Brenda Minton - Her Oklahoma Rancher

“You’re horrible,” Kylie said. “And the baby is a she , not an it .”

“I’m horrible but I’m honest about babies.” Sierra grinned at their ex-roommate, her expression softening. “I’m the person who never pets the cute puppies you all raise. I don’t go all dewy eyed over a new foal. I told you the truth when Cara was born. Everyone else lied. She wasn’t the prettiest baby ever. I mean, she’s pretty now, but that first day, not so cute. She was red, wrinkled and cried a lot.”

“But you’ll help Eve if she needs it?” Kylie prodded.

Sierra sat down next to Kylie and eventually she nodded. “Because we’re friends, I’ll help you out, Eve. But where in the world did this little bundle of joy come from?”

“From my past,” Eve said. She avoided eye contact with her friends because any hint of sympathy would bring tears.

“She showed up on our doorstep? Or did you find her under a cabbage leaf? You’re killing me here.” Sierra stretched her legs, grimacing just a bit at the movement.

“She’s the daughter of friends,” Eve started and then she told the rest of the story, managing to hold it together. As she spoke, she found herself holding Tori a little closer.

“Wow,” Sierra said quietly. “That’s a lot, Eve. I am sorry.”

“Me, too.”

“You had a fiancé,” Sierra said after a moment.

“Yes, I had a fiancé.”

“And you’ve misplaced him again?” Sierra teased.

“I didn’t misplace him. I gave him an out. And this time, he took the out.”

“This is way more reality than I like to deal with on a Monday afternoon,” Sierra said as she stood, grabbing her coffee cup off the end table. “I’ll help when I can but Jack has me busy with this lovely wedding chapel idea of his.”

Eve laughed at that. “You’re such a romantic, you’ll make a great wedding planner.”

“Yeah, well, right now, being a wedding planner is far more appealing than changing dirty diapers. You have fun with that and I’ll see you all later.”

Eve pressed her lips to Tori’s head, amazed that in a few short hours she’d found it so easy to love one small child.

Until Ethan returned, Eve would manage to care for Tori. She would give the little girl all the love and hugs she could, not that it would make up for the loss of her parents. But Ethan would return, he had to. When he did, Eve would explain that she just couldn’t be a part of parenting Tori full-time.

* * *

Tuesday morning Ethan followed his GPS to Mercy Ranch, just a few miles outside Hope and a ninety-minute drive from Tulsa. He pulled up to the main house, a two-story log home with plenty of windows, big covered porches and a yellow Labrador sprawled out in a flower bed. A man walked down off the back porch, pulling his hat low as he headed in Ethan’s direction.

Ethan got out of his truck, grabbing his hat from the backseat as he did. When he turned around, the other man stood just feet away. He was close to Ethan in age with a jagged scar on the left side of his face and steel-gray eyes that could nail a man to the wall.

“Good morning,” Ethan greeted.

“I’m guessing you’re the missing fiancé? Or should I say, AWOL fiancé?” The man spoke without a lot of warmth in his voice.

“Ex-fiancé, and I’m not the one who went missing. I knew where I was the whole time.” Ethan kept his tone casual. No reason to make enemies here.

“You’re brave, I’ll give you that,” the man said as he tipped his hat back a bit. A slow grin slid across his face. “Name’s Isaac West.”

Ethan held out a hand. “Name’s Mud. But you can call me Ethan. Ethan Forester.”

Isaac West chuckled. “You got the first part right. She’s madder than a wet hornet right now.”

“But she survived.”

“Yeah, she did. But not if you ask her. My fiancée, Rebecca, went down to check on her a bit ago. From what I’ve been told, there was more formula on her and the counter than in the baby. And she might have been wearing bananas on her shirt.”

“Maybe I should rethink going down there?”

“I think if you try to leave, she will hunt you down and hurt you. But I can walk you down there, if you’d like. Safety in numbers and all that.”

Ethan wouldn’t call himself weak. He’d been on some pretty rank horses, ridden bulls, and he’d even back-talked his mama. That last one had proved to be more stupid than brave.

“If you want to show me where to find her,” he said in accepting the offer, “I wouldn’t be opposed.”

Isaac pounded him on the back in good-natured camaraderie. “You got it.”

The ranch was a sprawling place, clean with good fences, cattle and horses grazing in the fields, a nice stable and several residences. In the corral near the stable he could see men working with horses. A short distance away, it appeared a new stable was being built.

Isaac followed his interested gaze and chuckled. “Wedding venue. It’s going to look like a stable. The main area will be the chapel, the indoor ‘arena’ will be for receptions. My dad guesses it’ll keep a few of the residents busy with managing, cleaning and catering.”

“This is quite a setup. I’m impressed.”

Isaac shrugged at the compliment. “It was all Jack. He’s the idea man. He keeps everyone busy and moving, even if he’s slowing down a little. Parkinson’s.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t tell him that. He’s still in charge and his housekeeper doesn’t let grass grow under his feet.”

“I read an article that he also bought an older resort and remodeled, as well as a bait shop.”

“Yep, he’s managed to put about two dozen veterans to work. We usually have ten to twelve people living on the ranch at any given time. After a while they usually head back to where they came from. A few stay and find a place to call home in Hope.”

“And you?” Ethan asked, taking a guess that he was a veteran as well as Jack’s son.

“Guess I’m not going anywhere since I grew up here. And if you’re asking if I’m a veteran, I am.”

They were approaching a metal building that appeared to have been a garage at one time. The multiple windows, covered patio and French doors indicated it had been remodeled to house veterans. From inside he heard a baby crying. Isaac glanced at him, grinning.

“That doesn’t sound good.” Ethan slowed his steps, needing a minute to collect himself before he faced Eve. He hadn’t felt the best when he woke up that morning, attributing it to something he’d eaten the day before. Now he definitely felt his stomach tighten and he decided it was a case of nerves.

“Cold feet?” Isaac asked as he knocked on the door. “Are you regretting leaving her with the baby?”

“Nope.”

The door opened. A woman, tall with long auburn hair and a weary look in her hazel eyes, greeted them. The expression shifted to angry when she saw him standing behind Isaac.

“Having a bad day, Sierra?” Isaac pulled off his hat, grinning as if he didn’t see the storm coming.

“Oh, I’m having a lovely day. After a sleepless night.” She waved them inside, her expression going from angry to glacial when she looked at Ethan. “I’m assuming you’re the one who abandoned that poor baby girl.”

“I didn’t abandon her,” he defended. But he wouldn’t say more, not to this woman.

The other woman in the room, he guessed he would have to say something to her. She held Tori in her arms as tears streamed down the baby girl’s face. Eve looked exhausted and close to tears. He hadn’t expected it to be quite this traumatic. For either of them.

“How dare you,” she spat.

He stepped forward and held his arms out to Tori. She reached for him, sobbing.