Free The Rancher's Daughter by Pamela Ladner

without her, but she hadn’t wanted him.  They fought for a while.  The ranch hands all scattered in the other directions.   
                  “Just like that you’re going to throw my ring back in my face.  I should have known you’d break off the engagement.  You’re a piece of work you know that.  It’s just like it was ten years ago.  You never wanted me anyway.  I came back for you.  I came back to help you, to keep you from losing this ranch.”  “Well, I never asked you to come back!” she yelled.  “Fine, I’ll leave then.  I promise you I will never come back.  You will never have to see my face or worry about me taking your precious ranch from you. I’ll go back to West Texas, and I’ll stay the hell away from you.” He stomped off and she watched him go. 
                  She tried to replay it all in her head.  What went wrong?  What she could have done different, she didn’t know.  She only wanted what was best for him.  Why couldn’t he see that?
                  She caught Sam looking at her from his office window and she looked away.  She couldn’t bare it.  He would hate her now.  It didn’t take Heath long to pack.  He threw his bags into the bed of his pickup and got in his truck.  He never even looked at her as he drove past.  She watched him leave, her heart breaking.  What was she doing?  She thought about their fight the first one and the last one.  She ran and saddled up Legend.  She rode out at a gallop, leaving everything behind.  She rode until she came to her favorite place at the creek.  Then she dismounted and let Legend graze.  She leaned against a tree and wept.  She felt as if her heart had just, been ripped out for the second time.  
                  The hours past and still Josey cried.  She lay on the ground against the tree and closed her eyes.  She dreamed of Heath.  She felt like she was dying inside.  Why had she just sent the man she loved away for the second time?  She questioned herself, was she a raving lunatic?  Her dreams revolved around Heath.  She dreamed of being his wife and having his children.  She dreamed of lying in his arms at this very spot, and watching their children play in the creek. 
                  The sky grew dark and Josey didn’t care or notice.  She was in a stupor.  To her being inside her head was better than being in the real world.  In her dreams, she and Heath were happy.  In reality, they were over.  It was her fault.  She hated herself for what she’d done.  She started getting cold and she wrapped her knees in her arms and rocked back and forth.  Still the tears came. 
                  Legend eased over her and dropped his head down to nuzzle her with his nose.  She reached her arms around him and clung for dear life.  He lay down beside her and she cried into his shiny coat.  She had her horse, her ranch, what else did she need, she thought.  She knew, though, she needed Heath.  She had never fully been whole without him.  He was the part of her that she had buried deep inside her for all of ten years.  Now that he’d come back and she’d uncovered that part of her she didn’t know how to put it back.  She couldn’t put it back. 
                  The horse’s warmth seeped into her bones and she stopped shivering.  Soon she fell asleep and when she awoke it was too the sound of Legend answering a call from another horse.  She heard the hoof beats before she saw the light.  She heard her father’s voice call her name and she stood up.  J.W was off his horse faster than he’d moved in years. 
                  He wrapped his daughter in his arms and kissed the top of her head.  “I got worried when you didn’t come in. You had us all worried sick.  Do you realize it’s after midnight?” She shook her head, “I’m sorry.” 
                  J.W with his