The Rancher's Family Secret

by Myra Johnson

  With a sidelong grin, Samuel plopped his matching hat on his head. “Can you believe, after all these years, Mom’s still trying to dress us alike?”

  “Big-city Texas real estate professionals wear Stetsons, too,” Mom said with a feigned pout. “Hey, we need pictures.” She reached for her phone and ordered the twins to pose together in front of the tree.

  After several shots—some serious, most downright silly—Spencer called time-out. “Gotta go check on my rescues. Want to come, Sam?”

  “Let’s go.” His brother was five steps ahead of him on the way to the back door.

  Which left Spencer to endure his grandfather’s disapproving scowl. Well, Tito could get over himself.

  Sliding his arms into his down vest, he caught up with Samuel halfway to the barbed-wire fence. “Couldn’t get out of there fast enough, huh?”

  “My mask of frivolity was wearing thin. And really?” Samuel thumped the underside of his hat brim. “What are we, ten years old again? Surprised Mom didn’t also gift us matching cowboy shirts with red bandannas.”

  “Ease up, will you? It’s just a hat.” Hoping to lighten the moment, Spencer blocked his brother and struck a macho stance. “Anyway, you have to admit, we look pretty good in these Stetsons.”

  “Can’t argue that.” Samuel segued into the mirror image routine they’d perfected as kids, precisely imitating each other’s exaggerated motions and facial expressions.

  A minute later, they were laughing and bumping shoulders. “We’ve still got it,” Spencer said. He held up his closed fist toward his brother. “Twin power.”

  “Twin power.” Samuel tapped his knuckles to Spencer’s. As they started walking again, a note of melancholy returned to his tone. “Kinda sorry we ever had to grow up.”

  They reached the fence, and Spencer grabbed a post to lever himself over. Samuel followed, and they continued across the field toward the McClement barn. Spencer would have tried again to get his brother to open up about whatever was eating at him, but he glimpsed Lindsey coming out of the house. She paused, arms folded, and drew a huge gulp of air before brushing something from her cheek.

  A tear?

  A surge of protectiveness quickened his pace. As he neared, she strode to the small pasture where Ash and Cinnamon grazed. Both horses ambled over to accept her behind-the-ear scratches.

  “Merry Christmas, Lindsey,” he called, hoping not to startle her.

  She turned with a quick smile and an unmistakable sheen in her eyes. “Hi, Spencer. Merry Christmas. Oh, and Samuel, too.” The slightest tremor tinged her tone. “Have y’all had a good visit?”

  Grinning, Samuel tipped his hat. “It just got a hundred times better.”

  Spencer tamped down a flare of annoyance. Leave it to his brother to turn on the charm when clearly Lindsey was upset about something. “Didn’t mean to intrude. We’re here to tend the horses.”

  “You’re no intrusion, Spencer.” She sniffed. “I needed a breath of fresh air, that’s all.”

  He ran a thumb down his jaw. “I was thinking about saddling Cinnamon for a little exercise and training. Want to be my designated rider?”

  “I’d love it!” A genuine sparkle lit Lindsey’s eyes, and Spencer warmed to think he’d put it there.

  An instant later, he caught the subtle change in his twin’s mood. Lips flattened, Samuel palmed his new felt Stetson and eyed it as if contemplating tossing it in the nearest trash bin. “Looks like y’all have this covered,” he said, backing off. “Think I’ll say my goodbyes at home and head on back to Houston.”

  “Sam—” Spencer reached toward his brother.

  “I need to get going. I’ll give you a call one of these days.” Pivoting, Samuel took off across the field.

  Lindsey came up beside Spencer. “Did I cause that?”

  “No, something else is going on with him that he won’t talk about.” He shifted, meeting her gaze with a probing stare. “Will you tell me what’s going on with you?”

  “Oh, just the usual angst over how I’m going to save this ranch. Mom and Stan have helped so much, but they have to leave in a couple of days, and I’m still overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done.”

  “How many times have I told you? I’ll do anything I can to help.”

  “Even with problems of your own? I can see how worried you are about your brother. When I ran into him in town the other day, he wasn’t his usual confident self.”

  Confidence. Exactly what had been missing in Samuel’s attitude. Was he struggling with career setbacks? Girlfriend issues? Or, after all this time, was he second-guessing his decision to walk away from the ranch?

  Watching his brother scale the fence, Spencer gave his head a quick shake, then turned abruptly and started for the barn. “Come on, let’s get Cinnamon saddled for you.”

  * * *

  Lindsey had often wondered what made Samuel choose a big-city career over his father and grandfather’s successful quarter horse business.

  Same as she’d wondered again and again how her father could walk away from the McClement ranch and everything Grandpa had worked to build here.

  The feud, of course, was the easy explanation. But when family ties weren’t enough to keep someone close despite disagreements and difficulties, what was left worth holding on to?

  Those thoughts made it even harder to say goodbye to her mother and stepdad when they prepared to leave the following Monday morning. She’d hoped they’d change their minds and stay through New Year’s Day, but Stan, a telecommunications consultant, had a work commitment in Florida.

  “I’m so proud of you, honey.” Standing next to the car, Mom drew Lindsey into a hug. “You’re doing a great job.”

  “Thanks, Mom. I hope it turns out to be enough.”

  “Hey, you’ve already got an engagement photo shoot scheduled for after the holidays. Plus any day now Audra should hear from her antiques guy about a buyer for those books.”

  “Connie,” Stan said, giving Lindsey’s mother a gentle pat on the shoulder, “we need to hit the road.”

  “I know, I know.” Using the pad of her thumb, Mom flicked away the moisture slipping down Lindsey’s cheek, then turned to Audra. “Take care of my sweet girl for me.”

  “You know I will.” Audra gave Lindsey’s mother a squeeze, then lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “But in case you didn’t notice, she’s the one taking care of me.”

  Minutes later, Lindsey and Audra stood with their arms around each other as Stan backed the car around and headed toward the road. Once they’d driven out of sight, Lindsey blew out a fluttery sigh. “I miss them already.”

  “It was a lovely Christmas. I’m so glad they could come.” Audra steered Lindsey up the porch steps. “How about another warm slice of my Danish coffee cake to cheer us up?”

  “Maybe later. I should get back to work on the business card design so we can get those ordered. And there’s a little more sprucing up I’d like to do before Jenny and her fiancé bring their photographer next week.” Those and a million other tasks were vying for space in Lindsey’s brain. Better to keep busy than dwell on the doubts she couldn’t seem to shake.

  Because one huge dilemma remained—what would happen to all her effort and planning when the time came to move on?

  With her laptop open on Charles’s desk, she nudged a stylized oak tree graphic around a business card template. Disappointed with the effect, she deleted the graphic and tried one of a steepled church. That one didn’t look right, either.

  “Face it, girl,” she muttered with a groan. “Graphic design is not your forte.”

  Time to use her phone-a-friend option. Soon Joella was on the line. “I need help.”

  Joella burst out laughing. “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, too!”

  “Sorry, I’ve been slightly preoccupied
.” She brought her friend up-to-date since their last conversation, then explained about needing a business card. “I think we’ll call ourselves River Bend Events and Wedding Chapel.”

  “I like it. Sure, I’m happy to come up with some ideas for you.”

  “Thanks, Jo-Jo. I hope I haven’t intruded on any holiday plans.”

  “Not here.” A weary sigh whispered through the phone. “Holidays aren’t the same since Mom died.”

  Lindsey’s heart clenched. Her friend’s mother, a victim of early-onset Alzheimer’s, had passed away two years ago. “If this isn’t a good time—”

  “No, it’s fine. In fact, I’ve needed a change of pace so badly that I turned over all my New Year’s Eve parties to my in-house associates.”

  Hearing notes of discontent in Joella’s tone, Lindsey chewed her lip. “How serious are you about getting out of corporate event planning?”

  “It’s...been on my mind.”

  “If you really are thinking about making a change, I sure could use your expertise to get our little operation up and running. You could even live right here at the ranch—the house has plenty of extra rooms.” She paused. “Of course, I can’t offer any guarantees about how soon—or even if—we’ll turn a profit.”

  Joella remained silent so long that Lindsey wondered if the connection had dropped. Then her friend blew out sharply. “Oh, Linds, you have no idea how tempting that sounds. And it isn’t that I’m worried the venue won’t be a success. I’m more concerned you’ll be moving on eventually to another high-finance position somewhere, and...well, it wouldn’t be any fun moving to Gabriel Bend and doing this without you.”

  Lindsey pressed her eyes shut. “My career plans are still up in the air. Who knows what’ll happen in three months, or six, or even a year? And I really need you, Jo-Jo. I can’t do this without help.” Fist clenched, she added, “And I won’t let my aunt lose the ranch.”

  More silence. Then, “Let me think and pray about it some more. You do the same, and let’s talk again in a few days.”

  They ended the call with Joella promising she’d have business card designs for Lindsey to choose from in a day or two. But even more heartening was the hope that her friend might actually consider joining forces with her to launch the event venue. If anyone could ensure their success, it was Joella James. And once the venture was firmly established, Lindsey could reassess the direction of her career knowing she’d be leaving the business in good hands and the McClement ranch on solid ground.

  And why did looking toward a future that didn’t include her staying on at the ranch induce such crushing pangs of regret?

  * * *

  Two days later, Joella emailed Lindsey with three strikingly professional business card designs. Audra had ridden out on Skeeter for a quick check of her cattle, but Lindsey couldn’t wait to show her. With her laptop tucked under her arm, she grabbed a jacket and scurried out the back door.

  Intending to drive the Mule to look for Audra, she was halfway to the shed when she glimpsed Spencer coming out of the barn. She stopped and waved. “How are the horses this morning?”

  “Better every day.” Striding her way, he cast her computer a skeptical glance. “Too much time cooped up inside?”

  “Now that you mention it, I haven’t been away from the desk much lately.” She shrugged. “I was actually heading out to find Audra. My friend who did your website emailed me some great business card ideas for our event venue.”

  “Can I see?”

  “Sure. An objective opinion would be great.” Backtracking to the porch steps, she plopped down. When Spencer joined her, she flipped open her computer, then scrolled slowly through the images.

  “Go back to the second one.” As Spencer studied the screen, his shoulder brushed hers.

  She tried to ignore the tremor racing up her spine. “You like the river graphic on the side?” It was pretty, and in some ways did resemble views of the ranch, but the watermark indicated it was a stock photo Joella had found online.

  He shifted to tug his phone from his jeans pocket. “Maybe...” he began, thumbing through photos, “she could use this one instead.”

  A photograph of the river overlook filled the screen. Taken when the trees were just leafing out in springtime, the image popped with color—blue sky, reddish-brown earth, myriad shades of green.

  Lindsey drew a silent breath. “You took this picture? When?”

  “Last March, I think.” He winced. “I, uh, kind of snuck over one day when I needed a break from Tito’s harangues.”

  “Oh, Spencer, you didn’t have to sneak. Audra wouldn’t have cared at all.”

  “I know. But at the time, I didn’t feel like explaining. Also, your uncle had gotten sick again around then, and I didn’t want to bother anyone.” He cleared his throat. “So, think your friend could work with this picture?”

  “I’m sure she could. Can you AirDrop it to my computer?”

  His brows quirked. “That’s a thing?”

  With a quick shake of her head, she held out her hand for his phone, which was a surprisingly newer model considering his lack of tech savvy. She touched an icon at the bottom of the photo, then selected the AirDrop function. Her computer appeared in the “tap to share” window, and immediately after she touched the icon, the photo popped up in a tiny notification on her computer screen.

  “Voilà!” She returned Spencer’s phone.

  He snorted. “Show-off.”

  She was already typing a quick email to Joella to go along with the photo. “This is perfect, Spencer. I know Audra will love it, too.” And if Joella got right back to her with the changes, she might have time yet today to deliver the design to the printer in town. She’d already called for a quote and was told the cards could be ready early next week.

  At the thought of another outlay of cash, she bit back a sigh. But it was the same old story of having to spend money to make money.

  Spencer pushed upward. “I should get going.”

  “Hey, any chance you could spare some time over the next couple of days?” She beamed him a hopeful smile. “Mom and Stan insisted on buying paint for the chapel, and the weather’s supposed to be even nicer tomorrow, so I was going to get started.”

  Pivoting to face her, he narrowed one eye in a doubtful grimace. “You’re planning to celebrate New Year’s Eve painting an old building?”

  “Haven’t had any better offers. Anyway,” she went on, rising to her feet, “the sooner we get the chapel fixed up, the sooner we can hope for some wedding bookings.”

  “I can wield a paintbrush as good as anyone. Count me in—on one condition.” Hope in his gaze, he added, “Let me take you out for dinner tomorrow night?”

  Her heart jumped sideways, and she couldn’t help a quick glance toward the Navarro ranch. “Is that a good idea?”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “And frankly, I couldn’t care less.”

  Chapter Ten

  Wearing his best black jeans, a blue checked shirt and a leather vest, Spencer peeked into the den, where his parents sat watching the evening news.

  Mom blinked twice and let out a low whistle. “¡Qué guapo! This can’t be my same son who walked in the door earlier covered in paint from head to toe.”

  After spending most of New Year’s Eve day helping Lindsey coat the chapel exterior in pristine white, Spencer had taken nearly an hour to scrub the paint off his hands and out of his hair. Moving closer to his mother, he turned his head from side to side. “Did I miss any spots?”

  Mom donned her reading glasses for a closer look. “Don’t think so. Want to take my car tonight? It’s more presentable than your dirty old truck.”

  “I’m sure Lindsey would appreciate it. Thanks.” Spencer was also thankful Tito had retired early to his bedroom so he wouldn’t ask questions about where Spencer was going tonight. Or with whom.


  Spencer’s father jerked his head in the direction of the McClement ranch. “They haven’t put aside the idea of an event venue?”

  “No, they haven’t. But there’s no reason it should affect us.”

  “I hope you’re right.” Dad reached for the remote to turn up the TV volume. “Go, enjoy your dinner,” he said, flicking a hand toward the door. “However, it would be wise not to mention this date to your grandfather.”

  Spencer didn’t have to be told twice.

  On the other hand, he liked thinking of this evening as his first real date with Lindsey. He’d like it even better if he weren’t constantly walking a tightrope between family loyalty and a relationship with the woman who’d claimed his heart when they were teenagers.

  Wedging his long frame behind the wheel of his mother’s electric-blue Hyundai, he felt weird sitting so low to the ground. But the well-maintained compact sedan sure smelled better than the inside of his truck, which would make it a whole lot easier to enjoy the spicy floral scent of Lindsey’s perfume.

  With his thoughts rushing ahead to the evening out he’d long ago given up hope he’d have, he turned up the McClement driveway. Dusk had fallen, and he braked abruptly when his headlights swept across an older-model hatchback parked in front of the house. The car bore an Oklahoma license plate. Neither Lindsey nor Audra had mentioned expecting more visitors over the holidays, though. Who could—

  Then he remembered Lindsey’s father had moved to Oklahoma after the divorce. If he’d shown up out of the blue, it could only be bad news.

  He pulled up behind the car and shut off the engine, then sat there for a long moment trying to decide whether to go knock on the door or call Lindsey from his cell phone. More than anything, he needed to be sure she was okay.

  Then the front door flew open, and Lindsey shoved a thickset, graying man onto the porch. “Leave—now!” Her voice was rough with emotion. “We’re doing fine without you, and I won’t listen to one more word about selling.”