by Deb Kastner
“Yes, he would,” Slade said in a high, singsong voice he’d never before used in his life but seemed oddly appropriate now. “Yes, he would. Your daddy would be so proud of you, little one. So proud.”
He kissed the baby’s cheek, marveling at how soft it was and how sweet little Brody smelled. Brand-new.
“You’re probably tickling his cheek with your whiskers,” Laney said with a laugh, brushing her hand over the baby’s head and then settling it on Slade’s jaw.
“Oh,” he said, drawing back. “Sorry.”
“Would you stop apologizing for every little thing? Your scruff is fine. In fact, I like you that way.”
She liked him that way? He didn’t know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Was she saying she found him attractive, or just making a passing comment about his beard? He needed to know but didn’t know how to ask. Instead, he spoke to the baby.
“So, little man, your mama and your uncle Slade are going to teach you everything you need to know to grow up on a ranch. And I’m going to teach you how to throw and catch a ball, and ride a horse, and rope a calf, and—”
“Don’t you think you ought to let him grow up a little bit before you start throwing balls at him?”
He grinned and winked at her. “I can wait. I’ll always be there for him.”
And you.
Why couldn’t he say the words? Why was he so tongue-tied all of the sudden? He was the one who usually blurted stuff out without thinking. Now he’d done all the thinking and he couldn’t seem to say the words.
He took extra care transferring Baby Brody back into the crook of Laney’s arm. She was simply stunning as she gazed down at the swaddled infant. It was no wonder he had no words. Her beauty left him speechless.
He’d rehearsed this moment a million times as he paced the waiting room. He had a ring burning a hole in the pocket of his jeans. He’d made a little detour once he’d hit San Antonio to visit a jewelry store, with every intention in the world of proposing to her. And now his mouth couldn’t seem to form the words. What a time to lose his composure.
He cleared his throat and reached deep inside himself for the confidence that seemed to have deserted him, maybe because this was the most important moment of his life, the fork in the road that would change his path. Only instead of him being the one who’d choose the direction he would take, it was all up to Laney.
His princess.
* * *
Laney wasn’t sure what was running through Slade’s mind and she wasn’t certain she wanted to know. He was acting squirrely. For a moment he’d looked as if he was ready to speak, and the next thing she knew he’d risen to his feet and lumbered over to the window, where he stood silently gazing outside.
Uncle Slade, he’d called himself. Baby Brody’s honorary uncle. Was that how he thought of himself? Because that wasn’t how she saw him at all.
As far as the Becketts were concerned, he was almost family, but to her he was so much more. She’d learned to depend on his strength and the way he chose a course and then stayed on it. He didn’t just think about how to solve problems—he did everything in his power to fix them, even if he was a little overbearing at times. It was all from the goodness of his heart, and she needed his presence in her life.
She missed him when he wasn’t with her—his amazing blue eyes, the way one corner of his lips kicked up when he was amused by something, even the way he always pulled his cowboy hat low over his brow when he didn’t want anyone else to see what he was thinking.
She loved everything about him. She loved him.
But he’d just as much as come out with the fact that he considered himself an honorary uncle to her son. And perhaps that was what it had always been about—being a part of little Brody’s life, protecting him and watching out for him.
Her heart ached at the thought of seeing Slade around the Becketts as her son grew up, with him but not really with him. She couldn’t imagine living that way, just as she could no longer imagine her life with Slade not in it.
If there was one thing she’d learned through her hasty marriage, her separation and Brody’s accidental death, it was that nothing in life was certain. There were no promises of tomorrow. Every day was a gift from God and not to be taken lightly, but lived to the fullest.
Loved to the fullest.
Slade might not want to hear what she was about to say. He might be surprised—shocked even. She was going to astonish herself if she was able to get the words out of her mouth and her feelings out in the open. She didn’t have the faintest idea how to start or what to say, she only knew that she had to expose her heart to him before he walked out of this room believing he was nothing more than Baby Brody’s Uncle Slade.
He turned from the window just as she began to speak.
“I think you—” she started, but she couldn’t seem to raise her voice above a whisper and he didn’t hear her.
“There’s not much of a view out there,” he said at the same time. He turned to her and shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “You can’t even see any trees or anything. Just the side of another building.”
Her mouth shut. She had no idea how to respond to that.
“I’ve been thinking,” he continued, and Laney’s heart clenched. He resumed his seat next to her but she couldn’t read his gaze. He leaned one arm over her legs and smiled down at the baby. “I feel like I need to apologize.”
“Again?”
This isn’t where she wanted the conversation to go and she was stymied by it. Could the man just not stop saying he was sorry? Or maybe say it once as a generic statement that would cover all past and future apologies?
“Yes, again.” He shrugged and his gaze met hers.
“What is it this time?”
“I had a lot of time to think while I was waiting for Baby Brody to be born. I have a question to ask you and I want you to be honest me.” His tone was even and his expression unreadable, but she thought she caught a glimpse of something in his eyes.
Her breath caught and held. Was he—could he feel as she felt, was his heart already entwined with hers?
“Was it because of me that your water broke?”
She let out her breath in a rush. Of all the things she expected—or hoped—he would say, that was not even in the ballpark.
“How on earth could you imagine my water breaking had anything to do with you?”
He shrugged, looking miserable. He shifted his gaze to the baby. “It happened right after I rode Night Terror. Your due date isn’t for a few days yet. I thought maybe the stress of seeing me on that bull might have put you over the top, er—sent you into labor.”
She sputtered out a laugh. One thing was for certain—if she was blessed with a life with Slade McKenna, it would never be boring.
“I hate to be the one to inform you of this,” she said with a wry smile, “but the world does not revolve around you. My water broke because it was time for Baby Brody to make his grand entrance. It had absolutely nothing to do with you whatsoever. It was God’s perfect timing and nothing to do with me watching a stubborn cowboy ride a bull in his best friend’s honor.”
“Oh.” He sounded deflated. “I’m glad.”
“Did you want to be the cause of the baby’s birth?”
He stood abruptly. “No. No! I was terrified that I’d made a terrible mistake and that my foolishness might have put you and the baby in danger.”
“Well, you can put that thought aside and rest easy, although I could very happily never hear another word about bull riding as long as I live.”
“I’ll try, princess, but that might be difficult, seeing as there’s a rodeo in Serendipity every year and I’m a retired bull rider.” He flashed a wink and a smile, turning all the charm he had on her and making her heart flip over.
She was long past believing she was immune to him.
“It all turned out exactly the way it was supposed to be,” he continued.
Not exactly. Not the way she really wanted it to be.
She was about to put her entire future, her son’s future and her very heart on the line, but it had to be done. She could no longer stay silent. She had to know—and so did he.
And if he brushed her off, at least he would know how she felt. It might be awkward for a while afterward when Uncle Slade came to see the baby, but they’d get past it eventually, or at least he would. She might never recover.
She took a deep breath and plunged in with no idea whether she was going to sink or swim. “About that title of yours...”
He raised a brow. “What title? I didn’t win anything. One of the younger fellows beat my score.”
Despite the tension rippling through her, she had to laugh. She was ready to make a declaration of her everlasting love and he was thinking about the rodeo title he hadn’t won. As if he didn’t already have enough enormous silver belt buckles in his wardrobe.
“I wasn’t talking about the rodeo.”
He shook his head. “Then, what?”
“Uncle Slade. I’m not sure that’s the right thing for Baby Brody to call you.”
He blanched and turned away from her, striding toward the window, and she realized what she’d meant to say and what had actually come out of her mouth were two different things entirely, and she’d unintentionally hurt the man she loved.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her throat tightening around the words. “This time it’s me who needs to apologize.
He tossed a glance over his shoulder. “For what?”
She started to tell him but he interrupted.
“No, you’re right. I overstepped when I called myself Baby Brody’s uncle. I’m not family. Not really.”
“But I’d like you to be.”
He pivoted on the soles of his boots and swept his hat off his head in one smooth move. He was at her bedside only moments later, and for once he wasn’t masking his emotions. She could see it all—hope, trepidation and—
He sat down next to her with one hand on the baby and the other against her cheek. She struggled to contain the tears that burned at the back of her eyes, knowing that crying would ruin everything. Slade always stepped up to deal with any problem, and he would definitely see tears as a problem. He wouldn’t see them as the happy tears they were, and she didn’t want to take the time to explain it to him. Her heart was too full, ready to explode if they didn’t get on with it.
“There is nothing I want more than to be in your life. In Baby Brody’s life. But you’re right. I don’t want to be Uncle Slade. I would—” He paused and jammed his hand into the pocket of his jeans. “I’m doing this all wrong. I got you a ring. I had this whole speech planned, and then somehow the conversation went in a different direction and I didn’t know what to say, and now—”
It was time to break in before Slade ran out of breath and passed out on her, because he certainly didn’t look as if his declaration was going to end any time soon. She rarely heard the strong, silent cowboy say so many words in a day, much less in one long string that sounded like a single sentence.
“Yes.”
He continued as if he didn’t hear her. “I know I can be stubborn sometimes, and we’ve had more than our share of tussles, but I promise—” He paused, looking as if someone had shaken him awake from a deep sleep. “Wait—what? Did you just say yes?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, you’ll marry me?” He sounded astounded, as if he hadn’t known what her response would be until he’d heard it. How could he not have known?
She shifted Baby Brody to her right and held out her left hand. “Yes, I’ll marry you. In fact, if you hadn’t gotten to it soon, I was going to ask you.”
“You were?” He still looked stunned, but he had the presence of mind to slide the diamond solitaire onto her finger.
“It’s beautiful,” she murmured.
“You’re beautiful, princess,” he replied, his voice husky.
“You’ll make the best father ever.”
“I noticed you didn’t say husband,” he teased, brushing his thumb down her cheek. “But I’ll be that, too, or at least the best husband I can be. And as for Baby Brody...”
His expression softened as he glanced at the baby boy who would be his son. “I hope you’ll honor me by taking my last name, but if it’s okay with you, I’d like to keep Brody’s last name Beckett.”
That was it. The tears started flowing and there was no possible way she was going to be able to staunch them. Somehow, when she’d thought her life was over, she’d discovered it was just beginning. And the most wonderful man in the world was going to take the journey with her, day by day, step by step. The most sensitive man, too, although he was too stubborn to ever admit it.
“I think that would be a wonderful tribute to Brody,” she agreed, her voice as husky as his had been.
“With one condition.” One side of his mouth kicked up, ever the charmer.
“And what’s that?”
“That we have a dozen more children with my last name.”
She shook her head and laughed. “I don’t know that I can promise you a dozen, but I think a few little McKennas might be in order.”
“You think?”
She reached for his shirt and bunched her fist in the material and then pulled his face down to hers. His breath fanned her cheek and his eyes were sparkling as he pressed his lips to hers, soft and sweet and full of promise.
“I don’t think, cowboy,” she murmured, brushing her palm against his scratchy face and reveling in the feel of him next to her, the smell of leather and the spark in his blue eyes. “I know.”
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from THE FOREST RANGER’S RESCUE by Leigh Bale.
Dear Reader,
Welcome back to Serendipity, Texas. I’m so happy you’ve joined me for the second novel in my Cowboy Country miniseries. I’m excited to have the opportunity to write about rugged cowboys, adorable infants and the women whose love makes their lives complete. It’s also great fun to be able to revisit other beloved Serendipity residents.
Have you ever known someone who rubbed you the wrong way? This is the case for Laney Beckett with Slade McKenna. From the first time they meet, Slade gets on Laney’s nerves in every possible way, but eventually she discovers a heart of gold beneath that tough exterior. In Slade’s quest to make things better for Laney and unborn Baby Beckett, his words or actions sometimes inadvertently have the opposite effect from what he intends.
When you cross paths with people who are hard to love, I hope you’ll remember this story and realize there might be hidden reasons for why they act as they do. I pray you’ll be able to see what God sees—the dignity of the person—and reach out to those people with kindness.
I hope you enjoyed The Cowboy’s Forever Family. I love to connect with you, my readers, in a personal way. You can look me up at debkastnerbooks.com. Come join me on Facebook at facebook.com/debkastnerbooks, or you can catch me on Twitter @debkastner.
Please know that you are daily in my prayers.
Love Courageously,
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.
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Chapter One
Jillian Russell stared at the meter on the gas pump in stunned disbelief. Holding the nozzle, she listened as the liquid gold rushed into her car’s fuel tank. Having just arrived in town, her empty gas tank sucked it in. She figured she should fill up before going home. After Mom’s frantic phone call late last night, there was no telling when she might get another chance.
Home. A white-frame house with blue trim in Bartlett, Idaho. The small logging town where Jill had been raised. So small, it didn’t even warrant a single traffic light. Population eight hundred and thirty-nine.
Almost everyone here earned their livelihood off of the lush ponderosa pine that blanketed the broad-shouldered mountains surrounding the town. Jill’s family included.
“Hi, Jill!”
Lifting her gaze, she looked past the blue pickup truck parked behind her car. Harvey Garson stood outside his grocery store across the deserted street, watering a clay pot filled with purple pansies. The bright flowers did little to hide the peeling paint of his shabby two-story building. Several empty offices lined Main Street, their vacant windows filled with dust and cobwebs. The poor economy hadn’t been easy on this community. The bank and county courthouse down the road were new, complete with tan stucco and wide garden boxes planted with yellow tulips. The only modern buildings in town.
Jill waved and forced herself to sound cheerful. “Hello, there.”
“You in town long?” Harvey yelled as water cascaded from the spout of his watering can.
She hoped not. But that depended on Mom and Alan, her younger brother by two years. “Just a few days, I think.”
“Hopefully we’ll see you at church on Sunday.” With another wave, Harvey set the watering can beside the flowerpot and slipped back inside his dingy store.
Jill released a sigh of relief, glad the conversation had ended. She hoped she wasn’t in town long enough to attend church. She was not staying in this one-dog town any longer than necessary. The dreaded third degree she received from old friends every time she came home was extra incentive not to stick around. You couldn’t expect much less in a place this size. Everyone knew everyone else and considered them family. They meant well, but she had no desire to share her life with them. Or explain about her adulterous husband and recent divorce. The pain still felt too raw.