A Valentine for the Cowboy

by Rebecca Winters

  Once more he walked her out to the truck where they could talk in total privacy. “Before I drive you home, let me make one thing clear. I’m not the same man I was a year ago. Even if I hadn’t met you, I don’t have the kinds of feelings for Tessa I once had. They’re dead and can’t be resurrected.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Let me ask you a question. When you were in your previous relationships and decided to break up with those guys, how could you be so sure you were making the right decision?”

  It took her a while. “Though I felt love for them in different ways, I knew I wasn’t in love with them.”

  “And you never wanted them back.”

  “No.”

  “I don’t want to get back with Tessa and am positive she doesn’t want to get back with me. Only time will tell if she wants a full relationship with Libby and we work out visitation.”

  He could hear her mind working.

  “There’s a question I want to ask you, Eli, but if you can’t, or don’t want to, answer it, that’s fine.”

  “Put that way, I’m going to have to. Otherwise it will lurk in your mind and fester.”

  She let out a sad laugh. “This is about something your father told my uncle right before you got married.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He was worried that you were rushing into your marriage.”

  Eli remembered that conversation very well. “And?” He knew there was an and.

  “There’s nothing else.”

  He didn’t believe her.

  Brianna shifted in the seat. “Why do you think your father said it?”

  “Because he was right. We did get married too fast. No doubt your uncle passed on that bit of insight to you because he’s afraid I’m getting ahead of myself again.”

  “I shouldn’t have said anything,” she murmured.

  “I’m glad you did. No secrets between us, remember? So here’s another truth. Tessa wanted to get married right away, but I didn’t. I wished we’d waited another year so I could have earned more money on the circuit before working on the ranch again.”

  “Obviously she was in love and couldn’t bear to wait.”

  He let out a sigh. “She made it clear that if we put it off, she wouldn’t be around for me in a year’s time. Though I didn’t know it then, I now realize that she was in love with the idea of love and it made her impatient to get married. We had a serious problem because I wanted to stay on the circuit and get married a year later. That upset her and we didn’t see each other for a month. While I was away at another rodeo, I learned from Wymon that she’d come down with the flu and was really sick. I went to see her and before I left the house, we set a date.”

  Brianna leaned closer. “Did your father know all that history?”

  “No. That was my business. Toly always confided in Dad about everything. My older brothers did, too, from time to time, but I guess I was different in that regard.”

  “So because you kept quiet about the situation with Tessa, that’s why my uncle called you complicated.”

  “Yes. Thank you for providing the other part of the and. I’ve been waiting to hear what you were holding back.” Eli pulled her toward him. “Thank you for being so completely you. I adore you, Brianna,” he cried softly and drew her into his arms, devouring her until some people got in the car parked next to them.

  A male voice said, “Those two ought to get a room.” The female voice laughed, breaking the trance that held them both.

  Eli released the woman who’d become his whole world. “I’m going to get you home and we’ll start over again tomorrow after Tessa and her family leave for Thompson Falls. I’ll come by as soon as I can. Please tell me you’ll be free. That’s the only way I’m going to make it through tonight’s separation.”

  “I’ll be free, but I’ll understand if something unavoidable comes up.”

  “It won’t.” Eli meant it and gave her a fierce kiss before letting her move to her side of the truck.

  Chapter Eight

  After being kissed breathless outside on the porch, Brianna entered the house on unsteady legs. Her aunt and uncle were watching TV. Taffy lay in front of the fire. Brianna had hoped to go straight to her bedroom without being noticed, but no such luck. The dog got up and wandered over to her.

  The TV went off. “Hi, honey. Did you have a good time with Libby and Eli?”

  She removed her parka and sank down on one of the chairs. “You won’t believe all the things that happened today, Aunt Joanne.”

  “Tell us. It has to be better than TV was tonight,” her uncle teased.

  “Well, for starters, Mrs. Clayton was at the house when I got there because one of the stockmen at the ranch had a heart attack and Eli had taken him to the hospital.”

  “Oh, no. That’s terrible.”

  “I know. And then, after his mother left, I was playing with Libby when a surprise visitor showed up at the door.”

  “Who?”

  “Tessa Clayton, Eli’s ex-wife. Out of the blue, she decided to come see her daughter.”

  Both her aunt and uncle got to their feet, looking incredulous.

  “I’m sure I looked just like you when I answered the door. At first she thought I was the nanny. I invited her in and we went into the living room where Libby had been playing with some toys I’d given her. I put Libby back down and Tessa joined her on the floor.”

  “And Libby was okay?” her aunt asked.

  “Completely. I phoned Eli’s mother to come over, and after she arrived, all three of them started coloring on the floor together. I took a picture. When you see it, you’ll understand why my first instinct was to leave Eli’s house right away. And that’s only the beginning of what happened.”

  “Take your time. We’ve got all night,” her uncle said.

  Shock marred Uncle Clark’s and Aunt Diane’s features as Brianna told them how she’d almost flown to California, only to have Eli put a stop to that. “Tessa and her family are staying at the Bitterroot Lodge until tomorrow. They’ve arranged to go over to Eli’s in the morning, but he wants to spend the rest of the day with me after they go back.”

  “Oh, honey.” Her aunt put an arm around her. “I can’t even imagine how you must be feeling right now.”

  “It’s kind of like waking up from a strange dream. It’s hard to tell what’s real right now.”

  Her uncle studied her with concern. “I hope you told him you had other plans for tomorrow.”

  It could easily have been her father speaking. For once her aunt didn’t interject. “Uncle Clark... I know what you’re thinking, but Eli and I had a long talk tonight and I understand why his father said what he did about him not being ready for marriage. It’s not what you think, but, to be honest, I’m exhausted and I’ll tell you the rest in the morning.”

  She gave them each a hug. “Thank you both for being so wonderful to me. I’m very lucky you’re my family. Good night.”

  Brianna hurried to her room, needing to process everything that had happened now that Eli’s arms weren’t around her. When he was kissing her, she couldn’t think straight. Not two minutes after she’d climbed into bed and pulled the covers over her, her phone rang. She reached for it on the bedside table and saw the caller ID.

  “Eli—”

  “Thank you for answering. I couldn’t go to bed without hearing your voice.” She could relate. “Do your aunt and uncle know what happened today?”

  “Yes.”

  “Everything?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I guess they don’t want you spending the day with me tomorrow.”

  “It’s my decision,” she told him. “They would never interfere.” Brianna rolled on her other side. “Is Libby at your m
om’s?”

  “No. Mom stayed with her until I got here.”

  “She’s a saint.”

  “Interestingly enough, that’s what she said about you today. I saw the painted moons you gave Libby. Your gifts were such a big hit. Mom said Libby went to sleep holding the big, dark blue moon. I found it in the crib and put it in the box with the others. We’re going to have a lot of fun with those. How do I begin to thank you for everything?”

  “Toys and children belong together.”

  “I’m talking about the way you handled the situation with my ex-wife. I don’t know another woman who would have done what you did to help Tessa and Libby feel secure at the same time.”

  “She wanted to see her daughter.”

  “If they end up having a relationship, it will be because of you.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “We’ll argue about it later. Mom said the two of them seemed so comfortable with each other. That’s your doing, Brianna. You urged me not to give up. If I hadn’t gone to Thompson Falls last week, I’m certain this never would have happened.” His voice had grown husky.

  Her eyes teared up. “They belong together. Anyone could see that.”

  “I know another thing beyond any doubt. We belong together.” She prayed he meant it. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams.”

  Brianna hung up, clasping the phone to her heart. I love you, Eli Clayton. I love you.

  * * *

  “COME ON, SWEETIE. Now that we’ve had breakfast, let’s go get some toys.” Eli lifted Libby out of the high chair and nodded to Tessa to follow him. They left her parents at the kitchen table and headed for the nursery.

  After he put his daughter on the Hello Kitty area rug, he found the little basket of blocks and dumped them on the floor in front of her. “Do you want to show your mommy how to build a castle?”

  Tessa got down on the floor with her and the three of them started working together. This was his first chance to talk to his ex-wife alone. “I’m so glad you came, Tessa. How does it feel to be with her?”

  “It means everything to me. After I saw her in your arms last weekend, something seemed to snap inside of me. Our daughter just looked so beautiful...and so familiar, too.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “Well, I can see both our families in her. That face spoke to my heart. For the first time in a year I felt alive. After you left, I called the doctor. We talked about what had happened to me. He suggested that I come here this weekend and see if I felt the same way. I knew my feelings wouldn’t have changed because her image has haunted me all week.”

  He wasn’t thrilled that she hadn’t phoned him first to let him know her plans. She had put Brianna in a terrible position, but there was nothing anyone could do about it now. Eli watched tears roll down Tessa’s cheeks as she placed another block on top of the one Libby had just set down.

  “I know I’ve been very sick and you have every right to tell me to stay away for good.”

  “You’re her mother, Tessa, and she needs you. If you want to see her, we can work it out, easy. It’s up to you.”

  She put a hand to her mouth. “You’re such a good man. I don’t deserve you.”

  “That isn’t an issue. Libby’s the light of my life. For her to be truly happy she needs both her parents. Agreed?”

  Tessa nodded. “You didn’t want to get married as soon as I did. Then, after I got sick, I pushed you away. I thought I didn’t want to be married anymore and I’m so sorry about that, but I do want to take care of our daughter.”

  “Then we’ll work it out. Talk to your doctor and ask him what he suggests. The next time you come, I’ll introduce you to Sarah. We can take turns driving back and forth from Thompson Falls.”

  Fear entered her eyes. “Do you think it’s too late for her to accept me?”

  “She’s playing blocks with you. That should tell you everything you want to know.”

  Tessa smiled. “She is, and she’s doing a great job, too.” She kissed her daughter’s head.

  They kept playing for a little while and then Libby suddenly got up. “Moo.” She pointed to the box on the dresser. Eli got it for her. They sat down again and he removed the lid.

  “What are these?” Tessa asked her. Eli’s daughter emptied the box and began sorting the moons. “These are so cute. Where did you get them, Eli?”

  “You met Brianna yesterday, right? She bought them for Libby.”

  “Bree—” his daughter said unexpectedly.

  Tessa glanced at him. “When we met yesterday, she told me she was a friend.”

  “She’s done business with Mom at the gem shop. You remember Frosts’ Western Saddlery in town? Brianna works there for her uncle and helped him pick out a stone to give her aunt for their anniversary. She met Libby and played with her while mom mounted the stone for him. I started seeing her after that.”

  He knew Tessa was wrapping her mind around what he’d just told her and decided this was a good time to leave the nursery. “Tell you what. I’m going to slip into the living room for a few minutes. Let’s see how you two get along alone.”

  “I don’t know...”

  “I think you’ll be fine, but if you don’t feel comfortable yet, that’s all right.”

  “I’d rather you stayed.”

  It was hard to say no to Tessa. It always had been.

  Eli tousled Libby’s curls. “Do you want to show Mommy your push toy? It’s over there in the corner.”

  Libby knew the word push and got up to find it. Pretty soon she was rolling the helicopter around the room while Tessa clapped and made excited sounds. All of a sudden Tessa got on her hands and knees and started chasing Libby. “I’m going to get you!” she said.

  His daughter giggled and started running faster. Eli could hardly breathe. A week ago he couldn’t have imagined this happening.

  “Well, well. What’s going on in here?” Carl and Diane had come into the nursery to see what all the excitement was about. Libby stopped running and came over to hug Eli.

  Tessa rolled over on her back and smiled up at them. It was great to see her look that happy again. “Libby and I have been playing, but I think she’s had enough for now.” She got to her feet and turned to Eli. “We should go back, but I’ll call you after I’ve talked to my doctor.”

  “Sounds good,” Eli said and got to his feet. He carried Libby to the front of house. Tessa and her parents pulled on their parkas and he walked them to the front door.

  “Bye, Libby,” they all said. Tessa looked at their daughter with longing before kissing her good-bye.

  Though Libby clutched him tightly, she did say bye. “Bye, Mommy,” he encouraged his daughter to say, but she didn’t.

  When they’d left, he carried her back to the nursery and walked over to the larger picture of Tessa. “Mommy,” he said the word several times, pointing to the photo. “Can you say Mommy?”

  He waited, but she started to squirm and said, “Moo.”

  Eli smiled to himself. This was the best beginning he could have hoped for. He had to remember the old adage that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Now it was time to phone Brianna. He checked his watch. It was noon. After putting Libby on the floor, he pulled out his cell phone.

  Brianna answered on the second ring. “Hi!”

  Just hearing her voice excited him. “Libby and I are on our way over to get you. Have you eaten lunch?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Good. We’ll stop somewhere and get hamburgers. Libby likes fries and soft ice cream.”

  “So do I. How fun.”

  “I thought after that maybe we could take a walk in the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge, and then bring her home for a nap.”

  “Perfect. I’ll be ready.”

&n
bsp; Eating lunch at the restaurant and pushing Libby around in her stroller at the nature preserve, Brianna felt as if they were a true family. Only two of the walks were free of snow, but they were able to see a fox, geese, some swans and an osprey. They both took pictures with their phones before heading back to the truck.

  Libby appeared oblivious to the cold, all bundled up in her snowsuit. The little girl had worked her way into Brianna’s heart. As for her father...

  When they got back to Eli’s house, they entertained Libby until Eli put her down for a nap. Then he pulled Brianna into the living room. He threw some cushions down on the floor and they lay by the fire he’d made.

  “This is the kind of day I’d planned for yesterday.” He kissed the tips of her fingers.

  She was dying to know his thoughts. “Tell me how things went with Tessa this morning,” she said.

  “Better than I could have hoped for,” he admitted. “She said my visit last week broke down some barrier in her mind. She wants to be a mother after all.”

  Brianna’s eyes filled with tears. “You must be overjoyed.”

  “I am. I told her to talk to her doctor and that we’d work things out as far as visitation and things go.”

  “I’m sure you have concerns.”

  He nodded. “What if this change of heart doesn’t last and she decides she doesn’t want to be a mom to Libby after all? For Libby to get to know her mother and then be rejected is too painful to think about, but it’s something I have to consider.”

  “Maybe you should talk to her doctor about this.”

  His eyes studied her for a long moment. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do with Tessa’s permission. How did you get to be so wise?”

  “TV.”

  “Brianna—” He pulled her close and started kissing her. She’d been aching for him.

  “I want you,” he whispered. “You have no idea how beautiful you are and how much I need you.”

  “I feel the same way,” she confessed. The floodgates had been released. To be able to explore her feelings, knowing one of Eli’s greatest concerns might be getting resolved, allowed her to open up to him completely. She couldn’t get enough of him. No kiss was long enough or deep enough. Soon she found herself on top of him, their legs entwined. She could kiss every part of his ruggedly handsome face and hard, sinewy body. He was such a gorgeous man.