The Cowboy's Second-Chance Family

by Jules Bennett

  Tara raised her brows at Lucy in an unspoken question, but Lucy shrugged.

  “Problem?” Lucy asked Kate’s back as her friend shifted through the shelves of food.

  “Gray Gallagher can go to hell.”

  “Watch the language,” Tara warned. “Marley is in the living room.”

  Kate threw a glance over her shoulder. “Sorry about that. He just pushes my buttons and infuriates me.”

  “We’ve already got the cookie dough ice cream out,” Tara supplied. “We can grab an extra spoon.”

  Kate shut the refrigerator doors. “What are you upset about?” she asked Tara.

  Tara shrugged. “A man. What else? But I was in the process of getting Lucy to spill her secrets about her and her officer when you barged in.”

  Kate’s eyes widened as she took a seat on the stool. “That’s better than any ice cream. Let’s hear it.”

  Lucy groaned and closed the back door. “There’s nothing to tell.”

  “Except that she’s had Emma and Noah over to see the horses,” Tara added. “And he sent her three texts while she was outside.”

  “Really?” Kate drew the word out. “That sounds like progress. And we know he’s a hero, between rescuing the boy in the creek and then stepping in to between Gray and that jerk to save the day the other night. Noah has that whole hot cowboy thing going for him, too. That accent alone is drool-worthy.”

  And there was nothing like hearing that accent while he whispered in her ear with their bodies joined.

  “What’s that face?” Kate demanded, peering closely at Lucy. “You’re not sharing everything.”

  Lucy merely shrugged. “Not right now. Just give me time.”

  Those words were exactly what Noah had told her moments before he backed her into the shower and made her feel so much, too much. They both needed time, but they were in this together and they’d have to take this slowly. Lucy only prayed no one ended up hurt on the other side.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Ma’am, I’d recommend not blocking the fire hydrant next time.”

  Noah hated giving the elderly lady a ticket, but she’d parked illegally and apparently the shop owner on the corner had warned her several times he’d call the police.

  “There are no handicap spots on this street,” she argued.

  Noah pulled in a deep breath and glanced around. There were no designated spots, but that didn’t justify breaking the law. He’d talk to the captain about the parking, but for now, Noah had to do his job.

  “You’re new in town,” the elderly woman said. “Maybe you don’t know who I am.”

  His pity for her instantly evaporated. Here he was, his shift over, yet he stood on the sidewalk arguing with a woman who thought she could throw her name around.

  “No, I’m not sure who you are, ma’am,” he informed her, shifting his stance and crossing his arms over his chest. “But I do know that nobody is above the law and Mr. Harris would like for you to not block the front of his store.”

  Noah had worked four hours overtime to help the captain out while he was short-staffed today. The wife of one of the other officers had gone into labor so Noah and the evening officer were splitting the extra shift. Which was how Noah found himself dealing with more traffic violations than usual.

  “My husband is the retired mayor of Stonerock,” she exclaimed. “Maybe you should worry about writing tickets for actual criminals.”

  Noah rubbed his forehead and adjusted his hat. “Ma’am, I can’t pick and choose who gets to obey the law. Please, just find another place to park and I’ll see what I can do about the handicap spaces.”

  She tipped her chin and adjusted her purse over her shoulder before snatching the ticket from his hand. Then she spun on her heel and got into her car, pulling away from the curb and running a red light.

  Noah shook his head as he walked around the corner to where he’d had to park in a legal spot. Now he could head back to the station and end his shift. He was more than ready for a day off. His schedule had been so screwed up over the past week, he’d barely had time to see Lucy other than at work. He missed her, and that was such a telling sign that she was more to him than just a friend.

  Each time her voice came over his radio, he couldn’t help but flash back to when he’d spent that morning in her bed, then the afternoon in her shower.

  Keeping up appearances as just coworkers was becoming increasingly difficult. She’d worked last night, but had left at her regular time while he’d still been out on patrol. When the day shift dispatcher’s voice came over the radio, Noah didn’t like the change. He wanted his lifeline to be Lucy.

  By the time he’d gone back to the station and hopped into his truck to head home, he was more than ready to make plans. He was done with trying to dodge her and pretend they were friends who’d slept together. He’d asked for time and all this past week had done was prove just how much he wanted to be with her. At least to get to know her more, to try to understand what was happening between them.

  He shot off a text, knowing she’d get it when she woke up. He needed to get home and get some rest himself before getting Emma.

  As he drove down the main part of town, he spotted Gray outside the bar. There was a pickup truck backed up on the sidewalk and he and Sam were unloading something.

  Noah pulled into the adjoining lot and jogged up the sidewalk. “Need a hand?”

  Gray had his hands full holding up one end of a long, raw edge piece of countertop. “Your timing is perfect.”

  “This is one heavy counter,” Sam agreed from the bed of the truck. “Another pair of hands will make this so much easier.”

  The three of them finally got the piece into the front door and laid it across some tables that Gray had scooted together. Noah wiped his hands on his pants and propped his hands on his hips as he glanced around the bar. In the daylight with all the lights on, the place looked quite a bit larger.

  “We haven’t actually met,” Noah stated, holding his hand out to Sam. “I’m Noah Spencer.”

  “Sam Bailey,” he replied, giving a firm shake of his hand. “Thanks for helping. Gray is determined to get that bar set up in the back room and he’s hell-bent on us doing it.”

  Gray ran his hand over the new piece of gleaming countertop. “Why would I pay someone when you need the distraction and I need a job done? I give you free beer, so quit complaining.”

  “You just getting off your shift?” Sam asked Noah.

  Noah nodded, stifling a yawn. “Worked overtime this morning and I was headed home when I saw you guys. I can help if you need something.”

  Gray shook his head. “No. Go on home to bed. I’m sure you’re exhausted. The hard part was getting it off the truck. Sam and I can take it from here.”

  “I’ll stop in later to see if you need anything,” he promised. “I’m willing to work for free beer, too.”

  Gray laughed. “You get free beer for not hauling my butt in when I hit you.”

  Noah shook his head. “Don’t think anything of it. But if you hit me again, I’ll hit back and put your butt in the back of the patrol car.”

  “I forgot about that,” Sam stated. Then he turned to Gray. “You need to cool it where Kate is concerned. That woman is nothing but trouble.”

  “She’s the kind of trouble I want to get into,” Gray claimed.

  Noah was not getting involved in anybody’s woman troubles, not when he had his own chaos to deal with. Now was a good time to get the hell out of here.

  “You’ve got my cell,” he told Gray. “Text me if you need anything.”

  Gray nodded. “Thanks, man.”

  Noah headed back out into the morning sunshine. He wanted to go get Emma and have a fun day; he also wanted to see Lucy. And he had the perfect plan to do bo
th. First he needed to get some sleep.

  When he saw Lucy again later, he wanted to be rested up and ready to face whatever emotions came his way. He had a feeling when he saw her in her environment outside of work, all those feelings from the other morning would come flooding back and he’d want her even more.

  * * *

  “This is the greatest day ever,” Emma declared.

  Lucy held on tight as they rode on a trotting Hawkeye. With Emma in front of her, Lucy made sure the little girl was nestled perfectly against the pommel. Emma held on to the reins and steered the mare around the field. She was absolutely a natural.

  “I think you are a better rider than I am,” Lucy stated.

  When Noah came up beside them on Gunner, it took all of Lucy’s willpower not to focus on how sexy he looked on the back of her horse. She could easily see him on a ranch. With that wide black hat, his button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up over tanned forearms, perfectly fitted jeans, and dusty boots, the man epitomized a hunky cowboy.

  And the fact he’d reached out to her and wanted to come over for a ride only made her heart skip another beat. She knew they were technically sneaking around. They’d kept up the pretense at work and had remained circumspect in public. She had to admit there was something so attractive and intriguing about keeping their relationship on the down low.

  Lucy loved it even more that he’d brought Emma. His daughter was absolutely the most adorable little thing and so easy to please. Give the girl some cookies and a horse and she was happy.

  “Looks like it’s going to rain soon,” Noah commented as he stared at the sky.

  “We’ll go back soon,” she promised. “It’s such a beautiful evening with the mountains in the distance, the smell of fall in the air. I could stay out here all night.”

  “Do you camp?” Emma asked, still holding tightly to the reins. “Daddy took me and Mommy once and it was fun.”

  “I do love camping.” Lucy held on to Emma’s waist and glanced over to Noah. “This is the perfect time of year, too. I love being outside, but I don’t like to get too hot or too cold, especially when I’m trying to sleep.”

  Noah’s brows rose beneath his dark hat. “I imagine if the nights got too cool you could find ways to stay warm.”

  That heavy-lidded look he gave her sent shivers racing through her. The blatant flirting had hope filling that void she’d thought would be hollow forever. There was a light inside her, as silly as that sounded. But Noah was coming around and she found she was, too. The guilt wasn’t as strong as it had been last week. The fear was still there, but overpowering that now was a beacon of hope. Lucy opted to cling to that optimism, instead of trying to find reasons to let fear rule her life.

  Between her psychology classes and her partnership in Helping Hands, Lucy had talked to many people over the past couple of years about compartmentalizing all your emotions. When there were negative feelings, they needed to be put behind anything positive. And right now, Lucy was going to cling to Noah and Emma. They were here now and they were all having a great time.

  “My daddy is afraid of mice,” Emma said, turning to glance up at Lucy. “That one time we went camping, a mouse got in our tent. Mom screamed, I screamed, and Dad ran out of the tent.”

  Lucy laughed as she shifted her focus to Noah. “Is that so? A little mouse had you running for your life?”

  He simply shrugged. “We all have our fears,” he told her. “Those little things move so fast. I’m man enough to admit they creep me out.”

  “Well, if it helps, I’m terrified of spiders,” Lucy confessed. “Anything with that many legs has to be created by the devil.”

  “You know what I don’t like?” Emma asked. “Bees. I got stung once and then Daddy found out I was ’lergic. It scared me when he had to take me to the hospital.”

  “Scared me, too, Sweet Pea.”

  “That would be a good reason to not like bees,” Lucy agreed. “When did you get stung?”

  “Right before we moved here,” Emma said. “My arm got puffy and red and then I couldn’t breathe very well.”

  “I’m pretty sure I lost a few years off my life then,” Noah muttered.

  Lucy couldn’t imagine how terrified Noah must’ve been. He’d been a widower and had found out the hard way that his daughter was allergic to bee stings.

  The first fat drop of rain his Lucy’s nose. “Time to head back,” she told them as she helped Emma guide Hawkeye back to the barn. “We might get a little wet.”

  By the time they reached the barn, they were all soaked. The rain was chilly and instantly cooled the evening down. She shivered as she dismounted and helped Emma down. She led the mare into the stable and Noah was right behind her with Gunner.

  “You and Emma go on inside,” he told her. “I’ll tend to the horses.”

  “There’s no reason for you to do that. You can take Emma on home and get dried off. I’ll take care of the horses.”

  Noah stepped up to her, forcing Lucy to tip her head back. “Don’t argue with me,” he said in that low, commanding tone. “Take Emma inside and get warm. I’ve got this. Besides, I sort of miss this part of my life.”

  Lucy hadn’t thought of things that way. He probably was missing working the ranch and tending the horses he’d always had. The void of his late wife wasn’t the only hole in his heart.

  “I’ll make us some hot chocolate,” she told him as she reached for Emma’s hand. “How about we find some marshmallows to put on top?”

  Emma nodded enthusiastically. “I want extra.”

  Noah laughed. “Of course you do.”

  Lucy picked up the toddler and hugged her tight. “Ready to race through the raindrops?”

  “Ready!”

  Lucy wrapped Emma tightly against her and tucked her beneath her chin as she ran toward the back porch. The rain came down in sheets now. By the time they got inside, Emma was trembling.

  “Let’s get you warmed up.” Lucy eased the girl back and quickly realized she was crying. “Emma, what’s wrong?”

  “Is it going to storm?” she asked through tears and sniffling.

  Lucy sat Emma on the bar top and smoothed her wet hair away from her face. “You know what, if it does, we will be just fine.”

  “But Daddy is still outside.” She sniffed. Her big blue eyes were red with tears.

  “Right now it’s just raining,” Lucy explained. “We need rain. Did you know that’s what makes those beautiful trees change colors? It helps the grass to grow for the horses to eat, too. Rain isn’t a scary thing.”

  “Have you been in a tornado?” Emma whispered. “It starts with rain. It’s loud and scary.”

  Sweet Emma was terrified. Lucy wondered if she had flashbacks each time it rained, or what happened when it actually stormed. The poor child was suffering from a kind of PTSD brought on from the trauma of losing her mother. Did Noah realize his daughter suffered so?

  “How about we stand at the window and watch your daddy?” Lucy suggested. “We can see him in the barn while he’s brushing the horses and putting the gear away. Then you can see that he’s okay.”

  Lucy hoisted the girl onto her hip and stood at the wide kitchen window. It was difficult to see through the heavy rain, but the light in the barn helped. Every now and then Lucy saw Noah walk from one stall to the next. She saw him nuzzling the horses, no doubt talking to them. She could almost feel the pain of his loss, how he ached to have that ranching life back again.

  Torn between Noah’s hurt and Emma’s fear, Lucy figured this was the best place for her to be. Noah needed that time alone in the barn and Emma needed comforting. Lucy hugged the girl tighter.

  “Did you used to help Daddy in your barns?” she asked, trying to focus on the animals and perhaps happier memories.

  “He wou
ld let me stand on a stool and braid their manes,” Emma told her as she continued looking out the window. “Sometimes I would brush their hair and put bows on the ends of their manes and tails. Daddy also bought me this special paint and I got to paint the horses.”

  “Paint?” Lucy asked.

  Emma smiled up at her. “It was supercool. I drew rainbows on the side of Daisy. Then we just gave her a bath and it came right off.”

  “I admit, I’ve never painted a horse before. That does sound supercool.”

  Emma’s brows rose. “Can we paint your horses? Daddy can tell you what paint you need.”

  Lucy smiled and tapped Emma’s cute little nose. “Of course we can. That sounds like a blast.”

  Lucy kept her sidetracked by discussing what design they’d be painting and how soon she could get the paint. Finally, Noah stepped in the back door and wiped the rain from his face. He slid off his jacket and hung it by the door. That simple gesture was like a punch of reality.

  Noah was so comfortable here and no other man had hung a coat at the back door other than Evan. But here was Noah and Emma, infiltrating her life, and Lucy had a feeling this was all the start of something much bigger than she’d ever anticipated.

  “Everything okay?” he asked as he took off his hat and hung it over his jacket.

  “Just talking about painting the horses,” Lucy stated, not wanting to bring up the bad memories for Emma again. She’d discuss that with Noah later. “We didn’t get the hot chocolate started yet.”

  Noah waved a hand to dismiss the thought. “We can head home. You’ve hosted us long enough.”

  “It’s no trouble at all,” she assured him, not ready for him to leave. “Since my nights have freed up from school for a while, I could use the company.”

  Noah flashed her a smile. “We’d love to stay, then.”

  “Let me get you guys some towels.”

  Lucy sat Emma down and went to her bathroom. This was all so... Well, it was everything she’d dreamed of at one time. The family setting seemed all so real this evening. Lucy planned on making hot chocolate and perhaps they’d settle in to watch a movie and wait for the rain to pass.