by R. C. Ryan
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Epilogue
Lily and Yancy’s 7-layer Strawberry Cream Torte Recipe
Also by R. C. Ryan
Praise
A Preview of Matt
Fall in Love with Forever Romance
Newsletter
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 by Ruth Ryan Langan
Excerpt from Matt Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Ryan Langan
Cover photography by Claudio Marinesco. Cover design by Elizabeth Turner. Cover copyright © 2017 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
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ISBNs: 978-1-4555-9166-4 (mass market), 978-1-4555-9167-1 (ebook)
E3-20170118-DA-NF
For my third son, Mike
The soul of an artist
The heart of a builder
And for my beloved Tom
Who treasured the unique gifts of all his children.
Prologue
Glacier Ridge, Montana—Twenty Years Previous
Hey now, Frank.” Burke Cowley, the white-haired foreman at the Malloy Ranch, caught his boss, Francis X. Malloy, storming out of the big, sprawling ranch house shared by four generations.
From the look on Frank’s face, it was the final straw in a winter that had been filled with tragedy, after the shocking accident on a snowy road that had taken the life of his son, Patrick, and Patrick’s beautiful wife, Bernadette, leaving three sons without their loving parents.
“Where are you going in such a hurry?”
“Reed’s missing.”
“What do you mean, missing?”
“Yancy called him down for supper, and he never answered. Matt and Luke went looking for him. So did Gracie. They searched the house while Colin and I went through the barns. He’s nowhere to be found. Colin said the last time he saw Reed he was saddling up old Nell, but that was hours ago. Damned fool kid said he just wanted to be left alone. Colin thinks he was heading up to the range shack on the north ridge, since that’s the last place Reed spent time with his pa.”
“And Colin couldn’t stop him?”
“He tried. You know how hotheaded Reed can be. He dug his heels into Nell’s rump and that horse took off like it had a burr under the saddle.”
“Hold on. You’re not thinking about heading up there now?” Burke held up a hand. “You can see the blizzard heading this way.”
“You think I’m blind?” Frank Malloy’s eyes burned with a terrible raging passion. “I’ve already buried a son. I’m not about to lose a grandson, too.”
“You get inside. I’ll go.” The ranch foreman spun around and headed toward the barn, giving his boss no time to argue.
By the time Burke had saddled his horse and bundled into heavy winter gear, Yancy Martin, the ranch cook, stepped inside the barn to hand him several wrapped packages.
“You could be trapped up there a few days. Here are some roast beef sandwiches. Reed’s favorites. And a bottle of whiskey for you. To keep from freezing, and hopefully to keep you from throttling that little spitfire when you find him.”
“Thanks, Yancy.” Burke shoved the supplies into his saddlebags before pulling himself onto the back of his trusty mount, Major.
The cook put a hand on the reins. “I know Reed’s done a stupid thing, but he’s been missing his folks something awful. It’s a heavy load for a kid to bear.” He paused. “I know he’s a handful, but that ornery kid has a way of sneaking into my heart. You bring Reed home safe, you hear?”
Burke nodded and pulled his wide-brimmed hat low on his head. Reed may have been rebellious and reckless as hell, but he had that same effect on all of them. Despite all the trouble he could cause, they couldn’t help but love him. He had a kind heart, and as his grandmother, Grace Malloy, was fond of saying, he was like an old man in a boy’s body. In so many ways, Reed was wise beyond his years.
“You know I will, Yancy. The good Lord willin’.”
As horse and rider faced into the storm and started across a high, sloping meadow, the old man found himself thinking about the terrible crash that had happened weeks ago on a night like this. The death of Patrick and his wife, Bernadette, on a snowy Montana road had left a void that would never be filled. Not for the Malloy family, and especially not for Patrick and Bernadette’s three sons, twelve-year-old Matt, ten-year-old Luke, and nine-year-old Reed, who were floundering in a world rocked by the sudden, shocking loss of their parents.
“Stay safe, Reed,” the old man whispered fiercely. “At least until I can find you and tan your miserable hide.”
For hours Major plodded through drifts that were now waist-high, before the outline of a mountain cabin loomed up in the darkness.
Burke unsaddled his horse in the shed behind the range shack, grateful to find Reed’s mare, Nell, already contentedly dozing. Tossing the saddlebags over his shoulder, he trudged around and let himself into the cabin, bracing for the encounter to come.
Reed Malloy sat huddled in front of the fireplace, where a couple of stingy tree branches gave off a thin flame. He’d shed his boots, which lay in a puddle of melted snow by the door.
The boy’s head came up sharply. Seeing the fire in those eyes, Burke bit back the oath that sprang to his lips. The last thing the kid needed right now was any more fuel poured on the flame that was burning so hotly in his soul.
Without a word Burke draped the saddlebags over the back of a wooden chair before heading outside, returning with an armload of logs.
&nbs
p; “What’re you doing here?” Reed’s jaw jutted like a prizefighter’s.
“Getting out of the cold.” Burke deposited the logs beside the fireplace and set the biggest one over the flame.
Crossing to the table, he tossed aside his parka and began removing the packages from his saddlebags.
When he saw the boy’s gaze dart to the wrapped sandwiches, he took his sweet time unwrapping them. He walked to the tiny kitchen counter and filled a coffeepot before placing it on a wire rack over the open fire. Within minutes the little cabin was filled with the rich fragrance of coffee boiling.
“Good place to sit out a storm.” Burke glanced over. “You hungry?”
Still frowning, Reed shrugged.
Taking that for an answer, the old man placed the sandwiches on plates and handed one to Reed before settling into a rocker in front of the fire and easing off his boots with a sigh.
For long minutes the two ate without speaking, listening to the hiss and snap of the fire on the grate and the howling of the storm as the wind and snow buffeted the walls of the cabin.
“They sent you here, didn’t they?” Reed set aside his empty plate.
“I volunteered. Everyone back home is worried sick.” Burke calmly continued eating.
“I don’t want you here. I came up here to be alone.”
“You could have skipped the drama and just gone up to your room.”
“Right. Where I’d have to listen to Matt and Luke jabbering all night long. Luke telling us to just suck it up. Matt telling us we have to put on a good face so we don’t add to Grandpop Frank and Gram Gracie’s pain. Easy for him to say.” Reed hissed in a breath. “But what about us? What about our pain?” He turned away, but not before the old man saw the look of abject misery in his eyes.
The old cowboy took his time, choosing his words carefully. “I know you’re scared, son. It’s tough that you had to learn the lesson so young. Life’s not fair. Never has been. Never will be.”
“Gee. Thanks for nothing.” Every word sizzled with hot anger.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat things, boy. I won’t bother to tell you that pain will go away soon. It won’t.” Burke heaved a sigh. “But I will tell you that one day you’ll wake up thinking about something besides the loss of your ma and pa. Not tomorrow. Not the next day. But one day it will happen. It’s the same with all the tears that right now are sticking in your throat, threatening to choke you every time you swallow. One day, out of the blue, you’ll find yourself chuckling. Or laughing right out loud. It’ll catch you by surprise, but it’ll feel good, and you’ll do it again. That’s the way life is. One day your heart is so broken, you can barely breathe. And the next day, you find a reason to smile. Maybe just a little reason, but it’ll be enough to lift you up. And before you know it, you’ve gone more days smiling than crying.”
“I’ve got no reason to smile. Not now. Not ever.”
“You say that now. But you’re one of the lucky ones, Reed.” Burke turned to the boy. “You’ve got a powerful love of this ranch, this land, and especially the cattle. I’ve seen it since you were no bigger’n a pup.”
Reed couldn’t deny it. He loved this ranch with an all-consuming passion. He loved the land, the cattle, the wildness of this place. And he had dreams. Dreams he’d shared with his parents, of making their herds the healthiest and demanding the highest price ever. The Malloy Ranch would be a name respected around the world. He wasn’t sure just how he would make that dream come true, but this much he knew. If being willing to work harder than anybody, if giving up everything others took for granted counted for anything, he would make it all happen.
And the key was the cattle. He didn’t know the how or why of it, but the feeling was so strong, he was nearly consumed by it.
But the loss of his parents left him feeling alone and crushed by the weight of his loss.
The boy turned to the old man. “Did you ever lose someone you loved, Burke?”
The foreman stared into the flames, his eyes shrouded in secrets. His voice lowered to almost a whisper. “I have. I’ve been where you are now, son.”
Something in the quiet tone of his voice had the boy holding back any more questions. Instead he sat, absorbing the heat of the fire and the warmth of understanding he could feel vibrating from the tough old man beside him.
Burke Cowley was the man every wrangler on the Malloy Ranch turned to in time of need, whether it was doctoring a sick cow or calming a cowboy during a crisis. He could be as tender as a new mother when treating a wrangler’s injuries and as vicious as a wounded bear when crossed by some drunken fool who didn’t follow orders. Burke could work circles around every wrangler on the Malloy Ranch and still tend a herd all night in a raging storm. If this tough old cowboy could survive a powerful loss, Reed felt the first tiny flicker of hope that he’d make it through the raw pain that burned like the fires of hell in his heart.
Like the man said, maybe not tomorrow. But one day.
Still, Reed sensed a storm raging inside him. Bigger, stronger than the one raging outside the walls of this cabin. Pa used to say he’d been born with it; it had been there simmering inside him from the moment he gave his first lusty birth cry. Unlike his older brothers—Matt, who was always in control, and Luke, a rolling stone who loved nothing more than a challenge—there was just something inside Reed, the tough, determined youngest of the family, that set him apart.
But first he would have to learn to put aside this terrible grief and tame the temper lurking inside him. He sensed that if he didn’t learn to tame it, this emotion could take control, and that he would never allow. If anything, he wanted to be in control of his own destiny.
He knew one thing. Nothing would ever take him from this place and the cattle. Not even the loss of the two people he cherished more than any in the world.
Chapter One
Malloy Ranch—Present Day
After more than a month in the hills that ringed the ranch, Reed Malloy looked more like a trail bum than a member of a successful ranch family. His hair hung to his shoulders. His face was covered in a rough beard. His clothes were filthy.
He unsaddled his mount, tossing the saddle over the rail of the stall before filling troughs with feed and water. In the stall alongside him, his uncle, Colin Malloy, did the same.
That done, the two men trudged toward the house, noting the line of trucks.
“As usual,” Colin said with a laugh, “I see Matt and Luke and their wives manage to never miss a meal.”
Both of Reed’s older brothers were building homes on Malloy land and currently divided their time between the new construction and the family ranch. The bulk of their time was still spent here, but because of the size of the ranch, nobody felt crowded.
Reed was grinning at the noise level as he scraped his boots before stepping into the mudroom. He hung his jacket and hat on hooks by the door and rolled his sleeves before pausing to wash up at the big sink.
In the doorway he stood watching as the familiar scene unfolded. Yancy Martin, ranch cook, was lifting a pan of cinnamon biscuits from the oven. The wonderful fragrance filled the room.
Reed’s grandparents, Frank and Gracie, were seated on a sofa across the room, sipping coffee. His great-grandfather, Nelson LaRou, a once-famous Hollywood director, now retired, who was called Great One by all the family, seemed to be enjoying the heated conversation between Matt and Luke, who were standing nose-to-nose while arguing over the best grazing lands. Matt’s wife, Vanessa, and Luke’s recent bride, Ingrid, along with Ingrid’s little sister, Lily, continued setting platters on the big trestle table, oblivious to the noise. Malloy Ranch foreman Burke Cowley stood to one side, grinning and sipping his coffee, without saying a word.
Matt turned to Reed. “Finally, somebody with a brain. Tell Luke what you told me about the south ridge pasture.”
Reed crossed the room and helped himself to a mug of steaming coffee. “Sorry. It’s been a long morning. While you guys were sti
ll thinking about getting out of bed, Colin and I made the long trek from the hills after riding herd on a bunch of ornery cows for the past month. My backside aches, my stomach is grumbling, and I’m not getting dragged into a family feud.”
“We’re not feuding. Hell,” Luke muttered, “if we were, fists would be flying.”
“Not in my kitchen.” Yancy drained a platter of crisp bacon and handed it to Ingrid.
The others merely chuckled.
“We’re having a…lively discussion.” Matt set down his mug with a clatter.
“And I’m having breakfast before I starve.” Reed turned to Yancy. “Is it ready?”
“All ready.” Yancy began tossing flapjacks onto a huge plate. “Get it while it’s hot.”
As one, the family began gathering around the big table, with Frank and Gracie at one end and Great One at the other. Matt and Vanessa, Luke and Ingrid sat on one side, and Lily, Reed, and Yancy on the other.
Ingrid’s sister, nine-year-old Lily Larsen, had adopted Great One as her very own grandfather and glowed whenever she looked at him. The old man accepted her hero worship as a sacred trust and had completely lost his heart to this tough little tomboy.
As they passed the platters of bacon, scrambled eggs, flapjacks and syrup, as well as toast and cinnamon biscuits, the conversation turned, as always, to the family business.
Frank turned to Reed. “I’m surprised you’d leave the herd in the middle of the season. How did Colin pry you away?”
Reed took a moment to savor Yancy’s light-as-air pancakes before turning toward the ranch foreman. “Burke sent word that if I didn’t take a break soon, he’d hog-tie me and haul my…” A glance at his grandmother had him pausing to remember where he was. He might swear like a wrangler when up in the hills, but here at home, he was respectful. He added lamely, “He’d haul my hide down the mountain himself.”
Frank turned to Burke. “What’s this about? You know it’s do-or-die time for Reed.”
“True,” the foreman said. “But even a dedicated cattleman needs time away from his herd so he doesn’t forget how to be civilized.”
