The Lionhearted Cowboy Returns

by Patricia Thayer

  “Colin Trevor Guthrie, you come back here.”

  “Oh, boy, you’re in trouble,” Emily whispered as her brother marched past her and stood in front of his mother.

  “Please explain to me what you meant by that.”

  The boy released a long breath. “Jeff told me he wants to win you back.”

  She raised her hand. “Jeff talked to you about this?”

  “Yeah, he asked me how I felt about him wanting to marry you.”

  Emily squealed and Lacey was speechless. Jeff wanted to marry her!

  The boy went on to say, “He said he wouldn’t take our daddy’s place, but wanted to know if I’d mind if he helped raise us and married you.”

  Emily marched up to them. “Hey, he didn’t ask me.”

  Colin glared at his sister. “Don’t you want Jeff to be our new dad?”

  She nodded. “Oh, Mom, please say yes. Jeff tells me stories about Daddy. He reads to me and he even kissed my dolly goodnight. I want him to be my new daddy so you’re not sad anymore.”

  Lacey fought her rising hope. “Oh, honey, I’m not sad, I have you and Colin.”

  “Is it because Jeff doesn’t have a leg?” Colin asked.

  Lacey gasped. “Of course not. That doesn’t matter to me.” She looked back and forth between her kids. “What about your dad?”

  “Dad told me Jeff was like a brother to him,” Colin said. “Remember how he always talked about him?” Her son studied her. “Do you love Jeff?”

  Her kids’ gazes were leveled on her, waiting for an answer. “I loved your dad. You know that, don’t you?”

  They both nodded. “Can’t you love Jeff, too?” Colin added.

  “Yeah, Mom,” Emily confirmed. “So put on a pretty dress and go to the party and tell him.” She smiled. “Just like Beauty and the Beast, you can dance with him.”

  Colin groaned at his sister’s fairytale reference, but didn’t say anything.

  Lacey felt her own excitement building. Her heart pounded with hope and fear as she looked at her children. “Kids, I might need to go to the party by myself.”

  Music played in the background as Jeff walked along the patio. He took another drink of water. He didn’t want anything clouding his thoughts or senses.

  He watched as couples two-stepped around the makeshift dance floor. Most of them were Randells, and none of the women were Lacey. He wasn’t sure she would even show up, and his hopes were fading that he could say all the right things to finally win her over.

  “Jeff?”

  Hearing Lacey’s voice, Jeff turned so quickly that he stumbled a little, reminding himself of his limitations. But once he saw her, he wasn’t backing away.

  He smiled. “You made it.”

  She nodded. “I found a sitter at the last minute.”

  “I’m glad.” He looked over the woman he usually saw in jeans and T-shirts. Tonight she had on a long white gauzy skirt with a turquoise Indian print blouse which exposed her delicate shoulders, and a chain belt hugged her small waist. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Thank you, maybe later. You could ask me to dance.”

  He swallowed. “I’m not sure I can keep up.”

  The music ended and a soft ballad replaced the quick beat. She took him by the hand and led him away from the crowded patio to the garden. She stepped onto the manicured lawn. “This looks like a good spot to practice.”

  Jeff didn’t hesitate to draw her into his arms. The top of her head rested against his chin. With a love song in the background, his arms tightened and he pulled her against him so her breasts were pressed to his chest. She fitted perfectly. He couldn’t speak, too afraid to break the spell between them.

  About halfway through the song, Lacey pulled back and looked up at him. “I missed you when I was in Florida.”

  “I’ve missed you, too. Since the second you left the cabin that morning.” His eyes searched her face. “Please believe me when I say I regret all the stupid things I said to you. It wasn’t you, it was my insecurities talking.” He stopped as the moonlight played across her face. “You’re so beautiful.”

  “Keep talking. It sounds good so far.”

  He stopped moving. “I don’t exactly feel like talking right now.”

  Jeff pulled Lacey back into his arms, then lowered his mouth to hers. At first he tried to go slow, but she tempted him so the kiss turned hungry and sparks went off. By the time he lifted his head they were both breathless.

  “Oh, Lace. As much as I like where this is headed, this isn’t the place. And there’s too much I want to say to you.” He wanted more than just a few stolen nights. He had to let her know he wanted them to truly be partners, in every way. “Okay, can we at least take this somewhere more private?”

  Lacey felt as giddy as a teenager. At first, she’d thought she was crazy to get talked into this, but she couldn’t deny her feelings for Jeff any longer. “Just to talk?”

  “We definitely need to begin there,” he said. “Because I want this to be a beginning for us, Lacey. I want more than a business partnership.”

  Her spirits quickly lifted. “I want that, too.”

  Jeff’s mouth spread into a sexy grin. “Hold that thought. I need to tell Brandon I’m leaving.” He grabbed her hand and walked her back to the edge of the patio. “I’ll be right back.” He gave her one last kiss and hurried off.

  Lacey couldn’t stop smiling as she watched several of the guests dancing. One of them was Jay Randell, busy talking with several young girls. He spotted her and waved, then came over to her. “Hey, Lacey, how about a dance?”

  She smiled. “Sorry, all my dances are taken tonight.”

  Jay raised an eyebrow. “So Jeff finally won you over.”

  She nodded. Did everyone know what had been going on between them? “We’re working on things.”

  “That’s more good news to make my day. My loan was approved, so if you’re agreeable we can go ahead and discuss the land lease.”

  Lacey frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “I guess Jeff hasn’t told you about my offer to lease the acreage up by the cabin.”

  Lacey shook her head and remained calm.

  “Hey, I bet he’s planning to surprise you.”

  It hadn’t taken Jeff long to find Brandon. After hearing Jeff’s explanation of his early departure, his cousin gave his blessing, along with a key to a cabin in Mustang Valley.

  “You’re going to need help to convince her you’re the man for her,” he teased, then grew serious. “Tell her what’s in your heart, Jeff. It’ll work out.”

  Jeff went to find Lacey. He saw her standing with Jay and felt a pang of jealousy at the sight of his cousin talking to his girl. When he arrived, she wasn’t smiling any longer.

  “Sorry I took so long,” he said, but Lacey didn’t seem happy to see him.

  “Guess what, Jeff?” she began. “Jay’s been telling me an interesting story about a plan to lease my land.”

  Jeff glared at Jay. “It was just an idea he mentioned in passing. That’s all.”

  Jay raised a hand in defense. “Hey, I didn’t mean to cause trouble,” he said, and was wise enough to make a quick departure. “I’d better go.”

  Lacey turned and started toward the parking area. Jeff caught up with her at her truck. At least they could talk privately. “I thought we were going to talk, Lace.”

  “Seems as if you’ve already discussed things with Jay, so you don’t need me. You men are all alike.” She didn’t need to bring up Trevor’s name, because they both knew who she was referring to.

  “I know you think I went behind your back, but I didn’t,” he denied. “It was an idea Jay threw out a few weeks ago. I didn’t know he was even serious until today.”

  “I still wanted a say in it.”

  He straightened, feeling anger building. “Then you shouldn’t have run off to Florida.” It had really hurt that she hadn’t called him. “Business partners don’t just walk
away from one another.”

  “Look who’s talking about running off! You’re pretty good at it, too. Ten years ago you couldn’t get away from me fast enough.”

  He didn’t look away. “It was for the best. You and Trevor got back together.”

  She brushed her pretty blond hair off her shoulders. “So that’s what you told yourself to make it all right? What about me? You gave no thought to my feelings. Did you think I made love to you to make Trevor jealous?”

  “Of course not.” He took a step closer and she backed away. “I cared about you then and I care about you now.”

  She hugged herself. “How can I believe that when you never contacted me? To find out if I was okay.” Angry tears welled in her eyes. “I wasn’t, Jeff. I wasn’t okay. I was pregnant.”

  A baby. Jeff felt the shock down to the pit of his stomach. “Oh, God.” He reached for her and gripped her arms. “You were pregnant? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “You’d already left for the army.” She brushed away a tear. “You deserved to know, but before I convinced myself to write you, I’d miscarried.”

  The pain hurt so badly, he couldn’t concentrate on her words. Lacey had been pregnant. With his child. “You still should have told me.”

  “Why? What would you have done? Offered to marry me?”

  In a heartbeat. “Yes, I’d have married you.”

  She stiffened. “Funny, you didn’t seem to want to be anywhere near me back then.”

  “I thought I was doing the right thing. You were Trevor’s girl.”

  Another tear slid down her cheek. “That afternoon, I thought I was Jeff’s girl.” She wiped away the tears. “But I learnt fast what I meant to you.”

  He’d thought he’d been doing the right thing by leaving. “Did Trevor know about us? About the baby?”

  She shook her head. “No. I couldn’t hurt him. He was such a good friend. And he loved me enough to still want to marry me.”

  Totally stunned by her revelation, Jeff could only stand there as Lacey walked away without a backward glance.

  Hours later, Jeff still hurt.

  It was after midnight when he arrived back at the cabin. He’d been driving around, going over and over what Lacey had said to him. Her words had felt like a kick in his gut. They hurt worse than the bullet that had shattered his leg. She couldn’t have been any plainer than that, taking away the last of his hopes to win her back.

  He didn’t blame Lacey. He’d walked away from her twice.

  He went into the cabin and lit the lantern, then opened the windows to try and cool the place as Lonesome came to greet him.

  Jeff sat down at the table and leaned forward to pet the dog. “Oh, buddy, I’ve messed everything up, when all I wanted to do was help her out. Instead I got too involved and ended up falling in love with her all over again.” He knew that was a lie before the words came out of his mouth. He’d always loved her.

  The thought of her being all alone and pregnant just about killed him. Back then he’d been so young and stupid. He should have known there’d been a chance it could happen. But he hadn’t thought about that. All he’d wanted was to get out of town, to forget that she belonged to another man. His best friend.

  He went to get a bottle of water and noticed Trevor’s journal on the counter. He picked it up and carried it back to the table. “Hey, friend, I’m in trouble now.” He closed his eyes momentarily, not knowing if he wanted to read more, and knowing he’d let his friend down, too. He needed some kind of closeness to the man who’d shared his childhood and loved the same woman. He opened the book to where he’d left off the other day.

  It was dated a week before Trevor’s death.

  Jeff,

  I don’t know how much time I have left. Even the doctors can’t say, only that they’re still hoping for a miracle. I want to believe, too, but it’s hard.

  And it’s hard to keep up a front with Colin and Emily. Damn, they’re too young to be without their dad. My boy needs a man around to help him. My daughter is practically a baby.

  So my friend, I’m calling in all favors. I need you to be there for them now. And Lacey. She acts tough, but she’ll be hurting. I’ve been blessed these past ten years to have a wife who loves me and kids that make me so proud. The only thing is I won’t be around to protect them and see how they turn out.

  I know this is a big deal to ask of you, but I can’t trust my family with anyone else. And you have all those Randell aunts, uncles and cousins, so share them with the Guthrie clan. We always said we were like brothers, now prove it. It shouldn’t be a problem since they’re all so easy to love.

  Jeff felt tears on his cheeks and he wiped them away as he turned the page.

  There’s one last thing, friend. I’ve been lucky to have married Lacey and shared a life with her, but I know you always had a piece of her heart, too. Come home, Jeff. You need your family, and Lacey and the kids need you.

  Goodbye, old friend,

  Trevor

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  THE next day was like any other day, Lacey told herself. The kids had gone back to school that morning. Thank goodness, because they had too many questions about Jeff. Questions she couldn’t answer.

  Once they’d boarded the bus, she headed to the barn and to her job training Fancy. Something inside her made her hope that Jeff would come by. But why would he? Not after what had been said last night. All she could see was the pain etched on his face when he’d learned about the baby.

  Was it possible to move on? To continue working together?

  At lunch time, Lacey went to the house but wasn’t hungry and ended up sitting on the porch, drinking iced tea. She closed her eyes, thinking back to only a year ago.

  Trevor would have been with her. No, he hadn’t had much time for her, not the last few years, anyway. It was clear that the ranch problems had taken a toll. Maybe if he had shared those troubles with her they would have been closer. Trevor had called it “protecting her.” And he’d protected her far too often. It had left them nearly bankrupt and caused problems in their marriage.

  How could she think that she could work with Jeff? It was even crazier to think she could start a relationship with him without the past intruding on them. Maybe she shouldn’t have told him about the baby. But it had finally needed to come out.

  That news had hurt him. She didn’t need to relive the pain again, either. She had no choice but to move on without Jeff. Not that she’d ever had him, then or now.

  She started to go inside when she spotted a truck coming down the road. Her breath caught as she recognized the dusty vehicle. Jeff’s truck. It came to a stop next to the corral, and he climbed out.

  She stood, her heart pounding against her ribs as he walked to the porch, but didn’t come up the steps. “Hello, Lace.”

  She had to swallow before speaking. “Jeff. I didn’t expect you today.”

  “For the moment we still have a partnership. There are some matters that need to be cleared up.”

  “I don’t think we have anything else to say.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Lace.” He came up the stairs as he pulled a manila envelope from his back pocket. “Here’s the deed to the cabin property.”

  She backed away. “No, I can’t take it, Jeff. I don’t have the money to pay you back.”

  His gaze softened. “You still think that I bought the property for an investment? No. I bought it to help you and the kids, but yeah, to help myself, too. Truth is, I needed a purpose to get up out of bed, to want to work again. Buying your horses that day got me thinking about a future. So you see, Lacey, I needed you as much as you needed me.” He paused, watching her. “It was always my intention to include you in all decisions. I never purposely tried to leave you out.”

  She swallowed hard, ashamed of her reaction to Jay’s offer. “I know. I was surprised and angry.”

  He nodded. “But the important thing is I want you to know that I would never have left town
if I’d known you were pregnant. I would have done anything for my child.”

  Lacey fought her emotions. “It’s strange to talk about the baby after all this time. Afterwards, I just buried the memories and tried to move on and build a life with Trevor.”

  She looked at Jeff, seeing he was struggling with his emotions, too.

  “Oh, God, Lace, I’m so sorry.” When he reached for her, she went willingly into his tight embrace. After all these years they had the right to share their pain. “I’d give anything to have been here for you.”

  She let the tears fall. “I wish you had been here, too. So badly.”

  He drew back and looked at her. There were tears in his eyes. “How far along were you?”

  “Eleven weeks. The doctor said it happens sometimes. It wasn’t anyone’s fault.”

  Her gaze met his, seeing his doubt. “We can’t blame ourselves, Jeff.”

  “I need to know one thing… Did you want my baby?”

  She nodded. “Yes, Jeff, I wanted our child.” She glanced away. “I wanted a part of you.”

  He lowered his forehead to hers. “Oh, Lace, I want that, too. I dreamt about it for years, but you were Trevor’s wife.”

  “I’m not his wife any longer,” she surprised herself by saying. “No more guilt about the past.”

  Jeff finally smiled. “You have no idea.” He drew her back into his arms and lowered his mouth to hers in a searing kiss. She melted against him, reliving every dream she’d ever had about this man.

  He broke off the kiss. “As much as I want to continue kissing you, and more, I need you to come with me first.”

  He tugged on her arm and she resisted. “I can’t, the kids are due home from school.”

  He smiled. “I think there might be a Randell around to help with that.” He pulled out his cell and punched in a number. “Nothing is going to stop us this time.”