Reunited With The Rancher

“Stay. As in, for a day or two?”

“A few weeks.” She began cracking eggs in a bowl. “Do you want an omelet?”

He watched as she worked. “Is it the idea of Jack giving us a dog that has you upset, or is it the idea of me staying?”

She looked up, guilt written across her face. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I want Andy to have a dog. I think it would change his life.”

“But you don’t want me here,” he said with as much of a smile as he could muster.

“I didn’t say that. I didn’t mean to even imply it.”

But he got the impression it was exactly what she felt. But today he didn’t feel like pushing for answers. If he pushed that meant going down a path he didn’t plan to pursue.

“I can’t stay here for a few weeks.”

She dumped the eggs in a frying pan and glanced back over her shoulder. “I understand.”

“But I do want Andy to have a dog. I’ll figure this out. If you don’t mind watching the kids, I’m heading out to join Isaac. I need to show him that I can still ride a horse.”

“I’ll watch the kids. You try not to break your leg.” She grabbed a granola bar out of a basket. “You have to eat something.”

“Have a little faith in me.” He caught the granola bar Kylie tossed his way.

“I do have faith.” She let the statement speak for itself.

He lifted his foot.

“Will Jack’s boots fit me?”

“I think so. Or you can try the clothes closet. Every now and then a guy moves on and they’ll leave stuff behind. We have clothes, boots, hats, just about everything.” She opened the door at the side of the kitchen. “Laundry room and clothing. Help yourself.”

She’d been right about finding what he needed. Boots, a hat, gloves. He walked back out a few minutes later and she gave him the once-over.

“Even if you can’t ride a horse anymore, you look like you can.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” He paused at the stove. “When Andy wakes up, don’t be offended if he won’t eat. He has sensory issues.”

“I’ll handle it.”

“He might be upset when he wakes up.” Carson thought it best she know everything. In response she put a hand around his arm and walked with him to the back door.

“Carson, I handle adults with PTSD. I think I can handle Andy. And I’ll do it gently. I’ll go upstairs and when he wakes up, I’ll be there.”

She would handle his son, he realized. She’d do it the same way she was handling him. Her touch lingered and for a moment their gazes connected. And then she seemed to realize it. She backed away, giving his arm a pat that was more motherly than anything else.

“I know you’ll be fine with them,” he said.

“I’ll go up right now and check on them if that makes you feel better,” she added.

Carson headed for the stable; the chocolate Lab that had followed Kylie chased after him but then ran back to the house to bark at the back door. He glanced back and saw that she no longer stood at the door. Fool that he was, he thought she might stand there and watch him walk away.

“She’s not watching you walk away.” Isaac came out of the barn wearing that same cheesy grin he’d been wearing since yesterday.

Carson saw behind the facade. He saw the occasional flicker of pain, sometimes a flash of anger. Isaac wasn’t all smiles. Far from it.

“Do you ever take that thing off and wash it?” Carson asked as he stepped inside the stable.

“My hat?” Isaac looked disturbed by the question. He tapped the brim of the black cowboy hat. “Why would I wash it?”

“I meant that goofy grin you wear all the time.”

Isaac laughed. “Who knew you’d be so funny? And who knew you’d be like every other man that landed here. Might as well get over it. We all fall a little in love with Kylie, and then we realize her heart isn’t open for business. She loves everyone. But she doesn’t fall in love with anyone.”

“I’m not looking for love any more than she is,” he reassured the other man. And then he noticed activity at a large metal shop a short distance away. “What are they doing over there?”

Isaac pulled a toothpick from his pocket and stuck it in his mouth. He pulled out another, wrapped in plastic, and offered it to Carson. “Cinnamon, you want one?”

“No, thanks.”

“That’s the crew heading to the Lakeside Retreat and Boat Dock. It’s one of the projects we’re working on. The place sat empty for ten years and Jack bought it to remodel. There’s another crew that heads to town. Jack bought a few of the old stores and he’s remodeling and offering free rent for a year if people will start businesses that could help the community.”

“He’s an optimist if he thinks he can turn this town around.”

“He’s giving people jobs,” Isaac said, the toothpick in the corner of his mouth. “I guess it’s more about faith. And if that’s the case, I’m an optimist, too. The others are saddled up and ready to go.”

“How many of us?”

“Four are riding. Matt is on an ATV. He doesn’t care for animals too much.”

They headed through the stable to a back door and a small corral. Two horses were saddled and tied to the fence. Two people were already on their horses and a third was outside the corral on a four-wheeler. He waved a prosthetic arm and grinned.

“Matt on the ATV.” Isaac nodded in Matt’s direction. “Jules is on the Appaloosa.”

“Hi, Jules.” Carson walked up to them. Jules extended a hand to shake his. She had burn scars down the side of her face.

“Tyler on the road,” Isaac said as he mounted the horse tied near the gate. Carson shook hands with the younger man, and then he started for the gray that had obviously been left for him.

“You remember how to make that thing go, right?”

Carson untied the gray and ignored the question. As if it hadn’t been years, he swung himself into the saddle and reined the horse in the direction of the men who were waiting. Unfortunately, the horse had other plans.

Carson barely had time to gather up the reins before the horse started to snort and raise its rump in a halfhearted attempt at bucking him off. He clamped his legs around the animal’s middle and the horse gave a good buck, twisting as he did.

He soon became somewhat aware that the other men stopped to watch. He heard a few chuckles, then he clearly heard Isaac yell, “Ride ’em, cowboy!”

Carson held on, talking quietly as the horse began to settle beneath him. The quest to throw him from the saddle ended with a big shuddering shake that started at the horse’s head and went all the way to its tail. After that, the animal took a few halting steps and began to walk.

“Was it entertaining for you?” he called back to Isaac.