Rancher For The Holidays (Love Inspired) (5 page)

Yes, better to concentrate on the Candelaria outreach than to dwell on the past—worse, to entertain unrequited feelings for Ben Fisher.

Except now he’d volunteered to help with the outreach committee. He could still back out, though, and maybe he would. If he didn’t, how would she ever stay focused?

* * *

As Ben parked the Mustang outside the garage, his uncle came around from the other side of the barn. Seeing Ben, he jogged over to the car. The crevices around his eyes were definitely from worry, not from squinting into the sun.

Ben unfolded himself from the low seat and slammed the car door. “What’s up?”

“Ruby’s down with colic. The vet’s on his way, but Jane’s gone shopping and I need help getting Ruby up and walking.”

Ruby, Uncle Steve’s favorite mare, had been around for almost as long as Ben could remember. He and Aidan had learned to ride on the gentle, patient roan, and now Ben was as worried as Uncle Steve.

When they reached Ruby’s pasture, Uncle Steve grabbed a halter and lead rope off the gate and motioned Ben to follow him. A few feet inside the gate, the horse rolled and writhed, clearly in pain. Avoiding Ruby’s lashing hooves, Steve tried to steady the horse’s head long enough for Ben to fasten the halter. With Ben tugging on the lead rope and Steve muscling against Ruby’s haunches, they urged her to her feet and got her walking around the pasture.

The vet arrived within minutes, and after examining the mare, he surmised Ruby hadn’t been drinking enough water while she grazed. Uncle Steve led Ruby into her barn stall, where the vet began treatment. A stomach tube through the horse’s nose was a little more than Ben could handle, though, so he observed from a distance.

Toting five-gallon paint cans and wrangling a colicky horse, all before lunch? Ben’s muscles felt like jelly. Spying a tack trunk against the wall, he collapsed with a groan. This was a whole different kind of tired than sitting behind a desk forty or fifty hours a week.

He hadn’t been sitting there long when the telephone rang inside the tack room. Since Uncle Steve was busy helping the vet with Ruby, Ben got up to answer the call.

It was Ernie Coutu. “Hi, Ben. We met this morning, remember?”

“Yeah, I remember.” How could he forget?

“First off, I wanted to apologize if I came on too strong.” Ernie released a self-conscious chuckle. “Marley reamed me out for it.”

“I get it. You’re just looking out for her.”

“Right. So anyway, my wife, Angela, and I are throwing burgers on the grill tonight. Marley’s coming, plus another couple from the outreach committee. I thought you might like to join us so we can all get better acquainted.”

Ben glanced toward Ruby’s stall, relieved to see the horse looking less stressed. Unlike him at the moment. “Sure, why not? Just tell me where and when.”

Ernie suggested he arrive around five thirty. “Give me your cell number and I’ll text you directions.”

While the vet finished Ruby’s treatment, Ben had another hour or so to stew about Ernie’s unexpected invitation. He heard Aunt Jane’s car drive up and went out to help her carry grocery bags into the kitchen.

When he told her he’d be having burgers at the Coutus’, she beamed. “Glad I stopped at the bakery for
kolaches
. You can take some with you to share for dessert.” She made a face. “But I strongly suggest you shower first.”

Chuckling, he went to clean up. After lunch with his uncle and aunt, he stretched out on his bed for a short nap that lasted nearly three hours. Aunt Jane woke him with just enough time to drive into Alpine.

He parked in front of the Coutus’ brick ranch-style house, and moments later Marley pulled up behind him. They stepped from their cars at the same time, and Marley nudged her door shut with one hip while juggling her purse, a bag of chips and what looked like a container of store-bought guacamole.

Answering the question in her eyes, he grinned and said, “Blame Ernie. He isn’t through analyzing my moral character.”

He shifted the plate of
kolaches
to his other hand and relieved her of the dip she was struggling with. “Let me help.”

“Thanks.” She took a step back, then nodded approvingly. “Glad to see you didn’t overdress for the occasion.”

“I’m a quick study. Figured folks around these parts wear jeans and sneakers pretty much everywhere.” Although Marley looked classy in black jeans, a paisley-print peasant top and strappy sandals.

Marley didn’t bother ringing the doorbell but showed Ben straight through to the kitchen, where they left their meal contributions on the counter. The aroma of a charcoal fire drifted through the back screen door. They stepped out to the patio, and Marley introduced Ben to Ernie’s wife, Angela.

The petite redhead rose and offered her hand. “Welcome. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Another couple, Pete and Bonnie Oldam, arrived a few minutes later, and their two kids ran off to play on the swings with the Coutus’ little girl. Angela brought more soft drinks from the cooler and the three couples sat around a glass-top patio table.

As the newcomer in the group, Ben got peppered with the usual questions about where he grew up, which college he went to and what he did for a living. Before it started feeling too much like an inquisition, he asked to hear more about the outreach ministry.

Instantly, the energy level around the table ramped up several notches. With everyone talking over each other, Ben could sit back and relax a little. At one point he realized he’d become riveted by Marley’s animated use of her hands as she described the team’s summer mission trip to Candelaria. She caught him looking at her, and with an embarrassed grin she dropped her hands into her lap.

“But that brings up another point,” Ernie said. “If we’re going to accomplish everything we want to by Christmas, we seriously need to decide on a fund-raiser.”

Pete Oldam turned to Ben. “I bet with your background in advertising, you could be a big help with fund-raising ideas.”

“Oh, no,” Ben said. “Corporate promotions are a whole different animal from charity events.”

“Besides,” Marley said, “Ben’s just visiting Alpine while he’s between jobs. I’m sure he won’t be around long enough to get involved with a fund-raiser.”

Ben’s sensitivity meter redlined again. He thought he detected a tinge of resentment in Marley’s tone. What he couldn’t figure out was why. Hadn’t he been completely up-front about his job-hunting intentions?

Angela tapped Ernie on the arm. “Sweetie, isn’t the grill about ready? We should get the burgers started.”

While Pete helped Ernie at the grill and Bonnie went inside with Angela to get the rest of the food, Ben drew Marley aside. “Am I making you uncomfortable by being here?”

“What? No, of course not.” Marley forced a laugh, then shrugged. “I have a million other things on my mind, that’s all.”

“Anything I can help with?”

She counted off on her fingers. “You’ve already bought me an expensive lunch, carried paint buckets for the mission team and propped up my business with a portrait sitting for your aunt and uncle. Oh, and carried my guacamole. For a guy just in town for some R and R, I’d say you’ve gone well beyond the call of duty.”

The breeze picked up suddenly, sending smoke in their direction. Coughing and fanning their faces, they stepped apart. Marley excused herself to help the ladies with the food, and Ben tried to look as if he knew something about grilling burgers. He’d certainly burned his share on his patio hibachi back in Houston.

Hanging out with the guys, though, with the kids romping on the lawn and the tempting aroma of sizzling beef in the air, made him miss similar times with his dad, brother and nephews. Would he ever get to experience the simple pleasures of family life for himself? Certainly not as long as everything revolved around his career.

But he had to make a living, didn’t he? Raising a family these days wasn’t cheap. Someday, when he’d saved enough, then maybe he’d be ready to settle down.

Chapter Five

A
fter worship on Sunday, Marley hurried home to change into jeans and sneakers. She whipped up a berry smoothie for lunch and sipped it from an acrylic travel tumbler as she drove over to her studio. Letting herself in the back door, she made a quick stop in the darkroom to admire the wedding proofs she’d developed yesterday afternoon before going over to the Coutus’. Somehow she always needed to convince herself her pictures were as good as she first thought.

“Oh, yeah.” Marley nodded as she studied the play of light and shadow in a black-and-white shot of the bride beneath a latticework arbor, a dreamy look in her eyes as if her sweetheart was just out of camera range. And he was, wisecracking until neither Marley nor the bride could keep from laughing out loud!

Yes, this shot was a keeper, definitely wall-worthy. Marley made a mental note to frame an enlargement and display it prominently out front.

As she closed the darkroom door, a sardonic smile curled her lips. Always the photographer, never the bride. Would she ever find the hero of her own love story?

Thoughts of Ben ran through her mind. There were so many reasons she shouldn’t give in to their attraction—and the fact that he didn’t plan to stay in Alpine was the least of them. Ernie had made a valid point yesterday about Ben’s apparent issues with God and the church. Marley had struggled too long in her own faith walk to risk involvement with someone whose belief in the Lord wasn’t as solid as hers.

But the biggest problem? Getting involved meant eventually having to be honest about her past, because in Marley’s book, no relationship could survive for long without complete transparency. She’d seen firsthand how her father’s facade of power and success had all but destroyed her parents’ marriage.

She’d also witnessed the strength and stability of relationships like that of Healy and Valerie Ferguson, the couple back in Missouri who had mentored her during her last stint in juvenile detention. They’d helped Marley come to terms with her responsibility for the car accident that had injured her friend Tina so badly that she’d been in rehab for months. It was the Fergusons’ encouragement and prayers that had gotten Marley through those dark days and made her determined to change.

Yes, Healy and Valerie had the kind of marriage Marley dreamed of, a relationship built on trust, fidelity and unconditional love. But it wouldn’t happen until she met the man who would accept her completely—past, present and future.

Maybe it was Ben, maybe not. Only God held the answers. Time to stop daydreaming, gather up her cameras and lighting equipment and get this photo shoot under way.

Twenty minutes later, she was on the road to the Whitlows’ ranch. With every mile that passed, her anticipation grew, along with her annoyance over letting a handsome, charming guy like Ben Fisher burrow under her skin so easily.

Around the next bend, Marley glimpsed the broad, wrought-iron ranch gate, the Whitlow name arching over the entrance and bordered by two copper-colored Texas stars. On a whim, she stopped the car outside the gate and reached for her digital camera. Stepping to the gravel shoulder, she snapped several pictures, using the gateposts to frame the rolling pastureland beyond. In one shot, she captured a mare and her foal cavorting in the long grass. Maybe she’d include these photos in a memory album along with the portraits she took of Steve and Jane today.

Back in the Honda, she continued up the lane to the circle drive in front of the ranch house.

As she climbed from the car, Ben appeared on the front porch. “Need any help?”

“Would you grab a couple of the equipment bags from the trunk?” Marley popped the latch, then added with a teasing grin, “Provided you’re not too sore from hauling paint buckets and guacamole.”

“Yeah, it was the guacamole that did it.” Gritting his teeth, he massaged one shoulder. “Maybe I’d better get my wheelchair.”

Marley laughed and handed up one of the lighter bags. “Here, I think you can handle this one without hurting yourself.”

He set it by the front door and then trotted down the porch steps, meeting Marley behind her car. “Last night was fun. I enjoyed getting to know your friends, especially when Ernie wasn’t giving me the third degree.”

Cringing, Marley grinned up at him. “Ernie’s just a good friend who thinks it’s his business to look out for me.”

“So I gathered.” Ben reached into the trunk and looped his arm through a bag strap. “Any particular place you want this stuff?”

Marley glanced around. “Why don’t we start on the front porch? I really like the view.”

“Pretty spectacular, isn’t it?” Ben’s gaze shifted suddenly from Marley’s face to the horizon, and he cleared his throat.

With a self-conscious gulp, she reached for another bag and followed Ben to the porch. “We should probably get started. If you’ll bring Steve and Jane out, I’ll set up my equipment.”

Ben nodded and went inside. In the meantime, Marley arranged her camera tripod and light stands for reflectors. A few minutes later, Ben returned with his aunt and uncle.

“Oh, Marley,” Jane gushed, “I’ve been flighty as a nervous hen all day. Still can’t believe we’re doing this!”

“You look gorgeous—love the new haircut. Thought we’d start with you two on the porch swing.” As the couple moved toward the swing, Marley touched a finger to her lips as she pondered how best to pose them.

Immersed in her work, she easily pushed all other thoughts from her mind. After taking several photos on the front porch, she moved everything inside and staged some shots near the fireplace. When Marley felt she’d captured the best portrait poses, she invited the Whitlows to pretend they were showing a stranger around the ranch, while she continued snapping candid photos of the couple in various settings.

Finishing up outside the barn, Marley shut off her camera and capped the lens. “That should be plenty for me to work with. I’ll have proofs ready for you by the end of the week.”

“Hang on,” Ben interjected. “I’ve got one more idea for some really good pictures.”

Marley narrowed her eyes. “Here we go again, the amateur giving advice to the pro.”

“No, seriously. If you really want to capture Uncle Steve and Aunt Jane in their element, you have to get some shots of them on horseback.” Ben motioned toward the barn.

Marley turned to Jane with an obliging smile. “It’s totally up to you.”

Jane shared a glance with her husband. “You know, we could all ride up to the ridge where those fall wildflowers are growing.”

“Wait—
ride
out there? On horseback?” Marley shook her head. “I don’t ride.”

All three of them—Steve, Jane and Ben—stared at her as if she’d grown another head.

Ben raised his brows and blinked. “You’ve lived in Texas for ten years and you don’t ride?”

“That settles it,” Steve said. “Today’s your first lesson. Ben, help me saddle up Dancer. He’ll give our greenhorn the smoothest ride.”

Jane clucked her tongue. “Not in your good clothes! We should all go change first. Marley, are you okay riding in those jeans?”

“Uh...” Surely there was a graceful way out of this.

“Now, don’t you worry about a thing, honey.” Jane offered a reassuring pat to Marley’s arm. “Dancer’s gentle as a puppy. He’ll take real good care of you.”

Yes, but puppies were small and cuddly. Horses were...big. Marley forced her mouth into a semblance of a smile. “I should pack up some of my equipment.”

And maybe by then they’d forget about putting her on a horse and she could quietly slip away.

One hand on Ben’s shoulder, Steve turned toward the barn. “Pour us some sweet tea, hon. We could all use a cool drink before we ride. Be right in soon as I check on Ruby one more time.”

Ben caught Marley’s eye and mouthed
sorry
, but the laughter in his eyes said he wasn’t a bit sorry for wrangling her into a horseback ride.

Nerves tingling, Marley swallowed. “We won’t be too long, will we? I have a few things to take care of back in town.”

“Not long at all. It’s just a short ride out to the ridge.” Arm tucked around Marley’s waist, Jane guided her across the back lawn. “Honestly, I don’t know how you do all you do, sweetie. Manage your studio, teach classes, serve on your church’s outreach committee.”

“Staying busy keeps me out of trouble.” Her light laugh belied the deeper truth to her statement. Too bad she hadn’t learned that lesson as a teenager.

In the kitchen, Jane nudged Marley to a chair at the oak table. “Take a load off for a minute while I get the tea. I’m sure glad you’re getting Ben involved with the Candelaria ministry. It’ll be so good for him. You’re going back at Christmas, right?”

“That’s the plan.” Marley pursed her lips. “I’d hate to think Ben feels any pressure about helping on our committee. Anyway, I’m sure he’ll find another job soon.”

“If he does, he does.” Jane set a glass of tea in front of Marley and lowered her voice. “But between you and me, I’d be mighty happy to see our boy get out of the corporate rat race and settle down right here in Alpine.”

Marley couldn’t think of an appropriate response, so she gulped some tea. Time to get her camera gear packed and stowed so she could make a quick getaway after she made a complete fool of herself on horseback.

* * *

“She sure looks better than yesterday.” Ben reached over the stall gate to scratch Ruby behind the ear. The horse rewarded him with a whinny.

“Couple days’ rest and she’ll be good as new.” Uncle Steve tossed a flake of hay into the next stall for Dancer, a gray gelding with reddish speckles in his coat. “Man, I was glad you drove up yesterday when you did. Couldn’t have handled our old girl without you. You’re a natural, Ben.”

“Natural at doing what I’m told.” Ben laughed. “And I do remember how you always bossed Aidan and me around when we came out for summer vacations.”

“Hey, you calling me bossy?” Uncle Steve shot Ben a mock glare.

Ben grinned back. “If the boot fits.”

“Well, for a couple of self-proclaimed city boys, y’all sure acted like you were having fun.”

“Tagging along, helping with the livestock, pretending we were real cowboys? Yeah, it was a lot of fun.”

Uncle Steve arched a brow and clapped Ben on the shoulder. “Like I’ve been saying, country life suits you.”

Biting his tongue, Ben shrugged. He couldn’t even pretend he didn’t enjoy being at the ranch, and pitching in with ranch chores definitely provided a refreshing change from office work. But it couldn’t go on forever. Eventually, Ben needed to return to the real world.

Along with a real paycheck.

After changing into a scruffier pair of jeans and the well-worn hand-me-down boots his uncle had given him a few days ago, Ben caught up with Marley as she carried a few things out to her car. “You’re not mad, are you? This’ll be fun, I promise.”

“The kind of fun where I’ll be walking funny for the next week?” She shifted a canvas zipper bag to make room in the trunk for a camera case. “Look, I know I’ve been merciless with the city-boy stuff. But the truth is, I grew up in a large metropolitan area just like you did. Being around horses and cows and other big hairy beasts isn’t exactly in my comfort zone.”

The vulnerable look in her eyes tugged at something deep inside Ben’s chest. He shook it off and hefted another of her bags into the trunk, then closed the lid. “If it makes you feel any better, I hadn’t been on a horse since the last time I came for a visit, which was longer ago than it should have been, so I was walking funny my whole first week in Alpine.”

“Uh-huh. I
definitely
feel better now.” Marley slanted him a sardonic frown.

Ben laughed. “Come on, let’s go introduce you to one of those ‘big hairy beasts.’”

In the barn, Uncle Steve already had Dancer in the cross ties. Shifting a black sport saddle higher on the gray gelding’s withers, he grinned at Marley. “Our most comfortable tack on the gentlest horse, all for you.”

Marley timidly stretched out her hand for Dancer to sniff. “I’m hoping his name isn’t any indication of what I can expect on the trail.”

Ben and his uncle exchanged grins, and then Ben explained, “He got the name because Aunt Jane says his canter is as smooth as one of those Viennese waltzes they do on
Dancing with the Stars
.”

“Canter?” Marley shuffled backward, right into Ben’s chest.

Ben grabbed her by the elbows to help her regain her balance. He covered the awkwardness of the moment with a weak chuckle. Why did she have to be so enchantingly cute? “Don’t panic. No cantering until you’re ready.”

“Let’s just keep it at a walk. A
slow
walk. Standing still would be even better.”

Aunt Jane came out a few minutes later, and soon they had four horses saddled and ready. With Ben on one side and Uncle Steve on the other, they helped Marley climb onto Dancer’s back and adjusted her stirrups. When Ben handed up her camera, she looped the strap over her neck with one hand while gripping the pommel with the other.

“Just be glad you’re not riding Prancer,” Ben said, nodding toward Uncle Steve’s horse, Dancer’s nearly identical brother. “He definitely lives up to his name.”

With Aunt Jane mounted on Snow, her white Arabian mare, Ben cast Marley another reassuring smile before climbing on Skeeter, a tall Palomino gelding. Uncle Steve took the lead and they set out for the ridge.

The trail led through acres of Whitlow ranch land, a panorama of rolling hills tufted with hardy desert grasses, cacti and a variety of low-growing shrubs and trees. Ben enjoyed watching Marley’s death grip on the pommel slowly relax as the spectacular scenery captured her attention.

When they reached the ridge, arrayed in white, gold and purple wildflowers Ben couldn’t even begin to name, Marley sighed in wonder. “It’s gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.”

They sat on their horses for several minutes just taking in the view, until Ben nudged Skeeter closer to Marley on Dancer and murmured, “You’re not wearing that camera for decoration, are you?”

Her mouth formed a perfect O before her eyebrows shot up and she gave an embarrassed laugh. After some careful positioning for lighting and background, and with some help from Ben to keep Dancer steady, she snapped several more pictures of Steve and Jane.