Reunited with the Rancher

by Brenda Minton

  “Easier might not be safer,” Carson countered.

  “Oh, brother, you just want to argue with me.” Jack stood back as Andy grabbed his dog. “Andy, does he ever argue with you?”

  Andy, solemn but with a hint of a smile, shook his head.

  “Now, I find that hard to believe.”

  Carson and Maggie joined Andy and Jack and they all proceeded toward the church. As they neared the door of the big fellowship hall, Carson spotted Kylie and Eve with Isaac. The three of them were talking, laughing, and totally at ease with one another.

  He realized he was the odd man out. He didn’t know how to be single. Isaac was an expert at teasing and flirting. He stood there in his faded jeans, brown cowboy boots and white cowboy hat tipped low over his face and he worked the crowd the way a politician would his constituents.

  Jack stumbled a bit on a rough patch of ground and Carson reached out to steady him.

  “Thank you,” Jack grumbled. “It’s no fun getting older.”

  “You could use that cane Isaac made you. It’ll give you a little help with your balance.”

  “Right, I get that. But...”

  “You know, pride goeth before the fall,” Carson added. “And if you fall, you could break a bone. And then you would be laid up for even longer than this heart thing.”

  “I’ll consider it.” Jack let go of Andy’s hand and Carson watched as his son hurried toward Kylie.

  Every day they stayed meant another day of his children getting attached. They loved the ranch, their grandfather Jack, their uncle Isaac and they especially loved Kylie. She filled a place in their hearts that had been empty since they lost Anna.

  “Come on,” Isaac said, opening the door for Jack. “They’ve already started.”

  “Kylie, which pie did you bake?” Jack asked as they made their way through the crowded fellowship hall in search of an empty table.

  Carson spotted one and pointed.

  “Eve baked a couple of apple pies, but I also made a chocolate chess pie.”

  “My favorite,” Jack said. “I hope we get that one. I want a piece of that for dessert.”

  “Jack, you’re missing the point,” Isaac said as they sat down. “The person who buys the pie gets to sit with the baker of the pie and enjoy it with them. They have picnic tables and blankets outside. You get the leftovers.”

  “I don’t mind leftovers.” Jack winked at Andy, and Carson watched his son smile, then reach to hug his dog.

  The changes in his son were obvious. In the short time they’d been in Hope at Mercy Ranch, Andy had gained some independence. He smiled more. He talked more. Carson had known they needed to get out of Dallas. They had needed a change of scenery. But he hadn’t thought what they needed was Mercy Ranch.

  He still believed that Chicago would be beneficial to his family. Like Dallas, Chicago had more to offer than a small town like Hope. But even as those thoughts ran through his mind, his gaze scanned the table of people gathered with them and he knew that these people had been beneficial, as well.

  It would be hard to leave this place. Very hard.

  His gaze connected with Kylie’s and she didn’t smile. Her eyes, warm toffee, held his and asked unspoken questions. He had kissed her. He shouldn’t have, not now when he was close to leaving. Neither of them needed to deal with letting go.

  The pie auction carried on, even though he hadn’t been paying attention. He shifted in his seat to watch the goings-on. People around them were laughing, and a few good-natured arguments broke out as they bid on the best pies. In the first half of the auction, the pies were baked by ladies in the community, and husbands, brothers, fathers did all the bidding. Friendly bickering happened every now and then when someone decided a certain pie was worth fighting for.

  The second half of the auction, meant to be fun and maybe a little romantic, featured pies baked by the single ladies in town. Men moved toward the table that held the pies, glancing over the names and types of pie. And then, because it probably gave them an advantage, they stayed close to the auctioneer.

  When Eve’s pie came up for bid, the battle was fierce. In the end a local rancher, a little younger than Carson, managed to win the pie. Eve shot Isaac a glacial look.

  “You were supposed to bid on my pie,” Eve muttered under her breath.

  “Yeah well, Jaxon gave me a fifty spot to let him win. I wasn’t gonna argue with him.”

  “I don’t want to eat pie with Jaxon Barns. I don’t want to talk to Jaxon Barns,” Eve hissed.

  “Sorry,” Isaac said, not really seeming like he was sorry.

  Jack leaned across the table. “Eve, honey, he might be full of himself, but he isn’t always rude.”

  “He’s rude to me. That’s all that matters.”

  “I don’t think he means it, honey,” Kylie said as she stood up. Her hand dropped to Eve’s shoulder. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “I could take him out back and knock some sense into him if you want,” Isaac offered with a grin. “Hey, Kylie, don’t run off because they’re about to auction your pie!”

  She glared at him, then spun on her heel and left the room.

  “That was uncalled for,” Jack chastised. “You know she only did this to help the group home.”

  The bidding started and Isaac tossed a look Carson’s way, challenging him to something. He wasn’t sure what.

  Carson considered going after Kylie but he knew that would stir up gossip. And then what would happen?

  The bidding for Kylie’s pie continued. Carson raised his hand, upping the amount by five dollars. Isaac grinned and doubled Carson’s bid. People around them laughed and made comments about the West brothers feuding over Kylie.

  Carson thought about letting Isaac win but when the auctioneer asked him if he was willing to bid thirty dollars, Carson raised the bid to thirty.

  Isaac raised his hand and shouted out, “Fifty!”

  “Boys, you’d best figure this one out,” the auctioneer teased.

  That’s when Carson should have backed out, but Isaac arched a brow at him and tipped that cowboy hat back with a grin. The cinnamon toothpick stuck out of the corner of his mouth and he laughed.

  “I’ll let you win,” Isaac said. “On one condition. You have to look at the clinic. You don’t have to stay in Hope and be our doctor, but at least take a look, you stubborn fool.”

  Carson’s hand went up one last time as the auctioneer cajoled, asking for a bid that would beat the fifty dollars from Isaac West. “One hundred dollars.”

  The crowd erupted in cheers and applause. Isaac sat back in his chair and laughed. Carson looked at him as the tray with pie and a thermos of coffee with cups was delivered to their table.

  “Joke’s on you, man. Eve is with Jaxon Barns and I’m gonna have pie with Kylie. That means you’re on babysitting detail with these two.” Carson grinned as he stood and picked up the tray that had been set in front of him.

  “You’re definitely getting the better end of the deal,” Isaac said. “If you can find Kylie.”

  “I can find her.”

  With more confidence than he felt, he walked off with the tray in search of his...date.

  Dating wasn’t something he’d done a lot of in recent years. Last year he’d gone out with a nurse from work and with a social worker. Both times he’d felt as if he had made the biggest mistake of his life.

  He didn’t want Kylie to be a mistake. He also didn’t want to hurt her.

  When he didn’t find her inside the fellowship hall, he went out the side door and across the lawn. He spotted Eve with Jaxon Barns. Jaxon looked happy. Eve looked as if she’d be happier having a root canal. He headed in their direction.

  “Have you seen Kylie?”

  Eve pointed toward the creek at the back of the property.

  �
�She headed that way.”

  “Was she okay?” he asked.

  Eve looked puzzled. “Why wouldn’t she be? Did you upset her?” She started to give him the stink eye.

  “No, I didn’t. But I did buy her pie in the auction. Don’t worry, I’ll find her.”

  He left them alone and started toward the creek, because he thought he knew where she might be going. If she guessed he would buy her pie, she’d probably head for the spot a good five-minute walk downstream. The place where they’d shared that first kiss.

  * * *

  Kylie couldn’t say why she’d picked this spot exactly. She’d left the church needing a quiet place to think. She hadn’t wanted to deal with all the hubbub surrounding the pie auction. She would have preferred donating money and staying at home. She didn’t want to be bid on. She didn’t want to sit with someone and pretend to care.

  She didn’t want to date. She didn’t want to put on a fake smile, try to think of witty things to say, deal with the eventual good-night kiss or the awkward attempt to ask her on a second date. Or the even more awkward moment when they didn’t ask for a second date.

  Not that she had really dated. Not once in four years.

  Figured that only one person could have her thinking of dating and of kisses. Carson West. Because of him, she was now sitting on the bank of the creek skipping rocks across the surface of the water.

  “I can still do better than you,” he said from across the creek.

  She looked up and smiled in spite of herself. He stood on the opposite bank, a tray balanced in his right hand.

  Early evening sun filtered through the leaves, capturing him in patches of golden light. A work of art. She smiled at the thought. Eve would have laughed.

  He looked as if he belonged in Hope, with his jeans, boots and a button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows. He had nice arms. What woman looked at a man like Carson and thought about his arms? But they were nice, so she wouldn’t apologize.

  “Are you going to invite me over?” he asked.

  “Do you require an invitation? You bought the pie. That gives you all the invitation you need.”

  “I’ll have you know I paid one hundred dollars for this pie,” he called out, his voice competing with the sound of rushing of water over rocks.

  “You shouldn’t have. It’s from a mix.”

  He lifted the tray and sniffed the pie. “I don’t think so. It smells too good. What do you think, should I sit over here and eat by myself?”

  “No, you most definitely shouldn’t. You have to cross by the tree up there. There are a couple of places that are barely an inch deep.”

  He sat down, putting the tray on the grass next to him. She watched as he pulled off his boots, then his socks. Next he rolled up his jeans. He left his boots behind, picked up the tray and eased down the bank, stepping gingerly into the cold spring water.

  “Oh wow, that’s refreshing.” He cringed a little and took a cautious step. “Ouch, ouch, ouch.”

  She laughed as he slowly made his way across the creek. “You should have left your boots on, cowboy.”

  “I paid a lot for those boots.”

  “Don’t cut your feet on glass.”

  He paused, surveyed the ground and walked carefully in her direction. “First I had to outbid my brother. Second, I had to promise to look at the clinic. Third, I have to wade the creek, dodge glass and walk on rocks?”

  “You know I’m worth it,” she boasted, then wished she hadn’t. “Well, maybe just the pie.”

  He tossed her the blanket he’d carried over his arm. “You’re worth it, Kylie.”

  “Stop.” She drew her knees up and hugged them to her. “You aren’t supposed to be so charming. Don’t make this complicated. It’s just pie with an old friend.”

  “You’re right,” he agreed. “I don’t want to make this complicated. I just want to sit down and have pie with a friend.”

  “Maybe this is good for us. We’ve both been through a lot and I have a feeling you’ve been as guarded as I have been. It’s okay to open up and have friends.” With each other, they could have a safe space. Someone who understood that the other person wasn’t looking for commitments.

  “I agree.” He sighed. “The last few years, I’ve worked. I’ve taken care of my children. We stopped going to church. We rarely see family. The nanny would take them to the park or play dates. But mostly we’ve been in a bubble.”

  “And I broke the bubble?” she asked. The words just slipped out and she worried she might be giving herself too much credit.

  But he leaned toward her. He didn’t kiss her but he gave her a bite of the rich chocolate chess pie. She closed her mouth over the fork and shut her eyes because she couldn’t eat that pie and look into gray eyes that saw too much. Made her feel too much.

  When she opened her eyes, he pulled back the fork and leaned in to kiss the corner of her mouth. Her heart did a dance in her chest. She reminded herself that they were friends. Just friends. It was easy enough. He got her. He knew what she’d been through.

  He pulled away from her, smiled and took a bite of pie. “It really is good.”

  “Thank you. It isn’t from a box.”

  “I know.” He scooped a slice of pie onto a paper plate and handed it to her. And then he picked up the pie pan and started to devour what was left.

  “You’re going to eat the entire pie?”

  He glanced up. “I gave you a slice. This was a very expensive pie. You’re a very expensive date.”

  She drew back a little.

  “It’s not a date,” she corrected him. “You bought my pie, so you’re stuck with me.”

  “I’m not stuck with you. I could have let Isaac win the bidding. I chose not to.”

  “Because you don’t like to lose.”

  He grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “You’re right. I don’t.”

  “Who’s watching Maggie and Andy?” She needed to change the subject.

  “Jack and Isaac.”

  She cringed. “Really? You left them with two grown men who are more like children than your kids?”

  “I trust them,” he said. “And if all else fails, they have Rambo with them.”

  She found herself smiling as they ate their pie in companionable silence. Crickets sang as the sun sank on the western horizon and birds swooped through the branches of the tree as they prepared to roost.

  “We should go.” She put a hand on his shoulder and stood.

  He looked up at her. “Yes, probably. But this was nice. I’m glad we had this. It means a lot to me.”

  She felt the corners of her mouth tug up. “It was nice. But you know this can’t happen again. Right?”

  “Of course. But friendship is good though.”

  “I’m not looking for a relationship but I’m glad we can be friends.”

  He laughed as he got to his feet and gathered up the dishes and the tray. She picked up the blanket. He looked at her, into her eyes, then leaned over to kiss her cheek. It was sweet. It was the kiss of a friend.

  Which was exactly what she wanted. Nothing more. A friend was someone you could say goodbye to without it feeling like a broken heart. A woman could promise to call a friend. Friends sent cards and got together once in a while when they were in the same town.

  Friendships were safe.

  That’s what she wanted, needed. Safe. Wasn’t it?

  Chapter Fourteen

  “So, how was the pie the other day?” Isaac asked as he and Carson pulled up to the clinic Jack had had built.

  It wasn’t much of a clinic. It was just a metal building with a gravel parking lot located on the edge of town. They got out of the truck and headed for the side door.

  “The pie was good,” Carson said, shooting his brother a look, wondering where this lin
e of questioning would lead them.

  “Kylie?”

  “Is a good cook,” he answered, knowing that wasn’t what Isaac wanted from him. It was still difficult to think of the stranger walking next to him as his brother. They had the same hair, the same eyes, the same height, but so did a lot of other people. The two of them just happened to share the same DNA.

  They stepped inside and Isaac flipped on the lights.

  It looked like the standard small-town facility. A waiting room, office, several exam rooms. Carson went from room to room and admitted silently to himself that Jack had done something decent here. A family practitioner would have a decent start in Hope.

  “Yeah, she’s a decent cook. She’s more than a decent person.”

  Carson got it. This was a warning. “You don’t have to tell me what kind of person she is. If you’re warning me not to hurt her, I think Kylie and I both know where we stand.”

  “Your kids love her.”

  Yeah, his kids did love her. That had been his concern from the beginning. They were drawn to her. They wanted—needed—a mom. Sure, they had him, but he wasn’t soft, maternal, and he didn’t bake cookies. He could put a bandage on a scrape but making it feel better with a hug wasn’t his strong suit.

  “This is a nice facility.” Changing the subject seemed to be the best course of action.

  “Nice?” Isaac asked as they walked through the building.

  “Better than nice. He did a good job with this. Wish I’d known he had all of this money when we were kids and wearing holes in our shoes.”

  “He says he wasn’t in any condition to have access to it back in the day, so he had a lawyer keep most of it tied up. But what he could get his hands on, he blew through. Bought horses, gambled, paid my mother off.”

  “I guess we lived the same life in different places.”

  Isaac stopped and leaned his shoulder against the wall. “Yeah, I guess. We weren’t that far away. Surprised we never bumped into each other. We lived on the other side of Grove.”

  Isaac headed down the hall, to a back office.

  Carson watched the other man closely. From time to time Isaac would touch the wall, as if to balance himself. He also always kept Carson on his right side. He’d noticed this before, but it was becoming clearer what the problems were.