The Cowboy is a Daddy

by Mindy Neff

  Her gaze darted to the trainee, then back to Brice and her daughter. Irrationally she wanted to grab Abbe and run. Brice had wrapped the baby in a blue blanket and had the ends pulled over her face to guard against the cold.

  Maddie abandoned the clipboard and scooped Abbe right out of his arms, not even giving Ken his usual chance to coo over her.

  “It’s cold out here. I’ll take the baby back inside. You go ahead and sign. Good seeing you again, Ken.”

  She was in the house before anyone could ask questions, holding her daughter to her breast, breathing deep.

  A moment later Brice came in.

  “You okay, sunshine?”

  “Fine.”

  He touched her pale cheek, not liking that fragile look in her eyes. She had the look of an angel who’d just gotten a devastatingly vivid glimpse of hell.

  “You’re not fine. Sit before you fall.” Despite her protests, he plucked the baby out of her arms and ushered her to the sofa. “What was all that about?”

  He saw her close her eyes, gather her control. “I hadn’t expected Ken to have anyone with him.”

  “You’re thinking about private investigators again?”

  She gave him a defiant look. “Yes.”

  “I don’t think the UPS guy would go along with that.”

  “Well, I don’t imagine a snoop’s gonna announce his intentions. That’s what they do, skulk around, blend in with people in order to get their information.”

  “Either you’ve been watching too much TV, or I’ve been out of touch. I think you’re overreacting.” He raised his hand when she started to light into him. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not discounting your worries. But from all you’ve told me, you’ve covered your tracks really well. Have you used a credit card since you left?”

  “No.”

  “Made any bank transactions or anything else traceable?”

  “Just giving birth to Abbe, and that’s under your name, not mine.”

  He glanced down at the baby. Yes, she had his name, by God. And she was really starting to feel like his.

  “I’ll have my attorney make some inquiries, if you like. Find out what legal ramifications can arise if the Covingtons do find you. I’m no lawyer, but I don’t think the sperm donor’s parents have any rights. You’re a good mother, sunshine. They’d have to prove otherwise in order to have a legal leg to stand on.”

  “I’ve seen the system fail plenty of times. All you have to do is turn on the news and you’re bound to see somebody’s pain and suffering. That’s what scares me. Even if I have right on my side, what if something goes wrong? That’s the small percentage that I’m not willing to chance.”

  No, he wasn’t either, if truth be told. He shifted the baby along his arm, cradled her head, a corner of his brain registering the fact that he was getting pretty good at holding and changing and feeding this tiny girl.

  He moved to the sofa, sat and put his free arm around Madison, pulling her to his side. It felt right, sitting here by the fire, the three of them snuggled together like a real family.

  A real family that he desperately wanted.

  But whether he could have them for keeps or not, he knew one thing for certain. He would protect these two females with his life.

  “I won’t let anyone hurt you, sunshine. You have my promise.”

  Madison snuggled into his side, placing her hand over his, which rested atop the fluffy blue blanket, creating a circle. A family circle.

  Oh, man. He wanted to protect her from the Covingtons, had in essence promised her that all would be well, that she would never lose Abbe.

  But he was scared to death.

  That eerie sense of expectancy was nagging at him again. That same sensation he’d felt just before Madison had shown up at his door, before his life had been forever altered by this tiny woman and her sweet baby.

  The sweet baby who now bore his name.

  God, he’d failed so many times in his life—failed to keep his mom from leaving, failed to keep his dad alive, failed to keep Sharon from leaving.

  He wanted it to be different this time.

  Wanted to try. For Madison.

  12

  Brice had just finished putting Samson away after a freezing-cold ride to break up the ice and keep the water flowing in the creek, and he still had a full day ahead of him.

  He came out of the barn, a rope in his hand to corral a weak cow, and stopped when he saw Madison trudging through the snow toward him. She had her purse slung over her shoulder, carried the cumbersome infant seat in one hand and a covered dish in another. She looked like a ;8woman on a mission, and for a minute, all he could do was stare, arrested by the sight of her in that flimsy coat with its absurd fur around the collar.

  If she was still uneasy after last week’s episode with the UPS driver, she didn’t show it.

  Cautioning himself not to get carried away with thoughts of what her skin felt like beneath his fingertips, of the lilac scent that emanated from her like a spring meadow, he glanced at the dish she carried.

  She’d obviously been cooking. By now, that shouldn’t have astonished him. Cynical-minded man that he was, it did.

  He reached out, not sure whether to relieve her of the baby or the dish. He took the baby, the heaviest.

  “Can I borrow the truck?” she asked, before he could even form a question of his own. “Just in case I need to use all four wheels.”

  He felt a smile pull at his mouth. She was so damned cute. “I hope you’d use all four regardless.”

  He looked down at the baby who was awake and round eyed, as though interested in the outdoor activity. His heart softened. She was a DeWitt now—there was a birth certificate naming him as father to prove it. All that he owned would be hers someday. He had an urge to show her around, then felt a little stupid at the thought. It wasn’t as though a six-week-old baby could understand and appreciate his land.

  “You know what I mean,” Madison chided with a soft laugh. “I’d feel better in a four-wheel-drive vehicle in case of ice.”

  That got his attention right quick. “Where do you need to go? I’ll drive you.” His gaze kept straying to that covered dish. Whatever was in it smelled really good.

  “No need for you to drive. You’re busy. And I told Nancy and Letty I’d stop by the store. The church is organizing a bake sale and I promised to do my part.”

  “What’s the occasion this time?” He felt odd asking her about the goings-on in his town. He also felt really good. Too good.

  “Harvey Langford’s boy got stepped on by a horse, and we’re raising funds for the hospital bill.” There was a river of compassion in both her voice and her china blue eyes.

  “I know about his boy.” He’d already written a check and mailed it anonymously to the hospital. Harvey had his pride. “You baked?”

  She straightened to her full five-foot, three-inch height, looking for all the world like a puffed-up chinchilla who’d been insulted. Must have been all that fur outlining her face. He really ought to buy her a decent winter coat. And he didn’t think she’d appreciate being compared to a chinchilla.

  “Yes,” she said, pride evident. “I baked. And it turned out great.”

  “You tasted it?”

  “Not this one, silly. I made an extra cake for you and the men. That’s the one I sampled. It’s in the kitchen, so feel free to help yourselves. The keys?” She held out her hand.

  He placed them in her palm without thought. “I’d feel better if I drove you.”

  “No you wouldn’t. It would set you behind for the day, and you’d be a wreck.”

  “I’m never a wreck.”

  She reached out and patted his cheek, sending his blood pressure soaring. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to insult your manliness.”

  He narrowed his eyes and fought a smile. The thing he realized about Madison Carlyle—DeWitt, he corrected himself—was that he truly liked her.

  “What’s the rope for?” she asked, eyeing the b
raided coil that he’d hitched over his shoulder when he’d taken the baby from her.

  “Jared’s due out to check on one of the cows. She’s not eating and is getting weaker.”

  “Oh, the poor thing. What’s wrong with her?”

  “She’s a gummer.”

  “A what?”

  “Her teeth are worn away. I would have sold her during meat season, but she’s a good breeder. I figured I could have Jared fit her with a set of false teeth and get a couple more productive seasons out of her. At this rate, though, she won’t make it to spring.”

  “You provide dentistry for your cows?” Her astonished laughter tinkled on the cold wind as her breath blew silvery plumes of air.

  He grinned. “Yeah. And my employees, too.”

  “What a guy.”

  He realized she’d hardly been out of the house since she’d been here, other than trips to church and their sleigh ride. “Want a quick tour of the barn, or do you have to get going?”

  “I’d love one, if I wouldn’t be keeping you from anything.”

  He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath, waiting for her answer, hadn’t realized how much her genuine interest would mean to him.

  “I’m pretty much stuck until Simmons gets here.” He opened the door of the truck. “Set the cake here on the seat.”

  She appeared just a bit reluctant. “Nobody will get it, will they?”

  “I think it’ll be safe enough—as long as Moe doesn’t get a whiff. That man’s got a sweet tooth that won’t quit.”

  She placed the cake on the seat, having to shove aside all manner of tack and tools. “You wouldn’t know it from looking at him. He’s not overweight. Of course you guys are pretty physical.”

  Her appreciative gaze slid over him, making him sweat.

  “I’ve warned you before about that particular look, sunshine.”

  She licked her lips, her eyes sparkling. “Obviously I don’t pay a lot of heed to warnings.”

  Ah, but she did. She’d paid plenty of heed to the warning of danger to her child. It was the danger of intimacy between the two of them that didn’t seem to have an impact.

  On the one hand that made him really happy. On the other, it set his own caution sensors ringing. The closer they got, the harder it would be to let her go.

  To watch her go.

  She might be looking at him right now as her salvation, or, how had she put it? Ah, yes, her safe haven. But he had a sinking feeling it wouldn’t last.

  She’d been through hell—her child threatened, on the run while in labor, no less. Her proposal of a temporary marriage had been an act of desperation. Oh sure, she was making the best of the circumstances diving into the ranch with a zeal and determination that impressed him.

  But he couldn’t bring himself to trust what his eyes saw. Because in his heart he worried that, circumstances being what they were and all, she really wasn’t certain of her wants. She couldn’t be.

  And that being the case, she was only playing at the life-style of being a rancher’s wife.

  For a while.

  Before long—maybe a year, maybe two, perhaps only for the three months he’d agreed to—before long she’d come to grips with what this was all about. She’d get tired of nothing fancier than Laurie’s Cafe and limited menu, tired of traveling a hundred miles to a decent mall, of going forty miles just to see a show, tired of the small, close community that he valued so highly, tired of the frigid weather.

  All it would take was an all-clear that the sperm donor’s parents had no rights and she would be a free woman. Free to think straight, to walk out that door.

  Free to take a piece of his heart with her when she left.

  But right now she was looking to get a tour of his outbuildings, planning to take a covered dish to a bake sale for a good cause.

  And right now was what he would think about. He’d worry about heartbreak later.

  For the rest of the day Brice couldn’t stop thinking about Madison and the surprises she kept throwing at him. Baking cakes. Ironing creases in his jeans. Taking the pickup to town—alone. Interacting with the community and pitching in for the bake sales.

  His ex-wife had never done any of those things, and she’d been here three years. Madison had only been here six weeks.

  What next? he wondered.

  He found out what next when he came in for supper. The house gleamed and smelled of furniture polish and fresh-baked bread. The baby gurgled happily in a bouncy seat he’d ordered along with the baby monitors. The floors and counters shone.

  And now she was eyeing his dog.

  “Jax, you need a bath.”

  Brice’s brows shot up and he had a hard time keeping the silly grin off his face. He’d put in a full, hard day and was dead tired, yet one look at Madison and he felt renewed, energized, on top of the world.

  Jax’s ears perked up and he gave a canine expression of terror and pleading.

  ‘‘Oh, show some courage, for pity’s sake,” she admonished the dog.

  Brice figured he’d better intervene. After all, he and Jax had been an inseparable team until Madison and the baby had come along. Now the dog had taken to watching over the two females. Still, a guy had to stand up for his dog.

  “Uh, don’t go there, darlin’. Jax is like a cat when it comes to baths.”

  She whirled around, not realizing he was standing inside the doorway, listening to her conversation with the dog. “He smells,” she complained.

  Jax lowered his ears and whined.

  “Aw, now you’ve insulted him.”

  Madison laughed. “I swear that dog understands me.”

  Jax barked.

  “He does. Come on, boy. Might as well hit the shower with me.” He snapped his fingers and Jax trotted to his side.

  “You’re going to shower with him?”

  “You got a better idea?”

  “Well, no. I’ve never bathed a dog before.” Because she’d probably never had pets, never got to stay in one place long enough to have them.

  “This is the only way he’ll agree to it. Besides, it’s three below outside. He’d turn to an icicle.”

  She frowned. “I wouldn’t suggest you take him outside.”

  “Then you were going to chance messing up your shiny floors?”

  “Actually, I was only in the thinking stages. I hadn’t gotten as far as the technicalities of how I’d accomplish the feat.”

  He grinned. “I’ll help you out. Want to join us?” He heard her breath catch, saw her cheeks darken with color. They were sharing a bed now, and their nights were filled with a passion he’d never known with any other woman. But, as though to stop any runaway emotions, to corral the hope, they’d only succumbed to passion in the bedroom. Now his fantasies were screaming to be set free.

  But if he was going to turn his fantasies into reality, he wanted the time and concentration to fully appreciate, to store the memories.

  “On second thought, never mind. When I take a shower with you, I don’t want the dog between us.”

  It had never annoyed Brice before how people just walked into the house. But when Jared Simmons let himself in the back door without knocking, it bugged him. Especially when the vet immediately started flirting with Madison.

  “Hey there, good-lookin’. Something sure smells good.” Simmons pulled aside the sling that Madison wore across her chest and peeked at the baby.

  Brice felt his blood pressure soar. He hadn’t felt the urge to brawl in a long time.

  Chair legs grated across tile as he stood. Both Madison and Jared gave him a questioning look.

  “I’ll take the baby.” He lifted the sling over her head, carefully cradling Abbe. His fingers brushed the underside of Madison’s breasts. It couldn’t be helped. She jolted, her gaze snapping to his.

  She stared at him for several heartbeats, then placed a gentle hand on his chest, soothing him when he didn’t even realize he needed soothing.

  “Thank you,
Brice,” she said softly. “Jared, would you like to stay for dinner?”

  “Yeah. That’d be real nice. Provided DeWitt quits looking at me like he wants to punch my lights out.”

  “Oh, don’t pay any attention to him,” she said absently, pulling a pan of steaming biscuits out of the oven. “He scowls like that all the time.”

  “I do not,” Brice objected. What had gotten into him? For crying out loud, Jared was his friend.

  “Sit,” Madison ordered.

  Moe and the rest of the ranch hands came in, discarding outer gear and filling the kitchen with talk of cattle and downed fences and frozen troughs. And in between shop talk, they all hovered over Brice and the baby, cooing and clucking like a bunch of old women rather than crusty, hardworking cowboys.

  Brice held the baby like a proud father, and the sight sent butterflies winging through Maddie’s stomach. He was so good with Abbe. He was a man who should have a dozen kids. She remembered him telling her he couldn’t have children, and wondered if there wasn’t some test or new procedure that could help whatever plagued him. After all, modern medicine had come such a long way.

  Abbe was a perfect example of that.

  Propped in bed, Brice watched Madison come out of the bathroom, the humidity of warm, lilac-scented steam fogging the windows. Normally he wouldn’t be in bed so soon, would still be up doing paperwork. But Madison had his records so streamlined, there was little for him to do.

  And though he knew it was wrong to get used to the intimacy of sharing a bed with her, he couldn’t seem to work up the wherewithal to go back to sleeping in the guest room.

  He felt like the luckiest man in the world, knowing that in just a few minutes she would ease into bed beside him, her talented fingers dancing over his skin.

  The soft flannel of her gown clung to her moist body, outlining the curves he ached to touch, to possess, to hold on to forever.

  But he couldn’t think about forever, knew that wasn’t in the cards.

  He raised his arm when she walked toward him, making room for her against his side as she got into bed. Her skin smelled like a springtime meadow. But come spring, she’d likely be gone.