Falling for the Cowboy Dad

by Patricia Johns

  “I don’t know,” he confessed. “I’ve only had her for a couple of weeks. But I’ll make a few appointments once things calm down a bit.”

  “That sounds good.” She smiled again. “I’d also like to set up a visit when I could chat with Poppy, and with you. Just see how things are going for you both.”

  Billy repressed a grimace. “Sure. That would be fine.”

  “How about in...” She consulted her tablet again. “Two weeks? That would give you both some time to settle in, and you might have a better idea if you need any extra support.”

  “Sure. Two weeks.”

  Isabel pulled out a business card, scratched something on the back of it and handed it over. “Would the early evening, say around seven, be less intrusive to your schedule?”

  “Probably,” he agreed. “That would be fine. We’ll be here.”

  “Wonderful.” So much cheeriness, but he couldn’t help narrowing his eyes.

  “And if you have any questions, any problems, or think of anything that might help you out at all, don’t hesitate to call, okay? This is my job—helping with these transitions. And my interest is in making sure that kids are getting everything that they need. I’m sure we both want the same thing there.”

  “Hey, I’m not the one who abandoned her,” Billy said. “I want that on the record.”

  “Mr. Austin, I’m only here to help and provide support.” Her tone grew firmer, and a little less cheery.

  “Okay, then,” he said.

  “I look forward to seeing you both in two weeks.”

  Isabel moved toward the door and slipped back into her boots, and Billy stood there in silence.

  “In that stack, there is a brochure about nutrition and sleep schedules for young children. I hope those will be helpful,” she said.

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  Whatever she was trying to do, it wasn’t as reassuring as seemed to be her goal. With a wave, the social worker left the house and headed to a small sedan. Billy watched as the car pulled out of the drive and headed for the main road. He heard a shuffle behind him and turned toward his boss, mildly embarrassed.

  “I’m sorry about that, Mr. Ross,” he said.

  “It’s not a problem, Billy. You’re going to make a fine father. I have no doubt about it. They’ll see it and let you be.”

  Billy sincerely hoped that Mr. Ross was right. He actually did need help. He just didn’t trust getting that help from child-welfare services. It might not be completely logical, but he was afraid that if he showed any weakness, it might give them confirmation that he wasn’t a fit parent.

  And it was more than the fact that whatever that link was between a father and his daughter, Billy felt it. She was his, and he could see evidence of that in all sorts of little mannerisms. But he’d also seen his daughter struggle with her mother’s choice to leave her. There was no way he was going to let her feel that again. Poppy needed him, and he was going to be the best parent he could possibly be.

  Billy looked at his watch.

  “I’ve got to go pick up Poppy from school,” he said.

  “You bet,” Mr. Ross replied. “Thanks for your work today.”

  So maybe Billy hadn’t had much of an example of a good parent in his own life, but at the very least he could look at what his mother had done and take the opposite path. Poppy was going to come first—always. There’d be no competition between his daughter and his romantic life. He’d probably mess up a lot of things as he navigated the world of little girls, but he wouldn’t mess up that one!

  * * *

  “NATHANIEL, YOUR MOM is over there,” Grace said, pointing for the little boy’s benefit. “Do you see her?”

  “Mommy!” And Nathaniel was off, boots thunking against cement as he ran toward his waiting mother. Grace smiled and waved. Nathaniel was the last child to leave, except for Poppy, who stood next to Grace, her thin legs poking out of her winter boots, and her eyes wide with nervous tension. Grace reached out and smoothed a hand over Poppy’s hair. She wished she could shoulder some of that anxiety for the girl—but that wasn’t possible.

  “There’s your dad,” Grace said as she spotted Billy coming across the snow, toward them, feeling a flood of relief at the sight of him. Poppy needed her dad, and Grace was a poor substitute right now.

  “Oh, good...” Poppy breathed.

  Grace could hear the solace in that little sigh, and her heart nearly broke. This child had been bravery itself today, making new friends while eyeing the door with a forlorn look on her face.

  Grace waved Billy inside, a frigid wind whipping into the school and raising goose bumps on her arms under her blouse.

  “There you are, kiddo,” Billy said with a grin. “Sorry I’m a few minutes late. Somebody came by to talk to me, and she just wouldn’t leave.”

  A small smile turned up the corners of Poppy’s lips. “Why not?”

  “Some people, kiddo. Some people. Anyway, I’m here now.” Billy looked over at Grace with a hesitant smile. “How’d it go?”

  “Pretty well, I’d say,” Grace replied, trying not to react to those warm brown eyes of his. “I got Poppy reading some picture books, but she worked through the pile pretty quickly. I had her read to me for a little while, and I can’t find the top of her vocabulary yet. But at the same time, she’s four, so while she needs a challenge, it has to be...age appropriate.”

  After watching that child stare at the door with a lonesome look in her eyes, Grace knew exactly what Poppy needed—and it wasn’t anything a teacher could provide. Grace was on the outside of the circle.

  “If she can handle bigger books...” Billy said with a shrug.

  “She can handle the words and the paragraphs,” Grace replied. “But the emotional intensity might be a bit much. Older kids need more of an emotionally intense plot. Little kids need more reassurance that their world is safe and secure.”

  “Ah.” Billy picked up Poppy’s backpack and put it over his own shoulder. He was silent for a moment, and Grace looked down at his daughter.

  “You ready to go home, Poppy?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” Poppy said quietly, and she looked up at her father, looking deflated and tired.

  “The...uh...the woman who came by the ranch was from child welfare,” Billy said, and he met Grace’s gaze, his expression hollow and tired, too. He wanted to talk, she could tell.

  “Poppy, do you remember that book you liked about the bear family?” Grace said, turning to the little girl. “I wanted to show your dad. Could you run and find it? It’s in the pile somewhere...”

  “Okay...” Poppy looked up at her father.

  “Yeah, I’d like to see it,” he said with a nod. “Go ahead.”

  Poppy trundled back into the classroom, and Grace looked up at Billy. “Who called child welfare on you?”

  “It’s not that. Apparently they were involved a lot with Carol-Ann, so when she passed guardianship to me, they were already in the picture,” he replied. “Anyway, the child welfare lady is coming back in two weeks, and I want to have something to show her—something to prove I’m the right one for my daughter, as stupid as it is that I even have to defend that...but Poppy needs to learn stuff that I can’t teach her.”

  Billy was in over his head, and like he had done in the past, he was coming to her. There’d been a time when she would have done anything he asked...

  “I’m not sure what you’re worried about,” Grace replied. “She’s doing just fine. I mean, if anything, she’s miles ahead.”

  “And she’s bored,” he said.

  “You know what they say about reading to kids—” she began.

  “No, she’s really bored. She needs more than I can give her...intellectually. I don’t know what to show her next, and she’s constantly asking me to teach her something. Look, I can just feel it. She needs
to learn stuff, and I’m at a loss here.”

  “I could recommend a tutor—” she started.

  “Why not you?” he asked, and he met her gaze pleadingly.

  “I’m not going to be here long-term,” she countered. “I’m very, very temporary.”

  “For the next couple of weeks, then,” he said. “I trust you, Gracie. If you could teach Poppy some extra stuff—satisfy that curiosity of hers—I think it would go a long way toward showing social services that they have nothing to worry about.”

  “You’re going to be fine,” she said, and she wished she sounded more certain. He would be...wouldn’t he? This was his daughter—his family situation didn’t include her. “I’ll definitely give her some extra challenge in the classroom, and I can send some books home that you could read with her.”

  Billy swallowed. “So that’s a no?”

  No. That was the right answer here. She should turn him down and send him to a teaching assistant or some local tutor. But she’d always been his answer, his trusty friend, and while they’d been apart for a few years, falling back into their old patterns seemed as natural as breathing. That was the problem with Billy—he fit into her heart too perfectly, and she never could say no to him. Not that it made any difference in how he’d seen her. Billy admired her, trusted her... He even thought she was funny. He just didn’t love her in return.

  Just then Poppy came back with the book under one arm and a hopeful look on her face.

  “I got it!” she said. “Daddy, you’ll like this one. It’s got a bear fixing a car, and you like fixing cars, right?”

  “Yeah, I do,” he said with a smile, then he looked over at Grace hopefully. She knew what he wanted, and if she hadn’t spent the last three years trying to purge him out of her system, agreeing to teach that insatiable little sponge would have been a pleasure.

  “You hungry, Grace?” Billy asked instead.

  “Uh...” Grace shrugged. “I suppose.”

  “Why don’t you come with us for an early dinner? My treat. Poppy and I like pizza, and I seem to remember you liked sausage pizza.” He shot her a familiar smile. “Besides, maybe you’ll give me some credibility with my daughter. I told her we were friends.”

  The sound of high heels echoing down the hallway made Grace look up, and she saw Mrs. Mackel coming toward them.

  “Hello, Poppy,” the principal said with a smile. “How was your first day?”

  Poppy made a face. “I didn’t like it.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” the principal said. “I have a feeling tomorrow will be better, though.”

  Poppy didn’t answer, and Mrs. Mackel turned her attention to Grace.

  “Do you have a moment, Miss Beverly?”

  “Sure.”

  They stepped aside, and the principal handed her a slip of paper with a phone number written on it. “I just spoke with the principal at an elementary school in Denver. You applied for a job starting in September, I believe?”

  “Yes—” Grace’s breath caught in her throat.

  “He was just checking on your references, and I gave him a glowing one. He asked that you give him a call. He sounded very interested in you.”

  A surge of delight throbbed through her heart, and she shot the principal a grin. “That is wonderful news!”

  “I agree!” Mrs. Mackel said. “Whichever school gets you is incredibly lucky! I’m happy for you, Grace. I hope it isn’t premature, but congratulations.”

  Grace would call the principal in question just as soon as she could, and she looked over to find Billy watching her quizzically. Mrs. Mackel headed back down the hallway, toward the school office.

  “You got offered a job?” Billy said.

  So much for discretion. “I hope so... It looks that way.”

  “Where is the school?”

  “Denver,” she said. “But nothing is confirmed yet. I need to return a phone call.”

  “Yeah, you bet.” He nodded quickly, but the glitter had gone out of his eyes. He pressed his lips together in a firm line. This was hers—she’d been looking for full-time work for a year now, and to finally have a request for her to call back after checking her references was a massive accomplishment. She’d never gotten this far in the process before. Not that he’d know that.

  “Billy, I wasn’t staying—” she began.

  “Yeah, I know.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. She didn’t need him to understand this, did she? They couldn’t be the pair of best friends they used to be...

  “You did the same thing to me when you took off with Tracy,” she reminded him with what she hoped was a teasing smile, but she wasn’t sure she managed it.

  “Hey, you’ve got to do what’s good for you,” he said, scooping up his daughter’s hand in his broad palm. “I’m happy for you. I just wish I had you around Eagle’s Rest for longer.”

  Why did she feel like she was abandoning him? It wasn’t a fair emotional reaction to this. She didn’t owe Billy Austin a blasted thing. She wasn’t his fallback in time of need—she was a woman with a life of her own, and her life was moving forward at long last.

  “So, what about that pizza?” he said.

  Okay, it seemed they were over her news and back to dinner plans. She pushed down some irritation. She should say no, bow out...but she had a feeling that she’d have reason to celebrate, and there was no harm in some pizza, was there? She eyed Billy for a moment, then smiled. “Give me a minute to return this call, and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

  “Miss Beverly?” Poppy whispered, and Grace bent down to catch the girl’s words. “Who’s going to teach me calculus?” Poppy stared up with solemn sincerity.

  Grace looked up at Billy and saw hope glimmering through his own solemn expression.

  Maybe she could help him out for a couple of weeks. What could it hurt? If she refused, she’d only think about him constantly anyway. Besides, some time with him might help to break the spell. He was a man—nothing more or less—and a lot had changed since he had run off with Tracy. Maybe some time together could prove that to her, and she could shake her heart free of him for good.

  “Well, tonight I can’t show you calculus,” Grace said, “but I can introduce you to fractions...”

  “Fractions?” Poppy’s eyes lit up. “What’s that?”

  “I’ll show you with the pizza,” Grace promised.

  “So...” Billy caught her eye. “Are you saying you’ll help me out?”

  “Yes,” she said with a small smile. “I suppose I am. For two weeks. But that’s all we’ve got, okay? After that, you’ll have to find someone else.”

  “Thank you. You’re one in a million—you know that?” He shot her a grin, and she felt something inside of her melt.

  “Yeah, I know,” she replied with a shake of her head. She always had been, and Billy had never seen it. He might not deserve her help, but this wasn’t only about Billy. Standing there, with a book about bears clutched in front of her and hope in her big blue eyes, was a little girl who wanted to learn.

  How could Grace refuse?

  CHAPTER FOUR

  BILLY AND GRACE took separate vehicles to the restaurant. It felt so formal...but maybe he was reading more into this than was really there. Then, while he and Poppy drove to the pizza place, Poppy changed her mind.

  “I don’t want pizza,” she said softly.

  “Well, I do,” he replied. “I’m hungry. Aren’t you?”

  “I want to go home...” she whispered.

  “Kiddo, I invited Miss Beverly to come with us. If I tell her we changed our mind, it’s going to really hurt her feelings.”

  Poppy was silent. She was tired—he understood that—but he couldn’t cater to his daughter all of the time. Besides, he finally had a chance to sit down with Grace and talk, and he couldn’t give that u
p. He needed to know what had happened, what had made her go silent for three years.

  “It won’t take too long,” he said after a few beats. “You’ll feel better with food in you. You’ll see.”

  When they arrived at the restaurant, Grace pulled into the parking spot next to theirs, and they went inside together. The hostess led them to a booth, and Billy let Grace and Poppy slide in first, and then he sat opposite Grace, glancing up at her uncertainly. She was standoffish, and he wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like they’d ever had a fight. He and Grace had always been buddies, pals, confidants. If he could turn to anyone when he was in a bind, it was her. Or it had been her... Could a few years really change so much between two people who had once been close?

  She’d agreed to give Poppy some extra tutoring, but it had taken a whole lot more convincing than he had expected or was completely comfortable with. Still, this wasn’t only for Poppy—it was for him, too. He’d missed Grace more than seemed prudent to admit.

  “Thanks for coming along,” Billy said, shooting Grace a smile. “It’s so good to see you again. You have no idea.”

  “Yeah. Like old times.”

  He hesitated. He wasn’t sure what that look in her eye meant, but he glanced down at the menu the waitress had left them, pretending to peruse it. It would take too long to decipher to be any good to him, but that was why he chose this place. He knew what they served, and he always ordered the same thing, so he knew how much it would be.

  “I don’t have my glasses,” Billy said. “Is this the same menu as before?”

  Grace glanced down it. “Pretty much. Eagle’s Rest doesn’t change that quickly.”

  He was relieved. The restaurant was full that time of night, and a lot of the patrons were families with kids. They looked settled, confident. One dad was giving a boy a stern look and the kid was squirming. He hadn’t gotten that far with Poppy yet. She hadn’t relaxed enough yet to act up, and when she did, he had no idea how he was supposed to handle it.

  “So, what kind of pizza do you want, Poppy?” Billy asked, turning to his daughter.

  “Cheese,” Poppy said, leaning forward on her elbows. She was so small that she sat up on her knees in the booth.