The Rancher's Return

Miranda shot out of her chair, leaving Emma, Adam and Carter alone in the kitchen.

Emma wrapped her arms around Adam, as if to shield him from the drama unfolding in the other room.

Carter felt his own disquiet rise at the concern in Wade’s voice. Then silence, then more questions. Finally, a quiet goodbye. Wade and Miranda talking to each other. Then Wade came back into the kitchen.

“What’s wrong?” Carter asked, dread sweeping over him at Wade’s solemn expression. “What happened?”

Wade dropped the phone on the table and then dragged his hands over his face.

“That was Mom and Dad’s pastor. My mom and dad were in a car accident. It’s very serious.” Wade blew out his breath, looking around the kitchen but not seeing anything. “I have to go. I have to be with them. I can’t be here.” He turned to Carter. “Can you stay? Until I come back? Take care of the ranch?”

Carter looked at Wade, his desire to get away from the ranch superseded by his friend’s need.

“Of course I’ll stay,” he said.

Even as he spoke the words, he glanced over at Adam, still sitting on Emma’s lap.

He had no choice. Wade needed him. But as soon as he could leave, he was gone.

Chapter Four

“Easy now. Slow it down.” Carter clucked to Banjo, easing his hand down his leg and lifting his hoof. “Good job. Good horse.” He patted him, then ducked under the horse’s neck to do the same on the other side.

Banjo’s tan hide shone from the brushing Carter gave him. He’d been working with the horse in the open paddock for the past half hour, doing some basic groundwork before he took him out. Reestablishing the relationship he’d had with this horse when he started training him three years ago.

A year before—

He cut that thought off, frustrated with the flood of memories he’d had to endure since coming back to the ranch.

His hand on Banjo’s back, he glanced around at the ranch again, fighting the twist of helpless frustration. He wasn’t supposed to be here. Wade was. But Wade was in the house packing up to leave, and because of that Carter was stuck here until the buyer showed up.

His eyes drifted over the familiar contours of the mountains surrounding the valley. His mother, Noelle, had moved back onto the ranch when she was expecting him and his twin brother, Garret. He never knew who his father was and, apparently, neither did his mother. At any rate, his parentage on his father’s side was never discussed.

And when their mother died of cancer when Carter and Garret were ten, there was never any question of where they would live. Here. On the ranch.

Garret and Carter had grown up in the shadows of these mountains. He knew what they looked like in winter, when the cold winds surged down their snow-covered sides. In the spring when the new leaves of the aspen trees lent a counterpoint to the dark green of the spruce and fir.

He and Garret had ridden or driven down every possible game trail in and through the hills.

And when Garret went off to university to get his engineering degree, Carter had stayed behind, working on the ranch with his grandfather and eventually buying out his share.

Carter thought he’d never leave.

“How things change,” he muttered, turning back to the horse. Once he was done with Banjo, he was heading out to check on the cows. In spite of his reluctance to be here, he couldn’t stop a thrill of anticipation at seeing the open fields of the upper pasture. This time of the year they would be green and lush and the cattle spread out over them, calves at foot.

“He’s settled down a lot the past two days.”

Emma’s quiet voice from the gate startled him, and as he spun around, Banjo jumped.

“Easy, boy,” Carter murmured, stroking his side as he watched Emma cross the corral, leading her horses. She wore her usual blue jeans and worn cowboy boots. Today her T-shirt was blue with a rodeo logo on the front. Some remnant of her previous life. “He’s got a good heart,” Carter said, catching his lead rope.

“And a good nature. He’s been well trained,” Emma said quietly.

Carter noticed the saddles on her two horses. “Are you going out?”

“Adam and I are riding to the upper pasture.”

“I’m going up there. You don’t need to come along. I know where the pasture is.”

Emma shot him a frown. “I’m sure you do, but I made this plan with Wade a couple of days ago. I promised Adam he could come, and he’s excited to go.”

“I can do this alone,” he said, feeling he had to lodge one more protest. He did not want to spend any more time with the little boy than he had to.

“I’m not going to let my son down,” Emma said, a hint of steel in her voice. “He’s had enough disappointments for now.”

Carter knew she was referring to the nonsale of the nonacreage, but it wasn’t his fault the buyer probably didn’t want to subdivide.

“We’ll go together then,” Carter said with forced nonchalance. Adam made him feel uncomfortable, but he wasn’t staying behind while a stranger did the work needed on his own ranch. Though he was selling the place, he still had a stake in the ranch’s well-being. And in spite of wanting to be rid of the Rocking K, a part of him wanted to see it all one last time.

Emma’s horses stamped, impatient to get going.

“I’m going to water Diamond and Dusty at the river, then I’ll be back,” she said.

Carter looked past her and frowned again. “Where’s Adam?”

“Getting some cookies for the trip. Miranda is making up a batch to take along when they leave.” Emma blew out her breath in a sigh. “I sure hope Wade’s parents are okay.”

She was quiet a moment, as if contemplating what Wade would have to deal with. Then she turned and led her horses to the river.

Banjo snorted and danced as Emma left with the horses.

“Easy now,” he murmured, but Banjo bugled a loud whinny and Diamond stopped, tugging on his lead rope as he turned his head.

Emma tried to pull him around, but he resisted, dancing sideways. Obviously, Diamond and Banjo had bonded.

“I’ll come with you,” Carter said, tugging on Banjo’s halter rope. “My horse could use a drink, as well.”

He followed her, and both Banjo and Diamond immediately settled down.

The air, trapped in the trees edging the river, was cool. A welcome respite from the heat of the afternoon. The water burbled and splashed over the rocks, and Carter felt a sigh ease out of him. “I’d forgotten how quiet it is here,” he said, glancing around as his horse drank noisily from the river.

“That’s why I like coming out here to water the horses,” Emma said. “Though I still can’t figure out why Wade won’t put a waterer in the horse corral like there is for the cows. I’ve seen the fittings for it coming out of the ground.”

“I’m the one who won’t let him,” Carter said, his voice hard.

Emma shot him a puzzled glance. “Why not?”

Carter didn’t want to answer the question. Obviously Wade hadn’t told Emma everything. Thankfully, she sensed that he didn’t want to talk about it and turned her attention back to Diamond, finger combing out the tangles in his mane.