Second Chance At The Ranch

‘Guessed not, but thought I’d ask anyway.’

‘Do I look like a no-sugar coffee drinker then?’ she asked a moment later, feeling the need to fill the silence.

Nick picked up the other mug and took a sip of the steaming dark liquid before answering.

‘I imagine you don’t consume any calories you don’t have to.’ His eyes met hers.

‘Well, I … there is a certain amount of being aware of that,’ she replied.

He raised his eyebrows briefly in reply as he looked away.

‘What does that mean?’ Hero asked, already knowing she was going to regret asking.

‘I didn’t say anything,’ Nick replied, puzzled.

‘Well, no. Not out loud but it’s very clear you’re thinking something.’

‘I don’t know what it’s like in your world, but out here, men are allowed to have their own thoughts.’

‘That’s the same anywhere.’

He did the expression again.

‘Clearly it can’t be a very strong opinion if you don’t want to share it. I get the impression you’re not the type to keep your views to yourself.’ Hero’s voice was low but there was no doubting the annoyance behind it. What was it with this man? Why was she allowing him to get under her skin like no one else she’d ever met?

He gave a brief smile, but Hero doubted its sincerity. ‘Well, then I guess that shows just how much you know me.’ He drained the last of his coffee and transferred that, too, to the dishwasher. His apparent domestication felt at odds with his character – as far as Hero had been able to actually make that out. ‘Come on, Biscuit. Time to work.’

Hero’s hands were still wrapped around the mug. She watched Nick take a well-worn cowboy-style hat from a coat rack holding several of them and squash it on to his head. As he got to the door he stopped and turned, watching her for a moment. A flash of something crossed his face but as Hero was still struggling to make out his character, she had no clue as to what it might be.

He nodded at her and there was the faintest hint of a smile … maybe?

‘Enjoy your coffee.’

She nodded back. ‘Thank you.’

With that he and the dog were out the door and she was left alone. Normally this wouldn’t bother her, but today it was different. It was as though Nick Webster had taken some of the air out of the room when he left. Hero shook her head, forcing the thought to fall away. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her phone. The message she’d typed quickly to Anya to let her know she had arrived still sat in her outbox. She’d ask Juliet later if she could connect her phone to the Wi-Fi just so that her friend wouldn’t worry. After that, she was more than happy not to get messages. Anya was already half in love with the chef she’d met at the restaurant opening and wasn’t coming up for air all that much right now. Rupert was doing some deep-sea diving off the coast of somewhere she’d never heard of and, from what he’d told her, was even further from civilisation than this place. With the only other person she ever really wanted to hear from being Juliet, being unavailable actually sounded quite wonderful. No one else needed to know that she had Wi-Fi and if anyone stressed at her when she returned that they hadn’t been able to get hold of her, she had the perfect excuse.

Hero rinsed her own mug and followed Nick’s example of putting it in the dishwasher, then wandered slowly back out to take up her position on the porch once more. It was a shame the dog had gone with Nick. Just in those couple of minutes of stroking him, she’d felt her body relax. That was until Nick Webster had appeared.

The sound of hooves caught her attention and she looked to the right to see that very man astride a horse the colour of warm caramel. Jules had mentioned the stables yesterday when they’d got there. She could have asked Nick to show her where they were, she supposed, but somehow she got the feeling that he considered her presence here disruptive enough. From Juliet’s description of him, Hero had thought she would be meeting a man of the same ilk as her soon-to-be brother-in-law. But where Pete was warm, Nick Webster was wary. From what he’d said this morning, it sounded like he had already made up his mind about her own character. The thought frustrated her more than it should. She was, after all, used to people all over the world judging her. Why should it be any different here? She scuffed the warm wood of the porch with her shoe. The answer was that it shouldn’t be any different. But it was.

***

The days passed and Hero spent most of the time with her sister, knowing that she would see her far less than she was used to once she left the station for her flight back to London. It had taken just a short Tube ride in the city to visit her sister back in London. Now, any visit would have to be far more planned and calculated. Planning things wasn’t an issue – Hero always had her schedule well organised. Having everything neatly arranged helped her feel in control. Besides, spontaneity wasn’t really her thing. She left that to Juliet, who did it so much better. And so much more dramatically, the upcoming wedding being a prime example. Hero had worried initially but having been here for almost a fortnight now, her fears had been well and truly allayed.

Pete Webster was a good man, and he was head over heels for her sister. Although she would miss her terribly, she was glad that it was because of someone like Pete.

‘You OK?’ Juliet asked as she stood at the stove, preparing the evening meal. Gill and Jack had gone into the city to sign some documents in connection with the apartment they had just bought there, and the two brothers were still out working.

‘Mm-hmm,’ Hero replied, concentrating on peeling the vegetables in front of her.

‘You don’t have to do that, you know.’

‘I know.’

Juliet pulled out the chair opposite her sister and sat down. ‘You are happy for me, aren’t you?’

Hero quickly looked up, distress showing on her face. ‘Of course I am!’ Juliet heard the hurt in her voice. ‘Why would you ever think that I wasn’t?’

‘It’s not that. It’s just … you know. You can be quite reserved and sometimes it’s not always easy to know what you’re thinking, even for me who probably knows you better than anyone. I couldn’t be happy here, knowing that I’d made you unhappy. We would have to work something out so that …’ Juliet stopped as Hero put down the peeler and laid her elegant, wedding-ready manicured hands over her sister’s.

‘Jules. I am happy for you, I promise. I’m thrilled, honestly. You’ve found a wonderful man who clearly worships the ground you walk on, and I couldn’t lose you to anyone less than him.’

Juliet blinked tears and Hero smiled. ‘You’re not losing me,’ Juliet said, accepting the piece of kitchen towel her sister handed her and wiping her eyes.

‘I know. But you know what I mean.’

‘I do. But you’ll always be welcome here, you know that. Gill and Jack are going to be moving to their apartment in the city as soon as we’re back from honeymoon, now that they’ve officially retired, and there will always be a room for you here. I love Pete to the moon and back, but I can’t help wishing I could somehow still be close to you.’

‘We have apps and email and Skype, Jules. You’ll probably get sick of me calling.’

Juliet pulled a hand out and laid it over the top of her sister’s. ‘Hardly. But I know the time difference will make things a bit more tricky.’

Hero gave a mirthless laugh. ‘Since when did my schedule ever stick to the 9 to 5 anyway. And you know what a bad sleeper I am. It’ll be nice to have someone to talk to next time I’m padding around at home at three in the morning.’

Juliet smiled but there was concern in her eyes. ‘How have you been sleeping here?’

Hero raised her perfect brows. ‘Surprisingly well, actually. Must be the air.’

‘Or maybe you’re more relaxed here, without so many people desperate for your attention.’

‘Desperate is a bit of an overstatement,’ she replied, glancing away.

‘I’m not sure it is.’

Hero poked at the vegetables. ‘How many more of these do you want?’ And with that, the subject was changed. Juliet frowned at the escape her sister had made but the last thing she wanted to do was start a fight with her. It already broke her heart to know she wouldn’t be physically close to her anymore, and she didn’t want her worries to come across as criticism. Her sister had an incredible work ethic, but sometimes Juliet thought it too much. She was always travelling, whether that was across the city or across the world. She didn’t eat anywhere near as much as she should, and when she did, it was often at strange times, or on the run. Hero wasn’t stupid. Jules knew her sister acknowledged the fact that her diet wasn’t the best it could be, but it wasn’t something that was easy to change. It was one of the reasons she’d brought up the subject of cutting back on the modelling jobs a few days ago. Tactfully, she’d wrapped it in the wish for Hero to be available to visit more often. Her sister had nodded and said she would definitely plan to get over when she could, but dismissed the idea of working less.

‘I will in time,’ was all she ever said when the subject came up.

‘But when will that be?’ Juliet had pushed her this time.

In return, Hero had smiled that big, beautiful smile of hers before hugging her sister, kissing her temple as she pulled back. ‘Stop worrying.’ The glossy hair swung as she shook her head, the smile still in place.

‘Well, that’s never going to happen,’ Juliet huffed.

Hero merely rolled her eyes and smiled.

***