The Rancher's Second Chance. Brenda Minton

washing dishes. He kept his back to her, his attention focused on the plates he washed and the window over the sink. He probably expected Lincoln to show up anytime. But she’d taken the battery out of his truck, so it would take him a while.

      A second wave of nausea hit, taking her by surprise. Grace ran for the bathroom and this time she didn’t shut the door. As she lost her breakfast, Brody appeared at her side. He didn’t say anything. A moment later she heard water running, then felt a cool cloth settle over the back of her neck.

      Brody’s hand rested on her shoulder. He didn’t stay at her side, though. She heard his booted footsteps going down the hall, away from her. She pulled the cloth off her neck and wiped her face free of tears.

      When she returned to the kitchen he was sitting at the table, his leg propped up on the empty chair. He had a cup of coffee in his hands and the dog on his lap.

      “So how far along are you?” His gaze brushed down her body, lingering on the loose button-up shirt she’d pulled on over her T-shirt.

      Grace leaned against the counter and tried to shift her focus from his face, from the disappointment she would see. Emotions clogged her throat, making it hard to speak. She rubbed hands down cheeks that felt warm and took a deep breath.

      “About four months,” she admitted, shifting her focus from the living room with worn leather furniture to the man sitting in front of her.

      “I see.” Brody brushed a hand through his dark hair. “I guess he knows and isn’t too happy?”

      “No, he isn’t.” It hurt too much to think about the clinic Lincoln had driven her to in another state. They’d sat in the parking lot for an hour as he’d tried to talk her in to making a choice she didn’t want to make. In the end she’d refused. He’d been angry, but he hadn’t seen a way to force her into the building.

      She’d ended their relationship that day. But Lincoln kept coming back.

      “We need to find you a place to stay.”

      Because he wouldn’t let her stay with him. That went without saying. “Brody, I hope someday you’ll forgive me.”

      “Me, too.” He said it so quietly that she had to lean in to catch the words. He limped to the living room and grabbed keys and his cell phone off the table. “Let’s go.”

      On the way out the door he grabbed his hat, shoving it down tight on his head.

      She followed him out the door to his truck. Rain was still coming down, heavy and cool. He opened the passenger side door for her and she slid in. Without asking he reached for the seat belt and pulled it across her lap. As if she was five years old and couldn’t do it for herself.

      The movement put them too close, and that was the last thing either of them needed. “I can do it, Brody.”

      “Yeah, I guess you can.”

      She clicked the seat belt in place and reached to close the door. Just then, a truck came up the drive and parked. Brody limped to the vehicle and his brother Jake got out. The other man studied her for a moment, then resumed his conversation with Brody. She’d met Brody’s brothers a time or two at different events. She doubted they knew much about her, other than her name.

      The two men continued to talk, acting as if they didn’t notice the rain that soaked their clothes, dripped off their hats.

      Jake Martin said something else to Brody. Brody raised a hand in a wave that became a salute. Grace knew the brothers were close. They’d raised each other and saved this ranch together. She also knew that having two older brothers sometimes got under Brody’s skin.

      Finally, he joined her in the truck, grumbling about older brothers who should stay out of his business. He jerked off his hat, tossed it in the backseat of his truck and brushed a hand through damp hair that formed loose curls. The tan skin of his face, stretched taught over lean cheeks and a strong jawline, was damp. He raised his arm and used his sleeve to wipe away the moisture.

      “I don’t want to cause you problems with your brothers.”

      “You aren’t causing me any problems. They can’t think of me as an adult.”

      She knew better. “No, they can’t stand to see you hurt by the woman who cheated on you.”

      “They don’t know about you. About us.” He started the truck and eased out of the driveway. “I think I know where you can stay.”

      He didn’t expand on that. Details weren’t Brody’s thing. She’d just have to trust him. Who else did she have?

      And right now she had someone pretty tiny trusting her to make the right choices for them both.

Chapter Two

      They drove to town in the pouring rain he’d wanted to avoid. The wipers swished in a continuous effort to keep the windshield clear. Brody slid a quick glance at the woman sitting next to him. She’d been quiet since leaving the ranch. Now he knew why. She’d fallen sound asleep, her hand on her slightly rounded belly.

      He shook his head, trying not to think of the baby or the bruises on her face. The first made him a little queasy. The second made him so angry he couldn’t see straight.

      Even after what she’d done to him, he still cared. That made him a little bit mad at her, a lot mad at himself. He could help her out. He could forgive. But he wasn’t going to let himself get tangled up with her again.

      It didn’t take long to reach their destination. Brody pulled to a stop in front of Oregon’s All Things shop. Across the street at Duke’s No Bar and Grill the lights were on and the open sign was lit up. A handful of cars and trucks were parked out front, people getting an early start on their day with breakfast at his older brother’s restaurant.

      After a few minutes the front door of the diner opened. Duke, tall and imposing and a little scary if a guy didn’t know him, stepped out on the front porch. He greeted the few people who were brave enough to sit outside under the awning on a rainy morning. When he saw Brody he nodded and headed down the steps.

      Brody got out of the truck and met his brother on the sidewalk in front of Oregon’s. Duke and Oregon were going to be married in December. She was living in a cottage on the ranch while Duke completed remodeling the old farm house that had belonged to their grandfather. Their daughter, Lilly, bounced from house to house, wanting to spend time with both of them.

      “What’s going on?” Duke peered in the tinted windows of the truck. “Is that Grace Thomas?”

      “Yeah.” Brody held out his hand for the keys Duke had in his hand.

      “Not so quick, little brother.” Duke took a step closer to the truck. “What happened?”

      “Lincoln.” The one word brought anger to the surface all over again.

      “Is that why you came home last year?” Duke tossed the keys in the air, then caught them. He didn’t take his eyes off Brody. Brody did his best not to squirm.

      “Part of the reason. She needs a place to stay.”

      “Somewhere that Lincoln can’t find her?”

      “Yeah, I guess. I don’t think he’d bother looking here.” Brody didn’t want to waste time discussing it. He wanted to haul her into Oregon’s, then get back to the ranch and get to work. For the first time in a long while he’d prefer Jake to Duke. He’d prefer all day in the saddle to five minutes alone with Grace.

      “I don’t know if I want you putting Lilly and Oregon in danger.”

      “Duke, she doesn’t have anywhere else to go.”

      “Yeah, I get that. But Lincoln is going to come looking for her, isn’t he?”

      “Yeah, I reckon, but he won’t think to look here. He’ll come to my place.”