The Rancher's Miracle Baby

by April Arrington

  “Alex let us use his room last night.”

  Maxine nodded, then made her way up the front porch, tossing over her shoulder, “Remember what I said about Alex. Don’t let that grouchy facade fool you.”

  Tammy opened the trunk, then jingled the keys in her hand, listening to the birds chirp as her skin absorbed the warmth of the sun. A soft breeze whispered over the tall grass in the field, ruffled through her hair, then scattered leaves around on the front porch. Even with the visible damage from the storm, the grounds were peaceful and welcoming. She could only imagine how beautiful the ranch would be fixed up.

  If she did manage to find Razz, the spacious fields would be a perfect place for the mare to spend a few calm days before returning to the circuit. Her stomach churned at the thought of leaving without knowing what happened to her racing partner. Even if the worst had happened, she’d rather know than not. And the thought of Alex struggling to restore his ranch and take care of Brody alone made her ache.

  Staying would interfere with her plans to spend the month with Jen, but once she explained the situation, surely her best friend would understand. Plus, she couldn’t go anywhere until her truck was fixed. According to Maxine’s estimation, finding a placement for Brody would take two or three weeks at the most. That would still leave one week to help Jen prepare for the wedding.

  Decision made, Tammy shoved the keys in her pocket, shut the trunk and headed for the stable Alex had entered. The scent of honeysuckle lingered on the air and calmed her nerves, spurring her boots across the thick grass to the cool, shaded entrance. The steady pound of a hammer clanged from inside.

  “Alex?”

  She knocked on the wide door. Debris from the storm had battered the shine off the wood, and the hinges squeaked as she shoved it farther to the side. The pounding stopped, and the clicking of claws against hardwood rang out, echoing around the empty building as the puppy barreled around the corner.

  “Hey, buddy.” Tammy petted the dog, then went inside, scanning the line of stalls gracing opposite sides of the building.

  It was a large structure by anyone’s standards, built for forty horses with twenty stalls on either side. She nudged bits of broken wood and twisted metal out of the aisle with the toe of her boot. Scattered patches of sunlight dotted the littered floor, and she looked up, eyeing the jagged holes in the roof.

  “Not a pretty sight, is it?”

  She stopped. Alex emerged from a stall at the end of the aisle, carrying a set of broken stall bars, which he leaned against the wall.

  “It needs some work,” she said.

  He grunted and rolled his thick shoulders. Dust clung to his jeans and T-shirt, casting a gray haze over his brawny build beneath the speckled sunlight. “That’s an understatement.”

  “Maxine brought some supplies for Brody.” Tammy watched the puppy lap water noisily from a metal bowl on the floor, then took a hesitant step forward. “I started thinking that her idea might not be such a bad one.”

  Alex took his hat off and hung it on a broken stall post. She caught herself focusing on the thick waves of his hair and the way the rich, dark strands contrasted with the dusting of silver. Her fingertips yearned to trail through them, and she balled her hands into fists at her sides to fight the urge.

  “I mean, you saved my life,” she continued. “The least I could do is stick around for a little while and help you in return.”

  He didn’t answer. Or ask. Just turned his head and stared at the disarray of the stable.

  “You’ll need an extra hand with Brody around,” she said. “I’m used to hard work, and I wouldn’t mind taking care of Brody and helping out wherever I can. I could help you look for your horses, and hopefully we’ll find Razz, too.”

  Alex looked at her then, his dark five o’clock shadow rippling as his jaw clenched. His eyes were haunted, and exhaustion lined his features.

  Tammy rolled her lips and pressed them together hard, trying her best to ignore the flutter in her belly and the odd desire to move closer. To lean against the muscular wall of his chest and wrap her arms around him.

  “You’d be doing me a favor, too, you know? If I do find Razz, she’ll need a calm place to rest before I take her back out on the road. And I will find her. She’s a strong horse, and I can’t leave without at least knowing—” She cleared her throat and gestured toward the empty stalls. “I can help you get the stable back in working order in exchange for you boarding Razz for a while. Then, maybe by the time my truck is repaired, Brody will have a new home and Razz and I will move on. It’s a win-win situation for us both.”

  A heavy sigh escaped him. “I guess you have a point,” he said, approaching. “And a deal.”

  He held his hand out, the big, tanned palm tilted in an open invitation for hers.

  Tammy tensed, a tight knot forming in her throat. Teddy bear. She uncurled her fist and rubbed her hand over her jeans, recalling Maxine’s words. He’s just a big teddy bear.

  “Deal,” she whispered, slipping her hand into his.

  His palm was rough with calluses, but his long fingers wrapped around her hand, encompassing it in caressing warmth. He squeezed gently, and a delicious shiver of longing traveled through her. The kind of longing that made her want to slide her hand up his wrist, smooth her fingers over his thick biceps and cup his chiseled jaw. To see his tempting mouth stretch into a smile. A real one.

  “Now you’ll have to figure out what to do with me,” she teased. “Seeing as how I’m just a woman and all.”

  His dark brows rose, and his mouth twitched. His lips parted, revealing white teeth and deep dimples. A low rumble escaped him, the sound rich and sincere. It swept through the hollow interior of the stable and the empty space within her, filling both with joy.

  “It’s not broken.”

  His laughter trailed away, confusion marring his features. “What?”

  Tammy froze, realizing she’d voiced the thought aloud. “Your mouth,” she mumbled. “I...I mean your smile. I thought it looked broken yesterday when...” She tugged her hand free of his, face burning as he stared at her. “It’s nothing.”

  He watched her for a moment, then lowered his head and leaned in, stopping when she took a step back. His gray eyes traveled over her face, and that small spark of desire reignited within her. It rushed through her veins, prompting her to lift her chin and present her mouth in an invitation of her own.

  Alex moved closer, his familiar scent surrounding her as his warm lips brushed softly across hers. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she breathed him in, savoring the tenderness of the moment. Wanting to hold on to it. Wanting, for the first time, to hold on to a man.

  But the moment was over.

  The heat of his presence faded, and her eyes sprang open.

  “It’s not broken, baby,” he murmured, easing away. His relaxed expression vanished, and a frown took its place. “But a lot of other things are.”

  The dog whined and leaped at Tammy’s knees, his small body banging against her shins. Seeking a distraction, she knelt on weak legs beside the puppy and stroked his soft fur. The rapid thump of her heart made her catch her breath and her fingers trembled. All sorts of emotions she’d never felt before swirled in her belly and swelled within her chest.

  “It’s not a good idea to get attached to that dog.”

  She looked up. Alex stood at the other end of the aisle, watching the pup.

  His eyes shifted to her, and his voice softened. “Or Brody, for that matter. The wind that blew the three of you in here is gonna carry you all away just as fast in different directions.”

  Alex reentered the stall, and the steady pounding of a hammer resumed.

  “Maybe,” Tammy whispered. Her lips still tingled from his kiss, and she touched her fingertips to them, smiling as the puppy snuggled against her middle
. “But we’re here for now.”

  Chapter Four

  Alex firmed his stance in the bed of his truck and swung the ax hard, grunting with satisfaction at the sharp crack of wood beneath it. The busted branch flopped to the side and slid off the back of the truck’s tailgate to the ground. Each scrape of bark against metal left more scratches than the truck had already suffered, but prying the vehicle free and clearing the fallen tree from the driveway was more important.

  He and Tammy had worked on it yesterday afternoon after Maxine had left, then resumed early this morning after searching for the horses, spending the majority of the day continuing their efforts. With no power and no sign of the horses, there wasn’t much left to do but keep busy and hope for the best.

  “I think it’s safe to say you’ll have enough firewood for the winter,” Tammy said, looking up at him. She grabbed the thick end of the branch and dragged it off the driveway toward the large pile of limbs behind her. “Maybe three winters after you chop up the rest of the downed trees.”

  She dropped the branch, puffed a strand of hair out of her flushed face, then beat her gloved hands together. Dust billowed out, and she coughed, squinting against the low-hanging sun as she surveyed the fields before them.

  Alex followed her gaze and cringed at the jagged line of broken trees on the other side of the grounds. It’d take at least a week to haul off all the fallen limbs. Hell, it’d taken all afternoon to chop up the few in the driveway, and they still weren’t finished.

  Though, he couldn’t say Tammy hadn’t pulled her weight. More than that. She’d chopped, heaved and hauled almost as much wood as he had today. And she hadn’t complained once.

  “Can we get it off the truck now?” Tammy asked, eyeing the tree trunk wedged over the tailgate in front of him. Sweat glistened on her forehead, and she dragged the back of her arm across it. “I know it’s big, but we could tie a rope around it and with the two of us pulling—”

  “No.” Alex shook his head, his eyes drifting to the smooth curves of her lips. “It’s too heavy for dragging and too thick for an ax. We’ll need something stronger to cut it up first.”

  Her hopeful expression dimmed, and her mouth drooped, making him want to lean over, dip his head and place kisses at the corners. Coax and tease until they softened under his. Like yesterday...

  Damn. He tossed the ax into the bed of the truck, swung his leg over the tailgate and hopped down. What the heck was wrong with him? Here he was, a grown man, fixating on a barely there kiss from hours ago with a woman he hardly knew. A woman he’d continued thinking about as he’d fought for sleep last night crammed on the living room couch while she and Brody occupied his bed.

  But he guessed that was what nine years of self-imposed celibacy would do to a man. One touch of her soft palm against his made him ache to feel more. A chaste peck on the lips made him long to explore her mouth to see how sweet she tasted. And an entire day of working alongside her, her lithe movements brushing against him and her rapid breaths close to his ear, kept those unwelcome desires smoldering in his blood.

  He jerked his gloves off, then scrubbed a hand over his face, the sharp scent of sap and pine invading his nostrils. It was just comfort his body was seeking. Something to take his mind off the fact that he’d no longer have Dean and Gloria in his life and how much that hurt.

  The last thing he needed to do was get tangled up with a young barrel racer who’d hightail it back to the interstate in a couple weeks. No matter how much her long legs, soft curves and soul-searching eyes tempted him to—

  Hell, he needed some space. Needed to stretch his legs, fill his lungs with fresh air and clear his head.

  “No, Brody.” Tammy tugged off the baggy gloves he’d loaned her and jogged across the driveway to the lawn.

  Brody stood on one leg in the portable playpen Maxine had provided, holding on to the top edge and attempting to lift his other leg over it. The dog ran in circles around the structure and barked as the boy climbed. Each sharp yelp from the puppy prompted a frustrated wail from Brody.

  “I know,” Tammy soothed, lifting Brody out of the playpen and setting him on his feet. “That thing gets old after a while, doesn’t it?”

  The dog pounced playfully, springing into the air and nipping at the short sleeves of Brody’s shirt. Tammy nudged him off, but the pup persisted, knocking into Brody’s knees and causing the baby to stumble backward.

  “’Bout time I take that dog back to its owner,” Alex said, jumping at the chance to get away for a little while.

  Tammy straightened the small baseball cap on Brody’s head—another gift from Maxine—and pulled him closer to her side. “You know where he came from?”

  “I’ve got a pretty good hunch. There’s a man about a mile up the road that sells Labs. The dog probably wandered off from there. And he might have a chain saw I can borrow to break that tree up into manageable pieces.” Alex threw his gloves onto the pile of wood, grabbed a flashlight from the glove box in his truck, then whistled to get the dog’s attention. “Come on, boy. Let’s go for a walk.”

  The dog joined him, and they made it three feet before Tammy called out, “Wait.”

  Alex stopped and closed his eyes, barely smothering a groan. “Yeah?”

  “We’re coming with you.”

  No. Alex jerked his chin over his shoulder and shook his head. “It’s better if y’all stay here. You and Brody could both use the rest.”

  “I’ve put Brody down for two naps today, and he’s been cooped up in that playpen for the past hour so we could work. He needs some time to play and get some exercise or he won’t sleep a wink tonight.”

  Alex gritted his teeth and tapped the flashlight against his thigh. “Look, it’s two miles there and back. That’s too much for a child Brody’s size, and it’ll be dark by the time I head home. It’ll be faster if I go by myself. Besides, if you stay here, you can keep an eye out for the horses in case they come wandering back.”

  “Or,” Tammy stressed, eyes flashing, “if we go with you, I can help you look for them while we walk. And when Brody gets tired, I’ll carry him.” She straightened and took Brody’s hand. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be an aggravation, but it’s been two days since I’ve seen Razz. I can’t just sit here and twiddle my thumbs when I could be out looking for her. If I do that, I won’t be able to sleep tonight, either.”

  Her chin trembled and his irritation faded, a sudden surge of sympathy warring with his good sense. It must’ve shown on his face, because the tension on hers eased and she smiled.

  “Please, Alex.”

  Ah, hell. Just the sweet way his name rolled off her tongue was enough to tip the scales.

  “All right,” he grumbled. “But stay close and stick to the trail. We’re taking a shortcut that goes near the creek, and there are usually snakes.”

  “Thank you.” She held up her pointer finger and rushed to the front porch, then up the steps. “Just let me grab a couple things real quick. You mind watching Brody for a sec?”

  Alex sighed. No need to answer. She was gone.

  Brody stood silently, staring up at him with a bemused expression. The crooked tilt of the boy’s eyebrows was so similar to Dean’s. Lord, how that lifted his heavy heart and shot a bolt of pain through him at the same time.

  Alex frowned. He’s not Dean. And he’s not staying. He knew he should keep his distance, but his arms yearned to pick the boy up and hug him close.

  “So,” he said, taking a hesitant step toward Brody and holding out his hand. “Ready for this walk? It’s a mighty long way for a little man like you.”

  Brody blinked, blew a raspberry, then took off across the grass, babbling. The dog sprang after him, ears and tail flopping. The pair zigzagged across the lawn and into the backyard before Alex managed to round them up.

  Fifteen
minutes later, they were well on their way up the dirt road. Alex toted the small bag Tammy had packed with diapers and juice, and Tammy guided Brody along the path, keeping him clear of the high grass and deep creek on one side. The sun was strong, hanging low against the horizon, heating their backs and casting a golden glow over the path.

  Tammy stopped twice to whistle for her horse, give Brody juice and wipe the baby’s rosy cheeks with a damp washcloth.

  “If it’s too much, we can go back,” Alex said. “I can make the trip tomorrow morning.”

  “No, we’re fine.” Tammy smiled down at Brody. “Aren’t we?”

  The baby squealed gibberish, then toddled faster up the road after the frolicking puppy.

  “The man we’re going to see,” Tammy said, stooping to steady Brody as he stumbled over a pothole. “What’s his name?”

  “Earl Haggert.” Alex paused, scanned the path for snakes and wondered how much more he should say. “He goes by Old Earl.”

  Tammy laughed. “Old Earl? He actually asks people to call him old?”

  He shrugged. “His age never seemed to bother him.”

  Nor did other people’s reactions to him.

  Alex winced, recalling the first time he and Dean had encountered Old Earl. They’d been nine years old and heard the rumors circulating around school that Old Earl’s property was haunted. That the old man himself was a monster to be feared. And he and Dean had accepted a dare to slip through Earl’s fence, spend the night in his hay field and swipe one of his hand-carved wolves from the front porch as proof they’d been there.

  Only, Old Earl had caught them sneaking up the front steps, and the sight of his damaged face was so unexpected that they’d screamed their heads off and run.

  Alex ducked his head, his face burning. The tales of devils on Earl’s land and the darkness of the night might have heightened his and Dean’s fright, but being young and stupid was no excuse for their rude, insensitive reaction to the man. Neither he nor Dean had been able to face Earl since then.