A Rancher to Trust Read online

  “Hi.” The kids were cute as they could be. What must it be like, Dan wondered, to have a wife you loved and a home like this? Nice, he reckoned. “You’ve got yourself a fine family, Abel.”

  “And this isn’t all of it.” Abel grinned up at his wife. “There’s two more of us. Paul and Phoebe are visiting their nana Lois for the afternoon. I sure hate they’re missing this, but I suppose you’ll meet them soon enough.”

  “Four kids.” Not only was Dan an uncle, he was an uncle four times over. It was a lot to take in, and he felt a twinge of envy. If things had been different, if he and Bailey had stayed together, maybe they’d have kids by now, too. “That’s really something.”

  “Well, Phoebe and Paul came along with Emily when I married her, so I got a triple blessing there. You have any kids, Danny?”

  “No. I’m not—” Married. That’s what he’d started to say, but that wasn’t true. “I’m not as blessed as you are,” he finished awkwardly.

  “Well now, don’t give up hope. Sometimes God works things out slow, but He always gets the job done in His good time. The fact that you’re sitting here at my table today is proof enough of that. I sure have a lot to thank Him for. You mind if I go ahead and get started on that now? We generally say grace before we eat, but if it bothers you—”

  “Nope.” As off balance as he felt right now, Dan’s answer came fast and sure. “The Lord’s seen me through some hard times, Abel. I wouldn’t be sitting here in front of you it hadn’t been for Him and the good people He set in my path. So you go right ahead.”

  Joy sparkled in Abel’s eyes. “That’s real good to hear, Danny. Come on, kids, let’s pray.”

  Dan closed his eyes and listened to his brother’s deep voice. “Lord, I thank You for bringing my brother home to me. And please forgive me for all those times I got kinda short with You about how long it was taking. I should’ve known You were up to something bigger than I could think to ask You for. You’ve not only brought Danny back, You’ve brought him back knowing You. That’s a double gift, and now I’m grateful You took Your time. I surely am.”

  Dan felt a little hand come to rest on top of his. Startled, he opened his eyes. Luke had edged closer, and he was gripping Dan’s thumb in one chubby fist. The toddler had his eyes squeezed tightly shut, his face puckered in concentration.

  Dan quickly followed suit, doing his best to refocus his attention on his brother’s brief prayer.

  “Amen,” Abel finished, and Luke’s eyes popped open.

  “Amen,” the little boy echoed cheerfully. He loosened his grasp on Dan’s finger and then reached out to cautiously touch the Stetson Dan had placed on the table.

  Dan grinned as he studied his nephew. Cowboy hats drew little boys as sure as flowers drew honeybees.

  What would it be like to have a son like this little fellow? Somebody to teach and love and look after? He’d probably never know, and most likely that was a good thing. Abel was prime father material, no doubt about it. Dan not so much.

  Still. It might have been kind of nice.

  “Let’s not get Uncle Danny’s hat all sticky, Lukey,” his mother said. Emily flashed an apologetic smile at Dan. “He had that thumb in some jam just a second ago.”

  “That’s all right.” Dan picked the hat up and settled it on his nephew’s head. It swallowed the little boy, making his parents chuckle. Luke poked the brim up with one hand and grinned from under it with such cheeky joy that Dan’s heart gave another strangely painful twist.

  “Now then,” Abel said, reaching for the mason jar of homemade strawberry jam his wife had placed on the table. He scooted it in Dan’s direction. “Spread some of this on that bread there and let’s get ourselves all caught up.”

  An hour later, there were only crumbs on the plates, and Emily had refilled Dan’s coffee cup for the third time. Abel leaned back in his chair and shook his head.

  “So my baby brother’s a rancher now. The Bar M. I sure would like to see that place. I’m such a homebody, I’ve never been farther west than Alabama myself.”

  “I’d love to have you come out west for a visit, Abel, but the truth is, I may not be at the Bar M much longer.”

  “Why not? You don’t get along with this new Colt fellow?”

  Dan shook his head. “It’s not that. Colt McAllister’s a good man, and we’ve been friends for years. But he doesn’t need the same kind of foreman his grandpa did. Mr. Gordon was in his seventies when I hired on, and he’d had two heart attacks. It’s different with Colt. Colt’s young and healthy, and he likes to handle things himself instead of relying on an employee. Nothing wrong with that. I’d be that way myself, probably.”

  Abel nodded. “But it’s tough to step back when you’ve been the one running the show. Is that it?”

  “Something like that, I reckon. Colt will put in a good word for me, and folks trust the McAllisters. I shouldn’t have much trouble hiring on someplace else, once I put out the word that I’m looking.” Dan darted an uneasy look at his brother’s face. “It’s not pride, Abel. I’ve always known my place. It’s just—”

  “You don’t have to explain,” Abel interrupted him. “I can see for myself how it is. You’ve grown too big for the space this Colt fellow can give you. That’s all. You need to find yourself a place where you can flex your muscles a little. A place of your own, maybe.” His brother’s eyes lit up. “I’d sure be happy if you settled down somewhere close to Pine Valley.”

  “Not likely. I never fit here the way you do, Abel. You know that.”

  “Seems to me you’ve changed a good bit since you’ve been away, Danny. Could be you’d fit in here better than you think. But I reckon that’s something you’ll need to find out for yourself. Either way, you won’t be leaving right away, I hope. You can stay on a few days, at least, can’t you?”

  Dan hesitated, but then he nodded. “Yeah, I guess I could.” He owed Abel that much, and maybe by then the divorce papers would be ready to sign. Then he could put Pine Valley in his rearview mirror with a clear conscience.

  “Good! You can bunk up at the old cabin. I use the workshop behind it for my wood-carving business, but other than that the place has been standing empty since Emily and I got married.”

  The cabin? Dan shook his head quickly. “I don’t want to put you to any bother.”

  “It’s no bother, and that cabin’s as much yours as it is mine, Danny.”

  Maybe so, but Dan would just as soon never lay eyes on that place again. The memories associated with the cabin where he’d grown up weren’t good ones. But that’s what this whole visit was about, wasn’t it? Facing up to the past he’d been running away from.

  All of it. Whether he liked it or not.

  “All right, if you’re sure I won’t be troubling you any. Thanks.” Dan shot a wary glance at the staircase. Emily had disappeared up that way a few minutes ago with the twins in tow, saying she was going to settle them down for a nap. It was quiet up there now, so Emily might be coming back down soon.

  If Dan was going to ask the question burning a hole in his gut, now would probably be the best time. “Hey, Abel? How’s Bailey Quinn doing these days?”

  “Bailey? She’s doing all right. She’ll be happy to hear you’re back in town. After you left, she nearly pestered the life out of me, wanting to know if I’d heard anything from you. She seemed to miss you something fierce. The two of you were pretty sweet on each other back in high school, weren’t you?”

  They were edging into the danger zone. “Yeah.” There was no use for it. He had to know. “So who’s Bailey sweet on these days?”

  “Nobody.” Abel’s answer came instantly. “Hang on. I’ll get a key to the cabin for you.” Abel stood and went to rummage in a drawer.

  “You sure about that? About Bailey, I mean?”

  “Dead sure.” Abel shot him a thoughtful glance. “Now t
hat I come to think of it, she’s never shown interest in any fellow since you two were hanging around together. Not once in all these years, at least as far as I can remember. You aren’t looking to stir up the embers of that old campfire, are you?”

  “No.” Dan toyed with handle of his coffee cup. “Way too much water under the bridge for that. Just curious, is all.” He spoke evenly, but it took some effort. “A smart, pretty woman like Bailey Quinn...seems strange that she hasn’t settled on somebody.”

  “Not so strange. Bailey’s got an independent streak a mile wide, and she keeps herself too busy for dating. She’s never happy unless she’s got herself neck-deep in some project. The more hopeless it is, the better she likes it. Come to think of it,” Abel added with a wink, “that could explain why she took you on.”

  Probably more truth in that little joke than Abel realized. “What’s she got going on nowadays?”

  “For the past few years she’s been all about that grocery store of hers. She’s finally got it up and running, but now she’s bought herself the Perrys’ old farm to fix up. That place is in such bad shape, it’s going to take a passel of time and hard work, so it’s right up Bailey’s alley.” Abel shrugged and resumed shuffling items around in the drawer.

  “What would a single woman want with a broken-down farm?”

  “Well, Bailey’s real softhearted about little ones, and she never got around to having a family of her own. Emily tells me that once Bailey gets the house fixed up, she’s looking into being a foster mom. She’s aiming to take in some kids who’ve had a hard time and give them a good home.”

  “Is that a fact?” Dan’s heart stirred. That sounded like Bailey.

  “Yes. It’s going to take some doing. She told Emily they just about count the fillings in your teeth before they’ll let you into the program. They check out your background and do a safety inspection, all that stuff. That farmhouse is going to need a lot of overhauling before it’ll pass muster. I plan on helping her as much as I can, but between the twins, the farm and my carving business, I don’t have much free time these days. Here it is!” Abel withdrew a key from the drawer and tossed it to Dan. “This’ll open the front and back doors, and it’s yours to keep. The cabin will be waiting for you to use whenever you feel like it.”

  “That’s good of you, Abel.” Dan weighed the key in his hand as he mulled over what Abel had told him.

  So that’s why Bailey had finally decided to deal with their situation. She needed a clear ending to their marriage so she could be approved to take in some foster kids.

  Plenty of years had come and gone since Bailey had first caught his eye, but one thing hadn’t changed. This woman he’d hurt so badly was still one of the nicest people he’d ever met.

  Over the years, his regrets about Bailey had dogged him, aching off and on like the knee he’d busted during an ill-advised bull-riding experiment. He’d like to be shed of that pain and guilt. As he’d driven here, he’d found himself hoping Bailey needed a favor, something really big. Something he could do for her so he could leave Pine Valley feeling as if he’d made up for at least some of the pain he’d caused her.

  Something a lot more than just a signature on divorce papers.

  And from what Abel had just told him, Bailey did need help—a lot of it. She had no intention of asking Dan for it, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t make the offer.

  “Dan?”

  Belatedly he realized Abel had been talking to him. “Sorry. I zoned out there for a minute. What?”

  “I was just saying, you should run by and see Bailey while you’re in town. Tomorrow, maybe. She’s always at that store of hers by eight thirty. You could surprise her.”

  “I might do that.”

  Abel chuckled. “That’ll be something, won’t it? You walking right in after all these years? Bailey’s a hard girl to fluster, but that ought to do it. I can just see her face!”

  Dan managed a tight smile. He could, too.

  In fact, for the last few hours he hadn’t been able to see much of anything else.

  * * *

  At eight o’clock the next morning, Bailey was in her store on her hands and knees chasing a rolling tangerine.

  “Gotcha!” she muttered as her fingers closed around the runaway fruit. Then, “Ow!”

  She’d absentmindedly lifted her head too soon, butting hard against the underside of the wooden table. She carefully backed the rest of the way out, before sitting up to massage her throbbing head.

  This was getting ridiculous. Seeing Dan yesterday had really rattled her. So far this morning she’d broken a jar of spaghetti sauce, spilled her coffee on a stack of mail and dropped three pieces of fruit. She hadn’t even opened the store yet, and she already wanted to go home.

  “You okay?” a male voice called from her storeroom.

  Oh, brother. “I’m fine!” Bailey answered quickly.

  Lyle York, hands down her least favorite delivery man, poked his greasy head through the storeroom doorway.

  “You sure? I could come help you if you want.”

  “No, thanks.” Bailey spoke firmly as she got to her feet. “Everything’s under control.”

  “Why don’t you come help me unload this fruit then? It’d go a lot faster if we worked together.” He winked suggestively. “It’d be a lot more fun, too.”

  Ick. Bailey suppressed a shudder. “Sorry. You’ll have to handle it by yourself. I’m busy.”

  Lyle’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t look so busy to me, but fine. Be that way.”

  As the deliveryman sulked back into the storeroom, Bailey placed the rescued tangerine with the others in the tempting basket she’d angled on her front table. Just as she reached into the cardboard box for another one, a loud crash came from her storage room.

  “Whoops,” Lyle called, his voice heavy with sarcasm. “Sorry. That crate slipped right out of my hands.”

  Bailey ground her teeth and stayed silent. Lyle was a pain in the neck, and his efforts to flirt with her were getting more and more annoying. If he wasn’t the grandson of the most reliable citrus supplier she’d ever found, she wouldn’t have put up with him this long. The man just kept getting pushier, and soon she was going to have to set him back on his heels, no matter how that impacted her fruit deliveries.

  But she wasn’t feeling up to having that confrontation today. When Dan Whitlock had shown up yesterday afternoon, he’d thrown her so far off balance that she still felt unsteady.

  After Dan had left, she’d tried to keep working on the fence, but after a frustrating hour, she’d abandoned the project. She couldn’t focus. She couldn’t do anything but think about Dan, replaying every snippet of their short conversation over and over again.

  It was infuriating. This wasn’t who she was, not anymore. The Bailey Quinn who’d been irresistibly drawn to creamy chocolate, greasy French fries and equally bad-for-you guys was long gone. The new and improved Bailey made smart decisions. She ate more kale, exercised faithfully three times a week and preferred do-it-yourself projects to guys with broody eyes, stubborn jaws...and cowboy hats.

  It was just that Dan’s visit had come at the worst possible time. She’d been feeling restless for a while now. For years she’d poured herself into Bailey’s, and now the store was finally flourishing. She was proud of what she’d accomplished, but she needed a new challenge to tackle.

  That shouldn’t be a problem. According to Jillian, there were plenty of kids needing foster homes—kids who’d suck up every ounce of restless energy Bailey had. All Bailey had to do was get her mistake of a marriage taken care of and find some way to afford the necessary repairs around the farmhouse. Granted, that last part had her stymied, but she’d figure something out. She always did.

  But she couldn’t afford to get distracted.

  Bailey pushed Dan to the back of her mind and returned her focus to
the job at hand. Freshly in from Florida, these tangerines would add a nice splash of color to the front of her store. More importantly, they were organically grown and chock-full of vitamin C. In midwinter, these little gems were worth their weight in gold, but maybe she’d run a nice sale on them as a treat for her customers.

  If so, she might need to make a bigger display, because they’d be likely to sell out quickly. She had several matching baskets in the storeroom, but she had no intention of venturing back there until after Lyle left. Maybe there was a stray basket stowed behind the checkout counter.

  While she was rummaging, there was a knock on the door. Annoyed, Bailey glanced up at the old library clock ticking on the back wall. It wasn’t time to open yet, but she’d go ahead and unlock the door. Folks frequently needed to zip in and grab a few things on their way to work, and she had to keep her customers happy.

  Bailey took a deep breath and forced a smile—which lasted until the moment she saw who was waiting outside on the sidewalk.

  What was Dan doing here? Her pulse sped up, and Bailey bit down sharply on the tender inside of her lower lip.

  This couldn’t be good.

  She rounded the wooden counter, crossed briskly to the door and unlatched it. It took a minute—the lock was always tricky. Although she deliberately kept her eyes focused on the fussy mechanism, she was very aware of Dan standing just on the other side of the glass. In spite of her better judgment, she looked up and met his eyes as she slid the bolt free.

  He was looking right at her, so close that his breath misted the glass between them. For a second, their eyes locked, and her heart gave a painful thump. She looked away and jerked the door open, too flustered to bother with courtesy.

  “What are you doing here, Dan?”

  He lifted an eyebrow at her tone. “Good morning to you, too.”

  “Sorry. It’s just... I’m really busy right now.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I heard you’re doing really good with this place.” As Dan’s eyes left hers to skim the store, Bailey felt a little of her confidence return in spite of her skittering nerves.