Ben Miller didn’t know what was worse, sitting on the back of a horse in the middle of a field of bawling calves, or not giving a damn about sitting in that field because he didn’t want to be there anymore. Now that his big brother, Adam, owned the whole ranch, what did that make him? A hired hand? A man without a purpose?
“Ben! What the hell are you doing?” Adam yelled. “You’re supposed to be moving these calves toward the gate!”
He blinked the squalling rain from his eyes, angled his Stetson against the wind, and looked over to where his brother sat waiting by the fence. Adam never looked particularly happy, not having the face for it, but now he was positively grim.
“Come on!”
Ben gathered his reins, clicked to his horse, and went around the back of the bunch of complaining calves. With the help of his two dogs, he pushed the youngsters toward the gate. Luckily, the calves stayed tightly together and, as their mothers started to call out for them, they were more than willing to be funneled into the next field to find food and shelter.
Adam rode off to make sure they all got settled in, and Ben leaned down to secure the gate. It was hard to tell what time it was, as everything was gray, but he had a sense that it was getting late. Most of the delays had been his fault because he hadn’t been concentrating, and the calves kept getting away from him.
Jenna Morgan looked up as he approached the covered area where she was completing the paperwork for the inoculations they had just given the calves. She wore a heavy jacket with a hood, fingerless gloves, and long boots over her jeans to keep out the chill and the mud.
“I think I’ve got everything. Thanks for your help.”
Adam, who had dismounted and brought his horse into the shelter, grunted. “Not that you were much help, Ben.”
Ben dismounted, patted Calder, brought him out of the rain, and studiously avoided his brother’s gaze.
Jenna glanced uncertainly from him to Adam and stashed her paperwork in her bag. “I’ll get back to you tomorrow if I have any issues. Keep an eye on the calves for the next couple of days to see if there are any adverse reactions.”
“Will do. Thanks, Jenna,” Adam said.
“Have a great evening.” She slogged off through the mud toward her SUV, which was parked on the other side of the fence.
Adam waited until she drove away and then cleared his throat.
“You got something to say to me, bro?”
“Why would you think that?” Ben fussed around with the straps of his saddlebags.
“Because you’re acting like an ass.”
“Takes one to know one,” Ben muttered, as he found a cloth and went around to clean off Calder’s nose strap, which was so splattered with mud that his nostrils were practically closed up.
“You’ve been salty ever since Dad announced he was leaving me the ranch and stepping back.”
“Really? I wonder why?”
“Ben . . . will you just talk to me?” Adam asked. “If you hate the idea so much, I’ll talk some sense into Dad and make it right.”
Ben finally met his brother’s gaze. They were almost the same height although Adam was slightly taller and leaner. “If Dad wants you to have the ranch, then it’s yours. It makes a lot of sense, and you’ll definitely run it better than he does.”
“Just because something makes sense doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.”
“Why are you arguing against yourself, bro?” Ben patted Calder’s nose and put the cloth away. “I totally get why he did what he did. This is on me.” He poked himself in the chest. “I’ve got to work out how I feel about it—not you.”
Adam held his gaze. “I’ll tell him no.”
“It’s too late for that. The paperwork was all done and dusted last week.” Ben took off his Stetson and banged it against his thigh to shake some of the water off.
“I don’t care. We can do it again. I’ll even pay for it if you’ll just stop walking around looking like someone kicked your favorite puppy.”
Guilt coalesced in Ben’s gut. “That bad, eh?”
“Yeah.”
Ben could never say that his older brother wasn’t a straight shooter. If he said he was willing to go back and renegotiate the deal, then he’d do it. But what would that give Ben? Maybe he should’ve stood up and voiced his concerns straight off rather than stewing on them for weeks and making everyone else feel bad.
“It’s on me,” Ben repeated slowly. “I didn’t speak out, and it’s not up to you to fix my mistakes.”
Adam opened his mouth to argue, seemed to think better of it, and just nodded. “Okay.”
“Thanks, Adam.” Ben found a smile somewhere. He was the one who normally made everyone else in the family get along, but he wasn’t doing it right now. “We’d better get back. Dad will be wondering what’s for dinner.”
After a hot shower and three cups of strong coffee, Ben was almost feeling like himself again. Adam had been right to point out that his attitude sucked; he just wished he knew how to change it. Ever since his mother had reappeared in their lives and everything he’d once thought true had been upended, he’d felt adrift. The last time he’d felt like that he’d done some really stupid shit, and he had no desire to repeat himself.
Adam taking control of the ranch and keeping it together for the next generation made perfect sense. Having six kids potentially dividing up a profitable ranch, and maybe fighting over it when their father died, would have destroyed their heritage. Ben didn’t want that to happen, so what did he want?
He wiped the condensation off the mirror and stared at his bearded reflection. What was he going to do? Remain at the ranch as Adam’s second-in-command, a job he was damn good at, or what? Leave? Ranching was in his blood and he couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
Someone banged on the bathroom door.
“Hey, you finished in there, Ben?” Kaiden shouted. “I just got back and I need a shower.”
“Yup.” Ben opened the door, allowing a cloud of steam to escape. “Sorry.”
“No problem.” Kaiden went past him, smelling like a pine forest. “That renovation in town is taking way longer than I anticipated, but it’s going to make a whole group of people a great home.”
Ben was the only brother apart from Adam who worked full-time on the ranch. Everyone else, including their sister, Daisy, had other jobs. Kaiden was a master carpenter and always busy.
Ben got dressed and wandered into the kitchen where Adam had already started cooking dinner. “Need a hand?”
“You can set the table.”
Ben completed the task and then took a moment to check his cell phone. Not that he ever got many messages, but he liked to keep on top of things.
Ben squinted at the text, wondering who the hell was talking to him, and scrolled back up to see he’d missed a few vital bits of information.
“I’ve got to go out,” Ben replied to the last message, and shoved his cell in the pocket of his Wranglers.
“I’m cooking dinner here,” Adam complained. “Can’t you just eat fast, and go after?”
“Nope, sorry, I’ve got to go right now. I’ll eat when I come back.”
Ben ignored Adam’s next shouted question and went into the mudroom to grab his heavy coat, boots, and his second-best Stetson that had been drying out on the heater from yesterday’s rain. It was still pouring so he took the keys to his Jeep, and ran to where he’d parked it.
It didn’t take long to drive back onto the county road and then along to the much bigger Morgan Ranch where BB, Blue Boy Morgan, lived with his wife, Jenna, and his daughter, Maria, in a newly constructed house on the family land.
Ben pulled up in the driveway behind Jenna’s truck, and got out to a cacophony of barking. Between Jenna’s veterinary business and Maria’s love of taking care of creatures, their place was like a zoo.
By the time he reached the door, it was already open, and Blue “BB” Morgan, retired Marine and all around badass, was waiting for him. He wasn’t the kind of guy who would let anyone creep up on him unawares.
“Hey, thanks for coming over.” BB patted Ben’s shoulder. “Have you eaten? Jenna made some vegetarian patties if you like that kind of thing. Me and Maria are going with the beef.”
“I’m good, thanks.” Ben ignored the low growl of his stomach. Working outside meant that he had quite an appetite and burned through a ton of calories without putting on weight.
“Well, sit down and keep me company, anyway,” BB said as they came into the open-plan kitchen and dining area. “Jenna’s got a thing about us all eating dinner together.”
“Hey again, Jenna,” Ben called out as he spotted the veterinarian. “Sorry to barge in on your dinner.”
“It’s all good.” Jenna patted the seat next to hers. “Come and sit by me. How are the calves?”
“All doing okay the last I saw of them.” Ben took the seat and nodded at Maria who was sitting opposite him. “Hi.”
“Hi.” She blushed and hid behind her long dark hair.
“How’s school?” Ben asked.
“Good.”
“Any idea what you plan to do when you graduate?”
“Not yet.”
Jenna winked at him. “She’s thinking about ranch management.”
“Awesome.” Ben’s stomach growled again.
“Here.” BB pushed the plate over. “Help yourself.”
“If you’re sure...” Ben looked longingly at the big, juicy burger. He should’ve listened to Adam and eaten at home before he came out.
“Plenty more where that came from,” BB joked. “Benefit of living on a cattle ranch.”
“Dad, that’s so lame.” Maria rolled her eyes.
“Apparently, nothing I say is funny anymore,” BB commented as he reached for the ketchup. “Teens, eh?”
Maria looked over at Jenna. “Can I leave the table, please? I’ve got a math test tomorrow, and I need to study.”
“Sure.” Jenna waved her away.
“Bye, Maria,” Ben called out to her retreating figure. “Nice to see you again.”
She stomped up the stairs and slammed her door so hard that everyone at the table winced.
“Was it something I said?” Ben asked cautiously. “She used to get along great with me.”
BB grinned at his wife. “Well, Jenna’s got a theory about that. She thinks Maria’s got a bit of a crush on you.”
Ben almost choked on his burger.
“It’s okay,” Jenna hastened to reassure him. “And it’s all good. I can’t think of a better man for her to have a crush on than you. You’re a great role model.”
Ben wasn’t so sure about that, so he concentrated on his burger. Jenna excused herself to go and finish some paperwork, leaving him and BB with the coffeepot between them and time to talk.
“I got this kind of weird request for a trail ride experience,” BB said. “At first I ignored it because I thought it was some kind of windup, but the guy kept calling and eventually I sat down and listened to what he had to say. I told him I had just the right man for the job, but that I’d have to square it with you first.”
“What kind of job?” Ben sipped his coffee.
“He wants someone to take his daughter out on an all-singing, all-dancing, trail riding experience as close to nature as we can manage.”
“Like on foot?”
BB grinned. “Not quite that bad. Just horses and no motorized support. Apparently, she needs to experience what it would be like for a film role.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Ben stared at his friend.
“Nope.” BB shrugged. “It’s not unheard of for actors to want to immerse themselves completely in a role, and that’s apparently what she wants to do.”
“Okay, for how long?”
“At least a week, maybe ten days.”
“With just the two of us and a couple of horses?”
“That’s about it.”
While Ben considered the idea, BB sat back to drink his coffee and didn’t rush him.
“Why can’t you or Jackson do it?” Ben finally asked.
“Because the guy wants to get it done as soon as possible, and I can’t be away for that long at this time of year. Neither can Jackson.”
Yeah, that was all Ben needed—a reminder that he wasn’t as vital to the operation of his family ranch as everyone else....
“What about your military buddies?”
For the first time, BB hesitated. “It has to be someone I trust one hundred percent. The father wants the whole thing kept under the radar so she doesn’t have to worry about the press or any of that crap.”
“He thinks they’d follow her here to Morgan Valley?” It was Ben’s turn to smile. “Who is it? Meryl Streep?”
“There’s more to it than that, but I need to see if you’re on board before I tell you the rest.” BB set his mug down on the table. “He’s offering four times the normal rate if we can guarantee her privacy.”
“Four times?” Ben whistled. Even after the Morgan Ranch took its cut, he’d be rolling in dough, and he needed something different to do to sort his head out. “Okay, I’m in. What’s the catch?”
BB’s grin was wicked. “Well . . .”
When Ben got home, his head was still buzzing with all the stuff BB had dropped on him—stuff that he couldn’t tell anyone without losing the contract. He went into the now-quiet dark kitchen and helped himself to a cup of coffee from the metal pot on the stove his father still preferred while everyone else used the one-cup machine.
“You okay?”
He spun around to see Adam sitting at the table in the dark.
“Jeez, you stalking me or something?” Ben inquired as he got his breath back.
“I just wanted to make sure that you don’t want me to talk to Dad.”
Ben walked over and took the seat opposite his older brother. “Can you just drop it?”
Adam stared at him, his gaze measuring. “You’re the one who seems to be struggling to let it go.”
“I need to decide what I want to do with the rest of my life.” Ben paused. “Do you still want me working here?”
“Of course I do. What a stupid thing to ask!” Adam said. “You’re my goddam rock.”
“But you’re the boss now. You have the power to hire and fire anyone.”
“Like Dad’s going to roll over and let that happen?” Adam raised an eyebrow. “He might have decided to leave me the place, but he’s not going to stop trying to run it just the way he wants.”
Ben took a long slug of coffee. “Maybe he’ll move to New York to be near Mom.”
“Are you kidding, Ben? Dad in New York? He’d hate every second of it.” Adam set his cup down on the table. “I figure it’s more likely that Leanne will move back here, don’t you?”
Ben tried to imagine the mother who’d left them over twenty years ago coming back for good and couldn’t get his head around it. She was definitely getting on with their dad, and apparently they’d talked things through and forgiven each other—something Ben found unbelievable, knowing his father’s legendary ability to hold a grudge. He didn’t like all the changes happening around him; he didn’t feel settled anymore. It reminded him way too much of his late teens, and he never wanted to feel like that again.
“I was thinking that maybe I’d look around the valley and see if anyone needs a ranch manager,” Ben said, studying his mug as though it held the secrets to the universe.
Silence met his words and eventually he had to look up at his brother, who was sitting back in his chair, his fingers drumming on the table, his expression unreadable.
“What?” Ben asked, all innocence.
Adam shrugged. “I’m not going to stop you if you really want to leave.”
“Good to know,” Ben said, even as he wished his brother had put up more of a fight. “In the meantime, I’m going to be working at Morgan Ranch for a couple of weeks doing a trail ride.”
“Right now?” For the first time Adam frowned. “What about all the new calves?”
“I’m sure you’ll manage without me. It’s not the first time I’ve been away.”
“Yeah, we’ll manage. Danny’s not going to like it much, but he’ll come through.” Adam abruptly stood and shoved in his chair. “Never thought you’d be the one to let me down, bro.”
Ben was aware that he was being unfair, but he needed to get away and sort his head out before he did or said something stupid. Adam had recently found the new love of his life, their father was rekindling some kind of weird relationship with their mother, Leanne, and Ben wasn’t dealing well with any of it. Did he want to be the guy who was miserable when everyone else was so fricking cheerful? He was usually the happiest guy on the planet.
When Ben didn’t reply, Adam turned on his heel and left the kitchen. Ben considered going after him and apologizing, but what was there left to say? Adam would do fine without him, and Ben needed a break.
He grimaced and rubbed his face in his hands. He had to go through with BB Morgan’s plan now. He had nothing left to lose.
“What are you doing upsetting your brother like that?”
“God, not you as well.” Ben groaned as his father came storming into the kitchen.
“And what’s this about you skipping out on us during calving season?”
“I’ll be gone for a maximum of ten days, and I’ll be right next door,” Ben said. “You can get a hold of me if there’s a real emergency.”
“Maybe I can, but where’s your loyalty to this family, eh? We need you here for calving,” Jeff said. “Why are you sucking up to the Morgans?”
Ben leaned his chair on its back legs so that he could really glare up at his father. “Because they pay me better?”
“I pay you,” Jeff growled. “My dad never gave me a cent!”
Ben had heard that more times than he’d drawn breath and didn’t feel the need to respond.
“It’s not like you to be difficult, son. I expect that from Kaiden or Danny, but you’ve always stuck things out and not complained.”
“Then maybe it’s my turn to stick my neck out and do something for myself? I’ve been doing these trail rides for a year now, Dad. Why is this one any different, and why are you making such a fuss about nothing?”
Jeff glowered at him. “You’re jealous, aren’t you?”
“Jealous of what?”
“People being happy. I thought Adam was bad enough, but you take the cake. Maybe if you spent less time moping around the ranch and went out to meet some nice women you’d stop sulking and get a life.”
“Gee, Dad, you’re such a motivational speaker, you should have your own talk show.” Ben stood and faced his father. “I’ll be working for BB Morgan for ten days, and then I’ll come back, and you can yell at me all you want, okay?”
“Perhaps I won’t have a job for you,” Jeff snapped. “I let you come back twelve years ago, and maybe once was enough.”
“Fine by me.” Ben walked past his father. “Have a great week.”
He kept walking until he reached the end of the long hall and took a right into his bedroom where he very carefully didn’t slam the door. There were enough drama queens at the ranch without him adding to it. The force of his father’s last words hit him hard and he sank down on the side of the bed. Had his dad meant it?
If he had ... what the hell was Ben going to be doing in two weeks’ time?
Silver exited the hired Jeep and stared out over the lush green fields toward the towering bulk of the Sierra Nevada and let out her breath. It looked so empty out here and the sky was enormous. To her right there was the cutest little ranch house, and to the left a big wooden barn just like the one some enterprising kid in a musical would use to hold a show.
“This place has been here for over a hundred and fifty years,” her dad said coming to stand beside her. “Run by the same family as well.”
“Wow, that’s impressive,” Silver replied.
A dog barked somewhere, and a guy in a cowboy hat came out of the barn and walked toward them, his spurs jiggling like an old-fashioned gunslinger.
Silver’s dad stepped forward. “Hi! I’m Phil Meadows. Are you BB Morgan?”
“Yup.” The man shook her dad’s hand and then hers. He had such piercing blue eyes Silver wondered if he wore contacts. “Glad you found the place okay.” He gestured at the ranch house. “Come on in and meet my family.”
“I can’t stay long,” her dad said. “I’m leaving the Jeep here in case Silver needs it, and I’ve got a car picking me up in an hour to take me to the local airport.”
Silver frowned. “You didn’t tell me that you were going back tonight.”
“I had no choice, my love. Your sister’s got an audition tomorrow, and I promised to take her.”
Her dad sounded way too jovial, but Silver didn’t want to have an argument with him in front of the Morgan family. The fact that he was willing to leave her by herself for the first time in two years was amazing, and she wasn’t willing to sacrifice her freedom over something petty.
When she’d floated the idea of coming out to a ranch to do some research for the indie picture role, she’d expected him to immediately veto the idea like he had all her other attempts to regain her independence. When he’d agreed, on the proviso that he got to approve the place, she’d been thrilled, but suspicious.
It was her first chance to show him that she was more than capable of living her own life and picking acting roles that were serious and required her total commitment. If she got through this, she’d move on to phase two of her campaign to get her life back.
Silver paused at the door of the kitchen and surveyed the huge pine table and the elderly woman cooking at the stove.
“This is my grandma, Ruth Morgan,” BB said. “She runs the ranch and feeds the family.”
Ruth was as small-boned as Silver, and about the same height. She had the same bright blue eyes as BB and a very welcoming smile.
“My, you’re a little bitty thing, aren’t you?” She pointed at the table. “Now, sit yourself down and I’ll get you something to eat.”
“Just coffee for me, thanks,” her dad piped up. “I’ve got to go soon.”
Ruth Morgan placed mugs, cream, and sugar on the table while BB wrangled the coffeepot.
“Silver’s really looking forward to her adventure.” Her dad sipped his coffee. “She loves getting into a part and this will mean the world to her. When are you planning on ‘moving out’?”
BB sat at the table next to Silver who was wincing at her dad’s joke. “I’m not the guy who will be taking her; that’s my buddy Ben Miller. He’ll be here tomorrow morning to sort things out.” He looked at Silver. “You’ll like him. He’s really capable.”
Silver wanted to ask capable of what, but her attention was diverted to the huge peach pie Mrs. Morgan had placed on the table. She hadn’t seen anything like it since she was a kid at her grandparents’ house.
“Please help yourself.” Mrs. Morgan handed over plates and spoons. “I made it myself. Would you like a piece, Silver?”
Silver glanced warily at her father who was almost salivating at the fragrant sugary-spicy scent wafting from the pie. Like everyone in her personal team, he kept an a. . .
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