A Rancher to Love

by Trish Milburn

  “Baxter, no!” Maddie called out as she also raced past Leah.

  Whether it was Maddie’s command or the realization that Felix was hurt, Baxter stopped suddenly and stared at Felix. For his part, Felix had stiffened and stared right back.

  Maddie started to grab Baxter, but Leah stopped her by lightly gripping her shoulder.

  “They’re okay. Be gentle with Felix. His leg is broken.”

  “How did that happen?”

  For a moment, Leah wondered how to answer, then decided on honesty. To a point, anyway. “Someone hurt him.”

  “Oh, poor Felix.” She eased forward and sat beside Felix’s bed.

  At first, Felix just stared at Maddie’s outstretched hand, faced with the decision of whether to trust once again. When he stood on his three good legs and nuzzled Maddie’s hand, Leah’s heart filled. Maddie was so gentle with Felix.

  Sort of like Tyler had been with her.

  She glanced toward the window, as if she could see him. Part of her yearned for it, to go back in time and not have pulled away from his kiss. India was right. She needed to embrace happiness and let it push out the fear.

  Felix shifted his attention to Baxter when he barked one of his cute little puppy barks. Felix snuffed in response, making Maddie giggle and Leah smile.

  “How about we take these two for a walk?”

  “We can show Uncle Tyler that Baxter and Felix are best friends. I told him they would be.”

  Leah’s heart sped up at the idea of seeing Tyler again, but hadn’t that been the true reason for her suggestion for taking the pups for a walk? She couldn’t help it. He was a marvelous man to look at, especially when she knew how his lips felt, his hands.

  The sound of a horse’s hooves drew Leah’s attention as soon as they stepped outside. She looked to the right, toward the pasture that began beyond the gate at the end of the gravel drive. If she’d thought Tyler handsome before, the sight of him astride a horse took her breath away.

  Maddie headed that way, Baxter running a bit ahead, yipping, then running back toward them. Felix moved at a slower pace.

  When they reached the gate, Baxter nuzzled Felix’s ear, as if asking if he was okay after an arduous journey.

  Tyler spotted them and for a moment Leah thought he might pretend he hadn’t. But then he reined the horse in their direction. Her heart beat faster the closer he came. As he stopped on the opposite side of the gate, his eyes met hers. She was so flustered and confused that she wasn’t able to decipher what she saw there. But what she didn’t see was anger. Could it be possible she was still seeing yearning, even after the way she’d reacted to the kiss?

  “Look, Uncle Tyler. Baxter and Felix are best friends already.”

  Tyler shifted his attention to his niece. “Looks like you were right.”

  Maddie looked up at her uncle, who towered above her on Comet. “Can Leah eat dinner with us again?”

  Tyler looked as surprised by the question as Leah was.

  “Sure, if she wants to.”

  Yes, she did. How swift and certain the answer came to her told Leah all she needed to know. If Tyler made a second attempt to explore the attraction between them, she was going to try her hardest to go with it.

  “Sure, but only if I can bring dessert.”

  Tyler smiled, making everything in her vibrate.

  “Can’t argue with that.” He glanced down at Maddie then back at Leah. “Mind if squirt here stays with you for a little bit? I need to ride out and check a couple of things.”

  “Sure. She can help me bake the cake.”

  “Yay!” Maddie’s enthusiasm was so sudden and loud that both puppies jumped, making everyone laugh.

  When Tyler headed off toward his herd, Leah stood with her arms resting atop the gate, watching him until he rode out of sight.

  “Come on, kiddo. We’ve got a cake to make.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Maddie wiped the lemon icing off the butter knife then popped her icing-covered finger in her mouth. “Yum!”

  Leah smiled at Maddie’s reaction. It was so good to see the girl happy and building a relationship with her uncle. She never mentioned her mother, and Leah thought it was sad that Kendra had done such a poor job of parenting that her own daughter didn’t even appear to miss her.

  “Wash your hands so we can head down to the house.”

  “Okay.” Maddie hopped up and ran to the bathroom.

  Leah stared after her and didn’t know what she’d do if the girl was ever not a part of her life. She didn’t know what was going to happen with Tyler, but she hoped however that ended up she was still able to spend time with Maddie.

  With Maddie in charge of the puppies, Leah grabbed the lemon cake and headed out the front door. As they approached Tyler’s house, she grew more nervous. Already she was thinking ahead to the end of the evening, wondering if they might kiss again. This time she refused to let herself get spooked. Tyler was not Jason Garton.

  At the smell of grilling meat, she changed her path from the front porch to the back deck instead.

  “That smells great,” she said as she, Maddie and the puppies rounded the back corner of the house.

  Tyler looked up from where he was flipping a couple of steaks and a hot dog that she assumed was for Maddie. “I know. My stomach has been growling for the past ten minutes.”

  “I think mine is joining the chorus.”

  He pointed toward the cake container with his tongs. “Dessert, I take it.”

  For a moment, she was distracted by his nicely formed arm sticking out of a gray T-shirt. By the look of his still-damp hair, he’d showered since his ride out onto the ranch. She had the crazy idea that she wanted to sniff his fresh, clean scent.

  “Uh, yeah,” she said, remembering she was supposed to reply. “Lemon cake. I better put this inside.” Before she started visibly drooling, and not because of the cake.

  Once safely inside the house, she slid the cake onto the counter and looked around. She noticed the makings for a salad laid out and went to work. While part of her wanted to go back outside with Tyler, she needed time to calm down a little. It wasn’t to be, however.

  She kept her attention on peeling a cucumber as she listened to the door open and close, then the sound of Tyler’s boots approaching.

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I don’t mind. You’re doing the hard part.”

  “Nah.”

  “I’m terrible at grilling.”

  Tyler leaned back against the counter close to her. “I guess you can’t be good at everything.”

  She glanced up at him and saw with clarity that he wasn’t talking about her jewelry making or even the cake he hadn’t yet sampled. For all he knew, the cake tasted like sawdust. But he did know what her kiss tasted like, and he evidently wanted to let her know he liked it without crowding or pressing her. Was he telling her she hadn’t run him off but that the next move had to be hers?

  “I’m sorry about how I reacted.” She hadn’t intended to bring up the aborted kiss quite so soon, but the words just tumbled out.

  “No need to apologize.” Tyler moved to the stove, grabbing an oven mitt on the way, and pulled out two large, foil-wrapped potatoes. “I hope you like steak and potatoes. I didn’t even ask.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Just like his voice. As she watched him move about the kitchen, she realized she was falling for him. She didn’t know if that was wise, but she didn’t care. It wasn’t as if she could decide not to. You couldn’t change your feelings as easily as changing clothes.

  Maddie came inside then, Felix in her arms and Baxter trotting along behind her. “I think Felix is tired.”

  Tyler turned and guided Maddie and the dogs out of the kitchen, leaving Leah standi
ng there realizing she could get used to this, helping to make meals then sharing them with Tyler and Maddie. She imagined what it would be like to do this every day, every meal.

  To keep from staring at Tyler during the meal, Leah asked Maddie about school. Luckily, kindergarten was evidently an endless source of stories.

  When they were done eating, Maddie asked if they could have cake.

  “You have a big sweet tooth. Just like your...”

  Leah noted the frozen look on Tyler’s face and realized he’d been about to compare Maddie to her mother. His expression shifted to a forced smile.

  “...uncle,” he finished, then looked toward Leah. “I’ve been thinking of cake ever since you mentioned it earlier.”

  Nice recovery, but she also got the impression that when he looked at her it wasn’t cake he was thinking about.

  Her middle quivering, she stood and went to slice three pieces of cake.

  “Uncle Tyler, do you like Leah?” Maddie asked right as Leah had turned back toward the table holding two small plates of cake.

  Leah nearly dropped the plates.

  “What?” Tyler asked in what sounded like shocked disbelief, as if Maddie had asked if she could take up skydiving.

  “You watch her all the time, like Hannah does her boyfriend.”

  “Who is Hannah?”

  “My neighbor at Mom’s.”

  Leah watched, frozen, as Tyler’s body stiffened at the mention of his sister.

  “How old is Hannah?”

  Maddie shrugged. “Sixteen, I think. She’s in high school.”

  “Well, teenagers are different from adults.”

  “So you don’t like Leah?”

  How did this kid go from a virtual vow of silence to the Spanish Inquisition?

  “I like Leah fine. Let’s eat some cake.”

  Was that a blush staining Tyler’s neck and face? Leah had the biggest urge to start laughing, but she managed to refrain. Instead, she brought the slices of cake and forks to the table then slid back onto her chair. She could feel the tension as she and Tyler tried not to look at each other.

  “Do you like Uncle Tyler?” Maddie asked her.

  “Maddie, stop,” Tyler said. “Eat your cake.”

  Leah couldn’t keep her gaze from Tyler any longer. She was dying to know what was going on in his head, if she could see any of it in his eyes. She decided to answer Maddie’s question the same way Tyler had.

  “I like him fine.”

  Tyler’s gaze met hers, and she knew, deep down, that he was still interested every bit as much as she was. If not for Maddie’s presence, Leah doubted she and Tyler would stay on opposite sides of the table for long.

  At five years old, Maddie had no idea about the power and complexity of adult relationships, but she giggled nonetheless.

  Leah pressed her lips together to keep from giggling, too.

  * * *

  AFTER FINALLY GETTING Maddie to sleep and leaving Baxter, her faithful companion, as her guard, Leah accompanied Tyler back downstairs. When they reached the living room and looked at each other, they both laughed.

  “If she’s this observant at five, I don’t want to think about her teen years.” Tyler paced over to the mantel and stopped in front of one of the pictures of him with Kendra. “I just hope I can keep her from making the types of dumb decisions Kendra did.”

  Leah walked up beside him and placed her hand on his arm. “Don’t borrow trouble. Just enjoy the now.”

  He turned halfway toward her. “Sounds like my niece isn’t the only smart person in the house tonight.”

  “Sometimes I don’t feel so smart.” She laced her hands together to keep from fidgeting. “Like when I pulled away from you when we kissed.”

  “I didn’t move too fast?”

  “No, and yes. Let’s just say I wasn’t expecting this when I moved to the bunkhouse.”

  “I didn’t either. Getting involved with someone wasn’t anywhere near the front of my mind.”

  “You have a lot of responsibilities and not a lot of free time, so that’s understandable.”

  “But that’s changed.” He lifted his hand to her cheek and gently caressed it. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that kiss.”

  Her heart soared. “That makes two of us.”

  “Can I kiss you, Leah?”

  It seemed as if her heartbeat sped up and slipped into slow motion at the same time. “Yes.”

  Tyler closed the distance between them and framed her face between his large, powerful hands. But Leah didn’t sense any danger from all that power he possessed. In fact, it was exactly the opposite, as if he was being deliberately gentle. Her heart swelled that he hadn’t let her abrupt end to their first kiss convince him that she’d never want another.

  “I won’t hurt you,” he said, as if he could read not only what she was thinking now but everything that led up to their first failed attempt.

  “I know.” And in this moment, she did know that. She just hoped the irrational part of her brain didn’t decide to make another appearance.

  As Tyler leaned toward her, her pulse went crazy. But it was with anticipation, not fear. When his lips made contact, she allowed herself to enjoy it fully, kissing him back and running her hands up his chest. Yes, there were definitely some very nice muscles under that T-shirt.

  After a bit of kissing, Tyler deepened the kiss. It felt as if he was easing into it, probably afraid she’d balk. But this time, she didn’t. Her fear didn’t override her brain.

  Tyler’s hands slid to the back of her head, and he moaned as he pulled her closer still. The sound shot a surge of high-octane desire through Leah, and for the first time since the attack she thought she might really be able to enjoy desire and physical contact again.

  She lost herself in the taste and feel of him, in the thrill of feeling more like herself again. She had no idea how much time had passed when Tyler was the one to pull away first. He ran his thumb softly across her cheek.

  The sound of barely suppressed childish giggling drew their attention, causing them to quickly step back from each other. But when Leah saw Maddie sitting on the stairs, her mouth hidden behind her hands, it was obvious it didn’t matter. The little stinker had seen them.

  “I thought you were asleep,” Tyler said as he crossed the living room and scooped her up into his arms.

  “I was, for a little bit. You do like Leah. I knew it.”

  Tyler sighed and glanced toward Leah. “Yeah, squirt, I do.”

  “I do, too. You should get married.”

  Leah choked on a laugh at the same time as Tyler’s mouth fell open.

  “This town already has one matchmaker, missy.” Tyler looked in Leah’s direction, but didn’t quite make eye contact. “I’ll be back in a minute. I’ve got to go tie this one to her bed.”

  Maddie giggled and swatted Tyler playfully. “No, Uncle Tyler. I’ll stay in bed. I promise.”

  “You better, or I’ll eat the rest of that cake all by myself.”

  Leah smiled as she listened to Tyler tease Maddie all the way back up to her bedroom. She considered heading back to the bunkhouse, but she didn’t relish the idea of going alone. She knew that if she continued to live there, she’d at some point have to get used to how dark the night was here without the glow of city lights. After all, all those city lights hadn’t prevented her from being attacked.

  But she had to admit she hoped Tyler would walk her back and they’d share some more kisses. But had Maddie’s mention of marriage spooked him? It was definitely too early to be thinking of that, but Leah found she didn’t mind the idea. She shook her head and took a few steps toward the door as she heard Tyler on the stairs.

  “You ready to call it a night?” Tyler asked as he reach
ed the bottom of the stairs.

  “Yeah. But I had a lovely evening. Thanks for inviting me.”

  “You’re welcome anytime.”

  That was a good sign. At least she believed he was sincere, that Maddie’s mention of the M word hadn’t doused his interest.

  Leah’s heart started racing again as they stepped outside and Tyler took her hand in his. How long had it been since she’d held hands with a guy, someone she really liked? Ages. It felt so wonderful that she nearly cried. Instead, she looked up at the sky filled to bursting with stars.

  “It’s like an entirely different world out here.”

  Tyler stopped and looked up, too. “I remember Kendra and I would come outside in the summer and chase fireflies. When we got tired, we’d lie in the grass and watch for shooting stars. I miss how things were then.”

  “She’s still young. Maybe she’ll turn her life around.”

  “I used to hope that, but I got to the point where I’d been disappointed one too many times. I have to look forward to what’s best for Maddie.” He lowered his gaze to Leah’s. “And me.”

  He kissed her again, and the fact they were kissing beneath such a beautiful night sky, far from the place and thoughts that had haunted her for weeks, filled her with hope for her own future, too.

  * * *

  WHEN TYLER WENT to pick up Maddie from school the next day, she came running out all smiles and unbound childhood excitement.

  “Uncle Tyler, Helena is having a birthday party at her house Saturday. Everyone is spending the night. Can I go? Pretty please!”

  “Who is Helena?”

  She pointed back toward the school building to where a little girl with dark curls was walking hand in hand with her mom toward them. He recognized the woman as Janie Larned, who’d been behind him in school by a couple of years. Except she was Janie Struthers now. He’d shoed a couple of horses for Janie and her husband, Blake, last year.

  Janie smiled when she saw him and Maddie. “I’m guessing she’s asking about the slumber party.”

  “Yeah. First thing out of her mouth.”