Her Renegade Rancher EPB

by Jennifer Ryan

  “Damnit, that’s not funny.”

  The floor-to-ceiling bookshelves had been wiped clean, the books and decorative objects literally swiped off the shelves and dumped in piles on the floor. Most of the books survived with little to no damage, but some of the older, leather-bound books were worth a lot of money, and any damage to them would decrease their value.

  “Damn. Damn. Damn.”

  “Do you always start your day off swearing?”

  Luna spun around with her hands up to ward off the man standing directly behind her. “What are you doing here?”

  “We have a meeting. Seven a.m., you said.” Simon glanced at his watch. “I’m five minutes early.”

  “I mean, what are you doing in my house?”

  “It used to be my house,” he said matter-of-factly. “I have a key. Old habit, I guess. I let myself in. I thought we could talk before we meet with Toby and the others to go over the ranch business.” Simon stared past her into the library. “What happened in here?”

  “Like you don’t already know. You have a key to the house. I assume you have one for the library, too.”

  Simon reached past her and pulled the right side door out several inches. “The lock is nothing more than a latch. Stick something in here, and you can work the lock without the key. Josh and I did it a dozen times when we played hide-and-seek as kids.”

  She didn’t acknowledge the fact he was right. The lock could be picked by a precocious ten-year-old.

  “You ever walk into my house again without my permission to enter, I’ll have you arrested for trespassing.”

  Simon held up his hands in front of her in a gesture of surrender. “I’m sorry.” His voice was smooth. “Chalk it up to autopilot. I missed my second cup of coffee because it flew off the roof of my car.” He let loose a self-deprecating chuckle. “I’m not used to getting up at the crack of dawn, and the last thing I want to do is fight with you. Can we call a truce?”

  “Maybe. Depends on what I find in the office.” She walked away, not ready to give him the benefit of the doubt. The explanation he gave seemed genuine on the surface, but he had reason and motive to want to mess with her.

  “I didn’t do anything to the office. I don’t have a key. None of us did. Dad didn’t trust anyone to be in there alone.”

  She spun around and faced him, making him stop short before he slammed into her. “Why?”

  “I don’t know. It’s where he kept all his important papers, bank information, all the stuff he needed to run the ranch. He didn’t want us messing around with his things.”

  “Do you have any idea how much your father was worth?” She didn’t think he had any idea.

  “The lawyer made it very clear without saying anything that Dad didn’t want anyone but you to know that. The term ‘assets’ isn’t that specific, now, is it?”

  She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “No. It’s not.”

  “I’ll just bet you’re going to keep that information to yourself, too, aren’t you?”

  “Yes. I am. For eighteen months. At that time, if you’ve earned it, I’ll give you your fifty percent, and then you’ll know.”

  “Tell me this, is that fifty percent worth all the shit I’m going to have to endure to get it?”

  She kept her face blank, not wanting to give anything away, because what Wayne wanted most was for Simon and Josh to want to be here. He wanted them to want to take care of this place not because of the money but because they loved it like Wayne loved it.

  “We’ll see.”

  Yes, we’ll see if you find something here you love more than the money. She wanted that for Simon, because she cared about Wayne and the hope he’d held on to for his sons.

  “That’s not an answer.”

  “You know what your father wanted from you. You work hard enough at anything, you’ll find success.”

  “How successful was my father? Because believe me, that man worked harder than anyone I know.”

  “Very successful.” She gave that much up because success wasn’t always measured in how much money you made.

  Simon pinched up one side of his mouth in a sardonic grin. “You’re a wealth of information.”

  Luna unlocked the office on the fourth try. She really needed to label the keys until she got used to using them. She pushed the wood-paneled door open, thankful this room hadn’t been touched.

  “It’s not so easy to pick a dead bolt.” Simon stuffed his hands in his front pockets and rocked back on his heels.

  Luna closed the door and locked it again. She’d go through the files and computer later. Right now she had a wannabe cowboy to put through his paces to see what kind of metal the man had for sticking it out eighteen months with her. If he thought she’d be a pushover, he had another think coming.

  “Ready to ride?”

  “Ride?”

  “Yep. You know, that thing you do atop a horse.”

  One of his eyebrows shot up. “You’re kidding.”

  “This is a working cattle and horse ranch. You used to live here. I thought you could show me around this morning. We’ll talk.”

  “Whatever you say.”

  She swept her arm out to indicate that he lead the way to the door. “You know the way out.”

  They made their way to the stables in tense silence. Ed walked out, leading two horses. He tied them off at one of the fences. “Here you go, Luna, just like you asked.”

  “Thank you, Ed. We’ll take it from here.” She turned to Simon. “How long’s it been since you rode a horse?”

  “Fifteen years. Maybe more.”

  “Well, this should be fun. Nostalgic, right?”

  “Sure.” Simon followed her into the stables.

  They each grabbed a blanket and saddle and walked back out to the horses. She’d grown up on a ranch and rode horses every day of her young life. She missed the horses most. Now she could use her knowledge about horses and riding to watch Simon. Wayne said his sons were never interested in the ranch, but that didn’t mean Simon wasn’t a capable rider. It didn’t mean he hadn’t paid attention to what they did here on the ranch. For all she knew, he’d make a great partner. Maybe he didn’t love it, but he’d settle in and be happy.

  Simon tightened the synch on the saddle around the horse’s chest. The horse danced sideways and rubbed against the fence. Luna ran over and steadied the horse. “Whoa now. Okay,” she crooned. “Undo that synch and loosen it up.”

  “Sorry. It’s been a long time.”

  “You want to be pissed, fine, take your frustration out on me, but you harm one of the animals on this ranch, you might as well call it quits now because I’ll throw you off this property so fast your head will spin. I didn’t call the cops about the passive-aggressive mess you all left at the house.”

  “I didn’t do that,” he bit out.

  She kinda believed him, but held on to her reservations just in case he proved her instincts wrong.

  “I will make you, or anyone in your family, pay if you hurt the animals.”

  “You don’t have anything to worry about from me.” Simon loosened the synch and the horse relaxed.

  Luna let go of the horse’s rope and walked back to finish her horse. Simon finished with his, even getting the bridle on without incident. Either he took her threat seriously, or he’d made a mistake putting the saddle on too tight. Either way, they were finally ready to ride out, so she saddled up and kicked her horse into a nice walk down the gravel road to the dirt road that wound through the pastures. Simon caught up quickly, bouncing in his saddle.

  “It has been a long time since you rode. Relax,” she coaxed.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You tell me. What’s your favorite spot on the ranch?”

  “Follow me. I’ll show you what everyone wants.”

  The ride took about half an hour for them to wind their way across the property and up into the hills. By the time they crested the hill overlooking the property
for miles, she’d relaxed and so had Simon. He’d still be sore as hell later, but his riding style improved.

  The wind blew into her face, sweeping her hair out behind her back. She sucked in a deep breath, tinged with the scent of pine, grass, horses, and just good, clean, crisp air. She closed her eyes for a moment and savored everything about being here.

  “You’re really beautiful, you know that?”

  She automatically laughed under her breath, dismissing his words. “I love it up here.”

  “Changing the subject doesn’t change the truth about what I said.”

  “I don’t know why you said it at all.”

  “Because I looked at you lost in the sun and wind and the quiet up here and I forgot everything about my father passing, what he did, and what it means, and I saw you.”

  “Not what I represent.”

  “I suppose so. I’m angry about what my father did. It makes it hard to mourn.” Simon stared out at the land, the house, stables, and barns standing off in the distance to their left. Fields and pastures spread out to the right. She spotted the twisting river farther off, creeks branching off in several directions. “Up here, I remember him like I’m a boy again. He brought Josh and me up here all the time. He’d spread his arms out and say, ‘All this is our land. Our home.’ ”

  “It must be really hard to sit up here now and look at it all with me beside you.”

  “Why did he give it to you?”

  “There’s no simple answer. It’s not because he didn’t want you to have it. It wasn’t to punish you in any way. Knowing your father the way I did, I imagine him sitting up here, overlooking all this land, his home, and I believe he felt as if he was its keeper. The land, the animals, they provided for him and his family. I believe he felt a true kinship for this place. Not as an owner but as a caretaker. That’s what he wants for this place.”

  “And that’s you?”

  She stared out at the land and couldn’t imagine selling to anyone, knowing they might not appreciate the natural beauty all this land had to offer that you couldn’t put a price tag on. This wasn’t just Wayne’s home, this was his legacy to be passed down to the next caretaker. Her. One day, she’d have to pass it on to the next. She hoped to one of her own children. If not, someone like her who felt something like this needed to be preserved, when so many people bought and sold, stripped the land, took what they could get, and moved on without a thought to what they left behind.

  “Yes, Simon. I am that kind of person. I don’t want to take anything from you. I want to make sure this place is here long after I’m gone.”

  “But you did take this from us.”

  “It was given into my safekeeping. What do you want with it? The money it makes? Your dad left you half a million dollars outright. Wasn’t that enough? You can take the other half million and be done. How much will be enough? What’s it worth to you?”

  Simon didn’t answer her.

  “Just wanting it isn’t enough.”

  “You sound just like my dad.”

  “We were kindred spirits, I guess. We understood each other.” For the first time, she turned and looked at Simon. “Are you really going to stick out the next eighteen months?”

  “I’m going to try.”

  “Why? To what end? Even if you get the fifty percent, you can’t sell it. You’ll still have to work here. We both know you don’t want that.”

  “Maybe all I want is for you not to get everything.”

  “You holding fifty percent share doesn’t change that. I’ll still have the final say on everything. I still live in the house. I control everything that happens here.”

  “I know.”

  “And still you want to put yourself through this?”

  Simon nodded. “I guess so.”

  Which in Luna’s mind meant he wanted something else. What? She couldn’t guess, but she’d watch him, because anyone who’d do something they hate for that long had a plan to get out of doing it for the rest of his life.

  “Well, all you have to do is show me you’ve earned it.”

  “Do you really intend to fork over half this place even if I do a good job?”

  “Yes. It’s what your father would have wanted.”

  “What the hell do you care what he wanted? He’s dead. He’d never know.”

  “I would. The attorney would.”

  “Like he’s not on your side, too.”

  “His job is to make sure I do mine.”

  “You’re paying his salary. He’ll do what you want.”

  “Maybe so, but it’ll have to hold up in court, now, won’t it? I mean, you do a good job, you’ll have proof to present to a judge. Everyone here will see you’ve met the terms. I can’t buy off everyone.”

  “Yes, I imagine you can.”

  She shook her head. “You’ll just have to trust me like your father did.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “Come on, let’s get going. Rich is waiting in the west pasture for us.”

  “Uh, why?”

  “We’re putting in a new fence line to separate out a new bull.”

  “Fun.” Nothing in his tone or expression said he thought the next few hours of hard labor would be fun. Sinking posts and stringing barbed wire was no easy task.

  “I thought you’d like that,” she teased.

  She turned her horse and headed out, wondering if he’d change his mind and just go home. No such luck. He caught up in a matter of minutes, his face tight with pain from sitting in the saddle so long. He’d be happy to be on the ground again, digging post holes if she guessed right.

  “Can we bury the hatchet and start over?” Simon asked.

  “Depends on if you’re planning to bury that hatchet in my back.”

  He laughed. “I didn’t peg you as a tough chick when I met you.”

  She relaxed and let loose a soft laugh. “I’ll dial down the bitch. You dial down the asshole. We’ll get along fine.”

  “Deal. How does your boyfriend feel about us working together?”

  She didn’t confirm or deny the “boyfriend” term. Mostly because it wasn’t his business. Partly because she wasn’t sure she could actually call him that. “Colt has no say about this place.” Not now. But maybe one day they’d build a life together. It seemed they were well on their way to starting down that road. “This place is mine. Most of the people, actually all of them, are men. I’ll hire on a few horsewomen once I start the equine therapy program, but that’s still a ways off for now.”

  “So that’s why he built the arena. Josh and I thought he might be doing some horse training or showing.”

  “Nope. He built it for me.” Pent-up tears clogged her throat just thinking about it. He’d planned for her to be here. It meant so much to her that he’d thought of her dreams and helped make part of them a reality. He’d given her a place to put her schooling and her passion to good use.

  “So that will be your focus?”

  “Soon. Right now, I’ll be focused on learning everything I can about the three businesses this place supports.”

  “And today is cattle ranching.”

  “Yep.”

  “I hate to ask what’s in store for tomorrow.”

  “The wonders of hay bailing.”

  “Boring as hell, but I can probably do it in my sleep. Dad used to punish me with that particular chore.”

  “Great, then it shouldn’t be hard to get up to speed and get the job done.”

  “Such a hardass. How does your boyfriend put up with you?”

  Luna didn’t fall for his teasing tone. Not when it sounded like he was gathering information. “Leave Colt out of this.”

  “Hard to do when we’re being followed, probably on his orders. Right?”

  Again, she didn’t confirm or deny, though she knew Colt set this up. She’d spotted the rider not long after they’d left the stables. He kept his distance but always kept them in sight. She also noticed the rifle strapped next to his saddle. �
�After what I came home to yesterday, it’s wise to be cautious.” She couldn’t decide if she wanted to kill Colt for thinking she couldn’t take care of herself or thank him for being sweet.

  Ugh. Men. “Can’t live with them. Can’t poison them with pot roast,” her mother used to say. Considering her mother was the worst cook in the world and had given her father food poisoning on many occasions—the brave soul—her mother might not have made her point.

  “I’m not here to hurt you.”

  “No? So just to get me to sell?”

  “Neither. I’m here to earn my half and that’s all. Relax, Luna. I’m not the one out to get you.”

  “Oh good, one family member down, a handful to go.”

  “I really don’t know who did all that stuff to the house, though I suspect, as I’m sure you do, too, that it was Josh. Although, he’s more the direct threat kind of person, so who knows. Then again, I can’t really see my aunt and uncle doing that stuff either.”

  “Thanks, you’re a lot of help.” She smiled to let him know she was teasing. If he knew who did it but wasn’t saying, so be it. Right now, they needed to find a way to work together, so she dialed down the hostility and tucked her suspicions at the back of her mind.

  They rode up to Rich’s truck. He already had two guys working on a post hole. Rich carried a bundle of barbed wire over to the pile of posts they had on the ground. He dumped the wire and came to greet her.

  “Hey there.”

  “Hey yourself. How’s it going this morning?”

  “Everything is on schedule. The new bull should arrive in a couple of hours. We need to get this fencing up and secure before he gets here.”

  “I brought you some help. I’m sure you two know each other.”

  “In passing,” Simon confirmed. He nodded to Rich. “Good to see you again.”

  “My condolences on your father. He was a good and generous man.”

  Simon graciously accepted Rich’s sentiments. “Thank you.” He dismounted his horse, shaking out his legs one by one.

  Luna hid her smile. “Well, you guys have fun. I’m off.”

  “Wait. What? You’re leaving?” The surprise and anger in Simon’s voice nearly made her laugh.

  She gave Simon a look. “Yes. I have other things to do today.”