The Cowboy's Reunited Family

by Brenda Minton

  The girls were moving to the table to fix plates. His family stood in groups, talking and laughing.

  Blake had watched Lindsey opening gifts a short time ago. She’d smiled and laughed. She’d loved the jeans that Lucky’s wife picked out. Sophie had given her music. Mia, a new MP3 player, without a GPS. Lindsey had opened all of her gifts. She’d thanked everyone. But there was one gift that Blake knew she had been praying hard for. It was a gift only he could give her.

  Gage started playing music, a country song about falling in love again. A few feet away Jana paused to listen. Blake walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He leaned to whisper in her ear, and she leaned back against him. “Come with me.”

  She turned her head and looked up at him, exposing her beautiful neck. He dropped a kiss on the edge of her jawline, breathing in the sweet scent of roses.

  “Right now?”

  “Right now.” He took her by the hand and led her away from the crowd. He avoided eye contact with his grandmother. Granny Myrna had her ways, but this one was all his. He knew what he wanted and how to get it.

  They walked along the creek until they came to a place far enough from the bonfire but not too far. Jana looked up, questions in blue eyes that were dark in the fading light of day.

  “Blake?”

  “Jana.” He grinned as he said it and then he leaned to touch his lips against hers. She answered by wrapping those sweet arms of hers around his neck, her fingers touching the hair at the nape of his neck.

  He had prepared to say all of the right words, but the words had disappeared the minute she stepped into his arms. He kissed her again, wanting more than anything to sweep her off her feet and carry her away from here. But their daughter was here. Here was the place they needed to be. Tonight.

  He explored her mouth, his fingers caressing her cheek, her jaw, then finding themselves in the fragrant softness of her hair.

  She pulled back first, her breath soft, her eyes wide. He had to find the words. He had to find the way to make her his again.

  * * *

  Jana stepped back from Blake. The air was cool, and she could hear the swift rustling of the creek a short distance away. The bonfire still blazed, and laughter carried as the girls ate and played.

  She listened to the song Gage was singing as he played his guitar. She couldn’t quite make out the words. She only knew that she was falling fast, the way she’d always fallen for Blake.

  She needed to gather her wits or she’d lose all focus, and she needed focus because she couldn’t keep doing this, falling into his arms and wondering if they would ever find a way back to each other.

  “What are we doing?” She finally managed something that made sense. Or seemed to.

  “We’re sneaking off by ourselves.” Blake smiled at the response and pulled her close again. “We’re rediscovering something important.”

  “Important?” She whispered the word because common sense had fled again. His touch seemed to send it running for cover.

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  “What?”

  He leaned again, brushing his lips across hers. “Us.”

  She leaned, resting her head on his shoulder. “I’ve missed us.”

  “Me, too.”

  Jana shook loose from the web tangling her heart and mind.

  “Blake, we should go back to the party. Lindsey will wonder where we are. And this just confuses everything. It will make her think...”

  He put a finger to her lips and quieted her.

  “We’ll go back in a minute. First, I have to say something.”

  Her legs went suddenly weak, slayed by the soft look in his eyes, his expression that heated her to the depth of her being. Her heart trembled like the first blades of grass sneaking up to greet spring sunshine after a long winter.

  “Okay.” The word came out shaky.

  “Jana, I love you.”

  “Okay.” This time weepy.

  “And I want you to come home, to our house.”

  “Okay.” This time there were tears.

  “I’m asking you to marry me again. Be my wife. Be the mother of my children.”

  “We only have one,” she whispered. “And we’re already married.”

  “Exactly. We should have more.” He grinned and kissed her again, kissed her lips, her eyes and the sweet spot near her ear. “Marry me,” he whispered, sending chills down her spine. “Stay with me forever.”

  “Blake, what about the lawyer, and wanting to make sure we are as crazy about each other now as we used to be?”

  “There is no lawyer. I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

  “The lawyer called to confirm your appointment.”

  He leaned, resting his forehead against hers. “Is that why you thought you needed to move, to give us time?”

  “Part of the reason.”

  “Jana, I called the lawyer to tell him to forget the divorce. I admit that it has taken me time to work through what I felt. Loving you and being mad at you, I had to work it out because I didn’t want to go back into our marriage still angry.”

  “And now?” She held her breath, waiting.

  “I’m here, Jana, wanting you to be my wife again, wanting you next to me. I want you back in my home, with me, with our daughter. I’ve had enough separation to last a lifetime.”

  “Yes.” The word slipped out, trembling on her lips.

  He reached in his shirt pocket. She held her breath, waiting, and when he opened his hand he held the rings Granny Myrna had told her she had in safekeeping.

  Both of their hands trembled as he slipped the wedding ring on her finger, the finger that had been missing that ring for a long time.

  “Be my wife, Jana. To have and to hold. Until death do we part.”

  She nodded and then tears filled her eyes. “Your ring?”

  “I’ll get a new one.”

  She looked around, wanting something to make this moment one that symbolized the renewal of their marriage. She took off the ring she wore on her right hand and slipped the pearl ring, her mother’s, on his pinky. He smiled as he watched, and heat climbed up her neck into her cheeks.

  “I promise to love you forever, Blake. To have and to hold, until death do we part.”

  “Can I kiss my bride?”

  She looked up, her lips parting as Blake leaned to kiss her again. And then he backed away, smiling. “Let’s give our daughter the birthday present she’s been praying for. Let’s give her a family. Maybe one that includes Teddy and Sissy.”

  She cried then because he was her cowboy, her husband and the biggest romantic she knew. “Yes. Again, yes.”

  He sent a quick text while she watched, wondering.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Kissing you again.”

  He pulled away, smiling as he surveyed the bonfire area. “Okay, all ready.”

  “Ready?” she asked as he led her back to the fire.

  “You’ll see.”

  As they walked back to the bonfire and the group of people gathered together, Tim and Angie turned Lindsey toward them. Gage started playing “Happy Birthday.”

  Lindsey started to cry and Jana joined her. Their daughter ran to them, throwing herself into their arms. Blake gathered up his wife and daughter and held them close.

  “Are we going home?” Lindsey cried into Jana’s shoulder.

  “Yes, honey, we’re going home.”

  “I love you, Mrs. Cooper.” Blake held her in the circle of his arms with Lindsey there with them.

  “I love you, too.”

  They were finally home.

  Epilogue

  Two Years Later

  Jana looked at the clock again. Blake had gone o
ut to check a mare that was due to foal. Lindsey, Teddy and Sissy had gone with him. They’d been gone for two hours. She assumed that meant the mare had given birth. Which was nice for them, that they were in the barn while she sat there alone listening to the wind howl as March went out like a lion, leaving behind four inches of snow.

  She glanced at the clock again and went back to reading her book. The door opened. She glared at her husband and children. Teddy and Sissy had officially become theirs six months ago. It hadn’t been easy, because everyone wanted Lisa to get better, but Lisa had signed over custody and disappeared.

  The four of them, her family, stomped into the house. They were a mess. Their shoes were snow and dirt covered. Blake’s shirt looked like the trash, not the washer, was the best place for it. They looked like the happiest family in the world.

  She was anything but happy. And she wanted to be. She knew that soon she would be.

  “You okay?” Blake kicked off his boots.

  “Actually, no, I’m not. You were gone a long time.”

  “We were just in the barn, Mom.” Lindsey shrugged out of her coat and then helped Teddy. Sissy had already hung hers in the closet. “And we have a new foal. He’s beautiful.”

  “You were gone a long time.” She looked at the clock again, and this time grimaced and tried to breathe through the pain.

  “Jana?” Blake’s voice now registered panic that she could appreciate. If she wasn’t in so much pain she would have smiled.

  “We have to leave now.”

  “Leave now?” Blake shook his head. “I’m going to make popcorn and...”

  Lindsey slugged his arm and headed out of the room. Obviously someone had to be in charge, and Jana had a feeling it would be her almost-fifteen-year-old daughter and not her husband. “Dad, we have to go. To the hospital?”

  “To the hospital?” He went a little pale. “Now?”

  Teddy and Sissy raced after Lindsey.

  “Now, Blake.”

  “The baby isn’t due for two weeks.”

  “Babies don’t always care about due dates. My water broke and my contractions are five minutes apart.”

  “Why didn’t you call me?” He was in motion now, having recovered. He reached for the muddy boots.

  “Do not wear those to the hospital. Go change clothes.”

  “We have to go.” He grabbed them and started to shove his foot in.

  “No. You are not wearing barn clothes. You’re not going to stand next to me in the delivery room smelling like manure.”

  “I don’t...” He lifted his arm and sniffed. “I’ll change clothes.”

  “Thank you.”

  He sat next to her. “What can I do, honey?”

  She growled as another contraction hit and then she smiled. “GET READY!”

  “Gotcha.” He kissed her cheek and then he was gone. She smiled at his retreating back.

  For two years, life had been better than ever. But she was afraid. She knew that Blake was afraid, too. What if she had this baby and slipped back into depression?

  Blake returned and his smile disappeared. “Jana, you’re okay. We’re okay.”

  “I know we are.” She sniffled. “It’s just hormones.”

  “We’re going to have a son, Jana.” He helped her to her feet as Lindsey came back with her bag. His arms went around her and he nuzzled her neck. She wished it didn’t hurt to breathe.

  “We should go,” she whispered into his shoulder.

  “We’re going, but you have to trust me. Dr. Almon knows the past and he’s going to be monitoring you. And I’m here with you.”

  “I know.” She smiled up at him through tears that were more joy than sadness. “And I do trust you, and I know that God isn’t going to let me down.”

  “Could we go now, please?” Lindsey was at the door and jerked it open. It was still snowing.

  “Man, I hope I don’t have to deliver this baby in the truck.” Blake shuddered and headed her toward the door. He turned off the lights as they walked out and pulled the door closed behind them.

  Jana held on to his arm as they walked down the steps to the truck. “It should be warm with spring flowers.”

  “There are jonquils blooming,” he offered.

  She only nodded because flowers no longer mattered. Another contraction had wrapped around her middle. She hoped he would drive safe but fast to the hospital in Grove. She didn’t tell him, but she’d already called his mother.

  Two hours later Chance Cooper came into the world, with a slightly pointed head and a healthy cry. Blake held him for a moment and then placed him in her arms. Jana smiled down at the little boy and then at the daddy who would teach him to be a man of honor. And a cowboy.

  “I love you, Blake Cooper.”

  “I love you, too, Jana.”

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from UNEXPECTED FATHER by Carolyne Aarsen.

  Dear Reader,

  When I started writing The Cowboy’s Reunited Family, I had a specific story in mind. I had the hero and heroine picked out, matched up and the wedding all planned. But fiction, like reality, sometimes takes us by surprise. No matter how hard I tried to make that romance work, it didn’t. Some couples aren’t meant to be.

  It wasn’t until I brought Blake’s ex-wife back into his life that I found the story, the romance, the perfect Happy Ever After. Blake and Jana, even though the odds were slightly against them, were meant to be.

  I hope you enjoy their story.

  Questions for Discussion

  After searching for his wife and daughter for ten years, they suddenly return to Blake’s life. Blake has to deal with anger, happiness and forgiveness. How does he separate his feelings for his wife and daughter?

  Jana faces her fear to save her daughter’s life. How did those fears affect the choices she made in the past?

  Jana grabbed hold of faith as a lifeline while facing her daughter’s illness. Do you think the faith was real to her in the beginning or did it grow in her as she experienced it?

  When faced with his daughter’s illness, Blake makes several discoveries about his life, his feelings. How do you think he grows during this process?

  How did a chronic illness change Lindsey’s life?

  The Coopers are a forgiving and loving family. Does that mean they trust her completely now?

  Lindsey missed out on a childhood in Dawson with her Cooper family. But she lived her childhood not knowing what she was missing. How would she feel about coming back and about what her mother had done?

  How difficult was it for Jana to face what she had done to Blake and to Lindsey?

  When did Blake realize he wanted his family back, including his wife?

  Blake’s lawyer as well as Tim Cooper mention God’s hand on this situation. How did God work in the lives of Blake, Jana and Lindsey?

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.

  You believe hearts can heal. Love Inspired stories show that faith, forgiveness and hope have the power to lift spirits and change lives—always.

  Enjoy six new stories from Love Inspired every month!

  Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

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  Chapter One

  “How could you doubt me, Lady Maria?” Lord Cavanaugh’s dark gaze held a gleam of mirth, belying his gruff words.

  Evangeline leaned her elbow on the bookstore’s counter, licked her finger and turned the page of her book, releasing a satisfied smile at the perfect scene with the
perfect hero.

  “I made myself clear that no sacrifice is too great for you,” he said, pulling her close. Maria’s fan dropped to the floor. Ignoring the shocked looks of the other patrons of Almacks Assembly, Maria threw her arms around Lord Cavanaugh’s neck, sharing a kiss with the only man she knew she could ever love.

  Evangeline’s long, wavy hair fell across the side of her face as she closed the book with a satisfied sigh and smoothed her hand over the cover, admiring the hero pictured on the front. His hair was artfully tousled; his cutaway coat perfectly emphasized his broad shoulders. He looked cultured and noble and suave and heroic.

  Someday my own prince will come, she thought.

  The chiming of bells from the door of her store broke into her reverie.

  A man, silhouetted by the sun behind him, paused inside the frame. Tall, with broad shoulders, lean hips. Her heart skipped for a moment.

  Then she saw the cowboy hat he wore.

  Wrong genre.

  Evangeline straightened, ready to take care of her first customer of the day.

  “Are you Evangeline Arsenau?” the cowboy asked. His deep voice smooth as dark chocolate and Evangeline couldn’t stop a languid sigh and a quickening of her heart.

  “That’s me,” she said, wishing she didn’t sound so breathless. She blamed her reaction on the book she was reading and the hero it depicted. The kind of man she’d been looking for all her life.

  As she slipped the book under the counter, the man in the doorway stepped farther into the store and came into focus.

  His shabby plaid shirt had seen better days years ago as had his once-white T-shirt. His faded and torn blue jeans were ragged at the hem where they met unlaced leather work boots so scuffed and stained she was unsure of the original color. He pulled his hat off his head, revealing mussed, overlong hair, and as he came near, she caught a hint of the too-familiar scent of diesel fumes.

  Truck driver, she thought. Cowboy truck driver.