Gallant Golfer (River's End Ranch Book 10)

by Cindy Caldwell

  As they neared the last hole, Emma couldn’t help herself. “Okay, who’s winning?” she finally asked after she’d screwed up her courage.

  “It’s pretty close,” Dani said, peering at the card. “Skip’s winning at the moment. It’d take some pretty fancy playing on Chad’s part to win at this point.”

  Emma’s heart fell as she shielded her eyes from the sun and looked out over the grounds. She turned away, looking out over the mountains as her stomach churned.

  “I’m sorry,” Dani said as she rested her hand on Emma’s. “It’s just an exhibition, you know. Nothing really at stake.”

  But there was, Emma thought. For the first time since she’d known Chad, he seemed to care about winning this round. She wasn’t sure why, but knew it mattered to him, and she wanted him to win, too.

  “I can’t watch,” Emma said.

  Dani glanced at her from the corner of her eye and said, “Okay, then. I’ve got an idea.”

  Emma held on tightly to the hand bar as Dani sped over and around the knolls, behind the crowd toward the opposite side of the course. She slowed as they reached a small, brick building that looked to Emma like a maintenance shed. Dani hopped out of the cart and fiddled with a ring of keys, settling on one and opening the door.

  “Where’s Skip?” she said from inside the building.

  Emma stood on the floorboards of the golf cart and scanned the horizon. “He’s kind of away from the crowd, heading for a ball up against that stand of trees.”

  Dani popped her head out the door and smiled. “Perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

  Emma watched as Skip settled in front of his ball, looking up at the flag he was aiming for. He was alone, the crowd having headed toward the green already. Just as he lifted his club to swing, Emma gasped as a sprinkler blasted him, shooting his club right out of his hands.

  “Oh, my gosh,” she said, doubling over and holding her stomach. She laughed so hard she could barely get the words out, and she stared at Dani as she came out from the shed, locking the door as the sprinkler mysterious stopped.

  “Did you do that?” Emma asked, her hand to her mouth? “He looks furious.”

  Skip’s face was scrunched and Emma could almost see the steam coming out of his ears as he looked around, his hands on his hips. She was still laughing when he shook the water from his cap, picked up his club and made his shot, trudging back toward the green.

  “That was priceless,” Emma said.

  Dani blew on her fingernails and rubbed them against her shirt, obviously proud of her effort. “I come from a long line of pranksters. I need to practice, and he was the perfect target. Need to keep my skills up, so it was all in the line of duty,” she said as she winked at Emma.

  “Thank you,” Emma said as she patted Dani’s shoulder. “That made my day.”

  “I don’t think it’ll change the outcome, but it sure made me feel better, too,” Dani said as she steered the golf cart back toward the tee of the last hole of the exhibition.

  As they pulled to a stop on top of a knoll, Emma looked from the beginning of the hole to the end. It wasn’t too awful long, and there was no turn in the layout. It would be a straight shot, for the most part. She wondered how Chad’s shoulder was holding up—and his determination.

  “What’s the score now?” Emma asked, not sure she wanted to know.

  Dani took the pencil from behind her ear and scribbled on the card for a moment. She whistled and leaned forward, peering over the guests. “You’re not going to believe this. They’re only two strokes apart, Skip and Chad. Brian is one behind.”

  Emma remembered Chad’s scoring lesson over root beer floats and thought for a moment. “That would mean that Skip needs to finish this hole in two shots or more, with Chad shooting a hole-in-one?”

  Dani shook her head slowly. “Yeah. That’s the only way he can win.” She shot a glance at Emma. “And that’s virtually impossible. Never been done on this hole, I’m pretty sure.”

  “Oh,” Emma said as she lowered her eyes. “I see.”

  “I’m sorry, Emma,” Dani said. “Okay, look. Chad just teed off and made it onto the green. It’ll take him one shot, maybe two from there.”

  Emma breathed deeply, covering her eyes. She couldn’t bear to see Skip’s face when he won. She just couldn’t.

  “Okay, Chad’s turn,” Dani said, a tinge of excitement to her voice. “You’re not going to watch?” she asked incredulously.

  “I can’t,” Emma said.

  “Well, Chad’s teeing up. Ready to go.”

  Emma held her breath and scrunched her eyes closed. Suddenly, Dani grabbed her hand and pulled it from her face. “Open your eyes, girl,” she shouted.

  It took a moment for Emma to find the ball as it flew through the air, and she stood slowly and stepped out of the cart.

  “Go, go, go,” Dani shouted, and Emma froze as the ball hit the green, bounced twice and rolled right into the hole.

  She couldn’t move as Dani ran around the cart, jumping up and down and hugged her. “He did it!”

  The crowd cheered, the applause loud even on the knoll where she and Dani stood.

  Her hand on her heart, her eyes brimmed with tears and she looked for Chad as he was surrounded by well-wishers. He was looking all around and she waved her hands in the air. He spotted her and waved back, blowing her a kiss.

  “Wow. That was crazy,” Dani said as she hopped back in the cart. “Can’t wait to see what Skip has to say about this. Chad crushed it.”

  Emma’s heart thudded in her chest as she replayed the shot in her mind, thrilled for Chad. He seemed to have had his heart set on winning, and she was so glad that he had. She couldn’t wait to see him at the pro shop, and she held on tightly as Dani sped back over the course.

  CHAPTER 21

  “What do you say? Root beer floats all around to celebrate?” Chad asked as the crowd thinned and they headed back to the pro shop.

  “I don’t know if I can eat a thing,” Emma said. “I’m still vibrating. I’ve never seen anything quite like that, and I’ve been on the tour for months.”

  Dani clapped Chad on the back. “Neither have I, Chad. And there have been a fair number of pro golfers coming through here. I pretty sure that’s the first hole-in-one on the 18th. A record.”

  Chad shook his head. “I’m not exactly sure how it happened. It’s never happened to me before, that’s for sure. Not since—”

  Emma stopped him. “We don’t talk about that injury anymore, remember? You’re all fixed up now.”

  “Thanks to you,” Jaclyn added as she sidled over to Simon with not even a hobble. “Something magic about those hands, I’ll say.”

  “Well, Skip deserved everything he got, that’s for sure,” Simon said as he set his hand on Jaclyn’s. “I’d say he had it all coming to him.”

  “I suppose he won’t hang around for long after a finale like that,” Brian said as he nodded at Chad. “A thorough one at that.”

  “Nope, he didn’t waste any time,” Dani said as she pointed to the helipad. The shuttle helicopter bounced softly on the small spot of tarmac and Skip wasted no time hopping aboard, his clubs over his shoulder and nothing else.

  “Good riddance,” Chad said as he held up the paper Skip had shoved at him when he’d pushed past them all and through the crowd. He opened it and a smile spread slowly across his face as he read.

  “Yep, this is it.” He folded it up and walked slowly over to his Emma, his heart thudding in his chest. “I think this is for you,” he said as he handed it to her.

  She stared at it for a moment, and Chad held his breath. If she didn’t rip it up, she’d be tied to that jerk for months longer—and she’d have to leave. He’d worked hard for that paper, and only wanted her to be happy. No matter what she did, at least she’d have her freedom.

  It seemed to him an eternity before she spoke.

  “Where did you get this?” she asked. “It’s the contract between Skip and my school,
original signature.”

  Chad leaned his arm against the rack of neon clothing that Emma had made such fun of when she’d arrived. Little did he know then that just a few days later, he’d be standing in the same spot, his whole future hanging on her decision.

  He rubbed his hand through his hair and took her hand. “I couldn’t stand the way he treated you, Emma. I just couldn’t see you going back on tour with him. And when you asked to get out and he turned you down—well, I figured I needed to do something.”

  Her hand fell to her side, still clutching the contract. “Right. We tried and he said no. What did you do?”

  Chad glanced at Simon, whose eyes twinkled as he nodded. His hand still rested on Jaclyn’s, and her eyes sparkled as well as the older couple listened.

  “The only thing I could think of was to bet him that I’d win the exhibition match.”

  Emma gasped, the contract falling to the floor as she covered her mouth with her hand. “Chad, you hate to compete. It’s just a game, remember?”

  Chad looked at his feet. She had him on that one. He hadn’t cared about the outcome of a match in a very long time—but everything had hinged on this one.

  “You did some great work on my shoulder, and I hoped I had a shot. I bet him I could win, and if I did, he’d have to give you back your contract.”

  “Oh, my gosh,” Emma whispered.

  “It was a pretty big risk, too,” Simon said. “Especially with what he’d promised if he lost.”

  Chad frowned at Simon, who looked up at the ceiling and whistled. He’d hoped he wouldn’t have to confess that part—the part that had kept him up the previous night, tossing and turning.

  “What?” Brian asked. “If you’d lost, what would have happened?”

  Chad looked down at his feet. “Well, I’d agreed that if I lost, I’d let her go. Wouldn’t try to stop her, and would leave her alone from that point on. I just knew I couldn’t let that happen, and I—”

  He stopped talking as Emma stepped forward, her eyes soft as she held her finger to his lips and kissed his cheek. His heart warmed as he grabbed her waist and pulled her toward him.

  Emma’s eyes were rimmed with tears as she looked up at him. He knew he’d taken a big risk, and all he’d known as he set his last tee was that he couldn’t fail. Just couldn’t. And that this was what he wanted, for the rest of his life—her in his arms.

  “Wow,” Dani said. “That was a pretty big gamble. Especially since I couldn’t prove he was cheating.”

  The shop fell silent and all eyes turned to Dani as she smiled. “What? I tried to catch him when I—well, when I checked on the sprinklers.”

  “Was that you who turned the sprinklers on him?” Chad asked, his eyes wide.

  Dani laughed and folded her arms. “Yeah, and I wasn’t alone,” she said as she winked at Emma.

  “Ha, I loved it,” Jaclyn said with a big laugh. “You girls are too much.”

  “Had to do something.” She stopped abruptly and turned to Chad, her palms out toward him. “Not that you needed any help, mind you. It just made me happy. You beat him fair and square.”

  “Thanks for the thought,” Chad said. He hadn’t been sure at all that he’d win. “I needed all the help I could get.”

  “No, you didn’t,” Emma said as she picked the contract up off the floor. She turned to Chad and held the paper up in front of her, ripping it neatly in two before letting it flutter to the ground. “You truly are my knight in shining armor. I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “Wow, that was some exhibition. The guests loved it. They’re still buzzing about the hole-in-one,” Wade said as he pushed through the door, his eyes alight with excitement. “Nicely done, Chad, Brian.” He stopped and looked around. “Where’s Skip?”

  “Uh, he had to leave in a hurry,” Brian said. “Had to get back to the tour.”

  “Sore loser, eh?” he said as he winked at Chad. “That’s too bad. Emma, you don’t need to go with him?”

  Chad held his arms open as Emma leaned against him, her head on his heart. He rested his chin on her copper curls, and said to Wade, “I’m pretty sure she’ll be staying here. If I have anything to say about it.””

  “Perfect,” Wade said as he paced around the pro shop before he stopped, his hand on the door. “You’ve done a fantastic job with our pro. I’m sure the guests would love to have your services. Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”

  As he strode back to the ranch’s guests, Dani said, “Well, that worked out. I’d mentioned that Mom and Dad had left word that we should be thinking about some more guest services like yours. They thought taking over your internship would be great. Still not sure what they have in mind, but I mentioned it to Wade and we like to make them happy.” She nodded at Emma and smiled before she headed out the door behind Wade. She stuck her head back through before she left, and said, “Wasn’t sure you could get out of your contract, so hadn’t mentioned it yet. Glad that’s all settled.”

  The door closed behind Dani and the shop fell silent for just a moment, before Brian said, “Well, good riddance, all’s well that ends well and—”

  “All right. We get it,” Emma said as she hugged her brother. “It’s all good now.” She looked over at Chad and smiled. Yes, it was all good now.

  CHAPTER 22

  C had whistled as Emma stepped out of the pro shop in one of those cute short skirts—not neon, but cute nonetheless—and hopped into the cart. Her long legs that had caught his eye were even more gorgeous, now that he knew her so well. He was looking forward to their golf game today. She had gotten pretty good in the past few weeks, and they’d fallen into a rhythm of massage therapy, exercises, golf lessons and—well, just fun.

  “Want me to drive?” she asked, laughing as he shook his head.

  “Um, no. I think I will.” He quickly hopped behind the wheel of the cart before she could even get to it. He didn’t need a repeat of their previous experience.

  “Coward,” she teased as she slid in beside him.

  “How’d your meeting go with Wade?” he asked as they moved along the path. He was heading for the 18th hole, but she didn’t seem to notice as the wind whipped through her curls and she turned her face toward the sun.

  She turned to him and smiled, her green eyes twinkling. “Couldn’t have been better. He knows I have to finish my internship, and he’d contacted the school. They agreed to let me finish it out—with you. All I need are your medical records and a note from your doctor at the time of the injury. Once I submit them to the school, it’s a done deal.”

  He smiled and his heart soared. He’d known Wade was working on this but he hadn’t heard it had been approved. He patted his pocket. Perfect timing.

  “And you really want to stay?” he asked, glancing quickly at her out of the corner of his eye. While he’d been planning this for some time, even talked to Dani about it, he still wasn’t positive that she’d say yes. But he was done with not even trying, that was for sure. The payoff was too awesome—and would be well worth it.

  “I love it here, Chad. The ranch is beautiful, the people are wonderful—I couldn’t be happier.”

  “No?” he asked, hoping that in a short while, she would be even happier than she was now.

  “No,” she answered as she looked out over the mountains, the last of the fall sun shining brightly. The weather would be turning soon for good, and while it didn’t matter to her or her internship—she could work on Chad whether he was golfing or not—she was surprised to realize she hadn’t asked him what he did when the course was covered in snow.

  As if he’d read her mind, he said, “It’ll be snowing soon. Things change around here. Hope you like it then.”

  “I’ll still be able to do my internship with you, and hopefully there will be other guests I can work on when I’m certified.”

  Chad laughed. “With ice on the ground and all the winter sports at the ranch—no, there’s no shortage of injured people. Mostly small things, but
you could help like you did with Jaclyn. It’s perfect.”

  “What do you do?” she asked as she rested her hand on his arm, the warmth welcome.

  “I’m pretty lucky. I don’t need the money since I did pretty well on tour and have invested wisely. Sometimes I travel, sometimes I just stay here and think about learning to ski. Snowmobiling is fun.”

  “It all sounds great to me. I’ve never lived in the snow.”

  He chuckled as he pulled up to the 18th hole, slowed to a stop and pressed the brake.

  “Did you happen to notice that couple at the saloon when you first got here? The girl with the teal in her hair and a taller man?”

  “I did. They looked very happy,” Emma said.

  Chad rounded to the back of the cart, pulling out their putters and shoving a couple balls in his pocket. “They are. They’re recently married. Jace and Dink.”

  “Dink?” Emma said as she climbed from the cart.

  He smiled. “Yes, a nickname. Maybe we could have dinner with them. They’re starting a summer camp for kids, and I think maybe we could help out. You can ask her about her name then,” he said as he strolled toward the green.

  “That sounds great.”

  He dropped two balls at the edge of the green before heading to the flag. He looked back at Emma, who was still admiring the mountains, her back turned. He reached for the flag and pulled it out of the hole, leaned down and dropped the black velvet box inside, his stomach knotting. He stood, and turned toward Emma.

  “Okay, I’m ready. Are you?” he asked, trying not to look too nervous as he smiled.

  CHAPTER 23

  Emma inhaled deeply, the fresh air tickling her lungs. She still hadn’t gotten used to the grandeur that was River’s End Ranch in the time she’d been there, and she didn’t think she ever would.