Two Merry Matchmakers

While summering in Wild Horse, Wyoming, Dr. Adam Stone’s young daughters gain an immediate hold on veterinarian Cheyenne Granger’s heart. And the tall, handsome newcomer brings with him quiet whispers of fairy-tale endings. But Cheyenne had given up hope of a blissfully-ever-after when her boyfriend walked out on her. And Adam is busy nursing his own broken heart. Yet the girls are determined to draw the two together. Is it possible there’s a happy ending—involving a family of four—in their future after all?

The Granger Family Ranch: Nestled in a Washington mountain town, where family is home.

“You’ll have to excuse the mess.”

Adam spoke to her over one wide shoulder as he crossed the room. “The girls didn’t pick up their toys.”

“I like a little disorder.” Cheyenne wasn’t fooled by his tone. She looked around at the comfortable furniture and caught a glimpse of a tidy kitchen. Not only did he work hard as a doctor, he had made a home for his daughters.

As she remembered how her father had done the same, her throat caught with emotion. Dad had put in long days in the barns and on the range, but he was always there to listen to stories of the school day, help with homework, praise good grades and sympathize with childhood heartaches. As she crossed the room, she saw the same commitment in this home. Hard not to respect and admire Adam for the man he was, a man who did whatever was required to take care of those he loved.

Her feelings for him had changed. She didn’t want to admit it, but they had.

Hometown Hearts

Jillian Hart

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light to my path.

—Psalms 119:105

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Questions for Discussion

Chapter One

“Good boy, Toby.” Dr. Cheyenne Granger laughed as the hound dog standing on her examining table swiped her chin with his tongue. She may have been just out of vet school but she was so happy with her choice of profession she could not contain her joy. She wrapped her arms around the elderly canine.

“You are such a good patient.” She lowered him gently to the floor and gave his ears a rub. “Are we friends again?”

Big chocolate eyes forgave her for having stuck him with a needle a few moments before.

“Thanks, buddy.” No one on earth could forgive the way a dog could. “Are you ready to find your mom?”

Toby swiped her face a second time and wagged his tail. “Yes! Let’s go!” he seemed to say as he tilted his head to one side and glanced toward the closed door.

“Then lead the way, handsome.” She seized his leash. Toby knew the path down the short hallway past the patient rooms to the waiting area where the air-conditioning blew against the hot summer Wyoming sunshine. Several dogs panted with nervousness alongside their owners, waiting for their appointments. One particularly unhappy cat yowled from a carrier in the corner.

“Toby!” Terri Baker Gold rose from one of the cushy chairs and hurried over. The dog gave a cry of relief and raced into his owner’s arms. “What a good boy. Did you think I wouldn’t be waiting for you? I would never leave you, baby.”

The hound licked Terri’s chin at the reassurance. Happy that his appointment was over, he wagged his tail and looked expectantly at the door.

“We should get the results from the lab in a few days. I’ll give you a call. Other than that, I’ve sent a prescription over to the pharmacy.” Cheyenne grabbed a biscuit from the bowl on the counter and held the bone-shaped treat out to Toby. “You let Terri know if you don’t feel better, okay, boy?”

The old dog took the treat politely, crunching away with canine satisfaction on his face.

“Thanks, Cheyenne.” Terri, a lifelong friend, smiled. “Nate must be thrilled to have you join his practice.”

“He hasn’t tossed me out yet,” she quipped from behind the counter where the receptionist, Tasha Wisener, chatted on the phone. Multiple lines were lit up; another busy day. “I’m the one who is thrilled to be here. I’m grateful Nate has taken me under his wing. I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.”

“Especially with so much going on in your family.” Terri opened her purse and pulled out her checkbook. “The Grangers have had two weddings already with two more to come. Then there’s Rori’s pregnancy and rumors about Frank and Cady.”

“Yes, and you’re about the hundredth person who has hinted for insider information on Dad’s intentions toward a certain inn owner.” She couldn’t help laughing. Her dad’s quiet romance with Cady Winslow had become the talk of the town. “I’m the last to know anything. Besides, even if I did know something and admitted it, guess what would happen next?”

“Me. I would happen,” Tasha intervened. She hung up the phone and tapped a few computer keys. Terri’s bill popped out of the printer. “I would repeat it, my mother-in-law would get wind of it and the whole county would know by nightfall. Nothing is private in a small town.”

“And if it is, not for long.” Cheyenne grabbed the next patient’s chart—the Stone family, who didn’t yet have a pet of their own but had been to the clinic twice already. Little Julianna had a rescuer’s heart.

Wondering what had brought the Stone sisters in today, Cheyenne straightened her white coat, opened the door and walked into the cozy examining room. Sunlight streamed through the window and tumbled onto the soft, buttery walls and tile floor. Two chairs flanked the window, one filled by a tween wearing a frown, a fashionable summery top, shorts and matching sandals. The other girl, grade school–aged Julianna, clutched a shoe box. Tiny holes had been punctured in the lid to let in air.

“Cheyenne!” Her brown pigtails bobbed as she held out the box. “It’s a baby bird. A hawk caught him and I waved the yard rake at him until he let the baby go.”

“Sorry,” Jenny apologized with a big-sister-in-charge attitude. “I told her not to bother. But she insisted. I don’t think there’s anything you can do.”

“I can’t let her suffer.” Julianna blinked back tears and her button face crinkled with the pain she felt for the bird. “It says in the Bible that God loves the sparrows. This is a finch, but I’m sure He loves finches, too.”

“I know He does.” Cheyenne took the box gently, worried over what she would find inside. “I’ll take a look and see what we can do to help this little guy.”

“She’s a girl, or I hope she is. I named her Tomasina. Everybody needs a name.” Julianna sniffled, doing her best to be brave and hold back her tears of concern. Her sister fought the same concern by lifting her chin as if she so did not care.

Cheyenne wasn’t fooled. This was the sisters’ third visit since she’d joined Dr. Cannon’s practice. She understood what the girls could not say. She carefully placed the shoe box on the metal examining table and eased off the lid.

Tucked in the corner and huddled in a cozy bed made of a soft hand towel—a brand-new guest towel by the looks of it—lay a baby goldfinch, tiny and fragile. Broken bits of down littered the towel. The creature trembled, terrified and in pain.

Julianna squeezed her eyes shut, her fingers steepling in prayer. Cheyenne could feel the force of it from where she stood, a child’s pure, unselfish wish. Surely the good Lord would hear such an honorable request.

“Hey, Tomasina.” She spoke softly, willing all the calmness she could into her voice. “It’s good to meet you. I imagine you are really missing your mama.”

The baby bird tilted its head to focus on her. The little heart beat wildly, tapping against the fluffy down on its breast. How terrifying this had to be and how alone the chick must feel.

“You are safe, little one.” The finch was too young to fly and probably too paralyzed with fear to move. Tenderly, she scooped the tiny bundle into the palm of her hand and held it carefully so the bird felt secure. Sure enough, talon marks tracked around the exposed abdomen, puncturing the skin where claws had dug in. They didn’t look too deep, but with such a tiny creature they didn’t have to be.

“See, right here?” She took the time to hold the finch for Julianna’s inspection. The girl came closer, eyes wide and bottom lip trembling when she saw the contusions. “That’s where she’s bleeding. I need to clean the wounds and tend them.”

“She’s not going to d-die?”

“I don’t know, but I promise to take good care of her.”

“I know you will.” Julianna gently stroked the bird’s soft head with the tip of her forefinger. “You’ve got to be all right, Tomasina. Be sure and do what Dr. Granger says.”

The little girl was too cute. Cheyenne bit her lip. The bird in her hands relaxed a bit. Maybe the creature realized she was not in any danger or perhaps her fear was too overwhelming. She needed to get the little one into the back and cared for. “If you girls want to go home, I’ll call you and let you know how she’s doing.”

“Will it be very long?” Julianna took charge of the abandoned shoe box and lid. “Can we stay?”

Hard to look into those big brown eyes and say no. “Go ahead and hang out in the waiting room but give your dad a call. He needs to know where you are. This could take a while.”

“Oh! Dad.” An “uh-oh” look puckered her adorable face. Julianna seemed to expect her father might not be pleased with this latest development.

Probably the dad feared he was about to be surprised with a vet bill. Well, she would waive the charges, just as she had before. The last thing she wanted was to make Julianna think she shouldn’t step up and help God’s creatures. She opened the door. While she hadn’t officially met Dr. Stone yet, she’d heard good things about him. She had spotted him enough times around town, at Cady’s inn and her sister’s wedding to have gathered an impression about the man.

Serious. Subdued. Not exactly social. Striking, broad shoulders…wait, where had that come from?

She saw the girls off in the direction of the waiting room before heading into the back with the bird huddled in her palm.

“The Stone kids again?” Ivy Tipple, their tech, looked up from checking on the black Lab in one of the kennels recovering from his emergency surgery, the blood pressure cuff in hand.

“How did you know?”

“Who else would bring in a baby bird, considering this economy and the cost of a vet bill? Do you need a hand?”

“No, go ahead and finish with Buster. He’s looking much better.” The Lab’s tongue still lolled but his eyes were open.

“He’s doing well. He’s going to survive his fight with that coyote. Way to go, Buster.” Ivy knelt to her work, catching the swish and pulse of the Lab’s heart with the Doppler. The sound filled the back room, and Cheyenne gave thanks for the steady beat. The Lab had a close call.

“His blood pressure is not only up, it’s perfect,” Ivy announced. “You did good today, too, Doc.”

“Just doin’ my job.” The one God had blessed her with. She opened the nearby cabinet with her free hand, sorting through the supplies she would need, praying she could make a difference for the little creature in her palm. She couldn’t disappoint Julianna Stone with her big, soulful brown eyes.

“It’s a personal call, Doctor.”

Adam Stone didn’t need to ask who it was from. He knew only three people in this small town well enough to be called personal—two of whom were his daughters. He wasn’t interested in making friends during his temporary stay. No, this extended visit to Wyoming was not permanent. He did not anticipate getting attached to anyone in this tiny rural town. “Have them hold. I’ll be right there, Mildred.”

“All right.” The matronly woman closed the door to the exam room, leaving him alone with his patient.

“Sorry about that,” he apologized, although the elderly lady seated on the table didn’t seem to mind the intrusion.

“Oh, I know what it’s like to have young children.” Mrs. Tipple’s face was wreathed with lovely good humor. “Mine were a handful. I don’t know how working women do it these days. I couldn’t keep up with my brood and that’s all I had to do. I think I’m still worn-out from it.”

A sweet lady. “Your daughter was in last week. She’s fifty-five, so it’s been a while since she was twelve.”

“Yes, but it seems like yesterday. You just wait. Time flies. There’s no stopping it.” Mrs. Tipple’s eyes twinkled. “So, how’s my ticker?”

“Your heart is stable for now. I’ll call in your medication renewal.” He offered the lady his hand to help her down. “You’re still using the pharmacy in town?”

“For the last sixty years.”

Hard to beat that. He’d learned that Wild Horse, Wyoming, was about as stable as life could get. He opened the door for his charming patient. “You call me if you have any concerns.”

“Yes, Doctor. You have a nice day, now.”

“You, too, Mrs. Tipple.” He waited while the elderly lady tapped out of the doorway on her sensible heels before he headed to his office at the end of the hall. One of the lines was flashing and he grabbed the receiver. “What is it this time?”

“Dad?” There was noise in the background making it hard to hear his youngest daughter. “Are you in a good mood?”

“Not really.” Julianna’s question was always a sign that he wasn’t going to like whatever she had to say. He dropped into his chair. “What have you done now?”

Before she could answer, he dug out an aspirin bottle from his top desk drawer. He figured he might need it, as single parenting was harder than it looked. A strange yowling carried across the line, interrupted by a dog’s ringing bark.

“Daddy, don’t get mad.” Hard not to recognize her guilty tone. “I had to help her.”

“Help who?”

“Tomasina.”

Tomasina? He racked his brain for any information associated with that name. No children, no neighbors, no neighborhood pets that he could think of. He pried the lid off the bottle. “Time to explain, young lady.”

“She could be dying, Daddy.” Julianna sniffled. Her feelings were so tender and drove up the high notes in her voice. “I had to bring her here.”

The picture came clear. A dog barked in the background again, harmonized by an cat’s howl and a woman’s voice telling Grover to sit like a good boy. No mystery where the girl was.

“Haven’t I told you not to go across town to the vet’s office without clearing it with me?” He shook out two aspirin and popped them into his mouth, not even bothering with water.

“Y-yes.” Julianna’s tone went to a near whisper. His guess, she was kneeling on the floor, holding herself in, contrite and wounded. She’d been fragile since the divorce. “Daddy, are you mad?”

“Very.” He didn’t know how to begin to explain it all. “Tell me about Tomasina.”

“I couldn’t let her get gobbled up.” Misery quivered in her voice. “She was bleeding, so I held her while Jenny made up a shoe box like a nest and we hurried to the vet, except we had to walk careful so we wouldn’t shake Tomasina.”

Still no idea who or what Tomasina was, but it didn’t matter. His daughter felt it was her duty to save everything and everyone. He was at a loss how to make her understand. She couldn’t save the world. Why wasn’t she like other kids, busy playing with their toys, wanting the latest video game and trying to listen to unacceptable music on their MP3 players?

She was too much like the boy he’d once been, thinking God cared for every creature great and small.

“Dr. Stone?” Mildred tapped on his open door. “Your four o’clock canceled. Just thought you should know.”

“Thanks. Why don’t we call it a day?”

Mildred nodded, bustling off to close up shop and forward the calls to his cell because there was no answering service to hire in this town.

“Stay right where you are, Julianna.” He rubbed at his right temple. The pain in his skull drilled like a jackhammer. “I’ll be over in five minutes.”

“Am I gr-ounded?”

He winced at how little and young she sounded. He shrugged off his white coat. “We’ll see. Is Jenny with you?”

“Yes, but don’t punish her. Please? It’s not her fault. I made her come with me.”

That was Julianna, caring about everyone ahead of herself.

“I’ll take that into consideration.” He pushed out of the chair, hung his coat over the back of it and grabbed his keys off his desk. “I’m on my way.”

“O-kay.” She gulped audibly, fearing her punishment to come.

Grounding her was not working. He hung up the phone and marched to the door, remembering his patient. Mrs. Tipple had said her children had been a full-time job in and of themselves. He wished he had that kind of time to give to them. He’d wanted to hire a babysitter but Jenny had raised an earsplitting argument, pointing out that she was old enough to be a babysitter so she did not need one.

Life was changing and it was getting more complicated. But the girls were prospering here, where the pain of their mother’s abandonment wasn’t a constant reminder. That was the reason he’d locked up his town house, put his practice on hold and moved to Wyoming for the rest of the summer.

All this change, as temporary as it was, was tough on him. He called a goodbye to Mildred and pushed out the back door of the practice the town doctor had asked him to join. He breathed in the scent of freshly mown grass on the warm breeze and felt calmer. Overhead, leaves whispered from the old maples marching on both sides of the narrow street.

“Howdy, Doc!” Chip Baker shouted over the sound of his lawn mower and touched the brim of his cowboy hat.

“Hi.” He beeped the remote to his BMW.

“Your girls wandered by here a little bit ago,” Chip called out, always a friendly sort. “They looked in a real hurry. Something about a sick bird.”

The mystery of Tomasina solved. Someone from the house next door came out to complain to Chip about the noise, so Adam slid into his car, started the engine and was more than happy to drive away from the scene.

Dappled shade tumbled over him as he headed down the street. Folks sat on front porches sipping tea. He spotted more than half a dozen women out working in their flower beds as he drove past and two people waved him to a stop on his way to Main Street to tell him about his daughters.

People were definitely friendly here, and it made him uncomfortable. He wasn’t unfriendly as much as private, and the fact that everyone knew what his girls were up to besides him didn’t sit well. What kind of father was he? He pulled into one of the parking spots in the vet clinic lot, his head still pounding. Frustrated, he tossed his sunglasses on the console and felt a brush against the side of his face, something as soft and rare as an angel’s wing.

He looked up, inexorably drawn to the front window. There in the lobby speaking with his daughters was the loveliest woman with red-brown hair, big blue eyes and a sweetheart’s face. Amazingly lovely. She made the world disappear when she smiled at his girls.

The infamous Dr. Granger. The gorgeous Dr. Granger. He watched as she smoothed a lock of flyaway hair out of Julianna’s eyes. The woman wasn’t only stunning, but kind. His palms broke into a sweat just like last time he’d spotted her from afar. His heart skipped a beat. He forgot to breathe. He felt a little unsteady.

She moved out of sight, bending down as if to kneel before his daughters and became lost in the glare of the sun on the glass. Although she vanished from his view, his heart smarted as if stung.

It wasn’t a good sign. Not good, at all.

Chapter Two

Somehow his feet carried him to the door as if he were in a daze. Maybe it was the heat wave sucking the moisture from his body and dehydrating his brain. That had to be it. His sweaty palms gripped the door handle with a slight slide. Embarrassing. Maybe he could attribute that to dehydration, too.

“Uh-oh. Dad’s here.”

He recognized the dour tone in his oldest’s voice. She was, after all, practicing to be a teenager.

Air-conditioning breezed over him as he released hold of the door. It swooshed shut behind him and an angry yowling protest rose from a cat carrier on the floor nearby. A dog bounced up from his sprawl on the floor to bark a ringing welcome while a frizzy-haired woman tried to gently shush him, to no avail. His gaze shot to Cheyenne against his will like an arrow to a target.

He’d never seen her up close. Even more striking. She had a sloping nose, a wide smile that would make movie actresses envious. With her high cheekbones, golden sunny complexion and a willowy grace, she made a breathtaking picture as she rose from kneeling before Julianna’s chair. The vet’s white jacket might make her look professional, but she glowed with a cheerful joy that had a beauty all its own.

He wasn’t captivated, really. He could look away if he wanted to, except his eyes didn’t seem to be cooperating.

“Daddy!” Julianna bopped to her feet, bounded across the tile and wrapped her arms around his waist. The four dogs in the waiting room barked in excitement, eager to join in. The cacophony was deafening. His daughter’s big brown eyes peered up at him, fringed by long dark lashes and her thick, flyaway bangs. “Please don’t be mad anymore. I’ll stay in my room every evening after supper with no toys. I p-promise.”

His heart caved. “I don’t see the use in sending you to your room if it doesn’t change your behavior.” He tweaked her nose, at a loss what to do with the girl. “I’ll have to think of something more effective.”

“I could give up desserts?”

Hard to stay mad at that little face. He steeled his resolve, trying not to be too lenient and also not to give in to his anger from the worry she’d caused him.

“She shouldn’t be deciding her own punishment, Dad.” Jenny sauntered up. Her dark eyes hadn’t lost the look of pain and anger at her mother, but the stay in Wyoming had helped to ease it. She gave an I-so-don’t-care scowl and flipped a lock of her hair. “I don’t get to decide my punishments.”

“I’ll think of something fair.” It was all he could promise. His neurotransmitters weren’t firing correctly because of the woman walking toward him. She had the power to suck the oxygen from the atmosphere and all rational thought from his brain. It only got worse with each step she took closer.

He couldn’t tear his attention away from her. He noticed things about her he’d tried not to see before. Her hair was lighter than he’d thought, full of russets and golds and strawberry-blond shades as it fell in soft tendrils from her French braid. Gently swooping bangs framed the bluest eyes he’d ever seen. From a distance, she’d been beautiful. Up close, she was stunning in a gentle, natural girl-next-door way.

“Dr. Stone.” She plunged her hands into her jacket pockets and offered him a professional smile. “At last we meet.”

“There was no way to avoid it.” He heard his voice boom low as if with dislike and internally he winced. He wasn’t proud of the tone. After his divorce, he had put up so many walls, and he didn’t like that about himself. He automatically wanted women to keep their distance so he wouldn’t be duped like that again.

She didn’t seem to know what to say. She opened her mouth, hesitated, bit her bottom lip for a moment. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. You have the most wonderful girls.”

“You don’t know them like I do.” Those words had sounded lighter in his head, but on his voice they seemed to weigh down like iron. Unlikable, remote, unfeeling iron.

“Daddy, Tomasina’s better.” Julianna bounced away to hold out her hand to one of the nearby dogs. “Cheyenne says she has a good chance. If she lives, we can put her back in her nest.”

“Her mother won’t take her now,” he blurted out, realizing too late what he’d said. He prayed his comment wouldn’t remind the girls of what they’d lost. A mother who had only part-time interest in them.

“Actually, that’s not true.” Cheyenne Granger looked all too happy to correct him. “Julianna knows where the nest is, so we should be able to return the baby to her home. Once Tomasina is back with her siblings, she should be just fine. They are probably looking around the nest wondering where she is.”

“Or saying she shouldn’t have misbehaved, which made her fall out of the nest in the first place,” Jenny supplied with a faint grin. “I have a lot of experience with siblings.”

He ruffled Jenny’s hair. “That’s a relief. Under no circumstances are we keeping a bird in the house.”

“It wouldn’t be right to keep her locked up,” Julianna informed him. “God meant for her to fly in the sky. She would be sad in a cage.”

“That’s right.” Cheyenne’s gentleness drew his attention.

There was something luminous about her and he had noticed it before. When he’d seen her last, she had been wearing a bridesmaid’s dress at the family wedding he’d attended a while ago. He couldn’t forget the way she’d stood out to him above all the other women in the room. He was not so good with words, which had been one of Stacy’s greatest complaints about him. His lack of words became a problem again as silence settled in, but the beautiful veterinarian didn’t seem bothered by it. She knelt to catch Julianna’s chin with both of her slender, gentle hands, a show of affection that surprised him.

“You keep right on helping animals. You call me anytime, got it?” She was at ease with his daughters, sharing a smile with Julianna and then with Jenny.

“Okay, I will. Animals just find me.”

“More like you find them,” Jenny corrected and shared an understanding smile with Cheyenne. He appreciated her kindness to his girls.

“Adam, this visit is entirely on me. You won’t be billed.” She opened and held the door for them. “Julianna and Jenny did a great job of rescuing Tomasina and getting her here safely. They saved her life. You must be proud of them.”

“I suppose I’ll keep them. For now.” He caught each girl with one arm and drew them outside into the sun and heat. He should thank the lady for her help and her gentleness to his daughters, but he wasn’t sure how that would sound. Too grateful, too familiar—would it open himself up too much?

Silence settled between them. He couldn’t ignore the wall he put up between himself and women. It was a gut reaction he didn’t know how to stop.

“Saving lives must run in the family.” Cheyenne raised a hand to shield her eyes.

“I don’t save anyone.” The words came out harsher than he meant them. Again.

“What do you mean? You saved little Owen’s life. Last winter you didn’t have to get involved when he was having problems breathing at the diner. You could have gone about your dinner, minding your own business, but you got involved. Since Owen is about to become my nephew at the end of the month, my family thinks mighty highly of you.”

“That’s because they don’t know me. Give them time and they will change their minds.” The girls broke away from him to scamper off to the car.

“You’re mighty humble for a big-city doctor.” Cheyenne squinted up at him.

“I’m not so big or humble. I do what I can, just the way you do. Life matters. That’s why I work hard at what I do.”

“Me, too.” Their gazes met and locked. Finally, she’d gotten an almost smile out of him. Adam Stone towered above her at an impressive height; he had to be about the same six foot three as her dad.

Handsome would describe him, but remarkable would be a better word. His granite face was a tad too rugged to be classically handsome, but he could outshine George Clooney and all the doctors on any medical show she’d ever watched. He wore all black from his tie to his dress shoes. Since Wild Horse was a casual place, Adam Stone was as out of water as a fish could get. He didn’t look like a kindred spirit, yet they had this in common. They both valued life; they both fought for it.

“I like making a difference and knowing I can ease suffering.” She walked with him to his door, squinting in the sunshine. “Is that why you decided to become a doctor, too?”

“I’m in it strictly for the money.” The promise of a smile dug into the corners of his mouth, dazzling enough to light up his deep brown eyes. “That’s why I came out here for the rest of the summer. Manhattan wasn’t lucrative enough.”

“Yes, and I can see Wild Horse is.” She had patients waiting, but did her feet take her back down the walkway? No. They remained stuck to the concrete, immovable. “Your workday must be a lot more leisurely here.”

“I had three appointments all day, which gives me plenty of time to get to know my new patients. It’s a change of pace.”

“I already know my patients before they walk in the door.”

“You are one of those animal people, aren’t you? You can’t walk past a furry creature without stopping to get acquainted.”

“You have no idea.” The man radiated the emotion of a mountain—solemn, somber, closed off—except for his dark eyes. Sadness lived in them, veiled and shadowed but there all the same. She didn’t know why she could read all of that. “I’ve been this way for as long as anyone can remember. Dad tells stories of me helping him doctor the cattle when I was barely old enough to talk.”

“Medicine was all I ever wanted to do, too.” He stared at the keys in hand and shrugged wide, dependable shoulders. “Best get the girls home. Thanks for, uh, saving Tomasina.”

“Anytime.” She jammed her hands into her white jacket, feeling oddly sad for the man. Everyone heard how his wife had left him and his daughters for his best friend, a fellow doctor who shared his former practice. How hard that had to have been for him, she sympathized, remembering how shattered her father had been years ago when her mother had left him for another man. Adam Stone didn’t look shattered. He seemed invincible, as if no tragedy could ever touch him.

She wanted to say something of comfort or reassurance, but she didn’t know what would possibly be appropriate. They were strangers. She knew his daughters but not the man, who managed a craggy half smile in lieu of a goodbye.

“This isn’t over yet.” She backed away, waving through the sun-streaked windshield to the girls buckled up inside the sedan. “You are invited to our family’s Fourth of July bash tomorrow.”

“Apparently there’s no getting out of it.” His wry tone held the hint of a smile although his face betrayed no emotion. He angled behind the wheel and shut the door.

That was it. No goodbye. No looking-forward-to-seeing-you-again comments. Just the hum of a finely tuned engine rolling over. She watched the luxury car sail away, the vehicle at odds with the practical pickups and four-wheel drives in the lot, out of place just like the man.

She headed back inside where her next furry patient awaited her, but she couldn’t get Adam Stone out of her mind.

“You’re a little late for supper, girl.”

She looked up at her dad’s comment, her feet dragging on the pathway from the garage to the backyard. An old maple spread broad-leafed shade over the picnic table set up on the lawn, where her family was eating. Signs of preparation for tomorrow’s bash were already up. Strings of lights hung from the porch eaves and stretched to wind around the maple’s lowest branches. A fire pit had been dug in the gravel at the edge of the lawn, stacked with wood and ready to burn.

“Long day.” Exhausted, she dropped her bag on the lawn. “Three emergencies, a packed schedule and a couple drop-ins that I worked in after hours and a rescued baby finch.”

“Tomasina?” Cady Winslow grabbed the iced tea pitcher and filled a plastic cup.

“So you heard.” Cheyenne dropped onto the seat beside her sister Addison and reached across the table to accept the iced tea Cady offered.

“Even I know who Tomasina is,” Dad quipped as he popped a barbecued potato chip into his mouth. “Julianna told me all about it when I picked Cady up just a bit ago.”

“Poor Tomasina,” Addy sympathized as she poked at her hot dog, adjusting the bun. “Is she going to make a full recovery?”

“She was doing much better when I left. Ivy volunteered to take her home. So far her prognosis is good.” She lifted the paper plate serving as a lid over her meal. The smoky scent of barbecued hot dog made her stomach rumble. The generous scoops of their housekeeper’s potato salad made her mouth water. “Mrs. Gunderson spoils us. I hope she never leaves.”

“I just gave her a raise to make sure of it.” Dad chuckled as he polished off the last of the potato salad on his plate. “I’m going in for seconds. Anyone want more?”

“I do.” Cady’s gentle green eyes softened when she focused on Dad. Honest love made her even more radiant. She rose from the bench with grace, taking her plate with her. The sun shone in the soft waves of her pretty brown hair and her sandals didn’t seem to touch the ground as she crossed the grass.

The way Dad watched the woman’s approach made Cheyenne’s vision blur. She loved that her dad had found someone to treasure him the way he deserved. It was sweet when he drew Cady toward him and they walked the rest of the distance together. The couple’s happiness lifted on the temperate breeze like the low, merry murmurings of their conversation.

“I’m glad Dad found Cady.” Addy sighed a little, too. “I’ve never seen him this happy.”

“No, neither have I. She’s good for him.”

“They are good for each other.”

They sat in silence, watching the middle-aged couple cross the porch, their quiet laughter carrying on the breeze. Dad held the screen door for his lady love.

“When do you think he is going to propose?” Addy tossed a lock of strawberry-blond hair over her shoulder, her big blue eyes full of mischief.

“How should I know? Like Dad tells me anything more than he tells you.” She clasped her hands together, wanting to say the blessing before her stomach imploded with hunger. She’d missed lunch.

“I think it will be soon. Just a guess. No, more like a wild hope.” Addy crunched on a potato chip. “I think Cady will make a good stepmom, don’t you?”

“The best.” She tried to close her eyes for the blessing, but her gaze zipped across the lawn to the house. Large picture windows looked in at the family room and gave a sliver of a view into the kitchen where Dad stole Cady’s plate, set it on the breakfast bar and pulled her into his arms. Tenderness radiated from their embrace. As their lips met, Addy sighed again.

“I don’t think Dad knows we can see him.” Cheyenne watched with interest. “We shouldn’t be spying.”

“If he doesn’t want us to spy on him, next time he should close the blinds.” Addy’s grin stretched from ear to ear, showing off the dimples she’d inherited from their father. “I think he’s getting serious.”

“I do, too.” She tried to look away, but the way her dad ended the kiss with reverence and tugged Cady against his chest, as if he cherished her above all else, made it impossible. Her father had never dated once in the seventeen years since their mother left. His heart had never recovered from the betrayal and his life had been too busy with the responsibility of raising five kids and running one of the largest ranches in White Horse County. He’d been lonely for so long.

Father, thank You for sending someone to love Dad. Thank You for sending Cady. She bowed her head, finishing the prayer with thanks for the blessings in her life, so very many blessings. She opened her eyes. Dad and Cady had stepped out of sight but the feel of their happiness remained.

“So, do you have tomorrow off for sure or not?” Addy chose another chip from the pile on her plate.

Before she could answer, a cow leaned across the wooden rails of the fence at the far edge of the lawn, pleaded with doelike eyes and gave a long, sorrowful moo.

“No chips for you, Buttercup, sorry.” Cheyenne grabbed the plastic bottle of relish and squirted it the length of her hot dog bun. “Addy, tomorrow I’m on call.”

“Bummer. You’re always on call.”

“That’s because there are two vets in a fifty-mile radius.” She traded the relish for the mayonnaise bottle and gave it a squeeze. “Nate is going to take the big animal calls, if there are any. I’m taking the small animal.”

“You look happy, too.” Addy licked barbecue seasoning off her fingertips. “It’s good to see. You must be over your broken heart.”

“Over it? I don’t even remember it.” That was what denial could do for a girl. She was the queen of denial. She could block out nearly any hurt, any heartache, any disappointment. In fact, she couldn’t even remember what had happened with what’s-his-name back in vet school. Broken heart? Her heart was just fine as long as she didn’t have to look at it. “I’m my own independent woman. What’s there not to be happy about?”

“That’s my view, too. Marriage, who needs it?” Addy reached to grab more chips from the bowl in the center of the table. “No man is going to tie me down with matrimony.”

“Me, either.” Her experience with romance had been enough to make her leery. She thought of how their mom had treated Dad and of every other person she knew who’d been disappointed by love. Her sister-in-law Rori’s first marriage hadn’t worked out, her soon-to-be sister-in-law Sierra’s husband had abandoned her with a small son to raise. She couldn’t help recalling Adam Stone’s sorrow, a shadow that remained even in full light.

She was a healer and knew some of the worst wounds were not physical. The type she did not know how to treat; she knew of no medicine that would heal them and yet injuries to the heart and spirit happened every day. They left scars in the most vulnerable places, marring the soul.

“Look at Dad.” Addy’s whisper vibrated with delight. “In front of us, he can barely even hold Cady’s hand. Like we couldn’t have guessed they were kissing in the kitchen.”

“He’s bashful,” she said because the truth bunched in her throat and she didn’t want to say those words and ruin the happy moment as Cady laughed gently. Buttercup let out another moo at not being invited to the picnic table and Dad called out to the cow in his tender, deep-noted baritone.

Dad’s wounds still affected him and made it tough for him to bare his vulnerable heart. If she looked past her own denial to how shattered she’d been when Edward broke things off with her, she felt similarly. Love that lasted and stood the test of years and hardship was rare. There was no way to tell ahead of time which relationship would endure and which would fail. That was why she was staying single for a long, long time.

Chapter Three

“Daddy, why are the cows in the road?”

“I don’t know. I’m not a cow expert.” Adam stopped in the middle of the country road, since he had no choice. The herd of black cows with snowy faces blocked both lanes. No way around them. He’d always thought cows were flighty and scattered easily but changed his mind as the herd lifted their heads unconcerned at the car’s approach. Not one animal shied or ran. On the contrary, the creatures stood their ground like living, breathing tanks.

“They shouldn’t be out of their pasture.” The click of a seat belt told him his littlest had unbuckled. Julianna poked in between the front seats, straining to see. “I don’t recognize any of them.”

“How many cows do you know?”

“The Grangers have tons of cows.” Julianna gripped the leather seats and levered herself over the console and into the passenger seat, her gaze riveted on the animals. “I know Buttercup and Jasmine and Daisy and—”

“I get the picture,” he interrupted before she could go on and name the “tons” of cows she’d been introduced to one by one. He glanced at the dashboard clock irritably. They were fashionably late, thanks to Jenny who had changed outfits more than half a dozen times before she was fit to be seen in public.

“Can I go say hi?”

“No.” He made sure the word boomed with authority. Under no circumstance was his little slip of a daughter walking up to those enormous and dangerous-looking creatures. One animal had horns sticking out of his head. That couldn’t be good. Adam hit the car horn in one long blast. Surely honking would startle them into getting out of the way.

Wrong. Instead of bolting, the cows focused on his car with pinpoint accuracy. Dozens upon dozens of brown eyes zeroed in on the newly waxed finish and plodded forward, as if mesmerized by the brightness. They created an impenetrable barrier across the road like soldiers on a march. One bold cow broke out of the pack and lapped the grill with its tongue.

What on earth? Adam hit the horn again, long and loud. That ought to scare the cow, or at least give it a reason to back off a few feet.

Wrong. Curious, the cow leaned over the hood as if trying to peer into the windshield. The cow seemed as big as a truck and he’d never seen anything in real life with such huge teeth. The mouth opened, that big head shook, a spot of drool splashed on the windshield. At the back of his mind, he remembered the televised images of bulls goring runners on the streets of Spain that had made it to the evening news.

“I wouldn’t honk again if I were you, Dad.” Jenny crossed her arms, bored in the backseat.

“Yeah, Dad. Do we have anything to eat in the car?” Julianna asked.

The enormous cow’s teeth flashed as he bit into the windshield wiper and tugged it away from the glass. It stood up at half-mast, a little crooked. Excited, other cows crowded in, trying to grab it. Tongues tugged at the side-view mirror, others licked at the paint, teeth clamped on the door handles.

Now what did he do? He saw tomorrow’s headlines in the little local paper. Sedan Demolished by Bovine Attack.

“Dad, do we have any granola bars?” Julianna giggled as a cow spotted her through the window and tried to lick at her through the glass with swipe after swipe of her big tongue. The car rocked slightly as cows bumped against it.

“You and Jenny ate them. Snacks will spoil your dinner.”

“It’s not for me.” Julianna laughed, the door popped open and the scent of sun-warmed animals and the sound of paint being licked off his new car filled the passenger compartment.

“Young lady, get back in here—” Too late. She was gone, mobbed by the huge creatures who licked at her face, grabbed hold of her pigtails and tugged on her shirt.

“Julianna!” Sheer terror shot through him. He lunged after her, caught short by the tight embrace of the seat belt. Adrenaline pumped through his system but her giggle lifted above the sound of shifting of hooves and his car being mauled.

The cows miraculously looked up and stopped attacking his vehicle. Someone knocked on his driver-side window. A woman with auburn locks and laughing blue eyes appeared through the bovine throng.

Cheyenne Granger.

“Get back, Shrek.” She approached the horned behemoth fearlessly and patted him on the nose. “I know it’s exciting to be out here on the road, but it’s not safe. I hope that windshield wiper isn’t bent.”

Contrite, the animal offered his nose for a petting.

Adam rolled down his window, hoping the fact that he had trouble breathing didn’t show. She affected him, there was no way to deny it. “I wasn’t sure what to do. Are the cows safe?”

“They are tame, but as you can see, not harmless if left to their own devices.” She shoved the windshield wiper into place. “I’ll give the Parnells a call. It looks as if Shrek took down a part of his fence. You like doing that, don’t you, buddy?”

The big black-and-white bull—yes, it was really a bull—gave a head toss and focused on the pink phone she’d pulled from her pocket. She was a vet for a reason. Her gentle confidence, her loving laugh as the cows crowded around her trying to grab her cell, the way she lit up with affection as she rubbed noses, scrubbed ears and moved aside for Julianna to join in.

“This is a regular occurrence?” His question drew one cow’s attention who came over and stuck her nose through the window. What did he do? “Shoo.”

“That’s not going to work, Dad.” Jenny’s seat belt clicked, the door whispered open and he was alone with the bovine. Rather damp lips that smelled like grass came dangerously close to his wristwatch. His oldest daughter came to the rescue with a gentle, “Come here, girl.”

He took notes in case there was a next time, as the three human females led the throng of cows away. His neurotransmitters fired haphazardly, which had to be the reason he couldn’t look away from Cheyenne. The side-view mirror framed her perfectly as she walked with her hand on the bull’s neck, chatting merrily to the animals and to his daughters.

What was it about the woman? Why couldn’t he look away?

She paused at the green truck parked behind him and rummaged around in the backseat. She was a splash of colors, auburn hair, sun-bronzed skin, green T-shirt, denim jeans and she claimed something deeper within him he could not name.

He didn’t remember getting out of the car. Suddenly he was standing on the pavement with the Wyoming wind ruffling his hair, squinting against the sun, spellbound by her brightness. Cheyenne Granger tossed her head, her chuckle a soft melodic sound that rippled through the air and seemed to make the daisies in the field stand up to take notice.

He couldn’t explain what ached deep inside as if he’d contracted organ failure. He could not breathe as Cheyenne marched right through the herd, a slip of a woman compared to those large and powerful animals. His daughters trailed in her wake, Julianna skipping, her face beaming. He hadn’t realized how happy staying the summer in Wyoming was making his girls. Jenny laughed, actually laughed right along with Cheyenne as the girl climbed down the embankment into the knee-high grass, a different child from the one she’d been a month ago.

“Cheyenne! I think Shrek loves me.” Julianna wrapped her arms around the bull’s broad chest.

Concern lurched through him as he launched forward, but the huge animal nibbled at one of Julianna’s pigtails affectionately. Adam skidded to a stop, feeling awkward on the side of the road.

“He is definitely sweet on you.” Cheyenne strong-armed the heavy bag to the ground and bent to move aside the wires of what used to be a working fence. “Jenny, looks like you’ve found some new friends, too.”

“As if.” The tween rolled her eyes, hiding a giggle as several cows vied for her affection. With her dark hair framing her face, she looked as sweet as the little girl she used to be and grown-up enough to show the hint of the woman she would become one day. Kind and thoughtful and gentle-hearted. He was grateful the Lord had led him here.

“All right, you bunch of troublemakers.” Humor rang like a song as Cheyenne tore open the bag and waded into the tall grasses. “Look what I have for you.”

Every cow’s head lifted, and big nostrils scented the breeze. Ears pricked upward. Eyes brightened. The animals clattered around Jenny and lipped at Julianna’s pigtails on the way by, streaming down the embankment and through the hole in the fence, Shrek in the lead.

“Nothing like a little bribery.” Cheyenne upended the last of the bag, gave it a shake and stepped back as the herd descended on the pile of treats. Teeth crunched, jowls worked and tails swished as the cows happily ate. Cheyenne tracked back to the red fence posts, rounded up the girls and sent them climbing the embankment before she restrung the wire the best she could, considering the fence posts were leaning.

“Daddy, did you see?” Julianna rushed up, pleasure pinked her cheeks. “I love cows and they love me.”

Don’t even start. The words rang in his mind and formed on his tongue. We’re not getting a cow. But his daughter’s shining joy stopped him.

“I want to be just like Cheyenne when I grow up.” She grabbed his hand, her fingers small compared to his, so very small. Her pigtails were askew and tiny bits of grass were embedded in the soft brown hair. Her summery shirt had a big wet spot from some cow’s adoring lick. She tipped her head, chatting on merrily. “I’m gonna be a vet so I can fix birds like Tomasina and take care of dogs like Cheyenne does and so I can find every lonely animal their very own home.”

“I’m sure you will be very good at it.” He remembered what dreams were, so precious like twinkling stars that gave light to a vast night of darkness, dreams that could shine so bright if fed with hope and encouragement.

What had happened to his dreams? Where had they gone?

“Aunt Cady’s not going to believe it happened again, that more cows were on the road.” Jenny bounded up to the car door and yanked it open. “I get to tell her first this time, Julianna. You always do it and it’s my turn.”

“I do not,” Julianna argued gleefully. “Okay, maybe I do but I don’t mean to. It just comes out. I can’t stop it.”

“Well, try.” Feigning annoyance, Jenny rolled her eyes and plopped onto the backseat.

Adam felt a tug of awareness, the realization that Cheyenne Granger was near. Vaguely, he noticed Julianna release his hand, scamper away and climb in beside her sister. He reached for his open door, finding his knees a little iffy. Weak knees, damp palms—the woman was a hazard to him.

“The cows are safely contained for now, although how long that patch job holds is anyone’s guess.” Cheyenne padded toward him in hiking boots, and he realized the shirt she wore had Wild Horse Animal Hospital scrawled across it in looping white letters. “I called the Parnells, so one of them should be out in a jiffy to do a better job with that fence. They send their apologies for inconveniencing you.”

“I didn’t know what to do. Next time I will.” Near to her, he felt awkward, too tall, too big and too dark, as if the sunlight didn’t touch him. “Honking didn’t seem to work.”

“Goodness, no!” She laughed. “That only made them more curious. I don’t know why cows are so fascinated by the road, but most times when they get out they don’t head for the hills kicking up their heels and enjoying their freedom. They stand in the road.”

“I noticed.”

“I suppose if I was a cow in a field watching the traffic go by, I might want to go where all the action is, too.” She looked down at the crumpled and empty feed bag she still clutched, as if it held answers for her there—or perhaps he was making her feel awkward again.

Yes, that was it. He was staring at her too much. Definitely too much. He cleared his throat and turned his attention to the cattle. A few vied for the last of the treats while the rest of the herd had turned around and noted the gap in the fence had been repaired. Sorrowful moos rang out and several animals leaned against the wire.

“Isn’t it supposed to be electric?” he asked. “Shouldn’t that hurt?”

“Tall grass must have short-circuited the current somewhere. It happens.” She shrugged, taking a step backward. “You probably don’t run into this problem very often in midtown Manhattan.”

“Can’t say that I do.” She was funny, he realized, and almost smiled. “You have quite a skill when it comes to cattle.”

“I’ve been around them all my life. You’ve met my dad. He grew up on our family ranch just like I did. My earliest memories are being in the barns with him, walking between the stalls, going from animal to animal doling out treats, food, formula and medical care as needed.”

“It must have been a nice way to grow up.”

“It was. God incredibly blessed me with the life I have.” Love for her life, that was something that would never change. She shook her head at the cows leaning over the fence, begging with their Bambi eyes and tragic moos for more of those yummy treats. She held up the empty bag so they could see. “That’s all I have. No more.”

They surely recognized the words no more. The cows appeared shocked at how that could possibly be true, and then even more sad as their moos began again.

“Persistence is the key to more treats,” she explained. “Every pampered animal knows it.”

“I look at you and see what I’m in for. Julianna just told me she wants to be a vet.”

He must mean it kindly, but it was hard to tell from the stoic expression etched on his granite face.

“A vet? Well, that is a noble calling. It’s the best way to spend your life, in my humble opinion. Taking care of animals all day, every day. Complete and total heaven.” She flashed him a smile because he looked as if he needed one. Maybe he didn’t realize his wounds were showing; then again, she had a knack for sensing them.

“Guess I will see you all at home.” She tossed him an encouraging smile. “Mrs. G. has been cooking and baking up a storm. Her sons were all too busy for her to visit, so she’s spending the holiday with us, and can she cook! It will be a treat, I promise.”

“Dad.” The window rolled down, and Jenny poked out her head. “How much longer? Can we go yet?”

“Patience, Jennifer.”

He would have sounded gruff except for the faint twinkle in the doctor’s eyes—really amazing brown eyes.

Not that she should be noticing. Adam Stone wasn’t as dour as he wanted everyone to think as he turned those dazzling eyes on her.

“Thanks for clearing the road.” He held his hand up to shade his eyes. “You may have saved my car from serious damage.”

“No problem. I noticed just a little spittle, nothing to worry about.” She backed away, long locks bouncing. “If this ever happens again, and in this part of the country it probably will, don’t let them near your car. They can be quite enthusiastic.”

“I noticed.”

“Get out and lead them off the road. It helps if you have something for them to eat. Oh, and call the sheriff. Ford Sherman knows how to deal with them. He was a city boy and he learned. I imagine you can be taught, too.”

“Me, taught? That is one rumor never proven to be true,” he quipped, surprised by the flutter of lightheartedness behind his sternum.

“I have faith in you, Adam.” She climbed into her dark green truck and the tinted windshield hid all but the faintest silhouette of her behind the wheel, lovely and brilliant and amazing.

Not that he thought so on a personal level. It was merely an observation.

“Dad! We’re waiting,” Jenny called out the window. “It’s getting hot sitting here.”

“Yeah, Dad,” Julianna chimed in. “Aunt Cady said we were going on a horse ride. She promised they wouldn’t leave without us. It’s gonna be a real trail ride!”

The green pickup passed in the oncoming lane with a toot of the horn and a wave of one slender hand. He couldn’t move or respond as he watched Cheyenne’s truck go by, engine rumbling, equipment in the bed rattling, the trailer hitch glinting as it caught on a ray of sun.

He was in shadow. Life had become incredibly serious and the wounds from living had cut deep. He felt darker as Cheyenne’s pickup pulled into the lane ahead of him and rolled farther away. Over the past few years, he’d been consumed with the demands of running a household, raising his kids and meeting the challenges of his career. He hadn’t stopped to think about the man he had become.

He didn’t like who he was turning out to be. He’d lost hope, he’d lost touch with his soul, he’d forgotten what living was for.

Sunshine tumbled merrily across brilliant green pastures dotted with daisies. The cows across the road chorused a string of pleading moos in one last-ditch effort for attention. Life was big and his spirit had become so small. He wasn’t quite sure when that had happened.

How did I get off track, Lord?

Sorry for it, he folded his six-foot-plus frame behind the wheel, closed the door and followed the ribbon of winding country road, fearing the answers he would get to that question.

Chapter Four

“Cheyenne! Cheyenne!” Julianna bolted from the sedan the moment the car rolled to a stop. She hopped and skipped like a purple butterfly across the gravel. “Are you gonna go on the trail ride, too?”

“That’s the word.” The girl looked so excited, that if she kept hopping like that she might rocket off the earth and take off into orbit. “Dad and Scotty promised they would have the horses saddled and ready to go by the time I stepped foot back on the ranch. And guess what? Both of my feet are on Granger land.”

“So, what horse do I get to ride? Do you know?” Julianna bopped around, hopping backward, to keep an eye on her older sister and her father who were following at a normal pace.

“It’s a surprise.” She could not forget the shadows she’d seen in the man, although they were hard to see now in the full light of the sun as he gave Jenny a tight smile and clicked his remote to lock his car.

“Who are you expecting to steal your car?” she called out, unable to resist. “One of the cows?”

“Actually, you look a little shifty.” He slid dark glasses onto his nose, hiding the humor threatening to sparkle in his eyes.

She laughed. The doctor was definitely not as dour as he seemed. “Yes, the time I spent out of state at vet school was a ruse to hide my notorious stint as a car thief.”

“You may have everyone in this town fooled, but not me.” He almost smiled again, that handsome half hook in the corners of his mouth.

Handsome? Was she really using that word again? She needed to stop thinking about him like that. Honestly. It wasn’t as if she were in the market for a boyfriend. She rolled her eyes and accompanied Julianna around the bend in the walkway. The backyard came into sight, shaded by the big maple where her family waited, sprawled out in chairs and chaises, taking it easy for a change.

“There she is. About time, too.” Dad launched off a patio chair on the shady grass. “We’ve been waiting on you, girl.”

“And on us, too!” Julianna hoppity-hopped to Cady and gave her an enthusiastic hug. “Guess what? Jenny changed her clothes eight times and there was a whole herd of—”

“Cows!” Jenny interrupted as she marched into sight a few steps ahead of her father. “Julianna, you promised I could tell.”

“Oops. Sorry. I forgot.”

The sisters were too cute. Cheyenne headed up the porch step. “I so relate to you, Jenny. I had a little sister not so different from Julianna.”

“I was a cutie-patootie, wasn’t I?” Addy bounced off the picnic table where she’d been sitting. Dimples framed her grin as she turned her attention to Julianna. “Adorable, sweet as pie, a real keeper. That was me.”

“Not me.” Julianna wiggled away from Cady’s hug and grabbed her dad’s hand. “I’m nothing but trouble.”

“That’s what you are, little girl.” Adam tugged a bouncy brown pigtail, his affection showing through the stony cast to his features. “Trouble. I’m thinking of packing you up and taking you to the post office.”

“Will you mail me to Hawaii?”

“That’s not far away enough. I was thinking Antarctica.”

“I think there are penguins there. That would be okay.” She tilted her head to glimmer up at her father and there was no mistaking the depths of the child’s adoration.

Cheyenne swallowed hard, remembering looking up at her dad just like that when the man had been so impossibly tall, a giant to her little-girl self, her true anchor in the world. He still was.

“Are you ready to roll, missy?” Her father’s hand settled on her shoulder, a light but comforting weight that made her feel cozy and safe. That was her dad, always taking care of his kids, even if they were all grown-up. He leaned in with concern. “You aren’t going to stay here in case a call comes in, are you?”

“No, I’m taking my cell with me. I can’t miss a Granger family trail ride.” She dropped her bag beside the bench and stole her Stetson off a wall peg.

“The family is a mite bigger than last year.” Dad sounded pleased with that. “Hey, Hattie! What are you still doing in the kitchen?”

“Just packing up a bag of treats for the trail.” Cheerful and sixtyish, Mrs. Gunderson zipped the Baggie she’d just filled with snickerdoodles and stuffed it into the saddlebag lying on the kitchen island. “I don’t want anyone getting hungry. I put in a few treats for the little tykes. Now, if you just want to take this with you, Frank, I’ll get the thermoses to Cheyenne.”

“You are coming with us, right, Mrs. G.?” Cheyenne did her duty and snatched the two silver thermoses from the counter.

“Lass, I don’t belong on the back of a horse. No, my place is right here on solid ground.” A smile wreathed her apple-dumpling face and twinkled in her gray eyes. “I’ve got a few things to do in the kitchen and then I’ll be happy to put my feet up in the shade for a spell.”

“Not gonna happen.” Dad flashed his dimples at her. “You’re an honorary member of this family and we don’t leave family behind.”

“I’ve never ridden a horse and I don’t aim to start today.” Mrs. G. handed over the pack. “No, I’ll be waiting right here when you get back.”

“That’s not the way this is gonna work.” Her dad glanced at her for help. “What’s your opinion, Cheyenne?”

“If you don’t go, Mrs. G., I don’t go.”

“That’s not what I want at all.” Distress crinkled prettily on her round face, enhancing her soft beauty. “You go along, Cheyenne.”

“No, I’ll stay and keep you company. Addy will, too.” She knew Mrs. G. had a special fondness for the youngest of the Granger clan. “She was really counting on taking you riding, but I guess she will have to be disappointed.”

“Very disappointed,” Dad piped in.

“Oh, you two do not play fair.” Mrs. G.’s gaze strayed to the big picture windows where the family and friends gathered at the edge of the lawn. Saddled horses were tied to a rail fence, and a half dozen cattle lowed on their side of the field, begging for attention. Addy had Julianna by one hand and six-year-old Owen by the other, walking between the horses, chattering away.

Adam. He stood like a statue a safe distance away from the horses, the chiseled wonder of his masculine face furrowed with unmistakable apprehension. Cady closed in on him, making conversation. Ooh, what she would give to be a fly on the fence post so she could hear them. Had he just realized that Scotty their ranch hand had saddled a horse for him, too?

“Life isn’t fair, Hattie, and I aim to do whatever it takes.” Dad tossed the saddlebag over his shoulder like a Western hero of old and headed for the door. “You come along with us. You’ll have a good time. You have my word.”

“I’m holding you to that, Frank Granger.” But an interested twinkle sparkled in her eyes.

“It’s settled, then.” Pleased, Dad strolled out onto the porch. His gaze arrowed to Cady and the love that took him over was a sight to see. His deep, abiding affection for Cady shone too brightly to hide.

“Lass, will you show me what to do?” Mrs. G. followed down the stairs.

“I may have my hands full with another greenhorn.” Why was she smiling? It was because of the adamant way Adam shook his head. His no-way-are-you-getting-me-on-a-horse manner made her chuckle. She winked at Mrs. G. “At least you won’t be the only first-timer. You may have to set a good example for the new doctor in town.”

“Cheyenne! Cheyenne!” Julianna bolted across the lawn, running full-out. “Guess what? Dusty and Princess are here. Frank trailered them over from the inn. We get to ride ’em!”

“You look happy.” The homeless and abused horses that the inn had taken on were thriving, thanks to cousin Sean and his fiancée Eloise’s care and the Stone girls’ pampering. Two of the horses had taken a shine to each of the girls. Seeing the way the golden mare lifted her head to always keep an eye on little Julianna spoke of a growing bond. She gave a light tug on one of Julianna’s ponytails. “Do you think you can show Mrs. G. how to mount up?”

“I sure can! It’s real easy.”

“Oh, is that a good idea?” the housekeeper asked, dimpled and merry. “She’s such a little girl.”

“With a big heart, and besides, she knows how to ride.” Cheyenne felt Adam’s gaze land on her like a touch to her chin. Her skin buzzed with a strange sensation. Maybe a bug had landed there. She rubbed her jawbone but nothing flew away.

“Don’t worry, Hattie. I’ll help, too,” Scotty called out from beside an older bay mare, the gentlest horse in the Granger inventory.

“All right, then.” Mrs. G. chuckled as Julianna pulled her away.

She ought to be joining her family, reining Wildflower down the trail, leading the way. She should be contributing to the family’s merry conversation and banter, but they seemed incredibly far away. Adam stood front and center, a few safe paces away from the few remaining horses. With the brush of the wind through his dark thick locks and the kiss of the sun on his bronzed complexion, he appeared intensely male and as polished as if he’d just walked off the covers of an outdoors magazine.

Not that she was attracted to that. Puzzling how she kept noticing him.

“Daddy, you haven’t got in your saddle yet.” Julianna’s button face lined with worry. “Don’t you know how?”

“Sure I do.” He straightened his spine, becoming more tall and powerful.

The fact that her heart kicked into an alarming arrhythmia was a complete coincidence. In fact, she wasn’t going to wait on a city boy like Adam Stone. She strolled over to Wildflower and rubbed her nose. Her old friend nickered softly, bumping her velvety nose into Cheyenne’s hand in an obvious request for more petting. Hard to refuse that. She leaned her forehead against Wildflower’s cheek and savored the sweet company her mare offered.

“I guess staying here and reading the book I have in the car is out of the question.” Adam’s deep baritone held a chord of emotion—a note of amusement and a softer one of resignation.

“Dad, that’s so not what you agreed to do.” Jenny’s dark gaze held a plea, one mirrored by her younger sister.

Not that the Stone family dynamics were any of her business, but she’d grown fond of the girls and she couldn’t seem to keep her attention away from the man. He was a good father. He might be thinking the stoic cast to his face came across as stern, but she could read the affection for his daughters beneath the surface and the look of love that said how much he wanted to please his girls.

Glimmers of admiration flared to life within her as she patted Wildflower’s neck. So, she was a softy for a man with a good heart. She liked him despite all the reasons she shouldn’t. He was remote, he was abrupt and she got the strong impression he didn’t like small-town life or country living. She couldn’t fault him for the look of trepidation he gave the waiting horse. He kept back, apparently mostly clueless what to do with the animal.

“Should I help him, Wildflower?” she asked her beloved mare. “What do you think?”

Wildflower nickered, her chocolate gaze approving of the man.

“All right, fine,” Cheyenne whispered. “But if it doesn’t work out, it’s your fault.”

Wildflower nodded, apparently good with that. Cheyenne patted the mare’s sun-warmed flank as she circled over to lend Adam a hand. He definitely looked as if he could use it. The poor man squinted at Scout, one of her brother’s horses, as if getting up on that gelding was about as appealing as catching a case of the bird flu.

“Look at Mrs. G.” She nodded toward the long line of horses and riders mounting up. “She’s never been on a horse before and she’s having a lot of fun.”

“I don’t do fun.”

“True, but you could fake it just this once.”

“I know what you’re trying to do.” He glanced over just in time to see the housekeeper give a hoot of surprise as the ranch hand gave her a boost into the saddle.

“Way to go, Mrs. G.!” Cheyenne cheered.

The older woman rose up in the air, swung her leg over the back of the horse and landed in the saddle with a surprised plop. “Oh, my! This is much higher than I thought. How do I keep from sliding right off?”

“First you need to wear this.” Scotty handed up Autumn’s extra Stetson, which he must have thought to bring from the barn.

Was that a sparkle of interest in Scotty’s gaze? The strapping ranch hand, also in his sixties, leaned in, lowered his voice and gave Mrs. G. a bit of advice.

“If she can do it, I’m sure you can.” Cheyenne sidled up to Adam. “It’s not difficult. Honestly.”

“For you, sure. You’re one of those animal people. You’ve probably ridden a horse since before you could walk.”

“True, but I’ll help you out. How about that?” The turn of the corners of her pretty rosebud mouth could have been meant to tease him, but the kindness glimmering quietly in her bright blue gaze did not.

“Daddy, please?” Julianna clasped her hands together, steepled as if in prayer. There had been so much he hadn’t been able to give her over the past few years—her mother’s return to their family, her mother’s full-time interest and a way to make her pain ease. But this he could do. His daughter wanted him to go on a horse ride with her. How could he say no?

Remembering his single, very bad experience with a horse when he was a boy, how could he say yes?

“Dad saddled up Scout for you. Scout is a real gentleman.” Cheyenne probably thought she was reassuring him as she led the way toward the horses, her light auburn hair spilling over her shoulder. “Don’t worry. It will be a piece of cake.”

Sure, like last time. He tried to erase the images rising into his mind like a DVD player in slow motion. The pony baring his teeth and snapping as he tried to mount. The nick of teeth stinging his upper arm. Squaring his shoulders, he took one step forward toward the few horses still tied to the rail. Most folks had mounted up and the big crowd of Grangers were milling around, saddles creaking, steeled hooves striking the ground, all eyes on him.

He probably looked like a coward, or at the very least a disagreeable man who didn’t know how to have fun. He felt the shadows within him. Fun wasn’t something he’d been inclined to have since the divorce, when life had become incredibly serious.

“Dad, this will be so much fun. You’ll see.” Jenny, more child than teenager at the moment, loped ahead of him with deerlike grace. “You can ride with me.”

“Uh-huh, he’s gonna ride with me!” Julianna argued cheerily from atop her little gold mare.

“The trail is wide enough that he can ride with both of you.” Cheyenne cheerfully untied reins from the fence board. A cow rambled up to investigate, a daisy stuck in the tuft of hair between her ears, something his girls must have done. “I wish you could come along, too, Buttercup, but you’ll have to stay here.”

The bovine had a similar pleading gaze as Julianna, wide eyes and hopes impossible to disappoint.

“I’m sorry, girlfriend.” Cheyenne stroked the cow’s wide nose before turning to him. “Are you ready to saddle up?”

He was more inclined to take off at a dead run, but cowardice had never been a flaw of his. If only so many gazes weren’t tracking his progress as he strode up to the horse, the menace on four legs. At least, that was his memory of being on horseback.

It will be better this time. That was the only thought that kept the fear at bay. Lord, I hope this isn’t a disaster, he added in prayer, because he would need all the help he could get.

The big behemoth studied him with friendly cocoa eyes. The horse’s nostrils rounded as he breathed in and out in a low-throated sound that could have been a growl.

Man up, he told himself but he couldn’t stop the DVD player part of his brain. The memory froze in this exact spot when he’d been four at his own birthday party. His heart had been pounding then, too, from excitement, not an impending sense of doom. But instead of the grizzled old man holding the reins, Cheyenne posed beside him, awash with sunshine and beauty, looking like everything good in the world.

“Does he bite?” It didn’t hurt to ask.

“I’ve never known him to, but for you he might make an exception.” She must think she was being funny.

He couldn’t bring himself to tell her the truth. He swallowed hard and stepped up to the saddle. He had to reach up to the saddle horn, but not too far. That was one advantage of being tall. He feared the disadvantage might be the old adage, the taller they are, the harder they fall.

“Look at Mrs. G.” Cheyenne, determined to encourage him, nodded in the direction of the cluster of horses and riders on the gravel lane. The older lady balanced in the saddle, clutching the saddle horn with both hands.

“I hear what you’re saying.” He wasn’t about to be outdone by a woman twice his age. His masculine pride proved to be stronger than his old fear. He lifted his foot and slipped it into the stirrup, gave a hop and rose into the saddle.

“Hey, you’re an old pro at this.” Cheyenne beamed up at him, respect softening her fantastic blue eyes. Her irises had little flecks of aquamarine in them and darker threads of navy blue. His heart skipped.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.