A Grand Teton Sleigh Ride: Four Generations of Wyoming Ranchers Celebrate Love at Christmas (32 page)

Hayley steered down Clara’s steep driveway and saw Ty’s vehicle. Her heart jumped to her throat.

He hadn’t called her back.

He didn’t want her here.

What am I doing?
Deliver the gift
.

She had to at least give Clara the gift she’d created per Ty’s request. But that was just it—Ty hadn’t requested the teakettle at all. Hayley had been the one to insist.

As she parked the car, she debated over following through and shifted into R
EVERSE
. But just like the first time she’d come here, she was caught before she could leave. Ty opened the door and stood on the porch, hesitant.

Oh. Not good.

Panic inserted itself in her chest. She couldn’t breathe.

He closed the door behind him and walked out to her. Hayley let the window down. “Hey,” she said.

“Hi.” He tucked his hands in his jeans.

With no jacket on, he would probably get cold. Maybe he wanted that as an excuse to make this quick.

“I brought your grandmother’s gift.”

He nodded and glanced at the house then back to Hayley.

“Look, I’m sorry for coming out here. I was invited to her party, remember? But you didn’t get back to me.”

Regret flickered in his gaze. Mingled with longing. So … he wasn’t over her?

“What are you kids doing out here?” Clara’s aged voice called from the door. She pulled her wrap closer and stepped off the porch, making her way toward Hayley. “Hayley, dear, come on in.”

Ty opened the door before she could protest.

Hayley got out and went to the back of her Explorer, popped the hatch and lifted the gift, handing it over to Ty, her vision blurring. “Here. I hope she enjoys it.”

“You might as well come in and see her open it,” he said.

That was it?

Hayley wasn’t sure she could stay with the hurt pinging through her. Daddy was right. He’d been right all along about Ty hurting her.

Clara’s loving arms wrapped around her. “Hayley, Ty has missed you something awful. I’m so glad you could be here today. Please come inside. Have some cake. Ty is cooking me dinner.”

Ty had missed her? Hayley looked at him, hoping he saw the accusations—and the questions—in her eyes. She had a few questions for him all right. And she strongly suspected her father had everything to do with this. The thought eased her pain, if only a little. She’d give Ty a chance to explain.

“Hayley made something special for you, Nanna.” Ty escorted the two women back to the house, holding the box close.

“Oh?” Nanna said. “I can’t wait to see it.”

Hayley laughed, feeling better by the moment. “I guess you could call it a joint project. Ty wanted something special for you.”

“And I commissioned Hayley to make it.”

Hayley glanced at Ty, and he winked. She smiled back, glad she made the decision to come here, but she couldn’t wait to get Ty alone so they could talk.

N
anna fingered the teakettle with the sgraffito-carved quirky, crafty pinecones and teared up.

Ty wasn’t sure what that meant but figured it was one of those women things. Then when she hugged Hayley and her eyes pooled, Ty had to look away.

Nanna hugged Hayley for a long time. He knew she liked Hayley and thought she was the one for Ty, though she never said anything. Ty could just tell.

He couldn’t thank Hayley enough for her creation, for coming into his life, and now he’d hurt her. His own pain was palpable.

But he wasn’t the man for her.

Not yet.

He hadn’t known what to say to her. Didn’t want to bring her father into it, so Ty had kept busy with his part-time jobs and working on the business plan, talking to potential investors. He hoped and prayed things would work out and that he could be the man she needed him to be.

But Lord, how can I do this without hurting her more? Without losing her in the process?

It was clear when she looked at him that she was disappointed in the way he’d treated her. Ty didn’t have a clue what he was doing, or how to handle this odd situation.

Nanna released Hayley and wiped her eyes. “You didn’t know but Hayley came out to see me, long before you two …”

Nanna trailed off, knowing that things weren’t good between them. Knowing she’d said the wrong thing.

Hayley smiled, but Ty guessed she hid her true feelings. “I wanted to get to know your grandmother, and that’s how I came up with my idea for this teakettle. Thanks, Ty, for letting me see if I was capable of creating something special for someone. Something that would match their style in keeping with my own.”

“You’re going to be a famous artist one day, dear.” Nanna patted her arm. “Now sit down and let Ty finish the dinner he was preparing for us.”

“The sausage and penne is baking, Nanna. Not much for me to do at the moment.” Only there had been no
us
, not since Ty hadn’t called Hayley back to invite her, give her the details.

“Oh, no, I can’t stay.” Hayley studied him, her question apparent—did he want her to stay?

Yes and no.

“We’d love to have you, if you can stay,” he said.
If your father isn’t going to come looking for you and find you with me. I need him to like me
.

She nodded. “Okay, but I need to get my purse.”

Hayley exited through the front door. Nanna swatted him. “You go with her. Tell that girl how much you like her. I don’t care what her father said. He’s a fool if he can’t see his daughter loves you.”

Loves?
Did Hayley love him? Had she fallen for him as well? Ty went after Hayley, following her out the front door. She was digging around in her purse when he caught up with her.

“I can leave if you don’t want me to stay.” She looked at him. “I just didn’t want to hurt your grandmother.”

Ty pulled her to him and kissed her full on the mouth. Felt how much he missed her, the longing and … yes, his love for her stirring. They were both breathless when he released her.

She stared at him. “What was that, Ty? What is going on? Why have you been avoiding me? Is it my father? Did he say something to you?”

“I’m not the guy for you, Hayley.”

“I hear my father in that statement.”

“Your father is right.”

“So. What? You kissed me just now. What am I supposed to think?”

“You’re supposed to see how much I care about you because I’m backing off. Your father—and I didn’t want to tell you—said if I cared, that I’d let you go.”

“So, just like that. You’re letting go. You can’t fight for me? Regardless, I’m a big girl and I can make my own decisions. I don’t have to answer to my father.”

“No, you don’t. But you will because you love him and respect him too much. You’re all he has left. That’s what you said.”

“This is it then?”

He grinned, seeing the plan unfold clearly. “I hope not.”

Now if he could just make it work.

In her studio, Hayley packed up her recent creations—etched, glazed, and fired—to take to Blue Mountain Art Gallery.

Her hands trembled, making her concerned she might drop one of the pots. Too many hours went into her art—and she had a feeling that Daddy had noticed that she’d spent more and more time in her studio, and less attending to the endless chores that went with ranching, meaning more work for the cowhands. But her heart just wasn’t in it.

She’d told Daddy she’d be here for him, be the one to take up the Covington Ranch legacy, but she wanted nothing to do with that right now. She hadn’t anticipated Daddy or his need to protect her and the ranch would interfere in her life in such a drastic, crazy way.

She hadn’t expected when she asked Ty—a man she thought was a gallery employee—to help her, that she could feel this way about anyone. Her future, her happiness, was on the line. But it tore her up inside to think of hurting Daddy.

He’d been working at the north end of the property this week—some problem with the fence. He’d always been one to get his hands dirty and expected the same from her. Enjoyed the physical labor, though he had the means to pay someone else to do things. Hayley had left his meals out for him on most nights, heading to the studio or up to bed before he’d gotten home.

She just couldn’t face him right now.

The door creaked open behind her. Probably Daddy. She missed him, but she was still trying to sort her feelings out. Didn’t want to face him until she had.

“Hayley,” he said, his voice more gentle than she could remember.

Getting a box ready to pack another pot, she stopped what she was doing but didn’t look up. “Hi, Daddy.”

“Never thought I’d see the day when I’d have to come out here if I wanted to talk to you.”

Hayley forced her hands to stop trembling. She straightened and turned to face him, holding the pot. “I’m sorry. I’ve been focusing my energy on creating more pieces for the gallery. They’re selling well.”

He eyed the one she held.

“I know. Stopped by there this afternoon to speak with Jim.”

“You didn’t. Daddy, please tell me you didn’t interfere there, too?”

Hurt flashed across his gaze. “Interfere? No, Hayley. I wanted to see Jim to ask him how your work was selling because I care about you. He sold a couple of the pieces this morning, as a matter of fact. I’m proud of you.”

Daddy came close. “I didn’t understand what this meant to you. Thought it was a waste of time. That it would interfere with our life here at the ranch. Thought it would … take you from me.”

“Is that why you went to see Ty? Why you told him to stay away from me?”

He frowned. “I knew he wasn’t man enough to keep that to himself.”

Fury exploded inside Hayley, and she hated it. She’d never been so angry with her father. “Man enough. Man enough!” She threw the pot she held to the floor. “Ty has avoided me like the plague. I went to see him and dragged it out of him. He thinks he has to let me go because he cares about me. He’s not the man for me. He believes that because of you.”

Her legs shook now as she looked down at the pot. At what she’d done. “Oh, Daddy, I’m sorry. I didn’t …” Hayley crouched to pick up the pieces, tears making it hard to see.

Big sturdy hands appeared in her view, helping her pick up the pieces. Then they took hold of her hands and lifted her to stand.

“Daughter, I didn’t know you felt that way about him. I let things go too far.”

“That’s not what I want to hear from you,” she said. “I need you to realize you shouldn’t have interfered in the first place. I know you think you have to protect your assets. But I’m not one of those. I’m simply your daughter, who has a heart and mind of her own. I don’t want to leave the ranch, Daddy, and I wouldn’t hurt you for the world, but …”

“I’m the one who hurt you,” he said. “I’m sorry, Hayley.”

He hugged her to him and held her for a while. Then he let go and left her to herself, to pick up the shattered pieces.

Ty loaded his gear into the back of his vehicle, glad he was done with the ski lessons for the day. Glad he didn’t have a shift at the refuge after this. He was exhausted from staying up late, working on putting his ideas together to present them to a potential investor for his ski lodge.

Part of him wanted to give up. What were the chances this guy would be interested in investing in Ty’s business proposition? Hayley’s father had done a good job of knocking him down a few notches, but at the same time, the man had given him something to work for.

Himself.

His daughter.

The only problem was he might be too late where Hayley was concerned. He’d wanted to make something of himself and prove himself to her and her father, but he’d only ended up hurting her.

Dusting the snow from his shoulders, he stomped around the vehicle, opened the door and climbed inside. A familiar steel-gray dually pulled in right next to him, a little too close for comfort. A vise squeezed his chest.

The truck door slammed, and Hayley’s father walked around to greet Ty.

Funny, seeing the guy here.

“Hey,” the man said. “Glad I caught you.”

“What’s up?”

Hayley’s father tugged off his cap.

“I don’t like to be one to interfere.” He gave an odd, nervous laugh. “Well, not too much anyway, but I made a big mistake, so I need to remedy that.”