Chapter 1
Chapter
One
BLACKSTONE RANCH—HAWTHORNE, TEXAS
C hance Blackstone dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, not bothering to shave this Saturday morning.
He went downstairs, finding Tammy sitting at the table, sipping a cup of coffee.
It was only four-thirty, but she was up, as usual, and would be heading to the bunkhouse soon to cook breakfast for the cowboys on the ranch.
She smiled when she saw him. “Good morning, honey. I know you and West are going fishing this morning, so there’s a thermos of coffee for each of you. I also made you a few sandwiches and placed them and some chips and cookies in the cooler.”
He took a seat at the table. “That’s thoughtful of you, Tammy. I’m sorry that we’ve always seemed to take you for granted. You do little things like this all the time which makes everyone’s life easier.”
Tammy had been his mother’s best friend and had come to stay at the ranch after Chance’s birth to help out for a couple of weeks.
She had done the same thing a year later when his sister Kelby was born.
This time, however, his mother experienced complications from that difficult birth, and she passed two days after bringing her daughter into the world.
Tammy stayed on at the request of Chance’s dad.
Big Jim Blackstone had a ranch to run and had no idea how to care for two little ones.
Tammy was more than willing to help out.
A month became a year, and the years passed by, Tammy remaining with them.
She had been the only mother Kelby and he had known.
She ran the household, cleaning and paying all the bills, while also preparing all meals for their ranch hands.
He looked at her now with new eyes, seeing the gray streaking through the brown of her hair, wondering what kind of life Tammy would have had if she had been able to marry and raise her own family.
“I think I should hire a cook,” he declared. “Someone to take on the meals for the cowboys. You cook for them seven days a week and never get a break.”
An odd look came into Tammy’s eyes, and she said, “I think that’s a good idea, Chance. In fact, now that you’ve brought it up? There’s something I need to discuss with you.”
The pit of his stomach knotted. “What is it?”
“You know how I went to my high school reunion last fall in Waco? I ran into my old boyfriend during that weekend. He’s a widower now. Lost his wife two years ago in a car accident. We’ve been in touch since then. Getting to know one another all over again.”
Tammy hesitated. “I’m just going to spit it out, Chance.
I have loved you and Kelby and every part of my life at this ranch, but it’s time I finally did something for myself.
We’ve been talking on a daily basis. He’s written me the most beautiful letters, and we FaceTime every single night.
I want a life with him, Chance. That means leaving Blackstone Ranch. ”
Her words hit him hard, but Chance said encouragingly, “You’ve sacrificed your entire life for this family, Tammy. You’ve been the person everyone leans on. Confides in. You’ve done more than your fair share of physical labor.”
He smiled gently. “And you’ve been the best mom in the world to Kelby and me.”
Chance leaned over and embraced her tightly, tears stinging his eyes.
“I’m glad this day has finally come,” he told her. “We’ve been selfish, assuming you would always be here. What’s your fellow’s name?”
“Tommy,” Tammy said, her face lighting up with that one word.
“We dated all through high school, and then he joined the military, just like his daddy before him. I didn’t want to sit around and wait for him, worrying if he was coming back to me or not.
I wanted a life of my own and not one living through him.
Fortunately, we parted as friends, but I’ve thought about Tommy many times over the years. ”
She took Chance’s hands in hers. “Do I regret anything? Not a bit,” she said convincingly. “I was lucky enough to go to college. Earn my degree and get a decent job after graduation. Meeting your mom and rooming with her those four years were some of the best parts of my life.”
Tammy grew thoughtful. “Then I was needed here at the ranch. Your mama was like a sister to me, and I wanted to make certain that her children were raised right. Not that Big Jim couldn’t have done a good job on his own, but he was faced with two little babies and a big ranch to run.
He needed help, and I was all too happy to move to Hawthorne and love you two. ”
She reached out a hand and cupped his cheek. “You’re doing a wonderful job with the ranch, Chance. Big Jim would be so proud of all you’ve accomplished. I know those were big shoes to fill, but you’ve done it admirably.”
“I worry that Dad wouldn’t like some of the things I’ve implemented,” Chance admitted.
Her hand fell away. “It’s your ranch now, Chance. Yours and Kelby’s. You have to run it as you see fit. Times change. Big Jim wasn’t always the best when it came to change,” she said diplomatically.
Chance chuckled. “He would probably freak out if he saw all my spreadsheets, but seriously, Tammy, I’m happy for you and Tommy. Are you going to move to Waco? Is that where he is now? Or somewhere else?”
“He is back in Waco. Tommy stayed in the military thirty-five years, moving to bases all over the world. He and his wife never had children, though. After retiring from the military, they settled in Waco, wanting to put down some roots in a familiar place. Tommy has opened a body shop on Valley Mills, the main drag in town. I didn’t know how to approach you about all of this, Chance.
I don’t want to leave you in the lurch.”
“You won’t, Tammy,” he assured her. “Things have run smoothly all these years because of your steady hand. Just show me where everything is and what I need to know. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ve organized all the bills. I can walk you through those. The insurance, too. You will need to hire a cook, though, for the ranch hands. And have someone come in and clean the house once a week for you.”
She smiled wistfully at him. “I was hoping before I left that I could see you happy with a woman, just as Kelby is happy with West now.”
He shrugged, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had now turned.
“You know I’m not dating anyone. The ranch keeps me pretty busy.”
“Don’t let life pass you by,” Tammy advised.
“I don’t want you to wake up and be forty.
Fifty. Even sixty—and still be by yourself.
There’s a girl out there for you, Chance.
I feel it in my bones. The crowd you ran with as a teenager is starting to settle down now.
West and Kelby. Darby and Jace. Even Autumn and Eli.
I know that special someone will come into your life, maybe even sooner than you might expect.
When she does, make time for her, Chance. ”
“When are you going to leave?” he asked, a lump in his throat.
“If you’d like, we can start interviewing cooks right away. I also want to do the same for a housekeeper.”
“No live-in help,” he said quickly. “You’ve been family, but it’s just me at the house now. I like my privacy. I don’t make too much of a mess. Having someone come in once a week will be good enough.”
She rose. “Okay. I’m off to cook breakfast for the boys and make sandwiches for them to carry in their saddlebags for lunch. Don’t forget your sandwiches and coffee.”
“I won’t,” he told her, watching her as she went out the back door.
Chance knew that a different era was now dawning.
With Big Jim gone and now Tammy moving away, he truly was on his own.
Of course, he ran big decisions by Kelby since they were co-owners of Blackstone Ranch.
His sister also handled their marketing and website, but he was in charge of the day-to-day operations with the cattle and horses.
He spent half his day in the field with the cowboys, and the other half was spent in his office, handling the business end of things.
Tammy was the one who had finally insisted that he take weekends off instead of working seven days a week.
She had done that only two weeks ago, and he wondered if that had been in preparation of her leaving the ranch for good.
Chance had no hobbies outside the ranch, other than reading.
He enjoyed biographies and novels set during the Civil War and the years in the Old West after that war.
He never watched TV. Didn’t read any news online.
Never turned on the radio, so he couldn’t tell what songs were popular or who the artists who sang them were.
He despised having an email account, preferring to do business in person with a handshake.
He definitely stayed off the computer once he finished his work.
Chance had no social media accounts. He didn’t care what was popular or what trends occurred.
While the computer was a great tool for creating spreadsheets to keep track of everything from animals bought and sold to the amount of feed purchased, he wasn’t glued to it as others were.
Same with his phone. He had an old phone and only kept it on him so that if he needed to text a hand in the field, he could reach him quickly.
The few times he went into town, he was amazed at how people were glued to their phones, ignoring everything and everybody around them.