The Rancher's Second Chance

The two men continued to talk, acting as if they didn’t notice the rain that soaked their clothes, dripped off their hats.

Jake Martin said something else to Brody. Brody raised a hand in a wave that became a salute. Grace knew the brothers were close. They’d raised each other and saved this ranch together. She also knew that having two older brothers sometimes got under Brody’s skin.

Finally, he joined her in the truck, grumbling about older brothers who should stay out of his business. He jerked off his hat, tossed it in the backseat of his truck and brushed a hand through damp hair that formed loose curls. The tan skin of his face, stretched taught over lean cheeks and a strong jawline, was damp. He raised his arm and used his sleeve to wipe away the moisture.

“I don’t want to cause you problems with your brothers.”

“You aren’t causing me any problems. They can’t think of me as an adult.”

She knew better. “No, they can’t stand to see you hurt by the woman who cheated on you.”

“They don’t know about you. About us.” He started the truck and eased out of the driveway. “I think I know where you can stay.”

He didn’t expand on that. Details weren’t Brody’s thing. She’d just have to trust him. Who else did she have?

And right now she had someone pretty tiny trusting her to make the right choices for them both.

Chapter Two

They drove to town in the pouring rain he’d wanted to avoid. The wipers swished in a continuous effort to keep the windshield clear. Brody slid a quick glance at the woman sitting next to him. She’d been quiet since leaving the ranch. Now he knew why. She’d fallen sound asleep, her hand on her slightly rounded belly.

He shook his head, trying not to think of the baby or the bruises on her face. The first made him a little queasy. The second made him so angry he couldn’t see straight.

Even after what she’d done to him, he still cared. That made him a little bit mad at her, a lot mad at himself. He could help her out. He could forgive. But he wasn’t going to let himself get tangled up with her again.

It didn’t take long to reach their destination. Brody pulled to a stop in front of Oregon’s All Things shop. Across the street at Duke’s No Bar and Grill the lights were on and the open sign was lit up. A handful of cars and trucks were parked out front, people getting an early start on their day with breakfast at his older brother’s restaurant.

After a few minutes the front door of the diner opened. Duke, tall and imposing and a little scary if a guy didn’t know him, stepped out on the front porch. He greeted the few people who were brave enough to sit outside under the awning on a rainy morning. When he saw Brody he nodded and headed down the steps.

Brody got out of the truck and met his brother on the sidewalk in front of Oregon’s. Duke and Oregon were going to be married in December. She was living in a cottage on the ranch while Duke completed remodeling the old farm house that had belonged to their grandfather. Their daughter, Lilly, bounced from house to house, wanting to spend time with both of them.

“What’s going on?” Duke peered in the tinted windows of the truck. “Is that Grace Thomas?”

“Yeah.” Brody held out his hand for the keys Duke had in his hand.

“Not so quick, little brother.” Duke took a step closer to the truck. “What happened?”

“Lincoln.” The one word brought anger to the surface all over again.

“Is that why you came home last year?” Duke tossed the keys in the air, then caught them. He didn’t take his eyes off Brody. Brody did his best not to squirm.

“Part of the reason. She needs a place to stay.”

“Somewhere that Lincoln can’t find her?”

“Yeah, I guess. I don’t think he’d bother looking here.” Brody didn’t want to waste time discussing it. He wanted to haul her into Oregon’s, then get back to the ranch and get to work. For the first time in a long while he’d prefer Jake to Duke. He’d prefer all day in the saddle to five minutes alone with Grace.

“I don’t know if I want you putting Lilly and Oregon in danger.”

“Duke, she doesn’t have anywhere else to go.”

“Yeah, I get that. But Lincoln is going to come looking for her, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, I reckon, but he won’t think to look here. He’ll come to my place.”

Duke headed up the sidewalk with the key. “Brody, you can’t save the whole world.”

He didn’t want to save the whole world. But saving Grace was something he had to do. He couldn’t turn her away. He couldn’t pretend he didn’t care.

“Doesn’t she have family she can turn to?” Duke asked as he unlocked the back door of Oregon’s, which led to the small apartment at the rear of the shop.

“They’re all out-of-pocket right now. Parents and grandparents are in the mission field and her aunt is in Florida.”

“Gotcha.” Duke flipped on lights and turned on the air conditioner. “I hate to ask, but are you sure you want to do this?”

“I don’t have a choice.” But if he was being honest with himself, getting tied in with Grace was the last thing he wanted.

“Right, okay.” Duke didn’t question him further. He went upstairs and came back with a blanket and a pillow. “I’d put her on the sofa for now.”

Brody agreed. He walked out the door and down the sidewalk to his truck. She was still sleeping. She’d pulled her legs up in the seat and her arms hugged her waist. He opened the door and said her name. She murmured something soft that ended on a sigh.

“Great.” He shook his head and reached in to wake her. She leaned toward him, her eyes still closed. Brody slid an arm around her shoulders and another under her legs. There wasn’t much to her. He pulled her against him and stepped out of the truck, holding her tight as he made his way back up the sidewalk.

Blond hair lifted in the breeze and brushed his face. He inhaled the sweet apple scent of her shampoo. She smelled good. And she was easy to hold.

But he’d do himself some favors by remembering who she was, what she had done to him. Duke had the door open as Brody made his way back to the apartment. He shot a big-brother look at the woman in Brody’s arms and then noticed the left leg that Brody couldn’t quite manage to lift. Duke shook his head but didn’t say anything.

Brody eased the sleeping woman to the sofa and covered her with the blanket. She curled on her side and her hand reached out. He stepped back away from her. A good five feet between them made him feel a lot better.

“Well, that looks like one hundred pounds of serious trouble,” Duke chuckled. He pounded Brody on the back. “Go with God, little brother. I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.”

“Thanks.” Brody sat down in the easy chair and propped his booted feet up on the coffee table. He ignored the warning look Duke gave him.

“What are you going to tell Lincoln when he comes looking for her?” Duke leaned against the door frame. He glanced out, toward the restaurant, then back at Brody.

“I guess I’ll tell him she doesn’t want to see him.”

“Well, call if you need anything.” And by anything, he meant help handling Lincoln Carter.

Hard to believe he and Lincoln once had been best friends. They’d both been working toward the same goal: to be world-champion bull riders. They’d won a lot of money. They’d traveled the country together. Last fall it all had changed. One year ago, Brody realized.

“Thanks for the help, Duke. I appreciate it.” Brody tipped up his hat, making steady eye contact with his brother, who still stood in the doorway watching him.

“That’s what family is for. I’d best get back to the breakfast crowd or Ned is going to hunt me down.”

Brody smiled. Ned, short for Nedine, was a big lady with graying auburn hair and a gruff demeanor, but she was all heart. Duke said she was the best waitress in the state. He told her that often. Especially after he’d ruffled her feathers.

Duke left, and Brody leaned back in the chair and tried to relax. Unfortunately he was all too aware of the woman just feet away from him. Aware of her soft breathing. The quiet sob in her sleep. It all pulled him toward her in a way he hadn’t expected and didn’t want. He just should have called the police when she’d shown up. He should send her to friends. There were other people she could have gone to.

So why him?

To torment him, he guessed. The only one who could control that was him. He would take control now before he got too far in. He’d keep her at a distance. He’d remember how it felt to have his heart trampled. Memories resurfaced, and not the ones he wanted. Of course he didn’t remember the night when he’d rounded the corner of his trailer and saw her with Lincoln. Instead, he remembered how it had felt to hold her in his arms.

He rubbed his hands down his cheeks and shook his head. Heartache, pain, disillusionment—he drew all the memories in and let them simmer as he looked at the woman asleep on the couch, her face bruised by the fist of another man.

He waited until he heard Oregon show up, then he made his way into the section of the building where her store was located. Oregon had a talent for making things. She made clothes, hand-painted Christmas ornaments and jewelry. He didn’t know much about her art, but he knew enough to be impressed.

When he walked through the door, she turned from the shelf she was straightening and smiled at him. She was a tiny thing with dark hair and big gray eyes. And her daughter, Lilly, was the spitting image of Duke.

“I heard I have a visitor.” She moved some things around, then settled her serious gaze on him. “You okay?”

“I’m good. She isn’t. Do you mind if she stays here for a while?”

“Of course not.” Oregon pointed to the coffeepot on the shelf behind the counter. “Need a cup?”

“No, I thought I’d go help Jake.”

She narrowed her eyes to study him. “Really?”

“What?”

“You’ve avoided horses like most people avoid snakes.”

He shrugged and didn’t offer explanations. He hadn’t offered an explanation to anyone about anything. He’d lived his life that way, because from the time he’d been a kid everyone had told him to put on his big-boy jeans and get over it. He’d gotten over his mom walking out on them. He’d gotten over his dad drinking his life away. And whatever he was feeling inside, he kept it to himself. For the most part.

As Duke had told him a long time ago, they all had stuff they had to deal with.

“He asked me to help him out today. I know Duke is at the restaurant. I don’t want to leave Jake shorthanded.”

She dropped her gaze to his leg the way Duke had. “Should you be riding?”

“Yep. So can you let her know where I’ve gone?”

“Yes, I’ll let her know.”

Brody started to walk away but stopped. “If a guy with straw-colored hair and a big grin shows up here asking for her, tell him you don’t know who he’s talking about.”

Worry clouded her features. “I will. Brody, are you sure you should...”

“Yeah, I should.”

He walked away before she could guess he wasn’t as sure as he acted.

* * *

Lincoln chased her through the dark, his face a mask of anger and cruelty. Grace ran but her legs were tired and heavy, and it was hard to breathe. Then suddenly they were in a clinic, and Lincoln told her in quiet, reassuring tones that it was the right choice. She shook her head, knowing he was wrong and that she couldn’t do this. She couldn’t take the life growing inside her. It was her baby. Hers to love. Hers to protect.

Grace woke up with a start. She wasn’t in a clinic. She was—she didn’t know where she was. Somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered being picked up from Brody’s truck, his arms around her. It was the first time she’d felt safe in months.

It was true. A person always wanted what they knew they couldn’t have. She happened to be the poster child for that. She hadn’t wanted Brody when she’d dated him because she’d thought it was all moving too fast, getting too serious too soon. She’d wanted freedom and excitement before she had to go home and get back to reality.

In the past few months her reality had shifted, changed to the point she no longer knew what her future held or how to get back to the person she was or the person she’d always thought she’d be.

She pulled the blanket close as she studied the room. It was a tiny apartment, not much bigger than the bedroom she’d had growing up. The sofa she’d slept on and an overstuffed chair were the only furnishings. The small kitchen area was just a counter with a narrow stove, single sink and a dorm-size fridge. Stairs behind the sofa led to a loft.

The inside door opened and a woman with dark hair peeked in, saw that she was awake and entered the room with a smile. She held up a glass coffeepot. “You’re awake. Need coffee?”

Grace shook her head, still holding the blanket tight. “No, thank you. I’m trying to cut back.”

Because she was having a baby. Her heart clenched and she wanted to cry all over again. She drew in a deep breath and managed to smile so the woman in front of her wouldn’t think she was falling apart.

The woman sat on the arm of the chair and set the coffeepot down on a magazine on the table. She studied Grace, her smile kind. “You’ll make it through this.”

Grace wanted to ask if this stranger could promise that. Instead, she managed a smile. “I hope so.”

“You will. And you’ll learn a lot about yourself. By the way, I’m Oregon Jeffries. I’m engaged to Brody’s brother Duke.”

“Grace Thomas. But you probably already know that.”

“Brody did tell me your name. But he didn’t tell me anything else. He keeps things to himself.”

Grace nodded. Yes, that was the Brody she knew. She thought about how she used to try to get him to share gossip about people they met. But he never would. Instead, he’d told her everyone had a story and most didn’t need to be repeated. Brody had his anger, his past, but he also had faith. He had convictions. The whole package that was Brody Martin had scared her a little. Oregon cleared her throat, bringing Grace back to the present.

“Sorry, I got lost in thought.” Grace said. “Is it going to cause you problems, having me here? I wouldn’t want to put you in danger.”

“Of course you’re not a problem. As for danger, Duke is right across the street.”

“Thank you.” Grace looked around the tiny room. She felt safe here.

“Is there anything at all I can get you?”

Grace thought about all of the possible answers to that question. If only this woman, Oregon, could get her what she really needed. She’d start with redoing the past year. That would put her back on track. She’d go back to nursing school. She’d ignore Lincoln’s advances. She’d make better choices.

She would remember the person she’d been raised to be. She’d done her best to run from the gilded cage she’d been in all her life. She’d thought that cage confining. Now she realized it had been safe.

But there were no do-overs in life, only opportunities to move forward. “There’s nothing.”

“Lunch?” Oregon offered with a sweet smile and shrug of slim shoulders. “A hug?”

She almost cried. It made her realize how alone she’d felt for the past few months. She’d climbed inside herself, hiding the secret of Lincoln’s abuse from people who could have helped. She’d lost pieces of herself one bruise at a time. She would put herself back together. For her baby. And for herself.

She moved her hand to her belly.

Oregon moved to the sofa. A slim arm slipped around Grace, pulling her close to the other woman’s side. “It’ll get better. I know people love to use the phrase, ‘I’ve been there.’ But I really have. I had Duke’s child twelve years ago. I was younger than you and very alone.”

Grace’s throat tightened with emotion and tears stung her eyes.

Oregon gave her another quick hug. “It gets easier. And harder. Better. And worse.”

Grace laughed through her tears at that bit of honesty. “Thanks. I think.”

“I won’t lie. It won’t be the easiest thing you’ve ever done. But you’ll have friends. If you stay here, I’ll help you any way that I can.”

Grace tried to find words to respond to this unexpected offer of friendship. She drew in a breath, felt a little stronger. “Thank you. I know I can do this. The past few months have been rough. But it has to get easier.”

“Of course it will. Now let’s have a sandwich and then I’ll show you my store.” Oregon stood and held out a hand to pull Grace to her feet. “If we’re lucky we’ll get a little peace and quiet before one of the Martin men comes storming in to...”

As if on cue the outside door opened. Brody stepped in, his gaze shooting from Oregon to Grace. “I thought I’d check on you before I head out to the ranch. I’ve been rounding up a few supplies for Jake.”

“I’m good,” Grace assured him, standing next to Oregon. “We were just going to get lunch.”

“Yeah, you should eat. I don’t think you kept any of your breakfast down.” His suntanned cheeks turn a little pink. His blue eyes skirted the room, looking at everything but her. “Anyway, if you need anything, Oregon has my number.”

“Brody, you don’t have to...”

“I know that, Grace. But you came here, and I’m not going to turn my back on you.”

“Thanks.”

Oregon touched her arm and left them alone.

He glanced away, but not before she saw the hurt in his eyes. She started to take a step toward him but stopped, because it did a cowboy no good to think he was getting sympathy when that was the last thing he wanted. He didn’t want her hugs or her apologies. He wanted to get on with his life.

He’d help her. She knew that. But she also knew that Brody wouldn’t let her back into his life, not after the way she’d hurt him. That was for the best. She was having a baby. That had to be her focus now.

“Well, I’ve got to run before Jake comes after me. I doubt I’ll be back this evening. If you need anything the store is next door. Put anything you need on my account, and I’ll settle up with them at the end of the week. Or you can run over to Duke’s.”

“Brody, I can take care of myself.”

He looked at her, really looked at her, then gave a curt nod. He adjusted that beat-up white cowboy hat he wouldn’t replace and reached for the door. “Yeah, I know you can.”

With that he walked out the door. Grace was left standing in the center of the small apartment, lost somewhere between needing him to come back and knowing she could do this on her own.

She walked through the door that connected the apartment to the shop and found Oregon arranging paints and brushes on a worktable. Grace entered the room, slightly mesmerized by the merchandise.

“You made all of this?” Grace asked.

Oregon stepped out from behind the worktable. “I did. And you’re the reason Brody came home angry, aren’t you?”

It wasn’t said with malice, just curiosity.

Grace touched a Christmas ornament with a pretty manger scene painted on the front of the glass bulb. “Yes, I’m the reason. I never meant to hurt him. I just wasn’t ready and he was so serious.”

“People seldom do mean to hurt each other.”

At that, Grace touched her bruised cheek. “Oh, some people mean it.”

“Yes, some do. But if you weren’t ready it would have been wrong to lead him on. That would have been another kind of hurt.”

Grace walked away from Oregon and the discomfort of the conversation. She sifted through a rack of handmade skirts, then stopped, her hand hovering as she turned to look at Oregon.

“You’re right. It would have been wrong.”

So why had she come to Martin’s Crossing, to Brody, when she could have gone anywhere? Would she hurt him all over again, being here, needing his help?

Because hurting him was the last thing she wanted to do.

Chapter Three

Brody’s knees ached, but it felt good to be in the saddle. The big gelding underneath him moved a bit to the right, ears pricked forward as he watched the cattle they were moving. The day had started out gray and rainy but had cleared, and the air soon turned muggy as the sun heated things up. Their mission was to move close to a hundred head of cattle to a field that hadn’t been grazed down.

The beef moved slowly, sometimes stopping to munch at grass, sometimes trying to zigzag away from the herd and take off to greener pastures. Brody kept a steady hand on the reins, trying to keep the gelding he rode from bolting. He could handle riding, but a sudden jerk felt like fire going through his leg. That was what happened when wear and tear dissolved the cartilage in a knee.

After the lunch rush, Duke had left the diner in the capable hands of Ned and joined in to help. As they moved the animals through an open gate, Duke rode up beside Brody.

“You doing okay?” Duke asked in his typical big-brother tone that got under Brody’s skin.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Could you stop being defensive for one second and just be honest?”

“I’m honest. Why wouldn’t I be fine?”

“Well, you’ve had your leg out of the stirrup more than in. And on top of that, a pregnant woman showed up this morning and it’s clear the two of you are more than just friends.”

“We’re not even friends. And it isn’t my baby, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“No, I wasn’t thinking that. What I’m thinking is that you don’t like to share anything with your family, and that makes it kind of hard to help you.”

“I’m not a little boy. I don’t need your help or your advice. If I do, I’ll ask.”

“Right-o, brother. But you did need a place to put that woman to keep her safe.”

“Yeah, I did. And thank you for that. I’m not sure how long she’ll stay, but at least she’s safe for now.”

“Brody, you have to let go of the past.”

“I didn’t know I was hanging on to it.”

Duke rode up to the gate and swung it closed, leaning from his horse to wrap the chain around the post. Brody rubbed his knee, moving it from the stirrup and then putting his foot back in before Duke could catch him. A shot of fear tugged at him, because he knew what arthritis and joint damage could mean for a guy who made his living on the back of a horse. He already knew what it meant to a bull-riding career. He knew what it meant when, late at night, he could barely stand up and walk from one room to another.

The gate secure, Duke turned back to Brody. “You might pretend nothing bothers you, but you’re so uptight I’m surprised you don’t crack when you walk.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised.”

Duke’s attention shot to the knee Brody rubbed without thinking. “Not too surprised. Can they do surgery?”

“I’ve had surgery. Last year before I came home.”

“Then, why is it still bothering you?”

“I’m actually working on finding out. So if that’s all you want to know, let’s get back to the barn and treat that other bunch for pinkeye before it spreads.”

They rode in blessed silence for a few minutes. Brody started to mention a horse he’d like to look at, but thought if he said anything Duke would feel the need to talk more about the past, about Grace or about his health. Sometimes they forgot he was almost twenty-seven. He had a double degree in special education and counseling. He’d been on the dean’s list every year. Stupid, he was not.

“Would it help you to find Sylvia?”

At the mention of their mother’s name, Brody pulled back on the reins, surprising the gelding, who sidestepped a few times and shook his head to protest the rough treatment. Brody whispered an apology to the animal and brushed a hand down the horse’s dark neck.

“Why bring her up now?”

Duke shrugged and kept riding. “Because everything comes back to her. She abandoned you.”

“She abandoned us.” He didn’t like to talk about it. The only person who knew his feelings about Sylvia was Grace. He’d told Grace all about how his world had fallen apart as a little kid. Now, as an adult, he realized it had never been too secure of a world to start with. Sylvia had always been a mess. Their dad had been pretty okay until she’d left.