by Marin Thomas
Rachel crossed her fingers behind her back. “I added an event to the rodeos this summer.”
“What event?”
“Women’s bull riding.”
Instead of a curse word exploding from P.T.’s mouth, he chuckled. Astonished, she said, “You knew, didn’t you?”
His eyes twinkled.
“Who told you? Clint?”
“One of the radiology technicians rodeos on weekends. He entered the Canyon City Rodeo and bragged about the beautiful women riding bulls.”
Wait until Clint learns P.T. knew all along. The thought saddened her that she’d have to share the news with Clint over the phone instead of in person.
Call him.
If she hadn’t had the courage to say goodbye to Clint in person what made her believe speaking on the phone would be easier?
“What I can’t figure out, Rachel, is how you got the mayors to sign on to a women’s bull-riding event.”
“It wasn’t easy. The mayors considered me an outsider and didn’t trust me.”
“Outsider my arse. You’re my daughter!”
“It would have helped if you’d told people you have a daughter.” She quirked an eyebrow.
P.T.’s face flushed. Rachel came to his rescue.
“I asked Clint to pretend he was in charge of the rodeos, and when the mayors believed women’s bull riding was Clint’s idea they jumped on board.”
“The hell you say.” P.T. grabbed his phone. “Mitch, it’s P.T. Hold on a minute.” Rachel’s father pushed a button on the phone then a moment later said, “Jack, it’s P.T. I’m doing a three-way call. Don’t hang up.” A few seconds later… “John, P.T. here. I’ve got Mitch and Jack on the line with me.”
Amused, Rachel swallowed a giggle.
“I hear you ignoramuses didn’t believe I’d put my daughter in charge of the rodeos this summer.” P.T. didn’t give the mayors a chance to explain before he said, “You owe Rachel an apology.” A pause. “That’s right, it was Rachel’s idea, not Clint’s, to add the women’s rough-stock event to the rodeo schedule.” P.T. covered the phone with his hand and whispered, “They’re debating how best to apologize…” P.T. cleared his throat. “A letter or a phone call will suffice.” After a few short exchanges, P.T. disconnected the call.
“You never let on that you knew about the women’s bull riding when we visited after the first rodeo,” Rachel said.
“I asked you to run my business and I didn’t want to interfere. Besides, when I’d heard how successful the rodeo was, I realized…”
“What?” she prodded.
“That I was old and stuck in my ways. I’d refused to consider adding a women’s rough-stock event because—” P.T. stared unseeingly across the room.
“Because you blamed yourself for what happened to Mom.”
His gaze shifted to Rachel and the depth of pain in his eyes sliced through her. If only he hadn’t shoved her away years ago, they could have been a comfort to each other in dealing with her mother’s death. Instead, her father had held the pain inside, allowing it to fester and weaken him. “I didn’t want women competing partly because of your mother and partly because I was and still am old-fashioned.”
“You mean a chauvinist?”
“I prefer old-fashioned.”
“I’m relieved. The last thing I wanted to do was overstep my bounds.”
“Your gamble paid off and put Five Star Rodeos back in the black.” He cleared his throat. “I feel bad, though.”
“Why?”
“Clint came to me with that idea a few years ago after the Stagecoach Star ran an article on Shannon Douglas trying to establish a women’s bull-riding organization.”
No wonder Clint had balked when she’d shared her idea with him. Even though she sympathized with the difficult position P.T. had put Clint in, Rachel wished with all her heart that Clint had set aside his jealousy and had supported her efforts because he cared about her.
“Dad, I’m leaving for Rhode Island.”
“Today?” Her father’s face paled. “I expected you to stay until they released me from the clinic.”
Did she dare confess she’d fallen in love with Clint and he’d broken her heart? That she was running from the future not the past? “I’d planned to, but…”
“But what? We haven’t had a chance to talk. I’m sure you want to know more about your mother.”
She inched closer to the bed. Learning why her father had sent her away after her mother had died eased some of the pain in Rachel’s heart, but not all.
P.T. squeezed her hand. “Talk to me, daughter. Tell me what’s in your heart.”
“When you asked for my help, I imagined you’d missed me. Then I arrived and discovered that you’d taken Clint in and raised him as your son all the while ignoring me…” Tears burned her eyes. “It hurts, Dad,” she whispered. “Really bad.”
“When Clint came along I was a lonely, grumpy, angry man. I’d believed I’d ruined any chance at a relationship with you.” P.T.’s eyes shone with tears. “I was afraid you’d reject me if I tried to become a part of your life. You were thriving with Edith and I told myself you didn’t need me.” He cleared his throat. “But Clint did need me.”
“You took the coward’s way out.”
“I’m sorry, Rachel. I was wrong about so many things.”
The apology Rachel had driven across the country for was hardly as satisfying as she’d anticipated.
“It’s probably too late to ask this of you, but I’ve missed being your father. Please give me a second chance.”
Rachel battled tears. “I have lots of questions about Mom,” she whispered.
“I have plenty of stories to share about your mother.” P.T. flashed a weak smile. “Will you reconsider and stay a few more weeks?”
“I need to prepare for another school year.” Returning to the ranch where Clint lived would be too difficult for Rachel. “Maybe when you’re feeling better you can fly out east and visit with me.”
“Forget your job at the school. You’ve proven yourself, Rachel. I want you and Clint to run Five Star Rodeos.”
“I worked hard to become a school psychologist. I’m good at what I do. I don’t want to quit my job.”
“Then apply for a position with the Yuma school district.”
“Dad, I appreciate that you want us to grow closer but things are more complicated now than when I first arrived.”
“What are you talking about?”
Tell him the truth. “I can’t stay in Stagecoach because of Clint.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The ranch is Clint’s home, Dad. Not mine.”
“But you’re my daughter…my flesh and blood.”
“That’s right. Five Star Ranch is more your home, Rachel, than mine.”
Rachel spun. Clint stood in the doorway—his clothes rumpled. His shirt covered with dry sweat stains. Pieces of straw stuck to his Stetson. He must have taken off as soon as he’d discovered she’d left. A warm, fuzzy feeling spread through her limbs as his soulful brown eyes pulled her into their depths sending her heart tumbling in a downward spiral.
This is why she’d left without saying goodbye—because Clint held her heart in the palm of his hand.
“I’ll always be indebted to your father for taking me in.” Clint looked at P.T. “You showed me how to be a man and you held my feet to the fire when I wanted to quit being a father.”
Clint stepped farther into the room and shut the door behind him. “Not until you arrived at the ranch, Rachel, did I understand that I’d claimed something that wasn’t mine to take—your father.” He ignored P.T.’s gasp. “You were too nice to say it but we both knew I wanted to see you fail, Rachel. I wanted to show P.T. that I was the better person to run Five Star Rodeos.” The pain in Clint’s eyes was so clear that it hurt Rachel to meet his gaze. “The thought of losing the only home I’d ever felt comfortable in…ever felt wanted…scared me to death.”
He swallowed hard. “Not until you came into my life did I realize what I’d refused to acknowledge. P.T. was the only person who’d made me feel worthy. Made me feel as if I mattered. That I counted on this earth. Over time, I’d allowed my self-worth to be defined by P.T.’s acceptance.
“Then I fell in love with you.” Clint took a step toward Rachel but pulled up short.
Rachel’s heart thundered. Her courage weakened and the voice in her head demanded to know how she could walk away from a man like Clint. Loving him wouldn’t be easy, neat or rational. In fact, her summer with the cowboy proved the experience would be tough, messy and insane.
But gloriously exciting and fulfilling.
“You turned out to be everything I thought you weren’t—kind, caring, loving, brave.” Clint’s gaze pierced Rachel. “You made me see that a home is more than a location or a pillow to rest my head on at night or place to cook a meal and take a shower.”
“You think I’m brave?” No one had ever paid her such a compliment.
“Yes, brave, but not because you rode a bull. Because you answered your father’s call when you believed he didn’t love you. You had the courage to give P.T. a second chance.”
“What’s this about riding a bull?” P.T. bellowed. “Is that how you really broke your fingers?”
“Yes,” Rachel said, never taking her eyes off Clint.
“By God, daughter, if you ever do such a stupid thing again I’ll—”
“Be quiet, P.T.,” Clint said. “I love you, Rachel. And I know I have P.T.’s blessing when I ask you this. Please marry me and make our family complete. P.T., Lauren and especially me, well, we need you.”
Tears burned Rachel’s eyes. She’d never believed in a million years that returning to her birthplace would in fact be returning home.
“Well, daughter. Are you going to marry Clint?”
“You can do better than me, Rachel,” Clint said. “I may not be the man of your dreams or all that easy to live with, but I promise you won’t find a man more loyal than me who will love you the rest of your life and stand by your side through good times and bad.” Clint swept a strand of hair off her cheek. “Please stay.”
“I love you, Clint.” Rachel flung her arms around his neck and squeezed. “Yes, I’ll marry you. Yes, I’ll move back to Five Star Ranch. No, I won’t run Five Star Rodeos, but I will help out on occasion.” She smiled at P.T. “And yes, I will give my father a second chance.”
A tear escaped P.T.’s eye. “Daughter, if there is anyone who deserves a loving family of their own it’s you.”
She hugged her father. “I love you, Dad.”
“I’ve always loved you, Rachel, even though I failed to show you.” He pointed his finger at Clint. “You make her happy, son, or you’ll answer to me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’m tired. You two go celebrate with a nice dinner while I rest.”
“We’ll stop at the hospital before we leave town.” Rachel kissed P.T.’s forehead.
As soon as she and Clint left the room and closed the door behind them, Clint pressed her against the corridor wall. “Damn it, Rachel. When you drove away this morning with your car packed and no goodbye, you ripped my heart from my chest.”
“I left you a note.” Lord, she hoped Clint would always steal her breath—even twenty years from now.
“I’m a lot like P.T. I don’t know how to show people I care about them. I started falling in love with you when Curly stopped your prissy car in the middle of the road.”
“But then you found out I was P.T.’s daughter—”
“And you scared me to death. P.T.’s been the only person who’s stuck by me. I didn’t want to lose him but you changed all that.”
“How?”
“You made me believe in myself and believe I was worthy of love.”
“What would you have done if I’d turned down your proposal?” she asked.
“I would have moved on. Found work at another ranch.” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “And thanks to you I would have been okay. I would have survived.”
“So you don’t need me as much as you believe.”
“No. I need you more than I’d ever imagined possible. You’re the sweetness, the color, the warmth that’s been missing from my life. You make me whole.” He nuzzled her temple. “I love you, Rachel. Please grow old with me.”
“You’re sure?”
“More sure than I’ve ever been about anything, including P.T.’s love for me.”
“I’m glad, because I really didn’t know how I was going to walk away from you, my father and Lauren without being miserable the rest of my life.”
“You’re a city girl. If you don’t want to live on the ranch, I’ll move to Rhode Island.”
Rachel’s heart melted at Clint’s offer, but she wanted to spend as much time with her father as possible in case he didn’t beat his cancer. She also believed moving to Arizona would allow her and her father to continue to mend their relationship, as well as make Rachel feel closer to her mother.
Grasping Clint’s hand, she said, “Let’s go home.”
Rachel had come full circle and this time she was home for good and no one and nothing on earth could make her leave.
* * * * *
ISBN: 9781459221048
Copyright © 2012 by Brenda Smith-Beagley
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.Harlequin.com