by Amanda Renee
“Could you carry if you wanted to?” Garrett winced at his own question. “I’m sorry, that was way too personal.”
“It’s all right.” She cleared the snow from the center of the snow pad sandwiched between the snow-tire-like shoe and the animal’s hoof. “I have the same options as Liv. I can carry a donor embryo, but I’ve chosen not to. Plus, I can’t afford it and my insurance doesn’t cover it. Maybe if I was married and my husband wanted a child, then I would consider it, but it’s difficult being a pregnant farrier. I know one woman who shod up until the day she delivered, but she had an apprentice handling her rasping and shaping. It’s not the safest job, especially when you’re dealing with the hind legs. Plus, the downtime after delivery. And that’s even longer when you have a cesarean.” She moved on to Desi’s hooves. “If it hadn’t been for the cancer and my divorce, I probably would’ve continued to work for my father until I had a family, then I would’ve branched out on my own. But life’s not perfect and when I examined my available options, I decided on adoption. Now it’s a waiting game. I’ll get my turn. I’ll have my kids.”
“Hopefully you’ll have someone special by your side so you don’t have to raise a child alone,” he said after the horses were in their stalls. “It’s not easy being a single parent.”
“If I find the right person, then I would love to raise a family with them.”
“How will you know it’s the right person?”
She regarded him for a moment before answering. “How does anyone know they’re with the right person? I thought I had married the right person. Maybe if the circumstances had been different, we would still be together, but we’re not. I don’t think you ever truly know. At some point, you just have to have faith.”
Garrett walked her outside, not wanting to say goodbye. He wanted to know more about her and her life before Saddle Ridge. “I wish you could stay, but a pregnant friend with triplets comes before a cowboy any day. Tell Liv I said hello.”
“I will, and thanks for the ride. I really enjoyed it.”
“It was my pleasure.” Garrett tried not to laugh at his ironic choice of words.
“No, I think it was mine. But thanks for that, too.” She winked and opened the Jeep’s door.
“Not so fast.” Garrett braced an arm on either side of her head. “I want one more for the road.” He pressed his lips gently against hers. The touch alone was a sensual sensation. One that would get him in trouble if he continued, especially in front of the ranch’s stables. “Call me later?”
“I will.”
Garrett checked his watch. If he didn’t hurry up, he’d be late for dinner. He hopped in his truck and drove across the ranch to Dylan and Emma’s. Just as he took the first step up to their front porch, he heard the sound of snow crunching behind him.
Garrett spun around and lurched in its direction.
“What the hell, man?” Dylan stumbled backward, almost falling to the ground.
Garrett laughed. “Don’t give me that crap, big brother. You were going to do the exact same thing to me. I just beat you to it.”
“Shut up.” Dylan punched him in the arm. “I figured your head would still be in the clouds after that kiss goodbye.”
Now he was the one turning red. “Didn’t Mom ever tell you it’s not polite to spy on people?”
“Didn’t Mom ever tell you to keep the public displays of affection to a minimum?”
“Oh, you should talk. From what I heard, you practically courted Emma from the day she arrived.”
“Hardly the truth. She wanted my ranch and any cordiality I had showed was because she was pregnant.”
“Yeah, that the only reason?” Garrett had missed taunting his brothers while he lived in Wheatland. His life would never be the same without Rebecca, but he was realizing it was all right to enjoy what he had.
“Bet you’re still slower than me.” Dylan raced him up the stairs.
The front door swung wide. “Are you two going to stand out here acting like a couple of kids or are you coming in for dinner? Because if not, the four of us will eat without you.”
Garrett and Dylan looked at each other and laughed. “Oh my God, I think my fiancée just channeled Mom.”
“Speaking of Mom, have you heard from her lately?”
“Not since Christmas. You?” Dylan closed the door behind them as they kicked off their boots.
“It was sometime after New Year’s, but not much later than that. I told her we had moved and she almost sounded disappointed that I’d come back to Saddle Ridge.”
“When she left, I thought she was running from Dad’s death, but it didn’t take her long to sell the ranch and hook up with Artie.”
“Artie is okay.” Garrett shrugged off his coat. “He’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer but he genuinely cares about Mom. Mom doesn’t want the memories of this place and I can’t blame her.”
“I keep waiting for it to go back up for sale,” Dylan said.
“Why? Would you really buy that place back? Ryder killed Dad there.”
“Ryder accidentally ran over Dad and he died.”
“They were fighting and Ryder ran him over. However you look at it, Ryder was behind the wheel and Dad died. That’s a hard thing to forgive and it’s even harder to forget.”
“It’s in the past. And it looks like the two of us have a great future ahead.”
It was looking brighter every day. The pain of losing Rebecca would never fade, but he was learning how to handle it better by allowing himself to be happy again.
Maybe Cupid wasn’t so bad after all.
* * *
“IT’S ABOUT TIME you came to see me.” Liv gave Delta a hug. “And hello there, Jake.” She scratched the top of his head. “I’m glad you came to see me, too.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve just been busy between work, the convalescent home, running back and forth to see my parents and—” Delta cut herself short, not sure if she was ready to talk about Garrett to Liv, or anyone for that matter. Belle was probably the one exception to that rule, but only because Belle hadn’t given her much of a choice.
“Oh, no you don’t.” Liv eased onto the couch. “You’re leaving something or someone out, and I think I know who it is.”
“Yeah, okay.” Delta laughed. “How are you feeling? Because you look uncomfortable.”
Liv swept her long, jet-black hair up off her shoulders and held it at the nape of her neck for a second before releasing it. Her hair coupled with her feline-like emerald-green eyes was striking. “I just went to the doctor today for a checkup. We’re at just over a pound each. That’s three pounds of kids sitting on my bladder, kicking my ribs and poking me in places I didn’t know I could be poked. This could be you someday.”
“I doubt that.”
“How does Garrett feel about having more kids?” Liv asked.
“We haven’t tal—” Delta’s mouth slammed shut. “How did you know about him?”
“You two made quite the couple ice skating the other day.” Liv pulled her phone out of her shirt pocket. “I don’t go anywhere without this thing anymore. I never know when I won’t be able to get up. Let’s see.” She began swiping at the phone. “The video of you two together is on here somewhere. And it’s super sexy.”
“Oh, my God. Please tell me you don’t have a video of us ice skating together.” Delta’s heart thudded to a stop.
“Fine. I don’t have a video. But your reaction tells me something sexy did happen. Dish. Now.”
“I will not. But he told me to tell you hello.”
“Hello back. Have his boots been under your bed yet?” Liv waggled her brows.
“You are incorrigible!”
The doorbell rang and Maddie, who lived next door, walked in. “I saw your Jeep out front. Are you two having a party without me?”
Jake nudged her with his nose. “Excuse me, fuzzy butt. My mistake. Are you three having a party without me?”
“Since you both are here, I have something to tell you. I just finished talking with Jade about it before you came in.”
“Is your sister leaving LA and moving back to town?”
Liv scoffed. “As if. Hell would have to freeze over twice for that to happen. I know I said I was going to wait, but when I was at my appointment earlier, I asked them to tell me the sex of the babies. I just couldn’t wait any longer.”
“You did!” Maddie bounced up and down the same way Kacey did. Only Kacey was much cuter. “What are you having?”
“Three girls.” Liv beamed. “And I’ve already chosen their names, because I knew in my heart of hearts that they were going to be girls. How do you like Audra, Hadley and Mackenzie?”
“I love them.” Delta was over the moon thrilled for Liv. She wished they were both celebrating a baby, but she was glad for her friend.
“We need to have a toast.” Liv struggled to get off the couch. “I swear I’m going to have to hire a manservant just to get me up from a seated position. It wouldn’t be so bad if I hadn’t chosen such comfortable furniture. Everything in this house sucks you into it.”
“You can’t drink.”
“Relax, I’m going to have apple juice and you two are having the spiced rum. I think the bottle belonged to one of you anyway. I guess we won’t be having those crazy nights anymore.”
As happy as Delta was for Liv, there was a touch of sadness behind those words. She had never been pregnant, but she could see why women would wax nostalgic for their former glory days.
Liv led them to the kitchen and set three rocks glasses on the counter. She added ice, then topped two off with rum and one with juice. “Here’s to girl power.” She raised her glass.
“To girl power.” Delta and Maddie joined her and clinked glasses before sipping their drinks. “And to Delta’s new boyfriend.”
“Oh, you’re funny.” Delta took a long swallow of rum and headed back into the living room. “Garrett and I don’t know what we—ow—ouch.” She dropped her glass on the coffee table.
“Delta, what’s wrong?”
“It’s like someone’s stabbing me in the shoulder and the armpit.” She exhaled sharply. “Damn.”
“Sit down.” Maddie ushered her to the couch. “Did you do anything extraneous today?”
“No.” Delta tried rubbing her shoulder. “I had one job early this morning and that was it. The rest of the day was easy.”
“Here, let me.” Maddie began to rub it for her. “Does it hurt when you move?”
“I don’t know. I don’t remember pulling it or anything.” She raised her arm in the air.
“Have you lost weight?” Maddie asked as she massaged her shoulder and under her arm. “You’re always thin, but you feel thin.” Her friend froze.
“What’s wrong?”
Maddie’s fingers dug deeper into her flesh. “Delta, I feel something under your arm.”
“Oh, God.” Liv covered her mouth as tears filled Maddie’s eyes.
Delta shook her head. “No, no, no, no. I’m sure I just pulled something. That’s all.”
“Give me your hand.” Maddie held out hers. “You can’t ignore this. Give me your hand.”
Tears filled her own eyes as Maddie guided her to the middle of her armpit and pressed her fingers into her skin. Her stomach dropped as she felt it, too. Her lymph nodes were swollen. She had lost a couple pounds but she’d figured it was from working too much. That was also why she assumed she’d been tired lately. But the alcohol intolerance pain. She’d never had the symptom originally, but she was aware it existed.
“How can this be happening? My scans were clear four months ago. I can’t have Hodgkin’s again. I just can’t.”
Chapter Eleven
Delta had left for Missoula sometime after Garrett saw her Wednesday and he still hadn’t heard from her two days later. She had sent him a text message in the middle of the night stating she had a family emergency and would call when she was able to. He had been awake when the message came in, but when he immediately called her back, it went straight to voice mail.
Normally that wouldn’t have concerned him. It was her outgoing message that didn’t sit right. She stated she’d be out of town for a few days and she provided the name and number of another farrier. That part was straightforward. Her shakiness toward the end of the message and the hitch in her voice when she said goodbye concerned him. And when he ran into Liv Scott in the supermarket yesterday and had asked if she’d heard from Delta, the woman couldn’t get away from him fast enough. Something was wrong and Garrett believed it went way beyond a family emergency.
He’d even gone as far as asking Harlan to check all the emergency rooms in Missoula County. He found nothing. Garrett stopped short of tracking down her family. She deserved to have privacy, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t driving him crazy.
People had family emergencies all the time. Barring a natural disaster or inclement weather, they usually got messages to people. Garrett had left several for Delta and she hadn’t returned a single one. Radio silence usually meant the person didn’t want to talk.
Garrett surveyed the lodge’s great room. Silver Bells had officially reopened yesterday and was bustling with guests. A Montana romance writers’ group, to be exact. They seemed pleasant enough. They had taken over the great room and dining areas with their laptops but had been relatively tame. So far.
“Not a bad group from the looks of it.” Dylan slapped him on the back.
“Just wait until tonight,” Garrett warned. “I think you’ll have your hands full.”
“Nah, these women will probably pack it in early. They’ve been working all day.”
Dylan didn’t give their clientele much credit. “They are definitely looking to play later. A few of them have already asked me about the nightlife here in Saddle Ridge.”
“Saddle Ridge doesn’t have any nightlife, unless you count the Iron Horse.”
“Exactly, I told them about a few places in Kalispell, but I still think they’ll end up here, asking you to entertain them.”
“You mean asking us,” Dylan reminded. “We’re partners now. Everything is fifty-fifty, including the entertainment.”
“Well my fifty percent will be home watching three kids. I guess you forgot it’s my turn to take the kids for the weekend so Belle and Harlan can have their own romantic time alone. Once the baby comes they won’t have a moment’s peace.”
“Unless they have an angel like Holly. She hardly ever cries,” Dylan mused. “I don’t remember every other weekend off being a part of our partnership agreement. It’s not fair to leave me to fend for myself.”
“Hey, Belle and Harlan are leaving me to fend for myself.”
“Yeah.” Dylan scratched his chin. “You have a point there. I don’t know which one of us has it worse.”
“I had hoped Delta would be joining me for part of the night.”
“Doesn’t she usually visit her parents on the weekend?”
“Most of the time, not always.” And it wasn’t as if he’d even mentioned the weekend to her yet. He hadn’t had the chance before she’d left with whoever she left with. He’d driven by her house. Twice. And both of her vehicles were parked around back. “Like I said, I had hoped she would join me.”
“Still no word?”
Garrett shook his head.
“I won’t tell you not to worry about it because we know firsthand how tragedy can strike at any minute. From the little I do know about her, she’s from a very strong family and Buck Grace has always been about his kids.”
“You know Delta’s father?”
Dylan nodded. “It’s been probably ten years, if not more. I doubt the man would recognize me. He
was in town to see Henry when he shod Dad’s horses. I met him on our ranch.”
Garrett had no idea Delta’s father had met their father, let alone on the family homestead. Not that it mattered, which just proved how small Montana really was despite its size.
According to the clock in the lobby, it was almost time to pick up Bryce and Kacey from their respective schools. Even with Emma’s volunteering, he felt the inexplicable need to keep his children close.
“Good luck tonight, I need to go pick up my kids so your future wife can have a long overdue break. Watch out for some of those women. Especially the authors of some of the steamier works. I wish I could be here to watch you sing around the fire later.”
“Bring the kids, that’ll keep everything tame.”
“Nah, man. You’re on your own.”
He already knew the first question out of his daughter’s mouth would be about Delta. And he didn’t have any answers. He had already noticed Kacey’s demeanor backsliding. Delta hadn’t spoken to her since Tuesday night. She never dropped off the guitar either, which Garrett was fine with, but Kacey was struggling to understand Delta’s absence wasn’t about her, and that they had to pray everything would be okay.
It had to be.
* * *
“OKAY, DELTA.” Dr. Lassiter sat behind his desk Friday afternoon at the Montana Cancer Center in Missoula. “We have the results of all your scans and the fine needle aspiration we took this morning.”
Delta’s parents sat on either side of her, squeezing her hands tightly, while her two brothers stood behind her for support. She already knew what he was going to say. She’d seen that look on Dr. Lassiter’s face before.
“How bad?”
“Delta, don’t assume the worst.” Her mother attempted to comfort her.
“Stage Ia favorable. Meaning it’s not bulky or in several different lymph node areas like it was the last time. Based on your scan and blood test results, I feel your fatigue and slight weight loss has been environmental and not medical. We caught this early. But—”
“Oh, God. It hurts me to hear this. It’s never good when you say but.” Her mother started fanning herself.