The Triplets' Cowboy Daddy

by Patricia Johns

  Nora stood with a group of family. Kaitlyn was there, too—and across the yard her husband, Brody, was chatting with some other men. But it wasn’t Kaitlyn who drew his eye—it never had been. Nora’s hair shone golden in the smattering of sunlight, and his heart sped up a little at the sight of her. His irritation wasn’t rational. Nora was being friendly, but there was still a gulf between them—family and staff were in different ranks around here. And he wanted more. Blast it, that was the problem—he’d been happy enough over on this side of things when Cliff was around. He’d been grateful for the opportunity to work here, grateful for a boss who was willing to help him mature as a rancher. But now it wasn’t that he wasn’t grateful...he wasn’t satisfied.

  Easton was respected, liked, trusted by the family... He was relied upon, irreplaceable in their eyes, but he was still hired help, and looking across the ranch yard at Nora, he realized what he wanted—to be next to her. Not as a friend. Not as the ranch manager. Not as a secret, either. He wanted to be with her, the man by her side.

  There was work to be done, and he was the manager around here, so he turned away to check on the barbecues. Cliff wasn’t here anymore to keep everything running smoothly. That responsibility was Easton’s now.

  From across the yard, he heard Rosie’s soft cry. Strange that he should be able to pick out which baby was crying, but he could. The last little while with the girls in his house had attuned him to their schedules and the sound of their whimpers and wails. He glanced over to see Audrey trying to shush the little thing. Nora was feeding Bobbie her bottle, and Riley was with a younger cousin who looked absolutely thrilled to be holding a baby. Kaitlyn took Rosie from Audrey’s arms, but Rosie wouldn’t be soothed, and she wouldn’t take the bottle, either.

  “Everything okay, boss?” Tony asked, following the direction of Easton’s gaze.

  “Yeah, of course.”

  Easton turned away. This wasn’t his job, and he tried to ignore that plaintive cry. She was in good hands—most of the women there had raised babies of their own. But he couldn’t cut himself off from Rosie’s wail. It wasn’t just “some baby,” it was Rosie, who normally was happy as long as she was being cuddled.

  Why couldn’t he just tune this out? It was like Rosie’s cry was tugging at him.

  Tony had the barbecues under control. He turned and strode across the yard.

  Rosie’s face was red with the effort of her cries. Her tiny fists pumped the air, and while all logic said that he shouldn’t have any more success than Audrey did, he had a feeling that he might.

  “Howdy,” he said, giving Audrey a disarming smile. “Let me try.”

  “What?” Audrey looked surprised to be spoken to, let alone that Easton would offer to take the baby from her. “No, I’m fine. Thank you.” She turned bodily away from him as if he was some stranger instead of the man who’d been helping to care for these babies for the last couple of weeks.

  “Audrey, let him,” Nora said from a few paces away.

  The older woman reluctantly passed the infant over, and Easton gathered her up in his arms, flipped her onto her back and patted her diapered rump with a few firm pats. Rosie’s wails stopped, and she opened her eyes, looking up at him in mild surprise.

  “Hey, there,” he said quietly. “Miss me?”

  Rosie blinked a couple of times and opened her mouth in a tiny yawn.

  “Well, I’ll be—” Audrey said, her tone chilly. “I don’t think he’s washed his hands, Nora.”

  “He’s fine,” Nora replied. “Rosie likes him.”

  And she didn’t like Audrey—that much was clear. It was a strange relief to have this little girl in his arms again, and to know that she wasn’t crying her heart out anymore, either. That irritating tug at his heartstrings had relaxed, and he heaved a sigh.

  “That did the trick,” Nora said, coming up beside him. “Thanks.”

  “Yeah, sure.” He smiled slightly then put Rosie up on his shoulder. She snuggled into his neck. “Not sure how I’m going to do anything else around here, though.”

  “Supervise.” Nora shot him a grin. “I’m sure Rosie would love the walk around.”

  So he’d be a cowboy trotting around with a baby in his arms. Somehow that didn’t seem so bad. He might not be family, but he was the answer to Rosie’s cries, and that resonated deep inside him in a way that he knew would only hurt all the more when this was over.

  And his time here at the Carpenter ranch was coming to an end. He’d known that Cliff’s death had changed things, but Nora’s return home had solidified that in his mind. Easton reached out and tucked a tendril of hair behind Nora’s ear. He’d miss her—oh, how he’d miss her. He’d miss these girls, too. But any more time spent at the Carpenter ranch, and he’d never be able to disentangle his heart.

  Sometimes a man had to put his future first.

  * * *

  NORA LET ONE of her cousins take Bobbie from her arms, and she glanced back toward Easton. He was walking Rosie around the fence and appeared to be pointing out horses to her. She had foggy memories of being held in her own father’s strong arms, her dad sitting her on the top rail of the fence and pointing out the horses. She’d have been three or four at the time, but the similarity still made her heart ache.

  Why was it that a man could make an excellent father, and still not be capable of fidelity? What was it her dad had said about Easton? “He’s a younger version of myself, Nora. You could do worse.”

  Daddy, you ruined him for me...

  Her father had ruined a lot of things for her, now that his secret was out. He’d broken a part of her foundation.

  “He loves the babies,” Kaitlyn said, coming up next to her.

  “Yeah...” Nora nodded. “They took to him.”

  She shouldn’t have agreed to stay with Easton. She’d been thinking of giving her mother space, but instead she’d gotten herself into an impossible situation—playing house, almost. They weren’t a couple, but sharing a bathroom and a kitchen made imagining herself as part of a couple that much easier...

  Kaitlyn looked pale and she slid a hand over her stomach.

  “You okay?” Nora asked.

  “I think the corn’s not sitting right.”

  Was the corn off? That wouldn’t be good. But Nora could see several other people munching on butter-drenched corn on the cob, and no one else looked sick.

  “Do you want a drink?” Nora asked. “There are cans of ginger ale on the table.”

  Kaitlyn nodded. “Yeah, I think I’ll get one.”

  Her husband, Brody, was already at the drink table, and Nora watched as her friend tipped her head against Brody’s shoulder. He slid an arm around her waist, and Nora couldn’t help but feel a stab of envy. Brody handed his wife a can of ginger ale, and Nora didn’t miss the way he looked at her. Kaitlyn had it all—the doting husband, the supportive extended family, a home that was ready for kids.

  Like the adoptive family in Billings who were anxiously awaiting her decision, she realized bitterly. They were ready for more children. They had it all, too—the home, the marriage, the money, the career... Everything that Nora lacked, that family could give. And family most definitely mattered.

  Nora turned back toward her own milling family and ranch hands, who were starting to line up for freshly barbecued sausages and burgers. A family was more than support, it was a library of personal histories. Family never forgot the details, even if you’d rather they did. Rewriting history wasn’t possible with a family this size—there was no avoiding the truth.

  It was one thing to embrace who you were, but it was that very history that would plague these girls for the rest of their lives in this town. Did she want to raise them and have them move away from her as quickly as possible to get away from the dysfunctional family tensions?

  Rosie see
med to have fallen asleep on Easton’s shoulder, and he patted her back idly, chatting with one of the ranch hands.

  Babies were simple—diapers, bottles, hugs. It was raising the older versions of these triplets that truly intimidated her. And she couldn’t do it alone. Sometimes true love meant hanging on through thick and thin, and other times it meant backing off to allow happiness to come from someone else. As much as she hated to consider it, giving the girls up might be the best choice.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Rosie slept for a while propped up on Easton’s shoulder. The other ranch hands showed him an odd amount of respect with a baby in his arms, and when a couple of guys were getting too noisy, one look from him silenced them.

  Clouds had been gathering again after a clear afternoon, and the wind had cooled noticeably. People were gathered around various tables of food, some sitting in lawn chairs and others lounging on blankets. A few ranch hands were sitting on upended firewood as they ate their burgers. The day might stay fair yet, though a smudge of cloud could be seen a few miles west.

  “Looks like rain,” Tony said, biting into a burger and talking past his food.

  “Yeah, maybe,” Easton agreed, although for the sake of the corn roast, he hoped not. Rosie pulled her knees up and wriggled. A smell mingled with the scent of barbecued meat. Was that what he thought it was?

  Tony looked at the baby in Easton’s arms and made a face. “Baby’s leaking,” he announced.

  Easton pulled Rosie away from his chest and gave her a once-over. The ranch hand was right. A smear had formed by the edge of her diaper, corresponding with that suspicious smell.

  “Wow, Rosie,” Easton said, and Rosie opened her eyes enough to blink at him before shutting them again. “I’d better bring her back to Nora.”

  “Good call,” Tony agreed.

  Easton headed back through the yard where Nora had been earlier, but she was nowhere to be seen now. Neither were the other two babies.

  “Nora’s inside,” Kaitlyn called. She was sipping from a can of pop. He smiled his thanks and headed in the direction of the side door.

  He stepped inside and the screen door banged shut behind him. The house was silent, everyone outside with the food, and he paused in the entryway to the kitchen, unsure of what to do.

  “Nora?” he called.

  Nora looked around the doorway to the living room, and he stopped short when he saw her face. Her eyes were red, and she wiped at her cheek with one hand. She’d been crying.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  His boots thunked across the kitchen floor, and he emerged into the living room. She wiped at her face again as if trying to hide the evidence.

  “Fine,” she said quickly. “Just working on diapers.”

  She wasn’t fine—he wasn’t blind. Nora had the babies laid out on towels on the floor. She added a third towel when she saw Rosie, and he laid the baby next to her sisters.

  “Hey,” he said softly. “Nora—”

  “I’m fine!” Her voice rose, and he could tell she was fighting back tears. Something had happened—had someone said something? Was there more flack about her dad? Protectiveness simmered deep inside him—he’d deal personally with whoever had caused this. But she didn’t say anything else.

  Nora unsnapped Riley’s onesie and peeled back the tabs on the diaper. He could stand there, or he could help. Easton knelt next to her and started with Rosie’s diaper. If nothing else, he could do this. He’d seen Nora do enough diapers that he knew the drill—theoretically, at least.

  “Wipes,” he said, and she passed them over.

  They worked silently for a couple of minutes, and Nora passed him a new sleeper for Rosie.

  “I need help with this one,” he said. He had Rosie diapered, but the sleeper was going to be tricky. Nora smiled feebly, and gave him a hand with tiny arms and legs that just kept curling back as if she were inside an egg. When the babies were all changed and dressed, Easton and Nora sat on the floor and leaned against the couch. The babies were snuggled up together in front of them. They looked so peaceful—Riley’s little fist resting on Bobbie’s face, and Rosie making sucking noises as she dozed. These girls had the life right now—anything could be fixed with a diaper change and a nap.

  “So what’s going on?” Easton asked.

  Nora looked toward him for a moment then sighed. “I visited a family that wants to adopt the babies.”

  The information took a moment to sink in, and when it did, Easton’s stomach sank. “You did? When?”

  She shrugged weakly. “This morning. They live in Billings—the father is a child psychologist...” She licked her lips. “They can give the girls so much. Financial security, love, good schools, a stay-at-home mom—” Tears misted her eyes again. “More than I can.” The last words came out in a whisper.

  The thought of these babies going to another family felt wrong—like a betrayal, although he had no right to feel that way. He knew it—this wasn’t about him.

  “And you’re really considering this?” he asked.

  “I can’t do it alone, Easton. Mom is so hurt by Dad’s affair that she can’t face doing this with me, and I don’t even blame her. You know people are talking about it. It’s one thing to deal with what he did, and quite another to face the questions and pitying looks that she’d get constantly with the girls living with her...”

  Easton understood, but was that really the end of it? Was there no other way for Nora to keep the girls with her? He knew firsthand how much she loved these babies, and he knew exactly what it would do to her to give them to another family. If he left Hope, at least he’d hold on to the mental image of Nora and these triplets together. Separating them...

  “The homestead,” he said. “If your father hadn’t left it to me, you’d have been able to stay there.”

  Was he the one standing between her and keeping these girls?

  “What if you bought me out?” Easton asked. “Dale suggested that. You could have that house again. It belongs with family anyway. I know your dad was trying to do something nice for me, but if he knew what it would do to you and his granddaughters, he wouldn’t have willed it to me. I know that for a fact.”

  “I can’t buy you out.” Her voice was tight and she swallowed hard. “If I stay here, I won’t be working right away. I can’t get into a mortgage.”

  “Then stay with me.” The words surprised him, but this was a solution. He didn’t have to leave Hope, did he? They were already staying together quite successfully. He could continue helping out with the girls, and she wouldn’t have to worry about rent or anything like that. He could rethink that escape he’d been planning—if she needed him.

  “How would that work?” she asked, shaking her head.

  “Like it has been.” He turned to face her and slipped his arm behind her. “We’ve been working it so far. I could get used to this. Couldn’t you?”

  “No.” There was a tremor in her voice.

  Did she mean that? Was she already finished taking what she needed from him?

  “Why not?” he asked, irritated. They’d better just get this out into the open. If she was done with his help, he needed to hear it, because that was the only way he was going to accept this—if she told him straight.

  “Because it doesn’t solve us!” Nora’s voice shook and she blinked back tears. “What are we going to do, keep cuddling on the couch, kissing on the porch and live together like a couple? That’s not a solution, Easton. That’s a shortcut to heartbreak, and I’m not doing it. You’re a lot like my dad, you know.” She swallowed hard. “He said it over and over again—that you’re just like he was when he was young. You know what that means to me. It’s so hard to trust—”

  Yeah, he understood all of that, but in spite of it all, they’d been taking care of those girls t
ogether. He wished she could trust him, see deep inside him and recognize the man in there—but apparently some things would never change between them.

  Easton leaned closer as her words trailed off, and she met his gaze, her breath catching as he took her lips with his. Her eyes drifted closed and she leaned into his kiss. She was warm and soft, and he moved closer, tugging her into his arms. Why couldn’t this work? He’d had reasons of his own up until this moment, but he couldn’t seem to think straight when he was with her, and certainly not with his lips moving over hers.

  She pulled back and shook her head, her fingers fluttering up to her lips. “We’ve got to stop that,” she breathed.

  “Do we?” he asked, catching her gaze and holding it. “Really?”

  Because he sure didn’t want to. She looked ready to reconsider, and given a chance he’d move in for another kiss, but she moved back.

  “Easton, stop it.”

  That was clear enough. He pulled his hand back.

  “I’m not starting something I can’t finish.” She whispered. “Love you or not—”

  And maybe he should appreciate that she wouldn’t start up with him if she could foresee herself walking away...but she’d mentioned love and his heart skipped a hopeful beat.

  “Do you love me?” His voice dropped and he swallowed.

  Tears rose in her eyes. “Against my better judgment.”

  He felt the smile tug at his lips. How long had he waited to hear that confession? How many years had he dreamed of her finally seeing the man he was at heart?

  “Because I’ve loved you for years.” He remembered all those years of loving her from afar, being there for her in her tough times and watching her walk away when she pulled it all together again. He could push those memories aside and ignore it in a heated moment when he was so focused on getting closer to her...but what about after the conquest? What about after he had her, and they settled into a routine? She’d never wanted what he could offer before—not for the long-term. His own mother hadn’t wanted him, either. He knew better than to start expecting things.