Page 6 of On His Ranch

Her landlord’s neck was turning bright red as he watched her. He looked down at the pamphlet in his hand and let out a big, regretful sigh. “Maybe I could give youonemore month, but then I really do need you to pay the balance in full.”

She gave him a tiny smile. “Thanks, Mr. Laskey. I appreciate it, truly, but you’ve already done so much. I don’t want to keep asking you to do me favors when I have no idea when I can pay you back.”

“Are you sure?” He looked torn between feeling relieved and being miserable.

She knew how he felt. She put a hand on his and forced a smile. “Yeah, I’m sure. It’s time. And I really do appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I promise I’ll get the money to you as soon as I can.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that. You’re a good girl.”

Her smile widened, and felt genuine this time. “Thanks.”

“Where will you go?”

She pulled a face. “My aunt’s, I guess. I hate to ask you for one more favor, Mr. Laskey…”

“Go on and ask.”

“Is there any way I could leave some stuff with you? My aunt isn’t a fan of my stuffed animals.”

“Sure. Of course you can. I’ll keep ‘em safe downstairs for you.”

Piper felt a pang of sadness as she thought of all her pretty things—the stuffies, so soft you’d swear you were stroking a brand-new puppy, the beautiful clothes she’d labored over, careful to make sure each stitch was perfect, that each accessory matched and gave the stuffie added personality—that was slightly soothed knowing that Mr. Laskey was keeping them safe.

Though she had bigger things to worry about—like a place to live, for one—she couldn’t help but worry. She had never worked so hard on anything in her life. If she didn’t have the dream of her business, she didn’t have anything.

“Who the hell are you?”

A gasp lodged in her throat as Piper whirled around, half expecting to see a gun-toting felon behind her. Instead, the man watching her was wearing a cowboy hat atop his head, gray hair spilling into curls nearly down to his shoulders. His hands were empty, but the way they were propped on his hips was only slightly less threatening. The scowl he wore very much reminded her of the other cowboy who’d told her to stay put.

“Who are you?” he barked again.

Clearly the men in this family had a thing for being answered immediately. She opened her mouth to answer, but her vocal cords seemed paralyzed by the increasing drama and Piper couldn’t manage to squeak out a reply.

The furrows on his brow deepened. “Never mind. I heard shots. Where is my grandson?”

Swallowing hard, she raised her hand and pointed in the last direction she’d seen him go.

“I’ll be back. And when I am, I expect an answer.” Giving her a hard glance that left her frozen, he ran off, moving just as swiftly and stealthily as the other man—his grandson, apparently—had.

This is just not my day. Piper felt tauter than a ball of rubber bands and didn’t dare exhale until several minutes had passed.I’ve got to get out of here.

“The next surprise is likely to give me a stroke,” she murmured.

The horse whinnied, and she swore she could hear the sympathy.

But the question was did she dare? Now that she had been confronted by not one buttwostone-faced cowboys, both who expected to find her whenever they deigned to return, it would take a lot of courage to try to escape. Did she have enough?

This is ridiculous. Why should I sit here, waiting to be yelled at some more? I don’t owe them anything. Of course, Ididborrow their barn for an evening… not even an evening, really, just a few hours…

Now she wished she could turn back time. If she could do last night over again, she would have kept her head down and her feet moving. She had been on the way to her aunt’s—knowing she’d have to eat humble pie when she got there made her steps more leaden than usual. She had sold her car two months ago to try to stay afloat and a normally ten-minute drive dragged out even further since she was on foot.

She had broken down and cried when Mr. Laskey had left, and again when she’d packed up. She had to leave behind anything that wouldn’t fit in her backpack, and as she weighed her options and made the heart-wrenching decision of what to bring and what had to stay, she couldn’t help but wonder if she would even be welcome at her aunt’s. Even if she allowed Piper to stay, would she let her come back for any more of her stuff? Those questions and the awful not-knowing made every decision feel crucial. By the time she’d finally gotten walking, she was drained from all the tears, and feeling defeated in a way she’d never experienced.

Which was why eventually she just couldn’t take another step. That was when she’d spotted the barn. Sure, she’d seen the house a few yards off, but she’d been sure that she could grab a few minutes’ sleep, just enough to recharge her energy so she’d be able to make it the rest of the way to her aunt’s.

But that plan had been foiled by a cowboy that apparently rose long before the sun and didn’t have an ounce of compassion in his lean, hard body.

“How was I supposed to know he gets up at five in the morning?” she muttered.

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