Counting on a Cowboy

by Debra Clopton

  “No. I think you did and you’re absolutely right. Man, Abby, I know that since you arrived my problems have somehow become yours to deal with. I apologize for that.”

  “There’s no need to—”

  “No, really. Look, this arrangement was temporary, and now that I look at it, you had plans when you came here and I’ve barged right into the middle of that with my unusual situation. I’ve managed to monopolize your time, and I’m not going to do that any longer. I’ll find someone to help me. Okay?”

  “But—”

  He shook his head. “You’ve been great, really. But me and Levi—we’ll be fine.” Man, he was a jerk. She must think he was the most inept man alive. “Thanks.” He started to walk away, but could not let the Rand thing go. “Look, it’s bad enough you had to try and deal with my problems. But I got to tell you straight up to leave Rand’s troubles to him. The man gets himself into these situations—just like me and my stupid, reckless behavior. It’s not right for you to have to walk in and clean up his mess. Just like it’s not right for you to have to clean up mine. You didn’t come all the way out here to deal with a drunk. Or a cowboy in a pickle.”

  “This is ridiculous.” She glared at him. “I don’t need you telling me how to deal with stuff. And you are seriously telling me you don’t want my help?”

  They stared at each other.

  “Yeah, I’ll manage. You need to do your thing—take care of your agenda, not anyone else’s. It’s a good thing, Abby.”

  “But you need me.”

  The woman was unreasonable. About everything, it seemed. “I don’t need you. I was a capable, responsible man before you or Levi showed up—maybe not as responsible as I should have been, but I’ll take it from here.” He tipped his hat. He was cutting her loose. She should be running while she had the chance. “But thanks. We’ll see you around town.”

  Her mouth went slack. Maybe he was being a jerk—who knew? All he did know was that he was embarrassed beyond words over the whole situation. He pushed Levi down the street toward his truck and resisted the urge to turn around and see if she was still in shock—or angry.

  Man, he’d acted like an idiot.

  Bo scolded himself all the way down the street. He’d gotten himself into this wreck and he’d get himself out of it. And if his stirrups didn’t get made in the meantime, so be it.

  Abby had said she felt like she’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time ever since arriving in town and yet she’d come out yesterday and offered to work for him. And he knew it had to be because she was a kind person and felt bad for him . . . or obligated or something, because she felt really sorry for Levi and was worried Bo couldn’t deal with the situation.

  And he’d taken advantage of that. Not any longer. The woman had problems of her own she was trying to handle. She didn’t need his too. Or Rand’s—the man needed to straighten up his life before it got out of hand.

  How dare he treat her that way! Abby watched Bo walk away and then turned and yanked open her car door. Her insides had shaken like gelatin as he took Levi away from her. Two days ago, against her fear of both falling for and losing the baby, her instincts had taken over and she’d committed to being his nanny. And before the end of forty-eight hours Levi was already being taken away.

  Scalding fury poured through Abby, and she had to clasp her elbows and hang on tight in order to keep from trembling out of control.

  Yes, she should have thought before making that remark. Of course he’d jumped to conclusions because he felt guilty. Of course he was going to pull back and close himself off and that was fine. Her fault for bad word choice.

  But his attitude about her helping Rand was unacceptable. Someone needed to before the man killed someone.

  She wanted to march after Bo and demand that he not renege on their agreement. She would have to think about what to do about that, but if Bo thought she took orders from him where her personal life was concerned, well, he could think again. She shouldn’t have asked him about Rand. She should have waited to approach Rand later when he was back home and sober.

  One thing she would not do was sweep drinking under the table, even if being involved ripped her heart out.

  17

  “I tell you Abby was upset.” Reba had been fretting over the auction ambush for three days and now, over tea in Pebble’s kitchen, she had to voice her opinion once more.

  “I know,” Clara Lyn finally agreed, for the first time since Saturday. “I’ve been denying it, but it just never dawned on me that we’d upset her. But, well, y’all know she seemed fine after she sat down on the blanket with Bo. Didn’t you think so?”

  “Yes, it appeared to be so,” Pebble said. “But she certainly looked shocked about being auctioned off. You know I never thought this was a good idea, and I told you both it wasn’t.”

  “Pebble, stop your worrying. We know you said that. I keep thinking she was all right in the end, but then she’s just disappeared. I kept thinking we’d see her out and about.” Clara Lyn couldn’t believe the mess she’d made of things. She’d thought nothing of surprising the poor girl with the auction.

  “She might have her reasons for not dating.” Pebble looked worried again. “Have you ever thought of that, Clara Lyn?”

  Clara studied Pebble. “Do you know something we don’t know? You do know something.”

  Pebble had never been good at hiding things. She might not tell a secret she was holding for someone, but she had no poker face. Clara Lyn could see right through her.

  Reba gasped. “Pebble, what do you know?”

  “She confided in me and you know I can’t tell. But y’all are heading in the right direction. I didn’t say anything to you about stopping this absurd idea Clara had because there is a chance that a push is what she needs.”

  Reba Ann looked worried now. “But what if we’ve caused her to slip back into whatever trouble it is?” She studied Pebble intently and Clara Lyn joined her.

  “Has she gone through a horrible divorce?” she asked, but Pebble said nothing. Clara Lyn pressed on. “Lost someone?” Pebble looked down and fidgeted in her chair and Clara Lyn knew she’d hit the right trail. “Oh no, you can’t tell me she’s a widow. She’s too young. Far too young.”

  Pebble’s blue eyes widened. “I didn’t tell you anything.”

  “No,” Reba said. “You didn’t, so rest easy, but I’m glad we know finally. How utterly sad.”

  They all sat silent for a moment thinking about Abby.

  “We might need to go check on her,” Reba said.

  “I went by after church the day after the picnic and she was home, but she said she was fine. She really didn’t seem like she wanted company.”

  Clara Lyn frowned. “I don’t like the sound of this. I’m the one who came up with this meddlesome plan. I should have gone straight there and checked on her, but she seemed happy sitting on that blanket with Bo and Levi. And then y’all saw Jarrod and his grandfather come up. Everything appeared to be just fine. Do you think something happened after she left?”

  “I agree,” Reba said. “As far as I could tell, after the initial shock wore off and Bo bid so high, she looked happy. But I’m worried now.”

  “I wouldn’t have done it if I’d known it might make things worse for her.” Clara Lyn was feeling more worried with every second.

  “Maybe I should have told you. But I knew you would figure it out on your own. I even warned Abby that you would. With Cecil’s loss, it was almost as if I sensed it.”

  Reba sighed. “I wish I would ever find someone with half Cecil’s love for you. Then maybe I would consider marrying again.”

  Clara gave her a skeptical look. “At this late date. Not me. I’m enjoying doing some matchmaking, but I’d never marry again. Speaking of, Pebble, that Rand is sure still sweet on you. His face was as long as a hound dog Saturday.”

  “Now, Clara Lyn, you know how I feel. I loved Cecil. I—”

  “That doesn’t mean you can�
�t love someone else. But Rand—”

  “I have told you before I don’t want to discuss Rand.”

  Pebble was about the sweetest, softest-spoken woman Clara knew, but she had a stubborn streak.

  “That’s what’s nice. We all can have our own life choices. I think Abby needs to just move forward, and Clara, you may be helping her do that. We all know that change isn’t easy. Sometimes we need a shove even if we don’t like it.”

  Clara hadn’t meant to cause anyone to feel bad. “Maybe y’all have a good point. Maybe she does need us to stop by and check on her.”

  By the time Tru and Maggie arrived at the ranch midweek, Bo’s stress level had risen and so had Jarrod’s as they’d put together a schedule around Levi and Pops. Bo had an ad running in the paper on Tuesday, but it was going to take time to find the right person.

  He didn’t know how Tru and Maggie would react to the news that there was now a baby in the family mix. Especially when Tru had recently learned he couldn’t father children because of the chemo treatments he’d had when he was a kid.

  With them on their honeymoon, Bo had held off sharing the news. So there was no way of knowing how they would react to Levi. He hoped it wasn’t too hard on them.

  Bo had already made a wreck out of things with Abby—he’d thought about her every day and even almost gone to see her several times, but he’d forced himself to leave her alone. She needed time to settle in without him and his problems lurking around the corner.

  Besides, he didn’t have time to pursue anything with Abby.

  He’d known it before and it was the truth.

  And then there was the fact that he’d felt the need to jump off into her business. Where in the heck did he come off telling her to leave Rand alone? But the thought of her over there carting the drunk, lovesick councilman off to bed before he collapsed made him crazy. But was it any of his business? She was right.

  And she’d had no problem letting him know it either.

  And what had he done? Acted odd.

  Real odd. Who was he kidding? Abby was probably saying good riddance to the cowboy with the crazy life.

  Standing in the drive watching his brother park the truck, he pushed the thoughts aside—which was a good thing since he was feeling like he was heading too deep into woe-is-me territory.

  “Welcome home, newlyweds,” he called, really glad in that moment that Tru had Maggie.

  Tru smiled and laid his arm across Maggie’s shoulders and pulled her close. “We’re glad to be home.”

  Maggie looked up at him with an expression so loving that Bo couldn’t help hiking a brow at his brother. “Looks like she still loves you.”

  “Oh, I do. No doubt about that ever.”

  “Glad to hear it.” Tru grinned, then gave her a brief kiss on the forehead before looking back at Bo.

  He looked more relaxed than Bo could remember in years. Maggie was good for him.

  “So, what’s been going on?” Tru asked. “It was as quiet from y’alls end as I’ve ever known it.”

  “You were on your honeymoon,” Bo hedged. “We weren’t going to pester you with our business while you had better things to concentrate on.” He glanced toward the house. He’d left Levi in the playpen inside while he stepped out onto the porch to greet them. He figured it’d be better to give them the news out here before they walked inside and saw the baby. Their nephew.

  “Well, I appreciate it.” Tru laughed. “Is Pops doing good?”

  “He’s doing okay, about the same.” Bo took a deep breath. “I do need to let y’all in on a little bit of news.”

  Tru’s eyes narrowed just a touch as he picked up on the edge in Bo’s tone. His brother’s ability to read signs was one reason he was a champion quarter horse trainer and a rider too.

  “What?” he asked. “Is something wrong, Bo? You said Pops was okay, right?”

  “Yeah, Pops is fine. It’s—well, there is just no other way to say this. I became a father while y’all were gone.”

  They just stared at him. As if having trouble understanding what he was saying.

  Bo raked a hand through his hair. “I mean, I was already one, I just didn’t know it,” he said before they could respond.

  “Like a father with a baby?” Tru finally said, as if confused that Bo might have suddenly become a priest or something.

  “Yeah, a baby. A boy. He’s twelve months old and I didn’t know about him until a week ago Monday morning when he showed up on the porch.”

  “On the porch?” Tru prompted.

  “Yes. His mother is Darla. You met her when I was dating her. She died of cancer and before the courts could notify me, some friend of hers left him in a playpen on the front porch with Pops.”

  “I remember her.” Tru’s jaw tensed and his eyes narrowed. “That didn’t last long—and she’s dead? This is bad.”

  Bo knew all the things running through his brother’s mind. He was disappointed in Bo and feeling bad for Darla and wondering about the baby all at once.

  “Left him. Alone?” Maggie said, skipping over everything except the baby’s well-being.

  Tru frowned. “You’re joking about that, right? Because this is really not funny.”

  “I’m well aware how not funny this is,” Bo snapped, fully aware he’d caused this through carelessness but still not liking feeling incompetent. “That’s just the way it went down. I came home from town and the baby was in a playpen on the front porch with Pops.” He continued on trying to iron out any misunderstandings his first explanation might have made.

  “I’m really sorry about his mother,” Maggie said, “but I’m glad you finally know the truth. You deserve to know your son. Can we see him?” She glanced at Tru who hadn’t said anything else.

  “Sure. He’s inside. I wanted to prepare you before you just walked in and found out.”

  To Bo’s relief, Tru didn’t look upset. That serious expression Bo knew so well crept over into Tru’s eyes and his bronzed skin crinkled at their edges. “Thanks for the warning. It would have been a shocker.”

  Bo held the door open. “Believe me, I know about shock. If Abby hadn’t been with me, I don’t know what I’d have done.”

  “Abby?” Maggie said as she stepped into the kitchen.

  Bo explained quickly how he’d come to meet Abby, lest they think she was involved in a different way. “She’s helped out a lot.”

  Tru followed Maggie into the house and Bo thought he looked a little troubled. Maggie had always wanted kids. Bo hadn’t really thought about what this was going to do to Maggie, but he wondered if Tru was concerned about that.

  Levi had heard them coming and stood up watching as they walked into the room. Pops was grinning from where he stood behind the playpen holding a stuffed toy. Levi had probably thrown it out of the playpen, having learned over the last couple of days that whatever he threw, Pops would retrieve. The kid loved the game and so did Pops, and it kept them both occupied.

  Maggie gasped the instant she saw him. Her hand went to her heart and she shot Bo a look of pure emotion. “Oh, Bo.” Her voice cracked just a little. “He’s adorable. Can I hold him?”

  “Maggie, you can do whatever you’d like. I’m certain he would love you cuddling with him.”

  For the first time since they’d driven up, Bo felt real relief. Maggie had a deep capacity for caring for others. It was evident in everything she did—though he’d been really hard on her about the article she’d written about him and the other single men of Wishing Springs. Now, he felt guilty watching her expression soften as she lifted his son into her arms.

  “Hello, sugar. I’m your Aunt Maggie. We are going to have the best time getting to know each other.” With that she hugged him tightly and met Tru’s gaze with the biggest smile Bo had ever seen. Her eyes glistened. “He is so precious. Come see him, Uncle Tru,” she urged, and Tru moved to join her. Bo hadn’t even thought about this part of the equation—that they’d be happy about a baby around. All h
e’d thought was that the baby might cause them pain.

  Maybe things were going to be all right.

  18

  Abby woke on Sunday morning yearning to go to church, but also with no desire to see anyone. It was a familiar feeling that she’d succumbed to over and over and over again in Houston. She’d spent the night frustrated, tossing and turning, worried about her landlord trying to give her the boot despite her six-month lease. But mostly she’d spent the night worried about how angry Bo Monahan could make her.

  She hadn’t gone to church despite being drawn to do so, instead she’d driven around the country roads thinking, but nothing eased the turmoil inside of her. Nor caused her to stop thinking of Bo.

  After a few hours she sat at the crossroads thinking about what she should do. Drive out there and tell him he’d had no right to go back on their agreement.

  She realized now that she hadn’t helped the situation with her horrible statement. He’d felt guilty for causing her plans to be so mixed up.

  But he needed her despite telling her he didn’t.

  And she knew it too.

  And you need them . . . The four words whispered in the back of her heart.

  She didn’t need them. She wanted to help them—but need them . . . Abby’s baby was gone.

  The truth hurt her every time she let the thought escape from her broken and grief-torn soul.

  Her tiny rosebud of a baby.

  Her baby that Abby hadn’t even known existed until she woke, bleeding in the emergency room, and the nurse told her she’d lost the baby.

  Lost the baby.

  And she’d lost Landon too.

  And she’d known in that instant, in that excruciating blink of time, that it was her fault.

  They’d been fighting over when to start their family when the wreck happened . . .

  Even now, two years later as her guard dropped and the wound gaped open, Abby still couldn’t believe what had happened. Still couldn’t believe . . . She’d lost her baby and her husband.