Archer had argued with Xan that of course he knew his choices had consequences. The fact that he lived paycheck to paycheck when his brothers didn’t testified of that. Archer didn’t need his dad to point it out every single time they got together, because all that did was force Archer to stay away.
He opened the screen door and went inside, calling, “Hey, Mom. Dad?”
His mom came bustling down the hall and into the main living area, which merged seamlessly into the kitchen and dining area. His father had done all the home improvements during times when he wasn’t working. They didn’t have a huge house, or even the nicest materials inside, but it was clean and open and Archer felt something stir in him that had long gone dormant.
He hugged his mother, realizing it was her he missed. Her he should make more of an effort to involve in his life. If his dad wanted to be prickly, fine, but his mom had never been anything but supportive.
“Smells good in here.”
“Corn and cheese chowder,” she said. “And I threw in some bread just before you called, so it should be out soon.” She held onto his arms and looked up into his face, happiness and hope shining in her eyes. “It’s so good to see you. You look…bigger.”
“I’ve gained a few muscles working around the ranch,” he said.
She gestured for him to enter the kitchen, and they sat at the bar together. “So you like the ranch?”
That spark of hope, that ultimate longing, pulled through him. “Mom, it’s so great. I really hope I get the job up there. The cowboys get a cabin, Mom. A house to live in, right on-site. They treat each other like family. The owner is great, and there are a few ranch wives that feed the cowboys sometimes.” He sighed, realizing everything he’d ever wanted sat up at Horseshoe Home. “I really want the job. It could be my career.”
“What’s your plan if you don’t get it?”
Archer swung toward the sound of his father’s voice. He had the same black hair, the same overgrown eyebrows, the same stance as Archer when he folded his arms—like he was now.
“I’m going to get it, Dad,” Archer said. The timer on the oven read twenty-four minutes. Twenty-four minutes before the bread would even be done.
“But what if you don’t?”
“There are three other ranches up the canyon, and I have experience now. I know what to do. I’m employable on any ranch, anywhere. I’ll find something.” Archer marveled at the confidence in his voice, his heart, his soul. Though his dad had never shown him that same confidence, Archer possessed it. He wondered where it came from.
“Dave,” his mother said.
“What? I’m just askin’ the boy some questions.”
“I’m not a boy, Dad.” Archer exhaled, not wanting to fight tonight.
“Tell us about your girlfriend,” his mom said, getting up to stir the chowder.
Archer didn’t really want to talk about that either, but he had come here to talk. He’d been led here, and he didn’t want to disappoint the Lord by being petty. So he told them about Emery, his words becoming more animated and the strength in him increasing.
“So she’s working up at the ranch too,” his dad said.
“Yep, that’s right.”
“So she could get the job you want.”
“She’s not going to get it, Dad.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I just do.” He didn’t want to explain the whole star chart to his parents. His dad wouldn’t understand it anyway. He’d want to know how a job could be earned with stickers, and why didn’t Jace just give the job to who he thought was the best? Archer would try to explain that the stickers proved who was best, but his dad simply wouldn’t get it.
“But it’s a possibility.”
“Sure, Dad. It’s a possibility.” The timer went off for the bread, and Archer thanked the Lord for that. The conversation stalled as bowls and spoons were set out, and bread sliced, and chowder served. His father said grace, and Archer was struck with how powerful his father’s faith was. He’d never truly noticed that before, but it bled through in the words of his prayer so forcefully that Archer had to listen.
They ate, mostly in silence, another small miracle Archer expressed mental gratitude for. He answered his mom’s questions about Emery, and the ranch, and anything else she wanted to know. “You’re eating okay?” She always asked that.
“Mom, you just said you thought I looked better.” He grinned and chuckled. “I’m eating great.”
He helped her clean up the dishes, aware of his father’s watchful eyes. He didn’t want to stick around to hear what was brewing in his dad’s brain, so he said, “I should go. Work on the ranch starts before the sun gets up.” He grinned and hugged his mother again.
His dad followed him to the front door and they shared a quick embrace. “Work hard, son,” he said just before Archer stepped into the cold. Archer wanted to tell him how hard he’d been working, but he just walked down the sidewalk, got in his truck, and went on home.
His father of all people should know that sometimes hard work didn’t win the race. Maybe that was what he’d meant, which only added fuel to the frustrated fire simmering in Archer’s bloodstream. He could have the most stars and still not get this job, something he’d never considered before tonight.
But Jace was a person, and maybe he would hire Emery if he thought she needed the job more than Archer did. After all, families took care of each other, right?
His competitive spirit flared to life. He needed this job. Badly. And he needed to make sure Jace knew it.
Chapter Eight
Archer went under the Double-H ranch sign early the next morning. He parked and got out of his truck, his breath hanging in the air in front of him. It must have been fate, or serendipity, or maybe the hand of God, because Jace was crossing the lane to the administration lodge at that very moment.
“You’re here early,” he said to Archer.
“Yeah,” he said. “Didn’t have to wait for Emery, and I couldn’t sleep in. So I just came up. Figured I could nurse my coffee here as well as at home.”
Jace nodded. “You live alone.” He wasn’t asking.
“Yep.” Archer usually didn’t mind being alone, but after experiencing the joy and wonder and love here at the ranch, he realized he wouldn’t want to be alone forever. “I have a little dog. He keeps me company sometimes, but he’s been in a depression since Emery left.” He chuckled. “Somehow, he got all attached to her.”
Jace climbed the steps and held open the door for Archer. “That can happen.”
Archer stepped past him and turned back when he saw the front area was vacant. “I just wanted to thank you for this job. I mean, I know I don’t have it, but I’m really hoping I’ll get it. I’ve wanted to be a cowboy for a long time.”
Jace appraised him, and Archer let him look. “What else have you done?” Jace continued toward the kitchen where someone had already started the coffee.
“A little bit of everything. Worked in a restaurant as a line cook. Worked for the city for a summer in the parks and rec department. Even tried my hand at fixing cars. This is the best fit for me.” He felt it, way down deep in his soul. The familiar desperation he’d become friends with over the past few months lodged in his throat.
“Well, you’re a good cowboy,” Jace said. “Leading the recruits on the star chart, aren’t you?”
“Yes, sir.”
Jace grinned and sipped his coffee. “I’m sure you’ll have your career one way or another.” He nodded and left the kitchen, going down the hall and into his office, where he closed the door.
Archer stood in the kitchen, holding his coffee mug, numb. That conversation hadn’t gone exactly how he’d wanted it to. In his daydreams, Jace offered him the job on the spot, saying he was the best cowboy of the hirees, and Horseshoe Home simply couldn’t survive without him.
This version wasn’t nearly as rewarding, but a little niggle of hope remained in his gut. Jace knew who he was.
He knew where he sat on the chart. Maybe his father’s advice to keep working hard would pay off in the end.
Elliott entered the kitchen and said, “It’s so cold out there already.” He poured himself a mug full of coffee. “Ranching in the winter isn’t so much fun.”
“I don’t think it’s so bad,” Archer said.
“You haven’t done it yet.” Elliott grinned. “I really hope you get this job so I can see how you deal with ten-foot snow drifts in February.” He seemed almost giddy about such a thing.
Archer laughed. “I bet I’ve done worse.” He sobered, because he knew what was worse. Having no job at all.
*
“Okay, here we are.” Emery eased Jenny over the bump in her driveway, going as slow as she could so she didn’t jostle Glenna too much. Her poor sister had pain in her spine from the fall, and if she could feel her legs, she’d probably be worse than she was.
Emery didn’t pull into the garage but left Jenny idling just shy of it. “Stay here. I’ll go get Archer.” She’d told Glenna all about Archer, that she couldn’t steal him away from Emery just because he was going to sweep her off her feet and carry her into the house.
Glenna had rolled her eyes and laughed. She’d said, “Men don’t look at me, Emery,” in a really vulnerable voice that had pulled on Emery’s heartstrings. She found her sister beautiful, with the same gold-spun hair she had, the same crystal-blue eyes. The only difference was the wheelchair, really, and she prayed as she jogged up to Archer’s door that he would be able to see the beauty in her sister.
Her phone rang, and she answered it with, “Hey, Mom. We just pulled in.”
“I’m on my way. I have dinner.”
Emery’s stomach growled and then clenched. “Sounds great. See you soon.” She knocked on Archer’s door and hung up her phone. Her mother was a good mom, doing the best she could with decades-old medical bills still plaguing her. A sting of resentment for the father she hadn’t spoken to in twenty years accompanied the warm feelings about her mom.
Archer pulled open the door and said, “Hey, you,” before gathering her into his arms. She exhaled, so glad to be back in Gold Valley, back with him.
He kissed her, the depth of his feelings plain to experience with his gentle touch that seemed powerful at the same time.
“My mom’s on her way over, and we need help getting Glenna inside.”
He flexed his muscles. “I know what I’m good for.”
She laughed, though she thought he was good for a lot more than just eye candy. He soothed her, ironed out her wrinkled thoughts, and made her want to be a better person. She undid her ponytail and re-secured it tightly as they walked over to Jenny.
Emery opened her sister’s door. “Glenna, this is Archer Bailey. He’s my next-door neighbor and my boyfriend. Remember how you’re not going to charm him away from me?”
Archer laughed and volleyed his gaze from Emery to Glenna. “I don’t know, Emery. You might be beat here.” He extended his hand to Glenna to shake, and Emery saw a real smile on her sister’s face, something she hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Nice to meet you,” she said, making a feeble attempt with her good arm to scoot herself further out of the car.
“Don’t do that, Glenna,” Emery said at the same time Archer said, “I’ll get you, Glenna. Don’t you worry.” In one swift movement, he lifted her out of the Jeep, smiling the whole time.
“Oh, you’re as light as a feather.” He chuckled and took Glenna up the salted sidewalk. Emery noticed the way the dusting of snow had been removed on her side, the pink cubes of salt Archer had ensured were in place for their arrival.
Her heart swelled once, twice, three times its normal size. She pushed the passenger door closed and gathered two bags from the back seat before following the man who was acting like her personal savior. Tears gathered behind her eyes, making her whole head hot.
Archer had settled Glenna on the couch, her legs extended in front of her onto an ottoman, with a blanket over her. She sighed. “That’s fine, Archer. I think this is best for my back right now.”
“Mom’s almost here,” Emery said, setting the bags at the bottom of the stairs.
“What else do you need from Jenny?” Archer asked, striding to her side. His fingers touched hers, a dance the ten of them performed together before he claimed her hand and squeezed it. “You okay?” he whispered.
She nodded, one of her tears splashing her cheek. She wiped it away quickly. “This is all we need for tonight. Glenna has more things in the back, but we can get them later.”
“I can put stuff wherever you need,” he said. He used his free hand to guide her eyes to his. “Let me help you. Please.”
Emery had boxed up all her emotions and stored them on a shelf in the back of her mind. Glenna needed her to be strong. Glenna needed her to be in charge. Glenna needed her.
But with Archer, she could be weak. She could cry. She could let him shoulder some of the burden.
“Glenna.” Archer strode back to the couch. “We’ll be right back, okay? Will you be okay here?”
“Fine,” Glenna said, a note of weariness in her voice.
Archer returned to where Emery stood, her emotions spilling out everywhere. “Come on, sweetheart.” He tucked her into his side and took her to his house next door. He sat on the couch and she curled into his side, her tears staining his T-shirt. He simply let her cry, his breathing even and calm, an anchor for her in her personal storm.
Several long minutes later, she calmed enough for him to say, “She seems nice.”
“She is nice.”
He stroked her hair and held her close, the tenderness with which he handled her welcome and wanted. How he knew how to deal with women, she didn’t know. He didn’t have any sisters, and he’d claimed not to have had any serious girlfriends.
“You want some hot chocolate?” he asked.
She smiled through her continuing sniffles. “Sure.”
“My mother always made hot chocolate when I was upset.” He spoke in a hushed, almost reverent voice. “I’ve learned that it usually makes everything better.”
She gazed up at him, a sense of love infecting her, swirling through her. She’d lived next door to him for so long, hiding how she felt, what she’d hoped for.
“What is it?” He tucked her hair behind her ear in that loving way he had.
“Did you know I had a crush on you?”
Shock splashed his expression. “No.”
“Since the day I moved in. You had moved in the week before, remember?”
He didn’t nod or shake his head, only stared at her.
She giggled nervously. “Say something.”
“You wouldn’t even look at me. I thought you didn’t like me, only Carrot Cake.” The little dog lifted his head at the mention of his name. He put his front paws on Emery’s legs, and she lifted him into her lap.
“See?” Archer said. “You like him best.”
“I like you best,” she whispered, a long sigh following. “I need to find another job.”
“We still have a month at the ranch.”
“You’ll get that job.” She sat up and carefully dropped Carrot Cake to the ground. “With Glenna here, I’ll need something else.”
“It’ll be cheaper with her here, right? You won’t be paying two electric bills.”
“Probably.”
“Why didn’t she just live with you before?”
“She doesn’t want to burden me.” Emery rubbed her face and found it crusty. “But she did, even when she wasn’t here.” Her shoulders felt so heavy, it was almost impossible to believe. “My father abandoned us after her accident. I won’t do that to her.”
“Em,” he said, real soft. He rubbed her back. “You’re a great person.”
She shook her head. “I tried to steal your job. I still hope I’ll get it and not you. I’m not that great of a person.” She stood, grateful her legs had the strength to hold her upright. “I’
m sure my mom’s here by now. I should go.”
“Emery.” He stood too and caught her arm. “Can I come eat with you guys?”
She marveled at his forgiving nature. Half of her wanted to push him away so he wouldn’t have to share her burden, and the other half desperately needed the support. She battled with herself, finally deciding that she simply wanted him by her side.
“Sure, of course,” she said, feeling selfish and hoping he didn’t mind taking some of her weight for a little while.
Chapter Nine
Emery secured her hand in Archer’s before she opened the front door and re-entered her townhome. Her mom had indeed arrived, and she had a spread of white boxes from Pan’s on the kitchen counter. The sharp scent of the orange sauce on their chicken met her nose and reminded her that she hadn’t eaten in hours.
“Emersyn.” Her mother hurried toward her and hugged her. Emery thought her mom felt skinnier than last time she’d seen her. She’d always been rail thin, and Emery had learned her bird-like eating habits from her mom, who was always grabbing an apple or a bag of nuts as she rushed from her job at the bookstore to her job at Migliano’s, an upscale Italian restaurant. On Saturdays, she helped at the library for a few hours.
“Hey, Mom.” Emery felt a similar level of acceptance and comfort from her mom, but she didn’t want to come home to her mom. She wanted to come home to Archer. She stepped out of her mom’s embrace. “This is my boyfriend, Archer Bailey.”
Her mom scanned him from head to toe, her eyes stalling on the cowboy boots and then the hat. She smiled at him. “Hello, Archer.”
He tipped his hat. “Ma’am.”
“Oh, we’re huggers.” Her mom stepped into Archer, and she looked like a dwarf next to his tall frame and wide shoulders.
Archer chuckled and received her mom into a friendly hug, meeting Emery’s eyes over her mom’s head. They sparkled like fool’s gold, and Emery grinned at him before sauntering over to the Chinese food.
“What do you want, Glenna?”
“I already took her something,” Emery’s mom said. “We ate, so go ahead and take what you want.”
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