Home on the Ranch

by Tanya Michaels

  Jace hung his head. That was really the only part he felt guilty for, jeopardizing his friendship with Chris. But there was no good way to tell a buddy you’d deflowered his sister. “Sorry, man.”

  “You shouldn’t have to say you’re sorry to any of them,” Layla said. “What happened between us is our business. And, well, Addie’s, but we took care of that last night.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, looking exhausted. “Frankly, I could really use that promised milk shake now. So if you guys want to continue the shouting match, feel free, but I’m going. Jace?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” To the room at large, he said, “I’m with her. But if any of you want to scream at me later, you know where to find me.”

  He followed Layla outside, fully expecting her to read him the riot act once they were alone. She’d kept this secret for years, and he hadn’t managed to keep his mouth shut about it for more than a few days. He wasn’t sorry that people knew. Hell, he wanted to shout from the top of the Cupid’s Bow water tower with a bullhorn that Addie was his. But he was willing to listen if Layla needed to vent her feelings. She could be fierce, but she’d never been able to stay angry for long.

  Taking a deep breath, he closed the door behind him and braced himself.

  Layla turned around—and smiled. “Well. That was weird.”

  “A little bit. You aren’t upset?”

  “Oh, I’m definitely upset. Poor Chris and Suzanne had enough on their plates already without my parents bringing in all of their drama and me adding to it. And I think it’s nuts that Mom and Dad still get under each other’s skin like that. Who holds a grudge that long? But... I feel relieved, too.” She smiled as he opened the passenger-side door for her. “When I found out I was pregnant, I was so scared of how everyone would react when they learned the truth. That fear never truly left me until just now. I mean, you definitely had no right to do that, but everyone else was acting foolish, so I guess, when in Rome...”

  “I hated how your mom was talking to you. I wanted to do something to draw her fire away from you.”

  “And that was the only idea you had for a distraction? What, you don’t know any knock-knock jokes?”

  “For you, beautiful, I’ll learn some.”

  * * *

  Jace hadn’t realized it until after he and Layla were shown to their table, but today was the first time he’d been back to the diner since he’d learned the truth about Addie. That day had ended with Layla fleeing in tears. Thankfully, this afternoon’s visit ended with them strolling down Main Street to meet up with Gena at the bank. Layla’s cousin had dropped her off earlier to pick up Suzanne’s SUV, which was a better accommodation for Chris than Layla’s compact car.

  Just like in Jace’s daydream, he and Layla were walking hand in hand, and it was ridiculous how happy such a simple touch made him. The only thing that marred his good mood was realizing how soon Layla and Addie would be leaving. The calendar was almost finished, and Chris was healing.

  “Hey,” he said, “I wanted to ask about something your mom said.”

  “Fire away, but I’m not sure I can answer questions about that woman without a psych degree.”

  “Did she really ask you to move back to Cupid’s Bow?”

  “Yeah, she did. And today reminded me why that would be a terrible idea. Thank goodness Addie spent today playing with Skyler. I don’t know how I would have explained all of that drama to her if she’d witnessed it. She needs stability in her life, not outbursts.”

  He could understand why Layla wasn’t in a hurry to move closer to her mother, but what about all of the other amiable citizens in town? Like Chris and Suzanne. Jarrett and Sierra. Me. He wanted to press the issue, but she’d already had an emotionally draining afternoon. Was now the best time to suggest she uproot her life when their relationship status was somewhere between barn hookup and milk shake date?

  The milk shakes had been rich and thick and delicious...but not nearly as sweet as kissing Layla goodbye in full view of anyone in the general vicinity of the bank. This was how they were supposed to be—not some shameful secret kept from others, but a couple unafraid to express affection and attraction. A couple. That should be their relationship status.

  Dropping his hands to her waist, he leaned back to meet her eyes. “I think I’m falling for you, Layla Dempsey.”

  She blinked up at him, looking confused for a split second, and then her lips curved into a smile that outshone the sun. “Really?”

  “You even have to ask?”

  Grabbing him by the front of the shirt, she pulled him close for another kiss, this one deeper and hungrier. They were both breathless when they broke apart again. She giggled. “If I had a time machine, I would go back and tell my sixteen-year-old self about this. She would freak.”

  He grinned. “Sorry it took me so long to catch up.” He’d do his best to make sure he’d been worth the wait. “See you and Addie tomorrow?” He’d invited them over and was excited for his daughter to see him home.

  “We’ll be there.” She gave him one more kiss, then turned to head into the bank. On the second step, she paused and looked back at him. “Jace? I’m falling for you, too. In case that, ah, wasn’t clear.”

  He was still grinning like a lovestruck fool when he reached the public parking lot two blocks later. But his jubilant mood dipped slightly at the sight of Will leaning against his truck, wearing his firefighter uniform and a grim expression.

  “Hey, bro. What are you doing here? Everything okay with Megan and the girls?”

  “No. I saw your truck from the station and was hoping if I waited a little bit, I could give you a heads-up. You weren’t answering your phone.”

  He’d had it on Silent during his date with Layla. Now he pulled it out of his pocket and saw that his mother had called. Seven times. So had Will and Cole. And Chris.

  Will stared him down. “Tell me you did not actually knock up little Layla Dempsey.”

  So much for being the one to tell his family.

  * * *

  There was not enough aspirin in the world for the amount of yelling Jace had endured today. First, it had been Layla’s family. But for the past hour, it had been his own parents—his father glaring in disapproval from across the dining room table while Jace’s mom paced back and forth in front of the china cabinet.

  Apparently, Claire Brewer had exacted her revenge by leaving a message for Jace’s mother. Will had escorted Jace to the subsequent emergency family meeting while Megan stayed home with their three little girls. Cole and Kate were already there, trying to calm an uncharacteristically hysterical Gayle Trent. The minute Jace had walked in the door, his parents had ambushed him, both talking at once, which was rare. Normally, his quieter father let Gayle speak for both of them. At first, they’d been hurt and confused about why Jace had never mentioned to them that he had a child. It was necessary to tell them that he hadn’t known until now, but the last thing he wanted was for them to be angry with Layla. In his attempt to make her situation sympathetic, he’d played up how young and scared she’d been...which only agitated his parents further.

  “I cannot believe you had sex with that girl,” his mother wailed. “She was a teenager.”

  “So was I.”

  “Exactly my point.” She tossed her hands above her head. “You were barely out of high school, definitely not responsible enough to become a father!”

  Harvey Trent scowled at his youngest son. “It didn’t occur to you to keep it in your pants?”

  Patience beginning to fray, Jace muttered, “Like I’m the only one here who didn’t start college a virgin.”

  Cole promptly smacked him on the back of the head. “This isn’t about us.” Under his breath, he added, “And I’m pretty sure both Will and I gave you the condom talk. But you never were a good listener.”

  On the other side of Cole, his wife Kate tried to
disguise a smothered laugh as a cough.

  “Mom,” Will interrupted, “would you consider sitting down for a second? You’re making me dizzy. And with the way you keep waving your hands around, you might break something.”

  Gayle paused midpace. “Are you telling your own mother what to do?”

  “No, ma’am, merely making a suggestion based on the common sense you worked so hard to instill in your sons.”

  She harrumphed at him but took a seat.

  Having gained momentary control of the situation, Will tried to head off any more lecturing from their parents. “We all have questions for Jace, but this might work better if we actually give him a chance to answer.”

  Jace glanced at his brother, wordlessly expressing his gratitude. He definitely owed Will a beer in exchange for his diplomacy. “I know you’re all shocked. To say I was shocked would be a gross understatement. I wanted to tell you all immediately, but Layla asked me to wait a few days. Her family has been through so much with Chris’s accident, and I wanted to respect her wishes. You went six years without knowing, so what would a couple more days hurt? It’s not ideal that she kept Addie a secret from me, but as you pointed out, Mom, I would have been terrible at handling that responsibility at the time. So I forgive Layla for keeping it to herself.” And he hoped they would, too. Anyone who had a problem with her had a problem with him.

  “All of that is in the past,” he added. “Irrelevant now. What’s important is my daughter—your granddaughter, your niece. Addie is smart and beautiful and sweet. She has Layla’s curly hair, and she wants to be a meteorologist when she grows up. Layla says Addie is already one of the best readers in her kindergarten class. I can’t wait for her to meet all of you.” As he finished, he became aware that his entire family was staring at him. Not merely looking at him, paying attention as he spoke, but gawking at him in various expressions of wonder and curiosity. He resisted the urge to pat his shoulder and make sure he hadn’t sprouted a second head. “What?”

  It was Kate who spoke first. “You’re absolutely in love with her, aren’t you?”

  He wasn’t sure whether she meant Addie or Layla, but it was equally true for both of them.

  Kate sighed happily. “Jace Trent, family man... Never thought I’d see the day.”

  He ducked his head, suddenly self-conscious. “Is it really that big a stretch of the imagination? Both my brothers managed to find women to put up with them. Why not me?”

  Gayle cleared her throat, drawing his attention. Her eyes glimmered with tears, but other than that, she looked calm for the first time since he’d set foot in the house. “Do you have pictures of my grandbaby?”

  Nodding, he pulled up his favorites that Layla had texted him and passed the phone across the table to his parents. Harvey leaned close to his wife, while Cole, Will and Kate crowded behind them to peer over their shoulders.

  Gayle sniffled, but she was smiling when she met Jace’s eyes. “She has your eyes. You’ll be bringing her to meet us soon.” It was not a question.

  “If you all promise to stop yelling.”

  “Deal,” Gayle said. “We’ll have Layla and Addie over for dinner, just as soon as it’s convenient for them. Find out Addie’s favorite dessert.”

  “Okay, but if I can make a suggestion, you might also want to brush up on trivia facts about tornados between now and then.”

  Cole snapped his fingers. “I think I actually have a few informational brochures at the station! Strictly speaking, tornados aren’t police business, but the county did a series on general preparedness two years ago.”

  Rounding the table to give Jace his phone back, Will nodded. “The fire department is a major part of any poststorm ICS. We have the right tools to help get to victims, as well as the PPE—Oh, that’s personal protective equipment,” he said for the civilians at the table.

  At the reminder that both of his brothers were employed full-time in emergency services, Jace groaned inwardly. Addie was going to end up liking her uncles more than her dad. Then again, he did have an idea for something special he could do for his daughter. And now would be a perfect time to enlist some much-needed help.

  “I know this is short notice, but could I get you guys to lend me a hand with a big surprise?”

  Will smacked him on the back of the head; it was amazing Jace didn’t have a permanent dent there, courtesy of his brothers. “I think this family has had about all the surprises it can handle for one day.”

  “Think of it as a...welcome gift. And we have just over twenty-four hours to pull it together.”

  * * *

  It was a good thing Layla already knew her way to Jace’s house and didn’t have to concentrate on following directions. With Addie’s nonstop, mile-a-minute chatter from the backseat, they might have ended up hopelessly lost, circling Cupid’s Bow until Layla ran out of gas. Her daughter was obviously very excited to learn how to make her own tornado machine.

  “Did you know Skyler has two daddies? One lives with her at the house next to Gena, but sometimes she lives with the other one. I only need one daddy. When can we watch the flying cow movie again?”

  Layla grinned at that. The “flying cow” movie had become an instant favorite. Although Layla had been concerned it might be too intense for her daughter, she had to admit it was nice to have a break from The Wizard of Oz.

  “We’re here,” Layla declared. She’d asked Suzanne to look through some of Chris’s old pictures so that she could show Addie photos of Jace’s house before bringing her to visit. Her daughter had been fascinated by the images of Jace and Layla as kids.

  Layla had made copies of the best in the bunch. Not only did she want Addie to have them as keepsakes, Layla had also decided to put together a small surprise for Jace. It wasn’t ready yet, but it shouldn’t take long, especially since she’d taken the last of the calendar photos today. The final project would be delivered to Mona Stapleton for production by this weekend. And then what? Layla had a studio to run, and Addie should get back to school.

  Don’t get maudlin. Sure, long-distance dating was inconvenient, but it wasn’t impossible. There were all kinds of tools they could use to build their relationship and stay in touch, from smartphones to texting to computer cameras. Jace had told her yesterday that he was falling for her. After years of complicated history, they might have an actual future together. It would just take time and patience. And if he lost interest? Well...better to know sooner rather than later.

  She tried to shake off the worry. If Gena were here, she’d be telling Layla not to borrow trouble. Resolving to be more optimistic, she knocked on the front door. Jace answered within moments, looking sexier than he had a right to with his rumpled hair and a wooden kitchen spoon in his hand, barefoot in a pair of jeans and a Cupid’s Bow Centennial T-shirt.

  “My favorite two ladies!” He hugged Addie. “I was just telling my mom how wonderful you are, and she can’t wait to meet you. In fact, she sent you a present.”

  “She did?” Addie looked as if she wasn’t sure what to do with this information.

  Layla kicked herself for not thinking to pull out pictures of Jace’s family. In addition to showing Addie where he lived, Layla could have already started “introducing” her daughter to her new relatives.

  The three of them filed into Jace’s house. He had neatly lined up the pieces and parts needed for the tornado machine, along with a hot glue gun not yet plugged in. Addie’s eyes lit up in anticipation of their project.

  “Before we get busy with this,” Jace said, “can I give you the present from my mom?”

  Addie glanced from the tornado kit to Jace, grappling with her manners. “Okay.”

  Jace disappeared around the corner to pull a wrapped package out of the closet. It was a sizable rectangle, bigger than the sixteen-by-twenty canvas portraits popular with Layla’s clients. Layla watched with curiosity as
her daughter tore through the shiny pink paper.

  Once she realized what she was holding, Addie gasped. “This is like what my teacher has!”

  Tilting her head to get a better look, Layla saw that her daughter was holding a wood-frame magnetic calendar. It was the kind where kids used magnets to mark what day of the week it was, the date, the season and—best of all—the current weather conditions. Options included a smiling sun, a thunderbolt surrounded by raindrops, a snowflake and a cloud with a face, its lips pursed and blowing a strong gust of wind.

  “That is from your grandma Gayle and grandpa Harvey. They were very excited for you to have it,” Jace said.

  Layla wanted to kiss him. “I’ll bet they had a little help picking that out.”

  He met her gaze over Addie’s head. “Maybe just a bit.” To his daughter, he said, “That’s just one part of your present.”

  “There’s more?” Addie asked.

  “Well, we have to decide what to do with the calendar. You can take it with you, but you might also want to hang it up.” He turned toward the hallway, motioning for them to follow.

  Layla tried not to sigh as they passed the master bedroom. She and Jace still hadn’t made it to a bed. They really needed to rectify that.

  Across from the master bedroom, there was a smaller room she vaguely remembered as his grandmother’s sewing room. But as Jace flipped on the light switch, Layla saw that the room had been dramatically updated.

  The furniture was simple—a modest bookshelf, a dresser and a bed. But the comforter on the bed was white, covered in rainbows, and a stuffed teddy bear sat at the foot of the bed, dressed in a yellow raincoat and galoshes. There were two pillows at the top of the bed. One was blue with a fluffy white cartoon cloud; the other was dark gray with a smiling thundercloud. The ceiling fan had a yellow dome light fixture and yellow blades, so that it looked like a sun in the middle of the room. The most thoughtful touch was that someone had stenciled a small black-and-green tornado with a friendly, mischievous face on the wall above the bookshelf.