A Rancher of Her Own

“They were just dropped off a few minutes ago.”

“I’ll check in and say hello.”

Before he could turn to go down the hallway to the dining room, they heard footsteps approaching from that direction. She hadn’t seen Pete’s daughter for quite a while, but she recognized the small, blond-haired girl dressed in a red T-shirt and denim shorts who entered the lobby, followed by Jed.

To her surprise, the girl gave her a big grin.

“Hi, Jane!” she shrieked. “I knew you would come back because you have to be in the wedding. And we have to try on our dresses. Mine’s soooo pretty. Like your dress and Andi’s and Ally’s—well, but mine’s smaller. Ally’s is different because she’s the best maid and—”

“Maid of honor,” Pete put in.

“—maid of honor and she gets to be special. But I get to be special, too, because I’m going to carry flowers. Nobody else gets to carry flowers like mine—did you know that? And nobody else gets to drop them on the floor. Only me, right, Daddy?”

“Right,” Pete said.

“So that makes me extra-special!” She twirled, her backpack swinging wide, her shoulder-length blond hair fanning out behind.

Jane’s fingers involuntarily tightened on her camera.

“You’re extra-special every day, sweetheart.”

Now Jane’s chest tightened, as if her heart had swelled just a bit. A man who loved his daughter couldn’t be all bad. Could he?

Rachel laughed and turned to Jane again. “Miss Loring said it’s good to practice for very special things. Can you come and help me practice with the flowers?”

It took Jane a moment to respond. “Uh...well, yes. We could do that.”

“Today?”

“Well...today or tomorrow.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, I promise.”

“Good!” Rachel grinned at Jane again, then tugged on Pete’s hand. “I got the invitations, Daddy.”

“She sure did,” said Jed, holding up a small yellow envelope. “In fact, I’m the first to receive one. Isn’t that right, Rachel?”

“Yep. I gave one to Grandpa Jed first, Daddy. Is that okay?”

“Fine by me,” Pete said.

Rachel dug into her backpack. “Here’s one for you. And one for Tina. And one for Jane.” She handed them each an envelope. “And now I have to give one to Paz.”

“She might be busy getting supper ready,” Pete told her.

“But she told me she wants her invitation right away.”

“Did she?”

As he looked down at his daughter, Pete’s half smile softened his features. His dark eyelashes highlighted his hazel eyes. Jane’s fingers tightened on the camera again. It took a conscious effort to relax her grip.

“C’mon, Rachel,” Jed said. “Let’s go see Paz.”

“I’ll go with you.” Tina stepped from behind the registration desk. “Robbie ran right into the kitchen to talk to Abuela when he and Rachel came home.”

Before Jane could blink, she found herself alone in the lobby with Pete, who stood watching his daughter skip down the hallway. In profile, his eyelashes looked long and thick, his lips firm, his jaw solid and beginning to darken with stubble.

She wondered what she would have done if he had taken her up on the suggestion to climb into the bubble bath.

But of course, she would have gone for the best angle—while hoping her shaking hands wouldn’t destroy the results.

At photo shoots, she sometimes saw people—female and male—wearing nothing but scraps of clothing. She was used to that. She saw what the camera showed her, filtered through the lens. Yet simply the thought of seeing Pete Brannigan undressed seemed to be a whole other story.

Maybe it was that sexy shadow on his jaw...or the light brown hair that turned golden in sunlight... Or maybe it was his broad shoulders and muscular chest...his sculpted arms and flat abs... Whatever it was, the man had what it took to grace the cover of any magazine.

He turned his head and caught her looking at him.

Normally, that wouldn’t have bothered her, but after their close encounter and his attempt to rattle her in the suite, she felt the need to say something. “It’s only an occupational hazard.”

“Staring at me?”

“In your dreams, cowboy. No, not you. Not even men specifically. Faces. Male or female. Cats, dogs, you name it.”

“Even horses.”

She nodded. “Even horses. Like Daffodil. And I wasn’t staring at you. I was observing.”

“There’s a difference?”

“Yes.” She reached for her camera, then realized she still held the envelope his daughter had given her. She raised it to his eye level. “Rachel’s a little young to be handing out wedding invitations, isn’t she? And if it’s for Tina’s wedding, I thought the bride had that covered.”

He laughed, more at the mention of his daughter, she was sure, than in amusement over her comment, yet the sudden lightness in his expression sent a rush of pleasure through her.

“Not a wedding,” he said. “It’s for her kindergarten graduation.”

“Oh.” Silly, but the thought of being invited made her feel “extra-special.” She smiled.

To her surprise, he frowned. “It’s not till after the wedding, and you and Andi will be gone. Don’t worry about making excuses to Rachel. I’ll explain to her why you can’t come.”

“Maybe I’d rather make my own ‘excuses.’” There she went, allowing him to push her buttons again. Attending a kindergarten graduation would be the last thing she’d ever find on her agenda, but she couldn’t let Pete believe he could make her decisions for her. “I’ve been good about speaking up for myself ever since I was a kid.”

“Yeah, I’d noticed.”

“You’re not going to let the past go, are you?”

“Past, present. Doesn’t seem to matter when it is—you like to argue.”

“And you don’t?”

“Nope. I just like to keep the conversation going till I get the last word.”

She laughed. “Rachel seems to take after you.”

“Not enough.” Suddenly, he was frowning again.

“She does bear a striking resemblance to your wife.”

“Ex-wife.” He clamped his teeth together so hard, a muscle in his jaw throbbed.

“Ex-wife.”

“And let’s just leave her out of this, all right?”

Now she was the one to frown. “Is that what you say when Rachel asks about her?”

“What I tell my daughter is none—” His jaws clamped shut again.

None of your business.

“Let’s just stick to business,” he added, “like my ex-wife does.”

His flat statement only confirmed her thought about what he had wanted to say. And he was right. His conversations with his daughter were not her concern. Neither was his obviously rocky relationship with his ex-wife.

“And,” he said, “I’d just as soon you not throw out any empty promises to Rachel, either.”

“Empty promises?”

“About helping her with the flowers.”

“That wasn’t an empty promise.”

“No? You didn’t sound interested, but you plan to follow through? Because you can’t just say something like that to a kid Rachel’s age and not expect her to take it to heart.”

He turned to go down the hallway. She stared after him in surprise.

No wonder the poor man had problems in his relationships.

* * *

PETE STOOD BY the corral watching Rachel run across the yard to the house. He knew his housekeeper would come to the porch to acknowledge his daughter’s arrival home, as she always did.

Inside the corral, Cole and another of the ranch hands were finishing up a riding lesson with a couple of guests from the hotel.

Near the barn, the stable hand, Eddie, stood grooming Bingo. They kept the Shetland for the smallest kids, including Jed’s great-grandson, Robbie.

Rachel gave him a quick wave and went inside the house with Sharon.

He thought of Jane’s question about what he told his daughter, then winced as he recalled his response. It sure wouldn’t win him any prizes for politeness.

Maybe he ought to thank her for the question, since his reply would put some distance between them again. Distance he definitely needed, especially after her halfhearted agreement to help Rachel “practice with the flowers.” Her protest to him that she was not making an empty promise had sounded just as weak.

The hotel guests also waved to him on their way to the hotel. In return, he tipped his Stetson.

Cole had handed his reins to the other wrangler and walked up to join Pete. He nodded in the direction of the guests. “They’ve come a long way this week. And they’re talking about another visit to the ranch soon.”

“Jed will be happy to hear it.”

“I see Rachel got home okay.”

“Yeah. Robbie, too,” he added, knowing Cole would ask about his and Tina’s son. He smiled. “Rachel’s all excited about her graduation.”

“So I’ve been hearing. Sounds like it’s going to be a big production.”

“Not nearly as big a deal as the wedding.”

“The ladies are going to town with it, aren’t they?” Cole shook his head. “But that’s what it’s about, I guess. Lucky for us, we just have to get dressed and show up.”

“Sounds like the voice of experience,” Pete said with a laugh.

“That would be you, not me.”

“Yeah.” Not such a great experience, as it turned out.

He led the way to the barn.

Not long after he’d hired Sharon, his divorce had come through. Marina hadn’t requested regular visitation with the kids. She hadn’t even wanted custody, claiming it would be better for him to have full charge, since she never knew when her schedule would take her out of the country.

Her rise to fame had been the kind of overnight success story heard about only in the news. Well, now she was someone making that news, the latest glamour girl whose face and figure showed up on cover after magazine cover. And he couldn’t fault her for being happy about having the life she’d always wanted.

Too bad she hadn’t bothered telling him she’d wanted that life before they’d married and started raising a couple of kids. Not that he ever had or ever would regret having Rachel and Eric.

He loved his kids. And though his marriage had fallen apart, he sure as hell planned to hold his little family together.

Inside the barn, Cole said, “I’ve got the order we picked up waiting in your office, all but a couple of items on back order.”

“Some of it needs to go out to the supply cabins.” They went down the list together, discussing what should stay in the barn and what they should transfer. “Let’s load this up now, and you can take it out first thing in the morning.”

Cole nodded. “Think you’ll be around, or are you going to be busy over at the hotel again? I’ve been hearing about that, too.”

“From who?” he demanded.

“Jed mentioned it. And he and Jane were talking about it over breakfast. With the renovations partially done, she said she intended to get some of her pictures taken.”

“Tina’s still hoping to have everything finished up by late fall?”

“Yeah. If she can push the contractors to move any faster. But that seems about as likely as pulling out the back teeth of a bull with lockjaw.”

“I wouldn’t want her job dealing with them. You and the boys give me enough grief.”

“Ha. And what about Jane?”

“She’ll be done with her pictures soon, and I’ll be back here, where I belong.” End of story. He lifted a supply carton from the floor.

“I’ll bring the truck around to the back,” Cole volunteered.

“Sounds good,” he agreed, happy to change the subject.

He didn’t want to talk about Jane. Despite all the strikes against her, he’d thought of her much too often. Worse, he was having a heck of a time getting images of her out of his head.

Maybe he’d just stayed away from women too long.

Since the divorce, he hadn’t dated or even brought anyone new around his kids. In fact, he’d pretty much kept himself to himself. He had no plans to jump into another relationship. But, for his kids’ sake, he couldn’t rule out the idea of marrying again someday. He just needed to find the right woman to make his family complete.

No way was a smart-mouthed city slicker like Jane Garland the right woman to be a mom to his kids.

And no way was she the woman for him...no matter how much he wanted her.

Chapter Four

June might be a great month for a wedding—if you liked weddings—but as he’d futilely reminded Jed, it was also a busy one on the ranch. Too busy to spend an afternoon or even a few hours playing assistant to a perfectionist photographer. Yet he’d returned for another day of taking Jane’s directions, and this time, he’d looked forward to that more than he should.

She hadn’t stood still all morning. He wondered if she was as rattled as he was over that moment on the back porch.

For the third time in ten minutes, he rearranged a table and chairs in the Hitching Post’s dining room.

“That’s good,” she said. “A few more shots ought to do it.”

“For this room?”

“For the day. Tina and Grandpa should be back from the airport soon.”

He nodded. Early that morning, Jed had told him they would be picking up his middle granddaughter and her kids.

Jane started in on the routine that had become familiar to him by now, standing at one side of the room, then slowly covering the area, clicking the camera as she went along.

The sound of her heels on the hardwood floor brought his attention to her leather ankle boots. Black leather, of course. From there, his gaze naturally went to shapely calves and then slim thighs. A long-tailed button-down shirt hid the rest of her curves. Unfortunately, that didn’t do a thing to rein in his imagination.

He wanted to move closer, to undo that shirt one button at a time. At the very least, he wanted to get her talking again. He took a couple of steps forward just as she backed up, walking directly into him. Instantly, he realized how far his imagination had taken him and how quickly his body had followed. He hoped she hadn’t been able to notice.

When she turned to face him, he racked his brain for something halfway intelligent to say. “We’d better hurry this up.”

“Hurry?”

“Yeah. With Jed and your cousins coming back, anyone could interrupt us at any time.” The thought of having anything to interrupt got him hot all over. Dang. He had to forget this crazy desire for her. Or do something to satisfy it.

She stepped away. “Just a few more shots.”

He laughed. “I’ve heard that one before.” He settled into a chair at a table for two near the wall. Maybe the space would help him cool down a bit. “Must cost you a fortune in film.”

She shook her head. “This camera’s digital. That means it goes straight from the camera to the computer.”

“Didn’t know you could do that,” he said.

She must not have picked up on his teasing. Eyebrows shooting up in surprise, she glanced at him. “Come on. You’ve got a camera phone, haven’t you?”

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “I’ve never used it to take a picture, and I don’t mind saying—”

“—I’m danged proud of it,” she finished. “I could just hear that coming. But don’t tell me you don’t use a computer.”

He couldn’t honestly say that but wanted to agree, just to see her reaction.

“You would have to,” she went on. “You must deal with budgets and payroll and other reports for the ranch.”

“Tina generally takes care of all those.”

She took the chair opposite his. Her camera sounded hollow as she set it on the tabletop. “You’re telling me your fingers never touch a keyboard?” she asked. “Not even for email?”

“From time to time,” he admitted. “Not more than I can help it.” He ran his fingertips along the surface of the table. “Feel this.” He took her hand and laid it flat on the table, his fingers covering hers. She looked quickly at him, but didn’t pull away.

“This was once a tree,” he said, “something alive and breathing. Something natural, not like the plastic and metal in that camera of yours.” She freed her hand and reached for the hunk of metal again, as if the small lump of man-made material were formed of solid gold. As if she couldn’t function without it. He shrugged. “I prefer wood and wool to computers or video games. Or any kind of electronics.”

“Oh. Well...why stop there? Why not give up electricity altogether? You could have Rachel do her homework by candlelight.” She laughed. Her eyes sparkled. “How do you feel about indoor plumbing, by the way? There’s plenty of wide-open space out here to set up a few outhouses.”

“Very funny.” He didn’t care that she definitely hadn’t caught on to his teasing about the camera. But her tone hit too close to home and his father’s frequent remarks.

“It was meant to be.” She shook her head. “Even you can’t be as out of touch with the modern world as all that.”

Way too close to home. “‘Out of touch.’ Now, where have I heard that before?”

“I don’t know. Where?”

“From my dad. It’s one of his favorite expressions when he’s talking to me. And when he really wants to make an impression, he reminds me I could have had a better career.” He shook his head. “He doesn’t get that I’ll never want a job other than being a rancher.”

“Ah... I’m beginning to see where all this is coming from.”

“All this what?”

“This resistance. This rebellion. This ‘I’m not doing it and you can’t make me’ defense.” She laughed. “Yet you call me stubborn?”

“I’m not defensive. And as I already told you, ma’am, I’m not shy.” He ran his fingertips down a strand of her shiny black hair. “I’m just a good ol’ cowboy, a rancher at home on the range. Anyhow, what’s wrong with good, old-fashioned cowboy values?”

“Maybe some of them are outdated, just as your father said.”

“I’d rather talk about your dad. And you.”

She shrugged. “Why not? I’ve got nothing to hide.”

His heart tripped a beat at the image that statement brought to mind. Nobody in his right mind would walk away from an offer like this one. Maybe that was why he planned to take her up on it. To prove he wasn’t crazy and to show he was in control of his emotions—even if he couldn’t swear to either of those at the moment.

“I already know where you get your streak of perfectionism. How’d you get to be so independent—growing up with a dad in the service?”

“Not just in. He’s a five-star general.”

“I’ll bet that gave you some perks.”

“Maybe. But there are drawbacks to being a military brat, too.”

“Such as?”

“If any kid didn’t show up for class, the entire Army base heard about it.”

“Bet that would go over well. Your dad was strict with you?”

“Oh, yeah. He wouldn’t let me date until I was seventeen.”

“Sounds lenient to me. I’m thinking Rachel should wait till she’s twenty-five.”

She laughed.

The sound drew him to her. He leaned across the table, until only a few inches separated them. “So, tell me about this first date.”

“What do you want to know?”

At the sound of running footsteps approaching the dining room, they both sat back. He had no time to answer her question. Probably the best thing for them both, considering the direction his thoughts were headed.

He turned his attention to the doorway. He’d wager the footsteps meant the school bus had arrived, bringing Rachel home from her kindergarten class and Robbie from his preschool. Seconds later, he won the bet when both kids ran into the room.

“Hi, Daddy!” Rachel called. “Hi, Jane! Can you take my picture? Like this?” She slung her backpack over one shoulder and put her free hand on her hip.

He frowned. More than a few times over the past couple of days, she had talked about Jane and her camera. He didn’t want to see that trend continue. Didn’t like the idea of his daughter growing too attached. Soon, Jane would leave again to go off on her travels, and Rachel would feel abandoned.

Before she could respond, he said, “Not now, Rachel.”

“I don’t mind,” Jane said.

“See, Daddy?”

“And,” he went on steadily, “I think you and I had better head for our house. Jane and Robbie are going to have company.”

“I know. Andi’s coming today. And Trey and Missy.”

“We need to let Sharon know you’re home.”

“Huh-uh, we don’t!” Her giggle sounded triumphant. “Sharon’s in the kitchen with Paz. When everybody gets here, we’re having a tea party. Paz made sopaipillas and cookies.”

“Chocolate cookies,” Robbie said. He had a real fondness for chocolate—and a real tough time getting a word in edgewise whenever Rachel was around.

Another thing he’d need to talk to her about.

“I hear Grandpa!” Robbie announced. He ran from the room.

“C’mon, Jane.” Rachel took her hand. “We have to go say hi. You, too, Daddy.” She led Jane toward the doorway, leaving him in their dust.

* * *

DURING THE “PARTY” to welcome Andi and her kids back to the ranch, Pete continued to fight his uneasiness. Rachel’s sudden attachment to Jane almost rivaled his fascination with the woman.

For both reasons, he hadn’t planned to stick around, but Jed insisted. The boss urged him to have a cup of coffee, then included him in the conversation about the changes happening to the hotel. Worse, Jed had made suggestions that only increased Jane’s need for help with her photos.

Somehow, in everyone’s eyes but his own, he’d gone from lowly photographer’s assistant to a necessary member of the hotel revitalization team.

When Jed had come up with his plans for the renovation, Tina accepted responsibility for hiring the contractors. Andi agreed to hire the folks who would take care of the food, flowers and whatever else the hotel needed for wedding receptions and other events. Jane...well, he knew what Jane was handling, along with her primary job of driving him crazy with wanting her.

She sat a few seats away from him at the center table in the dining room. The wrought-iron fixture above the table gave her already shiny hair an almost metallic glow. High-tech hairstyle to match her high-tech toys.

“Pete?”

He started. The raised voice and the stares from a couple of the others at the table made it apparent Jed had spoken to him more than once. “Sorry, boss. Just making a mental note to check on Starlight when I leave here.” It was the best he could come up with.

Andi sat in the chair beside his. She smiled at him. “I’ll have to take a walk out to the stables to say hello.”

On her visits to Garland Ranch, she spent a lot of time around the barn and the corral—certainly more than Jane ever had. While he couldn’t call Andi a friend, at least they had a cordial relationship. And now, unfortunately, they had more in common than an interest in horses. Recently widowed, she was a single parent, too, with a son a couple of years younger than Rachel and a newborn daughter.

When the conversation shifted, she turned to him and said quietly, “Eric’s getting big. It’s been such a short time since our last visit, but I already see so many differences in him.”

“They sure grow fast, don’t they?”

“They sure do. And Rachel,” she murmured, “is getting prettier by the minute.”

“Don’t let her hear you say that. I’ve already got a diva on my hands.” It took all his effort to force a grin.

His daughter had taken the chair on one side of Jane. On Jane’s other side, Sharon sat holding his son. Eric wrapped his chubby hand around Jane’s long silver chains and gave them a tug, the way he reined in his toy pony-on-wheels. The way Pete himself had touched that chain just the day before, though with more restraint.

“Stop, Eric,” Rachel demanded. “You’ll break Jane’s necklace.”

Instead, his son reached out with his free hand, as if wanting Jane to take him into her arms.

“I said stop, Eric.”

Pete looked at his daughter.

“He’s not—” Jane began.

“Rachel,” he said quietly.

After a quick glance at him, she mumbled “Okay, Daddy” and slumped back in her seat. The set of her mouth told him she was gearing up for a pout.