The Cowboy's Return
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Danica Favorite
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Chapter One
Maddie Antere held back the urge to let out a squeal and give a fist pump as she walked out of her supervisor’s office. Claire McCabe had been her supervisor for as long as Maddie had worked at the Shady Peaks Senior Center, from the time Maddie had found herself unexpectedly pregnant with her now eighteen-year-old daughter, Kayla. Claire had given Maddie a job when no one else would, and had helped Maddie navigate the ins and outs of the necessary schooling to do more than be a simple aide, so she could have more responsibilities and make more money.
And now...in just a few short weeks, as long as Maddie passed the review with the board of directors, when Claire retired, Maddie would be taking over Claire’s job as the director of the center.
It seemed almost unreal.
For years, people had turned their noses up at Maddie, first because of the family she’d grown up in, and then becoming a single mom, and last but not least, all the mistakes she’d made on her own along the way. Maddie had told everyone that Brady King was Kayla’s father despite it not being true, effectively ruining his life. Even though he had forgiven her and continued to prioritize her and Kayla as members of the family when the truth came out, Maddie had always felt like she’d never earned her place in this world. Sure, she helped out at Shepherd’s Creek Stables and had even created a program for the seniors to be active there so they had more to do than some boring old crafts printed off the internet. But sometimes, she suspected her place there was given to her because they felt sorry for her, and, of course, for Kayla’s sake.
But this...this was something Maddie had finally earned—through her own talents, abilities, and hard work.
All she had to do was keep up the good work she’d been doing all these years for one more month, and the recognition of being worthy based on her efforts was finally hers.
With a little spring of hopefulness in her step, she went into Ida Mae Christianson’s room to begin her rounds for the day.
“Good morning, Ida Mae. Did you have a good breakfast?”
She didn’t need to ask, since she knew that Ida Mae would likely complain about some aspect of the breakfast, and then launch into a long diatribe of how she could have a much better meal if she were allowed to go home and fix it herself.
But that was Ida Mae, and like all her residents, Maddie always took the time to listen and understand what the older woman was going through, because it was hard on people, not being in the homes they loved and were used to.
However, when Maddie stepped further into the room, she was greeted by the sight of a giant hulk of a man leaning over Ida Mae, brushing her hair with the soft hairbrush she loved tenderly.
“I sure did,” Ida Mae said. “My grandson is finally here to visit, and he even brought me McDonald’s for breakfast.”
Maddie gave Ida Mae an indulgent smile. Though she did have a special preapproved menu to manage her health issues, even the dietician wouldn’t be upset at a small treat once in a while. But she’d have to pull the grandson aside at some point to let him know this couldn’t be a regular occurrence.
“That’s so nice,” Maddie said, smiling at the man. “I’m Maddie Antere, and I’ve been helping your grandmother. You must be the famous Luke I’ve heard so much about.”
He stopped brushing his grandmother’s hair to glance at Maddie, his warm brown eyes familiar, even though Maddie had never met this mysterious grandson. While Maddie had grown up knowing Ida Mae and most of her family, she’d never met Luke, whose father was in the military, so they’d always been traveling from post to post. From what Ida Mae had told Maddie, Luke had followed in his father’s footsteps, so his visits to his grandmother were few and far between.
“It’s nice to meet you,” he said. “Granny speaks highly of you. I think if it weren’t for you, she’d have burned the place down by now.”
“I don’t belong in here,” Ida Mae said, sitting up straight in her chair “I’m not sick.”
They also had this argument every day, but still Maddie smiled at her. “I know you’re not. But the doctor says you have to stay here until your hip is fully healed so you don’t end up here again. You know I love you, but I hope I never see you back here.”
“You and me both,” Ida Mae said, turning her attention to her grandson. “Maybe now that Luke is here, I can go home.”
“Absolutely not.”
Maddie turned to the sound of the voice behind her, trying not to groan. Briana Smith, Ida Mae’s granddaughter who lived in town, who’d grown up with Maddie, and had often been a thorn in Maddie’s side. The problem with having a troubled past in a small town was that people like Briana never let you forget.
She’d grown to dislike Briana’s visits just as much as she’d disliked having classes with her in school. Briana always thought she was better than everyone else, and now, as the mayor’s wife, the woman was even more intolerable. Every time Briana came, she found some fault in how Ida Mae was being cared for.
Hopefully, Luke wouldn’t be as bad.
“Briana. Nice to see you,” Luke said, stepping around the chair Ida Mae was in to greet his cousin.
But while he went in for the hug, Briana sidestepped him, giving him a dirty look.
“You should have let us know you were coming. Granny has a routine that shouldn’t be disturbed.”
“Yeah, a snooze fest,” Ida Mae said. “Luke coming home is the best thing that’s happened in years. He said he’s staying for a while, so I can go home and he’ll look after me.”
Briana’s eyes lit on the remains of the McDonald’s breakfast. “I’m assuming he’s the one who brought you that.”
The smile on Ida Mae’s face was brighter than any expression Maddie had ever seen on the older woman.
“My favorite.”
“It’s not on your diet,” Briana said, then turned to Maddie. “Did you let this happen? I have made my expectations very clear in terms of my grandmother’s care, and if you are falling short, I will have no choice but to speak to your supervisor.”
Not only did Maddie receive this threat on a regular basis, but Briana had followed through multiple times. Every slight, real or imagined, got reported to Maddie’s supervisor. Most of the time, Claire laughed it off and said it was no big deal, but with the promotion on the line, an official write up could put that in jeopardy.
“I only just arrived before you. We had just gotten through introductions, and then I was going to explain to Luke that while bringing your grandmother breakfast was a nice gesture, it’s important to check with the dietician on any special treats he brings in.”
Hopefully it would be enough to calm Briana down. When it came to her grandmother’s care, Briana ran things with an iron fist. No wonder poor Ida Mae just wanted to go home. At least there, she didn’t have to deal with Briana’s nonsense all the time. But none of this was Maddie’s business. She did her best to take care of Ida Mae while appeasing Briana.
“Who even let him in?” Briana asked.
Oh-kay... Maddie had heard that Luke was something of a black sheep. Prior to joining the military, he’d been in a lot of trouble, and even though it was years ago, Briana liked to remind everyone that she was the good grandchild and Luke was the worthless one. Especially when Ida Mae got sentimental about her grandchildren.
“Anyone can visit any of the residents at any time during visiting hours, provided they meet the health requirements,” Maddie said.
Briana turned her icy gaze to Luke, and Maddie felt a bit bad for him, because even though it got her out of the firing range, from what Maddie could tell, he was a loving grandson, so he didn’t deserve this.
“Have you had all of your shots? I’ve heard the flu is going around,” Briana asked.
Maddie forced herself not to giggle. It was like the other woman was talking about a dog going to a kennel.
“And then some,” Luke said, squaring up against her. “With all the military travel I’ve done, I’m vaccinated against more things than you can possibly imagine, and I was given a clean bill of health before my discharge. I can assure you, you’re likely more of a health risk to her than I am.”
For a moment, Maddie stared at him for having the audacity to talk to Briana like that. Judging from Briana’s indrawn breath, Briana couldn’t believe it either. She was used to pushing everyone around and getting her way, no matter what the cost.
Luke winked at Maddie, and she couldn’t help smiling. Handsome and charming, plus standing up to Briana? A lethal combination, except that Maddie had sworn off dating a long time ago. In terms of men, Maddie had the worst judgment ever. In high school, she’d had a bad reputation with boys, even though she hadn’t done anything with any of them until that fateful party when she’d gotten pregnant by some guy who’d given her a fake name and disappeared the morning after. Then, when she carried out the farce of trying to be with Brady to give Kayla a father, she’d only proven how inept she was at having a relationship with someone who was honestly trying to make things work, despite being in love with someone else. After that, she’d gone on a few dates, but all anyone ever saw was her reputation for being easy that she’d never actually earned.
No one would ever believe that she had only been with one person, one time, and it wasn’t even that great. Actually, it was pretty terrible, but men just expected sex from her, so she said no thank you to it all. If all that garbage was what love and romance was about, you could count Maddie out.
Actually, she knew from observing her Shepherd’s Creek family that there was a lot more to a lasting relationship than that, but with the way people in town looked at her, she wasn’t sure it would ever happen for her.
Still, Luke was pretty cute, and he didn’t know those things about her, so maybe...
Maddie shook her head. He was the grandson of a patient, and Briana’s cousin, so that made it all completely inappropriate.
“We need to set some boundaries,” Briana said.
Maddie felt her face heat, as if Briana had known her train of thought.
But then Briana continued, “I understand that you want to spend time with Granny while you’re on leave. But it’s very important that we keep to her schedule and make sure that there are no interruptions to her care that could bring on a setback. Your junk food treat could be harmful to her.”
“I’m here to stay,” Luke said. “They offered me a nice retirement package, and my friend Ken has a consulting business for veterans that he’s asked me to join, so I’m taking his offer once I get Granny settled. I know you’re busy with your son and your life, and I never had the chance to do any of that with all my travel, so when Granny broke her hip again when I got my offer, it was a no-brainer. It’s time I fulfilled my family obligations. You can’t take care of Granny, but I can.”
Maddie had taken Kayla to Yellowstone once, and the expression on Briana’s face was like a geyser about to go off. It was actually pretty funny, watching someone stand up to her, especially because in this case, there was nothing Briana could do.
“That’s a lot of too little, too late,” Briana said. “You haven’t been involved in our lives in years. Now suddenly you appear? Given all your troubles over the years, I’m wondering what your motives really are and if your story is even true.”
Ida Mae straightened in her chair and pounded on her table. “He video chats me every Sunday night, except for when he’s doing secret work he can’t tell me about.”
That part, Maddie knew was true, because she’d helped Ida Mae get her tablet set up so she could chat with her grandson. Though Maddie had only heard “grandson” and had assumed that since Ida Mae hated the “great” reference, it was Drake, Briana’s son who was in Kayla’s class at school. And like his mother had done to Maddie, constantly tormented Kayla.
The joys of small-town living.
Where grudges ran long and deep. Which was why getting this promotion would finally prove that Maddie could break free of the past that everyone held against her.
“Like I said, I’m here to stay,” Luke said. He pushed up his sleeves, like he was gearing up for battle, which was when Maddie noticed the tattoo on his forearm.
A snake, wrapped around a dagger, and the dagger’s point was stuck inside an intricate heart.
She’d only ever seen one tattoo like it.
“Maddie, a word outside if you please,” Briana said.
Maddie could barely process the thought as she nodded, her eyes still on the tattoo as she backed out of the room to listen to whatever nonsense Briana would go on about.
At the moment, Maddie felt like her heart was caving in. Just when she thought everything in her world was finally going right, the one thing that could destroy it all was happening.
Only one man had that same tattoo. Maddie had lovingly traced it the night of the party where Kayla had been conceived. He’d told her his name was Snake, like his tattoo, and he was only here to appease his family before going off to boot camp, but he was going to get out as soon as he could, and run away from their controlling ways, and make a life for himself.
Something about what he’d said had called out to her, and okay, they were both more than a little drunk. Maddie had thought it was something special, but he was gone the next morning, and she hadn’t known where to find him. When she’d found out she was pregnant, she’d blamed Brady.
She’d always known Brady wasn’t Kayla’s father.
But for the first time, she knew who Kayla’s father really was.
Luke Christianson, grandson of her favorite patient, and cousin of her nemesis.
As Maddie stepped out into the hall to receive the tongue-lashing Briana was going to give her, Luke felt bad for the woman who was just trying to do her job and was now caught between a rock and a hard place. It wasn’t Maddie’s fault that he and Briana had bad history.
Briana had hated him her entire life because she was jealous of him being the grandkid who lived far away and got spoiled whenever he came to visit. And then, of course, there was the night she never let him live down. His father had sent him to stay with his grandparents for the summer before he went off to boot camp, hoping that being in the small ranching community would keep him from doing anything stupid that would get him kicked out before he began. He’d gotten in some minor trouble back home, and his father was terrified he’d do something that would disqualify him from the army.
But one night, he’d had enough of the boredom, taken Briana’s car, gone to a party, and gotten drunk. On the way home, he’d crashed the car into the ditch in front of their house and totaled it. Okay, there was way more to his side of the story than that, but that’s all Briana knew, all she’d ever know, and all she cared about. Even though her dad had been angry, he’d also been pretty decent about the whole thing and not called the police. His dad had paid for the damages, then shipped him back home and pulled some strings to get him into boot camp early so he didn’t do anything else to jeopardize his future.
To Briana, it was the worst betrayal, because in her eyes, Luke had gotten away with it. But the truth was, he hadn’t. He’d sent every paycheck back to his dad until he’d paid off his debt, living in base housing, and doing everything as cheaply as possible to make up for what he’d done. Yes, he could have gotten arrested and put in jail for a DUI, which was still something Briana brought up as him deserving every time she could, but his dad had been right. Luke had never wanted to join the military, but it had done more to straighten Luke out than jail ever would.
He just wished he’d been able to thank Briana’s dad for understanding that as well, but he’d died shortly after, and Luke had been deployed overseas and couldn’t make it back for the funeral. Another thing Briana hated him for. He’d missed every major family event over the years. As a single man, he took the hazardous assignments that had him traveling the world so that the men with families didn’t have to. Plus, he’d liked the connection to his family by saying he was a member of the cavalry division. His grandfather had served in the cavalry before becoming a rancher. While they only used horses for ceremonial purposes these days, he loved the pride in Granny’s eyes when he’d say anything about being cavalry.
Unfortunately, Luke hadn’t realized the cost to his extended family, especially his grandmother. Phone and video calls weren’t enough to make up for his missing presence. Though he didn’t like Briana’s attitude toward him, she was right. He should have been here to help Granny.
The only reason Granny was in the senior center was that this was her second broken hip in a year, and both times she’d broken it because she was home alone, trying to do things she should have asked for help with. But now that Luke was out, he could be here for her, helping her so she didn’t have to stay in this miserable place.
Okay, it really wasn’t that miserable. Every time he talked to Granny, she went on and on about the nice people here, especially Maddie, but she hated having her days planned out, her meals tightly controlled, and constantly being pecked at by Briana. Granny had always been there for him, even when other family members had written him off. The least he could do was be there for her now.
“I do hope she’s not being too hard on Maddie,” Granny said, staring at the closed door. “Every time I break a rule and Briana finds out, she gets Maddie in trouble. One of these days, she’s going to get that poor girl fired. I try to be good, but it’s so hard following all the rules. I just want to go home.”
That plaintive sigh killed him every time he spoke to her.
Though he wanted to believe that Granny would live forever, he had to be honest that she only had so many years left. The least he could do was spend those years making up for the ones he wasn’t around. Granted, there were things he couldn’t make up for, but he could do his best.
“I know, Granny, and when Maddie comes back, I’ll ask her who I need to talk to so we can get the ball rolling. You’re right, she seems really nice.”
“And pretty,” Granny added.
Not that again. Luke tried not to groan, but the expression on Granny’s face told him she saw right through it.
“You’ve still got plenty of years left in you,” she said. “Now you can get married and start a family. If you marry Maddie, you’ll get a daughter, too, and Kayla is the sweetest thing. She comes to visit sometimes.”
Luke shook his head. “I told you, no matchmaking. I’m perfectly happy with my life as it is, and I don’t want your interference.”
After all these years of being single, he was comfortable admitting that he was definitely not relationship material. The women he’d dated had complained about his military life, and that he could never share details on all the things he was doing. He might not be traveling now, but he still wasn’t the type to give women the depth of emotion and whatnot that they all seemed to want from him. After being trained to stay closed for so long, he didn’t know how to open up. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure he wanted to. It seemed like every time he thought he was trusting someone, he got stabbed in the back.
He’d thought he was in love once. But all it took was a six-week deployment for him to come back to her messing around with someone else. Or that German woman he’d started dating, only to find out that what she really wanted from him was his money and a green card. If that was what romance was about, he’d pass.
“You just need to find the love of a good woman,” Granny said, twisting her wedding rings on her finger. “Your grandfather and I had forty-seven years, and I still miss him every single day.”
It didn’t do him any good to remind her that these days, relationships like that were a rarity. His parents might have been married for almost thirty years before his dad had passed, but he didn’t have a lot of happy memories of his parents’ marriage, since they were always fighting. His mom was remarried, but he didn’t think much of his stepdad. It seemed more like she didn’t want to be alone, as opposed to her finding someone she loved, who loved her back.
But nothing he said would satisfy Granny, so he patted her hand instead. “I wish all marriages were like what you had.”
The door opened, and Maddie stepped into the room. “Sorry about that,” she said. “Briana is talking to the director now.”
The flat tone to Maddie’s voice didn’t encourage him. “Should I go have a word?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I’d wait until Briana leaves. She’s got a nail appointment in an hour that she’s stressed about getting to, so you can go then.”
Then Maddie looked over her shoulder and back at him. “But please don’t tell her I said so.”
The bright, cheerful woman he’d met earlier had turned into a mouse. Despite telling Granny he had no interest in romance, he’d definitely agree with her assessment that Maddie was pretty. And Granny liked her, so that was a bonus as well. But he was definitely not interested in her, so he couldn’t let his mind wander like this.
That said, he did feel bad that his presence was now causing trouble for her. Briana never seemed to care who she hurt, as long as she got her own way. And when she didn’t, as in the case of Luke not going to jail for wrecking her car, she held the grudge forever.
“I do want to make sure that your boss knows none of this is your fault,” he said. He glanced over at Granny, then added, “And I would like the information from the dietician so I can make sure that none of my treats are a threat to her health. I want to contribute to her care, not cause Granny harm.”
The smile Maddie gave him warmed his heart, but he noticed it didn’t fill her eyes, like she was still troubled about the situation.
“Seriously,” he said. “None of this has anything to do with you. Briana has held a grudge against me for years, and she’s taking it out on you. I’m truly sorry, and I will make sure that you don’t face any repercussions.”
His words didn’t seem to make her feel any better. In fact, she looked even more agitated.
Finally, she said, “I know this is going to sound weird, but could I talk to you privately for a moment?”
So she was in trouble. Why did Briana have to be such a pain? But if she was going to make waves, then he’d do what he could to make things better for an innocent victim.
“Sure.”
He followed her into the hallway, where she led him into a small conference room and closed the door behind them.
“Okay,” he said. “You’re scaring me. Granny isn’t dying, is she?”
Maddie shook her head. “No. This is personal.”
He stared at her. How could there be anything personal when they’d just met?
“Do you remember when you came home that summer before boot camp?”
Luke nodded. “Yeah. I take it Briana told you what I did?”
“No.” Maddie wrung her hands in front of her. “Sorry. I didn’t ever expect to have to do this.”
“Do what?”
This woman was seriously weird. But something was clearly bothering her, and whatever it was, he’d hear her out.
“Do you remember going to a party?” She looked at the ground, shaking her head. “Sorry, you probably went to a lot of parties.”
She didn’t look up as she continued. “Anyway, there was this one party, and I met you, and...”
“I only went to one party,” he said quietly. She didn’t have to continue the story. He knew what she was trying to say. He’d met this great girl, they’d connected, and they’d...
“We did things I regret,” she said really quickly, like she hadn’t wanted to admit it, but felt that she needed closure. “And I ended up pregnant, which I don’t regret, only I did other things I regret, but I promised myself and my daughter that if I ever saw her father, I’d find out his name, and I would tell her so that she would know who her father is.”
Even though she spoke about a mile a minute, the words processed very slowly in his mind, almost like they were taking forever to form and didn’t make sense.
And then it hit him.
“I’m her father?”
Maddie nodded, and tears filled her eyes. “I’m sorry. I gave you my number, but you never called, and you told me your name was Snake, and no one knew a Snake, and then I told a bunch of lies, so I didn’t think it mattered, but then they all came out, so I promised that when I finally found out the truth, I’d tell the truth.”
She looked at him, wide-eyed. “So I’m telling the truth. I have a daughter, her name is Kayla, and you are her father. So now I have to keep my promise.”
A father. The one thing Luke had always said he’d never be, because he didn’t know what kind of father he’d be.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“I’ve only ever been with one person, but I’m willing to take a test if you want.”
He believed her. He didn’t need a test to do so.
“I remember that night,” Luke said. “I always meant to call you, but I got into some trouble, and I couldn’t. I’m sorry.”
Now his mistakes of that night seemed even worse than he’d ever thought.
A child.
He had a child.
Kayla.
“How did you realize it was me?”
Maddie gestured at his tattoo. “You said you designed it yourself. It was your eighteenth birthday present to yourself, and you were really proud of it.”
His heart thudded to the pit of his stomach. In all his earlier thoughts about opening up to women, he’d failed to include Maddie. The truth was, he’d opened up to her as well. That night, they’d connected in a very deep way. He’d shared things with her he’d never shared with anyone, and they’d been up most of the night, mostly talking. He’d thought it was something special.
But in the aftermath of his accident and everyone in the family being upset, he hadn’t had time to call her. He’d asked Briana if she knew a girl named Maddie, and Briana had laughed and said the only Maddie she knew was no one worth knowing. Since Maddie was a common name, it hadn’t occurred to him that all along, the Maddie he remembered was the Maddie they all had been talking about.
All this time.
She was right in front of him, and he hadn’t known.
Worse, they had a child, who, based on when this had all happened, was essentially an adult now.
“She’s what? Eighteen?”
Maddie nodded. “I don’t want money or anything from you. We’ve done okay. I honestly never thought I’d see you again. But now, I have to do the right thing. My lies have cost me too much, and even though it might cost me even more, I need to tell the truth.”
The woman was practically shaking, and while he was still reeling from the knowledge that he had a daughter, he wanted to reach out to her and tell her it was okay and comfort her somehow.
Yes, she’d made a mistake by having sex with him, but then, so had he. Somehow, they had to figure a way forward. Together.
