The Cowboy's Little Girl

by Kat Brookes

  Tucker smiled, feeling more at ease with Autumn than he had with any woman since he’d left Cheyenne. “Why don’t we get a couple of cups of it to go before we head back to the ranch for your tour there and you can judge for yourself?”

  “I would love to get some hot chocolate,” she said with a sigh. “It’s always been a weakness of mine. Just ask my best friend, Hope. We used to drink it at every sleepover we had. With mini marshmallows if some were available.”

  More bits and pieces of her life Autumn was choosing to share with him. Her willingness to open up to him in that way meant a lot to Tucker. “Then we definitely need to get you some.”

  They worked their way along the sidewalk lining one side of town while Tucker told her a little bit more about Bent Creek’s history.

  “You know so much about this place.”

  “I should,” he told her. “I grew up here.”

  “No,” she said. “It’s more than that. It’s clear just listening to you talk that you have a deep-rooted love of this tiny town.”

  He nodded. “I suppose I do. But I have to admit it took my going away, riding the circuit and living elsewhere to make me realize what I had left behind.”

  “They do say that home is where the heart is,” she said, looking away.

  “I take it yours is still back in Texas.”

  She shrugged. “At one time. But then I discovered that my heart is wherever my niece is. So it appears that old saying might not always ring true, because my home might not be where my heart is one day soon.”

  His heart went out to her, but they both knew the outcome of their situation was going to leave someone hurting. And it seemed it would be her. Apparently, he was succeeding in winning her over, which was what he’d set out to do. So why then did it feel as if he were losing at that same time? “When Blue comes to live here—”

  “If,” she corrected, shoring up her shoulders.

  So, she wasn’t completely sold yet. He could accept that. Yet, the possibility of Autumn deciding Blue was not better off in his care, forcing him to seek legal means to gain custody of his daughter, had Tucker frowning. The last thing he wanted to do was go to battle against Autumn over his daughter, but he would if it came down to a choice between a life with or without her in it.

  Autumn sighed. “I suppose while I’m putting myself out there, I might as well admit that you’re doing a surprisingly good job of convincing me that Blue might just be better off here with her daddy and his large, loving family. Might,” she reiterated.

  Her words lifted a huge weight from his shoulders. “I wouldn’t expect you to make your decision just yet. Not until you’ve had a chance to see more of who I am and what I do. Today—” he glanced up at the ever-darkening sky “—if the weather holds, you’ll get to see more of the ranch, including the broncs and their weanlings.”

  “Weanlings?”

  He looked back at her with a smile. “Little ones. They’ll be out stretching their legs. We’ll just have to find them. And if you have any questions about what I do, feel free to ask as we go.”

  “You can count on it,” she said. “Because that all comes into play as well in my decision. I intend to take everything I’ve seen and learned while staying here into consideration. I just hope...” Her words trailed off.

  “What do you hope?” he asked.

  “That you’re truly in this for the long haul,” she told him. “Because raising a child is a lifetime commitment.”

  “I have every intention of loving and cherishing, and seeing to the raising of my daughter until my last breath,” he told her, meaning it with all his heart. “How could I consider doing anything less? Blue is a blessing from God. One whose very existence in this world has made me what I never even knew I longed to be until she came into my life—a father.”

  “You’d be surprised how many men there are who don’t share your sentiments,” she said, her words catching slightly.

  Regret filled him. How could he have been so insensitive in his choice of words? Not when she’d told him about her own father’s abandonment after learning about the double blessing God had bestowed upon him. “Autumn...”

  She held up a hand to cut off his apology. “Please don’t. You and I know there’s no changing the past, as much as we’d long to be able to. But we can make certain Blue never feels like she was set aside by either of us, no matter what the outcome may be.”

  “Agreed,” he said with a determined nod.

  They walked in silence for several long moments before Autumn said, “I enjoyed the Sunday service today.”

  “I’m glad. It was nice having you and Blue accompany me,” Tucker replied, grateful that Autumn had redirected their conversation. Her past made him angry on her behalf, made his heart hurt for her, made him wish there were something he could do to right the wrongs done to her in her life. But she was correct. There was no changing the past. Not for any of them.

  “It was nice being there,” she admitted with a soft smile. “And Reverend Walker’s sermon was really uplifting. I can see why the place was so packed.”

  The church had been filled to capacity that morning, but that was pretty much the norm. “Being introduced to so many people had to be a little overwhelming for you. Maybe even awkward,” he added, “considering the curious glances that kept coming our way.”

  “I didn’t mind,” she said, setting his mind at ease. “Not really. I wanna know the people my niece might be surrounded by if she were to come live here with you. Their curiosity is completely understandable, seeing as how you introduced Blue to them as your daughter with no time to really explain how that came about.”

  “I suppose I should prepare myself for the whole truth to come out,” he said with a sigh.

  “Tucker, it’s not your fault the marriage failed,” she said, surprising him with her words of support.

  “Sometimes I wonder,” he said solemnly.

  “I know my sister...knew,” she corrected sadly, “and aside from the fact that she had a tendency to be impulsive with some very important decisions in her life, I think fear drove her away from you.”

  “Fear?” he repeated. “You think Summer was afraid of me?”

  “Not at all,” she didn’t hesitate to respond. “I think she was afraid the past would repeat itself, and, like our folks had done, you would abandon her just like our daddy did our momma once you’d learned about the baby.”

  “I never gave Summer any reason to believe—”

  “You didn’t have to,” she told him. “It was already rooted deep inside of her. Our daddy wanted nothing to do with our momma once he’d learned she was carrying his child...children, actually. Maybe the thought of having two babies at once, when he wasn’t prepared for even one, was enough to send him running. Then Momma did pretty much the same thing. Maybe she was overwhelmed. Maybe she resented us for our daddy’s leaving. Whatever the case, I think Summer pulled away from you before she could be the one left hurting again.”

  He hadn’t considered that, but then it was hard to get past the bitterness he’d felt toward Summer for so long. Autumn had a way of putting things into perspective when it came to her life. To Summer’s life. “How is it you are so different from your sister? And I don’t mean that in a bad way. Just honest.”

  “The Lord gives us the choice to either focus on the bad in our lives, or on the blessings we’ve been given,” she explained. “I try to focus on the good, no matter how bad things get. Even if it’s not always possible to do so. But Summer was never able to push away the bad.”

  He glanced her way. “You’re a very special woman, Autumn Myers. I hope you know that.”

  She glanced away, as if she’d been made uncomfortable by his compliment. But he didn’t regret giving it. She was special. However, he decided to direct their conversation to something far less personal.

&nb
sp; They crossed a side street to the corner Abby’s Donuts sat on. Tucker’s gaze was drawn to the donut shop’s large storefront windows that lined that side of the building. “The good news about coming here after church,” he said, “is that it’s nowhere near as busy as it is before church when people are stopping in to get their morning coffee and a quick bite to eat.” He reached for the door, but it opened before his hand could come to rest on the handle, forcing him to take a step back.

  Justin Dawson, Bent Creek’s sheriff and his brother Jackson’s best friend, offered a nod of greeting. “Tucker.” Then he stopped dead in his tracks as his gaze landed on Autumn, who stood next to Tucker on the sidewalk.

  “Justin,” Tucker said, returning the nod. “Missed you at church this morning.”

  “I’m on duty,” he replied distractedly. “Just stopped in for a quick cup of coffee.” Curiosity lit his eyes as he tipped his hat to Autumn. “Ma’am.”

  Realizing he’d neglected to make introductions, Tucker said, “Autumn Myers, this is Sheriff Dawson.”

  “Justin,” he countered as he extended a hand in greeting. “An old family friend of the Wades.”

  She accepted the offered hand with a warm smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Justin.”

  Tucker gritted his teeth, suddenly feeling the need to list all the reasons why it shouldn’t be a pleasure for her to meet Justin. But the man really had no faults big enough to lay out there that would make a difference. And why did it matter? Autumn was free to smile at any man she pleased. Even if it suddenly didn’t please Tucker.

  “Pardon my surprise,” Justin said as he released her hand, “but I can’t say that I’ve ever seen Tucker parading a female around town, let alone one as pretty as you.”

  She blushed at the compliment. Then again, the color in her cheeks might have been from the damp chill filling the air. Tucker decided to go with the latter. Autumn was, as she put it herself, a reasonable woman. One who clearly knew not to be drawn in by his friend’s flirtatious words. At least, he hoped that were the case.

  “You haven’t seen me ‘parading’ anyone around, because I believe in holding to the vows I made when I got married,” Tucker countered with a frown.

  Justin’s head snapped around so fast it was a wonder he didn’t suffer whiplash. “Excuse me?”

  Tucker sighed. This wasn’t how he’d planned on letting the truth out to close friends, but there it was. “The reason you haven’t seen me with another female is because I got married when I was riding the rodeo circuit several years back.”

  “You’re married?”

  “Not any longer,” he replied.

  “Why don’t I go on in and get the hot chocolate?” Autumn suggested, clearly uncomfortable by the turn their conversation had taken. “Give you two a chance to speak in private.”

  “You sure?” Tucker asked worriedly, searching her gaze.

  “I think I can manage to pick a few donuts out all by myself,” she told him with a reassuring smile.

  “This talk can wait until a better time,” Justin insisted. “You two go ahead and enjoy your afternoon.”

  “You’ve already said you’re a close friend of the family,” Autumn told him. “I don’t mind Tucker taking a moment to explain to you what’s going on in his life.” She turned back to Tucker. “What kind of donut would you like?”

  He pulled his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans and withdrew a twenty-dollar bill, holding it out to her. “I don’t have a preference. Just grab me whatever catches your fancy. I won’t be long.”

  She nodded, her attention shifting back to Justin. “If you’ll excuse me.”

  He gave a polite nod, not that Autumn would have seen it. She had already turned away, disappearing into the donut shop, the door drifting shut behind her.

  Tucker watched her go, knowing that he could have handled things better when it came to telling Justin he was, or at least had been, married. But seeing his friend smiling at Autumn the way he had been, well, it mattered. Even when it shouldn’t.

  “I’m sorry if I stepped into something I shouldn’t have,” his friend said. “Jackson never made mention of your being married. Neither did Garrett for that matter.”

  He turned to look at his friend. “It’s not your fault. No one knew. Not even my family.”

  “You eloped?”

  “We did,” he confirmed. “But things didn’t work out the way my wife hoped they would and she chose to walk away. Only she failed to tell me that she was carrying my child at the time.”

  Justin’s jaw dropped. “You have a child?”

  Tucker nodded. “A daughter. One I only just found out about. Blue’s four, almost five.”

  “Close to Lucas’s age,” he noted, referring to his nephew. “He’ll be seven in December. So how did you find out about...Blue, wasn’t it?”

  “Blue Belle Wade,” he acknowledged with a father’s deep-felt pride. “Autumn brought her here to meet me after my wife, her sister, confessed what she had done, something she only did to set things right with the Lord before dying.”

  “Your wife died?”

  “Six months ago.” He went on to explain the events that had transpired and how he was doing everything he could to prove to Autumn that his daughter belonged with him.

  “You’re a good man, Tucker,” his friend said. “Everyone in Bent Creek knows that. And if it comes down to a court battle I’m willing to testify on your behalf. Just say the word.”

  “I appreciate that, Justin. However, I’m hoping Autumn and I can work things out without having to go the route of a messy court battle.”

  “I hope she feels the same way,” he said, taking a drink of coffee from the cup he’d carried out with him.

  “I know she doesn’t want to put Blue through any more undue stress. She loves my daughter like she was her own,” he told Justin. “Not surprising since Autumn helped to raise Blue. I believe in my heart she’ll do what’s best for her, whatever that may end up being.”

  “I can understand her not wanting to put your daughter under any more stress,” his friend said with a heavy sigh. “Lainie and her son are still struggling to come to terms with Will’s death and it’s been nearly eight months.”

  Lainie was Justin’s little sister. A widow at the ripe young age of twenty-eight. Her husband, Will, had died after their car was struck by a drunk driver. “I take it you still haven’t been able to convince her to move back to Bent Creek yet?”

  He shook his head. “Mom and Dad and I have all tried. Lainie’s determined to stay in Sacramento, wanting to keep Lucas’s life as close to normal as possible given the circumstances.” He met Tucker’s gaze. “But I’m still worried about her.”

  “Understandable. But your sister’s a grown woman. All you can do right now is continue to let her know there’s a place for them back here if she decides Sacramento isn’t where they need to be.”

  “I intend to,” he said with a troubled frown. “I just wish my sister was here where I could lend her a hand, even offer her a shoulder to cry on if she needs it.”

  Tucker glanced toward the front window where inside he could see Abby, the owner of Abby’s Donuts, filling a pastry box with Autumn’s selections. “I’m sure Lainie knows her family is only a phone call away.”

  “I suppose so,” he said. “Speaking of family, is yours planning on attending this year’s fall barbecue?”

  “They never miss it.” The town’s annual barbecue was a big event. Most of Bent Creek attended the festivities. Grills were set up just outside the enclosed pavilion at the town’s park and ribs were brought in, along with Abe Johnson’s specialty barbecue sauce. Everyone brought covered dishes and their own tableware. And there was always some sort of musical entertainment planned for that afternoon’s events.

  “What about you? Will you be there?”

 
; Tucker shrugged. “I’m not sure what my plans are yet. It all depends on how long Autumn and Blue will be staying here.”

  “If they’re still here, then bring them along,” Justin suggested. “Kids love picnics. Even if they’re inside. Especially when there’s a table set up specifically for desserts.”

  “I’ll be sure to use that as my selling point,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Seriously though,” the sheriff said, “I hope to have a chance to meet this little girl of yours before she goes back to Cheyenne.”

  “I’d like that, too,” Tucker had no sooner said when the skies above let loose a mixture of both rain and snow. He reached for the door. “And, Justin...”

  “Yes?”

  “If you don’t mind, could you keep Blue and I in your prayers?”

  “You don’t even have to ask,” his friend said with a farewell nod before striding away.

  Tucker stepped into the donut shop and removed his cowboy hat, shaking off the slushy drops that had accumulated atop it before moving farther inside. Hat in hand, he made his way up to the counter where Autumn was paying for the donuts and hot chocolate she had purchased.

  “There’s one of my favorite customers,” Abby said with her usual playful greeting.

  Autumn glanced back over her shoulder, her gaze coming to rest on Tucker. A slender brow lifted. “Favorite, huh?”

  He chuckled as he moved to stand beside her. “Okay, so I confess. I might have a bit of a sweet tooth myself.”

  “And here I was thinking you came by so often just to see me,” Abby said, feigning disappointment as she handed Tucker the box of donuts Autumn had selected.

  Abby was at least ten years older than his mother, so Tucker knew she was only teasing him. That and the fact that she was already happily married to her husband of forty-plus years. A part of him wished he had managed to find the kind of long-lasting love Abby and his own parents had. The other part of him, the part in charge of sound reasoning, said a forever-kind-of-love hadn’t been part of God’s plan for him.