In the Rancher's Arms, page 9
Sloane turned away from the window and leaned her shoulder against the wall, facing him. “All I’m saying is that sometimes you can allow yourself something other than holding everything together. The ranch is important. We all love it here. But life is about more than that. And I want to see you happy.”
“I am.”
“In some ways. But maybe you could be happier, in other ways. Maybe you thought you were just being nice, protective even, but the night of the rodeo you looked as if you had a good time with Arden.”
“Now you’re sounding like Verona Charles.” If the town matchmaker was rubbing off on his sister and mom, he might have to take one of Sloane’s tents to the far side of the ranch and make himself a bachelor pad.
“Hey, that woman has an impressive track record.” Sloane playfully punched him in the shoulder. “Just think about what I said.”
After she left the room, Neil continued to stare out the window, mulling over Sloane’s words. There was no denying he found Arden attractive, even if, like his mom said, Arden could use a lot of rest and good, solid meals. But he couldn’t act on that attraction. It wouldn’t be right. There was no telling what she’d been through, and the last thing he wanted to do was add to her trials.
But what if Sloane was right that Arden could use him as a friend? He thought about the startled look on her face when he’d helped her off the horse. Were she any other woman, he might have thought there was attraction on her part, as well. But he’d probably misread her reaction. Had his touching her brought up bad memories? After all, she’d practically raced away from him and the ranch as fast as she could. The thought that one of her kidnappers could have...abused her made rage rise within him.
Anger that someone as seemingly nice as Arden had been put through what she had, combined with the frustration over the storm damage and the dead and injured cows, made him want to punch a hole in something. The one thing he hated more than anything else in the world was feeling helpless, but Sloane’s so-called fate seemed determined to make him feel exactly that.
Well, screw that. When dawn cracked on another day, he was going to show fate he wasn’t helpless. He dared not think about what Sloane seemed convinced fate had in store for him.
* * *
ARDEN LAY CURLED on her side the next morning, staring at the framed copy of her first big story as an international correspondent, one about military working dogs accompanying US troops in Iraq. She was torn between hanging on to those memories and shoving that framed story far under her bed where the dust bunnies would be the only ones to see it. Based on what had happened the day before, it had really hit home that her career as a journalist was over.
She knew she had to find another job, but she just couldn’t marshal the energy to crawl out of bed. But every time she shut her eyes, she saw the faces of the men who’d captured her, heard their voices even though she could understand only a few words they spoke. Only one of them ever spoke to her in English, enough to tell her that being in the cage was her fault for sticking her nose where it didn’t belong.
Her skin crawled at the memory. She could hear his voice as clearly as if he was crouching in front of her, inches from her face.
The sound of the house phone ringing startled her, but she used it as the impetus to get up. She hated feeling sorry for herself. She’d never been that kind of person before, and she had to find a way to stop being one now.
Her mom’s voice filtered through the closed door, though Arden couldn’t understand what she was saying. She looked at the clock, wondering who was calling at such an early hour. Was it the store her mom managed? One of her father’s doctors?
That second thought was what finally got Arden out of bed. She grabbed the finial on the headboard when she wobbled. Damn it, she despised feeling like some sort of invalid. Maybe some exercise and a good amount of protein was what she needed to focus on until she felt stronger. She couldn’t put off looking for a new job for long, but maybe a couple of days would help her feel more ready to face the world.
She honed in on the memory of hiking in the Himalayas, the strength she’d had in her legs then, the way she’d regulated her breath, and drew on those remembered feelings as she exited her bedroom and headed up the hallway.
“Who was on the phone?” she asked her mom when she entered the kitchen.
Her mom startled, pressing a hand to her chest. “Oh, honey, I didn’t hear you.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Her mom waved off Arden’s concern.
Arden pointed toward the phone on the wall, what now seemed like a relic of an earlier era. “Anything important?”
“No, wrong number.”
Something about the way her mom said the words, a bit clipped and without looking up from where she was breaking eggs into a bowl, made Arden wonder if her mom was lying. Why would she be?
Then it hit her. “It was someone looking for me, wasn’t it? A reporter.”
After so many years of chasing stories, it felt surreal and uncomfortable being the story. Her training allowed her to understand the reporter’s desire to talk to her, but the altercation with John’s boss the day before had left a bitter taste in her mouth.
“Don’t worry about them,” her mom said. “I’ve got it covered.”
“Them? Have there been other calls?”
Her mom didn’t answer.
“Mom?”
“A couple, but it’s nothing for you to worry about.”
Something about the sound of her mom’s voice, the way she moved a little slower than normal, hit Arden all of a sudden. And then came her own concern. She couldn’t allow her mom to take on the worries of the entire family, to possibly get sick like Arden’s dad.
“Mom, stop.”
“What?” Her mom looked genuinely confused.
Arden crossed the room and slid the bowl with the eggs in it to the side. “You’re taking too much on yourself. Let me make breakfast.”
“Nonsense, honey.” Her mom reached for the bowl, but Arden blocked her. “You’ve been through a lot. It’s my job to take care of my girl.”
“You’ve already been taking care of Dad, and worrying about me. I’m sorry about that.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for. It wasn’t your fault.”
“Yes, it was. I made the choice to go out alone, and I paid for it. I didn’t even think about what it would be like for you and Dad if something happened to me.”
Her mom placed her hand atop Arden’s on the countertop. “You were just doing your job, one you’re really good at.”
“Was.”
“Huh?”
“Was really good at. I’m not going back.”
“You don’t have to think about that now, sweetie. Things will look different after you have time to recover.”
Arden knew her mother well enough not to argue any further. Her parents would come to accept her decision when it became obvious she wasn’t going anywhere.
“How about we go out to breakfast?” her dad said from where he’d appeared in the kitchen doorway. “I’m in the mood to see something other than the confines of this house and the yard.”
Arden had to bite down on the instant need to say no. The idea of sitting in the midst of a throng of Blue Falls locals didn’t appeal. Not to mention with the bills continuing to come in, it would be a wiser financial decision to eat at home. But she couldn’t deny her dad some socialization, something that would make him happy. So after they all got dressed, they headed off to the social center of Blue Falls, the Primrose Café.
When they got out of the car and started walking down the sidewalk toward the Primrose, Arden kept her eyes down. Making eye contact invited conversations she didn’t want to have. But not watching what was in front of her also led to her running into someone coming out the door of the hardware store.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, looking up. Right into the gaze of Neil Hartley. Her heart gave a couple of extra hard thumps. “Hey.”
This was getting ridiculous. She’d accuse him of stalking her, but more times than not she was the one showing up where he already was. The universe seemed to either be out to get her or had a bizarre sense of humor, she couldn’t decide which.
“Hey. You okay?”
“Yeah. Just wasn’t watching where I was going.” She noted both his hands were full of supplies. “For repairing the storm damage?”
He nodded. “At least what we can do before the insurance adjuster comes by.”
Arden remembered her parents were behind her and that was probably a good thing. Because there was something about Neil in his checked, button-down shirt, worn jeans and tan cowboy hat that made her jittery in the way that women liked to be jittery. She imagined placing her hand against his chest just to feel the solid warmth of him, to see if the contact sent the jolt through her that she suspected. What was it about him in particular that had her off-kilter, forgetting how to breathe in the correct rhythm?
“We’d best be getting to breakfast before it’s all gone,” she said. As if the cooks at the Primrose Café would ever let that happen.
“Would you like to join us, Neil?” her mom asked.
Arden barely kept herself from whipping her head around to give her mom a “What are you doing?” stare. Instead, she schooled her features into as noncommittal an expression as she could, saying without words that she didn’t care one way or the other whether he joined them. Which, of course, was a lie. She cared. She was conflicted. She liked spending time with him, but it also made her nervous. And the attraction she felt toward him scared her. Part of her was afraid it wasn’t real, that after her experience her mind was just latching on to anything that felt safe. And for whatever reason, Neil felt safe.
“Afraid I don’t have time,” Neil said. “But thank you for the invitation.” When he smiled at her mom, Arden’s heart flipped. Damn, he was one handsome man. When he turned his gaze toward Arden, his smile held less wattage but felt somehow warmer, softer. “If you have any more questions for your article, let me know.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
As Arden and her parents resumed their trek to the Primrose and Neil headed in the opposite direction, she was surprised by the sense of loss and disappointment that filled her.
“That boy grew up to be a mighty fine-looking young man,” her mom said.
“Be careful, Molly, you’ll make me jealous.”
Her mom wrapped her arms around Arden’s dad’s upper arm. “You know you’re the only man for me.”
Her dad laughed. “Good thing. You’re the only one who’ll put up with me.”
“You’ve got me there.”
Arden smiled at her parents’ playfulness with each other, even after everything they’d been through during the past couple of months. Maybe it was because of those trying weeks. She noticed how her mom seemed hesitant to let go of her dad’s arm, as if something terrible might happen to him if she did. But in the next moment her dad planted a sweet kiss atop her mom’s head, and Arden’s heart filled as if being inflated like a balloon.
What would it be like to love someone that much? To have them love you back? Before she thought better of it, she glanced over her shoulder. Her step faltered when she found that Neil was standing next to his truck watching them. She pretended she didn’t see him, but her body buzzed all over. As she hurried to hold the door of the café open for her parents, she tried not to assign too much meaning to what she’d seen. And she sure as heck didn’t repeat her glance down the street. If he was still looking, she feared she might melt and she wouldn’t even have the full heat of a Texas summer to blame for the puddle.
Chapter Seven
Neil sat in his dad’s truck on Main Street and tried to figure out what it was about Arden Wilkes that drew him and made him feel a bit like an awkward teenager. Despite his determination to be a friend if she needed one, his body’s reaction to her was considerably more than friendly. Luckily, she hadn’t seemed to notice. For a moment, he’d almost been glad for the storm damage and the pile of work waiting for him at the ranch because it had given him the excuse he needed to get away from her.
Maybe his odd reaction had been because she’d been with her parents, out in the main part of town where dozens of people could see. He’d been much more relaxed—if no less attracted—when they’d been riding together on the ranch the day before. But just now on the sidewalk, he’d both wanted to race away from her and drop his mouth to hers. Of course he couldn’t do either and the latter was a really bad idea. And selfish. Here was a woman who’d been through hell and his stupid hormones were sending inappropriate messages to his brain.
Sloane was wrong. He wasn’t the right person to offer up friendship to Arden as she recovered. It made a lot more sense for Sloane to fill that role. As he started the truck and headed toward home, he tried to figure out a way to tell his sister that, while also not making her suspicious.
As he pulled into the ranch, however, his thoughts shifted away from Arden and to more pressing issues. He got out of the truck, then noticed his dad standing next to the fence staring out across the pasture.
Angel came toward the truck, her camera bag slung over her shoulder. “About time you got back.”
“It was busy at the hardware store.” No way was he telling her about sitting in the truck for several minutes trying to untangle his thoughts about Arden. “Where are you off to?”
“Out to the Teague place. They hired me to take some photos for their new promotional material for the guest ranch.”
He noticed his dad still hadn’t moved from his spot. “What’s up with Dad?”
“He was in the office working on the books. I’m not sure, but I think that real estate guy called.”
Neil’s jaw clenched. Why couldn’t the guy take no for an answer?
Angel placed her hand on Neil’s arm. “He’ll be okay. You know how he sometimes just has to have fresh air and open space to think.”
A lot like Neil himself.
He nodded and handed over the keys to the truck. “Hopefully we’ll all have new windshields soon so we don’t have to play musical truck keys.”
Neil watched as Angel hopped in the truck and took off for another step in her budding career as a photographer of ranches and rodeos. A part of him envied her the interest that was hers alone. Kind of like Ben’s saddle-making, Sloane’s camps for underprivileged kids and Adam’s interest in creating a branded beef from their herd and marketing it to restaurants. Honestly, Neil didn’t know how they found the time or energy for those pursuits. He felt as if he spent all of his time putting a bandage on one aspect of the ranch then racing to plug a hole on another. It left him little time for hobbies or second careers or even...whatever it was that he was feeling for Arden.
He turned and walked toward where his dad stood.
“I hear that pest of a real estate agent called. I could ask Simon to tell the guy to back off,” Neil said, referring to Simon Teague, the local sheriff.
His dad shook his head. “No need.”
A sliver of concern worked its way through Neil at the way his dad seemed to be both there and a million miles away simultaneously. “What’s wrong?”
His dad propped his forearm atop one of the fence posts. “Nothing for you to worry about.”
“You might as well tell me or I’ll invent half a dozen reasons.”
His dad glanced at him before returning his gaze to the pasture. “You ever wonder if the ones selling out have the right idea?”
“No.” That sliver of concern exploded in size. “You’re not taking the offer seriously, are you? We’ve taken some hits, but it’s nothing we can’t handle.”
“Until the next time, and the next time.”
“Where’s this coming from? You’ve had worse times than this before and we got through it.” Those really lean years were the driving force behind Neil’s determination that the ranch stay in the family. Despite things being hard, his parents hadn’t once made Neil or his siblings feel as if they were a burden despite them not being blood kin. Neil would spend his life repaying his parents for that kindness. Even if he were a master of words, he’d never find the ones to truly tell them how much their adopting him had meant. So he did his best every day to show them.
His dad shrugged. “Just wondering if stubbornness is blinding me to practicality.”
“Dad, this is more than just a place to live. The ranch is...” Neil searched for the right words, wishing he was more like Arden, who probably always knew the right word in any situation. “It’s family, too. I’m not the only one who feels that way.”
His dad turned toward him. “You think the constant struggle is worth it?”
“Yes, I do.”
A small smile tugged at the edges of his dad’s mouth. Then he gave a nod. “That’s all I need to hear.”
Neil tipped up the front of his hat. “You thought I’d say something different?”
“I just worry that you all are inheriting problems you didn’t choose.”
“I doubt you chose the problems either. Nobody chooses to have them.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I’ll take them any day if I get to continue to call this place home.” How many times had he worried growing up that the Rocking Heart and these people who had come to mean so much to him would be taken away?
If he was honest, he still carried that fear with him. Maybe that was why he felt connected to Arden—he understood how one traumatic experience could change your entire outlook on the world and your place in it.
His dad gripped his shoulder. “It makes me happy you love it here so much. Just don’t forget that there are other things worth loving, too.”
