In the Ranger's Arms (The Men of At Ease Ranch)

by Michaels, Donna

  In under thirty seconds, the door was shut and locked, the blind was down on the window, and he returned to pull her into his arms, running his hands down her back to cup her sweet ass and grind against her.

  “Now, what do you say we make use of the chair you uncovered?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Midway through the week Jovy propped her feet up on the desk in the small office at the back of the café, her mouth stretching into a big grin as she stared at her account on the laptop. She was doing well. Not as well as she would have in a more populated area, but given her location and the short prep time, she was pleased. If these numbers kept up for the next week and a half, the CEO position was as good as hers. She couldn’t imagine her cousin having the same kind of portfolio.

  Who knew the men and women of North Central Texas would embrace a gluten-free, vegan diet?

  With a click of her mouse, she exited out of the file and shut down her laptop just as her grandfather called.

  “Hi Jovy,” he greeted. “How are you doing?”

  “Good.” She closed her eyes and sighed. It was so nice to hear his voice. She hadn’t realized she missed him until he spoke. “I was just looking over my books and I have to admit, I’m pleased.”

  “That’s wonderful.” She heard the smile in his voice and mentally saw the approval in his eyes. “I knew if anyone could sell meatless meals to cowboys it was you.” His chuckle filled her ear. “Time is dwindling down.”

  Her smile slowly faded and a swift wave of pain sliced through her chest. Pretty soon it would be Stone she’d miss. But now wasn’t the time to dwell. Not with her grandfather on the line.

  “A week from Sunday, I’m going to meet you and your cousin in Joyful,” he stated, shocking her speechless. Her grandfather hardly ever left Philadelphia. She’d been under the impression they’d all meet up at Larson Industries for the announcement, since they were to email their final portfolios to him the day before. “After I name my successor, I’m going to take some time off and visit an old war buddy in Dallas for a long-overdue reunion. I’m only about two decades late.” His chuckle returned.

  She shook her head to clear it. “That’s great. I think Dallas is only about an hour away.”

  “That’s what I’ve been told,” he said, his voice light and carefree, and for the first time she realized maybe he was actually looking forward to retirement. “I just wanted to touch base, but I’d better let you go. I have a meeting in five minutes. I’ll talk to you next week.”

  They said their good-byes and hung up. He was really doing it. Her grandfather was really retiring. The fact that Ross Larson Sr. was leaving work to do something fun hit home. Jovy couldn’t remember a time in her life when her grandfather took a vacation. At least, not one that required a plane and more than an overnight bag. This was good. She was glad he was finally going to step down and relax. That, too, was about two decades late. Because he always put responsibilities and others first.

  Like someone else she knew.

  A smile spread across Jovy’s lips and her whole body softened whenever she thought of Stone. He was a saint. But he was starting to loosen up and have more fun. This week they’d fallen into a great, mutually satisfying routine. Every other day, she worked at the ranch, and on those days, she spent her nights in Stone’s bed. The other days, she worked at the café, and they spent the nights at her apartment.

  It was hard to believe it was already Thursday. That’s because she’d been enjoying the process of bringing his company into the twenty-first century. Now Foxtrot’s books were so up to date the company could practically run itself. Well, not quite. Someone still had to record the transactions and receipts. She shuddered to think what was going to happen to the paperwork once she was gone. In fact, Jovy refused to think about leaving at all. It hurt too damn much.

  Instead, she chose to focus on the present and her time with Stone. He took her horseback riding, taught her the correct way to rub down a horse, how to drive a stick shift, use a saw, drill, and her personal favorite—a nail gun. She had way too much fun helping nail a two-by-four wall together. Hard physical labor, long hours of mental labor in the office, then passion-filled nights. Her time at At-Ease made her feel good. Stone made her feel good. If they weren’t laughing, they were smiling, or making love until they were too exhausted and spent to move.

  Heat flooded Jovy’s body at the memories. Every minute spent with Stone made her wish their time together was more than a passing fling. And she got the impression by the way his gaze sometimes lingered with such longing that he felt the same. She was going to have to bite the bullet and broach the subject. Today.

  A knock at the door pulled her out of her thoughts, and when Blanche and Cece entered with matching serious expressions, her heart dropped to her stomach.

  “What is it?” Jovy jumped to her feet. “What’s wrong? Is it Leslie? Her little boy?” The woman had needed the day off because her young son had a fever.

  “No. They’re fine. I guess. I’m sorry, we didn’t mean to alarm you, but we don’t like the looks of the sky,” Cece replied.

  Blanche nodded. “Yes. I think we’d better leave.”

  That morning when Stone had dropped her off before heading up the road to McGregor Feed, he told her to keep a radio on because they were calling for storms. An hour had passed since she’d checked. “I haven’t heard any thunder.”

  “Sometimes there isn’t any,” Cece stated as Jovy’s phone rang.

  It was Stone.

  “Hey,” she answered.

  “Where are you?” The concern in his tone stopped her heart.

  She forced herself to breathe normally. “In my office.”

  “Who else is working with you?”

  She shot her gaze to the women. “Cece and Blanche.”

  “The three of you need to get to Skeeter’s storm cellar. Now.”

  The women nodded, apparently hearing the conversation. Cece stepped closer. “Stone, where’s the gas hookup so I can turn it off?”

  “No time for that,” he protested, really scaring the hell out of Jovy. “Just get to the shelter.”

  Her insides froze. “What about you?” He was at the store. She’d seen enough documentaries on TV to know it wasn’t safe. “Can you get to Skeeter’s, too?”

  “I’ll be fine here. The McGregors have a big enough shelter out back,” he answered. “I don’t know how long we’re going to have cell coverage. Just get to the shelter and wait for me when it’s over. Are you at Skeeter’s yet?”

  Jesus, they hadn’t even left the café. “No,” she replied, grabbing her purse and laptop before Blanche tugged her through the building and out the door. Theoretically, Jovy hadn’t lied. Technically, she wasn’t there. The wind had picked up and the sky seemed to be one big strange-colored cloud she’d never seen. Philadelphia often got sideswiped by remnants of hurricanes and hammered with blizzards. Not floor-to-ceiling, dangerous-looking clouds. If she hadn’t been scared out of her freaking mind, Jovy probably would’ve found it incredible. But she was frightened and running to keep up with Blanche, who death-gripped her arm while racing with Cece down the street to the garage.

  “Are you there yet, Jovy?” Stone stressed, reminding her she still held her phone to her ear. His tone was urgent and full of worry.

  “Almost,” she panted, relief easing some of the tightness in her chest when she saw the older man standing by an open door that lifted from the ground, motioning them to hurry. “We’re here now. Skeeter’s waiting with his door open.”

  “Good.” Stone’s sigh of relief crackled through the phone. “I called him first and told him to expect you and the others. Get in and stay there. I’ll come get you when it’s over. And Jovy, I—”

  The phone went dead.

  “Come on! It’s here! Get in,” Skeeter yelled, his voice barely audible over the wind that roared so loud her ears hurt.

  Blanche released Jovy and made her follow Cece down the stairs before
helping Skeeter pull the door closed and secure it in place. The wind howled and world raged above while the four of them huddled in the small space lit by a lantern. It smelled damp and musty, but she didn’t care. The alternative was worse. And as the noise grew louder and the door rattled so violently she thought it was going to fly off the hinges, her ears began to pop. Jovy clutched her laptop, her livelihood, all she worked so hard for, and wished to God she could trade it for Stone.

  Saving her portfolio meant nothing compared to him. He was everything. He was important. He mattered.

  In that instant, Jovy realized her feelings for the man went way beyond casual.

  She was in love with Stone Mitchum.

  Chapter Seventeen

  In all his years in the army, the last decade as a Ranger, Stone had been in more gunfights, knife fights, fistfights, and sticky situations than he cared to count. But right now, being separated from Jovy and losing contact as the storm bore down, he’d never been so damn terrified in his life. Not knowing if she’d made it to the shelter. Not knowing if she was okay. Not knowing the fate of the woman he loved nearly drove him mad.

  And he did love Jovy. No reason to deny it. Nor did it matter that they’d only met two weeks ago. His connection to her was stronger than with people he’d known his whole life.

  She just had to be okay. He was so damn worried for the woman from the east who didn’t have experience with this type of storm. God, she was probably so frightened. His stomach clenched tighter than his fists. He fucking hated that he couldn’t be there with her. That he couldn’t keep her safe. But there hadn’t been time.

  Skeeter, Cece, and Blanche know what to do, his mind reasoned. Jovy will be fine.

  Stone held on to that thought during the longest six fucking minutes of his life. When everything finally grew quiet and the storm moved on, he and his workers, along with Mr. McGregor and his staff, emerged from the steel-reinforced storm shelter behind the old storage building.

  Daylight peeked through a small section of missing roof, all the glass had blown out of the windows and doors, and three shelves had fallen into each other like dominoes, but overall, the feed store had fared pretty well.

  Once he was certain no one was in any immediate danger, Stone ran full-out down the street toward the garage, heart in his throat while his mind noted that the café and shops were fine. The storm missed the center of town, and the lack of damage and debris eased a little bit of the tension from his shoulders, but he wouldn’t take a breath until he saw Jovy with his own eyes.

  Rounding the corner, he sucked in a breath and his heart leaped in his chest at the sight of the woman standing with the others, hair windblown and knotted, a dazed look on her face. She’d never looked so damn beautiful. “Jovy!”

  She twisted to face him, joy softening hard lines of worry. “Stone!” She dropped her purse and laptop and raced to meet him the rest of the way, throwing herself in his arms. “Thank God you’re all right.”

  Echoing the sentiment, he crushed Jovy close and held her trembling body tight. Or maybe he was the one trembling. It didn’t matter. She was safe and in his arms. Stone took what felt like his first breath since his phone had died. “I’m fine,” he reassured her, gathering her closer still, kissing the side of her head to keep from blurting that he loved her. He didn’t want to panic the poor woman. She’d just had enough of a scare for one day. “I’ve got you. It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

  The words were meant to calm her, but they also calmed him. She was okay. He was okay. They’d be okay. Now if he could just shake off the feeling of doom. Then it hit him. The ranch. His brother. The veterans.

  Shit.

  Once again, his focus had solely been on Jovy.

  He drew back as fear returned. “At-Ease is west of town. Right in the storm’s path.” Guilt clawed at his gut. Not once during the past half hour had he even thought about the ranch. Or his brother. Or his friends. Just Jovy.

  She sucked in a breath and pulled out her phone. “It’s still not working. Is yours?”

  “No,” he replied, staring at his screen. No service. He bit back a curse. “Come on. Get your stuff. Let’s go.” As much as he wanted to check on the ranch, he couldn’t bear to leave the woman out of his sight.

  While she gathered her purse and laptop, he made sure Skeeter, Cece, and Blanche were okay.

  “Yes,” Cece said. “But I need to go check on my husband and our house. It’s also west of here.”

  “I’ll drive,” Blanche offered, draping an arm around her friend.

  “And I’ll see if anyone in town needs help.” Skeeter nodded and headed up the street.

  Ten minutes later, Stone was driving toward the ranch with a quiet Jovy. The only sound in the cab was her indrawn breaths whenever they encountered debris. The farther west he drove, the worse the damage.

  “Oh, Stone, look, the fence is all down and Lula Belle’s not in her field.” Tears filled Jovy’s eyes as she stared out his window. “Do you think she’s okay?”

  “I don’t know.” He grabbed her hand and squeezed. God, it was so cold. “She could’ve just wandered away.”

  She nodded and smiled a watery smile. “Probably looking for you.”

  He grinned back. “Probably.” But his smile faded when he turned onto the road to the ranch and had to weave around debris.

  Trees and fence, and…ah, hell, pieces of buildings littered the drive. The backhoe impaled the ground, protruding out of a field. Stone’s heart took up residence in his throat again, and he prayed his brother and the men were all right as they slowly made their way toward the ranch.

  “Oh my God.” Jovy gasped out the words his throat couldn’t form as he parked where his brother’s truck used to be.

  Now the new Ford looked anything but as it jutted out of the bunkhouse roof. The house appeared to be the only structure untouched. He got out and hadn’t taken two steps before Jovy entwined her fingers with his, her presence calming him, giving him strength to walk toward the men gathered where the new bunkhouse once stood.

  It was gone. Decimated. Only the foundation remained. Not one damn wall stood where it had been that morning.

  “I’m sorry, Stone.” Jovy squeezed his hand tight, her voice wavering. “I’m so sorry.”

  So was he. It felt like the ground buckled beneath his feet, and he couldn’t catch his footing.

  “Stone! Jovy!” Brick emerged from the crowd, relief visibly easing the tightness around his brother’s mouth and quieting some of Stone’s fear. “So damn good to see you’re all right,” he exclaimed, engulfing them both in a group hug. “How’s the town?”

  “Good. The feed store has some damage but the rest of the buildings are fine,” Stone answered as if on autopilot, his mind still trying to process what he was seeing. “Is everyone here okay?”

  He hoped so. God, it looked like a war zone. And he’d seen too many. They all had. He hoped it wouldn’t adversely affect the men.

  “Everyone’s fine.” Brick drew back and nodded. “I’d just stopped in for lunch when the storm hit. Most of the men are still at the job site. I don’t know how they are. Damn phones are still down. Those of us here holed up in the new shelter. It worked great.”

  It was surreal. Here they were, standing, smiling, acting like everything was fine. And it was. He was so damn grateful there weren’t any casualties or fatalities on the ranch. They were so fucking lucky they hadn’t taken a direct hit.

  But on the other side of the coin, everything wasn’t fine. The new bunkhouse was gone. The men’s bunkhouse was too damaged to live in. The rear of the stable was crushed, and the one that stored their equipment had fallen in on itself as if it had imploded. The property was insured, but not the equipment or tools in the building.

  How the hell were they going to work? Or repair the men’s quarters? And where would the men live in the meantime? He swallowed a curse and then another. No way would he send them away. No fucking way.

  “How lo
ng do you think the phones will be down?” Jovy asked.

  He drew in a long, calming breath and lifted a shoulder. “Depends on how bad the cell towers were hit.”

  She nodded. “I hope it won’t be long. You’ll need to call in a claim.”

  “Not much we can do without cell service,” Brick stated, running a hand through his hair. “I need to put in a claim on my truck, too. And I just washed the son of a bitch yesterday.”

  Jovy’s lips twitched. “Back in Philly, it usually rains whenever I do that. Remind me never to wash my car here.”

  Stone chuckled. Only she could make him smile despite his heavy heart. He pulled her in for a kiss, soaking up her strength, basking in her spirit, uncaring that his brother stood two feet away. She made him stronger. Better. Determined.

  The vets were not going to suffer. He’d find a way to make the money to get the bunkhouse repaired.

  She drew back and blinked. “Wow.”

  The appreciation in her slightly dazed gaze drew another smile to his lips. He loved that his kisses wowed her, because she had the same effect on him. Even in a damn crisis.

  She cleared her throat and palmed his chest. “Why don’t you and Brick start taking pictures of everything, and I’ll go check to see if you have power and internet, so you can submit the claim. If not, maybe I do back at my apartment.”

  Levelheaded. She’d proven that twice today. Jovy was good in a crisis. Another endearing asset. It’s a shame there was a crisis. Short of controlling nature, there wasn’t a damn thing Stone could do about the storm. But he could control his actions in the aftermath.

  His focus.

  He needed to get more of it off her and back onto his men.

  …

  He was failing his men.

  By the time Monday rolled around, Stone was no closer to finding a quick answer to his money problems than he had been just after the storm. Although yesterday, he’d received a mysterious email from a vendor offering an exuberant amount to lease the vacant store next to the café…and the café, too. He refused. Wouldn’t do it. Even though legally he could because Jovy had breached the lease with that late payment in the beginning. Still, leasing the place out from under her was never an option.