RESCUED BY THE RANCHER by Soraya Lane Page A

shade beneath
the veranda, and headed for the barn.
    He had no intention of marrying, his father had known that, but
running this ranch was something he was determined to do. With every beat of
his heart, he would prove to himself that not everything about their old life
had died when his mom had.
    Maddison Jones
reached for her sister’s hand and squeezed her fingers.
    “Have I told you how good it is to be back?”
    Charley laughed, retrieving her hand and placing it back on the
wheel. “Only a few times since you got in the car.”
    Maddison touched
her head to the cool of the window, watching as the world she’d left behind so
long ago sped past. “I know I was desperate to leave, but maybe I never
realized how special it was here.”
    Growing up in Montana
had been amazing, she realized that now. But as a teenager it had seemed like
there was nothing here for her. Now it was like she’d come full circle, and getting back home had been the only thing she’d
been able to focus on lately.
    “I’ve been trying to tell you that for the last five years,” Charley
said, slowing as they approached the turn off to their ranch. “Clean air,
horses, real people… what’s not to love?”
    It wasn’t that she hadn’t loved it years ago, but there had been
other things she’d wanted to experience. Places she wanted to go. People she
wanted to meet. Except she probably could
have done without some of the people she’d met.
    “So tell me about dad? How is he really?” she asked.
    Her sister didn’t take her eyes off the road, but Maddison didn’t miss the tension that dragged her eyebrows
together. “He’s okay, I guess, but he just won’t slow down. Doesn’t seem to
think I can handle things on my own, even though I’m the young, able bodied one
and he’s technically supposed to be on bed rest still.”
    “Or maybe he just doesn’t want you to do it alone?” Maddison suggested. “Mom’s concerned about you doing so
much, and dad probably can’t stand the thought of not working the land every
day. Rest isn’t exactly something he’s used to.”
    Charley’s face lost the frown and her mouth turned upwards into a
smile instead. “Do you know who’s been helping out lately?”
    Now it was Maddison’s turn to raise her
eyebrows in question. “Who?”
    “Jack.”
    Oh . Now that was a name that still made her smile, even if it had
been… She shut off the question in her mind. Way too long was how long it had been . “How’s he doing on his own?”
    “Fine, I think. But then his dad’s only been gone a month.”
    Maddison nodded,
suddenly feeling claustrophobic in the vehicle. Just looking outside at the
land rolling past the window was making her want to stretch her legs. And
thinking about Jack had made her take a very fast trip down memory lane. To
what seemed like centuries ago, but was little more than a decade.
    “I should have kept in touch with him.”
    Charley shrugged. “Yeah, you should have.”
    Not what she’d needed to
hear . “It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, but things
change. People change.” Sounded corny but it was true, and Jack had been her best friend. She’d never
intended on losing contact with him, it had just happened.
    “Speak of the devil.”
    Maddison looked up
so fast she practically gave herself whiplash. “Where?” she
asked.
    “Top of the ridge.”
    She followed the field in a straight line up as Charley slowed.
Riding down towards them, mounted on a black horse with four white socks and a
striking white blaze, was a man way bigger than Maddison remembered Jack to be.   “Are you sure that’s
him?”
    Why the hell had no one
told her what the grown up Jack was like?
    “No, it must be another lone cowboy riding out on the Gregory land.”
    Charley’s voice was sarcastic. But
it didn’t make Maddison look away.
    “It just, doesn’t, well…” Maddison held up
her hand in a wave as the rider did the same. Geez, it really was him. “Jack’s
kind