“I wants a pony for the party,” Lea said at once, clapping excitedly. She took one look at Sara’s expression when she was done talking and collapsed into a fit of giggles, burying her face in her teddy bear’s stomach.
“Oh, my gosh!” Sara said, her hands flying to her cheeks. “That’s amazing, Austin. She said a full sentence.”
“And that’s the third time she’s done it,” he said, his face flushing with excitement as he came closer. "It's like a dam broke, and her words are finally able to start trickling out."
“You must be so happy,” she gushed, her eyes filming over with happy tears. “And you should be so proud of yourself. You’ve done a wonderful job, helping her to make this progress.”
“Me?” he laughed, surprising a little squeak out of her as he suddenly took her in his arms. “I didn’t do anything. It’s thanks to you, Sara. All of this is thanks to you.”
Austin's hold on Sara tightened, and before she knew what was happening, he leaned in and kissed her again. She knew she should pull away, should end the kiss as soon as it started, and yet she found herself leaning into it instead. The past week had been so strange for her, feeling like they were right back at square one. Finding herself back in his arms, with his lips exploring hers, felt so good. Against her better judgment, she melted into the feel of him, her head starting to spin. In the end, it was only the sound of Lea clapping again that finally broke them apart.
“Sorry,” Austin said, blushing furiously. Still, the flicker of mischief in his eyes and the hint of a smile playing at the corners of those delicious lips made her think he wasn’t sorry at all.
“Daddy and Sara kiss?” Lea asked suddenly, still clapping and smiling at the both of them expectantly. Austin's blush deepened, but when he caught Sara's eye, he shrugged, his grin growing wider when she nodded in agreement.
“Um, yes,” he said with a chuckle, ruffling her hair. “That’s right. Daddy and Sara kiss.”
Twelve
“Hey there, penny for your thoughts?”
Austin smiled at the feel of Sara's hand resting on his shoulder, and reached up to squeeze her fingers briefly before letting her continue into the kitchen. It was the morning before Lea's birthday party, and he had been sitting at the kitchen table long enough to see the sun rise. The way his mind was racing, he might have gone right on sitting and missed the day completely if Sara weren’t there to bring him back to life. Just one more thing about having her there to be thankful for, added to a list that was growing longer by the day.
“Austin?” she tried again, waving a cup of coffee in front of his face. “Are you feeling okay?”
“That depends,” he answered with a sigh, accepting the caffeine-infused nectar of life with a grateful nod. “Are we talking physically or mentally?”
"Um, both?" she said with a little laugh, sliding into the chair beside him, clutching her own mug close and blowing lightly across the top.
"I'm fine," he said with a sigh, looking out the window again as if he expected somebody to show up and make up his mind for him. "I'm just trying to decide what to do about my dad."
“Right,” she said sympathetically, following his gaze out the window. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
It was the perfect question to ask at a time like this, and he was tempted to kiss her again for it. But if he got to kissing her now, he might not be able to stop, and as much as he wanted to take Sara to bed, it still seemed like a dangerous idea. This was the time for him to stop dancing around a decision and finally commit.
“You could tell me whether or not I should tell him about the birthday party,” he said dryly, raising an eyebrow at her in a dare. “You could definitely do that.”
"But I won't," she said gently and with a slightly apologetic smile. "In the end, the choice has to be yours."
He nodded, not at all surprised by the answer, and rose slowly, going for his keys. When he risked a look at Sara’s face, he saw that she was smiling and nodding, which gave him a bigger boost of courage than he liked to admit. It was a good thing, too, because if he was going to show up on his dad’s doorstep and offer him an entree into his life, he was going to need all of the courage he could get.
He sped the whole way to the motel situated on the outskirts of town, not because he was in a hurry to get there but so he wouldn’t have time to talk himself out of what a part of him insisted was a fool’s errand. Still, he might have turned right back around the moment after he pulled into a parking spot if his dad hadn’t been sitting in one of the dingy plastic chairs situated just outside his room’s door.
“Here we go,” he said to himself through gritted teeth as he climbed out of the truck’s cab, his hands in his pockets as he approached the stranger who was his dad.
“Austin!” Pete exclaimed, startled into looking up by the sound of Austin’s boot heels crunching on the gravel. “I don’t mind saying I’m surprised to see you here. I didn’t think you would come.”
“No,” Austin said slowly, digging the toe of his boot into the dust. “Neither did I.”
“So, then why did you?” Pete asked earnestly, getting awkwardly to his feet.
"I'm not sure," Austin said truthfully. "Probably because I'm tired of thinking about it. It made more sense just to face it head-on."
“Are you telling me that you’re giving me a chance, son?” Pete asked, two bright spots of color blooming in his cheeks.
“First of all, don’t call me that,” Austin answered in a measured voice, doing his best not to let the man see how much his use of the word “son” rattled him. “And secondly, that’s right. It’s a chance, and that’s all it is.”
“I understand,” Pete said, nodding solemnly. “And it’s more than I deserve. The way I treated you--”
"Doesn't matter anymore," Austin interrupted. "At least not now. But you need to know that if you hurt my daughter…if you come into her life only to vanish again, I'll never forgive you."
“Of course,” Pete said quickly, his eyes lighting up with something that looked to Austin like hope. “I would expect nothing less.”
"Okay," Austin said, surprised to find that his hands were shaking a little. "Then I want to let you know that she's having a birthday party this afternoon and you're invited if you want to come. I don't want her to know who you are, not yet, but you can come if you like."
“I can’t think of anything I would rather do,” Pete said, clearing his throat emphatically and running a hand through his salt and pepper hair.
Austin nodded and without another word, turned back to his truck. It was done now, whatever came next. The problem was, he didn’t know whether or not he wanted the old man to show.
He couldn’t tell if he’d just made a terrible mistake.
“It’s all amazing, Sara, truly,” Austin said warmly, putting an easy arm around her waist and pulling her in close so that he could kiss her on the temple. “Thank you.”
“Thank me?” she asked, pulling back in surprise. “But why? I didn’t do anything.”
"You did," he insisted, nodding earnestly. "Look at this barn. It looks like it was made for a little girl's birthday party, and that's thanks to you. You've really helped me hit my stride with this whole father thing, you know? I don't know if I could have done it without you."
Sara was astonished by the compliment and had no idea what to say in return. Fortunately for her, she was saved from having to say anything at all when Lea called for him excitedly, jumping up and down in her pink glittery tutu and clapping her chubby little hands. He gave Sara one last squeeze and started across the barn floor, grinning like he was one of the kids instead of the party’s host.
“Okay,” Sara whispered on a shaky exhalation of breath. “Everything is going fine. Just breathe.”
She couldn't really say why she was so nervous. She had been around Austin long enough to know that he was nothing like her ex. She didn’t have a genuine reason for being anxious, but that didn't change the fac
t that she was. Her anxiety about the day, especially now that Austin's father was likely stopping by, combined with obscene amounts of caffeine, made her feel like she was practically vibrating where she stood. She was so on edge that when Rachel suddenly appeared by her side with a cheerful hello, she jumped up about a mile in the air.
“Oh!” she cried, clapping a hand over her rapidly beating heart. “Jeez, Rachel, you scared me! Do I need to put bells on you?”
“No,” Rachel answered with a wry smile. “But you might need to lay off the coffee. What’s going on with you? Why are you on edge?”
Sara sighed and hugged her arms around her middle, surveying the raucous party for any signs of disaster. She considered saying that nothing was going on at all, but Rachel knew her far too well for that. She would only keep needling until she got the information she was looking for, something Sara didn’t have the energy for at the moment.
“I’m just nervous for Austin, that’s all,” she finally answered, her eyes following him as he moved around the barn. “With him hosting the party and your dad maybe stopping by, it just seems like a lot, you know?”
“I do know,” Rachel said with a smirk, crossing her arms and giving Sara a look that made her want to sink into the floor. “And it’s sweet of you to care so much, but can I ask you a question?”
“Do I have a choice?” Sara asked meekly, already knowing the answer.
“Nope!” Rachel said merrily. “You should know that I’m not going to let up until you tell me exactly what’s going on between you and my brother. And don’t tell me nothing, because there’s definite tension there.”
“Um, well, we kissed again,” Sara admitted, her face flaring with heat. “I’m not saying that it means anything, but--”
“It does,” Rachel said with a happy nod, her eyes shining as she glanced lovingly at her brother. “With Austin, things like that always mean something. He’s super careful about who he lets into his life, Sara, and I can’t tell you how excited I am that the two of you are turning into a thing!”
Sara sputtered, choking on her gum in the process, which only made Rachel laugh. She would likely have continued messing with Sara, just because she could, if Austin hadn't chosen that moment to ring a large cowbell. He was still grinning ear to ear, looking expectantly at his guests, the small handful of people connected to his family that he had kept in contact with, while Lea hopped from one foot to the other beside him.
"I'm not much for speaking in front of a crowd," he started, patting Lea's head when she wrapped her arms around one of his legs. "But I wanted to thank you all for coming. Lea coming into my life is just about the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I don't mind saying how much it means to have you all here to support her."
"Hear, hear!" Rachel called loudly, earning her a dramatic roll of the eyes from Austin and a cheer of approval from the other party-goers.
“Anyway,” Austin said pointedly, shaking his head. “Without further ado, I’d love it if you would all follow me so that we can give Lea her birthday present together.”
Lea started clapping again, then threw her arms around Austin's neck when he picked her up and started down the row of stalls. The small crowd of revelers followed close behind, murmurs of excited curiosity ringing in the air. There was a brief moment of silence while Austin opened the door to the last stall on the right, followed by a chorus of gasps and cheers. Lea's cheer was the loudest of them all, and she started squirming to be let down so she could examine her gift more closely.
“Pony!” she squealed, touching the bright pink ribbon tied jauntily around the little animal’s neck. “My pony?”
“That’s right,” Austin laughed, looking up and locking eyes with Sara, who was doing all she could not to cry out of sheer happiness. “All for you. Every princess should have a pony, after all.”
Sara nodded and took a step forward, wanting only to be closer to the happiness of these two people she cared so much for. When she saw Austin's eyes shift to something behind her, though, she stopped, noting the way his jaw tightened as she turned. In the next moment, Austin was by her side, standing to meet his father, who was approaching hesitantly, as if he might bolt at any moment.
“You came,” Austin said, and Sara was relieved to hear that there was no noticeable hostility in his tone. “I wasn’t sure you would.”
“I know,” Pete said forlornly, his eyes shifting uncomfortably, likely looking to see if the others gathered would rather he not have come at all. “I’m late, I’m sorry. I was just…I -”
“You were nervous,” Sara said kindly. “And that’s understandable.”
“Thank you,” Pete said, removing his hat and running a hand nervously through his hair. “Is it okay? Okay that I’m here?”
There was one last moment of hesitant silence in which Sara held her breath, hoping with all her might that the party wouldn’t fall apart due to the reopening of old, unhealed wounds. But then Austin extended a hand, and Pete took it, his relief palpable as the two men shook hands.
“Why don’t you come and meet the birthday girl, Pete?” Austin asked, putting a hand on the small of Sara’s back in a silent request for her to stay close. “And we’ll go from there.”
As Sara followed the two men, still awkward with each other but at least trying to make conversation, she let out a contented sigh. This was a good day, and being a part of it felt better than she would ever have believed. It felt right, being with Austin and his family. It felt like home.
Thirteen
“Well, big brother, I don’t know what to say. You are now the king of pink princess parties. If you decide to offer your services to the town at large, you’ll have a waiting list a mile long.”
Austin shoved Rachel playfully, who made a show of being shocked and offended before hauling off and punching him in the shoulder. He hooked an arm around her neck. Before they knew what was happening, the two of them were laughing like loons. “Seriously, though,” Rachel said when they had stopped laughing enough to sit up again. “You did an awesome job. Lea looks really happy.”
“Thanks,” Austin said, his heart swelling with more happiness than he could remember feeling in a long while. “But it wasn’t all thanks to me. A lot of what you’re looking at is Sara’s influence.”
“Oh,” Rachel chuckled. “I know. Which brings me to my next point, actually.”
“Does it?” Austin asked, giving his sister a sideways glance. “How’s that?”
"I was thinking that it would be cool if Lea came to my place and had a sleepover," Rachel said, her eyes filling with familiar mischief. "That way, we can keep the birthday spirit alive, and you and Sara can get some…time alone."
“What makes you think we need that?” Austin asked defensively, which only made Rachel groan.
"Don't, brother," she said. "Just don't. I know you both too well, and I'm not an idiot. Just tell me if you're interested in the offer."
Despite all efforts to play it cool, Austin's eyes traveled to the barn door where Sara was bidding farewell to the party-goers who were leaving in a steady stream. When he looked back at Rachel, she was nodding smugly, a knowing expression in her eyes.
“Well?” she asked, one eyebrow artfully raised. “What do you think?”
“I think it sounds like a fine idea,” he finally said. “I just hope you don’t hold it over my head for the rest of my life.”
“No promises, brother,” she sighed, patting him roughly on the shoulder. “No promises at all.”
Forty-five minutes later, there was nobody on the ranch but Austin and Sara. All of a sudden Austin felt like a gangly teenager with no idea of how to talk to a girl, let alone do anything to impress her. The only saving grace was the fact that Sara seemed to feel every bit as awkward as he did, blushing if he even thought about looking in her direction as they cleaned up the party’s debris.
“Well,” he said when it was all done, brushing his hands off on the front of his jeans and finishi
ng the last of his beer. “I’d say that was a success.”
"Definitely," she smiled, tucking her hair behind an ear and coming to join him where he stood by the barn door. "Now we just have to figure out what to do with ourselves now that everyone is gone."
“I was thinking about that,” he said casually, doing his best to swallow down his nerves as he tossed his bottle into the trash. “And I was wondering if you might be up for an evening stroll. I’d say we’ve earned a little relaxation, wouldn’t you?”
“Um, sure,” she said, her face lighting up until she seemed to glow in the early twilight. “I would really love that, actually. Do you mean right now?”
“No time like the present,” he nodded, offering his arm for her to take. “What do you say?”
She said nothing at all, only giggled and playfully pushed his arm aside. They walked aimlessly, with no real direction in mind, their hands swinging so close to each other that their fingers brushed every other step or so. Each time their skin met, a shiver went up Austin's spine, and he had to restrain the urge to take her into his arms right then and there. With the stress of the day finally past them and the question of whether or not he would make contact with his dad answered, he was feeling dangerously frisky.
“Do you mind me asking what you thought of your dad being there?” she asked shyly after a period of comfortable silence, the crickets’ songs the only sound to disrupt the peace. “Did you feel like it was a success?”
He stayed quiet for a moment, steering them to the bank of a pond where they had all spent a majority of their summers when they were young. Finally he took her hand, bringing it up to his lips and kissing her knuckles gently.
"I don't want to get ahead of myself," he said carefully, weighing every word. "But as of right now, I'm feeling good. He seemed like he was really interested in getting to know Rachel and me as adults, and he respected my decision to not tell Lea who he is. I don't know what will happen in the future, but I guess you could say I'm cautiously optimistic."
The Rancher’s Tempting Nanny Page 9