Heart of a Rancher Page 16

  John had plenty of cares in the world right now, more than he could ever remember having before, even after his mother had died and he’d been left to raise Casey. Because he’d found the girl of his dreams, his soul mate, and he’d lost her.

  For now.

  By the time he and Landon crested the ridge and the horses had slowed to a walk, the tension in his muscles had subsided, his heart had released the frustration at knowing another man would escort Dana to a gala next week and his mind had started contemplating exactly what he could do to make the dude ranch profitable. And get back the woman he loved.

  Sam nickered, and Landon stroked her neck. “She wants water. Let’s head down to the Sanders’s pond and let them drink.”

  “Red wouldn’t mind a drink, I’m sure. It’s been a while since he’s been ridden this hard.” He and Red followed Landon and Sam down the ridge toward Eden Sanders’s ranch, an exact replica of the Cutter property with a big two-story log home in the center surrounded by fields and ponds, cattle and horses, and a large Mennonite barn. The only difference was where the Cutter barn was red, the Sanders barn was forest-green. Georgiana had been raised on this farm, and the three of them had spent many years riding the trails, the ridge and the fields together, enjoying the natural beauty of God’s country.

  John followed Landon to the pond, then they let the horses drink their fill, while he wondered about Dana’s childhood. She undoubtedly hadn’t spent her time finding simple ways to entertain herself, like building forts or skipping stones or riding the trails. She hadn’t mentioned any friends from childhood; in fact, the only friends she’d mentioned during the entire time she’d been on the ranch had been her sorority sisters from college. And she’d said they hardly spoke anymore, since everyone had gone their separate ways after graduation.

  The only family she had was a brother who was more interested in work than in enjoying life and who didn’t appear to have much of a faith system at all, from what John could determine. Ryan sounded like a bow-to-the-almighty-dollar kind of city guy that John had never understood.

  He thought of William, the guy who’d be escorting Dana next week. He felt fairly certain the man was probably a lot like Ryan, and he’d told Dana the truth when he said he believed she wasn’t interested in the city boy. In fact, he knew she wasn’t.

  She loved John.

  But John had to find a way to show her that he could take care of her in every way. He just had to determine how.

  “Sometimes I still can’t believe how lucky we are to live in the middle of all this.” Landon’s statement caused John to survey his surroundings again. Shades of green cloaked the mountains with patches of white and vibrant color interspersed with blooming foliage. Rolling fields stretched out as far as John could see. A dozen or so huge round hay bales were sporadically left around the fields, a result of yesterday’s hay baling. A large stocked pond held an abundance of crappie, bream and catfish; one overzealous fish splashed completely out of the water while John scanned the slick surface.

  Landon was right, they were lucky to live here surrounded by all this beauty. And the only thing that would make it more beautiful would be to have Dana by his side.

  “I’ve got to find a way to bring her back.”

  Landon didn’t have to ask who he was talking about. “From what Georgiana told me this morning, all you have to do is ask. Dana doesn’t want to stay away, she likes it here. And I’d thought the two of you had decided to make this relationship something permanent, with her here in Alabama. I mean, it sure looked that way to me.”

  “That was when I thought the dude ranch would make it. I can’t bring her here if I have to live off her inheritance.” When Landon raised a brow, John added, “Okay, I could, but I won’t.”

  “Nah, I couldn’t do it, either. Maybe it’s because we’ve fought so hard to hang on to the farm through the tough times and don’t want to use someone else’s money to help us out now. But for some reason, I’m not all that keen on Dana riding in to save the day, either.”

  John grinned. “I don’t think that’s what she was trying to do.”

  “I know, but you get what I’m saying. We should be able to figure this thing out—the dude ranch, I mean. It’s a great idea for a vacation. Why aren’t people seeing it?”

  “I have no idea. We’ve advertised it everywhere, and we’ve got the place ready to go, but we still don’t have anything on the books.” He shook his head. “And I’m not sure what else to try.”

  Sam nickered, and Red followed suit. Then several other horses in the field joined in, as though they were speaking their own language. John and Landon exchanged bemused looks.

  “What do you think got into all of them?” John scanned the field to see if something had spooked them, but then again, they were nickering happily, nothing like the noise they’d make if they were scared.

  Landon laughed. “Well, maybe they’re trying to tell us what to do about the dude ranch, and we just can’t speak their language.”

  John smiled. “Maybe so.”

  The horses continued the odd behavior, and John’s memory latched onto the prayer he’d said a short while ago, where he asked God to help him know what to do.

  And then he had it.

  Thank you, Lord.

  “Hey, I’m going to head on back. I’ve got an idea.”

  Landon’s brows lifted. “From the horses?”

  “Pretty much. I need to go see Brother Henry, though, to see if what I’m thinking might work. You want to ride back with me?”

  “Nah, Abi’s got her riding lesson over here with Eden in an hour. I’m going to wait and watch her.” He laughed again at the horses, still nickering. “So, they’re telling you something? You going to let me in on what?”

  “After I talk to Brother Henry.” John took another glance at all the horses in the field that seemed to be urging him on. Then he rode Red back to the ranch, quickly moved to the truck and, in less than twenty minutes, he entered Brother Henry’s office.

  The preacher looked up from his Bible and nodded. “Isn’t that something?” He almost acted as though he expected John’s visit.

  “Isn’t what something?” John asked, pleased that they had such a good relationship that he could merely enter the preacher’s office and launch right into a conversation.

  “We just finished a prayer for you and for your sweet Dana, and then you walked in my door.”

  “We?” John sat in one of the guest chairs near the preacher’s desk.

  “Me and Mary. She stepped out to go get us some coffee from the kitchen.”

  “You were praying for us—me and Dana?”

  He nodded. “Georgiana called Mary a short while ago and asked us to pray for the two of you, so we did. And then you walk through the door. I’m assuming God sent you here?”

  “I reckon He did.”

  The preacher’s wife entered, carrying two steaming mugs, glanced at John and beamed. “Why, we just prayed for you.”

  “So I hear.” John thought about what it’d be like to have a wife who would pray with him, be with him, make him smile, bring him coffee. Love him for the rest of his life, the way he would love her.

  “Would you like me to get you a cup?” Mary gave Brother Henry his mug, and the preacher thanked her with a smile.

  “No, thank you,” John said, while Mary sat in the other guest chair and sipped her coffee.

  “Okay if I stay while you two talk?” she asked.

  “Yes,” John said. “Because I really got this idea from you.”

  “What idea is that?”

  “You remember when you told me about the Vacation Bible School program where you taught the kids about animals in the Bible, specifically horses?”

  “Yes, of course. I actually saw all that material yesterday when I reo
rganized the supply room.”

  “We’ve tried to advertise our dude ranch to families who might consider it for a vacation, and we’ve had hardly any interest at all. But then I got to thinking that maybe we should target a different audience, and since our dude ranch would revolve around the horses—” he pictured all the horses nickering at him in the field “—I thought we could have a daily Bible study as part of the ranch activities.”

  “And your Bible study would focus on the verses in the Bible dealing with horses, the way our Bible school material did.”

  “Yes. In fact, I thought we could stop focusing our advertising on the magazines and newspapers where we try to target families and instead advertise to churches who might consider bringing their youth groups to a dude ranch for a youth retreat.”

  Brother Henry clapped his hands together. “John, that’s an excellent idea.”

  “Yes,” Mary joined in. “Churches are always looking for an unusual, fun activity that they can offer their youth, especially one that teaches the kids about the Bible. Plus, the children would love it. I’ve never met a child yet who doesn’t like horses, or learning about them, for that matter.” She stood. “I’ll go get the material from the supply room.”

  “And I can do something for you, too,” said Brother Henry, as he turned his chair to face his computer and tapped at the keyboard. “But I’d need to know how soon you’ll be ready to get this going.”

  “As soon as I get that material from Mary, I’ll work nonstop to get the new schedule of activities up to include horses in the Bible and promote the daily Bible studies, things that the churches would find appealing for their youth programs. I’m sure Landon, Georgiana, Abi and Eden will help. Casey could add the new info to the site this week to show that we’re offering youth retreats now.” John considered what all they needed to do. “I suppose we could start booking retreats as early as the week after next.”

  “Well, all right, then.” Brother Henry continued typing and smiling. “I guess it’ll be okay for me to send an announcement about this new youth retreat opportunity to all my Christian youth groups online, don’t you think? Tell them to check the website out this week and let them know that they can start making their reservations as early as two weeks from now. Sound good?”

  John’s ears perked up, and he could feel a tiny surge of adrenaline in his veins. “Brother Henry, exactly how many Christian youth groups are you connected to online?”

  The preacher smiled, and winked. “Oh, about a hundred, maybe more.”

  The adrenaline picked it up another notch. “You aren’t joking?”

  “I wouldn’t joke with you about something this big. It’s a great idea, John. God-inspired, I’d say.”

  He again pictured all those horses nickering in the field. “Definitely God-inspired.”

  “So it’s okay for me to send this out? Tell them to check the site each day while you’re getting everything up and rolling, and then start booking their youth retreats?”

  “Yes, it’s okay, more than okay.” John laughed at the rapid turn of events, all orchestrated undeniably by God. And then he smiled. Soon churches would fill his reservation calendar with youth retreats. And soon, he’d show Dana how he could make a business work on his own, and how he could provide for his future bride...on his own.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Dana turned her office chair away from her desk and toward the floor-to-ceiling windows that offered an incomparable view of Chicago and Lake Michigan. That’s how the panorama from the Brooks International executive offices had been described. But Dana didn’t see the scene as compelling anymore. It didn’t capture her imagination like a waterfall in the woods; make her wonder what surprises were hidden in the landscape like vivid purple, pink and red rhododendrons; cause her to think about God and the natural beauty that He alone created.

  The beauty she’d fallen in love with on the ranch.

  She turned toward the framed photo she’d ordered from Mandy Brantley, the picture taken from the tree house window. Mandy had caught the endless shades of green throughout the trees, the pristine white blooms of the dogwoods in the distance, the brilliant jewel tones of the rhododendrons. The first time Dana had viewed that scene had been just before she confessed her feelings to John.

  She missed him terribly. He’d called her daily since she left two weeks ago and told her that he was still working to promote the dude ranch, still hopeful that everything would work out and that the Brooks International board would eventually be proud of their decision to invest in his venture. Then he said he’d feel as though he had something to offer Dana. Then he’d want her to live with him on the farm for good.

  Dana’s biggest fear was that then would never come. She had done everything she knew how to make the dude ranch succeed, and nothing had worked. On top of that, her advertising geniuses had utilized a multimedia campaign, targeting peak markets for the ranch.

  And still...nothing.

  But John sounded so optimistic every time they talked, as if he had a plan and that it would work. However, he never shared his idea, nor did he say how long he thought it would take to accomplish his goal. Dana prayed he succeeded, and she also prayed that it wouldn’t take long.

  But today, unfortunately, the dude ranch investment, as well as future similar investments, was on the board meeting’s agenda. And they wanted her to present an update on the endeavor.

  Dana had no desire to inform the group that the project had failed.

  Her phone rang. She glanced at the display, saw her brother’s name and answered. She’d known he would call; the board meeting was scheduled to begin in fifteen minutes, and he wanted her there. But he’d have to keep wanting.

  She didn’t wait for him to say hello. “Ryan, I’m not going. If they want a presentation about the ranch, you can do it. You’re the only one happy about the outcome, after all.”

  “No, you’re wrong. I’m not happy about it, not at all.”

  “You’re not?” She found that hard to believe. Ryan had shot down the dude ranch from day one, had sent that plane well before she was ready to leave and hadn’t held back on his skepticism toward her undertaking.

  “Do you think I like seeing you mope around here every day? Acting like you’d rather be anywhere but here and doing things I don’t understand, like redecorating your office the way you have?”

  She’d only added two things to the office. “I hung a photograph and a painting, Ryan. That’s hardly redecorating.”

  “Did you have to get them both so large?”

  She’d ordered the biggest size possible of Mandy’s photo and the largest canvas painting Gina Brown had available. She took her attention from Mandy’s photo of the woods to the painting of the charming white church. She so missed all the members at Claremont Community Church, and she wondered if they missed her, too. She thought about how close she’d gotten to several of the church members already and how they were all like a family, taking care of each other through good times and bad. She remembered that afternoon in the kitchen with Georgiana, Eden and Abi cooking meals for Mitch Gillespie.

  “You know what, Ryan?”

  “What?”

  “When Daddy passed away, no one brought a casserole.”

  The other end of the line went silent, and she imagined Ryan counting to ten. Then he must have finished, because finally, he spoke. “Dana, we don’t even eat casseroles. What are you talking about?”

  “I love casseroles.” She sniffed. “I miss casseroles.”

  He groaned. “I have no idea what they did to you down there, but you’ve changed.”

  “I know.”

  “I see it in the way you act, hear it in your voice. Y’all is not a word.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “And the way you’ve been dressing for the office
...”

  She glanced down at her clothes. “What’s wrong with the way I dress?”

  The door to her office clicked as it opened. “Nothing at all. I especially like the boots.”

  Dana knew that voice, but she’d never dreamed he would come here. She whirled around so fast she nearly lost her balance. “John.”

  Ryan chuckled. “Ah, so I see he made it in time. Good deal. Tell him I’ll see him in the boardroom.”

  She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. John, here in Chicago, in her office, no less. And then she realized what her brother had said on the other end of the line. “Ryan?”

  “I love you, sis. And he loves you, too. He can tell you what’s going on, and you two can visit for a few minutes, but then we need both of you in the boardroom. ASAP.” He disconnected, and Dana dropped the phone on her desk then crossed the room and jumped into her cowboy’s arms.

  “What are you doing—” she started, but he cut off her words with his kiss. He kissed her with sweet softness, as though he treasured her completely. And she knew that he did, the way she treasured him.

  “I’ve missed you so much.” He drew her against him and squeezed. “You have no idea.”

  “Yes, I do.” She laughed against his chest. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you, not one moment.”

  He did a quick survey of her office, focusing on the monstrous painting and the equally gigantic photo she’d had shipped to Chicago to remind her of Claremont, then he glanced down at the blue dress she’d bought from Maribeth, the same dress she’d worn the first time they went to church together, and then he ended his perusal by grinning down at the pink cowboy boots. “Not worried about blending with your fellow city folks here, are you?”

  She smiled. “Not at all. I’d rather blend with the folks I love.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about.” He kissed her again.

  Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. Ryan poked his head in. “We’re meeting in the boardroom in five minutes. You’re ready, right?”

  “I’m ready,” John said.