The Rancher's Second Chance

by Victoria James

  Cole dragged his hands through his hair. He felt as though she’d just chucked a bottle of ice water on him. He had thought they were getting somewhere, that all the little pieces of Mel that didn’t quite add up would finally be sorted. He turned, watching silently as she sat down, yanked the plate of cold food onto her lap, and began cutting her steak. “You’re kidding me, Mel?”

  She shoved a forkful of meat into her mouth. “You are right; tempeh burgers aren’t even in the same realm as this.”

  He took the plate off her lap and placed it on the table. “Don’t do this.”

  She ignored him and reached for the plate. “I’m hungry.”

  “No, you’re hiding.”

  She lifted her wineglass and finished the contents. “Tell me about Sarah.”

  He stared at her, wondering what the hell was going on. He thought he knew women. He thought he understood them, so why she’d bring up Sarah, now, was beyond him. “Why do you want to know about Sarah now?”

  She shrugged. “Okay, why don’t you tell me more about this deal you’re negotiating?”

  He frowned. The last thing he wanted to discuss was business, no matter how happy he was about the deal he’d put together. “I know you think you’re clever because of the whole test thing, but you’re not fooling me.” His attempt at gentle teasing earned him a slight smile that only made him more certain she was holding onto something big.

  His iPhone vibrated loudly on the wooden coffee table. Melanie looked relieved at the interruption. The display lit up and from where he was sitting he could see Cori’s picture. “It’s Cori,” he whispered, tapping the screen to answer her call. Relief coursed through him as his sister’s voice filled the other end of the line. He ended the call a moment later.

  “Cori’s at the airport. Want to come back to the ranch with me?”

  She nodded, jumping off the sofa. “Absolutely.—”

  He stood and gently grasped her wrist. She stopped and turned to him. “This conversation isn’t over. Tomorrow or the next day or however long it takes. You’re going to let me in, Melanie.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “That’s Cori,” Cole said, his gaze darting from hers to the window. They were in the great room at the ranch. Cole had been pacing for the last ten minutes. He ran down the hallway and whipped open the front door, pausing to wait for her to go through. They both ran down the porch steps as Adam emerged from the car. Seconds later Cori slowly came out, Adam helping her. Cole ran out to the car. He wrapped Cori in his arms and Melanie smiled. There was no doubt he was the doting older brother. She rubbed her arms, feeling cold. How she missed her time with Meredith. The hugs, the familial ties, the memories that could only come from growing up together.

  She walked over and Cori made eye contact with her, withdrawing from Cole’s arms. Adam was busy retrieving the luggage from the trunk.

  “How are you, sweetie?” she asked, giving her friend a big hug. Cori looked pale and fragile. “Wiped. I can’t believe I’m getting married in two days,” she whispered. Melanie heard the exhaustion in her voice, and she hoped that was all.

  “You should get inside and rest,” Cole said, putting his arm around her.

  “That sounds great,” she whispered. “So, you two manage to get along okay for all the last-minute wedding details?”

  Melanie knew her face was bright red, and she couldn’t even look at Cole. She hoped to God he’d answer on her behalf.

  “Absolutely. Don’t you worry about a thing. Mrs. H has soup simmering on the stove for you and fresh biscuits.”

  Mrs. H’s squeal cut him off, and they looked up to see her in the doorway of the house. Cori gave her a little wave. “So good to be home,” she said and Cole helped her up the steps. Seconds later Mrs. H was fussing over and enveloping her in a motherly embrace.

  “My poor child. You are to sit on the couch. I’ll put a nice warm blanket around you, and then I’m going to feed you. You are not to move until you go up to bed,” she said, wrapping an arm around Cori and ushering her into the house.

  They followed along with Adam who set the luggage down on the front rug.

  “Adam, I’ll get you some food as well—”

  “Thanks, Mrs. Harris, but I’ll just bring our stuff upstairs and return a few phone calls while you all fuss over Cori. Cori, darling, you okay?”

  Cori smiled at him and nodded while Cole stood in the doorway frowning.

  “I can help you with those, Adam,” Cole said. Melanie watched the two men leave the room and tried not to laugh at Cole’s attempt at being nice. Melanie followed Mrs. H and Cori into the great room. “I’ll help her get settled, Mrs. H. Why don’t you get her the soup?”

  Mrs. Harris nodded in agreement and bustled out of the room. Melanie helped her friend settle on the couch and placed a wool throw around her legs. She sat down beside her. This was one of those times that she realized how different her life had been. How cold her parents had been compared to other families. The way everyone was fussing and doting over Cori was the way family should be. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” Melanie said, sitting next to her.

  Cori turned to smile at her, but it looked strained. “Thanks for everything. I know my brother isn’t the easiest to work with.”

  A gush of heat infused her face and she tried to look normal. “Oh it was fine. Not a problem. Everything is ready to go. All you have to do is show up, honey.”

  Seconds later Mrs. Harris was appearing with a bed tray filled with steaming soup and warm biscuits. “Here you go, my dear,” she said, settling the tray on Cori’s lap.

  “I’ve had this simmering all day,” she said, fussing until she was sure everything was perfect. She stood until Cori took the first spoonful and sighed.

  “This is heaven,” she said after swallowing. “Thank you, Mrs. H.”

  The elderly woman rushed out of the room after hanging around to make sure Cori took more than a few spoons of the soup. Once she was gone, Melanie turned to Cori.

  “So everything went okay with the surgery?”

  Cori’s spoonful of soup stopped halfway to her mouth. “It went as good as can be expected for a ruptured appendix.” She said it so matter-of-factly that it took a moment for the problem to register.

  “Oh no, they couldn’t remove it in time?”

  Cori took another spoonful of soup and shook her head. “No, it was too late.”

  Melanie frowned, worried as her friend slowly stopped eating. “But that’s fine, right? I mean, you hear about this all the time, right?”

  “It is. I am making a great recovery. But, um, the doctor told us when there’s a ruptured appendix, it can affect your fertility.”

  Melanie took a deep breath. “You don’t know that. It doesn’t happen to everyone, right?”

  “Right. You’re right,” she said, nodding.

  Melanie watched her friend closely. “And Adam? What did he say?”

  Cori sighed. “He was great. My rock. He said whatever happens, happens, and we’ll face it together.”

  Melanie didn’t say anything, but she knew that Cori had the look of a woman who was thoroughly loved. Very different from Meredith’s expression the other night when she spoke of her fiancée.

  “So let’s talk about you. When I called the house to tell Mrs. H I was arriving home, she said something about Cole being out with you?”

  Melanie nodded slowly, trying to come up with a reason she would be out with Cole. She and Cole had never discussed saying anything to his family about them, not that there even was a them. What was she thinking? That was it. She was probably overthinking. She was the first woman since Sarah. A man like that didn’t just settle for the first woman who came his way.

  “He had to help me out with some of the wedding planning.”

  She curled her legs under her, and Melanie helped her settle back against the cushions. “My brother?”

  Melanie’s heartbeat quickened. “Yes, he was really quite accommodating.”
/>
  Cori frowned. “Again, just to be clear, we’re talking about Cole?”

  Melanie nodded rapidly and then forced a smile on her face. “Enough about that. We need to get you strong. We’ve got a wedding the day after tomorrow.” She jumped to her feet. “I should really place a few calls to make sure everyone is good to go. Did you notice the lights on the trees outside?”

  “No, but I know everything will be gorgeous, Mel.”

  “I wish all my clients were like you,” she said with a laugh, turning around to look at her friend again. “Why don’t I help you upstairs so you can rest? Do you think you can sleep?”

  Cori nodded. “I feel like I could sleep for days actually.”

  “You poor thing,” Melanie said, taking her friend’s tray and resting it on the coffee table. She bent down and helped Cori off the sofa and the two of them slowly made their way up the stairs. “I think Mrs. H or Cole would have my head if they knew I was transporting you without their help,” she whispered.

  Cori smiled. “I know. And I didn’t finish all the soup, which would be a lecture for sure.”

  Melanie opened her friend’s bedroom door and smiled. Mrs. Harris had already drawn the bedcovers and fresh flowers and a glass of water were waiting on the bedside table. “Oh, is Mrs. H the best or what?”

  Cori climbed into bed with a groan. “I know. She’s a lifesaver.”

  Melanie helped tuck the covers around Cori and then stepped back. “Why don’t I close the curtains and let you sleep?” She was already crossing the room.

  “Thanks. Don’t worry about me. Adam will be in soon.”

  She glanced back at her friend whose eyes were already shut. She wrapped her hand around the cool doorknob, and closed the door quietly.

  …

  Cole paused for a moment; Melanie shut the door to Cori’s bedroom. She turned, her eyes making contact with him from the other end of the long corridor. Blood began pumping in his veins with a force he was getting used to. It happened every time she was in the vicinity.

  His gaze roamed her body appreciatively. Her long hair was tied back in a disheveled knot, and he could still make out the green of her eyes, even with the dim lighting. He walked toward her, his mind on how it was going to feel to pull her into him again. He missed her. He missed being alone with her, even though it had only been a few hours. But it wasn’t enough. He wanted to know more, wanted to feel more, because he was falling for her. He wanted to continue their conversation until there were no secrets left between them.

  The second he reached her, he pulled her into his arms and everything felt so damn perfect, something he hadn’t felt in years. For a long time he never believed anything would ever be perfect again. But Melanie, soft and sweet in his arms, was right.

  “How’s Cori?”

  “Good. Sleeping. She said Adam would spend the night with her.”

  Perfect. That was exactly where Adam should be, with his sister. Cole pulled her hand and led her down the staircase. “Come on.”

  “Where are we going?” she whispered.

  “I’m thinking we need to get out of here,” he said, standing close to her. “Are you warm enough for a long walk?”

  “Walk?”

  He nodded. “To the cabin.”

  “I was thinking about your cabin actually.” Her voice held a note of something that he couldn’t quite figure out.

  His eyes lingered on her mouth. “Is that right?”

  She nodded. “I was thinking maybe we could go up there, on a horse. I’ve been thinking about things since Meredith came to visit me. There were things she accused me of, and one of them was me being a coward.”

  “You’re not a coward.”

  “She’s right. I ran away, and I’ve been hiding. There is not a man in the world that I trust more than you,” she whispered. She looked up him, green eyes filled with trust. His gut clenched; the importance of what she was saying, and what she wasn’t saying, hitting him with an ominous thud.

  He leaned down to kiss her, softly folding her in his arms, knowing all of this was more than he ever wanted, but also knowing he couldn’t deny any of his feelings for her. Whatever it was she was holding back, he wanted her to feel safe enough to let him in completely. He pulled back slightly, framing her gorgeous face with his hands. “Thank you for trusting me.”

  “Let’s go; let’s do this before I chicken out,” she whispered.

  He took her hand in his, and they silently made their way to the front of the house. He stopped in to let Mrs. Harris know he would be at the cabin for the night and to watch over Cori. And then on his way out the door, he added that Melanie was coming with him. He’d practically run out before she could question him. Once they were bundled up, they headed outside and walked toward the barn. He pushed the door aside and the pleasant, familiar smell of horses greeted them. King whickered softly as they approached the stalls and he stopped walking when he felt a tremor run through Melanie’s hand.

  He looked down at her, and she forced a smile on her face. She looked pale, but she gave him a nod. He knew exactly how he was going to do this.

  “You sure?”

  She nodded. “I’m going to ride Cinnamon, then?”

  He paused, slipping on his gloves. “Not exactly. I was thinking Rusty might be perfect for you.” He glanced at her and tried not to smile at her frown as they walked down the corridor.

  “Rusty? Why do I get the feeling I should be insulted?”

  He laughed and then leaned forward to give her a quick kiss. “Not insulted, just reassured. Rusty is a charming, old gelding who is calm as can be. We let kids ride Rusty, and he’s always patient and kind.”

  “Well, I’m right up his alley then, since he’s used to short people.” She shot him a smile, and he had to admire her attempt at humor even though he could tell she was nervous as hell. He half expected her to change her mind, and he wouldn’t have blamed her. Wanting to conquer your fears was one thing; actually doing it was another. He was hell-bent on helping her and making this a positive experience. He hated the thought of Mel being afraid of anything.

  He stopped walking when they reached Rusty’s stall and motioned with his head. “Mel, meet Rusty.”

  …

  Melanie turned from Cole’s warm gaze to look at the occupant of the stall. She took a deep breath and almost smiled at the sight. He was a sturdy fellow and his big, wide eyes met hers. She tried to dismiss the perceptive look in them. Rusty had the presence of a wise old man.

  “Here, sweetheart, step aside and I’ll lead him out.”

  Melanie nodded and stood watching as Cole rubbed Rusty’s nose and then grabbed his reins and led him into the corridor.

  “Everything good?” he asked, placing a blanket on the old horse’s back and then hefting a saddle on top of it, making a few slight adjustments.

  Melanie nodded when he looked over at her. She took a deep breath and tried to focus on the cowboy and not the horse. This was surprisingly easy. In his battered Stetson, dark brown work coat, and worn jeans, Cole was breathtaking. He was larger than life, strong and capable. Yet he was a man who gained nothing by making her weak. He was a man who was strong enough to allow her to be strong.

  He shot her a level stare. “You can do this, Mel. Let’s get him outside.”

  She searched those brown eyes, and standing there, about to conquer one of her biggest phobias, she knew she was in love with him. Whether or not he was over Sarah, whether or not he could ever love her back, she was in love with Cole. She nodded, blinking a few times at the sting of tears. He was confident she could do this. He believed in her.

  “When you’re riding, don’t worry about having to do much. Rusty will do everything for you, nice and easy with the reins. Focus on the landscape, the air…” He paused and leaned down to her ear. She grabbed his waist. “On what we’re going to do at the cabin,” he whispered in a husky, low growl.

  She cleared her throat and pulled back slightly, trying to hol
d her smile in. “Do? What did you have in mind, cowboy?”

  He smiled a slow, devilish smile that robbed her of breath. “You can spend the entire ride up there wondering. Let’s go,” he said with a wink.

  It took her a moment to focus again. He was standing beside Rusty waiting for her.

  “I’ll help you mount.”

  “I can do it.” She wouldn’t be able to do it well, but she had done it a few times, and she had watched Meredith hundreds of times. Melanie took a deep breath, cautiously placed her foot in the stirrup, and then grabbed hold of the saddle horn. She paused for a moment and shut her eyes. She fought down the waves of nausea, the panic. I can do this. She let out a long breath and then hauled herself up and swung her leg over the saddle and settled in the seat with a thud. And then smiled. She probably looked like an idiot. It was likely the worst mount Cole had ever witnessed, but she’d done it. She glanced over at him and the pride in his brown eyes was so obvious.

  “You may look like a girlie-girl, Mel, but you’ve got guts, sweetheart.”

  Once Cole made sure her boot was properly positioned in the stirrup, he gave her a once-over. “We’re going to do this together, okay? You know I’d never let anything happen to you, right?”

  Melanie nodded. The wind whipped around them, bringing with it swirling snow. For a moment she didn’t feel any of the cold; she just felt the warmth he offered. “I trust you,” she said, staring straight into his eyes. He gave her a short nod and squeezed her thigh before walking back into the barn. He kept talking as he led an impressive, dark brown horse out of the stall and outside with them. He was on his horse in seconds, his movements graceful and seasoned.

  Minutes later they were walking at a leisurely pace, Cole talking in a reassuring and gentle voice. Her nerves eased and she began to enjoy the company of the man beside her and the majestic terrain around them. A dusting of snow graced the rolling hills, a reminder that winter was still here for weeks to come.