Page 22 of River Legacy (Powder River #5)

S omeone was pounding on the door. For a startled second, Victoria forgot where she was.

She felt Ryder go rigid next to her for a moment before he leaned over and kissed her, then leaped up calling, “Just a minute.” She watched him in the semidarkness of the room as he pulled on briefs and a T-shirt before he went to the door.

He cracked it open only a few inches. She heard Brand’s voice, then Ryder saying, “I’ll tell Vicky,” before he closed the door and turned to her. “It’s time.”

Still half-asleep, she glanced at the clock by the bed. Four-thirty in the morning? Surely not breakfast.

“It’s Sunny. She’s about to foal,” he said as he pulled on jeans and a shirt.

“You don’t want to miss this,” he said, sounding excited, even though he must have seen dozens of horses born on this ranch.

“Hurry and get dressed and come out to the barn.” He stepped to the bed, kissed her again, his gaze as much as the kiss telling her how much he’d enjoyed last night.

Then he left, closing the bedroom door behind him.

She lay there for a moment, not wanting to leave the warm bed. She remembered last night, their lovemaking, and hugged herself. She hadn’t meant for that to happen but didn’t regret it. Couldn’t. It had felt so... right.

It would have been easy to just close her eyes and go back to sleep in the warm hollow Ryder’s body had left in the bed.

Why was she so tired? Brand said it was the higher altitude air that had worn her out, or it might have been the long horseback ride or driving that big truck or dancing until the bar closed.

Not to mention making love not once but twice.

Brand couldn’t know she was in his brother’s bed, could he? She felt as if he was challenging her to show his brother how wrong she was for him. She wouldn’t put it past him. She could tell that Brand thought she was too soft, too fragile, too spoiled, too much of a city girl.

Right now she figured that, but determined she threw her legs over the side of the bed and hurriedly dressed in one of Ryder’s shirts.

It had quit raining as she crossed over to the house and ran upstairs to get dressed.

She’d show them both what she was made of, she thought as she left the house in the cold darkness and made her way to the barn.

As she walked in, her nostrils filled with the once-strange smells that now seemed familiar. She heard Ryder and Brand encouraging the mare. Drawing closer, she saw the horse moving around the stall nervously. She could see what appeared to be one small leg protruding from the back of the horse.

“Foals come out front hooves and face first,” Ryder said when he saw her and motioned her closer. He was talking to the mare, brushing his hand over her, speaking in a soothing tone.

“We’re about to pull him out,” Brand said. “Want to help?”

Heart pounding, she stepped into the large stall as another leg protruded.

She stepped in and watched nervously as the mare circled nervously once more before lying down.

Both brothers got behind the mare and began to pull on the colt’s legs.

Victoria hugged herself, hoping both horses were all right as the men worked.

It seemed to take forever and yet it was only a few minutes before the foul came sliding out and Victoria saw its tiny body and face inside a thin sack. She began to cry tears of joy. The brothers pulled off the bag so the colt could breathe. It lay there, so tiny, as the mare began to lick him.

“She’s encouraging him to stand up,” Ryder said. “He needs to get on his feet to make it.”

Heart in her throat, all she could do was stand still, silently pleading with the colt to get up.

It was such a beautiful scene, but she feared the colt wouldn’t rise, and her heart broke at the thought.

She could see the mare encouraging her baby to stand.

Her heart pounded as she willed the little animal to stand.

And as suddenly as he came into the world, he was on his feet, wobbling, butt up. Victoria began to cry, covering her mouth, relief making her weak.

“He’s going to be a strong little fellow,” Brand was saying.

Ryder stepped over to put his arm around her, looking as awed by the birth as she’d been. To her amazement, once on the colt was on his feet, he began to try out those legs, and within minutes, he began to nurse as the mare too was back on her feet.

“It’s such a miracle,” she said, her voice breaking.

As the brothers finished taking care of the mare and her foal, Victoria sat on a stack of hay bales, content to watch baby and mother and the cowboys looking after them both.

At some point she must have leaned over and fallen asleep because the next thing she remembered was sunlight streaming in through the barn door.

She could feel it on her face but kept her eyes closed, wrapped up in the warm memory of last night.

C laude couldn’t be more anxious to finally get to Powder Crossing.

He’d left the motel and driven to Miles City early this morning.

Now he was cutting east toward Broadus. Who in their right mind would live out here, he thought as he crossed a mountain and dropped down into what he hoped was the Powder River basin.

He thought he would never get to Powder Crossing when all of a sudden it appeared on the horizon.

But when he drove down the main drag of the town, he saw to his dismay that there wasn’t much there.

Fortunately, there was an old hotel, a bar and a café.

And at least there was a place to get gas at the fuel station/convenience store for when he finally got to leave.

Not having any idea where to find the Stafford Ranch, he parked in front of the Cattleman Café and went inside.

It was after the morning rush so there were only a couple of older men at one of the tables.

Both looked at him, frowned and went back to their breakfasts.

Wen had advised him to try to blend in. Not to wear a suit. Try to look local.

As he noted the two locals frowning at him, one in worn blue overalls and the other in just as worn canvas pants, he couldn’t imagine why he would want to look like them.

But he had stopped at an outdoor store in Miles City, bought himself some canvas pants, a flannel shirt and a pair of Western boots.

He hated the feel of all of it and felt ridiculous.

At the first wide spot in the road, he’d changed into a pair of designer jeans he’d brought along with a hoodie and his running shoes.

Now he took a seat in the café, trying to ignore the two men who would occasionally turn in his direction with questioning looks.

The place smelled of bacon and biscuits.

When an older woman, her hair a cap of tight gray curls, came out of the back, she grabbed a menu, a glass of ice water, a cup and a pot of coffee before she approached him.

“Coffee?” she asked as she set down the cup and started to fill it. “Cream and sugar?” He just had time to nod before she reached into her pocket and produced several small containers of cream and some sugar packets. She handed him the menu. “Special is bacon, two eggs, biscuits and gravy.”

He thought of his boss and smiled. “I’ll take it.” Before she could ask how he liked his eggs, he told her, “Over easy.”

She gave him an abrupt nod and took off with the coffeepot to go refill the ranchers’ cups.

The breakfast was delicious. He ate every bite and enjoyed it so much that he’d wished he had taken a photo of it first to send to Wen. Too late now, he thought.

When the woman came back to clear the table, he asked, “Can you tell me how to get out to the Stafford Ranch?”

She eyed him suspiciously. “You have business out there?”

“I’m a friend of Ryder’s,” he lied. “He said if I was ever in the area...”

She still looked skeptical but said, “I’ll make you a map. You might want to call first, though. This time of year, they aren’t around the house much, though I think they’ve already moved their cattle.”

“The life of a rancher,” Claude said, wondering what ranchers did other than move cows around.

The next time she came by, she brought a map she’d drawn on a napkin. She gave him a cup of coffee in a to-go container for the road, he paid his bill and, feeling good and confident this wasn’t a wild-goose chase, left.

Once in the SUV again, though, he had to go over his game plan in his mind. It was risky, but at this point, he felt he had nothing to lose. And it wasn’t as risky or as dangerous as plan B, let alone C.

He couldn’t help but think about what he’d already been through as he drove out the county road toward the Stafford Ranch.

He’d flown up here with Wen thinking he was almost family.

He’d foolishly thought that even if he and Victoria didn’t hit it off this time, Wen would have been able to bring his daughter to heel.

Instead, she’d pulled a fast one that neither of them had seen coming.

Claude had never had any trouble getting women.

It still irked him that this spoiled brat had his future in her hands.

Worse maybe, he had come to hate his job, especially the way Wen treated him.

He had to do something to fix that or he was going to quit.

Wen would destroy him if he quit, but he couldn’t be expected to take this much abuse.

As he drove, he thought about how to get back into his boss’s good graces.

Wen wanted the Stafford Ranch; he’d made that much clear.

There was only one way Claude could see him getting it—short of figuring out how to buy a place that wasn’t for sale.

Victoria would have to marry Ryder. Apparently, his boss thought that Claude showing up at the ranch would force her into the rancher’s arms—if not his bed.

Claude felt he had two options. Push Victoria into a marriage with the cowboy to make his boss happy. He really couldn’t see that happening, knowing Victoria. She was an obstinate, incorrigible woman. The second option was to make sure the cowboy and the princess never got together.

He loved that idea because it was the perfect way to get back at his boss for making him come out here, expecting him to grovel for his daughter.

Tough decision, he thought, smiling. This trip to Montana had opened his eyes.

He didn’t care about his job anymore. His self-respect was on the line.

He wanted more than anything to get out of his contract, even though he knew he didn’t stand a chance in hell—and Wen knew it.

Which meant the man wasn’t going to fire him, no matter what he did. Payback felt good.

As he saw the sign to the ranch ahead, he slowed, knowing there was only one answer. Plan A. The risky one, but still less dangerous than the other two. With this one at least, he wouldn’t go to jail.

V ictoria heard the sound of a vehicle engine and opened her eyes. She’d fallen asleep on the bales in the barn? The realization made her chuckle. Back in the city, she’d always needed pills to sleep. She certainly hadn’t the last two nights here on the ranch. She sat up and stretched.

“Have you been here all night?” she asked Ryder when he came out of the new mama’s stall. She caught a glimpse of the foal and couldn’t believe how well he was getting around already.

“There wasn’t much night left after the birth,” Ryder said as he moved to the open barn door at the sound of a car door slamming. “Looks like we have company,” he said. He didn’t sound surprised, but she saw his disappointment and quickly stood.

“Who?” She began to brush herself off, afraid it was Ryder’s mother.

She didn’t want anyone seeing her with hay in her hair and looking a mess, but especially his mother.

Why she wanted the woman to like her she couldn’t have said yesterday.

Today she felt more invested in this ranch, in this life, in Ryder.

When she reached the open barn door, though, she saw their visitor was the last person she wanted to see under any circumstances. “You have to be kidding. What is he doing here?”

“I would imagine your father sent him to get you,” Ryder said.

“My father didn’t mention it when you texted him where I was going, did he?”

“He didn’t answer my text at all.”

“Enjoying yourself?” Claude asked her as he walked over to them, ignoring everyone but her.

She felt him take her in, not missing a thing.

In the wee hours, she’d thrown clothing on half-asleep and was still wearing Ryder’s shirt that was far too large for her.

Claude had also caught her after having just woken up on a hay bale.

She hated to think what she looked like—or what Claude thought had been going on.

She didn’t want to hurt the man or antagonize him. She just wanted him to leave.

Claude cocked a brow and said, “I see ranch life agrees with you.”

Then again, she realized she didn’t give a damn what he thought. “What are you doing here?” she and Ryder asked in unison.

“Seeing if you’re all right,” Claude said, still only talking to her and pointedly not looking at Ryder. “Your father was worried.”

“I doubt that,” she said. “So what are you really doing here?”

“Well, it sure as hell isn’t to win you back,” Claude snapped. “It’s pretty clear what you’ve been doing.”

“That’s enough. You’re not welcome here,” Ryder said, as if tired of being ignored by the man. “Get off my property, or I’ll have you arrested for trespassing.”

Claude finally acknowledged him with a frown.

“Seriously? Do you really not have a clue what’s going on here, cowboy?

” he said and shook his head. “You actually think Victoria just happened to ask for your help to save her from me? Ryder, it was a setup from the get-go. Wen wants your ranch, and he will literally do anything to get it—including enlisting his daughter to go after you.” He glanced from Ryder to Victoria and back. “Apparently, it’s working.”