by Deb Kastner
Soon the ranch house was filled with rowdy boys and giggling girls. Buck made it a point to stay out of the middle of the ruckus, choosing to lean his shoulder on a far wall and watch the scene from across the room.
Unlike Buck, Ellie loved parties, and she was especially happy to be throwing Tyler his birthday bash. She thrived right in the middle of all the chaos as she served her teenage guests a frothy green punch. She couldn’t remember ever feeling happier, she thought as another wave of joy washed over her.
Tyler was flushed and beaming and grinning widely, and that was all Ellie could wish for.
“Hello,” she called to the group at large. It took a good minute and a lot of gesturing to get everyone’s attention, as the kids were spread out all over both the living and dining rooms. “Let’s get this party rolling,” she suggested with a hoot.
Her announcement led to a cacophony of voices cheering and yelling. Poor Tyler would be black and blue from all the friendly punches and back slaps the boys were giving him.
“Gifts or cake first?” she asked the excited crowd.
“Gifts, gifts, gifts,” the boys chanted in unison, their voices in a lower octave. The girls just giggled.
“Okay, then,” Ellie answered with a laugh. “Gifts it is. Tyler, please be seated here,” she said, gesturing to a chair set in the middle of the room. “That way everyone can see you as you open your presents.”
She refrained from calling him the birthday boy, but just barely. Ellie was as excited as the kids to be a part of this. Moment by moment she was woven more deeply into the fabric of Buck and Tyler’s life.
As Tyler started tearing into his presents, Ellie suddenly felt Buck’s presence nearby. Standing behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned in close to her ear.
“What did you get him?” Buck whispered, his smooth, deep voice sending velvet shivers down her spine.
“Wait and see,” she teased.
“Not even a little hint?”
She chuckled. “Okay. A mode of transportation,” she answered, being as vague as possible.
“What?” Buck exclaimed. He groaned. “Please don’t tell me you got him a car.”
“I didn’t get him a car. He’s only thirteen. Besides, I can’t afford to buy him a car.”
“Good point,” Buck answered.
Ellie and Buck both quieted as Tyler picked up the card Ellie had given him. Moments later he was cheering at the top of his lungs. “All right!”
Ellie felt Buck lean in closer, trying to see what she had given the boy. She laughed again. “It’s a picture.”
“Of what?”
Tyler turned to his father. “Look, Dad. It’s a picture of the new colt.”
Ellie couldn’t smile any wider. “Which I purposefully didn’t name,” she indicated. “He’s all yours. Name him, raise him and train him. I know you’ll do a great job. You’re as good a cowboy as your dad is. Happy birthday, Tyler.”
“Thanks, Ellie,” Tyler said, his voice cracking. “This is the best birthday party ever.”
From behind her, Buck groaned again, though he didn’t let go of Ellie’s waist.
“What is it?” Ellie queried.
“This is Tyler’s only birthday party ever,” he said, his voice lined with regret. “At least probably that he can remember. His mother used to throw parties. That just wasn’t my forte, you know?”
“I know,” Ellie answered simply and compassionately. “And I think Tyler does, as well.”
“All I can say is it’s a good thing he has you now,” Buck answered. He sounded like he was a little choked up, and Ellie wondered at his spontaneous burst of emotion.
“What did you get him?” Ellie asked, smoothly changing the subject as she peered over the heads of some of the teenagers, trying to see the gift Tyler was opening next.
Buck laughed. “Let’s just say it goes perfectly with your present. We couldn’t have done it better if we had planned it this way.”
“Is that so?” Ellie now saw what Buck meant as Tyler opened Buck’s gift to him, a new bridle and a leather-burning kit.
“So you can mark all the bridles in the stable,” Buck explained, nodding at the leather-burning kit. “I saw what you did with Storm’s bridle, and I really liked it.”
Tyler grinned. “Thanks, Dad.”
Ellie placed her hand over Buck’s and squeezed. Father and son were growing closer by the day.
“I can’t wait to tell Tyler that you guys are going to stay on here at the ranch,” Ellie murmured. “Or do you think we should wait until later to tell him?”
“No way,” Buck replied. “I can’t wait. I don’t want to, either. We’re telling him tonight, like we planned. You know he’ll be happy for us.”
“I hope so.”
“He’s rooting for us,” Buck assured her. “Trust me on this. He is one smart kid.”
Ellie grinned. “Not so much a kid anymore,” she teased, and then her expression softened in tune with her heart. “I can’t believe how much I love that boy.”
Buck brushed her hair back and kissed her softly on the cheek, his eyes shining an incandescent green.
By this time Tyler was sitting among a pile of opened presents and, more important, Ellie thought, in the middle of a crowd of new friends. She had the feeling Tyler was going to like growing up in Ferrell as much as she had. And as Buck had—at least until he’d tangled with his mother and the town.
“Let’s get the cake,” Ellie whispered to Buck. He nodded and followed her to the kitchen, where she planted thirteen candles deep into the chocolate frosting while Buck stood behind her, nuzzling her neck.
“Cut that out,” she whispered with a giggle. “One of the kids might see.”
“Let them,” Buck growled, but he released his hold on her—at least partway. His arm was still firmly draped over her shoulder, and Ellie leaned into his warmth. “Let’s do this thing,” he said, winking at Ellie before he released her completely so he could carefully light the candles with a match.
Buck had informed Ellie soon after they met that he was tone-deaf, and Ellie had never heard him sing before, so she was surprised when Buck joined in a rowdy rendition of the happy birthday song. Even more surprising was Buck’s voice, a smooth, lovely baritone.
And he could follow a tune.
So much for being tone-deaf. Ellie wondered how many other discoveries she was going to make about Buck over the coming years. He was surprising her at every turn, from the sound of his singing voice to the shirt he was wearing today, a bright green that matched his eyes.
Ellie had bought it for him the day after the reunion and had nonchalantly left it hanging in his closet. Up until today she didn’t know if he’d so much as noticed it was there, and she experienced a wave of elation that he was wearing it now, just for her.
She had time to learn all about Buck and Tyler—the rest of their lives together, she hoped.
At the moment all she could hear was laughter. Buck’s laughter. Tyler’s laughter. Joy swirled in her chest, ballooning into her head and making her a little bit dizzy.
She quickly cut slices of the cake and passed them to the hungry teens as Buck scooped the ice cream. They worked quietly together, not needing to speak. Ellie caught him smiling down at her several times.
“You were right,” Buck said, breaking the silence—at least between the two of them, Ellie thought, pleased by the clamor Tyler’s friends were making—as he finished off the first gallon of Neapolitan and rinsed out the plastic tub before tossing it in the recycle bin. “We did need two gallons.”
“Told you so,” she teased.
“When do I get to sample some of that great-looking homemade cake of yours?” he inquired, waggling his eyebrows. “I barely restrained myself from snagging a piece before the party began. If it’s anywhere near as delicious as it looks…”
Buck’s sentence trailed off as Ellie cut off a small corner of the cake and lifted it to Buck’s mouth.
<
br /> “Practicing?” Buck teased through a mouthful of cake.
It was the words he didn’t say that threw her. Ellie choked up on her own bite of cake and coughed violently. Buck patted her awkwardly on the back. Commitment was still a huge issue between them, and Ellie was positive Buck, of all people, would be gun-shy about getting married.
At that moment someone knocked sharply and rapidly on the front door.
“I’ll get it,” Ellie said promptly, relieved to have something physical to do, something to get her away from Buck for a moment. She needed to think, to regain her equilibrium after what he’d just hinted at. “It’s probably another one of Tyler’s friends,” she muttered. “I didn’t ever get a head count. Did you?”
Buck shook his head. “Whoever it is at the door probably rang the bell several times. I don’t know about you, but I can’t hear a thing over this ruckus.”
Ellie smiled. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
Buck cupped Ellie’s face for a quick, appreciative kiss. Part of her wanted to pull away, but that was immediately overridden by the pressure of Buck’s warm, soft lips and gentle touch. “Yeah, sugar. It is wonderful.”
At length Ellie put her palms on Buck’s chest and pushed him away. “I have to get the door, Buck.” Her voice caught in her throat and came out raspy.
He chuckled. “Yeah. Right. The door.” Reluctantly he gave way and allowed Ellie to squirm out of his embrace.
Head still spinning, she weaved her way through the teenagers crammed in the living room and toward the front door.
Good thing she wasn’t claustrophobic, she thought with a grin. “Excuse me. Pardon me. Excuse me,” she quipped, edging closer toward the door with each step. “Welcome,” she said as she swung the front door open wide and smiled at the newcomer. “Buck and Tyler and I are glad you could make it today.”
To her surprise, it wasn’t a teenager on the other side of the door. It was a beautiful woman with sparkling blue eyes and blunt-cut, short blond hair. Ellie didn’t recognize the lady and wondered if she was new in town.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Ellie apologized immediately. “I thought you would be one of Tyler’s friends. Are you somebody’s mother? Good luck finding them in this wild horde.”
The woman’s gaze widened and she shook her head. “I’m Tyler’s…”
“Julie,” came Buck’s surprised voice from directly behind Ellie. “What are you doing here?”
Chapter Ten
Buck was so stunned, he couldn’t breath. He couldn’t say another word. Through a murky haze of surprise, he wondered if his heart was even beating.
Ellie glanced back at him. All the color drained from her face as she repeated what Buck had just said. “Julie?”
The woman continued to stand on the doorstep, her smile faltering. She made no move to enter the house, which was just as well, Buck thought, shock and anger warring for prominence in his chest. He should just toss her out again. How dare she show up at their son’s birthday party?
Their son.
That biological fact couldn’t be denied. Buck didn’t know what to do. He wanted to demand that Julie turn right around and return to whatever rock she’d crawled out from under, but he didn’t want to make a scene. Not at Tyler’s birthday party. A sledgehammer pounded relentlessly at his temple as he fought to contain the anger simmering just under the surface, which was threatening to erupt at any moment now.
Ellie seemed to snap out of it at that moment. “Please, come in,” she said, gesturing for Julie to enter the house. “It’s Tyler’s thirteenth birthday today.”
“I know,” said Julie, pinching her lips and looking, Buck thought, very much like she might burst into tears. Julie always had been somewhat of a spoiled drama queen. Apparently the years hadn’t changed her a bit.
Julie hesitated on the doorstep, looking from Buck to Ellie and back to Buck again. Her eyes widened slightly. “I can come back another time,” she said, her voice cracking.
Buck vehemently shook his head. “No. You can’t. You think you can just show up—”
Ellie stopped the flow of Buck’s angry words with a calming palm to his chest. “Buck. Now is not the time or place. Let her come in.”
Buck glared at Julie but backed away, allowing her to enter the ranch house. “I don’t think this is a good idea,” he said softly to Ellie, but loud enough that Julie could hear it.
“Maybe not,” Ellie agreed quietly, for Buck’s ears only. “But what choice do we have? If you make a scene now, it will ruin Tyler’s party.”
Buck blew out a frustrated breath. He wanted to scream. At Julie.
“I know you’re right,” he growled, clenching and unclenching his fists in a vain attempt to reel in his anger. “She just caught me off guard.”
“That’s the understatement of the century,” Ellie whispered, squeezing Buck’s arm before turning to their new guest. “Would you care for a piece of cake, Julie?”
Buck could tell Ellie was as off-kilter as he was. He felt her fingers shaking where they gripped his arm, though she kept her expression polite and neutral. If Julie’s sudden appearance had stunned him, he could only imagine how Ellie felt at suddenly and unexpectedly meeting his ex-wife. He wanted to sweep Ellie away, to reassure her that nothing had changed.
But it had. The moment Ellie had opened the front door to Julie, it had. And there was no getting around it.
“She doesn’t want a piece of cake.” Buck answered for Julie, his eyes narrowing on the unsolicited visitor.
“No, thank you,” Julie agreed.
“Let’s take this into the kitchen,” he suggested through a clenched jaw.
And get it over with, he added mentally.
The sooner he talked to Julie, the sooner she would be gone—with Tyler none the wiser, Buck hoped, although he imagined Julie had different plans in mind.
Not that he cared what Julie’s plans were. She wasn’t going to get the chance to act on them.
“You and Julie go,” Ellie prompted. “I’ll stay out here and oversee the party.”
“Ellie,” Buck ground out.
Ellie laid a palm on his chest. “This is between the two of you, don’t you think?”
Buck blew out another breath. He struggled to remain calm on the outside when he was shaking with fury on the inside.
“I guess. She won’t be staying long,” he promised, laying his hand over Ellie’s soft fingers and giving them a light squeeze.
“I understand if you need some time,” Ellie whispered back to him.
“I don’t need time,” he snapped, then dragged in a breath through his teeth. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be taking my frustration out on you.”
“I know,” was Ellie’s simple response.
Buck nodded at Julie and gestured toward the kitchen. “We can talk in here.”
“Thank you,” was all Julie said.
Buck knew the exact second Julie spotted Tyler, for she froze in place, nothing moving except her shoulders, which shuddered repeatedly. Buck couldn’t see her face and therefore didn’t have any idea how she was taking this. All he knew was he couldn’t let her speak to Tyler.
Not now.
Preferably not ever.
He strode forward, placing his hand on the small of her back and propelling her away from Tyler as quickly as possible. Buck maneuvered his ex-wife into the kitchen, wishing there was a door between the kitchen and dining room so he and Julie could talk in private without a chance of being overheard.
“Maybe we should take a walk outside,” he suggested in a low voice.
Julie nodded. “That’s a good idea.”
Buck opened the back door and let Julie go first. She didn’t speak as they ambled down the hill, toward the stable. He bit his lip against the silence until he could no longer stand it.
“Why are you here?” he demanded, reaching for Julie’s elbow and hauling her to a stop.
“I needed to see Tyler,” she explained, her voice rough
and tears marking the corners of her eyes.
Buck shook his head. “Of all the nerve. Ten years go by and suddenly you need to see your son?”
Julie held up both hands in an apologetic gesture. “I know. I’ve treated you both abominably.”
“I’ll say,” Buck growled.
“I have no excuse for my actions, except that I was young and stupid.”
“Not good enough.”
“I know,” she replied, breaking her gaze from Buck and softly swirling the dirt at her feet with the toe of one sneaker. “That’s why I’m here.”
“To what? Apologize? Julie, there is nothing you can say to me that will make any difference.”
“I figured you’d probably react this way,” she said softly and apologetically.
“Really?” Buck crossed his arms over his chest. “You figured, huh? What was your first clue?”
“I don’t blame you for being angry.”
“Angry?” Buck huffed. “Lady, I passed angry years ago. I don’t feel anything for you now.”
“I didn’t expect you to.”
“Too much time has passed. You never called, never wrote. You just disappeared. You deserted your own son!”
“Like I said before, no excuses.” Julie’s voice remained calm, if wavering, and she didn’t quite meet Buck’s gaze. “I just wanted to see Tyler.”
“Well, you’ve seen him,” Buck ground out. “Now get out of here and go back to wherever it is you came from.”
“I—I had hoped to talk to him,” Julie stammered, turning her back on Buck and taking a couple of steps away from him—out of his reach, he imagined.
“Not a chance,” Buck said fervently. “I’m not going to let you hurt him any more.”
Julie shook her head. “I won’t tell him I’m his mother,” she insisted. “I just want to speak with him for a few minutes. Is that too much to ask?”
“Frankly, yes.”
“Okay.”
That one quietly spoken word sent a wave of guilt washing over Buck.
Guilt!
What did he have to feel guilty about?
She was the one who had left, who had broken their son’s heart. He was only looking out for the welfare of his son by sending Julie away, wasn’t he?
