The Rancher Meets His Match (The Millers of Morgan Valley #4) - Kate Pearce Page 0,107

sky, tears crowding her throat. She always felt far closer to the stars on the ranch than in the city, and tonight they were particularly bright. She picked one and wished as hard as she could.

With a sigh, she got herself a glass of milk, turned off the lights, and went to bed. She had to get back to work on Monday and, with all the changes going on, she knew she’d be busy. She could only hope she wouldn’t have a moment to think about Kaiden Miller. She’d set him a task. If he really wanted to make things up to her then he knew what to do. Whether it would ever feel right again was still up in the air.

* * *

“Thanks so much for seeing me, Mr. Evans.”

Kaiden took the seat opposite his host and set his coffee on the table. He’d called Mr. Evans the day after the party and had driven out to see him after he’d gotten back from church. Julia was planning on leaving town immediately, and, although he desperately wanted to make things right before she left, he knew she wouldn’t listen to him right now.

“It’s a pleasure, son,” Mr. Evans said. “How’s old Jeff doing?”

“He’s getting there. He’s going back to the hospital this week for his final checkup before they pass him over to our local doctor’s care. He seems to think he’s ready to go back to work.”

“Good for him.” Mr. Evans shifted restlessly in his chair. He looked like he’d lost even more weight since Kaiden had last seen him, and had an oxygen tube taped to his cheek. “I can barely get out onto the porch these days.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, sir,” Kaiden said.

“You said you wanted to know what I’d decided to do about the ranch?”

“Yeah, I know it’s none of my business, but I wanted to tell you about a new foundation my brother Ben and his wife have set up. One of the things it does is offer advice to people in your situation—legal representation, that kind of thing, to stop you being taken advantage of by predatory builders or lenders.”

Technically, Mr. Evans wasn’t in Morgan Valley, but Kaiden had asked Silver and Ben if he could use their foundation as a conversation starter. Silver was feeling so guilty about what had happened with Julia that she’d jumped at the chance to help put things right.

“That’s a very kind thought, Kaiden, but I received excellent legal advice from Miss Julia. She laid out all the options to me and my daughters, and promised to follow through on whichever one we picked.”

“That’s good to hear.” Kaiden paused. “She didn’t push you to choose one thing over another, then?”

“Not at all. In fact, I think she was surprised at the decision I made.” Mr. Evans chuckled, which turned into a dry cough that seemed to go on forever. “She was absolutely determined that no one, not even my girls, would tell me what to do.”

“That’s great.” Kaiden took a sip of his coffee. “So, you’re staying put?”

“Nope. I decided to move into town so I’ll be closer to my daughter Betty and my grandkids for the short time I have left.” He met Kaiden’s gaze. “The cancer has spread and it’s inoperable. I’ve only got a few months to live, and I want to be with my family.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. And that’s . . . totally understandable, sir.” Kaiden nodded.

“I had a long talk with the representative from Brooksmiths, and I like what they plan to do with the place. It’ll be small cabins built from natural resources for hikers and fishermen to stay in. They’ll clean up the river, shore up the banks, and maintain all the wildlife and open spaces. Andy, the guy I spoke with, comes from Lake Tahoe, so he knows this area well, and understands the land management issues we face with the extremes of the weather, flooding, drought, and snowstorms.”

Mr. Evans took a long drink of his lemonade while Kaiden let his words sink in.

“Excuse me for asking this, sir, but how do you know that they’ll follow through on their promises?” Kaiden had never known when to keep his mouth shut.

“Because after I’m gone, my daughters and grandchildren get to see and approve all the future plans for the ranch. If they object to something, it goes to the whole board of Brooksmiths, and they all get to vote.” He reached over to a stack of