Deb Kastner - Redeeming the Rancher

He wasn’t family, for starters. Serendipity was a painfully small town where the gossip mill was concerned. Alexis didn’t want to risk even the appearance of impropriety. And despite his reassurance that he’d stay out of her way, she knew herself well enough to know she would feel obligated to treat him like a guest. Adding one more mouth to the supper table wouldn’t be much of a hassle, but squiring him around town while he got his bearings and keeping him entertained here at the ranch was another thing entirely. No matter what Griff said to the contrary, he would be a problem for her.

Last—or maybe it should have been listed first—she had another group of teenagers arriving for boot camp on Monday. She ran Redemption Ranch as an alternative to community service for troubled teens facing misdemeanors, a chance to change their lives for the better. Her hands were full. And so was her life.

She felt sorry for the man, but then, it really wasn’t her fault he was in this predicament, nor was it her problem to fix.

At least in theory.

In practice, she had a man curiously staring at her over the breakfast table, apparently waiting for her to pull a bunny out of a hat…or something. Unfortunately she was fresh out of rabbits. She clasped her cup in both hands and squarely met his gaze.

“I’ve got to be honest with you, Griff. I don’t have any idea what I’m going to do with you.”

* * *

Griff locked gazes with the woman sitting across from him, her hands clenched so tightly around her coffee mug that her fingers were quivering. He was afraid the glass might shatter under the pressure she was exerting on it.

She didn’t know what to do with him? He didn’t know what to do with her. The last thing he’d expected to find when he’d come to Serendipity was a woman living in the “vacant” house he was supposed to be borrowing. He didn’t know who’d been more shocked by their first meeting—Alexis thinking he was an intruder in her home, or him being surprised by a wild woman brandishing a curling iron. His knuckles still smarted from the splattered grease. But once the surprise had faded, disgruntlement had sunk in. The situation was hardly his fault. He’d acted in good faith, believing he had a confirmed place to stay. He couldn’t be blamed for Vivian’s deception. And in spite of it all, he was trying to be reasonable, trying to compromise.

One thing was for certain—Alexis Grainger hadn’t left much bargaining room.

“No room for negotiating?” he suggested mildly. He’d been successful in his career as venture capitalist for a reason. He’d learned to keep his emotions in check, to always be confident and that it never hurt to ask.

“Absolutely none whatsoever.”

Then again, asking for what he wanted could be a pointless gesture.

“Well, I’m not going back to Houston without finding what I came here for.” He wasn’t going back to Houston at all. He set his jaw. She wasn’t the only one who could be stubborn. “It appears to me that your sister pulled a fast one on both of us.”

“Says you.” Alexis sniffed and shrugged offhandedly. “From my perspective, you’re the one who got duped.”

Griff’s dander rose. Duped? Was that how she saw him? As a man easily swayed by a pretty face? Did he have it written on his forehead, or was it just part of a woman’s natural mystique to be able to read a man like an open book?

It wasn’t that long ago that he’d made the mistake of taking the word of a manipulative woman at face value. He’d believed himself to be less trusting now. Wiser. And yet apparently he hadn’t learned his lesson at all. Though he still had no idea what her motive for all of this was, he couldn’t deny that he’d stepped right into Vivian’s scheming trap with eyes wide open. Now her beautiful twin considered him a chump.

If the shoe fit…

He’d already gone down that road and was the not-so-proud owner of the T-shirt. Color him a slow learner.

“No, I don’t think so.” He wasn’t answering her so much as reprimanding himself, and didn’t immediately realize he’d spoken aloud—not until Alexis lifted a high-arching blond brow in response.

“No? What do you mean, no?”

“Look, I don’t mean to be difficult, but I really need to stay in Serendipity, to do this one thing for myself. I can’t even begin to describe how important this is for me.” It wasn’t as if he could head back to Houston with his tail between his legs. He couldn’t, and he wouldn’t. It wasn’t even an option for him. He’d put his apartment on the market and had his things placed in storage until he could move them out to whatever property he purchased. Decisive action had always been his trademark. Once he’d made the decision to leave Houston behind, he’d shut down his life there in record time.

He hadn’t ever wanted to be a part of the wealthy, high-society scene to begin with, and now? Well, never again. His ex-girlfriend Caro had singlehandedly shredded everything he’d worked for his entire life, everything that mattered to him both personally and professionally. And the reactions of those around him had just twisted the knife. The gossip had been painfully humiliating and had just gone to prove to him how little he could count on the people he had thought were his friends. Half the point of moving here was the anonymity the new surroundings afforded.

“All I can say is that, for reasons too complicated to explain, it’s the perfect time for me to start over. Move forward, rather. Horse ranching has been a lifelong dream of mine, and I’m finally in a position where I can pursue it. But I’m floundering, here. I’d really like your help to find a viable solution to my problem.”

If there was no hotel, no availability at the only

B and B and no room for him at Redemption Ranch, then he wasn’t sure what that viable solution might be. The only thing he could think of was to find someone willing to rent him a spare bedroom or garage apartment. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that. He had more than enough money to make it worth someone’s time to rent him the space, but the last thing he wanted to do was to start flinging his money all over town. That was why he’d been so quick to snap up Vivian’s offer to borrow her house. He could lay low at the Grainger’s, not have to bump heads with any more people than strictly necessary. The less folks knew about him, the better.

People changed when they started figuring out his net worth. He’d seen it over and over again—their eyes filled with dollar signs and any hope he had of establishing a real, personal connection went straight by the wayside. Back in Houston, everybody wanted something from him, and all he wanted was for everyone to leave him alone. He could think of nothing better than to hole up on his own little spread of land on the outskirts of Serendipity, where he could fend for himself and not have to deal with cruel and two-faced individuals ever again.

He focused his gaze on her, determination pressing his breath into his throat. “There must be something. Please, Alexis. You’re all I’ve got right now.”

Alexis’s gorgeous electric-blue eyes widened and her full lips dropped into a pretty little frown that made Griff’s gut do a backflip. Alexis was nothing if not gorgeous and he was painfully aware of his own weakness—he was particularly vulnerable to the ladies, beautiful women in particular.

How twisted was that?

In his experience, women were insincere and manipulative. The whole lot of them, bar none. What had he been thinking to have trusted Vivian to be honest with him? He should have known better.

And despite the fact that Alexis had done nothing to make him suspect she might be playing him, he figured it would be smarter to be wary. Better to be safe than to expose a vein. Compassion flooded her gaze and he felt a momentary twinge of guilt that he was pressing her buttons. For a second he was tempted to blurt out the whole sorry truth.