The Cowboy's Surprise Baby

Truth was, he had nowhere else to go.

“Much obliged for the job.” Cole nodded to Alexis Haddon of Redemption Ranch and curled the brim of his hat in his fist, tapping the dark brown Stetson against his thigh. He and Alexis had grown up together. When she’d heard he was back in town, she’d immediately contacted him to see if he wanted to work for her. And he was grateful. Now that he had a son, he needed steady employment more than ever, and wrangling sounded mighty good after years serving on an aircraft carrier in the navy. Less structure, more open space.

Alexis leaned her hip against the corner of her neatly organized desk and beamed at him with happy eyes and a white-toothed smile. Her husband, Griff, kicked back in the desk chair, lacing his fingers behind his head and admiring his wife.

“That’s my Alexis. Always thinking of others.”

Alexis laughed and waved him away. “Don’t be silly.” She turned her blue eyes on Cole and used the same hand to flick her long blond hair off her shoulders. “It’s a privilege. As soon as I heard you were out of the navy and moving back to Serendipity, I knew I had to snatch you up before some other ranch manager did.”

It wasn’t so much what Alexis had said, but something about the way she said it sent a ripple of forewarning down Cole’s spine. He might have been imagining the feeling, except for the brief, surprised jerk of Griff’s left eyebrow.

Cole swallowed hard. Something was brewing in Alexis’s crafty female brain. He could see it in her eyes.

Whatever it was, Cole wanted nothing to do with it. His whole reason for accepting this position was to lose himself out on the range, where his biggest problems would be livestock and not people. With his background in naval intelligence, he was way overqualified for the job, but that was the whole point. He could be working for the CIA or FBI, but all he really wanted to do was spend time on the back of a horse. He had more than enough of a challenge learning to be a single father to Grayson without adding additional stress—or a job that would take him away from home or put him in danger.

He might not like it, but Serendipity was the right place to be, if for no other reason than that he had the support of his family here. And the community.

Alexis shot her husband a warning look before turning a warm smile on Cole. “As I was saying,” she continued, sounding miffed, as if Griff had verbally interrupted her instead of merely questioning her with a look, “Griff and I both want to thank you for your military service and welcome you back home.”

Cole gave an affirmative jerk of his chin. He never knew what to do or say when folks thanked him for his service to the country. He appreciated the sentiment, but it made him feel uncomfortable.

“I—er—” he stammered and then cleared his throat. He lifted his hat until it hovered over the general area of his heart in a gesture of respect. “Like I said before, I’m grateful for the position.”

“And we’re blessed to have you.” Alexis glanced at her watch and then at the door as if she’d suddenly realized she had somewhere else to be.

Cole took that to mean they were finished. “I’ll be off, then.”

“Our first staff meeting of the month is tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. here at the house. It’s casual—we meet around our dining room table. It’ll be your first official shift.”

“Glad to have this afternoon off. That’ll give me a little bit of time to settle in at my dad’s house.” He nodded at Griff and Alexis. “He says he’s happy to watch Grayson during the days for me, but it’s a lot of change at once and a steep learning curve for all of us.”

“The Lord will bless your sacrifice, Cole,” Alexis said, patting his arm. “I can’t imagine how difficult this must be for you, but I believe a baby is always a good and perfect gift from God.”

Cole pressed his lips together and nodded. Difficult didn’t even begin to describe his life since the moment he’d discovered he was going to be a father.

“Now, let me just run down your job description for you and we’ll be all set,” Alexis continued.

Cole exhaled as stress eased off his shoulders. He’d be wrangling. How hard could it be?

“Honey, don’t you think we ought to mention—” Griff started to say, but he was interrupted by two sharp raps on the open office door.

Alexis’s eyes widened to epic proportions, and she caught her bottom lip in her teeth as if to stop herself from giggling. Griff’s chair slammed upright.

A chill raced down Cole’s spine and he turned on his heel.

“Alexis, I was looking over the background files for the incoming group of girls and it appears—” The auburn-haired woman’s gaze rose from the pile of manila folders in her arms, and she gasped audibly.

“Cole.” She frowned and raised the files in front of her like a shield.

Ice filled Cole’s chest. His lungs. His veins.

It would have frozen his heart if he’d had one—but the woman into whose enormous emerald eyes he was staring had stolen it from him long ago and had ripped it into shreds. It remained beyond repair even all these years later.

“Tessa.” Cole stiffened. He clenched his jaw and both fists.

He hadn’t expected to find her in Serendipity, much less at Redemption Ranch. Tessa Applewhite worked here? After he’d just signed on to do the same?

What kind of nightmare had he just stepped into? He hadn’t asked anyone about Tessa’s whereabouts, of course, and he had good reason not to. Broaching the subject of Tessa with anyone in Serendipity would have dredged up memories he most definitely wanted to forget. Not to mention it would likely have set tongues wagging again, no matter who he asked.

“I—uh—” Tessa stammered, her wide-eyed, questioning gaze flashing from Cole to Alexis and then back to Cole again. “What are you doing here?”

That was exactly the question he wanted to ask her. What had happened to becoming a lawyer? He never imagined she’d return home. There wasn’t much call for legal help in Serendipity, and the town’s one lawyer more than covered it.

But she had asked him first. Her eyebrows rose as she waited for his answer.

“Workin’,” he answered reluctantly, tapping his hat against his blue jeans.

“Here?” Her voice, which Cole remembered as soft and lilting, sounded scratchy and strained, much as he imagined his own voice did. “Alexis? W-what—”

“We’ve just hired Cole on as a wrangler now that he’s moved back to town,” Alexis explained, her tone overly bright. “Surprise!”

Cole cringed. Surprise? Seriously?

Is that what Alexis had been thinking when she’d offered him the job? That he and Tessa would be glad to see each other after all this time apart? That she’d be acting as some kind of matchmaker between the two of them?

That was the furthest thing from the truth, at least for Cole. And judging by the distress lining Tessa’s features, he guessed she was feeling the same way.

No need to prolong the agony.

He planted his hat on his head and adjusted the brim, then tipped it to both of the women as his mama had taught him to do when he was a youngster. He’d always shown respect to the ladies, although at the moment he wasn’t keen on being in the room with either one of them. “If you’ll excuse me, I have things that need attending to.”

Like his son. Even though every single part of being a new father, and a single dad at that, was excruciatingly difficult for Cole, it beat standing here eye to eye with the one woman in the world he least wanted to see right now.

Or ever.

He started toward the doorway, intending to slip past Tessa and be on his way, but when he started to go by her, her arm snaked out, her hand pressing against his chest.

“Cole, wait.”

Even through the cotton of his T-shirt, her palm felt blistering hot, and he wanted to jerk away. It was only a final, slim shred of dignity and pride that held him back. Or at least that was what he kept telling himself. In truth, he wasn’t certain he could have moved if he tried.

It should have been easy for him to keep walking. Tessa was a little wisp of a thing, and even had she given it her best shot, she could not have physically held him back. But when their gazes locked, no matter how loud his mind screamed for him to keep moving, his body refused to cooperate.

He couldn’t catch a breath. His chest ached and his throat burned. His pulse roared and thundered in his ears.

From the corner of his eye, Cole saw Griff come out from behind the desk and take his wife’s elbow. Clearly Alexis had schooled Griff on Cole and Tessa’s rocky past. “Why don’t we let these two have a moment alone together?”

It was more of a statement than a question, and although Alexis looked ready to argue, she wasn’t allowed the opportunity to do so. Griff herded her through the door, shooting an apologetic grin over his shoulder.