My Cowboy: Forever In My Heart - Part 3: A Cowboy to Love, #3

By Sierra Rose

This is book 3. 

Mia tries to find her place in Jesse's heart. With a new child in the picture, she fears things won't be the same.  As Mia and Jesse try to figure things out, a little girl breathes life into the ranch. 

Can Mia find her happily ever? Can she dive into parenthood headfirst? Do her and Jesse have a shot at happiness and true love? 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dark Shadows Publishing
• Release date: Sep 21, 2016
• ISBN: 9781533744104

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Chapter 1

It was a virtual stand-off. No one was willing to move. Jesse nervously fixed his black cowboy hat and I bit my lip hard.

The woman—who I now assumed was a social worker—was still holding up a closed file as if her hand had been frozen in the air. The little girl now had her shoulder blades glued to the back of the car. And Jesse?

Jesse had stopped breathing entirely. He was staring not quite at either one—but with his eyes fixed somewhere in the middle. His back and arms were so stiff; it was as if he wasn’t even standing of his own accord. As if he was being held there instead, on a pair of sharp wires by an evil puppet master intent on ruining what had—not two seconds ago—been the happiest morning of my entire life.

The porch door opened and shut behind us, as the others came out to investigate. None of them had any idea what to make of the situation as they fell into the ranks beside us, but they hadn’t guessed yet what exactly was going on.

Riley was looking at the file in the woman’s hand, and Jackson was staring at Jesse. Only Cassie made any attempt to acknowledge the child, bending over to smile at her.

Aw, Riley, she said sweetly, trying to ingratiate herself with the youngest Blake brother, did you sign up for a big-brother thing at school?

It was these words that snapped Jesse out of it. He took a halting step backward, as if he had been pushed. His head jerked once of its own accord, before he finally fixed his attention not on the child, but on the file in the woman’s hand.

I don’t— his voice cracked, and he cleared his throat, I don’t know what you’re talking about.

A faint line of worry creased Jackson’s forehead for the first time. His eyes traveled twice between his brother and the little girl, before the situation suddenly dawned on him.

Jess...

His mouth fell open with a little gasp before his head whipped around to the child. She stared up at him—the way she had been staring at each one of us in turn. With a pair of wide chocolate eyes. Jackson turned back to his brother, placing a tentative hand on his arm.

Jesse flinched back like he had been burned.

They’re saying... His chest rose and fell with quick, broken gasps. She said that...

Be a lawyer, Mia. Get your head on straight, and be a lawyer. If Jesse doesn’t know who this child is, that makes it a simple paternity test, nothing more. Take the file.

But I couldn’t. I was just as frozen as the rest of them. Rooted to the ground in a state of absolute shock. Then, the girl turned those chocolate brown eyes to me.

There was a soft gasp, and a single tear slipped down my cheek.

I knew those eyes. I’d know them anywhere.

This was Jesse’s child. This was Jesse’s daughter.

Mr. Blake, the social worker tried to summon back his attention with a faint look of sympathy in her eyes.

All three brothers looked up at the same time to answer. Yes?

Jesse, she started again, this is Layla. She was dropped off outside our building about three hours ago, along with her birth certificate, social security card, and medical documentation. It was all stuffed inside a little backpack.

The little girl’s arms tightened on the straps of her backpack.

Jesse’s lips opened just a hair, but he was at a complete loss. Part of him had to think it was some kind of joke. A prank pulled by one of his brothers—or more likely—Cassie. But there was something chillingly familiar about the girl, and the social worker didn’t look like she had much of a sense of humor.

Hey, honey, can you sit in the car for a minute and brush your dolly’s hair? the social worker asked opening the door. The girl climbed inside, and she softly shut the door.

I’m sorry, he apologized softly, trying to gather himself. She’s a cute little girl, but I don’t know who she is.

Honey, she’s your child.

I was never married and...

You don’t have to be married to have a child.

Jackson put a strong hand on his brother’s shoulder, before turning to the woman, looking rather stern. What made you think to come here?

The birth certificate, the woman replied. And I also talked to the sheriff of this town who is a friend of mine, as well as my boss. He gave you a glowing recommendation. Said you and your brothers owned a big ranch and were the most honorable people there were, that we had nothing to worry about. Her mother left the girl, and we don’t have a place for her. We’re completely full. If you say no, then I’ll keep her for the next few days until we can find a foster home or room in a foster home facility. I wouldn’t have come out here like this, and dump this on you, but this is an emergency situation. And I wasn’t aware you didn’t know you were the father.

I don’t have any children, Jesse said.

Then why is your name on the birth certificate?

With quick efficiency, she extracted a single document from the pile and handed it out to Jesse. When he was unable to take it, Jackson reached over and grabbed it instead. His brow furrowed as he scanned down the page, looking for anything familiar before the muscles in his face froze in sudden recognition.

He turned to his brother with a look of heartbreaking sympathy. Jess...

Jesse still couldn’t move. Couldn’t tear his eyes away from the girl inside the car. His head jerked again, and his fingers tightened into a shaking fist. Read it to me.

The mother, Jackson said softly, fingers tracing the name. Angela Ross.

I gasped.

Jesse, I would like to talk to you alone, the social worker said. Having an audience around isn’t the best.

These are my brothers. And this is my girlfriend, Mia. I have nothing to hide in front of her.

It’s okay, I said. I can leave for a little bit. But I’m here if you need me.

He nodded as shock overwhelmed him. You don’t have to go.

You can fill me in later. I think we should all give you some space right now so the social worker can fill you in on more details.

She’s right, Jackson said.

I began backing slowly away, feet stumbling clumsily over the ground as I focused all my concentration on staying upright, and none of it on where I was going. I heard Cassie call something to me from across the grass, but I was already too far away to hear. The second I felt like I was able, I turned on my heel and ran straight into the barn.

Chapter 2

I don’t know how long I ended up staying there. Time ceased to matter.

Without stopping to think about where I was going, I had marched straight inside and climbed over the railing into Athos and Holly’s stall. The two of them nickered softly in greeting. Holly got to her feet to nuzzle affectionately against my side.

I barely saw them. My hand drifted automatically over her soft downy mane before I sank to my knees and buried my face in her dappled coat—sobbing without restraint.

How could this be happening? We were finally together. FINALLY. After over twenty years of waiting for it to happen.

We were getting married...

I looked down with sudden recollection at the ring. It was still sparkling beautifully on my finger, oblivious to the fact that in the last five minutes, our entire life and the entire point for me wearing it had been completely derailed.

I resisted the urge to take it off. To slip it into my pocket until things settled down enough that I was able to catch my breath. I didn’t want one of the others to come in here and see it. I didn’t want Cassie lifting up my hand in shock, gasping the inevitable, ‘you’re getting married?!’ while standing behind her, that little girl stared up at me with those chocolate eyes.

On that note, I didn’t know if I was getting married anymore. This beautiful thing that had suddenly fallen right into my lap, dropped down from the stars—the thing that I had been more sure of than anything I had ever been sure of in my life...

...I suddenly didn’t know.

What could have been minutes or could have been hours later, the door creaked open. I wiped my eyes hastily and got to my feet. I was expecting Cassie. Or maybe even Jackson—he had always been good in crisis situations such as this.

But it was Jesse.

He looked like he had wandered in here the same way as me—without really knowing where his feet were taking him. There was a slightly glazed look in his eyes, and his hands still shook with the occasion belated shock.

Mia?

How could so much be tied up in a single name? It was a plea. An affirmation. A cry for help. A soft and shaking supplication from my oldest friend.

Who the hell are you? A little voice asked in the back of my mind. You’re the fiancée, that’s who. The fiancée who just found out she might have inherited a daughter.

But with an unspeakable amount of determination, I pushed all that from my mind. This wasn’t about me, right now. It had to be about Jesse.

...and the girl.

I realized, with another stab of guilt, that I couldn’t remember her name.

Hey, I said tentatively, then immediately regretted it. Say something better, Mia. Say something to help. Where, uh...where is—

She’s in the house, Jesse answered robotically, hardly seeming aware that he was talking. Cassie took her upstairs to get her...settled in. She’s my daughter, and there’s no way in hell I’m sending her back with that social worker.

I nodded once, then looked at the floor—searching desperately for the right kinds of words, but stuck at a complete loss. Turns out, I wasn’t the only one.

I don’t... Jesse began softly. I don’t know what to say to you.

It was probably the first time that had ever happened. But it was true. There was no precedent for this. Both of us were stumbling around in the dark.

His face tightened in physical pain, as he dropped his eyes to the floor.

Listen, it sounds like Angela is not coming back. This girl is my daughter. I’m still in shock, but she’s mine. And that means I have to raise her. I can’t ask you to become a twenty-four-year-old mom.

It washed over me like a wave. Leaving me breathless and shivering on the other side.

So that was it, then. Five perfect minutes of happiness, five perfect minutes where I thought I was going to marry the love of my life, have a future together.

Five minutes and then it was all over.

I looked up with feeling to see how confused he was. A tear dripped down his face. That image alone was enough to stun me. It was one of the only times I had ever seen him cry, and without thinking about it, I reached out and stroked his cheek.

"Mia...I want to ask you."

You can’t, I said softly.

He winced as more tears welled up, but nodded swiftly at the ground. No, he couldn’t. That wasn’t the kind of decision you could put on someone. Let alone, on someone that you loved. But perhaps...

But I can volunteer, I said. 

His head snapped up as