The Rancher's Second Chance

A woman came bustling out of the kitchen. She was nearly as tall as Brody. Her auburn hair, shot through with gray, was pulled back in a tight ponytail. She grinned big as she scooted past them with a tray of food.

“Sit anywhere, kids, and I’ll be back to take your order in a few.”

“Will do, Ned.” Brody led Grace to a table where a half dozen people sat together. There was an older couple that smiled as they continued to bicker over something, a couple of men drinking coffee and a younger couple with a little boy.

“Mind if we join you all?” Brody asked as he reached for a chair.

“Sure thing,” one of the older men said. “Have a seat, and introduce us to your friend, Brody.”

“Grace Thomas.” Brody pulled out a chair for her and took the seat next to it. “This is Ian Fisher and his brother, Bill. That’s their sister, Ava, and her husband, Chuck, and these are the Lansings.” He nodded toward the young family. “Sara and Carl and their son, Clay.”

She smiled and thanked them for letting her join them. They all laughed and made jokes about Brody not giving anyone a chance to say no.

He reddened at the joke and looked as though he might wish he’d taken a seat elsewhere. But this was Martin’s Crossing, and she imagined if they’d sat alone the rumors would have been rampant. Not that there wouldn’t be rumors anyway.

Ned headed their way after refilling coffee for a few diners.

She placed glasses of water in front of them and then pulled up a chair and sat down. “I’m about worn out.”

“Long day, Ned?” Brody asked as he picked up the glass of water.

“Long day, long week and longer year. Do you all know what you want to eat?”

“I’ll take the special.” Brody handed her back the menu.

“I’ll take the same.” Grace smiled and handed the waitress the menu.

“You got it, kids. Do you want something to drink other than water?” She held up the coffeepot she carried. “Or I can get you tea.”

They both declined and Ned pushed herself to her feet and headed for the kitchen. As she walked away, a slim, dark-haired girl came out of the kitchen, a big grin on her face. Grace knew immediately who the child had to be.

“Lilly, what are you up to today?” Brody asked, confirming her suspicions. She watched him change as the girl headed their way. His eyes lit up. He looked amused and protective all at once. The corner of his mouth tilted and revealed the dimple in his cheek.

“I have a horse to pay off, remember?” She sat down next to Grace and studied her long and hard. “So you’re the trouble...”

“Lilly.” Brody cut her off as he chuckled. “This is Grace.”

Grace held out her hand. “Better known as trouble.”

Lilly smirked. “Mom said you’re staying in the apartment.”

“Yes, I am.”

Lilly leaned back in her chair and Brody reached over, putting the chair back on four legs. “Down, killer.”

“I have to get back to work. Mom and Dad will be here soon.” She stood, her attention focused on Grace. “I’m sorry I didn’t meet you earlier. I came here right after school.”

“I’m sure we’ll have a chance to get to know each other,” Grace offered.

“Great,” Brody murmured. “Maybe we should get our food to go.”

“Why would we do that? This looks as if it might be entertaining,” Grace teased. It was easy to do when she knew how much Brody liked his privacy.

“We should leave before the whole family shows up,” he said, leaning in close. “You’re laughing at me now, Gracie, but you wait till you’re face-to-face with Jake, Duke and their women. And then there’s this bunch.”

He inclined his head, taking in the group at the table.

“I do like to see you squirm.”

He leaned back in his chair. “They’ll eat you alive.”

As if on cue, one of the older men turned his attention on Brody and Grace. He grinned as he settled his fishing hat on his head, the stiff bill shading his face but not hiding the teasing glint in his dark eyes.

“Brody, I’m just a wondering when you’re going to hang up your running shoes.”

“Running isn’t good for your knees, Brody.” Grace understood the double meaning but she jumped in anyway. Anything to see his face turn red.

“I haven’t been running, Grace.”

The other gentleman laughed at that. “Brody, as far as I can tell, you’ve been running for a year. Looks to me as if it finally caught up with you.”

Brody shot her an I-told-you-so look. She’d jumped in, thinking Brody would be the target. But it was suddenly clear that in Martin’s Crossing, no one got a break. For the next hour she took her share of teasing. When Brody’s brothers and their wives showed up, they made sure Brody took his fair share of ribbing. It felt good to be a part of that crowd, and to spend time laughing and not worrying.

When Brody walked her back to the apartment an hour later, Grace was exhausted but still amused. She’d learned a lot about Brody Martin in their time with his family and with old-timers who’d known him all his life.

“You really rode a bull through the school?” she asked as she unlocked the door.

Brody lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug and reached to push the door open. He flipped on the lights inside and stepped back for her to enter.

“A friend dared me.”

“Do you always take dares?” For reasons unknown even to her, Grace’s voice softened. She looked up and saw Brody watching her, his blue eyes intent.

She wanted to touch him. She wanted to brush her hands over the dark shadows on his cheeks. She wanted to lean in and inhale his scent.

Instead, she took a step back, knowing that they didn’t have a future. She’d broken his heart once. And Brody didn’t trust easily. She had a baby to think about. This was definitely not the time for distractions.

“Brody, thank you. For letting me stay here and for not being angry.”

“Oh, I’m still angry, Grace. That doesn’t mean I don’t care.” He kissed her cheek and walked away.

She drew in a deep breath as she locked the door behind him, then leaned against it. A tear slid down her cheek.

She brushed it away because crying did no good. She’d gotten herself into this mess and she’d survive. Somehow.

Chapter Four (#ulink_d0af69e5-03e3-5c95-a4fd-963b1e9fa562)

Brody sat in the exam room long after the doctor had handed him a sheet of instructions and left. The diagnosis hadn’t been a surprise, but he’d been given a royally good chewing out for putting off this visit for so long. He guessed he’d just hoped it would go away. He’d guessed wrong. Rheumatoid arthritis didn’t go away. Neither would the cartilage damage in his knee. But at least surgery could clean that up. The upside, if there was one, is that it would probably respond to treatment and even go into remission. Men, he’d learned, had less severe cases of RA than women.