When You Least Expect It

by Helen Lacey

  Mitch was now in the room, looking around. “We could drive into Rapid City and go shopping. You know, pick up a cradle and changing table and baby monitor and things like that.”

  Tess looked at him. He was, she had to admit, trying to keep the communication between them open and civil. Only, she knew he had an endgame. Still, if she disagreed, it would just create more drama between them and that was the last thing she wanted.

  “Sure,” she said agreeably. “I did mention I had an ultrasound appointment next week, so we could go shopping that day.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” he said, and grinned. “Now, how about lunch?”

  Tess glanced at her watch and saw that it was after one o’clock. “I’m not hungry,” she fibbed, ignoring the way her tummy rumbled at the mention of food.

  “Sure you are,” he said, and ushered her forward. “You hardly touched your pancakes this morning. It’s Mrs. Bailey’s day off, but I’m sure I can rustle up something in the kitchen.”

  A minute later they were down the stairs and in the kitchen. Tess moved around one side of the counter and watched as Mitch pulled things from the refrigerator. He looked very at ease in the kitchen. Then again he looked at ease anywhere. It was one of his qualities—the ability to appear right at home doing anything at all. Like when he was in the corral working one of the horses, or helping out his brother with babysitting, or bent over the engine of a truck, or out in the dead of winter searching for a lost tourist with Shanook at his side. Or in the bedroom, she thought and then pushed the thought from her head. Remembering the kind of lover he was was too dumb for words.

  “Ham and cheese okay?” he asked.

  Tess nodded and moved around the counter. “I can help.”

  “Don’t trust my cooking?”

  “Making a sandwich isn’t exactly cooking,” she said. She pulled bread from its wrapper, buttered the bread and waited for him to pass her the fillings. “Will Ellie be joining us?”

  “I doubt it,” he replied, and grabbed plates and a knife. “She usually hangs out with Winona on Saturdays.”

  Tess remembered Winona, Ellie’s closest friend, fondly. Winona was the only grandchild of the previous foreman at the Triple C, Red Sheehan, and as kids the girls had been inseparable.

  “Ellie told me about Red’s strokes,” she said, recalling a conversation she’d had with his sister the day before, while Mitch had been dealing with Dolly’s foal. “She said Red still lives at the ranch.”

  Mitch nodded. “He’s paralyzed down his left side, but still helps out around the place when he can. He’ll always have a home here.”

  Of course, she would expect nothing less from Mitch. “Does Win still live with her grandfather in one of the cottages?” she asked.

  Mitch shook his head. “Nah...she moved into town a few years ago. She works at the tourist center when she’s not helping out here. She’s a good kid. Red raised her right after her mom died.”

  “I’m sure living on the ranch helped,” Tess said, and smiled.

  “I hope so. I’d like to think it’s a good place to raise a family. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

  Mitch grabbed a couple of sodas from the refrigerator, and once Tess had piled the sandwiches on a plate, they moved around the countertop and sat side by side at the island.

  “I was thinking about names,” she said, and picked the crust off her sandwich. “I mean, for the baby.”

  He met her gaze and then swiped the unwanted crust off her plate. It had been a thing they’d always done... Mitch ate her crusts, she ate his garnish. Funny, she thought, how some things came back as easily as breathing.

  “Any preferences?” he asked.

  “Charlie,” she said. “Which could work for a boy or a girl, after your great-grandfather. Or Jacob, after your brother if it’s a boy.”

  “Alexander or Alexandria,” he said. “After your dad.”

  Tess’s throat tightened. She was only six when her father died, but she remembered the pain of losing him like it was yesterday. She was touched that Mitch would suggest honoring her dad by naming their child after him. Although she loved her stepdad, some days she missed her father more than words could say. “Thank you, I’d like that.”

  “So, Charlie Alexander, or Charlotte Alexandria, it is.”

  “Charlie Alexander Culhane,” she said, and nodded. “Has a nice sound to it.”

  He smiled. “You’re convinced it’s a boy?”

  She nodded. “Mother’s intuition. I’m sure he’ll be a great kid.”

  “With you as his mom, he’s got it in the bag.”

  Tess felt something flutter deep in her chest. Being with Mitch was becoming way too easy. And way too complicated. And suddenly the enormity of what they were heading to—the child they would be sharing—struck her with the force of a freight train. She swallowed hard and blinked back the heat burning behind her eyes.

  “Mitch... I...”

  He reached out and grasped her hand, linking their fingers tightly together. The intimacy of the gesture was profound and she let the tears fall, unable to hold back the tide of emotion. Things had changed so much since that afternoon in Sioux Falls. Tess knew there was no going back to how things had been—to her steady and predicable life, to her teaching job, her small circle of friends, her everyday existence that suddenly seemed like exactly that. Just existing. Simply getting up every morning and going through the motions of her life. Without Mitch. Without memory. Without any sense of joy and any real hope for a happy future. Looking back to how she’d been prior to that afternoon in Sioux Falls, Tess knew she had been playacting at her own life.

  With his other hand, he rubbed at her cheek, tenderly, wiping away the tears. “I know it’s hard for you, Tess,” he said. “I know you’re confused and still mad at me and probably want to run a mile right now. But we can get through this...together.”

  It sounded so simple, and yet Tess knew it was impossible.

  The deep intimacy of the moment was acute and she rested her cheek against his palm, finding solace and comfort in his touch even though she knew she was crazy for letting herself be vulnerable to him...and to their complicated history.

  Because it would never truly be history...particularly since they now shared a child.

  * * *

  Mitch fought the urge to fold her into his arms and kiss her. She looked so lost, so achingly vulnerable. He hated that he was responsible for some of that. With their past it was impossible for feelings to stay tamped down and out of sight. And, frankly, he didn’t want that. If they had any hope of getting back together, of making a life as a real family for the sake of their child, then he had to let go of his bitterness and resentment toward her for running out on him so many years ago.

  He brought one of her hands to his mouth and kissed her knuckles, lingering for a moment to inhale the scent of the lotion she used, because it kicked at a memory and took him back ten years. It was the same rose fragrance, her signature scent, he used to call it. Old-fashioned, he used to tease her, and yet undeniably sexy. Without a word, Mitch drew her closer, his hand cradling her face for a moment before moving around to her nape.

  “Don’t be afraid to remember, Tes,” he said, inviting her forward until her face was directly in front of his. “Or to feel.”

  Her eyes glistened, her mouth parted fractionally, and her cheeks were flushed with color. And he was lost. He kissed her, claiming her lips gently, waiting for her resistance, and when he found none, he went a little further, deepening the kiss. She moaned low in her throat and her hand came to rest on his bicep, holding firm. Her lips accepted his, and he gently wound his tongue around hers, going in deeper, softer. Then he pulled back a little, remembering how she liked to be kissed, feeling his whole body tighten and respond at the seductive dance. In all his life, no other kiss had both tortured and moved him simult
aneously. Only Tess, and the sweet taste of her mouth and the soft, erotic slide of her tongue against his.

  “Oh...sorry, guys!”

  Ellie, in all her loud and surprised glory, had bounded unexpectedly into the room and was staring at them with a delighted expression. Tess pulled away immediately and slid off the stool. Mitch did the same seconds later, and they both faced his sister as she moved into the room.

  “Sorry,” Ellie said again, and grinned. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you while you were eating.”

  The double meaning of her words was blatantly obvious, and Mitch watched as Tess colored hotly. There was, he realized, still something elementally innocent about his ex-wife. She possessed a quiet sort of modesty, almost shyness, which he’d recognized the first time they’d met. He remembered how he hadn’t summoned the courage to kiss her on their first date, fearful that she’d balk and run. They’d been dating a couple of months before they’d made love, even though he was head over heels in love with her by then.

  And I still am...

  Mitch shook off the feeling, pushing good sense back into his brain. Getting Tess back for the sake of their child was one thing; falling back in love with her another altogether. Love complicated everything. And since losing her had ripped his heart out, he definitely didn’t want to go back for another round of that. But he wanted her back, no doubt about it. He wanted their family to be together. He would make it happen—he merely had to find the right angle to get her to agree.

  Ellie marched into the room and hugged Tess affectionately. There had never been any doubt how much Tess cared for his family, Ellie and Grant in particular. It could be worked to his advantage, he figured, to help Tess remember all they had once had.

  “It’s so good to see you again,” Ellie said cheerfully. “I was going to call Annie today and start making plans for the baby shower. Although,” she said, “maybe we will be having a bridal shower first?”

  Mitch’s brows came together and he shook his head toward his sister. As much as he adored Ellie, diplomacy and discretion were not part of her makeup. “I’ve scheduled a conference call with Alvarez this afternoon,” he reminded her to change the subject. “Five o’clock. We need to discuss the next round of insemination, too.”

  Ellie shrugged, clearly not in the mood for shoptalk when she could have baby talk with her adored former sister-in-law. Mitch had the thought that perhaps allowing them to spend time together might work to his advantage.

  “Be back soon,” he said to Tess, and grabbed his hat off the peg by the door. “I need to catch up with Wes. I’ll take you back to Annie’s once I’m done.”

  He left without another word and headed directly for the stables. Wes was in the office, on the computer and placing a feed order, and Mitch spent half an hour with the other man going over the branding schedule for the next month and several other things that needed to be done the following week. Afterward, he checked on Dolly’s colt and was happy to see the youngster was suckling and moving around the stall on gangly legs.

  Mitch grabbed some hay and stuffed it into the net. He smiled as Dolly gently pushed the foal aside to get to her feed. She was a good mom, firm but affectionate, and the colt was clearly thriving. Relief pitched in his chest and he sighed. It had been a long couple of years getting the Alvarez deal to this point, and he was pleased it was over and that the foal was doing so well. The last thing he needed was distraction when he had more important things to think about.

  Like getting Tess to come home.

  “How’s he doing?”

  Her voice made him turn instantly. She was standing about five feet away, arms crossed. She didn’t look particularly happy with him and clearly had something on her mind. Like their kiss, he suspected. “He’s great. You know, we still haven’t named him. The offer is still there if you’d like to pick something.”

  She stepped closer and peered over the stall, tugging at her bottom lip with her teeth. “Monty,” she said after a moment.

  Mitch nodded. “Monty it is. Tess,” he said, and took a breath. “If you—”

  “What happened in Sioux Falls,” she said tightly. “That’s not going to happen again. If that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “I’m not thinking anything,” he replied, and bolted the stall door.

  “Then why did you kiss me?”

  “Why did you kiss me back?” Mitch asked. He propped his hands on his hips. “Frankly, Tess, kissing you comes as naturally to me as breathing. I would think you’d know that by now.”

  She stared at him, her eyes wide. “I know that you—”

  “It was just a kiss, Tess, stop overanalyzing it.” He grinned, knowing his casual tone would infuriate her, when inside he ached to kiss her again.

  “You’re such a jerk, Mitch.”

  “Part of my charm,” he quipped. “Did you have a nice chat with Ellie? She really cares about you, you know. I know she’s over the moon that you’re back. I mean, not back at the ranch, of course, but back in town. And she’s really excited about the baby.”

  One brow angled. “Clever. I love how you think you can defuse my temper by mentioning your family.”

  “Oh, you’re having a temper tantrum?” he queried.

  She glared at him, looking like she wanted to take a swing for a second, and then laughed. “Can you take me home?”

  “Sure, I can take you back to Annie’s,” he said pointedly, refusing to call the McCall ranch her home.

  She waited a few minutes while he went back inside to get his keys and jacket. They barely spoke during the trip and once they were back at his cousin’s ranch she was clearly eager to go inside.

  “I’ll see you for my doctor’s appointment on Thursday, if you still want to—”

  “I’ll pick you up,” he said quickly, and grabbed a business card from the console. “That’s my cell, send me a text with the time you want me here.”

  She nodded and took the card. “Okay, see you then.”

  He waited until she was well up the path before driving off, and was by the gate when he pulled out his cell and made a call. His brother answered on the third ring.

  “I need a favor,” he said.

  “What kind of favor?”

  “One with plausible deniability,” he said, and told his brother exactly what he wanted.

  The Triple C was his home. And Tess’s. It should be their child’s home, too.

  And all he had to do was convince her that they belonged together.

  Until then, he had to think of a way to keep her close. It wasn’t about control, even though he knew she’d accuse him of thinking that way; it was about making sure she was safe...that their baby was safe. And if she was determined to live alone, then Mitch was equally determined to have some say in where...even if she didn’t know it.

  Chapter Six

  “So, are you ready to really talk?”

  On Tuesday morning, after a couple of days of locking herself inside Annie’s small house on the McCall ranch like a hibernating polar bear, Tess met her sister in the kitchen and accepted the enquiry she knew was inevitable.

  “I’m ready.”

  “What’s going on, Tess? What are you not telling me?”

  “Mitch wants to get remarried.”

  Annie’s eyes bulged. “Wow. And is that what you want?”

  “Of course not,” she replied. “Mitch and I are divorced. And the reason we divorced still exists.”

  Annie’s expression softened. “It was a long time ago, Tess. And since you’re now pregnant, he obviously didn’t have a—”

  “The hurt is still there.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “The betrayal. When I had the last miscarriage, he wanted to be in control of the situation and all I wanted was for him to hold me and say it would be okay, that we’d try again. But he wouldn’t have it. He wouldn’t se
e past his determination to have everything go his own way. Whatever we had, it’s over. All I want to do now is make a home for my child.”

  “Without Mitch?”

  “With Mitch having as much access to our child as he wants to have.”

  “What if he doesn’t agree to your terms, Tess? Have you thought about that?”

  “Do you mean have I considered the idea of him going for shared custody? Well, I hadn’t,” she admitted. “Until he mentioned it. If he does, I’ll deal with that when it happens.”

  “Perhaps you should get a lawyer,” Annie suggested. “I’m pretty sure that the best lawyer in town is one the Culhanes frequently use. I know David does. But maybe there’s someone else who could help you.”

  “Maybe,” she said. “I’ll let you know. So,” she said, swiftly shifting the subject. “What’s happening with you?”

  Her stepsister shrugged. “Nothing’s changed. I’ve been thinking about leaving my job, as you’ve probably worked out.”

  “Does David know that?”

  Annie shook her head.“The truth is, I’m still undecided.”

  “The kids will miss you.”

  “I know,” her sister said, sighing heavily. “But I can’t work as a nanny forever.”

  “And your pen pal?”

  Annie had been corresponding with a man in Colorado for a couple of months. She didn’t know how serious it was, but she was happy that her sister was thinking about her own future—even if it meant leaving David’s employ.

  “We email,” Annie corrected. “And since I’ve never met him, we’re simply friends.”

  “You might,” Tess suggested, “if you take a much-deserved and needed vacation. I hear the Rockies are amazing at this time of year.”

  “Don’t think talking about my complicated life is going to distract me from being concerned about you,” Annie said evenly. “I know you, Tess. I can tell that being back here is bringing back a whole lot of memories. And I don’t want to seem like I’m being neutral on the subject because you know that I support you one hundred percent,” she said, and then took a breath. “But maybe Mitch has a point?”