The Cowboy's Family (Family Ties Book 2)

by Carolyne Aarsen

  His clothes looked as new as the hat. The sight created a warm curl of satisfaction.

  He was behaving exactly the same way she was.

  Stepping away from the window, she pressed her finger to her lips, as if to contain her emotions.

  Mason knocked on the door, another surprise, and then stepped inside.

  “Anyone home?” he called out. “Any munchkins here?”

  At the sound of his voice, Hope squealed and trotted off to the kitchen. Cash tossed his book aside and called out to Hope to wait.

  Tricia stayed behind a moment, smiling at the sound of Mason teasing the kids. When she came into the kitchen, Hope was already on his back, clinging to his neck, and Cash was trying to crawl up his leg.

  He looked up when she came in. “I don’t know where these kids came from. I’m trying to find Hope and Cash,” he said.

  “We here,” Cash called out, tugging on his hand. “We both here.”

  “I don’t know. Hope and Cash are usually so quiet and well-behaved. I don’t know who these two orangutans are.”

  “I not a rang’tang.” Hope giggled. “I Hope.”

  “I hope so too,” Mason said, giving Tricia a wink.

  “Oh, dear, that’s bad,” she returned with a groan.

  Mason extricated himself from Cash and set Hope down, turning his attention back to Tricia.

  “You’re looking especially beautiful this afternoon,” he said.

  Tricia wanted to come up with a snappy return. Some humorous comment to show she had just received a pleasant compliment from a friend she would spend a fun afternoon with.

  But the blush that warmed her cheeks and the faint shiver dancing down her spine told her otherwise.

  “Thanks,” was all she could manage.

  “But we should get going before the popcorn runs out,” Mason said, thankfully turning his attention back to the kids.

  “Popcorn, popcorn, popcorn,” Cash chanted, racing out the door. Mason hurried to grab him, Hope was on his heels, and Tricia had to rush to catch up to all three.

  Kane had removed the car seats from his truck and they were sitting on the deck, ready to go. Mason had already retrieved them both by the time Tricia got out of the house.

  It took only a few minutes to get the seats secured in the truck, the kids buckled up, and then they were on their way.

  “That was painless,” Tricia said, looking from the children behind her to Mason, who was backing out of the driveway. “You’re getting to be quite a pro at that.”

  Mason slanted her a crooked grin. “I’m a quick study.”

  Tricia held his gaze a moment, then looked away, feeling suddenly self-conscious.

  “You guys want to hear some fun music?” Mason asked as he opened the CD case he had sitting in the console beside him.

  “A CD? Where did you find that?” Tricia asked.

  “In town. The drugstore was having a sale. I thought I’d grab one.” He slipped the CD into the slot above the radio, then handed her the case. “I guess I should have vetted it before I gave it to you, but I figured a CD that had dancing strawberries on it and is called A Berry Fun Afternoon was pretty innocuous.”

  Tricia chuckled as she glanced at the cover. She recognized the CD. In fact, she’d had it in her hands a couple of times. “I think you’re safe.” She set the case back in the console, her eyes flicking up to his. He was looking ahead, his face in profile. He had shaved, his face still shining. His shirt still held a crease in the sleeves, and his pants were the deep indigo of brand-new jeans.

  Bouncy, happy music sounded from the speakers, and Hope and Cash giggled, clapping their hands to the music.

  “Thanks for doing this,” she said. “The kids are excited.”

  “Me too. It’s been ages since I’ve been to a fair.” He grinned at her again.

  “So you’ve been before? Who did you go with then?”

  “I went with...”

  “Sorry. None of my business.” The dismay that filtered through her was unwelcome but what did she expect? Of course he would have had a past. She did.

  “No. It’s fine. I went with Beth. My ex-fiancee.”

  “Ex. I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “I was too.”

  “How long ago did you two break up?” She tried to keep her tone casual. Just two friends chatting about his past. However, she knew they were more than that and the fact that he had an ex-fiancee was a factor.

  “Actually she died of a brain aneurysm.”

  Tricia gasped, her hand flying to her chest. “I’m so, so sorry to hear that.” His statement was made calmly but it was so unexpected it took her breath away.

  “It was awhile ago. Three years to be precise.”

  “But still...”

  “She was a good person and it was a difficult time after she died. But the old cliche works too. Time heals all wounds. And time has done that for me.” He gave her a reassuring smile. “And it helps to be in good company.”

  She held his gaze, his last comment replacing her dismay with hope. “Are you?”

  “Yeah. I am. And I’m looking forward to going to a rodeo. It’s been awhile.”

  “It will sure be fun to see Elliot competing.”

  “That will make it interesting,” Mason said.

  That it would indeed, Tricia thought, turning to look out the window. Elliot competing in the rodeo wasn’t exactly the return of the prodigal son, but it came close.

  A new song started up, filling the silence that had fallen between her and Mason. She wondered if he was thinking about Beth.

  Twenty minutes later Mason pulled into the parking lot and found a spot close to the fairground.

  Tricia opened the door and was assaulted by a blast of carnival music, the overwhelming scent of popcorn and hot dogs. Memories of trips with her mother and dad to the fair flooded her mind and created a moment of melancholy. The sun was drifting down behind the mountains that cradled the town. Rockyview always felt safe to her Tricia thought as she helped Hope out of her car seat.

  She closed the door then joined Mason who was leading Cash by the hand.

  “So let’s do this,” Mason said with a grin.

  Tricia had to keep a firm grip on Hope’s hand as they walked down the main fairway ground. People flowed past them in either direction, the tinny music competing with squeals and laughter coming from some of the more adventurous rides.

  “I think we’ll have to look for something tamer than these,” Mason said. “I can’t imagine that either Cash or Hope want to ride something called the Terrible Tumble Turner.” He pointed to a ride made up of one solid pillar and four spokes sticking out from it. The spokes lifted up and down and at the end of each spoke was a capsule that spun end over end.

  Tricia’s stomach fluttered just watching it.

  “I take it you’d want something tamer too,” Mason teased.

  “I don’t even want to imagine riding that thing,” Tricia said, pressing her hand to her stomach.

  “Maybe this might be more your style,” Mason said, leading them toward the carousel.

  Hope and Cash strained ahead of them, pulling them toward the ride, clearly excited.

  A few moments later Tricia was mounted on one brightly painted yellow horse, with Hope perched in front of her, and beside her was Mason, with Cash in front of him. The twins were holding onto their reins, flapping them up and down.

  “Let’s go,” Cash called out, slapping the side of his blue wooden horse.

  “Remind me not to let him near the horses when we’re training them,” Mason said, grinning at Tricia.

  “He’s a little heavy on the reins.”

  “Doesn’t get that from his mom,” Mason said.

  His comment was innocuous, but it made her think of Drew. She wanted to shut down. To not say anything.

  But Mason’s expression was open, his eyes kind. Once again she felt the rising up of emotions she never thought she’d feel again. Attraction, ap
peal, and blended through all of that a desire to be with Mason. All the time.

  The thought caught her unawares and almost swept her breath away. But as she held his eyes, as she watched him with his one arm around her son, as she thought of how gentle he was with the children, she knew this was a man she could trust.

  This was a man she could be open with.

  “Drew was the adventurous one,” she said. “Though he wasn’t too crazy about horses.”

  “Not like his father at all.”

  Tricia frowned at his statement, not remembering if she had ever mentioned Drew’s father. She knew little about him, other than the fact that he owned a large ranch in southern BC. And that Drew both hated and was afraid of him.

  But Mason was fussing with Cash’s boot that had come loose. He got it back on his foot, and the jangly music from the carousel started up. Slowly first, and then quicker, the horses moved up and down and the ride went round and round.

  Tricia hugged Hope close, laughing at her exuberance. Cash was squealing, pretending to kick the horse, when in actuality it was Mason’s legs that bore the brunt of his enthusiasm.

  But Mason was just laughing, pointing out the other horses to Cash and, now and then, looking over at Tricia. Smiling at her. Offering her the first tendril of hope she had felt in a long time.

  The ride was over too soon, and Tricia and Mason peeled two very disappointed children off their wooden steeds.

  “We have to let other people take their turn,” Tricia said to Hope, who was reaching out to the horse she had just been pulled off of.

  “Looks like they’ve joined up,” Mason said with a grin.

  “I hate to break her heart, but I’m sure she’ll get over it,” Tricia said, picking Hope up and dropping her onto her hip.

  “I’m sure we can distract them with that small kids’ Ferris wheel,” Mason said. He pointed it out to Cash and, sure enough, the twins were on to the next thing.

  The rest of the afternoon was spent between the Ferris wheel and the carousel. At six o’clock Mason enticed the kids away from both with the promise of a hot dog.

  They lined up, and Tricia was about to pull her wallet out of her purse when Mason stopped her.

  “Don’t you worry, my dear, this is my treat,” he said with a grin.

  Tricia glanced at the board with the prices. “My goodness, you are a big spender,” she said.

  “Nothing but the best for you and the kids.”

  They walked up to the open door of the food truck, and Mason leaned one elbow on the opening, grinning up at the young girl who was serving them. “I don’t suppose you have a wine list,” he said.

  The girl frowned at him, then looked to Tricia, her expression confused.

  “He’s just messing with you,” Tricia said with a chuckle. Mason was clearly having a good time. He looked relaxed and more appealing than ever.

  Cash had his arms wrapped around Mason’s neck, clearly exactly where he wanted to be.

  Hope was swinging Tricia’s hand, humming one of the songs from the CD Mason had bought.

  And Tricia felt, for the first time in years and years, a sense of being settled. Of being happy. Content.

  And it was all because of the man who was now handing her a tray of their drinks, juggling the tray of hot dogs as they walked toward an empty table by the food truck.

  He looked so comfortable with the kids as he parceled out their food while she set the cups in front of them. He unwrapped the hot dogs and she unwrapped the straws and slipped them into the cups. Like a team.

  Like parents.

  Like a family.

  She sucked in a quick breath at the thought. A wave of panic started in her midsection. What was she thinking?

  Then Mason smiled at her and the panic subsided.

  She was thinking that they had a chance. That maybe, just maybe, things could work out.

  Maybe.

  Chapter 13

  “Let’s go find Mom,” Mason said, wiping the ketchup off Cash’s face.

  Though they had eaten a hot dog at the fair, when they walked past the concession stand at the arena after Mason took Cash to the bathroom, the little tyke declared he wanted fries.

  Mason couldn’t resist those big blue eyes, that adorable pleading face. So he bought some fries, reminding him that he had to share half with Hope. But Cash couldn’t wait to eat them and had dragged Mason to an empty seat so he could eat his share right then.

  “Good fries,” Cash said, rubbing his stomach, just in case Mason didn’t notice the grin that almost split his face.

  “Glad you liked them. Let’s take the rest to your mom and sister.” Mason helped him off his chair, grabbed the greasy cardboard container, and then navigated the crush of people in the arena's atrium. Beyond the plexiglass windows he could hear the deep voice of the announcer and the boom of the music accompanying the calf-roping event.

  It had been a few years since he’d been to a rodeo, and the fact that Tricia’s brother would compete made it even more interesting and fun.

  But not as interesting and fun as it was to spend time with Tricia.

  The whole time they were at the fair he wanted to pull her over, kiss her, drape his arm over her shoulder. Lay a claim to her. As it was, he made do with a gentle touch, a hand on her neck. His hands on her waist lingering just a little longer when it came time to help her off the carousel horse. A discreet brush of his lips over her forehead.

  Though part of him regretted bringing Beth into the conversation, he was glad that it was out of the way. Beth was part of his past and he found, mentioning it to Tricia created a new level of closeness.

  And eased away memories of his former fiancé.

  “Oh, look at his adorable cowboy boots.” An older woman crouched down in front of Cash as they waited to get in the door. “Aren’t you the cutest little cowboy around?”

  The woman, wearing a sparkling plaid shirt tucked into snug blue jeans, grinned up at him. “You’ve got the sweetest little boy.”

  Mason didn’t know her and, it seemed, she didn’t know Cash. He knew he should correct her, but he didn’t want to. For a moment he wanted this woman to think Cash was his son. That he was a father.

  The thought slipped so quietly into his mind that when he fully realized it, it seemed right. Right on the heels of that came the reality that he wanted it to be true. His hand tightened on Cash’s and he returned the woman’s bright smile.

  “He is a little heartbreaker,” he said. Then he moved on before she could ask him anything more.

  But as he walked away he couldn’t erase that moment of clarity. That realization of where he wanted things to go with him and Tricia and her kids.

  Cash was skipping alongside him, still holding his hand. When he looked down at the little guy his heart was suffused with a new kind of love he had never experienced before.

  Could it work?

  Could it happen?

  You need to talk to Roger. And then you need to tell Tricia the truth.

  The thought was like a cold dose of reality that Mason held a moment then shoved to the back of his mind. Tuesday. When he went to see his mother he would take care of talking to Roger. He needed to make a clean break with his past before he could look to a future. His sister was right. He didn’t owe Roger anything anymore and had to make his own way in life.

  What would that look like? He worked his way up the steps to where Tricia and Hope sat, juggling the half-eaten fries in one hand and helping Cash up the steps with the other. He only knew he wanted this little boy and the woman who smiled at him when he joined them and the little girl on her other side to be a part of it.

  “That was a long bathroom break,” Tricia teased as he sat down beside her.

  “Cash needed fries. I told him to save the rest for Hope.”

  But the little girl was already reaching past Tricia for the cardboard container holding a swirl of ketchup and the lukewarm fries.

  Kane and Faith sat just
below them, cheering on the latest competitor.

  “Did I miss anything?” he asked, settling Cash on his lap.

  “Jordan and Caleb got their calf roped in eight seconds. The fastest yet. So that’s nice for them.” Tricia was smiling as she wrote the information down on the program they had purchased.

  “Do you know these guys?”

  “Actually, yeah. They were doing the circuit when I was still competing,” Tricia said.

  “Tricia had a crush on Caleb,” Kane put in, glancing back at them.

  Tricia poked her brother in the back. “Not necessary information,” she chided.

  Kane just shrugged, grinning at her. “Just saying.”

  “You can stop saying. Mason doesn’t need to know all my old secrets.”

  “Just showing him what kind of taste you have in men.” Kane winced as Faith elbowed him from the other side. “Hey. Whose side are you on?”

  “I’m sitting beside you, but I’m rooting for your sister,” she joked.

  Their easy give-and-take made Mason a little jealous and made him miss his own family. However, he also sensed that some of the tension he noticed between Kane and Tricia had eased away.

  The calf ropers were done for the evening. Cash clapped as they left the arena, laughing his pleasure.

  “I think this little guy really likes the rodeo,” Mason said.

  “It runs in the family,” Tricia said.

  “When does Elliot compete?”

  “Saddle bronc comes after the barrel racing, which is next.”

  Her eyes sparkled, and he could see she was excited to watch her brother compete.

  He enjoyed just watching her. He wrapped his arms around Cash, holding him closer. As he did a paternal feeling rose again in him. He could get used to this.

  They watched as the peewee riders made their debut, then the junior riders, and then finally, Mason guessed, the event that Tricia was waiting for. The senior barrel racing.

  She leaned forward, watching, assessing, making notes on her program.

  “Do you know any of these people?” Mason asked.