Page 2 of Rancher's Strength

“Get the fuck out of my house,” I yelled as I pointed at the door.

“It was just a question. You didn’t smash my face in this time, at least. Thanks for the coffee, Ryder.” Linc stood and walked toward the door. He hesitated, and I wondered if he was going to open that big mouth of his again, but he pulled the door open and left without another word.

Linc wasn’t wrong. I did care about what Lexie did. Not in a crazy stalker way, but whenever anyone talked about her, my ears always perked up. Probably because I'm still hopelessly in love with her.

Three years ago, I signed divorce papers because that was what she wanted. I wouldn’t keep her tied down in a marriage she didn’t want, no matter how much I ached for her.

Grabbing my truck keys off the counter, I pushed the door open and walked toward my truck. I didn’t need to lock it. With so many security cameras around this ranch, I’d have an ID in a matter of minutes.

Town was quiet today, as it usually was in the fall. Kids were back in school, ranchers in the area were completing their fall work, and the farmers were busy racing against the clock to harvest crops before the first freeze or snowfall.

“Well, I didn’t expect to see anyone from the Diamond today,” Fred said from behind the counter. The balding man smiled as if I’d given him a million dollars just by walking in the front door. At one time, he was the ranch boss.

“Hey, Fred. Just needed to get away for a morning. I’m sure there’ll be a list of jobs a mile long for me when I get back.” I leaned against the counter.

“How’re my granddaughters doing?” he asked as he grabbed a cup and poured black coffee into it.

“You were out there last night. Pretty sure they’re the same.” I chuckled. He was such a proud grandfather to all the kids running around the ranch now. It didn’t matter that only one was his biological grandchild. He had more love in his heart than anyone I’d ever known.

“I just hate missing anything. They make my life worth living.” He beamed and held out the cup to me.

“Are you talking about the girls again?” his fiancée Wanda asked, putting her arm around him and smiling sweetly.

“You know it Darlin’.” Fred’s laugh was infectious, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

The bell above the door chimed, and we all looked to see who was coming in, causing my heart to plummet to the floor. Herlong, molasses-colored hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her brown eyes locked onto me instantly. “Come on, Alexandra. There’s no reason to stop in the doorway,” another woman’s voice said from behind her as she popped out beside her. “God, what’s wrong with you?” she asked before noticing me. “Oh.” Lydia’s voice was unamused, and she just rolled her eyes. I was good enough for backup when fights broke out or when drunk men got unruly at the bar, but I became a total outcast when we saw one another in public.

“Thanks for the coffee, Fred,” I said and tossed a five on the counter. Turning, I walked toward the door, eyes downcast. “Lydia.” I half-heartedly nodded at her, then finally looked up again. “Lex.” As if my hand had a mind of its own, I reached out and placed my hand on her hip as I snuck around her. Heat penetrated my palm, and electricity coursed through my veins. This woman had always been electric to me. We would battle one another and make up just as fiercely. Exiting the cafe, I heard the bell again as the door closed behind me.

Don’t look back. There’s no reason to look back, just get in your truck and leave.My brain was practically shouting as I made my way to the truck and climbed inside. But my traitorous eyes pulled me back to the café window, locking instantly on her.

Once again, my heart ripped in two. The truck roared to life when I turned the key, and I tore out of the parking spot like a bat out of hell. The tires squealed as I sped off down the street, back to the solitude of the ranch, where I had no chance of running into her or accidentally making the mistake of touching her. I couldn’t ignore the fact that despite other women I’d seen, she was the only woman I would ever truly let into my heart and love.

Chapter One

LEXIE

My mind wandered back to Saturday when I’d seen Ryder in the coffee shop in Weston Gap. God, he looked good, and the spot on my hip where he’d touched still burned with the pressure of his hand. Even with that brief encounter, he acted like he couldn’t get away from me fast enough. That was nothing new, he acted that way around me every time we happened to bump into each other. Maybe our sightings would become fewer with Mom and Dad moving to Everton…one could only hope.

Yelling between my client and her ex brought my attention back to the room I was sitting in. “Okay, let’s think of this logically. You have the house, right, Mrs. Tremaine?” The woman with the perfect blonde hair nodded and slowly batted her eyelashes. They looked so heavy with the style of fake eyelashes she chose.

“Mr. Tremaine, you’re in an apartment currently, correct?” The man nodded, his face growing redder by the second. “Well, I highly doubt you have the space for a table that seats fourteen. So, what’s this really about?” I folded my hands on the table and waited.

A knock on the door startled me, and I turned my head from the mind-numbing meditation on why this couple still loved one another and shouldn’t rush the divorce. “Come in.” My tone was short. I hated being interrupted while I was on client time.

My receptionist Faith opened the door. She had been my right hand for the last five years. Although she made a few missteps when I first hired her, she learned her job quickly and eventually stopped overbooking my days. “Alexandra, there’s a call for you.”

“Take a message, please,” I huffed, turning my attention back to the papers in my hands.

“No, this isn’t something I can take a message for.” Her voice was stern, and I looked up at her. The look on her face was a mix of fear and determination. I had to give her credit for asserting herself.

Reaching for the phone in front of me, she shook her head. “Privately.” She turned and left the door open behind her.

“I’m so sorry about this. Please excuse me for a moment.” I smiled at my client and walked out of the room. What could possibly be so important that I needed to take the call right now? My mind wandered to my family. My sister Lydia never called me at the office...ever. I talked to Mom last night, and well, Dad didn’t know who I was anymore, so it wouldn’t be him.

What if something happened to him? That’s the only reason I gave to pull me out of a meeting, and Faith knew that. My heart raced as I grew closer to my office. “What line?” I asked as I walked past her desk outside my door.

“Line three.” She glanced up at me, then nervously looked back down at the floor. I didn’t bother sitting, I wasn’t going to be here long. Reaching for the phone, my hand shook as I pressed the button for line three. “Hello?”

---