A Cowboy's Homecoming

by Leigh Riker

  Teddie wrinkled his nose. “I don’t like my food all mushed up together.”

  Kate sighed. He wouldn’t look at her. Beyond the silent treatment for her, Teddie was at the stage when he had definite opinions about everything.

  “Eat,” she said and slid into her own chair. “Meg?”

  Her aunt still stood on the kitchen’s threshold. Kate glanced at her with raised eyebrows. There was no reason to treat the ranch foreman this way—or was there?

  Gabe shot out of his seat to hold Meg’s chair.

  “Thank you,” she said and reached for the bowl of stew. She refused to look at him.

  “Welcome.” He frowned at Kate instead as he sat back down. “Pass me the bread?”

  She couldn’t miss the defeated tone of his voice, but Meg clearly tried to. For the rest of the meal, she kept her gaze on her plate or on Teddie, engaging him in silly conversation, her cheeks flushed but no longer from the steam in her shower. Was she uncomfortable around Gabe because she didn’t like him for some reason, or because she did but didn’t want to?

  Kate took another look. Meg had blow-dried her hair into a silky curtain of brown with gold highlights. She’d put on a dash of lipstick. Ah, so the sparks Kate had seen in Gabe whenever her aunt was nearby weren’t one-sided.

  Still, progress. Maybe Kate had been wrong, and Meg was farther along the road to making a new life for herself without Mac than Kate had imagined. There might as well be one of them who could put the past behind her.

  Kate managed to wait before speaking until after dinner when Gabe had gone with Teddie to the living room. He’d promised to show her son how to play a new video game, and although Teddie was too young, with his intelligence it wasn’t long before he’d mastered the game and beaten Gabe. Their roars of victory and protest made both women, who were washing dishes, smile.

  “He’s a good one, Meg.”

  Her shoulders stiffened again. “I adore Teddie, but be prepared. Before he’s in his teens, he’ll probably graduate from college.”

  “I meant Gabe Morgan.”

  Meg glanced over her shoulder. “You hardly know anything about him, Kate. He may have that smile, but he also has the devil in his eyes.” Her gaze widened. “I hope you aren’t trying to matchmake here. I’m too old for him.”

  “Nonsense. You’re still in your thirties, a young woman—”

  “—who feels like she’s a hundred years old. No way,” she muttered. “The last thing I need is another Peter Pan like Mac who never grew up. And he was gone so much I felt more like a widow than a wife.”

  Kate’s gaze fell.

  Meg had turned pale. “I’m sorry. You know I didn’t mean that about being a widow.”

  But the memories of loss had kicked in again. Kate’s mother, driving away—not a rancher’s wife after all—abandoning Kate and her dad. The two of them, holding each other up, the years softening the loss but never completely. Then Rob had taken the job with Noah and flown to New York—leaving her too. Forever. “I’m glad you’ve never known how that feels.”

  Meg hugged Kate close, and without words their near argument ended, replaced by regret. Still. Kate couldn’t put her aunt’s feelings out of her mind. She also knew Meg had sometimes felt abandoned by her parents years ago whenever they had to be away from home for work. Until she dealt with Mac, she would probably keep holding Gabe, or any other man, off despite an attraction she might feel.

  Which only made a newer memory pop into Kate’s mind. She shook her head to clear it of Noah.

  “I need to put Teddie to bed,” she said, because he was her life now.

  “Kate, I can tuck him in—”

  Obviously, Meg had hoped to avoid Gabe, but he was already coming back into the kitchen, Teddie perched on his shoulders. He set Teddie down, gave him another complicated high five, then headed straight for his coat on the hook beside the back door.

  “Thanks for dinner, ladies.”

  With Meg there, Kate resisted the urge to say Come again.

  “Have a good night, Gabe. Let’s hope the snow holds off.”

  She hadn’t asked him to dinner with any intention other than to feed him, but, considering Meg’s attitude, perhaps that hadn’t been the best idea she’d ever had.

  CHAPTER SIX

  IN THE WB’S OFFICE, Noah tossed his pen onto the desktop. He couldn’t seem to concentrate. Did Kate regret the tense words they’d said to each other before? He did, for sure. And yet...he’d been right. She’d needed help with Spencer, which he’d been happy to provide. He’d liked feeling useful again, rather than inept, around the ranch.

  But man, that drive to the vet clinic had been weird. Neither of them had spoken, Kate obviously fretting about Spencer’s welfare, her brow furrowed, her hands wringing in her lap. Noah’s grip had stayed tight on the wheel. After the diagnosis, she’d almost leaned against him in apparent relief before she thought better of that. On the way home, they’d repeated the same silent journey.

  A rap at the door brought his head up. “Yeah, come in.”

  Jed Wilkins, the WB’s foreman, stepped inside. “Got a minute?”

  Noah welcomed the interruption. While he’d been nursing his sprained ankle, he’d only seen the man or spoken to him a few times. “Sure. What’s up?”

  Noah should have added now. He had a dozen calls from his office in New York that he needed to return and another crisis brewing in London, plus something on the ranch always seemed to require constant attention. His shoulders felt so tight, he thought they might snap.

  “Weather report says that storm’s moving in.”

  Noah searched his memory banks for the routine his dad had always followed at such times. But wasn’t the ranch already prepared? Before he could speak, the foreman did.

  “I’ll handle it.” Wilkins was all darkness to Noah, hair and eyes, with a grim personality and voice to match. “Just wanted to let you know we might lose some cattle. Snow’s one thing, but the temperature’s been droppin’ since noon.” He propped both hands on his hips. “The boys will bring in as many of last spring’s calves as they can round up and some pregnant cows, but there may not be enough room in the barns. Told your brother we need another one.”

  Noah might not recall his ranching days with utter clarity, but as an executive, he often made quick decisions. “Let’s get some estimates, then.”

  The foreman shook his head. “I’ll wait till Zach gets back. Or Willow.”

  Her cruise would end tomorrow, but Noah, who’d been nominally in charge for a week, was here now.

  “Do we have a problem, Wilkins?”

  He looked puzzled. “Problem?”

  “If you already knew what has to be done, if you’re going to wait for my sister or brother to show up, why even tell me?” Unless he wanted to remind Noah of his temporary status, his creaky skills. On the range, Calvin Stern had displayed a similar, if milder, attitude.

  Wilkins shifted. “Zach claimed you’re running things, that’s why.”

  “But it seems people here believe I’m not.” Noah rose from his chair, putting him on a level with Wilkins. “I am, however, doing my best while he’s gone. So why don’t we agree to try to work together anyway? No sense making things more difficult than they are.”

  Wilkins stared at him. “I’m not the only one who thinks you should have stayed in the big city. Pardon me—pardon us—if we all have a hard time seeing you as one of the Bodines.”

  Noah returned the steely glare. “I am one of the Bodines.” Wilkins didn’t have to like that, either, but he could respect Noah’s place—or leave.

  “I owed you an update on the storm coming in. You got it.” Wilkins tipped his hat, then left the office. “Doesn’t mean the hands or I have to like this.”

  And now Noah knew for sure. The men didn’t respect him, just as Hadley had said.
They didn’t particularly want him here any more than Noah wanted to stay.

  He also knew, all over again, why he’d left. His father’s overbearing manner, his own need to lead a different life—for himself. He hadn’t forgotten that last quarrel or his dad’s final ultimatum. Leave now and you’re no son of mine. Noah was still trying to prove himself, if not to the family patriarch, then maybe to the rest of his family. Was that partly why he’d agreed to stay? Yet how could he manage the WB, even for this brief time, when every man on this spread seemed to not only disrespect him but ignore his authority? It was going to be a long few days waiting for Willow to get home.

  * * *

  “YOU MUST THINK I’m a terrible person.” Meg paced the living room again, not daring to look at Kate, who’d just taken her to task for her treatment of Gabe at dinner.

  On her next circuit of the room, Kate caught her forearm. “You’re not an awful person, but what has that man ever done to you?” She paused. “I wasn’t going to mention this, but I did happen to notice that your overreaction to Gabe might be due to an attraction that you’re trying to suppress?”

  Meg’s pulse skipped a beat. “Don’t be ridiculous. Gabe feeds horses, rides fence, herds cattle and the cowboys on this ranch—and that’s all he is, your employee. To me, he’s like...a piece of furniture.”

  “Hmm.”

  “That didn’t sound good, did it, and I don’t want to seem mean, but Teddie says you weren’t ‘very nice’ to Noah Bodine either.”

  “Teddie didn’t see us then. I’d sent him to the house. He’s only trying to get back at me for making him sit in his room.”

  “And because you took Spencer away from him?”

  “He said that? Not true,” Kate said. “That pony needs stall rest until his leg heals.”

  Meg pulled away from Kate’s grasp. She couldn’t help grinning. “Kind of like Noah?”

  Kate didn’t answer that reference to his sprained ankle before the landline phone rang on the end table. She grabbed it, then, seeing the screen, mouthed the words It’s Mac again.

  Meg took a step backward. Her eyes must have been as big as dinner plates.

  “No.” She shook her head. “I can’t.” The phone kept ringing. She hated to put Kate on the spot again, and she knew how awkward that must be for her, but Meg would rather talk to Gabe Morgan. “Tell him I’m already asleep.”

  “It’s only eight o’clock.”

  “Answer,” she said. “Then make any excuse you like. Please.”

  Kate rolled her eyes. She rarely denied Meg anything and finally accepted the call. “Hi, Mac.” A brief silence. “No, I’m sorry, but um, she’s not here.”

  Their conversation was mercifully brief, but after it ended, Kate looked furious.

  “Honestly, Meg. He sounds worse every time he calls. Mac must have a reason. I get the impression he regrets the divorce.”

  “Just as he ‘regretted’ every one of our arguments when we still had them until, finally, there was just silence left. We had no real marriage, Kate. By the end, I was a convenience, that’s all. He counted on me to ‘keep the home fires burning’ while he flew off to one country after another.” Mac was a commercial airline pilot. “His schedule varied all the time, and he rarely missed an opportunity to take another colleague’s slot. He loved flying more than he did me.” to her dismay, her voice had cracked. “He wasn’t even home when I lost the baby he claimed he’d wanted too. But did he, really? Kate, I was like—”

  “A piece of furniture?”

  Meg put her head in her hands. She wished she hadn’t mentioned her painful miscarriage. “Mac makes me crazy. We were never right for each other like you and Rob were.”

  “We had our issues too,” Kate reminded her.

  “Well. Mac and I don’t have them anymore, and I’m fine with that.”

  “Are you?” Looking disappointed in her, and sad herself, Kate set the phone back in its cradle. “I will not answer again for you. Whatever is or isn’t with you and Mac, is between the two of you—not with me in the middle. And here I thought I saw something new with Gabe.”

  “You didn’t.” She tried to change the subject. “And according to Teddie, who did see this part, you wore your ‘mad face’ with Noah. Are you sure that wasn’t out of all proportion to the event? Something to think about.”

  “All right, he and I did have words, but Teddie exaggerates. He has this fixation about visiting Noah, which I don’t understand. And I won’t have Noah override me as Teddie’s mother. Whatever decisions I make are not his concern. Besides, there’s no point. I have no interest in Noah. He was a friend once, but he’s not a friend now. I won’t mention Gabe again if you’ll stop bringing up Noah Bodine.”

  “I’ll try.” But Meg had to smile.

  Kate swatted her arm. “Try harder.” Then she couldn’t resist having the last word. “The next time Mac calls—and he will—you’d better answer. If you don’t, he told me he’ll be coming to see you.”

  * * *

  THE NEXT MORNING Kate glanced out the kitchen window and saw Noah Bodine’s truck—or rather, one of the WB’s pickups—rolling up the drive. Her talk with Meg had made her wonder. Had she been unfair to him? Still, even after she’d made a bargain with Meg, and for her own good, Kate should maintain her vow to keep him at a distance. What was he doing here now?

  Bandit was barking in the yard, and she went out the back door to silence him.

  “Hey, Kate.” Noah climbed down from the truck. “I’m not here to say goodbye, which you were probably hoping to hear. But I did want to tell you this—I can’t blame you for wanting to parent Teddie as you see fit. I wasn’t trying to step in your way. But I could sure identify with his take on things, punishing himself more than you ever could. I was the same way years ago, full of self-recrimination every time I tangled with my dad. I wasn’t criticizing you. I just understood Teddie’s emotions.”

  Kate hesitated. She had come on pretty strong yesterday. What harm could there be in apologizing now? That didn’t mean she had to scrap her promise to herself to avoid him. “Well. I may have overreacted about the pony.”

  The words, which might have sounded grudging, weren’t out of her mouth before Teddie banged out the kitchen door and down the steps. “Mr. Bodine, you should see Spencer! He feels so much better.”

  Noah glanced at Kate as if to challenge her. “I would like to see him. Lead the way.”

  Kate reluctantly followed, and in the barn the three of them stood at Spencer’s stall. The pony did look good. He’d stopped sulking by the rear window and was eating his grain.

  “He drank all his water too,” Teddie pointed out. “Maybe I can ride him now?”

  “Teddie, he has to stay right here until Dr. Crane checks him over.”

  “When will that be?”

  “Soon,” she said, being deliberately vague.

  “Can I go in his stall? Spencer wants me to brush him.”

  Remembering that her foreman had told her Teddie had already been inside, Kate looked at Noah. “I guess you may, as long as I’m nearby—or Gabe.”

  “Yay!” Teddie grabbed the nearest brush, then slid the door’s bolt back. As he groomed Spencer, interrupted by numerous pats on his neck and kisses on his nose, Kate and Noah stood there in the aisle until suddenly Teddie said, “Can I tell N—Mr. Bodine about my new book?”

  “Yes.” But Kate pitied him. “Prepare yourself, Noah.”

  For the next ten minutes, her son rattled off dozens of statistics about the planets, his newest interest. He knew all about Mars and Venus, their distance from the earth, their composition and how many moons there were. “Did you know we’ll have a man on Mars soon? Maybe I’ll be an astronaut and go there.”

  The figures swirled in Kate’s head, but Noah kept nodding, his gaze keen on Teddie.

  “You’re an a
stronomy fan too?” she asked.

  “Sure am. Takes one to know one.”

  Kate lowered her voice. “Teddie’s also into dragons, cars and airplanes. I can’t keep up with him sometimes.”

  “You have a very bright little boy there.”

  “We make a weekly trip to the library in Barren, but there are never enough books in the house to suit Teddie.”

  “That’s a good thing. He wants to learn.” Noah hesitated. “If you like, he can visit the library at the WB. Most of my books from childhood are still on those shelves.”

  “You were a ‘brain’ too?”

  “You probably won’t remember because we weren’t in school together, but yeah, not something that’s easy to live down with other kids. My folks eventually put me in a special gifted program. I got bored with public school. I think Dad hoped I’d learn so much that I’d get interested in ranching, too, then follow in his footsteps.”

  Teddie had stopped reciting numbers and facts. He lifted his head from Spencer’s side. “Mommy, doesn’t he look good?”

  “Beautiful,” Kate said with a smile.

  Teddie looked disgusted. “Spencer’s not beautiful. He’s a boy. He can’t make baby ponies but—”

  Noah caught her eye, and they both smiled. Kate said, “Too much information, Bunny. If you’re done here, let’s make lunch.”

  “Can N—Mr. Bodine eat with us?”

  Noah ruffled Teddie’s hair and saved Kate from having to answer. “Thanks for the invitation, but I have chores to do, short stuff. Better get back to them.” They walked out of the barn to his truck, where Noah bent down to Teddie’s level, then laid a hand on her son’s shoulder. “Mind your mother. I still do mine—or else.” He lingered another moment. “By the way, have you ever seen a meteor shower?” Teddie said he hadn’t. “You missed some earlier this month,” Noah told him, “but the Lyrids will streak past in April, and next summer the Perseids will be on display. Maybe your mom will let you stay up to watch them.” He gave Teddie the coming dates, then got into his truck.