by Rita Herron
“Glad to do it. I talked to Dr. Epstein, too. Your job is safe, Jessica.”
A long silence dawned between them, filled with tension.
“I’d like to stay and talk, but I have to catch a plane.” Ty shifted, jamming his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “My Pa Cooper had a heart attack.”
Jessica’s breath caught. “Oh, Ty, I’m so sorry. Is he—”
“Dex says he’s okay, but I need to be there. The family and all…”
“Of course, I’m sure they miss you.”
Ty shrugged. “There’ll be some explaining to do.”
He looked so lost, those dark eyes gazing at her hungrily, begging for understanding, filled with worry, and such confusion that Jessica ached to reach out and touch him, to comfort him and tell him what he wanted to hear.
His confession of love still echoed in her mind.
But she couldn’t give him all those babies he wanted. And in spite of the fact that he’d lied about his identity, deep down she knew Ty Cooper was a good man. A man of his word. A keeper.
Only she had to let him go.
So, she said nothing.
“Jess, I’d like to talk to you later—”
“There’s nothing else to say, Ty. I hope your grandfather is okay.” Thrusting up her chin, she turned and walked away, forcing herself not to look back or to think about the pain she’d seen in his eyes. She should have been grateful he’d managed to help her keep her job.
Instead, it was a silent victory. Because for once in her life, she wanted something even more than she wanted her work.
She wanted Ty.
TY’S PLANE wasn’t due to leave for three hours, but he saw no need to stick around the hospital or to return to the Montgomerys, so he took a cab to Hartsfield Airport, remembering the last time he’d been there—when Jessica had picked him up in Nellie.
He’d come to Atlanta hoping to reconcile his past and his two divided families, but he was leaving with a trampled heart and a family more divided than ever.
He should feel good that he’d tried, but a deep sense of failure weighed on him. Like the dreamer Gran called him, he’d wanted everything to work out.
Suddenly a horn blared and a dark Cadillac cut the cab driver off. The cabby cursed and swerved, barely avoiding a fire hydrant, then squealed to an abrupt stop with the front wheels on the curb.
“What the hell?”
He turned in shock to see George helping his grandmother Montgomery from the Cadillac.
“Oh, no, these crazy people are going to rob us!” the cabby muttered in broken English.
“It’s all right,” Ty said. “I know these people.” His grandmother’s diamonds glittered in the sunlight as she waved a frail hand. “Can you wait a minute?”
The driver pointed to the escalating numbers. “It’ll cost you.”
“No problem,” his grandmother bellowed. “Just hold on.”
Anxiety knotted his chest as he climbed out and faced George and his grandmother. Something must have happened for them to run him off the road. “What’s wrong?”
A sheepish grin tugged at George’s face. “Sir, your grandmother needed to speak with you.”
Ty’s eyebrows shot up. “Did something happen to Grandfather? Have you heard from the Coopers?” God, no, had Pa Cooper’s condition worsened? Was he too late?
“Relax, son.” Grandmother Montgomery laid a gentle hand on his arm. “Everyone’s fine. But there’s something I have to tell you before you go.”
“What is it, Grandmother?”
“Your grandfather was wrong about that nice Jessica Stovall. I spent some time with her at the barbecue and she’s a fine young woman.”
Ty chewed the inside of his cheek. “Yes, she is.”
“She’s a special lady you’ve got there.”
“She’s not my lady.”
“What are going to do about it?”
He swallowed. “About what?”
“About the two of you.” She clucked her teeth. “I saw the way she looked at you that day at the barbecue, and I saw the way you looked at her.”
“It’s over, Grandmother.”
George’s smile faded. “But, sir—”
“I asked her to marry me,” Ty blurted. “But she refused. The idea of ranch life didn’t appeal to her.”
“Nonsense,” his grandmother whispered. “That girl is in love with you. She’s just upset right now.”
“You love her, don’t you, Mr. Ty?” George asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” Ty said, heat climbing his neck.
George made that infuriating tssking sound. “Of course, it does, sir.”
His grandmother took his face between her hands, her eyes gazing into his. “Yes it does matter. I was wrong in not supporting your father when he wanted to marry Tara. I won’t stand by and let you make the same mistake by leaving the woman you were meant to be with behind. Especially if you’re leaving her because Charles made suspicious of her.”
Ty’s heart flip-flopped. “I appreciate that, Grandmother, but I told you, Jessica—”
“—loves you,” his grandmother said with conviction.
“No, she might love Dex, but not Ty Cooper, the rancher.”
“She loves you, Ty. I’ve seen her around Dex and trust me, there was nothing there.” His grandmother grinned. “Sure she’s mad and hurt that you deceived her, but love only comes along once in a lifetime. Don’t throw it away.”
“I’m not. I told you she refused my proposal.”
His grandmother worried her bottom lip with her fingers. “Tell me what you said to her.”
Ty reiterated his proposal as best he could remember. “She loves kids, and I promised her we’d have a dozen and she could work at the local hospital.”
“Oh, dear.”
“What?”
His grandmother frowned. “Oh, dear me.”
Ty threw up his hands, totally baffled. “What did I do wrong?”
The cab driver honked, but George wagged a finger at him. “Just hold your horses, mister, we have a crisis!”
Grandmother Montgomery laced both hands around his. “Ty, there’s something you should know. Jessica lost a baby—”
“She told me that,” he said softly.
“But she didn’t tell you the rest, did she?” His grandmother paused, her voice a pained whisper. “That she can’t have children at all.”
Ty’s throat closed. “What?”
His grandmother nodded, a sadness darkening her eyes. “It’s true. She was devastated. I heard it in her voice.”
And her husband left her because of it, Ty realized, nausea rolling in his stomach. And Ty had been so eager to make up to her for lying, to propose, he’d ranted about having a family legacy, about having babies and how his Gran Cooper made each one an afghan. And earlier, he’d told her he’d take care of things if she was pregnant. He’d hoped she was.
“Oh, God.” He dropped his head forward, knowing he must have hurt her terribly, that he’d added salt to the wounds he’d already inflicted and to the ones she’d suffered from her first marriage. No wonder she didn’t want to talk to him. “I really screwed up.”
His grandmother pressed her forehead against his, once again cradling his face in her hands. “I understand the fact that she can’t have children hurts, but if you love her enough, son, you can work it out.”
It did hurt to know she couldn’t have children, that they could never have a baby of their own, yet there were other ways…
Ty’s gaze met hers, hers full of wisdom and love. George nodded his agreement. “I say, go get ’em, cowbo
Ty suddenly smiled. He had no idea how he would fix things, but he was damn well going to try. After all a man’s woman was more important than his horse.
And he’d die for his horse.
JESSICA PATTED Sundance’s flanks, kicked her heels and breathed in the fresh country air as she rode across the pasture toward the pond. Tears stung her cheeks w
ith the breeze, the sunlight fading over the horizon casting murky shadows over the land, the darkness mirroring her own gray mood.
Ty was probably on a plane now, headed back to Montana. Back to his family and his life. Maybe he’d find another woman to share it with.
She fought against the jealousy that thought evoked, a little voice inside her head whispering that he deserved someone else. Someone who wasn’t a coward.
She had been furious with him for lying to her.
Yet hadn’t she lied to him?
She’d been so caught up in her own pain that she hadn’t trusted him with the truth about why she didn’t want to talk to him. And she’d had plenty of chances.
But could she overcome her fear of rejection?
Sundance whinnied and trotted around the pond, the ducks diving for food rearing their heads at the sound. She patted the gelding and pulled on the reins, coaxing him to slow down.
If she had trusted Ty, would things have worked out differently?
TY’S HEART RACED as George drove him to Jessica’s house, but she wasn’t home, so they flew to the hospital, but she had already gone, so next he tried the stables. If she wasn’t here, he had no idea where to look for her.
If he didn’t find her soon and talk to her, he would miss his plane.
But he couldn’t leave without talking to her one last time. She was nothing like Paula. She might have said she couldn’t live on a ranch, but he didn’t believe her. He’d seen her at the stables, seen her with all kinds of people. Jessica could get along anywhere with anybody. Mercy Hospital back home could use a good pediatrician. Hell, the Coopers could use one with all their grandchildren.
“There, that’s Nellie,” Ty shouted.
George quirked a brow. “Nellie?”
Ty grinned. “Yeah, Nellie’s her car. Pull over by the barn.”
George nodded and steered the car down the graveled drive, stopping in front of the barn.
“Go get her, son.” his grandmother said.
Ty grinned. “Thanks, Grandmother. George.”
George raised a brow. “We’ll wait in the car.”
“The stable owner just had a baby, Grandmother,” Ty said. “You might want to go inside and visit. I…I might be a while.
His grandmother’s eyes lit up. “Goodness, yes.” She waved a frail hand at George. “Help me out of here, George.”
George rushed to her aid, and Ty took off for the stable.
“Is Jessica Stovall here?” he asked the stable-hand.
The old man nodded. “She took Sundance off about an hour ago.”
Ty exhaled in relief, then commandeered a horse and rode off after her. He knew where she would be without even thinking about it. Out by the lake where they’d made love.
A few minutes later, he found her. She’d dismounted and sat down on the hill by the lake, her knees drawn up, her head dropped forward against them. He shoved a lock of hair from his forehead, his heart clenching when she lifted her head and he saw the tears in her eyes.
She looked so lost. So utterly alone. He remembered all she’d told him about her mother’s illness. Her father leaving her when she was two. Then the loss of her baby.
How was he ever going to convince her that nothing mattered except the fact that they loved each other when he had already told so many lies?
Chapter Twenty-One
Jessica’s heart constricted when she saw Ty ride toward her. His gaze trapped hers and she froze, unable to do anything but watch him dismount, tie the black horse to the tree beside Sundance and walk toward her. Every cell in her body ached to rush toward him, but that paralyzing fear she’d lived with since her divorce immobilized her.
“I thought you’d gone,” she whispered, the tension so thick she could hardly hear the water lapping against the banks over the drumming beat of her heart in her ears.
“I had something I had to do first.”
Her heart stopped beating for a fraction of a second while she waited.
His boots brushed the blades of grass as he walked toward her. Without hesitating, he folded her hand in between his and urged her to stand.
“Ty, I can’t—”
“Shh.” He pressed a gentle fingertip to her lips to silence her, then gently gripped her arms. “I love you, Jessica, and I’m not accepting any excuses this time.”
She clamped her teeth over her bottom lip.
“I realize I lied to you and that it may take time for you to forgive me.”
Didn’t he know she already had?
“But we can get past it.” He lowered his voice. “We can get past anything, Jess, I love you that much.”
She shook her head and started to turn away, the agony of seeing him again choking her, but he caught her face in his hands.
“I know you lost the baby,” he said quietly, “and I know the rest.”
Shock stole the air from her lungs.
“I’m sorry, Jess. Sorry for the pain, sorry your first husband didn’t understand, that he hurt you, but I’m not him.”
“It wasn’t his fault—” she began.
“I don’t want to talk about him.” He cut her off with a dark look. His heart was pounding. “I love you, Jess, nothing else matters.”
Her chin quivered. “How can you honestly say that? You wanted a legacy. Of course it matters.”
He thought about her question a long time before he answered. “Okay, I asked you to trust me once, and I lied about my identity. I’m asking you to trust me this time, so I won’t lie to you.” His voice grew thick. “Yes, it hurts to hear that you can’t have children.”
She gripped his hands and tried to tear them away from her face.
He shook his head and caught her hands, squeezing them tightly in his and forcing her to look into his eyes. “But it hurts because I know how painful it must be for you. You’re the most tender, caring woman I’ve ever known, and you should have children. You’ll make a wonderful mother.”
“That’s not going to happen, Ty.”
“Maybe not the normal way,” he said softly. “But there are other ways, Jess. We can adopt.”
She couldn’t believe what he was saying.
“You may think that now, Ty,” she said, her voice breaking, “but you’d change—”
“No.” He suddenly released her, reached inside his wallet and flipped open a handful of pictures. “See these guys here, that’s Court and Chad, my brothers.”
“You told me you have a big family, that you want lots of kids, boys to help on the ranch—”
“Court and Chad are my adopted brothers, Jess.” His voice rang with conviction. “But I love them. And I love their kids. And those children at the hospital, hell, I love them, too, and they’re not my blood.” His voice grew fiercer. “Being a Cooper isn’t about blood anyway, Jess, it’s about attitude and family and hanging together in the good times and the bad.”
A tear drifted down Jessica’s cheek, then another. She’d never known a family like his. “Oh, Ty. But you shouldn’t have to settle—”
“I wouldn’t be settling.” Anger flared in his eyes. “And regardless of your jerk of an ex-husband’s attitude about life, I don’t have to impregnate you like some damn bull to prove I’m a man.” He pulled her into his arms, refusing to release her when she resisted. When he had her settled comfortably within the cradle of his thighs, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Cowboys aren’t animals like you may have heard.”
Ty smiled. “And just so you know, cowboys don’t carve notches on our bedposts or refer to our women as fillies.” He brushed his lips across her cheek. “I love you and I’d only be settling if I married someone else. Because y’re the one I want.”
More tears welled in Jessica’s eyes, but this time they were tears of joy. “Oh, Ty, I…”
He traced his finger along the curve of her jaw, his eyes pleading. “Say it, Jess.”
She closed her eyes and sighed, then opened them and saw the truth in his eyes
. There was no longer any reason to doubt, to fear, to hide.
And there were no more lies.
“I love you, Ty.”
Ty stroked the soft indentation of her spine. “Then please, please, Jess, put me out of misery and say you’ll marry me.”
“I love you, Ty.” She grinned and slid her fingers to the top button of his shirt and flipped it open. “And yes, I’ll marry you.”
He brushed a kiss across her lips. He would do anything to keep this woman. “You’re sure you won’t mind a big family—”
“I’ve always wanted a big family.”
“And you wouldn’t mind living on a ranch? And being a rancher’s wife? ’Cause we could get a house—”
“I love the land, Ty. It’s the only place I feel really at peace.” She kissed him tenderly. “Except for when I’m in your arms.”
“Then make love to me, Sugar.” He nuzzled her neck. “And this time when I’m inside you and you cry out my name, I want to hear you call me Ty.”
GRANDMOTHER MONTGOMERY and George both whooped with joy when Ty and Jessica came riding back and announced their plans.
“Uh, sir,” George tapped his watch, “your plane. We should hurry.”
Ty started. “Oh, right.” He threw his arm around George. “I have a favor, man. Do you think we can call in and get a ticket for Jessica? I want to take her to meet the Coopers.”
George tssked but a smile twitched at his mouth.
“I do have to come back and close up my practice,” Jessica said, rushing to the car with them.
“Get in.” George ordered as Ty helped his grandmother into the front seat. “I’ll phone ahead for an e-ticket.”
Ty thanked him and climbed in with Jessica, and George took off. Forty-five minutes later, Jessica and Ty ran toward the terminal. They had barely stopped at Jessica’s house for her to pack a weekend bag, and she’d phoned to cancel her Friday appointments on the way to the airport.
“Are you sure your family won’t mind me coming with you?” Jessica called as they raced through security.
“No, they’ll love you.”
George had commandeered a wheelchair for Grandmother Montgomery so they could keep up, and was running along behind them, pushing her