“Sorry, fresh out of carrots.” Ace scratched the horse’s nose, wishing he could marvel at this advancement. “Eventually I’m going to have to separate you two. When she’s closer to foaling.”
Midnight abruptly meandered off.
“Hey,” Ace called after him. “Don’t be mad. I understand how you feel. I’m in the same boat. My girl’s having a baby, and I can’t be with her.”
Whose fault was that?
“Talking to horses now?”
Ace pivoted at the sound of his brother’s voice. That explained Midnight’s sudden departure. The horse still didn’t like anyone except Gracie and, apparently, Ace.
“What are you doing here?” A thought galvanized him. “Is Mom okay?”
“She’s fine,” Colt said agreeably. “Supervising the woman you hired to help with the laundry and housework. Complaining up a storm that you’re a dictator who won’t even allow her on the computer.”
“Let her complain.” Ace grabbed his medical case and met up with Colt on the other side of the gate. “I’ll take that as a sign she’s feeling better.”
They headed toward Ace’s truck, which he’d parked nearby. Now that he was finished checking the mares, he had several appointments, appointments he should have gotten to yesterday but had run out of daylight.
“She’s worried about you,” Colt said.
“Don’t know why. I’m not the one who nearly had a heart attack.”
“You might be, at the rate you’re going.”
Rather than answer, Ace loaded his medical case in the side compartment on his truck.
“Come on, you’re a wreck. Have you looked in the mirror lately?”
Ace had. That morning. A stranger stared back at him—one with a four-day growth of beard, dark circles beneath his eyes and a rather unflattering grayish complexion.
“I don’t have time for this,” he grumbled.
Before he could jump into his truck, Colt grabbed his arm. “Hey, wait a minute.”
“I’m running late.”
“Talk to me.”
“Aren’t you leaving for Utah today?”
“I canceled.”
“What about qualifying for the NFR? I thought you were behind in steer wrestling and bull riding.”
“It won’t hurt me to take some time off.”
Ace wished his brother had said that weeks ago. Years ago.
“I thought maybe we could go out for a beer tonight.”
“A beer?” Ace couldn’t remember going out for a beer with his brother for…ages.
They weren’t close. Not like they should be. Not like when they were younger.
All of them, including their mother, were casualties of John Hart’s life and his death. The man had left a legacy, just not the one he’d intended.
“I’m not good company,” Ace said, sliding in behind the steering wheel.
“I know you’ve been down since Flynn dumped you.”
The bluntness of Colt’s remark stung.
“And you wonder why I don’t want to go out with you.”
“I can help you.”
“With what?”
“Whatever you need. You’re working too hard.”
“Mom put you up to this?”
“She and I might have talked.”
“That’s what I figured.”
“She’s right. You need a break before you kill yourself.”
“I like working. It keeps me out of trouble.”
“Keeps you from hurting, too. It was the same when Dad died. The busier you are, the less you have to think. Feel.”
“I don’t need you to psychoanalyze me, too.”
“Too? Who else has been doing it?”
“No one.” Flynn’s comments from the other day were still eating at Ace, and he’d be damned if he was going to discuss them. Especially with Colt.
“Was it by chance—”
“You’ll shut up if you know what’s good for you.”
“Why won’t you let me help you?” his brother demanded.
“The truth? I’ve counted on you before, and you’ve let me down. Let the family down. It’s just simpler if I, if I—” Ace stopped in midsentence, momentarily struck dumb.
“What? Simpler if you do it yourself? Is that what you were going to say?”
It had been.
Up until this second, Ace hadn’t noticed the similarities between his relationship with Flynn and his relationship with his brother. Now, it stared him in the face. His beard-stubbled, gray face.
He’d disappointed Flynn, and she didn’t trust him. Just like he didn’t trust Colt.
Ace sure didn’t like what he was learning about himself lately.
Maybe if he gave his brother another chance, Flynn would do the same for him. Did karma work like that?
It was worth a try, he supposed. And he did need help. Even if Colt relieved him of only one or two tasks, it would lighten his load. Enable Ace to hit the sack earlier—so he’d have even more time to stare at the ceiling instead of sleeping.
He grabbed a pad of paper and pen off the seat beside him. Scratching out several notes, he ripped the sheet of paper from the pad and handed it to Colt.
“Take care of these for me.”
Colt scanned the list, his brow crinkling. “Research prices on breeding mounts? Wait. Is this what I think it is?”
“The season will be over soon. We have to do something with Midnight the rest of the year. I’m thinking artificial insemination. In order to do that, we’re going to have to train him to use a mount and to collect the—”
“I get it. You don’t have to draw me a picture.”
“Mom was going to call the grain distributers this week and get prices. You can do it for her.”
Colt gave Ace a smart salute. “See you when you get home, boss.”
Ace started to tell his brother not to flake. Instead, he clamped his mouth shut, hearing their father’s voice inside his head saying those exact words. Shouting those exact words. At him.
He wouldn’t treat Colt the same way he’d been treated.
Whatever it took, he’d be a better parent to his son or daughter than John Hart ever was. He wouldn’t put his family in financial jeopardy and expect them to fend for themselves. He wouldn’t drink in solitude rather than spend time with his wife and baby. He’d be there always. Responsible. Dependable. Loyal.
Weren’t those the same qualities that had driven Flynn away?
* * *
ACE LEFT THE RANCH AND HEADED for his first appointment at the local riding stables. Angie’s animal rescue shelter was his last scheduled stop for the day. He didn’t leave there until well after 6:00 p.m. On the way home, an idea occurred to him and quickly took shape.
Ignoring his debilitating exhaustion, he went straight to the family room upon returning home, looking for his mother. She was resting on the couch, the TV blaring, a bored expression on her face. It beat the heck out of the pale, taut expression she’d worn the days following her angina episode, made worse by their inability to locate Tuf.
When his youngest brother finally did come home, he’d have a lot of explaining to do—after which, Ace was going to kick Tuf’s ass all the way to the center of town.
“What have you been up to while I was gone?” he asked, striding into the room.
“Aidan! You’re home.” His mother pushed to a sitting position, picked up the remote control and silenced the TV. “I’ve been up to nothing at all, thanks to you, Mr. Warden.” Her smile turned to a mock frown. “You’re going to have to grant me parole soon.”
“That’s just what I had in mind.”
She brightened. “At last!”
“I was at the animal
shelter this afternoon. They’re really understaffed. I was thinking you could volunteer there a couple mornings a week or something.”
“Volunteer?”
“Sure.” He sat on the couch next to her. “It would get you out of the house. Give you a chance to be physically active without overextending yourself. And I think working with the puppies and kittens will be good for you. Mentally and emotionally.”
“I can’t possibly. Once I get back to work—”
“When you get back, it’ll be on a part-time basis.”
“Only temporarily.”
“We’ll see.”
“Aidan.” She said his name in that way mothers tended to do.
“Come on. Angie can use the help.”
“It’s not right. You’re doing the job of two people.” She pointed at the TV. “And I’m watching game shows.”
“Colt is helping me.”
“He is?”
“I’m waiting to see how that goes.”
“I bet he’ll surprise you.”
“I hope he does.”
His mother pursed her mouth thoughtfully. “What if I get attached to the animals?”
“Adopt one.”
“I haven’t wanted another dog since old Buster passed away last year.”
“People who own pets live longer. It’s a proven fact.”
“So do people who are happy.”
He intentionally took her remark the wrong way. “All the more reason to get a dog.”
“Okay, okay. You’ve convinced me. When do I start?”
“As soon as the doctor clears you.”
“How are you doing?” She studied him critically. “You look terrible. Are you sleeping? Eating enough?”
“Yes and yes.” Just not much, which he was sure his mother had already figured out. “I’m going to hit the shower, then the office. Pay some bills. Place some orders online.”
“What about dinner?”
He rubbed the back of his neck where the muscles ached. “I’ll grab a sandwich after I clean up. Take it with me to the office.”
“It’s not my place to tell you how to run your life, but I’m going to anyway.”
“Mom, not now.”
“You have to make some changes.”
“I am. I gave Colt a list.”
“That’s fine. It’s also not enough. You have to delegate,” she continued. “You can’t go on, carrying the entire burden of this family. Doing my job and yours. You have a life of your own, a baby on the way.”
“Everyone else has their own life, too.”
“They can do more. I’ve asked them already,” she said proudly, “since I’m sure you won’t.”
“Right, Colt.”
“And Joshua and Dinah. Beau and Duke, too.”
“Mom—”
“They want to help. That’s what family does for each other.”
“I can handle things.”
“Stop, Aidan. This isn’t a criticism. Far from it. You do an amazing job. I couldn’t possibly have run this ranch all these years without you. But Flynn needs you. Your child needs you. More than we do.”
“What about your angina?”
“I’m going to be fine. All I need is a little rest.” She squeezed his hand, brought it to her cheek. “We’re going to get through this, like we always have. Together.”
The doorbell rang, and Ace rose.
“It’s all right.” She pulled on his wrist. “Lisa Marie will answer the door. Probably the UPS man. He’s always late.”
Lisa Marie? Oh, yeah. The woman he’d hired to help with the housework.
He really was tired.
“Shower and eat,” his mother told him. “A real meal, not a sandwich. Then call Flynn.”
“She won’t talk to me. Not about what’s important.”
“Then maybe you should go there. Refuse to leave until she listens. This constant working, it isn’t good for you. Take it from me. Too much responsibility is what drove your father to drink. To push you kids too hard. Turn his back on the ranch. Turn his back on me.”
Was that true?
His father had definitely changed the last few years of his life.
“I don’t want you to end up like him,” his mother said softly. “Flynn is a wonderful girl, and you’re going to have a beautiful baby. My first grandchild.” Her eyes misted. “It would devastate me if I couldn’t see the baby because you and Flynn weren’t on speaking terms.”
“I screwed up with her.” Ace scrubbed his face, the beard feeling strange scratching his palms. “Really screwed up.”
“Then apologize.”
“I have.”
“Apologize again. However many times as it takes.”
“I love her, you know. I think I always have.”
“I do know. I could see it.”
“I was afraid to tell her how I felt. I always thought there was no way this incredible woman could possibly return my feelings.”
“She does. I could see that, too.”
He took off his hat, wiped his eyes and nose with his shirt sleeve. “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.”
“Tell her.” His mother’s glance cut briefly to the entryway. “It’s not too late.”
“She’s leaving next week.”
“But she’s here now.”
“And refusing to see me.”
“No.” His mother tilted her head toward the entryway. “I mean, she’s here now. Right here.”
Ace turned and stared at Flynn, the shock of seeing her sending a jolt tearing through him.
She stood in the entryway, her father beside her. He held a card and a large, leafy floral arrangement.
How much of what Ace had said to his mother had she heard?
Judging by the startled look in her eyes, most of it.
“Well, don’t sit there like a bump on a log,” his mother whispered. “Here’s your chance.”
Who was he to disobey his mother?
* * *
FLYNN’S HEART SOARED. She pressed a hand to her chest in a feeble attempt to contain it.
Ace loved her! He wasn’t just saying what he thought she wanted to hear or what might convince her to marry him. And he’d loved her for a long time.
Why hadn’t he told her before? What a difference it would have made in their lives.
“You going to just stand here?” her father asked. “Or are you going to put him out of his misery?”
“I…I…”
Ace approached her. Her heart might be soaring but, for the first time, his was right there on his sleeve for all to see.
“Flynn. You’re here.”
“To visit your mother.”
She’d imagined running into him, imagined what she’d say. But that had been before she overheard him tell his mother he loved her.
They stood facing each other, Flynn acutely aware of their parents’ curious stares.
Her father must have grown tired of waiting, for he stepped around her. “Sarah, it’s good to see you.” He held out the plant and card. “How are you doing?”
“I’m well.” She stood and accepted the gift. “Thank you, Earl.”
“Doesn’t appear as if these two are going to settle their differences on their own. Not without a little help from us.”
She smiled. “What were you thinking?”
“Have you had your dinner yet?”
“I was waiting for Aidan.”
“What do you say we grab a bite somewhere? My treat. If we take my truck, Flynn can’t leave. That ought to force ’em to talk to each other.”
“I admire a man with a plan.”
“No, don’t!
There’s something I want to say first.” Flynn swallowed, gathered her courage, which she’d never needed more. “I’ve been selfish. I didn’t realize until now that this baby isn’t mine alone or even mine and Ace’s alone.” She turned to him, then to his mother. “If I move, I won’t just be taking him away from his father, but from his grandmother and uncles and aunt, too.”
“He’ll also have family in Billings,” Sarah said gently. “Your sister and, before long, your father, too.”
“That’s exactly my point. Dad will have my sister and her sons.” Flynn touched Sarah’s arm fondly. “If I move, you won’t have any grandchildren nearby.”
“Oh, Flynn.” Sarah’s hand fluttered to her throat.
“I don’t understand.” Ace’s rough and gravelly voice didn’t sound at all like him. “Are you staying in Roundup?”
“Yes, I am.”
She took his hands in hers, marveled again at how they could be both strong and gentle. Grip the rigging on a wildly bucking bronc or tenderly bandage a dog’s injured foot. Twist a wrench to loosen a frozen lug nut or explore her body with shiver-inducing caresses.
Soon, his hands would hold their baby.
“If you do stay,” Ace said, “it has to be for me. Us. Not for my mother or any guilt you might have.”
“I could live with guilt.” Flynn sought his gaze and held it steady. “What I can’t do is live without you.”
“I love you, Flynn.”
This time she not only heard the words, she felt them deep inside her, echoing until they matched the rhythm of her heartbeat.
“I love you, too.”
Suddenly he was holding her, and they sealed their declarations with a kiss that would have lasted longer if not for Flynn’s father clearing his throat. Loudly.
“If you meant what you said earlier about doing anything for me…”
“I did. I’ll work less, cut back on my vet practice—”
“The working less part is okay.” She touched his cheek with its dark, scratchy stubble. Later she’d tell him how sexy he looked. “But don’t cut back on your vet practice. I have a better idea. Let me help you. I’ll run the office and assist you on calls. In between, I’ll go to school.”
He smiled broadly. “Deal.”
“You haven’t heard my list of demands yet.”
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