Page 15 of The Cowboy and the Baby

And Naomi.

Oh, Naomi.

Seeing her name scrawled on that envelope brought it up again. She’d never open that message. So I’d leave it, and one day give it to Lily.

I pressed the back of my hand to my lips to stifle the sob, but it came out anyway. Lily squirmed, a half-hiccup, half-cry on her lips. I paused my emotions to pick her up, but the tears streamed down my cheeks. Grandpa loved me.

He always loved me.

A door slammed at the front of the house, so I composed myself. I had an entire life to plan, and now, topping that list was somewhere to stay. Marsha and Bart would have me, but I would only use them as a last resort. They traveled often, and their home base in Chicago was a hub of parties, guests staying over, massive dinners, and extravagant affairs.

Besides, I didn’t want to live in their big house in the middle of a city. Lily and I would be in the way. I loved Marsha and Bart, but Marsha could be exhausting. Bart was irascible on a good day, and Marsha’s shallow judgments reached everyone and everything. A single mother—even one whom they loved—would struggle under their constant stares.

A knock rapped on the door.

Cade called gently through it.

“Noelle?”

Shoving Grandpa’s letter inside the envelope, I swiped the tears off my cheeks, sniffled, and brushed the hair out of my face. With a deep inhale, I set my shoulders, said, “Coming!” and readjusted Lily in my arms.

Whatever happened next, I had a feeling it might determine the rest of my life.

I’d known Cade for less than a day, but I had yet to see him visibly uncomfortable. He had the slow, easy cadence of someone whom life couldn’t surprise anymore.

Until now.

The moment I opened the door, his troubled face peered at me. Tucked lips, downcast eyes, reluctant stare. Cade completed the picture of a ruffled ranch hand. My tear-stained cheeks hid nothing, but what did I have to prove? Grandpa had sideswiped me, and any fool would expect that.

“I’m sorry, Noelle.”

His words startled me.

“Why are you sorry? You have nothing to apologize for. The decision was Grandpa’s.”

A rueful expression crossed his face. He leaned a shoulder against the wall, brow knitting in thought. He’d tucked one hand into a pocket of Wranglers that fit him just right.

“Well, I am sorry. Listen, I don’t know your story or what you have going on, but I know that I’ve inherited a disaster. Not only do I have to keep the ranch running, and two ranch hands employed and out of trouble, but there are serious issues with the house. I encouraged Morgan to fix them, or approve of us fixing them, but he kept putting it off. They can’t be put off much longer.”

An edge of relief opened inside of me, and I realized why the loss hurt less than it could have. This place was a disaster. Oh, it appeared functional, but festered beneath.

Cade’s shoulders lowered with a sigh. “I’m not sure what you planned with this place, or what you have going on, but I’d like to invite you to stay. If you’re interested. You can have the main floor. I’ll . . . try to get the window fixed in the barn so I can sleep there again, or clear out a place in the basement for myself. I don’t need you to pay rent, or anything like that. But I will need help inside. If you’re open to helping me coordinate these updates and sort through your family belongings, I’d love for you to stay. For however long you like,” he added.

I blinked, stunned by the offer.

Coordinating these updates would be no minor affair. This world of cobwebs and ancient history might surprise us in various ways. But even it was more stable than the world-on-fire I left in Chicago. Lily wouldn’t be safe there, and neither would I. My career blew to ashes four weeks ago when I buried my sister, scooped up her baby, and threw around paperwork in order to get temporary custody, endangering my father’s company in the process. He wasn’t pleased, and until this inheritance storm blew over, I had no guarantee Dad would leave me alone, even if I made it clear that I’d chosen to live here.

I dropped my eyes, afraid Cade would see my whole story inside of them. A sturdy silence fell between us, and I had no idea what to say.

“That’s a very generous offer, Cade.”

He shrugged. “Maybe. Desperate? Definitely. I don’t know the first thing about decorations or details or what your family will want to do with all of Morgan’s belongings. I can demo and hang and saw and measure, but the rest?”

He blew a raspberry, and something in the childlike gesture made me giggle. It slipped out before I could stop it. Without looking at me, he smiled sideways. I began to recognize the hallmark gesture as Cade at his most sincere.

Goofy, quiet, calm.

He held up a hand. A worker’s hand, with a calloused palm, healing sores in various stages of repair, and thick fingers.