Page 44 of On His Ranch

“No time,” he said.

“You won’t be much use to anybody if this heat and hunger get the better of ya.”

“There’s no tellin’ where he is, or if whoever was after the horses is still there tryin’ some other trick.” Chase knew the firm line of his mouth mirrored the one his grandfather wore.

“Here.” He handed Chase a rucksack he’d been wearing. “It’s only got two bottles of water and a coupla apples, but I reckon it’s better’n nothin’.”

“Thanks.”

“Your… lady went inside. You want to say goodbye, at least?”

He arched an eyebrow. Senior had never seemed to take much notice of the women he brought to the ranch, not that there had been a single one in the past year. He certainly never commented on them.

“She might worry,” Senior noted.

“Well, she’ll have to get used to it if she’s going to stick around, I reckon.”

His grandfather shrugged. “Suit yourself. Good luck.”

Clapping him on the shoulder, Chase took his leave. It was a few minutes before his words reminded him of the thought he’d had in the barn. Huh. Somewhere along the way Piper had gone from a temporary distraction in his mind to something more.

* * *

Piper woke up the next morning and was shocked to see the sun hadn’t risen yet. She had barely slept, tossing and turning most of the night. Senior had told her and Patti what had happened yesterday and that Chase went looking for the missing stallion. She’d stayed up well past dinner to wait on him, but when she’d gone to bed he still hadn’t made it back. She knew it was silly, but not knowing where he was had made it hard to fall asleep and even harder to stay that way.

Chase is a tough guy. He’s been doing this since he was a little kid. He’s just fine, she’d told herself over and over—the same mantra Patti had told her. But it hadn’t helped.

Knowing she wouldn’t be able to sleep anymore, she got up and got dressed.

The night hadn’t been a complete waste, at least. Patti had a rare night off and suggested she take her shopping.

“You can’t keep wearin’ the same thing day-in and day-out,” she’d said over Piper’s protests.

“I have other clothes at my apartment. I should just go there and—”

“You think I’ma let you go off and have my son come back to find you missin’ next? No, ma’am.” And then she’d proceeded to laugh as Piper blushed hotly. “C’mon, I’m not gonna take no for an answer.”

In truth, she had felt pleased to be so fussed over, and so she’d finally agreed. It had been a night worth remembering, even though they didn’t do much. Patti had taken her to the local clothing store and when Piper was no help, she’d picked up a couple of things off the racks, ignoring the protests of it being too many or too expensive.

“This trip is on me,” Patti told her firmly. “Do you know how long it’s been since I had a girls’ night? My son was in grade school.”

“But you work too hard to—”

“It’s my money, ain’t it?” The older woman had cut her off. “And I’ll do with it as I see fit.”

It was the first time Piper had seen the family resemblance so clearly in the matriarch. It must have shown on her face, because Patti had softened.

“Senior and Chase take care of everything around the ranch, so I just work for somethin’ to keep me away from Grumpus and Grumpus Junior for a little while. I’ve got a hole burnin’ in my pocket and nothin’ to buy!”

So she’d agreed and allowed herself to be escorted to a changing room where it felt like the options just kept coming, until she begged for a reprieve. But she couldn’t deny it had been great fun. Patti had insisted on seeing everything and had sat in one of the chairs, waiting for Piper to come out.

It was the kindest thing anyone had done for her in a long, long time. She had felt pleased over Patti’s compliments and enjoyed twirling around to show off the outfits, but when she saw herself in the last one, she had fallen into an awed silence.

It was a khaki-green baby doll dress dotted with pink and purple flowers and their leaves in a darker shade of green. The dress itself was unremarkable, she supposed, but when she put it on and looked into the mirror, the Piper looking back at her was one she hardly recognized. And yet…

One that was more like her, her true self, than she’d ever been before. She didn’t know what it was, exactly. Something about the way the dress brought out the green in her eyes and made them shine. Or maybe that was because of the attention Patti had been lavishing on her. Either way, the girl reflected in the mirror was the little girl that had lived deep inside of her, afraid to peek out, for so long.

Chase knew all along, she realized with a start.Knew something I’ve never been able to admit to myself…

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