“Do we have gas?”
Alex turned the key in the ignition. “We have gas.”
“Then move it, cowboy.”
He pulled around the house and onto the circular driveway. “I will, once I get past all the parked vehicles.” Fortunately he knew the way, although he’d only been out to Gabe’s place a couple of times. Gabe’s road branched off the main one leading to the ranch house, so Alex had to navigate past the visitors’ cars and trucks parked on the shoulder until he reached the turnoff.
Like the other roads on the ranch, the one to Gabe’s was graded but not paved, which meant it would be slick with mud. Plus, it had several wicked curves. Alex shifted into four-wheel drive. “You buckled in?”
“Yes.”
“Good. This could get slippery.”
“I don’t care. I just want to get there as fast as we can.”
“All right.” Alex was still learning his way around horses, but when it came to driving, especially under difficult road conditions, he knew his stuff. For someone who’d navigated Chicago’s Outer Drive in an ice storm, this was child’s play. He gripped the wheel and stepped on the gas.
Tyler sucked in a breath, but she didn’t say a word as the truck fishtailed through curves and plowed through puddles without slowing. Mud sprayed the windows. Alex flicked on the wipers so he could see, but he didn’t touch the brake. Even so, the trip seemed to be taking forever.
“You okay?” He kept his eyes on the road.
“Yep.”
“I’m going as fast as I can.”
“Good.”
“She’s going to be okay, Tyler.”
“I know.” But her voice shook.
Finally he rounded the last curve and pulled in right behind Nick’s truck, which was also covered in mud. Sarah’s SUV, having been driven at a reasonable speed, was cleaner.
Tyler quickly unlatched her seat belt. “Thanks. I didn’t know you could drive like that.” Then she opened the door, hopped down and ran toward the house.
It took him a second to realize that sometime during the wild ride she’d shucked her high-heeled boots so she could make that run more easily. Alex followed at a slower pace. This wasn’t his family, and he didn’t want to intrude on whatever was happening inside the house.
Plus, if he wanted to be honest with himself, he wasn’t sure how he’d react to seeing a woman give birth. If he fainted or got sick to his stomach, that would be bad.
So he paused and looked around at the stacks of lumber covered in tarps. The log exterior of the two-story house was complete, but the interior was still a work in progress. Morgan and Gabe joked about living in a construction zone, but Alex could tell they loved every minute of being out here together.
They were building a life together, and Alex envied them that. He didn’t know squat about building a house, but the Chance brothers did. They would help him. Living at the ranch house was nice, but this—creating a home from scratch, almost like the pioneers, really appealed to him.
But he couldn’t imagine doing that just for himself. He’d want to share it with someone, and he didn’t need to think very long about who he’d choose if he could. Then he remembered how she’d looked up on stage and squashed that thought. She didn’t belong here.
Holding that thought, he approached the house. He was almost at the door when Morgan’s scream shattered the silence. He hurried forward. God knows he’d be of no practical use. But whatever was happening, Tyler was part of it. He wanted to be there for her.
Morgan’s next scream came as he followed muddy footprints through the living room toward the master bedroom. Heart racing, he said a little prayer that she wasn’t dying, and that the baby wasn’t dying, either.
But when he heard a loud cheer coming from the bedroom, he let out a sigh, dizzy with relief. It was okay. He stood in the doorway, still feeling a little like an outsider.
From here he couldn’t see much of Morgan, who was surrounded by Tyler and Sarah on one side and Gabe on the other. Nick stood at the foot of the bed holding a bloody, slimy baby who scrunched up its little face and let out a wail of protest.
“She’s
beautiful,
” Morgan said, gasping. “Isn’t she beautiful, Gabe?”
Gabe cleared his throat and leaned down to kiss his wife. “You’re beautiful,” he said, his voice raspy.
“A girl.” Sarah seemed to be lit from within. “I have a granddaughter.”
“And I have a niece,” Tyler said as tears ran down her cheeks. “A beautiful little niece.”
“Hey, she’s my niece, too.” Nick was busily wiping the gunk off the little kid. “Okay, you guys. Now we know the first grandbaby is a girl. But we don’t know her name.”
“You tell.” Morgan tugged on her husband’s hand.
Gabe snuffled. “No, you.” His voice was still thick with emotion.
“All right,” Morgan said softly as she kissed Gabe’s hand. “Her name is Sarah Bianca, after her two grandmothers.”
“Oh, my goodness.” Sarah lost it and began weeping openly.
A lump in his throat and envy in his heart, Alex backed away from the doorway. Everything was fine and nobody needed him. To stand there during this emotional family moment seemed wrong, so he retreated to the living room, moved aside a newspaper, and sat on the couch.
God, he wanted to be part of something that wonderful, though. He ached with longing to have a woman love him the way Morgan loved Gabe. Crystal never had, and he could see that now. He hadn’t lost her so much as that he’d never truly had her.
“I wondered where you were.”
He glanced up to find Tyler standing in front of him, a smile on her tear-streaked face.
She sniffed and swiped at her eyes. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
“Yes.” He discovered his throat was still tight with emotion. “I’m really glad everything’s okay.”
She nodded. “I couldn’t figure out where you were, so I came looking for you.”
“I… It didn’t seem as if I should…”
“You could have come in. But I know what you mean. I stepped out for a while so that they could all bond. I’ll have my chance later.”
“Yeah. At least you still have a few days before you have to leave.”
“About that.” She gestured toward the couch. “Could I sit down?”
“Oh! Sure!” He tossed the newspaper on the coffee table. “Sorry.”
“That’s okay. It’s been a confusing kind of day.” She settled herself on the couch next to him. “And I’m about to add to the confusion, but I have something to discuss with you. I have an idea.”
He angled his body so he could look at her. She was so incredibly beautiful and he wanted to remember her like this, her face glowing with happiness. “What kind of idea?”
Her gaze was soft and her smile warm. “What would you say to me giving up the cruise business and setting up shop as an event planner for the town of Shoshone?”
For one shining moment he allowed himself to embrace the thought that she would settle down here. He let himself imagine that she was falling in love with him and they could have the kind of life that he longed for, full of trust and joy and…okay, plenty of sex.
But then reality smacked him in the face. Of course she’d come up with this idea now. She’d just been put through an emotional wringer, first thinking her sister’s life was in danger, and then witnessing the birth of her niece. She was awash in family sentimentality. She wasn’t thinking straight.
He took a deep breath. “I’d say you’d be making a huge mistake.”
Her smile faded. “Why?”
“Tyler, you’ve worked for this promotion for years. You’ve told me before how much you love your job, and now you’re going to throw that all away?”
“Maybe I want something else instead.”
“You just think you do because of all that just happened. Your sister’s had a baby, so naturally you’re trying to figure out how to spend more time here. But you don’t have to take a drastic step like dumping the job you love.”
“Or maybe you don’t want me to dump the job because that would put more pressure on us than you’re ready for.”
“I didn’t say that!”
“You didn’t have to. It’s written all over your face. I scared you to death with that suggestion, didn’t I?”
“This isn’t about me. It’s about you, and your future.”
“Right. My future.” She stood. “I see it very clearly now.”
“Good. That’s excellent. Because you don’t want to let the emotions of the moment carry you away and make you do something you’ll regret.”
“That’s for damn sure. Listen, you probably need to get back, so don’t worry about me. I can ride with Nick. You can go on.”
He could tell she was furious with him for telling her the truth, but he’d done it for her own good. “Tyler, I—”
“No, really. I’ll get back just fine. See you.” Then she walked down the hall toward the bedroom.
Well, hell. He supposed that’s what he got for trying to be a good guy. Blowing out a breath, he got up and walked outside. It was raining again. Perfect. Just perfect.
16
TYLER OFFERED TO spend the rest of her vacation time out at Morgan and Gabe’s house so she could help with baby Sarah. That had the added benefit of avoiding Alex almost entirely. She should have known better than to think he’d welcome her idea.
She really had thought he might react with excitement once he understood what she had in mind. Watching a new life come into being had made her decide to lay everything on the line and find out if Alex wanted her to stay.
But he didn’t want that, obviously. He’d looked horrified at the thought of her moving permanently to Shoshone. Well, he wouldn’t have to worry about that now.
Gabe drove her to the airport in Jackson on Wednesday. “I can’t tell you what this has meant to Morgan and me, having you here when Sarah was born,” he said as he pulled her suitcase out of the back of the truck. “Sometimes I worry that Morgan is a little overwhelmed by my family, and so to have you here sort of balanced the scales.”
“I’m glad.” She gave him a hug. “I’ll come back as often as I can, but you know the schedule.”
“I know.”
“And you’ll have my mom and dad visiting next month. I’m sure they’ll bring more of the tribe with them, so Morgan won’t get too lonely for her family.”
“Guess not.” Gabe smiled at her. “But I can tell she’s closest to you. So come back when you can.”
“I will.” She damn sure wasn’t going to let the threat of dealing with Alex keep her away. “Expect to get some baby stuff from Greece.”
“I’m sure Sarah will have all sorts of exotic clothes and toys. Travel safe.” With a wave, he hopped back in his truck.
Travel safe.
The operative word in that was
travel.
She was going to be on the move, and if she kept herself constantly in motion, maybe she wouldn’t notice that her heart was truly and completely broken.
ALEX THREW HIMSELF into his job. The first part of the week he did it to pretend she wasn’t still at the ranch. After she left Wednesday morning he put in even more hours as he pretended she wasn’t gone. Sometimes it worked. Mostly it didn’t, but he had obligations and he was determined to honor them and prove that he wouldn’t go into a blue funk because of Tyler.
Early in the week, he talked with Clay Whitaker about marketing plans for the stud service, which would be operational within the next month. Another open house had already been scheduled for July, as well. Despite the interruption caused by the early arrival of baby Sarah Bianca, who had been dubbed SB by the hands, the open house had been a rousing success with multiple sales.
Interest in the Last Chance paints had increased exponentially, and the Chance brothers wanted a repeat of the event. That was impossible now that Tyler was gone, but everybody agreed that Watkins had been a hit. Instead of hiring outside entertainment, the family had voted to hire Watkins and pay him over and above his normal wages as a ranch hand. They’d settled on a fee and had authorized Alex to make the deal.
Alex put off talking to Watkins because he had the distinct feeling Watkins wasn’t happy with him. He figured it had something to do with Tyler leaving. Watkins might have thought Alex would ask her to stay and then Watkins would have someone to jam with. Too bad about that.
Early Friday morning, Alex decided to get it over with and talk to Watkins. He found the stocky ranch hand in the barn caring for the horses. Watkins was grooming Gold Rush, a butterscotch-and-white paint previously ridden only by Jonathan Chance Sr.
Nick had opted to ride the flashy gelding in last year’s Fourth of July parade, and now the hands thought of Gold Rush as Nick’s horse. But Watkins had a fondness for the animal and usually made time to take a currycomb to him a few times a week.
He glanced up when Alex walked over and leaned against the door to Gold Rush’s stall. “Morning, Alex.” His greeting was curt and he went right back to brushing the horse.
“Morning, Watkins.” Still pissed, obviously.
“We’ll be doing another open house the middle of next month,” he said as an opener.
“That’s nice.” Watkins kept grooming Gold Rush.
“Everybody really enjoyed your guitar playing, and we’d like you to be the entertainment again. We’re prepared to pay you this time.”
“Not interested.”
“What?”
Alex had expected a short conversation, but not a refusal.
Watkins didn’t look up. “Sorry. I’m not interested.”
“Why not?”
Watkins turned to face him, the currycomb still in his hand. “If it was just the Chance boys asking, I might do it. But since you’re involved in the whole thing, I’m going to say no.”
Alex stared at him. “Okay, what’s this about? You’ve been crossways with me for days now. I want to know why.”
“Because you don’t have the good sense to appreciate Tyler, that’s why.”
“Are you kidding? I appreciate the hell out of her! She’s an amazing woman who’s doing the job she loves. I realize it would have suited your purposes to have her stay, but that’s just plain selfishness on your part.”
Watkins gazed at him. “I guess I can say this because technically you’re not my boss.”
“No, I’m not. Get it off your chest, Watkins.”
“Pardon my saying so, but you are one stupid son of a gun.”
Alex hung on to his temper with difficulty. “I don’t doubt that, but you seem to have some specific stupidity in mind.”
“I do.” Watkins tossed the currycomb into a plastic bucket that held several grooming tools. “Tyler had this great plan she was all excited about. Considering the fact she left, I’ll bet she didn’t even mention it.”
Alex had an uneasy feeling. “I don’t know. She might have.”
“If she did, you’re even dumber than I thought. She and I talked about it before the open house, and she had big plans for this town. She wanted to be the organizer, get the merchants to hire her to put on communitywide events. Is any of this sounding familiar?”
“Maybe.” Good God. Had he been so wrong about her state of mind? “So you’re saying she had this idea before the open house even started?”
“That’s right. But she asked me not to say anything. I think she was trying to figure out how you felt about her before she committed to it. She knew it would suck to be seeing you all the time if you didn’t return her feelings.”
Alex felt as if Watkins had punched him. “Did she…did she say she had…feelings for me?”
“Hell, no. She wouldn’t have spilled her guts like that. She has her pride. But I’ve been around a few more years than you, and she had all the signs. Every number she sang, she was looking for you. When she left for L.A., after all, I figured she decided not to tell you anything.”
“She mentioned it to me after SB was born. And I thought…I thought she was just reacting to all the drama with her sister. I didn’t know she’d dreamed it up before that.”
Watkins blew out a breath. “Well, I’m glad she’s gone, then. Like I said, you don’t have the good sense to appreciate her. I hate that you hurt her, but she’s well rid of you.”
“Hurt her? I was trying to
help
her!”
“By rejecting her?”
“Yes, damn it! She needs more than this!”
Watkins looked him up and down. “She needs more than you, that’s for sure, if you can’t see that she’s crazy about you. You should have been thanking your lucky stars instead of letting her get away.” He pushed open the stall door. “Excuse me. I have work to do.”
After he left, Alex sagged against the stall with a groan of despair. She wanted him. And not just because they clicked sexually. She wanted what he wanted, to build a life together here in Shoshone, and she’d figured out a way to use her skills to earn a living, which was so very important to her. Clever, clever girl. Stupid, stupid man.
And now she was on her way to…no, wait! Today was Friday. The ship sailed out of L.A. tonight! Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he scrolled through his contacts until he found her. He’d considered erasing that number. Thank God he hadn’t.
His fingers trembled, but he managed to type out a brief text message which he deliberately put in caps. C U 2NITE LOVE ALEX. As he pushed the button to send it on its way, he prayed he wasn’t too late.
THE
Sea Goddess’s
ENGINES rumbled, churning the water beneath the ship. Tyler’s stomach mimicked the motion of the propellers. In six years of cruising she’d never been seasick, but she might break that record this afternoon before the ship ever left port. The
Sea Goddess
would sail in exactly one hour, and she hadn’t heard a word from Alex.
Despite the frantic pace of the day as she checked last-minute details in the morning and began greeting passengers boarding in the afternoon, she’d pulled out her phone to look at Alex’s text message dozens of times. She’d memorized the short message, but still she had to look at it.
There was no mistaking the meaning. He intended to see her before she left. If so, that cowboy had better be riding a really fast horse.
But it was the other part of the message that glowed like a field of diamonds in her mind. LOVE ALEX. He wouldn’t have typed that in casually, like the kind of stupid throwaway line she’d given him the day of the open house. She had to believe he wouldn’t have typed it at all unless…but she dared not speculate too wildly.
And he wasn’t here.
She’d positioned herself by the embarkation doorway to greet passengers as they came on board. Some were returning passengers eager to chat. In the middle of one of those conversations with a darling couple in their eighties, Tyler’s phone vibrated.
Her heart raced and blood surged through her, roaring in her ears in a deafening rush. She excused herself from the couple and stepped away from the door. She was shaking so much she could barely hold the phone to her ear.
“Alex?”
“I’m outside the ship. They won’t let me in. Can you come out?”
She gulped. “I shouldn’t, but…five minutes. I can give you five minutes.”
“Give me ten.”
“Five, cowboy.” Her throat was so tight she could barely speak. “You’ll have to talk fast.”
“Then don’t hang up. I’ll start now. I’ll talk to you while you’re coming down.”
“Okay.” Phone to her ear, she hurried over to the staff at the security-check station. “Don’t let them leave without me. I’ll be
right back.
”
Both guys lifted their eyebrows but didn’t say anything.
“I promise.” Then she started down the ramp to the dock. Nearly all the passengers were aboard, so she only had to work her way around a couple of latecomers.
“Can you hear me?” Alex said in that seductive radio voice.
“Yes. I’m walking down the gangplank now.”
“Thank God. Thank
you.
” His voice caressed her. “I’ve been such an idiot, Tyler.”
“Have you?” She searched the dock area below her as she descended, but didn’t see him yet. California sunshine bathed the dock and the blindingly white ship as carts buzzed around bringing in last-minute supplies.
“Dumb as a box of rocks. But I’m a hell of a lot smarter now.”
“How so?”
“I should have trusted you to know what you wanted instead of thinking I knew best what you needed.”
She took a shaky breath. “True. I’m not Crystal.”
“Not even close. And…I finally understand that loving each other is the only thing that really matters.”
Tyler grabbed the railing for support as her knees began to quiver. “Loving?” Her voice squeaked on the word.
“Loving.” His voice didn’t squeak. It fell into that incredible register that turned her insides to warm goo. “I intend to love you like you’ve never been loved, for the rest of our lives. We’ll build a life together in Shoshone, but we’ll travel, too, because I know how much that means to you.”
“But…but…I can’t…Alex, the ship is ready to sail.”
“I know. It’s okay. I can wait.”