Finally Home (2 page)

“
Well then, I guess my secret will remain untold,” he tipped his hat at her and nodded. “If you change your mind about dinner, you know where to find me and my father.”

She opened her mouth to speak, feeling embarrassed and angry at the same time. He had been toying with her. Making her believe he was asking her on a date when he actually wanted her to join him and his father. “You haven’t changed, Noah West,” she shook her head, blond waves bouncing wildly. “
Still a scoundrel
.”

Frowning innocently, he shrugged. “I don’t know what you mean, Amanda,” he opened the gate and flashed her a sly grin as he walked through it. “Come to dinner. Dad would love to have you there. And so would I.”

Biting on her bottom lip, she considered his invitation again. A delicious meal at the ranch would be so much better than a frozen dinner from her freezer. “Okay, count me in,” she sighed, “What time is dinner?”

********

Walking down the hill that sloped into the valley of Moonlight Ranch, Amanda inhaled the crisp evening air. The temperature had dropped dramatically in the last two hours since sunset. She stuffed her hands into the oversized coat her grandfather had left behind. As a kid, she had told him many times how much she loved his long suede coat. So, she was delighted when he didn’t take it to Florida with him.

A smile crept to her mouth as she thought of her grandparents. They had always been role models to her. Even though they experienced struggles throughout their long marriage, they never gave up on each other. Their love was strong. Their commitment never faltered. Amanda hoped that she would find a relationship like theirs one day. So far she hadn’t been successful.

The men she had dated back in Chicago didn’t come close to what she wanted. Yes, she knew she held high standards for them, but only because she didn’t want to end up like her mother, who plowed through men like wildfire by getting involved with any man who winked at her and then becoming devastated when the man dumped her. Donna Brookfield dove in and out of relationships like there was no tomorrow.

She was now on her fifth marriage…but insisted to Amanda that her current husband was her last, and she was happier than ever with him in Europe.

“
Brrrrr,” Amanda suddenly pressed her lips together and closed her eyes against a cool wind. Her teeth chattered from the chilly weather. She almost felt like she was in the midst of a Chicago winter, not a Texas fall. Her heart warmed as she approached the magnificent ranch house. Lights were glowing through the windows of the two-level home, almost growing brighter as she approached. The huge front veranda welcomed Amanda to its many cushioned swings and hand crafted benches. Before she knew it, she was sinking into the soft pillows of one antique swing and pushing herself into motion with her feet. Her breath slowed as she relaxed, feeling at home.

But just as she was slipping into dreamland, the swing jerked to an abrupt halt. Amanda twisted around in the swing to find Noah’s hands on the right chain. His eyes were dark with mischief as he pulled the chain, causing the swing to hang in a slant. “Noah! What are you doing?”

“
Making your ride more interesting,” he chuckled and then reached over to grab the left chain.

“
This is not a ride,” she tried to jump off but Noah was jiggling the swing too roughly. “Please stop.”

He noted the annoyance in her voice but couldn’t seem to stop himself. He tugged on the swing even more harshly.

Her sudden silence finally caused him to stop. He carefully leaned forward and peeked at her face, cautious that she might try to get revenge. “Amanda?”

Quickly, she grabbed him by his muscular arms and tugged him over the back of the swing. Noah kicked his feet in the air as his body did a somersault over the swing and landed on the wood floor in front of Amanda. A surprised gasp escaped her mouth. “Noah, I’m sorry! Are you hurt? I was trying to pull you
into
the swing!”

He leaned his head back against her thigh, which released a tremor of goose bumps over her skin. His eyes traveled slowly over her face, causing a bright color to creep into her cheeks. “You’re very strong for such a slender girl,” he admitted hoarsely and pulled his long legs up from their sprawled position. He hopped into a squat and placed his hands on Amanda’s knees. She jolted when she felt the heat of his palms through her pants. “Maybe I should convince the foreman to hire you as a cowpoke.”

She smiled nervously as Noah braced himself on her trembling legs and pulled himself up from the floor, then made himself comfortable next to her in the swing. His left hand remained on her knee. “I think I would demand to be the foreman, not a cowpoke.”

“
Oh, you would?” he was fascinated by her unpredictable sense of humor. One minute she seemed reserved and indifferent, but the next she was throwing him a funny wisecrack or flipping him across the porch! “Amanda, you wouldn’t know the first thing about running a ranch.”

She became distracted as his tanned fingers tapped against her knee and was aware of how good it felt to have him so near. But she pushed those thoughts from her mind as abruptly as they had entered. She just couldn’t let herself act on her attraction to him when she only had memories of a nineteen-year- old Noah from the past. She didn’t know him well enough as the man he was now. And did she really
want
to know him? As her heart yelled yes, yes! Her brain yelled, proceed with caution!

“
Hello, hello. Are you ok?” Noah waved his hand in front of her glazed eyes. She blinked and looked at him, a bit embarrassed.

“
I’m sorry--I think I’m getting a little hungry,” she stammered. Could he tell she was fibbing? “I always g-get disoriented when I need to eat. What were you saying?”

He smiled gently when he glanced at her. “I don’t think I should repeat what I said. You may hurl me over the swing again.”

She squinted at him curiously. “Noah, come on! What did you say? Something that will make me angry?”

“
Well, just that you wouldn’t know anything about running a ranch,” he inched away from her, expecting a punch in the arm. But she just looked away and sighed.

“
You’re probably right. I wouldn’t know how to run this ranch. But I would sure be the best at trying. And you know why?”

He placed an arm across the back of the swing, behind Amanda’s back. “No I don’t.”

“
I love this ranch, Noah. Since I was a kid, I’ve always dreamed of living here. And now
I do
because of my wonderful grandparents and your terrific father. So if I had the chance to run this ranch, I would run it with love. That’s why I would be good at it.”

He shook his head, amazed at her passion. Had he ever met a woman like her before? Of course, the answer was immediate. Never!

Amanda felt like she could melt under Noah’s steady gaze. Had she sounded too corny? Running the ranch with love! No wonder he was looking at her so strangely! And why was he staring at her lips? Almost like he wanted to...kiss her?

But only his hand moved to touch her cheek, a brief caress that sent flutters through Amanda’s heart. “Don’t express that to my father. He may take you up on it. In his eyes, you running the ranch would be better than me running it.”

“
I don’t understand. Why doesn’t your father want you to--” she stopped when Thomas West opened the front door and meandered onto the front porch.

“
I was wondering if you two kids had fallen asleep out here! It’s been at least thirty minutes since Noah saw you out on the swing, Mandy,” his eyes crinkled in the corners from a broad smile and quick wink at Amanda. “Maria informed me that dinner will be ready in ten minutes.”

“
Then we better get inside. We don’t want to be late and endure Maria’s temper,” Noah chuckled. “Once, she swatted my head with a fly swatter when I arrived five minutes late for dinner.”

“
That’s because you were eight and you’d brought a couple of friends to dinner!” Thomas laughed.

“
Well, my pet lizards were hungry. And I had thought, why feed them measly little flies when they could have a nice enchilada dinner,” Noah stood and dodged a playful punch from his father.

Amanda sat quietly, watching this warm exchange between father and son. They seemed to get along so well. This caused her to become even more curious as to why Noah left the ranch years ago. And why he really came back.

As the two men turned and looked at her before entering the house, she realized she had been staring. “Sorry, I was just enjoying your banter.”

“
Well, come inside and we’ll allow you to participate, for a fee,” Thomas offered her his arm.

Smiling, she linked her arm through his. “And what is this fee for participation?”

“
You must play a game of dominoes with me before you leave tonight. Noah hates the game,” he gently steered Amanda through the front door after Noah opened it for them.

“
That’s because you cheat,” Noah teased and walked briskly across the tiled entry and to the dining room.

“
No, it’s because I win,” Thomas corrected and patted Amanda’s arm as they followed Noah.

She squeezed Thomas’ hand before sitting in the chair he pulled out for her. “I would love to play dominoes with you. I used to play with my grandparents.”

“
Barbara and I used to play with your grandparents, too,” he reflected. For a moment, his brown eyes held a faraway look. Then he began coughing deeply.

“
Are you alright, Thomas?” Amanda asked with sudden concern as he sat across from her at the table.

“
You’re not taking your medicine, Mr. West,” Maria interjected as she appeared in the dining room and began placing dishes of piping hot food on the table.

“
I’m fine. Nothing the good old country air won’t cure,” Thomas insisted, then took a sip of water. Maria shook her finger at him and left the room.

Noah passed a basket of warm biscuits to Amanda, his eyes lingering on her face before they darted toward Thomas. “Maria is right. You shouldn’t be skipping your medicine, Dad.”

“
I don’t want to hear anymore about it,” Thomas carved a few slices of roast beef and nodded in Amanda’s direction. “Would you like some gravy, Mandy?”

“
You bet,” she smiled and handed him her plate, wondering what all the medicine talk was about.

Dinner progressed with pleasant conversation. And Amanda couldn’t remember when she had last savored such a delicious meal. But after they had finished Maria’s wonderful peach pie and a few cups of coffee, the mood shifted. Amanda suddenly felt a tension she hadn’t been aware of before. Her eyes moved from Noah to Thomas.

“
I know it’s been a long time, Dad. We both know why I left years ago. But I’m back now. And I thought, with Amanda’s point of view, we could talk about the ranch,” he laced his fingers together on the table, glancing at Amanda.

She had no idea what he was about to say. But if she did, she would have left the room immediately.

“
You haven’t been back long. And I’ve been hoping you didn’t come back just to make your same proposal again,” Thomas crumpled up his napkin and tossed it across the table.

“
That’s not the only reason I came back. But it is something I still believe in and would like to discuss with you again. I’m sure Amanda will agree with me,” Noah’s brilliant hazel eyes flashed at her. She frowned in confusion.

“
How can you sit here wanting to discuss the same thing that drove our family apart just a few days before your Mother’s death, son?”

“
Mom’s approval of my plan had nothing to do with her death,” Noah closed his eyes, obviously in agony. “Dad, she agreed with me.”

The older man clenched his teeth together, but grinned warmly at Amanda. “I must apologize for my son’s rudeness. He shouldn’t be putting you in the middle of this.”

“
I think I should leave,” she tried to stand but Noah held her wrist.

“
Please, stay. I need your support on this,” he requested. When she lowered herself back into the chair, he let her wrist go. “Thank you, Amanda.”

“
How can I support you on something I know nothing about?” She tried to ignore his burning gaze but felt drawn to him at the same time.

Noah broke eye contact and looked at his hands. “Over six years ago, someone approached me about buying the ranch. The offer this person gave me was amazing. Of course, the offer was made to my father first, but he wanted nothing to do with it. When I told mom, she agreed with me instantly. Selling Moonlight Ranch was what she wanted, too.”

“
What?” Amanda gasped.

“
This caused a rift between my parents. Which my father blames me for to this day,” he looked at Thomas, who was quietly listening.

“
You should have never brought that subject into this house. Selling the ranch has never been an option. No matter how bad business gets. I will never sell it. And your mother knew that, but you turned her against me--” Thomas cleared his throat.

“
Dad, I didn’t turn her against you. She formed her own opinion. Just as I formed mine,” Noah pulled a piece of paper from his shirt pocket. “And I still believe it is the right thing to do. Mr. Ellinger, the man who made the offer before, still wants the ranch. But now he’s offering more. Please, call him,” he placed the paper with the phone number on the table.