Page 28 of Rancher's Strength

After Ryder and Linc got the horses brought in for the kids, the four of them spent the morning wandering through the options. Every time I looked out at the corral, I couldn’t help but smile. Ryder was so good with both of them. He was meant to be a dad. A pang of guilt washed over me, and I had to push it from my mind. His words fluttered through my brain.It doesn’t matter how it happened, but we have a family now. He was right; I never wanted a family this way, but I was glad we’d been able to work together to make it happen.

“Lex, we should go look at that building,” Ryder called from the porch. “We can get the kids a doughnut from Fred and take a look at it.” The kids cheered, and I knew I didn’t even have an argument to stay home. We were going to town.

Walking around the small building, I admired the dark wooden trim and the large windows along the street as I wrapped my arms around myself. The view from these windows looked out onto the vacant lot where my father’s law office used to stand. A sudden guilt surged in my heart for not being willing to come back here to practice when I was done school.

“So, what do you think? Could you be comfortable working in this building?” Turning, I looked at Ryder. The heavy footsteps of the kids in the room above us made me smile.

“I think it would work just fine. Having two offices means I’ll be able to keep clients private. The reception area looks great. Not that I have anyone that I can get to do that.”

“What happened to Faith?” he asked, glancing at the ceiling. I wondered if he was thinking the same thing I was. How long would it be until one of them came running down the stairs complaining about the other one not playing fair?

“She’s still with the office in Bozeman. I wish I could open this office with her.”

“Call her, see if she’d be willing to come here.” He shrugged as if it were the easiest decision in the world.

“I can’t ask her to relocate.” I shook my head and turned my back on him as I wandered around the large conference table.

“Why not? You two are a great team. Is she seeing anyone? Or married?” I’d almost forgotten he hadn’t seen Faith for three years. She’d been a huge part of our lives when I went back and forth to Bozeman weekly. Faith had kept me organized and made sure Ryder knew what my schedule was and when I needed him to show up out of the blue. It had taken me a while to catch on, but once I did, I didn’t let her know I’d figured out her plan.

“No, she’s single. Her family’s still in North Dakota.”

“Call her, " he encouraged. Reaching into my purse, I fumbled around for my phone. After dialing her number, I waited.

“Hi, Lexie.” Faith’s chipper voice made me smile. No matter how bad my day was, Faith knew how to fix it—sometimes before I realized I needed help.

“Hi. So, this is going to seem like it is out of the blue, and please know you can absolutely say no, but… I was wondering ifyou’d come here and help me open a practice.” I spoke so fast I wasn’t sure she would understand me, stumbling over my words in a rush to get them out.

“Okay, back up a sec. You’re starting your own firm?” She sounded surprised—but not shocked, which honestly felt like a win.

“I have to be here for the foreseeable future, and the partners aren’t exactly thrilled about it… so I’m quitting. Ryder found me a building that will work perfectly for an office.”

“Wait, I think I need to sit down. Ryder helped you? As in, you let Ryder help you?” Now she sounded actually shocked.

“I just saw you a week ago.” Her voice was incredulous, the memory fresh—she'd been in the office when the call about the accident came in.

“Yeah, well… we’re kind of re-married.” Would it ever get easier to explain this to people who knew us?

“Kind of, Alexandra? You’re either married, or you’re not, so which is it? Never mind. I’ll be there in two days, and you can tell me then.”

The line went dead, and I lowered the phone from my ear, staring at it.

“Well?”

“She’ll be here in two days.” I smiled as I glanced at my phone.

“Told you, all you had to do was ask. And when did you decide to quit your firm?”

“As I said it.” I shrugged. “If we’re going to raise these kids together, I can’t have one foot in Bozeman and one foot here. They deserve better than that. And I want to be here for them.”

“I’m glad. So, you want me to buy this building?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against one of the doorframes.

“I don’t need you to buy things for me.”

“Yeah, I know. But I can, so I will. There’s no point in you starting with a mountain of debt. Who knows how many people you’ll actually see at first? Please let me do this for you.” He stepped closer and placed a gentle hand on my back. “There’s an apartment upstairs that Faith can use free of charge. Please, Lex.” I nodded, and he kissed the side of my head as he pulled his phone from his pocket. He wandered into one of the office spaces, and I could hear him talking, but I didn’t pay much attention.

“Fine.” I huffed and moved out of his embrace.

“Good, because I’ve already done it.” He grinned, and I shook my head, turning my back to him.

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