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The Cowboy's Surprise Baby
Deb Kastner


Hometown Reunion After years away serving his country, Cole Bishop finally returns home–with a newborn baby in tow. As a single dad, Cole needs help. But the last thing he expects to encounter at his new job is his high school sweetheart–all grown up and more beautiful than ever. Tessa Applewhite might have broken Cole's heart years before, but she's never forgotten him. And he can wrangle her heart like no one else ever has. But Tessa rejected him when the stakes weren't nearly as high. Can Cole trust her again–and in the process, form a forever family?







Hometown Reunion

After years away serving his country, Cole Bishop finally returns home—with a newborn baby in tow. As a single dad, Cole needs help. But the last thing he expects to encounter at his new job is his high school sweetheart—all grown up and more beautiful than ever. Tessa Applewhite might have broken Cole’s heart years before, but she’s never forgotten him. And he can wrangle her heart like no one else ever has. But Tessa rejected him when the stakes weren’t nearly as high. Can Cole trust her again—and in the process, form a forever family?


“Cole.”

Ice filled Cole’s chest. His lungs. His veins.

It would have frozen his heart if he’d had one—but the woman into whose enormous emerald eyes he was staring had stolen it from him long ago and ripped it to shreds.

“Tessa.” Cole clenched his jaw and both fists. What kind of nightmare had he just stepped into?

“I—uh—” Tessa stammered, her wide-eyed, questioning gaze flashing from Cole to Alexis and then back to Cole again. “What are you doing here?”

That was exactly the question he wanted to ask her. But she’d asked him first. Her eyebrows rose as she waited for his answer.

“Workin’,” he answered reluctantly, tapping his hat against his blue jeans.

“Here?” Her voice, which Cole remembered as soft and lilting, sounded scratchy and strained, much as he imagined his own voice did. “Alexis? Wh-what—”

“We’ve just hired Cole on as a wrangler now that he’s moved back to town,” Alexis explained, her tone overly bright. “Surprise!”


DEB KASTNER is an award-winning author who lives and writes in beautiful Colorado. Since her daughters have grown into adulthood and her nest is almost empty, she is excited to be able to discover new adventures, challenges and blessings, the biggest of which are her sweet grandchildren. She enjoys reading, watching movies, listening to music, singing in the church choir, and attending concerts and musicals.


The Cowboy’s

Surprise Baby

Deb Kastner






www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)


And the King will answer and say to them,

“Assuredly, I say to you,

Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren,

You did it to Me.”

—Matthew 25:40


To my wonderful sister Amy for all her help in giving the horses in my book their unique names and personalities. Your animal sanctuary makes a real difference in the world!

Those interested in Amy’s animal rescue program can find out more about

Happy Haven Farm & Sanctuary on Facebook or at her website, happyhavenfarm.org (http://happyhavenfarm.org).


Contents

Cover (#ucc560a16-e969-5f95-ac3b-c4bdde50a97f)

Back Cover Text (#ua4671d8a-220d-576e-800c-3c0a7ac3ef13)

Introduction (#u1f376352-2589-5098-88c8-9960ba1c9e16)

About the Author (#u58764ed7-1c04-5e3a-9ad3-43b80fc6898d)

Title Page (#u0f9be9b5-aa03-5b26-aefc-9d134e0c7da8)

Bible Verse (#uc10ffe1f-b53c-5120-8c92-37c5bcebc390)

Dedication (#u02b5f312-399c-5ac3-b104-b4082893a9ec)

Chapter One (#ulink_c2091995-929f-5623-9def-32213b3b7223)

Chapter Two (#ulink_7653b21f-8ac1-5911-8873-0afdebaad319)

Chapter Three (#ulink_2ea91d05-24ee-5e59-839f-fdb5d689e9ca)

Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Dear Reader (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)


Chapter One (#ulink_87c0702f-c7e3-5fd2-a973-7f3951cc89dd)

Cole Bishop didn’t know who’d originally coined the phrase “Home is where the heart is,” but whoever it was, she should have been shot. Home was where the heartbreak was, and if it wasn’t for the fact that his whole world was in an uproar, Cole would happily have never set foot in his hometown again for as long as he lived. Except maybe to visit his family, and there were ways to get around that obstacle.

Serendipity, Texas, was too small even to warrant a dot on the map, and its residents had minds like elephants and considered gossip a national pastime. He must be out of his mind for returning. His worst memories would be dredged up, and fast.

A man’s got to do what he’s got to do. For his son.

Truth was, he had nowhere else to go.

“Much obliged for the job.” Cole nodded to Alexis Haddon of Redemption Ranch and curled the brim of his hat in his fist, tapping the dark brown Stetson against his thigh. He and Alexis had grown up together. When she’d heard he was back in town, she’d immediately contacted him to see if he wanted to work for her. And he was grateful. Now that he had a son, he needed steady employment more than ever, and wrangling sounded mighty good after years serving on an aircraft carrier in the navy. Less structure, more open space.

Alexis leaned her hip against the corner of her neatly organized desk and beamed at him with happy eyes and a white-toothed smile. Her husband, Griff, kicked back in the desk chair, lacing his fingers behind his head and admiring his wife.

“That’s my Alexis. Always thinking of others.”

Alexis laughed and waved him away. “Don’t be silly.” She turned her blue eyes on Cole and used the same hand to flick her long blond hair off her shoulders. “It’s a privilege. As soon as I heard you were out of the navy and moving back to Serendipity, I knew I had to snatch you up before some other ranch manager did.”

It wasn’t so much what Alexis had said, but something about the way she said it sent a ripple of forewarning down Cole’s spine. He might have been imagining the feeling, except for the brief, surprised jerk of Griff’s left eyebrow.

Cole swallowed hard. Something was brewing in Alexis’s crafty female brain. He could see it in her eyes.

Whatever it was, Cole wanted nothing to do with it. His whole reason for accepting this position was to lose himself out on the range, where his biggest problems would be livestock and not people. With his background in naval intelligence, he was way overqualified for the job, but that was the whole point. He could be working for the CIA or FBI, but all he really wanted to do was spend time on the back of a horse. He had more than enough of a challenge learning to be a single father to Grayson without adding additional stress—or a job that would take him away from home or put him in danger.

He might not like it, but Serendipity was the right place to be, if for no other reason than that he had the support of his family here. And the community.

Alexis shot her husband a warning look before turning a warm smile on Cole. “As I was saying,” she continued, sounding miffed, as if Griff had verbally interrupted her instead of merely questioning her with a look, “Griff and I both want to thank you for your military service and welcome you back home.”

Cole gave an affirmative jerk of his chin. He never knew what to do or say when folks thanked him for his service to the country. He appreciated the sentiment, but it made him feel uncomfortable.

“I—er—” he stammered and then cleared his throat. He lifted his hat until it hovered over the general area of his heart in a gesture of respect. “Like I said before, I’m grateful for the position.”

“And we’re blessed to have you.” Alexis glanced at her watch and then at the door as if she’d suddenly realized she had somewhere else to be.

Cole took that to mean they were finished. “I’ll be off, then.”

“Our first staff meeting of the month is tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. here at the house. It’s casual—we meet around our dining room table. It’ll be your first official shift.”

“Glad to have this afternoon off. That’ll give me a little bit of time to settle in at my dad’s house.” He nodded at Griff and Alexis. “He says he’s happy to watch Grayson during the days for me, but it’s a lot of change at once and a steep learning curve for all of us.”

“The Lord will bless your sacrifice, Cole,” Alexis said, patting his arm. “I can’t imagine how difficult this must be for you, but I believe a baby is always a good and perfect gift from God.”

Cole pressed his lips together and nodded. Difficult didn’t even begin to describe his life since the moment he’d discovered he was going to be a father.

“Now, let me just run down your job description for you and we’ll be all set,” Alexis continued.

Cole exhaled as stress eased off his shoulders. He’d be wrangling. How hard could it be?

“Honey, don’t you think we ought to mention—” Griff started to say, but he was interrupted by two sharp raps on the open office door.

Alexis’s eyes widened to epic proportions, and she caught her bottom lip in her teeth as if to stop herself from giggling. Griff’s chair slammed upright.

A chill raced down Cole’s spine and he turned on his heel.

“Alexis, I was looking over the background files for the incoming group of girls and it appears—” The auburn-haired woman’s gaze rose from the pile of manila folders in her arms, and she gasped audibly.

“Cole.” She frowned and raised the files in front of her like a shield.

Ice filled Cole’s chest. His lungs. His veins.

It would have frozen his heart if he’d had one—but the woman into whose enormous emerald eyes he was staring had stolen it from him long ago and had ripped it into shreds. It remained beyond repair even all these years later.

“Tessa.” Cole stiffened. He clenched his jaw and both fists.

He hadn’t expected to find her in Serendipity, much less at Redemption Ranch. Tessa Applewhite worked here? After he’d just signed on to do the same?

What kind of nightmare had he just stepped into? He hadn’t asked anyone about Tessa’s whereabouts, of course, and he had good reason not to. Broaching the subject of Tessa with anyone in Serendipity would have dredged up memories he most definitely wanted to forget. Not to mention it would likely have set tongues wagging again, no matter who he asked.

“I—uh—” Tessa stammered, her wide-eyed, questioning gaze flashing from Cole to Alexis and then back to Cole again. “What are you doing here?”

That was exactly the question he wanted to ask her. What had happened to becoming a lawyer? He never imagined she’d return home. There wasn’t much call for legal help in Serendipity, and the town’s one lawyer more than covered it.

But she had asked him first. Her eyebrows rose as she waited for his answer.

“Workin’,” he answered reluctantly, tapping his hat against his blue jeans.

“Here?” Her voice, which Cole remembered as soft and lilting, sounded scratchy and strained, much as he imagined his own voice did. “Alexis? W-what—”

“We’ve just hired Cole on as a wrangler now that he’s moved back to town,” Alexis explained, her tone overly bright. “Surprise!”

Cole cringed. Surprise? Seriously?

Is that what Alexis had been thinking when she’d offered him the job? That he and Tessa would be glad to see each other after all this time apart? That she’d be acting as some kind of matchmaker between the two of them?

That was the furthest thing from the truth, at least for Cole. And judging by the distress lining Tessa’s features, he guessed she was feeling the same way.

No need to prolong the agony.

He planted his hat on his head and adjusted the brim, then tipped it to both of the women as his mama had taught him to do when he was a youngster. He’d always shown respect to the ladies, although at the moment he wasn’t keen on being in the room with either one of them. “If you’ll excuse me, I have things that need attending to.”

Like his son. Even though every single part of being a new father, and a single dad at that, was excruciatingly difficult for Cole, it beat standing here eye to eye with the one woman in the world he least wanted to see right now.

Or ever.

He started toward the doorway, intending to slip past Tessa and be on his way, but when he started to go by her, her arm snaked out, her hand pressing against his chest.

“Cole, wait.”

Even through the cotton of his T-shirt, her palm felt blistering hot, and he wanted to jerk away. It was only a final, slim shred of dignity and pride that held him back. Or at least that was what he kept telling himself. In truth, he wasn’t certain he could have moved if he tried.

It should have been easy for him to keep walking. Tessa was a little wisp of a thing, and even had she given it her best shot, she could not have physically held him back. But when their gazes locked, no matter how loud his mind screamed for him to keep moving, his body refused to cooperate.

He couldn’t catch a breath. His chest ached and his throat burned. His pulse roared and thundered in his ears.

From the corner of his eye, Cole saw Griff come out from behind the desk and take his wife’s elbow. Clearly Alexis had schooled Griff on Cole and Tessa’s rocky past. “Why don’t we let these two have a moment alone together?”

It was more of a statement than a question, and although Alexis looked ready to argue, she wasn’t allowed the opportunity to do so. Griff herded her through the door, shooting an apologetic grin over his shoulder.

“Take as much time as you need.” Griff closed the office door behind him.

Cole winced. He didn’t need any time at all. Not one single second. He had nothing to say to Tessa. They might have had something to say to each other years ago, but now there was nothing.

Still, there was no sense standing in front of the closed door. He used his free hand to pry her palm from his chest, feeling as if it were glued there. He removed his hat and tossed it onto the desk, eyeing the chair Griff had vacated. At least that would put some distance between them—distance he desperately needed right now.

He’d thought all it would take to put Tessa behind him was time. Time and the distraction of serving on a United States Navy aircraft carrier.

But looking into her eyes, he might as well have been in high school all over again. His gut flipped and his head spun, just as they had when he’d been a foolish teenager who’d imagined himself in love.

What was wrong with him?

Tessa had caught him off guard, that’s what it was. And then she’d gone and cornered him in this office. It was no wonder his thoughts were bouncing around like a loose racquetball in a closed court.

What did she expect him to say now that she had him penned in here?

Hey, how are you? What’s been happening since we last saw each other?

He scoffed. He had nothing—nothing—to say to her.

He crossed his arms, rocked back on the heels of his boots and waited.

And waited.

Tessa looked equally uncomfortable, shifting her weight from foot to foot as her gaze darted everywhere except him. Tension mounted between them, the strain thick and palpable and tight as a wire.

He shook his head. She looked as if she didn’t want to be here, and he most certainly did not. One of them was going to have to break the silence, and if she wasn’t going to do it, then he would. Better to get this unexpected confrontation out of the way. He had much more important things to do than stand here waiting for her to collect her thoughts.

He narrowed his gaze, growling the question that was highest on his list.

“What do you want, Red?”

* * *

Tessa’s heart skipped a beat and it was all she could do not to gape at him. She hadn’t heard that nickname since the last time they’d been together. A lifetime had passed since then.

One look at Cole confirmed he felt the same. Gone was the smiling, blond young man whose luminescent blue eyes made her feel as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world and the only one for him.

In its place were hard angles, raw muscles, rough edges. He stood with his legs braced and his arms crossed over his massive chest in a universally defensive position. His gaze was cold and hard on hers, his scowl low and ominous. The tic in the corner of his jaw suggested he wasn’t happy about waiting for her to answer his question.

Only she didn’t know the answer. She’d been caught so completely off guard when her eyes had first met Cole’s that every thought had flown from her head. He’d made no apology when he’d tried to excuse himself, clearly anxious to be rid of her. And for some reason she couldn’t explain even to herself, she’d held him back.

What did she expect?

Nothing. Not from Cole Bishop.

Maybe it was the knee-jerk reaction of her more sensible, professional self, already trying to work out the sticky details of this new challenge. Better that than the sheer, foolish impulse on her part of wanting to be near him, if only for a few more seconds.

Nope. She’d go with the rational explanation.

As unfortunate as it might be, their lives had once more intersected. He was working at the ranch now, side by side with her. They’d be forced to interact with each other on an almost daily basis. She couldn’t think of anything more potentially disastrous. With their history...

Sparks were bound to fly. And not the good kind, either.

“So you’ll be wrangling here,” she blurted out, a fact already confirmed by Alexis. But she had to start somewhere.

“Yep.” His gaze narrowed even more.

Well, that was helpful. Tessa tried again.

“You’ve been discharged from the navy?”

He frowned and jammed his fists into the front pockets of his worn blue jeans. “Yep.”

She was beyond frustrated at his cold reception, but she supposed she had it coming. She could hardly expect better when the last time they’d seen each other was—

Well, there was no use dwelling on the past. If Cole was going to work here with her, he would have to get over it.

So, for that matter, would she.

She’d always known there was the possibility Cole would return to Serendipity, but he’d made the navy his career, and she’d assumed that by the time they finally met again, they would both have moved on, would have had spouses and children. He must have returned to Serendipity a few times over the years to visit his family, but he’d obviously gone to great lengths to stay off her radar.

The fact that she hadn’t been able to connect with any other man long-term was irrelevant—as was the way her heart had skidded the moment her eyes met Cole’s.

“I was given to believe you were making a career out of the military,” she said, alluding to the question she wanted to ask without really putting it out there.

“I was.” His brow lowered. There was that tic in his jaw again, the period at the end of his sentence. Clearly he didn’t want to talk to her about himself or the navy, but the questions lingered in her mind.

Why hadn’t he reenlisted at the end of this particular tour of duty? Why had he left the service before he had enough years to draw a pension? What had changed?

She had no right to ask.

But this standoff, or whatever it was, just wasn’t going to work for them. Even if they walked away today without resolving anything, there would be tomorrow—and the next day, and the day after that. Did he not realize they would be interacting with each other on a frequent basis during each of the Mission Months?

“You do know we have to work together?” She couldn’t help it if her question sounded acerbic.

He shrugged. “I don’t see why. You’re not a wrangler.”

It wasn’t a question, exactly, but at least he was talking, so she decided to answer, anyway. “No. No, I’m not. I’m a counselor, actually.”

“A what?”

“Redemption Ranch isn’t exactly a cattle operation. Well, there is plenty of stock to care for, as I’m sure you’ve seen, but there’s much more going on around here than that. Alexis brings in youth who’ve gotten into minor trouble with the law. Instead of community service cleaning trash off the highways, they come here to learn honest work and real love.”

Those words sounded wonderful and positive in theory. If only they worked out so well in practice—but they didn’t. Not always. She would have liked to think she made a difference in the girls’ lives, but sometimes everything she gave just wasn’t enough.

“Juvenile delinquents?”

Tessa chuckled. “That’s one way of putting it.”

“I don’t get it.” He shoved his fingers through his thick blond hair and shook his head. “I thought you wanted to be a lawyer.”

“Daddy wanted me to be a lawyer.” That was a topic for a different discussion, and she wasn’t going to get into that with him now. “When I went to college, I discovered my real interest lay in psychology. I received my master’s degree and then returned to Serendipity to work here at Redemption Ranch.”

“Why?”

“Why did I choose psychology?”

“Why did you come back to Serendipity?”

“I never intended to leave Serendipity in the first place. I thought you knew that.”

His eyes clouded with confusion but quickly froze to an ice blue.

“You were the one who wanted to leave,” she pointed out. She hadn’t realized that at the time, when they were dating as teenagers. She should have seen the signs, but didn’t, hadn’t heard what he was trying to tell her. Cole had thought the navy would be a way of escaping what, to a restless teenage boy, must have seemed like a dull and dreary existence. The polar opposite of what her heart ached for. As an army brat who’d never known a sense of community before she and her father had landed in Serendipity, Tessa had been, and still was, on the totally opposite end of that spectrum. She loved what Serendipity offered.

Just as she hadn’t realized the depth of his desire to leave, Cole hadn’t recognized her need for stability in her life—something the military couldn’t offer. He’d wanted to take her with him on his worldwide adventure. Planned to take her with him, in fact. As his wife.

Wow, had they ever gotten their wires crossed. Talk about a serious lack of communication.

But back then, they’d both been immature teenagers with their heads in the clouds, floating along on the wings of love. Now their feet were on solid, unforgiving ground, anchored there by the weight of reality.

“Still seems to me it won’t be hard to avoid each other,” he said, his voice gravelly.

Especially if we’re trying.

It was what he’d left unspoken that stung her emotions like the crack of a whip. Well, he didn’t need to get so personal. And he was still laboring under a mistaken impression about how often they would have to be in each other’s company.

“I take it Alexis hasn’t run down your job description with you yet. She hasn’t shared the particulars of what the wranglers are expected to do here?”

He scoffed. “We were interrupted before we could finish our conversation,” he reminded her with a bite to his tone. “Anyway, what’s to know? I’ve been riding and roping since before I could walk. Not like I need on-the-job training or anything.”

“Yes, but—” She started to tell him that the wrangling he’d be doing at Redemption Ranch had much more to do with the teenagers than it did with the cattle, but it wasn’t really her place to inform him of his official job description.

Who knew? Maybe Alexis had something different in mind for Cole—something that wouldn’t require them to suffer through the perpetual awkwardness Tessa knew would remain between them.

“Well, I won’t keep you,” she said, reaching back to open the office door. “I just wanted to make sure we had an understanding about how our professional relationship here at the ranch was going to go.”

He scowled at the word relationship and slammed his dark brown Stetson on his head.

“Just came as a surprise, is all,” he muttered.

“I’ll say,” Tessa agreed.

“Didn’t expect to be back in Serendipity for a few years yet. Maybe ever.”

He sounded so bitter that Tessa cringed. What had happened to the boy she’d once known? Who or what had darkened the sunshine that had once shone so brilliantly in his eyes?

“Cole? Why did you come back now?” She knew she was taking a mighty big risk asking such a personal question, but it seemed to her that he’d been the one to open the door to the subject. She held her breath and waited for an answer.

He tipped his hat and started to walk past her without speaking, and Tessa thought she’d pushed him too far. Whatever his issues were, they were his business, and clearly she was the last person on earth he’d talk to about them even if he was inclined to share.

He was almost out the door when he suddenly swiveled around to face her.

“Grayson.” His gaze narrowed on her as if weighing the effect of his words on her.

She scrambled to put his answer in some kind of context but came up with nothing.

“Who—”

He cut off her question and ground out the rest of his answer.

“My son.”


Chapter Two (#ulink_d7ae4a9c-50dc-5676-9af5-81e9703363ca)

Yesterday at the Haddons’ office, after throwing the curveball that emotionally knocked Tessa right off the mound, Cole had walked away without another word.

She walked down the row of pinewood beds within the girls’ dorm, absently making small corrections to the square corners of the sheets as she went. The room was silent and empty now, but tomorrow morning it would be filled with the chitter-chattering of adolescent females, none of them happy about being pawned off into Tessa’s care. At least, at first they wouldn’t be. Tessa’s experience was that the young ladies under her supervision eventually adapted, and she liked to think they left Redemption Ranch better people than when they first arrived.

Now that it was morning, she was bone-weary from lack of sleep and from fighting all the emotions stirred up by Cole’s unexpected pronouncement.

Cole had a son?

Probably a wife as well, although he hadn’t mentioned her.

He had a family.

She let the thought sink in, rest for a moment deep in her chest until her breath evened out.

Why had his news taken her so very much by surprise? It shouldn’t have, and she was a little ashamed by her lack of forethought and her response. Just because she was single and unattached didn’t mean Cole wouldn’t have found someone to settle down and share his life with. That the thought hadn’t even occurred to her at the time explained why she’d been shaken up.

She needed to get her head together. Her newest young charges were arriving for their Mission Month tomorrow, and she had to make sure everything was ready for them. A stab of pain and regret sliced through her gut. She prayed every day that she’d make a real difference in the teenage girls’ lives, but no matter how hard she tried, no matter what she did, it wasn’t always enough. Her mind strayed for a brief moment to Savannah, a girl who’d visited the ranch last summer. Savannah had shown a great deal of promise during her stay. Her attitude, once bitter and angry, melted under Tessa’s tender love and direction. By the time Savannah left, Tessa was certain she was destined for a better future.

She’d been wrong. Shortly after leaving Redemption Ranch, Savannah had become pregnant, and her parents had thrown her out on the street. Tessa had lost track of her then. She didn’t know what had happened to Savannah or her precious baby.

Being the female counselor at the ranch, Tessa was responsible for her teenage girls nearly twenty-four-seven during what the Haddons termed their Mission Months. Ten months a year with little breathing space between groups of kids. It was a hard position to be in and a heavy load to carry, yet Tessa’s heart was completely in her work. She softly whispered another prayer for the six young ladies who’d soon be arriving, asking that this time she’d reach them all.

She groaned and pushed her hair off her forehead with the palm of her hand. If only it were so easy to push the melancholy thoughts from her mind.

Focus.

The humidity was even higher than usual today, and her long, thick locks were unwieldy on the best of days. As a youngster she’d been teased about her frizzy red mop, and she’d always been self-conscious about her hair—until a blue-eyed boy with a smile that could melt glaciers came into her life and made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world, both inside and out.

When Cole had first coined the nickname Red, he had made it sound like the best kind of compliment, his own special name for her, said with the utmost affection. She hadn’t dreamed such love existed—at least not for her. Even as a boy, Cole had changed everything for her.

But yesterday when she’d wandered into the Haddons’ office with her mind on the incoming teenagers, she’d discovered that boy had become a man.

And Red?

Uttered from his frowning lips and tight jaw, the word no longer sounded like a compliment.

Cole was hardly recognizable from the youth he’d once been. He’d sprung up several more inches in height. His shoulders had broadened and his voice had deepened. His skin was weathered. He was clearly a man who spent his time outdoors.

But it wasn’t so much the physical changes that had shocked her most. It was his attitude, his bitterness, the ice in his gaze. While it felt as if his emotions were gathered in his eyes and flung right at her, she knew he couldn’t possibly still be carrying that big a grudge against her. Yes, she’d hurt him. She would be the first to admit that. But too many years had passed since then. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was...something else. What had happened to him that had put such a big chip on his shoulder?

Whatever it was, it wasn’t any of her business. He had a family now.

She refused to acknowledge any hurt that went along with that news. Why should it bother her? Her feelings for Cole had long since been carefully packaged away, deep in the recesses of her heart. She rarely even revisited them anymore. Mostly. Except for those rare instances when loneliness overtook her and the dark of night stretched before her.

She snorted and rolled her eyes at her own foolishness. When had she become so melodramatic?

“Are you okay?” The smooth tenor voice of her friend Marcus Ender, the male counselor at the ranch, came from behind her.

Tessa hadn’t heard him come in, and she jumped in surprise.

“Don’t do that to me, you jerk,” she admonished him good-naturedly, laying a hand over her hammering heart. “And to answer your question, yes, I’m fine.”

She attempted to paste a smile on her face, but Marcus tilted his head and cocked one dark blond eyebrow.

“Now, why don’t I believe that? Come on, Tessa. I’ve known you too long for you to try to pull one over on me. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

She swallowed air and nearly choked on it. “To be entirely truthful with you, I kind of have.”

Marcus’s other brow darted up to join the first.

“Cole Bishop is in town.”

Tessa and Marcus had known each other since their undergraduate years, when they were both pursuing psychology degrees, and had been good friends ever since. He knew the whole sad story about what had happened between her and Cole and the way things had been left when they parted.

“Oh, wow,” Marcus replied with a low whistle. “Do you know how long he’s staying? Is he here on leave to visit his family?”

Her throat hitched. “No. He’s back for good. He’s got a son—a family. And the worst of it is that Alexis hired him to work at the ranch.”

“Seriously? Why would she do that? Doesn’t she know the history between you and Cole?”

“That’s the odd thing. Alexis knows exactly what happened between us. She was there when it all played out.”

Along with every other resident of Serendipity.

He shook his head. “I can’t imagine what she was thinkin’. Then again, I’ve never been very good at interpreting the female mind.” He crossed his eyes and flashed a goofy grin.

Despite everything weighing her down, Tessa laughed. Marcus always knew how to make her feel better.

“Speaking of female minds, why don’t we try to get you out of yours for a while? I’m running into town to get a few things from Emerson’s Hardware before we have the staff meeting this afternoon. You want to come along?”

She hesitated, pursing her lips. “I don’t know. I won’t be very good company.”

“What if I bribed you with one of Phoebe Hawkins’s red velvet cupcakes from Cup O’ Jo’s? Smothered in chocolate frosting?”

“A cupcake? And my favorite? You’re not playing fair.”

“When have I ever?” he tossed back with a wink.

Tessa knew he was right. She tended to overanalyze every situation, and this one was a humdinger. There were things a woman could change and things she couldn’t, and there was no sense worrying about what was out of her control. At the end of the day, the good Lord had the final say. That’s what she often told the girls she was counseling, and yet now she was struggling to take her own advice.

Emerson’s Hardware, only a few minutes from Redemption Ranch, was located on Main Street, right next door to Cup O’ Jo’s Café. All of Main Street looked like something out of an old Western movie, with colorful clapboard siding and old-fashioned signs dangling in front of the stores.

While Marcus dawdled in the hardware section, Tessa wandered over to gardening to see what was new. Living in the girls’ bunkhouse as she did, she had neither the place nor the time for a garden, but she imagined that someday, when she had a home of her own, she’d enjoy planting vegetables and spending quiet time landscaping with flowers around the place.

When she had a home of her own.

Realistically, was that ever going to happen?

What a difference a day made, if that day meant Cole Bishop had walked back into her life. Even the thought of having a family now tore at her heart. What was once a pleasant, if distant, dream of the future had suddenly become a nightmare. She hadn’t realized until she’d seen him again that he’d still been part of her vision. His face had never been replaced by another.

Shaking her head to dislodge her sadness, she found Marcus at the register, where he was wrapping up his purchase.

Edward Emerson, an older man dressed in the same bib overalls as the two men slouched in the wooden rocking chairs just outside the door, smiled at her as she approached.

“Hey, Tessa. Good to see you. Can you do me a favor and tell Cole the feed he ordered is loaded in his truck and ready to go whenever he is?”

“I...I don’t—” she stammered, but Edward went on as if she hadn’t spoken.

“If I’m not mistaken, he’s at Cup O’ Jo’s showing off that new baby of his. Cute little tyke. Bald as a cue ball.” Edward chuckled.

Tessa inhaled sharply. Cole’s son was an infant. Her stomach churned like a combine at hearing the news, creating a whole new set of aches. Her thoughts flew together like a tornado picking up everything in its path. Thoughts that didn’t belong together but still tore through her. Her failure with Savannah was too recent, and Savannah’s baby was never far from her mind. She’d once thought she’d be the one bearing Cole’s children. But now Cole had a son of his own, and his and Tessa’s lives were completely separated.

She had to pull herself together, and fast. Cole had just become a father, and he’d come back to settle down. It made perfect sense. He had moved on, and so had she. And yet she had no desire to find Cole right now, not when it meant she was going to have to meet his family. She was so not prepared for that moment. Not right now.

Not ever.

“We’d be glad to,” Marcus answered for her, giving her a friendly nudge with his shoulder.

“I’m not ready,” she whispered hoarsely as they exited the store. “Did you hear that? Cole’s son is a baby. I can’t— It’s not—”

Marcus knew about Savannah, understood about Cole, and she could tell from his gaze that he knew where all her thoughts were flying. He reached for her elbow and pulled her to a stop on the clapboard sidewalk.

“Better now than later, Tessa,” he insisted. “It’s not gonna get any easier for you if you wait on this thing. I know you. You’ll noodle it over and over again until you’ve built it into a giant issue. In a situation like this, the best thing you can do is face your fear and rip it off like a bandage. It’ll hurt less in the long run.”

She made a face at him. “When did you become so smart?”

He laughed. “I’m an expert, remember? I have the degree hangin’ on my wall to prove it.”

She sighed. She hated to admit it, but Marcus was probably right. Might as well get it over with now. She couldn’t avoid Cole and his family forever.

Even so, she hesitated a beat at the entrance to the café.

“Bandage,” Marcus reminded her, using his palm to press her forward from the small of her back.

The inside of Cup O’ Jo’s was a stark contrast to the outside. Filled with the delicious scents of home-style cooking and fresh pastries, the whole place had the look and feel of a modern coffee shop. There were even computers lining the back wall so folks could access the internet.

It was immediately obvious where Cole and his family were located. Practically everyone in the café hovered around one of the middle tables, their exclamations ranging from “Ooh” and “Aww” to “What a little cutie-pie” and “Sweet darlin’.”

Jo Spencer, the owner of the café, looked up and waved Tessa and Marcus over. Her red curls bobbed as she placed a hand over her heart and bounced on her toes.

“Cole’s back in town,” she said, her voice rising with excitement. “And my stars. Have you seen Baby Grayson?”

Tessa nodded to acknowledge the fact that she knew Cole was back in town and then shook her head. “I haven’t met Grayson yet.”

“Come, come,” Jo insisted, dragging Tessa by the hand. Tessa shot a flustered glance over her shoulder, but Marcus just shrugged and grinned, mouthing the word bandage.

Insensitive jerk. He was going to be no help at all.

Now that she was under Jo’s guidance, Tessa knew she had no hope whatsoever of backing out of the situation. There was no arguing with the woman once the vivacious old lady got something into her head.

Besides, what would Tessa say? That she didn’t want to see the baby?

How would that sound? Everyone loved babies.

She did, too, of course. It was this particular baby at this exact time she was struggling with. Her emotions were screaming for her to flee. She didn’t think her heart could stand glimpsing the infant who was bound to carry at least some of Cole’s strong features. And was the child’s mother present? That would cause Tessa even more heartache.

Marcus was wrong. She wasn’t ready yet, and getting caught in a situation where she might break down emotionally wasn’t ripping off the bandage. It was creating a whole new wound.

Panic welled in her chest, and her pulse pounded in her temple.

Not yet. Not yet. Not yet, it echoed.

The crowd parted like the Red Sea in front of Moses as she approached, probably half out of deference to Jo and half due to the distinct possibility of drama between Cole and Tessa. Serendipity townsfolk liked nothing quite so much as a scene that might as well have been taken right out of a soap opera.

She took a deep breath and plunged forward. If they were waiting for drama, they were going to have to wait a good long time.

She got her first look at Cole, who held his loosely swaddled son in the crook of one arm. The baby’s tiny fist was wrapped around one of Cole’s thumbs. He looked to be only a few weeks old, incredibly small against Cole’s large chest and muscular biceps, and yet the big man was holding the baby with such infinite tenderness, it brought a hitch to Tessa’s throat. Cole was beaming with pride as he showed off his boy. He was meant to be a father.

Tessa gasped for air and coached herself to breathe normally. If she hyperventilated and passed out, that would really be a show for the neighbors. She plastered her best smile on her face and stepped into the center of the circle. It seemed as if her whole relationship with Cole had been in the public eye, from their quite literally dramatic start on the theatrical stage in high school to the dreadful finish on yet another stage, when she’d painfully but unavoidably ruined any future between them. She would not and could not break down now, not with so many of her neighbors and friends looking on.

Cole’s eyes widened when he saw her. His brow lowered and the smile dropped from his lips—until the infant moved in his arms. The stiffness to Cole’s shoulders remained, but when his gaze dropped back to his son, there was only love and awe in his expression.

Cole was a daddy. A proud papa to his little bundle of joy. How right he looked filling that role.

He cleared his throat, his jaw tightening with strain once again. He appeared to be considering his thoughts, weighing his options. After a long pause, he spoke softly so as not to disturb the baby. Tessa was keenly aware that his voice lost its angry edge in deference to the child.

“Everyone else here has already had a turn. You want to hold him?”

She sat down in the nearest chair and swallowed her shock as Cole held his son out to her, gently settling the infant in her arms, his fingers brushing hers as he rearranged her hand to cradle the child better.

Grayson had been noisily sucking on his two middle fingers, but when he looked up at Tessa, he popped his fingers out of his mouth and smiled and cooed at her. As Edward had said, the baby didn’t have a lick of hair, but his eyes were the exact color of Cole’s, and he had his nose and the twin crescents of dimples in his cheeks.

Tessa’s heart welled until she thought it might burst. It was the worst and most awful concoction of pleasure and pain she’d ever experienced. Why was Cole doing this, letting her hold his precious baby?

Because others were watching? Did he really have no idea how badly this would hurt her, this stark, physical reminder of what might have been if she hadn’t rejected his marriage proposal? Or was that exactly what he was trying to do?

She searched his gaze but found nothing to condemn him, and the upward curve of his lips suggested little other than the satisfaction he’d found in becoming a dad. But his voice was low and gravelly when he finally spoke, the only indication his emotions were stronger than he was feigning.

“Tessa, I’d like you to meet my son, Grayson.”

* * *

It just figured that Tessa would show up at Cup O’ Jo’s right as Cole was out giving the community their first glimpse of Grayson. He’d gone out with his son this morning before the staff meeting on purpose, believing Tessa would be otherwise engaged, back at the ranch getting ready for her teenagers to arrive.

As if that in itself wasn’t complicated enough, old friends and neighbors crowded around him, taking up his breathing space and giving rise to all kinds of questions and speculations. Like what had happened to Grayson’s mother, and how was he coping with being a single dad.

That was enough stress. More than enough. The last thing he needed was for Tessa to walk in the door with some strange cowboy Cole didn’t recognize. Serendipity had remained remarkably unchanged throughout the years he’d been gone, but it had definitely changed some.

Even so, he was confident he could rely on the community. They would have a keen interest in the details, but they also had open hearts with which to embrace him and his son. It wasn’t surprising that everyone would want to know the story of how he’d happened back into town with a baby in tow and no wife to speak of. Most, like Jo, wouldn’t allow him to skim through an explanation. He’d rather not delve back into his shameful past.

He was a single father. He’d stepped up, and that was all that really mattered. End of story.

After that first burst of surprise and panic when Tessa walked in the door, his mind had fled him completely. He hadn’t been thinking—which was the only possible explanation for why he’d passed Grayson into Tessa’s arms. Moving back to Serendipity, he had no intention for Tessa to interact with his son, but his pride and ego had flared up at the sight of her, and the offer had come barreling out of his mouth without his say-so.

His emotions, slow to catch up, had exploded in his chest, razor-sharp shards puncturing his heart and lungs. Tessa smiled as she gazed down at the infant. Her cheeks blushed a sweet peach, and joy radiated from her expression. Her rich alto softened into a melodious Texan lilt as she spoke a series of adorable nonsense words to Grayson.

Grayson had been a regular fussbudget earlier when Cole had allowed each of his neighbors the opportunity to hold the baby. He’d howled and wailed and protested with his little fists until he was once again in the comfort and security of his daddy’s arms.

But with Tessa, Grayson was an entirely different child. Cole’s throat tightened until he couldn’t catch a breath as his son babbled happily at Tessa, perfectly at ease in her arms. When Tessa smiled at Grayson, the baby beamed back at her, and the ache in Cole’s chest deepened. Grayson had smiled for Tessa with no more than her little bit of coaxing. Cole wished it was easier to get that kind of response from his son. He felt as if he had to work for every little thing, and it all seemed to come so easy for Tessa. A natural mother if there ever was one.

Jealousy snapped and burned in Cole’s gut. That smile was supposed to be for him. Whether or not she’d meant to, she’d stolen something from him, and he could barely withhold his frustration.

“Well, would you look at that,” Jo said, leaning over Tessa’s shoulder so she could get a better look at Grayson. “The little fellow has really taken to you, Tessa. You were born to be a mother, my dear. You’ll make a great one someday.”

So she wasn’t yet a mother? Until this moment, he’d been so caught up in his own problems that it hadn’t even occurred to him other things might have changed during his time away from Serendipity. He surreptitiously glanced at Tessa’s left hand.

No ring.

Not that it mattered if she was married or not. The point was that she hadn’t wanted to be married to him.

Cole didn’t miss the cringe that rippled across Tessa’s shoulders at Jo’s words, or the frown that pursed her full lips as her panicked gaze flashed from Cole to the fellow she’d come in with. Her expression lasted only for a split second, and she recovered nicely with a smile that probably fooled nearly everyone in the room. It didn’t work on Cole, though.

Her guy friend seemed to think a grin and a wink would solve her problems.

Cole knew better.

Even after all these years, he could read Tessa like a book. Every happy smile, heartrending frown, radiant beam of joy and scowl of frustration. And while Cole knew she was genuinely enjoying her interactions with Grayson, the rest of it was all an act. She didn’t want to be here any more than he wanted her to be.

They were at the mother of all standoffs, unable to back down even if they wanted to. Living in the same small town. Working at the same ranch. The never-ending possibility of being thrown together at social events.

Would it ever get any easier for him to be around her? Would he ever not hurt when he looked at her?

The plethora of emotions he was experiencing today, battling through him with a vengeance, were just as mercilessly and excruciatingly painful as they had been when he’d first seen Tessa in the Haddons’ office. It was all he could do to stay put and keep his game face on. Pretty much every nerve in his body was screaming to snatch Grayson up and head for the hills as fast as his legs would carry him.

That ought to set tongues to wagging.

Tessa had broken his heart so completely that he had burned through the stages of grief not once, but every single year since that day. For years, the first Saturday of June had tortured him with memories—only now it was far worse than just a recollection.

Tessa was sitting there alive and in person, right in line with his gaze, rocking his baby, looking exactly the way he’d always pictured she would when they started a family together.

Jo was right. Tessa was a natural mama if there ever was one—but then, Cole had always known she would be.

Only Grayson wasn’t her baby.

And Cole couldn’t stand one more second of this torture. He had to get out now, before his emotions got the better of him. Because the only thing worse than what he was feeling right now would be for Tessa—not to mention the whole community gathered around him—to see just how far he had fallen.

“Time to give my little cowboy a diaper change,” he muttered. Anything to get the baby out of Tessa’s arms. He reached for Grayson, intending to make a quick exit, but Jo was too fast for him.

“Now wait just one moment, dear. I’m ashamed to say we don’t yet have a portable changing table in the men’s restroom. Never even gave it a second thought until now. I promise y’all that particular item has just been bumped to the top of my to-do list.”

“Oh. I—uh—” After seven weeks he would have thought he could work out simple issues like this, but he kept stumbling upon new ones. Where did a single man change a baby’s diaper in a small-town café?

During the first few weeks, when he’d been settling the legal paperwork between him and the baby’s mother, he’d lodged with a navy buddy, Emilio Gonzalez, and his wife, Ella. He’d appreciated spending time with Ella, who was an experienced mother of six and a wonderful, patient teacher. Having a woman’s touch around was invaluable, in more ways than he cared to count. Truthfully, he’d let poor Ella do much of the work. He realized in hindsight that he should have been throwing himself into learning the ropes as he had in the navy. Watching and doing were hardly the same thing.

Cole sighed inwardly. Grayson would be better off if he had a woman’s influence in his life, and Cole silently acknowledged that he needed the help. But that was not reality for him and Grayson, and it might not ever be. He was on his own, and he’d never felt as powerless as he did in that moment, with everyone’s eyes on him.

A little help here, Lord, he prayed silently.

“You don’t have to leave on account of Gray’s diaper,” Jo assured him. “The ladies’ room is fully equipped. Tessa, would you do the honors? Where’s your diaper bag, son?” She directed her first question to Tessa and her second to Cole. Her eyes were sparkling with mischief and Cole cringed. Good ol’ Jo, ever the matchmaker.

He pointed to the giraffe-print bag on a nearby table. Jo dug through the bag for a diaper and wipes while Cole shifted his gaze to Tessa. She looked like a cornered wild animal, her eyes darting around the room as if looking for a quick way to escape.

In any other situation, he might have found the whole thing amusing, but there was not one single thing funny about having to share breathing space with Tessa, much less having her commandeer his baby, even if it was only for a diaper change.

“You’ve never changed a baby before?” he guessed, his lips quirking. Even on her worst day, she couldn’t be half as inept as he’d been his first few go-rounds, but he would shoot himself before he ever admitted that aloud.

Her auburn eyebrows hit her hairline. “It...it’s not that. I don’t mind changing Grayson for you. I’ve had my fair share of experience handling babies now and again. I was just wondering—that is—is your wife around? I don’t think we’ve met.”

Of course. Tessa didn’t know he wasn’t married. He’d hoped that particular tidbit would make its way around town and he’d never have to encounter that question. It was just like Tessa to have avoided the gossip. He wondered what people were saying, exactly. Folks were going to make all the wrong assumptions unless he set them straight. In a down-home, conservative little Texas town like Serendipity, things were done right and in the proper order.

First comes love, then comes marriage, and then comes the baby in the baby carriage.

Only that’s not how it had been for Cole. To his everlasting shame, Grayson wasn’t the product of love or marriage. That didn’t mean Cole didn’t love his son with all his heart. Grayson was far and away the biggest blessing God had ever given him. He had such awe and wonder about this new little human being. The curve of Grayson’s ears, his fingers and toes, the way the baby already responded to Cole’s voice in the dead of night when it was just the two of them awake and rocking to a lullaby.

It might not have happened the way he would have planned, but it had happened, and being a father to Grayson was Cole’s new mission, more important than anything he’d done in the navy. More important than anything he’d ever done in his life.

He was not proud of how he’d gotten to this point, but he was proud of being here, of being Grayson’s father. As for his son’s mother...

“I’m not married,” he admitted softly, sliding his chair closer to hers so they wouldn’t be overheard.

Tessa’s brow rose again, and Cole frowned. She didn’t have to gape. This didn’t bode well for how the rest of the town was going to take the news.

“I see,” she murmured.

No, she didn’t. She hadn’t a clue about the man he’d become. He wasn’t the bright-eyed kid who’d dated her all through high school. Not even close.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said.

“I’m sorry.” Her tone was punctuated with bitterness. “I had no right to ask.”

She was taking it personally. This wasn’t personal. It had nothing to do with her at all. “You couldn’t have known.”

“I’ll just— Let me go take care of his diaper real fast for you, and then you can have the baby back,” she stammered.

He watched her make a quick exit into the ladies’ room, the sweet, fruity scent of her perfume lingering behind her. He blew out a frustrated breath and threaded his fingers through his hair.

He was quick to acknowledge his own part in his disaster of a life, but he had faith that the Lord would use it for good, even if he didn’t have any idea how that might work out for him, or for Grayson. He could only put himself and his baby in God’s capable hands.

He didn’t know why the Lord had set him on this path, but he imagined he must be even more hardheaded than he’d realized. Most horses could be broken with a whisper. It appeared he needed the sharp jerk of a bit to get him moving in the right direction.

When Tessa returned with his still-happy infant, she immediately deposited Grayson into Cole’s arms. He adjusted his son to his shoulder and gently patted his back.

“After I saw Grayson was with you, I completely spaced on the reason I came to Cup O’ Jo’s in the first place,” she admitted with a forced chuckle.

“A cupcake?” Tessa’s friend stepped into Cole’s line of vision and dropped into the conversation as if he belonged there. “Here’s temptation for you.” He waved the chocolate-iced cupcake under Tessa’s nose.

Red velvet.

Even though Cole couldn’t see what the chocolate icing was hiding, he was absolutely certain of it. Tessa had always been partial to red velvet with chocolate frosting. He personally thought it was an odd combination—a whipped white cream cheese frosting suited him fine—but he’d always humored her.

She made a face at the man. “You get a pass for abandoning me back there, but only because of the cupcake.”

Tessa’s friend turned a winsome smile on Cole that seemed a little over the top, given the circumstances. He ought to save his charm for the ladies. But when he extended his hand, Cole had no choice but to respond.

“I’m Marcus Ender, by the way. Boys’ counselor at Redemption Ranch.”

Cole shifted Grayson so he could meet the man’s hand with his own. He might have been guilty of adding a little extra pressure to his grip, but a handshake told a lot about a man. Surprise flashed in Marcus’s gaze at the strength of Cole’s grip, but he didn’t break the contact until Cole did.

A challenge? Marcus’s gaze said it all. He was looking out for his friend, and Cole had better not hurt her. Cole tempered his naturally aggressive response. He couldn’t fault Tessa’s friend’s overprotective instincts, he supposed. Marcus didn’t have any way of knowing Cole would never hurt Tessa. Not intentionally, anyway.

“I’m Cole—”

“Bishop,” Marcus finished for him. “Yeah. I know.”

And he didn’t sound too thrilled about it, either.

Cole’s hackles rose, and the hair on his neck stood on end. What exactly had Tessa told Marcus about him?

It couldn’t be good. He was probably better off not knowing. But it rankled him nevertheless.

Grayson whimpered in protest as Cole’s arm tightened.

“Sorry, little man,” he murmured in the baby’s ear.

“Red? You were saying?” he reminded Tessa. “Why you came over to Cup O’ Jo’s in the first place?”

“Red?” Marcus snorted and burst into laughter, but it instantly died when he was simultaneously punctured by both Cole’s and Tessa’s glares. He held up his hands in a sign of surrender.

“I was over at Emerson’s before I came here,” Tessa explained. “Edward asked me to give you a message.”

Cole relaxed his stance, rocking back on the heels of his boots. He hadn’t realized how tense he’d been since Tessa had walked into the café, and all this time it had been about a feed order.

If his day could get messed up this quickly just by the sight and scent of Tessa, he didn’t have a prayer of ever truly settling down and making a life here.

“The feed’s ready?” he offered, hoping to stay within comfortable bounds of conversation.

“All loaded up in your pickup and ready to go.”

He pressed a breath from his lungs. “Thanks for the heads-up. I think poor Grayson here has had about as much doting and loving from the community as he can handle for one day.”

Grayson? Forget the baby. Cole’s head was whirling.

His gaze met Tessa’s, and he could see she was thinking the same thing.

First time out of the chute. No score.

Cole cleared his throat. “Best be getting home. It’s about Gray’s nap time.”

“Right, okay,” Tessa agreed with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I guess Marcus and I will see you later, at the meeting.”

Tessa blended into the crowd, and Cole reached for the handle of the giraffe diaper bag, slipping it onto his shoulder. Even after all these weeks, it still felt odd to him to tote around a bag that was similar to a woman’s purse. Chalk that one up to necessity—diapers, wipes, bottles, pacifiers, toys. He tried to ignore the way the bag tromped all over his masculinity.

“Are you leaving?” Jo bustled up to Cole and reached for his bicep. “Can you wait just one more moment, dear?”

Cole nodded, but he tensed when Jo made a beeline toward Tessa, who was speaking to Dr. Delia and her husband, Zach. Jo linked elbows with Tessa and drew her back in Cole’s direction.

“If I could have a quick word with the two of you?”

What now?

Tension rippled across Cole’s shoulders and down his spine. Jo Spencer was the nicest woman a man could know, but she was also a little bit scheming when it came to matchmaking. She had a bird’s-eye view from her spot behind the counter of Cup O’ Jo’s, and she tended to see what was what—or who should be with whom—far before the rest of Serendipity caught on.

Well, as long as it wasn’t matchmaking, Cole would be all right with whatever Jo had in mind.

“Alexis and I were talkin’ about the upcoming summer barbecue.”

Electricity bolted through him at Jo’s words. His gaze locked with Tessa’s. She looked every bit as shocked as he felt.

Not the June BBQ. Anything but that.

“She was telling me she’d like to see the teens get involved this year. We usually relegate them to set up and clean up, and I suggested that they might want to do something different this year—entertainment. The band we contracted with backed out on us. Slade and Samantha have pulled together some musicians for dancing, but Alexis really wanted the kids to do something special for the townsfolk, give them a little show. Do you think you two could get together and work something up for us? A scene from a musical, perhaps? The planning committee would sure appreciate your efforts, my dears.”

Was she kidding? A scene from a musical? No way was that going to happen. Cole and Tessa had first met—first kissed—performing a scene from a musical. And they had broken up at the June BBQ. The beginning and the end of their relationship.

Cole had no intention of helping those kids do anything, musical or otherwise. Working with delinquent teenagers wasn’t even in his skill set. Besides, he wasn’t going to the barbecue, much less participating in it.

“Why don’t you ask Marcus?” he suggested through gritted teeth. “He’s the boys’ counselor, after all. He ought to be the one leading this thing, don’t you think?”

Jo barked out a laugh. Even Tessa chuckled.

“Honey, that man cannot carry a tune for a second, much less an entire musical number. He’s as tone-deaf as a rock. As I recall, you have a beautiful baritone voice. Surely you’ll step up and share your talent for the good of the community—and the teenagers.”

Jo was goading him—and she was good at it. He remembered all the many times growing up when she’d set him on the right path. Part of him instinctively reacted as if he were still a child, but he was a grown man now, and he had no intention of being pushed into a situation that would be nothing but trouble for him, and for Tessa, too.

Why wasn’t she speaking up?

“We’ll see what we can do,” Tessa said.

What?

“Great! Can’t wait to see what you two come up with.” Jo scuttled away before he gave his own answer—which would have been a no. He didn’t even have the opportunity to raise another objection, not that Jo would have listened to it.

Cole leaned into Tessa’s personal space, meeting her emerald-eyed gaze square on. “What are you thinking?” he demanded. “You know as well as I do that we can’t do this.”

“I admit it’s not ideal.”

“Not ideal? It’s plain crazy.”

Tessa sighed. “We would have given in eventually. You know Jo. I just saved us having to scrap with her.”

He hated that Tessa was right. Jo would have won in the end, stubborn woman that she was. But how could they get over...everything...to work together in such a capacity? At the moment he couldn’t even go there in his mind.

“I can’t see how this is going to work,” he muttered crossly.

“That makes two of us. But it has to happen, Cole. We have to put our differences aside for the sake of the teenagers. They deserve the chance to do something good and to experience the community’s positive response to their actions.”

Honestly, his mind wasn’t on the teenagers. It was on himself and his own discomfort. Was this the Lord’s design to give him the opportunity to step out in faith—and completely out of his comfort zone? If it was, it was way, way out.

Right out of the frying pan and straight into the fire.


Chapter Three (#ulink_8c77b0d7-87d3-5a1c-845b-fd446da85dbc)

Tessa straightened her color-coordinated file folders, one for each of the incoming teenagers, and laid them atop a lavender-colored three-ring binder, in which she kept all her additional notes. At the moment, she was the only one sitting at the Haddons’ dining room table.

Early as usual.

She usually took the extra time before the meeting to pray for the incoming teenagers and quiet her heart so she would be open to whatever new challenges lay ahead, but after what had happened earlier in the day at Cup O’ Jo’s, she couldn’t get her mind or her emotions to stop buzzing around like a hive of angry wasps. Unlike bees, which stung once and died, wasps had the capacity to sting over and over again.

Cole was a single father.

While that explained a lot, it still filled her with confusion. No wonder he’d returned to Serendipity. He was bound to need the help of his family and friends to raise Grayson. She imagined it was hard to go it alone. He was blessed to have his brother Eli and sister Vee and their spouses living close by. Plenty of aunts and uncles to spoil little Grayson.

She couldn’t help but wonder how the whole single dad part of it had come to be. That wasn’t the sort of information a man shared with an ex-girlfriend, especially one with whom he’d had such a conspicuous breakup.

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.




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