Susan Mallery: The Rancher Next Door

“It’s all he knows.”

“Then what he knows is wrong,” she said, sounding frustrated. “I don’t want to be like him.”

“You’re not. You’re reasonable and open.”

She looked at him. “If you ever see me acting like him, please tell me. I swear I’ll do everything in my power to change.”

Jack turned the truck and drove toward the main house. “Hell of a day,” he said.

“Tell me about it. What are you going to do about your house?”

“I don’t know.” His house was the least of it, he thought. What was he going to do about Katie and Shane?

The Darby ranch spread around him. In the distance he saw grazing cattle, placid now that the storm had passed. A few miles away stood the main house and the barns. This was his world. He’d taken it for granted, hated it, tried to escape it, or at least change it. Finally he’d made peace with his heritage. He belonged here as much as the contours of the ground and the trees and streams. He would live out his days and probably die on this land.

Jack slowed the truck. He breathed in and felt the connection and sense of purpose. He belonged here. The land defined him as much as his name. He wasn’t just Russell Darby’s son, he was the product of all the generations that had come before him.

His father had lived and worked the Darby land, but he’d never been a part of it. If he had, he couldn’t have walked away. Not from his family and not from the ranch. Jack stopped the truck and turned off the engine.

“Jack?”

He turned to Katie and smiled. “I’m fine.”

He searched her face, taking in the blue eyes and full mouth, the curve of her cheeks, the blond curls, the intelligence, the humor. She was a Fitzgerald down to her bones. She’d gone away, but eventually she’d been drawn back. Just as he would be drawn back if he ever tried to leave.

His father had been a fool, he realized, seeing the truth for the first time in nearly twenty years. Russell may have gained his freedom, but he’d lost everything else. His wife, his children, his chance to be a part of history. Jack could never respect a man like that. He didn’t hate his father anymore; he pitied the man.

He took Katie’s hand in his and squeezed her fingers. “There are never going to be any answers about my father,” he said. “I’ll never see him again, I’ll never be able to ask why.”

She bit her lower lip. “I know. Is that going to be okay? Can you live without the answers?”

He considered her questions, then nodded. “I don’t want to know. There’s nothing he can say that will change my life. He’s gone. I’ve been carrying bad memories and pain around with me as if they were magic talismans, but they’re not. They’re poison. Mom always told me to remember the good stuff and let the rest of it go. She’s right. I should have listened.”

“No,” Katie said, leaning toward him. “You had to learn your own lesson your own way.”

He touched her face. “You’re so damn brave. What were you thinking, telling me you loved me? You had to know I wasn’t ready to hear that.”

“I couldn’t help it. That’s how I feel. I swear I’ll never leave you again. I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that, if you’ll let me.”

She was stronger than he’d ever imagined. Not just because she’d made a success out of her life, but because she did the right thing, regardless of how much it hurt. She’d raised her son on her own, she’d moved back to Lone Star Canyon, she’d walked away from her father’s house. She’d told Jack she loved him when she’d known he wasn’t willing to admit his feelings or commit to a relationship.

His fingers curled around her jaw. “What did I ever do to deserve you?” he asked quietly.

“You don’t have to deserve me. I love you, Jack. I probably always have…from the very first time we met, when you taught me to ride a bike.”

He pushed the duffel containing the first aid kit onto the floor and pulled her close. When he could feel the beating of her heart and taste her lips, he breathed her name.

“I’m sorry,” he told her. “Sorry for being stubborn, for not seeing everything you tried to tell me.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I understand.”

“No. I have to say the words, and you deserve to hear them. You’ve already missed out on too much because I’ve been a stubborn fool.”

Her eyes widened, then brightened with hope. “Jack?”

He smiled. “I love you, Katie. You and Shane. And I’m sorry about the baby, because I want to have children with you. You’re everything I want, everything I need. I can’t imagine living without you and I don’t want to. I want you to marry me, to be with me always. I want us to build a new house together. I want to be a father to Shane and a husband to you.”

Katie didn’t know what to think. Was she dreaming or was this really happening? She desperately wanted to believe him.

“I love you,” he repeated. “Please marry me.”

She flung her arms around his neck and whispered, “Yes, oh, yes. I’ll marry you. Just promise to love me forever.”

“At least that long.”

She felt tears burning her eyes, but these were happy tears. “You know certain members of our family aren’t going to be happy about this. There’s going to be a lot of gossip and-”

His warm mouth settled on hers, the heat stealing her words.

“To hell with them,” he said between kisses. “Maybe we can teach by example and eventually they’ll get along.” He drew back and looked at her. “Does it matter?”

She shook her head. “No. I want to be with you. I just wanted to be sure that you knew what we were facing.”

“A lifetime together. You in my bed every night, our children’s laughter, birthdays and anniversaries, memories and love. I know exactly what I’m getting into. I can’t believe how lucky I am.”

“Me, too.”

They’d come a long way to find each other, and now they were finally where they’d always belonged. Joining the Darbys and the Fitzgeralds in a part of Texas known as Lone Star Canyon.

is the bestselling author of over thirty books for Silhouette. Always a fan of romance novels, Susan finds herself in the unique position of living out her own personal romantic fantasy with the new man in her life. Susan lives in sunny Southern California with her handsome hero husband and her two adorable-but-not-bright cats.