The Forest Ranger's Child

by Leigh Bale

  He lifted one calloused hand in the air. “I’m not broke, just cash-poor. I still have Peg. But my bank account is pretty tight. I’ve put it off as long as I can, but I may need to sell the quarterhorses.”

  “No! You won’t get much for greenbroke quarterhorses,” she observed.

  “I’ve got the mares, too.”

  “You don’t want to give the mares away. They’re your way out of financial duress. Once they foal, you’ll be able to train the young horses and sell them for a handsome price, especially with their impressive bloodline. The foals will be worth a lot more if we train them first.”

  “But I need money now. The only other choice is to sell Peg.”

  “No! You can’t do that, Dad.” The words burst from Lily’s mouth like an explosion. The thought of selling Peg upset every sensible thought in her head. That stallion could make Emerald Ranch profitable again.

  “It takes capital and man power to keep a place afloat. And I’m tapped out. I…I can’t work much anymore.” He gave a sad smile. “I’m getting old, darlin’.”

  As she gazed into his hazel eyes, her heart melted. He’d asked for her help. How could she refuse him? “Don’t worry about it right now, Daddy. We’ve got a little more time to work things out. First, let’s have our dinner. Tomorrow I’m gonna need to borrow the truck. I’ve got to drive into town for my doctor’s appointment and to pick up a few groceries.”

  “Fine. We have enough money for food. You get whatever you need for the baby, too.”

  “Not until I’ve decided to keep her.”

  “You don’t think we can love her enough?”

  “That’s not it at all, Dad. I just don’t want to ruin her life because I selfishly decided to keep her.”

  “I don’t know how to not get excited for my first grandchild. I haven’t had much to be happy about in years. I’ve always looked forward to having grandbabies, and now you’re telling me I can’t love this little one. It doesn’t work that way for me, darlin’.”

  “I’m sorry things haven’t worked out the way either of us planned, Dad.”

  “Yeah, me, too. You get the groceries we need. I pay my account at Manson’s Grocery Store in advance, so you just have them deduct the bill from that.”

  A leaden weight filled the empty place where Lily’s heart sat inside her chest. Paying your account in advance meant he’d had financial trouble in the past and could no longer get credit at the grocery store. His voice sounded light enough, but she detected no earnestness in his tone. No sincerity. No joy.

  Just resignation.

  Well, that was going to change. Lily was determined not to let her father down. Not ever again.

  She was going to do something to keep Emerald Ranch afloat. No matter what, she was not about to watch her father lose his ranch.

  Chapter Nine

  Lily awakened with a jerk. A pounding filled her ears as she opened her eyes and stared into the dark of her bedroom. Moonlight gleamed through her open window. Lying on her back, she pressed a hand to her stomach, feeling the perfect outline of a miniature foot with her fingertips. The foot moved, thumping against her ribs. Lily gasped in surprise.

  Beans barked and voices sounded outside the house. Someone was here, hammering on the front door.

  “Bill, what on earth is going on?”

  Lily heard her father’s gruff voice coming from the living room followed by a woman’s muffled crying.

  Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Lily stood and reached for her fluffy bathrobe. Pulling it on, she tied it securely over her tummy before tucking her feet into her slippers and padding down the dark hallway.

  The overhead light glimmered from the kitchen. Myra Stokely sat shivering on the edge of the couch, the hem of her pink nightgown damp, her straight, short hair sticking up in places. Sobs trembled over her body and fear radiated from her gray eyes. Bill and his son, Rob, stood beside her wearing an odd assortment of blue jeans, boots and undershirts. It looked like they’d all gotten dressed pretty fast.

  “And it took us completely off guard.” Bill’s booming voice vibrated with distress. “We heard a loud noise and when I got out of bed to check it out, I found myself standing in a foot of muddy water. The electricity was out, so I couldn’t turn on any lights to see what was happening.”

  Without a word, Lily swept an afghan around Myra’s shoulders and sat beside the woman on the couch. She rubbed Myra’s thin shoulders to help get her warm. Myra gave a cheerless smile and patted Lily’s hand in gratitude.

  “Thank you, dear.” Her voice wobbled.

  “Are you okay?” Lily asked.

  Myra nodded, her body shuddering as though she were in shock.

  “You mean you had a flood?” Dad asked Bill.

  “Yeah, a flood. I don’t know where the water came from, though. It’s too dark to tell yet. I got Myra and Rob out of there as fast as I could. We came here because you’re the closest neighbor. We won’t be able to tell what happened until daylight.”

  A bad premonition rested on Lily’s heart. She couldn’t help remembering Nate’s warnings. Had a debris torrent hit the Stokelys’ house? Or was this flood caused by faulty plumbing or something else?

  “I’ll get dressed and find you some dry clothes.” Hank headed down the hall toward his bedroom.

  Lily braced a hand against the couch and arched her back so she could stand. Her advancing pregnancy had made her balance a bit awkward. “I’ll get Myra something warm to wear and then call the volunteer fire department in town.”

  She did so, then called Nathan Coates at his home. In spite of it being just after three in the morning, he sounded wide awake when he answered the phone. In a few brief sentences, Lily explained what had happened.

  “The Stokelys are safe at your house now?” he asked.

  “Yes, they’re safe.”

  “Thank goodness. Are you all right, Lil?”

  Lil. No one had ever called her that before. He sounded so urgent that she didn’t have the heart to chastise him. His constant consideration surprised her. “Yes, both Dad and I are just fine.”

  “Good. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

  True to his word, he arrived eighty-five minutes before the fire volunteers. Lily found the opportunity to get dressed and then prepared a hot breakfast for anyone who wanted it. While the men drove over to see what was going on at the Stokelys’ place, she and Myra went to the stable to feed the horses. Myra’s pale face and teary eyes told Lily that she was frantic with worry.

  “Don’t fret, Myra. You’re all safe now,” she said.

  “But our ranch. Our home. I don’t know what’s happening,” Myra cried.

  “We’ll know soon enough. And you’re always welcome here.”

  “You’re such a dear girl. So much like your mother.”

  The compliment touched Lily like nothing else could. To help take Myra’s mind off what was going on, Lily kept up a steady stream of chatter. After a few minutes of pitching hay, Myra took hold of her arm and looked her in the eyes.

  “If that ranger tells you that your ranch is in danger, you move, Lily. I love my Bill, but he’s one stubborn man. I’m just afraid he should have listened to the ranger when he warned us we might be flooded out. Now we may have lost some of our livestock. And I don’t need to tell you a rancher can’t afford to lose any animals.”

  Lily agreed, but just nodded in sympathy. It did no good to kick the Stokelys while they were down or reiterate what Myra already knew. They should have moved to higher ground. “From what Bill said, your house is still standing. You may need to replace some flooring, but your ranch is still there.”

  “Yes, you’re right. And we’re alive. We have a lot to be grateful for.” Myra blinked and bowed her head, as if thanking God for this small concession.

  Lily also carried a prayer in her heart. For the safety of their men and Emerald Ranch.

  By midmorning, Dad, Bill and Rob returned. Myra fell into her husband’s
arms, but she didn’t cry while he told her what had happened in the night.

  “It was a flood, all right. Tons of trees, boulders and mud came down the mountain. It hit that stand of aspens bordering the ranch. If not for the trees, the debris would have come clean through and taken out our house. Looks like part of the mountain just gave way in a mudslide.”

  “But the ranger said it was a debris torrent, not a mudslide. They’re a bit different,” Rob said.

  Bill’s mouth tightened. “It was a mudslide. I’ve seen enough to know.”

  Stubborn to the end.

  “We’re lucky our house doesn’t sit that close to the mountain,” Dad said.

  Lily silently agreed, but they could still be susceptible to a debris torrent. Nate had been right and she couldn’t help asking about him. “Did he go back to town?”

  “No, he’s still at the Stokelys’ place, helping the firemen clear away the mud,” Dad said.

  Really? Lily couldn’t believe this. Nate was the forest ranger, not a fireman. Although Bill had chosen not to take Nate’s advice, the ranger hadn’t gotten angry and stomped off in a huff. Instead, he’d pitched in to help clean up the mess. What kind of man would do that?

  A good one.

  The thought filled Lily’s mind with misgivings. In spite of her harsh judgments, Nate was proving to be an exception. Maybe he wasn’t like all the other selfish men Lily had fallen for in the past. But that still didn’t mean she wanted to get close to Nate.

  * * *

  The night of the rodeo committee meeting came much too quickly for Lily’s peace of mind. The past days had been a whirlwind of work. Cleaning stalls. Feeding horses. Disking the fields to plant hay with Dad. Fretting over bills they couldn’t pay. Helping Myra Stokely clean the floors of her house enough so they could live there until new carpet could be ordered.

  Bill had called in the help of the local ranchers to clear the muck off his front lawn and out of his house. They’d all pitched in, knowing it could easily happen to them one day. It’d been a dirty, pitiful task. Poor Myra.

  Even when riding the tractor, Lily was careful not to move too fast or lift too hard and strain her body. But as her condition advanced, the work became fatiguing. Every day, Lily needed a nap, but there just didn’t seem to be enough time for such a luxury.

  Even though she hadn’t let any tears fall, Lily had been feeling weepy all day. Her hormones must be wreaking havoc on her emotions. But that wasn’t all. Myra Stokely had dropped by midmorning with a gift of little knitted booties and a pink afghan that felt soft as the down on a baby chick. Holding the miniature booties on her open palm, Lily imagined bathing, dressing and cuddling her child in the near future. Gifts like this made it harder to think about giving up her baby.

  While she changed into one of the clean maternity blouses Clara had brought her, Lily couldn’t help thinking about Dad. He seemed happy to have her home, but the tension between them hadn’t eased. Whenever the subject of the baby came up, they ended with an argument. Only in work did they find a comfortable camaraderie. Because the Stokelys needed her help, she’d canceled her doctor’s visit. Tomorrow, no matter what, she was going to see the doctor.

  She stepped into the living room and found Dad in his ragged old recliner, the footrest up, his body stretched out in sleep. His breathing sounded labored and shallow. She didn’t like it. Not one bit.

  The TV was on, the evening news discussing the hot, rainy weather across the state. Dad snorted and woke himself up. He blinked his eyes at her and smiled.

  “You on your way into town for the rodeo meeting?” he asked.

  “Yes. I shouldn’t be gone long.”

  He kicked back the footrest and started to stand, but she waved him back. “Don’t get up, Dad.”

  He nodded at the desk. “There are my keys. Have fun.”

  She doubted it, but gave him a peck on the forehead. “Thanks, Daddy. See you later.”

  Evening sunlight showed the way along the road leading into town. When she crossed the Bailey bridge, she stared straight ahead and tried to pretend she wasn’t crossing the swollen river.

  By the time she arrived at the town hall, she was late. Mainly because she’d sat out in the parking lot, arguing with herself about going in. She didn’t want to be here. In fact, she wished she could hole up in her bedroom for the rest of her life. But she knew that wasn’t healthy, for her or the baby. She just didn’t want to deal with anyone’s censure. Clara had been kind, but other people might not be. And she was so mentally and spiritually tired. If God couldn’t forgive her, she wished she could forgive herself.

  As she got out of the truck, she caught the pungent scent of freshly cut grass. The sprinkler swished back and forth across the green lawn. The setting sun glistened on the damp pavement. Inside the red brick building, she followed the sounds of voices to a room where numerous people sat around a large conference table. Clara stood at the front, gesturing to a diagram on the wall of rodeo events. She paused in her dialogue and smiled at Lily. Heads turned and Lily felt as though everyone were staring at her. The only available seat was halfway around the room. She made a beeline for it and slid into her seat before taking out a notepad from her purse.

  Clara kept talking, as though nothing had happened. Taking a deep, settling breath, Lily pretended her pulse wasn’t racing. Under the pretense of listening, she took a moment to survey the room, self-consciously folding her hands across her abdomen. She didn’t recognize several people. Some included fellow ranchers her father’s age. An older-looking Clarence Ogilvie, who had always owned the feed and grain store in town. Ted Mortensen, who was two years ahead of Lily in school and had been voted the most likely to become a rodeo bum.

  Scratch getting tied up with him in the future.

  Next came Sherry Larston, who Lily had soundly beaten at barrel racing every single year of the rodeo when they were growing up. Sherry stared with open disdain at Lily’s stomach. No doubt she knew about Lily’s fall from grace and Lily quickly moved her gaze to the next person…and froze.

  Nate Coates.

  He sat directly opposite from her, his gentle eyes boring into hers like a high-speed drill. At first sight of him, her heart gave an odd little jerk. She swallowed hard, wondering why this man’s presence unsettled her so much. Why she felt annoyed and yet calm all at once.

  He seemed so confident in his own knowledge and abilities. So in control all the time. It didn’t help when he winked at her before turning his gaze back to Clara.

  Lily blinked and looked away. This man seemed to turn up everywhere she went. Well, he had a right to be here, the same as her. She’d just focus on the meeting, get her assignment and go home.

  “We no longer have anyone to chair our Ushers’ Committee,” Clara was saying. “Would anyone be willing to—?”

  Lily shot her hand up. “I’ll do it.”

  How hard could it be? She wouldn’t have to mingle with rodeo jocks and she could probably do most of her job from home.

  Clara’s mouth widened with approval. “Okay, you got it. Meet with me for a few minutes after the meeting and I’ll give you some information on what needs to be done.”

  Lily jotted pertinent notes, focusing on dates and the names of chairs serving on other committees who she might need to contact in the future. Twice, she had to get up in the middle of the meeting to go to the ladies’ room. No one seemed to notice except Nate. He arched one eyebrow as she moved silently to the door, and then again when she returned. Didn’t he know it was rude to stare? The second time he did this, she tossed him a hard-eyed glare. To which he merely sat back, folded his arms, crossed his legs and focused on Clara. As if he hadn’t a care in the world.

  If she hadn’t been feeling so out-of-place, she might have laughed at the situation. But as it was, she wanted to cry instead. Baby emotions were taking their toll on her and she wanted out of this place right now. Stupidity must be the reason she’d agreed to do this for Clara. And a longin
g to belong. But as she glanced at Nate and found his brooding gaze resting on her big tummy, she decided staying home at the ranch would be the best place for her right now.

  * * *

  The moment the rodeo meeting ended, Lily bolted for the front of the room to speak with Clara. Nate hung back, chatting with Kyle Roderick about security issues, hoping to speak with Lily before he went home to his lonely house. He wanted to find out how she and Hank were getting along at Emerald Ranch.

  Clara hugged Lily and Nate barely caught Clara’s whispered encouragement. “I’m so glad you came, Lily. My maternity clothes look good on you.”

  “Thanks. If not for the clothes you loaned me, I might embarrass myself. They fit me much better than the tight old T-shirts I used to wear in high school.”

  “Good. Remember how we always planned to lend each other maternity and baby clothes once we got married?”

  Lily nodded, her eyes filled with melancholy.

  Clara chuckled. “When we started the meeting and you weren’t here, I feared I might have to pay another visit to you tomorrow. You’ll be perfect for the Ushers’ Committee.”

  “I hope you’re right.” A doubtful expression drew Lily’s delicate brows together.

  Clara handed her a large binder and some files. “Stop worrying. Everything you need is right in here. Just contact the people who served as ushers last year and ask them to do it again. They always help out because they get free tickets to the rodeo. You can use this building to meet with your people. Just let me know when and I can reserve the room for you.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  “You’ll be working closely with Nate Coates,” Clara continued. “He’s in charge of security. You’ll want to coordinate your activities with him.”

  A derisive laugh slid from Lily’s throat. “Of course. Just my luck.”

  Nate heard the annoyance in her voice and wished she didn’t dislike him so much. Her gaze met his and her chin lifted in challenge.

  “If you have any questions, just give me a call. Anytime, night or day. I’ll come running if you ever need me.” Clara stepped away to speak with someone else and Lily moved toward the door.