A Rancher’s Song

by Vivian Arend

  Ivy considered rubbing her temples. “And are Tansy or Rose in the market to accept any of this interest in their fantastic qualities?”

  “Tansy dates a lot, but she goes for the flavor of the day. Rose tends to go out with the same guy a few times in a row, but never gets serious either.”

  This was fascinating. Ivy was so glad she had decided to pump her little sister for information, but she’d never imagined the conversation was going to go this direction. “And you? Did you have anybody special this last year of high school?”

  Fern shrugged. “Nope. You were the only one of the Fields girls who had a high school sweetie. I went with Ryan McGregor to grad, but we’re just friends. I’m not interested in anything but spending time with my friends, guys and girls together.”

  “And there’s nothing wrong with that. Have you figured out what you want to do this year for school?” Fern’s interest in art was all over the place.

  “I’m not ready to take any formal training, and I’m still trying to figure out what I like best, so I’ll keep playing with the odd jobs I find online.” She made a face. “Only that means I need to find a summer job here in Heart Falls, and the only thing remotely artistic is getting a job with a painting company.”

  “I’ll ask around if there’s anything else you could help with, but yes, you might be stuck doing something menial this year.”

  Rose showed up at the table, placing two plates with what looked to be an oversized ham and cheese croissant in front of them. “If you want a job here, you’ve got it. We could use help over the summer, so it’s not a charity offer either.”

  “I know, and I promise I’ll give you an answer by the end of the week.”

  Rose was gone before Fern could say anything else.

  They ate their breakfast, the food going down easily between the stories that Fern shared about recent adventures within the Fields family.

  It was neat to get the perspective from another one of the kids, and it was good to know that what was visible on the surface was true deep down. Sophie and Malachi were doing well, and they were still solidly in love.

  It was one of those bittersweet realizations. That was exactly what Ivy wanted for her parents. She didn’t know of two people who were more deserving of their happiness together. But it also threw into sharp relief what was missing in Ivy’s own life. All her hopes of being able to rekindle the sweet, intense feelings she used to share with Walker needed to be put aside.

  It was heartbreaking, but she knew she needed to continue to live her life. And that meant if Walker wasn’t going to be the one standing beside her thirty years from now, she had to get serious about finding someone who would be.

  As disappointing and hard as the truth was, she needed to widen her net and consider some of the other fish in the ocean.

  “Ivy Fields?”

  Speaking of fish. Large fish. Large, muscled, and grinning at her fish. Brad Ford towered over her.

  It had to be said—he looked good with no hair.

  “Brad. I saw you on Friday and wondered if I would run into you sometime.”

  He placed a hand on the back of the empty chair at their table. “You guys mind? I’m waiting for Tansy to finish putting together the order for the boys at the fire hall.”

  “Go ahead,” Fern answered before Ivy could. Then her little sister laid her hand on Ivy’s shoulder briefly. “I gotta go to the washroom. Be right back.”

  She took off and left Ivy sitting alone with Brad. That’s when Ivy wondered if, out of all the Fields family, Fern was the most devious of the lot.

  Ivy offered Brad a smile. “I hear you’re our new Fire Chief. Congrats on your position, and on becoming a firefighter.”

  “Thanks. Finished my training a couple of years ago, along with EMT. I worked as a smoke jumper before coming home. My dad needs a bit of help these days, and I’d always planned to return.” He flashed a grin. “Congratulations to you, Assistant Principal. This means you’ll be the one the kids are hauled in front of when they’re bad, right?”

  Ivy smiled. “Sometimes. Hopefully not too often.”

  “And only for the best reasons, right?” Brad leaned back in his chair, and it creaked under his weight. “You have to admit you were the one who got us in trouble that day.”

  Another rush of memories struck. “I had no idea Bugles were that combustible, or I never would’ve suggested lighting the entire box on fire.”

  “Yeah, I still blame the science teacher for not giving us better parameters for the project. I mean it’s a bit of a setup to ask kids to find common, everyday objects that are dangerous.”

  Ivy felt her lips twitch. “And now it seems you’re in charge of putting out fires. Strange, the symmetry in that.”

  He laughed; a big, hearty, happy sound that rolled up all the way from his toes. “You’re right. I hadn’t thought of it that way. And I guess you’re also following the prophecy of that moment, because you’re the one who taught me the best way to use the lighter.”

  Laughter burst free and it felt good.

  Ivy was still smiling as he leaned toward her, a question in his eyes. “I saw you at the auction. You and Walker getting back together?”

  It should have felt awkward, and maybe if he’d had a different intent it would have, but the interest in Brad’s eyes was nothing but friendly.

  And that was too bad, because even though it felt far too soon to be thinking about dating other people, in a way it was the right thing to do. If she sat around mourning for the next couple of months, it would prove to Walker that she hadn’t accepted his decision.

  But she couldn’t date Brad.

  Her voice sounded a little sad, even to her own ears, as she confessed, “My sisters and I set up the auction for a bit of fun and to help the fundraiser. That’s why we did the whole Tansy-bidding thing. But no, Walker and I are only friends.”

  He frowned. “Seriously? You guys were good together.”

  She raised a brow. “Still matchmaking, I see. Who are you going to fall for? Someone who can keep you out of mischief, I hope.”

  A soft light came into his eyes. “Oh, there’s someone, but she’s being stubborn. I’m going carefully with her.”

  Intrigued, Ivy teased. “Tell me. Do I know her?”

  “Probably not. She’s not that new to town, but after being gone for a while myself everyone seems new. It’s a strange sensation. Meeting people is an unholy mix of being a stranger to town and one of the old-timers.” His dark eyes flashed with humour. “Nice change of topic, Fields, but I’m not done, yet. I don’t believe it. About you and Walker being just friends.”

  “You’ll have to. We had our bachelor date, and that’s it.” She folded her hands and tried for her best do not push this subject expression. The one she’d perfected as an assistant principal.

  It worked great on people under the age of twelve, but not on a six-foot-five colossus. Brad leaned in farther and lowered his voice. “Do you need me to beat him up for you? For old time’s sake?”

  Ivy paused. “You never beat him up for me before.”

  “I offered to,” he reminded her. “When Chantelle lied and told you that Walker told her that he was breaking up with you so they could go out, and I found you crying in the gym.”

  Oh God. “I’d totally forgotten that.”

  He flexed his arms. “It’s pounding time.”

  Ivy’s cheeks hurt from smiling. “Stop. No, you can’t beat him up for me, but thanks for the offer.”

  “You want me to talk to him?”

  “Brad.” Ivy folded her arms over her chest.

  He nodded firmly. “Awesome. So, you’re going to talk sense into him yourself. Glad to hear it.”

  Ivy gave him a dirty look.

  “No guts, no glory, Fields. You’ve gone after everything else you wanted in life, right? Why should this be any different?”

  She opened her mouth to protest.

  Then she closed it firmly and tried n
ot to look as discombobulated as she felt. He was right. She’d simply given up. Oh, she wanted to respect Walker’s wishes, but they hadn’t even talked about what he was trying to accomplish. She’d just accepted his no, and his confusing excuse about needing to leave town, and she’d moved on.

  Stupid woman.

  Brad leaned back with a chuckle. “That’s what I thought. Hey, we should get together sometime to reminisce some more. We could double date.”

  “I’d like that.” Brad was solid as they came and obviously smart. Ivy eyed him, wondering if he was making a roundabout play for one of her sisters. “I noticed you still didn’t tell me your mystery woman’s name.”

  “Order is up, Brad,” Tansy shouted from behind the counter.

  Brad rose to his feet, grinning. “Her name is Hanna. I’ll let you poke your sisters for the rest of the gossip. When you meet her, put in a good word for me.”

  He turned and left. A moment later Fern was back at the table, glancing at Brad as he dealt with a tray full of drinks and a hefty-size bag of food. “He really should ask you out, but he’s been making goo-goo eyes at Hanna Lane ever since he got back to town.”

  “Don’t you go matchmaking,” Ivy warned. And of course, Fern knew about Hanna. “Him or me. I don’t need help with my love life.” Although it seemed Brad had already offered her some fabulous advice.

  But she wasn’t taking any from her little sisters.

  Fern made a face. “I wouldn’t dream of it. Although you might want to warn off Tansy and Rose, because they’ve already got everything plotted out for you for the next couple of months.”

  Good grief. Just what she didn’t need; her sisters organizing her life.

  She and Fern sat back and relaxed for a while, Fern’s interests in a million different topics making the conversation easy and interesting enough to stop Ivy from going back over Brad’s comments.

  It was later when she was alone that Ivy pulled them out to examine in detail. Was she going to give up without pushing Walker harder? It made no sense to simply lay down all her dreams like that.

  Then again, she refused to make it awkward for him. If he truly knew what he wanted, she had to respect his wishes. The line between giving up too soon and pushing too far was a tightrope to walk. Somewhere between her hopes and wanting the best for Walker, even if it meant not having him, was the right answer. But how would she get there?

  Her dreams were restless that night. She still didn’t have a solution.

  6

  Ivy checked her email for the details before punching in the phone number for the Silver Stone ranch.

  An unfamiliar female voice answered the call. “Tamara Stone. How can I help you?”

  Ivy’s gaze dropped to the bottom of the email, and quickly matched the name to the one on her notepad. “I’m Ivy Fields. You were inquiring about private tutoring for one of your daughters.”

  A curious noise slipped over the line almost like a satisfied hum. “Excuse me. I still get a huge thrill every time someone says that. Yes, I understand you’re going to be her teacher this coming year, and after talking to Caleb, we thought it would be a good idea if Emma had some extra one-on-one time with you before the school year started.”

  Ivy considered. Assistant principal or not, teachers didn’t rake in the big bucks. An opportunity to make extra cash would make the expense of the new house go smoother. “We should be able to work something out. Would you like me to drop by the ranch to meet with you and Emma?”

  “Please. But if you could come talk to me privately first, I can make sure she’s busy.”

  “I’m free anytime this week,” Ivy offered.

  “This afternoon? Caleb was thinking of taking the girls riding, if we could say around two o’clock.”

  Ivy wrote down the time and signed off, working through a few other tasks before making her way up to the ranch.

  She was not hoping to see Walker. Not at all.

  She was also lying to herself with everything in her. Brad might have poked some sense into her, but plotting how she was going to have a come-to-your-senses discussion with Walker was proving difficult. She wasn’t any further along on it today than she had been last night.

  Seemed there were some things that were still tough to do for a shy person—and phoning the man up to demand they talk in more detail was one of them.

  So when she drove into the yard and saw Walker sitting on his horse, his Stetson pushed back to reveal the strong features of his face, a tingle shot through her. He was such a fine-looking man. Somehow she had to convince him to be her man.

  The group on horses ambled slowly from the arena into the far field as she got out of her car.

  A jean-clad woman came toward her with a happy smile and an outreached hand. Eyes flashing brightly behind bright yellow glasses. “Hi. You must be Ivy. I’m Tamara Stone, the girls’ mom.”

  Oh, yes. “Congratulations on your marriage.”

  Tamara grinned, her face lighting up with happiness “Thanks. It’s been official for a short time, so I’m still giddy.” She gestured at the house. “Come in. We can have a drink and talk about what will work best for all of us.”

  They were steps from the porch when the kitchen door swung open and a familiar face appeared. It was Caleb, a little more worn by the years, but looking fighting trim and very content as he paused to slip an arm around Tamara and hug her tight to his body. “Never thought I’d be the one running late.” He turned his gaze to the side and his eyes widened. “Ivy Fields. Welcome back.”

  “Thanks. I told Tamara congratulations, but I should offer them to you as well. And I’m looking forward to meeting your girls.”

  He nodded slowly, a wide grin on his face. “It’s been a few years. They must’ve been babies last time you saw them.”

  “Things change. The world keeps turning,” Ivy offered.

  Caleb glanced between them, his feet shifting as if he were impatient to keep moving. “I’d love to get caught up, but I promised some little cowpokes an adventure.”

  “It’s okay. We’ll have plenty of chances to get together now that I’ve moved back.”

  “Go,” Tamara encouraged him, attempting to push Caleb to where his horse stood waiting at a nearby rail. “I’ll invite her to come for dinner sometime.”

  Caleb examined her with amusement in his dark eyes. “You’re not making mischief, are you?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Tamara protested. But she smirked as he leaned in and kissed her thoroughly.

  Ivy wasn’t sure if she should look away and give them privacy, or if it was kosher to keep enjoying the sight of two people who were most definitely in love.

  It was an easy answer. She watched.

  Tamara’s cheeks were flushed when Caleb stepped back, tipping his hat to both of them in farewell then whistling cheekily as he made his way to the rail. He pulled the reins free and mounted up, moving smoothly as he guided the animal to rejoin the rest of the group.

  Ivy’s gaze drifted past him to where the others were waiting. Two young girls sat on small sturdy mounts, Walker and Dusty Stone flanking them.

  Walker either hadn’t spotted her, or he was deliberately not looking in her direction, which was fine by Ivy because she didn’t need to make this moment more awkward than it was already was. He moved lazily in the saddle, circling his horse around the small gathering, using his body to guide the animal, hands relaxed. Moving as one with the big horse.

  Something inside her tightened with longing.

  A soft cough interrupted her rapt staring, and Ivy straightened with a flush.

  Tamara gestured toward the house. “Sorry for getting distracted there, but that man of mine wipes out brain cells far too easily.”

  Ivy chose not to answer. She wasn’t sure if the other woman was offering her an out after catching her staring at Walker, or if Tamara really hadn’t noticed Ivy was all but drooling.

  It was easier to simply follow up the sta
irs and into the kitchen.

  Tamara indicated the living room. “Have a seat.”

  Bowls full of peapods rested on the island. Ivy tilted her head toward them. “Or I can help while we talk.”

  The suggestion pulled a smile and a nod from Tamara. “I’d never turn down the offer of help with my chores. Be my guest. It feels as if we’ve got a million early peas to shell.”

  Ivy tugged one of the empty bowls closer and settled in, grabbing a big handful of the green peapods to begin work. “I used to do this with my family as far back as I can remember. The four of us girls would sit at the kitchen table, and Mom would grab a book. She’d read out loud while we did all sorts of chores.”

  Tamara nodded in approval. “I like that idea. Bet that made the time pass a lot faster.”

  “It did, except when my dad would join in and things would get out of control.” She let her amusement show as she lifted her gaze to meet Tamara’s. “Dad tried to be around as much as possible, only he had a bad tendency to interrupt with what he thought were scintillating bits of information to make the story better.”

  “I take it that didn’t go over well?”

  Ivy shook her head. “I think it was a defense mechanism to being the only male in a group of five females. I have to admit his sense of humour rubbed off on all of us. Especially Tansy.”

  “I’ve enjoyed getting to know your sisters over the past while,” Tamara confessed. “Tansy and Rose in particular. I’ve only met Fern a few times, but she’s got some amazing talents.”

  “Fern will do fine. She needs to sow a few wild oats before she settles into one main focus.”

  “Wild oats—in a field full of ferns, roses, tansy and ivy?”

  Ivy smiled. “You caught that, did you? I’ve always considered it a funny phrase considering our last name, but the idea still fits.”

  Tamara laughed with her before growing serious. “I don’t know what you’ve heard from your sisters, but what we’re looking for is help for Emma. She’s been a reluctant speaker, and she had her reasons, but we’re working through them. She’s still hesitant with people she doesn’t know, and in tense situations. And because she hasn’t spoken a lot over the past few years, she has a few verbal issues. I think she’d do better if she got to know you before the school year began.”