Finally Home (7 page)

“
I hope...my being here...doesn’t cause a problem for you,” she stumbled, wanting him to say that he was happy to see her, that he would love for her to sit beside him at the reading.

“
Why should it?” he gazed at her lips, then propped an elbow on the table, resting his chin on the palm of his hand.

She watched him sip his coffee, wondering why he was ignoring what happened the other night in the jeep. However, he did seem to be in a better mood. But could his good spirits be because he sold the ranch to Mr. Ellinger already? Amanda prayed that wasn’t so!

Noah glanced at his watch, “Well, I’ll see you there shortly.”

“
See you there,” Amanda whispered.

CHAPTER ~ FOUR

Amanda could barely move one foot in front of the other. She was still so stunned. She was in such a dazed state; she wondered how she even drove herself home. Tossing her truck keys on the kitchen table, she inhaled deeply. It was too much for her to absorb. She had almost fainted earlier in Mr. Wilder’s office. Someone sitting next to her had to keep her from falling off her chair. Thomas hadn’t given her furniture, horses, or money. He had given her something much more valuable, much more meaningful....

Feeling dizzy, she slumped into a chair behind the table, but wasn’t there for long. A pounding on her front door caused her to bolt from the chair.

She opened the door to find Noah fuming on her porch. “So how’d you do it? What did you do to make him give you a piece of the ranch? Tell me!”

“
Noah, please,” Amanda grabbed his arm and tugged him into the house, shutting the door behind them. “Stop shouting!”

“
I shout when I’m angry, Amanda! And right now, being calm is the last thing on my mind.”

She stared at his blazing hazel eyes, wishing she could provide him with an explanation. But she was as shocked as he was. “I had no idea your father was going to give me half of the ranch, Noah. I never would have dreamed--”

“
All you could talk about when you moved here was how much you loved the ranch. You
did
dream about owning it, admit it. You must have planted the idea in my father’s head.”

“
I never did such a thing,” she waved her hands in the air. “All the talk you were doing around your father about selling the ranch is the reason he gave half to me! He knew I would protect it from being sold.”

Noah smirked and stepped closer to her, folding his long arms over his chest. “Amanda, the sale of Moonlight Ranch is not up for discussion. I have a buyer ready to sign papers.”

“
I presume that would be creepy Mr. Ellinger,” she frowned, disgusted by the thought of that man. “You can’t sell to him or anyone else. I’m part owner now. Without my agreement, the sale will never happen.”

“
Please, don’t stand in my way, Amanda,” his eyes were a soft glow now. He reached for a strand of her golden hair and curled a lock around his finger. “This means more to me than I could ever explain. I need to sell this ranch.”

His nearness made her swoon with weakness. And when the back of his hand caressed her neck, she quickly moved away. Yes, she wanted his attention! But what if this attention was only to sway her? To manipulate her into agreeing with his idea to sell the ranch! How could she be sure?

“
Please leave, Noah. I’m not feeling too well. It’s been a long day and I have work piling up for tomorrow. I need some sleep.”

“
Then come to breakfast tomorrow so we can talk about this further,” he grasped her wrist.

She frowned at his demanding tone. “I d-don’t know. Like I said, I’ll be b-busy tomorrow.”

“
Then come for Maria. She’s been pretty upset since my father--“

“
Ok, Noah,” she surrendered, not wanting to talk about Thomas, “for just a short time.”

“
Thanks,” he let go of her wrist, then paused in the doorway before leaving. With his back still facing Amanda, he spoke softly. “I want you to know that I appreciate the way you stood by me during the funeral....”

Amanda couldn’t speak, totally surprised by Noah’s sincerity after the way he had accused her of influencing his father about the ranch. She moved to the door and watched him through the screen as he closed the gate behind him. Stopping for a moment, he looked directly at her. She didn’t move … just stared back at him. When he turned and walked down the hill to the main house, she stepped away from the door. Throwing her tired body onto the sofa, she buried her face in the pillows.

As if sensing she needed his unconditional love, Webster pounced onto her back and licked her neck. “Hi boy,” Amanda greeted her dog happily. “Sorry I’ve been so busy lately.”

The dog licked her again, then hopped from the sofa. Amanda sighed, watching Webster bark and bounce in circles around the room. “I’ll give you a tour around the ranch soon, Web. Then you’ll have lots more space to run.”

Stretching, she stood and walked into the kitchen where her computer was waiting. She would spend most of the day working...but knew her mind was sure to wander in different directions. Particularly in the direction of Noah. Her feelings were becoming stronger for him each day. But was she too scared to admit how she felt to Noah...or to
herself?

When the phone rang, she picked it up quickly, thankful for the diversion. It was Grandma Kate. She was curious how the reading went. Amanda explained about Thomas willing her half of the ranch. “Grandma, I’m still on cloud nine. I can’t believe it.”

“
Is Noah upset?” Grandma Kate asked.

Amanda hesitated. “Yes he is. But I’m having breakfast with him tomorrow. Hopefully we can talk civilly about the ranch and how we will deal with sharing it.”

“
Well, I’m sure you two will work something out. Please, call us if you need anything, honey....”

Amanda leaned against the wall after hanging up the phone. Call them? She had a feeling she would be dialing their number quite often.

********

Staring at Moonlight Ranch from a distance, Amanda shivered. She was standing halfway down the hill from her house just admiring the awesome view before her. A view that she partly owned now. And that’s what made her shiver. All she ever dreamed about was living at the ranch--but to own it--that was more than she could ever hope for. Of course, she came to own the ranch in a way she wished would have been different. She would gladly give back her ownership in exchange for Thomas still being alive.

A few tendrils of hair fluttered over her reflective eyes, causing her to regain awareness. Shaking herself awake from dreamland, she continued down the hill and hurried her pace in order to make it in time for breakfast. She hoped Maria was still serving and Noah wouldn’t be angry that she was late. Her work had kept her up until two in the morning. She was given a tight deadline on a web page project she had received recently. So, for the next few days, she would be glued to her laptop.

As she passed the corral, a pale brown mare whinnied at her. Amanda stopped and reached out to stroke the horse’s sleek neck.

“
Don’t touch her, Amanda,” Noah barked and promptly jogged toward her from the house.

She couldn’t help but quiver at his harsh tone...and his sudden presence. But defiantly, she continued to touch the horse. “Good morning to you too, Noah West.”

“
I’m not kidding,” he placed a hand on her shoulder and forced her to turn around.

Clumsily, she fell against his chest. The muscled warmth beneath his denim shirt zapped her with intoxication. He smelled so good...a mixture of soap and leather. If she could only close her blue eyes and rest in his arms for a while...she would be in heaven...

“
Amanda--” Noah grasped her arms, “--the mare’s gonna give birth any day now. Because of her condition, she’s a bit unpredictable. So, don’t touch her.”

“
I’m sure she wouldn’t harm me,” Amanda tore her eyes from Noah’s serious hazel eyes. She looked over her shoulder, tossing her gaze in the mare’s direction. “Look how she’s prancing around.”

“
That’s because she’s skittish. She could snap your finger off!”

She twisted her lips into a frown. “I guess I have a lot to learn about horses.”

“
Yep, if you wanna run a horse ranch, that’s recommended,” Noah shook his head in annoyance, but stole a generous glance of Amanda before turning away. Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head in a loose bun, revealing her smooth neck. And her full lips were set in a pout, arms crossed over her sweater, blue eyes shooting daggers at him. Man, she looked beautiful!

“
I don’t appreciate your sarcastic attitude. I am very aware that I need to learn more about the horses,” she followed him to the front porch. “And I have you to teach me.”

He stopped before opening the door. “You know, I invited you over for breakfast this morning, not for a lesson on horses.”

“
So I’m still welcome for breakfast? I thought I was a little late....”

“
Yes, you’re late, but we waited for you.”

“
We ... meaning you and Maria?”

Noah opened the door and guided Amanda through it. “No, we meaning--”

“
Mr. Ellinger!” Amanda gasped in horror.

The pale and thin Mr. Ellinger rose from the chair he was sitting in. “Do we know each other?”

********

They were oblivious to her displeasure. Didn’t they see how uncomfortable she was? How manipulated she felt? No, they just sat at the table engaging in small talk, eating their eggs and sausage. Finally, when Mr. Ellinger excused himself for a moment, Amanda turned to Noah. “How could you do this to me?”

He shrugged. “Do what to you?”

“
Come on, Noah. You tricked me into coming for breakfast so we could talk about the ranch with Mr. Ellinger.”

“
He just dropped by this morning, Amanda. Unannounced.” He buttered a piece of toast and crunched on it while Amanda shot him an incredulous gaze.

“
So you naturally invited him to stay for breakfast when you knew I was coming,” she spoke lowly.

“
What’s the harm? You may be fascinated by his proposal once you hear it,” he brushed a crumb from her lip.

She jerked away from him in anger. “I’m leaving.”

“
Oh, Miss Brookfield, going so soon?” Mr. Ellinger entered the room and slithered toward the table.

“
No, she’s not,” Noah answered. “Why don’t you tell Amanda about the offer you have for us.”

“
I don’t want to hear it,” Amanda shook her head, glowering at Mr. Ellinger. “I am not interested in selling the ranch. So, I’m afraid you’re just wasting your time, Mr. Ellinger.”

“
You haven’t even heard my offer, I can promise you--”

“
Don’t promise me anything. I don’t trust you,” she admitted. Pushing her chair from the table, she ignored Mr. Ellinger’s scowl and Noah’s disbelief.

“
Amanda, I want to sell the ranch,” Noah stated.

“
And I don’t,” she looked at Noah with concern. “I wish you could see how much it means to me...how much it meant to your father.”

Noah trailed her to the door. “You don’t understand, Amanda. This is not a choice for me. I have to sell it.”

She peered at him through narrowed eyes. “No choice? Explain to me what that means.”

He hesitated, darting his eyes behind him at Mr. Ellinger. Then he lowered his head to whisper near Amanda’s ear. “I can’t explain right now.”

Her skin tingled when Noah’s breath caressed her ear. Ignoring this pleasurable feeling, she moved closer to the front door, grabbing the gold knob tightly in her trembling hand. “Then come to me when you can. I want to know what Mr. Ellinger is holding over you, Noah.”

Before he could respond, Amanda opened the door and walked onto the porch. She rushed down the steps and down the front walk, perplexed by what Noah meant by having no choice. Even though he hadn’t confirmed her statement about Mr. Ellinger holding something over him, she had a gut feeling she had guessed correctly.

Not ready to return to her work just yet, Amanda decided to explore the ranch. She wondered how easy it would be to restore it to its old luster. The days she remembered as a child when Moonlight Ranch entertained fifty guests a week during the summer...those days seemed to be lost. She knew that the main business of the ranch had migrated to horse breeding a couple of years ago but hoped with some good advertising...and a stunning web site...maybe Moonlight Ranch could thrive again. Of course, she would have to persuade Noah to agree with her ideas. And that would be a battle if he still insisted on selling the ranch.

“
Hi, ma’am, can I help ya?” a large bearded man appeared from one of the ranch’s spacious barns and removed his ragged leather gloves.

She smiled politely. “Just looking around.”

He peered at her with interest. “Hey, ain’t you Miss Brookfield, the lady who lives in the Welch’s old place?”

“
Yes, I’m the lady,” she nodded. “The Welch’s are my grandparents.”

“
Well I never knew them personally. My papa used to work with Mr. Welch and only had good things to say ‘bout him. I just started workin’ as a hand a few weeks ago. My papa’s retired now,” he held out his hand. “My name’s Amos.”