The Rancher's Homecoming

“Uncle Ty said there are lots of kittens.” Rosie stated. “Maybe I can have one?”

“Well, they were kittens. Mostly we have cats now.” The last thing she needed to do was alienate Chance by giving his daughter a pet she’d have to leave behind. Especially considering she needed to find a way to convince him that selling was the absolute worst thing he could do.

“Does that mean ‘we’ll see’?” Rosie slumped in the saddle. “That’s what Daddy always says when he means no.”

“Well, for me, it means maybe. And you know what? Your grandpa and I have a cat at our place. Snicklefrits. You can come play with him whenever you’d like.” Not that Snicklefrits had been played with much over the years. He mostly shadowed her father, and that meant moving from one chair to another depending on the sunrise, sunset or what was on television.

“Snicklefrits.” Rosie giggled. “That’s a crazy name for a cat.”

“Well, the cat’s kind of crazy. I think he’ll like you.” Katie glanced down at Hip. “Something tells me you have a way with animals. You ready to try a gallop? Go a little faster?”

“Yes, please.” Rosie nodded and bounced higher in the saddle. “I want to go as fast as we can!”

“Well, hang on, then.” Katie kicked Starlight once more. Seconds later, Katie pushed her worries aside and lost herself in the sound of the wind rushing in her ears.

And the joyous laughter from her niece in her arms.

CHAPTER THREE

THE WINDING ROAD to the main house gave Chance the kick in the pants he needed to get his head on straight. Wallowing over having to come home because his grandfather was messing with the family—again—wasn’t going to do anyone, least of all Rosie, any good. Whatever the circumstances, she deserved a great trip and visit with family. It wasn’t as if all the memories about this place were bad. When it came down to it, he loved his brothers. He might not know them all as well as he would like, but they were blood. Even a decade away couldn’t negate that.

They’d seen each other through a lot, including the death of their parents and a string of stepgrandmothers that made Big E look like a serial groom. Chance’s conversations with his grandfather had dwindled over the years, something the old man must have kept to himself given each of his brothers had called him in the last weeks to ask if he’d heard from Big E. As if. It was difficult to talk to someone about your life when they made no secret of their disapproval. At least Rosie gave them something to talk about without getting into a knock-down-drag-out about when Chance was going to put this music silliness aside and come home.

“Well, I guess you finally got your wish, old man.” Chance parked the minivan around the side of the house he’d grown up in. The paint had been refreshed—white with pale green shutters. The front porch had served as both haven and escape on more than one occasion. He popped open the back and pulled out his guitar case, then tucked a carved wooden box under his arm before grabbing Rosie’s Hello Kitty suitcase. The sooner he got his daughter settled in the house, the easier it would be to get her into a routine. The sound of crunching tires behind him had him closing up and heading around the corner to the front porch.

A slow smile spread across his face as he watched his oldest brother, Jon, climb out. The dog that hopped out behind him looked as if he was used to being part of the welcoming committee. A ranch man from the tips of his booted toes to the hair on his hat-covered head, Jonathan Blackwell looked every bit the cowboy on a mission. And was a reminder of what Chance had done his best to leave behind.

“Look what the storm blew in.” Jon pushed back his hat and angled a smile at Chance that made the last ten years melt away like butter in a cast-iron skillet. “Figured a lot might have changed with you, but Hello Kitty is a new look.”

“A man’s only got so many choices when it comes to his little girl’s luggage. As you well know.” Chance set the case and his guitar on the steps and embraced his brother. The hearty back slaps they gave one another could be considered the first in what would no doubt be many competitions during his visit. “Good to see you, bro.”

“You, too.” Jon gave him another smack before dropping his hands on Chance’s shoulders. “It’s been too long.” He gave him a hard shake. They’d never seen eye to eye—at least not literally—before Chance had left, but they did now. And Chance recognized the uncertain expression on his brother’s face. He’d been expecting it. And dreading it. “I’m so sorry about Maura, Chance.”

“Yeah.” Chance had finally reached the stage where the mention of his wife’s name didn’t make his heart seize. His hold tightened on the box under his arm. “I know. I appreciated the letters. And the flowers. And the pictures.” Jon had sent care packages for weeks after Maura’s death, including photos of all of them growing up on the ranch. Chance had started an album and framed a number of them for Rosie. They had helped. “Thanks for understanding about not coming out.”

“As long as you know any one of us would have been there in a heartbeat.” Jon squeezed his shoulders. “All you had to do was ask.”

There hadn’t been any point in his brothers—and extended family—descending on him. There hadn’t been a memorial service. Maura had donated her body for cancer research and once he’d received her remains, a service felt like moving backward. Not to mention he hadn’t decided what to do with her ashes. Besides, by that time he had an almost three-year-old to focus on and even though he had no doubt Rosie was aware something was wrong, it didn’t change her demands or her needs one iota.

“I had Rosie,” Chance said. “She was all I needed.” His little girl had saved his life. “So who’s this?”

He bent down and offered his hand to the dog, who trotted right over and gave instant approval.

“Trout. My shadow.” Jon chuckled.

“He’s great.” Chance scrubbed his hands into the dog’s fur and earned a friend for life. “Has, um...?” Chance cleared his throat and stood up to retrieve his guitar. “Has there been any word from Big E? Have we located him yet?”

“Nothing new since my last email.” Jon, a father of five-year-old twin girls himself, picked up Rosie’s suitcase without a second glance. “Gotta admit, there’s something that’s been bugging me about this from the start.” Jon scrubbed a hand across his whisker-stubbled chin. “At first I just thought it was Big E being Big E. Disappearing with Zoe like that. Going wherever the wind blows. But abandoning the ranch without making sure it could financially sustain itself, making things ten times more difficult on Katie than they should have been, kicking her to the curb without any warning...?” Jon shook his head. “I think Ben’s right. I think the old man’s finally lost it.”

“I would have thought tossing Zoe out on her, ah, ear, would prove just the opposite,” Chance said. Hearing their grandfather had dumped wife number five on the side of the road outside Las Vegas had seemed like karmic retribution given Zoe’s machinations.

“Ben isn’t exactly objective where Big E is concerned.” As if their lawyer brother and Big E didn’t have enough issues, Zoe had, only weeks before her marriage to their grandfather, been engaged to Ben. Their grandfather had been the culprit behind a lot of shenanigans over the years, but stealing Ben’s fiancée had been the last straw for the Blackwell brothers. You mess with one, you mess with all of them. Or so the family motto was supposed to go.

The sentiment had applied to Ben.

But not, it seemed, to Chance and his dreams.

“Where do you stand on selling the ranch?” Might as well start confirming the information Ty had previously provided.

“Honestly? I’m all for it.” Jon stepped in front of him and opened the front door. “I’ve got my hands full with the JB Bar, Lydia and the girls. I’m not inclined to push to save something Big E can’t be concerned with.”

“Ah, yes. I’ve got soon-to-be sisters-in-law to meet, don’t I? What was it Ty called Lydia? ‘Nanny Fantastic’? Seriously, dude, you’re marrying your girls’ nanny?”

Jon reached out and dragged Chance over the threshold. “You’re darned right I am. And when you meet her at dinner tomorrow night, you’ll understand why.” He moved back to close the door and watched as Chance took in the interior of their childhood home.

“What. The. Ever. Loving—” Chance couldn’t move. He could barely breathe. What he could do was blink. He had to in order to avoid going blind from the neon pinks, blaring whites and glittering silvers sparkling from nearly every inch of the two-story house. Glitter and sparkles and feathers and sequins. There weren’t any memories to be found. Anywhere. “I think I may throw up.”

“We have a special trough outside for that. It’s been bedazzled.” Jon smirked. “Zoe.”

“Yeah, well, who else?” Chance finally found the strength to move, but as he walked from the hall into the dining room, he nearly tripped over his feet. What the heck was that hanging from a ceiling? It was like a Muppet had been mounted as a chandelier. He shivered. This was what nightmares were made of. And he said that as the father of a pink-obsessed four-year-old. Make that four-and-three-quarters. “This might be too much even for Rosie.” At least he hoped so. Otherwise she’d be calling interior decorators once they got back to Los Angeles.

“Do I hear voices?” A young woman poked her head around the corner from the kitchen, her pretty, friendly face alight with curiosity and amusement. “If it isn’t two of the Blackwell brothers. You must be Chance. As you’re the only one I haven’t met yet.” She finished drying her hands on a dish towel and reached out to greet him. “I’m Hadley.”

“Ty wrangled you on to stay in this place, huh?” Chance said, keeping a leery eye out for his twin. “He around?”

“He’ll be back in a couple of days. Went into Bozeman with Ben to talk to a company about adding zip lines to our activities here.” Hadley’s smile was contagious. “And you know what they say. Fall in love with the man, fall in love with the land. As Jon can attest with Lydia. Welcome home.”

“Such as it is,” Chance said, then, seeing Jon’s disapproving look, shifted his attitude. “Nice to meet you, Hadley. Welcome to the family.”

“And such an interesting family it is.” Hadley’s eyes sparkled. “Did I hear you two talking about Big E? Are there plans in motion to finally get all this settled?”

“By ‘all this’ do you mean do we know if we’re going to keep this place, sell it or hope Big E comes back and resumes running it?” Jon asked. “Ah, I don’t know. Have we decided, Chance?”

“I’d like to know all the particulars before I cast my vote.” It was the right thing to say. But it wasn’t what he planned to do. The sooner they unloaded this place, the sooner he could stop worrying about money and being hounded about coming home. Make the break clean, final and profitable. That was his goal. “Ty’s made an initial argument about keeping it. I hear you’re a fan of the place, Hadley?”

“I am. I love it here.” If she was concerned about Chance holding her future in his hands, she didn’t say. “Come on back. I unearthed your mom’s old cookbook a few weeks ago. Just made some of her iced-tea lemonade. You want some?”

Chance’s stomach growled as if it had a memory. “Yeah.” The air whooshed out of him. How many pitchers had he watched her stir and pour in those early years. “Yeah, that would be great.” He followed her as if in some sort of trance. “This isn’t some kind of enhanced manipulation technique, is it?”

Jon jabbed an elbow into his back. Chance grunted.

“Not at all.” If Hadley was offended, she didn’t show it. “I’m trying to work as many Blackwell family elements into the business as possible. Also working on testing some of her recipes for the upcoming weddings. Grace’s mother and I have been going back and forth on choices. And don’t worry.” She set a frosty glass in front of him. “When I’m manipulating you, you’ll know about it.” She grinned before turning away.

“Touché, and noted.” Chance drank eagerly, not realizing how thirsty—or hungry—he was. Which no doubt meant Rosie was as well. The Golden Arches, apple slices and chicken nuggets were a lot of miles ago. “Don’t mean to be obnoxious. Been a long few days.”

“A four-day road trip with a four-year old.” Jon shuddered. “My sympathies. You could have made it easier by flying. One of us could have picked you up.”

“Rosie and I made stops along the way.” Chance took another drink to avoid admitting the truth. Even with the hotel stays and gasoline, it put him ahead in the budgeting department. A budget that would keep them in their house for the next six months. After that...?

“Speaking of Rosie, where is she? Don’t tell me she’s off roaming the place like her Uncle Ty used to.” Jon smiled and nudged his elbow.

“She’s with Katie.” Chance was already getting a little worried about letting his daughter go off on that monster of a horse with her aunt. Not that he didn’t trust Katie, but somehow it felt wrong sharing the responsibility of his daughter with anyone. It had been the two of them for so long, he wasn’t sure he knew how to share her. He didn’t know if he wanted to. “We made a quick stop at the turnoff to the ranch before heading down the main road. Katie was on her way to the south pasture.”

“She’s been so excited about seeing her,” Jon told him. “Glad you bit the bullet and came back. If for no other reason than to let her meet her aunt and grandfather in person.”

Chance avoided his brother’s disapproving gaze. He didn’t need a lecture, nor did he want one.

“Gen and Abby can’t wait to meet her. And their famous uncle. They have a surprise planned for tomorrow night.” Jon knocked his glass against Chance’s. “I have a feeling the terrible two are about to become the terrifying trio.”

“Bite your tongue,” Hadley said. “Your girls are angels.”

“They are now,” Jon chuckled. “You two get the after-Lydia product. If you’d like to hear tales of the before, just ask around town. You’ll get an earful.”

“When did we turn into the kind of men who sit around talking about their kids?” Granted, Chance preferred that topic over anything horse-related.

“And all girls no less,” Jon added. “If only Big E could hear us now. So you saw Katie. Everything okay there?”

“Sure.” Chance shrugged. Here it comes. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

Hadley seemed inordinately concerned over a spot on the counter.

“First time you’ve been back since you ran off with her sister. That’s gotta be awkward.”

“For her or me?” Chance asked. “It is what it is. Nothing to be done about it.”

“Maybe something could have been done.” Jon pinned him with a stare. “Before it was too late.”

Chance’s knuckles went white around his glass.

“I think I’m going to take this upstairs.” Hadley scooted around the counter for Rosie’s bag. “Or at least take it to the stairs. Be nice, boys. One of you just got home. You need each other.” She patted Chance’s arm as she passed. “And blood would clash horribly with this tile.”

Chance watched her leave, doing his best to swallow his temper along with any words that might come back to bite him. “If you’re meaning to take Lochlan’s side in what happened, I’d advise you to keep your nose out of it.”

“I’ve always been on your side, Chance.” Jon sat back on the bar stool and studied him.

“Not from where I sit.” Chance finished his drink and carried his glass over to the sink. Had any of his brothers ever gone to bat for him with their grandfather? Had any of them ever defended his dreams or his desire to leave? But that wasn’t what this was about. This argument was about Maura and the pain her father had put her through when she was already in enough to kill her. “That bitter old man refused to talk to his daughter for ten years. Ten. Years.” The anger he’d fought so hard to bury surged back with the force of a tornado. “And why? Because she fell in love with me? Because she wanted something more than the legacy of the ranch her father lived for? Because she chose to leave this dead-end place rather than wither away and turn to dust like her sick mother did? Like everyone who stays here does?”

“Like Katie’s doing? Or me? Or my girls?” Jon arched an eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” Even for them, brothers with a penchant for knock-down-drag-outs, this conversation was devolving fast enough to break any record they had of a truce. “Your life, your decision. I don’t begrudge you or anyone else that. I gave Maura the option of staying. I told her I’d come back after taking my shot. I said we could make a long-distance thing work. But she wouldn’t hear of it. She wanted to leave. She wanted to go with me and live our dreams together. And I wasn’t about to tell her no.” As if she would have listened. Montgomery women cornered the market on stubbornness.

“I’m just saying the phone works both ways, little brother. She could have—”

“She did.” Chance slammed his fist on the counter. “Who do you think she called the day after we found out—” His breath caught in his chest and threatened to suffocate him. “The day after she was diagnosed. Maura wanted her father. She wanted the man who had held her as a child, the man who rocked her and told her everything was going to be okay. Even though we knew it wouldn’t be. Do you know what Lochlan did?” Chance rounded on his brother and felt relief at the shock on Jon’s face. “He hung up on her. So don’t you dare sit in judgment of me and my decisions. He broke his little girl’s heart. And for that I will never forgive him.”

* * *

“I’M HOT,” ROSIE whined and slumped against Katie as they crested the hill.

“I bet you are, Little Miss.” Katie pressed a kiss to Rosie’s head, an excuse to check and make sure she wasn’t getting overheated. “Ranching and riding is hard work. We need to get you a hat.” And about a gallon of sunblock. Fortunately the sun had been trapped behind clouds for most of their ride and Katie could provide enough protection against the rays.

“Are we going home now?”

“The main house is just down there.” Katie pointed to the two-story, weathered white house with green shutters sitting among the outcropping of buildings and the barns. Nearby, the guest cabins loomed, with more than thirty rooms, a dining hall and an activity facility. Checking in on the workers had taken a little longer than expected, which meant Rosie had gone from entertained to bored in about sixty seconds. Even Hip and Starlight hadn’t been enough to distract her. Katie should have known better: the last place an almost five-year-old would want to be was out in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of strangers and a seriously distracted aunt.

Katie wrapped an arm around Rosie and squeezed. She hadn’t been able to help it. Once she’d gotten a hold of Rosie, she couldn’t bear to let her go. Seeing as Chance was in a more amenable mood than she’d expected, she’d taken every advantage.

“I bet Hadley’s made some of her yummy lemonade. Do you like lemonade, Rosie?”

“Uh-huh. Daddy and I make the powder kind out of envelopes at home. But only for special occasions. I like milk. Cows give milk. Daddy says there are cows here.”

“There are. And I can teach you how to milk one if you’d like.”

“Maybe.” Rosie sighed. “Not today. I’m sleepy.” She rubbed her eyes.

“I bet you are.” Katie choked back tears as Rosie closed her eyes and relaxed against her. Katie kicked Starlight and increased to a gentle trot, but she caught herself looking down into the little girl’s face. Grief washed over the hole that had been hollowed out of her, a hole left empty by the loss of her sister.

She missed Maura so much sometimes she ached. Even though they hadn’t seen each other in years, they’d talked all the time, texted, teased and informed. Maura had been Katie’s best friend since the moment Katie had been born, only eighteen months behind her big sister. They had been inseparable. Opposites in nearly every way, but inseparable nonetheless.

Until Maura had discovered boys. Even then, only one boy would do.

From the time she was fourteen, Maura Montgomery knew she would marry Chance Blackwell. Anyone who ever saw the two of them together knew it as well. Katie had lost count of the number of times she’d come across them after they’d sneaked out together, or when she’d followed them down to Falcon Creek Lake, where Chance would play his guitar and sing to her. Their feelings for one another had always fascinated and confused her.

Katie didn’t remember a time her parents were happy. Ranch life was hard on a marriage, especially when one spouse—their mother—wasn’t a particularly strong person. Watching Maura and Chance fall in love had created a longing inside Katie she’d since decided simply wouldn’t be fulfilled. No one would ever love her the way Chance loved Maura. No one could ever love the land, the work, the business as much as Katie did.

And she could never tolerate anything less.

Which was why this job, this ranch, meant everything to her. She didn’t have anywhere else to go, and if she looked, she’d probably have to start at the bottom. It might be the twenty-first century, but the idea of hiring a female foreman still didn’t sit well in the male-dominated world of ranching. Besides, she didn’t want to go anywhere else. This was her home, her...everything. And the Blackwells were her family. Which was one reason why she’d been willing to help Big E.

“This plan of yours better work...and fast, Big E,” Katie whispered into the breeze. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep going.”

She’d keep going as long as she had to, Katie told herself. She didn’t have a choice. Everything was falling into place just as Big E predicted and planned. All the Blackwell brothers were home now. She only hoped things worked out before someone learned the truth.

Rosie let out a sleepy sigh that had Katie smiling. The little girl had Maura’s spirit, her enthusiasm and vivacity. And her propensity for being easily bored. That “bring on life ’cause I can take you” attitude oozed out of every pore. The tiny dimple in Rosie’s chin? That was all Chance, as was her nose. The poor kid had been saddled with a double dose of stubbornness from both sides of her gene pool. Katie could only hope Chance would be as amenable to Rosie seeing her grandfather as he’d been letting Katie take her for a ride.

By the time she reached the stables, Rosie’s weight was taking its toll. Katie’s arms ached as she called Conner, her main stable hand and trail leader, over for help in handing her niece off so she could dismount. She removed her gloves, stuffed them into her pockets and picked up her hat before taking back Rosie, a sliver of love winding through her as Rosie linked her arms around Katie’s neck and settled into sleep. She whistled for Hip, who bounded dutifully over to escort them back to the house. Beyond the braying of the miniature donkeys, she heard the bleeting of Billy the goat in the distance. That little guy always knew when Hip came home.

“Right tired one there, Katie.” Connor tipped a finger to his hat and grinned. “You’re hiring them awful young now, aren’t you?”

“Start them early, you know that, Conner.” Katie laughed. “Everything good here?”

“Yes, ma’am. Chuck and Dally are heading out to check on a bull we think might have broken through the fence line. Nothing serious. We’ll get it taken care of.”

“Great. I’ll be heading home soon. Need to check on Dad. I should be back around after dinner.” There were some minor repairs that needed doing on the guesthouse and the activity calendar needed filling and updating. Ranching was a 24/7 occupation. What downtime came, chances were it wouldn’t last long. There was always something that needed tending to. Not that Katie had any idea what to do to relax. She was one of those people incapable of sitting still when there was work to be done.

Katie hummed as she made her way across to the main house. Funny how a seemingly little girl weighed more than a newborn calf. As she rounded the corner she saw Chance standing on the front porch, lounging against the post by the stairs.