Rebecca Winters: Home to Wyoming

“I’m sure that won’t be necessary. Once she meets Johnny, she’ll be so preoccupied that she’ll forget to be upset. There’s something about this ranch that gives people a new perspective.”

She stood and walked over to the door. “I hope you’re right. I can tell you one thing. You knew exactly how to calm Jenny’s fears tonight. For that, I’m indebted to you. Thank you for inviting us here. You’ll never know what that letter from the ranch did for me and Jenny. At a very dark hour for her, it gave us the hope that a brighter future was in store.”

Buck could hardly swallow for the sorrow he was feeling for their family. “I’m so glad it did that for you. Good night, Alex. See you in the morning.”

Without lingering, he hurried outside and whipped off his mask. After the rain, the scent of sage hung heavy in the air. Willy was waiting for him in the van. “Everything all right, Buck? You look...disturbed.”

He put his apparatus back in the locker. “To be honest, disturbed doesn’t come close to what I’m feeling.” His thoughts were in chaos.

Willy started driving them along the puddled dirt road toward the parking area at the side of the main ranch house. “Mrs. Forrester is a knockout.”

That she was. “Just so you know, her name is actually Alex Wilson. She’s Jenny Forrester’s grandmother.”

“Grandmother—” At that revelation, Willy pressed on the brakes and looked at him. “Come on... You’re joshing me, right? How could she be a grandmother?”

Buck’s eyebrows lifted. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to do the math. Her granddaughter just turned seven.” He could hear Willy’s brain working.

“She would have to be forty or damn near close.”

“Yep.” But she could pass for ten years younger and was planning to get married. “Her daughter died soon after Daniel Forrester was killed by a grenade.”

Quiet reigned until they reached the ranch house. “That’s awful. The poor little kid.”

“You can say that again.” They’d both suffered too many losses. Buck opened the door. “Thanks for the lift, Willy. See you tomorrow.”

Buck entered the ranch through the front door, coughing his way back to the office to find the guys. What he had to tell them would blow their minds. During those weeks in the hospital when they’d come up with the idea to run a dude ranch to honor soldiers’ families, Buck could never have dreamed up a scenario like this one.

Chapter Two

Relieved that Buck Summerhayes knew the truth about everything, Alex locked up and walked back to the bedroom. Jenny was lying on top of one of the twin beds with her head buried in the pillow. Alex sat at her side and started rubbing her back.

“Did Buck leave?”

“Yes.”

“I wish he didn’t have to go. He’s nice.”

“I agree, but it’s late. He needs his sleep and so do you. Before he left, I told him about your mom.”

“I’m so glad we came. Do you think he’s in pain?”

“No. As long as he doesn’t breathe smoke, I’m sure he’s fine.”

“I like him.”

“I know.”

“He has pretty green eyes. They’re lighter than Daddy’s.”

“You’re right.”

With his full head of thick light brown hair and his well-defined physique, Buck Summerhayes was undeniably an attractive man—and he had a way about him that had charmed her granddaughter. She suspected he charmed most females. Alex hadn’t seen a wedding band. Since he hadn’t mentioned a wife or children, Alex presumed he was still a bachelor.

“I have something to tell you that will make you happier, but you have to turn over so we can look at each other.”

Jenny flipped over on her back. “What is it?”

“When we go home, I’m going to tell Frank I’m not ready to marry him yet.”

She sat up straight. “You’re not?”

“No. You and I need more time.” Tonight’s outburst in front of a stranger had given her ample proof that it was too soon for any more changes in Jenny’s life.

The girl’s slim arms caught Alex around the neck in a powerful hug. “I love you, Nana!”

“I love you too, sweetheart. How does your tummy feel now? Would you like a soda?”

“Yes, please.”

“Good. I’ll see what I can find.”

Alex went in the other room and opened the minifridge. There were a variety of drinks. She drew out a ginger ale and a cola. Before she went back to the bedroom, she checked on the fire. It was burning down. With the screen in place, she didn’t need to worry about sparks catching something on fire.

“Here you go.” Alex sat on the other twin bed and pulled out the brochure that had been included with the letter she’d received from the dude ranch. Together they made plans for the next day while they drank their sodas.

She knew Frank was waiting for her to call him, but for the first time, she didn’t feel like talking to him. He hadn’t wanted her to come to the ranch, and Jenny was thrilled to be there. Alex felt as if she was in a tug-of-war. It took too much emotional energy. Instead of calling, she reached for her cell phone and texted him that they’d arrived safely but were exhausted. She’d phone him tomorrow. Alex meant it about being worn out.

With that decision made, she and Jenny opened their suitcases to get out the things they’d need for bed, including the framed photograph of Jenny’s parents that Alex placed on the telephone table for her.

“We’ll put everything else away in the morning,” she said. After brushing their teeth, they said their prayers, and then she turned out the lights and they climbed under their comfy quilts. Alex liked their yellow-and-white-checkered design. The whole log cabin had a cheery ambience. There was no doubt that she and Jenny needed a little cheer in their lives.

In her heart of hearts, she was relieved about the decision she’d made where Frank was concerned. Alex had refused to wear his engagement ring yet because deep down she’d known Jenny wasn’t ready. She’d seen the signs, but tonight’s incident had crystallized things for her.

Marriage was a big step for anyone, but an even bigger one for a woman who’d be forty-one in a few months and had never been married. Frank was fifty-five but looked fifty because he played a lot of tennis and kept fit. They’d met when she’d started working at the bank where he was the vice president. After he lost his wife to cancer, they became friends. That friendship deepened following Christy’s death and they fell in love.

She liked his two married children and grandchildren. He had a maturity and stability that were especially appealing to her. Jenny liked him fairly well, but the mention of marriage was something else. Obviously it was too soon after her daddy’s death for her to imagine a man living with them under the same roof.

Alex knew it would come as a blow when she got home and told Frank she couldn’t marry him yet. For her, intimacy was out of the question until their wedding, because she refused to anticipate their vows as she’d done with Kyle when she was seventeen.

Although she hated the thought of disappointing Frank further, Jenny had to come first. Alex had raised one daughter, and now she was raising another. The responsibility was enormous. Frank would help her, but not until Jenny was ready. And as much as Alex was looking forward to marriage, they had to get past this problem first. She guessed she was going to find out how patient Frank could be.

With a troubled sigh, she turned on her other side. When Jenny had been in the first grade, Alex had arranged various playdates for her. One girl named Mandy was turning into a friend Jenny really liked. They got along great, but she needed more friends. She hoped that she would make some friends at the ranch for the time that they were there. Maybe there would be some other families with a girl. And Buck had mentioned a boy....