by Em Petrova
She nodded. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
But she’d miss the hell out of him. How a man like Lane had walked into her world and flipped it on its axis, she had no idea. But she looked forward to more of those flips.
* * * * *
Lane jumped on the back of the wagon and started tossing out hay as fast as his muscles could go. Sweat drenched his face and neck, and he ignored the sting in his eyes as he worked.
“Hey, Lane. You know the hay’s not on fire, right? What’s the rush?” Wynonna stood below him, peering up, her eyes shaded by her hat brim.
“Gotta get it done,” he muttered.
She caught the next bale before it hit the ground, easily fielding it in a way only a country girl could. She dropped the bale lightly to the ground and then leaped into the wagon with him. “What’s up with you?”
He stopped, breathing hard more with anger than exertion. “Can’t get out of the show.”
Her eyes went wide. “Get out of the show? As in break contract? Leave us?”
“Fuck. I didn’t mean to tell you like this. I’m so pissed off, I’m not thinking.” He reached for another bale, but she grabbed his arm to stop him. When he looked into her eyes, he saw she was gutted. “Dammit. I’m sorry, Wyn.”
“Is this about Delaney?”
“Yeah. We’re getting married.”
She jerked again in surprise. “Man, you keep throwing them at me today. Hell, Lane, give a girl a minute to recover.”
All the fight drained from him, and he sat down hard on a bale. Wynonna took one next to him, and they stared at each other. “I feel like I’ve missed a lot,” she said. “My head’s been fuzzy lately too.”
He nodded. “You seem like you’ve got it on straight now, though.”
“I do.” Her voice sounded strong, but he knew her well enough to catch the crinkle in her brow that meant she was still thinking on things.
“So… married.”
He nodded, a smile coming to his face.
“Does anybody know yet?”
“Just Delaney. And her son Brant. She texted me and told me she broke the news over the phone.”
“He’s on board?”
“As much as he can be. I think we’re good with each other now.”
“That’s good news. And the show? You’re leaving the ranch, I’m assuming.”
“Yeah.” He gave her a long look. Damn, this was as much of a wrench for him as it would be his family. He was tight with them too, but it wasn’t as if he’d never see them. They were a couple hours apart. “I’m buying the ranch next door to Delaney. A hundred acres, fifty head of cattle. Small numbers now, but I’ll expand it in time.”
“Wow. You’ve really thought all this through.”
“Guess so.”
“Why won’t the show let you out of the contract?”
“Seems there’s a clause that we stay together as a family.”
“They come to your place once a week and film you ridin’ a horse. And there’s always the rodeo.” He shook his head, and shock rounded her eyes. “You’re dumping the rodeo too? Jesus, Lane. That’s your whole life. Are you sure she’s worth it?”
“Absolutely, but she’s not asking me to make these changes. I needed them for myself. The ranch is getting’ small with all of us on it. In time all those kids will be old enough to run things, and we’ll be trippin’ over each other trying to grab a shovel and find work to do.”
She pushed out a sigh. “You’re right. I expected one of the others to leave before this. Ryder or Ridge.”
“I love this ranch. And every person on it. But it’s time for me to make my own way, and the path is clear to me. Except for the TV crew part.” He bit down on his lip.
“Delaney doesn’t want anything to do with it?”
“No.”
“Can’t blame her. Lately I’ve been feeling annoyed at having no privacy.”
He stared at her. Each of them had gone this way when they’d fallen in love. Trying to keep their lives private had been hell. Shaking his head, he said, “All I can think to do is slip away for a few hours a week and let them film me here. Make it look as if I’m around.”
“Slip away for a few hours? With a ranch to tend?”
“There’s gotta be some guys who want to work part-time. I’ll need at least one good hand.”
“I can come out and help sometimes.”
He grinned at her. “That’d be appreciated. Besides, I’ll miss you botherin’ me.”
She smacked his hat off his head, but he caught it and yanked it from her grasp. They wrestled for a second, and then Ridge rounded the barn and spotted them. They broke apart, laughing.
Damn, he’d miss this. Being with his family on a daily basis was sometimes a strain, but for the most part, they got along. The thing that really worried him right now was Delaney. If he took time off to come back and film the show, that meant he wasn’t with her. Maybe wasn’t home when she got off a shift early. Or there late at night to greet her with a smile and something warm to drink.
Her days off were few and far between. And hell, even when she had them, pregnant girls showed up to deliver their babies. But damn, they had to work it out. And the show producers would just have to realize that he wasn’t their star.
Wynonna tossed a handful of hay at Ridge, and he vaulted into the wagon to get her. Lifting her off her feet squealing while she elbowed him in the ribs repeatedly. The cameras appeared to catch the antics on film, and Lane found himself smiling. They’d all get through it, one way or another.
* * * * *
“Hey, Mom. I’m glad you called.” Brant’s voice filled Delaney’s ear.
“I’m on break.” She dragged in a deep breath and watched the birds hop along the path again. Sitting in the hospital garden was becoming a regular way for her to gain her equilibrium. She’d been missing Lane something fierce, but she knew he had things to work out before coming to her again.
On some levels, she bore a huge amount of guilt when it came to Lane. She loved her practice and the hospital where she worked. The other staff members were like family. They’d been there for her over the years, even babysitting Brant at times when she’d gotten into a bind.
How could she leave that? She couldn’t see a way. If Lane wanted more from her, then he’d have to make all the changes. But he kept assuring her that he loved being there with her and needed the time away from the Calhoun ranch.
“How’s school?” she asked Brant.
“It’s going fine.” But she heard something in his voice that set off her alarms.
“What’s going on?”
After a beat of silence, he said, “You always pick up on my moods even when I try to hide them.”
“Classes okay? Grades?”
“All fine, Ma.”
“Friends? Girlfriend?” Another of his long pauses had her standing and walking the paths, the phone clutched to her ear and all her focus on the inflections of her son’s voice. “Whatever it is, you know you can talk to me.”
“I had a fight with a friend.”
“Must have been a bad one to bother you so much.”
Another minute passed without him speaking. She stopped walking and stared into the distance but saw none of her surroundings. “Brant, you’re worrying me.”
“I didn’t want to talk about this over the phone, but I feel I have to or I’ll explode. I had a fight with Cody, Ma.”
“Okay,” she said slowly.
He drew in a breath, sounding loud in her ear. As if fortifying himself. Now she was really worried—what was up with her boy?
“Cody’s been living with me.”
Confusion drew her brows together. “Fights among housemates is common. One guy steals the other’s Coke out of the fridge and things get heated.”
“That’s not why we argued. And he’s more than a housemate.” His words were so low that she almost didn’t hear over her pounding heart.
“You can tell me anythi
ng, Brant.”
When he sucked in a sharp breath, she knew the tears were flowing down his cheeks. Her momma’s arms ached to hold him, and he was miles away.
“I’m gay, Ma. Cody’s my boyfriend. My lover.”
She was so stunned that for a moment, she didn’t have a response. But the longer she waited to speak, the more he’d take her silence as disapproval, and that wasn’t the case at all.
“I’m glad you told me.”
“You didn’t guess?”
“No. Never. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is how you feel about Cody and how much this argument is upsetting you.”
He issued a soft sound like a sob. “Oh my God, my heart’s beating so hard.”
“Mine too.” She laughed a little, and he echoed it. Now she wanted to hug him more than ever. “You know I love you no matter what choices you make in life. Your sexual orientation doesn’t matter to me at all.”
“You’ll want grandchildren, though.”
“Some gay couples adopt or use surrogates. There’s time to worry about that. I’m far too young to be a grandma anyway.”
That drew a laugh from him. She swiped at a tear that trickled from her lashes. During the past few minutes of their conversation, she’d somehow made it back to the bench where she’d started. She sank to it and looked up at the sky. “Do you feel better now that you’ve told me?”
“Yes.” His answer was immediate, his voice echoing that relief.
“I’m so glad. Never be afraid to share these things.”
“Lane knows.”
That threw her off course. “Lane?”
“Yeah, he walked in on me and Cody.”
“He didn’t tell me.”
“I know. I appreciate that he didn’t.”
Her heart suddenly overflowed with love for her cowboy. “Lane’s a good man. Now what are you going to do to resolve this fight between you and Cody?”
“I think I’ll let him cool down for a while and then go find him.”
“That’s a start and a smart move. Why don’t you tell me what you argued about?”
While he talked, she focused on her son and his problems. He hadn’t confided in her like this for a long time, and she felt as though a new chapter of their relationship had opened.
She gave a happy sigh. She couldn’t wait to tell the other important man in her life.
* * * * *
Two weeks away from Lane had Delaney on edge. She’d bitten off every nail and even gone out and saddled one of the horses late one night for a ride. Even the cold wind in her hair hadn’t calmed her.
She needed her man. Phone calls and texting—hell, sexting—hadn’t given her what she needed. But she understood that he was trying to wrap things up there so he could begin his new life with her.
And she would be lying if she said she wasn’t scared to death. She hadn’t ridden a rollercoaster in a long time, and she felt herself climbing very slowly to the peak of the track. Rolling down the other side would be fun with Lane at her side. But going up alone was maddening.
When her phone went off on the truck seat beside her, she slowed her driving to press a button and answer. Expecting it to be the hospital, which she’d just left, telling her to turn around and head back to help another woman labor.
“Hey, doll.” Lane’s rough voice came through speakerphone.
“Lane.” Hers was breathy, her body suddenly tingling all over for him—her fiancé.
“You still at work? It’s good to hear your voice.”
She smiled. “Yours too. No, I’m driving home actually.”
“Be careful. It’s gettin’ dark. Deer will be running.”
She nodded even though he couldn’t see her. Her heart was overflowing with love and need. “When are you coming back?”
“Soon. I need to before I get into any more fights.”
“Who’d you fight with?”
“Let’s see… Buck, West. And today was Wyn. That woman… I had to finally hand her off to the foreman.” He growled, and a fire burst in her core. She loved that sound when they were in bed.
“Mav? Is that his name?” Each time she was on the Calhoun ranch, she felt herself swept up in a whirlwind. She knew all the characters on stage, yet she hadn’t learned all their personalities yet. Though she and Malou had spent an hour working on a healthy concoction for Kashley. She hadn’t heard anything from her niece recently and figured she was starting to relax and not look for each month to be the one.
“Yeah, Mav. He turned up at the right time, and I have no idea how he did it, but he picked my sister up off her feet and carried her bodily outta the barn.”
“Wow.” What she knew of Wynonna was her fiery temper that went with her hair. She was a tall, strong, beautiful woman who’d grown up with five brothers and knew how to hold her own.
He pushed out a snort. “Thing is, I don’t even know what we were fighting about. She just sort of snapped on me, and well… I haven’t been in a great mood. I’m missing you so damn much, doll.”
Her throat closed up. “I miss you too.”
They talked a bit more about her day and a few particulars with the bank and Lane starting the ball rolling to buy Nick’s ranch. His family had taken the news as hard as he’d expected, but they’d given him hugs and blessings in the end. He couldn’t get out of the show, and he still had another month of steer wrestling before he hung up his chaps.
Delaney’s schedule wasn’t helping her get to him, either. It seemed every pregnant woman in the county was due around Christmas, and she was booked with checkups when she wasn’t actually helping a woman labor.
She had a feeling things wouldn’t ease up—that this was their life. I’ll just take it day by day and we’ll fall into a routine.
By the time they ended the call, she was pulling into her driveway. Several vehicles were parked there, and the house was lit up.
She hurried to the door. “Brant?” she called as she opened it, expecting to see him and his friends home unexpectedly.
But her entire house was full of Calhouns. She blinked at them. “Where’s Lane?” she cried.
He came at her through the crowd, and all she saw was his face. She threw herself into his arms, and he swung her off her feet, crushing his lips to hers.
“You tricked me. You were calling from my house.”
“Surprise,” he whispered, kissing her again until her toes curled and several whistles sounded.
“Okay, you can stop kissing my Ma now.” Now that was her son’s voice.
She twisted from Lane’s embrace to hug Brant. This was the first time they’d seen each other since she’d called him to tell him she was going to become a Calhoun. And since he’d come out to her.
Cody stood not far from her son, and she turned to give him a hug too. “It’s good to see you,” she whispered to the young man. Brant watched with a grin.
“Uh… Hi, everyone.” She waved to the group of hatted, booted Calhouns. Even their mother, who rarely left the ranch according to Lane, was there. “What is this?” Delaney asked.
Lane slid his arm around her, locking her against him. “Your engagement party, doll.”
“Congratulations!”
“Surprise!” Kashley pulled a champagne bottle from behind her back and popped the cork. The alcohol bubbled onto the floor, and Channing held a glass under it. Several more were produced, along with more champagne and trays of food.
“I can’t believe you did this,” she said to Lane.
“God, I’m glad to see you.” He held her close and kissed her again. When they broke away, someone had the music going.
“I hate being away from you,” she admitted.
“A few more weeks.” He pulled her against him and started to sway to a George Jones song.
Brant had brought home more than his boyfriend, and the house was full of young people. Things got rowdy, and somehow the bathtub had been filled with ice and beer, and some of Brant’s friends had fallen i
n. It wasn’t until then that she noticed the camera crew was there too.
“Lane. Did they just come in?” She pointed to one camera guy.
“Been here the whole time. But they didn’t get any footage of you on my order.”
She nodded. “Maybe it wouldn’t be bad once in a while.”
He grinned and stamped her lips hard with his. “I was hopin’ you’d say that.”
“Seems they like filming Brant and his friends.”
“Looks like they’re more fun than the Calhouns right now.” Brant and Cody came out of the bathroom soaked, their jeans and shirts clinging to them.
“Great—the party animals.” She rolled her eyes.
“Will you have time to plan your wedding, Delaney?” Kashley asked, appearing at her side. “I’ve been talking to the ladies, and we’d love to help you since you’re busy.”
Delaney’s jaw dropped. She looked at the beautiful Calhoun women gathered around her. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me. Thank you. I’m not sure what Lane and I want as far as a wedding yet, but we’d appreciate your help.”
“Sorry I’m late!” Delaney spun when a woman burst into the house.
“Oh my God. Debra! I can’t believe you came.” She wrapped her arms around her sister and hugged her tight.
“I wouldn’t have missed it. Kashley would have told me off, too.” Debra opened her arms and the three of them hugged. When Delaney broke away, she wiped at her tears.
Lane took her by the hand. “Can I steal my fiancée for a minute?”
Both mother and daughter nodded, and he tipped his hat to them as he pulled Delaney along behind him. He took her into the kitchen and out the back door. The small porch was quiet, and the cool night air seemed to wrap around them.
The light streaming through the window in the door allowed her to see her lover’s happy face. “Thank you for all of this, Lane.”
“It was only my idea. Mom and the girls did everything. Except this.” He opened his palm, where a ring glinted. She gasped as he took her fingers and slid it in place. “I know you won’t wear this often, because you won’t want it getting lost inside a woman’s… ahem.”
