Page 14 of The Cowboy Who Looked Again

“There was,” Link said. “Not here, so don’t panic. But Misty called, and there’s been a fire at her apartment complex. They’re relocating everyone—six buildings’ worth of people—and she said the cops are trying to put people up on ranches and farms if they have extra room.”

Uncle Ward didn’t say anything, which gave Link time to switch on all the lights in the cabin where he stood. He walked down the hall to the first bedroom, which stood ready with a made bed and a bare desk. Bedroom two held the same items, and Link wandered back to the kitchen as Uncle Ward said, “I see the texts and alerts that have gone out.”

He sounded exhausted, but he’d text down to town and let them know what they had available at Shiloh Ridge.

“I’m putting Misty and Janie in cabin five on my lane,” Link said. “Ralf in cabin six, but there will be another bed there.”

“Okay,” Uncle Ward said. “That leaves a single on your lane and all five cabins up by the Top Cottage.”

“And the Top Cottage,” Link said. “No one’s there.” His aunt’s sister and her family had lived there for a few months last year, but then Uncle Duke had offered them a job—with a house—at his ranch, and they’d moved across the ranch border to the Rhinehart Ranch.

“And Preach has a single down in his community,” Uncle Ward said. “I’ll call Brady.”

“Sounds good,” Link said. “I’m up, and I can come help.”

“Get your friends set up, and then head over to True Blue. We’ll operate from there.”

“Yes, sir,” Link said, and the call ended. He took his phone off silent and started tidying up the dusty cabin. The fridge held no food, but he couldn’t do much about that, unless he wanted to call Momma and tell her about the three a.m. happenings of tonight.

He did not want to do that, as he’d have plenty of raised eyebrows and questioning glances and outright questions once Momma and Daddy learned that Misty was going to be living two doors down from Lincoln.

“Living isn’t the right term,” he said. “She might only be here for a single night.” His hopes still soared, and Link didn’t even know why. It wasn’t like anything between him and Misty had changed. She’d get up and go to work at City Hall, and he’d move animals around the ranch while thinking about her restoring art and molding and architecture down in town.

She wasn’t going to move here permanently. “She doesn’t want anything serious,” he reminded himself as he got the air conditioning running. It should be reasonably cool by the time Misty made the forty-minute drive from her apartment to the ranch, and Link left the fifth cabin and headed for the sixth.

He’d become friends with Ralf and Janie over the months he’d dated Misty, and he found himself excited to see them again. Even at four in the morning.

He got everything ready in the second cabin, and then he went back to the fifth cabin and sat on the front steps. Uncle Ward had started a group text with him and Uncle Preacher, and the three of them alone were apparently going to manage anyone who came to the ranch tonight.

Should be twenty-six people showing up in the next hour or so, Uncle Ward said. Some of those cabins by the Top Cottage have bunks, and because they’re literally houses with kitchens and bathrooms, we’ve got families coming to stay with us.

Charlie and I are getting the initial welcome center set up down here, Uncle Preacher said. Then we’ll send them up to you and Link at True Blue.

I’m not sure when Misty and her friends are getting here, Link texted to his uncles. I gave her my pin and told her to come right to me.

We’ll let her through, Uncle Preacher said.

I can hold down the fort until you get to me, Uncle Ward said. I’ll hold people here until you can show them to their cabins. It’s dark up there, and they’ll be with kids and pets and likely a little unsure.

I’ll be there as soon as I can, Link said, glad he had a reason not to linger with Misty. At the same time, he heard the tremor of uncertainty in her voice when she’d called, and he wanted to get her set up in her cabin and then curl himself around her and hold her until she fell asleep.

But again, nothing had changed between them. So she’d called him for help in an extreme emergency. It didn’t mean she wanted to get back together, despite what she’d asked his parents at the wedding less than twelve hours ago.

“You’re not getting back together,” he told himself firmly. Once, then again. He wanted to get out his guitar and play away the minutes, but Mitch was the only deaf one living and sleeping on the ranch. So he sat on the front steps and fantasized over what life could be like if he could find a woman who loved Three Rivers, loved him, and wanted to build a serious life with him right here on this ranch.

Before Link knew it, the crunching of tires over Uncle Ward’s immaculate gravel road sounded, and he looked to his right to find headlights carving a path through the darkness as a car turned the corner.

Misty’s car.

Link got to his feet, his pulse pounding away the way it had when he’d turned from the coffee truck and seen her sitting with her friends at that metal table almost a year ago. He started down the road and waved her into the driveway at the fifth cabin.

Then three doors opened, and she got out along with Janie and Ralf. They looked around like they’d entered another dimension, and Link supposed they probably had.

“Welcome to Shiloh Ridge Ranch,” he said. Misty looked at him first, and even in the middle of the night, with her in purple pajamas, her hair a mess, and a wild look in her expression, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.

So much of what he wanted with her wasn’t casual, and he pulled on the reins of his thoughts as hard as he could.

He gave Ralf a quick smile as the man extended his hand toward him to shake. “Hey, brother,” he said. “I’ve got you in the cabin one down.” Link nodded to it. “Got the AC going. The bed is all made up. We’ll be sending someone to stay with you, most likely. My uncle got in touch with the cops, and we’re housing almost thirty people here until they can get back in their places.”

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