A Rancher’s Song

by Vivian Arend

  “I didn’t want to do anything to hurt Silver Stone,” Luke admitted softly. “I didn’t want to do something that makes us lose our home.”

  “Bullshit on that,” Caleb snapped with uncharacteristic heat. “Is this why you’ve been hanging on to that broken relationship for so long?”

  Luke glanced at Walker before nodding guiltily at Caleb.

  Caleb stomped away a few steps, cursing loudly before turning around and fixing his gaze on his brothers. “Let me make this clear, to both of you, in case you get some harebrained idea like this as well, Walker. Trying to save the ranch at the expense of everything else isn’t worth it.”

  A shocked sound escaped Luke, but Caleb carried on, ignoring the sound of a door opening somewhere behind them.

  “Having somebody center you is—there are no words. I love the ranch. I love that it’s a legacy we can pass down to our kids. And it’s a piece of Mom and Dad I would miss a whole hell of a lot, I’ll admit that. But we’re building a new legacy, Tamara and me. If that means we’ll have a ranch for my little girls and the coming baby, so be it. If it means we’ll be making a new start in a new place, I’m okay with that too. Our happiness is worth more than history and memories. Your happiness is worth more.”

  Walker was still trying to take in this unexpected speech, full of wisdom and nearly scandalous ideas, when Tamara appeared from around the corner.

  She’d obviously heard the last part of Caleb’s proclamation. She went straight up to him, grabbed him by the lapels and pulled him to face her. “I love you so damn much.”

  Then she kissed him, arms wrapped around his neck, oblivious to the fact Walker and Luke were there as spectators.

  Or maybe it was part of her message.

  Luke tilted his head toward the corner, and Walker joined him as they gave their big brother and his wife some privacy.

  As they walked past the arena toward Big Sky Lake, a little piece of the puzzle slipped into place. “We got lucky when it came to being handed Caleb as a big brother.”

  Luke slapped Walker on the shoulder, nodding as they walked. “Too damn right.”

  Walker took a deep breath. “He was right, you know. I was planning to do something stupid. Just as stupid as you.”

  His brother stumbled for a moment before he caught himself, stopping to look at Walker with confusion. “There’s nothing wrong with you and Ivy, is there?”

  “Only if I stay on this path. You asked me before if there was something you could help with, and I told you I needed to deal with it myself. I was wrong.”

  Then he spilled the beans and told Luke everything. All about his panic attacks and the things he felt he needed to do in order to help save the ranch. About disappointing their father, and the fight that was the last thing he remembered.

  Luke listened in complete silence. His jaw dropped the longer Walker spoke, and when he finished, Luke nodded once. Then he sent a fist flying against Walker’s shoulder, hard enough to rock him back on his feet.

  “Dammit. What was that for?”

  A scowl covered his brother’s face. “Because you were a stupid shit. But since you’ve told me everything, and because I was being stupid as well, I didn’t think I should hit you in the face.”

  Walker snickered. “Thanks for that.”

  “But you haven’t had any panic attacks recently?” Luke waited until Walker shook his head firmly before going back to the same question that Ivy had asked him after the troubles at Rough Cut. “Stop thinking about saving the ranch. What do you want to do?”

  It was an easy answer. “I want to be with Ivy. I want to stay here and work with you guys, and if by some chance we do lose the ranch, whatever we do next, I want it to be as a family.”

  “Then let’s make that happen. One step at a time.”

  As plain and simple as that.

  It seemed impossible, but after so long, and so many lost nights of sleep, this much was true. Walker didn’t have to know all the answers—he just had to know this part.

  Walker took a deep breath. “Let’s start with me being with Ivy. I have an idea, but I need your help to set it up.”

  He held out his hand. Luke grasped it, shaking firmly before pulling Walker in for a brotherly hug that involved a lot more back pounding than squeezing.

  When they separated, Luke was smiling for real for the first time in what seemed like forever. “And for the record? Dad loved you, and he was damn proud of you. You only got one fatherly warning from him? Hell, I used to get scolded weekly for not taking life seriously enough. So you can put that worry out of your mind. You’ve done your share over the years, whether you think so or not. We’re all proud of you.”

  Walker’s chest went tight again. “Thanks.”

  “We’ll make this work. I know we can.”

  “And…the King of Optimism has returned,” Walker teased.

  But this time, he really hoped it was true.

  * * *

  The cryptic message Ivy got from Walker intrigued her, and so it happened that at nearly nine p.m. in the evening, instead of getting ready for bed, Ivy was working to put together her best happy face.

  Tansy lay on her bed, feet kicking lazily as she watched Ivy apply makeup. “Did the school year get off to a good start?”

  “That’s not what you want to ask,” Ivy pointed out.

  Her sister laughed as she pulled herself up to a sitting position. “Just trying to keep you distracted.”

  “Not working,” Ivy said dryly. “I can tell when I’m being set up for something. Just tell me you’ll be there in case I get overwhelmed.”

  Tansy drew a cross over her heart. “I solemnly swear you have backup.”

  “It would be a whole lot better if I knew what was going on,” Ivy suggested.

  Her sister shook her head. “Probably, but that would require me to know what’s going on, and for once, I don’t. I’m just following instructions.”

  “Where are you guys?” Rose called from somewhere near the front door. “Fern is waiting. I’d make her drive around the block a couple of times, but if we’re late, I expect something cataclysmic will happen.”

  Ivy grabbed a coat off her bed and gave Tansy a warning look. “They’re involved with this too? That doesn’t make me feel more comfortable.”

  Tansy held her hand as they walked down the stairs, and crawled into Fern’s ancient Volkswagen bug.

  It was late enough in the day that the sunlight was fading. Twilight lingered, with only faint traces of red and gold remaining. Small lights twinkled in the graveyard—there were a half-dozen of them now. Ivy still hadn’t discovered who was putting them up, but she had to admit the results were pretty.

  When they pulled up in front of Rough Cut, Tansy didn’t do anything more than tug her out of the car and up the stairs into the cool interior.

  The sign outside the door had said Closed For The Evening, but the doors were unlocked. Ryan was nowhere in sight. Music played a lot quieter than normal, and voices carried from the main dance room. Familiar voices, like Tamara and Caleb and their little girls.

  “What are the kids doing in a bar?” Ivy asked as they rounded the corner to discover a whole bunch of chairs had been set up on the dance floor. The entire Stone family was in attendance, and she noticed with some shock that Rose and Fern had made their way forward to find places next to her parents and Grandma Sonora.

  Butterflies took off in Ivy’s stomach, her chest tightening as Tansy led her to a chair. A few people glanced her way but quickly returned their attention to the stage, leaving her safely isolated in the very back row.

  Ivy held onto Tansy’s fingers as she sat down to discover her chair was right smack dab in the middle of the open aisle, giving her a clear view of the stage where a lone figure sat on a tall stool, guitar in hand.

  He was wearing his cowboy hat, a dark, long-sleeved shirt rolled up to expose his forearms, crisp new jeans, and boots she could see the shine on from this distance under the
couple of spotlights that had been aimed directly at him.

  Walker Stone looked every inch the cowboy. Delicious and rock-solid to the core.

  The music from the overhead speakers faded as Walker placed his fingers on his guitar, but it wasn’t the steady pace of the cording that had her mesmerized. It was his eyes, staring straight at her as if there was no one else in the room except the two of them.

  Tansy gave her fingers a squeeze before pulling away. She whispered softly in Ivy’s ear. “I’m right beside you, but I think you’ve got this.”

  Then she was alone. Alone except for Walker, who was playing a soft riff over and over again, watching her as if she were a miracle.

  “The last time I was up on this stage I had a bit of a rough tumble.” Walker spoke quietly yet clearly, his words carrying over the guitar. “But I remember Dad talking about how important it was after a fall to get back up on the horse, and I suppose in a way, that’s part of what I’m doing right now.” Walker’s gaze moved for a brief moment to his brother Caleb, then to the other side as he dipped his head in Malachi’s direction. “It’s pretty much what some of the smartest men I know have always told me. It’s not easy to do the right thing, but it’s worth it. So buck up, and get it done.”

  The music changed under his fingertips. Gentle sweeps now, like the wind blowing over the prairies. Soft and low. Restless.

  His gaze returned to her. Not exactly a smile, but something sweet and full of promise shone in his expression. “But instead of telling you a bunch of words, I should do what singers are supposed to do, and let the music tell the story.”

  The tightness in Ivy’s chest wasn’t there from fear anymore. It was hope and anticipation as Walker looked into her heart and sang for her.

  Just for her.

  There might’ve been a dozen other people in the room, but they were alone.

  Do tumbleweeds feel restless,

  following the wind

  longing for a place to stop

  torn up once again

  * * *

  I’m tired of being a tumbleweed,

  it’s time to put the road away

  want to come and live beside you

  want to stay another day

  * * *

  The only path I want to walk

  is the one to our front door

  A well-worn track by your side

  I can’t roam anymore

  * * *

  Trails out to the swing set,

  where we push our little ones

  Muddy ruts down to the river

  when the day is done

  * * *

  The only path I want to walk

  is the one to our front door

  A well-worn track by your side

  I can’t roam—

  Walker stopped. Right in the middle of a sentence, but it wasn’t the same as it had been before. Not like last time when he’d been on the stage singing and frozen, because now, while the words had stopped he was still looking at her, a slow smile taking over his face even as he swallowed hard.

  He wasn’t panicking, he was unable to speak, which she pretty much understood because she was in the same condition. She felt as if she were tied up with a hundred million ropes, but it was okay, because even as she struggled for air, they were connected.

  It was the two of them, and they were together.

  His fingers stilled, the sound of the guitar fading as he cleared his throat. “There’s more, but I don’t think I can finish. Not without you, Snow. You’re the only way I have a song to sing. You’re the one thing truly worth fighting for.”

  Ivy lifted a hand to her chest, her heart pounding against her palm.

  “We’ll figure out together what the future looks like, but I need you by my side. I love you, Ivy. I want you in my life from now ‘til eternity, and I want it all. You, a family, whatever that looks like.”

  He got to his feet and laid the guitar aside, jumping off the stage and walking toward her. He came all the way up and caught one hand in his as he knelt at her feet.

  Ivy caressed his cheek. “I love you too.”

  He lifted her other hand to press a kiss to her knuckles. “I don’t know what I have to offer except my heart, and it’s always belonged to you.”

  Okay, she was now officially crying. “That’s more than enough.”

  “You going to marry me?”

  Ivy nodded.

  Soft clapping started in the background. Amazingly controlled, considering it was her family and his, but even more shocking was the fact she’d totally forgotten they were there.

  As the noise level rose, she didn’t feel any sense of panic because she was staring into his eyes, completely anchored by his love.

  Rooted and centered. The tumbleweeds had come home.

  21

  As Walker had asked of them ahead of time, everyone stayed out of sight and didn’t overwhelm them with congratulations.

  He knew he needed to make his statement in front of their families, but the rest of this time was for them. And as he stole Ivy away from Rough Cut and headed onto the street, he realized he still had one problem.

  Ivy read his mind as usual. “My house?”

  He was already on the road. Ivy snuggled up against his side, the two of them quiet as he drove, when she tipped him for a loop.

  “Wait. Not there. Where’s your horse trailer?”

  He wasn’t about to argue with the lady, not now. “It’s back at Silver Stone.”

  There was a smile on her lips. “I’m pretty sure we’re guaranteed privacy even if they do spot your truck. Plus, no one is going to give us hell this time if we lock the door.”

  Walker put his foot down on the gas way harder than he should have, but he didn’t care. He parked his truck as far out of sight as possible, though, because he didn’t quite believe his brothers would be as charitable as she seemed to think.

  Thank God he’d left the trailer in some semblance of order.

  Ivy didn’t even notice. She stepped into the small living quarters at the front of the trailer where Walker lived while on the road, turned without a word, and threw herself into his arms. Their lips met, and it wasn’t hard to follow up on her encouragement.

  Tangled lips rapidly became tangled limbs, and they were lying on his far-too-small-for-two-people mattress, not caring one single bit because they were content taking up only one person’s space.

  Ivy broke away long enough for them to catch their breath, laughter dancing in her eyes. “You know why I wanted to come here?”

  “That’s a trick question. I’m not supposed to say so we could have sex, right?”

  She stripped off her shirt and her bra, straddling his hips as she did so, erasing his worries that this was going to be a figure-out-the-future, conversation-only time.

  She dragged a finger down his buttons. “It’s a three-part answer. That’s the first part.”

  “It’s really difficult to think when you’re right there in front of me, partly naked.”

  “Then you better answer the question before I get all the way naked, or you’re going to get an F on this exam.”

  “Tough teacher,” he complained cupping her breasts gently, sucking in a breath of air for control as her nipples tightened. “Part A. We’re going to have sex because we’re in love. Part B—this had better be the answer to part B—you want to fool around in a horse trailer because that’s where we had sex for the first time.”

  “Made love.” She leaned over and pushed his shirt aside. Tricky woman had undone all his buttons without him even noticing. “Full points for part B.”

  She pressed a kiss to his chest and then another a little higher, working her way up his neck to his jaw, biting down lightly before swinging up to look directly into his eyes.

  Her bare breasts caressed his torso, and he was going to lose his ever-loving mind. “I need a clue for C, Snow. Let me look at your cheat sheet. I promise I won’t tell the teacher.”

 
She licked her lips, licked his lips, and then darted out of reach. “We’re here because while I can’t physically go on the road with you, if rodeo is something you need to do, I promise to support you. If travelling to be a singer—the same. Whatever it is, we’ll find a way to make this work.”

  He lay there absolutely floored by the love in her eyes and the gift of her sacrifice, part of which he had no intention of accepting, and he planned to make that very clear right now. “I’m not leaving you. I still might do something with singing, but becoming a star isn’t my dream. Being on the road, and being away from you? Or down the road, being away from our family? I know some people do it, and I’m not saying they’re wrong, but it’s not right for me. It’s not right for us.”

  She was staring at him as if he’d hung the moon, and everything in him that had ever been cold was now warm and happy. Content.

  Enough talk. He rolled them, pinning her to the mattress so he could offer her a wicked smile. “That’s a sweet, beautiful gift to offer me. And I love you even more than I thought possible.”

  “I want to—”

  Her words vanished into a gasp of surprise as he stripped away her pants and left her naked on the mattress. Surprise turned into soft noises of pleasure as he dropped between her legs and used both hands to lift her knees into the air.

  With gentle caresses along the outside of her thighs and then back again, he teased her, staring into her eyes as he touched her with increasingly intimate caresses. Closer and closer to her sex, then away, never quite touching.

  Her belly was quivering by the time he actually let his fingertips make contact.

  “Walker,” she begged.

  “Nothing doing, Snow. The last time we fooled around in a horse trailer, it was all fast and fumbling. You’re going to enjoy it, more than once,” he promised before pressing a kiss to the inside of her knee.