Rancher of Her Own (9781460384848)

by Daille, Barbara White

  She laughed.

  He grinned back at her. “That’s my girl. You see or hear anything else, you be sure to let me know. I can handle anything, but it never hurts to have a backup.”

  At the sound of a discreet buzz, a sign the front door had just been opened, they both turned toward the office doorway. “I reckon that’s her on her way back in. My turn now,” he murmured, winking.

  When they saw Jane pass by in the lobby, Tina rose from her seat and called her name. “Good luck,” Tina murmured to Jed.

  She left the room, and he heard her say, “Grandpa’s looking for you.”

  A moment later, Jane appeared in the doorway. “What’s up?”

  “I heard Mark Brannigan had stopped in—not that I’m overly curious about the matter. But it surprised me he didn’t drop by to say hello.”

  Jane swallowed a smile. In her experience, Jed had always been curious about everything, and he’d never been backward about asking whatever he wanted to know. He was fishing for information.

  Right now, so was she.

  She took the seat behind Tina’s desk. “I’d gone over to see Rachel, and he was there for dinner.” Briefly, she explained what had led to Mark’s visit to the Hitching Post.

  “He’s got a lot of influence here,” he told her. “It would be nice if he worked something out for you with the photos.”

  She might have just as much luck going through her contacts in New York, but there was no need to say that. “He had to get back to Santa Fe. He sent his regards and said he would see you next time.”

  “That’s one busy man.”

  “Yes. He was telling me about his legal work and other commitments. It sounds like he doesn’t have much time for himself.”

  “Sad, isn’t it?”

  “His accomplishments are impressive, though.”

  “That’s all well and good, and I respect the man for it. But life’s not all about working, especially when it keeps him from seeing his family.” The innocent look in his bright blue eyes would have had a panhandler offering him cash.

  She knew where he was headed with this conversation—into a topic she wanted to avoid. Changing the subject landed her in another area she hadn’t intended to explore. Much. “There seems to be some...tension between Mark and Pete.”

  “Mark never did care for his son’s choice of career,” he said promptly. “Wanted him to take his place in the family firm.”

  “Become a lawyer? Pete would hate that.”

  “Right you are.” He chuckled. “Sounds like you know the man better than his own daddy does.”

  She rested her elbows on the desk and leaned forward, half hoping the desk lamp would account for the heat filling her face. “I don’t know him at all, Grandpa.”

  Then why had she been kissing the man?

  And why was she thinking about that now?

  “It wasn’t Pete I wanted to talk about, but Rachel. You were right. She’s gotten very attached to me.”

  “Yep. I could see that when you were here on your last visit.”

  She stared. “That was a couple of months ago.”

  “And it’s been going on longer than that.”

  “But...it had been a while since my trip before that. That time, I didn’t even see her. I’m sure of it.”

  “I’m not talking about the girl’s attachment to you specifically. I mean the fact she’s looking for her mama.”

  “I’m not—” She blinked to clear her suddenly blurry vision. “I don’t look at all like Marina. And Rachel knows her mother has blond hair. She told me that herself.”

  “She hasn’t seen her for so long, I’d reckon it’s about all she knows.”

  “That’s awful.” Her voice broke.

  He shrugged. Deepening frown lines had dimmed the sparkle in his eyes, too. “I know it is, girl. Last time Marina visited, Eric was just a year old, Rachel still a baby herself. Who can tell just what the child remembers?”

  * * *

  WHEN JANE RANG the doorbell of Pete’s house a second time that evening, it took longer than before for him to come to the door. His reaction to seeing her hadn’t changed, though. Again, after their eyes met, his gaze drifted to her mouth, and once again, her heart gave a senseless, erratic thump.

  Unexpectedly, he stepped out onto the porch. He stood so close, his shirtfront almost brushed hers. Casually, she hoped, she took a half step backward.

  “I came to see Rachel,” she explained.

  “It’s too late,” he said flatly. “She’s in bed.”

  “Already?”

  “She’s five. And she’s got school tomorrow.”

  “Oh, right. Of course.”

  Why did she feel so darned edgy standing here with him?

  She gave herself a mental shake. Pete couldn’t possibly read anything into her visit—not after their previous conversation here on this porch. She had no reason to feel uneasy. The glow from the porch fixture throwing a harsh light on his face couldn’t be any more flattering to hers. That didn’t matter. She hadn’t planned to seduce him. The kiss they shared that afternoon was becoming a precious but distant memory. Just as well. They weren’t lovers, only two people who had nothing much in common but their concern for his children.

  The thought of his love for the kids worked to calm her down. Much more casually now, she stepped aside. She should go. But she felt the need to stay for Rachel’s sake. And Pete’s.

  He hadn’t moved.

  “Sorry,” she said. “I should have realized it was too late for Rachel to be up. Tina and Andi have already tucked their kids in for the night, too. I meant to come back sooner, but your dad and I got wrapped up in our conversation. And my photos.” She smiled. “He’s going to talk to a couple of gallery owners he knows, one in Santa Fe and another in San Antonio. It’s very nice of him to take the time and make the effort.”

  “Yeah. Nice.”

  She tried not to frown. Pete’s steady stare and even more level tone were bringing her nerves to a head again. The reaction wasn’t like her and was ridiculous, besides. She crossed her arms and settled more firmly against the railing.

  “No matter what comes of his offer, I owe him a big thanks. Our conversation made me realize that, between assignments and deadlines and travel for the job, I haven’t paid as much attention to my own photography as I should. And that I need to make the time to get my work ready to show.

  “I’ve got contacts, too, all over the world, especially in New York.” Now she was babbling. Judging by Pete’s frozen expression, none of this was of interest to him.

  “Anyhow, I’ll follow up with Rachel tomorrow. After that, things will get hectic at the hotel, with Andi’s father arriving tomorrow night and my parents flying in on Friday. And then there’s all the prepping for the wedding. In fact, I should go back and talk with Paz and Tina now about the game plan.”

  His lack of response rattled her, yet knowing how much he cared about his daughter, she pushed on. She had to share her thoughts about Rachel. “As long as we’re out here...” Still, he said nothing. She took a deep breath. “I understand your concerns about Rachel, and I don’t want to interfere. But I think there’s something you should know.”

  He edged a step closer and crossed his arms over his chest. Again, she thought of the glare from the porch fixture on her face, which now made her feel exposed. She could see—and couldn’t help but admire—the bulge of muscle beneath his T-shirt sleeves. But she didn’t like that the movement left him with his back to the light, hiding his expression in the shadows.

  She wondered if he’d shifted for just that reason.

  “You were saying...?” he prompted.

  “What?”

  “There’s something I needed to know.”

  “Yes. I k
now you told me about Marina leaving the kids, and I realize I’ve been here only for a few days this time around. But I’ve spent some time with Rachel, and she played with Robbie and Trey over at the hotel most of yesterday afternoon.” She took another deep breath. “From what I’ve seen and things she has said, I think she misses her mother very much.”

  Pete’s shoulders went back. Instead of simply putting space between them, the movement seemed to make him taller and broader. And menacing.

  She shook her head, both to deny the feeling and to shake some sense into herself. These reactions were completely unlike her, and falling apart wouldn’t do a thing to add to her credibility. “I know your wife—”

  “Ex-wife.”

  “—ex-wife hasn’t been back to Cowboy Creek for a while, and I’ve come up with an idea that might bring her around. Grandpa’s determined to make the Hitching Post a destination-wedding locale, and in order to do that, we could use a hook. A draw. A name and face to put on the website.” The more she talked about her brainstorm, the more excited she became. “Marina, as a local-girl-turned-celebrity, would be perfect as the spokesperson for the hotel. And at the same time, she could—”

  “Forget it.”

  “But she—”

  “It won’t work.”

  She frowned. “How can you say that when you haven’t heard the rest of my idea yet?”

  “I don’t need to hear it. It won’t work.”

  “Because you’re determined not to let it work.”

  “It’s got nothing to do with me.”

  It’s got everything to do with you.

  “Look,” he continued, “you don’t know anything about my history with my ex, only the small part I told you about her leaving. As for following up with Rachel—don’t. She wasn’t happy after you walked off with my father, when you had promised to play a game with her. And she doesn’t need any more broken promises.”

  The unfairness of his accusation left her speechless. She hadn’t broken her promise to his daughter; she had just run into a temporary distraction. Finally, she said, “I did come back.”

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “As I just said, it’s too late.”

  He murmured a good-night and returned to the house.

  Chapter Nine

  Late the next afternoon, Jane finally managed to get Tina alone in her office behind the registration desk.

  “I’m back—as if that’s not obvious,” she told Tina with a laugh. “I brought Robbie home with me, too.”

  Earlier, she had made sure she was near the lobby when the school bus arrived. Rachel had seemed ecstatic that Jane had remembered her promise about their game.

  Together with Robbie, they had walked the short distance to Pete’s house, where Sharon had welcomed them all into the kitchen.

  Eric had taken a nap, and Sharon had ironed laundry, leaving the three of them to play Rachel’s choice of games at the kitchen table. One round of the board game had led to three more. When they were done, Rachel’s efforts to convince her to stay had only reinforced Jane’s thoughts about Pete’s little girl.

  Jane had no doubt Sharon was a wonderful housekeeper and babysitter. But after giving her conversation with Jed some thought, she decided he had been right. Obviously, Rachel was looking for someone closer to her mother’s age to cling to, trying to find a replacement for the parent she no longer had.

  “How did the games go?” Tina asked.

  “Well...let’s just say Rachel has a well-developed competitive streak.”

  “And Robbie’s isn’t bad, either, is it? You don’t need to hide that from me.”

  “I was more concerned about not letting you know I’m fairly competitive myself.”

  Tina laughed, but a small, vertical line appeared above her eyes as she looked at the file folder in front of her on the desk. With a sigh, she closed the folder and pushed it aside.

  “Better stop frowning,” Jane advised, “or those lines in your forehead will have to be edited out of the wedding photos.”

  Tina shook her head. “I’m beginning to believe I’ll have permanent frown lines from now on. It’s these contractors.” She sighed again. “Of course, I’ve resigned myself to the fact our rooms won’t be ready for a while yet.” Tina and Cole were converting the hotel’s spacious attic into an apartment for themselves and Robbie. “But I’d hoped they would have more of the guest rooms refurbished by now.”

  “At least the chapel and the banquet hall are ready for Saturday. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with most of the headaches alone.”

  “Don’t even think about that. Between Cole and Grandpa and Abuela, I have plenty of support. It’s just, as Cole always says, I take everything more seriously than I should. We have made a lot of progress in only a couple of months.”

  Jane sat in the chair beside Tina’s desk and picked up a plastic cube filled with colored paper clips. “I’ve had an idea for the hotel—and don’t worry, it won’t require any more renovations. Since you’re more involved than any of us with the revamp, I wanted to run it by you first.”

  She also wanted more information and believed Tina was the best person to provide it. “I’m sure Grandpa will go for it, though.” She outlined her plan to feature Pete’s ex-wife on the hotel’s website. “What do you think?”

  “I think Grandpa would love the idea of a spokesperson for the Hitching Post.”

  “But...? I can hear it in your voice.”

  “But I’m not so sure how well Pete will like the idea of asking Marina.”

  “Not well at all.” She rattled the container of paper clips. With a sigh of her own, she added, “Trust me on that.”

  “You’ve talked to him about it already?”

  She nodded. “But he doesn’t own the hotel. Grandpa wouldn’t give him a say in it, would he?”

  “I don’t know... He’s very close to Pete. He treats him just like family. We all do.”

  “Then you all must feel the same way about Pete’s kids. Tina, I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed or if Rachel has ever talked to you, but she really misses her mother.”

  “I know she does. But I don’t know what we can do. As Ally and I said the other day, Pete’s such a private person. He’s never talked about why Marina hasn’t come back for so long to see the kids. It’s a sticky situation.”

  “Maybe he’s made it that way.”

  “It could be,” Tina admitted. “She didn’t visit on a regular basis even before their divorce.” Her dark eyes shone. “Considering the way my parents left me for Abuela to raise, I don’t like to think of anyone abandoning their kids.”

  Which was virtually what Marina had done—to his children and to Pete. The thought made her breath catch. Was that why he blew up whenever he thought of her forgetting a promise to his daughter? Did he equate what he saw as her broken promises to his wife’s broken wedding vows?

  Tina sighed. “I can’t believe—or maybe I don’t want to believe—Pete’s deliberately keeping Marina from the kids.”

  She didn’t have quite the trouble Tina had with that scenario. Not meeting her cousin’s eyes, she set the paper-clip dispenser on the desk. “Then you think it’s his ex-wife’s choice?”

  “I don’t have an answer for that, either. I don’t know Marina that well. She was a few years ahead of me in school, a senior when I was a freshman, and our paths didn’t cross that often. Ally’s right, though—Marina does like to be in the limelight. Modeling’s a perfect career for her. But from what I could tell whenever she was around, she’s not a bad person at all. She’s just...well, sort of like you, Jane. Not meant for life in a small town.”

  The statement made her pause. Why, when she had already acknowledged that herself? She took a deep breath. “I still think this is a good idea. Having Marina as spokesperson can serve
multiple purposes. It will help Grandpa by increasing exposure for the wedding business and for the hotel in general. And it will give Pete’s kids a chance to see their mother.”

  Tina nodded. “I think it’s worth looking into whether or not she’d be interested.”

  “I do, too.”

  Pete would probably never speak to her again. But any dismay she felt at the thought was swept aside by the memory of yesterday’s conversation with Rachel and the little girl’s heartbreaking statement.

  I think Mama forgot all about us.

  Someone had to show Rachel that wasn’t true.

  And surely, if he had seen his daughter’s tears, Pete would agree.

  * * *

  PETE STARED INTO his half-filled glass on the bar at the Cantina, Cowboy Creek’s only combination restaurant and saloon. Instead of the dark gold of his beer, he was envisioning something in black.

  Jane in black—because of course that was what she’d have on. She wore the damn color like a uniform, like her dad, the general. But Jane in a low-cut, tight-fitting dress...now, that would be something to see. And he had seen her dressed that way. In his dreams.

  “Hey, Pete, what’s going on?”

  The groom-to-be clapped him on the shoulder. “I thought this was a bachelor party, not a funeral.”

  He tried not to wince as Cole’s last word called to mind what he’d said about Rachel wearing Jane’s shirt. Forcing a grin, he said, “I’m partying. I’m just sitting here rehearsing my next toast.”

  Cole laughed and took the bar stool next to his. “Forget it. Toasting time is over for tonight. We’ve lost the boys already.”

  A number of men from Cowboy Creek had shown up tonight by Pete’s invitation. The one Cole would have chosen for his best man, Mitch Weston, couldn’t make it. “A shame Mitch couldn’t come home for the wedding.”

  The groom nodded. “He’s too busy serving and protecting the folks of LA. Following in his father’s footsteps.” Mitch’s dad was county sheriff in Cowboy Creek. “Unlike some of us.”

  After hearing about Mark’s unhappiness over Pete’s career, Cole had assured Pete he’d have made the same choice.