The Rancher's Second Chance

by Leigh Riker

  “Bear loved our outing too,” she told Cooper. “The horses don’t get much more time off than I do.” Making her point again—to him or to herself?

  “That’s going to change too,” Cooper said, twirling the stem of his wineglass.

  Nell’s senses, which had been lulled practically to sleep by the fresh air before, and the more recent effects of her wine, went on full alert. “I hope you don’t intend to renegotiate our agreement tonight.”

  “No, I don’t,” he said, which reminded Nell of their night on the ridge and how she’d held on to him as if they were one person. “Pretty late for that. Still. It seems to me we’ve been doing everything backward.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Years ago, you and I had a teenage thing, sure, but we are different people now. Adults,” he added. “Finn saw that picture of us in my apartment in Chicago when I was laid up in the hospital. You know the one—us with the ranch behind us. It was taken not long before I left here.”

  Nell pressed her lips tight. She remembered that day too, the last before she and Cooper broke up.

  He set his glass down. “Nell, when I came home after all that time, we got off on the wrong foot, like two horses that can’t figure out which leg should lead. So I’m switching leads.” Sitting back in his chair, he gestured at the room, romantically lit. “Last night... I think we both know what it meant that we agreed to go all in with this marriage, not just to prove to your grandfather that it’s for real. Or because you want to take over the NLS.”

  “But I do—and I will,” she insisted. “I’m not about to lose myself in this arrangement, even when today was perfect.” She’d bet Cooper hadn’t changed his mind either. “Let’s not quarrel.”

  “I’m not. I’m saying I want to start over, build on what we already have.”

  “I’m not sure if we can.” Or if she was willing to live in fear of Cooper’s offer to her grandfather and her potential loss of the NLS. “I know what you want, but I’ve worked so hard,” she said, “and no man—PawPaw, Jesse or you—will take that away from me.”

  “Nell, it doesn’t have to be that way.” He reached for her hand. “Come on, you’re right. We don’t have to talk about this part now. But I was hoping we could begin again, maybe date a little. Things like that.”

  Her chin went up. “All right. Then first, I’ve been wondering about some things. Tell me about Chicago. In all those years, you must have had another relationship.” Maybe with someone he’d given the emerald necklace to? “Why don’t we start there?”

  “Not much to tell.” Cooper toyed with his empty wineglass. “I never married, you know that. Never got engaged. Came close once, that’s all.” When Nell stayed silent, he said, “She was another cop. In the mounted division. We rode on weekends together in the park, so it wasn’t like I was never on a horse again until now. Sooner rather than later, I realized we had two bonds—horses and being in law enforcement. It wasn’t enough for me.” He squeezed Nell’s hand. “Your turn,” he said.

  She pulled her fingers from his. “So you never gave that emerald to anyone?”

  “No.”

  Nell swallowed. “And I’m sure this will be hard to believe, but I had a brief crush on Shadow’s brother Derek. Well, really on his older brother, and we never dated, but after Jared was killed, I started seeing Derek. He dumped me for Annabelle’s cousin.”

  “Odd choice. I mean Derek, for you. I wouldn’t think you and Moran had much in common—not even like me in Chicago with my cop friend. No one else?”

  Nell hesitated. “I met a guy at a rodeo once, a stock contractor. PawPaw had sent me to buy a new cutting horse. I came home with a nice gelding—and that new man in my life.”

  “Your grandfather didn’t approve.”

  “No, he did at first, but after a while, well, a commuting relationship is hard to maintain, and this guy didn’t want a rancher for a wife. He was nice enough about it, though I suspect I wasn’t, and we still keep in touch now and then...” She didn’t finish. “There was no one else? For you?”

  “I never met anyone who compared to you,” he said, his gaze on his plate.

  Nell waited until he looked up. “I never did either, Cooper.” It was strangely gratifying to learn he felt the same as she did. About him.

  Nell took his hand again. He’d given her his heart then just as Nell had given Cooper hers.

  Their conversation turned to simpler things after that, the way Cooper’s mother seemed happier now in her old house and his view that, because there’d been no further attacks since Ferdinand died, the coyotes might have left the area. Nell told Cooper of her plans for a barbecue at the NLS to introduce Olivia and Sawyer’s new baby to everyone. They finished eating, ordered dessert and laughed together as they hadn’t in a long time, and for the rest of the night, Nell didn’t worry about the fate of the NLS.

  Maybe we can make this work...

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  COOPER KNEW NED SUTHERLAND liked a good barbecue, and he’d always loved a party, so combining the two at the NLS to welcome Sawyer and Olivia’s new baby had pleased Nell’s grandfather. He did not, however, care to man the grill so Cooper took over the task. That meant he couldn’t be with Nell, but it gave him some solitary moments while he flipped burgers and hot dogs to remember the past few days with her, which had been idyllic—the best word he could come up with to describe the change in their relationship. They’d decided to make most Saturdays date night unless a ranch emergency required them to stick around. He couldn’t quite believe his luck.

  And yet, with Ned home and no other punches thrown his way, Cooper still felt uneasy. When should he give Ned his offer? Or considering how his feelings for Nell had grown...should he hold off on making the bid for his land? Cooper’s mom, who seemed to be having a grand time talking to everybody, urged him to speak to Ned sooner rather than later. But because of Nell he was stalling, afraid to upset their newfound happiness. Still, Cooper sensed he was living on borrowed time.

  Across the yard, Olivia and Sawyer were holding court, keeping their newborn son close while explaining the baby’s middle name. “I thought it appropriate and fortunately Olivia agreed,” he heard Sawyer say. “Meet James Khalil McCord.” They’d used the name of his partner’s son at their clinic in far-off Kedar. “I’m already convinced he’ll become a rodeo star,” he said now of the baby.

  Olivia’s eyes gleamed. “Don’t test me. I’d hate to become overly protective again as I was with Nick.”

  Her son, his best friend, Ava, and little Emmie, Annabelle and Finn’s daughter, were racing around the yard squirting each other and anyone in their way with water pistols. On such a mild afternoon, no one appeared to mind, but in good humor Grey retaliated, snatching a gun from Nick and spraying him instead. Nell was laughing—until Ava got her right between the eyes. Blossom narrowly escaped being “shot,” but she laughed too, her and Logan’s baby in her arms, turning just a bit so Daisy didn’t get wet.

  Having made the rounds as today’s host, Ned finally settled at a table next to Cooper’s mother. As Cooper checked the meat on the grill, he watched them all with envy. He and Nell weren’t even considering a family—or, on her part, even staying together yet as far as he knew—but he had hopes they’d get there...unless he ruined things with his offer to her grandfather.

  He looked up. Hadley Smith stood by the grill with two plates in his hands, staring after the kids. “How many?” Cooper asked, trying to keep his voice neutral. He and Smith had been at odds since Ned rehired him. Obviously, Smith wanted his old job, and Cooper supposed Ned agreed, though he hadn’t said so yet. Something else that troubled Cooper.

  “Two,” Hadley said. “Can’t believe it myself.”

  For a second, Cooper didn’t understand. Then he remembered Hadley and his wife were expecting twins! But Cooper had asked about food, not chi
ldren. After a second, Hadley looked back at him. “Amy’s hungry all the time. I need a couple of burgers.” His gaze returned to his wife, and Hadley’s mouth tightened. He didn’t seem to feel the envy Cooper did.

  He put the burgers on Hadley’s plate. “Salads and drinks over there,” he said, pointing with a spatula at the nearby folding tables. “Help yourself.”

  Hadley hesitated. “If you want, I’ll take over the grill. Soon as I deliver these.”

  Did he not care to eat with his wife? Cooper hadn’t seen them together until today, and he thought that was odd. With reddish hair and soft golden-brown eyes, Amy Smith had a nice way about her. One hand frequently pressed to her growing abdomen, she chatted with Cooper’s mother and the other women, her gaze often straying to the children running across the lawn. Every time she saw them, her face lit up.

  Cooper glanced at Hadley again. “This is your day off. I’m fine doing the cooking. Enjoy the party.”

  “I’d like to help. You and Nell have seemed pretty tight lately. I bet she’d want to picnic with you again.” His face remained neutral, but Cooper still searched for a hidden meaning to his words.

  “What’s your agenda?” he asked Hadley. From what he knew of the man, he usually had one. Most of the time that wasn’t good for Nell. “Your wife keeps glancing this way. Seems to me you ought to pay her some attention. Sawyer says pregnant women need a lot of tender, loving care.”

  “I don’t have much experience in that area.”

  Cooper slid the next batch of burgers onto a clean serving platter. The first round of eating seemed to be over, and he and Hadley were alone, but soon people would queue up again for seconds. “Smith, you know what I think?” He didn’t give the ex-foreman a chance to answer. “You make things harder for yourself, for others too—” he glanced at Amy “—than they have to be.” Which was often true of Nell as well and, right now, maybe Cooper.

  Hadley stiffened. “Didn’t ask your opinion.”

  “No charge,” Cooper muttered, turning back to the sizzling grill. He slapped more raw NLS beef onto the heated surface. “I realize you and Ned’s granddaughter were like oil and water. That happens. I also understand you work for Ned, not her, and certainly not for me. I’ve noticed the resentment, but that’s your business. If you keep doing your job the way you have, we’ll be okay. Just don’t cross me either is all I’m saying.”

  “You already said too much.”

  Across the yard, Grey stood up from the table where he and Shadow were sitting with Logan and Blossom, Sawyer and Olivia with their baby, and Finn with Annabelle.

  Grey tapped his knife against his water glass, and everyone stopped eating. “Shadow and I would like to make this occasion even happier,” he said, lifting the glass. “A toast to Sawyer, Olivia, big brother Nick and little James. My sister always makes beautiful babies.” He paused. “And I’m pleased to announce there’ll be a new little Wilson soon. Shadow and I have just told Ava she’ll be a big sister. Thanks for keeping our secret for ten whole minutes, honey.” People laughed, but then Grey sobered. “We love you, Ava.”

  The cheers went up. Glasses clinked. Shadow leaned against Grey’s shoulder, faint color in her cheeks. Ava joined them, throwing her arms around her dad, then her mom. The others crowded close, backs were slapped and kisses exchanged. More than a few eyes looked wet. When Cooper realized the burgers were about to burn, he snatched them off the heat before any real damage could be done. Then he glanced at Hadley, who was staring at Amy, not the happy couple.

  Cooper felt another twitch of envy, but Hadley only stared. And stared.

  “You may be right,” he said. “You probably are.”

  With his plate of cooling burgers, Hadley set off across the grass, his long strides determined, to the other table where Cooper’s mom was regaling everyone with some story—from his boyhood?—and Amy sat leaning forward as if to be part of the group. One hand cradled her stomach, protecting, already loving the two babies inside her. From her expression, that was plain.

  Hadley sat beside her. They spoke a few words, and to Cooper’s surprise, he put an arm around her. True, the motion seemed stiff, even awkward, but he’d done it. Making things easier for her? And maybe himself?

  Was Cooper wrong—and Hadley had approached him not trying to make trouble but amends? He caught Nell’s eye, and she flashed him a thumbs-up, presumably about Grey and Shadow’s announcement. But he wasn’t thinking of that now.

  He wished things could stay that easy with Nell.

  He wondered if he should take his own advice and not upset the apple cart with her.

  * * *

  HADLEY DIDN’T PUT his arm around her often, and Amy wondered for the rest of the barbecue why he’d done so today. Whatever the reason, she welcomed his embrace. As the sun began to set and the air started to cool, she shivered.

  Hadley was a few feet away, talking with two other ranch hands, but he spotted her chafing her arms and approached the old stump where she was sitting. Most of the folding chairs had been put away and the party guests were leaving, but Hadley had gone to the barn to check on the horses. He was wearing his more familiar expression with Amy, a kind of tolerance, and she saw none of the earlier affection he’d shown.

  “Cold? You should have brought a sweater,” he said.

  “I meant to. I forgot.”

  He drew her to her feet. “Better go then.”

  Amy didn’t object. She stifled a yawn and looked around the yard where Nell’s brother was trying to help take down tables and people were drifting toward their cars and pickup trucks. Ned Sutherland guided Merry Ransom toward the Gator he’d left by the barn, both of them laughing as they climbed in for the short trip over the ridge to her house. Nell and Cooper remained deep in conversation, sitting on the porch steps with mugs of coffee. The nearby grill was empty now, the salads gone and the dessert trays too. The air filled with the sounds of goodbye, see you soon and let’s get together more often.

  “My family was like this,” Amy told Hadley as they walked to his truck.

  “Mine wasn’t.” She’d also come from money and he hadn’t, another barrier between them in his mind. Amy kept wishing she could make things different, but so far she hadn’t been able to.

  Halfway to the pickup on the gravel drive, they met Blossom and Logan. He was carrying their baby daughter, who slept on his shoulder, and the couple held hands. Amy and Hadley walked several feet apart now; he’d obviously forgotten their brief closeness. Had that been merely for show? She hadn’t thought so then. Later, more than once, she’d seen him from a distance watching her, but she couldn’t read his expression, except when he’d reacted to Grey and Shadow’s news. He’d appeared shell-shocked again, as he had when she told him she was pregnant. She’d probably gotten her hopes up when she shouldn’t have.

  “Good to see you, Amy,” Blossom said. “Let us know when the babies come.”

  Logan clapped Hadley on the shoulder. “You ready for this?”

  Hadley sent them a weak smile but said nothing. He didn’t look at Amy. Calling out a few more goodbyes to people he knew, he steered her to the truck. Hadley opened the passenger door, then helped her in, waiting while she tried to buckle her seat belt. She had trouble with the clasp so he did it for her, and Amy felt the warm brush of his fingers through her cotton dress.

  All the way home, he said nothing. Amy tried to make conversation about the day and the people they knew but avoided any mention of Grey and Shadow’s coming baby. They had pulled in to a parking space at her apartment complex before he spoke. “You have a good time this afternoon?”

  “I did.” She paused. “Did you?”

  “Talked to Cooper,” he said after coming around to help her out of the truck. “Interesting. If he and I weren’t in competition for the job, we might get along.”

  Amy’s pulse jumped. “You argued wit
h him?” Cooper was Ned’s son-in-law now, which gave him power at the NLS. She no longer expected Hadley to get his job back, but he wouldn’t seem to give up the notion. When they lived on the ranch and she’d made a home for them there, growing tomatoes and flowers, baking every Saturday, hanging curtains at the windows, she wouldn’t have dared say anything, but she wasn’t that person anymore.

  “I suggested you move on. Have you found another foreman’s position?”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “I do worry, Hadley. I have to. The babies—”

  He sighed. “I said I’d provide for them and I will. You don’t need to rub it in.”

  Not caring if he followed her, Amy marched up the sidewalk into the building. She didn’t stop until she’d unlocked her door on the second floor. Her neighbor across the hall was Jenna Moran, Shadow’s sister. She would have knocked on her door for support, but Jenna, who’d missed the barbecue to spend the day with her mother, wasn’t home. “Thanks for driving me today. Goodnight, Hadley.”

  He caught the door before she could shut it in his face. “What’s got you in a lather? What did I do?”

  “It’s what you don’t do,” she said, crossing her arms. “Can you imagine how I felt when almost every woman there today was with a husband or boyfriend who actually cares about them? Grey and Shadow looked so happy. Olivia and Sawyer too. Even the kids have all bonded with each other like one big family.”

  “Let’s not get into that again. I have no family. I don’t live in some fantasyland. I leave that to your folks, holed up in that fancy mansion of theirs. Not a care in the world.”

  “Except they lost their daughter to you, and it’s not a mansion.” Their house was big, but she guessed to Hadley it was more of an estate.