Second Chance Ranch

by Jenna Hendricks

  Until that day, she’d honestly thought Max was a good guy, someone who might help her get over Logan. Then she would be able to give her heart to him. But as she took off her blinders and saw the real man standing before her, she doubted they were a good match.

  Great, another man who hid who he really was and only wanted what served him best. She was beginning to think that maybe the reason Max was so helpful to everyone was just a ploy to get them to trust him so he could sell them more tractors or services. Only a truly selfish person would act in such a way.

  She didn’t want anything to do with selfish people, but she wasn’t sure she was ready yet to give up the only man since Logan who had attracted her. The only man she’d enjoyed being with over the past ten years.

  “I know you just got back from a business trip, but I think I need time alone to think about all of this. You may not be the man I thought you were.” She couldn’t look him in the eyes. Elizabeth knew if she did, she’d be trapped in his kind eyes and forgive him. She wasn’t ready to forgive his selfishness. He didn’t deserve it.

  Two days later, Chloe had come up with a plan to get her sister into the general store while Leah worked to get Logan into the storeroom.

  “Logan, can you help me with a few of the fifty-pound bags of dog food? They’re a little bit heavy for me.” Leah smiled innocently up at her brother.

  “What? Now that I’m here, you’re too weak to carry bags?” He smirked at her, knowing she was being lazy. His sister had been hauling the large bags of feed since she started high school. There was no way she needed help.

  When he came into the store on Monday, he half expected her to pull some sort of prank on him after the way she’d been scheming with Chloe at the church picnic. When nothing out of the ordinary happened all day, he thought he might have been overreacting. Now, though, he knew she was up to something. It was smart of her to wait until Tuesday. He might have forgotten what he’d overheard if he hadn’t been so caught up in trying to figure out her game.

  “No, I just know that you need to get back into shape. I’m not sure what you did in LA for exercise, but whatever it was, it didn’t help you.” She squeezed his biceps and shook her head.

  Logan swatted her hand away and exclaimed, “Hey, my guns are bigger now than they’ve ever been. I’ll have you know I worked out regularly in a gym while I was away.” He puffed his chest out and felt a small amount of pride at the way his body had developed.

  His sister shook her head and pursed her lips. “Sorry bro, but a gym just doesn’t do the same for a body as actual hard labor in the store or on a ranch.” She shrugged and headed toward the storeroom with her phone in her back pocket.

  Chloe and her sister were walking down the main road in town, heading toward the diner. “Oh, I need to head into the general store for an order I placed. Let’s go there before lunch just to see if it’s in yet.”

  Elizabeth shook her head and stopped on the sidewalk two stores away from Logan’s family store. “How about I head over to the diner and get us a booth and order you a tea?” She had zero desire to see Logan again, and was planning on never entering the general store unless she knew he wasn’t there.

  Sighing, Chloe took her sister’s arm and pulled her forward. “Come on, He Who Shall Not Be Named isn’t in the store this morning. You’re safe.”

  “How do you know he isn’t?” Elizabeth hesitantly followed behind her sister. She could have yanked her arm away, but decided to move forward and see if the store really was safe.

  “I heard him talking yesterday about having to deliver an order and being gone most of today. Don’t worry—you’ll be fine.”

  Not really sure what to do, she followed her sister into the town’s only general store.

  Chapter 10

  The bell above the door jingled, and Leah told her brother she’d help the customer.

  When she left the storeroom, he was sorting through the mess she had purposely made with the bags of dog food mixed with feed for the horses. She knew he’d be busy for at least ten more minutes before he wondered what his sister was up to.

  With a devious smile and the thought that they might actually succeed at their mission, Leah walked toward the front of the store with some pep in her step.

  “Chloe, Elizabeth, how can I help you today?” Leah’s smile brightened her face as she stepped closer to her partner in crime.

  “Hi Leah, I came in to see if my special order had arrived yet.” The glint in Chloe’s eyes would have tipped Elizabeth off to something if she had been facing her sister. Instead, her back was toward her twin as she looked at her partner in crime and waited for the sign to get things going.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, it came in with this morning’s delivery. If you’ll come with me, you can pick it up now.” Leah waved for the girls to follow her as she headed toward the back room where her brother unknowingly awaited their trap.

  “Why don’t I just wait out here for you?” Elizabeth asked as she looked around the store, hesitant to head to the back where Logan could come in if he finished his delivery early.

  Leah and Chloe stiffened and looked at each other. Chloe stuttered, “Ahh,” and her eyes opened wide as she tried to come up with a reason to get her sister into the back.

  “Actually, you might need to help your sister carry it out. The box is kinda big.” Leah’s quick thinking saved the day, and Elizabeth shrugged before following the scheming girls to the back.

  When they arrived at the storeroom door, Leah opened it. “Please.” She held the door open and motioned for Elizabeth to enter first. Chloe was right behind her.

  But before Chloe could enter, Leah slammed the door and engaged the bolt and put the lock on it. She swiped her hands—“There, that’s how it’s done”—and put them on her hips. “Come on, let’s get up front and leave them alone for a while. Something tells me they’re going to be a bit loud at first.”

  Both girls giggled and headed to the front of the store with thoughts of late fall or early winter wedding bells ringing in their ears.

  Elizabeth turned around when she heard the door slam and tried the handle. The door wouldn’t budge. She pounded a hand against it and yelled. Nothing. “Come on, open up. Ha ha ha. Really funny, Leah.”

  She turned around when she heard the sound of boots slapping on the concrete floor. When she saw who it was, she put a hand to her chest. “Geez, you scared me. What are you doing in here?”

  “I think the better question is, what are you doing in here?” Logan looked at the closed door behind Elizabeth and scowled.

  “I think our sisters locked us up in here. Together.” She matched his scowl and vowed to get her sister back for this prank.

  Logan walked to the door and pulled on the handle.

  “Don’t bother—they locked us in.” Elizabeth sighed and stepped away.

  He continued to pull on the door and yelled out, “Hey, this isn’t cool. It’s also a fire hazard. Leah, I’m going to kill you if you don’t open this door right away!” He knew it was futile, but he had to try anyway. Even though he wanted time with Elizabeth, he didn’t want it this way.

  Forcing Elizabeth into a corner wasn’t the way to get her to open up to him.

  “I’m sorry. My sister means well, but her idea of helping is waaaaaayyyyy off.” He sliced his hand through the air, huffed, and walked to the back of the room and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “I’ll text her.”

  “It wasn’t just your sister—it was mine as well.” She pulled her phone out of her purse and texted her sister. She didn’t move her eyes from the screen as she waited for a response. After five minutes of waiting, she sighed and put her phone in her back pocket after turning the ringer back on. “Looks like we’re stuck here.”

  Logan ran his fingers through his hair. “Again, I’m sorry. But since we are alone, can we talk?”

  The fear that shone in her eyes was enough to tell him she wasn’t ready yet.

  “I
don’t think so.” Elizabeth walked to the other side of the room and sat down against the far wall.

  At the front of the store, Leah turned to Chloe. “Let’s go back and check on them. I wonder if they’re talking, or something else?” Leah giggled.

  “Um, I doubt they’ll be doing anything other than glaring at each other right now. My sister is still really mad at your brother for what he did.”

  Leah quirked her lips and thought for a minute. “I was really mad at him, too. I have no clue why he refused to call her up and apologize when he realized he made a big mistake.”

  “Men.”

  “Yeah, men,” Leah grumbled.

  After a few moments of awkward silence, Chloe decided to change the subject.

  “Soooo, I hear you’re dating that new guy who runs the Banner ranch. What’s his name?” Chloe wiggled her brows and waited for Leah to answer.

  A dreamy sigh escaped her lips, and she stared out into space. “Yeah, Westin is really nice. He’s such a gentleman, and those blue-gray eyes of his mesmerize me every time I look into them.”

  Chloe giggled. “I guess you’ve found your man?”

  She shook her head and felt the heat from a blush creep up her neck and into her cheeks. “I don’t know. It’s too soon to tell. What about you? You dating anyone?”

  Chloe shook her head. “Nope, I’m too busy to think about men right now.”

  All Chloe could think about was getting a job away from this two-horse town and meeting new people. She hadn’t met anyone interesting in town in years. In fact, she couldn’t remember her last date. It had to be at least two years since someone asked her out.

  Logan was tired of waiting for Elizabeth to be ready to speak with him. They had been in the room for close to thirty minutes without speaking since they were first locked in. He took a deep breath and made his way to the back, where Elizabeth had retreated.

  “I’m sorry to bug you, but since we’re in here, I thought maybe we could talk this out. Just so we can at least be in the same room moving forward. What do you think?” He stood a few feet away, not wanting to put any pressure on her, but close enough that they didn’t have to yell across the room.

  She sighed and looked down at her hands in her lap. Then she shrugged. She couldn’t get her voice to work, but she knew he was right. Now that he was back for good, and ran the general store, she’d have to talk to him some time.

  Maybe it was time to find out why he’d done what he did. She had always wondered what had made him break up with her. She’d told her mom she thought he had met someone in college, but Leah told her that wasn’t the case. No one really knew why he’d broken her heart.

  If Leah was to be believed, Logan regretted it. But he’d never called her up or written her a letter to apologize and ask her to get back together. She was confused and hurt, and he ignored her…for ten years.

  He sat on the ground, oddly enough, next to the shelf of dog food he had been rearranging earlier. “First, I want to apologize and ask you for your forgiveness. I was a stupid kid when I broke up with you, and I know I did it all wrong.”

  While he looked at her, she kept her face tilted down and nervously counted on her fingers.

  He waited a beat for her to say something—anything. But when she kept quiet, he continued, “I never should have broken up with you. I regretted it the moment I did it, but thought it was what was best for you.”

  Still she sat in silence.

  “Ah.” he rubbed his chin. “I know I hurt you, and it was a stupid reason. I wish you wouldn’t hate me. We started out as friends, and I hope one day we can be friends again.”

  She wiped a tear from her cheek. “You still haven’t told me why.”

  Finally, he thought. At least she’d spoken to him. However, the why of the breakup was rather embarrassing, especially now, ten years later. “Well, you’re going to think it’s stupid. I know I did then, and I still do now.”

  She looked up, and her red-rimmed eyes stabbed him through to his heart.

  He slouched and knew he had to tell her, but at the same time he wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her and never let go. His heartbeat picked up, and he felt sweat build up on his brow. It was now or never. He finally had the chance to talk to her and tell her everything.

  Just as he was about to open his mouth and tell her the idiotic reason why he’d done what he did, the door opened.

  No one walked in, but it swung open and fresh air made its way inside the room. Elizabeth jumped up and ran out of the room before Logan could ask her to stay.

  He stood up and ran a hand through his unruly hair for the umpteenth time that day and wished he had ten more minutes in hell with her. Telling her his story was important, not only for him, but for her as well. They both needed to heal and get past this bump in the road. Well, it was more like a sinkhole, but they needed to get around it and find their way back to each other.

  His heart couldn’t take seeing her anymore without the right to hold her in his arms. He doubted she’d even let him talk to her again. Maybe his sister had done the right thing. While Elizabeth would most likely be mad at her sister for a while, Logan had decided not to get Leah back for the prank.

  When he walked out of the room and into the store, only Leah remained.

  “Well?” She looked at him expectantly.

  He shook his head. “I needed about ten more minutes. I think it’s time to start praying for another chance to talk to her. Who knows, maybe this time we won’t waste it with silence.”

  Leah held up her hand. “Wait. You two were silent the entire time? But… But she ran out of here with tears streaming down her cheeks. What happened?”

  Logan furrowed his brow and stepped toward the exit to chase after her, but Leah stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. She shook her head. “She’ll be fine. Just tell me what happened.”

  A sardonic smile crossed his face, and he looked out the window.

  When Elizabeth and Chloe made it outside, Chloe headed toward the diner, but Elizabeth made off for her car. She was done. Done with men, done with her sister, just plain done. She wanted nothing more than to lay down and never get up again.

  When Chloe noticed her sister wasn’t with her, she turned around and ran to catch up to her. “Wait, the diner is the other way.”

  Elizabeth held up her hand. “No. Leave me alone.” After two more steps, she stopped and turned on her sister. “How could you?”

  “I’m sorry. We thought that if you two were forced together, you’d make up.” She wasn’t about to say kiss and make up, but that was what she had hoped for.

  Elizabeth felt betrayed, and worse than she had in many years. She still didn’t have the answers she needed, but she wasn’t about to turn around and head back to Logan. Not while she was crying. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her crying.

  “You had no right to lock us in that room. I feel worse now than I did before.” She turned and headed back to her car, ignoring her sister’s protestations.

  Chloe stopped about five paces away from her sister’s car. “I’m sorry. I really am. Please forgive me, but I thought you two needed the push to talk. Did he at least tell you why he did it?”

  She shook her head, and without another word got into her car, locked the doors, and drove away.

  Rats! What were we thinking? Chloe hoped she and Leah hadn’t made things worse, but she still believed they’d done the right thing. Maybe they had just let them out too soon.

  Three days later, Elizabeth still wasn’t speaking to her sister. She was, however, feeling guilty over how she’d reacted. With that feeling in mind, she set out to see Chloe and talk about possibly joining them on another expedition to Bozeman to help the homeless. Harper had called last night and wanted to get another trip set up for the following weekend.

  “Elizabeth! I’m so happy to see you. Come on in.” Chloe opened the door to her small rented house that was within walking distance of the local clinic
where she worked. She managed the billing.

  Elizabeth smiled and entered.

  “Do you forgive me?” Chloe asked.

  Elizabeth pulled her twin in for a tight hug. “Of course I do. Can you forgive me for freezing you out the past three days?”

  “You know it. Now come in and have a seat. Would you like a soda, or water?”

  “Water, please.” She walked into the open-space kitchen and dining area and sat at the table while her sister grabbed a bottle of cold water from the refrigerator.

  The twins rarely fought, but when they did, they made up quickly and easily. Nothing ever kept them mad at each other for very long. Usually within a day all was well between the two cowgirls. If an argument lasted more than a week, their mother would step in and help them clear the air. That had only happened twice. Both times were in high school, when their hormones were churning like mad. Since they’d graduated high school, three days was the longest they’d ever gone without talking.

  “What brings you here?” Chloe set the bottle down on the table and took her seat.

  “I wanted to see if you’d be up for a trip to Bozeman a week from tomorrow to help with the homeless. Harper’s called a few of the girls and wants us all to pass out more essentials. She also called the local church, and they’re going to help.” Elizabeth took a drink of the water and waited for her sister to respond.

  “I like it. I don’t have any plans that day. Should we all get together the night before and bag the supplies up, like you did last time?”

  Elizabeth nodded. “I’m also thinking we should bring some guys along this time—you know, just in case that Big Bart guy gets any ideas. I don’t want some punk to stop us from helping others, but we should be smart about this. Sophia is coming, and she’s tough as nails, but we still should have some guys to help scare off the Darwinian misfires.”

  “Agreed. Will Max be able to join us?”

  Elizabeth scowled and set her bottle back on the table before taking another drink. “No, he wants nothing to do with helping the homeless. He’s even ordered me to stop helping.”