Redemption Ranch

by Leann Harris

  “You pray for that boy. God can do for him what you can’t.”

  Sophie’s words eased her heart.

  After they said goodbye, Beth hung up.

  Beth knew Sophie hit close to the truth. It was just that Beth saw so clearly how to help others and wanted that change to happen instantly. She knew that wasn’t reasonable and knew God’s timing had to be there, but the waiting was so hard.

  Her brothers had often complained about her meddling, claiming she was butting in. But more often than not, they had to admit her advice was right on the mark and if they’d followed what she said, it would’ve saved them grief. Too bad that wonderful ability didn’t apply to her own life. It would’ve spared her a lot of pain.

  A pain that not even her parents knew about.

  Chapter Five

  Tyler walked toward the open stable doors, thinking he might persuade Riley to move from his spot outside the stable entrance. Riley hadn’t said much since his ride had dropped him off at the ranch. Any hope that the kid had gotten over his mood was dashed when he parked himself on the bench.

  As he went about his chores, Tyler knew Riley’s attitude was a test to see if those who accepted him the last time would accept him again even with his bad attitude. He’d run that routine on each set of foster parents he’d had. Amazingly, his last foster mother had ignored his bad mood and pushed and pulled him. The first weekend he was with the Olaskys, his foster mother announced she expected him to be dressed and ready for church at 8:45 a.m. on Sunday morning. He tested her, and she dragged him to church in his ripped jeans and paint-splattered T-shirt. After she walked him up to his Sunday School room and he peered inside, she whispered if he wanted to change, she’d brought his Sunday clothes and they were in the car. It didn’t take him long to change and go into class. If anyone saw him in his ratty clothes no one said anything. She didn’t try to change his attitude but he had to follow her rules.

  Maybe Riley needed a little push. He started out of the stables, but saw Ollie standing beside Riley.

  “I need some help,” Ollie said.

  “I don’t work here.”

  Gazing from the top of Riley’s head to his toes, Ollie took stock of the young man. “That’s not what I asked you. Stand up. I need help.”

  Riley’s eyes narrowed. When he opened his mouth to reply, Beth walked out of the office. “Good, Ollie, I was just looking for you.”

  Ollie glanced over his shoulder. “I’m here volunteering this young man to help me. He’s got nothing better to do but warm this bench.”

  Riley’s stance tightened.

  Beth wrapped her arm around the kid’s shoulders. “I was hoping he’d help me with Dusty. I wanted to saddle him for our newest rider, Captain Brenda Kaye. I thought I’d see if he remembered what to do.” She turned to Riley. “Think you could pull the tack for Dusty? It should be marked in the tack room.”

  Riley’s panicked eyes moved from Beth to Ollie. “Yeah, I think so.”

  “Prove it.”

  Riley didn’t wait around but headed inside the stables. The boy wouldn’t meet Tyler’s gaze but walked past him. Tyler turned his attention back to Beth and Ollie.

  “I couldn’t stand it.” Ollie pointed to the bench. “He needed to get off his backside and bad attitude.”

  Beth laughed. “It’s that diplomat in you coming out, friend.”

  The older man scowled.

  She slipped her arm through Ollie’s and grinned. “How are you feeling today? You are looking stronger, and that ornery attitude is returning.”

  “I’m going to the hospital this afternoon. They’re going to do the final test to see if they got it all.”

  “That’s wonderful.” Leaning up, she kissed his check. “I’ll pray that you get a clean bill of health and if you do, I think we need to celebrate.”

  His old gnarled hand squeezed Beth’s. “I knew you were a special girl that first day when you dragged your cantankerous brother here. A girl who loved others.”

  Beth’s cheeks flamed pink. She patted his hand and whispered something in his ear. The old man laughed. “Get out of here.” Tyler pried his eyes away and went to the stables.

  She rushed into the stables and stopped short when she saw Tyler. “At least I didn’t mow into you this time.”

  “It’s an improvement.”

  “But you have to stop loitering around inside the stables if you don’t want people running into you.”

  He shook his head, a smile curving his lips. “How do you figure it’s my fault if you don’t look?”

  She pointed to the spot where he stood. “You’re standing in traffic’s way.”

  Was she serious? He opened his mouth to respond, but Riley said, “I think I’ve got it.”

  The boy stopped and his head came up. He stared at them. He looked ready to bolt.

  “Let me see.” Beth didn’t look at Tyler, but walked to Riley.

  “It looks like you got everything. Okay, let’s find Dusty and get him ready. Our rider is a very special lady. She is an Army captain.”

  “So you’re getting more soldiers?”

  “We are. You know my brother lost…”

  Their voices faded as the pair disappeared from view.

  “She’s a talented lady,” Ollie commented. “I’m thinking she could charm the ornery out of any ass.”

  Tyler raised his brow.

  “The four-legged kind,” Ollie snapped.

  “I was thinking the same thing myself.”

  Ollie rubbed the back of his neck. “That kid’s got a big chip on his shoulder.”

  Tyler opened his mouth to defend Riley, but Ollie raised his hand. “Don’t thank me. I was just trying to get him doing something besides stewing. When you’re working, you don’t feel so sorry for yourself.” He stomped off to the far aisle.

  Well, at least Tyler didn’t need to offer a response to Ollie’s comment. As Tyler went back to work, he found himself wanting to talk to Beth about how she got Riley to talk to her. Maybe he could follow her technique.

  * * *

  Beth sat with her brother and sister-in-law at the dinner table. Tyler had been invited to join them, but made excuses.

  They talked over how the session with Captain Kaye had gone. She’d been in a market in Baghdad meeting an Iraqi contact when the bomber, a young man, blew himself up. “Well, I at least got Riley to help me saddle Dusty for her. I think he secretly took pride in his accomplishment.”

  “Ease up on yourself,” Sophie said. “You’re not perfect.”

  “Amen to that,” Zach piped in.

  Sophie glared at her husband. “We all make mistakes. And I think that Riley is going to recover. He certainly seemed to improve by the time he left, and he made a big hit with the captain before she left.”

  “She told Riley he reminded her of her nephew.”

  Sophie walked over to the stove and brought the pan of brownies to the table. She cut everyone a piece. She devoured hers. “Zach, would you get me a glass of milk?”

  Zach stopped mid-chew, jumped up and poured Sophie a glass of milk. He brought both the glass and the milk jug to the table.

  Setting the filled glass and jug in front of Sophie, he said, “In case you want a second glass.”

  Beth’s nearly fell out of her chair at her brother’s action. She remembered when she had the flu and asked her brother for a 7-UP. He stood at her bedroom door and bellowed to his mother that she wanted a drink.

  “What that young man needs,” Sophie said between sips of milk, “is to be around other kids his own age.”

  Sophie’s comment brought Beth to the present.

  “You okay?” Sophie asked.

  Be
th shook off the memory, but Sophie’s comment had sparked an idea. “What if we invited Riley to go on the lock-in with our youth group next week?”

  Sophie sat back. “That’s a brilliant idea. What do you think, Zach?”

  He cut himself another brownie and poured a second glass of milk for himself. “That could work,” he mumbled around his brownie.

  “Do you think that Riley’s mom will go for that idea?” Sophie asked.

  “She’ll love anything that will cause her son to laugh and be young.” The more Beth thought about it, the more excited she became. All three of the McClure kids had done lock-ins when they were teens. Those times were some of her best memories from high school.

  “Riley’s mom might agree, but do you think that Riley will feel comfortable enough to spend the night with teens he doesn’t know?” Sophie asked.

  “That could be a problem,” Beth admitted. But it was such a good idea that— “What if I ask Tyler if he wants to help chaperone the night along with me? There’d be two people he’d know. Besides, I have a sneaking suspicion that Tyler needs a night of fun.”

  Laughing, Sophie pointed with the remains of her brownie. “Oh, you’re sneaky.”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” Zach muttered.

  “No, I’m not sneaky,” Beth protested.

  Zach’s brow shot up.

  But Beth couldn’t hide her smile. “What I am is creative. And determined.”

  “Like when you dragged me to your house to meet your brother?” Sophie took the last bite of Zach’s brownie. Zach didn’t object.

  Beth grinned unrepentantly. “I can’t help it that you two were so attracted to each other the instant you saw each other, I thought you’d blow out the electric panel in the house.”

  Both Zach and Sophie blushed.

  “You’re nuts, sis,” Zach replied, covering his face.

  Sophie turned to her husband. “You did avoid me that weekend.”

  “What?”

  Beth stood. “I think I’ll take Tyler a brownie and float the idea by him.” She cut two large pieces out of the pan and wrapped them in a napkin. “Wish me luck.”

  “I hope you treat him better than you do your own brother,” Zach shouted after her as she left the kitchen.

  Beth laughed. A knock sounded at the front door.

  “Maybe I won’t have to seek him out.” Beth walked to the front door. She opened it and found Ollie. “Hey, Ollie, come in.” She stepped back. A moment of fear shot through her. “Is everything okay?”

  Zach and Sophie appeared in the living room.

  The quiet man took off his hat. “I wanted to share my news with you since you’re family.”

  Beth held her breath.

  “My doc gave me a clean bill of health. I am well.”

  Beth, being the closest, got to the older man first and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, then kissed him on the cheek.

  He blushed.

  Sophie next hugged him, followed by Zach’s handshake.

  “Well, we need to mark the occasion. I have some ice cream and brownies. Let’s celebrate.”

  They all gathered in the kitchen. Ollie looked uncomfortable, but Beth knew that the old man didn’t have any family left here in the state. Sophie and Zach had adopted him as an honorary uncle.

  “Have you told Margaret?” Sophie asked. Margaret had owned the ranch before Sophie and Zach. After she suffered a stroke, she sold the ranch to Sophie.

  “No. I thought I’d go by her place tomorrow morning.”

  Everyone took a bite of brownie and celebrated Ollie’s good news.

  “How’s Tyler working out?” Zach asked.

  “He’s coming along. Works hard. He doesn’t need me to hold his hand and tell him what to do.”

  Beth knew that was high praise from the old man.

  “’Course, that dog of his is a prickly critter.” After he took another bite of his brownie, he added, “But that dog’s a smart one.”

  After they finished their brownies and ice cream, Ollie left. Beth walked out with him. She watched as he got in his truck and drove away before she walked down to the foreman’s house. The cool night surrounded her as she thought of the best way to approach Tyler about helping at the lock-in. She didn’t want to think of why the idea of having Tyler help that night was so compelling. She was helping Riley, she told herself. It had nothing to do with the tall man who had brownish-green eyes that held some secret.

  The front door of the foreman’s house stood open and, through the screen door, Beth could see the living room furniture. No television sounds floated out of the house, but the notes of a guitar filled the air. Did he have the radio on?

  “Tyler,” she called out, lightly knocking on the screen door’s wooden frame.

  Dogger appeared in the living room. He disappeared and a moment later Tyler walked to the door. His eyes questioned her. “Is something wrong?”

  “No.” Raising the napkin, she showed him the brownies. “I thought you might like some dessert.”

  He unlatched the screen and opened the door. She slipped by him and moved into the kitchen. He followed her. “You seem to know your way around this house. Did you ever live here?”

  “No, but when Sophie was running this ranch before she and Zach married, I spent a lot of time in this house.” She placed the brownie on the table and sat. “I hope you like chocolate.”

  As he looked at the brownies, she witnessed the transformation of his expression from bland into a stunning smile. It forced the air from Beth’s lungs.

  “I do. The Army always kept us well supplied with chocolate.”

  She gathered her scattered wits. “Good. I thought you might eat these while I run an idea by you.”

  “Oh.”

  “Relax, I’m not going to ask you to the homecoming game.”

  The joke didn’t go over well. His face lost all traces of humor and he sat across from her, stone-faced again.

  She signed. “Sorry. I guess I shouldn’t try to go into stand-up comedy.”

  That brought the reaction she wanted. His lips twitched. “Good idea. Okay, let’s hear it.” He picked up a brownie.

  “Next Sunday night our church is going to have what we call an all-night lock-in. The teens gather at the church at 6:00 p.m. Then they spend the night doing fun things like swimming, bowling, a pizza party and going to a game arcade. I think that is just the perfect thing for Riley. He could be with kids his age and maybe develop some friendships and be a kid. Our youth pastor oversees the entire event. Of course, there are adult volunteers who go with the kids to chaperone.” She glanced up at Tyler. His expression was measured, revealing nothing.

  “When Zach, Ethan and I were teenagers, the lock-in was the highlight of our summers. It’s the grand party before school begins. And it was a great excuse to stay up all night. It also gave us bragging rights when we went back to school.”

  Tyler demolished the first brownie in two bites.

  He wasn’t kidding about liking chocolate. He started the second one.

  “So what do you think? Would Susan let her son go to the lock-in?”

  It took three bites to finish the second one. Beth went to the cabinet and pulled out a glass. Opening the refrigerator, she looked for the milk. A quart sat on the bottom shelf. She held it up. He nodded. After she poured him a glass, she gave it to him.

  After he downed the milk, he studied her. “Why do you want to do this for Riley?”

  The man didn’t give his trust lightly, did he? “Because I see a young man who could use a friend and I want to help.”

  Sitting back in the chair, Tyler studied her. She knew he was trying to guess her motives.

  �
��My heart goes out to that young man, and I think he just needs to be a teenager and have fun,” she explained. “He might find a friend. If you haven’t already noticed, Riley’s starting to blossom, in spite of my flub.”

  His gaze ran over her face. “I’ve noticed.”

  “Well, I think this lock-in is a golden opportunity. Other teens could reach Riley better than you or I.”

  He wasn’t convinced.

  “And,” she grudgingly admitted, “my brothers always tease me about being the Dear Abby of Albuquerque, but there’s something in me that can’t stand to see Riley closed up like that.” Her voice thickened with emotion.

  “I went to several lock-ins when I was a teen, so I know what they are.”

  He was talking, which was a good sign.

  “And wasn’t it a good experience?”

  “The first time my foster parents wanted me to go, I didn’t know what to think. I was suspicious that they’d let me stay out all night.”

  Excitement ran through Beth’s veins. “Did you have fun?”

  “Yeah, but Riley wouldn’t know any of the kids.”

  “But I’d be there and you could be there, too.”

  He sat up. “What?”

  “Pastor needs a couple more chaperones, and your being an ex-soldier would be perfect. Dealing with teenagers should be a piece of cake compared to what you went through.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Very nicely done.”

  Her cheeks grew warm.

  “Do you play chess, too?”

  The man nailed her. Saw through her maneuvering. A smile danced around her mouth, and she looked out the windows into the night. “It would help Riley.”

  He rubbed his chin. “You fight dirty, lady.”

  She reached across the table and grabbed his hand. “It works on so many levels, Tyler.”

  He glanced down at their hands, then back at her.

  Beth blushed and pulled her hand back and went on. “Riley could meet some friends at church. I’m sure Susan would love that, and you can have time with him away from here. You could let me beat you at some video games.”