The Rancher's Second Chance (Martin's Crossing Book 3) (14 page)

“How are you feeling?” She stood, touching the bags of frozen vegetables and realizing they’d started to thaw. She picked them up and carried them to the kitchen.

“I’m good. Tired.”

“I’m leaving, then.” She picked up the chair and returned it to the table in the kitchen.

“Alone?” He sat up, no longer groggy. “Grace, you know I can’t let you walk back to Oregon’s alone.”

“I’m a big girl, Brody.”

“And I’m still an old-fashioned cowboy.” He pushed the footstool down and got up. “I’m going with you.”

“I can call you when I get there.”

“You want me to sit here and wait for you to call? I don’t think so.”

They were walking out the door when she spotted the Moses-style walking stick, hand carved, the wood sanded smooth. She grabbed the carved piece of wood that was almost taller than she was. “Is this yours?”

“Yeah, Lefty carved it for me. He said I’d feel more manly using it.”

“Can you part the Red Sea with this thing?” She handed it to him and he surprised her by taking it.

“No, but I can kill a snake with it.”

The walking stick had a hand grip about two feet down from the top, making it easy to hold on to. She could tell as they walked that he had used it before. It probably helped take pressure off the knee that was quickly losing cartilage.

“When are they going to do your surgery?”

“Not for a while. Eventually I will require a total knee replacement.”

“They won’t do that until they have to.”

“No.” He leaned on the stick, taking the uneven ground with slow steps. “I told you I could still cowboy up and take care of a woman.”

“I didn’t doubt you.”

“No?”

They were almost to Oregon’s. She stopped, looked up at him. The moonlight sliced rays of light across the field as thin clouds, white in the moonlight, chased one another across the sky.

“Brody, I really made serious mistakes.”

“Yeah, well, we can’t undo that, can we?” He kept walking. “Grace, not tonight. I don’t want to talk about what could have been. This is the reality. We’re both living it. I’m not the man you needed, then or now. I had a lot of baggage to work through, and now I have a few added layers. You’re trying to figure out your life, how to go back and finish your education, how to be a single mom.”

“Not tonight,” she repeated. “What you’re really saying is not any night.”

“Maybe, Grace. Maybe we both need to step back and focus on figuring out what comes next, because adding another person complicates things.” He stopped walking and reached down, letting his hand drift through her hair.

She shivered at his touch, closed her eyes. “This feels like goodbye.”

“Yeah, it does.”

She nodded and walked away from him, knowing he wouldn’t follow. She glanced back as she opened the front door of Oregon’s and saw him standing in the moonlight. She wanted to go back, to tell him she couldn’t do this alone.

But that was part of the problem. She had to do this on her own to prove that she could. To herself.

Chapter Fourteen

B
rody was stretched out in a lawn chair, hat pulled low to block the sun from his face and a glass of iced tea in his hand when Duke pulled up the next afternoon. He squinted one eye at the man watching from his truck. Duke shook his head, said something Brody couldn’t hear and got out of the truck.

“A man in jeans, a T-shirt and cowboy boots catching a few rays. This is pathetic,” Duke spoke as he walked up to him.

“I’m resting. It’s what you do when you have an autoimmune disease. Rest, eat healthy and ignore annoying older brothers. So far it isn’t working. I don’t feel better at all.”

Duke pulled up another lawn chair and sat down. Sally barked a few times and jumped on Duke’s lap.

“Is this how you’ve spent your birthday?” Duke asked, his tone saying he wanted to sound as if he didn’t care. Brody grinned. Of course his big brother cared.

“Yep” seemed like the best answer.

“Yep? Well, you’ve got some womenfolk pretty upset. They’re at Jake and Breezy’s cooking up something. They want to surprise you. I knew you wouldn’t come up even if I begged. So I’m using guilt to get you up there, because I know you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.”

“Nope.”

Brody pushed his hat back and zeroed in on Duke.

Duke grinned. “So it’s working?”

“Yeah, I guess I don’t have a choice. I’m twenty-seven. If I could, I’d do a happy dance for you.”

“But since you can’t, you’ll come down to Jake’s and eat cake and make as if you’re having the time of your life. If you don’t, Lilly will be crushed. She made you something special.”

“I’d do anything for your daughter, so don’t use her that way.”

Duke held up his hands in surrender. “Never ever would I use my daughter to manipulate my little brother.”

“Thanks. That means a lot to me.” He pushed himself up and reached for the walking stick. “I’ll be down in an hour. Is that good?”

“It is. Do you want me to wait for you?”

“No, I can manage.” He wanted to say more, but he didn’t. He knew Duke cared. He cared about Duke. So why fight on his birthday? It just didn’t make sense.

He was almost up the steps of the trailer when Duke stopped him, “Hey, Brody.”

He turned, waited.

“Oregon said that Grace cried herself to sleep last night. Did you do that?”

Brody rubbed a hand across his jaw. He really needed to shave. And make things up to Grace. “Yeah, probably,” he admitted.

“You should know pregnant women cry a lot. They get their feelings hurt easily.”

“How would...?” He stopped himself from saying something about his brother not being there when Oregon was pregnant. “I’ll make it up to her.”

“That would be real good of you.”

Brody leaned against the door frame. “Duke?”

“What?” Duke stood in the yard. Brody’s dog was on its hind legs, scratching at his pant legs.

“I wish it was my baby. That makes me madder than anything. When I touched her belly last night and felt that little person in there kick my hand, I wanted that baby to be mine. I’m furious that it’s Lincoln’s.”

“I get that, Brody. I guess you just have to...”

“Pray. Yeah, I know. I’ve been praying night and day. I’m not sure God is hearing me, because I still don’t have an answer. The last time I thought I had an answer, I bought a ring. We all know how that turned out.”

“Yeah, we know. It ended with you coming home madder than a bear with a thorn in his paw.”

“I’ll be down in an hour.” He whistled for his dog and went inside to get ready.

When he pulled up to Jake’s, there was a full house, and a truck with a snazzy horse trailer parked outside. He knew that trailer. It belonged to Grace’s Aunt Jacki. It had living quarters, room for three horses and air conditioning. Not only did Jacki travel in style, but so did her horses.

He headed for the house, stopping to pet Lilly’s dog. When he stepped onto the front porch, the door opened. Grace stood in the doorway, her smile hesitant. She was wearing a pretty skirt and a T-shirt. Her hair was held back from her face and her eyes looked huge. And still a little red. Guilt edged in and he tamped it down.

“How are you?” she asked, protective hand on her belly.

“Is he kicking?”

“No. I’m just a little sore. I have an appointment Monday.”

“I’ll drive you,” he offered, really hoping she’d take him up on it. And then hoping she wouldn’t.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Jacki is here.” Needless words. She knew her aunt was there.

“She brought my gelding, Doc. I’m going to keep him here until I decide my next move. I can’t stay with Oregon forever.”

“She’s going to move out soon. You can probably stay there as long as you want.”

He felt it between them, the tension, the need to say more. But he wasn’t ready. He guessed she wasn’t, either. Maybe neither of them knew what it was they wanted to say.

“I’m sorry about last night.”

“Who told you?” She joined him on the porch, slowly closing the door behind her.

“Oregon told Duke. He said something to me.” He eased closer, inhaled the sweet scent of her perfume. She was springtime and sunshine. He needed her close. He didn’t deserve her, though.

“Brody, I’m tired of hurting and it seems as though that’s all we do—hurt each other.”

The words stunned him. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I know. And I don’t want to hurt you, either.”

He leaned in close, letting his lips graze her cheek. “I know. I didn’t mean to hurt you last night.”

She nodded, her forehead touching his chest, resting there. He leaned, kissed the top of her head. “We should go in,” he said, regretting that they were here and not somewhere alone where they could talk.

“I know.”

He reached for the doorknob, but stopped as a car roared up the drive and pulled in to the parking space behind his truck. The cherry-red convertible blasted rock music. The woman behind the steering wheel had long dark hair pulled back. Sunglasses perched on a pert nose. She stepped out of the car and looked around, and he knew immediately who she was.

“Who invited Kayla Stanford?” he asked as he watched her walk toward the house.

“Is that who that is?”

He watched her head their way. “I’m guessing.”

“No one invited her, that I know of. She did say she was going to visit. She seems to know how to make an entrance.”

“I’d say so,” Brody agreed.

“I think Martin’s Crossing is in trouble.”

“Is this the Martin ranch?” the young woman asked as she stepped up on the porch, all confidence and style. The kind that came from growing up privileged.

But something in her gray eyes made the outward appearance seem like a lie.

“It sure is,” Brody responded, holding out a hand. “Brody Martin.”

“Kayla Stanford. I guess you’re my brother.” She gave him a winning smile and Brody silently agreed with Grace. They were all in big trouble. This young woman in her knee-length yoga pants, T-shirt and designer sunglasses was not at all what they’d expected.

Brody took a few seconds to let it settle in. “I’m not even sure what to say in this situation.”

“Yeah, that’s how I’ve been feeling, too,” she admitted. “I was led to believe my mother had never been married. She had me, dropped me with my dad and flew the coop.”

“She’s an expert at flying the coop,” Brody informed her. “But not at raising kids.”

He led her inside to the rest of the family. Party horns sounded as they headed for the kitchen. He led Grace and Kayla to the big room where the family was gathered. That included Marty, their housekeeper, cook and mother figure. Her eyes widened when she saw Kayla. The horn blowing stopped.

“Happy birthday!” Lilly’s greeting fizzled as everyone looked from him to Kayla.

“Surprise!” Brody half shouted and waved his arms. “It’s a sister.”

Kayla stood in the middle of their rowdy group, chewing on her lip. Brody put a hand on her arm and she half smiled up at him.

“Let me introduce you to everyone,” he offered. It never should have been like this. People didn’t get introduced to siblings. He couldn’t help but be mad at Sylvia all over again. She’d abandoned them all without a thought toward their futures or how they’d find each other.

He had a real feeling that Kayla Stanford had needed to find them. And being the family they were, they pulled her in, talking, asking questions, letting her be part of them.

And standing at the edge of their family was Grace.

“Do you have other family?” Breezy asked later as she served the white cake that looked like a Maltese. He couldn’t figure out how they’d all thought he needed a dog cake for his twenty-seventh birthday. There had been years as a kid that he’d been okay with cream-filled snack cakes all lined up in a pan and candles on top. Jake and Elizabeth had made them.

Kayla took a bite of the cake and answered Breezy’s question. “My dad, stepmother and two half brothers.”

It was something Brody hadn’t known about her.

“You have a great car,” Lilly observed.

Kayla smiled. “Thank you.”

The conversation drifted again. Jake questioned Kayla about school. About how she spent her time. Brody kept quiet because they all knew how she spent her time. Creating headlines in Austin. She was her father’s wild child. It was hard to figure that out now that he’d met her.

“I’m going to walk Aunt Jacki out. She’s leaving.” Grace stood, picking up her empty plate.

Brody took the plate from her hand. “I’ll get these.”

“You’re sweet, Brody.”

“Don’t let that get out or they’ll all start expecting some miraculous transformation,” he teased.

She touched his cheek, her fingers barely caressing the skin. “I won’t tell.”

Why did he have a strange feeling they were close to saying another goodbye?

* * *

Grace walked across the yard with her aunt. She’d shown up without notice, but that was okay. Jacki was notorious for drifting whichever way the wind blew. She was turning forty this year and she said she had a lot of adventures to take before she settled down.

When they got to her truck, Jacki pointed to the open tailgate. “Sit.”

Grace obeyed. Jacki sat next to her.

“Why didn’t you tell me Lincoln was abusing you?” Jacki started with the conversation that had probably been eating at her all day.

“I don’t know.” Grace held her hand out to the border collie that had joined them. The dog licked her fingers and then plopped in the shade of the truck, stretching out to sleep. “I guess I was embarrassed. I’m not a woman who gets abused, right? I’m educated. I’m from a good family. It doesn’t happen.”

Jacki let out a sigh. “Oh, honey, it happens. I was married for two years to a man who thought I was his personal punching bag. I just never saw it in Lincoln, and I’m sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault. I’m starting to realize it wasn’t mine, either.”

“Where is Lincoln?”

“I’ve heard he’s in Montana with an uncle.” Grace lifted the hair off the back of her neck. “It’s hot.”

“No, it isn’t. You’re pregnant.”

“I know.” Grace closed her eyes, reliving. “I’m not going to blame Lincoln, but I do blame myself. I should have walked away.”

“Grace, it is his fault that he hurt you. I’m sure he tried to tell you that it was your fault, and that you made him do it.”

“I know it wasn’t my fault. But I’m taking responsibility for my part in this, Aunt Jacki. I made really bad decisions, and I gave up part of myself. Now I have to find who I am again. It’s way past time for Grace Thomas to take control of her life and grow up.”

“What about that good-looking cowboy in there?” Jacki asked.

“I have to find myself before I let anyone else in my life.”

“So should I load that horse up?”

She shook her head. “No, not yet. I talked to Oregon. I’m moving back to the apartment in town. If I go home I know everyone will help me out. They’ll take care of me. But I don’t want to be taken care of. I’ve been letting too many people make decisions for me, Aunt Jacki. I went to nursing school because my parents are in the medical field. I went to church because my grandfather is a pastor. I moved in with you because you said—” she reached for her aunt’s hand “—I needed adventure. And you were partly right. I did need to find myself. But what I’ve learned is that I need to make some decisions for myself now.”

Her aunt hugged her. “Girl, I am so proud of you. You’re going to do great things, no matter what you decide. Just be strong for yourself, for your baby.”

She nodded, leaning in to her aunt. “Thanks, Aunt Jacki.”

“Well, I should be heading home, then. And you call if you need anything.”

“I’ll call.”

They hugged one last time, then Grace stepped back as Jacki climbed in her truck, gave a wave and headed down the drive and back to Stephenville. When she turned back toward the house, she saw Brody.

“We should talk,” he said as she walked up the steps of the porch. He motioned to the rocking chairs and they sat together.

Grace wanted to reach for his hand but she knew it was the wrong time. “Brody, I’m staying in Martin’s Crossing. But I’m staying for me, not us.”

“I heard.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, really wishing she could reach for his hand. As much as she needed to be strong, she realized she needed his strength. But that was the problem, wasn’t it? She needed to find her own strength, her own way.

“Don’t be sorry, Grace. Just be happy. I’ll be here if you need me.”

“Thank you.” She stood and he remained seated. She saw the hurt in his eyes. She wanted to tell him that maybe someday... But she couldn’t. She wouldn’t make promises she couldn’t keep. And she wouldn’t keep him tied to her, waiting for something that might not happen.

She needed time to have a baby and focus on herself.

“Grace, remember, if you need anything...”

“I’ll call.”

He pushed himself up from the chair. “Could you tell them I had to head back to my place? I’m packing today. I’m moving in to Lawson and Elizabeth’s house.”

“I’ll let them know.”

He waved as he walked away, not even turning to look back at her. She could handle this. She took a breath and rested a hand on her belly. She had this little person counting on her to be strong and make the right decisions.