A Rancher To Love

God, he hoped he figured out how to communicate with her soon. It was like living with a child who’d very nearly taken a vow of silence.

Maddie kept her sandwich wrapped as he drove toward town, but she did seem to be interested in the countryside. She sat up straight in the booster seat he’d gotten her.

He pointed across a field. “The couple who live in that house raise little horses. They’re only about as tall as you. Maybe we can go and see them sometime. Would you like that?”

Maddie hesitated for a minute but then nodded.

Okay, that was a tiny positive step. He wanted to ask her why she didn’t speak any more than she did, but he hoped waiting and being kind to her would lead to her speaking on her own. Maybe starting school next month would help. She’d be around other kids her age, at her level. He just crossed his fingers that the experience didn’t freak her out too much, the way it had Kendra when she’d started school. The school had called his mom because Kendra wouldn’t stop crying. It had taken what seemed like forever to his eight-year-old mind for his sister to stop bawling like a baby at school.

As they continued into town and then down Main Street, Maddie seemed to soak up all the sights. The people on the sidewalks, the displays in the windows, everything. There was a curious little girl in there if he could just figure out a way to get her to come out.

He spotted the small ice-cream stand that sat near the lake. Every kid liked ice cream, right?

“Hey, would you like an ice-cream cone?”

Maddie looked at him and he could tell from the bright look in her eyes that she wanted to say yes.

“I think I’ll have one, too. I like peach flavor. What do you like?”

“Strawberry.” Her response was almost a whisper, but at least it was something.

“Strawberry, good choice.”

They waited in line behind a small group of women who, judging by the bags they held, were in town for a day of shopping. When it was his and Maddie’s turn, he placed the order.

“This must be your niece.”

He turned at the sound and saw Verona Charles with her own niece, Elissa Kayne. “Yes, this is Maddie.”

Verona smiled as she leaned down to eye level with Maddie. “Well, aren’t you just the prettiest little thing.”

Maddie remained quiet, and he sensed that part of her wanted to take a step away from the other woman. Too many new people coming into her life too quickly.

“It’s nice to meet you, Maddie,” Elissa said, speaking to her in a normal adult tone, not that cutesy kid voice most people used.

“You, too.” Two whole words. Progress.

Tyler met Elissa’s gaze, and he saw the questions there. But she was kind enough not to pry. No doubt the whole county had heard how Kendra had abandoned her daughter. He really hoped that knowledge didn’t trickle down to any of the kids who would be Maddie’s classmates because kids could be cruel to each other. And even though he didn’t know the specifics, he knew in his gut that Maddie had been through enough.

When their ice cream was handed through the window, he grabbed them and extended Maddie’s to her. She immediately took an enthusiastic lick, making him smile.

“She’s got the right idea,” Verona said. “Give me a double scoop of strawberry.”

As Verona started to turn toward him, he said, “We better be off. Work calls.”

The thing about living in a small town and everyone knowing your business was that you knew theirs, as well. And the mission in life for Verona Charles was to make sure she paired up every single person within a twenty-mile radius of Blue Falls. No, thank you. If he ever got married, it would be to a woman of his choosing with no outside prompting. But right now marriage was the furthest thing from his mind, although the thought had flitted through his noggin more than once that maybe having a wife would make Maddie’s transition easier.

But he wasn’t even dating anyone, so he’d have to figure this out on his own.

As he drove toward the ranch where he’d be working this afternoon, he let his thoughts wander over ways to up his income. He got along fine by himself plying his trade as a farrier and running a small herd of cattle. But things had changed the moment Maddie had become his responsibility. He supposed he could advertise his farrier services farther out from Blue Falls, but he figured most people with horses in the area already knew about him.

Maybe he’d get lucky and someone would rent the bunkhouse. The rental notice he’d put up on the community bulletin board at the Primrose Café had been up less than twenty-four hours, but he kept hoping it would bear fruit.

The bunkhouse had sat unused other than for some storage for years, so it made sense to try to make it generate some income. It wasn’t fancy, but it was sturdy and had a good roof.

Sure, he’d have to deal with someone else coming and going from the ranch, but it seemed the most expedient way of getting what he needed for his niece now and for however long she was with him. Kendra hadn’t said when she’d be back for her daughter, and Tyler wasn’t sure his sister would even remember she had a child. He knew one thing for sure. No way was Maddie going with her mother unless he was convinced Kendra had gotten her act together and was clean.

He glanced over at Maddie as she licked her ice cream. He might feel like a clueless wonder regarding how to interact with her, but there was no denying he’d do whatever he had to in order to protect her and give her what she needed, two things he feared his sister hadn’t done in a long time.

Just as he parked next to the barn where he’d be working the next couple of hours, his phone rang. When he answered, Conner Murphy was on the other end of the call.

“I saw where your bunkhouse is for rent,” Conner said. “Is it still available?”

“It is. You looking to move out of town?”

“No, it’s for my cousin Leah.”

Now that he had an actual bite on the bunkhouse, Tyler experienced a moment of doubt about having someone else on his land. But he glanced over at Maddie and thought about how much easier it would be to provide for her with extra income. He had the feeling she had wanted for a lot in her young life, and he didn’t want that to continue while she was under his roof.

After he and Conner discussed a few particulars, they set a time for Leah Murphy to come see the bunkhouse.

Tyler knew nothing about Conner’s cousin, but because of Maddie he felt better about possibly having a woman living next door than a man. He just hoped he was making the right decision about having anyone there at all. Though Maddie would likely have little or no interaction with his tenant, it was still another change. And the way he saw things, he and Maddie had both had enough changes for a good long while.

Chapter Two (#ulink_65ebbbe9-3d17-5889-b246-afd4e54b1749)

Leah’s stomach churned at what suddenly felt like a ride on a runaway roller coaster. She hadn’t expected to find a potential new home so soon. If she were honest, she’d hoped it would take a while, time during which she could prepare herself for living alone again. Having to face that less than an hour after arriving in Blue Falls hadn’t remotely been part of her plan.

Leah knew she should be thankful, should take this as a sign that her decision to move to Blue Falls was the right one. Besides, there was no guarantee waiting longer would make the transition any easier. And the truth was that even if Conner’s place wasn’t currently uninhabitable, it was too small for two people who weren’t a couple and didn’t mind the close quarters.

“Tyler said he wouldn’t be home for a couple of hours, so what do you say we go grab something to eat?”

Leah didn’t feel much like eating, but what else was she going to do to pass the time? Attempting to eat and talking with her cousin sure sounded better than sitting around waiting and allowing her anxiety to grow.

“You can’t beat that for timing,” Conner said as they headed down the street to the Primrose Café. “And Tyler’s a good guy.”

But a guy nonetheless.

Not wanting to appear ungrateful for Conner’s understanding and willingness to jump right in to help her, she gave him a smile. “Thank you.”

“That’s what awesome cousins are for.”

Her smile grew into a genuine one. She appreciated his levity.

Somehow she made it through the meal, managing to say the appropriate things at the appropriate times, both to Conner and all the friendly locals. By the time Conner had to head back to work, she was thankful for the blessed quiet of her car. When she slipped into the driver’s seat, she simply sat for several minutes, watching the comings and goings of the people who were going to be her new neighbors.

Using her phone, she pulled up a map of Tyler Lowe’s address. Conner had told her the bunkhouse wasn’t far from Lowe’s house. He’d shared that fact in a tone that meant he thought that would assure her, but once again her stomach twisted into knots.

Lowe’s ranch was a few miles out of town. Sure, she’d wanted peace and quiet, but would being out that far alone be even more frightening than what she’d left behind? If someone attacked her there, would there be anyone close by to hear her scream?