The Rancher And The RunawayBride: Part 2 (7 page)

It wasn’t until the silence surrounded her that she realized they’d returned to the
ranch and were parked behind the bunkhouse. She glanced around at the familiar structure,
the outline of the trees against the star-filled sky, and knew she would miss this
place.

“Wanna talk about it?” Ty asked.

“Thanks for asking, but it won’t help.”

“I bet Brady could fix it.”

Randi made a sound that was half a burst of laughter, half a sob, then covered her
mouth. “He’s a major part of the problem,” she mumbled, then dropped her arm to her
side. “I wish—” She shook her head. What was there to wish for?

Ty leaned back in his seat. “The nights get real long out here. If we were a different
sort of people, we could use each other to forget.”

Despite the pain in her heart and the tears on her cheeks, she smiled. “That’s the
nicest invitation I’ve had in a long time. Thank you.”

He gave her a wry smile. “I wasn’t kidding.”

“Me, either. I wish I could take you up on it. Life would be a whole lot less complicated.
But if I were the kind of woman who could forget my troubles in your bed, I wouldn’t
be suffering right now. And if you were the kind of man to help me do that, you wouldn’t
still be missing Denise.”

He flinched. “Well said. So here we are. A sorry collection of misfits with nowhere
else to go. What does that say about us?”

“We all need lots of time in expensive psychological therapy.”

He chuckled. “Probably.” He turned toward her. “I’m willing to listen if you want
to talk about it.”

His offer touched her. Mostly because she knew how he avoided getting involved. “Thank
you. Talking won’t help and I’ll start to cry, then you’ll be uncomfortable.”

“I could handle it.”

“I don’t think I could. But you’re not the crying type, so if you want to talk about
her—”

“No,” he said quickly, cutting her off.

“I didn’t think so.”

They sat in silence. Randi told herself she should go inside, but she wasn’t ready
to be alone. What had started out as the perfect evening had turned into a nightmare.

“Do you love him?” Ty asked.

She knew the “him” in the question was Brady. “Has it been that obvious?”

“No. I’ve noticed a couple of things, but I wouldn’t have put them together if you
hadn’t said he was your problem. Don’t worry—no one’s talking about you. At least
not that way.”

“I’m not sure I want to know how I’m being talked about.”

“You’re avoiding the question.”

“I know.” She bit her lower lip. “I’m not sure I know what love is. I haven’t ever
really loved anyone. At least not romantically. I care about him. I like him and respect
him.” She wanted him, but she didn’t tell the cowboy that. He’d probably guessed it
on his own. “Did you love her?”

Ty reached forward and clasped the steering wheel. His grip tightened until the tendons
in his hands stood out in stark relief. “I lost her.”

“How?”

“I was a fool.”

His pain filled the cab, making her tremble. Compassion joined her own suffering.
As he’d said, they were a sorry collection of misfits, belonging nowhere.

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “‘Night, Ty. Thanks for the ride.”

Before she could straighten, he cupped her face and stared into her eyes. For the
first time, the shutters were down and she saw into the blackness of his soul. The
open wounds there startled her. Who was the woman he’d lost? How had he survived this
long without her? Is that what love did to a person? She wasn’t sure she could handle
that.

Ty stroked her skin with his thumb. “I hope you aren’t offended, but you have no idea
how much I wish you were someone else.”

She blinked quickly, but couldn’t hold back the tears. One slipped down her face.
“I know what you mean.” She stepped out of the cab and headed for the house.

Once there, she walked from dark room to dark room. Moonlight caused the furniture
to cast faint shadows. She imagined she could hear voices from the past, laughter
and happy conversations. This family loved so well, the emotion lingered long after
the people were gone.

His presence surrounded her, nearly as tangible as his touch had been. She was wishing
for the moon, yet wishes and dreams were all she had left. Fantasies about a future
that could never be.

Why was she surprised? She’d never planned to make this her permanent home. She’d
always known she was moving on. But that had been
her
choice. Now it wasn’t anymore. Now she had to leave before Brady found out the truth.
She would rather he thought she simply didn’t care or that she wanted to move on,
than for him to suspect her feelings, or to later learn what she’d done and despise
her.

The bald man stared at the ringing phone, wishing he didn’t have to answer it. There
was no news to report.

“Yes,” he said, placing the receiver to his ear.

“Have you learned anything?”

“Yes. We’ve been checking small towns all along the interstate. She went to Albuquerque
after Phoenix.”

“Very good,” the voice on the other end of the phone said, sounding faintly surprised.
“You’re making progress.”

The bald man didn’t respond. Eventually he and his associate were going to have to
come clean and admit that Randi Howell’s trail went stone-cold after Albuquerque.
They’d been searching for nearly a week without a single break.

“I have some information that may help you,” the caller said, as if he could read
their minds. “There’s a large horse and livestock show in northern New Mexico this
coming weekend. Someone from town, Travis Stockwell, will be there. She might try
to set up a meeting.”

The bald man wrote down the pertinent information. “We’ll keep looking around here,”
he said, “then get to the show in plenty of time. If she’s there, we’ll find her.”

“Just remember what I told you before. You must silence her
before
she speaks to the police. If she makes it back to Grand Springs—”

“We understand. She won’t be around long enough to return to Grand Springs.”

There was a click and the caller hung up. The bald man replaced the receiver. His
associate continued to toss his cigarette pack into the air. “What’s the word?” he
asked.

“We’ve got a break. Someone from Grand Springs is going to be at a livestock show
a couple hundred miles north of here. We’ll stake it out and watch to see if she shows
up. If she does, we’ve got her.” He pulled the nine millimeter pistol from its holster
and pointed it at an imaginary target.

“Boom!” he said, and smiled. “Just like that.”

* * *

Brady tied Captain in a shady spot near the barn, then walked into the tack room to
collect the brushes and combs he would need to groom the gelding. It was a mindless
chore at best, one he should leave to Rita or one of the kids he hired. But the past
couple of days since the dance had played hell with his ability to concentrate, and
he needed to do something to clear his head.

He grabbed currycombs, a dandy brush, hoof pick and a couple of cloths, then headed
back to his horse. Starting at the animal’s head, he worked smoothly and efficiently,
seeing to Captain’s gleaming coat.

Maybe he shouldn’t have told Rita the truth, he thought for the thousandth time that
day. Yesterday he’d spent as much time mulling over the matter. Had he made a mistake?
Had he been wrong to share that kind of personal information with her? It wasn’t that
he didn’t trust her, it was more that he wasn’t sure she’d wanted to know the sordid
details of his past.

Looking back, he realized the problem wasn’t anything she’d said or done, it was the
silence. He’d expected more of a reaction from her. Some sign that the information
had meaning. But she
hadn’t said much of anything. She’d looked shocked then, at the first opportunity,
had run off. Why?

Did she think he was a fool? If so, she had to get in line to accuse him of that.
He knew he’d been a fool, and so did his family. He’d acted without thinking, because
he thought he’d been in love with Alicia.

With the hindsight of time, he now understood the truth about that summer. He’d been
desperate to find what his parents had. He hadn’t wanted to face the fact that he
might spend the rest of his life alone. So when a pretty woman had interested him,
he’d been ready to jump in with both feet, ignoring the advice of people he respected,
turning his back on obvious clues about her character. He’d been blind to all but
what he wanted to see, and in the end, he’d paid the price.

He tried to convince himself it didn’t matter what Rita thought about him. But it
wasn’t true. For some reason, her opinion counted. And her silence had unnerved him.
What had she been thinking? Did she understand that he was sharing his past with her
in the hopes—Of what? he asked himself. Why, after years of not talking about Alicia,
had he finally spilled his guts? Had he been hoping for a reaction that would give
him a hint as to her feelings? He grabbed the dandy brush and squatted down by the
gelding’s front legs. That was it, he told himself. He’d wanted some clue as to what
she thought about him. By sharing his past, by being the first to open up, he’d hoped
to convince her to do the same. He’d wanted to test the waters with her.

She was such a mass of contradictions. All soft and giving with Princess and her cats.
She’d responded to his kisses with enough heat to leave him burning and hard for days.
Then, when he’d apologized, she’d brushed his words aside, saying she’d enjoyed the
kissing as much as he had. Did she want him? Did she think about being with him?

He brushed the mud from the gelding’s legs and hooves, then straightened. Did it matter
what Rita wanted from him? Her past stood between them. How could he care about or
trust someone so obviously on the run from something? He’d shared some of his secrets,
but she hadn’t responded in kind. She’d run off, and maybe that was why. She wasn’t
prepared to expose herself to him.

He leaned against his horse and exhaled slowly. He was in way deeper than he’d first
thought. Based on his previous experience with women who dropped into his life, he
might very well be headed for another heartache.

“You hiding out here?”

Brady turned toward the sharp voice and saw Tex walking toward him. “I’m grooming
Captain. That’s not hiding.”

“You think I haven’t noticed you moping around, but I have. You wanna talk about it?”

“There’s nothing to say.”

“Uh-huh.” Tex reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a slice of apple for the
gelding. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with Rita, would it?”

Brady had bent over to brush the gelding’s rear legs. He was glad the ex-marine couldn’t
see his face and know he was lying. “No, why?”

“I thought you might be thinking about her as something more than just the groom.
The way you two have been talking and such.”

Brady knew Tex was hinting around, trying to find out if there was any “and such”
to discuss.

“Your point is?”

“You’re not involved, are you?” the cook asked.

That Brady could answer honestly. “No.”

“Good.” Tex sucked in a breath. “I guess it’s none of my business, but I’m going to
tell you, anyway. I thought you were the one she was interested in. I’ll admit I was
more than a little worried. She’s not as coldhearted as Alicia, but she could be just
as dangerous, even more. Anyway, I was all set to warn you off, but that’s not necessary.”

Tex had Brady’s full attention now. He straightened and stared at the older man. “What
are you talking about?”

“I had it wrong,” the ex-marine said. “It’s not you she’s interested in. It’s Ty.”

Brady gripped the brush he held. “Ty?”

Tex nodded. “I left the dance a little early. When I came back to the bunkhouse, I
saw them in his truck, and they weren’t just talking.” Tex’s gaze narrowed. “That
bother you?”

About as much as getting a leg cut off, but Brady wasn’t about to admit that. Nor
would he acknowledge the sudden coldness in his body or the hollow ache in his chest.
“No. Should it? If their relationship starts to cause trouble around the ranch, then
I’ll speak to them. But until then, it’s their business.”

Tex studied him for a moment, then nodded. “That’s what I figured, but I wanted to
make sure. I thought you might have had some feelings for the girl.”

“Sorry, no.” He even managed a smile.

Tex continued to talk for a few minutes, but if tortured, Brady couldn’t have said
what the conversation was about. His mind was occupied elsewhere. Rita and Ty? Was
it possible? Was it true? What about the kisses he and Rita had shared? What about
their dance, when her body had melted into his? What about their conversations, the
things they’d shared? Hadn’t that meant anything to her?

Disappointment, hurt, anger and confusion ripped through him. He wanted to track Rita
down and demand to know what the hell she was doing with the cowboy. He wanted to
beat Ty until his employee’s handsome face was reduced to a bloody mass. He wanted—“Where’s
Rita?” he asked, trying to act casual, hoping he hadn’t cut Tex off in midsentence.

“She went to town. With Ty.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Tex said a couple more things and strolled off. Brady finished grooming the gelding,
put the animal in its stall, then headed for the house.

But there was no escape in the place that had always been his sanctuary. Rita’s presence
filled the old house until there was barely room left for him. He paced, alternatively
listening for the sound of a truck and telling himself he didn’t care if she never
came back.

She wasn’t his business. He had no right to her. He didn’t care about her, and even
if he did, what did it matter? He couldn’t trust her, not with so many secrets between
them. So there was an attraction—it happened all the time. It didn’t mean anything.
Wanting and love weren’t the same thing at all. Wanting was about sex, and loving
was about forever. He’d given up on forever the day Alicia had left him standing alone
in the church.

So Rita was interested in Ty. Fine. Good. He wished them well. He would put any thoughts
of her from his mind and get on with his life.

As he said the words, he meant them. Really. Which didn’t explain why he crossed to
the window every few minutes, listening for the sound of a pickup truck returning
to the ranch.

* * *

“Are any of them calicos?” Felicia, the owner of a hair salon, asked. “I adore calicos.”

“There are a pair of sisters,” Rita told her, meeting her gaze in the mirror. Felicia
worked at the next station, teasing an older woman’s gray hair into a sizable coiffure.
“They’re very sweet. About a year old. They’re not big cats, maybe ten pounds a piece.”

Felicia, close to forty and with a figure that would make Dolly Parton blink, sighed.
“Two little calico girls. You know what? I’ll take them. You give me a call next time
you’re coming into town so I can have time to buy the supplies they’ll need. They
should have plenty of room. I’ve got the whole upstairs.” She pointed to the ceiling
of the shop. “They can play down here during the day.” She smiled. “Calico cats, just
like I’ve always wanted.”

“They’ve already been fixed,” Randi said.

Felicia laughed. “Good thing. There are a couple of tomcats running around town, acting
as wild as any cowboy I’ve ever met.”

Mary Alice, the young woman working on Randi’s hair, gave her a shy smile in the mirror.
“You just want the ends trimmed, right?” she asked as she combed Randi’s freshly shampooed
hair.

Randi nodded. “My hair is impossible, so that’s about the best you can do. At least
long enough so I can tie it back. I cut it short several years ago and it was a disaster.”

Felicia winced. “Don’t cut it, honey. Your hair is beautiful. If you knew the ladies
who come in here begging for a perm that will make their hair look like yours. You
can’t even imagine. I can try, but the best stylist and the best products don’t even
come close to that natural curl. You be grateful. Besides,” she added with a sly smile,
“some men really like hair like yours.”

Everyone joined in the laughter except for Randi, who got a sinking feeling in the
pit of her stomach. “You have beautiful hair, Felicia,” she said, desperately hoping
to change the subject.

Felicia touched her blond waves. “I work at it, honey. Two hours every morning. But
then a girl in my position has a certain reputation to uphold.”

Mary Alice picked up a pair of scissors from the table in front of Randi’s adjustable
chair and began trimming. Conversation drifted from Felicia’s reputation for beauty,
to who was currently pregnant, and to a debate over whether or not there would be
any fall weddings. Randi closed her eyes and let the words flow over her.

She was pleased Ty had come by the stable and offered to let her join him on his way
to town. Another day on the ranch and she would have gone crazy. There was only so
much tension she could survive without exploding. Not that she had anyone to blame
but herself. She was torn. Part of the time she wanted to be with Brady so badly she
could taste it. She thought about him, dreamed about him, went out of her way to see
him and talk with him. When she wasn’t dying to be with him, she was anxiously planning
how to get away from the ranch. Twice she’d packed up her duffel, only to unpack it.
Fortunately she didn’t have a lot of things, and all the packing and unpacking didn’t
take much time.

Her feelings fluctuated like a pendulum, falling out of the rational zone at each
end. She was acting like a crazy person, and there was nothing she could do to stop
it.

The facts were very easy to understand. She really cared about Brady. There were some
feelings she wasn’t ready to explore, at least not yet, but for now she felt comfortable
admitting to caring. But—and here was the bad news—whatever he might think about her
now, as soon as he found out the truth about her past, he was going to despise her.
There was nothing she could do about changing what she’d done, and there was no way
to justify her actions. So they had no future. The best thing for both of them was
for her to leave.

The problem was, she didn’t want to go. She wanted to stay and pretend it was all
going to work out. At least for now. Eventually she would have to do the right thing
and move on. Maybe she would even head back home. It was almost time.

“Speaking of weddings,” Felicia said, then winked at Randi. “I saw you dancing with
Brady Jones last Saturday. You looked very involved with each other.”

“Gee, Felicia, you saw me dancing with everyone last Saturday night,” Randi said calmly,
hoping her cheeks didn’t blush and betray her discomfort. “If I had to pick the person
most interested in me at the dance, I’d say McGregor, although he’s a little old.”