Chapter 2

Sawyer heard Helen's voice before he saw her at the back of the barn and wished he'd left Reese back at the house with Mary, but knew it was too late when he saw the mother of his child go after Piper. Turning the baby around so she was facing away from the two women, he stomped across the barn, doing his best to control the anger that surged through him. He wasn't the least bit surprised when his soon-to-be ex-wife landed in the dirt with only a single push from Piper, then began screeching like a spoiled child.

"Helen, what are you doing here?" he demanded. "We weren't supposed to meet until later today after Reese had her nap."

"Oh, Sawyer, thank God," Helen said, bursting into tears. "Piper just attacked me and knocked me to the ground. I told you she was trouble. Now look at me, my dress is ruined and I might be hurt."

"That's not what it looked like to me," he said, then sighed. "I've been standing here long enough to know that you were the one who attacked her. You're not even supposed to be here, Helen. You sighed our agreement. You weren't supposed to come to the ranch unless you were invited."

Helen's tears dried up instantly and a stubborn look appeared on her face, "It's my ranch too, Sawyer, we're married, remember," she said. "Now, are you going to help me up or let me sit here in the dirt?"

"In case you missed it, I've got my arms full," he said. "Or didn't you notice our daughter?"

Reese began to fuss, and he changed position so she could see her mother, "Oh, she's grown so much," Helen said, scrambling to her feet. "She's not a baby anymore."

"It's been six months since you've seen her," he pointed out. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I need to talk to Piper. You know the way out."

Helen just stood staring at him, "I want to hold my daughter," she finally said. "She and I need to get to know each other again."

He shook his head, "That's not part of the deal, Helen," he said. "You need to leave now."

"You're a monster, Sawyer, keeping a child from her mother," Helen accused, then held out her arms. "Come to Mommy sweetie. I've missed you so much, come give me some kisses."

Reese looked at her mother, then shook her head, and turned in his arms, "Piper, I want Piper," she said, holding her arms out. "Piper, Piper……"

He handed Reese over to Piper, who took her without hesitation and held her close, smiling when his daughter snuggled into her arms and laid her head on Piper's shoulder. "Happy birthday," Reese said. "Daddy has a surprise for you. He said we could give it to you before my nap."

Helen was staring at the two of them, her eyes full of hatred, "This isn't going to happen, I won't let it," she said. "Reese is my child, I gave birth to her, she has to love me."

"I think that's enough for one day," he said, walking over to Helen. "I'll walk you to your car. It's time for you to leave, and just so you know, I'm calling the court and reporting this. You can forget the visit later today. You're not getting anywhere near Reese for a while after this. You just proved to me that you haven't changed a bit."

"I'm sorry, Sawyer, you don't know what it's been like, you don't know how terrible the last six months have been," Helen cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I just wanted……well, to know that I still belong somewhere."

"So, you picked a fight with Piper," he said, shaking his head. "I'm not falling for it this time, Helen, either leave of your own volition, or I'm going to carry you out of here and toss you into the road."

Her eyes widened, "You wouldn't dare," she said. "I'm fragile, Sawyer, I'm trying to recover from a terrible disease, you could make me relapse, and then it would be on your head that I'm drinking again."

"Boy, you're just throwing it all at me today," he said, shaking his head. "You're not the only one who spent the last six months getting therapy. I'm not responsible for your drinking or drug use, Helen, I never was, so don't try to use that against me, it won't work."

Helen let out a grunt of frustration, and the tears in her eyes dried up, "This isn't over, I'm not going to let you go that easily," she said. "We were meant to be together, Sawyer. If you'd just get rid of her, you'd see that, she clouds your judgement, she's……"

"I've heard enough," he roared, startling Reese, who began to whimper. "I'm going to give you ten seconds to get out of here and then I'm going to drag you out."

Helen opened her mouth to argue, then closed it and began to back away, "We're still married Sawyer, you still belong to me," she said, suddenly calm. "I won't give you up without a fight. That bitch is going to pay for ruining our marriage, she's going to be sorry that she didn't leave when she had the chance."

He watched her stomp out of the barn, then turned to Piper, a mixture of anger and frustration making it difficult to speak for a second. "I can't believe she came here," he finally said. "I'm so sorry, Piper, this isn't how I wanted to celebrate your birthday."

"You didn't forget?" she asked. "I thought……well……"

"Hey, I would never forget your birthday," he said, walking over to her and giving her a hug. "Your present is in the back of my truck. Do you want to see it?"

***Piper***

A rush of happiness had Piper momentary off balance since her body was still in fight mode, and it took her a second to answer, "Sawyer, I told you not to get me anything," she protested, but was secretly more pleased than she wanted to admit. "I'm too old for birthday presents."

"That's the silliest thing I've ever heard," he said, taking Reese out of her arms. "No one is ever too old for birthday presents. Come on, I can't wait to see your face when you see what I got you."

"Horsey, horsey, horsey," Reese chanted wiggling around in Sawyer's arms.

"We'll come back and look at the horses later," Sawyer said, a funny look on his face. "First we have to give Piper her birthday present."

"Birthday, birthday, birthday," Reese echoed in her tiny voice, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, I guess I can't say no," she said, walking over to the pair. "Lead the way, but you better not have gone overboard. It worries me that my present is in the back of your truck."

Sawyer just grinned at her, "You're my best girl, Piper. Nothing is too good for you," he said, grabbing her hand and sending shivers up and down her spine. "I like to spoil you every once in a while."

She couldn't help but sigh, wondering how Sawyer could be so blind to the way he affected her, but got her body under control. "Well, you shouldn't have," she said. "I know how tight money is right now."

Sawyer let go of her hand and put his finger over her lips, "Shhh……not another word," he said. "It's done, and we're not going to discuss it anymore."

Mary was waiting for them in the front yard when they got to Sawyer's truck, a big smile on her face, "Happy birthday, Piper," she said, giving her a big hug. "I made your favorite dinner and that devil's food cake that you love so much."

Touched and relieved that her birthday hadn't been forgotten, she hugged the older woman back, "Thank you, Mary, that was really sweet," she said. "I thought everyone had forgotten."

"That was Sawyer's idea," Mary said, shaking her head. "I told him it was a bad idea, but he wouldn't listen."

She turned to Sawyer and gave him a dirty look, "That wasn't very nice," she said, but he didn't look the least bit sorry. "Why are you still grinning like that?"

"Come look at your present," he said. "It's not exactly in the back of the truck, more like behind the truck."

Just then she heard the impatient stamping of hooves in the trailer attached to the truck, "What do you mean?" she asked, her heart starting to pound when she saw a velvety nose poking out of one of the openings. "Sawyer, what did you do?"

"Horsey, horsey, horsey," Reese sang reaching toward the trailer. "Wanna pet the horsey."

Mary laughed, then rushed over and took the baby from Sawyer, "Well, I guess Reese spilled your secret," she said. "I'll take her into the house. I think it's time for someone's nap. Dinner will be ready at six sharp, don't be late."

When they were gone, Sawyer took her hand and led her to the back of the trailer, then made her back up, "Now close your eyes and don't open them until I tell you to, and no peeking, missy."

She closed her eyes then covered them with her hands, anticipation making it hard to breathe, afraid to hope she'd guessed her birthday present. The sound of a horse being unloaded from the trailer echoed through the yard, and it took all of her restraint not to peek. By the time the trailer door slammed shut, she was twitching with expectation and hopping from foot to foot, unable to stand still.

"Okay, you can open your eyes," Sawyer called, his voice full of excitement. "Happy birthday, Piper."

She pulled her hands away and opened her eyes, "Oh, Sawyer, it's that mare I was drooling over at the auction last week," she said, slightly breathless with excitement. "How did you do this? The owner said she wasn't for sale, I asked him twice."

Sawyer shrugged his shoulders, "I just explained to him that you and this horse were meant to be together," he said, grinning at her. "It took me a while to soften him up, but she's all yours, Piper."

Overcome by emotion, she ran over to Sawyer and threw herself into his arms, all the love she felt for him suddenly pouring out of her, and before she could stop herself, she was kissing him. His lips were warm and firm just like she'd always imagined, his chest hard under her hands, but only a second later, she realized what she was doing and started to pull away. Before she could, Sawyer's arms were wrapped around her, pinning her to his body, and his tongue slipped into her mouth, sending thrills shooting through her.

Any thought of escape slipped from her mind as her body filled with warmth, and she let out a long sigh, opening her mouth to him. Sawyer's tongue slipped into her mouth as he deepened the kiss, the world around her faded away, and she was lost in a rush of pleasure more intense than anything she'd ever felt before. The little mare finally broke the spell between them, nudging Sawyer with her nose and whinnying. The world was suddenly back, and she jumped away from him, heart racing, body throbbing with need.

Sawyer stared at her, his chest heaving, a look of shock on his face for a few seconds, and she quickly backed away from him, horrified by what she'd done. "I'm sorry, Sawyer, I don't know what got into me," she said. "I think we should just pretend that didn't happen."

The mare nudged him again, "I don't think I can do that," he said, the shock replaced by a look she couldn't read. "That was some kiss, Piper."

"It was a mistake, Sawyer," she said, shaking her head wishing she could just melt into the ground. "I was just excited, I got carried away, that's all. Nothing has changed."

Sawyer studied her for a second, his eyes full of desire, and her body responded, forcing her to look away from him to stop herself from kissing him again. "You're not the only one who got carried away," he said, his voice full of wonder. "Maybe we should try that again and see what happens."

She shook her head, "I don't think that's a good idea," she said, backing away from him. "Let's not make a big deal about it, I just slipped, that's all."

"Slipped?" Sawyer asked, a curious look on his face. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head again, realizing that she was digging herself into an even deeper hole. "I just meant……never mind, I should really get the mare into the barn. I'm sure she's hungry after the ride here, and I'd like to get her settled in before dinner."