Page 10 of Her Cowboy's Valentine

Her smile softened, and she reached out to touch his arm. “It was perfect, Liam. Thank you.”

As Liam watched his family, he felt a flicker of hope in his chest. Maybe things weren’t perfect, but moments like this reminded him of what mattered most.

CHAPTER 7

The rest of the house was still sleeping. Rebecca sighed as she stared at the latest attempt cooling on the counter. The cherry pie was supposed to look glossy with ruby-red filling peeking through a delicate lattice crust. Instead, the filling had bubbled over the edges again, leaving sticky streaks across the pie plate, and the crust was a little too brown in some places. She rubbed her temples, feeling the frustration bubbling up like the overcooked filling.

The clock on the wall ticked past midnight. It was the only time she could bake without the kids or Liam noticing what she was up to. She’d tried making two pies tonight—one cherry and one chocolate cream—but the cream hadn’t set properly, and now the cherry pie looked like a disaster.

She closed her eyes, inhaling the faint scent of cinnamon and sugar in the air, and whispered, “Lord, give me strength. I’m trying so hard, but it feels like everything I do just… falls apart.”

The whispered prayer calmed her heart, if only a little. She cleaned up the flour dusting the counter and wiped down the sticky spots where the filling had spilled. Rebecca glanced toward the stairs, wondering if Liam would notice her efforts. She didn’t want him to, not yet anyway. This was supposed to bea surprise for him, a way to rekindle something they’d lost over the years.

But it was hard to feel romantic when she was standing in a kitchen surrounded by baking disasters and the scent of burnt sugar.

Rebecca turned off the light and started upstairs, exhaustion pulling at her limbs. As she reached the top step, she froze. Liam was sitting on their bed, his hair mussed from sleep and his arms crossed as he waited for her.

“You’re up late again,” he said softly, his voice laced with curiosity.

Her cheeks flushed as she tried to think of an excuse. “Couldn’t sleep,” she mumbled. “Thought I’d, uh, get a head start on things for tomorrow.”

Liam raised an eyebrow but didn’t press. Instead, he stood and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Rebecca, you’ve been running yourself ragged lately. You don’t have to do everything, you know.”

His warmth and steady presence were a balm to her frayed nerves.

She rested her forehead against his chest and sighed. “I just want to… I don’t know. Do something special for you. For us. For the family.”

He pulled back slightly to look at her, his blue eyes soft with understanding. “You’re already doing that every day, Rebecca. The way you take care of the kids, the way you make this house a home… I see it. Even if I don’t say it enough, I see you.”

His words touched her. Maybe she wasn’t failing as much as she thought.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice catching. “I needed to hear that.”

Liam leaned down and kissed her forehead, a simple gesture that spoke volumes. “Now, come to bed, darlin’. Whatever you’re working on can wait till morning.”

She nodded, letting him lead her back to their bed. As she lay there, staring at the ceiling and listening to the quiet rhythm of his breathing, she whispered another prayer, “Lord, thank You for Liam. Help me keep going, even when I feel like I can’t. And thank You for the small moments that remind me of why I’m trying.”

Rebecca drifted off to sleep with a hint of a smile on her face, determined to try again tomorrow.

The morning routine was rushed, as was typical. Today, Rebecca was supposed to work at the ranch, but after dropping Aaron off at her mother-in-law’s, Rebecca called Michael Dixon.

“Good morning, Rebecca. What’s up?” Michael asked.

“I know this is super last minute, but are you busy today?”

“What do you need?”

She hesitated for just a moment, feeling a bit guilty for what she was about to ask, but with Valentine’s Day tomorrow and her pie plans hanging by a thread, she didn’t have much of a choice. “I need a favor. A big one.”

“Name it.”

“If you aren’t too busy… could you handle my chores for the day?” she asked, her words rushing out before she lost her nerve. “Feeding the chickens, collecting the eggs, making sure the garden’s covered… I’ll make it worth your while, I promise.”

“Well, I reckon I can handle that. No need to twist my arm.” He laughed then. “I take it this is for Liam somehow?”

Rebecca smiled, unable to keep her secret entirely to herself. “Something like that. I just need the house to myself for the day. Mary and Jacob are at school, and Aaron’s staying with Liam’s mom, so it’s the perfect time to… work on a surprise.”

“For tomorrow, huh?” She could hear the smile in Michael’s voice. “Say no more. Consider it done.”

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