A Rancher's Love

by Vivian Arend

  It was good to have some things be straight forward and simple. Everything else was tangled these days. Even one of the messages from Luke had been a little off. In the middle of hockey talk and a plot that involved skidoos, Tucker’s friend had dropped a what the hell.

  Sometime today we need to talk.

  Um, yeah? Tucker was all for that, but the mysterious comment made him wonder if Luke had an inkling about Ginny and Tucker’s real relationship.

  Current relationship, which Tucker couldn’t wait to move to the next level.

  Ginny squeezed the arm he had tucked around her. “Let me up. I need to know.”

  She crawled out of bed as he sat, curious what she was up to.

  Before they’d started fooling around, she’d placed the envelope on the present balanced on top of the dresser. Now she returned with the envelope in her hand, staring at it as if it was a snake about to strike.

  “You going to open your present?” he asked quietly.

  One long, slow inhale later, she shook her head. “Just this.”

  Then damn if she didn’t crawl right into his lap. She arranged his arms to her liking, curling them around her torso until he anchored her in place.

  She slipped the envelope open and pulled out a card.

  “Merde,” Ginny whispered.

  Tucker pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. “Stop when you need to.”

  “I want to do this.” She twisted the card upright and held it so he could see as well. It was a store-bought one with an idyllic pastoral scene on the front. Horses grazed in the foreground with huge mountains rising behind them.

  She cracked the edge open, and a folded piece of paper and a silver chain slid into her lap. Ginny ignored them both and finished opening the card.

  The inside was blank except for two separate bits of writing.

  Happy sweet sixteen to my little girl who’s not so little now. This coming year will be full of adventure, and all the years after that. I know that whatever you choose to do, you will be brilliant at it, because you’re my live-wire. Always full of energy, always brightening up wherever you go. Happy birthday, sweetie.

  From your daddy.

  * * *

  Happy birthday to my wild outdoor girl. Watching you grow has been a joy and delight. Sixteen is a special birthday, so here’s to a lot of candles and a lot of fun. Love you.

  Mom.

  Ginny leaned back into Tucker, resting her cheek against his. She stroked her fingers over his and stared at the card for a moment. “Is it silly to say I can hear their voices reading those words?”

  “Not silly at all.” Tucker gave her a squeeze. “I’m glad. They were good people, and your dad was right. You do brighten up every place you go.”

  Her eyes sparkled. “Thanks. That’s a really sweet thing to say.”

  She dipped her hand down and lifted the chain.

  “That is the strangest necklace I have ever seen,” Tucker said.

  “Me too.” Ginny lifted the pendant in her palm. Not quite a square, not quite a triangle, the wood was polished golden, but nothing super fancy. “I mean, it’s pretty, but it is a chunk of wood. An old chunk of wood.”

  Tucker lifted the folded paper. “You up to do this right now?”

  “Hell, why not?”

  She slowly unfolded the page and they both went motionless.

  7

  The page in front of them made no sense. Mostly pictures, crudely drawn and inexplicable.

  “My dad,” Ginny said as dryly as possible, because disappointment had swept in. “I’m pretty sure he thought he was being cute, but his drawing skills were terrible. Is that a horse, or an elephant?”

  “Hippo,” Tucker guessed. “Although, the fact you live on a ranch is probably a clue that it’s a horse. Or a cow.”

  “Probably, but not definitely.” Oh, no. She met Tucker’s gaze straight on. “Here’s where I need to curse a little at sixteen-year-old me. You know the number one thing I was obsessed with during that timeframe?”

  Tucker grimaced. “Am I supposed to say the name of a boy band right now? Oh, I know. Kenney Chesney. He’s been around forever, right?”

  As guesses went, that was pretty good. “That year was my puzzle and geekery phase. I wrote an entire English essay in Klingon. When the teacher complained, I resubmitted it, only this time in high Elvish. I sent notes to Dare in class using Playfair ciphers and then deliberately dropped them on the floor so other kids would pick them up and be confused.”

  He raised his brow. “You think your parents gave you a puzzle for your birthday?”

  She wiggled the paper in the air. “This part of it, anyway.”

  It wasn’t the kick to the heart she’d feared, and in some ways, that was good.

  She glanced for a moment at the box then shook her head. “Okay, the card turned out less shocking than I expected, but I’m not prepared to roll the dice anymore. The rest of the package has to wait until later.”

  Tucker agreed. “If that’s what you want, then let’s get on with our day. Want me to make you a coffee while you grab a shower?”

  He was a good, good man. “Since the magical condom fairies haven’t appeared, I’ll take being spoiled as a very close-ranked second option.”

  He had on his stony face, but she could tell he was amused. “I’ll have to remind you how good the sex is. I don’t mind coffee being second, but it shouldn’t be a close-ranked second.”

  “Coffee and shower, remember that part,” Ginny said. She threw herself at him and stole another hug. Breathed in the scent of him and wondered how much damage a nervous system could take from being thrown up and down and up and down in rapid succession for a lot of days in a row.

  Coffee was ready as promised when she came out of the bathroom. And miracle of miracles, there was food in the fridge, so while Tucker showered, she made breakfast. First breakfast, like hobbits, because whichever house they went to next, somebody was sure to feed them.

  But when Tucker demolished three of the egg sandwiches she’d made without pausing to breathe, she knew cooking had been the right decision.

  He finally sat back, nodding his approval. “Thanks. I know fried eggs aren’t your favourite, but that helped lay down a base so I don’t starve before the morning’s out.”

  Before they left, bundled up against the cold, Tucker shocked the hell out of her and dragged her tight into his arms, kissing her fiercely.

  She enjoyed every second of it, including the stars floating in front of her eyes when he finally let her go. “Wow. Thanks?”

  He winked. “Since we want to keep this under our hats, I needed a top up before we went out in public.”

  They were out the door and into the blinding white snow field. “I think I’d like to go say hi to the girls. AKA, the cutie patooties at my brother’s house.”

  “I’m going to see what leftovers Luke has. He asked me to join him.” Tucker waved and headed in the opposite direction.

  It was too tempting. Ginny scooped up some snow and quickly packed it into a nice firm ball. Cocked her arm back and aimed…

  Tucker didn’t look back, just called over his shoulder. “If you throw anything at me, I will get revenge.”

  Well, damn. “When did you get eyeballs installed in the back of your head?” she demanded.

  “I see all. I know all.” She held the ball higher, threatening, but he laughed and pointed at the side mirror of the truck he was passing. “Just kidding.”

  Ginny was still giggling as she made her way to the back door of the house where she’d grown up. Stepping without looking to deal with the small out-of-kilter turn to reach the porch. Nearly banging her knees on a bench that hadn’t been there the last time she visited.

  Familiar. Brand-new. She bounced between those two sensations every time she turned around.

  As she entered the house, the scent in the room was perfection, though.

  “Please tell me you didn’t eat all the bacon,” Ginny announced lo
udly.

  Six heads pivoted toward her from where Caleb’s family plus Dusty and his friend were seated at the massive round kitchen table. Seven, as she spotted Tyler in his highchair.

  Tamara gestured her forward. “Join us. There’s plenty.”

  “I only need the bacon,” Ginny admitted. “And need is probably too strong a word because I already ate. Only, bacon—anytime, anywhere, am I right?”

  “You’re so right.” The lanky dark-skinned young man beside Dustin was on his feet, wiping his mouth with a napkin before reaching out a hand. “I’m Shim. Here. There’s an extra chair for you.”

  When he pulled out the sturdy straight-back beside his own chair, Ginny bit her lip to keep from making a joke.

  Instead she pulled on her manners. “Thanks.”

  She sat, staring across at Tamara. Her sister-in-law’s amusement was clear for a split second before she nabbed the plate with the remaining bacon and passed it around the table to Ginny. “You ate? That means you found the groceries then.”

  “I did. Thanks. It was nice to cook something simple when I wanted it.”

  “I figured you might have missed that lately.”

  Tyler banged on his tray and made a complaining noise.

  Tamara offered Tyler another piece of bread slathered in peanut butter. “Stop growling like a bear, please. Or growl softer so we can hear each other.”

  “Grrr.” This from Sasha, who smirked mightily and elbowed her little sister. “Grrrrrrr.”

  Emma giggled and joined in briefly before telling Tamara seriously, “We’re the three bears, Mama.”

  Caleb lifted his coffee, hiding a grin behind his cup. The entire family was so comfortable and real, and Ginny was glad to be back in the thick of it.

  Dustin leaned around Shim to get Ginny’s attention. “Hey. You coming out to the lake to cheer us on? Shim and I are clearing the ice after breakfast.”

  “I thought I’d look in the basement for my old skates,” Ginny confessed. “It’s been a while, but I think I still remember how.”

  “Want to be on our team?” Shim asked.

  Dustin groaned. “Oh, please. Don’t.”

  A snort escaped Ginny, but she covered it up the best she could. “Was that don’t for me or Shim?”

  “Shim,” Dustin said instantly. “And you. There’ll be way too many guys on the ice. You should skate somewhere safer.”

  Sasha had been listening intently and now leapt into the conversation. “What does that mean? It won’t be safe to skate?”

  “Uh,” Shim’s head swung back and forth as he tried to keep up with the conversation. “I just thought—”

  “Papa, we want to skate, too,” Emma interrupted, sadness dripping from her little voice.

  “We do. We will.” Sasha glanced at her little brother. “I need to teach Tyler how to skate.”

  “Of course you do, pumpkin. That’s why Dustin will clear a second rink space for you and Emma and your friends to use. Right?” Caleb lifted his gaze to his youngest brother.

  “Sure.” Dustin leaned forward again. “You can skate on that one, Gin.”

  “Gee, thanks, Dus.”

  He glared. “That’s not funny.”

  “It’s hysterical,” she returned before ignoring him and carefully piling three pieces of bacon on top of each other. She held it up and made eye contact with Emma. “Know what this is?”

  “Stop playing with your food,” Caleb grumbled, but he was clearly amused.

  “You’re not playing hockey with us,” Dustin growled, sounding remarkably like Tyler.

  “A bacon….” Emma frowned. “I don’t know.”

  Sasha tilted her head as she announced, “A triple-decker bread-less sandwich?”

  “Too much to put in your mouth at one time?” Tamara said at nearly the same moment.

  The longer the rambunctious and chaotic conversation continued, the bigger Shim’s eyes got, his grin growing as well.

  This time Ginny was the one who leaned on the table, easing around Shim as she waggled the bacon in the air at Dustin. “This is a super-skater vitamin, which means in a minute, I’ll be unstoppable.”

  She crunched down with vigour. The bacon shattered into teeny delicious pieces in her mouth, and Sasha and Emma crowed with delight.

  Unfortunately, the bit still in her fingers also shattered, spraying poor Shim with a fine coating of crispy fat.

  He laughed even as he brushed off crumbs and glanced around the table. “You guys are awesome.”

  “You’re an only child, aren’t you?” Caleb said dryly.

  “Yes, sir.” Shim coughed as Dustin hit him in the chest. “Ouch, what was that for?”

  “He’s not a sir, he’s my brother,” Dustin drawled then met Caleb’s eyes. “I mean, you are awesome and everything, bro, but jeez.”

  Caleb’s lips twitched, but he ignored Dustin and looked his friend over. “You can call me Caleb if you want, but whatever makes you comfortable. I don’t mind.”

  The young man nodded. “Thanks.”

  Ginny didn’t remember Caleb ever smiling this much before. Now he all but smirked as he waved Dustin and Shim off. “If you’ve had enough to eat, get working on clearing the rinks. The rest of the crowd will be here before you know it.”

  They shot to their feet, thanked Tamara for the meal and headed for the door.

  “Well, that was the quietest and most peaceful meal we’ve had in ages,” Tamara said as Tyler started to complain. She hauled him out of the highchair and handed him to Caleb. “Here, sir. A child for your entertainment. Leave the dishes. I’ll take care of them in a bit. Right now, Ginny and I need to go find some skates, because she’s got a game to get ready for.”

  “Damn right,” Ginny said, followed immediately by, “Oops. I mean, darn tooting.”

  Emma giggled, and Sasha laughed. Caleb shook his head, but he kissed Ginny’s cheek then rounded up his children. “Come on. Your mama deserves a break. You can be my clean-up crew.”

  “Which means you and I have treasure to find,” Tamara told Ginny firmly as they headed down the stairs.

  Treasure. A reminder of the mysterious present and the puzzle Ginny needed to solve. But right now, this was more important. Time with family, with her nieces and brothers.

  Time to whup her younger brother’s ass. She could hardly wait.

  Tucker didn’t bother to knock upon reaching Luke’s house. He did, however, peek around the corner before marching into the kitchen, just in case. No use scaring the daylights out of anyone.

  Well, except maybe Luke. Scaring him would be priceless.

  The coffeemaker was on, but no one was in the room. Tucker strode forward and made himself at home, filling a cup to the brim and fixing it up just right.

  He turned around and nearly jumped out of his skin. Luke stood inches behind him, grinning like a feral beast.

  “Fucker,” Tucker grumbled as hot coffee sloshed over his fingers. He changed his cup to the other hand and forcibly jammed his palm against Luke’s shoulder to spin him out of the way. “Good morning, you jerk.”

  “Good morning, sunshine.” Luke grabbed his own cup of coffee. “Did you find the food I put in the fridge? I saw you had some stuff in there already, but I figured what the hell. May as well leave it.”

  “Yeah, thanks.” No need to expand on that comment.

  Luke gestured him toward the two easy chairs in front of the fireplace. They were positioned to one side of the general living room, a cozy place for two people to spend a morning.

  “Sit for a minute,” his friend ordered.

  “This is a nice spot.” Tucker looked around in appreciation. Nothing too over the top. The house construction was solid, but all the furnishings looked as if they’d been picked up at a secondhand store. “I bet this is where you and Kelli sit in the mornings when you get a chance.”

  “You got it,” Luke agreed. Then he made a face. “Of course, both of us having the morning off happens only a couple
of times a week. Ashton does his best, but it’s nearly impossible to keep from scheduling one or the other of us for a morning shift.”

  “Maybe that’s something that can change.” In fact, if Tucker had anything to say about it, it was something he would make damn sure happened.

  Yeah, his uncle had years of experience, but if things were going to change for the better, this was something that needed to happen.

  Luke looked confused. “You know some way to cut chore time in half? Or some way to add hours to the day?”

  “I know a perfectly simple way to cut your work hours,” Tucker said dryly. He paused, took a sip of his coffee and made an appreciative noise. “Damn. That’s good.”

  Luke leaned back in his chair and laughed. “Stop being an ass. Tell me.”

  Tucker shrugged. “Seems Caleb’s announcement means there’s a little more money in the coffers. Hire some more hands. You’re the best person for some jobs. Kelli is amazing at what she does—and neither of you need to do the grunt labour anymore.”

  His friend blinked hard. “Holy shit.”

  A soft chuckle escaped Tucker. “Seriously? The idea never once crossed your mind?”

  Luke shook his head. “My first thought was all the money I plan to spend on stock and training equipment.”

  “You’ll have to make decisions about priorities, but seems to me getting more time to spend with Kelli is valuable enough to figure a way for it to happen.”

  Appreciation spread as his friend nodded slowly. “Good to know you’re not just a pretty-faced hick.”

  “Jerk,” Tucker said dryly.

  Luke leaned forward, coffee cup put aside as he met Tucker’s gaze intently. “Here’s the thing. I felt bad yesterday. I didn’t mean to rush you off or make you feel as if I didn’t want you around.”

  It was Tucker’s turn to be surprised. “No idea what you’re talking about.”

  “With Jack and Diane here, it didn’t register that I should’ve sat down with you and made some plans.” Luke spread his hands for a moment. “I didn’t pivot very well, but I want you to know I am glad you’re here. And while I’m going to enjoy Jack’s company, I also want time with you. It’s been way too long.”