The Rancher's Promise

With a few yanks, he pulled the last nail out of Copper’s hoof and the horseshoe clattered to the pavement.

He plucked the tape from her fingers without meeting her gaze. He tore off a few strips and expertly lined them along the edge of Copper’s hoof, working quick but competently, still an accomplished ranchman. There was something about Justin’s combination of down-to-earth country, stoic strength and capability she would always admire.

“That ought to get you two home. Just go slow. No galloping.” He lowered Copper’s hoof to the ground and retrieved the shoe. “Want me to put this in the saddle pack?”

“Sure.” The wind gusted in a hot airless puff, stirring leaves in the aspens that marched down the sidewalks. A dust devil whirled a thick funnel in the feed store’s lot, giving her an excuse to look down the main street. The sidewalks were as empty as the road. Way down at the far end of town, the distant sound of kids’ voices rose from the drive-in, known for its selection of ice cream.

What did she say to him? He didn’t seem concerned about the silence as he unbuckled the pack slung behind the saddle and slid the shoe into it.

“Grocery shopping?” His brow furrowed as he inspected the pack’s contents. “Wouldn’t it have been quicker to drive?”

Okay, this was even more awkward. She felt the weight of his gaze searching her face for signs. Maybe he was noticing the discount-store T-shirt, the denim shorts she wore and the inexpensive flip-flops on her feet. Knowing how small-town rumors went, he was probably curious where her luxury sports car was and her designer clothes. Maybe even her wedding ring.

Humiliation swept through her. Likely as not he was holding back an “I told you so.” Maybe he was waiting to hear that the life she’d left Wyoming to find after graduation had not turned out better, just different. And the man who’d taken her to the opera and symphony hadn’t compared to the one she’d left behind.

“I suppose you miss riding.” He filled the silence without a hint of an “I told you so.”

“Something like that.” She lifted her chin, wiser these days and stronger than she ever could have guessed, even if her knees were wobbly when she went to untie Copper from the hitching post. “I haven’t been in a saddle for so long, I almost forgot what to do.”

“You didn’t have a horse boarded somewhere in Dallas?” A hint of surprise dug into the corners of his mouth.

“No.” Life was like that. She’d wanted a horse; Brad had said it would be an outrageous expense they couldn’t afford. Things simply hadn’t worked out. She knew God was in charge, taking her where He thought she should be. “Besides, I still have Copper. How about you? Still riding Scout?”

“Now and then. He’s retired from ranch work these days.”

“You must miss him.”

“Work isn’t the same without him. I didn’t know you were coming back for Terri’s wedding.”

“Coming home was a last-minute decision.” She gathered Copper’s reins and drew him away from the post. It was easier to concentrate on rubbing his nose than on meeting Justin’s gaze. She didn’t want her old beau to know how wrong she’d been and how stupid. A country girl like her hadn’t suspected Brad’s duplicity until it was too late.

“Hope you have a nice stay in town.” He tipped his hat, walking backward. A gentleman, for he could have vented his anger at her, he could have asked questions about her life she did not want to answer, things she did not want him to know. He could have brought up how she’d hurt him and that would have torn at her conscience, but he didn’t. He squared his shoulders, nodded goodbye and ambled away, tools and tape in hand.

Lost chances. They troubled her as she slipped off her flip-flops and stowed them in the pack. You chose a path in life and you followed it. You never knew if it would take you where you wanted to go. You just had to trust, even if the choice had been a mistake. She never would have guessed the road she’d followed would have led her back home, full circle, standing right where she’d started.

Copper blew out his breath impatiently, as if to remind her that time was wasting. The sun bore down on her, and the blacktop sizzled beneath her feet. She swung into the saddle, ignoring the burn of hot leather, and reined Copper toward the edge of town.

At least that was over. Meeting Justin. Recovering from the shock of seeing him again. Her palms went damp, and it wasn’t from the midday heat. She wished she could rewind, hit delete and replay the past few moments. She should have apologized to him. She should have asked how he’d been. She should have explained that the reason she’d come back wasn’t only to attend Terri’s wedding, although she had planned on going.

“I hadn’t been prepared to see him so soon,” she explained.

Copper shook his head, plodding along the strip of Main reserved for parking, a totally understanding friend. She rubbed her free hand along his warm neck, his coarse mane tickling the backs of her fingers. She’d been reconciled to the idea of seeing Justin later today at the ranch, where he would probably be busy in the fields. She hadn’t been prepared to talk with him, to look him in the eyes and see how much bitterness had taken him over.

She still owed him an apology. She didn’t intend to shirk from it. As a Wyoming girl, she knew how to stand up and take a hit on the chin.

The front door of the diner swung shut. A new neon blue and yellow sign proclaimed the establishment to be The Greasy Spoon, but everyone called it Clem’s. Clem had initially run the place beginning with the First World War, when he’d bought the building new. He’d made the best milkshakes in the county. Bittersweet, she remembered sitting in a vinyl booth sipping on a shake and laughing with her high-school friends with Justin always at her side.

Was he thinking about those days, too? As Copper circled around the new white pickup parked along the curb, she kept her gaze glued on the empty road ahead. She didn’t want Justin to think that she was looking for him through the sun-washed windows. The afternoon would prove to be tough enough without adding the memories of their old romance to the mix.

Chapter Two

Justin swiped the last two steak fries through the puddle of ketchup on his plate and jammed them into his mouth, already rising from the kitchen table. Eating takeout was getting old, especially since the town diner’s menu variety was limited, but it was better than the alternative.

“Hey, not so fast, bud.” His sister, Autumn, strawberry blonde and fragile-looking, unhooked her leg from the chair rung, snatched her tan Stetson from the sideboard and stole a wedge of pickle from his plate. “It’s your turn to clean up.”

“I’ll do it after supper.” He loped toward the back door and the mudroom, where his boots were waiting. “I’ve got fences to repair and a lupine patch I gotta spray.”

“That can wait ten minutes. Dad, tell him, will you?” Autumn, two years younger and the bane of his existence when they were little, snagged a water bottle from the fridge. “If I’m stuck with a kitchen mess again, I’m going to chase you down, big brother, and rope you like a calf.”

“Best listen to her, son.” Frank glanced up from the current issue of a cattleman’s magazine. “I wouldn’t mess with a woman when she’s got that tone in her voice.”

Autumn shot him a triumphant grin on her way out the door. “And wipe down the counters and the table, too. Use soapy water, not a wet paper towel. Or my threat stands.”

An empty threat, but still. What was the world coming to? He had a good eight more hours of work to do for the day, and the Sunday-morning service and errands in town hadn’t helped. “What we need is to lure Aunt Opal out of retirement with a huge raise.”

“Not going to happen. Don’t think I didn’t try it.” Frank slapped the magazine shut. “Might as well clean up. Got that interview in a few minutes.”

“Great.” Justin stuck his head in the mudroom to give Autumn a few instructions on the yearlings, but she was already outside. Determined to catch her, he hit the screen door, sending it flying against the wall with a bang.

A horse neighed in protest, he heard a woman’s “whoa!” and a thud of something hitting the dry dirt. A dust plume rose, shielding the rider who had taken a fall. Justin shrank a few inches, recognizing the red gelding skittish in the driveway.

Copper.

A tall, willowy figure rose up, at first a slim feminine shadow in the dust, but as the cloud began to settle, details emerged. The things about Rori he would never forget—the swirl of her long straight hair in the Wyoming breeze, the curve of her porcelain-cut chin, and the way she looked classy even wearing a battered baseball cap.

“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.”