Finally Home (15 page)

“
Explain why you care about what
that
man thinks.”

“
I don’t have to explain anything to you. I really wish you would go back to Chicago,” she rubbed her temples.

Brandon sighed. “I want you back in my life, Amanda. I don’t want to leave without you.”

“
Look, Brandon, I’m sorry, but I’m not going anywhere with you. We have no future. Now, you’re welcome to stay at the ranch if you’d like a restful vacation...but that’s all I can offer you,” she firmly placed her hands on her hips.

“
I am shocked...and I don’t believe that this ranch is what’s keeping you here,” he tapped a finger on his pointy chin. “You’re involved with someone, aren’t you?”

She stared at his sharp blue eyes. “Yes.”

“
Who is he, Amanda?”

“
That’s none of your business.”

Brandon’s fingers fluttered through his thin blonde hair. “It’s that rancher, isn’t it?”

“
You’re acting like a jealous boyfriend and it’s ridiculous!”

“
How can you feel
anything
for someone like Mr. West?”

Boiling with irritation at the superior tone in Brandon’s voice, she clenched her fists. “He’s the
only
one I’ve
ever
felt anything for!”

“
You’re saying you had feelings for him even when you and I were together?”

“
I’ve always loved Noah. Just came to realize that recently,” she admitted.

“
Well, I’m not going to take this foolishness any longer. Goodbye, Amanda,” he stomped to the door, his chin slanted upward.

“
I didn’t mean to hurt you, Brandon,” Amanda called after him but only got a screeching yelp of pain.

She rushed onto the porch. “Brandon! Are you all right?”

“
No, of course not! I fell off that wretched porch,” he groaned, holding his ankle.

“
Let me help you,” she hopped down the steps and hovered over him. “Can you stand?”

“
If I could, I would not be able to walk. I’m positive I must have sprained my ankle. I know the feeling since it’s happened before.”

“
Mmmmmm, let me run to the main house and get the truck,” she helped him into a more comfortable position so that his ankle wasn’t twisted beneath his opposite leg.

“
Please hurry back,” he shouted after her, his eyes scanning the trees as a shiver crawled over his skin. “I don’t want to be lunch for any wildcats roaming around these hills!”

She looked over her shoulder at his frightened face but could only sigh at his dramatics. “Don’t worry, the bears will eat the wildcats before they get to you.”

Laughing quietly, she jogged down the grassy hill, leaving Brandon to his imagination.

********

“
I appreciate your helping me to my room, but you can leave now,” Brandon narrowed his eyes at Noah, then looked at Amanda. “Tell your housekeeper that I desperately need an ice pack and a large cup of coffee!”

“
Which one’s for your ankle?” Noah joked.

“
Uh, I will tell Maria right away. And will call the doctor,” Amanda began to push Noah to the doorway as she left.

“
I hope your doctor is professionally skilled and not some hick-town medicine man,” Brandon leaned his head back on the bed pillows and moaned.

“
Is this guy for real?” Noah hissed, punching his fist in the air.

“
Please, Noah, just leave the room with me,” Amanda whispered and successfully guided Noah out the door.

He watched as she closed the door behind them, then pinned her against it with his long arms. “So how did it happen? Did he have his nose so high up in the air that he couldn’t see where the porch ended?”

She wanted to giggle because that was exactly how it happened!

“
I know Brandon’s a little...eccentric...but we need to make him feel comfortable while he’s recuperating here, Noah.”

“
Eccentric? I would have used the word peculiar,” he tapped his fingers on the door and gazed into her eyes. He knew he had her trapped, with his arms on each side of her, but she was making no move to escape.

“
I know he’s hard to handle, but if you could just do me a favor....”

“
Well, you know what happens with favors. They have to be repaid.”

Her head fell back against the door, and she closed her eyes. “Why are you torturing me?”

“
Come on, that word’s a little harsh, don’t you think?”

“
No, it’s a perfect description of what you do to me,” she swallowed a developing knot in her throat.

He traced his finger down her neck. “So Brandon doesn’t make you feel this way?”

She should lie. She should say he does. Maybe that would make Noah back off and allow her to get over him. But she couldn’t say the words. Not when she ached to be loved by Noah... and Noah alone!

“
No, he doesn’t.
You’re
the scoundrel.” She quivered when he backed away.

“
Now
that
word
is
harsh,” he rolled his shirtsleeves up to his elbows. “I better leave now, before it gets too steamy in here.”

“
Have more work to do in the corral?”

He nodded. “Want to help out all I can before I leave next month.”

“
That just doesn’t make sense. Your actions don’t match with your intentions, Noah,” Amanda lifted an eyebrow. “You’re a man who
says
he doesn’t want anything to do with Moonlight Ranch and intends to leave...probably never come back.”

“
What are you getting at?” he tossed her a measuring glance.

“
Well, you’re actions say something different. All the work you’re doing with the ranch hands and care you’re taking with the horses...especially Stormy. Not to mention, the strong defense you had against Brandon’s statement last night! Makes a person wonder if you actually want to leave.”

“
You just tell that
person
I
do
want to leave the ranch,” his voice was low, deep with certainty. “And I will.”

After he disappeared down the hallway, she was tempted to catch up with him and say, “No you won’t. I’m convinced you’re hiding your true feelings about the ranch. That you care about it and for some reason are forcing yourself to leave!”

But instead , she inhaled a deep gulp of air and turned to open the guestroom door. Brandon was sleeping. Hmmmm, she thought … Brandon. Maybe he would be just the right guy to help her with Noah … without even knowing it.

CHAPTER ~ EIGHT

“
Are you sure that doctor I saw yesterday is trustworthy?”

“
Of course he is. He’s been the West’s family doctor for years,” Amanda placed a tray on Brandon’s lap. “Here’s some lunch.”

Brandon’s nose crinkled at the sandwich. “I guess I have no choice to trust him since I’m in nowhere land,” he complained, then shook his head. “I don’t mean to be a pain, but this bread is not toasted.”

“
Please, just eat the sandwich, Brandon,” she became annoyed. “I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“
Fine. Go do your work. I didn’t mean to hold you up,” he poked his sandwich with a thin finger.

Feeling guilty, she groaned and snatched the plate from him. “I’ll be right back.”

Heading for the door, she stole a look over her shoulder in time to catch a sly grin on Brandon’s face. Fuming at his guile, she began to wonder if her idea would work.

Could she rely on his discourteous remarks about the ranch to rub Noah the wrong way? Maybe the more Noah was forced to defend the ranch, he would start to realize how much he really cared about it and wouldn’t leave. And she could only hope this realization would happen soon. There wasn’t much time.

“
Maria, I hate to tell you, but our guest has sent back his sandwich. Said he wants it toasted,” Amanda placed the plate of food on the kitchen counter. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“
Don’t fret about it. I expected it, Miss Amanda.”

“
I want to apologize for his attitude toward you, Maria. Hopefully, his ankle will heal and he’ll be gone in a week.”

“
I’m not letting his uppity comments bother me anymore. Especially not now! Not when I have something to look forward to,” she fanned a green envelope before her smiling face.

“
What’s in the envelope?”

“
Oh, just an invitation Noah found in the mail this morning. We are all invited!”

“
Invited to what?” Amanda propped her elbows on the small square tiles of the counter, curious as to why the contents of the envelope had put Maria in such a good mood.

“
Sage’s social gathering of the year! The annual Holiday Festival.”

“
Ok, what’s the Holiday Festival?”

“
A huge party that has been thrown for over sixty years! Dancing, lots of food, Christmas lights & fun contests! It started out on the town square, but fifteen years ago, the local business owners pitched in to build a huge dance hall just for the festival.”

“
Wow, sounds fun,” Amanda said. “So, do you think Noah will go?”

“
I’m not sure, Miss Amanda. Who knows where his mind is at these days. I am still shocked that he is leaving the ranch. I thought for sure he would stay around this time.”

Amanda could only nod in agreement. “Ok, well I have to put in a lot of design time on my web page projects. So, I better get upstairs.”

“
And I will make sure Mr. Barrington gets his toasted sandwich,” Maria twisted her lips into a wicked grin.

“
Make sure that’s
all
he gets!” Amanda warned playfully.

“
Yes, I know, I know,” Maria sighed dramatically. “Wouldn’t want him to swell up from some allergic reaction, now would we?”

Amanda grabbed the festival invitation from Maria’s hands. “Mind if I take this for a while? I want to call my grandparents and see if they would like to fly over for the party and maybe stay for Christmas.”

“
Sure, I hope they can come. They had lots of fun last year.”

Before heading upstairs, Amanda found herself lingering around the front door. Peeking out, she scanned the area for signs of Noah. Her heartbeat quickened when her eyes locked on his brawny frame. Stepping onto the spacious front porch, she clutched the festival invitation in her hand. But before she could move down the front steps, she noticed Noah leaving the corral. He took off his cowboy hat and rubbed a palm across his forehead, then aimed his gaze at her.

“
I see you were brushing down Angel,” her eyes fluttered over his tight jeans and polo shirt.

“
Yeah, I took her for a ride for the first time since she gave birth,” he brushed past her and flopped his body onto the swing.

“
I bet you’ll miss her,” Amanda cleared her throat. “And likewise.”

“
She’ll be fine. And so will all the other horses,” he rested his head against the cushioned swing. “What’s that you have in your hand?”

“
That’s why I came out here. I wanted to make sure all the ranch hands knew about the Holiday Festival next weekend,” she walked toward him, hoping he couldn’t see through her silly excuse to talk to him.

“
They already know. They go every year.”

“
Oh,” she stuffed the invitation into the back pocket of her jeans. “What about you? Are you going?”

“
I used to go when I was a kid. I don’t know,” his eyes caressed over her black jeans and blue sweater. Her blonde hair fell in waves over her shoulder. Man, she looked beautiful.

“
I think I’ll go. Sounds like fun,” she hooked her thumbs through the belt loops of her jeans, rocking back and forth on her loafers.

“
Amanda,” he couldn’t take his eyes off her. “Do you want me to go with you?”

“
It could be a fun night out...and since you still feel the need to leave...it could be something we could do together.”

“
Just like the parties we used to go to together when we were kids. All those summer ranch dances.”

“
Those were so much fun,” she moved toward him. “And your dad used to love them.”

He turned his head away when she sat next to him on the creaky swing. “My mom, too.”

Covering his hand with her own, she gazed at his face. “Noah, why are you fighting it?”

“
What’re you talking about?”

“
Your emotions for this place...for me?”

“
Honey, I’m not like you. I’m not longing for connections! Why can’t you understand how desperately I need to be alone?”

“
I’ll never understand that!”

“
I spent most of my growing years under my father’s shadow.
Under this ranch’s shadow
. Never knowing how it felt to do things on my own. I didn’t know what independence was, Amanda.”