Friday morning the spring skies opened again and rain fell in a slow, steady stream. A dreary, depressing day that did nothing to ease Levi’s grief. Much as he didn’t like thinking about it, the clouds, the darkness, the steady rain brought to mind the flood that had taken his brother.

From his spot at the cheerful kitchen table, he gazed at the downpour and wondered if Choctaw Creek would overflow again. He worried that Emily might try to drive her SUV through the water.

She wouldn’t, surely, but as he finished his scrambled eggs, he worried anyway.

The other night, he’d thought about kissing her. A selfish, inconsiderate thought on his part. She didn’t need that kind of complication in her life.

He stuffed the last bite of toast into his mouth and pondered the problem of Emily. She was back in his life, whether by choice or by chance, and on his mind a lot. He liked seeing her, liked getting to know her again. She’d always been special. The problem of Emily was not her. It was him. His father. His shame. His failure.

His cell phone buzzed, and when he saw the caller ID, Levi winced. Jack Parnell on The Long Spur. Another worrisome situation.

He pushed his plate to one side and answered. “Hey, Jack.”

“Levi. I’m just checking in to see how things are going.”

“It’s been a rough couple of weeks, but I’m dealing. The realtor was due out here today for an appraisal, but it’s raining again.”

There was a short pause before Jack said, “You’re in a tough spot, and I’m real sorry, but my current manager wants to leave at the end of the month. I was hoping to have you here before then.” Jack was growing impatient. Levi could hear it in his voice. “Do you still want this position, or are you thinking of staying on there?”

Levi ran a hand over the back of his neck and squeezed at the tension building. “I want it, Jack. Managing a spread like yours is a dream job.”

He’d waited years for a chance like this one.

“Can I expect you by the end of the month?”

Levi drew in a breath and let it out slowly. Jack wasn’t going to like his answer.

“There’s been a holdup on my nephew’s guardianship, and the ranch needs some repairs before I put it on the market.”

“How long are we talking about? I’m convinced you’re the right man, but I can’t hold this position indefinitely.”

“I understand that, sir. Right now, since my brother’s death, things are a little crazy. Hopefully, in a few weeks…maybe six at most.”

The silence on the other end was not a good sign.

Finally, Jack muttered, “Call me at the end of next week, and let me know where you are,” and hung up.

After staring at the dead phone for too long, Levi made another pot of coffee and moped around the kitchen, waiting, pondering. Would Jack hold the position? Or was the man even now looking for another ranch manager, one who could start right away, one who wouldn’t come with the extra burden of an infant?

Rain pattered against the window panes, cold and relentless, like Jack’s tone.

The manager’s position on The Long Spur came with a house, benefits, a company truck, and a decent salary. None of the hassles of ownership and all the pleasure of ranching. A job like that was every cowboy’s dream. If he could ever get there.

If Jack withdrew his offer, what then?

Levi had been sure he’d have everything settled by now, and yet, with each day another roadblock appeared. First, Mason and his paperwork. Then, the ranch issues and a herd of cows that needed attention. Now, the rain.

The lousy rain that had started everything.

Without doing the repairs, the ranch wouldn’t bring top dollar, and Scott had worked too long and hard and put up with too much from their old man not to expect top dollar for his boy. A nice nest egg for Mason’s future. With the sale, Scott’s son could attend college if he wanted to, something his daddy had yearned to do.

Levi was determined Mason would enjoy everything he and Scott had missed out on.

But that meant spending time and money on the ranch now. Culling cows. Separating calves to brand or sell. Rebuilding fence. Fixing the water gaps. Retooling the water well. And so much more.

All the things he should be doing in Texas on The Long Spur.

Slipping into the full-length slicker that had carried him through many miles of bad weather, he braved the rain to do chores. Freckles met him in the barn eager to work.

“Only a short ride today, pal. A couple of springing heifers to move to the barn, and we’ll call it done until the rain lets up.”

His father would turn over in his grave if he heard those words. Slim never let any kind of weather keep him from sending his sons out to do chores.

Levi mounted up, hat down tight and collar flipped high. He rode out, crossing the pasture at an angle. He’d seen the cows near the back forty last night and now wished he’d brought them closer to the barn.

As they approached the far fence line, he caught sight of a neighboring homestead. Smoke curled from the chimney, warm and inviting.

With rain dripping from his hat, he scanned the ranch and wondered about the neighbors he had yet to meet. Maybe he never would.

At that moment, a small figure in an oversized hoodie appeared toting two five gallon buckets. A child. From the bend of her slender shoulders and her slow gait, the pails were full and heavy.

Levi nudged Freckles closer to the fence, dismounted, and climbed over the five strands of barbed wire.

“Hey there, need some help?” he called, taking long strides in the child’s direction.

The young girl whirled, and the buckets sloshed.

He reached her side and gazed down at the forlorn little figure. She was maybe nine or ten. Slight of build. Too small to carry two five gallon buckets of what appeared to be hog feed.

Beneath the hoodie, blond hair stuck to a pale forehead. All of her was soaked through.

“Didn’t mean to scare you.” He reached for the buckets. “Let me carry those.”

She shook her head, eyes widening. “I can do it. You shouldn’t come over here. Daddy don’t like people coming on our place.”

“That a fact?” He took the buckets anyway. “Where to?”

“No, really, Mister. I can do it. Daddy will get mad.”

“Is he in the house?”

She nodded. “Having breakfast.”

Levi’s jaw tightened.

He lifted the buckets and started toward the barn.

The little girl hissed. “No, please.”

Raindrops dripped off her lashes and slid down her pale cheeks like tears. He knew the cold wrath of a harsh father. Was that her worry? He didn’t want to cause trouble. It was bad enough she was out here in the pouring rain while her old man sat in a warm house stuffing his gut.

Reluctantly, knowing he could go no farther without upsetting the little girl, he left the buckets near the back of the barn, touched his fingertips to the brim of his drippy hat, and headed back to the patiently waiting Freckles.

He’d never met his neighbor, and already he wanted to punch the guy.

---

Around ten, long after the heifers were settled in stalls and Levi had mended some tack and re-organized the tack and feed rooms, a big ranch truck rumbled down the long driveway.

When a sturdy, muscled cowboy in a gray Stetson stepped out into the rain, Levi opened the front door. Even after all this time, he recognized Emily’s brother, Nate Caldwell.

What was he doing here?

He and Nate had been friendly, mostly because of Emily, and the two men had spent a couple of summers working side by side on the Triple C. Nate was a good guy. Or he had been.

Had Emily sent him? Was he here to convince Levi that moving on down the road was the best choice he could make? Without Mason?

Levi braced for it.

The other rancher wiped his boots on the Bless all who enter welcome mat and stepped through the door Levi held open, toting a long dish of some kind. “Levi. Long time.”

“How are you, Nate?”

Somehow they managed a handshake around the covered dish.

“That’s what I came to ask you.” Nate thrust out the dish. “Connie sent this over. Enchilada casserole.”

Touched, Levi accepted the food. The spice-and-cheese scent rising from the still warm dish tantalized his taste buds.

“Tell her thanks. Smells great.” The Triple C housekeeper was the first and only to send what locals termed funeral food, even if she was a week late. “Want some coffee? The rain is cold.”

“Sure, if you have some ready.”

“Not much else to do on a day like this.”

“I hear ya.” A raindrop toppled from Nate’s hat brim to his brown shirt, leaving a dark spot. “I’ve got calves to separate and work, but they’ll wait. The rain is supposed to move out tonight.”

“Scott’s cows should be nearly finished calving, too, but I haven’t had a chance to read through all his records yet. Maybe tonight.” The longer Levi stayed in Calypso, the more there was to do. And staying much longer was not an option. Not if Jack Parnell was to be his boss.

He motioned to the off-white couch. The checkered throw was rumpled and crooked, but a cowboy wouldn’t care. “Sit. I’ll put this in the kitchen and grab some coffee.”

Levi carried the casserole to the kitchen and returned with two steaming mugs. He was on his sixth cup. As an old bunkhouse buddy used to say, he’d be able to thread a needle with the sewing machine running if he drank much more. But on a day like this, hot coffee hit the spot.

Surrounded on either side by Jessica’s cheerful blue throw pillows, Nate took the mug and sipped. “Sorry I didn’t get over here before now. Emily thought you might need some time.”

Emily. Now they were getting to the topic Nate had probably come to discuss.

“It’s been a tough week.”

“Anything we can do?”

Levi studied the top of his coffee mug, heavy with the decisions he didn’t know how to make. “Truth is, I don’t even know.”

“Are you open to ideas? Not pushing, just being neighborly.”

His offer lifted Levi’s dark mood a little. Nate hadn’t come about Mason. He’d come as a friend. “Sure. Anything.”

Nate leaned forward, elbows on his thighs, the coffee cup bracketed in his hands. Rough, rancher’s hands, like Levi’s.

“This is a good-sized ranch to work by yourself. Scott and I used to share the load fairly often. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.” He hitched his chin toward the south. “My hands and I helped him build that new hay barn. When our place nearly burned last fall, he was right there helping out for days. Watching flare ups, mending fence, checking cows, whatever needed doing.”

“That was Scott.”

“Yeah. Good man. Good neighbor and friend. Gonna be missed.”

Levi blinked away the grief that rose in his chest, threatening to pull him under.

“I appreciate that, Nate. Knowing my brother mattered. It helps.”

Had anyone ever said Levi mattered? Had he ever left a positive mark on people? He didn’t think so, and the truth saddened him. He’d always been a rootless drifter, a man who didn’t matter.

For Mason’s sake, he’d have to settle down once and for all. Somewhere else. Preferably Texas.

“Scott mattered a lot, Levi,” Nate said. “To folks like me who called him friend. To the church and community. You should have seen him working on that new annex building at Evangel Church. He would have everyone laughing even while we sweltered in the sun with a hammer and roofing shingles.”

Levi nodded, heart tender for his brother. “He did that with me too. Dad would be working our tails off, and Scott would find a reason to joke around and make it fun. Feels good hearing he was happy.”

“Crazy happy. Once he met Jessica, he was a different guy. They had something special.” Nate’s expression softened. “Like Whitney and me.”

Levi jacked an eyebrow. “Emily mentioned a recent wedding.”

The other cowboy’s face glowed with pleasure. “Real recent. Right before Easter.”

Easter. When Jessica and Scott were still alive. “So you’re a newlywed. Congratulations.”

Emily had been married at one time. Had she been happy? Had the lucky man been good to her? Had he realized what a treasure he’d found? Nate would know, and Levi wanted to ask. Wanted to but he didn’t. No use stirring up the past.

“I’m a blessed man to have found a woman like Whitney and her little girls,” Nate was saying, a slight smile curving his mouth.

Nate was a daddy. And Levi was about to be. His thoughts shot to his orphaned nephew. “Twins, I hear.”

“Yep. Cutest things. Olivia and Sophia. They’re three now.” The rugged rancher lifted a pinky. “Got everyone on the Triple C wrapped right around here. One on each hand. Besides Jesus and Whitney, they’re the best thing that ever happened to this old cowboy.”

Levi sipped his coffee and let the warmth float over his tonsils and down in his belly. Twins. Quite an undertaking. He didn’t know what he’d do if Scott had left him twins.

On second thought, he probably did know. Most likely, he would have headed to Texas as fast as his truck could haul.

And wasn’t he pathetic?

But he was several days into the visitations with Mason and, though he was as awkward as a one-legged goose, he loved holding the little man. Loved when Mason opened those innocent eyes and cooed as if had something he needed to tell his Uncle Levi.

Uncle Levi. The title sat pretty easy even though the idea of being responsible for another human being for the rest of his life shook Levi worse than a tornado tearing through the front yard.

Some mornings he woke up with the strong temptation to hop in his truck and drive until he ran out of gas. Then Emily showed up in that orange car of hers with Mason in the back, and Levi was stuck like Gorilla Glue. Enamored. Besotted. Determined to be the daddy Scott couldn’t be.

Which made him one messed up cowboy.

Nate set his cup on an end table. “Emily says you’re thinking of moving to Texas.”

Emily again.

“Got a job offer near Amarillo that I’ve wanted for a while. Ranch manager. I’ll be selling this place and heading out there as soon as I can.”

“The Donley Ranch is nothing to sneeze at, Levi. Scott saw to that.” Nate studied him with serious eyes. “You’d be manager and owner if you stuck around here. Owner of a fine spread.”

The man had no idea what he was saying. “No. Not here.”

Nate fiddled with his coffee cup. His gaze shifted away and then returned. “Does your decision have anything to do with my sister?”

“No.” Yes. “High school was ages ago. She’s had a husband since then.”

“No one forgets their first love.”

Including him. Ten minutes with Emily and the truth had smacked him upside the head like a runaway two-by-four. “I think Emily has.”

Nate gave him a long, considering look. “Back then, she would have followed you anywhere.”

“I was no good for her.”

Nate chuckled. “My dad would have agreed with your assessment.”

“And you?”

“I thought you were a match made in heaven. So did Connie. Then you disappeared. Emily was devastated.”

The words stabbed Levi in the gut. He’d hurt her. She’d suffered because of him. More reason than ever to stay away from her now.

“Long time ago, Nate, and one more reason for me to sell out. She doesn’t need the reminders.” Of things I can’t share with you. Things I don’t want to remember myself.

“She’s not a kid anymore, Levi. She’s strong and smart, and if she still cares for you, you’re a lucky man.”

Levi stared into his nearly empty cup. “She tolerates me. She’s made that clear. She tolerates me for Mason’s sake. She thinks I should give him up for adoption.”

There. He’d blurted out his resentment, though Emily had every reason to consider him unfit as a parent.

“What do you think? Is that what Scott would have wanted?”

“No.”

“There you go, then. Stick around. Raise that boy near people who loved his parents. Come home, Levi.”

Home. Had this ranch ever been his home? Had he ever known a place he could call home?

Levi rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “I don’t know.”

“A lot has changed around Calypso County and the Donley Ranch. You might be surprised at how content you could be. Scott was.”

He heard what Nate was too polite to say. Everyone in Calypso knew the Donley brothers didn’t have the best home life, though none knew about the final straw that had broken the camel’s back.

He did not, however, want to talk about his childhood. Never had. Wouldn’t start today. Airing family problems simply wasn’t done. Not by Donleys.

“Glad to hear it, but this town is not for me. I’m due in Texas by the end of the month.”

Nate took another sip of his coffee, and the room was quiet while a wall clock ticked and rain pelted the windows and porch.

Nate seemed to have something else on his mind, so Levi sipped his java and waited him out.

“Your call, of course, but we’ll be praying for the best outcome. For you and for Mason.”

He wasn’t used to people getting close enough to care, but at the mention of prayer, something cold inside Levi began to thaw. Emily used to pray about everything. Did she still? Had she prayed about him? About Mason? “I’m his uncle. He belongs with me.”

“You’re determined to raise him yourself?”

“I am.” Funny how the more he said it, the more sure he was.

“Just remember, here in Calypso, you’ve got neighbors willing to lend a hand and a church that loved Mason and his parents.” The other cowboy grinned. “And Connie would be ecstatic if you’d let her play grandma. You’re in a tough spot, but you’re not alone.”

Something powerful and unfamiliar filled Levi’s chest. He’d chosen to be alone for fourteen years. Raising Mason among caring friends would have advantages.

“If the rain holds off, I could use another hand to work calves on Tuesday.” Fact was, he could use a whole bunkhouse full of cowboys for about a month to get this place whipped into top shape. But he wasn’t ready to ask for that much help. Not unless his back was up against the wall. Nate had his own ranch to run.

Nate tipped his chin in acquiescence. “Give me a call when you’re ready.” Then he put down the now empty coffee cup and glanced toward the window. “Rain is slacking off. I’m headed to the feed store while I can. Welcome to come along if you’d like. Or drop by the Triple C any evening around six. Let Connie feed you and boss you around. Mostly in Spanish.”

Nate’s voice was full of affection. Levi remembered the Triple C housekeeper fondly, too. Connie been a mother figure to the Caldwell boys, a relationship Levi had envied.

“I’m headed over to the Triple C to visit Mason now.” One less mile in rainy weather for Emily to drive.

“Think about what I said?”

“I will.”

With a nod, Nate left the house, dashing through the rain, one hand holding his cowboy hat in place.

Levi watched from the doorway as his neighbor pulled away, big tires splashing through the driveway puddles.

Apparently, Nate held no grudge against for Levi for the wrong he’d done to Emily. He might if he knew the whole story, but for today, his old friend had given him food for thought.

At the word food, Levi’s belly growled and suddenly he was hungry, really hungry, for the first time since his arrival. The spicy smell of Connie’s casserole had something to do with the sudden return of his appetite, but it was more than that. It was Nate himself. The visit. The kind offer of friendship when he could have rightly punched Levi in the nose. It was what he deserved.

Nate Caldwell was a reminder that not every experience in Calypso been negative. It was also a rather stunning realization that he was no longer alone.

---

Emily left the rundown house with a heavy heart and three children in the backseat of her new SUV. The single mother had been so high on meth she hadn’t even protested the removal of her kids, all under the age of eight. The children cried all the way to the foster family in the next town. Emily cried and prayed all the way back to the Triple C.

The rain and the dark brooding skies didn’t help one bit.

“No matter how many times I have to remove kids from a home, it still tears me up,” she told Connie when she stopped in for lunch and to see Mason.

“I know, mija. You have such a hard job.” Connie offered her a sympathetic look and a glass of tea. “I will finish lunch. You go see Mason. He will cheer you.”

Connie was right. Emily was head over heels in love with the tiny boy. Lunches on the run had become lunch at the Triple C and time with Mason. Evenings at community and church meetings now included Mason in her arms.

Letting him go would be harder than she’d expected, and she’d known from the start it wouldn’t be easy. Letting him go to Levi would be even harder. Not that he wouldn’t be good to the baby, but if he sold the ranch and took off to some distant state, she would never see Mason again.

Or Levi either.

All she could do was pray. The problem was, her prayers were a jumble. Prayers for Mason. Prayers for Levi. Prayers for herself not to fall for the rambling cowboy all over again. She’d thought she was immune. She’d been in love with Dennis. She’d been happily married for two whole years. But every time she talked to Levi or watched his awkward, heartfelt interaction with Mason, she softened a little more.

She had to hand it to the cowboy. He was trying hard to be the perfect uncle. And if the old dreams and plans they’d made together kept coming back in waves, she couldn’t help it.

Had she judged him too harshly? Was she letting the past affect the present? Had she really, truly forgiven him?

In the upstairs bedroom—her old room—where the portable crib had been set up, she kissed the sleeping boy and smiled as he stretched in response. His eyes popped open, and he lay still, trying to focus. When he finally found her face, his tiny fists came up, and he flailed and kicked in excitement.

He recognized her voice, her face. She, in turn, recognized his moods and was learning his different cries.

She sighed, aware she had overstepped the bounds of professional duty and had set herself up for heartache. Mason was her temporary ward, not her child, and she would do well to remember the line between business and personal pleasure.

But how did anyone who loved children remain objective about the innocent, precious baby of her best friend?

After a quick diaper change, she washed her hands and carried him into the dining room. “Look what I found, Connie. Wide awake and wet as the outdoors.”

Connie stood at the bar tossing a spring salad decorated with red, ripe strawberries. “He is a charmer, that one. You eat. I will hold the baby.”

“That’s okay. I enjoy holding him.” While she could. As long as she could.

Emily slid onto a tall bar stool and cradled Mason over one shoulder while she shook out a napkin one-handed.

Connie took the stool next to her, chattering sweet noises at Mason. The baby flailed his arms, eyes wide and shining.

Emily stabbed a strawberry and held it up. “Did these come from your garden?”

“Si. Good, no?”

“Delicious.” She popped it into her mouth and let the tart sweetness burst on her tongue. “Mmmm. So good.”

They were halfway through their meal when the doorbell chimed.

Connie pushed her plate aside. “Eat. I will get the door.”

Emily stabbed a blueberry and a bite of romaine and swirled her fork around in the homemade vinaigrette. Connie could make anything taste delicious. Even lettuce.

She heard voices coming toward the kitchen. Connie’s and that of a man, a quietly drawling baritone. Emily’s heart jumped. Was that Levi?

She finished chewing, dabbed her mouth with a napkin and twisted the stool around. Mason nuzzled her neck and cooed. Breathing in his baby scent, she waited.

Hat in hand, Levi followed Connie into the dining room. His eyes locked onto hers and, faster than a wink, Emily was lost. In dark jeans and a button-down shirt, Levi had dressed up, the way he used to when he’d come to pick her up and take her out somewhere. The movies. A ballgame. Fishing in one the Triple C’s many ponds. So many places they’d enjoyed together, places when he could sneak way from his slave-driving father.

Levi paused. “Sorry to interrupt your lunch. I didn’t think about the time. Connie said I could come whenever.”

“I’m finished.” She couldn’t take another bite. Not with six feet of handsome cowboy making her remember a better time.

“Emily.” Connie cleared her throat. “Levi came to visit Mason.”

Emily blinked, embarrassed. What was wrong with her? Levi wasn’t here to see her. They weren’t kids any longer.

“Of course.” She laughed self-consciously and fluttered a hand toward the baby. “I had planned to bring him to see you tonight.”

“My roads are real muddy.” He stood uncomfortably next to her chair, one finger stroking Mason’s arm. “I didn’t want you to get stuck in that fancy new car of yours.”

The gesture touched her. Levi had always been thoughtful that way. If he could make her life easier, he did. She’d forgotten about that.

“You want to hold him?”

He showed her his hands and smiled. Sun crinkles built spokes around his brown eyes. “I washed up before I came.”

As if she hadn’t noticed.

She returned the smile and stood up from the bar to make the baby exchange. He smelled like shave lotion and rain. “He’ll be hungry soon. I’ll fix a bottle. You can sit here if you want.”

“I think,” Connie said, “the living room would be more comfortable, Levi. Go.” She shooed him with both hands. “I will bring a shoulder pad.”

“Shoulder pad?” Emily heard him ask as he accompanied Connie into the next room. “I don’t think he’s ready for football.”

She snickered at the silly statement but quickly sobered. Didn’t his lack of experience with babies prove that Mason would be better off with someone fully prepared to take on the responsibility?

Maybe. She wasn’t as sure about that anymore. And if she was truthful, her worry was more selfish than she wanted to admit.

From the living room came the sound of Levi’s warm baritone and Mason’s responding coos and gurgles. Endearing. Precious.

She bit her lip, facing the real issue at hand.

As long as Levi remained right here in Calypso, everything would work out fine. If he and the baby were nearby, she could keep an eye on things.

Yes, everything would be fine.

If she could manage to keep her heart under control.