Kitabı oku: «Father For Her Newborn Baby»

CHAPTER ONE

IT WAS COLE MONTGOMERY’S turn to step up for the family. He’d been absent far too long. While his brother, Trevor, was away he needed to oversee the ranch and help his father, the man he’d avoided most of his adult life. And because Cole was a doctor, he’d promised to keep the Cattleman Bluff Medical Clinic running while Trevor took a well-deserved honeymoon and vacation. At his sides, his fingers twitched. To be honest, he didn’t know if he had what it took to take the reins at home, or the patience to deal with his father.

He stood off to the side of the wedding party, feeling more of a bystander than a part of the family. It was his younger brother, Trevor’s turn to shine today, being the first of the brothers to marry. Plus, Trevor had a readymade family with his beautiful new wife, Julie, originally a Cattleman Bluff girl, and the son Trevor never knew about until four months ago, James. At thirteen, the boy looked ecstatic, practically bouncing out of his skin, as he watched his parents finally take their vows.

What must it be like to get married and already have a family to look out for? If anyone could handle it, Trevor could, but the thought of raising kids sent a shudder from the tip of Cole’s spine all the way down to his toes. Especially after his recent and total failure with Victoria and her five-year-old son, Eddie. Yeah, he’d pretty much proved his inability to be a boyfriend and potential father with that year-and-a-half dating nightmare.

Trevor and Julie’s ceremony was intimate with only a handful of family and friends. They’d opted to have it in the silo portion of the ranch, the circular part smack in the middle of the house Dad had built around it. The silo had been their mother’s art studio many years ago. Skylights made for perfect, almost magical lighting showering over his brother and the new bride, and seemed like a posthumous blessing from their mother who’d died several years ago. Cole knew she would have loved every moment of this simple yet ideal ceremony. There’d been a reason she’d chosen this section of the house to paint her pictures.

He took a moment to remember his mother, the peacemaker. She’d had to work extra hard when Cole was a teenager, since he and his father seemed to butt heads on every little detail in life. His dad wanted to train him to take over the ranch when the time came, and all Cole had wanted to do was show off at junior rodeos. After the accident, when his father pushed him to spend weeknights learning the ins and outs of cattle ranching, Cole had signed up for the high-school academic decathlon, which assured he wouldn’t have an extra minute to learn anything from his father. And that earned him the nickname of Wonder Boy, said with contempt not pride by his father.

When Cole eventually announced he wanted to be a doctor, not a cowboy, well, Tiberius hadn’t been able to hide the disappointment. What father in his right mind got upset when his son wanted to go into medicine?

A “cantankerous old cowboy first, father second” kind.

Cole wished his mother were here so he could hug her and tell her how much he’d always loved her. But rather than slide into a sentimental slump, he shifted his gaze from the overhead skylights back to the bride.

Julie Sterling, soon-to-be Montgomery, looked stunning in an off-white cocktail-length dress, her unruly brown hair piled high on her head, dotted with baby’s breath and tiny yellow daisies, making her big eyes look nothing short of huge. He couldn’t help but notice she had great legs, too—Trevor’s favorite part of female anatomy. And by the way she looked at his brother, that wide stare was meant only for him. A good thing.

Cole wondered what that might be like—had a woman ever only had eyes for him? It seemed there was always a link to his accomplishments, or a secret wish for what he could offer, and when those things got stripped away, the love light fizzled out. That was how it had worked with Victoria when he’d never gotten around to proposing. He glanced at his lucky-dog brother.

Trev looked nothing short of dignified in his Western tux and new boots, and Cole hadn’t exactly held up his end of the bargain if he was supposed to dress in kind. Instead, he’d opted for one of his tailor-made city suits, the type he wore for fund-raisers or exclusive speeches, of which, in his new role as cardiac educator, there were many.

He continued to study his brother, a refined version of himself. Where Cole had inherited his father’s rugged, rangy looks, Trevor had the luck of their mother’s delicate features blended in with the coarse Montgomery genes. Mom’s DNA might have cut a couple inches off Trevor’s height, making Cole a truly “big” brother, but the good looks and confidence his little brother possessed had sure worked wonders in life, and especially with the ladies. Always had. Being six years older than Trevor, Cole had never felt particularly close to the kid, even though his brother had always looked adoringly up to him. Was it any wonder they’d both become doctors? Yeah, Dad sure loved that, too. He ran his hand over his short hair, noting Trevor had let his grow out a bit more, maybe at Julie’s request? Who knew the influence a woman could have over a man.

He sure didn’t. None of his relationships had ever come close to love or commitment. He blamed it on his job. His single-minded quest to improve cardiology, to take mitral-valve replacements to a new level. His success. His laziness? Or maybe it went all the way back to being fifteen, when Hailey Brimley, the first girl he’d ever loved—and the girl he’d literally broken his neck for—had taken one look at him all banged up with rods sticking out of his skull and walked out of the hospital never to come back. He’d risked everything for young love and she hadn’t been able to get past how he’d looked in that damned halo brace. Yeah, there was that link to accomplishment, or lack of, even back then. Whatever the reason, at forty, he was a single guy with zero prospects for true love, and watching his brother get married forced him to think about his own circumstances. Well, guess what, that was how he liked it. Single. Unattached. Sorry, Victoria, but that’s the truth. Busy with his career. He cleared his throat and straightened the knot of his silk necktie. At least that was his side of the story and he was sticking with it.

His father, Tiberius, stood to the right of Cole as the couple took their vows. With one hand on the carved wooden walking stick—since he’d chucked his clunky quad cane for the ceremony—his father was decked out in his finest Wyoming duds, including his prized Stetson, which he’d removed and held with his free hand for the duration of the ceremony. Cole noticed something he hadn’t seen in years: a contented smile on his father’s face. He’d personally stopped seeing that look when he’d shown off for a girl at the high school rodeo and had broken his neck. Twenty-five years ago. Or maybe it was when he’d flat out told his old man he never wanted to be a stinkin’ cattle rancher. But today was a day of celebration, and Cole didn’t want to focus on the past. So he shifted his gaze once again, and looked to the future.

James, Julie’s son, grinned as if he knew the world’s biggest secret and was about to share it. Personally, the thought of raising a teenager, or any kid, in today’s world made Cole shiver inside, but since the boy’s happiness was palpable and proved to be contagious he joined in and smiled. Why not? He was at a wedding. His brother’s wedding.

The couple pledged their unending love and kissed, and soon the crowd of twenty broke out in a cheer. Cole applauded and gave his nearly forgotten rodeo whistle, adding to the noise reverberating off the circular silo walls.

Though it was a special day for Trevor and Julie, Cole felt somehow uninvolved, holding back to himself. Truth was he didn’t have a clue what to expect filling in at the Cattleman Bluff Medical Clinic, which, thanks to his brother’s extended honeymoon and family-bonding trip, would take up almost his entire summer. Cole had taken a leave of absence to accommodate their trip. As he’d known in his gut, it was time to step up for the family.

The couple had waited until the school semester ended for James before they got married, thus the mid-June wedding. They planned a weeklong honeymoon in Montreal while James went back to LA with his great-aunt Janet. The week after that they’d go out to LA to pick up James and to take in some tourist sights, then they’d all come home and head off on a monthlong road trip around Wyoming, camping, hiking, fishing, horseback riding, anything they felt like doing, but most of all bonding. That was the word Trevor had used over and over while telling Cole his plans. He didn’t know the whole story since he and his brother had hardly had a minute together before the wedding, but Trevor and his son sure had a lot of lost time to make up for.

The wedding party had moved on to the second champagne toast, and everyone suddenly looked towards Cole. He hadn’t given a single notion to what he should say, so he thought quickly. “I want to wish the bride and groom as much happiness as our own dad and mother had in their marriage. Love doesn’t run any deeper than that. Cheers!”

Cole caught a glimpse of his father’s tearing eyes as the man raised his glass and toasted new love along with everyone else, while most likely remembering the loss of his own. His dad had fallen apart when Mom died from cancer. His life had literally stopped, and, though he’d tried to pick up the pieces over the past several years, his health had never been the same. That kind of love scared the hell out of Cole. Was that what Trevor was setting himself up for, too? Another good reason for Cole to stick with his current life trajectory.

Bittersweet moments clogged his throat, and he didn’t have a clue why that tended to happen much more often when back home. He didn’t like it—those deep feelings, the kind that ripped at a person’s heart. Maybe that was why he preferred his hundred-mile buffer zone, living out in Laramie half the time and in Baltimore the other, except whenever he was on the road, which seemed to be close to 80 percent of the time lately.

He took another drink of champagne. Staying put for two months in the house he’d grown up in, seeing the continuing disappointment and blame in his father’s milky, aging eyes, and sensing the lingering love from his mother would prove to be a challenge. How long before he and his father finally had it out?

The old man’s health was failing; he grew weaker by the year yet still insisted on running the ranch. Cole couldn’t very well blast him with accusations and force an apology, could he? Damn, he needed more champagne.

When everyone else was joining in with the celebration, laughing, cheering, making a racket, Cole slipped a little farther back from the crowd. Julie prepared to toss the bouquet, and once she turned her back and threw the flowers over her head, the dozen or so ladies in the group started to squeal. The young blonde from the medical clinic, Rita the receptionist, caught it and screamed with delight. Her glittering eyes flitted toward his, and he quickly looked away, deciding now was the perfect time to refill his glass with bubbly.

Briefly, while on his quest for the server, he engaged Jack, the ranch foreman, in conversation. He felt him out as to how the family business was holding up, assuring Jack he’d be as helpful as possible in Trevor’s absence. In fact, Cole looked forward to getting on a horse again. The rodeo had been his passion in life throughout his childhood and early teens. He’d made a name for himself on the junior circuit, riding bucking broncos, until…

“Incoming!” he heard Jack say.

Cole looked up in time to reach up and pluck a shiny white lace garter out of the air, rather than let it hit him in the face. What the—? He glanced up at his brother’s mischievous dark stare, a smile stretched from ear to ear. Was that a challenge?

“You’re next, Cole,” Trevor said, laughing, knowing full well the absurdity of the remark.

Playing along, only to be polite, Cole mock kissed the garter, then stuck it in his handkerchief pocket. “I’ll keep you posted, Trev, but don’t hold your breath.” He made a shrewd effort to avoid Rita’s coy gaze at all costs.

He got his refill of champagne and finished it with three large gulps, enjoying the floating-in-water feeling in his head.

When he was a kid, he used to think the sky in Wyoming was the limit, and anything was possible on any given day. Wasn’t that why they’d called him Wonder Boy? These days, not so much. Still smiling, since everyone seemed to continue to stare at him, he hoisted yet another glass in another toast. “Cheers!” he said as expected, waggling his brows, as any lucky guy who’d just caught the garter on a glorious wedding day should. Then he took one more drink of champagne, letting that pleasant buffer of booze make everything fuzzy around the edges, and followed the crowd outside for the reception and lunch.

Tomorrow he’d saddle up and ride the range with Jack. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d ridden the entire Circle M Ranch or seen the thousands of head of pure English-bred steer roaming the grasslands, and, being honest, he’d missed it. Of course, he’d need a refresher course on the challenges of raising grass-finished cattle for meat. His father’s specialty. Genetics was the key, his old man had always said, and, being a scientist, Cole could easily wrap his brain around that. But all the finer details of animal husbandry he’d leave to Jack.

As for right now, he couldn’t very well zone out on the rest of his brother’s wedding party, so he stood, straightened his tie and headed toward Trevor’s table to tell him not to worry about a thing while he was on his honeymoon. His mother would want it that way.

“Just the man I need to talk to,” Trevor said, eyes brightening as Cole approached his table.

“I thought you’d already told me everything I need to know.” Cole had a sudden sinking feeling.

“I lined up some extra help for you at the clinic while I’m gone.”

Cole wasn’t about to complain about that. “Thanks. Someone from Cattleman Bluff?”

“Boston.”

“What?”

“It’s a complicated story, but, medically speaking, the doctor is qualified. Lawrence Rivers highly recommended her.”

Larry Rivers was a respected professor who’d mentored Trevor during medical school, and he’d become a trusted colleague for Cole when he’d made the decision to learn transcatheter heart-valve replacement. “But?” Cole’s instincts waved yellow flags, waiting for Trevor to come clean with the rest of the story.

“The problem is, she only applied for internal medicine residencies at the top five most competitive hospitals in the country, so she didn’t get a single spot.”

“She’s fresh out of medical school? And that’s supposed to be a help, how?”

“You know Larry wouldn’t recommend her if he didn’t believe in her.”

“Believing in and actually being competent are two different things.” Ah, hell, Cole didn’t want to get in an argument with his brother at his wedding. Mom wouldn’t like that. He’d back off for now.

“She might be a little rough around the edges.”

Are you kidding me? “You’re joking, right? Is this some sort of weird wedding joke?”

“Larry said she’s a tough Boston girl, from the wrong side of the Charles River. She can handle anything.”

“So Larry’s playing both of us, right?”

Trevor bit his lower lip and grimaced. “She needed a job. I said she could have it. You’ll need help at that clinic, trust me.”

“And I want all the help I can get, but—”

“Come on, Trevor,” Julie said, a huge smile on her face, a warning gaze in her eyes. “It’s time to change clothes for the send-off. The limo is going to be here in twenty minutes.”

Trevor lifted his brows, cast a quick glance at Cole, then put his arm around his new wife.

“What’s this doctor’s name?”

“Elisabete Silva.”

Great, he’d be working with a wet-behind-the-ears doctor who probably thought she knew it all. Didn’t he think the same thing when he’d first graduated from medical school?

Trevor was the most conscientious man Cole knew, and wouldn’t set him up for failure. Instead of acting like his father, blowing a gasket before getting the whole story, he’d take his mother’s approach. He’d reserve his opinion until he’d met the new doctor at the clinic himself, but he suddenly had a kink in his gut that had nothing to do with the baked chicken served at the wedding-reception dinner.

Trevor started to walk off with Julie, but turned back. “Oh, one more thing. The doctor will be living here at the ranch. Dad said it’s okay.”

What in the hell was going on?

Trev looked as if he wanted to say something else, but Julie snagged him firmly by the elbow and led him off. Cole stood and watched as they headed off to change clothes while those waving yellow flags in his head started turning red.

Ten minutes after tossing rice and grinning along with everyone else, then watching the new couple drive off in the fully decorated “Just Married” limo, Cole saw a town car heading up the long road. The Circle M Ranch wasn’t exactly on the main highway—anyone coming out this way generally had a reason.

He looked on with interest from the yard as the car came to a stop in front of the house and Jack, his father’s ranch foreman, along with the family cook, Gretchen, rushed toward it.

“Cole, come and dance with me.” Rita, the attractive blonde medical-clinic receptionist, linked her arm through his, her still-lingering potent perfume overpowering his nostrils. “It’s tradition for the bouquet and garter catchers to have a dance together.”

First he’d ever heard of that tradition. Cole didn’t want to come off as impolite at his brother’s wedding reception—his mother would be disappointed—especially since he’d be working with Rita all summer, so he let her lead him to the dance floor, losing sight of the limousine and the house as he did.