Page 36 of Rancher’s Strength (Flying Diamond 5, #4)

T hree Years Later

Lexie

The wind blew softly across the open prairie, and I turned my face into it, loving the feeling.

Hoots and laughter from the kids playing on the bales made me smile.

I should be telling them to stay off and not get their good clothes dirty, but I didn’t even care today.

Life was good, and we needed to find joy in it.

Ruby and Sawyer had worked through a lot of their feelings in therapy, but we’d decided they would keep going until they wanted to stop.

My dad had passed away about a year after Ryder and I got married. Mom was lost for a while and miserable in Everton, so one day, Ryder went there and packed her up, moving her back to Weston Gap. He’d bought her a cute little house, and she was back in the book club with her friends.

Lydia and Faith were still going strong, and I secretly hoped Lydia would find the courage to ask her to get married. The town had embraced Faith, and they saw how good she and Lydia were together, so life had been kind of idyllic for them in the small, backward town.

A big, warm hand slid over my back, up my shoulder, and gently rested on my neck. “You smell good,” I said as I leaned against him, letting his cedar and citrus scent fill my nose.

“Better than I was smelling.” He softly chuckled. Ryder had been up most of the night dealing with calving issues, and I wished he could’ve rested a bit, but we didn’t have the time today. “We have five kids. Who’d a thunk it.” Shifting, I wanted my arms around him and held him tightly.

“I’m glad we could keep them together. They’ve been through so much.

” I watched the five kids run around the yard and couldn’t keep the smile off my face.

“Are you ready to make them permanently ours?” I looked up and watched his eyes mist over, and all he could do was nod.

The pain in his eyes was a remnant of his childhood surfacing.

He wasn’t one of the kids who got chosen, and being able to make that dream come true for three siblings was his true calling.

“The social worker called while you were in the shower. He’s got a fourteen-year-old boy needing placement.” I let my head fall back onto his chest.

“When’s he coming?” he asked, his low voice rumbling in his chest.

“Doug said he can’t get him here until tomorrow.”

“What office is he out of this week?” Ryder asked and I could already hear the gears turning in his brain.

“Bozeman.”

“Looks like we’ve got a stop to make after going to the courthouse.”

“Good thing that’s what I told him. I don’t want that young man to have to stay someplace he’s not wanted anymore. Even if it’s just one night.” Tightening my hold on my husband, he held me tighter, too.

“Okay, Saffort kids, get in the truck,” Ryder called, and all five kids froze and looked at us before running full speed to the large SUV we now took everywhere rather than Ryder’s pick-up.

“Okay, Dad,” Ruby shouted, and I watched Ryder freeze mid-step. Slowly, he turned to me.

“I heard it. You’re not hearing things.”

“Ry, if she’s comfortable calling you that, then I think she should.

” Ruby was eleven now and had vivid memories of her parents, whereas Sawyer’s were fuzzy, so he’d started calling Ryder dad all the time about a year after they’d come to us.

It wasn’t something we’d ever talked about having them do.

They had an amazing mom and dad, and while they were gone, we didn’t want to replace them. We were just filling in.

“I’m Dad,” he whispered, pride radiating through those two words.

“Yes, you are.” Turning my head, I kissed his cheek and smiled up at him.

This man, who I’d walked away from once because I didn’t think I deserved him, had made all my dreams come true again.

Loving this man once had been a gift. Getting to do it again was something I’d never take for granted.

He was my strength, and life wasn’t complete unless my cowboy was by my side.

I didn’t think anything would go wrong; we’d shown the courts that we were fit and that the kids were safe and well cared for.

Money wasn’t an issue. We had a support system like no other.

The only thing that might cause an issue was the divorce, but I would share my truth as to why it happened, and I wouldn’t hide how much I’ve regretted it.

I lost three years with the man who was my soulmate, and while I couldn’t get that time back, I was going to show him every day how much he meant to me.

As we left the farm, it was like a parade. Trucks fell into line behind us, and I looked in the side mirror and smiled. The entire Flying Diamond Five Ranch was accompanying us to Bozeman for the hearing.

“We should have rented a bus,” I joked, and Ryder looked in the mirror. With the exception of Jake and Tayla, every truck had a Diamond logo. There wasn’t a question about where we came from.

“A bus might not be a bad idea,” Ryder agreed before taking my hand and lacing his fingers through mine.

“Where did Linc take off to? He wasn’t at supper?” I asked and saw the muscle on the side of Ryder’s jaw tense and his brow furrow.

“Said he’d gotten a call for a job, and he needed to go.” Ryder’s words were hushed, and there was a bit of fear in them.

“Like a job, job?”

“Like a five job, yeah.” As far as I knew, the last job they did was taking care of Fallon’s ex-husband.

Besides the day out at the meadow, but that wasn’t done in secret.

Every law enforcement department handled that, and legal proceedings were needed to make sure there wasn’t any trouble afterward.

“Why is he going alone? You’ve never gone alone?” I quickly said, a little louder than anticipated, but the kids all seemed occupied in the back.

“I'm not sure. I’ve got Phil looking into it.” Ryder turned to me and gave me half a smile. I knew it was to reassure me, but it didn’t. In fact, it made me worry even more about what he was doing.

Ryder

“Why do you live in the middle of nowhere?” the young man asked as he kicked at a rock.

His sneakers looked like they’d seen better days, and the holes in his jeans were because they were threadbare.

My heart plummeted when I’d seen him sitting in that office.

He wouldn’t look me in the eye, just kept his gaze sternly locked on the floor.

His belongings were tossed haphazardly in a garbage bag he’d slung over his shoulder.

These kids relied on everyone else to make decisions for them, and they didn’t even get a bag to put their belongings in.

It made my blood boil that so little had changed over the years.

“Well, kind of hard to ranch in the middle of a city,” I said with a chuckle, and the boy nodded before I shoved my hands in my pockets.

We’d been gone most of the day, so the sun was beginning to set, and the sky was a beautiful pink.

Normally, Lexie and I would sit on the porch and watch the kids play as the sky darkened, but tonight, this was where I needed to be.

“Why did you say yes to me? Nobody ever comes to get me. They just make whatever worker I’m with drop me off like I was a bag of trash.” His voice seemed far away, but I’d remembered that feeling and opening up to anyone wouldn’t have been something I did.

“It’s what we do.” There was no other answer. Lexie and I had decided when we’d opened our home that no child who passed through it would be treated any less than one of our own.

“Yeah, but you got your own family. Why’d you want me?”

“Wyatt, this is my family now, but it hasn’t always been this way.

You see, Ruby and Sawyer lost their parents in a car accident.

Their mom was Lexie’s best friend, so we were guardians for the kids.

Sara, Andrew, and West were in the foster system, and we took them in about a year ago.

Their mother signed away her rights, and we adopted them so they could stay together.

So, this family has come together in many different ways.

But I don’t really think that answers your question. ”

I had this talk with other kids who had come through our door, but this felt different. I wasn’t sure what it was about Wyatt, but I knew he’d be fitting into our family, and I wasn’t sure we could let him go. “I was a foster kid. Back in those days, it was a pretty shady business.”

“Still is,” he mumbled.

“I can’t deny some people aren’t in it for the right reasons, but I hope Lexie and I are.

I didn’t want any child to feel like I did growing up.

There was no welcome for me in any of the homes I was in.

Nobody made me feel like part of their family, so I want to do things differently.

” Leaning back on the bale, I crossed my leg over the other and hoped my words were what he needed.

“You’re more than welcome here for as long as you want. If you’re still here when you age out, this will always be a place for you to call home. We won’t kick you out on the dawn of your eighteenth birthday either.”

“Is that what happened to you?”

“No, I split when I was sixteen. There’s probably still paperwork somewhere saying I was a runaway.

Thankfully, I was smart, earned scholarships, and got out on my own.

Then I met my friends, and Lexie and I decided not to let being a kid in the foster care system define who I was anymore.

Did I ever think I’d open my home like this?

Nope, but life has a funny way of playing out.

I also never dreamed of six kids.” I frowned, and it made Wyatt smile, well, a half-smile, but it was something other than the anger radiating off him.

“So, while you’re here, you’re part of this family. You’ll work with us like you’ve been here all your life. But you’ll also be welcome like you’ve been here all along.” I reached out and gently put my hand on his shoulder.

“What will make you send me away?” Six words that made him sound like a lost little boy, and my heart broke for him.

“Writing a checklist?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood slightly.

“No.” He shook his head. “I just need to be prepared.”

“I’ll make you a deal, just don’t burn anything down or make the cattle stampede, and you’ll never be sent away. Hell, you could probably make the cattle stampede, and I still wouldn’t get rid of you.” Moving my hand from his shoulder, I held it out for him to shake.

Wyatt looked at my hand like it was on fire, but he finally shook it. He didn’t let it go when I thought he would have. It was like he was clinging to me, so I pulled him to me and wrapped him in a hug. With his free hand, he wrapped his around me, and I held him as he sobbed quietly.

“Why does nobody want me?” he cried into my shoulder.

“Son, we want you. You just took a bit to find your place.” Tightening my hold on him, I needed to make sure he knew he was home.

When he finally let me go, I nodded over to the bales, and we went and sat on them.

As the sun set, he told me about the last few homes he’d been in, and while there hadn’t been any abuse, the treatment was you versus us.

I couldn’t remember how many homes I’d filtered through that the attitude was the same, and it killed a little piece of me every time.

“Hey, boys, are you coming in tonight? I’m not sure I can keep these five away from the surprise.” Lexie yelled from the porch. Looking up, she’d wrapped her arm around the post and was leaning her head against it.

“I suppose we should get to the house,” I said as I put my hand on Wyatt’s shoulder, but all he did was nod.

Lexie’s eyes were filled with concern, and the slight crease between her brows gave away her worry. However, I smiled and nodded at her. “Okay, you have to keep in mind I didn’t do the decorating. The kids did it,” Lexie whispered as she fell into step with Wyatt.

I opened the door and motioned for Wyatt to go first. “Welcome to the family!” The kids cheered, and Wyatt’s face went red as he surveyed the state of the living room.

Balloons hung from the ceiling, a big welcome home banner hung crooked on the wall, with a few letters missing.

Streamers lined the staircase, and a cake sat in the middle of the coffee table.

“Okay, you’re going to have to learn sign language ‘cause that’s how Parker talks,” Sarah said matter-of-factly.

“He only needs that when he doesn’t have his implant in,” Ruby said with a sigh.

I glanced over at Lexie and arched my brow.

Did my daughter have a crush on my best friend’s stepson?

Oh, we were going to have a chat about this.

Lexie smiled sweetly at me, and I knew it was true.

“Don’t worry, we’ll help you,” Ruby added, and she brushed it off like it was nothing.

“Then there’s the babies, but we’ll show you all their pictures so you know who they are,” Sawyer said with a grin. Andrew and West nodded in agreement.

“And then there’s this.” Lexie held out a ranch wild rag that we’d had Kipp bring to the hearing.

He also stopped off at an embroidery place and offered them far above their rush fee to interrupt what they were doing and put Wyatt’s name on it.

Tomorrow morning, Fallon will order more to keep on hand for him.

“In this little family, or not so little family, we decided to welcome new people by giving them a personalized wild rag. So, for as long as you wear it, you’re part of the Saffort family and the Flying Diamond Five Ranch.

If you go away from here and eventually wander back onto this ranch and have this in hand, you will be welcomed with open arms, no questions asked.

” I held the fabric out, and Wyatt hesitated to take it.

Maybe night one wasn’t the best time for us to have done this.

He reached out and took the wild rag from me with a shaking hand. “You belong here, Wyatt,” Lexie said quietly as she wrapped her arm around mine and stood close. “There’s an entire massive ranch of people that will love you like their own if you’ll let them.”

“Thank you,” the young boy whispered. Lexie walked over to him and wrapped him in a hug.

“Welcome home, son. We’re so happy you’re here,” Lexie whispered just loud enough for me to hear.

This life hadn’t been easy, but with the ranch, the strength I gained from it, and my family, I knew there was nothing that could beat us down.

We’d always get up, and we’d always have one another.

At one time, I thought this ranch was my strength, but now I knew it was Lexi, and the family we’d fought together to have.