Red Hot Rancher. Maureen Child

       One

      “She’s back.”

      “She who?” Caden Hale looked up at his foreman, Jack Franklin. No one knew him better than Jack, which was why Caden was surprised to see the man now.

      Everyone on the ranch knew not to disturb Caden when he was engulfed by the dreaded paperwork needed to keep the Double H ranch running. Caden would much rather be out in the corral or riding fence-line, checking for breaks. Hell, to be honest, he’d rather be in the stables, mucking out stalls. But at least once a week, he was forced to sentence himself to hours behind the desk that had once been his father’s.

      Jack stood opposite that desk now and the foreman’s expression was a weird mixture of dread and shock. Caden braced himself, leaning back in the chair, tapping one finger against the desktop.

      Caden didn’t have a clue who could have put that look on his oldest friend’s face. He and Jack had been pals since grade school and when Caden took over the family ranch ten years ago, Jack had come on board, too. Usually, the man was unshakable. Not today.

      “Come on, Jack. What’s going on? You look like somebody died.”

      “Not yet,” his friend muttered, then swept off his Stetson, curled his fingers around the brim and tapped the hat against his upper thigh.

      Caden straightened in the chair, leaned both forearms on the desk and stared at his friend. “Just spit it out. Who the hell are you talking about and why should I care?”

      “You shouldn’t care,” Jack said. “But you will.”

      “Enough. Just tell me.”

      “It’s Emma, Caden,” Jack told him flatly. “Emma Williams is back.”

      And just like that, the day went from annoying to a crap-fest. Caden’s chest was tight, and he didn’t even notice how hard he was clenching his teeth until his jaw ached in response. Deliberately, he took a long, deep breath and willed the sudden tension in his body to drain away.

      Damned if he’d let a woman he hadn’t seen or spoken to in five long years get under his skin. And yet, he had to admit, just the mention of her name had done it. Caden closed his eyes briefly to fight the wave of tangled emotions rising up inside him. Anger and betrayal were tied for first place, but the rest weren’t far behind. Lust, the remnants of a love he thought would live forever and just enough pleasure to worry him.

      Emma was back.

      Why? For how long?

      And damn it, why did he care? He hadn’t spoken to her in five years. She’d tried to call a few times, but he’d never answered. Why the hell should he?

      “Did you see her?” he finally asked.

      “No,” Jack said with a sharp shake of his head. “Gwen did. She was in town this morning, getting some groceries. Saw Emma wandering the aisles. Caden,” he added, “she had a baby with her.”

      Another sucker punch and now breathing was becoming a hell of a lot harder than it should have been. A baby? She’d had a baby while she was gone? With who? Was the baby’s father here with them? “Damn it.”

      “Yeah,” Jack said. “When Gwen told me I knew this wasn’t going to go well.”

      “Good call.”

      Caden exhaled roughly, hoping to ease the raging tide of conflicting emotions rising inside him. Yeah, he was still furious over how Emma had ended things between them, but through it all, there was a hot, thick wave of need he’d never been able to shake. Just thinking about Emma Williams was enough to make his body hard as stone and his mind an empty cavern. Which was why, he reminded himself, he’d tried to avoid all thought of her for the past five years. It was only in his dreams that she came back to haunt him. Every damn night.

      “Did Gwen talk to her?” Jack’s wife knew everything that had happened between Caden and Emma. Hell, everyone for miles around knew the story. It’s what happened in a small town.

      Cache, Montana, had a population that hovered around five thousand. If you needed a big city once in a while, Kalispell was only thirty miles away. But Cache was large enough for Caden. It had everything he needed. There were stores and schools and Main Street was dotted with buildings that were built more than a hundred years ago. It was small, but it was his. A tiny town, where everyone felt free to share their opinion on just about anything.

      “Yeah.” Jack pushed one hand through his hair. “She says Emma got home last night. Didn’t tell anyone she was coming...”

      Which explained why Emma’s sister Gracie hadn’t said anything about this to Caden when he saw her yesterday. And he was willing to bet that Gracie was no happier about this than he was.

      “Says she’s home to stay. She’s done with Hollywood.”

      “Is that right?” Teeth clenched, he thought about what this would mean for him. He’d have to see her all the damn time now. The town would resurrect old stories and he’d catch people watching him with mocking eyes—or worse yet, sympathy.

      Still, she’d left once before. Why should he believe that she would stay now?

      “Caden,” Jack advised, “just let it be.”

      He shot a look at his oldest friend. Jack looked worried but he couldn’t help the man with that. If Emma was home, then he was going to face her and get a few things out in the open. “Not going to happen. She’s back and we’re going to talk. Set things straight right away.”

      “What’s left to set straight? You guys ended it five years ago.”

      “She ended it,” Caden reminded the other man. “Now it’s my turn.”

      * * *

      “What exactly is your problem, Gracie?” Emma Williams caught her younger sister’s arm to stop her before she could flounce out of the room Emma had just entered.

      The living room was as it had always been. Wide windows overlooking the front yard and the long driveway leading up to the Williams’ ranch. Furniture chosen for its comfort rather than style and now threadbare rugs that her mother had hooked before Emma was born. Watery October sunlight pushed its way through the grime on the windows and spotlighted dust motes floating in the still air.

      Gracie yanked her arm free. “You, Em. You’re my problem.”

      Her sister had been avoiding her since the night before, when Emma had walked into the house as if she’d been gone an hour instead of five years.

      “How?” Emma threw both hands high. “I just got home last night.”

      “Exactly.” Gracie tossed her short, curly hair back from her face. “You’ve been gone a long time, Emma. Then you show up and we’re all supposed to act like you’ve been here all along? Like nothing’s changed? Like the ranch isn’t falling apart and Dad has hardly gotten out of bed in the last year?”

      Gracie’s