Jane's Long March Home by Susan Lute Read Free Book Online Page B

doing more than offering an approval she neither wanted, nor needed, she repositioned her hands to give the boy’s leg more stability.
    *
    Chase was more than ready to transport his recalcitrant group back to the ranch. It was past one in the morning, and he was tired and not in a good mood.
    An x-ray of Pete’s leg had uncovered a hairline fracture, making a short cast necessary. Five hours after their arrival, the antiseptic smell of the emergency department was too much, as was the brooding silence that greeted his attempts to illicit any useful information from his uninvited guests.
    His head hurt at finding himself responsible for a soldier's mental and physical well being. And now, these kids, too? That last was easily solved when he turned Bobby and Pete over to child services. His friend, Beth would know what to do with them.
    He’d come to Oregon seeking refuge. Along the way, he’d hoped to find his own truth, whatever that might be. Deciding to take Jane on was one thing. Thinking about adding two runaway kids to the mix was another.
     Still, he was considering it.
    Chase massaged the back of his neck. He’d have to decide what to do about the boys after getting whatever sleep could be wrestled from the rest of the night.
    He caught sight of the Marine pacing outside the glass doors on his way to pay the bill. The poor woman hadn’t stepped one foot into the hospital since their arrival. Unfortunately, the fact that she was now his client, and person-non-grata because of it, didn’t stop the attraction sneaking up on him, or keep him from wondering who she was under all that spit and polish.  
    She wouldn’t appreciate his dubious interest. And after her emotional tumble during their game of hopscotch, he shouldn’t be thinking it, but there it was.
    Put a cork in it, Russell. He sighed heavily. Easier said than done. 
    “Sign here, please.” The young woman on the other side of the spotless counter handed him back his credit card, along with a receipt to sign. Disturbed by how his life was getting cluttered up, he signed where she indicated, unable to tear his mind loose from the enigma that was Gunnery Sergeant Jane Donovan.
    In the barn, she’d done what had to be done. But she'd kept her distance from the boys. Then, when she'd finally joined the game, checking Pete’s legs for any breaks, there had been that fleeting spark of empathy in her soft blue eyes.
    Something about these kids got to her, and he had a gut feeling, with her background, it was going to be important to find out what it was. What he couldn’t do was let arrogance trip him up like it had with Nate. 
    Going over in his mind how he could take advantage of their sudden appearance to help Jane, he retraced his steps to the tiny cubical of a room where he’d left the boys. An older woman emerged from the holding room next to Pete’s. Her hand was bandaged. She was old enough to be his grandma.
    “Are you the fella from Seattle who bought the old Anderson place?” Her tone couldn’t have been more hostile.
    “Yes ma’am, I am.”
    Her gray eyes narrowed. “I’m Maxine Connor. Your neighbor. What are you planning to do with the place?”
    So this was Gus’ unmanageable Maxine.
    Chase shrugged. He wasn’t in the mood to explore future plans. Especially since he didn’t really have any, except to clear the place of the boarders he'd unexpectedly acquired. After that, he'd go back to work making the ranch livable, maybe board horses and a cow or two.
    “You’re a city boy. Do you know how to run a working ranch?”
    A picture of Jane repairing fences at his side flashed through his mind. “I’m sure I can learn.”
    “I’ll buy it from you as is. Give you a fair price.”  
    “I’m not interested in selling.” That much he knew for certain.
    Maxine scowled at him. “It can get mighty cold here in the winter.”
    And lonely.  
    Chase frowned. He was plenty comfortable with his own company. “That won’t be a