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  He turned back, his eyes dark, his face drawn, closed in.

  She took a deep breath. “I wanted to thank you,” she said softly. “For taking Pirate in. Becky just loves that dog.”

  “Yeah?” He looked over toward the barn. “Not as much as I love Becky.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Later that night, with Sam in his office and Becky safely tucked into bed, Kayla stole away to her borrowed room and curled up on the bed.

  She’d tried her best to focus on Sharleen during dinner. To keep up a conversation with the other woman and avoid watching Becky and Sam. It hurt to see them together. It hurt to come to this room alone and know she would never share a bed with Sam. Everything hurt.

  Except knowing Sam’s true feelings for his daughter.

  She shouldn’t have been surprised to hear that he loved his child. He had always wanted to do what was best for Becky.

  He was a good man.

  Even knowing where Pirate had come from, Sam had accepted the dog. Had negotiated for the puppy, giving up something of himself in the process. Just as, for all those years, he had kept the promise he’d made to a friend, despite the sacrifices he’d had to live with.

  Life was full of sacrifices.

  Full of compromises, too, as she had heard from Lianne the day the judge had ordered them into this arrangement. She had been right about that.

  Now Kayla was going to offer Sam a compromise she hoped he could live with.

  Just before she made the ultimate sacrifice herself.

  Only one thing in all this mess had brought her even a glimmer of happiness. With shaking fingers, she tapped out a message to Lianne on the keypad of her phone.

  I’ve done some research at this end. There’s a charter school in the area, not an hour away from here.

  Sounds good.

  A charter school for deaf AND hearing students. They have resource and mainstream classes. Becky will be able to sign all day. And she’ll be able to be home every night.

  Great!

  Yes. She had left the information in a highly visible place on Sam’s desk. If only he would agree to the change in schools. He still might balk, but she had to hope his concern would override any roadblocks.

  She read Lianne’s next text. It’s the perfect solution for Becky and Sam. But what about you? Kayla sighed. I can’t fight Sam anymore over custody. His admission of how much he loved Becky had stolen her breath. I can’t try to take her away from him. She’s already a part of her daddy’s heart. She needs to be a part of his life, too. No matter how much it hurt her to admit it, she knew the truth in her own heart at last. Becky belongs with Sam.

  Kayla would have to go home alone. She would have to leave behind not one, but the two people she most loved in the world.

  And there was no sense at all in trying to convince Sam to let her have visitation rights with Becky. Recalling the look on his face that afternoon, when she couldn’t speak the words to tell him she trusted him completely, told her she would get nowhere with that. She’d have better luck attempting to twist the judge around her little finger.

  But she had to try. Had to hope Sam could find some compassion in his heart for her.

  Even more important, she had to hope he’d be open-minded enough to consider an alternative for Becky.

  BREAKFAST WAS ANOTHER awkward meal, except for Becky’s excited laughter as she told them all about Pirate’s night in the barn. How she knew all this, Sam hadn’t a clue, but he listened eagerly as Kayla relayed the story.

  Someday, he’d be able to figure out all Becky’s words himself.

  If only he could figure out a few other things now. If only he didn’t have even more worries to think about. Since finding the paperwork Kayla had left on his desk the night before, his thoughts had become more confused than ever.

  Kayla’s arguments about Becky staying with him had stuck in his mind and wouldn’t let go.

  Becky needs to know that she can count on the people around her to be there for her, always.

  His daughter could count on him, forever. He’d sworn it.

  But Kayla had talked about stability for Becky, too, and the child’s need for a permanent home. He couldn’t help thinking of the way Ronnie had dropped Becky off on him. Had abandoned her.

  By sending his child away to school, would he be abandoning her, too?

  The phone rang, and he rose to answer it. The real estate company, looking for the go-ahead to advertise his land.

  “Don’t do anything yet,” he told the woman. “I’m holding off on putting those acres up for sale. If I decide to go ahead with it, I’ll get back to you.” When he finished the call and returned to his place at the table, he found Kayla looking at him curiously.

  “You’re selling some of your land?” she asked.

  “Maybe.”

  “Why? I thought you loved this ranch.”

  “I do. I like keeping it up, too, and paying my ranch hands on time. I like eating regularly. And taking care of my own.” He looked over at Becky. “But it’s kind of hard to handle all that when the debt collectors are standing with their hands out.”

  Her shocked look seemed a little forced. “I’m surprised you’d let yourself get into that kind of trouble.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Then…” She paused. “You mean, Ronnie?”

  “No one else.”

  “Oh, Sam. I’m sorry…” She stopped.

  The sudden glimmer in her eyes had him shoving himself to his feet. He stood there for a long moment, fighting to keep from reaching out to her.

  After everything they’d been through these weeks, and considering what they were facing today, she still had some kind of compassion for him.

  Her reaction only added another layer of confusion onto his already mixed-up thoughts.

  Yesterday, at Porter’s, she hadn’t been trying to stop him from fighting, as he’d first believed. She had been trying to protect him against the man. Same as she’d done that day in town, out in front of Joe’s barbershop. Same as she’d done that day—and every day—for Becky, even to the point of trying to protect his daughter from him.

  How could he hurt a woman like this?

  And how could he ever have thought he’d be worthy of her?

  “Yeah,” he said, finally. “I’m sorry, too.”

  THE FAN ABOVE THE JUDGE’S desk whirred, sending a breeze through the courtroom. The cooler air did nothing to take the moisture from Sam’s brow. He’d made his plans, and he was going through with them.

  “All right.” The judge tapped his gavel on the desktop. “Court’s in session. Let’s get things taken care of.” Smiling, he looked at Sam and Kayla. “From information received, I can happily say you’ve both followed my suggestion to come together to bond with that little girl.”

  Suggestion? Sam nearly laughed. What would the man’s orders sound like?

  “Now, I guess it’s time to state my opinion in this matter.”

  “Your Honor,” Kayla said. “Before you do, I’d like to speak.”

  The judge frowned. Sam looked at her in surprise. Across the room, he saw Ellamae’s jaw drop.

  Kayla cleared her throat. “I want to give up my request for custody of Becky.”

  This time, Sam’s jaw dropped. He shut it again and shook his head. He couldn’t have heard that right. “What did you say?”

  “I want to give up my request for custody,” she repeated. She crossed her arms. “But I’m not leaving here until you agree to give me visitation—”

  “How often?” he demanded.

  Her shoulders went back, but she stood her ground. “Twice a year.”

  “Twice?” He frowned. “Are you kidding me?”

  “No. I’m not going to settle for less than that, Sam. And I want—”

  Bang!

  Startled, they turned to the judge.

  “You’ll pardon me,” he drawled, “but I do have the peculiar habit of liking to participate in my own h
earings.” He gestured with the gavel. “Why don’t you two step out in the hall? Come on back when you’ve talked things over some.”

  “All right, Judge,” Sam said. “But sit tight. We’ll be right with you.” Taking Kayla by the hand, he towed her down the aisle and out of the courtroom. In the hall, he released her. “Is that really all you want to see of Becky?” he demanded. “Two times a year will satisfy you?”

  Tears shimmered in her eyes.

  “I thought not,” he said softly. “That’s not what I want, either.”

  “What do you want?” she asked, her voice shaking.

  “First, for you to understand I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. But I have to think of Becky, too. I truly believe a school where she will be able to sign is the best place for her.” He took a deep breath, then let it out again. “I checked out the info you left on the desk. About the charter school. I talked to a few people this morning. They gave it a good rating. And I want her to sleep in her own bed every night. I agree—it’s exactly the right place for Becky.”

  A tear ran down her cheek. He wiped it away with a trembling finger.

  “And…” He took another deep breath. “I agree with you about Becky needing stability. From both of us. When she comes home every day, I want you to be there.”

  “I know.” Her voice broke. “You want me to stay permanently. You said that once before.”

  “That’s not what I mean now, not at all. I’d planned to say this to you in front of the judge before we heard his decision. You just beat me to the punch.” She stood looking at him, not saying a word. Not giving him an inch. That didn’t bother him. He’d go miles for this woman, if he had to.

  He swallowed hard. “Kayla, from the day I burned down that barn, it seemed like my life was worthless. Like I had to spend it doing everything the hard way. The wrong way. Drinking and running wild and just plain making a fool of myself. When I finally got straight again, I hated every part of my past. But I don’t hate it anymore.”

  This time, his voice broke. “I can’t regret a single thing about the way my life went after that night in the barn. It brought me Becky. And it brought me you.”

  Her eyes shimmered again with tears, giving him hope.

  “Marry me, Kayla.” He dug into his pocket and held out his hand. On his palm lay the diamond ring he’d bought days ago. “I love you. Becky loves you. Our lives won’t be complete without you. We need to be a real family. Together.” When she said nothing, he nodded. “I know it’s too soon for you to hear this. But I don’t want to lose you, ever. Either of you.

  “Give the idea some thought.” His laugh sounded as shaky as his voice had a moment ago. “If I can learn to sign with Becky, maybe you can learn to love me.”

  “No,” she said softly, “it’s too late.”

  For a moment, he felt his heart stop. Then it started up again, just as strong and steady as his determination. He couldn’t settle for her answer. He wouldn’t. “I thought it was too late when it came to learning to talk to my own daughter. But you proved me wrong.” Though he clenched his fist around the ring, he barely felt the diamond biting into his palm. “Give me some time to prove myself to you.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t need time. I need you.”

  The words rocked him nearly off his feet. He filled his chest with a breath so deep, he thought the snaps on his Western shirt would fly open.

  “It’s too late to learn to love you, Sam, because I already do.”

  He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, but he couldn’t hold back a smile. “And were you planning to tell me, someday?”

  “I…” She turned her head away.

  Gently, he touched her chin and turned her to face him again. “What is it?”

  “I thought…with our history. With all the stories I’d believed from…” She trailed off again.

  “No need to think about that at all. That’s one part of the past I’ve already forgotten,” he told her honestly. “You’re the only woman for me, Kayla. And the only mother I want for Becky—and for the rest of our kids.” He opened his arms wide.

  “The rest—?” Even as she laughed, she shook her head. “Hold on a minute there, cowboy. It sounds like you’ve got a long-term plan.”

  “Not long-term. Permanent.”

  “In that case, shouldn’t we make it official, too?” She wiggled the fingers of her left hand.

  “We should.” He motioned for Becky to join them. She stood by his side, watching wide-eyed as he slipped the solitaire onto Kayla’s ring finger. “Kayla, will you marry us?”

  Looking at Becky, she signed the words and explained their meaning. It pleased him to have her think of his daughter right away. It pleased him just as much to see Becky grin.

  Finally, Kayla turned back to Sam and bobbed her fist in the air emphatically. “Yes!”

  This time, when he held his arms wide, she stepped into his embrace without a moment’s hesitation.

  From the corner of his eye, he saw Becky waving her hands in the silent gesture of applause.

  Epilogue

  One month later

  Kayla looked around the café.

  She and Sam, Dori had assured them, would have the best wedding reception Flagman’s Folly had ever seen, right there at the Double S.

  She’d certainly lived up to her promise.

  Tables and chairs had been rearranged to create a spacious dance floor. Food and drink appeared without end. The doors and windows had been flung wide to let in the music from the quartet playing out on the patio. The mixture of mariachi tunes and old favorites kept everyone dancing.

  Kayla’s parents took yet another turn around the room. Over in one corner, Lianne was holding court, with a couple of cowboys around her and Jack standing in the wings.

  At the edge of the dance floor, Sam stood holding Becky’s hand.

  Her heart swelling, Kayla watched him go down on one knee before Becky.

  In halting but clear signs, he told her that they were now one family. “Daddy. Mommy-Kayla. And Becky.”

  Her niece—no. Their daughter reached up and wrapped her hands around Sam’s neck. He rose and swung in a circle, holding Becky close. When he set her on the floor again, they exchanged a special message. Kayla had taught Sam the signs for the individual words weeks ago, but it was only last night that she and Becky had surprised him and taught him the special handshape.

  Now, Sam and Becky each held one hand upright, their palms directed toward each other, fingers spread, the middle and ring fingers tucked down against their palms.

  “I love you.”

  Kayla’s eyes misted.

  They turned, flashing their hands her way.

  A tear trickled down her cheek. She returned the sign, then reached into her sleeve for the dainty hand-embroidered handkerchief Sharleen had delivered to her from Ellamae early that morning. A blue handkerchief, taking care of the something blue.

  Sharleen had loaned Kayla a string of pearls to wear with her wedding dress.

  The something old, they had decided, laughing, had to be four-year-old Becky.

  And the double somethings new were, of course, the adoption papers and the marriage license Kayla had signed that morning.

  Never would she have believed, when she’d driven up to Sam’s ranch house just a few weeks ago, that she would become a wife and mother so soon afterward. And both on the very same day.

  Becky kissed her daddy’s cheek and ran out to join Ellamae and the judge on the dance floor.

  Sam crossed the room to Kayla. “What’s all this?” He reached up and brushed away a fresh tear.

  She shook her head.

  He chuckled. “If you can’t get the words out, then sign them to me. We’ll see if I can understand.”

  She simply raised her hand again, in the handshape she’d never let go.

  He smiled. “Me, too.” He signed the shortcut and touched his palm to hers. “And I promise you, whether I speak or sign those word
s, you can trust they will always be true.”

  “I don’t have a doubt in the world about that, Sam.”

  The sudden gleam in his eyes told her she’d said exactly the right thing. Smiling, he raised his brows, touched the fingertips of one hand to his mouth, then brought all his fingertips together in front of him.

  So she kissed him.

  ISBN: 978-1-4592-0233-7

  A RANCHER’S PRIDE

  Copyright © 2011 by Barbara White-Rayczek

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