Home to Stay

By June McCullough

Although she has never stopped referring to Aces Corral as her home, it has been two years since Diana Crawford has stepped foot on the ranch just outside Calgary, Canada. Her decision to return home was made just as abruptly as her decision to leave, but as Dianas car pulls into the long driveway, she knows it is time once again to build the family ranch into a successful business. Little does she know that waiting for her return is a man determined to change everything.

Coming home is emotional for Diana. She is thrilled to reunite with her elderly next-door neighbors, Len and Dot Mackenzie, who are the closest thing to family she has left. But when she meets their nephew for the first time, his captivating eyes and quiet strength hypnotize her. There is no mistaking the attraction, and it is not long before Barry Daniels lassoes her heart. As Diana works on reconciling her past, she knows she has a lot to learn about running a business and when Diana finds evidence of a betrayal that could destroy everything she has worked for, she is desperate to find a way to expose the scheme.

In this contemporary cowboy romance, a woman on the fringes of finding her own inner strength must expose a web of deceit before she loses everything she has ever loved.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jan 26, 2012
• ISBN: 9781462069804

June McCullough

June McCullough and her husband live in Alberta, Canada. Next to her family and friends, her passions include travel, hiking, and gardening.

Book preview

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Epilogue

Other Books by June McCullough

On the Other Hand

Visit June McCullough’s website at

www.junemccullough.com

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This book is dedicated to family.

To my husband, Earle, who told me to go for it and let me know he believed in me. To my children, Blaine and Jennifer, who told me it wouldn’t happen unless I went for it (had you heard that somewhere before?). To my siblings, Bryce, Dean, Foster, Shelley, and Craig (listed in order of age, because there is no order to whom I love the most) who gave me advice and support when I was scared. To my children-in-law, who have accepted me as part of the package (maybe you had no choice, but I like to think you did). And last, but not least, to my grandchildren, because you make my life complete.

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Chapter One

AS DIANA MANEUVERED HER CAR through the traffic on Highway #1, she passed the Canada Olympic Park to her right and knew her turnoff was not much further. From here, traffic permitting, she would be home within the half-hour. Although she had never stopped referring to Aces Corral as her home, it was two years since she had last been there. She made her turn onto Sarcee Trail and felt the butterflies in her stomach come to life.

It had been an impulse to leave—no, not an impulse, she corrected herself, more of an abrupt necessity. The decision to leave had been a quick decision, but she knew that, had she stayed, she wouldn’t have survived.

The decision to come home had been just as abrupt. She supposed that the thought had been brewing in the back of her mind for some time, but last week she suddenly woke one morning with the decision instantly made. She was going home.

She made the turn from Sarcee Trail onto Bow Trail, but it wasn’t until she turned onto the Old Banff Coach Road, driving through the area known as Coach Hill, that she felt her throat tighten. Easy girl, she told herself. You’ve covered a lot of distance today; just hang on a little longer.

When Diana was a young girl, the West Springs subdivision had not existed. Not yet a part of the city of Calgary, this area had consisted only of farms and acreages. Now, the open pastures and cropland of her youth had been converted into crowded urban lots on both sides of the road.

She felt a sense of loss as she remembered what her father had always said, I will never move to the city, but if we stay here long enough, the city will move to us. As a child of ten, she hadn’t understood his logic, but now as a woman of twenty-five, she saw that his prediction was coming true. She looked around and realized that the city was even closer to the ranch than the last time she traveled this road. The question was—how much closer?

Moments later, she felt a rush of relief as her question was answered. As the subdivision ended, the scenery suddenly changed to the one she remembered. She was delighted to know that the city had not migrated to them yet. From here, she knew, it was another ten minute drive.

Known as the foothills, this area was nestled between the prairies and the Rocky Mountains. You could see the land stretch for miles with an outline of the mountains as the background in the distance. The only obstruction of the view was the clusters of trees and perhaps a house every mile or so. This was good land—useful land—land where a person could make their living by growing a crop or raising livestock.

Although she appreciated the beauty of the towering mountains of British Columbia, with their snow-topped peaks year round, she never got over the feeling of being closed in while she was there. But this—this was the land she had grown up with and loved.

The trees she passed had an outline of green from the buds, which would soon turn to leaves. Although the spring air was still crisp, the bright noon sun shining through the windshield would have made the car uncomfortably warm, had Diana not had the cool air from the air conditioner gently blowing on her.

Noticing the Douglas house to her right, she knew it was only a matter of minutes before she would reach her destination. Diana pulled the car over to the shoulder of the road and out of the way of any traffic. Shifting the car into PARK, she turned off the ignition and stepped out. As she leaned against the front of the car, she took a cigarette from the package and placed it between her lips.

She noticed her hand shake as she held the flame from the lighter to the cigarette. The butterflies began fluttering again and she held her hand against her stomach to calm them.

Smoking was a habit she had given up the year before, but since making the decision to return, her nerves had gotten the best of her and she had picked up the habit once again. I know this is what I want, she thought, while looking around. It’s time to come home and stop running. I know I’m doing the right thing. So why am I so nervous?

Two years earlier, as Diana had packed her suitcases to leave, she knew she couldn’t stay. Now, she only knew she could no longer stay away.

Excuse me.

Broken from her thoughts, Diana looked up to see an older half ton truck, with signs of rust on the door, stopped beside her. The window was rolled down and a man Diana guessed to be about fifty was watching her.

Need any help?

No thanks. I just stopped to stretch my legs.

With that, the gentleman gave a wave of his hand as he stepped on the gas pedal and moved on. Before anyone else could stop to offer help to what appeared to be a stranded motorist, Diana put her cigarette out and got back in her car to finish her journey.

It was only a matter of minutes before she saw the driveway, slowed the car down and turned in. It was a long driveway, which curved around a mixture of poplar and spruce trees. A month from now, when the leaves had filled out, the trees would keep the house completely hidden from the road.

When the ranch-style bungalow was in sight, she saw two men loading an object onto a truck. As she got closer, she realized it was the dining room suite that had stood in her parents’ dining room for as far back as she could remember.

With a twist of the wrist, she pulled up in front of the garage door, stopped the motor and turned to pick up her purse from the front passenger seat. As she was putting the car keys into her purse, she heard the car door open.

Diana!

Diana looked up and saw a man of average height. Though his face was weathered from spending most of his days outdoors, it was still evident that as a young man, he had been attractive.

Slowly she stepped out of the car and into his arms as he gave her a fatherly hug. As she stepped back, she felt the tears threaten to escape. His hands remained on her shoulders as she quickly shifted her vision away from him, and then back again. When she looked back, she could see his love and concern for her.

Ah, Diana, he said gently. It’s so good to see you again and it’s good to have you home.

Not yet able to speak, Diana looked back at the truck and he offered an explanation, We weren’t expecting you until this afternoon. When you phoned last week to say you were coming home you mentioned that you wanted to sell the furniture, so we put an ad in the paper right away. We were hoping to have it all sold for you before you got here, but this is the last of it. Sorry, Diana, we were hoping it would be gone before you arrived.

Diana saw that the two men now had the furniture in the truck and were about to start securing it into place to take it away. Not wanting to see them leave with it, or trusting herself to say much right now, for fear of crying in front of these strangers, she turned back to Len.

Thanks, Len. If you don’t mind, I’m going to go in and have a look through the house. We’ll talk later, okay?

Len nodded his head. Sure, Diana, was all he said, as she turned and walked away.

She knew Len well enough to know that as he watched her, he would be mulling over the best way to comfort her, but sometimes people had to work things out for themselves and for Diana, this was one of those times. She had started the journey two years ago and now she had come home to finish it.

Diana walked through the outside door leading into the kitchen and had the urge to yell, Mom, I’m home, as she had done for so many years. She closed her eyes tight, as if willing her mother to appear, and then slowly opened them only to find that the room was still empty, absent of any furniture or life. One of the tears that had been threatening to escape earlier finally succeeded and fell down her cheek.

Taking her time, she slowly roamed through the rooms. Knowing that she was alone, she allowed the flood of bottled up memories to release themselves. A feeling of nostalgia came over her as she recalled her mother working in the kitchen. The feeling continued when she reached her childhood hiding spot behind the planter where she had hoped to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus each year. It was years before she realized that her parents had known all along of her hiding place.

Through her tears Diana smiled for the first time that day as she remembered the year she had actually seen Santa in the living room. Suddenly afraid that he would see her and not leave her any presents, she had run back to her bedroom. That was the last year she had watched for him.

Standing in the doorway of the only bedroom she remembered having while growing up, she leaned against the doorjamb and slowly looked around. Everything was as she had left it. Although she was selling most of the household contents, she was keeping everything in this room and the major appliances.

Slowly she crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed. Running her hand across the bedspread, she was reminded of all the nights her parents had tucked her in, or the times that they had come in to comfort her when she had awakened from a nightmare.

I still miss you, she said softly with a quiver in her voice.

Impatient to see the rest of the house, she stood and finished her tour, ending it in the living room. As she stood by the large picture window, she looked out to the land behind the house and saw a horse grazing. She recognized Star immediately. Seven years earlier when he was a newborn foal her parents had given him to her as a graduation gift.

As Diana watched Star grazing now, she almost expected to see her father walk up to him and start rubbing the caramel coloured horse on the nose and neck; something she had seen more times than she could count. Every evening her father would go down to visit with Star and as he gently told the horse about his day, Star would sniff around for the apple he knew Diana’s father always brought.

With the flood of memories of times gone by, she was reminded of why she had left in the first place and her emotions finally overcame her. When the tears welled up, she didn’t try to hold them back and allowed them to flow freely down her cheeks.

Aces Corral was in her blood. Her parents had taken a bare piece of land and from that, they had built a successful business and home before she was even born. It was the only way of life that Diana had ever known—until two years ago, that is. That was when it had all ended and everything changed. That was when her parents were killed, leaving her alone. Alone to run the ranch. Alone to pick up the pieces and go on living. But it had been more than she’d been able to handle. And so she’d run away.

As she looked for a tissue in her purse to wipe her tears away, she felt the presence of someone in the room with her.

Slowly turning around, she recognized the man in front of her as one of the men on the truck. What she had failed to notice when she saw him earlier is what a remarkably attractive man he was. His skin was a golden brown and his walnut coloured mustache was darker than his hair, which had been lightened from the sun. His snug jeans hugged his slender hips, and the strained fabric of his shirt did nothing to hide his broad shoulders, telling the tale of a man who was not afraid of labour.

Not knowing what to say, and embarrassed at being caught crying, Diana felt a rush of heat to her face as it flamed red.

Do you often walk into other people’s houses uninvited?

I knocked on the door, but no one answered.

So, you just walked in, unannounced. Well, if it’s more furniture you want, you can see that it’s all been sold—all but the appliances and one bedroom suite, which I’m keeping.

I’m not here for furniture. Uncle Len asked me to let you know that he’s gone to tell Aunt Dot you’ve arrived and that coffee will be ready whenever you are.

Len and Dot are your uncle and aunt? Why didn’t you say so?

You didn’t give me much chance, did you?

Not knowing whether to apologize for snapping at him, or introduce herself, she became frustrated. She quickly came to the conclusion that there didn’t seem to be any point in introducing herself—he obviously knew who she was. Standing there, watching him observe her, she somehow couldn’t bring herself to apologize.

The silence between them grew and filled the room. Sensing that he was not about to say anything to make it any easier, she felt the slow swelling of her anger.

Well, the next time you walk in on someone, announce yourself, she said in a harsher tone than she had intended. And you can tell Len and Dot that I’ll be over in fifteen minutes.

Realizing that she was overreacting fueled her embarrassment. She stormed past him and out of the room. When she got to her bedroom she stood perfectly still listening until she heard the outside door shut, letting her know that he had left.

When she was satisfied that he was gone, she went out to the car to get her overnight case and brought it into the bathroom. There, she washed away the dry tears and applied just a touch of foundation and blush to put colouring back in her cheeks.

Diana knew that if she went to Len and Dot’s looking the way she had, they would have worried. Checking her reflection in the mirror, Diana saw that except for a bit of redness in her eyes, which the fresh air would take away by the time she reached their house, there were no signs of crying. The only way they would know, was if their beloved nephew told them, which she secretly prayed that he wouldn’t.

Having been sufficiently and properly chewed out, Barry watched as Diana left the room. Immediately after, he left the house as he had been instructed to and silently scolded himself. What an idiot he had been!

Since coming to live with them, Uncle Len and Aunt Dot had been telling him story after story of the girl who lived next door. Aunt Dot had even dragged out the photo albums, making him sit for hours as she showed him pictures of Diana during each stage of her life; growing up from a chubby little baby into a beautiful woman.

At times, Uncle Len had reprimanded Aunt Dot for what he thought might be boring Barry. Little did either of them know that, through their stories, he thought he was starting to fall in love with a woman he hadn’t even met.

When they received her phone call saying that she was coming home, he’d had a difficult time hiding his eagerness of finally getting the chance to meet the woman who had already stolen his heart. Yet, she didn’t even know that he existed.

He had moved in to help his aunt and uncle after Uncle Len’s heart attack—something else that Diana didn’t know about. Knowing that she would have rushed home, Uncle Len had insisted that no one tell her. Great, Barry thought, I’m told to keep secrets from her even before I meet her.

That afternoon as he had watched Uncle Len greeting Diana in the driveway, he had become so mesmerized with her that he had forgotten the task of securing the dining room suite to the box of the truck. As he watched her, he knew without a shadow of doubt that had he passed her on the street, he would have recognized her immediately from the many pictures his Aunt Dot had shown him. Her auburn shoulder length hair, which was styled a little differently than any he had seen in the pictures, was layered so that it framed her face. He couldn’t see the colour of her eyes because of the distance between them, but he knew they were emerald. And even though she wore a loose fitting top, it was obvious that the body it covered was slender with just enough curves where it counted.

After the truck left with the furniture, Uncle Len was going to invite her over for coffee. Anxious to hear her voice and see her up close, Barry had quickly volunteered. He hadn’t even thought of how emotional this would all be for her.

Why hadn’t he considered what she was going through—or remembered the fact that she didn’t know him from Adam? Barry slapped his forehead. Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! he scolded himself aloud.

Aunt Dot had explained that after Diana’s parents were killed, it had been too much for her to handle—both the emotions of losing her parents together so quickly and running Aces Corral on her own. Both Dot and Len had done what they could to help, but after a couple of months, the doctor had advised her to get away for awhile. At the rate the stress was affecting her health; he had suggested that she would likely be on medication or in the hospital in a very short time, if she didn’t do something.

Dot told Barry that they were afraid of what the strain would do to her, so both she and Len had encouraged her to leave. Once the decision was made, the clients of Aces Corral were notified that all services would be temporarily unavailable and Diana had packed her bags. Dot and Len had agreed to take care of Star and her home for as long as she needed. Aunt Dot said that when Diana left, no one, including Diana, had any idea of where she was headed; only that for her sake, she had to leave.

Knowing all this, Barry was still reprimanding himself as he made his way up the stairs leading to his aunt and uncle’s home. When she hadn’t answered his knock on the door, he had let himself in. Something he never did growing up, he had learned that it was the accepted way in this area. If he had used his head and thought about it for even a moment, he would have realized that this had not been the time to introduce himself.

When he entered the living room and saw her crying his first instinct was to put his arms around her. He realized immediately how inappropriate that would be and knew that what she needed now was privacy. He turned to leave before he was discovered, but unfortunately, he was too late. Just as he turned to leave, she turned and saw him.

Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! he repeated, as he reached out for the door handle.

Chapter Two

DIANA GRABBED HER PURSE FROM the kitchen counter where she had placed it earlier and made her way to the path