She crossed her long legs at the ankle and made herself comfortable, bracing her back against the side wall of the van.“Tell me more about this Wild West theme park of yours.Why would a bride choose such a venue for a wedding?”
Her judgy tone raised the fine hairs on Jayce’s neck.Burning Scrub might have its quirks, but he’d grown up with it in his backyard, and it was as much his home as the ranch.
“Her great-grandfather established the town, then the family turned it into a theme park.People live there year-round.She’s the town doctor.”
Malika rolled that information around in her head and reached a conclusion.“And you’re one of her family’s servants.”
“I’m not”—he began, then thought yes, he probably was.Depending, of course, on one’s definition.“What makes you think I’m a servant?”
She raised an eyebrow.Her steady gaze slid down her trim nose.“You speak as if you’re not a part of this town or its founding family, and yet here you are, running an errand for them.Can I also assume you were paid to abduct me?”
“You weren’t ab—” he began, then decided he’d better leave that one alone.“I wasn’t paid to—” Okay, again yes, he probably was.“I’m a partner.”Of sorts.His armpits grew damp.“My family owns the valley with the only road into the town.”
Malika tipped her head back and stared intently through the skylight as if memorizing the clouds.It took him a moment to figure out that he’d been dismissed by Her Royal Highness, or whatever her status in her own country was.
No longer inclined to speak either, he tipped his ball cap over his eyes and pretended to sleep, although he didn’t let his guard down for a second.
The tires changed their tune as they transferred to gravel, meaning the ranch was now twenty minutes away.Once they reached the ranch, the two guests would be outfitted with costumes.Then they’d ride horseback ten or so miles into the mountains.The road into Burning Scrub had already been rough when it was a mining town, and it hadn’t shown any improvement in the decades since the original town was abandoned.
The van slowed, then made a right turn, so they were now almost home.Five minutes later, the van staggered to a stop.The engine died.Jayce stood, his shoulders pressed against the low roof of the van.The doors opened and bright midday sunshine spilled inside.The hint of a smile on Adam’s face was at odds with his usual surly expression.
Jayce didn’t see what was so funny.Likely to change her mind at the last minute… no kidding.He jumped to the ground, then hustled himself out of harm’s way.Adam and Ali could take charge of matters from here.
Adam had driven the van to the front door of the ranch house, which meant they’d be spending a few hours at the Ride No More Ranch.If they’d been heading straight to Burning Scrub, Adam would have stopped at the stables instead, where the horses would be saddled and ready to go.
The ranch house dated back to the mid-1800s, although Hansons had lived on the land considerably longer than that.The original Hanson was a fur trader who spent most of his summers following streams up the mountain, then wintered below, here in the valley.One of his descendants mined silver and lead, then made a secondary fortune outfitting prospectors and guiding them into the mountains.He’d built the first house on the ranch.Once the mines petered out, the next generation of Hansons staked their claim to the valley and took to ranching, which was where Jayce and his parents found themselves in the present day.Jayce’s grandfather had turned the original house into a three-story log mansion with a sweeping deck along the front that oversaw thousands of acres of foothills and grasslands speckled with cattle and horses and scrubby trees.Behind the ranch, silent gray mountains hovered.Jayce knew every inch of those mountains as well as he knew his mother’s back garden.This was his family home, and Hansons would be here for many more generations to come.
Those future generations were relying on him.There weren’t many women willing to rough it this far from civilization anymore, except for the women in Burning Scrub, and quite frankly, other than Belle, those women were bra-burning hippies happy to live off the grid.Jayce had no beef with hippies, or life off the grid either, but running the ranch next door to Burning Scrub meant navigating two different worlds.The struggle was real.
Jayce’s mother emerged from the house.Jayce eyed her fondly.Now there was a lady who’d set the bar high.
Vanessa Hanson, still beautiful at sixty, was perfect for life on the Ride No More Ranch.Long, thick brown hair streaked with gold, sparkling blue eyes, and a smile that lit up the mountains were only part of her charm.Inside, she was solid gold too.She loved to cook but was happiest on horseback, so Huck and Jayce learned to cook, too, because they loved making her happy.She knew how to dress for any occasion.Her jeans were sensible, not fashion statements, yet she made them look classy.The same with her sweater and boots.She wore cocktail dresses with the same casual ease.The ranch hosted a county Christmas party every year, which the state governor attended.
She patted her son’s arm as she passed him, focusing more on their new guests, but letting him know he was loved.They didn’t make women like this anymore.
Although Belle had come close.
Then Beau happened along.
Sheik Ali stepped up to the open doors of the van and extended his hand to his sister.Malika emerged as if descending from Air Force One and she were First Lady.Her booted feet touched the dirt of the driveway.She shook her dark mane of hair away from her shoulders so that it flowed down her back, catching the sunlight.
“Welcome to the Ride No More Ranch,” his mother said, grasping both of Malika’s hands and gifting the younger woman with a warm, friendly smile.
“What a lovely home you have!”Malika exclaimed, taking in the shaded front porch and its glorious view with a long, lingering, appreciative glance, milking his mother’s attention and kindness for all they were worth.
No one looking at her right now would believe she’d felled a grown man like a tree.
Jayce decided his work here was done.Adam wouldn’t need him for the ride up the mountain.The sheik’s sister was a grown woman, not a young child.
He headed for the kitchen and the hot cup of coffee that his mom would have waiting for him.
Chapter Three
Jayce
His mother servedmidafternoon tea on the patio.A formal welcome was part of the package.
But Ali and his sister weren’t here for an adventure.They were here for a wedding.And how Jayce found himself on horseback after tea, riding up the mountain next to Malika—who sat a horse as well as he did—further confused him.
