Romancing the Grumpy Rancher: Spring Valley, #1

By Tamlyn Black

He's content with his orderly life, and she's about to disrupt it in the all the right ways...

 

Matthew Thomas is a practical man. He likes schedules and to-do lists, and he especially likes everyone to obey the rules. His rules. It's what got him through losing both his parents and raising his younger siblings. He doesn't see a reason to change the way he does things when his way is obviously the way that works.

When Savannah Clarke arrives on Riverside Ranch driving a small purple hybrid the size of one of the ranch's ATVs, Matthew is convinced his little sister's friend from college is going to be as out of place and inappropriate out here on the ranch as her car. She's flighty and irresponsible, and worst of all, she makes him remember the parts of himself he's ignored for so long…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tamlyn Black
• Release date: Sep 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223080022

Tamlyn Black

Fueled by coffee and carbs, Tamlyn Black spends her days running after her three amazing kids, a huge rescue dog whose superpowers are shedding and snoring, and two formerly feral cats.

Book preview

Chapter One

A wisp of steam danced over the coffee mug in Matthew Thomas’s hand. The bustle and noise of a working ranch in spring would fill the front yard soon enough, but for now, Matthew sat in the relative quiet in one of the rockers that had been out on the front porch of the main house for as long as he could remember. His daily to-do list was always a mile long, but for a few minutes every morning, he enjoyed his first coffee while he waited for the sky over the eastern pasture to lighten.

The sharp call of a thrush pulled his attention in the direction of his sister’s cabin, and he frowned at the small, purple hybrid parked there. Olivia’s friend from college must have arrived late last night. The hybrid looked completely out of place and inappropriate out here on the ranch, probably just as out of place and inappropriate as Olivia’s friend, Savannah Clarke, was going to be at Riverside Ranch.

In the two years she’d been at college, Olivia had regaled everyone at Riverside with countless tales of her friend’s adventurous life. Even though he’d not met Savannah in person yet, each new story had cemented Matthew’s opinion that the wealthy city girl wasn’t the best influence on his baby sister. When Olivia had come to him with a business plan detailing how she wanted to open a small, exclusive resort on their family ranch, he hadn’t been surprised to hear Savannah’s name mentioned.

His only consolation was that he didn’t expect the socialite, or her impractical car, to still be here come summer. While she was here, though, Matthew knew that damage control would be high up on his to-do list. Once Savannah had moved on to the next bright and shiny thing that caught her attention, he’d be able to convince Olivia the last thing Riverside needed was a bunch of guests underfoot.

Despite Olivia’s promises that everyone working the ranch would have limited interactions with the resort’s guests, he didn’t see how that would be possible. Nothing happened on the ranch without his knowledge and approval. He’d been responsible for the family ranch—and the family—since his mom and dad died twelve years ago. The plane crash that killed his folks had forever changed the trajectory of Matthew’s life. He’d gone from being a nineteen-year-old sophomore to being a college dropout parenting his younger brother and sister, all while running Riverside.

As Olivia had reminded him while pitching her plan for the resort, he may have managed the ranch for over a decade, but each of the Thomas siblings owned a third. With her marketing degree in hand and meddlesome, flighty friend in tow, Olivia was determined to exercise her rights as part owner and get Riverside Ranch Resort off the ground. Matthew was just as determined to make as few changes to the way things were now as possible.

Drew and Olivia often joked about how much of an obstinate control freak he was, but it was that determination and focus that had kept the ranch going after their dad died. It was that resolve and grit that had kept them together as a family when the authorities had asked if a nineteen-year-old boy could raise his teenage brother and sister while running a business.

Matthew had worked tirelessly to erase all doubt and never give anyone any excuse to question whether he had everything under control. If that led to his siblings calling him unreasonable or unyielding at times, he had no regrets. He was proud of the fact that Drew and Olivia had both finished college and the ranch and their family’s finances had never looked better. He didn’t see the need to change anything he was doing when his way obviously worked.

The door to Olivia’s cabin opened, and a slim figure stepped out onto the small porch. A young woman in black leggings and a lightweight jacket put in a pair of earbuds, adjusted the smartphone pouch strapped around her biceps, and did a few quick stretches on the front porch steps.

Savannah Clarke.

Matthew knew it was her even from this distance. Besides the fact that Olivia had told him her friend was due to arrive this week, only a reckless city girl would go out running alone in a strange place where she could easily get lost. Her ponytail swung from side to side as she jogged down the path toward the lake and disappeared from view.

His quiet morning disturbed, Matthew left his coffee on the narrow table just inside the front door before grabbing his phone, his hat, and his keys. He pulled the door closed behind him and let out a short whistle for Lic. The black mutt was never more than a whistle or shout away, and she came sliding to a stop in front of the porch steps, ready for a day of work by his side. It would take all of five minutes to saddle his horse and be off on the trail after Savannah. He only hoped she didn’t leave the trail and get too lost before he could find her and explain how dangerous it was to go off in unfamiliar land ill-equipped and alone.

***

After the first two songs on her morning playlist, Savannah didn’t feel the chill as much, but the cold air still burned her throat and lungs as she ran. Her muscles and breathing settled into a familiar, rhythmic pace that matched the music.

Olivia said this trail went all the way passed her grandparents old cabin and eventually down to the lake. She slowed to check the navigational feature on her watch to make sure she was still on the right path. Satisfied she was fine, she picked up the pace as another song began.

The trail widened, and the forest started to thin out as a sturdy cabin came into view. It had to be the cabin Olivia had told her about. There were the rosemary bushes Olivia said her grandfather planted for her grandmother all around the cabin because it was her favorite herb.

The small structure was part of stage one of their Riverside Resort plan. She slowed her pace again and took in the quaint setting. Olivia was right. With a little sprucing up, this would be a perfect getaway for couples wanting a rustic weekend away.

Savannah was busy admiring the way the cabin fit perfectly into the forest setting when a black blur shot by her on the path. Her already elevated heart rate kicked up another notch, and her jump to the side turned into a stumble that left her sprawled across the trail.

She pushed herself into a sitting position and noticed there was a hole in her leggings over her right knee. There was a bit of grit and dirt mixing with some blood there. Damn, she hadn’t had a grazed knee in... Well, she couldn’t really remember ever having much of a grazed knee. As a child growing up in metropoles all over the world, she’d always been supervised and instructed on how to behave like a proper young lady. There’d been no skating in the park or playing tag on a playground. She’d had fencing and riding lessons along with most of the girls at her private schools, but there’d never been time or permission for rough and tumble play outside that might have ended in grazed knees.

The dog that had bolted passed her disappeared into the brush on the other side of the cabin just as a horse came to a halt next to her. There was a loud thud as a pair of boots joined the four hooves on the trail. Savannah’s gaze moved up over those boots, a pair of well-worn jeans, and a winter jacket stretched over a broad chest as she scrambled to her feet. When she reached the man’s face, her breath caught in her throat.

It shouldn’t be possible to associate such gruff sternness with beauty, and yet those were the words that came to mind as she took in the angular jaw, full lips, and expressive eyes. It was a pity those green eyes currently held nothing but displeasure and disapproval.

Savannah had seen plenty of pictures of Matthew Thomas before. Olivia had had photographs of her family plastered all over the room they’d shared in college, but there was no comparing a picture of Olivia’s oldest brother with the reality of the man standing in front of Savannah. His dark facial hair was somewhere between a five o’clock shadow and a beard, and combined with his flinty eyes, and muscular build, the man looked downright dangerous.

I’m fine. Thank you so much for asking, she said and then flinched at the sting of her palms against the lycra as she tried to dust off her tights.

His broad chest rose and fell in a sigh. Sure. You seem perfectly fine.

The low rumble of his voice rolled over her like a warm wave, and Savannah was momentarily torn between reacting to his sexy tone or his brusque words. Before she could decide if she should be offended or turned on, he reached out, encircled one of her wrists in a loose grip, and raised her hand to gently inspect her grazed palm. The movement had her taking a small step closer to his six-foot-something frame, and she breathed in his citrusy aftershave and