Deb Kastner - The Cowboy's Surprise Baby

It was more of a statement than a question, and although Alexis looked ready to argue, she wasn’t allowed the opportunity to do so. Griff herded her through the door, shooting an apologetic grin over his shoulder.

“Take as much time as you need.” Griff closed the office door behind him.

Cole winced. He didn’t need any time at all. Not one single second. He had nothing to say to Tessa. They might have had something to say to each other years ago, but now there was nothing.

Still, there was no sense standing in front of the closed door. He used his free hand to pry her palm from his chest, feeling as if it were glued there. He removed his hat and tossed it onto the desk, eyeing the chair Griff had vacated. At least that would put some distance between them—distance he desperately needed right now.

He’d thought all it would take to put Tessa behind him was time. Time and the distraction of serving on a United States Navy aircraft carrier.

But looking into her eyes, he might as well have been in high school all over again. His gut flipped and his head spun, just as they had when he’d been a foolish teenager who’d imagined himself in love.

What was wrong with him?

Tessa had caught him off guard, that’s what it was. And then she’d gone and cornered him in this office. It was no wonder his thoughts were bouncing around like a loose racquetball in a closed court.

What did she expect him to say now that she had him penned in here?

Hey, how are you? What’s been happening since we last saw each other?

He scoffed. He had nothing— nothing —to say to her.

He crossed his arms, rocked back on the heels of his boots and waited.

And waited.

Tessa looked equally uncomfortable, shifting her weight from foot to foot as her gaze darted everywhere except him. Tension mounted between them, the strain thick and palpable and tight as a wire.

He shook his head. She looked as if she didn’t want to be here, and he most certainly did not. One of them was going to have to break the silence, and if she wasn’t going to do it, then he would. Better to get this unexpected confrontation out of the way. He had much more important things to do than stand here waiting for her to collect her thoughts.

He narrowed his gaze, growling the question that was highest on his list.

“What do you want, Red?”

* * *

Tessa’s heart skipped a beat and it was all she could do not to gape at him. She hadn’t heard that nickname since the last time they’d been together. A lifetime had passed since then.

One look at Cole confirmed he felt the same. Gone was the smiling, blond young man whose luminescent blue eyes made her feel as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world and the only one for him.

In its place were hard angles, raw muscles, rough edges. He stood with his legs braced and his arms crossed over his massive chest in a universally defensive position. His gaze was cold and hard on hers, his scowl low and ominous. The tic in the corner of his jaw suggested he wasn’t happy about waiting for her to answer his question.

Only she didn’t know the answer. She’d been caught so completely off guard when her eyes had first met Cole’s that every thought had flown from her head. He’d made no apology when he’d tried to excuse himself, clearly anxious to be rid of her. And for some reason she couldn’t explain even to herself, she’d held him back.

What did she expect?

Nothing. Not from Cole Bishop.

Maybe it was the knee-jerk reaction of her more sensible, professional self, already trying to work out the sticky details of this new challenge. Better that than the sheer, foolish impulse on her part of wanting to be near him, if only for a few more seconds.

Nope. She’d go with the rational explanation.

As unfortunate as it might be, their lives had once more intersected. He was working at the ranch now, side by side with her. They’d be forced to interact with each other on an almost daily basis. She couldn’t think of anything more potentially disastrous. With their history...

Sparks were bound to fly. And not the good kind, either.

“So you’ll be wrangling here,” she blurted out, a fact already confirmed by Alexis. But she had to start somewhere.

“Yep.” His gaze narrowed even more.

Well, that was helpful. Tessa tried again.

“You’ve been discharged from the navy?”

He frowned and jammed his fists into the front pockets of his worn blue jeans. “Yep.”

She was beyond frustrated at his cold reception, but she supposed she had it coming. She could hardly expect better when the last time they’d seen each other was—

Well, there was no use dwelling on the past. If Cole was going to work here with her, he would have to get over it.

So, for that matter, would she.

She’d always known there was the possibility Cole would return to Serendipity, but he’d made the navy his career, and she’d assumed that by the time they finally met again, they would both have moved on, would have had spouses and children. He must have returned to Serendipity a few times over the years to visit his family, but he’d obviously gone to great lengths to stay off her radar.

The fact that she hadn’t been able to connect with any other man long-term was irrelevant—as was the way her heart had skidded the moment her eyes met Cole’s.

“I was given to believe you were making a career out of the military,” she said, alluding to the question she wanted to ask without really putting it out there.

“I was.” His brow lowered. There was that tic in his jaw again, the period at the end of his sentence. Clearly he didn’t want to talk to her about himself or the navy, but the questions lingered in her mind.

Why hadn’t he reenlisted at the end of this particular tour of duty? Why had he left the service before he had enough years to draw a pension? What had changed?

She had no right to ask.

But this standoff, or whatever it was, just wasn’t going to work for them. Even if they walked away today without resolving anything, there would be tomorrow—and the next day, and the day after that. Did he not realize they would be interacting with each other on a frequent basis during each of the Mission Months?

“You do know we have to work together?” She couldn’t help it if her question sounded acerbic.

He shrugged. “I don’t see why. You’re not a wrangler.”

It wasn’t a question, exactly, but at least he was talking, so she decided to answer, anyway. “No. No, I’m not. I’m a counselor, actually.”

“A what?”

“Redemption Ranch isn’t exactly a cattle operation. Well, there is plenty of stock to care for, as I’m sure you’ve seen, but there’s much more going on around here than that. Alexis brings in youth who’ve gotten into minor trouble with the law. Instead of community service cleaning trash off the highways, they come here to learn honest work and real love.”

Those words sounded wonderful and positive in theory. If only they worked out so well in practice—but they didn’t. Not always. She would have liked to think she made a difference in the girls’ lives, but sometimes everything she gave just wasn’t enough.

“Juvenile delinquents?”

Tessa chuckled. “That’s one way of putting it.”

“I don’t get it.” He shoved his fingers through his thick blond hair and shook his head. “I thought you wanted to be a lawyer.”

“Daddy wanted me to be a lawyer.” That was a topic for a different discussion, and she wasn’t going to get into that with him now. “When I went to college, I discovered my real interest lay in psychology. I received my master’s degree and then returned to Serendipity to work here at Redemption Ranch.”