The Rancher's Texas Match

by Brenda Minton

  Eleanor waved off the apology. “No, it’s okay. Johnny has been doing so well, but he still has his moments. He and Ben had a disagreement. We put the boys in their rooms until we know the episode is over, and everything and everyone is safe again.”

  “They’re all okay, though?”

  “Yes, they’re fine. They’re unfortunately used to this. They go to their rooms, play with toys, color or read. When the crisis is over, we give the all clear. Which I think is right now.” Eleanor cleared her throat. “Boys, come on out.”

  Two doors opened. Ben peeked his head out and looked down the hall. “He’s not waiting for me?”

  “No,” Eleanor assured him. “He’s outside with Edward. But I’m sure we’ll all sit down and talk.”

  The other door opened. Colby stepped out and, behind him, eleven-year-old Sam Clark with his pale blond hair and serious blue eyes.

  “Aunt Macy!” Colby rushed forward and wrapped thin arms around her waist. Macy pulled him close, her heart taken by surprise at the greeting.

  “Hey, sweetie, you ready for church?”

  He nodded against her stomach. As she slipped past, Eleanor patted Macy’s shoulder. “You two have a good day. Be back by five this afternoon.”

  “We can do that.” She separated from her nephew. “Is there anything you need to get?”

  He hurried back into his room for a backpack and came out with it slung over his shoulder. “I’m ready to go. See you later, Sam.”

  Sam stood in the door to the room they shared, solemn and worried. “You’ll be okay, Colby?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be okay,” her nephew reassured the other boy, and then he took her hand and led her from the cabin.

  The weather was perfect for the first part of October. It was still warm, but with less humidity and a light breeze that made it ideal for the time of year. And with Colby holding her hand and talking a mile a minute about a new cow he’d fed and the big move, it was easy to believe everything would be okay.

  They arrived at church as the bell was ringing, and people were hurrying inside. Macy parked, and she and Colby ran together, the backpack swinging at his side. Chloe Barstow was entering just ahead of them. The younger woman held the door.

  “I’m late, too. We had a mare foaling. I didn’t want to leave her,” Chloe explained. She ruffled her hand through Colby’s hair. “Hey, Colby, good to see you.”

  Colby grinned at the other woman. He’d been raised in this church. His parents had taken an active role, working with the youth. Like the house, the church had been theirs. Macy often felt like a placeholder. She could handle that at church, even in the house, but she wanted to be so much more to Colby.

  “Can I sit with the Wayes?” Colby asked as they entered the sanctuary and looked for a place to land.

  The Waye family had been Grant and Cynthia’s closest friends. And it was easy to see Colby’s connection with them. It was easy to see that Laurie Waye, the mother, had natural instincts.

  Macy envied her that gift.

  “Of course you can,” she answered when she realized her nephew still stood waiting for her to respond.

  He skipped away, leaving her to find a seat alone. A hand touched her elbow. Chloe Barstow nodded toward a few empty seats. “Sit with me? Tanner is at home with the mare and new foal. He probably won’t be here.”

  “Thank you,” Macy whispered, following the other woman to the empty spots.

  “No problem.”

  They sat and the music started. Chloe touched her arm.

  “Colby loves you,” she said in hushed tones. “I know you worry, but don’t.”

  “It’s hard not to.” She tried to focus on the music, but her gaze kept straying to her young nephew. He seemed so happy with the Waye family. There was a mom, a dad and several children. A real family. A dad to play basketball. The kind of mom who knew how to bake cookies without burning them. They probably had a strong extended family with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

  Macy had no one, really. Her dad had passed away years ago. Her mom, Nora, lived in Arizona. She’d come to Texas following the accident and then the funeral. But then her husband, Macy’s stepfather, had called and asked her to come home. And she’d gone. For a few weeks after she’d gone back to Arizona, they’d talked on the phone every day. Now they talked once a week. Every Sunday at seven.

  “I know it will get easier. Just give it time,” Chloe offered.

  Of course, she nodded, because she had to believe that things would get better.

  Again her attention focused on the Wayes. A real family. Maybe that was what Colby needed? And it was something she couldn’t give him. It was just the two of them. She closed her eyes, praying away the pain and wishing God would give her a clear sign.

  What if she wasn’t meant to raise Colby? What if someone else could do this and make him happy? She shuddered, thinking about letting go. It hurt too much to even contemplate. But could she do it if it was the best thing for her nephew?

  “You okay?”

  The service was ending. She gathered up her Bible and purse. “Yes, I’m good.”

  Chloe opened her mouth to respond, but Colby raced back to them, a coloring page in his hand. “I colored this for you.”

  She took the page and held it up to study the image of Jesus calming the storm. Why are you afraid? it said in bold letters at the top of the page.

  “Well, I guess that’s a direct message,” Chloe said with a hint of laughter. “Hey, why don’t the two of you join us for lunch at the castle? I mean, the ranch.”

  “Castle?” Colby perked up.

  “That’s what she calls my place,” Tanner said, appearing at Macy’s side. “It’s actually my kingdom. Sometimes she forgets.”

  “You have a kingdom?” Colby, still amazed by the castle, now had a kingdom to imagine.

  Chloe nodded. “He does. And he’s the king. But I thought he was at home taking care of horses.”

  The last sentence was obviously directed at her brother, and Chloe gave him a look to let him know.

  He shrugged. “The new foal is doing great. I slipped in after the service started. And if Macy and Colby want to join us for lunch, that’s fine with me.”

  “We shouldn’t,” Macy started. Chloe cut her off.

  “If you have other plans, that’s okay. But it’s just the two of us and a big roast in the slow cooker. Someone should help us eat it. And we might need help naming that new foal.”

  Macy caught a look between brother and sister. She started to give excuses why she and Colby couldn’t join them, but Colby grabbed her hand.

  “Could we go?”

  Tanner smiled down at her nephew. And then he raised his gaze to meet hers. Something in his dark blue eyes unsettled her.

  “You should join us. If you don’t, we’ll be eating roast all week.” Tanner touched a hand to Colby’s shoulder.

  That settled it for her. Colby needed people. He needed men who would be role models and do things with him that a father would have done. She could toss a ball, she could teach him to drive, but he needed male role models in his life.

  “We’d love to join you all. Is there anything I can bring?”

  “No, we have everything,” Chloe responded. “You can follow us.”

  Colby could barely contain himself. As they followed the dark blue Ford truck in the direction of the Barstow ranch, her nephew talked nonstop about castles and kingdoms. She gave up trying to convince him that they were just going to a regular house. He wanted to believe that they were on their way to Tanner Barstow’s kingdom and that the rancher was some sort of king. Or worse, that he was a knight in shining armor.

  Macy tried to picture that knight with a cowboy hat. She smiled at the thought, until she remembered the way he’d held her
just days earlier.

  She might need a rescuer, but she thought it more likely she needed someone to rescue her heart from memories of a kiss.

  * * *

  Tanner turned up his drive and shot Chloe a look that she happily ignored. She saw, but she shifted away and pretended she didn’t. Instead she sang along to a George Strait song and dug through her purse for a piece of gum.

  “What are you up to?” he finally asked.

  She looked up, a flash of guilt quickly dissolving into an innocent smile. “Up to?”

  “Inviting Macy to lunch?” He let that thought ruminate for a few seconds. “Did you put that book in her bag?”

  “Book?”

  No, of course she didn’t. Now he was getting paranoid. “Macy has a lot on her plate. The last thing she needs is you trying to involve yourself in her life.”

  Anger flashed in his sister’s blue eyes. “Really? Did it ever cross your mind that I might like Macy? She’s new in town, and she’s had a tough year. She needs friends. So does Colby. If it feels like I’m trying to manipulate your life, maybe you should think how I feel.”

  “Touché,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

  “You should be. And would it hurt you to take a look at a really nice woman?”

  “I’ve looked,” he admitted.

  That made his sister happy. “Well, isn’t that surprising. And?”

  “I’m busy, Chloe. Yes, I want to get married and have a family.” Lately, he’d thought about it a lot. A wife. Kids. It was what he’d always wanted. “I don’t want to get involved in a relationship with someone who might not stay in Haven.”

  Her eyes widened. “Why don’t you think she’ll stay? She has Colby, and this is his home.”

  “Several reasons,” he said, and he had to make it quick because he was pulling into the garage. “She’s from Dallas. I learned something in plant sciences and that’s that a plant doesn’t do well when taken from its native surroundings. She’s all city. I can’t see her lasting in our small town. And second, Colby has a lot of memories here. It could be that a fresh start elsewhere would help him to move on.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that. But would it be good to take him from what he’s always known?”

  “Sometimes a fresh start helps.”

  “Sometimes you have to give people a chance,” she countered as she got out of the truck. “You could at least play nice.”

  He shook his head as he got out to follow her inside. Yeah, he could play nice. As a matter of fact, he’d tried, and he’d actually enjoyed it. It didn’t take much to remember the way it had felt to hold Macy. He could imagine the scent of her hair, the way it had felt to kiss her, the way her hands had touched his face.

  He hadn’t been prepared for the attraction. And it went beyond attraction. He liked her. Liking her added a whole other level of complication.

  “She’s the mother of a resident at the ranch,” he grumbled at his sister’s retreating back. “That changes things.”

  She glanced back at him, a frown in place. “She won’t always be the mom of a resident. Colby will go home. And I think Macy will stay and make Haven her home.

  “I’ll go let them in,” she offered. “Do you want to turn the oven on so I can heat the rolls?”

  Anything to stay busy.

  He was pouring tea in glasses when Macy, Colby and Chloe joined him. Colby was wide-eyed as he look around the kitchen and up at the high ceilings.

  “Wow. It is a castle.”

  “Colby,” Macy cautioned. “Why don’t you wash your hands? And is there something I can do to help?”

  “You can put the glasses on the table,” Tanner suggested. But he wished he hadn’t. He should have told her to go ahead and sit down. That would have put her a good thirty feet from him and out of reach. But instead she was next to him, her arm brushing his as she grabbed a couple of glasses. And he couldn’t help but lean a little in her direction. That shift brought him close enough that he caught the herbal scent of her shampoo.

  She didn’t notice, but across the room Chloe did. A wink told him she’d caught the move.

  Colby finished washing his hands and hurried past them, nearly bumping into his aunt. Tanner caught the boy up in his arms. “Slow down, buddy, or you’ll take someone down.”

  The kid grinned, but he nodded affably. “Okay. But after we eat, can I see that new horse?”

  “Yeah, you can see the new horse.”

  “Is it a black stallion?”

  “Yes, and when I ride it, I’m going to wear armor and carry a sword.”

  Colby laughed. “You’re not really a knight because my aunt says this isn’t a castle. It’s a really big house. Too big for two people.”

  The aunt in question was on her way to the dining room with glasses of tea, but he heard her gasp. She turned, her cheeks faintly pink. “Colby.”

  Tanner considered rescuing her but decided against it.

  Chloe jumped in. “It is too big for two people, Colby. That’s why Tanner needs to get married and have a bunch of kids.”

  He should have known.

  “He could let kids from the ranch live here with him,” Colby suggested.

  “That’s a great idea,” Chloe continued. “Tanner, why don’t you do that?”

  “I’m going to get the roast.” Tanner turned tail and ran. He’d never considered himself a coward, but any man would be if he had to face his sister. Add Colby and the pink-faced Macy, and he was outnumbered.

  He was a man who liked goals, and today’s goal was clear. Finish this meal as quickly as possible, before Chloe could take meddling to a whole new level.

  Chapter Seven

  Monday, after a long day substituting for the high school algebra teacher, Macy headed for the Silver Star. She had a bag with treats for the boys and the book that someone thought she should read. It no longer mattered who had left the book in her book bag. What mattered was that it would give her time with Colby. The other boys would enjoy it, too.

  She pulled up to the ranch house, waving to Flint as he headed out to the barn with a few of the older boys. As she walked toward the house, a loud explosion shook the air. From a distance she heard screams. The horses in the field took off at a dead run. Heart pounding, Macy ran for the cabin where Colby would be with the Macks.

  Edward Mack was running in that direction, too. They met on the steps, and she followed him inside.

  “What was that?” she asked as they hurried through the door.

  Edward closed the door behind her and locked it. “I’m not sure. But we aren’t taking any chances.”

  Eleanor was in the living room with Colby, Sam and Ben. “What was that?”

  Edward shook his head. “Where’s Johnny?”

  The fifteen-year-old with the quiet demeanor, curly brown hair and easy smile was missing. Eleanor had an arm around Colby and Sam, the two taking comfort in her strong presence. Macy stood there, not knowing what she should do. She had known only that, when she’d heard that explosion, Colby was somewhere, and she needed to make sure he was safe.

  “Johnny is with Doc Harrow. They’re working with sick calves.”

  “You all stay here. I’m going to see what I can find out.” Edward headed for the door. Macy followed, locking the door behind him.

  “So, what will we do, boys?” Eleanor asked with a smile that was probably meant to tell them everything was okay.

  “I have a book I planned on reading,” Macy offered. “Unless you have something else?”

  “A story is a great idea. Boys, what do you think?”

  Colby and Sam nodded and moved from her side. Ben looked unsure.

  “Ben, it’s up to you,” Eleanor told him.

  “I’ll stay with Miss Macy,” he said
quietly, a little unsure. He was in his early teens but still a boy. Macy motioned him toward the furniture, a big sectional and two recliners that filled the small room.

  “I like this story,” Colby said. “It’s one of my favorites.”

  Macy sat down, Sam and Colby on either side of her and Ben in one of the recliners. It gave her pause that the mystery person had left one of Colby’s favorite books for her to read.

  The front door unlocked as she started to read. Edward stepped in with a few more of the younger boys and the house mom from Cabin Three, Laura Davidson. She was in her fifties, and she and her husband had been at the ranch for quite a few years. They’d never had children of their own, but she loved the ranch kids as if they were hers.

  “Laura and the boys are going to join you all for story time,” Edward informed her, and then he was gone again.

  Laura herded in her boys. “Morgan, Billy and Jasper, do you all know Miss Macy?”

  The little boy she knew as Jasper stepped forward, his sandy-colored hair a mess and his eyes twinkling with orneriness. “Yes, ma’am. She told us a dragon story.”

  “Okay, let’s have a seat, and I’ll go see if Eleanor needs any help.”

  Jasper gave her a sweet smile and sat down on the floor. She knew the little boy from the library and wouldn’t doubt if he had superglue hidden somewhere on his person. He’d glued a book to her desk a few weeks ago.

  “Is Colby going home with you?” Morgan Duff asked as she opened the book. He looked up at her so seriously, his brown eyes luminous behind his glasses.

  “Of course he is,” she replied. And then she wondered if that was the right answer. Morgan looked away, his hands clasping at his side.

  “Morgan, are you okay?” She leaned toward him, and he looked up.

  “Yeah. I hope he does go home. He’s just a kid.”

  Her heart broke a little on those words. Morgan was about ten, and a child himself. He was someone’s broken little boy with anger issues and a hurting heart.

  “You’re a good friend to worry about him,” she told Morgan.

  “We’re more like family than friends,” he said.