The Hopeful Heart

by Jaclyn Hardy

  Angela laughed. “That’s what they’ve all said.”

  Brianna frowned as she followed Angela upstairs. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re not the first person who has come here from New York. Whether it’s for vacations or whatever, they come and end up staying.” Angela opened the door to an adorable room with its own bathroom. “Rachel doesn’t use this anymore and she said it’s fine if we rent it out. Let me know if you need anything.”

  Brianna blushed. “Actually . . . I need some clothes. My luggage was lost, and I have nothing. Oh, and can we go to a bank?”

  “I actually need to head to Burley soon for groceries so I can take you in with me.”

  Brianna nodded in acknowledgment, but her mind was elsewhere. How in the world was she even supposed to get an account or get access to her money? She had no ID that she knew of. Which meant it would be hard for the school to pay her. Dr. Lachele had basically trapped her.

  I don’t know if you can hear me, Lachele, but I could really use any form of ID!!!

  “Are you okay, Brianna? You look pale.” Angela leaned closer and peered into her eyes.

  “Sorry, yes. I’m fine.” Except for the headache that appeared when asking for help.

  Angela shot her a skeptical look before turning to the door. “We’ll leave in ten minutes. I just need to write a quick grocery list.”

  “Okay.” Brianna rubbed her forehead, trying to get the headache to go away. Maybe she shouldn’t attempt to contact Lachele again.

  She went into the adjoining room to wash her face and get a drink of water. She brushed her hair with her fingers—she’d need to get a brush—and left to go find Angela.

  “There you are. I just finished with my list.” Angela gestured toward the door. “Oh, and Thomas dropped that by. He said you left it in his truck.”

  Brianna blinked. It was her purse. How . . .? Dr. Lachele must have heard her wish. But the throbbing headache was enough to make Brianna not want to do it again. She picked it up and went through it. Everything was there. Her purse, her chapstick, the candy wrappers from class. The only thing missing was the book she had stored in it. Goose bumps rose on her skin. She didn’t actually go into that novel, did she? That had to be a coincidence.

  “Glad he found this. I would have had a hard time shopping without it.” Brianna patted it. “So how far away is Burley?”

  “It’s about twenty minutes.” Angela took her keys off a hook and opened the door.

  A woman who looked about Brianna’s age stood at the door with her hands filled with bags. “I hadn’t even knocked yet.”

  “Rachel. What are you doing here? I thought you were swamped at the hotel.” Angela waited for Rachel to walk past, then swept a little boy up off the ground. “Give your grandma loves, sweetie.”

  Brianna assumed this was the daughter she’d stolen the room from. She closed the door and leaned against it, content just to watch.

  “We had his appointment today. He grew a whole five pounds and four inches this year.” Rachel opened one of the bags and pulled out canned vegetables. “Were you about to go somewhere?”

  “I was about to go get everything you just brought.” Angela laughed. “Also, Brianna just got here and she needs all new things. Lost her luggage on the way here.”

  Rachel made a face. “Hate that. Patrick’s lost his luggage on business trips more than once.”

  “It’s the worst.” Brianna was going to scream if she had to tell one more person that story. Everyone here was so nice and she hated lying to them. But saying ‘Oh, I just got thrown into a western novel that you’re a part of so I could meet the guy of my dreams’ wasn’t exactly the best way to start in a new place.

  “Do you need to get back to the hotel? Maybe you can take her shopping. I could watch Evan for a bit.”

  Rachel checked her phone and nodded. “I should have some time. Let me call Patrick and make sure that’s okay. I need to put an order in at the butcher shop anyway.”

  Angela glanced over at Brianna. “Are you okay if she takes you? That way I can get started on dinner.”

  “Of course.” Brianna wondered if Mr. Tall Guy would be eating here tonight or if he went somewhere else. Maybe she should find out his name at some point before she went all crazy over him.

  Rachel came in from the other room. “Okay, Patrick is holding down the fort, Laura has the front desk, and the craziness has died down a little. I think we have some time before Mandy’s closes, but we should hurry.”

  Brianna followed her out the door. “Mandy’s?”

  “I can tell how uncomfortable you are in those clothes so I figured you could use something a little more city-like.” Rachel grinned and opened the door to her truck. “And Mandy’s is exactly where you’ll find what you want.”

  Brianna glanced down at her clothes and then back at Rachel. Did she really look that uncomfortable? Probably. She shrugged and climbed in. There was nothing city about where they were right now, so she doubted the clothes they had there were her style, but it was better than nothing. Besides, she wanted something she looked good in for the next time she saw Mr. Tall Guy. She whispered a ‘thank you’ to Dr. Lachele and breathed in the fresh air as they headed back toward the little town she now called home.

  Lance stared after the woman as she walked up the steps into the Poulton’s house. Who was she? He’d have to wait to ask Thomas until the other ranch hands were done getting their chores for the day.

  There had been talk of some teacher coming here to take over for a few classes, but the Poultons had visitors often enough that it could have been anyone.

  “Yo, Lance. Are you listening?” Thomas nudged him.

  “Huh? What? Oh, yeah. Sorry. I have the north pasture and the fruit trees.” Lance adjusted his hat, trying to hide the blush creeping up his neck. It’s not like Thomas would have even known what he was thinking about, but still. He was the last of his friends who was still single and they teased him mercilessly about it.

  Thomas shook his head. “I don’t know how you do it, man. You weren’t even on this planet for a moment there.”

  Lance grinned. “Pure skill. Want to trade the fruit trees for the corn? There’s more shade there.”

  “More shade, and more to do. No thanks.” Thomas clapped him on the back. “Heading home. See you in the morning. And by the way, her name is Brianna.” He winked and turned to jog to his truck.

  So Thomas had noticed him staring at Brianna. Great. Lance was never going to live that down. He grabbed a bucket to feed the cows, welcoming the quiet while the rest of the ranch hands dispersed to finish the last of their chores.

  Lance loved it here on the ranch. Even though the chores remained essentially the same, each day brought new surprises from baby calves, to broken down tractors, to freak rainstorms. It was simple, and it was perfect.

  He waved at Carl—the owner of the ranch—as they passed. Carl was also Lance’s uncle and had convinced his sister a few years back to let Lance come to work for them. “How’s Bessie?”

  “She’s all right. She should have her calf any day now.” Carl nodded toward the feed. “Can you give her a little extra tonight?”

  “Sure.” Lance waved and went straight to Bessie’s stall. “Hey, girl. You’re almost done.”

  Bessie let out a low groan and waddled over to eat the food that Lance poured into her feeder. Lance stretched out his arm to stroke her back, then moved on. He’d just finished with the last stall when the bell rang for dinner. Lance set the bucket on the rack and stretched.

  There were still a couple of things he needed to do, but if he didn’t get in there soon, everyone would eat all the food. He went to the bunkhouse to wash his hands, and took a little extra time to run a comb through his hair. If there was any chance she might be there that night …

  The dining room was packed with ranch hands dishing up food or eating while telling whatever crazy stories came to mind. A pang of disappointment hit Lance when he
realized she wasn’t here. She must have eaten in the kitchen or something.

  The chicken and mashed potatoes were perfect as usual. Angela was known for her cooking, and Lance loved that he got to eat here every day. After a second helping, Lance stood and took his plate to the tub of dishes.

  He caught movement in the kitchen, so he turned to tell Angela how good the food was. He stopped when he realized it was Brianna. She was even more beautiful up close. Her long hair had blonde highlights, and her smile lit up the room as she laughed at something Angela said.

  Lance looked around for a reason to meet her and spotted the dishes left over from dinner. He grabbed the tub and took it into the kitchen. “Hey, Angela. This was getting really full so I figured I’d help you out.”

  “Thanks, Lance. I was just about to go get that.” She gestured to the counter by the sink. “Just set it there.”

  He set it down and turned. “No problem. Carl should be in soon. He’s keeping an eye on Bessie.”

  Angela nodded. “He told me she was close.”

  “For sure.” His eyes drifted over to Brianna.

  “Oh, where are my manners? Lance, this is Brianna. She’ll be teaching at the high school.”

  Lance pushed off the counter and held out his hand. “Welcome to our tiny piece of the world. I hope it doesn’t bore you to death.”

  Angela elbowed him. “You. What he means is welcome to our little piece of heaven.”

  Brianna laughed and shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. And from the small amount of what I’ve seen, I love it here.”

  “I see you’ve been to Mandy’s.” He’d know her style anywhere.

  “How’d you know that?” Brianna looked down at her outfit, smoothing her skirt.

  Lance chuckled. “Well, for one, no other stores in the area carry that kind of skirt or blouse.”

  Brianna raised an eyebrow. “What makes you an expert on women’s styles?”

  “Mandy is Thomas’s wife. I helped build and set up her shop. I got to know them all pretty well as I moved them around the store.”

  “Seriously? That’s really cool.” Brianna rested her elbows on the counter. “So you all just help each other out all the time?”

  Lance shrugged. “If we don’t, who will?”

  “I don’t know.” Brianna’s laugh sent a shiver through him. She yawned and stood. “I guess if I’m going to be teaching tomorrow, I should probably get some sleep. Shoot. I should have asked Thomas for a ride.”

  Angela shook her head. “He only goes every other day. I can take you. I’ll be up making breakfast anyway.”

  Lance perked up. “I can take you. I mean, if that’s all right with Carl. I could grab a few things while I’m in town.”

  “You sure?” Angela asked. “Carl will be fine with it as long as you get everything done. We can get one of his old trucks running for her later, but for now it would be great if you can help out.”

  Lance met Brianna’s eyes. “Are you good with that?”

  “That would be great. Thank you.” She beamed. “So you work here?”

  “Yep. I stay in the bunkhouse. But I’m hoping to get my own place soon.” Although if she was staying here at the ranch long enough, he’d be tempted to stick around.

  Brianna nodded. “That would be awesome. So you want to keep ranching? Or do something else?”

  “Ranching’s in my blood now. I wouldn’t think of doing anything else.”

  “Kinda like teaching for me.” She leaned against the counter, her hair falling over her shoulder. She smoothed it back. “Although, I always wanted to try my hand at the whole ranching thing.”

  Lance raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

  “Why is that so hard to believe?”

  “Well . . . You’re a city girl, right? I guess it just surprised me.” Lance wished he could take back his words. Why wouldn’t she want to? Besides the fact that she was wearing designer clothes and her hair and makeup were perfect. Rachel could be that way, too.

  Brianna smirked. “I may be from the city, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to try something new. I came here because I wanted a fresh start in a small town.”

  Lance could understand that. “Maybe we should start over. Hey, I’m Lance.”

  “Brianna.” But her smile told him she wouldn’t be forgetting this conversation any time soon.

  “I better head back outside. I have some chores to do before sunset. See you tomorrow?”

  She brightened. “What kind of chores?”

  “I need to check on one of our cows again, and mark potato fields in the tractor. I couldn’t do it earlier because needed a part.”

  “Which is why you were all standing around the tractor when I got here earlier?”

  “Yep. Well, that and we had to find out our jobs for tomorrow.” He hesitated. “Don’t suppose you want to ride in the tractor?”

  Brianna brightened. “Really?”

  “Sure. I figure that way you can see a little more of the ranch.”

  She stared at the books on the table for a moment before finally nodding. “I can’t stay too late because I need to go over lesson plans, but yes, that would be awesome.”

  “You, uh, may want to change shoes.” He nodded toward her sandals.

  “I have to put the boots back on?” She sighed. “Okay, I’ll be right back.” She trudged toward the stairs.

  Angela patted him on the shoulder. “I figured you’d get it one of these days.”

  “Get what?” he asked, eyebrows raised.

  “One of Cupid’s arrows.” She held a finger up. “Don’t tell me I didn’t see what I know I saw.” She handed him a plate of food. “I haven’t seen Carl yet. Will you take this to him? I’ll send Brianna out as soon as she’s ready.”

  Lance took the plate from her. “Maybe Bessie didn’t wait till morning.”

  Angela opened the door for him. “You might be right. Shoot me a text if that’s the case.”

  “Got it.” Lance walked around the house and out to the barn.

  The lights were on, and he heard several voices from the other ranch hands. He headed straight back to Bessie’s stall. The vet had arrived at some point and Justin and Thomas stood in the stall helping him. Carl wasn’t in the area, so Lance went to find him.

  He turned the corner and found Carl coming back with a bucket of water. Lance held up the plate. “Angela sent me with this. Is there anything I can do?”

  “Can you take the water to Matt? I need to eat before I collapse.” Carl set down the bucket and took the plate from Lance. “Thank you.”

  “No problem. Oh, and you’ll want to tell Angela. I was supposed to text her.” Lance took the water back to the stall and set it next to Matt, the local vet. “Carl will be back in a bit.”

  Lance stepped back and moved around the others. He wanted to stay to help out, but there was other work to be done. Besides, it looked like it would be a bit before Bessie had her calf anyway.

  He checked the equipment on the tractor to make sure everything was hooked up correctly and then started it. The loud grinding noise from before came out as a low rumble. Much better.

  Brianna stood just outside the tractor looking up at him. She’d changed into her boots and wore a thick jacket. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun, which made her even more attractive than before.

  Lance opened the door and gestured for her to come up the ladder. He held a hand out to help her with the last step. “There’s a small seat right here.”

  “This is awesome.” She glanced around at the control panels. “You know what all of these do?”

  “All except this one.” He pointed at a larger black one. “I’m only supposed to touch it in emergencies.”

  Her eyes widened. “Seriously?”

  “Nope. That’s just the volume to the radio.” He grinned and flipped a few switches before going into reverse.

  She laughed and elbowed him. “Remind me not to trust you again.”

  �
��I’m hurt.” He held a hand to his heart as he steered toward the potato field near the back of the ranch. Once everything was lined up, he moved slowly down the line.

  “So do you all take turns in the tractor?” Brianna asked.

  He nodded. “We all have our chores and trade off every day with some of them. I’ll be working in the orchard tomorrow.”

  “Oh, cool. Where’s that?” Brianna peered out into the dark.

  “To the east of us. It’s not huge, but it provides fruit for the best pies in the world.” Lance turned the tractor and started down the next line. “How much work do you have tonight? This’ll take about an hour.”

  She shrugged. “I just have to read through what’s already prepared. It shouldn’t take too long. I’ve taught a lot of this already.”

  “Okay. I’ll try to get you back in time to actually get some sleep.” He caught her shiver and turned on the heat. He didn’t like turning it on because it made him tired, but he also didn’t want her to freeze.

  Lance pulled open the cooler and took out a granola bar for each of them. “Hungry?”

  “After what Angela served? Not really. I ate more in one meal than I usually do all day. But I guess I didn’t have dessert, so I’ll have one.”

  “Now, if it’s dessert you want, I have something better.” He dropped them back into the cooler and pulled out two cupcakes. “Just don’t tell Angela. I may have hidden them after the picnic we had for Easter.”

  Brianna took one of them and raised an eyebrow. “That was almost a week ago. You’re sure they’re still good?”

  “Trust me. They’re fine.” He pulled the cupcake wrapper off his and took a bite. The frosting was sweet and perfect, but the rest was a little dry. “Okay, so really, you need to have one of her cupcakes when they’re fresh, but this is still really good.”

  Brianna hesitated before taking a bite. She closed her eyes as she chewed. “Oh man. This is amazing.”

  “Right?” Lance reached up and wiped the frosting off her nose before he realized what he’d done. He pulled away and grabbed a tissue from a nearby box. “Sorry.”

  “It’s all right.” Brianna wiped the rest of the frosting off with the tissue. “Oh, look, you have some on your nose as well. Here, let me get that.” She reached forward and smeared the frosting from her cupcake on his face before Lance could react.