A Real Cowboy Always Trusts His Heart

by Stephanie Rowe

But Frank and Liam actually were alone. Truly alone. No one to ask for help except a stranger.

  It made her realize that despite years of feeling alone, rejected, and isolated, she wasn't alone, not by any stretch. And she never had been. All she'd needed to do was look around, and she would have realized it.

  She opened her eyes and looked at Ryder, his jaw flexed as he drove. "Ryder?"

  He glanced over at her. "Yeah?"

  "Thank you. For everything."

  He flashed a grin at her. "I love you, babe. I'll do anything for you, and you never need to thank me. It comes with the territory." He raised his brows. "You'd be there for me the same way, right?"

  She didn't have to even think about it. "Of course I would."

  His smile widened, and he reached across the console and took her hand, squeezing it gently.

  She didn't let go of his hand for the entire ride to the hospital.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  When Zoey saw Liam sitting in the hospital chair beside his grandpa's bed, his knees pulled up to his chest with his chin resting on them, she thought her heart would break. Frank was clearly asleep, with too many tubes coming out of him, and Liam was sitting silently, watching him breathe. "Liam?"

  He looked up, and his face lit up when he saw her. "You came!"

  "Of course I came!" She hurried over to him and, without thinking, swept him up in a huge hug. His arms wrapped around her, and he held on, gripping so tightly she thought he'd never let her go. "I got you, babe," she whispered. "It's okay now."

  He nodded and buried his face in her shoulder, and she felt him start to tremble. God, how hard he must have tried to hold himself together after they'd arrived and Frank had been carted off. She kissed the top of his head and sat down, holding him tightly on her lap as she rocked him gently. She guessed he was around seven, which on some levels, he probably considered himself old, but at the same time, he was a tiny, vulnerable child who had already lost so much. "Are you hurt?"

  He shook his head, still keeping his face buried in her shoulder. Tears started to burn in her eyes, and she looked over Liam's head at Ryder, who was standing in the doorway. Ryder looked so big and strong that she knew he would make Liam feel safe as well. "Liam, honey? I brought my best friend with me. He's going to take care of you, too. You have both of us."

  Liam lifted his head slightly. "Who?"

  She nodded behind him. "Ryder Stockton. He's a cowboy."

  Liam twisted around in her arms and inspected Ryder.

  Ryder immediately walked over and crouched in front of them, so that he was lower than Liam. He smiled, his beautiful smile that had calmed her so many times. "Hey there, Liam." He held out his hand to shake it. "It's good to meet you. Zoey tells me that you're great at grilled cheese testing."

  Liam smiled tentatively and shook Ryder's hand. "Are you a real cowboy?"

  "I am." He tipped back his hat. "We're actually going to a picnic at my brother's ranch tomorrow. They have a new baby horse there. Want to go with us and see it?"

  The little boy sat up straighter. "Really? A real ranch?"

  "Yep." Ryder grinned at him. "My brother has a lot of horses. They actually have a program to teach kids how to ride. You ever thought about riding horses?"

  Zoey had heard about the program that Zane and his wife had started. It was a program to give inner city kids or kids with a rough home life the chance to work with the horses, learn to ride, and even stay there if they needed to…giving kids the same chance that the Stocktons had been given when Ol' Skip had opened his ranch to the troublesome boys so long ago.

  Liam was staring at him now. "I don't know how to ride."

  "It's no problem. They'll teach you to ride and take care of the horses. You'll get your own assigned to you."

  Liam's mouth dropped. "No way."

  "Way."

  Then the youth's face fell, and he looked down at his hands. "We don't have any money. But thanks."

  Ryder glanced at Zoey, then he inched closer to Liam. "It actually doesn’t cost money," he whispered. "No one has to pay to go to it."

  Liam's head snapped up. "Seriously?"

  "Yeah. All you need to get into the program is to have an adult recommend you. Want me to recommend you?"

  Liam stared at him for so long that Zoey wasn't sure he understood. Until he nodded once. "Thank you," he whispered, his voice shaky.

  Ryder grinned. "You got it, Liam. We can check it out tomorrow and see if it's something you want to do. No pressure to do it. Just if you want to."

  "I want to," he said so quickly that Zoey smiled. "But we have to ask my grandpa."

  "Grandpa says it's okay," a rough, grizzled voice said.

  They all turned to see Frank was awake and watching them, a weak smile on his face. There was a bandage across his head, and an IV running from his arm. His leg was in a cast, and he looked old and worn out. His gray beard stood out against his dark skin, and Zoey's heart turned over. "Frank. It's so good to see you awake."

  "Thank you for taking care of Liam." He moved his hand, and she reached over to squeeze it.

  "I'm honored you had them call me."

  He grinned. "You're a hard woman to track down. They had to find the home number of Lissa, and then get your phone number from her."

  "Well, I'll write it down for you." She grabbed a pen from her purse and jotted her number and Ryder's number on a napkin. "This is Ryder Stockton."

  "One of the Stockton boys, eh?" He eyed Ryder. "I remember your Dad. He was a right bit of work. Liked to drink, didn't he? Used his fists a bit much?"

  Ryder stiffened. "My father wasn't a good man."

  "But his sons are," Zoey said quickly, sliding her hand around Ryder's arm, pressing her fingers over the scars in his forearm from the cigarette burns, the same scars all his brothers had. "Every single one of them is a good person, including Ryder. I've known them my whole life. I'd trust them with anything."

  Ryder didn't smile. She could tell he was on edge, as the same old story about his youth circled back again to try to drag him down once again. God, she was so tired of the noose that sat around the neck of every Stockton male all the time, just because of who their father was. "Ryder." She touched his arm again, and this time, he glanced over at her, but his jaw was strained.

  Frank continued to study Ryder. "Are you one of the twins?"

  Ryder nodded. "Maddox is my twin."

  "You recall a boy named Eddie Eaton?"

  Ryder narrowed his eyes, and for a long moment didn't answer. Then he said, "I remember Eddie. He was brilliant. One of the smartest kids I ever met."

  Frank's smile lit up his face. "That's my boy, Liam's dad. He got his smarts from his mama, God rest her soul." His smile faded. "Eddie got beat up a lot as a kid for being too smart and too gentle. Until one day, two boys with massive chips on their shoulders took down the bullies that had been dogging him. No one ever bothered him again. I'll never forget the name of those boys. You know who they were?"

  Ryder shifted. "Yes, sir. I remember that."

  Frank glanced at Zoey. "It was the Stockton twins, Ryder and Maddox, who came to the defense of my son."

  Zoey's heart turned over at the story that didn't surprise her at all. "He's always been a protector."

  Frank nodded, returning his gaze to Ryder. "You saved his life that day. You two boys were the roughest, most dangerous boys in school, and you showed him that he mattered. It changed his life."

  A slow redness rose on Ryder's cheeks. "No one should get beat up."

  "No, they shouldn't. That's why he joined the Navy as a nuclear engineer. To do what you boys did, on a bigger level."

  Ryder stared at him. "He joined the military because of us?"

  "Because you were his heroes. You boys showed him that strength and power can be used for good, and he wanted to be a part of that." The pride was evident in Frank's voice. "He sacrificed his life for a mission he believed in, and I will always be grateful that you gave him the cou
rage to be the man he wanted to be." Frank looked at Liam. "Your dad was a good man. A brave man. Never forget that."

  Liam nodded, even as he leaned heavily against Zoey. "I know, Pops."

  Frank looked back at Ryder. "I watched you and your brothers after that. I knew what was going on at home, but I couldn’t stop it. I watched each and every one of you rise above that and become men of honor."

  "Thank you." Ryder cleared his throat, and Zoey could see he looked wildly uncomfortable with the compliments, even though he so deserved them. "I think you're probably the only one in town who saw us that way, but thanks."

  "I saw you that way, Ryder. I still do." She took his hand and squeezed it gently.

  He glanced at her, and gripped her hand tightly, as if she were his only lifeline. "I know, ZoeyBear." His voice was rough and raw.

  She could see the resistance on his face, the refusal to accept that nomination of hero status, and she took mercy on him, gently redirecting the conversation to give him room to breathe. "What are your injuries, Frank?" Zoey asked, still holding Ryder's hand. "Are they severe?"

  Frank shook his head. "Broke my leg. A few bruises. Nothing much. I'm having surgery on Tuesday, and then I'll be good to go."

  Zoey frowned. "Will you be able to go home?"

  Frank glanced at Liam. "They were barking some shit about a rehab facility, but they don't know what the Eaton men are made of. I'll be heading home and have that cast off in no time. We got it covered, don't we, Liam?"

  The boy nodded, but Zoey glanced at Ryder, who met her gaze and nodded, clearly thinking the same thing. There was no way the older man would be able to live at home and take care of Liam after surgery for a broken leg, no matter how quickly he expected to heal.

  Zoey turned to Frank. "So, Ryder and I live in a house with ten bedrooms. Only four of them are occupied. We'd like to invite you and Liam to stay with us until you're back on your feet."

  Ryder nodded. "Yeah, it's way too quiet. We'd be honored if you'd stay with us while you heal, so it's not so damn empty all the time."

  Surprise flickered over Frank's face. "That's nice of you, but we'll be fine—"

  "You'll be on crutches for a while," Ryder pointed out. "Or maybe even in a wheelchair for a bit."

  Defensiveness flashed across Frank's face. "I can handle it—"

  "But you don't have to." Zoey leaned forward and took his hand again. "Frank, my parents died when I was a kid. Ryder grew up in a terrible, terrible home situation, as you know. We both had it rough as kids, so we know what it's like to fight difficult battles. We know it's hard for you and Liam right now, and we know that, because we've both been there. Let us help you. We want to."

  Ryder leaned in. "We need to help you," he said quietly.

  Frank started to shake his head, but Zoey squeezed his hand. "For my whole life, I've refused to accept help or even love from the people who love me. I've stood on my own, when I didn't have to. It almost broke me, but tonight, when the hospital called, you gave me the chance to finally see that, to understand that we all need each other, and it's a gift to be able to support each other. Let us do it for you and Liam."

  Frank looked back and forth between them, and she saw the weight in his eyes, the weight of an old man who had been trying to hold things together for himself and his grandson all on his own for far too long, with far too few resources. He finally looked at Liam, at the way he was snuggled up in Zoey's lap, his head on her shoulder. His face softened. "Liam? What do you think?"

  Liam looked up at Zoey. "Is it a nice house?"

  She grinned. "It feels like a mansion to me, honestly. And Ryder's a great cook. He'll feed us all really well."

  Liam grinned, and then looked at his grandpa. "I want us to stay with Zoey and Ryder."

  For a long moment, Frank didn't say anything, then finally, she saw the tension leave his shoulders. Tears glittered in his eyes as he nodded. "Okay. Thank you. We accept."

  "Yay!" Liam grinned, and hugged his grandpa so fiercely that the older man winced in pain. Frank looked at her over Liam's head and mouthed "thank you" to her and Ryder.

  "No, it's me who needs to thank you, for teaching me what I couldn't see on my own." She hugged him gently.

  He cleared his throat gruffly. "You all get on out of here. This old man needs to sleep."

  Zoey smiled. "We'll bring Liam back tomorrow to visit and check on you, okay?"

  "Sounds good." Frank leaned back against the bed, and she saw a faint half-smile on his face, a smile that had a little more peace than it had before.

  "Well, then it's settled." Ryder crouched in front of Liam again. "What do you say we stop by your house and get your things, and then head on over to our place. Want a shoulder ride?"

  Liam gaped at him. "Yes!"

  Ryder winked at Zoey, then turned around. "Climb on."

  Zoey helped Liam get squared away on Ryder's shoulders, and then bit her lip as Ryder stood up. "Watch the doorways," she said. "Liam's head is pretty high right now." She would have thought he was a little big for a shoulder ride, but Ryder was so strong that he had no problem supporting him.

  Ryder grinned as Liam wrapped his hands around his head, nearly blinding him. "Zoey worries about our safety. I love her for that."

  Liam grinned. "Me, too."

  Zoey's heart turned over. "Well, I love you guys, so we're all even." She patted Liam's back.

  Both boys grinned cheekily at her, and she rolled her eyes at them, trying to hide her smile. She couldn't believe how quickly Frank and Liam had accepted her and Ryder…and how Ryder had jumped in so quickly and so naturally. She'd already known he was good to her, but seeing him with Liam and Frank was different. It was beautiful.

  She smiled at him as she walked beside them, and she was rewarded with a wink from Ryder that made her heart swell with warmth.

  She glanced back at Frank. He was smiling widely as he watched them, and he gave her a wink very similar to the one Ryder had given her. "Come by after the picnic at the ranch," he said. "I want to hear all about it."

  "You bet." She hesitated in the doorway. "You're going to be okay, right?" She couldn’t keep the vulnerability out of her voice, and nearly teared up when Ryder took her hand and squeezed it.

  Frank's smile widened. "You bet your ass I am. I got a lot more shit to do in my life before I kick the bucket. Got it?"

  Relief rushed through her. "Got it."

  And she did, on a lot of levels, in a way she hadn't in a long, long time.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Protectiveness surged through Ryder as he glanced in the rearview mirror to check on Zoey and Liam. She had decided to ride in back with Liam, and they had fallen asleep leaning on each other, Zoey's arms around Liam.

  The boy had clung to her fiercely when they'd gotten in, and Ryder had felt the strongest sense of need to keep them safe. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about the incident with Eddie Eaton the whole ride to Liam's house. He'd completely forgotten about it, until Frank had brought it up.

  He remembered Eddie. Scrawny. Nerdy. Poor, like the Stocktons. But a nice kid. A good kid. One of the few in the school who didn't look at Ryder as if he were pond scum, and he'd never forgotten that. The day he'd seen those kids drag Eddie behind the school, he'd known what they were up to. After a lifetime of having his dad beat the shit out of him and his brothers, none of the Stocktons had any patience for bullies. Maddox hadn't hesitated to go with him, and they'd gone back behind the school, not sure how many kids they'd have to take on.

  His raw anger and burning hate for the bullies had unleashed something in him that had made those bullies back off without either of the twins having to throw even a single punch.

  He'd taken that day as a statement that he was so tarnished that people feared him even without him doing a damn thing. Proof of his taint.

  Frank and Eddie had seen it as him being a hero.

  It was such a different interpretation that it had thrown him complete
ly. He wanted to talk to Zoey about it, but she'd fallen asleep with Liam almost immediately. He'd talk to her tonight. He needed her insight to untwist everything for him, to help him sort it out. She was his light, and he needed her.

  He turned onto a battered dirt road in a section of town he hadn't been to for a very long time…a section of town much too similar to the one he'd grown up in. Sudden weight settled in his gut.

  When he'd entered Frank's address in the GPS, he'd suspected what kind of neighborhood he'd be driving into, but seeing it, experiencing, and feeling it was completely different.

  He drove past a ramshackle house with half the shutters gone, dead cars littering the yard, and decades of weeds growing along the broken walkway…and a light on…which meant someone lived there. The house was eerily similar to the one he'd called home.

  Swearing under his breath, he drove another couple hundred yards, and then eased to a stop in front of number twenty-five. The house was a two-story, a decent size. A house that at one time was probably nice. In the early light of dawn, he could see that the paint was a decade overdue for an update. The porch was slanted down to the right. The lawn was mowed, but barren. A single pot of flowers sat by the front door, an attempt to bring hope. It was neat, but worn out. Exhausted. Out of time. Love was fighting to keep it afloat, but there was so little left.

  He rested his wrists on the steering wheel, remembering night after night in the hellhole he'd grown up in. The house had been like this, only worse, because this house still felt like hope. Like someone cared. Like Frank had been pouring love into this home he'd held together for Liam, held together by love, which was a hell of a lot better than money.

  "Ryder?" Zoey's sleepy voice drifted over him, and he inhaled deeply, breathing in her presence.

  He twisted around to look at her. Liam was still sleeping, so he kept his voice low. "This reminds me of my street growing up."

  She looked out the window, and he saw the sadness of her face. "It kind of does. Does it feel weird to be back here?"

  He nodded. "Yeah. I don't like to come back to town or stay at the ranch because it reminds me of when I was a kid, but being here makes me realize that this is the part I don't want to remember."