Rescue Me (Colorado Blues) (4 page)

“Care
to fill me in on why you’re looking so pissed off.” Chance was sitting in front
of the roaring fire while the women took care of the baby feeding him dinner in
the other room.

“I
didn’t know she had a kid, I swear.” Rory walked over to the window, running a
hand across the back of his neck. As much as he liked what he’d seen so far of
Gina, he didn’t know if he could get past the initial lies.

“I’m
not criticizing you, don’t get me wrong. I was just wondering if you chose her
because of the child. Guess that answers my question.” He leaned back and
watched the flames licking over the large pieces of wood. “How did she like the
ranch?”

“Mine?”

Chance
nodded his head.

“I
think she was kind of shocked, and when she looked around she admitted to
living in something pretty similar. From all accounts she’s had it pretty
rough. I didn’t have the heart to tell her it’s getting a complete makeover,
not just yet anyway.”

“Why
the hell not? Do you think that’s fair to drag her along thinking she’s going
to live in a dump?” Chance sat forward, his elbows on his knees.

Rory
shrugged his shoulders. “No its not and it’s against all I hold dear. I’m kind
of stunned and don’t know what to think right now. You know me. I hate lies and
I can’t get over the fact that she didn’t tell me about the kid.” He ignored
the look of disbelief on his brother’s face. “I’m a sheriff for goodness sake.
If that’s not all about honesty, what is?”

“I
understand that, but take a step back and think before you do something damned
stupid. Do you think if you knew, you would still have told her to come or
would you have kept looking?”

“That’s
what’s going through my mind—I just don’t know.” He looked up as a squeal of
laughter came from the kitchen. “I never thought of having a readymade child
and as much as I think he’s cute, he’s not mine.”

“So
what? Get a grip, Rory. It’s only a matter of chromosomes, not the end of the
world. If the kid needs a father and you need a family, give it a shot. Let
them stay here and give them a decent chance before you do anything stupid.”

“I
wasn’t going to send her away. She’s got nowhere to go and no money at all.
Plus she ran out of gas on the way to the ranch and she had to walk up the
hill.” Rory shook his head. “I feel as though I have no choice but to give her
a go. Only a hard bastard would throw out a mother and child like that.”

“I
sense a but in there.”

“Yeah,
there is. I don’t know if I want to go ahead with this. I don’t think I can get
over the fact she lied to me.” Rory rubbed the skin between his eyes before he
looked at his brother.

“Fair
enough. It’s your decision. How about you give her the benefit of the doubt and
see how things pan out? You might be surprised.” Chance leaned forward and
rested his elbows on his knees.

“If
and I mean
if
, I decide to send her back, I’ll have to give her some
money. She came with nothing in her purse and the car ran out of gas before she
got to the ranch so she’s pretty down on her luck right now.”

“You’re
kidding? She deserves a chance if she came all this way to meet you and try to
make a life for herself. There’s no way you’re sending her back. If you don’t
want to marry her, we can sort something out somehow.” Chance shook his head
and looked toward the kitchen, his mouth tight.

“I
wasn’t going to do that to her if I could help it. Not yet anyway.” He saw the
look on Chance’s face and knew his brother would kick his ass if he knew what
was going through his mind. Chance was all about right and wrong and where
women were concerned, he was even more stubborn. “I thought about putting off
the wedding for a few weeks until we got to know each other better at least.”
Really
my first instinct was to send her home as soon as I saw the child.

“Do
you think that’s fair? Isn’t she expecting you to marry her on a certain date?”

“Probably,
I did tell her we need to talk because we’ve both lied to each other.” He sat
in one of the oversized armchairs and leaned back, weary of the day already.

“How
did you lie?”

“I
had Callie take a photo of me standing in front of this place.”

“Idiot.”
Chance kicked his boot out, striking Rory on the foot. “You let her think she
was moving to live in this place?”

“Yeah
well, I thought it was a good way to figure out if she was genuine or just
after me for your money.”

The
fire crackled and a log dropped sending sparks up the chimney. “Seems to me
like she passed then since she didn’t try to do a runner.”

***

“So, how did you
two meet?”

Gina looked up
into the inquisitive eyes of Callie.

“Um, I’m not
really sure…”

“I was a mail
order bride.”

“What?” Gina
almost dropped the spoon she was using to feed Fisher his dinner.

“Yeah,
you heard right. Chance put an advert in a magazine and I just happened to read
it all the way down in Australia. Bit of a risk but hey, it worked out for us.
So, how did you and Rory meet?”

“We
only met today.”

Callie
clapped her hand over her mouth, stifling a peal of laughter. “Oh my goodness.
That’s hilarious. Just you wait until I tell Chance.”

“Rory’s
probably telling him right now.” She sighed and scooped another spoon of eggs
into the little boy’s mouth. He chewed with his fingers in his mouth, getting
more down his bib than what went down his throat.

“The
brothers are pretty tight so it wouldn’t surprise me. Why are you looking so
down about it then?”

“He
didn’t know about my son.” Gina bit her lip, hoping the tremble wasn’t
noticeable. The stress of the long drive and her future prospects was starting
to get to her. All she wanted was to go up to bed and hide under the covers and
pretend she was somewhere else.

“Hey.”
Callie reached out and patted her arm. “Don’t cry, Gina. It’ll be okay, you’ll
see.”

The
tears overflowed before she could help herself. “What will we do if he sends us
away?” Fear reached up again and gripped her throat. For a moment there, she’d
been letting herself imagine a life where there was a pantry full of food like
the one in this kitchen, the power was never cut off for not paying the bill,
and the roof didn’t leak. Having a man to take care of her like Rory was
something she could only dream of, and now that might all be pie in the sky because
of her deception.

“Not
going to happen on my watch. Trust me on this. If it doesn’t work out between
the two of you, I’ll help you get settled in town anyway. Us girls have to
stick together, you know.”

“It’s
not your problem. Thanks anyway.” She wiped her finger under her eyes.

“That’s
not the bloody point. He got you over here and here you will stay regardless of
what he says. Now I’ve met this cute little button, he’s not getting taken away
from us.” Callie kissed the top of Fisher’s head, smiled at his mother, and
looked up when footsteps sounded coming from the lounge.

Rory
walked in and looked at them. “Need any help getting him to bed?”

Gina
shook her head. “No, thanks. I’ve got it covered. He’s nearly finished dinner.”

“Okay.
Well, if there’s anything you need, make sure to let one of us know.”

“You
could start dinner.” Callie pulled a face at Gina. “I loathe cooking. Would
rather ear tag a paddock of bulls.” She shivered dramatically and rolled her
eyes.

“Well,
in that case, let me get this little one to sleep and I’ll cook for you. It’s
the least I can do since you’re letting me stay here.”
If only for a day or
so, I’ll do whatever I can to make you all want me to stay.

“Don’t
you dare take him. If he’s had enough, I’ll hold him until he goes to sleep and
then we can sort out how to get him to bed. Deal?”

“Deal.
But he needs his sippy cup. Let me get it.” She wiped the dribble from Fisher’s
chin and stood up. “Thanks Callie.”

“Ha,
no problem. I’m taking him into the lounge so I can hang out with my spunky
cowboy.” She jiggle the baby in her arms while Gina made up a drink. When she
walked into the lounge, Callie was leaning against Chance with Fisher on her
knee watching the fire. She gave Callie the sippy with a kiss for her son’s
cheek. “Laters you two.” Fisher snuggled into her shoulder, his eyelids already
heavy with sleep and milk lips worked the spout.

“You
don’t have to do dinner, Gina. I can cook if you’d rather settle the baby first.”
Rory looked uncomfortable and avoided meeting her gaze when she walked back
into the kitchen.

“No,
its fine. I love to cook when I get the chance. It’s kind of my thing.” She
stood up and put the bowl in the sink, running the water over it to rinse off
the last of the egg. “What do you want to eat?”

“I
think there’s steaks in the fridge.”

“Okay.”
She walked over and opened the door, looking for the meat. Gina reached for it
and then changed her mind. She shut the fridge door, turned back to Rory and
crossed her arms. “Maybe you want to get this talk over and done with now while
there’s just the two of us in the room.” With her head held high, she walked
over to the island counter and stood behind it, her hands on the surface for
stability for what she dreaded was to come.

Rory
looked at her and her heart plummeted. His handsome face was incredibly sad and
she feared he was going to tell her she had to leave. “I’m not sure where to go
from here, to tell you the truth.”

“How
about you tell me what’s causing you the most distress and we can deal with
that first then.”

“I
can stand just about anything apart from one thing. I hate lies.” He sighed and
her mouth went dry. “Being a sheriff probably helps reinforce that and when I
saw you with Fisher, I wondered what else you’d failed to tell me about. It was
rather a letdown from my point of view.” He glanced at her and if he could tell
she was terrified, he didn’t show it. “I don’t know where to go to from here.”

She
blinked, forcing the tears back. It was understandable how he was feeling but
in her mind, she was hurt too. All of the way here, she was looking forward to
having a home that didn’t have peeling wallpaper and water stains on the roof,
or vermin sharing her living space. A door that closed would be a bonus, and
rats not eating out of her rubbish bin at night would be lovely too. It was
stupid to think the house in the picture would be her new home. A small part of
her mind knew that. Still it hurt to think he had deceived her and he was the
one crying out in protest. What kind of person with seemingly everything
advertised for a wife?

Her
lips quivered but she spoke up. “I know you consider it lying and I don’t blame
you. I had no choice. Everything I told you about myself was true. The photo
may have been a couple of years old but it was still me and I doubt I’ve
changed that much. I want the things I told you about; that won’t change no
matter where I end up living. I want to make a life for me and my child and if that’s
with you, wonderful. I’ll be a good wife, that I promise you. I’ll have your
children and expect you to treat Fisher like one of your own because I’ll treat
them all the same.”

He
coughed and glanced at her quickly.

“I’ll
make sure you never have to worry about the home or the children. That will be
my job. All I expected from you was to be there for me, to provide for us, and
hopefully one day love us. None of that changed when I saw the state of your
ranch. I’ll make it the home we both want. It’s all your call because I’m not
in a position to do anything other than what you choose to tell me you want.
Our future is in your hands.” She stood proudly watching him, waiting for him
to destroy her dreams.

“Look,
I want you and Fisher to stay, at least for now. I want to get to know you
before we commit to a marriage. It’s the only way I can live with the deception
and not hurt you in the process. I’m sorry, that’s how I feel right now.”

Inwardly
she breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t perfect but a pretty decent start.

“When
my wife died, I didn’t intent to get married again. I couldn’t bear the thought
of losing anyone like I lost her. Being alone was much easier than going
through that again. Seeing my brother happy with Callie made me rethink my
feelings. I just didn’t expect to get more than I bargained for.”

Gina
smiled. “I understand that and I’m sorry to have done that to you. I really
didn’t have any choice if I wanted to keep my baby with me.”

“It
was that bad for you?” The sadness on his face brought the tears to her eyes.

“Yeah,
it was that bad. I was at my wits end as to how I was going to feed him and pay
the rent. Giving him up seemed like the only option left to me when I saw your
ad. It was a godsend that I couldn’t turn down.”

“I’m
sorry. Come here.” His heart missed a beat and Rory kicked himself for trying
to be the tough guy he knew he wasn’t. There was no way he could send her back
to where she’d come from if the conditions were as bad as she said. He held out
his arms and waited for Gina to make the step toward him. When she launched
herself around the counter, he wasn’t ready for the tears that flowed as he
held her. To be in that kind of position where you almost had to give up your
child was too much to deal with. He would do his best to make sure this worked,
first he had to get over the niggling in his mind about trust or he would be
forever looking over his shoulder wondering if he’d done the right thing.

The
smell of strawberries rose from her hair and Rory held her close. Sobs wracked
her body and he stood with his arms around her, feeling the frailness of her
under his hands. She needed some more meat on her bones in his opinion, and he
promised himself she would want for nothing while they tried to work out their
future.

Gina
pulled away and wiped her fingers over his chest. “I’ve made your shirt all
wet.” She sniffed and dabbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

“I’m
the sheriff, I think I can take it.” He rested his hands on her shoulders. “I
don’t want you to think things are going to turn out bad between us. No matter
the outcome, I’ll make sure you and Fisher are looked after, okay?”

She
glanced up at him with fearful brown eyes. The specks of gold were dull and he
wished he could bring back the shine to her life. He just had to get over his
own insecurities and learn to live life to the fullest. “Okay.”

Rory
hugged her to his chest again, deciding the feel of a warm body against his was
something he’d missed more than he would like to admit. There’d been nobody
since Cindy died. He hadn’t even thought of dating until he caught up with
Chance and saw how happy he was with Callie.

“I’d
better go and see if Fisher is asleep and then get on with dinner.” Her voice
was slightly muffled by his chest but he understood every word. Reluctantly, he
loosened his arms around her and she stepped back.

“Thanks.
I needed that hug.” She blushed, the color tinting her cheeks delicately and
Rory was transported to another time and place. His body reacted with a need
that surprised him.

Before
he could say anything, Gina hurried into the lounge to check on her son and
Rory stood there wondering what the hell had happened. He was still standing in
the middle of the kitchen when Chance walked in.

“Gonna
share why you have such a goofy look on your face and Gina was red eyed from
crying?”

“What?”

“Oh
man, you have it bad and you don’t even know it.” Chance walked past him and
thumped him on the shoulder. “So I guess this means you’re not putting her on
the first bus out of town then.”

“I
wouldn’t do that to her. Don’t know why you thought I would.” He walked over
and got a glass from the cupboard, pouring himself a large drink of water. Rory
downed it all while trying to figure out why he reacted to her so readily. He
hadn’t had sex in over three years, unless you counted taking himself in hand
in the shower and feeling guilty about it afterwards. So it stood to reason a
good looking woman in his arms was bound to have an impact on his libido. For
just a fleeting moment, he thought it was more than that.

“She’s
taken the baby up to put him to bed. Cute little thing. Be nice to have him
around the ranch.”

“You
could always have your own you know.” Now that he was settled down and not
following the rodeo circuit, there was no reason why Chance couldn’t have a mob
of kids of his own.

“I
have the feeling this is going to make my new bride very clucky. I could see
the look in her eyes when she carried him in to put him to sleep. What is it
with woman and babies? It’s like a chain reaction just waiting to happen.” He
slid a chair out and eased himself down onto it.

“Hip
still sore?”

“Yes
and no. Bit stiff, and that’s to be expected. Can’t see it ever getting back to
how it was. The cold makes it ache something fierce.” Chance rubbed his hand
over the hip.

“Maybe
you’re overdoing the rancher thing. Let Callie do more or get another hand to
help out.”

“She
already does more than her fair share. I discussed bringing in more help. She
reckons we can deal with it ourselves. So, how about dinner? Want to give me a
hand getting it started?”

“Gina
said she wanted to do it. Cooking is her thing apparently. She was just getting
the steaks out of the fridge when we had to have the discussion about what
we’re going to do.” He avoided his brother’s gaze, a wave of embarrassment
washing over him.

“What
happened with Cindy was a fluke, Rory. Don’t go using the lies as an excuse not
to commit because you’re scared of something going wrong again.”

Chance
was never one to hold back on his punches. “I wasn’t using that as an excuse.”

“I
think you are.”

“Drop
it, brother. This is my life and I’ll make my own decisions. You weren’t there
when we grew up so don’t go getting all fatherly on me now. I managed just fine
then and I will now too.”

Chance
stood up and advanced on Rory. His back was ramrod straight, his face set, and
there was a cold chill in his eyes Rory had never seen before. He stood face to
face with his brother. “Don’t ever throw that in my face, understand. I did the
best I could for all of us and you bloody well know it. If I’d stayed, the old
man would be dead by now, more than likely by my hands, and I’d be locked up.
You kids would have starved if not for me because he drank every penny he
managed to make.”

“Bullshit.
He supported us, fed us while you were living it up with the good life. Just because
he spent most of his time in the bottle didn’t mean we went hungry. You weren’t
there, so how could you know?” The anger was quick to build in Rory. Years of
tampering down the disappointment of having the be the eldest and therefore the
most responsible one, took its toll and he lashed out, pushing his hand into
Chance, knocking him off balance.

Chance
fell against the kitchen island. “You have no idea.” Footsteps pounded down the
stairs and seconds later Callie and Gina hurried into the kitchen.

“What
the hell is going on here?” Callie stepped between the two of them.

“Big
brother here is giving me some of his wisdom. Pity he didn’t hang around long
enough to do it when we really needed him. Instead he shot off as soon as he
could and became a super rodeo star.” He pulled a face, and made air quotes. “What
a great life you had, Chance. People throwing themselves at you, telling you
how wonderful you are. Bet that was nice compared to what we had to deal with.”

“You
really are a fucking idiot, you know that. I love you and all, Rory but open
your eyes.” Callie turned to her husband. “Are you okay?”

“Let
it be. Just leave it, okay?” Chance grabbed her hand, pulling her close.

Gina
stood at the door, a terrified stranger caught in the middle of a horrible
family argument.

“No,
I won’t. Its time he knew the truth too.” Callie turned from her husband and looked
at Rory. “Who do you think paid for your living expenses when you were growing
up? Your schooling and clothing? It wasn’t your father because we all know how
he was managing. It was Chance. He took every fall, every kick to the kidneys,
and every roll of applause was for his brothers. Even when he’d had more than
he should have to take, and wanted to retire, he kept at it so you could have
what he thought you all deserved.” She took a breath, tears filling her eyes.
“The only way he managed to get out of it was by being almost killed.”

Rory’s
stomach drop. A taste of bile rose in his throat. “No, you’re wrong. We
survived on Mom’s life insurance. It wasn’t much. It was enough for us to get
by on.”

“There
was no life insurance. Never was.” Chance sighed. “Look, I never wanted you
guys to feel responsible so I let you think the old man was doing okay. It
wasn’t your fault then and it isn’t now. I did what I thought was right at the
time and if that meant I wasn’t there for you, well I’m sorry.”

Pain
filled Rory’s gut. All the years of wishing his brother was there for him when
they were growing up were suddenly wasted. He’d done all he could for his
brothers and suffered in the process. “You did that for us?”

“Why
wouldn’t I? You guys mean everything to me.” Callie led Chance back to his
chair and pushed him into it. She stood behind him and wrapped her arms around
his shoulders, resting her chin against his neck. “So does this one and if you
haven’t noticed, you can’t stop her saying what she wants.”

“Just
telling it like it is.” She kissed his cheek.

“We
never knew.” Rory looked at his brother, admiration replacing the anger from a
moment ago.

“I
didn’t do it to get brownie points. I did it so you guys could have a decent
shot at life and I’d do it again. End of story.” Chance pulled Callie around
and down onto his lap. She laughed and snuggled into him.

I
need this again. The love, the companionship he has.

***

Gina
watched the emotions rolling over Rory’s face. How special would it be to have
a brother like Chance to put his own wants and needs aside for someone else.
She wiped an emotional tear from her cheek and plastered a smile on her face.
“Right, let me get onto dinner now the munchkin is fast asleep. I swear that
little boy has more energy than me some days.”

Callie
laughed. “If he ever gets too much, send him my way. He is one gorgeous little
bubba.”

Chance
held her tight. “We could always have our own, you know.”

“I’m
giving it serious thought after meeting Fisher, let me tell you. Can I do
anything to help, Gina?”

“No,
please let me do this. It’s the least I can do. I love to cook and this is a
pretty nice kitchen to do it in.”

“Yeah,
well it’s wasted on me.” Callie laughed when Gina gave a shudder. “How about we
open a bottle of wine. If I’m not mistaken, we have something to celebrate.
Brothers back together at last.”

Gina
breathed a sigh of relief. She thought for a moment that Callie was going to
say something about her and Rory. That would be a discussion when the men
weren’t present. She didn’t want to put any more of a damper on the evening
than the men arguing already had.

Callie
climbed off Chance’s lap and went into the pantry. She came out a few minutes
later with a bottle of red wine. She held it up for inspection. “This do?”

Chance
looked at the label and nodded his approval, then stood up to gather glasses.
Rory finally moved from the spot beside the kitchen counter and stepped over to
his brother. “I’m sorry. I can’t believe you did all that for us and the old
man never said a word.”

Chance
put down the glasses and hugged him, slapping Rory on the back. “I know if the
wheels were turned, you’d do the same for us.”

“You
think? I’m not that keen on pain as you are.”

“So
why are you a sheriff? Surely you cop a bit of agro every now and then.” Chance
nudged him with his shoulder and took the bottle from Callie, unscrewing the
top.

“Yeah,
but I have a gun to hide behind if things get too rough.”

“You
don’t look like the type to hide, to me.” Gina put a heavy skillet on the stove
top and lit the gas before she turned back to the conversation. “I bet
criminals run and scatter when they see you coming.”

“Don’t
be fooled by his large imposing nature, Gina, he’s a softie at heart. He has a
pretty good arrest rate though, let me tell you. Things here in town might be a
bit calmer than what he’s used to, which will probably suit him in his old
age.” He placed a glass of wine beside the cutting board where she was working.

“How
do you know?” Rory reached out and accepted a glass of his own.

Chance
held a drink up to his wife and then picked up his own. “Because I kept an eye
on you, that’s why. I knew what you were all up to, all the time. Every bit of
trouble you got into, I heard about it.”

Gina
watched the play between the two men and smiled. If things worked out for her
and Fisher here at the ranch she would be a very lucky girl. The show of love
between the two siblings warmed her heart and Callie appeared to fit in just
fine throwing her type of sass around into the mix. This was what she wanted
for her baby boy. A family that was prepared to put others first and take care
of them no matter what, just like Chance had done. She sent up a silent prayer
that it would all work out.

“To
my brother, Chance. For everything you did for us and the way you still manage
to stick your nose in whether it’s wanted or not.” Rory lifted his glass.

“To
Chance.” Callie and Gina saluted the man of the moment and he grinned a little
sheepishly before raising his glass.

“To
Rory and Gina. Second chances for each of you. All the best of luck.”