Authors: Hope Navarre
He conducted his business in the rodeo office, which took about fifteen minutes longer than it should have, and got into the concession line.
People stopped and said hello as he waited, congratulating him on his runâstill the winning timeâand Ryan chatted with a few of them even though he wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of there. He'd just made it to the counter and was about to give his order when a collective gasp went up from the crowd, followed by silence. The nasty kind of silence that indicated something bad had just happened. Ryan's gut tightened as he waited for the hubbub that would erupt when the injured cowboy got back to his feet. The crowd remained stubbornly silent.
“Oh, no,” the elderly lady in the booth gasped, craning her neck to see, but the solid gate panels blocked the view.
“Our medical team is on the scene, taking a look at this cowboy,” the announcer finally said in a reassuring voice. “As you know, these guys are the best in the business.” The ambulance rolled past the concession stand then, and the wide arena gate swung open to give access. The lady gasped again and Ryan instantly understood why.
The sorrel horse with the distinctive white spot on his side standing near the crouched group surrounding the downed cowboy belonged to the crowd favorite.
His brother. Matt Montoya.
* * *
J
UST
WHEN
E
LLIE
was beginning to think the dusty single-track road was never going to end, she rounded a corner and a rustic ranch spread out in front of her in postcardlike perfection. She pulled her leased Land Rover to a halt, taking in the large red barn and several smaller outbuildings on the edge of green fields. The single-story, shake-roofed house with a porch surrounding it on three sides nestled close to a stand of evergreen trees. Cows and horses grazed in the pastures and a pair of large birds flew in lazy circles over the pond at the edge of one of the fields.
Milo had bought the place eight months ago and since then had spent a grand total of one week there, shortly after the purchase, but didn't seem to be able to stop talking about “his ranch” to anyone who would listen. Now Ellie understood why. It was gorgeous.
Gorgeous and really, really close.
After fifteen hours of travel Ellie was more than ready for a hot bath and a bed. Ten minutes later she parked at the end of the flagstone walk, not liking the fact that the place felt as deserted up close as it had appeared from a distance. Had Angela or Milo told the staff she'd be arriving? A question Ellie hadn't thought to ask. Ellie, who always thought of everything.
She'd been rattled lately. Disorganized. Not herself.
Ellie rang the bell. After the second ring she knocked, then, after a suitable amount of time, tried the handle. Locked. Okay. She set down her handbag and stood for a moment, hands on hips, surveying the ranch, watching for some sign of movement around the barn and outbuildings. Nothing.
Great. Her feet hurt and the small of her back ached from sitting for too long and she wanted to get inside. Now.
She started walking around the house, her heels clunking hollowly on the wooden porch, looking for another way in and wondering if she was going to have to call Angela to get the number of the caretaker. She tried the side entrance, the back entrance, the sliding door. No luck. She'd just pulled her phone from her jacket pocket when she heard the sound of an engine.
Salvation.
Ellie rounded the corner of the house in time to see a woman with long dark hair scramble out of the open Jeep.
“Miss Bradworth?” she called as she strode up the walk, her long flannel shirt flapping loosely over very worn jeans.
“Hunter,” Ellie called back. “Mrs. Bradworth is my aunt.”
“Oh.” The woman quickly crossed the distance between them, taking the porch steps two at a time. “Sorry about the wait. I didn't know you were coming until half an hour ago.”
“Really?” How was that possible?
The woman held out a wad of keys and then, after Ellie automatically took them, shoved her hands into her back pockets. “I was in town when Walt called and got here as quickly as I could. I hope you haven't waited for too long.”
There was nothing about the woman's tone that was impolite, but there was nothing that was particularly friendly, either. Ellie felt rather like an interloper. Well, she was an interloper related to the owner of this place.
“Thanks for hurrying,” Ellie said, holding out her free hand. “Ms....”
“Garcia. Jessie Garcia.” Jessie met her gaze directly as they shook hands and Ellie was struck by how really gorgeous the woman was, with high cheekbones and amazing dark eyes.
“I'm Ellison Hunter. Milo and Angela's niece.”
“Will you be staying long?”
“My stay is open-ended.”
Jessie pulled her mouth into a polite smile, yet Ellie sensed she was not pleased with the answer. Why?
Probably because life was easier when the staff had the place to themselves.
“I hope you enjoy your time here,” Jessie said coolly.
“I'm sure I will.”
“There's no fresh food in the house, but you should be able to find some things in the freezer and pantry.”
“Thanks.”
Jessie smiled slightly then started back down the steps.
“Excuse me,” Ellie called, waiting for the woman to turn back before she said, “How can I get hold of Mr. Feldman?”
“Walt?” A shadow crossed Jessie's face. “It's Sunday.”
“Yes.”
“It's his day off.”
“I see. And after that?”
“I'll have him give you a call. Okay?”
“Thank you.”
Ellie had the distinct impression that Jessie wanted to escape and was getting annoyed at the prolonged conversation, but her tone was courteous when she said, “Anything else?”
I want to meet with the staff....
But she'd pass that along through Mr. Feldman when they got a chance to talk. “Not right now.”
“Well, have a good one.”
The woman climbed into the Jeep. It coughed once, then the engine caught and roared to life. Jessie raised a hand then turned the Jeep into a tight U and sped back down the road in the direction from which she'd come.
Ellie held up the ring of nine keys, frowned a little and then picked one at random. Surprisingly, it slid into the lock and the mechanism clicked open. A bed and a bath awaited.
Maybe her luck was changing for the better.
CHAPTER TWO
R
YAN
HAD
HAD
his share of knocks in life, but he was having a hard time recalling a day where he'd had two big emotional wallops back-to-back like this.
Right now he had no idea where his father was, what he was doing or thinking or planningâalthough it had better not involve his motherâbut he knew exactly where his brother was: lying in a hospital with a career-ending crushed leg. Ryan was more shaken by the accident than he wanted to admit.
For almost two decades, Matt had been his fiercest roping competition, and for fifteen of those years, he'd known they were half brothers, thanks to a painful heart-to-heart with his mother after that fistfight in the rodeo grounds' john. That conversation had explained why Matt hated him so muchâbecause he existed.
Well, Ryan was pissed at the situation himself. They shared a father, but Matt had been the son with a father in residence. Matt had been the son with the fancy horses and trucks and trailers. He'd enjoyed the kind of easy, charmed career that money made possibleâright up until a few hours ago when that charmed career had come to a screeching halt, leaving the way wide open for Ryan to take his place in the National Finals.
Ryan didn't feel good about that at all. The short visit to his highly doped-up brother in the hospital before he'd started the drive home hadn't helped. All Matt had been concerned about was that Ryan not call his mother.
As if.
He needed a tall beer and about ten hours of sleep. Then maybe he'd be in better condition to deal with all the shit that had gone down today.
He turned down the two-mile-long driveway leading to the Rocky View Ranch, where he'd lived and worked since graduating high school. At one time, back in his great-grandfather's day, the ranch had encompassed more than two sections and employed a dozen people. Most of the hands had lived in the bunkhouse, but there were two staff houses with their own corrals and outbuildings located half a mile from the main house, which gave the residents some privacy. The ranch manager and his family had lived in one house and the rural schoolteacher had stayed in the other for nine months out of the year.
Now the ranch was smaller by a section, the school had been bulldozed thirty years ago, and Ryan's friends and coworkers, Jessie and Francisco Garcia, lived in the schoolteacher's house. Walt Feldman, who'd owned the place up until a year ago, lived in the manager's place next door. Most of the time, he was okay with that.
Most of the time.
Ryan still lived in the small three-room homestead house behind the barn on the main ranch that he'd moved into the week after graduating college with his degree in range management. It was hot in summer, cold in winter, way too cramped and right now he wanted to get there like nobody's business.
Jessie and Francisco's place came into view, lit to the max. Walt's house, an eighth of a mile away, was dark. Ryan had barely registered how much he didn't like that when Jessie stepped out of her house and waved frantically at him before trotting down the steps as he slowed to a stop.
“We have a problem,” she said as soon as he rolled the window down. “One of the family is at the house. She came this afternoon. Walt didn't even tell me until she was already on the property. He called me from town and I was lucky to get the keys down to her.”
Well, shit.
“Do I need to go looking for him?” he asked.
Jessie shook her head. “Francisco called just a few minutes ago. No surprise that he found him in a bar, but I'm afraid if he brings him back here, Walt might try to go to the house. Scare the lady...get himself fired.”
Ryan pressed his fingertips to his forehead. It'd been one long friggin day and he'd been looking forward to that beer and some sleep.
“All right,” he said just as a loud “Ma-a-a” sounded from inside the small house. Jessie ignored her son's plaintive call, her dark eyes holding on Ryan's face as she waited for him to tell her how they'd handle the situation. One thing was for certain: he didn't want Walt anywhere near the main house while he was drunk. Sometimes Walt didn't remember who owned the placeâor that he'd basically been sold with the ranch, along with the rest of them. Once, Ryan had found him asleep in the master bedroom after one of his benders. That would never do while the family was in residence.
“Ma-a-a!” Four-year-old Jeffrey stepped out onto the porch holding his bear by one ear. “I
need
you!”
“Sounds like you're needed,” Ryan said as Bella and Emmie toddled out onto the porch behind their brother, one taking hold of Jeff's bear, the other his shirtsleeve, before they simultaneously put their thumbs in their mouths. “I'll take care of things and see that Francisco gets back home.”
“Thanks, Ry. It's bath night.”
Jessie stepped back and Ryan put the truck into low gear, easing the horse trailer forward as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He punched the number three with his thumb and Francisco answered almost immediately.
“Found him.”
“Drive him to my mom's,” Ryan said. Lydia would keep Walt contained until he sobered up. “I'll take it from there.”
“If I can get him into the truck. He can barely walk.”
“Want me to call Mitch?” Ryan asked. His bull-riding friend had helped contain Walt on a previous occasion.
“I'll get someone here at the bar to help me.”
“All right,” Ryan said. “Let me know if you have any trouble.” As soon as he hung up, he punched his mother's number and explained the situation.
Lydia Madison responded with a heavy sigh, which Ryan read more as resignation than annoyance. “The extra room's ready for him.”
“Want me to come back to town, help you with him? He's upset about the new owners coming to stay at his house.”
“Get some sleep,” Lydia said. “He'll be okay in the morning. I'll feed him some ham and eggs, keep him here until you or Francisco can come and get him.”
“I'll see you then,” Ryan replied. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Get some sleep!”
He'd do his best because tomorrow was probably going to be one hell of a day. The owners would undoubtedly want to talk to Waltâthey always didâand Ryan needed to make sure the guy was in decent shape for the meeting, which was never an easy task.
The hell of it was that he had no idea how long the owners planned to stay, and he was only going to be on the ranch for a few days before he had to leave again for the next rodeo halfway across the state. He didn't want to add more to Jessie and Francisco's workload, but the chances of Walt coming to terms with his demons by the weekend bordered on nonexistent.
Sometimes he wondered if the old man was ever going to get over having to sell the ranch. Would ever forgive himself for overextending, borrowing recklessly and then having it all come crashing down on him during a perfect storm of drought, wildfire and recession.
Enter the rich people.
If there'd been any way for Walt to support himself other than staying on as manager, Ryan would have quit and gone with him. But no one wanted to take on a seventy-year-old cowboy who'd lived on only one property for his entire lifeâa guy whose management methods had been behind the times until recently, which hadn't helped when he'd started to get into trouble.
Walt blamed only the times.
Ryan never argued with him, though he had cause. Walt had been the closest thing to a real father he'd had.
Ryan rounded the last corner before the main house and, sure enough, the lights were on...seemingly all of the lights. The house was long and low, with a roofed porch on three sides. Walt's grandfather had built the place and his father had added on. It was spacious and comfortable and Walt had always been so proud of his houseâso of course Mrs. Bradworth had plans to gut the place before they took up permanent residence.
If
they took up permanent residence. And lasted. Most rich transplants stayed an average of five years before the brutal Montana winters convinced them to use their hobby ranches as summer getaways and hunting camps.
Ryan rolled to a stop next to the barn. He'd already grained PJ and rubbed him down before starting the long trip home, so all he had to do was unload him and put him out into the pasture with his buddies before collapsing onto the sofa with a beer. Maybe get that sleep his mom had spoken of.
Ryan waved the horses back and led the big gelding through the gate and released him. PJ put his nose down, blew at the grass then ambled off as Ryan coiled the lead rope.
Normally he would have left the truck right where he'd parked it, but not tonight. The Bradworths had requested that there be no parked equipment in sight while they were in residence, and since Mrs. Bradworth was a bit of a stickler for rules, he didn't want to do anything to set her offâeven if he'd probably have the truck moved by the time she rolled out of bed. During the week they'd stayed, shortly after purchasing the place and saving Walt's financial ass, he'd never known them to show signs of life before 9:00 a.m.
Ryan parked behind the barn, with only the nose of his truck offending the Bradworths' view. He walked toward his dark house, his steps slowing before mounting the one step leading onto his porch as he caught sight of a shadow moving across the curtained bay window of the main house. A second later the shadow, obviously female, crossed again, going in the opposite direction.
Ryan stopped at his porch and stood, the rope and halter hanging from one hand, watching as the shadow moved back and forth. Back and forth.
He had a bad feeling about this.
A pacing woman was never a good sign.
* * *
T
HE
SOUND
OF
the engine, followed a few minutes later by the hollow clang of a metal horse-trailer door opening, had come as a welcome relief after hours of silence. Less than five minutes after the truck had pulled in, the night was once again quiet, but Ellie felt better knowing that there was another human being within shouting range. She'd thought she'd been prepared for isolation when she'd embarked on this trip, but she hadn't realized just
how
isolated she would feel in the big house surrounded by nothing but trees and fields and strange noises. The satellite TV wasn't hooked up yet, so she had nothing to watch. The internet service was also disconnected, and her phone only worked in certain parts of the house.
Alone.
With her thoughts.
But worse than being alone, she felt disoriented. Unfocused. The only other time in her life when she'd felt this unsettled had been when her mother had dropped her off at boarding school with the clipped assurance that she'd like it there and she would make friends. Her mother had been right. She'd met Kate and bonded within a matter of days, but here she didn't foresee any bonding occurringânot unless Jessie Garcia turned out to be a lot friendlier than she first appeared.
You didn't come to the ranch to bond. You came to get a grip.
But here she was in her new sanctuary, where she'd assumed that the peace of the surroundings, the distance between her and Nickâthe now happily married father of her babyâwould give her some perspective, yet she felt exactly the same in a different environment. Angry, scared, unfocused.
The situation still seemed unreal. And the baby who had so disrupted her life seemed equally unreal. So far she'd had no symptoms of pregnancy other than sore breasts, but she'd been assured that the baby was real by trained medical personnel. Twice.
When would it
feel
real?
Soon, she assured herself. Everything would fall into place and she'd know what to do. She just had to acclimate to her new surroundings and then make a plan. Once she had a plan, she would feel better. More grounded and able to make decisions about the next steps in her life.
But her brain wasn't listening and her thoughts continued to tumble over one another.
When she couldn't focus, Ellie moved, but there was no treadmill at the ranch, so she couldn't run until she was exhausted as she'd sometimes done in her town house when work pressures got to her. She ended up walking the floor, focusing on making slow, even steps, clearing her mind, ordering her thoughts.
The house was sparsely furnished, so pacing was easyâshe probably could have jogged if she'd wanted to. When Milo had bought the ranch, the owner had become the manager and had moved his belongings to the small staff house that Ellie had passed on her drive in. Angela had bought some bare-bones furniture to see them through their first visitâbare bones to Angela anyway: two expensive leather chairs, a pecan dining-room set, a bureau and a bed with a wrought-iron headboard for each bedroom. Most of the linens were still in their original wrappers and the towels had price tags on them. Angela was no cook, so the kitchen was also bare bonesâto the point that Ellie wondered how'd they'd eaten during their stay. There was, after all, no takeout close by.
Earlier in the day Ellie had busied herself making the bed, taking an inventory of her food supply, familiarizing herself with her deserted surroundings, although she didn't stray too far from the house and its untended yards. Frankly, she'd expected the house to be prepared for her when she arrivedâand was certain that Angela had, tooâbut something had gone awry. She could live with that. People made mistakes. The lack of communication between Mr. Feldman and Jessie might have an easy explanation. She hoped it did. There was still no ranch staff to be found, but as Jessie had said, it was Sunday.
After eating a dinner of canned soup, she'd tackled the office, the one place that had been left fairly intact after the owner had moved out, hoping to find employment records that Milo had thought might be thereâor any records that she understoodâto help fill the evening hours. No luck. And then once night had fallen, she'd pulled the curtains and sat in one of the leather chairs and stared out across the room. The silence had almost hurt her ears. She'd tried reading on her phone; listening to music. Nothing helped with the thoughts jumbling on top of one another, so finally she'd resorted to pacing.