Free Do You Take This Enemy? by Sara Orwig

marriages.” Josh climbed into his truck and looked at her through the open window.
    â€œI’d offer to come over here and help your dad, but I’m spread so thin, I can just barely keep my place going.”
    â€œDon’t worry,” she said, touched by his concern. “We each have our problems to work out. Even my uncles can’t do anything to help because of their own problems. And dad isn’t able to help them.”
    â€œYeah, we’ve all got problems. Well, if you decide to marry Gabe, I don’t envy you or Gabe when it comes to telling your relatives. That’ll stir up the next three counties like nothing has in this century.”
    â€œI can’t worry about my relatives. It’s Dad that I’m concerned for.”
    â€œI’ll bring your truck home in a little while.”
    â€œThanks, Josh. Thanks for bringing Dad home. And I better get back to him now.”
    She turned to hurry inside, checking on Quinn and then going to call Gabe on the kitchen phone and cancel their date that night. She didn’t want to leave her father alone. Ashley went in to sit with him and found him asleep. As she watched the slow rise and fall of his chest, she mulled over the future and knew what she had to do.
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    All day at the Triple R, Gabe was kept busy by problems caused by the storm—a downed fence, a truck mired in mud, a windmill broken by wind gusts. When he got in, as soon as he had greeted Julian, Gabe listened to the message from Ashley and wondered if her father’s collapse would push her closer to accepting his offer.
    He picked up the phone to call her, changing their dinner date to the following night. When he hung up the receiver, he gazed into space, recalling their kiss that had started his pulse racing. Sparks flew when he was with her, and her kiss had been magic, heating him like wildfire.
    Even if she turned down his proposal, he wanted to date her. Ashley Ryder was sexy and appealing even when she was seven months pregnant. A sperm-bank baby. He admired her for setting the course for her own life. It tookcourage to decide to have a baby by herself. Ashley looked like she could be good for Julian.
    Gabe closed his eyes and thought about her kisses again. Finally, he got up, knowing he’d better get Ashley out of his thoughts if he wanted to get any sleep tonight. He shook his head, amused at himself. For three years he hadn’t been able to sleep because of grief and memories that hurt. Now Ashley was taking him out of his grief, but now he couldn’t sleep because he was so stirred up over her.
    It wasn’t until Julian was tucked into bed and asleep that night that Gabe’s thoughts turned back to Ashley. Ashley had told him that Josh had brought Quinn home today.
    For a few minutes Gabe thought about Josh. He had as many problems as the Ryders. Josh’s old man had died a year ago, but not before gambling and drinking away every cent the Kelloggs had, running the ranch into the red, going through six wives. Now Josh was trying to save the Kellogg ranch. Gabe had offered to loan him money or help however he could, but Josh was determined to do it on his own. On his own, and with his bank’s cooperation. It amazed Gabe how Josh had stayed friends with all his father’s ex-wives. Josh didn’t date, was as solitary as an owl, but he was good friends with each one of his stepmothers.
    He, Josh and Wyatt Sawyer had been best friends since they were little kids in school in Stallion Pass. Wyatt had gotten himself into trouble with a local girl and had disappeared. Not even Josh or Gabe knew where he had gone. Wyatt’s old man was still alive, making money like crazy, one of the most successful cattlemen around, but he was meaner than a snake, and Gabe hated him for all the terrible things he had done to Wyatt. Wyatt may have been wild and always getting in trouble, but a lot of that was because of his old man.
    Gabe