The Cowboy's Sweet Elopement

by Jean Oram

  Kurt thought that over, and Brant took a second to glance at April. She was smiling again, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth. And looking from him to Kurt with so much love, he had a feeling he’d made her morning, just by showing her son the affection he deserved.

  Hopefully, she’d soon be ready to allow him to do the same for her.

  “I have something for you, too,” April said, as Brant stepped into the living room.

  “They’re coupons!” Kurt said. “But you don’t have to spend any money to use them.”

  April shot him a warning frown. “It’s not fair to spoil someone else’s gift.”

  “That’s okay,” Brant said smoothly. “I still don’t know what the coupons are for, right?”

  April retrieved the tiny gift bag from under the Christmas tree while Kurt and Brant settled on the couch. She had borrowed Karen Hartley’s scrapbooking equipment and poured hours into making the pretty coupons, wanting them to feel like a real gift worth giving rather than something she’d made, that cost nothing.

  She took the empty spot beside Brant, not minding how the old couch tipped her closer to him.

  He opened the Christmas-themed bag and looked inside, then pulled out the handful of coupons. His eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Wow. I didn’t know you scrapbook.”

  “Karen taught me.”

  Brant’s eyes, blue as the sky, met hers and she immediately understood that he knew how much time and care she’d put into the gift, cutting the tiny letters, pasting them onto layers of decorative paper.

  “Thank you,” he said softly, still looking at her. His eyes trailed to her lips, and she had a fleeting thought that she should have made a coupon for a free kiss.

  “You have to read them now,” Kurt demanded from Brant’s other side, jostling him.

  “No, you don’t,” April said, suddenly feeling shy.

  Brant obliged Kurt by thumbing through them, murmuring under his breath. “Help with ranch chores, free home-cooked meal, one cowboy boot cleaning including oil or lotion, one batch of homemade cookies, one pretend-you’re-not-at-work diversion from the reception desk… I’m using that one!” He continued through them, carefully tucking them back into the gift bag when he was done. “These are amazing. Thank you.”

  “You should get my mom to make you spaghetti,” Kurt said, leaving the couch to face Brant. “It’s my favorite, but don’t put Parmesan on top because it’s stinky.”

  Brant chuckled. “Thanks for the tip.”

  “You are welcome, sir,” Kurt said crisply. “Do you have a gift for me?”

  “Kurt!” April said. “That’s rude.”

  But all three of them knew he did, as even on ordinary days he seemed to have a little something. When she’d been married, Brant would pop in when a work call brought him out her way, often with a little trinket for her or Kurt. Sometimes it was an apple fritter, if he’d passed by Maples in Riverbend. Sometimes it was a dinosaur-shaped rock, or one time a cow’s tooth, which had delighted Kurt to no end. They were small things, but showed Brant was thinking of them, and it made her feel special in the quiet, everyday moments. And different from how anyone else had ever made her feel.

  “As a matter fact, I do have something,” he told Kurt.

  “I knew it! What is it? What is it?” Kurt asked, jumping up and down.

  “It’s in my truck.”

  “Is it a dog? A puppy? I really wanna dog.” Kurt ran to the door.

  April inhaled through her teeth, sending Brant a look of desperation. She really wanted a dog, too, but wasn’t quite prepared.

  “Sorry, I can’t just show up with an animal,” Brant said, holding the door for Kurt, who hadn’t even paused to pull on boots. “A dog is a serious commitment and costs a lot of money.”

  “You can do it for us,” Kurt said, rushing down the sidewalk.

  “We have to take care of our own things!” April called after him, a renewed resolution to become more self-sufficient reviving inside her. When she was around Brant it was all too easy to let his naturally caring side kick in, allowing him to do more than he truly should. And apparently Kurt saw it, too.

  Brant put an arm around her, pulling her against him in the doorway for a mini hug. As though reading her thoughts, he said, “Give yourself time.”

  “I hate worrying about money. It makes me feel…” She shook her hands as if ready to throttle the feeling that had clawed up inside her, and he dropped his arm. When he opened his mouth, she was pretty sure he was going to say she could stay here in his house, rent-free, for as long as she wanted. After all, he’d bought it from his brother’s girlfriend solely for the purpose of letting her live here, before eventually turning it into a rental property.

  “I know,” she went on, before he could speak. “And I am immensely grateful. But I also need to show my son that I can stand on my own two feet.”

  Brant nodded. “I understand.” There was a renewed respect in his gaze.

  “What is it? Is it a horse?” Kurt was shouting from beside Brant’s truck, which had the ranch’s horse trailer hooked up behind it. “Am I joining the rodeo?”

  “You said no animals, right?” April confirmed as they went to catch up with Kurt. Brant just grinned at her before opening the doors to the trailer.

  “Whoa!” Kurt scrambled inside as she leaned into take a better look.

  “A playhouse?” It had shingles on the roof, an open door and window, a little front porch with an overhang, and it was big enough to hold a few children. Which of course made her think about making some with Brant.

  “A fort,” both Brant and Kurt corrected at the same time.

  “For playing cowboys and bad guys,” Brant called into the trailer. “You can make it a jail, or a stable, or whatever your imagination wants.”

  “Cool!” Kurt said from inside the playhouse.

  Her coupons felt so small compared to this amazing gift. “This is huge.”

  “Nah. Myles and I made it in a day.” Brant gave her a cheerful smile, and she could tell he was delighted to be giving Kurt something that was bringing him so much joy. “We started a few days ago, when he was still mad at Ryan over the State football game decisions and had all that energy to burn. We just sort of began with what we found in the equipment shed, and by the end of the day this is what we had.”

  “It’s amazing.”

  “Mom, can I bring my new tractor in here to play?” Kurt asked.

  “I was thinking we could put this in the backyard,” Brant said.

  “Yeah!” Her son came blasting out. “Do you have the truck keys?”

  Brant chuckled and held them out of Kurt’s reach. “I’ll drive. And we’re going to need some help, as it’s pretty heavy. I’ll text my brothers, okay?”

  Kurt disappeared back inside the fort.

  Before long three Wylder brothers, Myles, Levi and Ryan, were working together with Brant to get the new playhouse into the backyard. Then, just as quickly as they’d arrived, they were off again, with a promise to see them all at the ranch for Christmas dinner.

  Kurt was still outside playing in the new fort in his pajamas, and April took him his jacket before sitting on the back step with Brant. The day was cool, and they draped a blanket across their shoulders, enjoying the peacefulness with cups of coffee.

  Times like this she could envision what it would feel like to have her life together again, to be ready to pursue something special with Brant, to savor quiet moments in the day together.

  “I think he’s going to want to sleep out here,” April said, watching Kurt play, his lively imagination at work.

  “Sorry.” Brant winced, but didn’t look at all apologetic.

  She laughed. “You’re not.”

  “True.”

  Her phone buzzed, and she checked to see if it was her dad calling to say Merry Christmas. Her mom, living in Dallas, had called earlier from a vacation she was taking in Europe. But so far her father hadn’t replied to her voice mail. H
er screen showed a text message from Heath. She skimmed it, not wanting to interrupt this moment with Brant.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, his forehead creasing.

  “Nothing.” April set her phone facedown on the step beside her. She was tempted to pour her grievances out to Brant, as per her habit, but it was time to stop treating him like her dumping ground, leaving her problems for him to fix.

  Besides, Heath’s reply to her reminder text that Kurt expected to see him today would anger Brant the same way it had angered her. Heath had replied, saying he would pop by if she agreed to go on a date with him.

  They were divorced! What was he thinking? He’d signed the papers almost immediately when he’d received them. There had been no hassle at all until they got to custody and support payments. He felt he shouldn’t have to pay a dime. April felt otherwise, having spent the past several years doing the books for his company, living in his house, and building up nothing of her own.

  Since the day she’d first talked about separating, two years ago, Heath had been erratic. One moment it appeared he wanted her gone, the next he was pulling stuff like this as though afraid to let her go. They’d argued and fought, then vowed to try harder. It never worked. And now here they were, at what should be the simple part, and he was playing games. She didn’t like it. Especially since some of them involved their son.

  “Heath?” Brant asked.

  She grimaced. “So is there anything I need to do with the playhouse?” It had been painted and finished, though it was missing a door and a glass window. Both items had likely been left off intentionally. “Upkeep-wise?”

  “He didn’t show up this morning, did he?” Brant said, not accepting her topic change.

  April felt her shoulders droop. She was tired of the sympathy in his kind gaze. Every time Heath messed up it brought out the protective side in Brant. She adored it, but it embarrassed her that people were calling his helpfulness for what it truly was—a rescue—in front of Kurt. When her son grew up and envisioned his future romantic partners, she wanted him to think of strong women like Maria Wylder. Not a woman who couldn’t make ends meet without help from a man.

  “Did he make his last child-support payment?” Brant whispered.

  She shook her head. Heath was supposed to be paying her every week. So far, he hadn’t done so beyond the first week, when he’d still believed that if he was Mr. Kind and Generous she’d come home again. He was now behind by two payments, three if money didn’t arrive on Monday.

  They’d married because it had been the right thing to do, both of them wanting to give Kurt the family they hadn’t had. It hadn’t worked out, so why the games?

  Maybe because he needed her to figure out his rodeo stock contractor business accounts? Or because he knew how difficult it was to be a father to a boy he rarely saw? So far he’d rarely taken Kurt on his custody days, and then had brought him home early, both of them frustrated and angry.

  What Heath didn’t realize was that his games just made her even more determined to make it on her own. Before long she’d be on her feet again, and able to pay Brant rent as well as take a job outside his clinic—one where she was truly needed, and the work wasn’t made up just so she’d have something.

  Then she’d be ready. Ready for Brant and all he offered. And she’d do it as a partner, an equal.

  And today, by not responding to Heath’s games, she was beginning that change.

  Brant felt a shift in April. Every once in a while she would decide something, and her entire being would seem to somehow alter. Two years ago, he’d known she was planning to leave Heath a week before she’d told him. She’d lost her nerve, though, and had backed down when her husband had promised her he’d change.

  The second time, more recently, Brant had seen that steel rod of determination settle in April’s spine again, and he’d known she was ready to move on. All she’d needed was a safety net to land in, which he’d provided.

  Today’s shift was one he hadn’t predicted, though, and he wasn’t sure what it meant. She didn’t want to spill her guts about Heath like usual, but it didn’t feel as though she was blocking Brant out. Instead, it felt more like she was moving past her old hurts, healing, changing, and determined not to allow her ex to get to her.

  Maybe she was closer to being ready for someone new than Brant had thought. He could see how her lack of independence was wearing on her, and like always, she was impatient to start her new life the way she envisioned it. He wasn’t sure what he could do to help her, though.

  They were sitting on the back step, watching Kurt play, their knees touching. They each had a cup of coffee, a swirl of steam rising into the cool air above their mugs.

  “You know,” he said, reaching inside his coat, “I got something for you, too.” He pulled out a small wrapped box from the jewelry store in Riverbend and handed it to April.

  “Oh,” she breathed. She held it for a moment, looking at him. With pink cheeks she unwrapped the paper, then opened it. Inside, nestled in the padding, was an oval locket. Using her thumbnail, she opened it, and her eyes filled with tears as she spied the photo of her holding a newborn Kurt. April blinked, fighting a giant smile for about a split second before it broke free, her dimples flashing, her face lighting up.

  She turned to Brant, set down her coffee and wrapped her arms around him. Holding him tightly, she whispered, “Thank you.” Her voice was choked, and Brant hugged her back, savoring the way her curves fit and folded into him. She smelled like Christmas cookies and fresh air, new beginnings and hope.

  “You’re welcome.” When the embrace ended, she tipped her chin up, and for a moment he thought they might kiss.

  They held the pose for a long moment before she blushed and lowered her lashes.

  Nope, not quite ready yet. He dropped his own eyes, beating back the surprisingly deep disappointment.

  “Good things happen,” he said, reminding her of their saying. Even in the bad times, good things did happen. Her marriage with Heath might not have worked out, but she had Kurt.

  She looked up from the locket. “Silver linings?”

  He smiled, and she returned it. He longed to kiss her, to stroke her cheek, but knew it had to be on her terms, when she was ready.

  But he really wished she was. As ready as he was.

  April sat on the love seat near the Christmas tree in the Sweet Meadows Ranch living room, surrounded by Wylders. Christmas dinner would be served soon, and much to Kurt’s delight, there had been gifts waiting for him here.

  The Wylders were spoiling him, and he loved every minute. While Heath’s and April’s own families might not be active in Kurt’s life, the Wylders made up for it every day. She’d missed them in the years she’d been with Heath, when she’d spent less time with them.

  That afternoon, long after Brant had gone home, and after a rousing game of cops and robbers, April had convinced Kurt to come into the house to get ready for supper. He’d had lunch in his playhouse, and she had a feeling he was going to spend more hours in there during the coming weeks than he would inside their home.

  The gift was perfect.

  Just like Brant.

  The man had been helping his mom in the kitchen, and now he paused in the middle of the living room as though deciding where to sit. The space was filled with family, love and happiness. Carly and Ryan were off to one side, gently arguing about something, Laura and Levi were snuggled up on the couch, and Karen and Myles were dancing to one of their grandfather Carmichael’s records. Rumor was that Maria had even had a bit of a romance last week during her short vacation at a beach town in South Carolina.

  She’d been quiet about it, and April felt for the woman, understanding how a whirlwind romance that seemed so full of adventure could leave such a painful aftermath. Before you knew it, you were tossed out with the dregs, the romance over. April had done that way too many times, and she wasn’t doing it again.

  New April coming through. She was going to take
her time with Brant. No roller coaster rides. Their relationship would be a quiet buildup. No mistakes. No hoopla.

  She had her son to think about if she and Brant got involved. Especially since Kurt was already calling him Daddy Brant.

  She toyed with the locket Brant had given her, thinking about her plan to gain more independence. Every moment with him strengthened the confirmation that he was the man she had been waiting for, and she was impatient to get her life together and be with him.

  She watched Brant, taking in the details of his build. He was broad shouldered and fit, his eyes soft and kind, that crazy Wylder blue. At the moment his brown hair was longer than his brothers' and it suited him. She knew he’d just been too busy to zip into the barber’s, but it lent him a devil-may-care look, out of character and yet somehow perfect. Despite all her mistakes, this man still thought she was amazing, and wanted nothing but the best for her.

  He was such a keeper, and it killed her knowing she’d missed seeing that in him for so many years. He’d been here. Right here.

  April patted the cushion beside her when Brant looked her way. His expression brightened with surprise, then he came and joined her on the love seat, his moves smooth and at ease. Nearby, Kurt played on the floor with his farm set from Carmichael. April allowed her thigh to touch Brant’s, enjoying the warmth and security of his presence.

  He cleared his throat. “Hey.”

  “Hey, stranger.” A burst of shyness overcame her. They’d almost kissed that afternoon in her yard, and she wished he would kiss her now, make them one of the loving couples in this room. But she knew it wasn’t their time yet, no matter how much she believed she saw the desire in his steady gaze. They needed to move slowly, be sure.

  Brant shifted on the love seat and she looked up as he gently grasped her chin, pulling her face toward him.

  She knew what was coming, and despite her wishes to wait, felt a swell of anticipation and happiness. He wanted this. She wanted this. Could anything be more perfect?