The Rancher's One-Week Wife (14 page)

A vaporizer pumped moisture into the nursery, which was decorated in white, green and pink, with flowers Terri had called cabbage roses, in honor of their daughter’s name. A matching daybed had been included in the room for those nights they just enjoyed watching her breathe. Or for the nanny—Elenora—to rest when needed. A glider was set up in the corner and his mind flooded with memories of Terri nursing their baby in the chair, her face so full of maternal love and hope, all of which had been poured into putting this room together. A week before Rose was born, he and Terri had sat on the daybed, his arms wrapped around her swollen belly, as they’d dreamed of what their child would look like. What she would grow up to accomplish. So many dreams.

Now his brother catnapped in that same space, as he so often did these days, quirky as hell and a never-ending source of support. An image of his brother dancing with Maureen Burke flash through Xander’s mind. His brother hadn’t had much of a social life lately, either, and even knowing Xander would help Easton if the roles were reversed didn’t make it fair to steal so much of his brother’s time.

Xander pushed up from the rocker and shook his brother lightly by the shoulder. “Hey, Easton,” he said softly. “Wake up, dude. You should head on back to your room.”

His brother’s eyes blinked open slowly. “Rose?”

“Much better. Her fever’s down. I’ll still take her to her regular pediatrician for a follow-up, but I think she’s going to be fine. She’s past needing both of us to keep watch.”

“I was sleeping fine, ya know.” His lanky brother swung his legs off the bed.

“Folded up like pretzel. Your neck would have been in knots. But thank you. Really. You don’t have to stick around. I know you have to work.”

“So do you,” Easton said pointedly, raking his fingers through his hair.

“She’s my kid.”

“And you’re my brother.” His eyes fixed on Xander’s. Steady and loyal. They’d always been different but close since their parents traveled the world with little thought of any permanent home or the consistency their kids needed to build friendships. They relied on each other. Even more so after their father died and their mother continued her world traveling ways, always looking for the next adventure in the next country rather than connecting with her children.

And, thank God, Xander’s brother could work at any wildlife refuge around the world and he’d chosen to stay on here and help him. That meant the world to him. Easton had done special projects here for Terri, but this place wasn’t on the scale of the other places where he could work.

Hell, it wasn’t on Xander’s scale. But for Terri, for Rose, too, he would put this place on the map. Whatever it took. This was his wife’s legacy to their child.

“Thank you.”

“No thanks needed other than getting this little one better.” Easton smoothed an affectionate hand over his niece’s head. “Well...and a bottle of top-shelf tequila to drink at sunset.”

“Put it on the list.” A long list, all he owed his brother. But he would find a way to pay him back someday. A kick of guilt pushed him to say, “If you need to move on to a larger job—”

“I wouldn’t be needed. Being needed, making a difference—” he shrugged, eyes flicking to Rose “—that’s what life’s all about.”

Xander swallowed hard. Terri had said that to him more than once. God, he missed her. “Fair enough.” And before he even realized the thought had crossed his mind, he stopped his brother at the door. “Might you really be sticking around because of a certain red-haired zoologist?”

“Maureen?” Easton said with such incredulity there was no doubting the truthfulness of his statement. “No. Absolutely not. There’s nothing going on between the two of us. We’re too much alike.”

Laughing lightly, he shook his head, scratched the back of his neck and chuckled again on his way out the door, leaving Xander more confused than ever. Not because of his brother’s denial.

But because of his own relief.

Copyright © 2016 by Catherine Mann

ISBN-13: 9781488001925

The Rancher’s One-Week Wife

Copyright © 2016 by Kathie DeNosky

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