The Bull Rider's Fresh Start

by Heidi McCahan

  “What’s an elephant say? Do you know?”

  Landon’s daughter squeezed the elephant with both hands then shoved one of its floppy ears in her mouth.

  Boy, if his buddies from the bull-riding circuit could see him now, they’d be doubled over with laughter. But he didn’t care because he’d do anything to make his baby girl happy.

  After a few failed attempts and not a little struggling, he finally got her diaper changed and he even managed to put on a clean white T-shirt and a gray pair of pants. At least he was helping. That should count for something.

  Holding Adeline carefully in his arms, he walked back out to the kitchen. The aroma of something delicious baking made his mouth water.

  “This casserole is huge.” Kelsey gestured toward the oven with her thumb. “Do you want to stay for dinner?”

  Yes. No. “Sure, why not?”

  Accepting her invitation meant a homecooked meal and more time with Adeline. A win-win. But spending an evening with Kelsey was dicey and only reminded him of what he couldn’t have—Adeline and Kelsey in his life.

  Together.

  Heidi McCahan is a Pacific Northwest girl at heart, but now resides in North Carolina with her husband and three boys. When she isn’t writing inspirational romance novels, Heidi can usually be found reading a book, enjoying a cup of coffee and avoiding the laundry pile. She’s also a huge fan of dark chocolate and her adorable goldendoodle, Finn. She enjoys connecting with readers, so please visit her website, heidimccahan.com.

  Books by Heidi McCahan

  Love Inspired

  The Firefighter’s Twins

  Their Baby Blessing

  An Unexpected Arrangement

  The Bull Rider’s Fresh Start

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com.

  THE BULL RIDER’S FRESH START

  Heidi McCahan

  Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

  —Isaiah 43:19

  For my mom, who has taught us how to love well in hard seasons.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Epilogue

  Dear Reader

  Excerpt from An Unexpected Amish Harvest by Carrie Lighte

  Chapter One

  He’d clung to the backs of enraged bulls for thousands of wild rides. In his tireless pursuit of world champion status, he’d endured a punctured lung, broken bones and more torn ligaments than he cared to recall.

  But never once had a crying baby threatened to bring him to his knees.

  Landon Chambers palmed the back of his neck and stared at the wailing baby girl buckled in the car seat in the middle of his grandparents’ living room floor.

  Physical therapy for his nagging back injury? All over it. Sobriety? Two hundred seventy days and counting. Working as a third-generation wheat farmer? He’d make it work or die trying.

  But caring for a baby? Not so much.

  This ancient farmhouse he’d inherited when his grandparents moved to an assisted living facility earlier this year wasn’t a suitable place for a nine-month-old baby.

  He never should’ve agreed to this.

  Landon stifled a groan. When his best friend Wade called and announced he and his wife, Maggie, were temporary caregivers for Adeline, the infant of a deployed single mom, he hadn’t given the news much thought. He’d admittedly been a little absorbed with his own life and hadn’t bothered to ask many questions. Or any questions at all, to be honest. Seemed like a selfless move, which was typical of Wade. He’d always been generous, even at the height of his successful professional bull riding career. It wasn’t like Landon had expected Wade and his wife to go and die on him. The unfairness of it all stole Landon’s breath worse than a Brahma flinging him into the dirt.

  “Adeline, I have no idea what I’m supposed to do with you. Any suggestions?”

  She stopped crying as if she might answer him, but she only sucked in a breath, then started screaming again. He had zero experience with babies, but even he knew she couldn’t speak yet. Instead her wide blue eyes bored into him and her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink while she kicked her bare feet against the car seat’s gray padding. Landon unbuttoned the cuffs of his white button-down and rolled up the sleeves.

  “Hold on, pretty girl.” Landon sank onto the area rug and fumbled with the plastic and metal buckles. He’d encountered gates on cattle chutes less complicated than these things. Finally, he released the contraption and pressed her little body to his shoulder. Her scalp was warm against his chin, and her yellow onesie felt damp under his palm.

  “Wow, you are all worked up.”

  She arched her back and wailed louder, as if this new arrangement didn’t suit her, either.

  Oh man. Babies needed instruction manuals.

  When he’d visited Wade’s father and stepmother’s house in Wyoming yesterday, he’d never imagined he’d be returning home with a baby. Wade’s stepmother had all but begged him to take Adeline. He must’ve been her only option because he was the last guy who should be responsible for a kid. If it weren’t for the desperate panic in the older woman’s eyes, he might’ve laughed at her request. She’d insisted that she couldn’t care for her husband and a demanding infant, too. At first, Landon had refused, but their grief inundated every corner of the comfortable ranch-style home. One look at Wade’s father’s condition forced Landon to reconsider. Besides, Wade’s stepmother promised the situation was temporary. As soon as the baby’s mother came home from overseas, he’d be able to hand Adeline over.

  So he’d said yes. Then patiently listened to the instructions offered and scanned the notes scribbled on a notepad, but he’d only absorbed about half of the information. The whole scenario felt surreal. He’d quickly read the notes again when he got home last night. There weren’t any tips for soothing Adeline’s sorrow.

  Poor thing. He’d lost two of his dearest friends, but she’d lost the people who’d loved and cared for her. Everything about her world had turned upside down. No wonder she cried so much. It was probably her only coping strategy.

  “All right, sweetie.” He patted her backside as he moved slowly around the living room, his cowboy boots clicking across the hardwood. “Stick with me. We’ll figure this out.”

  Taking her to church with him this morning had seemed like a good idea at the time. The volunteers in the nursery knew how to keep her safe, so he didn’t feel guilty about leaving her for an hour or so. It was time he desperately needed to chase down answers to the questions swirling in his head, like an angry bull circling the arena, desperate for a way out.

  How was he supposed to take care of a baby and work on his parents’ farm? They had hundreds of acres of wheat to harvest in the next ten days. While Wade’s stepmother had insisted he was the best person to care for Adeline, Landon’s doubts had resurfaced on the long drive back to his house in Colorado. He was a recovering addict with a mountain of debt. Wheat harvest meant long hours in the field, driving the combine and the trucks. They might even work through the night to get the wheat in and avoid a forecasted storm. If Adeline’s mother didn’t come ho
me soon, he didn’t have the foggiest idea how he’d find a babysitter.

  What had he done?

  He still couldn’t believe a drunk driver had recklessly snuffed out Wade and Maggie’s lives while they drove home from a concert in Denver last week. His throat tightened at the thought of the accident.

  Adeline ramped up her crying to a deafening pitch. Was there anything worse than a helpless infant in distress? No time to dwell on all they’d lost. He had to stop the crying.

  Landon had a room full of trophies and awards from his reign as a world-champion bull rider. But an angry, two-thousand-pound bull was far less terrifying than a crying baby. A bull bucked him off in eight seconds or less, then they went their separate ways. When things went wrong, a clown or a handler bailed him out.

  But this time there wasn’t anyone coming to his rescue. At least not right away. His parents lived on the farm close by, and they’d handled the news about Adeline moving in with a mixture of sadness and encouragement. They’d known Wade, too. Everyone who’d known Wade and Maggie grieved their loss. While he couldn’t return Adeline or undo the accident that had taken her caregivers away, some small part of him still hoped this was all a horrible nightmare. He couldn’t fathom how he’d juggle real life and caring for Adeline.

  “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered against her soft brown hair. A statement meant for his own peace of mind, anyway. She didn’t seem real interested in what he had to say. Landon moved toward the kitchen where he’d left his wallet, phone and Adeline’s diaper bag. Her crying softened a little, boosting his confidence. The volunteers in the nursery had assured him some babies liked motion. Maybe walking helped.

  Holding her carefully, he stopped moving and unzipped the canvas bag on the counter. The sweet fragrance he’d come to associate with all things baby greeted him as he pushed past the diapers, package of wipes and extra change of clothes tucked in the main compartment. Thankfully, Wade’s stepmother had packed for him before he’d left yesterday. He had no idea what kind of supplies he needed, or that he even needed to haul around a bag like this. He had a lot to learn.

  Including why this bag housed so many pockets but he still couldn’t find what he needed. Surely there was a pacifier in here somewhere. Babies liked those, right? Hopefully Adeline was a fan.

  She amped up her crying again. Maybe because he’d stopped moving? Finally, he found a pacifier in the last mesh pocket.

  “Look what I have.” He tried to keep his voice calm. What if she hated it? He turned her around and braced her back against his chest, then offered the pacifier. She swiveled her head away.

  “Come on, Adeline.” He gently tapped her lower lip with the pink and white pacifier. This time she batted his hand away with her own and screamed louder.

  “Message delivered.” He pushed out a sigh. She arched her back and wailed some more. Landon set the pacifier on the counter and glanced at his phone. At what point did he call for backup? His parents had promised they’d help, although they’d gone out for lunch with friends in Limon after church. They probably weren’t home yet. Laramie and Jack, his sister and brother-in-law, had twins. Laramie had worked as a nanny in college, so she’d know exactly what to do. She was also six months pregnant, so he hated to ask her to rescue him.

  He had to find a way to comfort Adeline. Did it hurt a baby to cry this much?

  They’d fed her a bottle and changed her diaper while she’d stayed in the church nursery. Was he supposed to feed her again? Did she eat regular food? He’d spooned a few bites of baby oatmeal into her mouth this morning, just like Wade’s stepmother said he should. More of the sticky concoction landed on her clothes than in her mouth, but at least he’d tried. Add feeding a baby properly to the long list of things he needed to learn. And fast.

  Defeated, he reached for his phone and sent Laramie a quick text. He wasn’t too proud to admit he desperately needed help.

  * * *

  Nothing was going to get between Kelsey and her baby.

  A clap of thunder overhead made her yelp, followed quickly by a bolt of lightning that sizzled from the ominous purple sky to the wet highway in front of her.

  “You’re not slowing me down,” Kelsey growled at the storm pelting her rented car with blinding sheets of rain. She blinked away the grit of fatigue in her eyes and forced herself to concentrate on the interstate. Despite her fierce determination to be with her daughter, every leg of her marathon journey to Colorado had been an uphill battle.

  The horrible news of her stepbrother and sister-in-law’s deaths had taken an extra day to reach her since the navy had assigned her to a dive off a remote island in the South Pacific. Then her commanding officer took longer than expected to approve her leave. By the time she got to shore, she’d missed her flight to Honolulu. After waiting another sixteen hours, she’d begged and cajoled her way into the last available seat. More than three days had passed before she reached California. When her plane took off for Denver, she could barely move from sheer exhaustion.

  Finally, she was less than an hour away from seeing her daughter. Her heart thrummed with anticipation. The occasional video call and dozens of photos Wade had sent her while she was deployed served as a poor substitute for holding her child in her arms. But she’d done what she thought was best—leaving Adeline with Wade and Maggie on their Wyoming ranch while she fulfilled her commitment to the navy. They’d grudgingly promised to conceal the baby’s paternity.

  So much for that plan. Kelsey had sobbed over the loss of her stepbrother and his amazing wife. She’d grieved all the ways their absence impacted her baby girl. And she’d cried about what this new reality meant for her. Because she’d get to see Adeline soon, but she’d also have to face the one person she never wanted to see again—Adeline’s father.

  She was probably supposed to be grateful, since Adeline was technically with her biological father. Except the man was addicted to pain meds and had no business caring for anyone, especially her child. When her mother had called last night to say they’d sent Adeline to Colorado with Landon, Kelsey wanted to scream. They knew all about Landon’s issues. She couldn’t believe her stepfather didn’t think about that before they handed a helpless infant over to the most irresponsible man on the planet. They must’ve been overwhelmed with grief and unable to think clearly, because that was the only explanation Kelsey could come up with to justify such a careless decision.

  Allowing Landon anywhere near Adeline was never part of their agreement. They’d even signed the paperwork and she’d submitted the plan to her commanding officer to comply with the military’s requirements for single mothers.

  Anger burned raw and hot inside and she squeezed the steering wheel tighter. The rain pummeled her car, drowning out the country music playing on the radio as the storm rolled over the wide, open prairie of eastern Colorado. Reluctantly, Kelsey let up on the gas pedal and slowed down. She had to stay safe for Adeline’s sake. Stealing a glance at the app on her phone, she double-checked the directions. Four more miles to the exit. At least the drive from the Denver airport to Landon’s place was less than two hours. Every part of her body ached with fatigue from traveling for so long. Or maybe her emotional distress fueled her weariness, in addition to the grueling trip. She couldn’t wait to see her baby again but loathed the thought of speaking with Landon.

  Like the water tracing a path across her driver’s side window, a rivulet of guilt worked its way into her heart. Concealing the truth from him isn’t right. Kelsey shook her head, dismissing the persistent thought that had dogged her all the way across the Pacific. She’d started attending church and a Bible study as often as she could and had given her heart to the Lord a few months back. The verses didn’t always make sense, but she’d read and understood enough to know that lying wasn’t okay.

  He deserves to know he’s Adeline’s father.

  “He doesn’t deserve anything,” she prote
sted, then jabbed at a button on the steering wheel to turn up the volume on the radio.

  While she sang along to the familiar lyrics of a country megastar’s latest hit, more questions about Landon spooled through her mind. Did Wade and Maggie go back on their word and tell him Adeline was his daughter before they died? Or maybe her mother had spilled the truth, and that’s how she’d persuaded him to take Adeline? And why didn’t they ask her before they made this decision? Maybe this crazy arrangement wasn’t even legal. She made a mental note to call an attorney.

  Thoughts of Landon invaded next. She’d tried so hard not to think about him, but she was minutes away from showing up at his door. No matter how determined she was to protect Adeline, she didn’t trust herself to be impervious to his charms.

  They’d met at Wade and Maggie’s wedding. She’d known he was trouble from the second their gazes locked during the rehearsal. And yet he’d sweet-talked his way right past her defenses. Warmth heated her skin at the memory of his smile, those cavernous dimples and the way he made her feel like she was the only woman in the room.

  She’d avoided him until the reception, sidestepping all his attempts at conversation. He wouldn’t give up. She agreed to dance one time, hoping he’d finally leave her alone. Except he spun her around the reception hall like he was made to two-step. And the way he looked in that black tuxedo stole her breath. One song led to two and then three. Then she found herself outside under the vast Wyoming sky, sipping punch with Landon. A moonlight kiss quickly accelerated into a passionate night together.

  Waking up alone shouldn’t have surprised her. Landon’s reputation wasn’t a secret. But the heartache—there wasn’t a remedy for the emotional pain his absence left. Except hard work. She was a navy diver, a job that required every ounce of strength and stamina she possessed. When the pregnancy test turned out to be positive, she’d vowed not to tell him. She’d made a terrible mistake. Telling a man like Landon Chambers he was going to be a father only jeopardized her baby’s future. She should know; she’d lived with an addict for much of her childhood. Landon only cared about himself, so how could she possibly trust him with the responsibility of parenthood?