Kissin' Tell (Rough Riders 13)

Georgia was a big help with chores. She’d brought all the paperwork for the upcoming rodeos and she started the ball rolling on getting him assigned as a judge. He was happy he’d be working fourteen more rodeos this summer, although none were PRCA-sanctioned, and not all of them were events she was working.

They’d finished a late lunch when his phone vibrated. He fished it out of his pocket. “Brandt. You have good news?”

“Yep. Jess had the baby about an hour ago. His name is Tucker. The boy weighed eight pounds.”

“And Mama Jess? How’s she doin’?”

“Weird to hear her called Mama Jess. But she’s already taken to the little guy like he’s been here forever…” Brandt cleared his throat. “She was in labor for five hours before she even told me, so it was eighteen hours in labor instead of just thirteen hours at the hospital. She’s sleepin’. The nurses came in and took Tucker for some tests or something about five minutes ago.”

“If Jess is sleepin’, aren’t you supposed to be with Tucker wherever he goes?”

Silence.

“Shit. You’re probably right. I don’t know how to do any of this stuff.”

“It’s no different than anything else. You’ll learn as you go.”

“Will you come to the hospital?”

“When?”

“Ah…now.”

“You think that’s a good idea, given Jess is sleeping? Who all have you called to spread the good news?”

“What do you mean?”

Jesus. Brandt was really a mess.

“You’re the first person I called, bro. Jess called her mom.” He exhaled a frustrated burst of air. “I better call Mom, huh?”

“And Dalton. And Skylar. If you call Keely, she’ll make sure everyone in the McKay family knows.”

“Good idea.”

Was it funny or sad that neither mentioned calling their dad?

“Now go track down your kid, Brandt. That way when Mama Jess wakes up, you can fill her in on what happened to the little tyke. ’Cause she’s gonna want to know.”

“Thanks. I just… I need you here, okay?”

Had he ever heard such a note of panic in his older brother’s voice? “I’ve got some things to finish up here first, so it’ll be a couple, three hours before I’m there.”

Georgia rubbed Tell’s arm after he stood there for several long seconds without speaking. “Sounds like congratulations are in order.”

“Yeah. I’m happy Jessie didn’t have complications. But man. Brandt is still uptight as hell.”

“Then it’s a good thing you’re going in. Maybe you’ll calm him down.”

Tell leaned down to kiss her. On impulse he asked, “Will you come with me?”

Regret flashed in her eyes. “No. The first time seeing your nephew will be special. Jessie will have a ton of visitors and I don’t need to add to her stress, especially since she doesn’t know me.”

But I want her to know you.

Whoa. That’d come out of left field. Normally he kept the woman sharing his bed far away from the McKay family madness, so as not to give her ideas that he was serious about wanting her to become a part of his family.

“Besides, I have work to do today. Somebody—” she pecked his mouth, “—has distracted me. Not that I’m complaining.”

“Good. ’Cause I don’t plan to stop distracting you anytime soon.”

She gave him that goofy smile. “Call me later?”

“Sure. I’ll be in town. Wanna do something?”

“If that’s your way of asking if I want you to f**k me senseless again? The answer is yes.” One last kiss and she sailed out the door.

The odd thing was, Tell hadn’t been talking about sex.

He killed an hour doing stuff around the house he’d been putting off. Stalling wasn’t normally his style, but he suspected Jessie might be as overwhelmed as Brandt.

After he checked on Jessie and Brandt’s dog, he stopped at the grocery store to grab some flowers. The selection was shitty, so he drove to Spearfish.

Somehow he managed to leave Walmart with flowers, a stuffed horse, a DVD of Parenthood, a box of chocolates and a bottle of booze.

He felt like a dork schlepping all the stuff into the hospital. When he asked at the visitor information center for Jessie’s room number, the woman made him wait.

His heart sped up. “Is something wrong?”

The older gal shook her head. “Doc Monroe put a limit on visitors for the first twenty-four hours. The McKays could overtake the whole wing if y’all showed up at the same time.”

He grinned. “That’s true.”

“You’re cleared to go in, Tell. Room one nineteen.”

He cut down the left hallway—due to various injuries over the years he’d been in this hospital several times—and stopped in front of the door. After shifting everything into one hand, he knocked.

Brandt opened the door a crack. Then he threw it open wide. “Tell. Man. I’m glad you’re here. What took you so damn long?”

“Had to get a few things to mark the occasion.”

Brandt’s eyes were dark with guilt when he saw the bouquet. Dammit. His brother hadn’t gone out and brought Jessie flowers yet? Dumb-ass.

Jess was sitting up, a blanket-wrapped bundle tucked against her body. She looked tired, but happy. She beamed at him. “Hey, Uncle Tell. Whatcha got there?”

“Flowers from your adoring husband. He asked me to pick them up for him because he couldn’t bear to leave you guys.” Tell passed her the bouquet of yellow, white and pink daisies.

Her lip trembled. She looked over at Brandt. “Thank you. Daisies are my favorite.”

Brandt said, “I’ll get ’em in some water.”

Then Tell pulled out the tie-dyed plush pony. “Looks like a hippie horse, but I’ve heard babies like bright things. And so you didn’t think I forgot you…” He waggled the two-pound box of chocolates and the DVD at her.

She laughed.

He took the bottle out of the paper bag. “My gift to the proud daddy. Koltiska liquor made right here in Wyoming. Figured my big brother and I needed to celebrate Wyoming’s newest resident.”

“Maybe you oughta give Brandt a shot now,” she said dryly. “Anyway. Come see our son.” Jessie peeled back the blanket covering the baby’s face.

His eyes were squeezed shut. In fact, his whole face was squished and red—not that Tell would point that out. The baby had a full head of dark hair.