“He’s doing great, Tucker. And yes, I’ve had to bring him home from the ranch the last two days with the windows down because he’s been cleaning stalls. But he said he was helping the younger boys out with their chores.”
Tucker smiled. “He’s a good kid, Suzie. He’s going to be all right.”
She took a deep breath. “Yes, he is. Thanks to you.”
Tucker studied her and the distance between them seemed like a chasm. “How are you?”
“I’m good. I—” She ached to touch him. But he hadn’t moved, was just sitting there with the closed truck door between them. “I’m good. We’re getting settled in and things are more normal now, with our things around us. I’m going to have to paint.” She smiled at the thought of the day he’d come by when she was painting. “But no red.”
He chuckled. “I won’t complain.”
“I’ve started studying for my GED and I’ve signed up for online classes for the fall semester.”
“That’s wonderful,” he said, pride in his eyes that brought sudden tears to hers. “What’s wrong?” he asked, alarmed.
She sniffed, and swiped at her eyes. “Oh, nothing. I— Oh, Tucker, I owe you so much.”
He was out of the truck before she could blink. He swiped the tear from her cheek before she could do away with it. “Don’t cry, Suzie. I don’t want you to cry anymore. You don’t owe me anything. You don’t.”
The intensity of his words startled her. “But I do,” she said, meaning it with all of her soul.
“Everyone loved Gordon, and they, we, love you and Abe,” he said. “I want you and Abe to be happy and healthy. I want you to move on with your life, not feel like you owe me. No more tears about that.”
He stepped closer and the spicy scent of his aftershave, masculine and woodsy, wrapped around her. It was everything she could do not to step close and lay her head on his shoulder.
But he wasn’t reaching for her. His arms remained at his sides.
“I do, and I always will,” she said, firmly.
His brows dipped over frustrated eyes. “I’ve got to go to work. What’s Abe doing today?” he asked, before he turned to go.
Frustrated by the conversation, she hid her feelings.
“I think he said Tony and Jake were going to pick him up and they were going to practice for the rodeo or something. He seemed excited about it.”
“Yeah, I think they are holding some sort of exhibition this afternoon. You should come.”
“I will.”
He tipped his hat. “Good. See you there.”
And he was gone. She watched him drive off and felt as if he’d erected an invisible wall between them.
She didn’t like it.
They’d come through so much together.
Why, she wondered, did it seem as if he was holding her at arm’s length? Why had he not come around to check on them since the roundup?
She’d missed him, but she’d been so busy getting Abe settled that she hadn’t let herself dwell on why he was missing from their lives. Instead of going into the shop, Suzie headed back up the stairs. She walked into Abe’s room, suddenly knowing that, as wonderful as things had been in the past week, she needed to ask him a question.
* * *
Laughter and excitement filled the air inside the arena. Along with dust churned up from the donkeys as the boys ran around trying to herd them into a holding pen. Tucker leaned against the rails with Morgan and Rowdy, waiting to watch the boys rope calves as soon as the donkeys were moved out of the way. The boys huddled up suddenly and then little B.J. broke from the group and came barreling across the arena, his face red with enthusiasm.
“We’re gonna ride us some donkeys!” he exclaimed.
“Donkeys?” Tucker asked, glancing at his brothers. They looked as surprised as he was. He’d told the boys that they were going to load them up later and take them back to Chili’s, since the fence had been fixed earlier that week. As it turned out, Chili and Drewbaker had saddled up and found the broken fence and fixed it. They hadn’t let him hear the end of it, either.
The other boys walked up, expectant looks on their faces. “Y’all planning on riding the donkeys?” he asked.
Tony stepped out of the group. “Well, sir, Chili told us we could. So we were hoping to do it before we take them away. ”
“We thought we’d give it a go,” Abe added, grinning.
Tucker chuckled, liking the grin on Abe’s face.
Morgan crossed his arms and studied them. “You boys think you’re up to that?”
Highly insulted expressions instantly swept over the group, and a round of indignant “Yes, sirs” rolled between them.
“Then go for it,” Morgan said. It was his call since he and Randolph were in charge of the foster program. “And good luck.”
“Yeah, watch those back legs,” Tucker warned over the eruption of excited whoops. “They aren’t as mild as they look.” He should know, remembering the lick his hip had taken.
He glanced toward the house, where Suzie was visiting with Nana, Lucy and Jolie. He’d seen her drive up a few minutes ago and had to fight himself hard to stay away. It had been a fight all week. And that morning, he’d very nearly broken his vow to himself and enveloped her in his arms when she’d gotten emotional thanking him. Talking about owing him.
But that was it. He didn’t want her to owe him. He wanted her to love him. And he wanted Abe to be okay with that. Wanted Abe to love him, in fact.
The shouts and laughter of the boys drew the women’s attention and they started toward the arena, probably realizing the roping was about to start.
“Hi,” she said, to him and his brothers as she walked up. “The boys seem really excited about the roping.”
Rowdy chuckled. “They’re excited, all right. But it’s not about roping.”
“They’re about to have a riding exhibition,” Morgan said, winking at Jolie. “Y’all need to grab seats in the stands and get ready for a show. And we better get out there to make sure it doesn’t get too rank and rowdy.”
“What are they going to ride?” Suzie asked, pinning Tucker with curious eyes.
“We’re about to have a little exhibition rodeo. The boys are going to attempt to ride the donkeys.”
All the women’s eyes widened in alarm.
“Won’t they kick?” Suzie asked first.
“And buck, too?” Lucy added. “I’m just glad I’m not getting roped into this one. You have to watch these fellas, Suzie. The little sneaks will trick you into doing things you wouldn’t normally do.”
“B-but—” Suzie stammered, glaring at him. “It’s too dangerous. Remember how they charged me?”
“Now, Suzie, boys will be boys. We’ll be there watching out for them,” he said, and knew that he planned to join in the fun...while watching for flying body parts. Anything would be safer today than spending time standing too close to Suzie.
He turned and headed toward the gate. Putting distance between them. It was getting harder and harder to stay away from her.
* * *
“You aren’t serious?” Suzie called, startled that Tucker would walk away from her, as if she would be okay with this.
Suzie planted her hands on her hips as her words brought Tucker to a halt in his tracks. He turned—looking shocked that she would ask such a thing.
“Are you seriously about to let these boys ride those...those donkeys? You and I both know that they seem docile but are far from it. Look what that one did to you.”
“Now, Suzie, don’t get all bent out of shape—”
Her mouth dropped open. “‘Bent out of shape,’” she huffed. “I saw firsthand what those measly animals can do. One kicked your legs right out from under you. And then, one charged me—tried to ru
n me over and trample me!”
“Look, yes, there are a few dangers, but these boys know how to watch out for them. I just got a little too close the other day, is all.”
“And that is supposed to make me feel better.”
“I guess it doesn’t, but this is cowboy country. This is what we do for fun. You just need to relax. It’s going to be all right. And, despite what you are thinking, it’s going to be great for Abe.”
He turned and continued on his way as if she’d never said anything. “Going to be fine, indeed,” she mumbled, almost going after him.
“Suzie, come sit with me,” Nana said, drawing her attention.
“I can’t believe this,” Suzie said, moving toward Nana.
“This is a ranch,” Jolie said, coming up beside her. “They love doing things like this. It’ll be fun. Rowdy and the others will minimize the risk, but honestly, kids get hurt falling off their bicycles. It’ll be all right. You can’t put kids in a bubble. They have to have some freedom. I think this is especially good for Abe. He needs to know he’s tougher than he thinks.” This coming from a champion kayaker—daredevil—had Suzie wondering if she was too overprotective.
Feeling as if she would explode with anxiety, Suzie forced a nod. She couldn’t always protect Abe from everything. She just couldn’t. And the truth was that she trusted Tucker and his family. She did have to let go some. She’d smother Abe if she didn’t.
But could she relax enough to watch Abe ride?
* * *
The boys were having a blast. The donkeys were giving them the time of their lives and testing their abilities. Tucker wanted to enjoy the event but all he could think about was Suzie.
Abe came bouncing by, laughing even though he was clinging to a wild donkey’s neck in his effort not to be thrown to the ground.
Tucker’s gaze flew instantly to Suzie. To his surprise she was laughing. Her eyes were alive, just as they’d been in all of Gordon’s photos, and Tucker could not look away. Somewhere in the middle of all of this, she’d let go and begun to enjoy the show. Let go and felt the joy in the moment. Had she let go of everything? Had she let go of Gordon?
“Look out,” Morgan said, yanking him out of the way of a runaway donkey.
“Distracted just a bit?” Morgan asked, his lip hitching upward.
No sense denying it any longer. “Yeah, I am,” Tucker snapped, not at all happy.
Rowdy looked around Morgan at him. “Thought you weren’t going to go there.”
“Do I look like I planned on it?”
“More like you’re having a root canal,” Rowdy shot back, eyes serious.
“What are you going to do?” Morgan asked. Both knew the seriousness of what he was facing.
Considering Morgan’s question, Tucker watched Abe among the chaos of riders. The kid was doing good, still clinging to the donkey’s neck—but one hard buck and he went flying facedown in the dirt. As the donkey ran off, Abe rolled over onto his back.
It took a moment to realize he wasn’t getting up.
Tucker bolted toward him the instant he realized it. Running across the arena, he slid to a stop in the dirt, and sank to his knees beside Abe, whose eyes were closed. Suzie came, nearly falling down beside them in her haste to reach her son’s side.
“Abe, Abe, speak to me.” She grabbed Abe’s hand and shook it. When he didn’t react she glared at Tucker.
Abe’s eyes popped open and a grin spread across his face. “Mom! This has been the best day of my life.”
Suzie gasped. “Abe, you scared the dickens out of me.”
Tucker stared at the kid, not sure what was going on.
Abe sat up and rubbed his chest. “It’s okay, Mom. I just lost my breath for a minute.”
“Are you okay now?” Tucker asked, placing a hand on Abe’s shoulder. He could feel a crowd gathering behind him.
Abe’s grin faded as he studied Tucker and then his mother. “No. I’m not. I’ve caused a lot of trouble and I’m sorry. I’ve been thinking about it all night since I talked with the doc yesterday. And—” He paused, straightened his shoulders and met Tucker’s gaze. “I need y’all to know that I’m okay. With everything. Tucker, my mom’s young. She’s going to remarry one day. She said so herself.”
Suzie gasped. “Abe Kent, did you hit your head?”
He laughed. “I’m just saying what you told me. And I’ve been thinking about it. I saw y’all kissing and, well, I was just wondering...if that means y’all love each other. Because if it does, I’m good with it.”
“Abe, honey,” Suzie said, “I think we need to get you out of the sun.”
Tucker pushed his hat back and studied the kid in shock. He agreed wholeheartedly with everything Abe had said, but it was a startling revelation. Standing up, he reached and grabbed the boy beneath the arms. “Here we go, buddy.”
“No, I’m fine.” Abe scrambled away to stand beside his friends. The boys were all grinning.
“He ain’t hit his head,” B.J. said. “He’s just got his brains back. He done told us he wants Tucker to be his new daddy.”
Suzie stood up and stuffed her hands on her hips. “Abe, this is not the way things are supposed to be handled. And you can’t just decide you want something and then think that makes it so.”
“I know, Mom, but I was thinking that maybe y’all need to know how I feel. So you— So you can both be happy.”
“Th-thank you, Abe, but this is not the time or the place to be telling me this.”
Suzie looked at Tucker with big, alarmed eyes.
“Okay,” he said, having had enough of being the show. “Abe, thanks for speaking your mind. But now everyone needs to get back to what they were doing. Suzie, could you come with me? I think there are a few things we need to talk about.” He ignored the excited looks on every boy’s face and refrained from looking at his nana. Morgan and Rowdy were grinning like fools.
“We’ve got it covered,” Morgan assured him.
“Yes,” Nana said. “Shoo, boys, get on back to your riding.”
Tucker glanced at Suzie, but she was already striding out of the arena. He caught up to her just past the trucks. “Suzie, wait. Abe’s right, we do need to talk.”
She spun around, anger flashing in her eyes. “I’ve been waiting for you to come talk to me all week. I’ve been in town, at the shop or at the apartment and you’ve stayed away. So shoot, I’m ready to hear what you have to say.”
He did like the fire in her eyes. “I was giving you time to get settled. I rushed you both times I kissed you, and so I was just biding my time.”
She glared at him, but her voice had softened to butter. “Is that so?”
He stepped close but kept his hands to himself. “Yes, it is. Because every time I get near you, I want to hug you up tight and never let you go. I didn’t want to chance running you off or worrying Abe again.”
She stepped closer to him, lifting her chin so she met his gaze. “So, about this hugging me. Why do you want to do that?”
He cupped her face in his hands. “Because I’ve fallen completely in love with you, and I’m hoping you’ll fall in love with me. And when you’re ready to talk about it...I want to—”
To his surprise, Suzie stood on her toes and kissed him. He’d never before been told to stop talking in such a nice way....
* * *
Suzie couldn’t help herself and kissed Tucker with all the pent-up love she held for him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close and kissed her deeply. “Tucker,” she whispered, drawing away so that she could look at him. “I came to Dew Drop and the Sunrise Ranch as a last resort, because I had no choices. You helped me and Abe come through the fire, and I know he’s going to be all right. And much of that was due to you. My life has changed. It was wonderful and it
can be wonderful again especially with you in my life.”
The most dazzling smile she’d ever seen flashed across Tucker’s face. “Then you’ll marry me? I love you, Suzie. And I love Abe, and until now I wasn’t sure if there was a place for me in y’all’s lives.”
“I love you so much, Tucker. And Abe is doing great. Whatever happened out in that cave helped free him from the past. He’s ready to move forward, and I think he just made it clear that he’s ready for you to be a part of our family. And I know without doubt that I am.”
“Then, what do you say? Will you make me the happiest man in the world?”
Her heart soared. “Yes.”
It was a simple word and it set free the most beautiful promise. Beauty from ashes.
Her life with Gordon had filled her with great joy and happiness, but it wasn’t meant to be her future... Life with Tucker was her future.
Wrapping her arms around his neck she kissed him. There were no regrets, no worries, no fears.
Instead there was hope, love and joy.
“I love you, Tucker. I’m so glad you didn’t give up on me.”
“Never,” he assured her, and then kissed her again.
And somewhere in the background she heard clapping—and whoops of glee.
Tucker laughed. “Well, are you ready to go back in there and tell Abe?” Tucker asked, holding her hand gently, his deep blue eyes promising to love her, and cherish her and her son.
“I’m so ready.” Holding his hand, she knew she was exactly where she was supposed to be. “I’m so very ready.”
As they entered the gate, Abe came jogging their way, a grin plastered across his face and the boys of Sunrise Ranch following him in hot pursuit.
Suzie’s heart was so full she had to fight the tears of joy that filled her eyes. “Oh, Tucker, God is so good.”
“Yes, darlin’, He is.”
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from JEDIDIAH'S BRIDE by Rebecca Kertz.
Dear Reader,
Her Unlikely Cowboy Page 17