Finding the Road Home

by Tina Radcliffe

  Some paths need courage to follow...

  Can they find their fresh start

  with roadblocks around every corner?

  To care for her orphaned nieces and nephews, Daisy Anderson moved to a small town for a new deputy position—but now her job could be eliminated. With potential budget cuts looming, her only hope is to work with police chief Mitch Rainbolt to save their department’s funds. But can their fight for her job lead to something neither dared wish for: a future together?

  Hearts of Oklahoma

  “You can’t make that kind of promise, Mitch.”

  Daisy ran a hand over her porch railing. “I might have to sell. There isn’t a big real estate market in Rebel, Oklahoma. Moving forward, I have to be practical.”

  “Everything we’ve done in the last few weeks has been successful, Daisy. You can’t give up now. We only have four weeks left.”

  She hung her head and closed her eyes. At the moment she had neither the energy nor desire to discuss the topic further. “Life should come with one or two guarantees, shouldn’t it?” she murmured.

  “Hey, hey, I’m sorry.” Suddenly Mitch was at her side with an arm around her shoulder. “I didn’t mean to stress you out.”

  When Daisy met his gaze, he was close enough to see the dark flecks in her blue eyes. Time stood still between them and for a moment he allowed himself to imagine the impossible. That somehow, some way he could have a future with someone like her...

  Tina Radcliffe has been dreaming and scribbling for years. Originally from Western New York, she left home for a tour of duty with the US Army Security Agency stationed in Augsburg, Germany, and ended up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her past careers include certified oncology RN and library cataloger. She recently moved from Denver, Colorado, to the Phoenix, Arizona, area, where she writes heartwarming and fun inspirational romance.

  Books by Tina Radcliffe

  Love Inspired

  Hearts of Oklahoma

  Finding the Road Home

  Big Heart Ranch

  Claiming Her Cowboy

  Falling for the Cowgirl

  Christmas with the Cowboy

  Her Last Chance Cowboy

  The Rancher’s Reunion

  Oklahoma Reunion

  Mending the Doctor’s Heart

  Stranded with the Rancher

  Safe in the Fireman’s Arms

  Rocky Mountain Reunion

  Rocky Mountain Cowboy

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

  FINDING THE ROAD HOME

  Tina Radcliffe

  But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.

  —Philippians 3:13

  This first Rebel Ranch book is dedicated to my father, Joseph P. Russo. When I was a young child, he opened up the world of books by reading aloud tales that swept me away to imaginary lands. It was this love of the written word that made me dare to think I could write a book.

  Thank you to my Wrangler Team for their support and to those Wranglers who helped me build Rebel, Oklahoma: Tracey Hagwood, Dawn Leonard, Tonya Lucas, Jenny and Ryder Beardsley, Trixi Oberempt and Heather Pickett.

  Only a writer really gets a writer. Tipping my cup of coffee to my friends S and S for keeping it real.

  Thank you to my hero, Tom, who supports me every single day of this journey.

  Finally, many thanks to my agent, Jessica Alvarez, for helping bring this series to life. I am grateful to my editor, Dina Davis, for her guidance and patience. Each book makes me a better writer.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Epilogue

  Dear Reader

  Excerpt from The Texan’s Promise by Jolene Navarro

  Chapter One

  Police chief Mitchell Rainbolt shook his head as he slid into the front seat of his departmental SUV and tried to remember why he was still in Rebel, Oklahoma, running a department with less staff than the Arrowhead Diner across the street.

  With a glance at the clock, he confirmed the time. Ten o’clock on a Friday morning and he was off to check out a report of trespassers because his next in command was MIA.

  Again.

  Ever since Roscoe McFarland announced he was retiring in a year, he’d caught a serious case of don’t know, don’t care.

  Mitch put the key in the ignition. The only thing saving his sanity was that his new hire, one Daisy Anderson, would start on Monday.

  The Kendall property was five miles outside of town. Empty for years, the two-story home had fallen into disrepair. A shame, because when Mitch was just a kid and doing his best to keep track of his younger siblings, the Kendalls had provided a haven he could count on during the long months while his widowed father disappeared on the rodeo circuit.

  He made the turnoff to the property and stared at a do-it-yourself moving truck in the gravel drive and a minivan parked closer to the house. He couldn’t help but notice the flower bumper sticker on the mom-mobile. A bright yellow daisy.

  Not trespassers. Someone was moving in. Mitch slowly drove around both vehicles, assessing the situation.

  The yard showed evidence of a recent mow, and the branches of the ancient redbuds that lined the drive had been pruned. Even the hedges around the pale gray clapboard home had been trimmed back. The place showed a glimmer of its old self though it needed a good paint job.

  When a football sailed over the hood of his patrol vehicle, Mitch’s foot automatically hit the brake. He glanced left and then right. A dark-haired boy about eight years old stood off to the right, eyes rounded, and a girl of similar age and coloring stood to the left, her expression wary.

  Mitch turned off the engine and unfolded himself from the vehicle. He closed the door and scanned the perimeter a little more closely. Two more children, boys he’d guess to be around four and six, played on the grass beneath a big oak tree.

  “Morning,” he said to the oldest children. “I’m Chief Rainbolt.”

  “I...I...I’m Seth and this is my sister Grace.”

  “Pleased to meet you. Are your parents here?”

  The children exchanged looks that Mitch couldn’t decipher before the boy spoke up.

  “Aunt D is inside.”

  “Aunt D. Got it.”

  Crossing the yard, Mitch stopped to further assess the house. Though the old place held a special spot in his heart, plenty had changed in twenty years. The reliability of the porch steps for starters. They seemed dubious at best. He tapped his boot on each step before putting his weight on them. When he got to the landing, a scream echoed out to him from inside the house. The screen door flew open, banged against the clapboard and a whirlwind of strawberry-blond hair and blue jeans burst across the porch and straight into his arms.

  “Whoa, there.” Mitch stumbled back down the steps to the concrete walk, managing to keep both himself and the woman upright as he grabbed the rail with one hand while his other wrapped around her waist. She smelled like sunshine, cinnamon and apples, an alluring scent that had him captivated.

  “I’m so sorry,” she breathed. “I saw a mouse.” The woman blinked and disentangled herself from his arms. She blinked again, her jaw sagging and her face p
aling. “Chief Rainbolt?” she sputtered, blue eyes wide. Red splotches of embarrassment covered her cheeks as she stepped back.

  Mitch did a double take. “Officer Anderson?” She looked the same as in the Skype interview except...well, different. During the interview, her hair had been tamed and pulled back severely. Now it floated long, loose and curly around an oval face. A scattering of freckles stretched across her cheeks.

  He found himself staring at the beauty before him.

  “Are you here on official business?” she asked.

  “Your neighbor up the road called in a report of trespassers.”

  “What?” Daisy’s blue eyes rounded. “I bought this house.”

  “No worries. Mrs. Shupe doesn’t see too well.” Mitch raised a hand. “She uses a set of fancy binoculars, but it can’t be easy looking across the field with those redbud trees in her line of sight.”

  Daisy’s mouth dropped open, and then she began to laugh. It was a sweet sound that warmed him from the inside out.

  “Everything okay out there, Daisy?” a female voice called.

  A mature, gray-haired version of Daisy Anderson appeared from around the other side of the house with a watering can in her hand and a redheaded baby on her hip. The woman’s steel-colored curls framed her face in a short bob.

  “Gran, this is my new boss. Chief Rainbolt, this is my grandmother, Alice Anderson.”

  “Ma’am.” Mitch offered the woman a polite nod.

  “Pleased to meet you, Chief.” She placed the watering can on the ground and offered him her free hand. “I rarely go by ma’am. Alice will do.”

  He took her hand. “Yes, ma’am. I mean Miss Alice.”

  “Gran, would you please keep an eye on the kids while I chat with the chief?” Daisy asked.

  “Of course. That apple pie has cooled. We’ll have a little snack.” Alice turned to Mitch. “Care for a slice of caramel apple pie, Chief? Daisy made it just today.”

  He looked at Daisy. “Pretty ambitious, baking a pie while you’re still in the process of moving in,” Mitch said.

  Alice laughed. “Daisy’s always ambitious. And she bakes when she’s stressed.”

  “Gran!” Daisy’s face was rosy with embarrassment when she turned to Mitch. “Baking is a constant in an often chaotic world. I’m sure the chief gets that.”

  Mitch nodded, silently enjoying the exchange between the women.

  “About that pie?” Alice continued.

  “No, thank you, but I do appreciate the offer.”

  A moment later all four children filed quietly into the house, followed by their great-grandmother who held the baby.

  Mitch’s eyes went to Daisy Anderson’s left hand. No ring. When he looked up, the blue eyes were assessing.

  “Welcome to Rebel,” he said.

  “Thank you.”

  “So you bought the Kendall place.”

  “Sight unseen, which explains quite a bit,” she said. “Like the mouse who thinks I’m invading his territory.”

  “Where there’s one, there’s a dozen. A cat or two will eliminate your mouse problem.”

  “Good idea.” She met his gaze. “Right about now, you’re probably wondering how you managed to hire an officer who’s afraid of mice.”

  “No judging here. We all have our issues.”

  She narrowed her eyes as though pondering his words, but said nothing.

  “Looks like the place needs some work.” Mitch nodded toward the house. “It passed inspection?”

  “Mostly.”

  “Mostly?” He raised his brows.

  Her gaze met his and she shrugged. “I waived a few things to lower the price.”

  Mitch’s glance skipped from the weathered railing of the porch to the questionable steps. “Not important things, I hope.”

  “I’ve got a carpenter coming out to fix the necessary items.”

  He nodded and gave the house another slow assessment. “House has sad central air and a few ceiling fans, as I recall.”

  “We’re putting our hopes on that sad central air.”

  “Ever spent a summer in Oklahoma?”

  “No. I guess this will be a trial by fire, won’t it?”

  “Oh, nothing that bad. The good news is everything grows here. Accidentally drop watermelon seeds on the ground, and they’ll have produced enough for a harvest before you realize it.”

  “That is good news since we have plans for a garden.” She beamed. “My first garden.”

  Mitch couldn’t help smiling at her response. “The kids called you Aunt D.”

  Daisy took a step away from the house, concern shadowing her face. “I’m their legal guardian,” she said quietly.

  Mitch did a mental recap. His new officer had five children.

  “All of them?” The words escaped before he could stop them. Mitch knew he was doing a lousy job remaining impassive. Still, there was no denying that five kids were more than a handful. He knew firsthand as he had been the designated adult in a family of five children himself.

  “Yes. All of them. Their parents...” She kicked at a stone on the ground with a dusty sneaker, and then met his gaze. “We lost my sister and her husband six months ago.”

  The pain he glimpsed in her eyes sucker punched Mitch and he swallowed hard, averting his gaze. It was too bad they had so much in common.

  “I’m really sorry,” he finally said, knowing the words were insufficient.

  “Thank you,” she murmured.

  The silence stretched for a moment, broken by the giggles of children that spilled out from inside the house. The joyous sounds seemed to snap them both from their reverie.

  “You’re going to raise them by yourself?” Once again the words were out there before he could rein them back in.

  “Don’t look so horrified, Chief Rainbolt. I’m a law-enforcement officer with crowd management experience. I’m confident I can control a handful of children.” She offered a little smile. “However, my grandmother is staying with us...for the summer, maybe longer.” Her smile widened, and she shrugged. “Everything will work out. It always does.”

  Spoken with the bright optimism of youth. As he recalled from her job application, she was nine years younger than him. Which made him an old realist. Looking at Daisy Anderson, he felt even older than usual.

  “Why Rebel?” he asked.

  “Why not?” she returned with another shrug of her slim shoulders.

  Why not, indeed? Mitch couldn’t resist a look around the yard. Plenty of space for kids to be kids. Yeah, Rebel was a fine town to raise children. Her passel seemed well behaved. Maybe she had worked out all the details.

  Perhaps everything would be just fine.

  A moment later he couldn’t help but nix that thought. Mitch knew only too well how raising a family could mess up the most carefully intended plans, which explained why he was still in Rebel. Yeah, it explained a lot of things.

  “The children won’t interfere with the job, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  Mitch turned back to Daisy and offered a slight nod. Did the woman really understand the big picture? In the days when he played both mother and father to his siblings, it seemed each dawn brought a new crisis, and sometimes no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t avoid disaster.

  He tucked away his thoughts, instead focusing on the here and now. All that really mattered was that thanks to the county funding, he had a new officer. A new officer his department needed badly.

  “You can still start on Monday morning?” he asked.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Great. I’d like your transition to be as seamless as possible. The county has recently approved additional funding for the Rebel Police Department. I don’t want to give them any reason to change their minds. My plan is for those folks up at the county o
ffices to fondly refer to Rebel as a well-oiled machine.”

  “And is it?”

  “Is it what?” he returned.

  “Is the Rebel Police Department a well-oiled machine?”

  Mitch could only stare, surprised at the gutsy question. No use skirting the truth. “Not at the moment.”

  “The population here is about seventeen hundred?” she asked.

  “About is a relative word in these parts. The transient summer tourist population headed to Rebel Lake and Keystone Lake down the road is around ten thousand. It’s a long time from May to September. Memorial Day was a week ago, and the fun has already begun.”

  “What sort of fun? I’m not familiar with tourist towns.”

  “Everything from noise to other ordinance violations on the lake. And where there are summer folks, there are summer teenagers. Not that I have anything against teens. There’s talk that I used to be one.”

  Daisy’s lips twitched at the comment.

  “Teenagers seem to find new and unusual ways to bend, twist and otherwise manipulate the law without quite breaking it.”

  “Yes, they do.” She looked up at him, her gaze thoughtful and once again, assessing. “When was your last day off?”

  “I’m on call 24-7.”

  “That can’t be good for your disposition.”

  Mitch jerked back slightly at the words. He found himself unreasonably annoyed at the astute observation.

  Crossing his arms, he pushed back his shoulders before answering. A good offense was always the best route.

  “Point of the matter is, Ms. Anderson, Rebel is growing. We’ve had a developer take an interest in our town and, this autumn, a big-box store is going in between here and Hominy. I need funding and I need the manpower... I mean, personnel. We’ve been short on both for too long.”

  “Then I guess I showed up right on time.”

  Mitch stared her up and down. For a little thing, she certainly could hold her own. And yeah, she was right. She had shown up at the right time.

  That should be a good thing, but it sure didn’t explain why his brain was waving a red flag between his eyes, fast and furious, while his gut answered that it was much too late for warnings.