by Helen Lacey
“I’ll go with you,” he said, jumping to his feet.
Tess shook her head instantly. “That’s not a good—”
“I want to help, Tess. It’s the least you can let me do.”
Of course he did. Typical Mitch. “I don’t suppose there’s any point in me refusing?”
“Nope.”
Tess stood and took a long breath. “I’ll just get my coat and bag.”
She was walking toward his truck a few minutes later, after sending Annie a brief text message saying she was heading out with Mitch for a while. Her sister responded with a surprised emoji, and while Tess wanted to send a snippy reply about Annie’s crush on her employer, she had enough troubles without involving herself in her sister’s drama.
“Are you warm enough?” Mitch asked once they were settled inside his Ranger.
She nodded. “Like toast.”
He started the ignition. “That’s a good idea.”
She looked sideways. “What is?”
“Breakfast.”
“I’ve already had breakfast.”
“I haven’t,” he said.
“Surely Mrs. B wouldn’t let you out of the house without feeding you first.”
She saw his grin. “I had an early meeting with Grady Parker. We’re both brand inspectors for the county.”
Tess knew Grady. He was a local rancher and probably Mitch’s number-one competitor when it came to horse breeding and training. Still, she knew the men were more allies than rivals.
“I don’t think breakfast is a good idea,” she said. “And I don’t think—”
“We need to talk,” he said. “We can either do it here, at the ranch or over a meal. I’d prefer to be civil about this, Tess.”
Civil? Right.
“Fine,” she said, looking straight ahead. “Whatever.”
The drive into town was tense, mostly because Tess was silently cursing him for being an arrogant know-it-all who believed he was entitled to get whatever he wanted simply because he had an insatiable need to be in command of everything and everyone around him. Even though she, perhaps more than anyone else, understood why he was who he was, it still made her crazy.
Once they reached Main Street, he spoke. “Where would you like to go? O’Sullivan’s?”
She nodded, and within minutes they were pulling into the parking area outside the hotel.
The restaurant was as busy as expected for a Saturday morning, but they got a table, and within minutes a waitress approached and took their order. Tess settled on tea and then decided she was hungry, so she ordered a short pancake stack, while Mitch ordered eggs and coffee.
“So, what do you want to talk about?” she asked calmly.
He eased back in the chair. “You’re not serious?”
“Perfectly.”
He was quiet for a moment, then spoke. “You look nice today. That color suits you.”
Tess glanced down at her blue woolen dress. Their drinks arrived and she spooned a little sugar into her tea. She looked at him, noticing how the tiny pulse in his cheek throbbed, and knew he was trying very hard to appear as though they were simply having a casual and no-pressure interaction. She wasn’t fooled. Mitch was smart and would have spent the last twenty-four hours trying to figure out a way to get her to do what he wanted.
Like get married again.
Which was never going to happen.
“What?” He frowned, as though he knew what she was thinking.
“Stop looking so innocent,” she replied. “I’m onto you, Culhane. You’re acting all civilized and charming...but I know you’re trying to figure a way to get what you want.”
His mouth twitched. “And what is it you think I want?”
“Your own way,” she replied, her expression humorless. “I know you, Mitch. You can take me to breakfast, tell me I look nice, ask me how I’m feeling...but I know you have an agenda. You think we should get married again.”
“Of course I do.”
“And I don’t,” she said, and sipped her tea. “We’re divorced. And the reasons we got divorced are still there.”
“And the baby?” he asked.
“We talked about this yesterday, Mitch,” she replied, feeling the tension rise in her belly. The last thing she wanted was a rehash of the previous day’s conversation. But they needed to clear the air. “I’ve never planned on denying you the chance to be a father to our child and you can see as much of the baby as you want. But that’s it. You and I are over...for good.”
* * *
Mitch watched his ex-wife as she spoke, his gaze focused on her mouth and the tightness in her jaw. Resentment and irritation churned in his gut. And something else. An awareness fueled by memory...by all they had once been to one another...and then all they had lost.
He eased back in his seat. “You know that a good lawyer would get me fifty-fifty custody, right?”
Her shoulders tensed. “Is that your plan? To get a lawyer.”
“No,” he replied stiffly, thinking that perhaps he should have a discreet conversation with his neighbor, Tyler Madden, who was a lawyer and had a practice in town. “But I have as much invested here as you do, Tess. The child inside you is as much mine as yours. And has a right to my name and the legacy that is his or hers by birthright.”
“Our child will have it, I promise,” she said quietly. “We don’t have to live together or be married to successfully co-parent, Mitch.”
“You know a lot about parenting then?”
It was a sharp-edged dig, but he was annoyed and couldn’t help it. He saw her expression turn into a scowl. But she had no real idea what she was asking of him—to simply sit on the sidelines and take whatever crumbs she allowed.
“I’ll learn,” she replied stiffly. “Like you had to when you gained custody of your siblings.”
It was a fair call. And a good comeback. She certainly had added gumption to her game since they’d broken up. The Tess he once knew—the Tess he’d once loved—she was a lot more easygoing and they never fought or spoke to one another in anger—until the end of their marriage. He didn’t like how arrogant and entitled that made him feel. But the truth was that over the years Mitch had gotten used to things going his own way. And until Tess had moved out and divorced him, he’d managed to steer his own ship with little resistance from his brothers and sister, or anyone else. The way Billie-Jack had bailed on them and then signed over custody had taught Mitch that he needed to stand firm in what he wanted, even if he acted like some kind of self-important ass in the process. Family came first. And his child—the one growing in Tess’s belly—had the right to everything he could give him or her.
“What did you think I would do, Tess?” he asked. “Sit back and let you make all the rules?”
“I had hoped you’d be reasonable and fair.”
“Do you think it’s unreasonable that I want to raise my child on the ranch that is his or her legacy?”
“Our child,” she said pointedly. “And no, of course not. But we have to share the parenting, Mitch. On equal terms. Not your way. Not my way. But our way.”
“That might be difficult since you’re the one with all the rules.”
She sat back abruptly in her seat and stared at him for a moment before her expression softened. “I suppose it seems that way.”
“Seems?” he queried.
She expelled a heavy breath. “Okay, so perhaps you’re not the only one with control issues. I’ll stop being so bossy, but I need you to stop doing something, too.”
“And what’s that?”
She looked directly at him. “You have to stop insisting we can have some kind of happily-ever-after. Because frankly, neither of us want that, right?”
“We loved each other once,” he reminded her, looking for some indication that she remembered all th
ey had been to each other. Talking about old feelings stirred up something he’d tried valiantly to put out of his thoughts years ago. “I thought that might have been enough for you to give us another chance.”
She stared at him. “It’s not.”
He winced inwardly. “Do you hate me that much?”
She took a breath. “I don’t hate you. I hated what we became.”
He understood. They’d said a lot of harsh things to one another. Things they couldn’t take back. Still, Mitch wasn’t going to be swayed. Their child deserved better.
“We can’t raise our child apart, Tess,” he said. “He needs us both...full-time.”
She shook her head. “There’s no other way.”
“There is,” he said, and sighed impatiently, thinking he needed to try another angle. “If you don’t want to get married again, fair enough. But at least move back to the ranch so we can both be there for our child.”
“You’re not listening,” she said, her voice a whisper. “I’m not interested in a reconciliation, Mitch.”
“I’m not talking about us,” he said, and then waited a moment once their food was served and the waitress disappeared. “I’m talking about our baby. He or she needs two parents...living together, as a family.”
She inhaled, her nostrils flaring. “Say I do move back to the ranch. What then?” she asked. “What do you imagine that looks like? Separate rooms? Separate lives? How does that make our child feel safe and secure? Kids need stability and security and the knowledge that their parents will always be there for them. That doesn’t include witnessing a loveless relationship year in and year out. And what happens if one or both of us fall in love with other people? How confusing will that be? I’m not going to do that to my child. Apart is best...it’s the only way.”
Separate lives? Other people? Loveless relationship? The resolution in her voice twisted behind his ribs like a hot knife. Mitch stared at her, looking for the woman he had once loved and who had once loved him. All he saw was cool determination and an unwillingness to meet him even an inch of the way. She was stubborn and completely unreasonable. She had him exactly where she wanted him...and they both knew it.
“Okay,” Mitch said easily, outwardly conceding defeat because he knew from the way she was chewing on her lower lip that there was no point in trying to cajole her or insist she change her mind over breakfast. It would take time. The baby was still months away. He had that advantage, at least, he thought as he pushed his food around on the plate. “Eat up, and we’ll go and check out the real estate listings.”
Her suspicious look increased tenfold and he watched as she stabbed at her pancakes and muttered something under her breath.
“What was that?” he asked, smiling to himself.
She glared at him. “You’re such a jerk.”
Mitch grinned. “Because I want to spend time with you?”
“That’s not what you want.”
“Sure it is,” he said. “Despite how complicated things seem, Tess, the reality is quite simple...we’re having a baby. And I’m really happy for us both.”
Her eyes glistened and he knew she fought an internal battle with feelings just as he did.
“I’m glad you’re happy about the baby, Mitch,” she said. “I’m happy, too. All you need to do now is learn to stop telling me what to do.”
He chuckled. “I’ll do my best. Although, you’re a little headstrong yourself, so it goes both ways.”
“I’ll try,” she said and pushed her plate away. “I’m finished. Can we go?”
“Sure,” he replied, and got to his feet. He moved around the table and took her hand to help her out of the booth. A familiar and crazy electric current shot up his arm like wildfire. She felt it, too, he was sure, because her head jerked up and she immediately met his gaze. It was still there, still between them. Alchemy. Chemistry. Attraction. The very thing that had brought them together in the first place was as real and as intense as it had ever been. It was what had driven them into each other’s arms that afternoon in Sioux Falls...and what had led to them falling in love so many years ago.
She pulled away and grabbed her bag, wasting no time as she walked from the table. Mitch paid the check and met her at the door. The hotel was busy and the foyer bustling with guests and staff. Mitch spotted the owner, Liam O’Sullivan, by the concierge desk and offered a mild acknowledgment. He’d never liked the O’Sullivans much. They were the wealthiest family in town and owned most of the commercial real estate. But he had to admit that Liam had turned the hotel into one of the best around, and it was certainly good for the local economy.
Mitch caught up with Tess by the door. “Shall we walk to the Realtor’s office?” he asked, and then glanced down at her belly. She looked tired, he thought, and suspected she hadn’t slept much the night before. Like he hadn’t. “It’s only one block, but we can drive if walking is too much for you.”
“I’m not an invalid,” she said tightly. “And stop making the rules. You promised, remember?”
Mitch exhaled. “Don’t confuse concern with control, Tess.”
“Sometimes with you it’s hard to know the difference.”
It was another direct dig—another go at how little she thought of him. But he ignored it, because getting worked up about Tess’s lack of faith in him or them made him hurt all over.
“Walk or drive?” he asked casually.
“Drive,” she replied, and headed for his truck.
Exasperated, Mitch followed and opened the door once he reached the vehicle. “Not everything has to be an argument, Tess.”
She met his gaze. “I know. And I don’t want to go around and around the same old discussion.”
“Okay,” he said, way more agreeably than he felt. “How about we park the idea about you moving back to the ranch for the moment?”
“Good plan.”
His mouth twitched. “You said you wanted to check out real estate listings.”
They got into the truck without another word, and she didn’t speak until he’d pulled up outside the real estate office. He scored a parking space and turned off the ignition.
“You don’t need to come inside,” she said as she unclipped her seat belt.
Mitch was out the door before she could make another protest. He moved around the truck and opened the passenger side.
“Let’s go,” he said, and ushered her forward.
“I guess there’s no point in insisting you stay here, right?”
He shrugged. “Not really.”
She shook her head and walked toward the office. The bell above the door dinged as they crossed the threshold, and a woman moved around the counter. A woman they both knew. Leola Jurgens. Real estate agent. And gossip connoisseur. Mitch was well acquainted with the fortysomething woman, as he’d schooled two of her daughter’s horses, and he knew she would recognize Tess immediately, since his ex-wife had had taught both girls at the local school.
“Well, this certainly is a morning for surprises,” Leola said with a grin, and Mitch saw Tess wince. “I never thought I’d see you two back together. And a baby on the way, too,” she added dramatically. She grasped Tess’s hand, clearly putting the obvious together and making her own assumptions. “Such lovely news.”
“Hello, Mrs. Jurgens,” Tess said politely, and removed her hand. “I was wondering if I could—”
“Oh, call me Leola,” she insisted. “Now, what can I do for you?”
Mitch listened as Tess explained about needing a house to lease, and he felt a swift unease creep up his neck. He knew Leola Jurgens would be curious, like anyone in town who knew them. People would talk, it was inevitable. Tess was back and she was having his baby, but they wouldn’t be living together...at least that’s what his ex-wife wanted. It would be enough to get the rumor mills churning. Mitch hated gossip. When Billie-Jack
had bailed, Mitch had endured endless comments from acquaintances and friends...all telling him that he was crazy to want custody of his younger siblings. Most people thought he should look after himself and allow the youngest kids to go and live with his aunt, Sandra, and farm the older ones out to social services. So he could have his own life, they’d said. So he wouldn’t have the worry or the responsibility, they’d said. The talk and unwanted advice had fueled his decision to keep his family together. It had been so hard at first. The younger ones didn’t understand what had happened. Jake had internalized his rage toward Billie-Jack. Hank was fighting for his life in the hospital after the car accident that had been their father’s catalyst for leaving, while Mitch was commuting back and forth to Rapid City to maintain a vigil beside his brother’s hospital bed.
Sometimes he wondered how they all pulled through those first six months. But Mrs. Bailey had helped, and his aunt Sandra and her husband, Ivan. What was left of the Culhanes had closed ranks and they became a strong and united front, and stronger for all the grief and betrayal they had endured. He missed Sandra and the tragedy of losing both her and David’s wife, Jayne, was still a raw wound for the whole family.
Lost in memories for a moment, Mitch listened vaguely as Leola prattled on about a few homes she had for rent and offered to show them a couple of places.
“You can come in my car,” Leola offered, “or follow in your own.”
“Are you okay?” she asked and touched his arm.
Mitch glanced to where her hand lay against his jacket and swallowed hard. “We’ll follow,” he said.
Leola nodded and minutes later she locked up the office and they walked outside. Once he was back in the truck with Tess, he buckled up and waited while she fiddled with the seat beat. The belt flipped out of her hand and she cursed softly, which made him chuckle. Tess was never one for profanity. Mitch reached across and grabbed the seat belt, drawing it gently across her abdomen, and his palm grazed her belly. She winced and he went to snatch his hand away, but suddenly she rested her own hand over his, holding him steady against her stomach.