Her Cowboy Inheritance
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“Please ignore him,” she said, motioning for Shane to come near her.
Wiping the dust from his face, Shane sputtered as he walked in her direction. “He just threw dirt in my face.”
“Maybe you should have waited for my response before stepping in. Right now, he is so deep in his animal instincts that he can’t be rational or reasoned with. As I said, you should go now. I’m going to sit here and wait this out.”
It was exhausting enough having to deal with Dylan’s fit. But having to once again justify her actions made Leah even wearier. She’d hoped that coming out to this isolated ranch with her sisters, who also understood how to handle Dylan, would allow her to get a break from the judgment of everyone around her.
To help Shane see her resolve, Leah sat on a nearby rock. But instead of doing as she asked, Shane came and sat next to her.
So much for getting a break.
* * *
The last thing Shane needed was to get involved with a single mother desperately in need of a daddy figure for her children. Been there, done that and even had a World’s Greatest Dad coffee mug to show for it. But when Gina had ridden out of town on the back of a Harley with a guy who promised more excitement than he could, she’d taken Natalie, and there hadn’t been a single thing to do about it. Unless a man legally adopted a child, he had no rights to the kid in the future.
And yet, there was something about Leah and the pain written on her face that drew him. She might not want him here, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave.
When Helen was alive, she’d told him about her ex-husband, the Colonel, and how her biggest regret in divorcing him had been leaving his three daughters behind. She’d loved them like her own, but she’d been given no visitation rights. However, she’d continued to pray for the girls every single day. When Gina left, Helen had been his rock. She’d told him about her love for the girls, and while he had been comforted by the fact that he wasn’t alone in his pain, he also wasn’t ready to befriend a beautiful woman with two kids he’d never have any right to.
Except he’d promised Helen he’d look out for the girls. Only they weren’t girls now but grown women, and keeping his promise wasn’t looking as easy as it had been to make it. Still, Helen had been there for him in his darkest days. In many ways, she’d been like a mother to him. He owed it to her to be there for the girls she’d been unable to love the way she’d have liked.
Dylan continued to scream and flail in the dirt. Shane had moved Squirt to a safer spot where the little boy wouldn’t be tempted by him and Squirt wouldn’t be spooked. Leah said she had everything under control. But, from Shane’s perspective, this was a mess. How could she let her son act like this?
Worse, he couldn’t believe she’d gotten into this mess in the first place. Though he was in no position to judge, it seemed like poor parenting to leave your children alone like she had. He’d often watched Natalie for Gina because otherwise Gina would have left Natalie alone. Once again, he wondered exactly how much his promise to Helen was going to cost him.
He glanced over at Leah, trying to gauge her reaction. She sat there, acting like she didn’t have a care in the world, picking several of the long blades of grass that had gone far too long without cutting. She was twisting them into some kind of shape.
“What are you making?” he asked.
A soft smile crossed her face. “I was trying to remember how to make the little grass baskets Helen had taught us to make when we were small. I thought it would be fun to teach the boys.”
She held it up, then frowned slightly. “I’m missing a step. I wonder if I can look it up online to find the answer.”
“I’ve never done anything like that,” Shane said. “All I know how to do with grass is make a whistle.”
He picked a few blades, then demonstrated.
At the sound, Leah smiled. “Oh, that’s wonderful. You’ll have to show me how to do it. The boys will think it’s so fun.”
At her words, Dylan paused and looked over at them. Leah shot Shane a look.
“Show me,” she said, her eyes darting to Dylan before she shook her head at Shane. She seemed to be signaling him to continue ignoring Dylan.
Even though it didn’t seem right to not acknowledge the boy’s silence, Shane did as she asked. Leah picked some grass of her own and tried copying his motion, but all she accomplished was contorting her face and sending the grass flying through the air.
Dylan giggled.
Leah didn’t look at him and instead tried again.
As she had in her previous attempt, she failed.
“You need to roll your tongue slightly,” Shane said. “I can’t tell if you’re doing it or not, but when my dad taught me how to whistle, that’s what he told me to do.”
Once more, Leah took some grass and tried to make it whistle.
Dylan got up and came over to them. “You’re doing it wrong. Let me show you.”
He tried taking the grass out of her hand, but she shook her head. “I’m done. Let’s go inside and have some lunch.”
For a moment, Dylan looked like he was going to argue, but then he nodded. “I’m hungry.”
“All right then.”
Leah got up and brushed the dirt from her pants. She smiled at Shane. “As you can see, everything is okay now. We’re going to go inside and eat. You should take your horse home.”
Once again, she was dismissing him. And it still didn’t feel right.
“We should talk about what just happened,” he said. Talking wasn’t his strong suit, but the situation had been intense. He’d come by to be neighborly and had ended up in the middle of a family crisis.
Dylan had already started for the house. She turned and gave Shane the kind of stern look he imagined she used on her sons.
“There’s nothing to talk about. I have everything perfectly in hand. You don’t need to feel obligated to look out for my children or me. We’ll be fine.”
The resignation in her voice told him that there was a lot more to her story then he knew. Sure, he knew the little Helen had told him over the years. But she hadn’t been in contact with the girls enough to have details beyond the newspaper clippings of marriage and death announcements she collected. There were also a couple of articles about a man being found dead of a drug overdose, the death of a little girl, and one about a fatal car accident. The bare bones, not enough to know anything other than these women had been through a lot recently. Leah’s husband had died weeks before Helen passed. Was that why her parenting seemed so chaotic?
Maybe sticking around to see what he could do to help wouldn’t hurt.
“We’re neighbors. Helen was a good friend. She wanted me to look out for you.”
Leah shook her head. “Look, I know you think I’m a terrible mom. But you have no idea what we’ve been through, and we’re doing our best to move on.”
She gestured at the house, and one of the sisters was beckoning Dylan inside.
“Since things got bad with his dad, we’ve been in therapy. I worked two jobs to pay for a child psychologist to help us figure out how to handle these fits. As for your horse, I know things got out of hand. I’m sorry for that. In the future, please don’t bring him over.”
Though she still sounded weary, there was a determined expression on her face that made him realize she was stronger than he had first thought.
“I just want to help,” he said.
“Then go home. I don’t know what Helen told you about our childhood or what you’ve read in the papers about us. But if you think that any of it means we need someone to take care of us, you’re wrong. We’ve learned how to take care of ourselves. We don’t need you.”
It was as if she had read his earlier thoughts. The stubborn set to her jaw and the pain in her eyes made him want to take care of her anyway. But he also knew that it wasn’t worth the grief it would bring to his own life to chase after a woman who didn’t want him.
So how was he supposed to keep his promise to Helen?
“Okay.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card for his ranch. He’d bought a hundred of them years ago and still had more than he could count left. At least he’d be getting rid of one more. “My number’s on here. You might not need me now, but if there’s anything I can do to help you all get settled, give me a call.”
She took the card, but from the look on her face, it would probably go straight into the round file when she got inside. “Thanks.”
He watched as she walked into her house, her posture straight and determined, and yet the air of sadness around her made him wish he could do more for her. But that was the kind of thinking that got a man in trouble. How many times had he tried playing the white knight, saving the damsel in distress? And while he’d been taken advantage of in the past, Leah was different. She didn’t want anything to do with him.
Chapter Two
Shane didn’t need anything from the sale barn, but he stopped by the Wednesday livestock auction just the same. It was a good chance to socialize with the other ranchers in the area and to keep up on the news. Most folks wouldn’t call Columbine Springs a happening place, but if you wanted to know what was happening, at least among the ranchers, the sale barn was where you’d find out.
“Hey, Shane!” Arnold Hastings, one of the old-timers, gave him a wave. “We were just talking about that bull of yours. Ol’ Mike was wanting to add a new bloodline to his herd. I told him that you won’t find a finer bull than Big Red.”
Given that Arnold had his own prize-winning bull, it was a fine compliment. “Thank you. I appreciate it. Do they have anything good for sale today?”
Arnold shook his head as he chewed on a piece of hay. “Nope. Bobby’s trying to get rid of that old mare of his again, but he can’t seem to get it through his thick skull that no one wants that useless mare. ’Bout all she’s good for is being led around on a rope. Even then, the creature is better off being put out to pasture. But since Bobby’s little girl won a bunch of buckles on her barrel racing, he’s sure someone’s going to be willing to pay a lot of money for her.”
An image of the little boys next door came to mind. Shane hadn’t been back since he met them last week. He’d wanted to give them time, but he also wasn’t sure how to approach them since Leah had made it clear she didn’t want him there.
He’d promised the boys he’d teach them the rules about horses, and then they could ride. But none of his mounts were suitable for children, especially the little one. Natalie had taken her horse when she and Gina had left.
“There’s nothing wrong with my horse,” Bobby said, joining the conversation. “Belle is a great mare, and she’d be perfect for someone with kids. She won a lot of buckles for my Sara.”
Just then, a lightbulb went off. The problem was, Leah didn’t want him butting into her life. But if she did warm up to the idea of having him around for the sake of the boys...
“How much do you want for her?” Shane asked.
Bobby grinned. “I told Frank I wouldn’t take less than five grand. But for you, I’d take two and a half.”
Was he seriously considering spending twenty-five hundred dollars on a horse for a couple of kids he wasn’t even sure would get to ride it?
He hesitated.
“Now, Shane, that’s a good deal, and you know it.”
Arnold snorted. “You just offered that mare to Jimmy Ball for two grand last week.”
“And he’s real interested, so you better make it quick.”
The last thing he needed was another animal to feed. Not with things so uncertain now that he wasn’t sure if the women would let him graze his cattle at Helen’s ranch. He’d intended to ask them, but as firm as Leah had been in sending him away, he was having his lawyer draw up an agreement, so everything was in writing. He and Helen hadn’t needed one, but the women seemed like they would want it.
“I’m not interested,” Shane said. “I was just curious what you were asking, in case I run into someone in need of a retired barrel-racing horse.”
At the word retired, Arnold snickered. Bobby glared at him and started to speak, but before Shane could figure out what he was saying, a familiar voice rang out.
“I’m here to buy some cows.”
Leah.
At least now he knew they intended to work the land themselves, so they probably wouldn’t be interested in leasing him the land for grazing. Good thing he hadn’t jumped on the horse offer, since now he’d be figuring out a new financial plan.
“I ain’t seen her around before,” Bobby said. “Look at that. There’s two of ’em.”
Three, actually, but Shane wasn’t going to correct him.
Arnold got out of his chair. “I wonder if those are the girls who inherited the old Wanamaker place. Helen was making noises about leaving it to her ex’s kids. Don’t know why. It’s not like they’re family or anything. I figured they’d probably sell the place and move on.”
As Arnold chattered on about what he thought of the situation, Shane walked over to Leah.
“Nice to see you again,” he said, approaching her.
“Likewise.” She didn’t sound like she meant it. “I believe you know my sister Erin.”
Shane tipped his hat to her. “Ma’am.” Then he looked around. “Where are the boys?”
Leah gave him the same irritated look she’d given him when he’d asked her questions the day they’d met. Maybe she just looked irritated all the time. Which would be a shame because, other than the angry lines on her face, she was downright pretty. Dark brown hair, brown eyes, pink lips...what was he doing?
“They’re not lost, if that’s what you’re implying,” Leah said. “They’re home with our sister Nicole, who has a degree in early childhood education.”
Great. He was trying to be polite, and she took it as an insult. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I was asking after them, so I could say hi.”
Erin leaned in to say something to Leah, who nodded. Leah turned her attention back to him. “I’m sorry. I misunderstood. I’m a little sensitive where my kids are concerned.”
A little? Shane was tempted to say something, but Leah already looked like she was hankering for a fight.
“No harm done,” Shane said instead. “What brings you to the sale barn today? I heard you asking about cows. I have a herd of my own. I could help if you want.”
Most people didn’t look like they wanted to bite his head off when he was trying to be neighborly. Maybe his original theory of Leah always looking cranky wasn’t too far off the mark.
“We’re going to turn it back into a working ranch,” Erin said, sounding way more cheerful than her sister. “We’ve decided to call it Three Sisters Ranch, and it’s our fresh start. I’ve been studying brands, and I think I’ve come up with the perfect one. So now, all we need are some cows.”
And a lick of common sense. But at least Erin seemed excited about the plan. Whereas Leah...
Leah just looked weary. Like the last place on earth she wanted to be was at the sale barn, picking out cows for their new ranch adventure. Did they have any idea what they were getting into?
“How many cows are you thinking of getting?”
Maybe the best way to handle the situation was to ask them questions so that they would realize that there was more to ranching than buying cows.
Erin’s face lit up. She was pretty, too, but not in the same way as Leah. Erin naturally seemed like the sort to smile a lot and be happy, which should have made her more attractive. But it was Leah who drew him. Of course he would be attracted to the difficult one. Why make it easy on himself?
“Oh, I don’t know,” Erin said. “I’d like some of those cute black-and-white ones, and Nicole wants us to see if we can find some Highland cows. She fell in love with them when she went to Scotland, and now that we have a ranch, we’re going to get her some.”
How did you explain to someone that their idea was completely crazy when they were so clearly excited?
“You know the cute black-and-white ones are dairy cows, right?”
He hoped he didn’t sound too condescending, because that was sure to set Leah off. But the ranch wasn’t set up for a dairy operation. If they bought dairy cows, they’d be throwing their money away.
“We don’t know anything about cows,” Leah said slowly. Then she muttered, “I knew this was too good to be true.”
Erin nudged her. “Stop being the little black rain cloud. That’s what the internet is for. We’ve also got books in Helen’s library. She must’ve owned every book ever written about ranching.”
He hadn’t expected the lump that formed in his throat at her words. Helen had loved books, and in the early days of his ranch, she’d often lent him the ones she thought he’d find most helpful. Before she’d passed, she’d given him a few of her most treasured books.
“She did love her books,” Shane said, hoping they didn’t hear the catch in his voice. “She gave me a few of her favorites when she got sick, if you’d like to look at them.”
At the mention of Helen, the women exchanged another set of looks, communicating something he couldn’t understand, yet, for some reason, he wanted to.
“I didn’t realize she was sick,” Leah said quietly. “We didn’t know much about her later years, and it feels weird to be given such a gift when we weren’t close. Thank you for being there to take care of her.”
The obvious sympathy in her voice softened his heart. Perhaps he’d been too hasty in dismissing her as cranky. There was a gentleness in her eyes that seemed to peek out from the wariness at unexpected moments.
Erin linked arms with her sister. “Yes, thank you. We have good memories of her, and we hated not being in better touch. But with things being the way they were, it wasn’t possible.”
He’d heard enough stories about the Colonel to know that with the way he ruled the family, even if the girls had tried to stay in touch, he wouldn’t have allowed it. At the sadness in their voices, he couldn’t help wondering if they felt the same deep sense of loss when their father and Helen had divorced.
Maybe there was more to Leah’s attitude than he could see. If it had been any other woman, he’d have declared her as having too much baggage and run the other way. But remembering the sadness on Helen’s face as she talked about her poor girls, he knew he had no choice but to see it through.
“Water under the bridge,” he said. “Helen understood your situation, and I never heard her speak anything but love toward you all. That’s why she asked me to look after you and help out if you needed it.”
Too bad he hadn’t done a good job of it so far. Helen would have boxed his ears for sure if she’d been capable of such things. He’d let Leah’s anger keep him away when he should have been trying harder to help them.
“We do appreciate the advice you’ve given us. I guess we have a little more reading to do before we buy any livestock,” Leah said, starting to turn away.
Erin let out a long sigh as she followed her sister. “We have to start turning a profit soon,” she muttered.
“We’ll figure it out.” He could hear Leah’s words as they walked over to sign up for the auction.
She might be willing to figure it out, but they were going to be in for a world of hurt if they were so ignorant as to walk into a sale barn, hoping to buy cows based on how cute they were.
He jogged to catch up with them. “Let me help you. A lot of the cows they have here today aren’t worth buying, and I’m familiar with all the local ranchers. They don’t mean to cheat anyone, but they would have no problem taking money from someone who doesn’t know any better.”
The sisters exchanged a look, then Leah nodded. “We don’t have a lot of money to waste, so we appreciate the help.”
It seemed a hard-won agreement, but he was glad that she could at least see sense. He recognized that wary expression in her eyes again, and it struck him harder than he’d expected. Though Helen had told him about the girls’ rough childhood, he also hadn’t expected to see how it had impacted them as adults. To have it impact him. He’d grown up in a different but equally unstable situation. That kind of life where you’re afraid to trust or lean on anyone too much, because you know they’ll be gone soon, and you’ll be stuck on your own, trying to figure things out.
No wonder the sisters were so quick to shove him aside and not want his help. They wanted to do it on their own because they figured that, at some point, he’d be gone and they’d have to rely on themselves again.
So how could he show them that he wasn’t going anywhere?
More important, how could he be there for them without ending up the fool, running around taking care of them, only to be dropped when a bigger, better deal came through?
These women needed rescuing. He liked to be the hero. But he was tired of being taken advantage of and abandoned when he wasn’t needed anymore.
Still, he gave a nod as he led them deeper into the sale barn.
* * *
There wasn’t a single cow to be had. At least none worth buying, according to Shane. Even though Leah hated being so reliant on him, as he patiently explained to her what he was looking at as he examined each cow, she was glad for his expert opinion. He’d even stopped Leah from buying the pretty chicken, which had turned out to be a rooster, so it would have also been useless to them.
What was the point in inheriting a ranch when you couldn’t do anything with it? Helen had leased out the land, but it was for such a small sum, Leah and her sisters wouldn’t have enough money to live off of. According to Helen’s old records, the ranch had once been a thriving business. Surely, it could be successful once again.
Yes, they now had a place to live, and with Leah’s financial situation, it was a real blessing. Erin hadn’t gotten any money out of her divorce, since her ex wanted to keep the house, and it was worth less than what they’d paid for it when they’d bought it. She’d considered herself lucky to have been able to walk away. Nicole had never made a lot as a preschool teacher, so she didn’t have much money, either. Needless to say, the sisters needed some way to make money to keep food in their stomachs and the lights on. They’d gotten a ranch, yes, but the attorney had very apologetically told the women that Helen didn’t leave much in the way of cash.
So how were they supposed to make money? Based on the budget they’d come up with, they had about six months to figure it out.
“Let me buy you ladies a cup of coffee,” Shane said, indicating a café down the street. “I know you must be disappointed to not find any cows, but it’s the wrong time of year, and I’d hate for you to be stuck with something that would be a financial burden.”
The last thing she wanted to do was sit and have coffee when she had plans to make. But he hadn’t been anything but nice to them, and it would be rude to refuse. It was a small town, and she couldn’t afford to alienate anyone, even though all she wanted was to be left alone.
“That would be great, thank you.” Leah smiled at him, then looked over at her sister. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not. Though we should probably be doing the buying, considering he probably saved us thousands of dollars.”
Erin had a point, but Shane shook his head.
“A gentleman would never let the lady buy. Besides, it’s only a couple of cups of coffee. Though Della makes the best bear claws, and you should probably have one. I know I’m going to.” His grin warmed her. When he wasn’t looking at her like he thought she was the world’s worst mother or the biggest ignoramus to show up in town, he seemed almost...nice.
The lawyer did confirm that Shane had been a big help to Helen. Maybe, if they all got to know one another, they could be friends. Or at least friendly. It wouldn’t hurt to have a neighbor to call on in case of emergency. Not that she had any plans of relying on him, since she’d already promised herself never to depend on a man again.