Cooper lifted his arms as Ben brought over his dinosaur pajamas. “I will, Uncle Will. Me and Papa are so happy you’re here living with us.”
Ben’s heart melted as Cooper thundered over and gave his brother a huge hug. Will ran his hand down the boy’s wet head before picking him up and taking him back to bed. “I am too. We’re going to have ourselves some fun. Your papa and I used to run around buck naked after our baths too, but Reba would chase us with a wooden spoon.”
His son’s eyes got real wide as Ben helped him on with the rest of his clothes. “Did she ever swat you?”
“Nah. She’s more bark than bite, but she could stop you in your tracks when she wanted to.”
“I know!” Cooper exclaimed. “She does that sometimes when I sneak into the kitchen to grab another cookie.”
Tank barked and rushed over to the window, and Ben tensed. She was here.
Finally.
He didn’t know whether to be relieved or more agitated. Now he had to see what she had in mind for living arrangements. His stomach burned at the mere thought of her inviting that giant Scot of hers to live with her in Will’s cabin when Ben had cleared out a place for him in the bunkhouse.
“Your best friend is here, Papa.” Cooper walked over to the window and looked out before turning around, his little angular face all serious now. “Uncle Will said you really missed her while she was gone, and that’s why you haven’t been happy she’s coming back. But maybe you can be now.”
He tried to smile, but his mouth felt frozen on his face.Happy?How could he ever be happy again like he had been with her? He’d been in the grips of the stupidity of youth. Everything had seemed possible back then, even after his mother had left and Sarah had passed. Holding her hand, he’d never imagined the kind of struggle or hurt or lonely nights he’d experienced since she’d left.
Will stepped toward Cooper, blocking his son’s view, for which he was thankful. Ben reminded himself of why Hannah was back. Will wanted her to work with him. Regardless of how tough it was to have her here, he had to remember that and make good on his promise. Besides, it had to get easier, right?
“Your papa is like a horse taking to a new stall,” Will explained. “He needs some time, so we’ll give it to him, won’t we, Cooper?”
“You bet.” He ducked around Will and stood looking up at Ben. “Papa, can I go and give the lady our gift?”
He nodded crisply. “You tell her it’s from both of us, all right? Will, I’ll leave you to talk to them about the living options. I’ll be there in a sec.”
Striding out of the room and down the hall to his bedroom, he suddenly wasn’t sure seeing Hannah tonight would be for the best. He couldn’t take seeing her look at her “work husband” like she had that day nearly two weeks ago. She and Neil didn’t need words to speak.
He and Hannah had been that way.
“Ben,” Will called from the doorway. “What do you want to do?”
Was he being a coward for not going? Or a realist? Narrow line if you asked him. “Tell her I’ll swing by tomorrow and bring Flame. You’re right. They’ll need some reintroducing.”
He would too. He wouldn’t lie to himself and say this would be comfortable for him—this cabin was where he’d thought they would live once they’d married, after all—but life had moved forward, and he’d accepted long ago that he’d never have the chance to love Hannah again.You’ve faced other hurdles, McAllister. You can face this too.
“Ben,” his brother called again. “What did you get her?”
He had to clear his throat. “My allotment of Old Man Roy’s Crispy Spuds.”
Will swallowed thickly. “That’s a mighty fine gift. She loved those more than anything.”
No—once she’d loved him more than anything.
As his brother left him alone in the silence, he put his face in his hands.
Over the years, he’d imagined what would happen if Hannah returned, and his thoughts had never been positive. Yes, deep down, he probably still loved Hannah, but he knew with aching clarity that she would never love him again. Heranger when they’d touched on his marriage to Amber had cemented that.
I hadn’t expected anything different, if I’m honest.So now, the only choice he had was to accept that they were done and to keep focused on Cooper and the Triple M.
Thathe could do.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Her horse hated her.
After waking up early from jet lag, she’d been so excited to head to the barn to see Flame and ride out to visit her sister at the special overlook on Wild Mountain.
