Ben’s jaw dropped as the housekeeper ushered the visitor into the dining room.
She leaned over Ben with air kisses. “Hi, sweetie!
As mother and son stared, the visitor strolled around the table to hug Leonora. “Mrs. Morgan, so good to see you!”
Ben stood up, almost toppling his chair. “Miranda, what on earth are you doing here?”
“Is that any way to greet your fiancée, darling?”
“Have you lost your senses?”
“Okay, fiancée in limbo.”
She came around and hugged him, winking at Leonora, whose mouth hung open wide enough to run a train through. “He’s such a gadfly, isn’t he?”
“Ms. Carlson, this is a surprise. Ben led us to believe you had broken up?”
“And yet here I am, prepared to do whatever I can to win him back!”
She smiled, gaze flitting from one to the other. Ben had forgotten how lovely his former lover was as her green-blue eyes batted coquettishly. Her ash-blond, shoulder-length hair was stylishly cut. Her silk blouse and black slacks were clearly expensive and chosen to flatter every inch of her too-thin, delicate frame.
“Miranda, we’ve been through all this.”
“Oh, pooh, I’m kidding, sweetheart! I’ve got a boyfriend now. Just keeping you on your toes. No, I’m here because Chip and David sent me.” She referred to his partners, and Ben knew what was coming next. “You are needed back in California, darling. The business cannot run without you.”
For all her machinations about alternative matches for Ben, Leonora had never warmed to Miranda. Her sudden appearance had not altered her opinion of the woman. “Will you be staying in town?” she asked, her voice a bit icier than usual.
“No, probably not, unless your son and I suddenly reignite the flame.”
“Well, I’ll let you talk. I have work to do.” Leonora excused herself with a tight smile and patted his shoulder on the way out.
Ben and Miranda chatted about the business for several hours. She had a number of documents for him to sign, and they maintained a focus on business-related subjects, leaving her farcical charade about rekindled romance buried where it belonged. He told her he was still thinking about the future and would communicate with his partners soon. When they had completed their discussion, she said, “Well, I guess I’ll head back soon. Take me to lunch first, though, would you? I’d love to see Gracie.”
As they drove into town, Miranda chattered away about her social life in Los Angeles and her latest travels. As Ben listened, he vividly recalled why he had decided to move on. They had absolutely nothing in common—not interests, values, or chemistry. As he parked the Rover in front of Gracie’s, he prayed for fast service.
Forty-five minutes later they emerged. Miranda’s incessant chatter over Greek salads had given him a headache, and he wanted nothing more than to send her on her way. As they stepped into the sunlight, he spied Maggie and Emma headed toward them, ice cream cones in hand.
“Ben, Ben,” Emma cried, spying him. “We just got ice cream!”
Maggie’s jaw dropped as she caught sight of the striking beauty draped on Ben’s arm. The woman was talking nonstop, close to his ear, in the way of intimates. Even as Maggie’s temper flared, she noted that Ben did not appear comfortable with their proximity.
“Hey, kiddo!”
He broke away from Miranda and swooped Emma from her chair, ice cream and all. Chocolate ice cream dribbled down his shirt front and over his shoulder.
Maggie stepped forward and extended her hand. “Maggie Williams. This is my daughter, Emma. I work at Morgan’s Run.”
“Miranda Carlson, Ben’s fiancée. I’m an attorney. My firm does work for his company. Came down on behalf of his partners to try to lure him back.” She circled around to the unsoiled side of Ben and rubbed his arm. “What an adorable child.” As she spoke, she looked ready to bolt should the chocolate dribble in her direction.
Ben extracted himself and stepped away from his companion. “Former fiancée. Miranda brought some documents down for me to sign.”
An awkward silence ensued as the three adults looked at one another. Ben sneaked licks of Emma’s cone to prevent more damage to his already brown streaked shirt.
Finally Maggie said, “Well, nice to meet you. Emma and I have to get going.” She motioned for him to set Emma down, not wanting to mar her tee shirt and shorts further. They were already streaked with sweat, grass, and dirt from their picnic in the park. What a sight I must be compared to Miss Sophisticate!
Ben settled Emma back in her chair and stole one more lick. The radiant smile he directed at the child was not lost on Miranda, nor was the longing in his eyes when he gazed at her voluptuous mother.
“Was a real pleasure!” she drawled as she leaned against him. “I always love meeting Ben’s hometown friends. Bye, sweetie.”
Through gritted teeth, Miranda smiled at Emma, who gave her a chocolaty smile.
Maggie seethed as she pushed Emma towards the clunker. What a silly fool I’ve been, trusting him. Why did I ever tell him about Emma or get close enough to let the Morgans learn the truth? Fool, fool, fool!
As soon as Maggie and Emma disappeared, Miranda withdrew her hand from his arm.
“Nice performance,” he grumbled.
“Whatever do you mean, darling?”
He stopped, took a deep breath, and willed his voice to remain calm. She was a business associate, and her firm did good work for them.
“Look, Miranda, I’m not sure what you’re playing at, but you and I settled things last month.”
“I’ve missed you, Bennie.”
“Well, I’ve moved on.”
“With Elly May Clampett?”
“Be very careful, Miranda. I respect your work and appreciate all you’ve done for the company, but you and I are over. I’ve moved on and you should, too. What about your new boyfriend? Would he want you pretending to be my fiancée?”
“Oh, relax, will you, darling? I’m over you, too. Just testing the waters for when you return. Friends?”
“Friends. I’ll communicate with Chip and David this week and work out a timeline. In the meantime, just email or fax anything you need a signature on.”
As they shook hands, Miranda caught sight of a beat-up blue clunker coming up the street and saw Maggie behind the wheel. Leaning forward, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
Too late, Ben pulled away just after the clunker passed by. “What part of friends don’t you understand?”
Miranda smirked and winked, hopping into her car. “Gal’s gotta be a little wicked, doesn’t she? After all, you broke my heart, cowboy.”
Ben turned and walked away, heart in his throat as he contemplated what Maggie had thought seeing Miranda’s exhibition. He had a lot to explain and no time to do it. He and Harley were leaving for a five-day pack trip early the following morning. He tried to call her home and cell numbers all afternoon and into the evening, but she did not pick up. Finally, around eight, Ned Williams answered the home phone and said Maggie and Emma were out. Ben knew it was a lie. Fine, but hell or high water, I will talk to you in the morning, Maggie Williams! I have to make this right. I will not lose you or our daughter.
* * *
Chapter 40
Early Sunday morning, the crew was saddling the horses, loading up the pack mules, and running back and forth from the Lodge to the stables to collect guests and food for the trip. To Ben’s irritation, Ben Senior had assigned him to group orientation, which meant he was stuck at the Lodge until just before their departure. When all the guests were shuttled away, he hopped in the Rover and raced down to arrive just as Jeb was leading a saddled horse from the barn. Scanning the crowd, he did not see Maggie.
“Hey, Jeb, where’s your boss?”
“He’s in the office.”
“No, Maggie.”
“Not working. She had a thing and it’s such a small group, Harley told her not to come in.”
&n
bsp; Ben swore under his breath, heading into the barn to find Harley, who was on the phone. When he hung up, Ben said, “Look, man, I gotta run into town. Be back in half an hour.”
“No can do, buddy.”
“I’m not asking, I’m telling you.“
“She’s not home. And if she were, she wouldn’t want to see you.”
“So she told you?”
“No, but I know you and I know Maggie. We’re not blind around here, you know. We’ve all noticed your cool behavior toward each other.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Cool it, buddy. You’re as transparent as glass, the pair of you. You’ve been mooning around like a lovesick puppy, and every time I mention your name to her, she practically bites my head off. Now shake it off, and let’s get cracking. The group’s getting antsy out there. We’ve got some real beginners. I need to you be there with them and me. Comprende?”
Ben stormed out, grabbed his pack from the Rover, and headed to find Rowdy. Lovesick puppy, indeed.
As the group made its way along the wide canyon trail, Ben’s mind wandered from the two tenderfoots riding beside him to his home in Santa Barbara, the dream home that had represented his future. He had designed every inch of spectacular multilevel home that hugged the cliffs overlooking the ocean. It was assessed at over three million, and he was pretty sure it would sell for much more with its custom design and incredible location. My home where I was going to live forever, until I met Maggie Williams and my daughter.
He had to make a decision soon. It wasn’t fair to ask Chip and David to keep on covering for him. Would Maggie and Emma want to move with him to California? That might be difficult when he and Maggie were barely speaking. The past weeks had been hell, but now, thanks to Miranda’s little performance, Maggie wouldn’t even take his phone calls.
A scream behind him brought Ben back to the present, and he turned in time to see a young executive in stiff new boots and stonewashed jeans slide off his horse and land in a bush. It appeared that Tara, his mount, had turned suddenly to nibble grass on the side of the trail and Mr. Oblivious, who was busy shooting photos, had let go of the reins.
Ben hopped down and grabbed hold Tara.
“Lucky thing it wasn’t a cactus.”
He extended his hand to help the other man to his feet. Save for a bruised ego, the man was unharmed. Scowling, he brushed himself off and stiffly climbed back up in the saddle.
* * *
Chapter 41
Three days after Harley and Ben left on the pack trip, Maggie made her decision and phoned Dr. Heavers. Emma’s surgery was scheduled for two weeks from Friday, with pre-op the week before. Ben would be returning in two days. She planned to tell him then, or over the weekend. He was Emma’s father; he deserved to know, but clearly he was still involved with his California fiancée, even if he claimed she was an ex. Maggie intended to keep him at arm’s length. Her heart ached with missing him and his strong, gentle presence, but she threw herself into work. Between lessons, pony camps, and the mustang program, she didn’t have a minute of downtime to moon over Ben Morgan, who had broken her heart again.
“Hey, Maggie, nice morning.”
Ben Senior stepped into the office and tipped his hat.
Startled, Maggie looked up from her paperwork. “Good morning, Mr. Morgan.” She brushed the papers aside and stood up. “What brings you down here?”
“Slow day at the Lodge. Care to take a ride with an old man?”
Maggie hesitated, thinking of her campers, the new Border Patrol agent due that day, and all the private lessons in the afternoon. “Of course, sir, if you’re sure you’re up to it? It’s been a while.”
“I expect I can manage, and I know you guys are swamped. I’m too old to go far, so I won’t keep you long. Can we also come up with another name for me? ‘Sir’ definitely doesn’t fit, and ‘Mr. Morgan’ sounds way too stuffy. Could we try ‘Ben’?”
Maggie nodded and stepped out to ask Jeb to saddle Royal. Ten minutes later, they headed out along the Red Rock Trail, a shady loop that would have them back in thirty or forty minutes. Maggie rode Tabasco, with Ben Senior at her side on a gentle chestnut morgan.
“I’d forgotten how pretty the valley is on horseback.,” he said. “Haven’t been in the saddle for over a year.”
“Does Ben know about your heart attack?”
“Probably, but not from me, and I don’t want to discuss it with him. At least, not yet. Don’t want to spook him.”
“Excuse me?”
“His mother prays every night that he’ll stay around, and I do, too, but it’s got to be his decision.”
“I think his partners want him back. I met Ms. Carlson.”
He chuckled. “Something, isn’t she?”
“His fiancée, I understand.”
“Only in her mind. Don’t you believe a word of it! She’s nothing to him, ’cept a member of the company’s legal team. She’s no more my son’s type than those two flibbertigibbets we had for dinner last week.”
Maggie laughed and checked Tabasco as he tried to veer off into the brush alongside them. “It’s been my observation over the years that your son has a variety of types.”
“Ah, darlin’, now that’s where you’re wrong. No woman’s ever been his type till you.”
“I’m not sure Mrs. Morgan would agree.”
“You kiddin’? She sees he’s crazy about you, just like I do, and my Nora’s scared to death. Not ’cause she doesn’t like you, but because she’s not in control of the situation. It’s been this way his whole life. Probably why he ran outta town like a scared jackrabbit five years ago. He loves you, honey, and he’s finally found his type—you.”
“I’m not sure I can keep up.”
“He loves you, honey. I can see it in his eyes whenever he looks at you. He’s been mooning around the past few weeks, spreading gloom and misery wherever he goes.”
Tears sprang to her eyes, and Maggie turned away, unsure what to say.
“Have you decided about Emma’s medical situation?”
She nodded. “The surgery’s scheduled for two weeks from tomorrow but please don’t say anything to Ben. I’d like to tell him myself.”
“That’s the spirit! Now, let me confess the real reason I came down this morning. Saturday night is Ruthie’s and my birthday party. Everyone thinks it’s a secret, but I wriggled it out of Carmela. Just family, the whole gang, if I’m not mistaken. I know he’s gonna ask you and Emma to come.”
“But I’m not family, and it might be awkward.”
“Ah, honey, but whether you like it or not, you are. It would mean a lot to an old man to have his granddaughter and her mom there. I may not be around forever, and I’d like all of us to be together. Please say you’ll come. Ned, too, if he’d like.”
“For you, Ruthie and Emma…if he asks, we will come.”
As they came in sight of the east corral, they spied campers riding willy-nilly, horses loose and pawing the ground, and three of the college kids running from one side of the corral to the other.
“Oh, boy, I’ll leave you to it, my dear. See you Saturday, if not before. I’ll take care of Royal. Give two old friends a chance to visit.”
As Ben Senior headed for the barn, Maggie jumped off Tabasco, her eyes scanning the yard for Jeb.
* * *
Chapter 42
Maggie stood in the shade of the barn talking with Steve Wheeler, the Border Patrol agent. Wheeler had arrived the day before and was staying in one of the ranch houses that bordered the farm’s strawberry fields. They each held a cold Dos Equis. Maggie rarely drank more than a glass of wine and never at work, but with the temperature still over 100 at five o’clock, it seemed like a good idea. They had pinched the beers from the coolers awaiting the return of the pack trip.
Wheeler caught sight of them about a mile out, a cloud of dust marking the group’s passage, then turned to her. Bub, the palomino stallion they were training for
him, had thrown the short, wiry agent four times over the last few days.
“I dunno, Maggie. I like a feisty mount as much as the next guy, but Bub’s a handful.” “Give him time.”
She studied Wheeler more closely, mostly as a way to distract her attention from the approaching caravan. He was about her age, with skin the color of dark leather from years in the desert sun. His wavy black hair curled at his collar, and he sized her up with coal-black bedroom eyes, just as she did him.
“Bub hasn’t been with us long. In fact, we told Nogales to hold off sending you for a week or two.”
“And yet, here I am. You doing anything for dinner? Wanta grab something in town?”
“Thanks, but after this lot gets taken care of, I’ve got to head home to my daughter.”
“Oh, you married?”
“No. Listen, I’d better get out there and help them.”
Wheeler followed her around the barn, where they spied the first riders making their way along the edge of the west corral. An all-male group, they were five executives from a tech company based in Seattle. Except for one, this was their third time at the ranch, so they knew the ropes.
As Maggie and Wheeler strolled toward them, beers in hand, Ben caught sight of the handsome young stranger and frowned.
Let’s see how he likes it. Maggie set down her beer and helped the first rider from his horse. As they unloaded, the crew led the horses into their stalls, and Harley and Ben distributed beers and sodas.
As Ben headed to the Rover to shuttle two of the riders to the Lodge, Maggie caught up with him.
“How was it?”
He shrugged. “Pretty good group. Glad to be back. How are you?”
“Fine. Busy.”
“Who’s the cowboy?”
“Steve Wheeler He’s the agent training on Bub.”
“Good luck with that one.”
Ben couldn’t remember when the sight of a woman had stopped him in his tracks like Maggie Williams. In faded, dusty jeans, scuffed boots, and an old Morgan’s Run tee shirt, she literally took his breath away. The faded blue shirt hugged her breasts, and he found himself growing hard. Whoa boy!
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