Her Surprise Cowboy--A Clean Romance

by Claire McEwen

  Trisha had allowed herself only two wild nights in her entire life. One had ended in that terrible car accident, but the other had given her Henry. In a way, it had been perfect timing. She was almost thirty years old and she had two great jobs doing what she loved. She owned her own house and she was more than ready to be a mother. And even if being a single mom was unexpected and challenging, lots of kids grew up without a father and did just fine.

  Trisha focused on the reason for her visit. “So, you wanted to go over the new video together?”

  “Yes.” Vivian scooted her chair closer to her desk. “I’m so excited about it. I’m gearing it toward educating adults, who will hopefully be inspired to donate to the center. It’s great that Maya got that amazing footage of the mountain lion and her cubs from one of the wildlife cameras last week. I used it to start the whole thing off. Look.”

  She turned her monitor to face Trisha and clicked. A female mountain lion and her two cubs tumbled and played in the dim black-and-white footage. Then the video switched to color, and there was the golden eagle they’d nursed back to health a few months ago. Trisha flinched a little as her own face appeared on-screen. She was smiling and teary in the video as she stood on a nearby ridge and carefully released the majestic eagle from his cage.

  Reliving that moment had tears welling hot in Trisha’s eyes. The eagle had come in with lead poisoning, and he’d required round-the-clock care to get the heavy metal out of his system. It was a miracle that he’d recovered enough to return to the wild.

  The video stopped abruptly and Vivian closed the file. “It’s still really rough, but I wanted you to see it. We’ll need narration about the wildlife rehabilitation you’re doing, since it’s the newest part of our mission at the wildlife center. If we can get new donors on board, maybe we can fund long-term habitats for animals that can’t be released to the wild. Think of the education we could provide if people could visit us and actually see some of the animals that we work to protect.”

  “It would be amazing,” Trisha agreed. “And maybe we could even pay to have a full-time veterinary staff.”

  Vivian nodded. “I know it’s hard for you to juggle the wildlife center with your work at Emily’s clinic.”

  “I actually really like the variety,” Trisha said. “But I’m a technician, not a trained veterinarian, so I need Emily’s help whenever someone brings an injured animal to the wildlife center. There have been times when she’s not available. Last week she was in surgery when someone brought in that fox with the broken leg. Luckily I was able to get Doctor Farber to drive over from Santa Rosa, but he’s not as experienced with wildlife as Emily is.”

  “We’ll get there,” Vivian said. “Think about how far we’ve come. Less than two years ago, it was just Eva’s wild idea. Then all of our book club friends got involved, and they got Maya to agree to run it, and then they hired us.” She smiled. “It’s so exciting to be a part of something new, isn’t it?”

  “It’s the best.” Emotion rose in Trisha’s throat. “I’ve always enjoyed working for Emily, but I felt kind of lost, you know? Like I was missing something important. Getting to know Maya, Eva, you and the other Book Biddies, and helping to start the wildlife center—it’s all given me more of a purpose.”

  “I know exactly what you mean,” Vivian said. “I moved to Shelter Creek thinking I was just taking a biologist’s job. But it’s more than that. It’s become my mission.” She glanced at the photo of Jace and the kids on her desk. “One of my missions.”

  Trisha reminded herself that she had a mission, too. Henry. So what if she didn’t have some handsome guy whose photo inspired the look of adoration she saw in Vivian’s eyes? Maybe she would someday, when Henry was a little older and she had more energy to date. And maybe she wouldn’t. That was okay, too. “Let’s talk about what else to include in the video. It might be cute to add some footage of the baby bunnies. I’m still bottle-feeding them.”

  “I don’t know how you do it,” Vivian said. “You’ve got bottles to make for Henry, and bottles to make for bunnies.”

  Guilt tugged at Trisha’s heart. She’d nursed Henry until last month and then he’d lost interest, maybe because he had to take a bottle at day care. If she’d been a stay-at-home mom he’d probably have nursed for longer. But that wasn’t an option. And even if it were, would she have been willing to walk away from her work at the center? “Sometimes, when I bring Henry to work with me, he sits in his car seat and holds his bottle while I feed the bunnies their formula.”

  Vivian laughed. “We definitely have to get footage of that!”

  They talked for several minutes, trading ideas about the video. Then Trisha glanced at the clock on Vivian’s desk. “It’s almost five. I’ve got to pick up Henry in a few minutes.”

  “Thank you so much for coming by. I promise I’ll be back in the office next week. I honestly think Jace and Maya are being overprotective, insisting I work from home right now.”

  Even though it had happened over a year ago, Trisha would never forget visiting Vivian in the hospital after she’d collapsed from the flu. That was when Trisha, Maya, Jace and all of their friends learned that Vivian had been quietly struggling with lupus. Everyone who cared about Vivian was a little overprotective nowadays. “We just want to make sure you stay really healthy,” she assured Vivian. “It’s better you’re at home so you can be comfortable. And I don’t mind driving out to this gorgeous ranch for a meeting or two.”

  Vivian stood, stretched and smiled. “It is a really nice place, isn’t it? I feel so lucky to live here. Speaking of which, you should bring Henry by this weekend. We all need to get our baby fix and I’m sure this cold or whatever I have won’t be contagious by then.”

  “I’m pretty sure Henry had it a couple weeks ago, anyway. I’d love to stop by. I swear, Henry already looks up to the big kids. He watches them nonstop when we’re with you guys.”

  “He knows we’re like family.”

  Trisha followed Vivian out of the study with a lump in her throat. She had family, technically. Her parents. But several years ago, they’d moved to a small village in Italy. They’d fixed up an old villa there and turned it into a hotel.

  Trisha was glad they were following their dreams. Grateful that they’d flown home to meet Henry when he was born. But it had been clear, throughout their visit, that they loved their new life and couldn’t wait to get back to Tuscany.

  Outside on the porch, Trisha turned to hug Vivian goodbye.

  “Hang on.” Vivian put her hands up, smiling. “I don’t want to make you sick.”

  “Oh, right.” Trisha held her arms out. “Air hug, then.”

  Vivian blew her a kiss.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow. That’s Friday, right?” Trisha clapped a hand to her tired brain. “I swear, this mom thing. Sometimes I don’t know what day it is.”

  “Yes, tomorrow is Friday. Call me and we’ll make a plan for the weekend. And kiss Henry for me. Right on top of his curly little head.”

  Henry had the cutest brown curls Trisha had ever seen. Her own hair was blond, and just barely on the wavy side of straight. Maybe he’d gotten his curls from William, his father. William’s hair had been brown, sun-streaked with blond. Had it curled? A little, she thought, at the nape of his neck.

  Trisha wished her memories of him weren’t so blurry. She’d been visiting an old high school friend, Becca, who lived in San Antonio now. They’d gone to a hotel bar, had a few drinks. Then Becca had this ridiculous notion to crash the wedding going on in the nearby ballroom. She’d talked Trisha into it, and after a few too many glasses of champagne, Trisha had met William there.

  She shouldn’t think about him. Or his hair. Or any part of that handsome, long, tall Texan thing he’d had going on. The whole thing was embarrassing—crashing that wedding, spending the night with a stranger. So totally unlike her. But in the moment, it had
all seemed like a wild adventure—one night’s escape from her small, predictable life. She’d felt exciting, interesting and oh so daring. Until she’d woken up alone in William’s hotel room in the shadowy dawn. Then she’d just felt hungover and ashamed.

  Trisha realized that Vivian was waiting for her to say something. “Say hi to the kids for me. And Jace.”

  Vivian’s gaze shifted to something beyond Trisha. “You can say hi to him yourself. Here he is.”

  Trisha turned and, sure enough, there was Jace, coming up the path from the barn with another man. The two were deep in conversation. Jace’s companion was tall, even taller than Jace. He wore a brown cowboy hat, and he walked with his head inclined down, listening to something Jace was saying.

  After a moment, Jace looked up, noticing them standing on the porch. “Well, you two are a sight for sore eyes,” he said as they drew close. “Viv, I was just bringing our new ranch hand, Liam Dale, up here to meet you. Liam, this is my wife, Vivian. And this is our friend and Vivian’s colleague at the wildlife center, Trisha.”

  Brown hair. Hazel eyes. Smile lines, engraved deep. His hair was curly. Trisha’s heart stuttered in her chest. It couldn’t be. There was no way. Her stomach soured, driving the taste into her throat.

  The cowboy hadn’t noticed her. He was looking at Vivian, tipping the brim of his hat, saying, “Nice to meet you.”

  The two of them were shaking hands and Trisha glanced around in a panic, wishing there was some way to disappear. Could she run back into the house?

  Then it happened. He turned his gaze on Trisha. His lips parted and his fingers froze, stuck halfway to his hat brim. He recognized her, too.

  She tried to form her lips to make words, but they were oddly numb. Finally she managed “hello” but it came out as a small squeak.

  He’d said his name was William. He’d said he lived in Texas. He had no idea that he was Henry’s father. And he was right here, in Shelter Creek.

  * * *

  TRISHA’S BRIGHT BLUE eyes, wide with shock, mirrored Liam’s own disbelief. How could she be here? Right here on Jace’s ranch? Silence rang like static—Liam’s uneven breath blocked out the breeze, the birds, all sounds except his heartbeat echoing through his veins.

  He’d known she lived in California. She’d said so that night at the wedding, sometime between glasses of champagne and stints on the dance floor. He’d wanted to ask more, but it had been loud in the hotel ballroom. His college buddy Clint had gotten really into swing dancing, and he and his fiancée had hired one of those big bands with an entire horn section that blared out a riff every time Liam tried to ask her anything. They’d laughed about it then. Laughed about their silly attempts at swing dancing, too. It had been the most fun he’d had in forever. A reminder that some part of him was still alive.

  She had movie star hair. Thick and blond and that night it fell in perfect waves just past her shoulders. With her sweet smile and big blue eyes, which seemed full of fun and mischief, he’d fallen for her instantly. And then there were her kisses, at the wedding and upstairs in his hotel room, that had haunted him every day since.

  But still, he’d left while she was sleeping. She was too good for him, so wholesome and pure, while he was tainted, the pills corrupting him from the inside out. He’d walked out of that hotel room bone tired of the bleak Ferris wheel he’d been riding—dipping down so low when the pills ran out, wafting high with relief when he got his hands on some more.

  It was as if Trisha’s obvious goodness had brought to light all that was bad in him. All that was twisted and addicted and had him reaching, late at night, into the cash box in Wyatt’s desk back at the ranch. Because numbing the pain in his leg wasn’t enough anymore. He’d wanted oblivion so deep, it would numb his very soul.

  He’d gone home that morning, straight from that hotel room to the ranch, and begged Wyatt for help. His brother had been happy to oblige, checking him into rehab the same day.

  That night with Trisha had somehow saved his life. And now she was here. It was almost impossible to comprehend, but when he blinked and looked again, there she was, staring at him with a look that resembled horror.

  Liam glanced around to see Jace and Vivian watching him with quizzical expressions on their faces. How long had he been standing here, lost in memories?

  Trisha was so still, she looked like she’d quit breathing. Liam pulled air into his lungs in silent sympathy. “Trisha.” It wasn’t much, but it was all he could manage.

  His words seemed to startle her out of whatever trance she’d been stuck in. “Hello, Liam.”

  He didn’t quite understand the extra emphasis she put on his name. But it was hard to understand much when she was standing right here in front of him. She’d seemed like an angel that night in Texas, come down to grant him another chance at life. Ever since, he’d wondered if she were even real.

  “Nice to meet you.” Trisha’s voice was almost robotic. She was acting like they were strangers. But this was her. His Trisha. He was sure of it. His memories of that night were strangely clear, despite the pills and too many glasses of champagne.

  And then he remembered. He’d given her his full name that night. William. Maybe because he’d been desperate to be someone else, the guy he’d been before the painkillers seeped like foul water into the cracks of his being. But from Trisha’s view, he must seem like a jerk. He’d offered a fake name and disappeared at the first light of dawn.

  If she wanted to be strangers, Liam owed it to her to follow her lead. He pushed away the questions piling up inside. “Thanks. I feel lucky to be here.”

  Trisha’s eyes shifted quickly back to Jace and Vivian, dismissing him completely. “I’ll see you soon, guys.” She jogged down the porch steps, heading for a small red hatchback. And there was her limp, putting a tiny uneven hitch in her gait and chasing away any last doubts he’d had about her identity.

  He watched as she got into her car and drove away, unable to tear his gaze away, even as she disappeared around the bend of Jace’s driveway.

  “You okay, there?”

  Liam jerked his attention back to Jace, feeling heat flood his face. “Yeah. I’m fine.” He forced a casual expression onto his stiff features and turned his attention to Vivian. “I truly appreciate you and Jace taking me on, ma’am. It’s a nice piece of property, and I’m sure I’ll learn a lot.”

  Nice was an understatement. Jace’s ranch rolled out over green hills toward the Pacific Ocean, which Liam planned to visit on his first day off. Oak trees and cattle dotted the steep hillsides and small, seasonal creeks raced down gullies between the slopes. Jace’s barns were new and his house was a fancy old building straight out of another era. Instead of a bunkhouse, Jace had given Liam a small, renovated cottage near the horse barn, with a view of hills and sky that he could look at all day long.

  And now, by some stroke of luck or trouble, he’d found Trisha. Maybe drawing the short straw wasn’t so bad after all.

  Vivian was studying him carefully, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. She was a pretty woman, with long brown hair. She had kind eyes behind her black-framed glasses. “I hope you’ll enjoy working here. I know we’re not paying you what you’re worth.”

  “Please don’t worry about that.” His manners kicked in, though nine-tenths of his mind was busy trying to absorb the fact that his dad’s whim and a short straw had led him to Trisha. “I’m not really here for the pay. I’m looking for experience raising organic, grass-fed beef.”

  “Well, we can certainly provide that. And dinner. Want to join us tonight? It would be nice to get to know you better, since you’ll be a part of the ranch for a few months.”

  “That’s kind of you. I’d like that.” Through his haze of disbelief it occurred to him that he hadn’t had a chance to stock up on groceries yet.

  “Come on by at six thirty. Be warned, there are th
ree kids who will want to know all about you.”

  He wouldn’t mind chatting with the kids, but maybe he could find a way to steer the conversation to Trisha. He wanted to learn more about the person he’d held as a savior in his head for so long. It was a miracle she was here in Shelter Creek. An opportunity to get to know her that he’d assumed he’d never be offered.

  At the very least, he’d have a chance to apologize for his bad behavior. Maybe he could even explain how she’d changed him, what she’d meant to him.

  No. The word rose up from somewhere visceral. He didn’t want her to know he’d been addicted. Didn’t want anyone to know. Shelter Creek was supposed to be his fresh start—his chance to live without the shadow of those dark months looming over him. Maybe he could find another way to explain why he’d left that night, because the last thing he wanted was to see any pity in Trisha’s big blue angel eyes.

  CHAPTER THREE

  THE BUNNIES WERE drinking more now. Trisha smiled at the darker one, who’d had his fill and was nestling against one of his siblings. “Get some sleep, little one.”

  Found by her friend Annie, a local rancher, the rabbits had been tiny when they arrived at the Shelter Creek Wildlife Center. Trisha and Emily hadn’t been sure if they’d survive at all. But all six of them were doing well, though little Peanut, the runt, was still the smallest.

  Trisha filled the syringe with formula and picked him up, sitting the tiny bunny upright in her gloved hand. “Come on, Peanut. You can do it. Just a few more drops.” It still amazed her how little nourishment a wild rabbit required.

  Peanut’s tiny pink tongue darted out to take a few more drops. With each cc he drank, his eyes closed a little more, instantly sleepy.

  After she put Peanut carefully back in the nesting box, Vivian added a little dish of alfalfa pellets, hay and carrot tops, just in case the bunnies wanted them. They were starting to get interested in real food, which was a good sign. As soon as they were big enough and fully weaned, she could release them back into the wild. Though it wasn’t clear if Peanut would survive out there. One of his back feet was a bit deformed and he didn’t move about nearly as much as the others.