Five Brothers and a Baby

by Peggy Moreland

  Swearing under his breath, Ace patted the bed. "All right, you big baby. Get up here."

  Daisy bounded onto the bed, then flopped down at Ace's feet.

  "And stay there," he warned the dog. "I don't want you waking up the kid."

  Catching the end of the sheet, Ace pulled it up over his shoulder and settled his head onto his pillow, closed his eyes.

  But even with all the company, sleep was still a long time coming for Ace.

  It was Maggie he wanted with him in his bed.

  * * *

  Ten

  « ^ »

  Ace awakened slowly. Blinked, then flipped his eyes wide. Jackknifing up, he looked frantically around. The baby was gone. The dog was gone. Whipping back the sheet, he vaulted from the bed and ran from his room.

  At the doorway to the kitchen, he skidded to a stop. Rory sat at the table, calmly feeding the baby a bottle, the dog sprawled at his feet. Bracing a hand on the jamb, Ace placed the other over his heart to still its wild beating.

  Rory shot him a grin. "Mornin', Ace."

  Ace sank weakly down onto a chair and dropped his head into his hands. "Damn you, Rory. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

  Rory bit back a smile. "Why? Did you think somebody had kidnapped the kid?"

  Ace lifted his head to scowl. "Hell, I didn't know what to think." He snatched up a dish towel from the table and used one corner to catch a milky drop of drool that leaked from the side of the baby's mouth. "Scared the peewaddly-doo out of me, though, and that's a damn fact."

  Rory gave him a disapproving look. "You probably shouldn't cuss like that in front of the kid." He looked down at the baby and smiled. "A pretty little thing like her? It'd be a shame if the first word out of her mouth was a four-letter one."

  Ace snorted a breath. "By the time she starts talking, I won't be around to influence her, good or bad."

  Rory glanced up at Ace. "Are you sure you want to turn her over to Star's relatives? I mean, think about it, Ace. You don't know anything about these people. They could be ex-cons, for all you know."

  Ace pushed away from the table. "And they might be good, law-abiding folks," he argued stubbornly, as he headed for the sink.

  "What about Maggie?" Rory asked. "Why doesn't she adopt her?"

  The question hit Ace square in the back, stabbing so deep it pierced his heart, releasing a memory he'd buried there. Though his gaze was fixed on the window above the sink, it wasn't the view of the backyard he saw beyond the glass. It was Maggie he saw. Standing on the front porch the day she'd brought the baby to the ranch, her face ravaged with regret, her eyes swollen with tears, her voice trembling as she'd told him she'd wanted to keep the baby herself, but couldn't.

  She deserves more than I can give her.

  He shook his head, not trusting his voice. "She can't."

  "Why not? It's obvious she's crazy about the kid."

  Ace squeezed his eyes shut, trying to shut out the images that flashed through his mind. Images of Maggie holding the baby, rocking her. The love that filled her eyes each time she looked at the child.

  Gulping, he forced open his eyes to stare blindly at the window. "Maggie wants her to have a family. One that will love her and take care of her."

  "You could do that, Ace. You and Maggie together could give the kid that."

  Ace shook his head. "Maggie could. But not me."

  "That's bull, Ace, and you know it. You love Maggie, don't you?"

  Ace gripped his hands over the sink, as the reality of that hit him. He hadn't intended to fall in love with her. Couldn't even remember at what point his feelings had changed, grown into something stronger.

  "Don't go trying to deny it," Rory warned, "because I know better. Twice you wanted to fight me because I flirted with her. In my book, that spells jealousy with a capital J. And, if you're jealous, that means you've staked a claim on her, which is fine with me, 'cause I like Maggie and wouldn't mind having her for a sister-in-law."

  Ace gulped. "Maggie doesn't want to get married. She told me so."

  "Well, she either lied or changed her mind, because last night she told me that she did and was willing to marry you."

  Ace's heart stuttered a beat. Slowly he turned to stare at Rory. "You saw Maggie?"

  "I damn sure did and it wasn't to flirt with her, so don't go swelling up like a bullfrog and trying to pick a fight with me again. I went to talk to her, to try to figure out what the hell was going on between the two of you."

  Ace pressed his hands to his head to still the dizzying sensation, trying to absorb what Rory was saying. "She told you that she loved me?"

  "Not right off. I had to fish a little first."

  "She never said anything," he said dully. "Never told me how she felt."

  "Did you tell her?"

  Regret burned through Ace that he hadn't, that it had taken losing her to make him realize that he did.

  Rory shook his head sadly. "Bro, you may be older, but you sure as hell aren't wiser. Not where women are concerned. Maybe I should give you a couple of pointers."

  Ace started for the door. "Stay with the baby. I'll be back as quick as I can."

  "Hey!" Rory cried. "Where are you going?"

  Ace twisted open the door and started out. "To get Maggie."

  "Wait!" Rory shouted.

  Ace stopped and looked back. "What?" he snapped in frustration.

  "You might want to put on some pants first."

  Ace looked down and groaned when he realized that he was wearing nothing but his shorts. Closing the door, he ran for his room.

  "Watch out for Dixie," Rory called after him. "Judging by the fuss she kicked up last night when Maggie told her I was your brother, I figure you're probably pretty high on her hit list right now."

  * * *

  When Ace didn't find Maggie at home, he drove straight to the Longhorn, figuring he'd find her there. Sure enough, he spotted her beat-up car in the parking lot beside the building. Parking his truck next to it, he climbed out and headed for the front entrance. He tried the door but found it locked. Framing his hands at his temples, he pressed his face against the glass, trying to see inside. The place looked empty, but he'd swear he heard music.

  Lifting a fist, he pounded on the door. "Maggie?" he shouted. "It's me. Ace. Open the door."

  He waited a moment, listening, then lifted his hand to pound again. Just as he did, the door opened and Dixie stepped out.

  She narrowed her eyes at the fist he managed to halt short inches from her nose.

  "Hit me," she snarled, "and I'll have the cops on you so fast it'll make your head spin."

  Ace dropped his hand. "I'm not planning on hitting anyone. I want to see Maggie."

  "And why would she want to see you?"

  By the bitterness in the woman's voice, Ace figured Rory had been right. He was pretty high on Dixie's hit list. Probably on Maggie's, too.

  "I don't know that she does," he told her, trying to keep the frustration from his voice. "But I'd appreciate it if you'd tell her that I'm here."

  "And why would I want to do that?" Dixie challenged. "Appears to me you've hurt her enough as it is."

  At the end of his patience, Ace closed his hands around Dixie's arms and bodily picked her up. He stepped through the doorway, then kicked the door closed behind him.

  "Now," he said and plopped her back down on her feet. "You can either tell me where Maggie is, or I can tear this place apart looking for her. Either way, I'm not leaving until I talk to her."

  Dixie aimed a finger at his nose. "You hurt that girl again and you'll have me to deal with. Understand?"

  Ace caught her hand, pulled it down and pushed his face up to hers. "Perfectly. Now you understand something. I love Maggie and I intend to marry her, if she'll have me, so you better learn to deal with that and me, because I'm not going away. Ever. Understand?"

  "Ace … what are you doing here?"

  He whipped around to find Maggie standing behind the bar. All he
could do was stare.

  A slap on the back had him stumbling forward a step.

  "Well, you said you wanted to talk to her," Dixie snapped. "So? There she is. Talk."

  Ace angled his head around to give Dixie a murderous look. "In private, if you don't mind," he grated out between clenched teeth.

  Dixie tossed up her hands. "Well, why didn't you say you wanted privacy, 'stead of standing there staring at the girl like a mute."

  Muttering under her breath, she stalked to the back hallway and slammed her office door behind her. "Okay!" she shouted from behind the closed door. "I'm in my office now! That's as private as you're gonna get, so talk!"

  "Ace?"

  Taking a deep breath, he turned back to face Maggie. But, at the sight, his throat closed up around the words he'd come to say to her. He walked slowly toward the bar, braced a hand on its top and vaulted over. With his gaze on hers, he took her hands in his and brought them to his lips. He watched the tears fill her eyes, felt the burn of them behind his own.

  "You said you wanted Laura to have a family who loved and cared for her."

  She squeezed her eyes shut, dipped her head. Nodded.

  "I think I've found the perfect family for her."

  Her desolation was obvious, evidenced by the droop of her shoulders, the lifeless relaxing of her hands within his, the tear that leaked past one lid to trail slowly down her cheek.

  "They'll be good to her," he promised. "Good for her. They'll give her everything she needs, everything she could ever possibly want."

  A sob slipped past her lips and she tried to wrench her hands free.

  But Ace hung on, refusing to let her go.

  "It's what you wanted, isn't it?" he asked quietly. "A home for Laura, a family to love her?"

  She lifted her head, her eyes flooded with tears. "Yes, that's what I wanted," she cried tearfully. "But I wanted you to be the one to provide that home for her, you to be the one to love her." Hiccupping a sob, she jerked her hands free and dropped her face onto her palms. "Not just anyone, Ace," she sobbed. "I wanted it to be you."

  "I can't do that, Maggie," he said softly. "Not alone. Not without you. Maggie…" He pulled her hands from her face to hold in his. "Marry me, Maggie. Help me create that home for Laura. Help me remember how to love."

  She gulped, staring. "Oh, Ace…" She gulped again. Swallowed. "Do you mean it? You're really going to keep her?"

  He guided her arms around him, then wrapped his around her. "That's my plan." Reaching up, he thumbed a tear from her cheek. "But Star has family. We know that now. They may want Laura, too."

  He felt the dig of her fingers on his back, saw the fear that flashed in her eyes, and wanted desperately to reassure her. "I don't know what the laws are," he told her. "Whose rights for guardianship prevail in a situation like this. But I promise you this. I will do everything within my power to see that Laura remains with us."

  She sagged against him, clutching him to her. "Oh, Ace," she cried softly. "She has to. She just has to."

  He held her close, slowly rocking her back and forth, his lips pressed against the side of her head. "I love you, Maggie," he whispered. "More than I even dreamed possible."

  She leaned back to look up at him, her eyes filled with tears. "And I love you, Ace."

  "Marry me, Maggie." He thumbed a tear from her cheek, then dropped his mouth to hers. "Marry me and we'll work through this together, start building on that home you want for Laura."

  Smiling through her tears, she framed his face with her hands. "Yes. Together. Oh, Ace…" She flung her arms around him, hugging him tight. "This is going to turn out all right. I just know it will."

  "It will, Maggie. The three of us belong together. We're family."

  * * *

  Epilogue

  « ^

  It was almost two months to the day from their father's funeral that the four Tanner brothers gathered in their father's office again. As they had during that first meeting, Woodrow and Rory sat on the leather sofa opposite their father's desk. Ry stood to the left of the desk, his arms folded across his chest, frowning out the window.

  In addition to the four brothers, two others were present for this meeting. Whit, who had missed the first meeting, stood on the far side of the room next to the door, his back braced against the wall. Maggie, the newest addition to the Tanner family, was present, as well, and stood at her husband Ace's side, before the desk.

  A third person was present, as well. Laura was there and currently being passed from brother-to-brother and—according to Ace—at risk of becoming terminally spoiled.

  When the baby finally made it back to Maggie, Ace draped an arm along Maggie's shoulder, and addressed his brothers.

  "I think all of you are aware that the private detective I hired has discovered that Star's real name was Montgomery, not Cantrell, and that he's traced her family to Dallas."

  Receiving nods of affirmation from his brothers, Ace went on. "Well, now it looks as if he's located a family member. Specifically, a sister."

  Rory shot from the sofa, his eyes wide in alarm. "But you and Maggie are keepin' the baby, right? This sister can't take Laura away from us, can she?"

  His expression grim, Ace shook his head. "I don't know. That's what we've got to find out. None of the lawyers we have on retainer practice family law, so they're having to research the laws pertaining to guardianship and custodial rights, in situations where both parents die, leaving a child behind. Since neither Star nor the old man left behind a will or specific written instructions pertaining to Laura's welfare, for now we are going to have to assume that Star's sister has the same rights to Laura as any of us do."

  Rory dropped weakly back down on the sofa. "Then what?" he asked, lifting his hands helplessly. "I mean, if this sister wants Laura, who decides who gets to keep her?"

  Releasing a long breath, Ace withdrew his arm from Maggie and hitched a hip on the corner of the desk. "I guess the courts will."

  "Oh, man," Rory moaned. "That could get ugly."

  "I'm hoping to avoid that," Ace informed him.

  "How?" Rory asked, clearly puzzled as to how they could circumvent a court ruling.

  Ace pushed off the desk and began to pace. "As far as we know, this sister doesn't even know Laura exists. My plan is to get to her as quickly as we can, explain the situation to her, then hopefully persuade her to let Maggie and I adopt the baby."

  Rory flapped his hands, as if urging them out the door. "So go! The sooner we get this settled, the better, as far as I'm concerned. I know, I for one, will sleep a hell of a lot better once the kid's name is officially Tanner."

  "Maggie and I have discussed this," Ace told him, "and we both agree that we shouldn't be the ones to make the initial contact."

  Ry glanced over his shoulder to look at Ace. "Are you sending one of our lawyers?"

  Ace shook his head. "No. I think it would be better if a member of the family met with her." He glanced at Rory. "What about you? You're personable, yet I know you can be pretty damn persuasive when it suits you. Would you be willing to do it?"

  "Oh, man, Ace," Rory said miserably. "You know I'd do it in a heartbeat. But I'm leaving tonight for Wyoming. I've got meetings scheduled all week with a group of Western artists whose work I want to carry in my store. If you could give me a couple of days—"

  "No," Ace said, frowning. "A couple of days is too long to wait." He turned to Ry. "What about you? Do you think you could squeeze a trip to Dallas into your schedule?"

  "Sorry," Ry said. "The funeral and my trips here to help out on the ranch have thrown me way behind. I have surgeries scheduled back to back all day, starting at six in the morning. My whole week's like that."

  "What about you, Whit?" Ace asked, shifting his gaze to the back of the room where Whit stood.

  Whit paled. "Not me, Ace, please. I wouldn't know what to say. What to do."

  "I think Woodrow should be the one to go."

  Four heads spun to stare at
Maggie in disbelief.

  Woodrow made a choking sound. "Me?" he croaked.

  Maggie gave her chin a decisive nod. "You're the perfect choice."

  "But I hate big cities!" When Maggie merely lifted a brow, he looked around the room, desperately searching for support. Finding none, he appealed to Ace. "Come on, Ace. You know what my negotiating skills are like. It's my way or the highway."

  Ace felt a bump against his arm and turned, taking the baby Maggie pushed into his arms. Wondering what she was up to, he watched her cross to Woodrow and sink down at his feet.

  "You can do it, Woodrow," she said confidently. "I wouldn't allow you to represent us if I didn't think you were capable of handling the job."

  He drew back, shaking his head slowly. "You don't know me like the rest of 'em do. I don't deal well with people."

  She laid a hand on his knee. "You love Laura, don't you?"

  "Ah, Maggie," he complained. "That's fightin' dirty. You know I'm crazy about the kid."

  "Yes, and because you love her, I know you will fight as hard to keep her as Ace or I would. Will you do this for us? Please? For Laura?"

  He glanced over at the baby, gulped, then dropped his chin to his chest, his shoulders sagging in defeat. "All right," he grumbled, then lifted his head to narrow an eye at Maggie. "But if I screw this up, I don't want anyone blamin' me. Understood?"

  Laughing, Maggie rose to throw her arms around his neck. "You won't screw this up, Woodrow. You're the perfect man for the job."

  * * *

  Late that same night, Maggie and Ace lay in bed, the lights out, but both wide awake.

  "He could screw this up," Ace said for the umpteenth time since his brothers had left. "Woodrow's people skills are a little rough around the edges."

  Maggie laced her fingers through Ace's. "He won't," she said confidently.

  "But he could, you know. To folks that don't know him, Woodrow comes across as abrasive."

  "Yes," she agreed. "His size alone is intimidating. One look at him, and Star's poor sister will probably run and hide."

  "Oh, God," Ace moaned. "Maybe I should call and tell him to forget it."