SECOND CHANCES AT MG RANCH (2 page)

Not really expecting to see anything of interest, she pulled back the light blue sheer curtain, revealing a light on in the bunkhouse.
  That could only mean that Sam had finally returned.  She felt a small amount of disgust at the mere thought of that man.  She took a deep breath as their first encounter replayed like a video in her head.

Mr. Sam Burton had disappeared shortly after their first meeting this morning upon her arrival at the ranch.
  He had said that he wanted to give her time to rest up and get settled in before he showed her around the property.

“I don’t need to rest up and I can sett
le in later,” she had insisted.  She was anxious to explore the ranch and waiting wasn’t an option.

“I should be back around noon.” Sam replied t
o her protest with a stern tone, like he thought he was the boss of her or something.  He then turned and walked away without saying another word.

The word, “But“… had been on her lips.
  The unspoken words had trailed off into the wind with his sudden departure.  She stood there in shock as she watched him climb into his white pick-up truck, and drive away.

Sam’s rude behavior
hadn’t set well with Loren.  Once she had recovered from his rudeness, she had made the decision to venture out and explore the ranch on her own, starting with some horseback riding.  She had her big girl panties on and there was nothing stopping her.

And besides, MG Ranch
did belong to her.  She could come and go as she very well pleased and there was nothing that Sam could do about it.  A smile of satisfaction spread across her face, with that acknowledgement.

Surely,
Mr. High and Mighty
, didn’t expect her to just sit around and wait on him all day.  He would soon learn that she wasn’t the waiting kind.  Her father had always said that she had very little patience.  The sooner that Sam learned that; they would have a better chance of getting along for the duration of his stay, however long that might be.

Of course, Loren had no idea that
Sam had actually been out repairing fences.  When he had returned to the ranch later that day, it was only to discover that
Miss Fancy Pants
, as he had referred to her, was missing in action.  Once he scoped the area out, he realized that she had taken off on horseback.

What was the crazy girl thinking?
  She knew nothing about the ranch or what kind of wildlife she could possibly encounter while roaming around in unfamiliar territory.  He surmised that she would probably get lost and he would be out at midnight looking for her.

Sam had quickly dismissed her stupidity,
throwing a few fencing supplies onto the flat bed of his truck.  He then slid back behind the wheel and threw the truck into gear.

He had
sped off in the direction of the back side of the property, where some fence was down and in need of repair.  Sam figured that he might as well tend to that while the crazy girl was out gallivanting around.  He didn’t have time to be worrying about where she had gotten herself off to.  If she didn’t come back by dark, then he would go look for her.

Chapter 2

Loren was already beginning to get under his skin and she hadn’t even been on the ranch for one whole day yet.
  It had only been a few hours at best.

The good Lord only knew what he had gotten himself into agreeing to stay on at the ranch.
  He was still wondering what had possessed him to make such a rash decision.

While working on the fence, he reflected back on his conversation with his long-time friend, Josh Randolph.

He had called late one evening to make him aware that the time had finally come to transfer the ranch over to their daughter Loren and that she would be arriving soon with her horse in tow.

Sam was already wishing that he had not bothered to answer the telephone that day.
  Of course she would have probably still showed up on his doorstep to claim what was rightfully hers.

Josh had visited the ranch several times over the years, sometimes hanging out for the weekend.
  The arrangement had worked out well for both of them.  He was getting paid to do what he loved and Josh didn’t have to worry about the ranch.

They had formed a good friendship over the years, but they both knew that when th
e time came, Sam would move on.

His friend
had asked him to stay on at the ranch for a while longer to help his daughter get settled in, and maybe teach her a thing or two about taking care of the ranch.

Loren had received a nice trust-fund, so although she really wouldn’t have to work if she didn’t want to, she would still need to learn how to manage the place.

“I am sorry Josh, but I really don’t think that is a good idea,” Sam had told him.

His mind was saying
no
but his heart was saying
yes
. He really didn’t want to leave the ranch just yet, but he wasn’t sure that he was ready to homestead with a spoiled little rich girl either.  That in its self was sure to spell big trouble and that was just the kind of trouble that Sam did not need or want.

He had never really thought much about how he would feel when this time came.
  He had lived on the ranch for many years, and it had been so easy to forget that it actually belonged to someone else.  Against his better judgment, he had made this place his home.

“I am prepared to double your salary, and if that is not enough, I am sure that we can work something out.
  You know that Loren means everything to us, and we need to know that she will be safe.”

Josh paused
briefly, and took in a small breath before continuing, “We will sleep much easier, knowing that you will be there to watch over her, at least until she is more familiar with the area.  Please give it some thought.”

It was hard for
Sam to not think about the extra money that Josh was offering.  If he were willing to double his salary for the next few months, he would earn enough money to put with what he had already saved to buy his own spread.

Of course it wouldn’t be as nice a place as MG, but at least it would be his.
  Maybe living with the little spoiled Miss Randolph would not be so bad after all.

Without further thought, he made his decision.  “Josh, I believe you have just made me an offer
I can’t refuse.”

“And you, my friend, have just made me a very happy man.” Josh replied with a sigh of relief.
“Loren should be arriving with her horse in about two weeks, if not before.  Oh and Sam, there’s one more thing before I let you go.  Loren tries to be a little bossy sometimes.  Try not to let her get under your skin.”

“Thanks for the warning.” Sam could hear Josh chuckling as he hung up the phone.
  He had a feeling that he was making a huge mistake, but he really couldn’t afford to turn down the extra funds that would make it easier for him to move on.

Sam pushed the regrets from his mind and
got busy finishing up with mending the fence.  A small tree had fallen over two top strands of barbed-wire, causing it to sag in the middle.  He was still the foreman of this ranch, and it was still his responsibility to make sure things were fixed and taken care of.

It took a few short hours to get the tree off the fence
and the wire stretched back out, but in Sam’s opinion, it was a quick fix.  Some repairs took all day long or even days, depending on the amount of damage.

Feeling satisfied with the repairs, Sam jumped back in the truck and headed back to the barn.  This had been one long day and he was anxious to put it behind him.

On the ride back, he thought about Josh’s warning about not letting Loren get under his skin.  He was afraid that it was too late to worry about that now. The damage had already been done.

Loren had already pricked his skin more than once, he thought as he entered the small bunkhouse that was attached to the end of the barn facing the house.
It wasn’t the space that he had gotten used to up at the main house, but it was comfortable enough and he still had a roof over his head.

Quickly washing up, he readied himself for bed, letting the two week old conversation with Josh drift from his mind.
  It really wasn’t of importance now anyway.  What was done was done.  He would just have to bite the bullet and make the best of his time left on the ranch.

Stripping down to his cotton briefs, he walked the short distance to the small iron bed that was positioned against the far wall.
  The old springs creaked beneath the weight of his body as he sat on the small bed and lay back on the propped up pillows.  From his position on the bed he had a good view of the main house through the only window in the room.

The light was on in the master
bedroom, which Loren Randolph now occupied.  Her silhouette was visible in the soft light as she peered out the window.  The vision of her seemed almost angelic, with her blonde mane flowing around her shoulders.  Her innocence formed a halo around her, as if it meant to protect her.

Getting lost in his own thoughts, he wondered what it would feel like to hold her soft body against his own and to press his lips against hers.
  He imagined that her mouth would taste like rich honey fresh from a bees hive.

He could feel his own body starting to respond to the crazy thoughts that was running through his head.
  He had not felt the warmth of a woman’s touch in such a long time, and now it seemed as if his body was aching to do just that.

Loren turned off the light, bringing Sam back to his senses.
  What was wrong with him?  He was sure that Josh would not approve of him having an affair with his daughter.  And that is exactly what it would be, because he had no intentions of hanging around any longer than he had promised his friend, a few months and not a minute longer.

Sam Burton had learned a long time ago that falling in love with a beautiful woman would only get your heart broken
into at least a million pieces.

He subconsciously placed his hand upon his chest as if to massage
away the hurt he felt as all the painful memories of his high school sweet-heart, Stephanie Woodrow, came flooding back into his mind.

They had planned to marry right after graduation and start a family.
  He could remember it just like it was yesterday, instead of seventeen years ago.

The
re they were, standing outside the school waiting for the rest of their friends after graduation, when Stephanie had pulled him to the side and told him that they needed to talk.

That is the day when his whole world had crumbled down around him.  All
of the plans that he had made with the love of his life, had changed in the blink of an eye.

For a moment, Stephanie seemed to be struggling with finding the right words.  But once the words started flowing, they didn’t stop until she was finished.

The words felt like hard stones being peppered at him as they spilled from her mouth.  Apparently, Stephanie had changed her mind and decided that she wasn’t ready to get married and have a family.

Instead, she wanted to have fun and spend time with her friends.  Where did he fit into this whole equation of hers?

The more she talked, the sooner he realized that he didn’t fit into the equation at all.  At one time her whole world had been centered on him and now it had shifted to her two best friends, Missy and Rhonda.

H
ow could this have happened?  What had he done wrong?

They had dated since their freshman year and now she
was saying that she wanted time with her friends, away from him.  She had asked for his understanding and support.  At the time he didn’t understand and he had not wanted to support her decision, but how could he have refused?

She had already made up her mind to go on this self-discovery adventure without him and there was nothing he could have done to change her mind.
He knew that now, but it still didn’t take away the hurt.

As a last attempt, he tried to remind her of all the plans they had made for their future together.  She was going to be his wife and they were going to have babies, they were going to build a wonderful life together.

Stephanie had begged him to try to understand her decision.  He knew right then and there that if he didn’t support her choice, then he was putting himself at risk of losing her forever.

So he had lied and told her that he did understand and she had his full support.  She would be back in a few weeks and things would pick up where they left off.  Life would go back to being normal, and they would get married and start a new life together as man and wife.

That was when Stephanie delivered the final blow that had destroyed all of his happiness.  She didn’t know when she would be returning and she didn’t want him to wait for her.

In fact, she had insisted that he try to find someone else who would love him the way he deserved to be loved.

With tears in her eyes, she had wished him all the happiness in the world.  Why could she not understand that he would never be happy without her?

He had grabbed her hand in an attempt to pull her back when she had
turned to walk away from him. All she had said was, “Please don’t do this Sam.” Then she was gone.

Th
ree days later, she had left for Paris.

She had told him not to wait
for her, but he had waited anyway with the hope that she would come back one day and tell him that she had made a huge mistake and wanted to be his wife more than anything.

For years he had believed that she would
eventually return and declare her love for him and they would finally be married.  Then their lives would resume where they had left off as if nothing had ever happened.

H
e would see her parents around town from time to time.  Through the brief encounters, he had learned that she was still living in Paris and was engaged to some Frenchman, named David.

It wasn’t long after he had learned about her engagement that Stephanie
showed up on his door step.  She said she was just visiting with her parents and wanted to stop by and apologize to him for the way she had hurt him before.

They had talked about their past and she told him about her fiancé David.  This time they had parted on good terms, however he would continue to guard his heart against love.

During the short time that Sam was reminiscing about his lost love, Loren had jumped into bed. Even though she was tired, she felt restless.  She tossed and turned for a while trying to find a more comfortable position.  Once she finally got comfortable and felt settled in, her thoughts turned back to Sam.

He was a very hands
ome man, slightly taller than she was.  Sandy blonde hair, gorgeous blue eyes, and a mustache with a small hint of red defined his character.

It seemed as if they sure
did know how to grow them around this part of the country.  That thought amused her, causing a soft chuckle to escape her lips.

Of course she was definitely not interested.
  However, she couldn’t remember a time in her life where window shopping ever hurt anyone.  Her Momma had always said it was good for the soul.  The only thing she wanted from Sam was for him to teach her how to manage the ranch and then he could be on his merry way.

With his good looks, some cowgirl had probably already roped him anyway.
  But even that would probably depend on if she was able to get past his smart-alecky charm.

Loren had almost drifted off to sleep when it dawned on her that Sam had slept in this very same bed up until the night before when he had
probably moved his belongings out to the bunk house.

All kinds of crazy thoughts started running wildly
through her head. Just the thought of him possibly sleeping in his bare nothings in the same bed that she now lay in, caused a tingling ripple of pleasure to rush through her body.  The feeling was definitely uninvited.

What was wrong with her, hadn’t she already said that she wasn’t interested?
  No doubt about it, she did not want to be tied down to anyone right now; maybe never.