The Rancher's Redemption

Book 2: Millers of Morgan Valley

by Kate Pearce

Genres: Women's Fiction; Contemporary Romance; Western Romance

Synopsis

Family, community, hard work. It’s what always draws the folks of Morgantown back to the ranch—along with the promise of so much more . . .
 
Widowed for ten years, now running the family ranch, Adam Miller is no longer the fun-loving guy who married his high school sweetheart the moment they graduated. His bitterness in the aftermath of her death even alienated his closest link to her—Lizzie Taylor, her best friend. But when Adam comes across Lizzie in a dire situation, he’s compelled to help—and finds himself with an unusual opportunity to make amends . . .
 
A struggling single mom, Lizzie’s extremely wealthy ex ran out on her when she got pregnant. But now he and his family have decided to fight for custody of her young son. When Adam shocks her by offering to pose as her partner, awkward as it may feel, it’s Lizzie’s best chance to hold onto her child. And as they strive to present a united front, their old friendship rekindles, sparking an unexpected attraction—along with past hurts and secrets. Soon they realize they’ll have to find a way to forgive if they want to move forward—especially with 
each other . . .

Release date: November 26, 2019

Publisher: Zebra Books

Print pages: 432

Sample

Roman ran up the path and knocked hard on the front door. When Gabby unlocked the child gate and bent to give him a hug, the excitement on his face made both women smile.

“Hey.” Gabby let Roman wiggle past her into the house. “Is everything good?”

“Seems to be,” Lizzie said. “I washed Doofus the Dinosaur.”

“Thanks.” Gabby made an amused face. “Roman and Gus found a muddy spot in the yard where one of the sprinklers was leaking. By the time I cleaned them up, I had no time for the stuffed toy.”

“It’s all good.” Lizzie nodded. “I’ll pick him up at the usual time.”

Gabby lowered her voice. “Coretta was looking over the fence again, yesterday.”

Lizzie tensed. “Did she say anything?”

“Nope, but I think she might have been taking pictures.” Gabby hesitated. “If you like, I can call Nate Turner and see if there’s anything we can do about it.”

“I think that would just make everything worse.” Lizzie sighed. “I’m going to have to try and talk to her again.” She checked the time on her phone and looked at the house next door. The drapes and blinds were closed against the morning sun, giving the place a bland, shuttered look. “I can’t have her scaring Roman.”

“She’s usually up and about by nine,” Gabby said. “Should I text you if I see her?”

“Would you?” Lizzie smiled at her friend. “I’d really appreciate it.”

Deep in thought, Lizzie went back onto Main Street and walked toward Yvonne’s café where the owner had been at work since four baking bread and creating fabulous confections. Lizzie loved her boss and enjoyed her job, although when it was tourist season, it could get extremely busy. Sometimes she didn’t sit down for hours.

It was good that her commute was so short. When Ted Baker had converted the top floor of his mechanics shop into an apartment, she’d jumped at the chance to rent it from him. Ro’s day care was right around the corner, and everything in Morgantown was within easy walking distance.

Using her key, she entered the rear of the shop, hung her coat in the back, and went through into the huge industrial-sized kitchen.

“Hey!” Yvonne Payet called out to her. “How are you this fine morning?”

“I’m good.” Lizzie fixed on a bright smile. “I might have to pop out today to deal with something for Roman. Is that okay?”

“As long as someone can cover you from the kitchen, then of course it is.” Yvonne gave her a quizzical look as Lizzie washed her hands and put on her apron. “Is everything all right?”

“It will be,” Lizzie reassured her boss. Gabby was the only person in town who knew the full story about Roman’s parentage, and Lizzie preferred to keep it that way. Yvonne had never asked who the father of her son was or made a big deal out of it, for which Lizzie was eternally grateful.

“Roman’s not sick, is he?” Yvonne placed a tray of choux buns out on the stainless-steel work surface and picked up a piping bag of crème pâtissière.

“No, he’s doing great.” Lizzie delved into the pocket of her apron and drew out her notepad and pen. “What are the specials today?”

Two hours later, when the early morning commuters and townsfolk had come and gone, and the tourists hadn’t yet arrived, Lizzie took the opportunity to check her phone. There was a text from Gabby saying that Coretta was up and hanging out washing in her yard.

After checking with Yvonne, Lizzie left the almost-empty café, and made her way back to Gabby’s, smiling as she heard the kids shrieking in the backyard. The sun was shining and Gabby’s garden was in full bloom. Bypassing the house, Lizzie marched determinedly up the path and knocked on Coretta’s door. It took quite a while before it opened. Lizzie had to act quickly when Coretta realized who it was and tried to slam it shut again.

“I need to talk to you,” Lizzie said politely.

“I have nothing to say,” Coretta replied through the narrow gap in the door.

“If you won’t speak to me I’m going to ask the sheriff whether it’s legal for you to be taking pictures of my child without my permission.”

“He’s not just your child.”

“I am well aware of that.” Lizzie held on to her patience. “If you want to meet Roman, that’s great. I’ve offered to introduce you to him several times, but you’ve brushed me off. I think it would be good for him to know he has a relative right here in Morgantown.”

“After what you did to poor Ray?” Coretta sniffed. “I don’t believe that for a second.”

“What I did?” Lizzie blew out a calming breath. “Okay, if you want to have a relationship with your great-great-nephew, then come and find me at the coffee shop and we can discuss it. If you don’t want to do that, please stop spying on him. It’s creepy, and wrong, and if you keep it up, I’ll talk to Nate about how to stop you.”

Coretta put all her weight behind the door and finally succeeded in shutting it in Lizzie’s face.

“So much for being nice,” Lizzie muttered. She didn’t get it. If Coretta wanted to get to know Roman, she was all for it. Just because Ray had behaved like a complete jerk didn’t mean that the rest of his family had to be jerks, too.

Except that they all had been jerks to her and worse . . . cutting her off, refusing to give her the chance to talk to them, totally believing whatever bullshit story Ray had cooked up to explain leaving her high and dry. She wasn’t the same person now. Having a child had helped her grow up fast. She would do anything to protect her son from harm.

Aware from the twitch of the faded curtains that Coretta was now spying on her, Lizzie turned around, and went back toward the café. She’d check in with Gabby at the end of the day. If Coretta still didn’t get it, she would speak to Nate. Maybe if the sheriff had a word with the old woman, she’d finally listen.

Lizzie was almost at the door of the café before it occurred to her to wonder why Coretta was taking photos, and if she was sharing them. Did anyone on Ray’s side of the family care about the little boy they’d never bothered to meet, or was Coretta just taking them for herself?

Stifling a sigh, Lizzie went into the kitchen, washed her hands, and went back out to the front of the shop where Yvonne was busy serving a customer. Her boss saw her and smiled.

“That was quick!”

“Thanks for holding the fort for me.” Lizzie tied on her apron. “Has it been busy?”

“Not really. Just Jackson Lymond buying pastries for Daisy.” Yvonne sighed. “They are so in love. . . .”

Lizzie couldn’t help but smile when she thought about the couple who often had lunch at the café, and had no problem airing their grievances in front of an audience. Daisy Miller deserved the best, and Jackson seemed determined to prove she’d found the right man.

Yvonne signed off the cash register and lingered by the glass display cases, straightening up the regimented rows of pastries and cakes with the eagle eye of a French patisserie owner.

“I wanted to ask if you’d take charge this coming Saturday?” Yvonne finally turned to Lizzie.

“If I can get someone to take care of Roman, sure.” Lizzie never minded extra hours. “Are you off somewhere?”

“Well, yes, and no.” Yvonne made a face. “Rio wants to look at some land in Morgan Valley.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?” Lizzie asked cautiously. “That he wants to make his home here with you where your business is?”

“Yes, but I don’t fancy clomping around acres of nothing in the scorching sun. All I want is a decent view, a big kitchen, and a short commute into town.”

“Have you considered the Cortez ranch?” Lizzie asked. “It’s close by.”

“I forgot that was for sale.” Yvonne looked interested. “I’ll have to tell Rio and see if it’s big enough.”

“Big enough for what?” Lizzie signed into the register.

“His bull-breeding schemes.” Yvonne rolled her eyes. “Don’t ask.”

Lizzie held back a chuckle as Yvonne went back into the kitchen. Her boss was engaged to a former world champion bull rider so his interest in raising bulls was not way out of field. He also had a role in an international company founded by his billionaire father. He could probably afford to live in a palace, or buy up a small country....

Lizzie looked up as the door opened and Nate Turner came in. He was the only representative of the law in Morgantown, and had a quiet, laid-back manner that suited the town he’d grown up in.

“Hey, how are you?” Nate asked as he approached the counter. “I wanted to talk to Yvonne about some catering for my wedding. Is she here?”

“She is. Do you want to go through?” Lizzie pointed at the kitchen door. “And when you’re done, would you mind stopping by, and having a chat with me?”

“Damn.” Adam Miller winced as he hit his thumb with the hammer. He took off his glove using his teeth and studied his throbbing digit.

He was fixing the chicken coop to the side of the main ranch house. He’d noticed a couple of escapees the previous night and had discovered a hole in the wire where one of the posts had split. Like all easy jobs it had taken him far longer than he anticipated, and now the sun was blazing down on his head, and he needed a cold drink.

He replaced his glove, unrolled the new piece of wire mesh netting, and cut it to size before attaching it firmly between the two new posts he’d just hammered into the ground. Several of the chickens watched from the shade of the coop, but they were too hot to attempt an escape, which suited him just fine. He didn’t have the energy to chase chickens.

Gathering up his supplies, he walked back to the barn and replaced everything in its correct space. With a big family sharing all the tools, he didn’t want to be the one who messed up the system. One of the barn dogs came dancing up and he bent down to pet it, grimacing as his bones creaked. Jeez . . . he was getting old. Thirty-five next birthday, and almost fourteen years since his wife Louisa had died.

He made a mental note to visit her grave and spend a few hours with her parents at the Cortez ranch that weekend. He hadn’t been over for a while. His in-laws were planning on moving to Sacramento to take advantage of the expert healthcare necessary for Carlos’s particular type of cancer. Adam couldn’t blame them. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do when his last link with Louisa left the valley.

He entered the rear of the sprawling ranch house his grandfather had rebuilt in the 1940s after the original home burned down. It was large enough to house his father and his five siblings, which some days he appreciated, and some days not so much. He took off his boots and washed his hands before walking through into the country kitchen. His brother Kaiden had designed the light and airy space and custom made all the cabinetry.

Adam drank two glasses of water straight from the faucet and then moved on to the fresh lemonade in the refrigerator. It got blazing hot during the summer in Morgan Valley and every rancher worried about drought and fire. He considered walking through to the farm office but decided to stay in the coolness of the kitchen. He had his schedule on his cell so he didn’t need to use the ancient computer.

For once, everyone was out, and the house settled quietly around him, the only sounds the whirring of the refrigerator and the ticking of the kitchen clock. He checked his phone and found a text from Ines, his mother-in-law, which made him frown. His afternoon was clear, which meant he could go and pay the Cortezes an early visit.

His stomach growled and he headed for the pantry. He’d make himself a sandwich, leave a note to tell his father he’d be back for dinner, and be at the Cortez ranch in half an hour.

“It’s so nice to see you, Adam.” Ines Cortez patted his hand and poured him another glass of iced tea. “Carlos hasn’t been getting out much, and you’ve cheered him up.”

“How’s he really feeling?” Adam lowered his voice, aware that his father-in-law was sitting outside on the porch, and the door was open. He’d spent half an hour visiting with Carlos, and had only come inside when his companion started to doze off.

Ines grimaced. “He’s very tired. These long trips to the hospital aren’t helping. The sooner we move to Sacramento, the better.” She hesitated. “Do you know a guy called Rio Martinez?”

“Yeah, he’s engaged to Yvonne who runs the café. Why?”

“He called me today, said he’d heard the ranch was for sale, and wanted to know if he could come visit.”

“I haven’t heard anything bad about him,” Adam said cautiously. “He’d also be good for the cash, seeing as his father is some kind of billionaire.”

Ines nodded. “That’s good to know. I’ll call him back and ask if he can come up this weekend.” She looked around the old-fashioned kitchen. “Not that’s there’s much to see. We’re barely functioning as a ranch right now.”

“I can always come over and help out. You know that,” Adam reminded her.

“You’ve got enough to do.” Ines smiled at him, the worry on her face easing slightly. “Jeff will be coming after me if I keep you from doing your job.”

“He has plenty of alternatives,” Adam said. He’d noticed the gradual decline in the number of cattle and the unplowed fields. He’d decided not to mention them because the couple had enough to deal with.

“Nonsense. Jeff relies on you. He told me so himself.” Ines surreptitiously checked the time. “I hate to cut your visit short, but I have to fetch Carlos’s prescriptions from Dr. Tio’s office.”

“I could get them for you,” Adam suggested as he rose from the table. “I have to go into town anyway. I can drop them back on my way home.”

“Would you?” Ines cast a worried glance at the door. “I don’t like to leave Carlos by himself.”

“It’s not a problem.” Adam took the list from her and stowed it safely in his jacket pocket. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“God bless you, Adam.” She hugged him tight, “You are such a comfort to us.”

He kissed the top of her head, said good-bye to Carlos who was dozing in the sunlight, and got back in his truck. Now that he really looked at the place, he could see the heart had gone out of it. The decline had started when Louisa, their only child, had died so young, and had only accelerated when Carlos became ill.

He wished he had the money to buy it himself, but it wasn’t possible. He’d told Carlos not to worry about leaving him the place in his will—that he should take the money now and use it to get well. It had been a hard thing to do, as if he was giving up on his last promise to Louisa, but Carlos had to come first. Things were changing. He didn’t like it much, but there wasn’t anything he could do.

He drove into town through bare hills covered in yellow grass while dust clouds swirled across the road and the sun blazed down. Every breath felt like it scorched his throat, and his eyes were dry and scratchy. He sighed as he approached Main Street and came to a complete stop. Two tour buses were taking up the width of the street and they didn’t look like they were going anywhere anytime soon.

One change he could agree on was the current push to get the historic street closed to traffic. He took a quick right turn onto Front Street, which would take him around the back of the town and deliver him at the other end of Main Street where Dr. Tio’s medical center was situated.

The sunlight was so blinding that he almost missed the figure on the side of the street attempting to flag him down. After a quick glance in his rearview mirror, he stopped, backed up, and let down his window.

“Lizzie?”

“Adam!” She ran toward him, her face so anguished that he scrambled to get out of the cab to reach her. “Help me!”

“What’s up?”

“It’s Roman. He’s unconscious! I need to get him to Dr. Tio’s.”

“Where is he?”

She ran toward Gabby Kennedy’s house and he followed her through the front door, momentarily blinking at the sudden darkness as she kept going straight out into the yard.

Gabby was holding the boy in her lap. “I think he was stung.”

“Okay.” Adam gathered the boy up in his arms and checked his airway and breathing. Roman’s face and lips were already swelling up. “You call ahead, Gabby. Lizzie and I will take him.”

“Already done.” Gabby looked like she was about to burst into tears. “I’m so sorry, Lizzie.”

Adam ran back to the truck. Lizzie climbed into the passenger seat, and he handed her the boy.

“Hold on to him. I’m going to go as fast as I can.”

“Thank you.” Lizzie’s voice was barely audible as she cradled her son’s head. “Neither Gabby nor I have a car here, so I didn’t know what to do. I was just about to pick him up and start running.”

“It’s all good,” Adam reassured her, his gaze everywhere as he tore down the narrow street, hazard lights blinking. Where was Nate Turner when you needed him? “We’ll be there in a minute.”

He swung into the parking lot behind Dr. Tio’s medical center, getting as close to the door as possible, shut off the engine, and ran around to help Lizzie get down.

Dr. Tio appeared at the rear door of the twenty-four-hour medical center, his cell phone clamped to his ear and waved at them. “Bring him right in.”

Adam took the boy from Lizzie and went through the door, aware that Roman’s breathing had deteriorated, and that the swelling was getting worse.

“Set him down here.” Dr. Tio immediately started checking Roman’s pulse as the nurse took his temperature and blood pressure readings. “Was it a bee sting?”

“Yes.” Lizzie nodded. “I think so. I’d just gone to pick him up, and he was playing in the yard. When I went out to get him, I heard him cry out, and he just dropped to his knees.”

Adam instinctively grabbed Lizzie’s hand as she faltered through her explanation, her voice shaking.

“I don’t suppose you got the bee, did you?” Dr. Tio asked as he stripped Roman down to his dinosaur print boxers.

“No. Does it matter?” Lizzie bit her lip.

“Not really.” Dr. Tio placed an oxygen mask over Roman’s mouth. “I’m going to give him a shot of epinephrine. Would you two mind stepping back a bit so Adrianna and I can work?”

Lizzie found herself crowded back against the considerable bulk of Adam Miller, his big hands steady on her shoulders as Dr. Tio cared for Roman. Even though, at six-foot-four he was about a foot taller than her, she was glad of his support. Her own legs were shaking like Jell-O. Seeing her son drop to the ground had frozen her to the core—until panic set in, and she’d ended up flagging down the only man in Morgantown who consistently tried to avoid her.

Dr. Tio looked back at her and smiled. “He’s responding well to the epinephrine, and he’s about to wake up. Do you want to come up here and reassure him that everything’s going to be okay?”

Nodding like a fool, Lizzie went toward Roman, and tried to smile as he focused on her.

“Mommy?”

She patted his hand. “It’s okay, baby. You got stung. Dr. Tio is taking care of you. I’m going to stick around until he says it’s okay for me to take you home.”

“Okay.” Roman closed his eyes again. “I’m sleepy.”

Her anxious gaze flew to the doctor.

“It’s all right if he wants to sleep,” Dr. Tio said. “Adrianna is going to stay and monitor him until he’s ready to go home.” He smiled at Lizzie. “Why don’t you go through to the front and sort out the paperwork? I’ll call you back in once Roman is settled.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Lizzie said fervently. “Thank you so much.”

“You did the hardest part—getting him here so fast—so thank you.” Dr. Tio smiled at her and held the door open.

She went out into the hallway and had to steady herself against the wall as a wave of swirling black dots descended over her vision. A hand slid under her elbow.

“Hang in there, Lizzie. Come and sit down.”

She allowed Adam to take charge as he led her into a small waiting room at the side of the twenty-four-hour care unit. He unceremoniously eased her into a chair and shoved her head down between her knees.

“Breathe.”

She gulped in some air and eventually straightened up, her gaze settling on his unsmiling face as he sat opposite her. Oh God, he looked pissed, but when did he ever look pleased to see her? He was a big guy who never had to raise his voice to be heard because his mere presence was so intimidating. She set aside the past and focused on what he had done for her and Roman.

“Thank you for everything.”

“You’re welcome.” He nodded to her. “I’m glad I could help.”

“You were . . . amazing,” Lizzie said fervently.

“I was just in the right place at the right time.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “It was stop and help you, or run you over.”

Lizzie opened her mouth to reply, and then studied him. “Was that a joke?”

“Might have been.”

“Well, whatever, I really appreciate what you did,” Lizzie said firmly. “I’m sure you have things to do so I’ll thank you again.”

He raised an eyebrow, got to his feet, and headed out toward the main office of the doctor’s practice. When the door shut behind him, Lizzie let out a shaky breath. He was just so big and unapproachable that he made her act like an idiot. He always had even when they were kids. As a scared newcomer to the town and school, it had taken her a while to realize that behind his impenetrable front, he was the kindest, sweetest, guy you would ever meet. Not that there was much evidence of that these days. After Louisa died. the joy had drained right out of him, and from what she’d seen in the intervening years, it had never returned.

She went to take out her phone to call Gabby and realized it wasn’t in her pocket. With a silent wail, she searched around the floor, peeked into Roman’s room, but couldn’t see it anywhere. She reluctantly concluded she’d have to retrace her steps to Adam’s truck.

Of course, when she got to the parking lot, Adam was already standing by the passenger side of his truck. He saw her and silently held up her phone.

“Thank you,” Lizzie said for what felt like the twenty millionth time. “It must have fallen out of my pocket when I got in the truck.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I’m not normally this klutzy,” Lizzie blurted out.

“That’s not what I remember,” Adam said as he relocked the truck. “You were always losing stuff when we were at school.”

“I’ve changed.” For some reason, Lizzie wasn’t prepared to let it go. “I have a child now. I’m a responsible adult.”

He nodded and started back toward the building.

“Where are you going?” Lizzie asked.

He swung around and looked down at her from his considerable height. “I offered to pick up Carlos’s prescriptions for Ines. I’m just going to turn them in at the pharmacy and wait.”

He didn’t say if that’s okay by you, but Lizzie heard it regardless.

“How are they doing?” Lizzie asked.

“Not great.” He half turned away. “You should visit them.”

“I do.” Lizzie said the words quietly to herself once he’d moved out of earshot. He’d done her a huge favor today. She really didn’t want to get into an argument with him about her best friend Louisa’s parents. They had been very good to her after Roman was born, and her son loved going up to the ranch to see them.

Clutching her phone to her chest, she went back into Dr. Tio’s, and set about texting Gabby to let her know that Roman was going to be okay. She also texted Yvonne to give her a heads-up about maybe not being in the café tomorrow. Both women replied and offered their help, which made her want to cry again. Despite having to bring Roman up by herself, she’d never felt alone in Morgantown.

After an interminable hour, Dr. Tio agreed that she could take Roman home. They lived right across the street from the medical center. If there were any problems Lizzie could get him back in a flash. He gave her a lot of information about anaphylactic shock, and a prescription to fill at the pharmacy for EpiPens, which she would need to have around Roman twenty-four seven.

He’d already sent the . . .