by Linda Warren
Leah leaned her head back on the sofa. “In so many ways it was, but in others it was just what I needed.”
“I’ve made an appointment with Dr. Morris for nine tomorrow morning. You need to see him so he can determine if we need to move the surgery forward.”
“I’m fine. I just need to rest. And shouldn’t you be in the office?”
“I don’t see my first patient until one.”
“But you have patients at the hospital you need to see.”
“Family comes first,” he told her.
The sentiment gave her the warm fuzzies. “I wish Miss Hattie was here.”
“She would be fussing over you.”
“I know. I never had a real mom and Miss Hattie was everything a mother should be. She taught me so much and I still miss her.”
David patted her knee. “That’s very generous of you, considering she caused you so much misery.”
“Mmm. Like I told her so many times, I shouldn’t have run across the intersection on a yellow light. She didn’t mean to hurt me, like...”
“Like what?”
“Like I didn’t mean to hurt Falcon and Eden.”
“Leah.”
“I know some people don’t understand that, but Miss Hattie and I made a connection that transcended blame.” She tucked her bare feet beneath her. “Let’s talk about something else. You’re not going to be pleased when I tell you what I did.”
He smiled slightly. “I’m sure it was heinous.”
“I used you shamelessly.”
“How?”
“I told Falcon we were in love and planning to get married and that’s why I wanted a divorce.”
“Why would you do that?”
She shifted restlessly. “Because Falcon is a responsible, take-control kind of guy and if I told him the truth, he’d take over my life—and he doesn’t deserve to be saddled with me now.”
“Leah...”
“I needed a scapegoat and you were the only one available.”
“And he believed you?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t give him a choice.”
“I know you did what you had to—or what you felt you had to. I just wish you would let them into your life.”
She shook her head. “Please, let’s don’t do this again. In a little over three weeks, they will remove the tumor from my brain and it will either be successful or I will have complications. I could lose my sight. There are always risks, Dr. Morris said, and I will not put Falcon or Eden through that.”
“You keep forgetting there is a slim chance that you will be fine. Dr. Morris is an exceptional surgeon or I would have never sent you to him. I have faith he can remove the tumor without debilitating results.”
“But he also said it keeps growing and he’s not sure if he can remove it completely without side effects. He was quite honest about that.”
“Doctors have to be honest when surgery is this dangerous.” He patted her knee again. “I’ll be right there with you and so will the family.”
She looked straight at him. “And you will follow my directive?”
“Yes. You will not be put on life support and I will keep my word about not notifying Falcon and Eden until...”
His words trailed off and Leah had a catch in her throat, but she didn’t waver in her decision. “Yes.”
“How do you think he’s going to feel when he gets that call?”
“David, please.” She glanced to the white orchid growing on a side table. Miss Hattie had loved orchids. It was easier to think of the good times instead of the bad.
“After all you’ve been through, I get so angry when I think about what has been done to your life.”
There was silence for a moment because Leah had no words. Life was what it was and she had to continue until the very end.
She brushed hair from her face. “Let me tell you about Eden. She’s so beautiful and spunky. Falcon did a great job raising her and I was surprised to learn he took charge of that instead of his mother.”
“Why are you surprised?”
“Because he’s the strong alpha male and someone I mistakenly thought wanted the woman in the home raising the baby and doing housework. I was so wrong. He took Eden with him on horseback when he worked on the ranch. He said since she didn’t have a mother he wanted to make sure she knew that she was loved by her father.”
“Did that hurt?”
“You bet it did, but I was just overwhelmed by the man Falcon is now. He’s loving, caring and compassionate. I guess I knew he had those qualities, but I only saw him as a person in control.”
“Over you?”
She sighed. “I guess it made me realize I never really gave him or our marriage a chance. I was just so scared of doing all the wrong things and in the end I did the worst thing possible.”
“Everyone makes mistakes, Leah, and one of these days you need to forgive yourself. I hope it’s soon for your sake.”
She smiled at him. “You really should have been a psychiatrist.”
“Maybe. But there was something mystical about the young girl my mother hit on that rainy day. No name, no identification. Nothing. We all felt so bad for you and we prayed and hoped you would make it. It was touch and go for so long but we stood by you because you touched our hearts just by your presence.”
“It seems like a lifetime ago.”
“Now you have another hurdle to get through. You have to survive so you can return to your family, the ones who love you, and the ones who have been waiting for you.”
She reached over and hugged him. “I don’t know how I got so lucky to know people like you and your family. I can face the future because of y’all.”
“But you need your real family,” he stated clearly.
“David, please stop pressuring me.”
He stood and kissed her forehead. “Get some rest and remember the appointment tomorrow. Now I have to break the news to my wife that I’m getting married.”
Leah laughed. “I’ll explain to Anne.”
“Don’t worry. She’ll waddle over here sometime this afternoon.”
Anne and David lived three blocks away. They had two daughters, Callie and Calise, who were nineteen and seventeen, and they were expecting their third child—their surprise baby. Since Anne and David were doctors, they were mystified how it had happened. It was the cause of a lot of laughter and happiness in the family.
After David left, Leah drank her tea and then curled up on the sofa and thought about family. Her family. Her real family, as David had said. Memories of Falcon warmed her heart. She would hold him and Eden there and hopefully she would see them again one day. She could only pray for a miracle.
Chapter Eight
A time to move on...
Life went on, as Falcon soon found. The ranch kept him busy, but at the oddest times an image of Leah would slip through. It had been a week now and every day he waited for the divorce papers, but they didn’t come. He’d never been divorced so he didn’t know how long it would take. But he assumed it would be soon.
Two weeks passed and still no papers. He had Leah’s number and he thought of calling, but he wasn’t that eager to be divorced, so he kept waiting.
Eden had a rodeo scheduled for the end of September and she was concentrating on that. She hadn’t mentioned her mother again and he wondered what she was plotting because he knew her mother was never far from her mind, as was the case with him.
They were finishing the roundup. A cool front had blown through and it wasn’t quite so hot. They tagged, vaccinated and branded all the new calves and separated the bigger ones from their mothers to go to auction. There was a lot of bellowing in protest from the mothers. One big steer shot from the herd and headed for the brushy woods.
If he made it, they would spend hours trying to find him in the thick bushes.
Quickly, he kneed his horse and reached for his rope looped over the saddle horn. “Header,” he called, adjusting the rope, cantering after the calf. “Header, Egan.” His brother immediately readied his rope.
Falcon threw his rope and a big loop landed over the steer’s head. He jerked it and the calf came to a sudden stop, kicking up dirt. Egan threw his rope at the calf’s back legs and caught one in a perfect loop. The calf went down and the horses backed up to hold him tight.
Falcon dismounted and studied the steer’s horns that were beginning to grow pointy and sharp. “Quincy, bring the dehorner. Let’s get these before they get much bigger.”
Within minutes, the steer’s horns were gone and they quickly ushered him back to the herd.
Paxton rode up. “Damn, Falcon, that was some nice roping. I couldn’t have done it better.”
Phoenix laughed.
Paxton shot him a dark look. “Shut up.”
“Falcon’s a better header than you’ll ever be,” Phoenix told him.
“Shut up or I’ll knock you off that saddle.”
“Try it.”
“Stop it!” Falcon shouted. “It’s been a long day and I’m not listening to any bickering. It’s time to load up the portable pens and head back to the ranch. Jericho has already taken the trailer with the calves and now it’s time to finish up.”
Paxton saluted in a mock gesture. “Yes, sir.”
Falcon ignored him. It was just a day in the life of the Rebels. Arguing and fighting was the norm. That’s who they were and Falcon wouldn’t change them, but some days all the bickering got on his nerves, especially when he had so much on his mind.
He rode into the barn tired and weary, ready for a shower and food. They were all feeling the same way as they unsaddled their horses. Grandpa sat on a hay bale, chewing on a toothpick, watching them.
“Did I ever tell you boys about the time your dad and me did roundup all by ourselves? It was rough, but we got it done.”
Falcon inwardly groaned as he threw his saddle over a rail. He didn’t want to hear stories about his dad. It hurt too much to realize he wasn’t there, but Grandpa kept talking.
“We had this rangy bull with horns. Long horns, and he didn’t like being penned up. As John ran him into the pen, that lousy bull turned and ripped a horn right across John’s leg. John said a few cuss words that would burn his mama’s ears and reached for his rope. He roped that bull and tied him to a post in the pen where he couldn’t move. But that bull, he kept fighting, trying to get loose. I got John the dehorner and he snipped those horns right down to the skull, blood gushing from his leg. I knew better than to point that out because my boy was fighting mad. I learned a long time ago to just let him work through it.”
Even though he didn’t want to, Falcon was listening avidly, as were his brothers.
Elias sat by Grandpa. “What happened next?”
“Well—” Grandpa scratched his scraggly beard “—that’s when your mama showed up. Falcon must’ve been about three. Quincy was toddling around and Kate was pregnant with Egan. She used to pull y’all around in a little red wagon. She told Falcon and Quincy to stay put in the wagon and she went into the barn to get the medical box we kept there. Without saying a word, she went into the pen and tied a red handkerchief around your dad’s leg to stop the bleeding. She knew your dad wasn’t going to stop until the roundup was finished.”
“What happened to the bull?” Elias asked. Grandpa had a tendency to ramble.
“He left that bull tied to the post, and when we finished working the cattle, he and your mom went to their house and I went to mine. I thought about the bull tied to the post but I didn’t say anything because I knew John hadn’t forgotten. After supper I went to check just in case he had. I got about halfway to the pen when I saw your dad inside talking to the bull. I cursed myself for not bringing the shotgun. If he let that bull loose, I was afraid the bull would hurt him because he couldn’t move very fast with his hurt leg. I picked up a stick and hurried, but I was too late. Your dad was already untying the bull. John said something to him and the bull threw up his head and snorted. I got a little closer in case John needed my help. I guess that bull figured he’d met his match. He walked over to the water trough and drank his fill and then meandered out of the corral to find his herd.” Grandpa shook his head. “Your dad had a way with animals. That bull never gave him a moment’s trouble after that. He knew who was boss. When Falcon dehorned the steer today, it kind of reminded me of your dad.”
Silence filled the barn and Falcon was glad his mom had gone to the house. After all these years, the memory still hurt and each of them was feeling a tug on their heartstrings about the man who taught them everything they knew about being a cowboy, about ranching and about life.
“Let’s all go get a beer at Rowdy’s.” Paxton was the first one to break the silence. “We’re all home so let’s celebrate the end of roundup.”
“Sorry, Pax.” Egan waved a hand as he headed for the door. “I have a wife waiting for me and that’s better than a cold beer any day of the week.”
“Come on, Egan. It’s just one night.”
Egan looked back as he weighed his options and Falcon knew thoughts of their father filled his head. “I’ll call Rachel.”
“Count me out,” Jericho said. “I’ll take care of the cow dogs and then I’m crashing for the rest of the evening.”
“If Egan goes, you need to go, too,” Paxton told him.
Jericho shook his head. “My drinking days are over. Spent half my life in bars, clubs and beer joints and it only brought me trouble. I’m content right here, but you boys have a good time. Call if you need me to drive you home.” Jericho ambled out the door.
“Count me out, too,” Jude said. “I have to help Zane with his homework.”
“Help?” Elias laughed. “Zane is smarter than all of us put together. How can you help him?”
“I make sure he does it. He gets bored and I have to make him do it.”
Phoenix threw an arm across Jude’s shoulders. “What’s it gonna hurt if you don’t push him for one night? It’s certainly not gonna hurt his grades and it’ll help you to get out. When was the last time you went out to get a beer, Jude?”
“When you’re raising a boy, there’s more important things to consider.”
“That’s an excuse and tonight excuses don’t work. We’re going out as brothers. And that includes you, Falcon.”
His younger brother was always full of it. But it was time to move on, to start living again and maybe, just maybe, start seeing other women for a change and not wait for Leah to come back. She’d come back and she’d made her choice. It was time for him to make his.
“They have a new waitress,” Elias spoke up. “Her name is Brianna and she’s a redhead and hot. Paxton and I have hit on her a number of times. Let’s just let her choose from the Rebel boys. We’re all available now. Well, except Egan. I’m ready to boot-scoot-boogie and raise hell. Let’s go. No excuses.”
Egan slid his phone into his pocket. “Rachel has a meeting at school that will probably last until about eight. I’m good for a beer.”
Paxton slapped his leg. “Now we’re talking. Bob makes good hamburgers so we’ll eat there. All we have to do is shower and go. Who’s with me?”
“I’m not,” Grandpa said. “I’m going to my house and having a long nap. I’m like Jericho. My beer joint days are over.”
“I’ll fix you something for supper,” Quincy offered.
Grandpa gave him a dark stare. “Now, boy, you go and have a good time. I got leftover pizza Cupcake brought me that will suit me just fine.”
“Just don’t put it in the microwave for five minutes like you did last time.”
“Ah, I’ll eat it cold or Cupcake will come over and help me.”
Falcon knew that his daughter would. She’d do anything her grandpa asked. She had a soft heart, something she’d gotten from her mother. And how he wished he could stop thinking about Leah. Tonight he was going to do his best to forget her.
Less than an hour later the Rebels pulled into Rowdy’s parking lot in three pickup trucks. Falcon, Quincy and Jude rode in Falcon’s truck. Paxton, Elias and Phoenix came in another truck and Egan also came in his because he wanted to leave early. But they were there together to celebrate.
In boots and Stetsons they walked in and a hush came over the crowd. A group of men were around a pool table in the far left corner of the room. Several cowpokes were nursing beers at the bar and couples danced to an old Waylon Jennings song on the worn hardwood floor. The back of the bar was decorated with various neon beer signs and on the right wall were signed posters of country music singers who had stopped by while passing through. It was a small-town country bar with all the flavor of bygone days.
They gathered at a round table large enough for all of them. The wooden table and chairs were probably as old as Falcon and just as durable. People continued to shoot them narrowed-eyed glances. It wasn’t often the town saw all the brothers together unless there was a family crisis, like when Egan got arrested a few months ago.
“Just for the record, there will be no fighting or getting drunk tonight.” Falcon pulled out a wooden chair and sat down, as did the others.
“Come on, big brother, don’t take the fun out of the evening.” Phoenix plopped a bowl of peanuts on the table. “You go to a beer joint to have fun. Or have you forgotten?” Phoenix smiled slyly. “How old are you now?”
“Someone has to keep a clear head.”
“Come on, Falcon,” Elias said. “Leah has moved on and it’s time for you to do the same. Things are looking up ’cause here comes the waitress—hot Brianna.”
Falcon looked up to see a woman with red hair and green eyes—a beautiful woman. Her hair was pulled back to emphasize her pretty face. A half apron covered her jeans and her breasts pushed against a tight T-shirt. Yep, Elias was right. It was time to move on.