Susan Mallery - The Rancher Next Door

“Sure.” She fastened her seat belt, then turned on the radio. “I told Hattie we’d test it right away. Let me raise her and then-”

She stopped talking and sucked in a breath. “Oh, Jack.”

He turned to see what had caught her attention. His small house lay in ruins. Parts of it were missing, but most of it had been reduced to piles of broken boards and windows. He saw part of his sofa about ten feet from the rest of the house. A single unbroken mug sat where the front porch had been.

“You lost everything,” she said, sounding stunned.

Jack thought about the bits of furniture in the house. He’d built it about eight years ago, when he’d wanted a place of his own. He’d never bothered to decorate or make it much more than a place to eat and sleep.

“It could have been worse,” he reminded her. “I can always build another house if I want to.” Something bigger, but this wasn’t the time to go into that.

“You’re right. Let me get Hattie on the radio.”

Two hours later they’d accounted for all the men and had surveyed most of the damage. Sections of pasture had been ripped up, and most of the freshly planted alfalfa was destroyed, but loss to the herd was minimal.

“It could have been a lot worse,” Jack said.

“I know. We were all really lucky.” Katie looked at him, her expression concerned. “Could we head over toward the Fitzgerald ranch?”

“Sure.”

He turned the truck and headed west. Hattie had been able to reach Nora in town using the cellular phone, and most of the neighboring ranches by radio. There were a few damaged homes in town and a couple of dozen injuries. Suzanne had said the tornado had hit them pretty hard, taking out one of the barns and ripping up fence lines. Katie’s new house, and its subdivision, had been untouched.

Their route took them by the line shack they’d met at so recently. The rickety old building had survived the storm. But beyond the shack, miles of fence had been ripped out like so much knitting.

“Up there,” Katie said, pointing.

Jack saw what had caught her eye. Two men on horseback, herding cattle through a large break in the fence. He recognized Aaron and his oldest son, David.

As he watched, a half dozen steers broke free and trotted in their direction. Jack hit the gas and drove toward the animals. He tapped the horn, which made the cattle turn and jog toward the rest of the cows.

Aaron said something to David. He turned his horse and headed for the truck. Jack put the vehicle in park and stepped out.

“Fence lines seem to be down,” he said by way of a greeting. “I’ve got three or four men in the area. I’ll have them come over and get started on repairs.”

Katie’s father removed his hat and wiped his brow, then stared at the horizon. “This is my fence. I’ll take care of fixing it.”

Jack grimaced, but he wasn’t surprised by the older man’s answer. The Darbys and the Fitzgeralds had split responsibility of the shared fence line. For years each had been meticulous about doing their part and not one inch more.

“Daddy,” Katie said, coming to the front of the truck. “Is everyone okay?”

Her father glared at her. “What do you care? You’ve made your decision about who matters. Now you have to live with it.”

She sighed. “Daddy, don’t. Please. We’re family. We shouldn’t be mad at each other.”

“I’m not mad,” her father said in a tone that belied his words.

“Then prove it. Answer my question. Is everyone at the ranch all right?”

“No one was hurt, if that’s what you’re asking.” His voice was grudging. “I don’t have time to chitchat. I’ve got work to do.” He turned to ride away.

Jack stepped closer to her and lightly touched her shoulder. She glanced at him gratefully.

“The offer still stands,” Jack called after him. “If you change your mind about the fence or anything else.”

“I don’t need help from any Darby,” Aaron yelled and rejoined his son.

Jack watched them work. Why was Aaron making this so difficult, he wondered. It shouldn’t have to be this way. Katie read his mind. She climbed into the truck, then shook her head.

“I don’t know why he has to be that way,” she said as Jack settled next to her and started the engine. “You were just offering to help. With a couple of extra guys, they could have the fence finished in half the time. But he would rather have his cattle run all over than let you be a good neighbor.” She leaned back in the seat and sighed. “I love my father, but I don’t understand him. He will die to prove his private truth, regardless of anyone else’s feelings, regardless of pain or cost. What does that say about him? How can being right be so damned important?”

“It’s all he knows.”

“Then what he knows is wrong,” she said, sounding frustrated. “I don’t want to be like him.”

“You’re not. You’re reasonable and open.”

She looked at him. “If you ever see me acting like him, please tell me. I swear I’ll do everything in my power to change.”

Jack turned the truck and drove toward the main house. “Hell of a day,” he said.

“Tell me about it. What are you going to do about your house?”

“I don’t know.” His house was the least of it, he thought. What was he going to do about Katie and Shane?

The Darby ranch spread around him. In the distance he saw grazing cattle, placid now that the storm had passed. A few miles away stood the main house and the barns. This was his world. He’d taken it for granted, hated it, tried to escape it, or at least change it. Finally he’d made peace with his heritage. He belonged here as much as the contours of the ground and the trees and streams. He would live out his days and probably die on this land.

Jack slowed the truck. He breathed in and felt the connection and sense of purpose. He belonged here. The land defined him as much as his name. He wasn’t just Russell Darby’s son, he was the product of all the generations that had come before him.

His father had lived and worked the Darby land, but he’d never been a part of it. If he had, he couldn’t have walked away. Not from his family and not from the ranch. Jack stopped the truck and turned off the engine.

“Jack?”

He turned to Katie and smiled. “I’m fine.”

He searched her face, taking in the blue eyes and full mouth, the curve of her cheeks, the blond curls, the intelligence, the humor. She was a Fitzgerald down to her bones. She’d gone away, but eventually she’d been drawn back. Just as he would be drawn back if he ever tried to leave.

His father had been a fool, he realized, seeing the truth for the first time in nearly twenty years. Russell may have gained his freedom, but he’d lost everything else. His wife, his children, his chance to be a part of history. Jack could never respect a man like that. He didn’t hate his father anymore; he pitied the man.

He took Katie’s hand in his and squeezed her fingers. “There are never going to be any answers about my father,” he said. “I’ll never see him again, I’ll never be able to ask why.”

She bit her lower lip. “I know. Is that going to be okay? Can you live without the answers?”

He considered her questions, then nodded. “I don’t want to know. There’s nothing he can say that will change my life. He’s gone. I’ve been carrying bad memories and pain around with me as if they were magic talismans, but they’re not. They’re poison. Mom always told me to remember the good stuff and let the rest of it go. She’s right. I should have listened.”

“No,” Katie said, leaning toward him. “You had to learn your own lesson your own way.”

He touched her face. “You’re so damn brave. What were you thinking, telling me you loved me? You had to know I wasn’t ready to hear that.”

“I couldn’t help it. That’s how I feel. I swear I’ll never leave you again. I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that, if you’ll let me.”

She was stronger than he’d ever imagined. Not just because she’d made a success out of her life, but because she did the right thing, regardless of how much it hurt. She’d raised her son on her own, she’d moved back to Lone Star Canyon, she’d walked away from her father’s house. She’d told Jack she loved him when she’d known he wasn’t willing to admit his feelings or commit to a relationship.

His fingers curled around her jaw. “What did I ever do to deserve you?” he asked quietly.

“You don’t have to deserve me. I love you, Jack. I probably always have…from the very first time we met, when you taught me to ride a bike.”

He pushed the duffel containing the first aid kit onto the floor and pulled her close. When he could feel the beating of her heart and taste her lips, he breathed her name.

“I’m sorry,” he told her. “Sorry for being stubborn, for not seeing everything you tried to tell me.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I understand.”

“No. I have to say the words, and you deserve to hear them. You’ve already missed out on too much because I’ve been a stubborn fool.”

Her eyes widened, then brightened with hope. “Jack?”

He smiled. “I love you, Katie. You and Shane. And I’m sorry about the baby, because I want to have children with you. You’re everything I want, everything I need. I can’t imagine living without you and I don’t want to. I want you to marry me, to be with me always. I want us to build a new house together. I want to be a father to Shane and a husband to you.”

Katie didn’t know what to think. Was she dreaming or was this really happening? She desperately wanted to believe him.

“I love you,” he repeated. “Please marry me.”

She flung her arms around his neck and whispered, “Yes, oh, yes. I’ll marry you. Just promise to love me forever.”

“At least that long.”

She felt tears burning her eyes, but these were happy tears. “You know certain members of our family aren’t going to be happy about this. There’s going to be a lot of gossip and-”

His warm mouth settled on hers, the heat stealing her words.

“To hell with them,” he said between kisses. “Maybe we can teach by example and eventually they’ll get along.” He drew back and looked at her. “Does it matter?”

She shook her head. “No. I want to be with you. I just wanted to be sure that you knew what we were facing.”

“A lifetime together. You in my bed every night, our children’s laughter, birthdays and anniversaries, memories and love. I know exactly what I’m getting into. I can’t believe how lucky I am.”

“Me, too.”

They’d come a long way to find each other, and now they were finally where they’d always belonged. Joining the Darbys and the Fitzgeralds in a part of Texas known as Lone Star Canyon.

is the bestselling author of over thirty books for Silhouette. Always a fan of romance novels, Susan finds herself in the unique position of living out her own personal romantic fantasy with the new man in her life. Susan lives in sunny Southern California with her handsome hero husband and her two adorable-but-not-bright cats.