Baby boys...that hit her right in the heart. She’d had her own baby boy and held him in her arms for one long night, and her memories of him made her heart ache. She sucked in a ragged breath. Casey wasn’t the only one to pour himself into his work. She did the same. This trip to discover her family’s land was the closest she’d come to anything like a vacation in ages. She was out here until her car was fixed, and she had a mission to discover whether this was the land her family had settled or not. Now was not the time to delve into her own personal issues.
“So you’re—” she began.
“Heading back to my place,” he said. “It’s five minutes down the road.” He paused, regarding her with a thoughtful look on his face.
“What?” she asked with a small smile.
“You and I might be able to help each other, Ember. You’re obviously going to need some time on this property to figure out if it’s the right place. And I need some help with those babies.”
“I’m no nanny,” she said with a short laugh.
“I’m not asking you to be. I can show you around this ranch properly, but my availability is going to be hit-and-miss. We run a really efficient operation here without a lot of extra employees hanging around, and I’m in a unique situation being a new guardian of these babies. Everything is in a knot right now. Seeing this ranch is going to take you more than one day, and if I’m going to give you a proper tour, I’d need to scrounge up a ranch hand to babysit while I take you around, and I can’t always spare the man. My niece helps out, but she’s got school and a part-time job of her own, so I can’t really count on her. But if you were here on the ranch so you’d be available when I manage to get everything lined up, and if I had some extra help with the babies in the meantime, we could both have our needs met.”
“I’m not a long-term solution,” she countered.
“I’m not looking for one. My aunt is coming in two weeks to help me out full-time. All I need is a bit of help until then. Plus, your car is in the shop for a week at least, isn’t it?”
Ember licked her lips and looked away. He was right—if she was going to get the time on this property that she needed to make an informed purchase, she’d have to make some kind of arrangement to stay. This setup made the most sense. But it didn’t take that aching part of her heart into account. Baby boys...she wasn’t ready to reopen that wound. Not yet, and not with an audience.
Ember looked back at the house, over at her wrecked car and up into the face of that rugged cowboy. His expression didn’t betray any of his feelings, and he raised an eyebrow at her.
“What do you say? You can think about it, if you want. But I’ve got to head back to the house. Coming or staying?”
This wasn’t about old wounds and sad regrets. And she couldn’t avoid babies forever. As much as she hated being pushed into a corner like this, she had a priceless opportunity to look at this land with the attention to detail she required. Could she set aside her personal issues long enough to make her dreams for her future work come true? She sucked in a breath, her limited options circling her mind.
“I’m coming,” she said.
Somehow, Ember needed a fresh start...and this land held a promise of just that.
Chapter Two
Casey looked over at the woman beside him in the passenger seat as he bumped over that familiar gravel road. She looked relaxed enough, unless he noticed her hands—white knuckled in her lap. Was it him? Was she nervous about driving down some isolated ranch road with a guy she didn’t know? He didn’t like the idea of anyone being truly afraid of him. She was the competition—here to slap down more money than he had any access to—but she was also a woman out of her element and alone, and that made him soften toward her a little bit.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Of course.”
“Because you’re white knuckling it there.” He shot her a half smile.
“Oh...” She breathed out an uncomfortable laugh. “Sorry.”
She released her grip, stretched her fingers out and laid her hands flat against the tops of her legs.
This drive back down the road wasn’t quite the celebration the drive up to the house had been. Was this it, then? Mr. Vern would sell to this city slicker, and Casey’s dreams of owning a ranch would have to be put on hold yet again? Yes, there was always the chance that another property would land on the market, but would the timing ever be right again? Those babies were going to cost money to raise, and he’d be chipping into that down payment he’d squirreled away in no time. Plus, he knew he couldn’t do this alone indefinitely. His aunt would come help full-time for a while, but she’d never take the place of a real mom. He hoped to get married and bring his wife back to his own land...not another man’s.
“So how much have you researched about this ranch so far?” Casey asked.
“The maps I could find online and in local records were limited,” she replied. “But my great-great-grandmother wrote a journal where she talked about some specific landmarks. If I could find the actual site of the old house, there’s something I know to look for. My great-great-great grandfather put a single red brick in the front of the fireplace. It was something they brought from across the country—a touchstone of sorts. I don’t know if I’ll be able to find it, though. Plus, I’m waiting to hear back from some local historical societies.”
Casey glanced toward her again. “And if you don’t find the
