(Calahan Cowboys 08) The Cowboy Soldier's Sons

by Tina Leonard

  Shaman pulled his truck into the drive, and a uniformed attendant came to greet him. “Welcome home, Shaman,” he said. “I’ll park this for you. Miss Millicent is waiting for you in the great room.”

  Shaman looked at the valet. “New procedure?”

  “At some point in the last ten years, sir, I believe Miss Millicent instituted valeting as part of our job concerning the vehicle fleet. It’s nice to have employment, sir.”

  This was true. Shaman knew it as well as anyone. He grimaced. “All right.” He turned over his keys, and walked inside the contemporary-style mansion with a sense of déjà vu and apprehension all wrapped up together. Though he hadn’t been home in years, he well remembered where the great room was. Usually it was a silent place, all white, with only a black piano to relieve the coolness. He shivered, feeling a chill despite the May heat.

  Millicent wasn’t in the room. He ambled over to a window, staring out, wondering if the house had always been so quiet when he and Gage and Xav and Kendall were growing up. He didn’t remember. Mainly they’d stayed outside, trying to distance themselves from their father.

  Shaman had been something of a nerd, finding an outbuilding to hole up in and read. He’d graduated valedictorian, so the studying hadn’t gone to waste. Kendall had been more interested in riding, and Xav followed anything his twin did. Gage had mainly raised hell on the rodeo circuit when he could slip away, something he’d managed to do fairly often.

  Shaman had always wished he was more like his big brother. A little more of a rebel, a little less of a nerd.

  “Hi.” He heard a voice behind him, and he turned.

  Tempest stood there, just as beautiful as he remembered, bringing color to the white room and the austere atmosphere, and most of all, his soul. There was a giant white pram next to her, and Shaman knew his children were in it.

  He strode over to look inside, his heart in his throat. Two little wrapped bundles lay sleeping inside. One baby had a thumb in its mouth, the other had a hand on its sibling. “Hi,” he said to Tempest, and then to the babies, feeling tears push into his eyes. “Hey, there, little people.” He reached a finger into the pram to touch their soft clothes. “They’re beautiful. What are their names?”

  “Shaman Jonas and Gage Xavier Phillips,” Tempest answered.

  His gaze jumped to her face. “Both boys?”

  She nodded.

  He looked back into the pram, staggered. His sons. He was the father of two little boys. “I can’t believe it,” he said, hardly able to take in the new lives that were part of him. “They’re amazing.” He glanced back up at Tempest, wanting so badly to put his arms around her and hold her tight, celebrating this moment. “When were they born?”

  “About three weeks ago.” She was obviously delighted, a proud mother. He thought she glowed with something he’d never seen before, a mixture of happiness and confidence and sheer joy. “I was confined to bed for the last few months, but everything went absolutely fine with the birth.”

  He couldn’t help it; he pulled her to him. “I’m sorry I missed it.”

  She moved out of his arms after a moment. “I have it all on video, though I doubt you’ll want to watch it. Men don’t want to see that sort of pain.”

  He looked back in the pram. “I’m not that strong, to be honest.” He knew he couldn’t bear to see Tempest in pain. “I’m pretty sure I’m one of those guys who’s happier knowing less than more about how babies arrive.”

  “Like Cat said, magic storks.”

  He nodded, looking at Tempest sheepishly. “Yeah.” Then it hit him. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  She shrugged. “Your mother invited me.”

  “I’m glad.” He was thankful, for once, for his mother’s overbearing fortitude in all matters. “I bet she is loving having grandchildren in her house.”

  “The boys were born in the hospital in Hell’s Colony. Your mother insisted I stay here when I was put on bed rest.” Tempest smiled down at her babies. “I’ve become very fond of Millicent. You’d be surprised what a doting grandmother she is.”

  Tempest gave him a questioning glance that held some annoyance. “You forgot to mention how your family lives. This place doesn’t exactly square with how you presented yourself to me. Now I see why Millicent wanted me to sign those papers.”

  “I didn’t leave anything out. This isn’t my home. Hasn’t been in years.” He stared at her, torn between gazing at his babies and drinking in the sight of his wife after all the months apart. “I’ve missed you,” he finally said.

  She looked at him, remaining silent.

  “I would never have guessed you were here.” Understatement of the year—he was shocked she and the boys were right here, under his nose. Trust his mother and Kendall to pull a fast one on him.

  “I went to New York to do some work. Millicent kept in touch with me, as did Shinny and Blanche. They became quite communicative with each other. Apparently, everyone felt it was best for me to be here to have the babies. When the doctor advised bed rest, I needed to go somewhere. You didn’t want me in Tempest,” she said, shrugging, “so I came here.”

  “It’s not that I didn’t want you.”

  She glanced away. “It’s hard to imagine you growing up here.”

  “It was never a good fit, probably. Maybe more for Xav and Kendall, because they were the youngest. And because they were twins, they had each other. Gage and I relied on each other, but two years is still a big difference. We were lonely, not being with other kids our ages.”

  She looked at him. “I can see that. Strangely, I like it here. I think this part of Texas is beautiful. Kind of outback and lonely, maybe. I can understand why you wouldn’t be happy here, though.”

  He didn’t want to talk about it. “And now? What happens now?”

  “Millicent wants me to stay. She and Fitzgerald want less to do with the day-to-day operations of The Family, Inc. Kendall can handle most, but she wants an assistant. I was asked to take the job, and I’ve accepted.” She smiled at her children sleeping in the big white pram. “It will allow me to be with the babies, which is all I really want to do right now. I’m taking an indefinite hiatus from acting. Though I wouldn’t tell my agent, it’s probably forever.”

  Shaman couldn’t believe how beautiful Tempest was. Being a mother agreed with her in a way he could never have understood, probably never would. He didn’t want to talk about anything but her. “I didn’t handle things well between us.”

  “No. You didn’t.”

  “I’m not good with relationships.”

  He supposed she had likely figured that out herself.

  “So why are you here? Obviously not to see me or the babies.”

  “I came home to... I don’t know why.” Why? He’d finished his job. He’d gotten wandering feet.

  He’d missed the hell out of her, mostly.

  “I came home because it was time.”

  “Going to work in the family business?”

  “Millicent said she could use some help.”

  Tempest nodded. “It’s true. It was good to see you, Shaman. I have to take the babies upstairs to the day nursery. They’ll wake up soon and want to eat.”

  His throat tightened. He wished she’d stay a little longer. “Thanks for...letting me see the babies. They’re beautiful, Tempest. I’m the happiest man in the world.” Almost. He wanted to tell her she was the most beautiful woman in the world, and that he’d missed her more than he could put into words. Yet he knew she didn’t want to hear that. She was still upset with him, and he couldn’t blame her.

  He understood the feeling of abandonment. It wasn’t the world’s most fun emotion, and essentially, Tempest felt he’d abandoned her.

  He didn’t know how to fix it.

  She smiled at him—barely—and wheeled the pram down the hall. He heard the elevator ding, and the doors close. He shut his eyes, his heart burning, wishing so much that things were different between them. He’d
missed the boys’ birth.

  I’m really a father. I have sons. I had no idea it would feel this in-my-face glorious. It’s like Christmas and birthday and every other holiday rolled together.

  It was all the best feelings he’d ever experienced melded into one overwhelming haze of joy.

  “It’s about time you came home.”

  Shaman opened his eyes to see Millicent parked in front of him. He bent down to kiss her on the forehead. “Obviously. Why didn’t you tell me Tempest was here?”

  His mother gave him an innocent look. “It wasn’t my place to butt in. She said you didn’t want her staying with you. It hurt her feelings, I suppose. She said a wife belonged with her husband, even if it was a short-term situation.” Millicent glared at him. “Probably you handled things in a rather ham-handed manner, but I’m sure you had your reasons.”

  “I did.”

  “Heavens knows your father wasn’t exactly the silver-tongued prince, either.” She sighed. “I thought it was best to keep her here where we could help her. Truthfully, I figured you’d be here before now. I keep forgetting how stubborn you are.”

  “Not stubborn.” Okay, he was stubborn like the old man. He appreciated his mother’s forbearance on the topic.

  “Anyway, Tempest made us promise that if she stayed here, we wouldn’t breathe a word to you.” Millicent shrugged. “I figured you’d be mad at first when you found out, but then you’d realize we did our best in a bad situation, which, I might add, you created.”

  “I’m not mad. I’m grateful. Though I would have loved to be at my sons’ birth.”

  Millicent sniffed. “I hear there’s a video, which I will not be viewing. However, you may find it of interest.” She rolled her wheelchair down the hall. “Good to have you home. See Tempest about your duties tomorrow.”

  He blinked, then caught up with his mother. “See Tempest about my duties?”

  Millicent gave him her most innocent look yet. “Tempest is learning the ropes of Gil Phillips. As an actress, she seems to do well with representing us in a positive fashion. Our clients respond well to her. She’s more outgoing than you are. She’s more like Kendall, to be honest.” Millicent smiled. “And Tempest keeps the schedules. We’re much more organized now than we ever were. Kendall loves having her here.”

  “Exactly how long has Tempest been in Hell’s Colony?”

  “About five months.” Millicent wheeled her chair into the elevator, leaving Shaman stunned. “See you at dinner. You might recall that it’s served promptly at six o’clock.”

  He was aghast. All this time his wife had been so close and he hadn’t known. He’d worried about her, wondered about her, missed her.

  This was going to change. Right now.

  A butler appeared. “I’m to show you to your room.”

  “Show me to Tempest’s room, please.”

  The man looked uncomfortable. “Miss Tempest doesn’t have a room in the main house.”

  “Great. Which of the outbuildings is it?”

  “I’m not at liberty to say, sir.”

  “I’ll just stay right here, then.” He wasn’t about to be in a room that didn’t contain his children. Not now.

  “Sir?”

  “I’m not moving from this spot until someone tells me where my wife and children live.”

  “Very good, sir.” The butler withdrew, and Shaman seated himself on the white sofa. He closed his eyes, feeling drained from the drive, and yet filled with wonder about his children.

  Thirty minutes later, Kendall shook him awake. “Hey, big brother. This is no place to snooze.”

  “Take me to Tempest.”

  “She doesn’t want you staying with her.”

  “Fine. But I want to know where my children are.”

  Kendall sighed and sat down next to Shaman. “You hurt Tempest when you decided you didn’t want her living with you. Now you’re on her turf, and she says she wants to keep the same arrangements.”

  “Look,” Shaman said, “here’s the deal. You know her brother took a bat or something to my skull. Bobby Taylor was really angry that Tempest had given away the family fortune, and he was looking for revenge. He started with me, and was trying to get me out of the way so he could get to Tempest. He’s still living in the rattrap where she grew up.” Shaman took a deep breath. “I didn’t send her away. I wanted her and my children safe.”

  Kendall nodded. “I know all this. The problem is you didn’t have time for your marriage to grow. She doesn’t want you forcing a relationship now that doesn’t exist. Not that she knows whether you would want to or not, but it’s clear she’ll leave, Shaman, if she feels she’s going to be bothered all the time. And to be honest, it wasn’t easy getting her to agree to live here with us. We were frantic she’d go back to Tuscany or London or something, and we’d never see the babies. So Mom and I are pretty much insisting that you live here on Tempest’s terms, now that you’ve finally decided to come home.”

  “Jeez.” He didn’t know if he could live within five hundred yards of her and never see her. Never touch his children.

  “She’s going to give you a schedule of visitation for the boys,” Kendall said. “I hope you can understand her position.”

  “I guess.” His heart was breaking.

  “I’m so sorry, brother,” Kendall said softly. “I know you’re a prince. Give her some time, and let her figure it out, too. I think it’s the best plan. We don’t want her leaving. And maybe if you go slowly, things will work out. At least I hope so.” She looked at him with sympathy.

  “I hate always being the beast in everyone’s book.”

  Kendall laid her head on his shoulder. “In mine you’re the handsome prince, brother.”

  He dropped his head back against the wall and put an arm around his sister. “Thanks.”

  “Don’t let it swell your ego.”

  “No danger of that.” He smiled. “It’s just nice to hear it every once in a while.”

  Kendall didn’t say anything for a minute, and Shaman told himself he wasn’t going to let anything destroy his big day of learning he was a dad. Maybe he’d failed as a husband, but he was going to be a great father. Nobody got the chance he’d been given and screwed it up.

  He was so blessed.

  “Hey, how’s Millicent, anyway?”

  “In love.” Kendall stood, smoothing down her fuchsia skirt. “It’s great to see her and Fitzgerald so happy.” Then his sister gave him a mock glare. “Of course, she is not happy with you one bit.”

  “Do continue the litany of female displeasure.”

  Kendall rolled her eyes. “Mom’s not happy because Xav’s not here.”

  “He’s a big boy. He can make his own choices. Besides, isn’t it better that he isn’t with the gold digger?”

  His sister shrugged. “The problem is that Jonas Callahan hired him. Mother may not forgive you for that.”

  “She already knew this. Xav has been out at Rancho Diablo for a few months now.”

  Tempest rolled in the pram, stopping when she saw Shaman and Kendall talking. “Am I interrupting?”

  “No,” they both said.

  Shaman was glad Tempest had come back. “My sister’s filling me in on the news.”

  “Not much news,” Kendall said, “except that Xav has taken over your old job at Dark Diablo. Mother’s fit to be tied. She was hoping he’d get this ranching thing out of his system. She blames it all on you.”

  “Oh.” Tempest looked at Shaman. “That’s too bad.”

  He shrugged. “Xav stayed here when Gage and I left. Can’t blame him for wanting to branch out now.”

  “I don’t blame him, and neither does Mother. She blames you.” Kendall grinned at him. “She’s a bit irrational when it comes to her boys.”

  His sister peered into the pram at her sleeping nephews. “They remind me of me and Xav. Being a twin is great.”

  She left, and Tempest studied Shaman.

  “I could have handle
d our first meeting better, Shaman,” she said.

  “It’s fine.”

  She didn’t know if it was fine or not. He’d stunned her by appearing at his family’s home. She knew very well this was not his favorite place on earth. It would have been nice to have a bit of warning that he was coming.

  Millicent had been shocked when Shaman called to say he was planning to come hang around the old homestead. They’d figured he didn’t plan to ever darken the doorstep again.

  Tempest had had a terrible case of nerves. And then when she’d seen him, it was as if all the old feelings, all the burning attraction, all the giddy pleasure, had captured her again.

  There was no reason to allow herself to feel anything but professional toward Shaman. It had always been a business transaction.

  “Still, these are your sons. You’re welcome to see them anytime you want.”

  “I plan on it. I plan on it often.”

  She folded her lips. “I just came back to say that the babies are in the upstairs nursery while I work in the morning. I usually take them back to the guesthouse in the afternoon so they can eat, and then we take a siesta.”

  “Thank you for letting me know the routine.”

  She wondered about his real reason for returning, since he hadn’t known she was here. “Are you planning on staying long?”

  “Maybe.”

  If he was going to keep up the one-liners, she wasn’t going to hold up both ends of the conversation. “Good to see you,” she said, and turned to leave. At the door, she nearly bumped into Kendall, who came streaking back into the room to throw herself in Shaman’s arms.

  “Sheriff Nance just called from Tempest,” she said, looking very un-Kendall-like as she clung to her brother. “Xav’s had an accident at Dark Diablo. I think he’s hurt badly!”

  “I’ll go,” Shaman said. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. Don’t tell Mother just yet, until I find out what’s going on.”

  Tempest held her breath. Shaman picked up the duffel he hadn’t even unpacked, then kissed his sister on the top of her head. “Don’t worry,” he repeated. “I’m sure it will be fine.” He kissed his babies, then nodded at Tempest.