Brenda Minton - The Rancher's First Love

A guy couldn’t not notice when a woman smelled that good. Or when her blond hair shimmered beneath the lights. A man couldn’t help notice blue eyes flecked with violet. Noticing was what had gotten him in trouble ten years ago.

He shook it off as John Wayne nipped at his jeans. “Hey, mule, stop that.”

The little girl with Sam laughed. “He’s not a mule. He’s a pony.”

He squatted in front of John and the little girl stopped, forcing Sam to stop. “He’s actually a miniature horse.”

“Why?” the child asked. Her big brown eyes moved from his face to the horse at his side. John lipped the hand she extended. He saved his teeth for Remington.

“That’s a good question,” he responded. “Ponies are breeds that stay under a certain size. Miniature horses are horses that just stay tiny.”

She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. He looked up at Sam. She was giving him the same look.

“Not a good answer?” he asked. They both shook their heads and he laughed. “Yeah, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, either. I just know that John Wayne here is a real good horse. And if we go in with the others, he’ll show you some pretty amazing tricks.”

He straightened, still holding the lead to John Wayne. The horse pulled him on in to the activity room, following behind temptation in nurse’s scrubs. Pink scrubs with teddy bears.

For the next hour he entertained the children. He showed a little boy named Danny, an amputee, how to lasso John Wayne. They had a contest to see who could draw the best horse picture. Afterward, John did a few tricks. He played calf, prayed and climbed up on a pedestal, where he shook hands with various kids.

At the end of the program, Remington prayed. When he asked the children if they had any prayer requests, hands went up all over the room. He took out a pen and paper to write them all down. Nothing hurt a kid more than forgetting their request. It might be a prayer for a goldfish that died, but it still mattered. He wrote them all down and ignored the way Samantha Martin tried to avoid looking at him the entire time.

He had hoped that they could live in the same area and not bump into each other. It was a foolish hope. Since they were obviously going to see each other from time to time, he guessed they were going to have to talk.

But first he’d talk to God. He had a whole list of prayer requests from the kids, running the gamut from wanting a pony to being able to walk again. Kids always broke his heart. He never left one of these events without shedding a few tears.

It was something his granddad had taught him. Real men could cry.

After he’d prayed, he and the other guys went around the room, shaking hands and signing autographs. He’d brought some champions with him today. A Bull Riding World Champion, an All-Around Cowboy World Champion, a Steer Wrestling Champion and an award-winning stock contractor. They all had stories to share, roping tricks to display and pictures to hand out.

One of Remington’s personal favorites was Bryan Cooper, from Dawson, Oklahoma. He’d met the younger man at a church event in Austin. Bryan had lived in South America and told a compelling story of forgiveness. For the children in these units, he talked about his faith as a young man.

As the cowboys circulated, Remington let his gaze slide to the far wall. Samantha Martin stood to one side, watching him but pretending not to. He caught and held her gaze, because he enjoyed watching that flush of pink in her cheeks. She looked away first.

He squatted in front of a little girl in a wheelchair.

“Can I pet him?” she asked, pointing to John Wayne. Her voice was raspy and she closed her eyes as if talking hurt.

“You sure can.” He pulled John a little closer. The girl reached out, tentative, stroking the soft muzzle of the horse.

“I used to have a pony,” she said, not looking at him but her big brown eyes gobbling up his horse.

“Did you?”

She nodded. “Yeah, before. Before the fire.”

Yeah, he was going to cry today. He could feel it coming on as the little girl told him about a fire and how her daddy got her out but then went back in for the rest of the family. And he didn’t come back out again.

What did a man say to that? He wanted to tell this child he would fix it all. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t fix her. He couldn’t give her back her family. So he hugged her and told her he would pray.

She leaned in close. “Pray someone wants to be my family.”

His throat tightened painfully at that request. “You’ve got it, kiddo.”

“My name is Lizzy,” she whispered.

Samantha rescued him. She appeared at his side and as he stayed on his knees in front of Lizzy, she touched his shoulder.

“Time for lunch, Lizzy Lou.” Sam brushed a hand through the child’s blond hair. “Tell Mr. Jenkins thank you.”

“Thank you.” Lizzy smiled sweetly. “I hope you’ll come back soon.”

“I sure hope I can, Lizzy.” He stood and moved out of the way with John. “Maybe just John Wayne and me, but we’ll be back.”

“Don’t make promises,” Sam whispered as she walked away.

He couldn’t let that go. He led John back to the nurse’s station. He waited for Sam to walk back into the hall and he followed her.

“Go away, Rem.” She spoke without looking back at him.

He caught up with her, tugging John along behind him. The pony trotted, but he pulled his head back, not happy with the pace.

“No, I don’t think I will.”

She spun to face him, her blue eyes flashing sparks of anger that would have quelled a lesser man. He reckoned she ought to know he wasn’t going to be pushed around.

“Your posse left. Why didn’t you leave with them?” she asked.

“Because it seems as if we have unfinished business.”

She shook her head. “No, we don’t. We’ve been finished for a long time now. We were kids, Rem. We’re adults now and I don’t have time for this.”

“Why did you tell me not to make promises to that little girl?”

“Is that what this is all about?” She pulled a face at him, wrinkling her nose. “These kids have enough to deal with, and they don’t need a cowboy and his pony trotting into their lives, cheering them up, and then promising to come back.”

“But I am coming back. I’ve already talked to Dr. Jackson. I’m going to stop by every couple of weeks.”

“Great,” she said, not really meaning it. He half smiled, which would probably get him in more trouble.

“I made the offer before I knew you worked here. But surprise! I keep promises and I’m not going to back out on kids just because you don’t want me here.”

“It isn’t about me.”

He leaned in close. “Isn’t it?”

She shook her head and put a little space between them. “No, it isn’t. I just don’t want these kids hurt or disappointed.”

Hurt and disappointed. He knew right away that it was about her. But he wouldn’t push and make her admit it. She’d just have to get used to having him around.

Chapter Two

The sun had long since set as Samantha drove through Martin’s Crossing after work. She could go home to her house on the Circle M, have a sandwich, go to bed and not sleep. Or she could take a run and calm her mind. She pulled into an empty parking space in front of her brother Duke’s diner. Duke’s No Bar and Grill was a long wood-sided building with a wide, covered deck running the entire length of the front.

She got out of her truck, leaving the keys in the ignition. After all, this was Martin’s Crossing; no one ever took the keys out of their ignition.

Sometimes they did. If there was a theft in the area, people might be vigilant for a week or so. But then they went back to their ways, leaving doors unlocked and keys in cars.