Patricia Johns - Her Cowboy's Twin Blessings

“Yeah...”

He looked back again and saw her gaze moving around them. “How safe is it in here?”

“Safe?” Casey chuckled. “Why do you think I brought a gun?”

“Har har.” She shot him a mildly amused look. “You said you’d deal straight with me, and I’m asking as a potential buyer here. How safe are these woods?”

“I wasn’t joking,” he replied. “This is a hungry time of year for everything—including wolves. Nothing is risk-free out here. But I’m sure you’d have your clients sign a form that saves you from lawsuits.”

Ember fell silent, and Casey allowed his horse to pick his path over roots as they made their way through the familiar maze of trails. They weren’t all visible anymore—some hadn’t been used in years. But a trained eye like Casey’s could spot them still. He felt a twinge of guilt. He’d decided to give her an honest tour of this ranch, but it wasn’t fair to scare her unduly, either. He wasn’t that kind of man.

“You’re safe with me, though,” he added grudgingly. “I’m a good shot.”

“That’s why I want to hire you if I do buy this land,” she said.

Hire him... Yeah, that wouldn’t work well. Not if she’d bought this land out from under his boots and turned it into some city folk feelings center. Not a chance.

He didn’t answer her—he’d turned her down once already, and he wasn’t about to turn the next week or two into some lengthy argument about his reasoning, either. He’d made his choice, and that was that. But there was something about that woman behind him—city slicker though she was—that made him want to open up more, talk, just to hear her say something in reply. He wouldn’t give in to it, though.

They rode in silence for a few more minutes, and then the dense green of trees began to brighten, and in the distance, Casey could make out the glitter of sunlight.

“We’re almost out,” Casey said, mostly just as an excuse to say something to her.

“Good,” she said. “It’s a bit eerie in here.”

Casey’s horse picked up his pace as they got nearer to the tree line, and a moment later, they erupted into sunlight. He reined in his horse, and Ember came out next to him. She looked ready to say something, but then she saw what he’d been waiting to show her.

Grassy hills rolled out beneath them, some rocky piles jutting up from the grass here and there. This used to be plowed land back when people first settled, and those groups of rocks had been made by picking them out of the soil and tossing them, one by one, into those piles. A creek cut between two hills, and to the east there was a marshland with reeds and birds rising up in mesmerizing clouds. The morning sunlight splashed over the scene, and Ember’s eyes glistened.

“Oh, my...” she breathed.

“You see that rise over there?” Casey pointed ahead, and Ember followed his finger. “That’s where the fence is.”

“This is beautiful land,” she murmured.

“It’s beautiful, but it’s rugged,” he said. “When we bring the cattle this way to graze, we need cowboys on duty with guns.”

Casey clicked his tongue, and they started down the incline at an easy pace.

“Mr. Vern told me last night why he needs to sell this land,” Ember said. “He told me about it, but do you know?”

“Of course I do. His wife is suffering from Alzheimer’s, and he’s used up his insurance. He wants to keep her in a quality care center.”

“So even if I don’t end up buying this land, someone will,” Ember said. “Mr. Vern needs to sell. I’m not the bad guy here, Casey.”

Casey eyed her for a moment, wondering how much to say. “I didn’t call you bad,” he said. “I just said I don’t agree with what you stand for.”

“Like what, exactly?” she demanded. “Therapy? You might not need someone to talk things out with, but some people do. There’s no shame in having some professional help in sorting out difficulties.”

“There are plenty of places to get therapy. This is ranching land,” he said.

“And it could be set to other uses, too,” she said. “And it very well might, depending on who buys it.”

She was making a good point. Except she hadn’t hit on the reason why he was taking this so personally. It wasn’t only about therapy and changing good ranch land into something so unsuited to this place. This wasn’t just about a stubborn man and his ideals. This was personal.

“If you don’t buy this ranch, I will,” he said, his voice low.

Ember blinked at him in surprise. “What?”

“You heard me,” Casey said. “I can’t afford to pay what you can—and that’s why you’ve got Mr. Vern’s priority. The money matters. He needs to get as much as he can for this land. But if you decide against this ranch, I’ve got an offer on the table behind yours.”

“You want to buy it—” she said weakly.

“Yeah.” And want was a wimpy word. He longed to buy this land on a bone-deep level. He loved every square acre of this place, and if he was going to be raising kids, he couldn’t think of a finer place to do it.

“If this is the site of my family’s homestead, though—” she began.

“Then you’ll buy it,” he confirmed. “And I’ll understand your attachment to the dirt under your feet. It’ll be a connection to generations past—I’m not unfeeling here. But if you don’t buy this ranch, then I will, and I’ll raise those boys here, teach them about hard work and perseverance. I could have a story here, too—moving into the future.”

Casey urged his horse a little faster, pulling out ahead of her. He didn’t want her to see the emotion in his eyes. This mattered to him just as much as it mattered to her, and he wasn’t going to just walk away from a chance at owning this land himself.

“So I am the bad guy,” she called from behind him. “To you, at least.”

Casey turned in his saddle and met her gaze. “From my perspective, you’re just another Reed. You’re playing in a different league. You’ve got money behind you that I couldn’t even hope for. And unless you change your mind about this place, there’s no doubt that you’ll have your way. Reeds always do.”

She dealt in feelings and relationships—let her sort that one out.

But Casey was also a Christian, and he stood by his word. They had an agreement, and they’d shaken on it. She’d help him, and he’d give her an honest introduction to Vern Acres.

Fair was fair.

Ember sucked in a wavering breath as Casey urged his horse forward again. Her heart hammered in her chest as this new information rattled around inside her. Casey wanted this land, too... It sure explained his chilliness toward her, but it complicated their professional balance, as well. He was just supposed to be a tour guide, not someone with a personal investment in stopping her plan.

Her horse started forward, too, picking up her pace as she plodded along behind Casey’s down the rocky slope. He wanted a future here, and she craved a connection to the past—but their dreams were mutually exclusive. The only thing tipping the scales in her favor was that she had more money to give to make her dream come true. She could sympathize with a man who didn’t come with the same financial backing she did, because she hadn’t always had these opportunities, either, and she had no idea how long they’d last.

Ember’s relationship to her father was a fragile one—even if it satisfied a part of her that had always longed to know her dad. Alistair Reed had expectations of his own, and a family pride that she threatened to tarnish by her very existence. Her father’s wife, Birdie, had been furious when she found out about Ember. Birdie saw Ember as a threat to her marriage, even though Ember hadn’t been the menace—her mother had been, and that affair had ended years ago. But Birdie would take any excuse to drive Ember away and sever the financial cord. Ember wondered what role her stepmother had played in the pressure for Ember to give up her child. Had Birdie been banking on Ember choosing her baby?