The Rancher's Surrender

They had no idea which of them it was—Maddie, Zoe or Delia—but it didn’t matter now. They were sisters of the heart and soul, and they’d stick together until the end.

The ranch belonged to all of them, and together they’d learn more about their grandmother.

“I’m guessing you’re hoping I’ll talk myself out and disappear.” Slowly, Ty Jackson shook his head. “No can do, ladies. Cade told me your plane had been delayed, and he was worried about you getting up here at night, which by the way was a stupid thing to do, drive up here in the dark.”

Delia and Maddie shot a look at Zoe, who bristled. It was one thing to be stupid, but it was entirely another thing to have it pointed out to her by a stranger. She had her sisters to do that.

“Cade wanted me to call him back.” He shifted impatiently. “Can we get on with it now? It’s late, and frankly, ladies, I’m tired of listening to myself talk.”

Zoe could feel her sisters’ resistance melt away, but she held on to hers with all her might. Despite his obvious caring for Constance, he was big, he was a man, and he was barely managing to control his irritation at being bothered so late at night.

Trust was a big issue for Zoe, it had been for as long as she could remember. Alone in this world except for Maddie and Delia, she had managed to eke out a calm, quiet existence. And if her life was a little, well...empty, if she’d never learned to really have faith in another human being since the day her mother had dumped her at age three, failing to come back for her as promised, she could live with that.

Bottom line—Zoe rarely believed in another, especially a far-too-good-looking cowboy with a voice that could melt the Arctic.

In the beam of light, he quirked a dark, challenging brow and continued to speak in that rough-timbered voice, the one Zoe imagined could convince a less-hardened woman to give him the moon.

“You plan on sleeping there on the porch, that’s just fine with me,” he said with a shrug of those impressive shoulders. “But I wouldn’t be neighborly if I didn’t try to warn you...that wood there’s littered with rats. Big, fat, hungry ones.”

With a muffled shriek, Delia launched herself toward the light, brushing and swiping at her legs, for if there was one thing that could shatter Delia’s calm, it was a rodent.

Maddie’s mouth opened in a silent scream as she followed Delia in such a rush she nearly fell headlong into their “neighbor,” who easily caught and uprighted her.

Both women continued to shiver and squeak, placing themselves behind the man, who slowly rose to his feet, a grin firmly in place.

Amid feet stomping and panting, huffy screams, Delia twirled in a circle, mindless, until the man reached out and touched her arm.

“Safe,” he claimed, not bothering to hide his amusement. “Don’t worry, I think you two managed to scare them all away.”

Delia stopped screaming, and Maddie just gaped in surprise. Zoe knew why, for though it took Delia forever to get riled, it took just as long to calm her back down. No one, and most certainly not a man, had ever been so effective in quieting her.

In the startling silence, the man who caused it winked at Maddie, who brought a hand up to her mouth.

Still hidden by the darkness, Zoe stood quickly, for she knew Maddie’s unease around strangers, especially men, but she stiffened in shock when she realized Maddie was holding back a smile.

In less than ten seconds, the man had completely tamed her sisters. Unbelievable.

“You okay now?” Ty Jackson asked.

Delia smoothed down her clothes and shot him an apologetic smile. “Yes, sorry, but rats just get to me.”

“Understandable.”

“Now, if you tell me you have batteries in that truck of yours,” Delia said, her smile warming, “you’ll really be my hero, Mr. Jackson.”

“Ty.” Any irritation at having been disturbed so late had apparently vanished, replaced by the pleasant surprise of a man who suddenly finds himself in the company of two beautiful women. He held out his hand. “And you are...?”

Delia offered him a perfectly manicured hand in return, the one she’d spent an annoying amount of time this morning doing herself, nearly making them late for the airport. “Delia Scanlon. And this is my sister, Maddie O’Brien.”

He took each of their hands in turn as though they were at a tea party, not standing hundreds of miles away from nowhere on a battered, neglected ranch. From her perch in the corner, Zoe rolled her eyes.

“It’s a pleasure,” Ty said to Delia. “And I always carry spare batteries.” He looked pleased with himself, as though he’d invented the dam things himself.

Zoe remained in place, thoroughly disgusted now. How could her sisters just cave like this? What had happened to their natural reserve of anyone and everyone?

They’d stuck together through thick and thin, mostly thin, but in all that time, Zoe had never, not once, seen either of them let down their natural distrust so fast.

Of course, none of them had ever been charmed by such a master, either.

Fine. If she was the only one with a thought left in her head, so be it. She’d keep them safe.

“I thought there were three of you,” Ty said, squinting a bit as he searched through the darkness, easily focusing to meet Zoe’s gaze again. “What happened to Zophina?”

“Zoe,” Zoe snapped, stepping into the light, having no idea why she was letting him get under her skin like this. He was just a stranger. “The name is Zoe.”

“Well, hello there. Zoe.” That damn grin flashed again, the one that made her somehow want to smack him and melt at the same time. He tucked his thumbs into his front pockets in a stance of confidence...not to mention how his hands pretty much outlined the vee of his jeans in a way that showed off his...big build. “Can we go inside now?”

“I’m sure we’ll be just fine alone,” she replied coolly.

“I’m sure you will.” He didn’t so much as blink, but Zoe could have sworn he was laughing at her. “Maybe you’d like me to check it out first.”

“For more rats?” she inquired sweetly.

He didn’t look in the least bit ashamed of himself. “You never know.”

Before Zoe could suggest that there was a two-legged rat standing right in front of her, Delia firmly stepped between the two, her flattering, social smile in place. “You’ll have to excuse Zoe, Ty. She’s tired, and a tired Zoe is a grumpy one.”

Zoe turned away, piqued for no particular reason. It was her own fault, she reminded herself. They’d come here at her insistence, at her excitement at completely starting over.

Not that Delia and Maddie hadn’t wanted to come, they had, but they just hadn’t been quite as sold on the idea as she. Yet they’d given up their lives, anyway, for her. A pressure built in Zoe’s chest, a familiar one. The pressure of their love, which she was eternally grateful for. But deep down, somewhere in a place she didn’t like to go too often, were the same old doubts.

She didn’t deserve all they gave to her, not when she didn‘t—couldn’t—give it back. She had long ago locked up her heart from hurt.

As if she sensed her unease, Maddie slipped an arm around Zoe’s waist, giving her a quick squeeze. She reached for Delia’s hand, uniting them without a word. As always, at the caring, kind, accepting touch, Zoe immediately softened; she couldn’t help It.

“Ready, ladies?” When they nodded, Ty took the keys from Zoe, and before she could analyze why the slight brushing of his work-roughened fingers against hers made her stomach tighten, he’d unlocked the front door. “This will have to be fixed,” he said, easily maneuvering open the rickety screen.

Standing just behind him as she was, with her level of vision at his shoulders and his own truck headlights highlighting his every movement, Zoe had no choice but to stare at the way the muscles in his back flexed and bunched beneath his shirt. No choice at all. Nor could she help but smell him, all fresh and delicious male. That he smelled so good made her annoyed all over again.

Ty flipped on his flashlight and beamed it inside. “The door will have to be replaced, too.”

“That’s not all,” Zoe said as she caught sight of the interior.

Ty hit a light switch on the wall and let out a low, heartfelt oath. The light illuminated what had been their hopes and dreams, and Zoe’s stomach sank as they all crowded in. They hadn’t gotten a good look at the outside in the dark, but she had gotten an image of a two-story sprawling ranch house in desperate need of repair.

The inside was worse, far worse.

The paint on the walls was peeling off in long strips. The wood floors were thick with dust. The light above them flickered warningly, but at the last second, somehow managed to hang in there. Standing in the midst of it, Zoe saw past the gloom and straight to the heart of the matter—this place was theirs. Theirs.

The thrill of that would never wear off, no matter what happened.

“But...how can this be?” Delia asked in a confused voice that didn’t sound at all like her usual take-charge attitude. “I thought Constance lived here.”

“She did, up until two years ago, when she had to move to a retirement home.” Regret and sadness filled Ty’s voice. “Had no idea it was this bad.”

Silence fell at that, and sadness welled through Zoe, overcoming her strange protectiveness of the house. If only Constance had found them sooner, she thought, then nearly laughed because that wouldn’t have changed much. They couldn’t have helped her financially.

But they could have gotten to know Constance, and at the knowledge they’d just missed that opportunity, her throat tightened. For years she’d yearned for more information about her past. Since she’d been so young when she’d arrived at the foster home, she remembered next to nothing. Yes, there was every possibility Constance hadn’t been her grandmother, that she’d been Maddie’s or Delia’s, but it didn’t change Zoe’s need.

All her life she’d been an outsider, without a background, always a burden, always dependent on the kindness of others. It had left scars.

She needed to know more about herself, needed to really belong somewhere. To someone.

She needed, with every fiber of her being, for this place to be hers. And she hated herself for the selfishness, because her sisters deserved it every bit as much as she did.

“She couldn’t swing all the work by herself and she couldn’t afford help.” Ty’s face was tight, and surprisingly full of compassion. “I did what I could, but I have a ranch, too, and between my land and hers, there aren’t enough hours in the day. Constance wouldn’t consider my offer... not until she’d located her granddaughter. And that, unfortunately, came too little, too late for her to enjoy.”

“Offer?” Zoe narrowed her eyes as his words sunk in. “Wait a minute. Are you telling us...you wanted this place?”

His eyes, dark and full of a whole host of things she was sure she didn’t want to know, met hers straight on. “Yes.”

“No wonder you’re being so neighborly,” she said without thinking, a bad habit she had yet to learn to curb.

“What are you talking about?” Delia asked, coming closer.

Zoe’s gaze didn’t leave Ty’s as everything fit into place. “He wants to buy the ranch.”

Ty looked at her, his eyes cool and assessing.

“Don’t you?” she pressed.

“Yes,” he said, without a hint of apology.

“But...” Maddie looked at the mess in confusion. “why?”

“Good question,” Zoe said quietly, even as her possessive, protective feelings for the land continued to swamp her. This place was theirs now. “Why?”

Chapter 2

Ty hesitated, absorbing three women’s gazes. He had to be careful, because not all those gazes were friendly.

Dammit, he did want this land. Badly. And he’d almost had it. “It’s a little early—or late—to be discussing business, don’t you think?” he asked.

Zoe’s eyes, fascinating as all hell in their shade of mystic forest green, sharpened. “No,” she said. “But I do think we can handle everything from here.” She opened the door, inviting him to leave.

He spared a thought for the condition of the bedrooms upstairs. “But—”

“No buts.” Her voice had chilled twenty degrees, if that was possible. She was the tough one, and he doubted anyone ever got anything past her. “Good night,” she said.

Dismissed! The woman had a major attitude problem. Too bad he enjoyed baiting such a problem. Ignoring her, he crossed the room, reaching up to fiddle with the flickering light above them.

Immediately, it came back to life full force, illuminating the shabbiness of the room.

Delia shot a sharp look to Zoe, but spoke in a voice full of sweet honey. “We appreciate your help, Ty. Please...just ignore Zoe. She’s—”

“Grumpy?” he interjected, giving in and letting his grin spread across his face. “I hadn’t noticed. Can I help you with your things from the car?”

She smiled. “Oh, yes, please.”

Zoe shook her head. “Didn’t you hear him, Delia?” she demanded, hands on hips as she glared at her sister. “He wants to buy this place.”

“Well, since we’re not selling, this shouldn’t be a problem for you, hon.” Back in control after her initial shock, Delia took over, and Ty watched, enthralled at the silent hierarchy of these foster sisters. Clearly Delia thought herself in charge at all times. Just as clearly, Zoe believed she ran the roost. And sweet, quiet, shy Maddie just let them both go, acting as intermediary when required. With just a light touch or small smile, she could melt anyone.

He remembered the sight of them huddled pathetically in a small corner of the dirty, dark patio. Remembered the way his heart had stuttered at the realization it had been him who had inadvertently terrified them.

He’d be the first to admit he wanted them gone, but not by his own hand. And he certainly hadn’t meant to scare them.

They’d been holding on to each other like...they belonged together, that was obvious. The tall, serene, sexy, in-control Delia. The smaller, hauntingly beautiful Maddie. And the rough-and-tough Zoe. She was every bit a looker as the other two, but he doubted she’d appreciate the compliment. She was different, far more unrefined. Her auburn hair was wild, not carefully groomed. She wore little to no makeup, and her clothes...well, she looked as if she’d fit into the hard ranch living just fine. Her jeans were faded and oh-so-snug in all the right places, showcasing a slim yet curvy body that for some reason he couldn’t keep his eyes off of.

Three women; so different and yet obviously they lived together, loved and laughed together. They were a unit.

A small place inside him ached, a place he didn’t visit often, because it only brought great pain. Once upon a time he’d belonged, too. But that had been ten years ago, before his brother Ben had died.

That part of his life was over.

No amount of standing around and staring at these women was going to change that. Nor was it going to change the unrelenting truth—he did want their land with a singular purpose. A purpose so personal and painful he had no intention of sharing it. He’d been only twenty-two when he’d promised Ben a huge ranch someday, and even though Ben was no longer on this earth to enjoy it, Ty never broke a promise. Never.

These three women had ruined Ben’s dream sure as they were standing there staring back at him. Constance had cared for Ty deeply, deeply enough to want to leave her land to him if her granddaughter hadn’t been found.

But Constance had indeed found an heir. Three of them.

No doubt, they were three of the loveliest heiresses he’d ever laid his eyes on, but “lovely” didn’t count for much when he remembered what Cade had told him—this place was all these women had in the entire world, which made Ty’s gut tighten just thinking about it.

He was busting out of his britches at his own place. He raised and trained quarter horses for ranches throughout the entire state, but his place was small and insufficient for his needs. He’d bought it long ago when money had been incredibly tight, just after Ben’s death. It was a beautiful strip of land on the narrow end of the small valley between the river and the mountains. It was lush, green, fertile, and though Ty loved it with all his heart, it was far too small. There was only one way to expand—toward Constance’s property.

Ty had a ten-year promise to fulfill; a painful, unrelenting promise, and to do it he needed more room. He wanted, indeed what he’d wanted since he’d been a little boy starving and struggling on the rough streets of Chicago with Ben, to raise horses. Train them. Sell them. Then do it some more.

He was amazingly successful, but he’d maxed out at his own place, and Ben’s dream was just out of reach.

More land was crucial. Crucial to his promise to Ben, crucial to making sure he couldn’t ever feel claustrophobic again.

Yet how was he supposed to wrangle his dream land away from these women who also needed it? It was all they had, and was he really cruel and selfish enough to get it away from them?

He stood there, wrestling with his deeply woven morals and innate courtesy, as they both reared up and bit him. Across the room, his gaze met Zoe’s, and that strange electric current shot through him, the same one that he’d experienced when he’d accidentally touched her at the door. Looking at her only intensified the feeling.

Seemed he’d also been bitten by the lust bug, sharp and relentlessly. But why for the wildcat Zoe and not one of her infinitely more appealing and nicer sisters?

Delia swept across the room as if she’d lived there all her life instead of ten minutes. “Zoe, why don’t you do me a favor and check out the bedrooms? Figure out the arrangements, will you?” She turned to Maddie. “Sweetie, maybe we should make sure the kitchen is functioning.”

Maddie nodded.

When she was gone, Delia smiled at Ty. “The kitchen, any kitchen, is her favorite place in the world.”

“Do you think he cares, Delia?”

Delia lifted a shoulder and sent Zoe a long look. “Hon, you’re going to get some sleep and then feel bad about how you’re acting.”

“And then you’ll owe me an apology,” Ty added helpfully.

“Don’t hold your breath,” Zoe muttered, making him laugh, which earned him a glare.

“I’ll direct the luggage shuffle with Ty,” Delia said, wisely intervening. “Most of our things are coming by professional movers in a couple of days.”

Ty turned to follow her outside. At the door he stopped and flicked a glance over his shoulder at Zoe.

She was still standing there watching him, and if looks were any measure, she hadn’t taken to him much.

It wasn’t often he managed to tick off such a beautiful woman so quickly. His mischievous streak reared and he winked at her.

Her glower deepened, and he laughed for some reason. Things looked bad, they had his land. But Ty just shook his head and went out into the night, looking forward to challenging Zoe.

* * *

“Move out of the way, Slim, it’s pouring buckets.”

Zoe stood firm in the doorway of the ranch house as though butterflies hadn’t instantly ravaged her stomach at the sound of Ty’s unexpected low, husky voice. “Why should I?”

Ty groaned and lifted his drenched head, shoving back his dark hair. His eyes, the color of the storm wreaking havoc behind him, pierced her. “Because if you don’t,” he said with silky promise, “I’m going to drag you out here so you can see for yourself how icy it is.”

Though she didn’t know the man well, she already knew better than to challenge one of his dares, for it appeared he never spoke idly. He would do as he threatened without qualm. “Fine.”

With resentment, and a good amount of something she didn’t want to analyze, something that made her insides tingle and her head light, she moved back to let him in.

His big body brushed hers purposely, a body she knew from sneaking glances to be hard and toned and powerfully built And wet. He dripped on her clean sweater, the one she’d just changed into after scrubbing the inside of the house all day.

Actually, she’d been scrubbing for three days, and was exhausted, though in truth, most of that exhaustion came from worry. What would they do? For in the light of day, Triple M, deserted and financially stuck, was no more a ranch than their apartment had been. She’d been reading ranching books until late at night, but all the knowledge in the world wouldn’t help without money.

“Wipe your feet,” she said, even as he did it on his own. “And dry off, would ya?”

“Nice to see you, too.” As he slipped out of his soaked jacket, his hard mouth softened and he shot her a grin she knew most would consider irresistible.

Zoe didn’t consider anything about Ty Jackson irresistible. She would have said...cocky. Trouble-causing. Wild.

Which didn’t explain why his crooked smile wormed its way directly to the part of her that was barely controlling her temper, and shattered it. That she was so mad at him had nothing at all to do with how she’d caught him flirting outrageously with one of his ranch hands, who just happened to be a woman. A tall, leggy blond woman named Shirley who looked like a Barbie doll.

“So...did you miss me?” He straightened and sniffed hopefully. “Wait. Is that...God, is that pizza?”

“Yes, and don’t even think about it.” Slamming the door to shut out the late spring storm, she crossed her arms firmly and once again blocked his way. “We returned the rental car today and brought back supplies. Maddie’s whipped up homemade pizza. Her idea of roughing it,”

“You should have told me you needed to go into town. I would have taken you on my jet boat down the river. It takes less than half the time.”

She gritted her teeth and pretended she had loved that long, bumpy, hot ride because otherwise she might have been tempted to slug him. Triple M had a dock, too, which was an easy walk from the house down a beautiful green hill...but, not surprising, it didn’t have a jet boat. “Goodbye, Ty.”

His gaze took a leisurely trip down her petite frame, and though those sharp gray eyes heated in a way that made her breath catch in her throat, his smile remained cool and m control. “You think you can stop me from coming in? No one gets between me and pizza.”

“Watch it, pal. I know how to block.”

Darn his all-too-gorgeous hide, he looked amused. “Why don’t you play the nice little hostess for once and pretend you’re happy to see me?”

Pretend. She didn’t have to pretend, if the way her heart raced was any indication. But since that just irked her all the more, she ground her teeth. “You’re not staying.”

He crossed his wet arms over his chest, the look on his face reminding her he enjoyed a challenge. “Bet I can convince Maddie and Delia different,” he said.

No use arguing the truth. The man standing in front of her could convince a nun he was innocent, something he’d certainly never been. After a mere three days, he’d have to do nothing more than hug each of her sisters, and then he’d be sitting on the floor, joking and laughing with them as he polished off an entire pizza by himself.

No denying how much Delia and Maddie had both taken to him. Actually they’d done more than be taken. In the past nights that he’d come by, ostensibly to check on them, they’d practically adopted him.

No doubt, Ty Jackson was one of a kind. He marched to his own beat, and never did less than exactly as he wanted. And though it made no sense, Zoe resented his sexy hide for all she was worth. Resented the genuine, affectionate way he had of treating her sisters, resented how his smile could turn her inside out, resented everything.

Especially how he wanted their land. Delia and Maddie might have been able to forget that little detail, but she hadn’t.

For the first tune in her life, she had a home; shabby, yes, but it was a home. And she’d guard it with everything she had.

Ty hung up his jacket, clearly certain he’d be staying. The sleek muscles of his back stretched under his shirt, and for the first time, Zoe realized he must have come straight from work. His boots were dusty. His long, powerful legs were covered in frayed, worn jeans that had seen better days but fit him like a worn, soft glove. While she watched, he shoved up the sleeves of his shirt, revealing deeply tanned forearms, strong, firm, callused hands.