Redeeming the Rancher

Last—or maybe it should have been listed first—she had another group of teenagers arriving for boot camp on Monday. She ran Redemption Ranch as an alternative to community service for troubled teens facing misdemeanors, a chance to change their lives for the better. Her hands were full. And so was her life.

She felt sorry for the man, but then, it really wasn’t her fault he was in this predicament, nor was it her problem to fix.

At least in theory.

In practice, she had a man curiously staring at her over the breakfast table, apparently waiting for her to pull a bunny out of a hat…or something. Unfortunately she was fresh out of rabbits. She clasped her cup in both hands and squarely met his gaze.

“I’ve got to be honest with you, Griff. I don’t have any idea what I’m going to do with you.”

* * *

Griff locked gazes with the woman sitting across from him, her hands clenched so tightly around her coffee mug that her fingers were quivering. He was afraid the glass might shatter under the pressure she was exerting on it.

She didn’t know what to do with him? He didn’t know what to do with her. The last thing he’d expected to find when he’d come to Serendipity was a woman living in the “vacant” house he was supposed to be borrowing. He didn’t know who’d been more shocked by their first meeting—Alexis thinking he was an intruder in her home, or him being surprised by a wild woman brandishing a curling iron. His knuckles still smarted from the splattered grease. But once the surprise had faded, disgruntlement had sunk in. The situation was hardly his fault. He’d acted in good faith, believing he had a confirmed place to stay. He couldn’t be blamed for Vivian’s deception. And in spite of it all, he was trying to be reasonable, trying to compromise.

One thing was for certain—Alexis Grainger hadn’t left much bargaining room.

“No room for negotiating?” he suggested mildly. He’d been successful in his career as venture capitalist for a reason. He’d learned to keep his emotions in check, to always be confident and that it never hurt to ask.

“Absolutely none whatsoever.”

Then again, asking for what he wanted could be a pointless gesture.

“Well, I’m not going back to Houston without finding what I came here for.” He wasn’t going back to Houston at all. He set his jaw. She wasn’t the only one who could be stubborn. “It appears to me that your sister pulled a fast one on both of us.”

“Says you.” Alexis sniffed and shrugged offhandedly. “From my perspective, you’re the one who got duped.”

Griff’s dander rose. Duped? Was that how she saw him? As a man easily swayed by a pretty face? Did he have it written on his forehead, or was it just part of a woman’s natural mystique to be able to read a man like an open book?

It wasn’t that long ago that he’d made the mistake of taking the word of a manipulative woman at face value. He’d believed himself to be less trusting now. Wiser. And yet apparently he hadn’t learned his lesson at all. Though he still had no idea what her motive for all of this was, he couldn’t deny that he’d stepped right into Vivian’s scheming trap with eyes wide open. Now her beautiful twin considered him a chump.

If the shoe fit…

He’d already gone down that road and was the not-so-proud owner of the T-shirt. Color him a slow learner.

“No, I don’t think so.” He wasn’t answering her so much as reprimanding himself, and didn’t immediately realize he’d spoken aloud—not until Alexis lifted a high-arching blond brow in response.

“No? What do you mean, no?”

“Look, I don’t mean to be difficult, but I really need to stay in Serendipity, to do this one thing for myself. I can’t even begin to describe how important this is for me.” It wasn’t as if he could head back to Houston with his tail between his legs. He couldn’t, and he wouldn’t. It wasn’t even an option for him. He’d put his apartment on the market and had his things placed in storage until he could move them out to whatever property he purchased. Decisive action had always been his trademark. Once he’d made the decision to leave Houston behind, he’d shut down his life there in record time.

He hadn’t ever wanted to be a part of the wealthy, high-society scene to begin with, and now? Well, never again. His ex-girlfriend Caro had singlehandedly shredded everything he’d worked for his entire life, everything that mattered to him both personally and professionally. And the reactions of those around him had just twisted the knife. The gossip had been painfully humiliating and had just gone to prove to him how little he could count on the people he had thought were his friends. Half the point of moving here was the anonymity the new surroundings afforded.

“All I can say is that, for reasons too complicated to explain, it’s the perfect time for me to start over. Move forward, rather. Horse ranching has been a lifelong dream of mine, and I’m finally in a position where I can pursue it. But I’m floundering, here. I’d really like your help to find a viable solution to my problem.”

If there was no hotel, no availability at the only

B and B and no room for him at Redemption Ranch, then he wasn’t sure what that viable solution might be. The only thing he could think of was to find someone willing to rent him a spare bedroom or garage apartment. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that. He had more than enough money to make it worth someone’s time to rent him the space, but the last thing he wanted to do was to start flinging his money all over town. That was why he’d been so quick to snap up Vivian’s offer to borrow her house. He could lay low at the Grainger’s, not have to bump heads with any more people than strictly necessary. The less folks knew about him, the better.

People changed when they started figuring out his net worth. He’d seen it over and over again—their eyes filled with dollar signs and any hope he had of establishing a real, personal connection went straight by the wayside. Back in Houston, everybody wanted something from him, and all he wanted was for everyone to leave him alone. He could think of nothing better than to hole up on his own little spread of land on the outskirts of Serendipity, where he could fend for himself and not have to deal with cruel and two-faced individuals ever again.

He focused his gaze on her, determination pressing his breath into his throat. “There must be something. Please, Alexis. You’re all I’ve got right now.”

Alexis’s gorgeous electric-blue eyes widened and her full lips dropped into a pretty little frown that made Griff’s gut do a backflip. Alexis was nothing if not gorgeous and he was painfully aware of his own weakness—he was particularly vulnerable to the ladies, beautiful women in particular.

How twisted was that?

In his experience, women were insincere and manipulative. The whole lot of them, bar none. What had he been thinking to have trusted Vivian to be honest with him? He should have known better.

And despite the fact that Alexis had done nothing to make him suspect she might be playing him, he figured it would be smarter to be wary. Better to be safe than to expose a vein. Compassion flooded her gaze and he felt a momentary twinge of guilt that he was pressing her buttons. For a second he was tempted to blurt out the whole sorry truth.

Instead he clenched his jaw until the urge passed. Honesty was overrated. No matter how kind Alexis appeared to be, he knew better than to trust her. Look what had happened when he’d given Vivian a little bit of leeway.

He’d been scammed. Just as with his ex, Caro.

Let Alexis interpret his words any way she wanted. He was here in Serendipity and he wasn’t leaving. He shouldn’t be penalized because of Vivian—and he wasn’t about to let this awkward situation with Alexis force him to tip his hand.

“I understand what you’re going through.” She was softening toward him—her gaze, her posture, her expression. His expectations rose with the smile on her lips. “Sometimes life changes are—” she paused and gave a little sigh “—seriously complicated.”

He wanted to pump his fist in the air. Not that he was necessarily proud of his ability to manipulate people, but he was good at it. And he was winning.

“I’ll tell you what. You can stay here at Redemption Ranch as long as you have the need to do so.”

Score.

“In the wrangler’s bunkhouse, where my ranch hands live.”

Or not.

“The wrangler’s bunkhouse?” he repeated lamely. Surely she was joking.

She nodded.

His lip curled. He’d slept in worse than a bunkhouse—much worse. But that was exactly the point. He was above that kind of lifestyle now. He’d paid his dues and had risen to the top of society. Surely she could see he was too refined to share sleeping space with the hired help. Why, the scarf he was wearing cost more than a rancher made in—

Whoa. How stupid could he be?

His designer clothes were a dead giveaway, suggesting he might be more than a burnt-out shell of a man ready to invest his whole life savings on a ranch. Of course, he’d thought he was going to be alone in the house, so he hadn’t given much thought to his choice of attire at the time. But he was thinking about it now—and it mattered, if he was planning to continue in the manner in which he’d originally presented himself: a man of limited means determined to make himself into a rancher. He wondered if she’d noticed his get-up, or even if she’d be able to identify the names that accompanied the fancy apparel.

He scoffed inwardly at his own thoughts. What a snob he’d become. The man he’d never wanted to be. At the first available opportunity, he’d visit the general store in town and pick up some plain Western-style clothing so he wouldn’t stand out among the natives. If he wanted to be a rancher, his attire would be a good place to start. And if it meant that people wouldn’t be able to accurately guess his bank balance from his brand names, then all the better.

Luckily for him, she didn’t appear to have noticed the high-fashion nature of his clothing, since she was at least partially falling for his fish-out-of-water ruse. He sighed in relief.

“Take it or leave it.” She slapped her palms on the table with all the finality of a judge’s gavel. “It’s my best offer. I wish I could do more for you, but I can’t.”

Griff narrowed his gaze on her, his brow furrowing. She was offering the bunkhouse as if it were somehow an answer to prayer.

If Griff believed in the power of prayer—and he didn’t—having the opportunity to bunk down with a bunch of rowdy cowhands would not have been what he considered a legitimate answer to his problems. The trouble was, he couldn’t think of a better option that wouldn’t reveal that he had the means to pay for housing indefinitely, that his bank account was bigger than he was professing it to be.

He leaned forward on his elbows, steepling his fingers under his chin. His mind was spinning, scrambling for a way to salvage this conversation. He’d all but thrown down the gauntlet to her. If he wanted to maintain the slim facade he’d offered, what choice did he have but to accept?

Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place. And he had no one to blame but himself.

“Okay. Er, thank you for the offer.” He flashed what he hoped was a confident grin. “I always wanted to be a cowboy.”

She stared at him speculatively, gnawing on her bottom lip.

“What?”

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

He suspected he was going to regret accepting her offer. In some ways he already did. If he had a lick of good sense he would just walk out of here right now and bunk at the nearest five-star hotel, even if it was an hour’s drive away. What he lost in the convenience of the short proximity to the town he could make up in the extravagance of his surroundings.

And why was his heart so set on this particular town, anyway? Surely there were dozens of other places just like Serendipity. Did he really care if he made his home here or somewhere else?

He couldn’t entirely explain it, but the answer to that question was yes. He did care where he landed, and this town was it. Vivian had been full of stories about the town of Serendipity and the folks who resided there. According to her, the town was small. Quiet. Unassuming. Becoming a recluse here would be easy, and the surroundings would be peaceful and beautiful. It was a gut feeling more than anything, but he’d learned over the years to follow that internal leading. Why should one small bump in the road cause him to change lanes?

Years before, when the thought first occurred to him that he ought to leave his unfulfilling life in the city and move to a small town to raise horses, he’d simply tucked it into the back of his mind. His subconscious mulled over it, occasionally spearing him with the desire to make that dream a reality. He’d had the means, but he’d been too focused on his career to do anything proactive to make that change.

Then in one painful fell swoop he’d been scammed by a beautiful con artist. Caro had taken what little faith in humankind he’d built up over the years and dashed it against the sharp rock of her conniving schemes. At this point he carried nothing with him but what was left of his shattered heart and the great deal of money he’d made through a career he was no longer interested in pursuing.

He needed Serendipity. He didn’t want to find another town. All he had to do was to grit his teeth and get through the next couple of weeks until he found a place to call home, somewhere out of the limelight where he could find rest and peace, where his best friends would be of the equine variety instead of the human kind. He could live with the wranglers. Who knew, they might be able to help him in his quest to launch a ranch of his own. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

“You won’t be sorry,” Alexis assured him with a genuine smile that flooded his senses.

“I’m already sorry,” he muttered under his breath, even though he wasn’t certain it was true.

Alexis’s grin didn’t waver, though sparks momentarily filled her eyes. “Don’t be. I’m not sure exactly what you’re looking for, but I can assure you that you’ll be able to pick up some fine property for only pennies on the dollar. You’re going to find your perfect home here, I just know it.”

Her enthusiasm was contagious. Griff fought to tamp back his excitement, afraid to allow himself to get his hopes up. They’d been dashed so many times before.

“I’ve saved my whole life for this.” That was the absolute truth, though probably not in the way in which Alexis would interpret it. He cleared his throat and broke his gaze away from hers. He didn’t want to see his future in her eyes. Not until it was signed, sealed and delivered, in triplicate.

“What made you choose Serendipity?”

Griff chuckled. “Your sister. I’m sure you’re aware that she can be quite animated about a subject she’s particularly interested in. And persistent, too. She knew I’d been looking for a place in which to settle down and buy a ranch. And she really, really loves her hometown. Once she got it in her head that Serendipity was the right location for me to make a place for myself, she wouldn’t let up until I agreed to visit.”

“She can be pretty persuasive,” Alexis agreed with a warm chuckle, but a moment later her brow furrowed and she compressed her full lips. “Sometimes a little too much so. Once she gets an idea into her head, she won’t let it go. I apologize on her behalf. She has the distressing tendency to get on a person’s last nerve.”

Griff raised his eyebrows at her stark admission. “I didn’t say that. Your sister is really sweet. A little deceptive, maybe, but I’m sure she was just trying to be helpful.”

Or maybe not so much. What had been her plan, sending him out here to the house where her sister lived? She probably had her reasons, but he had no clue what they might be. He was beyond being able to tell, where women were concerned. Whatever. He was here, and that was the point of the matter.

Alexis’s lips quirked. “Oh, I’m sure she was trying to help you. The problem is that her idea of ‘helping’ is focused on what she thinks is in the other person’s best interest, whether or not the person she’s supposedly helping would agree. And she usually pushes the option that helps her the most in the end. I’m sure you’ve noticed that she can be a little…” She paused and brushed a strand of her long, straight blond hair back behind her ear. “Self-absorbed.”

“Really?” Griff struggled not to laugh. In his opinion, all women were self-absorbed. Men, too, for that matter. Always looking out for old number one. And who could blame them? He was no different. “You think she had an ulterior motive for sending me here?”

Had he been played? It kind of felt that way, although he couldn’t figure out any legitimate reason for Vivian to have acted deceptively. His mind scoured over the details of his visit. What reason could Vivian possibly have for sending him here, if not primarily to help him find the home he so desired? Viv’s boyfriend, Derrick, was the closest thing to a friend Griff had ever had, and they’d both been enthused by the idea.

“You have to admit the circumstances are rather telling,” Alexis said, thoughtfully tapping her chin with her index finger. “I don’t think it’s an accident that Vivian led you to believe I was a guy. She would have had to have been awfully careful not to slip up and refer to me as her sister.”

“She used the word twin, not sister. And she called you Alex.”

“Well, there you have it, then. She’s never called me Alex a day in her life. And then there’s the fact that she knew perfectly well I was still living here at the ranch, yet she gave you the impression the house was vacant.”

“I’ll admit that part sounds a little fishy.” And he was beginning to look—and feel—more and more like a sap.

Alexis scoffed. “A little fishy? This whole thing has Vivian’s interfering signature all over it.”

“Yes, but what could she possibly stand to gain by misleading me?”

“I have no idea.” Alexis twirled a strand of her hair around her index finger.

Griff was stumped. And humiliated, to boot. Who knew the internal workings of a woman’s mind? He certainly didn’t. But the latent anger that was never far from the surface was starting to billow in his chest.

He was so over being manipulated. By anybody.

“You think we should ask her?”

“Oh, I’m going to ask her,” she assured him with a robust nod. She sounded as though she wasn’t too thrilled with Vivian’s actions, either. “Just as soon as I’ve got you settled in at the bunkhouse. And we should probably see about getting a new breakfast fixed up here. I think I’ve got some more bacon in the freezer. It shouldn’t take too long to defrost it.”

Griff forced a chuckle. “Yeah. My attempt at cooking turned out to be a bit of a disaster, didn’t it?”

“I’m sure the dogs appreciated it.”

He twisted his lips into a semblance of a smile. “No doubt.”

Alexis glanced at the digital clock on the microwave. “Oh, dear. I didn’t realize how late it was. It’s already a quarter past eight and here I am still in my—” She glanced down at her fluffy purplish-pink robe and her face turned the same color as the material. She was bundled from neck to ankle, but that didn’t stop her from gathering the sides of the robe under her chin—the same chin that tipped upward a moment later, set with determination and maybe just a little bit of pride. “I’m afraid I don’t have time to cook us a full breakfast. Will a muffin do? I think I’ve got chocolate chip and blueberry in the breadbox.”

Still clutching her bathrobe with quivering fingers, she jerked to her feet and bobbed toward the counter.

“Blueberry will be fine. Are you going somewhere?” He couldn’t help but be amused by her stuttering movements. She appeared to be embarrassed about something, and for some reason that put Griff more at ease. Perhaps because it put them on a more equal footing. He knew what it was like to feel uncomfortable. He’d been feeling that way since the moment Alexis had confronted him with her curling iron.

“It’s Sunday,” Alexis explained. “I have to teach Sunday school to a bunch of middle-schoolers in an hour, and the worship service is right after. Oh!” She turned to face him, her eyes wide. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even think to ask you. Would you like to join me? You are welcome to come visit our community chapel, especially since you’re planning to move into town. It’s probably nothing like the church services you’re used to in Houston, but most of the town attends, so you’ll have a chance to meet your new neighbors. We’re small, but faithful.” Her words poured over each other like a waterfall.

Griff barely suppressed the chill that impaled him. Ice entered his lungs, making them burn with the effort of drawing a breath.

He didn’t know what was worse—the thought of being surrounded by a town full of people—or the idea that they were all worshipping God. While these folks would be strangers who wouldn’t know his painful and humiliating history, he was convinced they’d be quick to draw unsolicited conclusions about him, and Griff had long ago given up on believing any kind of deity existed. Not in his black hole of a world.

“No.” He barked the word out more sharply than he should have.

Alexis’s jaw dropped and her startled gaze pierced him.

Griff shrugged, backpedaling. “I mean, no thank you. I drove most of the night to get here. If you don’t mind, I’d rather just find my bunk and get some shut-eye.”

Surprise turned to compassion. “Of course. You must be exhausted. Let me get you a muffin and some orange juice and then I’ll show you where you’ll be staying. You can visit the chapel another time.”

That wasn’t going to happen—ever—but for now, Griff allowed Alexis to fuss over him and get him settled in. There was enough time later for him to set her straight on what he was—and wasn’t—planning to do during his stay at Redemption Ranch.

Chapter Two

“Are you completely insane? You sent Griff here to do what?” Alexis gripped her cell phone close to her ear, glad she was near a chair, because her legs suddenly felt too wobbly to hold her on her feet. She slumped onto the plush burgundy fabric of the recliner and tucked her knees underneath her, coaching herself to slow her rapid, shallow breathing. She was hyperventilating and the room was spinning.

Where was a paper bag when a woman needed one?

“Now, Alexis, calm down.” Viv’s saccharine voice on the other end of the line sounded as patronizing as it was amused.

“Calm down? You want me to calm down?” Alexis was squawking like a parrot and she knew it, but how else was she supposed to react? “You lied to a man who you claim is your friend to send him here, then gave me no warning before waking up to find a strange man in my kitchen while he found a crazy woman in what he was under the impression was a vacant house, and you want me to calm down?”

“Well, when you put it that way.” Vivian sniffed.

Alexis took another deep breath and prayed for a semblance of self-control. It was a good thing for Vivian that she was in a different city and not in the same room or Alexis might have throttled her.

What a way to ruin a Sunday afternoon. Her spirit had been so calm after spending her morning worshiping the Lord at the chapel. Now any lingering sense of peace she’d experienced had been blown to smithereens.

“You purposefully mislead Griff to get him here, and I want to know why.”

“I would never do anything to hurt Griff,” Vivian protested resolutely. “He’s Derrick’s best friend, and that makes him my friend, too.”

“All the more reason for you to be straight with him. This doesn’t make any sense. Tell me what’s really going on.”

“I don’t know why you’re getting so down on me.” Viv’s voice was close to a whine. “Griff is one of the best-looking men I know.”

Alexis knew Vivian’s response made perfect sense—to Vivian. Not so much for Alexis, although she privately agreed with her sister’s assessment of Griff. He was the kind of man that would cause a woman to do a double-take if she passed him on the street. But, honestly, Griff’s good looks had absolutely nothing to do with the current situation, except maybe in Vivian’s mind—and trying to unravel that mess would be akin to untangling a rat’s nest.