Stranded with the Rancher by Rebecca Winters

Author:Rebecca Winters
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-03-07T16:58:40+00:00

Chapter Eight

Alex’s parents picked her up outside the airline terminal at JFK on Tuesday afternoon and they drove home to New Jersey. It was wonderful to see them. She told them everything that had happened from the time she’d rented the car and driven to Whitebark until her return to Jackson Hole yesterday.

But the pain of leaving Wyatt was so great, her mother picked up on it right away. The second they entered the house, she put her arm around Alex. “You’re not yourself. Tell us what’s wrong, honey.”

Her father followed them into the family room where they sat down on the couch. His eyes were filled with concern. “We want to help you.”

Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I love you both so much, but no one can fix what’s wrong.”

Her mother gripped her hand. “You can tell us anything, no matter how terrible.”

“I’ve fallen in love with the most wonderful man in existence, but I’m pretty sure I’ll never see him again.”

“You’re talking about Wyatt Fielding, of course. Did he tell you he loves you, too?” her father asked.

“No, Dad. We got close, but he’s not in the same place I am emotionally. We didn’t make plans to see each other again.”

Her mother hugged her. “He must be exceptional to have affected you like this.”

“Wyatt’s so fantastic you can’t imagine. Somehow I’m going to have to find a way to survive without him in my life, but I don’t know how. I—I’ve taken a lot of pictures of him and the camp with my phone.” Her voice faltered.

She pulled it out of her purse and scrolled through the gallery of photos. “This one is my favorite. It shows him carrying the injured ewe through the snow with Pali. He was so tender with her.”

She let her mother and father look at it, but they didn’t stop at one picture. “Look at all that snow!” her mom exclaimed. “How high up in the mountains were you?”

“Seven thousand feet. He and Pali brought the sheep down from the ten-thousand-foot level. They work so hard! Most people wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

Her father smiled. “It doesn’t look like hard work has hurt him any.”

“Not at all. He fights fires in his spare time and runs the ranch, plus cares for his grandfather. There’s a picture of him in his firefighter dress uniform. Let me find it.” She scrolled until she found it. “I took this from the photo his grandfather had put on the mantel.”

Both her parents studied it. Her mother looked up at her first. “The physical attraction is no longer a mystery. Good heavens!”

“That’s what I thought the moment I laid eyes on him,” she admitted. “He’s gorgeous beyond description.”

“Gorgeous and hardworking,” her father murmured. “That’s quite a combination. Are you ready to tell us why he’s not emotionally where you are, or is it too difficult to talk about?”

She got up from the couch and looked down at them. “It’s a very sad story.”

“We’d like to hear it, honey.

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