Her Cowboy's Twin Blessings

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

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

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

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

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

“Where’s the river?” she asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yeah, I guessed that,” he replied.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he said.

“Yeah...”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Oh, my...” she breathed.

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

“This is beautiful land,” she murmured.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ember blinked at him in surprise. “What?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fair was fair.

Chapter Four (#u127ba0ee-e5af-5b0c-b34c-ba90b761a61f)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Everyone?” Casey raised an eyebrow.

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

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

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