Page 47 of In Bed with the Rancher

He walked back to his pickup and drove to the ranch. A big furry dog met him when he stepped inside the fence. “Hi, Buster,” he said, scratching the dog’s back. “Want to go down with the cowboys or come in with me?” He held the gate open. The dog sat and looked up at him. Wade jerked his head and walked toward his house, letting the dog in with him.

The big ranch house was empty, and as he walked through it, Buster his only companion, he envisioned Ava here. Sitting on the sofa in her skintight jeans and heels, her feminine touches all around the room. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, wondering what she was doing. Was she thinking about him, or seeing some other guy already? He couldn’t count the number of times each week he’d pulled out his phone and had to force himself not to call her.

He stalked into the kitchen, the noise of his boot heels the only sound in the house. In the cavernous void, he thought he heard the echo of Nan’s remarks. You’re the one who breaks hearts and you’ve never had a clue what that feels like.

Nan was right about that. He’d always been able to say goodbye. But this time was different. This was the first time in his life he really missed someone. Not only did he hurt, but he also couldn’t concentrate on work, which had never happened to him.

He’d worked long hours all week, coming in when it got dark and working in the barn or in his office until one or two in the morning. He hadn’t slept well and he had no appetite at all.

He felt a tightening in his gut. Could Nan be right in her other assertion? Was he in love with Ava?

That thought shook him to the core.

“Damn,” he said. He sat in a kitchen chair and scratched Buster’s back, and groaned. How could she have gotten under his skin in such a short time? Especially when their views of life, love and the future were on opposite ends of the spectrum. He raked a hand through his hair and expelled a tight breath. He didn’t know the answer to that, but he knew one thing for sure. If he had fallen in love, he’d get over it soon.

He pushed back the chair. “Time to work out, Buster. You want to come run on the treadmill? I tried to get her to come visit us, but she wouldn’t. You’d like her and I’ll bet she would like you. Damn, I miss her.”

He left the room to go to his gym and work out until he could shake Ava out of his thoughts.

* * *

On a Sunday afternoon weeks later, when he was sitting at the table nursing a cup of coffee, one of the men called to tell him his brother Wynn just passed through the front gates. Wade thanked him and got his hat to walk out to the porch to wait. Wynn never came to the Bar S; he despised ranching, horses and everything about either one. Wade couldn’t imagine why he was coming now. He wasn’t going to try to guess. He sat in a white wooden rocking chair, put his feet on the rail and sat back to wait. Then Wade thought about their dad. Cold fear gripped him that something else had happened to his dad’s heart.

He saw the plume of dust and then the bright red sports car speeding toward the house. Wynn hadn’t changed since he was a teenager; he still liked fast cars. The car skidded to a stop, sending up a cloud of dust. Wynn didn’t get out until the dust settled. He walked around the car and headed for the porch. His turquoise dress shirt was open at the throat and he didn’t wear a tie. He had on charcoal slacks and loafers.

Wade’s curiosity grew and so did his worry about his dad because Wynn definitely didn’t look angry, he looked worried. Even if it was Dad, Wynn would have just called, he told himself, unless it was really terrible. Fear gripped him. “Is Dad okay?” he asked.

“As far as I know. That’s not why I’m here.”

Wade pushed out the breath he’d been holding, relieved. At least his dad was okay...but what did Wynn want?

“You must have an important reason to drive all the way out here,” Wade said, assessing his brother. A muscle worked in Wynn’s jaw and some emotion flashed in his dark eyes, but there was a hesitancy in his twin that Wade had never seen. Usually Wynn made his anger clear to all. Or his fear. Or his pleasure. He wasn’t a subtle person and Wade’s curiosity grew.

“Well, have a seat. We don’t have to stand to talk,” Wade said, sitting back in the rocker and turning it so he would face Wynn, who sat in another big rocker. Wynn sat on the edge of the seat and he looked nervous.

“You might as well say it,” Wynn said. “You know I’m a dad.”

“Oh, yes, I do,” he said, briefly startled that the long-ago phone conversation was the reason for Wade’s appearance.

“You didn’t tell Violet it was you she was talking to that day.”

“Violet? I did tell her, but she accused me of lying and we never got back to it. It was obvious you didn’t tell her you’re a twin, so after that first try I didn’t, either.”

They sat staring at each other and with every second, Wade became more and more puzzled because Wynn wasn’t acting in his customary manner.

“You told Violet the check was in the mail and that’s exactly what I would have told her because it was. That’s how I found out you talked to her. She told me it was a good thing I wasn’t lying when I said the check was in the mail.”

“I was in shock and that sounded like what you’d say.”

Wynn nodded, apparently accepting Wade’s answer. He looked away for a moment, eyeing something in the distance, his hands toying with a rope that had been looped over the rocker.

Wade tilted his head, his curiosity growing. “You drove all the way out here for something. What’s eating you?”

His brother finally looked at him. “You didn’t tell the folks that they’re grandparents. You haven’t told anyone in the family. Why?”

Wade shrugged. “It’s your secret and when I thought about it, I figured you were doing what you thought was best. I figured it might be better for Mom and Dad if they didn’t know about this baby. It’s really your call.”

“I can’t understand you. There was your chance for revenge for all the grief I’ve given you over the years. Real revenge. This could have wrecked my engagement to Olivia if you’d gone about it in certain ways.”

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