Heart of a Rancher Read online

  Dana didn’t want to hear the joke, so she didn’t ask. Unfortunately, that didn’t keep him from telling her.

  “When you cross the state line leading into Alabama, do you know what the sign reads?”

  She eyed the pretty clothes in the shopwindow and didn’t respond.

  “Welcome to Alabama. Set your watch back six years.” His laughter cackled into the phone. “Did you hear me?”

  “I heard.”

  “Come back where you belong, Dana. Dad didn’t want...”

  “No, Ryan.” She wouldn’t listen to him say it again, “He did want us to help people starting out. And Daddy moved to Chicago from Jackson, Mississippi. He was born not far from where I am now, and he built a Fortune 500 company from the ground up. How do you know John’s business won’t be just as successful?”

  “John? So you’re on a first-name basis with the rancher now? Is that what this is about? You’ve got some kind of crush on the country boy from the sticks?”

  A woman passed by Dana on the sidewalk and held up her hand in a wave. Dana didn’t know the lady, of course, but she held a hand up, too. She waited until the lady was farther away before responding to her brother. “No, that’s not what this is about. It’s about helping someone achieve his dreams, the way Dad achieved his. It’s about helping others—period.”

  “You do remember that you agreed to drop the whole rags-to-riches idea if this dude ranch doesn’t make it, right?” She heard a computer keyboard clicking over the line, Ryan unwilling to stop working even while he talked to her on the phone.

  “The dude ranch will make it.” Dana hoped that was true. So far she’d only viewed the property and heard John’s ideas, which were good, but they’d have to get into all the specifics regarding ranch legalities soon—as in no later than Monday. Four weeks wasn’t a lot of time for her to prove to Ryan and the Brooks International board that the dude ranch could hold its own. But she could do it. She had to.

  “If you say so. I’m more inclined to think this cowboy crush may be more of what has you in Alabama than investing in his off-the-wall dude ranch. And speaking of crushes, William Montgomery has called the office repeatedly, asking if I’ve heard from you. He said he left you two messages about the gala at the Art Institute next month.”

  Abi waved at Dana through the shopwindow. Dana waved back, eager to get this call over with and shop with her new friends. “I saw one text from William. Must have missed the other one.”

  “And you didn’t respond, I take it? You are still representing Brooks International at the event, aren’t you? They’re officially opening the Lawrence Brooks wing and want a family representative there for the event. Dad is getting recognition for his lifetime of support to the Art Institute, and he’d have wanted one of us there for this. And you know I’m already slated to be in California that week. We told them you’d do the honors. They’re expecting you. Plus, William wants to spend time with you. In my opinion, he’s ready to make this relationship something permanent, and you know Dad wanted the two of you together.”

  “Dad liked William, but he never said anything about wanting us to end up together. In fact, I told Daddy that I enjoy attending corporate functions with William, but I don’t feel that way about him.” She’d never felt nearly as much for William Montgomery in the three or so years they’d casually dated as she experienced in one afternoon with John. The few times she and William had kissed had been cold and somewhat forced. The afternoon she’d spent with John warmed her to her toes.

  “So you disappointed Dad about William, too? He planned on you two marrying, whether you realize it or not. And William’s company is solid, he isn’t dating you for your name, or your money. Bet you can’t say that about your Alabama rancher.”

  “I’m not dating John.” Though she was definitely thinking about the possibility. In any case, she had tolerated as much as she could from Ryan now. She knew he didn’t like handling the brunt of the company decisions on his own, but he had a capable board and plenty of high-priced advisers at his disposal. And he’d never complained when she’d been away for months taking care of their father. But because he wasn’t happy with her decision to invest in potential entrepreneurs with money from Brooks International, he’d been adamant—and rude—about expressing his opinions. And she’d heard enough. “I have to go, Ryan. I’m shopping.”

  “Shopping? In Claremont, Alabama? The information I found online today put the population at 4,500.” He laughed. “So where is there to shop in Nowhere, Alabama?”

  She looked up to see the name of the store Georgiana, Eden and Abi had entered, and then she smiled. “Consigning Women.”

  His gasp echoed through the line. “A consignment shop? You? Are you serious?”

  “Goodbye, Ryan.” She disconnected and then, for good measure, turned off her phone and dropped it in her purse. “What do you know? I just lost my signal.”

  Abi poked her head out the door of the shop. “Are you coming, Miss Dana? I’ve already matched some pretty things for Mommy, but I saw a dress for you, too. It’s blue, like your eyes. You can wear it to church tomorrow, if you buy it. And we’ll get you some clothes for the farm, too, so you won’t have to keep wearing Mommy’s stuff.”

  “But it’s fine for you to wear my things if you want,” Georgiana called from within the store.

  Dana had never been in a consignment shop. For that matter, she’d never been to an honest-to-goodness town square. And she was excited about both. Stepping across the threshold, she heard contemporary Christian music, not at all what she usually heard while shopping, but the lyrics—about hanging on to God and casting away her worries—lifted her spirits after the frustrating phone call with Ryan.

  “This is our favorite store ever!” Abi pulled a pink hat with a red flower embellishment off a wall hook and shoved it on top of her curls. “How’s this look?”

  Dana immediately thought of this afternoon, when she put the bright pink rhododendron behind her ear and asked John the same question. He’d said she looked beautiful. Her pulse skittered at the memory.

  Abi raised her brows waiting for Dana’s answer.

  “It’s very pretty. Beautiful.”

  The little girl nodded. “Yep, it is.” She pulled it off, and a few wild red strands stuck up from her head as though reaching to get back into the hat. Abi gazed at the price noted on the brim. “Miss Maribeth, is this just a dollar?”

  A petite woman who looked a little younger than Dana stepped from behind a rack of colorful scarves, an orange ribbon threaded through the thick brunette braid hanging past her right shoulder. “Yes, and it looks wonderful on you.” She wore a multicolored print dress with splashes of orange, red and royal blue. Her red satin pumps matched the outfit perfectly, as did her earrings and multicolored bangles. She looked from Abi to Dana. “Is this who you were telling me about, Abi?”

  “Yep, she’s the one. She came all the way from a windy town to come down here and help Uncle John with our dude ranch. We don’t have the dude ranch yet, but we’re fixing it up and stuff, and when it’s done, we’ll go camping a lot, and I’ll probably need to teach all the little kids about horse riding, so I’m taking extra lessons.”

  Dana extended a hand and a smile. “Hi, I’m Dana Brooks.”

  “I’m Maribeth Walton. Pleasure to meet you.” She shook Dana’s hand. “And I know who you are. You’re one of my best models.”

  “Really?” Abi’s brows shot up a notch. “She’s on the wall? Where?”

  “I’ve seen Dana on the wall in here,” Eden called from farther back in the store.

  “I haven’t,” Georgiana said, then laughed at her own joke.

  “On the wall?” Dana asked.

  “Come on, I’ll show you.” Maribeth motioned for Dana to follow her through the store. Stunning outfits, complete with shoes and
accessories, hung from the ceiling and along every wall. The circular rack assemblies on the floor were well-organized, color-coordinated and labeled not only by size but also by “look.”

  Dana stopped at a rack that showcased a gray pastel dress with turquoise accents around the neck and sleeves. Gray suede pumps dangled from a hook nearby, as did turquoise earrings and bracelets. “Oh, my. This is incredible.”

  “Oh, thanks! That’s one of my favorites, too. It’s the outfit Kate Middleton wore to the London premiere of African Cats last year.”

  “It’s...what?” Dana looked at the dress in a whole new light. Surely this tiny consignment shop in Claremont, Alabama, hadn’t scored a dress worn by royalty.

  Maribeth laughed. “Not the real one, of course.” She pointed to a photo hanging from a ribbon tied to the rack beside the outfit. Sure enough, the picture displayed the Duchess of Cambridge wearing a dress remarkably similar to the one Maribeth had on sale for—Dana peeked at the tag—merely $25. “This is what I do. I study fashion and then try to mimic the styles in the photo with items that have been brought in for consignment. The customers like knowing they’re wearing something similar to the stars for a price they can afford in Claremont.”

  “That’s brilliant.” Dana, beyond impressed, looked at the next outfit, a cuffed white blazer with black cropped jeans and cap-toed pumps. She flipped the photo hanging from a black satin ribbon. “Gwyneth Paltrow.”

  Maribeth nodded. “She’s one of my favorites.”

  “I love this.” Dana ran a hand down the blazer.

  “The whole outfit is less than $40,” Maribeth said, “and that includes the shoes. Of course, the drawback is that each outfit is unique based on what’s been turned in for consignment, so if the items aren’t your size, I don’t have more in the back.” She shrugged. “But, in my opinion, that’s part of what makes the shopping experience fun. You know that whatever you get is more than likely unique for you.”

  “Unique for you in Claremont,” Georgiana said, holding Eden’s forearm as they made their way from the back of the store toward the center, where Dana, Abi and Maribeth admired the stylish selections. “They’re one-of-a-kind looks here,” Georgiana continued, “but obviously, the looks have been seen before on movie stars and princesses.”

  “What a terrific idea,” Dana said. “You said something about my being on your wall? What wall?”

  “This one.” Maribeth pointed to a large wall to the right of the checkout counter. Fashion photographs of celebrities and models covered the entire span of space like a gigantic fashionista collage. “These are some of my favorite looks and the ones I am most often asked to re-create for my customers. And here you are.” She pointed to a photo of Dana at the Tribeca Film Festival. William had escorted her to the event, but he’d been cropped out of the picture that had made its way to one of the weekly tabloids. That’d been Dana’s first time to go out after her father’s death, and the press was hungry for a photo of the new heiress. Beside the picture, Maribeth had attached a white note with pink script writing. Cocktail dress with illusion neckline, colorful Bulgari jewelry and patent leather Jimmy Choos. Find Dana Brooks’s look in our Night on the Town section. Dana saw at least three more of her photos merged with all the others.

  “That is so cool that you’re one of the people on the wall, Miss Dana! I can’t wait to tell Uncle John!”

  Dana felt her cheeks heat, a little embarrassed that she was included on the “wall” with celebrities, several of whom were acquaintances. The collage made her feel oddly separate and apart from the sweet people around her, and she didn’t know what to say.

  Maribeth put a hand on Dana’s shoulder. “I hope you see it as an honor and aren’t offended that I put your pictures up, but I do love those outfits. I’ve been able to re-create them a couple of times, though I don’t have all the necessary pieces right now for a complete ensemble.” She smiled. “But you aren’t looking for those kinds of clothes to wear around here, anyway, are you? Abi said you needed some things for the farm. I have separates on sale, too, at the back of the store. We’ll get you all set.”

  “Thank you.” Dana had personal stylists to help create the right look for various occasions, but she was more curious about what Maribeth picked out than she’d been to see the outfits put together by any of her high-priced stylists. From the look of the outfits around the store, Maribeth Walton had more style than all of them combined.

  “And she needs that blue dress I saw, remember?” Abi grabbed Dana’s hand. “Come here, and I’ll show you. It’ll be a good one for church tomorrow. You are coming to church with us, aren’t you? Uncle John goes, even after he has to work all night, ’cause he says it’s the best way to start the day. Then he takes a nap, ’cause he’s sleepy, but he’ll go to church first.”

  Dana knew he hadn’t gotten enough rest today, because he’d spent the afternoon taking her on a trail ride. He had gone back to his cabin to sleep when she, Georgiana, Eden and Abi had left for the town square. Strange, that she had only spent a little over a day with him in person, yet she missed him now.

  “See, this is it? Won’t it be pretty for church?” Abi tugged at the blue print dress.

  “That’s modeled after the one Cameron Diaz wore to some movie premiere,” Maribeth said. “But I love that dress, so feminine and light. The tri-strand of pearls and the pearl stud earrings really pick up the white floral print on the fabric, don’t you think?”

  “It’s lovely, Abi.” Dana touched the soft material. “And I do think I’d like to wear this to church tomorrow.” She checked the tag. “And the size is right, too.”

  Abi clapped her hands together. “Great!”

  Georgiana smiled. “Okay, Abi, now that she’s bought what you picked out, we should probably let her get what she needs. Maribeth, can you find Dana some clothes for the farm?”

  “Sure.”

  Dana followed Maribeth to the area for separates and quickly learned that the savvy stylist could also select clothing quickly. Within twenty minutes, Dana had plenty of farm clothes—cute ensembles of Western shirts and jeans, as well as mud boots and work gloves. Granted, her mud boots were stylishly pink, as were the cowboy boots she’d selected, but they were still suitable for the farm, according to her fellow shoppers.

  “So, you’re helping John start a dude ranch?” Maribeth asked as she rang up Dana’s purchases.

  “It’s an investment for our company, and the first one we’ve ever done like this, with a start-up business. I’m really hoping that I can get the board to agree to invest in more future entrepreneurs like John.”

  Maribeth’s hands paused on the old-fashioned cash register, her brown eyes studying Dana. But then she turned her focus to Eden and Georgiana and asked, “How’s John doing? Still working himself to death? Still hardly dating?” Maribeth’s glance darted Dana’s way with the last question.

  “He’s been very busy with work,” Georgiana said.

  Dana wondered if the pretty brunette had an interest in Georgiana’s handsome brother-in-law, too.

  Maribeth continued with the purchase and then announced that Dana’s total was just shy of $300. Dana couldn’t believe the number of items she’d purchased for that small amount.

  “Really?” she asked.

  “Is that too much?” Abi held the pink flower-embellished hat that Eden had already purchased for her granddaughter.

  Dana grinned at the precious little girl. “No, sweetie. I just meant that it’s really nice to get so many pretty clothes for that price.”

  “So you don’t have to put the blue dress back or anything, do you?”

  Dana suspected that the Cutters had put things back before, and the thought of it broke her heart. “No, honey, I don’t.”

  “That’s good, ’cause I think Uncle John is going to really like that blue dress.”
She put the pink hat on and then moved toward the front of the store. “I’m going to see if Nelson’s is still open. They keep the milk-shake sign lit up if they’re making shakes. You’ve got to get a double-chocolate milk shake. It’s the best.”

  “Okay.” Dana waited for Abi to get out of earshot and then looked to the other women to see if anyone else thought it odd that Abi said John would like the blue dress.

  Eden and Maribeth were both looking at Dana, and Georgiana smiled a little too brightly.

  “Abi saw you and John riding back across the field after your trail ride and said she thinks you should be her uncle’s girlfriend,” Georgiana explained. “I hope her remark didn’t embarrass you, but apparently she has it in her head that the blue dress is all it will take for you to become his girlfriend.”

  Dana swallowed. “Oh.” She knew the statement warranted more of a response, but she didn’t have anything to offer.

  Maribeth leaned forward against the counter. “Well, I’ll tell you what, it’s been years since he was serious with anyone, all because of MaciJo Riley taking his heart and stomping on it. And I never saw them as right together, anyway. She always wanted something better than what she had, used to come in here and turn her nose up at my outfits because they didn’t have the labels or prices of the real things.”

  “But they honestly look just as good,” Dana said, not knowing anything about this MaciJo person but instantly developing a dislike for the woman who’d hurt John.

  Maribeth’s brown eyes sparkled. “Another reason I like you, and the fact that you know a good-looking outfit when you see it. You’re even on my wall. MaciJo sure isn’t.”

  Georgiana and Eden laughed at that.

  Dana grinned. “Thanks.”

  “I’ve always said the same thing about John Cutter. And it isn’t because I’m trying to get him for myself or anything. We’ve been friends forever, and I just don’t think God’s sent me the right man yet. I figure I’ll know when I meet him.”