The New Cowboy

by Rebecca Winters

  For dessert he ordered sopaipillas. When Avery was halfway through hers, Zane pulled a little unwrapped box from his jeans’ pocket and put it next to her water glass.

  Her soft gray eyes widened. “What’s this?”

  “You helped me with my shopping and deserve a gift, too.”

  “I didn’t see you buy anything for me.”

  His mouth broke into a faint smile. “You wouldn’t have. I picked it up when I was in Las Vegas, but the time wasn’t right to give it to you.”

  The words Las Vegas charged the atmosphere around them. She stared at the box as if she were afraid of it. He watched that nerve throbbing in the base of her throat, the one he wanted to kiss away.

  “I promise you it won’t bite if you open it.”

  A nervous laugh escaped her lips.

  “As I told you the other night, I was ready to marry you while we were there for Connor and Liz.”

  Her hand trembled as she laid her fork on the plate. She was unable to look at him.

  “Since you seem to need help, I’ll do the honors.” He took off the lid and pulled out the ring box. Using both hands, he opened it to reveal a one-carat solitaire diamond set in gold nestled against black velvet. In the light from the small lantern on their table, the stone dazzled the eye.

  “I’m asking you to marry me, Avery. This makes it official. I told you I’m a patient man. You don’t need to answer yes or no right now, but you need to understand the full extent of my commitment to you. I’ve loved you for a long time.” He put the box down, leaving it open to her gaze. “If you can’t wear it yet, keep it until you know your own heart.”

  The wounded sound she made caught him on the raw. “I was a virgin until I was violated by another man. I’ll never be the same person again.”

  He took a swift breath. “That was the act of a predator who committed a horrific crime. The real you in your heart and soul remains untouched, waiting for love. I consider myself the luckiest man in the world to be sitting here across from you, hoping you’ll accept this ring.”

  Her glistening hair flowed around her shoulders. He felt the beauty of her soul and it electrified him. “I don’t know if I can ever give myself to you, Zane.”

  “Just answer one question. Do you love me?”

  Slowly she raised her head and stared into his eyes. “Yes. I’ve loved you from the beginning.”

  Those words made him euphoric. “Do you believe that true love conquers all?”

  “I thought I did until this happened to me. Now I don’t know,” she said in a tremulous voice.

  “Then let’s get married and find out.”

  Her hand went to her throat. “What if I can’t love you the way you want and deserve to be loved by your wife?”

  “What if you can?” he fired back. “In the meantime we’ll hold each other when you want to be held. When I’m your husband, I swear I’ll never do anything you don’t want me to.”

  “That’s no marriage for you.”

  “I couldn’t marry another woman feeling like I do about you.”

  “That could change with time.”

  “So could your feelings for me. We have to have faith that our marriage can work. If you want to say vows in a civil ceremony at the courthouse with no one else, we can do that.”

  “No—” she asserted with enough force that he knew she meant it. “I couldn’t do that to my family. It’s all or nothing.”

  Thank the Lord.

  “Do me a favor and wear it home. Sleep with it tonight and think about everything. I’ll come by the house tomorrow after we’re both home from work. If you’re not wearing it, then I’ll know you need more time.” He leaned forward. “Will you let me put it on you?”

  “I’m afraid, Zane.”

  “So am I.” Always let her be in control. “To be honest, I’m terrified you won’t lift your left hand for me to do the honors.”

  A minute must have gone by before he saw movement and she shyly extended it. Before she could change her mind he clasped her hand with a gentle touch and slid the diamond home on her ring finger.

  She studied it in the light. The shimmer of the diamond matched the shimmer in her wet eyes. “It’s breathtaking.”

  “On you it is. I’ve dreamed of doing this for months. I love you, Avery.”

  After lowering her eyes she said, “Do you mind if we leave now?”

  “I was just going to suggest it.” They still had the rest of the night ahead of them.

  While she reached for the box and put everything in her purse, he left a tip. Together they got up and walked through the crowded restaurant to the cashier. Once he’d paid for dinner, they got in the truck. “I’ll drive you to your truck and follow you home.”

  A few minutes later as he was pulling into the parking space next to her truck, her phone rang. She checked the caller ID. “It’s my grandfather. I wonder why he’s calling.” After she’d clicked on and said hello to him, Zane didn’t have to wait long for the answer. “I’ll go there right now, Grandpa, then call you back.”

  The second she hung up, she turned to Zane with nervous excitement. “Sadie went into labor in the middle of the night and is still in labor. Jarod took her to the hospital at eleven this morning. She wasn’t due quite yet. They’re trying to slow down the contractions, but it might not be working.”

  “Sounds like Little Sits in the Center is tired of sitting and wants to make his presence known.”

  “Zane.” She half laughed.

  “Let’s drive over and see what’s going on. We can come by for your truck later on.” He backed out and they headed for the hospital at the other end of town.

  “Knowing my brother, he’s having a heart attack about now. He’s brave for everything and everyone except when it comes to Sadie. When she got that terrible morning sickness in the beginning, he fell apart. I can only imagine what he’s like now.”

  He smiled at her. “Eileen had bad morning sickness with Ryan. Like mother, like daughter. But they’re nearing the end now.” Zane was envious of Jarod, who had a wife he adored and a baby on the way.

  Someday soon, Avery.

  Chapter Eight

  After Zane drove them to the hospital, they hurried up to the second floor maternity lounge where they met Connor and Liz. Matt and Millie were with them. Avery rushed forward. “What’s the latest news? Grandpa said they were trying to slow down her contractions.”

  “It didn’t work. That baby is coming now.”

  No sooner had they all hugged than Jarod’s uncle Charlo, the tribal elder everyone revered, arrived with his wife, Pauline. Avery left Zane’s side to give them hugs. “Did Grandpa call you, too?”

  Pauline nodded. “He did, but two hours before that my husband said we had to go to the hospital because Sits in the Center needed us.”

  The moment she spoke those amazing words, a gaunt Jarod came into the lounge looking like death. His dark, anxiety-filled eyes took all of them in. “There’s a problem. Sadie’s been in labor too long. She’s exhausted so they’re going to do a cesarean section.”

  “That’s good,” Liz said, trying to reassure him. “They’ll get the baby out quickly.”

  The family waited, distracting themselves with quiet conversations or, in some cases, closing their eyes for a rest. Avery watched as Charlo approached his nephew with those wise, farseeing eyes. “No need to fear. Your mother is close. In the night I heard your son singing praises during his four-day fast.”

  With those prophetic words spoken like the patriarch he was, the hairs prickled on the back of Avery’s neck. She and Connor exchanged a silent glance of wonder before Jarod nodded to his uncle and disappeared.

  Avery’s gray eyes swerved to Zane. “Did you hear that?” she whispered.

  �
�We all heard it right down to our bones. Not every father-to-be has a visionary uncle like Charlo.”

  “It has to be a good sign, Zane. You saw the shape Jarod is in.”

  “I see a woman who loves her big brother very much.”

  “Probably too much,” she admitted.

  His brows lifted. “Is there such a thing as too much? I felt the same way about Tim.”

  She searched his eyes. “I’m sorry you and Ryan lost him.”

  “Me, too, but out of that loss my nephew gained a new father in Jarod, a man who has become my good friend. Even better, he has a sister I love.”

  They all waited another half hour. Then Connor came in the lounge. “Come on, everyone. The nurse says we can go to Sadie’s room now.”

  Zane and Avery followed behind the others. They walked down the hall and through the doors to the birthing room. When she saw Jarod sitting next to a tired-looking Sadie while she held their baby, her throat swelled with emotion. Both exhausted parents glowed.

  Between the family and staff, joyous pandemonium broke out. Avery reached out to hang on to Zane’s arm without thinking. Leaning close to him she whispered, “I thought we’d see a cap of black hair, but he has a trace of blond hair like Sadie’s and looks perfect.”

  He hugged her arm tighter. “I’m sure Jarod’s in there somewhere.”

  She looked up at him. “My brother’s fighting tears. I’ve never seen him do that before. He loves her so much I think he’s suffered more than she has through the whole pregnancy.”

  “Jarod lost his mother before he could know her. It’s no wonder.”

  Millie held the baby for a minute. “Have you thought of a name yet, honey?”

  Sadie turned to her husband. “We’ve decided on Colin Matthew Ralph Charlo Bannock.”

  Connor laughed. “That poor kid. What a mouthful!”

  “We know it’s a long one,” she explained, “but we don’t care because we want him to appreciate his great heritage. Colin for Jarod’s father, Matthew for the father you were to me, Matt, Ralph for his great-grandfather and Charlo for the father he was to Jarod after Colin died. Four men our son will grow up to revere.”

  With that announcement, Matt Henson’s eyes filled. And if Avery wasn’t mistaken, Charlo’s eyes went suspiciously bright, which was unusual for him.

  “But we’ll call him Cole.” This from Jarod.

  “Cole’s a great name for a steer wrestler,” Connor threw out, provoking chuckles.

  Everyone got the chance to hold him. The baby was so good he didn’t fuss, probably because of all the attention. Finally Avery let go of Zane’s arm and walked over to Liz, who relinquished him with great reluctance.

  Avery stared down at him. “Welcome to our world, Cole Bannock. I adore your name! We’ve been waiting a long time for you, sweetheart. I’m your aunt Avery and I already love you more than words can say.”

  She put him over her shoulder and patted his back. What would it be like to have a baby like this with Zane? The joy would be beyond belief. After a minute she kissed his cheeks and then handed him to Charlo, who was last to be given the privilege.

  He lifted him in the air. “He’ll be known as Sun in his Hair by our people.”

  Sun in his Hair. “That’s perfect,” she said to Sadie who nodded and was crying with happiness.

  When he handed him back to his mother, Sadie smiled up at him. “We want him to learn from you, Uncle Charlo. He’ll be the luckiest boy in the world.”

  “Sorry to intrude,” the doctor spoke up. “Time to get the baby to the nursery and for Sadie to get her sleep.”

  They cleared the room and went into the lounge. Connor walked over to Avery and hugged her hard, lifting her off the ground before putting her down again. “Now that we don’t have to worry about Sits in the Center anymore, we all want to hear your news.”

  Avery blinked. “What are you talking about?”

  He reached for her left hand and lifted it so everyone could see. He whistled and darted Zane a glance. “You don’t find a ring like this in a Cracker Jack box.”

  Her body went hot, then cold, before a groan escaped her lips. When they got the call to go over to the hospital, she’d forgotten to take it off and put it in her purse. Now it was too late. Everyone could see it. Everyone knew who had given it to her.

  She was afraid to look at Zane. He stood there without helping her out. Because she hadn’t said no when he’d put it on her finger, she couldn’t embarrass him by saying she’d just been trying it on and forgot to put it away. It wouldn’t be the truth, nor would it be fair to him.

  The room had gone as quiet as a tomb.

  Sucking in her breath she said, “Zane gave me this ring tonight. But before I even had a chance to think, we heard the news about the baby and rushed over here. Since Grandpa has no idea what has happened, I’d appreciate it if none of you said anything.

  “Zane and I have certain things to work out before any kind of an announcement can be made. If or when we do, I want Grandpa to be the first to know. I hope you’ll understand. Tonight is Sadie and Jarod’s night. Please let’s keep it that way.”

  Connor eyed her speculatively before kissing her cheek. “Why don’t we call Grandpa right now and tell him about Cole? Jarod has already talked to him, but he’ll want to hear about him from us.”

  He pulled out his phone and rang him. When Ralph answered, Connor put it on speaker. “Hi, Grandpa. How does it feel to be a great-grandfather?”

  “Wonderful!”

  “Did Jarod tell you what they named him?”

  “Cole.”

  “But that’s not his legal name.”

  “What is it?”

  “Colin Matthew Ralph Charlo Bannock.”

  Total silence came from the other end of the phone. Avery could only imagine her grandfather’s joy.

  “Charlo and Pauline are with us, Grandpa. He has given Cole the official name of Sun in his Hair.”

  They heard Ralph clear his throat. “Tell Charlo I approve.”

  So did Avery, but right now she wanted to leave the hospital. Zane hovered in the background, waiting to take her back to her truck. She was glad they wouldn’t be driving to the ranch together.

  She’d meant what she’d said. They had certain things to work out. What if she could never be a wife to him in the truest sense of the word? He said it didn’t matter because she was the only woman he would ever love. But he couldn’t know what he was saying.

  She thought about how Zane didn’t try to talk to her in that tension-filled moment when Connor had drawn everyone’s attention to her ring. He’d let her handle it. Somehow he always knew what to do where she was concerned.

  When they reached her truck, he told her he’d follow her home and get in touch with her tomorrow.

  “Tomorrow I have a class on the reservation before I go to the dig site.”

  “I’ll be in Billings part of the day, but we’ll catch up with each other at some point. Drive home safely. I’ll be behind you.”

  “Wait—” she said, but he’d already headed for his truck. They needed to talk more about this, but he didn’t give her the chance.

  Alone in the cab of her own truck, she headed for the ranch with her emotions in a turbulent state. She loved him so much but was scared to death to take the next step with him. The thought of ever losing him devastated her.

  The moon beamed through the window, illuminating the diamond. It blinded her with its radiance. Zane had such faith in a future with her, he’d given her a ring tonight. And what did she do in response?

  Virtually nothing. Worse, she’d downplayed it in front of her family. Avery despised herself and couldn’t let it go like this.

  When they reached the road that turned into her ranch, she kept going unti
l she pulled up to the Corkin ranch house. Before she lost courage, she climbed out and walked up to the front door to wait for him.

  * * *

  BLOOD POUNDED IN his ears as Zane got out of the truck and hurried toward her. “What’s wrong?”

  “Can we go inside to talk for a minute?”

  Was she going to give the ring back? Feeling sick, he unlocked the door and showed her into the living room. Only the light from one lamp was on. “Do you want coffee? Or a soda?”

  “No, thank you.” They stood in front of each other almost like adversaries. It was insane when the total opposite was true. “I need to get this off my chest.”

  Zane grimaced, fearing the worst. “Go ahead.”

  “I’ve been awful to you all night,” she said. “I’m so ashamed. You have to forgive me.”

  He shook his head. “You need to forgive me for giving you that ring when you weren’t ready for it. I told you I was a patient man, but I lied.”

  She looked up at him. “Can we start over?”

  His heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean?”

  “Every girl dreams of the day when the man she loves asks her to marry him. I was a typical girl with all those dreams, but the assault turned me into something else. I saw myself in the mirror tonight when you gave me the ring and proposed to me. The ugly image staring back was the me I’ve become.”

  She rubbed her arms. “At the hospital, I saw myself in the mirror again. That hideous image was still there. I hate that image,” she cried in a tremulous voice. “I want to go back to being the girl I once was. I want to be your wife. Take me in your arms and kiss me. Please, Zane.”

  “Darling,” he murmured. In the next breath he cupped her face in his hands and lowered his mouth over hers. The first taste of her was to die for, but he was aware of her implicit trust in him and let her set the pace.

  They experimented, giving each other kiss after kiss until gradually she wanted more and didn’t pull away as their kisses grew longer and deeper. More than anything in the world he wanted to pull her close, but he didn’t dare. Not being in her skin, he had no idea of the nightmare she’d been living with. Zane was operating without a guide. She had to be the one to let him know what she wanted.