on one side of the drive where they’d recently mowed the field, and part of the cattle herd occupied the cross-fenced sections on the other side.
Beyond the large, stone-faced house sat the barns, outbuildings and the large, older ranch house that the ranch hands used as their residence. The older house had been the original residence, built and occupied by his grandparents. His parents had built the newer, bigger house which Chance and Clayton now lived in by themselves, since their parents and grandparents had all passed on.
Beyond the group of buildings towered a stand of ancient oak trees and the greenbelt that grew on either side of Divine Creek. Their ranch extended into the rolling Hill Country quite a distance beyond the creek.
Across the creek, to the east a few miles distance, was the Divine Creek Ranch, owned by Jack Warner, Ethan Grant, and Adam Davis, and their beautiful wife Grace. Neighboring the Rockin’ C Ranch was the MWTD Ranch, owned by Jack’s first cousins, Kendall, Boone, and Richard Warner and their lovely bride-to-be Maya Daire.
They’d recently traversed that greenbelt along the creek, coming to the Warners’ aid when Maya had been tracked there and shot by her deceased husband’s former business partner. Maya was thankfully recovering and appeared to be doing well the last time he saw her. The man who had tried to steal her inheritance from her was now behind bars in the custody of the State of Texas.
The hills and fields before them were green from recent rains, and the edges of the drive were dotted here and there with yellow and orange wildflowers. Chance wondered how it must look to her and couldn’t imagine a prettier place to live. He hoped she was feeling the same way right now. It said a lot to him that her first question was not how large the ranch was.
Watching the expression on her face, he finally reiterated, “What do you think?”
Lydia never took her eyes off of it but laid her warm, soft hand over his. “It’s magnificent.”
“I think so, too. Thank you, baby.”
“I never dreamed this is what I would see at the end of this trip. You love coming home, don’t you?”
Chance chuckled and nodded his head in agreement. “Yes, I do. Rolling over this spot, right here, is the best ‘welcome home’ in the world.”
Sitting back, she replied, “I believe that.”
He took his foot off the brake, and the truck slowly coasted down the first hill. She switched between looking out her window and looking out the windshield as she got a good look at the place.
He took the long driveway slow and grinned when he noticed Clayton come out the front screen door and stand at the top of the steps on the deep front porch. From a distance he thought his brother did a pretty good job at appearing nonchalant as he leaned against one of the heavy support posts.
He cast a critical eye at the landscaping around the house, or lack thereof, and decided she could hire a landscaper if it made her happy. The two half-grown oak trees in the front yard provided nice shade leading up to the porch but not much in the way of welcoming color.
He pulled around the circular, concrete drive under the shade of the trees and put the dually in park. Lydia turned to him and licked her lips as though she were nervous.
Chance brushed a thick, silky lock of hair from her shoulder, gently stroked the back of her neck, and said, “One step at a time. Why don’t you say hello to Clayton and then go have a look around your new home. We’ll get everything unloaded and I’ll put your things in your bedroom upstairs. Are you nervous?”
Her eyelashes swept down and covered her anxious turquoise-blue eyes and she bit her lower lip then nodded. “A little.”
“Clayton is glad you’re here. See how harmless he looks? I promise he won’t bite. At least not unless you ask him to.”
His comment made her giggle, and he hoped it set her at ease. It was just the first step that was a doozy for her, he
Beyond the large, stone-faced house sat the barns, outbuildings and the large, older ranch house that the ranch hands used as their residence. The older house had been the original residence, built and occupied by his grandparents. His parents had built the newer, bigger house which Chance and Clayton now lived in by themselves, since their parents and grandparents had all passed on.
Beyond the group of buildings towered a stand of ancient oak trees and the greenbelt that grew on either side of Divine Creek. Their ranch extended into the rolling Hill Country quite a distance beyond the creek.
Across the creek, to the east a few miles distance, was the Divine Creek Ranch, owned by Jack Warner, Ethan Grant, and Adam Davis, and their beautiful wife Grace. Neighboring the Rockin’ C Ranch was the MWTD Ranch, owned by Jack’s first cousins, Kendall, Boone, and Richard Warner and their lovely bride-to-be Maya Daire.
They’d recently traversed that greenbelt along the creek, coming to the Warners’ aid when Maya had been tracked there and shot by her deceased husband’s former business partner. Maya was thankfully recovering and appeared to be doing well the last time he saw her. The man who had tried to steal her inheritance from her was now behind bars in the custody of the State of Texas.
The hills and fields before them were green from recent rains, and the edges of the drive were dotted here and there with yellow and orange wildflowers. Chance wondered how it must look to her and couldn’t imagine a prettier place to live. He hoped she was feeling the same way right now. It said a lot to him that her first question was not how large the ranch was.
Watching the expression on her face, he finally reiterated, “What do you think?”
Lydia never took her eyes off of it but laid her warm, soft hand over his. “It’s magnificent.”
“I think so, too. Thank you, baby.”
“I never dreamed this is what I would see at the end of this trip. You love coming home, don’t you?”
Chance chuckled and nodded his head in agreement. “Yes, I do. Rolling over this spot, right here, is the best ‘welcome home’ in the world.”
Sitting back, she replied, “I believe that.”
He took his foot off the brake, and the truck slowly coasted down the first hill. She switched between looking out her window and looking out the windshield as she got a good look at the place.
He took the long driveway slow and grinned when he noticed Clayton come out the front screen door and stand at the top of the steps on the deep front porch. From a distance he thought his brother did a pretty good job at appearing nonchalant as he leaned against one of the heavy support posts.
He cast a critical eye at the landscaping around the house, or lack thereof, and decided she could hire a landscaper if it made her happy. The two half-grown oak trees in the front yard provided nice shade leading up to the porch but not much in the way of welcoming color.
He pulled around the circular, concrete drive under the shade of the trees and put the dually in park. Lydia turned to him and licked her lips as though she were nervous.
Chance brushed a thick, silky lock of hair from her shoulder, gently stroked the back of her neck, and said, “One step at a time. Why don’t you say hello to Clayton and then go have a look around your new home. We’ll get everything unloaded and I’ll put your things in your bedroom upstairs. Are you nervous?”
Her eyelashes swept down and covered her anxious turquoise-blue eyes and she bit her lower lip then nodded. “A little.”
“Clayton is glad you’re here. See how harmless he looks? I promise he won’t bite. At least not unless you ask him to.”
His comment made her giggle, and he hoped it set her at ease. It was just the first step that was a doozy for her, he
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