Trent's Montana Bride (Sweet, clean Western Historical Romance)(Montana Ranchers and Brides series) (6 page)

Trent spun around. "I think Chloe might need some help with Evan right now. Isn't that right Chloe?" Trent asked her.

Chloe nodded. "I guess so." She looked at Trent and saw the relief written large on his face. "Could you help me to change Evan, Mrs. Ross?" she asked the housekeeper.

Mrs. Ross' face lit up. "Why of course. It would be my pleasure to help," she stated, a broad grin on her face.

"You shouldn't have given up your room for me," Chloe said to Mrs. Ross. The housekeeper waved a hand. "Nonsense. You need to be close to Evan."

"But where are you going to sleep?" Chloe asked.

"Don't you worry about me. I've a nice room on the ground floor. Close to the kitchen, where I seem to spend most of my day," she said with a glance at Trent. The rancher's eyes shifted away from his housekeeper's penetrating gaze.

"Well maybe I can help you out in the kitchen," Chloe said.

Mrs. Ross strode up to Chloe. "You've got more than enough on your plate with this little one. Never you mind about me and my kitchen. You've got some settling in to do. And so has this little angel," she said teasing Evan with a gentle finger.

Chloe followed Mrs. Ross back to Evan's room. Mrs. Ross dug around into one of the large bags and eventually pulled out all the necessary items for changing Evan.
 

Chloe turned to Trent who was standing, transfixed watching the two women getting ready to take care of the baby.

Chloe smiled at Trent. "Maybe you've got somewhere to go, Trent?"

Trent started. "Yeah. I...uh...just remembered there are some things I have to get," he stuttered.

Chloe tried to contain the laughter that bubbled up inside her.

"Just you get going Trent," Mrs. Ross said, waving him away. "We're going to be busy here for a while. No doubt you've got ranch business to be doing," she said with brusque good humor.

Trent nodded repeatedly and started to walk backwards toward the open door. "You let me know if you need me," he mumbled.

"We will," Mrs. Ross said.

Chloe smiled and watched Trent McIntyre make his escape from the day to day realities of caring for a baby.

CHAPTER NINE

What had he done?
 

Trent flicked the reins of the buckboard and headed away from the ranch house. He was glad to be getting away. Let the women take care of the boy. He had work to do, although, right now, he couldn't figure out what needed doing. He could go and supervise the branding of some new cattle; he could make sure some of the damaged fencing was being prepared as he'd instructed.

In the end the only thought that came to mind was that he had to put some distance between himself and the ranch house.

He drove the buckboard along the narrow trail. It felt good to be outdoors. He loved this landscape. He'd spent so many hours, days and months riding across the flatlands and valleys that they felt as if they were a part of him, ingrained in him. It was here that he felt truly at home, not in the confines of the ranch.

But he was glad that Chloe seemed to like the place. He'd felt something vague and surprising stir inside him when he'd seen the pleasure on her face. Her smile was mighty pretty. No wonder Lucas had fallen so hard for her.
 

He thought she'd seemed relieved that the ranch hadn't been some run down ruin full of common cowboys. Trent took too much pride in his work to allow anything like that.

Trent tightened his grip on the reins as the buckboard ran down a steep gully, the trail briefly getting rougher, the horses needing a firmer hand.

Chloe Wilder was now Mrs. Chloe McIntyre. That thought made Trent's eyes widen. He exhaled and shook his head in disbelief. It had all happened so quickly. When he'd come back from the visit to the graveyard to pay his respects to Lucas, something seemed to have changed in Chloe. Gone had been the hesitation and uncertainty of earlier. It had been replaced by what looked to Trent like a fierce determination in Chloe. In the room above the mercantile she had looked him straight in the eye and informed Trent that she would marry him.

Trent had been stunned by the suddenness of her decision. He'd asked her if she was sure and she'd been adamant that it was the best thing for Evan, and that was all that mattered.

So Trent was now a married man. He could only imagine what the reaction of his fellow neighbouring ranchers Nathan Grantly and Devlin Cooper would be. They had both gotten married recently under circumstances every bit as unique as his. But they both seemed positively enthusiastic about their marriages, even if one was a mail order bride and the other was a marriage of convenience.

Three ranchers and three sudden marriages!

Trent bit his lower lip, trying to figure out how it had all happened so quickly.

But wasn't that the way of life. For every loss there seemed to be a compensating gain. Trent had lost a friend in Lucas, the tragic details of which were still unclear, but had found Chloe; Nathan had lost his wife to illness but had been united with a wife who was clearly bringing joy back into the life of himself and his young daughter Emma; Devlin had been jilted at the altar but had found what looked suspiciously like love with feisty Elise Macleod.
 

Trent drove the horses on across a flat plain. Further ahead the trail split in two and Trent quickly considered what he should do. Back at the ranch house Chloe and Mrs. Ross would be doing their best to make sure Evan was settling in. Chloe would be unpacking the bags and filling the closets and drawers with the few belongings they'd managed to bring with them. Some more stuff was going to be sent on by Harriet and Marcus at the mercantile in Helena during the next few days, but Trent felt there was an urgent need for some things to make settling in even quicker. Especially for Evan.

Thinking about the little baby boy made something jump in Trent's heart. There was no doubting how handsome Evan was. He was going to grow up to be every bit as tall and good looking as Lucas.

But now Trent was his father. That single thought made Trent's shoulders tighten. He'd hardly had a chance to really consider what it would mean to become Evan's adopted father. Trent's life as a single man had come to a sudden halt. His friends were going to be stunned when they learned how much responsibility Trent had taken on.

A knot of worry lodged itself in Trent's gut as he thought about what that would mean. Would he be able to look after Evan and Chloe? Would he be up to the task? When he thought about the wayward life he'd led until now, Trent had serious doubts about himself. Compared to suddenly becoming a husband and father, building this ranch up from scratch seemed a breeze.

He came to the fork in the trail. One led to the far edge of his spread where he knew he'd find plenty of work to distract himself. The other trail would take him into Billings. It wasn't too late to make it into town and the stores would still be open.
 

Trent thought of those small bags, the obvious lack of things for Evan and Chloe. He shook his head and flicked the reins, driving the horses on toward town.

***

"What on earth has Trent gone and done?" Chloe said with a gasp, peering out the kitchen window.
 

Mrs. Ross wiped her hands on her apron and came to the window and looked over Chloe's shoulder at the sight out in the yard.

By the fading early evening light Chloe could see that Trent had pulled up the buckboard to a halt at the front door. She saw that there were bags piled high on the back of the buckboard. Trent jumped down from the seat and started to grab the bags. When he turned, Chloe quickly moved away from the window.

"Looks like Trent's been shopping," Mrs. Ross said with a smile.

"Shopping?" Chloe said with a tone of mild consternation. "Trent goes shopping?"

Mrs. Ross peered out to the yard. "They don't look like supplies for the ranch, either," she observed.

"What possessed him to do such a thing?" Chloe asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised if there're some baby clothes in those bags," Mrs.Ross said with a smile.

"I need to tell him that Evan's having a nap," Chloe said rushing into the hall. The front door burst open and Trent strode in, his arms laden with bags. He froze when he saw Chloe standing at the foot of the stairs, a long finger over her lips.
 

"Shh... Evan's sleeping," Chloe whispered.

Trent nodded and glanced over toward the parlor. He stepped gingerly over the hard wooden boards, keeping the heels of his boots off the floor. Chloe followed him into the parlor.

Trent laid the bags down on the table next to the window.
 

Chloe looked questioningly at Trent."What's all this?"
 

"I went into town. Figured you and Evan could do with some extra things, seeing as how we had to leave so much stuff behind for the moment," Trent explained.

Trent thrust his hand into one of the bags and pulled out a petite blue baby suit. "The clothier in town is a friend of mine. He's always got a supply of baby clothes. Seems like people keep on having babies," Trent said with a smile.

Chloe took the outfit from Trent and examined it. She had to admit it was pretty and the fabric felt so soft in her fingers. She could imagine Evan looking lovely in it. "You shouldn't have, Trent. We've got enough clothes for Evan," she said.

Trent shook his head. "There's no such thing as a baby having enough clothes," he stated.

Chloe grudgingly admitted that Trent's sentiment was probably right. Chloe's heartfelt desire was that Evan would want for nothing. And it appeared that Trent thought the same.

Trent brought out another few outfits, all the same size. He laid them out on the table. Chloe was aware that she and Trent were standing close to each other scrutinizing the baby clothes. It felt somehow right. She looked at Trent. He'd obviously been driving the horses hard. There was a sheen of sweat on his brow, and his dark hair was mussed up, loose locks clinging to his forehead. She had to restrain a sudden urge to shift those locks back into place.

Trent turned to her, his eyes bright and Chloe quickly shifted her attention back to the baby clothes.

"Well. Evan's not short of clothes for now," Chloe admitted. She saw Trent's grin at her remark.

Chloe recalled how she and Lucas had done the very same thing when they had chosen clothes together. The memory of that produced a brief surge of emotion.
 

Chloe cleared her throat. "What else did you buy?"
 

Trent drew in a deep breath and looked at Chloe. "Now. Don't be mad at me. But I couldn't buy Evan something and not give any thought to you," he said.

Chloe's mouth opened in surprise. "For me?"

"Yup. My friend helped me pick this out," Trent said. "Said if you don't like it, I can return it."

Chloe raised a hand to her chest, trying to contain a sudden rush of feeling. "You didn't buy something for me, Trent. Say you didn't," Chloe pleaded.

Trent opened the last remaining bag and drew out one of the most beautiful dresses Chloe had ever seen. It was a delicate cotton gown in shimmering green, with decorative ruffles and elegant small buttons. Trent held it out in front of Chloe, the gown unfurling to its' full length.
 

"Oh, my goodness! Trent. It's beautiful," Chloe exclaimed. "You shouldn't have."

Trent shook his head. "Of course I should have," he responded.
 

Chloe took the dress in her hands, savoring the softness of the fabric. She briefly checked the fit, holding the dress across the front of her body. Trent's eyes lit up. Chloe felt a thrill of appreciation as he looked at her. It was a look of approval that gave her a brief moment of satisfaction.

"You'll look beautiful in that, Chloe," he said softly.

Chloe was taken aback. He'd called her beautiful!

"You mean the dress is beautiful," Chloe corrected him.

Trent leaned in slightly. "No. I mean you look beautiful," Chloe. His eyes narrowed. "And the dress just adds something to what's already there," Trent said quietly.

Chloe turned quickly away. She didn't want Trent to see the effect of his words on her. She went to the mirror at the far end of the parlor. Looking at her reflection she could see how lovely the dress looked. Whether she was beautiful wasn't for her to say. But the dress certainly took away some of the sadness that had been in Chloe's eyes for far too long.

Trent came and stood behind her. "See what I mean?"

Chloe smiled. "It's lovely. Trent. Thank you."

Chloe saw the satisfaction on Trent's face.

"Now. I've been thinking," Trent said placing both of his hands on her shoulders. Chloe felt a sudden rush of sensation at his touch. It was the first time she'd felt his hands on her like that. In the mirror she could see that her face had changed color.
 

"Evan needs his crib. My friend Nathan probably has one I could get my hands on. If you're willing to wait until tomorrow. I can go over to his ranch and get it. What do you think?"

Chloe turned. Trent's hands slid from Chloe's shoulders and she felt an involuntary moment of regret that he was no longer touching her. She quickly composed herself. "That sounds like a good idea. I don't know how long it'll take for Harriet to send Evan's own crib and all the other stuff over. But that should do, until it arrives."

The practical matters of Evan's care took over the moment. Chloe put the dress back in the bag.

"Thank you for all of this, Trent. It was very kind of you," Chloe said.
 

Trent looked at Chloe, his brows creasing, his gaze intense and sincere. "It's the least I can do, Chloe. You and Evan are going to have everything you both need. I promise you that," he said, his voice suddenly quivering with an emotion that took Chloe by surprise.

She suddenly wondered what other surprises Trent McIntyre had in store for her.

CHAPTER TEN

Mrs. Ross had prepared a special meal, just like Trent had asked her to earlier. He was pleased with the result. Mrs. Ross never let him down. When he led Chloe to the dining room for their wedding evening supper, he was met with a sight of the table filled with plates of soup, platters of chicken, vegetables, fruit. There was even a bottle of wine, but Chloe declined the offer of that because she didn't want to be sleepy in case Evan woke up.