Val’s Rancher Read online

  “I want to help you.” He cupped her face and raised her gaze. “Let me. Please.”

  “I—I can’t—” She jumped as a pulsation in her back pocket shocked her. “Oh God.”

  In what seemed like slow motion, she shoved her hand into her jeans and removed the cell phone. The vibrations from phone quivered up her arm and straight to her heart. She stared at the caller ID. Flo.

  “Is it Daddy?” Val held the telephone to her ear with one hand and fisted the hair at the back of her neck with the other. She waited for a giant hole in the floor to open up and swallow her. She inhaled deeply. “Okay.” Shaking her head, she turned her back on Sam. “Yeah, I’m fine.” Stepping a couple feet away from him, she lowered her voice. “Pinky swear. I’ll tell you about it later. What’s going on?” She sat down on the nearest chair. “How’s Daddy?”

  Chapter Two

  Sam sat and stared at Val. He couldn’t help it. Seeing her made him feel as if he’d finally come home. Not to Pike, but to his woman. He lifted his foot and hooked the heel of his cowboy boot on the barstool. Once upon a time, he’d known every curve of her body, every expression she came up with and yet, she’d changed. Not completely…

  Her hair, a little shorter than he remembered, still hung tousled down her back with those golden highlights catching the light, reminding him of a hay field right before cutting time. He sat up straighter. She had a way of looking sexy, as if she just dragged herself out of bed after making all his dreams come true. Yet, he’d never crossed that boundary.

  Those had been carefree days, when the only thing that mattered to both of them was if they’d see each other on Friday night. She’d obviously grown up since he’d left. Although, he bet she was still the smallest one out of all the McDougal sisters.

  Val closed her phone and let her chin fall to her chest. Sam stood up, stepped toward her and then froze in his tracks. His pulse beat wildly. She’d leaned over, and peeking out of the top of her jeans where her blouse didn’t quite cover the small of her back, was a tattoo. An inked winged horse he had never seen before. Damn.

  In the six seconds it took to get his mind out of the gutter, Val got up from the chair and faced him again. He pulled his hat down. “Everything okay?”

  She straightened her shoulders and finally met his gaze. Her dark, stormy blue eyes shimmered with emotion. “What do you want from me, Sam?”

  “You.” He didn’t hesitate. He’d known for two damn long years. “I need to talk with you.”

  Her expression remained the same. Afraid to breathe in case he spooked her, he waited. Come on, baby. It’s me, not some stranger…

  Without acknowledging his confession, Val marched past him with her head held high. He turned, shoved back his cowboy hat and ogled her round perky backside swinging wider than the bell down on First Avenue as she escaped around the end of the counter. She picked up one, two, three, four mugs and slammed them down on a tray before carrying the supplies over to the keg.

  He moved in front of her. “Val…?”

  She slapped her hand down on the spigot, shutting off the flow of beer. Planting both her hands on her hips, she leaned closer to Sam. “How dare you drag your traveling butt into my bar, trying to claim something I gave you once before.” Her chin lifted even higher. “Too late, Sam Turner. Your bull’s jumped the chute, and this cowgirl ain’t interested in kissing your buckle.”

  Her shoulder brushed his arm as she stormed past him. He rubbed his mouth, hiding a grin. The same fire he’d loved before he left Pike had finally come out and given him hope. If he could get her dander up, maybe he stood a chance. Baby, you don’t know it, but you can’t get rid of me that easily.

  “Dr. Scarborough let me know we could call the office on Wednesday and receive your lab reports, Daddy.” Val pulled into the yard back at the McDougal ranch. “Looks like Jack has the herd already brought up closer to the barn. Guess winter really is here, huh?”

  The steady stream of one-sided conversation mentally exhausted her. This was her daddy, the man she loved to argue with and who could hold his own in any debate. She turned off the ignition. “Hang tight, Daddy. I’ll go get your wheelchair and have you up in the house all snug and cozy in a minute.”

  A soft grunt stopped her from opening the door. She sat back and turned to Stuart. His expression was troubled. She caught the inside of her cheek between her teeth. Daddy had lost so much weight. He no longer resembled the big, strong rancher of the past. Even his winter coat hung off his shoulders. Val looked down at his hand. His finger moved. It was the last part of his body where he still retained partial control.

  No longer able to raise his arms, Stuart needed help to do the simplest things. She lifted his hand. The rough calloused skin of his palm reminded her how only a few short months ago, he’d worked from sun up to sun down.

  She mourned the loss of those gentle touches from a man who could heal most of her troubles with a pat and a whispered I love you. She raised his arm and pressed his hand to her cheek. Stuart wheezed, struggling to talk but finding it impossible.

  She blinked the tears out of her eyes. “It’s okay, Daddy.” She sighed. “I know…I know.”

  Kissing his fingers, she placed his hand back in his lap. “I love you. Don’t you ever forget, okay? We all love you. The girls and I will help you…like you’ve always said our whole life, the McDougals stick together.” Her smile wobbled. “I think Momma gave all us girls the name Lace as a middle name, ’cause she knew we’d be entwined in each other’s lives for always, don’t you? You’ll never be alone. We’re all right here for you.”

  The brisk air outside was a welcome reprieve from the heartbreak filling the truck, and Val was relieved to find Jack pushing the wheelchair out the front door. Val hurried over to the passenger side of the truck. She gave her new brother-in-law the look. The one that meant don’t ask, don’t talk, don’t even touch me or I’m gonna fall apart.

  Jack nodded and quickly leaned inside the cab. “Time to ride, boss.”

  He scooped Stuart up in his arms, deposited him in the wheelchair and had him in the house where the fire roared before Val shut the door of her truck. She swiped the snow off the hood as she made her way around the front bumper.

  Thank God Jack was around to help with Stuart’s physical needs. There were some things a father never wanted his daughter to do and Jack was still able to treat his father-in-law as the boss of the ranch. She brushed her hands off. She and the other girls tended to mollycoddle, and if Stuart were able, he would have put a stop to their pampering treatment.

  “Val!” Chantilly jumped off the porch, forgoing the ramp. “Wait up.”

  Val shoved her bare fists in her coat pockets and scrunched up her shoulders against the cold. “Everything okay?”

  “I don’t know.” Chantilly motioned for her to jump in the truck. “Let’s talk inside. It’s freezing out here.”

  Settled in the cab, Chantilly rubbed her arms and scrutinized Val. “Spill it, Val. Judy Martin called me and said she’d seen Sam Turner in at the county office talking to Pete about registering his brand. Is he back? I figured you’d be the first person to know. Has he come by the bar yet?”

  “Nothing to talk about.” Val cranked the ignition on, and then adjusted the heat vent to blow on her. “He came. He left. What he does, and where he goes, doesn’t involve me anymore. Pike’s a free town. I suppose he’ll dine at my place when he’s in town like the rest of the community.”

  “You’re so full a sh—”

  “Tilly.” Val cocked her brow and stared down Chantilly. “That’s. All. That. Happened.”

  “Give me a break. The McDougal stare down only works on other people, Val. The family’s immune to the power.” She scooted across the bench seat and hugged Val’s arm, leaning her head on her shoulder. “Don’t let him hurt you again.”

  “He can’t.” Val stared out the windshield at the house. “For him to hurt me, I’d have to love him, and I’m never giving my l
ove away again.”

  “Aw, Val.” Chantilly patted Val’s leg. “You’ll find love again. You will. It wasn’t long ago, I said the same thing and look, I’ve got Jack and his nephew, Craig.”

  Val stared straight ahead. “Nope. It seems like every time I’ve loved someone, they’ve left or died. Momma, Sam…Daddy eventually. I’m not strong enough to handle this again. It feels like I’m losing a part of myself.”

  “I’m still here. So are Jack, Bisette, Florentine and Margot. You love us,” Chantilly whispered. “Don’t you?”

  Val squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again. “You guys don’t count. It’s too late for me to stop…I’ve always loved you. There’s too much responsibility in loving someone, and being scared that they are going to leave me.” She pushed against Chantilly forcing her to scoot away from her. “I gotta get going. You better get in there and help Florentine with Daddy.”

  She waved to Jack, who came out on the porch looking for Chantilly. The newlyweds were lucky. They had each other, but love came at a cost. At least with her it did. She didn’t know if she was cursed or what, but something always happened to those she loved.

  She couldn’t shake the feeling that if she had done something or had been able to help take care of her momma, she’d still be alive. If she would have been older, more mature, Sam would have stayed in Pike. Now Daddy was dying, and even though she knew there was nothing the doctors or she could do, she couldn’t help thinking there had to be some miracle that would allow Stuart to keep living. If only she could figure out how to make that happen.

  Waiting until she saw Tilly and Jack make it back in the house, she put the truck in gear and took off for home. Another teardrop fell, and she hurriedly swiped it away.

  Hang in there a little longer, Daddy. I know you’re ready to go join Momma, but I still need you.

  Chapter Three

  Sam strolled into Valenciennes’ Place. His heeled boots clanked against the wooden floor. All the lights were out except over in the back corner where a glow came from the jukebox. He stopped and cocked his head. A soft country song played.

  The smart thing to do would be to turn around and walk back out the door, giving Val the time to come to grips with him being back. But he couldn’t. Earlier today, those blue eyes of hers had begged him…for comfort, help, understanding? He wasn’t sure exactly what she needed from him, but no way would he let her down again. He’d spend a lifetime trying to make up for the mistake of walking away from the best thing he’d ever had. She might have told him to leave, but until he saw the same statement in her eyes, he’d keep trying.

  Sam squinted into the darkness and scanned the room. Removing his hat, he stepped through the walkway and peered through the little kitchen cutout. I can’t see a blasted thing.

  The song ended, and a low sniffle came from over by the jukebox before the same country love song came back on again. He slowly stepped through the maze of tables to the back of the room. His boot skidded on the floor as the shadowed form materialized in front of him.

  Val sat in a chair at the corner table, her arms wrapped around her middle. He hesitated, afraid of startling her. She stared off into space, seeming lost in her own thoughts.

  His breath was lodged somewhere deep in his chest, as if someone knocked the wind out of him. She appeared sad and vulnerable.

  A deep yearning to be the person who could make her smile and take some of the weight off her shoulders urged him forward. He strode over to the table, not hiding the fact he was here. If she wouldn’t accept him back into her life, he’d hoped to convince her that he cared. If anyone needed a friend right now, she did.

  She slowly turned and gazed up at him. He waited for her to acknowledge him, but her eyes were glazed and she stared through him as if half asleep. Sam brushed the honey-blond curls off her face. “Val…?”

  Her pretty blue eyes blinked at him absently, right before she launched herself out of the chair and into his arms. He caught her to his chest and staggered back.

  “Whoa, baby. I got you,” Sam murmured.

  “Let me go, you rat-sniffing cow dung.” She pushed against his shoulders, the pointed toes of her boots kicking into his shins. “Get outta my bar before I pepper your ass with—”

  “Val. It’s me, Sam. You’re safe—” He grunted as her knee made a killing blow to his family jewels. His hold on her slipped away. He bent over, his hands on his thighs, his breath gone. The room swirled, and he gulped like a mud dog when the pond goes dry.

  The moment he sucked in his first pocket of air, the excruciating pain in his groin traveled throughout him. “Goddamn…it.” His knees threatened to give out and he stumbled against a table. He held still, forcing himself to breathe through the stabbing ache in his crotch.

  “Oh sugar!” Val pushed a chair over in front of him. “I didn’t know it was you. I couldn’t make out who was standing there in the shadows and then you touched me, and…I—I didn’t mean to hit you…there.”

  She stepped out of his way. He couldn’t move to save his life. She’d nailed him something good.

  “D-do you need me to get you something?” Val’s voice moved away.

  He stared at the floor, trying to blink the stars out of his vision. If he answered, he’d embarrass himself by tossing his cookies on the floor.

  “Here.” She sloshed whiskey in a shot glass, spilling it all over her hand and the floor. “Drink.”

  He raised his head, straightened his back enough to tip the glass back and groaned as the liquid fire hit the back of his throat. He exhaled forcefully and stood up the rest of the way. The burn distracted him from the throbbing in his jeans. He shifted his weight and took a small step. The pain lessened, and he proceeded to walk back and forth, loosening up his muscles.

  A small giggle coming from Val had him frowning. “What?”

  She covered her mouth stifling a yawn and shook her head. He rubbed his stomach and grunted. This isn’t something I’d call funny.

  He tossed his arms in the air. “I don’t get you, Val. One minute you look like you’ve lost your best friend and the next you’re hissing like a feral cat.” He paused. “Now you’re laughing.” He slapped his hat on his head. “I guess I misunderstood.” Wiping his hand across his chin, he stepped toward the door. “Night, Val.”

  Val’s laughter turned to great gulping sobs. Sam stopped, turned back around and studied Val. She wasn’t finding humor in attacking him at all. A heavy weight settled over him as he realized what had happened. He’d startled her when she thought she was alone, and she was trying hard not to let him see that she’d been crying before he’d walked in.

  He hurried over to her. “Come here, baby. You’re ’bout dead on your feet. When’s the last time you’ve had a good night’s sleep?”

  She wrapped those slender arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest. His heart melted. He did the only thing he could do. He folded her up in his arms and held her close. “Sh…now, baby. You’re okay. I’ve gotcha. Let’s get you to bed. I’m not gonna go anywhere. You rest, and don’t worry about a thing.”

  The telephone rang, waking Val up. She sat up and reached blindly on the nightstand, instantly wide awake.

  “What’s wrong?” She opened her eyes, hearing Chantilly on the other end. “Dammit.”

  The clock showed seven o’clock. She rubbed her forehead. “Yeah, I must have forgotten to set the alarm last night.”

  Her eyes widened as she remembered why she had forgotten. She swiveled on the mattress and closed her eyes. “Thanks, Tilly. I’ll see you in a lil’ bit.”

  She hung up the phone and ran her hand over the rumpled bedspread. It was cold. She blew out a whistling breath. He was gone.

  The moment of panic over facing him this morning faded, and instead familiar warmth flooded her midsection.

  Sam’s arms had cradled her to his chest last night, and she’d closed her eyes listening to the thump, thump, thump of his heartbeat. She sighed. F
or once, someone had held her and let her cry out her worries without trying to make the terrible situation better. Afterwards, she’d slept like a baby for the first time in a long time. But today was a new day, and there was no Sam to ride to her rescue.

  She got out of bed, stepped across the hall from her bedroom and into the bathroom, remembering those days she’d tagged Sam’s every step. He’d been rough around the edges, quiet and searching for somewhere to lay his hat, and he’d been sure she was too young and innocent for him. She chuckled at the depth she’d gone to get his attention. He was a modern day John Wayne, but for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why he’d come back to rest his boots in Pike.

  He’d moved on with his life. Last she’d heard, he’d made the rodeo his life and planned to keep riding while he could. She stepped under the spray of the water. Maybe he’d hurt himself and decided to go back to the dream of running cattle and settling down at his grandparent’s old farm. It wouldn’t hurt to ask him next time she ran into him if he was okay and what he planned to do now that he was back home, considering he did lend her a shoulder last night.

  After a quick shower, Val straightened the pillows on the old sofa. Her apartment might not be big, but she had a bedroom, bath and a small kitchen off to the side in the main room. Furnished enough to call home, and small enough it only took ten minutes to clean. One of these days, she’d have to spruce it up with new paint and add an area rug to give it a homey feel.

  She closed and locked the door to the apartment and went downstairs to the bar. Loud clangs from the kitchen sent her through the swinging door at a run. What’s going on now?

  She slammed to a stop and gazed at Sam, stacking clean mugs on the shelf. Her hand came up to brush her hair back from her face and stopped. The simple fact he infuriated her one minute, but she caught herself preening her feathers the next wasn’t lost on her. “What the heck do you think you’re doing?”