Home on the Ranch--Tennessee Homecoming

by April Arrington

  Katie sighed. “I know.”

  She kneaded the kink in the back of her neck—Elk Valley Motel’s lumpy beds and a 5:00 a.m. wake-up call did absolutely no favors for anyone—then navigated a sharp curve as she descended a mountain toward Landon’s ranch.

  “Big,” Sandra repeated, a smile in her voice. “Real big. As in, you’d have to learn how to make something for breakfast other than toast or cereal.”

  Katie laughed. “Hey, no one knows how to butter a piece of burned toast like me.”

  Sandra was silent for a moment then said, “We’re laughing now but think about how your days will be if you take this on. You know I’ll support you whatever your choice ends up being, but in the end it’ll be you, a ten-year-old, five-year-old and six-month-old. In California. Alone. That would be your new reality.”

  The graveled driveway leading to Landon’s ranch emerged into view.

  Katie bit the inside of her cheek and slowed the car. “But if I walk away...how would that make them feel? They’ll think I’ve abandoned them. What kind of aunt or sister does that? What kind of person would that make me?”

  “The kind who chose a different path years ago.” Sandra’s tone gentled. “Settling down in Elk Valley and having children was Jennifer’s dream, not yours. You’re entitled to live the life you’ve built, and you can still see the kids and support them. Just as an aunt—not a mom. There’s nothing wrong with wanting something different out of life.” An indrawn breath whispered over the line. “You’ve spoken a lot about the kids, but you haven’t told me much about this Landon character. What’s he like?”

  Sweet. Strong. And sexier than he’d ever been. Katie rolled her lips together before those last thoughts slipped out. It wouldn’t do to say them out loud. It was bad enough that she was thinking and feeling them. “He’s patient and intelligent,” she said matter-of-factly. “He’s honest, dependable, hardworking—”

  “And a good guy?” Sandra asked. “I mean, if you decide not to take this on, he’s the one they’ll end up with, right?”

  “Yeah.” Katie pulled to stop beside Landon’s truck, her chest warming as she caught sight of him leading a horse into the large barn. Rascal followed his every step. “He’s definitely a good guy. And he’d probably be a perfect parent.”

  Which made her feel like an even bigger heel. Here she was, blood kin, debating whether or not to take responsibility for her nieces and nephew whereas Landon, who had no biological relation to the kids, hadn’t hesitated to welcome them into his life.

  “Look, can I call you back later tonight?” Katie rubbed her temples. “I really need to go but I promise none of this will interfere with our plans. I don’t want you to worry about your account, okay? I’m on top of it. When I finish here, I’m going back to the motel and drawing up the best marketing strategy on the planet. Sexy Suds will be in every bath boutique in the nation by the time I’m done.”

  “Oh, I’m not worried. You’re the best there is. I just want you to take some time for yourself and think things over before you make a decision. Remember I’m here for you no matter what, okay?”

  “Thanks, Sandra.”

  Katie cut the engine, then headed up the trail toward the barn. The morning sun rose above the green mountaintops and spilled over the rolling hills below. Large hay bales dotted the emerald fields, white flowers lined the length of the pasture fence and the scent of honeysuckle sweetened the fresh air.

  “Same as you remember?” Landon reemerged from the barn. He took long strides down the dirt path in her direction, his jeans pulling snug across his thick thighs with each step while Rascal pranced at his side. “It’s been a long time since you’ve visited Elk Valley in the spring.”

  Katie took another long look around as he drew near. Two ranch hands walked across the pasture, leading horses toward the barn.

  “It’s as beautiful as always,” she said. “Especially here. Are you still boarding horses?”

  “Yeah.” His blond hair gleamed in the sunlight. “We have fifteen at the moment and will start riding lessons soon.” He gestured toward the house. “Wanna come in? Coffee’s waiting, as promised.”

  “Thank you.”

  She followed him inside to the kitchen, sat on a bar stool at the small island and watched the strong muscles of his back ripple beneath his T-shirt as he retrieved two mugs from the cabinet.

  “I’d like to apologize again for last night,” she said. “I really didn’t mean to spring in on you like that.”

  “It’s okay.” He lifted a mug toward her. “Strong and sweet, right? No cream?”

  “Yes, please.”

  The rich aroma of coffee filled the kitchen as he poured them both a mug then added sugar to each. She took the mug he offered, drank a small sip then hummed with approval. Rascal padded to her side and sat.

  Reaching down, she rubbed behind his ear and tried to still her racked nerves. “How many rooms are we setting up today?”

  “Two.” Landon set his mug down on a coaster, slipped one beneath her mug then leaned onto his muscular forearms across from her. “Emma’s and Matthew’s.”

  “And how many bedrooms do you have in all?”

  “Five.”

  “Bathrooms?”

  “Two.” He frowned. “Am I being interrogated for a reason here?”

  “No. Sorry.” Neck tingling, she took another sip of coffee. “I’m just curious about the arrangements. I think I gave you the idea that I was unimpressed with your home last night and that wasn’t the case at all. You have a beautiful place and my apartment is a fraction of the size of your house. If the kids come home with me, I’ll barely have...”

  His blue eyes hardened and a muscle ticked in his jaw as he stared.

  Her face heated.

  “It’s not my place to tell you what decision to make,” he said softly, “and I certainly don’t want you to think I’m trying to overstep here, but I love those kids as much as you do and what they need most right now is stability.”

  “I know.” She wrapped her palms tighter around the mug and focused on the heat singeing her palms rather than the hollow in her chest. “I want that for them, too,” she said, though she’d spent the majority of a sleepless night conceding it would be difficult for her to provide stability without making the major changes Sandra had mentioned earlier. It was an intimidating thought that clashed with her desire to abide by Jennifer’s wishes.

  “Your mom mentioned you’d gone into marketing.” Landon’s long finger tapped the rim of his coffee mug. “Where are you working these days?”

  “KC Marketing in Los Angeles,” she said. “I’m a brand manager.”

  “For lingerie and alcoholic beverages of all things,” Patricia said.

  Katie glanced over her shoulder. Her mother stood in the kitchen doorway, a large diaper bag draped over one shoulder, Sophia in her arms and one eyebrow lifted in disapproval.

  “Once,” Katie said. “For both. I managed one account for a good friend who opened a San Leandro brewery and another for my supervisor’s cousin who happens to be one of the most promising talents in fashion right now. Both were great learning experiences.”

  Patricia pursed her lips. “And the account after those two? What was the name of it?”

  Katie set her mug on the table. She licked her lips, fixed her gaze on the clock hanging on the wall behind her mother’s left shoulder and whispered, “Passionate Pucker.”

  Patricia narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

  Katie sighed then announced loudly, “I said, Passionate Pucker.”

  Landon straightened from his relaxed position on the other side of the island. A guarded expression crossed his face, but curiosity filled his blue eyes as he studied her mouth.

  “Lip wear.” Katie spread her hands and shrugged. “You know, balms, sta
ins and glosses?” She faced her mother. “The name’s just a marketing tactic, and I don’t see why you have such a problem with what I do for a living.”

  “I don’t have a problem with you being a brand manager,” Patricia said. “I just wish you’d choose more wholesome, family-friendly brands. Though that’s not a concern for you since you don’t have children.”

  Katie tapped her heel against the stool leg. “I don’t have children now, but—”

  “I’m sorry for not knocking, Landon.” Patricia smiled at him, effectively ending her debate with Katie. “The door was open and Matthew was anxious to get started. He’s so excited about moving in with you.”

  Matthew walked in carrying a goldfish bowl. “Uncle Landon, can I leave Jinx in here while we set up the table?”

  Matthew stopped, his eyes landing on Katie, and a dark flush crept across his face. There were dark shadows under his eyes and his hair was rumpled. The bright happiness she’d last seen in his eyes years ago was absent.

  Katie slid off the bar stool and ran a clammy hand over her jeans. “Hey, Matthew.” She gestured toward Landon. “I was invited to help move your things in today. I hope that’s okay?”

  Matthew looked at Landon and Patricia then lowered his head and stared at the fishbowl in his hands.

  “Do you have a bigger tank for—what was his name?” she asked. “Jinx?”

  He nodded but didn’t look up.

  “I could help you set it up, if you’d like me to? Then I could take you all out for dinner tonight at the motel. My treat.”

  He walked across the room, set the bowl on the counter and watched Jinx swim two laps around the bowl before saying, “I guess. Emma’s bringing in the plastic trees and stuff. The tank’s in Grandpa’s truck. It’s heavy.”

  “I’ll grab it,” Landon said, rounding the island. “Matthew, why don’t you show Katie to your new room? You’ll need to pick out where you want to put it first.”

  After Landon left, Matthew trudged out of the kitchen and Katie followed him to the hallway.

  “Katie?”

  She watched as Matthew entered a bedroom at the end of the hall and said, “I’ll be there in a minute, Matthew,” then glanced over her shoulder at her mother.

  “How long do you plan to stay this time?” Patricia asked.

  That all-too-familiar ache seeped back into Katie’s chest. “I’m not sure,” she said quietly. “Why? You anxious for me to leave?”

  Patricia sighed. “Whether you believe it or not, we have missed you.”

  “I know. I’ve missed all of you, too.” Katie looked at Sophia, who blinked wide brown eyes up at her. “Would you mind if I hold Sophia for a while? Just until Landon gets the aquarium inside?”

  Patricia hesitated and glanced at Sophia before nodding reluctantly. “I suppose. In the meantime, I’ll help Harold bring in the kids’ bags.”

  Katie walked over, took Sophia then settled her on her hip. Sophia balled her fists in Katie’s shirt, smiled up at her and squealed. She had dimples—tiny indentations on each side of her mouth in exactly the same place Jennifer’s had been.

  “Hi, precious.” Katie’s eyes blurred and she blinked rapidly as Sophia bounced in her arms. “You’re raring to go this morning, aren’t you?”

  “She had a good night’s sleep.” Patricia sniffed and bit her lip.

  Katie swallowed hard. “She looks so much like Jennifer, doesn’t she?”

  “And you.” Patricia wiped a lone tear from her cheek then headed for the door. “She looks like you, Katie.”

  It was quiet after she left. Katie cuddled Sophia closer and studied the shape of the baby’s eyes, her pug nose, rosebud mouth and brown curls.

  “You definitely have your mama’s hair,” Katie said, smiling. “But I think my mom’s right. You might have gotten a little piece of me, as well.”

  Sophia gurgled and reached up, the tiny fingers of one hand winding in Katie’s bangs and the other curling around her earlobe. Katie dipped her head, inviting Sophia to explore further. Sophia patted Katie’s cheeks, hiccupped then grinned.

  Katie laughed. Sophia’s comforting weight in her arms warmed her heart and eased some of the pain.

  You’ll help them laugh again, Katie. I know you will. So, please do it for me.

  She stilled as Jennifer’s plea whispered in her mind. It left an odd mixture of excitement and fear in its wake.

  “What kind of aunt would I be,” she whispered, slipping her pointer finger into Sophia’s tight grip and starting toward Matthew’s bedroom, “if I left you all behind?”

  There was movement across the room. Landon stood on the other side of the island, his muscular arms weighed down with a large aquarium stand. His eyes focused on Sophia then drifted up to Katie, and the same fear Katie harbored was reflected in his disapproving gaze.

  Chapter 3

  Katie twisted a paper napkin tighter around her finger as she looked out the window of the Elk Valley Motel restaurant. The dim lights in the parking lot barely reached the group ambling toward the side entrance of the restaurant, but she could just make out the exhausted droop of Matthew’s expression in the darkness.

  “Oh, Jennifer,” she whispered. “What were you thinking, asking me to do this?”

  Katie didn’t have much experience with kids. As a teen, she’d only babysat twice for close friends of her parents, but she supposed she could take comfort in the fact that she didn’t recall any disasters occurring, which meant she must’ve done something right. Even so, her afternoon with Matthew at Landon’s ranch hadn’t gone as great as she’d hoped.

  After unloading bed frames and mattresses then maneuvering furniture into the kids’ new bedrooms, Katie had spent the better part of the afternoon helping Emma and Matthew unpack their bags, hang clothes in their small closets and tuck fresh sheets on their beds. She and Matthew had set up the aquarium in relative silence, considering he’d only responded to her attempts at conversation with close-ended one-word responses. It hadn’t helped that her cell phone had buzzed every ten minutes with questions from her boss who wanted updates on Sandra’s Sexy Suds account as well as two potential new accounts.

  Around five, she’d excused herself and returned to her motel room, answered work emails and showered and changed for dinner. Then she’d taken up residence at a corner table in the restaurant, sipped lemonade and fidgeted while she waited for Landon and the kids to arrive.

  “Have a nice dinner, invite them for a picnic tomorrow then say good-night—not goodbye.” She moved closer to the window, watching Landon lead Emma and Matthew up the walkway. “No matter what happens, make sure they know this won’t be goodbye.”

  “Are you okay, hon?”

  Katie jerked away from the window and nodded at the concerned waitress hovering by the table.

  “Yes, thank you.” She smiled apologetically, recognizing the woman’s familiar features but unable to pair a name with them. “I’m just talking to myself like an idiot.”

  And trying to choke back the tenth round of tears for the day.

  The waitress eyed the twisted remnants of napkins littering the table then grinned. “Nervous about something?”

  Oh, just praying for forgiveness from my sister for not honoring her wishes and figuring out how to prove to her children that I love them even though I’ll board a plane and fly back to California without them next week.

  “A bit, yeah.”

  “Anything I can do to help?”

  Katie shook her head and motioned toward the entrance. “Thank you, but the people I’m meeting are here and—”

  The bell over the door chimed. Emma and Matthew walked in then Landon followed with Sophia perched on his hip.

  “Landon Eason!” The waitress clapped her hands together and smiled. “Feels like ages since I’ve seen you.”

  He smile
d back. “Nina. Good to see you.”

  Nina Griffin. That was it. She was the mother of one of Frank’s high school friends and Katie recalled seeing her at Friday night football games years ago. It wasn’t surprising that Nina didn’t recognize her. Katie had always been overshadowed by her sister in Elk Valley. Since leaving, Katie had worked hard to reinvent herself. California was where she’d found a home and achieved the success she’d craved.

  Nina’s tone softened as Landon approached. “I was so sorry to hear about Frank and Jennifer.”

  Landon nodded then smoothed a hand over Emma’s hair. “Thought we’d stop by for a bite to eat.”

  Nina glanced down at Matthew and Emma. “Well, this is a wonderful surprise. I’d have thought you’d have dropped in on your sister instead.”

  Katie winced. Oh, no. She’d forgotten Amber, Landon’s sister, owned a café in Elk Valley. All things considered, he probably thought she was an inconsiderate jerk to overlook his family’s restaurant at a time like this.

  She stepped forward. “I’m sorry, Landon. I totally forgot about Amber’s café. If you’d like, we could—”

  He held up a hand. “No, this is fine. We haven’t been here in a while and—” he winked “—Nina’s great company.”

  “Oh, you sweet flirt.” Nina laughed. “Have a seat and get comfortable. I’ll grab some more menus.”

  “Thanks.” Landon nudged Emma toward the chair at Katie’s side then rubbed Sophia’s back. “We could use a high char if you have one, please?”

  “Sure thing, hon.”

  Great. Just great. First she forgets about Amber’s restaurant then didn’t have the good sense to have a high char ready for Sophia.