His Texas Runaway (Men 0f The West Book 41)

by Stella Bagwell

  Chandler left the couch and walked over to where she stood. Her hands were clenched and her breathing was coming in short bursts. The sight of her anger was contagious and in spite of his normally cool head, he was rapidly losing his patience.

  “What exactly do you think I am, Roslyn? Just a bystander? A milksop who’s afraid to come out of the shadows and defend the woman he loves?”

  Confused, she stared at him. “No. Of course I don’t think that. But—”

  “There are no buts, Roslyn,” he interrupted. “If I’m going to be your husband, then all of this affects me, too. Your problems become mine and vice versa. No matter what they are, we need to resolve them together. And the way I see it, you can’t expect to move happily into the future until you resolve this thing with your father. My Lord, Ros, the man doesn’t even know where you are!”

  “And I’m better off for it!”

  She practically yelled the words at him and as Chandler studied the fury on her face, disappointment welled up in him until he was practically choking on it.

  “I can see this isn’t going to work,” he said dully.

  “You’re darn right it isn’t going to work!” She stalked past him and didn’t stop until she’d put a measurable distance between them. “I just got out from under one man’s thumb. I don’t intend to turn around and tie myself to another. Not a man who wants to dictate my life before I even become his wife! No! This isn’t going to work for me.”

  The day had started like a beautiful fairy tale, Chandler thought. The sky had never been a more vivid blue and the breeze was as fresh as a spring flower. He was blessed with a job he loved and, even more importantly, the woman he’d prayed would come into his life and fill it with happiness.

  Fairy tales aren’t real, Chandler. And apparently the love Roslyn professed to feel for you wasn’t real, either.

  Chandler was sure something inside him was dying, yet somehow he managed to close the space between them. Her lovely features were defiant and so far removed from the woman he’d proposed to only minutes ago, that he felt he was looking at a stranger.

  “There for a moment, I was beginning to question myself. I was wondering if I might be wrong and you were right. But that hardly matters now. You’ve just shown me that your father is the smart one in all of this. You’re not mature enough to be a wife to me or any man.”

  She opened her mouth to make a retort, but Chandler didn’t bother to stand there and listen. She’d already made it very clear how she felt.

  As he started out of the room, she yelled at him, “Here. You can take your diamond and your oh-so-perfect ideas with you.”

  Chandler felt the ring hit his back and heard the ping as the piece of jewelry fell on the hardwood floor. The sound was like a gavel at the end of a trial, he decided. Everything had reached a conclusion and it wasn’t a happy one.

  “I don’t want it,” he said without a backward glance. “Keep it and add it to your collection.”

  * * *

  Roslyn was in the kitchen, packing items into heavy-duty cardboard boxes, when the doorbell rang.

  Wiping her hands on the seat of her jeans, she walked out to the foyer and wondered what she would do if the person on the other side of the door was Chandler. Which was a moot question altogether. More than a week had passed since Chandler had proposed marriage, then turned around and walked out of her life. No. He’d be the last person to be standing on the porch of her apartment.

  To her relief the caller was Katherine and she quickly opened the door wide and invited her inside.

  “This is a wonderful surprise,” Roslyn told her. “Are you just getting off work?”

  Katherine nodded. “I thought I’d pop by and say hello before I drove on home to the ranch. How’s little Evelyn?”

  “She’s asleep in the nursery. Go take a peep at her while I make us some coffee,” Roslyn told her.

  Moments later, as Roslyn poured water into the coffee machine, Katherine entered the kitchen, then stopped and stared at the partially filled boxes.

  “What in the world? Surely you’re not sending these things to charity. It all looks new to me.”

  Roslyn bit down on her lip. “No. Not to charity. I’m getting it organized. Before I call a moving van.”

  Katherine made her way through the boxes on the floor to join Roslyn at the cabinet counter.

  “Moving van! Have you found a different apartment already?”

  Roslyn couldn’t bring herself to look at Katherine. During her stay at Three Rivers, the woman had become like a sister to her. “No. I’m...leaving Wickenburg. I’ve decided it’s time I move on to Redding and settle down on Mother’s property.”

  “Oh. Gosh, I don’t know what to say. Except that I wish you wouldn’t go. Everyone here loves you so much. And actually...well, I’m not supposed to say anything, but given the circumstances, I think I’d better. Maureen has been very busy putting a baby shower together for you. I think she’s planned it for next Saturday night at the ranch. She wanted to surprise you.”

  Maureen didn’t have time to draw a deep breath much less plan a shower for Roslyn—a party that she didn’t deserve. Especially now that everything had ended between her and Chandler.

  Suddenly the anguish in her heart was too much to hold back and she pressed her hands over her face to hide her tears. “Oh, God, Katherine, this is terrible. Just terrible.”

  Taking her by the shoulders, Katherine led her over to the kitchen table and eased her into the nearest chair. “Roslyn, what’s happened? Tell me.”

  Choking back her sobs, Roslyn related everything that had happened, starting with Chandler proposing, the engagement ring and ultimately the quarrel over her father.

  “I ruined everything, Kat. But I didn’t see that I had much choice. If I invited Dad back into my life, he’d make sure everything would be ruined, anyway. So Chandler put me in a no-win situation.”

  Katherine went to the cabinet and filled two cups with the freshly brewed coffee. After spooning powdered creamer into both, she carried them over to the table.

  “Drink. It’ll make you feel better.”

  “Thanks, Katherine,” she said ruefully. “I’m surprised you still want to stay and have coffee with me. Now that you’ve heard the whole story. And you know that I’ve...well, probably hurt Chandler.”

  Shaking her head, Katherine said, “Don’t be silly. Besides, I can see how all of this has hurt you, too. Frankly, I’m stunned. Chandler hasn’t spoken a word of this to Blake or Holt. They would’ve already said something. And Maureen certainly doesn’t know. She’s still planning the party as though nothing is wrong.”

  This news only caused more tears to sprout from Roslyn’s eyes. “This is awful. Truly awful. I’ll have to tell her. I can’t go out to the ranch. Not now. Besides, Maureen is going to hate me once she hears what happened. And Chandler—I couldn’t face him. Not for any reason.”

  “Maureen isn’t going to hate you. But I can tell you this, she’s going to be terribly angry if you up and leave Wickenburg like this.”

  Roslyn reached for the coffee and took several sips and tried to gather her composure. “I don’t really see any point of staying here, Katherine. Yes, I love it here and, yes, I’ve made lots of great friends on the ranch and at the animal hospital. But being here—I couldn’t forget Chandler.”

  “Is that what you really want? To forget him? You told me a few minutes ago that you love him.”

  “I do! I guess I always will. But he sees everything differently than me.” She paused and sucked in a painful breath. “I don’t think he ever understood the cold expanse between me and my father. Or the heartache I’ve endured because of him. If he had understood, he wouldn’t have asked me to include him in my plans...our plans.”

  Smiling gently, Katherine reached over and patted Roslyn’s hand. “Chandler probably
doesn’t understand you completely. But on the other hand, I don’t believe you understand him, either.”

  Gripping her coffee cup, she looked at the other woman. “What do you mean?”

  “Chandler is a born nurturer. He wants everything and everyone, human or animal, to be well and happy. There’s not a vindictive or spiteful bone in his body. In fact, his brothers often complain that he’s too laid-back and too easy with people that he should get angry with.”

  “He certainly got angry with me.” The icy fury Roslyn had spotted in his eyes just before he’d walked away was something she’d never forget.

  “Yes, he can get angry. But mostly he’s a caring guy. And, in many ways, I think the death of his father was even worse on him than his brothers.”

  Surprised by the remark, Roslyn asked, “Why would you think that? I’m sure each of them was equally devastated.”

  “Yes. But Chandler carries the extra burden of resembling his late father and having the man’s gentle personality. Everyone, even Maureen, expects him to always be like Joel.”

  “That’s too much to expect from Chandler,” Roslyn murmured. “Just like it was too much for him to expect me to throw my arms open to my father.”

  “You might be right. But Chandler has no father now. And I’m sure he’d tell you that he doesn’t want that same emptiness for you. He wants every aspect of your life to be full and happy. That’s just the kind of guy he is. A nurturer,” she repeated.

  “So you’re trying to tell me that you think I’m wrong.”

  Shaking her head, Katherine reached for her coffee. “It’s not my place to tell you what’s right or wrong, Ros. But if you love Chandler, you shouldn’t be running away.”

  “I’m afraid, Kat.” Rising to her feet, she began to wander restlessly around the kitchen. “And though it probably doesn’t look like it to you, I love Chandler too much to drag him into a family that was...never really much of a family. He deserves better. He deserves a father-in-law who would embrace him instead of reject him.”

  Katherine’s cynical laugh brought Roslyn’s pacing to a halt and she looked over to the table to see a wry twist on her friend’s face.

  “Oh, Roslyn, when Blake and I fell in love I had all kinds of awful baggage. My first marriage was a disaster and I blamed myself for my husband’s death. And Dad...well, I harbored plenty of bitter memories toward him. After he became disabled with a stroke, I questioned whether I was doing the right thing to move back to Wickenburg to care for him. But in spite of my misgivings, Nick and I moved back in with him.”

  Roslyn had to ask, “How did that go?”

  A sad smile touched her face. “We had a little over two good years with him before he passed away. I didn’t think I would be devastated over his death. He’d caused my mother and brother and me so much sorrow and humiliation. But I was devastated to lose him. And later, after I’d had time to think about everything, I regretted that I stayed away from Dad all those years. Because I realized that in helping my father, I was also helping myself.”

  More tears began to stream from Roslyn’s eyes. “I’m not sure I’m capable of helping my father change. But I suppose it’s never too late to try, is it?”

  The somber expression on Katherine’s face suddenly turned into a bright smile. “Never,” she agreed. Then she jumped to her feet and carried one of the cardboard boxes over to the cabinet counter.

  When she started pulling out the contents, Roslyn asked blankly, “What are you doing?”

  “Unpacking. So hurry up and let’s get this stuff back where it belongs before Evelyn wakes up.”

  * * *

  Two days later, hours after the clinic had closed for the night, Chandler and Trey were still working at the barn.

  “Is his leg mending, Doc? I sure hope so. His horns are as big as baseball bats. I want him to go home. Pronto.”

  Chandler made a thorough inspection of the stitches he’d sewn into the bull’s back leg. “The laceration is healing. If he doesn’t develop a fever I’ll send him home tomorrow. Have you given him the shot of antibiotics?”

  “Yep. All done.”

  “Good.” Chandler motioned for Trey to move aside, then opened the squeeze chute to allow the black bull to move into the holding pen.

  Without bothering to look back, Trey rushed past Chandler and out the nearest gate. “Better run, Doc! He’s mad as hell!”

  Unconcerned, Chandler walked through the gate Trey had just rushed through. Behind him, the bull had already turned his attention to a pile of alfalfa in the hay manger.

  “He’s not mad. He’s hungry.” Chandler secured the lock on the gate, then glanced over to where Trey was washing the manure off his boots with a garden hose. “How about me and you changing clothes and driving over to the Fandango? It’s Friday night. The place will be hopping.”

  Dropping the hose, the lanky blond turned a disbelieving stare at Chandler.

  “Doc, are you feeling okay?”

  Grimacing, Chandler lifted the hat from his head and raked a hand through his hair. Actually, he felt like he’d been run over by a herd of stampeding cattle. But he needed something to blot out the miserable thoughts going on in his head.

  “Hell yes, I feel okay. Why are you looking at me like I’m crazy? It might do us both good to have a few drinks and do a little dancing.”

  “Who are we going to dance with?” As soon as Trey had asked the question, he laughed. “Dumb question, huh? Women take one look at you and it’s all over for me.”

  As the two men began walking down the sloping ground to the back entrance of the clinic, Chandler said, “What are you talking about? You’re the Romeo of Yavapai County.”

  Trey laughed. “Sure, Doc. Even if I was a Romeo I don’t think going to the Fandango is a good idea.”

  Trey’s negative response surprised Chandler. Normally the guy was always ready for any kind of entertainment. Especially a trip to the notorious nightclub.

  “Why not?” he asked.

  Groaning, Trey said, “I always end up getting into a fight. And I don’t particularly like nursing a black eye.”

  Chandler said, “You wouldn’t get a black eye if you’d lead with your left instead of your right.”

  “Oh, Doc, you don’t know what I lead with,” Trey complained. “And I don’t believe for one minute that you really want to go to a honky-tonk. Yeah, it’s Friday night, but we got to deal with that herd of goats over at the Tabor farm early in the morning.”

  “That’ll be quick work.”

  Chandler opened the door and started down the hallway to his office. Trey clomped behind him.

  “Sure,” Trey said mockingly. “Three hours at the quickest. Besides, Roslyn wouldn’t like it if she heard you were out carousing around.”

  The middle of Chandler’s chest winced with pain. Nearly two weeks had passed since he’d walked out of Roslyn’s apartment and, try as he might, he couldn’t forget her or baby Evelyn. He couldn’t push away the pain of losing them, much less look into the future. There was nothing there but a black, empty pit.

  “What’s Roslyn got to do with anything?” He picked up a stack of files on the corner of his desk, while cutting a glance at Trey. The other man appeared astounded by his question.

  “Well, hell, Doc. She has everything to do with it. I thought you were crazy about her.”

  Dropping the files back to the desk, Chandler walked over and sank onto the couch where Roslyn had lain after her fainting spell. That night, like every other moment he’d spent with her, continued to roll through his head, reminding him that he was nothing more than a stupid fool.

  “I don’t really want to talk about Roslyn,” he said bluntly. “She’s moving on.”

  The crestfallen look on Trey’s face made Chandler feel even worse, if that was possible.

  “Dang. She told all of
us here at the clinic that she wanted to come back to work after the baby got a little older. Did you tell her she couldn’t work here anymore or something?”

  Or something, Chandler thought sickly. “No. I didn’t tell her that. We, uh, we just went our different ways, that’s all.”

  “Well, you could knock me over with a feather. I got the feeling that the two of you were going to be permanent.”

  Chandler grunted cynically. “Trey, a man can’t count on anything being permanent. Especially when it comes to a woman.”

  “Yeah,” Trey mumbled in agreement. “Another good reason we shouldn’t go to the Fandango.”

  “Hey, can’t a guy get some service around here?”

  Both men jerked their heads around to see Joseph sauntering through the door, and since his brother was wearing a deputy sheriff’s uniform, Chandler figured he had to be ending his shift, or just beginning one.

  “What’s going on?” Chandler asked in the cheeriest voice he could muster. “Did you come to arrest us for bad behavior?”

  Joseph chuckled. “Knowing you two, I should probably haul you in for lacking common sense.”

  “Nobody ever accused us of being geniuses, Joe,” Trey joked. “’Course, Doc is pretty darned close to one.”

  Rolling his eyes at that, Chandler gestured to the empty end of the couch. “Have time to sit a minute?” he asked Joseph.

  “No. I’m on my way home and I’m running late, as usual. I have something out in the truck for you. Better come get it.”

  The three men trooped outside to where Joseph’s pickup truck was parked. When he opened the back door, Chandler immediately heard a cacophony of yips and whines.

  “Is that what I think it is?” Chandler asked.

  Joseph reached in and pulled out a black-and-white spotted pup, no more than three months old. He was scrawny and dirty and trembling with fright. Chandler’s heart went as soft as a marshmallow.

  “Where did you find him?”