The Rancher's Answered Prayer Page 16

  “Everything’s great. Can you believe this?”

  She shook her head, looking at the check in the center of the table.

  “God fixed it,” Tyler announced gaily. “He’s got ways.”

  Tina laughed. “Yes, I suppose He does.”

  Wyatt couldn’t help himself. He hugged her. “Everything’s going to be fine now, sweetheart. I know it.”

  She looked up, lifting a hand to his face. “It feels that way at the moment.”

  He almost kissed her right there in front of Ty. Thankfully, Jake and Ryder showed up with Frankie just then. Wyatt explained the whole situation. Ryder plopped down in a chair and picked up the check, astonishment all over his face, while Jake clapped his hands and laughed.

  “Guess this move was the right thing, after all,” Ryder said.

  Jake clapped him on the shoulder. “God’s got it all in hand, little bro. He’s got it all in hand.”

  Ryder smiled up at him. Wyatt stood with his arm around Tina’s shoulders, appreciating the scene before him. It had been a long while since he’d seen his family this happy. He didn’t think he’d ever felt such delight himself, but he knew it wasn’t just that check in Ryder’s hand. It had much more to do with the woman at his side, those gathered at the table and this place.

  Home.

  They were truly home now, all of them.

  A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he quickly turned to Tina. “I forgot to tell you. The sod-cutting crew will be staying the night. Is there anything we need to do to get the bunkhouse ready?”

  “The beds need sheets. That’s all. But what about supper? Do they have their own groceries? Are they planning to go into town? If so, they can’t work too late.”

  Wyatt hadn’t even thought of that. “What do you suggest?”

  Shrugging, she bit her lip. After a moment, she said, “Tacos. I have lots of ground beef in the freezer, and they’re easy to fix for a crowd. I can run into War Bonnet for the rest of the ingredients.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Nodding, she hurried to the freezer and began extracting packages of meat.

  “Sounds like a party to me,” Jake said, grinning.

  “Birthday party!” Frankie yelled.

  When they stopped laughing, Jake explained, “It’s not a birthday party. It’s a blessing party.”

  “Bessing party!” Frankie cried, making everyone laugh again.

  “A party means treats,” Tina said, moving toward the small table near the door where she kept her handbag and keys.

  “Treats!” Frankie shouted, jumping up and down.

  She paused to look at Wyatt and Tyler. “Will you be okay here?”

  “We’re good,” Wyatt told her, parking his hands at his waist. He looked down to find that Tyler had mimicked his stance.

  “Good,” the boy echoed with a nod of his head.

  “Yes, you are,” Tina said, lifting her gaze to Wyatt’s.

  “We’ll make the beds in the bunkhouse while you’re gone,” he told her.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Sweetheart,” Wyatt said, “we’ve been making our own beds for years. Go on. Do what you need to do.”

  Smiling, she turned for the door. “I’ll be back soon.”

  The instant the door closed behind her, his brothers began teasing him. “Yeah, sweetheart, we’re old hands at making beds.”

  “And if we weren’t, Wyatt would make us learn.”

  “Yes, I would,” Wyatt admitted with a broad, unrepentant smile.

  That and more. So much more. Whatever it took.

  * * *

  The evening turned into a real celebration, especially after Carter Bishop pronounced the sod excellent and urged Wyatt to sign another contract.

  They discussed the details around the table in the dining room, and Tina was surprised to learn that only about a half inch of soil was taken with the harvested grass. The root tips and other detritus left behind helped recondition the soil for new planting. Bishop stated that his company had been harvesting and selling sod produced on the same property for as long as forty years. Considering that it paid over five thousand dollars an acre, with Guaranteed Sod doing the cutting, it was a very profitable business. Given the acreage of Loco Man and the preparations already done by Dodd, it seemed like a no-brainer to Tina. But then, it wasn’t any of her business. Until Wyatt made it her business.

  He reached across the table and covered her hand with his. “What do you think, sweetheart? You should have a say in this. Loco Man Ranch is your home, too.”

  Sweetheart. That endearment was getting to be a habit with him, one Tina wished didn’t thrill her every time she heard it. That thrill consumed her to the point that she almost didn’t hear Jake and Ryder agreeing with Wyatt.

  “We’ve had our say in the house,” Ryder pointed out. “Only fair you should have a say in the ranch.”

  “You’re a part of this, even if it’s not formal,” Jake put in. Grinning at Wyatt, he added, “Yet.”

  Squeezing her hand, Wyatt asked, “So, what do you think?”

  “I think you’d be foolish not to do it.”

  He sat back in his chair, freeing her from his clasp. Tina quickly tucked her hand into her lap, telling herself that she was reading too much into the situation.

  Tapping the edge of the table with two fingers, Wyatt said, “It’s unanimous then.” He smiled at the guest sitting next to him. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Carter.” The two men shook hands on it.

  “When your uncle first came to us with this idea, we weren’t too sure,” Carter admitted, “but he convinced us to sign the contract, and he obviously did his research and picked perfect spots to plant. Given the size of the Oklahoma City market, we couldn’t be happier.”

  “Contract,” Wyatt repeated, stroking his chin. “I haven’t found a contract anywhere.” He snapped his fingers. “I forgot about the safety deposit box. It must be there. I’ll check first thing in the morning.”

  One of the Guaranteed Sod flatbeds had already left. Much of its haul would be on the ground before the second truck left the next afternoon. Because it had rained recently, the sod was perfect for cutting, but Carter warned Wyatt that certain sections, which would be harvested in another month or so, would need a good wetting before he returned with the cutters. Wyatt promised to see to it.

  The four extra men at the table ate heartily and complimented Tina on the meal, but the German chocolate cake she’d thrown together with the help of a boxed mix got raves, especially from Wyatt, who ate two pieces. Later, after the sod-cutting crew left for the bunkhouse, he helped her put Tyler to bed, praising the boy for his help.

  “You stood in the gap for me today. You’re going to make a fine cowboy and an excellent ranch hand.”

  “Then I can get boots like Donovan’s,” Ty said happily. Tina traded knowing glances with Wyatt. Not too long ago, Tyler would simply have demanded boots. Now he hinted.

  Wyatt pretended to consider. “Hmm. You know, we probably ought to get you a hat, too.” Reaching out, he ruffled Tyler’s hair.

  Tyler beamed so broadly that Tina had to look away to keep from laughing. Her son was flourishing under the influence of Wyatt and his brothers, much as she had done with Daddy Dodd.

  She suddenly missed the old man keenly. She should’ve known that he would look after all their best interests.

  As Tyler hugged her good-night, Tina realized that if he ever had to leave here now, it would be the same for him as it had been for her. He’d forever feel that he’d lost his true home and family. He’d forever miss the comfort, caring and wisdom. They hadn’t heard a word from Layne since their arrival in War Bonnet, but the threat of a custody battle hovered on the horizon like an angry cloud, and Tina couldn’t help worrying about it. As of yet, she had no independent means of
support, and Layne would undoubtedly exploit that.

  God fixed it. He’s got ways.

  She closed her eyes and said a quick, silent prayer.

  Thank You, Lord. Thank You for everything that’s happening here. Please fix the rest of it, for my son’s sake. And mine. If that means Wyatt and I together...give me courage to accept Your will, whatever it is.

  Tyler lay back on his pillow, and Tina and Wyatt gently tucked the covers around him. Wyatt kissed the boy’s temple, and Tyler settled in with a happy sigh, reaching down to pet Tipper in his box and closing his eyes. Tina had little doubt that she’d find Tipper on the pillow with Tyler the next morning, but she didn’t mind. After adjusting the light, she and Wyatt left the room and walked down the hallway to the top of the stairs, where he stopped and pulled her into his arms.

  “What a day, huh?”

  “The best. I’m so happy for you and your brothers.”

  “For all of us. We can really do up the kitchen now. And I was thinking this evening that the formal dining room could use a more finished look. You’ve done a good job in there, but I heard something about shutters instead of curtains.”

  She remembered that conversation. She’d been talking to Rob and Jake as they’d moved the dining-room furniture into place. She hadn’t realized that Wyatt had been listening. If she’d known at the time, she’d have been angry at Wyatt’s eavesdropping. Now just the fact that he remembered her preference for shutters over curtains touched her deeply. He was a supremely caring man.

  Nevertheless, she shook her head. “They’d have to be specially made to fit the windows. I’m not going to spend your money that way.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s not fair, Wyatt. What if we have a falling out and—”

  He gave her a quick squeeze. “We’re going to fall out, Tina. Not too often, I hope. But it’s going to happen. Again.” He chuckled. “That doesn’t mean anyone has to leave. Let’s just settle this right now.” He spread his hands against her back “Whenever we butt heads around here, we cool down, and we work it out. Deal?”

  What she felt for him spilled over then, swelling up in her heart and flooding every cell of her body. She tipped back her head. “Deal.”

  She hoped—prayed—that he’d kiss her again. But that wasn’t all she wanted. She wanted to know that he felt the same way she did. She wanted to hear him say it. She wanted him to ask her to make this all formal. To her shock, she wanted him to ask her to marry him.

  It seemed, for once, that she was on a roll here. Life was good, and she could almost believe that it was going to get better. With Wyatt. Because of Wyatt.

  She stood expectantly, as his gaze roamed her face. But then the only kiss he bestowed was to the center of her forehead. Tina tried not to let her disappointment show as he released her and started down the stairs.

  That was when she began to pray that both God and Wyatt would ignore her previous protestations and give her the one thing for which she’d vowed never to ask. She wanted to marry again. She wanted to be the wife of Wyatt Smith. It was time to let go of the past, both her mother’s and her own.

  * * *

  The next day, Wyatt drove into War Bonnet to the bank, where he was shown the safety deposit box that Dodd had rented. He watched as the bank manager opened the box and left the room. Pulling out the drawer inside, Wyatt carried it to the table in the center of the small vault and lifted the hinged lid. He found copies of the wills on top, followed by a couple of hundred dollars in cash, three slotted folders filled with silver coins and two piles of stapled papers. The first group of papers was the contract with Guaranteed Sod, Inc. The other made him gasp in surprise.

  Standing at the waist-high table, he scanned the pile of documents. Then he rolled up the papers and tucked them under his arm. He left the wills and the money in the box and returned the drawer to its slot, closing the lock face and removing the key, which he tucked into a pocket. Then he hurried home, laughing and praising God for His generosity.

  When he got to the ranch, he had to look for Tina. He found her in the bunkhouse making beds and generally cleaning up after the sod cutters. He tossed the papers onto the bed, saying, “I take back every unkind thought I’ve ever had about Uncle Dodd. The man was a genius.”

  Turning, Tina smiled at him. “You found the contract.”

  “Oh, sweetheart, that’s not all I found.” He reached around her and picked up one of the stapled stacks. “Take a look at this.”

  She gingerly accepted the papers and began to scan them. “Dodd sold the mineral rights.”

  “To raise money for the sod, I think. But he didn’t sell the mineral rights. Those belong to you. He sold the right to exploration and drilling. Look here.” He folded back several sheets and pointed.

  “They start drilling in June!”

  “That means they’ve done the survey and they’re pretty sure they’ve got oil and natural gas on Loco Man.” Tina blinked at him. “It’s got to be out there.” He flung out an arm. “It’s two thousand acres of Oklahoma, one of the richest oil and gas fields in the world!”

  “Royalties,” she whispered, clearly stunned. “It’s going to pay royalties.”

  He cupped her face in his hands. “You’re going to have ample income, you and Tyler. You don’t have to worry anymore.”

  “God fixed it,” she whispered.

  “He’s fixed it all,” Wyatt confirmed, grinning broadly.

  “Almost,” she said, her eyes glazing with a faraway look. “All that’s left is Layne and the custody suit.” She crushed the papers to her chest and squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking from their corners.

  Wyatt knew that, even as she silently rejoiced, she’d give every cent of Dodd’s gift, everything that she owned, to keep her son safe with her. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead.

  “God’s got this,” he told her. “God has it all in hand. I know it.”

  She rested her head in the hollow of his shoulder. “I believe. I do. I believe with all my heart.”

  * * *

  Exactly one week later, God put that belief to the test.

  It had been a lovely week, despite a sudden and unexpected tornado warning that had everyone on the place crowding into the cobwebbed cellar out back of the house. Tina had clasped Wyatt’s hand as he’d held a trembling Tyler on his lap and prayed for the storm to dissipate without injury to anyone. After that, Frankie had started playing with the flashlight, eliciting laughter with the funny faces that he’d made. Tyler had gotten in on the act. By the time the thin wail of the tornado siren in town had signaled the all clear, Tipper was happily chasing the flashlight beam and the boys were reluctant to leave the cellar. Now, remembering how they’d frolicked across the yard, making faces at one another, Tina smiled out the open window above the kitchen sink.

  The outside temperatures continued to rise, so they would soon have to close the house for the summer and turn on the new air-conditioning unit. Tina found herself reluctant to do so, but she recalled how hot Oklahoma summers could be. No matter the daytime temperatures, she hoped that she and Wyatt would continue to sit out on the porch in the evenings. Often, they failed even to speak, but just sitting there with him brought her a delightful peace.

  So much had happened since she’d come back. She could hear the boys laughing upstairs. As she washed the breakfast dishes that morning, her thoughts wandered from the coming summer and the boys to the dishwasher Wyatt had ordered and the shutters that Dixon Lyons was building, not only for the dining room but the parlor, as well. Lyons and Son would begin the attic and den remodel on Monday. So much for which to be thankful.

  Closing her eyes, she mentally repeated the same personal prayer she’d been praying the past week.

  Father God, how I thank You for all You’ve done. Give me wisdom, and make Your will clear to me. If W
yatt is Your will for me, help him see my love and teach us how to grow a strong, permanent relationship. If that’s not what You want for us, give me the strength to let go of that dream. To Your glory and in the holy name of Your Son. Amen.

  When she opened her eyes again, she saw, through the window screen, a car turn into the yard. She didn’t have to look twice to know who had arrived. Horrified, she recognized Layne’s flashy red convertible all too well.

  At first, she froze. Ryder and Jake were outside painting the house, however, and the instant Layne got out of the car, Layne addressed them. Pushing back the sides of his trendy sport coat, he splayed his hands across his ribcage just above his waist and looked up at them through the lenses of his expensive sunglasses, his blond hair gleaming in the morning sunlight.

  “This the Loco Man Ranch?”

  “That’s right,” Ryder answered.

  “Is there a woman named Tina Kemp here? She might be using some other name. She’s about this tall.” He held up a hand at about shoulder height. “Short brown hair and brown eyes. There’s a boy with her.”

  Frightened, Tina dimly became aware of two things simultaneously: the boys were playing in Tyler’s room upstairs and the Smith brothers were coming down the ladders. Panicked, even her breathing suddenly hurt. She felt as if her world had just crashed around her.

  Then she heard Jake ask, “Who wants to know?”

  Her gaze sharpening, she watched Layne’s slow, smug smile. “Her husband.”

  Instantly enraged, Tina slung water from her hands and flew to the door. Yanking it open, she pushed through the screen door and stepped out onto the narrow stoop, parking her hands at her waist.

  “My ex-husband,” she stated, loudly and clearly. “What are you doing here, Layne?”

  Not that she had to ask. She knew perfectly well why he’d come. What she didn’t know was what he hoped to accomplish. Taking a deep breath, she sent up a silent prayer.

  I believe. You’ve got Your ways, Lord, and You can fix anything. I believe.

  From the corner of her eye, Tina noticed that Ryder took out his cell phone and turned away, but her own focus targeted Layne like a laser.