Rancher at Risk (6 page)

She and the other two gals looked at the only man in the room.

Caleb held his hands up as if to ward them all off. “You’ll get no argument from me, ladies. My point in bringing him down here is to give him a chance to pull himself together again. Whether he can do that or not, only time will tell.”

“Time is just what he needs,” Tess agreed.

“Being in a new environment will help,” Roselynn said.

He nodded. “That’s the whole idea.”

“I can’t imagine what he’s going through.” Tess rested her head against Caleb’s shoulder.

“Not something I’d even want to consider.” He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

His jaw had hardened and his eyes had gone tight. Ellamae frowned, knowing what thoughts must’ve run through his head. Caleb had gone through hard times and come out a better man for it.

His ranch foreman would do the same, with luck—and a little help from Caleb’s family.

When Tess and Caleb left the kitchen laden down with trays of mugs and the coffeepot, Ellamae glanced at her sister.

Roselynn looked back, her forehead wrinkled in concern. “He’s upset over the whole situation, El, and who can blame him? I told him he did the right thing bringing Ryan here.”

“Agreed,” Ellamae said. “All along, it sounded like the boy was a powder keg sitting up in Montana, just waiting for a match to light his fuse. But I’ve got a feeling the distractions around here are going to take him right out of himself.”

“I hope so. Although I don’t see much difference between one ranch and another.”

“It’s not the job that’s going to keep him—and us—busy.”

“Oh, no.” Roselynn shook her head. “Ellamae, he’s still grieving.”

“I didn’t say we’d get busy immediately.”

“You can’t possibly be thinking of getting up to
anything.
”

She gripped the damp dishcloth she’d just used to clean the counter. “For crying out loud, woman. It’s not me. Rose, sometimes, I swear you walk around with blinders on. You saw Lianne all through supper. Do you mean to tell me you didn’t see the sparks from her flying across the table?”

“How do you figure that? She didn’t say a word to him.”

“I rest my case.” She sighed. Sometimes Rose needed to be approached from a different angle. “Haven’t we said all along Lianne’s a wonderful girl?”

“Of course we have. And I want her to be as happy as Tess.” Roselynn’s face brightened. “What about Kayla and Sam’s foreman? You know Jack’s always been interested in her. And they get together whenever she comes to visit.”

She waved the idea away. “He’s a nice man but not good enough for Lianne.”

“Well, I don’t know….” Roselynn picked up the loaded dessert tray. “Ryan’s just arrived in town. He hasn’t even settled down yet.”

“He won’t get the chance to settle down.” She laughed and tossed the dishcloth into the sink. “Trust me—” And why wouldn’t anyone trust her, since she always knew what was what about everything? “—we’ll be taking things nice and easy on this one. Give those two a little time on their own out at the ranch, and Lianne will have that boy well and truly riled up.”

* * *

“
W
E’RE
HAVING
PECAN
PIE,”
Nate said, spinning a couple of napkin-wrapped forks on the table. “Aunt El’s best!”

Lianne smiled. Caleb’s wife, Tess, was on the quiet side, while their preteen daughter was exactly the opposite. Nate reminded Lianne of herself at that age—a bit of a tomboy and always willing to take charge.

As guests, she and Ryan had been sent outside with Nate to sit at one of the picnic tables scattered across the Whistlestop’s backyard. The girl hadn’t stopped talking since they had left the house. A good thing, since Lianne wasn’t sure she wanted to be left alone with Ryan.

“Gram’s bringing the pie.” Nate looked at him. “Aunt El wouldn’t let me carry your piece because she said I’d snitch some of your pecans. But I wouldn’t do that. Not the first time, anyhow.”

All through dinner, Lianne had managed to keep up with the conversations—except when they involved much input from Nate. When she was excited, which was often, she talked right over others. Her exuberance, combined with how fast she spoke, made lipreading next to impossible.

She gave Nate a lot of credit for wanting to learn how to communicate with her and Becky, especially because many people never made the attempt. But now, as the girl moved on to tell Ryan a long story about a rodeo, she seemed to have forgotten she knew a single sign.

Lianne looked away, giving her eyes a rest. She made sure to keep her gaze from going anywhere near Ryan.

On their ride to the inn, he had done the same.

In the truck, she’d noticed he had shaved after his shower, closely enough for her to see the small muscle tic in his otherwise smooth jaw. She knew what that telltale tic meant. He’d had no idea what to say to her.

Though they had left the ranch house hours ago, she could still recall the way his eyes had darkened when she told him she was deaf. From shock, probably. Surprise, for sure.

She was used to both, and worse. Over the years, she’d had to explain to hundreds of people that she couldn’t hear. She had built up a thick skin, an armor that protected her against any reaction.

But today, for the first time in her life, she hadn’t felt ready to hear a response. And she didn’t want to think about what that meant.

Nate patted her arm. “Lianne, did you tell Ryan all about the school?”

“Yes, I did.” She’d better not miss a word of this conversation now. Not in front of the man sitting across from her.

Nate looked up at Ryan. “You’re gonna help Daddy with the wranglers, right?”

“Right.”

“And Lianne’s running the ranch.”

“Is she?” he asked.

“Yep. She’s helping Daddy build the school. It’s gonna be a camp, too. Isn’t that great? But don’t worry, it won’t be like a
dude
ranch or anything.”

Recalling her conversation with Ryan about that, Lianne couldn’t keep from looking his way. He was watching her.

His hazel eyes had changed, chameleon-like, picking up the color from his T-shirt. The green of an impending storm had given way to the brighter shade of grass after the rain. The sight sent a rush of pleasure through her.

Nate patted her arm again. She tore her gaze away from Ryan.

“There will be lots of horses at the ranch, right?”

She nodded at Nate. “Right. The boys will have plenty of chances for horseback rides.”

From across the lawn, Caleb and Tess approached, each carrying a tray.

“This is how you say
horse,
Ryan.” Nate rested the tip of her thumb against her temple with her index and middle fingers together and standing straight up. She tapped both fingers in the air twice the way Lianne had taught her.

He nodded.

“Try it,” she insisted.

“Nate,” Caleb said, “why don’t you give Gram and Aunt El a hand with dessert?”

“Okay,” she agreed, bounding to her feet. “So long as I get the biggest piece of pie.”

“We’ll give that to one of our guests,” her mother said. “And later you and I will have another talk about sharing.”

As Nate ran off, Caleb set his tray on the picnic table. “Coffee’s ready.”

“Can I pour for you?” Lianne asked.

“Thanks, but I’ve got it covered,” Caleb said. “Tess is training me.”

“Yes, and it’s a slow process.” Tess smiled at Caleb to take the sting from her words.

Lianne smiled, too. Like Kayla and Sam, these two were lucky to have each other.

Tess turned toward Lianne. “I hope you found things okay over at the house.”

“Everything’s great.” She spoke firmly, trying to convince herself as much as Tess. “So far I’ve seen everything I could possibly want in the house.”

And one person she didn’t want there at all.

She tried not to look at the man across the table as she reached for the mug Caleb held out to her.

She owed Caleb so much. The job. The chance to prove herself. Even the house she was living in rent-free. The big ranch house, with lots of rooms to get lost in.

Growing up with so many other kids around, she’d never had the luxury of a room to herself. Unlike Nate, she’d also never had a problem with sharing.

Before now.

Chapter Five

Their second helpings of pie finished, Ryan and Caleb had moved to a couple of lawn chairs. The one Ryan had taken provided him with a clear view of the far side of the yard, where Lianne sat at a table near a row of pine trees laced with tiny white lights. After dessert Nate had ferried Lianne over there for a sign language lesson.

Caleb’s mother-in-law hefted the coffeepot. “I’ll be right out with a refill.”

Caleb and Tess made vague comments about continuing his “training” and followed her.

“What did you think of the dessert?” asked the older woman seated near him.

Grateful for the distraction, he turned to Tess’s aunt. With her grizzled gray hair and tanned skin, Ellamae could have passed for Tony’s female twin.

All during the meal, she and Roselynn had sent platters and plates and bowls of food in his direction, urging him to take extra. Three rounds later he’d finally quit saying yes. He recalled Caleb’s warning that she liked to “spice things up.” But after kindness like that, he was willing to give the woman the benefit of the doubt.

“Dessert was great,” he said truthfully. “One of the best pecan pies I’ve ever tasted.”

He took a long, bracing swallow of coffee. One advantage to not sleeping—no worries about too much caffeine.

Ellamae did the same, eyeing him over the rim of her mug. “You’re a long way from Montana. It’s your first visit to New Mexico, isn’t it? And of course, your first time here in town.”

“Yes, ma’am, it is.”
And probably the last.
As things stood now, he knew once he’d gotten free of his obligations here, he’d never want to see the place again. Whether he went back home or not… He’d have to see how things stood then.

“You’ll have to make sure and look me up next time you’re in town,” she said. “I’ll show you around, introduce you to a few folks. And there’s always something going on at the community center.”

That was the last thing he needed. “Thanks. I imagine I’ll be sticking close to the ranch for a while. It’s a busy time over there.”

Across the yard, Nate gave a loud frustrated groan.

Lianne laughed and brushed her blond hair back over one shoulder. Caleb had lit the hurricane lamps on the picnic tables, and in their glow her hair rippled like a river catching the first rays of the sun.

Fine poetic thoughts from a man whose literary heights ran to Louis L’Amour novels. And not thoughts he wanted to have at all.

“Good to know you’re enjoying your new surroundings.”

He’d forgotten about the woman sitting right next to him, who had trained her sharp-eyed gaze on him again. “Flagman’s Folly does seem like a nice place,” he said, choosing to misunderstand her. “At least, from what I’ve seen so far.”

“Uh-huh.” The ghost of a grin on her wrinkled face told him she hadn’t fallen for his redirection. But she rolled with it anyway. “From what I heard around the office the other day, you got a fairly good glimpse of Signal Street.”

Frowning, he looked over to Lianne and back again.

“Nope,” the older woman said.

“Caleb?” Even as she shook her head, he strung her words together and made the connection. “You work at Town Hall.”

She nodded. “As town clerk for more than forty years now. That’s a lot of water under the bridge.”

And a long history of loyalty to Judge Baylor, he’d bet.

Should have heeded Caleb’s warning after all.

After tonight he’d make sure to keep away from her.

“The judge has almost as much experience reading folks as I have,” she said, “though he’s not quite as generous in giving them the benefit of the doubt. Early on, anyway. He’s seen too many situations where folks have let circumstances steer them in the wrong direction.” She couldn’t have made it any more clear that she knew all about his situation. And she didn’t bother to hide the gleam in her eyes.

Damn him—though he wanted not to care, his desire to learn more equaled hers. “Does everybody in Flagman’s Folly know what’s brought me here?”

Again she shook her head. “Most folks know
Caleb
brought you here, and that’s the extent of it. But he and the judge get along.”

He grimaced. “Should I expect the sheriff on my doorstep at dawn?” Better that than the rude awakening the other morning.

She laughed. “Not likely. Don’t take it too hard, Ryan.” The kindness in her tone suddenly made him wonder about that glimmer he’d seen in her eyes.

Thinking about that glimmer suddenly made him envision Lianne standing beside the truck. He blinked and focused on Ellamae again.

“The judge provides a sounding board for a lot of folks around here,” she said. “But he knows how to keep his mouth shut.”

“And you?”

“I know everything that goes on in Flagman’s Folly. Sooner or later.”

It hadn’t escaped him that she’d left the important part of his question hanging. He understood all about folks wanting to spread gossip, good and bad, throughout their small town. Especially the bad.

Half of him wanted to say the hell with it, to walk away from this town and not look back. The other half knew he already stood on the verge of losing everything. One more wrong step, and he’d risk plunging over that edge.

* * *

O
VER
THE
RIM
of her magazine, Lianne checked out the coffee table. Napkins. One coffee mug. A carafe filled to the brim. And the full pan of brownies. Nothing to show she hadn’t just settled in for a Sunday-night chocolate fest on her own.

Nothing to show she was ready and waiting.

Since their dinner at the Whistlestop a week ago, Ryan had stayed true to his word. He’d done his job and left her to do hers. Unless Caleb had a reason to talk to them together, they rarely saw each other. If their paths did happen to cross, they managed to keep the conversation civil.