Home to Wyoming

“This is wonderful,” she exclaimed, looking around at the rest of the room, her eyes landing on the state-of-the-art entertainment center.

“If you need anything, just dial zero on the house phone by your bed and the front desk will let me know, no matter the hour.” He studied his guests. “Is there anything I can get you before I say good-night?”

Jenny stared up at him with a worried expression. “Do you feel okay?”

“I feel fine. Do I look too frightening?”

“No, but I feel bad for you. Where do you live?”

“In the main ranch house. It’s close by, but you couldn’t see it in the storm. I hope your stomach will feel better by morning. We serve breakfast in the big dining room from six to nine. Lunch is from twelve to two and dinner from five to eight.”

“Will you be there?”

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

“That’s good.” Jenny’s quiet response touched him. “Do you have to wear the mask at the ranch house?”

“Only if they make a fire in the big fireplace, which doesn’t happen very often.”

“You’re brave.”

“No. Your dad was the one who was brave. If you’ve noticed, the thunder and lightning have already moved on. It isn’t scary anymore. I bet Moppy is already peeking out of her hole and planning her breakfast for tomorrow. The rain will have made a lot of pine nuts fall to the ground.”

The little girl’s face broke into a sweet smile. Daniel Forrester’s daughter was a treasure. It tore him up to think she’d lost her father. “I want to watch.”

He cleared his throat. “She’ll be up early.”

“I don’t know if we can say the same thing for us,” her mother remarked.

Buck was trying hard not to think too much about Daniel’s wife and his unwanted attraction to her. He threw her a glance. “Tomorrow will be your first day here. After coming from Sacramento, you need to get used to the altitude.”

“You can certainly tell the air is thinner here.”

“It’s a bit of a change and that flight had to be unsettling to a lot of the passengers. Jenny? You’re a courageous girl to have handled it. Something tells me you’re just like your daddy.”

When she didn’t say anything, he glanced at her mother and saw tears pooling in her dark blue eyes. “You don’t know how true that is.” Her comment piqued his curiosity, but now wasn’t the time to probe.

“Good night.”

“Good night, Mr. Summerhayes.”

“Buck.”

“Yes, Buck. Sorry.”

“No problem. What would you like me to call you?”

“Alex. It’s short for Alexis,” Jenny volunteered. “Frank calls her that, but she doesn’t like it.”

“Jenny—”

Amused, Buck’s gaze swerved back to the seven-year-old. “Who’s Frank?” Might as well learn the truth right now. Hopefully it would help kill his interest in her.

“He’s going to be my new grandpa.”

“You mean, your grandmother is getting married to Frank?”

“Yes. After we get back from our trip.”

“That’s an exciting thing to look forward to.”

The little girl’s face crumpled. “No, it isn’t.” Before he could blink, she ran out of the living room into the bedroom where he’d put their bags and shut the door.

Alex looked shattered. “I’m sorry. She’s been upset lately, but never around anyone other than me.”

“It’s probably just because she’s not feeling well and the storm scared her. I’ll leave so you can take care of her. I can show you around the ranch tomorrow.”

“Please don’t go yet. There’s something you need to know. I was going to tell you at the airport, but it didn’t feel like the right time. Jenny needs to cry this out and she’ll be fine by herself for a few minutes. I’m afraid this can’t wait.”

He felt her urgency. “What is it?”

“Do you mind if we sit down?”

Wondering what this was all about, Buck sat in one of the chairs, while she took the end of the couch. “I’ll make this as short as possible. My name is Alex Wilson. I’m Jenny’s grandmother, not her mother.”

Buck shot up from the chair. Grandmother? It wasn’t possible. She looked so young! His mind had to do a complete thought reversal.

“Two months after Daniel was killed, my daughter, Christy, died. She’d suffered from leukemia for a short time before her passing. I became Jenny’s legal guardian.”

A slug to the gut couldn’t have come as more of a shock.

“When the letter arrived from the Teton Valley Dude Ranch inviting Christy and Jenny to come, I was so touched you couldn’t imagine. But the invitation was meant for my daughter.” He heard tears in her voice.

“I called Daniel’s commanding officer so he could explain my situation to Mr. Lundgren—Carson—and tell him the reason why we couldn’t accept such a great honor. He told me that since I was Jenny’s legal guardian and had virtually raised her since Christy fell ill, no one had more of a right to come and bring Jenny than I did.

“I struggled with it. In fact, up to a week ago, I was ready to call the ranch and tell you about my daughter’s death. I wanted you to give this honor to a well-deserving widow and her child. But the commanding officer wouldn’t hear of it. By that time Jenny was so excited to come, I couldn’t disappoint her. With both her parents’ deaths, she’s been through so much grief. But I wanted you to know the truth.”

Buck couldn’t begin to fathom it. “I’m glad he insisted you come. After hearing what you’ve told me, I speak for Carson and Ross when I say we couldn’t be happier that Daniel Forrester’s daughter and mother-in-law have accepted our invitation. He was a real hero. We’re hoping this trip will let Jenny know how special we thought her father was.”

Her eyes glazed over. “You’re very kind, Buck. Daniel was a terrific son-in-law. My daughter couldn’t have chosen better. Which brings me to what happened tonight. I’m planning to be married to a man I met over two years ago. He’s been careful because of Jenny’s feelings and has only proposed recently.

“Jenny knows we’re planning marriage and I’d hoped she was getting used to the idea, but tonight’s outburst has shown me she’s not ready to share me with Frank yet. To be truthful, he was worried about my bringing her on this trip and is still unhappy about it. She adored her daddy and Frank thought meeting more ex-marines might be too painful a reminder of her loss.

“But she acted so excited about coming here that I couldn’t disappoint her. I’m embarrassed for the way she acted out just now. If I see any more of this behavior while we’re here, we’ll have to leave, and I’ll reimburse you for the airline tickets and any expense you’ve gone to for us.”

“I’m sure that won’t be necessary. Once she meets Johnny, she’ll be so preoccupied that she’ll forget to be upset. There’s something about this ranch that gives people a new perspective.”

She stood and walked over to the door. “I hope you’re right. I can tell you one thing. You knew exactly how to calm Jenny’s fears tonight. For that, I’m indebted to you. Thank you for inviting us here. You’ll never know what that letter from the ranch did for me and Jenny. At a very dark hour for her, it gave us the hope that a brighter future was in store.”

Buck could hardly swallow for the sorrow he was feeling for their family. “I’m so glad it did that for you. Good night, Alex. See you in the morning.”

Without lingering, he hurried outside and whipped off his mask. After the rain, the scent of sage hung heavy in the air. Willy was waiting for him in the van. “Everything all right, Buck? You look...disturbed.”

He put his apparatus back in the locker. “To be honest, disturbed doesn’t come close to what I’m feeling.” His thoughts were in chaos.

Willy started driving them along the puddled dirt road toward the parking area at the side of the main ranch house. “Mrs. Forrester is a knockout.”

That she was. “Just so you know, her name is actually Alex Wilson. She’s Jenny Forrester’s grandmother.”

“Grandmother—” At that revelation, Willy pressed on the brakes and looked at him. “Come on... You’re joshing me, right? How could she be a grandmother?”

Buck’s eyebrows lifted. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to do the math. Her granddaughter just turned seven.” He could hear Willy’s brain working.

“She would have to be forty or damn near close.”

“Yep.” But she could pass for ten years younger and was planning to get married. “Her daughter died soon after Daniel Forrester was killed by a grenade.”

Quiet reigned until they reached the ranch house. “That’s awful. The poor little kid.”

“You can say that again.” They’d both suffered too many losses. Buck opened the door. “Thanks for the lift, Willy. See you tomorrow.”

Buck entered the ranch through the front door, coughing his way back to the office to find the guys. What he had to tell them would blow their minds. During those weeks in the hospital when they’d come up with the idea to run a dude ranch to honor soldiers’ families, Buck could never have dreamed up a scenario like this one.

Chapter Two

Relieved that Buck Summerhayes knew the truth about everything, Alex locked up and walked back to the bedroom. Jenny was lying on top of one of the twin beds with her head buried in the pillow. Alex sat at her side and started rubbing her back.

“Did Buck leave?”

“Yes.”

“I wish he didn’t have to go. He’s nice.”

“I agree, but it’s late. He needs his sleep and so do you. Before he left, I told him about your mom.”

“I’m so glad we came. Do you think he’s in pain?”

“No. As long as he doesn’t breathe smoke, I’m sure he’s fine.”

“I like him.”

“I know.”

“He has pretty green eyes. They’re lighter than Daddy’s.”

“You’re right.”

With his full head of thick light brown hair and his well-defined physique, Buck Summerhayes was undeniably an attractive man—and he had a way about him that had charmed her granddaughter. She suspected he charmed most females. Alex hadn’t seen a wedding band. Since he hadn’t mentioned a wife or children, Alex presumed he was still a bachelor.

“I have something to tell you that will make you happier, but you have to turn over so we can look at each other.”

Jenny flipped over on her back. “What is it?”

“When we go home, I’m going to tell Frank I’m not ready to marry him yet.”

She sat up straight. “You’re not?”

“No. You and I need more time.” Tonight’s outburst in front of a stranger had given her ample proof that it was too soon for any more changes in Jenny’s life.

The girl’s slim arms caught Alex around the neck in a powerful hug. “I love you, Nana!”

“I love you too, sweetheart. How does your tummy feel now? Would you like a soda?”

“Yes, please.”

“Good. I’ll see what I can find.”

Alex went in the other room and opened the minifridge. There were a variety of drinks. She drew out a ginger ale and a cola. Before she went back to the bedroom, she checked on the fire. It was burning down. With the screen in place, she didn’t need to worry about sparks catching something on fire.

“Here you go.” Alex sat on the other twin bed and pulled out the brochure that had been included with the letter she’d received from the dude ranch. Together they made plans for the next day while they drank their sodas.

She knew Frank was waiting for her to call him, but for the first time, she didn’t feel like talking to him. He hadn’t wanted her to come to the ranch, and Jenny was thrilled to be there. Alex felt as if she was in a tug-of-war. It took too much emotional energy. Instead of calling, she reached for her cell phone and texted him that they’d arrived safely but were exhausted. She’d phone him tomorrow. Alex meant it about being worn out.

With that decision made, she and Jenny opened their suitcases to get out the things they’d need for bed, including the framed photograph of Jenny’s parents that Alex placed on the telephone table for her.

“We’ll put everything else away in the morning,” she said. After brushing their teeth, they said their prayers, and then she turned out the lights and they climbed under their comfy quilts. Alex liked their yellow-and-white-checkered design. The whole log cabin had a cheery ambience. There was no doubt that she and Jenny needed a little cheer in their lives.

In her heart of hearts, she was relieved about the decision she’d made where Frank was concerned. Alex had refused to wear his engagement ring yet because deep down she’d known Jenny wasn’t ready. She’d seen the signs, but tonight’s incident had crystallized things for her.

Marriage was a big step for anyone, but an even bigger one for a woman who’d be forty-one in a few months and had never been married. Frank was fifty-five but looked fifty because he played a lot of tennis and kept fit. They’d met when she’d started working at the bank where he was the vice president. After he lost his wife to cancer, they became friends. That friendship deepened following Christy’s death and they fell in love.

She liked his two married children and grandchildren. He had a maturity and stability that were especially appealing to her. Jenny liked him fairly well, but the mention of marriage was something else. Obviously it was too soon after her daddy’s death for her to imagine a man living with them under the same roof.

Alex knew it would come as a blow when she got home and told Frank she couldn’t marry him yet. For her, intimacy was out of the question until their wedding, because she refused to anticipate their vows as she’d done with Kyle when she was seventeen.

Although she hated the thought of disappointing Frank further, Jenny had to come first. Alex had raised one daughter, and now she was raising another. The responsibility was enormous. Frank would help her, but not until Jenny was ready. And as much as Alex was looking forward to marriage, they had to get past this problem first. She guessed she was going to find out how patient Frank could be.

With a troubled sigh, she turned on her other side. When Jenny had been in the first grade, Alex had arranged various playdates for her. One girl named Mandy was turning into a friend Jenny really liked. They got along great, but she needed more friends. She hoped that she would make some friends at the ranch for the time that they were there. Maybe there would be some other families with a girl. And Buck had mentioned a boy....

She and Jenny had been through so much in the past year, but if there was any consolation, it was that her daughter and Daniel were together in heaven. Alex loved her granddaughter and was determined they were going to have a wonderful life and enjoy this special week, which had come as an unexpected gift.

To her surprise, her thoughts drifted to the handsome ex-marine who’d flown on the plane with them to Jackson. Who would have guessed he was one of the owners of the dude ranch.

Buck’s words rang in her ears: There’s something about this ranch that gives you a new perspective. She had the feeling he’d been speaking from personal experience and prayed it would be equally true for her and Jenny.

* * *

“NANA? Somebody’s knocking at the door. Do you think it’s Buck?” Jenny asked with an eagerness that surprised Alex.

“I have no idea.” Alex had awakened thinking about him and how good he’d been with Jenny last night. She knew married men who didn’t handle their own children’s fears as well as the way he’d handled Jenny’s. She shot up in bed and brushed the hair out of her eyes to check her watch. It was five after eight.

There was another knock. “Can I get it?”

“Go ahead.” Alex had slept in her sweats and felt decent enough as she followed Jenny into the other room. Her granddaughter had inherited the best features from both Christy and Daniel. She looked so cute in her Sleeping Beauty pajamas. Alex thought she was the most adorable girl on the planet.

When Jenny opened the door, they were met by a brown-eyed, brown-haired boy in a black Stetson and cowboy boots. He wore a holster around his hips and was holding a cap gun in one hand. Alex decided she was looking at the most adorable boy on the planet.

“Hi! I’m Johnny Lundgren. Are you Jenny?” Her granddaughter’s green eyes widened in astonishment before she nodded. “Do you want to have breakfast with me?”

She turned to Alex. “Would that be okay with you, Nana?”

“Of course.” She moved to the door. “Hi, Johnny. I’m Alex.”

“I know. You’re her grandmother.”

Alex couldn’t help smiling. He had amazing confidence for his age. “That’s right. Last night Buck told us you’re Mr. Lundgren’s son.”

“Yep.”

“We’re very pleased to meet you.” She shook his hand. “We understand you have a pony named Goldie.”

“Yep. I’ll show you to her after breakfast. Do you want to see me ride her?”

“Yes. I want to ride, too.”

“Okay. We’ll go after we eat. I like Fruit Loops. What about you?”

Jenny thought for a minute. “Do they have Boo Berry?”

“I think so, but it makes your mouth blue.”

“I know.” Both children laughed at the same time. A small miracle had occurred with her granddaughter. Buck Summerhayes wasn’t the only male around the ranch who had charm. “Come on in, Johnny. We’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

“Thanks.”

“Where did you get your cap gun?”

“In Jackson. Maybe your nana will buy one for you.”

Jenny turned to her. “Would you?”

“We’ll see. First we need to get dressed.”

“Okay.”

Alex hustled Jenny into the bedroom. They took turns quickly showering, and then both dived into their suitcases for jeans and tops. She guessed that Buck was behind this and knew what he was doing. Here Alex had been hoping there’d be a girl for Jenny to play with, but Johnny Lundgren was so cute and interesting that he had her granddaughter mesmerized. Better strike while the iron was hot.

In fewer than twenty minutes, they’d freshened up and brushed their hair. “I think we’re ready.” They joined Johnny and the three of them stepped out of the cabin. The Teton mountain range rose majestically in the distance. The sight of it in the sunshine took Alex’s breath away. You would never have known there’d been a storm last night.

“There’s the big mountain!” Jenny cried, pointing to it. You couldn’t miss it.

“Yep. That’s the Grand Teton.”

“What does Teton mean?” The question didn’t surprise her. Her granddaughter was the most observant, curious person Alex had ever known.

Johnny looked puzzled. “I’ll have to ask Dad.”

“Have you ever seen anything more beautiful, sweetheart?”

“I didn’t know it was so tall!”

Alex looked all around. There were a few other cabins besides their own, and they were all surrounded by sagebrush. A distance away, she could see the main ranch house—a big rustic two-story affair with a copse of trees to the side. It was the type of home the man on the horse in the Great American Cowboy ad might live in. Alex was being fanciful, but this ranch was the kind of place dreams were made of.

The children moved ahead of her as they walked along the road.

Johnny turned to Jenny. “Do you want to camp out on the mountain?”

“Have you done it?”

“A couple of times.”

“Is it scary?”

“Only once, when we got caught in a storm.”

“I don’t like storms.”

“It was okay. Dad was with me. We stayed in our tent and drank hot chocolate until it was over.”

Alex caught up to them. “That sounds fun.”

Jenny’s expression sobered. “I don’t have a dad anymore.”

“I know.”

Her blond head lifted. “You do?”

“Yep. I know all about you. Your daddy was a marine like mine, and they both got killed in the war.”

“But I thought you said you went hiking with your dad.”

“I meant my new dad.”

After a pause, Jenny said, “Your mom got married again?”

“Yep. To Carson.”

“Do you like him?”

“He’s my favorite person in the whole world besides my dad.”

Alex knew what her granddaughter was thinking. Frank wasn’t her favorite person in the world, but she didn’t say it out loud, for which Alex was grateful.

Suddenly a lovely blonde woman in a blouse and jeans came walking around the side of the building where Alex could see half a dozen vehicles of different kinds were parked. “There you are, Johnny. I was just coming to look for you.”

“I’m afraid it’s our fault.” Alex smiled at her. “Jenny and I needed to get showered and dressed while he waited for us. You must be Johnny’s mother.”

“Yes. I’m Tracy Lundgren and you have to be Alex Wilson. Welcome to the ranch.” They shook hands.

“Thank you. Your son makes a wonderful guide. We’re thrilled to be here.”

“No more than we are to have you.” She walked over to Jenny. “Buck told us you just had your seventh birthday. Johnny’s turning seven next week. It’s an amazing coincidence. You’ll have to come to his party. We’re going to go into Jackson to the Funorama. They have all kinds of slides and games, and you can eat all the pizza you want.”

Johnny eyed Jenny. “Do you like pizza?”

She nodded. “It’s my favorite food.”

“Mine, too.”

“I like pepperoni.”

“Me, too.”

Alex and Tracy exchanged amused glances. Johnny’s mother was probably in her late twenties and seemed so friendly. Christy would have liked her. Alex’s heart ached for what her daughter was missing, but today wasn’t the time to be sad. Johnny’s arrival at their front door had brought its own brand of sunshine, something they badly needed.

“Which tree does Moppy live in?”

Johnny looked surprised. “How do you know about her?”

“Buck told me last night.”

He ran over to a big fir. “See that hole?”

Jenny moved closer. “Do you think she’s inside?”

“I don’t know. When she hears voices, she hides. We’ll come back after breakfast and sneak up on her.”

“Okay.”

They rounded the corner to enter the main doors of the lobby. Suddenly Jenny cried, “Look, Nana—”

Alex turned in time to see what had to be the biggest moose head ever. It was mounted above the door frame. “My heavens—he’s enormous.”

Johnny tilted his hat back. “Dad calls him Mathoozela.”

“Mathoozela?” At this point Jenny’s eyes had rounded. “I never heard that name before.”

“It’s because he was so old when he died.”

By now Tracy’s shoulders were shaking along with Alex’s. She put an arm around her granddaughter’s shoulders. “The Bible says Methusela was the oldest man who ever lived.”

“Yep. Dad says he lived to be 969 years. He thinks maybe that’s how old this moose got to be.”

“Maybe he’s even older,” sounded a male voice behind them.

“Dad!”

Alex watched as the attractive dark blond Stetson-wearing cowboy gave his stepson a bear hug before picking him up. “So, introduce me.”

“This is Jenny Forrester and that’s her nana, Alex. My dad’s name is Carson.”

Carson Lundgren smiled, his eyes a bright blue. “Welcome to the ranch.” He coughed. “We’ve been waiting for you, especially when we found out your granddaughter was the same age as Johnny. The more kids around here, the better.”

Alex agreed. “We’re very excited to be here.” What wasn’t there about these people to like?

“Our other partner Ross would be here, but he’s on an overnight pack trip with some of our guests. You’ll meet him tomorrow.”

After the greetings were over, Carson put Johnny back down and curled an arm around his wife’s waist. They appeared to be crazy about each other. Alex remembered being in love like that with Christy’s father once, but once she told him she was pregnant, she never saw him again.

Jenny looked up at him. “Is Buck here?”

“Did I hear someone say my name?”

At the sound of the deep, familiar male voice, Alex spun around to see the former marine walk toward them from a doorway beyond the front-desk area. Last night he’d been wearing a jacket and chinos. This morning he was dressed in cowboy boots, a Western shirt and jeans that molded his powerful thighs. His rugged good looks caused her pulse to race for no good reason.