Val’s Rancher Read online

  “Helping clean up.” He shrugged, giving her a wink. “Ya needed your rest, and I didn’t have anything special to do this morning. I thought I’d help you straighten up the place, so you didn’t have any extra work to do today before you opened.”

  “That’s really not necessary.” She gazed around the kitchen, doing everything but look at him. He appeared even sexier with his whiskers darkening his face and his hair still rumpled from spending the night.

  He flung the dishtowel over his shoulder, stepped closer and held out his hand. “Morning, Val.”

  Big strong fingers engulfed hers. A fluttering sensation in the pit of her stomach washed over her. “M-morning.”

  “Sleep well?” His left cheek indented in a dimple.

  Her knees grew weak and her body shifted forward. “Y…yes” She blinked, swallowed and gave her head a shake. Get a grip, Valenciennes Lace. He’s just flirting with you. It’s not like he’s God coming to perform a miracle in your life.

  She forced herself to let go of his hand. “Listen. Thanks for doing the dishes.” She stepped away from Sam and shut off the light. “I’ve gotta go, so I’ll walk you out.”

  “Val?”

  She stopped but refused to turn around. It was best if she kept her vision on what was real, normal…like the scarred up kitchen door that really needed another coat of stain. “What?”

  “I’d like to talk with you tonight, if possible. After you close the bar, or even during a break.”

  “Why?” She ran her fingernail down a deep scratch in the wood.

  “Turn around, baby.”

  She should smack him upside the head for calling her by the nickname she earned growing up. No. Sam saying baby was different. His slow, deep voice almost made it sound like a…a caress.

  She half turned. “Look…Sam…I really don’t have time—”

  “It’s important, Val. I know you’re busy and you’d rather deck me than spend time with me, but give me tonight, a couple hours, enough time to explain why I’m here, and then I’ll leave you alone.” His eyes softened. “Please.”

  She clamped her mouth shut, inhaled through her nose and stared him down. He wasn’t going to let her get away with saying no. “Fine. After I close the bar.” She glanced at her watch. “Dangit.” She lifted her chin. “Can you do me one more favor?”

  “Name it.”

  “I need to pick up some medicine at the pharmacy and run it out to the ranch. Can you see yourself out?” She waited for him to nod. “You don’t have to lock the place. Everyone knows they can come in out of the cold if need be.”

  “No problem.” He tossed the towel on the counter.

  She pushed the door open, hesitated and turned to gaze over her shoulder. “Sam?”

  “Yeah, baby?”

  “About last night…thanks.” She gave a shaky smile and hurried outside.

  The snowflakes stung her cheeks and zapped her back to reality. Sam didn’t come back for her. He came back because Pike was his home. She jumped into her truck and started the engine. Whatever he was planning to do now didn’t involve her.

  She pulled out onto the road. If she hurried, she’d have just enough time to pick up her daddy’s medication at the pharmacy, go out to the ranch and return before the lunch crowd showed up.

  Gah! Can today get any crazier?

  Chapter Four

  Val recognized the music softly playing in the background the moment she stepped through the front door of the ranch house. She smiled. Bisette’s voice always managed to make the dreariest day a little brighter.

  She stepped out of her boots and hung her coat on one of the hooks in the foyer. The song might be unfamiliar, but she’d recognize the sweet clear voice any day. No other could give her chills and sound so pure.

  Val checked her watch. Despite the snow on the road, she had made the trip with a half hour to spare.

  “Val, is that you?” Florentine called from the kitchen. “Come on back.”

  She moved through the living room, stepped into the kitchen and inhaled deeply. “Potato soup?”

  “Yup.” Florentine held the ladle in the air. “Sit. Eat. Warm your insides. I think the wind is blowing cross-eyed out there.”

  Val scooted along the bench, leaned over and gave her dad a kiss on the cheek. “What’s up, Pop? You must be listening to one of Bisette’s new songs she’s trying out. I wish I could sing half as well as she does.”

  She laid his hand on the computerized speech tool on the tray of his wheelchair and tapped the screen hoping he’d type something, anything, to let her know he understood. “I saw Jack headed out to check the fences, or at least I’m sure it was his hat I saw bobbing above the snowline.”

  Stuart balked at using the device most days, but the sisters encouraged him to stay in communication with them. A simple H meant hello. Even something so straightforward meant the world to them.

  “Here you go. Eat up.” Florentine slid a steaming bowl across the table. “Bisette called earlier. She’s flying in next Tuesday and will be staying at the ranch for a while.” She kept her gaze on Val longer than necessary, the way they told each other they were fibbing and not to question what they said. “Her manager cancelled the tour because her drummer broke his arm.”

  “Mm…” Val wiped her mouth with a napkin. “That’s too bad, but it’ll be nice to see her again.”

  She glanced over at Stuart and winked. “Think you’re gonna be able to handle the wild McDougal girls all home at the same time, Daddy?” She leaned over, peeked at the screen of his computer and frowned as she read, “S-Sam?”

  Stuart pushed the Y key.

  Yes.

  Val turned back to Florentine and raised her brows. “Did Sam come over and visit Daddy?”

  “Not today.” Florentine shrugged. “Chantilly stayed with him yesterday while I went grocery shopping, but she didn’t say anything about having visitors.”

  “Hmm…”

  Florentine placed her elbow on the table and jabbed her spoon in Val’s direction. “I heard he was back, but I don’t think he’d dare show up here after the way he hurt you. Although, I’d love to give him a word or three.”

  Val dropped her gaze to the table. “He is back.”

  “He contacted you? What the hell did he have to say?” Florentine slapped the worn wood surface of the family dining table.

  Stuart grunted, grabbing their attention. Val set down her spoon and looked at the computer screen. Go?

  “I don’t understand.” Val stroked Stuart’s forearm. “You’re talking about Sam…Did you tell him to go? To leave the house?”

  Stuart’s blinked hard, reverting to the much easier form of communicating with his eyes.

  No.

  “Do you want me to go somewhere? Do you need something?” Val shifted sideways on the bench.

  Stuart blinked two times fast.

  Yes.

  “Where, Daddy?” Val shook her head. Oh Daddy. I’m so sorry. I know this is frustrating for you. “Flo, do you know where he wants me to go?”

  “No, I don—” Florentine jumped up from the table and hurried around to lean over Stuart’s shoulder. “Look, he’s tapping his finger.”

  “What, Daddy?” Val pointed at the word go on the screen. “This?”

  Stuart blinked hard.

  “Sam?”

  Stuart blinked twice.

  “You want me to go to Sam?”

  Her daddy’s eyelids fluttered multiple times. His all-knowing gaze drilled right into her soul. She placed her hand on her chest. Her heart hurt like someone was squeezing the life out of her. If she focused on the daddy she knew still showing in his eyes, she could almost believe nothing was wrong. But, his body was a stranger’s.

  If things were normal, she could expect her daddy to tilt his head, lower his brows and give her the McDougal you-better-listen-to-your-daddy-or-else look he was so good at giving. “Valenciennes Lace, don’t you be doing something stupid. I didn’t raise you to
throw manure to the wind, girl,” he’d say. And then he’d soften his lecture with a loving touch from his leathered hand.

  She inhaled a shuddering breath. It didn’t matter how long she waited, she’d never hear his gruff, but loveable voice guiding her in the right direction ever again. Val squeezed his hand. Oh, Daddy, I wish I could make everything go away.

  “I-I’m gonna meet him after work tonight, Daddy.” She reached up and swept the tear away from her cheek under the guise of brushing her hair back. “Sam has something he wanted to tell me. Is that what you wanted me to know?”

  He blinked twice.

  Val cleared her throat, glanced at her watch and stood up. “Oh shoot! I’ve gotta go open the bar.”

  “I’ll throw the rest of the soup in a Thermos for you.” Florentine stepped back to the stove. “Make sure you eat it. You’ve lost weight.”

  “And that’s a bad thing?” Val forced herself to laugh, before changing the subject from Sam. “You and Daddy gonna come to the bar and watch Chantilly ride Ol’ Roy in the bull riding competition in January?”

  “We’re planning on it. Just don’t tell Jack. He still thinks Chantilly’s agreed to stay off the bull.” Florentine carried the Thermos over and sat it on the edge of the table.

  “Fat chance of that happening. She loves the attention winning brings her.”

  “Of course, Chantilly’s having a heckuva time coming up with an excuse to get out of the house. She’s gonna need the months until the competition to figure out how to get past her husband.” Florentine grinned.

  “Well, we all know she’ll succeed.” She leaned over and wrapped her around Stuart’s shoulders, kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear, “I’ll be fine, Daddy. I’ll talk to Sam and find out what’s going on.”

  She gave him one more smooch. “I love you.” She reached out and typed I luv u on his computer screen. “Now don’t you be erasing my message.”

  She stepped around the table, grabbed her soup to go and motioned with her head for Florentine to walk her out. Waiting until they’d reached the front door, Val grabbed Florentine and hugged her tight. “Is he okay? I mean, really okay?”

  “He’s no longer able to sleep in bed.” Florentine sniffled as she swept a tendril of Val’s hair behind her shoulders. “Jack sets him up in the recliner at night so he has an easier way to breath.”

  “Oh God…” Val laid her forehead against Flo’s and sighed. “Was it really only four months ago we learned Daddy had ALS? I’m not ready.”

  “But Daddy is. He was sick long before he let us know.” Florentine stepped back, wiped her eyes and gazed at Val. “I can see it in his eyes every day. He hates us taking care of him. Now that he’s lost his speech, and all but the simplest movement in his fingers, he—”

  “I know.” Val closed her eyes and let her head fall back. “Heaven help me, I know. Each one of us would think the same thing.”

  “What’s going on with Sam?” Florentine held out Val’s coat.

  She slipped her arms in and hitched up her shoulders. “I have no idea. If I had time, I’d call Tilly up and see if she knows anything. I can’t imagine Sam coming by the ranch house, not after the way he left town.”

  “I’ll talk to her, and if she knows anything, I’ll have her call you.” Florentine opened the door. “Shoot. Look at the snow coming down. It’s whiter than cow’s milk out there.”

  “I better get moving, or there will be a mob of hungry people waiting for their lunch. I can’t expect Patty to cook and serve the food by herself.” Val slipped her arms into her coat.

  Florentine waited for Val to put on her boots, leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Drive safe.”

  “I will.” She stepped out on the porch, stopped and turned around. “Hey, Florentine?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Remember the summer night a long time ago when we all hogtied Daddy to the rocker out here and put all those barrettes and ribbons in his hair.” Val smiled, remembering how gruff Daddy had acted, chasing them around the yard with his hair all decorated, and how they’d laughed themselves silly. “You know, he let us catch him.”

  “Yup. We might not have had a momma growing up, but we lacked for nothing. He made damn sure of that.” Florentine cleared her throat. “Get going now. We’ll be okay here.”

  Val blew a kiss and jumped off the porch into the snow. Ducking her chin against the wind, she hurried to the truck, climbed inside the cab and slammed the door before the snow had a chance to blow inside. She never mentioned it to Florentine. Everyone had enough to worry about with Daddy’s health, but Sam’s return to Pike scared the bejesus out of her.

  The tires spun on the fresh powder of snow, and she gave the truck more gas. Turning the vehicle with the slide the way her daddy taught her, she straightened the wheels out and succeeded in making it onto the long driveway that’d take her to the county road.

  She glanced in the rearview mirror at the ranch house. From the outside, everything appeared like any other normal wintry day. On the inside, even all the love the McDougals had for each other wouldn’t make things right.

  Chapter Five

  The stormy weather never stopped people from coming to the bar, it only made them more creative on how they arrived. Val wiped the moisture off the small window behind the counter and peered out. Instead of arriving in cars and trucks, customers had driven up in quads, tractors, and even a couple horses stood out at the curb with blankets thrown over their backs. She chuckled. Business was good these days.

  “Hey, Val, come dance with me.” Pete Lindle waved at her from the dance floor.

  She scrunched up her nose. “Are you kidding me? Last time you asked me to go on the dance floor, you threw me up in the air and forgot to catch me.”

  “It was an accident. I’ll hold you real good this time.” Pete winked.

  Val shook her head. “Go ask Marylou.”

  “Is she here? Where is she?” He resembled a lawn sprinkler, his gaze zooming across the room only to snap back and start all over again. “There she is…”

  Val laughed. “Good luck.”

  He’d already forgotten about Val and was making a beeline toward the voluptuous blonde sporting the shortest skirt in the bar despite the 10-degree temperature outside. Val grinned, turned back to the window, but stopped herself before searching the street. Disgusted with herself, she snatched a towel off the stack folded up underneath the bar and hurried to tidy the empty tables.

  He probably wasn’t even coming. For all she knew, he’d changed his mind about sticking around and left town again.

  The next two hours flew by in a whirlwind of filling orders and keeping customers happy. Finally, she called an end to the beverages and fed a couple coins in the jukebox, punching the keys for a slow song in an attempt to manipulate everyone to hook up and go home for the night. She arched her back and groaned. A muscle spasmed between her shoulder blades, reminding her to relax. The tension all week had done a bang up job on her body, and she wanted nothing more than to sink into a warm tub of bubbles.

  After shutting the door behind Pete and Marylou, she headed over to the jukebox to pull the plug. But instead, she sat down in the nearest chair and closed her eyes. He’s not coming.

  Half-relieved and half-disappointed, she slumped against the chair’s wooden back. What was I expecting?

  She used the toe of her boot to pull another chair closer to prop her legs on. A groan followed a sigh as her muscles protested and finally gave up the fight. Sam’s spending the night holding her was just a friend comforting a friend. She’d do the same thing for…ol’ man Johnson. She shuddered. Okay, maybe not, but I’d do it for anyone else.

  The swish behind her had her well-worn boots hitting the floor, her hands brushing the curls from her face, and the fatigue…miraculously gone. She blew out a deep breath as she concentrated on looking nonchalant, but she couldn’t stop her pulse racing.

  Faded black jeans, baby-blue buttoned-down shirt rolled to
his elbows, and on his head, a classy black cowboy hat with just a hint of hair showing around his ears. She closed her mouth and swallowed.

  “Val.” He tipped his hat, his gaze eating her up.

  “Sam.” She placed her hands on her knees intent on pushing herself to her feet, but Sam motioned her back down.

  “Sit. We can talk while you rest.” He stepped over to the table.

  Just the warmth in his voice was enough to start calming her down. This was Sam. The man she’d always loved.

  “Thanks for waiting around for me.” Sam removed his hat.

  “A couple years of waiting.”

  He stilled.

  “Sorry,” Val mumbled. She squirmed a little in her chair before jumping up and remembering her manners. “Let me get you a drink.”

  “Stay. Let me do it for you. You’ve worked all day, and by the amount of people coming and going here, I bet you never get off your feet.” He made his way to the bar as if he owned the place. Running his hand along the bottles on the back wall, he stopped when he came to a clear white bottle. He held it up. “Can I open it?”

  “Yes.” Her legs gave out and she caught herself. Oh sweetness, he remembered.

  Sam returned with two tumblers loaded with ice. He shared a long look with her, poured the Ouzo and slid the glass toward her. “I used to love watching the way your eyelids fluttered shut and your lip curled as the cold licorice flavor touched your tongue.”

  She crossed her legs, eyed the drink and caught herself licking her bottom lip. His husky confession had an incredible seductive quality. She raised the glass to her mouth. Just sip, don’t do anything—her eyes closed and her top lip quivered—oh gah, that’s good.

  She let her mouth savor the candied goodness. She swallowed and realized she’d done exactly what he remembered. Val ducked her head. The heat traveled down her throat warming her chest and brought a rush of memories of the first time Sam introduced her to the drink, sitting in the park bundled up in a blanket watching the movie of the week in Helena.

  “You okay?” Sam stroked her arm.

  She leaned forward, seeking the comfort she’d find close to him. “Y-yeah. It’s crazy. I own a bar, yet I haven’t tasted something so delicious since…”