A Cowgirl's Secret (18 page)

Determined to see her mission through to a satisfying conclusion, Daisy wrangled from Dallas the route Luke would be taking, as well as his final destination. Next, she packed small bags for herself and her son. She kissed her mom, explaining exactly where she was going and what she planned to do. If there was anything she'd learned from her fight with Luke, it was always to be open with the people you love. Last stop was Kolt's
school where she explained to his teacher that they were taking an educational field trip to see his father working. Armed with Kolt and enough schoolwork to keep him busy for over a week, Daisy was finally ready to go.

Would Luke be ready to accept her latest apology?

 

W
RESTLING WITH A
biting champion breeding mare in sub-zero wind cold enough to freeze spit, Luke figured he might've been better off staying home. On the flip side, his current company was a damned sight more logical than Daisy, whose tantrum still chapped his hide.

What had she been thinking, breaking up with him yet again? They worked together. Sure, they bickered, but half the fun of that was in making up.

His cell rang—not that he heard it over the howling wind, but he felt the vibration in his back pocket. Seeing the caller was his mom, he considered not answering but then decided to pick up. “Hey, Mom. I'm busy.”

“So am I,” she said. “But listen, I ran into Cami Vettle—the elementary school secretary—and honey, I don't know how to say this in a way that won't sting, but Daisy checked Kolt out of school for an indefinite amount of time and even gathered enough of his books and homework to last the rest of the year.”

The tuna sandwich Luke had eaten for lunch threatened to come up. “You sure?”

“Marty down at the gas station said Daisy not only filled her tank, but bought an atlas. Now, I ask you, why would a woman with her means do that unless she was planning a trip?”

“I don't know,” he snapped. Where the hell was Daisy
going with his son? Should he call Dallas? Alert him his sister was on the run again?

“Don't get angry with me,” Peggy barked right back. “I'm just confirming what I knew all along. Daisy Buckhorn is no good.”

Disconnecting his mother, Luke returned the mare to her stall. In this weather, she was too agitated to listen and he was too keyed up to speak.

His camper rocked in the wind as if he'd parked in the middle of a lake. Still, he put in a call to Dallas. When it went straight to voice mail, Luke truly started to panic.

 

“M
OM
,” K
OLT SAID, MUNCHING
a sweet-smelling apple, “I'm pretty sure you just made a wrong turn.”

Daisy argued, “But the GPS lady said this is the way.”

Her oh-so-wise child sighed. “I'm telling you, she's wrong. We've learned all about maps in school and I think we should turn.”

“Okay,” Daisy said, “but it's cold and windy and we haven't seen any sign of civilization for an hour. If we have to spend the night out here, I'm eating all of your pretzels.”

He laughed. “I know I'm right.”

“You excited to see your dad?”

Nodding, he said, “I'm real glad you guys are getting married. It'll be fun having him live with us all the time. Plus, I've been meaning to tell you, I want an extra-big wedding cake.”

Worrying her lower lip, she said, “Slow down, sweetie.
We don't know for sure yet if Luke even wants to marry me. Last time I saw him, I made him pretty mad.”

Kolt said, “Don't worry, Mom. I know Dad loves you.”

“How?”

“Because every time he talks about you, he gets a funny look on his face. Kind of the same way Jonah does when he's around Nancy Meir. I think she's gross, but Jonah's all the time talking about her shiny hair.”

“That's a very bad sign,” Daisy said, afraid to hope her son's assessment of Luke might be right. After two days on the road, more than anything she wanted Luke to give her one more chance. She knew she didn't deserve it, but she figured it never hurt to pray.

 

H
AND TO HIS FOREHEAD
, shielding his eyes from the worst of the dust the wind had kicked up, Luke eyed the car approaching the Triple C's barn.

No way…

Sure enough, Daisy's prissy gold Mercedes—dirty as ever, bucked over the potholed dirt lane. Seated in the front seat alongside her was Kolt.

Tears stung Luke's eyes, but he didn't even bother sweeping them away. His mom hadn't just been wrong, but acting downright senile. Daisy hadn't been running from him, but to him.

Chest swelling with hope that she'd tracked him down for a happy reason, he damn near stopped breathing when he noticed her expression as she left the car wasn't all smiles.

“Dad!” Kolt bolted from his seat, barreling himself against Luke for a man-size hug. “I missed you.”

Kissing the top of his son's head, Luke said, “I missed you, too, bud.”

“Did you miss Mom?” Kolt asked.

Luke didn't have a quick answer. Yes, he'd missed her so bad he hadn't even wanted to eat. But his logical side kept reminding him that he'd survived ten years without Daisy. Surely he could go a few more.

“It's all right if you didn't,” Daisy said. She wore faded jeans, sneakers and a ratty University of Oklahoma sweatshirt Luke recognized as belonging to Dallas. In her hands she carried a legal folder she struggled to keep steady in the wind. “That said, in the event you did miss me—want to see me again—I took the liberty of drawing up this.”

“What is it?” Luke asked. Had she written the legal papers he'd wanted? It seemed a bit silly now. A piece of paper proving trust. When his mom had told him Daisy had left Weed Gulch, Luke's first instinct had been to panic, but a quiet voice of reason reminded him to stay strong. Daisy had grown, so had he. She wouldn't hurt him again.

“I want you legally to have equal custody of our son. As his father, you could easily enough obtain it on your own, but I wanted it to come from me. This, too.” She handed over a small pouch, containing a folded document.

“First, come inside,” he said, putting his arm around both of them, guiding them to his trailer.

“This is cool!” Kolt said, bouncing on the bed. “Can I come horse-whisper with you?”

“Sure,” Luke said, all the while never dropping Daisy's gaze.

“Now that we're out of the weather,” she said with a shiver, “have a look. I—I think you'll like it.”

A quick scan of the document inside showed it to be his son's birth certificate. Daisy Buckhorn was listed as Kolt's mother and Luke Montgomery as his father. Luke's throat ached from holding back tears. “All this time? But I thought you'd listed his father as unknown.”

“You
thought
it,” she said. “During one of our hundred arguments I was going to tell you, but got interrupted. I'm done hiding things from you, Luke. You'll never know how sorry I am for hurting you. You have to understand that no matter what, I want to make decisions that affect both of our lives as a team. If your offer's still good, I don't want to be Daisy Buckhorn anymore, but Daisy Montgomery.”

“Am I gonna be Kolt Montgomery?” their son asked.

“Yes,” Daisy said, “no matter what. I've already filed the paperwork.”

“I love you,” Luke said, too relieved for words. Not about the custody agreement. He knew he didn't really need it. He was relieved that he and Daisy and Kolt were finally going to be a family. “Your ring's at my cabin, but once you get it back on your finger, I'd better not ever see it off.”

“Yes, sir.” She sealed her promise with a kiss.

“Why don't I get a ring?” Kolt asked.

“Because you're getting a custom-built tree fort,” Luke said. “I already had a friend of mine draw up plans, and just as soon as your mom's carpenters finish her jobs, I'm putting them to work on ours.”

“I love you, Dad.” Kolt squeezed Luke in a hug.

His throat tight with emotion, Luke said, “I love you both.”

“Hey,” Kolt pushed free. “There's only one of me.”

Daisy and Luke laughed.

“I was talking about your mom,” Luke noted, “but if you want to leave her out of our fort, I suppose we can have a special vote.”

“Nah.” Kolt gave his mom a hug, too. “I love her, too, but Jonah says if you get married, Mom's gonna have a baby and if she smells as bad as Mabel and Robin when they poop, then I don't want her coming anywhere near our fort.”

“Agreed,” Luke said. “But what if your mom has a boy baby?”

Kolt took a moment to ponder this. “I s'pose then it would be okay. Boy babies don't smell as bad, do they?”

Cupping her belly, Daisy's eyes sparkled. “There's only one way to find out.”