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The Rancher's Rescue
Cari Lynn Webb
He isn’t home to stayUntil she changes his mind. Ethan Blackwell’s back in Falcon Creek to save his family ranch after his grandfather disappears. When Grace Gardner reveals she’s pregnant with his child, she becomes Ethan’s top priority.But can he be the man he wants to be—preserving the Blackwell legacy and making a life with Grace—in a place he never planned to settle down?
He isn’t home to stay
Until a mother-to-be changes his mind
Ethan Blackwell is back in Falcon Creek to save his family ranch after his grandfather disappears. When Grace Gardner reveals she’s pregnant with his child, she becomes Ethan’s top priority. But can he be the man he wants to be—preserving the Blackwell legacy and making a life with Grace—in a place he never planned to settle down?
CARI LYNN WEBB lives in South Carolina with her husband, daughters and assorted four-legged family members. She’s been blessed to see the power of true love in her grandparents’ seventy-year marriage and her parents’ marriage of over fifty years. She knows love isn’t always sweet and perfect—it can be challenging, complicated and risky. But she believes happily-ever-afters are worth fighting for.
Also by Cari Lynn Webb (#u3d93a91c-32c9-5ce0-803c-f0d195523a1b)
A Heartwarming Thanksgiving
Wedding of His Dreams
Make Me a Match
The Matchmaker Wore Skates
The Charm Offensive
The Doctor’s Recovery
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
The Rancher’s Rescue
Cari Lynn Webb
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-07840-5
THE RANCHER’S RESCUE
© 2018 Cari Lynn Webb
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To my brothers: Scott, Dave and Mark. Your teasing
honed my sense of humor and your love made me
stronger. I’m so blessed to be able to call you my
brothers and my friends. Love you!
Special thanks to Amy Vastine, Anna J. Stewart,
Carol Ross and Melinda Curtis for your friendship and
answering my endless texts and emails. And thanks to
my husband and daughters for your support and making
me laugh every day.
Contents
Cover (#u531a3cf7-3691-5187-93d9-5e060c5e8f98)
Back Cover Text (#ubb3f916d-023b-5884-9b0e-2a9afb20e6f4)
About the Author (#u8f22ab9e-768c-50c0-8e01-63a10957e54a)
Booklist (#u1118fb5c-0393-5270-9cc8-1a861b91f8cf)
Title Page (#u35b57393-30ef-5a63-9845-f4a5819504d5)
Copyright (#u8e7f3e00-df5f-529e-9139-d9542a191782)
Dedication (#u7a9849b4-69c7-5895-904e-28e1b13ad212)
CHAPTER ONE (#u09060d96-ee55-59c7-a083-5d4f3676a403)
CHAPTER TWO (#u77fbf26e-3a43-5f67-b8c2-166f6a824d85)
CHAPTER THREE (#ua47e52f0-607a-51f8-bf3c-27f66427d13a)
CHAPTER FOUR (#uad11bdaa-f47b-5daa-bb9b-ba7d00309bf0)
CHAPTER FIVE (#u41d1b66b-b4bc-5c7b-9adc-c1ad494616df)
CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINETEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#u3d93a91c-32c9-5ce0-803c-f0d195523a1b)
ETHAN BLACKWELL WAS surrounded by critically ill checking accounts.
Of course, up until two days ago, the only terminal one he’d been working with had been his own. He’d never expected his grandfather’s finances to need resuscitation too.
He might’ve suspected Elias, or Big E as he was commonly known, to be up to one of his usual attempts at manipulation if his grandfather were still in town. But Big E and his thirty-foot motor home had departed four weeks ago, in early April, without a farewell to anyone, or a return date mentioned.
Ethan knew about departures. He had walked away to build his life, his own way, when Big E had accused Ethan of forsaking his family legacy and the land that had raised him to pursue a pretentious career in equestrian medicine. That day, Ethan had vowed to return to the Blackwell Ranch only for the reading of his grandfather’s will. Though no funeral arrangements had been made, as far as Ethan and the rest of his brothers were aware, Big E was AWOL, not deceased.
Despite Ethan’s promise to himself, he was back at the Blackwell Ranch, pacing around his grandfather’s big office and scowling at the paperwork scattered across the oak desk. It was an accounting nightmare.
Jonathon, his older brother and the only reason that Ethan had come home, strode into their grandfather’s office. Jon tossed his hat on one of the twin cigar-colored armchairs and dropped into the other. His dog, Trout, sat beside Jon’s boots and regarded Ethan as if he were the deputy assistant his brother had brought in for backup. “Please tell me I heard you wrong on the phone.”
“That depends. What did you hear?” Ethan leaned against the desk.
“I thought I heard you tell me that you planned to search Big E’s bedroom.” There was no question in Jon’s tone. His brother had better hearing than a bat. Jon’s gaze zeroed in on Ethan like a rifle scope, challenging him to change to his own mind.
Jon had developed this stare-down technique in their elementary school days, when he’d caught Ethan and his twin brother, Ben, shooting army men to the moon with bottle rockets. Jon had drilled Ethan with his relentless stare and waited. Ethan guessed he’d made the wrong choice when he’d explained that they’d already relocated once after successfully hitting the barn several times. Jon had immediately confiscated their entire supply of explosives.
“That’s exactly what I plan to do. With your help,” Ethan said. “The money’s gotta be somewhere.”
Jon’s gaze fixed on Ethan. A frown fixed on his face. Trout stopped panting as if to better emphasize his own grimace.
It wasn’t as if Ethan was asking his brother to hold the bottle rocket while he lit the fuse. Still, Ethan accepted that Jon always preferred explanations, and he picked up the worn notebook on Big E’s desk. “This is the sum total of Big E’s accounting system. So it seems likely he’d also stash hard cash between his mattresses, or in a hidden safe somewhere.”
“We need to hire ranch hands, not tear apart the house like we’re on a treasure hunt.” Jon drummed his fingers on the armrest.
“We need Big E to return, but since that’s not happening we have to find some money to pay people, including those ranch hands we need to hire.” Ethan smacked the notebook against his leg. He’d earned a doctorate in veterinary medicine, was board certified in animal sports medicine rehabilitation and passed the national veterinary exam. He was desperate to get hired in the veterinary field to pay off his own debt, not waste time rescuing the Blackwell Ranch for his heartless grandfather.
He had come home to offer Jon relief from managing both the Blackwell Ranch and his own JB Bar Ranch. His older brother had never hesitated to help him in the past and Ethan owed him that same loyalty, even if his personal finances were about to flatline.
“He has to have money.” Jon grabbed the notebook from Ethan.
The panic in Jon’s voice focused Ethan. Ethan ignored his uneasiness and decided to take things one crisis at a time. With luck, he’d have the Blackwell Ranch stabilized with new staff before the end of the week.
“That notebook reads like a grocery list of numbers.” Ethan moved toward the doorway, praying he was right about his grandfather’s stash of money. But the recent purchase receipts he’d found in the bottom desk drawer made that unease inside him feel more like claws scratching against his bones. Not to mention the slip of paper he’d spotted on which Zoe had written in bold cursive confusing lines: Pair of Llama Makers and Twin Sets of Long-Wool Providers. “A budget would be helpful, so we’d know how much is coming in and how much is going out on a regular basis.”
He’d learned as much during his undergrad when his academic advisor had urged him to take a business class as an elective. Unfortunately, the professor hadn’t lectured about the pitfalls of cosigning a car loan for a good friend who turned out to be not so good, or two-timing roommates who left without a forwarding address and skipped out on paying their share of the rent and every bill. The professor had failed to explain how a very low credit score would later deter established veterinary offices from allowing highly credentialed and skilled graduates, like himself, to buy into their practices.
That unease hooked into him like two bull elks with locked antlers. Ethan had more debt now than when he’d left years ago. He hated being like Big E. Hated more that he was proving his grandfather right. Becoming a veterinarian might’ve been the biggest mistake of his life. Jon’s muttered curse yanked Ethan back into the ranch crisis.
“I kept telling him to hire an accountant or a bookkeeper.” Jon flipped through the crinkled papers. “He told me he’d been handling money since before I was in diapers and he’d keep on handling it his way.”
“Did I mention there’s a carbon receipt book mixed in with handwritten receipts on napkins in the top drawer of his desk? And don’t get me started on the checkbook. Checks are numbered in sequential order for a reason.” At least Ethan managed to get that right in his own, albeit empty, checkbook. He looked over his shoulder at his brother. “You coming to his room or not?”
Twenty minutes later, Ethan held up Big E’s king-size mattress while Jon checked the box spring for a hidden pile of cash. His grandfather’s underwear drawer remained open and neither brother had bothered to rehang the three large framed cowboy photos they’d taken from the wall. The only holes in the plaster were from picture nails and not a safe. The door to the gun safe stood ajar, empty of both rifles and any spare cash.
“If you’ve finished practicing your B&E skills, I could use a hand with some real work.” A feminine voice mocked them from the doorway.
Ethan nodded at Katie Montgomery, the Blackwell Ranch’s right and left hands. Katie’s dad was getting up there in age and had basically left the foreman’s job to her. He suspected his grandfather wouldn’t have survived without Katie for all these years. Why did she stay when all of Big E’s grandchildren had left the ranch? How long would she stay once Ethan confirmed the accounts were empty? “As we’ve failed to find anything other than torn socks, it’s probably best you look into a new ranch to manage.”
“There’s so much work to do here I don’t have time to look outside the fences.” Katie came into the bedroom and patted Ethan’s shoulder.
“What’s it today? Broken fence on the north pasture? Blocked fuel line in the ATV? Ruptured water pipe at the guesthouse?” Jon asked, passing Katie on his way out.
“It’s the south pasture, the battery on the ATV and a leaking faucet in the bathroom attached to the ranch hands’ bunk bed room.” Katie rushed down the stairs after Jon, the thump of her boots on the stairs as firm and sure as his brother’s, leaving Ethan no choice but to follow them.
