Reunited with the Rancher

by Brenda Minton

  He smiled at his daughter. She was sitting a short distance away brushing her doll’s hair, oblivious to the big, red coated horse that had dropped his head to watch. The gelding’s ear’s twitched and he seemed to sigh.

  “What’s going on here?” Kylie asked as she walked down the center aisle of the stable, slid past the horse and stopped next to Maggie.

  “Maggie is taming the savage beast,” Isaac said as he came out of the office. “Look at that horse.”

  Carson grinned at his daughter. “Keep singing, honey. Maybe he’ll let me clean his hooves.”

  Isaac arched a brow at that. “You know how to clean hooves?”

  “I wasn’t always a surgeon.”

  “Don’t ruin those million-dollar hands of yours,” Isaac teased. He handed over a pick. “I rode him pretty hard yesterday.”

  “And you don’t groom your horse before you put him in the stall?”

  Isaac turned a little red. “He might have thrown me.”

  Carson tried to bite back the laughter but he failed. “You should have had Maggie sing to him.”

  “I wish I had known her skills.” Isaac rubbed the top of Maggie’s head, tousling her blond curls. She gave him a pert little look and went back to singing.

  Carson stood close to Red’s side and faced his back end. He eased his hand down the horse’s front leg and found that Red wasn’t really opposed to having his hoof lifted for a good cleaning. He finished one hoof and went to the next side.

  When he finished, Carson tossed the pick back to Isaac.

  “Ready to meet Andy’s dog?” Kylie asked. “I think we’ve finally settled on the right one for him.”

  Carson had been ready for a week. “Sounds like a good idea.”

  Isaac snorted. “No, you go ahead. I’ll be here when the buyer gets here.” He shot Kylie a questioning look. “Which dog?”

  Kylie gave Isaac what had to be a warning look. “Rambo.”

  “But he’s...”

  She cut Isaac off. “He’s the perfect dog for Andy.”

  Isaac shook his head and walked off.

  “What was that all about?” Carson asked as they walked across the lawn toward the apartment Kylie shared with the other women.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” she said as she kept walking. “Andy already met Rambo. He is a big fan.”

  “Where’s Andy, and the dog. Rambo?” Carson asked, and he wondered if he would get used to calling a dog such a ridiculous name. “Couldn’t you have named him Buddy? Or Sam. Something other than Rambo?”

  At the question, Kylie laughed.

  “Andy is with Eve. You have something against Rambo?” she asked.

  “Not really. I’m just afraid that every time I speak for the dog, I’m going to do it in a Sylvester Stallone voice.”

  “If you do, I want to hear it.” Kylie hefted Maggie to her hip but not without a grimace of pain. He reached for his daughter.

  “Let me carry her.”

  Kylie shook her head. “Nope. I’ve got this.”

  He agreed; she had this. And she had him, in a way that took him by surprise. It was only temporary, he kept telling himself. For himself and for Maggie and Andy. He’d promised Anna that he would always make the best choices for his children. And for Andy, that meant a city with resources for education, medical and other special services their son would need.

  He could have stayed in Dallas but he had needed a change. He needed a home where he didn’t have memories of Anna everywhere he looked. Memories of her in the kitchen. Memories of her on the porch swing. Memories of that last day when she’d needed milk from the store. Milk. Just a gallon of milk. That was the memory that he couldn’t escape. He wanted to remember the good memories, but constantly being reminded of that awful day, he needed to escape.

  A change meant moving on. Not just for himself, but for the children. If he didn’t let go, they couldn’t let go.

  “I talked to Jack today,” he told Kylie as they walked.

  “So did I.” She chuckled. “He sounded much better. You know he isn’t going to stay in the hospital and have all of those tests they want him to have done.”

  “He has to. Kylie, he probably needs open heart surgery.”

  “They’ve told him that before. He wouldn’t do it. He was afraid.”

  “Of course he’s afraid. That’s understandable.”

  She shook her head. “No, afraid something would happen and he wouldn’t be able to tell you all how sorry he was for everything that happened.”

  “Maybe now that he’s told me, he might have his surgery.”

  She allowed him to take Maggie from her and he immediately set his daughter on her feet and took her by the hand. “She can walk, you know.”

  “I know, but I don’t mind carrying her.”

  “She’s getting too heavy to carry.” He slowed his pace for his daughter. Maggie had other ideas though. She stopped to pick dandelions and she handed them to Kylie.

  The door of the apartment opened and Eve exited with Andy next to her. Andy started to walk away. Eve stopped him, redirecting him in Maggie’s direction. He sat down on the grass next to his little sister, and the puppy, Skip, joined them. “What happened when you and your siblings left here?”

  He stood next to her watching his children. “We went to Texas and our mother got a job at a hospital. She met a guy that made Jack look like a saint. On the outside he looked great. He treated her well. But he wasn’t interested in having children around.” He cleared his throat and she saw the way his hands clenched at his sides. “Good man. Took us to church. And he knew how to use a belt in a way that would have surprised most people. As soon as we could, we all left home. When Daisy turned seventeen she moved in with me. Colt moved to a ranch with friends. He’s a bullfighter for the pro bull-riding circuit.”

  “Daisy?”

  “She has a boutique in Tulsa. But I have a feeling you knew that. Jack seems to know a lot about our lives.”

  “He does. But he needs to tell you more.” She leaned against him. “It isn’t so bad, is it?”

  “What isn’t so bad?”

  She laughed. “This talking business. With your dad. About the past.”

  He hadn’t shared, not the most important stuff. But Kylie thought he had. He’d kept the worst parts to himself. And she’d given him everything. Every single broken part of herself.

  He thought it would be easy to love her. Isaac had told him that everyone at the ranch fell in love with Kylie. Of course they did. And it made him angry with all of those men who thought they loved her.

  It made him wish he was a better man. A man who wouldn’t send his wife, nine-months pregnant, alone to the store. He would never forgive himself for telling her that he couldn’t go. And he would never be able to tell anyone that if he hadn’t been so busy, she would still be alive.

  Suddenly she cleared her throat. “Carson. You okay?”

  “Of course,” he assured her. “Just thinking. This dog, he’s how old?”

  “Three. And that isn’t what you were thinking about.”

  “Close enough. And he’s a trained service dog.”

  “Yes, of course. He’s worked with people who have PTSD and also physical limitations.”

  “How did Andy react to him?”

  “Amazing. They bonded immediately. You know I introduced him to Maximus, but the two didn’t have this same chemistry.”

  “This is going to be a change for us. We’ve never had a pet before.”

  “And that’s why you need to train yourself. This is a pet, but he isn’t. He’s a part of the family, but he’s more of a caregiver.”

  He watched her as she spoke, as she explained the role of Andy’s new dog. The sun danced across her face and he could smell the warm scent of her perfume mixing with the cocon
ut scent of her shampoo. She studied him with golden hazel eyes.

  “Carson, focus.”

  He grinned and laughed a little. Caught in the act.

  “I’m focused. I’m focused.”

  She needed someone better than him. But he wanted to be the only man in her life. And that told him he had lost his grasp on reality.

  * * *

  Kylie cleared her throat and stepped back. The children and Eve were a short distance away. And being distracted by Carson West was the last thing she needed. “Eve is waiting for us. And I’m sure the kids would like lunch.” She backed away from him, from temptation.

  Maggie picked a few more dandelions, counting each one as she added it to her bouquet. “This is for Eve.” The little girl leaned down to pick a white clover.

  She stood up with a shriek and started to cry. With tears streaking down her cheeks, she held her arms out to Kylie. Kylie lifted her.

  “What happened, sweetie?”

  “It bit me,” she said, then Maggie cried more.

  Carson gently took her finger in his hand. “A bee sting. We need to get something on that.”

  “We have something in our apartment.” Kylie hurried toward her apartment. Carson and Andy followed.

  She punched in the code on the alarm keypad, opened the door and yelled, “Man on board.”

  He followed, shaking his head.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure if I should question the alarm system or the call to arms.”

  “It wasn’t a call to arms. There are four of us, and no one wants to be surprised by a man in the house. And we have security because, well, it’s security. Not everyone can be trusted. You know that.”

  No women appeared, but a loud bark greeted them. Andy hurried forward without hesitation, wrapping his arm around the dog. Kylie carried Maggie to the kitchen where she rummaged in the cabinet for a medicine that promised to remove stingers. Carson took it from her, told her it might not work and asked for her credit card.

  Kylie grabbed her purse off the counter and produced a debit card. “Sorry, no credit cards. Are you going to hit the ATM?”

  “No, and this will work just fine.”

  “You don’t want tweezers?” she asked.

  At the word tweezer, Maggie sobbed and wiped at her face. “No tweezers.”

  Carson dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “No tweezers. They squeeze and we don’t want that.”

  He took the card from Kylie and gently scraped until the stinger worked free of the skin. Kylie handed him a bag of ice wrapped in a paper towel.

  “All better?” he asked.

  Maggie shook her head, her brown eyes overflowing with tears. Tears that melted Kylie and made her want to give the child anything. Carson held her for a moment, stroking her blond hair back from her face. She sniffled a few times, then reached for Kylie. Eve appeared, Andy following.

  “Uh-oh, we have tears. Andy and I picked all of the dandelions and then we thought we should check on his little sister. How is she?” she asked.

  “She’s all better,” Kylie answered, smiling at Maggie as she said it. Her heart ached because moments ago the little girl had reached for her, wrapping those small arms around Kylie’s neck and making her wish for things she couldn’t have. A child.

  Carson’s child.

  And for his two children, he would do anything. Even put aside his plan for vengeance against his father. If he’d truly planned vengeance. At the very least, he’d come to tell Jack what he thought of him.

  And God had had other plans. That’s what she thought. God’s plan included healing this family. Eve had made her way down the hall and she returned with Rambo. Part of the plan. The dog immediately went to Andy, sitting obediently at his side.

  Kylie made eye contact with her friend, noting the hint of sadness but acceptance with the plan. Rambo had been a part of their lives since they’d taken him in as a puppy. But letting go was made easier when they could see what a difference the animal would make in the life of a child.

  With Maggie starting to calm down, Carson moved across the room to watch Andy. He sat at the dining room table, giving the boy and his dog space. Maggie leaned in to him and quietly called, “Come here, puppy.”

  Rambo’s tail thumped the tile floor but he remained at Andy’s side. With a hand gesture from Eve, the dog plopped to his belly.

  “Carson and Maggie, this is Rambo. Eve trained him and he’s the best.” Kylie made the introductions and she ignored the questioning look Eve shot her. That look accused Kylie of being less than honest. And she wasn’t dishonest. Eve did a lot of work with the dogs. That included Rambo.

  Kylie lowered herself to the floor and sat next to Andy. She held a hand out to Rambo and the dog gave it a lick. She watched to see if Andy would follow her example. He did.

  “Rambo likes to go for walks,” she told the child. “But only if you hold his leash. Remember what I told you, you have to always hold his leash. And if he stops, that is his way of telling you to stop. That means you can’t go, because Rambo says it isn’t safe.”

  She smiled at the little boy and he smiled back.

  “You understand, right?” Kylie asked. “Because only big boys get dogs like Rambo. You have to take care of him.”

  “I’ll take care of him.” Andy spoke softly.

  “I know you will,” she assured him. “Do you want to walk with him? I’ll go with you.”

  “What has Rambo been trained for?” Carson asked.

  “He’s multipurpose,” Kylie answered.

  “He picks things up for me,” Eve offered. “He’s also very comforting.”

  Carson eyed the dog and didn’t look completely sold on the idea. “Aren’t Labs pretty hyper? They like to run.”

  “I understand your skepticism, but when trained properly, Labrador retrievers put work first. They put their person first.”

  “Show me,” Carson said.

  Eve spoke the dog’s name and Rambo was all attention. He sat next to her, his focus on her and not the two children who had been rubbing his ears and face. “Rambo, lights.”

  Eve pointed. Rambo trotted across the room to the light switch and pushed up on the switch. He returned to Eve’s side. She pulled the glove off her hand and dropped it.

  “Pick it up.”

  Rambo obliged. She gave him a loving pat and Kylie saw the glimmer of tears in her green eyes. Eve wasn’t a big woman. She was five feet nothing, less than one hundred pounds. She was small but mighty and had the heart of a giant. She understood why Rambo would be best for a child. But they both knew how much it would hurt to give him up.

  Kylie caught a movement from the corner of her eye. Carson had moved; his gaze connected with hers and then he studied Eve. He was too observant.

  “Eve, is Rambo your dog?” he asked, his gaze shifting from her to Kylie. He caught her shaking her head no. She widened her eyes, going for innocent.

  He sighed and his gaze dropped to his son. Andy had a treat in his hand, a small dog bone that Eve must have given him. Kylie felt sorry for Carson. He appeared to have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Yes, they were broad shoulders, but still, it couldn’t be easy. Now, in addition to worrying about his children, and Jack, he would worry about taking their dog. She didn’t want that to be an issue. They trained dogs for this purpose, to pass them on to others.

  Eve glanced her way before answering. “He’s our dog. All of ours. He does a multitude of things in this home. He knows when someone is sad. He can pick things up for us. He turns on lights. He’s an all-around good dog.”

  “We can’t take your dog. I appreciate the offer, Kylie, but this dog belongs to you, to the women who live here.”

  She ignored him. Andy had moved close and his little hand rested on her shoulder as she sat on the floor
next to him.

  “Andy, why don’t you call Rambo? Say Rambo, here.” She held her hand for the dog to stay where he stood.

  Andy shook his head.

  “You don’t have to. But if you did, he would go for a walk with you.”

  Andy bit down on his bottom lip, his eyes shifting from the floor to the dog. Ah, he was thinking about it. He smiled a little.

  “Rambo, here.” His voice was quiet, tentative, sweet. The dog immediately moved to his side.

  “Take his harness, like this.” She showed him how to hold the dog. “And of course you can always hug him.”

  All of the other commands had been just words to the little boy. When she told him he could hug the dog, he closed his arms around Rambo’s neck and held on. The dog whined a little as he moved to put his head on Andy’s shoulder.

  Kylie started to push herself up but Carson’s hand was there. She took the offer of help and smiled up at him. “Thank you. I think we should take Andy outside and show him that some things are off-limits.”

  “How will he know?” Carson asked.

  “Rambo has lived with four women. He’s stubborn. But there’s something else he can do. We’ve been working with him on this.”

  “What’s that?”

  “When Andy uses repetitive motions, Rambo will stop him. We had a girl who used to pick at her skin until she bled. We trained him to distract her. Distraction is a wonderful way to retrain someone.”

  His hand still held hers. Distraction. She could give a long speech on the many ways it could be used to a person’s advantage. She blinked, paying attention to the child and his dog.

  “Eve, do you want to come with us?” Kylie asked as they walked out the door.

  “No, thanks.” Eve gave Rambo a last pat on the head, but then her gaze lifted to meet Carson’s. “I think I’ll stay in here out of the way. But I want you to know that we made this decision together. We love Rambo but we know he can do the most good with Andy.”

  Carson inclined his head, then he reached to shake Eve’s hand. “I appreciate that.”