But not while Reagan still stood looking at her. “If you’d like to get going...” she repeated.
He nodded and unhooked a key from the ring. “In case I’m back late and you’re able to take Sean home. I don’t want to ask the favor, but—”
“No problem,” she said briskly, taking the key and sliding it into the pocket of her jeans. “Sean would be better off going to sleep in his own crib. If it gets to be his bedtime, I’ll make sure to take him home.”
“Okay.”
Still, he hesitated, seeming reluctant to leave. Or maybe that was her wishful thinking.
He backed a step. “You have my number if you want me for anything.”
If she wanted him...
“We’ll be fine,” she said brightly.
He nodded. The second he went through the doorway, she cuddled Sean closer to her and kissed the top of his head. “Hey, my little boy.”
Tears she’d managed to hold back till now flooded her eyes.
She loved this baby as much as she loved his daddy, and it was breaking her heart to know they were going to leave her.
* * *
IT WAS FULL dark by the time Reagan parked his truck outside the house. He crossed to the porch and went up the steps.
His day had gone on longer than he’d expected, with traffic delays, a wait for the CEO at the client’s office, internet problems when he was giving his presentation in the client’s boardroom.
In the downtime, he couldn’t keep from checking his phone in case Ally had left any messages. But he knew she wouldn’t call. At the Hitching Post that morning, he could see the same determined, chin-up pride on her face he had seen in the Cantina’s parking lot.
As he had all week long, he couldn’t keep from thinking about her and what she had said that night—that he didn’t want her flirting with the cowboy, yet he didn’t want her, either.
If she only knew how wrong she was there.
And boy, if she only knew how wrong he’d been to do what he’d done this morning. She had been cool to him when he’d left the sitting room. He had stepped into the hotel lobby, then abruptly turned back, not sure what he was going to do or say. And he’d seen her kiss Sean and heard her talk to him in a voice filled with tears.
He couldn’t deny the evidence of how much Ally loved his son. He had thought a lot about that today.
Now his hand shook as he opened the door.
The kitchen was deserted. No Ally. No Sean.
But from the living room he heard her singing to the radio. He smiled.
He walked slowly and quietly across the kitchen and down the hall. Not because he wanted to come up on her unawares to see how she was taking care of his son. Not because he wanted to startle her and hear her funny little screech. But because, though his feet were moving slowly, his heart was pounding and his pulse was jumping.
Because he knew his future and Sean’s would depend on everything he would say in the next few minutes.
From the doorway, he watched her with the dust cloth, lovingly wiping each knickknack and putting it back on the shelf. He’d been too keyed up this morning to notice she had worn one of her bright blouses with all the colors, yet she had tied her hair back in the braid he’d gotten used to seeing.
His two Allys in one.
Sean sat in his carrier on the end table near the door. Reagan ruffled the fine wisps of his son’s hair.
That morning, somewhere between leaving Garland Ranch and arriving at his destination, he had done a lot of thinking about what he’d heard and seen of Ally with Sean. And he’d finally managed to put all the last of his random quilt pieces into the pattern. He’d finally figured out why he hadn’t let himself trust Ally.
It was all tied up in something he never let himself dwell on.
Feelings.
Feelings about his dad telling him never to come back. Feelings about his mom dying without him ever knowing. Feelings about Elaine deserting both him and Sean. Feelings that made him automatically include Ally in the same category as his ex.
He had been so wrong.
Ally wasn’t at all like Sean’s mother.
He had turned Ally away the time they almost made love—and she stayed to watch the baby. He made love to her then hurt her in the worst way possible—and yet this morning she had come to his rescue. She really did love Sean.
And she really did love him.
Crazy as it seemed, watching her so lovingly dust those knickknacks told him she really wanted to be there for the long haul.
So did he. He’d known that for a while but hadn’t been able to admit it to himself.
Ally had been cool to him at the Hitching Post. Seeing her turn now and give him a blank-faced stare told him she was going to be cool to him again.
He’d messed up, hurt her, refused to believe her when she said she loved him. Rejected her after she had given him the gift of herself.
All along, she had been the one trying to win him. Now he had to apologize and win her, or he was going to lose her forever.
“Hey,” he said, “I’m home.” Yeah, great start.
“I noticed,” she said.
“It’s getting late. It’s Friday. You probably have somewhere else you want to be tonight.”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t.”
“Then maybe there’s someone else you want to be with tonight.”
She said nothing. He lost his breath, the way he had that time a wild kick on the football field sent a ball right to his chest. Only that didn’t hurt as much as this did.
He glanced down at Sean and thought again of how much Ally loved his son. And how much she loved him.
Ally watched Reagan watching Sean. Her heart hurt and her feelings were all jumbled up, and she wanted to go to Reagan and tell him that no, there was no one else she wanted to be with tonight but the two of them.
She had already done her best, already given everything she could give. But she believed in herself and knew her love would win out over her pride. She wouldn’t walk away tonight without telling Reagan again that she loved him. Because she did and always would.
But he needed to trust his feelings. To trust her.
And so, for flirty, chatty, teasing Ally, staying quiet right now was the biggest challenge she had ever faced. But she did it. Because she knew love could also win out over fear.
She dropped the dust cloth on the shelf and took a seat in the chair facing the door. Facing Reagan.
He brushed his son’s hair with his fingertips. Then he took a seat on the couch. “I’m glad you could watch Sean today.”
“You said that this morning.”
“And I’m still glad.”
She nodded.
“You’re quiet tonight,” he said.
“I can be when I want to be.”
“So I’ve seen. You can be anything you want to be.” He smiled. “And I can talk when I have to. When I need to. And I need to now. Ally...I’m sorry for acting like an ass this week, last week and ever since I got back. I’ve been gun-shy with you because of what happened with Sean’s mother. And I have to confess, I used Sean as my excuse not to get involved with you.”
She hadn’t expected that. “Why?”
“Because I told myself I didn’t want any short-term relationships or to have Sean get close to any women who wouldn’t stick around. And while that’s part of it, I realized there’s more.” He fiddled with a pile of magazines she had brought with her and left on the coffee table.
When the pile slipped from his hands to the floor, she swallowed the smile that hadn’t yet made it to her lips. She went to kneel beside the coffee table to help him pick up the magazines. It reminded her of the day she had knelt beside him when he had unpacked the box from his mama.
As if he might have remembered that, too, he took her hand and waited until she rose to sit beside him. She would swear his fingers trembled for just a moment. Seeing him drop the magazines had already shown her how nervous he was. Reagan Chase never fumbled a ball.
She knew how hard it would be for him to share whatever he told her next.
She squeezed his hand.
He returned the pressure. “I didn’t want to get close enough to another woman—to making a commitment again with another woman—only to have her walk away from my son. Or from me.” He shook his head. “I think now I reacted to that the way my dad reacted to me, lashing out, feeling hurt pride, feeling rejected.”
“I wouldn’t have rejected you. I told you how I felt.”
“I know you did. But I was...hell, I don’t like to say the word, but I was afraid. Was afraid. I’m not anymore, Ally.” He took her hand in both of his and pressed it gently between his palms. “I see how much you love my son. And how much you love me. I’d be a fool to give up a chance to be with the woman who has always loved me.”
“Trust me,” she said. “We’re all fools sometimes.”
“I do trust you. And I know you’re one smart woman. You were right that night at the Cantina—I didn’t want you with that cowboy. Because seeing you with him made me realize how close I might be coming to losing you. That’s the last thing I want.” He squeezed her hand between his. “I want you, Ally.”
“Which me?” she asked archly, trying to hide her own sudden nerves. Reagan wanted her...but that could mean so many things.
He laughed. “I want both sides of you, Ally. The sexy, flirty woman in the bright colors who always makes me laugh. The one who knows how to get me hot, and who has me head over heels for her because I know, deep down, there’s another side of her that’s shy about many things.”
He smiled and tugged gently on her braid. “And I want the quiet, shy woman who listens and understands and offers heartfelt advice but doesn’t judge. The one who gets me hot, too, because I know what she’s like when we’re alone together.” He leaned closer to whisper into her ear, “And it’s damned sure not shy.”
She laughed, even as heat flooded through her.
He wrapped his arm around her and held her close. “But mostly, Ally, I want all of you. The whole package. The sexy, flirty, quiet, shy, loving woman who had the patience to wait long enough for me to come to my senses. The woman who stole my heart and my son’s.
“That night at the Cantina,” he added, “you said I couldn’t even tell you I cared. You were right. I couldn’t. I don’t mean I didn’t care, but that I couldn’t say the words. Now I’m saying it. I care about you, Ally. I love you.”
A tear spilled down her cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb. Then he tilted her chin up and kissed her once, gently. “I’m glad you waited for me. I’m glad you never gave up.”
“I couldn’t,” she said simply. “I’ve always loved you.” She smiled through fresh tears. “And in case you’re wondering, my heart has always been yours and Sean’s to keep.”
Epilogue
Four months later
From the corner of the Hitching Post’s dining room, Reagan watched his wife flit around the room like a butterfly in her brightly colored dress. She was Ally today, as she was every day. Just Ally. A mix of many different women, and all of them his.
“That’s some wife you’ve got there,” Jed said to him.
“You’re right about that.” He had quit his job and come back home to run the ranch—where he and Ally would live and raise their kids. They had gotten married right here in the hotel last month, and the legal papers were in the works for Ally to officially adopt Sean.
He never would have guessed a few months back that his life could have changed this much this quickly. He had a few suspicions about how that had happened.
He looked at Jed. “I guess it’s about time I thank you for the matchmaking services. You did a great job. There’s just one thing I still don’t understand. None of the folks at our wedding had ever heard about my place being up for sale this summer.”
Jed frowned. “You don’t say.”
“I do say.” He lowered his voice. “You never spread the word about the ranch, did you?”
“Well...” His old friend smiled. “The truth is, Reagan, you belong here in Cowboy Creek. Your folks thought so, too. They’d be happy with the way things have turned out.”
He looked away. “I don’t know. My dad...when I left...”
Jed rested a hand on his shoulder. “Your dad was a stubborn man at times, but he confessed to me he’d let his pride get in the way in that situation. He regretted what happened as much as you did and probably more. All you can do now is raise your kids on your ranch and pass on the good memories you have about your folks.”
Unable to answer, Reagan simply nodded.
Ally came up to them and handed Sean to Reagan. Smiling, she said, “And what are you two talking about over here that has you both looking so solemn?”
He slipped his arm around her and kissed first his wife, then his son. “We were trying to figure out who Jed can match up next.”
She looked at Jed reproachfully. “I thought you had saved the best for last! But you’re still going to be at it, aren’t you?”
“Well...” He gestured around them. Many of the couples in the dining room were together thanks to him. “Never say never.” He shrugged. “Besides, you just can’t argue with success.”
* * * * *
If you loved this novel, don’t miss Barbara White Daille’s other books in THE HITCHING POST HOTEL miniseries:
THE COWBOY’S LITTLE SURPRISE
A RANCHER OF HER OWN
THE LAWMAN’S CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL
COWBOY IN CHARGE
THE COWBOY’S TRIPLE SURPRISE
Available now from Harlequin Western Romance!
Keep reading for an excerpt from THE COWBOY’S ACCIDENTAL BABY by Marin Thomas.
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The Cowboy’s Accidental Baby
by Marin Thomas
Chapter One
“You ever seen a cowboy ride a bull, sweetheart?” Gunner Hardell winked at the sassy redhead he was flirting with Saturday afternoon in the Gold Buckle Bar
—the best cowboy saloon in Mesquite, Texas.
“No.” Eyes as big as the Lone Star State and brown as the muddy Rio Grande blinked at Gunner.
“Well, Pa...” Dang, what was her name? Patricia... Patsy... Pamela? “You’re in for a real treat because—”
“Hardell, I got ten bucks that says you won’t make it to eight.”
The redhead forgotten, Gunner spun and grinned at the cowboy striding his way. “Watch and weep, Johnson.” He crossed the squishy mat and made a big production of circling Diablo, the infamous bucking machine. The bar had purchased the mechanical bull a while ago, but Gunner had yet to test it out.
“Be careful!” Redhead whatever-her-name-was called out.
Johnson mimicked the buckle bunny and male chuckles erupted, but Gunner paid no mind. His competition was just jealous that the prettiest, sexiest girls gravitated toward him. While his buddies practiced their macho swaggering walks and sulky expressions, Gunner smiled and treated the barflies like ladies, endearing himself to the opposite sex. The young women competed to be Gunner’s one and only, but none had convinced him to trade in his bachelorhood for a pair of matching wedding bands.
Gunner eyed the bucking machine. After he’d entered the bar earlier, he’d hidden in the shadows and watched the big shots take turns on the ride. The bull was a far cry from a real one, but it snorted smoke and challenged the most athletic cowboys with three riding levels—easy, medium and insane. The GoPro camera that came with the machine displawyed each ride on the high-definition video screens throughout the bar and Gunner couldn’t wait to see how good he looked on TV.
“What’ll it be, Hardell? Easy or insane?”
“You have to ask, Tex?”
The machine operator spoke into the microphone. “Gather round, folks, ’cause Gunner Hardell picked insane!”
The onlookers chanted, “Insane! Insane! Insane!”
Cowboys—the real ones and the wannabes—circled the mat and money exchanged hands.
The Rancher's Baby Proposal Page 18