Page 14 of Deacon (Men of Clifton, Montana #52)

Ava sat quietly on the sofa, listening intently as the rumble of Deacon’s truck faded down the gravel driveway.

God, he was still incredibly handsome, with the same rugged charm that had drawn her to him years ago.

When he had asked her if she ever thought about that night, she couldn’t bring herself to lie.

It was a memory she cherished, one that lingered in her mind.

Every time she gazed at her daughter; the resemblance was undeniable.

Ellie had inherited Deacon’s dark hair and honey-colored eyes.

There was no way to deny the truth of her parentage.

The moment Deacon laid eyes on Ellie; he knew.

Now, they faced the challenge of weaving their lives together.

Ava was eager for Ellie to meet Deacon’s family and felt a flutter of anticipation about meeting them herself.

His brothers needed to know their niece, and his father had to meet his granddaughter.

She frowned as she realized he never mentioned his mother, and she wondered why.

She decided to wait for Deacon to reach out again. She knew how busy he was. Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when her phone vibrated with a gentle buzz, and she glanced down to see her father’s number flashing on the screen.

“Hi, Dad,” she answered warmly.

“Hi, honey. Did I just see Deke’s truck passing by here?” he inquired with curiosity.

“Yes, he came to see Ellie. He brought her the doll she wanted,” Ava replied, a smile in her voice.

Her father chuckled. “And how did that come about?”

Ava recounted how Deacon had wanted to bring Ellie a gift and how she had mentioned the doll to him. “I told him it was expensive, but he didn’t care,” she added.

“I didn’t think he would,” her father said knowingly.

“He asked me to move to Clifton, Dad.” She shook her head at the thought.

“You’re going to, aren’t you?” he asked, a hint of expectation in his tone.

“What do you think I should do?”

“In my opinion, I think you should. I know we’d miss you, but this is what’s best for Ellie.”

“He wants his brothers and father to meet Ellie. He has never mentioned his mother,” Ava explained.

“Maybe she passed away. Ellie will be spoiled for sure,” her father replied.

“I told her Deacon was her daddy. I’m not sure if she fully understood, but she called him daddy, and it really touched him.”

“He’s missed out, honey, so I’m sure he was emotional.”

“I’ll do what I can, and if that means moving to Clifton, I guess I will. It’s just that I hate leaving you,” Ava said softly.

“Ava, I’m not going to be alone and we can always visit. I just wanted to make sure everything was alright before I headed out.”

“Where are you going?” Ava asked, her curiosity piqued.

“Oh, uh, just into town for a while. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“You know you’re going to have to tell me about her one day,” Ava teased gently.

“Who?” her father feigned innocence.

Ava laughed. “Goodnight, Dad. Have a good time.” She hung up. She had no doubt he was seeing someone, and she was happy for him.

As Ellie peacefully slept, Ava diligently worked on sorting out the sales from the ranch.

The frustration gnawed at her as she thought about the cattle that had been stolen.

The uncertainty of their recovery lingered in her mind, yet she understood that every rancher faced the inherent risks of raising livestock.

Fortunately, most ranchers were wise enough to have insurance to cover such unfortunate events.

Ava longed to ask Deacon about the progress on the missing cattle, but she knew he would keep his findings to himself until the case was resolved. She could only hope that resolution would come soon.

A smile spread across Ava’s face as she reminisced about her father’s return home last weekend.

It had been late, the hour cloaked in darkness, but she happened to be awake.

From her window, she watched as his truck rolled quietly up to the porch of his house.

He stepped out; his silhouette momentarily outlined against the dim porch light before he disappeared inside.

Despite his words to the contrary, Ava was convinced he was seeing someone, and her curiosity about the mystery woman was insatiable.

Thinking about her father going out, she picked up her phone, called her sister-in-law to see if she’d keep Ellie overnight next weekend.

She desperately needed to get out for a while.

Her father went out more than she did and with all this going on with Deacon, she needed to get out and have some fun.

“Hey, Ava, what’s up?” Jeanie’s voice chimed brightly through the receiver.

“Hi, Jeanie. Do you and Tyler have any plans for next Saturday night?” Ava inquired, her voice hopeful.

“Not that I’m aware of. What do you need?” Jeanie replied, her tone accommodating.

“Could you keep Ellie overnight? I want to get out for a while,” Ava asked.

“Of course. We love having her here,” Jeanie assured warmly.

“Jeanie, you are the best sister-in-law,” Ava said, gratitude filling her voice.

Jeanie laughed. “What do I always say?”

Ava chuckled. “Yeah, I know. You’re my only sister-in-law. Doesn’t mean I don’t think you’re the best.”

Jeanie’s laughter came through the phone. “The kids adore playing with her. Bring her by early, then you can sneak off for a little ‘you’ time.” In the background, the patter of tiny feet and the jingle of toy blocks mixed with muffled giggles.

“Perfect,” Ava said. “I’ll drop her off around one-thirty Saturday afternoon. Does that work?”

“That’s just fine,” Jeanie answered, her voice warm. “See you then.”

Ava hung up, pressing her palm to her cheek, a grin tugging at her lips. She leaned back in her chair, exhaling.

She wasted no time dialing her best friend, Joella Barton. When Joella picked up, her friend’s voice was bright with curiosity. “What’s up?”

“Do you have any plans for next weekend? I want to go out and let loose,” Ava said, and she heard Joella’s laughter come through the phone.

“I’d love to. It’s been so long since I’ve been out.”

“Me too,” Ava replied. “I’m not sure I’ll know how to act.” Ava chuckled.

“Okay, how about I get to your place around six-thirty? We can head to Smokey’s.”

“Oh, I know why you want to go there. You love those cowboys.”

“I cannot lie. I do.” Joella’s sigh came through the phone. “Remember what Dana Delany said in Tombstone when she saw Kurt Russell? She said, ‘I want one’. Well, so do I.”

“Well, what better place to find one than a cowboy bar?” Ava laughed.

“I know that’s right. I’ll see you Saturday night. I’ll pick you up at six-thirty.”

“Great. See you then.”

Ava set her phone down on the cluttered desk, piles of paperwork, a half-empty mug of cooling coffee, then rubbed her temples, willing the week to speed by. She glanced at her phone again, longing for a message from Deacon.

“He just left,” she murmured.

She admitted it, she wanted to see him again. No one, before or after Deacon, had stirred her heart like that. Since Ellie was born, men vanished the moment she mentioned needing a babysitter when they asked her out on a date. What was wrong with some guys? A night out wasn’t a marriage proposal.

But Deacon… she shook her head, a warm ache spreading through her chest. His touch had been unforgettable.

It had been the best night of her life, and she’d remember it if she lived to be a hundred.

The instant their eyes met, she wanted him.

She’d br eathed a sigh of relief learning he wasn’t involved with anyone else, though he could have lied.

Still, she didn’t believe it. He seemed too honest for that.

Now he was back. Despite the knot of uncertainty in her stomach about Ellie’s future, about her own heart, she was eager to rediscover him. She smiled, remembering every delicious inch of him, but craving the man behind the memory. She wanted to know him .

She looked at the framed photo of her father on the desk, recalling his own relentless devotion, to the land, to the missing cattle that haunted their ranch’s history.

Deacon shared that same unwavering dedication.

He tackled each case with fierce determination, never resting until he’d followed every lead.

Even if not every case ended with a resolution, he didn’t quit.

She knew, without a doubt, that if Chet Winchester was involved, Deacon would arrest him.

Ava sighed, placing her chin in her hand. She hated to think of those missing cattle, her father’s losses, and yet, that was ranch life, unpredictable, sometimes heartbreaking. Yet somewhere in that rugged certainty, she found hope. Just as she did in Deacon’s return.

****

As Deke drove his pickup truck behind Rawley and Killian on the winding road back to Clifton the following morning, the sun hung high in the sky, casting long, golden shadows across the landscape, and he shook his head.

He was so tired of this trip, but they had to go back, again, to get more information on Chet Winchester.

Although his sons were always in trouble, that man didn’t have a record.

A soft smile crept onto Deke’s lips as he recalled Ellie’s delighted expression when she received her doll. Despite its hefty price tag, the joy that lit up her face made it worth every penny.

The screen on his dash notified him that he had a call. He pressed the button on his steering wheel, activating the hands-free system.

“Killian? What’s up?” he asked, his voice steady amid the quiet hum of the engine.

“We’re hungry. Want to stop and get something to eat?” Killian’s voice came through the speaker.

“That actually sounds good. You lead the way,” Deke replied, glancing at the road ahead, anticipation of a meal stirring in his stomach.

“Alright. We’re approaching a small town; we’ll look there,” Killian responded.