The Cowgirl's Forever Family

by Helen Lacey

  “Good.”

  “Are you married?”

  His brows came up. “Didn’t I just say my life wasn’t—”

  “It’s not a discussion,” she said, cutting him off. “It’s a question. I’m only asking because I thought that if you were married perhaps your wife would—”

  “I’m not married,” he answered quietly.

  She was stupidly relieved and then scolded herself. “Girlfriend?”

  “Not at the moment.”

  No wife. No girlfriend. Available. That’s what her friends would be chanting. But Brooke was determined to not be swayed by a gorgeous face and sexy body. Not after Doyle. She didn’t have what it took to hold on to a man long term. And she’d had the broken heart to prove it. But still, she did wonder why he wasn’t attached. He looked to be in his mid-thirties; surely he’d been close at some point. Maybe he’d had his heart broken, too? Although, he didn’t come across as the sentimental type. And from what Kayla had found out about him, he was top in his field and legendary in the courtroom, which might not leave him a lot of time for relationships.

  And I’m not going to think about the fact that he’d probably be legendary in the bedroom, too.

  “Any more questions?”

  She gave herself a mental jab. “I just thought that someone might be missing you while you’re here.”

  “No,” he said tersely. “Only...”

  His words trailed and she raised both her brows. “Only?”

  Tyler took a second and cleared his throat. “Mr. Squiggles.”

  Brooke bit back a smile. “Who?”

  “A cat,” he said and waved a disinterested hand. “Yelena’s cat. I inherited him when she passed away.”

  Brooke was amused by the color creeping up his neck. “Mr. Squiggles? I see. And is he a big fluffy white feline who insists on sleeping at the end of your bed?”

  His lips twitched slightly. “Black-and-white. And yes, he’s known for liking his comforts.”

  She grinned. “And where is he now?”

  “With a neighbor,” he replied. “Who will hopefully want to keep him by the time I return to New York.”

  “You’re not a cat person?”

  He shrugged one broad shoulder. “I’ve never thought much about it. But I’m not home much so pets aren’t a good idea.”

  “You work long hours?”

  “I do,” he replied and pulled a pair of baby monitors out of a bag. Clearly, he was attempting to close the door on this brief glimpse into his personal life. “I’ll set one of these up in here and keep the other in the living room or kitchen.” He pointed to a small button on the front. “Just make sure this light is on at all times.”

  “Okay. Does she sleep through the night?”

  “Generally,” he replied. “She’s had a lot to deal with since Yelena died and was unsettled at first. But the last month or so has been better.”

  Brooke held Cara close and the baby chatted away, murmuring indecipherable words. “And she’s been living with her great-grandfather?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Ralph hired a nanny to care for her.”

  “Poor little monkey,” Brooke said and smoothed her blond hair. “That’s a lot to deal with.”

  “Yes, she’s remarkably resilient.”

  “She’s got you, though,” Brooke said and smiled. “You seem to care for her a great deal.”

  Tyler stiffened a bit. “I care what happens to her, of course. She’s my responsibility.”

  “Until Matt gets here?”

  “If he gets here,” Tyler said quietly. “And he will still have to prove he is capable of being a fit and able parent.”

  Resentment snaked up her spine, but she held her tongue. She didn’t want every discussion to end as an argument over her missing brother. “I’m sure he’ll do just fine,” she said and stood. “What time does she need dinner?”

  He glanced at his watch. “In an hour or so. I should give her a bath.”

  “Oh, let me do it.” She snuggled Cara and looked at him. “I mean, if that’s okay with you?”

  He hesitated a little. “Have you done it before?”

  “Yes,” she replied instantly. “My cousin Grady has three young daughters and I’ve been the babysitter countless times.”

  He nodded. “Okay...she’s all yours.”

  Brooke met his gaze. “Thank you... I mean, for trusting me. It means a lot.”

  Brooke discovered that bath time was a lot of fun—even though there was more water on the floor than there was in the tub by the time she’d finished. Cara blew bubbles and splashed water and wailed for a moment when Brooke got a little shampoo in her eyes. It wasn’t the first time she’d bathed a baby—like she’d told Tyler, her cousin Grady had three young daughters and she’d been a sitter for them many times. She dressed the baby in the pale pink pajamas Tyler had given her, cleaned up the bathroom and then headed for the kitchen.

  Tyler was by the window, staring out over the hills and pasture that made up the ranch. His shoulders were tight, as though he had too much pressing down on them, and she fought the internal battle in her head about feeling sorry for him. He was a lawyer. And lawyers were the enemy. He’d threatened to take Cara back to New York if Matt didn’t show up. He was not her ally. He was not her friend. He was not her anything.

  “We’re back.”

  He turned around and half smiled and it made him look even more handsome—if that were possible. “So I see. Did she behave herself?”

  Cara wriggled in Brooke’s arms and held her hands out toward him. Traitorous child. She walked across the room and let him take her. “She likes to splash.”

  “I... I can see that,” he said, faltering a little as he held the baby against his chest and then glanced away.

  Brooke looked down and stilled instantly. The wet T-shirt clung to her curves, leaving very little to the imagination. She folded her arms, conscious of the sudden heat swirling around the room. Heat that was all about the awareness circling between them.

  Cara immediately reached out and grabbed a handful of Tyler’s hair. He winced and it made Brooke smile. There was love in the baby’s eyes and in that moment Brooke realized how much he meant to Cara. “She adores you.”

  He met her gaze and extricated his hair from Cara’s fingers. “Who wouldn’t?”

  Brooke laughed loudly. “Modest, too, huh?”

  “We’ve spent a lot of time together, haven’t we, kiddo?” he said and rocked her gently. “When Yelena died her grandfather didn’t cope well. Ralph is a strong man, but Yelena was all he had.”

  “Her grandfather raised her?”

  He nodded. “Since she was eleven. They were very close.”

  Brooke grabbed the sweater that was hanging on a hook hear the door and slipped into it, zipping it up. Then she came around the counter and flicked on the coffee machine. “He must trust you a great deal... I mean, to leave Cara in your care. You said you’ve known him a long time—how did you meet?”

  He didn’t reply straightaway. But he looked at her with such intensity he made her breathless. He was the secretive sort, she thought. No...private. A lot like herself. Brooke never liked talking about herself or her past. Only her closest friends knew about her health battle as a teenager and the ensuing years of treatment and surgery. Or how her parents’ deaths had forced her to abandon her professional career so she could ensure the ranch stayed within the family. Or how Doyle had sprinted out the door once he had the chance to have what she could never give him.

  Since then she’d had a lonely couple of years, working the ranch, fighting lawyers and the bank who wanted to foreclose. Some days she felt like she had no one to turn to. No shoulder to lean on, to cry on, no arms to hold her tight or a soft voice to tell her everything wo
uld be alright. Loneliness had become her shadow and it had made her wary of getting close to anyone again.

  But as she looked at Cara, Brooke knew she did want closeness, and family and love. And knowing her niece needed her gave her a kind of strength and resolve she’d thought she’d lost.

  “How did you meet?” she asked again.

  “When I was sixteen,” he said after a moment and sat down at the table, while Cara wriggled in his arms. “He was my court-appointed lawyer.”

  Brooke’s gaze sharpened. “Your lawyer?”

  “I had filed for emancipation from my parents,” he said, his voice void of any emotion.

  She sucked in a breath. “Oh, gosh...why?”

  His expression narrowed. “It doesn’t matter why.”

  It did, she thought, imagining all kinds of horrors. “Were they mean to you?”

  He offered a cynical grin, like he couldn’t believe how inquisitive she was. “No, they were kind people. And good parents. They still are.”

  “But?”

  He sighed heavily, clearly irritated by her questions. “They were a little...unorthodox,” he said and stood. “We should get Cara fed and—”

  “You don’t like talking about yourself, do you?”

  “Not particularly,” he replied. “Do you?”

  “No,” she said. “But you have the advantage here. I need to make a good impression for Cara’s sake, so that means you get to ask whatever you want. And since we’re going to be living together for the next week, it’s only natural that I might want to know something about you. Plus, it will be a long week if we don’t speak to each other, don’t you think?”

  His mouth curled, like he wanted to smile, but didn’t. “Okay, you can ask a couple of questions. What would you like to know?”

  Brooke inhaled deeply. “You said earlier you don’t have a wife. Have you ever been married?”

  “No.”

  “Close?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “Longest relationship and who was she?”

  He shook his head again. “Six months. She worked in the DA’s office.”

  “Do you have any siblings?”

  “No.”

  “Why did you divorce your parents?” she asked quickly.

  “Emancipate,” he corrected. “And it’s complicated.”

  Brooke raised both brows. “I’m still listening.”

  He sighed. “Like I said, they are kind people, but when I was thirteen they took up residence at a shared living community. It wasn’t a life that I wanted for myself.”

  Brooke’s eyes widened. “Like a commune?”

  He nodded. “I wanted to go to college. They didn’t agree with that decision.”

  She grabbed a couple of mugs and put them on the counter. “So you ran away and got a lawyer.”

  “I ran away and ended up in social services.”

  It sounded like a nightmare and made Brooke even more grateful for her happy childhood. “And that’s where you met Yelena’s grandfather?”

  “Correct.”

  She glanced at him. “Do you still see your parents?”

  “Not much.”

  “They must miss you, though... I mean, if you’re their only child. Family and blood ties are important and—”

  “I was adopted,” he said, silencing her immediately.

  Brooke stared at him, thinking of his complicated upbringing, and feeling an acute kind of sadness deep down. “Thank you for telling me. How old are you?”

  “Thirty-four.”

  “Any vices I should know about?”

  He grinned just a little, showing off his dimple. “Not one.”

  The air between them thickened. There was a kind of seductive energy surrounding him that was impossible to ignore.

  “No one is that perfect,” Brooke said, feeling heat smack her cheeks. “Take me for instance. I like sweet white coffee, cold toast and I love sleeping in on Sunday mornings.”

  He propped Cara on his hip and looked at Brooke so intently that her knees weakened. Suddenly having him living in her house didn’t seem like such a great idea.

  Because there was something in the air between them.

  Something she hadn’t experienced for a long time, felt for a long time.

  Awareness. Attraction. Chemistry. Heat.

  Call it by a dozen different names...but it was really only one thing.

  Sex...

  And it was everywhere. In the air, crawling over her skin, pumping through her blood.

  “I like unsweetened black coffee,” he said smoothly, not missing a beat, not dragging his gaze from hers. “I like warm toast. And I only ever stay in bed on a Sunday morning if I have a woman in that bed with me.”

  Chapter Four

  Tyler knew he had to stop doing anything that looked or sounded like flirting with Brooke. It was foolish. But there was a kind of relentless energy between them that couldn’t be denied. And their complicated situation aside, he liked being around her. She was attractive and intelligent and she made him smile.

  Smile?

  Since when had that been important?

  “Well,” he heard her say and endeavored to get his mind back on track. “I don’t imagine you’d have too much trouble filling that order.”

  His interest increased. She was being provocative and probably didn’t even know it. “Is there anything else you’ve been imagining?”

  Her cheeks flushed with color and Tyler bit back a grin. She might be fiery, but underneath that bravado was a woman who embarrassed easily.

  “Not a thing,” she said quickly and moved around the counter. “So...coffee? Soda?” She opened the refrigerator. “I have beer if you would prefer—”

  “Coffee is fine,” he said, cutting her off.

  She closed the refrigerator and smiled tightly. “Right...one unsweetened coffee on its way.”

  Tyler watched, absorbed by the easy way she moved around the kitchen. There was something effortlessly natural about her. Most of the women he knew...all of the women he knew, were either focused on their career, their appearance, catching a Wall Street husband or all three. But not Brooke Laughton. She was hometown pretty, and her clean skin and long blond hair were getting harder to ignore the more time he spent with her.

  She came around the counter a minute later with two mugs and placed them on the table.

  “Can I hold her again?” she asked and held out her hands a little.

  Tyler nodded, moving forward to pass the baby into Brooke’s arms. He caught her scent and his back straightened automatically. Not perfume, but something else, like air and water and fresh baled hay mixed with something as sweet as jasmine. And it was intoxicating. She settled Cara onto her hip and then looked up and smiled at him, and Tyler was instantly drawn into her gaze. Her smile was suddenly mesmerizing, holding his stare. The temperature in the room seemed to hike up several notches, even though he was sure it was just the heat creeping over his skin.

  “Everything okay?” she asked as she sat down.

  Tyler shrugged and sat opposite her. “Sure.”

  “I’ll make her dinner. Does she have any food allergies?”

  “No,” he replied and grinned. “She’s very open to eating pretty much anything and everything you put in front of her.”

  Brooke laughed and the sound reverberated in his chest. “She’s clearly a Laughton. My mom used to say that Matt had hollow legs when he was a kid.”

  The mention of her brother’s name quickly changed the temperature in the room. Tyler certainly didn’t want to be at odds with her over her brother...but if the other man didn’t show up soon there would be hard decisions to make. Decisions he knew Brooke wouldn’t take easily. H
e looked at her, saw that she was frowning and said what was on his mind.

  “Brooke, you know he needs to prove he can take care of Cara.”

  She nodded and stroked the baby’s head. “I know that.”

  “But first he has to actually get here and connect with her. Otherwise...”

  “Otherwise,” she said when his words trailed off. “You’ll hightail it back to New York and see that she’s adopted, right?”

  “Right,” he replied, conscious of an uneasy tension snaking up his spine. “That’s my job.”

  “Even though she’d be better off with me...with her family?”

  The strain between them amplified. “I said I’d take that into consideration. I’ll also take into account the fact that Matt will have your support should he return.”

  Cara started babbling to her aunt and Brooke pretended to understand every word. He had to admit that Brooke had quickly formed a bond with her niece. It should have pleased him. But it didn’t. If Matt failed to come home then Brooke’s bonding might be fruitless. She wanted Cara, that much was obvious. But he wasn’t going to rashly commit to leaving Cara in Cedar River without examining every available option. He’d promised Ralph he’d do what was best for the baby and that’s what he would do. Maybe Brooke was the best thing for Cara, but he needed time to make a decision. Knowing that, he wondered if his choice to stay at her ranch was a foolish one for more than the obvious reason that pounded through his blood—that he was attracted to her. And more than that.

  He liked her.

  “I hope...” Her words trailed and he saw the pain in her expression. “I know he’ll come back.”

  Unease twitched between his shoulder blades. “He hasn’t returned since the accident, has he?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Maybe he needs to be told that running away never solves anything.”

  Her brows came together. “Didn’t you run away from home when you were young?”

  He nodded. “Yes. Although I’d prefer to think I was running toward something. A new life,” he explained, feeling her disapproval. “I wanted an education and a career. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t have gotten that had I stayed in Nebraska.”