A Ranch to Call Home

by Leann Harris

  “At the time, it seemed the best choice.” Her bleak tone told the story.

  He’d sung that same song, the same verse of that heart-wrenching tune. Of course, he knew the real reason she’d joined the army. He’d been with Joel in Phoenix getting ready for the rodeo when Joel had gotten the bad news his parents and grandmother had been killed in a car accident. That New Year’s Eve had dramatically changed his friend’s life. Kaye’s, too.

  He stole a glance at her. Her expression told him she didn’t want to talk anymore about why she’d joined the army.

  “You must’ve liked the army since you became a captain.”

  Facing him, she leaned against the fence. “You know the thing I liked the most about the army?”

  “What was that?”

  “The order. And structure. You can depend on certain things. And you always knew that you’d have a place to sleep, clothes on your back and three squares a day.”

  He understood that. There were times when he hadn’t known where Sawyer and he would get their next meal. They’d often did without when they were living with his mother, but once he’d had custody of his brother, they’d never gone without. “I understand.”

  His tone must’ve caught her ear, because her gaze searched his. “You do?”

  “Yup, I had more peanut-butter-and-sugar sandwiches and ramen noodles than I care to think about.”

  Razor bumped her shoulder. “Sorry, big guy, you ate it all.” She rubbed his nose. “I’ll come prepared with more next time.” Razor nodded.

  “I think you’re on his good side.”

  “I’m glad I haven’t completely lost my touch, unlike my stumbling into this rodeo deal. Joel may have thought he pulled one on me, but I’m not going to let you and my brother off the hook. I’ll need help.” Her tone brooked no argument.

  He raised his hands. “I told you I’d help.”

  She nodded. “This rodeo is scheduled for the last weekend of May. That gives me ten weeks. I’ve done events for the army in less time, but I had the manpower.”

  “Which means that you’re going to be working us hard.”

  “You got it, cowboy.” The humor in her eyes matched the curve of her lips. “Will you be available? You don’t have a rodeo scheduled, do you?”

  Her consideration astonished and sobered him. He knew if he called Steve Carter now, he could be working next week. She hadn’t assumed. She’d thought to ask. At her rank, issuing orders was natural. His respect for her grew. “I’ve got the time, and between you and Joel, I think you’ll keep me busy.”

  “Thanks, Caleb.” She turned and walked toward the house. He saw that she limped noticeably. When she got to the stairs, she paused, then slowly placed her right foot on the first step. She brought her left foot up to the riser before she tackled the next one. He knew she’d broken both legs in several places, but never once today had she complained.

  Razor nudged him with his nose.

  “Well, you made me look like an idiot. Here I was issuing a warning about what a skittish creature you are.” Razor moved his head, wanting his chin scratched. “Then you rolled over for her like a big puppy. I bet Bart McQueen would be amazed.” Bart had a nasty bruise on his thigh thanks to Razor.

  Razor picked his head up and nodded.

  “Traitor,” he grumbled as he walked to his trailer. Shucking off his boots, he stretched out on the bunk. Folding his arms behind his head, he remembered Kaye’s struggle up the steps.

  The lady had guts. And smarts. And he didn’t doubt she was going to run Joel and him to the ground.

  Oddly, he didn’t mind.

  * * *

  Kaye reread the verse Ps 94:17. Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. She closed her Bible and felt the deep peace that scripture brought her. She remembered waking up in the hospital in Ramstein, Germany hearing that verse. She’d been in and out of consciousness, and when she’d finally awoken, night nurse 2nd Lt. Jenna Mayfield had been there, reading to her from the Bible.

  Each time Kaye read that verse, she knew that God had shielded her. “I don’t know what I’m to do now, Lord. Why’d you save me and not the others?” She’d been meeting a group of Iraqi women, talking to them, seeing what they needed and how the U.S. Army could help them. They’d made progress. After nearly four months, the women had trusted her enough to tell her of the dreams they had for their children. They’d been excited about the opening of a new school, and even girls were being educated. They’d been friends. She recalled clearly each face and the hope and excitement.

  She took a long steadying breath as the sorrow washed over her. None of the five women had made it. The only reason Kaye had survived was because when the bomb went off she’d been reaching down to pick up her backpack to get the small gifts she had for their children. After the incident, Kaye knew none of the other women in the neighborhood would talk or cooperate with the Americans. She carried the weight of that guilt. That was the main reason she resigned.

  The light knock on the door caught her by surprise. “Sis?”

  “Come in, Joel.”

  He cracked the door. “I wanted to say thanks again for doing this.” He walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed beside her. “When I saw you standing there in the emergency room, it seemed like an answer to prayer. I didn’t know how I was going to manage Gramps, the ranch and this rodeo at the same time.”

  “Caleb was here.”

  Joel’s eyes widened. “He’s a guy.”

  She cocked her head. “So?”

  “Guys aren’t as good as girls at taking care of sick folks.”

  “Please, Joel. I’ve been watching men do the cooking and cleaning and nursing for the past twelve years.”

  “Okay.” He raised his hands. “But you are an answer to prayer. I’m glad you’re home, Sis.”

  Was she an answer to prayer? Hardly, but was this rodeo an answer to prayer? “I’m glad I’m home, too, and Gramps is okay.”

  “You’re planning on staying, aren’t you?”

  “I don’t know, Joel. I know this is where I should be now. Helping with the rodeo might help me to know what my next step is.”

  Joel slipped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her. “My mind went on overload when Caleb called this morning. I honestly don’t know how we moved the tractor, but we did.” He rubbed his neck. “I hope you don’t mind that Caleb’s here and spent time at the ranch.”

  “Why would I mind? I haven’t lived here in a long time.”

  “You still own half of this ranch.”

  “If you want to be technical, yes, but really, this place is yours. You’re the guy who put his sweat and blood into it and oversaw everything since Mom and Dad died. You and Gramps.”

  He nodded. “I’m glad you feel that way. Welcome home, Sis.” He kissed her cheek and walked out of the room.

  Turning off the light, she slipped between the sheets. Home. She was really home. The house hadn’t changed much since she’d left, kind of like it was in a male time warp. The only thing new was the sixty-inch TV that took over half the wall in the living room. And that dishwasher. The house sported a twenty-year-old stove, a toaster that belonged to her grandmother, a washer and dryer her mother had bought the year Kaye was born. But that brand-spanking-new TV had all the bells and whistles on it and sported the football and rodeo channels.

  Men were so predictable.

  And when she’d walked into her bedroom earlier today, there had stood Caleb among all the tokens that the teenage Brenda had thought were important. It had rattled her and touched part of her soul she buried with her divorce. Here was a handsome man who saw her as a woman. Not Captain Kaye, meal-ticket Kaye or poor, pitiful Brenda who’d lost her parents.

  Joel may have thought he’d put one ov
er on her by dumping this rodeo in her lap, but she welcomed it. She’d been restless these past few weeks as she finished her equine therapy. Being around horses had put a longing in her heart to go home. But she’d known if she went home, she’d have to make peace with the past she’d successfully avoided until now. The thought frightened her. But maybe working on the rodeo would keep her busy enough to deal with the past or ignore it, which she preferred. And maybe she’d find the road God wanted her to walk for the rest of her life.

  Maybe.

  Chapter Three

  “Yes, Nan, I’ll be in contact. And rest assured Joel definitely isn’t getting off scot-free,” Kaye added, getting up from the formal dining room table. One of the house phones had a cordless handset.

  “Well, I hope so. I volunteered only because Joel asked. Don’t get me wrong. I would’ve helped with the rodeo,” Nan hastily added, “but not as one of the board members with all the extra work it requires. But the local ranchers need the help.”

  “I will talk to Joel and the other two board members. Why don’t we meet this Saturday morning? Is the Country Kitchen Café downtown still there and in business?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Good. Then let’s meet there and coordinate what needs to be done. If we need to look at the fairgrounds, we can.”

  “All right. You’ll notify the others?”

  “I will.” Kaye disconnected and set the phone on the table, taking a deep breath.

  She’d spent the morning going over the papers scattered across the formal dining room table, putting them in some sort of order. It reminded her of some of the offices in Baghdad. She’d spent the morning writing a list of things that needed to be done. More than once she’d wanted to throw up her hands and walk away from the mess. But as soon as that thought had occurred, the army side of her came roaring back, determined to make order out of the chaos. The ranchers needed the money, and the rodeo would raise those funds.

  “How did you let your brother hornswoggle you into doing his job?”

  Looking up, she spied her grandfather at the door. “Good question. I must be off my game.”

  Gramps walked slowly to the table. When he sat, he adjusted the sling holding his right arm. “I think I’m going to throw this contraption into the trash.”

  Standing, she came to his side. “Here, let me do that. You want it looser or tighter?”

  “I want it gone.”

  Apparently, she was going to pull rank on the old boy. “That’s fine, but I’m sure the doctors told you that it would take longer for that shoulder to recover without it. And if you want to mess with this longer, then ignore the medical advice. I know how annoying it is, because there in San Antonio I refused therapy until one drill sergeant of a head nurse told me to move my sorry bu—posterior out of her ward. She only wanted those patients who were brave enough to heal. I had to do a lot of things I didn’t want to do these past six months to be able to walk again.”

  His mouth compressed into a frown. “Going to use guilt on me, are you, girl?”

  “If it works, I’m using it.”

  She could see her grandfather considering her words. “I like how the army trained you.”

  “If I was still in the army, I’d simply give you an order.”

  He laughed. “I bet you were a handful.”

  “According to Mom, I always was a handful.” The mention of her mom sobered her.

  Gramps rested his hand on her arm. “You need to make peace with what happened.”

  She tried not to jerk away, but his words were like a live wire touching her skin. “What about your sling?”

  “I need this thing looser.”

  She readjusted the strap.

  “So can you make sense of this mess?” He nodded toward the table that now sported neat stacks of papers.

  “Barely. I’ve been looking through everything. What I need is Joel in here, not outside chasing down cows.”

  “Why not call the other folks on the committee?”

  “I just finished talking to Nan White. And she told me about Mike Johnson and Laurie Benson.”

  “I’ve heard your brother talking to them.”

  “So why didn’t he tell me about the others? I found a note buried in this chaos.” Kaye finished adjusting the sling.

  “Because Nan recently got divorced and has been eyeballing your brother like he’s a side of beef.”

  A chuckle burst out of her mouth. “So it wasn’t my talent that impressed my brother. He just wanted a stand-in.”

  Gramps started to shrug, but the pain stopped him. He hissed. “I think I might take one of those little pills the hospital gave me and sit in my chair.”

  “Let’s get you settled, then I’ll get your meds.” She’d been through enough pain; she could identify with Gramps in a way she would’ve never understood before.

  Gramps hobbled into the living room and eased into his well-worn recliner. Kaye grabbed the pills and a glass of water from the kitchen and returned to his side.

  He took the meds without any argument, which meant he was hurting. He settled back in the chair and closed his eyes. “Turn on that TV to one of the sports channels and I’ll sit here and listen to it.”

  Kaye smiled and turned on the TV.

  “Why don’t you go and see if you can corner your brother and drag some answers out of him. I won’t move.”

  Not sure she wanted to leave Gramps, she stood there.

  Gramps opened one eye. “Go. Midnight is out in the corral.”

  She didn’t want to insult her grandfather, so she retrieved the handset from the dining room table and put it on the table beside the chair. “I’ve put the phone by your chair. Call if you need anything.”

  He nodded and waved her away.

  She kissed Gramps’s forehead and reluctantly walked away, praying she’d made the right decision.

  Out on the back porch, she stretched her protesting back and shoulders. Sitting that long had allowed her muscles to stiffen, and she’d worked so hard to build them up. The first time she’d gotten out of the hospital bed in San Antonio, she’d landed on her backside, her muscles like jelly. She’d done it in front of the drill-sergeant nurse, but that weakness made her realize she needed to fight.

  Midnight was in the corral behind the barn, as Gramps had said. A ride just might be the thing. Besides, after talking to Nan and Gramps, she had a few things she wanted to discuss with her brother.

  Nan had been great after Kaye had told her what her job in the army had been. Kaye planned to talk to the other two members of the committee later, after she “chatted” with her brother. He was still the head honcho and she needed his input.

  Stopping before the fence, Kaye called out to the horse. “Midnight, want a peppermint?” She held up the treat and noisily unwrapped it. The horse trotted to her side, putting her face near Kaye’s hands. “Oh, you’re easy. Didn’t take much convincing, did it?” The horse happily lipped the candy. Kaye slipped the bridle over the horse’s head and walked her into the barn. It only took moments for Kaye to saddle the mare. Kaye found the wooden folding steps they kept in the corner of the barn and used them to mount the horse. She looked forward to the day she wouldn’t need the extra help with mounting. Before the accident, she could pull herself into the saddle with ease.

  She shook off the pity party. There was no use in playing the what-if game.

  Touching her back pocket, Kaye made sure she had her cell phone. She considered calling Joel, but she wanted to surprise him with questions about the rodeo and didn’t want to give him time to come up with an excuse.

  She studied the western horizon, noting the gathering clouds. “It looks like we might get some rain,” she told Midnight, patting the horse on her neck. “We can only pray it does.” She gu
ided Midnight back inside the barn and snagged her old cowboy hat from a hook. It amazed her that her brother had kept it, but she’d put it to good use.

  “Let’s see if we can find the guys before we have some weather.” She remembered they’d talked about checking the stock at the western edge of the ranch.

  As she rode away from the barn, she felt a freedom, and long-ago hopes flickered to life in her heart, sparking a smile. The years seemed to melt away and she didn’t have a care in the world.

  Her body relaxed into the rhythm of the horse’s gait. When she was in the army, she’d always found a stable where she was stationed so she could ride, but riding here at her family’s ranch brought back good memories. The wind picked up and the sky grew dark. After several minutes, when she still hadn’t seen any signs of either Joel or Caleb, she considered going back to the ranch house. The land dipped toward a small stream. Trees grew in abundance down here by the river, and it was always a place where they had to rescue stray calves. Maybe she’d find the guys there.

  As she headed toward the stream, a blinding light split the sky, and the ground shook with the earth-shattering sound. Her mount danced sideways and electricity seemed to race over Kaye’s skin, raising the hair on her arms. She struggled with the reins, trying to keep the horse from bolting.

  “Easy, girl.”

  The horse’s head came up and Midnight shook. Kaye patted the mare’s neck. “Easy.” What she didn’t need was her mount charging off in a blind panic.

  As she nudged her horse forward, she thought she heard her name, turned and saw Caleb racing toward her.

  Before he could reach her, the sky opened up as if someone had turned on the shower full throttle. These were no little droplets but a full barrage of stinging drops.

  “Let’s take cover under the trees,” he shouted, nodding toward the stand of trees.

  They both headed for the shelter. They were almost there when another flash of lightning streaked across the sky. The boom nearly threw Kaye off her horse, singeing her skin and throwing her back to another blast that tore her world apart.