He starts the trip a single dad...

Will he find a wife on Mercy Ranch?

Returning home to confront his father about the past, single dad Carson West never expects a reunion with his childhood sweetheart. Kylie Baker thought she was content working at the ranch for wounded warriors…until Carson and his kids arrive. Now the widowed veteran’s yearning for everything she thought she couldn’t have—a lasting love and a forever family.

BRENDA MINTON lives in the Ozarks with her husband, children, cats, dogs and strays. She is a pastor’s wife, Sunday-school teacher, coffee addict and sleep deprived. Not in that order. Her dream to be an author for Harlequin started somewhere in the pages of a romance novel about a young American woman stranded in a Spanish castle. Her dreams came true, and twenty-plus books later, she is an author hoping to inspire young girls to dream.

Also By Brenda Minton

Love Inspired

Mercy Ranch

Reunited with the Rancher

Bluebonnet Springs

Second Chance Rancher

The Rancher’s Christmas Bride

The Rancher’s Secret Child

Martin’s Crossing

A Rancher for Christmas

The Rancher Takes a Bride

The Rancher’s Second Chance

The Rancher’s First Love

Her Rancher Bodyguard

Her Guardian Rancher

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Reunited with the Rancher

Brenda Minton

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08591-5

REUNITED WITH THE RANCHER

© 2018 Brenda Minton

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

She knew the truth too late.

Carson and his children would be too easy to love. She had to get away.

“I’m going to town. There’s the…” Think, think. “Stuff. At the…feed store.”

Carson quirked a brow. “Maybe I’ll go with you. The kids and I need some…stuff, too.”

She wanted to protest. But the challenge in his eyes wouldn’t let her.

“I’ll go get ready.”

She turned to leave, but he reached out for her. “Kylie, we really don’t need anything in town.”

She knew that. He’d been teasing, trying to get the best of her. And just for a brief moment she’d hoped he wanted to spend time with her.

She might have been the first girl he kissed, the girl he promised to always love, but, she reminded herself, she wasn’t the woman he married.

She realized her mistake. She’d been thinking of him as that boy she’d loved. He wasn’t. Not anymore.

She had fallen for a memory.

And the memory had turned to hope.

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoy the first book in the Mercy Ranch series. Mercy Ranch and the characters who live there are already favorites of mine, and I hope they’ll quickly become your favorites, too.

Carson and Kylie share a very broken past and they come together still searching for a way to put their lives back together. What they find as they try to maintain their separate lives is that God has always had a plan for the two of them. And that plan has brought them both to Mercy Ranch!

Thank you for taking this journey with me to Oklahoma. I continue to be uplifted by your many emails, messages and kind words.

Blessings,

Brenda

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

—Isaiah 61:3

This book is dedicated to the men and women who proudly serve in our armed forces, and to their families. We value your sacrifice and your bravery. May God richly bless you and keep you in all of your endeavors.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

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

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Epilogue

Extract

About the Publisher

Chapter One

Carson West had a plan. He had a plan to walk up to his father, hand him back the letter he’d sent—offering him a job as the physician of a clinic in Hope, Oklahoma—and tell him “Not in this lifetime.” No way would he give up the opportunity he’d been offered in Chicago for a job in a town that had seen better days fifty years ago.

No way would he settle in the town his mother had fled twenty years ago. She had taken her three children and nothing else. They hadn’t even been allowed to pack a suitcase. They hadn’t told friends they were leaving. They’d just gone in the middle of the night, like thieves fleeing the scene of the crime.

It seemed like a lifetime ago, but today he was back and he planned on letting Jack West know how it had felt to lose a father, even one who had randomly yelled, drank until he passed out, or woke them up at night with nightmares no one could sleep through. Because of his two tours in Vietnam, those behaviors hadn’t been in Jack’s control. But letting his family go without ever trying to contact them? Carson did blame him for that.

As he eased his SUV up the drive of the once rundown farm, he noticed several obvious differences. The white farmhouse with faded paint had been remodeled. The garage appeared to now be apartments. A short distance away stood a log home with stone trim and an attached three-car garage.

He’d been thirteen when they left, and it hadn’t been easy leaving this place. His father had been tough, sometimes angry, never predictable, but he’d still been their father. After a while Carson had buried the best of his memories and tried to push this place from his mind.

But after all of these years, had he expected to find it unchanged? Had he expected the old dog Pete to still be sleeping on the front porch? Did he think there would still be the same overgrown lawn, broken-down tractors and aging farm trucks?

Instead of finding the farm he remembered, he saw a place that had become something completely different. Most significantly, there had been a sign at the front of the property welcoming him to Mercy Ranch.

Carson slowed as he drove past the house but kept going, in the direction of the supersized and modern stable that stood where the old barn used to be. He could see people milling about and guessed it would be the best place to find Jack.

He parked, ignoring the curious glances of the men who were pulling sacks of grain from the back of a truck and carrying them inside. He got out and opened the passenger door of the Escalade. His daughter, Maggie, grinned up at him, her blond ringlets sticking to her face where she’d gotten sticky with juice. Almost three years old, she giggled often and jabbered nonstop. Her brown eyes were warm and her nose pert. She looked just like Anna, and each time he realized that, it hurt. Not as much as it had at first, but the pain was definitely still there.

He unbuckled her from the car seat and she held out her arms to him. As he settled her on his left side, she patted his arm and reminded him to get her brother, Andy.

His son Andy would be five in six months and he was Maggie’s complete opposite. With Carson’s dark hair and gray eyes, he was the serious one, quiet, always watching, always thinking. Even now his gaze focused on the window, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed this new place.

Carson pocketed the letter from his father and helped his son out of the SUV. In the arena a couple of horses and riders worked cattle with the late afternoon sun beating down on them. He could hear calves calling for their mamas and a horse whinnying somewhere in the distance. It was the sounds of Carson’s youth, and yet nothing appeared to be the same since when his mom had taken them away.

Carson beat back his anger. He guessed that sentiment had been on low heat since he’d left Dallas that morning, heading north to Hope. What a ridiculous name for a washed-out resort town with tumbledown buildings, no stoplights and bad memories. Hope. There was no hope here.

The only thing here was the past. And he’d come home to confront it, to confront his father.

Carson, his brother Colt and little sister Daisy were all jacked up because of this place, the man who lived here and the past.

“Hello?” He heard a soft voice from behind him.

“Hi,” Maggie said as she peeked over his shoulder. She patted his arm to get his attention. “Daddy. Look.”

Andy, ever unsure of strangers, had climbed out of the SUV and was holding tight to his leg. Carson did an awkward turn, holding one child in his arms while the other clung to his jeans like they were a lifeline. His gaze dropped to the woman who barely reached his shoulder. Light brown hair lifted in the breeze and drifted across her face.

A Labrador puppy tumbled around her feet, nipping her ankles and pulling at the laces on her shoes.

She was country pretty, with freckles sprinkled across her nose, no makeup, wide hazel eyes and a heart-deep smile.

“Can I help you?” she said in a way that made him want to tell her everything. His secrets. Fears. Dreams. It unsettled him and made him a little angry. With her. That wasn’t logical and he liked logic.

Besides, she belonged here. That automatically put her on the wrong side.

“I’m here to see Jack.”

“He’s in the barn. I can take you.” She started to turn away from him.

“I think I can find him on my own.”

“Of course you can.” She bit down on her lip as she studied him, then turned her attention to his children. A smile tugged the corners of her mouth. “Perhaps I should take them inside while you go find him.”

He looked from the woman to his children. She was a stranger to them. It didn’t matter that she had sun-kissed highlights in her brown hair, and golden hazel eyes that danced with laughter. It didn’t matter that her expression changed as she studied Andy, who was now staring off at the horizon, tapping his fingers against his leg in time to music that couldn’t be heard.

“Thank you for the offer but we’re only here for a few minutes. Long enough to talk to my...to Jack.” As he said it, he caught Andy’s expression as he focused on the puppy.

It had been a long day, and the last few weeks had been difficult with the house selling so quickly and then packing all of their belongings. No, not everything. Packing had been a time of letting go. It hadn’t been easy to give Anna’s stuff to her sisters, to watch as they went through things, smiling and sharing memories. Thirty-two months had passed since her death. It had been time to let go. More than time.

“I’ll walk with you,” the woman at his side said with a slight lift of her chin. “In case you change your mind.”

Change his mind about what? Her help? Or talking to Jack?

He took off his sunglasses and looked at her, trying to decide if he should know her. As they stood there, squared off and unmoving, Andy dropped to his knees and began to pet the puppy. Maggie squirmed to be free. They’d been in the car for hours. A twinge of guilt forced him to take a deep breath. He lowered Maggie to the ground and she giggled as the puppy immediately began to lick her face.

“No, don’t.” He tried to stop the puppy and the little girl. Both ignored him.

“They’re having fun. Maybe give them—and yourself—a minute. I’m sure you’re all about whatever it is you have to say to Jack, but it won’t hurt to count to ten.”

“I’ve been counting to ten for a long time.”

“Carson, I know this is what you think needs to be done. I really do understand.” She said it with compassion and a knowing sadness in her eyes.

And then he realized she had called him by name, acting as if she knew something about his life. “Do we know one another?”

She dimpled at the question. “Well, don’t I feel special? And here I believed it when you told me you would always love me.”

He studied her, trying to picture a younger version of her. He had pushed memories of this town and this ranch to the back of his mind for so many years. He’d blocked bad memories and refused to think of the good ones. And now it seemed there was a memory he should have held on to.

A sharp woof sent Andy scampering back with a startled cry. He grabbed Carson’s legs and held tight as Maggie giggled at the puppy who crouched, his tail wagging. Ever cautious, Andy reached his fingers toward the animal.

“Don’t worry. Skip is a good puppy. He likes to play chase.” The still-nameless woman shifted her attention from him and knelt in front of Andy, grimacing as she did.

Carson glanced from his children to the stable a short distance away. Over the years he’d learned patience. Patience had made him a top surgeon. Patience, and noticing things, noticing people. It was often more about what they didn’t say than what they did.

Today he felt as if his patience might be in short supply.

Next to him the woman struggled to rise to her feet. Without thinking, Carson held out a hand to help her. She hesitated, and he saw the spark of something in her gaze. Not distrust. Pride. He recognized it because he’d been there. For nearly three years he’d been giving that same look to anyone who offered him help. Her hand grasped his and he pulled her to her feet.

He held on to her hand and she looked up. As he held it, his memories took him down back roads to quiet summer days when he was thirteen.

“I want to see Jack and then I’m leaving. I’m not here for a family reunion.”

She wiggled her hand free. “I understand. I just wanted to give your little boy a moment to catch his breath. I’m sure he’s had a long and overwhelming day.”

“He has.” Carson left out the part about his son having a long and overwhelming three years. No, not quite three years. Thirty-two months. It had been thirty-two months since Anna said she had to run to the store. Thirty-two months since he’d been sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for her to come home as sirens sounded in the distance.

Thirty-two months since the knock at the door telling him his pregnant wife had been taken to the hospital after a hit-and-run accident.

He lifted Maggie and she hooked her arms around his neck. Andy remained close to his side, but sneaked an occasional look at the puppy that had plopped to his belly, his chin resting on Andy’s shoes.

The woman standing too close for comfort laughed a little as Andy wiggled his foot and the puppy immediately returned to play mode. Her laughter dragged him down another path. Memories crashed into the present as the breeze kicked up, bringing with it the scent of September rain and a hint of coconut shampoo. Like it or not, today had become a day of reunions.

He remembered. This woman had once been the girl who’d lived just down the road and they’d ridden bikes together. They’d gone swimming in the creek. They’d shared secrets neither had felt comfortable telling anyone else. She’d been Kylie Adams back then. And her hair had been more blond than brown.

She’d become one of the many memories he’d pushed deep down, because forgetting was easier than remembering. Until today. Today he remembered her. He remembered that summer when two kids had discovered something sweet. He’d kissed her. A sweet but clumsy first kiss. And he’d told her someday he’d marry her.

He met her gaze and he saw the twinkle of amusement, because she knew he’d finally remembered. Now he had a second reason for regretting the decision to return to Hope. The last thing he wanted, or needed, were more memories.

“Kylie. It’s been a long time.”

* * *

Kylie had recognized the second Carson remembered her. She’d been waiting for it since the moment he’d taken off his sunglasses and looked at her, unsure, measured, trying to get his bearings.

Twenty years had slipped away as he’d given her that look, confident and unsure all mixed together. She’d had to remind herself he was no longer the boy who’d promised to rescue her. She was no longer the girl from the trailer park who needed rescuing. She had rescued herself and built a new life here, in Oklahoma. In Hope.

He had lost his wife. She had lost her husband. They had that in common. They’d both been widowed too young and too soon.

“I guess it would be pointless to say I didn’t expect to see you here.” He surveyed the homes, the stable, the white vinyl rail fences. “I guess I didn’t expect any of this.”

“I’m sure you didn’t. Things are seldom what we think.”

He sighed, and she felt for him. She knew that he had been blindsided by all of this.

He scrubbed a hand through short, dark hair and glanced toward the pasture, a man trying to get his bearings. He obviously didn’t know that his father had reinvented the ranch. It was a place of new beginnings. A place of mercy.

“Why are you here?” he asked, his tone cool.

“You’ll have to ask your dad. He’s in his office.” She reached but her hand dropped short of touching his arm that held Maggie. “I’m sure this is the last place you want to be. But if you’ll talk to him...”

“I think this was a mistake. I should have kept on driving.”

Carson West rocked that firm foundation just a little.

“Don’t go,” she encouraged, even though she knew it would be better for her if he left. She knew Jack needed this. And Carson did, too, even if he didn’t believe it. “Friend to friend, stay and talk to him.”

He pulled his sunglasses from his pocket and pushed them on. She was struck again by his masculine beauty. She remembered the same reaction from years ago. He’d been thirteen and beautiful with his suntanned skin, smoky gray eyes and slightly longer dark hair. Twenty years later his beauty was more masculine with a strong jawline, cheekbones that were defined and eyes that were more serious than laughing.

She held a hand out to Andy and the little boy took it, unsure, a little lost. They started forward, and she left it for Carson to follow or not.

“What are you doing?” Carson called out as she put distance between them.

She wished she had an answer to that question. It felt like stepping into quicksand. But for this moment, she could put aside the instinct to fight or flee and she could help Jack make peace with at least one of his children.

She glanced back at Carson. He hadn’t moved. He was still standing there with his daughter in his arms looking unsure. She thought it was not a familiar emotion for him. Uncertainty.

“I’m taking you to the stable to see your father. I might as well go along. Someone has to be there to referee.”

He laughed a little but didn’t deny it. And then he moved forward, catching up with them.

As they approached the barn, Jack West emerged from the door. He was as tall as Carson, a little broader through the shoulders, but his strength seemed to diminish a little more each day. He pulled off his cowboy hat and put a trembling hand through shaggy gray hair as he watched the four of them walking toward him.

“Carson?” His voice shook a bit. From emotion or Parkinson’s, Kylie couldn’t tell.

“In the flesh.” Carson stopped a good ten feet from his father.

“I guess this isn’t a social call?” Jack grinned as he said it, though sadness lingered in his eyes, as well. “You’re not here to accept my offer?”

“It isn’t a social call, Jack, and I’m definitely not here to accept your offer. I came to tell you that we did just fine without you. I graduated from medical school and I’m a trauma surgeon. I have two children. And in case you’ve wondered, Daisy and Colt survived, too.”

“I know they have.” Jack pointed to his office. “Let’s step in here and talk. We don’t need for everyone to be in our business.”

“We can say what has to be said right here, and then I’m leaving.”

“Don’t be so stubborn,” Jack shot back.

“I’m not stubborn. What I have to say won’t take two minutes. I’m not going to discuss this job you’re offering or any excuses you might have.”

“I don’t have excuses, I only have the truth.”

Kylie shook her head at Jack, trying to at least get him to back down. She could feel the trembling that was radiating from Andy’s thin little frame, his hand quivering while it was snug in hers. Jack sighed and nodded, his gaze settling on his grandson.

The little boy didn’t want to be involved in this argument any more than Kylie did. She wanted to walk away from Jack, Carson and the two children, because if she walked away she wouldn’t have to get involved. If she walked away she wouldn’t have to look at Carson’s children and have her heart ask the question what if?

There were no what-ifs in her life anymore; there was only cold, harsh reality.

“We have to talk,” Jack agreed. “But not right now. Not like this. Not standing here in a dusty barnyard. Not with your children watching.”

“You’re right.” Carson took a step back from his father and slowly looked from his daughter clinging to his neck to the little boy standing next to Kylie. His expression softened. “We’ll just say our goodbyes and if I’m ever in the area again, I’ll look you up.”

“You’ve already had a long day,” Jack said. “Might as well stay for supper. Give Maggie and Andy a chance to rest.”

Carson reached for his son’s hand. Kylie wondered if he noticed that his dad used his children’s names. If only Jack would tell him the truth. About everything. But that would mean opening himself up. Men were so stubborn.

She knew firsthand how stubborn a man could be. They didn’t open up. They didn’t ask for help. They kept everything inside until... She blinked back tears, unwilling to go down the path to her own painful past.

“I’m on a tight schedule. I have a job interview in Chicago in three days. We have a hotel reservation in Missouri for tonight.”

“Mercy Ranch is almost a hotel,” Jack said with humor.

“I’m not staying a single night on this ranch.” Carson said the words sharply, and the little girl in his arms leaned back, her eyes widening.

Carson closed his eyes and drew in a breath. He leaned in to his daughter and whispered that he was sorry. Andy and Maggie needed to be rescued from this situation, just until the men talked and worked out their differences. Not that she expected them to be able to do that in a five-minute conversation.

“I’m taking your children to the house.”

Carson looked shocked at her announcement. She was just as shocked. Getting involved in this was the last thing she wanted to do. What she wanted was to keep her world nice and safe without having it stirred up. She loved her life on this ranch. She had dealt with her past, both distant and recent. She’d come to terms with the things she couldn’t change. For the first time in her life she was truly happy.

And now Carson West was here shaking things up and threatening that happiness. But his children were innocent, and she couldn’t let them stay and witness their father and grandfather working out their differences.

She reached for Maggie and the little girl willingly shifted herself to Kylie’s arms. Carson held on for a moment, but then released his daughter. With Maggie situated on one hip, she held out her free hand to Andy. He took it, though he looked unsure.

She didn’t blame him. She was a little bit unsure herself. Actually, she wasn’t unsure at all. Carson back in Hope, back in her life, wasn’t what she’d expected or wanted. She’d known Jack’s plans for the new medical clinic in Hope. The doctor originally hired had worked for only a month, then decided he wanted something different.

For some reason she hadn’t thought about Carson for the job. She’d thought it would be another nice, safe stranger. Someone she didn’t remember for the sweetest first kiss, or promises he’d made to a girl who would have given anything to escape her life.

It could have been anyone other than Carson West.

Not the one man who could undo everything she’d built.

Chapter Two

Carson watched as Kylie walked away with his children. When he turned around, Jack had walked off. His hand trembled as he reached for a lead rope and unlatched a stall. Carson stepped aside as his father led a horse to the center aisle. The gelding sidestepped a bit and tried to pull back on the lead rope. Jack held him tight and crosstied him.

“What are you doing?” Carson asked.

“What I had planned on doing before you came stomping in here bent on retribution. I have a buyer coming to look at this gelding and I plan on having him ready to be looked at.”

“That horse is mean.” Carson eyed the animal as he stomped, trying to be free of the lines that held him steady while Jack brushed him out.

“Yeah, he is. But the fella buying him doesn’t care. He works cattle and he says he’ll ride it out of him.”

“I didn’t come here to talk about horses,” Carson reminded his father. “I came to tell you I’m not interested in your clinic. I’m not interested in whatever other way you want to make amends for what you did to me. To us. You had no interest in us for twenty years. Don’t start now.”

“I’m not starting now,” Jack said as he brushed the sleek red neck of the horse. “I thought you might like a change of pace so I sent you the offer. The least you could do is stay here and take a look at the clinic.”

Stay and be tied to Jack. The next thought took him by surprise. He couldn’t stay here and face Kylie each day either. And he had a feeling if he was on this ranch, she’d be here, too. All hazel eyes and sunshine smiles. He still pictured her as a kid of thirteen, laughing, riding bikes, swimming in the creek. She’d changed. But hadn’t they all?

The ranch had changed, too. Not just the obvious: new cabins, new stable, new livestock and fancy fences. The name had changed, too. Mercy Ranch. Mercy. He did wonder about the name change. From the Rocking W to Mercy Ranch.

“Why Mercy Ranch?” he asked.

“Mercy,” Jack said as he stroked the back of the horse with a soft-bristled brush. “Mercy means to offer forgiveness when it is in one’s power to punish.”

“I know the definition of the word. Why did you rename your family ranch?”

Jack grinned at him. “Because of mercy. I didn’t deserve it, but I received it. And now I can pay that forward. All of the men and women you see on this ranch are wounded warriors. Military veterans. It’s a place for them to start over. Or a place to settle down. It’s about mercy. Even the mercy we show ourselves.”

“Kylie?”

“Her story is her business. I can only tell you my story.” Jack grimaced and dropped the brush he’d been using on the horse. “Well, this is bad timing.”

Carson stepped forward, saw the lines of pain in his father’s face and the perspiration beading across his brow. “Jack?”

Jack slid a bottle from his pocket and managed with shaking hands to get the lid off. Carson took the pill bottle from him and shook one into his hand. With a sigh Jack put the pill under his tongue and he didn’t object when Carson led him to the office where there were several chairs.

“You need to sit down. We don’t want you standing up as your blood pressure decreases. You’ll end up facedown on the floor.”

“Kylie will think you knocked me out.”

“Yeah, right. I’m prone to violence. I’m calling 911.” Carson pulled his phone out.

“You’ll do no such thing,” Jack growled. “I’m fine. Give me a minute. While we wait, you can finish that horse and put him back in the stall.”

Carson reached for Jack’s wrist and felt his pulse. Rapid but steady. “How often does this happen?”

“Often enough that I need pills. Go take care of the horse.” He took a deep breath. “Please.”

“I’ll put him in the stall.”

“Too citified now to do some chores?” Jack badgered as Carson left the office.

Carson gave the horse a quick brushing. He was untying him when another man came walking down the aisle. He appeared to be in his late twenties. He was tall, walked with an easy gait and when he got closer, Carson saw that he had silver-gray eyes. Those eyes pinned Carson with an angry stare.

Carson focused on the eyes rather than how much the younger man looked like him, looked like his brother Colt. He told himself it was coincidence. Plenty of people had gray eyes. That didn’t make them related. Right?

“Where’s Jack?” the younger man asked.

Carson led the horse to the stall. “He’s in his office.”

“Jack?” the other man called out, walking past Carson, shoulder checking him as he went.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Carson muttered as he followed him to the office. “He can’t walk back to the house. Is there a wheelchair around here? Or we can carry him.”

“I can walk,” Jack growled. “Isaac can help me.”

Isaac, the gray-eyed stranger had a name.

Carson motioned toward the door. “Be my guest. Isaac will pick you up when you fall on your face.”

“You wouldn’t make a good local doctor. You need a better bedside manner.”

Carson tamped down on a smile. “Right. I guess I’m a chip off the old block.”

They sat there for a minute staring each other down, then Jack sighed. “Isaac, I’m afraid he’s right. These old legs are too shaky for that walk back to the house.”

“I’ll get a wheelchair.” Isaac headed toward the door. “Say one thing to upset him and you’ll answer to me.”

Carson didn’t bother to respond. He waited until the other man—Isaac—was gone before he approached Jack again. “I assume you’ve been to a specialist?”

“Yeah, I have. It’s nothing major.”

“I would beg to differ, but what do I know. I’m only a doctor.”

“Without a bedside manner.” Jack closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter,” Jack said. “Stay here for a few days. We can talk.”

“I don’t think so.” Now, knowing Jack was sick, Carson didn’t have the heart for the confrontation. He’d come here expecting the same ranch, the same Jack West, and nothing was what he’d expected.

He pulled a chair close and a moment later Kylie appeared pushing a wheelchair. Carson looked behind her, then he looked to Isaac, looming just inside the door. “Where are my kids?”

Kylie pushed the chair close. “They’re with Eve. Don’t worry. She’s watching them. I just thought it would be easier to do this if they weren’t here. And less traumatic for them.”

He didn’t leave his children with strangers. For good reason. Kylie must have seen something in his expression, because she sighed.

“Carson, they’re safe. I promise.”

“Of course they are.” He glanced at his watch and opened the pill bottle again. “Time for a second dose.”

“You take a second dose,” Jack grumbled, but he took the second pill.

“Well, that’s a good sign,” Kylie said as she slid an arm behind Jack to help him up out of the chair. “Come on, Oscar.”

“I’m not a grouch.” Jack managed a half grin as he said it.

“Yes, you are.” Kylie smoothed Jack’s hair and gave him a thorough looking over. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m good.”

“I’ll help him get up.” Isaac took over, lifting Jack to his feet and helping him into the wheelchair.

“Getting old stinks,” Jack said. His voice was weaker than it had been.

Carson reached for his wrist and felt for a pulse.

“Still have a heart?” Jack asked.

“You’re not funny,” Kylie whispered, with tears in her eyes.

Carson averted his attention and looked down at Jack. “You do still have a heart. But I think it would be good to get you to the house and get you in bed.”

It took ten minutes to get Jack back and settled in his recliner in the living room. He insisted he would be most comfortable in the big leather chair. Kylie brought him water and something for the headache, brought on by the nitroglycerin.

Carson was checking Jack’s blood pressure with a monitor Kylie had given him when Isaac appeared with Maggie and Andy. Maggie had her arms around Isaac’s neck and she jabbered, telling him a story that he probably couldn’t make much sense of. Andy followed, but he was expressionless as he tapped a steady rhythm on his leg, a sure sign he was distressed by the unfamiliar situation and place.

He had to get them somewhere and get them settled. Soon. Andy needed a stable place, his things around him, structure. The only way to provide that was to get where they were going as quickly as possible, and find a home where they could start over.

As he considered his next move, the puppy that had been with Kylie appeared. It immediately went to Andy, and Carson watched as his son dropped to the floor and put his arms around the animal. Andy’s features relaxed and he smiled as he pulled the puppy close and buried his face in its yellow fur.

Maggie gave the dog a few pats, then she toddled up to Carson. He lifted her and she leaned in to whisper in his ear, “Potty.”

“The bathroom is through the kitchen and next to the utility room,” Kylie offered. “I can show you.”

“Thank you. We’ll take care of that and then we need to get on the road. I want to be in a hotel before bedtime.”

“No.” Andy spoke quietly, his face pressed against the dog.

“Andy?” Carson reached for his son, but Andy pulled back, shaking his head.

“I don’t want to go.”

“But we have to.” Carson shifted, putting himself clearly in his son’s line of vision.

Andy looked up, suddenly focused. He shook his head and pulled the Labrador puppy close. “No. I want to stay.”

Carson paused at the unexpected outburst from his son. Because Andy was on the autism spectrum, even though it was mild, he rarely put more than a few words together.

The puppy seemed to be the key.

“I’m sorry, Andy, but we can’t stay.”

Andy shook his head again. Carson became aware of Kylie moving closer. Briefly her hand touched his arm. He looked up and she smiled, thoroughly undoing something inside him that he’d been holding together for thirty-two long months. Now wasn’t the most opportune time for him to remember that he had once loved holding a woman close. A teenager, he reminded himself. They’d been little more than kids when they’d known one another. They’d held hands, made up impossible dreams for the future, and then it had ended.

“Andy could take a walk with Skip before you go,” Kylie suggested. “It’ll give him a chance to unwind, get some fresh air. It might make it easier for him to get back in the car. I’ll take him down to see the new calves while you change Maggie.”

Kylie held a hand out to Andy and he watched his son slip his small hand in to hers. He’d just been taken by surprise again.

* * *

Kylie led Andy out the back door and down the steps. The little boy seemed to be keeping his focus on Skip, and the more he did, the less he tapped at his leg.

“Do you like to swing?” she asked as they crossed the lawn in the direction of the swing Jack had maintained with fresh ropes and the occasional new board. The swing, always a reminder that a long time ago there had been children on this ranch.

Now there were veterans, both men and women. They worked on the ranch with the cattle, with horses Jack raised, and even with the dogs. They were also learning new skills doing construction projects in town.

Kylie glanced down at the little boy holding her hand. He glanced in the direction of the swing and then his gaze briefly shifted to meet hers. He nodded in answer to her question.

“I think your daddy played on this swing when he was a little boy. Would you like for me to push you on it?”

Again he nodded.

When they got to the swing, she lifted him to the seat and showed him how to hold tightly to the rope. She gave him a push and his hands tightened even more. The next time she pushed a little easier and noticed that he relaxed.

As she pushed the swing she told him about the ranch and about knowing his daddy when he was a boy. She didn’t share the part about how her heart had broken when he left. He hadn’t said goodbye. It had broken her heart because she’d allowed herself to believe the fairy tales they’d spun as they’d ridden bikes and played in the creek. At thirteen she’d really believed that someday they would get married.

And like all young girls, she’d believed in their dreams of a perfect life and a happy home, where no one would ever yell or hurt them. Ever again.

She’d found happiness on this ranch. She felt secure here. And she wondered if Carson was chasing after happiness, too, hoping to help his children feel secure in a life, a world, that had dealt them an incredibly difficult hand.

She looked down at the dark head of the boy in the swing and smiled. She could so easily get attached to him and to his sister. She could get attached to their father, too. She loved Jack like the father she’d never had, and she knew how badly he wanted to reconcile with his children. But she knew it would only be heartache for her if Carson and his children stayed for more than a day.

She glanced at the spot where Skip had been playing with a stick. The puppy and stick were both gone. She slowed the swing and scanned the area but didn’t see a trace of the puppy.

Great. She’d gotten distracted and the Labrador had done what he most loved: wandered off. “Andy, keep swinging. I’m going to look behind the shed for Skip. Stay right here in case he comes back. He would be very sad if he came back and we were gone.”

Andy nodded and he remained on the swing, his little legs kicking back and forth. The shed, a mere twenty feet away, was one of Skip’s favorite places to hunt feral cats. She could hear his low, puppy growl. As she rounded the corner of the shed, he took off.

“Skip,” she called out, knowing it would do no good. He would never make a good service dog if she couldn’t break him of his need to chase cats.

She was coming back around the shed when she saw Carson and Maggie heading their way. He glanced at her and then looked around, his fatherly concern evident even from a distance.

“Where’s Andy?” he asked as he got closer.

“On the swing,” she answered. But he wasn’t. “He was right there. I told him to wait.”

Carson shook his head. “He walks away. I should have warned you. Hold Maggie and I’ll find him.”

“It’s only been two minutes. He couldn’t have gone far.” She took Maggie and the little girl patted her shoulder and whispered, “Oh, Andy.”

Kylie turned in circles, scanning the yard, the fields and the road. Where could Andy have gotten to so quickly? As she started her own search in the yard, Isaac walked out the back door of the house. She waved him down and he headed her way at a lope.

“What’s up?” He pushed the brim of his cowboy hat back revealing just the edge of the scar that ran from his jaw to the place just above his left ear.

“Andy ran away from me. Two minutes and he was gone. If you get Max, he could help.”

Isaac was already walking away. “I’ll get him and a couple of the guys. We’ll spread out in the field and head toward the pond. Kids always seem drawn to water.”

“Thank you.” The words came out choked as tears filled her eyes and clogged her throat.

“Don’t mention it. And don’t worry, we’ll find him.” With that Isaac took off, heading first to the kennel where Max barked as if he already knew he was needed.

Kylie shifted Maggie to her left side, giving her weaker right side a break. The toddler leaned her head on Kylie’s shoulder and started to sing, “Jesus Loves Me.”

“Yes, he does, sweetie,” Kylie told her. “And he loves Andy. So we’re going to pray real hard and we will find your brother.”

They had to find him. Her heart ached, knowing that because of one moment of her distraction it could result in a child being lost. The thought cut deep because it brought back the accident. A distracted moment and their convoy had been attacked.

She’d lost so much that day.

She’d never expected that five years later she would be here. She’d thought her world would never be right again after that day. But she’d managed to save herself and she’d dragged Eric Baker from a burning vehicle. He had proposed on the spot, telling her it was meant to be.

They’d known each other, had dated a few times, but he’d convinced her that her rescuing him that day had sealed their lives together. They’d lain there waiting for help, laughing at every stupid thing just to keep from crying.

Two months later they’d gotten married.

A year later he was gone and she was alone. Again.

Her heart thudded hard as she became frantic, worrying that she wouldn’t find Andy. What if he’d gone toward the road or the pond? What if he wandered to the woods and darkness fell? She glanced toward the west at the sun that was barely a sliver of orange as it sank over the horizon. It would soon be dark.

“Maybe he went inside?” she said to Maggie, but she had fallen asleep in her arms. “Right, well, let’s go check inside.”

She headed for the patio and the back door of the house. As she hurried through the home she called his name. She checked the kitchen, the utility room, the garage. As she walked back through the dining room, Jack called out to her.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

She didn’t want to worry him. He’d already had one spell.

“Well?” he questioned as he reached for water, his arm and hand shaking uncontrollably.

She picked up the water glass and held it for him. “I lost Andy.”

“You lost him?”

“One minute he was on the tree swing and the next minute he was gone. Isaac is getting Maximus and a few of the guys to help search.”

“They’ll find him.” Jack reached. “Let me hold that sleeping princess. It might be the only chance I ever get to hold her.”

Kylie placed the child in his arms. Maggie shifted a little, then settled back into a sound sleep.

“I knew I didn’t have much of a chance of getting him to stay,” Jack said as he studied his sleeping granddaughter. “I’ll take the time I can get. You go help find Andy and the two of us will be just fine.”

“If she wakes up?”

“Rosa is here. She’s cleaning upstairs and she’s going to make soup. We’ll be just fine.”

The housekeeper. Kylie had forgotten that Rosa planned on coming in for the evening because she would be gone over the weekend to attend one of her sons’ weddings.

“I’ll go help them look. You stay put.” She leaned to hug Jack. “Don’t worry. We’ll find him.”

He grinned. “I know you will. And in the meantime, I get to spend time with sweet Maggie here.”

Kylie gave him a last look and headed out the front door, just in case Andy had gone that way. The look on Jack’s face had been priceless. She knew what this visit meant to him, even if it didn’t go the way he’d planned.

She knew what this visit meant to her, too. It made her question everything she’d believed about her life here. She had spent four years finding herself, building a stable and happy life. For the first time, she had hope. She had real faith. She was truly happy.

And she didn’t want anything to change, because change was unpredictable.

And what was more unpredictable than a man from the past with his two children showing up out of the blue?

Chapter Three

Carson had made a quick search around the stable, the corrals, the dog kennels. When he didn’t find Andy, he headed back to the stable. Andy could very well be hiding in a stall or a storage room in the mammoth-sized facility. There were a dozen stalls, several storage rooms, an office and an attached indoor arena. Plenty of places for a little boy to hide.

Kids loved barns. Dusty barns with haylofts and dark corners to hide in. This wasn’t one of those barns. It wasn’t like the one that Carson and his siblings had played in when they’d been kids living here.

He didn’t have time to think about the changes to the ranch. He had to find Andy before his son found trouble. It wasn’t the first time he had wandered off. Their nanny had lost him twice in the past year. A friend had suggested a phone with a GPS tracking device.

“Andy? Andy? Are you in here?” He paused to listen for any sound that indicated his son might be hiding inside the stable. Nothing. He closed his eyes and felt the closest to praying he’d been in three years.

The night he’d lost Anna.

That night had been a night of prayer. Carson had determined God could and would get his wife through the trauma of the accident. And now, he was about to close his eyes and ask that same God to help him find his son.

He’d believed that his faith died the day Anna died. But if a person’s first thought in crisis was to call on God, maybe he wasn’t so far gone.

After a thorough search of the stable, including stalls where some pretty decent Quarter Horses pawed at the ground or snuffled water from automatic waterers, he exited on the opposite side. Isaac joined him, leading a big chocolate-brown Labrador Retriever.

“This is Maximus.” Isaac patted the animal’s head.

He led the dog in a circle, talking to him in a low tone that got the animal’s attention.

“Does he know what he’s doing?” Carson asked as the dog began to sniff the ground.

“Nah, but he’ll do his best. I hope you don’t mind, I helped myself to this jacket in your SUV. I wanted him to have Andy’s scent.” Isaac held up Andy’s jacket that had been left in his car seat. He adjusted his cowboy hat, exposing a military haircut and a scar on the left side of his head.

“We should keep moving. Is there still a pond past the stand of trees over there?” Carson nodded in the direction of the setting sun.

“Yeah, we’ll head that way. Max seems to like that idea.”

“How do we know he’s on the right track?”

Isaac laughed a little. “We don’t know, but I trust Max. I promise you, we’re going to find your kid.”

The way Carson saw it, he had no other options. He had to trust the dog and Isaac. Carson hoped that God realized he was putting some trust in Him, too.

“Kylie is really beating herself up,” Isaac informed him as they continued in the direction of the pond.

“She shouldn’t. Andy has done this before.” Carson scanned the area and then shifted his focus to the horizon. “It’ll be dark soon.”

“I know. We have to keep moving. How often does he do this?”

“Twice in the past year. One time before that.” Carson hated the feeling of loss each time Andy wandered away. Loss and helplessness.

“There’s got to be a way to stop him or to track him,” Isaac offered.

“I’ve thought about several things. I guess I hoped he would grow out of it.”

Max began to bark and started to pull on the leash.

“He’s got the scent.” Isaac unhooked his leash and the dog took off.

Max headed for a stand of trees a short distance from the pond. Isaac stumbled a bit. Carson passed him and went after the dog. His barking increased in frequency and loudness. Carson hurried to the pond bank where the dog seemed to have something or someone cornered. He prayed it would be his son.

He refused to think of other prayers that hadn’t been answered.

“Andy. You have to come out.” Carson stood, listening. Isaac approached, quieter than a man his size should have been.

“Over there.” Isaac pointed to a huddled form sitting on the ground next to a bush, a tiny kitten in his hands.

“Hey, buddy, what do you have there?” Carson asked as he picked his son up.

“I saved it,” Andy said. He leaned his head on Carson’s shoulder.

Andy was a little muddy, wet and obviously cold. “Hey, Isaac, do you have that jacket?”

Isaac leaned down to pet Max, giving the dog a treat from his pocket. Carson repeated the request for the jacket. This time Isaac looked at him and then shook his head. Carson pointed to the jacket.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you.” Isaac handed over the jacket with an easy grin. And Carson knew there had to be more to the excuse.

They headed back across the field. As they walked, Isaac texted Jack, Kylie and the men who were helping in the search. As he texted he moved to the opposite side of Carson. The side without a scar, Carson realized.

“Go easy on her,” Isaac said.

Carson knew he meant on Kylie. “I don’t need to be told what to do.”

“You don’t seem to be the most forgiving guy in the world.” Isaac grinned at him and then stuck a toothpick in his mouth. Carson could smell cinnamon.

“And you’ve come to that conclusion because I don’t want to take Jack up on his clinic offer? I’m a trauma surgeon, not a family practitioner. And I need to live in a larger city. I need to make sure we’re somewhere that Andy can get the resources he needs, the education he needs.”

Isaac’s expression softened as he looked at Andy, clinging tightly to Carson’s neck. “Yeah, I get that.”

“Thanks.”

Isaac shrugged. “It wouldn’t hurt you to look at the clinic. And you could at least tell the old man that you forgive him.”

“Yeah, I guess I could.” Carson kept trudging along on the uneven ground. Isaac walked next to him, the toothpick between his teeth and a thoughtful expression on his face. It didn’t take a genius to realize the other man looked a lot like family, more like Carson’s younger brother Colt than Carson, but the resemblance was there.

So were memories of his parents fighting, shouting things that his younger self had tried to ignore.

“You really want to raise your kids up there?” Isaac asked.

“There or another city like Chicago. I’ve got to find a job in a city that offers what I’m looking for.”

“Right, of course.”

They were getting closer to the stable. Carson could see people moving, watching. “How many people live here on the ranch?”

Isaac took the toothpick out of his mouth. “Usually a dozen or more. I don’t count them all. Jack likes to take in strays.”

“Interesting hobby for a man who let his wife take his kids.” Carson heard the edge to his voice and stopped there, because Andy had looked up at him, gray eyes troubled.

“You all just need to talk. But I guess that won’t happen if you’re leaving tonight.”

Andy shook his head. “I don’t want to leave.”

“I know you don’t,” Carson responded.

“Give the kid a break. Let him get a good night’s sleep. Does it matter if it’s here or a hotel?” Isaac shook his head. “I thought I was stubborn. You keep making excuses about how you have to get on the road and get your kids settled. But you won’t stop to think that maybe staying a night here could be the best thing for them.”

Carson glanced up and saw Kylie a short distance away, listening and worrying her bottom lip. She’d done that even at thirteen.

“I’m sorry,” she immediately said. Tears filled her eyes.

“You don’t have to apologize. He sometimes wanders away. It happens. It’s happened to me, and to his nanny in Dallas. We do the best we can to keep him safe.”

Andy’s arms went around Carson’s neck, an unusual moment for the two of them. Andy was rarely affectionate. The kitten Andy had shoved between them wasn’t quite as affectionate. He climbed away from them and jumped to the ground, running fast in the direction of the shed where the rest of the litter now played.

“Where’s Maggie?” he asked as they walked through the gate that Isaac had opened.

“Asleep on your...on Jack’s lap.”

“Oh.”

She put a cautious hand on Andy’s arm. “I was worried about you, buddy.”

“Sorry,” he said without looking at her.

“We have stew and biscuits,” Kylie said. “Would you all like to eat before you leave?”

Andy tried to get down from Carson’s arms. “I don’t want to. I don’t like the car. I want to go home.”

Home. Carson sighed. They no longer had a home. They had possessions in a storage facility. They had clothes in suitcases in the car.

He followed Kylie to the back door of the house. Inside they were greeted by a dozen people lined up in the kitchen preparing for dinner. This was Jack’s life, his mission. Or was it a ministry? A group of people starting over. If anyone knew how to help veterans, it would be Jack.

“Well?” Kylie asked, smiling when she noticed where his attention had gone. “This is Mercy Ranch. You should at least take a little time and see what Jack has done with the place.”

“I can see what he’s done. It’s a good thing.” It was easy to admit. A man couldn’t deny what was right in front of his face. The cosmetic changes to the ranch were obvious, but the people were the main reason for the ranch. He got that. He understood why this would mean something to Jack.

“It is a good thing.” Kylie looked over the crowd of people and then her attention turned to Andy. “You should feed your children. There’s plenty.”

“We would like to eat,” he said. With those words Andy relaxed in his arms. “I should get Andy cleaned up first. And let Jack know that he’s safe.”

They could spend the night. He could let his children rest. He could give Jack time and listen to his explanations.

It all sounded easy. It seemed like the best plan. But he knew that nothing was ever as simple as it seemed.

* * *

When Kylie had woken up that morning, it had been a typical Friday like any other day. Chores to do, dogs to train and the weekend to look forward to.

She was happy. Content. Her life here at the ranch was good and she didn’t need anything more. She had a home here, friends, and a career she loved, as a therapist. A career born from the needs of the veterans on the ranch. How could one day, actually just a portion of one day, change everything? She had never expected to see Carson. She hadn’t known that Jack offered him the clinic. Jack had talked about it, of course, but he’d laughed and said Carson would never agree to leave his high-powered job in Dallas for a family practice gig in Hope, Oklahoma.

Carson West was not the boy she had known twenty years ago. He was a man still grieving the loss of his wife. He was a father trying to raise two children alone. He was a surgeon on his way to a new job and a new beginning. Jack’s children might have been gone twenty years, but Jack had kept track of them.

And as much as Kylie tried to pretend it was in the past, she’d held on to each morsel of information about the boy she’d once known.

Carson had changed. But hadn’t they all? She definitely wasn’t the girl she’d been all of those years ago. She smiled at the memory of her teen self. She’d been too skinny, often barefoot and always looking forward to leaving Hope. And now she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

With the others occupied with dinner, she slipped away to check on Jack. She stopped at the door of the family room. Jack had fallen asleep. The gentle rise and fall of his chest assured her he was okay. Maggie lay curled in his arms, her head against his shoulder, her cheeks rosy from sleep.

Carson appeared at her side, a cleaned-up Andy at his side.

“He’s going to be okay,” he said with quiet assurance.

Of course the minute he’d said the words, the tears she’d been holding in managed to trickle down her cheeks. She brushed the dampness away, thinking he wouldn’t want to see her crying.

Instead his shoulder brushed hers and he leaned closer, his breath warm as it ruffled the hair near her ear. “We’ll stay tonight. I’ll give Maggie and Andy a chance to rest. I’ll be here to make sure Jack is okay. You don’t have to take all of this on yourself.”

How did he know her concern? She was so used to taking on the troubles of the people at the ranch, which included Jack. She worried a lot about him.

She closed her eyes, and leaned her head just a fraction so that it rested on his shoulder. Memories were so difficult because she knew how it had felt to lean on the shoulder of a boy. He’d always made her feel safe. Even then, when he was all arms and legs and not so tall.

The man standing next to her wasn’t a boy. She took advantage of his strength, his nearness, just for a moment. Just long enough to feel strong on her own.

“We should get the kids something to eat,” she said as she drew away from him.

Maggie blinked a few times, saw them and slid off the side of the recliner to toddle their way. Her mass of blond curls framed her sweet face and she smiled a sleepy smile. And then she walked right up to Kylie and held up her arms. Kylie lifted the little girl and held her close.

A tiny hand patted Kylie’s cheek.

“Okay?” the little girl asked.

Kylie laughed and shed a few tears because of the sweetness of the gesture. “Yes, Maggie, I’m okay.”

She could get so attached to this little girl with her giggles and sweet smile. And to Andy with his cautious looks and the sadness in his gray eyes. If one afternoon had proven dangerous, she could only imagine if they stayed longer.

“You found him,” Jack said, his voice groggy.

“We found him,” Carson said. “He took a bit of a roll in the mud but other than that, he’s fine.”

Jack studied his grandson. “Rose makes the best stew. That should warm him up and make him feel better. I guess you’re heading out soon?”

“We’ll stay the night.”

Jack nodded. “Good. I have something I want to suggest.”

“I think we’re good,” Carson said. “We both know where we stand. And I’m not interested in the clinic.”

Jack waved a hand at his son. “I’m not talking about the clinic or what’s between us. I’m talking about Andy. He needs a dog.”

Kylie felt her heart drop, seriously drop. It ached as it plummeted. Jack had told her he had an idea. He hadn’t mentioned a dog. She knew it made sense. But she also knew what else it meant. It meant time. Working together. Carson staying here in Oklahoma.

“I can get him a puppy once we find a home in Chicago. I know that kids need pets.”

Jack waved his hand. “No. Not a pet. He needs a service dog.”

Carson paused his denials. “A service dog?”

“We train them here at the ranch, for our wounded warriors and for others in need. Service dogs are expensive but we’re pretty good at keeping the costs down so we can donate them to those in need.”

“Then those dogs are for service members who need them. We don’t want to take someone’s dog,” Carson insisted. But Kylie could tell he was thinking about it. Thinking about a dog for his son.

“A dog would keep him from wandering,” Jack told him. “It would keep him safe.”

Carson sat down, Andy still in his arms. “I get that. But we’re leaving.”

“If you stay, we could get him a dog.” Jack raised his eyes and met Kylie’s, pleading. “What do you think?”

She couldn’t deny Jack. Her gaze shifted to Andy. She couldn’t deny a child. “We could get him a dog.”

“See,” Jack said with a smile. “Kylie is in charge of our dogs.”

Carson smiled at her. “I think Kylie is in charge of everything around here.”

Jack laughed at that. “She is, but don’t tell her. She’ll start asking for a raise.”

“We’ll stay the night and discuss a dog later.” Carson stood. “But right now, I have to feed Andy and Maggie.”

Kylie followed him from the living room. “Do you need me to get anything from your car, or is there something I can do to help?”

“If you can sit upstairs with Andy and Maggie, I can get our bags. You don’t need to carry them.”

“I can sit with them,” she offered.

He nodded and headed up the stairs. She had to hurry to catch up with him. Maggie clung to her neck and stairs weren’t the easiest for her on the best of days.

“You could give me a break and slow down,” she called out to his retreating back.

He stopped and headed back down the stairs. Before she could protest, he took Maggie so that he held a child on each hip. And then he tromped back up the stairs.

“Which door?”

“Second door on the right,” she told him as she caught up. “It has a double bed and a twin with a trundle.”

He opened it and entered the room. She watched as he set both kids down on the bed. “Stay with Kylie. I’ll be right back with clean clothes.”

“You’ve got this parenting thing down,” she said as he brushed past her to leave.

Her words stopped him and she saw the change in his gray eyes. A soft smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Yeah, I’ve kind of had to figure it all out on my own.”

She touched his arm, stopping him from walking away. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t.” He paused there, just a breath of space between them. “I’d guess you have your own story. Life never turns out how we expect it to, does it?”

“No, it doesn’t. And I think Jack isn’t who you expected, is he? You thought you’d show up and everything would be the way it was when you left. You thought Jack would be the same person.”

“Maybe,” he said with a shrug of broad shoulders.

Time and circumstances had changed Carson the same way they had changed her. The boy she’d known had been fun-loving. In spite of his circumstance he had laughed and found the best in each day. The best in people. He seemed to have lost that side of himself.

The man standing in front of her had jagged edges.

Chapter Four

Carson woke up Saturday to the gray light of early morning stealing through the curtains of an unfamiliar room. Across the room in a twin bed, Andy and Maggie were cuddled together, still sleeping. From downstairs he could hear the sound of water running and dishes clinking. Sneaking from the room so as not to wake the children, he made his way downstairs.

If either of the children woke, he’d hear them or see them as they came down the stairs.

He had expected to see Kylie in the kitchen. Instead Isaac stood at the sink filling a coffee pot with water. He glanced at Carson, grinned, then went back to work.

“Expected someone prettier, did you?” Isaac poured the water in the coffeemaker. “She’s working dogs. Want some breakfast? Or are you heading out early? Chicago is waiting.”

“In a hurry to get rid of me?”

“I like the kids. You I could do without. I can do without your suspicious looks. I can do without your judgment. So can Jack. You haven’t lived his life. Have you ever been to war? Have you ever wondered if the last shot you took...”

Isaac shook his head, raising a hand when Carson tried to tell him they didn’t need to have this conversation.

Isaac poured himself a cup of coffee. “We have to talk about the fact that you think you know everything. But until you talk to people and find out their side, their experiences, you don’t know them. And you don’t know your father...”

Carson grabbed a cup from the cabinet and watched the coffee drip into the pot, ignoring the younger man that he assumed was his brother. He should just ask. As Isaac said, you don’t know a person until you know their story.

“You’re probably right. But I guess that goes both ways. You don’t know my story, either.” Carson met Isaac’s gaze, held it for a minute.

“Shoot,” Isaac said as he raised his cup.

“Shoot?”

“Go ahead. Tell me your story.”

Carson shook his head. “Where’s Jack?”

“Gone to town already. You can’t keep a good man down.” And he put emphasis on good.

Carson glanced out the window and saw Kylie heading toward the house. She was dressed in boots, jeans and a T-shirt. A dog followed along behind her. She was smiling, talking to the animal. For whatever reason, she made this place bearable.

“Is that why you’re still here?” Isaac said, more of a teasing tone in his voice.

“No. I’m here because Jack had an angina attack last night and because I couldn’t put Andy and Maggie back in the car after the long day of driving we had yesterday. They needed a chance to rest.”

“Right. Of course.” Isaac finished his coffee and put the cup in the dishwasher. “The past has a way of catching up with us. Now if you’ll excuse me, Doc, I have work to do. If you’re bored, you can always saddle up and help out. Do you remember how to ride a horse?”

“I remember how to ride a horse, but I have Andy and Maggie, if you remember. And I need to check on Jack.”

The door opened and Kylie entered, looking from one to the other of them. She carried a basket of fall tomatoes and squash that she put on the counter before heading for the coffee.

“Are the two of you circling each other like old barn cats?” she asked as she grabbed a cup.

Isaac grinned at Carson as he headed for the door. “Nah, only one of us remembers what a barn looks like. Carson is more of a domesticated house cat.”

“If Kylie will watch the kids, I’ll meet you out there in fifteen minutes.”

“I didn’t realize you’d be so easily triggered.” Isaac laughed. “Do you even have boots?”

“I’m sure Jack has a pair I can fit into.”

“Suit yourself.” Isaac headed for the back door.

“Would you be able to watch Andy and Maggie for me?” Carson asked Kylie.

“I don’t mind, but I do have work to do today. And we need to talk about Jack’s suggestion of a service dog for Andy.”

Her tone was cool, professional. It didn’t match her. It didn’t match the warmth of her expression, or the freckles that dusted her nose. It was for him, that cool, distant tone. It was meant to keep him at arm’s length.

He should have appreciated the gesture. Instead it had him feeling as if he was missing something.

“What’s your opinion on a service dog?” he asked.

“I did some research this morning. I think the idea has merit. A service dog for a child with autism can help with social settings and sleep patterns, can stop repetitive behaviors and can also keep him from wandering.”

Impressive. She’d done her homework. He had thought he’d done everything possible to give his son the most opportunities, including this planned move to Chicago. But he hadn’t considered a service dog.

“If I did this, would it take time to train the dog? Would we need to come back?”

“You would have to stay,” she said as she pulled a carton of eggs out of the fridge.

He couldn’t see her face but he knew the idea of them staying bothered her. He knew his reasons for wanting to leave, but her reasons for wanting them gone were a mystery.

“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.

Isaac rode up next to him, still laughing. “Yeah, but I honestly didn’t think you’d be able to hold on. Spud is always kind of a beast when you first get on him.”

“Payback,” Carson warned him.

“Yeah, I reckon I’ll get mine. I deserve that.” Isaac glanced back at the house. “I was just trying to help you out. Kylie would have been all upset and tended to your wounds if you’d actually gotten thrown. I’m taking it the two of you knew each other, before.”

“Yeah, we knew each other. How long have you known her?” Carson gave Isaac a quick look but he didn’t quite trust the horse enough to let down his guard.

“Four years. Since she moved to the ranch. I know she lived down the road twenty years ago. That was a couple of years before my time.”

Carson relaxed a bit in the saddle as he and the horse got used to each other. “How long have you been here?”

Isaac nudged his horse in to a trot. “Got here the first time about seventeen years ago. And I came back about five years ago.”

The conversation fizzled as the men started through a gate and rode toward a herd of cattle. It gave Carson something to think about. He felt as if his life, Jack’s and Isaac’s were all part of the same puzzle but with pieces missing. And Kylie belonged in there somewhere. He just wasn’t sure what part she played.

He aimed to find out. And soon.

* * *

Kylie led Andy and Maggie down the stairs. They were dressed, hair brushed and ready for the day. Well, Andy’s hair wasn’t really brushed. The dark strands stood a little on end, but she’d done her best.

“Daddy is at work?” Andy asked, not looking at her as he did.

“No,” Kylie assured him. “He went outside, but he’ll be back soon. I’m going to fix you breakfast. Do you like biscuits?”

Maggie clapped her hands and jabbered about gravy, the words all running together. Andy bit down on his bottom lip and walked to the door.

“You have to stay inside, buddy,” Kylie told him.

He nodded but she saw his hand fidgeting at his side, as if given a chance he would open the door and leave. The house phone rang and as she answered it she kept a close eye on Andy. She wouldn’t lose him again. As she ended the call, she took the little boy by the hand and led him to the table. “Let’s sit right here, Andy.”

Maggie had already crawled up and sat down in another chair.

The door opened and Kylie’s roommate Eve Vincent entered, her gaze immediately going to the children. She waved a gloved hand at them.

“What’s for breakfast?” Eve stopped next to the children. “This must be Maggie and Andy. Wow, you can see the family resemblance. I saw their daddy getting on a horse earlier.”

Eve grinned. From the flicker of amusement in her eyes, Kylie didn’t have to ask which horse they’d given Carson.

“Please tell me it wasn’t Spud,” Kylie groaned as she dished out eggs, sausage and biscuits smeared with butter and jelly. She set a small plate in front of Andy and one in front of Maggie.

“Yeah, Spud. But he handled him fine.”

Andy shook his head no as he looked at the plate of food.

“Picky eater?” Eve asked.

“Sensory issues. The key is finding what food agrees with him.”

“Isn’t that just being picky?” Eve queried.

“No, there’s a difference. It’s about tasting food differently than you or I would.” She cut up the biscuit and Andy continued to shake his head. “What about the eggs?”

The little boy took a bite, made a face but continued to chew. Eve laughed at his reaction.

“I don’t blame him. You’re a good cook, Kylie, but eggs aren’t your specialty.”

“I make very good eggs,” she countered.

“Hold on, I just remembered something,” Eve said as she studied Andy. “Mind pouring me a cup of coffee and I’ll help you get him to eat. I’m kind of a pro with kids.”

“You’re a pro with kids?” Kylie didn’t mean to sound skeptical but her friend was either hiding something or making up skills she didn’t possess.

They’d known each another for three years. Both of them were from completely different worlds. Eve had joined the military against her parents’ wishes because she’d wanted some independence, and to prove herself. Kylie hadn’t seen her mother since she’d been taken into foster care. After turning eighteen, the Army had seemed like the best option.

Eve now grinned as she spun her wheelchair around. “I’m sure I am a child expert. I’ve spent almost zero time with children, but look at me, I’m on wheels. That has to make a difference. Let me try to feed him something.”

“Go for it.”

Eve obviously thought she had a trick up her sleeve. She went to the fridge and pulled out taco sauce and ketchup.

“Watch and learn.” Eve dropped the items in her lap and zoomed across the room at a reckless speed.

“What are you doing?”

Kylie followed her back to the table where Maggie had scooped the last of her eggs into her mouth. Andy was sitting in his chair staring out the window. Kylie peered over his shoulder and saw what had captured his attention. In the distance she could see the men on horseback riding herd on about fifty head of cattle, bringing them in to the corral to work them.

“Your daddy is riding. If we eat breakfast, we can go see him when they get back,” Kylie said as she glanced at Eve who was busy separating Andy’s eggs in to five piles. On the first she squeezed ketchup, on one she sprinkled sugar, the next pepper, one with taco sauce and the last with salt. This was her plan?

“There we go,” Eve said, sticking her finger in the pepper and tasting. It made her sneeze.

Andy wouldn’t try it but he laughed. When she tried the one with sugar his eyes widened and he tasted the sugar but not the eggs. When he got to the one with taco sauce he looked more than a little skeptical but after a taste he began to eat.

“Who would have guessed?” Kylie watched as the little boy ate the small portion of eggs and waited for Eve to wipe off the rest of the eggs and add taco sauce. “How did you come up with that?”

“I had a lot of time for reading while I lived at the rehab facility. After I finished up all of the books, I started on magazines. I have a lot of useless knowledge. Guess some that isn’t quite so useless.”

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.