The Cowboy (42 page)

“I think I can manage that,” Trace said with a wry smile. He paused and said, “What about Three Oaks, Callie?”

“Three Oaks will survive without me.” It had taken her a long time to come to terms with that fact. “Mom and Sam and Luke can handle things now. Especially since your father plans to hire my mother to train his cutting horses.”

Trace lifted a singed eyebrow in astonishment. “He does?”

Callie nodded. “I think he wants to help her, if he can.”

“And you don’t have a problem with that?”

“Not anymore,” Callie said.

“I can hardly believe you’re finally mine,” Trace said.

“All yours,” Callie confirmed. “Completely and totally, now and forever, yours.”

“Hey, Trace!” Eli shouted as he came charging through the door.

“Hey, Trace!” Hannah echoed.

The two children galloped the short distance from the door to the bed. Eli settled himself beside Trace on the bed, and Hannah climbed into his lap.

“Are you okay?” Eli asked.

“Are you okay?” Hannah parroted.

“I’m fine,” Trace said, gathering the children into his widespread arms. “How about the two of you?”

“We’re fine,” Eli said. “Hannah’s got some singed hair.”

Hannah reached up to touch a wiry curl. “From the fire,” she informed him.

Callie watched as Trace leaned down to kiss Hannah’s blond curls. “They’ll grow back in no time,” he said.

“Are we going to Australia?” Eli asked.

“Are we going to see kangaroos?” Hannah asked.

“Yes and yes,” Trace answered.

“Wow!” Eli exclaimed. “This is gonna be neat. Wait till I tell all my friends.” He slid off the bed and headed for the door.

“I gotta tell Grandma,” Hannah said, sliding off the bed after him.

Eli stopped at the door and said, “It’s all right, Trace. Mom told me.”

“Told you what?” Trace asked.

“How you didn’t know I was your kid. So I’m not mad
at you anymore for leaving me. I think it’s kind of neat that you’re my dad, if you want to know the truth. Dad.”

“I see,” Trace said.

Callie saw the tears brimming in Trace’s eyes and reached out to grasp his hand. He clutched her hand tightly in return, though his gaze remained riveted on Eli.

“I’m not mad at you, either, Dad,” Hannah said.

Trace smiled. “Thank you, Hannah.”

They were out the door a moment later.

“I guess that settles that,” Callie said. “We’re going to Australia.”

“We’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for,” Trace said as he gazed after the two children.

“We’ll manage somehow,” Callie replied. “Your sister invited all of us to the Castle for Christmas dinner.”

Trace raised a brow. “How do you feel about that?”

“I think it’s going to give your father another heart attack to have two active children racing around the house.”

“You’re forgetting my parents raised four children of their own.”

“I guess so,” Callie replied. It was hard to imagine Trace’s mother and father as parents. She’d thought of them for so long as “the enemy.” Now they were her children’s grandparents. “None of this is going to be easy,” Callie murmured.

“I never promised it would be,” Trace said. “But we can do it together, Callie. It’ll be easier with time.”

“And distance,” Callie pointed out. “Don’t forget the distance.”

“We’ll come back to Texas for visits,” he said. “And
there’s no reason why your family can’t come to visit us in Australia.”

Except, Callie knew, there was always more work to do at Three Oaks than there were people to do it. She couldn’t imagine her mother or sister or brothers finding the time to get away for a trip halfway around the world.

It was finally dawning on Callie just what she was giving up for a life with Trace. Not just the home she loved, but the close ties with her family.

Trace seemed to be reading her thoughts, because he said, “You can call them on the phone, Callie. You can e-mail them or write letters. There will be visits. But no, it won’t be the same. We’ll be a long way from civilization. Do you still want to come? Have you changed your mind?”

Callie felt the tension in his hand where he gripped hers. She knew what he was asking. It would be harder on everybody if she said yes now and changed her mind later. It would be better, if she had reservations, to let him leave without her.

“I won’t take Eli if you decide not to come,” he said quietly. “I’ll leave him here with you. So you don’t have to come, Callie. Not unless you want to.”

“What?” Callie was confused by Trace’s abrupt turnaround.

“You heard me,” he said, his voice even rougher with the edge of tension in it. “I won’t take him away from you. Eli can stay in Texas with you, if you don’t want to come with me.”

He was giving her the freedom to choose, without the threat of losing her son if she didn’t choose him. Callie pulled herself free of Trace’s hand. “You mean, I can stay
here, and you won’t take Eli away from me?” she repeated.

Trace nodded soberly.

“Oh, Trace.” Callie didn’t have to think twice. The answer filled her heart and mind and soul. “I’m coming. We’re all coming. The whole family’s coming, me and Eli and Hannah!”

“I love you, Callie.”

“And I love you.”

His lips sought hers, and they came together, two ragged halves of one perfect whole.

*Those of you who have read my Captive Hearts series set in Regency England are no doubt wondering how Blackthorne became the last name of my Texas family, when Wharton is the family name of the Dukes of Blackthorne. I’ve mentioned in
The Cowboy
that the first Blackthorne in America was called simply “Blackthorne,” which would have been a common way of referring to the duke in England. I’ve taken the creative license of having Blackthorne become his surname in the American West, where no one asked about a stranger’s past or whether he had any other name beyond the one he gave them.

*I’ve made up my own names for the cutting horses in
The Cowboy
, using as my guide the names of horses that are presently among the winners in cutting horse circles. However, the horses in my story are entirely fictitious.

Dear Readers,

I hope you enjoyed reading about Trace and Callie as much as I enjoyed writing about them!
The Cowboy
is the first in a trilogy of novels about the Blackthorne and Creed families set in Bitter Creek, Texas. In the second book of the trilogy, Texas Ranger Owen Blackthorne matches wits—and trades kisses—with Bayleigh Creed.

If you’d like to read more about the Blackthorne family, look for my Captive Hearts series set in Regency England, which includes
Captive, After the Kiss, The Bodyguard
, and
The Bridegroom
. For those of you intrigued by the creeds and Coburns, you’ll find their history chronicled in my Sisters of the Lone Star trilogy,
Frontier Woman, Comanche Woman
, and
Texas Woman
.

I very much appreciate hearing your comments and suggestions. You can contact me through my website at
www.joanjohnston.com
, or find me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/joanjohnstonauthor
. I look forward to hearing from you!

Happy trails, 
Joan Johnston