Riding Home

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

“Thank you.” She didn’t look at him.

  He carried the suitcase to her car and heard the click as she used the remote to unlock it. He stowed her case in the backseat and glanced up just as she started to slide behind the wheel. “Whoa, whoa.” He rounded the car and grasped her arm. “Come back out of there for a minute. You can’t just get in and drive away.”

  She glanced up at him. “I think it’s for the best.”

  “I promise not to say anything that will make you uncomfortable, but we deserve a proper goodbye.”

  She was silent for a moment, and then she got out of the car and faced him. “Goodbye, Zach.”

  “You’re acting like you’re in front of a firing squad.”

  “It feels a little like that.”

  “Well, it’s not like that.” Stepping forward, he cupped her face in one hand and brushed a strand of hair back from her cheek as he gazed into her emerald-green eyes. “You’re an incredible woman, and I’m glad we met.”

  She took a shaky breath. “So am I.”

  “Goodbye, Jeannette.” Leaning down, he kissed her softly. Then he released her and stepped back.

  Her eyes remained closed. With his hands fisted at his sides, he resisted the urge to haul her back into his arms. He wanted to kiss her until she changed her mind and decided to stay, no matter how long that took. The way she looked as she stood there trembling, it wouldn’t take long at all.

  He let the moment pass. She’d made her wishes clear and he’d only be taking advantage of this difficult moment right before she left. That wouldn’t be very noble of him.

  She opened her eyes and cleared her throat. “Goodbye, Zach.” Then she climbed into the car and started the engine.

  He should have thought to move the truck to make it easier for her. But she pulled forward and engineered a creative backing job to successfully avoid banging into it. He was impressed, because if she were as wrecked by this parting as he was, she couldn’t be all that steady.

  Although going into the Airstream would have been far cooler on his part, he stayed where he was until she made it to the dirt road. She beeped the horn once and he raised a hand in farewell. Then she was gone, her tires kicking up dust as she drove away.

  He dreaded going back inside, but the sooner he got that over with, the better. Bracing himself for the emptiness he’d find there, he climbed the steps and walked through the door. He’d expected silence. He’d expected the memories to flood him.

  He hadn’t expected her scent to greet him the minute he walked in. It was a subtle perfume, a cross between a spice and a floral. He hadn’t consciously taken note of it while they’d been together, but it hit him like a sledgehammer now.

  Torn between throwing open all the windows to let it out and closing them tight to keep it in, he did neither. Instead he quickly put on socks and boots, pulled on a T-shirt and poured himself a cup of coffee. Then he started toward the door. He’d sit outside and read for a while.

  But he turned back when he realized the plan required reading material. Crossing to his bookshelf, he looked through the offerings. He grabbed a camping magazine he hadn’t finished. Then, for reasons he didn’t want to examine too closely, he also took the study guide for the bar exam.

  Unfolding one of his camp chairs, he picked a spot in the shade of a pine tree and settled in. With luck, he’d become absorbed in his reading and get past the crushing impact of Jeannette’s departure. First he picked up the magazine.

  Jumping from one article to the next, he searched for something that would engage him and help him forget his troubles for a little while. Nothing in the magazine accomplished that. With a sigh, he tossed it down and reached for the study guide. That probably wouldn’t work, either.

  Hours later, his stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten anything. To his complete astonishment, he’d made it almost halfway through the study guide. He was fascinated by the similarities and the differences between California’s bar exam and this one.

  More than fascination gripped him, though. He was intellectually excited for the first time in months. He felt a little bit like Rip Van Winkle waking up from a long sleep.

  He wanted to finish the study guide and then read through it again to make sure he had a handle on it. But mostly he wanted to take that bar exam, if for no other reason than to see if he could pass it as easily as he expected he could. He didn’t have to tell anyone about it, though.

  Assuming he got his license to practice law in Wyoming, he could decide at that point whether to do anything with it. Maybe passing the exam would be enough for him. It would be his secret project, and he’d take one step at a time. Ironically, this kind of challenge might be the only one capable of taking his mind off Jeannette.

  * * *

  A PACKING BOX sat on the floor of Jeannette’s kitchen along with a pile of brown wrapping paper. She stood in front of her cupboard of dishes. They were lovely and expensive, a complete set of twelve she’d bought soon after being hired at the law firm.

  The pattern of tiny flowers and vines curled gracefully around the edge of each plate, saucer and cup. Several years ago she’d thought these dishes were the height of gracious living. Unfortunately, they didn’t fit the person she was now. In her new life she imagined a table filled with chunky pottery in bold colors.

  She thought of Erin, her former assistant at the law firm. Erin would love these dishes. That decision made, Jeannette started wrapping the dishes and tucking them in the box, although they wouldn’t go with her out west. They’d stay where they belonged in Virginia. She’d buy a new set of dishes when she arrived in...wherever she decided to go.

  Four weeks had passed since she’d left Wyoming, and she’d heard nothing from Zach. She’d researched other towns as planned, but she’d held off choosing one of those alternatives. Her lease had another month to run, so she was in no big rush to make that decision.

  Her hope that Zach would come through might be fading, but it hadn’t totally disappeared. He could still call. What a shame if she rented a U-Haul and moved prematurely. So she’d taken her time with packing, which had allowed her to be more thoughtful about what she was taking, and what she was leaving behind. Like these dishes, for example.

  The cupboard was nearly empty when her cell phone rang. She picked it up from the charger on the small desk in the kitchen without thinking much about the call. She’d been handling lots of details recently that had required many phone calls. Then she saw the name on the screen and felt light-headed.

  She was breathless as she answered and didn’t care. “Zach?”

  “You quit the law firm?”

  “Uh, yeah. And by the way, I’m fine. How are you?”

  “Ticked off! When were you planning to tell me you quit?”

  “Whenever you called.” She took a calming breath. “So here you are, and now you know. How are things in Shoshone?”

  “They were fine when I left.”

  “You left? So where are you now?”

  “Outside your door.”

  The phone still to her ear, she raced to her front door, flipped the latch on the lock and swung it open. Sure enough, there he stood wearing his best cowboy clothes and that black Stetson he called his party hat.

  He held up the study guide for the Wyoming bar, a duplicate of the one she had on her bookshelf. “And while we’re discussing stealth moves, what were you thinking writing a message on the next-to-last page?”

  “I didn’t want you t
o see it until you were almost done.” Her chest grew tight. He was here, but what did that mean, exactly? “Did you...did you read it?”

  “We can discuss that later. Right now I need a place to stay. I figured since I put you up, you might be willing to return the favor.”

  “Of course.”

  “Great.” He picked up a small duffel she hadn’t noticed because she was so busy feasting on the sight of him and making bargains with herself. He’d at least read to the end of the study guide. That might be enough for now. If he’d done that, then he couldn’t be totally opposed to taking the exam, and with some encouragement, that could lead to—

  “Can I come in through this door, or are you planning to send me around to some other entrance?”

  “Oh!” She stepped back so he could walk in. “Sorry. I’m still gettin’ used to the fact that you’re actually here.” She breathed in the scent of him. Oh, yeah. Reading the study guide was plenty. She would work with that.

  “Good thing I showed up before you moved and left no forwarding address.” He dropped his duffel on the floor along with the study guide.

  She closed the door and turned to discover he’d taken off his hat and laid that on top of the duffel. “I wouldn’t have moved without—”

  “God, Jeannette!” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her with a desperation that made her heart sing. When he lifted his lips from hers, he continued to pepper her face with kisses. “I thought you’d already made partner, and because it’s a weekday, I went to your office, but they said you’d quit, and I had to sign my life away to get your address, but Erin came through for me because she remembered who I was.”

  “Erin’s a sweetheart.”

  “Yes, she is, but you.” He pulled back to glare at her. “You are one devious woman. What in hell’s going on with you?”

  “I’m leaving Virginia.”

  “And your destination would be?”

  “Now that you’re here, I’m thinking Shoshone.”

  He stared at her. “But you said you wouldn’t move there until I got my act together.”

  She wound her arms around his neck. “I know, but if you read through the study guide, you’re at least considerin’ the possibility of a law career. That’s close enough.”

  “It is? Damn. I could have saved myself a lot of work.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I just got the word. I passed the bar in Wyoming.”

  “You did?” She hugged him tight. “That’s fantastic!”

  “There’s more.”

  “More?” She leaned back to gaze into his face. “Like what?”

  “I rented some office space in town.”

  “Zach! You’re really doin’ it.”

  “Guess so.” He cupped her bottom as if he had the right to.

  She decided he did. “What about your job at the ranch?”

  “I’ll put in some time on weekends, but Jack would much rather have me as his lawyer than his ranch hand. I’m also thinking I might buy some horse property in the area so I can own a couple of saddle horses. I came here thinking you’d be settled into your partnership and wouldn’t be interested in joining my new firm, but I had to at least ask, and now I—”

  “I’m so in.”

  He grinned at her. “You do realize you have to pass the bar exam.”

  “Been studyin’.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Ever since I left. I’ve just been waitin’ for you, cowboy.”

  “You have put me through it, lady.”

  “For your own good. You never would have come to this decision if I hadn’t given you some space to figure it out.”

  He sighed. “You could be right about that. But writing what you did near the back of the study guide? That was...”

  “All I could think to do.” She’d been frantic to leave, but at the last minute she’d pulled his study guide from the bookshelf and scribbled I love you near the end of the book. “And I meant it.”

  He tugged her in closer. “You do realize how that incriminates you, right? I now have written proof.”

  “Are you going to use it against me?”

  “You bet. Now you have to marry me.”

  “I thought you might insist on that.”

  “Any objections, counselor?”

  “Not a one. It’s time to make this legal.” She smiled up at him. “I love you, Zachary Powell.”

  “I know you do.” He feathered a kiss over her lips. “I have it in writing.”

  Epilogue

  BEN RADCLIFFE HAD been itching for a challenge, and Jack Chance had just brought him one—building a custom saddle that would be a surprise for the woman who received it. That meant Ben wouldn’t meet her or the horse who’d wear the saddle until after the job was finished. He’d never attempted such a thing before.

  Jack had brought the necessary measurements for the horse and the woman, and he seemed to know roughly what he wanted. The saddle would be a showstopper embellished with silver and turquoise accents. Jack was prepared to pay the price, too. Apparently his extended family was chipping in so they could afford to be extravagant.

  “I realize this is somewhat short notice.” Jack wandered around the shop and paused to inspect each of the three saddles Ben was currently working on. “My brothers and I had a hell of a time figuring out what would make a good seventieth birthday present for her. She’s...special.”

  “I’m sure she is.” Years ago Ben would have felt a pang of envy at hearing some guy praise his mother with such obvious affection. Now he felt nothing at all.

  “Anyway, once we decided on a saddle designed specifically for her favorite horse, Bertha Mae, I asked around. Everyone said there was this guy in Sheridan who hadn’t been in business that long but he did fine work.” Jack glanced at Ben. “I like what I see, and I also like the idea of patronizing someone who’s just starting to get recognized.”

  “I won’t kid you. Making a custom saddle for Sarah Chance and her favorite horse will give me bragging rights.”

  Jack met his gaze. “If you do a good job, I’ll spread the word myself.”

  “I’d appreciate that.”

  “But we’re already well into October. And we want this to be a fancy-ass saddle. Can you do it?”

  Ben looked at the Remington calendar tacked on the wall. “You said her birthday’s December nineteenth, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I can do it.”

  “Excellent. Also, I need you to deliver it to the ranch, but not too soon, because we’ll have to hide it. I hate to say this, but her grandchildren can’t keep a secret worth a damn.”

  “Understood. I should show up around the eighteenth, then.”

  “That would be perfect, assuming the weather cooperates.”

  “I have a four-by-four truck and I’m used to driving in snow.”

  “Normal snow, sure, but a blizzard could muck things up. I suppose, worst-case scenario, you could email a picture and we could show her on a tablet at her birthday dinner, but that’s not what I’m going for.”

  “I’ll make it over there.”

  Jack gave him a long look. “I believe you will. And I hope you can stay for the party so you can see her face when she gets her first glimpse of it.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “It’s Christmas week, though. If you have to get back, I understand.”

  “Not really.” Then he wished he hadn’t said that. In his life Christmas was just another day, but when he admitted that, people tended to feel sorry for him. “I mean, I can shift things a
round if necessary. It’s the beauty of being single.”

  Jack smiled. “I remember those days.” He stepped forward and held out his hand. “Then we have a deal.”

  “Yes, we do.” Ben grasped his hand. “You’ll see me on the eighteenth. Will I need a cover story?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Jack rubbed his chin. “Just pretend you’re there to buy a horse. Mom will be so busy with Christmas preparations she won’t pay much attention. But I’ll have a room made up so you can stay a couple of nights.”

  “Looking forward to it.” Because his own family was a complete disaster, he was fascinated with the idea that some might actually work.

  The Chance clan’s devotion to their matriarch indicated they might be such a family. Making the saddle for her would be good for business. Helping celebrate her birthday at the Last Chance Ranch would be a nice bonus.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from DARE ME by Jo Leigh.

  Saddle up for a wild ride!

  Catch these three titles in Vicki Lewis Thompson’s New York Times bestselling Sons of Chance series—featuring Riding High, Riding Hard and Riding Home. Available now in ebook format.

  Looking for more Vicki Lewis Thompson? Be sure to catch all the titles in the popular Sons of Chance series, including:

  Riding Home

  Riding Hard

  Riding High

  Cowboys & Angels

  The Heart Won’t Lie

  Wild at Heart

  I Cross My Heart

  Feels Like Home

  Lead Me Home

  Long Road Home

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  Ten years ago one devastating night changed everything for Austin, Hunter and Alex. Now they must each play their part in the revenge against the one man who ruined it all.