Having The Cowboy's Baby

“It’s good to have you back, Carly. I missed your company.”

She’d missed him, too. The horseback rides, the sing-alongs on his porch, the lovemaking in his cabin, the mornings waking up in his arms... But she tugged her hand from his grip. She didn’t have to pull very hard. She was free from his touch before she knew it.

“Well, I’d better turn in,” she said. “It’s been a long day.”

“Good night.”

No argument? Not that she wanted one. But she was used to men coming on to her.

So why wasn’t she relieved that he’d taken no for an answer so easily?

Because life got complicated when hormones got in the way of good judgment, that’s why.

“Sleep tight,” she said as she turned and started for the house.

The chords of his guitar rang out in the night as he played a lively melody with a two-step beat, a tune she didn’t recognize, a song she’d never heard. She turned, crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one hip. When she did, he stopped playing.

“That’s nice,” she said. “Is it something you wrote?”

“Yep. You like it?”

“I really do. You have a lot of talent, Ian. You ought to do something with it.”

“I just did. And you heard it.”

“That’s not what I meant. You should let me—or somebody—record this song. Maybe it could be a hit.”

“You have a beautiful voice, Carly. But I’m not interested in recording this song. It’s something I wrote for my grandparents. It’s going to be my gift to them.”

“That’s great, and I’ll bet they’ll love it. But what if you could do even more with it? Wouldn’t that be an awesome tribute to them?”

“I’d like them to be the first to hear it performed at their wedding anniversary.”

“But maybe afterward—”

“Sorry. My mind’s made up.”

So it was. And that should serve as a good reminder that Ian wasn’t a go-getter like she was. Sure, he could put in the effort when it came to working the ranch, but he had no other goals besides living as simply as possible. Plus, she’d learned that, as carefree as Ian McAllister could be, he was as stubborn as Granny Rayburn’s old milk cow when he did make a decision.

She nodded, then turned to go. As she made her way to the house, the melody followed her, and so did Ian’s soulful voice as it sang of two lonely hearts finding each other one moonlit night, of them falling crazy in love and of the lifetime vow they’d made, one that would last forever and a day.

She would have liked to have met the couple that had inspired him to write such a beautiful song. If she had known them, maybe she would look forward to settling down herself one day. But not for a long time—and certainly not with Ian.

Chapter Two

When Carly entered the front door of the ranch house, unexpected grief struck her like a wallop to the chest.

The inside walls were lined with boxes stacked two and three high, each one carefully labeled with what was inside. Carly had known that her new sister-in-law had first inventoried and then packed up Granny’s belongings, but that still hadn’t prepared her for the heartbreaking sight.

Seeing a lifetime of memories all boxed up, especially the plaques, pictures and knickknacks that made the ranch a home, reminded her that Granny was gone and the Leaning R would soon belong to someone else. And for the first time in Carly’s life, coming home wasn’t the least bit comforting.

As she wandered through the empty house like a lost child, the ache in her chest grew as hard and cold as dry ice.

Needing comfort—or a sense of place—she hurried to the kitchen, where she and Granny had spent a lot of time together. She nearly cried with joy at the familiar surroundings. It was the only room that still bore Granny’s touch, the only place that still offered a safe haven from the disappointment of the outside world.

She studied the faded blue wallpaper, with its straw baskets holding wildflowers. The colors, now yellowed with age, had once brightened the kitchen where Carly had often joined Granny before mealtimes and begged to help her cook and bake.

The elderly woman had been more of a mother to Carly than the one who’d given birth to her and then left her in the care of nannies for most of her childhood. Of course, Raelynn Fallon would say that wasn’t true. And no one argued with Raelynn, least of all her daughter, who’d been asked to refer to her by her first name because Mama made her sound so old and matronly.

Was it any wonder their mother-daughter relationship hadn’t been all that warm and loving?

Thank God for Granny, who’d been the only parental role model Carly had ever had. For that reason, she’d grieved more for her great-grandma’s passing last year than she had when word came of her father’s fatal car accident in Mexico four months ago.

Carly glanced at the cat-shaped clock on wall, its drooping black tail swinging back and forth with each tick-tock.

Life went on, she supposed. But now she was at a loss. There’d been plenty to do on her last trip home, but that was no longer the case. Jason had hired Juliana to inventory and pack Granny’s belongings before he’d fallen in love with the woman and married her. And while Carly was tempted to unpack the boxes and return everything to where it belonged, she couldn’t very well do that.

So what was she going to do with her time, especially since she was trying to avoid Ian?

Her gaze landed on the countertop, where she spotted Granny’s old recipe box. She reached for the familiar, white metal container, with the scene of a mountain meadow hand painted on the outside. She lifted the lid and studied the yellowed tabs, bent from use.

Appetizers, beverages, breads, cakes...

She thumbed through the cookie recipes, which had always been her favorites. Granny had made little handwritten notes on the back of most of them. What a treat to be able to read her great-grandmother’s thoughts tonight, especially when she knew sleep wouldn’t come easy.

After rummaging through the pantry for a box of herbal tea, Carly filled the teapot with water, then put it on the stove to heat. Next, she took a seat at the antique oak table to begin reading through Granny’s recipes as well as the notes on the backs of them.

She’d no more than pulled out the stack of cards listed under cookies when her cell phone rang. She glanced at the display. It was Heather, who was still performing in the show in San Antonio, the one Carly had once starred in and then had to quit.

“Hey,” Carly said. “What’s up?”

“I called to check on you. How are you feeling?”

“A lot better, although I’ve been pretty tired lately. I think that’s from burning the candle at both ends—and that bug I had really wore me down.”

“You probably ought to talk to a doctor.”

“I plan to get some sleep while I’m on the ranch. I never rest as well as I do out here. If that doesn’t work, I’ll make an appointment to see mine.”

“But how are you feeling otherwise? I mean, starring in that show was really important to you. And the director wasn’t happy when you had to quit. Wasn’t he the one who told you he’d put in a good word for you with his buddy in Nashville?”

“Yes, he was. So I doubt that he’ll do that now. But I’ve been disappointed before.” By people, by life events. Fortunately, Carly had learned to shake it off and to pivot in a new direction, if she needed to. “Don’t worry. I’ll find another gig soon.”

“Good. You really need to get your career jump-started before you get to feeling maternal and lay that dream aside for a husband who doesn’t appreciate you and a slew of whining kids.”

Heather, who’d grown up as the oldest in a family of seven, had spent more time babysitting her younger siblings than being a child herself. So it wasn’t any wonder she felt that way.

If truth be told, Carly had once dreamed of having a family of her own someday, with two kids, a dog and a house in the suburbs. She’d also told herself she’d find a husband who would be willing to coparent and who’d promise not to work or be absent on holidays. But two years ago, her gynecologist had nipped that wishful thinking in the bud when she’d told Carly that due to a hormonal imbalance and a sketchy menstrual cycle she probably wouldn’t ever be able to conceive.

But true to form, Carly had shaken off that girlish dream, instead focusing on her career. Besides, she’d told herself, with the lack of parenting she’d experienced, what kind of mother would she make anyway?

“Don’t worry about me falling in love and giving up my singing career, Heather. I’ll make it happen.”

“I’m glad to hear it. And I love your can-do attitude.” Her friend blew out a sigh. “But please give me a call after you talk to the doctor. I’ve been worried about you.”

Now that Granny was gone, there weren’t too many people who actually worried about Carly. She suspected Braden did, and Jason. The two of them had become a lot closer lately, especially since love and romance had softened her oldest brother.

“Thanks, Heather. If it turns out that I have to make an appointment, I’ll let you know.”

When she disconnected the call, Carly glanced down at the recipe cards in her hand. She flipped through them until she spotted one of her favorites.

Sugar cookies. What fun Carly used to have rolling out the dough and cutting them into shapes, especially at Christmas. Then she and Granny would frost them. She turned over the card. In blue ink, Granny had written:

Carly’s favorite. The holidays aren’t the same without these cookies. That precious child’s eyes light up in pure joy. Warms my heart so.

Then, in pencil, she’d added: “It was a sad day when she grew too old to bake with me anymore.”

Carly remembered Granny’s last Christmas. She’d called and invited her to come over and bake cookies. “Just for old times’ sake,” Granny had added.

But Carly had been too busy. It hadn’t been the first time she’d declined to visit Granny or to spend time in this old kitchen, but it had certainly been the last.

Was that the day Granny had penciled the note?

Guilt welled up in Carly’s chest until it clogged her throat and brought tears to her eyes.

“Granny,” she said aloud, “I’m going to bake a batch of sugar cookies for old times’ sake. And before your kitchen is packed away.”

Carly set the card aside and pulled out another. Brownies. No one made them like Granny. And this particular recipe had a fudge frosting that was to die for. On the back, Granny had written, “Men and boys can’t say no to these! They make good peace offerings. And good bribes, too!”

The teapot on the stove whistled. After setting aside a stack of recipes she intended to bake, including Granny’s Texas chocolate cake, Carly poured a cup of hot water into a cup, then tore open a packet of chamomile tea and let it steep.

With nothing on her agenda for this trip home—and most of the packing already done—she reached into the kitchen desk drawer, pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen. Then she began a long grocery list.

She had no idea what she was going to do with everything she intended to bake, but it was going to do her heart good. And right now, her heart needed all the good it could get.

* * *

As the summer sun climbed high in the Texas sky, Ian came out of the barn with Cheyenne tagging behind him. Carly had taken off a couple of hours ago, but he’d been in the south pasture at the time and had only watched her pickup driving down the county road.

He had no right to know where she was going, he supposed, but that didn’t make him any less curious.

Still, as he headed for the corral, where Jesse Ramirez, one of the teenage boys Jason had hired, was painting the rails, Carly drove up. At least she hadn’t taken one look at the packed-up house last night and blasted out of town at first light. Apparently, she planned to stick around for a while.

When she waved at him, his pulse spiked. But then why wouldn’t it? Carly Rayburn was every cowboy’s dream—a five-foot-two-inch blonde, blue-eyed beauty with a soft Southern twang and a body built for snug denim and white lace.

She was dressed to kill today in boots, black jeans and a blue frilly blouse. With her blond curls tumbling down her shoulders, she looked as though she was ready for one of the rides they used to take together, and he was half tempted to call it a day and suggest they do just that. But Carly had hitched her wagon to a different star and sought the fame and glory Ian had been happy to leave behind.

Of course, she had no idea who Ian had once been or why he’d given it all up. It was a secret he meant to keep now that he was living in small-town obscurity and going by his given name.

As she climbed from the truck and closed the driver’s door, she said, “I don’t suppose you’d want to help me carry some of this stuff into the house.”

“Sure. What have you got there?”

“Groceries.”

He glanced at the bags and boxes that filled the entire bed of her truck, then blew out a whistle. “What is all this? Flour, sugar, cocoa...? You planning to open a bakery?”

She laughed with that soft lilt that stirred his blood and lent a unique sound to her singing voice. “Maybe I should. I found Granny’s recipe box last night. She made notes on the back of the cards. And since I couldn’t sleep, I spent a long time reading over them and reminiscing. So I started making a grocery list, and... Well, it looks like I’m going to do some baking. I’ll just have to find someone to give it to, or I’ll end up looking like a Butterball turkey.”

“Hey, don’t forget where I live. I haven’t had homemade goodies in ages. I favor chocolate, but I’m not fussy. If it’s sweet, I’ll give it a try.”

She blessed him with a pretty smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

As they carried the groceries into the kitchen, she said, “Guess who I ran into at the market? Earl Tellis, the owner of the Stagecoach Inn.”

“He was shopping?” Ian laughed. “I didn’t figure him for being all that domestic.”

“Neither did I, especially during daylight hours. But his wife had her appendix removed a couple of days ago, so he’s helping out around the house.”

Ian didn’t respond. He sometimes drove out to the honky-tonk on weekend evenings, but for the most part, he didn’t like crowds, especially as the night wore on and some folks tended to drink to excess and get rowdy. He’d certainly seen his share of it in the past. And he’d done his share of whooping it up, too. But he was pretty much a teetotaler now. He wanted to prove that he could say no and knew when to quit—unlike his old man.

“Earl asked if I’d come out and perform on Saturday night,” Carly added.

“Good for you.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not the big time by any means, but it’s a place to perform while I’m here.” She bit down on her bottom lip.

Uh-oh. Ian had an idea where her thoughts were going.

“Earl asked if I had a band,” she added. “I told him no, but that I might be able to find a guitarist.”

“Who’d you have in mind?” He knew the answer, though, and his gut clenched.

“You, of course.”

Ian shook his head. “I told you I’m not a performer.”

“You don’t know that yet—not if you don’t try it first. Come on. Help me out this once. Without you, Earl’s not going to want me.” She bit down on her lip again, then blinked at him with those little ol’ cocker spaniel eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

Her lips parted, and her eyes grew wide. “Like what?”

He folded his arms across his chest. “I’m not your daddy who used to give in to that little sad face.”

She slapped her hands on her denim clad hips and went from cocker spaniel to junkyard dog in nothing flat. “I’m not doing any such thing! And I never tried to work my dad like that.”

Ian arched a brow in objection. “Come on, Carly. I saw you do it.”

“When?”

“That first day you met me. When your dad stopped by and found out that the old foreman had retired and Granny chose me to replace him.”

“My dad hadn’t been happy to learn that Reuben Montoya had gone back to Mexico. And I was afraid he would do something...stupid.”

“Like what?”

“Chase after him, I guess. Or fire you before we had a chance to see if you could handle Reuben’s job.” She gave a little shrug. “I was only trying to change the subject and give him something else to think about. But I didn’t ‘work’ him the way you’re implying.”

“That wasn’t the only time. And you were good at it, too. But it won’t work on me.”

“That’s not fair, Ian. You make it sound like I’m a big flirt or a spoiled brat. And I’m neither.”

Not by nature, he supposed. But when you grew up with an ultrarich father who thought throwing money at his kids was the same as saying I love you, it was probably hard not to try to get your way on occasion.

“I’m not trying to offend you or stir you up. And I don’t want to thwart your chance at performing locally, but I’m not interested in playing guitar down at the Stagecoach Inn.”

“Do you get nervous playing for a crowd?”

“Nope.” Stage fright had never been an issue. “I just don’t want to.” That was the same reason he’d given Felicia Jamison, of country music fame, when he’d told her he was quitting the band. And she hadn’t taken it any easier then than Carly was now. But he didn’t figure he owed either of them any further explanation, although he probably should have given Felicia an earful.

Ten years ago, Felicia had been an up-and-coming singer when she’d hired Ian to be her lead guitarist. And the fit had been magical. Felicia could really rock the house with her voice, but it was Ian’s songwriting that had helped her soar in popularity.

Most of her fans might not have heard of Mac McAllister, but he’d still earned a name for himself within the country music industry.

So far, no one in Brighton Valley knew who he was. Felicia had the face people would recognize. Ian had only been a member of her band, but if he put himself out in the limelight again, the greater chance he had of someone recognizing him and word of where he was getting out. And he’d been dead serious when he’d told Felicia that he was retiring.

“Then I guess you can’t blame me if I try to change your mind,” Carly said.

Ian wasn’t sure how she intended to go about that, but the truth of the matter was, he still found Carly as sexy as hell. And while she’d made it clear that she didn’t want their fling to start up all over again, he wasn’t so sure he felt the same way.

* * *

Carly had never been one to take no for an answer—especially since she hadn’t been entirely honest with Ian. Not only had Earl Tellis asked her to perform on Saturday night, but she’d already made the commitment—for both her and a guitarist.

And since Ian could be rather stubborn, she had her work cut out for her. She also had a batch of chewy, chocolaty brownies with fudge frosting that were sure to impress the handsome cowboy. After all, hadn’t Granny said they made good bribes?

And that was exactly what Carly hoped to use them for this evening—a bribe to soften up Ian. So after dinner she put on a pretty yellow dress and slipped on her denim jacket and a pair of boots. Then she spent a little extra time on her makeup and hair before carrying a platter of brownies to his cabin.

Just like the night before, when she returned from the wedding, she found him sitting on his front porch, strumming his guitar. Only this time, he was playing a different tune, one that had a haunting melody, and singing the heart-stirring lyrics.

Not surprising, she thought it was just as memorable, just as good, as the one he’d written for his grandparents.

He stopped playing when she approached and cast her a heart-strumming smile instead.

“Was that another new song?” she asked, assuming it was and adjusting the platter in her arms.

“Yep.”

Ian didn’t realize how talented he was. Not only could he play and sing, but he had a way with lyrics, too. Most musicians would give up their birthrights to be able to write songs the way he could.

He set his guitar aside, next to where Cheyenne lay snoozing. “What do you have there? Did you bring dessert?”

Whoever said that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach must have been spot-on. She just hoped Granny’s brownies were as persuasive as the note on the recipe suggested they were.

Carly stepped up on the porch and lifted the foil covering from the platter. “This is my first attempt to make Granny’s blue-ribbon brownies. Tell me what you think.”

Ian reached for one of the frosted squares and took a bite. As he chewed, his eyes closed and his expression morphed into one of such pleasure that she didn’t need a verbal response. But when she got one, it was just what she’d expected.

“These are awesome, Carly. I had no idea you could bake like this.”

She hoped he didn’t get any ideas about her changing careers, because there was no way that would ever happen. “Thanks, but it was just a matter of following the directions on the recipe card. Granny was the baker in the family.”

“That’s for sure. A couple of days after I started working here, your great-grandmother asked me to have dinner with her.” He burst into a broad grin, his eyes glimmering. “Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh green beans. I’ll never forget that meal—or any of the others that followed. I would have done anything Granny asked me to do just to get another invitation to sit at her table.”

That’s the magic Carly hoped the brownies would work for her. She offered Ian a warm smile. “Granny loved cooking and baking for people.”

“She sure did. I really lucked out when I landed a job on the Leaning R. And not because I needed the work. I’d been homesick, so we kind of filled a need for each other.”

Guilt swirled up inside again, twisting Carly’s tummy into a knot. “I guess she was lonely after my brothers and I grew up and didn’t need her to look after us anymore.”

“She understood that kids should have a life of their own. But it was your father who seemed to abandon her. He got so caught up in his life and his business that she often felt neglected and forgotten.”

“I know. Granny said as much to me. His parents died in a small plane crash when he was a kid, and Granny raised him until his maternal grandfather insisted he attend college in California. That side of the family was very rich, and he was smitten by the glitz and glamour.”

“Granny didn’t hold that against him,” Ian said. “But she still thought he should have called to check on her or stopped in to visit more often than he did.”

Carly knew how the older woman felt. Heck, they all did. Charles Rayburn had been very generous with his money, but not with his time. And both of her brothers would agree.

“I hope I didn’t let Granny down,” she said.

“She never mentioned anything to me about you kids disappointing her.”

Carly studied the handsome cowboy who seemed to have become her great-grandma’s confidant at the end. “The two of you must have become pretty tight.”

He gave a shrug. “I grew up with my grandparents, too. When I got tired of roaming and doing my own thing, I wanted to move back home. But by that time, Granddad had already retired, sold the ranch and moved to Florida to live near my uncle and his family. So I had to find another place to fall back on. That’s when I met Granny. Three years ago. I was passing through Brighton Valley and stopped to have breakfast at Caroline’s Diner. Granny needed an extra hand, and I wanted a job. Things ended up working out well for both of us.”

“I guess it did. But there’s something I’ve always wondered and never asked. Why did you stay on, especially now that things are so up in the air? It would seem to me that you’d look for work on a ranch that’s more stable—and more successful.”

Ian studied the pretty blonde, her curls tumbling along her shoulders, her blue eyes bright, the lashes thick and lush without the need for mascara.