The Bronc Rider's Baby

by Judy Duarte

  “Why not? It’s not only vacant, but it’s completely furnished.”

  She didn’t respond right away, but she seemed to be pondering the idea. Or else she was trying to come up with an excuse to decline.

  “It’s also within walking distance to the hospital,” he added, “although it’s a bit of a hike. And it’s close to Caroline’s Diner and all those shops on Main Street.”

  “It does sound tempting.”

  He hoped he wouldn’t be sorry for offering to let her stay at his place, but he couldn’t think of a reason why he would be.

  Moments later he pointed out the entrance to the Green Dragon. When they reached the white building with the red-and-black trim, he turned into the parking lot and found a space in back. Then they got out of his pickup and walked to the front entrance.

  “It was nice of you to suggest dinner,” Anna said.

  “My pleasure.” He opened the black door for her and waited for her to enter.

  As Anna looked around, taking in the Chinese-style decor and the wallpaper with green dragons splattered on a white background, a red-haired waitress approached the front desk and greeted them. Her auburn locks had been swept up in a prim bun held together by a pair of fancy chopsticks.

  “Two for dinner?” she asked.

  When Nate told her yes, she grabbed a couple of menus and escorted them past several families and an older couple, stopping at a booth in the back of the restaurant. “Will this be all right?”

  “It’s fine. Thanks.” Nate waited for Anna to slip in and then took his seat.

  “Can I get you a drink?” the redhead asked. “Or maybe a pot of tea?”

  “I’ll have a beer.” Nate looked at Anna. “Did you want a glass of wine?”

  She thought about it a moment then gave a slight shrug. “Sure. Why not?”

  The waitress nodded, handed over the menus and slipped off to get their drinks.

  “You came at the perfect time,” Anna said. “I was getting hungry, and I wasn’t in the mood for burgers and fries.”

  “Actually, the Stagecoach Inn has a pretty large menu selection. You could have ordered soup, salad or even grilled salmon or prime rib.”

  “I don’t like rowdy crowds, so this is a lot more appealing to me. Plus, I haven’t had Chinese food in a long time.”

  “Then I’m glad it worked out.”

  When the waitress returned with their drinks, Nate lifted his beer in a toast, just as he’d once imagined doing—only he hadn’t envisioned the green dragon wallpaper in the background.

  Taking the hint, Anna clinked her wineglass against his bottle.

  “Tell me something,” she said.

  Uh-oh. What did she want to know? The uneasiness he’d once felt whenever he talked to her in the past settled over him again.

  “You mentioned that you were injured when riding in the rodeo,” she said. “And that you had to give it up.”

  He shrugged as if none of it had really mattered, when it had. And more than most people would know. For years, Nate had been trying to prove himself, first to his old man then later to his grandfather. And just as he’d finally done it—made something out of his life—he’d crashed and burned, thanks to Fire in the Hole. Then, to make matters worse, he lost Grandpa Clint before he could come up with a plan B.

  “Having a career-ending injury must have been tough,” Anna said.

  “It was, but I’m dealing with it.”

  Anna didn’t know it, but Nate had suffered a lot of disappointing events in his life, starting with his mother’s death when he was only in kindergarten. But he’d learned to handle each one that came his way.

  “I imagine that giving up the rodeo is something you’re going to be ‘dealing with’ for quite a while.”

  She was right, but he shrugged it off. “I can still walk—and work.” Even if he only meant for that job at the Rocking C to be short-term.

  He nearly chuffed at the irony. Just like Anna’s temporary stay at the Night Owl had started out.

  She took a sip of wine, her eyes lingering on him. “You seem to be very good with horses. I saw you working with one the first day I arrived.”

  Some people considered it a gift, but Nate didn’t want to boast, so he thanked her for the compliment.

  “You obviously have a gift,” she said.

  “My grandfather owned a ranch, and when I was in middle school, he managed to track me down...” He paused. That was way too much information for a woman who seemed to be too damned curious about him and his past.

  “You mean, he found you? Where?”

  See? He’d stepped right into that one. Again he shrugged. “I was living with a foster family at the time. My grandfather hadn’t seen my mom in years and didn’t even know he had a grandson. So when he found out about her death and my existence, he took me to live with him on his ranch.”

  “So that’s where you learned about horses. That’s impressive.”

  “My grandfather was a retired rodeo champ, and I thought that was pretty cool. So I decided to be just like him when I grew up.”

  “I heard you became a champion in your own right.”

  That was true. He’d actually had a few happy and lucrative years. But he wasn’t sure where she’d heard about that. “Who’ve you been talking to?”

  “Ralph Nettles. He said you might’ve been a better cowboy than your grandfather.”

  Nate had certainly tried to be. Grandpa Clint had been a stranger to him for the first thirteen years of his life, but then he’d taught Nate everything there was to know about being a cowboy. He also taught him that a man who was worth his salt owned up to his mistakes and took responsibility for his kin.

  “I hope he was proud of me,” Nate said, “but I guess I’ll never know for sure.”

  Anna smiled, her eyes glistening as if Nate had somehow made her proud, too. But how could she be when she didn’t even know him—or the man he used to be?

  “I’m sorry about that accident,” she said. “But I’m glad you’re making the best of it.”

  Was he? He was certainly trying to.

  Even though he didn’t like talking about it, for some reason, it seemed okay to share his reality with Anna this evening.

  “After I was thrown and trampled, the orthopedic surgeon managed to put me back together, but he said I needed to choose another career, one that wasn’t as dangerous.” Nate lifted his beer. “So here I am.”

  “Working on a ranch doesn’t seem all that safe to me,” she said.

  “I could get banged up anywhere. Besides, I’m feeling pretty good these days. I might even try riding a bronc again.”

  “But you could get hurt.”

  “I’m not afraid of that.” He was more afraid of getting back in the saddle and learning that the doctor had been right. That he no longer had what it took to hold on and ride those eight seconds. “But just for the record, I’m grateful to be alive—and walking on my own two feet.”

  Nate might be downplaying it all, especially when talking to Anna, but that near-fatal injury and lengthy hospitalization had brought about a real reckoning for him on many levels. He’d once been happy-go-lucky and had his choice of ladies, but his life was a lot quieter these days. And he was much more introspective.

  Giving up his dream had been a tough row to hoe. And he was still trying to figure out what to do with the changes he’d had to make—and not just in terms of his career.

  But if Anna thought she was wearing him down and that he was going to get all soft and share his innermost feelings, she was wrong.

  “Have you thought about my offer?” he asked, steering the conversation away from his accident. “Do you want to move into my house?”

  As if dragging her feet and pondering an answer, she lif
ted her glass and took a sip of wine. Finally, she said, “To be honest, I’m tired of living in a motel. So yes, if you don’t mind, I’d like to take you up on your kindness and generosity.”

  “Good. I’ll give you a key and you can move in as soon as tomorrow.” He tossed her one of his happy-go-lucky smiles, although it didn’t feel especially lighthearted or sincere.

  But he’d made the offer and would follow through on it. He just hoped that, in the long run, he didn’t regret it.

  * * *

  Anna couldn’t believe she’d agreed to move into Nate’s house, but on the other hand, she couldn’t wait to check out of the Night Owl, so she wasn’t going to stress about it.

  First thing the next morning she followed the directions he’d given her and drove to 331 Peachtree Lane, a quaint and quiet neighborhood. To say that she was surprised to see where she would be temporarily staying was an understatement. She’d never expected Nate to have such a nice place to live. In fact, if his truck hadn’t been parked in the driveway of the pale green, two-story house, she would have taken a second look at the address he’d written down for her and checked it against the numbers on the white fascia trim.

  Did rodeo cowboys make that kind of money? She doubted that ranch hands did. But then again, did it really matter? It had been kind of him to offer to let her stay here.

  After parking along the curb, she left her bags in the trunk and made her way to the front door, all the while checking out the newly mowed lawn, the manicured bushes and colorful flower beds. He must have a gardener. How else could he keep things looking so green and maintained?

  Nate had given her a key last night, but she didn’t want to use it if he was home. So she rang the bell instead and waited for him to answer.

  When the door swung open, the sight of him, with his hair damp from the shower, darn near took her breath away.

  “Good. You’re here.” As he stepped aside to let her in, she walked past him and caught the scent of soap and musk.

  She shook off the compulsion to take a second, lingering whiff of the man and focused on the living room instead, with its hardwood floor, brown leather furniture and brightly colored Southwestern artwork on the walls.

  A built-in bookshelf next to a stone fireplace was filled with a variety of novels, all hardbound. It was impressive. When did he have time to read?

  She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but certainly not a warm and cozy place like this, and couldn’t help asking, “Do you live alone?”

  “Yes, although I’ve been known to have a few sleepovers.”

  She shot a glance at him, watched a grin stretch across his face. Was he implying that he dated a lot of women?

  Of course he was. And it really wasn’t any of her business if he did, although she figured the decor might have had a woman’s touch.

  “Your home is beautiful,” she said as she continued her perusal. “I really like the paintings.”

  “My grandfather’s wife was an artist,” he said.

  A step-grandmother? Anna didn’t give that too much thought. After all, divorces were fairly common. She continued to study the interior. From what she could see, it was clean and tidy. Did he have a housekeeper?

  If anything, her curiosity about the handsome cowboy was growing by leaps and bounds. And in spite of the constant self-reminders that it wasn’t her concern, she wanted to know more about him. A lot more.

  “Where are your things?” Nate asked. “You didn’t change your mind about staying here, did you?”

  “I left them in the car. I was going to get my bags later.” After she’d talked to him. After she’d made sure she really wanted to stay.

  But why wouldn’t she? The house was only about a mile from the hospital. It was also going to be a nice place to come home to after a trying day at work.

  “I’ll show you around,” Nate said. Then he proceeded to do just that, starting with a well-stocked kitchen that had stainless-steel appliances and a granite countertop.

  “I picked up a few things at the grocery store,” he said. “Milk, eggs, bread and that sort of thing. I thought you’d be able to get by with that until you were able to go shopping yourself.”

  “You didn’t need to go to that much trouble.”

  He shrugged a single shoulder. “I know, but I figured you’d want to get settled.”

  So he was not only generous, but thoughtful, too.

  After he showed her the laundry room, they headed upstairs and then down the hallway. He stopped at the first open door. “This is the guest room. I think you’ll be comfortable sleeping here. And you’ll have a private bathroom.”

  The room was twice as big as the one she’d had at the Night Owl and larger than the one she had at the studio apartment. “This is perfect, Nate. I really appreciate you letting me stay here. Just let me know how much rent you’d like.”

  He waved her off. “I don’t want a dime. And you can stay as long as you like.” Then he continued the tour, pointing out the linen closet, as well as his master suite—something decidedly masculine with bold, dark furniture and a green comforter draped over a king-size, four-poster bed.

  Even though he hadn’t been sleeping there, she still caught the remnant of his woodsy cologne.

  “Oh,” he said as he led her out to the hallway. “You’ll probably want to see this.” Then he pointed out a smaller room opposite his. It appeared to have been an art studio. His step-grandmother’s?

  “I thought I’d make this room into a nursery for Jessie,” he said.

  “Good idea. It’s just the right size, and it should be fun to decorate.”

  He chuckled. “I don’t know about that. I have no clue what she’s going to need. So I’ll have to ask the new nanny to help me.”

  “You hired someone already?”

  “No, not yet. But I’ll ask for her help when it’s time.”

  Time for what? For him to stop relying on the women at the ranch? Wasn’t he the least bit eager to bring the baby home to stay?

  Maybe Anna would have to do something to help move things along. The sooner he and his daughter got settled into his own house, the better.

  “I have some vacation hours built up,” she said. “I was going to use some of it to look for a place to rent. But I can also use the time to help you find a nanny. It shouldn’t take us too long to find someone you can trust.”

  He seemed to stew on that suggestion a while. A long while.

  She’d suspected that he might have grown too dependent upon Joy and the nurses for childcare, and that worried her. Bonding was so important in the early weeks and months. So she threw out another idea.

  “Why don’t you bring Jessie home now? I can watch her while you’re at work for a week or two. And that would give you time to hire someone else.”

  Had she really made that suggestion? It had seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but what if he took her up on it?

  And what if he wasn’t happy with any of the nannies they interviewed? Was she actually willing to babysit for him until he found a replacement? Maybe she should backpedal on her suggestion, although she wasn’t entirely sure how to pull that off gracefully.

  So she opened her mouth, ready to admit that her idea might not be the best solution after all, but before she could utter a word, the handsome cowboy nodded his head, agreeing to her crazy proposal.

  Chapter Seven

  Nate hadn’t expected Anna to offer to help him move back to his house with Jessie, and he’d tried to think of a good reason to decline. But the more he thought about it, the better he liked the idea.

  Even though Joy and the nurses were far more capable of taking care of Jessie than he was, it wasn’t fair to expect them to look after a baby during the day in addition to their many other responsibilities. B
esides, he couldn’t continue to stay at the Rocking C indefinitely—and he really didn’t want to. He missed his house in town and the comfort and privacy it provided.

  After the car accident, Grandpa Clint’s attorney had contacted Nate while he was still in the hospital and informed him that he’d inherited the entire estate, which had been considerably more than he’d expected it to be. His only regret was that the Double M was no longer a part of it.

  He considered it a blessing to be Clint and Audrey’s sole heir, but he would have preferred to own the ranch rather than a house in Brighton Valley, several different bank accounts and a significant stock portfolio. He guessed that was the cowboy in him.

  Once he was discharged from the hospital, he moved into the house and had been slowly putting his own mark on it. He might not have purchased that particular property himself, but he’d saved up enough of his rodeo earnings to buy something similar.

  Still, he liked the place. It was the closest thing to a real home he could ever remember having, and he had to admit that it would be the perfect neighborhood in which to raise Jessie.

  On top of that, his back was killing him from sleeping on that damned sofa in the nurse’s office at the Rocking C.

  “Okay,” he told Anna. “If you’re sure you don’t mind helping me find a nanny and looking after Jessie until I do, then I’ll move back home with the baby.”

  She smiled, although her eyes didn’t reflect an enthusiastic response. Maybe she wasn’t as pleased by his agreement as he’d expected her to be.

  It was just a guess on his part, but she might be having second thoughts about any number of things, like the fact that she wouldn’t be using her education and training while acting as a temporary babysitter. She might also be worried about the amount of time it might take him to find the right person to care for Jessie. He certainly was considering that.

  “How long do you think it’ll take me to find and hire the right nanny?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure, but we can’t put this plan into play immediately. I’ll need to sign off on your case first. I’d also have to double-check with my supervisor about taking most of my vacation time. I have three weeks built up, so that should be enough time to allow me to help you during the transition.”