Saved By Love: Contemporary Cowboy Romance (Carson Hill Ranch Book 11) Read online

  “What is this?!” she demanded, thrusting the thick manila envelope in her brother’s face. He looked up at her and blinked in surprise.

  “I don’t know. I can’t read it if you’re shaking it back and forth like that.” He reached to take it from her hands but she jerked her hand back, glaring at him as she held onto it like a prized possession.

  “It says, ‘Carson Hill Ranch Cowboy Adventures,’” she read from the return address. “Do you care to explain to me why we have a really thick envelope, probably filled with lots and lots of papers to sign, from a cowboy adventure ranch?”

  Oren brightened and sat up straighter in the lounge chair, nearly bouncing out of it in excitement. “You think it means we’re getting to go? Really?”

  “You may not have started college yet and I doubt you ever will, but I did learn one thing just from applying: thick envelopes mean you got in, thin envelopes mean you got rejected. WHY do we have a thick envelope from some stupid cowboy adventure?!” She shook the offending envelope in his face again, but this time he was prepared. Oren snatched it from his hands and read the address for himself. He turned it over as though the back would give him some clue, then held it up to the sunlight as if he could read its contents through the envelope.

  “Wow! Maybe we’re getting to go after all! Mom and Dad said we couldn’t go because I had to go to summer school!” His eleven-year-old face looked so hopeful, so relieved and excited, that Laney almost felt something close to sympathy. She remembered all too well the angry discussions her parents had had with her little brother about trying harder and applying himself and maybe the need to adjust his medication. She knew it wasn’t fair to Oren and that he tried as hard as he could in school, but nothing ever seemed to be enough to bring his grades up. He struggled in school, where she had floated through on her good looks, good grades, and popular status.

  She shook off the thought of feeling happy for him and raged again, leaning close and speaking to her brother in a menacing voice. “So help me, twerp, if I have to go on some stupid dude ranch vacation for a month just because they think you’ve earned it, I will make you sorry!”

  Laney snatched the envelope from his hands and returned to the house, throwing it on the kitchen counter in disgust. For a fleeting second she thought about throwing it away and pretending she knew nothing about it, but realized that would never work now that her over-eager little brother also knew about it. If that envelope, that ticking time bomb that could signal an explosive end to her perfect summer, contained the news she thought it did, she was going to make sure everyone around her was as miserable as she was.

  Chapter Three

  Carey and Casey went over the last few spreadsheets—organized by their more tech-savvy brother, Anders, that is—that contained all of the logistics and details of the upcoming drive. As many years as the twins had been riding with and eventually leading the cattle drive, there were always a few surprises. The months of planning and minute attention to detail were designed to keep those surprises from being harmful, whether to their riders or their herd.

  “Did we get all the permits to move the herds through the towns?” Casey asked, looking up from his laptop. Carey nodded, creasing his forehead as he answered.

  “All but two, but I’ve been on the phone with their county agricultural department. They say they’ve processed them, but someone’s out sick. We should have them by the end of the week, but if not we can request an e-copy.”

  Casey laughed to himself over the way technology had managed to invade even something as old as a cattle drive. Cowboys moved about the family’s ranch wearing smartphones strapped to their hips, and the herd was inventoried with tablet computers and PC stations in the barn. He didn’t even want to think about the technology that was housed out at the ranch’s research facility.

  This invasion of the twenty-first century made events like the cattle drive all that much more special. It was a time when his family, or most of them anyway, would ride out halfway across the country to deliver their animals in much the same way generations of Carsons had before them. It was always a test of their will and their strength, but never a test of their family bond. If anything, they pulled together even closer during those longs days and restless nights.

  “How many outsiders have we got signed up on this one?” Casey asked, forgetting what the last count of reservations had said. Carey clicked a few things on his computer and called out the number. “Whew, that’s more than usual. What made everybody up and decide to play cowboy this time around?”

  “Better economy, better weather, who knows?” his brother answered. “I’m just glad we’ve got all the folks who can babysit them this time around. We’ve had some drives in the past where I felt practically outnumbered, city people versus cowboys.”

  The Carsons always opened up some slots on the drive to let people who wanted to experience an adventure vacation come along. Their presence provided much-needed funds to make the whole event take shape, and they were always glad for the extra eyes along the way, even if these new riders weren’t usually physically as capable as the regular ranch staff. Of course, these people would always have a special place in Carey’s heart, as his own wife, Amy, had found her way to Carson Hill via a cattle drive vacation years ago.

  “Well either way, we’ve got a whole crop of kiddos between the six of us, and they can watch out for the newcomers. The last thing I want is a repeat of anybody getting hurt like that group a few years ago.”

  “Come on, Casey, you can hardly still blame yourself for that. How were we supposed to know the guy was gonna bring explosives on the trip? I don’t know what kind of wildlife he was expecting to run into, but there’s nothing out here that needs a stick of dynamite to handle it. How did he ever get it on an airplane in the first place?”

  “It’s not the airplane that worried me. It’s the idea that we went off on the drive and spent two weeks sleeping at night with that man hanging around before any of us figured out how crazy he was!”

  The brothers’ conversation evolved into laughter as they swapped stories of some of the colorful characters who’d appeared at the ranch over the years, intent on riding like a real cowboy. Carey thought back for a second to the woman who’d tortured Amy during those first few days of the drive, the one who’d made it her personal mission in life to ensure that men knew she was not their inferior, not that anyone had even hinted at it.

  They had gotten to work finalizing other equally important details of the trip when Emily, the family’s cook of more years than anyone could remember, came into the office with a folder thick with papers. She plopped the folder on Casey’s desk and sat on the large brown leather sofa, positioning herself between the two brother’s stations.

  “I’ve done all the calculating and this is what I think we’ll need to order for the trip. The menu’s on top, with each day’s ingredients list and dish needs in sequential order beneath it, starting with the first day. I included the incidentals like dish soap, laundry soap, and body soap, too, and I’ve got to say it, I’m sure glad there’s this much washing taking place on a trip like this! It’s not like the olden days when the cowboys went weeks without getting to wash unless they happened to fall into a creek. They ended the drive smelling worse than the cows!” She laughed at her own joke before waiting for the brothers to answer.

  “You’re amazing as ever, Emily. I don’t know how you had time to do all this and still get all the food on the table four times a day!” Carey flipped through the folder, checking it once in a while against the spreadsheet on his computer while Casey spoke.

  “Well, I have great help. Which reminds me, I’ve been asked about bringing along the new girl, Rose Blalock, since Claire won’t be able to go again this round. She’s got that baby and there’s no way she’d want to be away from the little dear for this long.”

  Casey and Carey looked at each and, as if on some adjoining mental wavelength, both shrugged at the same time. Emily roared wi
th laughter.

  “I haven’t seen the two of you do that since you were small and one of you was in trouble for something! You two used to stick up for each other to a fault by denying everything without ever saying a word!” She wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her chef’s jacket, still laughing.

  The twins exchanged weary looks. Sure, Emily was referring to a time when life was simpler. It was one thing to have the run of the ranch as kids, getting into regular childhood mischief and learning the ropes before taking on more serious roles. Now, though, the day to day operations fell to them, even though their father did what he could from time to time. It wasn’t nearly as exciting, but somehow it was still as exhausting. Instead of being the good kind of tired that came from the physical work of being a cowboy, it was the mental exhaustion that came from not knowing if there were enough hours in the day to get everything done.

  Casey and Carey managed a smile for Emily as she pulled herself up from the sofa and headed back to the kitchen. Carey put his pen down and slid his keyboard away from him, letting his head fall to the desktop for a moment. He spoke without looking up, the empty echo of his voice sounding from underneath his crossed arms, matching the way his heart felt.

  “This drive can’t come soon enough,” he said, his head still down and his voice still muffled. “I need to get away from this desk and see what the sun feels like against my forehead again. I sure do miss it.”

  “You and me both, little brother. I just feel like we’re not ready this year, like we’re forgetting something. We’ve been doing this since we were those little kids Emily just talked about, but I don’t know why this time it feels different. Maybe we should have Dad come in and take a look, just to be sure we’re not missing something. He’s done this forever, he’ll probably catch it right away.”

  “I don’t know, I hate to bother him with this. We’re supposed to be taking this from him, giving him his time to just enjoy all the fruits of his labors. If we even hint that we need him to look things over, you know how he’ll take it. He’ll think we’re taking this project and shoving it back in his lap, like we can’t handle it.”

  “Maybe we can’t handle it,” Casey scoffed. “I mean, we’ve done this for years, several times a year. But something just doesn’t sit right with me this time. I can’t put my finger on it.”

  “We’ll be fine. And I can have a talk with him after dinner if you want, you know, bring it up kind of in a roundabout way without making it sound like we need him to come fix our mess. But it’s not right to put him in this position. We don’t have any right dragging him back into this office when he’s finally learned to let go and just enjoy the ranch.”

  “I know,” Casey said with a defeated sigh. “You’re right. We’ll go through all the checklists again and see if we can find any holes in the plans. Then we can call him for help if we still need it.”

  Chapter Four

  The drive from the airport and out into the Texas countryside meant hours of watching the landscape roll by, flat and empty, while the fifteen passenger van full of chatty guests prattled on. The headache Laney had had since first taking off hadn’t eased up any, and the chipper voices of her fellow passengers only made it worse.

  Instead of inspiring thoughts of the possibilities such untouched land could provide, Laney saw nothing but barren and boring grasslands dotted once in a while with a few dark cows. Even when the sight of several ranchers on horseback surprised her into sitting up taller in her seat, it was short-lived and fleeting. There was nothing about this trip that was going to make her happy, eager, or even remotely interested. She simply refused.

  So Laney was as surprised as anyone when her curiosity was piqued by the tall guy who unfolded himself from the back row of seats at the first stop rest stop. His three-day scruff made his already dark features seem even more ominous, and matched his aloof air. When they piled back in the van to finish the trek to the ranch, she was sure she could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head, despite not having even exchanged a look with him.

  “It’s so wonderful that your whole family is making this trip, dear,” an older woman said, leaning too close to Laney for her liking. “Such a wholesome family activity.”

  Laney rolled her eyes, not even bothering to hide her annoyance for the sake of good manners. She felt her mother’s hand reach across the backs of the seats to smack her lightly in the head, turning in surprise just in time to see her mother cast her a warning look. Laney turned to smile at the old woman but it was too late, she’d already taken offense and turned towards the far window.

  “What do you think we’ll get to do first?” Oren asked her, still clutching the stupid brochure he hadn’t let go of since getting it in the mail. “I hope we get some riding lessons before we go on the drive.”

  “Why are you talking to me, twerp? I’m pretty sure we have a rule about this, and you just broke it.” Laney crossed her arms and slunk down in her seat until the back of her head rested against it. Oren continued as if she hadn’t spoken, unfazed by her typical behavior.

  “I’m gonna sign up for cattle roping. You never know when it’ll come in handy. And then there’s knot tying, fire building, and a whole bunch of other stuff. This is so cool!”

  Laney didn’t open her eyes but raised her hands and did her own weak rendition of jazz hands in mock excitement. Still her little brother was unbothered by her ignoring him.

  “And then there’s this whole day trip where we can go rafting or tubing…”

  “Oh my god, would you shut up already? You got your stupid way, we’re going on this dumb cowboy thing! Now just stop running your mouth about it!” Lane didn’t realize how loudly she’d yelled until she noticed the shocked silence that filled the van. All around her, startled passengers responded first with stunned expressions then morphed into downright anger.

  “Well, some of us paid good money to come on this ‘dumb cowboy thing,’ young lady. If you don’t like it so much, why don’t you ask the driver to drop you on the side of the road?” an older man called out from somewhere at the back of the van. Laney looked around sheepishly before catching her mother’s eye.

  “Apologize right now, Laney. NOW. To your brother and to all these people.”

  Laney mumbled her apologies to the other passengers before hissing at her brother. “You are so dead, you little jerk. Just wait ‘til we get off this van.”

  As if the very public humiliation wasn’t bad enough, Laney felt those eyes again, only this time she could tell they were judging her. So what? She thought to herself. He didn’t even know her, he had no right to judge. For all anyone knew, he was a horrible person too. If only the driver of the van hadn’t shot her ugly looks in the rearview mirror, too.

  This was shaping up to be a long, annoying vacation filled with people she would never choose to get in an elevator with, let alone go on a month-long camping trip with. And to top it off, dark and scruffy was judging her and the guy from the ranch was obviously put out with her.

  “Well, that was dumb and embarrassing, don’t you think?” her mother said in her ear. Laney jumped at the sound of her mother’s voice, startled to find her mother sitting right next to her, Oren cowering in against the window where her mother had been sitting. “I’m not sure what your problem is, but I suggest you get your ugly attitude in check and I mean quickly. Otherwise, this will be the longest trip in the history of land travel.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Laney muttered, loathing the feeling of being chastised like a spoiled child having a tantrum. It wasn’t long before she felt her mother’s hand entwined in the crook of her arm, pulling her towards her until she rested her head against her mother’s shoulder. Her heart wasn’t in it, but it still felt good to know she wasn’t a total outcast.

  “That’s my girl. Just put aside your mad feelings and give this a try. Your brother has worked really, really hard, harder than you’ve ever had to. He’s wanted this for a long time, and even more, he’s earned this.
We all owe it to him to be supportive and help him enjoy this trip.” Her mother whispered the rest of her threat in Laney’s ear. “And just because you’re a college student now doesn’t mean you’re a self-sufficient adult. You’re a part of this family too, and you will behave the way we’ve taught you to for the rest of this trip, or there will be a really interesting surprise waiting in your bank account when you go back to school in the fall. If you don’t want to spend more time working a minimum wage job than you do attending class, I suggest you remember that we’re a family of four.”

  Laney nodded, but still felt the clenching in her jaw that she couldn’t let go of. She could put on a brave face for her little brother, and truthfully, even she had to admit that things were hard for Oren. It didn’t mean she was giving in or going whole hog for this dumb cowboy thing, even if she did stop complaining so much.

  She looked up and couldn’t help but notice two steely gray eyes staring into hers in the reflection of the rearview mirror. She couldn’t read the emotion there, but a chill went through her. It wasn’t a good feeling, as the embarrassment coursing through her met with the indignation of the whole scene, all mixed into the hurt she felt at being called out. There was even a tiny, reluctant sprinkling of sympathy for her little brother, the baby of the family who’d always had to struggle to keep up.

  Laney straightened her shoulders and held her head high, meeting the stranger’s gaze. She didn’t cower to anyone, least of all some brooding know-it-all who sat judging her from the back seat. She gave the reflection her fiercest look and turned away, dismissing him in her own way and on her own terms.

  +++

  Bernard rode out from the main ranch house for his daily ride, his daughter-in-law Miranda accompanying him as usual. He tried really hard not to have favorites among his family members, and with six sons it was easy not to single anyone out. But Miranda had been the first girl to marry into the family, and over the years he couldn’t help but compare everyone else to this feisty woman from a big city in New Jersey. She’d come out here on a whim and decided she loved the ranch—and his oldest son, Casey—enough to stay. That made her more than all right in his book.