The Lionhearted Cowboy Returns (7 page)

Handley shook his head as he turned the page. “With these excellent credit scores, surely we can come up with a better interest rate.” He glanced at Dixon. “Larry, why don’t I take care of this? I’ve been a friend of the family for years.” He smiled at Jeff. “I gave Chance Randell his first loan.”

At the mention of the well-known Randell name, Dixon excused himself and left the room.

Handley looked back and forth between the two. “I like to think we’re still a neighborhood bank. Since the circumstances with your husband have changed, I’m sure we can also adjust the terms of the loan with a better interest rate for the two of you.”

“No, Mr. Handley. This is my debt and I don’t want Mr. Gentry liable for any of it.”

The man looked over his reading glasses. “This is a business loan, Mrs. Guthrie. I need both your names on it and both of you are to be responsible for it.”

Jeff felt Lacey tense. “Would you excuse us a moment?” At the man’s nod, he took Lacey outside the small office and into the hall. “You can pay the money, I don’t care, Lace, but we need to get the loan first.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I won’t have you take care of this for me, Jeff.”

“Okay, what do we do? Walk away? You lose the ranch and move into town?”

He saw the determination on her face. “No. I plan to sell you the cabin and the acreage around it.”

Jeff didn’t even need to think about it. “Fine, when we’re rich and famous, I’ll sell it back to you. That section of land is valuable and the cabin belongs to Colin.”

She nodded. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet, we could still lose our shirts.”

She smiled. “Now I feel like we’re equal partners.”

And suddenly he was a landowner. “Then let’s go have Mr. Handley draw up the papers.”

T
HAT
evening, Lacey arrived home from work with the kids in tow to find Jeff on the porch. She was tired and still in her uniform when she came up the steps.

“Hi, Jeff,” Emily greeted him, her blue eyes lit up with excitement. “What are you doing here? It’s dark outside and the horses are sleeping.”

He leaned down to her. “I know. I just need to talk to your mother for a few minutes.”

“Okay.” She looked to her mother. “Mom, he needs to talk to you.”

Lacey didn’t want to talk to anyone. All she wanted was a long hot bath, a glass of wine and no interruptions. But it didn’t look like that would happen. “Give me a minute.

“Colin, take your sister upstairs and start her bath. And don’t leave the water running this time.”

Her son grumbled something, but then looked at Jeff. “Okay, Mom.” He took Emily’s hand and they disappeared inside.

She turned to Jeff. “Was there something else we need to talk about?”

“If you have a few minutes. We were so rushed this
morning. I wanted to make sure you’re okay with everything.”

“Come in.” She went inside, leading him through the kitchen and pantry, then into the small office.

She turned and faced Jeff. He looked freshly showered and shaved with a crisply starched Western shirt and jeans. Maybe he was going out.

He pulled a paper from his back pocket. “I spoke with my dad’s lawyer after you went to work and he came up with an agreement for us. If you want you can have your attorney go over it.” He frowned at her. “I figured that everything would be fifty-fifty. I own stock; you have the stables and the experience for training.”

“You now own part of the ranch.” She hated giving that up or anything that actually threatened her kids’ future.

“Temporarily. Until the loan is paid off.”

She looked down at the papers. She also didn’t have an attorney. “Can you give me a few days to look it over?”

“Sure.” He hesitated. “Lacey, we don’t have to go through with this. I don’t want your land. I’m fine with investing in the business without it.”

His dark gaze held hers. She felt a rush go through her, making it hard to concentrate. “I know, but I can’t let you take all the risk.”

He smiled at her and her heart tripped.

“I don’t think this is a risk at all. Our stock is top-rate. It will be slow going at first, but once we start advertising about your training, things will pick up.”

She still wasn’t sure that would mean anything to anyone.

“We should come up with a name,” he suggested. “I thought we could use our initials. G&G Quarter Horses. Lacey Guthrie, trainer.”

She suddenly felt more of Trevor fading from her life and Jeff intruding in it. “The name will change?”

He paused. “Not the ranch, just the business. Maybe both our names could help us, with my dad and uncle in rough-stock business. The Gentry name is pretty well known.”

He was right, she thought.

“Don’t forget we have Chance Randell as our pitchman. And if we get a few more boarders we can hire that stablehand we talked about.”

Her head was spinning. “You’ve been thinking about this a lot.”

“Just since we talked to Mr. Handley.” He grinned. “This is going to work, Lace. Our partnership.”

She couldn’t help but get caught up in his excitement. “You make me want to believe it.”

“Believe it. This is your future, too.” He checked his watch. “I wish we had more time to talk, but I have to go.”

Why did it bother her that he seemed anxious to leave? “You have a hot date?” she blurted out. Oh, no, she sounded so desperate.

Jeff looked confused at her question. “I’m meeting Brandon, Jay and my brother, Drew.” He sighed. “They talked me into going out for a drink. It’s kind of a welcome-home celebration. I’m meeting them at a place called the Horseman’s Club.”

It was an upscale country-western bar, also known as the best hook-up place in the area. “That should be nice.”

“I’ll let you know tomorrow,” he said. “I’m not much for big crowds, drinking or dancing.”

What about pretty women in tight jeans with the big…buckles?
she wanted to scream. “Well, I won’t hold you up.” She headed to the door. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, just not so early.”

Jeff stopped. “I’ll be here at my usual time. Chance is coming by, he wants to talk to us about which stallion would be best to cover Bonnie.”

“So soon?”

He shifted his hat in his hands. “Is there any reason to wait?”

“No, I guess not,” Lacey agreed, once again feeling the excitement. They were truly going to be partners. Why was that bothering her so much?
Because Jeff Gentry would be a part of her life.

Two hours later, the cousins sat at a corner table in the large bar as a Kenny Chesney song played in the background. For a weeknight, the place was crowded with people. His single brother, Drew, and Brandon’s younger brother, Jay, were taking advantage of the abundance of girls and were out on the dance floor.

Jeff took a sip of the beer he’d been nursing the past hour, then looked across the table at Brandon drinking cola. He was the designated driver.

“You’re not having much fun, are you?” his cousin asked.

“It’s not bad. I’ve just never been big on the club scene.”

“Do you think I picked this place?” His cousin smiled as he nodded toward the dance floor. “Blame it on Drew and Jay. It was their idea. Nora wasn’t exactly crazy
about it, either. Not that she has anything to worry about.”

Jeff envied Brandon. The man had found love with someone special and his life seemed to be going great. He thought about Lacey. He would rather be with her, going over some ideas for the business. A few nights ago he hadn’t been thinking about business when he’d held her close, when he’d kissed her. Those feelings hadn’t changed over the years.

“Hey, how’s the new partnership going?” Brandon asked, drawing Jeff back to the present.

He nodded. “Good. Uncle Chance has agreed to help out.”

Grinning, his cousin shook his head. “You’ve been in the military so long, I didn’t think you’d ever come home. Now, you’re a horse-breeder.”

Home.
It had been a while since Jeff had thought about San Angelo as home. Nor had he thought he’d end up partners with his best friend’s widow. “I didn’t have much choice. I was forced into finding a new career.” He found himself smiling, too. “But so far I’m enjoying it.”

“And a pretty woman doesn’t hurt, either.”

Jeff shook his head. “There’s nothing going on between Lacey and me,” he said, knowing he wouldn’t go there again.

Brandon grinned. “If you say so. Just so you know, there’s plenty of room in Mustang Valley for another Randell.”

“Yeah, this family has changed so much, and you’re the first of our generation to get married. You have a son, too.”

Brandon leaned forward and lowered his voice.
“And there’ll be another Randell soon. We’re not saying anything yet, but Nora’s pregnant.”

A pang of jealousy hit Jeff, surprising him. “That’s great news.” For a split second, he let himself think about the possibility of having his own wife and child. Lacey immediately came to mind, but he quickly pushed aside the fleeting dream.

“Keep it quiet for a while. We haven’t told Mom and Dad yet.”

“You can trust me, I only give my name, rank and serial number,” Jeff said wryly.

They were both laughing when their younger brothers returned. “Hey, what’s so funny?” Drew asked.

Brandon shook his head. “It’s a private joke.”

Drew pulled out his chair and sat down. In his early twenties, Andrew resembled Wyatt with his dark hair, but he had lighter eyes like their mom. “Well, here’s something that’s not so private. Granddad Hank’s cattle drive.” Drew looked at his older brother. “And he’s insisting that Jeff’s going to be the trail boss.”

Jeff shifted in his chair. “A couple of weeks back, he mentioned something about it, but I didn’t think anything had been finalized yet.”

This time it was Jay who spoke up. “Oh, no, you know Granddad. He has it all planned out. He’s even had Aunt Josie put it up on the Web site, advertising it for Labor Day weekend. The first Annual Randell Ranch Cattle Drive. Seems there’s a lot of interest, too. One thing I know for sure, Hank wants this to be headed by the grandkids. He said he wants the next generation of Randells to show what they’re made of.”

Brandon smiled. “I believe Hank’s just thrown out
a challenge. Sounds like fun. What about you, Jeff, you planning on going?”

“I haven’t told Hank one way or the other.” He wasn’t sure if he could do it, but the idea sounded intriguing. He was interested in finding out more details. “I’m not sure I’m in shape for it.”

“Then get in shape,” his brother told him. “Put in some time on horseback. We’ve got some fence you can ride.”

Jay glanced at his brother Brandon. “You probably could use the exercise, too.”

Brandon pulled in his flat stomach. “What do you mean? I’m in great shape.” He looked at Jeff. “We’ve got about five weeks to pull this together. You can come by the ranch on my days off. We’ll chase some cows around.”

The younger brothers broke up with laughter. “I can’t wait to see this,” Jay said.

Jeff suddenly felt the stirring of competition. He found he liked that. “Cuz,” he said to Brandon, “looks like we have to show these two how it’s done. If you can spare a few dozen steers and bring them up to the cabin, we can hone our skills. There’s plenty of grass and water to keep them happy.”

“You’re telling me,” Jay said. “The Guthrie place has the best underground spring in the area. If Lacey ever wants to sell us some water, we’d be interested in buying. In fact I would love to have that acreage to run my own herd.”

Jeff had never paid much attention to the water shortage, but that could be another source of income. “If and when you’re serious I’ll talk it over with Lacey.”

Jay grinned. “Man, oh, man, you’re home less than a month and you’ve bought a couple of quality quarter
horses and got a pretty partner, to boot. How did you get so lucky?”

A few weeks ago, Jeff hadn’t felt so lucky, but things were starting to look better. He thought about Lacey again. No, a
lot
better.

There was a tap on his shoulder and Jeff turned to find a pretty brunette. She was very young, and decked out in tight jeans and a fitted Western shirt. “You want to dance, cowboy?”

Jeff held his panic in check. He’d never been the best dancer to begin with, but now…he wasn’t sure if he could do this.

Before he could answer, his brother spoke up. “Why would you want to dance with this old guy?” Drew stood. “I’m younger and much better-looking.” He took the young girl’s hand and tugged her toward the dance floor. She didn’t look as if she were disappointed at all with the switch. When the music changed to a ballad, Jay got up and snagged a partner, leaving Brandon and Jeff alone once more.

Brandon leaned forward. “She was a little on the young side. But it’s nice to know you can still attract them.” He shrugged. “Of course, it’s not the same if it’s not the right woman.”

Jeff recalled his kiss with Lacey and his body stirred to life. She’d always had that effect on him. Hell, he was crazy about her; that hadn’t changed since the day they’d met.

Jeff looked at his cousin. There was no use lying about it. “There’s only been one woman for me.”

Brandon nodded, knowing who he was talking about. “Then don’t you think it’s about time you went after her?”

The next morning, Chance Randell arrived at the Guthrie place. Nervous, Lacey climbed off Fancy as Jeff walked into the corral with his uncle. She’d never officially met Chance, only heard about him from Jeff and, of course, from quarter-horse circles. She wiped her forehead on her sleeve and went to greet them.

“Lacey, this is my Uncle Chance.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Randell.”

The handsome older man took her outstretched hand and shook it firmly. “Please, it’s Chance. May I call you Lacey?”

“Of course.” She glanced at Jeff, then back to his uncle. “Jeff said you’re interested in Rebel.”

Chance nodded, but his attention was on the liver-chestnut filly. “Of course, my wife threatened to leave me if I brought home another horse. So I’m glad Jeff got them.”

Lacey smiled. “And I’m happy that saved your marriage.”

He winked at her. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been sent to the barn over the years.” His expert eye and hands moved over the filly, letting out a soft whistle. “She’s a beauty.”

Jeff smiled. “I’m trying to convince Lacey to train her seriously. To get her name out there.”

“Are you training her?” Chance asked.

Lacey nodded. “Last year, Trevor and I entered Fancy in a local reining competition, but I haven’t had much time for training lately.”

“That’s all changed since the partnership,” Jeff began. “You should see these two working together.”

“It’s not my expertise,” Chance said and turned to
Jeff. “That would be Tess’s area, but I bet she wouldn’t mind stopping by to have a look.”

“I might ask her,” Jeff agreed.

Chance nodded. “So let’s see this stallion I’ve heard so much about.”

They walked into the barn. Lacey stayed back, but Chance refused to let her lag behind, asking her questions about the layout of the place and complimenting her on the operation. After all the work she and Trevor had put in, that made her feel good.

They reached Rebel’s stall and the stallion whinnied in excitement. Chance immediately went inside. With Lacey’s coaxing, the horse allowed the older Randell to look him over.

“You say Bonnie is Rebel’s dam?”

“Yes,” Lacey answered. “He’s a two-year-old, sired by Johnny Reb.”

“He’s a good-looking horse. Your husband knew what he was doing.” Chance looked at her. “I’m sorry to bring up your recent loss.”

“Not a problem. My husband would have liked you saying how much you’re impressed with his horses.” She wasn’t sad at the mention of Trevor’s name. He’d left a legacy in his horses. “I think the best way to honor him is to keep this bloodline going.”