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“Mom, I’ve got this,” he huffed, impatient with her mothering.
“I’ll get this end,” the other officer called from where he’d moved to the far side of the group.
That left the middle of the herd for her and Tucker. Feeling that she wasn’t doing it right, she waved her arms somewhat weakly, moving toward the donkey closest to her.
Not intimidated in the least, fuzzy whiskers lifted her way and deep brown eyes studied her. Clearly distracted from nuzzling the yellow line, the animal blinked dark eyelashes, pawed the pavement twice—then charged.
Suzie gasped, her arms dropped like lead as she spun and ran—straight into Tucker McDermott’s arms.
“Hold on,” Tucker said, pulling her protectively against his body and shifting so the crazy donkey aimed at him instead of her. “Yah!” he yelled at the miserable beast and waved his arm in a not-so-weak manner.
The donkey skidded to a halt instantly.
Tucker held her tightly with one arm and shooed the silly animal away. It turned and trotted off, as if it hadn’t just tried to mow her down.
“They just get excited sometimes. No harm meant,” Tucker assured her. His soft chuckle washed over her. “It’s okay.”
Suzie was mortified that she’d run to him. That she was now in his arms. And her crazy heart was pounding, even as his low rumbling chuckle resonated through her. What was wrong with her? She was reacting to Tucker’s touch as if...as if she were attracted to him. Even the thought made her ill, made her feel like a traitor.
True, she hadn’t been held like this in almost three years because when Gordon died it’d been months since she’d seen him. But still, Tucker McDermott.
This was disturbing and wrong on so many levels that she couldn’t stand it. Yet, even as she worried, Tucker’s aftershave, manly and teasing, filled her senses as he soothingly rubbed her back.
This was the man she held responsible for her husband’s death.
“You’re trembling.”
“Yes,” she forced, pulling away. “I’m not used to charging animals. And I’m embarrassed. I don’t make a habit of running into strange men’s arms.”
He looked confused. “You don’t have anything to be embarrassed about. You didn’t know. If an animal does that again, yell loud and make an aggressive move of your own. It will run for the hills. Usually.”
Like she hadn’t tried that. “Fine,” she snapped. “Thanks, um, for the lesson. I believe I’ll wait in the truck.” She stumbled over her words, turned and strode toward the van, daring even one of the measly animals to come her way! It was all she could do not to run as humiliation and indignation collided.
Yanking the door of the moving truck open, she climbed inside, glancing out at Abe as she tried to compose herself. He appeared sullen but, surprisingly, continued helping move the varmints off the road. Her gaze shifted back to Tucker. His expression was grim as he stared after her, probably wondering why she was acting so strange.
After a moment he turned away, and she watched him take a step, stiff at first, then better after a couple of steps. Still, though his expression didn’t show it, she sensed he was in real pain.
Good.
The mean-spirited thought jumped into her mind instantaneously. Shame engulfed her. She’d been outspoken in the past, when needed, but never mean-spirited.
Death changed a person. Hardened up the heart like a cement block—she hated it.
She hated everything about this process of loss and its life-altering aftermath.
The truth was, she had no choice but to be here and hope with all her heart that Tucker McDermott and the Sunrise Ranch could help her son. Abe was the only reason she was here.
Her fifteen-year-old was hurting so bad on the inside that the only way he could cope was to lash out in ways that scared her for him. Her son, who needed more than she’d been able to give him.
Over the phone when she’d spoken with Tucker, before coming here, he’d given her his word that all would be well. She was praying that Tucker’s word meant as much as Gordon believed it meant...
Gordon had been a few years younger than Tucker when he’d come to live at Tucker’s family’s ranch. A working cattle ranch that was also a foster home for boys who’d been abandoned and were alone in the world. Gordon had looked up to Tucker and he’d told her he’d become a marine because Tucker was a marine.
Gordon would have walked through fire for Tucker and had told her if anything ever happened to him she should turn to him for help.
As it turned out, her husband had given his life for Tucker...
And left her to raise their son alone.
Tucker McDermott was the last person she wanted to turn to for help, but her son was in trouble and Suzie would do whatever it took to save him.
* * *
An hour after he’d been kicked, Tucker watched the trailer loaded with donkeys drive away. His hip throbbed like the pounding of a heavy-metal band...and since he had a metal plate in his thigh, it stood to reason. It was feeling better, he thought as he eased into the seat and closed the door. Totally conscious that he was being watched from the rented moving truck twenty yards away, he turned off his lights, backed up, then headed toward the ranch with Suzie following.
He’d been shaken to look down at the flaxen-haired woman helping him and discover Suzie Kent’s remarkable blue-green eyes.
So much had crashed through his mind at that moment. Guilt for being alive when her husband was dead. Sorrow for what the war had cost her and her son—and Gordon. But there was the other emotion that swept through him strong and swift and deep...attraction.
Gordon had shown him her picture over and over when they were stationed in the Middle East. No one in the unit had missed seeing Suzie’s photo. He’d been so proud and so in love with her. And Tucker could completely understand why—not just because of how beautiful she was, but because of the person his comments set her up to be. She’d sounded like a kind and caring woman, and her actions proved it. She didn’t just send letters to her husband, but also care packages filled with his favorite things. And she always sent along plenty for the other marines in his unit—a thoughtful gesture appreciated by all.
Suzie Kent was the real deal and Gordon had been a lucky man.
Tucker hadn’t been so lucky in love, before his stint in the marines or since. He’d been too in love with his career—this had been pointed out to him several times and it had been true. Driven to make a difference in the world was what he’d called it.
He wasn’t marriage material back then, still wasn’t. But he knew finding what Gordon and Suzie had found together wasn’t easy.
He’d been happy for Gordon, though, and drawn to look at Suzie’s pictures as often as Gordon wanted to show them. Everything was raw and harsh and brutal where they’d been, and looking into Suzie Kent’s sparkling eyes had made him feel that there was hope in this world.
That he was fighting for goodness to prevail.
Moments ago, Tucker had looked down and Suzie hadn’t been a photo any longer. She’d been real, and staring into her eyes, brutal reality had struck him like a bolt of lightning. Suzie Kent had once been full of life, fun and vivacious. Now she was sad and struggling to hide it.
Worry was etched into her expression and imprinted in the depths of her eyes. She seemed skittish, too, and uncertain.
And it was because of him.
If he’d died and Gordon had lived, she wouldn’t be having the trouble she was having with her son or her life.
And, as much as he wanted to help Abe, Tucker wanted just as much to bring back the girl in those photos.
He knew deep in his soul that Gordon would have wanted that.
And as he began the drive toward the ranch with Suzie following, Tucker vowed once more that he would not let his fallen friend down.
Chapter Two
Turmoil rolled in Suzie’s stomach like bad chicken salad as she followed Tucker down the country road. Pastures spread out on either side of the road, and yellow flowers were everywhere, carpeting the hillside in sunny yellow—goatweed, she knew, but pretty nonetheless.
When a majestic, wooden entrance came into view she knew this was Sunrise Ranch before she saw the name and before Tucker slowed and turned into the drive. Gordon had described everything perfectly.
In the distance, she could see the tops of the ranch buildings. She didn’t look at Abe, but she felt him straighten in his seat and bend forward slightly, as if to get a better view. Her heart squeezed tight with hope.
They topped the hill, and the ranch spread out before them.
“This is where your dad came to live about the age you are now,” she said, even though he already knew this. “He loved it here. I can see why.”
Abe had stopped talking much about Gordon over the past year. It was as if he were angry with him for not being around. She understood. She had her own anger issues to deal with.
“Your dad had described it just like this,” she said, loving the look of the place as she pulled to a halt beside Tucker at the rear of the large ranch house—a welcoming two-story house with an expansive back porch, inviting one to sit a spell overlooking the ranch compound. Out to the side of the house, an office and then a chow hall sat connected by porches and plank sidewalks. Small wooden signs swinging from the covered porches confirmed this, but she knew it from Gordon’s descriptions.
Directly across the white rock parking lot was an older, but extremely well-maintained red stable that he’d said was at least a hundred years old. Gordon had loved the stable—she could still hear the awe in his tone when he talked of the baby horses being born there.
Beside the stable was a massive silver barn with an arena and corral attached. And out in the distance sat another building with playground equipment behind it—this was the schoolhouse.
There were boys everywhere, it seemed. Some were in the arena with a few cattle, others were on horses, riding toward them across the pasture. No sooner had Suzie parked than it seemed their truck was surrounded.
Suzie could easily tell that the bright-eyed boys were all ages, the youngest seemed to be eight or nine but there were all heights and ages.
Surely one of these boys would be a good friend to Abe.
She was about to open her door, but a dark-headed kid who looked amazingly like a young Elvis pulled it open for her.
“Hi, ma’am. Welcome to Sunrise Ranch. I’m Tony.”
She could not help but smile. Not only from the fact that he did, indeed, sound like Elvis, but also because just the simple act of courtesy gave her another swift surge of hope. His eyes twinkled with goodwill and happiness—as her Abe’s once had. Please, God, let this be the answer.
She heard Abe’s door squeak open and glanced over her shoulder to see him getting out. Tucker was exiting his truck at the same time and said something to him as Abe closed his door. She turned back and smiled at Tony and the other boys, all talking at the same time.
“You done brung us another boy,” said a small, plump boy, who looked to be the youngest. He looked from her to Abe on the other side of the truck.
“You want us to show you how to rope?” one called to Abe.
“Are you going to live here?”
“Can you ride a horse?”
Questions bombarded them from all directions.
She laughed, not knowing who to answer first.
“Whoa, boys,” Tucker said, rounding the end of the truck with Abe. “Take it slow. This here is Abe. Yes, he’s going to be going to school with y’all. And yes, he’ll also need some help learning to ride and rope and work cows.”
Suzie watched as everyone started introducing themselves. It was going to take her forever to learn all of their names. She would remember Tony. He seemed to be close to Abe’s age.
Over the tops of their heads, her gaze met Tucker’s and her pulse kicked into a gallop. His deep blue eyes seemed to reach for her and she felt suddenly breathless. What was wrong with her? These were emotions of attraction.
And they had no place between her and Tucker McDermott.
No place at all.
Abruptly the office door opened, and a tall, straight-backed woman with a gray ponytail and a wide grin came striding outside—Ruby Ann McDermott. She was followed by Randolph McDermott. Both had come to Gordon’s funeral and stood beside her as if they were his family. They’d loved Gordon and he’d loved them, having considered them the family he’d never had since his parents abandoned him early in life. At the service, they’d given their condolences and offered to help her in any way they could. She’d refused their help at the time.
Randolph, a handsome man in his mid-fifties had threads of white at the temples of his charcoal hair. He’d marked his sons with the same dark hair and George Strait good looks.
Crossing to her now, she was struck again by his kind eyes as he took her hand in his.
“We are so glad you’ve come,” he said. “We loved Gordon and are honored to get the opportunity to know you and Abe through Sunrise Ranch. This was Gordon’s home and he loved it here.”
“Thank you. He did love it.”
Ruby Ann, or Nana as Gordon said he and all the boys affectionately called her, wrapped her arms around Suzie, just as she’d done at the funeral two years earlier. “Welcome to Sunrise Ranch, precious girl,” she said. “I’m so glad you’ve come. We all are.”
Randolph’s eyes held hers. “We are forever in Gordon’s debt for the sacrifice he made, and the sacrifice you and Abe made. His home is your home.”
She fought back tears, her emotions were on edge today. She’d heard so many similar declarations over the past two years. But none of them changed what had happened.
And yet people were sincere, and that meant so much to her.
“Thank you. And I’m very grateful for what you’re doing for us. For Abe,” she said softly, not wanting him to hear, though he was now encircled by the other boys and she doubted he could hear anything she might say. Her heart swelled with gratefulness, despite the turmoil raging inside of her at having to turn to Tucker. Without the hope they were giving her with this opportunity for Abe she didn’t know what she would have done.
Nana smiled warmly. “You think nothing of it. That boy needs this place. I can feel it in my soul. There’s healing here at Sunrise Ranch. You needn’t worry. Time and God’s goodness will heal his broken heart.”
Glancing back at Abe she caught Tucker’s gaze again. A shiver raced down her spine when she thought she glimpsed pain in his eyes. She looked away and was glad when Randolph and Nana moved in to meet Abe.
She pushed aside the thought that Tucker might be hurting, too—and not just in his wounded hip. For two years she’d blamed him, never once thinking about what he’d been through, and now, upon meeting him, she had started thinking about his feelings.
It made her nervous and she wasn’t sure why. She hadn’t had long to think about it when one of the littler boys tugged on her arm.
“We’re gonna show you and your boy how to rodeo,” he said. “Oh, and I’m Sammy.” A wide, enthusiastic smile spread big and bright across his thin face, and he puffed his chest way out. “I’m gettin’ good and I’ve only been here a little over a year. Just think how good I’m going to be next month.”
She laughed. He was so adorable and it was obvious he was thriving here.
To her surprise, the boys had planned a mini rodeo for them and, within minutes, in the midst of a flurry of action, she and Abe found themselves over by the arena watching the boys riding their horses and roping and chasing calves. Abe looked sullen, but at least he wasn’t storming off to be alone.
“So, we’re all excited you bought Joyce and Lester’s flower shop,” Nana said, coming to stand beside her at the arena fence.
“I am, too.” Finding the flower shop for sale had been a bonus incentive for coming to Dew Drop. It wasn’t as if she could just pick up and move to the town without a job to support them. That had been a worry. But she’d worked at a florist’s for years, and when she’d started looking at possible jobs she’d come across the for-sale ad for the Dew Drop Petal. The price had been unbelievably reasonable, and she’d known exactly what to use part of her life insurance settlement on.
The flower shop had been a great blessing. And after feeling as though God had turned his back on them since Gordon’s death, it had been very welcoming to her bruised faith.
“Dew Drop’s not that big, but you should do well. And if there is anything I can do, I’d be happy to help. And our Tucker there, he’ll assist you any way he can. That man has a huge cloud of guilt hanging over his head where Gordon is concerned. He loved Gordon as a brother. He’ll want to help you in any way he can.”
Suzie didn’t want to think about his guilty feelings. “I came here for him to help with Abe. That’s all I’ll need from him.”
Nana studied her with deep blue eyes that unsettled her. After a moment, she patted Suzie’s arm. “God’s got a plan, Suzie. I think maybe you don’t believe that. But He does. He always does.”
Suzie yanked her gaze away and, without meaning to, found herself looking at the broad-shouldered form of Tucker leaning on the fence beside Abe, pointing at the boys, explaining to her son what was going on in the arena.
