Kitabı oku: «Her Alaskan Cowboy»

Chapter One

Honor Prescott sat on her white stallion and stared down from the mountain ridge at the sprawling Diamond R Ranch. From this vantage point, Honor had a bird’s-eye view of the property. She could see horses in the paddock and a few ranch hands milling around. Snow from last night’s snowfall covered the ground. She let out a sigh of appreciation at the vast acreage. This view had always been spectacular.

A few cars were parked in the driveway by the main house. She spotted Lee Jamison’s distinctive yellow-and-tan wagon parked by the house. She felt her lips twitching at the sight of it. That van had to be older than Lee himself. As town attorney and a member of the town council, Lee was a beloved figure in Love, Alaska. Honor had come to the Diamond R Ranch today at Lee’s request.

Honor drew her coat tighter around her as the February wind whipped relentlessly against her body. Although the sun was shining, there was a chill in the air. Honor grabbed Lola’s reins and cantered toward the property. Riding her horse rather than driving over from the wildlife preserve was a luxury for her. Lately, she’d been so busy with work demands she rarely had the opportunity to spend time with her horse.

A feeling of nostalgia swept over her. It had been years since she had visited the ranch owned by Bud Ransom, the patriarch of the Ransom family. Bud had unexpectedly passed away a few days ago. She would miss him and his warm, solid presence. And she would be forever grateful to him for leaving the ranch to the town in his will.

Bittersweet memories washed over her as she surveyed the property. The two-story log cabin–style home was a generous size. It had been home for generations of Ransoms. Her ex-fiancé, Joshua Ransom, had grown up here with his grandparents, parents and his older brother, Theo. When they were dating, Honor had spent a lot of time at the Diamond R. Too much time, according to her own brothers—Boone, Liam and Cameron. They had been vehemently opposed to her relationship with Joshua, who had been in and out of trouble for the duration of their relationship. Joshua had been the ultimate rebel. Boone, who served as town sheriff, had hauled Joshua into his office on more occasions than she could count for a variety of charges. Drunk and disorderly. Vandalism.

But Honor and Joshua had been head over heels in love and committed to a life together. She had defended him at every turn, much to her family’s dismay. In the end, their engagement had imploded after Joshua’s involvement in a fire that had gutted a beloved town church and left a man seriously injured. It had been the final straw for her. Honor had given him back his diamond ring and headed off to college in Michigan. They hadn’t spoken since.

After Honor had left Love, she’d discovered she was carrying Joshua’s child. Weeks later she’d lost the baby. It still crushed her to remember how alone and scared she’d been. Since that time, Honor had turned to her faith and developed a relationship with God. She would never repeat the mistakes of the past.

Joshua had never known about their child. A few months after the miscarriage, she’d discovered that Joshua had gotten married. Joshua’s quickie marriage mere months after their breakup had been a terrible blow to Honor’s self-esteem. For some reason, it still stung.

Honor let out a sigh. The ranch represented a more innocent time in her life. She had experienced her first kiss in the barn. This ranch was where she’d fallen for Joshua. They had made plans for their future sitting amidst bales of hay. Their love had been genuine. Honor shivered as feelings of loss suddenly crept over her. After all this time, it still wasn’t easy to think about losing the only man she’d ever loved. It had broken her young heart to end her engagement. She’d been so naive back then, believing that there might be a happily-ever-after for the two of them.

Joshua. Her first love and former fiancé. She hadn’t thought about him in a very long time. Their relationship had ended in such a painful manner for Honor that it was easier now to stuff those memories deep down into a dark hole where they could no longer hurt her.

She had been a mere kid at the time—eighteen years old. What had she really known about love?

As she led Lola toward the stable so she could tether her to a post while she met with Lee, Honor heard the crunching sound of footsteps walking on the snow. She swung her gaze up and found herself staring into the eyes of the last person she’d expected to see in all of Alaska.

Her heart constricted. Everything came to a standstill around her. The dark head of hair. The cleft in his chin. The sky blue eyes. Joshua Ransom, her high school sweetheart, was back in town. Her first instinct was to hop back onto Lola and ride off as quickly as possible in the opposite direction.

“Honor.” The sound of her name tumbling off his lips was startling. It had been six years since she’d last heard it. Truthfully, she had never believed she would ever hear it again.

“Joshua.” Somehow she managed to speak past the huge lump in her throat.

“It’s been a long time,” he said, his mouth quirking. “How are you?”

Her mouth felt as dry as cotton. “I’m doing well. And you?” she asked, marveling at the fact that they were able to exchange pleasantries despite the huge chasm between them.

“I can’t complain. What brings you out here?” he asked, his eyebrows knitting together.

“Lee asked me to meet him out here. We understood none of the family was returning since Bud didn’t want a service. When did you get back?”

“Yesterday. Theo and I flew in together from Anchorage.”

Theo Ransom had moved away from Love years ago and joined the military. To her recollection, neither brother had been back to Love in the ensuing years.

“I’m guessing you didn’t hire O’Rourke Charters to fly you here,” Honor said. Her voice crackled with sarcasm.

A hint of a frown marred his brow. “No, we didn’t.”

She shouldn’t have brought up the bad blood between him and the O’Rourke brothers—Declan and Finn. It harkened back to when she was dating Joshua and her own brothers had been staunchly against their relationship. There had been a lot of discord. It had all come to a head when she and Joshua had secretly gotten engaged and her family found out about it. Not a single person in town had been happy for them, except Bud. Despite his gruff demeanor, Bud had been a marshmallow at his center.

Joshua ran a hand over his face. “Bud never wanted a proper funeral, but Theo and I figured we should have some sort of memorial service for him. And we need to settle his affairs. Then I’ll be heading home to Seattle.”

Honor frowned. She hadn’t heard a single word about a service for Bud. From what she had understood, Bud hadn’t wanted any fanfare. The townsfolk would certainly want to know about the service so they could say a final farewell. Although she wanted to ask Joshua about Bud’s desire to leave the Diamond R Ranch to the town of Love, she wasn’t sure it was her place to ask Joshua probing questions. It would appear insensitive since his family was in mourning.

“I’m sorry about Bud. He was always kind to me.”

Joshua nodded. “Thanks. He thought you were the real deal. I think he hoped you could straighten me up so I’d walk the straight and narrow path.” Joshua let out a harsh-sounding laugh, although both he and Honor knew he wasn’t joking. Honor couldn’t count on two hands the number of times Bud had pulled her aside and asked her to steer his grandson in the right direction. At the time, she had naively believed it was possible. Life had shown her how wrong she’d been to believe it. Being in love with Joshua had given her a pair of rose-colored glasses.

Honor smiled at the memory of Bud. “Well, he always saw the good in people. It was what he did best.”

Joshua nodded. “He was a great man. I’ve always been proud to be his grandson.” He grimaced. “I wish I’d been better,” he muttered.

He didn’t have to say any more. Honor knew exactly what Joshua meant. As a rebellious teenager, Joshua had been in and out of trouble so much it had broken his grandfather’s heart and caused his family a world of embarrassment. He had tarnished the Ransom family name.

He jutted his chin toward Lola, then reached out and ran his palm across her side. “It’s nice to see you and Lola are still a team.”

Honor nuzzled her face against Lola’s nose. “She’s a part of me. Always will be. I’m glad Boone took care of her for me while I was away at school.” Boone had paid for the costs of boarding Lola at a local stable, along with feed costs and her upkeep while Honor attended college and graduate school.

At the mention of her brother, Joshua’s body seemed to stiffen. Honor couldn’t help but think that after all these years the bad feelings still lingered.

As the small talk between them faltered, tension hung in the air. There were so many things left unsaid between the two of them, words they had never gotten the chance to say to one another. Honor opened her mouth, then shut it. What was the point? It was six years too late for closure.

Both of them had moved on with their lives. End of story.

She shifted from one foot to the other. “Well, I should go see to Lola,” she said in a low voice. “Do you know where I can find Lee?”

“I saw him talking to Theo when I was out in the paddock. They were headed inside the house,” Joshua said. For a moment he looked at her curiously. She imagined he was still wondering what she was doing here at the ranch. A gut instinct told her Joshua didn’t know anything about Bud’s bequest. The thought of his being blindsided made her stomach knot. Although she was fairly certain he had no interest in coming back permanently to Love, it still might rankle to learn his family’s property had been given to the town he despised.

“Thanks,” she said, lightly pulling at Lola’s reins as she prepared to lead her toward the stable.

“Mr. Ransom!” a voice called out, interrupting the silence. Honor turned toward the house. Winnie Alden, housekeeper and cook for the Ransom family, was standing a few feet away from them with a crying baby in her arms. “I tried my best to settle her down, but she won’t stop crying. I think she wants her daddy.”

Winnie held out the child to Joshua. Honor’s heart stilled. The little girl wrapped in the pink blanket was Joshua’s daughter!

* * *

Joshua Ransom reached for Violet and held her against his chest. “Thanks, Winnie. I’ll take it from here.” He began to make rhythmic circles on Violet’s back. Almost immediately, she quieted down.

“The baby whisperer strikes again,” he said in a low voice next to his daughter’s ear.

He swung his gaze toward Honor. She was staring at him with wide eyes.

“She’s yours?” she asked in a shocked tone.

“Yes, she’s mine. This is Violet,” Joshua said, his voice filled with pride. “Violet Anne Ransom.”

Honor’s gaze locked onto Violet. She couldn’t seem to look away from her. “She’s beautiful,” she said, darting a glance at his ring finger.

Joshua didn’t hold it against her. It happened to him all the time. As a single father raising a little girl, he raised a lot of eyebrows. It was all right. Violet was his whole world.

He nestled her closer against him. “I should get her inside. It’s pretty cold out here and her sweater is on the thin side.”

“Go ahead. You don’t want her to get sick,” Honor said, her brow creased with concern.

Joshua sucked in a deep, steadying breath as he turned toward the house. He felt as if he’d been sucker punched. Although he had known it was a possibility to run into her during his stay in Love, he hadn’t expected to see her at his family’s ranch. And he wasn’t quite sure what she was doing here. Her answer had been vague.

She was just as beautiful as she’d always been. Time had only enhanced her good looks. Her hair hung in glossy chestnut waves. Her cheekbones were more pronounced in her heart-shaped face. Now she was more woman than girl, one who exuded a great deal of confidence. It hadn’t taken long for one of the locals to mention she was running a new wildlife center here in town. He felt a burst of pride knowing she had managed to achieve her goals.

She was no longer the eighteen-year-old who had dreamed of protecting animals and earning a degree in wildlife biology. Honor had reached out and successfully grabbed the brass ring.

It made him feel a little unsettled to know so much had changed since Honor had been his girl. In truth, it felt like another lifetime.

What did he expect? Time hadn’t stood still. In many ways, Joshua felt thankful for the passage of time. It had given him the opportunity to change his life and circumstances. Over the past six years, he’d worked extremely hard to better himself. Redemption had been a huge motivating factor. He was no longer the selfish youth who had been impulsive and reckless. In his younger years, he had stolen a car to go joyriding, destroyed town property and been arrested for underage drinking and disorderly conduct. He had been a fixture at the sheriff’s office. It had been easy for the residents of Love to believe he had been responsible for setting fire to the town’s church and demolishing it. The townsfolk had already written him off well before the fire.

Joshua had made something of himself through sheer determination and grit. He had adopted Violet, the biological child of his ex-wife who had passed away shortly after Violet’s birth. He had an impeccable professional reputation. His parents were extremely proud of the way he had pulled himself up by his bootstraps. And yet, he still yearned for the townsfolk of Love to think well of him. He still wanted their stamp of approval.

It had always bothered him that Honor’s brothers had so thoroughly disapproved of him. He felt heat suffusing his neck as he remembered their vocal opposition to his relationship with Honor. Sheriff Boone Prescott had made it his mission in life to break them up and to catch his every misdeed. Joshua let out a sigh. To be fair, he’d enjoyed being a rebel. Until things had spiraled out of control and his whole life was in shreds.

Being in love with the sheriff’s sister and the granddaughter of the town mayor, Jasper Prescott, had complicated matters. Law enforcement had not been on his side. Not that he’d made it easy on them. Joshua had been ornery and wild. He had deliberately pushed as many buttons as he could in his hometown and he’d never backed down from a fight. That had endeared him to very few people, particularly since Honor had been the town’s reigning princess.

Despite the opposition to their relationship, Honor had always been his biggest cheerleader. She had believed in him until he’d been arrested for burning down the church. Still, after all this time, it gutted him to have caused her such heartache.

Joshua shrugged off the feelings of guilt and recrimination. He had worked steadfastly over the years to redeem his character. He had painstakingly rebuilt his life, laying the foundation one brick at a time. God was a central part of his world now and he lived life with a purpose.

Coming back to his hometown hadn’t been easy, but he owed it to his grandfather to pay him his last respects and to tidy up his affairs. He hadn’t realized things with the Diamond R would be so complicated.

Joshua made his way to the room he was using as Violet’s nursery. Once he entered the bedroom, he stood by her crib and gently rocked her from side to side. When he felt her head droop against his chest, he slowly lowered her until she was resting on her back. Her eyelids were closed and she was peacefully asleep. He quietly made his way back downstairs.

For Violet’s sake, he felt grateful that he could finally hold his head up high in Love. He had put the shameful events of his past in the rearview mirror. He felt proud of himself, if only because he knew so many people had given up on him. This town had viewed him as irredeemable and broken. They had been dead wrong.

Joshua hadn’t expected to feel such a wealth of emotions upon his return to Love. As soon as he had spotted Kachemak Bay from his seat in the seaplane, he’d felt a tightening sensation in his chest. Despite everything, this town still lived and breathed in him, just like Honor Prescott. One look in her blue-gray eyes had shown him that the past was still a powerful force to be reckoned with.

* * *

As Joshua walked back toward the homestead and away from her with his baby girl, Honor’s shoulders sagged. Her cheeks felt flushed. Joshua had a child!

She’d been composed during their encounter, even though seeing Joshua holding his daughter had shaken her to the core. Her limbs were trembling. Coming face-to-face with her ex-fiancé hadn’t been on her agenda for today. And it had been shocking to realize he was a father. She felt as if someone had just thrown an ice-cold bucket of water over her head. Joshua looked even more handsome than she remembered. Age had only enhanced his masculine appeal. At six feet or so, Joshua’s frame had filled out, giving him a more rugged appearance. His dark hair set off against his blue eyes made a striking combination. He was the type of man who drew stares when he walked down the street.

Her mind veered toward Violet. It had hurt her to see the child nestled in Joshua’s arms. It served as a stark reminder of the child she had miscarried six years ago. Joshua’s child. She pushed the painful feelings away. She couldn’t allow herself to get consumed by the past. It might drag her under.

As she exited the stable, Honor spotted Lee, who was quickly making his way toward her. With his salt-and-pepper-colored hair and sea green eyes, Lee had a distinguished appearance. There was something so solid about him. He was trusted by the whole town. At the moment he had an intense expression etched on his face. His movements seemed full of urgency.

“Honor, it’s nice to see you,” Lee said, warmth emanating from his voice.

“Hey, Lee,” Honor said. “Good morning.”

Lee ran his hand around his shirt collar. His fingers seemed unsteady. “Under the circumstances, I’m sorry to have called you out here. It was a mistake.”

She frowned at him. He looked flustered. Normally, he was a calm, unflappable man. It was slightly alarming to see him acting this way.

Was Lee referencing Joshua’s unexpected appearance at the ranch? Like most of the townsfolk, he was fully aware of their history.

“There’s been a bit of a hiccup regarding the reading of the will and Bud’s property,” he said, his tone apologetic. His eyes radiated disappointment. “I probably jumped the gun by inviting you here to the Diamond R.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked. Adrenaline began to race through her veins. Instinctively, she steeled herself for bad news.

Lee let out a ragged sigh. “Bud didn’t update his will, Honor. He made no written provisions to donate the property to the land preservation society.” Lee threw his hands in the air. “There’s not a whole lot more I can say, but I’m very disappointed.”

“What?” Honor exploded. “That can’t be right. He said it over and over again. Everyone in town knew his wishes.”

Lee shook his head. “According to his attorney, Bud had the best of intentions, but he passed away before he could make it official. He never updated his will. Knowing Bud, he probably figured he had plenty of years ahead to make those changes.”

Honor felt numb as the ramifications of Lee’s disclosure began to settle in. “He verbally stated his intentions on several occasions. We all knew what he wanted to do with regard to the ranch. Isn’t that enough?”

Lee stared at her with sadness radiating from his eyes. “I’m afraid not, Honor. Our hands are pretty much tied. We could file suit against the estate, but it would cost a fortune. And to what avail? Alaskan inheritance law is very clear.”

Her heart sank. “So what happens now?” she asked. “Who inherits the property?”

“According to Bud’s attorney, Theo and Joshua and another relative named Violet are listed as the heirs to the Diamond R and all of its assets and acreage.”

Honor let out a deep breath. She felt like a deflated balloon. The old adage was true: don’t count your chickens until they’re hatched. In her mind she’d formulated so many plans for the expansion of the wildlife center. Now, in a puff of smoke, those dreams had been dashed.

Lee stroked his chin. “I’ve heard some rumblings about a developer from Texas who’s been circling around trying to buy up property in Love. It seems that Theo has already been in contact with them. They came to the ranch first thing this morning.” His chest heaved as he sighed. “There’s no easy way to say this, Honor, but I think we have to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead.”

Anger flared through her at the idea of Theo making deals to desecrate Bud’s ranch. Even as a kid he had never had an appreciation for the ranch. Joshua had been the one who had loved horses, the cowboy lifestyle and riding across the property with Bud. Honor had always thought of Joshua as her hometown cowboy.

“Lee, give it to me straight,” Honor demanded. Having grown up with three older brothers, she knew when she was being treated with kid gloves. She had always fought against it. She was way tougher than she might look on the surface.

“Do you remember the town council meeting where we discussed the upsurge in interest from developers in acquiring land here in Love?” Lee asked.

“Yes,” she said with a nod. “With the popularity of Operation Love, this town has been in the media spotlight. And now that Lovely Boots has taken off, a lot of developers view this town as a hot commodity.”

Operation Love was a matchmaking program created by Honor’s grandfather, Jasper Prescott. As town mayor, Jasper had devised a way of fixing the imbalance in the male-female ratio in town by bringing eligible women to town who were seeking Alaskan bachelors. The program had been very successful, with dozens of marriages and engagements. And Jasper’s wife, Hazel Tookes Prescott, had created genuine Alaskan boots that the town had mass produced as a way of boosting the local economy. After years of recession, it had been a brilliant way of bringing revenue to a cash-strapped town.

The downside of her grandfather’s matchmaking program and Hazel’s creativity was the sudden focus on their Alaskan hamlet. Suddenly, developers were viewing Love as a potential moneymaker. The idea of developers swooping down and buying up Alaskan land only to dig it up and build businesses on it made her sick to her stomach.

Lee’s features creased with tension. “This one outfit is serious about buying land here in Love and the Diamond R property is on their radar.” His mouth tightened. “It seems they have plans to build a five-star Alaskan dude ranch. There’s a chain of them all across the country.”

Honor’s jaw dropped. A dude ranch! Right here in Love?

“Theo and Joshua probably had a big check waved in front of their eyes by these developers.” He made a tutting sound. “They might find it hard to turn down such a lucrative offer.”