by Donna Alward
She scowled. “I do own clothing other than jeans and shirts.”
“Yes, you most certainly do, Miss Brandt.” He backtracked to the truck and opened the passenger-side door. She hoped she wasn’t blushing as she climbed into the cab and he shut the door behind her.
On the seat beside her was a tote bag and a teddy bear with a blue gingham ribbon around its neck. “You went shopping?” she asked as Rylan got in and started the truck by reaching around the steering wheel with his left hand.
“Just a stop at the store in town. Lacey went to visit before lunch and said that Carrie had put in a request for some clothes. I guess they weren’t quite ready to leave for the hospital when Carrie went into labor.” He chuckled as they started out the driveway. “Duke’s only been home long enough to get a few hours sleep and have a shower, and he was so anxious to get back, he forgot to pack what she’d asked for. Lacey says he is one proud papa.”
“Of course he is. Especially since this is his first baby.”
It seemed Rylan was true to his word about the platonic thing. On the way to the hospital they chatted about Crooked Valley, the changes Rylan wanted to implement in the program, things Kailey had done with Brandt stock and the plausibility of implementing similar practices at the Duggans’. Nothing personal, no innuendos. It was nice, she realized. As Ry sang Rattler’s praises, she discovered she’d missed this kind of chat in recent months. She and Carrie had often shared work talks, but since Duke’s arrival, her friend had been preoccupied with love and babies. So, too, with Quinn. His focus was on Lacey now and a brand-new family. Not Rylan, though. No romance and babies for him.
Her relief was tempered by a slight thread of disappointment, which was absolutely ridiculous. Romance and babies weren’t what she wanted from him. She really didn’t want anything, besides peace.
They arrived and made their way to the maternity wing, treading softly as they approached the correct room number. Kailey peeked around the corner of the door and saw Carrie sitting up in bed, flipping the pages of a magazine while a nursery bassinette sat beside the bed.
“Knock knock,” she called softly.
Carrie looked up and a smile lit her face. “Hi! Come on in.” Her voice was clear but hushed. “He’s sleeping right now. Perfect time for visitors.”
Kailey stepped in, feeling as if she was in another world. Sure, she’d been around babies now and again. She’d babysat occasionally growing up and she’d always been close to Amber, Quinn’s daughter. But her best friend, as a mom...it did something to her. Made her happy and sad and a little bit broody. Had her dedication to Brandt Ranch cost her something important? What might have happened if Colt hadn’t withdrawn his proposal?
“You look wonderful,” Kailey said, and Rylan trailed into the room behind her. “Mom sent you biscuits and honeyed butter. And Rylan brought you your clothes.”
Ry held up the bag. “Lacey packed it. I didn’t go through your delicates.”
Carrie choked on a laugh. “Oh, God, the very idea of delicates right now is...well, comical.”
Rylan blushed. Kailey grinned.
“Where’s Duke?”
“On a sandwich run. I’m dying for a turkey sub and a glass of cold milk.”
Kailey peered into the bassinette. The junior Duggan was sleeping, his tiny lips sucking in and out, a pale fringe of red hair peeking around a stretchy blue cap. He was swaddled in a flannel blanket, and looked so tiny and fragile that Kailey caught her breath.
“He’s beautiful, Carrie. Just beautiful. Ry, come see.”
Rylan dutifully peeked at the baby and Kailey watched as his face softened, mellowed. What kind of father would he make? Kind, she figured. Probably patient.
But restless. And whoever married him would have to get used to his itchy feet. He didn’t like to stay in one place for long, didn’t like to be fenced in, did he? It would be like permanently stabling a bronco who longed to run wild in a pasture thick with rich grass. A punishment.
“Have you named him yet? Lacey never said.”
“Evan Joseph.” Duke’s voice came from the doorway and he stepped inside as they turned to look at him. He was grinning from ear to ear, puffed up as any proud papa would be, carrying a paper sack of sandwiches, a can of soda and a bottle of milk.
“After our father and his father,” Rylan said softly.
“Do you mind?” Duke met his brother’s gaze, his face losing its joviality and turning serious.
“Of course not.” Rylan held out his left hand to Duke. “It’s a fine name, Duke. Congratulations.”
Kailey watched as Duke put down the food and shook Rylan’s hand, their gazes holding. Something was different tonight, something in the way they were with each other. More...equal. It didn’t really make sense, as she didn’t think anything had really changed. Heck, Rylan had been gone for weeks. When had there been time for them to hash out their differences? Last she’d seen, Duke was still ticked at Rylan for buying Rattler without his input.
“Sorry to hear about your accident,” Duke said, nodding at the sling. “Glad you’re all right, though. Guess this changes a few things, huh?”
Rylan nodded. “Unfortunately. If it’s all right with you, I’ll stay through until Christmas. Work with the bucking stock. That way the terms of the will’ll be met and Crooked Valley will be in the clear. All yours.”
Duke looked at Carrie, who smiled encouragingly, and then back at Rylan. “Wow. I appreciate that, Ry. Big-time.”
“I know it’s what you want. What Lacey wants. That’s why I came back, after all. It’s not your fault I can’t compete for now.”
Kailey tried not to let her mouth drop open. Rylan was staying? For at least another four months? When he’d been traveling while competing it had been easier to deal with the temptation he presented. He was only around now and again. But four months... Sixteen weeks. Hoo-boy.
Carrie spoke up from the bed. “We’ll have to decide what to do with your third, Rylan. We can maybe put together enough money to buy you out, if that’s what you want.”
He nodded. “We can talk about that when the time comes. No need to worry about that now.” He looked down at the baby. “Seems to me we have something here a little more important that takes priority.”
Duke reached into the bassinette and picked up the baby, holding him by the bottom and cradling his head in his big palm. “You’re right,” he agreed. Even though the baby was sleeping, Duke spoke to him. “Evan, meet your uncle Ry and your aunt Kailey.”
Kailey’s face heated. Had Duke paired up their names on purpose?
Duke held out his hands, offering Evan to Kailey first. “Do you want to hold him?”
She did. She blinked, thinking about how she’d had a chance to have a family of her own and had passed it up. Logically she knew there was still a chance. She wasn’t exactly old. But it definitely felt as though her options were limited, and seeing her friends marry and have families just drove the point home.
She’d made her choice. It wasn’t likely that situation would change, either.
But for now she held out her arms and accepted the small, warm bundle into her embrace. Evan’s tiny head rested in the curve of her elbow as she looked down into the angelic face. He’d awakened, not fussing, but with dark, unfocused eyes staring at her.
“Well, hello there,” she said softly, feeling her heart turn over. Babies were so innocent, so helpless. So...precious. “You and me, we’re gonna have some fun. I’m gonna teach you to climb that old oak tree behind the big house, and we’ll catch tadpoles in the pond and get good and dirty. Just you wait.”
She looked up at Carrie. “You did good, hon. He’s awesome.”
“We think so. At least for now. Talk to me in a few days when I haven’t had any sleep.”
Any jealousy Kailey might have felt was short-lived. Carrie had no family left. She was an only child and her mother had died of cancer a few years earlier, and her father had taken off. It was so good to
see Carrie happy and contented. “You are going to be spoiled rotten. Lacey and I are going to see to it that you get some downtime to sleep. We’ll be fighting over who gets to babysit.”
“I feel very lucky,” Carrie replied, patting the bed. Kailey went and sat beside her on the mattress, Evan still snuggled in her arms. “I never expected this. And I don’t feel so alone. It’s nice to know that you’re close by, and Lacey, too. Helen is even coming for a week to help out.”
The baby felt very right in Kailey’s arms. She leaned back against the pillows and nudged Carrie. “Look at that. I thought Duke was still mad at Rylan.”
The brothers were sitting in two vinyl armchairs, chatting away effortlessly.
“I know it sounds terrible, but I’m almost glad that Rylan was in that accident,” Carrie said.
“What? But why?” Kailey recalled all the bruising down Rylan’s side and cringed. “He’s really banged up, you know. Lots of bruising you haven’t seen.”
“And you have?” Carrie’s words were laced with delighted curiosity.
“Not like that. I helped him get his shirt off yesterday, that’s all.”
“Sounds like enough to me,” Carrie responded, grinning.
“You still haven’t told me why you’re glad this happened?” Kailey frowned, trying to keep the conversation on track. “Ry’s incredibly disappointed. He really had a shot, you know?”
Carrie met her gaze. “You really care about him, don’t you?”
She hoped she managed to keep her poker face. “I don’t hate him anymore, and that’s a big step.”
“Well, Duke and I think that Rylan’s been running from something. Maybe this accident is what will make him stop running and think about settling down.”
“I’ve had the same thought myself. But what would he have to run from?” Kailey shifted the baby a bit, getting more comfortable.
“Duke doesn’t know. He just knows that once Rylan turned eighteen he was gone. He’s done nothing but move around since. Ranch to ranch, place to place, rodeos every other weekend. Avoiding anything that might be construed as a commitment.”
Kailey looked up and found Rylan’s gaze on her. Something warm and feminine curled through her insides, having him look at her like that.
She shifted her attention back to Carrie. “Maybe he just wanted a different adventure than Duke. You know, Duke was in the army for a lot of years. He got to move around, see different things, different people. I’m not saying it was easy...not at all. But maybe we’re all a little quick to judge.”
Carrie nudged her. “Oh, girlfriend, you’ve got it bad. You’re defending him now.”
Kailey shook her head. “What he did in February was wrong. I don’t defend those actions at all. I’m just saying maybe people shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss him.”
And maybe that had been the problem all along. He’d said something about always feeling like the tagger-on, either in the way or invisible. Maybe Carrie was right. Maybe staying on at Crooked Valley was just what Rylan needed for his family to take him seriously.
Except she’d distinctly heard him say the words until Christmas. Nothing long term or indefinite.
She’d monopolized Evan for long enough, so she got up off the bed and walked over to where Rylan was sitting. “You want to try, Uncle Ry?”
“I’ve only got one arm,” he cautioned. “Maybe I shouldn’t.”
“Your left one works fine and he’s just a little thing. I’ll help. You can’t visit and not at least hold him for a few minutes.”
He curled his arm into position and Kailey slid the baby into the strong curve, making sure his head was supported and he was held nice and tight. Rylan adjusted his shoulder and posture. “Well, would you look at that,” he murmured. “Gosh, he’s just a little mite. Hardly weighs anything.”
“Until he cries,” Duke said. “Then he gets real big, real fast.”
They all laughed. Rylan settled back in the chair while Duke handed Carrie the milk and unwrapped her sandwich. The talk was much lighter as they visited, and when the food was gone, Kailey went to work and brushed and braided Carrie’s hair as a treat.
“Lacey packed real pajamas for you in there,” Kailey said, nodding toward the tote bag. “Tomorrow you’ll be home and you can have a shower in your own bathroom and sleep in your own bed.”
“That sounds heavenly.”
By that time Evan was really awake and unhappy, looking for his next meal. When Carrie blushed, Kailey understood that she was going to nurse and that she wasn’t quite comfortable doing that in front of people—in particular her brother-in-law.
“We should probably get going anyway,” Kailey suggested. “Rather than outstay our welcome.”
“I’m awfully glad you came,” Carrie said, and Duke gave Kailey a quick hug. Rylan leaned over and kissed Carrie’s forehead in a tender gesture that softened Kailey’s heart even further.
“We’ll see you in a day or so. Call if you need anything, okay?”
He really had to start being not so nice.
They headed back toward Gibson, making a pit stop along the way for supper. True to his word, Rylan sprang for burgers and fries, and they sat in his truck and ate them with the windows rolled down, Rylan manhandling his sandwich with one hand. It was about as un-date-like as Kailey could imagine, yet there was something rather intimate about sitting there with a surprisingly humid breeze pulling through the cab. The showers that had been forecast hadn’t arrived yet, but as Kailey ate her fries she knew rain was coming. There was a smell in the air, a taste that she’d experienced many times over the years.
They didn’t talk. There’d been a lot of talking the past few days, and instead they simply sat and ate, and enjoyed the fresh air and greasy food.
Finally, when the last fry had been eaten, and Kailey took a long pull on her soda, Rylan spoke.
“Thunderstorms are rolling in.”
Indeed, the sultry air had gone cold, and the wind shushed through the leaves in a telltale whisper of impending bad weather. Through the windshield, Kailey saw dark clouds towering in the sky, gray and menacing. “Damn,” she murmured. “I hope everything was dried and baled this afternoon. I probably shouldn’t have gone tonight.”
“Not much you can do about it now,” Rylan said reasonably. They watched through the window as the cloud built and shifted, drawing nearer. A spear of lightning forked toward the ground, and despite the noise from traffic on the highway beside them, they heard the rumble of distant thunder several seconds later.
“Do you want to try to head back now, or sit through it and wait?”
“Let’s drive,” she said. “Rain’s forecast for tomorrow, too. The showers could last for hours.”
“You got it.”
They were almost to Gibson when the sky darkened and the thunder could be heard over the rumble of the engine. A gust of wind grabbed at the truck, and Rylan’s lips formed a grim line. “Damn, I think we’re in for it now.”
He no sooner got the words out of his mouth than the sky opened up, hammering down huge droplets of rain that sounded like gravel hitting the truck. Rylan turned on the wipers full blast, but the road ahead was a wall of water, reducing visibility to a few feet. He slowed, put on his four-way flashers, and when a dirt range road appeared on the right, he turned off the main drag away from other traffic.
“Wow,” Kailey said, frowning. Rain was a welcome sight in summer, but not this kind, not such a downpour that it caused crop damage and run-off and flash floods.
“Wow is right,” he replied, pulling off on the wide shoulder. “We might as well ride the worst of it out. You don’t have a deck of cards or something in that bag, do you?”
She snorted out a laugh as he cut the engine. Without the purr of the motor, the rain was a rhythmic pounding that sheltered them from the outside world.
“Afraid not. But I have a pad of paper. We could play hangman.”
His sideways grin was back. “I know who you
’d like to hang,” he said acidly. “Me.”
“Eh, not so much these days. I’m getting used to you.” She raised her eyebrow, arched it at him saucily. “That doesn’t mean I like you, by the way.”
“You did offer your house,” he reminded her.
“Because I felt sorry for you,” she replied.
“Damn,” he said softly. “This is why I like you, Kailey. You never give an inch and you make me laugh.”
She wanted to say likewise, but he didn’t need the encouragement.
The noise on the roof of the truck intensified, and their smiles faded. “Hail,” she breathed, knowing it could cause so much damage. Even with their limited vision they could see the white balls of ice bouncing off the windshield and hood.
The first storm cell eased, and Kailey thought for a minute they were going to be able to leave. But then a second cell came right behind it, complete with flashing lightning and cannon-like thunder. The safest place for them right now was exactly where they were.
She looked over at Rylan, who was staring grimly out the driver’s side window. “Mind if I ask you something?”
He shrugged. “Would it matter if I did mind?”
“Probably not,” she answered honestly. “There’s a consensus among your family that you’ve spent your adult life running from something. Is there any truth in that?”
He snapped his head around to stare at her. “Is that what they’re saying?”
She nodded. “That there has to be a reason why you left as soon as you were done high school. Why you haven’t settled anywhere. In fact, I think you surprised the hell out of them by coming back at all.”
“I like what I do. That’s all.”
She wondered if he’d open up if she opened up first. “I get the not wanting to be vulnerable, Ry. At the wedding when you asked why I wasn’t hitched? I had a real answer that I didn’t want to tell you.”
“Yeah?”
“Colt Black asked me last fall. We’d been seeing each other for a while. I thought we were crazy about each other. He works in a feedlot up around Cut Bank. When he realized I wouldn’t just up and leave the ranch behind, he changed his mind.”