He decided on the safest answer. "I've been busy working. You know me." He smiled at her. "Once a rancher, always a rancher."
"You've always been good at your job, Reese." Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I remember that." Her voice was suddenly cool.
He was sure there was a hint of disapproval in her voice. Maybe she hadn't forgotten how he'd treated her. How he'd kept her at arms length for too long. How he'd used every excuse in the book to avoid falling for her. And, even then, he had completely and utterly failed. Because, when she'd gone away with her parents, he'd felt like a hole had been opened up in his life. One that would never be filled.
And now she was back. Did that mean they had a second chance? Were they going to try and pick up the pieces of their shattered lives? Was that even possible?
As if sensing what he was thinking, she pulled on the reins of her horse. "I have to be heading back to the ranch house," she declared.
He could see hesitation in her eyes and thought about how to respond to the prospect of her sudden departure. Maybe the memories of the past were driving her away from him.
"It's been nice seeing you again, Reese," she said. His chest tightened and he wanted to say something to persuade her to wait. But she tugged on the reins and started to face her horse back in the other direction.
Urgency crept into him. "Honora," he exclaimed, too loud for his own satisfaction.
She lifted a brow. "Yes?"
He smiled warmly at her. "I'm glad you're back." The words sounded simple, but he couldn't help saying them with real, genuine feeling.
She nodded to him and then turned her horse and rode away. He watched her riding off into the distance. His heart was thudding in perfect unison with the pounding of the horse's hooves. He felt like, at the last moment, she'd realized the extent of how he was feeling. And, because of that, she'd made a decision. To cut their reunion short. Because, that was what it had been. A reunion of two people who had once been sweet on each other.
No, he told himself. It had been much more than just a sweet infatuation. At least as far as he had been concerned. With all the marriage talk on the ranch in recent weeks, Reese had felt miserable. And he hadn't been slow in showing it. More than once, folks had commented on his grim demeanor. They'd asked him what was wrong. And, on every occasion, he'd deflected the question with some reference to problems on the ranch. Work problems.
But, Reese knew the real truth. The real reason he'd been miserable since last year had been the absence of Honora MacLeish from his life. It was that simple. And now she was back in his life. Living right next door. He asked himself what he could do about that. What was he supposed to do?
He knew the answer. There was only one thing he wanted to do. One thing he'd wanted to do ever since she'd left. Bring Honora back into his life. But, judging from the way she had acted toward him, he knew it wasn't going to be easy. She'd always had a feisty way about her. She was independent in so many ways. Her tough, determined manner had been the subject of endless teasing from the Buchanan brothers. They'd even joked with Reese about who wore the trousers in their friendship. But, he'd been fine with that, because she was heartbreakingly beautiful. She was everything he'd ever wanted in a woman. Even seeing her sadness could still make his heart swell with the need to help her. Just looking at her across the border fencing, he'd felt so much for her.
And, there was one more thing he knew about his beautiful neighbor. If she didn't want something, if she truly refused something, there was no way on earth to persuade her to accept it. That applied to matters of ranch life and to affairs of the heart. He'd been on the receiving end of her strong character on plenty of occasions since they'd sat next to each other at Inspiration's school house years ago.
Now, only one question possessed his mind. Did she want Reese? Would she respond to any efforts he made to get back into her life? He couldn't be sure.
But, as he watched her disappear over the mound of a hillside, he told himself he was willing to try to win her back.
CHAPTER THREE
"You seem preoccupied about something, Honora," Mabel said to her later that evening as they were setting the table for dinner. "Is there something on your mind?"
Honora placed a bowl of vegetables down onto the middle of the long table. "I met Reese Buchanan this afternoon," she explained.
Mabel's mouth opened slightly as if she was about to say something, but then she hesitated and nodded. Honora was aware that her aunt knew about the friendship between her niece and the tall, handsome Buchanan rancher. For a moment, she worried that her aunt would react in a scolding manner, warning Honora off from going anywhere near Reese. But she didn't. "Reese? How did he react to meeting you?" her aunt asked, placing some cutlery down next to the plates.
"He was quite friendly, actually," Honora admitted.
Her aunt continued on to the next of the three places at the table. "Just friendly? I'd imagine you'd be the last person he would have expected to see."
"He was surprised. But, he tried to hide it." Honora smiled at her aunt. "That's kinda typical of Reese. He likes to keep his cards close to his chest."
Aunt Mabel frowned. "You're not telling me he's a gambling man," she declared, apparently horrified at the prospect. Honora knew that for her aunt, gambling was a sin which could lead a man down a very dark path.
"No," Honora replied. "Reese has never been that kind of a man."
Aunt Mabel sighed. "I'm glad to hear it. The Buchanans have always struck me as decent folks,"
At that moment, Uncle Rufus walked into the dining room. He halted at the door and peered at his wife. "What's this about the Buchanans?" he demanded.
Mabel gestured toward Honora. "She met Reese Buchanan today."
Rufus peered at Honora. As far as she was concerned, it wasn't exactly an approving look her uncle had just given her. "He wasn't on our land, was he?" Rufus asked sharply as he flopped down onto the seat at the head of the table. Honora couldn't help noticing the presumption in her uncle's claim to ownership of the spread. Maybe, after all, he was getting used to the idea of this belonging to him.
Honora shook her head. "No. I met him at the border fence. He didn't cross over." Thinking about how Reese had stayed on his own side, Honora reflected that it might have been nice if he had stepped onto MacLeish land. But, then what would they have done? Shaken hands politely? More than that? She drew in a calming breath and looked at her uncle.
Rufus grunted. "He knows better than to trespass," he murmured.
"What do you mean?" Honora asked.
"The Buchanan's don't like it when we stray over into their territory," Rufus explained. "In fact, they're downright rude about it when it does happen. Even if it's an accident." He shifted impatiently on his seat. "Once or twice I've almost come to blows with their ramrod. So, I don't like it when they step on our land."
"Rufus!" Mabel exclaimed. "Don't speak like that at the dinner table. If you must talk like that, save it for when you're well away from the house. Such coarse talk isn't allowed in this house. And you know it."
Looking instantly chastened, Rufus lowered his head and mumbled something incoherent.
"Honora said Reese Buchanan was perfectly civil," Mabel stated. She glanced at Honora and gave her a conspiratorial wink. "Isn't that right."
Honora nodded. "He couldn't have been nicer to me," she said. Mabel smiled, clearly pleased with her niece's response. "He said some nice words to me about my parents. He sounded like he was genuinely sorry."
It had been true. There had been nothing fake about Reese's reaction. He'd seemed completely shocked. Honora followed her aunt back to the kitchen, thoughts of her encounter with Reese foremost in her mind. As she helped her aunt prepare the food to be taken to the ranch house dining room, Honora recalled the way it had felt to see the man she had once believed would be her husband.
Because, that was how close she and Reese had been to one another. They had known each other since they'd both b
een at the final year of their attendance at the town schoolhouse, soon after Honora's family had moved to Inspiration a few years back. Not quite childhood sweethearts, nevertheless, everyone who'd seen them together since that time had assumed they would both end up with each other. Permanently. That was how close they had been.
Keeping any hint of emotion to herself, and busying herself around the kitchen, Honora studiously avoided any eye contact with her aunt. Aunt Mabel had a sixth sense when it came to matters of the heart. When Mabel and Rufus had taken over the ranch, just before the departure to California, Honora and Reese had just reached a turning point on their relationship. But, when Reese had found out about her parents' decision to go to California he'd lost all his usual composure.
Honora had planned to tell him about her leaving, but Reese had finally heard about it from one of the ranch hands. To say he hadn't been happy would be an understatement. She and Reese had held long conversations beneath their favorite tree on the Buchanan ranch. He had pleaded with her to stay. Nothing could be changed. She had to go with her parents. Unless, of course, something else happened to prevent that. Honora had secretly toyed with that possibility in her mind, hoping that Reese would take the next step. The seemingly inevitable step.
But, he hadn't even come close to asking her to marry him. For some reason, that had been one question he was determined to avoid asking her.
As comprehension had dawned on Reese that he was about to lose Honora, perhaps forever, it had seemed that every time, in the days before her departure, all they could do was argue. And some of those disagreements had been too public for Honora's taste. When the day had finally come for Honora to leave with her parents, Reese hadn't even come to the station to see her off. That had hurt.
She could still remember the pain she'd felt on that cloudy afternoon. She'd stood on the platform, waiting to see him come to her, wanting him to say sweet final words to her. Any kind of words. That he would wait for her to return. Even, that he would come for her in California. Anything that showed how much she meant to him.
Maybe even make a last ditch, final proposal on the train platform. But, he hadn't come. Leaving Inspiration had hurt.
And now she was back. She never thought her return would involve such tragedy. That her life would be changed in such a painful manner. But that was God had ordained. That was what He had given to her. All that was left for her to do was to accept His will. To place herself in His hands. Just as she'd done so many times in her life.
Gathering things to take to the dining room, Honora reflected upon Reese. He'd matured. That was for sure. She'd seen that immediately in his demeanor, and in his instant expression of sympathy. Honora found that discovery both surprising and pleasing.
There was another, more obvious thing. Reese Buchanan was still easy on the eye. Maturity had added an intense quality to his attitude. There had been a casual confidence, an obvious appreciation, in the way he'd reacted to seeing her.
Maybe, the friendship they'd forged these past few years still lingered, she told herself. But could it be even more than just a friendship? His sympathy for her loss had sounded utterly genuine. And there had been obvious delight in the way he'd looked at her. More than once, she'd had to disguise her own reaction to his penetrating gaze.
As she prepared to carry a large tray to the dining room, she thought about the man she had seen this afternoon. Reese was a changed man in so many ways. Physically he had filled out, seeming broader and more powerful than she had remembered him to be. His features had a lean, hard quality about them, now. His dark eyes still possessed an intensity which could burn through her, as if he was searching her soul. His broad cheekbones were sharper and there was an expression on his full lips which suggested knowledge. Understanding. Experience.
She could still remember what it had felt like to be kissed by Reese Buchanan. Memories of those kisses floated into her mind as she followed her aunt down the corridor and into the dining room. As she placed the tray on the table, she felt her uncle's gaze on her. Was he still thinking about her encounter with a Buchanan? Was he trying to discover if she and Reese could still be friends? And if so, why would that be important to her uncle? Was there bad blood between his uncle and the Buchanans? She hoped not.
As if reading her mind, Rufus spoke. "You and that Buchanan boy used to be real friendly, didn't you?" Rufus asked slowly.
Honora saw Mabel cast a disapproving eye at her husband. "What's that to you?" Mabel asked firmly.
Rufus shrugged. "Just that it would be good to know." He lifted a brow. "If it's still true." He glanced at Mabel. "By the way. We're having a visitor tomorrow."
Mabel stood next to Rufus. She was holding a tea towel. "Who would that be?"
"Brett Calhoun."
With obvious shock, Mabel dropped the towel onto the table. Her eyes widened. "Him? What does he want?"
Rufus shrugged. "Just a social call."
"He ain't too sociable, from what I hear," Mabel said thrusting her fists against her sides. Honora hadn't seen her aunt look quite so defiant.
"You can't always believe what you hear about folks, Mabel," Rufus objected softly.
"In his case, I think we can," Mabel retorted.
There was a long silence. Honora watched, fascinated, as Rufus and Mabel engaged in a careful negotiation, consisting of a few meaningful glances. What was at stake was whether Brett Calhoun was going to be allowed to set foot on the ranch. Honora could already guess there was only going to be one winner.
Finally, Rufus sighed heavily. There was a sudden air of compromise in the room. "Okay, Mabel. I'll put it off 'til another time."
Mabel smiled, apparently satisfied with a well-won victory. "There won't be another time," she declared.
Rufus sighed. "Okay, Mabel," he mumbled. "You win."
Mabel glanced at Honora and smiled triumphantly. Honora felt her cheeks flush. She busied herself with the final preparations of the meal. Then she sat down quickly, and glanced up at her aunt. "Would you like me to say grace?" Honora asked.
Mabel smiled warmly. "That would be lovely, Honora."
Honora said grace with as much feeling as she could. It wasn't difficult to do so, because there was so much emotion tumbling about inside her at this moment. Her head lowered, she spoke the words carefully. Once concluded, she started to help serve the food which was fried chicken and vegetables.
Rufus grunted approval as he bit into the chicken. Honora dragged her attention away from the dinner table and to the events at the border between the two spreads. It was useful to know that her uncle harbored what appeared to be some kind of ill-will toward the Buchanans. She'd known nothing of that before arriving earlier that day.
Of course, the Buchanans weren't universally liked in the area. They'd been here long enough to make some enemies. Maybe it went some way to explaining Rufus' gruff attitude on the journey from the station. Now that she'd seen Rufus' dislike of the neighboring family on full display, Honora decided she'd have to proceed with caution when it came to any mention of the Buchanans. She'd only just arrived, but she'd already been presented with a dilemma.
She needed to stay at the ranch. Of that she was in no doubt. There was nowhere else for her to go. But, in doing so, she sensed she had walked into the middle of some kind of dispute, about which she still didn't know the full details. Now she had come back to Inspiration, she knew she was about to make some discoveries, some of which she might not like. Something big had happened while she had been gone. The last thing she wanted was to be caught in the middle of problems. Having seen the ranch today, she realized that all she wanted was to roll up her sleeves and throw herself into ranch work. That was one of the many legacies left by her parents. A capacity for hard work. And there was plenty for her to do.
And, keeping busy would serve one very important purpose. As she started to eat her food, she had already come to one conclusion. She'd have to stay well away from Reese Buchanan.
The Rancher’s Second Chance Bride Page 3
