Wind River Rancher (Wind River Valley #2)

Lifting his head, Reese stared at the open door for a moment, knowing that he could help Shay change her perception of herself. It would take time, no question. Often, Reese would spend a year, off and on, with a Marine, to help him or her recognize their issues and then adopt a healthier path. Reese knew that many of the Marines he’d helped came from dysfunctional families. Shay had come from one herself.

As he turned on a lamp and focused on the will, Reese silently promised Shay that he was going to help change her negative vision of herself. Her father had promoted a dark self-image, encouraged her to feel she didn’t measure up.

It wasn’t so, and Reese knew it. He felt blessed to have two terrific parents who hadn’t screwed him over like so many other kids had been. They’d loved him fiercely, allowed him a lot of latitude to find out who he was and what he wanted to do with his life. They were firm with him, punished him upon occasion, but never lifted a hand to hurt him in any way. And that was why now, Reese ached inwardly that he’d had to leave his parents after being discharged from the Marine Corps. They loved him so much, but were confused by the PTSD that controlled his life right now. One day, he hoped that he could return to them, explain his condition simply so that they finally understood what had taken him so far down. God, he hoped he had an opportunity to do that. He loved them.

And then, an image of Shay’s face gently came into his mind, and Reese felt a helluva lot more than just gratefulness toward her. His heart was in the mix, whether he wanted it to be or not. And it made it hard on him in many ways because Reese had never expected, in his condition, to be drawn to a woman. The last two years of his life, women had been an unreachable dream. No one looked positively at a down-and-out vet sleeping on a sidewalk near a grate. No one.

He’d lost his marriage to Leslie at twenty-seven because when he came home after the year-long deployments, his PTSD symptoms chased her away. Reese didn’t blame her for divorcing him. He was a hot mess. And he was too proud to ask for help, thinking he could handle his symptoms on his own. But the truth of the matter was his stiff-necked pride had destroyed his marriage. And then, because he refused to get help, the Marine Corps had released him from a career that he loved.

So much for pride . . .





Chapter Eight


At the dinner table that night, Reese watched as Shay excitedly shared the news of her lunch with Maud Whitcomb. Her face was flushed, her blue eyes dancing with joy. The vets responded with big smiles, relief in their expressions, and they heartily and sincerely congratulated Shay.

When Shay was thrilled about something, her hands were never still. And she was so damned graceful. Reese had to curb his desire for her because he imagined those long, slender fingers of hers slowly moving across his body, inciting fire, and turning him on. Shay didn’t deserve those kinds of thoughts from him, and Reese shoved them down deep.

“A barn-raising,” Garret said, nodding. “Great idea, Reese.”

“Thanks.”

Noah sighed. “Just because we get the arena enclosed, we still will have a lot of work on the interior to do, Shay.”

“I know,” she said, enjoying the mulligan stew. She opened another sourdough roll, steam rising from it. Sliding a pat of butter in between the halves, she said, “That arena will need pipe fencing erected within it. Sand will have to be brought in. The lockers have to be installed. A huge tack room built. There’s a lot left to accomplish.”

Harper said, “We should get those dump-truck loads of sand from the quarry south of Jackson Hole lined up soon, Shay. The sand will have to be brought in first before we start on pipe railing. We’ll have the equipment here to haul it and lay it out where the arena is going to be built.”

Shay nodded. “I totally agree with you, Harper.”

“That’s on my list of things to talk to Maud and Steve about,” Reese assured them. “I want to get as much done in those two days as possible. We’ll need to develop a time line for all the work.”

“Good,” Garret said, spooning two huge ladles of the stew from the pot in the center of the table, “because equipment rental is charged by the day and it’s damned expensive. When you’re creating that timetable of arrivals and departures of everything and everyone, don’t let the equipment sit around for hours at a time, unused. Time is money when it comes to renting what we need.”

Reese agreed wholeheartedly with Garret. “I got a call from Maud Whitcomb,” he told Shay. “About four thirty this afternoon.” He saw Shay’s eyes light up with expectation.

“And?”

“She talked earlier to her husband, Steve. He’s coming over here tomorrow at 1:00 P.M. for a meeting with us. If it’s okay with you, Shay, we’ll just sit out here at your kitchen table and hammer out the plans and lists.”

“Sure. I’d like to be there for it, too.”

“Of course.”

She gave him a happy grin, rubbing her hands together. “This is just so overwhelming and wonderful,” she murmured. “I feel like I’m in a dream of some kind.”

Harper said, “About time. You’ve deserved a break like this, Shay.”