Jackson Hole Valentine

When he’d first seen Meg his breath had caught in his throat. She was even more beautiful than she’d been in high school. Despite knowing he was playing with fire, Cole couldn’t resist slanting another glance in her direction.

The beauty, which had showed such promise at sixteen, had been fulfilled. The red in her hair had deepened to a rich auburn, the vibrant color a perfect foil for her creamy complexion. From what he could see, her curves were still there, only more womanly than girlish. Her legs were as he remembered: long, slender and sexy as hell.

Ryan cleared his throat and Cole realized he’d been staring like a lovesick seventeen-year-old. Which he wasn’t. Not seventeen. Certainly not lovesick.

“What k-kind of changes did they make?” Margaret asked.

Cole heard the uncertainty in her tone. Obviously Joy or Ty had promised her something. Though he couldn’t imagine there would be much of anything left. The infertility treatments they’d been undergoing had taken all of their savings and then some.

Cole shifted position, hoping to take some pressure off his knee. The surgeon had warned him that if he flew so soon after surgery he was asking for trouble. Dr. Jones had been right. Even the extra leg room in first class hadn’t helped.

He thought of the bottle of pain pills in his luggage with a twinge of regret but then realized even if they were in his pocket right now, he wouldn’t take them. A man had to be alert to care for an active six-year-old.

“The change affects the custody of Charlie.” Ryan cast an apologetic look in his direction.

In his direction.

Cole went hot, then cold. He told himself Joy wouldn’t have cut him out of Charlie’s life. And Ty, he’d talked about wanting his son to have a male role model if anything should happen to him.

None of this was making any sense. Not Joy and Ty making changes to their will that would cause Ryan to look at him apologetically. Not Meg being here. And certainly not the feeling which suddenly gripped him and whispered his life was about to be turned upside down.

“What kind of change?” Meg asked, her tone as tightly strung as a guitar string.

“This was a difficult decision for them,” Ryan said. “Not made lightly.”

“Quit talking around it, Ryan.” Cole pinned his friend with his gaze. “Give it to me straight.”

A look of gratitude filled Meg’s eyes for the briefest of seconds before her lids lowered.

Cole scowled. He didn’t want her gratitude. Didn’t want anything except her gone.

Ryan stared down at the paper on the desk then looked up. “You’re not going to like this—”

“Ryan,” Cole growled, his patience depleted.

“Instead of giving sole custody to either one of you—” Ryan spoke quickly “—Joy and Ty decided that it would be best if you shared custody.”

Meg gasped.

Cole swore he could hear her heart pounding. Or was that his? Regardless, he must have misunderstood. He cleared his throat. “If who shared custody?”

Ryan met his gaze. “You and Margaret.”

“That’s absurd.” Meg’s green eyes flashed, showing a bit of the spirit he remembered.

“Ryan.” Cole gripped the sides of his chair until his knuckles turned white. “There is no me and Margaret.”

“Their will is very specific on that matter.” The attorney rose to his feet and smiled. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, can I get either one of you a soda or a bottle of water before we go through the specifics?”

Margaret fought the urge to laugh hysterically. Her entire world had been turned upside down and Ryan wanted to give her a bottle of water?

“Forget the water,” she muttered. “Give me a scotch.”

She wasn’t sure where the words came from. When she drank—which was rarely—she preferred wine over hard liquor.

Cole’s hand dropped to massage his leg. “Make mine a double.”

Ryan’s eyes widened before he chuckled and reached inside a small refrigerator. “Three bottles of water coming right up.”

Share custody with Cole? Was that really what the attorney had said?

Margaret closed her eyes. She had to be dreaming. Other than a nightmare, there could be no other explanation. But when she opened her eyes, Ryan was pushing a cold plastic bottle into her hand and Cole Lassiter still sat beside her.

“Read it again, Ry.” Cole unscrewed the cap on his bottle. “Ty and Joy asked me if I’d raise Charlie if anything should happen to them. That was Labor Day weekend. Not even three months ago. They didn’t mention one word about sharing custody with her.”

Cole jerked a thumb in her direction.

“Well, when they asked me, they never said you’d be in the picture,” Margaret retorted, even as her heart sank. If Cole was telling the truth, his conversation with Joy had been much more recent than hers.

“Children, stop right now. I want us all to take a deep breath.” By the smile tugging at his lips, Ryan appeared more amused than troubled by their reactions. “There are some terms and conditions to being appointed Charlie’s guardians. Terms you will need to carefully consider.”

Margaret didn’t need to consider anything. The little boy who’d sobbed in her arms needed her. Not to mention she’d promised Joy and Ty she’d take care of him. And, unlike the man sitting beside her, her word meant something.

Ryan took a sip of his water then gestured for her to do the same.

Although Margaret wasn’t particularly thirsty, she brought the bottle to her lips and let the cool liquid run down her throat. To her surprise, she felt herself relax. This would be okay. Joy had been her friend. She wouldn’t have put Margaret in a bad position.

Cole placed his water on the desk, a look of steely determination in his eyes. “I want to hear the terms, then I want a copy of the will for my attorneys to go over.”

“Oh, my attorneys,” Margaret said in a mocking tone. “If that was an attempt to impress me—or perhaps even scare me—let me tell you right now, it didn’t work.”

His gaze met hers and for a second she recalled what it felt like to drown in those eyes.

“I run a business so I have attorneys.” Cole’s expression darkened. “Trust me, I couldn’t care less if I impress you or not.”

Trust him? Margaret would sooner trust a weasel. But trust him or not, if Cole had an attorney, she’d best get one, too. But while she knew several lawyers in Nebraska, they didn’t deal with custody issues. Hadn’t Lexi said her husband, Nick, was a family-law attorney? “I’d like a copy also. For my attorney to review.”

Cole pressed his lips together and shifted positions.

“I’ll get the papers run off for you,” Ryan said, suddenly all business. “Now about the terms…”

Margaret reached into her bag and retrieved a small notepad and pen. As Ryan read, she took notes. Her horror grew with each additional stipulation. By the time the attorney finished, Margaret was ready to forget the glass of scotch. She needed a whole bottle.

“Let me get this straight.” Margaret spoke slowly and distinctly in an attempt to calm her nerves. “We have to remain in Jackson Hole until the end of the school year?”

Ryan nodded. “Ty and Joy didn’t want Charlie to face any more changes than necessary, at least not initially.”

“But my job and my apartment are in Omaha.” While Margaret had eventually hoped to one day move back to Jackson Hole, the reality was her life was in Nebraska. She could look for another position in Jackson Hole, but she still had four months left on her lease. No way could she incur the expense of moving and pay double rent.

“My company headquarters are based out of Austin, but I’ll relocate to Jackson Hole immediately.” Though Cole spoke to Ryan, he slanted a glance in Margaret’s direction. “No problem.”

Margaret could feel Charlie slipping away and for a second she felt powerless. Then she remembered something her dad used to say—can’t was a word people used when they were unwilling to make sacrifices. Well, that wasn’t her. She straightened in her seat. “I’ll make it work.”

A look of surprise skittered across Cole’s face so quickly she wondered if she’d only imagined it. Nah, he was surprised. He apparently thought she’d roll over and play dead. Well, he’d soon realize that she wasn’t that same shy sixteen-year-old whose heart he’d walked over and discarded like yesterday’s trash.

“What happens after the school year ends?” Margaret asked.

“You’re free to relocate back to Nebraska or Texas.” Ryan took another sip of water. “But you’ll continue to share custody. You’d have to make arrangements that will work for you and Charlie.”

“I don’t understand why they did this.” Cole’s mouth twisted. “Putting Charlie in the middle of a tug-of-war between the two of us couldn’t be what they wanted for him.”

Margaret was glad he’d brought it up. She’d been thinking the same thing. It was as if Joy and Ty had handed custody of their precious son to a divorced couple.

“They knew you both well enough to know you wouldn’t let that happen,” Ryan said, his expression suddenly serious. “They believed you would always put Charlie’s welfare and happiness first.”

Margaret stared down at her hands, praying she’d prove worthy of her friend’s faith in her.

“That said,” Ryan continued, “if either of you leaves Jackson Hole for more than a week at a time during this initial period, the other will be granted sole custody of Charlie.”

Seven days wasn’t a lot of time to quit her job, pack up her apartment and find a place to live in Jackson Hole. It was the last part that would be the hardest. In the ten years she’d been looking to come back, rent in the area had soared. And most landlords were demanding two months of rent as a deposit.

Margaret had money in savings but it wouldn’t last long, especially if she had to pay an attorney. Once her money ran out, there would be no one to help. The only sibling with any disposable income was her older brother, Travis. Still, with five young children and a new house in the mountains, he had his own responsibilities.

“If you’re not going to be able to do it,” Cole said in a low tone, “it’d be best to back out now.”

“That little boy needs a mother.” Margaret met his gaze, her voice strong and sincere. “I’m not going to let him down.”

Shortly after the copies had been made and another appointment scheduled for later in the week, the three made their way to the outer office.

Ryan was showing Cole his saddle when the door opened.

“Uncle Cole.” Charlie’s eyes lit up and before anyone could stop him, the little boy barreled across the room and slammed into him.

Cole felt the knee give way at the same moment Meg’s arm slipped around him, giving him much-needed stability and a good strong jolt of déjà vu.

The light floral scent of her perfume, the feel of her body next to his… took him back to a time when she was his whole world. His body prickled with awareness.

Meg smiled down at the boy, seemingly unaffected. “Whoa, partner. Your uncle Cole just had knee surgery. Go gentle on him.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt him.” Charlie turned to Cole. “Did I hurt you?”

Cole’s heart melted and he shook his head.

A tiny frown worried Meg’s brow. He could tell she found Charlie’s exuberant greeting disturbing. Obviously she hadn’t realized how close Charlie was to him. His smile widened.

“Honey,” Lexi prompted, stepping forward and resting a hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “Didn’t you have some pictures you wanted to share?”

“I have one for you and one for you.” Charlie pointed to Cole then to Meg.

“Hey, what about me?” Ryan asked in a teasing tone.

“Nope.” Charlie’s head shook back and forth. “None for you.”

Ryan chuckled. “The story of my life.”

Everyone laughed and Charlie looked up at Lexi. “Where are my pictures?”

“Right here, buckaroo.” Lexi opened a large drawing pad and pulled out about ten different sheets of paper, with an assortment of pictures done in crayon.

Charlie slowly perused each one, his brows pulled together in thought.

“Thanks for catching me,” Cole said in a low tone meant for Meg’s ears only. Just because he wanted nothing to do with her didn’t mean he couldn’t be civil.

“If you’d gone down, you’d have taken Charlie with you,” she responded in a matter-of-fact tone. “Couldn’t have that.”

Cole searched her cool green eyes. Though her expression gave nothing away, he had the distinct feeling she was angry with him. Which made absolutely no sense. If either of them had a reason to be bitter over their breakup all those years ago, it was him.

“This one is for you.” Charlie shoved a picture into Cole’s hand.

He glanced at the paper. Two stick figures, one big, one little, were standing by a bright blue lake under a huge yellow sun, fishing.

“I know this place.” Cole smiled. “It’s the lake where we spent the day together last summer.”

“Yep.” The little boy rocked back on his boot heels in a gesture reminiscent of Ty. “That’s you and me.”

Cole tightened his grip on the picture; the first Charlie had ever given him. It meant a lot to know the excursion had been a special memory, not only for him, but for Charlie, as well.

“Thanks, buddy.” Cole tousled the child’s dark hair. “I’ll put this up in my hotel room.”

“If you have a ‘frigerator, you could put it there,” the boy said with an eagerness that touched Cole’s heart. “That’s where my mommy puts all my pictures.”

Cole exchanged a glance with Meg. Or maybe it was a wordless plea. It was getting close to the time Charlie had to leave and he wanted the encounter to end on as upbeat a note as possible. In a second he could see Charlie realizing that his mommy would no longer be putting up his pictures.

Meg seemed to understand, because she stepped forward.

“And what do you have for me?” She crouched down so she was at eye level with the boy.

“This one.” Charlie brandished another picture with a flourish. “I ‘membered you like flowers.”

That much hadn’t changed, Cole thought. When they’d been together, Meg had loved all kinds of flowers. He wondered if daisies were still her favorite.

“You’ve got a great memory. And you’re right. I do love flowers.” Meg opened her arms to the boy. “Let me give you a ‘thank you’ hug.”

Charlie went easily into Meg’s arms, nestling his head against her shoulder.

Cole’s heart gave a ping. He’d been feeling pretty good about the boy’s greeting. And the picture, well, fishing was just the kind of thing a boy did with a dad.

But what he was witnessing now brought back memories of how his mother had been before his dad died and she’d turned man-crazy. She used to brush his hair back from his face and kiss his forehead, like Meg was doing to Charlie now. Would Charlie miss having a mother?

Cole shoved the thought aside. Certainly it would be ideal if he were married so Charlie could have both a mother and a father, but being single didn’t mean he couldn’t be a good parent to the boy.

“Do I get to go home with you and Uncle Cole?” Charlie slipped from Meg’s arms and his gaze shifted from her to Cole. “My pajamas and Mickey Mouse toothbrush are in the car.”

Ryan shot the social worker a questioning look.

Lexi smiled apologetically. “I wasn’t sure how things would work today, so I packed his bag.”

“It’ll be a few days before we have all the arrangements made,” Ryan said, his gaze darting to the boy.

“No worries. Ever since—” The social worker paused and appeared to be carefully considering her words. “For the past week Charlie has been staying with Derek and Rachel Rossi under emergency foster care.”

Meg’s brows pulled together. “The names sound awfully familiar.”

Cole nodded. “I was thinking the same thing.”

“Derek is a former major league pitcher,” Ryan explained. “He’s now an expert sports commentator. So you’ve probably seen him on TV or at least heard his name. He and his wife, Rachel, live part of the year in Jackson Hole.”

“And both of them are friends of your brother Travis and his wife,” Lexi added, glancing at Meg. “Rachel has done emergency foster care for years. Charlie has really enjoyed staying at their house.”

“I like it there,” Charlie agreed. “But I’d rather be with you.”

Cole would have liked it better if the boy had been looking only at him when he’d expressed the sentiment. Instead his hope-filled eyes definitely included Meg.

“Soon,” Meg said with a reassuring smile.

“We’ll be together before you know it,” Cole promised.

“It was nice meeting you both.” Lexi smiled. “But we should hit the road. I need to get Charlie back to the house. Rachel mentioned something about letting the kids make homemade pizza tonight and—”

“She told me if I came back I could put on the pepperoni.” Charlie grabbed Lexi’s hand and tugged on it. “We better hurry.”

Thankfully, because Charlie was so eager to leave, there were no lingering goodbyes. In a matter of seconds the social worker and the little boy were out the door and down the hall.

Cole assumed Lexi planned it that way, to make it easier on Charlie. Still, it was hard seeing the child disappear from view, knowing he was going to a stranger’s home.

Soon, Cole reassured himself. Soon, Charlie would be his. And when that happened he would never let him go.

Chapter Three

“It’s good we came when we did.” Ryan glanced around the bar. Dressed like Cole in a flannel shirt, jeans and cowboy boots, the successful attorney appeared ready to kick back and relax. “A couple of hours, we’d be lucky to find a place to stand, much less a table.”

By the time Cole had reached his late twenties, he’d grown tired of the bar scene. But Wally’s Place, a popular Jackson sports bar, had it all: pool, darts, karaoke and, according to Ryan, the best burgers in town.

There was a basket of peanuts on every table and if the rough floor was any indication, tossing the empty shells down was not only acceptable behavior, but encouraged. Their waitress was pretty and more than a little flirtatious, but Cole wasn’t interested. He had more important things on his mind tonight.

“What do you think the odds are she’ll walk away?” Cole took a bite of his burger then washed it down with club soda.

“I don’t know Margaret well.” Ryan took a sip of his Guinness. “In fact, I had to have someone at the funeral point her out to me.”

“I feel badly about missing the service,” Cole said. Margaret’s zinger had hit its target and stuck. “I did everything I could to get here.”

“We were supposed to get a dusting.” Ryan chuckled. “Instead it was a monster storm. But that’s the way this winter has been. Of course, I don’t think the weather is any different than it was when you lived here.”

A sharp pain shot through Cole’s leg. He winced and took another sip of club soda. The way his leg was hurting, he knew he’d have to ice it and pop some pain pills once he got to his hotel room, making alcohol off-limits.

“Of course, give it five minutes and it will change,” Ryan said with a good-natured chuckle.

Cole couldn’t believe they were discussing the changeable Jackson Hole climate when there were more important issues on the table. He forced a casual tone. “So what do you think of Margaret?”

“‘Wow’ was the first word that came to my mind, followed quickly by ‘hot.’” Ryan shook his head, a tiny smile playing at the corners of his lips. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice her back in high school.”

Cole experienced a twinge of something that felt an awful lot like jealousy—but couldn’t have been—at the look in his friend’s eyes.

“There were a hundred and fifty kids in our class,” Cole reminded him. “She wasn’t part of our group.”

“But you knew her.” Ryan returned the smiles of the two young women in tight blue jeans walking past their table, before leveling his gaze back on Cole. “Meg? Isn’t that what you called her?”

It had been a slip. He’d been so startled to see her he hadn’t been thinking straight. “We may have talked a couple times.”

Actually, he and Meg had done a lot more than talk. Until he’d discovered that he couldn’t trust her. In a heartbeat she’d gone from being his whole world to being out of his life for good. “What of it?”

“Just that you’d know better than me if she’ll back down.” Ryan cracked open a peanut and tossed the shell to the floor, all the while keeping his gaze focused on Cole. “What do you think? Will she walk away?”

Cole sat back in his seat. He pushed the basket of peanuts closer to Ryan, no longer hungry. “Not a chance in hell.”

Two days later, Meg pulled up to the house Cole had rented just outside of Wilson. According to Ryan, Cole had gotten the mountain home fully furnished at a “great deal.”

She turned off the ignition of her rental car and took a moment to survey the large two-story stone-and-log structure. Cole must have done well for himself over the years. The “great deals” she’d been looking at in Jackson Hole were a tenth this size, barely inhabitable and a fortune to rent.

Her brother and sister-in-law had told her she and Charlie were welcome to stay with them. It was a generous offer, but Meg worried Charlie would get swallowed up in the chaos of five children under the age of seven. Still, it might be her only option if—

A light tap on the car window pulled Meg from her reverie.

Ryan stood outside the car, wearing a ski cap and parka. Coupled with his jeans and waterproof hiker boots, he looked more like a college-age ski bum than a successful Jackson Hole attorney. He clapped his gloved hands together as if trying to keep warm, his breath clearly visible in the frigid air.

Meg smiled. Last night Jackson Hole had been blessed with more snow. The ski resort operators were cheering, and having a thick blanket of the white stuff on the ground made her feel like she was truly home.

Ryan motioned with one hand for her to get out of the car.

Slipping her fur-trimmed hood up, Meg pushed the door open and cautiously stepped out. The road to the mountain home had held a hint of a glaze and she wanted to be certain of her footing.

She glanced around but the attorney appeared to be alone.

“You didn’t bring Charlie with you?” She couldn’t keep the disappointment from her tone.

“We can talk inside.” Ryan took her arm as they approached the house, giving her additional stability on the slick sidewalk. “It’s freezing out here.”

“Wuss,” Meg teased until a blast of extra-frigid air hit her face. She picked up her pace and this time it was Ryan’s turn to laugh.

“I was looking forward to seeing Charlie.” Meg had thought about him often the past couple of days. She’d even considered having Travis invite Rachel and Derek over. In the end she’d decided against the plan, not wanting to do anything that might jeopardize her chance for custody.

“I thought it’d be best if the boy wasn’t around when we hashed out the details.” Ryan tightened his grip on her arm as they navigated the steps to the front porch.

“You didn’t want him traumatized by the yelling and screaming?” Meg said with a wry smile.

“I’m not anticipating any of that.” Ryan reached around her to press the doorbell. “You and Cole are rational adults who want only what’s best for Charlie. Having you two at each other’s throats would only increase the child’s stress.”

Meg had to grudgingly agree. Although the image of being at Cole’s throat did hold a certain appeal.

Meg pressed her hand against her thigh as the wind whipped at her wool skirt. Thankfully she had tights and boots on today as well as a heavy sweater. “I’ve been looking for an apartment.”

Ryan’s finger jabbed the doorbell again before casting a curious glance her way. “How’s that going?”

“Could be better.” Meg wrapped her arms around herself for extra warmth. “Even the dumps are expensive.”