Wrangling Cupid's Cowboy

by Amanda Renee

  Kacey shrugged. “I saw Jake running from the window of my friend’s house so I came out to play with him.”

  “Where does your friend live?”

  “Over there.” Kacey pointed out the window to the new housing development on the other side of the ranch.

  “Does anyone know you’re here?”

  She shrugged again and knelt on the floor beside Jake. “I’ve missed you, too.”

  “We need to call your father and tell him where you are.” Delta grabbed her phone from the living room and pulled up Garrett’s contact. Her finger hesitated over the call button while she gathered her thoughts. She wanted their conversation to be as concise as possible. The less time they spoke, the better.

  He answered on the first ring. “Delta, I’m so glad you called.”

  “Kacey is at my house.”

  “What? She’s supposed to be at Darlene’s house with Ivy. They had a sleepover party last night.”

  “Does Darlene live in the housing development behind mine?”

  Garrett sighed into the phone. “Yes, she does.”

  “She said she saw Jake playing in the pastures and she decided to join him. I don’t even know if anyone realizes she’s missing.”

  Garrett swore under his breath. “Is it okay if she stays there until I get there? I can leave now.”

  “That’s fine.” Delta hit the end button before Garrett could say another word. She’d heard enough from the man to last a lifetime. Although there was a teeny tiny part of her brain that understood and might even be able to sympathize with his reaction. She’d seen enough PTSD while working with Jake to recognize he’d had a panic attack, probably stemming from the trauma of losing Rebecca and the guilt he felt for sleeping with her. And maybe if he had called her the next day to discuss it, she would have been able to forgive him. But to not own up to it...no, she couldn’t accept that.

  “Your daddy is on the way over to get you.” Delta handed her the phone. “Why don’t you call your friend and let her parents know where you are.”

  “I don’t know the number.”

  “Okay.” Delta tucked the phone into the pocket of her robe, which had become increasingly suffocating over the last few minutes. “Then come in the living room and watch some TV with me while we wait.”

  “Are you okay?” Kacey followed her to the couch and climbed on it beside her.

  “I’m overly tired today. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  “You look white like Mommy.”

  She turned to see Kacey studying her intently. Delta grabbed the remote off the table and handed it to Kacey. “I’m fine, honey, really.”

  Delta glanced at the clock on the DVR. It had only been five minutes since she’d called Garrett. She picked up her phone and fired off a text to Maddie: Need your help. Can you stop over?

  She received a reply almost instantly: On the way.

  Whoever arrived first would have to take Kacey because now she was beginning to feel like she had a fever. And the damn wig...it was so much hotter than actual hair, even during a Montana winter.

  “You stay here with Jake. I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay.” Kacey changed the channel to cartoons.

  Delta grabbed a cold bottle of water from the fridge before heading into the bedroom. She just needed to cool off for a minute. She twisted the cap off the bottle and took a long swig of water. She set it on the dresser, then she pulled the blinds up and lifted the window sash. The cool air felt good, but not good enough. Making sure she had closed the door behind her, Delta removed her wig and laid it on the bed. “Oh, that’s so much better.”

  Kacey’s scream from the bedroom doorway nearly shattered her eardrums. Jake began barking and circling her protectively as Delta grabbed for her wig.

  “You’re sick,” Kacey cried. “I knew it. I knew it. Just like Mommy, you’re just like Mommy and you’ll leave and never come back.”

  Delta reached for the little girl as Kacey pulled away from her. “No!”

  Garrett bounded into the room. “What is going on?” He looked from Delta to Kacey and the wig. “Oh, baby. It’s not like that. It’s not like Mommy. Delta’s not dying, I promise.”

  “You knew?” Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stared up at him. “You knew she was sick. How could you give her to us when she’s going away.”

  Garrett knelt on the floor. “She’s not going away.”

  Delta held tight to Jake’s collar. This couldn’t be happening. This was exactly what she had wanted to avoid. She didn’t want to scare his kids. She didn’t want this to affect them.

  “Delta’s going to die.”

  “No, honey.” Delta released the dog, ran across the room. “I am not dying. What I have is very curable. It’s called Hodgkin’s lymphoma. See, it doesn’t even have cancer in the name.”

  “You don’t have cancer?” Kacey’s sobs quieted.

  “I—I do, but not that kind of cancer.” Delta reached out for the bed. Jake ran to her side and began barking again. When did the room begin to spin? She bent forward and almost fell to the floor. “Garrett.”

  “Daddy, what’s happening?”

  * * *

  DELTA STRUGGLED TO open her eyes. There was something in her nose and around her ears. Open your eyes! She silently screamed. Blink. White. Blink. Bright. Ceiling. She needed to turn her head. Her brain wasn’t cooperating with her body. Come on! Fight harder! She felt her head move slightly. Blink. Machines. Shit! She was in the hospital.

  “Delta?” Maddie’s voice pierced the darkness. “Delta, can you hear me?”

  Delta nodded, at least she thought she did.

  “Garrett?”

  “I’m sorry, sweetie. He’s not here.”

  “How?”

  “You’re running a fever, you have an infection and you passed out at home. He called an ambulance. There’s no easy way to tell you this, but I think your secret is out.”

  “Where’s Jake and Kacey?”

  “Jake’s still at your house. I’m going back there after I leave to get his food and treats. I’ll take him home with me and watch him until you’re released. And Kacey is with Garrett.”

  Maddie sighed. “I don’t know how much you remember, but she saw you pass out.”

  Delta wanted to cry, but once again her body betrayed her and wouldn’t listen.

  Maddie pulled an envelope out of her bag. “Garrett asked me to give this to you. You can read it later or I can read it to you now.”

  “No.” It didn’t matter what it said. The result was the same. They were over. “Destroy it.”

  “You don’t want me to do that.”

  “Destroy. Now.” Delta reached for the bedrails and pressed the button.

  “What are you trying to do? Sit up?” Maddie pressed the button embedded on the rail and the head of the bed began to rise.

  “Stop,” Delta ordered.

  “How are we doing?” A nurse entered the room. “You buzzed for me.”

  “Please leave.” Delta looked at Maddie. “Give her the letter.”

  “Delta, are you throwing me out?”

  Delta nodded. “Please.”

  “Yeah, sure.” She handed the letter to the nurse and slung her bag over her shoulder. “Oh, and I called your parents. They’re on the way. I’ll check in on you tomorrow.”

  “Do you want me to read this to you?” the nurse asked.

  “Burn it,” Delta said.

  “I can’t do that, but I can run it through the paper shredder if that’s what you want.”

  “Please destroy it.”

  “Okay. Here, let me lower this for you so you can sleep.” The bed reclined once again and Delta managed to roll over and face the wall.

  She’d rather be alone than go through the pain of the last t
wenty-four hours. If only chemo could mend a broken heart.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Two days had passed since the day Delta collapsed in front of Kacey. Leaving her had been the second hardest thing of his life. The first had been burying his wife. Delta’s body had taken quite a beating from the infection she’d picked up after her first round of chemo. They had released her from the hospital the following day but he didn’t know any further details. After her friends and family had realized why he had ended their relationship, they refused to talk to him. And he couldn’t blame them. He’d wronged her in the worst possible way. He just hoped she’d read the letter he’d written explaining why he’d done what he did and how it had been the biggest mistake of his life. He had wanted to tell her in person, but the hospital had strict orders to keep him out of her room.

  Once Kacey had gotten over her initial shock at Delta’s diagnosis, she began asking about her again. So had Bryce, although he was still too young to fully understand. They wanted him to call her, but he didn’t want to push her further away. If she had read his letter and didn’t call, he had his answer. If she hadn’t read it, that was still a clear answer.

  Garrett led one of the horses out of the main stables and into the middle one. They had a roof leak and needed to get in that stall. He was surprised to see Delta’s truck parked in front of the building with the back open and the forge blazing. At least that was a good sign she was feeling better and they might be able to salvage some part of their relationship. He turned the corner and almost smacked into Buck Grace’s chest. He was much more imposing in person than he was in his online seminars.

  He grunted a greeting. An actual grunt. That wasn’t a good sign.

  “Mr. Grace.”

  “Weasel.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.” Buck strode past him and fired a shoe. Blazing red-hot, he held it up in front of him—or maybe he was holding it up in front of Garrett as a warning—he then examined it before lowering it to the anvil and striking it with a rounding hammer. He checked it again before thrusting it back into the forge. “I’m only here because Delta has a business reputation to protect. And since you went around telling the whole damn county she has cancer, she started losing customers.”

  “But I didn’t tell—”

  “It’s not your turn to talk,” Buck warned. He removed the shoe from the forge with large tongs, strode to the horse, lifted the foot and set the shoe. Steam rose off the hoof, creating a smooth surface between the two. Buck finished nailing the shoe before returning his attention to Garrett. “It takes a little man to do what you’ve done.”

  “I explained everything in my letter in hopes we could sit down and discuss it when the dust settled.”

  “She never read your letter.”

  “Why not?”

  Buck spun on him. “Because she told the nurse to shred it. You abandoned her in her hour of need and then you were going to hit her with a double whammy by defending yourself in a letter. Is that the gist of it?”

  “It was more complicated than that. I lost my wife to cancer. I watched the woman I loved die. I felt like I was watching it again and it tore me in half. But I made a mistake. My letter was an apology, too.”

  Buck wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “I’m really sorry about your wife and what you went through. But son, if you’re not strong enough for Delta now, you never will be. This can come back again. What will you do if you two are together and it does? Walk away? You did what that weasel ex-husband of hers did. You left when she needed you most.”

  Garrett collapsed against the stall. “How could I have forgotten about him?” He’d been so wrapped up in his past colliding with the present, he’d completely disregarded her past. No wonder she’d shredded the letter. “I need to talk to her. Better yet, I need to see her. I need to do this in person.”

  “Not if you’re going to break her heart again.” Buck shook his head.

  “I don’t want to break it. I want to win it.” Garrett held his ground. Something he should have done last week. “I regret what I did to Delta. I thought I was doing the right thing by protecting my kids from getting hurt again, but they’re more hurt without her. They love Delta. And so do I. I just wish I had realized it sooner. I don’t even know how she’s doing because no one will tell me.”

  “She’s much better. She wanted to work today but I told her to take it easy at home for another day or two. I’m going to stay with her for the next week, just to make sure she’s okay.”

  Garrett wiped away a tear at the news. “I’m glad she’s feeling better. Do you think I could see her?”

  Buck tugged at the collar of his shirt. “It’s going to take a lot more than an apology to get her attention. You need to come up with something big to win her back, because, son, you devastated her.”

  Something big...he knew just what to do and who to call. Come tomorrow afternoon, he’d change her mind. He refused to believe this was the end for them. He had to try or else he’d live the rest of his life in regret.

  “Sir, I have an idea, but I’ll need your help to pull it off.”

  * * *

  “WHERE ARE YOU taking me?” Delta fidgeted. She preferred being the one in control, the one making the decisions. “I don’t make a good passenger. I’m used to driving everywhere.”

  “You’re going to have to get over that real quick.” Her father chuckled.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He laughed as they turned off the main road. “Today you’re going to sit down, shut up and hang on.”

  “Dad! That’s kind of rude, don’t you th—” She squealed when she saw the sign. “We’re going dogsledding?”

  “You’re going dogsledding. I’m heading back to work.”

  Delta saw Garrett’s SUV parked near the entrance. “Dad, what is this all about?”

  “Give the man a chance to explain. He arranged this whole thing for you yesterday because he knew you’ve always wanted to do this. Hear him out, enjoy the ride and if at the end of the day you want me to come get you, I will. What do you say?”

  Delta reached over the armrest and hugged him. “I love you, Daddy.”

  “I love you, too, pumpkin.” Buck kissed her on the forehead. “Now, go have some fun and don’t hesitate to leave Garrett in the woods if he ticks you off.”

  “Believe me, there won’t be any hesitation.” Delta swung open the passenger door and hopped onto the hard-packed snow.

  “I wasn’t sure if you’d come.” Garrett smiled as she approached.

  “If I had known you would be here, I wouldn’t have. I had no idea what my dad was up to, but kudos for getting him involved. He went from wanting to castrate you to driving me to see you. I’d say that’s progress.”

  “I’m glad you’re here. There’s so much I want to tell you.”

  “Yeah, I don’t know, Garrett.” Delta turned back to the parking lot but her father had already left. “I’m here. You’re here. And I’ve always wanted to do this. So, okay.”

  “Really?” Garrett smiled. “Thank you, Delta.”

  She followed him inside the small log cabin office. “Welcome to Musher’s Dog Sled Adventures,” a woman greeted them. “Do you have a reservation?”

  “Garrett Slade.”

  “Mr. Slade, I’m the one you spoke with yesterday.” She slid two clipboards with forms attached to the front of them across the counter. “If you’ll fill those out for me, we’ll have you out and sledding shortly. It’s the perfect day for it.”

  Delta’s hand shook with excitement as she began writing her name. If she had a bucket list, this would be pretty close to the top. She knew Garrett had planned this trip for the lodge guests, but she never expected to have the opportunity to go.

  A man approached them after they’d handed in the forms. “My
name is Oki and I’m your musher today. Follow me to the dog yard and meet your pack.” He led them out the back door. “We offer a unique sledding experience to our guests. Most places have single person sleds, meaning the musher steers while the guest rides in the sled bed. Here all our hand-made sleds are built for three. One of you will ride up front in the bed and the other will stand on the runners behind me. Whoever’s standing will experience what it’s like to drive the team since you’ll be helping me steer through the twists and turns of the trail.”

  “I’m riding in the bed.” She peeked inside the nylon wrapped enclosure. Fleecy blankets lined the interior, inviting her to sink into its depths. While Oki explained how to drive and steer the sled to Garrett, she admired the team of eight dogs. She’d always assumed sled dogs were huskies or malamutes. But they had Samoyeds and Newfoundlands, among some other breeds she didn’t recognize.

  “Are we ready to ride?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Delta rubbed her hands together in excitement. “Let’s do this.”

  Oki strapped her safely into the sled bed as she nestled into the cocoon of warmth. “Everyone should have one of these in their house. I could fall asleep here.”

  “Mush!” Oki called as the sled began to move down the trail. The ride was a little bumpy at first, but once the dogs began to run, it smoothed out.

  They crested a small hill and gained even more speed. Delta lifted her arms as if she were riding on a roller coaster. “Yay!” This was living. This would get her through chemotherapy this upcoming weekend. Nothing would take her down.

  * * *

  “HOW ARE YOU doing?” An hour later they were sipping hot chocolate and eating cookies while they watched Oki unhook the first team of dogs and connect the next one.

  “I feel like I just ran a marathon and back. That was one of the most exhilarating things I’ve ever experienced.”

  “I’m glad you had a good time.”

  “Good time?” She threw her head back and laughed. “That was one of the best times of my life. This is going to sound strange, but even though I was wrapped tight in that sled bed, there was a sense of freedom, of allowing the dogs to lead us. And I know Oki was doing the driving, but from my vantage point, it was all dogs. Outside of work, I haven’t had an outdoor adventure in...” She blew out a breath. “At least a year. I’ve been busy ever since I moved to Saddle Ridge. This was special. This meant something. I’m so glad I got to experience this. Thank you.”