The Cowboy's Way(50)

“Hossy,” Seth repeated as he buried his face in the side of her neck. His tears wet her shirt and, unable to bear her son’s distress, she didn’t even try to hold back her own tears.

When her son finally cried himself to sleep, she put him in his bed and wandered back into the kitchen to stare at the legal papers T.J. had left on the table. She’d never felt more lonely in her entire life. Not even losing her fiancé and her father so close together, having a baby by herself and struggling to keep the ranch running had left her feeling as desolate as she felt at this moment. Her breath caught on a sob. She knew now beyond a shadow of doubt that her worst fears had just been realized. She and Seth had both fallen hopelessly in love with T.J. and he had broken both of their hearts.

* * *

T.J. sat in his man cave with his second bottle of beer, staring at his reflection in the big mirror above the bar. He’d chugged the first beer in one continuous gulp and he just might do the same with the bottle he held now. Why did he have to fall in love with a woman who had more stubborn pride in her little finger than most people had in their whole damned bodies?

Taking a long draw from the bottle in his hand, he had to admit that part of her reaction was his own damned fault. If he hadn’t asked her about the rental ads she’d been looking at in the newspaper, he wouldn’t have gotten the cart before the horse.

He reached into the front pocket of his jeans and withdrew the small black velvet box he had been carrying around all day. Setting it on the bar, he opened the lid to stare at the three-carat princess-cut diamond engagement ring he had intended to give her when he asked her to be his wife. His intention had been to ask her to marry him first, then give her the document for the paid taxes as an engagement present.

“Way to go, jackass,” he muttered to the man staring back at him from the mirror. “You just might have screwed up any chance you had with her.”

Restless, he snapped the lid on the box shut, then got up to toss the empty beer bottle into the trash can behind the bar. Wandering into the kitchen, he found his housekeeper, Theresa, standing at the counter cutting up vegetables for his dinner.

“I hope that whatever you’re making freezes well,” he said, walking over to look out the French doors leading to his patio. “I’m not hungry and probably won’t be eating supper.”

“You don’t look like you feel well, T.J.,” she said with concern in her eyes. “Is everything all right?”

He shrugged. “Things have been better.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked.

“Not unless you can turn back time a few hours,” he admitted.

“Sorry,” she said, shaking her head. “But it might help if you wait a couple of days before you go talk to the young lady and tell her you’re sorry for whatever you’ve done.”

“How did you—”

“I’ve seen that same look on more than one young cowboy’s face when he’s done something to anger his woman,” she said wisely. “So tell me about this young lady who’s stolen your heart.”

For the next half hour, T.J. told the older woman about Heather and Seth and what he had done to fall out of his woman’s good graces.

When he finished, she nodded. “You’re right. You really messed up. Big-time. But I don’t think all is lost.”

“You don’t?”

“No.” She smiled. “As long as you’re willing to give her a little time to calm down, I think she’ll realize that you meant well, even if you did do something that you knew deep down she was going to take offense to.”

“That’s it?” he asked incredulously. “That’s all I have to do?”

“Well, that and be willing to do a fair amount of groveling,” Theresa said, laughing as she put the casserole she had been making into the oven.

“Thanks, Theresa,” he said, kissing her wrinkled cheek.

She laughed. “Just remember our little talk the next time I hit you up for a raise.”

“Will do,” he said, smiling for the first time since he’d left Heather’s.

As he walked back into the man cave, T.J. felt more hopeful. He just had to wait the few days Theresa had suggested before he went over to try to talk things through with Heather.

The way he saw it, he had one shot left. He loved her and Seth more than life itself and now that he’d figured that out, he wasn’t about to do anything else that might screw up things. Even if he had to wear out the knees on a pair of jeans, he was going to beg Heather to understand and accept that he had only had the best of intentions.