The Rancher's Family--A Clean Romance

by Barbara White Daille

  Lizzie already held out a fresh cone, again complete with whipped cream and sprinkles. At this rate, she’d have no appetite left for any dinner at all.

  “No charge for this one,” Lizzie said. “That’ll teach me to make my cones more accident-proof.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” the cowboy insisted, frowning.

  “That’s okay,” the teen said. “But you might add a bigger tip in the jar before you go.”

  “Bigger than usual, you mean?”

  Cara glanced at him in surprise, but Lizzie laughed, taking the comment as a joke, as he had probably intended it to be. He might not smile much but at least he had a sense of humor—with the right person. And he did seem to have a good relationship with his son.

  The reminder made her stomach twinge again. Forcing a smile, she held up her cone. “I guess you’d call this freebie one of the perks of living in a small town. I’d never expect the same courtesy back home.”

  If he’d planned to respond, she would never know. Mark tugged on her shirt, stealing her attention. “Where is home?”

  “Phoenix,” she said. “That’s in Arizona. Do you know where Arizona is?”

  “Next door,” he said promptly, eyeing her cone. “Good ice cream?”

  “It’s great.” Judging by the way he stared with his eyebrows nearly meeting in concern, he didn’t buy her answer. She took a lick of sweet chocolate and didn’t have to fake her response. “Mmm...it’s yummy. Thank you very much.”

  “Welcome.” Now Mark grinned.

  His father simply turned back to the counter to place the boy’s order.

  No sense trying to be sociable with this cowboy. Either he was the strong, silent type or he just didn’t feel the need to show the same manners he expected from his own son.

  Add yet another who-cares checkmark to the list. With luck, she would never see Mark’s daddy again.

  While she was in Cowboy Creek, she and Andi might make a few trips to the local sandwich shop and here to the Big Dipper. Other than that, she would spend her time out at the ranch—where, unlike this cowboy, everyone made her feel welcome.

  CHAPTER TWO

  THE MINUTE CARA pulled into the long driveway leading up to the Hitching Post, the front door of the hotel opened and a woman stepped outside.

  At this distance, Cara couldn’t make out features, but the woman’s long wavy blond hair gave a good clue as to who might be waiting for her on the porch.

  As she drove past the hotel to the parking area on the side of the building, she practiced a few slow steadying breaths. Between Andi’s concern and her grandfather’s bright-eyed scrutiny, Cara would need lots of calming techniques during her visit.

  As much as she appreciated and wanted their support and sympathy, she also needed to hold herself together. At least, until she and her best friend had a good, long talk.

  When Cara climbed from the front seat, Andi wrapped her in a hug. “It’s about time you got here! I’ve been pacing the floor all day.”

  She laughed. “Now, that’s an exaggeration. It couldn’t have been all day. You knew I wouldn’t get here until at least the middle of the afternoon.”

  “Whatever. I’m just glad to see you. Come on, let’s start taking your stuff up to your room.”

  An older pickup truck came around the corner of the building. The driver pulled to a stop a few spaces away. Andi’s grandfather emerged from the truck, settled his Stetson on his head and loped toward them.

  Jed Garland was slim and long-legged. In his seventies, he had white hair and bright blue eyes that could be unsettling at times. Those eyes always seemed able to see more than anyone else’s did.

  “Well, look who’s finally turned up like a lucky penny. Welcome.” He wrapped Cara in a bear hug, then stood back, looking searchingly at her. “How’s our girl?”

  From the minute they’d met, Jed had treated her like another granddaughter, and he’d become a substitute for the grandfathers she’d lost when she was a little girl.

  She gave him an extra-big smile. No way could he find anything suspicious about that. “I’m just fine and thrilled to be here again.”

  “Good. We’ve all been looking forward to your visit. Andi most of all.”

  “I didn’t know you’d gone out, Grandpa,” Andi said. “What have you been up to?”

  Unlike the cowboy from the Big Dipper, Jed smiled easily and often. Surprisingly, his face suddenly wrinkled in a frown. “Went to Sugar’s for a cup of coffee.” SugarPie’s was a combination bakery and sandwich shop in town. “I stopped by Wes Daniels’s place, thought maybe I’d talk him into going with me. But I couldn’t get him out the door.” He looked at Cara to explain, “Wes is an old friend of the family, a widower now, lost his wife just over a year ago.”

  “I’m very sorry to hear that.” Instantly, she sympathized with this Mr. Daniels. Now more than ever, it hurt even to think of anyone losing someone they loved.

  “Something’s got to be done about that man,” he said. “He’s had a hard time of things, but if he keeps on the way he’s headed, he’ll wind up a hermit.”

  “Not if you can help it,” Andi said. “I’m sure you’ll come up with a way to get him over here for a visit soon.”

  He tilted his head slightly, considering Cara again. Now would be just the time for him to ask exactly the wrong question. Instead, he only said, “We’ll do some catching up once you get settled in.” And even that sounded ominous.

  Mentally, she shook her head. Jed knew everything that went on in Cowboy Creek, but even he couldn’t know she’d been holding out on Andi.

  “We were just going upstairs,” Andi told him.

  “Good enough. I’ll tell Paz to get supper going.” He touched his fingertips to the brim of his Stetson in farewell.

  Cara opened the trunk, revealing four canvas carryalls.

  Andi gasped. “This is all you brought?”

  “I packed light and left everything else in storage for now. And I brought a lot of quarters for the laundry.”

  “Very funny.” Andi took two of the bags. “Let’s go in through the front door and grab your room key. The dining room’s closed on Sundays, remember, so we’ll be eating in the kitchen. Grandpa and Paz waited to have supper with us, too.”

  And while her hosts held up their own dinner, she’d eaten ice cream at the Big Dipper. “They didn’t have to do that.”

  “They wanted to.”

  Inside the hotel, Andi went behind the registration desk spanning the long right-side wall of the lobby. Opposite the desk was the entrance to the sitting room, large enough for the extended Garland family and all their guests to move around comfortably.

  And comfort was the keyword at the Hitching Post, from the sitting room’s oversize couches and chairs to the guest room’s down-filled pillows.

  The southwestern decor reminded Cara of home. Supple leather, heavy wood and wrought iron accented the furnishings. Bright glazed pottery sat on tabletops and on shelves hanging from the walls. Everything together turned the Hitching Post into a warm and welcoming haven.

  Knowing this haven waited for her had made her even more eager to return to Cowboy Creek.

  “Are you okay?” Andi dangled a key in front of her. “Have you been hypnotized?”

  “No, I’m just looking around,” Cara said. “It seems like nothing’s changed since my last visit.”

  “Nothing has,” Andi said. “When I spent every summer vacation here, that’s one thing I always loved about the Hitching Post. Every time I came back, it felt like I’d never left.” She waved the key ring again. “Second floor. Your own favorite room. Elevator or stairs?”

  “Elevator? What’s the matter—are you out of shape since you quit the gym?” They had met at their local gym, when they’d independently walked out of a killer aerobics class and wound up s
haring a booth in the coffee shop next door. Cara plucked the key from her fingers. “Give you one guess.”

  * * *

  THEY HAD TAKEN the stairs.

  Cara set her bags on the floor and plopped onto the bed. The bedspread’s rich turquoise-and-cream colors echoed in the curtains and two upholstered chairs near the window, with a small round table between them.

  Not that she ever got much reading time in on her visits.

  Andi took one of the roomy chairs and curled her legs beneath her. Cara recognized the signs she was settling in for one of their heart-to-heart talks.

  Those talks were what Cara missed most since Andi had left Arizona.

  When they’d met, Cara had already gone up the ladder of a local department store, and when Andi unexpectedly needed a job, Cara had recommended her for an opening. Since they’d worked different shifts, she had volunteered to babysit for Andi’s two kids, watching them at her apartment.

  Cara loved and missed Trey and Missy, yet she dreaded seeing them again. Being with them would remind her of her own child, the unborn baby she loved and missed with all her heart.

  “I know you’ve been busy,” Andi said, “but your emails and texts have been almost nonexistent for a while now. So fill me in on all the latest.”

  All described it perfectly. Cara unthinkingly brushed her palms across her stomach, then froze. She’d kept quiet about her pregnancy, wanting instead to share her joy in person. Now she almost wished she hadn’t waited. Telling Andi the bad news face-to-face was going to be so much harder than she’d expected.

  She’d hesitated for too long, and Andi spoke again. “I really had hopes for you and Brad after you finally decided to move in together.”

  You finally decided... Key words there. More than a sign—a roadside billboard. How could Cara not have seen it?

  “Your hopes couldn’t have been any higher than mine,” she admitted.

  Instead of Brad coming down to Phoenix, they had agreed to live in his condo in Flagstaff, and at the start of spring, she had relocated. Almost immediately, she had gotten pregnant.

  And Brad, the man who’d said he wanted to be with her...who’d claimed to want the family she’d longed for, too...suddenly changed his mind.

  “Moving in together turned into a trial period by default.” Swallowing hard, she shrugged. “A good thing, after all, since we figured out being together permanently wouldn’t work. We wouldn’t work.”

  Being left without a home or a job didn’t matter. She’d clung to what was most important. She still had her baby to love and all the joys of motherhood to look forward to.

  By the early summer, she had lost those, too.

  “I’m sorry about what happened with you and Brad,” Andi said. “But I’m glad you’re here to stay with us.”

  “For a while, anyhow. And even though Jed’s nice enough to give me a free ride as far as my room—”

  “There’s no nice about it. Besides, I live here now, too.” After Andi remarried, she and her family moved into the Garlands’ private wing of the Hitching Post. “And I’m sure not going to charge a friend to stay at my house.”

  “Yes, but this is a hotel.” She tried for a laugh and almost made it sound natural. “How is Jed going to make a profit if he’s covering my room and all my meals indefinitely? Don’t get me wrong—I appreciate his generosity, but I’m not destitute, you know. I’ve got savings. Though that’s another thing that won’t last forever.”

  “Cara. You would do the same for me, and you know it. We’ve got your room and board covered. Now, what happened when you told Edie?”

  She had called the manager at the store where she’d worked, and where Andi had still had a part-time job until moving to Cowboy Creek. “She said she would have taken me back in a minute—and I believe her. But they had already replaced me and didn’t have any other openings available.”

  It was Andi who had convinced her not to look for a permanent job yet and to come to Cowboy Creek for an indefinite stay. To be honest, it hadn’t taken much convincing.

  Andi sighed. “I wish I could tell you just to get a job here, but as much as I love Cowboy Creek, it’s a small town.”

  Exactly what Lizzie had emphasized at the Big Dipper earlier. “And with a very small business district.”

  “True. It’s not like there are dozens of openings just waiting to be filled. At least you can commute. I’ve been looking around lately, but with the kids and my work here at the hotel, I want something local. But there’s nothing here.”

  “Don’t you have enough to keep you busy already, between taking care of the kids and handling wedding preparations?” Along with reservations for staying guests, the Hitching Post catered weddings and other special events. Andi and her two cousins handled most of this side of the business for Jed.

  “It’s not as much work as you’d think. The catering business is picking up, we’re all happy to say, especially Grandpa. We have a wedding reception booked a few weeks from now, but with three of us dividing everything up, there’s never too much for any one of us to handle. And...” Andi ran her hand along the edge of the table.

  “And what?”

  “Tina and Jane have other jobs, too. You know Tina’s assistant manager and bookkeeper for the hotel. And Jane’s photography business is doing great. That’s why I’ve been thinking about finding another job, too. And...” Her friend cleared her throat too late to hide the break in her voice.

  “What else?” Cara asked gently.

  Andi shook her head.

  “What’s the matter, Andi?”

  She looked up, her eyes hazy with tears. “Mitch and I are trying to get pregnant. But it’s been a while, and nothing’s happening yet.” She added in a rush, “I was thinking about a job long before we started trying, though. One thing’s got nothing to do with the other.” She sighed again. “Well, I really didn’t plan to tell you all that right now. We don’t need it hanging over us, and you have enough on your mind.”

  Andi stood abruptly. “You probably want to freshen up, and I should go see if Paz needs help. By the way, except for Paz and Grandpa, it’s just us for dinner tonight. All the adults took the kids in to town for some bowling. Tina and Jane thought you might appreciate a quiet grown-ups-only dinner your first night here.”

  They couldn’t have been more right, though for the wrong reasons. “I’ll have to remember to thank them.” Or send them flowers for buying her some time.

  “I’ll see you in the kitchen.” Andi left, closing the door behind her.

  Cara slumped on the bed.

  At least she hadn’t made the situation worse. Who could’ve known months ago that not sharing about her pregnancy would be the right decision? A decision she had to hold on to for a while. With Andi so upset right now, she didn’t need to hear that her best friend had lost a baby.

  * * *

  JED GARLAND MADE his way into the hotel kitchen, where Paz, the Hitching Post’s cook, was preparing their Sunday dinner. Paz was also his longtime friend and the grandmother of his youngest granddaughter, Tina.

  “Cara’s here,” he announced. “She and Andi were headed to Cara’s room. Something’s up with that young lady. I need to find out from Andi what’s going on.” He snatched a wedge of green pepper from Paz’s cutting board, then laughed and ducked as she swatted at him. The two of them went through the steal-and-swat ritual nearly every day.

  “I suppose there’s no need to question your feelings.” The silver strands in Paz’s hair danced as she shook her head. “You always just seem to know.”

  “It’s a gift,” he agreed.

  Brows raised, she simply stared at him.

  “Well...” There was no hiding anything from Paz. “It also appeared obvious when I talked to her outside. I asked how she was, and she gave me the most reassuring response. It wouldn’t have convin
ced a greenhorn to saddle up Daffodil, and she’s the sweetest mare I’ve ever owned.” The oldest, too, and long retired to live out her days on Garland Ranch.

  As he took his favorite spot at the table, Andi walked into the room. When he saw the frown on her pretty face, he frowned, too, and beckoned her to the table. “Have a seat, girl. We haven’t got much time, and we need to do some talking.”

  “About what?”

  “Your innocent act needs some work. You know what I’m about to say as well as I do. It’s plain to see Cara’s worried about something. And I’m thinking you’re worried about Cara.”

  “I am. Guess I’m not very good at hiding my feelings, am I?”

  “And I wouldn’t have you any other way.” He squeezed her hand. “Now, we already know the girl’s got no job and no home. That’s not a problem. She can stay here as long as she likes. You told her so, I hope.”

  “Of course. But that’s just it. She doesn’t want to take advantage of your hospitality.”

  “Well, let’s hope you set her straight on that point, too. We all extend hospitality here. To our paying guests. Cara’s not a guest—she’s part of the family.”

  “She knows how we feel. And that I want her to stay. But she’s already hinting around about leaving.”

  “Well, we’ll just see about that.”

  Andi’s blue eyes gleamed and at last she smiled. “You’re scheming again, Grandpa.”

  “Darned right, I am. Would you expect anything less?”

  “No. And I wouldn’t have you any other way.” This time, she was the one to squeeze his hand as she echoed his words. “Though I’m not sure Cara’s ready for your matchmaking services.”

  “Who said anything about matchmaking?”

  Naturally, he planned to spend plenty of time on that, too, but his granddaughter didn’t need to know all the details up front. “I’m thinking of getting her to help us around here somehow. She can hardly insist on leaving if she’s doing us a favor, can she?”

  “I wouldn’t think so. But we can’t use the wedding business as a reason. I’ve already told her Jane and Tina and I have that covered.”