Second Chance Ranch Chapter 24

Chapter TWENTY-FOUR:

Squire seemed unnaturally moody when he arrived in Kelly’s office. He reminded her of the initial Squire she’d met upon arriving at Three Rivers. She didn’t know what had happened, so instead of engaging him, she put her head down and got to work. Together, they found more documents, ate lunch, and seemed to get along just fine. But he didn’t kiss her, didn’t even glance her way when he stood and stretched his back near four o’clock.

“You’re still coming with me to the animal shelter, right?” she asked.

His gaze found hers for the first time that day, and she found a troubled expression in his eyes. “Is that tonight?”

“It was,” she said. “Finn’s birthday is on Friday.” She stood too. “You said you could house the puppy here and then bring him in on Friday for the party.” She took a step toward him and put her hand on his arm.

He looked at her fingers, watched them as she slid them up to his shoulder. “Squire, what’s wrong?” She expected him to relax, maybe lean down and kiss her.

Instead, he watched a spot over her shoulder. “I just…need to get out to the stables. I can’t handle being inside all the time.”

Kelly heard the strength in his voice, layered behind the tension. “Okay, well, go now. When I’m done here in an hour, we can drive to the shelter. Okay?”

He nodded, wrapping her in a hug with his strong arms and dropping his face into the crook of her neck. He breathed deeply. “Okay.” Squire flashed her a smile that vanished before she’d truly seen it and left her office.

Something was definitely bothering him, but he didn’t let it show all the time. He came to her office every day, and they worked and worked to get through the confusing files. Going through fifty years’ worth of papers would take anyone a long time, even if they were working in a pair the way she and Squire were.

She’d learned a lot about Squire since starting here at the ranch, but the man was incredibly gifted at hiding how he felt sometimes. At other time, he wore his thoughts and emotions right out in the open. So he could do it. Sometimes, he chose not to. 

When Kelly realized she’d moved the same paper three times and it still hadn’t landed in the right place, she decided to call an end to her day. She found Squire in the stable, his hand stroking the muzzle of his tall, black horse. As she approached, another horse—this one taller, with a beautiful black mane against a reddish body—ambled over. He huffed at Kelly as she stepped to Squire’s side.

“Hey,” she said softly so as to not disturb the horses. She knew they could be finicky and grumpy, and she’d rather not have an equine’s teeth or hooves anywhere near her.

Squire glanced at her, and the calmness in his eyes told her she’d found the man who made her heart wilt and regrow into something stronger, better, more beautiful. “You remember Juniper,” he said, lifting both hands to stroke the horse’s cheeks. “She decided she was mine when I got home.”

Kelly joined him at the railing of the stall, and she looked up and admired the horse. “Hmm, she did, did she?” She held out her hand, but Juniper looked at her with big, doleful eyes that said, Really? You think I care about you?

Squire chuckled. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re jealous of a horse.”

“Maybe you’re not as smart as you think.” Kelly bumped her shoulder into his bicep. “Horses just don’t like me.”

“They can read energy,” he said. “Maybe you’re too tense for them.”

“Maybe I am,” she said. “Which makes it weird that I work on one of the biggest ranches in the state.”

“We’ve already talked about the different types of work on a ranch,” he said. He let his hand fall to hers, slipping his fingers between hers. “That’s Hank.” He whistled softly through pursed lips, and the stallion nudged Squire’s shoulder, dropped his head to Squire’s pocket, and then nickered against his knee.

“He knew I was hurt the first time he met me,” Squire said, his voice little more than a murmur. “Juniper too. They…comfort me. Calm me down when I get stressed.”

Kelly squeezed his hand in silent support. Maybe she was jealous of these horses. Maybe she wanted to be the one to comfort him and calm him down when he got stressed. “They’re beautiful.”

Juniper dropped her head to Squire’s pocket too. “They’re gone, guys,” he told them. “You ate all the sugar cubes.”

Kelly marveled at his gentle tone, how he spoke to his horses like they were people. Not just people, his friends. Friends he brought treats for and petted like cats.

“She didn’t bring you any apples,” Squire said as Hank swung his body around Juniper’s and sniffed Kelly’s pocket. “She didn’t know.” He tossed a flirtatious grin toward Kelly. “I’m sure she’ll bring you something next time.”

He pushed the horse’s head away from Kelly’s waist. “Go on, now.” Reluctantly, Hank moved back, something Kelly was grateful for. 

“Sorry,” Kelly told the horses, though a vein of ridiculousness wormed through her. Talking to horses like they understood her was new for her. Squire didn’t seem to notice her nerves, but Juniper startled and stepped away.

Squire did too. “Should we go?”

“Yes,” Kelly said, turning away from the horses. “Let’s go.” Seeing Squire with the horses was beautiful and serene, but Kelly really didn’t like animals all that much.

Domesticated ones, sure. The wildness in a horse’s eye? The unpredictability of cattle and chickens? She’d grown up in Texas, but she was certain God had put her here to appreciate the waving grasses, rolling hills, talkative thunder, and big, blue sky.

Oh, and the cowboys. Yes, definitely the cowboys.

But not the horses.

* * *

“I don’t know,” Kelly said an hour later. “I like that chocolate lab….” She glanced over her shoulder to the three-month old puppy, still watching her through the bars of his enclosure.

“Border collies love to run,” Squire said from where he crouched, scratching a pup’s ears. “But I can see you won’t be persuaded.” He stood. “Maybe I’ll take this one. I kinda like him.”

“And I’ll take the chocolate lab,” Kelly said, having decided. Labrador retrievers were supposed to be good dogs for kids, and she’d fallen in love with the energetic fur ball the moment she’d laid eyes on him.

“I’ll go get the paperwork started,” the attendant said, turning and walking back down the row.

“So you’ll take him until Friday,” Kelly said. “Finn’s party starts at six.”

“I’ll box him up and bring him in.” Squire offered his hand to Kelly, and she appreciated that he didn’t just grab on like he owned her. She slipped her hand into his, wondering if Squire would amaze her forever.

“So I heard there was a rodeo next weekend,” she said. She’d heard it from Ethan, when he’d asked her out—again. “Fireworks afterward, the whole nine yards.”

“Are you askin’ me out, Miss Kelly?” Squire tugged her closer, released her hand and put his arm around her shoulders.

She leaned into his strong side. “Yes, sir.”

He laughed, the sound bouncing against the cement. “I want to,” he said, sobering. “I do. But can we go somewhere else?”

“Sure,” Kelly said, surprised that a man who never took off his cowboy hat wasn’t interested in the rodeo. “Can I ask why?”

Apprehension filled his eyes and his jaw clenched. “I—well, I don’t do so well with explosions.” He took a deep breath and continued, “Last week, Pete and I went out for wings, and some fireworks went off. We both hit the floor, heads down. It was embarrassing.”

Kelly’s brain raced with something comforting to say. “I’m sorry,” she said, the lamest words on the planet, at least in this situation. She clasped her other hand around his. “What would you like to do?”

He cocked his eyebrows at her. “What do I want to do?” He stopped in front of the chocolate lab’s pen and slid his arms around her. “This.” He leaned down and touched his lips to hers.

She drank him in, wishing she could infuse him with good memories to wipe away the bad ones. Kelly kissed him until she was one taste away from the highest sugar rush she’d ever experienced. Then she pulled back. “Well, we can’t do that all night.”

Squire took a moment to open his eyes, and Kelly sure did like the way he seemed to savor her. 

“Let’s go to the rodeo,” he said quietly. “Finn will love it. But we have to leave before the fireworks. Maybe we can go back to your place and make ice cream sundaes. Finn would like that too.”

Kelly fell down another rung on the ladder of love. The way Squire assumed Finn would come with them on their date, and how he wanted to plan something her son would enjoy, made her want to take a big jump and leave the ladder behind completely. But with this water new and possibly cold, one step at a time was smarter.

She told herself a single rung at a time wasn’t too fast to fall in love. She wasn’t sure if she was lying to herself or not, and she took the next step down.

* * *

Kelly put in long hours looking at files and computer screens during the day, and longer hours at home planning for Finn’s birthday party. She felt the weight of being both his father and his mother on his first birthday away from Taylor. Her ex-husband had texted earlier in the week to find out if he could send Finn something, and Kelly had given him her parent’s address. When she left for work on Friday morning, nothing had arrived.

She spent the drive to the ranch fuming over Taylor’s nonchalance. He’d said he’d pay for half of everything, but at the first event of Finn’s life, he hadn’t sent the gift on time. She finally rolled down the window to air out her anger.

Please let the package arrive today, she prayed. She did not want Finn to be disappointed. 

She waded through paper. Typed into the computer. Ate a terrible jelly sandwich, because Squire hadn’t come into her office today, and she wasn’t fit for company at the homestead.

More files and folders. More staring at her phone, hoping against hope that a message would come in with the words she wanted to see.

Her mother finally texted just after two o’clock. Taylor’s package just arrived.

Kelly grinned from ear to ear just as Squire entered her office. “What did you find?” He continued around her desk to where she stood, his face holding so much hope.

“Nothing,” she said quickly, flipping her phone over. “My mom just sent me a text.”

His expression tightened again, and Kelly really wanted to help this troubled, tense Squire become the warm, kind, funny man she’d started to fall for.

He paced to the window, his limp pronounced when he didn’t try to hide it. “I’m going stir-crazy.” 

“You haven’t even been out here today.”

“Yeah, I’ve been going through my mother’s office with her.” He wore a dark storm in his eyes. “Did you know she has the receipts for her wedding to my daddy?” He shook his head. “From thirty years ago. They’re all clipped neatly together in a yellow envelope. It’s ridiculous.”

Kelly grinned at him. “Not much of a keeper, are you, cowboy?”

“Keeper?”

“You don’t keep things? Things that mean something to you?”

He seemed to be drawing a blank. “I had to pack everything important in my life into one bag and one backpack,” he said. “So, no, I guess I’m not a keeper.” He gave her a glare. “Are you?”

She shook her head, though she kind of wanted to see his reaction if she told him she was a packrat like his mom. “Not really. I keep the important things.”

He started to soften. “Did you keep anything from your first wedding?” His hand slid along her waist.

She shook her head as she gazed up at him. “I had some things, yes. A program for the ceremony. The fancy paper with the menu for the dinner. I threw them out when I had to go through my house in San Diego.”

“What kind of wedding do you want if you ever get married again?”

Surprise darted through Kelly. “I mean…I haven’t really thought about it.”

He nodded, his jaw instantly tight again. “Maybe you should.”

“Maybe I should?” 

“I have to get going.” He released her and headed for the exit, only glancing at her as he reached the doorframe. “I’ll see you tonight at the party, okay?”

“Six o’clock,” she reminded him. “Bring the puppy. Dad’s grilling.”

He waved and she watched him go, wishing she had the therapeutic powers of Juniper and Hank. But she didn’t. 

“Maybe I should be thinking of a second marriage.” The words rolled around in her head, and of course, they made sense. Squire wasn’t one to mince words or dance around a point, and he’d been very clear in his feelings for Kelly.

At the same time, something held him back. 

“The money.” The only thing she could do to ease Squire’s worries and get everything back on the right track was find the money. She knew he carried that weight alone, and that it was one-point-six million pounds of heavy.

* * *

Kelly tried to set aside her worry as Finn’s birthday party began and Squire still hadn’t arrived. Crystal, Scott, and their three boys brought laughter and love to the house, as well as a gift for Finn. Kelly couldn’t believe she wouldn’t have a present for her own son.

Her insides felt shredded by nails. She checked her phone again, like maybe it had died in the last twenty seconds.

“Kel, you want a hamburger or a hot dog?” her dad asked, his tongs poised above the grill.

“Hamburger,” she answered, sending another message to Squire. She’d sent two already and certainly didn’t need to fire off a third. But she couldn’t help it. If she didn’t have that puppy for Finn, she’d be worse than Taylor.

The spikes raked over her lungs and she gasped for breath as she fixed her burger with lettuce, tomatoes, and one of her dad’s perfectly cooked over-easy eggs. Crystal had taken care of Finn’s hot dog without Kelly even knowing.

She stuffed her phone in her back pocket and loaded her plate with potato chips. “Happy birthday, Finny.” She smiled at him and picked up her burger, though the idea of eating it had her stomach leading a revolt.

“When are we going to open presents?” he asked.

She choked on her first bite. “In a little bit,” she said. “We’re going to eat first, and you have to show your cousins how you can throw the football.”

Thankfully, that got Scott into the conversation, as well as Crystal’s two older boys. Kelly nearly choked for the second time that night when her phone buzzed against the bench. She whipped it out of her pocket, praying with every fiber of her soul that it was Squire.

It was. Sorry I’m late. Crisis with Pete. Tell you about it later. Be there in twenty.

True to his word, Squire texted only nineteen minutes later. Out front. Should I come through the house with the puppy?

Kelly jumped up from the bench where she’d been talking with Crystal. “Squire’s here. Be right back.”

“Can’t wait,” Crystal said in a purr. Kelly ignored her and sprinted up the steps to the deck and into the mudroom. At the front door, she gestured to Squire to bring in the beautiful brown puppy.

“Hey,” he said, wielding a large cardboard box. “I’m so sorry I’m late.” He set down the box and drew her into a hug. “It’s so good to see you.”

He sounded exhausted, and Kelly wondered what crisis had happened that afternoon and if it had anything to do with his service overseas. She was beginning to realize that Squire had more wounds than just the one in his leg.

“Pete could’ve come,” she said.

“That wasn’t the problem,” Squire said, pulling back. “Though he does want to come to the rodeo next weekend with Tammy. Is that all right?”

“Sure,” Kelly said. “He’s always welcome.”

Squire gazed at her with adoration evident on his face. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

“Not really.” She fiddled with the top button on his shirt. “You’re the amazing one, working with me in that stuffy office day after day. Helping your parents and your sister. Bringing my son a dog.” She hooked her thumb over her shoulder, dangerously close to letting her emotions out of the box where she kept them. Then they’d stain everything, and she wouldn’t be able to keep how she really felt about Squire a secret.

“Come on. Everyone’s in the backyard.”

He retrieved the box and followed her toward the picnic table. “You bought the dog, darlin’.”

She directed him to put the box on the table bearing the other gifts. With it in place, a sense of calm soothed the scratches inside.

“Hey, let’s open presents,” she called. The boys came running over from where they’d been throwing a football, and Kelly’s parents followed. Crystal and Scott wrangled their kids into submission long enough for Finn to open the gift they’d brought.

He enthusiastically ripped off the paper, yelling with delight at the Lego set his cousins had brought for him.

“What do you say?” Kelly prompted.

“Thank you,” Finn dutifully replied, hugging Crystal and then Scott and then every boy-cousin.

“Mine next,” Kelly said, nudging the box closer to him. He lifted the first flap and the puppy poked his head out.

“A dog!” Finn shouted, dancing away from the table and then back. “Is he mine, Mom? All mine?”

She laughed at his exuberance. “Yes, baby. He’s yours.” She lifted the lab out of the box and set him on the grass in front of Finn. He crouched down and scratched the puppy behind his ears.

The dog licked his face, causing Finn to laugh.

“What are you gonna name ‘im?” Squire asked as he bent down to pet the puppy too.

“What’s a good name?” Finn looked to Squire for advice, his face open and unassuming.

Kelly’s heart warmed as she watched them. If this could be her reality every day, she’d be the luckiest woman in the world. Crystal gave her nudge with her elbow, her expression full of knowing.

“I don’t know,” Squire said. “What’s something you like?”

Finn’s eyebrows creased as he thought. “How about Buster?”

“Sure,” Squire said.

“Do you like Buster, Mom?” Finn looked at her with eyes wide with innocence.

“Sure, baby.” She drew him into a hug. “Happy birthday.”

Kelly could never love anything or anyone as much as she loved Finn in that moment. As Squire stepped to her side, she thought it might be natural for him to put one arm around her shoulders and the other around Finn. Her chest narrowed, telling her Squire had just claimed a piece of her heart—permanently.