“It’s supposed to make me feel brave. Things haven’t exactly been going my way.”
“Well, young lady, I think you might’ve gotten courage mixed up with encourage.”
“That might not be so bad...” Tess raised an eyebrow and Mack laughed.
“I’ve missed ya, Tess.”
“So what do you recommend tonight?” She glanced back at Jenna. “It’s going to take more than my fabulous outfit to buck me up.”
Mack reached for his top shelf, where he kept the best stuff. “Try a nip of this, darlin’.” He poured two fingers of amber liquid into a glass for her, and another for Jenna. “A twenty-five-year-old Bowmore. Can’t tell you where I got it...” He gave an outrageous wink. “But if this doesn’t make ya feel larger than life, I don’t know what will.”
He poured himself a tiny splash as well, and they clinked glasses. “And where’s that Samantha tonight? Wee Jenna here told me she was coming to the city this weekend. I’ve got a gift here for the baby, from Mrs. Mack.”
“She’s changing back at her apartment,” Tess said. Samantha lived in Benson full-time, but she’d never given up her San Francisco apartment. She joked that the price of housing had gone so high, if she sold it she’d never be able to buy it back again. But Tess knew it was because her friend wanted to keep a connection to her life in the city. “She should be here any minute.”
As if on cue the door opened and Samantha came in, looking adorable in a long black maternity top, leggings and ballet flats.
“It’s the mother-to-be!” called Mack, and he came around the side of the bar to embrace Samantha. “Look at you!”
But Tess wasn’t looking at Samantha anymore. She was looking at the man who’d come through the door behind her—the man who seemed to fill the room with his broad shoulders and strong presence. Slaid, minus the cowboy hat, wore a black leather jacket and jeans that fit like sin. His eyes were locked on hers as he walked slowly toward her.
Tess grabbed her glass and took a gulp, praying that the rare Bowmore really did have the magical powers that Mack promised it did. “Why are you here?” She gasped.
He stopped a few feet away from where she leaned on the bar. “To see you again.”
“I mean...” She faltered. “How did you find me?”
“Samantha.”
Tess looked at her friend, who was talking with Mack, pretending not to watch Tess and Slaid anxiously out of the corner of her eye.
“Tess, I owe you so much...” He swallowed hard and looked around the bar, seeming to notice his surroundings for the first time. “Can we sit down for a moment?” he asked.
“Sure.” Heart pounding, she led him to the old scarred table by the window, the one she and her friends called the conference table. Far away enough from the bar for privacy, yet still close enough for people watching.
They sat across from each other, and Tess silently commanded her slamming pulse to settle down. Slaid reached across for her hands. She cautiously reached back, and he easily enfolded hers with his. “I need to apologize.”
“For what?” she asked.
“There’s so much. For not realizing what a circus that town meeting was going to become. I’m the mayor, I should anticipate that kind of thing. It got bigger and crazier than I’d imagined.”
“You were a part of it, Slaid. You were Don Quixote attacking the windmills.”
“I planned that back when the parade was supposed to be a small march. We were parading to attract media attention. I didn’t know we’d be drowning in it. I had no idea that so many people from out of town would join in. Or that there’d be dead bird puppets and all that. But I should have seen it coming... I wasn’t paying close enough attention.”
“Apparently I wasn’t, either. And I got fired because of it.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” He looked at her closely. “Are you sorry?”
“I’m not sure,” she answered truthfully.
“You’re amazing at your work. You’ll find something better. Hell, I’ll be a reference. I’ve been on the receiving end of your skills!”
She had to laugh at that. “I just might take you up on it.”
“Tess, I reacted so badly when you told me about your past. Honestly, I’m ashamed to think of it. I didn’t even try to see things from your point of view or consider the enormous courage it took for you to tell me everything. I just judged—again. It’s a part of my character I’m not proud of. I was raised conservatively, taught that there’s just one right way to be. And I pressured you to be that way. I will try my hardest not to do it ever again.”
“That would be nice,” she said weakly.
“I think about you all the time. About us—you, me and Devin. I feel as though we’re meant to be together.”
“Look, I know you. You’re the Eagle Scout. You want to do good in the world, help people. I won’t be your charity project. I don’t want your pity. Or anyone else’s.”
“Is that why you’ve never dated?”
“What’s the point? As soon as I started dating someone, the guy would want to know my life story, and I could either lie or have them look at me all sorrowfully, like you’re doing now.” She pulled her hands from his and took a sip of her Scotch.
“It’s not pity, Tess.”
“Then what is it? Because you sure didn’t look at me like this before I told you about my past.”
“I guess it’s sadness. I love you, and I’m sad that the most amazing person I’ve ever met went through such hard times. It doesn’t make me pity you. It makes me admire you even more.”
“What’s to admire about being a pregnant teenager living in a group home?”
“Because you are no longer that pregnant teenager. You overcame insane amounts of hardship and what must have been a really lonely and scary childhood and became this gorgeous, successful person who I want to spend all my time with.”
It was hard to absorb his words. Her glass was empty. She stared at it blankly and Slaid rose. “I’ll get you another. I could use one myself.” And she knew he was really just giving her a moment to take in what he’d said. He loved her. She loved him.
Slaid came back with a very large glass of Scotch for each of them. Tess looked at it, astonished. “Mack said it looked as if we could each use a stiff one,” he explained.
“Mack might be trying to give us alcohol poisoning.”
“Well, he did mention something about being jealous, and that I’d better treat you right or I’d have to answer to him.”
Tess burst out laughing at the idea of Mack trying to have it out with Slaid. It was sweet and silly all at once. She looked past Slaid and raised her glass to Mack, who was at the bar polishing glasses and keeping an eye on them. He raised a sparkling glass in response.
“So you don’t hold it against me?” she asked.
Slaid froze with the glass midway to his lips. “Hold what against you?”
“That I gave my baby up for adoption, and that I never stayed in touch.”
“I know what it’s like to love a child. I can’t imagine the pain of saying goodbye to one. I’d like to think I’d try to be there for my kid, but how do I know what I’d do? I’ve never been in your shoes.” Then he smiled. “Thank goodness, because I don’t think I could walk in heels.”
Tess smiled back. “Well, I’m going to try to get in touch with him. With Adam. My son.”
There was relief and joy in Slaid’s smile. “I’ll be there for you, through it all, if you’ll let me.”
“I’d like that.”
“I’d like to be there for you every day.” He took her glass away and held her hand. “Please come back to Benson and stay with us. We miss you.”
“How can I go back to the scene of my very recent public humiliation? I’m pretty sure everyone hates me.”
“They like you. You heard Betty at the football game. They just didn’t like what you were selling.”
“But what would I do there?”
“Easy there, cowboy!” But the image of Slaid holding their tiny baby crept into her mind and took hold. She took another sip of her drink.
“The snow’s been coming down all week,” Slaid said.
“See? Another reason why this could never work.”
“You were excited about the first snowfall! Have you ever skied, sledded, tried snowboarding, made a snow angel?”
“No,” Tess said dubiously. “But if you think you’ll convince me that lying down in ice-cold snow and waving my arms around is a good idea, I think Mack’s addled your brain with that Scotch.”
“We’ll bundle you up really warm and you’ll love it.”
Tess looked down at her glass. Courage. She’d asked for courage and her girlfriends had brought her here, and Mack had poured her a couple glasses of it. Now was the time to gather it up and use it. “Two weeks,” she said. “I’ll commit to a two-week visit.”
Slaid was out of his seat and had her out of hers in seconds, hugging her, lifting her off her feet, swinging her around and nearly taking out a couple of Mack’s other patrons in the process. He set her down and kissed her, sending her senses reeling.
“What’s going on?” Jenna called. Her voice, coming through the haze of Slaid’s kisses, sounded as though it was miles away. “Slaid, did you propose?”
He looked up, and Tess watched the way humor sparkled in his eyes. “I got two weeks! She’s staying with me for two weeks. Drinks for everyone, on me!”
AFTERWORD
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS GLOWED around the roofline of Slaid’s house. Through the window, Tess saw Devin curled up on the couch, reading a book. It was dusk, and she’d stayed out longer than she’d meant to, mesmerized by the way her skis slid over the snow in the now-familiar rhythm of cross-country skiing.
Her two weeks had turned into a month. Thanksgiving had come and gone and now it would be Christmas soon. One more family holiday she’d always avoided. One more family event she now looked forward to. Family. She still couldn’t believe she had one, but she really felt like she did. And she’d never been happier.
Slaid opened the back door as she skied up. “Hey, there. I was starting to worry.” He stepped out and helped her put her poles and skis against the side of the house. Once inside, he gave her a steaming cup of cocoa.
“Thank you.” She kissed him on the cheek and took a sip.
“Your cheeks are all pink. You’re beautiful.”
“It was so nice out there. Peaceful. It was hard to get myself to turn back.” When she’d first come to Benson the quiet had scared her. Now she liked being alone with her thoughts, because most of them were happy ones these days.
“Did you fix the railing?” When she’d left for her ski, Slaid had been out repairing things in the barn. In her four weeks here, she’d discovered that winter on a ranch involved a lot of fixing things.
“Yep. Feels good to finally get it done. I love having you here, Tess, but you’re a distraction. I haven’t checked much off my to-do list these past four weeks.”
“Yes, but you’ve checked a lot off mine.” Tess lowered her voice, making sure Devin wouldn’t overhear, in case he was nearby. “Let’s see, there’s sex, and more sex, and teaching me to ski, and then...sex...”
Slaid silenced her with a kiss that promised he’d keep working on her to-do list later that evening. Then he went to the stove to stir the soup they’d made together earlier in the afternoon.
Tess sipped her cocoa and looked out the window as the last light left the sky. The past few weeks had been amazing, and despite what she’d just said to Slaid, it hadn’t all been sex and skiing. She’d also spent time just hanging out with Devin and Slaid, and she’d visited Samantha frequently. Her friend was due any day now.
She was also getting to know Samantha’s business. It looked as if Tess would be taking over all the public relations accounts Samantha had established in the year since she’d moved to Benson. Samantha intended to be a full-time mommy for at least the first year of her little boy’s life.
And Tess had finally written to Adam’s parents and thanked them for the years of letters. With their permission, she’d written to Adam, too, and now there was a plan afoot for all of them to meet in Los Angeles this summer. Slaid and Devin were going with her to Disneyland, and there, in the happiest place on earth, they’d meet up with Adam and his family. Both boys were excited for the trip and had connected via email. They’d found common ground in being adopted and in having spent years wondering about their birth mothers.
Of course Devin was still wondering, and Tess worried that maybe he always would. His birth mother had several more years on her prison sentence, and his letters were always returned unopened.
“Either you find your reflection in that window as beautiful as I do, or you’re deep in thought. You’ve been staring out there for a while.”
“I was thinking about everything. You, Devin, Samantha, Adam... So much has fallen into place for me this past month.”
“It’s because you’re happy here,” Slaid said, turning her to face him. He kissed her lightly. “It’s because the three of us are a family.” He kissed her again while she relished his words. “And because you and I are amazing together.”
A small shiver went over her as his mouth closed on her neck and worked its way down to her shoulder and back up to her ear. “If we get any more amazing we’ll have to send Devin to bed early.” She laughed.
“Rain check?” he asked hopefully.
“Snow check,” she corrected. “Definitely.”
And suddenly Tess knew it was the perfect time for the surprise she’d been planning for the past week, with Devin’s help. She still couldn’t believe she was brave enough to do what she was about to do.
She went into the living room, where Devin was curled on the couch with a book. “Remember what we talked about the other day?” she asked him in a low voice.
His face lit up. “The Plan?” he whispered.
“Do you still have the ring?”
“Of course! It’s in my sock drawer.”
“And you still think this is a good idea?” She’d asked his permission to marry his dad. Devin had dealt with too much relationship upheaval—Tess wanted him to have a say in this next part of his future. To her huge relief, he’d been ecstatic about the idea and had been walking around ever since with a huge, mischievous smile on his face. It had been making Slaid crazy trying to figure out what his son was up to.
“Yeah, of course! I’ll go get the ring.”
He bounded off the couch and ran to his room, returning with the small velvet box. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Tess whispered. She put the box under the tree. “Okay, now go sit on the couch and act normal.”
Devin’s grin was Cheshire-cat huge. He hopped back on the couch, holding his book up in front of his face at an awkward angle. He didn’t look the slightest bit normal.
Tess went back into the kitchen and kissed Slaid on the cheek. “Hey, by the way,” she said casually. “There’s something under the Christmas tree for you. An early present.”
“Really? Santa showed up today?” Slaid looked excited, and it struck Tess suddenly that this holiday thing was kind of new for him, too. As a single dad, he probably wasn’t used to surprises under the tree.
“Go check it out.” Her heart was pounding—she was far more nervous than she thought she’d be.
Slaid went into the living room and Tess followed. Devin looked up from his book. “Tess said I have an early present,” Slaid said, walking toward the tree they’d decorated together. Her first Christmas tree—she couldn’t get enough of its sweet pine scent and its twinkling lights. “Tess, does Devin get one, too?”
“Sort of,” Devin answered.
Tess watched Devin, looking for signs of wo
rry or doubt, but there was none. He caught her looking and gave her a thumbs-up.
Slaid stood up, holding the small box, and shook it.
“Careful!” Tess and Devin said in unison.
Slaid looked from one to the other. “Is this what you two have been giggling about all week?” he asked.
“No...” they both said at once, in the same falsely innocent voice.
“Huh.” Slaid looked at them warily. “Should I be worried?”
“Just open it, Dad!” Devin gave up all pretext of reading and set down his book. Tess walked over to the couch and put her hand on Devin’s shoulder. “Don’t be nervous,” he whispered, so loudly that Slaid gave them another questioning look.
He carefully untied the bow, then opened the lid of the box and pulled out sparkly gold tissue paper. Then his eyes got wide as he took out the navy blue velvet ring box.
“Um...” He looked at Tess, obviously mystified.
“Go!” Devin said.
Tess took the ring box out of Slaid’s hand and sank to one knee, just like she’d practiced with Devin. She opened the lid with shaking hands to reveal the plain platinum band, and looked up at Slaid. She had to concentrate to remember what it was she’d planned to say.
“Slaid? I didn’t think that love was possible for me. I didn’t think that family was possible. But now that I’ve found you, and Devin, and love, I’ve found my family. And my home. I love you so much. Will you marry me?”
Slaid looked down at her, and his eyes were wet with emotion. He glanced at Devin.
“She already asked me, Dad. I said yes.”
Slaid’s laughter rang out. “Well, I’m glad, Dev. Because I’m going to say yes, too. Although I want you to know, Tess, that I would have asked you. Ages ago. But I didn’t want to pressure you...”
“So is that a yes?”
“You bet it is.” He took a step forward and knelt down with her. “Tess Cole, will you marry me? Will you be a family with me and Devin and let us love you forever?”
She was home. After a lifelong journey, she’d finally come home. She threw her arms around Slaid’s neck, kissing him and laughing at the same time. “Yes! I’ll marry you, Slaid.” She kissed him once more and then stood, pulled him up with her and held her arms out to Devin. He came over and she pulled him in for a hug. Then Slaid pulled them both close, wrapping them in his strong arms, and they stood there for a moment, and all Tess could think was that they were hers. Her family. And she loved them so much.
Convincing the Rancher Page 26