Hope on the Range

by Cindi Madsen

  “Then please just strike it from your memories.” She glanced around Brady and the desk and shot Ma an apologetic grimace. “Sorry, Kathy.”

  “Hey, I’m getting a grandbaby, so you won’t see me complaining. In fact, I’m gonna encourage all my boys to do the same.” Ma’s gaze moved to Brady and then roved over to Nick and Trace.

  “Let’s get back to the topic at hand,” Nick said in a loud, authoritative voice. “I, too, have noticed a difference in Maddox since he and Harlow began spending time with each other. He hasn’t had nearly enough people care about him in his life, and you know Harlow…”

  Everyone nodded. In addition to being supersweet, she radiated joy and compassion. Honestly, Brady thought she also seemed happier and less lonely these days.

  “But we can’t have them sneaking off together,” Wade said, and everyone nodded at that as well.

  Nick stood and began to pace. “I get that, and I agree. But Maddox is finally sharing in our sessions. I’m slowly uncovering what we need to address so that I can give him the best tools to help him heal and succeed. Ban him from Harlow, and I’m afraid he’ll shut down again.” He glanced at Liza. “Thoughts?”

  “We all know that kids will get crushes, and yes, we have to protect every single one of them, and there are behaviors we absolutely can’t let them indulge in. But I think a chaperone is plenty. The most they’ll have is twenty or so yards and two or three minutes to themselves. No need to make them feel like they’re in prison.”

  Ma allowed everyone a moment to marinate on the idea, and then she scooted to the edge of her chair. “Is everyone in agreement, then?”

  One by one they nodded, even Wade.

  “Okay. We’ll take shifts so they have extra supervision, shake up the timetable on the bed checks, and go from there. And, Brady, you’ll call Mrs. Griffith?”

  As much as he wanted to beg off, he was the one responsible for Harlow spending so much time with Maddox, and Ma wasn’t truly asking but reminding. “I’ll handle it.”

  “Good,” Ma said. “Meeting adjourned.”

  The staff popped up in intervals, like kernels in the popcorn bag that didn’t want to be left behind, and Brady bolted for the door. He’d brought the issue to the staff, so on to calling Mrs. Griffith before going to see Tanya. After their steamy escapade in the loft, they’d both accidentally fallen asleep, and immediately after that, he’d been distracted by catching Maddox and Harlow. The more he replayed Tanya telling him she needed to talk to him, though, the bigger whatever it was seemed.

  I’m sure I’m just blowing it out of proportion since it’s been such a hectic afternoon.

  “Brady, hang back, will ya?” Ma asked as he’d reached the doorway. “I’d like to talk to you. I’ll make it nice and quick.”

  As much as he’d like to say Nah, I’m good, that would never fly. Once the rest of the staff had filtered out of the room, he closed the door and sat in the chair nearest her. “What’s up?”

  Ma tilted her head, a Come again? look on her face, and he revised it to “Hello, dearest Mother. What would you like to discuss with your favorite son?”

  She clucked her tongue. “Keep it up, Brady Calvin Dawson, and I’ll demote you. Then you’ll be the only one of my sons not tied for first place.” An empty threat, but he sat up straighter to maintain the ruse. Growing up, he and his brothers used to argue about who was Ma’s favorite, but anytime they went to her for denial or confirmation, she claimed they were all her favorite. “Tanya rushed out of here so quickly that I didn’t get to ask how she’s been doing. I was hopin’ you’d pass on my well wishes.”

  His throat went dry. Years of being around kids who had a tendency to stretch the truth had turned Ma into a lie detector. Or maybe she’d been born with that sixth sense. Whatever it was, he did his best to erase any traces of guilt from his face, regardless of not knowing what precisely he was guilty of.

  Except maybe not telling Ma that he was in a relationship with his best friend, but not to get too excited, even though he was already plenty excited himself.

  This is probably some sort of spy tactic, and I refuse to break. “I’ll do that. She’s been real busy between the dude ranch and rescuing those two horses.”

  Ma’s eyes narrowed to truth-extracting slits, and Brady worked to keep his face set. Way slower than he wanted to, he casually pushed to his feet. “Well, if that’s it…”

  “Unless you have anything else to discuss?”

  “I already told you that Nash said hi and sent his best, so I think that’s it.”

  “Would’ve been nice if you would’ve taken me along to the rodeo so I could see him for myself, but yes, you did mention as much.”

  Now he felt guilty for not disclosing his relationship with Tanya and omitting the fact that he’d been going to see Nash. If he would’ve brought along the entire family, Nash would never have given him a heads-up again. Unfortunately, discussing Nash’s absence from the ranch often left Ma in a mopey funk, and Brady could see the hint of sorrow in her eyes.

  “He’s okay, Ma. He’s still working out some stuff.” Brady would have to have a chat with Nash later, whether his brother liked it or not. It’d have to be next week, though, because he was all filled up on shit to do as far as this one went. He bent and placed a kiss on his mother’s cheek.

  As soon as he stepped out onto the porch, he made the dreaded call to Mrs. Griffith. Long story short, she was furious. She informed him Harlow would be training somewhere else for the rest of the week and they’d be searching for a new place to stable her horse after the rodeo.

  Brady let her yell at him in hope it’d mean less yelling for Harlow, and then he sent a text to Nick updating him on the situation. Poor Maddox probably wouldn’t take the news so well, but his brother would handle breaking it to him easier than Brady could.

  With that all taken care of, the need to talk to Tanya grew stronger, and he glanced at his watch.

  If it were later in the evening, he’d ask if she wanted to meet at their place, but she’d been in a mad rush earlier due to taking the time to come to him, so he decided to drive to Bullhead Valley. That way, he could pitch in on whatever chores she had left for the day, and they could have their talk that much faster.

  As soon as he fired up his truck, his mind drifted to those moments in the loft. He hadn’t had a second to himself to bask in it, but now that he was alone, the dirty reel began to play. Flashes of Tanya’s naked body and how the sunshine had streamed through the slats of wood and sent golden stripes of light across her skin. Watching her shatter. Climbing over her. Gazing into her familiar eyes and seeing pleasure and passion reflected back at him.

  Bursts of torrid heat pumped through his body, leaving him revved higher than the engine of his truck. If he didn’t get himself under control, everyone at the dude ranch would see exactly how he felt about Tanya.

  Maybe he’d drive slower than usual to allow himself time to cool down.

  But when he reached the ranch, he spotted her talking to the city-slicker CEO, and a different type of heat flooded him.

  They parted ways, Tanya heading into the stables with the horse Eric had clearly been riding but handed off to her. What a chump. Can’t even put his horse away, and he thinks he can run his own ranch.

  But the prick sure managed to find the time to ogle Tanya’s backside. Yeah, we’re gonna have to talk about keeping us a secret. Around here, secrets never stayed that way for long, and more than that, Brady wanted to make sure that everyone—but especially Eric Richmond—knew that she was his.

  His best friend, his girlfriend, just his.

  Brady blew out a long exhale to calm himself for the second time since hopping into his truck, and then he climbed out and closed the door with plenty of gusto.

  Eric glanced his way and gave him a snake-oil grin, one that said he thought he could sell fish
ing hooks to lake trout. “Hey, man. You’re Tanya’s friend who lives next door, right? What was it…? Brandon?”

  “Brady.”

  “Oh, that’s right.”

  And you’re full of shit.

  “Did she tell you the good news?” Eric asked, undeterred by the daggers Brady was glaring at him, so the dude clearly didn’t have any common sense or solid survival instincts.

  Brady gritted his teeth. “What news?”

  “I guess you could say I’ve made her an offer she can’t refuse. I asked her to be my business partner in restoring and running my aunt’s ranch.”

  Well, you can’t have her, you pompous asshole.

  Even as Brady thought it, doubt poked holes in his assuredness. Surely, when Tanya said she needed to talk, she didn’t mean… She’s not actually going to take the job, is she?

  Luckily, he’d just practiced his poker face with Ma, and he held on to it now. First things first, he’d talk to Tanya and get to the bottom of things. Then, when the guy ended up being wrong, Brady would make sure to kindly rub it in his face.

  “By the way, I’ve decided to join in on the rodeo fun this Saturday and signed up to compete in the preshow. Not sure if Tanya told you that part, either.”

  “Well, you’d better bring your A game…” Brady patted Eric’s shoulder, a bit harder than necessary. “Turn Around Ranch certainly will be.”

  One side of Eric’s mouth twisted up in a condescending half smile. “I always bring my A-through-Z game, just to cover all my bases. It’s why I invariably get what I want.”

  Brady’s hands curled into fists that longed to punch the smarmy grin off the guy’s face. This city slicker thought he could stroll into town, play cowboy, and take Brady’s best friend? He acted like he was playing hero, too, swooping in and saving her.

  Tanya must’ve hated that. She’d probably done her best to remain professional, though. Too bad she hadn’t told the CEO to shove his offer up his ass so Brady wouldn’t have to force himself to be so civil right now.

  Fiery-red hair snagged his attention, and Brady glanced toward the open doorway of the stables. There she was, the woman who’d made it clear again and again that she didn’t need saving… Hell, she would hardly accept help. For the first time, Brady was glad she’d remained stubborn on that point, despite it occasionally making him crazy and causing a handful of fights.

  Brady’s eyes drank her in. Everything inside him calmed, making it much easier to ignore Eric and focus on Tanya.

  “If you’ll excuse me, my girl’s waiting for me.” Brady strode past the self-important prick and over to Tanya. As soon as he reached her, he pulled her into his arms and claimed her mouth. Yeah, the move landed on the primitive, caveman side of the scale, but he didn’t care.

  Considering the way Tanya melted against him as he slipped his tongue inside to possessively stroke hers, she didn’t mind. But then she clamped on to his upper arms and straightened, coming out of her trance. “Um, are you trying to blow our secret?”

  “What if I am?”

  She glanced over his shoulder, spotted Eric, and pressed her mouth into a flat line. The pieces were obviously clicking into place, and she wasn’t happy about the full picture.

  “Don’t give me that look,” Brady said. “He asked for it.”

  “Eric asked you to kiss me while he watched, and you thought you should indulge a request like that?”

  She wouldn’t like his answer, and he needed answers of his own, so he simply shrugged a shoulder. “I figured any excuse to kiss you was fine by me.”

  Tanya stepped around him and gave the bastard a smile. “Eric, you go on to dinner without me. Brady and I need to have a chat.”

  Well, if that wasn’t ominous sounding, but unfortunately for her, she wasn’t the only one who was upset. “Is it going to involve the job he told me he offered you?” Brady asked—more like demanded, because he couldn’t hold it in anymore.

  Now Eric received an ire-filled glower. “Men. Such big mouths. And I can’t believe you two aren’t mature enough to skip the pissing contest.”

  Brady was pretty sure saying He started it wouldn’t have her believing he was a mature, well-adjusted boyfriend.

  Tanya sighed, and despite the frustration deluding his system, Brady’s heart tugged, insisting he make it better. “Wanna hop in my truck and head to our place?”

  The sad shake of her head further unraveled his nerves. “Not tonight. Let’s head to the stables.” She charged in that direction, and he followed, the sinking in his gut telling him that things were about to change between them again, and not for the better this time.

  Chapter 24

  Tension crowded the air, along with all their years of knowing each other. Usually their ability to read each other brought about a sense of ease and peacefulness, but the silent walk to the stables meant Tanya was fortifying herself for a difficult conversation. Which didn’t lend itself very well to the solid Hell no, I’m not going to work for Eric response Brady longed to hear.

  Panic drifted up and bound his lungs, but he did his best to keep his worries at bay until he could determine which way to aim them.

  Tanya paused in front of the two stalls housing the horses she’d rescued this past month, and the reddish-brown mare and the Appaloosa gelding both stuck out their heads to greet her. The mare nickered at Brady, and he stuck out his palm and let her get a sniff. Then he rubbed a hand down her long nose.

  He gritted his teeth through the silence, waiting for Tanya to take the lead, but after a good minute or so, he couldn’t hold back anymore. “You’re not actually considerin’ taking the job, are you?”

  Tanya’s face crumpled, and suddenly he was wondering if he knew her at all.

  “Seriously?” he asked, working overtime to keep his voice steady. “You’re gonna leave your home to work for some guy you hardly know? Where even is this ranch?”

  “Palisade. Which isn’t that far when you think about it.”

  “Oh, I’m thinking about it right now, and anything that puts that much distance between us is too fucking far. We already had to deal with that when you went off to college, and even though you were only a couple of hours away, I never saw you.”

  “You did here and there on the weekends, when we met up for rodeos.”

  A rock settled heavy in his gut. “That was enough for you? You want to go back to seeing each other a weekend a month?”

  Tanya’s chin quivered. “I’m not sure I have an option. Not if I’m serious about going after my dreams and running a rescue ranch.” She turned to face him yet failed to make eye contact, her gaze fixated in the center of his chest instead of his face. “My parents aren’t going to budge. It’s the best way to get what I want.”

  “Yeah, it’s the best way for Eric to get what he wants, too. He obviously wants to get in your pants.” It came out sharper than Brady meant it to, but that didn’t make it untrue.

  “Gee, thanks. Are you saying the only reason he’d offer me a job is because he wants to have sex with me? That’s what you think of my skills?”

  Irritation agitated his insides, like a washing machine set to destroy instead of clean, and Brady attempted to remain calm when he felt anything but. “You have more skills than I can shake a stick at, and I have no doubt you’d be good at the job and whatever else you set your mind to. I’m just saying he has ulterior motives.”

  “Eric sees that I’m capable, good at what I do, and—”

  “I see those same things,” Brady said, dropping his hand from the horse’s face and taking a couple of strides toward Tanya.

  “And he’ll let me run the ranch my way. No more asking for permission and feeling like a recalcitrant teen who’s constantly getting lectured. He offered me a full partnership with equal say. He promised to build a set of stables so I can rehabilitate mistreated horses, and
that’s not something I’ll ever get here at Bullhead Valley. Pops wants these horses out ASAP, and look at them. Where are they gonna go?” Tanya’s voice cracked. “Who’s going to take care of them? Who’s gonna make sure other horses going through this have a safe place?”

  Finally, her green eyes lifted to his face, but she’d closed herself off in a way she’d never done before—not to him. “It’s an amazing opportunity, Brady. It’s everything I hoped to build here and more. So if I have to move five hours away to get that, I’m willing to make that sacrifice. Even if it’ll also break my heart a little.”

  What about my heart? he wanted to say but wouldn’t. He hated that he’d even though it, but he could feel the damage deep inside, nothing tough or badass about it. A fissure split the life-giving organ down the middle, yawning wider at the thought of Tanya leaving, allowing misery to ooze out and mix with the rest of his blood. For so long, they’d danced around the obvious, too scared to take a leap. He’d thought they were going to travel this blissful path together, but now the rug was getting yanked out from under him, and he was struggling to find where to land.

  “You’ve barely even tried to start a rescue ranch here in Silver Springs, and now you’re giving up. That’s not like you.” Of all the emotions, he wasn’t sure why he chose anger. Probably because it seemed like the strongest and safest route for himself. “Did you hear that the Thompsons are selling their ranch?”

  “Yeah, for more money than I could make in two lifetimes of working for my parents. You and I both know I can’t buy that place. I don’t have enough saved for a down payment, and I guarantee the bank won’t lend me that much without collateral.”

  Brady locked eyes with her, thinking that if he could break through, they could come up with a better option. One that kept her here with him. “If you’d just let me help you—”

  The shutters she’d thrown up dropped to reveal a flash of indignation. “I don’t need your help. I don’t need a man to save me.”