The Cowboy's Christmas Baby

by Cathy McDavid

  “He was mistaken. I wasn’t in the bar that night, remember? I went with Jimmy to try and track down his lucky shirt he’d lost.”

  The memory, long forgotten, surfaced. Hazy, but there.

  Jewel’s head swam, and she closed her eyes, fighting a wave of dizziness. “You weren’t in the bar,” she repeated dumbly.

  “No.”

  This made no sense. “Then who approached the judge? And why confess if you’re innocent?”

  “It was Daniel. I took the fall for him.”

  The bones in Jewel’s legs turned to sawdust, and she swayed unsteadily. Daniel! He’d cheated. Not Tanner.

  “I still don’t understand,” she murmured.

  He took hold of her arm and guided her ahead of him. “Let’s go to my bunkhouse and talk.”

  Talk, indeed. This was a story Jewel desperately needed to hear. One that could potentially change the course of her life. And Ava’s.

  * * *

  TANNER AND JEWEL walked in silence toward his bunkhouse. She’d reclaimed her arm from him halfway there.

  He’d often imagined her reaction when he finally told her the truth about what had happened. In his dreams, she threw herself at him and kissed him passionately, wild with relief. Reality was vastly different. Her initial shock had morphed into quiet contemplation, followed by what he thought might be suppressed anger.

  He, on the other hand, felt amazing, like he’d emerged from a yearlong exile in a black airless cave. Jewel may not be passionately kissing him, but she now knew he was the same man she’d fallen in love with and planned to marry.

  “I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time,” he said in an attempt to break the silence.

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “I gave my word.” He opened the door to his bunkhouse and waited while she entered.

  “To your brother? No, let me guess. Your dad.”

  Definitely anger. “It’s a long story,” he said.

  She perched on the couch and crossed her legs, all straight lines and sharp angles. “I’m listening.”

  “I could use a coffee.” He started toward the kitchenette, deciding they each needed a minute. “How about you?”

  “If I wasn’t nursing Ava, I’d ask for something stronger.”

  He chuckled. She didn’t. That had been a joke, right? He glanced at her stony expression. Okay, not a joke.

  “I need to call Tracee.” She extracted her phone before removing her coat and laying it on the couch beside her. “She’s expecting me.”

  While the coffee brewed, Tanner texted his boss, saying he and Jewel were having a chat, that he might be late returning to work and he’d make up any missed time tomorrow. Ethan answered not to worry and don’t rush. From what Tanner made of Jewel’s side of the conversation, she was free to stay a little longer.

  Fate appeared to be conspiring in their favor. Or not, depending on how well things went. He definitely had a lot of explaining to do.

  Adding creamer to her coffee, he carried the two mugs to the couch. She accepted his “peace offering” and noted the cartoon bride and groom on the side.

  “I bought you this mug in Vegas. I’m surprised you kept it.”

  “I’ve kept everything you gave me.” Including your engagement ring, he wanted to tell her.

  With her free hand, she slid her coat closer. Tanner got the message and lowered himself onto the opposite side of the couch.

  “Why take the fall for Daniel?” she asked. “Because of his brain cancer? Or maybe a better question is why would he cheat in the first place?”

  Tanner sipped his coffee and then set the mug on the side table. “You have to understand, he wasn’t himself. The tumor was pressing on a vital area of his brain. That and the meds were impairing his judgment. I don’t believe he would have ever attempted to bribe a judge under normal circumstances.”

  “Probably not.”

  “Add to that, he was terrified. His chances of surviving the surgery were fifty-fifty at best.”

  Jewel glanced away. Swallowed. “I wish you’d told me how grave his condition was.”

  “No one other than immediate family knew. Daniel wanted it that way, and I respected his wishes.”

  “Why go to such lengths?” Jewel asked.

  “There was the very likely possibility if news got out, he’d have been disqualified. He figured if he was going to die, he wanted to be remembered as a world champion and not pitied as a cancer victim forced to quit.”

  “So, he tried to bribe a judge?”

  “Regardless if he survived the surgery or not, he wouldn’t be returning to bull riding. Vegas was his last ever shot, and he decided to stack the odds in his favor.”

  “He shouldn’t have competed. He was a danger to himself and others.”

  “I agree.”

  “What if he’d been killed?” Her voice rose. “You should have stopped him. Rosalyn or your parents should have stopped him. You had a responsibility.”

  “It’s easy to say what someone should and shouldn’t do when you’re not the one staring your own mortality in the face. Yeah, Daniel might have died in the arena. He also might have died the next week on the operating table.”

  Jewel’s demeanor softened. “I can’t begin to imagine what he went through. What you all went through.” She paused. “I wish I’d been there for you.”

  He didn’t remind her that she could have been if she’d given him half a chance, not now when he’d finally breached her defenses. That conversation could come later. “Thankfully, he survived both the bull riding and the surgery.”

  “Wasn’t he worried the judge would refuse the bribe and report him?”

  Tanner shrugged. “Like I said, he wasn’t thinking clearly. Rumors were the man had recently lost a bundle in the stock market. Daniel offered him a considerable amount of money.”

  “But he won the championship. Are you saying he accomplished that despite the effects of his cancer and the meds?”

  “Pretty incredible when you think about it.”

  “What’s incredible is that the entire awful ordeal we were subjected to this past year was for nothing.” The straight lines and sharp angles were back.

  “Not nothing.” Was that true or just something Tanner constantly told himself?

  “You could have refused to take the blame for him.”

  “Then he’d have been disqualified.”

  “Don’t you think he deserved that? Was his thinking affected to the point he couldn’t tell right from wrong?”

  “If the situation had been reversed and your brother was the one dying, how far would you go to help him?”

  “I wouldn’t put him in danger or lie to the person I was about to marry in a few days.” Pain filled her eyes. “The father of my child.”

  “I had no idea you were pregnant. You had no idea. If we had, we both would have acted differently.”

  She heard his unspoken accusation: you wouldn’t have ended our engagement.

  “If you had told me about Daniel,” she countered, “we wouldn’t have argued like we did. It would’ve made all the difference.”

  Tanner wished he’d told her, too. “Everything happened so fast. Daniel and I were just leaving our hotel room when the rodeo official called about the judge’s accusation, me first and then him. Even though we both denied it, the man insisted we immediately come to the office. We went next door to our parents’ room and told Dad. That’s when Daniel confessed. Believe me, I was shocked.”

  “Didn’t you insist he admit what he’d done?”

  “Of course. But Dad convinced me to take the blame instead and not tell anyone. Even you.”

  “That must have been some convincing he did.”

  “He said I had an opportunity to do what might be one of the last things I could for my
brother. Protect his reputation and guarantee he was able to compete that evening in the final round.”

  “He guilted you,” she bit out.

  “I wanted to help Daniel. I didn’t think I could forgive myself if I didn’t and then he died on the operating table.”

  “You’re a good brother, Tanner. A wonderful, kind, generous brother. To give up so much for Daniel. I hope he appreciates your sacrifice.” She delivered the last part with a punch.

  “In all fairness, none of us anticipated the speed and extent of the fallout. We assumed I’d be disqualified, banned from competing for a while, pay a fine and then the whole incident would blow over. Someone in the arena office leaked the story, apparently filming us with their phone as we were leaving. By that afternoon, every competitor at the arena had heard and social media was exploding.”

  “You said an official from the rodeo association called you and Daniel both. Didn’t the judge realize it was him and not you?”

  “He’d been drinking. The bar was dark. He wasn’t sure which one of us approached him.”

  “No one else in the bar saw Daniel?”

  “Apparently not. And we look enough alike people have confused us before.”

  “Why not speak up after things went crazy?”

  “What? Go to the rodeo officials a week after I’d confessed and say no, it wasn’t me, after all?” Traces of the resentment Tanner had tried to quash these last twelve months surfaced anew. He tamped it down. “I’d have been accused of being jealous of my brother’s championship title. My sick brother who was undergoing life-and-death surgery. I’d have given people a whole new reason to hate me.”

  “All right, I get it. You took the fall for Daniel in order to give him what might have been his dying wish.” Her voice cracked with restrained emotion. “But why not tell me? Didn’t you think I deserved to know?”

  “I did. I was outvoted by Daniel and my dad, and my mom, too. They were adamant that the fewer people in the loop, the better for us.”

  “And you went along. You didn’t give me a single thought. Not even a phone call to warn me. I had to hear from a friend. Fifteen minutes before my event. When I tried calling you, you didn’t answer.”

  “We were in a meeting with the attorney representing the arena owners and had shut off our phones.”

  Jewel drew herself up, clearly struggling for control. “Did your dad and brother ever consider us when they hatched their plan for you to take the blame? Did you?”

  “No one thought we’d break up. Me included.”

  “We were together for years, Tanner. Surely you guessed I’d be angry and upset and feel betrayed.”

  “Honestly, I thought you’d have a little faith in me and not kick me to the curb. You barely let me talk before laying into me.”

  She instantly stiffened. “I just found out the man I loved had attempted to bribe a judge. You didn’t seem to care and just clammed up.”

  Tanner was through being nice, and gave free rein to his building temper.

  “Look at things from my perspective. One minute I was competing for a world championship, against my possibly dying brother, mind you, and getting married in two days’ time. A few hours later, I couldn’t walk across the arena grounds without being called a dirty name, and my phone was blowing up with hate email and messages. On top of that, I was being threatened with a lawsuit. Excuse me if I forgot just a little about you for a few minutes.”

  Silence followed as they both took a much-needed breather. When Jewel spoke next, she was considerably calmer.

  “No offense, Tanner, but it’s not like you’re rolling in dough. Even if the arena could prove they lost money as a result of an attempted cheating scandal, how much could they seriously get?”

  “You forget I own a percentage of Dad’s company. Daniel, too. My share is an asset the arena owners can go after. And if they win, we stand to lose a lot. Enough to possibly bankrupt the company. The good news is our attorney learned that attendance for this year’s NFR isn’t down.”

  “Then there’s no grounds for a lawsuit.”

  “Hopefully. And if they don’t file within the next year, their window of opportunity closes.”

  “Ah. I get it. Your dad’s worried if I know what really happened, I’ll make a post online or tell some of my friends and the scandal will start trending again. This time, focusing on Daniel.”

  “Something like that,” Tanner admitted.

  Jewel closed her eyes and sighed, some of the fight draining from her. “I admit I’m glad to learn it wasn’t you. Really glad.”

  “I’ve wanted to tell you from the beginning.”

  “Will Daniel come clean in another year when the threat of a lawsuit has passed?” she asked.

  “A lot will depend on the state of his marriage and his health.”

  “What’s his prognosis?”

  “Too soon to say. At the moment, he’s in remission. Tomorrow, the cancer could be back.”

  “That must be hard, living with so much uncertainty.”

  “Not just for Daniel,” Tanner said. “Rosalyn and the kids have had an equally rough ride this past year. First, they nearly lost Daniel. Then there was his recovery and months of grueling rehab. He’s better, but he’s not the same person and nearly impossible to live with. His marriage is circling the drain, and he’s afraid if Rosalyn finds out he attempted to cheat, she’ll divorce him. She’s been talking about needing space and taking the kids to her folks for a while.”

  “She’s never struck me as the kind who’d bail on her husband.” Jewel frowned. “I think she’d understand why he did what he did. The pressure he was under.”

  “The Rosalyn from before Daniel’s surgery, yeah. No question. But Daniel’s mood swings and depression and anger issues have taken a toll on her.”

  “I’m sure they’ve considered therapy.”

  “They’re seeing a marriage counselor and each belong to a support group.” Tanner removed his ball cap and ran his fingers through his hair. “There’s no easy fix to this situation. Believe me, Jewel, I’ve thought about this long and hard. More these past weeks. Regardless of what we do, someone will get hurt or hurt worse than they already are.”

  “I hope for the children’s sake that Rosalyn and Daniel stay together.”

  “Me, too. He loves her.” Tanner remembered the emerald earrings his brother had recently purchased for Rosalyn.

  “I’d like to tell my parents. They’ll be so happy to learn you’re innocent. And Christmas Day will undoubtedly go a whole lot better.”

  “Let’s wait.” Tanner rubbed a hand along his thigh. “I need to let my dad know I’ve told you. He won’t like it, and that could make Christmas Day go a whole lot worse.”

  “Fair enough.” For the first time since he’d revealed the truth, she smiled. “This changes everything.”

  “How’s that?”

  “For starters, I won’t fight you anymore for shared custody of Ava.”

  He smiled back at her. “What else?”

  She moved her coat out of the way and scooted closer. His heart started hammering.

  “No promises,” she said shyly. “Let’s just say I’m open to possibilities.”

  “Tell me more.” He went out on a limb and cupped her cheek, running his thumb along her satiny jaw.

  She melted a tiny fraction. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you, too.” To say he’d been desolate without her was an understatement. He’d been lost. Lonely beyond measure. Empty and hollow inside.

  He’d never stopped loving her, either, though common sense told him to keep that admission to himself. For now.

  “What now?” She gazed at him, her one question containing a dozen more.

  “One day at a time?” he suggested.

  “Sounds good.” She shifte
d as if to rise. “I should head home. Tracee has plans this afternoon.”

  “Can I drop by after dinner to see Ava?”

  “Aren’t you coming after lunch to watch her during my photography session?”

  “That’s right.” They stood and Tanner helped her with her coat. Impulsively, he reached up and fastened the top button. “I could still come after dinner. We’ll finalize our Christmas plans. Mom called yesterday. She has a few more suggestions.”

  Jewel impulsively stood on tiptoes and gave him a swift peck on the lips. “Sure. Why not?”

  Electricity shot through him. He didn’t stop to consider his actions and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into a hug...that lasted and lasted. When Jewel’s arm went up to circle his neck, he let her heady scent filled his senses. He’d been waiting a long time for just this moment.

  Unfortunately, like all good things, the hug came to an end.

  He walked her to the door and then outside. They headed toward the horse barn. Tanner almost took her hand but refrained.

  “See you soon,” he said when the time came to part.

  “You are planning on coming clean eventually?” she asked. “It’s important to me that everyone knows you’re innocent.”

  His soaring mood took a nosedive. As much as he understood that dishonesty had caused all of his and Jewel’s woes, he wasn’t ready to betray his brother. “I won’t turn Daniel in.”

  “What if he turns himself in?”

  “That would be entirely different, and I’ll talk to him about it. After the holidays.”

  She compressed her lips as if she wanted to say more but decided against it.

  “Give me time, Jewel. This isn’t about just you and me and Ava. My entire family’s future and financial security could be adversely affected if the arena owners decide to sue. Daniel’s, especially. His medical bills are through the roof, and my parents have been helping him with some of the costs not covered by insurance.”

  “I don’t want your family to suffer.” She squared her shoulders. “It’s just that I care about you, Tanner. And I hate seeing you blamed for something you didn’t do.”

  “We’re going to get through this. I promise.”