Rescued by the Colton Cowboy

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  “My mother made every day feel special,” Palmer said as he slipped into thought, memories placing a smile across his face. He suddenly yawned.

  “Don’t do that. It’s contagious,” Soledad said as she yawned with him.

  “I think I’ve finally hit my wall,” he said. “I’m having a hard time keeping my eyes open.”

  “I know the feeling.” Soledad settled comfortably against the mattress. “I should probably go back to my room...” she said but didn’t move.

  “Don’t leave on my account,” Palmer muttered, losing his own struggle to stay awake.

  “I wasn’t,” Soledad said with the slightest giggle.

  Palmer smiled, his body beginning to give in to the slumber that was suddenly determined to drag him into a deep sleep. “Good night, Soledad,” he muttered. “Sweet dreams.”

  Chapter 10

  Soledad was laughing hysterically when Palmer entered the kitchen later that morning. Lyra was on the family room floor propped against her pillows and Jack was playing his version of peekaboo with her. There were squeals and barks, and a joy so immense that Palmer immediately smiled. The energy in the room reminded him of those days when he, Troy, Desiree, Annalise and Grace were kids, and their home was everything any child could have wanted. When life was simple, and easy, and he couldn’t have imagined wanting anything else for himself. Before the days of adulthood and responsibility and the fear of failure existed.

  Soledad’s grin was canyon wide as she greeted him. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning. How long have you been up?”

  “I only got about two hours of sleep before Lyra woke me up. You were out like a light, so I didn’t bother you.”

  “I should have gotten up when you did. I’m late for my morning rounds.”

  “Coffee?” she asked, holding up an overlarge mug.

  He nodded. “Black coffee, please. And it needs to be superstrong.”

  “I’ve got you covered.” Soledad filled the mug and placed it in front of him as he took a seat at the counter. She slid a plate of freshly baked muffins toward him, as well. “Did you know you have blueberries growing out by the barn?” she said.

  Palmer shrugged. “I know the ranch hands sometimes pick them. I also have apple and pear trees on the other side of the west pasture. I don’t bother with those, either. Why were you outside?”

  “Lyra had fallen back to sleep and I needed to clear my head. Since the baby monitor was still in the bedroom with you, I knew you’d hear her if she woke up again, so I took a quick walk. No one saw me.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “I don’t think anyone saw me,” she said.

  “You hope no one saw you,” Palmer countered. “I don’t like you taking risks like that, Soledad. What if something had happened to you?” His words were steeped in concern, his tone reprimanding. “You can’t be too careful.”

  She eyed him with a raised brow. “I appreciate your concern, but I was fine, Palmer.”

  “This time,” he quipped as he took a bite of the blueberry muffin. He suddenly hummed, licking his fingers and grabbing for another muffin. “These are really good.”

  “I know. It’s the fresh blueberries,” Soledad said, her expression smug as she giggled softly.

  Palmer shook his head, amusement lifting his own smile. The look she gave him was teasing and he couldn’t help but wonder if she tasted as sweet as the blueberry treats she was plying him with. Needing a distraction before he did or said something that might get him in trouble, he shifted his attention from Soledad to the dynamic duo on the floor.

  Jack was acting like he was still a pup with endless energy. He would bounce and bark, and Lyra would burst with giggles. Palmer couldn’t help but laugh with her.

  “Soledad, look!” he suddenly exclaimed. Excitement burst across his face and his chest pushed forward with undeniable pride.

  She turned to see that Lyra had pulled herself forward and was sitting upright all on her own, without any assistance. The little girl reached for the dog, trying to grab his tail, and then she toppled over, falling like the pins at the end of a bowling lane. Palmer shot Soledad a glance and the two busted out laughing.

  Soledad rushed to the baby’s side. Lyra struggled to sit upright as Jack nudged her, trying to help. “Look at you, sweet pea. Such a big girl,” Soledad soothed.

  Lyra responded with a bloodcurdling scream followed by hysterical giggles.

  Palmer swallowed the last bite of his muffin, then moved to the floor to join the trio. For the next few minutes, they all played together effortlessly. Palmer cooed with Soledad, and Lyra bobbed up and down like a windup toy gone awry. He found himself in awe of the ease with which they felt like a family. Like his family.

  Lyra suddenly fell back against the pillows, clearly ready to be done with them all. “Babababa ba...” she sputtered.

  “You want a bottle, don’t you, sweet pea? And I think you need a fresh diaper,” Soledad said softly.

  Palmer wriggled his nose. “I’ll grab that bottle. You can have the diaper.”

  “Chicken.”

  “Damn right,” he returned. “She’s like a miniature toxic waste dump. It’s downright scary. Jack’s not even that bad.”

  Soledad laughed as she scooped Lyra up into her arms and nuzzled her nose into the folds of the baby’s neck. “Stinky butt!” She laid the child on a vinyl pad and reached for a dry diaper.

  “Told you.”

  “Can you still deliver my cake for me today?” Soledad questioned.

  “I can’t, but I’ve made arrangements for it to be delivered.”

  Her eyes widened. “Arrangements with who?”

  “Someone I trust. In fact, he’ll be here at ten.”

  “That’s in five minutes.”

  Palmer shrugged. “Okay. Is it not ready to go?”

  “It’s ready. I just...well...” She shrugged. “This is especially important to me. I don’t want to trust it to just anyone.”

  “Because it’s important to you, it’s important to me, and since you entrusted me with getting the task done, I’m going to make that happen.”

  “But who did you—” Soledad started to ask when there was a knock on the door, interrupting their conversation.

  Panic washed over her. She started down the hallway, Lyra held tightly to her chest, when Palmer stopped her. He pressed his hand against her forearm, his fingers teasing her skin. “It’ll be okay,” he said. “You don’t have to hide. It’s your delivery guy.”

  Soledad looked confused as she came to an abrupt stop. She watched as Palmer stepped up to the door and pulled it open. But he was shocked when Dominique de la Vega came barreling into the room, Stanton following sheepishly behind her.

  “What the hell?” Palmer snapped, giving his cousin a narrowed side-eye. “Who else did you tell?”

  “He only told me,” Dominique answered. “We would never do anything to put my sister in harm’s way.”

  Soledad practically threw herself into her sister’s arms, the two women hugging tightly. Lyra was clutched between them, looking from one to the other as she tried to decipher what was going on and breathe at the same time.

  Palmer and Stanton stood side by side, each giving the other a look. Stanton shrugged his shoulders. “I couldn’t not tell her, Palmer. They are sisters. And, besides, she always knows when I’m lying, or keeping something from her. I had to tell her. She wasn’t going to stop worrying until she could lay eyes on Soledad.”

  Palmer gave him an eye roll as he gestured with his head. “Come on in. Looks like you’re going to be here for a minute.”

  Dominique kissed her sister’s cheek, then took the baby from her arms. “You’ve had me scared to death!” she exclaimed.

  “Sorry. I didn’t want to risk putting anyone else in harm’s way. G
avin is dangerous.”

  “I am so sorry that you had to go through that, but you really need to come home. You know Dad isn’t going to let anything happen to you. Right now, you’re out here in the middle of nowhere. That can’t be a good thing with that psycho looking for you.”

  “I really am good, Dominique. I feel safe here.”

  Dominique tossed Palmer a look. “He’s not holding you hostage, is he?”

  Soledad laughed. “He’s been a real champ about the whole thing.”

  Her sister looked him up and down. “I just bet he has,” she said snidely. “Maybe we should give him a cookie for all his hard work. Maybe one of those ones with the cream filling and chocolate icing on top that you make for special occasions?”

  The two men exchanged a look. Stanton shook his head, fighting not to laugh out loud.

  Palmer was not amused. Their teasing had him feeling out of sorts. When it came to sisters, it was usually him and his brother making light work of the girls, not the girls besting them. Dominique and Soledad had him feeling like he was in a tag-team match with no one to tag him out and he was losing. “I think this would be a good time for me to go make my rounds. I shouldn’t be too long,” he said, excusing himself from the room.

  “I think I’ll make those rounds with you,” Stanton said, following on his cousin’s heels as he moved toward the door.

  “That’s a very good idea. You two should do that,” Dominique called after the duo. She laughed heartily as they quickly made their escape.

  * * *

  When the men were out of sight, Dominique began to walk through the home, taking it all in. “Give me a tour,” she said.

  Soledad shook her head as she followed her sister from room to room. “You are so nosy.”

  “I am,” Dominique responded. “And he’s got a very nice place.”

  Soledad nodded in agreement. “It’s been very comfortable. He’s been such a blessing to me and Lyra.”

  Her sister paused in the guest bedroom. “Isn’t this cute. He did all this?”

  “He did,” Soledad answered. “Palmer went on a full-scale shopping spree to make us comfortable.”

  “Hmm.” Dominique gave Soledad a look as she moved on to the master bedroom. “This is very nice. Have you poked around?”

  “Of course not. Why would I poke around in the man’s stuff? I’m not trying to get thrown out.”

  Dominique’s expression brimmed with exasperation. “To make sure he’s on the up-and-up. That’s why.” She moved to the nightstand and pulled open the drawer to peek inside.

  “Your journalistic claws are showing. You’re like one of those writers from a supermarket tabloid going through people’s trash to get a story. Don’t do that. It’s not pretty.”

  Dominique laughed. “I do whatever I need to do to get the story.” She pulled a firearm from the drawer, a Smith & Wesson .45 semiautomatic pistol. After checking to see if it was loaded, she slid it back where she’d found it. “FYI, he keeps one in the chamber,” she said.

  Soledad was still shaking her head.

  Dominique suddenly grinned, pulling a blue box from inside the drawer. “‘Trojan Bareback Lubricated Condoms. Size large,’” she read, waving the container at her sister. “And it hasn’t been opened. So, either he goes through them quickly or he doesn’t use them often. It should be interesting for you to find out.”

  Soledad felt her face flush with color. “You need to stop invading the man’s privacy before you get me evicted. Put those back.”

  Dominique laughed as she slid the box into the drawer and closed it. “You’d be amazed what you can find out about a man by going through his things.”

  “I can’t believe you,” Soledad said as she led the way out of the room.

  Dominique was still chuckling, amusement dancing across her face. Soledad laughed with her sister, shaking her head as her twin settled on the couch, cuddling Lyra in her lap. She took the seat beside her twin. “So, why were you giving Stanton and Palmer a hard time?”

  “It keeps them on their toes. Stanton never knows what to expect. That’s how I keep the romance alive in our relationship.” She winked at her sister.

  “How are the wedding plans going?” Soledad asked.

  “They’d be going better if my maid of honor was around to help me with them.”

  Soledad sighed. “Sorry,” she said as she leaned back against the sofa. “I hate that this is happening. My whole life is on hold. I barely know what day it is, and I haven’t accomplished a third of the things I need to accomplish. I’m sure my business is falling apart, and I don’t have a clue when I’ll be able to get myself back on track or what I’ll need to be doing to make that happen.”

  “What can I do to help?” Dominique asked.

  “I’d really appreciate it if you could run by the bakery to check on how things are going. I’m sure they’re okay for the time being, but it can’t last much longer.”

  “I’ll swing by to see how they’re doing. And if you aren’t home by next week, then I suggest you close shop temporarily. We can put a sign on the door that says you’re away for vacation.”

  “Actually, that’s not a bad idea. I think I should just do that anyway. I only have one big order due this weekend and then nothing after that I need to be worried about. So it would be the perfect time for a vacation.”

  “Consider it done. What about the employees? Are you going to lay them off?”

  Soledad shook her head. “No, I’d rather give them two weeks’ paid vacation.”

  “Can you afford that?”

  “I’ll pull it from my savings. It’s not their fault that this is happening.”

  “Anything else?” Dominique prompted.

  “When they shut down, make sure they take any leftovers to the food bank for distribution. Please, tell them not to let it go to waste.”

  Dominique nodded.

  “Have they made arrangements for Annie yet?” Soledad asked, her voice dropping an octave. “I know I probably can’t go to the funeral, but I want to pay my respects and maybe send some flowers.”

  “I’ll make that happen. You just keep your head down, please. I’d hate for you to go to all this trouble and then do something that exposes you. At least let them catch the killer first. Promise me.”

  Soledad smiled. “I promise. Besides, Palmer’s keeping a close eye on me.”

  “Speaking of the devil... What’s going on with you two? You look very cozy together.”

  Soledad felt herself blush. She shook her head. “It’s not like that. He’s just been exceedingly kind.”

  Dominique chortled. “You usually aren’t that naive. That man is head over heels for you.”

  Soledad laughed with her sister. “Now I know Dad dropped you on your skull when we were babies. You’ve completely lost your mind if you think that. He’s just a really nice—”

  “Just a really nice guy...” Dominique mocked, reminiscent of when they’d been younger.

  “Well, he is!” Soledad exclaimed, tossing up her hands. “And he’s been supersweet to Lyra and me.”

  For thirty minutes, Soledad clued her sister in on all that had happened since arriving in Palmer’s barn. The twins laughed heartily, cried, bickered, and their time together felt like it always did. Soledad found it unfathomable that despite how close they were, their routines kept them from each other for long periods of time. So focused on their respective careers, they seldom realized how much they missed each other until they were together again. She was beyond grateful for the opportunity to spend some time together.

  Lyra lay sleeping on Dominique’s shoulder.

  “You look good with a baby in your arms,” Soledad said.

  “I do, don’t I?” Dominique answered, her expression telling. “I can’t wait to have Stanton’s babies.”

 
“They’ll be cute babies.”

  “So, what about you? Are you ready for this responsibility? Lyra’s a doll, but even dolls can be a handful.”

  Soledad shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t have a clue what’s going to happen. Annie’s attorney has her codicil naming me Lyra’s guardian, but I’m sure Gavin is going to fight that with everything he can if it comes down to it. I just know that I promised Annie I would take care of her daughter, and I won’t break that promise.”

  “Well, you know you’ll have all the support in the world. I know Dad will be over the moon when he finds out. He can’t wait to be a grandfather.”

  Soledad trailed her hand down Lyra’s back, her touch whisper soft. “Palmer doesn’t want kids. He doesn’t want to be a father and says he’s not interested in marriage.”

  “He told you this?”

  Soledad nodded. “He survived some childhood traumas and, because of them, decided he never wanted children. The level of hurt he was made to endure just breaks my heart.”

  Dominique stared at her sister. “You do like him, don’t you?”

  Soledad stared at her sister, considering the question. Yes, she did like Palmer. She liked him more than she’d realized, and admitting it would force her to acknowledge feelings she was trying desperately to ignore. “Does it really matter?” Soledad said with a shrug. “There’s no way I’d ever consider being in a relationship with a man who didn’t want a family with me. Being a wife and mother has always been on my bucket list. I’m not willing to give that up for anyone. And now that I’m a mother by default, I could never be with a man who isn’t willing to accept Lyra. Going forward, she and I are a package deal.”

  A wave of sadness went through Soledad and her twin reached out to give her a hug.

  * * *

  “You do know those two are a package deal, right?” Stanton asked from the passenger seat.

  Palmer shot his cousin a look as he maneuvered his truck across the fields. “What two?”

  “Soledad and her sister. If you marry one, you automatically get the other by default. Whether you want her or not. It’s some twin thing they have going on. It’s a good thing they’re fraternal, because I imagine that could be a problem if they were identical.”