The Rancher’s Reunion Bride

by Maya Stirling

  Grace laid one of the boxes in Ryan's open arms and gently shooed the boy in the direction of the ranch house with instructions not to drop the box. She handed Victoria a couple of bags. Lauren took the two bags Grace offered her. All three women walked past the three men who, for the moment were silent. Seeing the way Kyle was frowning triggered another wave of curiosity in Lauren. Whatever had brought Gabe and his brother to the ranch didn't look like it was pleasing to the youngest Baxter brother.

  As she walked past Kyle, Lauren couldn't help noticing that Kyle had grown up a lot in the last year. There was a rougher quality to him. Not only in the way he dressed in the jeans and shirt and Stetson, but also in the expression in his eyes. There was a hint of indignation in those eyes, Lauren told herself as she dragged her gaze away from him. She wondered what could have caused that and determined she would find out sooner rather than later.

  Once inside the house, half the bags were deposited in the kitchen, while those which Lauren carried were set upon the parlor table. As she laid them down on the surface, Lauren glanced out the window and saw Wyatt, Gabe and Kyle engaged in what looked like a heated discussion. Kyle, in particular, looked worked up about something. Gabe stood, arms folded and with a stoical expression on his face as he looked from Wyatt to Kyle.

  "What's going on out there?" a voice asked behind Lauren. She turned and saw her father seated on the sofa with a book in his hands.

  "Gabe came back with his brother, Kyle," Lauren explained.

  "Did he now?" Zacharias replied rising from the sofa and coming to Lauren's side. He peered out the window. "Looks like their having quite a talk there," he observed.

  Lauren smiled. Her father could sometimes be the master of understatement. "You could say that," she agreed.

  "Is that Kyle Baxter?" Zacharias asked.

  "Yes." Lauren frowned. "Seems like Gabe brought him out to the ranch for some reason. I don't know what, though."

  Zacharias lifted a brow and smiled. "You mean you're not pleased to see Gabriel Baxter back at the ranch?"

  Lauren felt her face flush with heat. "Don't you go starting that again," she ordered her father. After Gabe had left, Zacharias had politely cornered Lauren in the kitchen and grilled her about how much she liked Gabe. Of course, Lauren had done her best to refute the claims she had any interest whatsoever in the eldest Baxter brother. Had it been that obvious? Hadn't she done her best to give Gabe a frosty reception?

  She'd countered the accusation with a query of her own. Asking her father why his attitude to Gabe had changed so much from disapproval to what could only be described as acceptance, he didn't give her a straight answer. But, neither did he deny the change, even if he wouldn't say what had prompted it. Or what was behind it.

  Leaving her father, Lauren headed to the kitchen. Grace and Victoria were in there. Ryan was helping stack some of the supplies in the lower cupboard. Lauren's curiosity had reached boiling point. "Any particular reason why Gabe brought Kyle? It does seem odd," she said.

  Grace's lips tightened into a thin line. She glanced from Lauren to Victoria and then to Ryan. As she looked at the young boy, Grace's brows furrowed thoughtfully. Lauren got the impression that Grace didn't want to speak of the matter in front of the youngster. "Maybe you should ask Gabe yourself," she suggested.

  Victoria smiled, hinting agreement with Grace's suggestion. "I'd give them a little time, though." She laughed. "You know what men can be like when it comes to talking work."

  Lauren wondered if Grace had quietly murmured to Victoria, explaining why her husband was standing out in the yard talking with the two Baxter brothers. Lauren waited a few minutes, helping in the kitchen. Then she headed outside to the yard. As she emerged out onto the porch, she saw Wyatt leading Kyle away, an arm resting across the younger Baxter's shoulders. Wyatt was talking quietly to Kyle, who was listening intently. To Lauren's surprise, Gabe was heading toward his horse. She moved quickly to the hitching rail. Gabe was rummaging around in the saddle bag.

  "Are you staying?" Lauren asked.

  Gabe's eyes narrowed. "You disappointed?" he asked bluntly.

  Lauren lifted a hand to the collar of her gown. She felt shocked at the abruptness of his question. She glanced at Wyatt and Kyle who were by the corral fence. "What's this all about? Why isn't Kyle going back to the ranch with you?"

  Gabe sighed. He looked thoughtful for a long moment. "I guess I should explain. Seeing as how Kyle's going to be spending some time here. For the next week or so."

  Lauren frowned. "He's staying?"

  Gabe tilted his head. "He'll be coming home every night. After his days work on the Munro ranch."

  She squinted at him, puzzled by his reply. "Why is Kyle working the Munro spread? Isn't there enough work for him back at your place?"

  Gabe hooked the reins back over the wooden hitching rail and took a step closer to Lauren. To her surprise, he cupped her elbow with his hand and started to lead her away from the house. Whatever he had to say to her was for her ears only, she concluded as she watched his stern features. Walking alongside him, with his touch so gentle and yet insistent, Lauren was reminded of their time together a year before. In spite of her best efforts, familiar sensations flared into life as he carefully led her across the yard. Did he realize that if anyone saw them like this, from the window of the house, that they might get the wrong idea? Or perhaps he didn't care about what people thought. He'd made his lingering attraction to her patently obvious in the parlor a few hours before. She was still trying to come to terms with that. Still trying to understand how he could harbor feelings for her after such a long time.

  On the far side of the yard, Gabe halted. He faced her, looking suddenly grim-faced. What was he going to tell her? He released her arm and she felt the absence of his touch keenly.

  Gabe ran the back of his hand across his sweat-covered forehead. Up close, out in the bright sunshine, Gabe was strikingly handsome. His skin shone with outdoor health; his dark eyes glistened with barely disguised emotion; his towering physique made her feel small.

  "I've brought Kyle to the Munro spread for a reason," Gabe said hesitantly. "I've been having problems with him in recent months." She could see this wasn't easy for him. But then, opening up and being himself had been a problem last year, Lauren reminded herself. Gabe was good at keeping up a wall between himself and the world. He was reluctant to show his true feelings to anyone. But, in the past, there had been moments when Lauren had felt she was the only person who had ever seen what Gabriel Baxter was really like.

  "What kind of problems?" Lauren asked.

  Gabe sighed. "Kyle's always been eager to strike out on his own. Growing up, he was always the one who liked to go off hunting, or wandering. He used to drive my parents crazy whenever he'd wander off. Once in a while, I'd have to go rescue him. Bring him back home in one piece."

  "Isn't that what all young men are like, growing up?" she suggested.

  Gabe shook his head firmly. "Most young men grow out of that. Settle down." He paused and then added with a wry grin. "Eventually. But not Kyle."

  "Are you saying he wants to leave the ranch?"

  Gabe nodded. "He's dead set on going out on his own. Got the fool idea that the world is his oyster. That he can do anything he wants if he puts his mind to it."

  "What's wrong with that?" she asked.

  Gabe's brows rose quickly. "The world's a dangerous place. Especially for a young man like Kyle." He shrugged. "Don't get me wrong. I love my brother. But he can be reckless sometimes. Wild, even. And that worries me and my parents." Gabe gazed at Lauren as if he desperately wanted her to understand just how much this meant to him. And to his family. "You know how close our family is, Lauren. You saw it last year."

  She nodded. It was true. The Baxters were a close-knit family. Much like the Buchanan clan from which Grace had come to Josh. Grace was a Buchanan through and through. And that meant family was everything. Every member of that family and the cousins all lived t
he ranch life. It was in their blood. And the Baxter family seemed like they were the same. Willing to do anything to keep the family together. To keep them ranching as a way of life.

  "Because he wants to go out on his own, Kyle has been slacking in his duties around the ranch. I told you about that earlier, but it's more serious than being work-shy," Gabe explained. "Recently he's been complaining he doesn't see the point in ranching." Gabe scowled. "He thinks it isn't exciting enough."

  "Have you tried persuading him?" she asked.

  Gabe gasped. "I've tried everything. Me and Landon have done all we could to make Kyle see sense." Gabe shook his head. "Now that our parents are away for a while, seems like Kyle sees this as his big chance."

  Lauren thought for a few moments. She'd never seen Gabe display such emotion before. In many ways, it was shocking. But she realized there was a lot at stake. If Kyle left the family in search of what he believed was a life of adventure, then the Baxter family would be broken apart. Lauren could imagine the heartache Kyle's parents would feel if they came back and found him gone. Gabe bringing Kyle to the Munro ranch made sense. It was a last, desperate attempt to persuade Kyle that the life of a rancher was the only one for him.

  Lauren touched Gabe's arm. His gaze softened instantly. "You reckon Wyatt and Josh can show him how to be a rancher?"

  Gabe's eyes brightened. She could see the pleasure in his gaze. Her understanding had momentarily brightened his spirits. "You think they can?" he asked.

  Lauren nodded. "If anyone can show Kyle what it really means to work a ranch, then it will be Wyatt and Josh." She smiled. "They don't take any prisoners. And I heard they're short of ranch hands."

  "That's what gave me the idea," Gabe explained. "I asked Grace what she thought when I met her in town. She figured it would be worth a try." Gabe frowned. "Of course, Kyle wasn't too pleased, but he couldn't refuse Grace." Gabe smiled. "She's got a way of making it impossible for anyone to refuse."

  Lauren laughed quietly and then thought for a long moment. "So what are you going to do while Kyle's here?"

  Gabe shrugged. "Landon and I can handle things for a week or so. We've got some good ranch hands working with us." His voice dropped to a quiet murmur. "And I'll be coming over to the ranch regularly." She saw his cheeks turn a faint red. "Just to check Kyle's progress." Was that the only reason? Spending more time at the Munro place, Gabe would also see more of her.

  Lauren didn't know what to say to that last part. So she just nodded and said. "Okay. That makes sense."

  There was nothing more she could say, she told herself. For some inexplicable reason, the thought of Gabriel Baxter coming to the Munro ranch every day for the next week didn't fill her with dismay. Instead, she thought about what her father had said to her earlier in the day. Maybe he had been right, after all. Her heartbeat quickened as she considered the real meaning of what she'd learned.

  Perhaps Gabe Baxter was considering a repeat of his courting of a year ago.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  "Are you going back to your ranch?" Lauren asked Gabe.

  He shook his head. "No." Glancing toward the stable where Wyatt had just led Kyle, Gabe added: "I promised I'd help out this afternoon. Once Wyatt has had a chance to talk with Kyle. It's the first time Kyle has helped out at the Munro place." Gabe tilted his head. "You want to walk for a while before I go to Wyatt and Kyle?"

  Lauren thought for a moment and then smiled. "Sure." She realized she might have only a short time with Gabe. There were so many questions she wanted to ask him. And she was sure he was curious about what she'd been doing since they'd last been together.

  They started to walk together. Heading across the yard they came to a footpath which led around the side of the house. They'd walked this path many times a year before. As they walked, Gabe made a few little remarks which made her laugh. She saw a sudden brightness in his eyes as she laughed. The same look she remembered from a year ago.

  On the far side of the house there was a tree with a wooden bench beneath it. She and Gabe walked in silence until they reached the tree. Lauren sat down and he took his place alongside her. The casual way he'd taken his place made her think that not much had changed between her and Gabe. The way he'd placed his hands on the back of the bench, leaning his head back triggered memories. The way he was gazing out across the vista of the rangeland made her recall other days. A year ago. Her heart warmed at the memories which drifted into her mind, but she made sure her features didn't betray how she was feeling.

  The wind sighed through the tree branches. The air was cooler here, and the shadow of the leaves cast delicate patterns across Gabe's face. She clasped her hands in her lap and tried to compose herself. But she couldn't stop the pounding of her heart, or the butterflies tumbling in her middle.

  Earlier, she'd told herself she wanted nothing to do with Gabe Baxter. That there was no sense encouraging him. Had that impulse been triggered by a deep suspicion that, if she got anywhere near him, this would be the effect he'd have on her? That he would reignite old memories? Old sensations?

  As if sensing her unease, Gabe coughed quietly and smiled tentatively at her. She glanced at him, seeing his chocolate-dark gaze filled with obvious interest. "What have you been doing for the past year?" he asked, taking her by surprise. Wasn't she the one who was supposed to ask him questions? At least that would keep him on the back foot, which was where she wanted him. It would prevent any awkward questions from him.

  Lauren blinked and thought about how she could describe her life of the last twelve months. "Well, for a start, pa has been unsettled. He hasn't stopped telling me how much he's looking forward to making a new start in California."

  She saw Gabe's brows furrow. "I wasn't asking about your pa," he said firmly and quietly. "I was asking about you. Tell me about your life since we last saw each other."

  Lauren swallowed. Why had he chosen those words? Had he forgotten how their friendship had ended? Or was he pretending that there hadn't been any pain? For her and, she guessed, for him, too. Maybe he wanted to put the past behind them and make a fresh start. She shrugged. "I've kept myself busy. Working in a mercantile. It isn't exciting, but it serves its purpose," she said.

  Gabe nodded slowly and looked thoughtful. "What about your dressmaking?"

  She smiled, pleased that he remembered that was one of her passions, and her skills. "There just haven't been any positions available," she confessed. "Things are quiet where we come from."

  "If I recall, that never stopped you before," he suggested.

  Lauren frowned. "Ever since ma died, pa has needed me around more than ever. I just haven't had the time."

  Gabe nodded slowly. "It can't have been easy." He gazed at her. "For him, or for you."

  "My faith has helped me come to terms with her passing," Lauren admitted. "My pa spent a lot of time at the church where we live. The pastor was helpful." Lauren sighed. "He made sure my pa kept thinking about what God had given him during those married years. Reminded him to be grateful and not feel bitter."

  Gabe nodded. "Faith can work wonders," Gabe said. "Especially when things get difficult."

  Lauren wondered what Gabe could mean. Wasn't his life almost perfect? He still had both parents. And Victoria was happily married to Wyatt. His two brothers seemed happy. Even if Kyle was itching to do something everyone knew was foolish, Lauren was sure he'd see sense. Especially with a brother as strong and sensible as Gabe.

  "And you?" she asked. "I suppose you've been working the ranch this past year."

  Gab nodded. "You make it sound so matter-of-fact."

  "But it's what you've always loved, isn't it?" she insisted.

  Gabe lifted both brows and seemed ready to respond to her comment. But, his lips tightened quickly and the moment passed. "There isn't anything else I'd rather do. Ranching is a good life." His voice contained a sudden contentment. Then he rolled his eyes and glanced at her. "Kyle will come around to seeing that. Eventually."

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