The Rancher Who Took Her In. Teresa Southwick

a filter between his brain and his mouth. Maturity was a wonderful thing.

      “When I was growing up,” she said, “my dad was career army and we moved every couple of years. It got hard to make friends and leave them, so I just stopped. I hung out at home mostly.”

      “Wow.” The boy set his picked-clean leg bone on the plate, his eyes growing wide. “I wouldn’t like moving away from C.J. He’s my best friend. And I’ve never lived anywhere but here.”

      “The ranch has been in the family for several generations,” Cabot explained.

      Kate looked wistful. “I’ve never had roots. You’re lucky, Ty, to have a long-standing connection with the land and community.”

      “It’s a blessing and curse,” Cabot said.

      “How so?” She scooped up a forkful of macaroni and delicately put it in her mouth.

      “When you’re the only son of a rancher, you pretty much know what your career is going to be when you grow up. What’s expected of you. There’s not a lot of choice.”

      “Did you want to take another career path?” she asked.

      “I majored in business in college because it was expected that someday I’d run this place. What I didn’t expect was having opportunities in the corporate sector. That life pulled at me some. But when it’s a family business, the situation becomes a lot more complicated.”

      Kate glanced at Ty, and it was clear that she wanted to ask how he fit into the scheme of things, considering Cabot’s mixed feelings. When his boy grew up, would he be expected to take over the ranch? Cabot hoped he would be more flexible than his own father and let his son decide what he wanted to do with his life. He didn’t plan on pressuring Ty and saddling him with expectations of taking over the operation. Being stuck on the land near a small town in rural Montana could be limiting.

      It was a great place to grow up, but there was a big world out there, and once upon a time it had tugged at Cabot. Now he just didn’t think much about it. He was doing his best as a father, rancher and businessman who was exploring the responsible use of mineral rights on the land. Pretty much he was content with things now. Until meeting Kate, that was.

      “So, I’ve been looking over the camp curriculum,” she said, changing the subject.

      Cabot was grateful to her because taking over the ranch wasn’t something he wanted to discuss in front of his son. The years were going by too fast, but a decent amount of time was still left before any decisions needed to be made.

      “Caroline takes care of that.”

      “You don’t have input?”

      “I could, but I mostly just stay out of the way.”

      Kate looked surprised at that. “I see.”

      “You look surprised. Is there a problem?”

      “No. It’s just that you’re so patient and comfortable with Tyler, I’d have thought you were more involved with the camp and the visiting kids.”

      “I don’t have a lot of time for it.” Guilt pricked him because he could make more time if he chose. “What do you think of the activities?”

      “There sure are a lot of them.” She looked thoughtful. “Arts and crafts. Water sports, which makes sense with the lake right here. Archery. Horseback riding. I like that the kids can choose what activities they want to participate in.”

      Cabot hadn’t made any changes since he’d taken it over from his father. And he didn’t get involved very much after the kids arrived, leaving it to Caroline to run things day to day.

      “They’re encouraged to try as many activities as possible,” he said, recalling his manager’s recommendations. “But it’s still their choice what they do.”

      Kate nodded thoughtfully. “I noticed there was a course in wilderness survival.”

      “Presenting the basics is wise, although it’s up to the staff to make sure the kids’ survival is never in question.”

      “Very funny.” She took a sip of beer. “Seriously, though, are basics enough? You always hear stories in the news about someone getting lost in the woods, stranded with their car, driving off the road. Last winter there was the case of a family who got stuck when they went to play in the snow.”

      “What happened to them?” Ty asked.

      “The father did everything right. They stayed with the vehicle, burned the car’s tires to stay warm, and everyone huddled in the car at night to share body heat when the temperature dropped below freezing.”

      Cabot’s attention perked up at the body-heat part. His definitely cranked up at the thought of keeping her warm. It was an image that popped into his mind without warning or permission. Once there it seemed disinclined to leave.

      “It took a couple of days, but they were finally found not too far from their home.” She looked at Cabot. “By the way, I’m certified to teach wilderness-survival techniques.”

      In spite of the fact that she was doing a good job on her beer, it was hard to believe this girlie girl could hold her own in the wild. “You’re serious?”

      “Don’t judge me by the way I handle—or mishandle—a baseball. I can build a fire without matches and find food in the woods.”

      “Why?”

      “Why not?” she shot back.

      He waited for more details, like why she would go out of her way to acquire that kind of skill, but she stared him down without saying more. It made him curious, but he didn’t ask. She probably had her reasons for not sharing more personal details. It was typical of all the strays who had a need to use his spare cabin.

      All he knew was that she’d been engaged to a guy, then ran out when it was time to commit. Her story was that he’d cheated, but Cab didn’t know for sure. What he did know was that there were too many similarities to his ex, and that was plenty of reason to keep his distance.

      But obviously he was cursed. Otherwise he wouldn’t be attracted to a woman who had run away from something.

Chapter Three

      It was a spectacular night.

      At about nine o’clock, after cleaning up the pots and pans she’d used to cook dinner, Kate sat on the wooden bench on the small front porch of her little cabin. The inky-black Montana sky glittered with stars, a sight that took her breath away. The absence of Los Angeles nuisance light revealed the beauty a person couldn’t see in the big city.

      Being away from L.A. was having unexpected effects on her. She hadn’t been this relaxed in a very long time. Dinner with the Dixon men had been partly responsible for that. Fried chicken, mac and cheese and beer were probably the world’s most comforting foods. But the best part was that no one wanted anything from her. She’d had to make a federal case to get her boss’s permission to cook.

      Cabot Dixon was a brooder, which only added to his appeal. He didn’t have a poker face, either. That was for sure. When he’d talked about missed career opportunities, she’d seen resentment and resignation in his expression. But when she’d gone into Blackwater Lake to shop for food and toiletries, everyone she’d talked to had said he had made the Dixon ranch more successful than his father or grandfather had. So it might not be his first choice for making a living, but he was darn good at what he did.

      The scrape of boots coming down the dirt path startled her in the still night. Adrenaline kicked up her heart rate; she was all alone out here. As a tall form moved closer, lights mounted on the cabins revealed that it was Cabot.

      “Evening,” he said, not slowing his stride.

      He was going to walk right on by. If he’d said nothing, a case