Read Second Chance Ranch: a Hope Springs novel (Entangled Bliss) Online

Authors: Cindi Madsen

Tags: #Horses, #Cowboy, #reunited lovers, #small town romance, #susan mallery, #country singer, #rodeo, #Rachel Harris, #Terri Osburn, #Catherine Bybee, #rancher, #Nancy Naigle, #Kristan Higgins, #Category Romance

Second Chance Ranch: a Hope Springs novel (Entangled Bliss) (5 page)

BOOK: Second Chance Ranch: a Hope Springs novel (Entangled Bliss)
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“How’d you do that?” Royce asked.

“I’m just a little rusty, and you know I was never good at roping anyway. I always secretly cheered for the calves to get away. Not when you were competing, of course, because I wanted you to win, but—”

“I’m not talking about the roping—although I really did think I taught you better than that.” He’d only seen the end of the throw, if you could even call it that.

She raised a haughty eyebrow, one corner of her mouth hinting at a smile, and now he was thinking about her confession that she’d cheered for the calves and trying not to be amused by it. Not that it was a big surprise. In high school he’d repeatedly assured her all the animals at the rodeos were well taken care of, and she’d often chased calves down to try to pet them like overgrown puppies. He resisted the urge to tease her more, because that’d only lead down a road he wasn’t going with her again.

He jerked his chin toward Eli. “I’m talking about the kid.” While her ability to make people happy was something he’d seen—and experienced—before, getting through to someone that hell-bent on being angry was a whole new level.

“Eli? Seems like a good guy.”

Good guy? Really? He narrowed his eyes at her, trying to see if she was serious. She stared right back, and he could see her jaw clench, the stubbornness setting in right in front of his eyes.

“I’ve never seen him smile before today,” Royce said. “I was starting to wonder if he knew how.”

She shrugged a shoulder, a smug quirk to her lips. “What can I say? People love me.”

Royce took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair before replacing it and pulling the brim low. People loved her. Angry cats loved her.

“Sadie!” Mom’s voice was about a hundred octaves higher than usual. She ran over and threw her arms around Sadie.

Moms loved her.

They spoke quickly, right over the top of each other. His mom was fawning over Sadie, telling her how happy she was to see her. It was borderline annoying, actually, but it—along with what had just happened with Eli—was giving him a horrible, awful idea.

“…wanted me to bring back your quilting stands, and she made a pie, too.” Sadie glanced at him and swiped her hair behind her ear. “And I have a check for you from my grandpa.”

“Well, let’s go get the stands.” Royce called for the kids to help, and they all walked toward the truck. It didn’t take them long to load them into his mom’s place, and big surprise, the rest of the teens took a shine to Sadie, too. For the most part, the kids sent here were just a bit misguided and used to people treating them like troublemakers. Pretty soon, they started shutting out all adults and living up to the name. One of the hardest things about finding someone to work with them was getting the right mix of tough love and respect.

Right now I’d settle for respect and the ability to get through to them, though…

He told the kids they could have some free time, Mom disappeared along with them, and then it was just him and Sadie, her at the bottom of the porch stairs and him at the top.

She kicked at the ground with her fancy boots. “So, um, I noticed you’ve got wifi now,” she said, gesturing to the sign in the window of the cabins that reminded the kids they could have internet time on the community computer if they completed their chores. “Fancy.”

“Yeah, and we stopped churning butter just last month. Super excited about it.”

She shot him a scowl, and man, she was cute when she was mad, something he really wished he didn’t notice. They say it takes about a month to break a habit, but even after all these years, he had to fight the urge to pull her into his arms and find a way to wipe the frown from her face.

He gripped the porch railing over his head to make sure he didn’t accidentally try it. Then he stared at her for a beat, telling himself not to say anything besides good-bye. All those thoughts about her people skills were just that, and they needed to stay locked away. “So, did you find a job?”

She gave a humorless laugh. “Not so much. I filled out a bunch of applications, but apparently no one in the town is hiring—working fast food is starting to look like my only option. I’m probably going to have to swallow my pride and fill out applications for that next week.”

He pictured her behind the counter of McDonald’s. He thought it would give him a sense of satisfaction. Instead, it felt like a lead weight in his gut. She didn’t belong there, and she hated to be cooped up indoors. “I’m hiring.”

“Funny.”

Holy shit, what was he doing? But at this point, he was desperate, not to mention severely sleep deprived, and he couldn’t seem to stop. “I’m serious. I’ve been shorthanded for a couple of months, and with the new batch of kids here for the alternative camp, it’s even worse. I need someone who knows how to work with the teens and with animals, and is willing to do other chores around the ranch.”

She was also female, something his eyes were taking in despite his best efforts to not check her out—another habit he’d apparently failed to break. He cleared his throat and forced his gaze to her face. “You remember how to take care of horses?”

She scrunched up her eyebrows, suspicion clear on her features. “Better than I remember how to rope. But why would you offer me a job?”

Yeah, why, Dixon? Why’d you have to go and open your big mouth?
And if she accepted, could he really handle seeing her every day? Then again, could he afford to go another day without her here, helping balance out the gender equation?

He let go of the porch railing and leaned against one of the posts. “Sure, us working together is probably the worst idea ever, but you connected with Eli in record time, you’re good with animals, and I’d get a kick out of seeing if you can still handle a little manure on your clothes or if you’re too prissy now.” He shrugged. “Plus, I give you a week. Two, tops.”

“A week?” She crossed her arms. “Do you not remember how stubborn I can be if I set my mind to something?”

“I remember. It’s another reason I’m offering you the job. Pay’s not great and the hours are long, but if you think you can handle—”

“I’ll take it.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow at seven a.m., then. You might wanna wear something a little more practical.” And hopefully something that wouldn’t show off the fact that while she was far too skinny now, she still had a nice butt.

She lifted her chin. “Great. See you then.” She turned and strode to her truck, those damn rhinestones on her back pockets glittering in the sunshine with each sway of her hips.

And Royce knew he’d just done the dumbest thing in the history of dumb.

Chapter Five

The next morning, hours before she usually woke up, Sadie pulled up to Second Chance Ranch once again. She had no idea what to expect. She wouldn’t be surprised if Royce laughed in her face and told her he’d only been joking about the job.

She was actually ten minutes early, and she wasn’t sure if she should sit in the truck or go ask what jobs needed started, or what. After a moment of listening to silence so loud it was unnerving, she walked up to the large cabin that hadn’t been there back in high school. Thanks to Grandpa telling her about how Royce and his dad were building it the first time she’d come back home for a visit, she knew it was his.

Maybe I should knock on Caroline’s door instead.
She glanced at the cabin about twenty yards over, then back at Royce’s door.
Stop being a wimp and let’s get this job started.

She knocked on the door so hard it stung her knuckles, especially with the morning chill that wouldn’t burn off for an hour or so.

Just when she’d decided he wasn’t going to answer, the door swung open. Royce squinted against the morning light. His hair was sticking up in several places, and his shirt was unbuttoned, exposing a strip of his chest and stomach, muscles achieved through hard days on the farm instead of hours at the gym. She couldn’t explain exactly what the difference was, but there definitely was one, and it ignited a spark of desire she hadn’t felt in a long time.

She’d managed to sidestep memories of the sex they used to have, but now they lured her in. Blips of pleasure in rapid succession. His hands traveling over her body, kisses that merged into one another, the contrast of the warmth between their entwined bodies with the cool night air.

Royce cleared his throat, and she quickly looked up to his face. Heat burned through her cheeks. “Um, I’m…” She rubbed the back of her neck, which was also too warm now. “I was just wondering…”

“Coffee’s almost done. Come on in, and you can have a cup. Maybe it’ll help with the rambling problem.”

She clamped her lips, sure her face was bright red, and followed him inside. She glanced up at the vaulted ceiling with the thick wooden beams and then at the large, open room. The dark wood of the furniture contrasted the lighter shade of the ceiling and walls. It was all masculine elegance, but not as rustic as she’d expected. Massive windows overlooked the ranch, there was a beautiful stone fireplace in the middle, and the room had red accents all around.

“Wow, Royce. This place is beautiful.”

He turned to her, fastening the top button of his shirt—no more peep show, dang it. He swept his gaze over the room and then gave a tiny nod. “Thanks. It took my dad and me a few years to get it all done…” She could see the sadness flicker through his eyes, but he quickly shuttered it away. “But it’s nice to have a place of my own, even if my mom’s still my closest neighbor. Well, her and a bunch of juvenile delinquents.”

He said it lightly, and it was clear that he had a soft spot for the supposed juvenile delinquents. Sadie took a step toward him. “I’m so sorry about your dad.” When she’d heard he’d had a heart attack, she could hardly believe it. He was so young still. “He was such a great guy, and the world was a better place because of him.” She knew her words were too little too late, but she had to get them out. Royce had always been close to his dad. He’d never been embarrassed to have him around, and they’d gone camping and hunting, as well as worked tireless hours together, and she knew he must’ve taken the loss hard.

He met her eyes, just for a beat, and his throat worked a swallow. “Thanks.”

She wanted to ask more, dig deeper to see how he really was dealing with it, but he quickly turned away, making it clear she wouldn’t get more than that. It wasn’t just his dad, either—she could see the stress hanging on him, and she wanted to know what had him so worried. But she knew it wasn’t her place anymore. Would never be again.

Her heart gave a sharp squeeze as past sorrow rose to the surface. Doing her best to shove it back down, she followed Royce as he continued to the kitchen. Dark granite countertops met pale wood, and all the appliances were black. Royce filled two mugs of coffee. He poured cream in one, added two spoonfuls of sugar, and slid it across to her.

Warmth spread through her chest.
He remembers how I like my coffee.

She sipped from her mug and he did the same. She kept wanting to say something, then second-guessing herself, and so they just drank in silence. The only time they’d had silence between them when they dated was when they were making out, only their labored breaths between them. Her gaze moved to his lips. Of all the guys she’d kissed, he blew everyone else out of the water. Other guys were sloppy or too ambitious with their tongues. He’d perfected the kiss.

Not to mention how perfect other things were, too. She used to wonder if she were weird, because while several of her girlfriends complained about their boyfriends wanting sex all the time, she’d craved the feel of Royce’s skin against hers. Used to count down the hours until they could sneak away alone. She’d never had that same intense connection with anyone else—not by a long shot.

He took the mug from her hands even though she wasn’t quite done and set it in the sink. “Let’s start with the horses.”


The woman needed to stop undressing him with her eyes. He’d almost crushed the mug in his hand when she’d licked her lips while staring at him.

His head got that the girl was dangerous, so why did his body respond in all the wrong ways? He took a deep breath to lower his heart rate and headed outside, not looking back to see if she was following.

When they got to the stables, he started the rundown. “About half of the horses are pasture fed right now, but we’re boarding ten extra, and I also like to keep the ones I’m currently training for roping inside so I don’t spend time I don’t have chasing them down to saddle them. They need fed every morning, and the stalls all need cleaned out on a regular basis. We let them out in the second pasture from time to time, but some of them don’t get along.” He went through which horses didn’t play well with others, and how the stallions obviously needed to be kept separate from the mares.

“This afternoon, we’re teaching the kids to ride,” he said, stopping in front of Chevy’s stall to double-check she had enough feed. “It’s supposed to be a break for them, but it means going over how to put on the saddle and bridle, and most of them don’t know anything about horses—like not standing behind them or how to steer—and there’s always someone who thinks they’ve got it down and goes too fast, so we’ve gotta keep an eye on them at all times.”

“Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it.” Sadie climbed onto the fence in front of Chevy. Royce was about to warn her that ever since she’d gotten pregnant, she was picky about who got close to her—pretty much him and him alone.

But when Sadie ran her hand down Chevy’s neck, murmuring a hello, the horse nuzzled her like she was her long-lost best friend. Come to think of it, they were. Sadie had spent lots of time talking to Chevy before and after they loaded or unloaded for rodeos, and she’d ridden her a few times. And when Chevy had gotten a nasty cut on her leg after being caught up in a fence, Sadie was the one who’d kept her calm while he’d doctored the leg and administered the antibiotics.

She glanced at the horse’s stomach. “You got yourself knocked up, girl?”

“Actually, it takes two to tango, in case you haven’t heard.”

Sadie laughed, the happy noise filling the air. “Horse tango. Sounds like quite the show.”

The other day, he’d thought he wanted to hear her laugh again, but now that it was echoing in his chest, reminding him how much he used to crave the sound, he was thinking it was just as dangerous as her licking her lips. He switched his focus back to his horse. “Casanova’s the sire, actually—not that I watched the show. She was pasture bred.”

Sadie’s face brightened. “I’m glad you went with Casanova. I’m worried about him now that he’s getting older, and it makes me sad to think of not having any other horses like him.” She patted Chevy’s side, and the horse nickered. “It still cracks me up that you named her Chevy.”

“She’s my ride. It fit.” Since she obviously had no problem with Sadie, he saw an opportunity to give the pregnant mare the extra attention he wanted to give but simply didn’t have time for. “She hasn’t been brushed down well in a while, and I feel like I’m neglecting her, so if you find a few extra minutes to do that, I’d appreciate it.”

“Sure. I’ll take good care of her. Along with the rest of them.” She jumped to the ground and looked up and down the line of stalls. Royce waited for her to complain about how dirty they were. She didn’t, though, just headed to the wall with the tools and grabbed a pitchfork. He had to admit it was nice she knew so much about the ranch already—well, he’d admit it in his head, anyway.

“I’ll send in help. Mom’s divvying up assignments now. She’s got all these rules she can go over more with you later, but the one you’ll probably enforce most is the swear jar. It’s a dollar every time they swear. Other than that, just keep them working. You’ve got to be firm, so they don’t walk over you, but not so harsh they never want to talk to you again.” He doubted she could be strict enough. He’d have Cory work nearby to keep an eye on her while she was getting the hang of everything.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Sadie scooped up a big pile of crap and placed it in the wheelbarrow. Royce turned to leave, but then she said, “You know, when I quit my last job, I told my boss I’d rather shovel horseshit than work for him.”

He slowly twisted back to her. “You did not.”

“I was about to sign a recording contract, and the guy was a huge jerk, so I thought I’d leave with one of those
screw-you
speeches everyone dreams of giving but usually keeps in. So once the contract fell though, I knew I wasn’t going back to that job. I wasn’t lying, though.” She scooped up another clump. “As crappy as this is—pun intended—I’d still choose it over those damn phone surveys.”

She propped the pitchfork on the ground and looked across the barn at him. Pieces of her hair were slipping out of her ponytail, framing her face. Something deep inside of him twisted. “Thanks for the job, Royce. Seriously. I know I don’t deserve you to be nice to me, and I know you didn’t give me the job because you think I won’t make it. I appreciate it.”

Damn, damn, damn. He wanted to stay mad at her—to hold on to how badly the girl had hurt him when she’d left him the way she had. But years had passed, and here she was, thanking him for the opportunity to shovel shit. They were different people now, and maybe he really should give her a chance. Their romantic relationship was over, but maybe they could pull off being sort of friends. After all, she used to be the person he told all his secrets, hopes, and dreams to.

“You’re welcome. But you might not be thanking me by the end of the day. Or when you see your wimpy paycheck.” He shot her a quick smile and headed outside.

By the time he got over to the cabins, Mom already had everyone gathered and was doling out assignments.

“Actually,” Royce cut in, “I want Eli, Addison, and Mark to go muck the stalls.”

Addison’s parents had caught her smoking weed and sent her here. She was a little spoiled but easygoing, and he had a bit of a soft spot for her, mostly because she was also funny. Not soft enough to keep her from the crappy chores, though—her parents wanted her “scared straight.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Does muck mean—”

“Cleaning up horse crap. Yep.”

“Great,” Eli muttered, shaking his head.

Mom glanced at Royce, probably wondering if he was picking on Eli. For once, he wasn’t using mucking the stalls as a punishment. He thought working with Sadie would be good for Eli, regardless of the job. “Just get going. Cory, can you make sure they get there straightaway? Ask Sadie to teach ’em more about the horses as they clean.”

“Sadie?” Eli said, glancing toward the barn. It was tiny, but there was a hint of a smile. “She works here?”

“Just started today. Now go get to work, and don’t give her any trouble. I’ve got an endless supply of hard jobs I can find for you if I need to.”

The eye roll was back, but the kid picked up his step and headed toward the barn, ahead of the other two in his group instead of dragging behind. Everyone dispersed, leaving him and Mom.

“So…Sadie’s working here now?” Mom asked.

Royce kicked at a rock jabbing out of the ground, breaking it free so he could scoot it off to the side with his boot before it became a tripping hazard. “You saw how good she was with Eli yesterday. And she’s good with the animals—hell, she knows most of the horses, not to mention the land, and she can even drive a tractor if need be.”

Mom raised an eyebrow. “Mm-hmm.”

“Don’t start psychoanalyzing me, Mom. She’s qualified and desperate for a job I’m desperate to fill. That’s it.”

“Well, that’s a very mature decision. I’m proud of you.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek, then headed after the group that was going to be learning to milk the cows.

Now he was the one rolling his eyes. His mom probably already had him and Sadie back together in her mind. He hated to break it to her, but that was about as unlikely as his becoming the bronc-riding world champion.


“This is disgusting,” Addison said, pulling up her shirt so that it covered her nose and mouth. “In fact, this is
torture
. I can deal with the other podunk stuff—it’s even kind of fun, actually—but this? This is total bullshit!”

Sadie stuck her pitchfork in the ground and used it to prop herself up. “Okay, now you owe money to the swear jar.” She didn’t mind enforcing rules with the princess—the girl had done nothing but complain.

“It’s not swearing if it’s a noun instead of an expletive, and I’m referring to the stuff we have to pick up.”

“It’s actually horse crap, not bull crap, so that’s not going to fly. I’m marking it down.”

“Fine.” Addison turned around, and Sadie was pretty sure she just got called a female dog, and not in the noun sense.

BOOK: Second Chance Ranch: a Hope Springs novel (Entangled Bliss)
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