The Rancher’s Second Chance Bride

by Maya Stirling

  Reese's arm slid along the top edge of the bench. Honora's mind emptied of all thought except for memories of what she and Reese had once had. Of course they'd kissed before. Many times. Beneath their favorite tree. Behind the schoolhouse. While riding together on his horse. But, that had been so long ago, and so much had happened in both their lives, she wasn't sure that this was the right moment to be going back to those blessed times. The barriers between them still hadn't been broken down. She wondered if they ever would be. The pain of the past still hurt. The uncertainty of the future still cast a cloud.

  Reese's gaze settled on her. She knew what he wanted to do. And then, his eyes narrowed, as if he was searching her features, as if he was seeking confirmation. She didn't know what she did, but somehow he saw what he was looking for. Then his head dipped slowly and his lips settled upon hers.

  She gasped quietly and felt something within her come to sweet life. Her heart pounded when she felt his hand gently cup the contours of her jaw. His lips were tender and sweet. His kiss gentle. She'd forgotten how he could make her feel. Or had it been that she had never really left him behind? That the memories of his kisses had lain dormant, waiting to be reawakened.

  None of that mattered for the moment. All she cared about was that Reese was kissing her, and that he'd awakened a long-forgotten joy within her.

  Then, suddenly, he lifted his head away from her. His brows furrowed and he ran a hand through his dark hair. She wondered what dark emotion had taken hold of him. He shifted along the seat and then gazed at her. "I'm sorry, Honora," he gasped. "I shouldn't have done that."

  Reese breathed heavily for a few moments. He straightened and removed his arm from behind her back. He looked self-conscious and awkward. There was a sinking feeling in her belly. She peered at him, trying to understand why his affection had turned so suddenly into guilt.

  Honora swallowed and tried to understand what had happened. Her first kiss with Reese since coming home had merely confirmed what they'd both suspected. That the past couldn't be brought back to life. That what they'd once had was no more. She told herself she should go back inside.

  But, before she had a chance to move, Reese stood quickly and peered down at her. "Forgive me, Honora."

  Then, he strode quickly into the house, closing the door firmly behind him.

  Honora stood and clasped her hands at her middle. How could this have happened. It had confirmed everything she'd been telling herself about Reese and the dangers of trying to recapture the past. She paced up and down the porch for a long while, trying to understand what had happened. Finally, she decided to go up to her room. She needed time to think. Time to figure out what all this could mean for her. And for Reese.

  Up in her room, she lay on her bed for a long while. Her mind raced furiously. She felt as if she'd acted foolishly. Giving into the temptations of a second chance with Reese was dangerous. For her. And for him. Undeniably, there was still deep affection between them. But was that all? Was that enough?

  Suddenly her decision to throw herself into working as hard as she could on the ranch seemed like her only option. And, more importantly, she felt it was what He wanted her to do. His will had to be done. And if that meant turning her back on her past, then so be it, she told herself.

  She heard the sound of a horse from down in the yard. Going to the window, she peered down into the semi-darkness. She saw Reese, mounted on his horse. She wondered where he was going. Then, without even so much as a glance up at her window, Reese rode quickly off, disappearing into the night.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Reese rode fast across the rangeland. He welcomed the fact that the darkness wrapped itself around him like a protecting cloak. He gripped the reins tight in his hand, and leaned forward in the saddle, keeping his gaze fixed on the ground ahead of him. At the pace he was riding, it wouldn't take long for him to reach his destination.

  He was glad to be leaving the ranch house behind. He'd acted like a fool, back there. He knew it, as well as he'd ever known anything. He didn't understand why he'd given into that temptation.

  He'd kissed Honora. At last. After all this time.

  But, wasn't that the last thing he should have done? Hadn't he promised himself he wouldn't do that? Apart from anything else, it had probably ruined everything he'd done since she'd come back. He wanted to convince her that he meant well. And that he wanted her back in his life. Because he did. Didn't he? Confusing thoughts tumbled through his mind. He tried to push them away by concentrating on the furious speed of his mount as it raced across the grassland.

  Memories forced their way back into his mind. He'd seen the shocked reaction on her face when he'd ended the kiss. She'd looked outraged. At least that was how he had read the situation. Maybe he was wrong.

  His thoughts lingered on the sweetness of the kiss. It had sure been nice to taste her lips, he told himself. To feel the softness of her mouth. Kissing her had awakened a torrent of feeling in him. Suddenly and dangerously. That had been why he'd ended the kiss with such suddenness. His own reaction to kissing Honora had shocked him. Fear had gripped him. Fear that his selfishness was about to ruin everything again. Just like it had before.

  He groaned out loud, his voice echoing out into the night. He pushed his mount to an even faster pace. He had a job to do. It would help him forget. Just like it seemed Honora's hard work helped her push all her own troubles out of her mind.

  He picked up a trail that headed eastwards. That meant he'd get where he was going even faster. That suited him just fine. He'd been thinking about what to do about the cut fences, and had come to the conclusion there was nothing for it but to stake the place out. Waiting to see who would come through onto the ranch in the darkness seemed like the only sensible solution.

  Reese felt his rifle pressing against his thigh. He was packing twin pistols with plenty of ammo. If there was any trouble, he was ready to take care of himself. There was a half-moon in the cloud-free sky. That was good and bad as far as Reese was concerned. He'd get a clear view of whoever came onto the ranch. But, it also meant he'd be easily seen. He shrugged his concerns away. He'd been in worse situations before, and he'd survived those. As long as there was no-one else around, he could take care of himself.

  After a while he reached the ridge where he'd spent time with Honora earlier in the day. He dismounted and ground-tied his horse out of sight in a dip behind the ridge. He went to the flat rock and stretched out on his belly. Down below, he could see the fence. Moonlight glistened on the sharp edges of the cut wires which lay strewn along the path of the posts. He frowned when he realized the breaks in the fence still hadn't been completely fixed. That delay might prove costly, he told himself. Beyond the border was a dense thicket of trees which stretched parallel to the line of border posts. At the point where the wires had been cut, Reese could see the thicket seemed less dense. Maybe that was the easiest route for whoever was planning to pay a visit tonight.

  Because, Reese was sure of one thing. Someone was planning on coming onto the ranch tonight. Maybe with the intention of finishing off what they'd tried to do last night, he told himself.

  He felt the coldness of the stone against his middle as he lay there. He placed his rifle by his side and sighed. It might be a long wait. But he couldn't afford to be seen. So he'd have to just lay here and deal with the hardness of the rock and chilling temperature of the stone.

  Thoughts of Honora drifted into his mind. He recalled how it had felt to sit here, on this very rock with her, only a matter of hours before. He'd nearly come close to telling her that he was beginning to understand her faith, and why it was so important to her. His talks with Gideon had helped shape some of Reese's thoughts about faith. Unlike before Honora had left for California, he now knew how it could change someone. How it could make them see life in a whole new way.

  And now that she was back, he was even more sure that it was possible he could come to a faith that might be strong enough for him and for Honor
a. He was beginning to see the possibilities. He'd left a lot of his foolishness behind him. Where it belonged. In the past. But, maybe he hadn't moved far enough. The way he'd given into temptation was making him wonder if he'd made any progress at all.

  The moon slipped behind a bank of clouds. Suddenly it wasn't so easy to see down into the hollow by the fence. Reese cursed softly under his breath and squinted, trying to make out anything down by the thicket of trees. He tilted his head when he heard a sound coming from down there. He listened more intently, still not able to see anything. Silence.

  Then he heard the sound of horse snickering. No. More than one. He heard a distinct and familiar neighing sound. There were horses coming through the thicket. He heard branches being pushed aside. The rustling of leaves. Voices. Male and low. But definitely voices. They were coming through. Just as he'd predicted.

  Reese's heart began to pound. He lifted his rifle and shifted into position. Then the clouds parted and the moonlight shone down on a scene which made a chill run up Reese's spine.

  There were about a dozen riders. They were emerging from the thicket of trees. Each one of them, except the lead rider, wore a large black bandana across their faces. He figured that would be for hiding faces once they'd reached their destination on the ranch. The fact there were so many of them suggested they had something big in mind. Reese felt worry twist in his gut. That meant maximum trouble. His thoughts went to the herd. And, even worse, to the main ranch house.

  Pulse pounding at his temples, Reese leaned in and sighted his rifle. The riders came to the opening in the fence and paused. Reese saw that each man was well-armed. Rifles were stacked on either side of their saddles. All the men were packing lead. The rider at the front peered down at the opening. "This is it, boys," he grunted. "Just like he said we'd find."

  There was a murmur of approval from the other men. Reese tensed his body and got himself ready for action. His window of opportunity was going to be slim. He'd need to make the most of the element of surprise. He knew why he was doing this. He had to protect Honora. And the ranch. That was why he'd been brought here. He had a job to do.

  Reese watched as the riders eased their way gingerly through the gap in the fence. They made sure their horses didn't catch themselves on the sharp ends of the exposed wire. Soon enough, they were all through. Reese curled his fingers around the trigger and sighted his rifle. His finger was tightening, ready to pull, when he heard the sound of pounding hooves coming from behind him.

  Reese whirled around and saw a horse and rider advancing straight toward him. He peered at the moonlit figure and felt a jolt of recognition.

  Honora!

  She rode fast up the incline leading to the rock where Reese was lying. He sat up quickly, desperately thinking what to do. He twisted his neck and saw that the riders down at the fence had heard the sound. They were looking up in Reese's direction. Hands were already reaching for guns.

  Reese slid back away from the edge just as Honora drew her mount to a sliding halt. She leaped down off her horse and scooted toward Reese, kneeling low. She almost tumbled into his arms. He glared at her in the semi-darkness. At least she'd had the sense to wear dark-colored clothing, a shirt and skirt.

  "What do you think you're doing?" he breathed.

  "Stopping you from doing something stupid," she snapped. She was out of breath. He figured she must have ridden like the wind to catch up with him. Her hair was loose, tumbling down her shoulders.

  Reese grunted. "Do you know how many men are down there?"

  "Plenty, I'm sure," she replied sharply.

  From beyond the ridge, Reese heard angry voices. There was no time for talk. And no time to get Honora out of here, he told himself. "Keep your head down," he ordered.

  He saw her eyes brighten. "You giving me orders?"

  He shook his head and slid up to the edge. He saw that the riders were beginning to advance toward the ridge. Luckily they hadn't fanned out. He sighted his rifle and fired off a shot. The sound echoed in the night. One of the riders clutched his shoulder, but held on. There was a cry of pain and howls of rage.

  Reese saw guns drawn and ducked his head. Bullets slammed into the rock, sending chips flying. Reese glanced at Honora. He saw her sliding away to one side of the rock. "Honora!" he called out. "No."

  She ignored him. Reese got off a single shot and saw that the shot had struck the pommel of one of the riders. Reacting with panic, the rider tumbled off his horse, landing in a heap on his back. Reese heard roars of outrage from the men.

  Reese got off another shot, wounding one of the men in the leg. The man twisted, pulling his mount back toward the opening in the fence. The rider at the front fired up at the ridge. He roared out orders to the other men. But, the surprise resistance had weakened their resolve in an instant. Paid renegades never did have the guts for a fight, Reese told himself. Because he was sure of one thing. Someone had put these men up to this.

  More shots were fired up in the direction of the ridge. Reese managed to get off more shots. He glanced across at Honora. He was pleased she knew how to keep cover. Maybe she'd learned that lesson sometime long ago. He didn't know for sure. All he cared about was that she wasn't putting herself at risk.

  Reese lifted his head above the rock's edge. Down below, chaos had broken out. Half the men were already racing back toward the cover of the trees. The leader of the group was standing defiant, firing shots up at the ridge. Reese could see fury written on the man's face. He'd recognize that man again, he told himself. That bandana around his neck should have been worn before he'd set foot on the ranch land. That mistake might come in handy.

  For now though there was still some shooting to do. Moments later, all the renegades had retreated to the thicket. No-one had been killed. But injuries would be enough to send them packing. For the moment.

  Reese glanced across at Honora. Her brows were set in a defiant frown. Her mouth was set in a firm line. She was breathing fast. She stood and gazed at Reese. "They won't be back in a hurry," she declared. Her voice was full of satisfaction. Reese stood and strode across the rock. Honora went to her horse and grasped the reins of the animal which had been spooked by the shooting. She rubbed the horse's head, trying to calm it down.

  Suddenly, from behind Honora, Reese saw a solitary rider emerge from the darkness. He was racing up the slope and advancing straight for Honora. For a moment, Reese couldn't believe his eyes. Then he realized it must be one of the renegades who'd waited behind while his allies had retreated into the trees. Maybe the man had a notion to exact one last piece of revenge.

  "Honora!" Reese exclaimed. "Behind you."

  He saw her turn and face the rider. Reese raised his rifle and fired. The sound of the scream from Honora's horse cut through the night like a knife. There was a yell of pain and the rider changed his course and went racing back down toward the fence.

  Reese turned in time to see Honora's horse, eyes wide with terror. The animal rose up on its hind legs, its front legs in the air, pawing frantically with dangerous, lethal power. Reese's stomach lurched when he saw one of the horse's legs hammer straight into Honora's body, sending her tumbling to the ground in a heap. He heard her scream and ran straight for her.

  When he reached her he was almost too scared to touch her. He didn't know how badly she was injured. All he knew for sure was that the horse's hoof had slammed into her with a terrible force.

  Reese bent over Honora. Her face was turned away from him. His heart sank as he reached out and lifted her head off the ground slightly. She cried out and then turned to him. Her features were twisted in pain, and all the color had drained out of her face. There was no damage to her face. She clutched at her shoulder and winced.

  Reese peered at the broken material of her shirt. He could see her bare shoulder through the ripped fabric. He couldn't tell if the skin was broken. There was no blood. That was the only good news he could think of at this moment. He looked closer at her shoulder and felt his stoma
ch lurch. He glanced at Honora and sighed.

  "Can you sit up?" he asked her. She tried to move but halted, the second she lifted her head. He frowned and glanced at her shoulder again. He recognized the signs of a dislocated shoulder. He knew what he'd have to do if he was going to be able to get her back to the house.