The Cowboy Guardian (Foster Ranch Book 2), page 1
The Cowboy Guardian
FOSTER RANCH
BOOK TWO
BA TORTUGA
Contents
BA’s Cozy Cowboys
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Epilogue
BA’s Cozy Cowboys
Want More?
Afterword
Also Available from BA
The Cowboy Guardian
Copyright © 2023 BA Tortuga
Cover Art Illustration by Alexandria Corza. Used with permission.
Editing by Sue Meadows
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this eBook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information electronic address Turtlehat Creatives help@turtlehatcreatives.com
Printed in the United States of America.
ISBN: 978-1-953438-79-9
1st Edition Turtlehat Creatives 2023
BA’s Cozy Cowboys
If y’all are interested in warm, joyous novels where the cowboys have kids and love saves the day, please check these BA Tortuga books out:
Back in the Saddle
Cowboy in the Crosshairs
Cowboy Haven
Cowboy’s Law
Cowboy Logic
Foster Ranch 1: The Cowboy Contract
Foster Ranch 2: The Cowboy Guardian
In the Morning Light
Ranch Manny
Security Detail: an AusTex novel
Trial by Fire: an AusTex novel
Two Cowboys and a Baby
Two of a Kind
For those people who stand up for what is right, even when it hurts. For my found family.
Chapter One
Okay, Wat. You can do this.
Watson Torres needed someone to give him a fresh start. He had his graduate degree. He had background checks and ideas, enthusiasm and huge love for children and education.
Now he needed a job that paid enough that he could move out of his in-laws’, a place for little Naomi to continue to heal and thrive, and a chance to reinvent himself after the damn tragic movie his life had become.
Was that too much to ask?
He chuckled to himself. God, he sounded like a whiny kid. Times were tough all over, and…
And he was sitting in front of a giant-assed adobe that was the heart of the Broken C Ranch and Rodeo Company in northern New Mexico to interview for what amounted to the lead childcare coordinator. There were a lot of kids at this ranch from what he understood.
That sounded like a position Michelle would be proud of, didn’t it? She’d expected him to become a professor, an academic.
Now he just had to get up and get this job as a glorified babysitter.
A giant St Bernard rose off the porch as soon as he opened the door to his Jeep Renegade. It woofed, tail lifting to wag in a lazy kind of way, and he nodded. “Hey, buddy. I have an appointment.”
As if that prompted someone inside, the front door opened, and a compact middle-aged lady smiled at him from the entrance. “Hola, señor. I’m Nanette. Come on in. You’re Señor Torres, no?”
“Si, señora. ¿Buenas dias? ¿Como esta?” He was a New Mexico boy, after all, and Spanish was his second language.
“Bien, bien. Come in. Aren’t you polite? Kase will be interviewing you. Ryder is out helping round up cattle.” She rolled her eyes and grinned. “Playing cowboy.”
The words were teasing, but Wat didn’t hear an ounce of meanness in them. In fact, they were filled with a fondness that had him grinning and nodding like he knew what she was saying, when really he had no idea what that entailed beyond what he’d seen in the movies. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Nanette, is the— Oh, hey.” A slight man with blond hair and bright blue eyes limped out of a room off the main entry, smiling. “I’m Kase Chiara. You must be Watson Torres?” He held out a hand to shake, square and tanned and scarred up.
Not as scarred as his kid’s arm, but not a smooth executive’s hand for sure. “Yes, sir. Pleased to meet you.”
Chiara, huh? The guy didn’t seem Italian, but Watson didn’t look as if his name ought to be Torres, so…
“Good to meet you. Do you want some coffee? There’s doughnuts, too. Or, uh, conchas?” Kase glanced around like he was a touch dazed.
“No. No, I’m fine, thank you.” The last thing he needed was to spill hot coffee on his shirt or smear sugar everywhere. He wasn’t as steady as it had been, once upon a time.
“Well, if you change your mind, let me know and I’ll tell Nanette. Come on to the office.” Kase led the way past a family room that looked as if a bomb had gone off, where two more dogs lay on the couches, almost raising their heads as they passed.
“Excuse the mess. It was blanket fort night last night, and everyone’s scrambled to school and lessons and the barn.”
“Oh?” He was surprised. He wasn’t sure how big a class he’d have, but he’d expected a varying number.
“Yeah. Charlie and Leanne were in last night. They’re in community college right now. We have our other three, and then we have a six and an eight-year-old right now on short-term foster while their dad waits on a custody decision.” They made it to the office, where Kase waved him to a chair. “Have a sit.”
“Of course. Thank you. So, I know you’re foster parents. You’re brave men. I think I told you in our email correspondence, but I am registered with the foster system. I tutored foster kids when I was in college.” He started to feel a hint of excitement.
“Yeah?” Kase leaned forward, expression intent. “That would be really helpful.”
“Yes. That was my master’s focus—at-risk children, including kids in the system, underserved populations, homeless children, and LGBTQIA plus communities.” He nodded, warming to the idea of helping. He hadn’t thought he could really help outside of the city, and maybe he was better used there, but he wanted to try something unusual.
“Now, that’s near and dear to my heart. My hubs and I are all about a safe space, and Charlie is genderqueer. Our oldest. So, we foster a lot of kids no one else is willing to take on, short or long-term. I’m glad to know you’d be a help with that and not just okay with it.” Kase was grinning at him now. “Are you family?”
God, he didn’t quite know what to say, but it wasn’t like he could hide things forever. “I’m bi. I haven’t been interested in a man since high school, and I just lost my wife in a house fire, so I’m not…” He would not fall apart like he was burned to ash himself. “I’m not looking. I need a safe place to work and raise my little girl.”
“Right, your daughter is…eight?”
“Almost nine. She was in the fire, and…” Wat swallowed hard and lifted his chin, refusing to be cowed. “She had some injuries and some reconstructive surgeries.”
His beautiful girl had lost a hand and had some skin grafts, but worst of all, she’d lost her mother.
“Well, this is a good place to recover and heal.” Kase’s gaze seemed empathetic and dear.
He clung to the sight. “I appreciate it, very much, and—”
“Am I late?” A tall, steel-gray-haired woman with a stern face rapped on the doorframe, a cup of coffee in her other hand.
“Come on in, Granny. This is Watson Torres. Watson, Antonia Chiara.”
“Ma’am.” He stood, holding out his hand.
“Mr. Torres. Pleased.” She shook, and her touch was firm. Clearly, this was the matriarch of the clan. She sat, sipping her coffee. “Don’t let me interrupt.”
“Wat was just telling me he’s foster certified.”
“Are you now? Oh, well, that’s wonderful.” She smiled at him, which warmed her face a bunch.
“I am. It’s important to me. I have references from Santa Fe, Espanola, Las Cruces, and Albuquerque in tutoring, both virtually and in person. I’m qualified to teach, but my focus is early childhood intervention.”
“I like that. And you have a child?”
“Yes, ma’am. She’s got a few special needs, so I want a place she can thrive.”
“Huh.” Wat wasn’t sure if that wasn’t disapproval or not, at least not until Mrs. Chiara glanced at Kase. “Do we have anyone else? I like this one.”
Kase’s lips curved in a smile. “I would like Ryder to meet him.”
“Picky picky.” She winked at him. “Ryder is my grandson. He’ll love you.”
“Thank you.” He sure hoped so. It couldn’t be that easy, right?
“He’ll be in for lunch. Would you like a tour?” Kase rose.
He stood too, almost going ass ov
“Careful, son.” Mrs. Chiara caught him, her grip surprisingly strong.
His cheeks heated. “Sorry. I’m great with kids. Little bit of a klutz.”
“Nonsense. I’m not stupid, son. I did your background check myself. I’m sorry about your wife, by the way. That’s an awful business.” She dusted off Wat’s shoulder with a gentle touch. “Now, I need to get back to my own office. I have a Zoom meeting with the mayor. Ryder will like you. Don’t you worry.” She strode off, and he glanced at Kase, who grinned.
“Yeah, she’s a force of nature.”
“She seems like it.” And of course, he had to almost fall all over his truth in front of her.
“She made me nervous as hell when I first came here.” Kase chuckled. “Sorry, I got a hitch in my getalong today. So if I’m moving too slow, just let me know.”
“Man, I understand. You’re fine.” He knew that Kase McDaniels-now-Chiara had been in a wreck on the rodeo arena. He’d done his research, as best he’d been able to. That accident had been a career-ender, they said, and Kase had been laid up a long time. He guessed it was like being in a bad car accident…
“Cool. Well, come on. I’ll show you around the house, and you can see what we have set up for homeschooling and childcare right now.”
“Sure. Do you have full-time permanent homeschoolers?”
“Dani is ten, and she’s not ever going to be a public school candidate. Nell is four and needs a little support, so she’s in pre-K half day and then comes home, has lunch, a nap, and then a little more practice.” Kase chuckled and shook his head. “We have built space for an additional thirteen children at max capacity. We have four bedrooms that sleep two, a nursery that can hold four, and there’s a single room if someone needs privacy.”
“So anywhere from two to fifteen?” Flexibility was going to be key on this job. “Is there an assistant?”
“There are a number of them—there are two tutors available, along with our office manager, Nanette, and both Antonia and Alba can be there if needed in short bursts.”
“Okay, that sounds fair.” He mulled over his plans. “Can you tell me about Dani?”
Would she vibe with Naomi?
“She’s one of our three daughters—we have one in community college, Charlie. Our son Elijah is an eighth-grader and is thriving in public school. Their mother died when Nell was an infant, and they lived on the street. Nell is catching up, but Dani is not only behind, she remembers the street, and she’s sensitive.” Kase smiled, so gentle, and Wat could see the love. “She loves animals more than anything on earth. She wants to be a vet.”
“Oh, that’s a great thing for kids with a tender temperament. Animal welfare. And helpful here too.” Okay. Okay, Naomi could handle gentle.
“Very. And that motivates her, but she is very shy around new people, and we have a revolving door of children and cowboys and staff.”
“Sure. It takes a lot to run an operation this size.” Then Wat laughed. “I sound like I know what I’m talking about, but really, my folks took me to the Rodeo de Santa Fe every year. That’s it.”
“That’s more than some. We’ve had an animal rights activist, a lady who was allergic to dogs and goats, and a seventy-five-year-old woman with a paddle around her waist that have applied.”
“A paddle? What on earth was that for?” He blinked at Kase, not sure he was following.
“Like a spanking paddle.”
His lips popped open. “You’re not serious.”
“Yep. She was something else.” Kase winked. “So, here we are in Nanette’s realm in the kitchen. We have an outdoor one too, but this is the heart of the house.”
“Hola,” Nanette said again. “You sure you don’t want coffee?”
“Actually, I’d love that, thank you.”
“Of course. How do you take it?”
“Cream and sugar, please.” He’d passed the point of his stomach tolerating black coffee. But heck, he’d already had his almost-falling spell and no one had freaked. If he spilled the coffee, he would clean it up.
“Supuesto.” She poured him a cup of delicious-smelling coffee, then added cream and sugar before handing it to him. “If you want a cookie or a doughnut, they’re there.” She waved at a platter, and Kase nipped a chocolate-covered doughnut. “Ay! Did I say you, Mr. Kase?”
“Nanette! You wound m—”
“NONUTS!” The cry was loud, and three sandy, filthy young children came running in.
“Hey! We have company, y’all. You be good.” Kase didn’t exactly raise his voice, but it was clear he expected to be heard. And to their credit, the kids all skidded to a halt, staring at him. “This is Mr. Torres. Watson, this is Nell, Christiana, and Raul.”
“Hello.” He gave a little wave. “Nice to meet all of you. I was about to have a doughnut too.”
“Everyone needs to wash their hands in the mudroom, please, and then y’all can have doughnuts.”
“Yessir!”
“Okay, Daddy.” Nell grinned, looking utterly unrepentant.
But the kids trooped back out, and he heard the familiar sounds of water running, soap squirting, children giggling—normal washing up noises.
“Oh, they are something.”
“There’s a play area in the back that is fenced. They were obviously in the sandbox.” Kase rolled his eyes, oh so dramatic.
“Oh, that’s nice.” Play was important. Possibly more important than study at an early age.
“We’re all clean now, Daddy.” Nell trotted back in.
“Hands, please.” Kase studied all the hands. “One per, if you will, and let Mr. Torres pick first.”
“Oh, I like an apple fritter.” There were enough of those that no one would go without in case it was a favorite.
“Me too.” That was Christiana. “Me and brother is here ’cause Daddy is trying to find a house and works.”
“Is he? That sounds hard and exciting.” He hated that life was so hard, but he was thankful the children had a safe place.
“It is! We’re going to have a bedroom.” Christiana beamed. “Like here. Only not like here, ’cause here is huge.”
“Here is a good place, but we want Daddy,” Raul explained.
“Of course. I’m glad you got to meet Nell while you’re waiting.” Hopefully that was the right thing to say.
“She’s so cool! We’re gonna be pen pills.”
“Pals,” Kase corrected. “One of the tutors explained the concept to them, and they already bought stationery and stamps and crayons.” Kase winked.
“Oh, that’s a great idea. I love writing letters.”
“You do? Are you going to be our teacher?” Nell asked.
“Well, I’m talking to your daddy about it, but that’s up to him and your other dad.” He was pretty good at the minefields.
Sometimes he still put his foot in his mouth, but Wat knew kids were way more forgiving of that than adults.
“Okay. Can I have a blueberry, Daddy?”
“Yep.” Kase got a paper towel and a doughnut. “What do you two want?”
“Jelly!” Raul danced.
“Chocolate like you, Mr. Kase.”
There was a little low table with colorful seats for the kids, and they settled in easily, munching away.
“Very yummy. Thank you.”
“We like our food here.” Kase winked at him. “Nanette? You got this?”
“I do.” She chuckled. “Vaya.”
“Come on, Watson. We’ll look at some other spaces. You said you were interested in the on-site living quarters?”
“I am, yes. My—” Former in-laws. Dead wife’s parents where I’m living until I get my shit together? “—current situation is about three hours away.”
“Then let’s have a look at that. And the school area, huh?” Kase munched his doughnut on the way.
