Page 110 of On His Ranch

Patti had been an integral part of it too, helping choose paint colors and accents and just generally supporting her dream. She’d never made her feel weird about her ambition, just embraced Piper so fully that she felt like a part of the family.

And now, here she was—five minutes past her first opening, watching the door anxiously as she waited.

“Do you think anyone saw the fliers?” she asked. They’d been printed up to match her business cards, and as an extra-special unexpected gift, her aunt Sarah had shocked her by presenting her with a blown-up framed print of the picture of her beloved stuffed bear. It now hung behind the register, a constant reminder of how much she was accomplishing by bringing this dream to life.

“Yep, I’m sure some people did. It’s the first day, Piper. What did we say about that?”

She squelched the desire to roll her eyes. She knew that Chase would be keeping a tally and she would have to pay the piper the minute she closed for the evening. “Just take it day by day,” she recited. “What will be will be.”

“That’s right. But you know that you have plenty of people who believe in you, isn’t that right, little girl?”

She met his eyes, touched to see the love there. Chase had been the one who’d pushed her to do this. She’d thought the bear he’d brought to her diner nothing more than a gesture to win her back, but he had insisted she work on it. So she’d given the bear a makeover—a tiny pair of perfectly stitched jeans, a denim shirt with teeny-tiny buttons that really worked, a pair of boots and, of course, a cowboy hat.

Chase had mock-scowled when he’d seen it. “Are you makin’ fun of me?” he asked, his voice gruff, but something else was there, too. Pride.

“Well, I call him ‘Daddy’ so you tell me.” Then she’d given him the cheeky grin she’d learned he loved and danced away from him when he’d reached for her. It had led to a delightful game of chase she’d only been too happy to lose.

The next day when he’d picked her up from work—something that quickly became a daily occurrence—he presented her with a stuffed otter. When she had sewn that one a dress complete with a feather boa, he bought a panda next. On and on it went until she had well over thirty accrued.

Then he had taken her to a small, abandoned space.

“What’s this?” she’d asked, tired after her shift and hungry for some of Patti’s home cooking.

“It’s for sale,” he’d informed her, arms crossed over his chest as his eyes roved the space. “And been on the market long enough that I think we could get a good price.”

“But…” She glanced dubiously at the cracked paint and single boarded-up window. “What do you and Senior need with a building in town?”

“It’s not for me and Senior, little girl. It’s for you.”

It had taken her a moment to understand. When she had, her mouth had gaped open in shock. “It’s too soon,” she protested weakly. “I’m not ready.”

Chase had favored her with his sternlisten to meexpression, and told her firmly but gently all the many ways she was ready. He listed how he’d seen her grow, and encouraged her until her eyes brimmed with tears.

She’d thrown herself into his arms, peppering his face with kisses as she thanked him.

“I’ll be here, Piper. Every step of the way,” he’d assured her as his arms held her tight.

And he had been. He showed up every day giving her exactly what she needed even when she didn’t know what that was. He’d praised her, pushed her, and just plain believed in her in a way she’d never thought she’d have. He’d made the mantras she’d repeated back to him just now as a way for her to keep her expectations in check. And if she happened to need an extra reminder, she knew he’d be more than happy to take her in the back and spank her.

Piper didn’t know whether it was the mantras or that knowledge that helped her take a deep breath and remain patient, but either way, it worked.

Suddenly, the bell above the door jangled. Piper’s heart leapt into her throat. She saw a pair of teens strolling in—both looked to be between sixteen and eighteen. Both were looking around, their faces bathed in wonder.

Chase cleared his throat at her elbow.

“Welcome to Piper’s Playthings,” she fairly sang out, hoping they didn’t notice the catch in her voice. She couldn’t help it. Having them here, looking awestruck by her creations… it was her dream coming true.

They mumbled hellos, their gazes captured by the beautiful stuffies all around them.

But Piper hardly heard them because the bell jangled again. This time, a middle-aged woman walked in. Before she could wonder if it was the girls’ mom, the woman walked right up to Piper, her face a mixture of shyness and determination.

“Hello. I saw your flier and I was wondering… I’ve always wanted… I mean…” She trailed off, blushing.

Piper felt at ease in an instant and reached out for the woman’s hand. “I think I know what you mean.” She gave her hand a squeeze. “Why don’t you follow me and we’ll see what we can find for you?”

Right at that moment, she looked up and saw Chase looking at her. He was beaming at her, so full of pride that she could feel it radiating back at her.

But she couldn’t focus on that right now. She had a job to do.

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