The Rancher's Second Chance. Brenda Minton

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СКАЧАТЬ Oregon offered with a sweet smile and shrug of slim shoulders. “A hug?”

      She almost cried. It made her realize how alone she’d felt for the past few months. She’d climbed inside herself, hiding the secret of Lincoln’s abuse from people who could have helped. She’d lost pieces of herself one bruise at a time. She would put herself back together. For her baby. And for herself.

      She moved her hand to her belly.

      Oregon moved to the sofa. A slim arm slipped around Grace, pulling her close to the other woman’s side. “It’ll get better. I know people love to use the phrase, ‘I’ve been there.’ But I really have. I had Duke’s child twelve years ago. I was younger than you and very alone.”

      Grace’s throat tightened with emotion and tears stung her eyes.

      Oregon gave her another quick hug. “It gets easier. And harder. Better. And worse.”

      Grace laughed through her tears at that bit of honesty. “Thanks. I think.”

      “I won’t lie. It won’t be the easiest thing you’ve ever done. But you’ll have friends. If you stay here, I’ll help you any way that I can.”

      Grace tried to find words to respond to this unexpected offer of friendship. She drew in a breath, felt a little stronger. “Thank you. I know I can do this. The past few months have been rough. But it has to get easier.”

      “Of course it will. Now let’s have a sandwich and then I’ll show you my store.” Oregon stood and held out a hand to pull Grace to her feet. “If we’re lucky we’ll get a little peace and quiet before one of the Martin men comes storming in to...”

      As if on cue the outside door opened. Brody stepped in, his gaze shooting from Oregon to Grace. “I thought I’d check on you before I head out to the ranch. I’ve been rounding up a few supplies for Jake.”

      “I’m good,” Grace assured him, standing next to Oregon. “We were just going to get lunch.”

      “Yeah, you should eat. I don’t think you kept any of your breakfast down.” His suntanned cheeks turn a little pink. His blue eyes skirted the room, looking at everything but her. “Anyway, if you need anything, Oregon has my number.”

      “Brody, you don’t have to...”

      “I know that, Grace. But you came here, and I’m not going to turn my back on you.”

      “Thanks.”

      Oregon touched her arm and left them alone.

      He glanced away, but not before she saw the hurt in his eyes. She started to take a step toward him but stopped, because it did a cowboy no good to think he was getting sympathy when that was the last thing he wanted. He didn’t want her hugs or her apologies. He wanted to get on with his life.

      He’d help her. She knew that. But she also knew that Brody wouldn’t let her back into his life, not after the way she’d hurt him. That was for the best. She was having a baby. That had to be her focus now.

      “Well, I’ve got to run before Jake comes after me. I doubt I’ll be back this evening. If you need anything the store is next door. Put anything you need on my account, and I’ll settle up with them at the end of the week. Or you can run over to Duke’s.”

      “Brody, I can take care of myself.”

      He looked at her, really looked at her, then gave a curt nod. He adjusted that beat-up white cowboy hat he wouldn’t replace and reached for the door. “Yeah, I know you can.”

      With that he walked out the door. Grace was left standing in the center of the small apartment, lost somewhere between needing him to come back and knowing she could do this on her own.

      She walked through the door that connected the apartment to the shop and found Oregon arranging paints and brushes on a worktable. Grace entered the room, slightly mesmerized by the merchandise.

      “You made all of this?” Grace asked.

      Oregon stepped out from behind the worktable. “I did. And you’re the reason Brody came home angry, aren’t you?”

      It wasn’t said with malice, just curiosity.

      Grace touched a Christmas ornament with a pretty manger scene painted on the front of the glass bulb. “Yes, I’m the reason. I never meant to hurt him. I just wasn’t ready and he was so serious.”

      “People seldom do mean to hurt each other.”

      At that, Grace touched her bruised cheek. “Oh, some people mean it.”

      “Yes, some do. But if you weren’t ready it would have been wrong to lead him on. That would have been another kind of hurt.”

      Grace walked away from Oregon and the discomfort of the conversation. She sifted through a rack of handmade skirts, then stopped, her hand hovering as she turned to look at Oregon.

      “You’re right. It would have been wrong.”

      So why had she come to Martin’s Crossing, to Brody, when she could have gone anywhere? Would she hurt him all over again, being here, needing his help?

      Because hurting him was the last thing she wanted to do.

Chapter Three

      Brody’s knees ached, but it felt good to be in the saddle. The big gelding underneath him moved a bit to the right, ears pricked forward as he watched the cattle they were moving. The day had started out gray and rainy but had cleared, and the air soon turned muggy as the sun heated things up. Their mission was to move close to a hundred head of cattle to a field that hadn’t been grazed down.

      The beef moved slowly, sometimes stopping to munch at grass, sometimes trying to zigzag away from the herd and take off to greener pastures. Brody kept a steady hand on the reins, trying to keep the gelding he rode from bolting. He could handle riding, but a sudden jerk felt like fire going through his leg. That was what happened when wear and tear dissolved the cartilage in a knee.

      After the lunch rush, Duke had left the diner in the capable hands of Ned and joined in to help. As they moved the animals through an open gate, Duke rode up beside Brody.

      “You doing okay?” Duke asked in his typical big-brother tone that got under Brody’s skin.

      “Why wouldn’t I be?”

      “Could you stop being defensive for one second and just be honest?”

      “I’m honest. Why wouldn’t I be fine?”

      “Well, you’ve had your leg out of the stirrup more than in. And on top of that, a pregnant woman showed up this morning and it’s clear the two of you are more than just friends.”

      “We’re not even friends. And it isn’t my baby, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

      “No, I wasn’t thinking that. What I’m thinking is that you don’t like to share anything with your family, and that makes it kind of hard СКАЧАТЬ