A Cowboy's Homecoming

by Leigh Riker

  “You’re doing all right, Calvin. I appreciate it.”

  Most of all, he liked the fact that this new foreman—Noah’s foreman, his mom had dubbed Calvin—didn’t try to undercut him. As Calvin turned back toward the tack room, Noah said, “Second thought, think I’ll ride with you.”

  “Sure, Boss.”

  Noah went down the aisle to choose a horse from the WB string. His sister’s mare, Silver, seemed the wisest choice.

  As he and Calvin rode on loose reins across the frozen ground, bridles jingling, they discussed plans for the rest of the winter. Noah wouldn’t be here that long, but Calvin had good ideas about the WB.

  They were loping near the property line and that gate when Noah spied Kate and Teddie riding toward them from the opposite side. She drew up, but Teddie kept coming.

  “We’re cowboys,” he said. “Are you looking, like us, for strays?”

  “No, our gate needs attention.”

  Kate hung back. “Don’t bother these men, Teddie, they have work to do.”

  Instead, he nudged his pony closer to the fence between them and kept talking to Calvin.

  Noah reined in Silver. “Kate, I’m holding to our bargain. You can’t even say good morning?”

  She briefly pressed her lips tight. “I have more to say than that.”

  Noah gazed at her for a long moment. Waiting her out. He could see her struggle to find the right words and wouldn’t blame himself for letting her. The fence thing, like her accusation about Teddie and the gifted program, had hurt yet was only a sign of a broader issue.

  “I, um, went to the WB yesterday, not to see Jean, although we had a nice talk, but to apologize. To you.”

  Teddie and Calvin had met at the downed gate and were examining it with great care. Kate glanced at them as if to reassure herself that Teddie was okay. Then the words rushed out. “I spoke harshly. I didn’t mean to. That isn’t like me, or wasn’t until recently, and you said you understood, but before you fly off to New York again, which must be imminent, I do need to say I’m sorry. Very sorry. Teddie’s well-being is important to me, but I didn’t mean to imply that you were trying to...take him from me.”

  Noah didn’t respond to the imminent part.

  “You didn’t imply. You said it straight out. Does this apology mean I have permission—until I leave, that is—to cross your boundary?” He didn’t simply mean the fence.

  “I didn’t say that. I’m just grateful you realize the position I’m in with Teddie. And why.” She refrained from saying, You must since you’re partly to blame.

  “But, Kate, if it makes him happy to talk with me now and then—to laugh when he’s been grieving for so long, as you pointed out—I’m all for it.”

  He waited again, still angry, hoping for her agreement even when that might not be in his own best interest.

  “He’s happier, yes. As long as you don’t put other ideas in his head,” she finally said.

  “What ideas?”

  “You talked about New York—your environment—which is far from my favorite place in this world, just as the WB is for you, but as you’re already aware, Teddie’s mind is a sponge. His interests change every day. He wants to know everything. I won’t have you spinning dreams for his future that don’t include Sweetheart Ranch.”

  Noah shifted his reins from left to right hand. The gifted program was one thing, but how could she narrow her boy’s entire world like that? And not feel guilty if he wanted something more? As Noah’s father had tried to do with him? Noah had chafed under his relentless domination at the WB, had dreamed of other places, another life far from Kansas, until he’d had no other choice but to go seek it—and lose his father. Obviously, he hadn’t made his point about Teddie the other day.

  “Then, Kate, you might as well know. Yes, I would have been gone by now or on my way if it wasn’t for Willow. She’s doing a bit more traveling before she and Cody come back.” He explained about their side trip to Savannah. “So I’ll be here awhile longer after all. Maybe we can agree to let Teddie be the one to choose whatever interaction he’d like with me, let that happen organically and not worry about it. Maybe you could try to trust that I won’t hurt him.” As for Kate herself: “Maybe you and I could also connect somehow. Your choice there too.”

  When he’d first arrived in Kansas, Noah had wondered what to feel about Kate—if he had any right to feel anything at all. But that hadn’t been the question to ask. Had he ever stopped wishing he hadn’t lost her to his best friend? That answer was no.

  Noah guessed he’d take whatever he could get from Kate. For the time he had.

  She said, “You mean like...a truce?”

  Forgiveness would be even better. “If that’s what you want to call it.”

  She thought for a moment, then walked her horse closer and reached over the fence to shake Noah’s hand. Teddie and Calvin were riding back toward them, Spencer’s chunky legs working to keep up with the bigger gelding in the snow.

  “Truce,” she finally said.

  Noah didn’t believe for a second that meant anything beyond his few chats with Teddie whenever their paths happened to cross or not arguing with Kate. It sure didn’t include Noah’s stubborn feelings for her. On her part, she would never stop blaming him for Rob’s death.

  Noah wouldn’t dare tell her how he felt.

  * * *

  SHE’D DONE IT. Clumsily, yet she’d apologized to Noah, which was becoming a habit.

  “I’m proud of you,” Meg told her as they prepared dinner that night. Teddie was upstairs playing a game on Kate’s iPad, which he used more than she did. “I think it’ll be good for Teddie to have Noah in his life.”

  “Temporarily,” Kate said. On the way home, she had told him Noah was coming tomorrow to check on the WB’s mare and Lancelot. Teddie had been super excited all afternoon. But what, exactly, had Noah meant about connecting with her too?

  Although she couldn’t deny her awareness of Noah—who was definitely attractive, as her friends had pointed out—that only made her feel disloyal. She’d had love—imperfect, tragic, as it turned out to be—then lost. And why assume he might be romantically interested in her?

  Kate took silverware from a drawer, then set places at the table. She rooted around in another drawer for clean napkins. From upstairs, she could hear Teddie in his room. He’d finished his game, and Kate heard the thumping sound of his hobby horse being ridden.

  What a pair she and Meg made. Mac hadn’t called in the past few nights, and she’d seen Meg glance at the silent phone. She’d checked her messages just as often. Last night, while Kate was at the Girls Night Out meeting, she’d probably done so more frequently. Yet, even though she’d looked into the process of changing her name, Meg had still done nothing more about that. And she wasn’t any more receptive to Kate’s foreman—single, handsome—than she’d been before.

  At which moment, Gabe himself rapped softly at the kitchen door, then stepped inside.

  “Got a sec, Kate?”

  “Of course,” she said. Meg had turned to the stove and was stirring the vegetables with fast flicks of her wrist.

  Gabe looked troubled. “I don’t like how the foal looks tonight. Can you come see?”

  Kate quickly shrugged into her parka. When she turned, she caught Gabe staring at Meg’s back with a somber, intense expression, the look that told Kate he had a crush on her aunt. Kate said, “We may need to call the vet.”

  She hoped that wasn’t the case. She’d have to phone Noah, then, too.

  She opened the back door, then stepped outside into the chill night air but realized Gabe hadn’t followed. He was still standing there, looking at Meg, whose spine was rigid. Her nape had turned an interesting shade of pink.

  “Meg?” he said.

  She didn’t reply.

  “Sorry to postpone your dinne
r.”

  He received her silence for an answer.

  Finally, he spun on his boot heel, then stalked out onto the porch.

  “I don’t know why she was that rude,” Kate said to ease the hurt she saw in his eyes as they crossed the yard, although she did know. Meg’s silence was a reaction in itself.

  “I do,” was all Gabe said.

  * * *

  WHAT HAD HE meant earlier by “connect” with Kate? Noah silently scolded himself all through dinner until his mother finally put down her fork.

  “I’m tired of that scowl, Noah. What is troubling you now tonight?”

  “I’d rather not say.” He wasn’t about to admit how he still felt regarding Kate. Jean would never let him forget that. She’d get all sorts of ideas.

  “Is it Margot?” Now it was Jean who frowned. “She called today, several times. Each time she sounded more irritated but wouldn’t leave a message with me. Did you two have a quarrel?” Her voice had lifted at the end.

  “Is that what you hope I’ll say?”

  She made a zipping motion across her lips, then picked up her fork. “I think this chicken was a bit too old, don’t you?”

  “It’s okay. A little tough.”

  “I wonder if Wilkins didn’t kill an old rooster on his way out the door.”

  They briefly talked about the foreman’s replacement. Noah said he was pleased with Calvin, and Jean agreed that he’d turned into a nice young man, in spite of his previous trouble with the law.

  Noah finally ran out of things to talk about. “All right. If you must know, I had a discussion with Kate today. She’s agreed to let her boy socialize a bit. She and I forged a tentative truce.”

  “About Rob?”

  “Never that.” He rolled his eyes. “Her mind’s made up about me on that score. I can’t change it.”

  “If you could—if you tried hard enough—maybe something better would come—”

  “Mom, leave it alone, okay?” Noah cut into another piece of stringy chicken. And nearly choked on it. He took a swig of his beer. “You can hold on to that old dream for as long as you want.” Apparently, so could he. “I’m just glad she’s talking to me now. And that Teddie can too. I worry about him. Kate has him locked down on that ranch like some prisoner. Why won’t she loosen those reins a little?”

  “She’s afraid. For Teddie, for herself. Her mom left that ranch, remember, when Kate was scarcely older than her boy is now, then she lost her father—a decent man who’d raised her, loved her with all his heart—in that horrible tractor accident. I believe Rob’s death affected her even more than it has Teddie. It will take time for her to heal enough to spread her wings.”

  “If she ever does.”

  His mom’s gaze sharpened. “Your interest, even now, isn’t only in Teddie’s freedom.”

  “But that lockdown hurts him. If I can show Teddie something of the world, however small, feed his need for adventure, I think I should.” No matter what Kate said. He’d have to be subtle but...

  Jean looked thoughtful. “Your father and I saw that same need in you. I probably sensed your wanderlust, that desire for bigger things, long before you decided to leave the WB to Zach.” She pushed her plate aside. “Sometimes I wish we hadn’t put you in that program, even when it was necessary for you to blossom. We may well have lost you then.”

  “Aw, Mom.” Noah reached for her hand. “You’ll never lose me.”

  Jean blinked, but she didn’t get to speak before Noah’s cell rang. He pulled it from his pocket to check the screen. It was Kate. The brief call ruined the rest of his appetite. Noah pushed back his chair and stood. “The foal’s in trouble.” As he said the words, his phone rang again. “Margot,” he said. “I better take this before I go.”

  Answering the call, he walked into the living room to get his jacket. “Hey. Mom said you phoned earlier.”

  “While you were doing your rancher thing.”

  “Yeah, I was.” He suppressed a thought of Kate. Wondering about their connection, such as it was, he hadn’t been fair to Margot. Their two-year relationship had moved into a more serious phase on her side, which he’d been trying to evade for too long. And he could hardly deny his feelings for Kate, which he’d recently acknowledged. But now wasn’t time for the talk he needed to have with Margot.

  She was speaking, but he’d missed part of what she’d said. “So—” she drew out the word “—I was here in dreary, rainy Manhattan this morning, thinking of you...”

  He braced himself. “I’m sorry, Margot. I know I’ve been in Kansas longer than I should, and wait for it—there’s more bad news. Willow and Cody are staying back east to see the sights in Savannah.”

  “Which means you’re stuck there.” She didn’t sound as irritated as he’d expected.

  “They have to come home soon. Their new house is being built, and their training business will ramp up in the spring. I shouldn’t be here more than a couple of extra days—”

  “Which makes me glad I decided to surprise you.”

  Noah blinked. “What?”

  He heard a soft laugh. “I’m not in rainy New York, baby.” Noah suppressed a flash of irritation at her habit of calling him that. “I hopped on a plane, and tonight I’m in Kansas.”

  “Kansas?” As if he’d never heard the word before. Noah was only half listening. He needed to get to Sweetheart Ranch. His mind was on the colt.

  Margot’s clearly wasn’t. “As you said, it’s freezing here, and in fact I’m on the porch right now. Please open the door.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  KATE AND GABE MORGAN were in the stall with the sick foal when Noah arrived.

  “I’m sorry to bring you out so late,” she said with a glance at his worried face. “We have a call in to the vet, and he’s on his way.”

  “What happened?”

  Gabe explained, “I was doing a last stall check tonight when I noticed this guy was down—and not responding. Normally, he’s at the door now when I make my evening rounds. I alerted Kate right away.”

  “We were hoping he was just slow to wake up,” she said, fighting an urge to wring her hands, “but he’s weak and has gotten weaker in the past few hours.”

  “I wish you had called me then.”

  “I’m sorry, Noah. I should have done that immediately.”

  He knew as well as she did, even considering his long absence from ranch life, that a newborn could go downhill very quickly and not survive. He probably also knew she’d hesitated to call him.

  “Where’s the mare?”

  “In another stall and not particularly worried about her colt. Sad to say, that hasn’t improved much, and my mare has been nursing him part of the time. Tonight, he isn’t interested in her either. I can’t say when he had milk last.”

  Noah hunkered down in the stall bedding and ran his hands over the foal. “I’d hoped we were out of the woods. Appears not. He feels way too warm.”

  “His fever has spiked since the first time we checked. That’s when I called Doc Crane.”

  As she said that, a door slammed outside, and the man whom many people in town called Young Doctor Crane walked in. Boyish-looking indeed, he joined Noah in the stall. Kate and Gabe hovered in the aisle.

  Doc Crane, whose dark hair had a serious cowlick, checked the colt’s vital signs and took his temperature again. There was nothing boyish about his manner or the expression in his dark eyes, which were sharp and focused as he reported the figure on the thermometer.

  “That’s even higher than it has been,” Kate murmured, more worried by the second.

  “As you probably know, there are a number of health problems that concern us with these newborns.” The doc straightened. “It’s unfortunate that our boy here probably didn’t get enough colostrum from his mama early on. I know you all tried to remedy that, and w
hen I first saw him, he checked out healthy, but those antibodies are critical.”

  He made a more thorough examination of the colt, then looked at Kate. “You say he hasn’t nursed in a while? He’s pretty lethargic, doesn’t have much interest in us—” He bent to look in Lancelot’s mouth. “Ah. See this? His gums are spotted with little broken blood vessels. My best bet is we’re looking at neonatal sepsis.”

  Kate groaned. “The most common cause of illness and death in foals, right? Sweetheart lost one last year.”

  “Well, let’s not lose another.” Doc rose from his crouch. “We’ll need some blood work to confirm a diagnosis.”

  But the lab results would take time, and Kate wrung her hands. She couldn’t think what else to do and avoided Noah’s eyes until Doc Crane had drawn a sample, treated the colt as best he could without the lab report, given them instructions for supportive care in the meantime, then left to answer another call.

  “I can sit up with Lancelot,” Gabe offered.

  Kate refused. “No, you go on—get some rest. I wouldn’t sleep anyway.”

  She wasn’t prepared for what Noah said next.

  “I’m staying too.” He stroked the colt’s side. “Last thing I need, considering my prodigal son status, is to feel responsible for him dy...” He trailed off.

  Quiet had descended over the now-chilly barn. Gabe went to the bunkhouse, then came back with blankets and water bottles. He arranged hay bales for them to sit on in the aisle outside the stall. “All set now?”

  “All set,” Kate agreed. “Thanks, Gabe.”

  “Call me if anything else happens.”

  “I will,” she promised and, a moment later, was alone with Noah.

  At least before the colt took ill, she’d been able to apologize for the other day. Sharing the night with Noah would be awkward enough without that between them.