The Rancher's Legacy. Jessica Keller
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you see where your rat of a brother went off to?” Macy called.
Shannon tossed back her head and laughed. “Well, I know you aren’t talking about Boone.” And neither mentioned the other Jarrett brother, Wade. His death five years ago had been the catalyst that set the Jarretts drifting apart. Being Wade’s twin, Shannon had been deeply affected by the sudden loss of him. She hadn’t quite regained the wide, carefree grin she’d been known for as a child. Probably never would.
“I could hardly call a man training to be a pastor a rat.” Macy joined in the laughter.
Shannon nodded, her short blond waves bobbing. “Rhett walks Kodiak to the lake every morning and every evening. I don’t think she can last a day without swimming. Rhett says it’s in her breed’s blood.”
Macy tipped her head in a silent thank-you and made for the lake.
Red Dog Ranch sat on over three thousand acres of gorgeous Texas Hill Country land and had multiple lakes and ponds. Some of them Macy would need a horse or one of the trucks to reach, but she guessed Rhett had stuck to the one closest to the house. Long ago, she and Rhett had dubbed the body of water Canoe Landing. It was where he’d fished with his dad and where he and his siblings had learned to swim. Macy too.
Embers of memories burned in the back of her mind. She snuffed them out. A million yesterdays couldn’t help her solve the problems she faced today.
When Macy hiked over the hill that led to Canoe Landing, she paused. Rhett had his back to her. His shoulders made an impressive cut against the approaching sunset. Rhett had always been taller and broader than his brothers. The Wranglers and starched button-down he wore fit so well, they might as well be illegal. Under his cowboy hat she knew his hair would be naturally blond-tipped and tousled.
He was the kind of handsome that female country-western singers wrote ballads about, but it was clear he had never caught on to how attractive he was or how many hearts he could have broken if he’d wanted to. Rhett wasn’t like that.
She fiddled with the end of her flannel.
Kodiak bounded out of the water, dropped a soggy ball at Rhett’s feet and then leaned around his leg and let out a low growl. Her yellowish eyes pinned on Macy.
Rhett pivoted to see what had captured his dog’s attention. His eyebrows rose when he spotted Macy. His eyes were such a shocking shade of blue and his tanned skin only made them stand out more.
I’m sorry I kissed you and ran off.
I’m sorry I never returned your calls. I was confused. I let too much time pass.
I ruined everything.
She swallowed the words rushing through her mind.
Macy tucked her thumb over her scarred finger. “You snuck out the back?”
Rhett patted Kodiak’s head before he lobbed the ball in a wide arc. It splashed down in the middle of the lake. The dog became a blur of brown along the shoreline. She dove into the water, going under before paddling wildly.
Rhett crossed his arms over his chest. “I didn’t know I was supposed to check in with the assistant before leaving.”
“Listen.” Macy squared her shoulders and lifted her chin a notch higher to hold his gaze. “We need to come to some sort of a truce here or else work is going to become very miserable, very fast.”
Unless he fired her, of course. Rhett had the power and ability to do it, so while she wanted to push him and fight with him over the foster-related events at the ranch, she needed to tread the subject carefully.
Good thing Macy had cooled down considerably since she’d locked up at the office.
Rhett shifted his line of vision to watch Kodiak swimming in circles. “I suppose you’re right.” He glanced back at her. “We can’t keep acting like the walls of Jericho to each other if we’re going to be sharing office space.”
“You’re...you’re going to let me stay then?”
The notch in Rhett’s throat bobbed. His gaze traced her face. “This is your home, Mace. You love your job.” He looked away. “I don’t plan on taking that from you.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. She tentatively touched his arm. “Rhett, I’m so sorry about your dad. He loved you a lot.”
His bicep tensed under her touch. “ I thought we had plenty of years left. I never thought—” A harsh exhale of breath escaped his lips. “What a stupid thing to say. No one expects these sorts of things.”
“I’m here.” She squeezed his arm lightly, then let go. “If you need someone.”
His brow bunched as his eyes cut back to her. “We haven’t spoken in three years.”
“The walls of Jericho fell down.” Macy slipped her hands into her pockets. “You know that, right?”
A muscle in Rhett’s jaw popped, once, twice. “I’m a... I’m not looking for friendship again, Mace. Not with you. I think it’s important to put that out on the table.”
She knew Rhett hadn’t meant the words maliciously; he was just stating reality. Rhett was a man who dealt in facts. It was his attempt at being forthright. Chivalrous even, making certain no one would get the wrong idea from the get-go.
But, wow, what he said smarted.
Not with you.
Those three words stung her worse than any pit viper ever could.
After Brock’s funeral she’d foolishly hoped she and Rhett might have been able to let bygones be bygones and fall back into the easy, lifelong friendship they had once shared. A part of her had even wondered if God was drawing them close for another chance at being together in the way Macy had always wanted.
Well, consider that balloon popped and tossed in the garbage.
“Understood.” She kept her voice even. If they weren’t going to deal in niceties she might as well get down to business. “We need to talk about the foster programs.”
Rhett let out one sharp laugh that held no hint of humor. “Which one?”
“Let’s start with Camp Firefly.” As if summoned by her mention, a pack of fireflies began to flit over the lake. Kodiak had noticed them too and began snapping her giant muzzle in their direction. The little bugs looped and pitched in oblong circles around each other. Encouraged by their presence Macy said, “You can’t cut it.”
Rhett cocked his head. “Who said I was?”
“You did.” She jabbed a finger in his direction. “Mr. I’m-Looking-into-Cancelling-Things.”
Rhett rubbed his finger across his lips. Was he hiding a smile? Was this a joke to him?
Kodiak slogged out of the water. She gave a shake, sending droplets flying, and then walked toward her master, her tail wagging the whole way.
“I can’t make any promises about next summer, but with only three months left until camp it would be hard to cut it.” Kodiak dropped down at his feet. She adjusted to lay her head near his boots, leaving wet marks on the legs of his jeans. “Some of the kids have already gotten letters inviting them. No matter what you think of me, I’m not heartless, Macy.” He cut his gaze to collide with hers. “I promise, I’m not.”
“I know you’re not,” she whispered into the growing dark. Rhett had never been a spiteful person. Hurt, but never hurtful.
They both stared out over the water as the sun tucked itself further into tomorrow.
“It’s just...” Macy looked up into the sky as if she could find the right words somewhere in the clouds. “Your dad really cared about these programs. He cared about each and every foster kid. I’d hate to see any of the programs