Read Online The Cowboy's Surprise Baby (Cowboy Country Book 3) by Deb Kastner - Free Book Online Page A

and he couldn’t say with any certainty that he’d
overcome
anything.
    He focused on Griff. “Yes, sir, but nothing that’s going to help me in this situation. The navy didn’t give me a clue on how to wrangle a herd of rambunctious kids.” He tried to make it sound like a joke, even if it wasn’t.
    “We’ll ease you into it,” Alexis promised, although from the smug look on Marcus’s face and the distressed expression on Tessa’s, he wasn’t sure he believed Alexis’s words. “Let’s just start with the trail ride and see how you do. We’re not leaving you on your own, you know. We’ll all be along for the ride, so to speak.”
    Griff chuckled. “Literally speaking, she means.”
    Be that as it may, part of him wanted to get up right now and walk out of the room, even if that meant being without a job. The whole situation was
way
out of his comfort zone. But at one time in his life he’d chosen to run away to escape his problems, and he’d promised himself he would never do so again. He would face this challenge and conquer it.
    Besides, this wasn’t just about him. He had a son to provide for now. Griff and Alexis were offering him the flexibility of hours he needed in order to care for Grayson.
    “Guess I’m up for a little adventure,” he said reluctantly, punctuating his sentence with a nod. He swallowed around the apprehension clogging his throat. “Trail rides and teenagers.”
    And working with
Tessa
—which he knew would be the biggest challenge of them all.

Chapter Four
    T essa walked her palomino quarter horse gelding out of the barn and into the corral and haphazardly slung the lead around the split-rail fence. It was more habit than anything else. It wasn’t necessary for her to tether Little Bit. Her horse had a remarkably easy and gentle spirit, and Tessa knew he could be depended on to stand steady while she tightened the cinch and swung into the saddle.
    If only her emotions would behave as her horse did—stable and reliable instead of flitting off in every which direction.
    If only Cole hadn’t come back to town.
    She’d purchased Little Bit as a gift to herself after she’d been at Redemption Ranch for a year.
To me, from me, because I love me,
she used to joke to Marcus. She adored riding and often chose to spend time in the saddle on her rare evenings off. It was one of her favorite perks of country living.
    Back when she’d first arrived in Serendipity, she’d been an introverted army brat who’d never been within touching distance of a horse. Learning to ride had been a dream of hers, and Cole had made that dream come true. He’d become her whole world as he gave up his afternoons to teach her everything she now knew about horsemanship. She’d instantly taken to the majestic animals under Cole’s gentle guidance, and to this day she remembered the smile on his face when he complimented her on how quickly she’d picked up the skills. As with everything else he’d done for her and with her, he’d treated her with tenderness, love and respect.
    She sighed softly as memories overtook her. She and Cole had spent many happy hours in the saddle exploring the Texas plains. Racing across the grassy fields, enjoying the fresh air and the colorful wildflowers. Laughing with wholehearted abandon. Eagerly speaking of their combined hopes and dreams of what was to come, of spending their lives together. She’d been so certain their love would endure forever. Was it that long ago she’d imagined her future with Cole shining as brightly as the sun?
    Though Cole had been her first serious boyfriend, she’d been thoroughly convinced he was her one and only true love. In her innocence of the way the world really worked, it had been incredibly simple back then for her to picture their lives forever entwined. Engagement. Marriage. A family. Gray hair. Growing old together, linked hand in hand until death did them part. Cliché, maybe, but her heart’s desire nonetheless. Or at