The Cowboy's Pride

“Good night,” he said as Trish bent to pick Meggie up. The two of them clung to each other.

Mother and child.

“Good night, Clay.”

He opened the door and closed it behind him without looking back.

He’d done his good deed for the day.

Getting the baby up in the morning, fed, bathed and dressed was a whirlwind of activity and a ritual that hadn’t gotten any easier for Trish. By the time nine o’clock rolled around, Trish was putting the finishing touches on her own grooming. She brushed her teeth quickly, secured her hair in a ponytail, then mascara tipped her eyelashes and slashed light pink lipstick on her lips.

She was excited and eager to see Penny’s Song for the first time. She’d only seen the place laid out on drafting paper, the design one she’d worked on with Clay. She wondered if the real thing would meet her expectations.

When the doorbell rang, Trish was as ready as she’d ever be. She had a diaper bag filled with essentials, a well-fed, well-rested baby and nerves of steel. At least that’s what she told herself.

She went to the door braced to see Clay again. Today she’d make an appointment with him to discuss the divorce. No sense putting off the inevitable. Suzy Johnson would then have a legal right to get her claws into him.

When she opened the door, surprise registered when it wasn’t Clay but a pretty brunette standing on the doorstep.

“Hi, I’m Callie Worth. Tagg’s wife. I hope it’s okay that I stopped by?”

“Hi, Callie. Of course it is.” Trish still had friends in Red Ridge. She’d heard that Tagg had gotten married. Callie and she were, for all intents and purposes, sisters-in-law at the moment. “I’m Trish. It’s nice to meet you. Would you like to come in?”

“I’m dying to come in, but I know you’re going over to Penny’s Song in a little while.”

When Trish raised her brows, she explained. “I spoke to Clay this morning and he told me your plans and that … that you had a baby.”

“He told you about Meggie?”

“He said she was a pretty little picture.”

Trish smiled. “Well, I sure think so.”

“We’re expecting a baby soon, too.”

Trish glanced at the little pooch of a belly jutting out from under Callie’s blouse. “Congratulations. I’m happy for you and Tagg. There’s, uh, nothing like it.” That much was true. Even though she was still sorting it all out, she wouldn’t trade having Meggie for the world.

The baby’s cry from the other room startled her. “Oh, I’d better get her. Come in, please.”

Callie followed her into the master bedroom and they found Meggie in her crib, rolling from her back to her belly. She stopped and looked up when she noted a new face.

“This is Meggie,” Trish said.

The baby was dressed in springtime yellow bib overalls with a giant purple daisy on the front and matching bootie socks.

“Hello, Meggie,” Callie said. “You look ready for a stroll in the Easter parade.” She turned from the baby to Trish with sympathy in her eyes. “I heard about what happened to your friend. I’m sorry.”

“Karin was a good friend. I … miss her.”

“You’re being the best friend a girl could have. Making sure her daughter is loved and nurtured. I, well, I think it’s pretty wonderful of you.”

“Thank you.” Uncomfortable with the praise, she changed the subject. “Do you know what you’re having?”

Callie laid a hand on her stomach and shook her head. “Not yet. It’s a little too soon to tell. Secretly, I think Tagg wants a boy, but he’s really not saying.”

When she didn’t say the cliché, as long as it’s healthy, which was a given for any soon-to-be parents, Trish decided she really liked Callie.

“When I spoke with Clay he said you were renting baby gear and, well, I’m hoping I can help. Tagg went a little crazy the other day when we went shopping. We have two of almost everything.”

“Honestly?”

Callie smiled and a look of love entered her eyes. It was sweet enough to envy, just a little. “I’m not joking. Tagg was like a kid in a candy store. Big mistake on my part taking him to look at baby furniture, but now his extravagance might come in handy. If you need a stroller, play yard or high chair, you’re looking at Baby Central. We can loan you anything you need. We won’t need it for months.”

Normally, Trish wouldn’t accept such an offer, but Callie was sincere and kind about it, looking like she really wanted to help. Trish wouldn’t refuse her good intentions. Not to mention that the loan would save her time and money. “Oh my gosh, that would be incredible.”

Callie’s face brightened. “Great. I’ll bring the stroller over to Penny’s Song and Meggie can test it out today.”

“That’s so … I don’t know what to say. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’d better run, Clay will be—”

“Clay will be what?”

They turned to find Clay leaning against the doorframe, a curious expression on his face. With boots crossed, a black shirt tucked into worn jeans and hair peeking out from a tan suede Stetson, he didn’t just look the part. There was no doubt he was a rancher through and through—a tall, lean, rugged cowboy with a destructive smile and melt-your-heart eyes.

“Here. And now you are.” Callie walked over to her brother-in-law and gave him a quick hug. “See you later at the little ranch. Bye, Trish.”

“Bye, Callie.”

Meeting Tagg’s wife had lifted her mood. She hadn’t expected such a warm, friendly welcome. “She’s nice,” Trish said, once Callie was gone.

“Yeah,” Clay answered, losing the smile he’d reserved for Callie. “Listen, before we go anywhere, I want to talk to you.”

“About the divorce? Yes, I want to set up a time to discuss it, too.”

Clay shook his head and walked farther into the room. “Fine, we’ll do that. But first, I want to discuss something else.”

He sounded serious. Trish glanced at Meggie who was occupying herself for the moment. They had a few minutes, at best. “Okay.”

Clay gestured to the bed as he walked farther into the room. She sat on the edge closest to the crib and he sat on the opposite corner. He took his hat off and set it down between them. “It’s about Suzy.”

Trish’s good mood vanished. Her stomach knotted at the mention of her name. Images popped into her mind of all the times Suzy had come over, right after she’d divorced her alcoholic husband. At first, Trish had felt sorry for her and offered friendship, but within a matter of weeks, it had become clear that Suzy had only wanted Clay’s friendship. Tagg and Jackson liked her. Wes liked her. Everyone was always singing her praises, so Trish tolerated her, but that tolerance had worn thin until one day it finally snapped.

“Whatever’s happening with you and Suzy is no longer any of my business.”

It was a big fat lie, but she clung to it and sent him a smile that could melt butter.

A noisy breath whooshed out of him and the irritated sound filled the room. His dark eyes went cold. “Your assumptions could fill a football stadium.”