Having the Rancher's Baby (11 page)

For a moment, Josh appeared as if he might object. He wisely refrained.

Wisely because, for the first time in the brothers' relationship, Cole supported Gabe over Josh, and that probably wouldn't go down well.

Settling their tab, Cole, Josh and Gabe agreed to meet up at the ranch. Gabe all but insisted that Cole ride with him. And while Cole complied, he was somewhat puzzled.

“What have you got going on today?” Gabe asked, buckling his seat belt.

“Measuring the livestock pond. Then, inspecting the hay. Joey mentioned some of the bales were moldy.” When he was through, he'd come home and clean up before Vi and her parents arrived for dinner.

“How's the pond level holding?”

“Good.”

“Huh. Borax.” Gabe gave a shrug. “Who'd have guessed?”

“Not me.”

“Dad had a lot of old-timer tricks he used. That wasn't one of them.”

Cole stared out the passenger window, his mind elsewhere. Josh volunteering both their salaries to pay Quinn had annoyed him. Yeah, Quinn needed a break, and Cole would do his part to help him. That was no reason for Josh to give Cole's money away. Money that, quite frankly, they didn't have yet.

Exhaling slowly, he mentally pulled himself together. This wasn't worth getting worked up over. Quinn might not want to come to Mustang Valley. He had a life and family in California he probably didn't want to leave.

“There's something I want to ask you,” Gabe said, a funny quality to his voice.

This must be the reason for the ride back together. “What's up?”

Gabe hemmed and hawed for several long seconds. Cole found it amusing and interesting, as his half brother was seldom at a loss for words.

“Must be serious,” Cole prompted.

“I've been trying to approach you for the past week, but I couldn't figure out how. Reese is giving me a hard time, accusing me of stalling.”

Now he was really curious. “Just spit it out.”

Gabe muttered to himself, then said, “Will you be my best man at the wedding?”

Whoa! Not what Cole had been expecting.

“You don't have to say yes.”

“No.” Cole shook his head.

“You're turning me down?” Gabe appeared genuinely disappointed.

“I'm not.”

“Good.”

“I'm just surprised. Why me and not Josh?” He was the one who'd always gotten along better with Gabe.

“That's the thing.” His half brother relaxed, a slow smile forming. “I like you better than Josh.”

“What?”

“I'm kidding.” Gabe grew serious. “I thought long and hard about this. I suppose, in a lot of ways, asking Josh to be my best man makes more sense. But it's important to me that you know how much I consider you part of the family. Josh already does, and not because his girlfriend is like a sister to me.”

Cole had had no idea Gabe felt like that. None. They were usually at odds, getting into frequent arguments.

“If you still want to leave,” Gabe said, “I'm hoping you'll wait until after the wedding, or at least come back for it.”

Cole hesitated before responding, Gabe's request affecting him more than he was willing to admit. If he said yes, he'd be making a commitment. Not only to stand up for Gabe. He'd be saying that he, too, considered himself part of the family.

“It would make Reese happy,” Gabe added. “And me.”

Cole wondered how Vi would want him to answer. He was pretty sure he knew. “I'd be honored to serve as your best man.”

“That's great.” Gabe laughed as if relieved of a great weight. “I'm going to ask Josh to be one of my groomsmen.”

“He'll be glad.”

“He's not the only one.”

No, he wasn't.

Cole let the good feeling wash over him. It had been quite a day. Full of emotional highs and lows. And there were bound to be more at dinner tonight.

When they reached the ranch, Gabe surprised Cole again. “How 'bout I ride out to the pond with you? If you're in the mood for some company.”

“Sure.”

They retrieved their horses from the stables and saddled up, tying the animals side by side at the hitching rail outside the tack room.

Gabe gave Hotshot an admiring glance. “He's a fine-looking horse. You've done a quite a job with him. I'm impressed.”

“He made it easy.” Cole gave the gelding a solid pat on the rump.

“Did you train your other roping horses? The ones you sold last fall?”

“For the most part. They'd been started. I did the finishing.”

“You ever train a horse for someone else?”

Cole tightened Hotshot's cinch, slipping two fingers beneath the strap to ensure it fit snugly but didn't pinch. “I've helped a few friends now and then.”

He recalled Vi's comment last night about him training horses for a living.

“Why not give it a try?” Gabe grabbed hold of his reins, put his boot in the stirrup and mounted the pretty little palomino mare. “You could probably make some decent money on the side. If you're interested.”

“When would I have the time?” Cole also mounted. Hotshot happily followed the mare down the stable aisle, completely enamored with her.

“You combined training Hotshot with working.”

He had, but it had also taken him five months to bring the gelding this far along. Plus he was covering for Vi and would be for months. “Paying clients tend to be in a hurry.”

They walked their horses out into the open and headed toward the gate leading to the pastures. Leroy and Joey waved to them from the hay sheds, where they were searching for moldy bales.

Cole should have dropped the subject, but couldn't bring himself to do it. He asked Gabe the same question he'd raised with Vi.

“Do you suppose there's a market in Mustang Valley for a horse trainer?”

“There is, but I can't say precisely how big. You've met the Powells? They're the ones who founded the mustang sanctuary, before Cara took it over.”

“A few times.”

“Ethan, the younger of the two brothers, is a horse trainer. He works exclusively with their clients at the riding stable.”

“I wouldn't want to compete with a friend of Cara's.”

“You wouldn't be if you trained mustangs for the folks adopting them. Talk to Cara about it.”

“We'll see.” Cole wasn't ready to commit.

“You ever heard of Drew Bankston?”

“Who hasn't?”

The former National champion was a well-known roping instructor. He traveled the entire Southwest, and ran clinics twice a year at the Powell Ranch.

“He's retiring at the end of the summer,” Gabe said. “The Powells are going to hate losing him. He brings in a lot of revenue for them. For the whole town. Cowboys come from all over the state to participate.”

It was impossible to miss the point Gabe was making, which was as subtle as a sledgehammer to the head.

“I'm no instructor,” Cole said.

“You ever help friends?”

“A few.”

“There you go.”

“I don't know the first thing about putting on a roping clinic.”

“I'm sure Drew didn't, either, until he tried.”

Cole shrugged, not sold on the idea. “He was a National champion with a lot of credentials.”

“I've seen you rope. You're good enough to teach others.”

“What?” Cole was thrown for a loop. “When did you see me?”

“Three years ago. At the Payson Rodeo. Dad had already been diagnosed, but was feeling good enough to work on some of his bucket-list items. I didn't realize till your first event that he'd tricked me into taking him so he could see you and Josh compete. I didn't say anything, even after I figured out it was you, and neither did he.”

Cole was struck dumb. His father had seen him win the gold buckle he wore now. Watched him accept the prize for the biggest win of his life. And all along, Cole had no clue.

“Why didn't you say anything before now?” he finally asked, his hand going to the buckle at his waist.

“Waiting for the right time.”

Cole nodded, though he didn't fully understand. “Thanks. I'm glad you did.”

“What I said before, I wasn't joking.” Gabe gave him a hard stare. “You are good enough to be an instructor.”

“Maybe.”

“Start small. Cara can help you. She has experience from putting on mustang adoption events. Can't be that much different for a roping clinic. 'Course, that means you'd have to stick around, which isn't what you want, right?”

“Vi and I are trying to decide what's best.”

“I assumed as much, seeing as you spent last night with her.”

Cole swore softly. “Does everyone know my personal business?”

“Hard to hide anything around here. My mom has eyes in the back of her head. She read me the riot act the first time I stayed overnight with Reese.”

“Is that something I have to look forward to at dinner tonight?”

“I'd steer clear of her for a day or two, if I were you.”

They reached the first hill and headed their horses up the trail. The pond lay about a mile to the southeast. Cole kept an eye open for any hidden coveys of quail, not wishing for a repeat of the last time, when Hotshot started bucking and nearly threw him. He wasn't in the mood for a repeat performance, not in front of Gabe.

“She'll cut you some slack as long as you treat Violet right.”

“That's my intention.”

“I hope so.” Gabe rode in front of Cole and shot him a glance over his shoulder. “Because if you don't, my mom isn't the only person you're going to have to watch out for. Violet's more than an employee. I'll personally take a piece of your hide with my bare hands if you hurt her, brother or no brother.”

“I wouldn't blame you if you did.”

“Good.” Cole heard the smile in Gabe's voice. “Glad we understand each other.”

They did.

“You going to marry her?”

“We haven't gotten that far.”

Gabe reined his horse to a stop and waited for Cole to catch up. He rested his hands on the saddle horn.

“Not that it's my place to tell you what to do, but I hope you'll consider it. For the sake of your kid. I can tell you from personal experience it isn't any fun growing up the son of a man who won't marry your mother.”

“I can't marry her. Not yet.”

“Why? Don't you care about her?”

“More than I thought possible,” Cole said.

“Then propose.”

“I will. When I have a job that pays me a decent income. I have to be able to take care of her and the baby.”

“You think that makes a difference to her?” Gabe asked.

“It does to me, and the only way I know how to make money is by rodeoing. Vi wants a man who's willing to settle down, and I am, but as long as I stay here, I'm next to broke.”

Gabe grunted in disgust. “Money's not everything.”

“Yeah, well, without it we might have lost the ranch.”

“That baby's coming in about six months, whether you have a decent income or not. You'd better make up your mind about what you're going to do, and fast.”

Gabe was wrong. The way Cole saw it, he had less time than that.

Vi wouldn't wait until the last moment. She might return his feelings, but if he didn't step up, be the kind of man she wanted and needed, she'd move on, raising their baby alone, or possibly with another man, if she met someone.

Cole couldn't let that happen. Under any circumstance.

Chapter Eleven

Cole dropped the foot of the scruffy brown burro and straightened, rubbing an annoying ache lodged in the small of his back. It was tension, not bending, that was mostly responsible. There had been a lot of it lately, especially these past few days.

Cole and Vi were spending as much time together as possible, seeing how things went, but once again they had postponed making any kind of decision regarding their future.

Vi wanted to wait for her parents to leave, and he understood her reasons. Julia and Edgar were high maintenance. They required all Vi's attention and left her drained by the end of the evening. Thankfully, there had been no repeat of the first night. Julia and Edgar were playing nice. With Vi, anyway, if not with each other.

Hopefully, things would return to normal after they left this afternoon. But then what? Cole still didn't have anything to offer Vi other than the choice between a fifty-to-sixty-hour-a-week job that paid zero or one that required him to be on the road ten out of every fourteen days.

With a quick jerk, he undid the slipknot tying the burro's lead rope to the fence post and removed the halter.

Cara had recently acquired a trio of wild burros taken during a roundup near Tuba City. She'd asked Cole to take a look at them, evaluate their overall health and dispositions and determine whether or not they were adoptable.

He'd agreed. Cara wasn't an easy person to refuse. Besides, he might need her services if he ever mustered the courage to put on a roping clinic, which at this point appeared unlikely.

Seizing his chance for freedom, the released burro trotted to the opposite corner of the pen, where his buddies had gathered. Like him, they'd suffered the indignity of having their hooves, teeth, ears, legs and hide thoroughly inspected.

The smallest burro, no taller than Cole's waist, opened his mouth and released an ear-piercing hee-haw likely to be heard by neighbors a mile away.

“Nothing wrong with your vocal cords,” Cole said as he closed the pen gate.

“Excuse me, are you Cole Dempsey?”

Cole turned and came face-to-face with a man he recognized from the Cattlemen's Association meetings but hadn't officially met. Blake Nolan.

“I'm him.” Cole's smile was reserved. “What can I do for you?”

“Gabe said I might find you here.”

“And you did.” Cole waited, not revealing his surprise.

What was his brother thinking? Blake and Reese had once been involved many years ago—he was the father of the daughter she'd given up for adoption at birth. It was Cole's understanding that they didn't get along, although according to Gabe, their animosity had more to do with work. Blake had dealings with the bank where Reese was employed, dealings that sometimes caused friction between them.

Out of respect for his future sister-in-law, Cole had chosen to keep his distance from Blake, at the meetings and around town. Evidently, though, relations weren't as strained between Reese and Blake as portrayed. That, or things were improving. Gabe wouldn't do anything to hurt his future wife.

Blake shifted his weight restlessly from one foot to the other. “I have a question for you.”

“I'm listening.”

He gave a short, nervous laugh. “This is awkward.” When Cole said nothing, he added, “For me, anyway.”

“It might be less awkward if you told me what you wanted.” Cole meandered over to the ranch truck parked just outside the pen. The tailgate was down, and he dropped the hoof pick he'd been using into a tool caddy. By then, Blake had joined him.

“I have a problem. Gabe suggested you could help.”

“Shoot.”

“I have two girls,” Blake said. “They wanted a horse, so my parents bought them a Welsh pony. Had him shipped from Oregon and paid a small fortune.”

“That doesn't sound like a problem.”

“He won't let my girls ride him. Throws them every time.”

“Ponies can be mean.”

“You see, that's the problem. He's sweet. He'll stand there for hours and let the girls brush him and braid his mane and tie ribbons in his tail. Just don't put a saddle on him.”

“Get your girls another pony.”

“The thing is, they've gone and fallen in love with him.” Blake gave a cynical head shake. “It's beyond my understanding.”

“Why, might I ask, did Gabe suggest you talk to me?”

“He claims you're a good horse trainer. Next to Ethan Powell, the best in the valley.”

Next
to Ethan Powell? Really? Cole drew back. So much for brotherly loyalty. “You want me to train your kids' pony?”

“Gabe said you might be interested in taking on some clients.”

“I might be.” A pony wasn't how Cole had imagined making a name for himself.

“You've done some impressive work with the equine therapy horses. Or so I've heard.”

That was more like it. He could live with a reputation training horses for special-needs children.

“I'd have to check with Reese first.”

“She won't object.”

No? Interesting. “And I'd need to have a look at the pony. Then there's the matter of my rates.”

“Which are?”

Cole named an amount he thought reasonable. Less than what he'd charge for training a roping or cutting horse, but not so low he was giving away his services.

“Sounds fair.”

“It'd be easier for me if we kept the pony here for, say, thirty days, rather than me coming to your place.”

“My girls will be devastated.”

“Bring them by. Might help with the training.” The invitation was issued before Cole realized what he was saying.

Blake grinned. “That'd be great.”

Too late now.

They discussed a number of details before shaking hands and parting ways. Cole watched Blake leave, feeling a bit off-kilter. He'd just agreed to train a pony belonging to a man his family considered less than a friend, if not an outright enemy.

Life was strange sometimes. Then again, the past seven months had involved a series of one strange event after another. Cole was living at his father's ranch, a place he'd sworn to avoid. He'd agreed to be best man at Gabe's wedding, the brother he never counted on meeting, much less liking. He'd fallen for a woman he hadn't given a second glance when he'd first arrived. Most of all, he was about to become a father.

If that wasn't cause to feel off-kilter, he didn't know what was.

Leaning on the side of his truck, he paused and drew in a deep breath, sweat forming on his brow. He didn't often get scared.

Perhaps he'd made one life-altering decision too many, too soon. Agreeing to train Blake Nolan's pony was a commitment. Another tie to the ranch and reason for him to give up a job he loved in exchange for a future filled with uncertainties.

He didn't know if he loved Vi or she him. He felt all tangled up inside, confused one minute and confident the next.

His cell phone rang. He'd been expecting Cara to call, inquiring about the burros, but the ring tone identified the caller as Vi.

“How goes it?” He started to say “sweetie” but something held him back.

“Great. Taking a moment to rest. Mom and Dad just left.”

“I thought their flight wasn't until four.”

She moaned. “They've decided to stay another few days.”

“Okay.” Cole wasn't sure how to respond. “Did they say why?”

“Nothing specific. I suspect they want to meet your mom.”

“My mom?” Dead silence followed. “Vi?”

He held his phone away, noted the screen showed an open connection and returned the device to his ear. “You there?”

She cleared her throat. “I think I just said something I shouldn't have.”

“What's going on?”

“Josh was supposed to call you. Your mom's coming for a visit.”

“When?”

“Day after tomorrow.”

Anger and frustration pushed at Cole from all sides. He fought the smothering sensation.

“This isn't unexpected,” Vi said reasonably. “She has mentioned it before.”

“I didn't think it would be this soon.” Or that his mother would really return to Mustang Valley, a place that held only bad memories for her. “I'll call you later, after I talk to Josh.”

“Cole...”

“Don't worry.”

A short while ago he'd spotted Josh's truck parked behind the horse stables. His brother was probably in the apartment, packing boxes. He and Cara had finally found a small house in town to rent, one they could afford on their budget.

Cole climbed the stairs to the apartment landing. Pulling out his phone, he dialed.

“I'm outside,” he said, when Josh picked up.

A moment later, the door swung open. “You don't knock anymore?”

“What's this about Mom coming for a visit?”

“Nice to see you, too.”

Cole ignored the sarcasm and entered the apartment. “You should have told me before saying yes.”

“I didn't say yes or no. She called to say when she'd be arriving. Plane ticket bought. Room at the inn reserved. End of discussion.”

Cole started to say more but was cut short. “Hi, Uncle Cole.” Nathan bounded over to greet him, brandishing a sheet of paper. “I coloring.”

“That's nice.” He glanced around, noting the half-full boxes, rolls of bubble wrap and packing tape. “Where's Kimberly?”

“Napping,” Josh said. “Which this young man should be doing, too.”

“I not tired, Daddy.”

Josh sent Cole a look. “Which means the packing is going slow.”

Nathan returned to the dining table, where a pile of crayons lay scattered. He climbed onto the chair with a booster seat and resumed creating his masterpiece, oblivious to everything else.

Cole pushed aside several boxes that were blocking the couch and sat, propping his forearms on his knees. “I really wish you'd told me about Mom coming before Vi did.”

“She called right after I hung up from Mom. It slipped out.”

“Right.”

“What's the big deal? So Mom wants to visit the kids and meet Violet. Did you think she'd wait after you told her?”

“Believe me, that's not the reason she's coming.”

“Maybe she's ready to make amends.” Josh knelt, closed a box and sealed it with packing tape. “We have.”

Cole broke into harsh laughter. “You're kidding.”

“Okay, then why do you think she's coming?”

“To convince me, if not both of us, to return to California.”

Josh contemplated Cole's answer for a moment. “You might be right.”

“I am right. Up until Dad died, we were coming home every few weeks. With you and Cara moving into a house and Vi and me having a baby, that's changed.”

“Yeah.” Josh looked guilty. “I probably shouldn't have told her I'm thinking of proposing to Cara.”

“Congratulations, man. But, yeah, you should have waited.” Cole let his head drop into his hand. “This is not going to be easy. Vi's parents are staying on so they can meet Mom.”

“It gets worse.”

Cole lifted his head, dreading what was next.

“Cara mentioned Mom's visit to Raquel, and now she wants to throw a big party.”

“Is she crazy?”

“Evidently so.”

For any other family, this would be a fun event. For any other family, the hostess wouldn't have cheated with the guest of honor's husband and had a son with him while he was still married.

* * *

“N
ERVOUS
?” V
IOLET
CAME
up behind Cole, placed her hands on his shoulders and squeezed.

“Naw.”

She could feel the tension flowing through him and knotting his muscles. “Liar.”

“I'm not nervous.” He cranked his head sideways to look at her, a glint in his dreamy blue eyes. “I'm scared.”

“She's your mother, for crying out loud.”

“We're going to have this same conversation tomorrow, after you've met her and seen her in action. You'll change your opinion.”

Violet gave his shoulders a last squeeze and sat down. They were at her kitchen table having coffee, bagels and fruit, Violet's attempt at a halfway nutritious and filling breakfast.

More like brunch, she thought, glancing at the clock on the microwave. They'd slept in. Not surprising, considering how late they'd stayed up the night before.

“You love her. You have to love her.” Violet smeared cream cheese on a bagel half. She was often at odds with her own parents, but deep down, she loved them dearly.

“I do. Mom may not have made the right decisions when it came to handling her life, or Josh's and mine, and she can hold a grudge like nobody's business. But she did her best to give us a good home and raise us right.”

“From what I've seen, she succeeded.”

“The wounds my dad inflicted were just too much for her. She couldn't, or wouldn't, recover. It's the reason she never met someone new. She doesn't trust men.”

“She is coming here. That says something.”

“Or she has a personal agenda.”

Violet knew from talking to Cole over the past two days that he questioned his mother's motives.

“Dos Estrellas has changed you and Josh.” Violet downed her prenatal vitamins with a glass of milk. “It might change her, too.”

“This place isn't magic.”

“I disagree.” She pressed a hand to her tummy, reveling in the tiny bulge.

“Pardon me if I don't hold my breath.”

“Oh, Cole. It's going to be fine.”

“My mom, Raquel and Gabe in the same room can't possibly be fine.”

“Don't forget my parents.”

He groaned. “This party is going to be a disaster.”

“Or, the best thing to ever happen to our families. It might clear the air.”