DONNA ALWARD - The Cowboy's Convenient Bride

He laughed again and she realized she liked the sound of it. It was happy and carefree, two things she hadn’t been in quite some time.

“The grocery store it is.”

They were walking through the diner when she realized the car seat had been in her car. “Tanner? I forgot her car seat. Oh no...”

Tanner walked ahead and opened the door. “I put it in my truck. I don’t have a clue how to fasten it in, but it’s there.”

Relief rushed through her. Gramps fussed and went on about how in his day people simply carried babies on their laps, but she would never do that with Rowan. She needed to be buckled in securely. Safe. Protected.

Laura swallowed against a lump in her throat. Everything she did these days was for Rowan’s protection.

At the grocery store, Tanner offered to stay in the car with Rowan while she ran inside. Her daughter was sound asleep, so she left her in the backseat, knowing she’d be perfectly safe with Tanner. In less than ten minutes, she was back in the truck and they were on their way to her place, the interior of his vehicle smelling like roasted chicken.

She and Tanner chatted about the ranch a bit, and she mentioned her graphic design work, which led to explaining what she’d been doing since leaving Gibson after high school. She left a lot of blank spaces, but then, so did he. He didn’t mention Cole or Maddy at all, and she knew why.

She wished she could tell him the truth about Rowan’s father. But the more people who knew, the more likely it was to get around, and right now that secret was her biggest form of protection.

He carried the grocery bags to the door while she managed Rowan and the diaper bag. When they walked in, Laura discovered her grandfather emptying the dishwasher. She nearly fell down from the shock.

“Gramps!” she said, slipping off her shoes. “You don’t have to do that.”

He gave his customary harrumph. “Don’t know why everyone thinks I’m helpless. I can put some dishes away now and then.”

“I guess I’ll get a start on supper, then. You’ll be relieved to know I stopped and picked up a chicken.”

“Are you staying, young man?”

Laura’s mouth dropped open. Had Gramps just asked Tanner for supper? Oh, she hoped he wasn’t getting any ideas. Tanner Hudson was the last person she should get involved with. Talk about complicated!

Besides, she was hardly looking for romance. She had her hands full right now.

“Thank you, but I should probably get home.”

Laura was surprised to feel disappointment at his refusal, but the last thing she wanted was for him to feel obligated. “You’re welcome to, Tanner,” she offered weakly, knowing Gramps would expect it. “It’s the least I can do for all your help. But if you need to get back to the ranch, I understand.”

He rubbed his chin. “I don’t need to hurry back. I guess it would be all right.”

Oh Lord. Oh Lord, oh Lord. She was actually nervous. Tanner Hudson was going to eat supper at her house. With her grandfather. After seeing her in a mess this afternoon. What on earth? He didn’t seem to care a bit about her reputation, either. And there was no way he could have remained oblivious. He had to know about the gossip. About what kind of woman she was... And that had nothing to do with Gavin Wallace and everything to do with her decisions before coming home to Gibson.

Gramps patted Tanner on the shoulder. “Come on in the living room. It’s been a while since I’ve had another man to talk to.”

Tanner looked over at her. “Do you need anything?” he asked. “I’m not a complete idiot in the kitchen.”

She shook her head. “Thanks, but no. You go. Entertain each other.” She gave a self-deprecating grin, glanced down at the chicken and then back at him. “It’s not like it’ll take long.”

He flashed her a smile that felt very intimate, as if they shared a joke. She liked, too, that he’d offered to help, and wondered if he’d said something to Gramps earlier that had prompted the dishwasher emptying, because that was an unprecedented event.

As the men sat in the living room and talked about community goings-on, Laura buckled Rowan into her bouncy seat and began putting together a green salad. She then took out a pretty bowl and transferred potato salad into it rather than simply putting the tub on the table, and placed a paper napkin in a little basket and filled it with buns from the market bakery.

Maybe she hadn’t cooked it, but she could at least make the meal look a bit homey.

Just before everything was ready, the baby woke and Laura made a quick trip to the nursery for a change and tidy-up, and then, by some miracle, it all came together.

The table was set, Rowan was playing with the activity bar on her bouncy chair and Laura called the men to supper as she put the carved chicken on the table, along with the salad bowls and butter for the buns.

There was chatter, and the clinking of silverware on plates, and the odd laugh. A lump formed in Laura’s throat as she realized this was the nicest meal she’d spent in her house. It had been so long since she’d experienced a relaxed, pleasant atmosphere that she’d nearly forgotten what it was like.

But as Tanner laughed at a story Gramps told, it all came rushing back to her. And it made her both a little bit happy and a little bit sad. She had been lonely for so long.

And that was why, despite the grumbling and inconvenience, she’d offered Gramps a place to stay, she realized. She was so tired of being alone.

After dinner, Tanner insisted on helping with the dishes, which didn’t take long at all. When they were done, he said goodbye to Gramps and then pulled on his boots and prepared to go.

“Supper was good,” he said, standing in the doorway. “Thanks for having me.”

“You’re welcome. And thanks for being so kind to Gramps. I think he’s been a little lost the last few days. It was good for him to have someone besides me to talk to.”

“He’s a good old dude,” Tanner said. “He’s pretty proud of you, you know. Says you have gumption.”

She blinked back sudden tears. “He’s not crazy about me being unmarried with a baby.”

“Being a single mom is hard. He knows it. He just wishes you didn’t have to do it alone.”

“He wishes I’d been smarter.”

Tanner studied her for a minute. “Maybe. But I think that’s you putting words in his mouth.”

He was right. She was pretty hard on herself, and she knew it. And yet Tanner didn’t seem to judge. She wondered why.

“Doesn’t it bother you?” she asked bluntly. “What they say about me?”

His eyes darkened. “You mean about Rowan’s father?”

She nodded, nerves jumping around in her stomach. He was the first person she’d broached the topic with, and she realized that for whatever reason, she trusted him. Oh, maybe not with the truth, but he’d already proved he wasn’t about to shun her because of the grapevine.

“It’s none of my business,” he stated, not unkindly. “And believe me, Laura, after all these years, I know what it’s like to have to live with mistakes. And live them down.”

“You?” Granted, she’d heard he was a bit of a player, but if that was the worst anyone said about him...

“Right. You were gone for a while, so maybe you don’t know. I was married once. For three whole days. In Vegas. The entire town knows about it. My best man at the time wasn’t discreet with the details.”

She blinked. “You were married for three days?”

“Yeah. Until we both sobered up and she came to her senses. You don’t have the corner on mistakes, Laura, and I certainly have no right to judge anyone. So no, what they say doesn’t bother me.”

He leaned forward and placed a chaste, but soft, kiss on her cheek. “Take care and thanks again for dinner.”

“You’re welcome. And thank you for everything today.” She smiled. “You’re starting to become my knight in shining armor.”

He laughed. “Oh, hardly. Just being neighborly. Anyone else would have done the same.” He raised his hand in farewell and stepped outside. “See you around.”

He fired up his truck and drove away, leaving Laura back in reality again. But it was a softer kind of reality, because for the first time in a long while, it felt as if someone might be in her corner.

And she truly hadn’t realized how lonely she’d become until someone walked in and brought sunshine with him. Tanner had said that anyone would have done the same, but she knew that was a lie. She’d been in that parking lot for a good half hour with the hood up before he came along to help. Others had passed right on by.

It was just too bad that Tanner Hudson was the last person she should get involved with. Even if Maddy was gracious enough to understand, she knew the town of Gibson never would.

Chapter Three

Tanner threw a bale of hay down the chute and followed it with two more. The physical exertion today was his form of therapy. If he had to hear one more time about how much his parents loved Maddy and how happy they were that Cole was dating her and how adorable her twin boys were, he was going to lose it.

He got that the whole family was happy that Cole had fallen in love. Hell, he expected there’d be an engagement announcement any day now, and he was truly happy for his brother.

But this whole love-fest thing just made Tanner feel more like a loser every day. The last thing his ex Brittany had said to him was that he’d be a joke for a husband. And seeing Cole and Maddy and his mom and dad so thrilled only seemed to highlight the fact all the more.

Tanner was good for a good time. Girls loved him for that. And that was it. The problem was, it wasn’t enough for him. Not anymore.

His bad mood persisted through the chores, over breakfast, and late into the morning. He decided to saddle up Bingo and go for a ride, using the excuse of checking on the calves in the east pasture. Maybe the fresh air and open space would help put him in a better frame of mind.

He loved the scent of the young grass, the spears yellow-y green in their newness and the buds that were getting plump on the trees, nearly ready to leaf. Spring was a relief after a particularly harsh winter, and since that last snowfall earlier in the month, the weather had turned mild. Even if they did get a late season storm, there was a sense that the weather had truly turned a corner and there were warmer, greener days ahead. Spring was a time of year Tanner usually loved.

But this year he was filled with a nagging dissatisfaction. As he walked Bingo along the fence line, he sighed. It was only partly to do with Cole. He found himself thinking about Laura quite often, too.

Maddy had seemed to mellow out where Laura was concerned. Maybe that was because she was happy with Cole. But Tanner had noticed the sideways looks aimed in Laura’s direction the other day at the diner. If he noticed, he was certain she did, too. People looked at her and saw a woman who’d had an affair with a married man. But where was the blame on Gavin? Just because he was dead, it was as if he was blameless.

Sometimes people put their faith and emotions in the wrong people. He knew that as well as anyone. They shouldn’t have to pay for it their entire lives.

Dinner at Laura’s house a few weeks ago had made one thing clear to him. Laura Jessup was in sad need of a friend, and no one would go near her. It was as if they were afraid they’d catch something. He hadn’t seen such a lonely person in a very long time. Talking to her grandfather, Charlie, had enlightened him a fair bit. She never had friends over. Rarely went out anywhere other than errands. No wonder she’d clung to his hand the day Rowan was born. How afraid she must have been, facing that alone. When he’d given her that cheap T-shirt at the diner, she looked so surprised, so touched, that he wondered how long it had been since anyone had done anything remotely thoughtful for her. Her grandfather had also been concerned, but reserved. It wasn’t hard to see he disapproved of the situation, even though he loved her.