by Tori Kayson
Hawk shoved his tablet inside his pack and plopped a hat on his head, resolve stiffening his spine.
Cody needed stable. And honestly? Hawk had developed more than a hankering for it himself. Literally ached with a longing to stay in Coldwater Ridge. He’d made more than a few poor choices, starting with giving up on Kierra and those two life-changing hours with Brigit.
But he could never regret his little man.
“All right, Son. Let’s go.”
Ignoring Hawk’s outstretched hand, Cody jumped down and scanned the property. “Cool! Is this where we’re moving, Dad?” A giant smile cracked his face, and he pumped a fist in the air.
Hawk would do whatever it took to keep his son smiling. To chase away the fear that coiled and churned in his gut at night, that he’d wake one morning to discover Brigit had made good on her threats and stolen his son. If that meant facing down an angry Kierra, bring it on! “We’re only spending tonight here on the ranch, buddy. We have a place in town, but the lease doesn’t start until I get back.”
“Ah. Too bad. This would be a cool place to live.”
“Bet you’re right.” Minus the negative vibes Kierra fired at him. Hawk shot a quick glance at his boss. Caught the slight flick of the rancher’s head and the apology in the man’s eyes.
“Come on. I’ll introduce you.” Hawk motioned for Cody to follow, taking a protective step in front to shield his son. Kierra’s beef was with him—not his son.
His brain duked it out with his limbs, alternating between hopping back in the chopper for a fast escape and plodding along at a turtle’s pace. Yet, his rebellious arms twitched to pull her against his chest, to see if she still fit perfectly. Ha!
As if she’d appreciate her face being buried against his shirt. More likely she’d use his chest as a punching bag, a repeat from the last time they’d been together.
Was he ready to face the woman he’d given up on a decade ago? Shoot, he hadn’t tossed away the love. Just buried it, way down deep where light and hope would never reach. For Brigit’s sake, and their marriage.
A lot of good that did.
Two dogs, panting their excitement, circled him and Cody. A horse whinnied from somewhere nearby, and hooves thundered across the hard-packed earth.
As Hawk neared Kierra, though, all that registered was her labored breaths. Her clamped jaw. Rosy bow-shaped lips compressed into a thin line. The anger that simmered under tightly folded arms.
Yeah, well, she may not be happy to see him, but he needed this job, the stability, the reference he could hand to a judge. And according to Fargo, the Kesters needed him. So, he’d do whatever it took. If that meant groveling, he would grovel. Shoot, he’d lick her bare dusty feet if that meant keeping this gig. And enjoy every minute.
Enough! That kind of thinking got you in this pickle in the first place!
Hawk flicked a nod at Fargo then focused on Kierra. She was the one he needed to convince. “Kierra. It’s been a long time.”
“Not long enough.”
Ouch. There was enough fire in those three words to light a match.
He took off his hat and scratched the back of his neck. Swallowed the comeback that just about ripped from his throat. One he’d regret, and he couldn’t afford regrets at this stage of the game. Maybe he should start over.
He cleared his throat. Flashed his best begging puppy imitation. “Time has treated you well. You’re still as gorgeous as you were in high school. More so, actually.”
Her dark eyebrows dipped as she regarded him with suspicion. Maybe even a little contempt.
He deserved it. His pulse thudded with worry. Anxiety strangled his lungs. Would she order him off the property? What would he do then? And Cody—
She must’ve glimpsed some inkling of his struggle because her skin softened around her cheeks and lips. Fractionally. Still, she remained silent.
Hawk released the pent-up breath and extended a hand. “Fargo. Good to see you again, man. Thanks for the opportunity. I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t,” Fargo said, shaking hands. His tone and expression conveyed confidence.
Hawk rested a palm on his son’s shoulder. “This is my son, Cody. Cody, meet Mr. Kester, my boss, and Miz Kester, his sister.”
Cody stuck out his hand, mimicking their handshake. “Mr. Kester.”
“Call me Fargo, please.” His boss smiled.
“And I’m Kierra. We’re not formal around here.” Kierra flashed that megawatt smile, the same one that melted Hawk’s insides back in the day. But this one was meant for his son. “Do you like cookies?”
“Yes, ma’am!” Cody nodded, eyes wide. As if Hawk hadn’t just bought the kid a hamburger, fries and large chocolate shake not even two hours ago.
Hawk shook his head, smiling at the boy. More than a bit of pride leaked through in his voice. “Sorry. Really. I do feed the monster.”
“My mom would say you’re going through a growing spurt, Cody. How old are you?” Kierra asked.
Blast the woman! She knew how old his kid was. Down to the exact day Cody had been conceived.
“Nine,” Cody said, arching his shoulders back so he stood a little taller.
“Nine, huh?” Kierra squeaked. A pained look darkened her face.
Regret swamped him. If only he could take back that one night, have a do-over on those two hours. If he hadn’t been so stinking mad at Kierra....so rash, so careless, so alone.
Yeah, well, since then life had taught him that neither rash nor mad worked out for the best. And alone? He was used to it now.
“You are mighty handsome for nine.” Kierra recovered well. She draped a casual arm around his son’s neck and pointed toward the rear of the sprawling ranch house. “Cody, if you head through that back door, you’ll find at least a hundred cookies cooling on the kitchen counter.”
“A hundred cookies?” Cody’s eyes bulged.
“At least,” Fargo added, smiling as he squatted to pet the dogs. “Mom doesn’t know when to quit.”
Hawk was with the kid on this one. It would be cool to live here.
“You should be able to find a couple cookies to fill that hole in your belly, don’t you think?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am. Thanks!” Cody took a few steps before he jerked to a stop and twisted around, suddenly shy. “Dad, you coming?”
“I’ll be along in a minute.” Probably more like a few. It’d take longer than a minute for Kierra to unleash the storm brewing on her face.
“All right.” Cody ran off, the lure of cookies beating out bashfulness.
“Thanks for that,” Hawk acknowledged Kierra with a nod.
“Can’t have the boy going hungry.” She pinned him to the ground with her glare. Her chin hiked, but her tone definitely carried less bark this time.
“Guess it’s all right with you if I starve then,” Hawk countered. Tried to keep the amusement out of his tone, but failed.
No response. Other than a slight lift of one dark eyebrow.
Fargo let out a rather loud sigh and stretched back to his full height.
Oops. He’d forgotten about his boss.
Kierra transferred her glare to her brother. “What?”
Ignoring his sister, Fargo rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. “Hawk, why don’t you and Cody get settled? You’ll both be staying in the shed.” Fargo pointed toward an outlying shanty-type structure.
He’d stayed in worse before. Shoot, he’d sleep outside under the stars if it meant staying in one place.
“It’s not really a shed anymore,” Kierra murmured. “Dad and Uncle Chips remodeled the old hen house into a studio apartment.” She wrinkled her nose. “Of sorts.”
Mercy! If she kept looking at him like that, with apology softening her warm espresso colored eyes, they’d need to call for a defibrillator.
Fargo shuffled his boots. “Make yourselves at home and meet me in the barn at four o’clock.”
“Sounds great.” Hawk nodded, grate
ful for a couple free hours to spend with Cody before he reported to work. And a chance for his pulse to regroup.
Fargo cleared his throat. A serious expression furrowed his forehead. “I don’t need to remind either of you what’s riding on this week. Can I trust you two to work together?”
“Yes, sir,” Hawk responded, lightning fast. Didn’t want his boss to have second thoughts about hiring him or keeping him on after the week was up.
A deep flush rolled up Kierra’s neck and darkened her face, but she finally nodded.
Fargo flicked the rim of his hat in acknowledgement, the dogs circling as he took off for the barn.
“It’s really small, but it has a fridge and a microwave, even a burner plate. You should find it comfortable although there’s only one bed. I’ll get my younger brother, Slade, to bring out a blow up mattress,” Kierra said.
“That’s mighty thoughtful of you.” A tiny shaft of hope seeded in his gut. Maybe they could agree to a truce?
“Thoughtful?” She scoffed. “If it was up to me, you wouldn’t be here.”
So much for the truce and her brother’s admonition. “Kierra, I know we didn’t leave—”
Arms laced across her chest again. “Don’t even go there.”
“All right. I’ll let it go. For now. But—”
“Forever.”
Forever? He didn’t have forever. Not with Brigit’s threats. “For my son’s sake, I hope we can get along. I’ll do whatever I can to make this week easier for you.” And the week after that…
She huffed and that glare speared him again, although this time not as venomous. Another flush darkened her face and her arms dropped to hang limp at her sides. Suddenly remembering Fargo’s warning? Or toying with the idea of ordering him to reload the chopper and vacate the premises?
What was riding on this week for her?
A breeze fluttered by, a whisper to break the heat of the afternoon. He breathed in roses and mandarin, a fragrance that reminded him of lazy summer afternoons, swimming in the pond on their property. Fresh and clean. He liked it. Hope for a fresh start budded in his gut. If....if she could ever soften her heart enough to forgive him.
A wisp of raven colored hair tangled with the brim of her hat, veiling her expressive eyes. His hand made it halfway to her face before she flicked the stray lock away, her gaze locking on his hand.
What was he doing? He jerked his arm back and bent over, scooped up the two duffle bags to cover up his blunder. Swallowing his embarrassment, he uncoiled and scratched out, “The shed’s perfect. I’d sleep under the stars if it meant keeping this job, but for Cody’s sake I appreciate the roof over our heads. I found a place in town, but my lease doesn’t start until we get back.”
“Good.” She didn’t have to look so happy about that, did she? “Excuse me, but I need to get back to work. I’m expecting the rest of the guests to arrive at any minute.”
“Sure. Mind if I collect my son?” Not waiting for her response, he measured his steps to match her shorter ones. Now seemed a good time for making peace. In private.
“Not at all, but I’m headed in the opposite direction. I’ll catch you later.” With a hasty flutter of her fingers, she veered off.
So much for apologizing. Or even groveling. What just happened there?
The cowgirl stalked toward the driveway, her posture proud and straight, her steps sure and confident. Her braid swung like a wound-up pendulum halfway to her cute bottom. She never looked back.
As if his being here had no effect on her whatsoever.
As if she hadn’t just jolted his universe. Shifted his entire being. Like a cool, crisp breeze whispered through the lonely caverns of his parched spirit. Invigorating. Refreshing. Energizing.
It didn’t take a college education to figure out why. He’d tossed away the best thing that had ever happened to him. Traded it all, their sweet love along with the connection with her family, the tight-knit town, and the stability he craved. And for what? A couple lousy years with Brigit. More moves than he could count on two hands. And every-other-weekend custody of his son.
He couldn’t rewrite the past. But he could make better choices for his future. Besides, he had Cody to consider now. He wasn’t the same rash teen who blazed a hot trail out of this town a decade ago. Could he convince Kierra to give the reformed version a chance on the ranch? Could she look beyond the past to the person he was trying to be now?
2
“That was delicious. Thank you so much for inviting us to join you, Mrs. Kester.” Hawk had finished repairing a four-wheeler for Fargo, ready to step in the shower when Slade knocked on the shed door to relay his mother’s invitation to dinner.
Hawk still couldn’t believe it. After all, he’d been hired to work and the Kesters had already been more than generous with their offer of free lodging. And now dinner, treating them with the same gracious hospitality as the rest of their guests. Apparently, Kierra’s family hadn’t changed.
Not like him.
The least he could do was help with the dishes. He hung up the damp dishtowel, nudged his hip against the granite counter, and slid his hands in his pockets. Breathed deep of the lavender and lemony scent that mingled with the brewing coffee in the oversized ranch kitchen.
“It’s Rebekah, and you’re quite welcome, Hawk. We had plenty to go around. No sense in you and Cody trying to cook for only the two of you. Goodness, it’s not like Chips uses that stove much for cooking. I’m not even sure it works that well, but he never complains.” Kierra’s mother bent over, her head practically hidden by a lower cabinet while she rearranged pots and pans, but he sensed a genuine acceptance in her voice.
Kierra was another story. She probably wished they’d stayed in the shed.
He hadn’t had an opportunity to speak with her, yet. She’d sat at a different table outside, next to some geek in a suit jacket, and then made herself scarce right after dinner. The dude practically undressed her with his eyes as they made their way back inside the ranch house together, his hand wrapped in a possessive ring around Kierra’s arm.
This next week might be the longest seven days of his life.
Hawk rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. Should he track her down? Give her his peace offering and grovel for the best chance—the only chance—for full custody of his son? Or should he just risk that she’d loosen up over the next few days on the trail? He surely didn’t want to interrupt anything—
“She’s probably on the front porch, going over the details for the round up.”
Huh? He jerked his attention towards Mrs. Kester, er…Rebekah. “I’m sorry?”
The older woman closed the cabinet door and stretched back to her full height, a dish towel slung over a shoulder, brows arched high on a smooth forehead. Worry lines etched around her eyes and heaviness drooped her shoulders. And he could tell, even with the apron that covered her front, that she’d lost a good bit of weight. From grief over the not-so-recent loss of her husband? Or the work involved with running this operation?
“That sigh. Sounds like you have some things you might like to discuss with Kierra. Things that maybe you two should’ve ironed out years ago,” she said.
Wise woman. How much had Kierra shared with her mother about the ugly way their relationship ended? Likely the whole sordid mess. Served him right if she had. He pushed away from the counter. “Like I was the world’s biggest jerk?”
“That might be a good start.” The older woman smiled, something bittersweet yet tender, but he couldn’t detect any malice in her tone.
“I believe I’ll do just that. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Hawk. But don’t even think about breaking her heart again.” This time her voice meant business.
“No, ma’am.” He nodded his thanks, scooped up his hat with the chocolate goodie tucked inside, and escaped the kitchen and Rebekah’s protective mama bear expression. Now that he was a parent, he could definitely understand.
His determination fal
tered as he passed through the family room on the way to the porch. The ranch guests still lingered over drinks outside, so it was only Cody and Fargo’s son, Jayce, sprawled out on the area rug between two buttery-soft leather couches, enthralled with a movie on the wide screen television, their legs stretched out to reveal dingy white socks, riddled with holes, their boots tossed into a haphazard pile next to one of the couches. They took turns digging into a giant bowl of popcorn nestled between them on the floor.
So this was what it would be like to stick around in one place long enough for Cody to make friends.
Hawk smiled, something akin to contentment puffing up his chest, but the feeling was so new, so unusual, he wasn’t sure. He let the feeling seep into his spirit for just a beat longer.
A bark outside the front of the house reclaimed his attention, and with the smile still relaxing against his lips, he inched the screen door open.
Kierra was indeed on the porch, her head tipped over a tablet, her crown of dark hair cascading over her shoulders. Fargo’s two dogs lazed near her feet and a white feline curled in her lap. When her fingers weren’t tapping the tablet, her hand glided along the fur of the cat.
So she wasn’t cozying up to the geek in the suit jacket. Relief gushed through him.
As if it’s any concern of yours. He gave himself a silent scolding, pushed the door open, and stuck his head out. “Is this a private party? Or may I join you?”
She glanced up, invitation clearly on her face…until she made eye contact with him and her expression wilted. She cleared her throat and set the tablet on the side table. “Sure.”
So, she’d been expecting somebody else. He got that she wasn’t exactly thrilled to see him. But really? That bubblehead she sat next to at dinner? She’d been hanging on his every word like the man created the stars himself. That’s who she was attracted to these days?
He’d rather face down an angry bull than dredge up his shame over how Brigit broke the news on Prom night, but Kierra deserved an apology. Hawk sidestepped the dogs, scrounged up all the courage he could muster.
He dug in the belly of his hat, came out with the king-sized bag of candy, and dangled it in front of her face.