Читать онлайн книгу «The Cowboy′s Twins» автора Deb Kastner

The Cowboy's Twins
Deb Kastner
A Surprise DadRancher Jax McKenna's gotten used to being on his own. Then surprise twin babies—daughters he never knew existed—arrive on his doorstep, and his world goes topsy-turvy. Strong, silent Jax has a way with horses. Not little girls!So when Texas newcomer Faith Duggan steps up to help, he's overwhelmed with gratitude. Faith's following her dream of buying a mustang rescue sanctuary. And she needs Jax, too. But after a tragic accident changed his life forever, Jax isn't used to letting anyone in. Could Faith be the exception…and the partner he’s always searched for?Cowboy Country: Surprise babies lead to unexpected love in Texas


A Surprise Dad
Rancher Jax McKenna’s gotten used to being on his own. Then surprise twin babies—daughters he never knew existed—arrive on his doorstep, and his world goes topsy-turvy. Strong, silent Jax has a way with horses. Not little girls! So when Texas newcomer Faith Duggan steps up to help, he’s overwhelmed with gratitude. Faith’s following her dream of buying a mustang rescue sanctuary. And she needs Jax, too. But after a tragic accident changed his life forever, Jax isn’t used to letting anyone in. Could Faith be the exception…and the partner he’s always searched for?
No. It couldn’t be. It could. Not. Be.
Jax blinked and scrubbed a hand down his face.
There was no mistaking the sound of distinctive, distraught mewling coming from two tiny swaddled infants, bundled into their car seats and blocking the front door of his cabin.
Babies?
He crouched before the baby on his left, gently adjusting the pink blanket covering her and making what he hoped were calming shushing noises. His expertise was horses. He knew zero about babies.
She was incredibly tiny next to his large palm. So vulnerable. So defenseless. He swallowed hard.
Susie had left two helpless infants on his front porch? She’d always been irresponsible and often acted with poor judgment, but this went far beyond the pale even for her.
“Jax?” Faith asked. She knelt before the other baby and gently rocked the seat to calm the infant. “Are these…?”
“I don’t— I’m not—” Jax stammered, his head spinning. His emotions rarely got the better of him. But right now he was fighting with every ounce of his courage against succumbing to the conflicting feelings pelting him.
Shock. Surprise. Anger. Betrayal. Guilt. Pain.
Wonder.
Award-winning author DEB KASTNER lives and writes in beautiful Colorado. Since her daughters have grown into adulthood and her nest is almost empty, she is excited to be able to discover new adventures, challenges and blessings, the biggest of which is her sweet grandchildren. She enjoys reading, watching movies, listening to music, singing in the church choir, and attending concerts and musicals.

The Cowboy’s Twins
Deb Kastner

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
—2 Thessalonians 2:16–17
To my husband, Joe, who demonstrates every day what it means to be a loving, God-fearing man. You are an excellent male role model and I join with your children and grandchildren in proclaiming you the best Daddy and Grampy ever. I couldn’t write these stories about men of faith without you to inspire me.
And to my sister at Happy Haven Farm and Sanctuary, for the work you do rescuing horses (and dogs, and cats, and goats, and everything else with fur). Thank you for all your help with my research into the plight of wild horses. Any mistakes are entirely my own.
Contents
Cover (#u906525a8-b932-555e-915a-3c9d74282967)
Back Cover Text (#ud94f0813-9cd2-5c7b-b67b-7b759675f594)
Introduction (#u69ecc97f-7c2d-5079-a34c-5d1bf1526649)
About the Author (#u15b4a12f-c61f-56e1-95e6-583becc61192)
Title Page (#u812b4c4d-6018-5dcf-9248-c749a3056e07)
Bible Verse (#ued7da073-4f3a-582e-aa28-9834ff2bbbee)
Dedication (#u3591ebf2-8921-5eab-8eb6-fd5f0693e90a)
Chapter One (#u3cd1af0f-9114-542d-8681-c20d4a5227a6)
Chapter Two (#uae493b08-3442-5a62-9d0b-438b12b19f15)
Chapter Three (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Dear Reader (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#ulink_ffd0cf54-6528-5ceb-8420-a4c3ef46e2d3)
There was only one conceivable reason why Jax McKenna would ever consider putting himself at Serendipity, Texas’s Bachelors and Baskets auction like a mule among thoroughbreds—and it wasn’t because his loudmouthed brothers, Slade and Nick, were forcing him into it.
Nor was it the sweet talking of Jo Spencer, the spry, seventy-something redhead who owned the town’s only public eatery, Cup O’ Jo’s Café. She was the one who’d organized the event in the first place and she was pretty much capable of talking anyone into anything—but it hadn’t been necessary this time. Not with Jax.
They all might think they were strong-arming him, but if he hadn’t ultimately made the final decision to do this, he wouldn’t be here, and no amount of coercing or cajoling on their part would have seen him do otherwise.
He’d made the choice to be here because the fundraiser was important to him. He’d do his bit to help it succeed, even if it meant humiliating himself in front of the town. But that didn’t mean he had to be happy about it.
He scoffed quietly and glared at Slade, whose lips twitched to keep back a grin. Jax’s scowl deepened.
“Settle down, people. Settle down.” Jo spoke directly into the microphone, cringed at the earsplitting feedback and flipped it off. It wasn’t as if she needed the thing. Her voice easily carried across the distance of Serendipity, Texas’s community green, where practically everyone in town had gathered for this event. “Time to get this party started.”
Jax crossed his arms over his chest and grunted. Since when was pure torture considered a festive occasion?
Today, apparently.
When the ruckus didn’t immediately subside, old Frank Spencer—Jo’s crotchety husband—put his fingers to his lips and whistled shrilly. “Listen up, folks. The First Annual Bachelors and Baskets Auction is about to begin. Gather ’round, y’all.”
Jax crushed the toe of his tan cowboy boot into the soft grass, wishing he was anywhere else. Where did Jo come up with this silly idea, anyway? It wasn’t like any auction he had ever heard of, although he didn’t know why he was so surprised by the fact. Serendipity wasn’t exactly known for being normal with anything, especially with Jo Spencer at the helm.
What had started out as Jo’s simple if archaic idea to pawn off the single men for money had grown into something much larger and more complex. She might have originally set out to nab the town bachelors, but her idea had spun so far out of control that now nearly every man in town was lined up to strut his stuff, single and married alike. Now, the idea was that the women could bid on men for tasks instead of dates—with the tasks to be determined by the winning bidder.
Want someone to do the cooking for your barbecue party next weekend? Bid on the man with the secret-family-recipe barbecue sauce that he refused to share with a soul. Want someone to fix up that rusting old truck in your barn? Bid on the town mechanic, and he’ll get it running like new. Or go ahead and bid on your husband or sweetheart...and then put him to work. Jax had overheard one woman saying that when she won her husband, she was going to make him clean out the garage, the way he’d been promising to do for the past five years.
The new twist meant that anyone could participate, even if he was already married or dating. Apparently, Jo figured the more men, the more money would be raised, and Jax supposed there was some truth to that. He just wished he wasn’t wrapped up in it. With this many men, did they really need him?
He scoffed under his breath. Tell folks they were meeting for a good cause and they showed up in spades. Actually, just tell people there was a party. Any reason to celebrate was reason enough for Serendipity, and the fact that the auction was to benefit the building fund for the new town council–approved senior center and hospice was icing on the cake. It was a good cause—one close to his heart, which was the only reason Jax had come out this morning.
Not to be outdone, the ladies in town had started offering to bring picnic baskets to share with the men they won in the auction. Then the event had morphed into bachelors and baskets—which was catchy, even if it was far from accurate, since a good half of the men being auctioned off were married or in serious relationships. If nothing else, Jax was looking forward to the food. He never turned down a good meal. Delicious, down-home country cooking. Too bad he had to put himself through such a ridiculous spectacle just to be able to fill his belly.
Slade nudged Jax with his elbow. “Who do you think is gonna bid on you?”
“How should I know?” Jax snapped derisively. He didn’t expect much. He didn’t expect anything at all. Most likely he was going to stand up on the stage and make a fool of himself for nothing. No woman in her right mind would bid on his ugly mug, no matter how worthy the cause.
“I can’t wait to eat Laney’s picnic lunch. She packed fried chicken.” Slade licked his lips in an overstated motion that made Jax want to snort in exasperation. For a moment he wished he were Slade, who knew exactly whom he’d be spending the day with—his wife. Slade and Laney were expecting a child in the fall, a baby sister for two-year-old Brody, but they still acted like a couple of goofy newlyweds.
“You sure she’s gonna bid on you, baby brother?” Nick goaded, bumping Slade’s shoulder with his. “Maybe she’ll take your money and bid on a handsome man—like me, for example.” He chuckled.
Nick was a big bear of a man with a grouchy personality to match, but he knew how to turn on the charm when he wanted to and he was no slouch with the ladies. Laney might favor her own husband over Nick, but there was no doubt Nick would get his fair share of interest at the auction. He’d get bid on, or bought or whatever crazy word they were using for it.
Slade winked and flashed his wedding ring at his brothers. “I have it on good authority that it’s a done deal.”
Jax wanted to slug the self-satisfied look right off Slade’s face. Just because he was happy with his married life didn’t mean the rest of the world had to suffer his gloating. Especially when Slade knew that the topic of marriage was still a tender wound for Jax right now.
Jo pounded a gavel—probably the same one her town-council president husband, Frank, used—on the podium in front of her.
“First up, I’d like to offer Slade McKenna to our viewing public.”
Slade flashed his brothers a confident grin and stepped onto the platform. He tipped his hat to the roaring crowd and then flexed his biceps for good measure.
Seriously? If anyone—anyone—thought Jax was going to get up on that stage and make a raging fool out of himself like his brother was doing...yeah, that was so not happening.
The crowd roared with delight, hooting and hollering. Actually encouraging Slade, as if he needed a bigger ego than he already had.
“Look at the strength in those shoulders,” Jo said, punctuating her statement with a hoot of her own. “Former bull rider and current member of our esteemed police force, Slade will pitch in and use that brawn and brute strength for any project of your choosing. Laney, dear, would you like to open up the bidding?” Jo suggested with a chuckle. “Surely you must want this handsome hunk all to yourself.”
Jax thought it was silly for Laney to bid on her own husband. Slade was pretty much at her beck and call anyway, and all she had to do was smile at him—it didn’t cost her a dime.
“Oh, I have the perfect project for him.” Laney jumped in without a moment’s hesitation. “Dishes and laundry for a month.”
Slade groaned. “Really?”
Jax chuckled. Served his brother right for being so cocky.
“Three hundred dollars,” Laney offered, already halfway up to the podium. There was no question that she was the clear winner of this particular item.
Alexis Haddon, a local rancher and part of the fundraising committee, stood at the foot of the stairs, waiting to pass a lariat to Laney.
“Make it a good one, darlin’,” Slade coaxed his wife with a sideways grin.
She whooped and swung the lariat toward Slade. Jax scoffed under his breath. Laney wouldn’t be able to rope the broad side of a barn with technique like that—or rather, total lack of technique.
She gave her best effort but the lariat soared a good couple of feet past Slade’s head. She yanked on the end of the rope in a vain attempt to correct her overthrow but to no avail. She would have come up empty-handed were it not for Slade’s quick thinking. He dived for the loop and slipped it over his head, then rolled toward her until he was completely wound up in the line.
“Guess you caught me,” Slade said, laughing with the crowd.
Jax shook his head. He had to give his little brother props for putting on a good show. Even when he was little he had loved to be in the limelight, the center of attention. Probably because he was the baby of the family.
Over the din, Frank stepped up to the podium and grabbed the gavel from Jo’s hand, pounding it against the podium. “Now, see here. Jo never even got to say he was sold yet, and y’all are already draggin’ him off the stage? Let’s have some order to these here proceedings.”
Jo snorted and grabbed the gavel back from him. “Go sit down, old man,” she demanded, giving his grizzled cheek an affectionate buss. “Everyone knew from the get-go that Slade’s wife was going to win him. Now you just be good and wait your turn, or your wife might just leave you a-hanging.”
Honestly, Jax didn’t know how Frank and Jo managed to live together without killing one another, but at the heart of it, their unconventional love for each other worked for them.
If Jax had had half the wisdom and foresight that this old couple shared, maybe his own marriage would have—
“Jax McKenna.”
The sound of his name pierced into his thoughts like a dart popping a balloon.
Nick gave him a none-too-gentle shove. “You’re up, bro. Go get ’em.”
“No, I—” Jax protested. He wasn’t ready to be paraded around like a piece of prime horseflesh. Not that he would ever be ready to face this moment, but he’d at least hoped to have a little more time to get used to the idea, to see how it went with some of the other guys before it was his turn to go.
With reluctant steps he dragged himself onto the platform, his jaw, his fists and his stomach clenched so tight he thought he might be sick. Folks were staring at him, and though the rational part of him knew that he was imagining it, he felt as if everyone’s gaze was glued to the ragged scar that ran from the corner of his mouth to his left temple.
He’d never been overly concerned about his appearance—at least not until after his face had been scarred in an accident and his wife, Susie, had left him for another man. The pain of his divorce was still too fresh for him to ignore, on top of the pain of the scars that marked him both inside and out, marring his features, badly damaging his hearing and shattering his confidence in himself. Everything combined to make participating in this auction all the more excruciating, no matter how good the cause.
He turned and started back the way he came. They had plenty of guys willing and able to compete in the auction. They would do just fine without him. He wouldn’t fetch much of a price, anyway.
“Jackson Daniel McKenna, you freeze right where you are.” Jax might be deaf in one ear, but that was no obstacle to Jo Spencer. Jax firmly believed her voice was loud enough and powerful enough to pierce through a stone wall, if she set her mind to it. And in this instance, it stopped him dead in his tracks. She was like a second mother to most of the town, Jax included, and her tone brooked no nonsense, making him feel as if he was a troublemaking five-year-old all over again.
“Turn your cute little fanny around and get on back over here, son. We need all the genuine bachelors we can get in this here auction. There might be a lady out there who’s just been waiting for an opportunity like this to get to know you, handsome fellow that you are.”
Jax flinched inwardly. He was one bachelor Serendipity could do without.
But denying Jo what she wanted? He couldn’t do that, especially in front of a crowd. He was painfully aware he was making an even bigger spectacle of himself by balking on the stage.
“Yes, ma’am,” he muttered, heading toward the front of the stage, dragging his feet with every step. When he got there, he stood stock-still, as if he was facing a firing squad. It kind of felt that way. There was no laughter or cheers this time, as there had been with his brother. That was fine by Jax. He might have to give in to Jo’s prodding, but he would not—not—flex his muscles the way Slade had done. He pulled the brim of his tan cowboy hat down lower over his eyes and jammed his hands in the front pockets of his blue jeans for good measure.
“Who is going to start the bidding for us today on this fine specimen of a man?” She gestured for him to pose like Slade had done but Jax ignored her. “Just look at the size of him. Which lovely young lady out there has some heavy lifting they need Jax here to do for them?”
The assembly was deathly silent—exactly as Jax had expected. No surprise there. He could hear his own breath, loud and ragged, scratching through the hush of the crowd.
He wanted to curl in on himself, but instead he straightened his shoulders. He wouldn’t cower, nor would he let anyone know how difficult this was for him. If he stood still long enough, the charade would play itself out and be over in a minute.
No one would bid on him. He’d swallow his pride and humiliation and go back to his ranch where he belonged. At least there he could find a semblance of peace among his award-winning herd of quarter horses, bred and trained for the rodeo circuit.
“Don’t tell me there’s not a-one of you ladies out there who needs a few chores done around your houses or ranches—something that requires a big, strapping man? Moving boxes, maybe? Bales of hay?”
Still nothing. Just the rustling sound of a few awkwardly shifting feet. A cough or two.
Jax caught Jo’s gaze, silently begging her to shoot him now and put him out of his misery. Honestly, he’d be willing to cough up a couple of hundred bucks out of his own pocket if it meant he could just walk away.
Jo frowned, lifted her chin and shook her head.
Stubborn old woman.
“I know most of y’all already know this about him, but he’s a wonder with horses. Top-notch. Anyone have a horse that needs training?”
This was ridiculous. Jax had had enough, and no doubt the crowd had, too. They were a nice enough bunch and they were probably feeling a whole lot of sorry for him right now.
Well, he didn’t want their pity.
“Five,” came a sweet, soft soprano located somewhere near the back of the crowd. Jax didn’t believe he recognized the woman’s voice, which was odd, since he knew most everyone in the small town.
“I’m sorry, dear,” Jo said, cupping a hand to her ear. “You’ll have to speak up. I couldn’t quite make out what you said.”
“Five,” the voice repeated, stronger and nearer to the platform now. “Hundred. Dollars. Five hundred dollars for the cowboy.”
Half a grand? For him?
Jax scanned the crowd until his gaze locked on the clearest, most sparkling hazel eyes he’d ever seen. The gaze belonged to a tall, lithe, blond-haired young lady who’d finally managed to work her way to the front of the crowd.
He’d definitely never seen her before. No way would he forget the kind of beauty she possessed. She looked as if she’d just walked off the cover of one of those fancy New York fashion magazines. Dressed that way, too, with a poofy purple scarf wound multiple times around her supple neck, a silky emerald shirt and designer jeans that emphasized her long legs but had definitely never seen the back of a horse. Most telling were her three-inch spiked heels that sunk into the soft grass with every step.
The woman actually had cash in her hand—five crisp Benjamin Franklins, which she waved in the air like a flag.
“Five hundred dollars,” she repeated for the third time. “But please, don’t make me lasso the poor man.”
* * *
The woman operating the cash box flashed Faith Dugan a welcome smile as Faith pressed five hundred-dollar bills into her palm. She hadn’t had time to visit the local branch of Serendipity’s bank to establish a checking account, and she felt awkward waving around that kind of cash. Apparently, she looked awkward, too—which she imagined was the reason all eyes were now upon her.
That and the fact that she was a newcomer in a crowd of people who had no doubt been born and raised in this town. Serendipity, Texas, wasn’t the kind of place folks moved in and out of. She was the exception. And she seemed to have shocked everyone by shelling out five hundred dollars for the brooding cowboy.
Faith wasn’t trying to impress anyone. She just needed help rebuilding her newly purchased ranch property, which she hoped soon would be a bona fide mustang rescue.
“You’re new in town?” the woman asked. “Jo mentioned we had a new resident. I’m glad to meet you. I’m Alexis Haddon. You’re going to love living in Serendipity.” To Faith’s surprise, Alexis pulled her into an exuberant hug, as if they were old friends. She’d had plenty of smiles and welcomes in the few days she’d been in town. Folks around here sure were outgoing and friendly. It was nothing like large, busy and somewhat impersonal Hartford, Connecticut, where she’d been born and raised.
“Thank you.” Faith hoped her response to Alexis’s hug didn’t appear as awkward as she felt. “I’m Faith Dugan. I just bought the Dennys’ old property.”
Excitement bubbled up inside her every time she thought about her plans for the place, but she bit her tongue to keep from bursting out her intentions. Now was hardly the time to get into her reasons for settling in town.
Alexis blew out a low whistle. “I’d heard that someone had picked up the place. You sure chose a fixer-upper. I hope you enjoy a challenge. Old man Denny was an eighty-five-year-old widower, and his health got so poor that he couldn’t work the place himself for the last ten years of his life. He didn’t have any family, and he was in a senior center in San Antonio for the last couple of years. His ranch just sat there vacant. Such a shame.”
Despite her eagerness for the project, Faith cringed inwardly at the reminder of the size of the task ahead of her. She’d been evaluating the ranch for repairs, but she’d hoped it wasn’t in quite as bad of shape as it seemed. Apparently, her assessment had been fairly accurate. There was a reason the asking price for the property had been well under market value. It was going to take a lot of work to get her new ranch into running condition so she could host the herd of wild mustangs she intended to save.
But that was fine—she was up for the challenge. She wasn’t going to let a little hard work put her off her dreams.
“People like Mr. Denny are the reason we’re holding the auction today,” Alexis went on. “So we can build a senior center and hospice here in town. Poor Mr. Denny wouldn’t have had to have spent his last years so far away from the town he was born and raised in if we’d had a facility available. It wouldn’t have made any difference to the state of his ranch, of course, but he could have come to church, spent time with some familiar faces. Serendipity folk like to take care of their own.”
“It’s a good cause,” Faith agreed, offering up a silent prayer for Mr. Denny, the poor man who’d died alone, far from his home. She knew what it felt like to be lonely.
“We appreciate your generosity, bidding in our auction,” Alexis continued with her vibrant, upbeat chatter, “especially since you’re a newcomer. I’m sure your neighbors will be around to introduce themselves to you if they haven’t already. Everyone is a friend here. As an added bonus, you’ve won Jax. You’ve made a good choice. He’s a big ol’ brute, but don’t let that scare you off. He has a heart of gold and those muscles of his were earned through hard labor. He knows ranching backward and forward. I’m sure you’ll find plenty of uses for him at the ranch.”
Faith wasn’t certain how Jax would feel about Alexis’s summation of his capabilities and value. Faith had a hard time picturing Jax with a heart of gold given the sheen of ice obscuring his dark brown eyes.
She didn’t require his heart for this job, nor did she have any interest in what color it was. What she needed was a pair of strong arms and maybe some good advice from someone who knew his way around a ranch. Jo had mentioned Jax was good with horses. If he could also pound nails and mend fences, so much the better.
She would have had to hire someone to do the work, anyway. How awesome was it that her money would be doing double duty? She’d get the help she needed—for a little while, anyway—and the town would get its senior center built.
Win, win.
Though poor Jax sure didn’t seem to think he’d won anything.
He definitely hadn’t looked as if he’d wanted to be standing on a platform hawking himself, but she was sure he hadn’t been able to say no to gregarious, winsome Jo any more than Faith had. It was Jo who had convinced her it would be worthwhile to attend the auction today, to bid for one of the local men to help her clean up her run-down property. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but in hindsight, she now decided she must have been clean out of her mind to have bid on a perfect stranger—one who had looked large and intimidating even from a distance.
Jax exited the stage, taking the stairs one slow step at a time, his gaze narrowed onto her and he frowned. The reluctance with which he moved to her side was palpable.
Now, as he approached her, intimidated didn’t even begin to cover what she was feeling. At five feet ten inches in her bare feet—and three inches taller than that at the moment, thanks to her heels—Faith wasn’t in any way diminutive. She was taller than most women and many men, but Jax towered over her.
Faith found it hard to believe that Jo had had the audacity to call him out by his given and middle names together, reminding her of the way a mother would scold an errant youngster climbing a tree. And right in front of the whole town, to boot. Jo and Jax must have a special relationship, because Faith had been shocked down to her shoes when Jax had turned around and returned to the platform just as Jo had asked.
Yet he was no wayward child. Far from it. If she had to guess, she’d put him a few years older than her own twenty-seven years. Thirty-ish. She judged him to be over two hundred pounds of raw muscle and a good six feet four inches tall, cartoonishly huge next to Jo’s five-feet-nothing. He dwarfed the friendly redhead.
Unlike the guy who’d come before him, he hadn’t even needed to flex for her—er—for the crowd to appreciate the strength of his broad shoulders and powerful biceps. Now in closer proximity, she inhaled the smell of him—all leather and raw man. Just the way he looked. The crazy thing was, that heady scent wasn’t unpleasant. Quite the opposite, in fact.
If it weren’t for the scar on his face, she’d have thought he’d walked right out of an advertisement for aftershave or something else meant to be rugged and manly. Though honestly, the ragged, puckered scar that slashed across the man’s temple didn’t bother her as much as the fact that he appeared to be glowering. Not at her, thankfully, but at a couple of sturdy cowboys standing together near the other side of the stage. The guy who’d been bid on first was there, his arm curved familiarly around his wife’s waist. The other fellow, a big bear of a man whom Faith immediately dubbed Grizzly Adams, was grinning as if he’d triumphed in a race.
Jax’s brothers, were Faith to guess. The family resemblance was striking in their similar strong features—the dark wavy hair and chiseled jaws.
Alexis gave Faith’s shoulder an encouraging pat and turned back to the auction, where the next bachelor had broken into an impromptu round of “Home on the Range,” presumably to impress the ladies with his vocal capabilities. Faith thought perhaps the guy should have chosen another talent to display. Singing in tune didn’t appear to be part of his skill set. To Faith’s ears, he sounded a bit like a crowing rooster, but she supposed it was the thought that counted. For some inexplicable reason the crowd was encouraging the poor bachelor, which only made him bellow all the louder.
She turned her attention to Jax. He was watching the guy on stage, but he didn’t appear to care one way or another about the assault on his ears. She observed him quietly, hoping to discern what he might be thinking by the look on his face. She could read nothing in his expression. It wasn’t empty so much as—hard. Frozen solid, like the frost in his eyes. His body language was equally as closed off, with his arms crossed over the bulk of his chest.
“So,” she said, not at all certain how to start a conversation with him. “I brought a picnic basket full of goodies so we can share lunch together.” She knew she was rambling but didn’t seem to know how to stop. “I thought Jo’s idea was a clever twist to the event, allowing everyone to participate in one way or another. Men, women, singles and married alike. Don’t you think?”
He didn’t respond, not even to acknowledge that she’d spoken to him. He hadn’t even bothered to turn his head in her direction.
“Jax?” She touched his elbow to get his attention.
He turned, his piercing, chocolate-brown eyes shifting to hers and widening in surprise, as if he’d forgotten she was there.
Maybe he had.
“I—er—” she stammered. “Did you want to stay and watch the rest of the auction?”
Jax snorted. “Thank you, no. I am so done with this stupid event.”
Faith smiled. “I thought you might be. I certainly wouldn’t want to have to put myself up for display on the auction block, but I appreciate your sacrifice for the sake of the senior center building fund.”
“Oh, believe me, I felt like a sacrifice. The lamb-to-the-slaughter kind.” Jax grinned, his smile made slightly crooked by the tension created by his scar, which pulled the left side of his mouth higher than the right. It would have looked a bit like a grimace, except that his eyes were gleaming with amusement. “Thanks for rescuing me.”
“My pleasure.” Her cheeks warmed. She couldn’t imagine why his words would make her blush. She swallowed and quickly recovered her composure. She pointed down the lawn. “I set my picnic basket under that oak tree over there. Are you hungry?”
A laugh that sounded a little bit like a growl emerged from deep in his chest. “I’m always hungry.”
Well, duh. She should have guessed that. Put fur on the guy and he could probably pass for Bigfoot. Of course he was hungry.
“I hope I packed enough.”
His right brow arched and the strained half grin returned.
She was already blushing, but now heat rushed to her face and spread to her cheeks like a wildfire. Had she just said those words out loud?
Open mouth, insert foot. Way to go, Faith. Insult the man ten seconds after meeting him.
She quickly tried to recover, feeling as if she were scrambling backward as she stammered her way through her sentence. “Oh, n-no. That’s not what I intended to say. My words didn’t come out right at all. I—I only meant—”
He held up one large work-calloused hand to stem the flow of her sputtering words. “It’s okay, ma’am. Whatever you’ve brought will be just fine, I’m sure. I’m not a difficult man to please.”
“Please call me Faith,” she urged, brushing her suddenly sweaty palms against the denim of her designer skinny jeans.
Acquiring new, more practical boot-cut jeans was on her priority list of things to do now that she was finally here in Serendipity. And as much as she loved her Jimmy Choos, her good pair of cowboy boots would have been much more sensible for the occasion. She was practically aerating the park grass with her three-inch spikes.
“Faith,” he repeated, his rich, lyrical voice making her name sound like a musical note. “I’m Jax McKenna, and apparently I am at your service.”
“It’s nice to officially meet you, Jax.” She held out her hand and he dwarfed it in his own. Again she had the impression of hard work and calluses, a complete contrast to her own lotion-softened, office-cubicle working hands.
That will change. Soon.
She’d spent the last few years working in accounting for a non-profit organization to save up the money for her horse sanctuary. Mere months from now she hoped and prayed that her palms would likewise carry the blisters of hard country labor. She could barely wait for that day, anticipating it like a child would Christmas morning. She was a city girl with a country heart.
“Here we are,” she said, gesturing to a rather plain-looking brown wicker basket lingering next to the trunk of an oak, shaded from the glare of the sun by the old tree’s branches. As she looked around at the other baskets dotting the lawn, she couldn’t help but feel a little bit embarrassed. Her own meager offering looked so bare and ordinary next to the others. Many of the women had decorated their baskets with colorful plumes and ribbons. She wished she’d thought of that—especially because the man she’d be sharing a meal with looked as if he could use a few kindhearted gestures. But on the other hand, he didn’t seem like the sort of man who’d really be comfortable with something dolled up and fancy. Maybe plain was best, after all.
Without speaking, Jax crouched over the basket, withdrawing a blue-checked plastic tablecloth that had been the best Faith could do under the circumstances. She’d arrived in Serendipity only two days ago and hadn’t learned of the auction until the day prior.
How she’d come to bet on this particular tall, sturdy cowboy was a mystery even to her. It was nothing more than a gut feeling, but she’d learned over the years to follow those silent promptings.
Thankfully, the man with the rooster voice had stopped singing, but the crowd was still hooting and hollering in the background. Jax didn’t seem to notice, nor, apparently, did he want to wait for the rest of the town to finish with the auction before he and Faith started on their picnic.
He spread the tablecloth across the grass and gestured for her to sit. Then he pulled out plates and silverware and popped the top of a cola can before offering it to her.
“Thanks,” she said, dropping onto the far corner of the plastic and folding her legs under her. “Although I feel like I ought to be doing the serving,” she said as he inspected the club sandwiches she’d made for the occasion. At least she’d used foot-long sub buns and loaded the sandwiches with meat, cheese and veggies. Dagwood would be proud of her creation.
Jax glanced up at her, and the unscarred side of his lips curled upward. Close to a smile, at any rate. Faith would take it.
“You paid for my time,” he reminded her. “I figured now is as good a time as any to start working off my—” He paused and bent his head as he considered how best to finish the sentence.
“Community service?” she suggested, chuckling at the double meaning.
“Yeah. That.” He wasn’t laughing.
“I—uh—okay, right,” she stammered. She didn’t usually stutter like a schoolgirl with her first crush. If she didn’t get a hold of her tongue soon, he would think he was working for an idiot.
His gaze had returned to the basket, giving Faith a modicum of reprieve. She took a deep, calming breath. There was no reason spending time with this man should visibly shake her, and the sooner she got comfortable around him, the better. After all, if he was as good with horses as Jo claimed, she hoped she might be able to convince him to stretch out his community service and continue working with her until her project was—if not finished, then a great deal closer than it was right now.
Then again, maybe he was expecting nothing more than to provide one day’s labor. No one had really set the guidelines for what happened after the auction, or at least nothing that Faith had heard.
“There are canisters of potato salad and barbecue baked beans, as well,” she added, relieved when her voice came out sounding normal. “I’m not much of a cook, but I made them myself. The beans are an old family recipe. Back home we called them Cowboy Beans.” The thought struck her as funny and she chuckled.
“Well, that’s fittin’.” He pulled out the plastic container of beans and scooped a heaping portion onto each of their plates. “Where’s home?”
He sounded genuinely interested, putting her more at ease. She leaned back on her hands. “I was born out east. Connecticut. I attended college in Wyoming. That’s where I got interested in horses.” It was also where she’d met...
She cut the thought off firmly, refusing to let her mind wander in that direction again. It still hurt to think about Keith and his son. She coughed, realizing Jax was speaking and she’d missed what he’d just said. “I’m sorry. My mind wandered for a second there. What did you say?”
His dark eyebrows lowered over stormy brown eyes. He assessed her, the working side of his lip curving into a frown. “Nothing important. Just that there’s good horse country out in Wyoming. Potato salad?”
“Yes, please.” She was relieved that he didn’t push her on what had caused her distraction. She wasn’t ready to talk about Keith, or about his precious son.
They ate in silence for a while, each lost in thought. As the auction continued, more people moved to the green, milling around them, talking and laughing. Some even stopped to introduce themselves. Faith should have been happy to be so welcomed by her new community, but her empty chest echoed with the sounds.
Before she knew it, Jax had cleaned his plate—not once, but twice, leaving her glad she’d thought to pack extra. Jo Spencer had advised her on the eating habits of the Texas male, and Jax was no slouch in that department.
“If you don’t mind me asking—why?” Jax’s voice had a hard edge to it, and he didn’t quite meet her gaze.
“Why?” she repeated, bracing herself. She wasn’t ready for him to elaborate on his question, to have to explain why a city woman wanted to open up a mustang sanctuary in the country, but sometimes there was no way out but through.
“Yeah. Why?” He lifted his tan cowboy hat and brushed his forearm across his brow. “Why did you bid on me?”
Her heart skipped a beat. Why had she bid on him?
“You mean why did I bid in the auction in general, or why bid for you, specifically?”
He shrugged. “Both, I guess.”
The truth was, he’d looked miserable up on the auction block, especially when there was hesitation from the crowd on bidding for him. She couldn’t imagine why that was. Despite his scar, he was quite handsome, if a woman liked her men strong and rugged. Faith would have expected the town’s single ladies to be shouting over each other in order to get a chance to spend time with this guy.
And yet there had been silence. The drop-of-a-pin kind.
Maybe it was too early in the game. Jax was only the second man to be auctioned, and the first bachelor. Perhaps the ladies were waiting to see who else was offering their services. Or maybe there was something about Jax that Faith didn’t yet know about, such as that he was conceited or had a bad temper.
She hoped not, but she was about to find out— because Jax was frowning again.
“Look—I don’t want your pity,” he said, his voice husky.
“What? No.”
“Are you seriously going to sit there and tell me you didn’t feel sorry for this scarred old monster? Because I won’t believe you.”
“I was standing at the back of the crowd. I couldn’t even see your scar.”
He shook his head. “That’s even worse.”
Now she was the one feeling insulted. “Why? You think I’m so shallow that I would want to bow out of our agreement just because of a gash on your face?”
He scoffed. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
She heard the bitterness behind his words. Someone in his past had injured him deeply. The wound in his heart was deeper than the one on his face.
“Well, that’s not me. I came here today looking for someone to help me with my ranch. I bought the Dennys’ old place, and it will take a lot of labor to get it in working order. If you’re going to pitch in, then I couldn’t care less what you look like. Wear a paper bag over your face, if you like. It won’t matter to me. I’ll take all the help I can get.”
His jaw lost its tightness at the welcome change of subject. He whistled softly.
“That place is pretty run-down. What do you plan to do with it?”
“I’m going to save wild mustangs.” Her voice rose in pitch as enthusiasm for her life’s dream engulfed her.
His gaze turned skeptical and his lips quirked. “Are you serious?”
Of course she was serious. Ever since she’d heard of the plight of wild mustangs as a child, she’d had it in her heart to take action, to make a difference. That’s why she’d left the East Coast and picked a college in Wyoming. For a while, life had gotten in the way and she’d set aside her dreams. But after what happened with Keith—she refused to dwell on that part of her life—she’d started making legitimate plans to fulfill her goals, and now here she was, in Serendipity, a brand-new owner of a ranch, however derelict it was.
Baby steps.
“You doubt me?”
He leaned his back against the solid trunk of the oak and stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankles, and giving her a once-over that sent chills down her spine.
His gaze lingered on her shoes.
“Forgive me if I’m a little bit skeptical. You’re clearly a city girl. What do you know about ranching?”
The only reason she didn’t punch him in the arm for his sarcasm—apart from not really knowing the man and how he’d react to that kind of attack—was that his words were lined with amusement. Hopefully not at her expense.
“All right. I’ll admit I was born and raised in a metropolitan area and have never lived on a ranch. However, I have spent several years volunteering at a wild-horse sanctuary. I realize I’m on a learning curve here, but I have read a lot and my bachelor’s degree is in business management with a minor in conservation and environmental science. I’ve done a lot of studying on the subject. Wyoming isn’t tolerant of wild horses.”
He snorted. “You’ve read about it? Like in a library? And you think a little piece of paper somehow makes you qualified to manage a horse farm? With wild mustangs, no less. Exactly how many wranglers do you intend to hire?”
She shook her head. She was afraid this subject might come up. “None. At least at first. I’m working to find like-minded donors to help me reach my vision, but until more funds come in, I can’t afford to hire any help.”
“You’re doing this alone?”
“Well, not all alone, obviously. I have you, don’t I? At least for a little while? I don’t think we’ve talked about the length of your—indenture.”
“I think most guys are going a month of weekends.”
“That’ll do. You can show me how to get the ranch up to scratch. I’m a fast learner.”
“You’re going to have to be, because fixing up the ranch won’t be your only obstacle. Just how much experience do you have with mustangs? I’ve spent my whole life working with horses, and they still surprise me from time to time. Wild mustangs? That’s a whole other thing.”
“Yes, but they need my help.” Her pulse quickened as adrenaline blasted through her and her spirit lifted. For a moment Jax’s words and attitude had discouraged her, but then she remembered how many ways the Lord had come through for her. He’d guided her to Jax. She didn’t believe in coincidences.
“You train horses, then?” She wanted specifics.
“Quarter horses for ranching and rodeo.” His eyes gleamed with pride. It appeared they shared a love of horses. She just had to convince him she was serious in her intentions.
“I’d love to see your herd.”
His gaze widened epically and Faith choked on her breath. Had she just invited herself over to his property? Heat flared to her cheeks.
To her surprise, he nodded. “Sure. Why not? If you don’t have any other plans this afternoon, we can head on over there after we’ve finished eating. Give you the opportunity to see a working ranch in action and get up close and personal with a real, live horse.”
“Excuse me?” she huffed. “I’ve been around horses, thank you very much—and ranches, too. I worked at a ranch every summer while I was in college, and since I graduated, I’ve been volunteering weekends at Mustang Mission. I’m not the greenhorn you seem to think I am.”
“Your shoes would suggest otherwise.”
She chuckled. “Hey. I wasn’t planning to go riding today. I’m new in town. I had to guess at the dress code. For all I knew this auction would be a black-tie event. Were we in a larger metropolitan area it probably would have been tuxes and cocktail dresses.”
A rich, deep laugh rumbled through his chest. “In Serendipity, honey, we have exactly two dress codes. Go-to-church clothes and everything else. If you ever have a doubt, dress casual.”
He tipped his hat and her heart purred. This was where she wanted to be. In the country, with real horses, real cowboys and a real chance to make a difference. Not back home where no one—except her friends at Mustang Mission—seemed to understand what she wanted to achieve.
This was home. She felt it in every fiber of her being.
Now she just had to convince her new neighbors—and the possibly hostile cattle community—that she and her mustangs belonged there.
Chapter Two (#ulink_90388183-eeda-57c6-b4bb-bcf4cbdf268c)
Jax’s phone trilled. He slipped it out of the plain black leather case he wore on his belt, glanced at the number and scowled.
Susie.
“Now why would she...?” The rest of his sentence trailed off into puzzled silence. He grimaced. His ex-wife was the last person he wanted to talk to, especially today. Faith had somehow, although he had no idea how, gotten him out of his own head for a while. He’d actually been enjoying himself for a change, and that had happened far too little in his life in the nine months since Susie left him.
Count on Susie to dump ice water on his good mood. Without even answering the phone, he sensed she was about to completely ruin what up until now had been a perfectly good day.
It just figured.
He cupped his hand over the receiver and flashed Faith an apologetic shrug.
“Excuse me just a moment, will you, Faith? I’d better take this. It’s my ex-wife on the line.”
“Of course,” she said with an encouraging smile. “Take all the time you need.”
He strode a few steps away from Faith and held the phone to his ear, trying not to grit his teeth when he spoke.
“Did you need something?” Jax didn’t bother with pleasantries. He couldn’t imagine what she wanted. He’d already done what he could for her. He hadn’t contested the divorce, hadn’t protested the way she’d taken almost everything of value from the house when she left, hadn’t even argued over the amount of money she’d taken from their shared accounts—though he remained deeply grateful that the ranch’s accounts were separate and that she hadn’t been able to access them. She’d drained away everything she could from him, including his confidence and pride, until the love he’d once felt for her had withered into dust. He had nothing left to give her.
So why was she contacting him now?
“Are you at the house?”
“No, I’m not.” He started to tell her he was at the auction but then cut his words short. His shoulders tightened with strain and his gut squeezed so forcefully he could barely breathe. He didn’t have to answer to her, not about his whereabouts or any other part of his life.
Besides, Susie didn’t even live in Serendipity anymore. She despised the small town in which she’d been born and raised. She probably didn’t even know about the auction, seeing as it was the first—and Jax hoped only—one ever.
“Why are you asking? Are you in town? Do you need to see me for something?” Had there been some kind of legal hang-up? He hoped not. He’d thought the divorce was a done deal.
“Go home. Now.”
“What?” Jax asked, his voice a low rumble. He didn’t care for the way she was ordering him around.
“Just go.” She sounded a little desperate.
“Wait—” Heat flared through him in a flash of foreboding and he muttered something unintelligible under his breath. “Susie? Susie?”
Dead air met his ear and he glanced at the face of his phone. She’d hung up on him. Tried to boss him around and then hung up on him. He growled and pressed the redial button but the call went straight to voice mail.
“Are you okay?” Faith asked when he returned to the picnic blanket and slumped to his knees, bracing his hands on his thighs and breathing raggedly. Her gaze looked troubled, though why she should care was beyond him.
He lifted his hat by the crown and shoved his fingers through his thick, unmanageable hair, then replaced it and pulled the brim low over his eyes to shadow his scar.
“Yeah,” he answered with a clipped nod. His pulse was still thundering and the notion that something was amiss continued to hover over him like a storm cloud. “Well, no. Not really. To tell you the truth, I’m not sure.”
She remained silent while Jax worked through his thoughts, her gaze more compassionate than curious. He appreciated that she didn’t try to push him to speak before he was ready.
Go home. Now.
He thought about just ignoring Susie’s words and going back to his very pleasant picnic, but there was something off in her tone. Desperate. A sharp edge in his gut nagged at him, obliging him to change his plans.
“I hate to rush you, but would you mind if we pack up our picnic and take off now?”
“Sure thing,” she said, reaching for the plastic lids to cover the leftover potato salad and baked beans. “Not a problem. I hope everything is okay.”
“Thanks.” He was already haphazardly folding the checked tablecloth and stuffing it into the picnic basket along with the plates and napkins Faith handed to him. His ex-wife’s words echoed through him, rattling his cage.
He frowned. He wouldn’t give her the gratification of knowing how rough these months had been. He wasn’t certain he could face her now, but that’s what she must have meant—that she was waiting for him at the house. But if she had something to tell him, why couldn’t she have just said it over the phone?
Faith touched his forearm. When he turned and met her gaze, she was looking at him expectantly. Clearly, she’d asked him a question and he hadn’t responded.
It wasn’t the first time he’d found himself in this position. He floundered through the options but came up with too many possibilities for him to narrow down. What had she asked him about?
The auction? The picnic? His ex?
He generally tried to stay on the offensive when it came to his hearing deficiency. After his accident he’d lost nearly 100 percent of his hearing in his left ear. He’d become proficient at lipreading and responding to subtle body-language cues. Most of the time it was enough to get by, although he hated that he occasionally gave the wrong answer or said something that didn’t fit in the conversation.
It was an embarrassing disability and one he didn’t like to talk about. Few in town even knew about it.
His family—his mom and his two brothers, Nick and Slade—were patient with him, understanding his dilemma. He’d become kind of a recluse after the accident—after Susie left. He emerged only for Sunday services at church and the occasional necessary trip to town for supplies. He was quick to leave church right afterward, not staying around to socialize, and he’d quit stopping in at Cup O’ Jo’s Café to catch up on the news.
“I’m sorry, what?” he asked Faith after an extended pause, smiling apologetically and hoping she wouldn’t catch on to his disability. It was bad enough having hearing loss without having to talk about it. Though he’d kept his condition mostly secret, he knew that deafness—even only partial deafness—made many folks uneasy.
“I asked if you’d rather that I make my visit to your ranch another day. It sounds like you’ve got your hands full right now.”
He immediately shook his head. “No. Please. I’m anxious to show you my herd.”
He did want to show her his prize-winning horses, but at the moment he just felt the overwhelming need for backup in case Susie was there. Better not to be alone in that case. Having someone else around might keep her from making a scene. He could ask one of his brothers, but there was no sense interrupting their day when Jax and Faith had already made plans together.
Besides, it was probably nothing.
“Okay, then. I’ll come with you,” she said, her voice just a hair too high and bright. “If you don’t mind my asking, though—why the sudden hurry?”
“My ex-wife just called. Said I needed to hurry home. Honestly, I don’t know what she’s up to, but I figured I’d better find out.”
“I see.” Faith nodded, but thankfully didn’t ask any more probing questions to which he didn’t have any answers.
They loaded the picnic basket in the bed of Jax’s truck and drove back toward his ranch. He clenched his fists on the steering wheel and forced himself to breathe evenly, concentrating on tamping back the fury burning in his chest. He thought he was over feeling anything when it came to Susie. He’d been on his knees dozens of times praying he could forgive her for the hurt she’d caused him.
Apparently, he hadn’t prayed hard enough.
He barely registered it when he turned into the long gravel driveway that housed the Circle M ranch. His mother, Alice, a recent widow, lived in the main ranch house, while Jax and Nick held separate residences on the land, smaller cabins that better fit their bachelor status. Slade had moved to the Beckett ranch next door when he’d married Laney.
He pulled up before his cabin, expecting to see Susie’s red AWD parked in front, or worse yet, a courier with more unpleasant papers to sign. He scanned the area for an unfamiliar vehicle but didn’t find one. He’d seen a truck kicking up dust on the road that led to the Circle M, but it hadn’t occurred to him that it might be Susie. He’d seen only the back of the relatively new blue pickup, but now that he thought about it, it had appeared to be exceeding the speed limit on its way out of town.
Great. What was Susie up to, anyway? He was going to be good and angry if she’d pulled him away from the picnic and the nicest day he’d had in—well, he couldn’t remember how long—for no good reason.
Oh, who was he kidding? He was good and angry now.
He hopped out of the cab and hurried around to open up the door for Faith. It wasn’t just that his mama had taught him to be a gentleman. With those ridiculously high heels she was wearing, she was bound to take a digger if she tried to get down by herself. He was having a hard enough day without becoming responsible for the impractically dressed woman twisting her ankle.
She smiled up at him gratefully as he grasped her tiny waist and lifted her from the cab. She reached for his shoulders to maintain her balance, and his hands lingered on her waist.
Their eyes met and held, and her cheeks turned a pretty shade of rose before she cleared her throat and stepped away from him, her gaze shifting from his face to the front of his cabin.
“What a lovely place,” she complimented. “Your cabin looks like it belongs in a magazine.”
He cringed inwardly. It only now occurred to him that he might not want to invite her inside. He couldn’t remember if he’d picked up his laundry or not, and he had a bad habit of leaving his soiled socks where he shed them, not to mention a week’s worth of dirty dishes he had piled in the sink. He didn’t have a dishwasher and usually got to washing the dishes only when he didn’t have anything left to eat on.
He was busy formulating a reasonable explanation for the mess inside when Faith’s eyes widened and her mouth made a perfect O. And she hadn’t even seen his dirty laundry yet.
“Jax?” She whispered his name like a question, her voice sounding like sandpaper, not at all the sweet, high, smooth timbre she’d used earlier in the day.
The warning in her tone sent a ripple of apprehension down his spine. Slowly he turned, afraid to see what had so obviously shaken her. He wouldn’t put anything past Susie at this point.
Oh, dear Lord, no.
His gut clenched as he gasped for air and a proverbial sideswipe to his jaw sent him reeling.
No. It couldn’t be. It could. Not. Be.
Jax blinked and scrubbed a hand down his face.
Were his eyes deceiving him?
Impossible.
Even if he was blind as a bat, and even though his hearing was half what it used to be, there was no mistaking the sound of distinctive, distraught mewling coming from two tiny swaddled infants, bundled into their car seats and blocking the front door of his cabin.
Babies?
He took the steps two at a time and crouched before the baby on his left, gently adjusting the pink blanket covering her and making what he hoped were calming shushing noises. His expertise was horses. He knew zero about babies.
She was incredibly tiny next to his large palm. So vulnerable. So defenseless. He swallowed hard.
How long had they been here, alone, where any number of ills could befall them?
The—babies.
Fury roared and blazed like a wildfire in his chest. Susie had left two helpless infants on his front porch? She was going to answer for this. She’d always been irresponsible and often acted with poor judgment, but this went far beyond the pale even for her.
“Jax?” Faith asked again, her voice faltering. She knelt before the other baby, presumably also a girl, given the identical pink blanket tucked around her, and gently rocked the seat to calm the infant. “Are these...?”
“I don’t—I’m not—” Jax stammered, his head spinning. He considered himself calm and rational. His emotions rarely got the better of him. But right now he was fighting with every ounce of his courage against succumbing to the conflicting feelings pelting him—a lone unarmed man against an army of men with razor-sharp swords and blistering bows and arrows.
Shock. Surprise. Anger. Betrayal. Guilt. Pain.
Wonder.
Were these...? Could it be that these precious little pieces of humanity were...?
His heart welled and tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. He couldn’t lose it now. He just couldn’t.
He stood abruptly, and the baby at his feet protested with a wail. She had a nice, healthy pair of lungs on her, and Jax winced, then crouched back down and rocked the car seat as Faith was doing.
Where was Susie? How could she possibly have just left these babies behind without an explanation? He had a million questions to ask her, and he wanted to tell her exactly what he thought of her inconceivably selfish behavior. He’d never actually throttle a woman, even Susie, but the thought did cross his mind, to shake a little sense into her.
How could she?
How could she keep such an enormous secret from him? If these were, in fact, his daughters...
She’d kept his children from him, kept him from knowing they even existed. They were probably no more than a month old—not that he could guess with any accuracy. She should have told him she was pregnant as soon as she knew she was pregnant. He should have been there when the babies were born.
He was their father. He had rights. Responsibilities. Privileges.
How dare she?
He fished out his phone and punched Susie’s number again, but not surprisingly, it went straight to voice mail. Again. She was avoiding him, as well she might, considering what she’d just done. Was she seriously just dumping a couple of babies on his doorstep and running away?
No. Not just a couple of babies.
His babies.
He didn’t know how he knew they were his children. Given Susie’s actions during the past year, their paternity might well be called into question, but his heart and his gut were telling him there was no doubt that he was the babies’ father. And not just because Susie had dumped them on his doorstep.
Overcoming every other emotion he was feeling, even the most heated ones, amazement and wonder and love warmed his chest, swirling and curling around and filling his heart full to the brim.
He was astounded by how instantly those feelings appeared and how strong they were. He’d woken up this morning a man who had been living practically like a hermit, deliberately isolating himself, mucking through the mire of his own despair.
Alone.
And now—
Now he was a father.
“Should we take them inside, do you think?” Faith asked hesitantly.
“What? Yes.” He’d nearly forgotten Faith was there, but he was grateful she was. He wasn’t even remotely capable of dealing with this crisis on his own, and her question proved it. He didn’t know what to do with one baby, never mind two.
Of course he needed to take the infants inside the cabin, and then...
What next?
He didn’t know the first thing about infants. Not what they ate, though presumably it was milk of some kind. Not how to get them to sleep, or even where they should sleep. It wasn’t as if he had a crib in his spare room. He didn’t even know how to change a diaper.
Faith stood and touched his shoulder. “You look lost.”
And frightened.
She didn’t say it, but they both knew it.
He met her empathetic hazel eyes and groaned. “I feel lost. Like on-another-planet lost. I don’t have a clue what I should do next. This is so beyond my realm of experience—almost beyond reality, actually.”
She nodded. “I can’t even imagine what you’re going through. It’s not every day a man learns he’s a father when his babies show up at his door. Let’s get these two little darlings in out of the heat and tend to their immediate needs, and then we can make a plan.”
She’d said we as if it were just a given that she’d be part of—whatever this was. Her voice teemed with compassion and confidence. He was grateful that she’d come to Serendipity and chosen it to be her home. He was glad he’d met her. It was no accident that she’d bid on him today.
He knew in his heart that as crazy as this whole thing was, the Lord was watching over him. Faith’s presence proved it. Even though she hadn’t known him for more than a few hours, she offered her support and was willing to stay with him—with them. He needed her here.
He unlocked the door to his cabin, and Faith held the screen door for him as he grabbed the handles of both of the car seats and carefully transferred the children—his children—indoors. He scanned the area for the best place to put the car seats and settled on the carpet between the front of the couch and the coffee table.
Faith followed with a diaper bag in her hand—which, in the shock and devastation of the moment, had escaped Jax’s notice. He supposed he should be grateful Susie had left him a modicum of supplies, but he was too angry to give her even that. He hoped she’d left a note giving him some idea of her state of mind—and the children’s names would be nice, at the very least.
He turned his attention to one of the babies while Faith took care of the other. It took him a moment to figure out the lock system on the car seat, and by the time he was ready to lift the infant out, Faith already had hers tucked safely in the crook of her arm and was smiling and making delightful cooing noises to the contented infant.
He’d finally managed to unhook the straps but hesitated in removing the tiny little human being from the seat. He didn’t know what he was doing. What if he accidentally hurt her?
“Support her neck with one hand and slide the other one behind her back,” Faith instructed, as if she knew what he’d been thinking.
“Right.” He cleared his throat and rubbed a hand down his jaw. This wasn’t going to get any easier by waiting, and unlike the infant Faith held, his baby girl was starting to fuss again.
He held his breath and slid his hand underneath her, trying to be gentle but feeling like a clumsy giant. His daughter was so tiny he could easily support her neck and back with one hand, but he didn’t take any chances. He followed Faith’s directions to the letter.
The baby was incredibly fragile, weighing next to nothing. He held her out in front of him and swallowed hard around the lump of emotion in his throat.
“She’s crying and yours isn’t,” he said, his voice scratchy. “What am I doing wrong?”
Faith chuckled. “You’re doing fine. Don’t worry about the fussing. Babies do that. She’s just communicating with you. Put her up against your shoulder and pat her back. She’s likely hungry or wet or both. The first thing we should do is see about getting these sweethearts changed into dry diapers and then get them some bottles of formula to warm and fill their little bellies.” She sat down on the sofa and kissed her baby’s forehead. “Let’s see what we’ve got here.”
Jax adjusted the baby he was holding to his shoulder, and to his surprise, she immediately calmed down. He watched Faith remove the contents of the stylish red diaper bag. She placed everything she found on the coffee table—a stack of diapers, a box of wet wipes, four plastic bottles and a couple of yellow cans bearing a brand name Jax didn’t recognize. He couldn’t even begin to guess what was inside. A couple of yellow T-shirts with snaps on the bottom.
“Diapers first, then formula.” Faith spread a blanket on the floor and laid her baby down, gesturing for Jax to do the same.
“What’s formula?” Jax asked, following Faith’s lead. He carefully unwrapped the blankets swaddled around his infant and removed the wet diaper.
“It’s like milk, only it’s specifically made for babies’ sensitive stomachs.”
“I don’t have any formula.” Jax gently lifted the baby’s legs and slid a diaper underneath her. He started to tape the tabs only to realize the diaper was backward.
Tabs in back, cartoon picture in front.
Good thing he was a fast learner.
“Yes, you do.” Faith nodded toward the yellow cans. “But that stash won’t last very long, especially with two little ones. You’ll have to get to the store soon.”
Like today. And not just for formula, but for all the other things two babies would need.
Most people had nine months to plan their baby’s arrival. He hadn’t had a single second. And with the whole town wrapped up for the weekend with the special event, he wouldn’t be able to visit Sam’s Grocery until Monday. He hoped he could make it that long. When he had the opportunity, he’d call Slade and Laney and see if they had anything he could use.
Satisfied that he had his daughter’s diaper fastened—if not perfectly then at least adequately—he lifted her back into his arms. Faith likewise picked up her infant, but then also somehow managed to balance two bottles and a can of formula in her other arm. Talented woman.
“Kitchen?”
“Through the door on the left,” he said, nodding toward the small space that served him as a kitchen.
“Can I help?” he asked her, not knowing how much assistance he could actually provide.
“No need.” She chuckled.
She was obviously going to set up the bottles for the infants, though Jax had no clue what that entailed, much less how she was going to manage with only one free hand. He looked around, wondering what he ought to do next and wishing babies came with a written how-to manual.
Well, okay, maybe not a manual. He wasn’t much on reading directions. But a bulleted list, at least.
He stared down at the tiny slip of humanity nestled in the crook of his arm, smacking noisily on her little fist that she’d caught in her mouth, and felt yet another overwhelming surge of joy and amazement. His throat closed around the emotion, clogging his breath.
His baby. Sweet...
His mind sluggishly wrapped around his biggest problem yet. He hadn’t seen a note in the paraphernalia Faith had emptied from the diaper bag.
“What’s your name, little darlin’?”
* * *
Her arms laden with the second twin and trying to balance two warm bottles, Faith froze in the doorway, her gaze checked on the large man with the tiny infant enfolded in his muscular arms.
He’d spoken aloud. And he was right.
How was he supposed to deal with that issue? He could hardly care for the twins without names. Susie wasn’t answering her phone and there didn’t appear to be a note anywhere.
She shook her head and scoffed softly. This whole thing was messed up on so many levels that she couldn’t even begin to catalog them. It was surreal.
They couldn’t continue to refer to the two babies as your baby and my baby based on which infant they were holding, first because they were both his children and second because Faith would be leaving soon, or at least as soon as they could find someone else to assist him. There was no question that he’d need round-the-clock help, at least for the first few days.
Jax pulled out his phone and from the expression on his face, she could tell that he’d dialed Susie once again, but of course the senseless woman wasn’t answering. Not that Faith expected her to. What woman in her right mind would drop her babies on someone’s front step, even if that someone was the unsuspecting father? She was clearly immature and running away from her responsibilities. It was highly unlikely she’d offer Jax any kind of assistance now.
Faith coughed to let Jax know she was standing there, but he didn’t acknowledge her. He didn’t even look up. He was entirely focused on the baby in his arms.
He seemed to notice her only when she entered the living room and sat down on the couch across from his easy chair. She handed him a bottle and smiled encouragingly. With more actions than words, she showed him how to hold and angle the bottle for the precious little one in his arms. The baby took right to it, although Jax appeared a little self-conscious.
She leaned back into the middle cushion of the plush chocolate-colored couch and encouraged her baby—or rather, not her baby, but the infant she was holding—to root for the bottle. She was as hungry as her sister, and in moments the room was silent except for the sound of contented gurgling.
“I’ve got so many problems I don’t know where to start. For one thing, I can’t tell them apart,” Jax admitted, his lips tightening into a thin, straight line. “And even if I could, Susie didn’t leave a note to tell me what to call them. She could have at least pinned a name on them or something.”
Faith looked from one baby to the other. Jax was right. The children looked exactly the same, from their scrunched-up expressions as they held the bottles to their chocolate-brown eyes. They were even dressed alike.
“You’re right,” she agreed. “That’s a complication, but we’ll figure it out. We don’t know if they are identical or fraternal twins, but at this point in the game they are unquestionably going to be hard to tell one from the other. We need to look for some kind of defining features, something that sets the two apart.”
He frowned and studied the infant in his arms, who was noisily enjoying her late lunch. “Like what?”
“I don’t know. Let’s compare. They both have the same thick tufts of brown hair.”
Just like their daddy.
“Your baby’s hair seems slightly curlier, but that could change after they’ve had a bath.”
Jax’s face paled and he made a choking sound. “A bath?”
She chuckled at his insecurity. He seemed like a take-charge kind of man, and yet a baby—two babies—left him helpless. It would be kind of cute, were it not so serious.
“With water,” she teased. “Don’t worry, we’ll get there. I’m sure somebody can show you how it’s done. Your mom has probably given babies a bath or two in her time.”
“No doubt,” he said, the corner of his mouth stretching up. “And I imagine my brothers and I were more trouble than these little girls are going to be.”
Faith chuckled, imagining three rough-and-tumble boys in the bathtub. Jax’s mother must have had a stern hand to have kept them in line.
“Maybe one of them has a birthmark,” he suggested, bringing Faith’s mind back to the present.
“How about dimples?” She’d known identical twins in high school, and that was how she’d been able to tell them apart, especially at first.
“Great idea. My baby has them. Both cheeks and a big one on her little chin.”
“There you go, then.” She nodded toward the baby in her arms. “This little sweetheart doesn’t.”
“One problem solved.” Jax groaned. “But being able to tell them apart isn’t going to help me if I don’t know their names. I can’t believe Susie did this to them.”
Faith’s heart swelled into her throat, and she could barely breathe around it. He wasn’t thinking of the inconvenience to himself as much as the well-being of his babies. As for Faith, she couldn’t believe Jax’s ex-wife could do that to him. Maybe it was a good thing this Susie character had decided to leave the sweet little babies with Jax. At least he was mature and responsible. He’d take care of them. A woman who’d just leave her helpless babies on a doorstep in the Texas heat didn’t even deserve to be called a mother.
“Thing One and Thing Two?” She spoke blithely, hoping somehow to lighten his very heavy load.
The other corner of his lips rose like the first, but his expression still looked strained, especially around his scar. “That would be one solution.”
“I’m sorry, I really shouldn’t be making so light of it,” Faith continued. “It’s pretty heavy stuff. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around Susie’s actions. I can’t believe a mother would up and abandon the babies the way she did. You have so little to go on, and it’s not just baby supplies that you’re lacking. You don’t have a clue about what names might be on their birth certificates.”
Jax scowled. “I don’t even know if I’m listed on the birth certificates.”
Probably not.
Given the circumstances, Faith doubted the woman would have officially acknowledged Jax’s paternity until it suited her purposes, but she didn’t tell him so. “You’ll have to investigate that. I’m sure there are legal ways you can establish your paternity, whether your name is listed on the birth certificate or not. But in the meantime, I suggest you come up with nicknames for your daughters. You have to call them something.”
The crease between his eyes deepened. “Like what?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. You could use family names. Maybe your grandmothers’?”
His jaw worked as he thought it over. “I like the idea of naming them after Granny Jane and Grandma Victoria, and if I’d had any say in it—on what went on their birth certificates—I might have suggested just those names. But if I name them Jane and Victoria, don’t you think that might confuse them later when they realize the names on their birth certificates don’t match what I’ve always called them?”
That was true enough. She nodded.
“I can probably explain a nickname as just a pet name I came up with, though that’s not a conversation I ever want to have to have. I can’t believe this. It’s imperative that I speak to Susie again, and the sooner, the better. I’m sure that’s why she’s not picking up her phone. She’s going to avoid me for as long as possible.”
He growled in frustration. The baby he was holding squeaked and flapped her arms in distress, and Jax softened his tone. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Daddy’s here.”
Faith’s heart welled again. Everything Jax did with the babies seemed to have that effect on her.
He cringed and sent her a pleading glance. “Help me out here, Faith. I want to think of something soft and feminine but I’m at a complete loss. Sweetheart and Little Darlin’ just aren’t going to cut it, and I’m just not good at stuff like this.”
This was new territory for Faith as well, but she didn’t say so.
“Flowers?” Faith suggested tentatively. “Or colors?”
“How do you mean?”
“Marigold and you could call her Mary?”
His brow creased. Given the angle of his scar, she couldn’t tell if he was amused or cringing.
“Daffodil and we could call her Daffy?”
A chuckle rumbled through his chest.
It was amusement, then. He was a hard man to read. She’d have to remember what his smile looked like.
She admired someone who could laugh in the face of adversity, and Jax was taking this remarkably well. She suspected most people would have fallen completely apart.
Her, for example. She would have lost it and would have been useless to anyone. She knew she would have. Unlike Jax, who was working through the stress and holding himself together, Faith was more inclined toward outright panic.
Even though she hadn’t known him for more than a handful of hours, she already perceived that the infants were blessed to have a father like Jax. It was clear he’d take good care of them. They were so sweet and delicate, and oh so vulnerable, but they had someone to protect them.

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