Lassoed by the Would-Be Rancher--A Clean Romance

by Melinda Curtis

  “Great idea.” Zeke slid down the Hummer’s windshield and across the hood, jumping to join them in the truck bed. “Get down so I can give this another try.”

  “Let me throw first.” Franny scanned the tree line.

  “I don’t want to be a hobbit no more,” Adam wailed.

  Snap. Crack. Hooves pounded, shaking the earth as the bull broke through the brush and charged.

  Franny tossed her rope. The loop cleared both horns and his muzzle. She yanked it tight around his neck and then fell to her knees, tying the rope to the roof rack. Zeke sent his rope hissing through the air. It encircled one horn and his head. Zeke pulled his rope tight and shouldered Shane and Jonah aside, shoving the length of rope through the center hole of the big round hitch and tying it off quickly.

  And just like that, Big Daddy realized he was caught. He tried to back up. He bucked. And when that failed, he rammed the Hummer again. Denting the entire passenger side.

  Shane didn’t wait to see if the rope held. He jumped to the ground on the driver’s side and yanked open the back door. Quickly, he and Jonah transferred the boys to the Hummer on the driver’s side. It took him longer to open the driver’s door, which looked to have crumpled around Big Daddy’s head. Gertie had scooted to his side. He scooped her up and deposited her in the Hummer’s back seat with the boys.

  Shane climbed back in the truck bed. “What now? Wait until Big Daddy passes out from a concussion?”

  “His skull is too thick for that.” Franny was still kneeling on top of the SUV. “At least, I hope.”

  “Only if he’s part bighorn sheep.” Zeke kept both hands on the rope as if afraid his knots wouldn’t hold.

  Jonah held his cell phone skyward. “I have no signal. Do we make a run for it? We can fireman-carry Gertie.”

  “No. We need to lead this guy down the hill.” Zeke looked grim. “Or he’s going to pound the life out of both vehicles and then we’ll have to start all over again.”

  The SUV was rocking, tugged back by the bull and then absorbing the shock of his charges.

  “I’ll drive the truck.” Shane hopped down once more and got behind the wheel while Jonah prepared to drive the Hummer.

  Franny sat on top of the SUV and Zeke knelt in the truck bed. Both held on tight.

  A flash of sunlight reflected on something near the truck’s front bumper. The glint came from the sliver of space between the two boulders.

  In a day of breath-stealing moments, Shane held his breath.

  Rocks in crevices didn’t mirror sunlight. He’d bet there was a photograph behind those boulders. A photograph of three men holding shovels and smiling as if they’d found the mother lode.

  This was where Merciless Mike hid his money. This was where Harlan, Hobart and Percy found it. And somewhere on this ridge was where the antiquities auctioneer had died. Where Hobart had been shot. This was where Franny’s husband had met his end.

  And very nearly where Shane and the people he loved and trusted had met theirs.

  As soon as it was possible, Shane was returning to pay homage to the men whose lives had changed or ended here. But most especially, he wanted to honor the man who’d forced him to explore a life free of corporate responsibilities. His grandfather.

  It was slow going. Two vehicles backing down the hill.

  Big Daddy Buttercup was resigned to his fate before they reached the federal gate.

  Shane wasn’t sure what the future held—not when it came to Second Chance, stolen gold, or Franny Clark. But he knew one thing for certain. He’d never felt as alive as he did when he was around Franny and the Bucking Bull ranch.

  It was too bad that the most satisfying experience of his life couldn’t last forever.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  “THAT WAS QUITE a morning for my first day back.” Zeke pushed up his cowboy hat and grinned at Franny.

  “It was quite a morning regardless.” Franny nudged Zeke’s shoulder with her own. “Thanks for cutting your honeymoon short.”

  “Are you kidding?” Zeke pointed to Big Daddy with both hands spread out, like a fisherman describing the size of his catch. “I wouldn’t have missed getting this guy for the world.”

  They sat on the tailgate of the nearly dead old ranch truck near a small metal holding pen containing the fearsome bull. There were many good things to be thankful for today. First and foremost, the safety of her family.

  Franny glanced over her shoulder. Shane and his cousins were making plans to search for gold, with Emily and the Clark boys a safe distance away. Gertie had retired to her bedroom, chastised for encouraging the boys and praised for going with them. The ranch gleamed in the sunlight and the promise of more sunny days ahead.

  Zeke looked back at the boisterous group. “You really think Merciless Mike’s gold is up there?”

  “I think I’m going to have to let them look.” The idea filled her with trepidation, not just for everyone’s safety, but because she suspected Shane would be leaving as soon as the gold was found. She returned her attention to Big Daddy, who had his back turned to them like a sullen child. “But they can only search if they take precautions.”

  “There must be more to the herd out there.” Zeke grinned. “It’d be fun to go rope a few. Thin them out.”

  And line the Bucking Bull’s pockets. A few weeks ago, Franny would have cringed at the idea. But today... Today she felt as if she could handle anything.

  “Why don’t we put in a few gates and leave feed in the upper pasture.” Franny couldn’t believe she was brave enough to suggest such an option. “They’re used to coming in over knocked-down fence. Why not make it easier for them?”

  Big Daddy snorted his disapproval of fencing in any of his herd.

  Shane appeared next to her and put his palm on the back of her neck. “That bull is taller than I am. How are you going to tame him?”

  Zeke snorted as lustily as Big Daddy. “He’ll decide how well he wants to tolerate us, not the other way around.”

  “For a start, the vet will swing by this afternoon.” Franny tilted her head until her cheek touched Shane’s arm. Things might have ended differently on the mountain if he hadn’t have been there. If they all hadn’t have been there. They made quite a team. “He’ll make sure the ferals are healthy, dewormed and get their shots. And that we dehorn them safely.” She, Zeke and Emily would inoculate the rest of the herd.

  “We should call your dad and ask him to bring his loader.” Shane’s tone was casual, but the look in his eyes was not. “We could use it to move those boulders.”

  It was Franny’s turn to huff. “My father wants nothing to do with this ranch or Merciless Mike Moody.” He didn’t understand... He couldn’t know...

  “It’s just that I...” Shane’s gaze softened. He straightened her cowboy hat. “I was thinking a lot about my grandfather today and how he went to drastic measures to implement a do-over with his grandchildren, as if...” His eyebrows dropped for just a moment, but it was long enough for Franny to realize how deeply he felt for the subject. “As if he’d given up on having a close relationship with his own kids, which is sad.”

  “Shane, I—”

  “What happened today should be a reminder to us all that life can change in an instant.” Shane turned. “And things should be settled if they do.”

  She watched him walk away, acutely aware that nothing was settled between them.

  * * *

  “MR. BOUCHARD?” SHANE stood at the front door of the Silver Spur Ranch, holding his sunglasses and staring at Franny’s father.

  Rich looked over Shane’s shoulder to the crumpled mess that was his SUV.

  “It took a beating from one of those bulls you refused to help Franny with,” Shane explained.

  Franny would say he was meddling. Grandpa Harlan would say he was watching out for the people h
e cared for.

  The woman I love.

  Not that he was going to act on that emotion. Although he wasn’t about to stop helping her.

  Rich chewed on his cheek. “I’m surprised it still runs.”

  Shane shrugged, although he agreed. “I’m here because Franny needs your help.” Not just for the use of his loader, but for the wisdom and a shoulder she could rely on when times got tough.

  When I’m not around.

  “And where is Francis?”

  “Comforting your grandchildren. Their truck didn’t fare as well.”

  Humanity flashed behind Rich’s gray eyes. “Are they...?”

  “They’re okay.” They’d be more than okay if they had Merciless Mike’s nest egg. “You know, times are changing everywhere, including in the cattle industry. Franny is changing, too.” She’d gained confidence since Sophie’s wedding. “But that doesn’t mean she couldn’t use her father’s help and advice now and then.”

  Rich’s expression closed. “You’re butting in where you shouldn’t, son.”

  Son.

  No one had called him that in a long time, certainly not with any affection.

  “Don’t let her go.” Shane slid on his sunglasses, wishing they hid his eyes completely. “She’s too strong to admit she needs anyone. You or me.”

  Rich shifted his weight, stamping his foot. “Anyone can help her move cattle.”

  “But not anyone can be a part of her life.” Shane turned away. It was a move he was going to have to repeat with Franny in a few days.

  “You’re just like him.”

  Shane paused and turned. “Who?”

  “Harlan. He never could mind his own business. Telling people what to do and how to do it.”

  “My grandfather...” Shane choked up, but he faced Rich head-on. “My grandfather cared for people enough to speak his mind. Not just for his friends, but for strangers, too. He donated millions to good causes because he considered himself a global citizen.”

  “A citizen?” Rich leaned against his door frame. “He gave up being a citizen when people here refused to heed his advice. If he couldn’t control you, he wouldn’t help you.”

  Shane stomped off.

  But he couldn’t put distance between himself and the idea that Rich was right. The terms of his grandfather’s will meant Grandpa Harlan could control his family from the afterlife.

  Thirty minutes later, Shane entered the Lodgepole Inn, still in a foul mood.

  Mitch sat at the check-in desk, laptop open. He drew back in mock horror. “Whoever upset you is not in this building.”

  “Uh-oh.” Jonah closed his laptop. “I’ve only seen you look like that a few times in my life. Is Holden back?”

  “No.” Shane tried to collect himself. He really did. But the truth had a way of working free. “My grandfather was an honorary council member.”

  “Is there a question in there?” Having been an attorney in a previous life, Mitch was naturally cagey.

  Shane shifted his weight and stomped his booted foot, the same way Rich had earlier. “My grandfather sat on the town council after he bought this town and you fired him.” The same way they’d fired him.

  “Dang, he’s good.” Roy came out of his room, looking at Shane with admiration.

  Shane wasn’t calmed by the old man’s observation. “I know my grandfather. He’d never be able to sit around here and not suggest changes. He couldn’t even stand to ride in the back seat of a car.”

  “True that,” Jonah agreed with a half smile.

  “So, he visited Second Chance, because he had roots here and he loved people.” And the people in Second Chance were friendly. “But he couldn’t have lived here because he recognized you were all your own worst enemies.”

  Your own worst enemies.

  Shane felt cold. That’s what he’d been when he’d run the family’s hotels. He’d been trying to be just like his father, a man who’d rejected him, who continued to reject him. He’d been trying to be a coldhearted businessman. That wasn’t how his grandfather had earned his fortune. He’d built teams, makeshift families to replace the one he lost here.

  And the money...

  Could it have been that Harlan was earning money and donating big chunks of it to make amends for what happened to his twin?

  “Shane?” Jonah stood before him.

  Shane hadn’t seen him get up. “It’s not about money, you know.”

  His cousin studied him, took hold of Shane’s arm and led him to the couch. “Nothing’s ever about the money.”

  “It’s about doing what you love,” Shane said as he sat down. “And leaving your mark.”

  “And Grandpa Harlan did that,” Jonah reassured him.

  Shane raised his gaze to Jonah’s. “But we didn’t.”

  Jonah sat down next to Shane, understanding dawning.

  Roy pressed a glass of water into Shane’s hands. “Maybe we should take his blood pressure. He don’t look so good.”

  Jonah leaned forward and looped his arms around his knees. “I don’t feel so good, either.”

  “I can’t stand not being in the thick of things,” Shane admitted. “I can’t stand by and let an opportunity pass.” It drove him nuts. “I can’t stay here.”

  “It took you months to see that.” Roy chuckled, rubbing his palms together. “I saw that the first day you came to town.”

  “That’s it, then.” This time he knew it for a fact. He was leaving Second Chance.

  And leaving the love of his life behind.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  “SO, THIS IS IT?” Franny’s father had his hands on his hips and a dubious expression on his face two days after they’d caught a new Buttercup. He surveyed the two oblong boulders leaning together at a bump on the ridge. “Merciless Mike Moody’s hideout, undiscovered for over a hundred years.”

  “Yep,” Jonah said. “It’s either here or buried with a dead man over there.” He pointed to the northwest corner of the Clark cemetery.

  “Dad.” Franny sent apologetic glances to the crowd gathered, including Shane, who took her hand.

  “I don’t believe in myths.” Dad swung his dubious gaze from the large rocks to Shane and their clasped hands. “Or Monroes.”

  “But, Dad...” Surely, he wasn’t going to head back down the hill without doing anything? Franny squared her shoulders and tried not to sound as if not knowing what was behind a ton of rocks was driving everyone assembled bonkers. “Dad, it’s a safety issue. I don’t want the boys to come up here and get hurt.”

  Emily stood guard nearby with a shotgun. Zeke wore a pistol and carried his lariat.

  “Sounds like a discipline problem to me.” But her father walked to his trailer and began loosening the tie-down straps. He even laughed. “That Davey. He drove all the way up here in the dark? And in a stick shift, too.”

  Franny breathed a sigh of relief.

  Branches snapped. Hooves pounded. They all turned.

  A horse burst through the trees. It was Yoda and Davey.

  “Am I too late?” Davey asked. “Did you find anything?”

  “Davey!” Shane marched over to Yoda and grabbed his reins. “Your mother told you to stay at the ranch.”

  “I know, but—”

  “There are still wild bulls in these woods,” Shane continued at a high volume.

  Davey’s forehead crinkled. “I know, but—”

  “Not to mention Emily and Zeke could have mistaken you for a bull.”

  “I know,” Davey said in a much smaller voice. “But...I wanted to see.”

  No one said a word.

  Until Franny’s father spoke up. “The thing about parenting is... Your words only go so far. Then you have to trust that the rest of what you teach them keeps them safe.”

 
Franny’s breath caught in her throat. Her father had taught her how to stay safe. He couldn’t have given her a better gift. It was one she’d passed down to her son. “He’s here, Shane. It’s not like I’m going to send him home alone.”

  Shane scowled, looking like he wanted to.

  A few minutes later, the boulders were pushed aside, revealing a narrow, deep cave.

  Her father hopped out of the loader and knelt next to one of the large stones. “It’s like this was where these rocks were before.”

  Jonah dropped down with him. “Could you use a burro and a pulley system to set them up like gates?”

  Her father took in Jonah’s bright red hair and form-fitting T-shirt. He sighed. “A donkey, maybe.” He glanced at the twenty-foot cliff above them. “There’s probably something up there you could use for leverage.”

  Jonah blew out a contented breath and mumbled something about his affection for Second Chance.

  Inside the cave, there was a framed photograph on a ledge of three men—Percy, Harlan and Hobart. They leaned on shovels and mugged for the camera.

  Shane picked up the photo and stared at it, stroking his thumb over the glass.

  They found a small wooden chest in the back of the cave. Its edges were banded with tin. The tin was stamped with a name.

  “R.H. Goody Bank and Express.” Jonah was near as excited as Davey, who flipped open the lid.

  “It’s gold.” Davey looked over his shoulder at Franny, a wide grin splitting his cheeks. “It’s gold.”

  “I thought there’d be more of it.” Bo peered inside the chest over Davey’s head.

  “It’s a small box, but it’s still filled,” Jonah said defensively.

  “Well, I’ll be.” Franny’s father stood behind her.

  She went to give him a hug. “I guess you’ll have to become a believer in myths.”

  “And Monroes,” Bo murmured with a sly sideways glance at Shane.

  “Only those who stick around,” Shane said cryptically and without looking at Franny.