His Texas Wildflower (18 page)

At the sound of her name, Rebecca paused and turned
to see who wanted a word with her. And then she saw the object of her thoughts. Jake was standing there as big as life in his boots and Stetson and staring straight at her.

In a daze, she wondered what
he
was doing here and then she noticed the women customers around him were apparently wondering the same thing. All eyes were on him as he began walking toward Rebecca and the closer he got to her, the faster her heart pounded.

By the time he came to a stop only a few inches separated them and as Rebecca looked into his familiar brown eyes, she feared her knees were going to buckle.

“Jake. What— Why are you here in Houston?” she asked in a voice faint with shock.

The half grin on his lips was a bit sheepish and completely endearing. “Isn't it obvious? You.”

Rebecca didn't realize she'd been holding her breath until a long gush of air rushed past her parted lips. “I don't understand. You haven't called.”

“Neither have you.”

She swallowed as hope tried to bubble up inside her. Surely he was here because he cared, she thought. Why else would he travel all the way to Texas? “I decided today—a few moments ago, to be exact—to call you. But—”

He moved close enough for her to smell the sunshine on his cowboy shirt, see the faint lines at the corners of his eyes. Since they'd been apart, his skin had browned even more from the summer sun, giving him a swarthy appearance and as she looked at him everything inside her melted with longing.

“I was going to call you, too,” he said. “But then
I decided that what I had to say needed to be said in person.”

Suddenly the store, the customers and salesclerks all faded into oblivion. The only thing she could see was him.

“And what was that?”

Stepping forward, he wrapped his hands around her upper arms. “Before you left, you told me you didn't know where you belonged. Well, I'm here to tell you exactly where you belong. With me. Forever.”

Stunned with joy, she tried to find her voice to respond. And then it didn't matter because he lifted her completely off her feet and planted a long, thorough kiss upon her lips.

Behind them she could hear several oohs and awws and then a spattering of applause. By the time their heads came apart, they'd garnered a gawking audience.

Laughing, Rebecca grabbed him by the hand and hurried him out of sight and down a large corridor to her office. When she shut the door behind them, she turned to see Jake inspecting the room.

“This is where you work?”

She came up behind him. “This is my office.”

He whistled under his breath. “It's really something.”

Now that they were completely alone Rebecca's first inclination was to throw herself into his arms and cling with all her might. She was hungry for the taste, the touch, the very scent of him. But she also needed explanations.

“Jake, I've got to know why—”

Before she could finish her broken question, he turned and put his arms around her.

“I came to my senses and realized that I love you?” he finished for her.

To hear him say the word
love
very nearly wilted her and she snatched holds on the front of his shirt to steady herself. “You love me?”

“With all my heart,” he answered. “But I was afraid to admit it to myself and especially to you. I'm not exactly molded out of family-man material, Becca. And I always believed the greatest favor I could do for a woman was walk away from her before I caused her the same sort of pain my father caused my mother. But I can't walk away from you. So here I am asking you to give me a chance to be something I never thought I could be. A husband. A father.”

Her heart brimming with love, she reached up and brushed her fingers against his dark cheek. “You're not Lee Rollins. You're your own man. The man I love.”

His hands splayed against her back and tugged her close against him. “Since you left, I've spoken to my stepmother and learned that my father died a couple of years ago. And that I have a half brother and sister,” he told her.

“Oh, my. And how did she react to you contacting her?”

“Surprisingly, she was very warm and understanding. She even insists that my half siblings want to meet me.”

“That's wonderful. But what about your father—did she have any explanations as to why he left you totally behind?”

“His widow told me that Lee believed I'd be better off without him in my life. He realized he wasn't exactly the best of role models for a son to follow. Plus, there was so much anger and fighting between him and Mom
that he figured the constant warfare would only hurt me more. His way of loving me was to stay away so I'd look to others to learn how a real man should conduct his life, rather than patterning myself after him.”

She carefully studied his face. “And how did that make you feel?”

He let out a long breath. “Very sad. But strangely free. For years I'd thought about searching for him. I had this idea that it would give me some sort of satisfaction to tell him face-to-face just how much he'd hurt me and Mom and what a sorry human being he'd been. But, you know, when his widow told me that he'd passed away, none of that really mattered anymore. I realized there were so many more important things in my life. Mainly you.”

With a sob of relief, she pressed her cheek against his chest. “Oh, Jake, I'm so glad. You and I might not have come from the best of homes, but we're going to make a good home together.”

Tilting up her chin, Jake motioned to her luxurious office. “Can you give all of this up for me?”

Her eyes shining with love, she smiled at him. “Can you love me for the rest of our lives?”

“Easy,” he whispered.

She slipped her arms around him. “You took the word right out of my mouth. Easy.”

F
ourteen months later, Jake stepped down from the chestnut colt he'd been breaking to the saddle and tethered him to a nearby fence post. The sun had shown its face only a half hour ago, but long before daylight the ranch hands had arrived to tend to the early-morning barn chores.

“That was real fine, Smarty Cat.” He gave the horse an affectionate pat on the neck. “You're going to be ready to gallop on the track soon and by this time next year you might be ready for the Sunland Derby.”

“That's a big prediction.”

At the sound of Rebecca's voice, Jake turned to see his wife walking up with their three-month-old daughter cradled in her arms and Beau trotting happily at their heels. The morning was sunny, but there was still a definite chill to the early March day. Rebecca had
the baby bundled in a thick yellow blanket and a pink sock cap.

Jake couldn't resist pulling the blanket away from his daughter's cheek and smacking a kiss on her cherub face. Having a child filled him with indescribable joy and the moment he'd first held her in his arms, he'd understood what Quint had meant when he'd talked about Jake having a real home.

“Hi, Jacklyn,” he crooned to the baby. “Did you come to see Daddy work?”

“You call that work?” Rebecca teased. “I thought you were playing.”

Chuckling, Jake leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his wife's mouth. “I can't fool you, can I? Riding Smarty Cat is play for me.”

Since he and Rebecca had married more than a year ago, many changes had taken place at the Rafter R. With Rebecca's encouragement, he'd taken Abe's advice and sold every cow on the place. Broodmares now filled the pastures and race prospects were stabled in a huge horse barn equipped with heated stalls and a foaling area. A galloping track had been built and horse walkers erected. Jake was doing what he loved and thriving at it.

“Do you really think Smarty Cat might become that good? To race in the Sunland Derby? That's only a step away from the Kentucky Derby,” she reminded him.

Chuckling, Jake curled his arm around her shoulder and gathered her and the baby close to his side. “I know it's a big dream, Becca. And if I sound confident, you can take the blame for that. I'm not settling for just
existing—just hoping to keep the ranch in the black. I want our horses to be champions.”

“And they will be if you have anything to do with it,” she assured him.

“So what are you and Jacklyn doing down here at the barns so early this morning?” he asked. “Getting your exercise?”

“Well, I could have called you on the cell, but I wanted to see you.”

The half grin on his face was a sensual reminder of the lusty lovemaking he'd given her last night. “Just can't get enough of me, can you?”

She wrinkled her nose playfully at him. “I don't want to burst your bubble, but I'm down here for a different reason. I wanted to ask if you'd mind quitting work a little early this evening. I just talked to your mother about having her over for dinner tonight. She's coming and bringing a friend.”

Jake arched a quizzical brow at her. “A friend? Are you talking about a man? A date?”

Rebecca laughed softly. “That's exactly what I mean. Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you.”

“Hmm.” He stroked his thumb and forefinger thoughtfully over his chin. “Did she tell you his name?”

“No. Does it matter?”

A slow grin spread across his face. “Not really. I'm just thrilled that Mom is starting to live again. Her health has improved by leaps and bounds. And she seems actually happy now. Thanks to you.”

“Me? I can't take the credit for your mother's turnaround. I think when she made the choice to help you find Lee Rollins it freed the demons she'd been carrying for so long.”

“You may be right. But I know for a fact that seeing how happy you've made me has inspired her.”

“Her son makes me very happy, too,” she said, then lifting her gaze to the distant mountains, added, “I only wish things with me and Gwyn could be fixed so easily. I've been thinking about inviting her out here for a little visit. Would you mind?”

“Now why would I mind? You were such a great hostess when my brother and sister came a few weeks ago.”

“That was fun—they're both just as charming as you, my dear husband. But this thing with Gwyn could get awkward,” she warned him.

“Maybe. But you've got to start somewhere, Becca. And the invitation would let her see that you're willing to forgive and begin working past the problems between you. But do you think she'll come?”

“Who knows? She doesn't like the big outdoors. But if she wants to understand me, she needs to see what I'm all about. She also needs to see where her sister lived and where she's now buried.”

“Gwyn might not go for that idea.”

Rebecca shrugged. “She might not. But I'm hoping she's had time to think about doing some forgiving and letting go. And I think she'll jump at any chance to be with Jacklyn. I believe if there's anything that can help heal the wounds of the past, it will be our daughter.”

Glancing down at the dark-haired baby, Rebecca adjusted Jacklyn's warm cap, then handed her over to Jake. While he cooed and talked to the baby Rebecca stepped over to stroke Smarty Cat's blazed face. The
horse immediately nudged her hand for a treat and she pulled a piece of apple from her jacket pocket and fed it to him.

From behind her, Jake teased, “Just what I thought. You didn't come down here to see me. You came to spoil the horses.”

“I can't help it. I love them.”

A smile bent the corners of her lips as she felt Jake's hand come to rest upon her shoulder.

“You miss working at Dr. Adams's, don't you?”

A few months after she and Jake had married, a vet with a clinic near the racetrack had offered her a job as an assistant in training. And up until Jacklyn was born, she'd worked full-time for him. The learning experience had taught her much more than how to deal with animals, she'd come to realize her long-ago dreams as a young girl hadn't been a foolish aspiration.

“I loved the job. But I also love being a mother. Besides, taking maternity leave has given me the opportunity to start some online classes toward that animal husbandry degree I always wanted.”

“It's going to take you a long time to get that degree with just a handful of classes at a time,” he pointed out.

Twisting her head around, she gave him a provocative smile. “I'll have plenty of time in between babies to get a degree.”

Both of his brows shot up. “Babies? As in plural?”

She chuckled. “Why, yes. You wouldn't want to have just one horse in your racing stable, would you?”

“No. But you can rest assured—” His eyes full of promises, he bent his head and rested his cheek alongside hers. “I only want one woman in my bed and in my life.”

“That's good to know,” she said with a contented sigh, “because you're going to have me around for the rest of our lives.”