Second Chance Ranch

by Jenna Hendricks

  Hank’s face was pale, as expected, but his cheeks were sunken in, and his brown eyes had lost their shine. Logan could tell his father wasn’t feeling well at all. He even wondered if the man shouldn’t still be in the hospital. Logan hated that insurance companies kicked patients out way too soon, but couldn’t he have gone to a nursing home or something?

  Thankfully, they had purchased a higher level of insurance, the kind not available through universal healthcare—a.k.a. a Cadillac Plan. A nurse would come into the house every day for a few hours until she wasn’t needed anymore. Logan was very grateful his parents hadn’t cut back on their insurance plan when money was tight. So many other Americans had done just that and regretted it.

  Guilt riddled his mind and his heart. He knew he should have come home sooner. His father kept saying it was all under control, but deep down, Logan knew it wasn’t. If only he wasn’t so selfish.

  Had he come home a year ago like he’d originally thought he would, his pops may not have had a heart attack. He could still be working the store and teasing him mercilessly about his bad haircut, or some such nonsense. But nooo, he had to be selfish and stay in LA with all those models—whom he never had the guts to ask out—and his easy lifestyle. If only he would have listened to his heart instead of his head. That was his problem: he always listened to his head and ignored his heart.

  He’d be married to the most wonderful woman in the world right now if he had only listened to his heart.

  Sleep was a long time in coming, and he couldn’t stop his mind from going back to high school and all the great times he had with Lizzie. If only he could turn back time and change the one decision he’d regretted for the past ten years.

  If only…

  Chapter 5

  “Alright Pops, I’m heading into the store. Leah’s going to train me today. Not that I need training. I helped you run the store most of my life, but she says you’ve made a lot of changes since I went away.” Logan shrugged and decided he wouldn’t let his father know how much it bugged him that Leah had to show him the ropes in his family store.

  It was his own fault for not being more involved over the years. Even when he did come home for Christmas or another holiday, he’d stayed away from the store. Logan had no desire to let his parents think he had wanted to come home before now. Another mistake on his part. If only he had been a better son.

  “Leah, I don’t see much has changed since I left for college. You have a few new lines of product, but everything else seems to be the same.” He scratched his head and looked at his little sister as they toured the family’s general store.

  The feed section moved to a different spot, but it looked like it was just to make more room for the farm and ranch equipment they sold in the store. He was surprised to see so much of what could easily be purchased online sitting in the store. If he had been running the place, he would have had samples on hand and then drop-shipped the larger tools and equipment to ranches and farms instead of carrying so much in inventory. Especially since they seemed to be very tight on funds as of late.

  The clothing section looked better, more up to date. That had to be Leah’s influence. He was glad his sister had updated the fashions for the local cowboys and cowgirls. His mother and father had always kept such outdated choices in stock. Which they rarely sold. Only the basics, like work jeans and shirts, ever sold much. Certainly with some updated fashion choices, the local men and woman would choose to shop here more often than travel to Bozeman for their needs, or go online.

  But what did he know? He purchased most of his clothes online. He did buy his suits from a local men’s shop, but only because the owner was someone he knew from church. Otherwise, he probably would have continued to buy his suits from Penny’s, like he had done growing up.

  After taking another stroll through the large store, he realized there wasn’t anything that necessitated his sister showing him the ropes, as she’d put it earlier.

  Was this some sort of ploy for her to be his boss? He thought they had outgrown such nonsense long ago, but maybe Leah was trying to get back at him for all the times he’d lorded his position as big brother over her? He wasn’t sure, but he wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt.

  “Actually, big brother, I wanted to make sure I had the entire day with you. There are a few things, like the cash register and accounting system, that have changed, but for the most part it’s all the same. However, I think we need to talk about a few things, and I didn’t want anyone getting in the way.” Leah bit her lip, and her nervousness was evident in the way she fidgeted and wouldn’t look him in the eyes.

  He crossed his arms over his chest and took a deep breath, waiting for the shoe to drop. “Alright, give it to me straight. What’s going on?”

  At his tone of voice, Leah looked up with wide eyes and stammered, “Ah, um, well, I think it’s good you’re home.” She winced and twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “But a few things are different. Like Dad. He won’t be able to work for a while. And when he does come back to the store, it’ll only be part time. His doctor said his heart was too weak to deal with much stress.” She gulped and waited for his response.

  Logan ran a hand over his chin. “This required us both in the store all day? Of course Pops isn’t ever coming back to running the store. That’s why I quit my job and moved home instead of taking a leave of absence.” He wasn’t sure what Leah thought about his move back home, but surely she realized he was home for good, right?

  “There’s more.” Taking a deep breath, Leah prepared herself to tell her big brother the other things going on, but was interrupted by the high-pitched and annoying chime of the door.

  Logan chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t think a serious conversation is going to happen in the store. We should go for a walk after dinner tonight.”

  Without waiting for a response from his sister, Logan made his way to the front of the store to greet the customer.

  “Logan? Is that you, son?” A burly man at least eighty years old greeted him with a toothy smile when he stepped past the counter displaying large and shiny belt buckles.

  “Mr. Macon. So good to see you still alive and kicking. How long’s it been—what, eight or nine years since the last time I saw you?” Logan chuckled and looked around conspiratorially. “I hear you’re dating Ms. Barton, you old coot! I knew you were a ladies’ man, but a woman ten years your junior? Good for you.” He put his hand out to shake the older rancher’s hand.

  Mr. Macon smiled. “Please, you’re an adult now. Call me Charlie.”

  They shook hands, and Logan asked, “How can I help you today, Charlie?” He realized then that the old man had ignored his teasing about the widowed school teacher.

  Even before Logan left for college, everyone knew that Charlie had a crush on Ms. Barton, but she wasn’t ready to take off her widow’s clothes. It seemed she finally had, and had been seen in Charlie’s company for the past few months. Logan hoped they could find happiness together. Not that he was a romantic or anything, but he did think that it would be nice to grow old with someone, someday. And he thought all nice people deserved happiness.

  “Oh, I don’t really need much. Just checking on my regular order of grain and hay. Plus”—Charlie looked around to make sure no one was listening, then lowered his voice—“I heard you were back, and I wanted to see if you had met the new John Deere rep.”

  Logan’s brows furrowed. “No, not yet. Is it someone I know?” He couldn’t figure out why meeting the new rep would be important. Well, okay, maybe it was important since they were the local John Deere distributors, but still, why did Charlie care? Unless it was one of his old buddies from high school? That might make for interesting gossip.

  Nothing was more important to the elderly around town than gossip. He remembered as a boy working in the store that Charlie and a few of his buddies would sit in the corner by the window, playing chess or checkers and talking about everyone who walked by the store or came inside. Most
of it was harmless chatter, but once in a while they would end up with something salacious. Almost as crazy as the women who sat at the front booth in the diner across the street doing basically the same thing.

  Charlie’s deep chuckle and grin had Logan curious. “No, I don’t think you do. But he’s someone you should probably get to know.”

  “Well, I suppose I’ll meet him next time he comes to the store.” Before Logan could ask anything else, the bell chimed again and he looked to see who was coming in.

  “Go on, help your customers. I’m just going to get a drink and head to the game table and wait for the boys. We have a checkers tournament going this week.” Charlie waggled his bushy brows. “And the stakes are high this time. We’re betting on BBQ.”

  “Uh oh, you better pay attention. You don’t want old Mr. Cannon winning.” Logan smiled and walked away, remembering the last time he’d had BBQ from Mr. Cannon. It was black, and so dry he had to drink a whole glass of lemonade just to get a few bites down. No one wanted anything that old man cooked.

  The customer who came through the door wasn’t anyone he remembered, but he still needed to keep a friendly smile on and greet them. Hopefully he could get a few good sales in today and end up in the black for the week.

  He’d also need to speak with his mother about some of the high-end merchandise they held. In this day and age there shouldn’t be a need to keep that much in stock, unless it was just something they did for the harvest season. He hoped they would sell the equipment soon and get the expenses off their books before the Christmas shopping season.

  They’d need the capital to help stock the shelves with Christmas decorations and supplies. Even though online shopping was picking up, they still had plenty of foot traffic from late fall through the Christmas season, or so Leah had said. Even for them it was one of their best times of the year.

  “Hello, welcome to Hayes General Store. How can I help you?” Logan gave his best welcoming smile and hoped the man walking into his store was there to buy equipment. Maybe even something large.

  The customer turned to him and smiled in response. The man looked to be a rancher or a farmer, with dirty jeans, a half-untucked button-up shirt with smudges on the front, and a large-rimmed cowboy hat. He appeared to have spent most of the morning outside working.

  “Hi, you must be Logan. I heard you were returning to help your father. I was very sorry to hear about his heart attack. My wife, Suzy, is sending over a roast with fresh vegetables and a fruit salad. Her father suffered a heart attack a few years back, and his doctor said he needed to stop eating sweets and get in more fresh veggies.” The man shook his head.

  “Thank you, Mister…?” Logan raised his brows and waited for the man to introduce himself.

  “Oh, where are my manners. Sorry about that—I’m George Lincoln. We bought the old Hernandez ranch a few years back. I guess we’re sort of neighbors.” The man put his hand out, and Logan shook it.

  “Yes, my dad told me about your family. We were very happy to hear that someone was able to buy the land and bring it back to its former glory. I was very sorry that none of Mr. Hernandez’s children wanted to run the ranch once he passed away. And thank you for thinking about my family. A change in diet is going to be very important, and I’m sure Ma will appreciate any help your wife can give her in regards to recipes and ideas for healthy meals.” He was very grateful for any help his parents could get.

  Maybe if more locals can share their recipes and experiences, my family will have an easier time making the changes needed to help Pops. Logan knew it was going to be an uphill battle to get his parents to eat right. They had a nightly ritual that always included ice cream, even in the cold of winter. That was one more thing he’d have to add to his list of items to look up online. There had to be healthy ways of making ice cream without too much dairy or any of those harsh chemicals.

  Logan looked expectantly at his customer and neighbor. He wasn’t sure what the protocol was in this situation, but he was raised to be a gentleman, so he wouldn’t push the man into buying anything. “Are you raising cattle as well as farming? I think my pops said something about you having a very rambunctious bull?”

  Mr. Lincoln chuckled and rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Ah, yes. Duke. It seems he doesn’t take too kindly to being penned in. He keeps breaking the gate and getting out. He’s even made his way to your pastures. I think he has a thing for one or two of your heifers. He continues to search them out.” He wiggled his brows and laughed.

  Logan shook his head and smiled. “I see. Well, I guess you’re here to find something to keep your gates locked tighter?” This wasn’t the first time a rancher came in needing help to keep a rambunctious bull in check. And he was sure it wouldn’t be the last, either.

  “Follow me. I’ll show you a few items we have to help keep the gate locked.” Logan led Mr. Lincoln to their shelf full of locks and chains. That crazy bull probably needed a chain on his gate. He was also going to need a metal gate, if he didn’t already have one, just to make sure that the bull didn’t break it with his eagerness for the girls.

  Chapter 6

  While Logan was in the back checking a phone order, he heard the ring of the bell and his sister called out that she would help the new customer. He went back to his work without paying any attention to the front of the store.

  When he was done filling the order, Logan went out front to see if he was needed for anything, and he stopped in his tracks. His heart began beating so fast he thought he was going to have a heart attack. His hand went to his chest, and he rubbed at the pain he hadn’t felt in several years. In fact, he hadn’t felt this pain since the last time he had seen her.

  For the past ten years, he’d regretted his decision every single day. Logan had tried to talk to her last time, but she’d refused. She had just walked away from him without a word. When he tried to get her to stop, she waved a hand and took off running. Still without a word. She hated him so much, she couldn’t even stand to look at him or at the very least say hi.

  She hadn’t noticed him yet, and he questioned his sanity when he took another step closer to her. He wanted nothing more than to say hi and see how she was doing. Leah had told him when she’d come home from college, and that she was dating again. But he still wanted to hear all the details of her job. Did she like it as much as she always thought she would?

  As his steps brought him closer and closer to the only woman he would ever love, his mouth went dry, and he had to put his thumbs in his back pockets to keep himself from reaching out to her.

  Her back was still to him, but he knew it was her. He would never forget the way her hair shone and the beautiful auburn color that always made him smile when the red in her hair caught sun’s rays. It was also tinged with a few strands of very light brown. Most likely from her mother’s side of the family.

  Leah looked up at him with a frown just before the woman of his dreams turned around.

  “Logan? What are you doing here?” Lizzie blurted.

  He couldn’t speak. His heart leapt with the sound of her voice. Those six little words, while not quite welcoming, were an improvement over the last time he saw her.

  She’d spoken to him.

  It had been nearly ten years since she’d railed at him for leaving her, and every time he had seen her since, she ignored him. Finally! Words directed at him, and they weren’t harsh or loud. The beginnings of a smile formed on his lips, and he was about to answer her when his sister did.

  “He’s back home for good. Didn’t you hear?” Leah furrowed her brow in confusion, certain she had told her friend that Logan was moving home.

  Elizabeth shook her head. “Yes. Sorry, you did tell me he was moving back. I guess I had thought he would only be here for a few days to help your dad during his recovery. I never expected he would be in the store.” She turned her back on him again as though he wasn’t even there.

  But Logan wasn’t going to let this chance get past him. “Hi, L
izzie. It’s good to see you again. You haven’t changed a bit.” Stupid. What a stupid thing to say the first time speaking to her in almost a decade.

  Without turning around, she responded, “I don’t go by Lizzie anymore. It’s Elizabeth now.”

  Logan’s stomach churned at the cold, dismissive tone of her voice. “Sorry, Elizabeth. How’s your practice? I heard you were working with old Mr. Owens.”

  “Fine.” She took two steps away, and Leah followed Liz… Elizabeth, the two of them speaking about an order she had placed.

  It was progress. He had to believe that what had just happened was progress. She’d spoken to him. If he was going to have a chance with her ever again, he had to remember to take it slow. He would see her a lot more now. With such a small town, and theirs the only general store in town, he knew their paths would cross. Plus, they went to the same church.

  Well, unless she had changed churches in the past few years, but he doubted it. Leah had told him all about the church picnic and softball game last year. Li … Elizabeth. He was going to have to remember to call her by her full name until she gave him permission to use the nickname he had given her as kids. Anyway, Elizabeth had helped his family’s church win the tournament against the Catholic church in town.

  There were only four churches in Beacon Creek. One Catholic—St. Marks. Then there was St. John’s Presbyterian, and two independent churches—Grace Christian and Beacon Creek Baptist. They all went to the Baptist church. He wondered if she would change churches because of him, but shook away the idea as preposterous. Elizabeth had grown up at Beacon Creek Baptist, just like he had. She wouldn’t leave the only church she had ever been a member of. Well, in the area, anyway. He didn’t doubt she had found a good church close to her college, but that was a long way from Beacon Creek.