Texas Orchids (The Devil's Horn Ranch Series) Read online

  Saint Johns, FL 32259

  Copyright © 2021 by Samantha Christy

  All rights reserved, including the rights to reproduce this book or any portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover designed by Letitia Hasser | RBA Designs

  Cover model photo by WANDER AGUIAR

  Cover model – Kerry Smart

  Contents

  Prologue

  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

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  Maddox

  Ten years ago

  “Maddox,” Dad says behind me for the tenth time.

  I ignore him, mesmerized by the girl riding the horse around the barrels. How does she make it seem so effortless?

  I’m not a complete stranger to horses. Dad brings us to Nana’s ranch every few years when he can manage to get away from his booming production company. But how is it I still haven’t figured out how to saddle a horse, yet this girl, who can’t weigh more than a hundred pounds, is taking charge of a mare ten times her weight?

  “Leave him alone,” Mom says. “Can’t you see he’s busy?”

  I climb onto the bottom fence rail. She flies by me so fast, she loses her hat.

  “Busy doing nothin’,” Dad says.

  Mom chuckles. “Oh, I wouldn’t say he’s doing nothing.”

  I roll my eyes and hop the fence to retrieve the pink cowboy hat that landed in the dirt. I shake it off and walk over to the girl, who is still sitting on her horse, her back to me. I clear my throat.

  She turns and the horse turns with her, as if they’re one. Her eyebrows shoot up. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to stand behind a horse?”

  I back up and circle, giving a wide berth to the horse, eyeing it to make sure it won’t kick me.

  The girl laughs. “You’re not much into them, are you?”

  Her words are laced with a light southern drawl that sends tingles to parts of my anatomy I don’t want to have to deal with, considering my parents are thirty feet away. I concentrate on the pile of horse shit to my left, hoping to stop my rising problem.

  She leans over and holds out her hand.

  I reach out to shake and then stupidly realize she wants her hat. I hand it to her and stuff my hands in my pockets. “Well, I’m from Connecticut, so no. But my grandma owns this ranch.”

  “You’re Vivian’s grandson?”

  “The one and only.”

  Her horse neighs, and she leans down to stroke the side of her head. “It’s okay, Baby Blue, he’s friendly.” She looks at me. “Aren’t you, Connecticut?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  She takes her hat off and waves it. “Thanks.” Then she plops it on her head and knees her horse.

  “My name’s Maddox!” I yell.

  She looks back and smiles. “Your hat’s crooked.”

  I fix it, feeling awkward. I’m used to baseball caps, not cowboy hats, but Nana insists we wear one whenever we’re outside on the ranch. Even my two younger sisters wear them. I run back to the fence and climb over. Five pairs of eyes watch me. My sister, Jordan, breaks away from the pack. “Do you love that cowgirl?”

  I choke. “I don’t even know her, squirt.”

  “That’s Andie Shaw,” Nana announces. “One of the best barrel racers around these parts. Been doing rodeo for quite a few years now. Won her first buckle for roping calves at age ten.”

  Jordan cracks a smile. “Was she doing it at my age, Nana?”

  “You’re seven. She was a might older when she started.” Nana gives me a look. “Now she’s the same age as Maddox. Fifteen.”

  Jordan elbows me. “Are you going to kiss her?”

  “Shut up.”

  “Maddox,” Mom says. “Don’t tell your sister to shut up.”

  “Sorry. Are we going to ride or what?”

  Caitlyn tugs on Mom’s coat. “Mommy, I’m sleepy.”

  Nana scoops her up and takes Jordan’s hand. “You three go ahead. Dave will ride with you. I’ve got these two. I promised Jordan we’d make my famous chocolate cake during Caitlyn’s nap.”

  “Better save me some, squirt.”

  “I promise,” she says as Nana leads them away.

  A ranch hand—Dave, I presume—comes out of the stable riding a horse. Another horse is trailing him. Two others are already saddled, ready to go, and tied to the fence. “Need help mounting?” he asks Mom.

  “I’ve got it,” Dad says. He pulls over a stool and helps her onto it, giving her instructions on how to swing her leg up and over.

  Like me, she’s ridden before, but we’re far from experts. Truth be told, we’re barely even novices. Dad grew up around here, back when it was a small ranch with only a dozen horses. Now they must have a hundred.

  Mom slips and falls back into Dad’s arms. They laugh and then kiss.

  “Gross,” I say.

  Mom turns. “You’re lucky to have parents who are madly in love.” She kisses him again.

  “Jeez, get a room.”

  “Not a bad idea,” Dad says. “Maybe we will later.”

  I try not to gag. “Did anyone ever tell you there’s such a thing as too much information?”

  He chuckles and sets Mom down. “Okay, let’s try again, darlin’.”

  Once we’re ready to go, Dave leads the way. We go past the arena where Andie is still running her horse around the barrels. She stops, glances over as we pass, and does something with her hat.

  Dave falls back even with me. “A lady like that tips her hat to you, you tip back.”

  “What?”

  “She tipped her hat to you. That’s a compliment. Some might even say an invitation into her—”

  “Whoa there, Dave,” Mom says. “He’s only fifteen.”

  Dad and Dave share a laugh, then Dave shows me how to properly tip my hat.

  Thirty minutes later we’re on the top of a ridge. Dave points west. “That’s the new land Vivian bought last year.”

  “How many acres?” Dad asks.

  “ ’bout three thousand.”

  “Three thousand acres?” I’m stunned.

  “Your grandma has big dreams.”

  “You think she’ll try and flatten the ridge?” Mom asks. “Make it more accessible from down there?”

  Dave sha
kes his head. “Never. These two ridges are what gave the ranch its name. If you haven’t seen it from the air, you should. My buddy over in Ft. Worth owns a helicopter. Maybe I can get him to take you up.”

  Mom stares out in awe. “These ridges are the Devil’s Horns?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Can we go up and see, Dad? That’d be so cool.”

  He cocks his head. “You just want to ride in a helicopter, don’t you?”

  “It would still be cool. You know, to see how the ranch got its name and all.”

  “We’re leaving tonight,” Dad says. “It’ll have to wait until our next visit.”

  Mom says, “We’d better head back. I want to spend some time with Vivian before we leave.”

  The whole way, I wonder if Andie will still be there. She called her horse Baby Blue, but she’s the one with the incredible blue eyes. Is that why she gave her horse that name? If my balls weren’t killing me from the ride, I’d be hard just thinking about her.

  When we get back, I don’t see her anywhere, but when we approach the stables, I see the familiar pink cowboy hat. She’s brushing her horse. She looks over, and I tip my hat the way Dave showed me. She smiles and looks away.

  My horse unexpectedly makes an awful noise and rears up on his hind legs. I struggle to stay on but lose my grip and fall backward. Mom screams as I fall to the ground, pain slicing through my head as things go black.

  “Maddox! Maddox, wake up!”

  Everyone is staring at me. I reach up and touch my head, then I look at my blood-covered fingers. Dad takes off his jacket and holds it to my head. Andie is standing by the fence, crying. I try to sit up. She doesn’t even know me. Why is she sad that I fell?

  “Don’t sit up. You could have a head injury.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You blacked out for a minute. The paramedics are coming to check you out.”

  I look at Andie, feeling like a wimp. “I’m not getting in an ambulance. Take me to the hospital if you want, but I don’t need to be put on a gurney. Please, Dad.”

  He helps me sit. “Fine, but I’m taking you right now.”

  Several ranch workers run over, but it’s not me they’re looking at. The horse I was riding lies on the ground, his rear leg a mangled mess. “Holy crap, what happened?”

  Dad points to a dead snake a few feet away. “Your horse got spooked by a rattlesnake. He bucked you off and snapped his leg pretty badly.”

  One of the ranch hands gives Dave a large gun. He points it at the horse.

  “He’s not going to kill him, is he?”

  “This isn’t the type of injury horses recover from, son.”

  I glance at Andie. She’s not crying because of me, it’s the horse. Right before Dave pulls the trigger, she screams.

  The ambulance shows up. They check me out and recommend I go to the ER for observation since I lost consciousness, not to mention I need stitches. Dad thanks them and pulls Nana’s truck around to take me himself, like he promised.

  I want to comfort Andie, but she doesn’t know me from Adam. Nana has her wrapped in her arms as she sobs. As we drive away, I know I’ll never forget the girl with the blue eyes and her devastating scream.

  We leave the property, driving under the massive wrought iron archway that reads Devil’s Horn Ranch. When we stop and wait for a car to pass, I keep the sign in focus, trying to ignore the ache in my head and the one in my heart. I wonder if coming here will ever be the same.

  Chapter One

  Maddox

  Present day

  I give the bar top one last wipe with my rag and flip off the lights. Kevin sticks his head in the doorway between the restaurant and the bar. “Some of us are going across the street for drinks. Want to come?”

  “Nah. Long shift. I want to go home and watch the rest of the game. It’s gone into extra innings.”

  “The Nighthawks?”

  “You know it.”

  “One of these days you’ll quit being a stick-in-the-mud and tag along, right?” Some of the waiters join him.

  I laugh. “One of these days.”

  After they leave, I lock up and look at the marquee that reads Mitchell’s NYC. This place is one of three started by Mom’s parents and is run by Aunt Skylar. I’ve worked here for almost three years as Bar Manager. That is my official title. Sometimes I wonder if it’s all I’ll ever amount to.

  During the walk home on the busy streets of New York City, I people watch, wondering how so many others seem to have found their path in life, their calling, their chosen careers so much sooner than I have. At twenty-five, I’m not getting any younger, and I’m pretty sure I don’t want to be a fifty-year-old barback.

  Reece, my best friend and former roommate, thinks I only feel this way because she got her big break and is following her dream. Dream may be an understatement. In the past year, she has gone on two tours, won a Grammy, and married her long-lost love. She went from an unknown to Reece Mancini, the famous up-and-coming artist who gets recognized wherever she goes. And to think only eleven months ago, she was waiting tables in the room next to the bar.

  Maybe she’s right. I feel like there’s so much more for me out there. I just need to find it.

  At home, I get a beer from the fridge and turn on the game in time to see Brady Taylor strike out three guys in a row, delivering another win to the Nighthawks. Maybe I should have played more baseball.

  Dad pushed me to play soccer, and I did. Even played in college for a few years while I majored in business entertainment to placate my father, who owns two movie production studios. After working a few positions in his company, I knew it wasn’t for me. Neither was working for Uncle Griffin’s photography studio or the gym Dad owns with his two brothers-in-law.

  My phone rings, and Reece’s face pops up on the screen. I answer. “Hey.”

  “Did you see the end of the game?”

  “Aren’t you in L.A. shooting a music video or something?”

  “It’s a commercial. The Diet Pepsi one, remember?”

  I sink back into the couch, amazed at how in-demand she has become in the past few months. “How’d you know I’d be home?”

  “You’re always home, Mad. Or at the restaurant. I wish you’d expand your horizons.”

  “You mean date.”

  “Or something.”

  “What’s or something?”

  “I don’t know, try something new. Anything. You seem sad.”

  “I’m not sad. Bored maybe, but not sad.”

  “Maybe Garrett can get you a job at Indica Records.”

  “I don’t know shit about music, Reece. I’m not going to empty trashcans, which is about all I’d be good for.”

  She sighs. “You’re good for a lot more than that, Maddox McBride. You just haven’t had the chance to find out what yet.”

  “When are you getting back to New York?”

  “End of the week. How about we go on a road trip this weekend up to Vermont, like before? Just you and me.”

  “You don’t think your husband would mind?”

  “Garrett? No. He trusts me.” She laughs. “It seems silly to say and believe it after everything we went through, but it’s true. Say the word, and I’ll have someone set it up.”

  “God, Reece, listen to you. You’ll have someone set it up? You’ve come so damn far. Do you know how proud I am of you?” My phone alerts me to an incoming call. It’s Dad. Why is he calling after midnight? “Reece, my Dad’s calling. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Night, Mad.”

  I switch over. “Dad, what’s up?”

  He sighs, so I know it isn’t good.

  “It’s Nana.” I can hear the thickness in his throat, and my spine stiffens against hearing what comes next. “She’s… she’s gone, partner.”

  Partner. He hasn’t called me that since I was twelve, but I get why he does. Nana and I were close, especially when I was younger. I didn’t meet her until I was seven, but sh
e made up for lost time by becoming not only Nana but a friend. Early on I spent weeks at her house, which was a small horse ranch back then. My gut twists, thinking how I haven’t been down to Texas since I was fifteen.

  I trace the scar on my temple that goes back into the hairline—a nasty souvenir of the last day I was on Devil’s Horn Ranch. The images of the horse’s mangled leg, of him getting shot in the head, and the bloodcurdling screams from the girl—

  After that, Nana always came here to visit. Suddenly I’m mourning the years of vacations we didn’t have down in Texas.

  “She’s dead?” I say with a lump in my throat. “How?”

  “She fell.” There’s a long silence as he gathers himself. “I was always telling her she should take the bedroom downstairs. At seventy-five she was getting too old to go up and down so many times each day. But you know Nana.”

  “Yeah. She’s stubborn. Uh… was.” I wipe a tear before it drips off my chin.

  “I’d like the five of us to fly down tomorrow to plan her funeral. You’ll come, won’t you?”

  “Sure. Whatever you need. I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m sorry too, son. We’ll fly out at three. Can you meet us at the airstrip?”

  “Of course. How are Jordan and Caitlyn taking it?”

  “They’re sad, but they weren’t as close to her as you and I were.”

  “Right.”

  He sniffs. “See you at three?”

  “Yes.”

  The line goes dead. I throw my phone on the couch and lie back. “Shit!” I scream at the ceiling.

  I can’t believe she’s gone. It’s bad enough we lost Grandpa twelve years ago. Technically he wasn’t my grandpa. Tanner was Nana’s second husband. I never met Dad’s real father; he died when I was four, so it was only natural I called Tanner that. She’s been running the ranch alone ever since. Well, she and her staff. What will happen to it now?

  I go into my bedroom and riffle through the closet until I find what I’m looking for. Then I fall asleep, staring at the picture of me when I was seven, sitting on a horse for the first time, with Nana looking up at me proudly.