The Second Chance Bride (Country Brides & Cowboy Boots) Read online

  Savannah’s heart swelled with loneliness. This day was coming, but it was easy to push it away when living in the long and glorious days of summer. Now, the endless summer was being chased by the crisp autumn, and soon Alex would have to follow it.

  “My work at the ranch will be finished within the week,” he said. “I checked with your dad to see if he had anything that would keep me on with his regular crew, but he said he’s got all the help he needs. I’ve checked around at a couple of other smaller ranches, but everyone is covered for the winter.”

  Savannah looked down the path they were walking. She squeezed Alex’s hand as apprehension began to rise. She didn’t want to let go of this man and all he offered her in gentle understanding and love. “I’m not surprised,” she murmured. “I just hoped things would somehow work out differently. I guess I’m not quite sure how to proceed.”

  “Things can still work out,” Alex said. He stopped and turned to face Savannah.

  Hope budded inside of Savannah as she looked into Alex’s blue eyes.

  “How would you feel about coming with me to Bend? I know I’d be asking you to leave your home and your family, and that’s asking a lot. And it might be hard for a while. I’ve never thought much of going to college, but I think it would be the best thing for the two of us and…”

  Savannah searched Alex’s face as the budding hope began to flower. “Are you asking…?”

  “Yes, I am. Savannah, will you marry me?” He rushed on. “I know I can’t offer you much right now, but in a few years--.”

  Savannah thrilled at the idea of becoming Alex’s wife. As their love deepened, it became her greatest unsung wish. It was the one missing piece to her puzzled future. And now that he stood before her with offering her that very possibility, everything fell into place. “Yes.”

  Alex blinked. “Yes?”

  Savannah pulled Alex into a tight embrace before moving away to look into his eyes. “Yes. I will marry you, Alex. I know it’ll be hard, but we’ll figure it out. I think college is a great idea. Maybe we could figure out a way we both could go. I could study to be an arborist. You could study agriculture.”

  A slow smile came across Alex’s face. “That’s what I was thinking.”

  Savannah’s hope began to flourish, watered with their mutual enthusiasm. With Alex beside her, there were possibilities where none existed. Her future looked as bright as the rising sun. “Maybe we could figure out a way to work together!”

  Alex nodded, then furrowed his brow with concern.

  “What is it?” Savannah asked.

  “It’ll never be what you’re used to,” he warned. “I’ll never be able to provide you with the kind of life you have here, at home.”

  “I don’t need all of this.” She made a sweeping gesture with her arms. “It’s what national parks are for. We’d create our own life.” Joy swept through Savannah.

  Alex smiled. “So, do you mean it, then? Yes?”

  Savannah nodded. “Oh, yes!” She threw herself into Alex’s arms, and he pulled her tight and raised her from the ground before setting her back down and kissing her with a sweet, gentle passion. Savannah opened to his kiss and curled herself inside his loving embrace.

  After that decisive moment, Savannah considered her father. He wouldn’t agree with her choices, but nothing dampened her excitement. If she could lay out their plans, he just might offer a grudging consent. For the next several days, she and Alex worked out their future. But as the moment to approach her father grew closer, anxiety knocked inside of Savannah like a loose bowling ball, wrecking all of her thoughtfully considered persuasions. She called Kelly, hoping to make her an ally. But instead, Kelly dismissed Savannah and Alex’s ideas, and although Savannah couldn’t prove it, she was certain Kelly called her father and told him of the upcoming conversation.

  When Savannah approached her father, his response was glacial, instead of the thunderous anger she was expecting. He looked at both Alex and Savannah and proclaimed they would never be able to move forward with an education, especially for both of them at the same time, without help, and he was disinclined to help. In fact, he told the young couple, he would cut them off without a cent, and Savannah would not only be disinherited but disowned if she chose to throw her life away by marrying a hired hand.

  An unfamiliar heat of indignation burned in Savannah. Her father had no right to judge Alex based solely on his station in life. But a terrible fear crept in to undermine her ire. She had lost her mother two years ago and could not abide the thought of losing her father.

  Confusion exploded inside Savannah. Her father’s argument was too powerful. She looked down. “You don’t know what will happen...” Her voice trailed off as shame over her own weakness emerged. She turned to Alex.

  Alex began, “Sir, if you would just let me--.”

  Charles turned to Alex. “I’ll see that you receive your wages, but you will leave my home.”

  Desperation clawed at Savannah. “Dad!”

  “Now,” Charles stated.

  Savannah turned to Kelly for aid, but her godmother sat next to her father in dispassionate silence, maybe even looking a bit smug as she placed her hand on Charles’s arm.

  The whole conversation unnerved Savannah. The small flame of indignation was extinguished with the overriding fear of loss and the force of her father and Kelly. Savannah was left with the ragged edges of a summer love that held no promise. Later, when she and Alex were talking, she expressed her doubts.

  September moonlight spilled over the fallow fields as she sat in Alex’s truck, looking over the expansive holdings of her family. “Maybe we’re just being too unrealistic.”

  “There’s nothing unrealistic about how much I love you, Savannah.”

  “And I love you, too,” she said. “But love doesn’t conquer all.” She turned to look at him as the acrid taste of bitterness rose within. “My parents are the perfect example. Love didn’t keep my mother alive, and it could die between us too, if we found ourselves swimming in debt.” Tears stung her eyes. “Maybe it’s just best this way. We’re both so young…”

  “Savannah, let’s not--.”

  “I have to go, Alex,” Savannah said as she tried to push down her cries. She reached over and kissed his cheek before finding his mouth for a final goodbye kiss that mingled with her wet tears. She got out of the truck, and with what was left of her tattered strength, she walked toward the house without looking back. It was only when she heard the fading sound of Alex’s truck that she realized her life would never be the same.

  Now, leaning against the bale of hay, Savannah wiped her eyes as the tears steadily fell. She would never feel this way for another man. She loved Alex first, and he loved her above all, even if it was just for that brief but sparkling summer. That would never be replaced, and she wouldn’t even try. But did that mean she needed to give herself to Aaron Richards, even though she felt nothing for him?

  Even though Savannah’s father approved, something about her relationship with Aaron didn’t feel right. His pushing desire pulled at her own better judgment, encouraging her to step back instead of move forward.

  Over the last two weeks, they had gone out three times, if she counted their first evening together at the park, and somehow, Savannah believed it counted for Aaron, even if she wasn’t so sure.

  She enjoyed her time away from the ranch and being part of a group that allowed her to see people outside her family, but that pleasure wasn’t singular to Aaron. It involved old friends. Even in the midst of Aaron’s company, memories of Alex invaded, and she constantly compared the two men. Even though she knew better, she couldn’t help it. She was still living on the ragged edge of Alex’s love.

  Chapter 23

  The bright early morning spilled over the land as Alex stood just outside the Thomas barn, holding Socks by the reins. It had been four days since Alex’s conversation with Chantelle, and when the invitation came to him and Ben to join the sisters for an early d
awn ride, Alex’s first reaction was to say no.

  Amy encouraged him to change his mind in order to show good faith that things really could start over. Now, Ben stood next to Biggs while Chantelle and Shelby cinched the saddles on their horses. Chantelle rode a gorgeous chestnut quarter horse, Penny. The gentle mare looked like a brushed copper coin. Shelby rode Blue, a piebald paint with one blue eye. He didn’t have the quarter horse look, and Alex was curious about the horse’s breed. He was bigger than Penny and was striking in his sturdy appearance.

  Turning away from the horses, Alex watched as a BMW X3 purred into the big circular drive. The tinted windows kept him from seeing the driver until the young man killed the engine and unfolded himself from the car.

  “That must be Mason,” Ben whispered to Alex.

  Alex nodded as he took in the unfolding scene. Chantelle handed Penny’s reins to Shelby and hurried to the car, where she gave the young man a warm hug and a quick, soft kiss. Chantelle’s affection was returned as Mason embraced her and picked her up off her feet while Chantelle held on tight.

  A thorn of envy pushed itself into Alex. Chantelle was beautiful and glowing, and Mason was a lucky man. But it wasn’t Chantelle’s love that made Mason the subject of Alex’s envy.

  He turned away from the scene as the memory of Savannah flashed in his heart like a diamond in the sun. They embraced in this way. Even now, he could feel the draw of her spreading to his bones and warming his soul. They could be married now, if it weren’t for the interference of her family.

  After Chantelle’s visit, Alex no longer doubted Savannah’s earlier love for him. But if she was seeing someone else, it meant it was over.

  Alex glanced at Ben and noticed the longing on his friend’s face. Was he thinking of Madeline? He slapped Ben on the shoulder. “Let’s help Mason get ready to go, so we can get these horses out on the trail.”

  Ben gave him a grateful look as he took Biggs’s reins and moved toward Shelby so he could help her saddle Mason’s horse, Tom-Tom. Shelby smiled at Ben but continued to glance toward Alex several times before turning her attention toward Ben.

  Alex turned away from her and focused on the minute details of Socks’s saddle as he began missing Savannah all over again. His thoughts were interrupted when Chantelle brought Mason to him. With her hand entwined in his, she made introductions, smiling happily.

  “Alex, this is Mason Warden. He’s my fiancé. Mason, this is Alex Steele. He lives down the road for the time being as he’s helping his sister with the Dempsey property.”

  Mason held out his hand. “For which we will always be eternally grateful. That old place has been an eyesore and a concern for years. We’ve been worried about squatters or worse. So, thank you for tackling that project.”

  Alex took Mason’s hand and appreciated the doctor’s firm grip and easy manner. There were no repercussions or bad feelings or blame around earlier events. Chantelle was right. Alex did like Mason. He liked him immediately.

  Chantelle gave Mason a quick squeeze. “C’mon. Let’s get this riding party started.”

  Sitting on the back of his favorite horse, with dawn budding over the horizon, Alex drank in the fresh morning. The earth was glowing in a peachy opalescence quickly turning to gold. Birds were cheering each other in their early search for food for their young families and all of nature seemed to smile at the chorus. Everyone was quiet as the first tentative rays of the sun broke through, hitting them with the promise of a newborn day.

  Alex considered Savannah. She loved this time of day. What was she doing on this glorious morning?

  Shelby’s horse gave a little kick. “He’s so frisky this morning,” she said to Alex.

  “It must be the cool morning.”

  Shelby agreed.

  Coming up a little knoll, the five of them stopped in a line. Far off, they could see a lone horsewoman riding at a full gallop across the field. Her hair whipped behind her as she pushed herself out of the saddle to meet the horse’s stride.

  “That’s Savannah,” Shelby whispered.

  Alex smiled. Of course she was out on Strider.

  Chantelle nudged Penny against Blue. “That girl is quite the horsewoman,” she said. “She’s the best rider around.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that,” Shelby said. Giving Alex a quick wink and smile, she dug her heels into Blue’s side. The horse reared up before taking off at a full gallop down the small hill and toward Savannah’s horse.

  Alex held Socks’s reins and sat hard and still in the saddle to keep him from following Shelby and Blue, who were moving through dangerous territory at racing speed.

  Mason moved closer to Chantelle and took Chantelle’s hand before the two of them sidled up to Alex and Ben. “What’s the matter?” Alex asked.

  Chantelle gave Alex a worried look. “Shelby can’t ride nearly as well as Savannah.” Gently, she coaxed Penny to move forward. “C’mon, we’d better follow.”

  As the four of them urged their horses forward, Alex kept an eye on Savannah, who was making a wide turn in Shelby’s direction while bringing Strider down from a gallop to a slow lope. But Blue’s speed didn’t slacken.

  Alex’s heart began to pound. Shelby was pulling on Blue’s reins and trying to keep her seat, but she lost control, and Blue was running blindly toward Savannah and Strider.

  Savannah must’ve read the situation. She brought Strider down to a posting trot and began working to intercept Shelby’s horse, when Blue locked his knees and came to a sliding stop. Shelby flew over Blue’s left shoulder while her left foot dangled in the stirrup. Freed from Shelby on his back, Blue quickly reared, dragging Shelby like a rag doll. Her foot loosened from the stirrup, and she fell to the ground. When Blue came down, his front hooves landed on Shelby’s back. Terrified, the horse jumped away, lost his balance, and fell. He hurriedly rose and shook himself.

  Alex was ahead of the group with Ben, Chantelle, and Mason hurrying behind him. Once he reached the accident scene, he dismounted while giving Blue a quick look for injuries. The horse was standing close to Shelby with his head down. A quick assessment told Alex that Blue was probably all right, even though his sides were heaving and his nostrils still flared.

  Savannah was already on her knees, looking over the broken body of her friend with her phone to her ear, when Alex knelt beside her. Within a few seconds, Ben, Chantelle, and Mason arrived.

  Chantelle began to cry hysterically. Her high-pitched wail carrying on the still air of the quiet morning.

  Mason grabbed her by the shoulders. “Stop it!” he commanded.

  Chantelle looked as if she’d been slapped. She swallowed hard and blinked before nodding.

  Mason looked at Savannah. “Did you call 9-1-1?”

  Savannah nodded. “They’re sending a helicopter.”

  Mason gave her a grateful look as he knelt down and began doing a quick exam.

  “Chantelle, I need you and Ben to take these horses far enough away where they won’t panic when the helicopter shows up. You’ll need them to get home.”

  “But--.”

  “Go!” Mason demanded.

  Chantelle stood and took Blue and Penny before joining Ben, who was holding Strider, Socks, and Tom-Tom. With the horses divided between the two of them, they began walking some distance away.

  Mason continued to look Shelby over as he spoke. “I don’t know what we’re looking at yet, but I don’t want Chantelle to see any of this.”

  Alex leaned toward Savannah, grateful Mason didn’t order him away. He wanted to stay close to Savannah, in case she needed him. He wanted to touch her and pull her to him to offer comfort, both to her and himself.

  Panic swirled inside Alex. Shelby’s breathing grew shallow, and she began to turn blue.

  “Dammit,” Mason said. “This looks like a collapsed lung, and who knows how many broken bones. I hope her spinal cord is intact. We need to get her stabilized. Where is that damn chopper? She needs to be intubated.”

&n
bsp; Shelby moaned.

  Alex was at a complete loss as how to help. He turned to Savannah, who placed one hand on the stricken girls’ cheek and kissed her forehead. “Shhhhh.”

  “Don’t move, dear one,” Savannah said as she caressed Shelby’s face. “We’ve got help on the way. You’re going to be all right, so just rest.”

  Shelby’s eyes fluttered open as she looked up at Savannah. “Where’s Blue?”

  “He’s standing with Ben, Chantelle, and the other horses, looking very contrite,” Savannah said. “He’s going to be fine. Don’t worry about him, okay?”

  “It hurts,” Shelby whispered. “It hurts to breathe.”

  “I know. You took quite a fall, so that’s to be expected.” Savannah moved her hand and squeezed Shelby’s fingers. “Can you squeeze my hand? Just hold on to me.”

  Relief shot through Alex like a bullet as Shelby squeezed Savannah’s hand. He glanced at the young doctor, who gave Savannah a look of gratitude and hope.

  Savannah turned her attention back to Shelby. “Good. Now, hear that? It’s the helicopter. It’s going to get dusty and loud, but it’ll be all right. Mason’s here, and he’ll go with you, okay? But we’ll all see you in a little while.”

  The helicopter landed, kicking up small rocks and dust. Within two minutes, the EMTs and Mason had Shelby strapped onto a board with an IV hanging. They had given her a sedative in order to intubate her for the ride. They loaded her onto the helicopter. Mason hopped on last, and with a final wave, the helicopter took off, leaving Chantelle, Savannah, Ben, and Alex staring at a dusty spot on the ground with sound of fading helicopter blades ringing in their ears. In the budding day, it was hard for Alex to believe the accident had even taken place. Then, he looked at Chantelle’s stricken face, covered with tears, dust, and fear. “We need to get you home.”

  Chantelle nodded. “We need to run.”

  Chapter 24

  The horses were lathered by the time the riders reached the Thomas home. Standing in the driveway of the quiet morning, a pang of sadness pulsed through Savannah as she realized how this beautiful summer day would be shattered in a matter of seconds for Lily and Keith. She was familiar with this fear and panic, the possibility of tragic loss, and it broke her heart to have to share such frightening news.