Winning The Rancher's Heart

Chapter Three

Guilt and regret washed over Jeri as Wyatt stalked back to shut the gate behind the truck, trailer and horses, muttering that they were returning to the house over two hours later than they should’ve been. Their tardiness was, of course, her fault. After her unexpected reaction when she’d found herself in Ryder’s arms, she’d purposefully made every “mistake” she could while “helping” the Smith brothers provide for their cattle. She’d been hoping for an angry outburst from Ryder to remind her why she was right to hate him—and why it was wrong to find his arms around her so very appealing.

It wouldn’t have been an easy morning even without her interference. That being the case, something should have set off Ryder’s temper. Obviously, he was on his best behavior in front of company. Still, she reasoned that she was at least nettling him, priming the pump, so to speak. Eventually, given enough provocation, he’d surely lose control. Wouldn’t he?

Unfortunately, the only one she’d managed to upset thus far was Wyatt, and she couldn’t be happy about adding to the weight on his shoulders. He was a man with a lot on his mind.

Wyatt had called his wife to be sure she was okay and let her know they would be late for lunch. Jeri noticed that Ryder had calmly, gently tried to reassure his brother. Though he addressed himself to Jeri now, his words were clearly aimed at Wyatt as the older brother climbed back into the truck.

“Takes a lot of strength to carry twins, but that’s Tina for you. No challenge too big for her. Why, you should’ve seen the state the house was in when she first came. And, of course, she’ll do anything for the sake of her husband and kids, even put up with his lazy brothers.”

“And which brothers would those be?” Wyatt asked, putting the transmission into gear and starting the rig forward again. “You and Jake have worked your fingers to the bone getting the place in shape.”

“That reminds me,” Ryder said. “Now that the B and B and the shop are fully operational, I’m going to help Jake do some work around his and Kathryn’s place after the weather warms up. They want to add an office and a third bedroom.”

“Sounds good.”

Wyatt pulled the truck up to the small door on the stable end of the barn. Ryder got out and went to untie the horses. Jeri went to help him. She didn’t intend to apologize, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.

“I’m sorry if I made us late.”

“Aw, no,” Ryder said, tossing her that shy, boyish smile so at odds with his muscular build, heavy beard shadow and deep voice. “We’d have taken even longer without your help.”

“I’m not sure Wyatt would agree.”

“Wyatt knows you didn’t intentionally slow us down.”

Except she had, and that knowledge shamed Jeri even as she rationalized it in her mind.

They got the horses to their stalls. Jeri volunteered to open the big, central barn doors while Ryder began unsaddling. She left Wyatt backing the truck and trailer into the barn and went to help Ryder brush down and feed the horses. After unhooking the trailer, Wyatt came to help bring in the other mounts and lend a hand with stowing the tack.

As they worked, the two men discussed the proposed renovations to their brother’s house. Jeri listened with fascination and no little envy as they mulled ways to get Jake to accept their assistance, monetary and otherwise. These brothers obviously cared for one another and supported each other wholeheartedly.

The temperature had risen several degrees while they were out, leading everyone to unbutton their coats and peel off their mufflers as they’d worked. Now, with all the horses again inside the draped stable area, the place soon felt toasty warm. Ryder removed his coat and hung it on a recessed hook. Jeri did the same, but Wyatt kept his on.

“Hurry it up,” he ordered as he went to pull the truck out of the barn and close the big doors. “Otherwise you’ll be eating dinner instead of lunch.”

“Be right behind you,” Ryder called. He shook his head, chuckling.

“Did I miss something?” Jeri asked. She hadn’t heard anything funny in Wyatt’s tone or words.

“I was just thinking that Wyatt can’t stand being away from Tina for any length of time. It was that way even before he started worrying about her and the babies.”

“What’s to worry about?” she asked. “Women have been having babies since the Garden of Eden. Is there cause for concern?”

Ryder shrugged and dropped the curry brushes into the work bucket. “She’s been having some cramps, I think. Doctor says to just keep an eye on it.”

Jeri couldn’t help wanting to put him at ease. “Way I hear it, that’s pretty common in the last months of pregnancy—it’s the body’s way of getting ready to deliver.”

Ryder looked at her, his brow creased with concern. “The babies aren’t due until April.”

In other words, the first week of January was much too soon to deliver a healthy baby, let alone twins. Jeri nodded, now sharing his concern.

“I’ll pray for them.”

The smile he sent her was so sweet that she had to shut her eyes against it. He picked up his jacket and the bucket. She grabbed her own coat and followed him as he carried the curry bucket into the tack room. He came out a heartbeat later, shrugging into his jacket, but when she swung hers around to do likewise, he caught it by the shoulders and helped her into it.

Why that felt like such an intimate gesture, Jeri didn’t know. It wasn’t as if she’d never before been helped into her coat by a handsome cowboy. She told herself it was just because she was predisposed to dislike him but somehow couldn’t. Not yet. Not until he showed his true colors. Once the man who had killed her brother came out, it would be different. Wouldn’t it?

They walked across the dusty yard in silence. As soon as they stepped up into the carport, Ryder peeled off his gloves and stuffed them into his coat pockets. They reached the back door. Ryder opened it and stood aside to let her enter first.

Warmth hit her in a wave, letting her know just how cold it really was out there. As she shucked her gloves and coat, hanging the latter on the back of a chair at the table, she saw that Wyatt hadn’t waited for them before starting to eat. Tina fluttered around, dishing seconds onto his plate from an enormous potpie in the center of the table and then calling Jeri and Ryder over to eat. They obeyed, washing their hands side by side at the kitchen sink before picking up plates from the counter. Ryder dished food onto Jeri’s plate before helping himself. Jeri set her plate in front of the chair with her coat.

Another man occupied a chair at the table. Even if he hadn’t been holding Kathryn Smith’s hand, Jeri would have known he was the middle Smith brother. Jake was as tall as his brothers and had the same dark eyes and heavy beard shadow, but his hair was more brown like Wyatt’s than black like Ryder’s, and he wasn’t as heavily built as the other two. Ryder set his plate on the table and introduced them.

“Jeri, this here is our brother Jacoby. Jake, Jeri Bogman.”

Jake nodded at Jeri but spoke to Ryder. “Heard you’ve had quite a day already.”

“Nothing much out of the ordinary,” Ryder said lightly, pulling out the chair for Jeri.

She glanced around, feeling surprised by that small gesture and foolish for the surge of pleasure it had given her. Ryder stood with his hand on his own chair while she took her seat, aware that everyone was looking at her. Only after she was seated did Ryder pull out the chair next to her and drop down into it.

“How come you’re so late then?” Jake asked. “I thought I was gonna have to go looking for y’all.”

Ryder calmly started eating. “No need for that. So, how’s business? This storm going to put a kink in things?”

“Already has.” Jake talked about charging batteries at two different farms that morning. “The cold weather zaps a weak battery. But I wound up hauling in a broken-down Jeep for restoration. Thing must be sixty years old.”

“Which means you can’t wait to get your hands on it,” Ryder said, grinning.

“Mechanics make house calls here?” Jeri asked.

Everyone else laughed. “Mechanics, veterinarians, doctors, even the grocer if the need is great enough,” Ryder said.

“The grocer in town kindly delivered for us a few times after Mom first came home from the hospital,” Kathryn said softly, “but he’s so limited in what he can offer.” A brief explanation of the accident that had paralyzed Kathryn’s mother followed.

“Folks have to be real neighborly when most conveniences are thirty or forty miles away,” Ryder commented.

“I don’t mind driving out to help someone,” Jake said, glancing at Jeri. “Good way to scope out the surrounding area.”

Obviously, he’d been told that she was shopping for property.

“If this storm is as bad as they’re predicting,” she said, “I may have to wait a few days to start looking around.”

Jake rose then. “Speaking of the weather, I better get back to the shop while I can.” Grinning at Ryder, he added, “Unless the roads ice over, I’ve only got an hour or so to tear into that Jeep before Dean drops off his grandmother’s car for new brakes.” Kathryn quickly rose and followed her husband to the door, where the two whispered farewells and briefly kissed.

Leaning toward Jeri, Ryder softly muttered, “Newlyweds.”

The sound, so close to Jeri’s ear, sent shivers through her. Frowning, she leaned forward and focused on her plate. That wasn’t the thrill of attraction, she told herself; that was revulsion. Whatever it was, it sank her mood into the doldrums.

Wyatt quickly finished his meal and got up to carry his plate to the sink. Kathryn rinsed it and placed it in the dishwasher while Wyatt headed toward the door.

“Where are you off to now?” Tina asked, following him.

“I’m going to rearrange the storage room,” he told her. “Since Jake moved out, it’s been a jumble in there.”

“He says he left some things behind,” Kathryn remarked. “If you’ll set aside anything of his, we’ll get it out of your way.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Wyatt told her, taking his coat from a peg on the wall.

Ryder gulped down a big bite and pushed back his chair. “I’ll help you.”

“No, no. You’ve barely had time to warm up. Finish eating, then go lift your precious weights or see if Jake needs help. Better yet, see to that foot.”

As Wyatt pulled his gloves and muffler from his coat, what sounded like a herd of cattle rumbled down the stairs. A heartbeat later, two small boys and two dogs ran into the room. The dogs, one a pup, went straight to the food and water bowls next to the stove and parked there hopefully, tails wagging.

The older boy, a strawberry blond whose shirtsleeves were too short, went to Tina, declaring, “We’re hungry, Mom. Can we have a snack?”

“You just had lunch.”

“Actually, that was nearly three hours ago,” Kathryn said, catching the smaller boy, who threw his arms around her.

Tina sighed. “Oh, all right. Dinner will be late, anyway.”

The dogs gave up their vigil at the food bowls and moved to the door as Wyatt, who had finished outfitting himself for the cold, reached for the knob.

“Let the dogs go with you, dear,” Tina said, “and don’t stay out there too long.”

“Don’t worry about me,” he told her. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

He allowed the dogs to follow him through the door, pulling it closed behind them.

“KKay, I want stauburries,” the smaller boy announced.

Kathryn smoothed her hand over his dark head. “We don’t have any strawberries.” She pronounced the word carefully. “How about sliced apples and peanut butter for a snack?”

“Yay!”

He ran to Ryder, who drew the boy up to straddle his knee. “Unca Ryder, we got apples an’ peanut budder. Want some?”

“No, thanks.” Ryder hugged the boy. “I’m having another helping of this potpie, though.” Ryder reached around the child to serve himself.

“What’s this about your foot?” Tina asked, waddling back to the table.

Before he could answer, the boy on Ryder’s knee pointed a finger at Jeri. “Who dat?”

“That’s Miss Jeri,” Ryder answered. “She’s our guest.” He waved a hand between the two boys, saying to Jeri, “These are my nephews, Tyler and Frankie.”

Jeri made herself smile at the boys, but she felt off-balance. Ryder Smith wasn’t supposed to be a helpful brother and doting uncle. He wasn’t supposed to make her shiver or want to join in the conversation. He shouldn’t be long-suffering and patient. She shouldn’t appreciate his handling of the horses or find him the most attractive of the Smith brothers. He was a fiend, a villain.

Kathryn brought over two small plates filled with sliced apples, crackers and globs of peanut butter. Frankie slid off Ryder’s knee and right onto his foot. Ryder grimaced.

“Ryder Dodd Smith,” Tina said, folding her arms above the swell of her belly. “What did you do to your foot?”

He shrugged sheepishly. “Something fell on it.”

Jeri tried not to wince as guilt swept through her. She told herself that he deserved a couple of smashed toes, but she couldn’t quite believe it somehow. Especially when he protected her by leaving her culpability out of it.

Tina rolled her eyes. “Get that boot off.” She turned toward the back of the house, saying, “Kathryn, we’re going to need some hot water and then ice packs. I’ll get the Epsom salts.”

Sighing, Ryder sent an apologetic glance at Jeri and started eating again. Kathryn went to heat water.

Feeling as slimy as a slug, Jeri beat a hasty retreat, mumbling that she needed to make a phone call. If she didn’t speak to her mother soon, she was going to lose her nerve. These Smiths were too...normal...too likable, especially Ryder.

As she climbed the stairs, she heard something hitting the roof of the house. Too sharp to be rain and too light to be hail, the sound grew louder as she reached the landing and made her way down the hall to her room. Pushing aside the ruffled curtain, she looked out at the crystalline ice beginning to coat the bare limbs of the trees in the side yard. Within moments, the lawn was sparkling white and the outside of the window had begun to glaze over.

Jeri felt trapped in a prison of her own making.

No. She shook her head. Ryder Smith had made this prison for her family when he killed her little brother. And he had to pay for that. God was going to make him pay for that. She had to believe God would make him pay.

For her own sake, as well as her mother’s, she must make sure of it.

Pulling her small phone from the pocket of her jeans, she found her mom’s phone number and made the call.

* * *

“It’s getting nasty out there,” Kathryn remarked, closing the door behind the dogs, both of which shook themselves off before plopping down on the rug in front of the cookstove.

“Hope this doesn’t last too long,” Ryder commented, pulling on his sock.

Soaking his foot had made his toes throb like a big brass drum, but the ice packs had helped calm the throb. And the over-the-counter analgesic Tina had given him, coupled with the way Kathryn had taped two of the toes together, was taking the edge off what remained.

“Kathryn,” Tina said, “maybe you, Jake and Frankie should spend the night here.”

Kathryn nodded. As Ryder gingerly pushed his injured foot down into his boot, Tina made a sound that pretty well described how it felt to shove broken toes into a cowboy boot. When he looked over at her, though, he saw that she was grasping her belly, her face screwed up in pain.

“Tina!” Kathryn yelped, rushing to her side.

At the same time, Tyler cried, “Mom!”

Gasping harshly, Tina reached out and steadied herself by grabbing Kathryn’s shoulder. She seemed to catch her breath and straightened, only to cry out and double over again. Making a gargling sound, she started to sink. Ryder jumped up and caught her, sweeping her into his arms as she groaned.

“Call the doctor!” he barked, carrying Tina toward the bedroom she shared with Wyatt. Thankfully, the bedroom was on the ground floor and just down the hall from the kitchen. Behind him, Tyler and Frankie slid off their chairs. “Stay where you are, boys!” he ordered.

“The n-number’s on my phone,” Tina managed, clutching his neck with one arm and digging for her phone with the other hand.

Kathryn caught up with them and took the phone as Ryder lowered Tina onto the big bed. Tina curled onto her side, gasping again. Before Ryder could straighten, she grabbed him by the shirtsleeve.

“Get Wyatt.”

“Right away.”

He hurried for the door while Kathryn made the phone call. Tina moaned again; it was a strangled, frightened sound. Looking back in concern, Ryder strode into the hall—and straight into Jeri Bogman.

“Oh!”

He quickly stepped around her, his hands steadying her by the shoulders. “I’ve got to find Wyatt.”

“Something wrong?”

He glanced back into the bedroom before quickly ushering her away from the door, toward the kitchen. “Tina could be in labor,” he said in a low, tense voice.

“Oh, no. Can I do anything?”

“Keep an eye on the boys,” he said, leaving her at the kitchen table as he rushed for his coat. As he yanked open the door, he heard Jeri urging the boys to return to the table. Ryder hurried outside, throwing on his coat and praying silently as he went.

Thankfully, the new carport covered the steps, so they were dry and clear. The ground, however, was already slick with ice, which continued to fall in angry, wet splatters. Nevertheless, he ran, his injured foot screaming with every step. Slipping and flailing his arms to maintain balance, he got to the barn and went in through the small door, calling for his brother.

“Wyatt! Wyatt!” He heard the distant bang of a plank door.

“Ryder?”

He got as far as the middle section of the barn before Wyatt appeared out of the gloom.

“What’s wrong?”

“Tina’s in pain. Kathryn’s calling the doctor.”

Wyatt took off at a dead run.

“Watch the ice!” Ryder yelled, going after him.

Ryder caught up with Wyatt as he grabbed the edge of the barn’s door to keep his feet from going out from under him. He mentally reminded himself to come out later, when the onslaught had stopped, and sprinkle rock salt on the ground around the house and barn. For now, Ryder focused on following Wyatt across the yard as quickly as he could possibly manage in the horrible conditions. He didn’t want to think about trying to drive Tina to the hospital in Ardmore. As he followed his brother to the house, he resumed his fervent prayers.

Please, God. Please don’t let them lose their babies. I’ve given Wyatt enough heartache already. Please don’t let them lose their babies.

The next hour passed at a crawl, with Wyatt and Tina closed in the bedroom and Kathryn going in and out. The boys caught the gloomy atmosphere. Their snacks abandoned, they looked around with wide, worried eyes. Finally, Jeri interceded.

“Say, why don’t you guys show me your room? Bet we can find something to do there.”

“My room,” Tyler clarified.

“I got a room!” Frankie insisted. “I got two.” He held up two fingers in case Jeri didn’t understand, adding, “With puppies.”

“You just nap in the room here,” Tyler argued. “You live in your room in town.”

Jeri lifted her eyebrows at Ryder as she urged the boys toward the stairs. “Let’s go upstairs anyway.”

Ryder thought that she was good with kids, but the greater part of his mind was centered on Tina and Wyatt. Minutes crept by. At last Ryder heard a vehicle pull into the carport. Rushing to the door, he recognized the truck and the couple getting out of it. Wes Billings was a local rancher, and his wife, Alice Shorter Billings, was the local doctor. Ryder closed his eyes and whispered a prayer of gratitude as the pair hurried toward the steps.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Ryder told them.

“Tina’s OB called me,” Alice said. “I came as soon as I could.”

“Thank you so much.”

He stepped back to let them enter then led the way to the bedroom. After tapping on the door, he opened it.

“Wes and Dr. Alice are here.”

Wyatt rose from the chair beside the bed and came to greet them. Wes carried her medical bag into the room, smiled at Wyatt and Tina, left the bag on the chair Wyatt had just vacated, and backed out again, pulling the door closed behind him. Suddenly, Jeri was at Ryder’s elbow.

“We heard a vehicle arrive. Frankie says it’s the doctor.”

“My wife,” Wes supplied. “She’s in with Tina now.”

Ryder quickly made introductions. “Uh, our guest, Jeri Bogman. And Wes Billings.”

Wes shook Jeri’s hand then lifted an eyebrow at Ryder.

“I’m the official house-call barista,” he said. “How about a cup of coffee?”

“It’s already made,” Ryder muttered, fighting the impulse to stand by the bedroom door and listen in case he was needed.

Wes’s next words pulled him away.

“Coffee and prayer,” Wes said. “Being married to a doctor, I’ve learned to specialize in both.”

“That sounds good to me,” Jeri said, lifting a hand to Ryder’s shoulder.

That small hand comforted him in a way he couldn’t describe. Coffee and prayer with Jeri beside him sounded good.

In fact, they sounded essential.

He turned, giving her the best smile he could muster, and led the way back into the kitchen.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.