Romancing the Rancher

Book 6: Millers of Morgan Valley

by Kate Pearce

Genres: Women's Fiction; Historical Fiction

Synopsis

In New York Times bestselling author Kate Pearce’s sweet and sexy Millers of Morgan Valley series, the close-knit folks of Morgantown, California, have long memories—and big hearts to go with them. In this sixth installment delves into the behind the scenes of the PBR Rodeo as the youngest Morgan brother volunteers on the circuit and catches the eye of a female bull rider.
 

Welcome to California’s ranch country, where the cowboys of New York Times bestselling author Kate Pearce’s sexy and heartwarming series live, learn, and find love...

Ranching will always run in Evan Miller’s blood, but as the fifth son, he also wants to prove to his skeptical family that he can forge his own path. Drawn to the world of rodeo, Evan encounters Josie Martinez, half-sister of world champion bull rider Rio Martinez. He hopes Josie might show him the ropes—among other things—but Josie has priorities of her own...
 Josie’s not sure what she’s doing at her brother’s ranch when she should be at her office in San Francisco, fulfilling her dream of becoming young entrepreneur of the year. Ever since violence unexpectedly entered her life and her home, she’s struggled to get her life back on track. The ranch offers a sanctuary—with one gorgeous exception: Evan. But is he just a distraction, or can their growing bond—and undeniable attraction—persuade Josie that her heart is big enough for work and love...

Release date: December 28, 2021

Publisher: Zebra Books

Print pages: 352

Reader says this book is...: entertaining story (1)

Sample

Evan Miller kicked off his boots in the mudroom, washed up, and walked through into the large family kitchen where the smell of coffee and fried bacon still hung in the air. He scowled at his oldest brother, Adam, who was seated at the kitchen table chatting with their father.

“Where were you? I had to muck out all the stalls by myself.”

“It’s a nice change to see you working hard,” his father, Jeff, said and held up his phone. “We had some good news.”

“What would that be?” Evan helped himself to coffee, which at least warmed his hands. Even in summer it could still be cool in the mornings in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. His brother Kaiden emerged from the pantry with a fresh loaf of bread and grinned at him as they both sat down at the table.

“Danny went and did it.”

Seeing as Danny wasn’t talking to him right now, Evan had no idea what was going on, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to beg for info.

“So what?” Evan sipped his coffee.

Kaiden sat back. “Jeez, I suppose you already knew, seeing as you and Danny are so close. Kudos for not blabbing, which isn’t like you.”

“I suppose this has to do with Faith?” Evan hazarded a guess.

“Yeah.” It was Jeff’s turn to chip in. “Somehow they ended up in Vegas yesterday and got hitched!”

Evan sucked in his gut like someone had punched him, and covered up his shock with a nonchalant shrug. “Not exactly a surprise.”

“I’m guessing either Silver or Mom helped them with the planning.” Kaiden shook his head and whistled. “I never thought Danny had it in him to move so fast.”

“He saw a good thing and he went for it,” their father said.

“And you’re okay with this, Dad?” Kaiden raised an eyebrow. “I thought you’d be pissed.”

“Why? I told him not to let her get away.”

“Faith’s not a wayward steer,” Adam said. “She’s perfect for Danny. We could all see he was still in love with her.”

All three of them nodded. Evan shot to his feet again.

“What’s up?” Adam asked.

“I left my phone in the tack room.” Evan was already halfway out the door. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

He stepped into his muddy boots, grabbed his heavy jacket, and set off for the barn, his phone already securely in his pocket. He bypassed his supposed destination and went to stare out over the pastureland and foothills that comprised the majority of the Miller property. His breath condensed in the fresh, morning air as he propped his arms on the top of the gate, his brain barely registering the amazing view.

Danny hadn’t told him.

His closest brother in age, his best friend, and the person who always set him straight, hadn’t bothered to share that he was getting married. The worst thing was that Evan knew exactly why. The last time they’d been together Danny had gotten mad at him for revealing some personal information about him and Faith over the family dinner table. He’d only been trying to protect his favorite brother, but Danny hadn’t seen it that way and had gone off on him.

“Hey.”

Evan didn’t turn his head as Adam came to join him at the fence. At least he didn’t have to deal with wisecracking Kaiden. It took a while for Adam to actually say anything, which was just like him. He wasn’t a man who wasted words.

“I guess Danny didn’t tell you?”

“Why would he when he was barely talking to me before he left.” Evan sighed. “You know what happened, I screwed up. I apologized to him and to Faith, but apparently he’s still mad at me.”

“Or he simply had to make a quick decision and only had time to ask for help from someone who had the means to get him there and get things done fast.”

“Like someone with money or power, you mean.” Evan snorted. “Neither of which I have or will ever have.”

“Danny probably wanted to keep it quiet as well.”

Evan finally glanced over at Adam’s calm face. “Thanks.”

“You aren’t known for your ability to keep a secret, Bro.”

“So, two strikes already against me,” Evan said bitterly. “I can’t keep a secret, I don’t have any money, and let’s not forget that Danny currently hates my guts.”

“I bet he’s not even thinking about you right now,” Adam suggested mildly. “And you know what? That’s okay. Maybe he needed to put himself and Faith first for once.”

“I get that.” Evan grimaced. “I also get that I screwed up, and that despite everything that went down, he wanted to fall in love with her again and didn’t need me getting involved.”

“Sometimes love doesn’t give you a choice.” Adam smiled. “Look at me and Lizzie.”

“Yeah, when are you two going to get married anyway?” Evan asked, eager to change the subject.

“As soon as Lizzie’s okay with it and we’ve worked out how to balance our lives together.”

“That could take a while.”

“Yeah, but that’s okay.” Adam glanced over at Evan again, his expression serious. “Maybe it’s time for you to start thinking about what you’re going to do with your own life, rather than worrying about everyone else’s.”

Evan turned to face his big brother. “Like, seriously? You’re going to lay that on me right now?”

“Why not?” Adam shrugged. “Danny was right. You’re not a kid anymore. You can’t just drift along, never committing to anything or anybody.”

“I do my work.” Evan pushed away from the fence to confront his much-taller brother.

“Now you do.”

Evan winced. “Wow, did Dad send you out to get at me, or is this all on you? I suppose technically you are my boss now since Dad’s supposed to have stepped back. Are you firing me?”

Adam shook his head. “See? This is just like you, turning a genuine attempt to help you into some kind of dramatic ultimatum. You’ve got a job here until you die, Evan. You know that. But is that what you really want?”

“I’m done talking.” Evan turned around and headed to the barn. “I’ve got fences to mend.”

“Okay, fine,” Adam called after him. “If you’re determined to leave, do me a favor and check in with Ines at Rio’s place? I was going to go myself, but it looks like I’m stuck here for a while doing Danny’s chores.”

Evan briefly raised a hand to acknowledge his brother’s words and kept going. When Adam didn’t attempt to call him back or apologize, Evan’s indignation continued to rise, fueling his escape. He saddled his horse, Joker, grabbed his fencing supplies, and rode out toward the far boundary of the ranch.

He was sick of his family telling him what to do. When Kaiden had taken on the Garcia Ranch project, Evan had stepped up and done more than his fair share of his brother’s chores without a single word of thanks from anyone. So, what if he was content to remain a ranch hand for the rest of his life? He would’ve thought that a man like Adam, who was always complaining about the scarcity of available labor, would be begging him to stick around.

Evan rammed his Stetson down on his head and picked up the pace. If there was any way he could give them all the finger and ride off into the sunset right now, he’d absolutely, one hundred percent, do it. He gathered Joker and set him toward the boundary fence. If he took a couple of shortcuts across the other ranches, he’d be at the Martinez Ranch in no time at all.

What was wrong with loving the place he’d grown up in anyway? Why did he have to think beyond that? Evan slowed Joker to a walk as Adam’s words continued to repeat in his brain.

A job here until you die . . .

He stared down at the Martinez spread—the old ranch house with the new outbuildings Rio had added since taking over from Adam’s old in-laws and saving the place from housing developers. Evan wasn’t sure if Rio was home. Between his interests in his father’s billion-dollar company, Howatch International, and his gig as a commentator for the Professional Bull Riders TV show, he was a busy man.

The ranch had originally been intended for Adam and his now-deceased wife, Louisa. But after his father-in-law’s recent death, Adam had given up that claim and secured Ines’s financial future at the ranch where she lived with Rio and his fiancée, Yvonne, who ran the café and bakery in Morgantown. Ines loved having the company and that Rio could speak Portuguese with her now that Carlos had gone.

Despite his father’s hatred of all things rodeo, Evan had taken to sneaking off to the Martinez place where Rio not only trained aspiring bull riders but had also set up a bull breeding program for the PBR. For the first time in his life, he was glad he hadn’t been built like his two linebacker brothers and was the shortest and lightest male in the family. It made riding any horse or bull competitively so much easier.

He clicked to Joker, leaned slightly back in the saddle to compensate for the slope, and made his way down the hill toward the new barn, his gaze scanning the fenced pastures for a sight of the new bulls and any activity. The place was disappointingly quiet. He reminded himself he wasn’t here to mess around but to check in on Ines.

He dismounted in front of the barn and led Joker toward the shade to tie him up. A shrill whistle drew his attention to the enclosed paddock at the other end of the building. After making sure Joker was double-tied, because he had a tendency to get free, Evan walked through the shadowed barn and back out into the glaring brightness of a typical blue-sky California day.

Someone was practicing on one of the smaller bulls. Evan leaned up against the high railing and watched as the diminutive rider struggled to stay on board the relentlessly kicking bull. He slowly counted down the eight precious seconds it took for a ride to be scored and was impressed when the rider managed to hang on long enough.

He stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled his appreciation as the rider rolled clear and came up on his knees, his hat falling to the ground.

“Nice job.”

One of the hands persuaded the bull back into its pen and the rider came toward Evan, dusting off the Stetson on his chaps.

“Who are you?”

Evan recoiled. “You’re a girl.”

“So what?” Her eyebrows rose over her dark brown eyes. “Girls can ride bulls.”

“Not that I’ve noticed.”

She pointed back into the paddock. “What was that? A mirage?”

“Maybe.” Evan considered her. She had a slight accent, which gave her voice a huskiness he found ridiculously attractive. “Does Rio know you’re riding his bulls?”

“No, I just sneak in here when he’s not around. Next question?”

“I kind of admire that.” Evan nodded. “Won’t he be mad if you get hurt, though?”

For the first time, she smiled. “Probably. Doesn’t mean I’m going to stop.”

“It’s a dangerous sport.”

“Duh. I know that.”

For a moment they just stared at each other and then Evan grinned and offered her his hand.

“I’m Evan.”

“Josie.” She shook his hand, her grip firm.

“I came to see Ines.”

“Oh! She’s expecting you—just go on through the mudroom to the kitchen. I’ll join you after I’ve washed up.”

“You live here?”

Josie came through the railings and looped the chain back over the post. “I do at the moment.”

“You’re one of the hands?” Evan started toward the house.

“Not quite, but I help out when I can.” She pointed at the rear door. “Go through there. It’s not locked.”

Evan resisted the impulse to tell her he knew the way. The fact that she seemed to have no idea who he was in a place where everyone knew his entire family history for four generations was refreshing. He guessed Adam had let Ines know he’d be coming at some point, which was kind of annoying. He didn’t need his big brother checking up on him.

Josie stopped and turned back, her long, black braid swinging over her shoulder. “Don’t you need your tools?”

He studied her carefully. “I need to see what’s up first.”

“Makes sense.” She nodded. “See you in a bit.”

“Looking forward to it already,” Evan called out as she headed toward the tack room.

He went into the mudroom, took off his boots, and padded through into the kitchen where he found Ines, hands on hips with her back to him, staring at the open dishwasher and shaking her head.

“Bom dia, Ines,” Evan said.

She spun around. She was a small woman who always wore her silver-streaked hair in a braided bun on the top of her head. “Evan, how lovely to see you.” She came over to kiss him on both cheeks. “I thought you were the repairman.”

“What’s up with it?” Evan joined her in staring at the dishwasher.

“It’s not draining properly. I told Rio I didn’t need one of these things and that I was quite happy washing up my own dishes, but he wouldn’t hear of it.”

Evan crouched down and looked inside the dishwasher where two inches of dirty water still lingered at the bottom. “That’s not good.”

“I was thinking about running it again, but Josie said I might end up flooding the kitchen, and that the best thing to do was call the repairman.”

Evan stood and leaned over to check the air gap sticking out of the countertop. “Have you looked at this?”

“I don’t even know what it is,” Ines confessed.

Evan tried to unscrew the cap, but it was stuck. He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out one of his gloves to get a good grip.

“That’s better.” Even as he released the cap, he saw the problem. He eased the chunk of what looked like half-chewed gristle out of the pipe, which then gave a satisfying gurgle and spewed out a mixture of bubbles and water. “That should clear it.”

Ines peered over his shoulder. “There was something stuck in there?”

“Yup, blocking the airflow.” He dropped the mangled piece of meat in the trash. “It should be fine now, but I’ll just check the pipes under the sink for any further blockage. Has the water been running through the faucet okay?”

“It hasn’t been great,” Ines admitted.

Evan rolled up his sleeves. “Then let’s take a look.”

After cleaning up in the barn, Josie walked into the kitchen to find the plumber laid full out on the floor, his head and shoulders under the sink, which gave her an opportunity to check out his flat stomach and long legs. The fact that he still looked like a cowboy but was actually a tradesman made her want to smile. But she already knew that Morgan Valley was a small town where everyone took on multiple roles.

There was a knock on the open back door and a cheery hello as another guy, complete with a toolbox came into the kitchen and stopped dead.

“Morning, Ines. Why’s there a Miller under your sink?”

Evan was a Miller? Josie winced as the sound of a thud came from the cabinet quickly followed by a curse as Evan slid into view, rubbing his skull. His short hair had more than a hint of red in it.

“Hey, Bart. Just trying to help out.” He pointed at the pipes. “Looks corroded to me, but you’re the expert.”

Bart set his toolbox on the tiled floor. “I thought this was a dishwasher issue.”

“I fixed that part.” Evan got to his feet and grinned at the older man. He really was ridiculously attractive. “The pipes are your problem.”

“Thanks for nothing,” Bart said, but as he was smiling back at Evan, Josie didn’t think he was really offended. “Don’t expect a cut of my bill.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Evan said, his gaze finally settling on Josie. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

Ines touched her shoulder. “Why don’t you and Evan go and get acquainted while I finish up with Bart? I just made a fresh pot of coffee and some banana muffins. You can take them through to the family room.”

“That would be great.” Josie turned to Evan, who was regarding her with great interest. “Do you want to grab a couple of plates and I’ll get the coffee?”

“Sure.” He was already on the move and obviously familiar with the layout of the recently renovated kitchen as he found the plates first go. “Shout if you need any more help, Bart, okay?”

Bart muttered something uncomplimentary. Josie fought a smile as she poured out two mugs of coffee and set them on the tray with the muffins, cream, and sugar. She walked through to the sunny family room where she found Evan standing by the large woodburning fireplace.

“You’re Rio’s sister.”

Josie set the tray down. “Wow, when did you finally work that out?”

He pointed at the mantelpiece above the fireplace. “You’re in the photos with Rio and his mom.”

“You should be a detective. Isabelle is my mom, too. Rio and I have different fathers. I gather you’re a Miller.”

“Yeah, the youngest apart from Daisy.”

“Your brother Adam was married to Ines’s daughter.” Josie sat down and added cream to her coffee.

“Correct.” Evan sat in the chair opposite and took his coffee black. “He’s very fond of her and this place.”

“It really is lovely. So peaceful and tranquil.”

Evan made a face. “If you like that kind of thing.”

“You don’t?”

He set his mug back down. “I don’t know anything else. I’ve never been anywhere.”

“Like ever?”

Josie couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice. She’d traveled between Brazil and the USA since she was a small child and had gone even farther afield with her job at Howatch International.

“Nope.” He eyed her consideringly. “Never felt the need until recently.”

“I suppose it’s good you’re happy here and know that you belong,” Josie said cautiously. “I’ve never felt like that about anywhere I’ve lived.”

“The thing is—” Evan said, and then stopped, his brow furrowed.

“Go on,” Josie said encouragingly. “You can say anything you want. I’m not going to tell anyone.”

He grinned. “You have no idea how appealing that is to someone who lives in a small town where every damn thing you do gets reported back to your family.” Evan paused again. “I want to change some stuff and I don’t know where to start.”

“Like what?” Josie leaned toward him. If she wanted to avoid facing her own problems, solving someone else’s was a great opportunity to procrastinate. It was central to her nature to want to fix things.

“Stupid shit, stuff I’ve never been able to do because—” He half smiled. “You’re going to think I’m nuts.”

“Does it matter if I do?” Josie asked. “Let me put it this way. I’m here for at least a month on vacation, I’ve got a lot of time on my hands, and helping you achieve your goals seems like a great idea.”

“You’re going to help me?” Evan looked taken aback.

“Isn’t that what you want?”

He studied her for a long, unnerving minute. “I don’t even know you.”

“You know I’m Rio’s sister and that I’m willing to help.”

He frowned. “Hold up a minute. Number one, you don’t know what I want to do, and number two, your brother would kill me if I got you into trouble.”

“My brother’s not here right now, and if you’re worried, why don’t you draw up a to-do list, and I’ll decide whether I want to help you or not?” Josie offered.

Evan sipped his coffee. “Maybe I’m not the only one who’s nuts around here. What’s up with you?”

She met his hazel-eyed gaze and tried to be honest. “I . . . need to focus on something that isn’t related to my work or myself.”

“What do you do workwise?”

“I’m a VP of Finance at Howatch International.”

“That’s Rio’s dad’s company, right?” Evan helped himself to a banana muffin and devoured it in two bites.

“Yes. Rio insisted I had to take a load of unused vacation days off before I lost them.” It was a lot more complicated than that, but Evan didn’t need to know everything. “I decided to come here and help out on the ranch.”

“Doesn’t your mom have a ranch in Brazil?”

“I . . . didn’t want her fussing over me.” Josie tried for a smile. “She already thinks I work too hard and I didn’t want to admit she might have a point.”

Evan nodded. He’d obviously met Isabelle and knew about her flair for the dramatic. “So, I’d be like your pet project or something?”

“Not exactly. I mean, I’m just offering to help if you need someone.” Josie blew out a breath. “Okay, it was a stupid idea. Why don’t we forget I suggested it and have some more coffee?”

“Hell, no. How about this?” Evan held her gaze. “We both write out lists and help each other out. I bet you have some stupid stuff you’d love to do on your vacation.” He rose to his feet. “Let me get more coffee while you start thinking.”

After agreeing to meet Josie at the Red Dragon Bar in town that evening, Evan left the Martinez place and fixed fencing for three hours, his mind abuzz with ideas. When he got back home, he spent some time rubbing Joker down and making sure he had plenty of water before heading into the house. For some reason, he was reluctant to see everyone, and was relieved there was no one around when he entered the kitchen.

Being stuck close to home after heart surgery meant his dad had an unnerving habit of appearing from nowhere, asking questions about Evan’s work, and why was he back home when there was still plenty to do. Although Evan had some sympathy with his dad’s plight of being confined, the endless questioning was already starting to grate on him. As the youngest son, he’d always had plenty of cover to do his own thing, but with Ben and Kaiden no longer working full-time on the ranch, he was way more visible than he liked.

He stopped and stared out of the window that faced the rolling foothills and the long dancing lines of the white paddock fencing. Was this it? Would he be staring at this view when he was ninety while Adam’s kids ran the place and laughed behind their backs at their old uncle Evan who’d never been anywhere or done anything in his life?

His cell buzzed and he took it out of his pocket.

“Yeah?”

“Hey, it’s Danny.”

Evan straightened up. “Hey.”

There was a long pause before Danny sighed. “I guess you’re still mad at me.”

“Why would you think that?” Evan shut off the faucet and took the filled jug over to the coffee maker. “You don’t owe me a thing.”

“I had to move fast, and Silver offered to help, and—”

Evan cut him off. “Hey, I’m in the middle of something right now. Can you call Dad if this is urgent?”

“Evan, it’s lunchtime. I know you.” There was a hint of amusement in Danny’s voice. “You’re either in the kitchen getting something to eat, or out on the ranch having a chicken salad sandwich. That’s why I called, because I knew exactly where you’d be.”

“Maybe I’m not,” Evan insisted.

“Bro . . .”

“Gotta go.” Evan cut off the call and returned his cell phone to the back pocket of his jeans.

Sure, Danny would probably be complaining to Faith about how juvenile he was being, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t ready to talk to his brother yet and that was the end of it.

The smell of coffee wafted over from the machine and Evan opened the refrigerator to find the fixings for his favorite sandwich. He stared at the mayo, chicken, tomato, and lettuce he’d automatically selected. Was he really that predictable? And, even if he was—so what? Just because all his siblings were marrying movie stars, hotshot lawyers, or making out big-time in the IT stock market didn’t mean he had to.

There was nothing wrong with being like Adam, finding a local girl to settle down with, and running the family ranch. Evan went into the pantry to fetch the bread. Except Adam would own the ranch and Evan wouldn’t.

“Jeez . . .” Evan spoke into the quiet stillness. “Maybe you’d better take Josie Martinez up on her offer and finish writing that list, loser.”

Josie sat opposite Ines at the kitchen table and listened to her chat about her neighbors, the valley,. . .