Her Unlikely Cowboy

She paused in the doorway, and her breath caught. “I love it! It radiates with happiness. Just like she does.”

Glad for something positive to latch on to, he smiled looking at some of the bulletin boards. “That’s true, Jolie is a very happy person and it shows. Jolie loves color and light. She had Rowdy’s fiancée, Lucy, paint the mural of the outdoor scene around the chalkboard.”

“I love that. It brings the outside in.”

He was feeling hopeful now, hearing the excitement in Suzie’s voice. “She loves the outdoors, and holds class outside a lot. At her request we added more picnic tables out back under the trees. She’s great.”

“She and Morgan were really nice at dinner. I heard the boys saying she was a champion kayaker.”

“Yes. World-class. But her heart is here now. The boys are enthralled with her.”

“I can see why. It’s rather intimidating to think about.”

“Tell me about it. I certainly don’t know how kayakers do what they do, and I don’t want to. But the boys like the idea that their teacher has an adventurous spirit. It helps her to be able to talk to them. Plus, she was raised here. Her parents were house parents, and she went to school here with me, Morgan and Rowdy, when the school first started. She has witnessed the power of Sunrise Ranch. She’ll be good for Abe.”

Suzie nodded. “I like that. This is certainly going to be different than the school he was attending.”

“We found having a smaller group setting was a better option for the boys here at the ranch. It will be good for Abe.” He prayed it was so.

He showed her the rest of the school, then took her out back to the picnic tables and swings that sat beneath the oak trees. A breeze rustled through the leaves, and the sunset had turned into a pink glow, making a beautiful horizon.

Suzie turned to him. “Thank you for agreeing to do this.”

He could tell that was costing her. What must she feel about him behind those beautiful, sad eyes?

Tucker yanked his thoughts back. He had a good head on his shoulders. He knew how to handle tough situations and make clear decisions under stressful ones. The emotions assaulting him as he stared into Suzie’s eyes were dangerous. Having a crush on the wife of the man whose death you felt responsible for just was not acceptable.

And if she even got a hint of what he was feeling, she would surely leave this ranch and never come back.

And he wouldn’t blame her at all.

Chapter Three

“Abe, can I come in?” Suzie asked, tapping softly on the door of his room. There was a muffled “Whatever” from the other side of the door, so she opened it. Abe was stretched out on the bed staring at the ceiling. The fluffy green bedspread made him seem small, even though she knew he was growing like a weed.

She walked across the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. He kept his gaze firmly locked on the ceiling, and didn’t even glance at her. Her fingers itched to push the lock of hair out of his eyes.

“I just wanted to tell you good-night.” She touched his arm gently, but he pulled away. The boy she’d glimpsed earlier on the road with the donkeys seemed like a dream gone away. As if she’d imagined him for a moment. “The boys seem nice. Tony and Caleb must be about your age, too.”

His jaw tightened. “They’re okay,” he said at last. “Now can I go to sleep?”

“Abe, I won’t have you being disrespectful,” she said, shaken by his coldness. His eyes suddenly glistened with unshed tears. Her heart broke one more time.... How could a heart break over and over again? How...? Dear God, help me. Help my son.

After a moment she stood, knowing that hugging him was asking too much.

“Abe, what happened to us—losing your father—that wasn’t fair. But life isn’t fair always. Your dad would want you to be happy. This ranch, these people. They made him happy. I just want you to give it all a chance.”

His gaze met hers finally, but only for a desolate moment, then he rolled over and turned his back to her.

“I love you, son.” It felt like she was saying the words to a brick wall. Her heart ached.

Abe’s going to be all right. I promise. Tucker’s words echoed through her thoughts and gave her strength.

Still, it took everything in her to stand up, walk out and close the door.

Tomorrow a new day would begin.

And Suzie was going to trust that it would be their new start. She was going to think positive and give it everything she had. For Abe.

* * *

The next morning, Suzie’s sense of hope continued to prevail as she drove into town. Abe had eaten a huge breakfast with the other boys—Nana relayed the info, because Suzie had forced herself not to hover. Not to go peek through the windows, either—though it was exactly what she wanted to do.

Sometimes a mother’s job was hard—stepping back was one of the harder things.

But when she’d walked across the hall to his room she’d been surprised to find him already up and dressed and she’d taken that as a great sign. He’d startled her more by revealing that he’d decided to help feed the horses.

Evidently he’d been invited to do so, and after a night of thinking about it, he’d decided to help. It was a positive start and Suzie, not knowing what to expect when she’d awakened that morning, was thrilled.

Now, heading into town, she found herself relaxing in the seat of her small car, which Tucker had unhitched from the moving truck the previous night. She had the truck for another day, so she was going to have to find a place to rent, though the McDermotts had assured her that she and Abe were welcome to stay as long as needed. And she was wondering if prolonging their stay for a little while might be a good thing, if spending mornings, days and nights there would put him more in the action for a little while.

There was an apartment on the second story of the building that housed the florist’s shop, but she’d been told it was in some disrepair. She wasn’t sure she wanted to live above the store, anyway—how good would that be for Abe? But it was an option.

For now, she’d use it to store her things until she decided what she wanted to do.

The town was darling. The four-story, redbrick Dew Drop Inn reigned supreme across from a quaint town park that was surrounded by four rows of small businesses. On the far corner across the street from the Dew Drop Inn was the Spotted Cow Café with a sunny yellow door and red geraniums. Like a welcome sign, it begged a person to come visit.

On the bench outside the newspaper office just down the street sat two older gentlemen who waved as she passed. They were whittling and added to the feeling that Mayberry had come to life. Suzie instantly imagined Sheriff Andy Taylor walking the streets—but then, Tucker McDermott’s image replaced the fictional sheriff’s image and Dew Drop seemed suddenly a little more exciting than Mayberry. Stop with that, already!

Pulling into the empty parking spot three doors down from the weathered church pew where the gentlemen were sitting, a wave of nerves suddenly attacked her like stinging bees.

The ugly chipped door of her new business was directly in front of her, kind of a toss-up between mud-brown and murky gray.

“First order of business,” she muttered. “Paint that door.”

To say it was bad was the understatement of the year. And hopefully not a foreshadowing of things to come once she opened it and stepped inside.

The two older men came hurrying down the sidewalk, their boots scuffing as they came.

“We’ve been expecting you this morning,” the taller one said, grinning wide. He looked as though he smiled often because of the crinkles around his pale green eyes. “We made sure and got here early, just so we could welcome you. Right, Drewbaker?”

“Right, Chili,” the other man agreed. “We usually show up in the afternoon after we get our cows fed, but we snuck away this morning.” He winked, making her chuckle at the pure teasing in his manner.

“Thank you so much for coming. I’m Suzie Kent.”

“Oh, we know who you are. But I’m Chili Crump and that’s Drewbaker Mackintosh.”

Mr. Mackintosh nodded. “We heard all about you buying the place from Joyce and Lester. Those two were so excited to hook a buyer, they told the world it had sold before the papers were signed.”