Her Cowboy's Twin Blessings

She’s most definitely a city slicker, Casey thought as he stole one last look over his shoulder. A dose of reality might go a long way into showing her exactly what she was getting into here. This was a functioning ranch—a thing of beauty, in Casey’s humble opinion. But also rugged, wild and not so easily tamed for her purposes. Shutting down the cattle operation wouldn’t change that.

Wolves and coyotes didn’t respect lines on a map. Those boundaries had to be patrolled by men who know how to shoot. There were a hundred things she hadn’t even thought of yet, he was sure.

And yet, while she might be clueless, that woman was beautiful, too. He could tell that he was softening toward her. There was something about the way her emotions played out in her sparkling blue eyes... He tried to push the thought back. If he met her in any other situation, he’d want to talk to her, get to know her better...figure out if there was a boyfriend in the mix.

Casey leaned down and pulled on the latch to the gate, swinging it open. Ember rode through first—or maybe he should say Patience did, carrying Ember with her—and then Casey rode out, slamming the gate shut behind him. The latch dropped back into place with a satisfying rattle.

“I’m going to take you through the trails,” Casey said. “On the other side is pasture, and that’s the fence I need to take a look at.”

“Where’s the river?” she asked.

“You’ll see it from the fence.” Far down below—but it would give her an idea, at least. “This way.” He clucked his tongue, and Patience picked up her pace, catching up with him.

They rode along the gravel road for several minutes, a chilled breeze slipping comfortably past. Casey had always enjoyed this ride—he came out and fixed damaged parts of the fence each spring. But this year was different than the others. Wyatt and Will had brought a certain grounding to his life that he hadn’t had before. Everything seemed to matter more in the light of his responsibility toward them.

“You’re doing okay,” Casey said, glancing over at Ember next to him. She was still sitting rather tensely in the saddle, and she looked over at him.

“Relax,” he said. “Let your joints move. You’re not going to fall off. You’re fine.”

“Easier said than done,” she observed with a breathy laugh, but he could see her attempt at relaxing her position. “Oh, that is better.”

“You’ve got to trust the horse,” he said. “She’s not going to listen to you anyway.”

Ember smiled ruefully. “You should know that I don’t go with the flow very well.”

“Yeah, I guessed that,” he replied.

“I like things planned. I like to know what’s coming.”

“Then a ranch isn’t good for you,” he cautioned.

“Trying to talk me out of this again?” she retorted.

“Maybe,” he agreed. “But mostly, I’m just pointing out the obvious. You say you want to take advantage of the great outdoors, but you can’t plan so much when it comes to land and weather. Storms come, seasons change. You can’t sweat it. You just...wait.”

“But you’re still prepared,” she countered.

“I’ll give you that,” he agreed, then nodded ahead. “Up there—that’s where we enter the trails.”

It was nothing more than an opening in a tree line, and Casey pulled the reins, guiding his mount toward it.

“That’s it?” Ember sounded less sure of herself now, and when Casey looked over at her, he caught the uncertainty in those blue eyes, too. “How wide are these trails?”

“Wide?” Casey laughed. “Wide enough for a horse, but watch the branches. They can slap you in the face if you don’t pay attention.”

This would be a lot easier if Miss Ember Reed was a little less attractive. There was something about her that made him want to act the protector. The male side of him wanted to guide her through all of this and make it easy for her. Except she wasn’t just a woman out of her depth, and she certainly wasn’t a romantic option—she was his direct competition. So he’d better tamp down those chivalrous instincts if he knew what was good for him.

Casey plunged into the foliage first, and he glanced back to see Patience and Ember coming up behind. He ducked his head under a twig and dug his heels into his horse’s sides. The woods were cooler than out in the direct sunlight, and the twitter of birds silenced for a moment, and then started up again in a hesitant chatter.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he said.

“Yeah...”

He looked back again and saw her gaze moving around them. “How safe is it in here?”

“Safe?” Casey chuckled. “Why do you think I brought a gun?”

“Har har.” She shot him a mildly amused look. “You said you’d deal straight with me, and I’m asking as a potential buyer here. How safe are these woods?”

“I wasn’t joking,” he replied. “This is a hungry time of year for everything—including wolves. Nothing is risk-free out here. But I’m sure you’d have your clients sign a form that saves you from lawsuits.”

Ember fell silent, and Casey allowed his horse to pick his path over roots as they made their way through the familiar maze of trails. They weren’t all visible anymore—some hadn’t been used in years. But a trained eye like Casey’s could spot them still. He felt a twinge of guilt. He’d decided to give her an honest tour of this ranch, but it wasn’t fair to scare her unduly, either. He wasn’t that kind of man.

“You’re safe with me, though,” he added grudgingly. “I’m a good shot.”

“That’s why I want to hire you if I do buy this land,” she said.

Hire him... Yeah, that wouldn’t work well. Not if she’d bought this land out from under his boots and turned it into some city folk feelings center. Not a chance.

He didn’t answer her—he’d turned her down once already, and he wasn’t about to turn the next week or two into some lengthy argument about his reasoning, either. He’d made his choice, and that was that. But there was something about that woman behind him—city slicker though she was—that made him want to open up more, talk, just to hear her say something in reply. He wouldn’t give in to it, though.

They rode in silence for a few more minutes, and then the dense green of trees began to brighten, and in the distance, Casey could make out the glitter of sunlight.

“We’re almost out,” Casey said, mostly just as an excuse to say something to her.

“Good,” she said. “It’s a bit eerie in here.”

Casey’s horse picked up his pace as they got nearer to the tree line, and a moment later, they erupted into sunlight. He reined in his horse, and Ember came out next to him. She looked ready to say something, but then she saw what he’d been waiting to show her.

Grassy hills rolled out beneath them, some rocky piles jutting up from the grass here and there. This used to be plowed land back when people first settled, and those groups of rocks had been made by picking them out of the soil and tossing them, one by one, into those piles. A creek cut between two hills, and to the east there was a marshland with reeds and birds rising up in mesmerizing clouds. The morning sunlight splashed over the scene, and Ember’s eyes glistened.

“Oh, my...” she breathed.

“You see that rise over there?” Casey pointed ahead, and Ember followed his finger. “That’s where the fence is.”

“This is beautiful land,” she murmured.

“It’s beautiful, but it’s rugged,” he said. “When we bring the cattle this way to graze, we need cowboys on duty with guns.”

Casey clicked his tongue, and they started down the incline at an easy pace.

“Mr. Vern told me last night why he needs to sell this land,” Ember said. “He told me about it, but do you know?”

“Of course I do. His wife is suffering from Alzheimer’s, and he’s used up his insurance. He wants to keep her in a quality care center.”

“So even if I don’t end up buying this land, someone will,” Ember said. “Mr. Vern needs to sell. I’m not the bad guy here, Casey.”

Casey eyed her for a moment, wondering how much to say. “I didn’t call you bad,” he said. “I just said I don’t agree with what you stand for.”