Anna Stewart - The Rancher's Homecoming

“Pixie,” Rosie laughed. “I want to meet them.”

“I’m sure you will. And, of course, there’s the zoo.”

“You have a zoo?” Rosie turned her head and Katie saw her eyes go wide.

“A petting zoo, yes.” Katie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The whole petting-zoo idea had been Zoe’s—she was Big E’s most recent ex-wife. And while Katie had been resistant to the idea initially, she’d quickly jumped on board when she understood what a draw it would be for guests. Besides, she’d developed an affinity for the creatures in residence. She glanced down at Hip, who trotted along beside them, tongue hanging out, occasionally glancing up at the two of them as if to confirm they were still on board. “We have rabbits and llamas, and there’s Billy of course.” Hip barked. “Hip and Billy are quite close,” Katie chuckled. “You’ll see when we get back to the house.”

“I love animals.” Rosie sighed. “I’ve been wanting a kitten for the longest time.”

“Did your dad say no?”

“I didn’t ask yet. I heard him and Uncle Felix talking and Daddy doesn’t have a lot of money. Daddy says he only has enough to feed two mouths.”

Panic gripped Katie’s insides and slid to her toes. Chance had money issues? If that was the case, he’d probably be leaning toward selling the ranch rather than keeping it. Given his history with the place, it was going to take a lot of convincing—or a minor miracle—to get him to change his mind.

“Uncle Ty said there are lots of kittens.” Rosie stated. “Maybe I can have one?”

“Well, they were kittens. Mostly we have cats now.” The last thing she needed to do was alienate Chance by giving his daughter a pet she’d have to leave behind. Especially considering she needed to find a way to convince him that selling was the absolute worst thing he could do.

“Does that mean ‘we’ll see’?” Rosie slumped in the saddle. “That’s what Daddy always says when he means no.”

“Well, for me, it means maybe. And you know what? Your grandpa and I have a cat at our place. Snicklefrits. You can come play with him whenever you’d like.” Not that Snicklefrits had been played with much over the years. He mostly shadowed her father, and that meant moving from one chair to another depending on the sunrise, sunset or what was on television.

“Snicklefrits.” Rosie giggled. “That’s a crazy name for a cat.”

“Well, the cat’s kind of crazy. I think he’ll like you.” Katie glanced down at Hip. “Something tells me you have a way with animals. You ready to try a gallop? Go a little faster?”

“Yes, please.” Rosie nodded and bounced higher in the saddle. “I want to go as fast as we can!”

“Well, hang on, then.” Katie kicked Starlight once more. Seconds later, Katie pushed her worries aside and lost herself in the sound of the wind rushing in her ears.

And the joyous laughter from her niece in her arms.

CHAPTER THREE

THE WINDING ROAD to the main house gave Chance the kick in the pants he needed to get his head on straight. Wallowing over having to come home because his grandfather was messing with the family—again—wasn’t going to do anyone, least of all Rosie, any good. Whatever the circumstances, she deserved a great trip and visit with family. It wasn’t as if all the memories about this place were bad. When it came down to it, he loved his brothers. He might not know them all as well as he would like, but they were blood. Even a decade away couldn’t negate that.

They’d seen each other through a lot, including the death of their parents and a string of stepgrandmothers that made Big E look like a serial groom. Chance’s conversations with his grandfather had dwindled over the years, something the old man must have kept to himself given each of his brothers had called him in the last weeks to ask if he’d heard from Big E. As if. It was difficult to talk to someone about your life when they made no secret of their disapproval. At least Rosie gave them something to talk about without getting into a knock-down-drag-out about when Chance was going to put this music silliness aside and come home.

“Well, I guess you finally got your wish, old man.” Chance parked the minivan around the side of the house he’d grown up in. The paint had been refreshed—white with pale green shutters. The front porch had served as both haven and escape on more than one occasion. He popped open the back and pulled out his guitar case, then tucked a carved wooden box under his arm before grabbing Rosie’s Hello Kitty suitcase. The sooner he got his daughter settled in the house, the easier it would be to get her into a routine. The sound of crunching tires behind him had him closing up and heading around the corner to the front porch.

A slow smile spread across his face as he watched his oldest brother, Jon, climb out. The dog that hopped out behind him looked as if he was used to being part of the welcoming committee. A ranch man from the tips of his booted toes to the hair on his hat-covered head, Jonathan Blackwell looked every bit the cowboy on a mission. And was a reminder of what Chance had done his best to leave behind.

“Look what the storm blew in.” Jon pushed back his hat and angled a smile at Chance that made the last ten years melt away like butter in a cast-iron skillet. “Figured a lot might have changed with you, but Hello Kitty is a new look.”

“A man’s only got so many choices when it comes to his little girl’s luggage. As you well know.” Chance set the case and his guitar on the steps and embraced his brother. The hearty back slaps they gave one another could be considered the first in what would no doubt be many competitions during his visit. “Good to see you, bro.”

“You, too.” Jon gave him another smack before dropping his hands on Chance’s shoulders. “It’s been too long.” He gave him a hard shake. They’d never seen eye to eye—at least not literally—before Chance had left, but they did now. And Chance recognized the uncertain expression on his brother’s face. He’d been expecting it. And dreading it. “I’m so sorry about Maura, Chance.”

“Yeah.” Chance had finally reached the stage where the mention of his wife’s name didn’t make his heart seize. His hold tightened on the box under his arm. “I know. I appreciated the letters. And the flowers. And the pictures.” Jon had sent care packages for weeks after Maura’s death, including photos of all of them growing up on the ranch. Chance had started an album and framed a number of them for Rosie. They had helped. “Thanks for understanding about not coming out.”

“As long as you know any one of us would have been there in a heartbeat.” Jon squeezed his shoulders. “All you had to do was ask.”

There hadn’t been any point in his brothers—and extended family—descending on him. There hadn’t been a memorial service. Maura had donated her body for cancer research and once he’d received her remains, a service felt like moving backward. Not to mention he hadn’t decided what to do with her ashes. Besides, by that time he had an almost three-year-old to focus on and even though he had no doubt Rosie was aware something was wrong, it didn’t change her demands or her needs one iota.

“I had Rosie,” Chance said. “She was all I needed.” His little girl had saved his life. “So who’s this?”

He bent down and offered his hand to the dog, who trotted right over and gave instant approval.

“Trout. My shadow.” Jon chuckled.

“He’s great.” Chance scrubbed his hands into the dog’s fur and earned a friend for life. “Has, um...?” Chance cleared his throat and stood up to retrieve his guitar. “Has there been any word from Big E? Have we located him yet?”