Rocky Mountain Angel by Vivian Arend

it, even in just a few days.
    Gabe still had his arm around her, and he reluctantly released her to dig in his pocket. “Fine. Stop whining like a little girl and get out of here. Only no using purple fuel in her.”
    Jesse snorted. “Did you hear? Cousin Anna caught Steve with a tankful.”
    “Oh sheesh. Really? Buttbrain.”
    “Yeah, she wrote him up too.”
    “She ticketed her own brother? God, I love that woman.”
    Allison laughed with them. Seems there was always someone trying to get away with using the cheaper ranch-supply gas. And someone was always getting caught. Purple dye was hard to explain away.
    Gabe tossed over his keys. Jesse snatched them in midair and retreated, flicking a finger to his hat at Allison. “I’ll see you guys on Friday at Traders?”
    Gabe nodded. “We’ll be there.”
    Jesse rode off in a cloud of dust as Allison and Gabe gathered their things and got back in the saddle.
    “Ready for more exploring?” he asked.
    She nodded and kicked Patches lightly, urging the horse up and back into the wide-open spaces of the fields. The scenery around them bursting with energy, the man riding beside her comfortable and everything at peace. A brief moment of respite in the middle of the whirl of life.
    Allison soaked in the sensation as a buffer against the tough moments she knew had to be coming.
    She nudged Patches alongside Hurricane, and Gabe looked up expectantly. “Okay, let’s talk about long-term plans for your ranch.”
    He grinned, and the rest of the morning fell away in easy companionship.

Chapter Eight
    Gabe pulled up to his parents’ house and hopped out of his truck. Thursday morning had vanished before he knew it, and he still wanted to track down his father before the day was over.
    Damn man seemed to be hiding, which normally wouldn’t be an issue. Keeping lots of distance between the two of them was usually a good thing. But now that he needed to talk, Ben was nowhere to be found.
    Gabe shoved open the front door, calling as he burst in. “Ma, you seen Ben this afternoon?”
    No answer from his ma. The kitchen smelt wonderful as usual, and the oven was hot, crowded with pots for dinner. But there was no sign of either parent.
    He stepped out the door off the kitchen and spotted a batch of bright colour over in the garden. His boots left imprints in the soft new grass as he shortcut across to where his ma was working a hoe.
    She smiled at him as she leaned on the tall wooden handle. An oversized set of gloves on her hands and a huge pair of rubber boots on her feet, she looked like any of a hundred other ranch women out planting their gardens. It was such a familiar sight.
    He had to make sure they didn’t lose the land. No matter how much work it was. This was home.
    “You seen Ben lately?”
    She pushed a loose hair out from in front of her eyes, frowning for a minute. “I guess I did. He came out of the house about fifteen minutes ago and headed that way.”
    She pointed toward the back of the barns, and he waved and took off. He had no more time to waste. Practicing on the donkey—those days were done. Now that he’d had a chance to brainstorm with Allison, there were things they needed to start doing right now. Getting Ben on board was the only way to keep the momentum going.
    After Allison’s inspiration? He was ready to take on anyone. There was no way that Ben could dismiss these ideas.
    Five minutes later he discovered Ben standing on the edge of the dugout beyond the barn.
    He forced the words past his suddenly dry throat. “Got some interesting information for you.”
    Ben turned, his brows furrowed together. “What you doing here?”
    “Wanted to talk. You got a few minutes?”
    His father grunted.
    “I took Allison out for a ride the other day, to show her the land.”
    Ben scowled harder. “You really marrying that woman?”
    “We’re engaged.”
    “You knock her up?”
    Not only was his father an ass, he had yet to catch up with the