Rocky Mountain Homecoming

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But the stomach-fluttering thrill she felt at the mere thought of Zachariah Drake had sent her into an outright tailspin. He’d knocked her control off-kilter without doing a thing. Last night, she’d even dreamed of the man. His broad, burden-bearing shoulders. His chiseled, masculine jawline. His crystal-blue, secret-bearing gaze.

She tipped her head back and breathed in deep, wishing she could get the man out of her mind.

Back in New York she’d gone on a few lovely little outings with Neal Smith, and never had she had such an all-encompassing response to the man. Ever. Oh, Neal was handsome in a very pristine way. And he was as agreeable as a man could possibly be. Kind. Respectful. But he’d never once made his way into her dreams. In fact, he’d barely even interrupted her thoughts.

She threw her chestnut-colored paisley wrap around her shoulders and headed down the front steps for a breath of fresh air, if for nothing else than to clear her head of Zach Drake. She could only hope that, perhaps, she’d find her wayward common sense and self-control out here, because it had escaped her last night. Completely.

She’d likely not had it in her possession from the moment she’d stepped foot off the train.

When she caught sight of Zach out by the barn, talking with one of the hands—Hugh Bagley, a former classmate and old friend—she stopped in her tracks. Shielding her eyes from the bright morning sun, she saw Zach jam one hand to his waist and jab his pointing finger toward the barn, his brusque litany of words falling just out of reach. But his stern expression … it was readable from here, a good hundred feet away.

When Hugh caught sight of her, his defeated stance shot upright. “Ivy!” he called as he started jogging her way, leaving Zach glaring after him.

“Hello, Hugh.” Smiling, she waved and hurried over the hard ground to meet him.

“If you aren’t a sight for sore eyes then I don’t know what is.” Catching her up in his long-armed hug, he squeezed tight then grasped her arms and held her away from himself. “It’s good to see you, Ivy. Really good.”

Her frustration regarding Zach’s behavior all but vanished at Hugh’s warm greeting. “How wonderful to see you, too, Hugh.”

“I heard whisperings from one of the hands that you were back. I’ve been looking for you all morning.”

“Surely you had better things to do.” She stepped away from him, her arms aching from his tight hold. He always had been like a grown but playful pup that hadn’t yet learned the word gentle.

“I thought you’d never come back.” A grin stretched the width of his long and narrow face.

“Well, believe it or not, I am here.”

“That, you are,” he confirmed with an appraising look.

Readjusting the scarf around her shoulders, she gently rubbed where his hands had been and planted a smile on her face, even when she felt confused by everything that had happened since she’d been home. She didn’t need Hugh digging into her heart. They’d been friends years ago, but she’d never thought to parcel out the deepest secrets in her heart to him. He couldn’t seem to be serious enough to handle that kind of information.

“Boy, have I ever missed you, Ivy. All of the fun we had.” He raised his eyebrows. “Things just aren’t the same as they were back then.”

“I wouldn’t imagine they are.” Memories of the fun adventures they’d shared flitted through her mind. “So, you’re working here, too?”

“Too?” His heavy brow furrowed beneath his brown cowboy hat.

She angled a quizzical look at him, then slid her gaze over to where Zach stood, jamming a shovel into the earth with enough force she’d have thought he was planning to dig all the way to the other side of the world. “You know … Zach.”

His eyes rolled back for a brief moment. “Oh, yeah … the big boss.”

Ivy fingered the delicate wool fringe edging her scarf, recalling how Hugh had never much liked Zach. “I had no idea he was my father’s foreman. Can you imagine my shock? He’s changed so much.”

“He sure has changed.” Hugh gave a huge sigh. “And he’s foreman here, whether I like it or not.”

“What happened out there just a minute ago?” She passed a quick glance toward Zach. “He looked quite mad.”

“Enough to spit iron stakes.” With a mutinous manner about him, Hugh looped his arms at his chest. “Screamed at me like I was some no-good criminal sniffing around for trouble.”

“He wasn’t screaming at you,” she admonished with a wry grin.

He hung his head. “All right. Maybe not screaming. But if I’m not working my fingers to the bone or wearing my boots thin like he does, then he figures I’m being a regular old slough.”

“Oh, he can’t be that bad.” Certain Hugh must be exhibiting that dramatic flair of his just for show, she gave a delicate laugh.

But when the image of Zach, speaking with Hugh just minutes ago ricocheted through her mind, she had to wonder. Was Zach merely holding to her father’s standards? Her father never had tolerated laziness.

She’d never known Hugh to be lazy.

He’d never been rushed, either.

“He oughta stay focused on what’s been happening right under his nose.” Hugh raised his brows over his small eyes.

“Why? What happened?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” He dug a boot heel into the reddish soil. “I should’ve just kept my mouth shut.”

“Come now, Hugh. You know you can’t drop hints like that without delivering on them.” She had to question whether Hugh was right. “Are you being territorial again?”

“Again?” His narrowed his gaze on her.

“Perhaps your memory needs a little refreshing,” she prodded. “Back when we were in grade school, you would target any boy who dared cross you or be better than you at something.” Or any boy who dared speak with her. She never could quite figure out why, either. She’d never shown an inkling of interest in him as anything other than a friend. “Does that ring a bell? I would expect that it’s hard to have a former classmate, namely Zach, as your boss. Am I right?”

“Oh, I’d gladly work for someone if I had confidence in them.”

Uncertainty suddenly pricked deep at his words. She took a hesitant step in Zach’s direction. Hugh had been doing ranch work from the time he was thirteen. He was probably fairly seasoned, for his age, especially now that he worked for her father. So why would he doubt Zach’s capability?

She came to stand in front of him again. “Do you mean to say that you don’t have confidence in Zach?”

“I think he’s green—it shows in the way we’re always coming up short on supplies.” He narrowed an uncharacteristically serious gaze on her. Craned his head around, looking the direction of the corral where Zach was still shoveling with intense ferocity.

“Short? On supplies?”

“Things keep coming up missing. And when I ask if I can look at the books, he gets as mean as a bear with new cubs.”

“Doesn’t he know you’re just trying to help?”

“I don’t think he sees it that way, no.” He ran a long-fingered hand over his sparsely whiskered chin. “Half the time, I don’t agree with his decisions. He’s headstrong. And way too proud, if you ask me.”

She dropped her focus to where Shakespeare had appeared and was doing circle eights at her feet, his big thick tail swishing across her dark rust-colored taffeta skirt. Scooping up her hefty cat, she held him close, recalling how easily Zach had brushed her the wrong way with his headstrong manner.

“Zach’s a lot like your daddy.” Hugh’s overly eager nod only served to annoy Ivy. “Only your daddy has a good handle on things here, being so experienced. But with the cattle theft that happened a week ago not far from here,” he said, slicing a breath through his long teeth, “we need a foreman who knows what he’s doing, leading the way.”

“Cattle theft?” An ominous chill crawled down her spine.

Hugh hooked a thumb through his belt loop. “The theft has the ranchers around here sitting at the edge of their saddles.”

“I can imagine.” She draped Shakespeare over her shoulder like a baby—just the way he’d like it.

“As experienced as your uncle Terrance is,” Hugh said, reaching out and brushing a hand over her arm, “I wish that he was the one leading the charge instead of Zach.”

Ivy patted the cat’s back, provoking a loud purr from the feline as she recalled how her mama’s brother, Terrance, had worked for her father for years. “I don’t think I ever recall a time when he didn’t go about his business without a cheerful whistle. He was raised on this ranch.”

“Honestly, Terrance never gets much of a fair shake around here.” He fingered the brim of his hat. “But … he takes it in stride. He’s devoted to your father, that’s for sure.”

At every turn, her uncle Terrance had talked her father up as though he owned the entire state of Colorado and then some. So, it never quite made sense why he was the only person in the world her father didn’t seem to like.

“Terrance has years and years of experience, and a real head for business. But for some reason—” He yanked his hat off his head and slapped it against his long leg. “Why in the world are we talking about this, anyway? I haven’t seen my Ivy in six years and I’m rambling on and on about the ranch.” When he poked her arm, she had to bite back a wince as she silently calculated just how long it would take before a bruise would appear. “How’s the big city been treating you, dolly?”

The city had been wonderful.

But here. Ever since she’d been back, she’d been scrambling for a foothold. Struggling to maintain a strong front.

Until this moment, she’d felt inclined to keep her distance, since it was clear her father was eager to send her back east. But now she had no choice. If there were problems on the ranch, it was her responsibility to see to them, with her father unwell. She’d have to make sure that Zach was making the best decisions and that he wasn’t putting the ranch in jeopardy just because he was headstrong.

“Grand. I love it there.” Suddenly and strangely wary, she glanced past Hugh to find Zach staring right at her, his face set in a distinct scowl. Beads of perspiration glistened over his muscle-roped arms as he jammed his shovel into the ground again and brought out a chunk of dirt.

“Mama was right,” she went on to say, trying her best to ignore her father’s foreman. “There are so many opportunities to be had out east.”

Zach didn’t look happy, that’s for sure. Was this just one of his ways of throwing his weight around?

After a long yawn, Hugh snapped his jaws, jarring her nerves. “Your mama always did push for you to go, didn’t she?”

At times, her mother had been almost desperate for Ivy to leave the ranch. “Even when I was young and talked of owning a ranch of my own someday, Mama would push me that way.”

Ivy swallowed hard. The guilt and shame that had hung over her mama’s passing had seized any joy to be found in journeying toward her mama’s dreams.

At the sound of the front door slamming shut, Ivy glanced over her shoulder to glimpse Violet hurrying down the steps, two small braided rugs draped over her arms. And a clear look of intent on her round face.

“Good morning, Violet,” Ivy greeted as the petite woman scurried toward them, clad in an attractive gray-blue calico dress that matched her eyes perfectly.

“Hello, Ivy, dear.” She swiped at her brow then laid a veiled scowl on Hugh. “Hugh.”

Ivy’s heart warmed at the sight of the lively woman. Violet, nearly her father’s age, had been with the family for years. “Is everything all right?”

“Oh, yes, just fine.” The woman pulled up beside Ivy and patted the colorful braided rugs. “Just thought I’d get these out on the line to breathe for a while. Since it’s such a lovely day.”

Ivy slipped her focus to the rugs, sure she’d seen them hanging on the line yesterday when she’d arrived. “But they were hanging out yesterday, and the clothesline is in the back of the—”