“Probably. Let me say once again how honored I feel that you picked our family. It was a great thrill to receive your letter. Already I can tell Johnny is thriving on this kind of attention. What you’re doing is inspirational.”

From the light behind them, he could pick out gold and silver filaments in the hair she wore fastened at her nape. Opposites had attracted to produce Johnny. Carson was having trouble concentrating on their conversation.

“Thank you, Tracy. He’s a terrific boy.”

“For a man who’s never had children, you’re so good with him. Where did you learn those skills?”

“That’s because my grandfather was the best and put up with me and my friends. If it rubbed off on me, then I’m glad.”

“So am I. Johnny’s having a marvelous time.”

“I had a wonderful evening, too, believe me. If I didn’t say it before, welcome to the Teton Valley Ranch. Now I’ll wish you good-night.”

He left quickly and headed for the van. It was a short drive to the main house where he’d been raised. He pulled in back and entered through the rear door. Ross was still in the den working on the accounts when Carson walked down the hall.

“Hey—” Ross called to him. “How did everything go with the Baretta family?”

“Hang on while I grab a cup of coffee and I’ll tell you.”

“I could use one, too. I’ll come with you.” They walked down another hall to the kitchen, both coughing up a storm en route.

“Where’s Buck?”

“In town, getting some more materials to do repairs on the bunkhouse. He should have been back by now.”

“Unless he made a stop at Bubba’s Barbecue to see you-know-who.”

“Since his last date with Nicole after she got off work, I don’t think he’s interested after all. She called here twice today. He didn’t return the calls.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Buck was a confirmed bachelor, as were they all.

Carson grabbed a donut. The cook, who lived in town, had gone home for the night. They had the kitchen to themselves. No sooner had he brewed a fresh pot of coffee than they heard Buck coughing before he appeared in the doorway.

In a minute the three of them filled their mugs and sat down at the old oak table where Carson had eaten most of the meals in his life with his grandparents. Until he’d gone into the Marines. But he didn’t want to think about that right now. The guys wanted to know how things had gone at the airport.

“Johnny Baretta is the cutest little six-year-old you ever saw in your life.” He filled them in on the details. “He swallowed a couple of bites of that buffalo burger like a man.”

They smiled. “How about his mom?” Buck asked.

Carson took a long swig of his coffee. How to answer them... “Nice.”

Ross burst into laughter. “That’s it? Nice?”

No. That wasn’t it. “When you meet her in the morning at breakfast, you can make your own assessment.” He knew exactly how they’d react. “She’s very grateful.”

Both men eyed him with speculation. Buck drained his mug. “What’s the plan for tomorrow?”

“After breakfast I’ll take them over to the barn and give them a riding lesson. Later in the day I thought they’d appreciate a drive around the ranch to get their bearings, and we’ll go from there. What about you?”

“I’m going to get the repairs done on the bunkhouse in the morning. Then I’ll be taking the Holden party on an overnight campout. We’ll be back the next day.”

Ross got up from the table to wash their mugs. “The Harris party is planning to do some fly fishing. If Johnny wants to join us, come and find me.”

“That boy is game for anything.” Tony Baretta had been a lucky man in many ways. He shouldn’t have been the one to get killed by a roadside bomb. Carson could still hear Johnny say, I loved my dad. The sound of the boy’s broken heart would always haunt him.

He pushed himself away from the table, causing Buck to give him a second glance. “What’s up?”

Carson grimaced. “When we thought up this idea, we hadn’t met these people. It was pure hell to look into that little guy’s eyes last night and see the sadness. I hadn’t counted on caring so m—” Another coughing spell attacked him, preventing him from finishing his thought.

He needed his inhaler and headed for the hall. “I’ll see you two in the morning.” Ross would do a security check and lock up.

Carson had taken over his grandfather’s room on the ground floor. The other two had bedrooms on the second floor. It was a temporary arrangement. At the end of the summer they’d assess their dude ranch experiment. If they decided it wasn’t working, either or both of them could still work on the ranch and make Wyoming their permanent home. He’d already told them they could build their own houses on the property.

Once he reached the bedroom, he inhaled his medication and then took a shower followed by a sleeping pill. Tonight he needed to be knocked out. His old friend “guilt” was back with a double punch. He couldn’t make up to his grandfather for the years away, and no power on earth could bring Johnny’s father back.

Carson must have been out of his mind to think a week on the ranch was going to make a dent in that boy’s pain. He knew for sure Tracy was barely functioning, but she was a mother who’d do anything to help her child get on with living. She had that hidden strength women were famous for. He could only admire her and lament his lack of it.

After getting into bed, he lay back against the pillow with a troubled sigh. He realized it was too late to decide not to go through with the dude ranch idea for the fallen soldiers’ families. He and the guys had put three months of hard labor into their project to get everything ready. The Barettas had already arrived and were now asleep in one of the new cabins.

They had their work cut out for them, but Carson was afraid they’d fall short of their desire to make a difference. In fact he was terrified.

* * *

THE NEXT MORNING Tracy pulled on a pair of jeans and a sage-colored cotton sweater. It had a crew neck and long sleeves. She’d done some shopping before this trip. If it got hot later in the day, she’d switch to a blouse. The cowboy boots she’d bought last evening felt strange and would take some getting used to.

After giving her hair a good brush, she fastened it at the nape with a tortoise-shell clip. Once she’d put on lotion and applied lipstick, a shade between coral and pink, she was ready for the day.

“Who’s hungry for breakfast?” she asked, coming out of the bathroom into the sunny room with its yellow and white motif. But it was a silly question because Johnny didn’t hear her. He’d been dressed for half an hour in his new duds, complete with a black cowboy hat and boots, and was busy loading his mustang again. Already he’d gone through a couple of rolls of caps, waking her up with a start.

She’d bought him three dozen rolls to keep him supplied, but at this rate he’d go through them by the end of the day. It was a good thing the cabins weren’t too close together.

Tracy slipped the key in her pocket. “Come on, honey.” She opened the door and immediately let out a gasp as she came face-to-face with the Grand Teton. In the morning sun it looked so different from last night when she’d had the sensation of it closing in on her. Against an impossibly blue sky, she’d never seen anything as glorious in her life.

Between the vista of mountains and the strong scent of sage filling the dry air, Tracy felt as if they’d been transported to another world. Even Johnny stopped fiddling with his cap gun to look. “Those sure are tall mountains!”

“They’re magnificent!”

She locked the door and they started walking along the dirt road to the sprawling two-story ranch house in the distance. It was the kind you saw in pictures of the Old West, owned by some legendary cattle king.

“I hope they have cereal.”

Tracy hoped they didn’t. He needed to get off candy and sugar-coated cereal, his favorites when he could get away with it. His grandmother made all kinds of fabulous pasta, but he only liked boring mac and cheese out of the box. “Carson mentioned eggs, bacon and buckwheat pancakes.”

“What’s buckwheat?”

She smiled. “You’ll have to ask him.” The poor man had already answered a hundred questions last evening. She’d been surprised at his patience with her son.

Her eyes took in the tourist log cabins where she saw cars parked. Many of the outbuildings were farther away. Last night, Carson had pointed out the ranch manager’s complex with homes and bunkhouses. He’d mentioned a shed for machinery and hay, a calving barn, horse barn and corrals, but it had been too dark to pick everything out. To Tracy the hundred-year-old ranch resembled a small city.

At least a dozen vehicles, from trucks, vans, and four-wheel-drives to a Jeep without a top and several cars, were parked at the rear of the ranch house. She kept walking with Johnny to the front, admiring the workmanship and the weathered timbers. The house had several decks, with a grove of trees to the side to provide shade. The first Lundgren knew what he was doing, to stake out his claim in this paradise.

They rounded the corner and walked up the steps to the entrance. An office was located to the left of the rustic foyer. At a glance to the right, the huge great room with a stone fireplace led into a big dining room with wagon-wheel chandeliers.

“Hi! Can I help you?”

Johnny walked over to the college-aged girl behind the counter. “Hi! We’re waiting for Carson.”

The friendly brunette leaned over to smile at him. “You must be Johnny Baretta from Ohio.”

“Yup. What’s your name?”

“Susan. Anything you need, you ask me. Mr. Lundgren told me to tell you to go right on through to the dining room and he’d meet you there.”

“Thank you,” Tracy spoke for both of them.

“Welcome to the ranch, Mrs. Baretta.”

“We’re thrilled to be here. Come on, honey.”

They were almost to the dining room when a handsome, fit-looking man, probably Carson’s age and height, came forward. Though he wore a plaid shirt and jeans, with his shorter cropped black hair she could imagine him in Marine gear. His brown eyes played over her with male interest before they lit on Johnny.

“I’m Ross Livingston, Carson’s friend. You must be the brave guy who ate a buffalo burger last night.”

“Well...” He looked at Tracy. “Not all of it,” Johnny answered honestly. “It was too big.”

“I know, and I’m impressed you got through most of it.”

Tracy laughed and he joined her, provoking the same kind of cough she’d heard come out of Carson. “Excuse me,” he said after it had subsided. “It’s not contagious in case you were worried.”

“We’re not. Carson already explained.”

“Good. He got detained on the phone, but he should be here in a minute. Come into the dining room with me, Johnny, and we’ll get you served.”

They followed him. “Do you know if they have cereal?”

“Sure. What kind do you like?”

“Froot Loops.”

“You’re in luck.”

“Goody!”

Tracy refrained from bursting his bubble. Tomorrow they’d choose something else.

Ross guided them across dark, vintage hardwood floors in keeping with the Western flavor to an empty table with a red-and-white-checked cloth. A vase of fresh white daisies had been placed on each table. She found this setting charming.

When he helped them to be seated, he took a chair and handed them Saturday’s menu from the holder. “In a minute the waitress will come to take your order.”

She scanned the menu.

“Mom? Do they have hot chocolate?”

Tracy couldn’t lie. “Yes.”

“Then that’s what I want with my cereal.”

“I’ll let you have it if you’ll eat some meat. There’s sausage, bacon or ham.”

“And brook trout,” Ross interjected, smiling into her eyes as he said it.

She chuckled. “I think after the buffalo burger, we’ll hold off on the fish for another day.”

As he broke into laughter, the waitress came to the table, but she hadn’t come alone. Their host had arrived without his hat, wearing another Western shirt in a tan color. The chiseled angles of his hard-boned features drew her gaze for the second time in twelve hours. He was all male.

“Carson!”

“Hey, partner—” He sat down next to Ross and made the introductions.

“Where’s your hat?”

“I’ll put it on after breakfast.”

“I want to keep mine on.”

“Except that it might be hard to eat with it,” Tracy declared. “Let me put it on the empty chair until after.”

“Okay.”

The waitress took their orders and left.

Ross got up from the table. “Hey, Johnny, while you’re waiting for your food, I’ll take you out to the foyer and show you something amazing before I leave. Since I’ve already eaten, I have a group of guests waiting for me to take them fishing.”

“What is it?” Ross had aroused his curiosity.

“Come with me and see.”

“I’ll be right back, Mom.”

“Okay.”

As they walked away, she heard Ross say, “I’m glad you came, Johnny. We’re going to have a lot of fun while you and your mom are here.”

“Your friend is nice,” Tracy told Carson.

He studied her features for a moment, seeming to reflect on what she’d said. “He’s the best. Right now he’s showing Johnny the big moose head that was mounted years before I was born. It’s the granddaddy of them all, but you don’t see it until you’re leaving to go outside.”

“He’s fascinated by the big animals.”

“Did your husband hunt, or any of your family?”

“No.”

“I’ve never been much of a hunter, either, but my grandfather allowed licensed hunters to use the land during the hunting season, so I do, too. I much prefer to see the elk and deer alive. There’s great opportunity here to photograph the animals. I’ll show Johnny lots of spots. He can hide in the trees and take pictures of squirrels and rabbits, all the cute little forest creatures.”

“He’ll go crazy.”

“That’s the idea.”

To her consternation, Tracy found herself studying his rugged features and looked away. “There’s so much to do here, it’s hard to know where to start. When I read your brochure on the internet, I couldn’t believe it.”

He had an amazing white smile. “Most people can’t do it all. They find something they love and stick to it. That’ll be the trick with Johnny. We’ll try him out on several things and see what he likes most.”

“Mom—” He came running back into the dining room, bringing her back to the present. “You’ve got to see this moose! It’s humongous!” That was Cory’s favorite word.

“I promise I’ll get a look at it when we go outside.”

“Its head is as big as the Pierce’s minicar!”

Carson threw back his head and laughed so hard, everyone in the room looked over. As for Tracy, she felt his rich male belly laugh clear through her stomach to her toes. The laugh set off another of his coughing spells. His blue eyes zeroed in on her. “Who are the Pierces?”

“Our neighbors down the street in Sandusky.”

Johnny sat back down. “Ross thinks he looks like a supersize Bullwinkle.”

“He’s that, all right.”

Tracy smiled at him. “I have a feeling you and Ross are both big teases. Can I presume your other friend is just as bad?”

“He has his moments,” he drawled. “You’ll meet Buck tomorrow when he’s back from taking some guests on an overnight campout.”

“Can we go on one of those?”

Carson’s brilliant blue gaze switched to Johnny. “I’m planning on it.”

Johnny’s face lit up. “I want to see that elk with the giant antlers.”

“You liked that picture?”

“Yeah. It was awesome.”

“I couldn’t agree more, but I don’t know if he’s still around. My grandpa took that picture a few years ago. Tell you what. When we’re out driving and hiking, we’ll look for him.”

The waitress came with their food. Tracy’s omelet was superb. She ate all of it and was gratified to see Johnny finish his ham. Carson put away steak and eggs, then got up from the table.

“Give me five minutes and I’ll meet you out in front in the Jeep. We’ll drive over to the barn.” He coughed for a moment. “Normally we’d walk, but I’m planning to give you a tour of the property after your riding lesson. It’ll save time. The restrooms are down the hall from the front desk.”

“Thank you. The breakfast was delicious by the way.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He turned to leave.

“See you in a minute, Carson! Don’t forget your hat!”

That kid made him chuckle. He’d done a lot of it since last evening. More than he’d done in a long time.

He walked through the doors to the kitchen and nodded to the staff. After putting some bottled water and half a dozen oranges and plums in a bag, he headed down another hall to the bedroom for his Stetson.

Making certain he had his cell on him, he headed out the rear door of the ranch with more energy than usual. Susan would phone him if there were any problems. After stashing the bag in the backseat, he started the engine and took off.

Try as he might, when he drove around the gravel drive to the front, he couldn’t take his eyes off Tracy Baretta. From the length of her sinuous body to her blond hair gleaming in the morning sun, she was a knockout. But she didn’t seem to know it. That was part of her attraction.

“There’s nothing wrong with looking,” his grandfather used to say to him. “But if a woman’s off-limits, then that’s the way you keep it.” Carson had adopted that motto and it had kept him out of a hell of a lot of trouble.

This woman was Tony Baretta’s widow and still grieving for him.

Shut it off, Lundgren.

Johnny started toward him. “Can I ride in front with you?”

“You bet.” He jumped out and went around to open both doors for them, trying to take his own advice as he helped Tracy into the backseat.

Once they got going, Johnny let out a whoop of excitement. “I’ve never ridden in a Jeep before. This is more fun than riding on a fire engine.”

“I don’t believe it.”

“It’s true!”

Carson glanced at him. “I’ve never been on one.”

“If you come back to Ohio, my uncles will let you go on their ladder truck.”

“Sounds pretty exciting. But wait till you ride a horse. You’ll love it so much, you won’t want to do anything else.”

“What’s your horse’s name?”

“I’ve had a lot of them. My latest one is a gelding named Blueberry. He’s a blue roan.”

Johnny giggled. “You have a blue horse?”

“Seeing’s believing. Wait till you meet your palomino. She’s a creamy gold color with a white mane and tail.” Almost as beautiful as your mother. “Have you thought of a name yet?”

“No.”

“That’s okay. It’ll come to you.”

They headed for the barn. He’d talked to Bert ahead of time. The pony had been put in the corral so Johnny would see it first off. He drove the Jeep around till they came to the entrance to the corral. There stood the pony in the sun. Carson stopped the Jeep.

“Oh, Johnny—look at that adorable pony!”

The boy stared for the longest time before scrambling out of the front seat. He’d left his mustang behind.

“Wait!” His mother hurried after him, but he’d already reached the fencing before she caught up to him.

Carson joined them. “Isn’t she a little beauty?”

Johnny’s head jerked toward him. The excitement on his face was worth a thousand words. “I’m going to call her Goldie.”

“That’s the perfect name for her.” The pony walked right over to them. “Good morning, Goldie. This is Johnny. He’s flown a long way to meet you.”

Carson lifted the boy so he could reach over the railing. “You notice that pretty white marking? That’s her forelock. Watch what happens when I rub it. She’s gentle and likes being touched.”

The pony nickered and nudged closer. “See?”

Johnny giggled and carefully put out his hand to imitate Carson’s gesture. He got the same reaction from Goldie who moved her head up and down, nickering more intensely this time.

“She loves it and wants you to do it some more.”

As he patted the horse with increasing confidence, Tracy flashed Carson a smile. It came from her eyes as well as her mouth. That was a first.

He dragged his glance away with reluctance. “Come into the barn with me, Johnny. We’ll go in the tack room to pick out her saddle.”

“Tack room?”

Carson shared another smile with Tracy. “It’s a room where we keep the saddles and bridles for the horses.”

“Oh.” Johnny jumped down. “We’ll be right back, Mom.”

Carson had a hunch the boy was hooked. You never knew. Some kids showed little interest or were too scared and didn’t want to ride. This little guy was tough. Like his father.

“I’ll be waiting.”

Johnny asked a dozen questions while they gathered everything, impressing Carson with his bright mind that wanted to learn. This was a new world for Carson who, as an adult, had never spent time taking care of anyone’s child. He found Johnny totally entertaining and quite wonderful.

As a kid, Carson had grown up around the children whose parents worked on the ranch, and of course, the neighbor’s kids. A couple of the boys, including his best friend Jean-Paul, wanted to be rodeo champions. So did Carson, whose grandfather had been a champion and taught him everything he knew.

In between chores and school, they’d spent their free time on the back of a horse, learning how to be bulldoggers and bull riders. As they grew older there were girls, and later on women, prize money and championships. But it still wasn’t enough. He’d wanted to get out and see the world. He’d joined the Marines on a whim, wanting a new arena.

Through it all, Carson had taken and taken, never giving anything back. The pain over his own selfishness would never go away, but Johnny’s enthusiasm wouldn’t allow him time to wallow in it.

He carried the equipment to the corral and put the bridle on Goldie. Johnny stood by him, watching in fascination. “Here you go. Hold the reins while I get her saddled.”

The pony moved forward and nudged Johnny. He laughed and was probably scared to death, but he held on. “She likes you or she wouldn’t do that. You’ll get used to it.”

Carson threw on the blanket, then the saddle. “Okay. Now I’d like you to walk around the corral leading Goldie. Just walk normally, holding on to the reins. She’ll follow. It will help her to learn to trust you, because she’s nervous. Do you want me to walk with you, or do you want to do it yourself?”

He thought for a minute. “I can do it.”

“Fine.”

The whole time this went on, Carson was aware of his mother watching in silence from the fence as her brave son did a slow walk around the enclosure without a misstep. At one point she took some pictures with her cell phone.

“Great job, Johnny. Now walk her to that feeding bag. Dig in and pull out a handful of oats. If you hold them out to her with your hand flat, she’ll eat them without hurting you, but it’ll tickle.”

Johnny laughed nervously, but he did what Carson told him to do. In a minute he was giggling while the pony enjoyed her treat. “It feels funny.” He heard Tracy laugh from the sidelines.

“You’ve made a friend for life, Johnny. Think you’re ready to get up on her?” The boy nodded. “Okay.” Now the next lesson was about to begin. “I’m going to seat you in the saddle, then I’ll adjust the stirrups.” Carson lifted him. “You hold on to the reins and the pommel. Are you all right? I know it seems a long way up. Did you ever fall off the tricky bars at school?”

“Yes.”

“Well, this is a lot safer because you’ve got this pony under you and she loves you. She doesn’t want you to fall. Okay if I let go of you?”

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