The Rancher Takes a Bride

by Brenda Minton

  “You ever going to tell us what’s going on with you?” Duke asked as he pulled on gloves. He shoved the tube of the fence post hammer over a metal post.

  “You going to marry the mother of your daughter?” Brody hopped off the four-wheeler and hobbled over to help.

  “I would if she...” At his brother’s grin, Duke stopped. “We were talking about you.”

  He pounded the post back into the ground and went to the next.

  “Yeah, I know, but did you see how I got you off the subject?” Brody shot him a grin as he pulled a strand of barbed wire. “Lilly’s a great kid, and her mom is pretty easy on the eyes.”

  “And you can barely walk. I’m worried if you don’t take care of this, you’ll end up with permanent damage.”

  “Yeah, probably too late for that. Anyway, what’s the deal with Joe and the woman that showed up yesterday? Someone said she’s Joe’s daughter.”

  “She is.” Duke used pliers to tighten wire. “So is Oregon. That isn’t common knowledge, so let’s not make it town gossip.”

  Brody’s eyes widened. “Wow. That’s pretty huge. And don’t worry, I’m not saying anything.”

  “Huge, yeah, I guess it is. He’s Joe Andrews. He has a construction business and a manufacturing plant. Industrial heating systems of some type.”

  “Seriously? Why didn’t anyone know that Joe Andrews was here?”

  “Seriously. And they didn’t call in the police. They didn’t want customers to worry.” Duke ran a hand over Daisy’s head when she brushed against his leg. It felt good to talk. He’d been avoiding his family the past few days. He guessed they’d all avoided each other too much.

  “You actually asked her to marry you?” Brody shook his head and laughed again. “Never thought you’d do something like that.”

  “Why?”

  Brody shrugged. “Have you ever dated a woman longer than a month? I think most people would say the Martin men are afraid of commitment. At least until Jake met Breezy.”

  Afraid of commitment. Duke guessed he could agree. He hadn’t ever thought of himself as afraid. More that he hadn’t wanted to bother with something that seemed to cause more problems than it was worth. A kid changed everything.

  He wanted Lilly to have more than he or Oregon had ever had. He wanted her to come home every day to two parents. He wanted her to go to sleep knowing they would both be there when she woke up. Yeah, he wanted stability for his kid, not for her to worry about parents not showing up for dinner.

  He wanted Oregon to trust that he wouldn’t walk out on them. And he wanted her to trust that he needed only her, not the things she couldn’t give that she thought he might want later.

  Like more children. He shook his head at the conversation he was having with himself. When he chanced a look at Brody, his younger brother grinned.

  “My, how life gets complicated.”

  “Complicated doesn’t begin to define this.” Duke finished tightening the fence. “Go on up to the house. Make a doctor’s appointment. And try not to gloat too much because it’s liable to come back on you, brother.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that. It’s already on my doorstep.” Brody settled his hat back on his head as he walked off.

  Duke watched him go, wondering what in the world he meant by that. But he didn’t really have time to think about his little brother’s statement. After he had his own business settled, though, he’d get back to Brody.

  His own business, meaning Oregon and Lilly. He remembered a Bible verse about not worrying because today’s troubles were enough. Yeah, that was a paraphrase, but it made sense. No use borrowing trouble.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “We’re going to do a biopsy.”

  Those hadn’t been the words Oregon had expected to hear the doctor say on Wednesday. He’d scheduled tests that she thought would be noninvasive and would give them all of the answers they needed. But he wanted to go one step further.

  She’d been alone when he gave her the news. Duke had taken Lilly for her appointment, and Oregon had insisted that there was no need for anyone to be with her.

  When the procedure was over, she gathered her belongings and opened the door of the exam room. Duke was waiting in the hallway. He stepped away from the wall, tall and confident, an easy smile on his face. And suddenly she didn’t feel so alone. Or as strong as she’d convinced herself she was.

  “I should have been here.” He stepped close and she leaned into his side. “Someone should have been here, Oregon.”

  “It wouldn’t have changed anything, and Lilly needed you with her. Where is she?”

  “She’s in the waiting room. Joe and Sissy just got here. She’s with them, getting quarters for the vending machine and probably having them sign the new cast.”

  “Why are they here?”

  “Because they’re your family. A person can only go through so much alone. After you texted me, I called them. They drove right up.”

  “I told you I could do this, Duke. It was just a biopsy.”

  He glanced down at her, shaking his head at what she’d meant to be a show of confidence on her part.

  “We all know you can do everything on your own. I didn’t want you to be alone, though. So I called and told them where to find you.”

  “Rat.” She sniffed and turned away so he wouldn’t see the tears in her eyes.

  “You’re going to be okay,” he said with conviction.

  “You promise?” She looked up, needing his confidence. His fingers tightened around hers, and he lifted her hand to his lips.

  She immediately regretted her words, though. She saw the shadows in his eyes and knew she’d brought back memories he’d tried so hard to vanquish, of soldiers pleading with him, asking him to save them, to promise they’d make it home.

  “I’m sorry, that was wrong of me to ask you that.”

  He pulled her close to his side. “Don’t apologize. Just know that I’m here and we’re going to get through this.”

  She nodded at his reassurance. “I know. We should go.”

  They were almost to the exit when he pulled her to a stop. “I need for you to be okay.” His voice shook as he said it.

  “Me, too.”

  She held on to his hand, willing him to stay at her side. She’d never been that person, wanting to make a man stay. She wouldn’t ask him to give what he couldn’t. Emotion, thick and aching, settled in her throat. She was afraid. She didn’t want to tell him that.

  He muttered something, then gathered her in his arms as he moved her into an empty exam room. Tears leaked from her closed eyes as he held her close in that dark room. His mouth found hers, and she opened up to his kiss, needing to feel alive, to feel cherished in his arms. Even if it only lasted a moment, she needed to feel the connection.

  As the kiss ended, he held her close against his chest. “We’ll get through this.”

  “I know.” She reached for a tissue and wiped her eyes. “We have to go. They’ll probably charge us for using this room.”

  “It would be worth it.”

  When they entered the waiting room, Lilly, Joe and Sissy were waiting. Lilly sat next to Sissy, showing her something in a magazine. Joe seemed to be in prayer. Lilly saw them first, tossing the magazine and hurrying to Oregon’s side.

  “You’re okay?” Lilly asked, her blue gaze shadowed with concern.

  “I’m good. And look at that new cast. Nice.” Oregon drew in a breath and let the fear go.

  Lilly gave her a questioning look, then shifted her attention to the casted leg, obviously understanding they were playing a game of avoidance. “I can walk on it. And I’m doing so good they think it can come off in a few weeks.”

  “That’s great. You’ll be able to go swimming.”


  “Mom, you’re going to be okay.”

  Was that a question or a statement of confidence? Oregon reached for her daughter’s hand and held it tight. “Of course I’m going to be okay.”

  Lilly grinned big. “You know, as long as we’re together, we can make it through anything.”

  “We always have.”

  Joe and Sissy were standing with them now. Joe patted her arm. “You’re going to be just fine.”

  “Of course I am. And I’m ready to go home.” She glanced around. “But my ride seems to have vanished.”

  “He went that way.” Joe pointed to the door. “Lilly can wait here with us if you want to look for him.”

  “Thank you.” Oregon kissed her daughter on the cheek. “Be right back.”

  She walked down the hall knowing there weren’t too many places for Duke to go, unless he’d actually left. The women’s clinic was attached to the hospital by a long hallway with few rooms. He wasn’t in the next waiting room. He wasn’t at the vending machine. She slowed at the door of the chapel and peeked in. He was sitting in a front pew, his head bowed.

  She walked down the aisle and sat next to him. He placed his hand in hers.

  “You disappeared.” She leaned against him.

  “I needed a minute alone, and I knew you were in good hands.”

  “Praying for me?” she asked softly.

  “Praying for you, for me, for forgiveness.” He leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. She wanted to brush away the worry from his face. She couldn’t brush away his pain.

  * * *

  Duke held her hand in his and wished things could have been different for them both. He hadn’t ever been much for wishing, though. He was an action man. That was the problem. He couldn’t always fix the things he wanted to fix.

  He had wanted to save every soldier he came across. Sometimes he couldn’t, though. Too often he hadn’t been able to do anything.

  Once, a long time ago, he’d tried to make his mother come home. He’d been about eighteen when he chased her down. He’d told her it was too late for him, but she could get back to Texas and change things for Brody and Samantha. She’d told him she couldn’t change anything for anyone, and they’d have to take care of themselves. What a piece of work Sylvia Martin was.

  He wanted to tell Brody about that long-ago meeting with their mother, but it would tear him apart. Even a grown man sometimes needed to believe his mama cared a little bit.

  A man needed to know that when he prayed for something important, God heard. He’d been down here pouring his heart out, begging forgiveness for all of that anger he’d carried back from Afghanistan. He’d been pleading for Lilly, that his little girl wouldn’t have to know what life was like without a mom.

  Duke liked to be in charge, to take care of things. He looked up at the cross on the wall of the chapel and felt a little bit humbled. He wasn’t in this whole big mess alone.

  He couldn’t take care of everything and everyone. But he needed to know that God had this situation taken care of.

  “Duke?” Oregon’s voice called him back to the present.

  “God’s got this. Right?”

  “I’d like to believe He does.” She lifted his hand to her lips. The sweetness of the gesture shifted his whole world. “I wanted you in Lilly’s life. I didn’t mean to come barreling in with all of this extra baggage.”

  He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “All of this is part of being her dad. Being here for you means I’m here for her.”

  She stood, pulling his hand to bring him to his feet. “Lilly is probably worried about where we are.”

  “She’s concerned, or maybe curious.”

  Before she could get away, he pulled her back into her arms and held her for just a moment.

  Eventually she stepped away. “Lilly.”

  He nodded and followed her down the hall without telling her everything he wanted to say. Sometimes a man knew when to keep quiet.

  He’d come to a few conclusions in that chapel. The first was that he had to be the man Oregon and Lilly needed. He was going to have to figure out who that man was, but he knew it started with faith. In time Oregon would see that God had made them a family. They had to do their part to become the family He wanted them to be.

  Lilly met them in the hall. Her worried frown dissolved, and she smiled. “I thought maybe you left without me.”

  “Never.” He pulled her close. No kid of his would ever feel walked out on. “I think if your mom is up to it, that we should grab something to eat.”

  “Drive-through?” Oregon asked. “Maybe we could take something home.”

  Home. When she said it like that, it sounded like a place they should be together. The three of them.

  “I think that’s a great idea. If Lilly is hungry, she can just eat on the way.”

  “I’m good. I’ve eaten half the stuff in the vending machine. And Joe,” she said, glancing back at her grandfather who had just walked out of the waiting room, “Grandpa Joe bought me a sandwich earlier.”

  “Looks as if we can all head home, then,” Duke said, moving them down the hall.

  He eased an arm around Oregon. As they walked out the front doors, he stopped her. “Wait here and I’ll go get the truck.”

  “I can walk to the truck, Duke.” She started to follow after him but Joe stopped her, a restraining hand on her arm.

  She huffed in frustration, then said, “I’ll just wait here with you.”

  Duke headed toward the parking lot, liking Joe more than ever.

  “Hey, could you slow down? I don’t take giant steps.”

  He turned around and saw Lilly hurrying toward him. He slowed and she caught up. “Sorry.” He pulled keys from his pocket. “You should have stayed with your mom.”

  “I wanted to be with my dad.” She chewed on her bottom lip as she looked at him. “That’s you.”

  “Yeah, that’s me.” They reached his truck and he stopped at the passenger door, stunned and unable to pull it together in order to give her more of an answer.

  “So you’re okay with me calling you that?”

  He drew in a deep breath, then a grin burst across his face. He hugged her, lifting her off the ground. “I’m more than okay with it.”

  “Good. About my mom...”

  He opened the truck door for her. She stood there, looking everywhere but at him. “You don’t have to worry,” he said.

  She nodded but a finger came up, flicking away tears. His heart tightened a little. It was an uncomfortable feeling, like wearing new boots. He was suddenly Dad. The guy who needed to make her feel safe in all of these new situations crashing in on her.

  “She’s going to be fine. I’m going to make sure of that. I’m not going anywhere and neither is she.”

  She fell into his arms, burying her face against his chest. Duke held her close as she sobbed. He brushed a hand down her head, smoothing her hair.

  “It’s okay.”

  She nodded against him, hiccuping on a sob. “I know.”

  “You can call me Dad anytime you want to.” He was pretty close to tears himself at that moment. If she called him Dad right then, he’d be a goner.

  “Okay.”

  He picked her up and sat her in the truck. “Seat belt.”

  She nodded and pulled the seat belt across her shoulder.

  As they pulled through the circle drive, Oregon moved forward. Joe was still with her, his hand on her back. She said something and the two of them laughed. Joe patted her back and then reached for the door as Duke slowed to a stop.

  “We’ll see you back in Martin’s Crossing,” Duke called out to Joe.

  “Not until tomorrow.” Joe stood on the running board of the truck. “These two are tired. Si
ssy will be there tonight if they need anything, but I’ll have her drop me at my place.”

  “Good night, Joe.” Oregon leaned to kiss his cheek.

  Duke drove away from the hospital, Lilly and Oregon in the front seat of the truck with him. They went through a drive-through and were heading down the highway toward Martin’s Crossing when he realized they were both asleep. He turned the radio down and settled in, his daughter against his shoulder and her mother leaning against the door.

  The dogs, Daisy and Belle, met the truck as Duke pulled up to the house. He stopped the truck and got out. When he opened the passenger door, a groggy Oregon gave him a sweet, sleepy smile.

  “We’re home.” She moved to get out. Before she could protest, he scooped her into his arms and carried her to the house. She was sleepy enough that she curled against him, her face in his neck, her breath soft and warm.

  “I can walk,” she whispered as they walked through the front door.

  “Of course you can.” He carried her inside and placed her on the couch. “But I liked carrying you, and I probably won’t get many opportunities like that one.”

  She nodded, and then touched his face, cupping his cheeks with her hands. “No, and neither will I. It was nice.”

  “I’m going to get Lilly.” He dropped a kiss on the top of Oregon’s head. “Relax.”

  She reached for the quilt on the back of the sofa. “I will.”

  He stood there for a moment, watching as she dozed off again. When he turned, Lilly stood in the doorway watching. She looked at him, then at her mom.

  “I don’t want you to go,” his daughter said in a quiet voice.

  “I’m always going to be here, Lilly.”

  She shook her head. “I mean, don’t leave us alone tonight, Dad. Please.”

  When she put it like that, he couldn’t say no. He hugged her tight and nodded. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Ever, he thought as he looked down at Oregon. He wasn’t walking away from her, from them. He’d let her protest, let her turn him down, but he’d keep asking. He’d keep waiting for her to see what he had already realized.