The Rancher's Texas Match

by Brenda Minton

  Gabriel turned back to the room. “I guess this meeting is adjourned. Bea, let’s go see what’s going on.”

  They were all standing, moving toward the door, and Tanner realized Macy was next to him. She was planning to walk out the door with the rest of them. And he couldn’t let her do it.

  “Do you think it might be a good idea if the women waited inside until we see what is going on?” Tanner suggested, knowing the women would protest and maybe even rebel.

  Gabriel glanced back, but then he came to a dead stop in the hall. “I do think that’s a good idea. Something we all need to remember is that, so far, no one has been hurt. And we don’t want that to change. I agree with Tanner. The fewer people we have out there, the better.”

  “It’s my car, Gabriel.” Bea moved to stand next to the man. “You can tell the rest of them to stay. Or you could ask, because I know these women, and they don’t want to be ordered around.”

  Gabriel gave the group a long, steady look. “If you all don’t mind waiting inside, I’m going to check Bea’s car and probably call the police.”

  “I need to go,” Macy said, not really objecting but not really acting as if she intended to agree with the plan.

  “We can’t keep you safe if you leave,” Tanner told her. “Considering the fact that your car was tampered with last week, I think it would be better for you to stay until we know there’s no one out there.”

  All eyes were on them, and he couldn’t seem to care what people thought, or even what they would say. He stood face-to-face with a woman whose green eyes were unsure. Her mouth was a firm, stubborn line.

  While they lingered there, Gabriel headed outside with a half dozen people following him and Macy still shooting daggers because he’d tried to stop her from going out that door.

  “You’re not my keeper,” she said when they were alone.

  “No, I guess I’m not. I just want to keep you safe. Colby needs you.”

  “I know that.” Her resolve weakened. He could see it in her expression. “I don’t want to let him down.”

  “No, of course you don’t.” He led her to the front door. The group had gathered around Bea’s car. Obviously they were going to ignore his warning that they shouldn’t all be out in the open.

  “Who do you think would do this?”

  Tanner led her down the steps and across the lawn. “I don’t have a clue. But it seems it has escalated since the details of Cyrus’s will were revealed.”

  “Someone who doesn’t want a boys ranch?” She stopped to look at Bea’s car with its cracked windshield.

  Someone who didn’t want a boys ranch. The words, the accusation, were loud and clear. One person didn’t want the ranch. One person knew where they were today. Fletcher.

  But one thing Tanner knew about Fletcher Snowden Phillips—he supported the law. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t break the law, but Tanner couldn’t see him going to this extreme.

  Tanner took Macy by the elbow and led her to the car he and Flint had delivered to her place the previous day after she’d left it at the ranch.

  “I don’t think Fletcher would do this,” he assured her. “That doesn’t mean you’re wrong. Maybe the right theory but the wrong person.”

  “Yes, maybe.” She looked up at him, green eyes serious as she bit down on her bottom lip. Her blond hair framed her face, lifting a little as the breeze picked up. The herbal scent perfumed the air.

  He let out a breath and took a step back from her and from temptation. “I think it’s safe to go.”

  Safer if she left than if she stayed, he decided.

  She smiled, as if she knew.

  Chapter Nine

  There were no clues about who might have thrown a rock through Bea’s windshield. But the incidents were putting a damper on the entire moving process. People in the community were concerned. People at the ranch were more concerned. They all cared about the safety of the residents. They were also worried about public opinion, always such a tenuous thing.

  Macy pulled up to Cabin One on Wednesday afternoon. She and Colby were scheduled for family therapy with Eleanor Mack. Macy had a list today. There were some issues to tackle. She felt it was time. After all of these months of struggling and grieving, it seemed to her that in the past few weeks Colby had been improving.

  For herself, she struggled between wanting Colby home so they could move on with their lives together and worrying that she wasn’t the mom he needed. Those doubts were magnified after the visit she’d had the previous evening with Laurie Waye. The other lady had stopped by Macy’s house to have coffee and talk. She wanted to know how Colby was doing, and how Macy was settling in. During the visit she’d revealed that at one time Cynthia had mentioned the Wayes taking custody of Colby. She went on to say they’d obviously made the best decision, though. It was clear Macy loved her nephew and he loved her. As she’d left, Laurie had offered her help, should Macy ever need it.

  The cabin dog, a mutt of unknown breeding but with a sweet face and wiry brown hair, met her as she got out of her car. His tail thumped, and he whimpered as he pushed up against her.

  “Hey, Paulie, good to see you, too.” She brushed a hand over his wiry head, and he looked up with limpid brown eyes. “Yeah, you have a tough life.”

  The front door of the cabin opened. Colby grinned at her, his sandy-brown hair a mess, his eyes sparkling. With unshed tears?

  “Aunt Macy, you’re here.”

  “Of course I am.” She wrapped him in a hug and kissed his head, but then she smoothed down his hair. “Did you think I wouldn’t be here?”

  He shrugged and then ran off, leaving her to follow.

  Eleanor greeted her with a smile and an easy hug. “Good to see you, Macy.”

  “Is he crying?” she asked, watching after her nephew.

  Eleanor gave him a minute to get out of earshot. “He was a little upset. He watches the clock, and sometimes he is afraid that you won’t show up. Let’s go in the playroom.”

  Of course he was afraid. Macy ached on the inside, thinking of him waiting for his parents to come home that night. And they never made it. Instead she’d shown up in the middle of the night. He’d been asleep on the couch, the babysitter holding him tight.

  They had so much to work through.

  The playroom served many purposes. The boys did play in the big room with shelves, boxes, a foosball table and television with game sets. It was also the room used for counseling sessions.

  Colby was already in the room. He drew on the chalkboard wall. First he drew a dog. Probably Paulie. And then he started drawing his family. Him, his mom, his dad. As an afterthought, a woman with long hair. Macy guessed it was probably her. He wiped a hand across his parents.

  “Colby, why did you erase your picture?” Eleanor asked.

  “Because they’re gone, and they aren’t coming back.”

  Eleanor sat on the edge of a nearby table and motioned Macy to a chair. “No, they aren’t. And how does that make you feel? Use your ‘I’ words, please. I feel...”

  “I feel angry. I’m mad at them for leaving. I’m mad, and sometimes I’m sad. And I have nightmares.”

  “I’m sorry.” Eleanor pulled up a small, kid-sized chair and sat. “How do you feel about Aunt Macy?”

  He glanced back, and then he shrugged and started drawing again.

  “Colby?”

  “I feel like she doesn’t want to be here.”

  Macy closed her eyes and shook her head. “Oh, Colby.”

  “Macy, tell Colby how you feel about that.”

  “I wouldn’t be anywhere else. Colby, I love you.”

  “Why do you think your aunt Macy doesn’t want to be here?” Eleanor asked.

  “Because.”

  “Because why?” Ele
anor prodded.

  He wouldn’t tell her. For the next five minutes very little happened. Eleanor let him draw, and then she pulled him back into the conversation.

  “How do you feel about going home?”

  He shrugged.

  “Can you draw your house, Colby?” Eleanor asked. “Is there anything you would change about your house? Maybe there are things you would like to get rid of. Or things you would like to get. Some people don’t like white walls. They might want blue or brown. Some people like red or blue furniture.”

  He drew a dog in the middle of his house.

  “You would get a dog?” Eleanor asked. “What if Aunt Macy wanted to get new furniture or different pictures for the walls?”

  He shrugged, but this time he looked back, as if remembering her presence. “What do you want?”

  “I don’t know, Colby. I just thought it might be fun if we redecorated.”

  He nodded and turned to draw a picture of a cat. Macy laughed a little. It felt better than crying.

  “So the changes you would make would be animals?” Eleanor asked.

  “Yep,” he said.

  “How would you feel about Aunt Macy’s changes?” Eleanor asked.

  “I guess it would be okay. It’s her house.”

  “No, Colby, it’s our house.” She wanted to reach for him, but she didn’t.

  “I live here,” he told her. “I live here.”

  “Yes, you do. But you won’t live here forever, Colby. You will go home. Boys always go home. Once they feel better, they go back to their families.” Eleanor touched his arm to get his attention. “You know that, right?”

  “Or to new families.” He sniffled as he said it. “I didn’t want them to go.”

  “I know you didn’t,” Eleanor answered. She motioned Macy forward. “But they did. And we can’t change that. And it’s okay to be sad. It’s also okay to be happy. It’s okay to have fun. It’s okay to love Aunt Macy.”

  Macy touched his arm. “And it would be okay if I hugged you, right?”

  He hugged her, tight. He held on and held on until she thought he would hug the breath out of her. She kissed the top of his head as he let go.

  “I think that’s enough for today.” Eleanor pushed herself up from the miniature chair. “Why don’t the two of you go outside? I think we’re getting a new horse today.”

  “Could we?” Colby was already pulling Macy toward the door.

  Eleanor laughed. “Oh, I think definitely.”

  Colby led Macy out to the barn, moving fast for a seven-year-old with short legs. The truck and trailer at the barn looked familiar. Tanner’s truck. She hadn’t ever realized how much he was around until recently.

  As they approached, they saw the new horse, a pretty bay. Tanner led the animal toward the corral. Chloe was with him, and a young man that she guessed might be Russell.

  “Let’s not rush in too fast, okay?” Macy tried to slow Colby. “The horse is new and may be a little unsure of his surroundings.”

  Colby gave her a look that said he didn’t think too much of her horse knowledge. As they approached the corral, Tanner turned and saw them. He waved, and the horse pranced around him.

  Chloe smiled when they stopped next to her, first at Colby and then at Macy. “Hey, Colby, you’re the first one to meet Captain.”

  “Do you think I can ride him?” Colby asked.

  “I’m sure you can. Not today, though. He’ll have to get settled in.”

  Colby looked at the horse and then at Macy. “Aunt Macy, do you know how to ride?”

  She shook her head. “No, Colby, I don’t ride.”

  “We’ll have to fix that,” Chloe said. “Tanner, Macy doesn’t know how to ride.”

  Tanner led the horse in their direction. “That’s a big problem, Macy. You can’t live in Haven and not know how to ride.”

  The young man with them returned from the barn. He smiled at Macy and winked at Chloe. “I put away the tack.”

  “Thank you.” Chloe beamed. “Macy, have you met my fiancé, Russell?”

  “No, I haven’t.” Macy held out her hand. He took it in his. The handshake was brief and nothing that would recommend him. She didn’t want to make a snap judgment, but she didn’t like him.

  And from the look Tanner gave him, he felt the same way.

  She met his gaze, and something passed between them. It felt strangely right and frightening all at the same time. Right because she knew the chemistry, had felt it in his arms. She felt it when she trusted him with her fears. It was frightening because she thought she wasn’t passing this test of motherhood. It was frightening because she remembered the night her fiancé, Bill, had thrown everything away because he didn’t want to give up his life. That was how he’d put it. His life. His dreams.

  All her life she’d felt confident. She hadn’t tackled anything without believing she could overcome it. But this parenting thing was a whole different ball game. And she was learning that doubt could snowball and touch every area of her life if she allowed it.

  As her gaze collided with Tanner’s, the doubts grew and got tangled up with fresh emotions she hadn’t expected.

  * * *

  As they stood next to the corral, Tanner had to shift his focus from Macy and Colby to his sister’s fiancé. Russell was tall and lanky, with dark hair a little too long. And he didn’t impress Tanner, but he was trying to step back and stop judging. Chloe was right; he’d run off a few boyfriends of hers. Usually for good reason. But she was old enough to make some decisions—okay, maybe all decisions—on her own. She was also old enough to make her own mistakes.

  “So, about those riding lessons.” He turned his attention to Macy, because it was easier, less complicated. No, he took that back. It was possibly more complicated. “You don’t ride?”

  “Only if you count the carousel at the fair.”

  “I don’t think that counts,” he said. And he regretted it. She was all city. From her new boots to her manicured nails, she was as far from country and what he needed to focus on as a woman could be.

  And yet...

  “I think it’s time you try a horse that does more than go in circles,” Chloe said, taking her fiancé’s hand.

  Tanner turned away because he couldn’t focus when he was thinking how happy he would be to send Russell on down the road. He was about to respond when one of the newer ranch hands, Jay Maxwell, came out of the barn and into the corral. Jay was good with the horses, better with the kids. He was going to school to be a therapist, but he liked the ranch and wanted to work in a residential setting.

  “Want me to take the horse and put him up?” Jay offered as he reached for the lead rope. “I’ll stick him in a stall tonight and put him out in the field tomorrow.”

  “That should work. Thanks, Jay.” Tanner patted the horse on the neck and watched as Jay led the animal away.

  “Colby and I should go. Eleanor suggested a walk,” Macy explained as she started to back away. And that was when Tanner decided he wasn’t ready for her to go.

  “About those riding lessons,” he pushed.

  She stopped. That had been his goal.

  “I don’t know about that.”

  Colby yanked on her hand. “But I can ride. If you can, then we can go together.”

  He watched her pause and consider her nephew’s words. Her green eyes focused on the little boy, and her smile was gentle, full of love for the little guy. Finally she nodded.

  “Okay, riding lessons.”

  Colby practically danced a jig. And she laughed, although a bit tensely.

  “Friday, late afternoon at my place,” Tanner told her. “And don’t forget to wear boots.”

  “I won’t forget. We should go.”

  Tanner opened
the gate and walked through, ignoring the curious looks of his sister. “Mind if I walk with you? There are a few trails that are best. And you want to be...”

  Safe. He didn’t say it. But with the recent incidents, she didn’t need to be away from the ranch alone.

  “You don’t have to,” she told him. She reached for Colby’s hand. “We’ll stay close.”

  “But I want to show you the spring. There are big fish.” Colby was pulling on her hand. She shook her head, and he stopped.

  “I can get a pole out of the barn,” Tanner offered.

  “Fishing?” Her eyes got big, and she looked as nervous as she had when he mentioned learning to ride.

  He barked out a laugh. “Let me guess, you haven’t been fishing?”

  “Not by myself. Not with, what? Worms?” She made a face, half disgust, half fear.

  “Yeah, worms,” Colby said with a little too much excitement.

  She closed her eyes, scrunching them together. When she opened them, she managed a tight smile. “Okay, fishing. But you’re going with us, right?”

  “I’ll bait the hooks,” Tanner assured her.

  “Well, I guess I’m going to leave now.” Russell stepped away from their group.

  The abrupt statement took Tanner by surprise and distracted him from Macy and Colby. He looked past Russell to his sister. She looked just as surprised and not too happy.

  “I was going to show you around,” she said, not letting too much emotion into the statement.

  “Yeah, but I remembered that I have somewhere I have to be,” Russell, the gem, informed Chloe. “Sorry, honey, gotta run.”

  He kissed her cheek. She pulled back. “Fine, go. I’ll see you later.”

  “Of course you will.”

  “I’ll go in and get the fishing gear.” Tanner glanced at his sister, giving her what he hoped was an encouraging, not judging, look. “Sis, you want to go fishing?”

  She was watching Russell as he walked toward the main house and the old truck he’d parked there. She shook her head. “No, I don’t think I do. I’m going back to the shop. Should I close up for you this evening?”