Page 25 of Rancher’s Strength (Flying Diamond 5, #4)

Chapter Twenty-One

LEXIE

A chill ran through my body as I rolled over and found the spot beside me empty.

I placed my hand on the pillow, and it was cold, so Ryder had been gone for a while.

Saturday should have been an easy day, but of course, he would be out working already.

This week had been a win; the kids had settled into school fairly well, and I was able to go with Ryder to their therapy appointments, thanks to Faith holding everything down.

Life seemed to be moving forward with anxiety-riddled ease.

Fresh coffee wafted from the kitchen, and I was laser-focused on the machine. A note sat beside my cup, telling me Ryder was out in the corral. Pouring the steaming elixir into my cup, I walked to the window and looked out at him.

Why was this man so sexy? Had he always been this way?

I watched him move around the corral with hypnotic expertise as he tended to the few head of cattle that needed attention.

Of course he had always been attractive—it was the first thing I noticed about him when he walked into my father’s law office to sign some documents.

As if something was pulling me, I moved out to the porch and kept my eyes on him.

He hadn’t changed much in the last ten years.

Maybe a little grey dusted through his hair, but he still made my heart beat a little faster when I looked at him.

The hardest thing about our divorce was the fact that I was in love with him, but he deserved to have a family, to be a dad, and I couldn’t give him that.

“Like what you see?” he called out to me. I jumped, not realizing he could see me from where I was standing. “Get down here for a minute.”

Taking a quick glance back into the house, I noticed everything was still quiet.

Ruby and Sawyer were still asleep, and judging from the clock on the wall, they would be for a bit longer.

I hadn’t been up this early since I was married to Ryder, but the man didn’t know how to be quiet, so I was just thankful that the kids seemed to not mind his stomping around in the mornings.

“Need something?” I asked, holding my coffee against my chest to warm myself from the cold bite of the wind.

“Yeah, that.” He reached out, took the mug from my hand, and took a swig of my coffee.

“Hey,” I grumbled but didn’t protest much. He set the cup on top of the fence post and shrugged out of his jacket.

“Put this on.” He swung his coat around my shoulders, and I slipped my arms into it. His scent enveloped me, and the warmth of the coat took the chill away almost instantly. “Remember how to work the head gate?” he asked, pointing to the lever that opened the doors.

“Kind of a simple thing to forget, isn’t it?” I arched a brow. Ryder took a half step toward me and reached out, grabbing his coat and pulling me toward him.

“Sass like that’s going to get you in trouble,” he said as he lowered his head. His eyes locked on my lips, and I was sure he could feel my heart hammering in my chest.

“It always did like to get into trouble.” My reply was barely above a whisper, and I smirked. What was I doing? Egging Ryder on hadn’t been on my list of things to do today, but here we were.

“Alexandra,” he croaked. It sounded like both a warning and promise. We were pressed against each other now, the cold metal of the cattle chute at my back. I hadn’t even realized we’d moved. “God, I’ve never stopped wanting you.”

Just as I opened my mouth to ask what was stopping him, the long, loud bellow of the cow behind me broke the trance we were in.

“Guess I should let her out.” I smiled and reached for the lever that opened the gates.

However, I wasn’t able to get it open given how I was standing, because Ryder hadn’t moved away from me.

Without breaking eye contact, he reached up, wrapped his hand around mine, and pulled down.

The cow bolted, and the chute rattled, bumping me into Ryder.

“I should get to work,” he said as he finally stepped away from me. “Ready?” he asked, reaching up to let the next cow out of the pen. Slamming the gates closed, I nodded, and the next beast thundered up the alleyway. Whatever was happening was over now, and we were back to all business.

With minimal discussion and no small talk, we worked the twenty head of cattle and managed to let the last one out just as Ruby called from the porch.

“Auntie Lexie, Uncle Ryder, where are you?” Her little voice was full of panic.

My heart broke, and Ryder and I both sprinted toward the house.

His long legs covered ground faster than mine, and he bounded up the stairs, scooping her up in his arms and twirling her around.

Her giggles floated through the air, and I stopped at the bottom of the steps, watching the two of them.

The panic was gone, and she looked adoringly at Ryder. “Why’s Auntie Lexie wearing your jacket?" she asked between giggles.

“She came out to help me and didn’t wear a coat. I guess she forgot it was fall, so she stole my jacket.”

“You gave it to me,” I grumbled, while Ryder shook his head and Ruby leaned over to look at me.

“I think it looks better on you, Auntie,” Ruby whispered, cupping her hands around her mouth.

“Well, maybe she should keep it,” Ryder said as he turned to look at me, arching his brow.

“I think I still have one at my house in Bozeman,” I said as I shrugged out of it and held it out to him.

“I should get it next time we go. Then you can have yours back.” I hadn’t thought about my house in Bozeman at all since I’d gotten the call from the police.

I didn’t want to think about what was rotting in the fridge.

Well, let’s be honest. It would be some sort of takeout in a cardboard container.

I didn’t cook much because I’d spent all my time focused on my career, which in reality was just something to do so I didn’t have to think about him.

“Well, since it’s not here, keep it, sweetheart.” Ryder set Ruby down but held on to her hand.

Ruby burst out laughing, “You called her sweetheart. That’s weird.

” She shook her head, and I looked up at Ryder, thinking, Not all that weird.

When we’d been together, I could have sworn he’d forgotten my actual name.

He called me “sweetheart” all the time and hearing it again, after what happened in the corral, shook me to my core.

“Auntie Lex, are you coming in for breakfast?” Sawyer asked through the screen door, his big eyes looking up at me.

“Yeah, I’m coming.” I smiled and pulled the screen door open. Sawyer wrapped his small hand around mine. My heart squeezed as tightly as the grip he had on my hand.