The Rancher's Second Chance: Rock Creek Ranch (Parker Ranches, Inc. Book 1) by Maddie James

Author:Maddie James [James, Maddie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sand Dune Books
Published: 2020-12-08T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

John stood on the bed of the pickup truck, broke open a bale of hay, and threw half of it out the back to the ground. The cattle made a line following the truck, some waiting for their feed, others slowly chewing as they pulled the grass into their mouths. Buck drove slowly as John continued to bust bales and push the hay out for the animals. Down the hill, Parker and one of the ranch hands were doing the same thing, feeding another row of cows.

A crisp whip of wind blew his collar up and teased at this hat. Soon they’d be doing this in colder weather and snow.

He didn’t look forward to it. The older he got, the more he disliked feeding in the winter, but he’d get out and do it if his bones would let him. An idle cowboy was not a healthy cowboy.

Winters were hard on the ranch, but the cattle needed fed. Every day. The mamas needed nourishment for the babies that would come in the spring.

Babies in the spring.

Buck slowed the truck and John stood up, looking out over the ranch, not really seeing anything. By his rough calculations, he and Abby would have a baby of their own, maybe late May or early June.

He wished he knew exactly what was going on. She refused to talk to him.

Oh, he had tried. He’d called, and she’d politely said she couldn’t talk right then. He’d stopped by twice, but she didn’t answer the door, although he knew she was home, her SUV parked outside. Lately she’d not picked up the phone either.

Women! He was not good at understanding them. Once he’d understood how Annie ticked, he hadn’t had to worry about other women. How had he screwed up with Abby? He thought he’d done the right thing, saying they would get married. It was the honorable thing, and well, dammit, even more than that, it was what he wanted.

He’d fallen head over heels in love with her. A new baby would just be icing on the cake. He wanted to take care of her and their child. All their children.

Yet, he could understand her reasoning. Her hesitation. She wasn’t just taking on him, she was taking on a whole new family and a ranch. And the first time she’d married, it hadn’t turned out so well.

A blended family. Could they do it?

Was he too old to start over? How did she even feel about that?

Buck came to a full stop and John jumped down from the tailgate. He brushed hay from his clothes, and then moved toward the cab. Buck got out and faced him. “Penny for your thoughts, boss. You were looking mighty contemplative there, a few seconds ago.”

John stood, hands on hips, and stared at the ground. “I’ll never understand women, Buck.”

He glanced up to see Buck rear back and cackle. “You think any of our species understands them?”

John blew out a breath and watched it fan out on the cold breeze.

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