The word sucker-punched him and he had to look away. Hearing that word coming out of her mouth so easily, so lightly, as if it meant nothing, was more than he was ready to take. But hearing her say it reminded him of why he would encourage her to go back to the life she wanted, why he would make no attempt to stop her. He was doing it for love.
Chapter Fifteen
Body language didn’t lie. Only a blind person could have missed the way Alex flinched when Tyler mentioned the word love. And it was her fault. She shouldn’t have put that out on the table in such a casual way. How else was he supposed to react?
After all, she’d been emphasizing all along that she would leave at the end of this visit. Logically, he’d try to protect himself from getting hurt. No, she shouldn’t have introduced that loaded word, and certainly not as a joke.
She wasn’t surprised when he left the barn while she and Watkins ran through a few numbers to test the sound system and get comfortable on the stage. True, she’d asked for hay bales to absorb the echo. That gave him a legitimate excuse to duck out, but he could have stayed for one song, or even part of a song.
But he didn’t, so if she’d imagined his gaze finding hers while she performed Annie’s Song, if she’d imagined being able to read something more in his expression than pure lust, if only for a second or two, that wouldn’t be happening. She would have to risk telling him straight out that she was considering a change and hope his reaction was positive. But not now, when they had a job to do and precious little time to do it.
They raced the clock to get everything ready before the first guests arrived. Fortunately Josie showed up to help with the table and chair arrangement, which saved some time. Then she left to check on how things were going with Mary Lou and the caterer.
Tyler directed the action like a general commanding her troops as seasoned ranch hands hurried into the tractor barn carrying a vase of wildflowers in one hand and a rope or saddle blanket in the other. Then Dominique arrived with several large framed action shots of Gabe, Jack, and Nick riding Last Chance horses. She propped the pictures in the midst of the hay bales and then helped arrange lariats and saddle blankets.
By ten the drizzle had let up, but the skies remained cloudy and threatening. Gabe muttered about putting on demonstrations in the mud after all the time spent grooming the horses. But inside the tractor barn, old-fashioned lanterns, flowers and western paraphernalia had transformed the space into a warm and welcoming venue.
Emmett Sterling came to stand beside Tyler as she surveyed the finished product. “Not bad,” he said. “Pam asked me to tell you she wanted to come over and help, but the Bunk and Grub is packed with folks who either flew in or drove in for the open house, so she’s tied down to her kitchen this morning.”
“That’s good, right?”
“Oh, you bet. Pam’s thrilled with the extra business this event brought in. This helps the diner, and I’m sure Josie will have a crowd at the Spirits and Spurs tonight. It’s all good.”
And Tyler could keep the ball rolling for Shoshone merchants. With her help, business could be even better. But all that depended on Alex’s reaction to her plan. If he didn’t care for her the way she cared for him, she’d only be letting herself in for a major heartbreak. No matter how much she might like to establish a home here, she couldn’t imagine doing it if Alex rejected her.
“Well, I see a few folks coming in, so I’d better start socializing,” Emmett said. “Thanks for all your help, Tyler.”
“My pleasure.”
As the crowd continued to grow, Watkins approached, his grin flashing beneath his mustache. “It’s show time, Miss O’Connelli.”
Her spirits lifted at his enthusiasm. She wasn’t sure how she’d manage it, but she was determined to come back between cruises and help Watkins record that CD he so desperately wanted. At least she could do that much.
She linked arms with him. “Then let’s make us some music, Mr. Watkins.”
The open house was in full swing, and Alex already counted it a success. So far Jack had reported several sales to Sarah, and Alex had overheard enough comments to know that many other guests were seriously considering buying a Last Chance Paint. Even some who weren’t prepared to commit today were good prospects for the future.
Alex had tried his damnedest to block out Tyler’s music and had done a decent job of it. She and Watkins had taken a break and he’d used that time to check on the buffet table to make sure it was well stocked. But now they were headed back onstage, so he turned to leave the tractor barn.
Before he could make his escape, Jack stopped him. “I’ve run the idea of a stud program past a few people here, and there’s definite interest. It looks like we’re going to hire Clay, but we’ll need you on the marketing end.”
Alex nodded. When you think of semen, think of the Last Chance first.
“Maybe you could get with him before he leaves today and set up a time next week to talk about that. He’s staying in Jackson right now, but we’ll probably bring him out here soon so it’s more convenient for everybody. We have space in the bunkhouse.”
“Sounds good.” Of course, of course, Tyler had chosen this very moment to launch into Annie’s Song.
Jack paused to listen. “She’s good.”
“Yeah.” He pictured himself erecting shields around his heart, but it wasn’t working.
“I was impressed that she learned Song of Wyoming. I was sort of kidding about that, but she took it to heart. I really—” Jack stopped talking to peer at him. “Hey, are you okay? You look a little green around the gills, buddy.”
“I’m fine. Listen, I’ll make a point to hook up with Clay next week. But right now I need to check with Mary Lou and make sure we got all the food we paid for.”
“Yeah, right. We don’t want to be short-changed.” Jack seemed satisfied with the explanation and went back to watching Tyler. “Tyler and Watkins sound great together, don’t they?”
“Yep, they do. See ya, Jack.” He headed toward the main house, although he had no reason to talk with Mary Lou. Still, it might not be a bad idea to see if she was happy with what the caterers had brought.
He went in the back way so he could wipe his boots off and avoid tracking mud into Mary Lou’s spotless kitchen.
She paced the gleaming tile floor, her cellphone pressed to her ear. “Yes, I think you should call the midwife. Oh, here’s Alex.” She glanced up and motioned him forward.
“I’ll send him to get Gabe, in case Gabe’s in the middle of a demonstration. No, you’re not being an alarmist, and this needs to be handled, regardless of the open house. Don’t worry about that. Right. Gabe will be there soon. And probably Tyler, if I know that girl. Keep in touch.” She disconnected the phone.
“The baby?”
Mary Lou looked at him. “The kid’s decided to make an early appearance. Sarah said things are progressing quickly, especially considering it’s a first baby. I want you to send Gabe out there, and come to think of it, send Nick, too, in case the midwife doesn’t show up fast enough.”
“Nick? Why Nick?”
“He’s delivered plenty of foals. He should be able to deliver a baby if necessary.”
“All right.” Alex caught her sense of urgency and turned back toward the laundry room.
“Go out the front. It’s faster. And take keys to one of the trucks in case you need to drive somebody. I’m thinking that could be Tyler, once she finds out her sister’s about to deliver this baby.”
“Got it.” He started out of the kitchen and turned back. “The open house is still—”
“I know. I’ll deal with that. We have Jack and Emmett, plus Dominique and Josie. Watkins can play a little solo guitar. It won’t kill him. Go, go!”
Alex went, grabbing a set of truck keys from a hook as he dashed out the front door. He spotted Nick over by the corral where Gabe was demonstrating the skills of his champion cutting horse, Top Drawer. Mud flew as Top Drawer wheeled left, then right to
keep the cow from returning to the small group of cattle on the far side of the corral.
Several people sat on the bleachers and leaned forward intently. No wonder so many people had expressed interest in buying a Last Chance Paint. Gabe and Top Drawer put on one hell of a show. But the show was over, at least for today.
Alex lengthened his stride as he headed toward the corral. “Nick!”
Nick turned immediately, took one look at Alex, and hurried over. “What’s up?”
“Sarah just called Mary Lou. Morgan’s gone into labor.”
“Shit.”
“Apparently she’s not fooling around about it, either. Gabe needs to go out there, and so do you, just in case the midwife isn’t available.”
Nick’s expression shifted from shock to determination. “You got it. She’ll be fine. The baby will be fine.”
“Absolutely. Listen, I’ll find Jack and tell him, and then I’m driving Tyler to Gabe’s house. She’ll want to go.”
“Yeah, Morgan will want her there.” Nick reached over and squeezed Alex’s shoulder. “See you at Gabe’s, buddy.” Then he turned and loped back to the corral.
Alex changed direction and made his way quickly across the space between the corral and the tractor barn. Tyler was singing Faith Hill’s This Kiss, but Alex didn’t allow himself to imagine she was thinking about him as she sang. He couldn’t afford to get emotional right now.
Fortunately Jack was standing right inside the door where Alex had left him a few minutes ago. Alex quickly filled him in on the situation. “I’m taking Tyler to Gabe’s house.”
Jack nodded. “Don’t worry about anything here. I’ll handle it. But I want to know what’s going on out there. Everybody else will be too involved in the process to think of it, so I’m counting on you to keep me informed.”
“I will.” Alex started toward the stage. He could tell the second Tyler knew something was wrong, because she flubbed a lyric. But she covered it well and finished the song while he stood to the left of the stage and waited.
As applause and cheers echoed around her, she murmured her thanks into the microphone. “Excuse me a moment, folks. Someone needs to talk to me.” She tucked the mic back in its stand and walked to the edge of the stage. Her dark eyes were wide with alarm and her poise seemed to have deserted her. “What is it?”
“Morgan’s in labor.”
“Oh, God.” She gulped for air. “It’s too soon isn’t it?”
“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”
“I’ve been around for home births. I have to go.”
“I know. I’ll take you. Do you want to announce that you’re leaving or let me do it?”
She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the seasoned professional was back in charge. “I’ll do it. I’ll tell Watkins to take over.”
He waited while she talked to Watkins, who nodded and patted her arm. Then she went back to the mic. “Well, folks, you’re in for a treat. Something’s come up and I’ll have to skedaddle out of here, but that means you’ll get to hear even more from my talented partner in crime! Please welcome an amazing musical talent, the masterful Mr. Watkins!”
The crowd responded with cheers, especially after Tyler handed Watkins the mic and leaned down to kiss his ruddy cheek. Then she skipped off the stage as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
Alex moved over to the steps, though, and extended a hand as she started down.
She took it and held on tight. Her hands were clammy and she wobbled a little coming down the steps. Obviously she was frantic with worry over Morgan, but she’d put on a good face for the crowd gathered in the tractor barn.
Alex longed to take her in his arms and comfort her, but she wouldn’t want to waste time with silly hugs when they could be on their way to Gabe’s house. He continued to hold her hand, though, and she made no effort to pull away.
“I assume Gabe knows,” she said as they left the tractor barn and took a shortcut to the back of the house where the trucks had been parked for the day.
“Gabe’s on his way out there, along with Nick.”
“Nick?” She glanced up at him. “Why is he going?”
“To help.” Alex wished he hadn’t mentioned Nick, because it made the situation seem even more dicey, but he couldn’t take back the information. Besides, she’d find out when she got there, because Alex would bet that Gabe and Nick were already racing down the road.
“Why would Nick need to… oh. In case the midwife doesn’t make it in time.”
“Yes.” They reached the truck, the same one they’d driven out to the sacred site, and he opened the passenger door for her.
“I can get myself in. Just hurry up and get this buggy in gear.”
Giving her hand a squeeze, he jogged around to the driver’s side, hopped in and closed the door.
“Do we have gas?”
Alex turned the key in the ignition. “We have gas.”
“Then move it, cowboy.”
He pulled around the house and onto the circular drive. “I will, once I get past all the parked vehicles.” Fortunately he knew the way, although he’d only been out to Gabe’s place a couple of times. Gabe’s road branched off the main one leading to the ranch house, so Alex had to navigate past the visitors’ cars and trucks parked on the shoulder until he reached the turnoff.
Like the other roads on the ranch, the one to Gabe’s was graded but not paved, which meant it would be slick with mud. Plus it had several wicked curves. Alex shifted into four-wheel drive. “You buckled in?”
“Yes.”
“Good. This could get slippery.”
“I don’t care. I just want to get there as fast as we can.”
“All right.” Alex was still learning his way around horses, but when it came to driving, especially under difficult road conditions, he knew his stuff. For someone who’d navigated Chicago’s Outer Drive in an ice storm, this was child’s play. He gripped the wheel and stepped on the gas.
Tyler sucked in a breath, but she didn’t say a word as the truck fishtailed through curves and plowed through puddles without slowing. Mud sprayed the windows. Alex flicked on the wipers so he could see, but he didn’t touch the brake. Even so, the trip seemed to be taking forever.
“You okay?” He kept his eyes on the road.
“Yep.”
“I’m going as fast as I can.”
“Good.”
“She’s going to be okay, Tyler.”
“I know.” But her voice shook.
Finally he rounded the last curve and pulled in right behind Nick’s truck, which was also covered in mud. Sarah’s SUV, having been driven at a reasonable speed, was cleaner.
Tyler quickly unlatched her seatbelt. “Thanks. I didn’t know you could drive like that.” Then she opened the door, hopped down, and ran toward the house.
It took him a second to realize that sometime during the wild ride she’d shucked her high-heeled boots so she could make that run more easily. Alex followed at a slower pace. This wasn’t his family, and he didn’t want to intrude on whatever was happening inside the house.
Plus, if he wanted to be honest with himself, he wasn’t sure how he’d react to seeing a woman give birth. If he fainted or got sick to his stomach, that would be bad.
So he paused and looked around at the stacks of lumber covered in tarps. The log exterior of the two-story house was complete, but the interior was still a work in progress. Morgan and Gabe joked about living in a construction zone, but Alex could tell they loved every minute of being out here together.
They were building a life, and Alex envied them that. He didn’t know squat about building a house, but the Chance brothers did. They would help him. Living at the ranch house was nice, but this — creating a home from scratch almost like the pioneers, really appealed to him.
But he couldn’t imagine doing that just for himself. He’d want to share it with someone, and he didn’t need to think very long about who he’d choose if he c
ould. Then he remembered how she’d looked up on stage and squashed that thought. She didn’t belong here.
Holding that thought, he approached the house. He was almost at the door when Morgan’s scream shattered the silence. He hurried forward. God knows he’d be of no practical use. But whatever was happening, Tyler was part of it. He wanted to be there for her.
Morgan’s next scream came as he followed muddy footprints through the living room toward the master bedroom. Heart racing, he said a little prayer that she wasn’t dying, and that the baby wasn’t dying, either.
But when he heard a loud cheer coming from the bedroom, he let out a sigh, dizzy with relief. It was okay. He stood in the doorway, still feeling a little like an outsider.
From here he couldn’t see much of Morgan, who was surrounded by Tyler and Sarah on one side and Gabe on the other. Nick stood at the foot of the bed holding a bloody, slimy baby who scrunched up its little face and let out a wail of protest.
“She’s beautiful,” Morgan said, gasping. “Isn’t she beautiful, Gabe?”
Gabe cleared his throat and leaned down to kiss his wife. “You’re beautiful,” he said, his voice raspy.
“A girl.” Sarah seemed to be lit from within. “I have a granddaughter.”
“And I have a niece,” Tyler said as tears ran down her cheeks. “A beautiful little niece.”
“Hey, she’s my niece, too.” Nick was busily wiping the gunk off the little kid. “Okay, you guys. Now we know the first grandbaby is a girl. But we don’t know her name.”
“You tell.” Morgan tugged on her husband’s hand.
Gabe snuffled. “No, you.” His voice was still thick with emotion.
“All right,” Morgan said softly as she kissed Gabe’s hand. “Her name is Sarah Bianca, after her two grandmothers.”
“Oh, my goodness.” Sarah lost it and began weeping openly.
A lump in his throat and envy in his heart, Alex backed away from the doorway. Everything was fine and nobody needed him. To stand there during this emotional family moment seemed wrong, so he retreated to the living room, moved aside a newspaper, and sat on the couch.
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