Her Hidden Legacy Read online

  That was the gift Hunter was giving to Phoebe, even if he didn’t understand how priceless it was. But it wasn’t just Hunter changing the kids’ lives. He had the help of the family, even if they weren’t technically his family. He was just the ranch foreman. Although everyone said he was Ricky’s right-hand man, he was still an employee. But you wouldn’t know it by the love Ricky gave these children and the way everyone in Ricky’s family went out of their way to support Hunter and take care of the kids.

  This was the family life she’d always dreamed of. And when she walked out to the back deck for some of the homemade ice cream, the longing in her heart only deepened. One of her happy childhood memories was going to a new grandparent’s cabin in the woods and eating homemade ice cream. She’d liked that family. The stepfather had also been pretty cool, except for the fact that six months after he and their mother got married, he went to jail on drug-trafficking charges. Funny how people weren’t always what they seemed.

  Maybe that was the lesson she needed to take away from all of this. Her mother had always told her that they didn’t have a relationship with Ricky and his family because they were bad people. But maybe her mother’s opinion was flawed. After all, she didn’t have the best judgment in people. Could her mother have been wrong about Ricky all these years?

  Rachel handed her a bowl of ice cream with the usual grace and contented smile she’d come to know from her sister. Sometimes she caught herself staring at her, wondering what it would have been like to have known her as a child. Rachel had grown up in the foster-care system. When she’d heard Hunter was doing all this to keep his nieces and nephew out of care, she’d eagerly stepped up to help. She wanted the children to know the family she’d never had.

  While they’d had different family experiences, RaeLynn suspected that, growing up, they’d both felt a deep longing for family connection. Sometimes RaeLynn just wanted to tell Rachel they were sisters and build a relationship with her. But that felt like a betrayal of her mother and the siblings she’d grown up with.

  The longer she was here, and the closer she got to everyone, the harder it would be to tell them the truth. Would they be angry with her because she’d taken so long to tell them who she was? Would they believe her? RaeLynn didn’t know how to handle so many doubts and fears.

  Hunter gestured at a porch swing on the corner of the deck. “Let’s sit for a spell,” he said. “I feel like all we’ve done lately is run, run, run. It will be nice to have a quiet moment to ourselves.”

  We. Ourselves. Like they’d already formed some kind of partnership. In a way, they had. And that made these feelings of unease even worse.

  As if Rachel could sense RaeLynn’s doubts, she gave her an encouraging smile. “It’s okay. The kids will be fine. They’ll all be out here in a few minutes clamoring for ice cream, and there are enough adults around that we can handle it. You’ve been working so hard. You deserve a break.”

  As much as she told herself and everyone else that her stay here was temporary, they all included her as if she were one of them. One more adopted member of their extended family, and none of them understood that she really was family. She followed Hunter over to the swing and when they sat, peace fell over her.

  What if she didn’t leave?

  An irrational question, considering she had other responsibilities. Instead of sitting here on a swing eating ice cream with a handsome cowboy, she should be in her cabin working on her article. She’d written a lot, but none of it seemed right. She’d finish a section, think it good and then realize it was too long. But when she cut it, she felt like she was missing so many important details that people needed to know about the ranch. About the community.

  She’d written about so many different ranching businesses, towns and colorful characters, but none had wormed their way into her heart the way the Double R and Columbine Springs had. She’d moved around so much growing up that it been hard to get a sense of home. Being here felt like home in such an inexplicable way that it was hard to imagine living anywhere else.

  That was ridiculous, though. She had a job to do. And when her time here was over, her article finished, she’d be back in Denver saving a magazine that people desperately needed.

  “Your ice cream is going to melt,” Hunter said.

  She looked down at her bowl. “It seems too pretty to eat.”

  He smiled at her. “But it’s meant to be eaten, so you might as well enjoy it while it’s still cold and delicious.”

  They ate the ice cream in silence, and it was as delicious as it looked. She could sense Hunter relaxing beside her, and as she stole a glance at him, she could see the peace settling over his face. This was probably the first actual break he’d gotten since the children had come to live with him.

  People helped with the children during the day, but she knew he was wrestling with them alone all night. He’d admitted the baby didn’t sleep very well, except for when they were on the recliner together with her lying on his chest. But that didn’t let him sleep very well because he was afraid she’d move and fall off.

  Part of her wanted to offer to take the baby one night so he could just get some sleep, but she knew he had to figure this out on his own. She’d be gone soon.

  The sound of children’s laughter broke the silence. “It was so nice and quiet,” Hunter said.

  “It was peaceful out here,” she said.

  Further ending the quiet and the mood was a beep from Hunter’s cell phone. He pulled it out and checked the text.

  “One of the horses has been acting a little colicky over the past few hours,” he said. “A ranch hand just texted me to see if I could come give him a break from walking her. The vet is on the way, so it shouldn’t be long. But I do need to be there. Our head trainer, Fernando, would usually do this, but he’s on vacation with his wife and baby. You don’t have to come, but it might be interesting to see another aspect of ranch life.”

  RaeLynn nodded. Over the years, many of the ranchers she’d talked to had mentioned colic and how it impacted horses, but she’d never seen it for herself.

  “As long as you don’t think I’ll be in the way. I would like to see as many aspects of ranch life as I can.”

  They brought the bowls back over to the table where Rachel was still dishing out the dessert. “Thunder is still colicky. Steve asked me to come relieve him for a bit until the vet gets here, and I should be there for the vet anyway. Do you mind looking out for the kids while I’m gone?”

  Rachel smiled at him. “Of course not.”

  She glanced at her watch. “I imagine it will be a while,” she said. “Once we finish up with the ice cream, Wanda and I will take the kids back to your place and put them to bed.”

  The strained smile on Hunter’s face told RaeLynn that while he was grateful for the help, he also hated not being able to do it himself. It was good that he accepted their offer, though. Growing up, how many times had RaeLynn been left to put the kids to bed? It wasn’t that she blamed her mother for it. Her mom worked hard to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. But seeing the family come together like this made her realize how things could be.

  As they walked toward the barn, the wind picked up slightly under the setting sun. She shivered a bit, and Hunter noticed almost immediately.

  “I should’ve reminded you that it gets cold once the sun goes down.”

  He shrugged out of the warm flannel he’d put on when they’d gone outside to get dessert. At the time, she’d thought it was overkill, because it had been such a nice evening. But now, she saw the wisdom in his actions.

  “Here. Put this on.”

  She hesitated as she took it. “But won’t you be cold?”

  He shrugged. “Better me than the lady. And I’ll be walking with the horse and moving around, which will keep me warmer. You, on the other hand, will get colder just sitting around watching.
I’ll be fine.”

  As she put on the flannel, his warm scent enveloped her. Having Hunter’s shirt on her was like a giant, warm hug from the man. So comforting. It was the closest she’d probably ever come to being in his arms, and she felt a twinge of regret at the thought. He was a good man, and were the situation different, she would have liked to get closer to him.

  Chapter Five

  Working with the vet took longer than Hunter had anticipated, but colic often took more time than you thought it would, and nothing with animals could ever be truly predictable. Eventually, they appeared to be through the worst of it. RaeLynn looked to be almost dead on her feet. “I’m almost done,” he said.

  She gave him a tired smile, and even looking utterly exhausted, she was still beautiful.

  “I wish you’d gone back to your cabin earlier,” he said. “I feel bad making you sit through this.”

  “It was interesting. I’m glad you included me.”

  She didn’t look glad, but he wasn’t going to argue.

  He finished cleaning up and gave some final instructions to his ranch hand. The hand already knew what to do, so it was mostly just a reminder, along with encouragement to contact him if the horse suddenly got worse. Judging by the amount of manure that had already come out, Hunter thought they were out of the woods, but you could never be too sure. He was just glad the vet thought the horse was going to be okay.

  When he was finished, he held an arm out to RaeLynn. “Let’s get you back to your cabin.”

  As they walked along the road from the barn to where the cabins were, the fresh air and moonlight brought a greater strength and energy to him. The fatigue he felt in his bones lightened, and when he glanced over at RaeLynn, he could see that she was feeling it, too.

  She held his flannel wrapped tightly against her, and he was glad he’d thought to grab it when they’d gone outside after dinner. Working with the horse, he hadn’t been cold at all. He could tell RaeLynn was less used to the cold and had needed it far more than he did. Even still, she shivered slightly when the breeze picked up.

  “It’s not far. I should have had someone bring you back to your cabin earlier. I’m sorry.”

  RaeLynn shook her head. “You’ve already apologized for that. If I’d wanted to go back, I would have gone back by myself. I wanted to stay. Don’t blame yourself for something that was my choice.”

  He wanted to hold her tight to him, to put his arm around her the way he did with Lynzee when she was chilly. But he was already worried about getting too close to her. Why did this have to be so complicated? They walked farther along the road to where it branched off toward the cabins. It was a far enough walk that they probably should’ve taken one of the ATVs, but since his was at the house already, it would’ve left them short at the barn.

  “Sorry about the long walk. I didn’t think about taking one of the ATVs until now,” he said.

  “Stop apologizing,” she said. “I like the walk, and if I hadn’t felt up to it, I would have said so. You don’t have to anticipate everyone’s needs and take care of them. People can tell you if they need something.”

  “But you’re our guest, and I’m supposed to take care of you. I feel like I haven’t done a very good job of it.”

  She gave him a small smile. “I don’t think you take care of all of your guests as well as you’re taking care of me.”

  He smiled back. “I suppose you’re right. The truth is I like you, and I like having you around. And I like doing nice things for you.”

  The expression on her face made him wonder if he’d been too forward. If he’d said too much. He probably had. He didn’t have a whole lot of experience with women. He and Felicia had been high-school sweethearts, and though they’d broken up for a little while before getting back together, getting married and starting their family, she was the only woman he’d ever dated. That was the trouble with life in a small town. There weren’t a lot of women to choose from. All his friends who’d gotten married lately had found women new to the area. Sure, they had lots of women guests, but he always kept things professional.

  At least until now.

  Was it dumb of him to hope she’d stay? He knew the dangers of falling for someone whose heart truly wasn’t here. Was it so much to ask that he’d find someone who loved both him and life on the ranch? It didn’t seem fair to have feelings for someone who could never accept his life.

  As they got to the clearing by RaeLynn’s cabin, she paused. “I’d invite you in for a cup of coffee, but the last thing you need is caffeine keeping you up all night. You need sleep.”

  That he did, but he was also enjoying this quiet time with RaeLynn. “True, but a nice warm drink wouldn’t go amiss. A cup of herbal tea would hit the spot.”

  She looked at him funny. “You drink tea?”

  “It doesn’t fit with your manly image of a cowboy?”

  He tried to sound all big and tough, and it made RaeLynn laugh. He loved the sound of her laugh. It made him feel all warm inside, and he never wanted to let go of that feeling.

  “I just don’t know many men who would ever ask for herbal tea,” she said. “But I do have some in my kitchen, and it wouldn’t be any trouble to make you some.”

  The tone in her voice made him wonder if he was imposing. After all, she’d also had a long day and needed her sleep. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t angling for anything,” he said. “Now it sounds like a stupid idea.”

  “No,” she said. “I was enjoying spending this time with you. Even though I know we both need rest, I don’t want it to end. Maybe a cup of tea will help us both relax.”

  He followed her into the cabin, noticing that she kept it as neat as they kept it for their guests.

  She made the tea, then gestured out at the porch. “Why don’t we sit for a bit and drink the tea, then you can head back.”

  At her words, he realized he’d temporarily forgotten about the kids. They were all sleeping, and Rachel and Wanda were waiting for him to come home. He was torn because what he really wanted right now was to be with RaeLynn, sitting on her porch drinking tea. But he also felt bad that others were waiting for him to come home so they could go to bed, too. It was one of the many reasons he hadn’t considered dating as a single father.

  Once again, RaeLynn seemed to sense what he was thinking about. “Let’s take it over to your place,” she said. “That way, the others can get back home and go to bed, and you can rest assured that the kids are okay.”

  Was it wrong to like her even more?

  Of course it was. He couldn’t help himself, though. He knew this was temporary, but he didn’t want it to end. They walked in silence to his cabin, where only a small light shone. When they entered, the cabin was quiet, and Wanda sat in his recliner, reading a book.

  “Sorry it took so long,” he said.

  Wanda got up from the chair, waving him off. “I’ve been a ranch housekeeper for years. I know the animals don’t ever follow our schedules.”

  Her eagle eye landed on the cups of tea they carried. “Looks like you stopped for some refreshment.”

  Her words made him feel guilty for having done so. “Yes, I’m sorry. I should have just come straight here, but something warm to drink sounded good.”

  Wanda nodded. “It’s a cold night. If you’d called ahead to let me know you were coming, I could have whipped something up for you.”

  “No, it’s okay. You’ve done enough.”

  “Oh stop,” she said. “You act like you’re imposing, and you’re not. Rachel helped me get everyone to bed, and they all went right to sleep. I was able to enjoy the peace and quiet for a change and get some of my book read. If you’d stayed out just a bit longer, I could have found out who the murderer is.”

  She glanced over at RaeLynn. “Don’t let him use needing to get back to kids as an excuse. If we need him to be back by a certain time,
we’ll let him know. The man works too hard, and we’re here to help.”

  RaeLynn smiled. “I understand where he’s coming from.”

  Wanda put her book in her bag and headed for the door. “Fine. You two just continue being stubborn. But just know that I’m even more stubborn.”

  After Wanda left, they looked at each other.

  “What was that about?” RaeLynn asked.

  Hunter shrugged. “Just her being bossy as usual. She wants to take care of us and doesn’t like it when we have our own ideas about what that looks like.”

  “It’s nice that she cares.”

  Hunter gestured to the couch. “You want to sit for a bit?”

  Even though they’d intended to sit and talk, having her next to him on the couch seemed almost too personal, too intimate. Mostly because she looked so good curled up there, wearing his flannel, drinking a cup of tea and looking absolutely like this was where she belonged.

  “Thank you for everything you’ve done,” he said. “It means the world to me to have someone like you in my corner.”

  She smiled at him. “I think often about my childhood, and how different things would have turned out for all of us had we just had some extra support. My mom did her best, but she was on her own, and that made it hard. I like that these kids aren’t going to have to go through that.”

  Her expression changed, and a faraway look filled her face. She looked wistful and maybe a little sad. He reached forward and brushed her cheek.

  “I’m sorry if this brings up painful memories. I wish there was more I could do for you.”

  The smile she gave him told him she wanted the same thing, but it wasn’t possible. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on his part. But he held out his arm to her to give her some comfort, and she slid over and nestled up against him.

  “I hope you know what an amazing woman you are,” he said.

  She looked up at him and smiled. “I think the same about you. I never knew a man could be so loyal and faithful and care so deeply for children, especially when they’re not his own.”