Back From Hell (Marine For You Book 2) (Contemporary Military Veteran Romance)

by Marissa Dobson

  Whatever had happened after her heart surgery, Mrs. Pence and Colin seemed to have a newly developed tension between them. Had they not worked out the issue of marriage or was it something else? Either way, it wasn’t his business and Staci didn’t seem too interested in digging further.

  “What’s on your mind?” Staci sat across from him, picking at her grilled chicken salad.

  “I’ve got something to tell you…something I wanted to keep as a surprise until things were final, but I can’t figure out how to make tomorrow work otherwise.”

  “What’s tomorrow?” She sat her fork aside.

  He had wanted to plan a nice romantic dinner to tell her what he had done but that idea had been tossed out when her mother spiked a fever that morning. “I’m meeting Mr. Cline…”

  “Cline as in Cline ranch?” Her eyes widened.

  He nodded. “I’m purchasing the place.”

  “What?” She scooted her chair back from the table in anger. “You don’t want that ranch. What do you know about horses? Or running a ranch?”

  “Just calm down for a moment and let me explain.” He reached across to her and took her hand in his. “I’m purchasing the ranch for you.”

  She blinked as if she tried to wrap her thoughts around what he just said. “Wait. Colin said that Mr. Cline had someone purchasing it.”

  “It fell through and now I’m buying it.”

  “But why?”

  He smirked at the very idea of him owning the farm himself. “It’s for you as a token of my appreciation for all you’ve done. You saved my life and for that I owe you a lot more than this ranch.”

  “You don’t owe me anything.”

  “I want to do this.” He squeezed her hand. “Mr. Cline needs to sell. He didn’t call you because he knew you were still in college. He didn’t want you to give it up just to come back to the ranch. He thought your father would roll over in his grave if he were the reason you quit school. That’s the reason he didn’t contact you, not because he didn’t want you to own the place.”

  “Needs to retire.” The surprise made her voice rise a notch.

  “His wife has been ill for some time and the cold weather is too much for her. They want to move to Florida where their daughter lives.” He paused because this was the part he hadn’t been sure he wanted to tell her or if he wanted to leave things be. “Colin pressured him into selling.”

  “He what?” She interrupted and started to slide from the booth. She shouldn’t have been surprised after Colin’s comments before but she was. She had tried to live in denial because it wouldn’t have just been him but also her mother.

  “Wait.” He squeezed her hand a little tighter so she couldn’t get away.

  “I’m not sure how it all happened, but they were acquaintances from years in the horse industry and Colin mentioned that he might know someone who was interested. At first, Mr. Cline thought he meant you…” He trailed off at the pain in her eyes. “It doesn’t matter how, but you should know the reasoning behind it. Colin thought if that ranch was no longer a possibility, you and your mother would move on and forget about that place and your father. He had hoped it would finally bring the possibility of them getting married to the forefront.”

  “That swine!” The surprise that had been in her voice was now replaced with anger and sadness.

  “Come here.” He tugged her hand until she got up and came around the table to sit on his side of the bench. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and cuddled her against him. “I know you’re upset about what he did, but tomorrow we’ll go tour the ranch, look over the books and ranch commitments. In three weeks, we will close and the place will be yours.”

  “No, it will be yours.”

  “I thought it was clear I’m not buying the ranch for me but for you.”

  “Why? I was supposed to work for this. I’ve been saving every dime I could to buy that place.”

  “Trust me, there’s plenty of work for you to do,” he teased. “No, seriously, I know how much this place means to you and how devastated you were when you thought you’d lost your chance to purchase it. I didn’t want to see that happen again.”

  “How did you even know the deal fell through?” She tipped her head up to look at him.

  “After Colin’s announcement about snatching the ranch out from under you, I called a friend of mine. He did some research and contacted Mr. Cline. That’s what the text message I received the other morning was about. Immediately, I called and placed a bid on it, so we didn’t miss our chance.” He lifted his hand from her shoulder and tangled it in her hair. “I know you wanted to buy it but weren’t in the position yet. If it bothers you I purchased it for you, then consider me a business partner and when you’re ready, buy me out.”

  “Why would you want to get involved in a horse ranch? You’ve even admitted you’ve never even been on a horse before.”

  “I did it for you. I know how much that place means to you. I couldn’t stand by and let someone else own it.” No, he couldn’t, especially without knowing if they’d have the same devotion for it as she had. She loved that place and the memories that surrounded it and he loved her. As strange as it was, the ranch completed things.

  “I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around this. For days I’ve thought that my chance of owning it was done and now…” The first tear rolled down her face. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, sugar. Thank you for strolling into my life and saving me.”

  “We saved each other.” She tipped her head to rest against his chest. “I wasn’t living before you. I’d go to class, work, and the hospital, but that was it. Since Heather graduated and moved back to Kentucky, I’ve just been going through the motions of living. I never thought what is happening between us could…well, happen, but I’m glad it did.”

  “Me too.”

  “There’s no polite way to ask this so I’ll take a page from your book and just come out with it. Cline’s ranch isn’t just some dinky little place. I’ve been saving for years and still don’t have the money. How can a Lance Corporal afford to drop the money needed on this ranch? Especially when it’s not your dream but you’re doing it for me.”

  “You know I was a foster care child without a dime to my name when I turned eighteen but it was a few months before I deployed that things changed.” He stared off and thought about the person that he didn’t even know. “My biological mother’s family had money, so much that my grandmother was able to bribe people to report to her as my life progressed. When she died, she left the money to me. The lady that gave birth to me tried to fight it but the suit was dropped while I was in the hospital. Honestly, I never cared about the money, never even touched it, but now it seems like it had a purpose after all.”

  “What about your mother? Have you had any contact with her?”

  “No, and as far as I’m concerned, she’s not my mother, just the woman who gave birth to me. There’s no relationship beyond that. You have to do more for a child than that to be considered a parent.” He let out a light chuckle. “Funny thing is, the family made their money racing horses.”

  “Maybe it’s in your blood.”

  “Maybe.” He kissed the top of her head. “I was intrigued a little and learned my father was a jockey that my mother was having an affair with. She kept the pregnancy a secret, hiding away in the house when it became obvious and her husband made excuses she was traveling. After she gave birth, I was whisked away.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It brought us a new adventure. Tomorrow…I know it’s bad timing with your mother’s condition and this new infection so I understand if you don’t wish to go with me, but I promised to meet with him.”

  “I’ll go.”

  “Good, because like you already pointed out, what do I know about a horse ranch? I need you there to go over things with me, to check the books, and the commitments we’ll be held to. I need you.” Mentally he added, in more ways than you kn
ow.

  He held her tight against him and enjoyed the moment. Tomorrow, they’d start a new journey together as ranch owners and he would have to begin learning what it took to run a place like that. Yet, just then, he only wanted to focus on Staci and the knowledge that lurked inside of him waiting for him to acknowledge it.

  He wasn’t simply falling in love with her; he was head over heels in love with her.

  * * *

  The next day came, as they always do, but not fast enough for Staci. Even as they sat in the rental car on their way to the ranch, she wanted to tell him to step on the gas pedal. It seemed like he was driving too slowly, and it was taking too long to get there. It had been years since she had been back to the area where she grew up and even longer since she had been at the ranch. Now, she was finally on her way and, while the place wasn’t actually yet hers, the fulfillment of her dream loomed closer than ever.

  The guilt from what she thought when Colin had told her the ranch was being sold still made her stomach turn. She had been so upset and unable to get that ranch out of her thoughts and during that time, she had thought some rather nasty things about Mr. Cline. His word had always been good, but when he didn’t call to let her know he wanted to sell the ranch, that seemed to change her opinion about him. Now here she was about to own the place with Kyle.

  Kyle had refused to discuss their business partner arrangements until after they saw the place, but she was determined to pay him back every cent. The ranch meant everything to her and he was doing this for her. She didn’t want his act to be out of some misguided sense of indebtedness because he didn’t owe her anything. This was her dream and somehow she had tugged him into it.

  They made the turn onto the road that would lead them to the ranch and she sat up straighter, her heart beat faster. As they drove through the small town, she noticed everything looked different, but that was nothing compared to what the entrance into the ranch looked like. Beautiful big trees lined the road, with their bright green leaves, and brought back so many memories. Happy memories.

  She refused to think of the winter when her mother had left the ranch and the area to move them to Nashville. Or how bare the trees had been with a light dusting of snow on the branches. That memory was too close to the day of her father’s funeral. Winter held sadder memories—like the world was trying to do away with the old to make room for the new. Only her father wasn’t the old and shouldn’t have been taken from her on that cold winter’s day.

  “Your mood sure changed.” He glanced over at her before returning his attention to the road.

  “I was thinking of yesteryear and winter. The death of the land can bring the death of other things.”

  “Your father.”

  She reached across the space toward him and placed her hand on his leg. “I lost him in the winter and the following year, Mom forced us to move to Nashville. Said we couldn’t live here any longer with his memories haunting us at every turn. It had been just over a year since his death and that move felt almost like losing him all over again. That was the last winter I lived here. I came back in the summers and when Mom needed a break, because the Clines were like grandparents to me, but it was never the same.”

  “This winter the place will be ours and we can make happy memories.”

  “I still can’t believe it.” She glanced back out the window. “My emotions are all mixed up at the moment. I’m happy to be here, thrilled with our new adventure, saddened by the negative memories this brings back of my father’s death, and feeling ill at the thought of telling my mother.”

  “This is your life and you need to live it on your terms. You’ve done that with your degree, this ranch, and, well…me.”

  “You?”

  “Mrs. Pence has never once tried to hide the fact that she’s unhappy with us. She doesn’t want you with some sorry excuse for a man.”

  “Kyle!” She slapped his leg. “I won’t sit here while you use such a degrading term to refer to yourself. You’re an amazing man.”

  “You see what you want to see and not the outer shell that everyone else can’t get past. The point still is she isn’t happy about this. Especially since she thinks I’m to be her son-in-law soon.”

  “I don’t care what she thinks. I’m happy being with you.”

  “Wow. Look at this place.”

  She turned back to the road and noticed the white fences that marked the horse areas had disappeared and they were heading up the incline to the main house. The log ranch home stretched out wide so that every room had a view of the land. It was set up in such a way that two of the four bedrooms had views of both sides of the ranch. She remembered waking up on the mornings when she was visiting and looking out over the grounds. The master bedroom had more stunning views, not just on the front and back but also the side. The back end of the property overlooked the lake. Mr. Cline worked around the lake because his wife had refused to let him fill it in.

  “Wait until you see inside.” She smiled and let the memories wash over her. “On the other side of that barn you’ll find the workers’ quarters. He’s never had a large staff, only one or two, but it’s set up for six workers, each with their own living quarters and a shared kitchen. At least it was so last time I was here.”

  “According to what information I have, it still is. There’s also a cabin a little farther behind that the ranch manager and his family live in. He’s been with the Clines for years and now handles a lot of the stuff Mr. Cline used to do before his wife got sick. He was the main horse trainer before he took this current position. His son now works as trainer.”

  “Not Clifford. He can’t still be here.”

  “Yeah, I think that’s his name.” He pulled the car in front of the main house and put it in park. “Do you know him?”

  She nodded. “His son was just a kid last time I saw them. He can’t be older than sixteen now.”

  “I’m not sure but I know he’s being homeschooled.” He nodded toward the house. “Ready?”

  She glanced at the log home and nodded. “I still can’t believe this is really happening.”

  “Believe it, sugar. In three short weeks, this will be our home and the ranch you’ve always dreamed of owning will be yours.”

  “Ours…” She leaned toward him and pressed her lips to his. They were on this journey together. Business partners and so much more.

  11

  Chapter Eleven

  Their tour of the ranch had some high and low points as it also brought to life what work needed to be done. Staci was excited to get her hands back into it, but going around the place had given her an idea she hadn’t fully considered before. A way to make both her degree and the ranch work for her. This seemed like more of a possibility now since Clifford was the ranch manager. If they kept him on in the same role, he could handle some of the things to give her more time to spread her focus.

  “Are you planning to tell your mother that we’ll be a little over two hours from her?”

  “Do I have to?” she grumbled and looked up from the notebook where she had been working on a business plan for the last several hours.

  “I think so.” He sat one of the income logs aside and adjusted on the bed so he could look at her. “She’s going to press as to why you didn’t visit her today. It would be best to just come out and tell her that we’re purchasing the ranch.”

  “Before then, I want to work out the details with you. Then I’ll tell her and I’ll make sure Colin is there too because I have a few choice words for him about his deceitful plan.” She leaned back in the chair and watched him. “I received the official word that they will make exceptions due to the circumstances and I can take my final exams when we return. I’ll graduate just as planned.”

  “I figured they’d allow for that.”

  “I love the ranch and I’m so grateful for what you’ve done.” She paused because she wasn’t sure how to phrase what was running through her mind.

  “I hear but coming.”
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br />   “I have an idea on how to make two of my loves come together as one and to continue work like I do at the hospital.”

  “That would be?”

  She pushed back from the table and went to sit next to him on the bed. “Mr. Cline downsized some of what he was doing since his wife got sick. There are still the stables for boarding, horse training, the riding lesson areas, and the important parts. But that other large building on the far side used to be additional living quarters. The rooms upstairs were small suites sometimes used for out of town guests. As you saw, the structure is still there but could use some work. I have the perfect idea for it.”

  “Well, do tell,” he pressed when she paused.

  “I want to set up a wellness retreat. I’ll do physical therapy and Heather’s a psychotherapist. I’d like to bring her on. You have taken great strides in the last several months, even spending time with some injured military personnel. You could offer great support for an amputee who came to the program. I think the three of us could make it a success.”

  “How does this tie into the ranch?”

  “Neither one of us are going to put Clifford out of work. Which means a good majority of running the ranch won’t be our daily responsibility.” She was still working through all the thoughts that were jumbled up in her mind but it seemed like her plan could work. “This is what I went to school for and, while I always had the end game of owning the ranch, I thought I’d use my degree before owning this place. Now I see I can do both. The land surrounding the ranch is beautiful, amazing views, and trails that could be explored. It could be a place of feeling. With the three of us, we can do things the hospitals can’t.”

  “What about a doctor? Medical staff? Those are important aspects as well.”

  “There’s a doctor in town and maybe we can work something out with him that he’d come to the ranch. I just started outlining a business plan but, what do you think?”

  “What you’re putting together here is something that will be a great benefit to people like me when they come back from overseas.”