The Reluctant Rancher (5 page)

Debbie had laughed
while she ridiculed him
.
She
’d
gloated about how she
’
d fooled him
by
 
pretending to want him just so she could get his money. She had hurled other
taunts and
insults about his looks and his masc
ulinity as she left the five-star room
. Her words
had cut to the quick and i
t had
taken him a long time to get over the pain.

He realized now that his failure in
the marital
bed had been a direct result of his lack of love for his wife.
H
e’d used Debbie as much as she’d used him. He’d b
een looking for someone to love;
she’d been looking for an easy meal ticket. Neither had gotten their heart’s desire.

So now if he found himself yearning for something more, for someone to believe in him, yes, someone to love, he squelched those feelings and worked even harder on his ranch.

As if sensing his inner turmoil, Mark broke into his thoughts impatiently.
“
How you can let that woman still get to you is beyond me.
”

“
Your job is to forgive.
”

“
My job is not to pass judgment,
”
Mark corrected.
“
Which I don’t. But the woman wanted your money and your ranch, Luke. And she went about it any way that she could. What sh
e did had nothing to do with true
love between a man and a woman.
”

Luke finished his cigarette and tossed the butt aside. He watched
as it made
a wide arch before landing on the froz
en ground, the glowing end
extinguished by the
melting frost. He didn’t acknowledge his friend’s support, he didn’t have to. Even though he rarely said the words aloud, Mark knew the high esteem with which Luke regarded him.

“
I just hope I don’t regr
et this.
”
H
e turned to leave.

“
You won’t,
”
Mark grinned
and slapped him on the back.
“
I promise.
”

“
Yeah, just like you pr
omised that horse I bought off old m
an
Winchester
was saddle broken.
”

“
Hey, you can’t blame me for that,
”
he
protested.
“
He just didn’t like your looks.

“
I have to admit I had a damn fine time showing him who was boss.
”
Finally Luke grinned
, his bad mood lifting after speaking to his friend.

After saying goodbye, he strode from the porch, waving one last time as he pulled from the graveled drive and headed out of town. Last night he’d decided to let his grandfather welcome Ma
ry to the Circle T. He would attend
the monthly cattle auction in
Newport
and leave the two to settle in by themselves.

He’d taken one look at the curvy woman and felt his hard
wo
n control
start to slip.
A little time away was needed to shore up his defenses.

“
Damnation.
”
He slapped
 
his h
and against the steering wheel.
He’d be better off just keeping his distance. And this trip was the perfect beginning. Maybe this attraction to Mary was the end of his long dry spell with women. A cowboy with a pocket full of change could always find himself a good time no
matter how ugly he happened to b
e.

* * * *
*

 
Several
days
later Mary woke
slowly then
sat up with a start.

“
Pooh bear,
”
she muttered. The time on the bedside clock read
half past nine
. Well past the time she should have been up and about.

A chill permeated the early morning air even though the calendar proclaimed it to be mid-May. She boun
ded from bed.
Time to decide what to wear.
Joseph had been most adamant
about her not wearing a uniform but c
l
othes had been her enemy for a lo
ng
time.
For years, the
only fashion available for women of Mary’s size were shapeless garments made
of polyester and gabardine.
Within the last few years, d
esigners had finally wised-up and
started producing clothes
for the plus-sized woman made of silk and satin and in beautiful flowing lines that flattered rather than fattened. But Mary didn’t have anyone in her life to care whether she wore the newer, sexier garments or not.

She decided on
a
blue jogging suit
.
The fit wasn’t too bad
and she had
to admit the color made a perfect foil for her silvery hair.
Catching her reflection in the mirror, s
he stuck out our tongue and her
image grinned back.
Yes, she was what some would consider pretty, but she knew not many men looked past her generous curves.
Which saddened and upset her.

A
bove anything else, she wante
d to be a wife and mother. She
believed with all her heart
that somewhere out there
, there
existed a man who would love her, respect her
,
and
cherish her until her dying day
. A man who could fill the deep, aching void she felt inside. She just hadn’t met him yet. And with her luck, she thought grumpily, remembering the picture of Luke’s great-grandparents, he’d probably been born in the 1800’s and she lived in the 21st century.

She tucked away her sad thoughts and
made her way down the back stairs to the kitchen. She’d arrived at
the
Circle T packed for a month’s stay eager to
spar
with the burly rancher, only to find that Luke had left town. Joseph had welcomed her with open arms and Mary pushed aside the deep sense of disappointment.

S
he poured herself
a cup of
 
steamy coffee and
hope
d
the jolt of caffeine would pry her heavy eyelids apart.
 
Her dreams over the past few nights had been filled with a green-eyed cowboy she’d just as soon forget.

“
Good morning, Mary.
”

L
uke’s deep
voice
sent shivers up and down her spine. From he
r first meeting
, his captivating voice had become one of her greatest weaknesses. He could probably talk about branding cattle and turn her insides to mush.

“
Good morning, Mr. Tanner
.
”
She willed herself to sound
and look
casual as she turned to face him.

A
red checked shirt top
ped a
pair of faded jeans
.
To her, he looked as sexy as John Wayne ever did on the big screen.
Ma
ry tried to calm her erratic p
ulse as she took a seat at the scarred wooden table
.

“
I see you’ve already had breakfast
.
”
She waved a hand at the
neatly
washed
and stacked
dishes.

“
Yep,
”
Luke replied, his expression unreadable.
“
I
figured since I hadn’t had the dubious honor of eating anything you had prepared, I’d better ha
ve at least one good meal today
.
”

Luke's mouth curved into a grin that transformed his rough features into a thing of beauty but his words still ignited Mary’s as usual too-quick temper.
“
Now listen here, Mr. Tanner
..
.
”

“
Simmer down, sweetheart.
I was only having a bit of fun. My grandfather told me you’re a great cook.
”
He walked to the sink and dumped his coffee before picking up his faded
Stetson.

“
Well, your ‘bit of
fun’ was at my expense and I do
n’t like it,
”
she
snapped
.
He’d been gone for four days and she’d been looking forward to seeing him again.

“
The name’s Luke.
”
He
placed the hat on his head then bent down to whisper in her ear.
“
I can’t say I care much for jogging
,
but this
suit is a blessing to any man’s morning.
”

Whistling
he opened the back door, and let
it slam close behind him.

Mary felt the blood rush
to her cheeks at his flattery. She took a sip of her coffee and wondered if she had imaged the feel of his li
ps on her ear. It didn’t matter. S
he could
still feel the warmth of his breath and hear the deep timber of his sexy voice.
That would definitely fuel a few more of her impossible dreams.

Ten minutes later Joseph’s arriv
al forced her from her musings
. S
he realized she hadn’t even started breakfa
st and
hastened to
put water on to boil for their morning bowl of oatmeal.
Joseph placed two slices of bread in the toaster before
taking a
seat at the table.

“
Boy
, am I starving
t
his morning.
”
T
he older man grinned.
“
It must be all that fresh air we’ve been getting.
”
On the second day at the ranch, Mary had suggested some light exercise, nothing too strenuous, just short walks around the ranch yard.
Since his arm was broken, Joseph hadn’t been doing his daily cho
res or getting the exercise he was used to.

“
This
won’t take but a minute
.
” She waved to the boiling pot. “
I guess I slept in late this morning, too.
”
On chilly mornings when his arth
ritis bothered him, Joseph
didn’t rise much before nine.
She pulled a knife from the drawer to butter the toast then realized she already had one. Determined to get her mind back on track, she finished the toast and placed a bowl of creamy cereal on the table.

“
How are you this bright and beautiful morning, my dear?
”
Joseph
opened the sugar bowl and put two heaping tablespoons on his cereal. Mary hid a smile. She’d replaced the pure cane s
ugar with a substitute and he
had
yet
to comment
on the difference.

“
I want to talk to you. I called Dr. McAllister yesterday and got an update on your condition.
”
S
he spooned the
sugar
substitute into her second cup of coffee.

“
Now, now, Mary, why bother
Logan
? I’m doing fine. I hope you’re not getting bored
way out here in the back of
beyond.
”
It took the better part of an hour to drive into town from the ranch and
,
with no transportation of her own, Mary hadn’t left the Circle T since she’d arrive
d.

“
Of course not. I’m used to entertaining myself. And don’t try to change the subject,
”
she admonished with a smile.
“
Logan
seemed more concerned with your general health than he did your fall. Apparently your blood pressure is up and so is your blood sugar.
”

“
Nonsense,
”
Joseph blustered.
“
I’m fit as a fiddle.
”