Loe raamatut: «A Ranch to Keep»

CHAPTER TWO

JUST PAST the highway sign for Benson, population five hundred seventy-five, another weather-beaten sign read Blue Water Mercantile-Groceries, Beer, Fishing. Under the letters, a painted and peeling fish jumped out of faded water with a smile, holding a beer can in its chipped fin. The local store beneath the fish looked the same as it always had, just smaller and lower, as if it was retreating into the earth. It had been years since she’d been here, but she still remembered climbing down from Grandpa’s truck, holding on to his strong hand and hurrying him indoors to get a popsicle or a soda.

An old pickup was parked in front of the store and a man in a battered cowboy hat was leaning on the cab door, talking on a cell phone. As she pulled her car up to the curb, Samantha caught a glimpse of long legs in faded jeans, broad shoulders in a plaid shirt and white teeth that flashed when he talked. A perfect, modern Western scene, she thought, taking in the contrast of the cowboy, the old truck and the cell phone.

She smiled to herself. The sight of a good-looking man in a cowboy hat in San Francisco generally meant one thing—he was not interested in women. Out here that stereotype might not apply, and she couldn’t help but glance again at the stranger, appreciating his silhouette. Then she remembered Mark and turned away with a stab of guilt. The last thing she should be doing was looking at another man when she already had a boyfriend—even if that boyfriend hadn’t been around much lately.

Samantha crossed the small parking lot and reached for the handle to pull open the glass door of the shop. She jumped, startled, as a much larger hand swooped over hers to pull it open for her. “I got it,” said a deep voice in her right ear, and she recognized the navy plaid shirt on that long arm and knew it was the same man she’d seen in the parking lot. Glancing up to voice her thanks Samantha froze, her breath caught in her teeth.

Tall, she thought incoherently. He’s really tall. Her gaze slid down to a wide chest underneath faded flannel. Everything else was just a series of impressions—a silver belt buckle, lean muscle, fair skin tanned to gold, dark blond hair that was a little shaggy under the hat, curling a bit at the collar. She looked up quickly and met blue eyes with a brilliance in them that caught the light. Dark honey lashes surrounded them, thick and long. He looked like a man who spent plenty of time out in the elements. There were creases from sun and smiling etched on his angular face. Samantha hadn’t known a man could be so beautiful. She just stood there like a fool, staring, trying to remember how to breathe.

The cowboy regarded her with a wide grin, as if he knew just what she was thinking. Then he took a long, slow look at her before saying “You’re not from around here, are you?”

It took another attempted breath to get her heart beating again. Glancing down at herself she saw what he saw...the long, black pencil skirt, the high, spiked heels on her boots, the chunky gold ring on her hand, the black cashmere sweater. She was definitely not dressed for life in a small mountain town.

With an embarrassed smile tugging at her mouth, she forced herself to look up at those eyes and act as if they weren’t paralyzing her. If her friend Tess were here, she’d have the perfect, appropriate-yet-sexy reply, not this vast blankness that had taken over her mind.

Finally she managed, “Nope, I guess not,” and pushed past him into the store, hoping he couldn’t see her heart pounding through her sweater. She heard him laughing softly as he closed the door behind them with a clang of the bell.

Samantha grabbed a basket. This was ridiculous. Losing Grandma Ruth must have destroyed her confidence. She shopped at the Marina Safeway, for crying out loud, the most notorious singles pickup spot in all of San Francisco! She was used to fending off men asking for cooking advice in the pasta aisle. Back home she brushed those men off easily, but walking to the back of the dusty store, she felt the cowboy’s glance lingering on her and just prayed she wouldn’t trip and fall.

Samantha heard him greet someone at the counter. She forced herself to focus on her shopping.

Everything about the store brought back a memory. She smelled the unforgettable combination of dust, firewood and the faint odor of the bait sold out of the freezer in the back. There was the ice cream case, and the small section of toys. And in the air there was something she hadn’t felt in years—the peace of childhood summers, solidity and home. Tears prickled for what must have been the twentieth time that day and she blinked them back quickly. She was an emotional wreck, one moment running out of Ruth’s funeral, the next lusting after some random guy in a cowboy outfit, and now missing her grandparents so much it hurt! Disgusted with herself Samantha turned her attention to filling her basket with provisions and cleaning supplies, and kept her mind busy with plans for opening up the long-neglected farmhouse.

A man in a fishing vest sat behind the counter. She noticed his face was lined and weathered, much like the sign in front of the store. He smiled at her with a “Morning, ma’am,” and she smiled back, dumping her basket onto the counter.

There was no sign of the cowboy she’d met at the door. He’d probably left, and Samantha gave a small sigh of relief at his absence. The last time her heart had pounded that fast was during her first formal pitch at work...about five years ago? It wasn’t a pleasant feeling and not one she felt like repeating anytime soon.

“You look like you mean to stay awhile.” The grocer’s friendly eyes twinkled at her from beneath his gray brows. “You here for the fishing?”

“It’s been a long time since I tried it.” Samantha pulled out her credit card as he totaled her purchases on an archaic-looking cash register. No scanners and barcodes at the Blue Water. He took her card, set it in the holder and began to place a paper slip over it. Reading the name on the card, he stopped and looked up at her in surprise.

“Rylant? Are you any relation to Ruth Rylant?” The lump she’d suppressed rose in her throat again. She hadn’t thought this through, hadn’t taken into account all the people in Benson who’d known Ruth. Figuring she’d better get used to it, and quickly, she swallowed the lump yet again and stuck out her hand to the beaming face across the counter.

“Yes. I’m Samantha Rylant, Ruth’s granddaughter,” she told him as she shook his hand. “I’m not sure you heard, but Ruth passed away earlier this week.”

She heard the emotion in his voice. “Yes, I did hear...stupid of me not to give my condolences right away. Ruth was a fine woman. We all missed her when she moved away. I’m sorry to hear she’s gone.” They were silent a moment and then he continued, “Well, but here you are and I’m being impolite. I’m Dan Sanders, owner of this fine establishment. Welcome to Benson, Samantha. You staying in town?”

“I thought I’d stay out at the ranch.”

Dan’s gaze shifted down to her hands, eyeing the bold rings and the manicured nails. “Oh, I see. Have you been out there recently? You might want to try the hotel for a while until you can get someone in to clean up the place.”

“Believe me, I called, but it’s full. A fly-fishing tour. But it’s okay, I’ll figure something out. I guess I’m just going to have to clean the house up myself.” At Dan’s incredulous look she pushed on, needing to explain, maybe to herself as well. “She left it to me...so I guess I just want to spend some time there, figure out what I’ve got on my hands. I haven’t been out there since before she moved away.”

“Wait a minute!” Dan interrupted. “I remember you now! No wonder you stopped here—you know this place. I remember Ruth bringing you in here from time to time when you were just a kid! And your grandpa, he always used to buy his fishing license here. If I remember right he’d take you fishing right along with him.” He grinned and stacked her groceries in a paper bag as he continued. “You were just a skinny little thing, all big green eyes and arms and legs.”

“Not much has changed since, has it?” The cowboy’s deep voice spoke right behind her. Samantha nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned quickly, hitting her elbow against a rack of sunglasses. “Whoa, steady there!” He caught the wobbling rack and Samantha grabbed her elbow, wincing at the pain sizzling up her arm. “Are you okay? That looked like it hurt.”

Her traitorous heart thumped and her pulse raced at top speed as she stared at him, momentarily stunned into silence. What was wrong with her? “I’m fine, really,” she managed. Time to gather the shreds of her dignity.

She pulled her eyes away from his handsome face and drew herself up to her full five-and-a-half feet, forcing herself to let go of her stinging elbow. She deliberately turned her back to him and gave Dan the most dazzling, confident smile she could muster, ignoring the cowboy’s presence behind her. “Mr. Sanders, it was nice to meet you. I look forward to seeing you soon. Thank you for your kind words.”

If Dan noticed the flushed cheeks and contrived dignity he said nothing. He took her hand, a kind expression on his face. “You come on by if you need anything, Samantha. And don’t pay attention to the clown behind you. He’s just fond of causing trouble. If he wasn’t one of my best customers I’d kick him on out of here for you!”

There was another laugh behind her, courtesy of the gorgeous cowboy. Samantha gathered her bags and turned to go. Mr. Perfect stepped out of her way, tipping his hat in her direction. She refused to look at him. Brushing past his broad shoulder she turned to Dan. “Oh, don’t worry, I won’t pay attention to him.” More laughter, deep and warm, crested behind her like a wave that prickled her skin and washed her out the door into the bright fall sunshine.

* * *

THE PHONE TRUMPETED a faint snippet of Beethoven’s Fifth and Samantha pulled the car onto the gravel shoulder, reaching for her purse. Hopefully it was Mark, dutifully calling to apologize for not attending the funeral with her. Or, more likely, he’d be calling to talk about work. Still, maybe his familiar voice would banish the memory of the handsome cowboy, whose laughter still echoed in her ears. Ugh.

The screen was flashing her mother’s name. Ignoring the stab of disappointment that her boyfriend continued to be AWOL, she answered.

“Samantha! Are you okay? How’s it going?” Her mother sounded revved and excited. She always did, especially before any type of global travel.

“Mom, I’m not even at the ranch yet, but almost. It’s nice here.” She looked around at the ridges rising above her. “Peaceful. Beautiful.”

“Wow, you’re making me miss it.” Samantha could hear an unfamiliar, wistful note in her mother’s voice.

“Really? You know you never liked it here. No one speaking Swahili, no volcanoes erupting, nothing exciting enough for you.”

Her mom laughed. “You’re right. It’s a little tame for your father and me. But gorgeous, nonetheless. Speaking of Swahili, we’re at the airport now. We should be back in Kenya by tomorrow.”

Samantha had spent most of her life on a different continent from her parents, but the familiar pang returned. No matter how often she reminded herself that they were happy this way, traveling the world and making their documentary films, a part of her never stopped wishing they would just stay in one place at least for a little while. She opened her door and stepped out of the car, wanting fresh air to blow out the ghosts of accumulated disappointment. Her foot landed in something unexpected, soft and yielding. She looked down in horror. “Oh, no!”

“What’s wrong, honey?”

“Mom, you won’t believe this. I just stepped in a cow pie.”

Her mother’s giggles filled her ear as Samantha tried to extricate her foot from the clinging green mass. “No, it’s not funny! It’s disgusting!”

“I know dear, it’s just so ridiculous is all. Welcome to the country. And I bet you didn’t follow my advice and pick up some hiking boots before you drove down?”

“I tried mom, but they were all too ugly. I just couldn’t do it.”

“Well, unfortunately Manolo Blahnik doesn’t make anything suitable for ranch living but...”

Samantha listened to her mother’s good-natured teasing as she hobbled over to the grass at the side of the road and attempted to wipe the manure off her boot, trying not to worry about the butter-soft Italian leather she’d paid way too much for. It was awkward, trying to get cow poop off stiletto heels, and she was bent over, using a stick to scrape at it when the last voice she wanted to hear said, “Do you need some help there?” causing her to jump at least three feet in the air. She turned and faced her intruder.

“Mom,” she interrupted, “I have to go. Call you later. Love you.” She shoved the phone into her pocket. The store cowboy, alias Mr. Perfect, was leaning against his truck, arms folded across his chest, looking relaxed and confident. How had she not heard him drive up? How long had he been there, watching her hop around in the grass? She felt a blush creeping up her neck again. “That’s the third time in fifteen minutes you’ve startled me like that!” Her voice was shrill, but she didn’t care. Sometimes the best defense was a good offense.

“Well, not to be rude, but you seem to scare pretty easily.” His eyes were mocking her, again, the lids creased in a smile that she could tell he was trying, and failing, to keep away from his mouth. At least he had the courtesy to try. Only then did she realize that she was pointing a stick covered in cow poop at him.

A thought occurred to her and she advanced, stick extended. “Why are you here? Are you following me?”

“Lady, you’ve been living in the city too long! No, I’m not following you. I live around here and when I saw you pulled over by the side of the road, I thought I’d offer help. That’s what we do out here. Maybe you’ve heard of it? It’s called being neighborly?” He paused for a moment and put his hands up, palms out, as if in self-defense. “And how about putting that stick down?”

Could this get any more embarrassing? First she was hopping in the bushes, now she was threatening assault with cow manure? She looked at the stick, then at him. “Er...manure,” was all she could manage to say. When he looked at her blankly she stumbled on. “I mean, I stepped in it, and I was, well, trying to...” Oh no, this wasn’t going well. Why couldn’t she talk around this man? He leaned slightly back and eyed her warily and her face got even hotter. Maybe it was best just to get out of here and clean the cow manure out of the car later.

She set the stick gingerly down on the ground between them. He relaxed and the smile he’d been trying to contain came out in full force and there was actually a dimple in one cheek. It wasn’t fair for a man to look so good, especially when she looked like such an idiot. She gestured to her car. “Um...well. I’ve got to go.”

“Wait,” he said. “Now that you’ve put your weapon down...” The glance he gave the foul stick was pure amusement. “I bet I’ve got an old rag in my truck that you can use.” He turned around to rummage in the cab, and she tried her best not to stare at his long back and tight, faded Levi’s. It was hard to look away.

Shaking her head, she walked carefully across to her car and braced herself against it, still radiating embarrassed heat but genuinely grateful when he handed her an old Led Zeppelin T-shirt. She bent down and began wiping at the boot, wincing at the pungent smell of cow.

He leaned against his truck, watching. “So, you weren’t planning on a trip to the mountains? Those shoes aren’t exactly meant for the terrain around here.”

Exasperated, she glared at him. “Don’t start! I was getting a lecture from my mother on the same topic when you pulled up.” She finished wiping her poor boot and stood up. She didn’t know what to do with his T-shirt, now covered in filth, so she just held it. “I’m from San Francisco. And you’re right. I didn’t really know I was coming here when I left home.”

He nodded toward the T-shirt. “And you’ve had quite a welcome.”

“Yes, locals keep sneaking up on me, and the resident livestock even left me a welcome gift.” He laughed at that and she couldn’t help but join him. It was all just so ridiculous. So far, her return to her roots was not going at all smoothly. Jenna, one of her best friends, would say these events were all some sort of sign. If that was true, she should turn around and head back to San Francisco as fast as she could.

“So, San Francisco, what brings you to our neck of the wilderness?” The cowboy gestured to the vast peaks unfolding behind them. “I take it you’re not a hiker, or a fan of fly-fishing?”

“Don’t assume you know everything about me just because you don’t like my shoes!” Samantha retorted. She was starting to like this exchange, now that some of the embarrassment was fading. “I’ve caught some fish around here in my time.”

“Hey, I’ve got nothing against the shoes...they’re very sexy.” He flushed. “Sorry, I mean they’re very...um...”

Oh, how nice to see him at a loss for words for a change! It was tempting to just stand there and watch him bury himself in the hole he was digging. But he’d stopped to offer her help so she took pity.

“Pungent?” she suggested. “Odiferous? Expensive and quite possibly ruined?”

His look was genuine gratitude. “Yeah, all of the above.”

“Anyway, you’re right. I’m not exactly here for the fishing, or the hiking. I’m here because my grandmother passed away and I was at her funeral in Reno, and I just couldn’t stay there anymore. So I left and started driving.” Ugh, too much information there. One minute she couldn’t talk at all and the next she was telling him all this? She looked away, out at the fence line on the hill behind him. The posts had weathered to silver and were spotted with lichen.

His voice was serious. Soft. “I’m sorry for your loss. But, yeah, funerals can be rough. Most times they don’t seem to have much to do with the person who’s passed on.”

Samantha studied the fence for a moment longer. The tears were back, blurring her vision. The lump was back, making it hard to speak. She looked down at the messy shirt and he held out his hand.

“I’ll take that for you.”

She looked up and saw his eyes, and they were no longer bright with laughter but deep with compassion. All she could muster was, “Thanks. Look, it was nice of you to stop, but...” She opened the car door to leave, but he stepped forward.

“Wait.” He threw the old shirt into the back of his truck. “Before you go, I might as well introduce myself. I’m Jack Baron.” He wiped his hand on his jeans and then held it out.

Samantha shook it, noting rough callouses, and the strength of his grasp. Somehow she didn’t really want to let go and the shake went on just a beat too long. She pulled her hand away quickly. “Samantha Rylant,” she said. “Do you live around here?”

“Yup, I do. Up this road a bit. Hang on...” He looked at her more closely. “Did you say Rylant? Is...was...your grandmother Ruth?”

“Yes. Did you know her?” Her voice was scratchy but it still worked, barely.

“I only met her a few times, but enough to know she was one of the great ones. I was really sorry to hear that she’d passed away.” His glance was sympathetic. Then he shifted and cleared his throat. “Actually, there’s more to it.” He continued. “I rent...rented...a lot of land from your grandma.”

Her tenant? Oh no, this gorgeous guy was her tenant? The lawyer had mentioned a tenant, but when he’d used the word “rancher” she’d pictured an older man with gray hair and a beer belly. Not a man so beautiful he removed her powers of speech! Not this man, who’d seen her looking ridiculous several times in their very short acquaintance. It was mortifying, and she found herself wishing fervently that she’d never stopped at the Blue Water today.

He regarded her with a searching look, waiting in silence for her reply.

“Wow,” she finally said. Wow? Not a word usually found in her vocabulary. “I’m sorry, you just caught me a little off guard. You see, I inherited the ranch from Ruth. That’s why I came today....”