Her Last Chance Cowboy: A Sweet Western Romance (Prairie Valley Book 5)

by Ellen Joy

  “It was Jake who really brought this project together,” Ryan said.

  Ted just offered a big, fake, smile and reached out a hand to Sam. They shook. “Make sure you all come to the barbecue this Saturday, and bring your families. The pool’s open.”

  Ted always invited his big clients to the house after a project. Elaine would entertain while he showed off.

  Ted shook hands all around, then headed outside. Jake followed, resigned to hearing all about what he should’ve done differently or needed to fix before he left that afternoon. The barn still needed a few last finishing touches that the crew would handle tomorrow.

  “Your mother asked me to have you invite your girlfriend,” Ted said gruffly.

  Jake hadn’t even thought about going. He liked the Gundersons, but he had never attended one of Ted’s business parties before. “Um… sure.”

  Ted opened the door to his truck. “So, I suppose this is it, then?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “The barn’s done. You have your ranch. Josh is working the apartments downtown. We don’t really need another sub-contractor.”

  “Are… you letting me go?” Jake was floored. He was relying on the extra money to keep the ranch going, and to save for a down payment.

  “I was under the impression this was just a temporary situation.” Ted threw his own words back at him. “I can’t just keep you on when I don’t have any work for you.”

  Jake straightened and pulled his shoulders back. It might only give him an inch on Ted, but he’d take it, just so he could look down on such a pathetic man.

  “I think I’ll pass on the barbeque.”

  He walked away, down the back field toward his truck. He had to get out of there before he did or said something he might regret. He pulled out of the parking lot, throwing the truck into drive and punching his foot on the gas.

  His first instinct was to go to the farm, but he didn’t want to show up there angry and spewing vitriol. He needed to calm down first, settle things in his head, figure out the next step.

  But as he pulled into his driveway and looked out at the white farmhouse, his anger turned into bitter disappointment. He loved this place. He loved the dream he had been building in his head. A wife, kids, a dog.

  Millie! What would happen to Millie? Not many people would allow a pig on their rental property. Could he even afford a rental now, without a job?

  He headed into the barn, ready to throw something or hit something. Millie chattered at him from her pen, and he felt a pang in his heart. “How could I ever get rid of you?” He’d have to figure something out.

  His phone rang. He almost ignored it, then checked the caller ID.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey. I heard you finished the barn,” Hannah said, her voice happy and unconcerned.

  He bit his lip, trying to hold back his anger and disappointment. This ranch wasn’t only his dream, but Hannah’s and Emma’s. “Yeah, it’s all done.”

  “I’d love to go see it with you,” she said. “Everyone’s already gone up to check it out. Are you done for the day? Would you like to go for a walk up to the ranch?”

  He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to lie, but he didn’t want to go up there again. Ever.

  “You know, I’m not feeling very well right now, I think I just had a stressful day and need to rest.”

  “Wow. You, rest?” she teased, but he could hear a hint of concern. “Can I bring you anything?”

  Her graciousness and thoughtfulness never ceased to amaze him. He didn’t deserve her. He couldn’t even get his life together. How could he provide for her?

  “I’m good.” He paused, then he said, “Maybe just a short walk, later?”

  “I’d like that.”

  After an hour of just staring out at the pasture, his phone rang again.

  He looked down, and his heart sank.

  “Mr. Wilson,” he said into the phone.

  “Jake!” The man’s voice was upbeat. “We’ve booked a flight out this week, and we’d like to sit down and discuss the house.”

  “Really, this week?” He thought he’d have more time. A few weeks, not days.

  “We know how hard you’ve been working, and well, we didn’t want to make you wait any longer.” He paused for dramatic effect, and Jake thought for sure his heart was going to burst out of his chest. “We’ve decided to sell!”

  Hannah knew something was wrong, but Jake wasn’t talking. Whatever it was, she hoped he could work it out on his own, since he certainly didn’t want to discuss it. He refused any explanation other than being “just tired”, and they didn’t really talk.

  He still invited them to dinner, but even Emma noticed something was off.

  “Maybe he’s tired?” Emma said, when he excused himself for a moment.

  “But something seems off, right?”

  Emma shrugged. She was no help.

  After dinner, as they headed out to the barn, Emma chattered on to Jake like usual, and he seemed to relax a bit.

  “I can see why you love this place,” she said, when Jake brought her out a cup of tea.

  “Hmm.” He gazed off into the distance, leaning his arms on the fence. Millie scrounged around the ground by their feet, not willing to leave his side.

  “You sure you don’t want to talk about what’s going on?”

  “I’m sorry.” He let out a long exhale. “I lost my job today.”

  “What?” she sputtered. “Your stepdad fired you? But I thought the project was a huge success?”

  He shook his head. “He never really hired me. He just kind of let me work when there was extra work, and now that the barn’s done…”

  “Why not work at the ranch? I’m sure your construction skills would be a real asset.”

  He shook his head. “Look, Hannah, I think I messed up. This ranch, the horse, even Millie. I messed everything up. I thought I could handle it all. The time, the expenses, the responsibility. But I was just dreaming. The reality is that I’m in way over my head, and my life raft just sank.”

  Somehow, he’d held onto that tiny sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, Ted would actually appreciate his hard work, admire his accomplishments, be proud to have him as his stepson.

  “Jake, your stepdad is a jerk.”

  He could hardly believe his ears. How long had it been since someone had actually agreed with him? His mother always defended Ted, his siblings idolized their dad and shrugged off his behavior around Jake. The Gundersons just saw a successful businessman. But Hannah saw Ted through Jake’s eyes.

  “Talk to Sam or Ryan,” she said. “Or, Hooley’s is always looking for stockers, or night managers. You could work the ranch during the day and have a part-time night job.”

  “Oh, how the tables have turned,” he teased, gently elbowing her, trying to lighten the mood. “The truth is, though, I don’t know if I’d be able to afford this place with just a stocking job.”

  “What about me?”

  “What about you?”

  “What if I helped, by investing?” she asked. “I don’t have a lot of savings, but it’s something.”

  This was a big move, one she hadn’t expected to make, and by the look on Jake’s face, he wasn’t expecting it either.

  “Hannah, I can’t ask you to do that,” he said.

  “We could be roommates, no strings attached.”

  He took her hand. “But I want the strings.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. They still didn’t get any more intimate than that in front of Emma. “I’ll figure things out.” He wrapped his arm around her and leaned back again.

  Hannah watched Emma trot Trigger around the pen, a wide smile on her face. She would give him the money. She’d give every penny she had so that this could be her life, forever. She hadn’t realized until then just how much she had fallen in love with the ranch, how much of a home it had become, and the thought of someone other than Jake living there made her heart ache.

  Jake
walked them home when the night ended. He gave her a kiss as Emma ran up to the apartment, and like always, she watched as he and Millie walked away. She headed over to the house when she saw the kitchen lights still on and Ryan and Olivia out on the back porch.

  “Hey guys,” she said, tiptoeing up the steps, not wanting to set the dogs off into a tizzy and wake the sleeping baby.

  “Hey, what are you doing back so early?” Olivia asked.

  “I wanted to talk to you about the barn, actually.”

  “What about it?” Ryan asked.

  “I thought Sam was happy with Jake’s work?” She knew Sam was. She wanted this Ted guy to look like the jerk he was.

  “He is. Everyone thinks Jake did a great job.”

  It really wasn’t her place, but she couldn’t help it. “Ted fired him today.”

  “What?” Jesse’s eyes widened.

  “Yeah, without any warning, just, ‘OK, the barn’s done, you’re done, see ya.’” She waved her hand in the air, feeling her anger building as she spoke. Jake had worked so hard on that barn, including a lot of overtime. Jake always worked harder than most people she knew. How could his stepfather not see his value?

  “I’m real sorry to hear about that. Mr. Ryland always did kind of seem like a jerk.” Jesse pulled out his phone. “I can definitely hire him on as a ranch hand, but the pay won’t go nearly as far as his construction job would.”

  “We need some work done on our barn,” Olivia said, sitting up straighter. “Plus, we’ve been talking about renovating the bathrooms, getting a better shower put in, and a walk-in closet for the master bedroom, maybe even an in-law suite for Nana.”

  Jesse raised an eyebrow. “It would be nice to have a shower stall you don’t have to duck into.”

  “Seriously?” Hannah knew Jake was even prouder than she was. He’d never accept the job if he thought it was charity.

  “I’ll talk to him,” Jesse said.

  She smacked her forehead. Wasn’t this exactly the kind of thing she’d complained about when she’d lost her job and Jake had “butted in”? Now she understood him so much better. “No, please. I’d hate for him to think I was gossiping about him.”

  “Maybe you should have Sam call Ted to thank Jake for such a great job,” Olivia suggested to Jesse.

  He clicked his tongue. “He obviously doesn’t understand how well Jake represents his business.”

  Hannah smiled and felt gratitude fill her. “I love you guys.”

  The Wilsons looked tanned and relaxed as they got out of their sedan. They greeted Millie and Jake with hugs.

  “It looks like you’ve taken great care of our farm!” Mrs. Wilson clapped her hands together, looking out at the fields.

  Emotion filled Mr. Wilson’s eyes. “You’ve done real good, my boy.”

  He reached out and gave a hearty handshake, and they continued up the front porch and into the house.

  “You should stay here while you’re in town, I can stay somewhere else,” Jake suggested again, but Mrs. Wilson was shaking her head.

  “Heavens no, this is your place now.” She looked at her husband. “We’re staying with our daughter and her family.”

  “Did you have any trouble growing up your pasture for the cattle?” Mr. Wilson peered out the window.

  “I had some luck with it,” Jake said modestly, but he was proud of what he had done.

  The small talk continued through coffee, but finally Mr. Wilson said, “Look, son, you know why we’re here. With the market being what it is, we’d really like to put the house up, come the New Year.”

  Jake nodded. “I completely understand.” They were retired now. They didn’t want to hang onto the farm until a washed-up Marine could get his act together. “I wish I could afford the place.” But the fact was, he couldn’t. It made the situation awkward for the kindest couple on earth. They were essentially being forced to kick him out.

  “You have right of first refusal,” Mrs. Wilson reminded him.

  He nodded, but their asking price was way over his budget, even if he had twice the stock of cattle to sell. He just didn’t have enough revenue. And no bank would be willing to lend him the money.

  Mrs. Wilson grimaced at her husband and patted his hand. “We were wondering if maybe you could set up something with the bank? Or, have you thought about asking your stepfather to co-sign?”

  Even the manager at the bank had suggested this. Everyone knew his stepfather had more money than he knew what to do with. “No, I’m afraid I can’t.” He knew it would not only be easier for the Wilsons to sell to him, but it would give them peace of mind. They knew Jake was just as invested in the place as they had been. He wouldn’t break up the farm into land parcels for developers, like Ted would. “I’m really sorry.”

  “No, don’t be.” Mrs. Wilson’s forehead wrinkled. “We just hope you find a place that works for you.”

  He nodded. “I’ll be out by the end of the year. I’ll have to sell the cattle.”

  That would earn just enough for him to break even, with luck.

  “Stay until we find a buyer.”

  He didn’t argue. What else could he do?

  That night, he got out his laptop and scrolled through properties, but anything remotely in his price range would take years to build up, if he could manage it at all. If this year had done anything for him, it had removed the rose-colored glasses from his eyes. Most ranchers folded before they ever earned enough to go full time, and realistically, it would be years before that would happen for him. The market was unpredictable, the costs high, the financial rewards low. The odds were against him making it. But he had to try to find another way.

  Or lose everything.

  Chapter 15

  Elaine Ryland had never attended the women’s bible study class before, so it was a surprise to see her there. She greeted Hannah and Maggie with hugs and asked if she could sit next to them. Hannah held Mae and tried to pay attention to the conversation, but the whole time she had a burning desire to talk to her alone. Find out if she knew what her husband did to her son.

  From what Jake had told Hannah, Elaine had left his real father in the middle of the night, never to look back. Ted had been the guy who “saved” her from the monster, helped her divorce him and get custody of Jake.

  “I’d love for you to stop by and have coffee sometime,” Elaine said, as the meeting ended.

  “Sure,” she said automatically, not having enough time to think of an excuse.

  Now, she stood at the bottom of the steps leading up to Elaine’s house, holding a dish of fresh raspberry crumble. Her plan had been to just casually swing by to say hello, but now she regretted coming. She hadn’t talked to Jake, which made her feel weird about going to see his mother.

  “You came!” she heard Elaine calling out from a front window. “Come in, come in!” She whisked open the front door and gestured Hannah inside. “What do you have here?” She plucked the warm dish from Hannah’s hands.

  “I made one of Maggie’s favorite recipes.”

  “That’s so nice of you.” Elaine inhaled the aroma wafting up from the dish. “Smells great! Come along, we can sit out on the back deck.”

  Elaine hurried down the hall, and Hannah wished she would slow down so she could check out the two-story foyer, the grand oak staircase, and wall of stained-glass windows. Shapes of colored light reflected off the floors, the wooden moldings, the paintings hanging on the wall. The rest of the house was just as grand. Soaring ceilings, shiny copper accent tiles in the kitchen, and original fixtures blending tastefully with modernized additions. Then, there was the view.

  “Oh wow,” Hannah said, as she stepped onto the back patio overlooking the river. The house sat at the top of Pine Street, and had a perfect view of the St. Croix flowing through Prairie Valley. “This is beautiful.”

  And also surprising. She knew Jake had lived in this house as a teenager, she knew the family’s status in town. But now, taking in the literally million-d
ollar view, she couldn’t imagine this as part of Jake’s life.

  “So, Jake tells me Emma’s getting quite good at riding.”

  “He’s going to lose the property,” she blurted out. The second she said it, she wished she could take it back. She had crossed a line. But she had to do something.

  “Excuse me?”

  “The Wilsons have decided to sell.” Hannah knew that Elaine would want to help her son. They certainly had the money. The cost of the infinity pool hanging on the edge of their patio would more than cover the down payment.

  “I don’t understand. I thought that’s what he wanted?” Elaine said. “To buy the farm.”

  “He can’t afford it, now.” She could feel nerves bunching up her stomach. She didn’t feel good about leaking his secrets, but she couldn’t just let his dreams leak away, either.

  “Oh?”

  “Ted fired him.”

  “What?” Hannah studied her carefully, and thought that she really hadn’t known. She sat up straight in her seat. “When?”

  “Look, Jake’s going to kill me for telling you,” Hannah said ruefully, regretting skipping the small talk before laying it all out. “But I know how much he loves that ranch, and how much he was counting on that job.”

  Elaine looked out at the river. Tiny white boats floated in the water. “I’ll talk to Ted and find out what happened.”

  “The Gundersons were really happy with the work Jake did. Even Jake was completely taken by surprise.” She felt as though she should explain her admission, why she was ratting Ted out. “He’d never ask for his job back. I don’t know if anyone could even convince him to take it back, if it was offered. But if he doesn’t, he will lose everything.”

  “Thank you, Hannah,” Elaine said quietly. “I’ll talk to my husband.”

  The conversation waned, and Elaine soon excused herself.

  “I completely forgot about this engagement,” Elaine said as she walked Hannah to the door. “I hope you understand.”

  “Yes, of course.” She did understand. The reception that had been warm and gracious had turned into a cool, rushed, departure.