A Baby for the Rancher

by Margaret Daley

  “I’ve been out of the loop for months. All I did was sleep. I’m ready to tackle life again.” Ben stared up at the pine needles above him, looking at a bright red cardinal on a branch. “I think the Lord gave me Cody for a reason.”

  “What reason?”

  “I’m not sure yet. I was already planning a summer camp and getting involved in the intern program at the high school. When I pick up Cody, I feel at peace. I really never thought of myself as a father, especially with the bad relationship I had with my own. Grady seemed more likely to carry on the Stillwater name.” Thoughts he’d been mulling over for weeks since he’d known about Cody being a Stillwater came rushing out, surprising him. Why was he sharing this with Lucy?

  “I never had any brothers or sisters. My parents were great, but I wanted siblings. They did, too, but Mom couldn’t have any more children.”

  “I don’t want Cody to be an only child. I know he’ll have a cousin soon when Chloe gives birth, but it’s not the same thing.” Finally he looked at Lucy sitting cross-legged on the blanket facing him with a sleeping Cody in between. A blank expression hid her feelings. He wanted to know how she felt about having children, but ground his teeth to keep that question to himself.

  She pushed herself to her feet. “I need to stretch my legs, especially after sitting in church, then on Daisy Mae.”

  “Not a bad idea. If I sit too much longer, I might go to sleep like Cody.”

  She gazed at his son. “It’s always nice to see a baby sleeping so peacefully. Their only worries are when are they going to be fed and changed. Those were definitely simpler days, with no Byron around to bug me every day about the investigation.”

  “He is used to having things taken care of immediately when he wants something done.”

  “Believe me, I would if I could, but since I’m leaning more and more to Winston and Gareth, I need to have the evidence before I confront them. It would be nice if I didn’t have to have Byron in the room when I interview them.”

  “Why would they rob their own ranch? To take any suspicion off them?”

  “Maybe. I still think it’s about Betsy. And if Gareth is Maddy’s secret admirer, can you imagine his father’s reaction to that?”

  Ben paused near the stream, turning to keep an eye on Cody still sleeping. “I remember Carson’s father’s reaction when he dated Ruby. His actions were what separated the two and made Ruby leave town. Thankfully they’re together, but it took years before that happened. Like Ruby, Maddy is a good kid, and I think Gareth would be much better off dating her rather than some other girls.”

  “You’re already starting to sound like a father. Remember that when Cody is Gareth’s age.”

  Ben exaggerated a shiver. “I shudder to think about Cody being a teenager. Those days weren’t that long ago for me. Looking back, I see where I didn’t make it easy for my father and me to have a relationship. It wasn’t all his fault. I couldn’t have said that this time last year.”

  Lucy touched his arm. “A lot has happened to you since then.”

  “Yeah, like I missed part of it.” He stepped closer, her fragrance mingling with the scents of nature surrounding them. “It’s been good talking to you. I’m not there with Grady yet. As young boys, we were close. I’d like that back. I’m discovering how important home and family are.”

  “I miss my parents.” She dropped her arm to her side.

  He missed the connection. “Are they going to come back to Little Horn to stay one day?”

  “I hope. We do have a close relationship, and conducting it long distance isn’t the same thing as face-to-face.”

  He cocked a smile. “Even with video calling.”

  “Not even with that.”

  Inching forward, Ben clasped her shoulders. When she didn’t shrug away, he inhaled a deep breath of relief. There was something about Lucy that drew him. He wanted to explore these feelings, but Lucy only saw him as the man he used to be. “If you want, we can eat before Cody wakes up. I brought finger foods for him.”

  “What did Martha Rose fix for us?”

  “Leftover fried chicken from yesterday, and as usual it was delicious. Some coleslaw and potato salad. Iced tea to drink.”

  “Sounds great,” she murmured but didn’t take a step toward the blanket.

  And Ben was in no hurry to, either. “Your muscles are tight.”

  She nodded. “That’s where my stress settles.”

  His gaze seized by hers, he kneaded her shoulders. He wanted to kiss her. He had for years, ever since she’d slapped him as a thirteen-year-old when he’d tried.

  His hands stilled, then slipped to her face, framing it, her warm cheeks beneath his fingers, drawing him closer. Her mouth beckoned him. He slanted his head and slowly closed the distance between them and settled his lips over hers. The sensations bombarding him surprised him and yet didn’t. He’d known kissing Lucy would be everything he dreamed as a teenager.

  Cries pierced the air, shattering the brief moment.

  Lucy pedaled backward, her eyes large, tiny lines grooving her forehead.

  As much as he wanted to pursue what just happened between them, his son had awakened and didn’t know where he was. He hurried toward Cody and scooped him up. “I’m right here, little man. I won’t leave you.”

  Chapter Seven

  With a sigh, Lucy eased into the chair at the head of the conference table at church. No one else had arrived yet for the meeting about the Easter-egg hunt, which was only ten days away. Today had been another long day, mostly spent between Bakersville and Blue Creek, towns on opposite sides of the county. One had been a good lead on an abandoned cattle trailer, but what she’d found couldn’t have been used for anything in the past few years. With all the holes in its floor, nobody would have been able to transport the number of cattle stolen anywhere.

  Amelia Klondike, soon to marry Finn Brannigan, appeared in the entrance with a bright smile on her face. “Good. No one else is here. We have time to talk.” Her good friend for years sat down next to Lucy. “What’s this I’m hearing about you and Ben being an item, seen together a number of times since he left the hospital?”

  Lucy lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I don’t listen to the gossip, so I can’t answer that question.”

  “Don’t play innocent with me. Your cheeks are getting red, a sure sign something is going on between you two.”

  “We are friends.” But even as she said that, Lucy knew it was more than that. When he’d kissed her on Sunday at the stream, she felt connected to Ben beyond friendship. He spoke to a need she thought she’d buried after Jesse. “How are the wedding plans coming along?”

  Amelia shook her head and sank against the back of the cushioned chair. “I’m not going to tell you a thing if you don’t share with me.”

  Lucy heard the outside door open and bent toward the curly-haired blonde beauty. “Ben and I are friends. Like you and I are.”

  Amelia burst out laughing as Pastor Mathers came into the room with Ben. He grinned at Lucy and winked, then took a seat at the other end of the table, so every time she glanced up, she saw his face first.

  Not half a minute later Ruby entered, slightly out of breath. “Oh, good, I’m not late. Carson’s nephew fell off a horse. I wanted to make sure Brandon would be okay before I came.”

  “Great, everyone is here. Amelia, would you take notes on the meeting?” Lucy asked while Ruby took a chair between the pastor and Ben. “We have a lot to finalize tonight. We’ll have one more meeting before the Easter-egg hunt this time next week. Will that be all right with everyone?”

  Each member of the committee nodded.

  “As y’all know, the Stillwater Ranch will be the location this year for the event. Lucy has filled me in on what has been planned so far, but I’d like to add some things t
o the festivities.” Ben looked right at Lucy. “Instead of the children coming for an hour or so, why don’t we make this several hours with more than just hunting for Easter eggs and a few age-appropriate games?”

  Lucy groaned inwardly. “At this late date?”

  “I thought we could add a couple of things like various races with eggs, an art tent and a reading circle. I saw on the internet the different activities they have at the White House at this time. The Easter Egg Roll is an annual event for kids from all over the United States.” Ben looked at each member of the committee. “We have a large tent at the ranch. We have the art teacher from the elementary school in our congregation.”

  “Maybe next year—”

  “Why wait?” Ben interrupted Lucy. “If I learned one thing, it’s to seize the moment. One moment I was going to see Carson, the next I was lying on the ground unconscious. I didn’t wake up for weeks. We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, so why not make each day count? I’ll do the extra work.”

  Stunned, Lucy searched for words to say. Too much was going on.

  “I like it, Ben,” Amelia said. “We already have the egg hunt, refreshments and a couple of games. The kids are already coming, and it would be fun to add a few more activities. If it’s successful, we can think about doing even more next year.”

  “I’ll set up the tent and recruit some teenagers to help with the arts and crafts. I suggested it today to the three girls that work after school at my ranch. They loved the idea. They thought they could get some of the teenage boys in the intern program to help with the races. We could have an egg roll like at the White House, racing with an egg in a spoon and an egg toss, especially for the older children.” Ben scanned everyone’s faces but Lucy’s, as though he wasn’t sure of her reaction.

  Lucy was warming to the idea. She watched the excitement in Ben’s expression, and it was contagious. He’d always played as hard as he worked, but this was different. This was about others. He wasn’t thinking of fun for himself but for the children at the egg hunt. Had Ben really changed since the accident? Would it last? Or with all this extra work, would he burn himself out before summer? She didn’t want to see that, either.

  Pastor Mathers cleared his throat. “I don’t see why we don’t try Ben’s idea, but we’ll need to look at the funding.”

  “No problem. I’ll give the money necessary for the supplies,” Amelia said with a smile. “We’ve had so much tension in town the past six months that it would be nice to have a celebration like this for the children.”

  Lucy took in the faces of each member; the more she looked at Ben the more excited she became. His smile filled the whole conference room. In the past she’d seen glimpses of this new Ben, but he was shining bright right now. “Okay, we have a suggestion for expanding the Easter-egg hunt with three new activities—arts-and-crafts tent, storytelling area and egg races. Is anyone opposed to trying it this year?”

  No one said a word.

  “Then, it is decided. Ruby, you’ll still be in charge of the refreshments, Amelia the egg hunt and now Ben the extra activities. We’ll combine the games and races. I can help you since we only have ten days to get it in place.” Even Ben had pulled her into the expanded egg hunt. “I can plan the arts-and-crafts activities and the races. Pastor Mathers, will you recruit readers for the storytelling part?”

  “I’ll volunteer to be one, and I have several others in mind, too.”

  “Good. Let’s finish the rest of the business. I know we’re all probably ready to have dinner.” Lucy took the next twenty minutes going over the church’s youth group running the different age egg hunts and manning the refreshment table, as well as where they could fit in with the expanded plan.

  At the end the pastor rose first and skimmed the faces of the committee members. “I have to say I’m excited about the direction this is going. Our advertising is garnering a lot of interest even from the surrounding towns. I’m so glad we’ve opened it up this year to all children. Our community needs to remember how important love is in the midst of the tempers and accusations flying around. God is love, and I want to spread that word. Thank you for your help.”

  Amelia angled toward Lucy. “I’ll send the notes to your email tomorrow. We need to get together soon. I’m going to catch Pastor Mathers about having Finn read to the children. They always love to see a Texas Ranger. See you.”

  As Lucy rose, Ben made his way to her. “How about grabbing dinner at Maggie’s? We can discuss what we want to do in the art-and-crafts tent. I think I’ll turn the races over to Maddy, Lynne and Christie to recruit some of their friends to help. I’m glad you’re going to be there, too.”

  “Everyone will have to chip in to get it done. Why didn’t you say something to me about your idea before you announced it?”

  “Because you would look at the problems, not the possibilities. You’re overworked and the uproar in the community has been stressful for you. I was in a coma a good part of it. So it’s not the same for me.”

  As the rest of the committee filed out of the conference room, Lucy leaned back against the conference table, grasping its edge. “Where are all these ideas coming from? First the camp and now this.”

  “They’ve always been in the back of my mind, but I realized when I almost died that I couldn’t wait until later to implement them. Later may never come. I talked with Pastor Mathers before the meeting. He likes the idea about having the Vacation Bible School at the Stillwater Ranch, so I’m going forward with it this summer.”

  “So your new motto is seize the moment?”

  “Exactly,” he said with a chuckle. “So how about dinner?”

  Exhaustion still clung to her, but she couldn’t say no to Ben. That adorable grin and twinkle in his eyes told her to seize the moment. “Yes. I’m hungry, and it beats my cooking for once.”

  “Good, because I don’t have one artistic bone in this body. I’m gonna need your help. Maybe the girls should do the arts-and-crafts tent.”

  “Let’s see who they recruit to help, then make the decision who will do what.”

  “See, you’re perfect to run this committee. You know how to delegate.”

  Warmed by his compliment, Lucy left the church with Ben strolling next to her. The sunlight splashed in brilliant colors of red, orange and yellow across the sky. The air held a crispness as the end of the day neared while a bird chirped in a budding tree nearby. For this moment tranquillity ruled, and she relished it because she knew it wouldn’t last.

  * * *

  Ben pulled out the chair at Maggie’s Coffee Shop for Lucy, and instead of sitting across from her, he took the one kitty-corner from her.

  Abigail handed them the menu and filled their water glasses. “It’s nice to see you up and around so much, Ben. There were a lot of people praying you recovered.”

  He gave her a grin. “Thanks, Abigail. That’s what I love about Little Horn. People care about their neighbors.”

  “Let me know when you’re ready to order. Sheriff, I know you like chicken potpie, and that’s our specialty tonight.” Abigail turned and headed for the kitchen, her black ponytail swishing as she walked.

  “Were you including Byron in that statement of neighbors caring?” Lucy closed her menu and set it to the side.

  “He blusters a lot, but I do think he cares about the town, just not necessarily his relations.”

  “You’re thinking about his cousin Mac. He was a proud man, and when Byron wouldn’t help him, he fell apart one drink at a time and refused some people’s attempt to help.”

  “Pride goeth before destruction. Proverbs has it right. As my relationship deteriorated with my father, I refused to make amends. I knew he was in pain from his back injury. When I was thrown from a bronco my last season on the rodeo circuit, I began to understand what he’d gone through. It took mo
nths for my back to heal. By the time I figured out how pain can change a person, my father had been dead a year.”

  “Personally I don’t know why you would want to sit on a bronco just to be thrown off seconds later.”

  He chuckled. “It’s the challenge. I could say personally I don’t know why you would strap a gun to your waist and face down criminals.”

  “Someone has to keep the order.”

  Ben closed his menu and signaled for Abigail to take their order. “I’m just glad you’re back in Little Horn. A city is much more dangerous than here.”

  “You sound like my father, but I needed to do that. I’m a better law-enforcement officer because of my years on the San Antonio police force. I told my father what was good for him should be good for me.”

  Abigail paused next to Ben with her pad and pen. “Ready?”

  “Yes, I want the chicken potpie and a cup of decaf.” Ben looked at Lucy.

  “The same.”

  Abigail wrote down their orders. “Any dessert?”

  “Pecan pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. How about you, Lucy?”

  She shook her head. “A refill of decaf coffee will have to do.”

  “I’m with you on that, Sheriff. But if I’d lost a lot of weight while sleeping, I’d be ordering what Ben did and enjoy every second of eating the treats.” Abigail smiled at him, took the menus and left.

  This was the perfect chance for her to champion Abigail as a nanny or... She couldn’t quite bring herself to think about Abigail as wife material, but that was what she’d thought last week. “She has a pretty smile. I’m surprised she’s still single.” Lucy drank her water, watching Ben over the rim of the glass.

  “I imagine she hasn’t found the right person. For the longest time she was the primary caretaker for her mother.”

  “But she died last summer. She’s a hard worker, kind and loves children. She works in the nursery at church.”

  “That’s right. She was playing with Cody when I picked him up last Sunday from the nursery.” Ben took a big sip of his drink.