Rancher's High-Stakes Rescue

by Beth Cornelison

  “Gill’s Thrills, on the other hand, had a great opening weekend. Karl Townsen took a group out rappelling, horseback riding and through a ropes course. No accidents or injuries. Just satisfied customers.”

  Josh tried to ignore Gill’s adolescent taunting. He stared at the paperwork in front of him, the black ink blurring as his frustration and loathing grew.

  “Maybe you should hire some professionals to help on future tours. Assuming this disaster doesn’t shut you down.”

  Josh squeezed the pen in his hand so hard it snapped in two. “Maybe you should shut up.”

  He regretted the words as soon as he spoke them. Stooping to Gill’s level with juvenile retorts was not the way to deal with the jerk.

  He drew a slow breath and released it. “Ma’am, I’m in a hurry,” he called to the billing clerk.

  “Be right there.”

  “Maybe hurrying is why you screwed up?” Gill said. “Did you throw your adventure course together too fast? Without safety protocols?”

  “You know nothing about what happened or the extenuating circumstances,” Josh retorted, his jaw tight. He met Gill’s smug look with a dark glare, and as he stared at the bullying banker, a tingle raced down his back. “Or do you?”

  Gill scoffed. “What?”

  “Did you tamper with our zip line, you sleazebag?”

  Gill shot a look to the clinic staff, who were shamelessly eavesdropping. “Are you hearing this?” he asked and scoffed. “Hell, no. I don’t need to tamper with anything you and your brother do. I only have to sit back and wait for you to screw it up yourself.”

  Josh wanted to slam his fist into Gill’s haughty mug. Before he resorted to violence, he shoved away from the counter and stalked toward the exit.

  “Sir?” the billing clerk called.

  “Bill me!”

  * * *

  Josh climbed in his mother’s car and squelched the urge to punch the windshield. He took a few deep breaths and shook the tension out of his hands before fastening his seat belt and facing his mother.

  “I saw Gill go in with his little girl. Is he the reason for this—” she waved a hand at him “—mood you’re in?”

  He touched a finger to his nose.

  “Why do you let him get to you after all these years? You’re a grown man, Josh.”

  “I tried to ignore him, but he’s a colossal asshat, and he might even be behind the sabotage of our business.”

  His mother swung a sharp glance toward him. “What? You have evidence of that?”

  Josh groaned and rocked his head back on the seat. “No. Just theories based on his douchiness.”

  His mother drove out of the parking lot, and with a worried look, said, “Well, you need to get a grip on your emotions before you talk to the police.”

  He arched an eyebrow, noticing his mother had turned in the opposite direction from the ranch. “Which would be now?”

  She sighed and nodded. “I don’t like it. I’d rather you went home to rest, but Zane says the sheriff was very clear. He needs to get your statement ASAP. The insurance company is waiting on the final police report, and—”

  “All right.” Josh tipped up a hand in resignation. “Will they talk to Kate, too?” He really wished he could spare her that drudgery.

  “Already have.”

  He sent his mother a frown. “Huh?”

  “Piper took her to make her statement a little while ago. She texted me while you were getting x-rayed.”

  Josh grunted. “Not exactly the TLC I’d hoped Piper would show her.”

  Melissa reached over to pat her son’s leg. “Kate’s being taken care of, as you will be when we get home. I don’t like it any more than you do, hon. But...”

  “No. It’s fine.” Josh clenched his jaw and white-knuckled the passenger side door handle, remembering the horror of seeing the zip line fall. Rage pumped heat through his veins. “Whatever it takes to catch the bastard responsible for the sabotage, I’m in.”

  * * *

  Josh talked to the police for about an hour. He had little information to add to what was shown by crime scene photos, taken when Zane brought the sheriff to the campsite and zip-line landing platform after he and Kate had headed out. He promised to make himself available should the investigators need to ask any follow-up questions.

  “Well?” His mother asked as they returned to her car.

  He shrugged his good shoulder and shook his head. “They’ve got little right now. Just like all the other incidents. All the boot prints and fingerprints they’ve found belong to the Double M family, no doubt left during the campsite prep.”

  His mother frowned. “That can’t be right.”

  “The vandal could have worn gloves. Stolen someone’s boots. Or done something to hide his tracks. A piece of plywood to walk on?” Josh closed his eyes, beyond tired, heartsick over the setback for the adventure ranch...and missing Kate.

  He’d last seen her three, maybe four, hours ago, and yet he already longed to talk to her, to hold her, to reassure himself she was all right.

  Behind his closed eyes, he saw her wading into dangerous currents to save a rabbit, laughing as she emerged from the clear water of the swimming hole, staring at him with moss green eyes, both terrified and tenuously trusting. His heart bumped hard, and he had to work at drawing a breath into his lungs. What was wrong with him?

  Piper met him at the car, saying, “Kate wanted me to tell you goodnight and thank you and that she’d see you in the morning. She was headed straight to bed after a shower and a quick bite to eat.”

  Josh cast a glance toward the guesthouse. The windows were mostly dark, and he saw no activity in the dim light of the living room. Disappointment stabbed him. He’d hoped to check on her, satisfy his deep longing to touch her, kiss her and explore the curious mix of emotions knotted inside him.

  Josh hadn’t been back in the family home more than twenty seconds before Zane was in his face. “Are you pleased with yourself?”

  Chapter 15

  “Not now, man.” Josh tried to brush past his brother, but Zane pursued him.

  “Do you have any idea what you could have cost us? What could still happen if we don’t get out ahead of this mess real quick? Dawn has been making noises about our liability, about lawsuits...”

  Josh pinched the bridge of his nose. “Seriously. Can your tantrum wait? I’m exhausted.”

  “My tantrum?” Zane raised both hands and gave Josh a what-the-hell look. “This isn’t a joke, Josh.”

  Josh paused and gave Zane a sarcastically confused look. “It’s not?”

  “Stop screwing around!” Zane punched Josh’s chest near his injured shoulder. Not hard, but Josh was sore all over and in no mood for his brother’s tirade.

  “Back off, Zane, or I swear—”

  A shrill whistling sounded from the end of the hall, and both of the twins turned toward their father. “Zane, I know you have business to settle with Josh, but it will keep. Let your brother rest and eat, and you can hash out your beef with him tomorrow.”

  Zane cast Josh a dark glare. Then, heaving a deep sigh, his expression easing, he said, “I’m glad you’re all right.”

  Josh nodded. “Thanks.” He rubbed his sore shoulder, then asked, “Have you seen Kate since she got back? Did you all make her comfortable and get her a good meal?”

  “Piper pulled out all the stops once the cops finished talking to Kate.”

  “Good.” Seeing his father reminded him of other business he needed to handle before he slept. “Dad, can we talk? In your office?”

  Michael lifted a shoulder. “Sure. What is it, Josh?”

  Josh hitched his head and led his dad back to the ranch office. He took one of the seats across the desk from his father’s swivel chair and waited for his father to sit. Then taking a deep breath, he s
aid, “It’s about Roy. He was drunk when Kate and I got to the pickup point.”

  Josh filled his father in on the details of Roy’s condition earlier that day and other incidents he and Zane had tried to keep quiet to protect their foreman. “Kate says, and I have to agree, that we aren’t doing him any favors by ignoring his problem. I think time has come for an intervention.”

  Michael steepled his fingers and tapped his chin with the bridged fingertips. Finally his father sighed. “I’ve known for years that Roy drinks too much. And, yes, we’ve swept it under the rug as long as the ranch didn’t suffer from it. But you’re right. We’ve kicked this particular can down the road too long. Brady needs to be involved in this...whatever it is we’re doing. We need to be unified, firm, but not judgmental or confrontational.”

  Josh nodded and rubbed the tired muscles in the back of his neck. “Agreed.”

  A knock interrupted them, and Dave Giblan opened the door. “Sorry. Am I interrupting?” The ranch hand spotted Josh, and his face brightened. “Hey, look who’s home! Glad to see you back in one piece.”

  Josh nodded his thanks, and Dave faced Michael.

  “What can I do for you, Dave?” His dad pushed to his feet and then, after flipping through a few envelopes on his desk, handed one to the hand. “Besides give you your paycheck.”

  “That’d be what I came for.” Dave took the envelope, ripped it open as he turned toward the door, then stopped. Faced Michael again. Dave’s face was grim, concerned. “Um, I almost hate to mention this again, but...I really need a raise.”

  Frowning, Michael dropped his gaze to his desk and shook his head. “Dave, I just can’t—”

  “I know things are tight for you, but they’re tight for me, too!” Dave protested. “Since Karl left, I’ve had more work to do, and no compensation for the extra hours.”

  “I know, Dave. I—”

  “And with this new adventures enterprise,” Dave said, looking to Josh, his tone full of frustration, “you and Zane are spending more time with that and less helping with the herd.”

  Josh shot his father a guilty look. He and Zane had promised their dad they’d not let the adventure ranch interfere with regular ranch business, and for the most part they hadn’t. But Dave had a point.

  “Last summer when the herd got poisoned, who stayed up all hours tending to sick cows? And when the crop got burned, who went all the way to Omaha to drive in the truck with extra winter feed, even though it was Christmas Eve?”

  “I know, Dave,” Michael said quietly.

  “Last year, you put me off until this year. And I know I’ve already asked earlier this spring, but...damn it! I’m living paycheck to paycheck and busting my ass for you. And for what?” Dave braced his hands on his hips and glared at them. “It’s not right.”

  Michael said nothing for several tense seconds. Josh could see the weight of all the ranch burdens stooping his father’s back and sensed the strain under the surface of his father’s flat expression. This stress wasn’t good for his father’s blood pressure. Josh was about to intervene, bodily remove Dave, if needed, when Michael spoke.

  “You’re right, Dave. And I’m sorry we’ve put so much on you.”

  Dave relaxed his combative stance, exhaled.

  “I’ll find the money to give you a raise...somewhere. It won’t be much, I’m afraid. But I promise you, when the ranch is back on its feet, you will receive a healthy bonus.”

  “If the ranch gets back on its feet,” Dave said, his expression grim as he stormed out.

  “And where do you think you’re going to find the money to give him his raise?” Josh asked his dad after a few moments of silence.

  Michael rubbed a hand on his thinning hair. “Hell if I know. My retirement fund? Maybe the Christmas account your mother doesn’t think I know about.”

  “Dad...”

  “Not your problem, Josh. I’ll come up with something. I’m good at finding crazy solutions to impossible situations.” His father gave him a sad smile. “You remember the way I jury-rigged the hay baler when it quit two years ago?”

  Josh grinned and nodded. “American ingenuity at its best.”

  “I’ll figure this out, too. I still have a trick or two up my sleeve. Right now...you go rest.” His smile faded. “And we’ll talk to Roy tomorrow.”

  But he didn’t want the burden of solving the family’s financial crisis to fall on his father. His dad’s blood pressure was already threatening his health. Josh wanted, needed, in a way he couldn’t explain, to be a problem solver for his father, his family. He wanted to protect his father’s health, his family’s home. Acid bit his gut as he realized that with his disastrous trip with Kate, he’d only made things worse. Losing Roy, even if just for a few months to a rehab clinic, would put an additional strain on the rest of them. Dave would stroke when he learned he’d be asked to do even more in Roy’s absence.

  Josh paused in the hallway by a family portrait made just before he, Zane and Piper had graduated from high school. He studied the smiles, the faces, noting the changes. His dad had aged so much in the last ten years. And what about himself? How was he any different than the reckless kid who’d earned the reputation for being more a source of gray hair to his parents than a reason to brag? Rodeo trophies didn’t help the family business one bit.

  He rammed the side of his fist against the wall and made his way to his bedroom. After he took a quick shower, still ruing his past choices, Josh found his mother’s cat asleep on his bed. He rolled his eyes and scooted the deadweight fluff ball off his pillow. “Move it, Zeke. I have an appointment with that pillow myself for the next six to eight hours.”

  Zeke stood and yawned lazily. Then, as Josh settled in the bed, the cat stretched out along Josh’s side. He scratched the feline’s head, earning a purr. As Josh closed his eyes in search of sleep, he thought back to the night before, lying under the stars with Kate cuddled against his side. His body tightened remembering her seductive kisses, the warmth of her body tucked under his arm. Zeke was a far cry from the woman he longed to be sharing his bed with, but he reluctantly admitted that having the feline’s company, the sound of Zeke’s low, rumbling purr lulling him to sleep, was better than sleeping alone.

  * * *

  Kate woke alone and disoriented in a dark room. Her body ached, and her head puzzled over the lingering images of a dream about rafting with a drunk rabbit that she had to protect from a baby bear. She sat up in the twin bed and raked her hair from her face. Placing herself only took a few seconds, as her surroundings came into focus.

  Wood-paneled walls... A quilted bed cover...

  Josh. Her heart lifted, and she smiled. She was back at the ranch. Safe. And Josh was somewhere close by, probably just waking up himself. She remembered the morning before, the comfort of his arm around her against the misty morning chill. The day had gone steadily downhill after the bliss of waking next to Josh. She shoved that thought aside.

  Kate’s first order of business this morning was to find Josh, see how his shoulder was, thank him again for everything he did to take care of her over the last few days. Maybe she’d steal another kiss or two. And maybe broach the topic of what, if any, chance they had of building a relationship.

  He’d been the last thing on her mind last night as she fell asleep and the first thing on her mind this morning when she woke up. The image of him as he’d looked atop the bluff at the swimming hole, the sun on his hair and his muscular body stripped to his boxer briefs, brought an immediate smile to her lips...and a curl of desire to her core.

  She ambled stiffly down the hall, her muscles aching as if she’d spent too long in the saddle. Kate grinned to herself when that particular expression came to mind. She had ranch on the brain, it seemed.

  She found Dawn in the kitchenette, already dressed and sipping a cup of coffee.

  “I hope you saved me some of
that,” she said, aiming a finger toward Dawn’s mug.

  Her friend turned to her, smiling. “Look at you up at daybreak!”

  Kate grunted. “Well, when you hit the sack as early as I did and sleep like the dead for nine hours, it’s a little easier. I still need coffee, though.”

  Dawn stepped aside and waved a hand to the coffeepot. “Just finished brewing.”

  Yawning, Kate moved to the coffee maker and filled a mug. As she added sugar and milk, she cut a side glance to Dawn. “I don’t suppose you’ve talked to Josh or Zane this morning. Do you know how Josh’s doctor visit went?”

  Dawn leaned back against the counter, cradling her mug in her hands. “Haven’t heard, haven’t seen them this morning.” She sipped from her coffee while eyeing Kate over the rim. “You gonna tell me what happened with you two the last few days, or do I have to torture you with my singing to get it from you?”

  Kate arched an eyebrow. “Your singing is that bad?”

  Dawn bellowed a few lines of “You Raise Me Up.”

  Kate nearly choked on her coffee as a laugh sputtered from her. She waved a hand in front of her. “Stop, stop! Please. I’ll talk.”

  Dawn flashed a gloating grin. “Works every time.”

  “I’ll tell you everything about the last couple days, but first, I want to talk to Josh.”

  Dawn’s focus shifted to the window, and she nodded toward it. “Well, there he goes. Now’s your chance.”

  Kate’s pulse drummed a little faster as she angled her gaze out the front window and spotted Zane and Josh walking toward the stable together. Josh’s left arm was in a sling, but beyond that she couldn’t tell anything about his recovery from their physically stressful ordeal.

  “Oh, be still my heart. I’m definitely starting to think a threesome with those two would be worth upsetting Dean,” Dawn mumbled.

  Kate shot her an exasperated look, and Dawn chuckled. “Kidding!” Then under her breath, “Sorta.”