A Baby for the Rancher

by Margaret Daley

  As her father said the last sentence, Lucy realized she’d already fallen in love with Ben. Every time she’d seen him with Cody her feelings had deepened, but when they kissed, he’d sealed it. She twisted her napkin in her lap, balling it in her fist. “I’m afraid to believe he’s changed. I can’t risk going through the same thing that happened with Jesse. When I first met Jesse a year before we started dating, he always had a different woman on his arm. He loved flirting. As we were getting serious, I believed him when he told me I was the only one for him. Before he’d just been looking for something casual, but now he knew what he wanted—me. Later I discovered he’d been lying to me even then. I felt like such a fool. It got to the point I didn’t want to stay and get all those pitying looks.”

  “I’m glad you came home, and I’m figuring Ben is, too. Why do you take risks in your job but can’t in your personal life?”

  “It’s different.”

  “How?”

  “I won’t get hurt as much.”

  “I remember when you got beat up taking a chance on the job. I have a feeling that hurt quite a bit.”

  “Not the same.”

  “Isn’t it? Remember what God said about waiting for perfect conditions? Nothing will get done. That’s not you. You are a doer. I hope you’ll reconsider going to the Stillwater Ranch tomorrow evening.”

  She couldn’t get what her father said to her at lunch out of her mind the rest of the day. It wasn’t like her not to face a problem head-on and deal with it. She would go tomorrow evening and hope that Ben was there. They needed to talk.

  * * *

  Ben slanted a glance at Betsy sitting in the front seat of his truck. After going to a short list of places the private investigator had given him in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, he’d finally found her at a church’s day care. He might have messed up his chance with Lucy, but at least he’d been able to find Betsy. He’d hated being away from Little Horn and Cody, even for a short time, but it had been worth it when he’d seen the surprise on Betsy’s face when she spied him.

  “We’re almost to Little Horn,” Ben said as he passed the welcome sign, remembering his time with Lucy beautifying the bed around the sign. He didn’t want it to be over with them. Would he be able to convince her he was a changed man?

  “Do you think my cousin will let me see Gareth and Winston?” Betsy swung her attention to Ben, her long ponytail swishing around.

  Her hair reminded Ben of Byron’s strawberry blond, but that was where the similarity ended with her cousin. When Ben had approached Betsy yesterday at the church where she worked in the day care, he’d spent time watching the eighteen-year-old with the children and made a decision right then and there. “Gareth likes Maddy, and Byron invited her to dinner after church last Sunday. Maddy told me it went well, so yes, I think Byron will let you see the twins.” He hoped. But if Byron didn’t, he and his family would be there for Betsy.

  “Maddy had a crush on Gareth before I left Little Horn. I’m sure this whole situation has been very upsetting to her.”

  “If you’re going to take care of my son, I’d like you to stay at my ranch. We have a big house. But you don’t have to. I thought that would help you save some money for your college tuition. I’m still going to see if the Lone Star Cowboy League can give you a scholarship like Tyler had. We can always use good teachers at our school.” He was going to make it a priority to start a scholarship fund to go to one youth each year, maybe even talk Byron into helping.

  “I’ve loved working with the kids. Cody sounds adorable.”

  “He is. He took his first few steps over the weekend, so it won’t be long before he’s all over the house.” Ben turned into the gate at the Stillwater Ranch. “No one knows where I went. I wanted to surprise everyone.”

  “I never thought anyone in town would be looking for me. My cousin didn’t make me feel welcomed at his ranch nor in Little Horn. I had to put distance between us. Six months ago I couldn’t have returned. It was too painful.”

  “Byron is only one person. A lot of people were concerned where you disappeared to.” Ben parked next to a SUV, probably Lucy’s parents’.

  Would she be here, too? He hoped so. They needed to talk. Saturday he hadn’t made himself clear. His old life held no appeal to him.

  “Ready, Betsy?”

  “Who’s here?” She pointed toward the SUV.

  “The Bensons. They are back for a month and staying with Lucy.”

  “Is she here, too?”

  “I don’t know. She was invited, but her job can interfere with her plans.” But more likely, the reason would be that he’d told her he loved her.

  Betsy carried a duffel bag toward the front porch while Ben grabbed her two pieces of luggage where she packed all her worldly possessions. When he opened the door, the sound of voices came from the living room. He put her suitcases down and gestured her to stay until he went inside.

  The first and really only person he saw when he stepped through the entrance was Lucy. Her eyes lit up, and she smiled.

  “Where have you been? I was getting worried,” Grandma Mamie said, pulling his attention to her.

  “I went to the Dallas/Fort Worth area and came back with a surprise. I have it with me now.”

  Betsy came into the room and stood next to him. “Ben convinced me to return to Little Horn.” Her gaze took in the grinning faces but stopped at Maddy’s. Tears filled both girls’ eyes.

  Maddy leaped to her feet and hugged Betsy, both of them now crying. “Thank You, Lord, for bringing Betsy home.”

  Again drawn to Lucy, Ben looked at her and her eyes were glistening, too, as well as her mom’s, Chloe’s and Mamie’s. There was a spot next to Lucy on the couch, and he took the seat.

  She turned toward him. “You found her. Things are definitely looking up. Is she staying?”

  “Yep. I gave her a job. She’s going to be Cody’s new nanny. She belongs here.”

  “What about Byron?”

  “She’s family. It’s his loss if he doesn’t acknowledge that. With the twins probably going to the juvenile detention facility in Austin soon, Betsy and his wife will be all the family he has here.” Ben scanned the people in his living room. At the moment Lucy’s mother held Cody, but he wiggled, ready to be put down.

  Lucy’s mother set him on the floor by her feet. Cody crawled to Ben, then pulled himself up to stand next to his legs with his arms raised up.

  Ben bent forward and gathered his son into his arms. “Did you miss me, little man?”

  Cody reached out, grabbing for Ben’s face while jabbering.

  “I think he did,” Lucy said.

  The question Ben really wanted to ask was “Did you miss me, Lucy?” But he would have to bide his time.

  * * *

  Lucy put the last plate in the dishwasher and closed the lid. “Finally we’re done.”

  “You didn’t have to help me. You’re a guest.” Chloe wiped down the counter by the sink. “But I’m glad you did. You’ve been awfully quiet tonight. Something bothering you? Perhaps connected to Ben? At church on Sunday you two didn’t even talk.”

  “He told me he loved me Saturday night.”

  “And what did you say?”

  “I panicked. I’ve been under fire before and when he said the L word all I could think about were the reasons he didn’t really.”

  One of Chloe’s eyebrows arched. “Oh, and why do you think that?”

  “In the past, when has Ben ever been serious about a woman?”

  “Never, but there is always a first time.” Chloe lounged against the counter, studying Lucy. “You two talked a little earlier.”

  “Only pleasantries.”

  “What do you want?”

  “I need to make him understand about why I reacted like
I did. When we departed on Saturday, Ben was clearly upset.”

  “That’s because I’ve never told a woman I loved her except my mom and grandmother.” Ben leaned against the doorjamb, his arms folded over his chest.

  “I think that’s my cue to leave.” Chloe hurried around Ben and left them alone.

  Silence electrified the air.

  Ben shoved away from the door, closed it and crossed to Lucy. “So why did you react as if I asked you to drink a vial of poison?”

  “You took me by surprise.”

  “When I said I loved you?”

  She nodded, her throat jammed with emotions she’d been wrestling with for the past few days.

  “I meant what I said. It wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing. I’ve never felt like this before. I’ve certainly never been in love.”

  “Are you sure? Maybe what you’re feeling is gratitude?”

  “For what? Nope. While I was looking for Betsy, all I thought about was you. Somehow I had to make you understand I’m not going back to the man I was. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but I’ll go as slow as you want. If I have to prove to you I mean what I say, I will. One day I’ll wear you down.”

  “I told you about Jesse dating two other women when we were supposed to be exclusive. What I didn’t say was that he’d had a reputation for being a ladies’ man, and I believed him when he told me he wasn’t that guy any longer. That I was the one for him. The only one.”

  Ben closed the space between them. “And you were afraid I would be just like him?”

  “You used to be like that. You dated a woman for a while, then moved on, never really committing to a relationship.”

  “The key words are used to be. God gave me a wake-up call, and I listened. In all the years you’ve known me, have I ever gone back on my word?”

  “No.” His nearness revved her heartbeat, making her mouth go dry.

  He pulled her against him and locked his hands behind her back. “I don’t ever want to let you go. I want to marry you, and when we do, you’ll decide what you want to do as far as your job. I’ll be here to support your decision. That’s why I went to find Betsy. Maddy reminded me she used to babysit for extra money and loved working with children. I wanted to give her a good reason to return to Little Horn. She’s going to work and go to the nearby community college in the evening.”

  She remembered what her father had said about taking a risk. She’d never been a coward before, and she wasn’t going to start now. She wound her arms around him. “I love you, Ben. But even more than that. I trust you.”

  Ben smiled and bent his head toward hers. When he kissed her, she knew she’d made the right decision. Every part of her responded to him as though he was the only other person in the world—and he was for her.

  Epilogue

  After the wedding party’s photos were taken in the church, Lucy entered her reception in the hall with her husband next to her. Dressed in her mother’s gown of beaded satin, she had never felt as feminine as she did right now.

  Ben paused in the entrance, squeezing her hand. “I didn’t realize so many people were here.”

  “It looks like the whole town.”

  “You are the sheriff.”

  When he smiled at her, it warmed her from head to toe. “And you are the president of the Lone Star Cowboy League.”

  “Never thought I would do something like that, but with Carson gone a lot for his job with the state, it makes sense.”

  “Just so long as Byron didn’t get the position. I’d much prefer working with you in the future.” Lucy searched the huge crowd in the large church hall and saw the man under discussion. “He’s mellowed some in six months.”

  “Yeah, wonders never cease. He even told Betsy she could go with him and his wife to see Gareth and Winston next weekend at the juvenile detention center. Are you ready to mingle with our guests, Mrs. Stillwater?”

  Goose bumps raced up her arms when he said her new name. “I see Grady waving to us.”

  As Ben threaded his way through the townspeople, Amelia snagged Lucy’s attention. When she neared her friend, Amelia hugged her and whispered, “I’m thrilled for you. You seemed to float down the aisle.”

  Lucy laughed. “I hardly remember walking into church, let alone down the aisle. Everyone was a blur except Ben.”

  “I know what you mean. I was so glad Finn and I had a lot of pictures taken to recall what happened at my own wedding.”

  When they continued their way through the crowd, guests kept delaying Ben and her. By the time they reached Grady and Chloe, Cody had fallen asleep in his uncle’s arms.

  “I tried to keep him up until you got here, but he’s worn-out. Our Emma conked out halfway through the wedding, according to Grandma. Betsy is going to drive them back to the ranch and put them down for the night. Maddy is going with her to help. Since you two are leaving on your honeymoon after the reception, I thought you might want to say good-night to Cody.”

  Ben took Cody and nestled him in the crook of his arm. “I’ll carry him to the car.”

  Lucy kissed the little boy’s forehead. “I know we’ll only be gone a week, but I’m going to miss him and Emma.”

  “And when you get back, I’ll be having my grand opening of the physical therapy clinic.” Chloe beamed, her gaze trapped by Grady’s. “I’m waiting until you all are back. Without Grady’s and Ben’s help, the clinic wouldn’t have been possible.”

  “We know firsthand how good you are as a physical therapist,” Ben said, Chloe’s second-biggest champion, having completely regained his mobility from the mild stroke caused by his head injury.

  While Ben started for the exit, Grady pushed the stroller next to his brother. Grady said something to Ben, and they both laughed.

  Carson and Ruby joined Lucy and Chloe. “I wasn’t sure those two would ever mend their relationship.”

  Chloe turned toward the couple. “It’s hard for them to stay mad at each other when Cody is like a big brother to his baby cousin and won’t let anything bad happen to Emma.”

  Lucy saw Eva and waved at her. “Did you hear Eva and Tyler got a call about a baby up for adoption?”

  “Yep. Once Mamie found out, it was probably all over Little Horn within twenty-four hours,” Carson said with a laugh.

  Ben returned, saw Clint and went to him. After he said something to Olivia’s husband, who strode to the exit, Ben headed straight for Carson. “I thought I’d let you know Brandon and Olivia’s triplets are in the big elm by the parking lot. I think one of the triplets is stuck up in the tree. Grady is trying to get them down. I told him I would find you and Clint.”

  In less than five minutes most of the wedding party and guests were outside, trying to figure out how to get Noah down from the very top of the elm. Grady had made it halfway up the tree but had to stop and try to coax him down with words. It wasn’t working. Noah clung to the thin branch he had managed to perch himself on. Clint was under the elm, helping down Noah’s two brothers, Levi and Caleb. Brandon was the last one to hop from the tree, Carson bear-hugging his nephew.

  Lucy saw Olivia’s face lose its color and quickly said to Ben, “Do you have your cell phone on you?”

  “Yes.” He drew it out of his pocket.

  She called the volunteer fire department, and Larry promised to be right there with the hook and ladder truck. When she hung up, she looked at Ben.

  “And that’s why you’re the sheriff. You know what to do in an emergency. I hope we don’t have to rescue Grady, too.”

  Twenty minutes later, everyone, including Grady, was out of the elm, as sounds of the cheering crowd filled the air. The kids at the reception were swarming all over the hook and ladder while Larry showed them what it did.

  As the crowd slowly headed back inside, Be
n grabbed Lucy. “I love you, Mrs. Stillwater. You saved the day.”

  Blushing, she put her arms around his neck, tugged his head toward her and gave him a kiss that held all the emotions she felt toward this man. Six months ago she’d made the right choice that she knew she would never regret.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an exclusive excerpt of

  THE RAIN SPARROW by

  New York Times bestselling author Linda Goodnight.

  Available now from HQN Books!

  Travel back in time and see how the

  Lone Star Cowboy League began in

  LONE STAR COWBOY LEAGUE:

  THE FOUNDING YEARS,

  a three-book miniseries from

  Love Inspired Historical. Coming July 2016.

  If you liked this LONE STAR COWBOY LEAGUE novel, make sure you read the entire miniseries:

  Book #1: A REUNION FOR THE RANCHER

  by Brenda Minton

  Book #2: A DOCTOR FOR THE NANNY

  by Leigh Bale

  Book #3: A RANGER FOR THE HOLIDAYS

  by Allie Pleiter

  Book #4: A FAMILY FOR THE SOLDIER

  by Carolyne Aarsen

  Book #5: A DADDY FOR HER TRIPLETS

  by Deb Kastner

  Book #6: A BABY FOR THE RANCHER

  by Margaret Daley

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  Dear Reader,

  I was excited to write the last book in the Love Inspired continuity series with such great authors. Thanks, Brenda, Leigh, Allie, Carolyne and Deb. You made the process so much easier.

  Ben and Lucy’s love story was such fun to write. This book was about forgiveness. Ben had trouble forgiving his father and himself for what his anger led him to—not taking life seriously. He thought if he had enough fun he would be happy, but it took being in a coma for weeks to discover he had been so wrong about life, especially about making commitments.