Zack's Ranch by Becky Barker

Author:Becky Barker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Bridleton, Cowboy, Contemporary romance, Western romance, Texas, Becky Barker, Award-winning, Best-selling, Ranch, wounded veterans, Wounded warrior, romantic suspense, Amazon award winning, stalker
Publisher: Becky Barker
Published: 2016-05-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Meredith woke after a restless night and dressed in comfortable, faded jeans. She paired them with a plain, long-sleeved blue t-shirt. Unless Andrea expected company, jeans and shirt were the standard uniform on the ranch. They all pitched in with chores when necessary, so it wasn’t practical to wear anything too fussy.

She brushed her hair and secured it at the back of her neck with a matching blue scrunchie. After tucking her cell phone into her hip pocket, she headed to the kitchen.

“Good morning, Valerie,” she said as she met the other woman coming from the connecting door to the dining room.

“Good morning, Meri. I just refreshed the breakfast buffet, so your timing is perfect.”

Meredith gave her a smile. “Sounds and smells great,” she added, already dragging in the scents of fresh-brewed coffee and sizzling bacon. “It’s always so much better when you don’t have to cook it yourself.”

Valerie laughed lightly as she started cleaning up cookware. “I totally understand. Enjoy it while it’s hot.”

Meredith found Nanette and Andrea at the table. They all exchanged greetings. She went to the buffet, lifted covers off dishes, and filled a plate with scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. After setting it on the table, she also poured herself a glass of juice and a cup of coffee.

Breakfast and lunch at the ranch catered to several schedules with everyone eating at different times. Noah ate an early breakfast, but the women generally gathered between seven thirty and eight o’clock. Guests came and went as they pleased. Lunch went much the same with supper being a little more formal during the winter months.

Andrea and Nanette discussed their plans for the day while Meredith ate her breakfast. Andrea planned to work on orders and shipments for Bartell Collections, her and Cheyenne’s fledgling design business. Nanette needed assistance with breeding reports and then she hoped to get a start on taxes.

“I’m sorry I bailed on you yesterday,” Meredith told her.

“No problem,” replied Nanette. “I dread doing those danged taxes anyway.”

“Nanna said you had an unexpected and unwanted Valentine delivery,” chimed Andrea.

“Yes,” said Meredith. She turned to Nanette. “Did you tell Andrea about the signature on the card?”

The older woman gave a brief shake of her head.

“What signature?” asked Andrea. Her eyes, so like her brother’s, locked with Meri’s. “If it’s private, just tell me to mind my business.”

Meredith explained about the haunting signature on the card, but didn’t know how much else she should divulge. Zack might not want his family to worry about the attack on his apartment and on his pickup. She wished there was some way she could undo the damage.

“Did you have any luck identifying the fellow who delivered the candy?” asked Nanette.

Meredith started to respond, but Zack came into the dining room from the front of the house. He wore the same clothes he’d worn the previous day. He had a day’s growth of beard, and looked as tired as he had last night. She wondered if he’d slept as poorly as her.

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