The Cowboy's Little Surprise

“Always did have.”

“True. Hang on a minute.” Pete went into the small room partitioned off as an office and returned with a hammer and an old tin can filled with nails. “There’s a pair of gloves on the workbench in the tack room. Go grab ’em.” As they made their way outside, he added, “We’ve got some rails out by the corral that need patching. It’ll get you limbered up for this afternoon. I’ll be sending you out to the south border to check on the stock. You’ll need to take a look at the fencing there, too.”

“Trouble?”

Pete shook his head. “Just maintenance and some overly adventurous cattle. You know the drill.”

At the corral, Cole wrestled a split and warped rail into submission while Pete hammered it into place.

“As for Jed and his tight rein,” Pete said, “I wouldn’t have it any other way. He might be past seventy, but he’s still sharper than a tack. In case you were wondering.”

“Should I be?”

Pete shrugged. “No idea. Just throwing that out there for old time’s sake.” They moved on to the next rail. “Now, your return to town, that did come as a surprise. I always figured you for having itchy feet. But maybe you scratched them enough.”

“Maybe.” Just the thought of tying himself down permanently in Cowboy Creek made him want to head out of town.

On feet that weren’t itchy, only damned cold.

Pete swung the hammer a final time, sending the nail into place. “Let’s head in, and I’ll take you through the barn. Jed wants you working the corral, giving lessons to the guests as needed.”

“Then I’ll have to get familiar with everything you’ve got.”

Pete nodded. “You can pick out a mount for today’s ride, and another for tomorrow. You’ll see a few familiar faces. But even with the new stock, we don’t have anything you can’t handle.”

Cole followed him back toward the barn.

Jed had told him the ranch manager had a couple of kids of his own. Lucky for Pete, he’d found out about his kids at the usual time—before they were born.

He wondered how the man would deal with a situation like one he was facing. A situation he’d already managed to mess up. Yeah, he’d stood his ground with Tina. Had argued over his right to spend time with his son. Had talked the talk...

And then when the time had come to walk the walk, he’d gotten those cold feet. He hadn’t come near the ranch since the night of their conversation.

No matter how much he might wish otherwise, this change in his life wasn’t something he knew how to handle. Hell, he understood horses more than he did kids.

What if he couldn’t be the daddy his son deserved?

* * *

IN THE HOTEL’S roomy kitchen on Sunday morning, Tina ironed the load of cloth napkins she had just removed from the dryer. She had kept herself as busy as possible for the past few days...to keep from thinking of Cole.

He had started work on the ranch, as scheduled, and she had spent those long days waiting for him to reappear at the hotel. He hadn’t. Whether that meant she should thank her good fortune or worry about what revenge he was plotting, she didn’t know. Either way, the uncertainty had left her barely able to close her eyes the night before.

It didn’t surprise her a bit that his interest in her son hadn’t lasted very long. Neither had his interest in her, years ago. She was grateful in both cases.

Seeing him again had made her recall the girl she’d once been, the girl who’d forever had the bad luck to have a crush on him. The girl who’d once wanted a family with him.

They’d had a child together, though Cole hadn’t known that.

Till now.

Neither had anyone else.

Of course, everyone in Cowboy Creek knew four-year-old Robbie. She could just imagine their well-meaning but frantic conversations when they had found out she was pregnant.

Do you think the daddy’s one of Jed’s full-time ranch hands?

Or a wrangler who worked there only for a season?

Maybe he was a guest who stayed at the Hitching Post and never came back again.

She didn’t know what conclusions they had come to. After telling Ally the truth, she had left everyone else to speculate all they wanted—and hoped they would never stumble upon the truth. Soon, thanks to Cole, they would never have to guess again.

She regretted only that she had never told her grandparents. But now the time was coming for her to let them know the truth about Robbie—and Cole—she wasn’t sure she would ever find the right words.

“I’m glad we had a few people in the dining room this morning,” Abuela said.

Happy for the distraction from her worries, Tina nodded. Luckily, they usually did get a small crowd for their Sunday brunch. Today had been no exception, although the dining room had cleared out now.

Things were looking up for the hotel, as well. A young couple had checked in the night before, and two other parties had booked rooms for the coming week.

They would fill a couple of rooms with family, too. Her cousin Jane had already arrived, and Andi and her children were due in from the airport at any time.

With so many people around, Tina hadn’t found the chance to talk to her grandparents alone.

“Of course, you’re glad to have guests in the dining room, Abuela. You’re always happier when we have more mouths to feed.”

“That’s what I do,” Abuela said simply. “But I’m sorry you had to take Maria’s place.”

The waitress who usually worked the morning shift on the weekend attended classes part-time at the community college. In a panic, Maria had taken the day off to study for an upcoming midterm exam.

“Maria is a good girl,” Abuela said, “but when it comes to her schoolwork, she’s not very organized at all. I’m so happy you were always dependable, never waiting till the last minute to study for your tests.”

Tina stared down at the napkin she was pressing.

Yes, she was dependable and reliable. As Jed often said, she was as steady as they made them—which meant her one slip had always been so much harder to explain.

“Filling in around here is what I do,” she said lightly. Waitress, maid, ranch hand for some of the dude ranch activities—she’d done all those jobs and more. Running a family-owned business meant pitching in whenever you were shorthanded. “I’m just glad I never had to fill in for you. I’ll never be the cook you are, no matter how many lessons you give me.”

“That’s not a bit true. You are an excellent cook. And someday you will be an excellent wife.”

Tina flinched. Quickly, she covered her reaction by grabbing a few more napkins from the basket.

Abuela couldn’t know how much those words had hurt.

She loved both her grandparents and knew how much they loved her. Unlike her parents, they had always been there for her.

For a while after learning her parents had abandoned her, she had felt lost and alone, except with Abuela and Jed and at her home here at the Hitching Post. The attic room upstairs became her sanctuary. The hotel she loved, with its hundred years of history, became her connection to the past. And her dreams of the future were filled with images of the family she had with Cole.

* * *

A SHORT WHILE LATER, hearing Jed’s footsteps approaching the kitchen, Tina managed a smile.

He entered the room grinning. “We’ve got a couple more guests in for brunch. Cole and his sister’s boy.”

His words startled her, but she fought to behave naturally.

She unplugged the iron and went to return it to the shelf in the walk-in pantry. Over her shoulder, she said, “The dining room’s closed.”

“Not for old friends, it isn’t. Go see what he wants to eat, will you?”

Like it or not—and she didn’t—she had to face Cole.

On her way out of the room, she picked up an order pad from the china cabinet near the kitchen door. She forced herself to walk down the hall and through the reception area.

From the dining room, she heard Cole’s deep voice followed by her cousin’s husky laugh.

At the doorway, she stopped. In the otherwise vacant room, Cole and Jane were seated at a table for four near a sunlit window, and Robbie and Scott knelt on chairs at a large table in one corner of the room.

Delaying the inevitable, she focused on that corner table. To her dismay, the boys had already pushed aside the cutlery and lined up a row of plastic farm animals on the tabletop between them. She would have a hard time tearing Robbie away from his play.

She could understand her son’s interest in Cole’s nephew. Other than an occasional guest at the hotel, Robbie was almost as cut off from companionship his own age here at the ranch as she had been as a child. The ranch manager had a couple of kids, but as far as Robbie was concerned, Pete’s five-year-old daughter was “too bossy” and his two-year-old son was “no fun.”

Reluctantly, she tore her gaze away from the boys and looked at Cole.

Jane spotted her standing in the doorway. “Tina,” she said brightly, “where have you been? You’ve got a hungry man waiting here.”

“Have I?”

“Yes. I hope you’re ready to take his order.”

In answer, Tina held up the pad.

“Then I’ll turn him over to you.” After smiling at Cole, Jane rose from the table. As usual, Tina’s older cousin wore black from head to toe and had shoulder-length dark hair. From the chair beside the one she’d been sitting in, she lifted one of the two cameras she had brought to the ranch with her. “Think I’ll go shoot some local color.”

As she left the room, Tina plastered a professional smile on her face and went toward Cole’s table.

In all the years since he had left Cowboy Creek, she had never let herself imagine him here at the ranch again. That would have been too poignant a reminder of the dream that would never come true.

Now that he was sitting in front of her, he was a reminder of all she needed to protect. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, keeping her voice low.

“Layne’s working this morning, so I thought I’d give her a break and bring Scott over for brunch. Since I was headed here, anyway.”

She didn’t miss the unstated warning. He intended to make good on what he had told her the other night. He intended to see Robbie whether she wanted him to or not. She looked from the pot of coffee in front of him to his comfortably sprawled position at the table. Both told her he wouldn’t be in a rush to leave.

He gestured to the empty chair across from his. “Join me?”

“I’ve already eaten.” She clamped her hands around the order pad. She had work to do. A long list of reasons to stay away from him. A longer list of reasons to take Robbie out of this room. She had an even more pressing need to find out what Cole was up to. “Robbie is only a four-year-old,” she said, speaking softly but struggling to keep her tone even. “You can’t just walk in here out of nowhere and turn his life upside down.”

“You really think that’s what I’ve come to do?” He waved as if to brush the question away. “No, don’t answer that. I think I already know.”

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