The Cowboy's Little Girl

by Kat Brookes

  That made Autumn smile. “He has a good heart.”

  “One he should be using to find someone special,” she muttered as she began cleaning up the peelings they’d left behind on the table. She looked up at Autumn. “How is he ever going to meet the right woman when he spends all of his time caring for animals? How are any of my boys going to find their other half for that matter? All they think about is horses and rodeos.”

  Autumn understood the root of Emma’s frustration. She wanted her sons to be happy, and to her that meant finding someone to love. It was clear, just being around Tucker’s parents for even a short time that they were very happy in their marriage. “How did you and Grady meet?” she asked as she gathered up their dirty paring knives.

  Emma’s expression softened. “We met at the Spring County Fair Rodeo. He had just gotten bucked off a bronc right in front of the bleacher seats my family and I were seated in. When he stood, our eyes met.” The older woman’s wistful smile widened. “It was as if his boots had taken root right there in that very spot, because he just stood there grinning up at me. They practically had to drag him from the arena. When the rodeo let out, Grady was waiting for us at the exit. He asked my father right then and there for permission to take me out.”

  “He didn’t even ask if you had anyone special in your life first?”

  Emma laughed. “Oh, no. Grady said the good Lord had him tossed onto his backside in that very spot for a reason—to meet his future wife.”

  “I take it your daddy said yes,” Autumn said, thoroughly caught up in Emma’s love story.

  “My father said that Grady was welcome to join us for early church service the next morning. I think my father expected Grady not to show. But he did, greeting me that morning in his Sunday best, with that deep-dimpled smile. I nearly melted.”

  “Love at first sight,” Autumn said with a sigh.

  “We were definitely taken with each other,” Tucker’s momma said. “But the love came later, growing day by day as we got to know each other. And you know the rest.”

  “So you married a man whose life once centered around the rodeo and ended up happily married with three wonderful sons,” Autumn replied. “Sons who hold the same passion for the rodeo as their father. I think you need to have faith. When love is meant to happen for your boys, for anyone, it will.” She had to believe that. Because, unlike her own momma, Autumn truly did long to have a family of her very own. One she could share stories with, laugh with, go to church with, even have family dinners with. All the things she’d never gotten the chance to experience growing up.

  Emma set the dish towel she’d been wiping the table with down and turned to Autumn. “How can someone so young be so wise?”

  Warmth crept into Autumn’s cheeks. “I don’t know about being wise. I’m just a hopeless romantic.” Hopeless being the key word in her case when it came to finding love. She had to wonder if she would even know what true love was if it ever did come her way. A love like Emma had found with Grady.

  Booted footsteps sounded in the hallway. A moment later, Tucker came to a stop in the kitchen doorway, a dimpled grin stretched wide across his handsome face. When his gaze met hers, Autumn’s heart gave an unexpected kick.

  “You’re back sooner than I expected,” his momma said.

  “It was a small tree,” he answered with a shrug of his broad shoulders as he stepped farther into the room. “Barely more than a twig.”

  “In other words,” Autumn said, trying to suppress a smile as she moved past him to dry off the table Tucker’s momma had just wiped down, “you left us here to do the hard work of peeling all of those potatoes while you and your daddy went off to push a few twigs off the road...”

  Tucker’s brow lifted in an exaggerated affront. “Are you calling me a shirker?”

  Autumn laughed. “If the shoe fits...”

  “If you two will excuse me,” Tucker’s momma said with a barely suppressed smile. “I think I’ll go outside and have a peek at that baby bunny Garrett brought to show Blue.” Without waiting for their response, his momma slipped out the back door, closing it quickly behind her.

  Tucker groaned, drawing Autumn’s gaze his way. “Is something wrong?”

  “Tell me we’re not taking the bunny home to live with us. I’m not so sure Itty Bitty would appreciate having to share her new home with a pet rabbit.”

  Autumn shook her head. “You’re off the hook. The bunny isn’t for Blue. Your brother has been tending to it and wanted Blue to see it before he takes it back to its owner tonight.”

  He exhaled a huge sigh. “Well, that’s a relief. I had visions of my brother gifting Blue with a fluffy little lamb next.”

  “He’d better not,” Autumn said, cringing at the thought. “I don’t know anything about taking care of farm animals. I’m almost in over my head with a kitten.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I’d say you’ve adapted pretty well,” he told her with that devastating Wade grin she’d become so fond of. “A good thing since I doubt my daughter is going to want to leave Bitty behind when the two of you go back to Cheyenne.”

  Autumn’s smile sagged, despite the effort she made to hide her emotions. Tucker had no way of knowing she’d made her decision, the hardest she’d ever had to make. Blue belonged with her daddy. Only now she wouldn’t just be leaving her niece in Bent Creek, she feared she’d be leaving a piece of her heart, as well. She prayed Summer would forgive her for falling for Tucker, something she’d never expected to happen. Not in a million years. But having seen him with Blue, with his family, with Old Wylie, how could she not?

  “Autumn?”

  She met Tucker’s searching gaze.

  “You okay?” he asked, concern etched in his features.

  She mentally shoved her woes aside. There would be time enough later, when she was alone, to dwell on such things. “It’s just that I’ve been so caught up in getting to know you and your family that sometimes I forget my time here is coming to an end.”

  “Speaking of time,” Tucker said as he moved to stand in front of her. Taking the dish towel from Autumn’s hand, he placed it on the table. “We’ve got some to spare before dinner is ready. What do you say we pick up our ranch tour where we left off the other day?”

  She looked around, making sure the mess they had made while preparing the potatoes was all cleaned up. “Your momma has the roast in the oven and the potatoes are ready to boil. I suppose my job here is done.” Her gaze shifted back to Tucker. “I’ll go fetch Blue.”

  “Good luck getting her away from the bunny,” he told her.

  “Probably true,” she agreed. And it would give her a chance to talk to Tucker about turning custody of Blue over to him. Just the thought of it had a lump of emotion forming in her throat. “But your momma is busy with dinner preparations. I don’t feel right asking her to keep an eye on Blue, too.”

  His dimpled grin returned. “Blue is her granddaughter. I’m pretty sure my mom, my whole family in fact, would be more than happy to watch over her anytime we need them to.”

  “We’ll ask them just to be sure,” Autumn said as she reached for her coat.

  “I’m good with that. Here, let me,” Tucker said, reaching past her to lift the coat from its hook.

  “Always the gentleman,” she teased as she slid her arm into the sleeve he was holding up for her.

  “I try my best,” he replied with a grin as he held up the other sleeve.

  “I don’t think there’s much trying involved,” she said, glancing back over her shoulder at him. “Your momma taught her sons well.”

  “She did her best,” he said as he settled the coat onto her shoulders. “I’m sure we didn’t make it easy for her.”

  Autumn turned with a smile. “Real handfuls, were you?”

  “You could say that,” he said as he reached out to pull the front of her coa
t together. “Unfortunately for Mom,” he continued, surprising her as he latched the zipper together and eased it carefully upward, “my brothers and I inherited a good portion of Dad’s wild streak. But there’s no denying that it came in handy during our rodeo days.”

  “How so?” she asked, trying to recall the last time someone had done something so thoughtful for her.

  “A man has to have a little bit of wildness in him to climb onto a two-thousand-pound bull, or to mount a horse whose natural inclination is to buck and buck hard,” he replied, giving her coat’s zipper one final, gentle tug before releasing it.

  “W-was it the same for barrel racers?” Autumn asked, trying not to focus on the small act of kindness that Tucker had just shown her. “Because Summer...” Her words trailed off, her regretful gaze lifting to meet Tucker’s. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought my sister up after everything that’s happened.”

  “She did me wrong,” he said. “No doubt about it. But she was still your sister and Blue’s mother. I don’t want either of you to feel like you can’t talk about her. And, to answer your question, yes, Summer definitely had a wild streak of her own. Her not being afraid to take risks helped make her one of the best barrel racers in the business when she competed.”

  Autumn turned back to where her purse hung from another hook on the coatrack and reached inside it to retrieve her cell phone. Sliding it into the front pocket of her coat, she said, “I should’ve taken time to go watch her compete in rodeos, but I was so busy trying to get my real estate business off the ground.”

  His smile softened as he reached for the door. “I’m sure your sister understood. You were both just trying to follow your hearts.” Opening the door, he said, “And speaking of hearts, let’s go see if my family minds watching over the little girl who has completely captured mine.”

  His wasn’t the only heart that Blue had captured, Autumn thought with a sad smile as they stepped out onto the porch. Because she had finally accepted that Blue belonged there with Tucker and his warm, loving family. It wasn’t what she wanted, but it was what her niece deserved, and Autumn would never deny her that. It was time to prepare herself for letting Blue go.

  * * *

  Tucker walked Autumn out to his truck. Then he settled himself behind the steering wheel. “My mother really likes having you around.”

  “I enjoy being around her,” Autumn replied. “Around your whole family, for that matter.”

  They pulled away from the ranch house and then turned onto the road that cut across his family’s land. “I don’t think they could like you any more if they tried,” Tucker told her. Himself included. Especially after she’d brought his guitar to him at the nursing home. That day he’d seen more than just her beautiful, smiling face and deep-rooted love for his daughter. He’d seen her put herself out there to sing for the home’s residents, quite beautifully at that. He’d watched her kindhearted interaction with those around her, making each and every one of their elderly audience feel special. But it was her tender compassion and patience when it came to Old Wylie that had managed to whittle away the last protective layer he’d kept around his heart since Summer had walked out on him. Lord help him but he was falling for Autumn and falling hard.

  “Are those yours?”

  Drawn from his thoughts, Tucker followed the line of Autumn’s gaze to the herd of broncs moving across the distant pasture. Their lean muscular forms moved together in a majestic grace that seemed so at odds with the wild, bucking creatures they became the second they left the chute and entered the rodeo arena.

  Tucker smiled. “Mine and my brothers’. Would you like to have a closer look at them?”

  She glanced his way, excitement lighting her eyes. “Very much so.”

  “There’s a gate just up the road,” he told her. “We’ll go in there.”

  Autumn couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the horses. A good thing, Tucker thought. Because he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off her.

  “You’ve mentioned selling your real estate business in Texas to move up here to Wyoming to help Summer out,” Tucker said, needing to redirect his thoughts.

  She gave a slight nod. “I did.”

  “Do you ever regret it?”

  Autumn took a long moment to mull the question over. “I can’t say that I do. I thought about it long and hard before making the change. Summer would never have asked me to. She would have continued to try to handle things on her own. But my sister’s pride wouldn’t have guaranteed a roof over their heads, or food on the table. So I made the decision for them.”

  “I’m grateful you did.”

  “No, I’m the one who’s grateful. It allowed me to spend precious time with my sister that I might not have had if I had chosen my business over helping Summer out during her time of need.”

  Autumn had to be the most selfless person he’d ever known. Blue was blessed to have such a loving aunt in her life. “I’m thankful you were there for them. I’m just sorry you had to give up something that meant so much to you.”

  “I’m still able to do what I love,” she added with a soft smile. “I just work for someone else now.”

  He had to admire her outlook on things. He wasn’t so certain he’d be as accepting of them if he were in her position. It had to be hard going from running your own business to answering to someone else.

  “So how does this rodeo contracting thing work?” Autumn asked as they drove down the road.

  Pleased by her interest in something he was passionate about, Tucker went on to explain the most important aspects of his business from contracting with rodeos to transporting the horses to the events. Then he gave her a quick rundown on how things worked once the rodeos began.

  “That’s quite a demanding schedule,” Autumn remarked.

  He shrugged. “It’s not so bad. Our working hours depend on a multitude of things, the season, changing weather conditions, foaling time and whether or not we are in the midst of rodeo commitments. You and Blue couldn’t have come at a better time,” he told her. “It’s October, which means rodeo season has ended and our bucking horses are enjoying some free time to do their own thing. Same goes for my brothers and I for the most part.”

  When they reached the gate that he’d told Autumn about, Tucker turned off the road and put the truck in Park. “I’ll be right back.” Jumping out, he hurried around to open the heavy metal gate. Then he slid back in behind the wheel and pulled through the opening. “Give me a sec to close the gate and then we’ll get going.”

  “There are so many horses,” Autumn said as she watched them through the window.

  “The Triple W has one of the largest selections of broncs, which includes some of the most sought-after rodeo broncs around.”

  “They’re magnificent.”

  Tucker’s chest puffed with pride. “We tend to think so. Even of the retired ones.”

  She looked at him questioningly.

  “When our broncs have done their time in the rodeo, we put them in an area we’ve fenced off especially for retirement stock. They can roam at leisure and enjoy their final years.”

  Autumn looked back out over the expanse of land before them and the herd that was now traversing one of the rocky hillsides. “They’re very blessed to have found a home here.”

  “I hope you’ll feel the same way about Blue coming to live here,” he said. “Everything you see is a part of her heritage, her future. She’ll be able to travel with me during rodeo season and learn the ins and outs of the family business from a young age.”

  “Travel with you to rodeos?” Autumn repeated, her expression changing.

  “Only if she chooses to,” he hurried to add. “If she’s not comfortable with it, she can stay here.”

  “Stay here with who?” she asked, her words sounding more clipped.

  “Her grandparents,” he said, qu
estioning his own reply even as it left his mouth.

  Autumn sat back, her expression pained. “This isn’t gonna work.”

  Tucker’s brows drew together in confusion. “What isn’t going to work?”

  “Blue’s staying here,” she said, taking him by surprise. “I was prepared to let her go, to leave her here with you when I went back to Cheyenne. But, after this talk, I realize it wouldn’t be in Blue’s best interest.”

  Tucker struggled to form a response to her announcement. “I don’t understand. What did I do to make you feel Blue shouldn’t be with me?”

  “Let me verify something. Will you be gone for months with your rodeo business? Or will someone be going in your place for even part of that time?”

  “We’ve had this discussion before. I’ll be away for at least a month of that time. Maybe longer. It depends on our schedule. But my parents are more than willing to keep Blue for me while I’m away.”

  “Blue’s emotional security is more important than any schedule. And while you have so many wonderful qualities to offer a child, the truth is your life isn’t conducive to raising one. Not with all the traveling you have to do when rodeo season rolls around. That being the case, I don’t feel comfortable leaving Blue here to be, at times, shuffled around and left feeling as if she’d been abandoned by her daddy.”

  All Tucker could focus on was Autumn’s sudden change of heart where custody of Blue was concerned. Or was it all that sudden? Had this been her plan all along? To make him think she was giving him a chance when she really had no intention of turning Blue over to him. Maybe she wasn’t so different from her sister after all. Just as his wife had done, Autumn was going to take his daughter away from him. And to think he’d nearly made a fool of himself by telling Autumn how he truly felt about her.

  “I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me to convince you my daughter belongs here with me, but it’s not enough. Would it ever have been enough?” he demanded. “Because you knew what I did for a living before you showed up on my doorstep that day. Yet, here you are using my rodeo business against me.”