The Cowboy's Unexpected Love: Wade and Sierra (MacFarland Ranch Book 1)

by SJ McCoy

  “I’m hoping I’ll get at least a few days, but you know what it’s like. If I get the call, I’ll have to go.”

  Sierra did know, but she was hoping that he wouldn’t get any calls, and that he’d be able to stay to help Mateo and Maya settle in. “I guess I’ll just have to keep my fingers crossed.”

  Dax pulled her in for a hug and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. He’d always treated her that way; he was like another big brother and had been for most of her life. All she could think of now though was that his hug didn’t feel anything like Wade’s did. She missed Wade already and she’d only seen him this morning.

  As Dax let her go, her phone rang, and she reached for it. “Oh.”

  Dax frowned. “Problem?”

  “No. Not at all. It’s Ford.”

  “Okay. I’ll let you get it. Can I speak to him when you’re done?”

  “Sure. If you want.”

  He grinned at her. “Yep, sorry. I’m going to pull the big brother card and make sure that these guys are on the same page about keeping an eye on you.”

  She rolled her eyes at him, but she was glad that he was still looking out for her.

  “Hi, Ford.”

  “Hey, Sierra. I just wanted to check in on you. How’s it going? I saw the SUV out front of the cabin, so I’m assuming Dax and the kids arrived okay?”

  “They did, thank you. In fact, Dax asked if he could have a word with you, if that’s all right?”

  “That’d be great. I was calling to see if we could come over. Of course, we want to meet the kids and to meet Dax and have a chat with him. Would that be all right with you?”

  “Yes.” Her heart was hammering. She wanted to ask who he meant when he said we, but she didn’t. If Wade were coming, he would have called her himself – wouldn’t he? Or was this how things were going to go between them now? Gosh, she hoped not. She didn’t want him to be just one of the brothers. “Of course.”

  “Is now a good time?”

  “Um. That’ll be fine.” She could have used more time to prepare herself if she was about to see Wade. But then again, she didn’t need to waste any time lost in her head about how things might be. It was better to get it over with.

  “Okay. We’ll see you in a few.”

  She ended the call and hurried back out to the great room. Mateo and Maya were still huddled together on the sofa. Mateo had his arm around his little sister, and she was nestled as close into his side as she could get.

  They looked a little more relaxed now than they had when they first arrived. Mateo was smiling as he watched Dax race a little plastic car around the carpet. Maya’s huge brown eyes looked up at Sierra. She didn’t look as terrified as she had at first. She hadn’t spoken a word, but from what Dax had said, she didn’t talk. Sierra’s heart melted when the little girl smiled at her. She smiled back and had to stop herself from trying to hug her. Dax said that the orphanage had told him that they should wait and let the children be the ones to initiate physical contact.

  It made sense; she didn’t want to overwhelm or frighten them, but Sierra ached to hold Maya and reassure her. Instead, she sat down on the sofa beside her and smiled as she spoke. “I just talked to one of my friends and he’s coming over to see us. Is that okay with you?”

  Maya leaned closer into her brother’s side, and Mateo looked at Sierra. “Is he one of the good men?”

  “Yes,” she gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile, “his name is Ford, and he’s one of the brothers who own this ranch.”

  Mateo shot a look at Dax. “The good men?”

  “Yes. The good men. There are four brothers who live here, remember? Ford, Wade, Tanner, and Tyler.”

  Mateo nodded. “Okay.”

  Sierra watched the exchange with interest.

  Dax looked at her and then Amelia, who’d been sitting quietly on Mateo’s other side the whole time. “I’ve explained to them that the MacFarlands own the ranch and that they are good men. They will protect all of you if you need it. And Mateo and Maya will never leave the ranch unless one of them is with you.”

  Sierra did a double take. “Excuse me?”

  Dax gave her a stern look. “You heard me, Si.” He slid his gaze toward the children and then met hers again. “Mateo and Maya have lived through a lot. They’re safe here with you on the ranch. But if they ever need to leave the ranch for anything, one of the MacFarlands will go with you.”

  She didn’t know what to say to that. What about school? It was a little way off yet, but he could hardly expect one of the MacFarlands to make the school run every day. She understood that they’d need to feel safe, but this felt like a bit much.

  At that moment, a knock sounded on the front door, and Maya made a little squeak as she ducked for the back of the sofa and Mateo tucked her behind him.

  It made Sierra’s heart hurt for them. “It’s okay. It’ll be Ford.” She tried to reassure them.

  Mateo’s eyes were huge when he looked up at her. “You must check.”

  She nodded rapidly. “Don’t worry. I will. There’s a peephole in the door.”

  He watched her warily, and when she reached the door, she made a big show of looking through the peephole carefully. She turned back and nodded, giving Mateo the thumbs up before she opened the door. “It’s okay. It is Ford. And I checked. His brother Wade is with him.” She added that part so that he’d be prepared for two men to come in instead of one – and because she was both relieved and nervous to see Wade was out there.

  Amelia caught her gaze. Amelia had held her while she cried over Wade this morning, so Sierra was a little apprehensive about what kind of welcome she’d give him. But that was the least of her worries right now. It was more important that Mateo and Maya should meet Ford and Wade and hopefully start to trust them. And then she needed to figure out what Dax was thinking, trying to rope them in to chaperoning any trips off the ranch.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Wade hadn’t known what to expect when he and Ford arrived at the cabin. He didn’t know what kind of reception he’d get from Sierra’s friend, Amelia. He was curious about Dax; from everything Sierra had said, he’d played a big brother role for most of her life, but Wade couldn’t help wondering if there was more to it than that. He knew that was probably dumb, but his mind was skipping around frantically. He was nervous because most of all, he didn’t know what to expect from Sierra. He hoped with all his heart that Ford was right, that he’d been the one to chase her away by not being upfront about how he felt. That she really did want to be with him and that she’d backed off because when he’d said that he didn’t know if he could be what she needed, she thought that he meant he didn’t want to be.

  She’d greeted him with a smile when he and Ford came in, but she hadn’t met his gaze. Amelia had been polite, not frosty toward him, but not warm either. Dax seemed like a good guy. But out of all of them, it was the two little people on the sofa who’d caught and held his attention. Mateo was more than wary, he was scared, but he was doing his best to protect his little sister and to speak for both of them.

  When Sierra offered to get drinks for everyone, Dax and Ford had followed her into the kitchen. Wade hadn’t gone after them. He wanted to talk to Sierra, but he’d have to wait until he could get her alone for that. He looked back at the kids on the sofa, wanting nothing more than to wrap his arms around them both. They looked like they could use all the hugs they could get. But he knew better. Instead, he plonked himself down on the floor in front of them and picked up a little car that was lying on the rug.

  “This yours?” he asked Mateo.

  The little boy shook his head.

  “It is, you know,” said Amelia. “All the toys that are here, they’re for you. Sierra got them for you.”

  Mateo slid his gaze toward her and then looked back at Wade and shrugged. Poor little guy was probably just trying to figure what the deal was, and who could blame him?

  Wade smiled at him. “Do you like cars?�
�

  Mateo shrugged again.

  Wade pursed his lips and rubbed his chin, wanting to let the kid know that he was thinking hard. “Do you like horses?”

  Mateo’s eyes widened and a hint of a smile touched his lips before he shut it down and shrugged.

  That was interesting. It seemed he did like horses, but he didn’t want to admit it. Okay, that was something to work with.

  Maya looked up at her brother. She didn’t speak, but he answered her as if she had. “Horses.”

  Wade’s throat tightened with emotion when the little girl turned big brown eyes on him and smiled. She nodded her head twice and then hid her face behind her brother again.

  Well, how about that? They were both interested in the one thing he knew he could help them with. He grinned. “Did Dax tell you that we have horses here?”

  Mateo nodded and glanced toward the kitchen. “Yes. This is a ranch. There are horses and cows …” His eyebrows drew together, and he held Wade’s gaze. “And good men who will keep us safe.”

  Wade looked him in the eye and nodded. “That’s right. We will. There’s me, I’m Wade.” He jerked his chin toward the kitchen. “That’s Ford, and then there’s –”

  “Tanner and Tyler. Dax told me.”

  “That’s good. And he’s right, you know. All four of us will look out for you. And if you like horses, maybe you want to learn to ride?”

  The kid’s eyes grew wide again, and Wade could see the longing in them. “You are a cowboy?”

  “Yup.” Wade pushed the brim of his hat back and smiled. “We all are. And I reckon if you’re going to live here, you’ll be one too – if you want?”

  For the first time, a big smile spread over Mateo’s face. Maya peeked up at him and whether she knew what they were talking about or not, it seemed that just seeing happiness on her brother’s face was enough to make her feel the same way. She smiled big, too, and in that moment, Wade knew he was a goner. He’d do whatever it took to make them both keep smiling that way.

  He looked at Maya. “Do you want to ride horses and be a cowgirl, too?”

  She nodded rapidly, her smile growing even bigger.

  Amelia cleared her throat. Wade had forgotten that she was even there. When he looked her way, he was relieved to see her smile and give him a slight nod. He was glad she approved, but this wasn’t about winning anyone’s approval, not even Sierra’s. Even if she didn’t want to be with him, it wouldn’t affect how he felt about these two. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure that their lives got better now that they were here.

  He watched Maya wriggle her way to the edge of the sofa and climb down. She stood in front of him for a moment and then tentatively held her arms out. Wade was sitting on the floor cross-legged, still holding the little car. He dropped it and held his arms out to her, inviting her to sit, but not wanting to scare her. She reminded him of a skittish filly, she was curious, wanting to come in for affection, but ready to bolt. She came closer and then sat down on one of his legs, tucking her little arm around his waist and hiding her face in his chest. Mateo sprang after her, and Wade was prepared for him to tear her away. He’d understand if the little guy wanted to keep her safe until he knew Wade better. Instead, Mateo sat on his other leg and threw his arms around his neck.

  Wade had to close his eyes and swallow hard as he hugged the two of them to him. It seemed that Mateo took the lead on almost everything, but he was as desperate for affection as Maya was. As he sat there holding them both close, he made them a silent vow that he’d always be there for them. He hadn’t thought he believed in love at first sight, even when Ford had talked about him and Sierra earlier. But these two little people had made a believer out of him. He already knew that he loved them, and he’d do anything for them.

  “Oh my!”

  He opened his eyes in a hurry at Sierra’s shocked tone. Shit. He hoped that she didn’t mind what she was seeing. If she really didn’t want to be with him, they were going to have a problem, because not only did he want to be with her, he now knew that he wanted to be with Mateo and Maya, too.

  She’d come out of the kitchen with Ford and Dax just behind her. She was staring at him and the kids, and it didn’t look like she had a problem. She had a tender look on her face and her hand had come up to cover her heart. Dax and Ford were grinning at him from behind her. He didn’t care if they thought it was funny. He thought it was amazing.

  No one spoke for a few moments, then Amelia cleared her throat again. “Dax, I was wondering if you could take me into town? There are a few things I need, and I could use your advice.”

  Wade’s first thought was that maybe she wanted to buy herself a gun. That was the only thing he could think that she’d need Dax’s advice for.

  “Sure. Do you want to go now?”

  “Yes.” She got to her feet immediately.

  “And I should give you both a tour of the ranch on your way out,” said Ford. He winked at Wade. “You can find your way home on your own, right?”

  It finally dawned on him that they were all clearing out to leave him and Sierra alone with the kids. He nodded. He wanted to tell his brother that if were up to him, he already was home – his family was complete right here. And now he wanted to get started on building them a good life. But since he could hardly say that in front of the kids, and he didn’t even know if Sierra still wanted him, he made do with a nod and a quick, “Sure thing,” that sounded gruff, even to his own ears.

  ~ ~ ~

  Sierra sat and watched the children eat. She’d offered them a sandwich then they first arrived but they’d both refused. She’d kept offering snacks and veggies and fruit, anything that might tempt them, but she didn’t want to force them.

  After everyone else had left, they’d both stuck close to Wade. Maya had given her a couple more smiles and Mateo looked as though he was starting to trust her a little, maybe. But there was no question that they trusted Wade. And it seemed that he adored them. Her heart had melted at the sight of the three of them sitting on the floor earlier. She was struggling to catch up. She’d thought that he didn’t want children – and she supposed that just because he was so good with them, it didn’t necessarily mean that he wanted the responsibility of children; that was a different matter. But he certainly seemed to have a way with these two.

  They were munching happily on quesadillas that he’d made for them. While she’d been trying to come up with something to tempt them, Wade had taken a different tack. He’d surprised her when he’d asked if he could make himself something to eat. She’d offered to make whatever he wanted but he’d given her a meaningful look and insisted that he could do it himself. She and the children had come into the kitchen with him and sat down at the big farmhouse table and watched.

  After poking around in the fridge, he’d taken out onions and green peppers and chopped them up, then stir fried some chicken. Sierra had been a little shocked that he’d just start cooking like that to make himself a snack while the children hadn’t eaten. Then he’d gotten out tortillas and cheese and taken the tub of sour cream and the jar of salsa from the fridge and set them right in the middle of the table. He’d made himself a quesadilla, sliced it with the pizza cutter and sat down at the table with them.

  Sierra had watched as he’d scooped salsa and sour cream onto his plate and then taken a big bite and actually moaned in appreciation. It had only dawned on her what he was doing when she noticed that Mateo and Maya were both watching him intently. Wade met her gaze for a moment and winked before taking another big bite. When he’d swallowed that down, he pushed his plate a little way toward her.

  “Want some?”

  She really didn’t, but now that she knew what he was up to, she took a piece and bit into it, making an appreciative moan of her own – it was good!

  Mateo looked up at her and swallowed. She willed Wade to offer him a piece, but he didn’t. He kept on eating and after another few bites, he smiled at Maya and winked. She smiled
back at him and held her little hand out.

  Wade nudged his plate toward her, and she snatched a piece and ate as though she was starving. Wade pushed the plate toward Mateo, who looked at it and then back at Wade. To Sierra’s surprise, Wade grabbed another piece for himself without saying anything. She understood what he was up to when Mateo’s eyes widened, and he grabbed a piece as well. Once he had it, Wade smiled.

  “That’s right. Get a piece while you can. Don’t worry, though. I’ll make us some more now.” He got to his feet and started preparing another.

  Sierra followed him to the stove. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

  He chuckled. “You’re welcome. Though for a minute there, I thought you might throw me out for being so damned rude as to start cooking in your kitchen and so damned selfish that I’d pig out in front of them.”

  She gave him a guilty smile. “I’m sorry. Apparently, you’re much smarter than I am. It took me a while to catch on.”

  He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her into his side. “It’s okay. I’m just glad you didn’t get mad, and that I was right. It might take a while before they’re comfortable admitting that they want anything. I just wanted to show them that it’s okay to eat and I figured that letting them think they should get some while they can might make them feel more at home.”

  “Oh.” Sierra’s heart sank. “You think they’ve been going hungry?”

  “I don’t know about that. But I’d guess that they don’t just expect to get three meals a day, no questions asked.”

  She nodded sadly and rested her cheek against his chest. Then she straightened up and sprang away from him. Shoot! They weren’t together like that anymore. “I’m sorry!”

  His hand came down on her shoulder in a gesture that was now so familiar, and which sent his warmth spreading through her. “Don’t be sorry, darlin’. I’m the one who’s sorry.”

  She tried to blink away the tears that threatened to fall. “You are? What for?” She dreaded hearing him say that he was sorry he couldn’t be what she needed. But her heart hammered in the hope that he might say something else, something better, something that might unbreak her heart.