by Danni Roan
“Trace,” a craggy voice called as a man in a wheelchair rolled himself around the corner of the back porch. “Chase and I are heading out with the crew today if you’ll get these horses out on a lounge line today,” the dark-haired man said.
“You’re riding today?” Trace said swinging his long legs over the bench and addressing the man.
“Yep, I’m using that modified saddle, but the therapy is helping. I twitched my toes twice this week already,” he finished with a grin.
“Marissa, this is Jackson Andrews. He’s helping Chase with the breeding and sales program here at the ranch. His wife Josie is a barrel racer and teaches teens on the side.”
“Hello,” Marissa said, “I’m Michelle’s little sister.”
“You’re staying with Kade and Michelle this summer right?” Jackson asked. “I hope you’re having a nice time, though it looks like you’re on babysitting duty right now,” he added with a chuckle.
“Michelle had a rush order this morning, but I’ll catch up with her later. Trace offered to set me up with the pony cart later, so I can take this little guy here to see his mother.”
“That cart is a blessing around this place,” Jackson said with a grin. “Me and Josie have taken it out for a spin a few times to check stock, or just visit a quiet spot on the ranch. We drive at a slightly more sedate pace than your sister though,” he added his grin bright.
Marissa smiled. It seemed that everyone had some comment for the way her sister drove the pony cart, but Marissa knew that Michelle would never do anything to endanger her baby boy.
Something warm and furry wound itself around Marissa’s feet, and she yelped, blushing when she looked down to discover Fred, Philomena’s yellow and white cat, cleaning his paws under the table.
“You alright?” both men asked looking at Marissa.
“It’s just Fred,” Marissa said. “He startled me walking under the table. I didn’t know Phil let him out on his own now.”
“He splits his time between the main house and the Haven home,” Jackson said. “He seems to like meeting the guests.”
“No wonder I didn’t see him last night,” Marissa said.
“Yeah, I figured he was over here when I didn’t seem him at Chase’s place,” Trace agreed. “Since little Megan arrived, he’d rather be at the big ranch house.”
Marissa laughed. “Who wouldn’t?”
“You ready Trace?” Jackson asked looking between the cowboy and the schoolteacher.
“Sure,” Trace said grabbing his plate and setting it on a table by the back door. “Just let me know when you want the cart, and I’ll get it ready for you,” he added to Marissa pushing his hat down with two fingers as he turned following Jackson to the ramp on the front porch.
Marissa shook her head. The men around this place seemed to be all kinds of backward. They were polite, hard-working, and, well, nice.
Giving her full attention to Kadence, she helped him finish his breakfast and handed him the sippy cup full of milk.
“You want to go for a ride?” she asked pulling a wipe from the bag she had brought before cleaning his face and hands.
“Horsey,” Kadence said, making her smile, “Horsey!” he finished enthusiastically.
After returning to the house to give Kadence a bath and wash away all traces of his sticky breakfast, Marissa turned back toward the barn, stopping to let Kadence stroke the nose of any horse that stuck its head over the fence.
The little boy was surprisingly gentle and completely unafraid of the big animals. Growing up on a ranch would do that she supposed, but she still watched him closely. She wasn’t about to have her favorite, and only, nephew get stepped on during her watch.
“You made it,” Trace said stepping out of the big barn as he coiled a long rope. “You ready for the cart now?”
Marissa looked around her at the quiet yard. “You got all of the horses and guests ready and on the trail that fast?” she asked.
“I wasn’t on my own, getting Jackson set was probably the hardest, but Chase helped and once he was settled, he seemed comfortable.”
“What happened to him?” Marissa asked, realizing it was probably rude in the instant the words left her mouth.
“He got stepped on by a bull,” Trace said. “His back isn’t broken, but the injury is delicate at best. It’s what they call a compression injury. Still, he’s adjusting, and seems to be improving now that he and Josie are settled down.”
Marissa smiled. “I’ve seen Josie ride in the 4th of July Rodeo here on the ranch a couple of times. She’s Red Dixon’s granddaughter isn’t she?”
“Yes, Josie’s been everyone’s sweetheart since she was big enough to climb on a pony,” Trace replied with a grin. “Jackson realizes he is one lucky man.”
“Do you think I can handle the pony cart on my own?” Marissa said looking out over the corral of horses. “I’ve never actually driven it, and Michelle’s driving is enough to give you gray hair.”
Trace’s warm chuckle wrapped around Marissa like a handmade shawl making her shiver with the unfamiliar feelings.
“How about I drive you?” he asked raising his hand when she started to protest. “I’ll hitch my saddle horse to the back of the cart, and once you get to the print-shop, we can turn Dandy out in the corral there. Michelle can harness him when you’re ready to come back.”
“I don’t want to take you from your work,” Marissa said, emotions roiling through her as she thought about how she acted the last time the cowboy had taken her out for a ride.
“It’s my job to see that our guests, even family guests, are happy,” he grinned. “Besides it gets me away from some of the more annoying aspects of my job,” he finished nodding toward a gaggle of teenage girls headed toward the barn. “I’ll leave that lot to Red and Josie.”
Marissa felt Kadence tugging at her hand as he pulled her toward the barn and agreed with a nod of her head. “Sounds like a plan,” she finally allowed following Trace and Kadence into the dark barn toward the pony’s stall.
Chapter 8
“What are you doing tonight?” Trace asked as he helped Marissa into the small cart a few minutes later then handed Kadence to her.
“I don’t know. Hanging out with Michelle and Kade I suppose.”
“How about dinner?” Trace asked making his way around in front of the golden pony with the dark stripe down his back. Stopping, he scratched behind Dandy’s ears looking up at Marissa where she sat on the hard bench seat. There was something about the young woman that made him want to wrap her in cotton and tuck her away somewhere safe.
Even though he knew next to nothing about her, he could feel the turmoil in her and knew that the issue she was dealing with now would forever impact her life.
“Got anything in mind?” Marissa teased feeling somehow excited that the cowboy would want to ask her out. She was in no position to start any sort of relationship, but perhaps spending time with the cowboy this summer might give her back a little of the confidence she has lost when Ray had walked away.
“There’s a good steak house out by the road on the way to Tipton now,” Trace said making his way around to the driver’s bench and climbing aboard. “We could just get some food and hang out.”
Marissa smiled again. It would be nice to get off the ranch and see something new. With everything happening in her life, she hadn’t done anything but sleep and meander the property since she’d gotten there. And frankly, babysitting Megan for Phil and Chase didn’t seem like much of a night out.
“Alright,” she finally said as Trace shook out the reins, clicking to the pony and setting him toward the far end of the ranch at a trot.
Marissa wrapped an arm around Kadence, grabbing the seat with her free hand as the cart lurched, but even at the quick pace, the ride was nothing like what her sister did with this contraption. Several times in the past, Marissa had been convinced that Michelle managed to get the cart up on one wheel.
Trace’s warm chuc
kle hit her in the chest and she scowled at him. “You did that on purpose,” she said. “What if I’d fallen off?”
“I’d never let anything happen to you,” Trace said letting Dandy splash across the stream to follow the old road to the onetime sawmill.
Marissa turned startled eyes to the cowboy studying his serious face and realizing that he meant what he said. What would it be like to be taken care of? She wondered. She’d been largely on her own for the past four years. Even living with Ray hadn’t brought any sense of security.
Ray wasn’t a bad guy. As a matter of fact, he was probably too easy going for his own good, but he had no real ambition and wanted life to stay unencumbered, where Marissa had wanted something more.
She had worked her way through college, earning her teaching degree then working hard to add a variety of specialties to her teaching certificate, so that she could get the job she wanted the most. Still, it hadn’t been enough. She had wanted the whole enchilada; a home, a husband, a family. Now she was back to doing everything on her own again. Sure, she had Kade and Michelle, but they wouldn’t understand her thoughts, and after the first day, she hadn’t discussed it further with her sister.
No, she was on her own and she had two choices to make. Did she want to be a single mother, struggling to keep it together, or did she let go of this dream and start over again somewhere down the road?
“Dinner would be nice,” Marissa said not sure how to fill the silence between them.
“Mommy,” Kadence said as they made the turn around the road that opened up in front of the long dark wood building with the massive sliding glass doors.
“Yes, Mommy,” Marissa agreed. “We’ll have lunch with mommy today before your nap.”
“No nap!” the boy said shaking his head but grinning.
Marissa tapped her nephew on the nose and smiled. He was growing so fast, but was so full of love and the wonder of everything being new and fresh.
“Whoa,” Trace called pulling Dandy to a stop in front of the big building. Behind them, he could hear the water wheel splashing as it creaked slowly generating power to work the machines inside.
“I'll put Dandy up,” he said, “then head back. If you need me just holler,” he finished indicating the cell phone attached to his belt. “Your sister has the number.”
Marissa climbed out of the small cart reaching for Kadence who dashed to the big doors pounding on them with both hands.
“Thank you again,” Marissa said as Trace lifted the reins again.
“How about I pick you up at six tonight,” Trace said turning and smiling at her.
“Sounds like a plan,” Marissa said turning and racing to catch up with Kadence.
***
“What are you two doing here?” Michelle called running toward her little boy and bending low to scoop him into a tight hug.
“We thought we’d come down and check on you,” Marissa said. “I figured we could have lunch together then I’ll take Kadence up to the house for his nap.”
“No nap!” Kadence shouted turning to glare at his aunt.
“You’ll have a nap today,” Michelle affirmed, kissing his chubby cheek before putting him down to go find his toys. “He isn’t being difficult is he?” she asked turning to walk back behind a tall counter covered in cards and brochures.
“No, he has been an angel,” Marissa said. “Mrs. Wade fixed him up with oatmeal this morning, and I had a big breakfast.”
“How d'you get here?” Michelle asked her brow knitting in confusion. “I didn’t hear a truck.”
“Trace brought us in the pony cart,” Marissa said noting the lift to her sister’s dark eyebrows.
“Don’t start thinking I have the hots for some dumb cowboy,” Marissa said. “I’ve only been here a week, and I’ll be headed home before long.”
“I didn’t say anything,” Michelle protested watching as Kadence plowed into his big toy box.
“No, but you thought it,” Marissa said. “Now what can I do to help? I have no intentions of sitting around doing nothing all summer.”
Michelle plopped a ream of paper into Marissa’s hands then pointed to a copy machine. “I’ve just sent the file if you’ll make four hundred copies for me please,” she said sweetly. “I’ll put in an order for lunch and see if Kade will bring it to us,” she finished twirling on the spot and marching to the phone.
Marissa spent a happy couple of hours working with her sister as Michelle explained the job they were hurrying to complete. Summer was an especially busy time for her with designing and printing loads of wedding invitations and party cards.
“You want to do anything special tonight,” Michelle asked, a while later as she boxed up the pretty flyers she had made. “We could go out, or rent a movie.”
Marissa felt her cheeks heat knowing what her sister would say when she said she was going out to dinner with Trace, but she might as well face the music now.
“I’m going to that new steak house in town with Trace,” she said casting a hard glare at her sister. “No, it is not a date.”
“Okay,” Michelle said biting her lip to keep from saying something she was sure to regret. “Sounds like you made a friend.”
“I guess,” Marissa admitted. “I just figure I don’t have anything better to do and a body can only sleep so much.”
“Tell that to Chase and Phil,” Michelle said with a laugh. “Last night was the first time they’ve gotten more than four hours sleep in one stretch for the past three months.”
Marissa laughed. “They did seem pretty shocked when they came home and Megan was asleep in her crib. That was all Trace,” she finally finished. “I don’t know what he did, but he bundled her up, and she went straight off to sleep.”
“He does a lot of work with his sister,” Michelle said hefting the box and moving it to the front desk. “She runs a program for women and girls who want to give their babies up for adoption.”
Marissa could tell that Michelle was being careful with her words, but she didn’t pick up any hint of criticism in her tone. “Have you met her?”
“No, I’ve just heard about the work. The church Kade and I attend, when we can, did a fundraiser for her a while ago.”
Marissa shrugged. She didn’t get her sister’s sudden interest in church, and God, and religion, but she figured if Michelle was happy she could think what she liked. Since marrying Kade, Michelle had changed, but only for the better. She was still driven to make her graphic business work, but she seemed calm, content, and for the first time confident in who she was.
“When did you say Kade was bringing lunch,” she said changing the subject as her stomach rumbled.
Michelle rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything. She was hungry enough to eat a cardboard box at this point, but she knew that Kade would be there soon. She hoped Mrs. Wade made her famous egg salad sandwiches today. They would be just the thing, and even Kadence liked them.
The big doors swished open a few minutes later and Kade waltzed in carrying a heavy box full of sandwiches, chips, drinks, and cookies as big as his hand. “Someone order chow?” he called his boots making hard clicking sounds on the polished wood floor.
Kade had secretly refurbished the entire rundown sawmill the year he had married Michelle so that she would have somewhere to work, and Marissa thought it was one of the most romantic things anyone had ever done. It seemed even more astounding when she thought of how Kade and Michelle had met at the altar, not even knowing who they would marry. Some crazy matchmaker lady in New York had put the two together, and from where Marissa stood, she couldn’t have done better.
Kade plunked the heavy box down on the large front desk then leaned over to offer Michelle a kiss before heading to the play area where he picked Kadence up and made him squeal by blowing on his neck.
“I thought you’d never get here,” Michelle said climbing onto a tall stool at the desk. “I’m nearly starved to death,” she added giving him a pointed look.
/> “Mrs. Wade insisted on making this herself,” Kade said taking a chair in the waiting area near his son’s toy box. “She says this lunch is packed with love,” he finished with a rumbling laugh.
“That woman is something else,” Michelle said handing out sandwiches. “I don’t know how she does it.”
“I just told you,” Kade said, “with love.”
Everyone laughed as they unwrapped their sandwiches and little Kadence laughed to, though he didn’t know why.
“So how far along are you?” Kade asked looking at Michelle but making Marissa start. “I brought the wagon and can load up if you want me to get them to the UPS driver this afternoon, or I can take the truck and drive them to town.”
