The Rancher's Promise

“What are you doing here?” He heard the venom in his words and winced. He hadn’t meant to sound harsh. His thoughts had somehow influenced his voice, the same unexplainable way he had found himself mysteriously on the edge of the lawn without realizing he’d moved a single inch off the porch.

“I’m falling off my horse, apparently.” She dusted herself off. “Copper still doesn’t like loud sudden sounds.”

“If you’re out of practice riding, then you are out of practice falling.” There were a couple of dried blades of grasses stuck in her hair and a streak of dirt on the hem of her shorts. “Hurting anywhere?”

“I’m tougher than I look.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her soulful eyes. He didn’t know what her life had been like in Dallas, but the bright sparkle that used to light her up was gone.

“Howdy again, Rori.” Frank’s voice behind him was deep with amusement. “If your grandfather wasn’t able to replace that shoe for you, I can take Copper to the barn and get it done.”

“Really? I don’t want to put you to any trouble.”

“Me? No trouble for me. I didn’t say I would do it.”

Yep, leave it to Dad. Not that he wouldn’t have made the same offer, but his old man didn’t have to sound so pleased about it. “I’ll take the horse. Go back inside and finish your lunch, Dad.”

But did Frank listen? No. “You and Rori go on inside and get settled. I’ll be back to start the interview in a few.”

“Interview?” His brain screeched to a stop. He meant to set out after his father to take the horse and get Copper shoed, but his boots mysteriously stuck to the lawn. Rooted in place, he tried to shake the fog out of his head. He couldn’t have heard that right. “Interview?”

“For the housekeeping position.” Frank tossed over his shoulder as he took the reins from Rori. “Don’t let his bark trouble you none. Justin’s gotten cranky over the years. We manage to put up with him because he’s family.”

“I’m sure that’s the only reason.” Her laugh was like a trill of a creek, bubbling, quiet and inviting, leaving him thirsting to hear more. Unaware of her effect on him, she shoved a stray strand of hair beneath her baseball cap. “Thanks, Mr. Granger.”

“If you’re gonna be working for me, you’ve got to call me Frank.” He clucked to the gelding, who followed him confidently, and the two set off down the gravel and dirt road to the horse barn.

“Thanks, Frank,” Rori called out with a smile, earning a wave as man and horse turned the corner and disappeared from sight. She faced him, looking a little pale. “I guess you didn’t know I wanted the job?”

“Would I be standing here with my jaw dropped if I did?” He jammed his hands in his jeans pockets, mostly wanting something to do with them. Throttling his dad didn’t seem like a good idea, and it certainly wouldn’t solve his problems with Rori. “Why didn’t you say something in town?”

“I thought you knew.”

“If you’re looking for work, then that means you’re staying around and this is not a quick trip home for Terri’s wedding.” Anger unrooted his feet and he marched toward the house. “You lied.”

“No, I am going to Terri’s wedding. I assumed your dad told you that I was here for an extended stay.”

“Dad didn’t tell me anything.” Nothing unusual about that. He could guess at what his father was up to.

The wind gusted as if it were in cahoots with his dad because it brought the faint whiff of Rori’s rose-scented perfume. He strode the same path they used to walk hand-in-hand. He marched up the back porch and ignored the swing where they’d spent many a summer afternoon sipping homemade lemonade and doing their homework.

Judging by Rori’s silence, she might be remembering, too.

“Maybe I should ask. Do you want me to apply for the job? I understand if you don’t.” She swept past the screen door he held for her and waltzed into the mudroom like she’d done hundreds of times a dozen years ago. “The thing is that I need a job, and there aren’t many positions available in town. Nothing else, as a matter of fact. That’s the only reason I answered your dad’s ad.”

“Sure, I get it.” He let the door slam shut and followed her into the kitchen, boots and all. “I suppose that fancy lawyer you married will be following you soon. Will he be putting up a shingle in town?”

“No. Brad won’t be coming. I’m on my own.” Raw emotion cut across her face and while she set her chin, straightened her shoulders and visibly wrestled it down, her sorrow remained. Sadness that was banked but unmistakably bleak in her violet-blue eyes.

Sympathy eked into him, and he did his best to stop it. No need to feel sorry for the girl who’d gotten everything she wanted. He yanked the refrigerator door open. “Sorry it didn’t work out.”

“Me, too.”

He set his heart against her. He was no longer swayed by her emotions. He felt sorry for her. A failed marriage was nothing to celebrate. But that was as far as he was willing to go. He plunked the pitcher onto the table and went to fetch a glass out of the cupboards. He ought to say something more to fill the silence, but anything he could think to say would make him seem interested in her life.

Hardly. She’d made her decision, and now he made his. She might be thinking she’d settle for her second choice. After all, he was still available, right? Oh, he knew how women thought. They were largely a mystery, but he’d learned a thing or two over the years. The bottom line with them was wanting security, marriage and a man to pay the bills. The bigger the man’s wallet, the better.

He slammed the glasses onto the table with enough force that the clunk reported through the kitchen like a gunshot. He glanced down, surprised that he hadn’t broken them. That was when he realized half of the table was free of foam containers, plastic bags and the plates from lunch. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Clearing a place so we can talk about the job.” Rori calmly set the armful she’d gathered onto the nearest counter, studied him with her steady gaze and backed toward the door. “But now that I see what you really think, I’m going to go. I thought we were adults and what we had was water under the bridge, but I was wrong. I’m sorry, Justin. I really am.”

Uh-oh. His scars were showing, wounds he’d vowed to keep hidden and buried. He hung his head. “Didn’t mean to growl at you.”

“It’s okay. I know you well. Your bark is worse than your bite.”

“I never bite.”

“I’m glad that hasn’t changed.” She gripped the screen door handle.

“You don’t need to go.”

“Are you trying to tell me that you wouldn’t mind me working here?” She’d been the one to leave. She’d broken his heart. That she was here at all showed how desperate she was. She didn’t need to read minds to know what he was debating. She opened the door, fighting to hide her disappointment. “I don’t blame you. I understand.”

“No, wait. Give a fellow the chance to think.” He paced after her, squinting at the sunlight when he joined her on the porch. “I haven’t had time to prepare myself for seeing you again. I need to think this through. You, the interview, it was all sprung on me.”

“I suppose that was your dad’s plan.” She could see that now. Frank had been downright cheerful on the phone when she’d first called. He’d been welcoming earlier that morning in town. And now he’d set them up in the kitchen together. He wanted to give them time alone. Frank had meant well, but this wasn’t what she wanted or Justin, either, judging by the frown carved into his granite features. There was nothing else to do but to leave. She eased down the steps and into the burn of the sun. “Your dad is destined to be disappointed.”

“I think I heard the front door shut.” Justin cocked his head, listening. “Suppose he’s sneaking in through the living room listening in to see if his plan is working?”

“I can’t believe he would do this. Your dad is not a romantic.”

“He always liked you, Rori. He said you were good for me.”

“You were good for me. You were a great boyfriend. I’ll always be grateful for that. We grew up together.”

“Up and away.” He hadn’t forgotten. His face was set, his emotions stone. But had he forgiven?

She didn’t think that was likely. She didn’t blame him. She’d been overwhelmed when he, the quarterback of the football team, had asked her, a freshman, to go to Clem’s after school for shakes. For as long as she had been able to remember, she’d had a crush on Justin Granger. Three years older, he’d been every girl’s wish—smart, kind, strong, funny, popular and drop-dead gorgeous. There had only been one thing she’d wanted more in life than being Justin Granger’s girl—a college education and the chance to study music.

“So, are you back to stay? Or is this a temporary thing?” Justin’s deep voice hid any shades of emotion. Was he fishing for information or was he finally about to say, “I told you so?”

“I will probably go back to teaching in Dallas when fall quarter starts, but things could change. I’ll just have to wait and see.” The things in life she used to think were so important no longer mattered. Standing on her own two feet, building a life for herself, healing her wounds—that meant everything now.

God had given her no other option but to return to her grandparents’ tiny house for the summer. She had to think He had a purpose in bringing her here. One of her favorite verses was from Jeremiah. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

“And this man you married?” he asked. “Did he leave you, or did you leave him?”

“He threw me out.” She adjusted her baseball cap brim and waited for Justin’s reaction. Surely a man with that severe a frown on his face was about to take delight in the irony. She’d turned down Justin’s love, and her husband of five years had thrown away hers. If she were Justin, she would want her off his land.

“You were nothing but honest with me back then.” He leaned against the railing, the wind raking his dark hair, and a different emotion passed across his hard countenance. “I was the one who never listened. I loved you so much back then, I don’t think I could hear anything but what I wanted.”

“I loved you, too. I wish I could have been different for you.” Helpless, she took another step toward the driveway. She didn’t know how to thank him. He could be treating her a whole lot worse right now, and she would deserve it. “Goodbye, Justin.”

“I suppose you need a job?” he called out from the railing, casually concerned.

“I’ll figure out something.” Needed a job? No, she was frantic for one.

How did she tell him the truth? That she’d been given enough money for a bus ride home. That she’d never thought twice about letting her husband handle the money, or the fact that he’d cleaned out the bank accounts and cancelled her cards before he’d replaced her with his plastic-surgery-enhanced receptionist.

“I haven’t had a chance to get that shoe back on Copper,” he called out.

“Gramps can do it tonight.” Probably. If not, she could always call in the farrier. Costly, but it had to be done.

“Tell you what? You stay and round us up some decent supper, and I’ll take care of your horse.” Justin loped down the steps, his long-legged stride eating up the distance between them. “That will be the interview. If the food is edible, then as far as I’m concerned the job is yours. It’s really up to my dad.”

“Really?”

“I’ll hardly be around most of the summer anyway. You know how it is. Long hours on the range.”

“You’re agreeing because you’ve figured it out, haven’t you?”

“Discount-store clothes a size too large—probably your grandmother’s. Am I right?”

Rori ignored the sting of her pride. The plain yellow T-shirt was Gram’s, something the older woman had never worn much, and so were the flip-flops. “I didn’t have a whole lot of time to pack.”

“You don’t have a car, do you?” Justin stalked closer. “That’s why you rode Copper over here. No clothes, no vehicle and no money. That’s my guess.”

Shame scorched her face. She scrambled to hold on to her dignity. “I really don’t feel comfortable discussing this with you.”

“That fancy big-city fellow you married left you without a care.” Anger dug into the corners of his mouth, making his high cheekbones appear like merciless slashes beneath his sun-browned skin. “You didn’t deserve that.”

“That’s not what I expected from you.” She stared at the grass at her feet to avoid the pity in Justin’s eyes—pity for her. She couldn’t blame her circumstances on anyone but herself. No pity needed. What she had to do was to wise up. Reach inside and find the tough, country girl she’d once known.

“Why don’t we let the past stay where it belongs? Behind us.” Justin hiked backward toward the barn. “It’s gone. Done and over with. We’ll just go on from here.”

“Employer and employee, you mean?”

“That’s it.” He gave her a slow grin, the one that used to make her heartbeat flutter in adoration.

Maybe there was a tiny hint of a flutter—just old memories, nothing more as she watched him go. Looked as if she had a chance for this job after all. With any luck, there would be enough groceries in the pantry to whip up a supper the Grangers weren’t likely to forget.

She hurried back to the house, glad to find Justin’s dad holding a box of recipe cards left behind by his aunt Opal. It was nice to have some inside help.

“Is that Copper?” Autumn skidded to a stop in front of the corner stall. “Did Mr. Cornell bring him over?”

“Nope.” Justin circled around her in the barn’s main aisle, hefting his working horse’s saddle. “Rori rode him over.”

“Rori? You mean she’s in town?”

“No need to look so excited about it.” He’d done his best not to think about her all afternoon long. His work was tough and demanded all of his attention, but somehow she’d remained at the front of his mind. Patching up a calf, checking on his herd, hauling feed and playing vet, all the while bothered by the image of Rori Cornell in a hand-me-down shirt and sadness deepening her violet eyes.

He mentally hammered up a barricade around his heart. Sure, he might feel sorry for her. She’d obviously come on hard times. But that was all he intended to feel for her. Ever.

“She’s up at the main house.” He shouldered through the tack-room door and plopped the saddle onto a saw-horse. He would wipe down the leather this evening. Not that he was in a hurry, but he knew if he didn’t show up for supper, Dad would come out looking for him.

Frank had always thought the world of Rori. Probably because she had always been honest from the get-go. She’d always had bigger plans than settling down in small-town Wyoming. He figured she was always meant for something better.

“I can’t believe it! Rori came back for the wedding, didn’t she?” Autumn deposited her saddle, dancing in place. “I can’t believe no one told me. Then again, considering the men around here, maybe I can.”

“I can feel your gaze boring a hole in the back of my head.” He gave Copper a nose rub on his way outside. “I’m not the reason she didn’t call up and tell you she was back in town. Don’t blame this on me.”

“Who else?” Autumn padded after him. “Besides, that’s what big brothers are good for. Taking the blame.”

“Funny.” He rolled his eyes. “And before you say it, I’m over Rori. It doesn’t matter to me that she’s here.”

“There was a time when I would have called you a liar if you’d said that, but now I know it’s true.” Autumn caught up with him, the heels of her riding boots crunching in the grass. A sign of her determination. “You’ve become a cold, hard man, Justin. I’m worried about you.”

“Nothing new there.” He’d been like this a long time. It had taken him a while to learn the important lessons about women, but he’d finally done it. “No need to worry about me. Go on up to the house and catch up with your old friend.”

“My old friend?” Autumn sounded as if she was going to correct him but then decided better of it. “Aren’t you coming, too?”

“Got a mare I need to check on first.” He climbed through the board fence into a grassy paddock. A small band of expecting mares looked up from their grazing and wheeled in his direction. “I won’t be long.”

“Need any help?”

His sister stood there, the sun at her back, the only female he could count on. She did a man’s work without complaint day in and day out come blizzard cold or blistering heat and still he couldn’t trust her with the truth.

Help? He would need a ten-gallon bucket of it if Rori ended up working for the family. Yet how could he object? She wouldn’t have left behind the city life she’d chosen if she had any other option. He wanted to keep his distance, but that didn’t mean he wanted to see her hurting.

God had a way of keeping a man humble. Justin tipped his hat brim lower to keep the sun off his face, held his hands out to show the mares he’d come without treats and went on with his work.

Chapter Three

“Mighty fine grub, Rori.” Mr. Granger—Frank—dug his spoon into the big bowl of chili in front of him. “We haven’t eaten this good in months.”

Judging by the look of satisfaction on his face, he was telling the truth instead of tempering it with kindness. Relieved, she turned back to the sink. She wasn’t the most accomplished cook, since she and Brad had employed a maid who’d done most of the food preparation. “I’ve gotten rusty, but being home with Gram and Gramps has given me some practice.”

“If this is rusty, I can’t wait to eat what you fix when you’re back in practice. Autumn, where did Justin get off to?”

“He had to check on a mare.”

“He missed grace, and if he’s not careful he’s going to miss supper.” He didn’t look all that happy with his son. Probably it was disappointing work being a matchmaker.

“Do you want me to stick around, or should I take off?” She’d tidied the kitchen and put all the prep dishes into the dishwasher. “I can stay, but my grandparents—”

“Are expecting you.” Frank nodded. “Sure, go ahead. It’s Justin’s turn to do dishes, since he left the lunch mess.”

“Serves him right,” littlest sister Addison piped up from her side of the table. It was hard to get used to her being so grown up. When Rori left town, Addison had been eight. Now she had just finished her junior year of college. The girl with the ponytails and freckles was only a memory replaced by a tall beauty. Addison frowned, wrinkling her perfect complexion. “Justin looks down on kitchen work.”

“He does, and it’s our job to keep him in line,” Autumn added with a wink.

What Rori wanted to do was to get out of the house before Justin walked in. Not that she felt compelled to avoid him, but her dignity was bruised. He pitied her. No doubt, that wouldn’t change. She grabbed her ball cap from the hat hooks by the back door. “Thanks. Have a good evening, everyone.”

She slipped outside listening to the three Grangers at the table call out their goodbyes to her. The sunlight had tempered, the blazing heat kicked down a notch to hint at a beautiful early summer evening. She hopped down the steps and hurried across the lawn, the grass fragrant beneath her flip-flops.

The hills, the stretch of the high prairie and the rim of the breathtaking Tetons in the distance surrounded her. She trudged toward the barn, keeping a lookout for Justin. Best to avoid him if she could. That wouldn’t always be possible now that Frank had offered her the job, but it was likely. Justin had changed, and she hated to think she had played a hand in that.

What I would give to go back and do it over again, she thought, half prayer, half impossible wish. If she could turn back time, she never would have accepted his offer for their first fateful milkshake together. She would never have trusted or married Brad.

“Rori!”

She heard the wind carry her name. Through the lush green fields she saw Justin in the knee-high grasses, his hat shading his face and a gloved hand raised up to her. More than distance separated them. She waved back, hurrying to the barn, and freed Copper from a stall. The white-muzzled gelding nickered a warm welcome and pressed his face in her hands with unmistakable affection.

Warmth filled her—emotions she’d been battling since she’d come home. Copper’s steadfast friendship, the sweet-scented grass and the earthy hint of dust in the air, the endless blue skies, it all overwhelmed her. Life may have led her away but her roots remained deep in this land. The days of long ago felt so close she could almost hear them. The sound of the radio in Dad’s truck, running up the back steps to the whir of Mama’s mixer in the kitchen, the carefree head toss Copper used to greet her with when he was young, bounding up to the fence.

“I missed you, too, old buddy.” She leaned her forehead to his, her best friend. “C’mon. Let’s ride home.”

By the time she’d saddled and bridled him and mounted up, the yard was empty of all signs of Justin. He was probably inside finishing up the chili and corn-bread she’d made. Maybe he was seated at the table and facing the windows overlooking the backyard and the mountain view.

Was he watching her now? she wondered as she reined Copper toward the driveway. Or was he doing his best to avoid her? She sat straight in the saddle, glad when the curving road took her out of sight. It was sad how much had changed between them, when they had once been so close.

Of course, that was her fault, plain and simple. She drew her cap brim over her eyes and, squinting into the light, rode the low rays of the sun home.

“How is Wildflower?”

Autumn’s question came from as if far away. Justin shoveled a steaming spoonful of chili into his mouth, hardly feeling the burn on his tongue. He grabbed a nearby glass, gulped down some milk to put out the fire, and realized everyone in the kitchen was staring at him. Addison struggled to hide a grin.

“Seems he’s got something important on his mind, girls.” Frank, grabbing a cookie from the stash they’d bought from Clem’s, couldn’t look happier. “Looks like Autumn had better ask her question again.”

Justin cleared his throat. He was in no mood for ribbing, however well-intentioned. “Wildflower is fine. She’s close to her time.”

“Too bad Cheyenne isn’t back from school yet. I reckon she’d like to be there when her mare foals.” Frank grabbed his root beer off the table. “The Mariners are on. Anyone going to join me?”

“I will.” Addison bounded up from the table, still coltish and energetic, her strawberry-blond ponytail bobbing. “Are you comin’, Autumn?”

“No, I’m going to go sit with the mares and leave Justin with the dishes.” His oldest little sister seemed pretty pleased with herself, too. “Have fun, brother dearest. I know what you think of housework.”

“I don’t have a bad opinion about housework,” he argued. He had more outside work than he could get done in a day, the last thing he needed was more. “I just don’t want to do it.”

“Sure. We wouldn’t want you to demean yourself,” Addison joked.

“Not our brother.” Grinning at him, Autumn stole her Stetson off the wall hook. “I don’t know how you turned out to be so grumpy. You must have gotten a bad gene. It’s a shame, really.”

“A terrible shame,” Addison agreed from the counter, where she was helping herself to a cookie. “Is it my imagination, or is he grumpier tonight?”

“He’s definitely grumpier,” Autumn agreed. “Let’s hope his mood improves.”

“Or it’s going to be a long summer,” Addison predicted, backing out of the room to join their dad. The TV droned to life in the next room.

“It will be a longer summer if you two don’t knock it off.” He scowled over another spoonful of chili. “Or else.”

“Yeah, like we’re scared.” Autumn plopped her hat onto her head. “You’re all bark, Justin.”

“You never know. One day I might change.”

“I’m not worried.” She stole a cookie from the counter, too. “I’ve known you all my life. You’re one of the good guys.”