The Cowboy She Couldn't Forget

“Give it time, Ana. You need to be patient and not get your dad riled up.”

“Riled up?” That hurt. “I don’t plan to upset my father. How can you say that?”

Vance raised a hand from the steering wheel. “I only meant that you’re too easy to read. Your emotions show on your face.”

“I can’t help that.”

Vance nodded, knowing Ana had always had trouble hiding her feelings. She had a big heart and that was why it was breaking right now. She wanted so much to help. She’d tried so hard to keep the family together, but in the end her sisters all left anyway.

“You have to try, because Colt needs our help with his recovery.”

Vance slowed the truck as they approached the small town of Royerton. Population was about five thousand in the ranching and farming community. He drove along Main Street, passing the small grocery, Quick Mart and the U.S. Post Office.

“And I plan to do exactly that.”

“Good. Maybe we should keep the topic on the ranch. But not include that you’ll be working with the other ranch hands.”

“Like he’d care.”

Vance pulled into a parking space outside the brick, two-story professional building. “Are you kidding?” He threw the gearshift into Park. “There were two rules that Colt enforced. One, work hard, and the other, stay away from his daughters.”

Seeing Ana’s surprised look, Vance retrieved his keys and got out of the vehicle. He wasn’t about to tell her how difficult it had been to keep that promise, but he had because of the respect he felt for her dad. He’d been crazy about this woman for years. Could there be a second chance for him?

“I didn’t know,” she said when he opened the passenger-side door.

“There’s a lot about Colt you don’t know.”

She took Vance’s offered hand and stepped down onto the sidewalk. “That’s not my fault.”

“I didn’t say it was.” He opened the door to the lawyer’s office and let her walk inside first. “I just wanted you to be aware of it.”

“What about you? Did that rule apply to you?”

He nodded, wondering if she remembered that one time in the barn.

“Since you’re still around, I guess you never told him that you accosted one of his daughters in the barn.” She turned her back on him and walked into the reception area.

“Whoa. I wasn’t alone that day, or the only one responsible for what happened. If I remember right, there was a certain young girl who’d been sniffing around a young teenage boy. Not a good idea. You know, raging hormones and all.”

“I didn’t have raging hormones,” she retorted.

“Not yours. Mine.” He studied the blush on her cheeks. He, too, was remembering the day she’d let him lead her into a stall and kiss her. If one of the other ranch hands hadn’t come back early, he wondered how far he could have gone. He started to speak when Wade Dickson came out of his office and greeted them.

“Hello, Ana and Vance.” He smiled. “Please come inside.”

They went ahead of the lawyer into the adjoining room. Nothing too fancy, but there were nice comfortable chairs and a large desk. Wade had his law degree from the University of Montana hanging on the wall.

“Have a seat.” He walked around the desk and sat across from them. He opened a folder and glanced over the contents, then looked at Ana. “Are you sure your sisters can’t come home?”

“Not right away. Why?”

“I didn’t tell you everything last night. There’s a slight problem with the ranch.”

Ana slid to the edge of her chair. “What is it?”

“As you know, the Lazy S is a sizable spread.” He quoted the section amount. “Your father owns that land outright. But there’s a lot of grazing acreage that is leased from the state. And the payment is past due.”

“How is that possible?”

“Only Colt knows the answer to that.” Wade paused. “I managed to get an extension from the state, but it’s only bought us a few months to come up with the money. And if you don’t pay it, someone else gets a chance to bid on the property.”

Ana glanced at Vance. “Then we need to pay it.”

Wade looked worried. “There aren’t enough funds available.”

CHAPTER THREE

ANA’S EYES WIDENED. “What do you mean, there aren’t enough funds?”

Wade leaned back in his chair. “It means the Lazy S has had a rough few years. I just recently learned this because I’ve been notified by the State Land Leasing Board.”

Ana turned to Vance. “Why didn’t you say something?”

He was as shocked as she was. “First of all, I didn’t know anything about the lease coming due. I knew beef prices were down and that we lost several head in that big storm last winter, but...” He’d never dreamed it had been this bad.

“What do you mean, you didn’t know? You’re Dad’s foreman.”

“I may physically run the operation, but Colt funds the business account. I use that money for payroll and for the feed and supplies. Colt kept the ranch finances.”

He thought about the land that Colt had given to him a few years back. He’d planted an alfalfa crop on the acreage. It should be ready to harvest in about six weeks. That gave them the time, but would the profit be enough?

Wade broke into his thoughts. “Ana, I’ve been trying for years to get your father to diversify. He lost a lot of his savings when the market tanked a few years ago. In the past, that money had always been his cushion through the bad years.”

Ana looked pale. “What do we do now?”

Vance wished he could offer a miracle, but he wasn’t sure there was one. “Like Mr. Dickson said, we have nearly six months.” His gaze met hers. “You can’t do this on your own. I think you need to get your sisters together.”

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Vance escorted Ana out of the Dickson law office.

“You look ready to drop,” he told her.

“Gee, thanks. What every woman wants to hear.”

He ignored her comment. “When was the last time you ate?”

“I had some toast this morning. I’m just not hungry.”