Sheri WhiteFeather - Coming Home to a Cowboy

“Yeah, and once they see me, their tongues are really going to start wagging. A tall drink of water like me is hard to miss.”

She shot him an amused look. “Did you just refer to yourself as a tall drink of water?”

He shrugged, but he smiled, too. He liked making this kind of banter with her. “That’s what women call me.”

“Really?” Her blue eyes all but sparkled. “What women?”

“The kind who check me out.” He motioned to the house behind them. “I’ll bet there’s a hottie at that window right now, eyeing my butt.”

“I know the hottie who lives there and she’s about eighty years old and plays bingo with my grandmother.”

He laughed and bumped her shoulder. “I play a mean bingo myself.”

She nudged him right back. “Don’t tell Grandma that. She’ll be dragging you to the senior center with her.”

He contemplated what she’d told him earlier, about her grandmother thinking he should have been notified about Cody from the start. “At least Granny is on my side.”

“She’s definitely going to like you.”

“I appreciate that.” He needed an ally. “By the way, I have a gift for Cody in my truck. I didn’t want to show up empty-handed.” He quickly clarified, “And this doesn’t make me like your dad, Bridget. I don’t think giving gifts means that I can neglect my responsibilities as a father. It’s just something I want Cody to have.”

“Okay. I understand. But what is it?”

He decided to keep the details of the gift a mystery. “You’ll just have to wait and see.” As far as he was concerned, he was invoking some of the rights he’d lost and taking his first step toward being a parent. “I shouldn’t have to get your approval every time I give him something.”

“Yes, you should. We should discuss everything that concerns our son.”

“We are discussing it.”

She rolled her eyes, but she let it pass, giving him a taste of freedom. While he was basking in his victory, she redirected his attention.

“Look,” she said. “There’s Cody’s bus.”

Kade spun around and saw the yellow vehicle rolling down the street, and within the beat of his heart, his big, bad confidence flew by the wayside. The man he’d always been, the loner who panicked at the sight of commitment, was as scared as a rabbit on the run. Only he wasn’t running. He was standing there, boots firmly planted, where the bus was preparing to stop.

The first to disembark was a girl, a brunette he guessed to be about Cody’s age. She crossed the street and headed off by herself. The next two kids were also girls, redheads who appeared to be twins. He almost did a double take when he saw them. He figured them for around twelve. They acknowledged Bridget as they passed and gave Kade nosy glances.

Cody appeared at the top of the bus steps, looking exactly like his pictures. His cowlick was misbehaving, causing pieces of his hair to spring in different directions, and as soon as he saw Kade, his mouth fell open.

Another boy, a freckled redhead who resembled the girls who’d just gone by, was behind him saying, “Oh, man. Is that your dad?” and giving him an excited little shove. The driver, a middle-aged woman, reprimanded the ginger-haired boy, who Kade figured was probably the younger brother of the nosy twins.

It was like watching a movie and being part of it at the same time. Cody finally exited the vehicle and walked up to Kade. For a kid who was supposed to be chatty, he was being awfully quiet.

The other boy gawked at them as he made his way down the steps, nearly tripping on the road as his feet hit the ground.

“That’s my friend,” Cody said. “His name is Jason.”

“Hi, Jason.” Kade gave him a quick wave. He’d never expected Cody’s first words to him to be about someone else.

“Hi,” Jason replied with a toothy grin. As he walked off, his smile still in place, he said, “See ya, Cody.”

“Bye.” Cody grinned, too.

And what a smile. Kade could hardly breathe. Should he shake his son’s hand? Lean down to hug him? Smooth his hair?

“You surprised me,” Cody said, staring at him in what could only be described as wonder. By now, more kids were getting off the bus and looking their way.

Kade couldn’t take credit for the surprise. “It was your mom’s idea.”

Cody glanced over at her. “My dad’s really here, and at my bus stop, too, where everyone can see him.”

“Yes, he’s really here.” Bridget came forward. “Why don’t we all go back to the house and I’ll make you guys a snack.”

“Are you hungry?” Cody asked Kade.

Food was the furthest thing from his mind. He was still having trouble breathing. But he didn’t want to put a damper on the mood so he said, “Your mom already fed me earlier, but I can always eat.”

“Me, too.” Cody shifted his backpack. “What’s your favorite food?”

And that was how the Q&A session began. The ten-year-old interviewed him on the walk home, relentless in his pursuit to know his father. Kade could barely keep up with the rapid succession of questions, so he merely spouted whatever came to mind off the top of his head.

“Jeez, kiddo,” his mom said as they entered the front door. “Give the man a chance to think.”

“Am I bugging you?” Cody asked, gazing up at him with soulful eyes.

“No, not at all.” He finally took a chance and touched his son’s hair, smoothing the strands in front, which didn’t do a bit of good. They popped right back up. “You could never bug me.”

“See, Mom?” the youngster said. “He likes me asking him questions.”

Kade looked over at Bridget, feeling beautifully overwhelmed by the child they’d made. Cody Colton Wells was sweet and funny and spirited. She returned his gaze, and they stared at each other over the top of their son’s head.

“I’m going to show Dad my room,” Cody said to her.

Kade’s heart punched his chest. He’d just officially been called Dad.

“Go ahead.” If Bridget noticed, she didn’t let on. But she did give both father and son a wobbly smile. “I’ll cut up some apples and cheese and bring it to you.”

By now, Kade’s appetite was coming back, so the food was starting to sound good. Or maybe it was just the idea of sharing a snack with his kid. Either way, he was up for it.

“Bring us some cookies, too,” Cody said as he tugged Kade down the hall.

“You know better than that,” his mother called back. “You can’t come home and load up on sweets.”

Cody huffed out a breath. “She’s the one who bakes all that stuff, then she gets mad at me if I eat too much of it. She’s kind of strict about other things, too. Maybe you can loosen her up.”

Kade almost laughed. Cody certainly had a way about him. “I don’t know about that, but I wouldn’t mind a few cookies.”

“Dad wants some cookies!” the kid shouted loud enough to rock the house. Then he lowered his voice and gave Kade a lopsided grin. “She can’t refuse now ’cause you’re a guest.”

At that mischief-making moment, Cody reminded him of Meagan when she was the same age. Kade’s sister had been full of spit and vinegar, too. Of course, that wasn’t a good comparison, not now that Meagan was a convict.

Cody’s room consisted of a platform-style bed draped with a brown quilt, a rugged dresser, a student desk, lots of cluttered shelves and a bank of windows with a view of the backyard.

“This is probably the cleanest it’s ever been,” Cody said, repeating what Bridget had mentioned earlier. “Usually I just leave my dirty clothes on the floor instead of putting them in the hamper. Sometimes I leave other stuff on the floor, too, and it drives Mom crazy when she trips over things. You should hear her go off. Grandpa used to say that Mom can curse like a sailor when she thinks no one is listening.” He plopped down on the bed. “But I put everything away since you were coming.”