Wonders never ceased.
"You should take a break this weekend," Justin called back to him. "The world won't fall down around you if you take a couple days off." The screen door slammed behind him.
Days off? What were those?
Maddox wheeled in a circle, stuck. Unsure what to do now that he didn't have chores. There was the barn that needed a coat of paint—that they couldn't afford—and the south field would need to be cleared if they were going to plant some winter wheat later in the season.
But Justin's words had struck a chord in him. He'd spent the summer working his butt off. Didn't he deserve a day or two to relax before his packed school schedule started up?
The screen door slammed again. Justin crossed the porch, heading for his truck parked in the drive next to the house, Livy on his heels. She rushed out to Maddox.
"Can we go riding, pulease?"
Her puppy dog eyes and hands clasped beneath her chin made him want to laugh. He'd missed her this summer.
He shoved down the unending to-do list and chucked the front of her cowgirl hat. "You got it, princess."
"Whoohoo!"
They were crunching across the gravel toward the barn when Haley pulled in, taking the spot Justin had just vacated.
"You're not going without me, are you?" she called out as she emerged from her car.
She was usually dressed so trendy that seeing her slim jeans and T-shirt, combined with boots and a hat, struck him in the solar plexus. She looked like a real cowgirl.
"Haley's been coming out to ride with me sometimes, helping exercise the horses," Livy said as they watched her cross the yard toward them.
"Oh, don't couch it like that," Haley said with a laugh. "Livy's been giving me pointers. I think my riding is about the level of a six-year-old now."
She greeted him with an arm around his waist and a smacking kiss on his chin that had Livy giggling.
We need to talk.
That boulder that had loosened as he'd considered a ride with Livy tightened up again. She probably wasn't thrilled with him after yesterday.
But her eyes were shining up at him as Livy grabbed her hand. They wheeled toward the barn, whispering and giggling together.
He followed, unable to keep from admiring how good they looked together. Livy would never know Katie, except through what he and Justin and Haley shared, but he was eternally grateful that Livy had Haley to act as a mother-figure. With only him and Justin, she'd been in dire circumstances until Haley had come around.
The ring burned in his front pocket, but he had the same concerns that had been there yesterday. Nothing had changed.
Just then, she and Livy looked over their shoulders. He should've flinched or something at the ornery look in their eyes—they were obviously planning something—but he felt only joy.
He borrowed one of Ryan's horses, so they could all ride out together, knowing his cousin wouldn't mind. Once they'd cleared the yard and moved into the field, Livy led the way in her usual exuberant fashion, galloping while her hair and a giddy laugh streamed out behind her.
Haley followed in a bouncing trot that could use a little work, and he let his mount go into a smooth lope, coming up beside her and then passing her.
For this moment in time, he felt... free.
They rode all the corners and nooks of the one hundred acre property—he saw several sections of fence that needed to be fixed—and finally led the horses down by the small pond in the back corner.
"I think I saw a quail over in this direction. I want to see if she has any chicks," Livy said, leaving her mount's reins with him.
"Don't wander too far," he said.
She rolled her eyes. "I'm not five anymore, Uncle M."
He knew. They had another two years, tops, before she figured out the whole boy-girl thing. He wasn't ready.
"Aw, I think it's cute," Haley teased. "That's what a dad is supposed to do. Worry."
Livy looked back at him, her eyes shining with moisture for the briefest moment, connecting with him in a way that hit him right in the gut. Daughter. Dad.
He winked, and she went on her curious way.
She'd been in his care since she was days old, when his mom had been too sick with grief to care for the infant who'd lost both her parents in one fell swoop.
But he'd never openly acknowledged it—no one had—until now. Until Haley. Livy was as much his daughter as she could be.
Haley's hand slipped into his. Her opposite hand held the reins, as did his. They let the horses stand in the water, drink. It was turning out to be a scorcher again, and he was ready for cooler fall temps. He'd sweated more than he cared to admit, sitting in that combine cab for all hours of the day.
And he was sweating now for another reason.
We need to talk.
He swallowed hard. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you yesterday. I should've gone with you to the closing."
She slanted a sideways look up at him. "It's okay."
He shook his head. "It's not okay. I want to be... what you need, and I wasn't that yesterday."
She let go of his hand, but instead of turning away—he had half-expected that—she wrapped her arm around his waist. He let his arm come around her shoulders, and she leaned into him as they looked out over the small pond. Her head rested in the crook of his shoulder.
"This is what I need. Just you."
He opened his mouth, ready to apologize again, but she went on. "I don't expect you to be Superman. I know you drove through the night yesterday and then had things waiting on you when you got to town. I'm not mad. Or hurt."
That was good. Real good. But he couldn't feel real relief, because there was still a fine tension in her, close beside him.
"I'm thinking about quitting my job."
It was the complete last thing he'd expected her to say. "What?"
"It's... hard. Being almost three hours away from you. From Livy. My heart's not in it... my heart's here. My boss has noticed that my full attention isn't on my work, and..." She sighed softly. "I think it's time to move on."
He stood dumbfounded, not sure what to say. She'd sold her late aunt's house. Now she was giving up her job. It was a lot of change, and he didn't know what to make of it.
He cleared his throat. "What will you do instead?"
She tilted her head up. From this close, looking down at her, he could count every sun-kissed freckle across the bridge of her nose.
"I've got some savings. I thought I could move into a little apartment up here. Livy's got more business than she can handle, especially once school starts. Then I'll be close enough to be here when she gets home from school. Justin's finding his feet again, it would be a shame to keep him stuck here to help with her when I can be here. A couple of folks from town have asked me about helping them market their businesses—Melody from the dress shop wants me to teach her how to build an online storefront. I figure I can do some freelancing and supplement my income."
"You want to move to Redbud Trails?" Usually people wanted to move away from such a small town.
"I'd be close enough to spend time with Livy. Help out. I know you'll be working long hours."
Livy. She was talking about being here for Livy. That made it a little easier to say, "I can't ask you to give up everything you'd give up to move here for Livy." Or for him. Not yet.
She turned in his embrace, now facing his chest. Her free hand played with the button at the collar of his shirt. She didn't quite meet his eyes. "I know you're not asking." She cleared her throat. "It's very obvious that you're not asking." This time, when her eyes cut up to his, he saw the vulnerability in their depths.
He raised his free hand to cup her jaw. "I want you here," he whispered fiercely, his voice choked. "I want you here so bad, but it feels like you're giving up your entire life to be with me."
Tears welled in her eyes but didn't fall. "My life, my heart is here. With you."
He couldn't help but kiss her, his hand sliding int
o her hair. She squeezed his waist and leaned into the heart-stopping kiss.
"I know it's too soon to talk about getting married," he said, breaking away, breathless. "I can't even afford a real ring. The one I have is—"
"You bought a ring?" Now her eyes were shining with joy.
"It's not much." But when it was obvious that she wasn't going to drop it, he dug into the hip pocket of his jeans and came up with the plain silver band. "It doesn't even have a rock."
She took it, sliding it on to her ring finger, bobbling the reins. "It fits."
"It fits." He couldn't believe this was happening. This was not what he'd imagined when she'd said we need to talk. "I guess I just need to ask, then." He took a deep breath, nerves spiraling through him even though she was giving him all green lights. "Haley, will you marry me?"
"Yes." She whispered the word, her eyes filling with tears again.
He closed her in his arms, the furthest horse protesting with a neigh when Maddox's hold on the reins gave him a tug. Maddox dropped the reins, trusting the horses wouldn't run off and knowing they couldn't get off the property if they did.
His emotions overwhelming, too much even to kiss her, he just held her close.
"Are you guys making out again?" Livy's voice rang out behind them.
"No." He turned the two of them around, Haley's feet getting tangled in his boots, but he steadied her. He couldn't let her go, not yet.
"Is that a ring?" The exuberant joy in Livy's voice was impossible to ignore. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes!"
He couldn't help but agree with his niece's sentiments.
There were still so many obstacles to overcome. He had to get through this school year. Livy's teen years were ahead of them. Haley had to figure out her job situation.
But they would do it together. Haley wasn't leaving him. Wouldn't get tired of him.
She was his, almost for good.
Yes, yes, yes!
Kissed by a Cowboy - the sequel
Chapter 1
A soft cry from down the hall woke Haley with a rush of her pounding heart.
She lay still in her bed, praying it'd been a dream, or a weird breath from the man sleeping soundly beside her, and not an actual cry.
Because thinking about getting out of this bed for the fourth time tonight made her want to cry.
A tiny wail rang out.
The man beside her slumbered on.
Haley dragged herself out of the bed, resisting the urge to punch Maddox as she padded past him. It was his fault she was in this position right now. Sleep deprived, emotional, miserable.
She pressed one hand against her lips, stifling the hysterical giggle that wanted out.
All right, it hadn't been only Maddox's fault. She'd wanted to expand their family, too.
She just hadn't known it would be like this.
She slipped into the upstairs bedroom and moved to the crib by memory. How many times had they done this already? Weren't they past this getting up four times a night stage?
It was still a few minutes before daybreak, and the room-darkening curtains would've made the room pitch-black except for a soft nightlight that created just enough illumination for her to see.
The first glimpse into the crib filled her with a burst of both joy and worry. Six-month-old Elijah was wide-awake and squirming on his back, kicking his feet.
The worry won out.
What was wrong? Was Elijah teething? She hadn't seen any signs of swollen gums, and there was only a normal amount of drool. Was it too light in here? Too dark? Was there a problem with her milk supply? The pediatrician had said not to worry about that; Elijah had measured chubby at his four-month-old checkup. But that was six weeks ago. Was he sick? He hadn't felt feverish when she'd nursed him all of two hours ago.
She'd worked herself up into a fine mettle in the few seconds it took to reach for the baby.
His pajamas were soaked through.
"Oh, monkey," she murmured. She laid her cheek briefly against the top of his head—the only dry place on him—and moved to the changing table in one corner.
His wail changed to an outraged baby-shout by the time she'd stripped the pajamas off him, wiped him down with a handful of baby wipes—she was too exhausted to put him in the tub right now—and changed his diaper.
On autopilot, she laid him carefully on the floor in the opposite corner of the room and stripped his sheets. Changing the sheets on his crib mattress was always a wrestling match, and she felt as if the crib won more than half the time. And her stress level only rose as his wails gained in volume.
How could Maddox sleep through this?
She was panting with exertion and had given up any hope of going back to bed by the time she'd gotten new sheets on Elijah's mattress and the mattress back inside the crib.
He was squalling when she picked him up again, red-faced with temper.
She bounced him gently in her arms, and his cries changed volume as he instinctively turned his face into her breast, nuzzling his face into the oversized T-shirt she'd worn to bed—the last clean stitch of clothes in her chest of drawers.
Exhausted tears filled her eyes as she settled into the rocking chair in the corner of the room.
They spilled over as Elijah quieted, his cries dissolving into the occasional sniffle as he nursed greedily. As if he hadn't just drunk his fill a mere two hours ago.
It wasn't the tenderness in her breasts from his over-nursing that made her cry.
How long could she keep doing this?
He wasn't a newborn any longer. He was supposed to be sleeping for longer stretches. She was supposed to be getting more sleep.
She hadn't slept through the night since well before the baby was born—those last few weeks of pregnancy her belly had been cumbersome and had made it impossible to get comfortable. Not to mention how many times a night she'd had to get up and pee.
She couldn't remember if she'd last showered yesterday. Or the day before.
And she couldn't keep up with the household chores. Hence, the lack of clean clothes. Today, she'd be wearing something from the dirty laundry bin, or she'd be naked.
Maybe it she walked around the house naked, she'd be able to catch Maddox's attention. Maybe he'd finally ask her what was wrong, how he could help. Except the idea of showing him her ugly, post-baby body made her shudder.
What was wrong with her? She'd gone into motherhood believing it would be easy, she'd be a natural.
After all, she and Livy had hit it off from the beginning. As the two females in a house full of men, they'd been in each other's pockets from day one. They'd never even fought, at least not until she'd gotten pregnant with Elijah.
She'd been so stupid.
She was a horrible mother. She had no instincts. It had taken her well over a week to figure out this breastfeeding thing, and then only with help from a lactation consultant. They’d had multiple phone calls.
She couldn't even get Elijah to lie down for a decent nap. She'd rock him or walk him around the house for an hour before he got drowsy, and once she laid him in his crib, he’d sleep for fifteen minutes, max.
Some days, it felt impossible to love the little tyrant. She just wanted some sleep, darn it.
And a free hour to tackle the mountains of dishes and laundry. She didn't care about the novel she'd been in the middle of reading the day before his birth and hadn't cracked since. That was too much. She didn't even care about the dust bunnies that were crawling out from every corner. She couldn't remember the last time she'd vacuumed.
Just the dishes. Just the laundry. Just a five-hour stretch at night, and she'd feel like a new woman.
More tears spilled down her cheeks. She wiped them away with her shoulder.
She really needed to get ahold of herself.
She gazed down at the baby, who now seemed to be gnawing on her breast. Was he teething?
She touched one downy cheek with the pad of her finger.
She did love him. So much th
at it sometimes hurt her to look at him.
His eyes started to fall closed, and she couldn't help the curve of her lips that shifted into a smile. He was adorable.
She was overreacting. Par for the course since the first stirrings of pregnancy hormones.
She let her head fall back against the back of the rocker as Elijah went limp and heavy in her arms.
When she next forced her eyes open, bright June sunlight seeped in around the edges of the curtain now. Maybe if she put her pillow over her head, she could go back to sleep. It was Saturday. She thought. She didn't have to help Livy get ready for school. Wait—it was summer. There were no family obligations today.
Thoughts of sleeping for another hour gave her just enough energy to stand up and tuck Elijah into his now-dry crib. He sucked on his lips for a brief second before his lips relaxed into a little bow.
She turned from the crib with a sense of exhausted peace.
One that promptly disappeared as she stepped into the hallway and found herself looking into Livy's bedroom—where the fourteen-year-old was climbing into the open second-story window.
Maddox walked into a war zone.
Also known as the farmhouse kitchen.
He'd been up late last night, watching footage from the last several games his high school football team had played last fall. He coached junior high, but the high school coach was a buddy and had asked him for advice about their all-star quarterback, who would be a senior this year.
He'd also been avoiding grading the summer-school papers he'd brought home.
Why had he thought taking on a summer school class was a good idea?
Right. The extra money. Haley's surprise.
All he wanted was a cup of coffee to jolt him awake, but he walked into the kitchen in his sock feet to find his niece-turned-daughter facing off with his wife.
They were whisper-shouting at each other.
"Where is this even coming from?" Haley demanded, her voice low. She was adorably tousled, her hair mussed and a giant T-shirt—his T-shirt?—rumpled to mid-thigh. She glanced at him briefly and then back at Livy.
Kissed by a Cowboy 1 & 2: Sweet Cowboy Romance (Redbud Trails) Page 9
