Wishing for a Cowboy

by James, Victoria

  Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined she would have this. Her life had been all about the essentials. Pay the rent. Clean clothes for her and Will. Lunches. School. Work. Repeat. She had never taken so much time off work, and she had never felt so safe or so appreciated. “I don’t know what to say… You shouldn’t have done this.”

  “Yes, we should have. Let’s take all this to the kitchen so you can open it all,” Will said, grabbing a bunch of the bags, including the ones Morris was nosing around in, and heading for the kitchen.

  Janie looked up at Aiden. “Sorry. That didn’t come out right. I meant to say thank you. This is way too much, but I… This is so strange for me, Aiden. I don’t even know how to accept gifts like this.”

  Something flashed across his eyes. “That needs to change, then. I’m happy to do this for you. How about we go in the kitchen before Will opens everything himself.” His easy smile returned as he picked up the remaining bags.

  Janie followed him into the kitchen and walked over to the table, where everything was laid out. “I don’t know what to open first,” she said with a nervous laugh.

  “Aunt Janie, just grab something. Here, start with this.” Will shoved a bag at her.

  She and Aiden laughed, and she slowly unwrapped an item in one of the bags. She gasped as she pulled out one of the handmade mugs she’d been admiring in town. There were three more in the bag. “These are from the pottery store. You— These are the exact ones I was looking at.”

  He’d been paying attention to her without her even knowing.

  “There’s a creamer and sugar bowl in there, too, and four cups total.”

  “Move on to the next one, or we’ll never finish,” Will said, shoving another bag in her direction.

  Janie accepted the next gift, feeling awkward but almost giddy. She pulled out four different bags of gourmet coffee, and once again, Aiden had picked the blends she’d been looking at the longest. She continued going through all the bags, basically finding each of the items she’d commented on from the various stores.

  “I can’t believe you did all this,” she said just as Will’s phone rang.

  “Do you mind if I go answer this?” Will said, already running to the door. “It’s Colin.”

  Janie shooed him with her hand. “Go ahead!”

  Suddenly the room felt way too small and personal, and she was very aware of the man who loomed larger than ever.

  “That’s his best friend from back home. I’m glad he’s keeping in touch,” Janie said, tidying up the wrapping paper on the table, having a hard time making eye contact with him.

  “Yeah, he seemed happy,” Aiden said, leaning against the counter.

  Janie wanted to say more, but as she turned around to look at him, everything was caught in her chest. Her emotions, her hope…in him. She hadn’t hoped in anyone in so long that it almost felt like it wasn’t real. But he was standing there, staring at her, with that quiet look that she was coming to learn meant there was so much simmering beneath the surface. It was a depth she had no business exploring.

  A part of her wanted to cross the room and throw her arms around him and thank him. But somehow that didn’t feel right. Because somewhere in the last few days Aiden had gone from being Will’s dad, or Maxi’s ex, to being the only person to come through for her in her adult life.

  And there was the other inconvenient realization that she was attracted to him…

  She understood on a rational level that the man was hot. There weren’t too many people who would dispute that statement. But it was more than physical. It was the whole package. She was embarrassed that she was attracted to him, because he was never anyone she could be with. He was the one man who could ruin all her happiness by taking Will away from her. And then there was his history with Maxi, and Will’s feelings to consider, and the reality of who she was compared to who he was.

  Beautiful people stick together, Janie. Don’t set yourself up for disappointment in life.

  She looked away from Aiden, from the intensity in his blue eyes, from the broad shoulders so clearly defined in a navy blue Henley, down the length of his tall, hard body. “Thank you again. I’ll make coffee tomorrow morning—and serve it in these new cups with one of the new coffee blends.”

  A corner of his mouth tilted up. “Or I’ll make coffee and pour it into one of your new cups with whatever blend you choose.”

  Her chest felt tight, and it almost hurt to breathe. “You… I don’t know what to say about everything you’ve done for me. For us. Me and Will,” she clarified.

  “It’s nothing, really. So, how about we take the night to go over our plans and maybe eat some of this cheese with a glass of wine. I brought home a bottle of the good stuff I order for Lainey and Hope.”

  “Sure,” she said, continuing to clean up the mess on the table, her movements feeling jerky. She was nervous. Wine and cheese. Gifts. Aiden. “Lainey and Hope seem so pleasant. They invited me to join them Saturday night at your bar,” she said, shooting him a glance, trying to think of something other than spending a cozy evening with him tonight.

  He was placing the assortment of cheeses in the fridge. “Thick as thieves, those two, and have been since high school. You should join them. It’d be nice for you to make some friends here. Especially if you end up staying a while.”

  She drew a deep breath as she placed the mugs in the sink and began rinsing them with a little dish soap and water. She wasn’t staying here for good. She needed to get back to the city. To her jobs. To school. But she didn’t want to bring that up right now. All she wanted was a few days to be this woman who was enjoying herself. Who was having wine and cheese with Aiden. Who had friends her age. Who had a terrific kid. She was a woman who had it all—at least for the short time she was in Wishing River.

  “Yeah,” she said, “that’s what I was thinking. I haven’t made any time for friends or myself in forever. Maybe I will join them.”

  “Good. I’ve taken off the rest of this week, but I’m working Saturday night. So, if you need a ride home, I’m all yours.”

  The mug slipped from her hand, and she quickly caught it.

  I’m all yours.

  It was just an expression. But Aiden wasn’t all hers. He was a father with a life and roots in Montana. His priority was Will. She had never been anyone’s priority, and she had accepted that long ago.

  Aiden would never be “all hers,” and the sooner she got that through her head, the easier it would be to leave.

  …

  “Okay, so, it’s settled?” Aiden asked, pouring Janie a glass of wine. “You and Will can stay here for two weeks?”

  She was sitting on the couch opposite him with her phone pulled out as they went over important dates. They’d all had dinner together, and Will had taken off to his room with his phone in hand. Aiden was relieved that he was talking more and smiling more and things just seemed less tense. He knew it was too early to think this was going to be smooth sailing, but something had shifted after Will had seen Aiden load up the truck with gifts for Janie.

  Now, he and Janie were finally having their big talk and tackling some of the logistics. He needed to remind himself that’s all they were doing and that Janie was practically family. It didn’t matter that she’d changed into some flannel pajama bottoms and a plain T-shirt; she was gorgeous. Even though her pants were baggy, her shirt was too fitted for him not to notice some spectacular curves—especially after Will had made it clear today he wouldn’t be okay with Aiden noticing. Still, she had a smile that could transform the entire room, and he found himself smiling every time she did. It was just automatic.

  But when she’d opened those gifts today, he’d been surprised by his own reaction to seeing her so happy. A dangerous mix of emotions had coursed through him. A part of him was upset on her behalf that no one had ever showered her with gifts, including h
er own family. It bothered him that she didn’t seem to get that he owed her so much more than just some random things from the stores in town.

  And then the other emotions…the intense joy he felt watching her open everything. Pride that he’d been able to offer her that small bit of happiness. She had no idea, but this was just the beginning for her and Will. It didn’t matter that Aiden and Janie could never go beyond what they were because they both had different goals. She was going back to her old life in Chicago, and he wanted Will here, to start a new life with him.

  And considering Will’s warning earlier, he had to really keep Janie out of his head. He knew Will was only looking out for his aunt, but it did bug him that he was thought of as a bad guy. Though it made sense, from Will’s perspective. So much had happened to that kid—there was so much for him to process—that the last thing he needed to be thinking about was his brand-new dad hooking up with his aunt. He wouldn’t do that to him.

  “Yes, two weeks,” Janie said, breaking him from his thoughts. “A bit less now, though, since we’ve been here for almost a week already. But technically this is spring break week. He’s never taken time off school for a vacation or anything like that, so taking an extra week for this is okay. It’s not like this situation is something that happens all the time.”

  He sat on the couch beside her, even though the safer thing would be to sit in the armchair or other couch. He hated that she was stressed about work and worried about getting back on time. He wanted to tell her the idea he had about that but held back. Not yet. She was staring at him, her glasses off, and he almost regretted sitting right next to her. Since they were sharing each other’s schedules and dates, this made more sense; it was easier to see. But when he was up this close to her, he noticed things like her eyes and her lips and—

  He grabbed his beer and pulled out his phone, trying to at least look like he was focused. “What do you think of staying another week after that? So we’d have three full weeks. Could his teachers email him some homework so he doesn’t get behind?”

  Whoa. He actually sounded like a parent just then.

  Janie raised her eyebrows. “I hadn’t thought of that. We live so far away…that would make sense. I’ll ask Will, and if it’s a go, I’ll send off some messages to the school and his teachers. You taking time off work this week has been great for me and Will. I really appreciate it,” she said, grabbing the notepad and pen off the coffee table.

  He stilled with his beer halfway to his mouth as it occurred to him just how polite she was. Like he was doing her favors or she didn’t deserve any of this. Maybe she’d expected him to be this total deadbeat and, now that he wasn’t, she was being overly grateful.

  “Hey, Janie,” he said, keeping his voice as gentle as possible, “stop thanking me for reacting like any decent person would react to all this. I’m grateful to you for finding me and taking a chance on me with Will.”

  “Okay. I’ll try. It’s been a long road, and I’m not used to counting on anyone but myself.” She reached for her glass of wine. “But you’re right. So, here’s me not saying thank you for all you’ve done,” she said, holding his gaze, a smug smile on her face.

  “Not thank you to you, too, for getting him this far,” he said, the rawness in his voice taking him by surprise.

  She quickly looked down.

  Hell. Just when he’d turned things around, he screwed them right back up again. “I hope you don’t think I’m just railroading and taking over.”

  She held up a hand. “I don’t. I did the best I could with him, and all I care about is that Will has a good life. I think we’re on the same page about that.”

  He blew out a breath. “Okay. Good. I was thinking maybe I could take him out, buy him a few things he might want, not just things he needs.”

  She smiled. “Yes, I’d love to see him get a little spoiled. He deserves that.”

  “Maybe I’ll bring it up at breakfast? I can plan a day to spend just with him.”

  “That’s perfect. Maybe you can do it on one of the days I’m working? That’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about, anyway. Our work schedules. I know you can’t keep taking time off, but maybe we can work around each other’s hours. Will is fine on his own for a while—it’s not like he needs babysitting—but I think it’d be nice for one of us to try to be around.”

  “Agreed,” he said with a nod. “Have you, uh, talked to Logan about the job?”

  She took a sip of wine, her whole demeanor brightening at the mention of Logan. “Yes, he’s amazing. I’m going to start Monday, and he said he can be flexible with my hours, and the salary he’s offering is more than generous. Will is also going to do some ranch calls with Logan.”

  The stab of jealousy hit Aiden by surprise. He wanted Janie to have a good job and get ahead with her expenses. But hearing her say Logan was amazing…reminded him he could have been a vet, too. He and Janie could have shared that career, and he could have been the one proudly taking Will around the county on ranch calls, like he was an apprentice in their family business. A family business Aiden would have really wanted.

  Instead, he was the guy running the local bar who got a girl pregnant at eighteen because he’d been an irresponsible drunk.

  Logan was a talented vet and an all-around good guy. He’d just met Janie and already offered her a job and had even offered to show his kid around. It wasn’t that he didn’t think Logan should do those things for her. It was that Aiden wanted to be the one doing them.

  He wasn’t upset with Logan at all, or even jealous of him. He was upset with himself, and jealous of the man he could have been if he’d only made different choices.

  He finished the rest of his beer. “That’s great.”

  “Great,” she repeated brightly. “And then if there’s still some time in my schedule I can pull a couple of shifts at your bar if that’s okay?”

  That again. “You can’t possibly make enough money there in a couple weeks for it to be worth it, Janie. Even if you get good tips. Instead of working another job in the evenings, you could do this other thing that I highly recommend.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Relax,” he said with a grin.

  Her whole body slumped. “I just… There are bills that need paying, and the faster I pay them all off, the better I’ll feel. It’s been a huge weight on my shoulders, and I keep thinking of the day when I won’t have that looming over me anymore. That’s when I’ll relax.”

  Clearly, taking care of herself wasn’t the right motivation. He tried a different approach. “I understand that. How about you just work with Logan? Give yourself evenings to spend with Will. He might need to talk to you,” he added, sensing that would be her soft spot.

  She sighed. “Okay. Deal. And…thanks again for coming through for us. I promise that’s the last time I’ll say it.”

  Aiden tried to look away from the emotion in her eyes. He wanted to ignore his feelings for her, but he also wished he didn’t have to. He wished he’d met her a long time ago, before he’d made irreparable mistakes. But then again, Janie wouldn’t have had anything to do with him back then.

  And now was out of the question. Hell, any time was out of the question. They were sitting here, alone together and making their co-parenting schedule, rather than anything else they could be doing alone together and drinking wine. A perfect example that now, and always, his son’s needs came first. For both of them.

  “I think we’ve got a good system here,” Janie said, giving their strategy a final once-over. “This could really work.”

  The light in her eyes tugged a smile out of him. She did it again, making him happy without even trying. He wasn’t going to mope about what he couldn’t have with her. If a platonic co-parent was all she could ever be to him, he’d take it. No, he’d celebrate it. Because he was so damn lucky just to know this woman.

 
As if reading his thoughts—they were so in sync right now—Janie lifted her wineglass and held it out toward him. “Here’s to new beginnings.”

  He clinked his bottle with her glass. “Here’s to a better life for all of us.”

  Chapter Nine

  “I can’t believe I’m meeting friends. At a bar,” Janie said, leaning over the bar top at River’s Saloon to grab a napkin.

  Aiden had to casually turn away when she leaned forward and a delicious view of creamy flesh pushed up above the V-neck of her sweater. He picked up a towel and found something to wipe down until she sat back again.

  It was the typical Saturday-night scene at his bar—the place was full, people were laughing and talking, glasses clinking, the band was playing, and the group of friends Janie was meeting was seated at their usual table. The only thing atypical here was Janie. And the fact that he had a kid at home.

  It also felt a little…weird to think of Janie hanging out with the crowd of people he’d known his entire life but never really felt part of. That group had always felt slightly out of reach to him. It was probably all in his head, but Lainey’s husband, Tyler, had come from a good family, and growing up, Aiden had wished for that—had always felt inferior. Tyler’s best friend, Dean, was basically ranching royalty, and then he’d gone off and become a doctor because he wasn’t already successful enough.

  Their other best friend, Cade, had been a loner and hadn’t grown up in Wishing River but had become fast friends with the other two when he came to town. His new wife, Sarah, was now part of Lainey and Hope’s group. Logan hung out with them on occasion because he was well-liked by everyone and so was his family. When he had a family.

  It was Aiden who was more comfortable staying on the outside, keeping some distance. He was himself when he was serving people, when there was a bar separating them. But now Janie was here, and she was going to be hanging out with people on the inside. She knew a whole other side of him that the others didn’t. Sure, Janie wasn’t the gossiping type, but it was a little disconcerting nonetheless.