Always A Will And A Way_Western Romance Read online

  Their short acquaintance aside, Will knew without a doubt she was the kind of woman he could be compatible with, and maybe God saw possibilities where he saw only obstacles. Hmm. It bore some thinking about.

  “I don’t know why you bother with horses when you’ve got Mules,” Kelly teased.

  “You will if you ever get the courage to get on one,” he replied smoothly.

  “Touché,” she said with a grimace.

  They got out of the Mule and Kelly stood by the fence and watched as Will climbed over and headed out to the three horses grazing close by. When they became aware of his presence they wandered over to meet him, snuffling and blowing as he talked to them and ran his hands over their smooth coats and bulging sides. Even Kelly could tell the horses were in the advanced stages of pregnancy and she was glad they had Will to look out for them.

  After checking them over, Will rejoined her and said he’d probably bring them back to the main stable in the next couple of days. He liked keeping them separate from the hectic stable area as long as he could, but they were all within a few weeks of their due dates, and delivering early was never out of the question.

  “You want to drive again?” he asked drily, already knowing the answer.

  “Of course. And you have to admit I’m good at it.”

  “I’m a big boy with nothing to prove, so I’ll admit you’re good. Now get us back—the meter’s running.”

  As it happened, they pulled up just as Chad and James came out of the stable.

  “Cool, Mom! You were driving the Mule!”

  “And doing it well,” Kelly said, smiling over her shoulder at Will. “Did you finish patching the fence?”

  “Not all of it, we might go do more tomorrow,” James told her.

  They chatted for a while about the task of mending fences, then Kelly thanked Chad for keeping James occupied and told him to get on home to his wife. Will and Dodger left too, and Kelly and James headed to the house to clean up for dinner. Both of them were wishing Will could have stayed.

  Chapter 10

  The next day promised to be another day of heaven on earth for James. After a filling breakfast of eggs, bacon and hash browns, he went with Chad to finish up the fence they had worked on the previous day, only this time he got to ride Midnight to the site, since the supplies had all been hauled in the day before. James was so proud as they rode out, his packed lunch secured to the back of his saddle. In his mind, he was a full blown cowboy and Kelly loved seeing him so happy and content.

  Thankfully Chad insisted that they start off going very slowly, as it was only James’ second time riding. That helped ease Kelly’s mind as they rode off. Chad had also assured Kelly that if James wasn’t up to the return trip by horseback, he would call back to the stable and have someone come out in a truck to pick up James, and Chad would ride back by himself, leading Midnight.

  If Kelly had to bet, however, she would put her money on James riding all the way back.

  Kelly was looking forward to her own day. Amy had called right after breakfast and said she was going to work at painting her nursery, and could use some help if Kelly needed something to do until James returned. That sounded like fun to Kelly, and she set off down the lane soon after James and Chad left. Amy’s house was only about a quarter of a mile from the main house, and it was a beautiful walk, with the stately trees on either side of the drive offering shade from the already warm morning sun.

  Amy had chosen a beautiful shade of pale green for the nursery, which she was going to put three quarters of the way up the walls, and then a light creamy yellow for the top quarter. Then, on the green paint, Amy wanted to tape out even vertical stripes about two inches wide, and apply a clear lacquer between the tape strips, which when dry would give the illusion of subtle, brocade looking stripes. Chad would then put up a white wooden molding where the colors met.

  “We don’t want to know the gender of our baby until it’s born, so I have to go with green and yellow,” Amy explained. “But I really do love these colors.”

  “This is much better than pink or blue, in my opinion,” Kelly agreed, following Amy’s instructions and using a yardstick and a sharpie to put tiny dots on the wall at the point where the green would end and the yellow would begin. They had already set up three fans in the room and opened the windows, to make sure there was adequate ventilation from the paint fumes to protect the mother to be.

  As they worked and chatted, Kelly was amazed by their easy camaraderie, considering that only a couple of weeks ago Kelly had never dreamed she’d ever speak to Amy again, much less be in her home helping to paint her nursery.

  Only God could work such a change, and Kelly was so grateful she felt a lump in her throat. She had thought she was so accustomed to the estrangement from the Mathersons that it was virtually a nonissue in her life. But the enormous relief and gladness she felt now that the rift was on the mend indicated that the hurt and bitterness had still festered deep inside, and it felt unbelievably good to rid herself of it.

  “So does Chad have a preference for the baby? Boy or girl?”

  “He says he doesn’t, and I don’t really either. I am just so thrilled at the idea of being a mother. It took us almost a year to get pregnant, and although it was frustrating and I was starting to really worry that it wouldn’t happen, I’m glad for the delay now, because it makes me appreciate it so much more.”

  “You and Chad are going to be wonderful parents, and your child will be so fortunate to grow up on the Wild Rose. I’m not saying that our town in Virginia isn’t a good place to raise kids, because it is. But honestly, Amy, now that I’ve seen the ranch and what it can offer a child growing up, I’m a little confused as to why Jamie didn’t seem to have any lingering regrets that his own son wouldn’t know this life.”

  Amy was silent as she finished applying green paint to a section of the wall, then she laid her roller in the pan and looked at Kelly, her eyes troubled.

  “I’ve never said this aloud to anyone, Kelly, and I don’t want it to go any further.” At Kelly’s slow nod, Amy sighed and wandered over to an open window, her blonde hair lifted gently by the incoming breeze.

  “Jamie wasn’t cut out for ranch life, it’s as simple as that. And frankly, I don’t know why my parents didn’t realize that right off the bat. Me? There were never enough hours in the day for everything I wanted to do on the ranch. Riding, working with the horses, mucking stalls, checking the fences, following Dad around wherever he went---I loved it all. I’ve never wanted to live anywhere but on the Wild Rose.”

  Kelly placed her roller beside Amy’s and joined her by the window. “Jamie didn’t talk about the ranch much, other than some funny stories from his childhood. I figured it was because he was afraid it would make me feel bad about what had happened.”

  “I wouldn’t know about his reasons, but I’m not surprised he didn’t talk about it. Dad was always hounding Jamie about getting more involved. At roundup time I was the first one to the stables, I couldn’t wait to head out. But Dad practically had to force Jamie to go along. Jamie didn’t throw fits or anything, he just had no desire to go and would try to find excuses. He preferred being in the house studying, or volunteering somewhere. He used to spend a lot of time with one of the vets in town. For a while I was sure Jamie would go to vet school. But then he got dad to agree to let him volunteer at the hospital, and pretty soon that’s where he wanted to spend all his free time.”

  “And your dad still didn’t see that Jamie didn’t share his passion for the ranch?”

  “If he did, he refused to admit it. By the time Jamie left for college they argued almost constantly about the amount of time Jamie spent at the hospital. And yet somehow it still came as a surprise to Dad that he chose a medical career over the Wild Rose.”

  “Maybe he was still holding out hope that being away from the ranch would make Jamie realize that he missed it.”

  Amy shook her head. “Who knows, but it sure didn’t work. Inste
ad, Jamie got internships away from here, spent holidays in Virginia, and took summer classes. And never came home.”

  Kelly gave a short laugh. “That’s one thing they couldn’t blame on me. He could have easily come home on weekends. It’s only a two hour drive.”

  “That’s what I’m saying. He never came home, so obviously he wasn’t pining for the ranch. I guess it was something Dad simply couldn’t accept, so he refused to acknowledge Jamie’s continued absence. And woe to the person who dared to point it out. I feel like Mom had to have seen the light, but it was easier to pretend she didn’t. Arguing with my dad back then was a losing proposition, and not worth the effort.”

  Kelly shoved her hands in her pockets. “It makes me sad for both of them.”

  “Me, too. What’s so weird is that little James is everything Dad ever wanted in Jamie. It completely skipped a generation.”

  “I certainly never expected my little suburban boy to take to this place like he has.”

  “It’s been a lot of fun for Dad and Chad. I just love seeing Chad with him. Makes me excited about him having his own kid following at his heels.”

  “Unless he takes after his Uncle Jamie,” Kelly said thoughtfully.

  “Hmmmm.” Amy pondered that for a moment. “Wow, suddenly I can understand Dad a little better. Given how much I love the Wild Rose, I have to admit that would be hard on me.”

  “But you saw firsthand what happened to the two of them. I can’t imagine you would risk that ever happening with your son or daughter.”

  “I certainly hope not! If I ever show signs of being that selfish, please slap me, okay?”

  “I promise I will!” Kelly said, laughing. “I hope we’ll still be friends that far down the road. By then little James will be able to come for visits all by himself.”

  “I hope you still tag along sometimes. I mean, I know you’ll remarry at some point, and that could complicate things. Just try to make sure you find a guy who enjoys visiting Texas every once in a while.” Amy smiled mischievously. “Better yet, find a guy while you’re here and just stay!”

  Kelly felt her cheeks get pink. “I obviously don’t work that fast, Amy. In fact, I’ve only had a few dates in four years. It’s kind of pathetic.”

  “That’s only because you haven’t met the right guy.”

  “I will agree with you on that,” Kelly said emphatically. “There aren’t a lot of men willing to take on the baggage of a widow with a child. Most men want to come first in a girl’s life, and in my case, that’s not going to happen. James is my priority, and I make that clear right off the bat. And guys who think they are okay with it soon realize they aren’t.” Kelly picked up her roller and resumed applying green paint to the wall.

  “I’m sure there are men out there who have enough love to cover both a woman and her child,” Amy assured her.

  “Maybe.”

  Amy picked up her own roller. “I mean, take Will for example. He’s already crazy about little James. I’ve seen how he looks at him. And,” Amy dipped her roller into the paint tray, slowly rolling on a coating of shiny green, “I’ve seen how he looks at you, too.”

  “Wha--what?” Kelly actually sputtered as she whirled around to face Amy. “What are you talking about, Amy? You’re nuts!”

  “I don’t think so. And if I am, Chad is too, because we talked about it last night and he’s seen it too. Will likes James and you, a lot.”

  “Okaaay,” Kelly said slowly, drawing out the word as she put her roller down once more, not trusting herself not to drop it. “I don’t know what you and Chad think you’ve seen, but Amy, you’re being a little ridiculous. For one thing, I’ve only been in Texas for three days, and I’ve spent very little time with Will. And secondly, in case you’ve forgotten, your brother and I were the same age, which makes me thirty-one. Will is what, twenty-five?”

  Amy raised her hands, palms up. “So?”

  “So three days isn’t long enough for you to be making any speculation as to Will’s feelings, and me being six years older than him makes what you think you saw a moot point anyway.” Kelly knelt and retrieved her roller. “Now get busy or we’ll never get this room finished.”

  Amy chuckled. “Okay, since it makes you so uncomfortable, I’ll drop it. But that whole age difference argument isn’t going to cut it.”

  Kelly gave her a warning look. “Drop it, Amy. Will would be mortified if he heard you talking like that.”

  “I think you’re wrong about that, but whatever. Can you open that can of yellow paint? I think the green on the first wall is dry and I can’t wait to see what the yellow looks like against it.”

  Glad for the change of subject, Kelly quickly complied.

  Chapter 11

  The women made steady progress on the walls, stopping only for a quick lunch break, and by early afternoon they had two coats of both colors completed. Amy loved it and couldn’t wait to do the striping, but she knew she needed to give the paint time to get good and dry before putting the tape up.

  “I’m going to head back over to the main house to wait for James to get back. Are you and Chad coming over for dinner this evening?”

  “Yeah, we’re planning on it. I can’t believe your time here is already almost half over. I’m gonna miss you guys.”

  “We’ll miss you, too,” Kelly said sincerely. “Thanks for letting me hang out here today, I had so much fun. See you at dinner.”

  Amy thanked her profusely for the help, and they exchanged a warm hug before Kelly left. It was a beautiful spring day, and she took her time walking back to the main house. She loved the fresh air and the peaceful quiet of the ranch. No doubt about it, she and James were both going to miss this place.

  Reaching the house, she went inside, smiling at Sarah as she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

  “Are James and Maggie still resting?”

  “No, Mr. James had a doctor appointment this afternoon.”

  “Is he feeling ill?” Kelly asked, instantly concerned.

  “No, no, it was a scheduled check-up. They’ll be home by dinner time. I’m making barbequed pork chops and mashed potatoes, so they’d better be.”

  “Sounds lovely, Sarah. James and I are going to miss your cooking. I’m afraid he’s going to be a little disappointed with my efforts for a while.”

  “I’ll miss cooking for the little guy,” Sarah said.

  Kelly noticed that she wasn’t included in that sentiment, but as she was over the age of ten, that was to be expected, per Will. Hiding a smile, Kelly took her water and headed to her bedroom, thinking she might lie down for a quick rest. She expected James soon, but she would no doubt hear him come in even if she was dozing.

  Passing the office, she stopped and backed up when she saw that the door was open and Will was behind the desk, rapidly typing at the computer. It was disconcerting to realize just how thrilled she was to see him.

  “Hey, Will. How’s it going?”

  He looked up, his smile sending a warm tingle through her body. “Hey, Kelly. It’s going good. How was the painting session?”

  “We did a pretty awesome job, if I do say so myself. It was fun.”

  “Good for you. I’m sure Amy was glad for the help, and Chad hates painting so he’ll be elated.” Will stood and stretched, and Kelly tried hard not to notice how his tee shirt stretched across the muscles of his shoulders and chest, or how it pulled up to briefly expose a strip of tanned stomach above the waistband of his jeans.

  “Come sit outside with me,” he urged. “I need to get away from this desk. I enjoy the work, but I can’t sit still for too long or I get stiff and stir crazy.”

  Kelly chuckled. “Well we don’t want that. Can I get you something to drink?”

  “I’ll get it, wait here.”

  He was back in a moment with a can of Coke, and they went out the back door into the yard, where it was shady and pleasant.

  “I love this yard,” Kelly sighed, lying back in the hammock and
closing her eyes. “It’s so peaceful.”

  “Is your yard big enough for a hammock?”

  “No trees for a hammock.” Kelly smiled. “Might as well add that to my wish list. Which is getting so long I don’t even remember everything on it.”

  “Big yard, big dog, a porch, a Mule, and now a hammock and trees,” Will reminded her. He sprawled out on a padded lounger, drinking his cold Coke and watching her. Raising his foot, he pushed her hammock gently and she sighed contentedly.

  “By the way, where’s Dodger?” She turned her head to look at him and he smiled, his cerulean eyes lazy and warm.

  “One of the hands was going out to take Chad some more supplies and he took Dodger out to see James.”

  Her smile widened. “I wish I could have seen James’ face when he saw him jump out of the truck. He sure does love that dog of yours.”

  “You could get a little Dodger pup of your own. I breed him a couple times a year and his current girlfriend is pregnant and due in about six weeks.”

  “Oh man,” Kelly breathed. “James would be so thrilled. But I don’t think we’ll have a yard by then. Maybe the next batch of puppies.”

  “I’ll save you one.”

  “Thanks. We’ll figure out how to get it to Virginia later. Now tell me about the Triple Creek. Is it at all like the Wild Rose?”

  “Kinda. I mean we have the same business enterprises, cattle and horses. The land is different though, surprisingly so considering they’re so close together. Wild Rose is flatter and more arid. TC has some foothills and a good sized creek, even a little waterfall.”

  “Sounds lovely.”

  “I’ll show you if you want. Maybe you, James and I can go for a drive tomorrow and you can check it out for yourself.”

  “We’ll see if James can fit it into his busy schedule,” Kelly told him, chuckling. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, but truth be told she really wanted to see him at his home ranch, to experience another facet of the larger than life man that was Will Connor.