The Rancher Next Door
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Darlene Mindrup
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Chapter 1
Jenny Gordon took one look at her new home and sighed. She should have known it was too good to be true.
“Oh, Jen! We can’t possibly live here!”
The wailing voice of her younger sister brought Jenny Gordon out of her stupor of shock. She stared somberly around at her morose surroundings. Dirt and dust met her inspection whichever way she turned. At first the little cabin left to her by a distant cousin had seemed to be the answer to prayer, but the reality was different from the dream....
“Jen?” Jenny turned to her younger brother, David. His twin sister, Renee, was still sniffling from the doorway, trying desperately to hold back tears.
“Jen? What are we going to do?” He stared disdainfully around the rough-looking log cabin, lips set in a grim line. “We can’t live here.”
Jenny cast him a fleeting smile. Whatever her own thoughts were, she must keep from her brother and sister the extent of her worry. “Oh, I don’t know, David. It’s not so bad.”
His dark eyebrows went swiftly toward his curling black hair and as swiftly lowered to meet in a straight line across his forehead. Blue eyes snapped with anger.
“Are you out of your ever-loving mind!”
“Oh, Jen, no!” Renee’s shocked voice mingled with her brother’s irate one.
Jenny lifted a shaking hand to her head and pushed her ash-brown hair from her eyes, which felt dulled by fatigue and worry. It had taken almost everything they’d had in savings to get here, and now she was faced with a definite dilemma.
After her parents had died in an accident shortly after their move to New York from North Dakota, Jenny had hurried home from the university to care for the twins. The comfortable living she had been used to had ceased to exist when the estate was finally settled. Poor investments and estate fees had put on hold any possibility of receiving an inheritance from her parents’ insurance policies.
It hadn’t helped that the only job she’d been able to find was as a waitress in a greasy diner on the corner close to where they had found a cheap apartment, and she had had to leave the twins on their own for much of the time. The hours had been long, the pay a mere pittance, but it had helped to tide them over until she could find something a little more permanent. Except nothing permanent had ever come.
Just when Jenny had about reached the end of her endurance, the letter had arrived from the lawyer’s office. Jenny could barely remember Father talking about a cousin who had come to live with his family when he was just a boy. He had left when he was twenty-one and had written Father periodically, but Jenny hadn’t thought of him in years. She had been amazed when she’d received the letter from the lawyer’s office about inheriting Cousin Tito’s property. And now here they were in the little Arizona cabin that was nothing like the home she had envisioned.
Jenny was brought back to the present by the squeaking of the floor as David shifted his suitcase and placed it in front of him. There was a defiant set to his shoulders.
“Jen, this place isn’t fit for a pig much less a human.” He kicked some dust under his feet, causing little dust motes to dance through the sunlight spilling in the open door. “What are we gonna do? We sure can’t stay here.”
For the first time Jenny fully took stock of her surroundings. After the first shock had worn off, she noticed that the cabin was not really a cabin in the rough sense of the word. It was actually a five-room structure made to look like a cabin. There were two bedrooms, a kitchen and dining room combined, a small bathroom and the small living room in which they were presently standing. Sheets were draped over much of the furniture, giving the rooms an eerie quality in the dim light.
The building itself was solidly built and what had appeared to be deterioration was really neglect. An air of loneliness seemed to permeate the place, calling out to the isolation Jenny had been feeling since the death of her parents. Despite its flaws, it was as though the place was calling her home.
Jenny shook herself from her fanciful imaginings and focused on the reality of the situation. On closer inspection she could see things she hadn’t noticed before. Light switches were evidence that the cabin had electricity. The kitchen had a sink and a refrigerator, and a small stove stood against the wall in the corner. That the cabin was already furnished was a major blessing, considering they had no furniture of their own. Jenny felt somewhat cheered by these details—until she looked at her siblings.
Renee had returned to the porch and refused to come back into the house. Her ramrod-straight back gave mute testimony to the tension and anger she was feeling. David gave Jenny one final disgusted look and joined his twin on the porch. He seated himself on the stairs at the side of the porch, away from Jen’s scrutiny. If looks could kill, David’s final glare would have sent her to her grave.
Jenny sighed and turned to the bathroom. When they had entered she had only given it a cursory inspection. Now she took the time to look around her. A white-enamel claw-foot tub was in the farthest corner. A small commode was in the other corner and a white-enamel basin stood between. The three items took up most of the space and left little room for anything else. A window above the sink let in a pale, sickly light through the brown grime. One pane was busted out in the corner. The thought that it might have been vandals disturbed her, but she pushed the alarming feelings aside.
As Jenny continued her inspection, a resolve was forming in her mind. This cabin was solidly built. There was obviously electricity and running water. If she and the twins were to clean it up there was no reason that they couldn’t live here. She was beginning to get excited at the prospect. Could they do it? What other choice did they have? There was no money left to return to New York and nowhere to return to if they did. There might be some money coming from Cousin Tito’s estate eventually, but that would take time and they needed somewhere to live now.
With grim resolve Jenny went outside. She straightened her shoulders as though she were preparing for battle, as in a sense she knew that she was.
“David. Renee. I have something to say.” She watched David stiffen. Renee turned to her expectantly, her tear-streaked face looking hopefully toward Jenny.
“I think,” Jenny began, “that with a little work we could manage to live here.”
David spun around on the porch. Renee’s mouth dropped open.
“Wha—?”
Jenny raised both hands in the air. “Just listen to me a minute.”
A mulish expression settled over David’s features. His very posture spoke of open defiance, but the thought of the tenement houses in New York and David’s descent into an association with the lower dregs of society spurred her on. If there was any way possible, they would never live that way again.
“Maybe you didn’t notice that there is electricity and water in the cabin,” she told them hopefully, pausing and looking around. “At least there will be when we have it turned on. And there’s a refrigerator in the kitchen and a stove. There’s even a tub and commode in the bathroom.”
The excitement she was beginning to feel came through in her voice.
“The place is a pigsty, for crying out loud! You can’t possibly be serious. It would take ages to make this place livable! Where would we live in the meantime?” David placed an arm around Renee’s shoulders. “I don’t want my sisters living in a place like this.”
Jenny stared hard at him until he eventually looked down in embarrassment.
“Have you forgotten how we’ve been living for the past few years?” She waved her hand around. “This is paradise by comparison.”
Renee glanced at her brother and Jenny could see the thoughts flitting across her face. Renee’s concern for her twin was equal to her own. If they didn’t do something soon, they were going to lose him. They shared a look over his head. Renee lifted her chin, her blue eyes shining luminously. “If you think it’s best, Jen, then I’m willing to give it a go.”
David’s arm dropped from her shoulders as though he had just been stung. He glared from one to the other. “I can’t believe it! I can’t believe my ears!” He sounded almost desperate.
Jenny lowered her voice, unconsciously pleading with her brother. “David, we all need to work together.” She reached a hand toward him but he jerked away. His voice vibrated with his wrath.
“I’ll help! You bet I’ll help! And as soon as I help you make this place livable, I’m outta here. Do you hear me!”
He flung himself off the porch and stumbled across the yard toward the desert. Jenny started to go after him but Renee placed a restraining hand against her arm. “Let him go, Jenny. He needs time to take it all in.”
No one knew David better than his twin so Jenny reluctantly bowed to her wisdom. Jenny worriedly watched as David became a small dot in the distance. “He might get hurt.”
“He won’t go far.” With that pronouncement Renee turned and went through the front door of the cabin. Jenny followed her, shoulders drooping wearily. She knew that David wouldn’t make this easy, but would he really run away? It would take all of them working together to pull this off, but David was so impulsive, there was no telling what he might do.
Inside, the cabin seemed cooler, a blessed relief from the sweltering heat outside. Renee had stopped and was staring gloomily around her.
“Do you really think we can fix this place up? And where do we get the money to do it?” She looked inquiringly over her shoulder at Jenny.
Jenny sighed heavily. They still had a little money left in the bank, but not much. She looked hopelessly around her. “I guess the first thing we need to do is have the lights and water turned on. Mrs. Ames said she would stop back for us at one o’clock. We can talk to her about it then.” She glanced at her watch. “That’s still thirty minutes away.”
When they had arrived in Phoenix, they had been met at the airport by Hattie Ames, the wife of Jacob Ames, the lawyer who had handled Cousin Tito’s estate. Mrs. Ames was a tall woman with slightly graying dark hair coiled into a bun on her neck. She’d been wearing an elegant burgundy two-piece skirt and jacket with a pink chiffon blouse, leaving Jenny feeling dowdy in comparison. Her old jeans were showing definite signs of wear and her faded T-shirt didn’t fare much better.
Jenny had to envy Hattie’s seeming imperviousness to the sweltering July heat that had Jenny dripping with perspiration. The hour-and-a-half drive to Mayer had seemed endless despite the air-conditioned comfort of the car.
Jenny went to the door and leaned against the frame. The desert landscape shimmered as the heat reflected off the hot sand. A large bird circled overhead and she shivered as she recognized the predatory buzzard. Where was David? He had to be back before Mrs. Ames returned.
Renee walked up behind her and laid her chin on Jenny’s shoulder. Perspiration glistened on her face. Jenny was surprised to discover that Renee was almost as tall as she now. She glanced sideways at her younger sister, taking in the softness of her face. Renee’s black hair glistened vibrantly. She was so lovely, even at twelve. Jenny felt a quick pang of envy but just as quickly snuffed it out. Ugly memories that she had thought were in the past struggled to rear their dark heads.
“I could sure go for a cold soda about now,” Renee remarked, interrupting those thoughts and scattering them to the far winds.
Jenny smiled. “I’d settle for anything to drink. My throat feels as though it has a layer of cotton in it.”
Renee stepped up beside her sister and squinted, her focus down the dirt road that led to Cousin Tito’s ranch. Following her gaze, Jenny saw a vehicle rapidly approaching. She glanced at her watch.
“Heavens. Mrs. Ames is early. Renee, go see if you can find David. I don’t want to keep her waiting. Not in this heat.”
“I couldn’t agree more!” Renee swiftly descended the stairs and went in the direction they had last seen David disappearing.
Jenny walked along the porch and rested a jeans-clad hip against the rail. Arms crossed, she watched the rapidly approaching car. A smile quirked her lips. Mrs. Ames must be in a mighty big hurry.
It was only seconds before Jenny realized that the vehicle didn’t belong to Mrs. Ames. Her car was a white Lincoln Town Car. This was some sort of truck. Jenny’s eyebrows pulled together and she waited in silent anticipation.
A dark blue Jeep Cherokee slid to a halt in front of her. Almost before the car stopped, the front driver’s door was thrown open and a large, blond-haired giant fairly threw himself from the vehicle. He strode toward her, taking the porch steps two at a time.
“Who in thunder are you and what are you doing here? This is private property!”
Jenny stared up into blazing green eyes, her heart rate accelerating at the intimidating picture the man made. Never had she seen such an earthy shade of green in a set of eyes before. Nostrils flaring, the man reminded her of stories of avenging Vikings of long ago, especially with a day’s growth of whiskers shadowing his firm jaw. She shivered despite the sweltering heat.
“Well?” The belligerence of his tone released her from the daze his fiery presence had induced. She felt the hackles rise on the back of her neck at his arrogance. She drew herself to her full five-foot-six-inch height, which still left her a good eight inches shorter than he was.
“Look, Mr. Whoever-you-are, exactly what right do you have to question me?”
Green eyes locked with blue. Invisible sparks seemed to pass between them, the atmosphere crackling with imperceptible energy. They stared at each other for what felt to Jenny like an eon. The air seemed to grow thicker around them and Jenny found it hard to breathe, her mouth growing even dryer than before, and she knew it had absolutely nothing to do with the Arizona heat. She willed herself to look away, but her eyes had a mind of their own.
“Jen?”
Jenny finally dragged her gaze away from the man and focused on David standing behind him. She tried to settle the rapid beating of her heart. The stranger had swung around at the sound of David’s voice. His eyes went from David to Renee, who was standing slightly behind her brother, and back to Jenny again.
“What in thunder is going on here? A pack of runaways no doubt.” The stranger’s lip curled disdainfully. His eyes slid over the three of them as if they were some kind of dirty vagrants and David squirmed slightly under that intense regard.
“Well, you can just pack it up and go back home where you belong. You’re not staying here.”
“You can’t tell us what to do!” David flung himself forward and stubbornly faced the stranger, his trembling lip giving lie to his bravado.
Jenny didn’t appreciate the stranger’s overbearing attitude. Although she was proud of her brother’s attempt at being their protector, it suddenly occurred to her how very alone they were out here and that this man could possibly be dangerous. He certainly looked as if he was capable of violence. Muscles rippled across broad shoulders as the stranger pulled his Stetson from his head and shifted it from one hand to the other. David quailed under his look and Jenny was suffering severe misgivings about tangling with such an individual. From somewhere deep inside she pulled on reserves of courage and decided her best defense would be a quick counterattack.
“David, be still,” Jenny told him quietly. She stepped forward, pushed her brother to the side out of harm’s way and turned to the man. “Perhaps you would explain yourself.”
His green eyes fired afresh. “You want me to explain myself! You’ve got a lot of nerve, lady! I happen to be looking after this place for someone and that gives me the right to question you, and I have no intention of explaining myself to a bunch of kids.”
Of all the supercilious attitudes! Anger that had been squelched by fright now pummeled its way to the surface. “I’ll have you know that I am not a child!”
His eyes took a slow inspection of her, making her flinch under his appraisal. Jenny squirmed under that scathing look, knowing that she didn’t look her best. With her hair in a ponytail and no makeup, she probably did look like the child he accused her of being. The fact that she was thin didn’t help matters, either. She was not exactly an imposing figure.
When his gaze connected with hers again, something had altered almost imperceptibly in his hard stare and she unwillingly responded to it.
Those memories she had tried so hard to bury now rose to the surface. Her first year of college she had met Alexander. Having been sheltered all her life, she’d been easy prey for the likes of such a practiced charmer. They had dated for a short time and she had thought herself in love. She had been devastated when she’d overheard a conversation between him and his buddies in which he’d explained that he could overlook Jenny’s lack of looks as long as he knew she had plenty of money.
He had dropped her like a hot potato after her parents died and he realized that there would be no big inheritance coming from the estate. It had shattered her faith in herself. Although the hurt from that rejection had diminished over the years, all of those insecurities came rushing back to haunt her now. This man exuded that same kind of magnetism.
Despite his towering rage and her own rising anger, Jenny could feel the tug of his attraction. Surprised that she was so affected, she slid her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and frowned up at him, exasperated with herself. What was there about the man that shortened her breath and muddled her thinking? In her whole twenty-six years of existence she had never been as affected by a man as she was by this one. Even her feelings for Alexander paled in comparison, making her more leery than ever.
Their standoff lasted several long seconds before Jenny finally capitulated.
“Fine,” she told him. “My name is Jenny Gordon. This is my brother, David, and my sister, Renee. And this—” she moved her hand in a sweeping gesture “—is our ranch.” She dropped the bomb casually and waited for his reaction. She hadn’t long to wait.
“In a pig’s eye!”
* * *
Mitch Anderson stared in openmouthed amazement at the three belligerent faces regarding him as though he were the interloper. He had seen someone on Tito’s porch upon his return from town and, having been the recent target of juvenile vandalism, was not in a particularly forthcoming mood.
Wherever had these kids gotten the idea that this property belonged to them? Hopefully they weren’t the targets of some sort of scam. The one named Jenny looked as though a good puff of wind would blow her away. Looking at her now, he could see that she was older than he had at first assumed. She was neither homely nor cute, but something about her arrested his attention. Those wide sapphire eyes regarding him with such open hostility held the faintest look of desperation. Opening his mouth to deny their claim, he felt as though he was about to kick a wounded puppy.
“It’s true,” the boy piped up, interrupting what he was about to say while a female replica of him settled for a vigorous nod of the head.
Before he could reply he heard the sound of another vehicle barreling down the dirt road. Dust billowed out behind it. As if in silent agreement all four figures waited for the car to arrive. Hattie Ames’s Town Car parked tidily behind his Jeep. She slowly emerged from the car, a wide smile on her face. He had no idea what she was doing here, but he had a sudden premonition that settled a hard lump in his stomach.
“Mitch! How nice. I see you’ve met your new neighbors.”
The lump in his stomach grew to alarming proportions. Incredulity, anger, frustration were only a few of the myriad emotions churning their way through his gut before he forced himself to calm down. He turned to Jenny, his eyes slowly traveling from the tip of her mousy head to the toes of her running shoes and back again. You have got to be kidding!
When his eyes connected with her flashing blue ones, he could tell that his reservations were evident on his face. Each time he got caught by that look, it was as though some sort of magnetic pull was dragging him outside of himself. He frowned, berating himself for his foolish reaction. He said nothing, waiting until Hattie joined them on the porch.
Arching an eyebrow, Jenny turned toward Hattie. “Mitch?” she queried.
Looking puzzled, Hattie glanced from Jenny to Mitch.
“Didn’t you introduce yourselves?”
“We hadn’t gotten around to it yet,” Mitch told her drily.
“Oh.” Hattie glanced curiously from one to the other. “Mitch owns the ranch west of here.” She gestured in the direction that was evidently west. “There are actually very few cattle ranches left anymore. Mitch’s is one of the few prosperous ones still around.”
David’s eyes widened. “Are you a real cowboy?” He was obviously impressed, seemingly forgetting his earlier animosity.
“If you mean do I ride around on a horse all day singing cattle songs and eating from a chuck wagon the way they do in the movies, then no, I’m not a cowboy.” He suddenly flashed a smile and, despite his chaotic feelings, felt himself softening toward the boy. “Is that what you meant?”
The boy’s face flushed but he was undeterred. “Yeah, I guess that is what I thought.”
“I raise cattle for beef,” he told him. “We do ride horses and round up our cattle, but nothing like the old days.”
A sudden silence descended on the group.
Hattie hastily stepped forward, eyes darting perplexedly from him to Jenny. She was obviously aware of the thick, almost oppressive, atmosphere.
“Well, now, what have you decided?” At Jenny’s questioning look, she gestured around. “I mean, if you want to sell this place I’m sure I could find a buyer for you.”
“Really?” David and Renee chimed together.
Hattie smiled at them. “Really.” She turned to Mitch. “As a matter of fact, Mitch here’s wanted this place for a while now. Isn’t that right, Mitch?”
He willed the belligerence from his voice before he answered. “I will make you a good offer,” he told Jenny, caught once again by the desperate look in her eyes. He held his breath, waiting for her answer.
* * *
Jenny glanced around her, trying to ignore the hopeful looks on her siblings’ faces. The buzzard she had seen earlier was a mere speck in the bright azure sky. The stillness of the hot afternoon settled around her and she felt herself relax for the first time in weeks. What was it about this place that made her feel so at peace?
Periodically she could hear a bird trilling close by or the wind skipping a tumbleweed across the sandy terrain. One could almost feel the presence of God here, which astonished her, because she hadn’t given much thought to Him for some time.
“It’s not for sale.” Jenny heard her own voice with some surprise. She was fairly certain that that wasn’t what she had meant to say. There was so much to consider, not the least of which was how they would survive until she could get a job.
She ignored the swift intake of breath from her siblings.
Mitch’s lips formed a tight, thin line. “You haven’t even heard my offer yet. I’m willing to pay you considerably more than the ranch is worth.”
Jenny looked him squarely in the eyes. For once in her life she had no doubts. This was home. She could feel it. How could it be that she seemed to fit right into this rugged landscape? And what of Renee and David? Her heart gave a frightened lurch. Was she doing right by the twins? Was she being selfish? She had to do what she thought was best, and in her heart she felt this was the right decision, though she didn’t understand why.
Mrs. Ames cleared her throat. “Perhaps you want to think it over?”
Jenny shook her head. “No, Mrs. Ames. I definitely don’t want to sell. I want us to live here.”
David flung himself away and stomped off to the other end of the porch and Renee let out a small sigh. Mitch Anderson snorted in disbelief.
“Do you have any idea what it’s like out here? This is no place for a woman alone with two kids. There are things you need to take into consideration.”
That was certainly true enough, not the least of which was a means of transportation. If she had to rent a car that would definitely cut into the little money they had in their savings. Still, something told her this was where she was meant to be. Normally a more logical person with a sound sense of judgment, she ignored the tiny voice that warned her against making snap decisions.
“Regardless, I intend to stay.”
His narrowed green-eyed gaze seemed to question her sanity. He slammed his Stetson on his head and went to turn away. He paused a moment before adding, “If you change your mind, Hattie here knows how to get in touch with me.” He nodded his head toward Mrs. Ames.
Jenny watched as he leaped into his Jeep before throwing it into gear and, making a U-turn, roared back down the road from whence he had made his incredible appearance. Jenny blew out a relieved breath.
“What a hunk!”
Jenny gave her sister a telling look. “That’s crude, Renee,” she said in rebuke, even though mentally she had to agree with her. The man was certainly handsome in a rugged sort of way. He was what her father would have called a man’s man.
Mrs. Ames smiled mysteriously. “Land sakes, I’ve never seen Mitch so wrought up.” She glanced at Jenny speculatively. “So what do you think of the area’s most eligible bachelor?”
What did she think? Jenny mused. He was rude, arrogant, insufferable and a few other adjectives she couldn’t put a name to. Still, since he was a friend of Hattie’s she closed her mouth on the vitriolic words begging for release. She shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve just met him, haven’t I?”
Still, she couldn’t keep her look from following the fast-disappearing Jeep.
Hattie Ames smiled as if at some secret joke. She gave a slight chuckle. “‘God works in mysterious ways,’” she quoted softly. Jenny glanced at her uneasily, wondering just exactly what she meant by that.
