The Rancher Next Door

by Susan Mallery

  The office was the place she and her siblings had presented themselves when they were in trouble or at report card time. Lectures and punishment came from this room, as did their allowances and chore lists. The kitchen might be the heart of the house, but this place was the heart of her father’s world.

  Katie settled into the worn leather wing chair closest to the fireplace. While the night wasn’t especially cold, she found herself shivering. Her father took the seat behind the desk—his usual position in this room.

  Katie closed her eyes for a second and breathed in the different scents. Leather, dust, wood smoke, the faint hint of cattle and horses. She leaned her head against the chair and smiled at her father. “I know you’re not going to lecture me about my grades or staying out late. I was actually a pretty good kid.”

  Aaron’s hard features softened slightly. “That’s true. You paid attention to the rules. The boys and Josie were a bit of a handful. Of course Suzanne’s girls more than made up for you two, and then some.”

  Katie laughed. Aaron spoke the truth. While she had been a practically perfect, probably boring child, her sister Josie and Suzanne’s daughters, Robin and Dallas, had been hellions. Especially Robin, who now flew helicopters for the Navy. The three girls had been headstrong, bright and fearless. Aaron adored them even as he resented Robin’s attempts to get him to modernize.

  Her father rested his forearms on the scarred desk and met her gaze. “I want to know what you think you’re doing, going to the Darby ranch like you are.”

  Katie hadn’t been sure what he wanted to talk about. The knot in her stomach had expected something about Shane. When she understood she was the one who had displeased him she felt first relief, then amazement that he still kept the ridiculous feud alive.

  “You make it sound like I’m selling secrets to a Third World country,” she said, hoping to inject some humor into their conversation. “I’m a trained physical therapist, Dad. Right now Hattie Darby is one of my patients. I’m over there helping her recover from her accident.”

  “You’re going to have stop treating her. She can find someone else.”

  Katie’s mouth opened and closed. She didn’t believe she was hearing this. “Actually I don’t have to stop and she doesn’t have to find anyone else. Except for the hospital staff, I’m the only physical therapist in Lone Star Canyon. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to move back here. I knew that I would have plenty of work and could provide a necessary service. But I can’t settle in town and then hang out a sign saying No Darbys Allowed. I have a responsibility to myself and to the community.”

  “That’s a load of horse manure, and you know it.” Her father glared at her. “You don’t need to work at all. You can live on the ranch just like before. I’ve never liked the idea of you being all on your own in Dallas.”

  Not in this lifetime, she thought with a shudder. Not even on a bet. “Dad, welcome to the modern age. Lots of women take care of themselves. We live in cities, have jobs, we even drive.”

  His gaze narrowed. “Don’t get smart with me, missy.”

  Whatever nostalgia he’d felt at their shared past had faded, she realized with a sigh. As she watched, color rose in her father’s face. He was getting angry, and they hadn’t been talking but five minutes. Why did he have to make everything a fight?

  She straightened in her chair and leaned toward him. “Dad, I appreciate the offer, but I’m not the kind of person who would be happy living here. I need to make my own way. I love my work. It’s important to me and it makes me happy.”

  That made him think for a minute. “I don’t want you working with Darbys.”

  “I don’t have a choice.”

  “We all have choices. You chose to come and live on the ranch while your house is being built. While you’re under my roof, you’ll follow my rules.”

  She couldn’t help laughing. “You are the most stubborn, difficult man I’ve ever know. This is exactly why I’d never move home on a permanent basis, Dad. You make me crazy.”

  Reluctantly he smiled in return. She watched the wrinkles deepen with his grin. Every time she saw him he looked a little older. He was still powerful and formidable, but she wondered how much longer it would be until he looked old and frail. She dreaded that day. Aaron was as much a part of her world as the sun or the sky.

  “I need my work,” she said quietly. “I make a difference in people’s lives, and that makes me feel whole. Part of that work means helping Hattie. I won’t turn my back on her, no matter what you say. Can you live with that or do you need me to move out?”

  Aaron glared at her. “You’re my daughter, and there will always be a place for you. But I don’t like what you’re doing.”

  “As long as you still like me, Dad.”

  He grunted in response, which was as close to a sign of affection as he gave. He shuffled the papers on his desk, then returned his attention to her. “We need to talk about that boy of yours.”

  Warning sirens went off in her head. “No, we don’t.”

  “The boy’s a sissy. I’ve been telling you to get him up on a horse, but you don’t listen. You cater to him too much. If you don’t get out of his way, he’ll never turn into a man.”

  Her spine stiffened. “You mean he won’t turn into you. Guess what, Dad? That’s fine with me. Not because I don’t love you but because Shane is his own person. He has to follow his own path.”

  “That’s a crock, and we both know it. You’re ruining the boy. I want to take him in hand so he’ll turn out right.”

  She linked her hands together and squeezed until her knuckles turned white. “I admire your ability to know what to do at all times. Most people have questions and wonder if their actions are correct.”

  “Most people are fools.”

  “Are you ever wrong?”

  “Of course not.”

  But he wouldn’t met her gaze as he spoke, and they both knew that he was lying. He’d been wrong many times before. How on earth had Suzanne put up with him all these years?

  “Dad, I appreciate the advice, but for now I’m going to have to do what I think is best. I know you want Shane to be a part of the ranch, but it has to be in his own time, on his own terms. I need you to respect that.”

  “What you need is a man to take you in hand. You and your boy. You’re going to ruin him. Mark my words. You’ll screw him up just like everything else in your life.”

  His words hit her like a blow. Until that moment she’d honestly thought her father was proud of her for making her own way in the world. She’d raised a son on her own, paid most of her way through college, been a self-supporting member of society. But none of that mattered to her father. She’d chosen a path other than the one he wanted for her, so she was a failure.

  Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them back. No way she was going to let him win by seeing her cry. Without saying anything more she rose to her feet and headed for the door.

  “Get back here,” Aaron demanded. “I’m not finished with you.”

  “Good night,” Katie said softly as she closed the door behind her. She stood in the hallway fighting for control. She couldn’t stay here much longer, she thought sadly. If she did, Aaron would destroy both her and Shane. In the morning she would call the contractor and see if there was any way to hurry the construction on her new house.

  Chapter Four

  “N ow I insist you and Shane stay for dinner,” Hattie said a week later as Katie packed up her equipment at the end of their session. “I’ve invited you twice before, and you’ve always made excuses. You’re going to have me thinking you don’t care for my company.”

  Katie zipped her bag then straightened and looked at Jack’s mother. Hattie had graduated to using a walker to get around the house. She still had a brace and a cast, but she was much more mobile than she’d been when she’d first returned to the Darby ranch. A cheerful red and white checked shirt hung to mid thigh, while black leggings covered her lower half. The kn
it material had been cut at the knee to accommodate her cast. A bright red ribbon held her long hair away from her face, and her daughter had been by that morning to paint her toes purple with fluorescent yellow flowers. Hattie sat on the edge of her hospital bed admiring her daughter’s handiwork.

  If Katie were to believe her father, she would agree with him that Hattie Darby was no less than a creature of the devil and a danger to all who knew her. But Katie knew her father was wrong.

  She’d avoided the invitations to stay in an effort to keep her life calm at her father’s ranch, but the plan wasn’t working. Aaron continued to insist that she not treat anyone with the name of Darby, and Katie continued to refuse to listen to him. They were at an impasse—which made for an unpleasantly strained dinner table. The thought of not having to face that tonight was tempting beyond measure…as was the thought of spending some time with Jack.

  “We’d love to,” she said with a smile. “If you don’t mind, I’ll phone Suzanne and let her know not to expect us.”

  Hattie grinned. Her dark eyes sparkled. “Actually, I would appreciate it if you’d use the phone in the kitchen. That way you can pull a couple of Nora’s dinners out of the freezer and pop them in the oven. I would suggest the lasagna. It’s wonderful. I’m a halfway decent cook, but Nora is amazing.”

  Katie headed out the door, then paused. “Are you going to tell her?”

  Hattie considered the question. As the meaning sank in, her eyebrows rose. “If you’re asking if I’ll let my daughter know that horrible, hated Fitzgeralds have eaten food prepared by her delicate hand, I’ll have to confess that I plan to keep that information from her.” Her humor faded. “On my good days I tell myself that if there wasn’t a feud, no one would have anything to talk about. On my bad days I wonder how many lives have been ruined because the two families can’t get along.”

  Katie thought about the problems she was having with her father. “I couldn’t agree with you more.”

  She made her way to the bright kitchen. Here, as everywhere else on the ranch, was proof of the Darbys’ recent good fortune. New appliances gleamed in the late afternoon sun. Dark blue granite countertops sat on top of refinished cupboards. The white walls were freshly painted, and blue and white curtains hung at the bay window over the double sink.

  After calling Suzanne, Katie crossed to the professional-size refrigerator and pulled open the freezer section. Inside were over a dozen wrapped meals, all clearly labeled with contents and cooking instructions. Katie found two claiming to be lasagna, took them out, along with some frozen garlic bread, then started the oven. She looked in the refrigerator, collected fixings for salad and went to work.

  When she was up to her elbows in wet lettuce, she heard footsteps on the hardwood floor. Hattie still needed the walker to help her get around, and the step was too heavy to belong to Shane. Which left only one person.

  Just the thought of him made the hairs at the back of her neck rise. Her stomach clenched, and a bit lower than that she felt a tingly shiver that had nothing to do with hunger for food and everything to do with needing a man.

  “I wasn’t aware that physical therapists cooked dinner as part of their duties,” Jack said.

  She wiped her hands on a towel and turned to face him. She understood the workings of ranch life and knew that a man who’d spent a day with cattle generally showered before presenting himself at the dinner table. Even so, she was unprepared for the sight of still-damp hair slicked back from a smooth-shaven face. The shiver turned into a full-fledged attack of nerves that had her torn between throwing herself at him and running from the room.

  “Your mother invited Shane and me to dinner,” she said, carefully setting the towel on the counter. “I hope that’s all right.”

  He looked at her for a long time. His dark eyes gave nothing away. Unfortunately she found herself wishing she could see a spark of something in the bottomless depths. Maybe a hint that he remembered their past with something other than dismissal or contempt. A flicker of interest or even lingering friendship.

  “Of course it’s all right,” he said, walking to the refrigerator and pulling out a bottle of beer. “Just don’t let my sister catch you eating her food.”

  Despite the line-dancing butterflies in her stomach, Katie grinned. “Oh, she wouldn’t mind as long as her food made me choke.” She sensed he was going to leave the kitchen and searched frantically for a topic to keep him in place. “Does she always provide the meals or is this something new since your mom came home?”

  “It’s new.” Jack popped off the top of his beer and took a drink. “Mom is stubborn and refuses to let me hire a housekeeper. There are a couple of ladies who come in every week to clean, but since Mom’s been laid up, Nora’s been handling the cooking. And visiting every day.”

  “Really? I haven’t run into her.”

  “Are you surprised?”

  Katie shook her head. She wasn’t. Nora and Aaron had their love of the feud in common. “It’s amazing the families haven’t killed each other before now.”

  Jack leaned against the counter. “It’s not so bad,” he told her. “Over the years some of the Darbys and Fitzgeralds have managed to keep the peace. Some of us even went further than that.”

  His low voice didn’t give away what he was thinking, but Katie felt a trickle of something hot and sweet ripple through her. This was the first time Jack had referred to their previous, more intimate relationship.

  Before she could respond, he straightened and spoke again. “If you don’t need my help, I’d like to go visit with my mom.”

  “Not a problem. Dinner will be ready in about forty minutes.”

  He gave her a nod and left, which was good because she was within seconds of having her knees buckle. How humiliating was that? Katie shook her head and resolved to have a long talk with herself that evening when she was alone. Obviously Jack had managed to put the past behind him with no trouble at all, and she needed to do the same. Number one, she’d sworn off men. Her recent relationship had convinced her of the wisdom of going it alone until her son was at least into high school. Number two, she’d already had her heart broken by Jack Darby. What was the old saying? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. She would do well to remember that.

  An hour later the four of them gathered around the oval oak table in the dining room. Light from the overhead fixture gleamed on sparkling glasses and flatware. Between the plaid place mats and serviceable stoneware, nothing on the table was fancy, but it was quality and new. But more impressive than the nice things was the ease everyone had with each other at the Darby table.

  From the moment Shane had raced into the kitchen to wash his hands and help by laying out napkins and plates, the boy had been chattering nonstop. About how he and Misty had played ball and then a game of chase. Misty had knocked him down a couple of times, but the Lab-shepherd mix was gentle when she did it. Hattie’s arrival—a slow one, with her using her walker and her son hovering at her side—hadn’t silenced Shane one bit. If anything, he’d talked more.

  As Katie dished lasagna onto her son’s plate, she marveled at the contrast of this happy, open boy to the silent child who graced her father’s table.

  “Tell me about school,” Hattie instructed Shane. “Do you like your teacher?”

  “Yeah, she’s real nice. It’s different, ’cause they don’t have so many computers and stuff, but today Miss Everly found out that I know how to work on a Web site, so she said I could be in charge of the one the class is going to do.” Shane glowed with pride. “I’m head of a committee!”

  Jack finished with the salad and passed it to Katie. He gave her a wink. “That’s a lot of responsibility,” he said. “Miss Everly must be real impressed with your abilities.”

  “She is.” Shane took a bite of garlic bread. “She told me that—”

  Katie looked meaningfully at her son. Shane looked confused, then guilty. He mumbled, “Excuse me,” then finished chewing
before continuing with his information.

  “She told me that there’s gonna be a contest between all the different classes and that she wants us to win. I could get a trophy with my name on it and everything.”

  Shane shoved his glasses up his nose with one hand and reached for his milk with the other. “And Billy invited me to come play at his house after school on Monday. You think I can go?”

  The question startled Katie, then warmed her even more than Jack’s nearness. She’d been worried that her slightly bookish son wouldn’t fit into a community dominated by ranching families. “Of course. I’ll need to speak to his mother first, but once she confirms it’s all right with her, it’s fine with me.”

  “Great.”

  Katie watched as Jack served his mother lasagna. Hattie flashed him a smile. They had an easy, comfortable relationship that Katie envied. She and her father only seemed to fight.

  Her gaze returned to her son. She’d moved back to Lone Star Canyon for Shane—thinking that being close to family would be good for him. But she wasn’t sure she’d made the right decision. Maybe if he started to fit in they would both be happier.

  “If things go well with Billy, you can invite him back to Grandpa’s ranch for the afternoon,” she said.

  Shane didn’t look at her. He finished chewing and swallowed, then smiled at Hattie. “Me and Misty played all afternoon. She’s a real cool dog. Did she ever have puppies?”

  Hattie answered, but Katie wasn’t listening. Her son would never come out and tell her he was miserable in his grandfather’s house, but she knew the truth.

  “You’ve gone away,” Jack said, leaning close and lowering his voice. “What happened?”

  Katie touched her fork to her salad, but didn’t take a bite. She motioned to Shane. “He’s not like this at home. When my father’s around, he barely speaks.”

  “Aaron’s an intimidating man.”

  “I know, and Shane is just a child. Unfortunately, my father isn’t big on changing to accommodate others. It can be difficult.”