The Rancher's Redemption

“That’s good, isn’t it?” Lizzie asked cautiously. “That he wants to make his home here with you where your business is?”

“Yes, but I don’t fancy clomping around acres of nothing in the scorching sun. All I want is a decent view, a big kitchen, and a short commute into town.”

“Have you considered the Cortez ranch?” Lizzie asked. “It’s close by.”

“I forgot that was for sale.” Yvonne looked interested. “I’ll have to tell Rio and see if it’s big enough.”

“Big enough for what?” Lizzie signed into the register.

“His bull-breeding schemes.” Yvonne rolled her eyes. “Don’t ask.”

Lizzie held back a chuckle as Yvonne went back into the kitchen. Her boss was engaged to a former world champion bull rider so his interest in raising bulls was not way out of field. He also had a role in an international company founded by his billionaire father. He could probably afford to live in a palace, or buy up a small country....

Lizzie looked up as the door opened and Nate Turner came in. He was the only representative of the law in Morgantown, and had a quiet, laid-back manner that suited the town he’d grown up in.

“Hey, how are you?” Nate asked as he approached the counter. “I wanted to talk to Yvonne about some catering for my wedding. Is she here?”

“She is. Do you want to go through?” Lizzie pointed at the kitchen door. “And when you’re done, would you mind stopping by, and having a chat with me?”

* * *

“Damn.” Adam Miller winced as he hit his thumb with the hammer. He took off his glove using his teeth and studied his throbbing digit.

He was fixing the chicken coop to the side of the main ranch house. He’d noticed a couple of escapees the previous night and had discovered a hole in the wire where one of the posts had split. Like all easy jobs it had taken him far longer than he anticipated, and now the sun was blazing down on his head, and he needed a cold drink.

He replaced his glove, unrolled the new piece of wire mesh netting, and cut it to size before attaching it firmly between the two new posts he’d just hammered into the ground. Several of the chickens watched from the shade of the coop, but they were too hot to attempt an escape, which suited him just fine. He didn’t have the energy to chase chickens.

Gathering up his supplies, he walked back to the barn and replaced everything in its correct space. With a big family sharing all the tools, he didn’t want to be the one who messed up the system. One of the barn dogs came dancing up and he bent down to pet it, grimacing as his bones creaked. Jeez . . . he was getting old. Thirty-five next birthday, and almost fourteen years since his wife Louisa had died.

He made a mental note to visit her grave and spend a few hours with her parents at the Cortez ranch that weekend. He hadn’t been over for a while. His in-laws were planning on moving to Sacramento to take advantage of the expert healthcare necessary for Carlos’s particular type of cancer. Adam couldn’t blame them. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do when his last link with Louisa left the valley.

He entered the rear of the sprawling ranch house his grandfather had rebuilt in the 1940s after the original home burned down. It was large enough to house his father and his five siblings, which some days he appreciated, and some days not so much. He took off his boots and washed his hands before walking through into the country kitchen. His brother Kaiden had designed the light and airy space and custom made all the cabinetry.

Adam drank two glasses of water straight from the faucet and then moved on to the fresh lemonade in the refrigerator. It got blazing hot during the summer in Morgan Valley and every rancher worried about drought and fire. He considered walking through to the farm office but decided to stay in the coolness of the kitchen. He had his schedule on his cell so he didn’t need to use the ancient computer.

For once, everyone was out, and the house settled quietly around him, the only sounds the whirring of the refrigerator and the ticking of the kitchen clock. He checked his phone and found a text from Ines, his mother-in-law, which made him frown. His afternoon was clear, which meant he could go and pay the Cortezes an early visit.