Should’ve Been a Cowboy (Sons of Chance #4)(27)
Author: Vicki Lewis Thompson

“Then move it, cowboy.”

He pulled around the house and onto the circular driveway. “I will, once I get past all the parked vehicles.” Fortunately he knew the way, although he’d only been out to Gabe’s place a couple of times. Gabe’s road branched off the main one leading to the ranch house, so Alex had to navigate past the visitors’ cars and trucks parked on the shoulder until he reached the turnoff.

Like the other roads on the ranch, the one to Gabe’s was graded but not paved, which meant it would be slick with mud. Plus, it had several wicked curves. Alex shifted into four-wheel drive. “You buckled in?”

“Yes.”

“Good. This could get slippery.”

“I don’t care. I just want to get there as fast as we can.”

“All right.” Alex was still learning his way around horses, but when it came to driving, especially under difficult road conditions, he knew his stuff. For someone who’d navigated Chicago’s Outer Drive in an ice storm, this was child’s play. He gripped the wheel and stepped on the gas.

Tyler sucked in a breath, but she didn’t say a word as the truck fishtailed through curves and plowed through puddles without slowing. Mud sprayed the windows. Alex flicked on the wipers so he could see, but he didn’t touch the brake. Even so, the trip seemed to be taking forever.

“You okay?” He kept his eyes on the road.

“Yep.”

“I’m going as fast as I can.”

“Good.”

“She’s going to be okay, Tyler.”

“I know.” But her voice shook.

Finally he rounded the last curve and pulled in right behind Nick’s truck, which was also covered in mud. Sarah’s SUV, having been driven at a reasonable speed, was cleaner.

Tyler quickly unlatched her seat belt. “Thanks. I didn’t know you could drive like that.” Then she opened the door, hopped down and ran toward the house.

It took him a second to realize that sometime during the wild ride she’d shucked her high-heeled boots so she could make that run more easily. Alex followed at a slower pace. This wasn’t his family, and he didn’t want to intrude on whatever was happening inside the house.

Plus, if he wanted to be honest with himself, he wasn’t sure how he’d react to seeing a woman give birth. If he fainted or got sick to his stomach, that would be bad.

So he paused and looked around at the stacks of lumber covered in tarps. The log exterior of the two-story house was complete, but the interior was still a work in progress. Morgan and Gabe joked about living in a construction zone, but Alex could tell they loved every minute of being out here together.

They were building a life together, and Alex envied them that. He didn’t know squat about building a house, but the Chance brothers did. They would help him. Living at the ranch house was nice, but this—creating a home from scratch, almost like the pioneers, really appealed to him.

But he couldn’t imagine doing that just for himself. He’d want to share it with someone, and he didn’t need to think very long about who he’d choose if he could. Then he remembered how she’d looked up on stage and squashed that thought. She didn’t belong here.

Holding that thought, he approached the house. He was almost at the door when Morgan’s scream shattered the silence. He hurried forward. God knows he’d be of no practical use. But whatever was happening, Tyler was part of it. He wanted to be there for her.

Morgan’s next scream came as he followed muddy footprints through the living room toward the master bedroom. Heart racing, he said a little prayer that she wasn’t dying, and that the baby wasn’t dying, either.

But when he heard a loud cheer coming from the bedroom, he let out a sigh, dizzy with relief. It was okay. He stood in the doorway, still feeling a little like an outsider.

From here he couldn’t see much of Morgan, who was surrounded by Tyler and Sarah on one side and Gabe on the other. Nick stood at the foot of the bed holding a bloody, slimy baby who scrunched up its little face and let out a wail of protest.

“She’s beautiful,” Morgan said, gasping. “Isn’t she beautiful, Gabe?”

Gabe cleared his throat and leaned down to kiss his wife. “You’re beautiful,” he said, his voice raspy.

“A girl.” Sarah seemed to be lit from within. “I have a granddaughter.”

“And I have a niece,” Tyler said as tears ran down her cheeks. “A beautiful little niece.”

“Hey, she’s my niece, too.” Nick was busily wiping the gunk off the little kid. “Okay, you guys. Now we know the first grandbaby is a girl. But we don’t know her name.”

“You tell.” Morgan tugged on her husband’s hand.

Gabe snuffled. “No, you.” His voice was still thick with emotion.

“All right,” Morgan said softly as she kissed Gabe’s hand. “Her name is Sarah Bianca, after her two grandmothers.”

“Oh, my goodness.” Sarah lost it and began weeping openly.

A lump in his throat and envy in his heart, Alex backed away from the doorway. Everything was fine and nobody needed him. To stand there during this emotional family moment seemed wrong, so he retreated to the living room, moved aside a newspaper, and sat on the couch.

God, he wanted to be part of something that wonderful, though. He ached with longing to have a woman love him the way Morgan loved Gabe. Crystal never had, and he could see that now. He hadn’t lost her so much as that he’d never truly had her.

“I wondered where you were.”

He glanced up to find Tyler standing in front of him, a smile on her tear-streaked face.

She sniffed and swiped at her eyes. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

“Yes.” He discovered his throat was still tight with emotion. “I’m really glad everything’s okay.”

She nodded. “I couldn’t figure out where you were, so I came looking for you.”

“I… It didn’t seem as if I should…”

“You could have come in. But I know what you mean. I stepped out for a while so that they could all bond. I’ll have my chance later.”

“Yeah. At least you still have a few days before you have to leave.”

“About that.” She gestured toward the couch. “Could I sit down?”

“Oh! Sure!” He tossed the newspaper on the coffee table. “Sorry.”

“That’s okay. It’s been a confusing kind of day.” She settled herself on the couch next to him. “And I’m about to add to the confusion, but I have something to discuss with you. I have an idea.”

He angled his body so he could look at her. She was so incredibly beautiful and he wanted to remember her like this, her face glowing with happiness. “What kind of idea?”

Her gaze was soft and her smile warm. “What would you say to me giving up the cruise business and setting up shop as an event planner for the town of Shoshone?”

For one shining moment he allowed himself to embrace the thought that she would settle down here. He let himself imagine that she was falling in love with him and they could have the kind of life that he longed for, full of trust and joy and…okay, plenty of sex.

But then reality smacked him in the face. Of course she’d come up with this idea now. She’d just been put through an emotional wringer, first thinking her sister’s life was in danger, and then witnessing the birth of her niece. She was awash in family sentimentality. She wasn’t thinking straight.

He took a deep breath. “I’d say you’d be making a huge mistake.”

Her smile faded. “Why?”

“Tyler, you’ve worked for this promotion for years. You’ve told me before how much you love your job, and now you’re going to throw that all away?”

“Maybe I want something else instead.”

“You just think you do because of all that just happened. Your sister’s had a baby, so naturally you’re trying to figure out how to spend more time here. But you don’t have to take a drastic step like dumping the job you love.”

“Or maybe you don’t want me to dump the job because that would put more pressure on us than you’re ready for.”

“I didn’t say that!”

“You didn’t have to. It’s written all over your face. I scared you to death with that suggestion, didn’t I?”

“This isn’t about me. It’s about you, and your future.”

“Right. My future.” She stood. “I see it very clearly now.”

“Good. That’s excellent. Because you don’t want to let the emotions of the moment carry you away and make you do something you’ll regret.”

“That’s for damn sure. Listen, you probably need to get back, so don’t worry about me. I can ride with Nick. You can go on.”

He could tell she was furious with him for telling her the truth, but he’d done it for her own good. “Tyler, I—”

“No, really. I’ll get back just fine. See you.” Then she walked down the hall toward the bedroom.

Well, hell. He supposed that’s what he got for trying to be a good guy. Blowing out a breath, he got up and walked outside. It was raining again. Perfect. Just perfect.

Chapter 16

TYLER OFFERED TO spend the rest of her vacation time out at Morgan and Gabe’s house so she could help with baby Sarah. That had the added benefit of avoiding Alex almost entirely. She should have known better than to think he’d welcome her idea.

She really had thought he might react with excitement once he understood what she had in mind. Watching a new life come into being had made her decide to lay everything on the line and find out if Alex wanted her to stay.

But he didn’t want that, obviously. He’d looked horrified at the thought of her moving permanently to Shoshone. Well, he wouldn’t have to worry about that now.

Gabe drove her to the airport in Jackson on Wednesday. “I can’t tell you what this has meant to Morgan and me, having you here when Sarah was born,” he said as he pulled her suitcase out of the back of the truck. “Sometimes I worry that Morgan is a little overwhelmed by my family, and so to have you here sort of balanced the scales.”

“I’m glad.” She gave him a hug. “I’ll come back as often as I can, but you know the schedule.”

“I know.”

“And you’ll have my mom and dad visiting next month. I’m sure they’ll bring more of the tribe with them, so Morgan won’t get too lonely for her family.”

“Guess not.” Gabe smiled at her. “But I can tell she’s closest to you. So come back when you can.”

“I will.” She damn sure wasn’t going to let the threat of dealing with Alex keep her away. “Expect to get some baby stuff from Greece.”

“I’m sure Sarah will have all sorts of exotic clothes and toys. Travel safe.” With a wave, he hopped back in his truck.

Travel safe. The operative word in that was travel. She was going to be on the move, and if she kept herself constantly in motion, maybe she wouldn’t notice that her heart was truly and completely broken.