Page 37 of The Cowboy's Secret Babies

Chapter Eight

March blustered along,though Ryder barely felt the cold. Like everyone else, he got a little too excited when there were a couple of nice days or even a lovely afternoon, but this was Montana. Winter always came back, and it usually came back hard.

One day, after Wilder and Ryder made a run down into Marietta for some supplies, they stopped at Mountain Mama Pizza on the way back. The last time Ryder had been in town, the rambling yet cozy pizza place had still been trying to hold on to the fleeting promise of good fall weather. They had still had their patio open with strands of lights strung all around and the doors wide open to welcome in the outside.

But it was March now, and fully winter no matter how close the so-called official first day of spring was. All the outside parts of the restaurant were closed up tight, leaving only the warm, bright interior that felt comfortable rather than crowded, even when it was full.

There were no free tables and only a few extra chairs at one. But as that one happened to be where the three Stark brothers sat, Ryder was already figuring that they’d get their food to go.

Wilder, naturally, had other ideas. He went, grabbed a seat, and plopped himself right down amongst the Starks as if he couldn’t see the looks on their faces.

“Gentlemen,” he drawled. “Maybe you haven’t heard, but I single-handedly ended the feud between the Careys and the Lisles. I’m not in the mood to pick up another one. Get over it.”

Ryder took the seat next to him, smiling blandly at Rosie’s cousins.

For a moment, they all sat there, like they were waiting to see if their genetic links to old West varmints and vagabonds might take them over… but no. They were Montanans, sure, and that could mean a hardheaded feud.

Today it trended more toward a grizzled practicality that came of long winters that could take anyone out in a moment of indecision. Better to keep your affairs in order and your enemies so close they really were friends.

Or something like that.

“The thing about Rosie is that she was supposed to do huge things,” Logan said, breaking into the silence at their table, though Fleetwood Mac was encouraging everyone to go their own damn way from the speakers.

“I’m sorry that you don’t find my children to be enough of an achievement,” Ryder replied, blandly enough.

Logan muttered something under his breath. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Tennessee and Dallas Lisle were not exactly overjoyed when they discovered that I was dating their sister,” Wilder said, almost offhandedly, though there was nothingoffhandabout the way he looked from one Stark brother to the next. “I thought there might come a time they wanted to punch me in the face. But they didn’t.”

“You boys can try to punch me in the face,” Ryder offered. “That might be entertaining.”

“I would like to know your intentions,” Noah said formally, looking at Ryder intently. “I would like you to tell us all, right now, what your intentions are toward Rosie and those boys.”

“Our boys,” Logan said.

“Stark boys,” Wyatt added, clearly just to be provocative.

Ryder decided not to give him what he wanted. He didn’t rise to the bait, little as he liked his sons being called by a name that wasn’t his—not that this was the time to worry about that little detail. “My intentions are none of your business,” he said, but without any heat. “Given that this is a family situation, here’s what I’ll tell you. Those are my sons. I intend to be in their life for as long as I draw breath. That’s what you need to know.”

The three brothers glanced at each other, and looked like they were about to start talking again.

Ryder got there first. “Whatever happens between me and Rosie, or doesn’t, is our business. Though I appreciate you all looking out for her. I’m not sure why you let her drive around in that death trap of a hatchback for so long when she needed new brakes, but still. I’m glad somebody is looking out for her in some capacity.”

As intended, that started up a hot debate amongst the Starks about who had failed Rosie in regard to her vehicle. When his phone buzzed, he knew who it was. He looked down and Wilder’s text was on his screen.Nicely played.

He nodded at his brother, but kept his eyes on Stark brothers.

After they ate, and some form of peace accord had been brokered—enough that everyone was talking about grabbing a drink at the Copper Mine at some point to celebrate the end of the hostilities—Wilder wanted to head down the snowy street to the new medical clinic, where Cat was managing the office for the new doctor in town, Ramona Taylor.

“Who I’m pretty sure is dating Knox,” Wilder said as the two of them stood outside in the bitter cold, stamping their feet to encourage them to warm up. “Or was. He definitely was at some point last fall.”

“I thought you said she was a doctor,” Ryder said. When Wilder nodded, he grinned. “I thought doctors were smart.”

Wilder laughed. “You haven’t seen this doctor. Knox is an idiot to let her get away.”

Ryder nodded. “Knox is an idiot, yes.”

When Wilder headed down toward the clinic that was in a renovated old house that had belonged to a man he’d once thought was the local boogey man, he crossed over toward the general store. Now that he wasn’t rushing to leave, he found that spending time in Cowboy Point made him feel good.

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