“I’m still a bit confused as to who owns the ranch and how you’re all related.”
She laughed as she wiped a wrench. “So are we. Technically Xavier, Damian and their little sister, Gabby, own the majority. My mom owns some, but she’s missing. I’ve managed the ranch for several years now.”
“You had to be awful young when Cassie was born.”
She shifted to the side, looking uncomfortable. “Yeah. I was sixteen.”
Okay, that surprised him. Sixteen. “Wow.”
Her gaze dropped, but her jaw tightened. He was getting too personal. “Sorry. That wasn’t the reason I wanted to speak to you, anyway. I have something to ask you.”
Her shoulders relaxed, and she rolled her neck. With a slight curve to her lips, she looked at him. “What can I help you with?”
“Jonah is turning five this weekend. I know there’s not much time, but five is a big deal and I want him to have a good time, but I have no idea what to do. Since you’re from here, I thought you might have an idea or know kids we can invite to his birthday party. With his mother gone, I’m not good at this kind of thing, but he’s getting older and it was the day we lost her, so...” Stop talking now. “I want him to have good memories. Could you help us?”
Her brilliant eyes went soft. “Oh. Did she die giving birth?” She wrinkled her nose. “Sorry, not my business.”
“It’s okay. It was almost five years ago. We were traveling in South America. Jonah doesn’t have any memories of her. I tend to struggle with the day because we lost her, but I want him to feel special on his birthday. He’ll remember this one. I need more than just a cake and a song. I don’t know what to do. Kari, my wife, always planned the girls’ parties.” He pressed his lips together to stop talking.
Her eyes went wide, and he saw her making the connections. “Oh. I’m so sorry.” She reached forward and placed a hand on his arm. “I can help. I happen to personally know someone who owns a pirate ship that is perfect for a five-year-old’s birthday. My brother, Elijah. I can ask him. If they’re booked, they have a private party room upstairs at the Painted Dolphin. It overlooks the Gulf. If not, we can do something here on the ranch. We have a long strip of beach and horses. We can make sure he has the best memories for his birthday.”
“A pirate ship? Wow.” He chuckled. “That sounds like something Kari would have loved. My kids, too. They love reading adventure stories and have scary crazy imaginations. Gina told me you’d have the connections.” He leaned closer and whispered, “Once again, she was right. Let’s not tell her, okay?”
“I wondered why your mother-in-law was staying with you. She must be a great help.”
“Kari was an only child, so Gina has been with us ever since Jonah was born.”
He stopped. She’d been with Kari when the girls were born. Had traveled with them most of the time. But not that trip. Did she feel as guilty as he did? He shook his head. He’d have to talk to her later. “I don’t know what I would have done without her. All the traveling for my job can make it necessary to have a full-time caregiver.”
“Being a single parent makes any job even harder.” She tossed another tool back into the box.
“You seem to have good family support. Does your ex help with the kids, too?” He wanted to pull the question back as he was asking it. It was too personal.
“No. He moved out of state. There were issues, but he never was involved with the girls, even when we were married. The ranch is hard work but is a great place for my girls. The only home we’ve even known. We all want a place we’re connected to. I wanted this to be a safe harbor for my family. Xavier, Damian and Elijah have each had their issues and Frank had chased them away. They needed a place to heal.”
The happy voices of their children stopped the questions he wanted to ask. Elijah approached, following the small herd of little people. They were telling him about the ocelot kittens.
This was a good interruption. They were getting more personal than Quinn was comfortable with. He wanted to dig for more information about her, not just about the ranch. Not good.
The woman standing in front of him intrigued him in ways he didn’t like.
Chapter Five
Belle dropped her shoulders and went to work on the old engine. Elijah’s appearance was a relief. The tension in her muscles eased. She had gotten too personal too fast. She needed space from Quinn. He was the kind of man who made it hard to think clearly.
The way he treated his children and mother-in-law—at least in public—was too good to believe. She needed to be careful and not get pulled in, only to find out the truth too late. Men were good at hiding secrets.
Elijah patted her shoulder. “Got a call that the northwest fence is down. If that’s true, your bull could be in Jacoby’s pasture.”
That cut off all wayward thoughts of the new man living on her ranch. “He’d like that. Who called, and why did they call you?” Everyone knew she ran the daily operations on the Diamondback.
He shrugged. “They left a message, and it was a number I didn’t know.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. We checked all the fences yesterday after the storm. There were a couple of damaged areas, but we patched them.”
“We might want to check to see if it’s been cut. That bull is valuable, and Jacoby might not mind some new blood in his herd. I’ll ride out with you. Let’s call a few of the guys in. If the herd crossed the fence, it might be a bigger job.”
“I can help,” Quinn offered.
Elijah scanned him with a critical eye. “No offense, but handling bulls and dealing with fences can be hard work, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, it can create more problems.”
Quinn nodded and gave him an easy smile. “My mom was a top-tier equestrian. I grew up in some big arenas in Houston. Mind you, it was dressage and hunters, but I can sit any horse. Having the wrong people in the field can cause more work. Did a job on a little place not far from here.” He gestured to the north. “You might have heard of it. The King Ranch.” He grinned. “Do you do the work from horses or ATVs?”
Hunters and dressage? Those were not the usual cowboy hobbies. Then he threw in the King Ranch. She narrowed her gaze at him.
“The King Ranch?”
He nodded.
Everything she learned about him only intrigued her more. “We’re on horses.” It wouldn’t be easy for her or her resolve to remain uninterested if she saw him in the saddle. She refocused her attention. The kids had goats climbing on them... “Are y’all ready for breakfast? Your tío Elijah and I have to ride out.”
“Yes!” all five yelled as one. She laughed.
“Y’all act as if you’re starving. The sun is just peeking over the horizon.” She headed to the house, her group of egg wranglers trailing behind. She looked over her shoulder. Elijah and Quinn were behind the kids, deep in conversation. They were plotting, she knew it.
Jazz and Rosie were already in the kitchen. Jazz had the egg casserole out of the oven and was warming the tortillas.
“Thanks, Jazz.”
“No problem. Elijah said it might be an all-day job. I’ll take the girls to school.”
At times Belle felt so alone, but she wasn’t. She hugged Jazz. She had taken her family for granted. “I’m so grateful for everything you do for us.”
Her sister-in-law stiffened in surprise, then squeezed her tight. “We love you.”
Belle squeezed her again. She didn’t show affection often enough.
Cassie, Lucy and Rosie grabbed glasses, plates and orange juice without being told. The men entered the kitchen. “Quinn, thank you for your offer, but I’m sure you have tons to do after the fire.” Ranch work sounded romantic, but it was hard and dirty. Her ex-husband, Jared, and her uncle had avoided it whenever they could. Even Elijah and Xavier preferred to be out in their boats. But they were loyal
and did what was needed.
Gina came into the kitchen. “I can do whatever needs to be done. Quinn can help you. He’s good with horses and is a hard worker.”
“Gina.” Quinn sounded embarrassed. Great. They had another matchmaker.
Belle glanced at the people gathered in her kitchen. In a very short time, Quinn and his family had slipped right into their circle.
“We have it taken care of. Jazz takes the girls to school, and Elijah and I will ride out to the fences.”
“I want to go to school!” Jonah yelled, louder than necessary.
“We do, too,” the twins said as one.
Gina moved the basket of tortillas on the table. “I’ll take the kids to feed the ocelots. Then we have some shopping to do. After that we’ll visit the school and get information. They think it’ll be all fun and games with their friends, but school is work, too. Just like the work I give them.”
“But with friends,” Hannah said quietly.
Elijah poured orange juice for the kids as they sat. “That sounds good. It’s an amazing school,” he said. “It’ll be great for Quinn to join us. We won’t have to call anyone else, and we can head out now. If he knows what he’s doing, it’ll make things go faster.”
She avoided looking at Quinn. The more she was around him, the more she liked him. Nothing good would come out of that. Pulling tortillas out of the basket, Belle made breakfast tacos. “Okay. Then wrap up some tacos, get some coffee and let’s head out. There’s enough light to see where we’re going. Jazz, thank you for coming so early.” She gave her girls a hard “mother stare.” “You will be good listeners and not ask for any favors or treats. Straight to school. Understood?”
They both nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
Filling her water container, she headed to the door. The men walked in silence on either side of her as they headed to the barns. Once they were on the horses, Elijah could take Quinn with him. She didn’t have to entertain him. Being a widower and a single dad didn’t make him a good guy.
She had her own scars from men who had vowed to protect her. That wasn’t fair. Xavier had intervened when Jared had lost control, and Elijah had saved her more than once from their uncle’s rage.
But then again, they had left her alone to handle the ranch more than once.
Did Quinn’s smooth charm and good looks hide a darker side? She glanced at him. Or was he as open and honest as he seemed?
* * *
The leather creaked as Quinn relaxed into the rhythm of the horse. It had been a long time since he’d been in the saddle. He loved the coastal bend with its endless skies and soft horizons. There was a storm over the Gulf, so the weather was moody.
Damian had met them at the barn with the horses ready. Which was impressive, since the man had only one arm. He’d mounted in a smooth motion and ridden out without saying a word. Belle rode with him.
As they left the barn, Elijah came up next to him. “I’ll head into the Jacoby property with Damian to look for the bull. You and Belle tend to the fence. Nothing fancy, just enough to keep our stock on our side.”
“Sounds good. He didn’t look happy about me joining you today.” He nodded to Damian. “Does he work on the ranch?”
“When the mood strikes him. He has the cabin farthest out and works with the horses. He returned from the Middle East about three years ago. Lost part of an arm and leg, and the ability to interact with people, so don’t let him bother you. He’s a good man.”
Quinn narrowed his eyes and studied the man. There was no evidence he was missing a leg.
“As long as you don’t mess with his family or animals, he’ll leave you alone. He’s been a huge help to Belle.”
Belle. His brain wouldn’t let go of her comment about having her daughter at sixteen and her hints of an abusive husband and uncle. Then there was that scar on her temple. She touched it more than she was probably aware of.
He wanted to know everything about her.
As if reading his thoughts, Belle joined him on his other side. “This is perfect timing.”
“What?” He cleared his throat and studied his hands.
She smiled and pointed to her brother. “Elijah is the one with the pirate ship.”
Relief caused him to chuckle. “Now, that’s something you don’t expect to hear when you’re out working cattle.”
Elijah laughed. “I’ll agree to that. Do you have a need for a pirate ship?”
Belle shifted in her saddle. “His son is about to turn five. Since they’re new in town, he doesn’t know anyone or anywhere to hold a party. They want to make a splash. Pun intended.”
Elijah groaned. “Stop.” He looked at Quinn. “When is this party?”
“Next week. His birthday is on a Saturday this year.” The tension was back in his shoulders, and he locked his gaze on the horizon.
Elijah nodded. “As soon as I return, I’ll have Selena look into the date. She runs the office and keeps us all organized. Does it matter what time? If we’re booked, maybe we can run a private launch.”
“That would be great. Whatever works for you.” The De La Rosas had taken him and his family in, helping him however they could. They had no idea why he was even in town. The guilt that settled in his gut didn’t feel right. The sooner he could tell them, the better.
Belle grinned and tipped her hat. “My work here is done. I’m going to ride ahead.” With one click, she galloped off.
“So, you and Belle do the work at the Diamondback, but your cousins are the owners. Damian is a cousin.” The family dynamics were a little confusing. Who would he need on his side when he made his move?
“He’s Xavier’s younger brother. But we were raised together by my uncle, so we’re more like siblings. Belle gets all the credit for running the ranch and keeping it working. We’ve each abandoned her one way or another. I was completely checked out for a while. My uncle and I had some major issues, and we couldn’t be within a mile of each other without coming to blows.”
“But he and Belle got along?”
“Oh, no. But he didn’t knock her around like he did us boys. He was still verbally abusive, which was one of the reasons I wanted to do more than yell at him. She’s tough, and she stood her ground, but I guess she learned that the hard way. She’s so determined to save the ranch for her family. We never quite understood. If you asked any of us guys, we’d sell on a dime. She’s done so much and is turning it around. We’ve been working together, and she has some great ideas that could not only benefit Diamondback Ranch, but bring more business to Port Del Mar. The best thing that happened to her was that loser of a husband finally leaving.”
Belle moved naturally with her horse, swaying with each easy step. The vast landscape around them blurred at the edges of his eyesight. His attention was held hostage.
She belonged here, on the land. He wanted to know more about the husband, but that would make it too obvious that he was interested. And he wasn’t—or shouldn’t be, anyway. “What kind of ideas?” He needed to keep it professional. Maybe it would all work out, and they could share the same goal.
“The majority of the working ranch is inland from the coast. So, if she sold the two hundred acres that runs along the shoreline, she could use the money to restore the rest and keep the ranch solid.”
Unease slipped along his spine. “So y’all plan to sell your strip of beach?”
“We’re looking into it. We’ve had people out to evaluate the land and see if it could be developed.”
If Quinn’s mission was successful, they wouldn’t be able to develop along the coastline. Dropping the value. It would become worthless on a commercial level, but priceless for the wildlife that needed open land and beaches.
Personal relationships were a hassle and got in the way of his objectives. He had one job. Preserve the coastline. Then move on to the next location.
Belle waved to them. She had dismounted and was unloading supplies from a saddlebag. The fence was down. The wire tangled in a muddy mess of hoofprints left no question that her stock had moved into the other pasture. Damian was already searching.
Elijah guided his horse along the tracks the cattle had left behind. “I’ll see how far they moved in and how many. Hopefully, Damian and I can get them back without an issue.”
As they rode off, Belle was already untangling the fence. Quinn stood silent for a while, but she didn’t seem to remember he was there. “What do you need me to do?”
She glanced at him, then held up the end of a barbed-wire strand. “Can you find the other end of this?”
Taking a few steps to the side, he dug around in the mud that had been disturbed by what looked to be a small stampede. “Here it is.” He lifted it for her inspection.
With a tilt of her head, she narrowed her eyes. “You’re a scientist. What do you see?”
At first, he thought she was being flippant, but a glance at the wire told him something was off. The cut was too clean to be a random break. He looked closer, then studied the second strand. “They’ve been cut.”
She sighed. “Yeah. That’s what I thought, too.”
“If your neighbor was looking to borrow your bull, there have to be better ways of doing it.”
She stared over the pasture next to hers. “Yeah. Jacoby can be grumpy and stingy. If the cattle happen to push the fence down during a storm, it’s a no-fault situation. Then if my bull happens to spend some time hanging out with his herd before we find him and bring him home, he would take advantage of the situation. No harm done.” She shook her head. “But he wouldn’t do this.”
He helped her reset the post and untangle the wire.
“I’ll need heavier equipment and more supplies to fix it properly,” she continued. “We’ll make a temporary fix for now.” Crimping tool in hand, she made a loop at the end of the broken strand. Her hands were fast and steady.
The Texan's Promise Page 5