The Cowboy's Family (Family Ties Book 2)

by Carolyne Aarsen

  His sister wrinkled her nose as if she didn't like what he was saying. "You won't find anyone as good as you."

  "I'm good, but I'm not that good," Mason said. He squeezed his sister's shoulder, gently moving her aside. "I gotta go."

  “And what will you do once you get your stuff?”

  "I’ll come back here until I find a new place to stay and a new job." Moving back in with his mother. What a sad state of affairs.

  Thankfully, he had enough money set aside that he could live pretty cheap once he found a place and once he found a new opportunity.

  Nothing like the opportunity that had tantalized him for a few wonderful days. He pushed the thought of working at the Tye ranch aside. That was a dream that wasn't happening.

  "Well, Mom would love nothing more than having her beloved son under her roof again. I'm sure she'd love it more if you found a wife."

  "Sure. I'll just head down to the supermarket and check out the 'Wives for Sale' section."

  Kelly smacked him on the chest, chuckling. But then she grew serious. "Sarah and I both know that even though you were being a good sport about Mom's birthday and all, you were miserable the whole time."

  "Well then, I better work on my acting skills," Mason said with a rough laugh.

  "Don't quit your day job," his sister said.

  "I already did," Mason returned.

  "You don't think Mr. Bouche would let you come back?"

  Mason held that thought a moment, then lifted his shoulder in a shrug. "He might, but I don't want to work for him anymore. I was easing away from him already before this. Trying to find my own way."

  Kelly shoved her fingers through her hair, rearranging their soft waves. "I'm glad you quit working for him. He always made me feel a little uncomfortable."

  Mason thought back to his conversation with Roger. He wondered if he should tell Kelly what he knew about Roger’s feelings for their mother. He had hoped to talk to his mom himself, but the proper time never seemed to come up.

  "You're drifting away on me again," Kelly said. "Where are you now?"

  Mason bit his lip, considering, then turned to his sister. "Did Mom ever talk to you about Roger? Did she ever say anything about how she felt about him?"

  "Not really. I do know he tried to propose to her at one time. It was a year after Dad died.”

  Mason stared at his sister in shock. "How come I didn’t know about this?"

  “I didn’t think much of it. Mom passed it off as a joke."

  "That's interesting. Because he told me he had always admired her. In fact, he was attracted to her. So I'm not surprised he proposed to her."

  "Mom will never remarry. She was too much in love with Dad.” Kelly smiled. "That's why I am still single, and I'm wondering if that's why you're still single. Because we're holding out for what Mom and Dad had."

  “I know exactly what you mean.”

  "Is that what you and Tricia had?"

  Mason closed his eyes a moment, wishing he could purge the emotions that Tricia brought up in him.

  "She’s a wonderful person," Mason said.

  "If she's that wonderful, I think you should ask her to give you a second chance." Kelly squeezed his shoulder then gave him a quick hug. As she drew back, she smiled at him. "I know I'm a little prejudiced, but I think you're a terrific guy. Any girl would be thrilled to have you in her life. I can’t imagine Tricia would be any different. Maybe you should give her an opportunity to give you a chance."

  “That all sounds very romantic and wonderful, but I have her father and two brothers to get through before I could even get near her. And I was at the ranch under false pretenses.” Too easily he remembered Kane's warning the first few days he was there. He had seen how stern Kane could be, and he wasn't sure he wanted to be on the receiving end of his disapproval. Or Zach’s and Elliot's for that matter.

  "Well, I'm glad you came up anyway," Kelly said. "It was great to spend time together again."

  Mason brushed a quick kiss over her cheek then pulled back, smiling at her. "I enjoyed it too. I'll be back in couple of days."

  He got in the truck, and as his sister stepped aside, their eyes met. She winked at him and gave him a thumbs-up, and he knew she would text him on his drive to the ranch, pushing him to do what she had just encouraged a few moments ago.

  He drove down the driveway, laughing as he saw Kelly waving to him, one hand on her heart. Such a ham.

  He waved then turned onto the road leading to the highway.

  Normally Mason loved driving, but this trip from Sweet Creek to Rockyview dragged more than usual. Every roll of the tires brought him closer to the Tye ranch and closer to seeing Tricia again. The whole time he was away from her he couldn’t get the sight of her anguished face out of his mind.

  Once again he cursed the day he had allowed himself to get pulled into Roger’s plans. To be influenced by his boss’s opinion of a woman he had never met.

  If he hadn't ended up going down to the Tye ranch, he would've never met Tricia. He would have never had to lie to her, and at the same time, fall in love with her.

  His hands clenched the steering wheel as he thought of everything he had lost. It was too difficult. He reached over and turned on the radio looking for a talk show, some inane conversation to fill the silence.

  But with every mile he put behind him, all he could think about was Tricia and her children. And missed opportunities.

  "Want Mason," Cash whined. "Want Mason now."

  The kids had been going on about Mason all morning. It was bad enough she’d been fighting a headache ever since Roger Bouche left. When the three men came back later that afternoon, she told them about his visit. She thought they would be more upset, but her father seemed to understand Roger’s need to see his grandchildren.

  Now, Roger, who had stayed in town overnight, wanted to meet with her to talk about a few things pertaining to the children. Potentially some financial support and the ability to visit them occasionally.

  Tricia didn’t want to meet him on the ranch, in front of the children or her brothers. So she agreed to meet him in town.

  "Mason is gone," Tricia explained, trying to keep her tone even and patient. She thought each day Mason was gone would make it easier. But if anything it showed her a future that loomed ahead of her, lonely and bleak. Yes, she had her children, and her family. And she knew she should be thankful for all of that. And she was, truly.

  But for a few bright and shining moments, she thought she had someone who would come alongside her, someone she could give her heart to and who would be a father to her children. And now it was all cruelly snatched away.

  Dear Lord, help me get past this. Help me trust only in You. Help me know You are enough.

  The prayer gave her some comfort. As did the fact that in a few days she and her father would set up an agreement under which she would run a horse training facility on the ranch. Better yet, Elliot had found a trainer willing to work with her. To train her as a horse trainer. It would take longer than she’d hoped. To get her certification, she needed to commit one day a week with him for the next six months. On top of that, she had to attend at least six week-long clinics that he put on. It would mean time away from the children, and more dependence on her family to help her through this.

  "I want Mason too,” Hope chimed in.

  "What's the matter with you guys?" Elliot sauntered into the family room, bent over, and swung Hope up onto his shoulders. "Don't you want to be with your fun uncle Elliot?"

  Hope giggled, grabbing onto Elliot's hair to gain her balance. But he didn't seem to mind and danced around the room, making her laugh.

  "Me too, me too." Cash jumped up and ran to Elliot.

  The sight of her brother playing with her children eased some of Tricia's pain. In time they would stop asking after Mason, and he would be just a dim memory. She hoped.

  "If you take them outside you gotta keep your eye on them," Tricia said as she slipped her purse over h
er shoulder. "They’re little monkeys, and they'll take off if you're not careful."

  She shot a warning look at her children. "You guys listen to Uncle Elliot. I want you to stay close to him," she warned.

  "They'll be fine," Elliot said flapping his hand at her in a dismissive gesture. "Now go to town and see what kind of deal you can strike with old man Bouche.” Elliot grew serious, holding her gaze. "You make sure you take care of yourself and your children first. Don't let him talk you into anything you don't want to do."

  His warning was a gentle reminder of who she was dealing with. Though Roger’s visit with her had been pleasant to a degree, she still had Drew's warnings ringing in her ears.

  "Thanks for the little pep talk," she said with a forced smile. "I hope by now I'm able to put my kids first."

  "Regardless of what you may think, and regardless of how things have gone down for you the last little while, I think you always put your kids first."

  Elliot's heartfelt assurance warmed her and gave her heart a lift.

  "Nice to know someone's on my side," she said. Then with another wave, she stepped out of the house and toward Elliot's truck. Because she didn't have her own vehicle yet, she depended on borrowing her brothers’ vehicles. Someday, she promised herself. Someday she would have her own little SUV, her own house, and her own operation on the ranch.

  That thought encouraged her and made it somehow easier, for a moment, to forget about Mason.

  Chapter 18

  You wouldn't consider giving him a second chance?

  Roger’s question echoed in Tricia’s mind as she drove Elliot’s truck back from Rockyview. While the conversation between them had gone better than she had expected, the fact that he brought Mason's name up so often disturbed her. He had campaigned actively for Mason, explaining that he was a faithful and caring man. He was a good person who was only doing what Roger had asked him to because of a sense of duty that his boss held over his head.

  Tricia wanted to believe him, but she couldn't get past the fact that Mason had wooed her under false pretenses.

  She turned down the driveway, and as she parked Elliot's truck her eyes automatically went to the cabin. Her heart jumped in her chest when she saw Mason's truck parked there. She knew he would come back for the rest of his things, but part of her had hoped he had packed up the day she told him to leave.

  Hopefully she wouldn't have to meet him.

  You know that's not true. You'd love to see him again.

  Tricia shoved the traitorous thoughts off. She knew if she saw him she would start crying. That was hardly coming from a position of strength.

  Though it was a beautiful sunny afternoon, the kids weren't outside. Puzzled, she walked up to the house and pulled open the door, calling out their names.

  All she heard was silence. She walked farther into the house but neither heard nor saw any sign of Elliot or the twins.

  Then the door to the outside slammed open, and Elliot burst into the kitchen. "Oh no. It's you." He skidded to a halt, staring at her, his eyes wide with panic.

  "What's wrong?" The fear on his face made her heart beat faster. "Where are the kids?"

  Elliot shoved his hand through his hair in a gesture of despair. "That's the trouble. We don't know."

  "We don't know?"

  "I called Kane and Dad and told them they had to get back to the ranch right away to help me look for them."

  Panic crawled up her throat and ice slithered through her veins. "Look for them? My kids?"

  "Yeah. I was watching them, and all of a sudden they took off." Elliot glanced around the room, his panic increasing. "I was just talking on the phone—”

  "You were just talking on the phone?” Tricia interrupted him, panic growing. “You weren’t watching the kids, as in keeping your eye on them at all times?”

  "They were right there, and it was just…just barely a minute that I wasn’t paying attention to them.”

  Tricia sucked in one breath after the other, forcing herself to calm down. "That's all it takes, you idiot," she snarled. She threw her purse on the table, scrabbled for her cell phone, and shoved it in her back pocket.

  "Where are you guys looking? Has anyone gone down the road?" She had just driven there, but she wouldn't put it past her kids to sneak into the ditch if they saw a vehicle coming. It was a game they played sometimes when they were trying to surprise Zach when he came back from town.

  "Why would they go down the road?"

  "Just do what I tell you. Go up and down the ditches, calling to them. And listen carefully. They might not answer, but you might hear them laughing."

  Hopefully they were laughing, not wandering around panicked.

  She pressed her hands to her chest as if she could control her wildly pounding heart.

  Some of the comments Roger made the other day echoed in her mind. His questions about her care for the children. What kind of mother put her children in danger?

  This isn’t my fault, she told herself.

  "I'll go look by the horses. I’ll call Dad and Kane and tell them where you're going," Tricia said, her voice wavering.

  "No, I'll call them. You go to the horses, I'll tell them where you are, and we’ll see what we can coordinate."

  Tricia flew out of the house, forcing herself to slow down, to look around and listen.

  Please, Lord, please, Lord, was all she could pray.

  She took in a deep breath, reminding herself that this was their home. They had been here for a few months. It was familiar to them.

  But where would they go? Where could they be?

  Mason sorted through the tack, pulling out the bridles and halters he had brought with him to the ranch. As he looked around the tack shed, he felt a deep clench of regret. He had so hoped he could work here. The dream of a lifetime smashed in one conversation.

  It's your own fault. You were blind to what Roger was, and what he wanted.

  But he hadn't intended on falling in love.

  He knelt down, placing everything carefully in his bag. Then the door burst open, and bright sunlight flooded the murky room.

  Mason looked up to see Kane standing in the doorway, his gaze sweeping the shed.

  "What's wrong?" Mason asked, getting to his feet. "You look scared."

  "The kids. They're missing. Elliot, that idiot, was supposed to take care of them, but he decided he needed to talk on his phone. Have you seen them?" Kane strode into the shed, walked over to saddle tree, and plucked the saddle and blanket off it. He grabbed a bridle and looped it over the saddle horn.

  Mason glanced around the room. "No. I haven't. Where have you looked?"

  "Just about everywhere. This is my second time here," Kane said. "If we don't find them soon, we’ll have to call the cops."

  "Where's Tricia?"

  "Looking by the horse corrals and trying not to panic." Kane strode out of the tack shed, Mason right behind him.

  “Has anyone looked by the hay bales?" he asked, trying to think where they might be hiding. Or where they might go.

  "Yeah, that was one of the first places Dad checked. We also looked in all the tractors, just about everywhere." Kane glanced at Mason. "You have our cell phone numbers?”

  Mason nodded, looking once more over the yard, thinking, wondering, trying to still his own rising fear. The creek was a mile away, but if the kids had a head start, who knows how quickly they could get there.

  "I'm going out on my horse," Kane said, "and checking a few places out toward the creek. Hopefully we can find them soon."

  Kane strode away, leaving Mason behind.

  Though he assumed everyone had already looked around the yard, he did one quick sweep himself. Far away, he heard Tricia calling out the children's names. He could hear the panic in her voice. He wanted nothing more than to run to her, sweep her into his arms, and tell her everything would be okay.

  But that wasn't his place.

  He was about to go for a saddle himself. Be able to see from a
different angle. But he stopped, thinking.

  Then he had an idea.

  It was just a hunch, and maybe someone had already looked there, but he would try anyway. He walked around the barn, past the machine shed, and followed a narrow trail into the trees.

  And there it was.

  Chapter 19

  "Cash is wearing a blue T-shirt with ‘I want to be a cowboy’ written on it," Tricia said, massaging her temples as she spoke to Trent Siler. She almost choked on the lump of dread filling her throat, but swallowed it down, forcing herself to remain calm. "Hope is wearing a yellow sundress, with white sandals. Elliot is texting you a picture." She closed her eyes, pressing her fingers to her eyelids. Elliot and Kane and her father were still out looking, but she couldn't anymore. They needed more help. She had hurried back to the house and called the police. It was an extreme step, and one that frightened her to death.

  "They were seen last here in the yard," Tricia said. "No, I'm by myself. I just came back to the house to make this phone call. Thanks for your concern… Yes, I'll try to remain calm… Of course. I understand."

  Trent’s vague assurances did nothing to still her trembling or to ease the fear that made her rigid. Her scattered prayers had grown more urgent with each passing minute, with none of them being answered.

  She closed her eyes, fighting back tears. That wouldn't do the kids any good. She had to be strong, she had to focus, and she had to think.

  Trent told her to think about all the places they might have gone. As a friend of Elliot, he’d been to the ranch a few times and knew the place. But as far as she knew they had looked everywhere. But if the kids had gone down the road…

  She slammed the door shut on those errant thoughts. They were two years old. Who knew what they saw as an adventure? Who knew how far they would go before they realized they were lost?

  Her thoughts whirled around and around, despair beating at her.

  She pushed to her feet, determined not to let her emotions take over. Determined to find her children. I’m a good mother, she told herself. She really was.