Rancher of Her Own (9781460384848)

by Daille, Barbara White

  “Long way to go for such a short time.”

  “It is, isn’t it?”

  By comparison, her arrival home from Cowboy Creek was a lifetime away. In these two long weeks, nothing had held her interest, not the call from Pete’s father with the name of an interested gallery owner in Santa Fe or even the portfolio she had started and then set aside.

  “Travel a lot, do you?” the driver asked.

  “Yes. I’m usually on the road a couple of weeks out of the month.”

  “I’m on the road every day,” he said with a laugh, “only you don’t see me going places like Oslo.”

  “There are a lot of good points about staying at home, too.”

  “If you say so.”

  Funny. She had so looked forward to escaping small-town Cowboy Creek and returning home to her own world. Why didn’t it seem like the same world that had once thrilled her?

  “You must not have a family, huh? Or else you probably couldn’t travel so much.”

  The man should add clairvoyant to his operator’s license. Every topic he raised was one she had thought about over and over again during the past two weeks.

  “I do have a family. None of my relatives are close by, though.”

  “Aww. Now, that’s bad. I’ll betcha you miss them.”

  “I do.”

  She missed Jed. She missed Tina and Cole and Robbie. Rachel and Eric, too. Most of all, she missed Pete.

  Those unsuspected motherly instincts she had discovered had somehow given her the key to understanding his feelings about his kids.

  Other instincts made her lonely and frustrated without him.

  “All those frequent-flier miles,” the driver said suddenly. “You can go visit soon!”

  No, she couldn’t. But he’d sounded so happy to have come up with the idea, she didn’t have the heart to disagree.

  Instead, she asked, “What’s with the campaign button and the sticker? They’re contradictory, aren’t they?”

  “Maybe so. But, see, I got talking with a fare one day. Not on politics—that’s a loaded topic you don’t wanna get into in a closed space like this one.” He laughed again. “But just on life in general, y’know? People. Their differences. Their dreams.

  “Well, anyhow, I put those things up on the visors. They do a good job reminding me everybody’s story’s got two sides.”

  Just like the stories she helped to tell.

  Why couldn’t Pete keep such an open mind?

  * * *

  JED SAT ON the front porch swing and watched the sun plummet toward the horizon. It about matched his mood. With two of his three granddaughters gone home, his progress had come to a halt. Not on the renovations—Tina was keeping up on those—but on the plan to get his granddaughters wed.

  He had to think of something. He tapped a large brown envelope on his knee and contemplated his next move. His reputation as a matchmaker was on the line, even if only a handful of people knew what he was up to. And it was more than reputation that drove him—it was the need to see his family settled.

  Paz stepped out onto the porch. She was still drying her hands on her apron. “What are you doing out here all by yourself?”

  “I don’t rightly know.” He sighed. “Here, I thought I’d made some headway with Jane. Instead, the girl has abandoned us.”

  “She had to go back to her job.”

  He didn’t know if the sympathy in her tone was meant for him or Jane. “Well, she’s left me up a creek.”

  Over near Pete’s, a car pulled into the driveway, one he recognized at a glance. Mark Brannigan’s.

  Pete’s daughter climbed from the car and trudged up the steps.

  “Rachel has been moping since Jane left,” Paz said.

  “Yeah, the poor kid. But that’s nothing compared to the long face on her daddy. And my hands are tied.”

  “No, they’re not. They’re full.”

  “So they are.” He looked down at the envelope he’d retrieved from the postbox at the end of the drive and had forgotten he still held. Then he looked up at Paz and smiled. “I think this packet had better get to where it’s intended to go. Don’t you?”

  She nodded.

  “And I think while Mark’s over at Pete’s, I ought to have a talk with him.”

  “That also sounds like a good idea.”

  They watched Mark lift Eric from his carrier. As he walked toward the steps with the boy, Jed rose from his seat.

  If he couldn’t get at one half of the perfect pair, he’d have to work on the one he had available. Everything would all come out right at the end. He was sure of it.

  Meanwhile, he’d hedge his bets.

  Waving the envelope, he hailed the other man.

  Chapter Nineteen

  As Pete made his way home from the barn, he saw his father leaning against one fender of his luxury car, parked in front of the house. Just what he didn’t need.

  He didn’t know what the heck he did need.

  Jane had been gone for a couple of weeks now. With Rachel’s moodiness, Eric’s increased crankiness and even Sharon’s tendency to withdraw into herself, proof of her worry over him and the kids, he hadn’t been having a good life.

  The hollowness in the pit of his stomach spread upward. He didn’t want to think about what he was feeling...or what he was missing.

  When he reached the house, his dad nodded to him. “I’m on the run again. I took the kids for ice cream while I waited for you. I had a long talk with Jed, too. He asked me to give you this.” He held out a bulky brown envelope.

  Pete shoved it under his arm. “My walking papers?”

  Mark smiled. “I don’t think so. In fact, the man speaks very highly of you. He always has. He knows you well, too, probably better than I do.”

  “Dad. Let’s not get into it right now.”

  “I didn’t plan to. But I have to tell you, though I’m a damned good interrogator, I pale by comparison to Jed.”

  Despite his mood, Pete laughed. “He’s a hard man to beat at anything.”

  “I noticed. He was telling me how successfully he’d gotten Tina and Cole together. He also told me he was holding out hope for you.”

  He stilled and looked out over the ranch toward the barn, the Hitching Post and a corner of the small cabin where he’d spent two of the best times of his life. “Was is the key word. I’m not in the market for a romance.”

  “She’s a good woman.”

  Startled, he turned back to stare at his father.

  “Don’t think I didn’t notice something between you and Jane that night I was here for dinner.”

  “There wasn’t anything.” He couldn’t let it go at that. Sighing, he added, “Even if there had been, that’s over now. I’m happy being out of touch here on the ranch.”

  “As to that...you know, your mother would have been very happy to see how you’ve turned out. She’d be especially pleased about Rachel and Eric.”

  It was probably the closest his dad would ever come to an acceptance of what he wanted to do with his life. And, after a moment’s thought, he decided it was near enough.

  He reached out, and they shook hands.

  He stood watching until the car disappeared down the road. Then he looked down at the envelope Jed had sent. An envelope with his name on it, a New York postmark and no return address.

  Taking a seat on the top porch step, he opened the envelope. Inside was a large packet of photos, which he flipped through one by one. Rachel and Eric and Sharon smiled up at him. Jed and each and every member of his family did, too. Sugar and Layne and her son were there, as well as the entire wedding party. She’d even included a photo of Daffodil.

  The only face he didn’t find in the whole danged packet was the
one belonging to...the person who had sent it. She hadn’t included a single photo of herself. She had given him nothing to remember her by but memories.

  The door opened behind him, and a moment later Rachel sat beside him. “What’s that, Daddy?”

  Her listless tone hurt his heart. “Pictures,” he said. She leaned against him as, again, he flipped through them one by one. “See, there’s you in your pretty dress for the wedding. And one of you with Miss Loring at your graduation. And here’s one with you and me and Eric.”

  “Uh-huh.” She’d barely glanced at the photos. “I miss Jane, Daddy.”

  Not Mama. Jane.

  “I...” He had to swallow hard past the lump in his throat. “I know you do, sweetheart.”

  “I love Jane.”

  He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. He couldn’t raise false hopes or make empty promises. Instead, he said nothing.

  There was nothing he could add, except I love Jane, too.

  * * *

  PETE REINED IN and dismounted in front of the barn.

  He’d put in a long day on the ranch again, just one of a series of long, lonely days. For a man who wanted to keep himself to himself, he was surprised to find this self-inflicted routine getting old.

  Well, the work on the ranch needed to be done. He didn’t shirk his duties, hadn’t avoided his men. Wasn’t trying to head off alone to nurse his wounds—not like the days after he’d made his break from Jane. Now he was just grabbing every chance he could to keep working on his own.

  Solitary confinement—though he wasn’t confined at all on the open land of Garland Ranch. Maybe better said, solitary punishment for the guilt he felt every time he thought about Jane.

  For the chance he hadn’t grabbed when he’d had the opportunity.

  Instead, he had blamed her, bitterly and to her face, for bringing his ex in contact with his kids.

  In the short time she had been on the ranch, hadn’t Jane been better than their own mother to his kids...and for his kids? She had defended his daughter and captivated his son. She had made Rachel feel special.

  She had tried to get her point across to him, and he had refused to listen. She had made plenty of efforts to draw him out, and he had pushed her away. She had turned him inside out and stomped on his heart, and he had no one to blame but himself.

  “Hey, Pete!”

  He looked across the yard to find Jed loping toward him, an ear-to-ear grin spread across his face.

  He smiled in return. He could use something to lighten his maudlin mood, and judging by the boss’s expression, he would soon learn something that would take care of that. “What’s up? You look fit to bust.”

  “That’s because I am. Tina just passed along some news from both Andi and Jane.”

  His mood threatened to weigh him down again. “Yeah? Must be good news, from the way you’re acting.”

  “Nope. Not good. Great. We’ve booked the first guest wedding for the banquet hall next month, thanks to Andi. She’s headed back here as we speak, since we’re looking at such a tight deadline. And Jane’s coming home to help Tina and Andi pull things together.”

  “That is great news. I’m glad the business is starting to move.”

  He was glad for himself, too, for the chance to see Jane again. Hell, he was downright ecstatic...until reality hit.

  He’d accused Jane of being just like his ex. Of putting her career ahead of her family. Of caring about no one but herself. He’d misjudged her, refused to respond to her, ordered her to stay away.

  She wouldn’t come near him again. After that, why would she?

  This trip back to the ranch might be just as fleeting as Jane’s first one. That meant he still couldn’t risk her getting close to Rachel and Eric.

  Regardless, he’d need to see her.

  He would probably never get her to forgive him, and he would live with that. But he couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t give her the apology she deserved.

  * * *

  “YOU’VE COME a long way since I’ve been gone,” Jane said, looking at the covered surface of the long dining room table. Contracts, employment applications, supply-house brochures and other paperwork shared the space with fabric swatches and sample wedding favors.

  “Tina’s got so much of the paperwork in order already,” Andi said.

  “And Andi’s turning out to be a natural as a wedding planner,” Tina said.

  “Well, I guess I’m going to have to add on another job to help Grandpa reach his dream.”

  “Don’t you worry,” Jed assured her. “With this wedding coming up so soon, we’ll have plenty for you to do around here.”

  She smiled. She would need plenty to help her stay busy. To keep her mind occupied and away from wondering what was going to happen when she spoke with Pete.

  If she spoke with Pete. Three weeks of separation could have given him an opportunity to cool down. On the other hand, it might only have given him time to dwell on everything she had done.

  “Take a look at this, Jane.”

  Andi pushed a heavy book closer to her, and they bent their heads over it, studying the samples.

  “With the decor in the banquet hall, this would look great in a darker teal,” she said, fingering a lighter swatch of fabric.

  Andi and Tina exchanged smiles.

  “What?” she asked.

  Andi laughed. “I told Tina you were going to be good for more than setting up the website.”

  “Gee, thanks, coz. I appreciate the backhanded vote of confidence.”

  “If you’re looking for something else to work on,” Jed said, “why don’t we take a walk? I’ve got a few things I’d like to run by you.”

  “Sure.” She closed the sample book. “Don’t get too far ahead of me,” she told her cousins.

  She followed Jed to his den and took a seat on the leather couch that sat against one wall. “What’s on your mind, Grandpa?”

  “Well, first off, a few things that didn’t get cleared up on your last visit.”

  Footsteps in the hallway, approaching the den, made her sit bolt upright on the couch.

  Jed sat back in his chair and smiled. Not for one minute did she fall for his expression of innocence.

  When Pete stopped in the doorway and she saw the look on his face, she found some consolation in the fact that he hadn’t expected to see her here, either.

  “C’mon in,” Jed said, rising. “I was just telling Jane we needed to take care of some unfinished business. That business is between the two of you. Now, I don’t mean to be sticking my nose in where I’m not wanted— What’s that, Pete?”

  “Just a tickle in my throat, boss.” The cough he hid behind his fist seemed just as contrived as Jed’s smile. Or maybe it was a nervous reaction.

  She frowned. “Grandpa. You set me up.”

  “I did not.” He chuckled. “I set you both up. I’ve had enough of your stubbornness, girl, and enough of seeing my manager wandering around here as if he’d lost his favorite horse in a crooked poker game. I’m leaving now. You’re both on your own. And I’m going to trust you’ll keep the shouting to a minimum and my den in one piece.”

  He crossed the room, brushed past Pete and closed the door firmly on his way out.

  Pete stood where he was, his hands clamped on the brim of the hat he held in front of him.

  “I didn’t hear Grandpa lock the door behind him,” she said. “I guess that means we can leave anytime we want. But if you’re staying and holding on to your cowboy hat, I should at least have my camera.”

  He frowned. “What for?”

  “My shield, remember?”

  “Do you think you’ll need one?”

  “I don’t know. Do you need one?”


  “I’m planning to let mine down.” He tossed the Stetson onto a guest chair and rested back against the edge of the desk. “Where do I start?”

  “With ‘how are you?’ But I can save you the trouble. I’m happy to be back.”

  “I’m happy to see you.” At his smile, her heart seemed to swell. “That wasn’t so much the case the last time we saw each other. I’ve got some apologizing to do over that, if you’ll let me. And some explaining, too, if you’ve got the time.”

  “I have lots and lots of time. Why don’t we start with the explanations?”

  “About Rachel and the makeup. You’ve probably figured it out by now, but I overreacted. I realize my concerns about her wearing the makeup and wanting her picture taken are all tied up in how I feel about Marina’s career.”

  “Rachel only likes to play dress-up in a mirror. She hasn’t made a life decision about it yet. And as you said to me once, she’s only five. Even if she does begin to get interested in following in her mother’s footsteps, she’ll probably have changed her mind twelve times before she’s grown up.”

  “I thought you didn’t know much about kids.”

  “Well, as I said once, I was one.” She smiled. “And maybe I’m learning a thing or two.”

  “Me, too. I also figured out I’m being unfair by acting the same way about Rachel’s choices—choices she hasn’t even made yet—as my dad acted over mine. Just as I’m letting the way Marina treats the kids affect my beliefs about how you’ll be with them, too. Only I’ve already seen you with them, and you’re nothing like that. Nothing at all. You’re good for them.”

  “Thank you,” she murmured. “You don’t know how much that means.”

  “You’re good for me, too.”

  Her breath caught at his words. She loved hearing them, wanted to believe them. Yet he’d spoken in a monotone, hadn’t smiled and now couldn’t meet her eyes. “Then why do you look so unhappy?”

  He braced his hands on the desktop on either side of him. “Because there’s not a lot I can do about it, no matter how much I care about you. And I do care. Those times in the cabin—”