The Cowboy Lassos a Bride (Cowboys of Chance Creek)

by Cora Seton

  And why had she let herself get attached to Jake, the one man guaranteed to leave her heartbroken? She couldn’t blame anyone else for her predicament. Not even Holt, damn him. He’d started the whole thing off, but he’d told her clearly her job was to prime the pump to get Jake interested in the idea of settling down. Even he had known she wasn’t the right woman for him to settle down with.

  Hannah perched on the motel room bed, her arms wrapped around her stomach. Still in her winter jacket, she was cold down to her bones. Maybe a hot soak would help calm her down. Good thing she wasn’t hungry since she hadn’t eaten dinner and she’d have to go out if she wanted food now. She didn’t think she could face the world tonight, not when all her dreams were crashing down around her head. A bath and bed. That was the best plan. She would try again tomorrow.

  She turned the television on to mask the emptiness of the room, hoping it would mask the emptiness inside her, too. As she walked toward the bathroom she passed the room’s long, low bureau topped with a large mirror. She’d aged ten years in the last hour. Her face was taut with sorrow. Her hair limp. Her body hidden by the thick winter coat. She looked like the kind of woman who lived alone and existed on the margins. The kind who ran to a motel room instead of home to a family when times got tough. She hadn’t had anyone to depend on for a long, long time. This was normal for her. Nothing had changed.

  But something had changed. For one moment she’d let herself imagine a life that contained a husband who loved her. A child. In-laws. A home. All the things she’d never let herself picture before because she couldn’t stand the disappointment if it didn’t work out. She’d set herself up for heartbreak and heartbreak had arrived, right on schedule. The pain of it doubled her over until she wept into her hands.

  When the knock sounded on her door ten minutes later, Hannah didn’t want to answer it, but if the insistent pounding drew her neighbors’ ire she’d have even more fuss to deal with. She dragged herself up off the bed, scrubbed at her face with the arm of her jacket and approached the door cautiously. A glance through the peep hole showed Holt standing outside.

  She rested her forehead against its smooth surface in defeat. “Go away, Holt.”

  “I’m not leaving until you let me in.”

  She knew him well enough now to know he’d make good on his threat. Taking a deep breath, she opened it. Shrugging out of her jacket finally, she tossed it on the bed and faced him.

  “What do you want?”

  “I think the real question is, what do you want?” He kept his coat on and stood near the door, his tall, broad frame taking up all too much space in the room.

  “I don’t have the energy for games tonight.” She felt raw and tired—too tired for this conversation.

  Holt peered at her and she knew he was taking in her reddened eyelids and splotchy face. “There’s no baby, is there?”

  A sob rose in her throat again. She forced it down and shook her head.

  “Jake doesn’t know.” It wasn’t a question.

  She shook her head again. “No.”

  “Shouldn’t he?”

  “He won’t care. He doesn’t care about anyone besides himself.”

  “My son cares about you, that’s for damn sure. Why else would he chase all over creation to help you round up that bison and cart it over to our ranch even though he knows I wouldn’t cotton to it? Why else would he spend all his time for the past two weeks either with you or mooning over you? You think we told him to do any of that? Hell, no!”

  “Holt, just leave me alone, would you? It’s all over—”

  “It’s not over.” Holt approached her. “You’re crying yourself silly over here. And I bet my son’s pacing like a wild animal back at home. I saw you race out of there like a bat outta hell. Don’t worry; I sent Lisa to talk to Jake. I figured I’d better come talk some sense into you. The two of you love each other; you’re just being a pack of fools!”

  “We’re not foolish. We’re realists. We can’t make this work.”

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  “What’s the difference?”

  “There’s a world of difference. Sit down.” He pointed to the bed. When she didn’t budge he folded his arms across his chest. “Do an old man a kindness by listening to me for a minute. Maybe you’ll learn something.”

  “I want to be alone.”

  “I’ll leave as soon as I’ve said my piece.”

  “Fine!” Hannah plunked herself down on the bed, too exhausted to fight anymore.

  “I nearly lost Lisa once out of stubbornness.” He began to pace as he talked. “It was over a dress, believe it or not. This was back in the days when we were getting started and struggling a bit. I’d just increased the herd far faster than my father ever would have done. I made a bet and used credit. He would have been furious. That bet paid off in spades, though.”

  She could tell Holt had traveled back to those days in his mind. He was seeing something other than the motel room in front of him.

  “Truth was I nearly over-extended myself and I was hell-bent on paying back that loan as fast as possible. We pinched every penny we could for several years and some pennies we didn’t have, too. One day Lisa asked for some money to buy a new dress. She was hosting a fundraiser for some cause or another. Something church-related.” Holt waved a vague hand. “She’d been wearing the same dress for three years to all of these functions and she was bound and determined to have a new one. She wanted fifty dollars.” He rubbed a hand across his jaw. “Fifty dollars.” He turned bright eyes toward Hannah. “I said no. She could keep wearing that dress another year. I was still wearing the same old suit I always wore when I dressed up, wasn’t I? I didn’t understand it was different for her. That her friends were talking—saying I didn’t value her. I didn’t care. She knew the truth but it killed her to think that everyone else didn’t. She wanted that dress to show them that her husband…” His voice got a little unsteady. “…wasn’t a cheapskate who neglected his wife. I refused.”

  Holt sighed and for a minute Hannah thought that was the end of the story, but he continued slowly. “We bickered over it for a few days and then Lisa stopped talking to me. I figured she was sulking and I wasn’t going to put up with that so I stopped talking, too. We went three days like that. Worst days of my life.”

  Hannah pressed her lips together to keep tears from sliding down her cheeks again. She’d cried enough today. She didn’t need to do it again. “What happened?” she asked when Holt hesitated.

  “She gave me an ultimatum finally. Fifty dollars or she was leaving. I was furious. Oh, we had a row. Then she said something that’s stuck with me to this day. She said, ‘Am I not worth fifty dollars to you?’” Holt stopped speaking and watched her expectantly. When she didn’t say anything he shrugged and turned to leave. “I suppose I’ve done all I can. I’ll say good-night now.”

  “Wait. I don’t understand.” Hannah rose to her feet. “What does that have to do with me?”

  Holt paused by the door. “I guess it’s time to ask yourself. What is Jake worth to you?”

  And he was gone.

  Jake had exhausted all of Hannah’s contacts and he still hadn’t found her. She wasn’t at Morgan’s place, or at the Cruz ranch with Autumn, Claire or Rose, and she wasn’t with Bella, either. After his mother returned to her house he decided he wouldn’t stop looking for her until he found her and explained everything. Who knew how long that would take? Before he set out to scour the town he decided to stop by his brothers’ cabins and ask them to take on his evening and morning chores.

  Ned met him at the door of his cabin and seemed reluctant to let him in. When he finally did, Jake understood why. Gone was Mia’s pink décor. The cabin was back to normal. But the meal Fila was cooking in the kitchen was anything but. The whole place smelled of foreign, exotic spices that made Jake’s mouth water.

  “What are you making?” he asked Fila, then realized Ned had been elbow-deep in food preparation, to
o.

  Ned? Cooking?

  He suppressed a smile, amazed that he could still do so.

  “What do you want?” Ned asked gruffly, obviously steeling himself against ridicule.

  “Just to see if you could help take on some of my chores tonight.” He explained about the fight and Hannah running off.

  “Sorry to hear you’re having troubles,” Ned said. Behind him Fila nodded.

  “Thanks.” Jake quickly turned back to the door, unnerved by his brother’s compassion. “I’ll go pass the news to Luke.”

  It wasn’t until he was out the door that he realized Ned should have been jumping for joy. After all, if he didn’t marry Hannah, Ned would get control of the ranch. Maybe he’d only waited for Jake to close the door before he started celebrating, but when Jake looked back he could see Ned and Fila through the front window of the cabin. Ned wasn’t jumping. He was bent back over his work.

  At Luke’s cabin, things were as he expected. Pink ruled the day and Mia was singing a pop song in the kitchen while waiting for the microwave to cook a frozen meal. Luke was already scooping forkfuls of macaroni and cheese from another cardboard container.

  When Jake explained what he needed, Luke made a face. “Why don’t you just let her go?” he said.

  Jake bristled. “Why would I do that?”

  “You’re obviously not on the same page. You want to stay here, she wants to go to Colorado. And this whole pregnancy thing—what’s that about?”

  “It’s about the condom breaking.” Jake clenched his fists.

  “Are you sure? Or is she just using it as an excuse to make you do what she wants you to do?”

  Behind him, Mia’s eyebrows shot up.

  “She’d never do that.”

  “Sure she would. Let her go,” Luke said. “No pregnancy, no problem. Am I right?”

  Mia spoke up angrily. “A baby isn’t a problem.”

  “It is when it’s not wanted,” Luke said.

  Jake grabbed him by his collar before he finished the sentence and yanked him to his feet. “Surprise or no surprise, you better believe that baby is wanted. Grow the hell up, Luke.” He slammed him back in the chair. “Sorry for the disturbance, Mia.”

  “That’s okay,” she said automatically, but he could tell it wasn’t. He’d never seen the young woman upset before. Her face had turned an odd shade of white and her lips were compressed in a thin line. As he let himself out the front door he hoped for Luke’s sake he had a good defense ready for what he’d just said.

  He was going to need it.

  ‡

  Chapter Twenty

  What was Jake worth to her?

  Hannah curled up under the covers in her shirt and panties and tried to answer that question. Was she willing to compromise to be with Jake?

  How much?

  Becoming a vet was non-negotiable. The work called to her like nothing else did. And having a veterinarian on a ranch would be a helpful thing, not a hindrance.

  She’d assumed that after her years of school she’d join Bella in the pet clinic, but she didn’t have to. In fact, after her time with Gladys she’d found herself growing interested in livestock. That was Bella’s brothers’ specialty. Craig’s clinic handled cattle, horses and other farm animals. Bella took care of pets almost exclusively. Hannah had no doubt there was room in Chance Creek for an additional vet of either kind. Both Bella and Craig had been overworked for years.

  Could she open her own clinic on the Double-Bar-K?

  What about Jake wanting to attend school? She pulled out her phone and logged onto the motel’s Internet access. Checking out Montana State’s agricultural programs, she found several that she could see would interest him and felt ashamed she hadn’t even stopped to ask which one he’d applied to. He was so fascinated by the idea of sustainability. That’s why Gladys had caught his interest in the first place. Evan Mortimer was interested in sustainability too, and he had money to invest. Could their interests meet in the middle somewhere?

  One of the reasons ranchers in this part of the state didn’t ranch bison was a lack of infrastructure. What if she concentrated her veterinary practice on unusual and exotic farm animals? Could she help open up the area to more experimentation in livestock? Could she, Jake and Evan work together?

  She sat up straight, feeling hope for the first time but almost as quickly she slumped again. What about Holt? What about the Double-Bar-K?

  Could Ned and Luke step up to fill the gaps temporarily while Jake went to school? Would Holt allow a bison herd on the ranch? What would happen when Jake finished school and wanted to get back to work on the Double-Bar-K? Would it be too hard to partner with Ned? Would Holt even allow it?

  So many questions and ifs—but for the first time she considered the people around them and how their dreams and plans might dovetail into hers. She and Jake had a whole community of friends and family who might support their journey.

  But she’d have to trust Jake. And he’d have to trust her, too. They’d have to learn to make sure both were being served by their actions instead of basing all their plans only on themselves.

  Could they do it? Would Jake want to?

  She picked up her phone.

  Thank God Hannah had finally called. She hadn’t said much—just asked him to come to the motel in town. Jake had just opened the door to his truck when he spotted his father’s Chevy rumbling down the dirt track. Holt pulled in next to him and rolled down the window. “Going somewhere?”

  “I’m going after Hannah.”

  “That’s good, but I’ve got news for you first. I’ve just been to see her.”

  “How did you know where to find her?” Jake demanded. It burned him to know that Holt could guess her whereabouts when he hadn’t been able to.

  “How many places are there to go in this town? She’s at the Big Sky Motel.”

  “I know—she just called.”

  “Well, she’s waiting for you, but there’s something you need to know first.” Holt looked grim and Jake’s heart sunk.

  “What’s that?” He braced himself for some new blow. His father seemed to love to provide them.

  Holt hesitated. He looked old tonight. Almost… sad. “I’m sorry, son. There’s no baby this time.”

  “No…” Jake trailed off and looked away. “Hell,” he said quietly.

  “There’ll be other chances in the future. Hannah needs you to be with her, though. Go talk to her.”

  “I will.”

  “And son?”

  Jake hesitated, his hand on the door. “Yeah?”

  “Don’t let her use this as an excuse to postpone the wedding. The two of you need to get hitched more than ever. Come to dinner on Saturday night. We’ll hammer out the details.”

  Jake nodded. He couldn’t even think that far ahead. He climbed in his truck and started the engine. He wanted to ask what Holt had said to her, but didn’t want to waste any more time. His father waved, turned his truck around and headed back toward the main house. As Jake drove down the long lane and toward town, he had to swallow hard a couple of times. No baby. He felt its loss as if he’d already held it in his arms.

  When he reached the Big Sky Motel, he took the stairs two at a time to the second floor and banged on her door. “Hannah? Open up.”

  After several agonizing moments, Hannah opened the door. Her hair fluffed in its usual halo around her head. Her face was white and strained, her eyes lined with red. She was dressed only in her shirt and panties and he could tell by the disheveled covers she’d been curled up in bed.

  “Are you okay?” He pushed his way into the room and gathered her into his arms.

  “I… got my period.”

  “I know,” he said softly. He pulled back and searched her face, expecting relief or at least acceptance. What he saw instead mirrored his own reaction. Bitter disappointment.

  Tears brimmed her eyes. “Oh, Jake.”

  She didn’t need to say anything more and neither did he. He
pulled her in close, wrapped his arms around her and let her cry.

  While she showered, Jake ordered a pizza and when she got out of the bathroom he tucked her into bed, heaping the covers around her. When the pizza arrived he made sure to block any view of her the delivery boy might get. She appreciated his concern for her privacy. She felt too raw, too vulnerable to come in contact with anyone.

  Anyone except Jake.

  They ate in silence, Jake sprawled out next to her on the bed. He kept close to her, pressing his leg against hers as if he knew she needed some contact to keep her grounded. She hadn’t expected such an ache inside her chest at the loss of the idea of being pregnant. She had no idea she’d become attached at all to that idea, much less would mourn its absence.

  “I would never go to school and leave you behind,” Jake said at one point.

  “I know.” She did, too, now that she thought about it. Jake would never steal her dream but he might get caught up in it. She leaned against him. Why had she jumped to such awful conclusions?

  “Are we going to be all right?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. But I had an idea. A start of one,” she amended when he turned to face her. She filled him in on her interest in treating bison and other alternative livestock. She spoke about Evan’s interest in bison as well and the fact he and Bella were looking for land to build on. “Maybe there’s some way we could work together.”

  Jake nodded slowly. “I’ve actually been thinking the same thing. I scheduled a meeting with Evan and Bella for tomorrow night.”

  “Really? What will you say to them?”

  “That we should join together the way Ethan, Jamie, Rob and Cab have done on the Cruz ranch with their families.”

  “What about your Dad? Will he go for it?”

  “I don’t care anymore. He’s promised to let me head up the Double-Bar-K soon. Sooner than you think,” he added. “When I’m in charge I’ll share most of the management duties with Ned and Luke. I’ll give them more of a say than they’ve ever had before. They’ll like that. In exchange, I’ll carve off a corner of the ranch for a bison herd. I’ll ask Evan to help fund it. I know he’s interested. And if I give Ned and Luke what they want, they’ll be on our side, too. That’s how we’ll get through the next few years, by asking our friends and family for help. By the time you’ve gone through vet school and I’ve gotten my degree, we’ll be sitting pretty. There are all kinds of things we can do.”