by Deb Kastner
“But what about your clothes? The limo?” Rachel asked, her voice now gentle and empathetic.
Trish’s eyes filled with tears. “I wanted you all to think I was a big success so giving me Caden’s guardianship would seem like the right thing to do. The clothes were easy—I have access to a lot of samples through my work. As for the rest...in reality, I’ve maxed out my credit cards. I’ve got nothing left.”
“Then send the limo away,” Seth said. If someone had told him two hours ago that he would be feeling compassion for Trish, he would have laughed in that person’s face. But now—
“I know Serendipity is not New York, but we’ve got a strong community here that will help you get back on your feet. You can stay in one of my parents’ cabins until you get settled.”
Her eyes brightened for a moment, but then hope once again faded. Seth knew the feeling of saying goodbye to your dreams. But he also knew the blessing of embracing new ones.
Better ones.
“Let me talk with my best friend, Lizzie,” Rachel added. “Her family owns Emerson’s Hardware. I think maybe we can find a position for you there.”
“You want me to work in a hardware store?” Trish asked, surprised. “I know even less about hardware than I do about ranching.”
Rachel laughed. “Emerson’s is a catchall in a town as small as this. If you want clothing, you go to Emerson’s. It’s all Western wear, but I imagine they’d be open to suggestions on how to spruce up their offerings. They may even take to the idea of you producing your own line, if you can come up with something that fits the style around here.”
For the first time since he’d met her, Trish was glowing with enthusiasm. Her expression turned the hard, obnoxious woman into a real live human being. Who knew that under all that brass was a person who was hurting, who was secretly waiting for someone to reach out to her with kindness?
“You would do that for me? After the way I treated you?” A tear slipped down her cheek.
Rachel laid a hand on her shoulder. “Absolutely. We’ll help you however we can to get you back on your feet.”
“And another benefit of staying right here in Serendipity is that you’ll be able to see your nephew whenever you want and really get to know him,” Seth added.
Trish smiled softly, a real, genuine smile, then sniffled and tried to wipe her tears with her shoulder.
“You’d better take Caden,” she told Rachel. “I don’t want him to get soaked when I start bawling.”
“So you’ll stay?” Seth asked as Rachel settled Caden on the blanket in the corner, where Zooey was lying on her back. The teenager smiled and slipped earphones into her ears before cuddling with the toddler.
“No hard feelings?” she pressed.
“None,” he assured her. “Now, if you’d like, I’ll help you get settled with my parents for tonight. You can send for your suitcases tomorrow.”
Seth was gone for maybe half an hour, and he was anxious to get back to Rachel, who’d stayed behind to watch the kids.
“I can’t believe how great this all worked out,” he announced as he entered the office. “Can you believe after all the kerfuffle that Trish was just a mixed-up woman in need of help? I’m so relieved that I’m shaking. This is awesome.”
Rachel held a finger to her lips.
“Shh. The kids are both sleeping. Zooey’s just as conked out as Caden is. I thought she was just listening to her music until I heard her snore.”
He grinned. “They look good together, don’t they? Like brother and sister?”
Rachel gasped.
He reached for her waist and turned her around to face him, but she didn’t quite meet his gaze. He put a finger under her chin and tipped her head up until their eyes met.
“What? What’s wrong?”
He’d thought he’d be coming back to celebrate, to whirl her around and kiss her silly. As far as he was concerned, the night couldn’t have turned out any better.
His life couldn’t be any better. But—
“Rachel, talk to me.”
“We can’t do this, Seth. You know we can’t.”
He frowned, his eyebrows lowering. His gut tightened until it hurt. He didn’t want to hear what was coming next, but he had to ask.
“Do what?”
“Be together. You. Me. We’ve got to stop this now, while we’re still able to.”
He didn’t know about her, but he was well past being able to stop his emotions. He was flat-out in love with her.
“What if I don’t want to stop?”
She laid her forehead against his shoulder and groaned softly.
“You’re not making this easy. I don’t want to stop, either. I...I...care for you. Very deeply. But it’s not just about us.”
Her coconut shampoo assaulted his senses as he pulled her close. He wanted to kiss her until she realized that there was no way for them to be apart.
He didn’t want to live his life without her. He loved her. Caden loved her. Caden already looked up to Zooey like a sister, and he suspected Zooey wouldn’t object to the news that her mom and Seth were a couple.
She pulled in a breath and leaned back. This time, she looked him straight in the eye.
“Say we did get together, start a real relationship. What if we break up? Zooey and Caden have grown so close to each other over the past few weeks. And she thinks you hung the moon.”
She pulled in a raspy breath. “So what happens when we are no longer together? It won’t just be our lives that are ripped apart, but theirs. I can’t risk doing that to Zooey, or to Caden. I just can’t. You’ve got to understand, Seth.”
He tensed and let go of her, afraid he’d hold her too tight. Because he never wanted to let her go. He wouldn’t prevent her from walking away if that was what she was determined to do—but he was nowhere near done trying to convince her to stay.
“No, I don’t have to understand. You’ve already got us breaking up when what I see is a wonderful future in front of us. What about that, Rachel? What if we could be happy together? If you’re going to take a risk, why not risk that, huh?”
“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice cracking with strain. “I’ve thought this through and I’ve made up my mind.”
She’d hit him right where it hurt.
His heart.
“So that’s it, then. We stop seeing each other?”
“We can still be friends.”
“Friends. Right. Like that ever happens.”
“It could.”
Seth couldn’t let it go. He couldn’t let her go. But he saw no way to convince her, unless—
“Okay, then. I agree. Friends. But as a friend,” he said, emphasizing the word, “I would like to invite you and Zooey to my parents’ place for Caden’s third birthday party two weeks from Saturday. I think he would be really upset if you missed it.”
“I wouldn’t think of it.”
“Of going?” He was so frustrated he wanted to run for miles. Just not away from her.
“No. Of missing it. Zooey and I will be there. What time is the party?”
“Three o’clock.”
She leaned over to shake Zooey awake. The teen stumbled to her feet, muttering something about hard floors.
“Three o’clock it is, then,” Rachel said, starting to walk past him. “Good night.”
He reached for her elbow and gently pulled her back to him, brushing his lips over her cheek.
“Good night, Rachel.”
She didn’t respond to his kiss but just kept walking.
Out the door, and apparently, right out of his life.
Chapter Twelve
The day of Caden’s birthday arrived, sunny and warm, the perfect day for an outdoor party at the Howells’ bed
-and-breakfast. The whole family would be there, and Seth had invited Trish—all information that Rachel had obtained from Trish herself. She and Trish had spoken several times over the week and were fast becoming friends.
But as far as other friends went, Rachel wasn’t talking to Seth at all. Samantha had been dropping Caden off at day care, and though she was friendly with Rachel, they never spoke of Seth. She hadn’t seen him since that night in the office, and she wasn’t certain she was prepared to see him today.
If he looked at her the way he had that night in the office—the love in his eyes, followed by pain and confusion—she didn’t know if she could stand it.
Friends.
They could be friends.
She just had to buck up and stuff all her emotions somewhere deep inside, where they wouldn’t interfere with Caden’s birthday celebration.
Zooey had come down early, for Zooey. A typical teenager, she usually slept past noon on a Saturday. But this Saturday was important to her. She hadn’t quite hit coming downstairs early enough for breakfast time, but they had an early lunch before they wrapped Caden’s gifts and headed off to the bed-and-breakfast.
Rachel dragged her feet, forgetting this and that and remembering something else she had to do, until she had completely annoyed Zooey.
“Mom, you’re always on time,” Zooey complained.
“On time is late,” Rachel quipped.
“Then why is it three fifteen and we still haven’t left the house? What’s up?”
Rachel shook her head. Her daughter was far too perceptive. She was going to have to play this carefully.
“I’m just a little scatterbrained today.”
Zooey shot her a look that told her she didn’t buy it, but she didn’t push the subject, thankfully.
They were the last to arrive at the party. Rachel recognized most of the kids toddling around as children from her day care. Trish was helping Amanda bring out dishes piled with food. They were chatting amicably, and Trish looked the best she had since she’d arrived in Serendipity—heavy makeup washed off, fashionable clothes put aside for jeans and a colorful top, frowning displeasure replaced with a bright smile, like a load had been taken off her shoulders.
Rachel supposed it had, although it would still be a steady climb for Trish to get back on her feet.
Now it was Rachel with the load on her shoulders, but she wouldn’t let anyone see that.
Not on Caden’s birthday.
Rachel laughed when Zooey caught sight of Dawson. Apparently, he had a little sister who’d been invited to the party and he was the chaperone. It wasn’t long before he wandered over and started talking to Zooey. Rachel was glad Zooey wasn’t the only teenager at the event, but seeing her daughter so happy with Dawson made her heart ache.
Rachel had never known young love, and the only real love she’d ever had—
She cut that thought off without finishing it.
Seth was playing horseshoes with Samuel and didn’t notice she’d arrived, or else he simply didn’t acknowledge her.
Which was fine.
She sat down at a picnic table where Will and Samantha were in a heated match of cribbage. Rachel was content just to watch the interplay between the married couple, but envy sneaked up on her. The green monster was really on her heels today.
Soon it was time for cake and the birthday song. They took pictures while Caden grabbed a fistful of chocolate cake with white icing and smashed it on his face, mostly missing his mouth.
Rachel’s heart welled with affection for the little boy. They’d been through so much together that Rachel didn’t think that special place in her heart reserved for Caden would ever go away.
But then again, neither would that Seth-sized hole.
Her heart must look like Swiss cheese.
After cake came presents. Zooey was super excited for Caden to open her present, a stick horse that made neighing sounds when he pushed its ear. Caden loved it, and after all the gifts were unwrapped, he charged off to play cowboys and cowgirls with his friends.
The adults pulled out a board game and nearly everyone joined in—Trish, Amanda and Samuel and a few parents who were chaperoning their children at the party. Even Dawson and Zooey participated.
Pretty much everyone was there except Seth, who had disappeared.
He hadn’t spoken to her once since she’d arrived at the party, and she was respecting his space. He was probably angry with her for the way she’d left things, and she couldn’t blame him for that.
But someone had needed to say the words. She hated that it had had to be her.
Soon she was caught up in the game, belting out answers and receiving a marker for each right guess. The first person to get six markers won the game.
Rachel wasn’t particularly competitive, but it kept her mind off Seth, so she threw herself into the game, and before she knew it, she had five markers and her next turn had arrived.
Samantha was reading off the question on the card.
“This one’s for the win,” Samantha reminded everyone. “Okay, Rachel, are you ready?”
Rachel laughed and nodded.
“The topic is sports.”
She groaned. “Well, I’m not winning this turn. I know zilch about sports.”
Samantha grinned. “Don’t be so sure about that. Now here we go. In the game of football, what is it called when a quarterback launches the ball upfield during the last seconds of the game in the hope of a touchdown?”
“Are you kidding me right now?” Rachel asked.
“No. Seriously. That’s the question. I read it word for word. And I know you know the answer to it.”
“Unbelievable. The one and only sports question I can answer. It’s called a Hail Mary.”
The adults around the table clapped, and Zooey hooted.
“Way to go, Mom!”
“Aaaand she’s in for the win,” Samantha announced excitedly. “Way to go, sis.”
Wait, what?
Had Samantha just called her sis?
“Thank you for ruining the surprise for me,” came Seth’s smooth tenor voice from behind her.
She stood up from the picnic table so fast that she bumped her elbow. Seth reached out to steady her.
“That had to hurt. Are you okay? Do you need a bandage with a cartoon on it and someone to kiss your owie better? I’m getting pretty good at that.”
Rachel laughed, although she’d never been so confused in her life.
“I think I’ll live.”
“Good to know,” said Seth. “Because I kind of want you around. For a long time. Like the rest of my life.”
Rachel had lost her voice. This was nothing like what they’d decided together that night at the office. He was looking at her with such love in his eyes that there was no possible way anyone in the vicinity could miss it.
What had happened to being just friends?
“I thought a lot about what you said the other night. About being friends. About not wanting to hurt anyone, especially the children. And you are right about that.”
She leaned forward to whisper in his ear. “Is this really a conversation we should be having in front of other people—especially your family?”
He chuckled. “I should think so. I want everyone to hear what I’m about to tell you.”
He reached into the pocket of his red chambray shirt and retrieved a small black velvet box.
Rachel’s breath caught in her throat and for the life of her she couldn’t dislodge it. And her heart—
Her heart was swelling until it hurt.
“Like I said, I’ve been thinking about the talk we had. And I realized what part of the equation was missing.” He grinned. “I solved for X.”
He went down on one kn
ee and opened the velvet box to display a beautiful square diamond solitaire with tiny diamonds lining it all around. It was the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen, from the most wonderful man she’d ever known.
“I love you, and I think I have for some time now, but I realized after talking to you that love is not enough. I want you to be able to see the future with me and Caden and believe in it. You’ve had people leave you behind before, and I understand that you’re scared it might happen again. But I am pledging my permanent commitment to you, and to the kids, before God and all these witnesses. I promise to guard your heart always. Zooey and Caden will have a stable home with two parents who love them—and each other.”
He stopped and cleared his emotion-clogged throat. “Because I do love you, Rachel. So much. Will you be my wife?”
Tears flowed freely down Rachel’s face as she reached out her hand. Seth stood and placed the ring on her left finger. He framed her face in his hands and smiled down at her.
“God was answering our prayers when we weren’t even looking,” he murmured huskily. “I love you, Rachel, with my whole heart.”
“And I love you.” Those were the only words she could manage, but she knew the rest of what she wanted to say was in her eyes.
His lips came down on hers just as the applause started. She vaguely heard the hooting and hollering.
“Way to go, new sis.”
“Welcome to the family.”
“Yay, Mom. I knew he was the right guy for you. I told you so.”
Seth kissed her until she couldn’t breathe and then he kissed her some more. Her head was spinning by the time he lifted his lips from hers, and that was only enough for him to whisper one word close to her ear.
“Awesomesauce.”
* * * * *
Don’t miss these other heartwarming stories about surprise babies leading to lasting love in the
COWBOY COUNTRY miniseries:
YULETIDE BABY
