Love Inspired September 2014 - Bundle 1 of 2: Her Montana Twins\Small-Town Billionaire\Stranded with the Rancher (32 page)

He held up his palms. “Hey, you opened the door. I just stepped in.”

Another laugh. “Okay. I'll give you that, but we were talking about the supplies and vittles run, not me adding more stores.”

“But you did say you'd been thinking about it,” he reminded.

“And that's all I'm going to say about it right now. Anyway, since the campers are doing the supplies and vittles run this afternoon, I got finished earlier than usual.”

“So, were you planning to go to your store now?” he asked.

She nodded. “I was, but I actually have someone filling in for me for a couple more hours. Why do you ask?”

Whether she realized it or not, she'd opened another door. And like before, Ryan stepped in.

“You've mentioned Jasper Falls, and John and Dana have talked about how amazing it is, but the day I planned to ride out and see it, Onyx decided to give me a detour to the ground.” He pointed toward the horses. “What do you think about showing me the falls today?”

Her eyes widened. “You mean on horseback? Because I understand that the doctor has okayed you to walk without the crutches, but you're still healing. And you're wearing a brace.”

“I've been cleared for walking and driving,” he said. “In my opinion, that probably clears me for horse riding, too.”

“I'm not so sure that's anywhere near the same category,” she said. “And falling off a horse is what did that to you in the first place.” She shook her head. “No, I don't think that's a good idea at all.”

Ryan was already moving toward Sam's stall. “It's a great idea,” he said, running his hand down the horse's nose. “And you know what they say—if you fall off a horse, you have to get right back on again.”

“This is a bad idea,” she said, but Ryan was glad to see she had started toward Fallon's stall.

He'd already contemplated how he'd mount Sam. He put his right leg—his only good leg for the time being—in the stirrup and then gently guided his other leg over the horse. It really wasn't that difficult, and it only hurt for the moment that his muscles were lifting the leg over. Piece of cake. In fact, he was already out of the barn and waiting by the time Maribeth and Fallon made an appearance. “You ready?” he asked.

She looked at his leg and frowned. “As long as I know you agree that this is a bad idea.”

“No such thing. That's what my father always said, anyway,” Ryan said.

“No such thing as what?” she asked, sitting astride Fallon and looking amazing in the glow of the afternoon sunlight. She was so fascinating, and she didn't seem to have a clue, which merely magnified her appeal.

“No such thing as a bad idea,” Ryan said, grinning. “So, you gonna lead?”

“I don't know. Maybe I should follow so I'll see when you fall off,” she said with a smirk.

He liked her sass, too. “Maybe you should.” Then he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, said “Let's go, Sam!” and took off toward the trails with Maribeth following on Fallon. Onyx snarled at them as they passed his section of the field, the stallion irritated by the invasion of his space. Ryan chuckled at the massive animal, then slowed Sam to a trot and then to a walk as they entered the woods. He heard Maribeth talking to Fallon and slowing her down, as well.

“You're crazy, you know that, right?” she asked, bringing Fallon up closer to Sam so they could pass together through the trail.

“Some say that. I prefer outrageous.”

She laughed. “You're that, too.”

Ryan led Sam through the trail and enjoyed being away from the cabin, inhaling the heady scent of pine mingled with damp earth and blooming wildflowers. They came around the biggest curve in the path to encounter a cascade of rhododendrons and the spot where Ryan had given Dana away on her wedding day. He pulled on the reins. “Whoa, Sam.” The horse stopped completely, eager to obey the command and probably as eager to take a little breather.

Maribeth stopped Fallon, as well, and inhaled the incredible fragrance provided by the abundance of vibrant purple, hot-pink and red blooms. “I love this spot.”

“I'd planned to ride here again, too, on that day when I ended up blowing out my knee. It doesn't seem that long ago when I walked Dana down this path to marry John. That was a great day, wasn't it?”

She nodded. “The prettiest wedding I've ever been to. I loved the way the whole town lined the path she took to see John. And then these flowers surrounding them while they said their vows... It was perfect.”

“I didn't realize you helped her pick out the colors for the wedding until she mentioned it the other day. You did a great job. Of course, you can tell that you have great taste in pairing colors and clothing by your display of talent in your store. That's another reason I was interested in—”

“Don't ruin the moment by talking business,” she said, and Ryan grinned.

“Okay, but you know where I was headed.”

“Same place it seems all of our conversations head.” She gave him a disapproving look as Fallon stuck her nose in a large red bloom and then sneezed loudly. Maribeth stroked the horse's neck. “Easy, girl. Sometimes things that look that good will only get you in trouble.”

“Spoken from experience?” he asked.

She shrugged. “It's just the truth.”

Ryan suspected there was more truth there than she was willing to talk about, but he was curious. What—or who—had looked too good to Maribeth and gotten her into trouble?

“I, um, have a confession,” she said.

Ryan had started to move Sam forward, but gently pulled the reins again to keep her still. “A confession?” he asked, thinking he might actually learn what had looked too good to Maribeth.

“Yes. That day, when I told you I remembered seeing you at the wedding and that you were wearing a navy suit...” She paused, blinked and looked upward as though wondering whether she could tell the rest.

“Yes?” Ryan prompted.

“I remembered your suit. In fact, I remembered it precisely. A gray Brioni Vanquish, and it fit you—” she blushed, and Ryan's pulse stirred “—perfectly.” She looked at him. “Okay, that's it. Now I feel better. Let's go on to Jasper Falls.” She tapped Fallon's side and the horse turned away from Ryan to allow Maribeth to take the lead.

Ryan watched her, the petite beauty in the saddle leading the way to what he'd heard was one of the most exquisite waterfalls in the South...and pulling his heart in her wake.

This sure felt real. But then again, it'd felt real before, with Nannette. How would he know the difference?

They rounded the next bend in the trail and viewed the scene that Dana had described, a wedding veil of water soaring from the ridge above to tumble into a babbling creek that flowed along the mountain.

“It's beautiful now,” Maribeth said, “but it's even prettier when all of those dogwood trees are blooming.” She pointed toward the trees.

Ryan couldn't imagine it any more spectacular than it was now; however, that could be because he was seeing it for the first time with Maribeth Walton by his side. Her appeal only magnified each time he was around her, and it reminded him so much of the way he'd initially felt about Nannette that he had to remind himself that this was a different woman, and things might be different with someone else.

Maybe.

If he could put a lock on his skepticism, he would, but his thoughts kept whispering,
fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.
How did a guy know that he wasn't being played?

“It just reminds me of how powerful God is,” Maribeth continued.

Ryan tamped down on the old emotions. Maribeth wasn't Nannette, not even remotely like her, because if Ryan had been trying to invest in and build up a business that Nannette Kelly owned, she'd have been all over it and tried to talk him into going even bigger. And she'd do it so that Ryan believed it was his idea. She'd been a master of deceit.

“Don't you think?” Maribeth asked. “All of this—” she held her arms out, tilted her head back and inhaled “—it's like, how could anyone
not
believe in God?”

Ryan let himself relax in the saddle, tilted his own head back to follow her example and inhaled. The earthy scent of the woods combined with the mist of the falls and the faint sounds of birds in the distance did provide a calm reminder that there was a bigger power at work here. And Ryan did believe in God. He simply hadn't seen that God had taken a big interest in his life. His mother had died when Dana was born. His father had been so business focused that his kids were practically raised by strangers. And Ryan had become a virtual carbon copy of his dad. Where was God during all of that?

Yet with his head tilted and his body relaxed, Ryan was fairly certain he sensed Him, right here, right now.

“You feel Him, too, don't you?” she asked.

He nodded, his throat too tight to speak at the moment.

“I know. It's awesome to get outside and really let yourself see everything He's done. It's easy to get so wrapped up in the everyday things in life that we forget to step back and breathe, let ourselves rest and get a chance to truly experience God. That's what working with the camp is doing for me. Every day out here with the kids and with nothing but nature and God surrounding us, it's so easy to remember that He did this.”

Ryan swallowed, found his voice. “I see why you volunteer now.”

“That phrase that you said earlier, it comes from one of the verses we teach the campers each week.”

“What phrase?” Ryan asked.

“The one that says if you fall off a horse, you should get right back on,” she said. “It comes from Proverbs, chapter twenty-four, verse sixteen, ‘
For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.'”

“Does that mean I'm going to fall off a horse six more times?” Ryan asked.

“I don't know, but if you're thinking about falling off today, wait until we get closer to the barn. I don't think I can carry you all the way back.” Then she laughed so hard that Fallon took a step backward. “Sorry, girl,” she said, patting the palomino's throat.

“You're very funny,” Ryan said, but he couldn't stop grinning. This, in fact, was the most fun he'd had since he arrived in Claremont.

“I'm sorry. Sometimes I tease too much. I don't mean anything by it—promise.”

He looked at her, the dark eyes that were warm and friendly, the smile that tugged at her lips and the playful way she bantered with him. This was what a real relationship would feel like, he supposed. Similar to the interaction he'd witnessed between Chad and Jessica Martin when they'd brought Nathan and Lainey to the ranch. He'd thought he would like to have a relationship like that, and now that he was getting a glimpse into how it would feel, he did like it, very much.

“What?” she asked, and Ryan realized he'd been staring.

“Should we let them get a drink while we're here?” he asked, ready to change the subject.

“Sure.” She glanced at the water. “We can dismount if you want and let them get their fill of the water while we relax a little while.” She looked at his leg. “Or maybe that isn't a good idea.”

“Actually, I think it might feel good to get off and straighten it out for a few minutes before we ride back.”

“You sure?” she asked.

To show he was, he pressed his right leg in the stirrup and maneuvered his left leg over, holding the saddle tightly to keep from putting all of his weight on his left leg when it hit the ground. It was painful, but he managed, and for a little more time with Maribeth, enjoying this exquisite scene, it was worth it.

Apparently, it took him longer to get down than he realized, because by the time he got his balance, she was at his side, her hand steadying his arm. “You okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, I'm okay,” he said as the horses moved to the water and began to drink their fill. In fact, he was more than okay. He felt more alive than he had in years.

Maribeth glanced at her hand on his arm. It'd been so natural to reach for him. The sleeve of his shirt separated her palm from his forearm, but his warmth permeated the boundary, and she didn't find it overly easy to slide her hand away. “I'm glad you're okay,” she said, and walked toward a large flat rock near the stream. “Want to sit over here?” she asked.

“Sure.” He walked slowly, his leg appearing to move stiffly.

Maribeth found herself holding her breath as he worked his way across the soft earth to finally reach the smooth rock where she sat. She didn't want him to fall, and she knew that riding the horses out here and having Ryan navigate the uneven terrain to sit near the stream wasn't the best way to keep that from happening. But she did want him to sit beside her, wanted him to enjoy the serenity that she experienced every day beside the waterfall. She wanted him to feel God, the way she did every time she came to Jasper Falls. “Still okay?” she asked, as he sat beside her on the large, smooth rock.

“Never better,” he said, wincing a little as he straightened his left leg in front of him.

“Okay, I can tell you're lying, but I won't call you on it,” she said.

“I think you just did, but I'll ignore it,” he said, grinning.

“Works for me,” she said, shoving him playfully with her shoulder and enjoying the smile she received in return. She pointed to the grouping of tents on the other side of the water. “Over there is where the kids and the chaperones will camp tonight. John did a great job clearing out an area for the campsites without distorting the natural surroundings. I remember when they were talking about putting campsites here. I asked Dana if they were trying to preserve the natural state of the woods, the falls and everything, and she said that was a top priority.”