The Cowboy's Baby Blessing

by Deb Kastner

  We?

  Had he really come over only to find day care for Caden, or had God led him over here for more than that? He knew what Rachel would say if he voiced the question aloud. He appreciated her so much for offering her advice and assistance, but again he had trouble forming the words to express his gratitude.

  “I know a little bit about baby-proofing. My sister gave me some extra hardware they had left over after putting their own house in order for the twins, but I’m not sure where everything goes or how it works. Samantha or Will can probably help me, but they’re busy with the store, so it may be a few days.”

  “I’m sure they have their hands full with the grocery and their own kids. I’m free after work tomorrow. I could come over and help you set everything up,” she offered.

  Caden started hiccuping in his sleep, and Seth and Rachel chuckled softly together.

  “I guess this will be an adventure,” he admitted. He’d always been one to chase adventure...though he’d never expected to face one quite this huge. There was a big, wide ocean in front of him and he didn’t even know how to trim the sails.

  But he could learn. And whether it was God or circumstance or whatever, he was grateful for all the support he was receiving. From his family...and from Rachel. What if she hadn’t been the one to win him at the auction, telling him her story and putting her in his head as someone he could turn to in this situation? He didn’t even want to think about that.

  “Adventure is a good way to look at it,” she said. “You and Caden are a team.”

  He looked down at the still-hiccuping but soundly sleeping little boy in his arms and his heart welled.

  He wouldn’t let Caden down, no matter what.

  He was Caden’s permanent legal guardian and would be the only parent the boy would ever know.

  It was what Luke and Tracy would have wanted. It was what Caden needed. And it was what Seth was determined to be.

  A father.

  Chapter Three

  One day at a time.

  Rachel was great at doling out counsel but not so much at putting it to use in her own life.

  Seth was trying to figure out how to parent Caden—and he was looking to her for advice?

  She felt as if someone had stamped a giant fail sign on her forehead. What use was she going to be to Seth—or Caden—when she didn’t have her own house in order?

  Actually, helping Seth was a good way to get out of her own head for a while, to forget the constant bickering that had taken over her relationship with Zooey. At least she knew what to do with Caden.

  She had to admit she was looking forward to Seth bringing sweet Caden over for day care. Rachel loved children of all ages, but there was something about a pudgy toddler, just learning to strike out on his own and explore the world, that really captured Rachel’s heart.

  And Caden would need all the extra love and attention she could give him. He was fortunate to have such a dedicated guardian in Seth, and he had Seth’s extended family to offer strength and support. He was going to be okay, but Rachel still grieved over the circumstances that had left this boy without his mother and father.

  And yet she saw something in Seth—his dedication and determination—that made her think he would turn out to be a fine father for Caden in the long run.

  Seth had entrusted her with Caden’s day care, and she was resolved to do everything she could to make Seth’s transition from footloose and fancy-free to father and rancher as streamlined and painless as possible.

  In some ways it would be easier for Caden than for Seth. Caden would adapt quickly. Poor Seth knew next to nothing about child care and had admitted he understood little about ranching, either.

  And now, in the space of one day, he had a child and owned a ranch.

  Talk about a learning curve.

  Rachel poured herself a cup of coffee and went out to sit on the front porch and enjoy the early morning. Seth would be coming a bit earlier than the other parents so he and Caden would have more time to adjust to their first day.

  Most of the time it was harder on the parents than it was on the children to let go that first day. Given Seth’s peculiar situation, she suspected it might be even more difficult for him. His life had undergone so many changes so quickly he probably didn’t know which way was up anymore.

  Putting everything else aside, she felt sure he was mourning the loss of a sweet, lovely woman who had died far too soon. It was clear Seth had considered Tracy a friend, and her death would have been a shock to him even if Caden hadn’t been in the picture, especially on top of the grief he still experienced over Luke’s death. Caden was all Seth had left of his friends to hold on to. Rachel wondered if it would be difficult for him to let the boy go, even for just a few hours.

  As for Caden, he might be too young to understand the whole truth of what had happened, but in his own way, he had to be wondering where his mama had gone and why she wasn’t coming back to get him. Rachel was certain he must be missing her terribly.

  She fought back the tears that sprang to her eyes. She needed to be strong for both Caden and Seth.

  Her cat, Myst, diverted her attention when he appeared and flopped by her side, his purr like the deep revving of an engine as he groomed himself. Myst would make himself scarce for the rest of the day, having learned the hard way to avoid overexcited toddlers with grabby hands. He was a typical feline, antisocial to most humans except when he wanted to be snuggled and petted on his own terms, and even then he graced only Rachel and Zooey with that honor.

  Mr. Picky was his nickname.

  Rachel had just finished her coffee when Seth pulled his car into her driveway. She stepped forward to help him release Caden from his car seat. She laughed, her heart welling, when the little boy wrapped his arms around her neck and squeezed tightly.

  “This ridiculous thing is more complicated than it looks,” Seth said of the five-point buckle. “It took me forever to figure it out the first time.”

  “Car seats are one of my many areas of expertise,” she teased, but Seth nodded solemnly.

  “I imagine so.”

  A lump burned hot in her throat. It didn’t take a genius to realize he was thinking about all the things he didn’t know about raising a child, and Rachel mentally kicked herself for her insensitivity.

  She was relieved when he changed the subject.

  “If you have a moment, would it be okay for me to take a look at your backyard and the play equipment you currently have?” he asked, leaning down to scoop Myst into his arms. He stroked the cat, who in turn nuzzled under his chin, demanding his complete devotion and attention. “We can discuss your needs and then I will draw up some preliminary suggestions on how best to make this work.”

  “How did you do that?” she asked, so stunned she forgot to answer his question.

  “Do what?”

  “Myst doesn’t like anybody, especially men.”

  He scratched the cat’s ears and chuckled. “Cats like me. I don’t know why. I’ve never had one of my own. Hopefully, I have the same effect on horses and cows.”

  Seth was such a charmer that Rachel suspected he might have that effect on every living creature he came in contact with, including every pretty young lady who crossed his path, and most of the older ones, too. Cats were especially intuitive, and Myst obviously thought highly of Seth.

  But as far as the play yard went—

  “Don’t worry about building anything for me. I’m officially absolving you of any obligation. You have way too much going for you to be concerned about my needs.”

  She was worried about what she’d be able to do, with the recertification coming up so rapidly, but it wasn’t fair to bring Seth in on it. He’d just landed himself a baby. That took precedence over any problems she was experiencing.

 
; She’d just have to figure out how to handle this herself. The most logical thing to do would be to break down the old play equipment on her own and rent a trash bin one weekend to get rid of all the pieces. She could clean up the backyard well enough to pass the inspection. New equipment would have to wait.

  “No, Rachel. Let me do this for you. You’re helping me out so much by caring for Caden and with all the instructions you’ve given me.”

  He made it sound as if she were a how-to manual. The thought made her smile.

  “You’ll be paying me for the day care, remember? Although like I said earlier, don’t forget that the first week is on the house.”

  “And you paid for me at the auction,” he shot back. He gestured toward the door. “I mean it. I don’t mind building you a new play yard. I know you said you have someone coming to assess the day care soon for recertification. This is important to you—and honestly, I think it will be good for me. Building a project like a playhouse that I know I’ll excel in will take my mind off all the stuff I don’t know how to do. So you see, you’re doing me a favor.”

  She didn’t see how he could possibly smile after all he’d been through in the past twenty-four hours, but the toothy grin he flashed her worked its charm.

  She was not immune.

  How could she say no?

  With Caden still in her arms, she led Seth out to the backyard and then let the toddler down to play while she talked to his new guardian.

  She gestured to her current play equipment, a combination of wood, pipes and canvas that included a tent, a slide and a couple of swings.

  “I’ve been told I have to remove or replace it by the beginning of July. At this point I’m thinking that removing it is going to be challenge enough in itself.”

  “I can probably hack it down in half a day,” Seth said, setting Myst on the ground at his feet. The cat wound in a figure eight around his legs, his tail curling around his black cowboy boots in a ploy for more attention. “And then, once we’ve settled on something you like, it’s just a matter of ordering in the materials. I can probably build something new in a weekend—if you’re willing to watch Caden for me, that is.”

  “That’s a given,” she assured him, pointing to where Caden was scaling a kid-sized slanted climbing wall. “Look at that little boy crawl. If I didn’t know better—It’s almost as if he’s related to you.”

  Seth’s brow lowered and his lips tightened, but his smile remained. “Yeah. Well, I guess Caden is related, kind of, or at least he will be when I formally adopt him.”

  “That’s for sure the direction you’re going, then?”

  He nodded. “It’s what Luke and Tracy would have wanted. And it’s what I want to do.”

  “You’re a good friend. And you’ll be a great father.”

  “Your lips to God’s ears,” he murmured.

  * * *

  Seth had formed a plan, kind of. He could see no way around it but that he accept that he was Caden’s permanent legal guardian. He needed to adopt Caden as his own and be his father—and then somehow he had to keep the Hollister ranch up and running for Caden’s legacy.

  He’d considered every other possibility and had come up with nothing. As he’d told Rachel, adopting Caden was what Luke and Tracy would have wanted.

  How could he do less?

  So much for the carefree days of being his own man. He knew it was not only immature but irresponsible even harboring that moment of regret, but there it was. He let it flow through him...and then he let it go.

  Making decisions with only his own happiness in mind was a thing of the past. Period. Now his life belonged to Caden, and under the circumstances, that was exactly as it should be.

  He would do everything in his power to be the father Caden needed him to be, despite that the thought sent shivers down his spine and he was looking at a learning curve that was a series of hairpin turns down a steep mountain road.

  The more time he spent with Caden, the more he admired Rachel for the success she’d made out of her life. A bright, intelligent daughter. A thriving business that she loved.

  Before having a toddler of his own to take care of, he never would have comprehended all of the sacrifices Rachel, as a single mother, had made—and continued to make—for Zooey’s sake.

  Big things like not going to college. Little everyday things like cooking meals and playing blocks with her on the carpet.

  Now that he was in a similar situation, he’d become minutely aware of just how much parents, especially single parents, acted and sacrificed for their children’s sake on a constant, daily basis. It didn’t matter if the child was two or twenty. A parent would always be a parent.

  He would always be Caden’s dad. It still sounded odd to think of himself that way, but there it was.

  Friday of the first week had finally come, and Caden’s introduction to day care had gone well. Rachel had reported that he had no trouble fitting in with the other children. He was a social child and especially enjoyed snack time. And to Seth’s amazement, Caden always appeared as happy to see him at the end of the day as Seth was to see Caden. The baby still had moments when he’d cry uncontrollably. Seth thought he must be missing his mama. But they were coping, he and Caden, moving forward together, step by step.

  Seth was anxious for this particular workday on the ranch to end. He’d thought he was in good physical shape before all these new challenges in his life began, but at the moment he was sore head to toe from all his hours on horseback, and his brain was aching from the amount of new information he was trying to consume all at once.

  Who knew that running a ranch would be so complicated?

  Though he’d grown up in a ranching community, he hadn’t ever been so much as a weekend cowboy, and aside from half listening to the complaints of friends in school, he’d never thought about cows.

  All he knew was that ranchers roamed the range herding cattle to new pastures as the old grass got eaten up.

  His learning curve with the ranch was nearly as complex as the one with Caden. Thankfully, Tracy’s foreman, Wes Gorman, was a kind, knowledgeable older man who’d spent his entire life as a working cowboy and who was willing to keep things running while he taught Seth the ropes of the business.

  Seth would have laughed at his unintended pun except his backside was so saddle sore he wasn’t sure he could conjure a smile. He’d be sitting on ice for a week.

  He felt like a fraud in his hat and boots, although he’d worn both from the time he hit high school. Nearly all the men in Serendipity wore cowboy hats. But then again, nearly all of them were ranchers.

  He’d sometimes ridden the range with Luke when they were boys, but they’d never done much real ranch work. They’d always been too busy goofing around. He vaguely remembered the freedom he’d felt when he’d galloped across the meadow back when he was a teenager, but he hadn’t been anywhere near a horse in a decade.

  He was more cautious now than he was when he was a hormone-ridden high schooler. He wasn’t about to gallop anywhere and risk breaking his neck, thank you.

  Still, he was determined to learn everything there was to know about the Hollister family’s ranch, Bar H, and that started with hands-on experience at everything from riding out and evaluating the herd to mucking out the horse stalls.

  He was proud of his progress so far. He hadn’t lost his seat in the saddle—yet—although he was careful to keep his mount, Luke’s old chestnut gelding, Windsong, from moving any faster than a trot. He had spent the first couple of days surveying the Bar H holdings and becoming acquainted with both horses and cattle. Wes had explained to him about rotating the grazing stock among the fields and pastures and that the cattle were beef cows.

  He had yet to learn how to balance the books, which was on the docket for the weekend, but at least that could be done fro
m a desk. He would be glad to be seated on something that didn’t move, for a change.

  He wasn’t looking forward to wrestling with numbers. Math had been a weak spot in school. But if he was going to run the Bar H property right, he was going to have to understand the financial status of the ranch.

  When he pulled Windsong up to the old barn, exhausted and ready to slip out of the saddle and take a long, hot shower to soothe his weary muscles, he was surprised to find Rachel already there waiting for him.

  She had agreed to bring Caden to him today rather than him picking the boy up, but he hadn’t intended for her to meet him at the stable. No sense everyone getting dusty and mud caked. They had planned to meet later at Seth’s house so she could help him finish baby-proofing, and he was stoked to show her the designs he’d drawn up for her new play equipment.

  She didn’t immediately see him approach and he reined to a halt, watching the interplay between woman and toddler with interest. She was holding Caden by the hands as he hopped on and off a square bale of hay. Rachel displayed unending patience as Caden wanted to jump again and again. They were both giggling as she picked him up, twirled him around in circles and tickled his tummy.

  The stress lines usually so prominent around her eyes and mouth eased as she played with Caden. Seth had always thought Rachel was pretty, but she simply lit up like an evergreen at Christmas when she was around children, especially Caden.

  She had a special gift, and he was beyond grateful she had won him at the auction. Someone was watching out for him, and in the deep confines of his heart he knew it was the Lord.

  How else could he explain having been so fortunate? Rachel was giving Seth back at least as much as he would be able to do for her in building her new playhouse, and she’d spent money for his efforts.

  What she did for him, and for Caden, she did out of the kindness of her heart and nothing more.

  Rachel caught sight of him and stopped twirling around, settling Caden on her hip and pointing to Seth, who was still on board Windsong.