The Cowboy's Surprise Baby

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Single mothers, as heartbreaking as they were, were a dime a dozen given the current society. One mistake and they were the ones left holding the baby, the ones whose whole lives were forever changed in an instant. The men—they could walk away. It might be wrong, but that’s how it was. They could choose whether or not to be responsible for their child.

Cole, apparently, had made that noble decision.

Her first instinct would be to think he was a widower, but that wasn’t what he’d said. He’d said he wasn’t married. Not that he had been married, or that he was divorced. He wasn’t married.

Which meant what?

She didn’t know, and really, she shouldn’t want to know. She needed to keep her attention where it belonged—on her career and her incoming charges—and mind her own business where Cole was concerned. She wasn’t even close to being ready to work with Cole on the musical number with the teenagers, so she pressed that problem as far back in her mind as she could force it.

She scoffed and flipped open the hot-pink folder on the top of the pile, then glanced down and read the name on the file. Kaylie Johnson. Fifteen. Had been picked up for underage drinking and arguing with a police officer. Obstructing justice. Not a smart move, but a fairly typical case. Most of the teenagers came to the ranch with a chip on their shoulders. It was her job to provide the tough love that usually turned the kids around—a combination of counseling and good, hard physical labor. Redemption Ranch was the perfect place to keep teenage hands and minds busy.

And if God was gracious, Tessa hoped her own mind would be likewise occupied. She longed to be too tired to think, to drop into bed at night without any dreams. Busy enough for the ever-present thoughts of a blue-eyed cowboy to be overshadowed.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t get away from him in her thoughts or in person, because Cole arrived a moment later, hat in hand, his thick blond hair windswept and messy. She was a little surprised to see him arrive early to the meeting. She remembered him as being chronically late to class and church when they were in high school.

Their eyes met, and Tessa noticed something she’d overlooked when she’d seen him at Cup O’ Jo’s. The pitiable man had dark circles under his eyes and a rough-lined, haggard expression that suggested he hadn’t been getting enough sleep. Had he been keeping late nights with the baby?

“Does Grayson have his days and nights mixed up?” she asked, gesturing to the chair opposite her. Any discomfort that she might feel being alone with him was offset by how thoroughly exhausted he looked. The kind thing for her to do would be to hold off on the snark she usually used in defensive mode. She really did feel sorry for him—a little. Besides, Marcus and the Haddons couldn’t be far behind. A glance at her watch told her there were only five minutes to spare.

Cole groaned as he slid into his chair. “We had Grayson pretty well set on a schedule in California, but the move messed him up again, poor little guy.”

Tessa’s breath caught. “We?”

“The folks I stayed with while I worked out the legal issues with Grayson. They were such a blessing.”

She wanted to ask him about the legal issues he’d been facing. Instead, she said, “That was very kind of them.”

“I’ll say. I had a lot to learn about baby care.”

“I can only imagine.” Truthfully, Tessa didn’t really know. She’d been around her friends’ babies on occasion, but taking care of an infant twenty-four-seven, and as a single parent at that—well, that was a horse of a different color. No wonder Cole’s skin looked a little pasty.

Tessa rolled her eyes at the sound of clamoring and clunking coming from the front room. She didn’t have to turn around to know it was Marcus—the man was built like a giant and moved with all the grace of a bull in a china shop, no matter where he was.

“Oh, good. I’m not late, then,” Marcus said, dropping into the chair next to Tessa and slinging an arm along the back of her chair.

Marcus grinned at Cole, who narrowed his gaze on the spot where Marcus’s shoulder touched Tessa’s. Part of her wanted to correct the mistaken impression Cole might be getting, but then again, why should she bother? It wasn’t like it mattered.

“That’s got to be some kind of record for you, Marcus,” she quipped back. She was joking, but not entirely inaccurately. Marcus did tend to show up late to the staff meetings. He had his own sense of timing—casual, cool, no worries. Chill. His kind of attitude drove on-time and organized Tessa nuts.

“So what have you got there, Red?” Marcus asked, grinning and emphasizing the last word. He gestured toward her pile of file folders and then slapped his own onto the table, all a generic manila.

Red.

The name made Tessa’s stomach churn, as if she’d eaten something that disagreed with her. Cole’s pet name for her didn’t belong in this conversation, most especially on Marcus’s lips. It was sure to get Cole’s goat. They all had to find a way to work together. Didn’t Marcus have a brain in that head of his?

Probably not. Marcus was the kind of man who used his looks and charm to get his way and thought everything in life was easy if it was faced with a smile.

But he’d crossed a line here, right into Cole’s territory. She scowled at Marcus in an unspoken warning. Goading Cole was not a good idea. Ever. He would most certainly lose that battle.

Don’t do it.

Then her gaze flashed to Cole, half feeling she owed him an explanation or apology for Marcus’s airheaded slip of the tongue, but Cole’s gaze was on Marcus’s and the meaning in his expression was clear.

Leave it be. Cole frowned and looked as if he wanted to say something. Tessa looked back at Marcus, feeling panicked.

Fortunately, Tessa was saved from having to ply the men physically off each other by the appearance of Alexis and Griff. Griff seemed to be unaware of the overabundance of testosterone crackling through the room, but Alexis raised an eyebrow as she surveyed the men glaring at each other across the table.

One corner of Alexis’s mouth turned up, and she tilted her head at Tessa, asking for an explanation without speaking a word, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Tessa shrugged. How was she supposed to know why the two men were apparently at odds with each other? If she could read the male mind, maybe she could have staved off a few of her past mistakes. Maybe she and Cole—

Alexis looked from Marcus to Cole and then back to Tessa, chuckling and winking. Tessa didn’t even want to know what kind of conclusions Alexis had just made and she failed to see how the situation was humorous.

It was wrong.

Just wrong—on so many levels.

“Where are the rest of the wranglers?” Cole asked, shattering the tension with his deep voice. Apparently he’d chosen to be the better man and back down, although the aggression in his eyes hadn’t lightened.

Everyone’s gaze snapped to him.

He cleared his throat. “I’m kinda feeling like the odd man out here. Did I misunderstand my directions?”

Alexis slid into the chair at the head of the table, and Griff seated himself at the foot. Alexis leaned her elbows against the polished oak, steepling her fingers under her chin. “No, you’re supposed to be here today. No confusion. But in answer to your question, you’re it, Cole, where the wranglers are concerned. Today, anyway. We sometimes meet with the whole wrangling crew, but most often our monthly Mission meetings are just Griff and me and the counselors. Oh—and occasionally the board of directors and any townsfolk who want to get involved. We’ve got some interesting programs developing here.”

“Okay,” he said, drawing out the word. His gaze clouded with confusion and he ran a hand across the stubble on his jaw.

“We’ve got only a few men working the ranch aspect of the ministry. The other guys have been wrangling for us for a while now, so they know what’s expected of them,” Griff explained. “We’ve asked you to join us today because—” he paused and shot a meaningful look at Tessa “—we were interrupted the other day before we could get to the heart of what we do here. And we thought you might like to have a glimpse of what happens behind the scenes here at the ranch. I have a lot of faith in you, Cole, and I’d like you to take a more active role in this ministry.”

Cole’s eyes widened to epic proportions. It was all Tessa could do not to chuckle. Not at him—despite everything that had passed between them, she couldn’t help but respect everything the man was trying to do to juggle his responsibilities as a father.

“I’m not sure what you mean. You’ve clearly got the wrong fellow. I’m not a ministry kind of guy,” he said, kicking up one side of his lips into the magnetic half smile that used to send a kaleidoscope of butterflies swirling through Tessa’s stomach. Now it was all she could do to swallow the tender outpouring of emotions that whirled through her.

“I’m familiar with all aspects of ranching and don’t mind hard work,” he continued. “You can put me wherever you need me, and I’ll come through for you. Just point me in the right direction.” It was what he didn’t say that hung in the air.

Tessa held her breath. Her heart swelled at the strength of purpose in Cole’s voice. His intensity and honor were part of what had so attracted her to him in the first place, even back when they’d been nothing more than a couple of immature high school students.

Now Cole wore his strength and potency like a cloak around him, his posture straight and his shoulders squared. Teenagers could use strong leadership in their lives. Cole would be good for this ministry. He just didn’t know it yet.

“Of course, you’ll be assisting the other wranglers with the daily chores around the ranch and taking care of the stock,” Alexis agreed. “That part of your job description will be right in your comfort zone. I’m sure you’ve noticed we have a variety of animals here at the ranch.”

Cole nodded briskly, but his expression remained guarded. Everyone in the room could hear the but that was about to follow, and Cole was no exception. Tessa watched a wave of tension roll over his shoulders and a scowl briefly line his face before he schooled it.

Alexis either didn’t notice the tautness in the air or had decided to slice through it with her words. “But though caring for the animals is one of the conditions of the job for the wranglers around here, Redemption Ranch isn’t exactly a working ranch, not in the typical sense of the word. The stock we keep here at the ranch is mostly for the teenagers to learn from and interact with.”

“Tessa told me a little bit about that.” The corner of his jaw ticked with strain. Tessa suspected he could guess what was coming next. He’d already been railroaded into working with her and the teenagers for the barbecue. Now he was about to find out he had even more responsibilities where the kids were concerned.

“I would have hit that subject in more detail the other day, except—” The end of Alexis’s sentence dropped into an uneasy silence.

The tension in the air was palpable as everyone waited for Alexis to finish her thought.

“There are—um—trail rides.” Alexis’s voice had risen sharply and came out as a bit of a squeak, and no wonder.

Cole was a true cowboy, and trail rides were...not so much. There was absolutely no comparison, a grown man tending to what he would consider a bunch of squawking adolescents, most of whom knew zero about horses and frankly had a negative mindset about life in general and horsemanship in particular. The city kids didn’t know anything about horses and really didn’t want to know, and it would be Cole’s assignment to ignore their attitudes and walk them around at a sluggish plod, their horses head to tail with the next.

Tessa couldn’t see how that would work out well for anybody. Cole was a man who craved excitement. He’d bucked bareback through high school rodeo and seen the world on board a naval cruiser. Even when he’d taken an afternoon job wrangling cattle in his youth, he’d had more than his fair share of moments when he would get to ride like the wind. The slow pace of trail rides would be like a death sentence to the active cowboy, and as for working with the teenagers, Tessa couldn’t imagine that to be high on his bucket list.

It was as if Alexis was trying to sandwich the unfamiliar and no doubt unwanted duty between those with which Cole was comfortable. Not that he’d be comfortable interacting with the teenagers in any regard, but she suspected teaching ranch life and how to care for the animals would be superior to leading trail rides, at least in Cole’s mind.

“We need you to ride along with us to make sure all the kids are following their safety rules.”

It took Cole a moment to respond. “Like a dude ranch, you mean?”

Tessa wasn’t overly surprised that he didn’t sound too enthused about the prospect.

“You want me to load the kids up on horses, lead them out on the trail and show them some of the property. Make them feel like real cowboys.” He shrugged. “All right. I guess I can do that,” he said with a conceding wave of his arm.

“Well...” Griff hedged.

Cole arched his left eyebrow. “There’s more?”

“Yeah, there’s more. We don’t run Redemption Ranch exactly like a dude ranch,” Griff said. “We’re hoping you’ll take up all the challenges inherent in your position. You’ll be interacting with the teenagers on trail rides—” He paused and cleared his throat. “And then some. Our hope is that you’ll find both challenge and pleasure showing the youth what ranch life is all about, helping them connect with God and the country.”

Cole’s gaze widened noticeably, but Griff continued, either unaware of the shift of tension in the room or choosing to ignore Cole’s obvious discomfort.

“We’re putting you in charge of overseeing their ranch discovery outings. You’ll be responsible for leading them in their interactions with the animals, teaching them the care and feeding of the stock, how to tack up a horse and other aspects of country living. It’s an interesting position that I think you’ll enjoy once you get used to the idea. I can guarantee it will be the most rewarding work you’ve ever done.”

Cole shook his head. Tessa couldn’t imagine how he felt right now. He was no doubt still overwhelmed in his new role as a single father, and now Alexis and Griff were throwing delinquent teenagers at him.

“Think of it as an art,” Alexis encouraged him. “Very few of these kids have been within arm’s length of a horse. You’ll be starting from scratch and can make true horsemen and women out of them.”

Cole’s brow furrowed, and he shoved his fingers through his hair, rubbing at the knots at the back of his skull. Tessa linked her fingers in her lap, trying not to remember the times she’d rubbed the knots from his neck when he was facing a tough test or a new challenge. He’d always been muscular, but years in the navy had defined the muscles in his shoulders and arms. Just for a moment, before reality reclaimed her, she ached to ease his tension, even after all these years and all that had transpired between them. She shook her head, nipping her misplaced wistfulness in the bud.