Christmas Baby for the Cowboy (Sweethearts of the Rodeo #4)

Chapter Sixteen

Taylor

T aylor Keating blinked rapidly as he stared at his phone screen, adjusting to the bright display after two days without use. As their van pulled into the hotel parking lot in Guadalajara, the sudden chorus of notification sounds from the film crew’s devices filled the air. Cell service, absent during their stint in the remote parts of Mexico, had finally been restored. Taylor scrolled through the flood of missed calls and messages, a knot forming in his stomach when he saw the number of times Loretta and his father had tried to reach him.

Was Georgie all right? They would have said something, found a way to contact him, wouldn’t they?

The van rolled to a stop in front of the Hotel Morales, a colonial-style building that stood in stark contrast to the rustic locations they’d been filming in. Its ornate facade and grand entrance spoke of a luxury that felt almost obscene after days of sleeping in tents and waking up with sand in places sand had no business being.

“Damn,” Taylor muttered, scrolling through the missed calls and messages. Most were from Loretta and his father, their increasing urgency making his stomach churn with guilt. He’d known the lack of communication would be hard, but he hadn’t anticipated just how much could go wrong in forty-eight hours.

Thankfully, Loretta had mentioned that she and Georgie were fine, but that she needed to talk to him.

As the van came to a stop, Taylor barely registered the flurry of activity around him. His mind was already racing, prioritizing what needed to be done first. Money. That was the most pressing issue. He needed to check his account, make sure his paycheck had come through.

“Earth to Taylor…” Savannah’s voice cut through his thoughts. The actress was leaning over the seat in front of him, her perfect eyebrows arched in amusement. “Are you planning on spending the night in the van?”

Taylor managed a tired smile. “Sorry, just got a lot to catch up on. You go ahead; I’ll be right behind you.”

As Savannah and the rest of the crew filed out, Taylor braced himself for whatever financial reality awaited him. He pulled up his banking app, saying a silent prayer as it loaded.

As the numbers flashed onto the screen, a weight lifted from his shoulders. His paycheck had cleared. Thank God for small mercies. Without hesitation, he initiated a transfer of double the money he had taken to the shared savings account he held with Loretta. He hoped she hadn’t noticed the money had been missing for a few days, but if she had, at least now there would be an extra five hundred dollars there.

When Barney had called three days ago, hinting that he was thinking of buying back the ring himself, Taylor had known he couldn’t let that happen. It was his responsibility, his mess to clean up. He couldn’t let his father sweep in for the rescue—not again. So using the producer’s satellite phone, Taylor had wired the money to the pawn shop along with a little extra for them to store the ring until he got back to the States.

With the money transfer complete, Taylor finally climbed out of the van, the humid Guadalajara air hitting him like a wall. He grabbed his duffel bag and headed into the hotel lobby. He couldn’t wait for a shower and some grub.

This job had seemed like a dream come true—he’d share his knowledge, relive some of the excitement of the rodeo circuit, and get paid well for it. But as the days turned into weeks, he found himself missing home more than he’d anticipated. What was it going to be like when he had to travel the rodeo circuit this year?

At least he’d have cell service.

His role on set varied from day to day. Some days he was adjusting the way an actor held their lasso, demonstrating the proper technique for mounting a horse at a gallop, or explaining the intricacies of bull-riding scoring. Other days, he was poring over scripts, flagging inaccuracies in the dialogue or suggesting tweaks to make scenes more true to life.

Just yesterday, he’d spent hours working with Savannah on her riding form. The actress was a quick study, but there was a world of difference between looking good on a horse and looking like you’d grown up in the saddle. They’d ridden for miles under the scorching Mexican sun, Taylor calling out adjustments and Savannah gamely following his instructions, even as her muscles protested.

Now, as he finally reached the front desk and received his room key, Taylor wanted to collapse and sleep for a week. The clerk, a young man with a friendly smile, handed him a welcome packet along with his key card.

“Enjoy your stay, Mr. Keating,” the clerk said in accented English. “If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Taylor nodded his thanks and headed for the elevators. As he waited, he pulled out his phone again, and called the pawn shop to schedule a time to pick up the ring. He really should have told Loretta about pawning his mother’s ring. Should have been honest from the start. But it was too late for should-haves now.

“Jack’s Pawn and Loan,” a gruff voice answered on the third ring.

“Hey, Jack. It’s Taylor Keating. I’m calling to schedule a time to pick up my mother’s ring.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, long enough to make Taylor’s heart rate kick up a notch. “Ah, yeah. About that, Taylor… Your father was in yesterday. Said you’d given him permission to pick it up on account of you being in Mexico or some such.”

Taylor’s free hand clenched into a fist. Of course. Of course his father had sweet-talked his way into getting what he wanted, like he always did. “He picked it up? You’re sure?”

“Yep. Is there something wrong?”

Taylor closed his eyes, a mixture of relief and frustration washing over him. The ring was safe, out of hock. But once again, he’d failed to handle things on his own. “No. Just making sure. Thanks.”

He ended the call just as the elevator arrived. Stepping inside, he immediately pulled up his father’s number. As much as he wanted to put this conversation off, he knew it was better to rip off the Band-Aid now.

Barney answered on the first ring. “Well, well. Look who finally got around to calling his old man.”

Taylor bit back a retort. Now wasn’t the time for their usual back-and-forth. “Hey, Dad. Sorry about the radio silence. We’ve been out of cell range for the past couple days. I’m calling you back before I even shower or sleep.”

“How thoughtful of you.” Barney’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “I suppose I should feel honored.”

Taylor pinched the bridge of his nose, willing himself to stay calm as he exited the elevator and searched for his room. “Dad, please. I just want to know about the ring. Did you pick it up from Jack’s like they told me you did?”

“Yes, and it wasn’t easy.”

“It shouldn’t have been,” Taylor said between his teeth. “Anyone could have taken the ring.”

Barney scoffed. “Not anyone. I had to prove to him I was your father. Prove to him you were in Mexico and then sign my damned life away practically.”

“So why did you do it?”

“I figured someone ought to take responsibility for your mother’s ring. Lord knows she’d be rolling in her grave if she knew where you’d left it.”

The words stung, but Taylor pushed past them as he finally located his room and fumbled with the key card.

Barney sighed, and for the first time, Taylor could hear the genuine concern beneath his father’s gruff exterior. “Son, you need to come home. Before you don’t have a home to come back to.”

“Dad, what—”

“Loretta deserves some flowers and candy, at the very least. And a whole lot of groveling, if you ask me. But what do I know? I’m just your old man.”

Before Taylor could respond, Barney had hung up. Taylor stared at his phone, a feeling of dread settling in his stomach. What the hell had happened while he was out of touch?

With shaking hands, he dialed Loretta’s number. Each ring stretched like an eternity, his anxiety mounting with each passing second. When her voicemail kicked in, a mixture of relief and disappointment washed over him.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said after the beep, trying to keep his voice steady. “I’m so sorry I haven’t been in touch. We’ve been filming in the middle of nowhere, no cell service at all. I hope everything is all right. We’ll have service from now on. I miss you and Georgie something fierce. Can’t wait to see you both at the end of the month. I love you.”

He ended the call, then immediately second-guessed every word he’d said. Was it enough? Too much? Should he have mentioned the ring?

A knock at the door startled him out of his spiral. He opened it to find Savannah standing there, concern etched on her beautiful face. “Taylor? Everything okay? You looked pretty intense in the van earlier.”

He forced a smile. “Yeah, just catching up on some calls. What’s up?”

Savannah smiled, that megawatt grin that had launched a thousand magazine covers. “A bunch of us are heading out for dinner and drinks. Thought you might want to join in? You look like you could use a night out.”

For a brief moment, Taylor was tempted. A night of mindless conversation and a few drinks sounded like heaven after the stress of the past few days. But then Barney’s words echoed in his mind. You need to come home. Before you don’t have a home to come back to.

“Thanks, but I think I’m going to turn in early,” he said.

Savannah looked disappointed but nodded. “Sure thing. Get some rest, cowboy. We’ve got an early call tomorrow.”

As she walked away, Taylor couldn’t help but think about how different Savannah was from Loretta. Where Savannah was all polish and Hollywood glamour, Loretta was natural beauty and down-to-earth charm. It made him miss Loretta even more.

Closing the door, Taylor stripped off his dusty clothes and stepped into the shower. As the hot water beat down on his aching muscles, he tried to sort through the chaos of the day. The ring was safe. The money was replaced. But something was clearly wrong with Loretta, and he had no idea what. His father would have told him if something was wrong with Georgie, so it couldn’t be that.

After his shower, wrapped in a plush hotel robe, Taylor picked up his phone and listened to Loretta’s messages. He really wished they had connected more over the past two weeks. Things had been so fast-paced and crazy. He rubbed his hand over his face. Damn, he was exhausted.

He dialed Loretta’s number again, praying she’d pick up this time. When it went to voicemail once more, he left another message.

“Hey, it’s me again. I know it’s late, but I just needed to hear your voice, even if it’s just your voicemail. I can’t wait to talk to you and Georgie. Please call me as soon as you get this, doesn’t matter what time. I love you both so much.”

He ended the call, feeling hollowed out. Was there something wrong? Was she pissed about him not calling? His mind raced with possibilities, each worse than the last. Had she found out about the ring? About the money he’d borrowed from their savings? Or was it something else entirely?

Taylor flopped onto the king-sized bed, exhaustion finally catching up with him. But sleep was impossible with so much unresolved. He needed to do something, anything, to show Loretta he was thinking of her.

Flowers. His dad had mentioned flowers and candy. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. Taylor pulled up the website of a Last Stand florist on his phone, squinting against the bright screen in the darkened room. He arranged for a bouquet to be delivered to Kelly’s portrait studio, where he knew Loretta should be working tomorrow. He added a box of her favorite chocolates for good measure.

As he typed out the card message, a lump formed in his throat. “I love you more than words can say. You and Georgie are my whole world. I’m sorry for everything. We’ll talk soon. All my love, Taylor.”

It wasn’t enough. How could a bunch of flowers and some candy make up for whatever he’d done wrong? But it was all he could do from hundreds of miles away.

Taylor set his phone on the nightstand and rolled onto his back, staring up at the ornate ceiling. He thought about Loretta, imagining her curled up in their bed in the Winnebago, Georgie sleeping peacefully nearby. The image made his chest ache with longing.

When this job opportunity arose, Taylor had embraced it as a miracle. Good money, a chance to stay connected to the rodeo world without the physical risks. But now, lying alone in a luxurious hotel room that felt more like a gilded cage, while his fiancée wouldn’t even take his calls, Taylor wondered if he’d made the biggest mistake of his life.

He thought about the day ahead, about the scenes they were set to film. There was a big rodeo sequence, complete with bucking broncos and a nail-biting barrel-racing finale. Under normal circumstances, Taylor would have been excited, eager to share his expertise and ensure every detail was perfect.

But now, all he could think about was getting home. Home to Loretta and Georgie. As sleep finally began to claim him, Taylor made a silent vow. He’d finish this job, give it his all like he always did. But as soon as filming wrapped, he was going home. And once he got there, he’d do whatever it took to make things right with Loretta.

Because at the end of the day, no amount of movie magic could compare to the real-life love story he had waiting for him back in Texas. He just hoped it wasn’t too late to write their happy ending.