SECOND CHANCES AT MG RANCH Read online

  They had formed a good friendship over the years, but they both knew that when the time came, Sam would move on.

  His friend had asked him to stay on at the ranch for a while longer to help his daughter get settled in, and maybe teach her a thing or two about taking care of the ranch.

  Loren had received a nice trust-fund, so although she really wouldn’t have to work if she didn’t want to, she would still need to learn how to manage the place.

  “I am sorry Josh, but I really don’t think that is a good idea,” Sam had told him.

  His mind was saying no but his heart was saying yes. He really didn’t want to leave the ranch just yet, but he wasn’t sure that he was ready to homestead with a spoiled little rich girl either. That in its self was sure to spell big trouble and that was just the kind of trouble that Sam did not need or want.

  He had never really thought much about how he would feel when this time came. He had lived on the ranch for many years, and it had been so easy to forget that it actually belonged to someone else. Against his better judgment, he had made this place his home.

  “I am prepared to double your salary, and if that is not enough, I am sure that we can work something out. You know that Loren means everything to us, and we need to know that she will be safe.”

  Josh paused briefly, and took in a small breath before continuing, “We will sleep much easier, knowing that you will be there to watch over her, at least until she is more familiar with the area. Please give it some thought.”

  It was hard for Sam to not think about the extra money that Josh was offering. If he were willing to double his salary for the next few months, he would earn enough money to put with what he had already saved to buy his own spread.

  Of course it wouldn’t be as nice a place as MG, but at least it would be his. Maybe living with the little spoiled Miss Randolph would not be so bad after all.

  Without further thought, he made his decision. “Josh, I believe you have just made me an offer I can’t refuse.”

  “And you, my friend, have just made me a very happy man.” Josh replied with a sigh of relief. “Loren should be arriving with her horse in about two weeks, if not before. Oh and Sam, there’s one more thing before I let you go. Loren tries to be a little bossy sometimes. Try not to let her get under your skin.”

  “Thanks for the warning.” Sam could hear Josh chuckling as he hung up the phone. He had a feeling that he was making a huge mistake, but he really couldn’t afford to turn down the extra funds that would make it easier for him to move on.

  Sam pushed the regrets from his mind and got busy finishing up with mending the fence. A small tree had fallen over two top strands of barbed-wire, causing it to sag in the middle. He was still the foreman of this ranch, and it was still his responsibility to make sure things were fixed and taken care of.

  It took a few short hours to get the tree off the fence and the wire stretched back out, but in Sam’s opinion, it was a quick fix. Some repairs took all day long or even days, depending on the amount of damage.

  Feeling satisfied with the repairs, Sam jumped back in the truck and headed back to the barn. This had been one long day and he was anxious to put it behind him.

  On the ride back, he thought about Josh’s warning about not letting Loren get under his skin. He was afraid that it was too late to worry about that now. The damage had already been done.

  Loren had already pricked his skin more than once, he thought as he entered the small bunkhouse that was attached to the end of the barn facing the house. It wasn’t the space that he had gotten used to up at the main house, but it was comfortable enough and he still had a roof over his head.

  Quickly washing up, he readied himself for bed, letting the two week old conversation with Josh drift from his mind. It really wasn’t of importance now anyway. What was done was done. He would just have to bite the bullet and make the best of his time left on the ranch.

  Stripping down to his cotton briefs, he walked the short distance to the small iron bed that was positioned against the far wall. The old springs creaked beneath the weight of his body as he sat on the small bed and lay back on the propped up pillows. From his position on the bed he had a good view of the main house through the only window in the room.

  The light was on in the master bedroom, which Loren Randolph now occupied. Her silhouette was visible in the soft light as she peered out the window. The vision of her seemed almost angelic, with her blonde mane flowing around her shoulders. Her innocence formed a halo around her, as if it meant to protect her.

  Getting lost in his own thoughts, he wondered what it would feel like to hold her soft body against his own and to press his lips against hers. He imagined that her mouth would taste like rich honey fresh from a bees hive.

  He could feel his own body starting to respond to the crazy thoughts that was running through his head. He had not felt the warmth of a woman’s touch in such a long time, and now it seemed as if his body was aching to do just that.

  Loren turned off the light, bringing Sam back to his senses. What was wrong with him? He was sure that Josh would not approve of him having an affair with his daughter. And that is exactly what it would be, because he had no intentions of hanging around any longer than he had promised his friend, a few months and not a minute longer.

  Sam Burton had learned a long time ago that falling in love with a beautiful woman would only get your heart broken into at least a million pieces.

  He subconsciously placed his hand upon his chest as if to massage away the hurt he felt as all the painful memories of his high school sweet-heart, Stephanie Woodrow, came flooding back into his mind.

  They had planned to marry right after graduation and start a family. He could remember it just like it was yesterday, instead of seventeen years ago.

  There they were, standing outside the school waiting for the rest of their friends after graduation, when Stephanie had pulled him to the side and told him that they needed to talk.

  That is the day when his whole world had crumbled down around him. All of the plans that he had made with the love of his life, had changed in the blink of an eye.

  For a moment, Stephanie seemed to be struggling with finding the right words. But once the words started flowing, they didn’t stop until she was finished.

  The words felt like hard stones being peppered at him as they spilled from her mouth. Apparently, Stephanie had changed her mind and decided that she wasn’t ready to get married and have a family.

  Instead, she wanted to have fun and spend time with her friends. Where did he fit into this whole equation of hers?

  The more she talked, the sooner he realized that he didn’t fit into the equation at all. At one time her whole world had been centered on him and now it had shifted to her two best friends, Missy and Rhonda.

  How could this have happened? What had he done wrong?

  They had dated since their freshman year and now she was saying that she wanted time with her friends, away from him. She had asked for his understanding and support. At the time he didn’t understand and he had not wanted to support her decision, but how could he have refused?

  She had already made up her mind to go on this self-discovery adventure without him and there was nothing he could have done to change her mind. He knew that now, but it still didn’t take away the hurt.

  As a last attempt, he tried to remind her of all the plans they had made for their future together. She was going to be his wife and they were going to have babies, they were going to build a wonderful life together.

  Stephanie had begged him to try to understand her decision. He knew right then and there that if he didn’t support her choice, then he was putting himself at risk of losing her forever.

  So he had lied and told her that he did understand and she had his full support. She would be back in a few weeks and things would pick up where they left off. Life would go back to being normal, and they would get married and start a new life together as man and wife
.

  That was when Stephanie delivered the final blow that had destroyed all of his happiness. She didn’t know when she would be returning and she didn’t want him to wait for her.

  In fact, she had insisted that he try to find someone else who would love him the way he deserved to be loved.

  With tears in her eyes, she had wished him all the happiness in the world. Why could she not understand that he would never be happy without her?

  He had grabbed her hand in an attempt to pull her back when she had turned to walk away from him. All she had said was, “Please don’t do this Sam.” Then she was gone.

  Three days later, she had left for Paris.

  She had told him not to wait for her, but he had waited anyway with the hope that she would come back one day and tell him that she had made a huge mistake and wanted to be his wife more than anything.

  For years he had believed that she would eventually return and declare her love for him and they would finally be married. Then their lives would resume where they had left off as if nothing had ever happened.

  He would see her parents around town from time to time. Through the brief encounters, he had learned that she was still living in Paris and was engaged to some Frenchman, named David.

  It wasn’t long after he had learned about her engagement that Stephanie showed up on his door step. She said she was just visiting with her parents and wanted to stop by and apologize to him for the way she had hurt him before.

  They had talked about their past and she told him about her fiancé David. This time they had parted on good terms, however he would continue to guard his heart against love.

  During the short time that Sam was reminiscing about his lost love, Loren had jumped into bed. Even though she was tired, she felt restless. She tossed and turned for a while trying to find a more comfortable position. Once she finally got comfortable and felt settled in, her thoughts turned back to Sam.

  He was a very handsome man, slightly taller than she was. Sandy blonde hair, gorgeous blue eyes, and a mustache with a small hint of red defined his character.

  It seemed as if they sure did know how to grow them around this part of the country. That thought amused her, causing a soft chuckle to escape her lips.

  Of course she was definitely not interested. However, she couldn’t remember a time in her life where window shopping ever hurt anyone. Her Momma had always said it was good for the soul. The only thing she wanted from Sam was for him to teach her how to manage the ranch and then he could be on his merry way.

  With his good looks, some cowgirl had probably already roped him anyway. But even that would probably depend on if she was able to get past his smart-alecky charm.

  Loren had almost drifted off to sleep when it dawned on her that Sam had slept in this very same bed up until the night before when he had probably moved his belongings out to the bunk house.

  All kinds of crazy thoughts started running wildly through her head. Just the thought of him possibly sleeping in his bare nothings in the same bed that she now lay in, caused a tingling ripple of pleasure to rush through her body. The feeling was definitely uninvited.

  What was wrong with her, hadn’t she already said that she wasn’t interested? No doubt about it, she did not want to be tied down to anyone right now; maybe never.

  She had a lot of living to do and she sure didn’t need some smarty pants cowboy complicating things along the way, even if he was the sexiest cowboy she had ever laid eyes on.

  She shoved the pillow down over her head with a loud groan, trying to smother out the rampant thoughts threatening to take over her mind and body. A while later she finally drifted off into a quite peaceful slumber.

  Chapter 3

  Loren had been tossing and turning for what seemed like ages. She covered her head with the feather pillow that she had been snuggled up to, but it would not drown out the loud grinding noise that was coming from outside.

  What could that crazy man be doing to make such a racket at seven in the morning? Loren had never been an early riser, if it could be prevented. And she had never really understood why some people thought it necessary to get up with the chickens, so to speak.

  After what seemed like forever, she had come to the conclusion that Sam was not going to stop whatever he was doing that was making that god awful noise. She pushed back the covers with a little more force than needed and leapt from the bed.

  Throwing on her clothes in a rush; she was quickly dressed and heading down the stairs at a faster than normal pace. If she was lucky, she wouldn’t fall and break her neck.

  Within minutes she had made her way into the kitchen. It was rather small. A bar separated the kitchen from the dining area.

  Loren wasn’t much of a coffee drinker, but she did like her caffeine. She opened up the fridge expecting to at least find a soda, but instead she found a few cold beers and not much of anything else.

  “Typical man,” she muttered, on her way out the back door.

  The barn smelled of horses and hay. It was a smell that always brought her comfort. The barn was of good size, with four stalls, a tack room, feed room and a washbasin for bathing the horses, a workshop, and the small living quarters that Sam now occupied due to her arrival at the ranch.

  The grinding noise sounded like it was coming from the workshop at the far end of the barn, so she pointed herself in that direction, mentally preparing her mind for the confrontation that was sure to come.

  “Good morning, Dakota,” Loren said, as she paused at his stall door and caressed his nose before proceeding to the workshop. The horse responded by nuzzling her hand, hoping to find a special treat.

  Apples had always been his favorite. Loren scolded her own actions for not bringing one, but then she remembered that there had not been one at the house to bring.

  Just as she turned to continue her trek towards the workshop, the grinding noise had stopped. Sam had exited the workshop and was walking towards her, looking just as handsome today as he had the day before. Even though he seemed a little arrogant, there was something that she liked about him. She just couldn’t put her finger on it yet.

  “Good morning, Miss Randolph.” He stopped about an arm’s length from her.

  “Good morning, Sam. I can call you Sam, can’t I? And please call me Loren. I’m not really one for all that formal talk anyway,” she rattled on, not even pausing to take a breath in between each sentence.

  “Yes, of course. Did you sleep well?” he asked.

  He could not seem to get last night’s image of her out of his mind. He had not slept well, but he didn’t want her to know that or he might have to explain why. Sam wasn’t even sure that he could explain it to himself.

  “Yes, I did and thank you for asking,” he lied.

  She had slept well after she had finally stopped day-dreaming about him. That was information best kept to one’s own self.

  “Did you find everything to your liking up at the house?”

  “Pretty much, but do you think we could do something about food and drink around here. Surely you don’t expect me to live on beer alone,” Loren answered him, with a sassy smile.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, looking a little embarrassed. “I don’t cook much, so there has never been much need for groceries. I was thinking that we could ride into town later today to pick up a few things, if you can make do until then.”

  “I’m sure I can manage,” Loren replied, turning back to her horse to give him another quick rub on the nose.

  Not really knowing what else to say, they both stood in silence for a moment. It was very unusual for Loren to be at a loss for words, even with a mere stranger.

  It reminded her of when all her school friends used to tease her, saying that she would talk to a brick wall, if it would talk back. She couldn’t help that she liked to talk. She actually viewed it as special talent. So what was wrong with her now? Why was her mind suddenly a blank? It was like the word part of her brain had totally shut down with no w
arning.

  Sam shuffled his feet in the dirt that served as the barn floor. “I thought we could start the day off with a morning ride.” He paused before speaking again as if he were waiting for her reaction. “Of course that is if you are up to it after being out so late yesterday.”

  How did he know how late she had been out, since he hadn’t returned until late himself? “I am always up to riding,” she said turning back to face him.

  He seemed to be soaking her up with eyes. They mirrored the color of the deep blue ocean this morning.

  “There is nothing better than starting my day with my horse,” she added, tearing her gaze away from his. She felt like she was going to get lost in them if she didn’t break eye contact with him immediately.

  Sam could think of a few things that would be better. Like making love to her first thing in the morning. Now, that would make for a good day.

  He had started his day with an early morning ride for as long as he could remember and it would probably never be any different as long as he was able to do so.

  “Well, let’s get going then,” he said. “I have already fed them some oats, so all we need to do is get them saddled. Are you ready?”

  “Sure, let’s go,” she answered. “Do you want to race to see which of us can saddle our horse the fastest?”

  “Okay, but I will give you a head start,” he said with a chuckle, feeling very much like a kid again. He hadn’t laughed very much in a long time and it actually felt good.

  He very rarely even saw anyone, other than when he took the necessary trips into town, and he didn’t do any entertaining at the ranch. He hadn’t even dated in years. Actually he hadn’t even been on what he would consider a real date since Stephanie had left town.

  Sam spent most of his time trying to avoid people, rather than making friends. He liked his solitude, so having Loren around was going to throw a kink into things.

  Hopefully, after a few days she would do her own thing and he could go back to doing his, which included riding his horse, taking care of the ranch in general, and making log furniture in his spare time and just plain being alone.