The Ranger's Texas Proposal

by Jessica Keller

  Nell had said he could be someone like that for Josie. But what about for these boys? Was it possible God had placed Heath here for a reason far beyond his father’s case?

  He shook away his thoughts.

  Heath had a job to do. An important one. As a Texas Ranger, he had one mission, one goal—to uphold the law. That duty put him at risk daily. Attachments slowed an officer down...made him go soft when difficult, snap decisions needed to be made.

  “Well, now.” Marnie popped her hands onto her hips. “Looks like I got a bunch of junior Rangers here who can help me whip up some ice cream.”

  The boys clapped and whooped and took turns scrubbing their hands in the sink, the older boys monitoring the progress of the younger ones. Marnie pulled the ice-cream maker out of hiding and sent a few of the boys to gather the ingredients from the fridge, where she’d set them to chill.

  “You.” She pointed at Heath. “Rock salt. Back porch.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He tipped his hat and then fetched the heavy bag from the rack on the porch.

  Marnie lined the boys up and had them take turns churning the hand crank. “You, too, Ranger.” She motioned Heath forward. “Only those who crank get to eat it.”

  “Then by all means.” Heath rolled up his sleeves and worked the crank for a few minutes. It took more strength to do than he’d figured, but the boys cheered him on. After his turn, he backed away from the group in order to observe everyone.

  When was the last time he’d spent an afternoon smiling this much?

  Months? No...years had passed.

  He worked his jaw back and forth, trying to piece together the puzzle of his own life. Somewhere along the way, Heath had stopped experiencing joy. Perhaps it was because in his profession, he saw more of the bad side of humanity. He’d been a firsthand witness to so many horrible situations because of the cases he investigated, he’d forgotten how to or even felt guilty if he enjoyed life.

  Experiencing joy shouldn’t make him feel guilty, though. If memory served him right, the Bible said something about joy being a by-product of someone knowing God. Somehow he’d forgotten that along the way.

  Who knew how long the joy would last? Nothing in life was guaranteed. But for now, he’d savor it. Store it up so he had enough to last him all the lonely years for the rest of his life once he left the ranch and Josie.

  * * *

  Josie reached for the next pile of T-shirts to fold.

  Part of her role as mother’s helper was to assist and sometimes take over the day-to-day tasks that needed to be accomplished in order to keep the house at the boys ranch running. All the boys had household chores, but they also had responsibilities outside of the house. Josie was there to help fill in the gap.

  For as long as she could during her pregnancy.

  “Didn’t we just do laundry the other day?” She laughed as she tapped the top of the leaning tower of folded shirts. “How do these boys manage to go through so many outfits?”

  The three housemothers who were folding alongside her all shook their heads and smiled good-naturedly. Dark-haired Laura was on her right; the woman was kindly and served as a sort of grandmother figure in the house. Abby giggled on Josie’s left. She was Josie’s age and full of life. The two had become fast friends when Josie started volunteering. Across the folding table stood Eleanor, who wore her red hair pulled back in a low ponytail.

  Eleanor sighed. “Just wait until your little one arrives. You’ll be amazed how someone so tiny can make so many messes. When my first came, I remember doing a load of laundry every day and not being able to understand where all the towels and blankets were coming from.”

  “Here, Josie.” Laura pressed a basket full of clean kitchen rags and towels into her hands. “Go ahead and bring these to Marnie and then you can head to the barn.” She nudged her with a grin. “We all know you didn’t get to take a peek at your calves yet today.”

  “What are you going to do when those calves all grow up?” Abby joked.

  Josie felt a smile bloom on her face. “Get new ones. Believe me, ladies, there are always orphaned calves to be had.” She did a little bow and then propped the basket on her hip as she headed down the hall. Although she loved catching up with the housemothers, Josie really did miss the calves whenever she didn’t get to see them, and because of her doctor’s appointment that morning, she hadn’t made her way to the barn yet.

  She maneuvered out of the way as the door to the office opened and revealed Gabe Everett, president of their chapter of the Lone Star Cowboy League and liaison to the boys ranch. His broad shoulders ate up all the room between the doorjamb.

  “Just the man I needed to see.” Josie wedged the laundry basket against the wall because it was getting heavy.

  Gabe’s blue eyes cut her way. He was a powerful figure in town—a single, wealthy rancher who was more handsome than any cowboy had a right to be. Josie always found herself intimidated around him, but she forced her lips to move anyway.

  “Will you be around awhile longer?”

  “I can be if you need me.” Gabe hooked his hand on the top of the doorway.

  “Okay, let me just find Heath and we’ll be right back.”

  Thankfully, the man in question wasn’t difficult to locate. Josie turned the corner and found Heath with a bowl of melting ice cream in hand, surrounded by a bunch of chatting boys.

  Diego sprang to his feet and rushed toward her. “Ms. Josie!” He bounced beside her and she couldn’t hold back her laugh. She’d admitted to Heath when she first met him that Diego was probably her favorite. He’d won a special place in her heart because of their shared interest in cattle, his infectious smile and his cheerful spirit to match. Sure, the boy had baggage—the years before he came to live at the ranch had been difficult ones—but he was growing every day. Josie had a connection with Diego that none of the other adults working at the ranch seemed to have obtained. Her friendship with the boy was one of the things that had confirmed for her that all the extra volunteer hours were what God wanted. Not only that, the time had blessed her, too.

  “Want to taste the ice cream?” He thrust a bowl under her nose. “We made it ourselves. Heath let us after we solved the crime.”

  “Looks delicious, but maybe later.”

  Diego’s eyes went wide. “See how many of us there are?” He solemnly shook his head. “There won’t be any later.”

  While Diego was talking, Heath set down his bowl, got to his feet and crossed the kitchen to her side.

  “Here. Allow me.” He eased the basket from Josie’s hands and passed it over to the counter near where Marnie was leaning. “You might want to take them up on the ice-cream offer. It’s the best I’ve ever had.”

  “Homemade is the only way to go,” she agreed but still passed. She’d overdone it on the burritos at lunch. But they’d been delicious and she was pregnant. So there.

  Heath rested his hands on his stomach and nodded. “The only thing that would make it better would be a side of pumpkin pie.”

  Josie chuckled. “Is that your favorite?”

  “It is. And I’ve yet to partake in any yet this fall.”

  Diego’s gaze shot back and forth between them like he was watching a tennis match.

  She really shouldn’t kid with Heath so openly in front of the boys, but she was having too much fun to stop. “We’ll have to rectify that.”

  Diego wedged himself closer to them. “Do you know how to make pumpkin pie?”

  “I have a secret recipe and everything.” She tapped the tip of the boy’s nose. He gave her an impulsive hug and then dived back toward the table for seconds.

  Josie scanned the room, happy to see Heath engaging with so many of the residents. Her gaze landed on the tiniest boy in the room, a small blond boy. Tucked between Riley and Stephen, Flint Rowl
ing’s little boy, Logan, shoveled spoonful after spoonful of dessert into his mouth. Logan was only six, younger than most of the boys in Heath’s class. He and his father lived on the property, but Josie knew Logan was supposed to be with either Flint or his nanny. Neither person was in the room.

  She stepped closer to Heath. “Does Flint know Logan’s here?”

  Heath rested his hand on the right side of his belt. Josie noticed he did that a lot. Probably a reflex of carrying a gun there his entire career. He was used to something being there to set his hand on.

  “His son?”

  She inched so she was right beside Heath and the boys couldn’t hear. “The little one. Over there.”

  Heath frowned. “I didn’t notice him before. Is he not supposed to be in here?”

  “Not unless his nanny is with him.” She held out her hand. “Give me your phone.” Heath quirked an eyebrow, but handed over his phone. “Thanks. I forgot mine at home today.” She swiped at the screen. Heath’s screen had a plain, boring solid color background and a couple of icons. She found Flint in his recent calls, just like she’d guessed. She pressed the green button.

  Flint answered right away.

  “Hey, it’s Josie.”

  “Heath all right?”

  “Yeah, I stole his phone. I just wanted to make sure you knew Logan was up at the big house.”

  “He’s what?” Flint’s voice rose.

  Josie turned away from the group. “He’s okay.” She kept her voice soft in an effort to calm Flint down. “He’s in the kitchen here eating ice cream.”

  “I can’t believe this.” Something clanked in the background. Had Flint thrown something? “That child will be the death of me.”

  Josie turned a little, immediately seeking out Heath’s gaze for comfort. Why was Flint getting so worked up over Logan being at the big house? “I only wanted you to know where he was. He’s not causing any trouble. That’s not why I called.”

  “He’d best not be misbehaving. He’s in plenty of trouble for wandering off again as it is.”

  “He’s only a kid,” she pleaded. “I’m sure he simply enjoys spending time with the others. No harm done.”

  “Oh, harm’s done, all right. Disobeying’s not okay. Not on my watch. I’ll be there soon.” He hung up. From his tone, she expected him to come barreling through the door any second.

  What was going on between the boy and Flint? Every interaction she’d seen between them in the past had been positive, but Flint had sounded really upset. Logan was only six. Surely Flint knew that a six-year-old boy would try to get up to the ranch to hang out with the other kids every chance he could.

  Calm down. Flint was on his way and he was Logan’s father. It wasn’t up to her to judge. Perhaps Flint was having an off day. Even still, she silently prayed for God to soften Flint’s heart toward his son and give him compassion and the imagination to remember how it was to be so young.

  She reached out to touch Heath’s arm. “When you’re done, I need you. Gabe’s here and I want you to come with me to tell him what we heard.”

  Heath wiped his hands off on one of the clean towels. “I’m done now.” He dumped his bowl into the wide kitchen sink and instructed the boys to wash up. “Marnie’s taking the watch from here.”

  Relieved of his duties, he followed her back to the office and Katie pointed them toward a small room where Gabe waited. Josie made introductions and then launched into the details about seeing Avery Culpepper earlier in the day.

  “She said she’s planning to sue for all of the property and then she’s going to kick the boys out. Can she do that?” Josie wrung her hands over and over again as she talked.

  Heath reached across and laid his hand on top of hers. A silent message to relax, take a breath. He was there to fight beside her.

  Gabe leaned back in his chair. “Unfortunately, Avery has bite behind her threats. She met with our leadership last week and tried to cut a deal. We give her one hundred thousand dollars and she’ll sign something that forfeits her ability to sue for the land, but if we refuse to pay, she says she’ll hire a lawyer and battle us in court for everything.”

  Josie gasped. Tears pricked in her eyes. “I can’t understand how someone could be so coldhearted toward this organization.”

  Gabe rested his hands on the desk. “I hear she’s been telling anyone in town who will listen that Cyrus did her wrong.”

  Heath nodded. “I’ve heard her griping some back at the inn. I never realized it had to do with Culpepper or the ranch, though. She didn’t say any names. Only that she’s been treated poorly by her family and they’d pay for it.”

  Gabe scrubbed his hand over his jaw and exhaled loudly. “Not only did he deprive her of a relationship with him, but he left her only that run-down cabin where he was raised. And we all know the old property isn’t worth much.”

  It was better than the ranch Josie was scraping out at her father’s old fishing cabin.

  Josie balled up her hands. “We make out of this life what we put into it. Some of us fall on hardships or get a bad road of it, but that’s no one’s fault. That’s life. We can’t wait for or expect handouts to make it all better.”

  Gabe’s eyes softened with understanding. “I know that, Josie. Believe me, I do.”

  Heath’s spine straightened. “Don’t give in to her threats. It’s not lawful, her trying to manipulate the League that way.”

  Gabe frowned. “No disrespect, Ranger, but I’m not so sure it’s that easy. Avery has a proper claim to the land if we can’t meet every stipulation in the will. If we don’t find all the original men for the reunion, we can’t keep the ranch anyway.”

  Josie ran her fingers over the worn fabric of her jeans. She swallowed hard. “Is there... Would there ever be a situation where the League would pay her?”

  “I can’t say what we’ll do if we end up with our backs against the wall. If we’re forced to...” He shook his head. “All I know right now is we stand no chance unless the anniversary celebration is a success. That has to be our focus.”

  Josie leaned forward. “We’ll find the men. We have to.”

  Gabe tilted his head, glancing Heath’s way. “Flint mentioned you might be related to Edmund Grayson. Has anything come of that?”

  Heath stared down at the toes of his boots. “Nothing yet. But I’m planning to call him.”

  Gabe tapped the desk. “It’s imperative that all four original residents of the boys ranch are reunited at the ranch in March.” His words were slow, deliberate. “If we don’t meet the demands of Cyrus’s will, we’ll lose the property.”

  “I understand.” Heath hooked his ankle onto his knee and rested his hand on top of his boot. “I’ll check with him.”

  “Soon?” Gabe urged.

  “You have my word.”

  Josie turned to face Heath, but he wouldn’t meet her gaze. Why hadn’t he told her he might be related to one of the original boys? What was he hiding?

  Chapter Seven

  Heath probably shouldn’t have left the ranch right after their talk with Gabe, but he’d needed air. Space. Time to think. Still, he shouldn’t have walked out of there without letting Josie know his plans.

  Gravel churned under the tires of his truck as he steered it back up the long drive to the boys ranch. He hadn’t been gone long, but the daylight hours were growing shorter. The sun’s last tips of light blazed orange over the far field, but it would dip away to darkness soon.

  If he wasn’t on vacation right now, if he was home—as much as his tiny, sparse apartment could be called that—the streetlights would give a sense that there was still time to accomplish something more that day. Out in the country areas like Haven, the sun dictated the work hours. When it went down, it was time to relax.

  But Heath couldn’t
relax just yet.

  “You left her. You just...left.” He worked his jaw back and forth as he popped the truck into Park. Everyone who lived on the ranch would be inside of the large house by now. Josie among them, no doubt. By this time, dinner was long over.

  His phone vibrated in his truck’s console. Maybe it was Josie. She’d spotted his truck and was headed out to join him. Wishful thinking. She’d mentioned earlier that she’d forgotten her cell at home today.

  He grabbed his phone and glanced at the screen. Nell. He hit Accept.

  “I figured I’d start calling and checking in on you,” she said.

  “I’m glad you did.” He filled her in on everything that had happened since their last conversation, including his failed attempts at coming up with leads for the happenings at the boys ranch and their father’s murder. Many interviews, but no possible suspects. He told her all about Josie, too.

  “So you’re just going to keep this girl—this Josie—at a distance?”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s for her own good. I stay away from people because of my job. You know that.”

  “That’s selfish, Heath. You’ve got to let people make their own decisions. If they want to love you and risk losing you, then that’s their choice to make. Not yours. You hurt more than just yourself doing that.”

  “But, Nell, I could die. If... I... Like Dad. No.” He braced his hand on his dashboard. “I chose to become a Ranger, and this is part of the price. I stay away from people to protect them. If I was around you and Carly all the time and then something happened, wouldn’t it be harder?”

  “Harder than going to your funeral and thinking, He’s gone and now I’ll never get the chance to actually know him? No, actually, it wouldn’t. At least we would have known you fully. We’d have a storeroom of happy memories to cling to. Instead of Well, I never really knew him—I wish I had, but now there’s no hope of that. See the difference?”

  He’d never considered that. It hurt losing his dad, but they’d been close. He missed him so much because he’d been such a present father. Heath swallowed hard. “Painfully so.”