Home on the Ranch: Montana Redemption

by Amanda Renee

  But Ryder knew. He had zero problems communicating with her daughter and that made him sexy on a whole other plane.

  Tori tapped her and Peyton on the shoulder, drawing Chelsea out of her internal drool fest. “Come sit with us. Nate snagged a table.”

  The band played Miranda Lambert’s “Kerosene” as Chelsea shimmied her way across the room—and apparently embarrassed Peyton judging by her eye-roll head-shake combo. She knew she looked like a duck on crack when she danced, but she didn’t care. She hadn’t danced in forever. She’d almost made it to the table when Jocelyn grabbed her by the waist and spun her onto the dance floor, causing her to lose her grip on Peyton. Tori signed she’d watch her and then took out her phone and began recording Chelsea’s stellar moves as Jocelyn pulled her deeper into the crowd.

  “I heard you and Hottie McHottie Ryder Slade had a little somethin-somethin going on outside the restaurant the other day.”

  “Good Lord.” Chelsea covered her nose. “I hope you’re not driving home. You need a breath mint and a cup of coffee.”

  “Don’t you dare change the subject. Now I know why you kept swiping left.” Jocelyn wrapped her arms around Chelsea’s neck and rested her forehead against hers. “You have a thing for the cowboy.”

  “And you’ve had too much to drink.” Chelsea attempted to look for backup, but Jocelyn refused to let her go. “Are you here alone or did you come with someone?” She hoped not with one of her online dates.

  “My sister—Maddie—and her boyfriend. My date canceled shortly after we got here. Don’t change the subject.”

  That explained the alcohol.

  “I’m not. There’s nothing to tell you about Ryder. We talked, and he left.”

  “Then how come I heard you were running your hands all over his chest?”

  Chelsea swore the fumes emanating from Jocelyn were making her drunk.

  “That’s not what hap—”

  “There you are.” Maddie squeezed in between them, breaking Jocelyn’s death grip. “Time to get you home.” Her lips thinned as she attempted to smile. “I’m sorry, Chelsea. She’s had a rough night.”

  “Do you need any help getting her to the car?” She tugged the hem of Jocelyn’s shirt to keep it from riding up as Maddie draped her sister’s arm around her shoulder for support.

  “I got it. I think.” She waved her boyfriend over. “Where’s your date?”

  “I came with my daughter.”

  “Oh, I thought Jocelyn said you were dating Ry—”

  “She was mistaken.” This was how rumors started in a small town. “Are you sure you’ve got her?”

  “We’re good. Have fun.” Maddie half walked, half dragged Jocelyn toward the door.

  “I will.” Chelsea wondered if people would talk about Jocelyn’s intoxication as much as they had discussed her and Ryder’s fictional romance. Although after last night maybe there was a little truth in fiction. She made her way to the table, scanning the crowd for him as she went. After dealing with Jocelyn, she needed a stiff drink of her own. Instead, she’d have to settle for the round of Cokes Tori had ordered. After all, she was driving.

  “What’s wrong?” Tori asked.

  “There seems to be a rumor going around that I’m dating Ryder.”

  “I think you two would be cute together.”

  “You do?” Chelsea had intended on having this conversation at some point, but she hadn’t expected Tori to agree or at least agree so quick. “You’d be okay with that?”

  “Look.” Tori leaned toward Chelsea. “This isn’t common knowledge, but Ryder and I had a special kind of marriage. He was and still is my best friend...just don’t tell my husband that last part.” She checked to make sure Nate was out of earshot before continuing. “I love Ryder, but we were never in love with each other. He took care of me and Missy when I had nobody else.”

  “It was a marriage of convenience?” She’d gotten a completely different vibe from Ryder the night before.

  “Yes and no. Ryder loved Missy as his own. That part was real. The rest wasn’t.” She sipped her drink before continuing. “Ryder stood by me when Missy’s sperm donor took off—” Chelsea smirked at the mention of Missy’s biological father “—but a relationship like that can only go so far. We both deserved more, and I’ve found that with Nate. He’s my happy-ever-after and I want Ryder to have the same thing. And if all you can offer is friendship, then that’s fine, too. He could use that right now.”

  “I don’t understand. He’s from Saddle Ridge. Doesn’t he have plenty of friends?”

  “Not since his father’s death.” Tori’s shoulders sagged. “I don’t think most people will ever forgive him for what happened. And it wasn’t—” Tori’s eyes widened as if realizing she’d said too much. “Forget it.”

  “And it wasn’t what?” Years in the courtroom had taught Chelsea when someone purposely left something out.

  “I shouldn’t even tell you this, but I want you to see who he really is, because I think you would like that person.” Tori twirled the straw in her soda. “Everyone in town loved Frank and Bernadine Slade, but behind closed doors...things were ugly. He and his brothers didn’t have it easy growing up. There are five of them altogether, with only seven years between them. They were a handful, even on their best days.”

  “I can imagine.” Chelsea had a hard enough time with one kid.

  “They were a ranching family and money was always tight. They didn’t go on vacations or spend a penny on anything that wasn’t necessary. Harlan—he’s the youngest—wanted no part of the business. And Frank wasn’t thrilled when he joined the sheriff’s department. Wes, who’s a year older than Harlan, only had bull riding on his mind.”

  “So everything fell on the other three.”

  “No, it fell on Ryder alone. Dylan and Garrett, the oldest two, had already married. Dylan and his wife lived in Missoula and Garrett and his wife had already started a family and ranch of their own. Wes still lived at home, but he spent a good amount of time on the road competing. That left Ryder and his parents. When things went bad, Frank needed someone to blame.”

  “And Ryder was the target.” She’d seen similar situations time and time again on the job.

  “Exactly. I was there for Ryder just as much as he was there for me. I’d lost both my parents shortly after high school and had no one else to lean on for support. I needed help raising Missy and he needed out of that house. Our arrangement worked for years until I wanted more from life. When I look back now, I feel like I signed his death warrant by sending him away. He could have gotten a place of his own instead of moving home, but I think he always believed we’d work it out and that living with his parents was only temporary. I filed for divorce as fast as I could because I knew the sooner I cut him free, the better off he would be. Only that plan backfired.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Ryder had been served the divorce papers the morning of the accident. Unable to face anyone except a whiskey bottle, he spent the rest of the day at the bar. The bartender didn’t know our marriage had ended and called me to pick him up. I got him out of there sometime in the middle of the afternoon and sobered him up a bit over coffee and a bite to eat at the diner. We talked for a while and then I drove him home that evening. That’s when it happened.” Tori’s eyes brimmed with tears. “It was all my fault.”

  “No, it wasn’t.” Chelsea covered Tori’s hands with her own. “You couldn’t have known he’d react that way.”

  The other woman shook her head. “You don’t understand.”

  “Then tell me.” What was her friend hiding? “You can trust me.”

  Tori stiffened at her words. “There is nothing to trust you with. It’s just the irony of the situation.”

  “How so?”

  “Working on the Slade ranch meant Ryder was expected to put his pay
check right back into the business, that is when he got one. Frank made sure everyone else had their money before he paid him.”

  “I thought Ryder trained horses until his arrest.”

  “He did, and Frank battled him over it constantly. He felt since Ryder lived under his roof, he should work on the ranch and the ranch alone. But Ryder refused to abandon a horse in the middle of training. He did both jobs for a while, barely giving himself a chance to sleep. It caught up to him after a month or so and when he’d finished training a horse, he stopped taking on new ones, until eventually, he worked solely for Frank. He’d been adamant about paying me child support, but once he did he had nothing left.”

  “And by doing right by you and his dad, he didn’t have the money to move out.” Chelsea’s heart broke. Not just because of the way his father had treated him but because of the way she had misjudged him. “I still don’t understand. How is it ironic?”

  “Because I’m doing almost the same thing to Ryder that Frank did. I can’t pay him what he deserves so he can get a place of his own and I can’t afford to let him go. The terms of his parole require him to work full-time and no one would hire him straight out of prison...at least not in Saddle Ridge. He’s in the same vicious circle.”

  “Then why did he move back here?” Could he have real feelings for Tori? “The state has several programs for parolees.”

  “It’s important for him to be near his brothers. Outside of Harlan, I can’t see the other three talking to him anytime soon. They blame him for that night along with the rest of the town.”

  “What about his mother?”

  “She sold the ranch, moved to California shortly after the funeral and remarried. She’s never been back, not even for her sons’ weddings or grandchildren’s births and christenings.”

  And here Chelsea had thought Ryder had the support of his family when he only had Tori...and Nate.

  The man caught her gaze as he approached the table. “Okay, you two, I’ve been waiting to dance with my wife since we got here.”

  An uneasiness fell over her as Nate smiled in her direction. “Go ahead, I’ll watch the kids.”

  “The kids are fine. They’re with their friends and some parents from school.” Nate looked past Chelsea. “I have a suspicion you’ll be out there dancing, too.”

  She took a deep, shaky breath as she turned around. Ryder, all six hunk-of-burning-love feet of him, strode across the crowded barn and stopped in front of her. “Ma’am.” He removed his hat and winked. “May I have this dance?”

  Chelsea looked to Tori. “Did you set this up?”

  “No.” She giggled. “But I think you should go for it.”

  “I think you should, too.” Ryder reached for her hand and led her into the crowd before she could answer. “Do you know how to line dance?”

  “Not very well.” Chelsea hoped this didn’t count as a date because she was about to make a fool out of herself. “If I break your toes, don’t hold it against me.”

  “That bad, huh?” He laughed, wrapping his arm around her waist and steering her to the perimeter of the dance floor. “How about we two-step for everyone’s safety? I’ll guide you through it.”

  Chelsea fought the urge to lean into his body. He could two-step her wherever he wanted at this point. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  “You’ll be fine.”

  He slid his hand under her left arm and cupped her shoulder blade, allowing her to rest her fingers just above his biceps. Good Lord! It took every ounce of her strength not to give it a squeeze. He raised their other hands, leaving a little less than a foot between them. It felt like too much and not enough at the same time.

  “Wow, you’re tense.” He shook her arm. “Relax. It’s only a dance.”

  “Something I’m horrible at. I haven’t had much of a chance to go out dancing since I had Peyton.”

  “I doubt you are horrible at anything.” His rough palm pressed harder against hers, causing her to crave more of him. “Just follow the beat. Quick, quick, slow, slow. A quick step is one beat. Slow is two. You step back when I step forward and I’ll handle the rest.”

  The band began playing Jon Pardi’s “Head Over Boots” as Ryder twirled her under his arm. He could have been teaching her how to shovel manure and she’d still find it intoxicating. Between his musky aftershave and his slightly crooked grin that promised mischief and magic rolled in one, she was a goner.

  After a few stumbles, they traveled smoothly around the dance floor. “You’re a pretty good teacher,” she said as she fell in step with his rhythm.

  “That’s only because you’re a willing participant. Are you ready for some more serious moves?”

  Chelsea swallowed hard, heat spreading from her toes to her fingertips. She knew what he meant, but the underlying sensuality of his question made her want to see more of his moves here and in private. “I’m all yours, cowboy.”

  “If only that were true.” He spun her under his arm, preventing her from responding, then he ducked under hers before guiding her back to his arms.

  Dizzy from the dance and her heightened awareness of the power he had over her body, she held on tight to him. Tighter than she had any man. Tighter than she knew she should. Cinderella had nothing on her tonight.

  Chapter 5

  Ryder should have stayed home. He’d asked Chelsea for an innocent line dance and ended up holding her while they two-stepped around the barn. Now the entire length of her body pressed against his as the band played Brett Young’s “In Case You Didn’t Know.” He wanted to push her away and pull her closer at the same time. Sentiment had always escaped him...until tonight. He finally understood what people meant when they said they never wanted to let someone go. He could stay in this moment forever and never tire of it. Unfortunately, the band didn’t feel the same way. The song ended, and Billy Ray Cyrus’s “Achy Breaky Heart” began.

  “Dance with me.” Peyton squeezed in between them, stomping her feet to the beat.

  “Sign when you speak, sweetheart,” Chelsea gently corrected.

  “Momma, please stop.” Peyton’s smile fell from her pretty cherub face. “Let me be me for one night.”

  “Honey, you need to learn.”

  Peyton folded her arms across her chest. “I am learning. But I need a break.”

  Chelsea lifted a brow at Ryder. Lines of frustration etched across her forehead. “Am I being unreasonable?” she asked without signing.

  That was a loaded question if he’d ever heard one. He wanted to comfort Chelsea, but he sympathized with Peyton too. “I think she just wants you to dance with her.” He signed as he spoke, so Peyton wouldn’t think they were hiding anything from her.

  “I want to dance with you, too.” The little girl reached for both of their hands, ending any further conversation. Peyton looked up at him with eyes the same blue as her mother’s. Eyes that touched a man’s soul and made him vow to love and protect them forever. Although that was purely speculative on his part, because he had no intention of ever marrying again. Well, maybe not never. Just not while he was on parole. He needed at least the next three years to get his life together. Until then, he had nothing to offer anyone.

  That didn’t mean he couldn’t have fun tonight. He reached for Chelsea’s hand and gave it a squeeze he hoped reassured her she was doing an amazing parenting job. The three of them danced together through four songs and Peyton’s ability to detect the changing beat blew his mind. Since Missy had been born deaf, she’d never known what music sounded like. Peyton had, and when certain songs played, she recognized them well enough to sing along.

  “You have a remarkable daughter,” he said after Peyton ran off with one of her friends. Another slow song began, and Ryder tugged her to him without asking. “I see a lot of you in her.”

  “Thank you.”

  Chelsea’s dark lashes s
hadowed her cheeks as she lowered her head. He fought the urge to lift her chin to him, knowing he’d be unable to refrain from kissing her. Because what man wouldn’t want to kiss a woman like Chelsea Logan? Intelligent, beautiful, successful. And a strong single mother on top of it.

  “Is Peyton’s father around?” For all Ryder knew, the man could live across town.

  “Oh, no.” She shook her head violently. “He left the minute he found out I was pregnant. I had to hire a private investigator to track him down, so I could get him to relinquish his rights to Peyton. Let’s just say he was a lesson learned.”

  “You’re doing a wonderful job raising her on your own.”

  “Are you sure?” She met his gaze. “I think you thought I was being too hard on Peyton earlier.”

  “Not at all. You want what’s best for your daughter and there’s nothing wrong with that.” Ryder silently cursed himself for saying a word because now her mouth was dangerously close to his. He was in the exact tempestuous position he’d feared only moments ago. Her lips, full and lush, had taunted and teased him in his dreams. Whatever stirred deep within him went way beyond a passionate night in bed. He wanted all of Chelsea Logan, but she was off-limits. At least until he straightened out his life. And even though he’d already asked her out, a part of him wished he hadn’t. He wanted her company—in more than one way—but a date or two couldn’t turn into a relationship. He had nothing to offer her and until he did, they’d both have to settle for this, and only this. Ryder groaned.