The Rancher's Texas Match Read online

  He looked at his watch. “I might be late. So, yes, if I’m not back, go ahead and lock up. Tell Larry I’ll be there all day tomorrow.”

  She nodded and started to leave. Jay must have settled the horse and left the barn by the side door. He was heading in their direction with a backpack.

  “Hey, Chloe,” he called out, stopping Tanner’s sister from leaving.

  She looked back, and he held up the backpack. “Did you leave this in my car?”

  Her eyes widened. She didn’t quite look guilty, Tanner thought. But she didn’t look innocent. The ranch hand, probably a guy Chloe would have given a second look if not for Russell, appeared completely innocent but a little confused. He headed her way.

  “Interesting,” Macy whispered. She was standing next to him, her arm brushing his in an easy way that felt a lot like friendship. “Did you see that coming?”

  “I’m not even sure what I’m seeing. She looks cornered, and he looks clueless.”

  She chuckled. “Well, men usually are.”

  He looked down at the woman next to him, and she lost that amused look. “I promise you, some of us are not clueless.”

  She opened her mouth, a lot like those fish Colby was wanting to catch. But before she could say anything, Chloe returned with the backpack, and Jay was heading toward the cabins, whistling a country song.

  “Did you do that?” Chloe pointed a finger at Tanner.

  “Do what?” Okay, now he was clueless.

  “Did you put my backpack in his truck? Because if you did...”

  “Why would I?”

  Chloe let out a sigh and looked a little lost. “I have no idea. But it was in my car.”

  “Unlocked car?” Tanner asked.

  “Yeah, of course. I never lock my car. He went down to his truck to get some special salve he has for one of the horses, and my backpack was in there. Fortunately it has my name on it because it’s one I used in college.”

  “Maybe it dropped out of your car and someone saw it and just put it in the nearest vehicle?” Macy offered what sounded like a reasonable explanation.

  “I can’t imagine that.” Chloe gave the bag a look. “It was in the backseat. And to make things better, he said Russell saw him take it out of his truck.”

  “What did Russell say?” Tanner asked.

  “I guess nothing. He just saw it.” She hooked the backpack over her shoulder. “I’m going, but if you find out anything, let me know.”

  “I will,” Tanner assured her.

  When she left, he headed for the barn. “I’m going to get the fishing gear.”

  He wasn’t clueless, but he definitely could use some clues concerning everything going on around this ranch. He would guess the backpack didn’t end up in Jay’s truck by accident. Someone, other than him, must have the idea that Chloe and Russell weren’t a good fit.

  The thought was amusing until he realized that the same someone thought he and Macy looked like a couple.

  Chapter Ten

  They hadn’t caught any fish on Wednesday. Afterward Macy had promised they would try again. She would even try baiting the hook. A day later she shuddered to think about it. But, for Colby, she would try. She just hoped today wasn’t the day. She had worked at the local library in the morning and the school in the afternoon. Now she was heading to the ranch to help pack.

  Some people thought of small towns as slow-paced and lazy. She’d never been so busy.

  She pulled up to Cabin One. Eleanor was sweeping the front porch. One of the boys was picking up a few bits of paper and trash that had blown into the yard. Macy joined them.

  “Are you here for the joy of packing?” Eleanor asked, leaning the broom against the wall.

  “Whatever you need me to do,” Macy offered.

  “We need to start packing up toys and summer clothes. I have tubs that we can put them in and a permanent marker for labeling. The boys are going through things, deciding what they can do without for the next few weeks. You’d be surprised how much they’re willing to give up. And I’m willing to give up all the dishes. We usually eat a few meals here, as a family, but we’ll be eating all of our meals at the main house for the next couple of weeks. Until the move.”

  “The Culpepper place doesn’t have cabins. How will that work?”

  “There are three wings,” a voice, deep and familiar, said from behind her.

  Was the man everywhere these days? He was like a sore toe. She didn’t used to notice him, but now she couldn’t help bumping into him every time she turned around.

  She had to face him, or she’d be a coward.

  “Good afternoon, Tanner.” There, she’d sounded nearly normal.

  “Afternoon, Macy, Eleanor. I volunteered with Russell—” he grimaced as he said it “—to take a load to the Culpepper place. Do you have anything to load up here?”

  “We do. I have the laundry room piled with boxes of nonessential items.”

  “I’ll back the stock trailer up there and start loading.” He tipped his hat, as if that were the end.

  Colby came running out of the cabin, letting the screen door bang shut behind him and earning him a warning look from Eleanor. But he wasn’t running to Macy. She realized that as he hurried past her to tug on Tanner’s hand.

  Tanner smiled down at him. “Hey, Colby.”

  “I dug up more worms.”

  Tanner chuckled at that. “Did you? Well, now, we’ll have to see if we can put those worms to good use. But first we have to work. We’re going to move some things over to the new ranch.”

  The smile on Colby’s face dissolved into a frown. “I don’t want to move.”

  Tanner looked from the boy to Macy and then to Eleanor. “Why wouldn’t you want to move?”

  Colby shot Macy a look and then leaned closer to Tanner. “Because I want to stay here.”

  “But you can’t stay here forever. It’s a good resting place, Colby. But you have a home.”

  Eleanor left the porch and moved forward to do what Macy should have known how to do. But she didn’t. She was so consumed in Colby’s pain, in his loss, that she didn’t know what to do for him.

  “Colby, there are changes in life. Some of those changes are harder than others. Some changes are good and even fun or exciting.” Eleanor knelt down in front of him. “There’s something I want you to do for me.”

  “What?” He didn’t manage to sound happy.

  Eleanor ruffled a hand through his hair. “First, try to sound like my friend Colby. You are a tough kid. And that’s good because you’ve gone through some tough things in the last year. But I want you to think about going home.”

  He shook his head emphatically.

  “No, now listen. When you think about going home, think about the fun stuff you and Macy will do. Think about that dog you want. Or a cat. Think about what you’ll name it. Think about how you want to redecorate. Or what sports you want to play. Think about the future and everything awesome you want to do. You might want to visit your grandma in Arizona. I heard that the Grand Canyon is amazing.”

  “Maybe we could visit her in the summer. After school.” Macy moved toward her nephew, praying he wouldn’t reject her.

  He didn’t. He looked up when she spoke, and he nodded. “I want to go to the Grand Canyon. And ride a donkey.”

  She held her arms out, and he gave her a hug. “But to do that, Colby, we have to work on being a family.”

  His little face fell. “I know.”

  A hand touched her back, comforting. The touch was strong and sure. “I’ll touch base with you later?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Tanner looked around for his helper, who hadn’t shown up. “I guess Russell isn’t going to make it.”

  “Maybe we co
uld ride along with you. Colby would probably like to see the Culpepper ranch. And the two of us are pretty good at moving boxes.”

  “Sounds like a plan. I’ll get my truck and back the trailer up to the back door.”

  They were loading boxes when Jay showed up.

  “Hey, Tanner, I’ve finished with the boys and their new calves. Do you all need help with these boxes?”

  “Since our help skated out on us, that would be good. How did your interview go with the school?”

  “I think I’ll get the job. High school history and geography. And once I finish my counseling degree, I’ll be able to volunteer at the ranch as a therapist.”

  Macy handed Tanner a box and made eye contact with him. It was easy to see what he was thinking as he looked at Jay Maxwell. He was seeing a young man with potential and comparing him to Russell. She had to agree, Russell would probably break Chloe’s heart. But she also knew from experience that Chloe would have to learn that on her own.

  Her phone rang as they were loading the last box. She stepped away and answered it.

  “Hey, Macy, it’s Avery Culpepper. I wanted to let you know, I’ve gotten things taken care of here. I’ll be in Haven by Sunday.”

  “Like I said before, I’m not sure that it’s necessary to come right away, but you will be able to meet with the lawyer and have a look around town.”

  “Oh, I plan on staying.”

  “Well, if you do, we have several options,” Macy offered, realizing she wasn’t going to be able to talk Avery out of coming to town now. “There’s a boardinghouse, a B and B, and just down the road in Fieldton, there’s a hotel.”

  A long pause and then a quiet “Oh.”

  “Do those not work for you?”

  “Well, I kind of thought, since I’m Cyrus Culpepper’s granddaughter, that I would stay at his ranch.”

  “That might be a problem, and I definitely am not the one to give permission for that.”

  “I am his heir.”

  “Again,” Macy said as Tanner turned his attention to her and the phone call, “I’m not the one to give permission for that. There is a will. And lawyers.”

  “I see. Well, wasn’t my granddad a rich old coot?”

  Macy opened her mouth, and she just couldn’t get the words out.

  “Hello?” Avery sounded young and immature.

  “Yes, well, I don’t know anything about your grandfather and his finances.”

  “I guess I’ll be getting myself a lawyer, then.”

  “That’s probably a good idea.” Macy made eye contact with Tanner. “If you’re coming to town Sunday, we’ll be at church. If you want to meet me there at noon, I can help you find the boardinghouse or the bed-and-breakfast.”

  “I’m certainly not going to church,” Avery countered. “But, yeah, okay.”

  “Okay.” Macy ended the call. “Wow.”

  “Avery Culpepper?” Tanner asked.

  “Yes, and she’s going to be a mess. She wanted to stay at the ranch.”

  “That is a problem.” He motioned her toward his truck. Jay was already inside with Colby. “Climb in. I think we’re ready to take the first load.”

  “Okay.” She got in. “I don’t know what I expected from Avery.”

  He started the truck and eased forward. “I guess we expected her to be decent. Old Cyrus was as ornery as they came, but he was a good man. Decent.”

  “When did his son leave?” Macy asked.

  “I’m not sure if I ever knew his son. So I guess long before I ever came to town. Lila at the café said the two of them had a falling-out. She doesn’t know if they ever spoke again, but she said Cyrus always regretted the way they parted. He even hired a private investigator to find his son. I guess the PI must have learned about the granddaughter, but he didn’t find her before Cyrus passed.”

  “What a shame.”

  “Stop!” Colby shouted from the backseat. “Stop talking about Cyrus.”

  Macy shifted in her seat to look at her nephew. “Colby, what’s wrong?”

  “I don’t want to talk about Cyrus and his son. And I don’t want you to talk about him dying.”

  “No, of course not. And we won’t talk about it anymore.”

  Jay had a hand on Colby’s arm, and the two started talking quietly. Macy faced forward again, giving them as much privacy as she could in the cab of a truck. A hand covered hers. She moved, letting Tanner’s fingers wrap around hers. It had been a long, lonely year.

  * * *

  Tanner parked with the trailer backed up to the front porch of the Culpepper house. He’d been here a few times, but he was always impressed by the size of the place. Chloe could call his house a castle, but by these standards he lived in a cottage.

  “This place is huge,” Colby said as he hopped out. “Like a mansion, right?”

  “Kind of,” Tanner agreed as he looked up at the place. It needed some work, but there was a fund for that. They would need more beds, more food, more of everything.

  “Can I go inside?” Colby asked as he stepped up onto the porch.

  “You sure can. But stay close to us.” Tanner opened the back of the stock trailer. “And grab a box.”

  Colby grumbled, but he grabbed a box. Jay went next. They carried the boxes inside and up the steps to the floor designated for Cabin One and the Macks. The old place was still in good shape. There were hardwood floors but some carpet. The bathrooms were plentiful, and that was important with an operation of this size.

  “Let’s use this front bedroom for storage,” Tanner suggested. “I think it will end up being a living room of sorts.”

  They put the boxes against the wall and then headed back down to the trailer for the next load. As they walked out the front door, Tanner noticed a truck coming up the long driveway. When it got a little closer, he realized it was Flint Rawlings from the Silver Star.

  “Flint, did you come to help unload boxes?” he asked the foreman of the boys ranch.

  Flint stepped onto the porch. And he wasn’t smiling. “No, afraid not. I just got a call from the Lawrence Ranch foreman.”

  The Lawrence place shared a property line with the Silver Star. Tanner knew the place well. At one time he’d tried to buy it.

  “Yeah?”

  “They’ve had a horse stolen. One of their therapy horses.”

  “Great.” Tanner walked away from Macy and Jay. Flint followed. “And I suppose they want to blame the boys?”

  “Yeah, they do. In all of the years I’ve worked at the ranch and lived in Haven, I’ve never seen anything like this. A community that used to support the ranch now seems bent for leather in shutting it down.”

  “We’ll do some serious PR work in the next couple of months. Katie Ellis is good with fund-raisers and public relations.” Tanner rubbed a hand down his cheek. Great, he’d forgotten to shave today. He whistled. “This is all getting a little dicey.”

  “Yeah, and there’s more.”

  “Of course there is.”

  Flint pulled him farther away from the others. “Russell was out there the other day. And he had them show him this horse. He said he was thinking about buying it for Chloe. Of course, they told him it wasn’t for sale.”

  “Russell couldn’t buy a stick horse for Chloe.”

  “That’s what I figured. I’m not saying he stole the horse. I don’t know if he has the brains for being a horse thief.” Flint grinned as he said it. “But if not, someone else did. And with everything else going on, I think we have to do more to figure out who is sabotaging the school.”

  “Local law is getting nothing?” Tanner asked as they headed back down the porch.

  “Nope. There just isn’t any evidence.”

  “So what do we do?” Tanner watched as Jay, M
acy and Colby grabbed more boxes from the trailer and headed back inside.

  “I have a friend who might be able to help. I’ll get in touch and get back to you. I’m just not sure if he’s willing. He has some history around here and with the ranch.”

  “I’m not sure if we need anyone else with a vendetta coming into the picture, Flint,” Tanner said as he walked into the trailer.

  “He won’t have a vendetta. I just don’t know if he’ll want to help. And who has a vendetta?”

  “It would seem that whoever is causing these problems does.”

  Flint shrugged. “The one person I know who has an imaginary beef with the ranch is Fletcher. And I can’t believe he’d have the nerve to pick up a gun or a rock.”

  Fletcher. The name hung between them, and they both shook their heads and said, “Nah.”

  “By the way, Macy found Avery,” Tanner informed the other man as they carried boxes up the steps.

  “That’s great. One down and four to go. I hope you’re having more success than I am.”

  Tanner shook his head. “Nope. Gabe’s grandfather is nowhere to be found. I have one lead, and I don’t think Gabe is going to like it.”

  “Why do you think Cyrus did this? Why couldn’t he just give the place to the kids and let it be? Instead he had to attach all of these conditions. Finding people. Having a big celebration. There are kids at stake here.”

  Tanner set his box down on top of the others that were being stacked against the wall. “I’m not sure. Cyrus could be ornery, but he wasn’t a bad old guy. Maybe he wanted people to see how well the boys of the ranch turned out. Fletcher seems to want to stir the other pot, and make the boys all look like juveniles.”

  “Yeah, maybe that was it. I know that Samuel Teller has sent quite a chunk of cash to the ranch. And Cyrus supported the ranch, too.”

  Macy reappeared with another box. “Everything okay?”

  Flint shrugged and left Tanner to decide if he should tell her or not.

  “A horse was stolen from a neighboring property,” he said. “And of course it makes the boys look bad. But also, Russell was there the other day, asking about buying the horse for Chloe.”