Hill Country Redemption

Her little girl was still twisted among the sheets, sound asleep when Larae had left. Jayda knew the rules. Stay in the house or yard, no opening of gates or going inside the cattle fences. If she awoke with Larae gone, she’d end up in the kitchen with Stella, Denny’s wife.

With Rance right next door, Larae couldn’t possibly stay. Her insides coiled. Should she tell him about Jayda? He was obviously just as selfish, carefree and likely to run off to the rodeo as he’d been back in school. Something her daughter didn’t need. She couldn’t let him reject Jayda the way he’d rejected her. He had the right to know, but he didn’t deserve to know.

“Morning.” Denny’s drawl greeted her as soon as she was within hearing distance. “The metal building guy I told you about is here.” He waved her over. “You remember Carson Glover.”

“I do.” Wow. Denny didn’t waste any time in his campaign to convince her to stay. “I remember when he was twelve, trailing around after his daddy mucking stalls for us and pulling my ponytail when nobody was looking.” He was five years her junior with a full-on crush on her.

“Guilty as charged. But I’m all grown-up and married with a baby on the way now.” Carson shook her hand. “Good to see you. Heard you’re considering starting a rodeo in the old arena and building an indoor facility on the property.”

“I’m still in the thinking stage.”

“Where were you thinking of putting it?”

She scanned the property and blew out a breath. “I haven’t even thought that far. Where do you suppose would be a good place?” She pointed to the field with rolling hills behind the barn. “Maybe there?”

“Could be done. But it would take a lot of foundation work. The more level the ground, the better.” He gestured to the field that was left of the barn, beside the outdoor arena. “We could build a concession stand and bathrooms for the outdoor arena and eventually incorporate them into the indoor building.”

“That could work.”

“What size?”

She shrugged. “Typical indoor arena size.”

He grinned. “Tell you what… I’ll do some research and find out what size that is, draw up some specs and get back with you.”

“That sounds perfect.”

“Thanks for coming.” Denny shook Carson’s hand.

“Thanks for thinking of me.” He turned toward his dust-coated once-black Cadillac in the drive.

The rodeo could work whether she stayed or not. She could get it going, then go back to Dallas.

To do what? The rodeo in Mesquite was out of the picture. It was fully staffed and comfortably set up, and it ran only three months each year anyway. Besides, she couldn’t let Rance think she was running away because of him. He needed to think he didn’t matter to her one way or the other.

But she couldn’t hire him. Her heart couldn’t survive working with him. And she had to keep him away from Jayda. Maybe she was right about him, that he wouldn’t stick with stock contracting for the long run. He’d leave, and this constant pressure in her chest would dissipate.

“Here comes just the guy you need.” Denny gestured behind her.

As if on cue, Rance strode down her drive, headed straight for her. Had he gotten even better looking in the past eight years? Definitely. A shadow of dark hair edged his cowboy hat, bottle green eyes sparkling in the sun, cleft chin. Oh, if only a sinkhole would open up in the baked earth and swallow him whole.

He and Carson spoke in passing as she tried to come up with a reason to escape. What if Jayda woke up and came outside looking for her? What if Rance saw his daughter?

Calm down. Jayda didn’t look like him, and everyone assumed she was five or six instead of seven. Her secret was safe.

Rance’s steps stalled a few feet away from Larae. Even after all these years, she still held him captive. “Since Carson was here, I assume you’re going ahead with the rodeo.”

“He’s getting me some stats to help me decide.”

“Well, I’m here to convince you to hire me if this thing gets real.”

“Why would I do that?” She hooked her thumbs in her pockets and peered up at him.

“Because I’m guessing all the stock contractors you know are in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Using them would cost more. I’m right next door—willing and able—at a lower price. And you’re in the thinking stage of this rodeo to make a profit, right?”

“I know it’s none of my beeswax, Larae.” Denny propped his boot on the fence rail. “I know you want an experienced contractor and Rance is just getting started. But he knows his stuff. You’re shooting yourself in the foot if you don’t hire him. There aren’t any other stock contractors outside of San Antonio.”

Way to put her on the spot. “There you have it, Denny’s stamp of approval.”

“Just my way of watching over you, like your daddy would want.” Denny headed for the barn. “I best get to work.”

“Thanks, Denny.” Larae leaned her elbows on the fence and kept her gaze on the foreman’s retreating back, instead of looking at Rance. “How did Denny become your biggest fan?”

“Several men from the area eat breakfast at the Old Spanish Trail just about every morning. Tex Warren, my dad, and Denny included.”

“So he thinks you’re awesome because your dad does?”

“Tex Warren is Ty’s dad and Clay’s granddad. Both Warrens won the Championship Bull Riding title four times apiece. Tex was impressed with some of my bulls.” But no matter who his bulls awed, Larae would remain unconvinced. “The rodeo is a great idea. I want the job. Do you have any idea of how much stock you’ll need? You do your marketing and publicity thing. I’ll handle the livestock.”

She faced him and propped her hands on her hips. “How do you know what I do?”

“I trained under the stock contractor who supplied the rodeo you work for.”

One eyebrow lifted. Aware of how smoothly his old boss’s stock operation ran for her rodeo, she couldn’t help but be impressed. Could she?

“I can check with Carson on the arena sizes he’s running, then give you numbers, cost and prospectus for each.”

“You can?”

“What? You didn’t think I knew big words like prospectus?”

“Actually.” She pursed her lips. “I must admit I’m impressed. I didn’t know you handled the business end of things. I figured you tended to the cattle and let somebody else crunch numbers.”

A compliment? “Listen, can we call a truce and work together on this? I really think your rodeo could be successful here. Area businesses could use a new influx of tourist dollars. Keeping costs low would allow the competitors a bigger purse, which would line the cowboys’ pockets and put your rodeo on the map. Everybody wins.”

She blew out a sigh that ruffled the long layers framing her face. “I’m sorry for the way I acted yesterday. I just wasn’t expecting you, and I lashed out. If we’re to work together, we need to forget the past and focus on the rodeo.” Her glance strayed toward the house as if she had somewhere to be…or was waiting for someone.

Was she married? His gaze dipped to her left hand, then back to her face. No ring. “I’m in. I’ll run some numbers and get back to you. Tomorrow?”

“Sure. Just give me a call. We still have the landline, and I’ll give Carson a heads-up on working with you.” Her gaze snagged on something, and her eyes widened.

He followed her line of vision. A little girl skipped in their direction.

“I have to go.” Larae bolted toward the child.

Chapter Three

Rance frowned. A child?

Denny entered the arena with a bay mare as Larae hustled the little girl back to the house.

“Who’s that?”

“Larae’s girl. Spitting image of her mama, that one.”

He swallowed hard. Could the child be his? If so, she’d be a little over seven years old. This child looked smaller. “How old is she?”

“Five or six from the looks of her.”

His insides stilled. Larae would have told him if the child belonged to him. This meant that while he’d been mourning his first love all those years ago, she’d moved on to someone else. To be honest, he wasn’t sure he’d ever really moved on from her at all. “Who’s her daddy? Is Larae married?”

“I don’t rightly know.”

“You’ve worked for her dad forever, and she’s your daughter’s best friend. How could you not know?”

“They were both closemouthed about Larae after she left, and I’m not one to pry. I didn’t know about the youngun’ until they showed up here a few days ago.” Denny gave him the once-over. “Why are you so interested?”

“I’m not. Just curious.” Denny didn’t have a clue they’d been an item back in high school. No one had because she knew her dad wouldn’t approve. “I didn’t know she had a child, that’s all. I’ll see you later.” With his heart in his boots, he trudged toward home.

The thought of her with anyone else put a painful twist in his gut. He’d given her up for the sake of her relationship with her dad, but he’d never thought about her falling for someone else.

His phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket, saw the name on the screen and accepted the call. “Hey, Dad.”

“How’s the stock contracting business going, son?”

“Slow. I might have a job, but it’s complicated.”

“Complicated how?”

He filled his dad in on the Larae situation.

“I see.” His father let out a long whistle. “Hence the complicated maybe job.”

“It was like I was seventeen again.”

“You still love her?”

“Now, I didn’t say that.”

“Yet you did, by not saying it. Go get the job and the girl.”

“Even if I wanted her, there’s more to it than that.” But he couldn’t get into it, since he’d never told his parents why they broke up. If he had, his dad would have confronted Ray Collins, and the whole town would have heard about it. Even Larae.

“Is she involved with someone else?”

“I’m not sure.” A tight band settled in his chest. “She has a child.”

“Hmm. Well, find out if the father is still in the picture and go from there. But be careful, son. I was there the first time Larae Collins broke your heart.”

“It wasn’t her fault, Dad.” Rance opened the gate to his yard, now free of tangled vines thanks to the attack goat he’d borrowed yesterday.

“You keep saying that, but you won’t say anything else.”

“It’s—”

“Complicated. I know. Keep me in the loop, will ya? Your mom wants to talk to you. Here she is.”

“Hi, Mom. I’m eating fine. I fixed a pot of chili last night.”

“Well, you won’t starve, but that’s not very healthy—all that red meat.” Since learning that her husband had high cholesterol, she’d become a health food expert.

“I used venison.” Only because he liked it better, but maybe it would satisfy her just the same.

“Oh, good. You can’t imagine how much fat a lean meat can cut. You can try ground turkey if you run out of venison.”

“I’ve got a freezer full, so I’m good.”

“All right. You’ll come visit soon, right?”

“I will, Mom. And y’all are welcome here anytime. Love you.” He slipped the phone back in his pocket, stomped his boots on the slatted wood porch and stepped inside. He loved his parents, but he couldn’t concentrate on his mom’s chatter right now.

Larae had a child. His brain kept looping back to that.

What if there was a man in her life? His heart stilled at the thought. It might just fix everything. It would hurt to see her with someone else. But if she was married, he’d have to get over her.

“I sure hope Lexie moves back soon.” Stella wiped down the kitchen counters. She hadn’t changed a bit. Still tall and thin, with warm laugh lines around her eyes.

“Me, too.” Seated at the breakfast bar, Larae finished off her eggs.

“Our Lexie?” Jayda asked, pushing a stalk of broccoli around her plate.

“Remember, I told you Denny and Stella are her parents.”

“But I didn’t know she was gonna move here. I’m excited.”

“Me too, Little Miss.” Stella winked at Jayda. Denny’s wife had happily cooked for staff and watched their children for as long as Larae could remember.

The knocker sounded at the heavy front door.

“It’s awful early for visitors.” Stella pushed a strand of hair away from her face and tried to secure it back in the bun at the nape of her neck. “And the hands don’t usually knock.”

“I’ll get it.” Larae got up from her perch at the granite-lined breakfast bar and pointed a stern finger at Jayda. “You stay put and eat the rest of your omelet. It’s good for you.” The cheese sauce probably took away from its benefits, but broccoli wrapped in egg was the only way to get veggies down Jayda.

“I’ll make sure she does.” Stella shot her a wink.

“Thanks.” She hurried to the front door and swung it open. Carson stood on the threshold with a thick folder under his arm.

“Is this a good time? I have numbers for you.”

“You’re fast.” She gestured him toward the great room so she could keep an eye on Jayda in the adjoining kitchen. “Come on in.”

“I’ve got specs on three different sizes.” He settled on the cowhide sofa and set his folder on the coffee table. “We’ll call them Building A, B and C. A is small, just meets the regulations. B is the most common. C is more your Fort Worth or Mesquite size.”

“So I’d need to go with C if I wanted to get pro certified?” Nerves danced through her.

“Definitely C.”

“I figure go big or go home.”

“Alrighty then.” He flipped past several papers.

She scanned the spreadsheet to the bottom total. Not as much as she’d expected. “If we do this, how soon are we talking?”

“We could break ground in a few weeks and have your building ready in two months.”

“And what about the arena part?”

“That’s out of my line of expertise, so I’m afraid I can’t help you there.”

“Well, this is encouraging.” She was well aware of how much revenue a good rodeo could bring in, especially if she could get certified for pro events. It would be enough to permanently keep the ranch well in the black.

“Thank you for putting this together, Carson. I’ll look over it some more and get back with you.”

“Not a problem.” He stood, and she followed him to the foyer.

If she did this, she’d have to hire Rance. Otherwise, she’d only look stupid. Or still hung up on him. Maybe she could get the arrangements in place, then go back to Dallas and oversee the rodeo from afar. Whatever it took to avoid Rance.

The knocker sounded again.

“Next.” Carson grinned as he opened the door.

Rance stood on the stoop. His gaze pinged back and forth between them, landed on Carson and narrowed. “You?”

“Me what?”

Surely Rance didn’t think she was involved with Carson. Why would he care? “Carson was here going over numbers for a possible arena building.”

“I was just leaving.”

“Thanks again, Carson.” He exited, but she didn’t step aside to let Rance in, willing Jayda to take her sweet time finishing her broccoli. “Can I help you?”

“I brought my numbers, too.”

“It’ll have to wait. I don’t do business at my home. We’ll have to set up a time to meet.”

“Hmm, let’s see what’s wrong with this picture. Your office is at your house, and you met with Carson about business.”

“Fine.” She backed away and then ushered him through the formal living room. “But not here. Let’s go to Dad’s office.”

In the doorway facing her father’s massive desk, she stopped. The room still smelled of his Old Spice cologne. She’d spent half her childhood in the wood-paneled room but had never sat in his cushy executive chair. Just the sight of it put a knot in her throat.

“How about the table?” Rance set his file on the long conference table.

“Yes.” Did he understand her hesitation, feel for her grief?

“I was sorry to hear about your dad.”

Sympathy from him would surely undo her. She cleared her throat. “Thanks. What have you got?”

He opened the folder. The spreadsheet listed all his stock, along with his fee. “Do you know which size you’re going with yet?”

“The biggest.” She rattled off the specs Carson had given her.

“Good choice.” He pulled a loose sheet and handed it to her. “This is what you’ll need. The fees listed beside each of my bulls, broncs and steers is what I get every time they leave the chute. They’re priced according to bloodlines, and I’ll handle all the transport. I took the liberty of contacting an acquaintance who builds arenas. He said he’d work with Carson and have your rodeo up and running a month after the building is finished.”

Surprisingly thorough. “Did you think to ask him about updating the outdoor arena until the building is functional?”

“If he breaks ground next week, the weather holds, and inspectors don’t give him trouble, he said three weeks. A month at the most.”

“Wow.” Fast enough to turn the ranch around.

“His estimates are in the file, too. It’s a great idea, Larae. There aren’t any indoor rodeos in this area except in San Antonio. And none them are year-round. I hope you’ll get past the thinking stage.”

“It’s a lot to take on.”

“How long are you here for?”

“It was supposed to only be a week.” But that was before her new manager decided to handle marketing, too, leaving Larae jobless and bent on selling the ranch, even at a loss.

“You could hire someone to oversee things when you go back.”

If she went back. “I’ve thought about that, too.” She closed the file. But right now she needed to get rid of him. Not even Jayda had ever made broccoli last this long. “Thank you for putting this together. I’ll get back with you if I decide to move forward.”

He stayed seated. His jaw ticked as if he had more to say. She stood to give him the hint. He reluctantly followed her lead.

“All right then—” he turned and opened the door “—just let me know.”

“Mommy, I ate all of my broccoli. Can I have my chocolate milk now?” Jayda stopped when she saw Rance. “Oh. Hi.” Never shy.

At the moment, Larae wished she was.

“Broccoli for breakfast?” Rance grimaced. “I’m Rance. An old friend of your mom’s.”

Larae’s heart did somersaults against her ribs. He’d gotten a glimpse of Jayda yesterday and obviously learned she was Larae’s daughter. But then, anybody would know that by looking at her. Just as long as he didn’t figure out anything else, everything would be fine.

“It was in an omelet. I’m Jayda.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Jayda.”

“You can have your milk, and a cookie, too.” Just go. Rance had said only a few days ago that it was a good thing he didn’t have kids, and who knew how long he’d stick with this stock contracting thing? Hopefully long enough to get her rodeo going. Then he could run off for the rodeo circuit again, none the wiser. Footloose and fancy-free just the way he liked it.

“Everybody thinks I’m five or six—”

“Jayda, go have your cookies now. You can have three.”

“Three.” Jayda grinned. “You never let me have three.”

Rance chuckled.

“Just this once. Since you ate all your broccoli.”

“But I’m not finished. I wanted to tell Rance I’m really seven.”

“Jayda.” Her daughter’s name ripped from her throat.

It was too late.

Rance’s grin slipped away. His eyes widened, then narrowed as he inspected Jayda.

“What, Mommy?”

“I’ve warned you about talking to strangers, haven’t I?” It was the only thing she could come up with.

“I thought that only counted when you weren’t around.”

“You’re right. I forgot.” At the moment she was forgetting how to breathe.

“You’re seven?” The wonder in Rance’s tone put a hitch in her throat.

“Uh-huh. I’m just small for my age. Mommy said she was the same way until she hit a growth spurt when she was twelve.”

“Larae—” Rance’s gaze snagged on hers as he ground her name out between his teeth. “We need to talk.”

Chapter Four

In and out. Rance concentrated on breathing. Jayda’s rounded eyes flitted back and forth between him and Larae. How could she have kept this from him?

“Go have your cookies now, Jayda. I’ll be done here in just a minute.”

“Okay, Mommy.” Jayda glanced back at him one more time.

He’d obviously scared her, practically growling at Larae. He forced a smile.

Jayda slipped from the room.

“I—” Larae said.

“She’s mine.”

Larae closed her eyes. “Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because by the time, I found out—” her hand went to her middle “—you were dating Veronica Belmont.”

Only to convince her they were finished. For her sake. While he’d been doing what he thought was right, to keep her relationship with her father intact, she’d been pregnant with his child.

His blood boiled. “Did your dad know?”

“Yes.”

But she’d fled to Dallas. “Did he kick you out?”

“Of course not. He was very supportive.”

If only she knew. The old coot. “He sent you to Dallas to keep me in the dark.”

“You’d proven you weren’t ready for fatherhood.”

“You had no right to make that call.”

“We’d broken up. You’d moved on. I wasn’t about to obligate you. To risk you coming back to me.” She jabbed her thumb toward her chest. “Because of duty. It was my decision to go to college in Dallas and stay to pursue my career.”

“To hide. From me.”

“And from wagging tongues.” She hugged herself. “I did what I thought was best. For my daughter.”

“Our daughter.” He sank into a chair as all his anger drained away. What good did it do to be mad at a dead man? “I loved you, Larae. I’d have dropped everything for you. Quit the rodeo and married you.” In spite of her dad.

“If you loved me so much—” her words dripped sarcasm “—then why did you break up with me?”

He wouldn’t explain. He couldn’t skew her memories of her dad, not with her still grieving his loss. “I didn’t think I was good enough for you.”

She scoffed. “Well, you were good enough for Veronica Belmont. And Prudence Hancock. And who knows who else. Face it, Rance. You were a playboy working your way through all the rich girls in school.”

Only to convince Larae he didn’t love her. To save her relationship with her father—the man who’d stood by and watched, effectively ripping away Rance’s chance to be a father.

“That’s not who I am.”

“If you say so. But the fact remains, while you’ve been doing whatever you’ve been doing for the last eight years, I’ve been making adult decisions and taking care of my daughter. And she’s waiting for me in the kitchen, so you can go now. We didn’t need you then, and we don’t need you now. Please just go.” She moved to the door, obviously expecting him to do her bidding.

“No.”

“Please, Rance.” Her voice was softer now. Pleading. Her posture changed and she melted into herself. “You don’t owe us anything. We’ll move back to Dallas. I’ll get the rodeo going from there, and we’ll be out of your hair.”

“I can’t ignore this. She’s my responsibility.”

“She doesn’t have to be. I’m fine financially. And I don’t have to keep the ranch. I can unload it and not spend the funds I have on the rodeo.”

“That’s not what I mean, Larae. I intend to support her financially. But it’s more than that. I have a daughter. And whether you think she needs me or not, I can’t just pretend she doesn’t exist. She’s part of me.”

Her eyes watered up. “The best part.”

“I’m glad—” his throat closed up “—to know you still think there’s good in me.”

“I loved you. Once.” She blinked the moisture away.

“We can work this out. I need to be in her life.”