Second Chance At the Ranch

by Maxine Morrey

  ***

  ‘So, this time tomorrow, you’ll be Juliet Webster.’

  Pete’s mother was almost bouncing up and down with excitement as they sat at the dinner table. Although she worshipped her two boys, Gill had always wanted a little girl. Unfortunately, complications had set in after Nick’s birth and the requisite surgery meant that further children were no longer an option. In Juliet, Gill was finally getting the daughter she had always wanted.

  Juliet leaned over and took Gill’s hand. ‘Then there’ll be two of us!’

  ‘Oh hell!’ Jack groaned with a tease.

  Hero watched, smiling at Jack’s comment as Gill’s tumbled around in her mind. Mrs Webster. No longer a Scott. No longer in England. No longer just hers. Hero looked at Juliet and felt her heart swelling as the happiness emanated from every fibre of her sister’s being. Although having her move halfway around the world wasn’t what Hero would have chosen for her, Pete was definitely the sort of man she would have. Pete was handsome, kind, witty, and would clearly walk through fire for his fiancée. If Hero had to lose her sister, she was glad it was to someone like him – and at least she’d had the sense to fall for him and not his rather younger brother.

  Hero slid her eyes across to Nick. The brothers certainly had some similarities. Nick was also tall, had the same dark hair cut in the same short way, a warm smile and liquid brown eyes topping a strong, muscular body. It was a combination that Hero was sure must have swept many a girl off her feet and into his bed. His bed? The last thought popped uninvited into her mind, and Hero blinked, stiffening in her chair as she mentally forced the unsettling thought back out.

  The slight movement across from him caused Nick to glance at their guest. He’d done his best to try and like her – although his brother had disagreed on that point. Nick had shrugged the criticism off. He didn’t appreciate that snooty attitude she had, and whenever he thought maybe he’d misjudged her, he’d turn back only to find that same look of indifference on her face. Pete had defended her, saying there was more to her than that, and that Nick had to give her some leeway, citing her kindness and attention to Joe as an example. Nick had to concede on that point, but he was still wary. What was her motivation in the time she spent with Joe? Was she going to go back and tell all her friends about the charity case she’d taken on? Was it all some forward planning for yet more attention? Nick’s jaw tensed at the thought that anyone would try and use Joe in that way. But as much as he’d thought about this, there was something in her face, in her touch that night he’d joined them as they played board games, that made him hesitate. If she was putting all that on, then she ought to go land a movie deal, because it had looked pretty damn genuine to him.

  Still, putting that aside, they lived in completely different worlds. Nick’s involved other people and, as far as he was concerned, Hero’s only involved herself, perhaps Juliet, and now Joe. When it came to those two, she certainly gave the appearance that nothing was too much trouble. Anyway, the sooner she went, the better he’d feel. As a rule, Nick knew he was pretty easy on people, so having to work at something like this was a new experience, not to mention distracting. He was looking forward to getting station life back to its normal routine.

  Hero moved again as she mentally tried to push the unexpected and entirely unwanted thought of Nick Webster naked in a bed out of her mind. Her gaze lifted as she did, and she found that very man watching her. She stopped mid-shift. Even with her make-up and the soft lighting of the dining room, Nick could see it. She was blushing. A smile slid onto his lips. This might be fun. He sat back in his chair, tipping it until it balanced on the two back legs.

  ‘I reckon with me being best man and you being chief bridesmaid, we probably ought to have at least one dance together tomorrow.’

  Hero smiled back sweetly, wondering if it was bad that she was secretly hoping his chair would tip over, just to wipe the smug look off his face.

  ‘Oh, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of women clamouring for your attention already, Nick.’

  ‘Probably,’ he agreed languidly, his broad shoulders lifting in a shrug, ‘but I’m sure I can make space for you.’

  Hero’s eyes widened in disbelief at his arrogance. Under the table, he got a hard kick from his older brother. Pete knew Nick was only winding her up, but it was obvious to everyone this wasn’t a game Hero Scott had ever played.

  Make space! She could have slapped him.

  ‘Well, I’m sure that’s very kind of you but I wouldn’t want to cramp your style.’ She purposefully kept the tone light. Only two more days and she’d be gone, back to civilisation and her own world. She ignored the fact that, for some reason, she didn’t feel as happy about that as she probably should have. But on the plus side, it did mean she only had two more days to put up with Nick Webster and his judging looks and suppositions about her and her life. For Juliet, Hero was prepared to be civil and play along with his silly little game.

  Nick shrugged and smiled as he bounced the chair back onto the floor, garnering a reprove from his mother about the furniture as he did so. He apologised politely to her with a smile, then glanced back to their guest. She was listening to his brother rattle on about her sister. Nick smiled to himself. No matter how well she covered it, he’d got a reaction. Maybe there was hope for Hero Scott after all.

  ***

  Hero was enjoying the wedding celebrations far more than she had expected to. What she was most thankful for was the fact that hardly anyone seemed to know, or care, who she was, outside of being the bride’s younger sister. The relief in that alone was almost like a physical burden had been lifted. The only attention she’d felt unsure about was from one of the waitresses. A blonde, busty woman of a similar age to her, she guessed, whom she recognised as a barmaid from the local pub. Hero had noticed a few looks come her way from that direction when she’d been into town with Juliet. Her stomach tensed at the thought of this woman posting something on social media about her being here. Hero had always been so careful to protect Juliet’s identity. The world could judge her, but her sister was entirely out of bounds. The world’s obsession with social media had definitely made protecting her more difficult but, so far, Hero had managed it. The last thing she wanted now was someone giving out information about her, and the location of the Websters’ place.

  She’d mentioned her concerns to Juliet, who had apparently then mentioned them to her new family, as the subject had soon come up one night over dinner. Hero had given Juliet a bit of a look, feeling awkward and worrying that the Websters might think she was spoiled and full of herself, assuming people would automatically want to talk about her. She could understand an outsider thinking that. But she operated within that world, and she knew how it worked.

  Thankfully, the Websters had been very understanding, telling her not to worry about it, and that they would do their best to make sure everyone’s privacy was protected. That was apart from Nick. Throughout the whole conversation, he’d kept his eyes down, concentrating on his food, staying out of the conversation. It was clear that he was as keen for her to leave as she was.

  Pete’s parents had been very kind at introducing her to people at the wedding venue and then again this evening, but it was their son’s wedding and they had plenty of their own mingling to do. The Websters were well known and well liked in the area, and Juliet was already becoming a favourite in her own right.

  Glancing around the room earlier, Hero had noticed a few jealous looks being thrown her sister’s way. It was understandable. Pete was handsome, solvent and a decent man – an ideal combination, and one that wasn’t always that easy to find in a busy city, let alone in a remote location like this, she imagined. Even if she saw them, Juliet wouldn’t take it to heart. She understood that all they saw was that an outsider had come along and snapped up one of the few eligible men in the area. In time, they’d get used to it, and her. Hero had pulled a face at her answer when they’d talked about it yesterday, wondering at the ability
her sister had to always see the best in people. Hero’s nature and life path had combined to make her see things differently. It was one subject that they had agreed to disagree on, several times:

  ‘The trouble with you, Jules, is that you think everyone is like you.’

  ‘And the trouble with you is that you don’t.’

  The reception was heaving, and Hero took the opportunity to step outside, breathing in the warm air of the evening as she looked up, gazing at the huge sky, stars now appearing, sparkling like diamonds on the deep blue canvas of twilight. It was years since she’d last looked up at the stars and really been able to see them as she did now. The light pollution in London, and all the other major cities she’d worked in around the world had meant she’d almost forgotten they were up there. But there they were. Hero breathed in deeply, as if by doing so she would be able to take away some of the peace and beauty with her when she left. As if by photographing this moment in the camera of her mind, she’d hold on to the feeling of calm she felt settling around her as she gazed up at them.

  She jumped as a door burst open behind her, the sounds of the party within tumbling out in the night.

  ‘All right, love.’ One of the many people Gill had introduced her to earlier tapped her on the shoulder as they passed, before taking one of the chairs under an awning nearby. Next she heard the click of a lighter, and then the rhythmic movement of an ash glowing, then cooling as it moved up and down in the smoker’s hand. She was thankful he’d not stopped to chat, as unsociable as she knew that sounded. Hero had never been good at small talk, a quirk that worked fine in her usual surroundings. Most people, she found, were more than happy to talk about themselves ad infinitum. Their compliments about her being such a good listener, which Hero always waved off with a smile and a headshake, felt unwarranted. She knew the truth was that she should be thanking them. The less she had to talk about herself, the better. Magazines and social media, not to mention Anya, had told her that apparently she was looked upon as mysterious. Hero knew that others were less kind, thinking her behaviour spoke more of snobbishness and that she considered herself far too high and mighty to ever engage with those outside her immediate circle. If only they knew, Hero thought. What she’d give to have the easy-going, sociable nature of her sister, instead of the awkward, shy confines of her own.

  The door behind her banged again, and several more people, in various states of intoxication stumbled out and headed towards the smoking area. Hero knew she should go back in. She didn’t care about strangers thinking she was snooty, but she didn’t want her own behaviour to reflect badly on her sister in her new life out here. Taking one last look at the starlit sky, she drew a deep breath and headed back inside.

  Nick had intended to ask Hero to dance. Initially it had been a joke but after the wedding breakfast was over, Pete had told him he had to make good on the tease.

  ‘She’ll never go for it,’ Nick replied, dismissing his brother’s request.

  ‘Just ask her, will you, mate?’

  ‘Yeah, yeah. Right-oh.’ If it had been anyone else, he’d have probably done it a lot sooner. But three minutes worth of awkward dancing with this particular woman didn’t exactly fill him with glee. That was assuming she even accepted. She certainly hadn’t been keen when he’d brought the subject up at the dinner table. OK, so maybe he hadn’t phrased it in the best way he could have. Even behind that cool exterior she projected out to the world, he’d noticed the surprise in her eyes at his jest. Understandable, he supposed, when you were one of the world’s most beautiful women and people were desperate to be in your company, even just be noticed by you, let alone anything else.

  After receiving yet another loaded glance from his older brother, Nick nodded and resigned himself to going off to find Pete’s newly acquired sister-in-law. It took him a little while to find her among the many guests, although he had to admit that he hadn’t put too much effort into the actual act of looking, finding himself easily, and willingly, distracted. One of those distractions being in the shape of the barmaid, Susannah Dagmar. And what a shape! She’d always had a bit of thing for Pete, so Nick felt a bit sorry for her having to wait tables at his brother’s wedding when she probably felt that, by rights, it should have been her wearing the white dress, not some interloper. He finally tore himself away when his mother sent him a dagger-laden glance, before making a nodding gesture. Nick sighed. Gill had never liked Susannah.

  Following the direction of his mother’s nod, Nick caught sight of Hero. She was sitting alone towards the back of the room looking absolutely stunning. Whether he liked her or not, Nick couldn’t deny that she was beautiful. But he understood the possibility that that same beauty might keep people at a distance. Men might be intimidated and women might be jealous, wary, or both. Then again, it could just be that she was a stuck-up pain in the arse. Nick excused himself from Susannah and made his way towards Hero. Her hands were folded on her lap as she sat, back straight against the wall, looking for all intents and purposes in utter control. Out of her sightline, he hesitated as he noticed her thumb rubbing back and forth at a hangnail. Her gaze was fixed at no clear point, as though she wanted to evade making eye contact with any other guest. The gaze alone he might have put down to her reluctance to mingle in lowlier company than she was used to. But he hesitated in his judgement as he watched her hands. His time in the city had given him more than enough opportunity to observe the habits of the stressed, and he was pretty sure that was exactly what he was watching now. Damn woman. Why couldn’t she just be one thing or another?

  ‘You ready for that dance now?’ Nick asked. ‘I looked for you earlier, but I couldn’t see you.’

  Hero looked up, surprise in her eyes. The look confirmed what he’d begun to think. Yeah, you were hoping no one would notice you sat back here all alone, weren’t you?

  ‘I went outside for a little while,’ she said, gathering herself a little as she took the hand he offered and stood. Her relief at seeing a familiar face seemed to cause that mask of confidence and indifference to slip. Nick tilted his head.

  ‘You all right?’ Even with the heat of all these bodies, her smooth, porcelain skin looked a little paler than usual.

  Hero caught the concern in his voice and felt something rush through her. Looking up into the intense chocolate-brown eyes now studying her, she gave a small, embarrassed smile.

  ‘I’m not really very good with crowds. They make me nervous.’

  Nick didn’t reply. He was just looking down at her.

  She smiled shyly and lifted their joined hands. ‘Are we going to dance or just stand here holding hands all night? Right now, I’m happy either way.’

  Nick glanced down at their hands, before turning towards the dancefloor. Their path was crowded as he led the way, holding tightly to her hand, clearing the way for her with his broad shoulders. His eyes were on the way ahead, but his mind was still reeling from the smile Hero had given him.

  For the past couple of weeks, they’d done nothing but rub each other up the wrong way, with a large proportion of their conversations edged with sarcasm and spikes. In company, they had silently but mutually agreed to concentrate on being polite for the sake of their respective siblings. Nick struggled with the constant control she kept about herself. There was none of the spontaneity of her sister, none of the laughter and fun Juliet seemed to naturally inspire. He’d even begun to doubt that the woman even had real emotions – something about her seemed so false, so brittle. Pete and his parents had taken to her like she was a wounded bird, but all Nick saw was self-importance and privilege.

  But the smile she had just given him had blown all his beliefs about her to bits. For the first time since he’d known her, he saw what the others had been privy to all along.

  They reached the dancefloor and squeezed into a space as Nick raised their joined hands and wrapped his other arm around her narrow waist. The crowd of people on the floor meant that Hero was pressed close to him. He could smell
her perfume, feel her fragile build beneath his hands as well as her now uneven breaths. Looking down into her face, he saw that striking green gaze dart around as it desperately tried, and failed, to find something familiar to focus on. She felt his own gaze on her and looked up, his eyes holding hers as his arm tightened a little closer around her.

  ‘Just breathe,’ he said, softly. He kept his eyes on her until her erratic breaths steadied. Feeling his arms strong and steady around her, Hero closed her eyes and felt the world slide away. With just one movement, and with the last person she ever expected, Hero no longer felt alone.

  Too near the speakers for any real conversation to take place, Hero was glad. She was tired of keeping her mask in place with Nick, but something about him had unnerved her from the beginning. He hadn’t tried to bow down to her every whim like most men she knew. He made her laugh, although she did her best to hide it. The many conversations she had sat in on proved that he was an intelligent, well-informed man. She’d desperately wanted to take part in them but, despite Pete and Juliet giving her plenty of openings, she kept her participation limited, afraid to make herself look stupid in front of this man who already caused such a torrent of emotions within her. But it seemed that the less she said, the more it irritated Nick. And as much as she had tried to deny it, his reaction upset her. She’d spent the last fortnight convincing herself that he was arrogant and of no consequence. But the truth was that he excited her. She’d never felt like this about anyone. And that fact alone both thrilled and frightened her.

  As Hero and Nick moved to the music, she felt the strong hand on her back. Many of the men she knew were muscular, but they were false muscles, born from spending hours in the gym, admiring themselves in huge floor-to-ceiling mirrors as they pumped iron. Nick’s body was strong from hard work and hard play. She felt the slight roughness of his skin against her hand as it held her own. It felt good. Something about those men with their soft, smooth, overly manicured hands had always made her feel slightly queasy. She turned her head slightly against his chest to look at the hand holding hers. The nails were short and had been scrubbed clean. Hero smiled to herself at the effort this must have taken, knowing Nick had spent most of yesterday under the bonnet of the old ute they used to drive out into the fields.