Loe raamatut: «Redeeming The Rancher»

Chapter One

Alexis Grainger awoke to the smell of bacon and the tinny sound of pots and pans being shifted around in one of the kitchen cupboards. It might have been a pleasant surprise—if it wasn’t for the fact that she lived alone.

With a start, she bolted out of bed, shakily wrapping a plush magenta-colored cotton robe around herself. She reached for her cell phone, which she usually kept on the nightstand, but it wasn’t there. Her pulse ratcheted up right along with her thoughts. Where was her stupid phone? In her purse? Her coat pocket? Not good either way, since she routinely dumped them both in an inglorious heap on one of her kitchen chairs.

Her heart slammed in her chest as she looked around for anything she could use as a weapon against the intruder. In a panic, she swiped the largest item from her vanity and tucked it into the pocket of her bathrobe.

Oh, why didn’t she keep a baseball bat by her bed?

Maybe because she didn’t play baseball. And maybe because she resided in small town Serendipity, Texas. Crime was virtually nonexistent here. Only businesses secured their doors at night. Regular townsfolk rarely bothered to lock their cars, much less their houses. There was simply no need.

At least until now there wasn’t. She sucked in a breath and held it. She had locked her door last night, hadn’t she?

Yes. Of course she had. Or at least, she thought she had, since her ranch was also technically a nonprofit ministry. Out of habit, if nothing else. Oh, Lord, please let there be a rational answer. But how else would someone have gotten in? Only her twin sister,

Vivian, had a key.

Vivian.

Alexis let out the breath she’d been holding and her shoulders sagged in relief.

Of course. It had to be Vivian, even though Alexis hadn’t expected to see her. Vivian was busy in Houston trying to get her new business off the ground and didn’t have time to make the commute home more than a few times a year, but it was the only explanation that made sense.

For about one second.

Until she remembered that Vivian could not and did not cook.

At all. Ever. Period. Exclamation point.

Alexis dearly loved her sister, but she had no qualms admitting that the woman couldn’t even boil water, much less cook bacon.

Then again, house thieves didn’t pause to cook themselves a meal, either; at least none that Alexis had ever heard of.

Rational explanation, Alexis, she coached herself. Don’t panic. Don’t freak out.

Despite her efforts to be quiet, she couldn’t contain the shaky laugh that tittered from under her breath, more nervous than amused, as she pictured a thief cooking breakfast in her kitchen. Barefoot and silent against the hardwood floor, she crept down the hallway toward the kitchen. The light was on, bacon was crackling on the stove and someone was humming.

A male someone.

Definitely not Vivian, then.

Alexis plastered herself to the wall, her breath coming in short gasps, her skin burning as if it was on fire. Even though she’d doubted the mystery intruder was Vivian, she’d still held out hope that there was nothing more sinister at work here than her sister fresh off a cooking class. But there was a man in her kitchen. And he appeared to be making himself at home.

What on earth?

Her pulse was pounding in her ears, nearly drowning out the sound of the mystery man. She was going to be in full-out panic mode if she hesitated much longer. Before she could think better of it, her fist circled around the makeshift weapon in her pocket and she sprang forward, brandishing the flat-iron wand in front of her like a sword.

“Who are you and what are you doing in my house?” she demanded with a good deal more bravado than she actually felt. If her voice came out a little high and squeaky, who could blame her?

The tall man hovering over the oven had been humming a pleasant tune to himself, but when he heard her voice he jumped back in surprise. He dropped the tongs he was holding and they clattered into the pan, spraying grease over his exposed left hand. He howled in protest and shook his wrist, then nursed his knuckle between his lips.

“Who am I?” he growled as he swiveled around to face her. “The better question would be…” The man’s sentence drifted off into a strained silence and his dark brows lowered over gray-blue eyes. He shook his head, clearly bewildered.

“I asked you a question.” Alexis lifted her weapon and took a defensive stance.

“Vivian? What are you doing here?” He hesitated a moment, his head tilting as he scrutinized her features. Uncertainty flashed in his eyes. “You’re not Vivian.”

Alexis sighed in relief and let her posture relax a bit. If the man knew her sister, then he probably wasn’t a thief, although what he was doing making breakfast in her kitchen was still a mystery.

That said, she was impressed that he could tell her apart from Vivian. Most folks couldn’t, at least not right away. It wasn’t the first time she’d ever been mistaken for her twin sister and it probably wouldn’t be the last. But she reminded herself not to give him too much credit. Since this man knew Vivian, he’d probably realized his mistake in calling Alexis by her sister’s name as soon as he saw the complete lack of recognition on her face.

He was clearly out of his element, and not just because he was cooking up a meal in her kitchen as if he owned it. She guessed him to be in his mid-thirties and well-to-do. Thick dark hair threaded with the occasional touch of silver lent him a sophisticated air. Everything about the guy screamed city boy, from the spit-shine of his black cowboy boots to the designer scarf draped around his neck.

Designer clothing. On a guy. In Serendipity, Texas. He might as well have a Kick Me sign on his back. Men around here wore the scuffs in their boots like trophies.

“Alexis,” she corrected. “Grainger. Vivian’s twin sister.”

“Alexis? A-Alex?” he stammered. “I… I’m, uh…”

“Confused, obviously.” No one ever called her Alex, for one thing.

He nodded adamantly. “Yes, there is that. Were you—” he gestured toward her hand, one corner of his lip rising “—planning to stab me with your curling iron?”

Heat flooded her face as she hastily lowered her “weapon.” She stuffed the flat-iron wand back into her bathrobe pocket, frantically looping the uncooperative tail around her palm. The cord stubbornly refused to follow and it took a humiliating length of time to complete the action. Her cheeks were positively burning by the time she finished.

“Yes. No,” she stammered, shaking her head and scowling at the unwanted intruder. So he wasn’t a random stranger but rather a friend of her sister’s. That didn’t mean he was welcome to barge into her home at a ridiculous hour of the morning. “Maybe. I thought you were a burglar.”

Alexis didn’t like the way the stranger flustered her with his sharp gaze. She liked it even less when he burst into laughter at her expense.

“Lady, if I was intent on swiping your possessions or causing you bodily harm, you would have been a lot smarter to sneak out the front door, get yourself to safety and call the cops on me. I’m guessing most criminal types wouldn’t be deterred by your curling iron, no matter how bravely brandished.”

His eyes flooded with amusement, but there was something else there, too.

Admiration.

The nerve of the man.

“Well, you’re not here to steal my things or to hurt me, now, are you?” she demanded, annoyed that she continued to wrestle with the ridiculous inclination to defend her actions. Why should she? He was the one who was trespassing.

“No, ma’am, I’m not.”

“It’s a good thing for you I didn’t call the police or you’d be in handcuffs right now. You should be thanking me, not giving me a hard time.”

“Thank you,” he said, sounding as if it were more of a concession to her than a heartfelt expression of gratitude. His lips quirked as he wiped his greasy palm against the black denim on his thigh. He extended his hand. “Griff Haddon, at your service.”

“At my service? Really? I was under the impression you were helping yourself to breakfast.” She ignored his outstretched hand and crossed her arms, not caring if the gesture looked defensive. Why should she care what he thought?

“I brought my own food.” He gestured to a canvas bag tipped flat on the counter, spilling a carton of eggs and a loaf of bread.

“How reassuring.”

He frowned. “Obviously there’s been a misunderstanding here.”

“Oh, I believe I understand just fine, or at least I can take a good stab at it. If I don’t miss my guess, you’re making yourself at home in my house because of something my ditzy sister said or did. What’s lacking here is communication, a fact I’m going to rectify at my earliest convenience. I have a few words to exchange with my dear sister. I’m assuming she loaned you the key to our house?”

He scoffed and shook his head. “I’m glad you seem to think you’ve got a handle on what’s happening, because I certainly don’t. Yes, your sister gave me the key to the house, but in my defense, I was given to understand it would be empty. And for the record, I thought Vivian’s sibling was a guy.”

“I’m not, obviously.”

“Obviously,” he agreed wryly, his gaze altering as he swept a glance over her that made her skin prickle. She was relieved when he shifted his attention back to the stove and the bacon, which had burned down to shriveled, blackened crisps. Smoke was billowing from the pan. Griff snapped the knob on the burner off with a grunt.

“I’m surprised the fire alarm didn’t go off,” she said with a chuckle. Not that she’d noticed the food smoking any more than he had. She’d been too intent on Griff’s presence to pay attention to anything else. Her house could have blazed down around them and she would have been oblivious.

“Sure, just rub it in,” he muttered crossly as he wrapped a towel around the handle and removed the skillet from the burner. “There goes my breakfast, and after I drove half the night to get here in the first place,” he added in disgust. “Oh, well. It is what it is. Where do you keep the trash can?”

Alexis leaned her hip against the table. Now it was her turn to be amused. “Under the sink. But there’s no sense throwing perfectly good meat away, even if it’s burned to a crisp.” She couldn’t help but rub it in a little bit. “I’ve got a few dogs out back that’ll be happy to chow down on that bacon. If you hand me the skillet I’ll take care of it.”

“Dogs, huh?” he said, gingerly transferring the pan to her, towel and all. “Good thing I didn’t run into them. They probably would have believed I was an intruder, as well.”

“Good thing,” she agreed, opening the back door and depositing the contents of the skillet into one of the dog dishes just to the right of the door. Good thing for him, anyway. In her mind, he was an intruder of sorts, even if he had no intention of making off with her flat-screen television. He was lucky she wasn’t the type of woman to sic her dogs on him.

“Coffee cups?” Griff asked when she returned. “Once I’ve got some caffeine in me, I’ll explain what I know and maybe you can fill in the rest. After that, I guess we’ll decide what we’re going to do about this…situation.”

She pointed to the cabinet above the microwave. What did he mean, decide what they were going to do? He was going to leave, thank you very much, and the sooner, the better—like, as soon as he had coffee in his system.

“It’s hazelnut coffee. Cream or sugar?”

“Black, thank you.”

He retrieved two mugs and poured the steaming coffee, then offered her one and gestured her to a seat on the bench side of the small breakfast nook table she kept in one corner. The larger table, where she usually took meals with her kids from the ranch, was located in the dining room. Her house was usually brimming with troubled teenagers, but this was the weekend between Mission Months and all was uncharacteristically quiet.

He waited until Alexis was seated before sliding into the chair opposite her and capturing her gaze with his.

“So let me get this straight,” Alexis began, diving straight to the point. “Vivian loaned you her key and led you to believe the house was vacant.” She cupped her mug in both hands and breathed in the rich hazelnut scent. “And you’re looking for—what? A vacation? Some time away from the hustle and bustle of Houston?”

The left side of his lips twitched. “It’s a little more complicated than that.” He threaded his fingers through the tips of his dark salt-and-pepper hair, spiking the ends even more than they already were. “I’m looking to settle down, take a permanent vacation from the rat race, so to speak. Buy a ranch. Raise some horses.”

He was a little too young to be thinking of retiring. In fact, he was a lot too young. Yet the sheer determination on his face gave Alexis no room for doubt that he meant what he said. If he was looking for peace and quiet, Serendipity was the perfect town for it—but really, what could this city boy possibly know about ranching? He would crash and burn in a week on a working ranch.

Wait. He wanted to buy a ranch?

Her heart sank. Oh, no. What had Vivian done?

“You’re not thinking of buying Redemption Ranch, are you?” Alexis’s voice squeaked out an octave higher than usual. With the financial troubles she’d been facing recently, losing her childhood home was at the forefront of her mind. Unless she could find a new source of capital, there was a very great possibility her worst case scenario was about to become a reality and she wouldn’t be able to afford to keep the place running. But she wasn’t ready to sell yet—or ever, if she could avoid it. Ugly knots formed in her gut. Surely her sister hadn’t suggested that their land might be for sale. Yes, the land belonged to both of them but Alexis was the one who was actually doing something with it. Vivian was self-absorbed, but not so much that she didn’t understand what the ranch meant to Alexis.

No ranch, no ministry.

Alexis had done everything in her power to see that Vivian could follow her dreams. She’d sacrificed everything—possibly even her own hopes and plans. It looked that way right now, in any case.

Griff chuckled and held up a hand, bringing Alexis’s attention back to the present. “As I assured you earlier, I’m not here to swipe anything, and I’m not the least bit interested in your home, stealing or buying. Vivian told me all about the area, and it sounded like the perfect place to settle down. I’m looking for something in or around Serendipity. Vivian kindly offered to allow me to stay at the ranch while I searched for a place of my own.”

“I see,” Alexis murmured, chewing on her bottom lip as her thoughts flew in several directions. While it was typical of her flighty sister to offer help without really thinking through the consequences, it seemed a little extreme for Viv to lead Griff to believe the house was vacant. She knew perfectly well that Alexis lived on the premises—not to mention that the ranch was generally overrun with teenagers. And then there was the odd addition of Vivian referring to her as Alex. That just wasn’t right. She had never called her Alex before in her life.

What possible reason could Vivian have for such a deception? Something wasn’t adding up. Unfortunately, Alexis never had been all that proficient with math, even the emotional kind. She was flummoxed.

What a mess.

The worst of it was the preposterous tug of guilt she was feeling for the way Viv had put the poor man out. Alexis almost felt as if she owed Griff something to make up for her sister’s lack of foresight. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d had to clean up her ditzy twin’s messes.

She glanced at the clock on the stove. She had a phone call to make—from an irate sister to an imprudent one. She wanted answers, and she wanted them now.

But first she had to decide what she was going to do with Griff. He was definitely the most immediate problem. Vivian had given him some impossible promises, and it wasn’t Griff’s fault he’d been duped into believing her when she’d said he could stay at the supposedly vacant ranch house.

Then again, it wasn’t exactly Alexis’s responsibility, either. Why should she suffer for her sister’s lack of common sense and be forced to try to find a place for this city slicker to stay?

And yet here she and Griff were, both in a pickle, and Vivian was, as usual, nowhere in sight.

One thing was certain. Griff couldn’t stay at the Grainger house.

“What’s the frown for?” he asked, intently studying her face.

“Just trying to figure out how to keep everybody happy here.”

He chuckled. “Good luck with that. Talk about a sticky situation.”

“No kidding.” Alexis ran a hand down her face. How was she supposed to tell him he’d come all this way for nothing?

“You’re trying to figure out how to send me packing,” he guessed, though he made the statement with a smile.

She hesitated. “Well—yes. Politely,” she admitted. “I’m sorry, but Vivian’s put me in an impossible situation here. Not to mention what she’s done to you. The way I see it, you have two options—go back to Houston or find somewhere else to stay in the area. And, quite frankly, there aren’t a lot of choices here in Serendipity.”

“Cut to the chase, why don’t you?”

Alexis cringed. “Sorry. I know I’m blunt. I’ve never been the type to beat around the bush when I have something to say.”

“You call it like it is. Nothing wrong with that.”

Unless you’re trashing a man’s plans.

Alexis gulped at her coffee and struggled to regain her equilibrium.

“Hotel?” he suggested, tipping his chair back onto two legs and threading his fingers behind his neck.

“Sorry, no such thing in Serendipity. We don’t have enough visitors in town to warrant such an extravagance. You won’t find one within an hour’s drive. However, the Howells have a nice bed-and-breakfast located across town. It’s still a little early in the day, but I’m guessing they’re up for church by now. Would you like me to give them a call?”

Griff nodded in agreement and rose to refill their coffee mugs while she stepped out of the room to phone the Howells. She was back less than a minute later with bad news.

“Well, we can scratch that idea. The Howells are booked solid for the next month. It’s family reunion season, and if there’s one thing Serendipity folk celebrate, it’s family.”

Griff set her refilled cup in front of her, slid back into his seat and stretched his arm across the back of the chair next to him. “I know this sounds unconventional, but do you have a spare bedroom I could use? I promise I won’t be in the way, and I’ll be out of your hair as soon as I can secure a place of my own. I’ll even cook you breakfast if you’d like.” The confident grin he flashed her exposed even teeth and a dimple on his right cheek. He looked like a man who never heard the word no.

He was in for a disappointment.

“Absolutely out of the question.” She didn’t even need a moment to think about it. The man had no idea what he was asking. Zero. Zip. None.

He raised his eyebrows, a glint in his eyes. She couldn’t decide whether he was shocked by her outburst or was silently urging her to continue. Maybe a little of both.

She pressed her lips together and shifted her gaze over his left shoulder. Out the kitchen window gray doves were clustering near a feeder on her deck. A sign of peace amid a moment of tension. God’s silent reminder. Alexis took a deep breath and prayed for guidance.

There were dozens of reasons why Griff couldn’t stay at the house. She ticked them off in her head.

He wasn’t family, for starters. Serendipity was a painfully small town where the gossip mill was concerned. Alexis didn’t want to risk even the appearance of impropriety. And despite his reassurance that he’d stay out of her way, she knew herself well enough to know she would feel obligated to treat him like a guest. Adding one more mouth to the supper table wouldn’t be much of a hassle, but squiring him around town while he got his bearings and keeping him entertained here at the ranch was another thing entirely. No matter what Griff said to the contrary, he would be a problem for her.

Last—or maybe it should have been listed first—she had another group of teenagers arriving for boot camp on Monday. She ran Redemption Ranch as an alternative to community service for troubled teens facing misdemeanors, a chance to change their lives for the better. Her hands were full. And so was her life.

She felt sorry for the man, but then, it really wasn’t her fault he was in this predicament, nor was it her problem to fix.

At least in theory.

In practice, she had a man curiously staring at her over the breakfast table, apparently waiting for her to pull a bunny out of a hat…or something. Unfortunately she was fresh out of rabbits. She clasped her cup in both hands and squarely met his gaze.

“I’ve got to be honest with you, Griff. I don’t have any idea what I’m going to do with you.”

* * *

Griff locked gazes with the woman sitting across from him, her hands clenched so tightly around her coffee mug that her fingers were quivering. He was afraid the glass might shatter under the pressure she was exerting on it.

She didn’t know what to do with him? He didn’t know what to do with her. The last thing he’d expected to find when he’d come to Serendipity was a woman living in the “vacant” house he was supposed to be borrowing. He didn’t know who’d been more shocked by their first meeting—Alexis thinking he was an intruder in her home, or him being surprised by a wild woman brandishing a curling iron. His knuckles still smarted from the splattered grease. But once the surprise had faded, disgruntlement had sunk in. The situation was hardly his fault. He’d acted in good faith, believing he had a confirmed place to stay. He couldn’t be blamed for Vivian’s deception. And in spite of it all, he was trying to be reasonable, trying to compromise.

One thing was for certain—Alexis Grainger hadn’t left much bargaining room.

“No room for negotiating?” he suggested mildly. He’d been successful in his career as venture capitalist for a reason. He’d learned to keep his emotions in check, to always be confident and that it never hurt to ask.

“Absolutely none whatsoever.”

Then again, asking for what he wanted could be a pointless gesture.

“Well, I’m not going back to Houston without finding what I came here for.” He wasn’t going back to Houston at all. He set his jaw. She wasn’t the only one who could be stubborn. “It appears to me that your sister pulled a fast one on both of us.”

“Says you.” Alexis sniffed and shrugged offhandedly. “From my perspective, you’re the one who got duped.”

Griff’s dander rose. Duped? Was that how she saw him? As a man easily swayed by a pretty face? Did he have it written on his forehead, or was it just part of a woman’s natural mystique to be able to read a man like an open book?

It wasn’t that long ago that he’d made the mistake of taking the word of a manipulative woman at face value. He’d believed himself to be less trusting now. Wiser. And yet apparently he hadn’t learned his lesson at all. Though he still had no idea what her motive for all of this was, he couldn’t deny that he’d stepped right into Vivian’s scheming trap with eyes wide open. Now her beautiful twin considered him a chump.

If the shoe fit…

He’d already gone down that road and was the not-so-proud owner of the T-shirt. Color him a slow learner.

“No, I don’t think so.” He wasn’t answering her so much as reprimanding himself, and didn’t immediately realize he’d spoken aloud—not until Alexis lifted a high-arching blond brow in response.

“No? What do you mean, no?”

“Look, I don’t mean to be difficult, but I really need to stay in Serendipity, to do this one thing for myself. I can’t even begin to describe how important this is for me.” It wasn’t as if he could head back to Houston with his tail between his legs. He couldn’t, and he wouldn’t. It wasn’t even an option for him. He’d put his apartment on the market and had his things placed in storage until he could move them out to whatever property he purchased. Decisive action had always been his trademark. Once he’d made the decision to leave Houston behind, he’d shut down his life there in record time.

He hadn’t ever wanted to be a part of the wealthy, high-society scene to begin with, and now? Well, never again. His ex-girlfriend Caro had singlehandedly shredded everything he’d worked for his entire life, everything that mattered to him both personally and professionally. And the reactions of those around him had just twisted the knife. The gossip had been painfully humiliating and had just gone to prove to him how little he could count on the people he had thought were his friends. Half the point of moving here was the anonymity the new surroundings afforded.

“All I can say is that, for reasons too complicated to explain, it’s the perfect time for me to start over. Move forward, rather. Horse ranching has been a lifelong dream of mine, and I’m finally in a position where I can pursue it. But I’m floundering, here. I’d really like your help to find a viable solution to my problem.”

If there was no hotel, no availability at the only

B and B and no room for him at Redemption Ranch, then he wasn’t sure what that viable solution might be. The only thing he could think of was to find someone willing to rent him a spare bedroom or garage apartment. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that. He had more than enough money to make it worth someone’s time to rent him the space, but the last thing he wanted to do was to start flinging his money all over town. That was why he’d been so quick to snap up Vivian’s offer to borrow her house. He could lay low at the Grainger’s, not have to bump heads with any more people than strictly necessary. The less folks knew about him, the better.