by Emma Woods
Love is a Dance: Christian Contemporary Romance
Triple Star Ranch Romance, Book 3
Emma Woods
Fairfield Publishing
Copyright © 2020 Emma Woods
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Except for review quotes, this book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the author.
This story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is purely coincidental.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Thank You
1
October - Birch Springs, Wyoming
I hadn’t realized my life was going to change when I woke up on that Friday morning. It was just a regular day. When my alarm went off, I’d hit snooze twice, as usual. I did the ballet warm-up routine I’d done for years before hopping in the shower, dressing in worn jeans and a Triple Star Ranch polo shirt, and making my bed.
Looking around my room and feeling pleased wasn’t strictly a part of my morning routine, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself from doing so most days. Even though my family owned the Triple Star Ranch and I could have kept the bedroom I’d grown up in, I had decided to rent a room in the Bumblebee House when I’d returned from college two years earlier. Bumblebee House was an old Victorian mansion which had been bought and refurbished by Rosa Harrington and her grandfather only a few years ago. She rented the spare rooms to single women, though she’d most recently rented one of the half-dozen outbuildings to a newly married couple.
My bedroom was lovely. It looked over the front lawn, which was green and perfectly manicured. Rosa had chosen a subtle, elegant wallpaper in spring green, and then added oak furniture and warm yellow and blue upholstery and drapes. I’d supplied my own crisp white quilt and hung pictures of my family to make the room my own. It was my safe haven and, as someone who didn’t like crowds, I loved to retreat here to rest and recharge.
After a long day at the ranch, I needed that very much. My parents had bought the ranch when I was a little girl. They’d worked hard and built it up into a successful, thriving business. Not only did we keep several hundred head of cattle and more than fifty horses, we also had a conference center and small cabins for rent. There was an education barn we used when groups of students came to learn about riding and caring for horses. There were several riding trails in different levels of difficulty. We had a cafeteria complete with a fully operational kitchen, a large pond with a swimming area, as well as a number of outbuildings and storage huts.
Growing up on the ranch with my two older brothers, Luke and Matt, had been magical. I’d been riding since before I could walk. Between the three of us, we knew every inch of the property and all its inner workings. When our parents had decided to step back and let Luke take over as head of the ranch, Matt and I had been fully supportive. Matt’s dream was to open a coffee shop, and he was all too glad to relinquish his obligations at Triple Star.
As for me, I never imagined not working at the ranch. I’d been an avid dancer as a girl and had studied it in college, but I knew I’d return to the family business once I completed my degree, simply because nothing else seemed right. When I’d announced I was moving back to Birch Springs, Wyoming, and was ready to get back to work, Luke and his wife Heather had been eager to have my help, particularly since they were expecting their second child.
I didn’t have a set job at the ranch, which was just fine with me. I might be asked to fill in as a riding instructor or as a receptionist. Some days I rode out with the ranch hands and helped round up cattle or fix fencing. Other days I worked on the ranch’s website and greeted corporate groups, making sure they had coffee and that the sound system worked for their meetings. I loved the variety. I was never bored and knew I was truly helping my family keep its dream alive. Maybe I would have appreciated being included in major decisions or given some sort of recognition from my brother and sister-in-law for my cheerful flexibility, but overall, I was happy at the ranch.
The drive from Bumblebee House to Triple Star took no more than fifteen minutes, though I have to admit that I’ve always been a bit of a speed demon. I guess that’s what comes from having two older brothers who were always challenging me to race, whether we were on horses, ATVs, or in pickup trucks. I parked my trusty old Subaru in my usual spot near the ranch house, and then trekked over to the office building.
“Morning,” I called as I headed toward the coffee bar. Matt took his role as purveyor of caffeine seriously and kept us in good supply of his home-roasted beans at all times.
Luke only waved from his desk, his phone pressed to his ear. I filled my usual mug and added creamer, then leaned against the counter and sipped at the delicious brew as I waited for my brother to finish his conversation.
All three of us Donovan kids had the same straight brown hair, chocolatey brown eyes, and medium skin that tanned well. We were all tall, too, though Matt was into weight lifting and was currently far bulkier than Luke. I had the long legs and arms that were ideal for ballerinas.
It was funny that the three of us looked so much alike but behaved so differently. Luke was a classic oldest child. He was ambitious and competitive. If he couldn’t be in charge, he wasn’t interested. If there was a task, Luke would complete it and be the best, or else get mad and not want to play. Matt, on the other hand, was happy to be a high achiever, but only in the areas he was interested in. He liked to compete against himself and was fine if his big brother, or even his little sister, beat him.
I wasn’t exactly sure how I fit into that. As a kid, when Luke would deign to let me join in, I wasn’t allowed to be the best at anything. Luke seemed to prefer when I couldn’t keep up. If I ever topped him, he’d blow his stack. I’d learned long ago that it was easier to go along with Luke’s plans. Playing with Matt was different. He was more willing to help me learn how to be a better fisherwoman or add fractions easily. The two of us were, therefore, much closer.
Luke finally hung up and leaned back in his chair with a sigh. He ran a distracted hand through his short-cropped hair and asked, “How are you today?”
“Fine,” I answered honestly. “What do you need me to do today?”
Luke sighed. “Our regular sitter quit, so Heather’s MIA. That means we’re down two people.”
Our administrative team had taken a major hit over the summer. Carol, who had been the receptionist for the ranch for as long as any of us could remember, had retired and moved to Arizona. Then Frank’s wife had taken a job in Virginia and he’d moved, leaving no one to handle the ranch’s accounting and marketing. Heather was able to take on most of the accounting, but with two small children, she wasn’t able to be terribly dependable.
I’d been filling in at reception since June, though I was occasionally pulled to help in other places when Luke was desperate.
“Have you had any luck finding replacements for Carol and Frank?” I asked.
My brother’s face lit up. “Actually, I think I’ve found someone to take Frank’s place. We were talking on the phone last week and I mentioned that we needed someone, and he asked if he could help. I don’t know why I didn’t think of him before. I mean, he’s been out of the sta
te for years and I didn’t think he’d be willing to move back to Birch Springs. It’ll be great having him around again!”
“Who?” I asked, though my stomach clenched, and I had a strong suspicion that I knew exactly who.
“Ty. Ty Dondero. You remember him, right? My best friend.”
Oh, I remembered Ty. I’m sure my face flushed, and I sipped from my cup quickly to hide it. “Yeah, I remember Ty. That’s great,” I said after a moment.
Fortunately, I was kept too busy all day to be able to focus on this news. Not a minute later, Luke’s phone rang and his foreman, Tom Jerrett, called to tell him about a problem with a delivery. I headed off toward reception, where the phone rang almost constantly over the next hour. I set up the conference room in between calls and welcomed the group of pastors who’d booked it for the day as they arrived. I was about to sit down to lunch when Heather arrived and asked if I’d be able to handle helping a trail ride that was leaving in fifteen minutes. It was nice to get out, but the phones were waiting for me when I got back, as well as a huge stack of filing that needed to be sorted and put in its proper place.
“Rosemarie, is there any way you could watch the kids tonight? Luke and I haven’t been out in forever. If you can get here around seven, the kids will go to sleep soon, and it should be pretty quiet.” Heather flitted back out of the front office where I was sitting at the reception desk without waiting to hear if I was available. I was, but it still rankled that she hadn’t waited for my answer.
Then it was time to clean up after the group in the conference center. I went in just as they were filing out. They were a friendly group who thanked me profusely.
“Thank you, Rosemary,” one older gentleman said, reading my name tag. “That’s a pretty name. Not too many young people with that one these days.”
“Actually, it’s Rosemarie,” I corrected softly. “I’m named for my two grandmothers, Rose and Marie.”
He squinted at my name tag before laughing. “So it is. I bet you have to correct people all the time.”
I gave him a long-suffering smile in return. He wasn’t wrong. As much I as liked carrying the names of the two women who came before me, I did spend my fair share of time telling people my name wasn’t Rosemary.
After the chairs had been pushed in, the papers and pens put away, and the leftover coffee urn cleaned, I saw that it was after five. If I was to return to babysit, I needed to get home and have a chance to eat and change. I called a good-bye to Luke, who reminded me that I was watching the kids as I sailed out the door.
I turned the radio up on the ride home and forced myself to choreograph in my mind rather than let myself begin thinking about Ty coming to work at the ranch. I knew that as soon as I started processing that bit of news, I wouldn’t be able to think of anything else.
I hummed to myself as I showered, and then pulled on clean jeans and a long, baggy sweatshirt for my night of babysitting. I braided my hair wet rather than waste time with the blow dryer. My niece, Abby, was four and wouldn’t care, so long as I was willing to read her stories.
“Do you need a hand?” I asked Rosa as I found my way to the kitchen.
At Bumblebee House, we ate supper together six days a week. It was one of the special things I loved about living there. We all took turns cooking and helping with cleanup. It always warmed my heart to just sit in the kitchen as two of my housemates puttered around preparing our meal and chattering about whatever was on their minds.
“Mae’s setting the table,” Rosa announced. “Would you mind grabbing drinks? Nate and Emily won’t be here.”
I moved to the fridge and pulled out the pitcher of cucumber water to take to the table. We’d discovered how refreshing it was recently, and all of us had decided we should keep a pitcher handy.
“Hey, Rosemarie,” Mae called when I came into the dining room, pitcher in hand. “I’m just about done here.”
Mae and I had first met in college. I’d been in my last year of school and Mae had been a sophomore when we’d shared a dorm room. The petite redhead was fun and funny. We’d hit it right off and kept in touch after I moved back home. When a job opened up that sounded like just the sort of thing she would love, I’d reached out to Mae. Having her live here in Bumblebee House was an extra special perk.
“How was work?” I asked her.
“Fine,” she replied quickly. Our eyes met, and I gave her a questioning half-smile. Mae groaned and sagged slightly. “Aiden hired a new girl who is gorgeous and smart and totally his type. They’ll probably start dating and have beautiful babies.”
I laughed. Mae had developed a hopeless crush on her boss almost instantaneously. She was sure that he was out of her league, but I’d met Aiden several times and thought he’d be a dummy to miss out on my lovely, funny friend. Still, there was no point in telling Mae this. She seemed to enjoy the drama, and I wondered how serious her feelings for Aiden really were.
Jill came in not long after, carrying a platter of warmed pitas and a bowl of creamy taziki sauce. Her blond curls were tucked up in a messy bun and she sported PJ pants, along with a worn hoodie.
“Not seeing Tom tonight?” Mae asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Nope. He and Sophie are going to the movies,” Jill replied calmly. Since Sophie was one of her second-grade students, Jill was unable to officially date her father, Tom, who just happened to be the foreman at our ranch. The two spent time together casually whenever they could and talked on the phone less casually almost every evening. It was adorable, and I was thrilled for her.
Rosa’s high heels clicked as she carried in the fixings for our Greek feast. She gave the table an appraising look, lipsticked mouth pursed thoughtfully. Then she pulled out her chair, swept her skirt aside and sat. Rosa had the most adorable, quirky vintage wardrobe. It was apparent from her house and clothes that she was the sort of woman who couldn’t resist decorating everything she got her hands on.
We held hands and prayed before filling our plates and cups.
“How was work today?” Jill asked me.
“Busy. I ate my lunch on the move again,” I admitted.
“Have they found anyone yet?” inquired Mae.
I nodded automatically and pushed away my warm thoughts of Ty, promising them I’d make time for them soon. “Luke has hired his best friend from when they were kids.”
Rosa’s neat eyebrows lifted. “I hope that works out well. Hiring friends can be tricky.”
“Luke and Ty were practically attached at the hip growing up. Ty knows the ranch almost as well as we do. He should be a good choice.” I didn’t want to go into more details or give any hints to my emotions, so I asked, “How was the library, Rosa?”
Luckily, the conversation didn’t come back to talk of Ty, and I was able to help with the dishes, drive back to Luke’s house, and get Heather’s usual rundown of directions without letting him invade my thoughts.
2
I’ve watched Abby and Jacob more times than I can count. I love those two kids, and I love spending time with them. Their parents, on the other hand, never seemed to remember that I knew the drill. I could never just show up at my brother’s house and wave them off. Heather felt the need to give me a rundown every single time.
“Jakey will need a bottle about a half-hour before going to bed. And don’t forget his diaper cream after his bath. Abby only gets a healthy snack after supper. There are fruit snacks in the pantry. She’ll ask for those, but don’t give her any. She can have apple slices or grapes. Abby needs to be in bed with the lights out by seven-thirty or she won’t be up and ready for dance class in the morning.” Heather talked as she moved around the kitchen without stopping.
I resisted rolling my eyes. I knew all of this. And if Heather would leave the kids’ dishes out, I’d put them in the dishwasher and wipe the table down for her. I wasn’t sure if the problem was that my sister-in-law couldn’t give anyone else control, or if she genuinely couldn’t remember that she’d told me all this
dozens of times.
“No problem,” I answered, teeth gritted a little.
“Heather, come on! We’ve got to get going if we’re going to make our reservation,” Luke hollered from the living room.
“I haven’t told you about the emergency numbers,” she said, eyes wide with panic.
“They’re on the fridge and I have them in my cell phone already. I’ve got this under control. Enjoy your evening.” I tried to herd her toward the front door. Luke was always a stickler for punctuality, and I knew it would start their night off badly if he was grumpy about being late.
Heather still needed to find her shoes, then change them because she didn’t like them with her dress, then move things from her regular mom bag to her going-out purse. Still, after kissing her children twice and finally moving out of the door, Luke’s mouth wasn’t quite in its thinnest line, so I knew they would probably have a good time.
Jacob’s lip quivered as the door closed. He looked up at me with big eyes starting to fill with tears. Fast action was required.
“Hey, you two,” I began, crouching down a little and putting my hands up, fingers spread. “You better run! I’m going to get you!”
Abby squealed and danced in place with delight before yelling, “Run, Jakey, run!”
The little boy looked from his sister to me and back again before smiling shakily and toddling off into the living room. Abby shrieked and pelted after him.
I gave a roar and began stomping loudly as I followed slowly behind.
That game kept us occupied for at least twenty minutes. Then it was time for a snack. Abby did indeed request fruit snacks but settled for apples and crackers without too much fuss. We put on an episode of whatever kids’ show Abby currently loved best, and I enjoyed snuggling Jacob while he guzzled his bottle.