The Ranger's Texas Proposal Read online

  “Good eye.” He extended his hand. She narrowed her gaze but shook it. “Heath Grayson. I’m a friend of Flint’s.”

  In the space of a heartbeat, her hesitant expression vanished and was replaced by wide-eyed concern. “Did something else happen at the ranch?” Her lips parted to suck in air and her skin went paler than it was naturally a moment ago. Josie had one of those the rare types of faces that didn’t age—she’d look young forever. Even though she was probably nearing thirty, she could pass for eighteen.

  She shifted from around the wheelbarrow. “What are we waiting for? If something’s wrong, let’s go.” She started toward her truck.

  Once she moved away from the wheelbarrow, he saw her stomach. Pregnant. Very pregnant. That fact wasn’t a maybe or a possibly—it was a certainty. Flint had mentioned Josie was widowed, but he’d left out the little detail that she was with child. So, a recent widow.

  Had she been in the barn alone...doing chores?

  Heath imagined his sister, Nell. She’d been married to a fireman a few years back. Bill. A loser. He’d cheated on Nell and left her alone, pregnant with their daughter, Carly. Even the reminder of the man caused Heath’s hands to bunch into fists. Heath had always wanted to march up to Bill and give him a piece of his mind, but Nell had forbidden any such nonsense. His younger sister was a strong, determined woman. The set of Josie’s chin hinted that she might have that in common with Nell.

  “Let me help you with your chores,” Heath said.

  Josie’s jaw dropped. “What about the boys ranch?”

  “The ranch is fine.”

  “Why didn’t you say so? You about gave me a heart attack.” She laid her hand on her chest and took a few deep breaths. Then her eyes skirted back up to capture his. “If the ranch is fine, why exactly are you here, then?”

  She fanned her face and dragged in huge amounts of oxygen through her mouth as if she was having a hard time getting it into her lungs.

  Now he’d done it. Gone and gotten a pregnant woman all worked up. Did he need to find her a chair? A drink of water? Rush her to the hospital? What a terrible feeling, being out of control. It was disconcerting. With his training as a Ranger and his years as a state trooper before that, he was far too used to knowing what to do in whatever situation he was placed in.

  “Are you all right, ma’am?” He took hold of her elbow and steered her away from the barn, toward the cabin. She felt so small and breakable. There wasn’t much meat on her arm. “What do you need?”

  “I’m fine. Just fine.” She laughed. “You should see your face, though.” She pointed up at him and covered her mouth, hiding her wide grin. Her warm brown eyes shone with mischief. “Now you look like you’re the one having a heart attack. Relax there, Officer. It was only a figure of speech.” Her laugh was a high sound, full of joy. Josie laughed with her whole self, without holding anything back.

  Heath wanted to hear it again.

  She even smelled nice—a mixture of sunshine from the outdoors and something sweet, almost like the scent that used to drift through his childhood home when his mom was making caramel chews.

  “You still haven’t answered my question.”

  Had she asked him something? Heath scratched his chin.

  Josie crossed her arms, resting them on top of her protruding stomach. “So, then, Heath Grayson, Texas Ranger, what brings you to my ranch?”

  He toed his boot into the parched earth. How on earth was this tiny woman making him feel as if he was the one under questioning, not the other way around? Off-kilter. That was the way to describe how he felt.

  “Flint wants me to speak with you about the incident last night. About the calves.”

  “Funny.” She inclined her head. “I didn’t take this for something that required the intervention of the Texas Rangers.”

  “You’re right. This isn’t exactly official business.” He made finger quotes around the last two words. “I’m on vacation. Only doing Flint a favor.”

  “Ah, so you’re a do-gooder, then? The married-to-the-job type. Poking around for petty criminals on your off time?” The tug of her lips let him know she was teasing him again.

  Silence usually worked when he was locked in a room with his worst offenders. Perhaps the trick would get the firecracker that was Josie Markham to stay on track, as well. Heath locked his jaw out of habit.

  “Okay. I see. That’s your confession look.” She pointed at his face. “That’s the stern one that gets the bad guys to give in. Fine. Be that way.” She pulled off her gloves and wiped her hands on the thighs of her jeans. “Well, let’s get it over with quickly, then. I’ve got a lot that needs to get done today.” She jutted her thumb over her shoulder, pointing at the barn.

  Heath’s gaze traced back over the patched-together ranch. If Josie was all alone, she needed help. That should take precedence over an investigation about some loose cows. It wasn’t exactly like anyone was in immediate danger. Not from what Flint had shared.

  Unlike the danger that had plagued the boys ranch fifteen years ago.

  “How about I go ahead and help with your chores first?” Heath crossed his arms and widened his stance, ready for the fight he was sure this woman would put up. He’d spent enough time on his uncle’s ranch over the years, especially after his father’s death, that Heath knew his way around a barn and wasn’t shy when it came to manual labor. He was just as much at home mucking stables as he was on the shooting range.

  Her lips pinched as if she’d bitten into something sour. “Absolutely not.”

  No one could say he wasn’t a good judge of character.

  “I insist.”

  Josie blew out a long stream of air. “Listen, Officer Grayson—”

  “Heath is just fine.” He took a half step closer.

  “Heath, then.” She patted her hair. “I make it a point not to spend too much time around lawmen anymore.”

  Anymore?

  “Interesting.” He held his ground. “We’re at an impasse, then, because I make it a point not to leave pregnant women on their own to do any heavy labor.”

  “Labor, really?” A muscle twitching on her cheek said she was fighting the upward tilt of her lips. “That’s the word you’re going with?”

  “Let me help you. Please?” He softened his voice.

  Why was he pushing this issue so hard? He didn’t know Josie, but her condition twisted his gut and it tugged at him... She could be Nell. He’d been with the state troopers, stationed clear across the state when Nell fell on hard times. The distance had made it impossible to help her at all when she was alone and pregnant with his niece, Carly. Heath would always regret not being there for them. But perhaps lessening Josie’s load—if only for a month—could be a small way to atone.

  Besides, she was a witness to a recent crime. Even though Flint didn’t believe there was an immediate threat, depending on what Heath’s investigation uncovered, it could mean Josie was a target. Especially if she had been seen or if her information led to someone’s capture.

  He couldn’t leave her on her own.

  Heath had a month off... Why not help around her ranch? He needed something to do with his time and he wouldn’t be able to spend every second of his vacation at the boys ranch investigating his father’s murder. Not without people becoming suspicious. He didn’t want them all to know that was what he was doing there. There was a chance he’d solve nothing. That he’d fail. He definitely didn’t want them to feel sorry for him, the way people often did when they found out about his father’s death.

  Helping take care of Josie gave him an out...an alibi. He could help on her ranch and then drive her—because her truck was not safe in its current condition—to the boys ranch for her volunteer hours, which would give him a believable reason to hang around so much. Because he knew Flint would get annoyed
if Heath trailed him around at the ranch. Hopefully, Josie wouldn’t.

  He yanked off his hat and laid it over his heart. “My mother would be ashamed of me if I left your ranch without pitching in. Say yes...for my mother’s sake.”

  Josie popped her fists onto her hips and let out another loud laugh. “Well, if you’re going to guilt me by bringing your mom into things, I guess a girl’s going to have to accept your help.” She shook her finger at him. “But mark it in the books that I am accepting begrudgingly and slightly under protest.”

  “Under protest.” Now Heath was the one who couldn’t help but smile. He wasn’t used to that. “I’ll be sure to mark that down.”

  The woman was definitely a bit of a spitfire. And not even an inch of her was intimidated by his being a Texas Ranger, which was refreshing. The instant respect that often came with the office was nice, but it tended to keep everyone at an arm’s distance.

  Heath rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

  This November, Josie Markham wouldn’t be alone. Not like Nell had been.

  Not if Heath had anything to do with it.

  Chapter Two

  At first Josie followed Heath around. “My ranch may look like a mess. I know it does. But I’m only starting out. This has been mine for the last five months. I haven’t had time to turn this place into what I’ve envisioned. But I will.”

  Heath nodded. “I’m certain you will.”

  He moved the cows out of the barn and into the pasture. After the cows were cleared out, he wrangled the three large hogs into a separate penned area, away from the cattle. The man spent an hour mucking out the stables and refreshing them with clean straw. While he worked, Josie minded the chickens, hunted for eggs and milked her dairy cows along with the two goats that rounded out her animals. Heath lunged for the metal buckets when Josie made a move to lug them toward her house.

  “I got them.” He scooted over and made a grab for the pails.

  “I’m perfectly capable of bringing them in, Officer Grayson.”

  “Heath. And while I know you’re capable...remember...my dear old mother.” He winked at her.

  She rolled her eyes, but moved out of his way. “Fine, then. Follow me, Heath.”

  “Lead the way.” Heath grabbed the pails and inclined his head. “I’ll follow you wherever.”

  I’ll follow you. He’d meant it about the pails, but the words made her heart speed up just the same. Foolishness. Josie had only ever dated Dale, and Dale didn’t believe in chasing a woman in order to win her. She’d never been followed...pursued. Not when they were dating and definitely not after they had married. Dale had referred to romance as a “mind game.”

  But as Josie made her way toward the cabin with Heath trailing her, the Ranger’s hard-won smile and teasing wink flashed through her mind.

  Oh, this was bad. Very bad. Mayday bad.

  Most mistakes started in the form of a good-looking man.

  She peeked a glance at him over her shoulder.

  Definitely a mistake.

  In those leg-hugging jeans, boots and with his sleeves rolled up until they were snug around his tanned forearms, the man was far, far too handsome for his own good. And when he’d taken off his hat and invoked his mom, his almost-black hair, messy and sticking out at weird angles from wearing the hat, about did her in.

  Josie had always been attracted to the tall, dark and handsome type. Heath Grayson definitely fit the bill. He had dark, wide eyebrows, and his eyes were black coffee—hold the cream.

  Don’t forget tall. The man had a foot on her, maybe more.

  Josie had met her late husband, Dale, when they were in high school, and they’d started dating soon after. He’d never grown beyond the five foot seven he was when they’d met. And Dale’s face had been rounder—softer around his edges. Whereas Heath had sharp lines, as if his face had been chiseled from stone by some great, ancient artist.

  She shook her head, releasing her wayward thoughts.

  There was zero reason to compare the two men. None whatsoever. So they were both in law enforcement? Big whoop. That didn’t mean she needed to pull out a chart and make a pros-and-cons list of whom she was more attracted to. Goodness... Dale was her husband. Her husband. At least, he had been her husband and he hadn’t passed away that long ago. She was still working through the grief of losing her first love, losing the man who would have been the father to the child kicking in her stomach.

  The attraction she felt for Heath—a man she’d only just met—had to be her pregnancy hormones talking. The doctor had said her emotions would do silly things in the next few months leading up to the birth. That must be the reason for her rapid heart palpitations, and the way her gaze kept tabs on Heath all morning and memorized the way his dress shirt pulled across his shoulders... It was crazy pregnancy stuff. End of story.

  Besides, Heath Grayson was a lawman. Not just any lawman—he was an officer who worked the most dangerous and high-stakes cases in the state. A Texas Ranger. If Dale, who had been a sheriff’s deputy, could die in the line of duty, Josie imagined the target on a Ranger’s back was even bigger.

  Especially these days.

  Her front porch made a horrible moaning sound under their combined weight and Josie grimaced. The old fishing cabin had belonged to her father and had fallen completely out of use after his passing several years ago. Dad had left it to her, and Dale hadn’t wanted to care for the property. Once she’d moved out of her and Dale’s old home, the fishing cabin was all she had to her name. She’d been proud of the little space. It was hers. One hundred percent hers. It was the first time ever that she’d lived alone, which she discovered she didn’t like, but that was a different issue altogether. The fact was, now she knew.

  But for as much pride as she had in the small patch of land that she was trying to turn into a functioning ranch and the tiny two-bedroom cabin that was going to be the perfect amount of space for her and her baby, worry lanced through her. She tried to see the place through Heath’s eyes. Would he consider it shabby? Think her poor and tragic?

  Josie lifted her shoulders, filled her lungs and held up her chin as she opened the door. This was her home. She refused to care what anyone else thought about it. She was determined to craft this cabin into a welcoming place filled with love. One her baby would enjoy growing up in. She wouldn’t waste worry on what a passing-through Texas Ranger thought. No matter how much the muscles in his arms popped when he carried in her milk pails.

  Josie stepped around Heath and opened up her green secondhand refrigerator. “Just set them in the bottom there.”

  He did so and then turned to face her, almost as if he was waiting for her to issue his next marching orders. She couldn’t allow him to work on her ranch for a few hours and then send him on his way. That wasn’t good manners. Besides, she still needed to fill him in about the incident she’d witnessed at the boys ranch.

  Josie clasped her hands. “Why don’t you wash up and have a seat? After that many chores, I have a feeling you’ve worked up an appetite.” She rubbed her palms together, hesitant. Was this a good idea? Too late. “Bathroom’s the second door in the hall there.”

  “Ma’am, there’s no need—”

  She held up her finger in that scolding way she used to do when she worked as a nanny years ago. “Ah. I won’t hear it. Now’s my chance to invoke my mother on you. She wouldn’t hear of me sending away an honest, hardworking man without so much as offering a scrambled egg or two, so I won’t listen to any arguments. Scrub your hands and have a seat.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He tipped his hat.

  “And no more ma’am stuff,” she called after him as he made his way to the washroom. “I’m probably younger than you are.”

  “I’m sure you are,” he called back.

  Josie mentally cataloged w
hat ingredients she had and settled on biscuits and gravy with a side of cheesy scrambled eggs. She’d made a batch of her favorite biscuits from scratch the other night and there were plenty left over. They were always a huge hit when she shared them at the boys ranch. She popped a bunch of them onto a pan and set her oven to warm.

  After she wiggled the knob on the stovetop, it finally clicked and the flame went on. She set a skillet over the flame and crumbled breakfast sausage into the pan. Grease sizzled and popped. Josie licked her lips. She was hungry and loved cooking. These days, though, she often skipped making what she considered real meals because there was only her.

  Making food for one was no fun.

  She scraped the skillet and then sprinkled in the flour, keeping an eye on it while the grease soaked it all up. Next the milk and then the rest of the flour and seasonings. The mixture would have to be stirred frequently now so it didn’t get too thick or burn on the bottom. Josie juggled cracking the eggs and starting to scramble them along with stirring the gravy with finesse.

  When breakfast—she glanced at the clock and saw that it was ten in the morning, so it was closer to brunch now—was done, she arranged both their plates and then turned toward the table. Heath sat there, his hat off and resting on the pole on the back of his chair. His dark hair was doing that adorable messy, sticking-up thing again. Josie tried not to stare, but it was hard not to.

  “That bad?” Heath’s cheeks reddened and he patted his head. “Should I put the hat back on?” He swiveled around to grab the Stetson.

  He had noticed her staring? How embarrassing.

  Josie swallowed hard and forced her eyes down to their plates. “No. You’re fine like that. Just fine.” She set the plate with double the amount of food in front of him and then took her seat across the table. “Would you mind saying grace?”

  “Of course.” Heath nodded and bowed his head. “Father, we thank You for the people we meet and the adventures You take us on. Bless Josie and her baby, keep them both in good health. Bless this food to our bodies, that we’ll use the energy to go out and do things that glorify You. And bless our conversation. In the name of Your Son, Jesus, we ask all these things. Amen.”