Her Surprise Cowboy--A Clean Romance

by Claire McEwen

  The cow hovered close by, mooing anxiously as she kept an eye on her baby. Jace scattered some pellets on the tailgate for her and she settled down, reaching for a few bites.

  “Looks like we’re set.” Jace opened the door of the cab and Ranger heaved himself up from the grass and hopped in. The truck made slow progress across the pasture toward the barn, mama cow walking right behind. Liam held the calf tight, its body wiggly and comforting against his. There was something nice about bumping down the dirt track in the dusk, with only one task: keep this little calf safe. Liam knew how to do this. He knew the rules.

  Ever since he’d left rehab, he’d been on shaky legs. Feeling like everything he thought he knew about himself was wrong. Until his injury, he’d never imagined he’d get addicted to anything. But somehow he became a guy who lied and stole, just so he could have one more pill.

  Coming to California, working for Jace, was supposed to be a way for him to find his feet. But right now his feet felt less trustworthy than ever. His most basic instincts didn’t work here. Trying to explain himself to the woman he’d treated badly. Wrong. Defending a ranch from predators. Wrong.

  A wave of homesickness washed over him. Not for Texas, really, but for the familiarity. For the small amount of confidence working on his family’s ranch brought him.

  No use crying over it, though. He’d just have to find his footing. He’d help get the coyote pups set, and he’d find that coyote he’d hurt. And he’d smooth things over with Trisha. Because when he made mistakes he made things right again, no matter how long it took.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  THEY WERE PLANNING the new coyote enclosure, but Trisha was having trouble focusing on the meeting. Maybe because it was still early on Saturday morning and she hadn’t slept well last night. Or maybe it was because Liam looked so much taller indoors. He even dwarfed Emily, who he was sitting next to, and she was tall and athletic. He’d removed his hat, and his hair curled around his ears and down to the nape of his neck.

  Stop. Why was she paying any attention to Liam’s looks? Maybe she was just shallow. Here was a man who’d walked out on her that night in Texas. Who drove around with a gun in his truck. It didn’t matter what he looked like. He was obviously not the kind of person she should be involved with.

  That gun was pretty much all she’d thought about last night, which was why she was even more sleep deprived than usual, huddled in a chair, sipping her coffee. Yesterday’s events had shown her that she and Liam might as well be from different planets. What kind of person shot a coyote and acted like it was no big deal? That coyote hadn’t even been hurting the cattle. Of course it had probably been thinking about it—but that wasn’t the coyote’s fault. Everything in the wild had to find its next meal. A cow lying right there on the ground must have been awfully tempting.

  Liam should understand. He had a dog, after all. Dogs were predators by nature. Though his dog didn’t seem very predatory. The chubby Australian shepherd was sprawled on the tile floor, snoring softly.

  “Trisha, what do you think of this layout?” Maya pointed to a rough sketch on the whiteboard.

  Trisha had been so caught up in her churning thoughts that she hadn’t been paying any attention. Quickly she scanned the drawing. “Um...it looks good.”

  There was an awkward silence while everyone looked at her expectantly. As the person who cared for the wildlife, normally she’d have a lot of ideas about what types of facilities they needed. But this week hadn’t been normal. Not at all.

  She stared at the diagram, praying that an original thought would enter her head. Her bad leg ached above the knee. Maybe she’d twisted it on Jace’s ranch yesterday. She rubbed it absently. Think, Trisha, think! Finally an idea coalesced. “It might be worthwhile to add a storage shed adjacent to it, for cleaning supplies and any other equipment we might need. Otherwise we’ll have to make more frequent trips from the main building to the pen, and the coyotes will have more exposure to people.”

  “That’s a good idea.” Maya sketched a box onto the den area of the diagram to represent the shed.

  “You could build it at the back of the main building so they wouldn’t see you at all, if that’s an issue,” Liam suggested. “You could feed them through an opening in the wall, so you’d be totally out of their sight.”

  “This wildlife center is brand-new. We can’t just go around cutting holes in it.” Trisha’s words came out more sharply than she meant them to and Maya shot her a questioning look. Heat washed over Trisha’s face. Why did she snap almost every time she spoke to Liam? Maybe keeping such a big secret made her irritable. Or maybe she was angry because he was Henry’s father but he didn’t seem to be the kind of guy she wanted him to be.

  “No, we can’t cut holes,” Vivian said thoughtfully. “But Liam has a point. We could build the pen near the back of the building, and the shed could be right by the back door.”

  “It makes sense.” Maya started scribbling on the board. “There are oak trees behind the building, and no one goes back there. We could plant some bushes around the pen to isolate the coyotes even more.”

  “Can you really build something like that?” Emily turned to Liam. “We know you want to help, but if it’s too much...”

  Liam studied the design. “I wish Jace were here to see this, too, but it looks pretty good to me.”

  “He’ll be here soon, with the kids,” Vivian assured him. “The main thing is, in your experience with construction, is this something we can build quickly?”

  “I think so. The most time-consuming part will be digging out the soil and pouring and setting the posts. If Jace and I can get some extra help, I think we can get it done.”

  “I can help,” Maya offered. “My husband, Caleb, probably can, too.”

  “Carly needs some service hours for school. Maybe she and a few of her friends can pitch in,” Vivian said. “I’ll call Jace, since they’re together right now, and see what we can do.”

  “That would be perfect.” Maya turned to Liam. “See? You have helpers.”

  “Okay, then.” Liam went to the whiteboard. “What dimensions are we talking about?” Soon he was in an animated discussion with Maya and Emily about the ideal size for a coyote enclosure.

  Trisha took the opportunity to step into the clinic to check on the bunnies. She’d switched their heat lamp off when she arrived—now she looked at the thermometer just to make sure they weren’t getting cold. They were spending time out of their nesting box now, hopping around to investigate the chunks of wood, plants and branches Trisha had placed in the cage. She’d also added plastic tubes to simulate tunnels. She was trying to re-create a natural environment, leaving food scattered around for them to find just as they might in a natural setting. She’d even given them a big tub of dirt to dig in.

  Trisha sent a quick text to Lillian, Maya’s grandmother, who was watching Henry for her. Normally on a Saturday she’d just bring Henry to work with her, but since Liam was here working on the coyote habitat, that option was off the table.

  Lillian texted back a photo of Henry crawling in her dining room, with the caption adventures under the table. Trisha bit back the urge to type make sure he doesn’t hit his head. Her friends teased her about being overprotective of Henry, so she was trying to let go a little. At least outwardly. But it was hard not to worry. Especially when Trisha knew, firsthand, how life could go very wrong, very quickly.

  “Hey, do you have a minute?”

  Trisha spun around at the familiar voice. “Hey... Liam.” She shoved her phone into her back pocket as if he’d be able to see the photo of Henry from across the room. “What’s going on?”

  “I was hoping I could talk with you for a moment.”

  “Um...okay.”

  “What’s in the cage?”

  “Rabbits. Babies. We’re hoping to release them in the wild once they’re a little older.�
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  He came closer and bent to peer through the wire mesh. “They’re cute little guys. Have you been looking after them for long?”

  “Since they were tiny. I bottle-fed them for a few weeks.”

  He glanced at her in amazement. “You’re a good mama apparently. They look like they’re in great shape.”

  She was a good mama. Oh my lord, if he only knew. Flustered, she pointed to the rabbits. “See the largest one, nibbling that oat grass? I call him Robert. Amelia has a funny white splotch on her nose. That’s her, lying alongside that branch. Maybe she’s practicing her camouflage skills.” She was babbling but she couldn’t seem to stop. She reached into the cage and scooped up Peanut, who had come over to say hello. “This is Peanut. We won’t release him into the wild because he has a bad leg.”

  Cradling Peanut close to her chest, she stroked the bunny’s soft fur. He was the only one she ever handled now. She wasn’t happy that his foot hadn’t healed well, but she was glad she wouldn’t have to say goodbye.

  “He’s pretty lucky. He’ll probably have a much better life here with you than he would out in the wild.”

  “Maybe. I hope so.” She stood there awkwardly, stroking Peanut’s back, waiting for Liam to say what he’d come to say.

  “Can I pet him?”

  “Sure.”

  He reached out, just two fingers extended, to brush the tiny rabbit. He was so close she could feel him, his heat, his energy, even though he was keeping it in check so he wouldn’t scare Peanut. “It’s been a long time since I touched a little animal like this. Usually I’m around cattle and horses. And Ranger.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Snoozing in the other room. He is the laziest ranch dog I’ve ever known. My dad got him, planning to train him to work cattle, but Ranger could never muster up the interest. My dad doesn’t have a lot of patience for things that don’t fall in line with his plans, so I took Ranger on. Which basically means I provide him with dog food and places to sleep. He’s a freeloader.”

  Despite her nerves, she couldn’t help but smile at his fond description. Clearly he loved Ranger despite the dog’s flaws.

  Liam took a step back and cleared his throat. “Look, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry if me being here in your town makes things awkward for you. Seems like you’d prefer to forget about what happened between us, and I’ll try to do that, too, if that’s what you truly want. But before we forget, I want to apologize if I did anything that night that I should not have. Or if you feel like it was all a mistake.”

  And there was her dilemma. She couldn’t say she was upset that he’d walked out without a note or a word. That would imply that she cared, when that night had obviously had meant next to nothing to him. And she couldn’t say that she regretted it. Not when it brought her Henry. “I don’t want you to think I’m that person you met. Someone who crashes weddings. Who...well...” She couldn’t even finish the sentence. Might actually implode with embarrassment if she did. “That night was so out of character for me. It’s almost like it happened to someone else.” Except she had the proof, waiting at Lillian’s house for his mama to pick him up and take him to the park.

  “I don’t think you’re like that. And for what it’s worth, I’m not usually like that either. I was a different person back then.”

  “So was I.” It had been an attempt to feel young, because the accident and Julie’s death had made her feel so old. And it had backfired spectacularly, because it had made her a mom. She loved it, but it didn’t exactly lend itself to feeling young and carefree.

  Trisha set Peanut back in the bunny cage, because she needed something to do. This was the perfect opportunity to bring up Henry, but she kept picturing Liam as he’d been on the ranch yesterday, trying to justify why he’d shot that coyote. No, she couldn’t tell him. Not yet. Maybe never.

  “I need to get going—I have errands today. Is there anything else you wanted to say?” It was polite, but still a dismissal. Trisha saw Liam’s affable expression falter just a little and felt guilty for making him feel so unwelcome.

  He wasn’t satisfied with their conversation—she could tell by the trouble clouding his gaze. “You’re angry at me, and I don’t think it’s just about that coyote.” His gaze sought hers, and it was impossible to look away.

  “It’s just the coyote.”

  He didn’t believe her. She could tell by the way he studied her so closely, as if he was looking for clues. But there was too much he couldn’t know. “I really do need to leave now.”

  Disappointment flickered across his expression for a bleak instant. “Okay, then.”

  He started back toward the conference room and Trisha followed. When she went to Vivian to say goodbye, her friend put a hand to her arm. “Are you doing okay? You seem stressed.”

  “What?” Trisha pulled her gaze back from watching Liam say something to Maya and forced a smile onto her face. “I’m fine. Just a little tired, I guess.”

  “Can you still come to book club tonight?”

  “Yes...sure!” She’d been so busy obsessing about Liam, she’d forgotten about it. She’d also forgotten her promise to Kathy—that they’d take Henry to the park today. “I should get going, actually, if I’m not needed here now? I have to go pick up...” She let her words trail off, not wanting to say Henry’s name in front of Liam.

  “Oh right.” Vivian glanced at her watch. “Of course. Thanks for stopping by for this meeting. It’s sad about the coyotes, but I’m glad we’re getting this habitat built.”

  “Did Maya get the camera set up?”

  “She and I set one up yesterday evening. The pups have poked their heads out a few times. That’s it.”

  Trisha scrubbed a hand across her eyes. Between worrying about Liam, and Henry’s inexplicable need to wake her up at three in the morning, she was wiped out. This news didn’t help. “How long before the pups get malnourished?”

  Vivian sighed. “Not long. We’d better get the pen built this weekend. We’ll have to get them out of the den first thing Monday morning if nothing changes.”

  “So do you think the coyote Liam shot is dead? Is that why it’s not coming back?” Trisha asked. Vivian and Maya were both trained wildlife biologists and sometimes Trisha envied them their wealth of knowledge. She loved animals, but she’d never been to college.

  “It could be dead.” Vivian’s expression was grim. “Or it could just be injured and scared. Disoriented.”

  Trisha glared at Liam, though he wasn’t looking at her. “Aren’t you angry? He should have asked Jace before he shot at it.”

  Maybe Liam wasn’t looking her way but he still heard what she’d said. Trisha could tell by the way his shoulders squared under the fabric of his T-shirt. But he didn’t turn to look at her. Keeping his dignity despite her jabs. He’d been right just now. She was angry. Angry that he’d walked away that night, leaving her no way of reaching him, leaving her pregnant.

  But how could she carry such anger, when that night had created Henry?

  Vivian put a gentle hand on her arm and led her a few paces away. “It’s a bad situation with this coyote, and we all feel upset about it. But we have to remember that it’s different where Liam is from. It was different where I used to work in New Hampshire, and where Maya worked in the Rockies. Ranchers shoot coyotes in those places all the time. Even here in Shelter Creek, ranchers have the right to shoot a coyote if it’s threatening their livestock. We hope they’ll call the wildlife center first, but they don’t always.”

  Maya glanced their way from where she was still scribbling notes on the whiteboard. She must have read something in Trisha’s body language—her yearning to be anywhere but here. “Are you taking off, Trisha?”

  “Yes, I have to go.”

  Maya nodded. “I’ll see you tonight at book club, right? And make sure to bring Henry with you.”
r />   “Who’s Henry?” Liam asked.

  Trisha’s heartbeat jumped into her ears, followed by a strange rushing sound. Was she going to faint? Is this what fainting felt like? “He’s my cat,” she croaked, trying to ignore the way Maya’s eyes opened wide in surprise.

  “Your cat goes to book club?” Liam was smiling warily, like he wanted to laugh but wasn’t sure it was safe. “That must be some cat.”

  “Right, yes. He is...very special.” Trisha’s face was flaming hot and she could feel Vivian’s incredulous gaze boring into her side. Emily’s and Maya’s identical shocked expressions would be funny if all of this wasn’t totally awful.

  “Well, I’ll see you all later.” She shot a pleading glance in Emily and Maya’s direction, trying to make them understand that they had to go along with Henry the cat. Then she turned and fled, Vivian right behind her. They went out the door to the parking lot, and Trisha thought about running to her car, jumping in and zooming away before she had to explain anything to her friend. But that was ridiculous and she needed Vivian’s help. She stopped and turned to face her.

  “Trisha, what is going on? Why would you say that?”

  “Viv, I need you to go along with the cat story for now, okay?” A cat. What had she been thinking? Now it was all going to come out.

  She’d never shared who Henry’s father was with anyone, not even with Vivian, Maya and Emily, her closest friends in Shelter Creek. She’d been ashamed of her one-night stand—a little horrified that she’d been so intimate with a stranger. She’d been desperate for something that night in San Antonio. Adventure, a break from the quiet of her life, an escape from the guilt over Julie’s death and the way her past mistakes chipped away at any happiness she found.

  Tears steamed behind Trisha’s eyes and she blinked them back. She’d been happy being Henry’s only parent, making all of the decisions on her own, loving her boy enough for two people. Every time she encountered Liam it felt like Henry’s life, his well-being, was slipping a little more out of her control.