A Valentine for the Cowboy

by Rebecca Winters

  “Do you love me?” he demanded urgently after rolling them over so he could look down into her eyes.

  “Oh, Eli—you know I do. I think I’ve loved you from the first time I saw you.”

  He kissed the corners of her mouth. “I’ve already told you I’m in love with you. I want to marry you as soon as possible.”

  Her breath caught. She cried his name, but he stifled any other sounds with a passion that swept her away to a place where she couldn’t deny him anything. The words rang in her ears.

  Eli wanted to marry her.

  Those words brought joy to every last atom in her body. It was just as her mother had said she would feel when she met the right man.

  When he finally came up for air, he said, “Don’t tell me it’s too soon to talk about becoming my wife. We both know our feelings run so deep there can be no doubt we’re meant to be together, but I’m aware you might have reservations about becoming a stepmom.”

  She shook her head. “I already love Libby.”

  He caught her face between his hands. “Loving her and being a mother to her day and night for the rest of our lives are two different things. I’m positive that when you thought about getting married one day, it wasn’t to a man who already had a child. It’s too much to ask, yet I’m asking because I can’t imagine my life without you.”

  Brianna sat all the way up, kissing his hand. “I love you so much it hurts. I want to be your wife. But now that Tessa has had a breakthrough, I’m wondering how she’ll react to our getting married right away. Libby bonding with her mother is the most important thing.”

  “Our love is important, too, Brianna. I’ll call her doctor first thing in the morning and tell him what’s happened in case he doesn’t already know. We’ll go from there. But right now I want your answer. Will you marry me? We’ll worry about the date later.”

  Brianna didn’t have to think about it. “Yes! One hundred percent, yes!” She flung her arms around his neck. “You’ve made me the happiest woman alive, Eli Clayton.”

  * * *

  ON MONDAY MORNING, while Eli was at the barn talking with Wymon about Luke’s pending heart surgery, his phone rang. It was Dr. Rutherford.

  He clicked on. “Thanks for getting right back to me. I know how busy you must be.”

  “I had messages from both you and Tessa today. The news about her visit to see Libby is remarkable, but because you’re contemplating marriage to someone else, I need to talk to you about it right away.”

  Eli tensed. “I’m available to talk at five today. Will that work for you?”

  “Yes, that’s fine.”

  “Good. We’ll talk then.”

  After hanging up, he rode with Wymon to the range where the vet was meeting them to finish the cattle vaccinations. When they stopped for lunch, Eli called Brianna, but he got her voice mail. Undoubtedly she was having a busy morning. He told her he’d be talking to Tessa’s doctor after work and would phone her at dinnertime.

  At five minutes to five he walked into his house and scooped Libby up in his arms. The call came on time and Sarah took over while he went in his bedroom and closed the door.

  “Dr. Rutherford?”

  “I listened to your message and here’s my concern,” the doctor said. “This woman you’re planning to marry—how long have you known her?”

  “Brianna and I met a month ago.” Eli had been ready for that question. To the doctor’s credit, he didn’t respond with shock or derision.

  “How bonded is she to Libby?”

  “We’ve spent enough time together that Libby loves being with Brianna and cries when she has to leave the house. Last week she was in the hospital with croup. When Brianna walked in the room, Libby couldn’t have shown more excitement or affection. She acts as comfortable around her as she does with my mother.”

  “That sounds promising for the three of you. As for Tessa, her phone call was a revelation. I understand their first meeting over the weekend went very well.”

  “It was amazing.”

  “Have you set a wedding date yet?”

  “No, but it will be soon.”

  “Whatever visitation you work out with Tessa, the next time you see her, I suggest you tell her you’re planning to get married and give her the date. Tessa will need to factor that information into her thinking. By her reaction, I’ll know how stable she is.

  “The whole goal is for Libby to have a relationship with her mother. So may I caution you to move carefully where Tessa is concerned?”

  Eli heard him loud and clear. Brianna’s uncle would add the punctuation points to that advice. “Libby’s bond with her mother comes first, Dr. Rutherford.” Brianna had said as much earlier.

  “Good.”

  “Bill me for this phone meeting.”

  “Don’t worry about it, and don’t hesitate to call me again,” the man said.

  He hung up, not able to imagine what the doctor must be thinking about Eli having met another woman who he wanted to marry this fast. But this was Eli’s life and no one else’s. Knowing Brianna’s feelings were just as strong helped him to act on his dream to make her his own.

  Just as he was about to call her, his cell phone rang again. This time Tessa’s name showed up on the caller ID.

  He clicked on. “Tessa?”

  “Hi!” There was a time when he would have given anything to hear that voice. That had to be another lifetime ago. “I need to talk to you. Is that all right?”

  “Of course.” He sank down on the side of his bed. “What’s on your mind?”

  “I talked to the doctor today and told him I want to spend as much time with Libby as possible. Mom and I could drive to your house every day this week and spend time with her while you’re at work, if that’s okay. I know you have a nanny, but maybe we could work something out so I can be alone with her for part of the time? What do you think?”

  Eli sucked in his breath. He could hear how nervous she was and wanted to reassure her. “I’m willing to work out anything so you can be with Libby. If you’d like to come every day, Sarah can disappear into her room while you’re here. You and Libby can have the run of the rest of the house.”

  “You mean it?” Her cry rang right through the phone.

  “Tessa, I always wanted you to be close to Libby. You’re her mother.”

  “Thank you, Eli, from the bottom of my heart,” his ex-wife said, her voice suffused with relief.

  He got up and paced the floor for a minute. “There’s one more thing we need to talk about before we hang up.”

  “Am I rushing you too much?”

  “No. No, Tessa. This is about me, but it will affect you. As you know, I’ve been dating Brianna Frost since the last week of December. We’re in love and want to get married in March.” That was what he’d been planning in his mind. “When everything falls into place, it means there will be two women in Libby’s life on a permanent basis.”

  Silence reigned. What she said next shook him to his foundation. “You must truly be in love to want to get married after only one month. I had to get sick in order for you to feel sorry enough for me to give in to my demands.” She laughed as she said it, but he could tell the news upset her, and he couldn’t blame her.

  He frowned. “Don’t compare the two situations.”

  “That’s hard not to do. You weren’t ready when we got married. This last year of therapy has taught me that I forced you into a marriage I wanted too much at the time and not for all the right reasons.”

  “I wouldn’t have married you if I hadn’t wanted to,” he said.

  “Even so, my guilt caught up to me after Libby was born. I was positive you hated me as much as I hated myself for preventing you from going out on the rodeo circuit another year. So I blocked you out. And I felt so worthles
s. I didn’t believe I could be a good mother to Libby, so I blocked her out, too.”

  Eli marveled at the revelations pouring out of her. It was all starting to make sense.

  “But when you brought her to the house two Saturdays ago, there she was, big as life and so beautiful. Eli—we have such a beautiful daughter.”

  He had to clear his throat. “Indeed we do.”

  “I want to prove that I can be a good mother. Tell me—is Brianna as in love with you as you are with her?”

  “Yes.” Thank Heaven. “We knew how deep we’d fallen for each other while Libby was recovering in the hospital.”

  “That’s why I kept hearing Libby say the name Bree while she was playing with those toy moons. I had no idea another woman had become so important to you and her in such a short period of time.”

  “Just remember one thing, Tessa. She only has one mother. That’s you.”

  He heard her crying softly for a minute. “I can’t believe you’re giving me a second chance.”

  “That’s because a part of me will always treasure the time we were married. Those memories will never be taken from me.”

  “I’ll always love you, Eli, and our daughter means everything to me.”

  This was a conversation he’d never thought would happen. “Go ahead and make your plans to come tomorrow. I’ll let Sarah know and we’ll go from there.”

  “Mom and Dad are thrilled.”

  Yup. They would be. “We’ll talk later, okay?”

  The second he got off the phone with Tessa, he called Brianna and told her he was coming over. After they’d hung up, he went into the kitchen to talk to Sarah about what was going to happen for the rest of the week.

  He got Libby prepared for bed and read her a story about an elephant, then took off for Stevensville. Tonight Tessa had sounded stable to Eli, even after he’d told her the news that he was in love again and planned to get married. As far as he was concerned, she appeared to have pulled a 180.

  When he turned into the Frosts’ driveway, Brianna came running outside and hopped into the truck. “You sounded so excited that I couldn’t wait to hear your news.”

  Eli pulled her into his arms and kissed the daylights out of her. Nothing was holding him back now. “Not seeing you has made today feel like an eternity.”

  “Did you talk to Tessa’s doctor?” she asked eagerly.

  “Yes. There’s so much to tell you that I don’t know where to start, but I need to drive over to the hospital to see Luke before his operation in the morning. Then we’ll have all night to talk. Don’t you move one inch, all right?” He kissed her hungrily before backing out onto the street.

  Two hours later, Eli drove Brianna back to her uncle’s house. She’d been absorbing everything he told her. Though the news about Tessa was absolutely wonderful for Libby, it was the doctor’s warning to Eli that made her a trifle anxious.

  May I caution you to move carefully where Tessa is concerned?

  That advice sank deep inside her.

  Carefully could mean a lot of things. Tessa planned to drive here every day to see her daughter and be a mother to her. It seemed the most natural thing in the world now that Eli had explained what had gone on in Tessa’s mind throughout their marriage. Time had been lost and she was eager to catch up.

  Eli turned to her. “You’re being quiet all of a sudden. Come over here, please.”

  “I don’t dare. The second you touch me, I catch on fire.”

  “That’s why we need to get married ASAP. Let’s make it the first or second Saturday in March.”

  She moistened her lips nervously. “I want it more than anything, but I’m worried.”

  “Tell me why.”

  “You know as well as I do that Dr. Rutherford sent us both a message. Move carefully, he said. What he means is we need to give Tessa the best chance possible to bond with Libby. So far your little girl has already had to adapt to a nanny, then me, and now her mother. Since you need Sarah to help you, she has to stay in the picture, but I don’t.”

  “Brianna—”

  “Hear me out, Eli. Please.” She took a swift breath. “Libby shouldn’t have to be confused. A huge dose of her mother is exactly what she needs. The more they see each other, the sooner Libby will be comfortable staying overnight with her mother and grandparents in Thompson Falls. Once Tessa becomes a fixture in Libby’s life, then Libby will be able to see me as the woman in your life.”

  His head reared back.

  “You know I’m right. If I’m always over at your house, or you’re at my place with Libby, it will prevent her from making that attachment to her mother. She needs to see you and Tessa together often so she makes the necessary association. If this plan is going to work, I can’t be there.”

  It was a long time before he spoke. “So what are you saying?”

  “I love you so much, Eli, but we need to separate in order to help Tessa and Libby make it as mother and daughter. I’m going to go back to California, hopefully tomorrow.”

  “If you do that, I’m going to lose you.” He sounded so bleak that it wounded her.

  “If our love isn’t strong enough to survive this, then it isn’t strong enough to endure over a lifetime.”

  A groan came out of him. “I couldn’t take you being gone for more than a week.”

  “I think it’ll need to be at least three weeks for this to work.”

  “Brianna—”

  “I know. I can’t bear the thought of it, either.”

  “What will you do?”

  “I’ll help on the farm. Be with my brother and his wife.”

  He sucked in his breath. “How do you think your aunt and uncle are going to feel about this?”

  “When they know why I’m leaving, they’ll tell me it’s the right thing to do.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  “Eli, you and Tessa brought Libby into this world. This is Libby’s chance to learn to love her mother the way you love yours. I know in my heart you would never deny her that opportunity. You need to concentrate on helping them bond without any other distractions. Your little Libby is already on her way to getting close to her mother.”

  “Your good sense is killing me.”

  “If I don’t go, we won’t be able to stay away from each other. Do you have a better idea?”

  “I wish I did. Brianna—I don’t know how I’m going to be able to let you go. I don’t think I can.” He kissed her with such intensity she went weak in his arms.

  After he finally let her go, she looked up at him. “You do understand, don’t you?”

  His eyes bore into her soul. “To be separated from you now...”

  “I don’t like it, either. Please, Eli—never forget how much I love you. We’ll talk every day until you feel it’s time for me to come back.” Brianna raised her mouth to his one more time before she tore herself from his strong arms and got out of the truck.

  He levered himself from the cab to walk her to the front door. After another passionate embrace, she let herself inside. While she stood against the closed door, trembling, she heard him barrel out of the driveway.

  Taffy limped into the foyer. Brianna petted her before making her way to the bedroom. Her aunt must have heard her come in and followed her.

  “Honey? What’s wrong?”

  She wheeled around. Her pain had gone beyond tears. “I’m so sorry, but I have to go home tomorrow. Forgive me for leaving you in the lurch, but this is the only way.”

  “What do you mean?” her uncle said as he joined them.

  “First of all, Eli has asked me to marry him and I’ve said yes.”

  “Oh, honey—you mean it?” Her aunt reached out to hug her, but her uncle stood there like a statue.

  “
The trouble is, when Eli spoke to Tessa’s doctor today and told him about our plans to get married, he said to move carefully with her. Eli and I know what he meant. Tessa needs the chance to bond with Libby. The only way that’s going to happen is for me to step out of the picture for a while.”

  “A very wise idea.”

  She’d expected her uncle to say that. “It seems Eli’s surprise visit to their house last week proved to be the impetus that has brought Tessa around. She wants to be a mother to her daughter and will be coming here every day this week. The three of them need to work on this without me around. Do you understand?”

  “You wonderful girl,” her uncle said and wrapped his arms around her the way her father used to do.

  No. She wasn’t a wonderful girl. Dr. Rutherford was the one who’d pointed the way. If anyone was wonderful it was Eli, who was putting his daughter first, no matter how much he wanted Brianna with him. Talk about a man who matched these mountains...

  * * *

  ELI LEFT THE Clayton house with an idea he couldn’t wait to present to Tessa. He had no intention of going longer than three weeks before he brought Brianna back from California.

  En route to the ranch, he phoned his ex-wife, not caring how late it was.

  “Eli?” Tessa sounded scared. “Have you changed your mind?”

  “Of course not, but I have another idea. Why don’t you ask your parents to drop you off here tomorrow and let you stay all week at the house? Sarah can go to Mom’s and come over if she’s needed.”

  “You’d let me do that? Be alone with her?” she almost squealed.

  “Why not? If you’re around Libby 24/7 for the whole week, you two should be able to bond more quickly. I’ll drive you back home at the end of the week. Then we’ll see if Libby wants to stay with you for a while. That is what you want, right?”

  “You know it is.” Her voice throbbed.