A Baby for the Rancher

by Margaret Daley

  “She found it on the front seat of a car involved in a wreck. The driver, Alana Peterson, died. There were also several bags with baby items in them on the floor.”

  Cody’s mother was Alana? Ben had liked her and had had a lot of fun with her, but there had never been anything serious enough to lead to a marriage. He had a lot of mistakes to answer for. “When did this happen?”

  “A week ago.”

  “You’re just now getting around to it?”

  “Yes.” Handing the letter to Ben, Grady pinned his dark eyes on him and didn’t look away.

  Ben snatched it from his grasp but didn’t open the envelope. If this was from Cody’s mother, he would read it in private.

  “Aren’t you going to open it?”

  “Later,” Ben said while gritting his teeth.

  “I know this is a lot to take in after all that has happened—is happening—but Chloe won’t always be able to watch Cody.”

  “I figured when you two married she wouldn’t be Cody’s nanny for long. Y’all have your own life.”

  “She can for now, but she’ll be having her own baby soon, and she wants to open a clinic. I want to see that dream come true for her,” Grady said in reference to his fiancée, who was pregnant with her ex-husband’s baby.

  “She should have that clinic. She’s been a great physical therapist to work with. I can’t avoid doing my exercises each day here at home since she lives here. And I know you’ll be a good father to her child.”

  “The ranch is going to be different with little ones running around.”

  “And not always the safest place for curious toddlers.” Ben rose, stuffed the letter into his pocket and picked up his mug. “I’ve got a lot to consider. I’m meeting Zed at the barn.” He started for the back door.

  “I know we’ve had our problems in the past, but you’ve done well with the ranch.”

  Ben glanced at his twin and smiled. “Thanks. That means a lot coming from you.”

  As he entered the kitchen, he finished the last swallow of coffee and put his cup by the pot. He’d probably have more later, but he was eager right now to see the foreman. Zed had kept the ranch running while he’d been in the hospital. He headed for the front room where Grandma, Chloe and Cody were to see them before he went to the barn.

  As he crossed the foyer, the doorbell rang. He detoured and answered the door, surprised to see Sheriff Lucy Benson. “What brings you out here? Did you catch the thieves?”

  “Not yet, but I will. That’s the reason I’m here.” Lucy’s furrowed forehead, intense green eyes and firm mouth shouted her seriousness.

  Before his riding accident, a series of robberies had occurred, with cattle and ranch equipment and other items being stolen. When he came out of his coma, he discovered they were still occurring. The ranchers had been riled then, and now they were even more so, putting pressure on the sheriff to find the thieves with Byron leading them. “Sure, what can I do to help? Take on Byron for you?” He’d wanted to stay Wednesday afternoon, but Lucy liked to fight her own battles. She’d always been very independent and determined.

  “Let’s talk outside.” Dressed in her tan uniform and cowboy hat, Lucy pushed the screen door wide to let Ben join her on the porch. As usual she was all business.

  What would she be like off duty? Ben stepped to the side and waited for her to turn toward him, pushing that question from his mind. She’d always been off-limits to him. She’d made that clear when they were teenagers. “Is this concerning the thefts?” He stuffed his hands into his front pockets and encountered the letter Grady gave him.

  “I don’t know if anyone has informed you that your ranch is one of the few big ones that hasn’t been robbed yet.”

  He nodded, slipping his hands free. “Grady told me.” He should ask Lucy about the letter, but all he wanted to do was forget he still needed to read it.

  “I think somehow the robbers are connected to Maddy Coles or Betsy McKay, maybe both.”

  “I’ve been out of the loop. Why do you think that? Maddy is a great worker, and Betsy has been gone for almost a year, so how could she be involved?”

  “After analyzing the ranches hit against the ones not robbed, I found a connection. Betsy McKay. People who were kind to her were spared. Then I took a look at who received gifts. Maddy did, including an iPod in her favorite color. That was a very personal gift, not the usual gift of animals or equipment the ranchers in need received from these Robin Hoods.”

  There was a definite divide among the people in the area because some of the poorer ranches were receiving help where they needed it, or at least they had until Lucy had started confiscating the nonanimal gifts. “It could be a secret admirer that gave Maddy the iPod.”

  “That’s an expensive gift.”

  “Why are you focusing on Maddy? Others received gifts. Expensive ones.”

  “Maddy and Betsy were best friends. The ranchers who didn’t help Betsy’s father when he needed it were hit the hardest. Byron McKay, Mac’s cousin, has been robbed more than anyone, and I think it might be because he refused to help his own family when Mac asked. Meanwhile, nothing has happened at this large ranch, one of the few left untouched.”

  “I can’t see Maddy being involved in the robberies. Is that what you’re thinking?”

  Lucy took off her hat and ran her fingers through her short blond hair. “I didn’t say she was. I said that there’s a connection. The thieves have taken an interest in her. Why?”

  “Do you think that Maddy working here is why we haven’t been robbed?”

  “It’s a possibility. I have to look at this from every angle.”

  He wanted to help her. He imagined she wasn’t happy with herself that these robberies had been going on for so long, especially with Byron spouting off to anyone who’d listen that Lucy wasn’t doing her job. “What do you want to do?”

  “What is Maddy’s work schedule?”

  “During the school year, she’s out here after classes are over, for three hours. Then she comes for a full day on Saturday. The other interns, Lynne and Christie, have the same hours. They come and leave together. Before I was in the hospital, I often supervised them. I want this program to be a success.”

  For the first time, Lucy cracked a grin. “Yeah, I understand the intern program is your pet project.”

  Her smile transformed her pretty features and gave Ben a glimpse of her softer side. He’d been attracted to her in the past, but she’d made it clear she had no room for him in her life. Not that he could blame her. He’d never been serious about a relationship, and Lucy was definitely a woman who would want only a long-term one. He’d kept his distance.

  “I’d like to hang around when they’re here,” she said now. “Maybe get to know Maddy better. I need to discover the connection between Maddy and the thieves. I might overhear something that will help.”

  “Won’t the interns think it’s strange all of a sudden to see you here?” Not that he wouldn’t mind seeing more of the sheriff. He wasn’t the same man he was before his injury. He had a son to think about.

  “That’s why I wanted to talk with you. I need a reason.”

  “We could pretend we’re dating.”

  A blush tinted Lucy’s cheeks. “Out of the blue? No one would believe that. Your reputation precedes you.”

  “I’m not that guy anymore.”

  One of her eyebrows hiked up. “Since when?”

  “I could have died. That makes a man pause and take a good hard look at his life.” He smiled. “It’s not that far-fetched. I’m single. You’re single.”

  “How about friends?”

  “Getting to know each other?”

  “I know you. That’s the problem. When are you serious about anything?”

  “I’m serious about my
son, my family, the ranch and the intern program.” He took a step toward her.

  She moved back. “We don’t have to say we’re dating. You can be helping me learn about taking care of a horse. I might get one later.”

  “You’ve never had a horse?”

  “My family didn’t have a lot of money for that kind of stuff. You know that.”

  “Yeah. It seems I remember you occasionally would go for a ride with Grady and me when we were teenagers. Have you ridden besides then?”

  Already tall, almost six feet, Lucy straightened even more. “I’ve ridden. I had other friends who had horses besides you.”

  “Good to know you consider me a friend. Come tomorrow. It’s Saturday. We’ll go riding, and I’ll show you what you need to do afterward with that horse, just in case you don’t remember. That ought to give you a reason to hang around. Then we’ll go from there. Okay?”

  Her eyes gleamed as she gave him a nod. “I appreciate the help. If I don’t catch these thieves soon, I’m going to have a lot of ranchers mad at me.”

  “Not me.” He winked.

  Her blush deepened. “That’s because you haven’t been robbed.”

  “True, but we could be.”

  “We haven’t had any thefts in a month.”

  “See, you must be doing something right.”

  “I’m taking the nonanimal gifts away and keeping them as evidence for when I catch the thieves. I guess the Robin Hoods aren’t too thrilled with that.” Lucy finger combed her hair, then set her cowboy hat on her head.

  “If they can’t give to the poor, they aren’t stealing from the rich?”

  She started toward her sheriff’s SUV. “It’s that or something else, but I’m still going to find out who’s behind this and bring them in. Just because it has stopped doesn’t mean I’ll stop pursuing them.”

  “Nor Byron McKay.” Ben descended the porch steps. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you. I personally think you do a good job as the sheriff.” Ben followed and hurried to open her driver’s door.

  Lucy chuckled. “You haven’t lost any of that charm you’re known for.”

  “My mama taught me manners, and since my grandmother is peeking out the front window, I need to make sure I keep those skills intact or...” Ben shrugged. “I’ll incur Grandma’s wrath.”

  “Smart man.” Lucy slid behind the steering wheel. “What time tomorrow?”

  “How about ten?”

  “See you then.” She gave him another smile, then started her car.

  It will be interesting to see what she’s like when she isn’t being the sheriff.

  Chapter Two

  As she drove away, Ben kept his back to the house. He imagined his grandmother was still spying on him even though Lucy had left. Grandma Mamie had fretted over him ever since he’d come home from the hospital. If he had his hat that he liked to wear while he was working in the sun, he’d go on and walk to the barn to see Zed, who had stepped up into the foreman position when he was injured. But his Stetson was still on the peg in the hallway, which meant he would probably have to answer questions about Lucy’s visit. Who was he kidding? Even if he didn’t get his hat, his grandmother would interrogate him about Lucy’s visit. He might as well get it over with.

  As he strolled toward the front porch, he surveyed the pastures near the house. Several contained the horses they used on the ranch while one held their prized bull. They’d brought most of the cattle closer since the thefts started, but the barn and bunkhouse, where some of the cowhands lived, partially blocked the view.

  As he entered his home, he spied Mamie in the doorway to the living room, holding Cody. Watching his son wiggle in his grandmother’s embrace, Ben fought to suppress the laugh. Cody was going to be a handful. Already in the short time his son had lived with him, he was getting into everything he could reach when he crawled and used the furniture to stand up.

  “I declare, this boy reminds me of you more each day. He doesn’t like to stay still.” Mamie thrust Cody into Ben’s arms. “We’re gonna be in serious trouble when he starts walking.”

  Ben swung him around, his laughter mingling with Cody’s. “But he’s got your stubbornness, Grandma.”

  She grinned. “That’s true.”

  Ben peeked into the living room. “Where’s Chloe?”

  “She went to talk to Grady out back. I think they’re trying to decide when to get married now that you’re okay.”

  Ben kissed Cody’s cheek, then held him against his chest, but the eight-month-old started wiggling again. “Okay, little man. You can get down until you get into trouble.”

  “Are you going to meet with Zed?”

  Ben kept an eye on Cody as he crawled into the living room, heading straight for the coffee table and the few toys on the floor nearby. “Yes. With Cody living with us, I’ve decided to keep Zed in the position of foreman. He’s been here the longest and has a lot of experience.”

  “I like that. He started out when your dad first ran the ranch.”

  The mention of his father made Ben clamp his teeth together before he said something he’d regret. His father had died a few years ago, but Ben could still hear the disapproval in his voice. Reuben Stillwater had been by the book, disciplined and serious like Grady, whereas Ben had taken after his mother. She’d divorced Dad when Ben was fifteen, and he’d become the focus of his father’s anger. They’d always butted heads, but it had become worse, especially when she’d remarried after Ben turned seventeen. But while Grady had left the ranch to serve his country, Ben had stuck it out, trying to please his dad but never quite succeeding.

  “He’d be proud of you, Ben. You’ve run this ranch well and increased the number of cattle we have, as well as the horses you’re training for the rodeo. You even took his place on the Lone Star Cowboy League. Look at the intern program. That was all you.”

  “But whatever I did was never enough for him. At least I know how not to be a father.”

  “Remember, kids need boundaries, too.”

  “But love would have helped.” And in the end his mother had left not only his father but him. She had been too busy having fun with her new husband until finally a skiing accident in the Alps had taken her life.

  Grandma Mamie frowned, the wrinkles in her face deepening. “He loved you in his own way. He just wasn’t a demonstrative man.”

  He wouldn’t make that mistake with his son. Cody would know Ben loved him. “I need to get to the barn.” Ben peered around his grandmother to make sure Cody was still playing with his toys. Then he clasped Grandma’s arms and kissed her on the cheek. “But I’m glad I always had you, especially after Mom left.” That day would always be carved with regret in his mind.

  “I’m not surprised she left.” A touch of bitterness laced Mamie’s voice.

  “She hated ranch life. She was happier traveling and having fun with no worries.” And forgetting about her two sons.

  “That’s true. When she married your dad, she never thought she would be stuck here all the time. Do you ever want to travel and see the world?”

  Ben stepped to the peg and plucked off his cowboy hat. After setting it on his head, he turned toward his grandmother. “No, I love the ranch.”

  “It seems to me you have more of your dad in you than you realize, and Grady has more of his mother in him. He’s the one who traveled and saw the world.”

  Ben needed this conversation to end. He strode to Cody, picked him up and gave him a hug. His heart swelled as he inhaled his son’s baby scent and heard his giggles. Then he passed Cody to Mamie and headed for the front door.

  “Have you read the letter yet?”

  “No.”

  “Why not? Aren’t you curious what Cody’s mother had to say?”

  “We don’t know that for su
re.” Alana Peterson. He rolled the name of the woman in the wreck—Cody’s mother—around in his mind.

  “Then, why else did she write a letter addressed to you and have all those baby items in her car? Read the letter and find out.”

  He opened the door and glanced back at Grandma holding a content Cody. “I’m afraid to read it.”

  “You aren’t afraid of anything. You’ll try everything at least once.”

  “Not anymore. I’m a father now.” He would not abandon his son like his mother had, or for that matter like his father, who had been there for him physically, but not emotionally. “I know he has you and Grady, but I want Cody and me to have a strong relationship. I want him to know I love him.”

  “Your dad loved you.”

  “He had a funny way of showing it. I’m not the same man I was the day I found Cody on our doorstep.” And he did have fears, even if he didn’t let on to others. He didn’t want to end up like his father, bitter and alone, or like his mother, rootless and aimless. His examples of being a parent weren’t the best, and he prayed he didn’t end up like one of them.

  Ben left the house and headed for the barn, his hand slipping into his pocket where the letter was. Mamie was right. He couldn’t keep putting off reading what Alana had to tell him. He made a detour toward the corral near the barn and watched a stallion prancing around, showing off to the mares in the field nearby.

  He leaned back against the railing and slowly removed the letter. He’d made a lot of mistakes in the past, and this short fling with Alana was one of them. He couldn’t continue casually dating, never settling down. His son needed a mother, stability.

  He opened the single sheet and read, his teeth grinding together. With a tight throat, Ben stared at Alana’s words written in a neat handwriting.

  “I tried being a mother. I just wasn’t any good at it. I just want to have fun. You should understand that and not condemn me. I did some checking. I know your grandmother will help you. I have no one.”

  Those sentences jumped out at Ben. How about me? I would have helped if you’d have let me know about Cody.