Depending on the cowboy, p.2
Depending on the Cowboy, page 2
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She’d done the right thing by bringing the kids here for the summer. They needed a break from the chaos at home.
Sienna fought a yawn. After meeting all the Mayer ladies, she and the kids had been given a tour of the candle shop. Blaine’s mom, Julie, and his sister, Reagan, made the candles, while his sister-in-law, Holly, managed the business and handled the marketing.
Lily was already enamored with Holly’s eighteen-month-old, Clara. Sienna had a feeling her niece would want to babysit the cutie rather than help with candles. Fine by her. After meeting the Mayer clan, she had no doubt they’d welcome Lily’s help in watching the child.
Connor, naturally, had hung back with Blaine. Her nephew was on the quiet side, very close to his sister and inclined to outdoor activities. He’d already mentioned he’d talked to Blaine about helping out on the ranch. She wasn’t surprised her nephew would prefer ranch work, even mucking stalls, to being around half a dozen women every day.
“You must all be hungry,” Julie said. “Kevin’s got a big batch of sloppy joes slow-cooking for us. Why don’t we head into the house and have some lunch?” She shooed everyone in the direction of the entrance. The group happily chatted all the way to the door.
Sienna fought an overwhelming wave of exhaustion. It had been a long day. A long week. A long year.
This summer getaway was an answer to a prayer. She just hoped God would answer the other prayers heavy on her heart.
The big one concerned her sister, Becca—Connor and Lily’s mother. After Aaron, their father, announced he wanted a divorce and proceeded to move out four months ago, Becca had spiraled into a combination of anger, anxiety and bitterness, and it was affecting the kids. No matter how many times Sienna listened to her complain about how unfair the situation was, it wasn’t enough. Becca would then unload it all on Connor, too.
Sienna sincerely hoped now that Aaron was ready to reconcile, her sister would stop burdening Connor with her tears and spiteful words about his dad. It wasn’t right for her to put that on him.
Julie approached and tilted her head as she asked, “Are you okay?”
Sienna looked around and realized everyone was already outside. She forced her feet forward. “Me? Oh, yes. I’m a bit tired.”
“I’m sure. We need to get you off your feet.” Julie gave her a warm smile. Blaine’s mom was so nice. “We’re glad you decided to come spend the summer with us. When Erica mentioned you bringing Connor and Lily, I told her it was exactly what this ranch needs—a couple of teenagers to liven it up. And I don’t want you thinking you have to work all the time. We want you to have a nice break before your little one arrives. Do you know what you’re having?”
“No, I want it to be a surprise,” she replied as they emerged into the sunshine.
“Another thing to look forward to.” Julie patted her arm. “How’s Erica? I talk to her every day, but it’s not the same as seeing her, you know? It’s about killing me not being around for her first pregnancy.”
“She’s good. We had a coffee date last week. Jamie’s as busy as ever, and you know your daughter—full of energy.” A dart of sadness pierced her heart. She wished she had a mother who wanted to be around for her pregnancy. Her own parents hadn’t been in her life for years.
After her brother drowned as a child, their dad left them, and their mom became a shell of her former self. Sienna had been in eighth grade when her mother walked out of her life for good. That’s why she’d moved to Sunrise Bend, to live with her grandmother.
Becca, seven years her senior, was living in Germany, where Aaron was stationed. After Grammy died before Sienna’s junior year, Becca, Aaron and little Connor returned to Wyoming, and Sienna lived with them until she graduated from high school.
She and Becca were close, and they usually got along great. Her sister had always been prone to anxiety, though, and Sienna was no stranger to helping her through emotional rough patches.
“Erica does have a lot of energy.” Julie strolled past potted red petunias and opened the back door of the big house down the lane from the candle shop. “I tell her to rest, but she doesn’t listen to me. I’m glad you girls connected. She thinks the world of you.”
“I think the world of her, too.”
If it wasn’t for Erica, Sienna wouldn’t have had the chance to get the kids away from their home drama for a few months. She’d shared with her how uncomfortable Becca was making life for Connor. Erica also knew what a drain Sienna’s own divorce had been. The offer to stay on the ranch had been a tremendous blessing.
Julie continued through the mudroom to the kitchen, leaving Sienna alone to gather her thoughts, which kept circling back to Blaine.
He was one of a kind. On the quiet side. Easygoing. And kind. So very kind.
She’d been nervous on the way here. What if he’d changed? What if he resented her and the kids staying in his guesthouse? But the instant she’d stepped out of her vehicle, she’d known. Blaine hadn’t changed. If anything, he’d gotten better.
And she was a hot mess. Trying to keep everything together while her crumbling life refused to cooperate.
Sienna forced herself to join everyone in the kitchen. Conversation filled the air, along with the tangy aroma of sloppy joes. Connor and Lily both held plates overflowing with food, and her own tummy growled. She fell in line and began filling a plate.
“You and the kids can join us for supper on weeknights.” Kevin, a wiry, gray-haired man with twinkling brown eyes, wiped his hands on a kitchen towel. “I cook for a crowd every Monday through Thursday. I’d cook on Friday, too, but Julie here says we have to have date night.”
Date night. She loved the thought of them still dating after all these years. “Thank you, Mr. Mayer. We’d love to have supper with you if it’s not too much trouble.”
“No trouble at all.” He beamed. “I’d be offended if you didn’t eat with us.”
Julie came up next to him. “I’d have asked him to retire years ago if I’d known he was going to whip up feasts all week.”
“I didn’t know I liked cooking until I retired.” He chuckled, then pointed to the counter. “I think we need more napkins, hon.”
Turning away, Sienna searched for an empty seat at the long table and set down her plate at the nearest one. After sitting, she took a bite and tried to relax.
She’d always wanted her own big happy family like this one, but it wasn’t going to happen. Her ex-husband wouldn’t even acknowledge his unborn child. The last time they’d spoken, Troy had informed her he was signing away all parental rights. She didn’t even know if he could legally do that. She just hoped he wouldn’t do anything drastic, but knowing her ex, she wouldn’t be surprised if he did.
She munched on a potato chip. Would she have married him if she’d known him better? Over the past two years, she’d done a lot of research to figure out what was causing his erratic behavior. She was ninety-nine-percent certain he had a personality disorder, not that he’d ever go to a doctor to get diagnosed.
Honestly, at this point, she couldn’t even remember why she’d married him. And he must have felt the same, since he’d moved in with his much older girlfriend the day after she told him about the baby. Sienna hadn’t realized he’d been cheating on her. But she couldn’t say she was surprised.
“Sienna?” Blaine asked.
She blinked. “What? I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you.”
“Do you want me to drive you guys back after we eat? I’m sure you want to get settled.”
“Yes, I do. Thank you.”
She and the kids would unpack, then she was putting her feet up on the couch and resting for a good hour or two. Later, she’d take the kids into town for supplies.
One thing she was sure of—Connor and Lily were going to love Sunrise Bend as much as she did. In fact, she was going to give them the best summer ever. Becca and Aaron could work things out back in Casper. Connor and Lily could take their minds off their parents’ problems. And she could rest easy knowing she’d done all she could to help them. This was the place to do it.
Chapter Two
As Blaine drove Sienna and the kids back to the cabin after lunch, he toyed with the idea of riding out to the reseeded pasture and checking the new growth. If all went well, he’d be able to cut and bale hay in three weeks. But if the dry conditions continued, he’d have to harvest it sooner.
He wouldn’t think about that scenario now. He had enough on his mind.
After he parked the truck, a large SUV kicked up a cloud of dust in the distance. It continued down the long drive before stopping in front of his house.
Tiara and Ollie. Forget checking the pasture. The dogs had arrived.
Laura stepped out. In a faded T-shirt and jeans, she was tall with short gray hair. Blaine loped down the lane to greet her, then gave her his condolences once more.
“Thanks, Blaine. I don’t like making Tiara adjust to a new home this late in the pregnancy, but I’m at my wit’s end on what else I could do.”
“She’ll be fine. In fact, she’ll feel right at home here in no time.” Blaine glanced over his shoulder. Sienna and the kids had followed him. “Do you guys like dogs?”
“Yeah!” Lily shouted. Connor nodded.
“Well, I’m going to need some help with these two.” Blaine hitched his thumb to where Laura was letting the dogs out of the back seat. “Tiara’s due to have her puppies this week.”
“She’s having puppies?” Lily clasped her hands beneath her chin as the beautiful and very pregnant blue-merle Aussie stepped down from the SUV. Laura handed Blaine the leash.
“She sure is.” He bent to let Tiara smell the back of his hand, then he stroked the fur on her back and scratched behind her ears. She had a white forehead, chest and front paws. Her back and ears were light gray with black patches, and her blue eyes were surrounded by tan fur. She sure was a beauty.
“Look, Connor, she has blue eyes.” Lily pointed to the dog. “How many puppies will she have?”
“The vet thinks at least three.” Laura held a leash for Ollie, a gorgeous black tri. The dog was mostly black with white paws, a white chest and tan around his eyes, cheeks and hind legs. Two brown eyes looked up at Blaine as if to say “pet me, too.”
“He’s a looker, isn’t he?” Blaine took his leash.
“Yes, their previous litter was colorful.” Laura gave the dogs a bittersweet smile. “It will be interesting to see the variety of pups in this one.”
Anticipation rushed through him as it all came back—gathering supplies, checking her temperature and, when she was ready to deliver, the wonder of watching each tiny pup come into the world.
“Is there any way you can keep Ollie away from her for a few weeks after she gives birth? I don’t want him bothering her. They get along great, but she’ll have enough on her mind without his energetic self. I can take him back with me if need be.”
“We can keep Ollie with us.” Lily, all bright-eyed and hopeful, was petting him, and the dog lapped up the attention. “If it’s alright with you, Aunt Sienna.”
Blaine straightened. She seemed fine with the idea. “We’d love to have him.”
“Ollie should stay with Tiara until she’s ready to deliver,” Laura said. “Dad trained both to herd, so don’t be afraid to use him around the ranch.”
Blaine gestured to the kids. “After Tiara has the puppies, Ollie can sleep in the cabin with you guys. In the meantime, he’ll stay with me.”
“That would be great.” Connor crouched down and ruffled the fur on Ollie’s head.
“Won’t she miss him after she has the puppies?” Lily chewed her lower lip.
“She’ll have too much on her mind to worry about Ollie during the first week or two after having her puppies.” Laura gestured for Lily to come around the rear of the vehicle, where she lifted the back hatch. “We’re going to set up a whelping box for her in one of Blaine’s rooms. I brought everything Tiara will need. Why don’t you help me get this stuff inside?”
“Do you mind holding them for a minute?” Blaine handed the leashes to Sienna. Their hands touched, and the feel of her soft skin whispered sensations up his arm. How could a simple touch be so disorienting?
“I don’t mind at all.” She met his gaze, and he was transported back to being sixteen, hanging on her every word but too shy to do anything about it.
“That’s a lot of stuff.” Lily poked around the boxes.
“Tell me about it.” Laura grabbed a stack of folders and waved them to Blaine. “Here are their papers, vet records and the breeding book Dad used.”
Blaine sprang into action, stacking the folders onto one of the bins and hauling it out of her vehicle. It didn’t take long to move everything into his house. Once the back was unloaded, he told Laura he’d see her at the funeral. She gave Tiara and Ollie a final goodbye, swallowed hard and drove away.
“Well, guys,” Sienna said, handing the leashes back to Blaine. “I’m getting pretty tired. Why don’t we unpack and then go into town for supplies?”
Connor and Lily exchanged a glance.
“Go ahead and take a nap, Aunt Sienna,” Connor said. “We’re going to help get the dogs settled.”
“You can see them later.” She arched her eyebrows. “You need to unpack.”
“Okay. We’ll unpack.” Lily sighed grudgingly before turning to Blaine. “Mr. Mayer, do you want us to help get Tiara’s things organized once we’re done?”
“You can call me Blaine, Lily.” He was enjoying the teens. “And, yes, I could use some help.”
He didn’t really need help. He remembered exactly how Ralph’s room had been set up for deliveries. But Lily seemed so eager and happy, it made him want to keep her eager and happy.
“Yay! We’ll unpack our stuff and come over, right, Connor?”
“Can Ollie come to the cabin with us?” Connor’s eyes met Blaine’s.
“Why don’t you let me give him a tour of my house with Tiara first? This is going to be a new experience for both of them, and it will be easier for them to be together right now.” Then he turned to Tiara. “Are you ready, girl? Let’s get you inside. You can check out your new home.”
“Okay.” Connor gave Ollie one more longing look. “We’ll be over as soon as we unpack.”
Blaine glanced at Sienna. “If you need anything, call or text me.” He’d given her his number at lunch.
“I will.” The three of them turned and headed back to the cabin, leaving him, Ollie and Tiara standing in his driveway.
“Come on, you two. We’d better get the whelping box set up. We don’t want those pups of yours arriving without everything prepared.” Blaine led the dogs up the walkway to his house. Both were alert, sniffing the grass as they went along. Inside, he unhooked their leashes and let them roam around. He watched Tiara carefully. She was heavy with puppies, but she didn’t seem uncomfortable or out of sorts. In fact, her curiosity kept her moving at a rapid pace.
He followed them from room to room, mentally deciding where he would set up the dog nursery. The spare bedroom next to his was the best option. It had a comfortable bed where he could sleep those first nights after she had the pups, and it had plenty of space for him to set up her supplies.
Blaine put together the whelping box and lined it with some of the soft blankets Laura had provided. He was glad to see Ralph had upgraded to a box with a pig rail—a protector rail—to keep the newborns from accidentally being smothered by their mom. To his surprise, Tiara walked right into it, circled twice, lied down and fell asleep. It wasn’t easy being a pregnant dog, evidently.
Ollie stayed close to Blaine as he hauled the rest of the bins into the room, stacked towels next to the dresser, put piles of soft blankets in one of the drawers and arranged all the necessary supplies on top of the dresser. He flipped through the breeding journal, noting the details of her pregnancy.
A knock at the front door had him clamoring to his feet and hurrying down the hall. On his doorstep, Connor and Lily were grinning.
“Where is she?” Lily asked. “Did she have the puppies yet?”
Connor rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything.
“Not yet. According to Ralph’s breeding journal, it should be toward the end of the week.”
Ollie zoomed straight to Connor, then sat at his feet and looked up at him. The shimmer in Connor’s eyes as he petted the dog told Blaine everything he needed to know. The kid already loved Ollie.
Blaine didn’t blame him. He loved dogs, too. The ranch always had an array of working canines on it, and Jim’s border collie, Ringo, rode out with them every day. It would be good to have another dog helping herd the cattle.
“Come on, I’ll take you to Tiara’s room.” Blaine gestured for them to follow him. “Is your aunt doing alright?”
“Yeah, she fell asleep on the couch.” Lily skipped over. Ollie ran ahead and Connor joined them.
Blaine took them past the living room and kitchen, then down the hall to the spare room where Tiara was now sitting up, tail wagging, as Ollie sniffed her ear.
“Aww, look, they love each other,” Lily said.
“Do you think he’ll be okay with us in the cabin?” Connor asked Blaine. “I mean, after she has the puppies? He’s always lived with her, and he’ll have to get used to sleeping in a strange place by himself.”
Connor would have to get used to sleeping in a strange place, too, and Blaine wondered if the kid missed home, if he was nervous about staying at the ranch for weeks on end.
“I think he’ll be okay. But maybe he could sleep in your room if you’re worried.”
Lily’s face fell, and Blaine realized his mistake. “Or you two could take turns.”
