Coming Home to a Cowboy

Cody appeared at the top of the bus steps, looking exactly like his pictures. His cowlick was misbehaving, causing pieces of his hair to spring in different directions, and as soon as he saw Kade, his mouth fell open.

Another boy, a freckled redhead who resembled the girls who’d just gone by, was behind him saying, “Oh, man. Is that your dad?” and giving him an excited little shove. The driver, a middle-aged woman, reprimanded the ginger-haired boy, who Kade figured was probably the younger brother of the nosy twins.

It was like watching a movie and being part of it at the same time. Cody finally exited the vehicle and walked up to Kade. For a kid who was supposed to be chatty, he was being awfully quiet.

The other boy gawked at them as he made his way down the steps, nearly tripping on the road as his feet hit the ground.

“That’s my friend,” Cody said. “His name is Jason.”

“Hi, Jason.” Kade gave him a quick wave. He’d never expected Cody’s first words to him to be about someone else.

“Hi,” Jason replied with a toothy grin. As he walked off, his smile still in place, he said, “See ya, Cody.”

“Bye.” Cody grinned, too.

And what a smile. Kade could hardly breathe. Should he shake his son’s hand? Lean down to hug him? Smooth his hair?

“You surprised me,” Cody said, staring at him in what could only be described as wonder. By now, more kids were getting off the bus and looking their way.

Kade couldn’t take credit for the surprise. “It was your mom’s idea.”

Cody glanced over at her. “My dad’s really here, and at my bus stop, too, where everyone can see him.”

“Yes, he’s really here.” Bridget came forward. “Why don’t we all go back to the house and I’ll make you guys a snack.”

“Are you hungry?” Cody asked Kade.

Food was the furthest thing from his mind. He was still having trouble breathing. But he didn’t want to put a damper on the mood so he said, “Your mom already fed me earlier, but I can always eat.”

“Me, too.” Cody shifted his backpack. “What’s your favorite food?”

And that was how the Q&A session began. The ten-year-old interviewed him on the walk home, relentless in his pursuit to know his father. Kade could barely keep up with the rapid succession of questions, so he merely spouted whatever came to mind off the top of his head.

“Jeez, kiddo,” his mom said as they entered the front door. “Give the man a chance to think.”

“Am I bugging you?” Cody asked, gazing up at him with soulful eyes.

“No, not at all.” He finally took a chance and touched his son’s hair, smoothing the strands in front, which didn’t do a bit of good. They popped right back up. “You could never bug me.”

“See, Mom?” the youngster said. “He likes me asking him questions.”

Kade looked over at Bridget, feeling beautifully overwhelmed by the child they’d made. Cody Colton Wells was sweet and funny and spirited. She returned his gaze, and they stared at each other over the top of their son’s head.

“I’m going to show Dad my room,” Cody said to her.

Kade’s heart punched his chest. He’d just officially been called Dad.

“Go ahead.” If Bridget noticed, she didn’t let on. But she did give both father and son a wobbly smile. “I’ll cut up some apples and cheese and bring it to you.”

By now, Kade’s appetite was coming back, so the food was starting to sound good. Or maybe it was just the idea of sharing a snack with his kid. Either way, he was up for it.

“Bring us some cookies, too,” Cody said as he tugged Kade down the hall.

“You know better than that,” his mother called back. “You can’t come home and load up on sweets.”

Cody huffed out a breath. “She’s the one who bakes all that stuff, then she gets mad at me if I eat too much of it. She’s kind of strict about other things, too. Maybe you can loosen her up.”

Kade almost laughed. Cody certainly had a way about him. “I don’t know about that, but I wouldn’t mind a few cookies.”

“Dad wants some cookies!” the kid shouted loud enough to rock the house. Then he lowered his voice and gave Kade a lopsided grin. “She can’t refuse now ’cause you’re a guest.”

At that mischief-making moment, Cody reminded him of Meagan when she was the same age. Kade’s sister had been full of spit and vinegar, too. Of course, that wasn’t a good comparison, not now that Meagan was a convict.

Cody’s room consisted of a platform-style bed draped with a brown quilt, a rugged dresser, a student desk, lots of cluttered shelves and a bank of windows with a view of the backyard.

“This is probably the cleanest it’s ever been,” Cody said, repeating what Bridget had mentioned earlier. “Usually I just leave my dirty clothes on the floor instead of putting them in the hamper. Sometimes I leave other stuff on the floor, too, and it drives Mom crazy when she trips over things. You should hear her go off. Grandpa used to say that Mom can curse like a sailor when she thinks no one is listening.” He plopped down on the bed. “But I put everything away since you were coming.”

Kade couldn’t have been more amused. “I appreciate you cleaning up for me. Now your mom doesn’t have to break her neck.”

“Or curse like a sailor,” Cody reminded him.

“That, too.” Kade sat in the chair at the desk, turning it around to face the bed.

Cody leaned forward and asked, “Do you like to draw?”

“Actually, I do.” Of all the questions so far, it was one of the easiest to answer. “I majored in equine science in college. But I also took some art classes, just for my own enjoyment.”

“Wow. That’s so cool. I love to draw. Mostly comic book–type stuff. I even make my own comic books. What kind of art do you do?”

“I like to sketch landscapes and wildlife and things like that. Horses, too, of course.” Kade quickly asked, “Do you think I could see some of your work?”

“Sure.” Cody bobbed up and riffled through the shelves, producing a stack of comic books he’d made.

As Kade paged through them, he was more than impressed. Cody was a fine little artist. The superheroes he created were down-home guys, fishermen and horsemen who got their powers from taking secret trips to Mars. There was even a farmer who glowed in the dark and flew around on a bullet-shaped tractor.

“These are excellent,” Kade said.

“Thanks.” The kid beamed. “I won an art contest at my school last year.”

“I’m not surprised. You could make a living at this someday.” Kade noticed that one of the comic books featured superhero Natives who lived on a space-aged reservation. “Did you know that I’m part Cheyenne?”

“Yep. Mom told me. She always wanted me to know who I was and where I came from. She was just worried that you traveled too much and wouldn’t be around like a dad should be.”

Kade supposed that this was a conversation that needed to happen, especially since Cody was a no-holds-barred type of kid. “I like being on the road and traveling for my work, but it’s not going to stop me from being your father. You’re my priority now that I know about you.”

“Mom’s dad just went away one day and never came back.”

“I know. She told me about him. But I’m never going to do that to you.”

“You better not, or Mom will kill you.”

Cody’s warning sounded quite serious. But Kade already knew it was no joking matter. “I won’t do anything to hurt either of you.”

“I trust you.” The boy drew his knees up. “But Mom isn’t going to be so easy on you. I heard girls are like that, though.”

“They can be. Or so I’ve heard, as well.” Kade wasn’t an authority on the opposite sex. “Is there a girl you like at school?”

“No.” Cody said it with disgust or embarrassment or whatever it was that was going on in his young mind. Then he asked, “Do you still like my mom?”

Now, that was a loaded question if there ever was one, but he did his best to supply a ready answer. “I still think she’s sweet and pretty. And I’m hoping that she and I will become friends again.”

“It’s taking her a long time to get our snack. But she’s probably being slow on purpose to give us time to talk.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.” And talking they were. Important subjects were being bandied about. “I brought a gift for you. It’s out in my truck, but I’d rather give it to you while your mom is here, so we’ll wait for her.”

“Really? You got something for me? I can hurry Mom up. I can tell her to get cracking.”

“No, that’s okay. Let’s just—”

Too late. Cody was already at the doorway yelling, “Mom! Hurry up! Dad has a present for me!”

Kade had a lot to learn, apparently. Such as not mentioning a gift before you planned on giving it.

Bridget appeared soon enough, carrying a tray with diced apples, cheddar cheese, chocolate-chip cookies and two frosty glasses of milk. “So you told him that you brought him something?”

“Yep. And he doesn’t want to wait.”

She placed the tray on the dresser. “You should see him on Christmas morning.”

“I can only imagine.”

“Come on, you guys,” Cody said. “Let’s get this done. Otherwise I’ll be too anxious to eat the snack.”

Kade looked to Bridget for guidance, and she nodded her acquiescence. Cody had won both the cookie and the get-me-my-present battle, even with his supposedly strict mother.

“I’ll go out to my truck now,” Kade said. As he left the room, he felt Bridget and their son watching him, knowing darn well they were going to talk about him after he was gone.

* * *

Bridget sat next to Cody on the bed, and he sent her an excited smile.

“Dad is so awesome, Mom. He likes to draw and everything. He even took art classes in college. He thinks I could make a living with my comic books someday. Oh, and he promised he’d never go away and not come back. You were wrong about him. He’s not the same as your dad.”

“I’m glad you like him.” But she’d expected as much. Cody already had been building a preconceived notion of his father as a hero, and all Bridget could do was keep hoping and praying that Kade didn’t let him down.

“Did he tell you what my present is?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“Do you think he’ll bring me something every time he visits?”

“I have no idea. But this isn’t about getting gifts.”

“I know. I was just asking what you thought. I asked him if he still likes you, and he said he still thinks you’re sweet and pretty. He wants to be friends with you again.”

She wished Cody hadn’t brought her into it. She was already feeling the heat of being near Kade, of being far too attracted to him. Thinking of him as a friend wasn’t on her radar, but she knew it should be that way, especially for Cody’s sake.

Kade returned with a medium-size box. He hadn’t wrapped it, though, not like Bridget’s dad used to do with her gifts.

He placed it on the bed next to Cody. “Here you go.”

Their son clutched it with glee. “Can I shake it first?”

“Sure. Go ahead.” Kade smiled as he stood beside the dresser, looking tall and dark and cowboy delicious.

Bridget warned herself not to gaze at him with stars in her eyes. She wasn’t a twenty-year-old girl anymore. She’d grown up since then.

Cody shook the heck out of the box, but nothing rattled. He got up and went to his desk and grabbed a pair of scissors.

“Be careful,” Bridget said as he attacked the tape on the box.

“I know, Mom, I know.” He glanced at Kade as if to say women, making her wonder if the temperament of females had been part of their father/son discussion.

Cody got the box open and tore away the packing material. The gift itself was another box, only it was made of aluminum.

“It’s a time capsule,” Kade said. “You’re supposed to put things in that are important to you. Artifacts from your life that you’d want historians to uncover years and years from now. Then you bury it someplace safe. You can even register it online with the company I bought it from so you never forget where you buried it.”

“Oh, wow. Thank you so much.” Cody was over the moon. “Check this out, Mom. A time capsule.”

Bridget figured that Cody would be excited regardless of what it was, simply because it had come from his dad. But she was impressed by what an unusual gift it was. “That was a very clever idea, Kade.”

He replied, “I made one myself when I was about Cody’s age. It was just a coffee can with a plastic lid, so there was no way it was going to stand the test of time. But I didn’t know that then.”

Cody was all ears, listening to his dad’s tale, and so was Bridget, caught in the fascination of it all.

He continued the story. “I got my brother, Tanner, involved. He would have been about seven at the time. I told him to gather up some things so we could put everything in the time capsule together.”

“What type of stuff did you choose?” Cody asked.

“Tanner had a truck-and-trailer toy set that he favored, but he wasn’t willing to part with it. Instead, he contributed one of the little plastic horses that came with it. He tossed in a tiny snap-on saddle, too. I put in a drawing of a palomino I’d done. It was the horse our mom was leasing for us to ride, and its name was Brandy. I signed and dated the picture to make it official. I also put in one of my report cards to provide more information about who I was. I grabbed one of Tanner’s report cards, too, to identify him.”

Cody opened the top of his time capsule and peered inside. Then he glanced up and asked, “Where’d you bury it after you were done filling it?”

“We went to the rental stables where Brandy was being boarded. It was within walking distance from our house. We brought a backpack filled with gardening tools and then found a spot where no one was around and buried it.”

“What do you think happened to it?”

“It probably got destroyed by groundwater. But it was a great memory, and I thought you might enjoy doing something like that, too, except with a time capsule that will last. This one won’t get corroded. It’s a professional model.”

“I totally want to do it.” Cody was bouncing on his heels. “Do you want to do it with me? We could both put stuff in here. It’s plenty big enough.”

“Sure,” Kade told him. “I’d love to participate. I already bought you a preservation kit to go with it. That’s still out in my truck. It comes with packets and pouches and envelopes so you can separate items. There’s a fade-proof pencil for labeling everything, too.”

Cody looked at Bridget. “How about you, Mom? Will you do it with us? It could be like a family project.”

A family project. To her, that was far more complicated than it sounded, making her and Kade seem like a couple. But she couldn’t refuse, not with the anticipation and excitement in her son’s eyes.

“Of course I will,” she said. “It’ll be fun. I’d have to think about what to put in it, though.”

Kade sought her gaze, and she felt a wave of attraction, which was particularly unwelcome because she was sitting on Cody’s bed. But at least it wasn’t her bed. She didn’t want Kade anywhere near her bedroom.

“I’m going to make a comic book to put in it,” Cody said. “A brand-new one. And it’s going to be about a mom, a dad and a kid who put stuff in a time capsule, like we’re going to do. But instead of historians finding it, I’m going to make it so aliens dig it up centuries later.”

“That sounds like a great comic,” Kade said.

Cody went silent, as if he was plotting the rest of the story. A few quick-thinking beats later, he said, “The aliens are here on earth because their planet was seized by intergalactic rebels. But what the aliens don’t know at first is that the mom and dad and kid are actually superheroes who are still alive, and they’re going to help the aliens save their planet.”

Kade replied, “That’s a perfect representation of your work, especially to go into a time capsule. I can’t imagine anything better.”

“I know, right? I’m going to start on it tonight.”

Bridget hated to be the bearer of bad news, but she said, “Cody, don’t you have homework to do tonight?”

“Yeah, but that can wait. This new comic book is way more important.”

She blew out her breath. “I’m sorry, sport, but homework comes first.”

“But this is a big occasion for me. Meeting my dad and preparing for our time capsule. We still have to decide where to bury to it.”

Kade interjected, “Your mom’s right about your homework. That should come first. We still have time to figure out the rest of it.”

“How much time?” Cody asked. “How long are you going to be in town?”

“I don’t know.” Kade repeated what he’d told Bridget earlier. “I was just going to play it by ear.” He then added, “Maybe it’s something we can decide together.”

Cody jumped right on it. “I get out of school in two weeks, so you should stay longer than that. Otherwise we’ll hardly see each other.”

“How much longer do you think I should stay?”

Cody went full bore. “How about if you hang out for the whole summer? Then we could do lots of stuff together.”

The entire summer? Bridget wasn’t prepared for that. She glanced at Kade, hoping he wasn’t available.

Thankfully, he wasn’t. He said, “I’ve already got plans to go to California in mid-July, so how about if I stay here until then? Of course, if I’m going to be around for that long, then I’ll need to find another place to stay. Maybe I’ll look into renting a fishing cabin or hunting lodge or something. I don’t want to live out of a motel.”

Cody took what he could get, and Bridget breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, it was still a long time for Kade to be around, but not as bad as the entire summer.

Cody asked her, “If I do my homework first, can I work on the comic afterward? ’Cause I’m going to need to get it done if Dad is only going to be here till July.”

“That’s fine,” she told him, letting him enjoy the moment.

While she sat quietly on the sidelines, father and son continued to talk about the time capsule. They also ate the snack, both of them going after the cookies before getting to the apples and cheese.

Finally, the visit ended, with Kade saying that he needed to go back to the motel and get settled in. He hugged Cody goodbye, and the transfixed ten-year-old smiled up at him.

Cody asked Bridget if Kade could come back for dinner tomorrow, and she agreed that he could. He accepted the invitation and thanked her. Before she could save her sanity and stop him from embracing her the way he’d done when he’d first arrived, he reached out and wrapped her in the dizzying warmth of his arms all over again.

Chapter Four

The following morning Bridget’s mom stopped by, but she didn’t come inside. Since she was on her way to work, she preferred to stand in the graveled driveway and have a quick talk.

Still, Bridget took a moment to study her. If she wanted to see herself twenty-five years from now, all she had to do was look at the woman who’d given her life. Mom was a little heavier than she used to be, with tiny lines around her eyes and threads of gray sneaking into her natural blond hair, but the overall resemblance between them wasn’t hard to miss.

“What do you think of Kade now that you’ve seen him again?” Mom asked, getting right to the point.

Bridget answered cautiously, not wanting to include anything too personal. “Cody certainly liked him. They clicked right away.”

Her mother’s face had a pinched expression. “That’s what Cody told your grandmother. He called her last night before he went to bed, singing his daddy’s praises. But he already idolized the man before he met him, so he’s been enamored from the start. If something goes wrong, he’s going to be crushed. It gives me a knot in the pit of my stomach just thinking about it.”

“I know. Me, too.” Bridget couldn’t just wash away her fears. “But Kade keeps saying that his interest in Cody won’t fade. That he’ll keep coming back to visit. So I’m trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. I promised him that much.”

“I suppose it’s the right thing to do. But it still worries me.”

“I know,” Bridget said again. If anyone understood, it was her mom. “But at least they seem to have a lot in common. I didn’t know that Kade took art classes in college. It never occurred to me that was where Cody might’ve gotten his talent. I just thought it was a random gene.”

“How could you know everything about Kade? You only spent a week with him. And as much as I hate to say this, I can tell that you’re still attracted to him.”

So much for keeping her feelings hidden. “How can you tell? I’m just standing here.”

“It’s written all over your face, honey. But I suspected that it might happen. You had a strong crush on him the first time around, and now he’s back, stirring your senses again.”

“I’m trying to compartmentalize my feelings.” And manage the temptation of being near him. “But I think it’s going to take some time for me to get a handle on it.”

“I wish Cody would’ve never taken an interest in him.” Mom swigged from the plastic water bottle she’d brought with her. “Now that your grandmother knows how pleased Cody is with Kade, she’s ready to go full steam ahead. She wants to host a barbecue this Saturday, so she and I can meet Kade. But she wants to invite other people, too.”

“What other people?” Everything was moving at such a breakneck pace, Bridget could hardly keep up.

“Our friends. Yours, hers, mine, Cody’s. The more the merrier, according to her.”

“Did she say anything to Cody about it?”

“Not yet. She wanted me to run it by you first. But she’s certain that he’ll be thrilled.”

“She’s right. He’s going to love the idea of showing his dad off to everyone. I think Kade will be fine about it, too. He already knows that Grandma is on his side, so he’ll probably appreciate that this was her brainstorm.”

“How do you feel about introducing Kade to your friends?”

Bridget was a bit nervous about it, but she tried to keep it in perspective. “They’ve just start asking about him anyway, wondering what he’s like and how it’s going. I’ll have to deal with it sooner or later. So it might as well be sooner. He’s coming for dinner tonight, so I can tell him and Cody about the barbecue then.”

Mom capped her water. “I hope this isn’t going to seem like a twisted question, considering that I never had the courage to ask you before. But have you ever secretly wanted to search for your dad? Has it ever been a thought in your head?”

“Honestly?” Bridget made a pattern in the gravel, moving the tiny stones with the tip of her boot. “I used to fantasize about it. I’d picture myself striding up to him somewhere, and when I was close enough for him to figure out that I was the daughter he’d ditched, I would tell him in no uncertain terms how much I hated him. But even in my tough-girl fantasies, I was afraid that I might break down and cry and look like a fool. I even feared that I might discover that he was dead. Then I wouldn’t be able to do anything, except feel even emptier inside.”

“He could be gone by now, I suppose.” Mom leaned against her truck, looking a bit empty herself. “Or he could be out there, the same as always.”

Bridget turned the twisted question around. “Have you ever considered looking for him?”

“Yes, but just to learn what became of him. In the long run, though, I knew it wouldn’t be worth it. With the way I loved your dad, I was afraid I would get sucked back into those feelings again.”

“I always wondered about Kade, too, but I never even typed his name into the computer. That would have made it too real.”

“And now here you are, with reality nipping at your heels. But I want you to know that however difficult this gets or however it unfolds, you can come to me.”

“Thank you.” Her heart tugged in her chest. “But I already know that I can count on you.” She’d gotten shortchanged with her dad. But her mom had always been her soft place to fall.

* * *

While Bridget was immersed in making a spaghetti dinner, she glanced at Cody. He sat at the kitchen table, working on his time capsule comic and waiting for Kade to arrive. He’d already rushed through his homework, just as he’d done last night, so that he could make the comic a priority.