The Comeback Cowboy

by Cathy McDavid

  “Hey, Pop. What brings you here?” She smiled brightly, already knowing the answer and bracing herself for a string of questions about reservations, food orders and class schedules.

  “What time is Ty arriving?” He bent and grabbed her visitor’s chair, pulling it away from the wall.

  Adele automatically leaped up to help him.

  “Sit your fanny down,” he grumped. “I can manage. Don’t need you hovering every second of the day.” And he did manage. Just fine.

  Was it true? Did she hover?

  Probably.

  She sat poised on the edge of her seat until Pop leaned his cane against her file cabinet, exhaling lustily as he did.

  “We had two new reservations,” she said, facing her computer and moving her mouse. “At this rate—”

  “When is Ty getting in?” he repeated.

  “After lunch sometime,” Adele answered, hoping her tone gave no indication how nervous she was about his visit.

  “Where’s he staying?”

  “Room nine’s vacant.”

  “It’s a little small for him.”

  “Better than his horse trailer.”

  At the mention of Ty’s trailer, Adele was inundated with memories of when they’d made love in his tiny living quarters. Consulting the calendar after her trip to the obstetrician’s office, she felt certain that was the night she’d gotten pregnant.

  “If you need to rent the room out, he can bunk in my house.”

  “I don’t need to rent it out.”

  She didn’t mention that Ty would probably stay with her.

  “You going to tell him about the baby?” Pop had asked the question no less than two dozen times.

  Her answer was always the same. “Eventually.”

  “Eventually over the next two days or eventually sometime before the kid’s born?”

  “I’ll tell him when the moment’s right.”

  He grumbled an expletive under his breath. “You can’t hide this forever.”

  “No. But I can for a while.”

  “Dellie,” Pop warned.

  She opened her mouth to object, then promptly closed it at the sight of his watery eyes. Struck by a rush of tender emotions, she got up and went to him, stooping over to give him a loving hug.

  “I can’t believe I’m going to be a great-grandfather,” he mumbled. “Your grandmother would be overjoyed. God, I wish she was here.”

  “Me, too.” Adele swallowed a sob.

  “I know you think I’m being a crotchety old busy-body.”

  “Did I say that?”

  “I only want what’s best for you and the baby. And that’s a father. A father and a husband.”

  Adele returned to her desk chair. “You need to let me and Ty work this out between us.”

  “Don’t know why you’re taking so long,” Pop complained, back to his former grumpy self.

  She didn’t mind. He put on a gruff front, but deep down he was a sentimental slob.

  “I need time, Pop. This is a big deal. Life altering. For both of us.”

  “Are you afraid he’s going to leave you high and dry?”

  “No. Just the opposite, in fact.”

  “As it should be. He has a responsibility.” Her grandfather’s voice rose.

  Adele glanced worriedly at the office door, then shushed him. “But not one he asked for or planned on so soon in our relationship,” she said in a subdued voice.

  “He’s a good man, Dellie. He’ll take care of you and the baby.”

  “I know. But an unplanned pregnancy isn’t an automatic reason to rush into marriage. There are other things to consider. Other people.”

  “Just because your folks were lousy parents, don’t assume you and Ty will be, too.”

  Her grandfather’s words sliced into her, opening wounds she thought were finally closed.

  “That’s not it.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” she replied. Only she wasn’t. Not entirely.

  Already she loved the baby with every breath she drew, and wanted more than anything for him or her to have a better childhood than she’d had. Two parents, Adele knew, was no guarantee for happiness.

  Her cell phone abruptly rang. “It’s Ty,” she told her grandfather, after checking the screen, and answered with a forced but chipper, “Hello.”

  “I’m pulling in the drive.”

  “Already!”

  “I couldn’t wait to see you.”

  His enthusiasm was catching. “I can’t wait to see you, either.”

  “Where are you?”

  “My office.”

  “Meet me out front in two minutes.”

  Adele was instantly on her feet. “You coming?” she asked Pop, after disconnecting.

  “Naw. You go on. I’ll meet up with him later.”

  “Promise me you won’t say anything about the baby until I’ve talked to him.”

  Pop grumbled his assent.

  She was out the door and halfway across the lobby when she remembered she hadn’t made sure he could rise from the chair without assistance. Starting back, she halted when he appeared in her office doorway.

  “Get going.” He shooed her away. “I’m fine.”

  Standing on the front porch, she watched Ty’s truck approach, toy-size at first, then growing larger as it neared.

  He had come home to Seven Cedars. And her.

  All at once, happiness bubbled up inside her, vanquishing her earlier doubts and insecurities. Whatever obstacles they faced, and there were a lot of them, they’d find a solution. Together. The sight of his grinning face, full of gladness and affection, further convinced her that nothing was impossible.

  She ran down the steps and into his arms the instant he climbed out of his truck.

  “I have some great news!”

  “So do I,” he said, giving her a smacking kiss on the lips.

  She laughed, giddy with delight. “You go first.”

  “Big Sky Trailers has offered me a sponsorship contract with a bonus if I win at Nationals.”

  “They did?”

  “It’s only a one-year contract to start, but they’re talking magazine ads and even cable TV spots if all goes well.”

  “That’s…wonderful.”

  “I’ll have to go to Texas for the month of January. That’s where their headquarters is located.”

  Adele’s heart went from beating wildly to skipping painfully. So much for springing her announcement on him.

  “Can you believe it?” He lifted her off her feet, swung her in a circle and gave her another kiss. “Hey, I missed breakfast this morning and I’m starving. Any chance the dining hall’s still open? We can talk about why you’ve been avoiding me over lunch.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Pop had joined Adele and Ty for lunch. With his mouth set in a grim line, he sat listening to Ty expound on the details of the Big Sky Trailers sponsorship contract, which were exciting to say the least.

  Exciting for Ty.

  “If I win at Nationals, they want to feature me and Hamm in their advertising campaign.” He seemed to have forgotten all about her news. Perhaps that was for the best. “Even more incentive for me to win,” he said with single-minded determination.

  Ty was well on the way to getting everything he wanted. Not at all like when he’d first come to Cowboy College…what? Nearly three months ago.

  Adele was partially responsible for the transformation. Little had she known at the time that helping him fix his problems with Hamm and launch a career comeback would return to hurt her.

  Little had she known she’d fall in love with him.

  She pressed a hand to her breast, trying to soothe the ragged pain beneath it. Given the chance to do it all over again, she’d change nothing. Not loving him and certainly not having his baby.

  “Of course, I’ll be here for Garth and Reese’s wedding,” he continued, finishing the last of his steak sandwich.

  Pop hadn’t ordered
any food, and Adele only picked at her shrimp salad. Ty didn’t appear to notice their lack of appetites.

  “That’s good,” she said, mentally calculating which stage she’d be in her pregnancy come Valentine’s Day. No hiding it then. Even if she tried, someone was bound to say something.

  “Why don’t you come with me to Texas?” He reached under the table and rested a hand on her knee, his eyes alight with boyish charm. “You can visit your dad. Big Sky’s headquarters is only a couple hours from where he lives.”

  When Adele didn’t immediately respond, Pop made a disgruntled sound, which Ty misinterpreted.

  “Sorry, Pop. I should’ve talked to you first about stealing her away.”

  “Not my decision,” he muttered crustily.

  It was on the tip of Adele’s tongue to explain her grandfather’s dour mood, only she couldn’t think of anything to say without mentioning the baby. Instead, she asked Ty, “Is this what you want? The sponsorship contract?”

  He gave her a surprised look. “It’s a great opportunity. And not just because of the money.”

  She nodded. No argument there. “I thought you wanted to build saddles.”

  “Charlie’s shop will be there when I’m ready.”

  Adele couldn’t help but wonder if he planned to include her in his long-term goals. He’d made no mention of the future other than her accompanying him to Texas in January.

  Wasn’t she just as guilty of making plans without him?

  Not the same, she told herself. She was thinking of him.

  Ty would quit competing and give up a lucrative sponsorship the moment he learned about the baby. It wasn’t fair, not when he’d worked so hard and so long to achieve his dream. Neither was it fair to make his parents wait additional months, perhaps years, for the money he owed them. Especially when they could really use it and had already been exceedingly patient.

  She could see why the Big Sky’s marketing people had approached Ty. Not only was his meteoric return to roping catching the attention of fans, he was a great spokesperson, possessing good looks, talent and a natural charm. Not to mention a gorgeous and athletic horse. Some ropers competed their whole lives and had little to show for it. Ty could, if all went well, build an impressive career from this one sponsorship offer.

  She wouldn’t be the one to take it from him.

  “We don’t have to decide anything right this second,” she said cheerfully, attempting to smooth out the awkward pause.

  Her smile must have appeared as fake as it felt, for Ty stopped eating, set his fork down and turned to her.

  “I haven’t signed the contract yet. I can always change my mind.”

  “It’s a great offer. You’d be a fool not to take it.”

  Pop’s closed hand came down a little too hard on the table.

  Ty’s gaze darted to him, then back to Adele. “Yes, but I don’t want to be away from you.”

  “We’ll talk more tonight,” she told him, her fake smile still firmly in place.

  Pop grumbled angrily and, leaning heavily on his cane, rose from the table. Without a word, he limped away.

  “I guess I upset him.”

  “It’s not you.” Adele also stood, and patted Ty’s shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”

  He stopped her by snaring her wrist. “Are we okay? Are you okay?”

  She didn’t answer him. “Give me a few minutes alone with Pop, will you?”

  His eyes followed her as she hurried out of the dining hall. She could only guess what he was thinking.

  Spying Pop outside, she called to him. “Wait.”

  He halted, but one glance at his fierce expression had her wishing she’d let him go on ahead without her.

  “You need to tell him about the baby,” he barked when she was within earshot.

  “Not so loud.” She tugged on his arm imploringly. “You know what will happen if I do. He’ll stay here and give up the Big Sky sponsorship contract. Quit team roping with Garth. Probably propose to me.”

  “As he should!”

  “What makes you think I want to marry him?”

  Pop gaped at her. “Why the hell not?”

  Adele grimaced and moved in front of him, as if that would stop his voice from carrying to the guests nearby. “He already lost one championship and one career opportunity. I don’t want to be the reason he loses a second one. I certainly don’t want to be the reason his mother loses her real estate business.”

  “We could lend him the—”

  “Do you think for one second Ty would take money from us?”

  “He might. If you two were married.”

  “No, he won’t. He has too much pride. Just like he’ll quit competing if I tell him about the baby. He’d want any child of his to have two parents at home. Like he did. Like I didn’t.”

  Pop grumbled.

  “I can’t risk Ty coming to resent me for taking everything away from him. And he will, even if he doesn’t mean to. Worse, he might come to resent our child.”

  “Dellie.”

  She hugged her grandfather, hating the frailty in his frame, which hadn’t been there before. “The best day of my life was when I came here to live permanently.” The best day until she’d learned she was pregnant. “I want my child to grow up with everything you and Grandma gave me. A good home, security, wide-open spaces and the best horses in the state to ride.” She wiped her damp cheeks.

  “I can’t take the place of a father.”

  “You did for me.”

  “I still think you should tell Ty.” Though Pop continued insisting, much of the fight had gone out of him.

  “I will someday, but not right now.”

  He ruffled her hair as he had when she was young. “I love you, Dellie.”

  “I love you, too, Grandpa.”

  He chuckled, though it was filled with sadness. “You haven’t called me Grandpa since you were fourteen.”

  “Maybe I should start again.”

  “Whatever excuse you’re going to give Ty, you’d better think fast.” Pop tilted his head toward the lobby door. “Because here he comes.”

  Adele’s pulse spiked at the sight of Ty striding in her direction, looking every bit like a man who wouldn’t settle until he knew what the heck was going on.

  ADELE DIDN’T HAVE a destination in mind when she and Ty started walking. After a few minutes, she noticed their feet were taking them to the corral where Stick had placed Hamm while they had lunch with Pop. Probably because the corral was away from the ranch hands and guests, and gave them a modicum of privacy.

  “What’s wrong?” Ty demanded when they neared the fence. Given how poorly he was concealing his frustration, she was impressed he’d waited. “And this time, Adele, I want an answer. No more sidestepping.”

  Having little experience in breaking up with men, she decided quick and clean was the best approach.

  Easier on you, too, a small voice inside her whispered.

  True. But why prolong the agony?

  Sticking to her hastily concocted plan, she blurted, “I’ve recently realized I’m not cut out for a long-distance relationship.”

  Ty visibly jerked and his eyes widened, but when he spoke, his words were measured, as if he was weighing each one. “It’s only been a couple of months.”

  Good point. And if not for the baby, she’d be willing to give their arrangement a considerably longer trial period.

  “I don’t need any more time. This isn’t working out for me.”

  “I’d have come two weeks ago. You’re the one who told me not to.”

  “Pop just had surgery.”

  “And I respected your wishes. Now, all of a sudden, you tell me it’s not working out, and act as if it’s my fault, when you’re the one pushing me away.”

  He was absolutely right.

  Nonetheless, Adele continued, afraid her courage would desert her. “You have every right to be angry at me.”

  “I’m not angry, I’m confused.”
/>   She could see it clouding his eyes, along with the hurt she was inflicting.

  Damn. She’d been in such a hurry, she hadn’t considered he might put up a fight. She was, however, committed to finish what she’d begun. They would both come away from this bruised and possibly a little embittered, but everyone would be better off in the long run.

  “The reason my parents’ marriage fell apart was because Dad only stayed home a few months of the year.”

  “Is that what you want?” Ty asked. “For us to get married?”

  It was her turn to jerk. “No!”

  “Why not?”

  She drew a shallow breath. Anything deeper was impossible, not with the huge knot of pain pressing against her ribs. “Seven Cedars is my home, and Cowboy College is my business. I’m not leaving either of them. Asking you to give up your home and your dream isn’t right, either.”

  “I don’t get it.” He rubbed the back of his neck, his jaw working furiously. “Why can’t we continue the way we are?”

  “Because my heart shatters every time you leave and every time you hang up the phone after calling me.” That much, at least, was completely true.

  “And you think the answer is to break up with me?”

  Adele involuntarily crossed her arms over her middle. “Yes.”

  “Have you met somebody else?”

  “Of course not!”

  He shook his head, his brows forming a deep V. “This makes no sense.”

  Hamm must have sensed the seriousness of their mood. Rather than trot in circles as usual, he stood solemnly in the center of the corral, head lowered, tail swishing, his breath stirring up small dust clouds.

  “I’m sorry,” Adele murmured.

  “Just like that? You break up with me out of the blue, tell me you’re sorry, and I’m supposed to be okay with it?” Ty might not have been angry before, but he definitely was now.

  “Please try and see this from my side.”

  “How much does this have to do with the sponsorship offer from Big Sky?”

  He’d finally put two and two together.

  “Some,” she admitted.

  “Because I’ll be gone the month of January?”

  “Nationals isn’t until late December. Add January, when you’ll be in Texas, and you’re asking me to wait half a year.”