She caught him staring on her return trip to the living room, a glass in each hand. He supposed it was bound to happen, and smiled guiltily. A cool nod was her only response.
Apparently he was still in the doghouse.
It had been his intention to smooth things over with Vi, but unfortunately, there hadn’t been much chance to talk after she met him at the ranch—twelve forty-five on the dot, not a minute before. First, Raquel was there, hustling and bustling about in preparation for the dinner party. Either she didn’t know what was in store for her with Cole’s mother, or she did know and was using the overambitious dinner as a distraction.
Second—and this Cole didn’t notice until they were just outside the apartment—Vi was extremely anxious at the prospect of meeting his mother. Not the best time to bring up their earlier awkward parting.
He would, however, find an opportunity later tonight. If she was still willing. She may have changed her mind, and it would be his fault. She’d been feeling vulnerable and needing him to reassure her. Instead, he’d choked.
What a loser. His grandfather would be ashamed of him. He’d holler at Cole and remind him that he’d been raised better. Hell, Cole was ashamed of himself.
He and Vi were having a baby. He cared about her. He thought—no, knew—she was the kind of woman he could love. Putting his child first was the right thing to do, which included marrying the mother.
Yet he held back, doubting himself and his abilities to be a good husband and father. He had a job with no salary, and if he stayed in Mustang Valley, his only other prospect was training ponies for pennies and mustangs for free.
Returning to California, assuming Vi would go with him, might be an option, but he refused to mooch off his mother and his grandparents. At least at Dos Estrellas he was pulling his weight and contributing his fair share. At his grandfather’s, he’d be given a pity job, one he didn’t really want, and which would likely send one of his grandfather’s workers to the unemployment line.
Rodeo seemed to be the only viable option, but even that was limited. Eventually, Cole would be getting too old to compete at a level where he could make decent money. He was also sorely out of practice, not having stepped in the arena since last November.
His situation could and would change if Josh and Gabe bought out his share of the ranch. Except they were as broke as he was.
Every direction he turned, he was met with a brick wall. How could he ask Vi to marry him when he had no real prospects? She was better off without him.
Again Cole heard his grandfather ranting and raving, accusing him of making excuses. The old man was right.
“Cole, don’t just stand there,” his mother insisted. “Come sit with us. I haven’t seen you in ages.”
She motioned to the already crowded couch. With one grandchild on each side of her and Josh perched on the arm next to Kimberly, that left only a small space at the other end.
Cole resisted at first. His mom was setting the stage. She liked being the center of attention, which having her family surrounding her would accomplish. In her defense, it couldn’t be easy having both her sons move to another state at the same time and Josh taking her grandchildren with him.
“Sure.” Cole squeezed in beside Nathan.
“Uncle Cole, this is my gramma.” He pointed at his grandmother.
“Yes. And she’s also my mother.”
“Your mother?” The boy took several seconds to assimilate the information, glancing back and forth between the two adults. “You have a mother?”
“I do. And she’s your dad’s mother, too.”
The little boy slapped his cheeks with his hands, and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head.
Everyone laughed, Cole’s mother most of all. He relaxed. Maybe today would go better than he and Josh had anticipated. Her grandchildren’s antics seemed to be softening her up. Plan A in operation.
“Did you get checked into the inn?” Cole asked.
Josh, Cara and the kids had picked her up from the airport and brought her to the ranch.
“Yes.” She pinched Kimberly’s chin affectionately while answering. “Maybe you can take me back tonight. If you don’t mind.”
“I, um...” Cole shot Vi a look.
“Don’t tell me you’re busy,” his mother complained. “I miss you.”
Vi’s pointed stare said, Take her to the inn.
“’Course I will.”
“Oh, good.” His mother smiled.
Cole tried not to feel resentful or believe that his mom had orchestrated the entire exchange simply to satisfy her whims. He did love her and wanted to spend time with her. She just wasn’t the easiest person to get along with.
“Miranda,” Cara intervened, “do you have any idea what you’d like to do tomorrow?”
She sat across from Cole in one of the two dining chairs that had been brought into the living room for extra seating. Vi sat nearer to Josh, and Cole tried to recall if she’d chosen that chair intentionally.
“I’d love a tour of the town,” his mother answered. “I’m sure a lot has changed since I was last here. Maybe we could have lunch at the Cowboy Up Café. I noticed when we drove by that it’s still open. Anything, really, as long as we take the children.”
She gave each one a loving squeeze, stopping only when they giggled.
“Josh.” Cara turned to him. “I have an idea. Maybe your mother would like to see the house we’re renting. I’m sure the landlord won’t mind. I can call him and ask if he’ll meet us with the key.”
“What do you think, Mom?” Josh asked.
“If that’s want you want.” She couldn’t sound less enthused. “But what about the children?”
“They can come. They’ve been before.”
“All right.” She sighed, as if seeing the house would be a huge concession on her part.
Cara fidgeted, and Cole felt sorry for her. She and Vi, who also appeared uncomfortable, had a lot to contend with, being members of the Dempsey clan. He said nothing, certain if he spoke his mind, his mother would retaliate.
“We could visit the mustang sanctuary,” Cara said.
“Good idea.” Cole thought the suggestion an excellent one. As a fellow horsewoman, his mother would appreciate all that Cara had done.
Or perhaps not.
“Maybe.” Again, Miranda’s tone reflected disinterest.
A thought struck Cole, one he hadn’t considered before. Was his mother nervous about the upcoming dinner party with Raquel and Gabe? Could that account for her negativity? The more Cole thought about it, the more convinced he became that he was right.
“You must be looking forward to moving.” Cole’s mother surveyed the small apartment, her pinched features conveying her disdain.
“I am.” Cara placed a hand to her chest. “Though I love this place.”
“You lived here before Josh moved in, didn’t you?”
“Yes. With my son.”
“I’m truly sorry.” For the first time since she arrived, Miranda expressed kindness to someone other than her grandchildren.
“It was hard to lose him, and I’ll always miss him.”
“No one ever recovers completely from the death of a child.”
“You’re right.” Cara smiled warmly at Nathan and Kimberly. “I’m grateful for these two. They’ve helped fill the holes in my heart.”
It was sweet of her to say—and completely the wrong thing. Cole’s mother instantly stiffened. Did she think she was being pushed aside in her grandchildren’s lives in order to make room for Cara?
Cole wanted to stand up and shout, “You’re wrong!” Again he refrained, but it was getting harder.
“I really don’t know why you two are renting a house,” his mother said, “when you could move back to California. Wou
ldn’t that make more sense?”
“I can’t leave the ranch.” Josh pushed himself up from the couch arm and raked his fingers through his hair, something he tended to do when he was angry or frustrated.
Cole wished he could exercise the same kind of restraint. He tended to vent by causing trouble or taking unnecessary risks, a lot of those on the back of a bull or bucking bronc.
“Why not?” his mother demanded. “You hated the ranch, as I recall.”
“Not anymore,” Josh said.
“Well, that’s an about-face.”
“There’s also the mustang sanctuary. Cara has invested a lot of time and effort into it. She has a brand-new equine therapy program that’s growing weekly and making a real name for itself. She can’t bail now. There’s no one else to run it.”
“I suppose.”
Both children had started to get restless. They were in good company, Cole thought.
Nathan climbed down from the couch and went straight to Josh, pulling on his shirt. “I hungry, Daddy.”
Josh patted his head. “We’re eating soon.”
Not soon enough. Cole hoped they all survived until the dinner.
“There are wild mustangs in California, too,” his mother said. “You could move the sanctuary there.”
Would she ever give it a rest?
“We’re not moving,” Josh said. “Besides, I happen to enjoy ranching, and as it turns out, I’m pretty good at it.”
“Like your father.”
Josh laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Hmm.”
Cole wouldn’t have thought it possible, but his mother actually turned up her nose.
What would she say if she knew Josh and Gabe wanted to buy out Cole’s share? He hadn’t told her yet, feeling it was Josh’s place. Now, he was glad he’d kept his mouth shut.
His mother deftly changed the subject. “Violet, tell me. Are you also from the area?”
“No. I grew up in Seattle. Found my way here ten years ago by accident and stayed.”
Cole gave Vi credit; she was handling his mom like a pro.
“Pregnancy suits you. You’re very pretty.”
Vi blushed at his mother’s complement, and Cole wished he was sitting next to her.
“I have another ultrasound scheduled in two weeks. I’m hoping the doctor will be able to tell us the sex of the baby, though it’s a little early.”
Cole blinked. He wasn’t sure which took him further aback—that Vi had an ultrasound scheduled she hadn’t told him about or her use of the word us.
“Son, if you don’t mind me asking...” His mother leaned forward. “How are you going to support the baby? From what Josh says, you two aren’t drawing salaries from the ranch.”
Had she really just asked that?
Vi also waited for him to answer. Cole ground his teeth together. He didn’t need to be grilled in front of an audience.
“Mom.” Josh’s warning was unmistakable.
“It’s a reasonable question,” she protested.
“And none of your business.”
She ignored Josh. “You should come home to California, Cole. You have a job waiting for you there.”
Now she was manipulating him, having failed with Josh. Cole wanted to be angry. He was angry, but at himself more than his mother, as she was echoing his own sentiments and doubts.
“I’m not moving, either,” he said.
“Bring Violet and the baby with you.”
“Ma’am,” Vi interrupted. “I can’t leave—”
Cole’s mother cut her off before she could say more. “I told you to call me Miranda.”
“Miranda.” Vi drew in a breath. “Mustang Valley is my home.”
“Please say you’ll think about it. I can’t bear not having any of my grandchildren near me.”
Josh went to Cara and placed his hands on the back of her chair. “It’s almost two. Raquel will be ringing the dinner bell any minute.”
Cara stood and said brightly, “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m getting hungry.”
A party. In the house where Cole’s mother once lived. Where his father’s long-time companion now resided with her grown son. Cole gave it ten minutes at most before all hell broke loose.
As they walked down the stairs, she held Nathan’s hand. “Josh, who watches the children while you work?”
Cara hurriedly jumped in with an answer. “I do, a lot of the time.”
“What about when you’re at the sanctuary?”
“We have a babysitter,” Josh said, not admitting it was Raquel who watched the kids most days.
One by one, they reached the ground floor. The short walk to the house passed pleasantly enough. Then, right on schedule, just as they entered the house through the kitchen door, the moment Cole had been dreading came.
Nathan ran ahead of everyone and straight for Raquel, calling, “Abuela!”
Cole’s mother’s lips thinned to a flat line and her eyes burned with fury. She spoke enough Spanish to recognize the word for grandmother.
* * *
COLE CORNERED VIOLET in the hallway outside the kitchen as she returned from the restroom. Everyone else was in the living room, except for Raquel and Cara. Violet had been helping them set up the dining room when she suddenly needed to excuse herself, an occurrence happening more and more frequently of late.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” he said.
“Not at all. Raquel needed a hand.”
He was right, of course. Vi had been avoiding him.
“I’m sorry about my mom.”
She shrugged. It wasn’t Cole’s fault the visit in the apartment had been awful. But while Miranda’s behavior was inexcusable, she’d asked some important questions. Ones Violet also wanted answered.
He moved closer. “At least she’s behaving so far.”
“Thank goodness.” Violet strived to keep her voice light. In actuality, her emotions were running high. It had been that kind of day.
Miranda had practically unraveled when Nathan called Raquel abuela. Apparently, however, she’d refused to give Raquel the satisfaction of a response, and had quickly collected herself. The remnants of her fury were still present, though, in the cool way she treated the other woman.
Violet’s parents were also in a snit. They’d arrived a short while ago, her mother agitated and her father grim-faced. They did manage to put on a good front with the rest of the guests—especially Cara’s parents, who were lovely—while bickering and exchanging digs when they thought no one was looking or listening.
The only really happy people in the room were Raquel and Reese’s father, Theo, who both seemed unaware of the tension simmering beneath the surface.
“Your mom hasn’t stopped talking about the baby,” Cole said to Violet.
“Do you mind?” Now that she’d officially passed the twelve-week mark, she felt ready to talk with people.
“Are you kidding?” Cole grinned. “Bring it on.”
“Really?”
“I may not have this all figured out yet, but that doesn’t mean I’m not excited.”
She’d trust his answer more if not for the glaring lack of a twinkle in his eyes.
“Is your mom always so direct?”
“Always. Especially when she’s on a mission.” His grin faded. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“I can understand. She’s probably lonely.”
“Enough about my mother.” He lowered his head until his mouth was level with Violet’s ear. Before today, she’d have turned to him for a kiss. But not here and not now. “Are we still on for later? This shindig should be over by four.”
She was the one who’d wanted to have a con
versation with him. Still, she hesitated. “You promised to drive your mom to the inn.”
“That’ll take a half hour tops.”
“She wants to visit with you and mine wants to take me shopping.”
“Maternity clothes?” His glance traveled to her middle.
Violet couldn’t help herself and laughed. It felt good after the past exhausting ninety minutes. “Shoe shopping. For her. As if she needs more shoes.” Violet sobered. “It’s really an excuse. I’m sure she wants to talk about Dad and the divorce. She’s convinced he’s trying to deprive her of her rightful share. I’m pretty sure she’s buying up everything in sight before the accountants finish with the audit.”
“Audit? Of what?”
“Their marital assets.” Violet raised a hand. “Please don’t ask me. The whole thing just boggles my mind.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie.”
He hadn’t used any terms of endearment since the day they’d rushed to the hospital. Then, he’d been trying to calm her fears.
Today, however, he said the word softly, with affection. She discovered she longed to hear it again in a far more private setting.
“Hey, you two, hurry up.” Raquel poked her head around the corner. “We’re ready to eat.”
“Here goes nothing,” Cole said.
Violet met his intimate gaze. All at once, her reservations and her irritation melted away. He was once again the man she’d fallen for.
Because there were too many of them to sit at the dining room table, Raquel had opted for a serve-and-seat-yourself buffet. She’d spared nothing, and the spread of food was fit for a king.
The only exception was the children. They sat at a child-size table Josh had purchased secondhand a few weeks ago. Normally, it was kept in the kitchen. Today Raquel had relocated it to the dining room.
Violet had always wanted a table and chairs like that for her own children.
Children? She hadn’t yet had this baby, and she was already thinking ahead to another one. With Cole? She studied him from a distance—and was promptly cut short when Reese accosted her.
“I’m so excited for you.” Reese grabbed her and hugged her. “I just had to tell you again.”
“She’s good at keeping a secret.” Cara came over to join them, leveling a finger at Violet. “That’s for sure.” She’d known about the baby only because Josh had spilled the beans.
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