The Rancher's Redemption

“And?” Kaiden asked.

“She’s coming to visit in two weeks.”

Adam put down his fork. “Where’s she going to stay?”

“You don’t want her here at the ranch?” His father raised an eyebrow. “I suppose she could stay at the Hayes Hotel in town.”

“It might be better if she stayed there,” Daisy, the only girl in the family, commented. “We might not get on with her. It would be awful if we were stuck with her here for a week.”

Adam and Daisy were the only two of Leanne’s children who weren’t keen on the idea of their mother coming back into their lives after more than a twenty-year absence. Daisy had only been five when her mother left, and barely remembered her having been brought up by Auntie Rae, their dad’s sister. Adam had been old enough to witness the fights, and had no desire to see them reenacted.

The middle siblings, Ben and Kaiden, Danny and Evan were happy to see their mother, which made no sense to Adam, but he wasn’t going to say that out loud. When they met Leanne, they’d have the chance to make up their own minds about her. She might have changed. Twenty plus years was a long time....

“I’ll write back and tell her to book a room at the hotel.” His father was speaking again, and Adam paid attention. “I must say I’m looking forward to seeing her after all these years.”

Adam had no idea why. One of his last memories of his parents was his father literally throwing Leanne’s clothes and belongings out the front door while she cursed at him and ran around trying to gather everything up. Adam had tried to help, begged her not to leave, but she’d been too intent on fighting with her soon-to-be ex-husband to pay any attention to a twelve-year-old.

Adam shoved that memory away, stood up, and started gathering the plates. “Anyone want dessert?”

“Stupid question,” Ben said. “When has anyone ever said no?”

“Well, there was that one time when you and Evan were trying that Sparta diet,” Kaiden reminded his brother. “And all you wanted to eat was meat and more meat.”

Ben groaned. “Don’t remind me.” He patted his stomach. “I’d rather have my sanity, and a few more pounds on my bones.”

“Me, too,” Evan said. “It’s not even like there’s anywhere around here where you can take your shirt off and dazzle the ladies with your abs anyway. It’s either freezing cold, or so hot you’ll burn.”

Adam took the apple crumble out of the oven and placed it on the table with a jug of whipped cream, and a carton of ice cream. He liked to cook after a hard day working on the ranch. He found it soothing.

“Dig in.”

He didn’t need to repeat himself as his family fell on the dessert like vultures, arguing over who got the bigger serving, and why someone had taken all the whipped cream. Usual family stuff and he loved it. If he hadn’t had their support when Louisa had died, he wouldn’t have stayed sane.

“Rio Martinez is looking at the Cortez ranch,” Adam said as he helped himself to what was left of the crumble.

“Yeah?” Kaiden studied him closely. His eyes were brown like their mother’s, and not the steely gray Adam had inherited from his father. “Are you okay with that?”

Adam shrugged. “I told Ines that Rio was a good man with deep pockets.”

“Which is true.” Daisy nodded. “I suppose it would be ideal for him and Yvonne if they want to be close to town. It’s got to be better than a housing developer coming in and destroying it.”

“Yeah.” Adam kept his gaze on his plate, aware that his siblings weren’t sure how to deal with him offering up information about the Cortez family. They’d gotten used to walking on eggshells about anything connected to Louisa. That was his fault. “Carlos wanted me to have the place, but I told him I’d rather he sold up, got the money, and received the treatment he needs right now.”

Daisy reached out and touched his hand. “That must have been hard for you.” She sighed. “I wish I had the money to help them out, but—”

“It’s all good,” Adam cut her off. Although Daisy ran the flower shop in Morgantown, she was also involved in a Silicon Valley startup, which if successful would make her a millionaire one day. At the moment, all her money was tied up with the company and its investors. “I don’t want your money.”