“What?” Chloe shook her head. “Are we talking about the same guy who’s always the first to sign up and help the church or the town with something? That can’t be right.”
Her sister nodded and bit her lip. “Don’t you think it’s strange that he’s so willing to help the residents in this town, but not those in Bozeman?”
“Well, it is different. We don’t have any homeless here in Beacon Creek. But did he say why he hates the homeless? I don’t get it. He seems like the type of guy who’d be happy to help. Or at the very least come along as our muscle.” Chloe worried her bottom lip.
“I know, right? But he says the homeless are there because they want to be. He thinks they’re all lazy drug users. We haven’t exactly spoken much since then. Plus, he’s getting ready for the big race in three weeks, so he’s been a bit distracted.”
“I can’t believe someone so level-headed loves to compete in demolition derby races.” Chloe chuckled and took a sip of her sweet tea.
“It’s actually a lot of fun. I enjoy watching the races and rooting for him. It’s kinda like watching hockey fights, just one big mess. But instead of being on ice, it’s usually on a muddy dirt track.” Elizabeth took a short sip of her water and set the bottle back down on the table.
“Well, count me in for the trip to Bozeman. I’d actually like to meet this Big Bart guy and give him a piece of my mind. How can anyone take advantage of those living on the streets and then beat them up when they can’t pay a few measly dollars? The guy sounds like a real piece of work.” Chloe had never heard of anyone so cruel, and she really did want to give the bully a piece of her mind…maybe even a piece of her fist.
Elizabeth tilted her head and looked at her sister. “You would have loved how Sophia and I told him off.” She chuckled and added, “And how I almost broke his thumb. Well, at least I think I came close to breaking it. Those self-defense techniques we learned from the boys really helped.”
Chloe clapped her hands in front of her. “I know! We got free wrestling and self-defense classes growing up with five rough brothers. I bet Bart had no clue what you were about.”
Elizabeth laughed.
“Right, so you’re in. Who can we ask to come along as our muscle? Do you have any ideas?” Elizabeth walked around the kitchen table and sat down where she could see out the kitchen window above the sink.
Chloe tapped a finger to her chin and thought. The first name that came to her mind was one that she knew Elizabeth wouldn’t want along. However, he would be good at helping them out. “Maybe we should ask a few of our brothers to come along?”
“Yeah, I thought of them, too.” Elizabeth nodded and continued to stare out her sister’s window. “But don’t you think they’re a bit hot-headed for something like this?”
While the Manning brothers were known to be gentlemen, once they grew out of their boyish ways they were also known to jump at a chance to fight. All of them had been on the high school wrestling team and never backed down from one single fight, whether on the mat or off.
“We’ll need to explain to them that they aren’t there to fight, but to make sure we don’t get into any fights.” Chloe shook her head and chuckled when she thought about how difficult it might be to keep her brothers on their best behavior.
Elizabeth turned back to Chloe and joined her sister in laughter. “I think we might have more problems with our brothers than with Big Bart.”
“Hmm, maybe we should only bring two of them and maybe two more guys from town?” Chloe bit the inside of her cheek and decided she knew exactly who to invite. “You take care of getting two of our unruly brothers, and make sure they know to behave themselves, and I’ll get two more level-headed cowboys from town to join us.”
She wasn’t about to let on who those cowboys were, seeing as how she only knew one to invite so far. She was confident he’d know who else to bring along; all she had to do was tell him what they were doing and that she needed two men to help, and he’d take care of it.
Chapter 11
Friday came way too fast for Elizabeth’s liking. Max hadn’t spoken but a few words to her all week, and she was worried about what was going to happen to their relationship if she went through with this trip to Bozeman the next weekend.
No man was going to dictate who she could and couldn’t help. When she’d asked him why he was so dead set against helping the homeless, he clammed up. Something inside her spirit told her that he had been hurt by a homeless person, or maybe he had been homeless at one point himself. Either way, it was personal to him. But she wasn’t about to write him off—not when the signs pointed to there being a reason for his behavior.
Whatever happened was no excuse to treat the homeless poorly, but she believed Max had some unforgiven hurt in his past. He needed to work on it and give it over to God to handle. All she could do was pray for him and be there once he decided he was ready to talk about it.
Before she even hopped in the shower, she was down on her knees next to her bed and praying. God, you know what is in Max’s heart. All I ask is that you bring forgiveness to his soul. I don’t need to know what happened, but Max does need to let it go, whatever it is. Please comfort him and let him know You love him and are here for him. Help him to get through whatever it is that’s causing him to hate the homeless so much. I truly believe he has a good heart, but he needs Your loving hand to move past this. Please help him. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Praying had always helped Elizabeth feel closer to God, but also helped her to work through anything that was bothering her. She would continue to pray for Max and healing. Eventually it would happen; she was convinced God would help Max to forgive whatever happened in his past. Then they would be able to move forward. But until that time, she would have to be careful what she said around Max.
The Lord had given her peace regarding the homeless project, and she believed her course of action was exactly what God wanted her to do. She wasn’t going to turn her back on anyone who needed her help, especially when she had it in her power to help.
Later that day, after she finished her shift with the clinic, Chloe went to the general store to see if a certain cowboy was up for a trip to Bozeman the following weekend.
“Hiya, cowboy.” Chloe sauntered into the general store as though she owned the place. She wore a saucy smile to go with her red cowgirl hat, black snap-up shirt with a red tank top, paired with her favorite jeans and matching red cowboy boots. No one was going to miss Chloe when she entered the store.
Logan eyed her warily. He knew she had something up her sleeve, but couldn’t quite figure out her angle yet. “What can I do for you, Miss Chloe?”
When she sauntered to the counter, swaying her hips, all the men in the store stopped what they were doing and watched her.
“Well Mister Hayes, I see you’re hard at work. Are you still planning on hanging around town?” She made sure to accent her words enough to sound like a real cowgirl, instead of the boring billing manager she really was. She knew the local men loved to hear the twang in a gal’s voice more than anything.
He narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice. “What are you up to?” Logan knew she had no plans on any man in town; she was leaving this hick town, as she’d called it on more than one occasion. He had heard all the men were warned away from her. She had refused all dates for the past six months because she said she wanted no one to try to hold her back. So he knew she wasn’t dressed to kill to catch a man’s eye. At least, not to get one to ask her out on a date.
With a lock of hair wrapped around her finger, she twirled it and affected an air of bewilderment. “Who, me? I’m just here to ask an old friend for a favor.”
Logan stood tall and crossed his arms over his chest. “Uh-huh. And would that old friend be me?”
Chloe released the hair in her fingers and put a hand to his bicep and gave it a light squeeze. “Actually, I’m here for your muscle.” She batted her eyelashes and waited for his response.
When Logan chuckled, three men behind Chloe joined in.
“Well, little lady, if it’s muscle you need, then I’m your man.” Jonathan Chance stood right behind her and flexed his muscles, which were probably some of the largest in town.
She turned around with a huge smile across her face and reached out and squeezed his bicep. “My, I do believe you might be right.” She continued to flirt with him and ignored Logan, who watched with amusement in his eyes.
He wasn’t going to let anything happen to the girl he’d always thought of as his little sister, but he was curious about her game. He’d let it play out a little longer and see what she was up to. If he had to guess, she needed help packing and moving for this secret job she had mentioned to him.
Chloe was like a spider luring her prey to her web, and Jonathan was thoroughly caught in her eyes. The poor cowboy had asked her out before and been turned down. Logan wasn’t sure why he was falling for Chloe’s game, but he decided he’d better help his old friend out before she went too far.
Logan knew Chloe’s heart was in the right place, but there were times she just didn’t know when to stop. When she wanted something, she went full force for it.
The shopkeeper cleared his throat. “Chloe, what exactly do you need muscle for?” Logan looked between Jonathan and Chloe and waited for a response.
She rolled her eyes. “Nothing too difficult. Next weekend a few of us ladies are heading over to Bozeman, and we need some big, strong men to come with us. That’s all.”
He knew exactly what was up. He had heard all the gossip about the last time the group of girls went to Bozeman, and he would bet his share in the family business that the ladies were going back and wanted some men to accompany them, just in case that Bart fellow showed up again.
Nodding, Logan said, “Count me in.”
Not to be outdone, Jonathan spoke up. “Me too.”
The other men behind Jonathan nodded, and all of them wanted to be included as well.
Logan chuckled a deep, throaty laugh. “Fellas, you might want to hear exactly what the ladies are up to before you agree so easily.” He raised his eyebrows at Chloe and waited for her to expound on her idea.
She batted her eyelashes at the cowboys surrounding her and began. Without going into too much detail, she explained how there was a group of women who were being abused by a really bad guy, and she and her friends wanted to help these women by passing out some essentials and making sure they knew of a good local church that was willing to help them.
“So you see, we just need a couple of strong fellas to help keep us safe as we try to help the poor ladies get a halfway decent meal and maybe some clean socks.” When she turned around to look at Logan, she noticed he wasn’t buying it.
“Chloe, the bad guy isn’t by chance a big guy named Bart, is he?” He quirked an eyebrow, and she almost lost her composure.
“So what if he is? No man should be hurting women. Especially poor women who just need a bite to eat.”
“I’m still in if you need my muscles, Chloe.” Jonathan flexed his bicep, and Chloe smiled demurely at him.
The rest of the guys in the group agreed and began to flex their muscles.
“Oh boys, y’all are so sweet to want to help. Thank you so much. If y’all meet us here outside the general store on Saturday morning at eight, I’ll bring coffee and donuts.” She smiled at the cowboys in front of her, then turned around again to look at Logan. “And I know all of my girlfriends will be very grateful for your assistance.” She gave him a conspiratorial wink and walked away. Before she exited the store, she looked back at the cowboys watching her walk away. She waved her fingers and smiled one last time before leaving them alone.
Logan chuckled and knew exactly what Chloe was about. He doubted Elizabeth knew he was going with them, and he’d let her stay in the dark.
Chapter 12
Three days later, Elizabeth cornered Max and demanded what was going on with him.
“Why are you ignoring me? I don’t get it, Max.” She put her hands on her hips and stared him down right outside the diner.
Max looked around and smiled and waved at the mayor and his wife as they entered the diner for breakfast. “What are you doing?” he hissed under his breath as soon as the door closed behind the mayor.
He took her arm and walked around the corner so they weren’t on the busy main street anymore. Nothing would hurt his career more than the entire town hearing them argue. He knew he would be booted out on his keister should he do anything to hurt the town darling.
When they’d first started dating, several of the ranch owners cornered him in the general store to ask his intentions as well as to warn him not to hurt their beautiful and sweet veterinarian. No one ever said it, but he knew that if he ever broke up with Elizabeth and word got ‘round that he’d hurt her, he would lose all of his business.
That was the problem with these small towns: they weren’t very accepting of outsiders. They stuck close to those who grew up there. Sure, they were always nice and polite to him. He was even welcomed by several groups in the area, but if he stepped out of line, he was toast. The company would have to move him to another district and someone else would come in and take over his accounts.
“I’m not ignoring you.” He took his Stetson off his head and ran a hand through his thick, dark hair. “Geez, Elizabeth. I’ve got a lot going on right now, and not everything is about you, alright?” He shook his head and pursed his lips.
She blinked a few times and opened her mouth, but closed it before she could go off on him. She took a few deep breaths and said, “Alright, but I do think we should talk. I’m going back to Bozeman with the girls to help the homeless…”
Max raised his hand to stop her. “I told you not to do that. Why can’t you just listen for a change? It’s too dangerous. I asked a few people I know in Bozeman about Bart, and he’s bad news. I mean, really bad. His rap sheet is a mile long. I’m surprised he’s still out on the streets and not in prison.”
Elizabeth sighed. “If you would have let me finish, I could have told you that Chloe and I decided to take four men with us. I’m going to ask two of my brothers, and Chloe is going to get two local cowboys with muscle. She insisted on them having muscle.” Elizabeth chuckled. “Anyway, we’re going to have four strong and capable cowboys going with us. None of us will be alone…we’ll be protected.”
She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at Max. “Besides, all of us girls can take care of ourselves. You may not have grown up on a ranch, but all of us did. Ranch girls are tough; most of us are even tougher than townies. So get off your high horse and recognize that we aren’t fainting misses who need your protection from the big bad wolf.” She huffed and considered walking off and letting him stew in his own juices, but reconsidered; it wasn’t very ladylike, and she was most definitely a lady. A lady who could kick some serious butt, but still a lady.
The face of the man in front of her changed from angry to condescending. “Alright, Elizabeth, I know you can take care of yourself. I’ve seen you stare down a bull and walk away the victor. But can you blame me for worrying for your safety? Especially after learning about Big Bart? He’s worse than a bull with a thorn in his hoof. But I get it, at least y’all will have some backup if you need it.” He ran both hands down his face and knew he would worry about her the entire time she was gone, but he also knew when he was beat. And this little filly definitely had him beat.
“If you promise to stick to one of your brothers’ sides, then I won’t complain. This time. But you really need to consider who those people are and why they’re on the streets.” He knew he wasn’t going to change her mind, at least not yet. Once she’d spent some time with the homeless, she would learn.
“Max, that’s just it—I do know. These women have been abused and thrown out. No one wants to help them. All they need is a little lift up, and I know in my heart”—she put a hand over her heart—“they will succeed in clean
ing their lives up and become productive members of society again. They just need a little help.”
Max shook his head, knowing that any further arguing would only drive more of a wedge between them. “I’m not going to argue with you. When you realize who they really are, I’ll be here. Until then, I need to spend more time on my car. The derby finals are coming up very soon, and I have to get it in tip-top shape for the race. You’re still coming to the semi-finals, aren’t you?”
She nodded and smiled. “Yes, I wouldn’t miss it.”
He smiled and leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Good. I’ll see you soon.”
They walked back onto Main Street together and went their separate ways.
Elizabeth wondered if maybe Max would come around if she told him some of the stories from the women she had met and might still meet later that week. He couldn’t be completely hard-hearted. She knew he had a soft side…she just needed to find it and direct it toward those who needed it most.
Later that night before bed, she got down on her knees and prayed for Max again. He needed healing. Whatever his past held, it was time for him to let it go.
Thursday night came quickly. Elizabeth had been very busy with the ranches she supported. She had seen three fillies born, as well as almost a dozen late-season calves. Not to mention all the inoculations she had to deliver to the surrounding ranches. Her days were long, and her nights not nearly long enough.
When the girls arrived at her house, she was thankful Chloe had thought to bring pizza.
“You are a lifesaver! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Elizabeth hugged her twin when she let her in the door. “I’ve been so busy this week, I completely forgot to get something to make for dinner. You got the gluten-free crust, right?”
“Of course…I haven’t forgotten Mia’s sensitive to gluten. I also made some gluten-free brownies for dessert. I found a recipe online using almond flour. I tried one before leaving, and they’re really good. Can’t tell the difference.” Chloe walked to the kitchen with the pizza box and then turned around to head back out to her car.
Second Chance Ranch Page 9