The Cowboy's Return

“Aw, Mom.”

Annie glanced at Mitch, her brows raised in question. He gave her a thumbs-up then a thumbs-down. She considered it for a few seconds then turned her thumb down.

Mitch was struck by the sense they were working as a team. Parenting. It took him a moment to come up with something to say to the boy. “I guess you’ve worked hard enough for one day. But as for tomorrow, you know you can take a shower after lunch. I’d planned on having you dig a trench for the water lines in the high tunnel.”

“Me? But … you’re the one with all the muscles!”

Mitch laughed. “Gotcha.”

Austin dived at Mitch, laughing, too. They tussled a bit. Bo joined in, too, at first protectively then barking and hopping, as if playing the game. It took Mitch back to childhood, wrestling with his brothers, challenging each other.

Austin finally sat back, panting, rubbing his hands down Bo’s fur as he panted, too. “That was fun!”

“Who wants dessert?” Annie asked, standing.

“We have dessert?” Austin’s eyes went wide. “Or just peaches?”

“Sugar cookies.”

Austin’s arm shot up. “Me, Mom!”

Mitch mimicked him. “Me, boss!”

Austin finally found a TV program he wanted to watch. Annie was in the kitchen. Mitch had time to think. He should tell Annie his last name before she found out another way. If Austin talked about him and Marissa figured out her ex-husband was hiding out at the Barnard place, she would spread the word, maybe not maliciously but the result would be same.

On the other hand, if Mitch told Annie, she would jump to the conclusion that he’d been there on behalf of his father. Why else keep his last name to himself? He doubted there was anything he could say to change her mind about that.

Hell, he wouldn’t believe him, either.

Not wanting to examine it further, he went into the kitchen. “Need help?”

He caught her crying, quietly, smiling unapologetically, dabbing at her tears. “Thank you for playing with Austin. He’s missed out on so much, especially family life.”

Mitch let her words sink in then came close, keeping his voice low. “I’m not going to be here long, Annie.”

“Oh, I know. I know. It was just fun to see him like that. I know you’re leaving.”

Maybe he should go now, before the boy got too attached. He hadn’t considered that. He’d just been enjoying him. “There are other places I can stay, you know. I could come back during the day and work, then not hang around. Then when the work’s done …”

He let the words trail off, because he didn’t know how to finish the sentence. He should be just as worried about the attachments he was forming as he was about Austin. And Annie, too, maybe. Although hers might just be physical.

“Marissa is pregnant with twins,” Annie said into his swirling thoughts.

The Marissa he knew had never wanted kids—although he didn’t learn that until after the wedding. “She’ll have four, then?”

“Five. She has a daughter younger than Ben.”

He realized Annie was watching him for a reaction. “Well, good for her.”

She’d stacked cookies on a plate and poured milk for all of them. He picked up two glasses and headed to the living room. From that point, the evening was more subdued. Austin showered and went to bed when told. Annie went next.

Mitch couldn’t deal with being within hearing range of her showering, so he went outside and sat on the glider. Bo came along, abandoning Austin’s bed when he heard the front door open.

The quiet night washed over Mitch in soothing waves. It wasn’t quite dark yet. The sun had set but the sky held a tinge of orange and purple. It would fade soon, too soon. He’d always loved summer evenings, the welcome cooling after a long day of being out in the sun.

She’d created a home. He understood why she was fighting so hard to keep it. He had a house he’d hadn’t seen in three years, one he’d helped build and he’d missed it like crazy, but he’d figured he would appreciate it even more when he came back. Now he had a hankering to see it again, to sleep in his own bed.

He must have made a noise because Bo whined then set his head in Mitch’s lap as if sympathetic. He hadn’t felt homesick while he was in Argentina, just sick with grief, which had lessened in time, and guilt, which hadn’t.

He’d been able to set aside his anger and disappointment when his marriage ended after a much shorter period of time, and had barely thought about Marissa for years. Now here she was, back in Red Valley, mother of three and pregnant with twins. He’d never known someone could change to the degree she had. Not even close.

Bo hopped up a moment before the door opened and Annie came out. Mitch stood, offering the glider to her.

She waved him off. “I just wanted to say good night.”

“Night.” He couldn’t get rid of the image of her crying because he’d played with her son. She might be strong, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel the same things every mother felt.

She didn’t move.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

“I’ve been considering asking Austin to keep your secret.”

Mitch moved toward her. “I appreciate that, but I don’t want to ask him to lie.”

“He wouldn’t be lying, just not talking about you. There’s a difference.”

“Why would you do that, Annie?”

“Because I trust you. I think you must have good reasons for keeping your identity a secret.”

“For the moment. Not forever.”

“I understand that. I think we can enlist Austin for a short time.”

Mitch considered it, but not for long. “I’m willing to let fate have her way.”

“Fate’s a she?”

“Isn’t she? The three goddesses of mythology, if I recall ninth-grade English correctly. Anyway, we all know women control human destiny.”

“We do?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Are you thinking about Marissa?”

“Not at all. Just life in general. From my experience, anyway. In relationships, women lead the way, therefore have control.”