A Rancher To Love. Trish Milburn

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      After leisurely enjoying her coffee, she faced the fact that she couldn’t simply sit on the porch all day. She had to be productive, take another step into her new life. When she realized she was waiting to catch another glimpse of Tyler, she forced herself inside the bunkhouse. Ready or not, she had to work. Though he seemed like a nice enough guy based on their limited interactions, she doubted Tyler would let her stay in her current accommodations for free.

      She eyed the supplies on the table, hoping inspiration would strike. When her creative side stayed on hiatus, she instead started making a list of other tasks she could tackle in the meantime. Most important, she needed to arrange for internet access and go buy some groceries. What she’d brought from her apartment wouldn’t last more than a day or maybe two if she stretched it.

      Wanting to keep her distance, she texted Tyler to ask if he had any issue with her getting internet access set up at the bunkhouse. She found herself staring at her phone, waiting for the answer. When none came, she set it aside and began writing out her grocery list. That was a normal activity, and hopefully it would be another step toward leaving the attack and the fear in the past.

      The sound of what she assumed was Tyler’s voice drew her to the window. Maybe he was on the phone and that’s why he hadn’t texted her back yet.

      But when she looked toward the house, she saw him walking toward his truck, a little blonde girl at his side. The child couldn’t be more than five or six years old.

      Leah didn’t remember him saying anything about having a child, and now she wondered if Tyler was married. Was there a wife in the house whom she also hadn’t seen? That certainly made her feel bad about appreciating how good-looking Tyler was, but having another woman on the ranch might help Leah relax and grow more comfortable around her landlord.

      Despite the fact he might very well be a married man, Leah couldn’t pull her gaze away from Tyler as he helped the little girl into the truck and fastened her in to her seat. Was there anything sexier than a handsome man caring for a small child?

      Tyler shut the door and glanced toward the bunkhouse. Leah squeaked and stepped back from the window. Thank goodness she wasn’t still sitting on the porch staring at him. She didn’t need him or a potential wife seeing that, not if she didn’t want to be packing up to move out a day after moving in.

      She waited until she heard Tyler’s truck start up and leave before she grabbed her grocery list, purse and keys and headed to her own vehicle. As she drove past the house, she glanced at the windows but saw no one. It struck her as strange that she didn’t know whether to be disappointed or grateful.

      As she drove into Blue Falls a few minutes later, the tightness of her muscles relaxed. The combination of daylight, a good number of people going about their business, and the warmth she’d always felt this community generated allowed her to breathe more easily. It also made her wonder if she’d made a mistake moving out into the country alone.

      Leah shook her head as she drove through the downtown area. She was “borrowing trouble,” as her mother was fond of saying. Neither Tyler nor her new home had truly given her any reason for concern. She was just allowing the dark parts of her imagination to run wild. Rather than working or settling into her new community, the top item on her to-do list was to stop imagining the worst was going to happen. She was allowing Jason Garton to continue to victimize her even though he was sitting in a jail cell more than two hundred miles away. And that made her angry more than anything else.

      She parked at the grocery store and headed inside, determined to make today, her first as a full-time Blue Falls resident, a good one. In fact, she was in the mood to bake something sinfully delicious and headed straight for the baking aisle. She decided on caramel brownies and tossed the necessary ingredients in her cart then headed toward the next aisle.

      “Leah!”

      She jumped but then realized she recognized the female voice. India Parrish stood in between the end of the aisle Leah had just left and the meat counter along the back wall.

      “Hey, India. How are you?”

      “Great.” India glanced at Leah’s cart. “So it’s true? You’ve moved to Blue Falls?”

      Leah nodded. “Yeah, brand-new resident as of yesterday.”

      “That’s awesome, and just in time. I’m down to the last piece of your jewelry in my shop.”

      “Glad to hear it’s selling.” Her bank account would be equally as happy. And speaking of, she supposed she needed to transfer that, as well.

      “Like hotcakes. I tried placing another order a few days ago, but I hadn’t heard anything in response.”

      “Oh, sorry about that. Been having some site issues.” As in she’d barely looked at it since the attack. “I’m actually in the process of getting reconnected here, so I’ll get your order to you as soon as I can.”

      Which meant she had to work no matter if she felt inspired or not.

      India waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “No worries. I’m sure you have lots to do to get settled. I heard you rented the old bunkhouse out at Tyler Lowe’s place.”

      “Yeah.” Leah resisted the urge to ask India about Tyler, to get a second opinion on whether he was a good guy, safe to be around, whether he was married.

      India waved at a blonde Leah didn’t know, and the other woman carried her hand basket over to where they stood.

      “Gina, this is Leah Murphy. She’s the one who makes the beautiful jewelry I’ve had in the front display case at the shop. Leah, Gina Tolbert.”

      Gina extended her hand for a shake. “You do lovely work. I had my eye on a lapis and pearl necklace of yours, but I waited too long and someone snapped it up. That’ll teach me to hesitate when I see something I want.”

      “I’m sure you could convince Leah to make another for you,” India said with a smile that accentuated her natural beauty.

      “Of course.” Maybe if she forced herself to start working again, it would actually take her mind off the things she didn’t want to think about in the first place.

      “Leah has just moved here.” India met Leah’s eyes. “Gina has only been here a few months herself.”

      “I’ve spent some time here over the years, though. My mom moved here when I was in my senior year of high school, when she got remarried. Though I stayed in Waco with my dad so I could finish school with my friends.”

      “We’re lucky to have Gina here now, though,” India said. “She’s the new head of the tourist bureau, and she’s got so many great ideas to keep the local economy booming that she’s got all of our heads spinning.”

      As the two women told Leah about the addition of photography classes by the local-wildflower tour company, the budding wedding industry, and how the rodeo crowds were growing and thus drawing bigger-name talent, Leah couldn’t help feeling their excitement.

      India placed her hand atop Leah’s where it sat gripping the handle of the shopping cart. “And this will be perfect for you. We’re planning to have an arts and crafts trail soon where tourists can follow a map from one artist or craftsperson’s shop to the next. They СКАЧАТЬ