Colorado Cowboy

“Where is she? Where is she?” Megan heard a little girl demanding and looked down to see two big blue eyes staring up at her from between Luke’s legs.

Megan climbed down from the SUV. Luke stepped back a little and the child squeezed between his legs and popped up between him and Megan.

“Are you my new mommy?” she asked.

Megan was touched by both the beauty of the little girl and the sweet innocence of her inquiry. The child reached out and stroked Megan’s hand as though to check if she was for real. Megan squatted down so she could be at eye level with the child and smiled warmly. “Hi. You must be Celeste.”

Celeste grinned broadly, then turned shy and twisted sideways as though seeking the protection of her father.

Megan held out her hand to Celeste and said, “I’m Megan and I’m very pleased to meet you, Celeste.”

“Are you going to be my mommy?” Celeste asked again.

“Would you like that?” she asked cautiously, unsure how to approach the subject diplomatically.

“Oh, yes!” Celeste cried, and threw her arms around Megan’s neck with such force it nearly knocked her backward.

Megan breathed in the sweet scent of the little girl, fresh from her bath, and felt a longing deep within her. She’d loved being a mother to Cody, but he’d stopped hugging her like that a long time ago. Megan laughed and lifted Celeste as she stood; she noticed Luke’s grimace changing to a smile of relief.

“One down, two to go,” he whispered to her.

She glanced around for Cody to introduce him to the girls. He was standing some distance from the group, studying another girl who was appraising him openly. She guessed that must be Sasha.

Megan took the initiative. “Celeste, I’d like you to meet my son, Cody. He’s also your half brother.”

“Does that mean he’s only half a boy?” Celeste asked, wide-eyed.

Luke guffawed and everyone else joined in, but Megan saw the embarrassment on the little girl’s face. After all, she’d drawn what was to her a logical conclusion. She held Celeste against her and nuzzled her soft cheek. “No, sweetie, although it does sound a bit like that, doesn’t it?” She waited while Celeste nodded slowly. “It means that you and Cody have the same daddy, so Cody is half a brother to you.”

“Who’s his other half, brother to?”

Megan couldn’t help smiling. Celeste’s naiveté was delightfully refreshing. “You’re just too gorgeous, did you know that? And smart, too.”

“Am I?”

“Uh-huh.”

Celeste hugged Megan. “I love you already.”

Megan kissed Celeste’s cheek. Maybe meeting Luke’s daughters wasn’t going to be so difficult. “I love you, too,” she said.

When Megan felt Luke’s hand at the small of her back, urging her toward the rest of the group, she stepped away from the SUV to where another child stood waiting and watching and occasionally telling one or other of the barking dogs to, “Shut up, you idiot!”

“This is Daisy, my little lady,” Luke said with a touch of irony and a smile that melted Megan’s heart. There was no doubting Luke’s love and affection for his daughter.

Daisy looked up at Megan, then down at her feet and back up again as though sizing her up for a coffin. “Hello,” she said. Turning to Luke, the girl added, “She’s kinda skinny.”

“Daisy!” The three other adults reprimanded her at once.

“It’s fine.” Megan hastened to appease them. She shifted Celeste to her left hip and held out her right hand. “I’m pleased to meet you, Daisy, and yes, I agree I’m too skinny. I’m hoping all this fresh country air will give me an appetite. What do you think?”

Daisy shook her hand vigorously, then nodded. “Yeah, it will. But you gotta eat your veggies, or you don’t get dessert.”

“Absolutely,” Megan said, straight-faced. She glanced toward Sasha, who’d finally dragged herself away from staring at Cody. “And you must be Sasha.”

Sasha studied Megan’s outstretched hand, then accepted it reluctantly, shook it once and let go. Okay, thought Megan. This one’s used to being the alpha female around here. And that was fine with Megan. She had no intention of moving in on anyone’s territory.

“Cody, come and say hello to your new sisters,” Megan called, and he sauntered over.

“Did your hair growed like that?” Celeste asked Cody, and reached out to touch it.

Cody pulled away. “Get lost!” he yelled. “Don’t you ever shut up?”

Luke had had enough of Cody’s behavior. “That’s it. You!” He pointed at Cody’s chest. “In there. Now!” he commanded, hitching his thumb over his shoulder and gesturing toward the barn.

Megan was relieved to see that Cody was so shocked at the anger in Luke’s voice, he didn’t argue or disobey. He looked around the circle of people who were all frowning at him in anger, disgust or bewilderment. Celeste had turned her face into Megan’s shoulder and was sobbing softly.

Megan rubbed Celeste’s back and fixed her son with a look of utter contempt. How could he have used such language in front of the children and hurt such an innocent little girl? What had her son become? Tears burned the backs of her eyes.