Jase ran his hand around Dane’s shoulder. “We’re all here. You know I’m teasing you both.”
“I know. I’m so emotional right now.” She wrung her hands at her abdomen. “I don’t have anything out for dinner.”
“Pizza,” Dane said, giving a beaming smile. “I’ve been craving pizza. But listen, I have to take off later.”
“If you want to use my truck, or my red four-wheeler, I’ll have Jase drop me at home,” Tristan said to Dane after he grabbed a cookie from the counter.
Dane squeezed his brother’s shoulder. “I’ll use Mom’s. Thanks, anyway.”
Judy went to the dining room for a couple tissues, and turned her back to the boys while wiping her eyes. Right now she was so overwhelmed—full of joy. If only he could remain home—return to ranching like his daddy would want.
“We’re leaving.” Tristan’s hand was already on the doorknob.
“We’ll all get together tomorrow.” Jase nodded at Dane. “Call if you need anything.”
Judy went to the door to hug them before they left. “Thank you for bringing your brother home. Give the kids a hug from Grandma. I love you both.”
Judy went to the stove and poured tea. “Can I get you something to eat, son?” It was almost like a dream to have him in her kitchen. Closing her eyes a moment, she popped them back open to see if he was really there.
Dane already went to the fridge and took the flyer for pizza from the magnet. “Let’s get this.” He removed his phone from his pocket and ordered. When he put the phone down, he picked up his duffle bag. “Same room?”
“For goodness sakes, you have the same room. It’ll always be your room.” She detected that smirk. He teased. At least he still had that tease in him.
She watched him leave. From the back, it looked like nothing was wrong. A handsome soldier decked out in an Army service uniform. He had all his limbs, and that was good enough for her. “Dane?”
He glanced over his shoulder from the doorway and lifted his chin in question.
“Your girl? She never came. Were you able to get in touch with her?” Dane didn’t like talking much about his personal life, but his personal life had been the military for years now—meant to be private. Maybe he didn’t have an issue with non-military life.
“Ah, I did. I’m sorry to run out on you, but I’ll be seeing her later. We have a lot to talk about.” Dane lowered his gaze. “I have to talk to you about a few things, too.” He whirled around and walked away.
“Good luck,” she called after him. Her son was in turmoil. Many things had to be worked out in his life, whereas before, nearly every move ran on a schedule telling him what to do and when. It’d be different for him now.
“Thanks. I have a feeling I might need it.” Dane continued toward the stairway onward to his room on the second level.
“I’ll pick up the pizza.” Judy went to the buffet in the dining room to get her keys. It always had been his weakness even when he took up healthy eating before going into the military.
Dane came back and leaned against the doorjamb, and paused. “I’ll lie down until you get back. Hey, Ma?” Before exiting the back door she turned. “Do you have anything against dogs?”
“We haven’t had one for a long time. Why?” He reminded her of when he was a young boy and brought his first stray dog home. Was he doing it again as a man?
“I’m having one sent here. He’s an MWD, Military Working Dog. A war dog and might be here tomorrow. He’s suffering from PTSD like humans do. They might have to retire him. He saved me and Corporal Hanson’s life in Afghanistan, so I’ll take care of him, in case the dog has to retire before Coop gets out.”
This sounded like the softer side of her son that not many people got to see. But an animal with PTSD? “We’ll deal with it. You bring that dog home. I’ll feed him steak every night for what he did—his bravery in saving you boys.”
“You probably shouldn’t. Okay, I’m heading to my room. Drive safe.”
***
Dane checked his watch on the way to the bedroom. He had two hours before meeting Gracelyn. Figuring out the right time to tell his mom weighed heavily on him. First, a war dog then a baby? Maybe he should’ve told her in a different order.
It wasn’t unusual for him to go about life doing things ass-backwards. Off-the-wall. His dad always said he had a rebel inside raring to get out. When he signed up for Ranger School, his dad wasn’t surprised. Honestly, he didn’t know if that rebel still existed, for he no longer had the urge to be a troublemaker.
Stretching out on his own bed gave him a sense of comfort. The same smell he grew up with, same paint—light blue—on the walls. Army banners were displayed on two walls, along with certificates—awards. His mom had made doubles of pictures he’d sent her—one for in here and others on a mantel in the great room.
A shelf sat between the two eight by eleven inch frames and his earned medals were displayed on it. Even his graduation certificate hung above the shelf. No doubt she was proud. So was he of what he’d accomplished in the military, yet still had goals for so much more.
Closing his eyes, he pictured the way Gracelyn looked when she rounded the corner at the restaurant. Beautiful. Glowing? “Shock is what it was, stop lying to yourself.” She looked healthy and fit as if she had been taking care of herself and their baby.
It would’ve been nice to share in the pregnancy, and at first thought, he was still upset she hadn’t told him. Eventually, his mail would catch up with him and he couldn’t wait to read the words penned from her hand. The way her fingers smoothed over her belly earlier showed affection toward their child.
Still, he knew her heart. His gut reaction said she wasn’t giving up the baby. It tore at his psyche to know she thought he didn’t want her after supposedly receiving the letter. Bullshit. “I want her. Them.” He glanced at his watch again. Heavy-lidded eyes could no longer remain open so he gave in—allowing himself a moment to relax. If he fell asleep, so be it. Tonight he wouldn’t get rocked out of bed by an RPG.
Sometime later, Dane sat upright and reached to his chest then hip for his gun. Blinking to focus, he investigated his surroundings. No gun. Shit. He raised his hand in front of his face in the shrouded room. No trigger finger. “I’ll have to have a gun,” he mumbled as he glanced at his locked gun cabinet. Tapping drew his attention to the door. He released a held breath. “What is it?” Maybe he dreamed up the military life. Then he’d have his fingers.
“Pizza’s here.”
“I’ll be right there.” This might not be as easy as it sounds. Dane sat up and lowered his legs over the side of the bed. The ache in his arm didn’t lessen by rubbing it, but drugs helped. It was still tender and the edges of the grafts felt rough against his palm. He removed jeans from his drawer and got them on. At the closet, he pulled out a shirt, unsure if his mom was ready to see his scars yet.
Holding a baby shouldn’t be a problem. Or the reins on a horse. Eventually, he’d be able to ride his motorcycle, too. After pulling on boots, he spotted an old pack of cigarettes on the dresser. Sure, he quit while in the hospital. One more thing that wasn’t his choice. The pack went into his shirt pocket on the way downstairs. “Where are you, Mom?” He followed his nose to the pizza.
“Bring yourself a drink and come on. I have everything else in here.”
Dane reached into the refrigerator for a beer but took iced tea instead. Rummaging through the cupboard for pain relievers, he found one that would do the job half-ass. With a glass of tea, he joined her in the family room. “What are we doing in here?”
“It’s comfortable and the sun will be setting later. Maybe you’d want to see it settle over the desert. A familiar home view.”
Older styled country music played low in the background. Out the window, everything appeared as it always had. Mountains, a cactus or two…or one hundred all standing before the setting sun. “I’ve seen more sunsets over the desert than I care to remember.”
�
�Well, yes, I suppose you’re right. Were you sleeping?”
A knife was needed to separate the slices of pizza before he could get it onto his plate. So I need two hands for pizza now? “Yeah, kind of sleeping? This is still great. Man, so what I needed. Thanks for picking it up.”
For a moment the silence was deafening and unusual in this house. It’d been a while since home was quiet. No niece Destiny running around, no TV. “What do you do around here by yourself?”
“It took a while to get used to it, but I manage. Martyn spends some evenings with me. We’ll Skype later.” Judy took a sip of tea after a bite of pizza. “We have a few special TV shows to watch during the week. Sometimes one or two of the grandkids stay.”
Dane about choked on his pizza, and had to take a big swallow of iced tea. “You learned to Skype? Good. If I go back, we’ll use it.”
Judy snickered and dunked her tea bag up and down in her cup. “You told Destiny to teach me. Do you think she’d let it rest? She had forgotten for quite a few months until she saw you and her dad using it one night. Did you hear from the Army?”
“No, I’m just saying… I don’t know if I’m going back. The hospital said I’m retiring. I won’t go back if they have me sitting at a desk until I retire. It’ll be bad enough if I have to do paperwork until my discharge date arrives.” Sitting at a desk would be as awful as walking through flames in hell.
“Won’t they…I had hoped they’d discharge you now.”
Good old Mom. If only things went the way she believed they should. Still, he couldn’t help but love her for her ways. “It can happen. I’d have to initiate it right now.” Dane rested his elbow on the table. “You know I wanted to make a career out of the Army.”
“Yes, and so far you have.” Judy sighed. “Some things in life are out of our control.”
“Tell me about it. Dammit, this isn’t a choice I like or wanted to make.” He shoved his chair back and stood. “Can I have your keys? I have to get out of here.” Wait. The baby. You’re having a baby. She needs to know. “Shit, I can’t do that. We have to talk.” Dane ran his hand over the top of his head. “I’m sorry.”
He cut another slice of pizza into pieces before carrying it to the sofa. “Why don’t you bring your plate over here?” Thumping his hand against the sofa, he then needed to grab his plate so it didn’t fall off his lap. His left hand had never been good for much on its own. “You still got that cursing bank? I owe it some money.”
“Yes, I do. The grandkids’ college education fund.”
Dane took ten dollars from his wallet and handed it over. Now he contributed to his own kid. “There ya go. It’s probably gonna happen again. I’m used to being nowhere with a bunch of pissed off soldiers with a four-letter word in every sentence—me included.” He took a seat. When his mom got up to join him in the sitting area, he warned, “You might want to pour a glass of wine. Maybe a shot of good whiskey.”
“Might as well get it out, Dane,” she said, taking a seat. “Looks like something’s paining you quite a bit.”
Never could fool her. “It isn’t paining me, at least not how you might be thinking.” He waited quietly as he finished eating. She did the same, making small talk about goings-on in Canyon Junction. The senior center. Even Martyn’s grandchildren.
“Oh, and you know what? Nora’s best friend Roxanne Connor might buy Nora’s mom’s house. She’ll be moving back to Canyon Junction.”
“Uh huh, that’s great.” He had no idea who Roxanne Connor was. When finished, he sat his plate beside him on the sofa and scooted to a spot where he used to love watching TV. A comfortable corner he had claimed as his. “About my girl, Mom. Gracelyn.”
“A beautiful name, by the way. I meant to tell you in a letter, but I forgot every time.”
“She’s beautiful to match it.” A visual of her face, her hair, and those hypnotic eyes came to mind. “I met her at the airport the night I was supposed to leave. I guess you put a hex on me when you wished for me to find someone. I sure as hell didn’t plan it.”
Judy cocked her head with a satisfying grin on her face as if she’d won a sweepstakes. A toast with her cup of tea was granted him. “Wishful thinking is what I call it.”
“From the moment she walked in…” He explained how they’d met that night. How they’d spent seven or forty-eight hours together, leaving out certain parts that he wasn’t about to tell her. She’d know soon enough.
His mom appeared to be offended when he told her Gracelyn came to the deployment send-off—her eyes lowered and her lips pressed flat where nothing could slip inside her mouth. Hurting her was something he never wanted to do. He’d give her a moment to take it all in, and let her mind wander in the process.
After a few minutes, he said, “As we danced, I remembered what you said…how when I least expected it, it would happen.” He laughed. “Did your ears burn when I admitted to you always being right?”
Another slice of pizza was needed right now and he went to the table. While there, he tried to figure out in his mind how to say it. Turn around and call her granny? Ask her to help pick baby names? What color should we paint the baby’s room? Holy hell. He acted like a fourteen-year-old.
“Mom…” A big sigh slipped out. It was painful to tell her, yet he had always been known as being straightforward and to the point when he had something to say. Might as well keep his reputation real. “Gracelyn’s pregnant with my child.” His shoulders lifted in a deep breath and lowered when he exhaled. Her body remained still as she stared into space—an unreadable expression on her face. This wasn’t the first time she ever heard this from one of her boys. No offense, Tristan.
“Well, now. I must admit, that isn’t what I expected to hear from you. Ever.”
“Hah, me neither. I didn’t know all the time I was gone or I would’ve told you sooner. I sent Jase to her job while I was still in the hospital. He told me.” Dane continued with that story and explained why he was unable to contact her for the months’ time in hospitals.
Judy scooted her plate aside. “I…I have to ask what happens next?”
“I don’t know,” he answered with a shrug. “Tomorrow I’ll know more.” A drink of iced tea cooled his throat after the spicy pepperoni. “Do you have an extra house key? I don’t know what time I’ll return.”
“When is the baby due, son?”
“It is my baby.” Her doubt was obvious by the drawing in of her eyebrows. Her facial features appeared tight, instead of soft like she usually looked when content. Had he disappointed her? His hands raised in frustration. “Heck if I know. September or October. I’m not sorry about the baby. What I’m sorry for is that she had to go through this alone.”
“This is a nice time to have a baby.” Judy didn’t make eye contact with him. In fact, she picked up a magazine and flipped through the pages. “I’ll be sorry for saying this, but are you one-hundred percent sure it’s yours?”
He didn’t want to answer that question. Coming from his mother, that statement surprised him, but everyone else who knew must’ve thought the same thing. “I’m sure. Mom…” Nothing else needed to be said.
Judy placed her hands in her lap. Tilting her head toward him, her eyes appeared warm and caring. “I wish we had known, too. We would’ve been here for her. When do you plan on bringing her home?”
Good question. A lot depended on Gracelyn. In all honesty, he had no idea if he’d ever see her past tonight. “I don’t have answers to anything yet. It pretty much terrifies me, and you know I don’t fear things.” Not just anyone would ever hear that something terrified him.
Judy stood and folded her arms. “I want to meet her. Trust when I say, I want the best for you, and if you’re happy, I’m happy. Still, I think you need to see proof.” She took a seat beside him and ran her fingers over his grown-out buzz cut. “I don’t mean to offend you, but…” She hesitated then laid her hand on his shoulder. “How bad does your arm look, sweetie?”
We’re cha
nging the subject, I guess. “It’s still nasty until the skin grafts heal. The skin came off my hip. That’s not a problem. I was lucky not to have lost my arm, so I’ll appreciate the way it looks, regardless.”
“Don’t be afraid or uncomfortable at home. None of us care about your scars.” Judy put her arm around his shoulder. “Your CO was great about keeping us informed, and they even got me to the hospital when you arrived at Walter Reed. They all talked highly of you. The military called you a hero the night they came to tell me.” She neared tears. That initial notification must’ve been awful.
“I’m not a hero. Yeah, I’ll have medals and a Purple Heart, but that doesn’t make me a hero.”
Judy lifted his plate from the sofa before taking hers. “You’re our hero, and no matter what you say, you’re a hero to our country. They told us that.”
With those last words, she left the room. Tomorrow he’d call Corporal Hanson. He had everything to do with helping to save his life that day. All he did was pay it back. His dog was in transit. One way or another, he had vowed to care for that dog. Another godsend that day.
As he rehashed what his mom said about seeing proof about the baby, his confidence in what he had with Gracelyn told him everything he needed to know.
***
After she left the room, his phone rang. It was a number he didn’t recognize, but it was local and not many had that number—his brothers, best friend Wade Emory, command…and the mother to his child. With a held breath, he answered.
“Dane?”
“Gracelyn. Hi. Are you okay?” His heart rate increased. How many times had he dreamed of moments such as this? Heat flooded over his flesh, although a panic chilled his bones.
“I’m leaving early. I can’t work any longer knowing you’re home.” Nervousness sounded in her voice. “I need to see you. W-we have so much to talk about.”
Of The Cowboy's Own Accord (Double Dutch Ranch; Love At First Sight #3) Page 10