The Rancher's Lullaby (Glades County Cowboys) (14 page)

“Let me help you, ma’am,” he said, offering his hand. Once she’d exited the vehicle, the young man hefted her instruments and bag from the storage area. Inside the spacious bunkhouse, Josh headed for the stairs while Lisa paused to get her bearings. The good smells of wholesome food drifted in the air. Her stomach rumbled as she surveyed the ranch hands and guests who ate at wooden tables.

She knew the instant Garrett spotted her. Even from across the crowded room, she noted the way his shoulders loosened and his eyes warmed. Or they did until Josh leaned in to whisper something that sent a shadow skittering across Garrett’s face. Lisa straightened as the rancher strode toward her. She’d hoped the man she loved would sweep her into his embrace, but he planted his feet out of reach. He leaned down, his eyes full of questions.

“You didn’t come on horseback. You aren’t still shaken up on account of Puck, are you?”

“No. Not at all.” Frankly, she hadn’t given the scare more than, oh, an hour or two of thought since it happened. Instead, it was the hastily arranged appointment with an ob-gyn that tipped the scales in favor of the ATV. Along with a prescription for prenatal vitamins and advice on controlling morning sickness, the doctor had advised caution.

“This isn’t the time to take up a new sport. Your balance will be all out of whack for the next few months. Let the horseback riding go until after the baby comes. Which will be—” the woman in the white coat had consulted her laptop “—May 7. Give or take two weeks.”

Marking the date on her calendar had made things real in a way a dozen home pregnancy tests hadn’t. Her head swimming, Lisa instantly decided to err on the side of safety. There’d be no more riding lessons, no caffeine, no alcohol—not for the duration of the pregnancy.

Looking up at Garrett, she toyed with her braid to keep her fingers from stretching over a belly that would soon begin to swell with their baby. An uneasy shiver passed through her. She bit her lower lip. Considering the tragic outcome with Arlene, she understood why he wouldn’t want another child. He hadn’t wanted much to do with LJ at first, either, but now the boy couldn’t ask for a more devoted father. Wouldn’t Garrett change his mind about this baby, too?

She let her smile deepen. “Don’t worry. We’ll pick up our horseback riding lessons again. Just not this week.”

Or the next. Or the one after that. How’s next summer sound?

“You sure that’s all?” Garrett stared down at her, his blue eyes probing.

Swallowing an urge to confess, she stuck with a simple explanation. “No matter how big or small the crowd, I run through the lyrics and chords before every performance. I couldn’t do that and pay attention to a horse at the same time, so I asked Josh to drive me here.”

The reminder that she was there to perform with him sent a different kind of tension through the tall rancher. Garrett gave an exaggerated shiver. “I’m as jumpy as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.”

Lisa’s heart melted a little at the nervous edge in his voice. The man stopped runaway horses. He’d won gold buckles for lasting eight seconds on a bucking bronc. A little stage fright was normal, but he’d do fine. She reached for his forearm and gave the steely muscles a squeeze. “Don’t be. You’re going to do great. Just think of it as playing in the living room in the Circle P...only outside...and with a few guests. We’ll have fun.”

He rolled his shoulders. “If you say so,” he said, looking unconvinced. “But you should stay close. I might need to be reminded.”

Sticking to Garrett’s side wasn’t exactly a hardship, Lisa decided as she glimpsed the teasing light in his eyes. He led the way toward the buffet line where, apparently, his nervousness didn’t affect his appetite. While she chose vegetables and a healthy salad, the rancher loaded his tray with steak, Brunswick stew and a large piece of butter-slathered cornbread. Choosing a table with room for two more, they chatted with guests while they ate the delicious meal.

Garrett soon left to confer with Ty, and the other guests scattered. At loose ends, Lisa joined a youngster of eight or ten in a game of checkers while she waited for their performance. The last rays of sunshine had disappeared below the horizon when Garrett appeared at her elbow.

“It’s time,” he said. “Most everybody’s outside.”

“I have to go on out to the campfire now,” she told the boy, whose crooked grin made her wonder what LJ would look like when he got older. “Why don’t you find your folks and have them bring you out in a minute? I think there’ll be s’mores in a bit.”

The boy’s face lit up, the checker game forgotten in his haste to find his parents. She and Garrett grabbed their instruments and headed outside. There the Circle P’s guests and ranch hands had saved a spot for them on the logs surrounding a crackling fire. Once they were settled on the smooth, aged wood, Garrett strummed the opening bars of their first number without introduction or fanfare. At his signal, Lisa launched into a verse of the song about a boy pining for a lost love. She nodded as Garrett matched her note for note, chord for chord, his accompaniment every bit as good as the professionals she’d worked with in the past.

The applause when they finished reminded her of one of the reasons she loved having an audience, but it was easy to see that Garrett didn’t expect it. He beamed, his eyes conveying what she’d expected all along—that the practice and time they’d spent together had been worth every minute. With a slight bow, he kicked off another song. The next couple of numbers were fast-paced and fun, and soon the crowd clapped and sang along with the music. They kept things lively for an hour or more, not slowing until Chris brought out the makings for s’mores.

At last, Lisa propped her banjo on the log beside her. “Time for me to take a break,” she whispered. “Want me to bring you some water or a glass of iced tea?”

She brushed her hand along the rancher’s shoulder while she marveled at her luck. She’d never have guessed six months ago that she’d find everything she’d ever wanted in small-town Okeechobee. But she had it all in Garrett, LJ and the miracle baby she carried. More than anything, she wanted to give her child the permanence, stability and roots she’d craved when she was growing up.

Only one thing stood in her way. She had to tell Garrett the secret she carried.

* * *

I
N
THE
MIDDLE
of the song, Garrett’s attention snagged on the two youngsters who sat opposite him. The older of the boys trapped a melted marshmallow between graham crackers and slivers of chocolate. Carefully he slid the tip of a long stick from the messy treat and handed the s’more to his younger brother. The smaller boy stuffed the whole thing into his mouth. Grinning a chocolate smile, he dug into a bag of marshmallows and poked a fresh ball on the end of his big brother’s stick.

Twang.

Garrett winced at the sour note. Concentrating, he forced his attention back to the song he was supposed to be leading while Lisa made a quick trip to the ladies’ room. He shifted, uncomfortable despite his perch on a hand-hewn log that time and countless use had weathered to a smooth finish. Try as he might, he couldn’t wrestle his thoughts away from the scene that reminded him so much of his own childhood.

He played the closing bars of one song, then launched into the next, willing himself to think of something else. If anything, he should be thinking of where to take Lisa on their first official date. Lightsey’s was the obvious choice. The seafood house served the best fried catfish in the state. Locals crowded the tables beneath mounted deer heads and trophy fish. Once he showed up there with Lisa on his arm, the whole town would buzz with news that they were dating. He’d ask her tonight, after everyone else turned in for the evening.

Across the campfire, the family polished off the last of their s’mores. The father draped his arms around the shoulders of his boys while Garrett sang a funny song about fishing for crawdads. As the song came to a close, he spotted Lisa on her way back from the bunkhouse. His stomach tightened when he noticed Steve walking beside her. The wannabe cowboy had paid a pretty penny to spend a week fighting mosquitoes and rain squalls on a fall roundup. Though nothing about Lisa’s body language said she was interested in their guest, Garrett couldn’t ignore the way his heart stuttered when she angled her head back, laughing at something the other man said. The move stirred every possessive bone in Garrett’s body, plus a few he hadn’t been sure he had. He bent over his guitar, his teeth clenched, as Lisa took her seat beside him.

“You know, you’re pretty good.” Steve levered himself onto the log with Lisa wedged between them. “Ever think of singing professionally?”

At the clueless question, Garrett tried not to roll his eyes. He forced his way into the conversation. “Lisa was the lead singer in a band called ’Skeeter Creek. Ever hear of them?”

“Nah. But then, music’s not my strong point.” Steve stretched his legs toward the fire. His expression brightened. “I know a guy, though, who built a music studio in his garage. What say I put you in touch with him? Maybe he could cut you a demo. Or even help you get a couple of gigs.” He glanced around. “You could do a lot better than singing duets on a cattle drive.”

“Hey, now. What’s wrong with cattle drives?” Garrett grumbled.

“Not a thing.” Lisa gave him a pointed look before she turned to face Steve. “Sorry,” she said, reaching for her banjo. “A lot of performers would swoon at the chance, but my music store keeps me plenty busy.”

Her music store.
Not him.

While Steve expressed his disappointment and offered his business card in case she ever changed her mind, Garrett sat back, stunned. He had no claim on Lisa. Though they’d professed their love for one another, they’d never discussed their plans. So far, they’d kept their relationship under wraps. Why hadn’t they let everyone know they were a couple sooner?

He gulped. What had he been thinking, going so slow? He had to do more, step up his game. And what better way to prove his love than by asking Lisa to move in with him? He’d thought living together would happen down the road a bit, but the more he tried the idea on, the more he felt
now
was as good a time as any.

While the crowd clapped and sang along, he started to make plans. He was still hard at them when the last gooey chocolate treat disappeared. Soon after, parents rounded up their children and headed to the bunkhouse. Not much later, the single men broke out flasks and began swapping stories. At the signal that the entertainment was over for the night, Garrett began packing away their instruments. Walking Lisa back to the bunkhouse a few minutes later, he leaned down. “How ’bout you and me take a little break Sunday afternoon? Just the two of us.”

While Lisa deserved to hear him profess his love over caviar and champagne, last he’d checked, no one had plunked a five-star restaurant down in the middle of Circle P’s thousand acres of palmetto and scrub. Instead, he’d take her on a picnic that would send the news of their relationship rippling through the camp.

Lisa quirked an eyebrow at him. “Sure, but you don’t want to bring LJ?”

“Not this time.” Garrett swallowed. Some things—like asking her to share his house and his bed—were better done without an audience.

Chapter Eleven

Garrett lifted the wicker lid and peeked inside. Wrapped in a red-checkered cloth, a decent bottle of wine nestled in one corner. Emma’s homemade chicken salad rested on a bed of ice. In his mind, the loaf of bread fresh from the Circle P’s oven completed the meal, but the head cook had insisted on adding a dense chocolate cake she called a torte. Thinking it might be fun to dredge strawberries through the rich icing and feed them to Lisa one by one, he’d chosen the biggest, freshest red berries from Circle P’s crisper.

“You’re sure I’m not leaving you in the lurch?” Garrett swallowed a guilty twinge. He turned to Ty. The roundup was nearly complete, nearly a thousand head of prime Andalusian cattle counted and vaccinated.

Ty nodded his approval. “Nah, you’ve done a great job all week. You and Lisa deserve a couple of hours of freedom. We got this. Josh took half the crew on a bird-watching expedition in the ’Glades. The other half are fishing at Little Lake. When they get back, me and the rest of the boys are gonna be busy cleaning their catch and settin’ up for the fish fry while everyone gets ready to pull out at first light.”

Garrett took a breath. He and Lisa would return in plenty of time for the roundup’s last campfire. First, though, there was the not-so-little matter of announcing that they had something special going on between them. The picnic would put his extended family on notice. Dinner at Lightsey’s next week would spread the word through the rest of the town faster than checking a box on their social-media pages.

“You ready for this?” Ty asked.

“Is any man? Ever?” He paused, his thoughts somber. Not so long ago, he’d been certain he’d spend the rest of his life alone. Then Lisa had waltzed into the living room of the Circle P and turned his world upside down. One day, they’d pick out rings in the same jewelry store where his father and brothers had shopped. Till they did, he wanted to set up housekeeping with her. “All I know for sure is that I love her. I want us to spend our lives together. Lisa and me and LJ.”

“If she feels the same way, it’ll be enough. It always is.” Ty scuffed his boot through the sand. “Not to change the subject or anything, but have you had a chance to touch base with Randy or Royce?”

“’Matter of fact, I called ’em while I was up at the main house gettin’ this.” Garrett tied the lunch basket to Gold’s saddle. “Sounds as if you were right. They like it in Montana. They’re in no hurry to come back here.” He gazed at the miles of flat grazing land. Why his brothers wanted to work another ranch so far away was beyond him, but—whatever their reasons—their decision suited him just fine.

Ty slapped a hand on his back. “You’re staying on, then? That’s a big load off my mind.”

“Yeah, mine, too.” The rumble of an approaching ATV broke the quiet, and he looked up. His stomach tightened as another reason for staying put neared.

“Guess I’d better make myself scarce.” After clapping a hand on his shoulder and offering him the best of luck, Ty stepped toward the bunkhouse.

“Thanks,” Garrett answered, though he was pretty sure he was already the luckiest man in the world. He watched as Lisa’s face crinkled into the smile he’d come to love the moment she spotted him. Warmth filled his chest. It spread until it filled him from head to toe. Quickly he crossed to where she sat in the front seat. He gave her his hand and pulled her to him.

“I have a surprise for you,” he said, his smile widening.

“Oh?” Lisa’s eyebrows arched. “Will I like it?”

“I hope so.”

After giving the driver instructions to see to her overnight bag, he led the way to the spot where Gold and Lady waited in the shade. “I thought we’d take a little ride to a spot you’ll like. I packed a picnic supper for just the two of us.”

His thoughts on the rest of his plans for the evening, he didn’t notice her hesitation at first. When he did, he cocked his head. Had the scare the other day ruined riding for her? Guilt twisted his gut. She’d worked so hard to overcome her initial fears, but he’d seen others try and fail. In grade school, one of his friends had wandered too close to the hind end of a nervous horse and gotten himself kicked. His pal never was much for horses after that. Then there were guys who took bad falls in the rodeo and never saddled up again. He wanted better for Lisa.

“It might be tough to get back in the saddle again,” he said softly. “But the longer you wait, the harder it’ll get.”

“It’s not that. I’m not afraid.” As if to prove her point, Lisa skimmed her fingers along Lady’s cheek.

Garrett let his confusion show. “Then why?”

“I don’t want to ride. Not tonight. Not for...a while.” Lisa gave the mare one last pat. “Can we just drop it?”

Garrett lifted his Stetson and ran a hand through his hair. He gave the matter a second thought and grinned. Though he didn’t have a clue what he’d done to trigger her stubborn streak, Lisa’s independence was one of the things that had drawn him to her in the first place. He guessed if he was going to keep time with a woman who had a mind of her own, he’d best start learning to compromise.

“Not a problem. We’ll take the ATV.” They could still follow the trail to a secret spot where a pool of crystal-clear water bubbled up from deep below the surface of the earth. He’d spread a blanket in the shade of a hundred-year-old oak tree and, between kisses, they’d feast on some of Lisa’s favorite foods. Satisfied he’d found a middle ground they could both live with, he untied the lunch basket. His footsteps toward the nearest four-wheeler slowed when she didn’t join him. Puzzled, he did an about-face.

“This is all incredibly sweet of you.” Her expression clouded, Lisa peered at him. “I appreciate the effort. I do. If I’d known...” She gestured toward the picnic basket. “My stomach’s been a bit rocky lately. I’m trying to avoid fried foods. When I heard there was a fish fry scheduled for tonight, I decided to eat before I left town.”

Garrett covered his disappointment with his most winning smile. “You might change your mind. I know how much you like chicken salad. Emma fixed her famous chocolate cake.” He lifted the lid, giving Lisa a glimpse of wine glasses and cloth napkins.

Her shoulders slumped as his ploy to tempt her backfired. She shook her head. “I’ve sworn off chocolate and alcohol for a while. As for the salad, well, after the last time, I’m afraid I lost my taste for it. Rain check?”

When the woman he loved stared sweetly at him as if she hadn’t just ruined his plans for a romantic evening, Garrett took a breath and attempted to regroup. “Have I done something wrong?” he asked.

“It’s not you.”

The hand she waved through the air softened the blow without doing a darn thing to end his confusion. The dark eyes he hoped to see every day for the rest of his life narrowed. Hog-tying his frustration, he waited while she stood, her weight shifting from one slim leg to another.

“I’ve been a bit under the weather lately.”

Garrett held his breath and waited.
Was she sick?

“Certain foods don’t agree with me,” she continued slowly. “I’ve been tired. So tired.”

She stared at him as if she’d made a great pronouncement that required action on his part.

“Have you seen a doctor?” Worried about her, he moved closer. He thought back to the day she’d asked him to leave her apartment so she could take a nap. Had she been sick that long? “What’s—” he gulped “—wrong?”

He stared at the top of her head while she studied her feet. “Nothing. It’s just that I saw my obstetrician last week.” She lifted her chin. Her eyes scoured his face. “She confirmed what I suspected. I’m pregnant, Garrett.”

“You’re...what?” He choked on the words she’d plunged into his heart like a rusty knife. He knew better than to let his jaw hang open, but he was powerless to close it. He couldn’t breathe, was sure his heart had stopped beating. Dominoes fell in reverse to the night they’d spent together during the storm. “This can’t be happening,” he argued.

“But it is, Garrett.” She paused. “I thought you’d be happy.”

“Happy?” His voice rose. “This is the last thing I ever wanted.”

Lisa’s mouth formed a thin line. “We didn’t plan this. Either of us. But it’s happened. We have to deal with it.”

“I can’t. Not again,” he said, his voice low and guttural as he ignored her pleading tone.

She reached for him then. Her fingertips barely grazed one arm, but they delivered a body blow. He stumbled and backed away. “You said... You swore you couldn’t...”

Tears welled in a pair of expressive brown eyes. “I didn’t think it was possible. I tried for years. Spent thousands of dollars on the best fertility doctors in the country. Nothing worked. I resigned myself to never having children. Then you came along and we...”

She stopped talking. Her hand slipped down to cup her midsection in a move that, in retrospect, seemed painfully familiar.

Lisa...pregnant.

Garrett slowly closed his mouth. White noise roared through his head. He flexed his fingers. The picnic basket fell to the ground. His movements jerky, he strode past the spot where Lisa stood. The tears that traced down her cheeks twisted the knife in his gut. He hesitated, but flashes of days he’d done his best to forget put his feet in motion again. He wrenched Gold’s reins from the tree branch. His hands shook so hard he could hardly grasp the pommel, but he managed to haul himself into the saddle. Refusing to look back, he concentrated on putting as much distance as he could between himself and memories too painful to relive.

* * *

T
HE
WORLD
SLOWED
as Garrett mounted Gold. Lisa stood as still as a statue, willing the man she loved to come to his senses. To rein Gold to one side and dismount. To sweep her into his arms.

He never turned, never looked back. Her heart trembled when he whipped the horse into a gallop. She thought it might have shattered when Garrett and Gold disappeared into a stand of ancient pines that formed a windbreak beyond the bunkhouse. Only then did she let her gaze drop. A tear rolled off her cheek and splashed onto the ground beside the discarded basket.

Spying a line of ants marching through the dirt toward the spilled food, she shuddered. There was more at stake here than her heart. She had a pregnancy to watch over, a baby to protect. Until Garrett came to grips with the news—and he would, she insisted—she couldn’t lose control, couldn’t give in to the heady emotions that threatened to swamp her.

Brushing her tears aside, she swept what remained of their picnic into the container. Her head bent, her limbs impossibly heavy, she trudged through the nearly deserted camp to the bunkhouse, where she dropped the basket on a bench outside the kitchen. Passing through the swinging doors into the dining area, her footsteps slowed. She scanned the room where she and Garrett had shared meals, where she’d dreamed of a future with him. She blinked lashes that refused to stay dry.

What if he never accepted this baby?

He would, she insisted. He just needed a little bit of time. After all, she hadn’t believed her eyes when the first pregnancy test turned positive. She’d had to repeat the test three, maybe four times, before her head registered what her heart already knew. Even then, the truth hadn’t really sunk in until she saw the doctor. If she’d had so much trouble accepting that something she’d spent years trying to achieve was finally real, she couldn’t blame Garrett for struggling with it, could she?

Gathering the ragged edges of her composure together, she forced her weary legs to carry her up the stairs. In her room, she collapsed onto her narrow bed. She supposed she drifted off because she woke, groggy and thirsty. The smell and taste of fried foods drifted in the still air, and her stomach rumbled. She reached for the crackers she kept at her bedside and ate a couple. Rising, she downed a few sips of bottled water. She crossed to the window. Flames danced against the night sky. People crowded around the campfire.

Was Garrett there waiting for her? Would the rancher take her in his arms and whisper that everything would be all right? That he loved her and was excited for the new life she carried? Hope flaring, she hurriedly gathered her instruments and sped downstairs.

But Garrett wasn’t there.

It took every ounce of professionalism she’d developed in her years onstage, but she kept it together. Ignoring the hurt, she broke out her banjo and launched into the first set. It wasn’t the first time she’d carried the ball solo. But it was the first time every ballad made her want to break down in tears. If her eyes glistened more than usual, she let everyone think the smoke from the campfire stung them.

Later, back in her room, she couldn’t remember a single song she’d sung, the jokes she’d told between numbers, the light-hearted banter she’d traded with the guests and ranch hands. Her poor, tired brain had room only for the growing certainty that Garrett wasn’t coming back, that he’d never accept this pregnancy, that she’d lost him forever. She cupped her fingers around her belly.

“Looks like it’s just you and me,” she whispered. Though she hadn’t fully come to grips with what that meant, she had to reassure her unborn child. “That’s okay. We’ll be okay.”

She could do this. Despite her aching heart, she’d stay strong. For her baby. With or without Garrett at her side, she’d nurture the life within her and give their child a loving home.