A Valentine For The Cowboy

While her uncle stood looking at the sapphires, Brianna walked around the shop with Libby, who was back to pushing her toy. Each time the propeller spun, the little girl laughed. “You must love to come up here with your grandmother. It’s fun, isn’t it?”

Two hands patted Brianna’s cheeks. Libby had an endearing way. Brianna couldn’t help kissing her. “I love those little cowboy boots on your top.” She touched each one, causing the girl to giggle. In the midst of it, Libby called out, “Dada!”

Brianna looked up, unaware that Eli Clayton had entered the shop. Her pulse started to race. In a sheepskin jacket and boots, he looked the spitting image of the tough, quintessential cowboy.

He’s married, remember?

“It’s Brianna, right?” His deep voice reverberated through her body. She nodded. “I can see my daughter is very taken with you. She seems perfectly happy to stay in your arms.”

She had to admit she was surprised that Libby hadn’t reached for him yet. Did it upset him? Yesterday he’d been angry. Brianna moved closer to the tall male to hand him his daughter, but Libby stayed where she was. “I’m enamored with your little girl,” she said. “She’s too precious for words.”

His eyes played over Brianna’s features. “The feeling appears to be mutual. Come on, Libby. Time to go home for your dinner.” He plucked her from Brianna’s arms. His daughter made a sound of protest.

“You’ve got competition,” his mother spoke up.

“You’re right.” He picked up the push toy and walked over to the counter to talk to Brianna’s uncle. Libby clung to her daddy’s shoulder, never taking her eyes off Brianna. The two men chatted briefly about Toly’s performance at the rodeo.

“Sorry to barge in like this, Mom. I’ll trade you this toy for her parka and we’ll get going so you can get on with your business.”

“We’re finished,” Mrs. Clayton said.

“I do believe my wife is going to be a happy woman.” Uncle Clark smiled.

Mrs. Clayton handed Brianna’s uncle the wrapped package. “I have no doubt of it.”

“It’s good to see you, Eli.” He turned to Brianna. “Shall we go?”

“Yes. Don’t forget we have to stop for some groceries on the way home.” She waved to Libby. “Bye-bye, sweetie.”

The little girl’s lower lip wobbled and she started to cry. Uh-oh. Brianna’s instinct to comfort her had to be squelched. She hurried out the door with her uncle behind her. They climbed into the truck and started heading down the mountain.

“It’s a damn shame about Eli,” her uncle muttered.

At the mention of his name, Brianna’s heart leaped to her throat. “What do you mean?”

“Of course you wouldn’t know. His wife had a nervous breakdown after their baby was born. Roce said it was brought on by severe postpartum depression. She just couldn’t get over it. It got to the point where Eli was playing both father and mother. His wife went back to her parents in Thompson Falls. She was too sick to handle being a mom and filed for a divorce Eli never wanted.”

The air froze in Brianna’s lungs. That explained the wedding band he still wore on his ring finger. He obviously still loved her and held out hope she’d recover so they could get back together. “How awful. That sweet little thing without her mommy.”

“Life can throw you for a loop sometimes. Your aunt and I would have given anything to have a baby. The first time we tried to adopt, it fell through right at the end. On our second try, the birth mother lost the baby at seven months. Joanne couldn’t bear the thought of another setback so we didn’t try again.”

“I’m so sorry.”

He reached over and patted her arm. “We’ve been lucky your parents were willing to share you with us once in a while.”

Too many emotions converged at once and tears trickled down Brianna’s cheeks. “I’m the lucky one,” she said.

* * *

SINCE HIS MOTHER was ready to go home, Eli walked her out to the Land Rover. After giving Libby a kiss, she got in behind the wheel but didn’t pull the door closed. Instead she stared hard at him the way only a mother could do.

“You’ve acted strangely the last two times you’ve come to the shop for Libby. The first night I saw a rudeness in you I didn’t recognize. At the rodeo you didn’t say two words. Tonight it was all you could do to be civil. I’m worried about you. What’s going on? Don’t tell me it’s nothing.”

Eli drew in a deep breath. “It’s killing me that you’re having to sacrifice so much for me. Before the week is out I’ll contact an agency to help me find someone to watch Libby during the day. It won’t be much longer before you have your freedom back.”

“Libby is a joy! I don’t ever want to hear you say that again, but I don’t believe that’s the reason for your behavior.”

He held his daughter tighter. “I’m not sure I understand it myself.”

Another silence followed. “Don’t you think it’s time you figured it out?” Streams of unspoken words flowed between them. “It’s cold out here,” his mother finally said. “Get Libby home and I’ll see you two at breakfast.”

Eli shut her door before getting in the truck with Libby. Once he’d fastened her in, they started down the snow-covered mountain. He passed Wymon’s house and then Luis and Solana’s. Eli’s small ranch-style three-bedroom house sat closest to the main ranch house, two minutes away on foot.

After getting his daughter fed and bathed, he held her while they read her favorite story, Goodnight Moon. That was the book she always wanted him to read to her. Eli said the words over and over, hoping she’d repeat them. She fell asleep in his arms and he put her down in her crib.

Except for her hair color and eyes, his little girl resembled Tessa more than she resembled him. Eli had put photos of his ex-wife around the room so Libby would grow up knowing her. He leaned over the bars to watch her for a minute. A week after her birth, the nightmare had begun. Since then he’d experienced every range of human emotion while he grieved the breakup of his marriage. It had meant Libby had lost her mother.

For so long he’d been living in denial about everything. But tonight his mother’s question about his state of mind had brought him up short. Don’t you think you’d better figure it out?

The first sight of Libby so happy in Brianna Frost’s arms had acted like a catalyst, jolting him out of the limbo in which he’d been wallowing. The anger he’d felt because it should have been Tessa holding their daughter had made him see red.

Worse, throughout this pain-filled year, he’d been blind to women. But, out of the blue, he’d found himself eating up Brianna Frost with his eyes when he knew his brother had brought her to the gem shop. Something earthshaking had happened to him over the last three days.

He left the nursery and walked across the hall to his bedroom. Deciding to take his mother’s advice, he sat on the side of the bed and called his in-laws in Thompson Falls. It was the same time there. Quarter to nine.

They’d remained friends through all the grief and had stayed in touch. Diane and Carl Marcroft had driven down to Stevensville dozens of times in the past year to see their granddaughter. The divorce had been the last thing they’d wanted, but naturally they had to give Tessa their full support.

“Eli—” Diane had picked up on the second ring.

“Is this a bad time to call?”

“No. Tessa’s downstairs in the TV room with Carl.”

His hand tightened on the phone. “How is she?”

After a silence, “There’s no improvement. Dr. Rutherford in Missoula has her on a new medication, but he thinks her condition may be chronic.”

So nothing had really changed. That was the news Eli had needed to hear tonight in order to see things clearly.

“How’s our Libby?”

“Growing cuter every day. Before bed tonight I took a picture of her in that pink outfit you sent her for Christmas. It should be on your phone.”

“Oh, wonderful. I’ll check it in a few minutes. How’s Alberta?”

“Mom’s just been terrific, as always.”

“She’s amazing. We feel so guilty for not being able to help more, but—”