Her Surprise Cowboy--A Clean Romance

by Claire McEwen

  “Then how do you feed them?” Kathy glanced up from the blanket she was crocheting for Henry. It had rainbow colors in a patchwork pattern.

  “We slide their food through a hatch that Liam built into the solid wood wall in their pen,” Maya explained. “It lands in a shallow trough. That way they don’t see us and associate us with food.”

  “Folks have been very helpful with trapping gophers for us and dropping them by,” Eva added. “I love this partnership we’ve created with the community.” She jumped up as someone stopped by her booth. “Gotta go. Time to promote the gallery.” She shook out her brightly patterned dress and smoothed her sleek, short haircut as she went to meet her potential customer. Eva always looked like a walking work of modern art.

  Trisha turned to Vivian, who was sitting beside her, and put a hand on her friend’s arm. “What’s your take on Liam? You’ve probably spent the most time with him.”

  “I really like him.” Vivian looked around the group with a warm smile. “He’s been to dinner at our house a couple times and he’s sweet with the kids. He’s patient with the little ones and very polite to Carly, who I suspect might have a bit of a crush on him. Annie’s right—he’s got Wild Bill eating out of his hand and no one else has been able to earn that horse’s trust. And he has a nice sense of humor.” She glanced over at Trisha with a grin. “Listen to me. Maybe I’m getting a little crush on him, too. He sure is handsome with those unique eyes and all that wavy brown hair.”

  “You’ve already got one gorgeous cowboy.” Emily shook a finger from her seat across the circle. “Don’t get greedy, now.”

  Everyone laughed, and Vivian raised her water bottle in a toast. She never drank alcohol. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”

  “He told me a lot about his family’s ranch back in Texas,” Maya said. “It sounds like they want to make a lot of positive changes there.”

  “And Jace tells me he’s always looking for an excuse to go out to the pasture by the den, so he can keep looking for the coyote he shot,” Vivian said. “I’m glad he is. If it isn’t wounded too badly, it might come looking for the pups.”

  Trisha looked at Maya, who was a national expert on predators. “What are the chances of that happening?”

  “Not high. But I like that Liam’s not giving up. It could happen, and that would be excellent news for the pups. If we could successfully reunite them, they’d have an adult to teach them how to hunt properly.”

  Trisha turned Henry so he was facing the group. Instantly all The Book Biddies’ expressions changed to goofy, as they all waved, smiled and cooed. She laughed along with her baby. “This little boy is going to grow up thinking that all women adore him, and will wave and talk to him in sweet singsong voices. Is it possible for a baby to have too many aunties and grannies?”

  “Never,” Lillian said adamantly. “In fact, I think he needs a cuddle from his grandma Lillian right now.”

  “As long as Granny Priscilla is next.” Priscilla smiled. “And to add my two cents, when I had dinner with Vivian and her family the other night, Liam was very kind. He told me stories about his former teachers. It sounds like he really enjoyed school.”

  Trisha brought Henry over to Lillian, who quickly snuggled him in her arms and booped his nose, making the little boy giggle in delight. “Your cowboy certainly was appreciative of the cookies Kathy and I delivered yesterday,” Lillian said. “He seemed very touched that we’d brought him his own special tin of them.”

  “Oh, he’s very sweet,” Kathy added. “And all that yes ma’am and no ma’am in his Texas accent...” Her voice trailed off and she pretended to fan herself. All the other Biddies laughed.

  As Trisha returned to her seat, Vivian looked up at her. “It would be great for Henry to have a daddy,” she said quietly.

  She was right, of course. “So why do I feel so scared?” Trisha rubbed at a tear that had trickled down her cheek. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  “A mother’s instinct is a powerful thing.” Vivian took Trisha’s hand in hers. “You’ve been Henry’s sole protector for his entire life. You’ve been his person.”

  “And you’ve been able to parent him exactly how you want to,” Emily added. “Without having to compromise or take anyone else into account. It must be really scary to think about having to listen to someone else’s opinion on how to raise your baby.”

  Now the tears were really coming. “That’s just it. And then there’s all those panicky thoughts I told you about at the book club meeting. What if he’s short-tempered with Henry? What if he doesn’t think about safety when he’s with him? What if he wants to take Henry to Texas or something?”

  A soft hand rested on Trisha’s shoulder. It was Eva. “I researched all this. He can’t take him out of state unless a judge approves it, and why would they? You will have to work out some kind of custody arrangement, eventually. But that could be a good thing for you and Henry. Single parenting is intense. Trust me, I know.”

  “No one is going to let anything bad happen to Henry,” Lillian said. “We will be the first to stand behind you if Liam sets a toe out of line. But you have to look at the long game. A child should know both their parents.” She glanced at Maya, the granddaughter she’d raised. “If possible.”

  “I agree.” Maya smiled at Trisha. “Try to think about what Henry would want, as he gets older.” Maya didn’t know her own parents at all—they were very troubled and had been homeless for decades now—so Trisha knew her friend was speaking straight from the heart.

  All of them were right. It would be completely selfish to keep Henry a secret any longer. This was a moral choice. The universe had thrown Henry’s dad right up on her doorstep. It was completely unexpected, but Trisha still had to do the right thing.

  “You could tell Liam right now, if you’re up for it.” Vivian pointed to the pretzel booth. “It looks like Jace talked him into coming along.”

  Trisha scanned the line of people waiting for pretzels and there were Jace and Liam, and Ranger, who stood calmly at Liam’s feet. Both cowboys were gently guiding Alex and Amy forward for their pretzels. Trisha’s heart did an unexpected flop when Liam knelt down and listened attentively to whatever little Alex was saying. Alex hadn’t spoken much when he first came to live with Jace, and he was still shy. If he felt comfortable talking to Liam, that meant something.

  She looked at Lillian. “Do you mind keeping Henry for a bit?”

  “I’m still waiting for my baby fix,” said Priscilla.

  “Me, too.” Emily glanced at her watch with mock outrage. “I’m pretty sure Lillian has gone over her allotted time.”

  Everyone laughed, and Trisha stood, feeling like, if she took one step outside this circle of friends, she’d be stepping off a cliff. She had no idea how she’d land.

  “You’ve got this.” Maya stood up. “Do you want me to come with you?”

  The tears that had sunk below the surface rose again. Of course Maya would offer. She and Trisha had survived that horrible accident together when they were teens. They’d each had to find a way to live on after their friend Julie died, and it had forged a bond between them that ran deep. “Thank you so much. But I think I should do this alone.”

  “I understand.” Maya opened her arms, and Trisha stepped in for a hug. “We are all right here,” Maya said quietly. “If he gets weird or you feel worried, The Book Biddies have your back.”

  “Hear, hear.” Annie rose from her seat and hugged Trisha, too, which was unusual. Annie wasn’t much of a hugger. “You be strong, okay? You set the rules for how you introduce him to Henry. He walked away that night, so you get to call the shots.”

  Annie was one of the strongest people Trisha knew. She ran a successful ranch on her own and she organized all the local ranchers to support each other. For the past couple years, she’d been in love with another rancher in Shelter Cre
ek, Juan Alvaro, but despite their close relationship, she never gave up her independence. Maybe Trisha could channel some of Annie’s toughness when she talked with Liam. She didn’t want to cry, or fall apart, or show her fear. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Annie.”

  She went to Lillian and picked up Henry. Hugging her baby close, she inhaled his special scent, rejoicing in the feel of his small body against her chest. His little fist tangled in her hair. These were her last moments of being his only parent. She swallowed hard. “I’ll keep you safe, baby,” she murmured. “No matter what. I promise.” She untangled her hair from his fingers and passed him back to Lillian. “I’d better go do this, before I lose my nerve.”

  “I’m so proud of you, Trisha,” Lillian said. “You always put your baby’s well-being first. You are a great mother.”

  Now the tears would not stay back. Trisha admired Lillian and her words felt like the highest praise. “Thank you.”

  She stood, gave Henry a last wave and went to have a talk with his daddy.

  * * *

  “HERE’S SOME CHEESE sauce for your pretzel, Amy.” Liam handed the little girl her requested sauce. “I brought some extra napkins.” He handed the pile to Jace.

  “Thanks for the help.” Jace passed a couple napkins to Alex and sat back in his chair with a sigh. “My wife is over there having wine with her book club. I’m here with you, navigating kids and messy pretzels. What am I doing wrong?”

  Liam glanced in the direction his boss was pointing, surprised to see Trisha wending her way through the crowd. She was dressed in slim dark jeans and a cute pair of white tennis shoes. She wore her pale pink parka against the chill.

  He remembered how she’d looked the last time he saw her, up at the ranch, after pulling coyote pups out of the den. She’d had dirt all down her front and side, and some on her cheek. He’d pointed it out, resisting the temptation to brush it off for her.

  “Good evening,” Jace called as Trisha got closer. “Are you coming to tell me that you’re keeping my wife for the rest of the evening?”

  Trisha laughed, a light musical sound. “The Book Biddies official meeting has adjourned. You can go crash the after-party anytime.”

  “And where is young—”

  She cut Jace off. “Liam, may I speak with you?”

  Her rudeness to Jace seemed unlike her. Come to think of it, she was as stressed as he’d ever seen her, her whole body vibrating with it, like a wire that had been pulled too tight. “Sure, I guess. Is it okay if I leave you on your own for a bit, Jace?”

  Jace grinned, his easygoing nature moving on from the awkward moment. “With these two hellions? You’d better believe it. As soon as they finish their pretzels, we’re going to go see how much mischief we can get into.”

  “I’m not sure how much mischief is available at the art fair,” Trisha said.

  “Oh, we’ll find it, trust us.” Jace ruffled Amy’s and Alex’s hair. “Right, guys?”

  “You know it!” Amy had cheese sauce on her nose, so Jace leaned over with a napkin and wiped it off.

  “Okay, then. Ranger, come.” His dog emerged from beneath the table looking guilty. “Were you scavenging under there again?” Liam ruffled the dog’s ears and clipped a leash to his collar.

  “Hi, Ranger.” Trisha held out her knuckles. It was sweet to see her interact with his dog. All of her prickly defenses went down when she was around animals.

  “Where do you want to go?” Liam asked as they walked away from Jace and the kids.

  She motioned to the street that ran along one side of the town square. “There’s a park over there. Would that be okay?”

  He nodded and they walked there in silence. Liam kept glancing her way, waiting for her to say something, but she didn’t. Instead she chewed her lower lip, her skin so pale, he wondered if she was ill. It was odd that she’d seek him out tonight, when all she’d done since he got to Shelter Creek was try to avoid spending much time around him.

  Liam glanced around the town, still getting used to its quaint feel. They were walking on Main Street, with the square behind them. The buildings were Victorian era, as far as he could tell, all painted in pretty, festive colors, with flowers spilling out of gardens and window boxes. Some old cottages had been converted into shops and restaurants. There were also gift shops, a couple of wine tasting rooms and some galleries. Shelter Creek definitely catered to the tourists, who seemed to love it here.

  “It’s a nice town,” he attempted by way of conversation.

  “It is.”

  “Have you lived here a long time?”

  “All my life.” She walked on in silence again, then seemed to realize that she was being so quiet. “It’s changed a lot. It was a lot less fancy when I was younger. But a few years ago they started offering flights from Los Angeles into the Santa Rosa airport. That’s not too far from here and it helped make Shelter Creek a tourist destination. Plus, we get weekend visitors from San Francisco, too.”

  “It must be great for the economy.”

  “It really helps.” She left the sidewalk and led him through a small park in a redwood grove. There was a picnic area and a playground farther on, but Trisha went down the slope toward the creek that rushed around rocks and rippled into eddies beneath the overhanging tree roots. “This is Shelter Creek. Not the town, the actual creek.” She sat on the ground beneath an enormous tree and indicated that he should do the same.

  “It’s pretty.” Before Liam sat, he ran his hand over the thick redwood bark and peered up, trying to see all the way to the top. He couldn’t. The branches went on and on, though he caught glimpses of the dim evening sky somewhere up there. It would be getting dark soon. “These trees are amazing. You realize that, right?”

  “Is this your first time seeing a redwood?” She looked up at him with obvious disbelief.

  “My first time seeing one up close. The bark is really weird.” He pushed on it. “It’s kind of like a sponge or something.”

  “It’s fireproof. The inside of the tree might burn in a forest fire, but the outside layer will still stand, letting the tree live. It makes these amazing tree caves. There’s a forest just west of town that has some. We used to play house in the trees when I was little.”

  “We?”

  “I’d play with my parents. I’m an only child.”

  Liam remembered the loud chaos of his own childhood. “I can’t imagine. Were you lonely?”

  “Sometimes.”

  He sat beside her at the base of the tree, and Ranger settled at his side with a happy sigh. Liam ran his hands over Ranger’s velvet ears and watched the creek go by. It smelled good here, the ground still damp from recent rains. Little green plants that looked like giant clovers pushed up through the red-brown soil beneath the redwood trees. When he couldn’t take the suspense any longer, he leaned over and bumped his shoulder gently into Trisha’s. “Are you going to tell me why you brought me down to this creek?”

  The breath she let out was shaky. He glanced down at her. She had a dried-up redwood frond in her hand and she was twisting it into knots. She glanced at him and her lip trembled and he hoped she wouldn’t cry. Was this about that night? Had he been so very terrible to her?

  “I have a son,” she said quietly.

  That definitely wasn’t what he was expecting. “You’re a mom?” He didn’t quite know why she was telling him, so he didn’t know how to answer. “That’s great. Kids are awesome.”

  “You think so?” Her eyes were sparkling in the dusky light.

  Were those tears welling up? He barely knew her, didn’t know how to handle all this emotion with her. “What’s wrong, Trisha? You’re upset.”

  She swallowed hard and threw the redwood leaf into the creek. “He’s yours.”

  Liam’s heart gave a lurch, like it had missed a beat or two. His muscles went oddly still. Hi
s ears had a strange ring in them, or maybe that was the sound of the creek. It was all sort of blending together into a strange internal roar. He watched Trisha warily, but she didn’t look at him. “Mine?”

  She finally looked at him and, yes, there were tears. She was crying silently, with no sobs, just pure emotion pouring over her skin. “I got pregnant that night in San Antonio. I had a baby boy. His name is Henry and he’s just turned eleven months old.”

  He stood, her words propelling him forward into action, though there was no real action to take. He walked a few paces away, Ranger at his heels. A kid. A baby. She’d had his child.

  He’d never considered the possibility, never considered the consequences of that night. In those days, the only consequence he cared about was the high that he got from taking another pill.

  He turned back and Ranger whined in confusion. Trisha was still sitting, her knees up, her arms wrapped around them as if she needed to hold herself together physically.

  He was a father. He had a little boy. “Eleven months old?” It was a stupid question, something to anchor him while the world spun around him. He wasn’t questioning his role in this. He was there that night. He could count.

  She nodded, but said nothing.

  He sat again and closed his eyes, pressing his hands to them as if the pressure could slow his racing thoughts. Ranger flopped down next to him again, a warm comforting presence along his thigh. “I left without telling you how to get hold of me.”

  Her voice was calm, almost wooden. “I looked on the internet. On social media sites. But there are so many people when you search the name William.”

  The wrong name. He’d given her the wrong name, and no last name. Then walked away from her, and his child. He took his hands away so he could see her profile. “I am so sorry.”

  She was still looking straight ahead, studying the water, as if hypnotized by the current, but he heard the hurt behind her words. “I figured you wouldn’t be interested anyway.”