Two stubborn hearts. One ranch.

Could Montana Twins unite them?

With orphaned twin infants to care for, Casey Courtright hoped to buy the ranch he works on—but he can’t match Ember Reed’s offer. Nevertheless, Casey agrees to show Ember the land she plans to use for her therapy center, but only if she’ll help him with the babies. And as the twins draw them together, Casey might just find that Ember is his perfect partner.

PATRICIA JOHNS writes from Alberta, Canada. She has her Hon. BA in English literature and currently writes for Harlequin’s Love Inspired and Heartwarming lines. You can find her at patriciajohnsromance.com.

Also by Patricia Johns

Montana Twins

Her Cowboy’s Twin Blessings

Comfort Creek Lawmen

Deputy Daddy

The Lawman’s Runaway Bride

The Deputy’s Unexpected Family

His Unexpected Family

The Rancher’s City Girl

A Firefighter’s Promise

The Lawman’s Surprise Family

A Baxter’s Redemption

The Runaway Bride

A Boy’s Christmas Wish

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Her Cowboy’s Twin Blessings

Patricia Johns

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09044-5

HER COWBOY’S TWIN BLESSINGS

© 2018 Patricia Johns

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.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

She awkwardly lifted Will up onto her shoulder.

The baby snuggled up next to her neck like his brother had. She shut her eyes for a moment. Casey paused, watching her. There was something in her expression—more than discomfort...pain.

“No pressure, if you’d rather not,” Casey said. “It would just help me out, is all.”

“I thought you didn’t like me,” she said, her eyes opening again, and she fixed him with a direct look that made him shift uncomfortably.

“I don’t like what you stand for, Ember Reed, but Will seems to settle right down when you’re holding him, and babies are like dogs that way. They smell bad people. And like I said, I’m a bit desperate right now. You help me with the boys, and I’ll go out of my way to help you find the information you need to make your choice about buying this place. Fair is fair. I’m as good as my word.”

Dear Reader,

If you enjoyed this story about a mother’s prayer, why not try some of my other books in my backlist? All of my books are sweet, family friendly and written by the same Christian author.

You can find me at PatriciaJohnsRomance.com, where I write about my upcoming releases and my day-to-day writing life. You can also connect with me on Facebook and Twitter, where I enjoy chatting with my readers. I’d love to see you there!

Patricia

And it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat...and they took the city.

—Joshua 6:20

To my husband, the love of my life.

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

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

Chapter One

Casey Courtright crossed his arms and chewed the side of his cheek as he looked down at the sleeping newborns. They were in matching cradles in the middle of the sitting room. He felt a wash of tenderness as he watched those little chests rise and fall. He’d had the infants in his house for a week now, and they were growing fast—as was Casey’s attachment to them. When he’d agreed to be his cousin’s babies’ guardian, he’d never suspected to be called upon to take custody! A tragic house fire changed all that... But even with these precious additions to his household, he was pretty sure he could keep his life on track. He had plans—rather immediate ones, actually.

Casey shot the old ranch hand a grateful smile. “I appreciate the babysitting, Bert. My niece should be here to take over in an hour. I’ve got the bottles ready in the fridge. Diapers are here.” He nudged a box with his boot. “Wyatt there tends to wake up first. If you feed him real quick, you can be ready for when Will wakes up. It’s a handful with two.”

“Sir, I’ll be fine,” Bert replied, rubbing a hand over the coarse stubble on his chin. “My wife and I raised five of our own, and we’re on our eighth grandchild. Granted, twins’ll be a new one for me, but I’m pretty sure I can figure it out for an hour.”

“All right, then. Thanks. I’ll see you.”

If only Casey felt that sure of himself with those two babies. He glanced over his shoulder once more as he headed through the kitchen to the side door. He’d worked here at Vern Acres Ranch for the last fifteen years, ever since his father was forced to sell the family spread. There wasn’t much money left over from that sale after debts were paid, and Casey had gone looking for ranching work on someone else’s land. That brought him here—Vern Acres. Mr. Vern ran a tight ship, and Casey had climbed in the ranks, finally landing as ranch manager. It was a respected position, but Casey would never feel quite settled until he had his own land again.

Last Sunday in church, the pastor had talked about circling those Jericho walls. God said to march, and they just kept on marching—but seven days of circling those massive, impenetrable walls was a long time. Well, Casey had been circling these walls for fifteen years, looking for an opening, and just before those babies arrived, Casey had seen the cracks start.

Mr. Vern was selling the ranch, and Casey had a down payment saved up and had arranged for a mortgage just large enough to cover what this land was worth. Not a penny more, mind you, but Casey was a man of faith, and he didn’t think he’d need that extra penny. He’d been praying for this chance ever since the Courtright land went to Reed Land Holdings, and when he told his dad that he had a chance at getting this ranch, old Frank Courtright had added his prayers to the effort. This morning, Casey was going on up to the main house to tender his offer to Mr. Vern himself.

The drive from the manager’s house, where Casey lived, up to the main house took only about five minutes, and Casey’s truck bumped over the gravel road in a cheerful rhythm. Spring had come to this corner of Montana. Everything had sprouted—from the grass in the ditches lining to the road to the pasture, lush with tender new growth. Golden sunlight shone through the windshield and warmed up the cab.

This was it—this was the day! And the bright sunlight sparkling off the last of the morning frost on those long, nodding grasses felt like a gift from above. He’d tell the boys about this day when they were old enough to understand—the day the Courtrights got land again. He’d have a ranch to leave to those kids, and they’d be raised right with horseback riding, chores and a personal pride in the land under their feet. And if he could find the right woman, maybe he could even give them a mom.

Casey crested a hill, and the main house came into view. It was a low, wide ranch house with a porch that curved around the side. The backyard was fenced off, with a garden and a shade tree. And beyond the house in the distance, the snowcapped Rocky Mountains loomed in all their glory.

Casey pulled his truck up next to the boss’s and turned off the engine. He sat for a moment, raising his heart to his Maker.

Bless this, Lord, he prayed. This land would be the world to me, if You saw fit to give this Your blessing.

Then he pushed open the door and hopped out. No time like the present.

The side screen door was propped open with a brick, and Casey could hear the sound of voices as he approached. Mr. Vern’s laugh boomed out, and then Casey heard another laugh—softer, more musical. Was a woman in there?

Casey knocked on the door as a formality, then pushed it open as he always did and stepped inside. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the dimmer light of the kitchen. Mr. Vern stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his belly sticking out in front of him. He had a bristling white mustache that covered his lips so that you never could be sure what that mouth was doing unless he was laughing out loud or bellowing an order across a field.

“Morning, Casey,” Mr. Vern said. “Good timing. This here is Ember.”

Casey turned to make the introduction, and he was met with a tall, lithe blonde woman—bright blue eyes and a smile turning up the corners of her mouth. She was stunning—skin like cream and her lips shining with the lightest touch of gloss. He shook her hand and her grip was firm and confident.

“Pleasure,” Casey said with a smile. “You a friend of the boss?”

“Not exactly,” Mr. Vern cut in. “She’s considering putting an offer down on my ranch, and I need you to give her a tour of the place.”

“An offer—” The words stuck in his throat. “Right. Not a problem.”

This was his job, after all. He was ranch manager, and he’d be the one who knew the ins and outs of this place. It just came as a shock to hear he had competition already.

“Her car is out front,” Mr. Vern added. “She hit that big pothole just before the turn.” Mr. Vern exchanged a look with Casey. No one who knew these roads made that mistake. That pothole formed every winter. “Looks like a bent axle to me. She’s going to be in town for a bit while she gets that fixed. The tow truck is on its way.”

“Great.” Obviously, this wasn’t the time for Casey’s business with Mr. Vern, and already he could feel his opportunity slipping away. Of course, Mr. Vern would be cheery about all of this—the sale of this ranch was going to fund his retirement.

“After you give her the tour, I’d like you to give her a ride back into Victory,” his boss said, then turned to the young woman. “The land is beautiful. I have a feeling you’re going to fall in love with the place.”

Casey smiled tightly. “What was your name again?”

“Ember,” she said. “Ember Reed.”

“Wait—” Casey’s heart thudded to a stop and then hammered fast to catch up. “Reed... Not as in Reed Land Holdings?”

Ember’s cheeks flushed. “Yes, actually. But I’m not acquiring land for my father’s business. This is a personal purchase.”

“Right.” As if that even mattered. That wealthy family was the money behind the faceless corporate giant that had been gobbling up the land in the county for years. “Sir, could I have a word?”

Mr. Vern’s smile faltered. “Sure. Ember, why don’t you go on outside and check out the view. Casey will be right with you.”

Ember hitched a purse up onto her shoulder and headed out the side door. The screen slammed behind her, and Casey watched her look around for a moment before walking away from the door, affording him some privacy. For good measure, Casey swung the door shut.

“Reed Land Holdings,” Casey said hollowly.

“I need to sell, Casey. You know that.”

“Yeah, but to them?” Casey clenched his teeth. “You’ve seen what they’ve been doing to this county! We used to be family ranches, shoulder to shoulder, until that soulless giant came through and started buying us out. They own sixty percent of the ranch land out here, and you want to turn that into sixty-five?”

“Linda’s care isn’t cheap,” Mr. Vern replied. “And the place she’s in has been going downhill. I need to get her into a better care home.”

Mr. Vern’s wife, Linda, was suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s, and Casey could sympathize with his boss’s sense of urgency here.

“Sir, I was coming up here to make you an offer, myself,” Casey said, pulling the folded papers from his pocket. “I’ve talked to the credit union about a mortgage, and with the money I’ve saved and the bit that my dad gave me from the sale of his land, I’ve got enough to make an offer.”

“Oh?” Mr. Vern reached for the papers and scanned them. He nodded twice, then shot Casey an apologetic look. “It’s a fair offer, Casey. And I appreciate it. If all things were equal, I’d rather sell to you, but Miss Reed says that if she likes what she sees, she can offer twenty percent more than this.”

Casey accepted his papers back, emotion closing off his throat.

“I know how this seems,” Mr. Vern went on. “I know what your family lost, and I’m not some heartless cad. You know that. But with Linda’s cost of care going up, I need every penny I can get. This is my chance to retire, spend what time I can with my wife and set things up for my kids to inherit a little something when my time comes. I’m not young anymore. You might as well know that I’m in a lot of debt. Reed Land Holdings did a number on my profits, too. They’ve hurt everyone.”

“But you’re selling to them—”

“I’m not selling to them,” Mr. Vern retorted. “I’m willing to sell to that young lady out there. Like she said, this a personal purchase for her. Nothing to do with her father at all.”

“Funded by him, no doubt,” Casey shot back.

“Who am I to judge where someone gets their money?” Mr. Vern shook his head. “Everyone gets it from somewhere, and I don’t care if I’m paid by a bank or a checking account. I’ve got my own worries, Casey. You have to appreciate that. She’s not adding this to her father’s stash of land—this is for her.”

“Her—” Casey hooked a thumb toward the closed door. “That little blonde with the city heels on her boots and the clothes that look like money. She’s going to ranch this land herself?”

Mr. Vern shrugged weakly. “Whatever she chooses to do with it is her concern. I’ve got Linda to worry about, Casey. I’m sorry.”

And Casey couldn’t argue that point. Mr. Vern loved his wife, and he’d do what he had to in order to get her the care she needed. Casey heaved a sigh.

“I was going to show her around myself, but my old knee is really sore this morning. I need you to show her around,” Mr. Vern went on quietly. “I know it’s a lot to ask right now, but I also know the kind of man you are. I wouldn’t trust this to anyone else, Casey. Besides, she mentioned needing a manager around here. I could make it a stipulation of the sale that you stay employed.”

Mr. Vern was trying to help—Casey could see that much—but he didn’t have any intention of working for a Reed. Ever.

“I’ll do my job, sir,” he replied tightly. “You can count on me for that.”

He headed for the door. Fifteen years was a long time to work this land, circling those fields and cattle like his own personal Jericho walls. Fifteen years was a long time to pray for God to set things right for his family once again.

It looked like he’d be praying for a little while longer.

* * *

Ember turned as the door opened, and that tall, lanky cowboy came back outside. The screen swung slowly shut behind him as he strode into the sunlight and replaced a cowboy hat on his head. He wore a thick vest over his shirt, but his sleeves were rolled up his forearms, revealing solid muscle, and those brown eyes locked on to her somberly—none too glad to see her now that he knew who she was, apparently. He was good-looking in a way she didn’t see too often in the city. He wasn’t clean-cut by a long shot, but he carried himself with an easygoing confidence.

“Miss Reed, I was asked to show you around,” he said. “I’m Casey Courtright, by the way. Ranch manager.”

Ember nodded. “Pleasure to meet you. Call me Ember, though.”

She turned back to drink in the cattle-dotted hills. It didn’t matter which way a person stood on this land, there was a magnificent view from every angle—nothing like her home in Billings. She owned a small apartment in the city—a gift from her father when she graduated with her master’s degree in family counseling. And she loved that little apartment. This land, though—this was a chance at something much bigger... Her mark on the world at long last.

She could see a modern silver barn, a web of roads leading away from it. But farther south, there was a red barn, brilliant against an emerald background of pasture, and it kept drawing her eye. If she did buy this land, that barn would stay. She’d have no use for the other one, though.

“You’re not a country woman, are you?” Casey said, interrupting her reverie.

“Why do you say that?” she asked, casting him a guarded look.

“Your clothes. Those shoes—” Then he nodded in the direction of the picturesque little barn. “The way you look all wistful when you look at barns.”

She smiled, then shook her head. “No, I’m from Billings.”

“So what plans do you have for the ranch?” he asked.

“I’m not even sure this is the right ranch,” she said, and she noticed the tall cowboy stilled at those words. He raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean, the right one?” he asked.

“My family had a homestead around here somewhere, and I want to buy the land they used to live on back in the eighteen hundreds.”

“Oh.” He hooked his thumbs into his belt loops, then shrugged. “And how will you know if you’ve found the right land?”

“There are some descriptions in old journals. Some names of creeks and rivers... Before I put down an official offer on this place, I need to confirm it’s the right property.”

“Does Mr. Vern know that?”

“I’m not hiding anything.”

From the view that spilled out in front of her, she very well might fall in love with the place as Mr. Vern hoped. But it wasn’t the view she was passionate about purchasing, nor would loving the place stop her from walking away. She wanted the land where her ancestors struggled through long winters, where they hunted to keep their growing family fed, where they chopped down trees for their very own log house and barn. Ember’s mother had told her stories about the old days when men had to guard their cattle against wolves, and when wagons clattered over trails on their yearly trip to Victory, the closest town they had. Those stories had inspired her, made her feel like she was part of something bigger than herself, something more meaningful.

“You must have people who can look into this stuff for you,” Casey said.

“People?” Ember turned to face him. “Oh!” She laughed. “We should probably clear that up right now. Yes, I’m Alistair Reed’s daughter, but I’m illegitimate. I don’t exactly have the full weight of the Reed legacy behind me. My father helped me get my education and get a start. That’s it. I’m not quite the heiress you’re taking me for.”

“Ah.” He eyed her skeptically. “What’s your education in?”

“Family counseling.” And yes, she noted the irony that she, a dirty little secret for so long, would want to devote her life to helping other families be more functional than hers had been.

“And what do you want the land for?” he asked.

“I want to open a family counseling center—a resort-style environment where families can get away from the pressure of their everyday lives, enjoy some outdoor activities together and talk out their issues.” She smiled, wanting him to see and understand her vision.

“So if you bought this place, you wouldn’t run the ranch,” he clarified.

“No. I’m not a rancher. I’m a therapist.”

“Gotcha.” Casey chewed the side of his cheek. Was he worried about his own job? Likely. Who wasn’t in this current economic climate? She hadn’t grown up rich, and she’d only recently come into any kind of money, so she wasn’t unfeeling when it came to these issues.

“Casey—may I call you Casey?”

“Might as well,” he replied.

“Casey, obviously, I don’t even know if I’ll buy this place, but if I do, I’ll need a manager for the land. I wouldn’t be running a full ranching operation, but there’d be horses, some cattle—”

“What would you do with the cattle?” he interjected.

“Do with them?” she said. “Raise them, I suppose. Cattle are very soothing. I think a lot of my clients would benefit with some time in nature.”

“So...” Casey squinted. “You’d just feed them? And...keep them?”

“I suppose, yes.”

“So your vision is to have fields full of elderly cattle?” He eyed her with a veiled expression on his face, and she was relatively certain he was mocking her.

“I’m not a complete fool,” she retorted. “I know where the meat on my plate comes from, but I’m not looking to run a cattle ranch. I suppose those are all decisions I’d have to make later on.”

“Fair enough.”

“What I was trying to say,” she said, “is that if I buy this place, I’ll need a manager, and I understand that the prospect of losing a job is a daunting one. You wouldn’t need to worry about that.”

“I’ll land on my feet,” he replied tersely. “No need to worry about me.”

“Okay.” That definitely didn’t sound like gratitude for job security. In fact, he sounded like he had no interest in working for her at all. “Is there a reason you don’t like me?”

“Let’s just say that this county has been hit hard by your father’s corporation,” he replied.

“My father’s corporation provides a lot of good jobs to this county,” she shot back.

“Your father’s corporation pushed my family out of our ranch,” he snapped. “And yeah, the Reed ranches provide jobs—jobs I don’t want. I want my land back. But that’s not happening, is it? You’re an outsider—don’t think you know people around here or how we think.”

Ember swallowed. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know.”

“Yeah?” He shook his head. “Great. Thanks.”

His tone dripped sarcasm, and some anger simmered deep inside. She might not know him or the people around here, but he didn’t know a thing about her, either!

“Hey—my mother was the housekeeper in the Reed house,” she said. “I wasn’t raised in some mansion. My mother gave me the Reed last name on my birth certificate, but my father didn’t publicly acknowledge me until I was twenty! We lived in a basement apartment and wore secondhand clothes. My mom worked hard in order to provide for us. I’m no spoiled heiress.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” he replied curtly. “But you’re still crossing lines you know nothing about around here. There’s such a thing as family pride. We don’t want to work for someone else. We want land that’s connected to us...land we can pass down.”

“And in that, we can finally agree,” Ember replied with a tight smile. “I want what you want—land connected to my family. And for the record, the family connection is on my mother’s side, not my father’s.”

Casey met her gaze for a moment. Then his cell phone rang and he dug it out of his front pocket.

“Yeah...” he said, picking up the call and turning away from her.

This ruggedly handsome man didn’t like her, but there was more to the anger and frustration he was showing—she could sense it. If he were a client, she’d ask him how all this made him feel. And he likely wouldn’t answer. She knew Casey Courtright’s type—stubborn, reticent, silent. They were the hardest kind of man to get to open up—the kind that clammed up during appeals to talk inside a therapist’s office, but became more relaxed and responsive during outdoor activities like horseback riding or long hikes. Or work.

She eyed Casey as he talked on his phone, his tone low. Yes, Casey Courtright would be the kind of man who valued his work higher than anything else. And she was threatening to change it. Was that his problem with her?

Casey hung up the phone and turned back toward her. “That was one of my ranch hands. He’s got to head out to check on a herd, so I need to take over for him.” Casey nodded toward his truck. “I can’t start the tour until I take care of this, I’m afraid. Care to come along?”

“Take over what?” she asked, her interest piqued.

“Childcare,” he replied with a small smile. “I’m the new guardian of twin baby boys, and one of my ranch hands was staying with them, but it looks like he’ll have to report back to work.”

Baby boys...that hit her right in the heart. She’d had her own baby boy and held him in her arms for one long night, and her memories of him made her heart ache. She sucked in a ragged breath. Casey wasn’t the only one to pour himself into his work. She did the same. This trip to discover her family’s land was the closest she’d come to anything like a vacation in ages. She was out here until her car was fixed, and she had a mission to discover whether this was the land her family had settled or not. Now was not the time to delve into her own personal issues.

“So you’re—” she began.

“Heading back to my place,” he said. “It’s five minutes down the road.” He paused, regarding her with a thoughtful look on his face.

“What?” she asked with a small smile.

“You and I might be able to help each other, Ember. You’re obviously going to need some time on this property to figure out if it’s the right place. And I need some help with those babies.”

“I’m no nanny,” she said with a short laugh.

“I’m not asking you to be. I can show you around this ranch properly, but my availability is going to be hit-and-miss. We run a really efficient operation here without a lot of extra employees hanging around, and I’m in a unique situation being a new guardian of these babies. Everything is in a knot right now. Seeing this ranch is going to take you more than one day, and if I’m going to give you a proper tour, I’d need to scrounge up a ranch hand to babysit while I take you around, and I can’t always spare the man. My niece helps out, but she’s got school and a part-time job of her own, so I can’t really count on her. But if you were here on the ranch so you’d be available when I manage to get everything lined up, and if I had some extra help with the babies in the meantime, we could both have our needs met.”

“I’m not a long-term solution,” she countered.

“I’m not looking for one. My aunt is coming in two weeks to help me out full-time. All I need is a bit of help until then. Plus, your car is in the shop for a week at least, isn’t it?”

Ember licked her lips and looked away. He was right—if she was going to get the time on this property that she needed to make an informed purchase, she’d have to make some kind of arrangement to stay. This setup made the most sense. But it didn’t take that aching part of her heart into account. Baby boys...she wasn’t ready to reopen that wound. Not yet, and not with an audience.

Ember looked back at the house, over at her wrecked car and up into the face of that rugged cowboy. His expression didn’t betray any of his feelings, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

“What do you say? You can think about it, if you want. But I’ve got to head back to the house. Coming or staying?”

This wasn’t about old wounds and sad regrets. And she couldn’t avoid babies forever. As much as she hated being pushed into a corner like this, she had a priceless opportunity to look at this land with the attention to detail she required. Could she set aside her personal issues long enough to make her dreams for her future work come true? She sucked in a breath, her limited options circling her mind.

“I’m coming,” she said.

Somehow, Ember needed a fresh start...and this land held a promise of just that.

Chapter Two

Casey looked over at the woman beside him in the passenger seat as he bumped over that familiar gravel road. She looked relaxed enough, unless he noticed her hands—white knuckled in her lap. Was it him? Was she nervous about driving down some isolated ranch road with a guy she didn’t know? He didn’t like the idea of anyone being truly afraid of him. She was the competition—here to slap down more money than he had any access to—but she was also a woman out of her element and alone, and that made him soften toward her a little bit.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Of course.”

“Because you’re white knuckling it there.” He shot her a half smile.

“Oh...” She breathed out an uncomfortable laugh. “Sorry.”

She released her grip, stretched her fingers out and laid her hands flat against the tops of her legs.

This drive back down the road wasn’t quite the celebration the drive up to the house had been. Was this it, then? Mr. Vern would sell to this city slicker, and Casey’s dreams of owning a ranch would have to be put on hold yet again? Yes, there was always the chance that another property would land on the market, but would the timing ever be right again? Those babies were going to cost money to raise, and he’d be chipping into that down payment he’d squirreled away in no time. Plus, he knew he couldn’t do this alone indefinitely. His aunt would come help full-time for a while, but she’d never take the place of a real mom. He hoped to get married and bring his wife back to his own land...not another man’s.

“So how much have you researched about this ranch so far?” Casey asked.

“The maps I could find online and in local records were limited,” she replied. “But my great-great-grandmother wrote a journal where she talked about some specific landmarks. If I could find the actual site of the old house, there’s something I know to look for. My great-great-great grandfather put a single red brick in the front of the fireplace. It was something they brought from across the country—a touchstone of sorts. I don’t know if I’ll be able to find it, though. Plus, I’m waiting to hear back from some local historical societies.”

Casey glanced toward her again. “And if you don’t find the landmarks?”

“I don’t have unlimited resources, so this purchase has to be the right one. If this isn’t the land I think it is, then I’m not buying it. There are cheaper ways to open therapy centers.”

Hope surged up inside of Casey’s chest. Maybe Ember Reed was just a temporary inconvenience on the Vern ranch. Maybe this wasn’t the spot her family had settled after all, she’d go on her way and he could buy this land fair and square. He had plans for raising a family here, too—an honest, hardworking family who would raise cattle and ranch like the generations of Courtrights before him. Casey knew this ranch like the back of his hand. It wasn’t a huge operation, but he’d been running it well, and the chance to be a landowner once more...it was enough to make him hope in that dangerous way that meant his heart was already set on it.

He had an attachment to this land already, too. He’d imagined himself living up in the big house, hiring another manager and being the owner who called the shots...and in his mind, that felt really good! He’d be able to bring his dad back to live with him, and his old man could live his last years on Courtright land.

So, yeah—if it didn’t make things harder on Mr. Vern and his sick wife, Casey would like to see this land come to him. He was praying that God would provide for them all.

“That’s my place ahead,” Casey said as he turned into the drive that led up to the ranch manager’s house. It was within sight of the ranch hands’ bunkhouse just down another gravel road. The ranch manager’s house was a small one-bedroom bungalow, and as he parked and pushed open the truck door, he could already hear the babies’ plaintive wails, and he felt that wave of anxiety he always did at the sound of their cries.

Ember hopped out, too, and she followed him around the truck toward the side door of the house. Casey pulled open the door and held it for Ember, letting her step inside ahead of him. Bert stood in the kitchen with Wyatt in his arms, a bottle in one hand and a panicked look on his face.

“They woke up at the same time, boss,” Bert said.

“I’ll get Will,” Casey said, heading through to the sitting room, and he scooped up the baby, settling him into the crook of his arm. The baby kept up his wailing, and Casey headed back to the kitchen, turning on the hot tap on his way past the sink.

“Ember, would you grab the bottle in the fridge?” he said.

Ember did as he’d asked and handed it over. Casey stuck it under the hot tap until the count of twenty, then shook it up and tested it against his hand. Warm. Perfect. He popped the nipple into Will’s mouth, and there was blessed silence as both babies slurped back the milk.

“I’m Bert,” the old ranch hand said, nodding to Ember.

“This is Ember Reed,” Casey said. “She’s—” how much to say? “—she’s a special guest of Mr. Vern’s. I’m showing her around.”

“Pleasure.” Bert smiled. “But I’ve got to head out. I still have work to do out there. Mind if I just pass this little guy over?”

Ember’s eyes widened, and she was about to answer when Bert deftly eased the baby into her arms. Bert stood there, still holding the bottle until Ember had the baby in a comfortable position and took the bottle from his hands.

“Thanks, Bert,” Casey said. “Much appreciated.”

“Yup. Not a problem.” Bert took his hat off the top of the fridge, dropped it onto his head and headed out the side door.

Casey looked over at Ember, and he saw a stunned look on her face. She wasn’t looking at the baby, even though Wyatt was slurping back that bottle in record time. What was with her? This was a baby, not a hand grenade.

“Bert there is one of the ranch hands,” Casey said. “He’s worked here for thirty years, and he’s good at his job. He’s one of the guys who’ll be out of work if this isn’t a full-scale ranch anymore.”

Wyatt finished with his bottle, and Ember put it down on the kitchen table, then took a moment to get the little guy up on her shoulder, patting his back in a slow rhythm. Wyatt snuggled into her neck, and Ember sighed, tipping her cheek against his downy head.

“He likes you,” Casey said.

She didn’t answer, but she smiled wanly and continued her gentle patting of the baby’s back. Then Will finished with his bottle, and Casey popped the nipple out of his mouth and put the infant up onto his shoulder, too.

“I’m not trying to put people out of work,” Ember said.

“I’m just pointing out the reality of things,” Casey replied. “Mr. Vern asked me to show you around, and I’m going to do that. But I’m not going to sugarcoat anything, either. You’ll get a real tour of the place—see what this ranch is, the people whose livelihoods depend on it. You need to understand the whole picture, not just what you could turn this place into if you swept it clean.”

“You’re one of those guys who doesn’t believe in talking about his feelings, aren’t you?” she asked with a small smile turning up her lips.

“What have I just been doing?” he asked. “I thought I was pretty clear about my feelings here. I talk. But I generally do it around a campfire on a cattle drive—away from civilization, like a real man.”

“And ironically enough, that’s the experience I want to provide to men from the city,” she said. “Because you’re right—sitting in a counselor’s office with a tissue box in front of his wife isn’t the most inviting atmosphere for a man to open up.”

“The real work on a cattle drive makes a difference in how much we’ll open up, too, you know,” he said. “Responsibility, exhaustion, pushing yourself to the limit. You can’t simulate that in some counseling setting with a bonfire.”

Casey’s cell phone rang, and Casey had to adjust the infant in the crook of his arm as he dug the handset out of his pocket. He glanced at the number—it was his niece who was supposed to arrive any minute, and his heart sank. No one called at the last minute to say there was no problem... Will squirmed and Casey rocked him back and forth as he hit the talk button.

“Hi, Nicole,” Casey said, after picking up. “Where are you?”

“I’m sick, Uncle Casey...” Yep, exactly what he’d been scared to hear. “I think it’s the flu. I’m so sorry.”

He sighed. “It’s okay, kiddo.” He glanced over at Ember once more. Had she made her decision yet about sticking around for a little while? “Don’t even worry about it. Feel better, okay?” After a goodbye, he hung up the call.

Ember’s phone rang just then, and he sighed. He’d have to wait to get an answer from her. As she talked in low tones, Casey looked down into Will’s tiny face.

“You’re wet, aren’t you, little guy?” he murmured. The babies were always wet after a bottle—it was one of those constants he could depend upon. He glanced over at Ember, and she stood there with the baby up on her shoulder, her gaze directed down at the floor as she listened to whoever was on the other line.

Casey kicked the new diaper box across the kitchen floor toward the living room. This was the routine. He kept a towel laid out on the couch, and he’d been using that as a changing station. It was a rough setup, but it seemed to work out okay.

He laid Will on the couch cushion and sat on the couch next to him to do the honors.

“That was the mechanic,” Ember said, coming into the room.

“Oh, yeah?” Casey set to work on the sodden diaper, then reached for a new one. He was getting pretty good at this, but two babies went through a phenomenal number of diapers a day. He rolled up the soiled diaper, then lifted the little legs to pop a new one underneath the baby’s tiny rump.

“It’ll be over a week before my car will be fixed,” she said. “There are other cars ahead of mine, and—” She sucked in a breath. “How would it work if I stayed on this ranch for a few days?”

“I’d talk to Mr. Vern, explain the situation and see if he’d be okay with you staying up at the big house,” Casey said. “You wouldn’t have to worry about inappropriately close quarters here at my place, but you’d be close enough to make everything relatively convenient. I can pick you up and bring you back here no problem.”

He fiddled with the snaps on Will’s sleeper—they were so easy to accidentally snap together one snap off-center so that he’d have to start all over again...

“What about your niece?” she asked.

“She’s got the flu, but even if she didn’t, the kid’s fifteen. She’s supposed to be in school, not minding children.”

Ember eyed him. “And just to be clear...” She let it hang.

“I just want a hand. I’ll find people to babysit when I give you the tours and all that, but I need another person—another set of hands until my aunt can get here. You can see how much work they are. We could both benefit, if you’re game. What do you say?”

Ember looked down at the baby in her arms and wrinkled her nose. “This little guy dirtied his diaper.”

Casey chuckled. “Let’s trade. Will here is clean.”

Casey took Wyatt from her arms, and Ember awkwardly lifted Will up onto her shoulder. The baby snuggled up next to her neck like his brother had. She shut her eyes for a moment. Casey paused, watching her. There was something in her expression—more than discomfort...pain.

“No pressure, if you’d rather not,” Casey said. “It would just help me out, is all.”

“I thought you didn’t like me,” she said, her eyes opening again, and she fixed him with a direct look that made him shift uncomfortably.

“I don’t like Bert, either, but who can be picky?” he said, shooting her a teasing smile. “I’m joking. I don’t like what you stand for, Ember Reed, but Will seems to settle right down when you’re holding him, and babies are like dogs that way. They smell bad people. And like I said, I’m a bit desperate right now. You help me with the boys, and I’ll go out of my way to help you find the information you need to make your choice about buying this place. Fair is fair. I’m as good as my word.”

“Okay,” she said with a nod.

He felt a wave of relief. At least he’d have a hand here for a few days, and that was a bigger boost to his peace of mind than she seemed to realize. “I’ll talk to Mr. Vern, then.”

She smiled wanly. “I’m not good with kids—the childcare side, I mean. I should at least warn you.”

“It’s just diapers and bottles,” Casey said, grabbing another fresh diaper and the bucket of wipes. “I only started on this a week ago, and I’ve gotten pretty good at it. You’ll catch on.”

And here was hoping that when he’d done his duty and shown her the ranch, she’d decide not to buy the place. But that was in God’s hands—the hardest place to leave it.

* * *

When Casey was finished with the diaper, they traded babies again. She was getting better at this—easing one baby into his arms and taking the other baby into her own. Ember looked down at the tiny boy in her arms. Wyatt. The baby was wide-awake, those deep brown eyes searching in that cross-eyed, newborn kind of way. She lifted him closer to her face, inhaling the soft scent of his wispy hair.

She’d held her own newborn son in her arms ten years ago, and she’d breathed in the scent of him. She hadn’t named him. That wasn’t her role, but she knew the name the adoptive family had chosen—Steven. She would always remember how he’d felt in her arms, how her heart had stilled just having him so close... After spending one tearful night cradling him, feeding him with a bottle of formula lest she grow too attached, she’d passed him over to his new mom and her heart had broken. The sound of his cry as they took him away had slid so deep into her soul that she dreamed of it at night even now, and woke up with achingly empty arms.

It had been for the best—that was what she told herself. But she wasn’t so sure anymore. Ember sucked in a stabilizing breath.

“How did you end up with these babies?” she asked.

“My cousin and his wife had asked me to be their guardian should anything happen,” Casey said. “I thought it was nothing more than a gesture, because I’m single. I’m a ranch manager. I don’t have time for kids, right? But then there was this horrible fire, and they managed to get the boys out, but Neil and Sandra didn’t make it. That left the kids with me.” He cleared his throat, blinked a couple of times.

“Will you keep them?” Ember asked hesitantly.

“Keep them?” Casey repeated, casting her a questioning look. “Yeah, of course. I’m the closest family they’ve got. What else would I do?”

“Some might let them be adopted by another family,” she said.

“Yeah, some might.” Casey finished with the sleeper’s snaps, noticed he’d done them up wrong and whipped them all open again to start fresh. “And honestly, it did occur to me. But—I don’t know. I can’t bring myself to do it.”

Ember nodded. She’d felt nearly the same way...but she hadn’t seen any other choice. She remembered how helpless she’d felt at the prospect of single motherhood and losing the support her father offered if she didn’t cooperate and give the baby up...

“How will you do this?” Ember asked. “Raise them on your own, I mean.”

“How does any parent raise their kids?” Casey picked up the baby and put him onto his shoulder, then headed through to the kitchen. The water turned on, and he raised his voice to be heard. “I figure I’ll just wing it. Isn’t that what the rest do?”

Ember chuckled at that. “I’m more of a planner, myself.”

“Well, I’ve got a few plans,” Casey said, coming back into the room as he awkwardly dried his hands on a paper towel while balancing the baby on his shoulder. “My aunt has agreed to watch the kids for me during the days. I’ll pay her, of course. And I’ve been advised by a nice lady in social services that I should have them sleep on their backs without blankets, and that I should be feeding them once every three hours.” He lifted his watch on his wrist. “And counting, right?”

He was strangely optimistic, this cowboy, and she regarded him in silence for a moment.

“Now, I’ve got some maps of this land,” Casey said. “I don’t know if it’s anything you haven’t seen yet—”

“That would be great,” Ember said. “You never know.”

Casey turned away from her and headed for a cupboard in the corner. He opened the door with a squeak, and a roll of paper fell out. He used the toe of his boot to lift it, and grabbed it with his free hand. He passed it back toward her. “That might be one. Hold on...”

He rummaged a bit, handed back three more rolls of paper, then closed the cupboard and readjusted the baby on his shoulder again.

“Will, you’re going to have to sit in that little chair of yours.”

Ember watched as Casey pulled out a wire-framed bouncy chair from beside the couch, then arranged the baby in it. Little Will turned his head to the side and stared at a patch of sunlight on the wall. Then Casey pulled out a second bouncy chair, and relief welled up inside her at the thought of putting Wyatt down.

She was already dreading this—the baby minding. These tiny boys brought up feelings she wasn’t ready to deal with. Or rather, feelings she’d been trying to deal with rather unsuccessfully. It was supposed to get easier over time—that was what they said—but it hadn’t.

“Here we go, Wyatt,” she murmured, bending to put the baby into the chair next to his brother, but as she tried to put him down, Wyatt’s little face screwed up into a look of displeasure and he opened his mouth in a plaintive wail.

“Or not.” She stood back up and the crying stopped. She looked into Wyatt’s little face, and he peered back at her. “You sure?”

“Guess he likes you, too,” Casey said. “Never mind. I’ll open these up.”

Ember’s heart sped up as she looked from the baby to his guardian, and then back again. This was not a good plan, but what was she going to do? She’d already agreed to this, and if she backed out, she’d only cement her reputation as the heartless city girl who’d come to ruin everyone’s lives.

Casey opened one of the rolls and revealed a map. “So what are you looking for, exactly?”

“The journal mentions Milk River and some creeks that ran off it.”

“Milk River runs for over seven hundred miles,” he said, glancing back at her. “We only have about fifty miles of Milk River on this ranch.”

She nodded. “I think it might be the right fifty, though. The creeks were named after local wildlife—Beaver Creek, Muskrat Creek and Goose Creek.”

Casey looked closer, chewing on the side of his cheek. “This here is Milk River.” He pointed with one calloused finger, following a line along the map. “There are a couple of creeks, but they’re not named. Not officially.” He rerolled the map, then picked up another one. He scanned it, rolled it up again and picked up the third. “Here we go. That’s Milk River again—”

Ember leaned closer to look. The line of the river meandered down the map, and there were about fifteen little lines snaking off. The darker of the lines had names, and cocking her head to one side, she could read them.

“Allan Creek. Wallace Creek. Burns Creek. Trot’s Creek...” She sighed. Then there were the lighter lines that had no names. She’d seen this map already online. Back in the city, she’d been looking for mention of the Beaver, Muskrat and Goose creeks, but no one seemed to have record of them. Maybe those names hadn’t stuck.

“Milk River goes up into Canada, you know,” he said. “I don’t have the maps for that.”

Then her eye landed on one creek name she hadn’t seen before that brought a hopeful smile to her lips. “Look at that one!” She pointed. “Harper Creek!”

“That’s familiar?” Casey asked with a frown.

“My mother’s last name was Harper. That’s the family name.”

“Hmm.” He nodded. “Okay.”

“What’s the matter?” Wyatt was getting heavy in her arm, and she shifted him to a new position.

“There are a lot of Harpers around here,” he said. “They might be relatives of yours, though.”

She’d never heard of them, if they were. It might be nothing more than a coincidence. Or a creek named much more recently—a random moniker slapped onto a tiny creek in honor of some locals.

“We aren’t Canadian. My mother always said that the family had settled exactly fifty miles from the mountains, and they’d been another forty miles from Victory. That’s right here. This land. Give or take.”

Casey nodded slowly. “Approximately, yes.”

“I know it’s a very rough estimate, but since this land came up for sale, I wanted to check it out,” she said.

“Well, we’ll have a look,” Casey said, but his expression was grim.

“You don’t want me to buy this land, I know,” she said.

“You’re right,” he agreed. “I don’t. This is prime ranching land, and cattle fuel this community. It’s our way of life, and I’ve worked this herd for fifteen years now. There’s something to be said for consistency. Also, there’s honor in feeding America’s families, and the beef we raise is top quality. That matters to me. To see this place turn into some therapy center—No offense, ma’am, but from my way of thinking, it would be a crying shame. The city folk might need their therapy and their chance to enjoy the wide outdoors, but we ranchers need pasture under our boots and cattle to drive. So what you’re suggesting isn’t going to help us at all. Again, no offense.”

“None taken,” she murmured.

“But that doesn’t mean I won’t treat you honestly,” Casey said.

“Can I be sure of that?” she asked.

“I’m a rancher, Miss Reed,” Casey said, his voice a low growl. “But I’m also a Christian. That one sits a little heavier. I believe in right and wrong, and I stand with the truth. So if I find out that this is the land you’ve been looking for, then I’ll tell you honestly, because I want God’s blessing more than I want my way. And God’s never yet blessed a lie.”

Ember regarded him thoughtfully.

“Are you a Christian, Miss Reed?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said.

“Then a handshake should be enough, wouldn’t you say?” he asked, holding out one hand toward her.

Ember took his rough hand in hers, and she felt the gentle pressure of those strong fingers. It was a muscular hand—veined and broad—and she realized anew just how attractive this stubborn cowboy was. She tugged her fingers free.

“Could you take the baby back?” she asked, slightly breathlessly.

Casey did as she asked and she slid the infant into Casey’s arms. Wyatt didn’t complain this time, and she exhaled a shaky sigh.

This was the right land—she could feel it. Everything had fallen into place in that way that God had where she could sense His fingerprints on all of it. From the sale of the swampland, down to this ranch popping up for sale just at the same time she’d pinpointed an approximate location of the Harper homestead.

Ember had felt drawn here, but looking at that lanky cowboy and the babies he was honor bound to care for, she couldn’t help but wonder if this was God’s doing for other reasons entirely—like forcing her to face her own issues. Ember wanted to belong somewhere—be someone other than the illegitimate child of a wealthy man. She wanted a connection so solid that her paternity wouldn’t be the most defining factor in her lineage any longer.

The sooner she could investigate this land and decide on her next move, the better.

Chapter Three

Mr. Vern, as it turned out, was perfectly happy to have Ember stay with him if she was helping out his ranch manager. Those babies had sunk into his heart, too, it seemed.

“They need loving,” Mr. Vern said. “That’s all. Just loving. But there’s two of them, and Casey’s got a big job. So I think we all appreciate you being willing to snuggle some babies. It’ll take a village with those boys.”

A village was the precise thing she hadn’t had on her side when she’d been pregnant with her son. If there’d been a village for her, she might have been able to keep her little boy, but she didn’t have any support. When she’d told her father about her pregnancy, he’d recommended an abortion, but said that if she insisted on having the baby, she’d have to give it up for adoption. He wasn’t interested in supporting her for the long term. He’d agreed to pay for her education, but his one stipulation to his support had been that she act like a Reed and not embarrass the family. Raising a baby on her own without a husband apparently violated that clause. Set aside the fact that she’d been fathered in an affair...but Alistair was the one with the money and she wasn’t in a position to argue with him about his morals. It had seemed hopeless then...

Ember lay between crisp sheets that night, listening to the soft sounds of a strange house, and she lifted her heart in prayer. She’d been so sure when she’d come out here—confident, excited. But somehow, she’d gone from completely in control to feeling entirely out of her depth.

Lord, I need Your help, she prayed. I don’t know how I got myself into this, but here I am...

Only God knew how she’d been struggling with memories of her own son lately. She’d naively thought that giving him up would allow her to move forward with her life. And in some ways, she had, but lately, memories of that traumatic day were coming back like punches to the gut. So she lay in bed not asking for God to help her sort out her emotions right now, because she knew better than to ask for that! A woman didn’t hop over her feelings; she waded through them. And wading would have to wait until she was finished with this task at hand. As ironic as it was for a therapist, she wanted God to help her put a lid on her feelings. For now, at least.

Ember slept remarkably well that night. Maybe it was the exhaustion from the adventures of her day, but she didn’t even stir until she awoke to the distant aroma of brewing coffee. Ember rubbed a hand over her face and reached for her watch, checking the time. It was just after six, and outside, the sky was awash in pink. She pushed back the covers and reached for her clothes. She’d come with a bag packed and had intended to stay in a local hotel for a few days, so she had a few necessities with her. Ten minutes later, she’d washed up, put on a little makeup and made herself presentable before leaving the bedroom for the kitchen.

Mr. Vern stood in front of the stove, a bowl of whisked eggs in one hand as he flung a pat of butter into a sizzling pan.

“Good morning,” he said without turning.

“Good morning.” She headed for the coffeepot. There were two mugs waiting, and she filled one. “Is this for me?”

“Sure is,” Mr. Vern said. “I’m just whipping up some eggs now, too.”

“You’re up early,” she said.

“I’ve already been out to check on some cattle,” he said with a low laugh. “I saw Casey down there, and he said to tell you that he’s got a ride planned toward Milk River today. He thought you might be interested.”

“Oh!” Ember brightened. “Yes, I am.”

“He says he’s planning on leaving about seven,” Mr. Vern said. “You’ll want to eat hearty before then. Have you ridden before?”

“No,” she confessed.

“Hmm.” Mr. Vern glanced back at her, a look in his eye like he was sizing her up. “It’s a good way to take a look at the land, but...”

“I’ll be fine,” she reassured him. “I’m assuming I’m in good hands with Casey Courtright?”

“The best.” Mr. Vern poured the egg mixture into the pan. “In fact, you’d do well to keep him on, Miss Reed. He knows this land better than I do at this point.”

“He’s already said that he’s not interested in working for me,” she admitted.

“Has he now?” Ember couldn’t see the older man’s face, but his tone sounded displeased. “That’s just pride. Give him time.”

Time for what? She didn’t want to be saddled down with an employee who didn’t want to be here. But this wasn’t the time to discuss that.

After breakfast, Mr. Vern drove her down the sloping gravel road, his radio playing a jangly gospel tune. Mr. Vern wore a dusty trucker’s hat, and he chewed on a toothpick as he drove.

“So left, we’ve got the cattle barns—you can see them, right? The big modern silver ones. Those are used for some calving, injured animals and the like. For the most part, the cattle spend their days in the field. I’ll bring you down there later if Casey hasn’t got the time.”

The older man followed the road right, heading away from the cattle barns and toward that picturesque red barn bathed in golden morning sunlight.

“There’s four hundred acres in total—that includes the forest as well as the pasture. I know you’re not interested in raising cattle, but the property includes about two hundred head that we’ve raised for market. So you’d have at least one market run. Casey would be able to fill you in on the finer details there, of course.”

“Where are we going?” Ember asked.

“To the horse barn,” Mr. Vern said. “We’ve got twenty-two horses at present. Our ranch hands use them when they check on herds and that sort of thing. Now, there are three horses that belong to Casey personally, and another two that I’m not willing to part with. But the other seventeen are included in the sale.”

“Are they good for trail rides?” she asked.

“About five are gentle enough for newbies, but the others need a more experienced hand,” he admitted. “I can sell off the others first, if you want. Just to save you the trouble later.”

“We’d have to talk about that,” she agreed with a nod.

“Some ranches like to use quads for checking the herd, but I’ve stuck to the tried and true. We’ve got a paddock, and since you mention trail riding, we’ve got some good trails, too.” They rattled over a pothole, and Mr. Vern shot her a grin. “If you do buy this land, miss, you’re going to need a solid truck. I’m a Ford man, myself.”

Ember could see the wisdom in those words. Her car had already shown that it would be jolted right apart on some of these roads. But as they crested a hill, her to-do list melted away at the sight.

Green field rolled out beneath them, fence posts running like lines of neat stitches across the verdant plains. Some horses were grazing—one tiny foal trailing close to its mother. The red barn stood out in comforting contrast to the rest of the scene, and Ember felt all that tension seep out of her body. They eased down the road toward the red barn, and as the truck came to a stop out front, a door opened and Casey looked out. He was dressed in a pair of jeans, a button-down shirt and a padded vest. He pushed his cowboy hat back on his head and raised a gloved hand in a wave.

“Have a good day,” Mr. Vern said. “If you have any questions, Casey’s the one to ask. Like I said, stubborn lout or not, that man is worth keeping around. Mark my words.”

Ember thanked him and hopped out of the truck. Casey waited for her at the door, holding it open for her. His dark gaze followed her as she approached, and she felt heat rise in her cheeks. It was different out here—on a ranch, away from the city. Everything seemed more basic, more pared down. And when a man’s gaze followed her like that, it was harder to ignore.

“Good morning,” he said. “Bert’s with the babies, so we’ve got some time.”

“Is he getting paid for that?” Ember asked, stepping past Casey’s broad chest and into the warm, fragrant barn. Dust motes danced in the air in front of her, and her nose tickled. High windows let in squares of morning sunlight, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust.

“Of course,” Casey said, slamming the door shut. “He’s getting overtime. Most expensive childcare ever. I asked if his wife might be interested, but she’s got her hands full with her elderly mother, so...”

Casey led the way down the center of the barn. Most of the stalls were empty. He paused at one stall and held a hand out toward a horse’s velvet nose. The horse nudged his hand and nickered.

“How much riding experience do you have?” Casey asked, glancing back at her. Again, that dark look trained on her face in that way that made her feel slightly self-conscious.

“None,” she admitted.

“Okay, so not Captain, then,” he said, moving on. “Captain is fast and strong, but he needs an experienced rider.”

“That’s not me,” she agreed. “Can’t we drive?”

“Drive?” Casey turned toward her again, his eyebrows raised. “Not where I’m headed. Why—you scared of horses or something?”

“No, I just thought—” She didn’t know what she was thinking. She’d rather feel more in control.

“You don’t have to come along, you know,” Casey said. “I’m going to check a gate latch out toward Milk River. You said you were interested in that area—”

“No, I want to come along,” she interrupted. “I’m fine. Let’s do this.”

“I’ll let you ride Patience here. She’s gentle.”

That sounded a little better, and Ember watched as Casey led a brown mare from her stall and stroked her glossy neck.

“Good morning, girl,” Casey murmured. “You up for a ride today?”

Ember leaned against a rail as she watched Casey saddle the horse. He worked quickly, all the while talking softly to the animal.

“Mr. Vern mentioned that five of the horses would be suited for trail rides with clients,” Ember said.

“Patience isn’t included in the sale. She’s mine,” Casey said when he’d finished. “I bought her myself about ten years ago.”

“Oh.” Ember nodded quickly. “Of course. Sorry, I didn’t mean to be presumptuous.”

“Never mind. Come around front. You can pet her and introduce yourself.”

Ember circled around to the front of the horse and looked up into those gentle, liquid eyes.

“Hello,” Ember said softly.

“Now, let me help you mount,” Casey said. “Here. Foot in this stirrup. Can you reach? Hold on.” He grabbed a wooden box and put it down next to the horse. “Stand on this. Now, foot in the stirrup.”

Ember did as he instructed.

“Hand on the pommel—There,” Casey coached. “Now, up and swing that leg over.”

It wasn’t exactly graceful, but a moment later, Ember was settled in the saddle, and Casey gave her a quick look over.

“Good. We’re ready,” he said, walking over to the far, rolling door. He pushed it open and whistled sharply. A tall, proud horse trotted up, already saddled, and Casey caught the reins. He took a rifle from a corner and slung the strap for it over his back, then put his boot in the stirrup.

Ember gave her horse a little kick in the sides, and nothing happened, save a slightly annoyed shuffle from the horse. Was she supposed to kick harder?

Casey swung up into his saddle effortlessly, and he turned to shoot her a smile. “You ready?”

“How do I get the horse to start moving?” she asked, heat rising in her cheeks. At least she’d warned him that she had no experience.

“Oh, you don’t,” Casey said with a low laugh. “Patience is my horse, and she’ll do what I tell her. You just hold on.”

So Ember was literally just along for the ride here... Great.

Casey made a clucking sound with his mouth, and Patience plodded forward toward him. The sensation was a strange one—feeling the movement of the muscles of this empathetic animal, and Ember sucked in a breath.

“I told you that I’d be giving you an honest tour of this ranch,” Casey said over his shoulder. “And I’m making good on that.”

* * *

She’s most definitely a city slicker, Casey thought as he stole one last look over his shoulder. A dose of reality might go a long way into showing her exactly what she was getting into here. This was a functioning ranch—a thing of beauty, in Casey’s humble opinion. But also rugged, wild and not so easily tamed for her purposes. Shutting down the cattle operation wouldn’t change that.

Wolves and coyotes didn’t respect lines on a map. Those boundaries had to be patrolled by men who know how to shoot. There were a hundred things she hadn’t even thought of yet, he was sure.

And yet, while she might be clueless, that woman was beautiful, too. He could tell that he was softening toward her. There was something about the way her emotions played out in her sparkling blue eyes... He tried to push the thought back. If he met her in any other situation, he’d want to talk to her, get to know her better...figure out if there was a boyfriend in the mix.

Casey leaned down and pulled on the latch to the gate, swinging it open. Ember rode through first—or maybe he should say Patience did, carrying Ember with her—and then Casey rode out, slamming the gate shut behind him. The latch dropped back into place with a satisfying rattle.

“I’m going to take you through the trails,” Casey said. “On the other side is pasture, and that’s the fence I need to take a look at.”

“Where’s the river?” she asked.

“You’ll see it from the fence.” Far down below—but it would give her an idea, at least. “This way.” He clucked his tongue, and Patience picked up her pace, catching up with him.

They rode along the gravel road for several minutes, a chilled breeze slipping comfortably past. Casey had always enjoyed this ride—he came out and fixed damaged parts of the fence each spring. But this year was different than the others. Wyatt and Will had brought a certain grounding to his life that he hadn’t had before. Everything seemed to matter more in the light of his responsibility toward them.

“You’re doing okay,” Casey said, glancing over at Ember next to him. She was still sitting rather tensely in the saddle, and she looked over at him.

“Relax,” he said. “Let your joints move. You’re not going to fall off. You’re fine.”

“Easier said than done,” she observed with a breathy laugh, but he could see her attempt at relaxing her position. “Oh, that is better.”

“You’ve got to trust the horse,” he said. “She’s not going to listen to you anyway.”

Ember smiled ruefully. “You should know that I don’t go with the flow very well.”

“Yeah, I guessed that,” he replied.

“I like things planned. I like to know what’s coming.”

“Then a ranch isn’t good for you,” he cautioned.

“Trying to talk me out of this again?” she retorted.

“Maybe,” he agreed. “But mostly, I’m just pointing out the obvious. You say you want to take advantage of the great outdoors, but you can’t plan so much when it comes to land and weather. Storms come, seasons change. You can’t sweat it. You just...wait.”

“But you’re still prepared,” she countered.

“I’ll give you that,” he agreed, then nodded ahead. “Up there—that’s where we enter the trails.”

It was nothing more than an opening in a tree line, and Casey pulled the reins, guiding his mount toward it.

“That’s it?” Ember sounded less sure of herself now, and when Casey looked over at her, he caught the uncertainty in those blue eyes, too. “How wide are these trails?”

“Wide?” Casey laughed. “Wide enough for a horse, but watch the branches. They can slap you in the face if you don’t pay attention.”

This would be a lot easier if Miss Ember Reed was a little less attractive. There was something about her that made him want to act the protector. The male side of him wanted to guide her through all of this and make it easy for her. Except she wasn’t just a woman out of her depth, and she certainly wasn’t a romantic option—she was his direct competition. So he’d better tamp down those chivalrous instincts if he knew what was good for him.

Casey plunged into the foliage first, and he glanced back to see Patience and Ember coming up behind. He ducked his head under a twig and dug his heels into his horse’s sides. The woods were cooler than out in the direct sunlight, and the twitter of birds silenced for a moment, and then started up again in a hesitant chatter.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he said.

“Yeah...”

He looked back again and saw her gaze moving around them. “How safe is it in here?”

“Safe?” Casey chuckled. “Why do you think I brought a gun?”

“Har har.” She shot him a mildly amused look. “You said you’d deal straight with me, and I’m asking as a potential buyer here. How safe are these woods?”

“I wasn’t joking,” he replied. “This is a hungry time of year for everything—including wolves. Nothing is risk-free out here. But I’m sure you’d have your clients sign a form that saves you from lawsuits.”

Ember fell silent, and Casey allowed his horse to pick his path over roots as they made their way through the familiar maze of trails. They weren’t all visible anymore—some hadn’t been used in years. But a trained eye like Casey’s could spot them still. He felt a twinge of guilt. He’d decided to give her an honest tour of this ranch, but it wasn’t fair to scare her unduly, either. He wasn’t that kind of man.

“You’re safe with me, though,” he added grudgingly. “I’m a good shot.”

“That’s why I want to hire you if I do buy this land,” she said.

Hire him... Yeah, that wouldn’t work well. Not if she’d bought this land out from under his boots and turned it into some city folk feelings center. Not a chance.

He didn’t answer her—he’d turned her down once already, and he wasn’t about to turn the next week or two into some lengthy argument about his reasoning, either. He’d made his choice, and that was that. But there was something about that woman behind him—city slicker though she was—that made him want to open up more, talk, just to hear her say something in reply. He wouldn’t give in to it, though.

They rode in silence for a few more minutes, and then the dense green of trees began to brighten, and in the distance, Casey could make out the glitter of sunlight.

“We’re almost out,” Casey said, mostly just as an excuse to say something to her.

“Good,” she said. “It’s a bit eerie in here.”

Casey’s horse picked up his pace as they got nearer to the tree line, and a moment later, they erupted into sunlight. He reined in his horse, and Ember came out next to him. She looked ready to say something, but then she saw what he’d been waiting to show her.

Grassy hills rolled out beneath them, some rocky piles jutting up from the grass here and there. This used to be plowed land back when people first settled, and those groups of rocks had been made by picking them out of the soil and tossing them, one by one, into those piles. A creek cut between two hills, and to the east there was a marshland with reeds and birds rising up in mesmerizing clouds. The morning sunlight splashed over the scene, and Ember’s eyes glistened.

“Oh, my...” she breathed.

“You see that rise over there?” Casey pointed ahead, and Ember followed his finger. “That’s where the fence is.”

“This is beautiful land,” she murmured.

“It’s beautiful, but it’s rugged,” he said. “When we bring the cattle this way to graze, we need cowboys on duty with guns.”

Casey clicked his tongue, and they started down the incline at an easy pace.

“Mr. Vern told me last night why he needs to sell this land,” Ember said. “He told me about it, but do you know?”

“Of course I do. His wife is suffering from Alzheimer’s, and he’s used up his insurance. He wants to keep her in a quality care center.”

“So even if I don’t end up buying this land, someone will,” Ember said. “Mr. Vern needs to sell. I’m not the bad guy here, Casey.”

Casey eyed her for a moment, wondering how much to say. “I didn’t call you bad,” he said. “I just said I don’t agree with what you stand for.”

“Like what, exactly?” she demanded. “Therapy? You might not need someone to talk things out with, but some people do. There’s no shame in having some professional help in sorting out difficulties.”

“There are plenty of places to get therapy. This is ranching land,” he said.

“And it could be set to other uses, too,” she said. “And it very well might, depending on who buys it.”

She was making a good point. Except she hadn’t hit on the reason why he was taking this so personally. It wasn’t only about therapy and changing good ranch land into something so unsuited to this place. This wasn’t just about a stubborn man and his ideals. This was personal.

“If you don’t buy this ranch, I will,” he said, his voice low.

Ember blinked at him in surprise. “What?”

“You heard me,” Casey said. “I can’t afford to pay what you can—and that’s why you’ve got Mr. Vern’s priority. The money matters. He needs to get as much as he can for this land. But if you decide against this ranch, I’ve got an offer on the table behind yours.”

“You want to buy it—” she said weakly.

“Yeah.” And want was a wimpy word. He longed to buy this land on a bone-deep level. He loved every square acre of this place, and if he was going to be raising kids, he couldn’t think of a finer place to do it.

“If this is the site of my family’s homestead, though—” she began.

“Then you’ll buy it,” he confirmed. “And I’ll understand your attachment to the dirt under your feet. It’ll be a connection to generations past—I’m not unfeeling here. But if you don’t buy this ranch, then I will, and I’ll raise those boys here, teach them about hard work and perseverance. I could have a story here, too—moving into the future.”

Casey urged his horse a little faster, pulling out ahead of her. He didn’t want her to see the emotion in his eyes. This mattered to him just as much as it mattered to her, and he wasn’t going to just walk away from a chance at owning this land himself.

“So I am the bad guy,” she called from behind him. “To you, at least.”

Casey turned in his saddle and met her gaze. “From my perspective, you’re just another Reed. You’re playing in a different league. You’ve got money behind you that I couldn’t even hope for. And unless you change your mind about this place, there’s no doubt that you’ll have your way. Reeds always do.”

She dealt in feelings and relationships—let her sort that one out.

But Casey was also a Christian, and he stood by his word. They had an agreement, and they’d shaken on it. She’d help him, and he’d give her an honest introduction to Vern Acres.

Fair was fair.

Chapter Four

Ember sucked in a wavering breath as Casey urged his horse forward again. Her heart hammered in her chest as this new information rattled around inside her. Casey wanted this land, too... It sure explained his chilliness toward her, but it complicated their professional balance, as well. He was just supposed to be a tour guide, not someone with a personal investment in stopping her plan.

Her horse started forward, too, picking up her pace as she plodded along behind Casey’s down the rocky slope. He wanted a future here, and she craved a connection to the past—but their dreams were mutually exclusive. The only thing tipping the scales in her favor was that she had more money to give to make her dream come true. She could sympathize with a man who didn’t come with the same financial backing she did, because she hadn’t always had these opportunities, either, and she had no idea how long they’d last.

Ember’s relationship to her father was a fragile one—even if it satisfied a part of her that had always longed to know her dad. Alistair Reed had expectations of his own, and a family pride that she threatened to tarnish by her very existence. Her father’s wife, Birdie, had been furious when she found out about Ember. Birdie saw Ember as a threat to her marriage, even though Ember hadn’t been the menace—her mother had been, and that affair had ended years ago. But Birdie would take any excuse to drive Ember away and sever the financial cord. Ember wondered what role her stepmother had played in the pressure for Ember to give up her child. Had Birdie been banking on Ember choosing her baby?

That thought clamped down on her heart. I should have chosen my son. I should have told my father that I was keeping him, and that I’d find a way...

Again—at the least opportune time—she was thinking about her child. But this wasn’t the time or the place to delve into all of that. When she’d made a decision about this land and gone back home, then she could use her last week of leave from work to do some real soul-searching. She could promise herself that much. But not in front of Casey Courtright—the man who wanted to buy this ranch, too.

Patience caught up to Casey once more and Ember felt the heat rise in her cheeks when he looked over at her.

“I couldn’t hang back if I wanted to,” she said.

He smiled faintly, then shrugged. “We had to face that eventually. Better to lay it out straight.”

The horses fell into pace together, and Ember let her gaze move over the countryside. Copses of trees and rock piles broke up the pasture. She breathed out a sigh, wondering if there was a more beautiful place anywhere on God’s green earth. If this was the land her family had settled, then she understood why they’d been willing to battle the elements, the wild animals and even unsavory neighbors just to make this land their home.

The thought of neighbors reminded Ember of another problem she faced—the prejudice people around here had against her family name. Would she face pushback from the community? It was possible, but it didn’t seem entirely fair. Maybe Reed Land Holdings didn’t have many fans out here, but her father was more than just a company. He was a human being.

“Did you ever meet my father?” Ember asked.

“Nope, never did. He sent lawyers to do his dirty work,” Casey replied.

Of course. That actually stood to reason. And perhaps it made him easier to hate, too. She’d had her own prejudices against him when she’d first learned that he was her father.

“He’s not a bad man,” Ember said. “He supports a lot of state charities. Everyone seems to like him.”

“Everyone?” Casey raised an eyebrow.

“Except people out here, maybe,” she conceded. “But I do understand. When my mother told me who my father was, I wasn’t thrilled, either. He has the image of being very aloof and cold, but he’s not like that deep down.”

“When did your mother tell you about him?” he asked.

“I was seventeen, and she had stage four lung cancer,” Ember replied softly. “She wanted me to know who my father was before she left me alone in the world. I knew my father’s last name was Reed, since my mother had given me his name, but she’d never told me who he was. She’d been the housekeeper on the Reed estate back then, and when she got pregnant with me, she quit and went away. My father had a family, after all. Anyway, it turned out that he’d known about me all those years, but he’d never reached out to meet me.”

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