A Rancher to Trust Read online

  Bailey’s was as close to perfect as she could make it. The store’s trademark decor was an eclectic mix of old and new, and she’d chosen each feature with care. She’d replaced the broken antique lights with retro recreations, and she’d splurged on the best heating and air unit she could afford. But she’d restored the wide pine floorboards, even though replacing them would have been cheaper. She’d even paid extra to have them refinished in a way that had showcased their interesting scarring.

  She’d spent happy weekends combing estate sales and antique stores for the primitive cabinets lining the walls. The jams and sauces displayed on their shelves were made using her own unique recipes, and she’d designed the brick-red logo on their labels herself. Everything in this space bore her personal touch—literally. She’d spent a few weeks three summers ago with oddly colored fingers after chalk painting the farmhouse tables she used to showcase baskets of fresh fruit and vegetables.

  She missed those days. Fixing up a store was a lot more fun than running one.

  “It looks like something out of a magazine.” Dan had pulled his hat off his head and was running it around in his hands again. “Sorry, I don’t mean to keep you from your work. I just wanted you to know that after I left your place, I went by to see Abel.”

  “Did you?” In spite of her irritation, Bailey was curious. “How’d that go?”

  “Better than I deserved.” Dan’s surprisingly humble answer came back without hesitation. Like that cowboy hat he kept playing with, this humility was something new.

  Which meant Bailey wasn’t quite sure how to respond to it.

  “Your brother’s a good man.”

  “He is that. He invited me to stay in the old cabin for a few days. Spend some time getting to know his family and all. No—” Dan held up a hand when Bailey opened her mouth. “Don’t worry. Abel thinks I’ve come back just to see him, and I haven’t told him any different. I’m not planning to cause you any trouble. In fact, I think I’ve come up with a way I could be some help to you, if you’ll let me.”

  “Help?” Bailey wrinkled her forehead. “What kind of help are you talking about?”

  “That’s going to take a little explaining, and I expect you’ll have customers coming along shortly. Why don’t you drive out to the cabin this evening for a few minutes? That way we can talk things over, just you and me.”

  Just you and me. The thrill she felt at Dan’s words only made Bailey’s inner alarm system clang louder. Bad idea, spending time alone with this man, any way you sliced it.

  But oh, she wanted to. She wanted to go to that cabin so much it almost scared her. She wanted to sit down and listen to whatever Dan wanted to say. She wanted to look at him, to remind herself of past moments that she’d be far better off forgetting.

  This wasn’t good. The man had been in town less than twenty-four hours, and she was already flip-flopping like a hooked sunfish.

  “Fruit’s unloaded, Bailey.” Lyle poked his head back through the doorway. “Now how about being a sweetheart and fixing me some coffee before I head out? I got more deliveries up around Atlanta. That traffic’s killer, and I need to be alert.”

  Bailey threw him an irritated look. She’d offered Lyle a cup of coffee exactly once, when he’d used fatigue as an excuse for banging his truck into the concrete loading dock at the rear of the store. He’d taken the opportunity to sit too close to her and make skeevy comments about how great her hair smelled. She didn’t have the time or energy for Lyle’s nonsense this morning.

  “Sorry. I don’t have any coffee made. You could stop by the church coffee shop and get some if you want. They should be open by now. Drive safe, and give your grandpa my best.”

  Lyle’s expression darkened. He darted a wary glance at Dan. “Before I leave, you better at least come back here and take a look at how I got this fruit stacked up. You know how picky you are about that, and besides, we haven’t had any chance to talk since I got here.”

  Bailey frowned, but before she could reply, Dan cut in.

  “I believe the lady said you could go.” His voice was calm, but there was a steely undertone in it that made the hairs on the back of Bailey’s neck tickle, the way they did when lightning was about to strike.

  Lyle opened his mouth to protest, but then his narrowed eyes scanned Dan from head to toe. The pace of the delivery man’s gum chewing picked up nervously, and he held up both hands in a conciliatory gesture. “Hold your horses there, Tex. I don’t see how this is any of your business, but fine. Have it your way, Bailey, but you better not go complaining to Pops if you end up having to move those heavy crates around by yourself. I’ll stop back by on my way home in a couple of days and see if you got any additions to your order. Maybe by then you’ll be in a better mood.”

  Bailey ignored him. She waited until she heard Lyle slam the loading door before she spoke again. “Dan—”

  Dan interrupted her, his eyes still focused on the back of the store. “That guy’s trouble, Bailey. You should make sure you have somebody else in the store with you when he comes back by.”

  “Lyle? He’s annoying, sure, and I obviously need to set him straight about a couple things. But, trust me, he’s harmless.”

  “I don’t think so. I’ve worked with a lot of different kinds of men on the ranch, and I’ve run across a few like him. A man like that’s going to try something, sooner or later.”

  “I doubt that, but if he does, I’ll handle it. I’m not the same girl you knew back in high school, Dan. I’ve gotten pretty good at looking after myself.” Bailey let the pointed words settle between them for a second. Then she opened her mouth to nix the whole cabin conversation idea in no uncertain terms. Whatever Dan had to say to her, he could say right here and right now or not at all. “Look, I’m sorry, but—”

  But before she got any farther, the shop bell chimed. Bailey’s heart dropped as Jillian Marshall came into the store.

  The sharp-eyed redhead was the last person Bailey wanted to see right now. She and Jillian were friendly enough, but Jillian was also Pine Valley’s senior social worker. When it came to her job, she was a professional all the way down to her cute ankle-high boots. Bailey didn’t have a clue what Dan wanted to talk to her about, and she didn’t want to jeopardize her foster parent application by having that conversation in front of Jillian.

  “I’m so glad you’re open early, Bailey! You’ve saved my life. One of the social workers in the office has a birthday today, and I totally forgot it was my turn to bring the goodies.”

  As Jillian headed for the baked goods, Bailey turned back to Dan and spoke in a low voice. “All right. I’ll stop by the cabin after work. Say around seven? But I won’t be able to stay long.”

  “That’ll be fine. I’ll see you then.” He flashed an easy smile that effectively stopped her heart. Then he settled his hat back on his head and started for the door. Bailey watched him go.

  No man who was as much trouble as Dan Whitlock should be that good-looking. It wasn’t fair.

  “Bailey?” She jumped and turned to see Jillian holding up two packages of cookies with a confused expression. “I think you’d better come help me. I left my reading glasses at home, and I’ve been making a mess of everything all morning.”

  Bailey sneaked another glance at Dan’s retreating shoulders and sighed. “You’re not the only one,” she muttered.

  * * *

  A few minutes before seven that evening, Bailey nosed her protesting truck up the driveway to the old Whitlock cabin. She hadn’t been up this way in a while, and she’d forgotten how steep this driveway was.

  “I know how you feel, Maude,” she said, patting the sputtering pickup on its faded dashboard. “But we’ll survive this, both of us.”

  At least she hoped so.

  As she pulled the keys from the ignition, Dan stepped out onto the cabin’s high front porch. “I heard you
coming from the time you turned off the county road,” he called as she got out. “You might need to get that engine checked over.”

  “No worries. Maude likes to kick up a fuss, but she never lets me down.” Bailey climbed the wooden porch steps. Determined to act cool, collected and perfectly normal, she held out a polite hand as soon as she was within arm’s length.

  Dan swiped his own hand on his jeans before accepting hers. “Sorry, my hand’s pretty sweaty. Being back here at this cabin’s making me squirrelly.”

  Small wonder. Bailey squeezed his hand a little more warmly than she’d originally intended. It couldn’t be easy for Dan, coming back to this house. He’d been miserable here.

  “The cabin’s different, though,” she pointed out gently. This property had been an unkempt, trash-littered wreck back in the day. Dan and Abel’s father had spent what little money he managed to cadge or steal on liquor, not home maintenance. When Abel had inherited the cabin, he’d set about transforming it in his slow and steady way. “Anybody would be proud to call this place home now.”

  “Not me. If I were Abel, I’d have bulldozed it to the ground.” Dan looked around, his lips tight, then shrugged and pushed open the door. “But you’re right. It does look a lot better than it used to. Come on in and see for yourself.”

  Actually, Bailey had visited the restored cabin before, but now, a new homeowner herself, she looked around with a sharpened interest. She was always prospecting for ideas, and this living room had exactly the feel she loved best. Welcoming, simple and warm.

  The knotty pine floor gleamed. The fireplace, made of smooth river stones, sheltered a small, crackling fire, and the oversize furniture angled around the hearth was comfortable and unpretentious. The room had a masculine feel leftover from Abel’s bachelor days, but Emily had added a few feminine touches here and there. An old-fashioned braided oval rug brought red and turquoise notes to the room. The attractive colors were echoed by some throw pillows and a snuggly looking afghan tossed over the back of the leather sofa. Some of Abel’s wood carvings were displayed on the built-in bookshelves, with small lights carefully angled to showcase their delicate details.

  That would be Emily’s doing, too. She was fiercely proud of her husband’s incredible talent, while he tended to downplay it.

  Bailey crossed the room under the pretext of warming her hands at the fire, but really she just needed to put a buffering distance between herself and Dan. Whenever he was close by, Bailey caught a whiff of seasoned leather mixed with fresh cedar. That particular smell was something she’d always associated with Dan, and it was making it really hard for her to think.

  And way too easy for her to remember.

  Bailey never allowed herself to dwell on the weekend they’d run away together. Some scars were best left unpoked. But being here with Dan, inhaling his scent, brought it all flooding back.

  She’d been so excited that Friday night, riding in the middle of his truck’s bench seat, cuddled against him as he drove north under the stars. When they’d rolled past the Tennessee state line, she remembered, he’d looked down at her.

  “You’re not scared, are you, Bailey?”

  “Not a bit,” she’d assured him. “Not while I’m with you.”

  But of course she’d been scared. With strict parents like hers, running away was no joke. And getting married at eighteen...well, that brought up plenty of other things to feel nervous about.

  When Dan had taken her hands in the secluded corner of her parents’ backyard and asked her to elope, he’d seen her hesitation. And she’d seen the surprised hurt on his face, seen the defiant way he’d set his jaw. He was leaving town with her or without her, he’d said. He loved her, and if she wanted to stay here with her parents, he understood. But she was going to have to make her choice.

  And so she’d agreed to his plan, confident that once they were married, she’d be able to talk him into coming back and making peace with her parents. Dan always did what she asked sooner or later. And as his wife, she’d have even more leverage.

  Turned out she hadn’t known Dan nearly as well as she’d thought.

  After their quickie wedding, she’d broached the subject of returning home and facing her family, and he’d stared at her as if she’d lost her mind.

  “I’m your husband now, Bailey. We’re a family, just the two of us. Aren’t we? That means our home can be anywhere we want it to be. Just as long as we’re together.” They’d argued for hours, and then he’d stormed out.

  Waiting alone in the shabby motel room, she’d studied the cheap gold band on her finger through her frustrated tears and finally realized the full gravity of the choice she’d made.

  Things had only gotten worse from there. When Dan hadn’t reappeared by the next morning, she’d taken all the money in her purse and hired a taxi back home, told her worried parents a lie and waited for him to show up. Surely he’d come back for her. After all, they were married.

  But weeks, then months had ticked by, and Dan had never come back.

  Until now.

  That brokenhearted girl who’d peered so hopefully through her mother’s living room curtains had learned a few things since then, and Bailey had enough sense to know that she was revisiting some dangerous territory.

  “I can make a pot of coffee if you want,” Dan was saying.

  Bailey shook her head. “No, thanks. I really can’t stay long. In fact, you’d best just go on and say whatever it is that you wanted to say to me.”

  He looked uneasy, but he nodded. “All right. Abel told me you’re working to get your place fixed up so that you can take in some kids who need homes. I thought while I was here maybe I could help you out with that. Working on a ranch for the last ten years has taught me how to fix pretty much anything. I run a good, straight fence line, too.” He offered her that slow smile that always made her stomach shift. “Judging by what I saw yesterday, you could use some help that department.”

  Bailey shot him a narrow look. “For crying out loud, Dan, I wasn’t doing that bad.”

  “Not for a newbie, I’ll give you that. Anyhow, I’ve got a little time to spare, and Abel wants me to get to know the kids and all. But he won’t want me underfoot all the time, and I sure don’t want to hang around this cabin. Seems like a no-brainer to me.”

  Bailey stared at him. She knew perfectly well this was a crazy idea, but he made it sound so sensible. And free skilled labor? Wasn’t that just what she’d been praying for?

  But still.

  Lord, I’m honestly not sure what to do here. Is this really Your answer? Dan Whitlock?

  “So?” Dan prodded. “What do you say?” When she didn’t respond, he went on earnestly, “I know you’ve got your reasons for wanting to keep your distance, and I don’t blame you. But just from what I saw out at your place, you’ve got a lot of work to do. I came back here with an eye toward making things right between us, so I’d really like to help you out. Besides, you know the kind of home I grew up in, how bad it was. If you’re trying to take kids out of places like that, I’d consider it an honor to be a part of what you’re doing.” He waited a second and then added gruffly, “I know we’re over, Bailey. But let me end things right this time. Please.”

  That half-shamed please did her in. She sighed. “If you really want to help, I guess... I guess we could give it a try.”

  Dan’s eyes lit up. “Great! I know you’re in a hurry, but how about we sit down for just a minute so you can tell me what all you’re looking to do? Abel’s sure to have some paper stashed around her someplace. I’ll find it, and we’ll make a list of everything you need done. It won’t take a minute.” As he disappeared in search of the paper, he called over his shoulder, “You won’t be sorry, Bailey, I give you my word. Anyway, what have you got to lose?”

  “The same thing I lost last time you gave me your word,” Bailey mumbled when she was
sure he was well out of earshot. “Everything.”

  Chapter Four

  Bailey pulled back the edge of her living room curtain. The dawn had barely begun to turn the edges of the sky pink, but Dan was already pulling up in her driveway. She cupped her hands around her mug of steaming coffee and watched as he got out of the truck, retrieved a box of tools from the bed and headed toward the house.

  He was wearing a sheepskin-lined vest over a plaid shirt and jeans today. And that ever-present cowboy hat, a constant reminder that Dan didn’t belong in Pine Valley, Georgia, anymore.

  Not that he ever had, no matter how much she’d wanted him to.

  She opened the door just as he reached her porch. “You’re here early.”

  He set the toolbox beside the door and gestured toward the brightening light behind him. “Sun’s up. Back on the ranch, that means it’s time to get to work. Besides, I hoped if I came over early enough, you’d have time to walk the fence line with me and show me exactly where you want it run.” He skimmed a glance around her shabby living room and raised an eyebrow. “You sure you want me to start with the fencing? No offense, but this house needs a good bit of work.”

  “I know, but the fence is a priority. I have to block off the pond for the safety inspection, and I’d like to get it done while the weather’s cooperating.” Besides, having Dan work outside felt a lot less intimate than letting him work inside her home.

  “You’re the boss.” He glanced down at her feet. “Do you have time to show me where you want the posts set or not? If you do, you’ll need to ditch those heels.”

  He had a point. She’d dressed for work and for the visit to the lawyer’s office afterward. The shoes she’d chosen weren’t made for trekking through damp pastures. “I think so. The area I want fenced isn’t very big, so it won’t take long. Go help yourself to some coffee while I swap shoes.”