Chapter 1
June, Silver Stone ranch
His fishing line stretched taut as the bobber resurfaced then floated gently toward the middle of the lake. Contented as only a man can be with a rod in his hand and an afternoon off from work stretching before him, Dustin Stone laid back on the shore and covered his face with his cowboy hat.
Sunshine had warmed the grass, and the scent of early summer filled his senses. Peacefulness wrapped him up in an embrace, and he reveled in it. Moments like this truly highlighted that he lived in a spot that was heaven on earth.
Didn’t mean he wasn’t also looking for excitement. Hell, he’d only turned twenty-four this past December…
The same age Caleb had been when he’d become responsible for the entire family.
For a moment the warmth of the day cooled a little, and something inside tightened as it always did when Dustin was reminded of his missing mom and dad. He was only eight when they’d died in a car accident, so it wasn’t memories of them that struck.
It was the fact his oldest brother, Caleb, had given up so much to always be there for them.
Dustin would be the first to admit he had a serious case of hero worship. Especially over the past years as Caleb had worked to rally the Stone clan into the tight-knit unit it was today. A successful ranch, a thriving family—
Yeah, Dustin would do anything for Caleb, and that pretty much carried down the line to the rest of his siblings. As the youngest of five, plus a foster sister, he’d gotten parented by all of them. Could have been hell, but it hadn’t been.
It simply was.
They were good people, his family. They’d been through a lot and come out the other side with a variety of skills that made them shine individually and as a group.
Made it difficult to stand out in the crowd, though. Dustin wasn’t one to crave the spotlight, but it would be nice to be the center of attention once in a while.
The wind whooshed over the lake hard enough that the warning bell attached to the tip of his fishing rod shook once. The light peal of sound faded instantly, but he sat up and checked his line anyway.
The bobber floated easily, the bait untouched.
Dustin’s phone pinged with an incoming message. During the workday, only a very short list of people could contact him. The Silver Stone foreman, Tucker Stewart, was a hard ass when it came to concentrating on the task at hand. Didn’t matter that Tucker was also Dustin’s brother-in-law, there would still be hell to pay if Dustin fucked with the rules.
But now that his shift was over, his phone was back on, and that sound was linked to his best friend, Shim. Another ping sounded, and Dustin dragged the phone from his pocket.
Shim: You never told me. Holy crap, seriously?
Shim: In case you need it. Here: [link]
Dustin stared at the message, confused. He hit the link Shim had included, only to end up on one of those scroll-through-the-bullshit clickbait articles. The title alone made him blink.
Ten billionaire cowboy bachelors you need to meet!
His phone pinged, and then pinged again. This time, one was the tone he’d assigned a different friend, as well as a third message from Shim. Dustin ignored them both and kept reading, not sure what the hell kind of joke Shim was playing.
The fourth clicked-through page made the hair on the back of Dustin’s neck stand up.
The article opened with a couple of pictures.
The first showed Dustin with his second-oldest brother, Luke, and Luke’s wife, Kelli, at a horse sale this past February. The two of them stood side by side, laughing. A good-looking couple, dark haired Luke’s arm was looped around Kelli’s waist as he held her to his side. Her brown hair hung in the two braids she usually wore while working, but the joy on her face made her as bright and shiny as a glamorous front-page model.
Dustin stood beside them with his hands shoved into his front pockets as he grinned toward the ground. For the first time, Dustin realized he stood taller than Luke. And maybe it was a trick of the camera angle, but his shoulders looked broader as well.
Huh. When had that happened?
The second image was just him. Dustin remembered the moment it had happened. He’d been walking beside Kelli, who was leading a new purchase they’d made. Some fool set off a firecracker, and the horse had spooked.
Kelli had the reins and shifted to haul the beast to a stop instantly—she was rock solid when it came to controlling even the unruliest animal. But the horse was big enough he’d reared skyward, jerking her petite frame off the ground.
There’d been no time to think, only react. Dustin had caught the animal around the head, corralling him to a standstill even as he spoke softly to gentle him.
Dustin had looked that horse in the eye and told him to mind his manners, and damn if the creature hadn’t listened. He’d shivered for a moment, as if chasing a fly off his withers. Then he’d breathed out a huge sigh and relaxed his head against Dustin’s shoulder.
When it was over, Kelli had kissed Dustin’s cheek. Luke had patted him on the shoulder with an older-brother approval that meant the world to Dustin.
Meanwhile, out in the crowd, someone had used that moment to take a picture of Dustin looking all serious and had now plastered it all over social media.
Dustin rolled his eyes. Stupid what people wanted to waste their time on. His gaze leapt to the words of the article, already wondering how much worse it could get.
Plenty.
Set your sights on this #SilverStoneStud
He might be young, but as part of the newly minted Silver Stone success story, twenty-four-year-old Dustin Stone is one very eligible bachelor. The ranch seems to have found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow after a tragic beginning. This second-generation family operation is gaining ground in a huge way in the horse breeding community. Plus—we’ve heard there’s now oil rights added to the story, and well, there’s only one unmarried Stone who still needs to find his perfect match. You can all see that in the physical area, he’s got what it takes to make anyone sit up and take notice.
Who’s going to be the lucky woman to strike Silver?
Dustin flopped back on the ground, hands flung to the sides as he stared into the sky and groaned. Hell, he was in for such a razzing. His friends and brothers were never going to let him live this down. Cheesiest thing he’d ever read. Strike Silver? God. It wasn’t even a good pun.
And that hashtag? Gross.
His phone rang. Shim, obviously having given up on waiting for a response to his messages, had gone to the method of last resort.
Dustin hit accept and pressed speaker. “What?”
“Oh good. You are still speaking to the little people in your life.” Shim snickered then cleared his throat. “What the hell, Stone?”
“No idea, Choi. I’m busy minding my own business like usual. Hauled cattle this morning, and now I’m sitting here looking for some fish.”
“Well, you should consider looking for a hiding spot. Billionaire? They might as well have painted a red target on your back and shoved you onto a shooting range.”
Dustin snorted. “I’m not a billionaire. Whoever wrote that article has a great imagination. I mean, yes, Silver Stone is doing great. That doesn’t mean I have more in my wallet than most of the hands.”
His friend clicked his tongue. “I know that, and you know that. But the people who read this are going to think differently.”
“They’ll find out the truth damn quick. Couple of questions in the right places, and they’ll know the only thing that article nailed was that I’m single.” Which was okay by him. Eventually, he’d find a life-partner. Too many examples surrounded him of people doing marriage well to not want to dive in at some point.
But now? Hell no.
“Ignoring the article, after asking how you ended up reading such bull, when do you get here?” Dustin asked.
“The article was my mom’s fault. She spotted the nonsense about fifteen minutes ago while researching something. She forwarded it with a note that said ranching obviously paid better than technology, so maybe my past summers spent working with you wouldn’t be a total loss.” Shim snickered along with Dustin, then added the more important details. “I handed in my final project today. I’ll be arriving on Monday if that still works.”
“Of course, it works. I’ll be damn glad to see you again.” This was one area where Dustin knew exactly what was going on. “Congrats on finishing school. You’re back in your same room in the bunkhouse. Shoot me your details, and I’ll come grab you at the airport.”
“No need. I’ve got a truck this time.”
Well damn, more good news. “You bought it?”
“I did. I can’t wait to show her off when I get there.” Shim cleared his throat. “Of course, my fourth-hand Chevy, as pretty as she is, won’t get a second look next to whatever fashionable billionaires are driving this week.”
“Fuck off,” Dustin said lightly.
“Just saying.”
“You’re an ass. That’s what you’re saying?” Dustin considered. “Sure, I agree with you.”
Shim laughed. “Okay, I’ll give you a break. But seriously, the article could be nothing or nothing but trouble. I hope it’s the first.”
“Not much I can do about it. It’s already out there in the world.” The tip of Dustin’s fishing rod dipped, the warning bell dancing merrily as a fish finally found his bait. “Got one. Gotta run.”
“Have fun.”
Dustin dropped the phone and grabbed his rod from the holder. He enjoyed a sweet little battle with a rainbow trout before carefully releasing the fish back into Big Sky Lake.
That’s when he noticed his phone was still making noises where it lay in the grass.
Dustin picked it up and glanced at the screen. “The fuck?”
The alert warned 37 MESSAGES. Even as he stared at the number in shock it went up as another buzz sounded.
What the ever-loving hell?
**
“And that cupboard is where we keep the extra office supplies. After you’ve been here for a few days, if you want to reorganize to make your life easier, feel free.” Tucker Stewart gestured around the room. “I think that’s it in terms of the office tour. Any questions?”
Charity Gruzing linked her fingers together on the back of the office chair in front of her to keep from bouncing with delight. “I’m good for now. If I think of anything, I’ll make a list so I can ask them all at once.”
Tucker grabbed his hat from the rack and replaced the black Stetson on his head. A quiet smile curled his lips as he offered her a wink. “I’m all about efficiency, but if you need to interrupt, go ahead. Don’t worry about saving up the questions to dump them all at once. I’m just delighted to have you take over some of my least favourite tasks.”
“We all have our strengths,” she said politely. She waited until he was no longer visible before closing the sturdy wooden door firmly.
After checking the window that faced into the barn was covered by its privacy curtain, and the window to outside showed an empty green pasture, Charity shot her hands into the air and did a happy dance right there in the middle of the Silver Stone office.
Finally.
She turned eagerly toward the stacks of projects Tucker had laid out for her. With her first day falling on a Friday, she wanted to work fast to familiarize herself with everything so she could dive in full force on Monday.
Her phone rang. She answered it quickly, chatting with her friend Fern Fields even as she organized the first pile of paper according to the dates on the invoices. “Silver Stone ranch. Charity Gruzing speaking. How can I help you?”
A delighted squeal echoed across the line. “Tee! You must be quivering with excitement. First day at the new job. I’m so pumped for you.”
“I’m beyond quivering. Somewhere between vibrating and earthquake, which is going to make it tough when I get on the computer later.”
“Your nerves will settle down soon enough, but I foresee you staying thrilled for quite a while,” Fern said, laughter in her voice. “So?”
Charity paused in the middle of her sorting. “So… What’s the rest of the sentence?”
Fern lowered her voice. “I didn’t want to say anyone’s name in case you’re on speakerphone.”
Oh. That topic. The office seemed pretty soundproof, but just in case, Charity picked up her phone and put it to her ear. “I did not get this job in the hopes of ogling Dustin Stone.”
“But it is a sweet side benefit. Besides, he’s a good guy. You’re my best friend. I like it when people who I like also like each other.”
And that was where this conversation needed to get redirected, PDQ. “We do like each other, Little Miss Busybody. Dustin and I are good friends, and that’s that. Do not try any matchmaking.”
“I would never dream of such a thing.” Fern attempted a tone of astonished dismay. Failed miserably.
“You’re such a lying liar, but I love you anyway.” Charity glanced at the clock on the wall. “In the meantime, I am now gainfully employed at a wonderful new position. Which means I’m going to say goodbye to you until tomorrow so I can focus on impressing my new bosses.”
“Sounds like a plan. You’re going to rock that job,” Fern assured her. “Meet you at seven?”
“You bet.”
Charity dove into the paperwork. Her new position as office manager would utilize skills she’d picked up during the four years since graduating from high school. After two years of college on a scholarship, and follow up on-the-job training, she had the basics down pat—simple accounting, organizing, and calendar management.
Some of the new work was a lot more technical, though. Silver Stone had several online booking systems in place that she needed to go over in more detail to make sure she absolutely knew how they worked.
The idea of screwing up something important was enough to make her focus on her tasks and ignore most of the happy distractions floating through her brain.
It wasn’t only that her new job was at a highly respected place like Silver Stone, although that was a huge part of it. Having a consistent salary above minimum wage was the biggest improvement. Charity was tired of living from paycheck to paycheck.
It’s not always easy to do what’s right, but we do it anyway.
Her grandmother’s voice echoed in Charity’s head. The woman had passed on now, but she had been the biggest influence during Charity’s teenage years. Grandma Lily had raised Charity and her sister Chelsea after their parents had gone from pretending to be the perfect family to everything blowing apart.
One result of the mess meant Charity hadn’t had much financial support past high school. The past four years had been a struggle.
A knock sounded on the office door a second before it swung open. “Tucker, I wanted to talk to you about—” Tamara Coleman jerked to a stop. “Charity. Well, damn. He actually went and did it.”
“Excuse me?” Charity rocketed to her feet when the older woman entered the room. She’d taught Tamara’s daughters ballet lessons in the past. Married to Caleb, the oldest brother and head of Silver Stone, Tamara was one of those people who had a quiet way of seeming to look into your soul with just a glance.
Charity had no desire to tangle with the woman or get on her wrong side.
Tamara strolled all the way into the room and sat, waving Charity back to her chair. “Tucker. Caleb and I have been telling him to hire somebody for ages. He kept saying he would. I assume that’s why you’re here?”
“Just started,” Charity agreed, eager to be helpful. “If you want to know where he is, I can find out pretty quickly.”
“No, that’s okay. It can wait.”
Charity already had the Finder app open on the desktop. She’d spent the past thirty minutes making sure she could work it properly. “He’s with Ashton Stewart and Caleb in arena four.”
A long low whistle escaped Tamara. “Damn. Can I see?”
Charity rolled her chair back slightly and gestured to the computer screen. “It’s handy, but the data tracing also makes my skin crawl.”
Tamara stood behind her, leaning closer to examine the little icons that showed up on the overlaid map of the ranch. “Oh, look. Dustin’s riding his favourite trail again.” She pointed to his icon near the farthest north boundary of the ranch before stepping back and shaking her head. “Yeah, I hear you. I’m equally amazed and horrified by technology. Knowing someone could find me that quickly is kind of creepy.”
“Leave your phone behind.” Charity forgot who she was talking to as the impulse to joke kicked hard. “Tucker said they hadn’t quite got to the point of embedding trackers in everyone who works at Silver Stone. It’s on the schedule for next month.”
Tamara’s head jerked up, her eyes sharp behind her hot-pink framed glasses. A moment later, a grin bloomed. “You know, I’ve always liked you. I think you’ll be a good addition to Silver Stone.”
“I like you, too,” Charity said honestly. “I plan to do a great job.”
With a final glance at the screen and a shake of her head, Tamara returned to the other side of the desk. “I suppose I should ask you this question before getting in Tucker’s way. Do you have access to the work roster for the next few weeks? We all had timing issues with girls’ night out last month. I want to make sure Kelli is free before we nail down a new date.”
“I think I can do that. One minute.” Charity opened another section of the computer. She grabbed the pile of paper on the desk Tucker had indicated was scheduling data to be amalgamated. After flipping through a few pages and peeking at the calendar, she hesitated. “I’m going to have to get back to you. According to one source, Kelli works different times than the other. Either I’m not reading it right, or they have her double-booked.”
“It’s probably the double-booked option,” Tamara said dryly. “If you could find out and let me know on Monday, I’d appreciate it.”
“Sure.”
Tamara dipped her chin. “Welcome to Silver Stone. Thanks for dealing with the chaos. And trust me, I know intimately how wild and woolly the paperwork can get around here.”
“You’re welcome. I’m looking forward to the challenge,” Charity said brightly.
With Tamara gone, the rest of the afternoon passed quickly. Charity made her way through piles of data, filed a million papers, and had another impromptu lesson in Silver Stone bookkeeping when Stone brother number two, Luke, blasted into the office with a sheepish expression and a fistful of unfiled receipts.
With a sense of accomplishment, Charity finished tidying the desk.
She was in the middle of pulling on her coat when the third brother of the Stone family stopped in.
Walker Stone was a lean, muscular cowboy. He was softer spoken than Luke and had spent time on the circuit as a bull rider. Just the thought of the danger he’d faced made Charity queasy.
He spoke as he rounded the corner into the office. “I wanted to ask you a question.”
Probably expected to find Tucker, not her. “I can leave a note for Tucker,” Charity offered. “Or if it’s an emergency, I can get a hold of him right away.”
Walker smiled. “Nope, I was actually talking to you.”
“Oh. Of course. What’s up?” Charity settled her purse strap over her shoulder and waited expectantly.
“I know you’re wrangling things around here now.” Walker twirled a finger in the air as he indicated the office. “Thank God, if I might add.”
She laughed.
“Ivy and I were wondering, does this mean you won’t be teaching ballet anymore?” Walker frowned. “Wait. The summer camps sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club include dance. What’s happening with that now that you’ve started work here?”
“The summer camps are still on,” Charity assured him. “I set my calendar at Silver Stone so the days I teach during the summer can still happen.”
Walker nodded, his expression thoughtful.
“As for the fall, I haven’t set my plans that far out, but I have no intention of giving up the after-school dance lessons. I love teaching them, and I think they’re a good thing for the community.”
Working two jobs meant she would have nearly zero days off over the summer, even after giving up her volunteer position with the fire department.
Her schedule was manageable.
Barely.
Walker eyed her, but his expression brightened. “All three of my kids are interested in dance. I’m glad to hear that it’ll still happen.”
“If things change in the fall, I could give them private lessons.”
Damn it. She really needed to think harder before she spoke. Because if she wasn’t teaching through the community run program, it wouldn’t be financially feasible to do something for just a few kids.
Oh, well. If she ended up donating some hours, but the kids had fun, it would be worth it in the end. Staying on the Stone family good side was a priority.
Walker held out his hand. “Appreciate it.”
Accepting his hand, she shook it firmly. “No problem.”
Locking the office behind her, Charity put her head down and beelined for her car.
A relaxing evening was followed by a late sleep in. Saturday was her usual cleanup of her tiny one-bedroom apartment including catching up on dishes—a once a week marathon event.
The day passed quick enough that it was soon time to get ready to meet Fern. Charity pulled on a jean skirt and a button-down, blue-checked shirt over a pretty yellow tank.
She left her hair natural. Her spiral-like curls hung to the top of her shoulders, a glorious wreath of dark brown, as her grandmother used to say. She felt pretty and was still buzzing inside from the great first day on the job.
Fern stood on the wooden boardwalk outside Rough Cut pub, waving as Charity crossed the street from her apartment.
“Hey, girlfriend.” Fern offered her a high five, then curled her arm with the prosthetic hand around Charity’s elbow. “Ready to trip the light fantastic?”
“Dear Lord. Someday you’re going to say one of these phrases around someone who thinks you’re poking fun at them.”
“If they used to trip the light fantastic, I doubt they’d be that hung up on semantics.” Fern tugged her forward. “Come on. There’s been a huge number of people coming in tonight. Let me reboot that— There’s been a huge number of women coming in tonight. I checked to see if there’s a special all you can drink ladies’ night or something, but nothing. We might end up having to dance with each other.”
“Not the worst punishment,” Charity pointed out. “You don’t have two left feet.”
“True that.” Fern grabbed the door and pulled it open, pressing Charity ahead of her into the dimmer light as country music swelled in volume.
Jostled by the bodies around her, Charity struggled to keep her feet. She’d been at Rough Cut when the place was full, but this was beyond anything she’d seen before.
Shoulder to shoulder with the people around her, she was pushed forward as if caught in a wave. And when the pressure broke momentarily, it spat her forward, hard, into the back of a cowboy.
He teetered, tilted. Charity fought for balance, but another bump against her rear simply sent her harder into the man. Even as she apologized, they were falling to the ground, twisting in midair.
He caught her by the arms, and when they landed, he was under her, his back to the dance floor. She bounced against his torso, air rushing from their lungs as she stared into the face of the man she’d been daydreaming about getting horizontal with. Not this way, but still…
Her cheeks heated to boiling as her focus narrowed to the small space on the dance floor where Dustin Stone lay under her in all his muscular glory.
Return to A Rancher’s Vow
