For His Daughter's Sake

by Stella Bagwell

  “It feels like this day has gone on forever,” Tyler said. “I just left Gabe’s party at DJ’s Deluxe.”

  With a look of concern, his cousin studied him closely. “And you took Maeve with you? That couldn’t have been much of a party for you.”

  “No matter,” he said. “I only went for Gabe’s sake. Not for fun.”

  Erica grimaced. “I don’t suppose you do much of anything for fun. You know, Tyler, you really do need help with Maeve.”

  He handed Maeve a small stuffed animal from the diaper bag he’d carried in with him. The baby let out a happy coo and drew the little black-and-white kitty straight to her mouth.

  “Maeve is my responsibility, Erica. I promised Luanne I’d take care of her, and I can’t let her down.”

  “Luanne is gone, Tyler,” Erica said gently. “But I imagine if she could see you now, wearing yourself razor-thin, she wouldn’t be happy.”

  Erica was right. His late wife wouldn’t be happy, Tyler thought ruefully. While Luanne had been alive, she’d been angry with him during most of their marriage. He’d never been able to make her happy.

  “Mom and all my cousins, including you, are here at the shower. I didn’t have anyone to babysit.”

  “You could’ve dropped Maeve off at a childcare center in town before you went to DJ’s,” Erica suggested. “I think there’s one that has late hours.”

  Tyler scowled at her. “While I watched the guys eat barbecue and down beers? That wasn’t going to happen.”

  He’d barely gotten the remark out when the sound of male voices entering the den caught everyone’s attention. Glancing over his right shoulder, he watched his brothers and Gabe laugh and banter their way to a table displaying unwrapped gifts.

  “Looks like that bunch is feeling good. Maybe you should’ve had a few rounds with them. At least it might have put a smile on your face,” Erica suggested.

  “No alcohol for me. I have enough trouble staying awake as it is.” Swinging his gaze back to his daughter, he noticed her crawling away. He quickly sat her back at his feet and fetched a teething ring from the diaper bag. She took the bright red rubber ring, but he doubted it would keep her pacified for very long.

  Not caring that the party was far from over, or what anyone would think of his leaving early, Tyler decided he would give Melanie and Gabe his best wishes and then take his daughter home.

  As that resolving thought formed in his head, he glanced over to his left and saw her—the brunette—again. Even though she was standing with her back to Tyler, he recognized the brown wavy hair and petite figure dressed in a summery pink dress that floated around her knees.

  “Who’s the woman with Vanessa Cruise? She looks familiar, but I can’t place her,” Tyler said to Erica.

  His cousin glanced in the direction of the two women. “That’s Callie Sheldrick. And you ought to recognize her. She’s Evan’s administrative assistant for Bronco Ghost Tours. I’ll call her over.”

  “Uh—no, that’s okay. Don’t bother her,” Tyler said quickly, wishing he’d kept his mouth shut.

  Ignoring his protest, Erica quickly motioned for the woman’s attention. “Callie! Over here!”

  As the young woman made her way across, Tyler rose politely.

  “I called you over because I thought you might want to meet one of Gabe’s cousins,” Erica told Callie. “He thinks he might’ve met you before.”

  Tyler watched a pair of big brown eyes turn in his direction and, as her gaze settled on his face, felt a most unusual punch to his gut.

  “Oh, you probably saw me last month at the Fourth of July barbecue. You and your brothers were running a booth—selling Abernathy meats.”

  Tyler quickly searched his memory, but for the life of him, couldn’t recall seeing this pretty brunette that day. But it wasn’t like him to take a second glance at any woman. In fact, he’d only noticed this one tonight because she’d been openly staring at him. Until she’d realized he’d spotted her, and then she’d looked away as though she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

  “I, uh...maybe that’s where I saw you,” he said finally, frowning. “Did we talk? Uh, to each other, I mean?”

  Red color was seeping into her cheeks and Tyler could see that she was embarrassed for some reason. Because it was obvious he couldn’t remember meeting her? Or because she hadn’t forgotten seeing him?

  “No,” she replied. “You and your brothers were very busy that day. I was there at your booth with a friend. That’s all. No big deal.”

  Seeing Maeve was about to crawl off again, he picked her up and settled her in the crook of one arm before he thrust a hand out to the woman. “Well, I’m Tyler Abernathy and this little mover and shaker is my daughter, Maeve.”

  The brunette barely touched her hand to his and Tyler wondered if she was always this shy or if something about him was putting her off.

  “Nice to meet you,” she murmured. “I’m Callie Sheldrick.”

  She turned her gaze on Maeve and, as if on cue, his daughter burst out crying.

  The woman took a step back, as though her presence had brought on Maeve’s loud cries. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb the baby.”

  Frowning, Tyler automatically bounced Maeve up and down in an effort to quiet her, while Callie continued to back farther away.

  “Maeve’s crying has nothing to do with you, Callie.”

  “Sorry,” she said and then, with a shake of her head, turned and hurried away.

  Totally confused, Tyler glanced at Erica. Because Maeve had started to cry, Josie had become upset and crawled into her mother’s lap and was whimpering for attention. Great, he thought. As usual, his ineptness at fatherhood was causing a mess all around.

  “What was that all about?” Tyler asked. “She looked like she thought Maeve was going to morph into a little monster.”

  Erica batted one hand through the air. “Callie isn’t that experienced with babies. Little ones like ours make some people nervous. Why don’t you take Maeve over and get her some cake or punch?”

  “And put her on a sugar high? I’ll never get her to sleep tonight.”

  Laughing, Erica shook her head. “Tyler, you desperately need to lighten up on yourself and Maeve. A few sips of punch or a bite of cake isn’t going to send your daughter on a rampage. This is a party. Let her enjoy it.”

  Lighten up. Enjoy. Have fun. These past few months, he’d heard those very same words from his parents and brothers. Deep down, he understood they were well-meaning and even right. But how was he supposed to feel joy while his mind and heart were riddled with guilt?

  * * *

  The time has come. Ever since Winona had sat her down and plied her with prophetic quips, Callie had wondered what they could possibly mean. Now, after meeting Tyler Abernathy, she’d figured out one of them. The time had come for her to make a big fool of herself.

  Callie had always been on the shy side, but not enough to make her sound tongue-tied or loopy. Yet the moment she’d looked into Tyler’s blue eyes, something had gone haywire. Not one coherent thought had been able to form in her head. And then when his baby had taken one look at her and burst into tears, she’d felt so embarrassed she’d wanted to run and hide.

  That had been ten minutes ago and she’d come to the conclusion that she wasn’t going to see this party to the end. Callie had driven Vanessa out here to the ranch, but she figured her roommate wouldn’t have any trouble catching a ride back into town with some of their other friends.

  With that thought in mind, Callie stood on tiptoes and began searching the crowd for Vanessa.

  “Lost something?”

  The question came in the form of a male voice that sounded vaguely familiar. Callie’s heart thumped wildly as she slowly turned to see Tyler standing directly behind her. A faint smile was on his face, while the baby gi
rl in his arms looked at Callie and let out a happy shriek.

  Don’t make a fool of yourself again, Callie. Just keep your cool and don’t let him guess that something about him makes your pulse skyrocket.

  “Not exactly. I was looking for my roommate,” she told him. “To tell her I was thinking of going home.”

  “Oh. Looks like things here are still going strong,” he said. “You might miss something.”

  Like seeing Melanie open more kitchen appliances or fancy linens to go on the bride and groom’s bed, Callie thought wryly. For some reason she couldn’t quite explain, the thought made her feel even more lonely and sad.

  “Believe me, Mel will never miss me.”

  He smiled and Callie could feel her heart make a weird lurch beneath her breast.

  “She or Gabe wouldn’t miss me, either. But Erica insists I need to stay and enjoy myself.”

  “Are you? Uh, going to stay longer?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “Only for a few more minutes. I wanted to find you—to apologize for Maeve upsetting you with her crying.”

  “Oh no. I should be apologizing to you for making her cry. Until I walked up, she appeared perfectly happy.”

  He grunted with amusement. “Believe me, you didn’t cause all that bawling. She does that quite often and I never know what triggers it.”

  “Really? I thought it was me. I’m glad it wasn’t.”

  He smiled again and the expression made his features even more handsome.

  “See, neither one of us has anything to apologize for,” he said.

  She smiled back at him then glanced tentatively at the baby. The little girl was truly adorable with the few light brownish-blond curls covering the top of her head and wisps around her angelic face. Her blue eyes were like her father’s. So were the dimples denting both cheeks. But other than that, Callie didn’t see a lot of resemblance between the two.

  “I guess not,” she said to him. Spotting Vanessa across the room, she added, “I see my friend. I’d better go catch up with her. Nice talking with you, Tyler.”

  He inclined his head toward her. “Good night, Callie. Be sure and drive home safely.”

  “Of course.”

  As he turned and disappeared into the crowd, it dawned on Callie that his advice must have stemmed from the loss of his wife. Obviously, he was still grieving for the woman he’d loved, she thought sadly. And any woman who attempted to step into Tyler Abernathy’s life at this point would end up competing with a ghost.

  One more reason Callie needed to forget the sexy rancher.

  Chapter Two

  Standing at the side of his daughter’s crib, Tyler tucked a light blanket around her shoulders. Then, after placing a kiss on her cheek, he stood gazing down at her sweet face. As soon as they’d left the party and started home, Maeve had fallen asleep in her car carrier. Even after he’d carried her into the house and changed her little dress for a pink onesie, she hadn’t stirred.

  No doubt she was tired from the long and busy day that had started early this morning with a trip to his parents’ house where his mother, Hannah, had watched Maeve for a few hours while Tyler had helped his brothers with the branding. Later, he’d picked up his daughter and the two of them had driven out to another part of the Flying A to check on a herd of newly weaned calves.

  By the time they’d returned home and he’d gotten Maeve dressed and ready for Gabe’s party, she’d been cranky and needing a nap. The drive into Bronco had given her a few minutes of sleep and, wonder of wonders, had been enough to improve her mood. She’d been fairly jolly until Callie Sheldrick had walked up.

  Releasing a heavy breath, he turned away from the crib and, after switching on a night-light, walked out to the den, where he slumped tiredly into a leather armchair and propped his feet on a matching footstool.

  At this late hour, he should be in bed. Tomorrow was going to be another busy day helping his father rake and bale the last of the hay meadow. Tyler didn’t want to start out the day dog-tired. But he knew it would be useless to crawl into bed right now. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to calm his tumbling thoughts. Or quit thinking about Callie Sheldrick.

  What was going on with him anyway? Since Luanne’s death, he couldn’t think of one time he’d taken a second look at any woman. He’d lost all desire for female company and, frankly, he’d been glad about that malady. His life was already complicated enough without adding a woman in the mix.

  For the past six months, he’d been consumed with learning how to be a full-time father to Maeve. And although he was getting better at dealing with the baby, he could admit there were times he was clueless about how to cope with crying jags, tummy aches, teething and the need for constant attention.

  His brain was already bogged down with too many memories of dead dreams and tons of guilt. Why weigh it even more with thoughts of Callie? She was hardly a glamour girl, or even a head-turning beauty, he mentally argued. Even so, she was pretty, with her soft, sweet features and skin so smooth it appeared poreless. And those big brown eyes... He’d seen something warm and inviting in their dark depths. Something that had touched him in a most unexpected way.

  Damn it. If he was a drinking man... He could slug down a shot or two of bourbon and wait for the alcohol to clear his wandering thoughts. But Tyler wasn’t a drinker. And that was a good thing. Otherwise, he would’ve probably already turned into an alcoholic.

  Pushing himself from the chair, he walked out to the kitchen, filled a small saucepan with milk and then placed it on the gas range to heat. While he waited, he removed his cell phone from the pocket of his Western shirt and set it on the kitchen table before opening the pearl snaps and slipping the garment off his shoulders.

  Once he’d tossed it onto a chair at the table, he took a bottle of chocolate syrup from the cupboard. Squirting the syrup into the milk until it turned brown, he then added a big spoonful of sugar. The drink wouldn’t taste as good as the hot chocolate his mother made on cold, snowy nights, but it would be better than nothing.

  Before he’d married Luanne, Tyler hadn’t known anything about cooking. He’d grown up learning about raising cattle, riding horses, and all the things it took to keep a ranch going and profitable. Now that he was on his own, though, he was learning how to fend for himself, even if most of the time he resorted to ready-made meals heated in the microwave. As for Maeve, formula and baby food made the task of feeding his daughter a bit simpler.

  With the hot chocolate poured into a mug, he sat at the kitchen table and took a few cautious sips. Maybe by the time he reached the bottom of the mug, he’d quit all this thinking and remembering. He could only hope.

  The ring of the cell phone interrupted his thoughts and he quickly glanced at the screen to see who was calling. Barring an emergency, he couldn’t think of anyone who might be calling at this late hour.

  Spotting his brother’s name, he snatched up the phone and swiped it to answer.

  “Dean? What’s wrong?”

  His brother chuckled. “Calm down, Ty. Nothing is wrong. I was just checking to make sure you and Maeve made it home okay.”

  “Oh.” He let out a long breath of relief. “Sure. Maeve is already sound asleep in her crib and I’m having a cup of hot chocolate.”

  Dean chuckled again. “Hot chocolate when beer was flowing at DJ’s?”

  “I didn’t touch any beer. Not when I’d be driving with Maeve,” he said flatly.

  There was an awkward pause and then Dean said, “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking about Maeve. Guess that shows you how little I know about having a baby around. I don’t envy you, Ty, but I admire you for being such a diligent father to my little niece.”

  As always, when someone praised him for being a good father, guilt swamped him. For a moment, it was all Tyler could do not to curse at his older brother, to tell him he didn’t know what the hel
l he was talking about, but somehow he managed to bite back the words. Dean didn’t deserve to have Tyler’s bitterness spewed at him.

  Wiping a hand over his face, he said, “It didn’t hurt me to give up a few beers, Dean.”

  “No. I suppose not. But sometimes I wish...”

  Tyler drank the last of the warm, chocolaty milk. “What? That your baby brother would loosen up? Well, I’ve already heard that once tonight. You might as well say it, too.”

  “Who told you that? The little brunette I saw you talking to at the shower?”

  Tyler was momentarily stunned by his brother’s question. He’d only exchanged a few words with Callie and yet Dean made it sound like the two of them had been cloistered in a corner, making flirty eyes at each other. Yeah, as if he’d remember how to do that, he thought dourly.

  “For your information, Erica was the one who kindly told me to lighten up on myself. The ‘little brunette,’ as you call her, was only saying hello. She happens to be Evan Cruise’s administrative assistant.”

  Dean said, “Oh, I didn’t know. I thought you might’ve been talking to her about becoming Maeve’s nanny. But, to tell you the truth, I was hoping you were asking her out on a date. Don’t you think it’s about time?”

  Time. Tyler kept thinking and hoping that time would help him gather the shattered parts of his life back together. But so far, he was still a ragged mess. Tonight was the first time he’d allowed himself to think of himself as a single man, and that had only lasted for the two or three minutes he’d talked with Callie.

  “You might think so, Dean. But I, uh, don’t think I could handle being out with a woman—trying to think about her instead of...”

  “Your dead wife,” Dean said bluntly. “You might as well say it, Ty. You’re not going to ever be able to move forward if you don’t face up to reality.”

  The urge to curse at his brother hit Tyler again but, thankfully, he found the strength to swallow the words. However, he wasn’t able to keep the sarcasm from his voice as he asked, “What do you know about reality, Dean? Have you lost a wife? Do you have a child that will never know her mother?”