The Rancher's Prospect (21 page)

On the other hand, if she turned him away now, she'd lose him anyway.

“What are you thinking?” Carl asked.

“Just that there may be worse things than knowing the person you love is doing a dangerous job. Not that it's something I'd enjoy. No one would.”

“No, but as you've said, I wouldn't want to be with someone who didn't care enough to be concerned.”

“Right,” she agreed slowly. “And I couldn't promise I wouldn't freak out about it sometimes.”

He chuckled and began to look more hopeful. Still, his career wasn't their only problem, as Lauren knew too well.

“Wh-what about the rest of it?” she asked. “Wouldn't you rather be with someone who isn't so afraid of everything?”

“Only idiots don't get scared. It's what you do with it that counts. But I
would
want you to trust me enough to argue with me. Do you think you could ever do that?”

Lauren caught her breath. Trust. That was the thing she needed, to trust that he'd never push her away or leave. To trust that he'd never get petty and pull the tricks her parents had pulled on each other...to trust that he'd keep on loving her, no matter what. To know there was a line that neither of them would ever cross, because you didn't do that to someone you loved.

“I believe in you,” he added. “More than I can say.”

“And I believe in you,” she choked out through the emotions clogging her throat. “I love you so much.”

He leaned over and pulled her into his arms. It would take time and patience, but surely they could make a life together.

* * *

J
OSH
WAS
THOROUGHLY
enjoying himself. Never in his life could he have imagined getting along with Grandpa so well. Jokes and laughter filled the air as they dug deeper into the alluvial deposit. The creek they were working on had once been a larger river, so the possibilities were intriguing. Still, it didn't mean they'd find any more sapphires than they already had.

But it really didn't matter. The gems that counted were the renewed life in his grandfather's smile and the mysterious secrets in Tara's vibrant eyes.

Nevertheless, two days after they'd found the first sapphires, more began appearing. While none of them were experts, some of the stones appeared to be good quality, and many were a brilliant cornflower blue. Josh held a large one up to the light, comparing it to the wide Montana sky. It was almost as if a piece of that sky had crystallized and fallen to earth.

The following days were equally fruitful, especially now that they'd figured out what to look for and how to best use the sieves for washing the rocks.

And every night, he went to the pool. Tara sometimes joined him there, sometimes not. But she never discussed it, or acted as if anything had happened between them.

“The food is getting low,” Tara announced, eleven days after she'd found the first sapphire.

Jake knew the only reason it had held up so long was because he'd brought some back with him after his last trip down to handle the ranch payroll. He'd considered bringing more, but it was easier to do the return trip in a day without leading a pack horse.

“Dang it,” Walt grumbled.

“I could fetch more supplies, Grandpa, but we can't stay up here the entire summer,” Josh told him. “There are a few things that have to be done on the ranch.”

“You made Clyde Hawes the foreman, didn't you?” Walt demanded.

“Sure,” Josh agreed, hiding a smile at how agreeable Grandpa now found the decision to put someone else in charge. “But it's still a new arrangement, and other things weren't planned for ahead of time.”

“You have your phone.”

“That isn't the same as being there. Tell you what, we can come back in the autumn.”

“Yeah, well...” Walt glanced at Tara, who was bending over the fire. Josh suddenly understood.
They
could return later...but Tara wouldn't be with them. Her absence would leave a gaping hole.

“How much longer can we stay?” Josh asked.

Tara assessed the remaining food. “Two days, with breakfast on the third, but just a handful of trail mix on the way down.”

“I don't mind,” Walt said quickly.

“Me, either,” Tara agreed, and Josh nodded, though he knew it wasn't smart to push things.

Like his grandfather, he wished they had weeks left, but he had a feeling time wouldn't make a difference to something that mattered more than sapphires. They needed to return to their lives...and make some decisions.

So after their final breakfast, they packed up camp before going to cover the area they'd been digging through.

Then they mounted their horses and made their way off the mountain.

* * *

A
SINKING
SENSATION
hit Tara as they rode into the Boxing N's large barn. It was back to real life. Of course, it was always a downer when returning from a holiday. She enjoyed her real life, but adventures were hard to beat.

Andrew Whitlan met them.

“Hey, boss,” he called. “Hi, Tara, Mr. Nelson. How was the camping trip?”

“Terrific,” Josh answered. Unable to tell the ranch hands the real reason for their absence, he'd told them his grandfather had wanted time away to think about things, and that he'd decided to do the same. With Clyde in charge, it had apparently sounded reasonable to them.

“Is everything in good shape here?” he asked.

“You bet.”

While Josh chatted with Andrew and some of the hands who'd ridden in when they spotted them coming, Tara unsaddled her horse, groomed the gelding and put him into a stall. “Good, Ringo,” she murmured, giving him a last rub on the nose.

She expected to help with the pack horses, but one of the cowhands stopped her, saying, “We're taking care of them, miss.”

“Thanks.”

Josh had gone to talk with Clyde, so she turned to Walt. “I'd better get back to my apartment and check in with Lauren.”

“It's been a good trip, kid.”

Smiling determinedly, she nodded. “The best. I'll see you in a day or two. I still need to finish organizing those historical records.”

Holding back unexpected emotion, Tara hurried to her car. She'd expected to find a thick coat of dust on the paint, but someone must have washed it. After loading everything into the trunk, she got in and drove toward Schuyler.

Already the weeks she'd spent on the mountain seemed like a glowing dream.

On the passenger seat was a pouch of raw sapphires. She hadn't wanted to accept the gift, but Josh and Walt had insisted. The two men seemed to be getting along well. The entire ride to the ranch, they'd amicably debated the merits of using the sapphires for commercial purposes or saving them as a private family treasure trove.

Hopefully, they'd keep making progress on their relationship now that they were home. It concerned her because the Boxing N was an emotional trigger for them both.

Dropping by the grocery store first, Tara bought vegetables, something she'd been craving; freeze-dried stew had some nutrients and they'd supplemented with dried fruits, but that was no replacement for fresh, crisp veggies.

At the apartment she started a load of laundry before dialing her sister's number. She got voice mail.

“Hi, Lauren,” she said. “It's Tara. I'm back from the mountains and everything is fine. I'll talk with you tomorrow. Right now I'm looking forward to crawling into a real bed.”

She prepared a large salad, but it didn't taste as good as she'd expected—maybe it lacked the savor of mountain air. Her shower was equally disappointing, though she'd expected to revel in having modern plumbing again. Of course, a fiberglass shower stall couldn't compare to a hot spring pool out in the wild, but at least it was easier to wash her hair.

Trying to push away the memories, Tara finally sat down with a biography of Mary, Queen of Scots, that she'd picked up at a library sale. While it wasn't the most uplifting reading material, she hoped it would help her stop wishing for the impossible.

* * *

J
OSH
WENT
INTO
Schuyler to shop and get a pizza to share with his grandfather.

They ate in the kitchen, and memories of Grandma Evelyn crowded in. It was obviously worse for Walt, but the tension eased when they opened the old mason jar from the window over the sink. Sure enough, sapphires had been in plain view all the time.

Yet knocking around in the back of Josh's head was the memory of seeing Tara's car driving away. Why hadn't she waited to say goodbye? He'd only been gone a few minutes.

It shouldn't surprise him. She was great at leaving; he didn't know if she'd ever be good at staying.

Later he and his grandfather sat on the porch, watching the sun drop low on the western horizon.

Josh hated to spoil the companionable moment, but he finally leaned forward. “Grandpa, I've been thinking. Let's split responsibilities on the Boxing N. Your first love has always been horses. Why don't you take over the horse-breeding program and leave the cattle ranching to me? That way we won't step on each other's toes.”

Walt scratched his jaw. “I suppose you still want to buy bull semen from Texas.”

“I want to get into producing organic beef. It takes a while to be certified, but I can build the herd until then. Upgrading our other cattle is a good idea, too, and the best way is through artificial insemination.”

“That isn't how we've always done things.”

“I know, but the business is changing, Grandpa. Property owned by a family for generations is being sold or turned into dude ranches. I don't want that happening to the Boxing N, which is one reason I want to tap into the organic market. A lot of our acreage won't support as many cattle, but organic beef commands high prices, which should make up for that.”

Josh could tell he'd scored a point. The Boxing N hadn't turned a profit for several years—mostly because the way Grandpa did things was stubbornly out-of-date. They both knew it, but it wasn't necessary to be hurtful. Walter Nelson had worked hard and done his best.

“My pop used to say, ‘The view is nice, but it isn't real sustaining,'” Walt said slowly. “I still don't understand this organic thing, though.”

“Does it matter, if we get more money?”

Walt chuckled. “Nope. You know...there's room in the foaling barn for more mares.”

“That's right.”

As they continued discussing how to work things out, Josh saw relief on his grandfather's face.

“How does Tara fit into all of this?” Walt asked abruptly.

A humorless laugh escaped Josh. He shouldn't be surprised. Grandpa was too smart not to have realized something was going on. He'd probably even guessed before leaving on his sapphire quest.

“I'm not sure,” Josh admitted. “Tara enjoys cities and travel and living in new places. She doesn't put down roots, so I doubt she'd consider staying in Schuyler, even if her sister is here.”

Walt's eyes narrowed. “Does that have to end things between you?”

Josh stared, confused for an instant. Then understanding crept in...why
should
Tara be the one to give up her lifestyle? What about compromise? He'd been thinking about whether she'd be willing to settle down in Schuyler, but that wasn't the only choice.

* * *

T
ARA
WOKE
LATE
the next morning, a surprise because she'd been rising at sunrise for weeks. Unfortunately she hadn't gotten to sleep for hours last night; the bed had been too soft, the sounds of the town too loud and a feeling akin to claustrophobia had kept her restless.

It was just a case of getting used to civilization again, she decided. After all, her first weeks in Schuyler had been a shock after living in Paris, and adjusting to Melbourne after her trip to the outback had taken time, as well.

She dressed and walked over to her sister's apartment. Lauren must have seen her coming from the window, because she threw open the door and rushed out for a hug before Tara could knock.

“I've missed you so much,” Lauren exclaimed. “And I have incredible news. Carl Stanfield and I are engaged!” Her nose wrinkled. “Go ahead and say, ‘I told you so.'”

“Okay, I told you so. But it's also wonderful. Congratulations,” Tara said, despite the hollow sensation in her midriff. “I want to take you both out to dinner to celebrate.”

“Carl is attending a law enforcement seminar in Rapid City right now, but we can go when he gets back.”

* * *

F
OUR
EVENINGS
LATER
Tara watched her sister and her fiancé together, determined not to envy their happiness. They practically glowed, and there was a subtle, unspoken communication between them that said more than anything they could have told her aloud.

Lauren falling in love and getting married would change things. They'd likely have a family soon, so there probably wouldn't be any trips abroad to visit her twin.

That's okay
, Tara thought determinedly. Her sister deserved to be happy.

She returned to her small apartment after saying good-night and sank onto the couch. Honestly, there wasn't any reason to feel lonely. She'd found a sister and soon she'd have a very nice brother-in-law. Everything was the way it should be... Lauren was the kind of woman who got married and had children, same as her friend Emily.

It turned out that Walt had gotten back barely in time for the big event; Emily had gone into labor two days after their return from Smaug's Mountain. Tara had hoped to spend an extra day at the Boxing N office with Walt practicing email and Skype, but instead he'd been at the hospital to greet his new great-grandson.