Vicki Thompson - Bachelor Father

And Zeke wanted the ranch to survive. Lost Springs was his safe place, the haven his mind returned to whenever he felt rootless and alone. His thumb on the porch rail brushed over a small, crude carving of a lone pine. When he was ten he’d used his pocketknife to cut his mark into the wood, fully expecting to get in trouble for it. But he’d wanted to put his stamp on the place so that years later he could come back and find proof that Zeke Lonetree had been here.

He hadn’t been punished for carving the tree into the rail. Every time he’d returned to the ranch he’d checked that nobody had sanded it down—to reassure himself that some things in life stayed the same. The thought of Lost Springs closing was more horrible than the thought of taking part in this bachelor auction, so he’d agreed to be here. But Rex had no idea how much it was costing Zeke. Walking up on that platform would be like slicing off a chunk of his soul and offering it to the buzzards.

A piercing whistle sounded above the hubbub, followed by shouted comments directed at Zeke from the auction block.

“Yo, Lonetree!” called Shane Daniels, one of the alumni who’d become a champion bull rider and a close friend. “We ain’t got all day, son.”

“Yeah, get your Native American butt out here!” yelled Chance Cartwright, who’d made good as a horse breeder and trainer. “All these women saw Last of the Mohicans and they want you bad.”

Zeke groaned and wished he could treat this auction the way Shane and Chance did, as a big joke to be enjoyed. But both of them were used to being in crowds and rubbing elbows with the rich and famous. In fact, most of the guys on the block had high-profile, public positions, while Zeke’s park ranger job in Yellowstone allowed him to spend most of his time the way he preferred—alone in the wilderness.

“Move it, Lonetree.” Amos Pike, a toy manufacturer, motioned Zeke over to the platform.

Zeke took a deep breath and reminded himself why he was doing this. A phone rang inside the ranch house, but unfortunately it wasn’t Zeke’s job to answer it. He couldn’t put off the inevitable any longer. Shane had given him a new Stetson for luck. With a sigh he tugged it low over his eyes and started down the porch steps.

“Zeke?”

He turned.

Rex, the guy responsible for his current misery, pushed open the screen door. He had a cordless phone in one hand with his thumb over the mouthpiece. “Come on in for a second,” Rex said.

Zeke was delighted for any delay, but still he gestured halfheartedly toward the arena. “The guys want to get started.”

“I know. We will in a minute. But it looks like you’re being pulled from the lineup.”

Hope lightened the heaviness in Zeke’s chest as he followed Rex into the cool interior of the ranch house. “Pulled?”

“Yeah. Let me finish my discussion with this lady, and then you can talk to her.”

Zeke listened to Rex’s end of the conversation and figured out that someone was making a large donation in order to take Zeke off the block. He didn’t understand what was going on or why, but he wasn’t about to complain. He might still be obligated to a woman for a date of some kind, but at least he’d be spared the agony of walking the runway. He’d take it.

“Okay,” Rex said to the person on the other end of the line. “That sounds great. I’ll let you work out those details with him. And thanks again for your generosity, Ms. Rutledge. You’ll be helping many young boys get a better start in life. Here’s Zeke.” Rex handed over the phone. “Way to go, stud,” he murmured.

Zeke frowned in confusion as he took the phone and covered the mouthpiece. “I have no idea what this is about, Rex.”

“Well, when you do, I hope you’ll fill me in. My curiosity’s killing me. Listen, even if you’re out of the auction, how about hanging around, anyway? Some of the kids were hoping you’d give them an update on the wolves in the park.”

“Sure.” Still feeling bewildered, Zeke held the phone to his ear. “This is Zeke Lonetree.”

“Ah, Mr. Lonetree. I’m Naomi Rutledge, editor in chief of Cachet.”

Cachet. He’d heard that name somewhere, but he couldn’t quite place it.

“The fashion magazine.” She tossed her explanation into the silence as if she couldn’t believe his ignorance.

“Oh.” Oh. Katherine’s magazine. A wave of dread washed over him. He hoped she wasn’t tied into this bachelor-auction business in some way. He never wanted to see her again.

“Listen, I’ll get right to the point. I believe you are acquainted with my senior fashion editor, Katherine Seymour.”

Zeke closed his eyes. Surely it wasn’t heartache he was feeling. He’d wiped that episode out of his memory months ago.

“Mr. Lonetree?” she prompted. “Does the name Katherine Seymour mean anything to you?”

He opened his eyes and cleared his throat. “We’ve met.”

“Yes. So I understand. Well, she has some...personal business to discuss with you, so I would like—”

“Put her on. I’m sure we can handle it over the phone.” Panic rose in Zeke’s chest as he tried to fend off what he feared was coming.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible. She’s...unavailable.”

“Is she okay?” The nature of Zeke’s fear changed. He didn’t want to get within two thousand miles of Katherine, but he didn’t want anything bad to happen to her, either.

“She’s fine. But she needs to see you, so I’ve arranged for her to fly out to Jackson Hole the last weekend in August. I presume that would be convenient to your place of employment.”

“You can fly her anywhere you want, but I have no intention of—”

“The man I just spoke with assured me that you’d honor the terms of the bachelor auction and meet her there.”

“You bought me for her?” Having a woman win him at an auction was bad enough. Having a woman procure him for someone else was ten times worse.

“I did nothing of the sort! Cachet is donating a generous sum to the Lost Springs Ranch for Boys, and in exchange I want you to meet Katherine in August and talk with her. It’s a business arrangement. I’ll even cover her expenses. Agreed?”

“Why are you doing this?”

“I’m not at liberty to discuss the reason. You need to take it up with Katherine when you see her. I’ll mail you the particulars.”

“Look, Ms. Rutledge, this is a complete waste of time for everyone. Katherine and I have nothing to—”

“I assure you, my donation to the ranch is very generous. I’m certain you wouldn’t want to jeopardize that.”

Zeke felt the trap closing around him, and he had no one to blame but himself. He’d acted totally out of character by making love to Katherine the night he’d saved her from the river. Then he’d made the further mistake of thinking the encounter had meant something to her. Months of her silence had convinced him otherwise. Now he was being summoned like some menial servant without being given any explanation. He longed to hang up on this bossy woman with the New York accent that reminded him of Katherine’s.

But she’d practically said she’d withdraw her donation if he didn’t go along with this ridiculous arrangement. He’d agreed to this damn auction to help the ranch, and now was his big chance.

“Do we have a deal, Mr. Lonetree?” she asked.

“We have a deal, Ms. Rutledge.”

* * *

KATHERINE TOUCHED A FINGER to Amanda’s cheek and guided the rosebud mouth to her nipple. As the baby nursed, Katherine stared at her in wonder. She couldn’t believe that Amanda was nestled in her arms. So many times during the pregnancy she’d thought she would lose her. But Amanda had clung stubbornly to her chance at life, and Katherine had never known such joy as she felt now, holding her child.