Reunited with the Rancher

by Sara Orwig

  When his gaze raked over her, his pulse jumped. In spite of all their troubles, he was as physically drawn to her as ever. She was a good-looking woman—he’d always thought so and he still did. At the sight of her, memories tormented him, moments when he’d held and kissed her and wanted her with all his being. They’d had steamy nights of sexy loving, exciting days filled with happiness—a time that seemed incredibly far away and impossible to find ever again. He had failed her in the biggest possible way and now their love had ended. They had been through too much upheaval and loss to ever regain what they’d had.

  Even so, desire for Emily was intense. He remembered that silky curtain of honey-brown hair spilling over his bare shoulders. Thoughts of kissing her haunted him. Memories of her softness, her voluptuous curves and her hands fluttering over him made him hot. She stood only a short distance away, pure temptation, and he wanted to reach for her...until he thought about all the problems between them. And it had to be a problem of some kind that brought her to see him. One glance in her big green eyes and he knew she was angry.

  “Hi,” he said. “What brings you here?”

  Glaring at him, Emily waved papers in his face and then shoved them into his hand while she snapped, “You’re welcome.”

  Startled out of his fantasy, Tom focused on her. “What am I welcome for? What are these papers?” he asked, looking down and turning over the official-looking forms in his hands before he looked up at her again. Puzzled, he met her fiery green eyes that flashed with fury.

  “You can thank me now, because I’ve given you what you want—your freedom. You’re free to marry the mother of your children.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” She was rarely in a rage, but he could see she was boiling.

  “Your secret is out, Tom,” she said, her voice quivering with wrath. “You hid your family well. Have you paid Maverick to keep your secret? Or has it already spread all over Royal?”

  Mystified, he saw that while she was shaking with rage, she was also fighting to hold back tears. “What the hell are you talking about, and what are these papers? And why are you talking about Maverick? What do you know about Maverick?”

  “I think you know the answers to some of those questions,” she said in a tight voice. “You have your divorce papers. You’ll be free to be with your other wife.”

  “Other wife?” Stunned, Tom repeated the words as he frowned. “Emily, what are you talking about? There is no other wife—”

  “Oh, please. I have proof. I’ve seen the picture of you and your family.” She started to turn away.

  Tom reached out to take her arm. As she yanked free of his grasp, the pain of her rejection made him hurt from head to toe. In three long strides, he caught up with her and held her arm more tightly this time.

  “Emily, I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Mother of my children? You’re not leaving until you tell me what’s going on.”

  “You can drop the lies and false front now that I know the truth,” she snapped, twisting away to head back to her car.

  Shocked, he went after her again with long strides that closed the distance between them. He grasped her shoulder to turn her to face him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about or what brought this divorce on so suddenly without us talking about it.”

  “We’re through and you know it. Your other family is what brought it on. I got an email from Maverick about them.” She yanked free from him again and turned to open her car door.

  He closed her door and stepped between her and the car. In minutes she would be gone and he wouldn’t have any answers. He placed his hand on her shoulder. “You can’t pop in and tell me we’re getting divorced and then leave. Tell me what the hell all this is. And tell me about this email from Maverick. That troll who’s blackmailing people in town? When did you get that?”

  She twisted free again. “Get out of my way.”

  “Like hell I will. You’re not going until you tell me. There is no secret family. That’s nonsense.”

  “Oh, no? Tom, how could you be so deceitful?” she asked, sneering at him as she fumbled in a pocket to pull out a wrinkled piece of paper and wave it in front of him. “Here’s proof, Tom. Here’s your picture with your family. You have your arm around your secret wife. How could you lie to me like this?” Tears filled Emily’s eyes, her cheeks were red and her voice was tight with anger. “How could you do this?” she repeated. “You’ve hurt me again, but this will be the last time.”

  “Give me that,” he said, taking the paper from her to smooth it out and look at it. As he did, she wiggled away and opened her car door.

  Determined to get answers from her, Tom reached out to push the car door closed again, stepping close with his hip against the door so she couldn’t get inside while he smoothed the paper more to look at it. “Don’t go anywhere, Emily, until we get this straightened out.”

  “Don’t you dare tell me what to do,” she said in a low voice that was filled with rage.

  He paid no attention to her as he focused on the computer printout. Startled, Tom realized it was a copy of a very familiar snapshot.

  Two

  “Emily,” he said, his anger changing to curiosity, “you got this in an email? This is Natalie Valentine and her kids. She’s Jeremy Valentine’s widow, who owns the Cimarron Rose Bed-and-Breakfast. Why have you filed for divorce over Natalie Valentine?”

  Wide-eyed, Emily looked up at Tom and then glanced at the picture. “Jeremy Valentine?” she repeated, sounding dazed. “That’s his wife? You told me about his death.”

  “That’s right. I told you how he died on a mission and my promise to him to take care of his family if he didn’t make it back.”

  “I remember that,” Emily said, sounding stunned and confused. “She looked vaguely familiar, but I was in so much shock, I just didn’t put anything together.” She sagged against the car.

  “Jeremy was shot,” Tom reminded her. “We were on a mission in Iraq to rescue three hostages and Jeremy was shot twice. I promised him if he didn’t make it, I’d take care of his family,” Tom said, momentarily lost in remembering the battle, the blood, the noise of guns and men yelling. Tom looked at Emily, who had grown pale. Her eyes no longer held anger but uncertainty; he was sure she remembered him telling her about Jeremy’s death.

  “He was so worried about his family because he didn’t expect to make it. I told him I’d be there for them if he couldn’t.” Tom held out the picture. “This is Natalie, and she’s doing a great job being brave and upbeat and pouring herself into taking care of their two kids.”

  “Heavens, Tom,” Emily whispered, shaking her head. “Those kids are Jeremy Valentine’s? I’ve made a terrible mistake.”

  “Jeremy was their dad. They’re really sweet kids. Colby is four—just like our Ryan when we lost him. Colby has autism. He’s gotten accustomed to me and he’s pretty relaxed around me. Lexie is two and thinks she’s seventeen. She’s pretty and cute. I just try to help out, because there’s always something that needs fixing at the B and B. I try to be a man in the kids’ lives and do things around the place or with the kids that Jeremy would do. Jeremy was one of the best.”

  Emily focused on him with a piercing look. “Tom, have you slept with Natalie?”

  “Never,” he answered with a clear conscience. “That isn’t what this is about. I’m helping Natalie out, for Jeremy. That’s all there is to it. He was a buddy and he died for his country.” Tom gazed into Emily’s green eyes and wondered whether she believed him or not. “It would be a good idea if you two met. Natalie has a sweet family.”

  “Oh, Tom,” Emily said. She looked as if she’d been punched in the gut. Her shoulders sagged and she frowned. She ran her hand across her brow. “I’ve made a big mistake then,” she repeated.

  “I think you did,” he sa
id quietly. “But not one that can’t be fixed.”

  Emily nodded. “I owe you an apology, because I believed this, even though it was so unlike you. The picture really shocked me.”

  “Forget that. We’ve got this ironed out between us now as far as I’m concerned, and I’ll arrange for you and Natalie to meet.”

  “You never told me about seeing them. If it was just to be a help and do this for Jeremy, why didn’t you tell me? I could have done some things for them, too.”

  He felt a ripple of impatience. “You haven’t been interested in anything I’ve done for a long time. We don’t keep up with each other any longer. I don’t know any more about what you’re doing than you know about what I’m doing. We’re out of each other’s lives now.” He looked down at the papers in his hand. “This divorce was inevitable.”

  Clamping her lips shut, she nodded. “That’s true. I can see why you didn’t tell me.” She frowned. “So this troll just sent the message to upset and hurt me,” Emily said quietly, as if more to herself than to Tom, but he heard her.

  “You got this from Maverick?”

  “Yes.”

  “Damnation,” Tom said, his temper rising as he thought about someone hiding behind a fictitious name, sending hateful messages to try to hurt Emily, who had already suffered the worst possible losses. He had failed Emily in the worst possible way before, but he wasn’t going to fail her this time. “There’s too much damn hate in this world and we don’t need this going on in Royal. Maverick.” He said the name with distaste. “Someone has hurt you once, but I damn well can see that he doesn’t hurt you again. First of all, unless you’ve already called him, I’m calling Nathan Battle and letting him know about this,” Tom said, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

  “Sheriff Battle?”

  “Yes. This week it’s a hateful message to you. Who knows what this might escalate into next or how much this troll might hurt someone else? For some reason, he or she or they want to hurt you or you wouldn’t have received that email. But I can’t imagine you have an enemy in this world.”

  “Frankly, Tom, I didn’t think about calling the sheriff. I was thinking more about us.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that. If you get another message from Maverick, call me the minute you do.”

  “You saw the message—it was on target,” she said quietly, and his anger increased at hearing the pain in her voice.

  “It was a lie meant to hurt you. I’ll call Nathan right now.”

  Tom’s anger boiled and he was frustrated not to be able to take more direct action. When Nathan answered, Tom quickly told him about the email. After a minute or two, he turned to Emily. “Nathan wants to come pick up your CPU. He knows it most likely won’t do any good, but he doesn’t want to overlook anything.”

  “I don’t mind if he checks the CPU and the email,” she answered. “Goodness, I have nothing to hide. I’m going back into town, so I can drop it off at his office.”

  Tom smiled, then went back to talking to the sheriff for a minute before ending the call. “We’ll go by his office. I’ll help you get your CPU.”

  “That’s fine. How do you suppose someone got that picture? Do you remember who took it?”

  “There was some guy, about seventy years old, staying at the bed-and-breakfast. He was taking pictures. I’m sure he didn’t know any of us.”

  “Well, then, how did Maverick get the picture?”

  “The guy was using a camera. Maybe he got the prints made at a store. Those can be handled by several people. It wouldn’t be hard to get a copy.” He tilted his head to look at her. “Do you have plans tonight?”

  “Not at all,” she answered.

  “Good. Because I’m moving back in,” Tom announced in an authoritative voice that she assumed he’d developed in the Rangers. “I want to stay close, because no one knows Maverick’s ultimate intentions.”

  * * *

  Startled, Emily stared at him. “I appreciate your offer but it’s not necessary. I’m not staying on the ranch any longer. I’m going to restore Uncle Woody’s house and move in there. I’ve put a cot in a bedroom and I’m already living in Royal.”

  “You’ve moved off the ranch?” Tom said, frowning. “Look, Maverick isn’t getting the reaction from us that he, she or they expected, which will increase the hatred and anger toward you. Move back to the ranch until this Maverick gets caught. You’ll be safer here.”

  She might have been tempted to do what he asked, except he was asking for the wrong reason. She wasn’t moving back because of an email message. And now that she knew the truth and Tom still was the same Tom she had always known, she had lost her anger toward him. But they still had all the problems they’d had for the past five years. She was going to move into town and Tom wasn’t going to stop her.

  As she calmed down, the feelings and responses she had always had began to return, including noticing his thick black hair that was a tangle over his forehead but always looked appealing to her. She could remember running her fingers through his hair. Her gaze slid down and she thought about his strong arms holding her against his rock-hard chest.

  She sighed, because the memories were a torment and she couldn’t keep them from happening. The breeze caught locks of his hair and blew them slightly. Everything about him made her want to walk into his arms and hold him close. She had always thought he was good-looking, and as the years went by, he seemed more handsome than ever. Or did she feel that way just because he was more off-limits than ever? She wasn’t staying on the ranch no matter what he said, because they had been too unhappy together there. There were too many bad memories in the big house on the ranch.

  “I’ll be fine in town,” she said, knowing that was the best place for her to be. “I’m working at my studio four days a week now, and the other days, I can work on the house.”

  “Okay, I’ll get a sleeping bag and stay with you in Royal. You don’t know if you’re in any danger from this troll. Just because nothing’s happened in the past doesn’t mean it won’t in the future.”

  Startled, she stared at him. “You can’t live in Royal—you have a ranch to run,” she blurted, feeling a sudden panic that they would be in close quarters. No matter what problems they had, when they were together, the physical attraction was impossible to resist. She had been trying to get over him and build a new life. If they lived together, she wouldn’t be able to resist him.

  “You don’t need to spend all that time driving back and forth every day from Royal to the ranch,” she said. She was pleased that he was concerned and had made the offer, and overwhelmingly relieved to discover that the troll’s message hadn’t been true and Tom was still the same trustworthy person she had always thought he was, but her panic about spending nights under the same roof again began to revive. She gazed into his thickly lashed hazel eyes, which made her get a tightness low inside and think about his kisses that could melt her.

  “If you’re in danger and something happened to you in Royal while I’m out here on the ranch,” he said, “I couldn’t live with it. You’d do the same if the situation were reversed.”

  She had to smile at the thought of being a bodyguard for Tom. “That’s such a stretch of the imagination, I can’t picture it. Don’t even think about moving to Royal, but thank you for the offer, which is nice of you,” she said, running her fingers along his forearm, feeling the solid muscles. She had meant it as a friendly gesture of gratitude, but the minute her fingers touched his arm, a sizzling current spiraled in her and she thought again of having his strong arms around her.

  As she drew a deep breath, she saw his eyes narrow. Either he felt something, too, or he knew that she had—or both.

  She dropped her hand instantly and stepped back. “Thanks anyway,” she said, dismissing his offer.

  “Give some thought to this. For all we
know, you might be in danger. The safest possible place would be in the guesthouse. I can protect you the easiest there.”

  “I don’t think that’s necessary at all. According to the rumors I’ve heard, Maverick hasn’t done anything except send terrible messages, trying to blackmail Royal citizens and stir up trouble. I need to work in town and I don’t want to drive back and forth. I’m staying at my uncle’s. Thank you for your concern, but you don’t need to stay with me,” she said firmly.

  “I’ve already lost one of the most important people in my life,” he said in a tight voice. “I don’t intend to let anything happen to you.” His hazel eyes looked darker, as they did when he was emotional or making love. “I’m going to ask Nathan to have someone drive by Natalie’s and check on her to make sure she and her family are protected and okay.” Tom removed his phone from his pocket again. Emily wondered who he was calling now until she heard him say hello to their foreman.

  “Hey, Gus. I need to be away from the ranch for a while.”

  Even as she stepped in front of him and shook her head, trying to discourage him, she knew the futility of her efforts. Tom had made up his mind that she should have protection and she wouldn’t be able to stop him. She threw up her hands and walked away as he gave instructions to Gus. How was she going to be able to resist Tom if they were under the same roof? Maybe he would stay downstairs and she could stay upstairs, or vice versa.

  “There, now,” he said when he finished talking to the foreman. “I’ll bring my sleeping bag and stay in the old house with you. I won’t be in your way, and I can help you with the restoration.”

  Exasperated, she stared at him. While she was annoyed, she knew this alpha male attitude was part of why she had been drawn to him in the first place. He was decisive and got things done. In high school it had been part of his appeal. Now she was glad he could make a decision and solve problems, but this time she really didn’t want him interfering in her life by taking charge. Each time she thought about being back under the same roof with him all night, her heart pounded. If he was going to help with the restoration of the old house, they would be working together. And she couldn’t trust her physical response to Tom. He would stir up all those latent longings again. Tom had a virile, sexy body. He was superbly fit from the Rangers and from ranch work.