Second-Chance Cowboy

Remington Jenkins is back and Martin’s Crossing will never be the same. At least not for Samantha Martin. Her teenage crush is all grown-up, and she’s realizing the full-time rancher, part-time preacher, still holds her heart. Back then, Rem planned to marry her—until her overprotective brothers sent her away. If he can brave her formidable family, Rem’s finally got a shot with the pretty nurse. But first, Sam has a secret that she must share before they can turn their summer romance into a winter wedding…

She’d know him anywhere.

The way he stood against the truck. The way he pushed his cowboy hat back. After all these years Rem was still familiar to her. Her heart did a flip she had to ignore.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I was driving through town and I saw you running. I didn’t want to leave you here alone.”

“I’m a big girl. No one needs to rescue me.”

The words slipped out. Not that he would understand what they meant. He wouldn’t guess that she’d waited for exactly that ten years ago. That summer she’d learned a lesson about love and everything it wasn’t.

“Samantha, I’m sorry they sent you away.” His voice mixed with a coyote’s howl and a train whistle. The night sounds of Martin’s Crossing.

“Me, too.” She opened her mouth to tell him more but she couldn’t. Not yet.

Maybe everyone had been right. What they’d had was nothing more than a teen crush. A mistake.

But when she looked at him, an insistent thought echoed in her mind. Was it?

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.

The Rancher’s

First Love

Brenda Minton

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed!

—Psalms 85:10

To great friends who keep me going. Yeah, you know your names. Love you all to the moon and back. And to Melissa Endlich, editor supreme. Your patience and wisdom are appreciated beyond belief.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

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

Dear Reader

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

The pediatric rehab wing of the Braswell, Texas, Doctor’s Hospital sounded like an out-of-control playground when Samantha Martin walked through the double doors. A little boy in a wheelchair zoomed her way, his face split in a wide grin.

“You’re here,” he announced.

“Of course I’m here, Parker. I work here.” She took the handles of the wheelchair and pushed him back down the hall. “Why are you racing around like a maniac?”

“The cowboys are coming today.”

“Cowboys?” Three days off and she no longer knew what was going on. She did know that after being outside in the June sunshine, the air-conditioning felt good and the kids all seemed to have spring fever. “Are we having a rodeo on the unit? Or football?”

She glanced at one of the other nurses. The woman shrugged as she headed into a room with a toddler on her hip. The Braswell hospital, just a short distance from Samantha’s home in Martin’s Crossing, was small but efficient. And the staff cared. It was a great place to begin her career as an RN.

At the moment she didn’t have a lot of time to reflect on her job, not with Parker, a dark-haired rascal, talking ninety miles an hour. She must have missed half of what the little boy said because he was glancing back at her as if she didn’t have a clue.

“I’m sorry, Parker. So...cowboys are coming today. ”

“One of them is my cousin. And they’re bringing a real, live horse!”

That got her attention. “They can’t bring a horse into the hospital.”

An aid stuck her head out of the door to the room next to Parker’s. “Miniature horse. It’s approved.”

Seriously? “Okay, they’re bringing a horse. That should be interesting.”

“You think it’ll go to the bathroom, don’t you?” Parker asked.

“Well, it is a horse. They aren’t typically house-trained.” She lifted him from his chair and placed him in bed. “Stay.”

“I got myself out earlier.”

She gave him a serious look. “Not without supervision, buddy.”

The nine-year-old nodded. “Okay, not without supervision. But Danny was in here.”

“Danny is ten. He doesn’t count.”

She gave him one last warning look and headed back to the nurse’s station. “We have to move Parker closer to the nurse’s station. He escaped his bed again.”

“You can’t stop determination.” Dr. Jackson grinned as he entered something in the computer. He was older and liked to remind them he’d seen it all.

“No, but I can stop him from falling and getting hurt.”

“Good luck,” the doctor said as he pulled on glasses and meandered back down the hall. He said after thirty years of practicing, he no longer got too excited about anything.

But nurses did. That was their job. And right about now, all the nurses seemed a little too excited. It must have something to do with cowboys. If they’d grown up with her brothers, they wouldn’t be excited about a bunch of domineering, take-charge men in chaps.

“So what are the cowboys doing here today?” she asked as she picked up a chart.

“Rope tricks, the pony of course and just looking pretty stinking good,” Laura Struthers said, her voice ending on a whisper as she looked past Sam toward the door. “Wow. Those are some cowboys. Not the stinky, been-on-the-range-too-long kind, but the dressed-up, rugged, could-be-in-a-commercial kind.”

“No thanks.” Sam studied the chart. “I need to get Patricia down to X-Ray.”

“Doc said not until after the cowboys.”

“She needs...”

“Doc said.”

“Fine,” Sam caved. “I guess we won’t do anything until the cowboys leave. But I’m going to check on Parker and make sure he’s still in his bed.”

She headed down the hall, back to Parker’s room. When she stepped in, she froze. Not because of the miniature horse the boy was petting, but because of the cowboy standing at his side. There was something about the man standing next to the little boy’s bed. It was in his build, in the way he stood, controlled yet relaxed. It was his dark hair, the hand that rested on the boy’s arm and the way her traitor heart reacted, even without seeing his face.

“Your granny says they’re letting you out of here real soon.” The cowboy spoke in a low voice that vibrated through Sam.

“Yeah. And we’re moving to Martin’s Crossing.” That was news to Sam, but she couldn’t dwell on it. She had to escape. She backed away from the door.

“Nurse Sam!” Parker yelled.

She stopped in the doorway and peeked back into the room. The cowboy at Parker’s side had turned. It was him. Remington Jenkins in the flesh. And none too happy to see her. The feeling was mutual.

But Parker had his blue eyes pinned on her and she had to respond. “Yes, Parker?”

“This is my cousin. He’s a cowboy. I told you he was.”

“Yes, you did tell me. And your cousin brought a pony to the hospital,” she accused.

“He’s housebroke,” that same low, husky voice replied. She moved her gaze from the little black horse that came just above his knees to his face. His very familiar face.

At seventeen he’d been the cutest thing she’d ever seen. At twenty-seven he proved that age could be a good thing. Drat the man for his steel-gray eyes in a suntanned face, dark hair and five-o’clock shadow that covered the smooth planes of his face.

She swallowed. “Hi, Remington.”

“Sam, it’s been a long time.”

Yes, it had. He’d never rescued her the way she’d dreamed he would do when her brothers had sent her away. She’d pictured him arriving in his old truck, radio blaring. He’d open the door, she’d jump in and in her sixteen-year-old mind they’d drive off into the sunset, broke and homeless but happy.

He hadn’t even written.

“I didn’t know you worked here. Parker has talked about his favorite nurse at rehab, but I had no idea she would be my favorite nurse, too.” He gave her that easy, familiar smile of his, as if the past didn’t exist. Maybe for him it didn’t. Maybe walking away had been easy for Remington Jenkins.

He wasn’t the first person who had no problem walking away from her.

She breathed through the pain and managed what she hoped was a carefree look. For Parker’s sake, not his. “Yes, well, I have to get back to work. It was good seeing you.”

It took everything in her to ignore the questions in Remington’s eyes. It took more to ignore the questions in her heart. Why now? When she’d come home and rebuilt her life, why was he here now?

She hurried down the hall to the sanctuary of a linen closet. Inside that quiet space she closed the door and leaned her back against it. Alone and safe with her emotions, she closed her eyes and cried. She cried for little boys who would never walk again. She cried for everything she’d lost. Everything that ached inside her came out in hot, angry tears.

* * *

John Wayne followed Remington room to room. The tiny horse nuzzled children, sniffing their hands, closing his eyes and resting his head on their laps when they stroked his face and neck. John was a prize horse when it came to cheering up children. Remington had used him as a part of ministry for the past two years.

The little horse would also serve as their victim when it came time to show the kids some trick roping. John Wayne knew a few tricks. He’d even learned to “play like a calf” when roped. He would drop to the ground and let the guys tie his hooves. He also prayed when asked. He would extend his front legs and drop his head to the ground. Kids loved a praying horse. So did most adults.

Focusing on the horse and the kids helped Remington to ignore the obvious distraction of Sammy Martin. After all this time she still had the ability to undo his common sense. Her blond hair was a little shorter than it had been, but her blue eyes were just as blue and that pretty mouth... He smiled. How could a guy not remember strawberry lip gloss?

Her dad had died about the time he’d gone to work at the Martin ranch. It hadn’t been a good time for the Martins. It hadn’t been the best chunk of his own life, either.

He led John Wayne out of the room of a little girl who didn’t speak. She reached one tiny hand to touch John. At least she’d reacted. Dr. Jackson told him that was probably a small miracle in itself. He liked the doctor who had made this unit a possibility. The hospital, typical for small communities, had few patients. This children’s unit met a need and kept the hospital solvent. Most important, it gave hope.

The rest of his cowboy crew waited in the activity area for him to make his rounds. The kids were being moved to that area as he led John down the hallway. He looked up, meeting the brief accusing gaze of Samantha Martin. Those blue eyes could sure shoot sparks at a man. He wondered if she ever thought that he might have a little bit of a reason to be upset, too.

No, she probably didn’t. She was a Martin. Her brothers, all three of them, had egos the size of the Rockies. Her older sister had been decent. A couple of years back Elizabeth and her husband had been killed in a small plane crash, leaving behind twin daughters. He knew from local gossip that Jake Martin was raising those little girls.

Jake, Duke, Brody, the three of them had caught him in the barn with Sam. He let go of the memory and met her gaze again. She looked away but not before he saw that her eyes were rimmed with red and her nose had turned pink. A sure sign she’d been crying.

Over him? Or was that just his ego talking? Working at the hospital as she did, he could see dozens of reasons she might cry from time to time.

He knew there were going to be problems with moving back to Martin’s Crossing. Sam was one of them. Fortunately he didn’t have time to focus on her or what she felt about him. He had his granddad to worry about. Gus wasn’t doing too great. And now he had to think about Parker, too.

Sam moved past him, helping a little girl who made slow progress on crutches. She spoke softly, giving the child advice and encouragement. He couldn’t help but notice her. The softness of her voice. The pink of her nails as she steadied the little girl. The scent of her, soft and floral.

Man, she smelled good.

A guy couldn’t not notice when a woman smelled that good. Or when her blond hair shimmered beneath the lights. A man couldn’t help notice blue eyes flecked with violet. Noticing was what had gotten him in trouble ten years ago.

He shook it off as John Wayne nipped at his jeans. “Hey, mule, stop that.”

The little girl with Sam laughed. “He’s not a mule. He’s a pony.”

He squatted in front of John and the little girl stopped, forcing Sam to stop. “He’s actually a miniature horse.”

“Why?” the child asked. Her big brown eyes moved from his face to the horse at his side. John lipped the hand she extended. He saved his teeth for Remington.

“That’s a good question,” he responded. “Ponies are breeds that stay under a certain size. Miniature horses are horses that just stay tiny.”

She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. He looked up at Sam. She was giving him the same look.

“Not a good answer?” he asked. They both shook their heads and he laughed. “Yeah, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, either. I just know that John Wayne here is a real good horse. And if we go in with the others, he’ll show you some pretty amazing tricks.”

He straightened, still holding the lead to John Wayne. The horse pulled him on in to the activity room, following behind temptation in nurse’s scrubs. Pink scrubs with teddy bears.

For the next hour he entertained the children. He showed a little boy named Danny, an amputee, how to lasso John Wayne. They had a contest to see who could draw the best horse picture. Afterward, John did a few tricks. He played calf, prayed and climbed up on a pedestal, where he shook hands with various kids.

At the end of the program, Remington prayed. When he asked the children if they had any prayer requests, hands went up all over the room. He took out a pen and paper to write them all down. Nothing hurt a kid more than forgetting their request. It might be a prayer for a goldfish that died, but it still mattered. He wrote them all down and ignored the way Samantha Martin tried to avoid looking at him the entire time.

He had hoped that they could live in the same area and not bump into each other. It was a foolish hope. Since they were obviously going to see each other from time to time, he guessed they were going to have to talk.

But first he’d talk to God. He had a whole list of prayer requests from the kids, running the gamut from wanting a pony to being able to walk again. Kids always broke his heart. He never left one of these events without shedding a few tears.

It was something his granddad had taught him. Real men could cry.

After he’d prayed, he and the other guys went around the room, shaking hands and signing autographs. He’d brought some champions with him today. A Bull Riding World Champion, an All-Around Cowboy World Champion, a Steer Wrestling Champion and an award-winning stock contractor. They all had stories to share, roping tricks to display and pictures to hand out.

One of Remington’s personal favorites was Bryan Cooper, from Dawson, Oklahoma. He’d met the younger man at a church event in Austin. Bryan had lived in South America and told a compelling story of forgiveness. For the children in these units, he talked about his faith as a young man.

As the cowboys circulated, Remington let his gaze slide to the far wall. Samantha Martin stood to one side, watching him but pretending not to. He caught and held her gaze, because he enjoyed watching that flush of pink in her cheeks. She looked away first.

He squatted in front of a little girl in a wheelchair.

“Can I pet him?” she asked, pointing to John Wayne. Her voice was raspy and she closed her eyes as if talking hurt.

“You sure can.” He pulled John a little closer. The girl reached out, tentative, stroking the soft muzzle of the horse.

“I used to have a pony,” she said, not looking at him but her big brown eyes gobbling up his horse.

“Did you?”

She nodded. “Yeah, before. Before the fire.”

Yeah, he was going to cry today. He could feel it coming on as the little girl told him about a fire and how her daddy got her out but then went back in for the rest of the family. And he didn’t come back out again.

What did a man say to that? He wanted to tell this child he would fix it all. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t fix her. He couldn’t give her back her family. So he hugged her and told her he would pray.

She leaned in close. “Pray someone wants to be my family.”

His throat tightened painfully at that request. “You’ve got it, kiddo.”

“My name is Lizzy,” she whispered.

Samantha rescued him. She appeared at his side and as he stayed on his knees in front of Lizzy, she touched his shoulder.

“Time for lunch, Lizzy Lou.” Sam brushed a hand through the child’s blond hair. “Tell Mr. Jenkins thank you.”

“Thank you.” Lizzy smiled sweetly. “I hope you’ll come back soon.”

“I sure hope I can, Lizzy.” He stood and moved out of the way with John. “Maybe just John Wayne and me, but we’ll be back.”

“Don’t make promises,” Sam whispered as she walked away.

He couldn’t let that go. He led John back to the nurse’s station. He waited for Sam to walk back into the hall and he followed her.

“Go away, Rem.” She spoke without looking back at him.

He caught up with her, tugging John along behind him. The pony trotted, but he pulled his head back, not happy with the pace.

“No, I don’t think I will.”

She spun to face him, her blue eyes flashing sparks of anger that would have quelled a lesser man. He reckoned she ought to know he wasn’t going to be pushed around.

“Your posse left. Why didn’t you leave with them?” she asked.

“Because it seems as if we have unfinished business.”

She shook her head. “No, we don’t. We’ve been finished for a long time now. We were kids, Rem. We’re adults now and I don’t have time for this.”

“Why did you tell me not to make promises to that little girl?”

“Is that what this is all about?” She pulled a face at him, wrinkling her nose. “These kids have enough to deal with, and they don’t need a cowboy and his pony trotting into their lives, cheering them up, and then promising to come back.”

“But I am coming back. I’ve already talked to Dr. Jackson. I’m going to stop by every couple of weeks.”

“Great,” she said, not really meaning it. He half smiled, which would probably get him in more trouble.

“I made the offer before I knew you worked here. But surprise! I keep promises and I’m not going to back out on kids just because you don’t want me here.”

“It isn’t about me.”

He leaned in close. “Isn’t it?”

She shook her head and put a little space between them. “No, it isn’t. I just don’t want these kids hurt or disappointed.”

Hurt and disappointed. He knew right away that it was about her. But he wouldn’t push and make her admit it. She’d just have to get used to having him around.

Chapter Two

The sun had long since set as Samantha drove through Martin’s Crossing after work. She could go home to her house on the Circle M, have a sandwich, go to bed and not sleep. Or she could take a run and calm her mind. She pulled into an empty parking space in front of her brother Duke’s diner. Duke’s No Bar and Grill was a long wood-sided building with a wide, covered deck running the entire length of the front.

She got out of her truck, leaving the keys in the ignition. After all, this was Martin’s Crossing; no one ever took the keys out of their ignition.

Sometimes they did. If there was a theft in the area, people might be vigilant for a week or so. But then they went back to their ways, leaving doors unlocked and keys in cars.

She’d missed this town. She’d been gone nearly ten years, only returning for holidays and a few weeks each summer. She’d missed her brothers. She’d missed rodeos. She’d missed graduating high school with friends. They’d all moved on in her absence. Many of them were married now. Several had moved away. They had children and homes of their own.

Why had she thought she could come home and everything would be as it had been when she left? No, she hadn’t left. She’d been sent away. Banished. And nothing had stayed the same. Her brothers, the town, the people she’d known—everyone was different.

She was different.

Pushing aside those thoughts, she stood on the sidewalk and stretched, loosening her muscles and preparing mentally for a run that would shake her loose from memories. Thanks to Remington’s appearance at the hospital, he was front and center in her mind.

The door to Duke’s opened. She was surprised to see her brother.

“Just getting off work?” he asked as he walked down the steps. Duke was a big guy, closer to seven feet than six. He was all muscle. And all heart. She’d been angry with him for a long time because she’d wanted him to take her side and keep her here, at home.

“Yeah. You?”

He didn’t answer right away. She stopped stretching and glanced his way, saw that he was watching her with eyes narrowed.

“Bad day?” he asked.

She shook her head and finished stretching before giving him her full attention. “No worse than any other. I just felt like I needed to run.”

“No one understands that better than me.” Because Duke had struggled when he first came home from Afghanistan. “Remington came in for dinner. With Gus. I guess he’s moving back to town.”

So many questions without actually asking.

“Why are you open so late?” she asked, ignoring the obvious. She didn’t want to discuss Remington.

“Late dinner crowd. There was a softball game and everyone came in after.”

Summer, rodeos and softball. The three went together in Martin’s Crossing. Samantha took a deep breath of summer air perfumed with flowers, sultry humidity and farmland.

“Go home to your family, Duke. I’m good.”

He watched her for another long minute. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure. I know Remington is back. I saw him at the hospital today. I survived. I’m running because I don’t feel like going home to an empty house.”

“Come down and visit us, then,” he offered.

She laughed. “Because Oregon and Lilly want company this late at night? I don’t think so. Go home.”

“I’ll go but you text me or call when you get home. If you don’t, I’ll have to come looking for you.”

She loved his protectiveness. “I’ll text you.”

He gave her a tight hug, then headed around the back of the building where he’d parked his truck. Samantha watched him go, then took off running down the sidewalk. She headed down Main Street to the intersection. Ahead of her the Community Church was dark and quiet, bathed only in the orange glow of streetlights. The park was equally dark. She kept running, breathing in deep and letting go of the tenseness that had built up during the long day.

She loved working with children. She wouldn’t change jobs for anything. But watching those children in pain was tough. She’d tried but couldn’t leave her work behind at the end of the day. Parker, Danny and the others, they were in her heart. She knew that the longer she remained in this job, the more she’d have to cry about.

She ran several miles, keeping to the few side streets that made up Martin’s Crossing. As she turned back up Main Street, she saw a truck had parked next to hers. She slowed her steps, going from a run to a jog and then a walk.

The driver of the truck got out. Even on the dimly lit street, she knew him. She knew the way he stood. She knew the way he pushed that white cowboy hat back. He shouldn’t be so familiar to her. But he was.

“What are you doing here?” she asked as she leaned over to touch her toes. When she straightened, he was leaning against the side of his truck, watching her.

“I would have gone running with you if you’d called,” he said.

She looked him over. Jeans, cowboy hat, boots. Her heart did a little flip she had to ignore. “Really?”

“I would have changed.”

She lifted one shoulder. “I like to run alone.”

That was what had changed about her in the years since she’d been sent away. She’d gotten used to being alone. She’d gone from the girl at the center of the crowd to a woman who knew how to be independent.

“Of course.” He sat on the tailgate of his truck. “I was driving through town and I saw you running. I didn’t like the idea of leaving you here alone.”

“I’m a big girl. No one needs to protect me or rescue me.”

The words slipped out and she wished she’d kept quiet. Not that he would understand what she meant. He wouldn’t guess that she’d waited for him to rescue her from her aunt Mavis, believing he’d show up and take her away. She’d thought they would be a family.

But he hadn’t rescued her. There hadn’t been a letter or a phone call. Not once in all of those years had she ever heard from him.

That summer she’d learned an important lesson about love. Remington had said he loved her. Her brothers had said they loved her and that’s why they’d sent her away. Her mom should have loved her. She’d left when Samantha was little more than a baby.

Now it was all just water under the bridge.

“Sam?” The quiet, husky voice broke into her thoughts.

So much for letting go of the tension. She faced the man who had broken her fifteen-year-old heart.

“Remington, I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to talk about what happened. I don’t want to figure out the past. I’m building a future for myself. I have a job I love. I have a home, my family and a life I’m reclaiming. Don’t make this about what happened before, because I don’t want to go back.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “I know. I promise, I’m here to talk about the future. Sit down, please.”

She paced a few steps away from him, then faced him again. “I don’t want to sit.”

“Stubborn as always.” He grinned as he said it, his teeth flashing white in his suntanned face.

“Not stubborn. I just don’t want to sit down.”

“I’m sorry they sent you away,” he spoke quietly. In the distance coyotes howled and a train whistle echoed in the night. His words were soft, shifting things inside her that she didn’t want shifted. Like the walls she’d built up around her.

“Me, too.” She rubbed her hands down her suddenly chilled arms. “I wasn’t prepared to see you today.”

She opened her mouth to tell him more, but she couldn’t. Not yet. Not tonight. There was more to tell him. She’d tried to write him a letter. More than once she’d sat down with pen and paper and tried to tell him everything that had happened. At sixteen she hadn’t found the right words. At seventeen she’d wanted to put it all behind her. As she got older, she’d convinced herself he didn’t need to know.

Maybe Aunt Mavis had been right. They’d been kids ten years ago. What did two kids know about love and forever? It had been a learning experience. A mistake.

“We should talk.”

She gave up and sat down next to him on the metal tailgate. “Rem, I’m just not ready for this. I know I’ve had plenty of time to come to terms with what happened, but I’m just not ready to talk it all out with you yet.”

“I’m sorry. I always thought eventually we’d run into each other here in Martin’s Crossing. It took longer than I expected.”

She pulled one leg up, resting her chin on her knee. “I always looked for you. When I came home for breaks, I’d drive by Gus’s, thinking you might be there.”

“I looked for you, too. Now it seems as if we’re both back in town for good.”

She looked up, surprised. “For good? You’re staying here?”

In the light of the street lamp she saw the twinkle in his eyes. “Gus needs my help on the ranch. And now Parker and his grandmother are moving in.”

“So you’re moving here?”

“I’m going to pastor the Countryside Church and run the ranch.”

“I see.” But she didn’t. It was all well and good to see him at the hospital with a horse named John Wayne. She’d never expected him back in Martin’s Crossing. Back in her life.

* * *

Remington let the silence linger around them. He guessed they both had their memories of that summer. From his point of view, he’d been a kid who’d fallen hard for a pretty girl. They’d been young and they’d gone too far too fast. He’d faced the wrath of Jake and Duke Martin. They’d run him off the ranch and out of her life, letting him know he wasn’t welcome on Martin land, or near their sister. Gus had sent him back home to his folks, and their ranch near Austin, where his mom told him to learn from his mistakes.

Samantha Martin. Sitting next to her now on the tailgate, he felt the past coming at him like a steam train. Her arm brushed against his, her soft scent tangled with the breeze and attempted to drive him crazy.

Common sense told him not to go back down that road. He remembered all too well how it had felt to be sent packing. As an adult he doubted her brothers would be his problem. No, if he had any intentions of pursuing her, she’d be the one sending him away.

“Pastor Jenkins?” she said it with a teasing glint in her eyes.

“Yeah, surprise.” He shifted to look at her. “There I was in college studying agriculture and taking a class on the Bible that was meant to be an easy A. Instead I found something I’d been missing. I didn’t mean for it to be a career.”

“I haven’t gone to church in ages.” Her voice was soft, a little bit lost and all kinds of hurt.

He didn’t know what to say to that. He knew she probably had her reasons for not going to church and he didn’t want to push for answers. He’d learned a hard lesson a few years ago about dating, and found out that if two people lived on opposite sides of the faith fence, it was difficult to make a relationship work.

They sat there a few more minutes. “Parker is your cousin?” she asked.

“Yeah. I guess you know his parents died in a car accident?”

“Yes, I knew. I’m sorry.”

“Me, too. It’s going to be tough on him. And on his grandmother, my aunt Lee.”

“But they have you. And Gus.”

Yes, they had him. He hadn’t really planned this, coming back to Martin’s Crossing. Life was funny that way. It never really went according to plan. At least not his. At seventeen he’d planned on marrying the woman sitting next to him.

“How is your granddad?” she asked, dragging him back to the present.

“Slowing down, but he’s good. He’s recovered from his stroke and thinks he can still outwork me. My mom worries about him.”

“It’s good that you can be here to help him. To help them.” Meaning his aunt and Parker.

Her fingers momentarily closed over his, then let go.

He hadn’t expected that. He also didn’t expect her to hop down from the tailgate and take off. He watched her go. She didn’t head for her truck. Instead she headed down the street, walking slow and easy.

“What are you doing?” he called out to her.

She glanced back, a finger pressed to her lips. Okay, silence, he got that. He followed her. Suddenly she was on all fours, peeking under the truck parked in front of Lefty Mueller’s woodworking shop.

“Come here, sweetheart. Come on,” she said in a sweet tone that would have had him crawling through hot coals to get to her.

“What...”

She shot him a look and shook her head. Right. No talking.

He saw what had drawn her attention. A pregnant hound dog, skin and bones but about to whelp any day. The dog whimpered, then crawled out from under the truck. Sam sat back on her heels and the dog nuzzled into her lap, all big brown eyes and long ears.

“What are you going to do with her?”

Sam held the hound’s soulful face in her hands. “Take her home.”

“Duke and Jake will love that.”

“Duke and Jake don’t have a say in the matter. I’m not going to ask their opinion on every decision I make.”

“Or any decision,” he muttered, heading for his truck.

“You’re leaving?” she called out, sounding like she honestly didn’t want him to go.

He shook his head. “No, I’m getting you a lead rope for your new pet.”

When he returned with the rope she was standing, the underfed and overly pregnant dog standing next to her. He shook his head and handed her the rope.

“What?” She made a loop and put the rope around the dog’s neck.

“I’m just thinking that you’re asking for trouble.”

“She’s beautiful.” Sam brushed a hand down the dog’s head. “Maybe part bloodhound?”

Beautiful. He had to agree. Standing there in shorts, a T-shirt and with her hair pulled back, Sam was beautiful. He let himself get tangled up in everything he’d felt years ago. But those memories would get him nowhere. He pushed his hat back and refocused his attention on the dog.

“From the looks of that face and those ears, I’d say yes,” he agreed, reaching to let the dog sniff his hand.

“Who would dump a pretty girl like her?”

“Someone tired of puppies would be my guess.”

“Then they should have gotten her fixed.”

“I agree. I’m just giving you my opinion on why she’s been left on the side of the road.”

“Yes, because she’s going to have puppies.” Her expression changed from angry to something close to sad, then she walked away, the dog next to her. He watched them go, wondering what that look meant and fearing deep down that he didn’t know the whole story.

“Maybe she just got lost?”

Back at her truck, Sam opened the door and coaxed the dog inside. “That’s a possibility.”

“We can ask around. Someone might be missing her.”

“Yes, I’ll do that. I’ll put a poster up at Duke’s and at the grocery store.”

Inside the truck the dog had settled on the seat, happy to be inside. Sam fidgeted, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

Ten years. They had become different people. They no longer knew each other. If he was honest, he’d admit they’d probably never known each other. They’d been kids. They’d both liked horses, rodeos and sitting down by the creek on a summer day.

It hadn’t been a relationship, his mom had informed him. It had been a summer romance.

The warm night air reminded him that it was summer once again. With that thought in mind, he had to head home, because now was the wrong time for him to get distracted.

“Thanks for...” she started at the same time he said, “I should go.”

“Goodbye, Rem. I’m glad we talked.”

“Yeah, me, too.”

She walked away from him and he watched her go. After she’d driven away, he sat on the tailgate of his truck for a while, thinking about that summer, about being seventeen and really believing he knew everything about life.

He hadn’t had a clue. He still didn’t have a clue. But he knew that Samantha Martin was in his past. That’s where she belonged. And that’s where a wise man would leave her.

He was smart, but he’d never been too wise.

Chapter Three

Samantha woke up early the next morning. She loved waking up on the ranch, to the quiet broken only by country sounds. Dogs, a cow in the distance, a tractor working in a nearby field. Carrying her cup of coffee, she walked out to the barn.

After she’d gotten home last night, she’d put the pregnant dog in a stall with a bowl of leftover stew and a bucket of water. As she headed across the yard she could hear the animal whining.

“What’s going on, pretty girl?” She leaned across the top of the stall and peeked in. “Oh, I see.”

The dog yelped and turned to clean her new puppies. There were four already, still damp and squirmy. The mamma dog hovered over them, nervous about having company.

“Hey, what’s up?” A loud, chipper voice burst into the moment.

Lilly. Sam turned to greet her niece, Duke’s daughter. The surprise, as Sam liked to call her. Duke hadn’t known about his daughter until just last year. Sam loved the bubbly, energetic twelve-year-old. She secretly hoped the girl would keep Duke on his toes.

Sam held up a finger, and then pointed to the stall. “Shhh.”

Lilly silently tiptoed forward, her eyes going big when she looked inside and saw the dog. And now, five puppies.

“We should give her some privacy,” Sam said. “Let’s have breakfast.”

As soon as the two of them walked out of the barn, Lilly’s carefully contained energy uncorked. “Where did you get her? What’s her name? And did you know my mom is going to adopt a baby?”

Sam blinked a few times. Okay, this was news. And probably not the way Duke or Oregon wanted it announced.

“I’m not sure what to say, Lilly.” Sam cleared her throat. “You know, your parents might not want everyone to know.”

“Mom said I could tell you.”

“Oh, well that’s good. I didn’t know and I’m excited for them.”

“It’s through the state. He’s only six weeks old and he’s living in a foster home in Houston. We’re going to see him next week.”

“That’s amazing. I can’t wait to meet him.”

“Me, too.” Lilly glanced back at the barn. “So, where did you get the dog?”

“I found her in town.”

“Oh, that’s the dog that my dad was talking about. The stray that he’s going to have to do something about.”

“He said that?”

“You know how guys are,” Lilly said, rolling her eyes.

“Yes, I do know how guys are. And he isn’t going to do anything about this dog because she’s mine now.”

Lilly just shrugged. “So, I’m out of school and bored.”

Sam laughed. “I’m sure you are. What are you going to do with your summer?”

Lilly shrugged and Sam got the feeling there was more she wanted to say. They kept walking, though, back to the house. Sam hadn’t been here when Oregon and Lilly showed up a few years ago. When Duke learned that the precocious girl across the street was his daughter. But she was here now. And she loved being an aunt.

“So?” she prodded her niece. “Give it up. I know you have more to say. Or something to ask.”

“Okay. Dad said you were the best barrel racer in the county. I’m not the best. But I want to be. I’ll be thirteen soon and I don’t want to have to compete with the little girls.”

“Gotcha. So we have some work to do?”

Lilly nodded. “Please. I mean, Dad tries to help me, but he’s a guy. He can rope. He can train a horse.”

“But he isn’t a barrel racer.”

“Right.” Lilly stepped through the door Sam opened.

“That works for me, because my new gelding needs some practice.” Sam followed her niece inside. The kitchen felt cool after being outside. It was not quite nine o’clock and already hot and humid. “Want breakfast?”

In answer Lilly headed for the cabinet, helping herself to cereal bars. She and Oregon had lived in this house for a time. The girl knew her way around more than just the house. She knew how to be a part of the Martin family. Sam envied that. Sometimes she felt like the outsider, as if she was the one who didn’t know how to be a Martin.

“Are you going to eat?” Lilly poured herself a glass of milk and dunked the cereal bar.

“Not yet. I need at least another cup or two of coffee.” She poured herself a cup and leaned against the counter next to Lilly. “About this horse business. I have to work this evening, but I can help you this morning. We might even trailer the horses over to the rodeo grounds. I always found it helpful to get away from the ranch arena.”

“Really? You’d do that?”

“Of course. You’re my niece and we have a tradition to continue in this family.”

Lilly popped the last bite in her mouth, and then drained the glass of milk. She wiped her mouth with a paper towel and put the glass in the sink. “So, you’re going to barrel race this summer?”

“We’ll see how things go.”

“Do you think we should go check on your dog?” Lilly glanced toward the barn. “Have you named her?”

“Not yet. I don’t want to name her if she belongs to someone and she’s just lost. I’ll put up some posters and see if anyone claims her. As a matter of fact, let me get my phone so I can take a picture.”

They were on their way to the barn when Jake pulled up. Sam waved at her brother, but she and Lilly kept walking. She knew he’d follow. She also knew he’d have something to say about the stray dog.

As she and Lilly leaned over, watching the mama dog and her litter of six, Jake stepped into the barn.

“What do we have here?” He sidled next to her and groaned when he saw the dog and puppies. “A stray?”

“No, she’s not a stray. She either belongs to someone or she’s mine. She’s not a stray.”

He cleared his throat. “She’s a mutt.”

“Jake, I don’t have to ask your permission to get a dog.” She wouldn’t argue with him. Not in front of Lilly.

She wanted to tell her brother that what she did was no longer his business. He didn’t get to make decisions about her life, her career, who she dated. Not that she had dated since she’d come home. But he definitely got no say in what animals she brought home. He’d made decisions for her when she was younger and hadn’t asked her opinion. No more.

“You’re right. You don’t,” he said just as quietly. “I just wanted to let you know, Breezy isn’t feeling too great. The baby is fussy. I think they’re both going to need a trip to the doctor.”

“I can watch the twins for you,” she was quick to offer.

“Marty has them, but if she needs a break, can she call you?”

“You know she can.”

Lilly glanced at Jake, then at Sam. “Do I need to leave so you two can argue?”

Sam laughed a little and Jake looked uncomfortable.

“You stay put, kiddo. Aunt Sam and I will step outside.”

Brothers. She gave Lilly a quick wink and the girl shook her head, as if she got it. Because even though she didn’t have brothers, she had Duke for a dad.

“Back in a minute, Lilly,” she assured her niece.

“If you need me to rescue you, the code word is help.”

Sam laughed. “I’ll remember that.”

Jake was waiting for her outside. They walked to the fence, neither saying a word. Sam leaned her arms across the top rail and watched her new gelding, a pretty palomino, as he trotted across the field, his buttery gold coat soaking up the sunshine. Standing next to Jake, she felt small. And young. She exhaled her frustration, but he didn’t react.

“Nice horse,” Jake commented.

“What do you want, Jake?”

“I ran across Remington. He was at the feed store.”

“Yeah, he lives here now.”

He cleared his throat. “So you know he’s in town?”

“Yes, I know.” She could have said more, but she didn’t want to make this easy for him. She didn’t want to let him off the hook. Her brothers had hurt her. They’d meant to protect her, to make things right. But they’d hurt her along the way.

It still ached. Not the way it had before, but from time to time it would sneak up on her. She closed her eyes tight for a moment, long enough to fight back the tears.

Jake touched her back. “I’m sorry, Sam. I don’t know what else to say. We were young. We were doing the best we could. And we didn’t know how to raise a younger sister.”

“I know. So why did you feel the need to tell me you saw Remington?”

“I didn’t want you to be surprised.”

“Oh, I was surprised. He showed up at the hospital with a crew of cowboys who minister to kids.”

“Ah.”

He said it as though he understood. She doubted he did. He hadn’t lived with Aunt Mavis. He hadn’t lived through the Bible lessons, the lectures and the condemnation.

She’d always thought her aunt well-meaning. She’d given the older woman the benefit of the doubt. That didn’t ease the pain.

“I should go. Lilly is in there with the dog and she wants me to help her with her horse.”

Before she could step away, Jake stopped her, his hand on her arm. “Sam, we’re all glad you’re home. We want you here. But we want more than that. We want you in our lives.”

She nodded but her throat was tight and tears burned her eyes. “I know. I don’t go to work until three. I can watch the twins if you need me to.”

The twins. Rosie and Violet. They were the daughters of Jake’s twin, Elizabeth. She and her husband had died in a plane crash, devastating the family all over again. They’d had too much devastation in their past. A mother who had walked away. A father who drank himself to death. Then Elizabeth’s death.

But they were making up for those hard times. Jake had found Breezy, the sister of Elizabeth’s husband, Lawton. Duke and Oregon had found each other. Brody had Grace.

They all had someone. Except her.

Sam shook off the melancholy. She had her family. And that was good.

She was saved from darker thoughts when Lilly ran out of the barn, a big grin on her face. “Nine. There are nine puppies!”

“I should go home and leave the two of you to your labor and delivery.” Jake leaned to kiss Sam’s cheek. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Will do.” She glanced away, hoping he didn’t see the truth. She needed him. She needed all of her brothers.

“Sam, I hope you’ll forgive us.”

She stopped, unsure of how to process that request. She was forced to look at Jake, to see the tenderness in his expression. She nodded, brushing hair back from her face as the wind kicked up. She started to tell him there was nothing to forgive, but it didn’t seem honest. She’d been angry with them. She loved her brothers, but they’d hurt her.

“I’m working on it,” she said. It was a candid answer and he seemed to accept it.

“Good. That’s all we ask.”

When he left, she headed for the barn and Lilly. What she needed was an hour or two on horseback to clear her mind.

* * *

Remington had spent his morning with a family that had lost a father during the night. It hadn’t been easy, watching them say goodbye to a man they’d expected to be in their lives for years to come. As much as he loved ministry, he was still adjusting to this part of the job. Standing in front of a crowd on a Sunday morning was easy compared to sitting one-on-one with a wife, telling her God would help her through the coming days, weeks and months.

He slowed as he drove past the Martin’s Crossing Saddle Club. He recognized the truck with the horse trailer hooked to it, and the woman sitting on the showy palomino. Good old common sense told him to keep driving. He sure didn’t need distractions in the form of Samantha Martin. He didn’t need to get caught up in the past when he had the present to concern himself with.

Good advice, but he couldn’t quite make himself listen. The past six hours had drained him. Seeing Sam, even from a distance, shifted things.

He hit his brakes at the first road and headed back in the direction of the rodeo grounds. He spent the next few minutes telling himself all the reasons he should let it go. Let her go.

He still took the road that led to the saddle club. Because the girl he’d known ten years ago was buried inside the composed shell of the woman he’d met yesterday. The wild teenager who’d grabbed hold of every adventure, who could race him across the field and never stop laughing as she beat him, she was in there somewhere.

Didn’t anyone else realize that the real Samantha Martin was missing, replaced by this stranger?

He parked, got out of his truck and headed toward the arena. Sam stood next to her niece Lilly as the younger girl settled into the saddle of her horse. She glanced his way, shook her head and went back to the conversation she’d been having. Lilly held the reins in one hand and patted the neck of the chestnut gelding with the other. She smiled big, as if being there with Sam was better than Christmas.

The two talked for a minute, then Sam said something. Lilly moved her left foot from the stirrup and Sam swung onto the back of the gelding and sat behind Lilly. Remington watched as the two walked around the barrels. At each one Sam would lean into the turn, moving Lilly with her.

Two times they went around the barrels like that, and then Sam dismounted, landing lightly next to the horse. She patted Lilly’s leg and faced him.

“We weren’t expecting an audience,” Sam said as she walked past him to her gelding that she’d tied to the gate.

“I drove by and then thought...” He left the words hanging. He didn’t know what he’d thought. But here he was. He could fight it, but the attraction was still there. It felt like they were tethered together, like her blue eyes were the only eyes he should ever look into. He could get lost in those eyes, in the emotions that flickered through them.

“You thought what?” She leaned against the fence, still inside the arena.

“I thought I’d see what you were doing and how your dog is. I guess she had her puppies?” He headed for neutral territory, which was a lot easier than admitting he’d been a little wrung out from the time spent with a grieving family and he’d been drawn to see her.

“How’d you know she had her puppies?”

“I saw Brody earlier. He was heading to Dallas.”

She watched Lilly, pretending for the moment that she hadn’t heard him. He’d seen the slight shift in expression, the indrawn breath.

“It’s Brody’s business if he wants to visit Sylvia,” she finally answered. “But that isn’t why you’re here, is it?”

“No, it isn’t.”

She continued to watch her niece. The breeze picked up and Sam pushed her hair back, holding it in place as it tried to sweep across her cheek. Lilly rode up to them, pulling her horse in as she got close.

“Take him again. And this time with some speed. You have to trust your horse, Lilly.”

“Trust my horse. Got it.” Lilly grinned big at Sam and then at him.

“Go,” Sam warned her niece. The girl turned the horse and rode away. “So, why are you here?”

“I’m not really sure,” he said, watching her niece take the barrels. “No, that isn’t entirely true. I had a rough night with a family from Jamesville. I saw you down here and thought I’d stop and say hello.”

Her hand touched his arm. “The car accident?”

“Yeah.” He didn’t know what else to say.

“I’m sorry. It doesn’t get any easier, does it?” Being a nurse, she would know how it felt to lose someone, to feel helpless and as if words were empty and meaningless in the face of someone’s grief.

“No, it doesn’t,” he agreed.

She looked away, focusing on her niece, calling out a few pointers.

“She’s doing better this time,” he said as he watched Lilly take the barrels again. He saw her confidence kick in as the chestnut made good time and she brought the gelding home faster than the previous run.

Sam noticed and she nodded. She cheered as her niece pulled the horse up. “Now that was a ride, Lilly. You’re going to be tough to beat.”

“Thanks, Aunt Sam.” Lilly leaned down, hugging the neck of her horse.

“Walk him around the arena, let him cool off, and then we’ll head back to the ranch.”

Sam faced him then. “By the way, I have nine puppies. Since you were there, I hold you responsible for finding homes for at least four of them.”

He held up his hands and shook his head. “I had nothing to do with that mess.”

She grinned and it undid the tension he’d been feeling since the start of the conversation. When she looked at him like that, it felt like the sun coming out after a month of rain.

“You were there, Rem. You share the blame and the responsibility.” And then the sun went behind the clouds. Her eyes shadowed and it seemed as if with one sentence she took on the weight of the world.

“Sam?”

“I have to go. Lilly needs me.”

As she walked away, heading for the gate opposite where they stood, he hurried around the arena to catch up with her. He couldn’t let her get away, not now, when it seemed they had things to say to one another.

But Lilly was there, unsaddling the horse she’d tied to the trailer, and Sam was smiling, pretending he hadn’t unleashed something deep inside her. He watched as the two of them discussed Lilly’s horse and how well she’d done. Lilly asked if Sam was going to ride her horse again. The palomino was still saddled and tied to the gate.

“No, I think he’s had enough for the day. So have I. We should head back to the ranch and have some lunch before I have to go in to work.”

That was his cue to stop standing around like a self-conscious kid trying to work up the nerve to ask out the most popular girl in school.

“I need to get back to Gus. He’s trying to fix a tractor he should have replaced twenty years ago.” He backed away from them. Sam lifted the saddle off her horse and settled it on the saddle rack.

She faced him again, her blue eyes the color of a perfect spring day. Yeah, she still made him wax poetic. He had written her a few poems. Really bad ones, if memory served. He doubted she’d kept his poetry that compared her hair to corn silk and her lips to cotton candy.

“What are you smiling about?”

He should have said nothing. Instead he pulled off his hat and laughed. “Your hair is the color of corn silk and your eyes the color of robin’s eggs.”

“I can’t believe you remember that. You were the worst poet in the world. I take that back. You were no poet, Mr. Jenkins. There is nothing about my lips that resembles cotton candy.”

But at least she was laughing. He guessed he’d have to add a line about her laughter being like the chorus of songbirds, or something equally corny.

“No, I wasn’t a poet. But I’m sure that even my lack of poetic ability didn’t detract from my charming personality.”

“Yes, you were charming.”

“So the two of you dated?” Lilly stopped brushing her horse and looked at them. “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” Sam answered. “It was a long time ago.”

“I should go,” he said.

She nodded in agreement. “Give Gus my love. If he needs anything, tell him to call.”

“I’ll tell him.”

She walked away, a cowgirl in a pale pink T-shirt and faded jeans that he’d never quite forgotten.

Chapter Four

On the last day of Sam’s four-day workweek, Dr. Jackson called her into his office. She stepped into the tiny room, files and papers stacked everywhere. Sitting behind his desk, he motioned for her to take a seat. She moved a few files from the chair and sat down to wait. He didn’t speak for a moment. His gray head was bent as he read over a manual of some type and he was clearly puzzled. After a few minutes, he shook his head.

“Have you ever put an entertainment center together?” he asked without looking up.

She laughed, because she’d thought he might be studying a new medical procedure or a research paper. He glanced up, his glasses perched on the end of his nose.

“That’s funny?” he asked.

“Yes, I thought this was about a patient. A treatment. Not an entertainment system. In answer to your question, yes, I have.”

“Of course you have. That’s something I like about you, Samantha, you’re independent.” He slid the paper across his cluttered desk. “Why does this seem wrong?”

She gave it a look and then turned it over and held it up to the light. “Because it’s backwards. Right to left, not left to right.”

“Gotcha.” He took the paper back and held it up to the light. “Well, I’ll be dipped in tartar sauce.”

That was a new one. He did like to make up his own sayings and the nurses all repeated them. She couldn’t wait to share “dipped in tartar sauce.” She waited for him to say more.

He looked up again and removed his glasses. “You live in Martin’s Crossing, correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s what I thought.” He reached for a file and pushed the glasses back on his face. “Parker.”

Her mood lifted, because Parker had that effect on people. He’d gone through so much but still had a way of making others a little bit happier.

“What about Parker?”

“As you know, he’s going home,” he handed her the file. “Today.”

“I knew he’d be released soon but didn’t realize it would be today. That’s wonderful.” But also frightening. She always worried when a patient went home.

“Yes, it is. But we’re not ready to turn him loose. Not completely. Which is why we’ve come up with a new service we’d like to do on a trial basis.”

“New service?” She really had no idea how this pertained to her.

“Yes, we’d like to do a continued care program for our patients.”

Home visits. Good idea. But then she realized why she’d been called in to the office. She lived in Martin’s Crossing, which meant he wanted her to look in on Parker. She looked at the file, then met the serious gaze of the man sitting across the desk from her. He must have seen on her face that she planned to object because he held up a hand to stop her.

“We need someone to check on him once a week. Nothing too time-consuming. A short visit to make sure he’s still progressing and coping with the home environment. Also to make sure the caregivers—the family—are coping. I think if we do this, we can catch infections and other issues before they become problems that could jeopardize the health and continued recovery of our patients.”

Brilliant idea really, but the thought of stopping by the Jenkins farm every week wasn’t really one she wanted to embrace.

“I think it’s a great idea. But someone else should do it,” she started.

“You live in Martin’s Crossing. Parker thinks you’re the best nurse ever. And I have confidence in you because you have experience in several areas.”

“Yes, but...” she started. Then stopped. What could she say to that?

“Is something wrong?”

She shook her head. “No, nothing is wrong.”

“Great, then we’ll get all of the appropriate paperwork taken care of. We’ll need you to keep track of your time and mileage.”

“Of course.”

He stood and rounded the desk. “Let’s go talk to his family.”

She could tell by his tone and expression that in his mind it was all settled. Because he didn’t know how much she wanted to avoid Remington Jenkins. He didn’t know how much it hurt to look at Remington and remember.

She chased away that thought because this was about a child. And children came first. Parker came first. He came before her fears, her doubts and her resentment.

When they got to Parker’s room, they found it filled with staff and family. Parker sat in his wheelchair with a big grin on his face and a new cowboy hat on his head. His grin grew even wider, if possible, when he saw that he had more guests for his going-home party. Every child who left the hospital got a party as a farewell and a celebration.

“Nurse Sam, look—I got a hat! And new boots. And I’ll have a new room at Uncle Gus’s.”

“I heard, Parker. I’m so excited for you.” She moved through the crowd, smiling at Gus and at Parker’s grandmother. Then her heart stuttered a bit when she made eye contact with Remington. He stood to the side, casually leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.

At that moment, she considered telling Dr. Jackson why it was impossible for her to take this job. But what would she say? That she’d been fifteen and crazy in love with a cowboy that her brothers didn’t approve of? That she’d been sent away from home and the cowboy had been sent packing, back to his parents in Austin?

It sounded like a romance novel. Young love. A broken heart. No big deal. To anyone but her. So she shoved it all aside because she wasn’t going to let it determine her future or the future of a boy who needed every opportunity to succeed.

She stepped in front of Parker, lowering herself to his level, accepting his big hug. Face-to-face with the child, her objections gave up their last stand of resistance. For Parker, for the other children, she would do whatever was necessary.

“You take care of yourself. And no stunts,” she warned.

“Ah, Nurse Sam, you know I’m not going to be good.”

She laughed at his honesty. “At least be safe.”

“I can do that.”

“And I’m going to stop by and check on you in a few days so you don’t miss us too much.”

“That’s great,” he said. “I can show you the ranch. And someday I can see the ranch where you live. And I’ll go to school there in a few months.”

“Super. I have a niece who goes to school in Martin’s Crossing. She’s a few years older than you, but I’m sure she’ll show you around.”

“Does she ride horses? Remington said everyone in Martin’s Crossing rides. I’m sure I could learn to ride.”

“Let’s take one thing at a time, Parker.” His grandmother moved to his side, her look a little unsure, Sam thought. But of course she was. She was going to raise this little guy. It had been only a few months since the accident that took his parents. Just a few months of healing and learning a new way of living.

“Oh, Granny, I know that. It’ll be okay.”

Big words from a little boy. He reached for his grandmother’s hand and held it tight.

“We should go,” his grandmother said. She moved behind his wheelchair. “We have a lot to do when we get home.”

“Like have burgers on the grill,” Parker said. “Rem and Uncle Gus are cooking tonight. You should come over, Nurse Sam.”

“Oh, no, that’s okay. You’ll have a lot to do, getting settled. I’ll be by soon enough.”

“You’re more than welcome to join us tonight,” his grandmother offered. “I know Parker thinks the world of you. We’re all so glad you’re going to continue to be involved in his care.”

“I’m glad, too.” Out of the corner of her eye she saw Remington push away from the wall. He moved around the room, grabbing the suitcase and a box that held Parker’s prized possessions. “Okay, Parker, time for you to say your final goodbyes and head home.”

Parker looked around the room that had been his for several very long weeks, his expression suddenly showing the case of nerves he’d been hiding. He bit down on his bottom lip and nodded. “I’m ready.”

“You’ll do great, tiger.” Dr. Jackson placed a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll walk you out.”

As they exited the room, the real party started. The children and nurses were lined up and down the hall with balloons, noisemakers and hats. Parker laughed, waving at his friends. He stopped a few times for extra hugs from staff who had taken care of him through the long months of recovery and rehab.

Sam walked along behind the group. On her way out the door Dr. Jackson had asked her to escort the family to their car and get them all settled. If she didn’t know better, she’d think the man was plotting against her.

Remington walked alongside her.

“I had no idea going home would be like this,” he said.

“We try to make it a special occasion.”

“Thank you for taking us on. I know it means the world to Parker, to know that you’ll still be in his life.”

She kept walking, following the slow procession of Parker, his grandmother, Gus and Dr. Jackson as they made their way down the hall toward the double doors, the lobby and then to the front exit. She took the bag that Remington carried, lightening his load.

“The invitation stands, if you’d like to join us for burgers on the grill,” he continued.

She glanced up, into gray eyes that she knew so well. “I don’t think so.”

“We’re going to have to get used to being around one another. You might find—” he grinned as he said it “—that you want to spend more time with me.”

“I doubt that.” She bit back the smile he probably expected. “I’m not interested in going back and revisiting my fifteen-year-old self. She was a mess.”

“I remember liking her a lot but I understand not wanting to revisit those days. But it won’t hurt for us to be friends right now.”

“No, it won’t hurt.” But she worried it might.

There was so much more between them. More than he realized.

* * *

Remington glanced at the woman walking next to him. He’d give anything to know why her expression seemed so troubled and why something as simple as friendship set her on edge. Yes, they shared a past. It wasn’t as if they were enemy states trying to find a way to sign a peace treaty.

He knew one thing: pushing wasn’t going to get him anywhere with Samantha Martin. He guessed she’d been pushed enough. Pushed away from him, from her home, away from everything safe and familiar.

He’d just gone home to Austin and his family.

Gus said she’d never been the same. She’d come home from time to time. Every now and then she’d ridden in a local rodeo or eaten dinner at her brother’s diner, but she hadn’t been the girl he’d known in Martin’s Crossing.

Gus said she was angry and bitter.

Remington saw it as pain. Deep down pain. He saw a woman who was willing to help animals and children but wasn’t as willing to let people into her life.

He watched as she helped Aunt Lee put Parker in the car, something Lee had been learning to do in rehab. For the past month his aunt had worked with the staff because there would be things she’d have to do for Parker. He and Gus would help her. They’d given their word they wouldn’t let her do this alone. But they all knew that most of it would fall on Parker’s grandmother.

Which is why it made sense for him to give up his job in Austin and settle here on his granddad’s ranch, the Rocking J. To help Gus, Aunt Lee and Parker.

After Parker was settled in the backseat, Sam leaned to kiss his cheek, then she took a step back, letting his grandmother say something to him. Dr. Jackson moved in to share a few words. And then they called Remington forward.

“Will you pray?” Dr. Jackson asked. “I’d like to send you all home with the best support system available.”

Rem agreed. They could all use a guiding hand in this situation. “Of course I’ll pray.”

His gaze strayed in Samantha’s direction. She looked away. But he saw the flicker of doubt, the anger. He hadn’t expected that.

He bowed his head and prayed. For strength, for healing, for peace. He prayed for a special blessing on the staff that gave such great care to these children.

After he ended the prayer, he glanced her way again. Sam’s blue eyes were on him, full of questions. He had answers, but he doubted she really wanted to hear them. Not yet anyway.

He met her clear blue gaze. She raised her chin a notch and walked away, back to the hospital. He told himself not to take it too personally, but he did. He’d never expected this reaction to his decision to go into ministry. He’d dated a woman who didn’t like that she sometimes had to share him with others. He’d dated another woman who had finally admitted she just couldn’t be the wife of a pastor.

“Time to go,” he said to no one in particular.

“Time to go,” Parker echoed as Remington got behind the wheel.

Remington glanced in the rearview mirror and made eye contact with the little boy. He saw a flash of nervousness before Parker smiled, pretending everything was okay. Going home was a big deal. After months in the hospital, he was headed for a new life, new obstacles. Parker would make it, but no one could blame him for being lost and more than a little apprehensive.

It took twenty minutes to reach the Rocking J. The ranch had a long rutted dirt driveway. On each side of that driveway the ranch spilled out as far as the eye could see. It was Texas Hill Country, so the terrain was rugged and a good portion of the thousand-acre ranch was hilly with clear creeks and plenty of trees. It was about the prettiest place Remington knew.

“This is a ranch!” Parker exclaimed from the backseat. “I’m going to live on a real ranch.”

“Yes, sir, you are,” Gus answered. “We’ll make sure you have a few cows of your own so you can start your own herd. Rem started his own herd that way. He has one here and one on his folks’ place.”

“I’ll have my own cows?” Parker whistled. “And a horse?”

“One thing at a time, Parker.” His grandmother brought him back down to earth. “Let’s focus on you getting better.”

“I’m better, Granny. I am. I can feel my toes sometimes and Dr. Jackson said someday I might be able to use crutches. He said not real good. But maybe a little.”

Remington glanced in the rearview mirror and caught the look on his aunt’s face. She was nervous. She wanted the best for Parker. She also didn’t want him to get his hopes up. His spinal injury had been in the lower portion of his back.

“Here we are.” He pulled up to the two-story farmhouse with a newly built ramp.

“Wow, is this house really old?” Parker had the door open and was peering out at the land around him.

“It’s not that old,” Gus responded. “The original house got hit by a tornado thirty years ago and we rebuilt.”

Remington left them to discuss the ranch. He retrieved Parker’s wheelchair from the trunk and had it out and ready when Gus picked up the boy and settled him in the seat. Parker was still talking.

“Do you think Nurse Sam lives on a ranch like this?” he asked.

Gus shot Remington a look, a grin hidden behind his bushy mustache.

“Yeah, but bigger,” Remington responded. He pushed the wheelchair toward the ramp but Parker took over, his hands on the wheels pushing hard. Remington let him go.

“You’ve seen where she lives?” Parker asked.

“Yes, I’ve seen it.”

Parker stopped at the top of the porch, catching his breath. His face was a little red from the excitement and the exertion. He looked around, and then he settled that excited gaze on Remington, grinning big.

“She’s the best nurse. We all think she’s the prettiest.”

Gus coughed as he inserted the key in the lock and pushed the front door open. Remington watched his grandfather, slightly stooped and a little bowlegged from years in the saddle. He thought about telling Gus to keep his comments—and coughs—to himself.

“You boys had too much time on your hands,” Remington answered. “And now you’re going to have less time and more work.”

“Yeah,” Parker practically shouted as he pushed himself through the front door. “And Nurse Sam will be here to check on me. Wait until I call Danny and tell him.”

Remington let Aunt Lee follow the boy inside and he stayed on the front porch where there was fresh air and fewer excited statements about a certain nurse. He looked out over the ranch his father had grown up on, the ranch he’d now help his grandfather care for.

In the field beef cattle with red coats and broad backs grazed on spring grass, biting off the tender morsels. The distant crow of a rooster broke the silence. As did the sound of a car on the highway. His thoughts weren’t as settled or as peaceful as his surroundings.

Samantha Martin. She wanted distance. He wanted her close. He wanted to mend fences that had been broken. If things had turned out different, he wondered if he and Sam would have dated a few years, then gotten married. Or would they have broken up after that summer? That’s what his mom had predicted. She’d told him that was how most summer romances ended. It felt like something that would last forever. But usually, she’d assured him, it faded with time and distance.

He’d actually believed her until he saw Sam at the hospital.

Seeing her made it all come rushing back as if they’d never been apart. Unfortunately Sam didn’t seem to feel the same way. She seemed to have put him and their relationship behind her.

He guessed he’d either have to accept that, or change her mind.

Chapter Five

Sam visited Parker the day after he’d left the hospital. It had been an easy visit, with a little boy excited by his new room, his new home and a new puppy. She’d seen the shadows in his eyes, though, and knew there were things he didn’t discuss. If he pretended everything was okay, maybe they would all believe nothing had changed and they weren’t grieving people who were suddenly missing in their lives.

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