Second Chance Rancher

He winked. “I wouldn’t forget that.”

Her heart began to pound as his head descended toward hers and he brushed a soft kiss against her cheek. He picked up the check from the table. “Goodbye, Laurel.”

“Goodbye,” she answered, but her voice didn’t sound like hers.

Unable to help herself, she watched as the good-looking man dressed in a pair of dark jeans and boots walked to the cashier and paid the bill. Then he started out and held the door for a woman, then nodded a greeting and walked out.

She had to stop this, realizing her heart was still racing. Kase was not the man for her. Not ten years ago, and definitely not now.

She felt a tug on her arm and looked down at Addy. “Do I have to eat my fruit?” she asked.

This child could steal her heart if she let her. “Maybe two bites and eat some of your hamburger. Then we’ll go see my horses.”

She was rewarded with a big smile, and the girl picked up her fork and began to eat. Laurel wished she could stimulate her appetite, but Kase had her stomach in knots. She didn’t even want to think about what he could do to her heart again.

* * *

“DAD, YOU NEED to listen to the doctor. He’s telling you that you need this surgery. It’s the only thing that will get rid of the pain and help you walk easier again.”

Gus Rawlins sat in the chair in the medical office and glanced between his son and the young doctor who didn’t look much older. “Will I be able to ride again?”

The fortysomething orthopedist adjusted his wire-rim glasses. “After a successful surgery, many patients go back to normal activities. I’m not sure if it’s wise for you to spend all day in a saddle, but I’ve seen people do it.” He smiled. “The important key is getting a good rehab program.”

Gus didn’t look convinced. “And what if it makes my hip worse?”

Dr. Copeland folded his arms. “I perform this type of surgery every week, Mr. Rawlins, and I haven’t had many complications. That is, unless the patient doesn’t work at rehab.”

Gus looked at his son. “That’s another thing. I don’t need to go into any nursing home. What if I don’t ever get out?”

Kase’s heart sank. Did his father really think that? Guilt washed over him. He wasn’t going to abandon him again. “They can’t keep you, Dad. If they try, you can have your lawyer sue them.” Kase smiled, trying to make light of the situation.

Gus looked at the doctor. “He’s got a smart mouth because he’s a lawyer.” He sighed. “Okay, I’ll do the surgery, but I want to do the rehab at the house.”

“Dad...”

Gus raised his hand. “I need to make sure my horses are looked after. And what about Addy? Who will watch after her? I don’t want to worry her because I’m not there. She’s already lost people...”

Kase wasn’t sure how to handle this. He looked at the doctor for help.

“I have a list of excellent physical therapists who could come out to the house,” the doctor said. “It could be expensive, though. Your insurance may not cover all the expense.”

“If this helps my father, I’ll pay extra for a therapist to come to the ranch.” He frowned at his father. “So when can you schedule the surgery?”

The doctor looked over his computer screen. “I have next Friday at seven in the morning.”

They both looked at Gus. Finally his father relented. “Okay, I’ll do it, but not for you—it’s for my granddaughter. I made a lot of promises to her, and I plan to be around to make good on all of them.”

Kase wanted to know what his father was up to, but right now he’d settle for what he could get from the man.

* * *

THREE HOURS LATER, Laurel watched as her new client drove away pulling an empty trailer. Left behind was a beautiful three-year-old roan mare named Ruby Ridge. Laurel was going to be training the quarter horse for reining competitions.

She was excited about working her horses through the precise patterns of circles, spins and stops. The new corral her father built was a perfect area for the Western-style dressage.

The past few months she’d been working one of Trent’s horses, Red Baron, a beautiful stallion showing plenty of promise. Now she had Ruby Ridge and a chance to prove herself. With the owner, Kat Bryce, willing to help her horse learn, and Laurel putting in the practice time, how could she pass it up? She’d be building a reputation, too, and the money she’d make would go into the fund to pay back her parents.

Hearing her name, Laurel turned to see her mother and little Addy walking down from the house.

She smiled and waved back at her mom, a woman who was an attractive brunette in her early fifties. The best mother ever, even after she’d discovered last fall that Diane Quinn wasn’t her biological mother.

That discovery came out when Brooke Harper arrived at the ranch, claiming to be her twin sister. And her biological mother was really a Las Vegas singer, Coralee Harper, who spent a weekend with their father, Rory Quinn, before her parents got married.

All these years, Rory knew about only one child, Laurel. When Coralee was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, she wanted to see her other daughter before losing all memory and sent Brooke to find her. Now, seven months later, Coralee had been moved into a nursing home only a few miles from the ranch.

Brooke, who’d been raised by the woman, visited her almost daily, and Laurel got there once or twice a week. Some days Coralee knew her, and some days not. Coralee might be her biological mother, but nothing could ever change Laurel’s feelings for the woman who’d raised her.

“Hey, Mom. Hey, Addy.”

Addy smiled. “Hi, Laurel. Your mommy showed me your old bedroom. I saw your special dollies.”

Laurel grinned. “You mean Amy and Betsy?”

The child nodded her head, causing her curls to bounce. “Mimi said she wants to keep them for when you have a little girl, so she can play with them.”

Laurel looked at her mother and mouthed, “Mimi?”

Diane shrugged. “I didn’t know what she should call me.” She smiled. “She’s so adorable.”

Oh, no. She didn’t want her mother to hatch a scheme to get her and Kase back together. As far as she was concerned she’d sworn off men. She leaned forward and whispered, “Be careful. This little conniver will steal your heart.”

“I think she already has,” her mother admitted.

Just then she saw her truck coming up the road. It parked next to the barn, the door opened and Kase stepped out. Her breath caught when he straightened to his full six-foot-one frame, exposing the width of his broad shoulders and his narrow waist. His long, easy strides took him around to the passenger side, where he helped Gus climb out.

“Daddy! Papa!” Addy cried and took off running toward them.

Kase turned in time to catch the enthusiastic child in his arms, then swung her around in the air. Addy giggled in delight.

“Will you look at that?” her mother said with a sigh. “There’s just something about a man holding a child that’s so appealing.”

Laurel couldn’t stop staring when Kase hoisted his daughter high into his arms and kissed her cheek, then held her while Gus kissed her, too. She felt her own chest tighten on seeing the loving scene.

Kase looked toward her and waved. As his father moved slowly with his cane, the threesome made their way up the drive. Laurel and her mother met them halfway.

“Hello, Laurel,” Kase greeted.

Her heart raced. “Hi, Kase. Gus.”