Love at Rosecrown Ranch
Ruth Pendleton
Copyright © 2020 by Ruth Pendleton
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Created with Vellum
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Epilogue
Sneak Peak at Longing for Rosecrown Ranch
About Ruth
Also by Ruth Pendleton
Chapter 1
Walking down the hallway at Gunderson Realty, Jenny Stratton couldn’t escape the whispers that followed her. Her already frayed nerves were not improving with the office gossip. No amount of makeup concealer could mask the fact that she had been crying again today. It had been over three weeks since her embarrassing phone call with Justin, which ended with her screaming. She hadn’t realized she was shouting loud enough for the office to hear until she was flanked by her best friends Shawn and Kate. They had ushered her to the bathroom, shoving paper towels at her so she could dry her tears. Now, whenever she had even the slightest sniffle, the entire office watched her with bated breath, waiting for another explosion.
She wanted to tell everyone to mind their own business, but that would just give them more reasons to talk. Holding her head high, she tried to blink back tears as she passed dozens of coworkers to get to her own desk. She jumped when a hand grabbed her arm, pulling her off course and into a cubicle.
Shawn pointed to his oversized office chair. “Sit.” Jenny dabbed at her eyes, obediently sinking into the chair while she waited for the daily questioning to begin.
“Scale of one to five. How sad are you today?” Shawn’s brown eyes stared deep into Jenny’s green ones, a slight frown furrowing his brow.
“This morning I was fine. Like seriously, almost a zero.” Jenny said.
“But then. . .”
“It was our song. I was pulling into the parking lot when our song came on.” Jenny sniffed quietly, the memory of it bringing tears to her eyes.
“Dang it. I’m sorry.”
Jenny studied her best friend’s face and saw the protective look she knew so well. He looked at her like she was glass that would break at any moment. “I promise. I’m okay. I just needed a second to tuck Justin back into my broken heart box.”
Shawn nodded. “What can I do?”
Another sniffle escaped Jenny’s carefully composed shell. “I need a distraction. Tell me about your date last night.”
The perky grin on Shawn’s face fell. He rubbed a hand through his wavy blonde hair. “It was a bust. I showed up in my Armani suit and a tie- “
“Not the lucky red one?”
“Yeah. The red one. He showed up in ripped jeans and a grungy t-shirt with some unironic band name on it. The guy left before we even got through our appetizers with a lame excuse about his parrot needing to be picked up from the vet.”
Jenny twisted Shawn’s chair back and forth. “I guess we’re both striking out in the boyfriend department.”
“That is the third date in a row that has bombed. What is wrong with me?”
“Apart from your impeccable fashion sense, your wicked sense of humor, and the way you sweet talk your way into the best restaurant reservations in town?” Jenny asked. She spun the chair in a circle and then stood to hug Shawn.
Shawn’s arms wrapped around Jenny, causing the tears to prickle at her eyes again. She sniffed. “The real question is: what is wrong with me? I thought dating the same guy for three years would mean something.”
“There is nothing wrong with you, except maybe your taste in lying, cheating scum bag sorts of men.”
Jenny smacked Shawn’s arm. “I didn’t exactly know he was that kind of a guy. I seriously thought he was going to propose.”
“I know, sweetie. We all did.”
“So why did he cheat?” The image of her boyfriend locking lips with another girl in the soup aisle of Whole Foods Market was burned into her mind. Jenny stepped over to the large mirror hanging in Shawn’s cubicle. The green eyes staring back at her were slightly less puffy, but tears were welling up again. She twisted her dark brown hair into a bun, grabbing a pencil off of Shawn’s desk to hold the hair in place.
Shawn handed Jenny a tissue. “He’s a moron. I thought you were getting over him though.”
She looked at Shawn and shrugged. “I thought I was too. But then the stupid radio had to play our song.”
“And that started the tears.” Shawn said.
“Exactly.”
A voice rang down the hallway, and Jenny sat down with a sigh, resting her head on Shawn’s desk. “I’m not here,” she said. She closed her eyes, trying to hide from the heels that clicked across the floor, but it was useless. A throat cleared, and Jenny looked up, spinning the chair around to see her best friend in the doorway, hands on her hips.
“Hi Kate,” she whispered.
“Is it true?” Kate asked.
“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Jenny looked to Shawn for backup, but he was already stepping to Kate’s side, his hands raised peacefully in the air.
“Please tell me you are not wasting more tears on that scum bag.” Kate tapped her toe on the tile floor and Jenny tried to smile.
“It was a one-time thing. A fluke.”
Shawn reached for Kate’s shoulder. “I’m handling it.”
Kate pointed to Jenny’s face. “Clearly. Do you know how much work it took to get everyone to stop talking about her the first time?” She walked over to Shawn’s desk, plopping down on the edge with a dramatic huff before placing an arm around Jenny’s shoulders. “I hate that he still can hurt you. And that I can’t deal with all the nosy people until after the meeting.”
Jenny grabbed Kate’s hand. “Oh my gosh. I totally forgot about your presentation. Are you ready?”
Kate shook her head. “Mr. Henry just told me that he has an important announcement to make. You know how much he drones on. That means I have to cut my presentation down by at least fifteen minutes.”
“He seriously needs to retire. Pass the company on. At least you have a couple of hours to prepare. Can I do anything to help?” Jenny asked.
Kate squeezed her hand. “You can stop crying about Justin. He isn’t worth another tear.”
Holding her hands out in front of her, Jenny crossed her heart. “I promise. I won’t let Justin ruin any more of my day.” She gave Kate a hug and shooed her off towards her office. Then she turned to Shawn. “Thanks. I needed that.”
“Any time. I’ll see you at the meeting.”
Taking a deep breath, Jenny left Shawn’s work space and headed to her own. The phone was ringing when Jenny reached her desk but it went to voicemail before she could grab it. A magnet board in the corner was displaying a quote about perseverance and hope, two traits Jenny was severely lacking in. S
he pushed her small potted plant over to hide the board, and then reached for the file on the top of her pile.
The Jackson Corporation was her biggest client yet. They were in search of a hot piece of property to build their newest storefront on. With competition for land at an all-time high, it was proving difficult to find a location for her client that would fit in their moderate budget while being accessible to the community. So far, every location had been rejected by the group.
Jenny picked up her pen and stuck it in her mouth, chewing furiously. If only Mr. Henry would hurry up and get the meeting going, Jenny would be able to skip out of work early. The only reason she was staying at all was for Kate’s presentation.
She pushed the Jackson Corp file to the side and picked up the next manila folder on the stack. Her brow furrowed as she read the note on the front. The title company had forgotten to send over the correct paperwork for the Thomas files. Again. It meant that an extra hour of phone calls and eye-rolling was on the docket for Jenny. The ladies who handled the titles were sweethearts but a little too chatty when Jenny was trying to deal with a full schedule.
Two hours later, Jenny’s work phone lit up with a call. “This is Jenny. How can I help you?”
A woman’s voice crackled through the line; her phone connection clearly bad. “Jenny. Is that you?”
Jenny tapped her pen on the desk in front of her. Finally, the title company. It sounded like Susie who was sure to try her already thin patience for the day. “Yes, ma’am. This is Jenny. What can I do for you today?”
More static crackled on the line. “It’s Grandma Jo Jo, dear.”
Jenny clutched the phone to her ear and sat up straight. “Oh my gosh. How are you?” She pushed her chair away from the desk and spun from side to side. Pressing the phone to her ear, she willed the static to clear up. After years and years of not speaking to anyone on her mom’s side, Jenny had finally pried her grandma’s information out of her dad. Even though they had been talking back and forth for a few months, Jo Jo always seemed to forget that Jenny had work during the day.
“I’m doing great . . . chickens . . . and three . . .” Grandma Jo Jo prattled on, but Jenny couldn’t catch most of the words. She tried to cut in to ask if she could call her later, but her grandma was on a roll. Jenny pushed her wheeled office chair to the other end of the cubicle and grabbed a granola bar out of her purse. While she nibbled on the oats, she tried to decipher anything Jo Jo was saying. “Met a new guy . . . really difficult for a while . . . Louis . . . working here now.”
Jenny sat up straight. “Wait. What did you say?” Jo Jo rambled on, her voice cutting out in longer stretches until the line went dead. When Jenny called back, it went straight to voicemail. She’d try to call her later that night. So, Grandma Jo Jo had been dating again. Good for her. Maybe she had finally met a keeper. That makes one of us, Jenny thought.
An alarm blaring from her cell phone startled Jenny out of her thoughts. Time for the meeting. She couldn’t wait for it to end so she could head home. Crying had brought on a fierce headache, and the Advil she took earlier in the day just wasn’t cutting it.
Shawn was waiting in the back row, saving a seat for Jenny. “Feeling any better?” he asked.
Jenny’s answer was cut off as Mr. Henry stood up in front of the room. He tapped on the microphone, and a loud screech filled the air. Jenny shook her head back and forth, her patience gone. She leaned over to Shawn. “Do you think he’ll ever step down from his position? He was old twenty years ago.”
“I’d like to thank you all for coming.” Mr. Henry’s voice grated on Jenny’s ears.
“Like we had a choice,” Shawn quipped.
“I know you all have busy schedules, so let’s get down to business.” Mr. Henry looked at the employees over the top of his wide-rimmed glasses, and then he gestured to the large projector screen to the side of him. “I’m pleased to announce that Anita Kip will be joining us as the newest member of our management team.”
Shawn leaned over to Jenny. “Do you know who she is?”
“Not a clue.”
They watched the screen and waited until a lady with bleached-blonde hair and a starched business suit filled the space. Jenny looked at the face, and her stomach began to flip-flop, bile rising to her throat. She reached out for Shawn’s hand and grabbed it tightly.
“You okay?” He glanced at Jenny.
Jenny shook her head back and forth. “It’s her.”
“I thought you said you didn’t know her.”
With her stomach in knots, Jenny leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. Her chest was heavy as she exhaled slowly.
“It’s her. The girl from the soup aisle at Whole Foods. The one Justin was kissing.”
Chapter 2
Hank Miner took the hat off of his head, his dark curls glistening in the sun. He’d been working on ranches since he was old enough to walk, but he still wasn’t used to the harsh Montana sun when a heat wave rolled through. The towering mountains in the distance provided a stunning backdrop for fields of tall grass, wildflowers, and livestock, but even the trees surrounding the ranch were no match for the sun at its peak. Hank pulled out a checkered handkerchief, wiping off the sweat that trickled down his neck as he headed towards the stables. It was definitely time to work indoors for a little while.
Taking a breath of cooler air, Hank pulled a pitchfork down from the rusty nail sticking out of a wooden beam. With a grunt, he stabbed the fork into the hay and shoveled a scoop of it into the trough waiting below, flecks of golden hay swirling around him. Hank grabbed his water bottle, drinking deeply until his parched lips were moistened. When he reached for his pitchfork again, a rustling noise to the side of the hayloft caught his attention. Stabbing the pitchfork into a bale of hay, Hank walked over to the corner of the loft and peered through the dim light to see what was stirring. Kneeling down, he saw first one and then three more tiny kittens try to stand, their curious eyes following him.
“Cali? Where are you, girl?” Hank glanced around the hay bales, searching for the momma cat. Before long, she was rubbing her head along his leg, purring loudly. Then, with a small meow, she bounded off to attend to her kittens, furiously licking their mussed-up fur while they clamored for food.
A beam of light flooded the building, and Hank looked down to see his boss Jo Jo Collins bustling through the door, her hands full of supplements for the horses. She looked up and smiled at him, her green eyes twinkling. “I thought I might find you in here,” she said. “That heat is something else today.”
Jo Jo stacked the bottles of vitamins on a shelf along the wall before climbing the stairs to the loft. She reached the top of the staircase, and leaned against the wall, pushing her grey hair off of her splotchy red face with a shaky hand.
Hank waited for Jo Jo to catch her breath. Then he walked over to her, offering her his arm. “Come here. I’ve got something to show you.” He led Jo Jo to the kitten nest, pointing to a hay bale for her to sit on. “We’ve got a new momma.”
Hank reached down and gently separated a brown-and-white kitten from the pile. The baby meowed pitifully, but Hank stroked its tiny head, shushing it before he handed the kitten over to Jo Jo. The kitten let out an irritated squeak and then nestled into the folds of Jo Jo’s dress. Jo Jo’s face lit up; her crow’s feet pronounced. She cupped her hands around the kitten and lifted it to her face, cooing over the little creature.
“It doesn’t matter how many years I’ve lived on this ranch. The new life makes me happy,” she said.
Hank nodded; his face soft. “Cali sure makes cute litters. Hopefully, there are a couple of good mousers in this bunch.”
He turned toward the hay, picking up his pitchfork to resume throwing it down to the horse troughs. Then he hung the pitchfork back on the rusty nail with a gentle clang and wiped the beads of sweat off his face. Jo Jo watched him with a furrowed brow. She cleared her throat.
“What is it, Jo Jo? What’s on your mi
nd?”
Jo Jo leaned forward and placed the kitten back with its littermates. “I’m worried that I’m working you too hard.”
Hank smiled. “You know I like hard work.”
“Yeah, but ever since David left . . .”
Hank held up a hand to stop her. “It’s not a problem. He . . .” Hank trailed off, not sure how to explain to the sweet lady the mess he had made of his friendship. David had left because of Hank, but the wounds of betrayal still stung. “Well, he had his reasons for leaving, and I think we’re both better off for it.”
Jo Jo pressed her lips tightly together, raising her eyebrows at Hank. The frown on her face deepened.
“What is it, Jo Jo?”
“I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but I wish you’d work it out. This ranch is really too much for just one person to handle, even for you.” Jo Jo shook her head. “I wish I could help more, but my body doesn’t agree.”
Hank rested his hand on Jo Jo’s shoulder. “How about I let you know if I can’t handle things, okay?” The scrutiny of Jo Jo’s gaze made Hank want to take back his words, but if he wavered even a bit, she would keep worrying. Being employed by the sweet Jo Jo Collins had allowed Hank to keep doing what he loved, which was working the land. He didn’t want to end up like his siblings, cooped up in offices all day. If that meant a heavy workload, he’d do it gladly.
Jo Jo placed her wrinkled hand over Hank’s, giving it a gentle squeeze. “If you say you’re fine, I’ll believe you.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ve got things covered.”
Love at Rosecrown Ranch Page 1