The Lionhearted Cowboy Returns Read online

  Seeing her sadness, his chest tightened. “I wouldn’t have asked you if it’s not what I wanted.” Jeff found himself reaching out and brushing away the moisture from her cheek. “Lace, I’m not going to let you and your kids lose the ranch.”

  She quickly pulled herself together. “Thank you for that, but there might not be a choice.”

  “There’s always a choice. We just have to come up with a plan.”

  “How can I?” she asked. “I’ve already sold most of my stock. My job in town doesn’t pay enough to qualify for refinance.”

  “It’s going to be all right, Lace.” He couldn’t seem to resist drawing her into his arms. His hand pressed her head against his chest as he absorbed her sadness and fear. “I promise. You’re not going to have to move anywhere. We’ll find a way to keep the ranch going.”

  She raised her head. Her eyes filled with tears. She looked beautiful. Without thinking he leaned down and pressed his lips against her forehead. The touch was so fleeting that he didn’t think she felt it until she gasped. Her pretty green eyes darkened, but she didn’t pull away.

  Neither did he. As hard as he tried to think about the loan problem and the future of the ranch, he couldn’t. He wasn’t able to think at all as he lowered his head and brushed his mouth over hers. She gave a breathy sigh. God help him, he went back for more.

  Then he heard, “Hey, Mom.”

  Jeff jerked back just in time, as Colin poked his head inside the doorway. “I’m hungry.”

  “So fix yourself a sandwich,” Lacey told him.

  Colin gave them both another long look, then finally left.

  Jeff turned back to Lacey, and seeing her flushed face, guilt once again washed over him. He had no right to kiss her. Not now, not even back then. “I need to go.” Grabbing the paper from the desk, he walked out. Even hearing her call his name didn’t stop him because if he went back, he’d break all the rules. Again.

  Two mornings later, Lacey stood outside the bank in downtown San Angelo. She checked her watch again, knowing she had to be at work in a little over an hour.

  Where was Jeff?

  She thought back to the other day at the house and his kiss. She’d been telling herself ever since that it had just been a reassuring kiss. Just a soft brush of his lips over hers. She shivered. The effect had been far more devastating, stirring up feelings she had no business feeling.

  She wanted more. What had gotten into her? Not since that summer when she’d broken up with Trevor had she ever thought about another man. Not any man, only Jeff Gentry. And look where that had gotten her.

  Well, not this time. She couldn’t let this happen. No matter the feelings he’d caused, she wasn’t ready. Her life was enough of a mess, and he had his own problems. Adjusting to a new life as well as losing his leg was enough to handle. Not that that bothered her. But they both had too many other complications to deal with.

  She closed her eyes. Even now, she still couldn’t believe Trevor was gone. He’d been such a big part of her life since adolescence. So had Jeff. Although Trevor had been the one who’d stayed for her. But now, she found herself fantasizing about Jeff.

  “Sorry I’m late.”

  Lacey swung around to see the man in question. “Oh, hi.”

  Her heart raced as she looked over the handsome man dressed in a white collared shirt, dark trousers and shiny black boots. He was carrying a leather folder.

  She groaned. “You look so nice. I should have worn something smarter.”

  He put on a smile and took her arm. “You look fine. Let’s go get that loan.”

  Inside Mr. Dixon’s small office, Jeff tried to relax as the loan officer went over his business proposal.

  The young man behind the desk looked as if he was barely out of college. “This looks very impressive, Mr. Gentry,” he said as he sat back in his chair. “On paper. But these are hard times.”

  Jeff leaned forward. This guy was going to be a hard sell, but he had ten years of military training. “Farmers and ranchers go through rough times, it’s a fact of life. I know because my family ranches. And you also know that Mrs. Guthrie’s land is worth thirty times the amount of her loan. I’m bringing in stock, and Lacey is going to do the training in this business venture.”

  “It’s still a risk.”

  “What risk? Our stock combined is worth this much.”

  Dixon straightened. “Are you willing to put up the horses as collateral?”

  “No,” Lacey jumped in. “I can’t agree to that.”

  Jeff didn’t know much about loans, but shouldn’t the land be enough? “It’ll be okay, Lace.” He turned back to Dixon. “I need to make a quick call.” He stood and moved across the room, punching in numbers.

  His uncle answered. “Chance Randell.”

  Jeff explained to him what was going on. Chance listened then asked to give him ten minutes and he’d get back to him.

  Mr. Dixon reluctantly granted them the time, then he called to get some coffee. Soon a secretary came in, along with another man.

  Mr. Dixon stood immediately. “Mr. Handley,” he greeted the visitor eagerly.

  The older gentleman ignored the loan officer and walked directly to Lacey and Jeff. “Hello, I’m Bert Handley, the bank manager. You must be Mrs. Guthrie and Mr. Gentry.”

  “Yes, sir, we are,” Jeff said.

  Mr. Handley turned to Lacey. “I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your husband, Mrs. Guthrie. I wish we had known sooner.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Handley,” Lacey said. “That’s why we’re here. Since my husband’s death, I can’t handle the terms of the loan.”

  The bank manager smiled. “Then we’d best work something out.”

  “We’ve been working on that, Mr. Handley,” Dixon said quickly. “They’re going to put up their stock as collateral.”

  Bert Handley walked behind the desk and glanced over the loan papers. The older man frowned. “I don’t see a reason why the ranch itself can’t be enough to secure a loan.”

  Dixon was nervous. “It’s just that with a new business venture and no assured income, I thought—”

  Handley shook his head as he turned the page. “With these excellent credit scores, surely we can come up with a better interest rate.” He glanced at Dixon. “Larry, why don’t I take care of this? I’ve been a friend of the family for years.” He smiled at Jeff. “I gave Chance Randell his first loan.”

  At the mention of the well-known Randell name, Dixon excused himself and left the room.

  Handley looked back and forth between the two. “I like to think we’re still a neighborhood bank. Since the circumstances with your husband have changed, I’m sure we can also adjust the terms of the loan with a better interest rate for the two of you.”

  “No, Mr. Handley. This is my debt and I don’t want Mr. Gentry liable for any of it.”

  The man looked over his reading glasses. “This is a business loan, Mrs. Guthrie. I need both your names on it and both of you are to be responsible for it.”

  Jeff felt Lacey tense. “Would you excuse us a moment?” At the man’s nod, he took Lacey outside the small office and into the hall. “You can pay the money, I don’t care, Lace, but we need to get the loan first.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “I won’t have you take care of this for me, Jeff.”

  “Okay, what do we do? Walk away? You lose the ranch and move into town?”

  He saw the determination on her face. “No. I plan to sell you the cabin and the acreage around it.”

  Jeff didn’t even need to think about it. “Fine, when we’re rich and famous, I’ll sell it back to you. That section of land is valuable and the cabin belongs to Colin.”

  She nodded. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me yet, we could still lose our shirts.”

  She smiled. “Now I feel like we’re equal partners.”

  And suddenly he was a landowner. “Then let’s go have Mr. Handley draw up the papers.”

>   CHAPTER SEVEN

  THAT evening, Lacey arrived home from work with the kids in tow to find Jeff on the porch. She was tired and still in her uniform when she came up the steps.

  “Hi, Jeff,” Emily greeted him, her blue eyes lit up with excitement. “What are you doing here? It’s dark outside and the horses are sleeping.”

  He leaned down to her. “I know. I just need to talk to your mother for a few minutes.”

  “Okay.” She looked to her mother. “Mom, he needs to talk to you.”

  Lacey didn’t want to talk to anyone. All she wanted was a long hot bath, a glass of wine and no interruptions. But it didn’t look like that would happen. “Give me a minute.

  “Colin, take your sister upstairs and start her bath. And don’t leave the water running this time.”

  Her son grumbled something, but then looked at Jeff. “Okay, Mom.” He took Emily’s hand and they disappeared inside.

  She turned to Jeff. “Was there something else we need to talk about?”

  “If you have a few minutes. We were so rushed this morning. I wanted to make sure you’re okay with everything.”

  “Come in.” She went inside, leading him through the kitchen and pantry, then into the small office.

  She turned and faced Jeff. He looked freshly showered and shaved with a crisply starched Western shirt and jeans. Maybe he was going out.

  He pulled a paper from his back pocket. “I spoke with my dad’s lawyer after you went to work and he came up with an agreement for us. If you want you can have your attorney go over it.” He frowned at her. “I figured that everything would be fifty-fifty. I own stock; you have the stables and the experience for training.”

  “You now own part of the ranch.” She hated giving that up or anything that actually threatened her kids’ future.

  “Temporarily. Until the loan is paid off.”

  She looked down at the papers. She also didn’t have an attorney. “Can you give me a few days to look it over?”

  “Sure.” He hesitated. “Lacey, we don’t have to go through with this. I don’t want your land. I’m fine with investing in the business without it.”

  His dark gaze held hers. She felt a rush go through her, making it hard to concentrate. “I know, but I can’t let you take all the risk.”

  He smiled at her and her heart tripped.

  “I don’t think this is a risk at all. Our stock is top-rate. It will be slow going at first, but once we start advertising about your training, things will pick up.”

  She still wasn’t sure that would mean anything to anyone.

  “We should come up with a name,” he suggested. “I thought we could use our initials. G&G Quarter Horses. Lacey Guthrie, trainer.”

  She suddenly felt more of Trevor fading from her life and Jeff intruding in it. “The name will change?”

  He paused. “Not the ranch, just the business. Maybe both our names could help us, with my dad and uncle in rough-stock business. The Gentry name is pretty well known.”

  He was right, she thought.

  “Don’t forget we have Chance Randell as our pitchman. And if we get a few more boarders we can hire that stablehand we talked about.”

  Her head was spinning. “You’ve been thinking about this a lot.”

  “Just since we talked to Mr. Handley.” He grinned. “This is going to work, Lace. Our partnership.”

  She couldn’t help but get caught up in his excitement. “You make me want to believe it.”

  “Believe it. This is your future, too.” He checked his watch. “I wish we had more time to talk, but I have to go.”

  Why did it bother her that he seemed anxious to leave? “You have a hot date?” she blurted out. Oh, no, she sounded so desperate.

  Jeff looked confused at her question. “I’m meeting Brandon, Jay and my brother, Drew.” He sighed. “They talked me into going out for a drink. It’s kind of a welcome-home celebration. I’m meeting them at a place called the Horseman’s Club.”

  It was an upscale country-western bar, also known as the best hook-up place in the area. “That should be nice.”

  “I’ll let you know tomorrow,” he said. “I’m not much for big crowds, drinking or dancing.”

  What about pretty women in tight jeans with the big…buckles? she wanted to scream. “Well, I won’t hold you up.” She headed to the door. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, just not so early.”

  Jeff stopped. “I’ll be here at my usual time. Chance is coming by, he wants to talk to us about which stallion would be best to cover Bonnie.”

  “So soon?”

  He shifted his hat in his hands. “Is there any reason to wait?”

  “No, I guess not,” Lacey agreed, once again feeling the excitement. They were truly going to be partners. Why was that bothering her so much? Because Jeff Gentry would be a part of her life.

  Two hours later, the cousins sat at a corner table in the large bar as a Kenny Chesney song played in the background. For a weeknight, the place was crowded with people. His single brother, Drew, and Brandon’s younger brother, Jay, were taking advantage of the abundance of girls and were out on the dance floor.

  Jeff took a sip of the beer he’d been nursing the past hour, then looked across the table at Brandon drinking cola. He was the designated driver.

  “You’re not having much fun, are you?” his cousin asked.

  “It’s not bad. I’ve just never been big on the club scene.”

  “Do you think I picked this place?” His cousin smiled as he nodded toward the dance floor. “Blame it on Drew and Jay. It was their idea. Nora wasn’t exactly crazy about it, either. Not that she has anything to worry about.”

  Jeff envied Brandon. The man had found love with someone special and his life seemed to be going great. He thought about Lacey. He would rather be with her, going over some ideas for the business. A few nights ago he hadn’t been thinking about business when he’d held her close, when he’d kissed her. Those feelings hadn’t changed over the years.

  “Hey, how’s the new partnership going?” Brandon asked, drawing Jeff back to the present.

  He nodded. “Good. Uncle Chance has agreed to help out.”

  Grinning, his cousin shook his head. “You’ve been in the military so long, I didn’t think you’d ever come home. Now, you’re a horse-breeder.”

  Home. It had been a while since Jeff had thought about San Angelo as home. Nor had he thought he’d end up partners with his best friend’s widow. “I didn’t have much choice. I was forced into finding a new career.” He found himself smiling, too. “But so far I’m enjoying it.”

  “And a pretty woman doesn’t hurt, either.”

  Jeff shook his head. “There’s nothing going on between Lacey and me,” he said, knowing he wouldn’t go there again.

  Brandon grinned. “If you say so. Just so you know, there’s plenty of room in Mustang Valley for another Randell.”

  “Yeah, this family has changed so much, and you’re the first of our generation to get married. You have a son, too.”

  Brandon leaned forward and lowered his voice. “And there’ll be another Randell soon. We’re not saying anything yet, but Nora’s pregnant.”

  A pang of jealousy hit Jeff, surprising him. “That’s great news.” For a split second, he let himself think about the possibility of having his own wife and child. Lacey immediately came to mind, but he quickly pushed aside the fleeting dream.

  “Keep it quiet for a while. We haven’t told Mom and Dad yet.”

  “You can trust me, I only give my name, rank and serial number,” Jeff said wryly.

  They were both laughing when their younger brothers returned. “Hey, what’s so funny?” Drew asked.

  Brandon shook his head. “It’s a private joke.”

  Drew pulled out his chair and sat down. In his early twenties, Andrew resembled Wyatt with his dark hair, but he had lighter eyes like their mom. “Well, here’s something that’s not so private. Granddad Hank’s cattle dr
ive.” Drew looked at his older brother. “And he’s insisting that Jeff’s going to be the trail boss.”

  Jeff shifted in his chair. “A couple of weeks back, he mentioned something about it, but I didn’t think anything had been finalized yet.”

  This time it was Jay who spoke up. “Oh, no, you know Granddad. He has it all planned out. He’s even had Aunt Josie put it up on the Web site, advertising it for Labor Day weekend. The first Annual Randell Ranch Cattle Drive. Seems there’s a lot of interest, too. One thing I know for sure, Hank wants this to be headed by the grandkids. He said he wants the next generation of Randells to show what they’re made of.”

  Brandon smiled. “I believe Hank’s just thrown out a challenge. Sounds like fun. What about you, Jeff, you planning on going?”

  “I haven’t told Hank one way or the other.” He wasn’t sure if he could do it, but the idea sounded intriguing. He was interested in finding out more details. “I’m not sure I’m in shape for it.”

  “Then get in shape,” his brother told him. “Put in some time on horseback. We’ve got some fence you can ride.”

  Jay glanced at his brother Brandon. “You probably could use the exercise, too.”

  Brandon pulled in his flat stomach. “What do you mean? I’m in great shape.” He looked at Jeff. “We’ve got about five weeks to pull this together. You can come by the ranch on my days off. We’ll chase some cows around.”

  The younger brothers broke up with laughter. “I can’t wait to see this,” Jay said.

  Jeff suddenly felt the stirring of competition. He found he liked that. “Cuz,” he said to Brandon, “looks like we have to show these two how it’s done. If you can spare a few dozen steers and bring them up to the cabin, we can hone our skills. There’s plenty of grass and water to keep them happy.”

  “You’re telling me,” Jay said. “The Guthrie place has the best underground spring in the area. If Lacey ever wants to sell us some water, we’d be interested in buying. In fact I would love to have that acreage to run my own herd.”

  Jeff had never paid much attention to the water shortage, but that could be another source of income. “If and when you’re serious I’ll talk it over with Lacey.”