by Judy Duarte
By the time Matt and Emily reached the first peak on the track and began their descent, they raised their hands in the air. Matt, who must have taught Emily the fine art of roller coaster riding, laughed. And Emily squealed in both fear and delight.
Miranda placed her hand on her baby bump and reminded herself not to lose her head and let her emotions run away with her. No matter how she’d felt about Matt in the past, the young cowboy she’d once loved was long gone. And even if his lovemaking had been honed and was far better than she remembered, the kiss they’d shared the other night didn’t mean a thing and would have to remain a sweet memory. She’d have to be content knowing that her happy daughter not only looked up to her father, but she adored him, too. And Matt appeared to feel the same way about her. Only a fool would ask for any more than that.
When the roller coaster ride came to an end, Matt gave Emily a high five before climbing out of the car. As they approached Miranda and George, Matt’s limp seemed a little more pronounced, but he wore a brighter smile.
Again, Miranda had to remind herself that she’d be foolish to dream of having any more than she already had—a happy child, a renewed friendship with the man she’d once loved, a man who was proving to be a good father.
But when Matt’s gazed locked on hers, and her heart spun out of control, she feared that she was more foolish than she’d ever thought possible.
* * *
For nearly two hours, Emily led Matt from one carnival ride to another, while George and Miranda tagged along behind them, and the exuberant child didn’t slow down until Matt insisted that it was time to take a break and get something to eat.
“That’s a good idea.” Miranda wanted to get off her feet, too. She should have worn different shoes because the new flats she’d chosen had rubbed her right heel raw. She’d have to look to be sure, but she suspected she’d find a blister.
“I’ll tell ya what.” George reached into his back pocket and pulled out his beat-up wallet. “If you’ll take a seat at this table, I’ll spring for lunch. Any one up for chili dogs? They can be a little messy, but they sure are good.”
“I don’t like chilies or cheese,” Emily said. “I only want ketchup on mine.”
Miranda and Matt both opted for regular hot dogs.
“All right-y,” George said. “I’ll have ’em pack up those dogs and all the fixin’s, then I’ll bring them back to you.”
“Thanks. That’d be great.” Matt took a seat, stretched out his bad leg and used his fingers to stroke his knee through the metal hinges on his brace.
“After we eat a good lunch, can we have cotton candy for dessert?” Emily asked.
Matt glanced at his cell phone. “We’d better wait to have dessert until after the auction. It’s almost noon, and we’ll need to head back to the barn pretty soon.”
Forty-five minutes later, after they left Emily at the barn, they headed to the grandstand and took their seats, with Miranda in the middle.
“You’ve been a real trouper today,” Miranda told Matt. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay.” He glanced at her lap, where her hands had clasped around her belly, then looked up and caught her gaze. “How about you?”
Rather than respond to the quiet implication that pregnancy might be slowing her down, she skated over it by removing her right shoe and wiggling her toes. “Other than a blister on my heel, I’m holding up just fine.” She nodded at his bad leg. “I’m more concerned about you. I hope you haven’t set yourself back.”
“You and me both. But I didn’t have the heart to disappoint Emily when she was having so much fun.”
“I know what you mean. Her enthusiasm can be a little annoying sometimes, but I actually admire it.” Miranda admired Matt, too. He was turning out to be a good father, one Emily could look up to. A man she could be proud of.
Matt cocked his head slightly and eyed her face.
“What’s the matter?” she asked.
He reached out and placed his index finger at the side of her mouth, stroking her skin and sparking a heated tingle that rushed down her throat and to her chest.
Her breath caught. She would have asked what he was doing, but she was so stunned by his touch that she couldn’t form a single word.
“You’ve got a little mustard there,” he said. “But I got it.”
She opened her mouth to thank him for caring enough to save her the embarrassment of walking around the fairgrounds with the remnant of her lunch on her face. But what if she stuttered and stammered? What if he realized his touch still had a blood-stirring effect on her?
She cleared her throat, shaking one single word free. “Thanks.”
Matt merely nodded, then pointed to the arena and the parade of children and their lambs now entering.
George was the first to spot Emily and Bob. “Will you look at that? She’s doing great. She’s leaving plenty of room between Bob and the other lambs. And she’s making sure his legs are set and that his head is up and alert.”
“And she’s keeping her eyes on the judge,” Miranda added. “Just like she’s supposed to.”
“She’s a born showman,” Matt said.
Miranda pulled out her cell phone and began snapping pictures.
“Looks like you’re having a proud mama moment,” George said.
Miranda laughed. “You’ve got that right.”
They craned their necks as they watched Emily show her lamb, going through the drills she’d practiced daily since Bob’s arrival on the Double G.
After the judge handed Emily a red ribbon, she dropped to her knees in front of her lamb, cupped his face with her hands and pressed a kiss on his snout. Then she gave him a hug.
“Looks like she’s having a proud mama moment, too,” Matt said.
“Maybe so.” George sat back in his seat and gripped the armrests. “But I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
“Neither do I,” Miranda said. “But so far, she seems to be okay with it. I guess we’ll have to wait and see how she does after the auction.”
They didn’t have to wait long. Ten minutes later, Bob was on the block. As the bids increased, Emily appeared delighted. And when he sold for nearly fifteen-hundred dollars, she lifted her hands to clap, then slapped them back at her sides as if remembering to curb her enthusiasm and to be a good sport.
“Her attitude blows me away,” Matt said. “That girl definitely has ranching in her blood.”
After the young handlers turned over their lambs to the ring steward, Emily scanned the grandstand until she spotted where her family sat. Then she hurried toward the fence.
Even though she lowered her voice, she couldn’t hide her excitement. “Bob did it,” she whispered. “He won a lot of money. Now I can buy another lamb. And I can give some money to Dr. Rick for his pet rescue, too.”
Miranda looked at Matt, who shrugged as if he didn’t know what to say.
When Emily started to turn back toward the ring, where the stewards were herding the lambs through a gate, she stopped in her tracks and glanced over her shoulder at Miranda, Matt and George. “Hey! Where are they taking Bob and those other lambs?”
“The man who just bought them is...” Miranda hated to remind her that they’d be taken to a slaughterhouse—eventually. “He’s taking the lambs that he purchased.”
“What?” Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. “He bought Bob?”
“Yes, in the auction.”
“But Bob is my lamb. I want to take him home.”
“I’m afraid you can’t do that. I thought that you understood what was going to happen at the auction. Weren’t you listening when they explained...?” Miranda paused, unable to complete the sentence, especially when it was now obvious the child hadn’t paid attention.
“When you agreed to auction Bob, it meant you agreed to sell hi
m. It meant that he’d...” Matt paused.
Miranda picked up where he left off, hoping to soften the blow. “That he’d have to go to someone else’s ranch.”
Emily’s lip quivered, and tears welled in her eyes. “But I thought auctioned meant that they were going to give me money as a prize for taking such good care of him and for teaching him to obey and be good. What’s that man going to do with him? Keep him? Put him in a pen with a bunch of other sheep he doesn’t even know?”
Miranda didn’t have the heart to reveal Bob’s fate, and she looked at Matt, hoping he’d find the words once more.
But Matt only gazed at their daughter, who was now sobbing hard enough for her tears to fill a water trough. And if the sympathy Miranda read in his expression was a clue, it appeared that he might fall apart, too.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, as he got to his feet.
“Where are you going?” Miranda asked.
“To make a deal with the guy who bought her lamb. I might have to offer him more money than he spent, but I’m not going to turn my back on family. And apparently, Bob is now part of mine.”
Miranda’s heart soared, and her plan to keep Matt at an emotionally safe distance failed. Because she’d just fallen hopelessly in love with him all over again.
* * *
That evening, after driving everyone home and putting Emily’s beloved pet back in his pen, Matt suggested they go to Mario’s Pizzeria to celebrate Bob’s return to the fold.
“That sounds good to me,” Miranda said. “This has been the kind of day I’d love to celebrate.”
Love? She cringed inwardly at the slip up. She hadn’t meant to use the L word when talking to Matt, even though she’d meant dealing with her child’s meltdown and walking all over the fairground until she ended up with a good-sized blister on one heel and a small one on the other.
George slowly shook his balding head. “You guys go on ahead without me. Those two chili-cheese dogs I wolfed down at the fair gave me indigestion.”
“We can bring something home for you,” Matt said. “You might feel better later and want to eat then.”
“Don’t bother.” George tapped his fist against his upper chest a couple of times. “The last thing I want to eat tonight is something loaded down with pepperoni, sausage and spicy Italian tomato sauce.”
“We could order a plain cheese pizza for you and ask them to hold the sauce,” Miranda said.
George blew out a humph. “What kind of Texas rancher do you think I am? I wouldn’t eat a tasteless, wimpy pizza like that on a bet.” Then he topped off the snarky comment with a wink.
Miranda felt a little uneasy about leaving him home alone, although she wasn’t sure why. Those two chili-cheese dogs had been covered with onions and topped with jalapeños. So it didn’t surprise her that he was suffering indigestion now. Still...
“I realize you never have liked doctors,” Miranda said, “but I also know you’ve seen one recently. Maybe you should give him or her a call and mention that indigestion. I also noticed that you’ve gotten a little out of breath lately.”
George waved her off. “Me and the doc have it all under control. It’s nothing a little pill or two won’t fix. So you don’t need to worry about me.”
“All right,” she said. “I’m glad you’re taking care of yourself.”
“I appreciate your concern,” he said, “but I’ll be right as rain after I take a couple of antacids.”
He was probably right, so they left him home and went to the pizzeria without him.
Miranda had planned to check on him later that night, after they returned from Mario’s, but by the time they’d entered the back door, the house was quiet and the lights had been dimmed. Clearly, he’d already turned in for the night.
But why wouldn’t he? They’d all had a long, exciting day. Even Emily’s shoulders had begun to droop, so Miranda told her it was time for bed.
“Aw, man.” Emily rolled her eyes, but the effort lacked her usual dramatic flair. “Okay, but can I skip my bath tonight?”
“Absolutely not. And don’t forget to brush your teeth.”
Apparently, Emily couldn’t come up with a reasonable argument because she turned on her heel and did as she was told.
“Matt,” Miranda said, “if you’re up for some decaf, I’ll brew a small pot for you and then steep a cup of tea for me.”
“Sounds good.”
She would have suggested that they take their drinks out to the front porch, but she didn’t want him to think she was trying to set up a repeat of Monday night. If they were to go outdoors, it would have to be his idea. And if that were the case, she’d jump at the chance, even though no good would come of it.
“I’d offer to help you in the kitchen,” Matt said, “but my knee is killing me. I’d better plop my butt on the sofa and give it a rest.”
She offered him a smile. “If I hadn’t kicked off my shoes when we got home from the fair and traded them for a pair of flip-flops, I’d pass on the tea and plop down next to you.”
Ten minutes later, Miranda placed a white coffee mug and her favorite teacup, both filled with their respective steaming hot brews, onto a wicker tray and carried it into the living room. After setting it on the coffee table, she took a seat on the sofa, next to the armrest, which put a wise and healthy space between them.
Rather than reach for his coffee, Matt stretched out his leg and removed the brace.
“How’s your knee feeling?” she asked.
“A little achy today. But overall, it’s about the same.”
“No worse?” She nodded at the brace. “You weren’t wearing that before.”
“Actually, I was, but I took it off before I drove home to the Double G. Apparently—” he paused for a couple of beats “—I shouldn’t have done that. I might have screwed it up for good. And if that’s the case, I’ll have to give up the rodeo, which I don’t want to do.”
He’d have to give up the fame, too, she supposed. But that really wasn’t any of her business.
“You have no idea how much I appreciate all you did today,” she said.
“It was no big deal.”
“Oh, but it was. Emily couldn’t be happier, and I... Well, I’m just glad the two of you are bonding.”
“Me, too. But...”
She waited for him to continue, to explain, but it became a long wait. She lifted the delicate china teacup and saucer from the tray and sat back on the sofa.
“I’m not sure if you remember,” Matt said, “but my dad and I didn’t have a good relationship. We still don’t. So when it comes to parenthood, I’m in uncharted territory.”
“I do remember, and I’m sorry things never got any better between you. But just so you know, I think you were a perfect dad today.”
Matt seemed to mull that over, then smiled. “You mean by offering to whip out my checkbook to save the day? What else could I do? You saw how heartbroken she was when she thought she’d lost her lamb. Besides, the fair adjusted the buyer’s bill, and I didn’t have to actually pay anything.”
“I realize that, but you went to bat for Emily when you convinced the buyer to let us take Bob home. And you also trekked all over the fairgrounds with a bad knee. The way I see it, after today, you’ve already proven to Emily that you’re the best daddy ever.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that. But there’ll probably be other days when things don’t turn out so well.”
“True. I’ve had days like that.”
Matt lifted his mug, took a drink and said, “Rumor has it that Emily wants to get another lamb. A girl one so they can have a baby.”
Miranda laughed and rolled her eyes. “The last thing she needs is another animal. And even if I would’ve let her buy a second lamb with the auction money—which I wouldn’t have done—she can’t afford it now. Besides,
we can’t stay at the Double G forever, and depending upon where we end up, she might not be able to take her animals with her. At least, not all of them.”
“What are your plans?” he asked.
“I’m going to put my condo in San Antonio on the market and relocate, hopefully to a place with enough property for Emily’s menagerie.”
“Does that mean you’d consider relocating here?”
“That’s what I’m thinking. Emily and I both like living in Brighton Valley, and she’s making friends at school and in the 4-H Club. Hopefully, my dad will let me work remotely. Because if I do find a place and move here, I can’t very well commute to San Antonio on a regular basis.”
And if she couldn’t work for Contreras Farms, she’d need to find another way to support herself and her growing family.
She glanced down at her lap, which seemed to be disappearing more and more each week. She’d also have to find a competent nanny.
When she looked up again, she caught Matt gazing at her.
“So you still haven’t told your father?” he asked.
“I was going to, but then I got busy with all the county fair prep and 4-H activities, so I put it off for another week. But I can’t wait much longer.”
Matt didn’t respond. He didn’t even make a snide remark about her dad, which he’d been doing ever since he arrived at his uncle’s ranch. So she took this as a good sign that they seemed to be working through the past.
“What about your dad?” she asked. “Have you talked to him?”
“About Emily? No, not yet. And I really don’t want to. He’d probably ask to meet her, and I don’t want him to disappoint her the way he disappointed me.”
Miranda wouldn’t want to see that happen, either. But maybe the man would turn out to be a better grandfather than a father.
“It sounds to me like you still keep in touch with him,” she said.
“I guess you could say that. He calls me every few weeks, although I never have much to say to him. He wasn’t much of a father, but then again, he didn’t think I was much of a son.”