Heart of a Rancher

Landon turned to John. “I talked to the guy at the rental car place in Stockville. They’ve got someone on their way to tow the vehicle, so we should go get Ms. Brooks’s—Dana’s—things out before they haul it.”

“All right.” John turned to Dana. “You good to stay here with Georgiana and Abi while we get your luggage?”

Thankfully, her brain started working again, and she found words. “Sure.”

“They’re getting you another vehicle, but it won’t be delivered until tomorrow afternoon. That okay?” Landon asked. “You can use one of ours in the meantime if you need to go anywhere. But you should know that Georgiana already canceled your room at the bed-and-breakfast. We want you to stay here.”

“Technically it isn’t canceled, but I told the Tingles that we planned on your staying at the ranch, unless you’d rather not,” Georgiana said. “But I can’t imagine you’d enjoy being in a tiny room cooped up over the next few weeks. Out here you can have run of the place and the land. Plus, you’ll be able to visit the farm firsthand every day, be around the horses. And you’ve probably already figured out how much we love having company.”

“That’s fine.” Dana was surprised that the family so easily took her in, working her into the day effortlessly. “I appreciate all your help.”

“Not a problem at all.” Georgiana’s smile claimed her face, and Dana was taken aback by her natural beauty. Hazel eyes in a heart-shaped face, copper freckles, bright smile. In a green T-shirt, denim capris and bare feet, she looked as pretty as any model.

“Georgiana, Dana isn’t exactly dressed for the farm, and since we might be gone a little while, do you think you could get her something more comfortable to wear?” John asked, then added, “Right now, she’s wearing a suit and heels.”

Dana wondered why John described what she wore, since Georgiana looked directly at her, and then the pieces clicked into place. The beautiful woman was blind.

“Oh, my, you broke down and had to walk all that way in a suit?” Georgiana asked. “Bless your heart. Yes, come on in, and we’ll find you something to wear. Abi can help. She loves picking out clothes. She helps me all the time.” Georgiana laughed. “It’s kind of hard for me to match things, you know.”

“Georgiana will take care of you until we get back.” John’s voice was quiet, and Dana turned to see that his eyes held an admiration and kindness toward his sister-in-law. He was right; regardless of her disability, Georgiana wanted to take care of her guest, and Dana wanted to let her.

“That’s fine,” she turned to Georgiana. “I’d love to borrow something, if you don’t mind. And I’ll call the bed-and-breakfast and let them know I’m officially canceling my reservation.”

Georgiana clasped her hands together. “Wonderful. We’re so glad you’ll be staying with us.”

“One thing, though, Georgiana,” Landon said.

“What’s that?”

“She’s got a good four or five inches of height on you. Probably want to consider that when you’re finding her clothes.”

Georgiana’s grin showcased the copper freckles on her cheeks and the hazel in her eyes. “So if she wears my pants, we’re talking high waters.” She lifted a shoulder. “Not a problem. I hear capris are in this year.” She waved a hand toward her own outfit.

Dana already liked the woman. “You heard right. They definitely are.”

“We’ll have dinner ready when y’all get back so John can eat before he heads to work,” Georgiana said to the rugged cowboys walking toward an old blue truck, their boots kicking up a bit of dust as they moved.

“Sounds great.” John climbed into the passenger side of the old pickup, looked at Dana and knuckled his Stetson. “Oh, by the way, welcome to the ranch.”

She stood beside Georgiana and watched them drive away, mesmerized with the lifestyle so different than her own. And equally mesmerized by the breathtaking cowboy with the sexy smile, and eyes that looked like honey in the sunshine.

“Come on, we’ll go get you some clothes.” Georgiana took a couple of steps, opened the door and led the way inside. If Dana didn’t know she was blind, she wouldn’t have been able to tell.

They entered the log cabin, and Dana viewed the beauty of plank wood ceilings, hardwood floors, exposed beams and a huge stone fireplace. Even the furnishings were rustic but homey. “Your room is upstairs, on the left. I’ll show you.” Georgiana started up the stairs. “Abi, you can come help me pick out some of my clothes for Miss Dana to wear if you’re done with your milk.”

“Cool!” Abi abandoned her spot at the kitchen table and ran toward the stairs.

“I didn’t hear you put your glass in the sink.” Georgiana’s motherly tone was endearing.

“Oh, yeah, right.” Abi turned, ran back to the table and moved her empty glass to the sink. Then she darted back across the living area to pass them going up the stairs. “I’ll go pick out something nice.”

Georgiana laughed. “Abi loves to help.” She slid her hand along the wall until it met the first door facing and then pointed to the open door. “That’s your room. There is an adjoining bathroom, and you should have all the linens and things you need, but if anything is missing, just let me know. We really are glad you’re here.”

Dana peeked in. A multicolored quilt covered the bed and another hung over a quilt rack near the window. Antique furniture filled the room with crocheted doilies accenting each piece. “The quilts and the doilies are lovely.”

“Mrs. Cutter made those before she passed on. When I was little and came over to ride horses with Landon, she was often on the front porch crocheting. I’m sure John will probably tell you, but they lost their mother eight years ago. She’d gotten depressed after her husband died in a farming accident and unfortunately turned to prescription meds. John was the one who found her. Landon was overseas serving in Afghanistan, and John became the man of the house here, taking care of the farm and their little brother, Casey.”

Dana had known that John’s parents were dead, but she hadn’t realized the amount of responsibility he’d inherited. He’d mentioned Casey and the fact that he was at the University of Alabama, but he hadn’t said anything about raising the boy after his mother died. “How old was Casey when she died?”

“I believe he was ten, maybe eleven.” Georgiana leaned against the door frame. “John saw him through all those teenage years and all the trouble that typically comes with them. And Casey turned out well, even if they had a few bumps along the way.”

“Mom, are y’all coming?” Abi’s voice echoed down the hall.

“And speaking of kids...” Georgiana shook her head, turned and continued down the hall.

Touched by the hospitality from this family, Dana felt an even stronger desire to make certain John’s dude ranch became a success after learning everything he’d gone through over the past few years.

As though she knew what Dana was thinking, Georgiana said, “John is really hoping this dude ranch idea will work, and he believes you’re the one who can make it happen.”

“It’s a good idea.” Dana believed it was, even if it wasn’t one that any wise investors would fund. And why wouldn’t they? Sure, Alabama wasn’t a typical location for a dude ranch, but if she could market it well, there shouldn’t be a problem. Then again, in the back of her mind she wondered if she had missed something. Was there more to getting an honest-to-goodness dude ranch up and running than she’d realized?

They entered Georgiana and Landon’s room, where Abi had gathered a few tops and pants and tossed them on the bed.

“Do you like any of those?” Abi asked. “Or do you want me to pick some other ones? I tried to put the ones together that I thought matched. Mommy lets me match her clothes, so I’m pretty good at matching.”

“Abi, just how many did you get out?” Georgiana asked, but Dana could tell she wasn’t perturbed with her daughter’s enthusiasm. On the contrary, her smile said she found Abi’s assistance adorable. And so did Dana.

“Just a few. I didn’t know what Miss Dana’s favorite color is, so I tried to get something in every color.”

Georgiana laughed. “I see.”

“How about that blue shirt with the flowers on it, and those jeans there?” Dana pointed to the outfit.

“Okay.” Abi gathered the two items and handed them over. “I’ll put the other stuff back, Mommy.”

“Thanks, sweetie. And you can come down to the kitchen when you get done, and we’ll finish getting dinner ready.”

“Okay.”

Georgiana moved back into the hall with Dana by her side. “If you’d like to come down after you’re dressed, and if you’d feel like helping with dinner, I can always use a hand in the kitchen.”

Dana rarely saw the kitchen at her apartment. She either ate out or grabbed a toasted bagel and coffee on the go. John had probably told Landon and Georgiana about her background if they weren’t aware already, so this woman knew that Dana was a fish out of water on the farm. But Georgiana graciously and kindly allowed her to ease into their world. Dana’s gratitude was instant. “I’d like that very much.”

Georgiana turned to go down the stairs, but Dana remembered something she’d said earlier that she hadn’t understood. “Georgiana?”

“Yes?”

“You said we’d eat dinner before John goes to work.”

She nodded. “He works the third shift at the steel plant, three nights on, four nights off. Tonight is night two of his three on. He’s also taking business classes during the week, getting his degree at the college in Stockville. Of course you knew that, since you met him in one of the college’s online business forums, right?”

“Right.”

“But yes, he works, goes to school, helps us run the fish camp and also does his share around the farm.” Georgiana’s mouth flattened, and she took a step back toward Dana. “As I said earlier, Landon was really touched by everything John did while Landon was overseas, and everything John still does to help things run smoothly around here.” She bit her lower lip. “Can I be honest with you?”

Dana heard the worry in her tone. “Yes, please.”

“Landon wasn’t certain how to feel about your coming down here, leaving Chicago and your business and all to head to Alabama and help John start a dude ranch. See, John was so disheartened when the bank turned down his business plan, and then he met you, and he got his hopes up again.”

“I believe his business will be successful,” Dana assured her. “That’s why I’m here, to make certain he has everything he needs to get it running. And it’s an investment for Brooks International—our first investment of this type.” The first of many, if Dana planned to follow through with her father’s last wish. As long as she could show her brother that the business could turn a profit, she should be able to assist many aspiring entrepreneurs all over the country.

“I know. And now that you’re here, and I’ve heard how happy John sounds and can practically feel his excitement over the dude ranch, well, Landon and I believe that you may be the answer to our prayer for John.”

Dana wasn’t sure what to say. “Your prayer?”

“Yes,” Georgiana said. “Our prayer that this time, his dreams can come true.”

Chapter Three

John ate every bite of his dinner but hardly tasted the steak and potatoes. His attention had been held captive by Dana Brooks’s excitement over his business plan. He’d sensed her interest on the college forum and even heard it in her voice when they’d talked on the phone, but he hadn’t been able to see her passion for the project. However, with every mention of the dude ranch tonight, her eyes lit up, her smile stretched wide and her enthusiasm became palpable. Over his idea.

Now that they’d finished eating and Landon and Georgiana had gone upstairs to get Abi ready for bed, he knew he should head to the cabin and get a couple hours’ sleep before he had to go to work at the steel plant. But he didn’t want to leave.

More than that, he didn’t want to leave Dana.

“You want to go out on the porch for a while? It’s a clear night, should be able to see the stars.” His voice sounded awkward, like a kid nervously asking a girl out on a date, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“Sure. It isn’t often we get a good view of the stars in the city. All the lights drown them out, make them harder to see.”

“Well, as long as it isn’t cloudy, you can almost always see them here.” He opened the door and looked up to see that there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the sky was, sure enough, covered with stars.

She followed him out and they sat in two of the wooden rockers that lined the porch, where the sound of Abi’s laughter echoed from the upstairs window.

“Sounds like she’s enjoying her bedtime story,” Dana said.

“Landon tickles her as he tucks her in.” John grinned as his niece’s giggles subsided, and he heard the soft whispers of Abi saying her prayers with her parents.

Dana moved a hand to her heart. “Oh, that’s so precious.”

“Yeah, it is.”

The prayers eventually ended, and the two of them rocked in silence, chairs creaking as they moved back and forth. John enjoyed sharing the peaceful setting with the city girl. He didn’t know if she viewed the place the way he did, if she noticed the things he did, but right now he took comfort in the sky blanketed with stars, the barn and fields highlighted by the full moon, the sounds of bulls bellowing, horses nickering, a breeze whispering through the trees and the oddly harmonic melody of crickets and frogs.

Did she see this as beautiful, as he did? He started to ask her, but halted when she emitted a single, breathy, “Wow.”

John stretched his legs out in front of him, leaned back in the rocker and grinned. “I was thinking the same thing.”

“It’s amazing here, isn’t it? So peaceful, so beautiful.”

He crossed his feet at the ankles, noticed a few white Charolais cattle in the distance glowing beneath the moonlight. “Yes, it is.”

“Growing up, Ryan and I traveled quite a bit with our father, until he became too sick to leave home. We’d go from one business venture to another, have an occasional vacation, usually tropical locations because Daddy really liked the beach. But everything was always—” she shook her head “—I don’t know how to describe it...”

John knew how he described it. “Busy?”

Her white-blond hair, luminescent in the moonlight, shifted against her shoulders as she nodded. “Yes, busy. Noisy. And even though we were supposed to be relaxing, I don’t remember it that way. But this is so serene.”

John found it extremely satisfying to hear her describe his own feelings about the ranch. MaciJo had considered the setting boring, a place where no one would want to stay for life. In fact, the one girl he’d fallen for had been determined to find a way out of Claremont, and she’d done just that when she got the scholarship to Vanderbilt. But Dana knew everything about life in the city and about life with an abundance of money—something else MaciJo had wanted that John couldn’t provide—yet she appreciated the tranquillity and simplicity of the ranch. “One thing I remember most about my parents,” he said. “They called this place God’s country. I’d have to agree.”

“Georgiana mentioned that your parents had passed on and that you handled the farm and took over raising your younger brother while Landon was overseas.” She pushed back in the rocker, then added, “That must have been hard.”

She had no idea. John should’ve realized that Georgiana had probably filled her in on his past. Women had a natural urge to share, and John had hardly revealed anything about that time with anyone. But hearing her bring it up brought back the memories of those years and how he’d struggled to make ends meet. He’d been so focused on work and holding on to the farm that he’d almost lost Casey, both physically and spiritually.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked,” she said, and John realized that he’d been so caught up in the painful memories that he hadn’t answered her.

“No, it’s okay. It’s just that I went through a lot then, but we made it. With God’s help, Casey and I made it.”

“What happened?”

John swallowed, unsure of how much he wanted to tell. Sure, he’d been chatting online and talking on the phone with her for several months, but he didn’t really know her yet, and he hadn’t opened up with anyone about how difficult that time had been.

She cleared her throat. “You probably don’t want to talk about it. I guess it’s because I didn’t have much of a family—just my father and my brother—that I feel drawn to know about other family relationships. But I shouldn’t have asked.”

Typically he would say that it was okay, and stop at that, but for some reason he felt closer to Dana than he had with anyone in a very long time, and he felt compelled to share the rest. “I couldn’t pay the bills with money from the farm, so I took another job at the feed store and then another job working the third shift at the steel plant, the job I still have.”

“You were working around the clock, weren’t you?” Her rocker creaked as she leaned toward him. “Like the schedule you still have now?”

“My schedule now is a breeze compared to life back then. It was tough, and I didn’t handle it that well.” He tilted his head to see if he heard any voices from inside the house, and he heard the faint sound of Georgiana and Landon talking. He was glad they were occupied, because he wouldn’t want Landon to hear this confession. Sure, Landon knew John had had a hard time, but he’d never told his older brother how guilty he felt about Casey’s accident.

She shifted again in her seat, her body language telling him that she was interested in his past and in his struggles. “Sounds like you didn’t sleep much back then, either,” she said.

“I got enough, but sleeping wasn’t the issue. Not being there for Casey—that was the bigger problem.” He let the emotions he’d pushed to the recesses of his mind and heart ease forward and continued. “He got in with a bad crowd, turned away from his faith, away from me, and turned to alcohol.” John took a deep breath, pushed it out. “I was so focused on work that I didn’t even realize I was losing him, not until he got behind the wheel drunk. He had his girlfriend with him, our preacher’s granddaughter, Nadia.”

She stopped rocking, and although he turned his focus to the fields, he could sense that the woman next to him had turned her full attention to him. “Did he—did they have an accident?”

John nodded. “He was speeding when they hit a tree not far from where you had your accident today. Casey was banged up, but he was okay. But for a while there, we didn’t know if Nadia would make it. I’ve never begged God so hard to help, to heal her and forgive Casey. And to forgive me.” He hadn’t admitted the blame to anyone, but he did now. Oddly, relief flooded him with the admission.

“I’m so glad they were both okay.” She paused. “Casey is better now?”

Pride at how far Casey had come since that horrible night filled John’s soul. “Found God again and turned away from the wild group at school. Got the grades he needed to get accepted to Alabama, and he’s doing well there. He’s taken an interest in web design and has already created a few websites. His first semester was in the fall, and he made the dean’s list.” He grinned.

She smiled. “And Nadia?”

“She’s at the high school. She’s a year younger, but they are still dating. He comes home every few weeks to see her. It’s only a couple of hours’ drive from Tuscaloosa.”

“That’s wonderful. And I’m guessing your relationship with Casey is stronger, too, because of what you went through together? Going through hard times brings people closer, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it does.” John still didn’t look at her, but kept his attention on the fields, the moonlight, the grazing livestock. Surprised at himself for opening up this much, he didn’t think he could look at her now, because if he did, she might see too much, become too close. He’d kept his distance from others, particularly from women, since the pain of MaciJo. Working around the clock and tending to the farm helped him maintain his distance and kept his dating to a minimum, but over the next few weeks he suspected he’d spend more time with Dana Brooks than he had with any female in the past decade. And the fact that he felt comfortable with her, comfortable enough to tell her about the guilt of Casey’s accident, didn’t bode well. Because in a month, she’d go back to the city. He cleared his throat, prepared to tell her that he should head home and get some sleep before his shift started at the steel plant.

But then her words stopped his progress.

* * *

“I never went through any hard times like that, didn’t have any struggles in life at all, until those last weeks with my father. And it’s sad to say that I don’t think we ever really knew each other until we went through that time together. Maybe it was because my mother died when I was born that he didn’t want to open up, didn’t want to get hurt again. But even though I was with him often, I didn’t really know him until he realized he was dying.” She remembered those last weeks, when he finally acknowledged what was important and tried so hard to make sure she understood and didn’t make the same mistakes that he’d made. “I just wish we’d had more time together like that, and I wish Ryan would have spent more time with him then, instead of concentrating so much on keeping the company going while Daddy was sick.”

She barely held back her tears, and when John finally turned and looked at her, his golden eyes filled with understanding, her tears slipped free. He’d opened up to her tonight, and now she’d done the same, telling him more than she’d shared with anyone but Ryan. And her brother hadn’t understood, no matter how many times she’d tried to explain the change their father had undergone before he died, but the handsome cowboy sitting next to her on the porch did.

He leaned toward her, reached out and rested his hand on top of hers. The warmth of his palm covered her skin, his fingers gently wrapping around the sides of her hand. “It’s good you got to spend that time with him.”

“I feel as if I just dumped a lot on you,” she said, blinking past the tears and forcing a smile. “Don’t know what came over me.”

He returned the smile, the mood shifting and the tension between them easing with the gesture. Then he squeezed the top of her hand before sliding his away. “It’s the open country, sitting on the porch and having no reason to hold back on your thoughts and feelings. Kind of like sitting out by an open campfire and sharing all your secrets.”

“The kind of thing you’d do at a dude ranch, right?”

“Exactly.” He straightened in the rocker, scooted forward and Dana knew he was about to leave. “You still think my dude ranch will work?”

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. And it’ll be very rewarding when I prove to my brother that I picked a wise investment.”

His smile grew, dimples popping into place, and he stood. “So Ryan Brooks doubted the success of an Alabama dude ranch? After six banks all thought it was a terrific idea and couldn’t wait to loan me money? In fact, I’ve still got all their letters of praise telling me why it’s a fabulous idea, if he’d like to see them.” At her soft laughter, John added, “Seriously, I do appreciate your taking a chance on this, especially when no one else would.”

“I’m making an investment based on my instinct more than on marketing history, of course, but Daddy told me to follow what feels right.” She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “And this feels right.”

“Investing in an Alabama dude ranch?”

She wanted to make sure he understood and put a lot of thought into her words. “The dude ranch is what’s on the surface, but that’s not what I’m investing in.”

He’d taken a step toward leaving, but he stopped and turned, leaned against the porch post. “You aren’t investing in the dude ranch?”

The moonlight behind him created a beautifully sculpted cowboy silhouette, but even in the shadow, she could see the question in his eyes, the slight tilt in his face saying he wondered if she’d changed her mind. That couldn’t be further from the truth. On the contrary, after learning even more about this intriguing man tonight and seeing how deeply he cared for others and how strongly he felt about this beautiful ranch, she’d reaffirmed her decision.