it was torture to look at them.

  “Daddy, what do you think?” Gen asked. “They could live next to the bunnies.”

  “Girls,” Jon announced, tearing his gaze from Lydia’s, “we are not getting pigs.”

  “Darn,” Abby said. “Katie asked us to come over whenever we can and hold them.”

  “I bet she did,” Jon responded flatly. To Lydia, he added, “The more they get touched and handled the more docile they’ll be for the tourists.” He rolled his eyes.

  “Something tells me these pigs are going to have a nice life here.” Lydia handed the baby back to Abby and joined Jon outside the stall.

  He took a few steps and turned to lean against the wall. “Yeah and the tiny donkeys.” He gave his head a disgusted shake. “And every other critter on its way here. I found the plans Zoe sketched out for this little zoo of hers. She’s got at least eight different enclosures, maybe more.”

  “For what kinds of animals?”

  “The drawing doesn’t specify. There are initials on a few of them, but they could mean anything. That woman is indecipherable on a good day.”

  “Why are you so against this?”

  “From a ranching perspective, it’s pointless. It’s an expense that’s unnecessary. And it’s not only the cost of the feed, someone has to maintain the pens—clean them, make repairs. There’s feeding and grooming. Animals get sick, which means vet bills. If you’re going to feed and board an animal there should be a payoff at the end—it’s a food source or a tool.”

  “But bunnies are okay?”

  “Ah, but see, there’s a point there. It’s teaching the girls responsibility. The bunnies belong to them. They’re invested. Eventually, they’ll move on to taking care of the horses and helping with the cattle. And bunnies aren’t expensive to feed.”

  Lydia offered him a teasing smile. “Ah, but from a city-girl perspective this is fun. Most people I know don’t get the opportunity to see animals close up like this. That’s the first time I’ve held a pig and I loved it. I’m already planning to bring the girls back and do it again. We’ll have a science lesson and try to learn something new about pigs. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I think Zoe might be onto a good thing here.”

  “Maybe so.” He grinned at her, but didn’t look anywhere near convinced. “I’m still glad it won’t be me who has to contend with it.”

  He said goodbye and left to join Zach and Matt at work. Lydia and the girls played with the piglets for a while and then went to meet Henry and Edna. Jon might think they were pointless, but Lydia and the girls agreed they were about the cutest things they’d ever seen. They stopped to visit with Katie, admired the horses and cuddled the piglets some more. When Katie had a break, she brought the girls some carrots to feed the horses and Henry and Edna. The remainder of the afternoon, she and the girls hiked around the ranch. The girls had a blast and Lydia enjoyed every second of exploring the place that had shaped Jonathon Blackwell.

  * * *

  THE SOUND OF Lydia’s knock and soft voice filled Jon with a longing so painful he almost didn’t want to look up for fear she’d see it in his eyes. “Hey, Jon? Can I talk to you for a sec?”

  She stood in the open doorway of his office. All he wanted to do was kiss her again. That wasn’t true; he wanted to spend time with her and then kiss her. Even with the unexpected trip out to the Blackwell Ranch, the day had been as close to perfect as he’d had in so long he couldn’t even remember. But today was special. It couldn’t happen again. He couldn’t get involved with her. She was the nanny. What would it do to the girls if it didn’t work out and she left them? What would it do to him?

  “It’s fine.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t want to interrupt. You can say no.”

  “Lydia, I’m sure.” He motioned her forward. “Come in.”

  She moved into the room and that’s when he realized how quiet the house was. “Are the girls asleep already?”

  “They are. They were beyond exhausted. They both argued about having to go to bed because they’d hardly gotten to play with their new Easter toys. My counteroffer was to read two extra stories. They agreed, and I let them each pick one out. They were both snoozing before I finished the first ones. Which reminds me, I told them you’d be in to kiss them good-night so don’t forget to stop by on your way to bed.”

  “Unfortunately, that won’t be for a while,” Jon commented, hearing the frustration in his own voice.

  Lydia looked alarmed. “Is it one of the cows? Do you need to go? We can talk about this later.”

  He liked how much she’d come to care about his herd, the pregnant cows and the newborns. He liked how she cared about a
ll his critters and his people, too.

  “No. Sort of. And no, I don’t need to go. But I am trying to write an email and it’s possible I might be in here all night. Have mercy on me and bring me coffee if my light’s still on in the morning.”

  “Will do. I’ll slide a pancake under the door, too.” She winked. “How could an email possibly take you all night?”

  “It’s kind of an important email.”

  “Can I help?”

  “As if you don’t already have enough to do.”

  “Is that your way of saying you don’t need help or that you’d like some help but don’t want to ask?”

  “Possibly the second. I’m not great at asking for personal favors, although I’m not sure there’s anything you can help with, anyway.”

  “Try me.”

  Scratching his chin, he said, “I have this interview coming up. I don’t know... I guess I’m...”

  “Nervous?”

  “Yeah, a little. There’s a lot at stake for me.”

  “What kind of interview is it?”

  “It’s a television piece with a national cable show.”

  “Wow. No wonder you’re nervous.”

  “Yeah. They’re doing a feature about the natural-food craze. They’ve chosen the JB Bar to highlight the organic-beef industry.”

  “What is this going to entail?”

  “A camera crew tromping around the ranch for a couple of days. This reporter, Bethany Stouffer, asking me a million questions. This email—” he gestured at his laptop “—contains a bunch of them. Supposed to help me prepare.”

  Eyes wide, Lydia sank down into the chair across from his desk. “Bethany Stouffer? You’re being featured on Good Day USA?”

  “Yeah, you know it?”

  “Um, Jon, everybody knows it. The only people who don’t know it are the ones living in the dark ages without a TV...” She trailed off as if realizing what she’d implied. “Sorry. But honestly, that would be you and about fourteen other people in this country.”