Boots and the Bachelor

by Myla Jackson

  “What do you really want?” Mona demanded.

  Wayne’s smile slipped and the slimy charm went with it. “I want to see my boy.” Then his gaze slid over Gwen. “And maybe rekindle an old flame.”

  “Nope.” Gwen shook her head. “That’s not going to happen when there wasn’t a flame to begin with.”

  “How do you know?” Wayne rubbed a finger along her bare arm. “I usually have girls lining up to be with me.”

  “That’s it.” Mona stepped between Wayne and Gwen, and jabbed a finger toward the door. “Out of here. Now.”

  Wayne cocked his head to the side, his brows rising in challenge. “Or what? You’ll call the police?”

  Mona snorted and leaned into Wayne’s face, her voice dropping to a threatening tone. “No, I’ll call the biggest, meanest cowboy I know to take care of you and dump your sorry ass in a freshly dug hole so deep in the boondocks the authorities will never find you.”

  Wayne’s eyes narrowed and he stared at Mona for a long time.

  Gwen almost laughed when the badass gambler backed down and headed for the door. “I’m leaving, but I’ll be back with a lawyer and a court order.”

  “You won’t be back with shit,” Mona said. “You’re too much of a coward.”

  Wayne’s lips pulled back in a snarl. “Shut your mouth, bitch. That kid’s mine, and I’ll see him when I like, and teach him how to gamble if that’s what I want.” He faced Gwen. “If you don’t like it—tough. You, with all your money, makeup company and fancy cars, won’t be able to do a damn thing about it.”

  Gwen stepped up to the bastard. “What is it you really want, Wayne? My money?”

  “Is that it?” Mona stood beside Gwen. “Because, if it is, you’re not getting squat out of Gwen. She earned her money, not by threatening single mothers.”

  Wayne fisted his hands and stepped toward Mona.

  Gwen’s pulse leaped and she moved between the two. “Leave, Wayne.”

  He breathed through his nose like an angry bull. “I’m going, but I’ll be back with a court order.” He left, slamming the door behind him.

  Gwen sank into one of the lounge chairs and buried her face in her hands. “Damn, damn, damn.”

  “What are you worried about?” Mona stroked her hair. “That man doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”

  “I’ve seen it happen all too often. A woman goes into court thinking she has all her cards lined up and then bam. The court gives the deadbeat joint custody. A boy needs a father figure, they’ll say. No matter how bad a role model the dad is.” Gwen looked up at Mona, her vision blurred by the tears threatening to overflow. “Dalton doesn’t even know the man. Can you imagine Wayne marching in and taking Dalton away for court-ordered visitation? What if he never brought him back?” Gwen shook her head. “I can’t let that happen.”

  “We’ll get a good lawyer,” Mona said. “One of the best.”

  “What if it’s not good enough? What if I get a judge sympathetic to the father? What if he believes Wayne wasn’t informed of Dalton’s birth?” Gwen stood and paced across the room and back. “Dalton would be terrified. And Wayne is not fit to be a parent.”

  Mona snorted. “He’s not fit to be a human.”

  Gwen turned around. “Unzip me.”

  “Why?” Mona frowned and didn’t move to comply.

  “I need to go get Dalton.”

  “Now? He’s probably asleep out at the ranch.”

  “I have to get him.” Gwen twisted around, reaching for the zipper. “I couldn’t sleep with Wayne out there. What if he tries to kidnap Dalton?”

  “Like I said, I’ll find the biggest, baddest cowboy out there to lynch the bastard. Grant would stand first in line. He loves Dalton. Then I’d take my turn and chop off Wayne’s balls, if he has any.” Mona stood in her black jeans, black boots and a soft-pink tank top, her curly blond hair pulled up in a loose ponytail. She looked like an avenging dark angel who could kick ass and hand out cotton candy to the spectators.

  Gwen couldn’t ask for a truer friend. “I can’t let you do that. If it’s money Wayne wants, I’ll give it to him. Anything to keep from losing Dalton.”

  “Oh, honey, you can’t do that. You give a man money once, and he’ll be back again and again. It’s like feeding a bear. He’ll quit trying to feed himself.”

  “This bear is Dalton’s biological father. He has rights.”

  Mona’s lips pressed into a line. “He lost those rights the day he ignored your certified letter.”

  “Still, I can’t relax until I know Dalton is safe.” She twisted again, reaching for the zipper.

  A loud knock sounded on the door and Gwen froze, her fingers on the zipper tab, her desperation spiking into raw, raging anger. “Go away, you self-centered bastard!” she yelled, too distraught to think straight.

  She listened for the sound of footsteps, but only got silence. “I mean it. Get lost!” Her voice caught on a sob.

  “I’ll handle this.” Mona started for the door.

  “No. Let me.” Gwen reached for the doorknob and flung it open. “What part of get lost did you not—” She stopped and stared at the big cowboy standing in the doorframe, his hat in his hands, a frown denting his beautiful brow.

  “I admit I’m clueless when it comes to women. Did I do something heinous to piss you off?” he asked, his fist wrapped around his hat’s brim. “I’ll leave, just as soon as you hear me out.” He stared into her face, his jaw tight, the light shining from his eyes fierce. “I love you, Gwendolyn Graves, and I’m not going to leave you alone until you admit you love me too. Do you hear me? I love you.”

  Gwen sniffed once, twice, and flung herself into his arms, holding on to him as if he were the life raft in a stormy sea. “Oh, Angus. I love you.”

  Angus chuckled. “You’re booting me out one minute and hugging me tight the next.” He held her with one hand and smoothed her hair with the other. “Either you’re bipolar or I won’t ever understand the workings of a woman’s mind.”

  Chapter Ten

  Angus wasn’t sure if he was coming or going where Gwen was concerned. He’d come back determined to shake some sense into her and force her to admit she still had feelings for him.

  When she’d yelled at him through the door, telling him to go away, his heart had dropped like a lead weight into his belly. He’d stood there in shock, his feet refusing to move. Then she’d thrown open the door, cussing him one second and hugging him the next.

  “So what’s it to be? Are you going to throw me out again, or can I come in?”

  She raised her head, tears swimming in her eyes, with traces on her face, leaving tiny, shiny tracks across her skin. “Oh, Angus.”

  Not the answer he was looking for, but he couldn’t argue with the fact he was holding her in his arms again. And damn, it felt good to hold Gwen, even as she soaked his best shirt with a flood of tears. And damn that dress. As pretty as she looked in it, the garment only made him want to rip it off her and make love to her into the small hours of the morning.

  “Ahem. Just so you know, I can’t get out with you two standing in the way.” Mona grinned. “I could stand here and watch this touching reunion, or you could let me squeeze by and leave you two alone.”

  Gwen pushed away from Angus and smoothed the front of her dress, tears falling onto her hands. “I’m sorry. I was just going to call and tell you I would be picking up Dalton tonight.” Her voice broke and she refused to look him in the eye.

  “Why?” Angus tipped her chin up and his chest tightened at the hazel eyes full of tears. “Babe, what’s wrong?”

  She only shook her head, the tears sliding down her cheeks.

  Angus pulled her back against him and held her, his heart breaking along with whatever was breaking hers.

  “I’ll just be going now.” Mona attempted to squeeze by them.

  “What happened here?” Angus asked.

  “Gwen can tell you all about it.” Mona made it past them and through the
door. “But if a slick, blond cowboy with a belt buckle bigger than his dick shows up, shoot him.”

  Gwen laughed, her fingers digging into Angus’s shirt. “Mona, you don’t have to go.”

  Mona called out, “Oh yes I do, sweetie. You can thank me later.”

  Angus edged Gwen into the room and closed the door behind them. “Okay, now tell me what’s going on.”

  “I don’t want to go into it.” She stepped away and scrubbed tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. “You couldn’t do anything about it anyway.”

  “I might be just a cowboy, but I’m smarter than I look.” He winked. “Try me.”

  “No, really. I have to go.” She glanced around the room, her gaze seeming to roam without purpose. “I need to go pick up Dalton.”

  “He and Colin would be heartbroken if you picked him up now. They have the entire living room converted into Fort McFarlan and when I left earlier, they were laying siege on Mom’s stash of cookies.”

  Gwen laughed, hiccupped and dropped her hand to her side. “This is all so messed up.”

  “Seriously, trust me. I’m pretty good at turning things around.” And he hated seeing her cry. It was tearing him up inside.

  “It’s my business. Not something you need to worry about.” She pushed out of his arms, turned to gather her purse in her hand and slipped her feet into the strappy black stilettos. “Look, Angus, you don’t have to go through with any more dates, and I doubt I’ll come back to Temptation anytime soon. We should say goodbye now and forget this weekend ever happened.”

  He grabbed her hand and made her stop what she was doing and focus on him. “We made a deal. Eight dates. We shook on it. I’m not reneging and neither are you. Something’s got you scared. Whatever it is can be fixed.”

  “I’m not so sure.”

  “Sweetheart, you’re not alone anymore. I’m here. I can help.” He tipped her chin up. “If you let me.”

  Gwen pushed her hair back from her forehead and sighed. “Fine. Remember Dalton’s father who wasn’t in the picture?”

  Angus frowned. “Yeah.”

  Those tears welled again. “Well, he’s just decided to be in the picture.”

  “When?”

  “He left a few minutes before you came back.”

  Angus’s fist clenched. “What did he want?”

  “Custody of Dalton.” Her voice wobbled. “Dalton’s never met the man. He’d be so afraid to go with him.” Gwen bit down on her trembling bottom lip.

  “Are you telling me his father didn’t know about him until now?”

  “No. I notified him with a certified letter when Dalton was born, and told him in that letter that I didn’t expect anything from him. He never responded. All I got was the signature card in the mail that he’d received the letter.”

  “You didn’t have any legal documentation drawn up granting you sole custody or anything?”

  “I didn’t think I had to. Wayne never made a claim.” She gulped. “Until tonight. He’s threatening to sue for custody. I think he really wants money, not custody.”

  “Bastard.” Angus wished the man were there so that he could wrap his hands around the man’s throat and squeeze until he turned blue. Any man who used a child to blackmail a woman should be strung up the nearest tree.

  “I need to get to my son.” She tried to shake Angus’s hand off her arm. “What if Wayne tries to take Dalton from me?”

  “He won’t. Colin and my mother are with Dalton right now. He’s safe and I doubt Wayne will find him at the ranch.” Angus stroked his hands down Gwen’s arms. “Babe, he’s in the safest place possible.”

  “Are you sure?” She looked up at him, her eyes swimming again. “I don’t know what I’d do without Dalton. He’s the only family I have.”

  “What about your parents? Where are they now?”

  “They died in an auto accident a couple months before Dalton was born.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “What am I going to do?”

  “You’re going to come home with me.”

  “Yes.” She nodded. “To get Dalton. I’ll drive back to Dallas tonight.”

  “No,” Angus said, shaking his head. “You’re going to come stay at the ranch tonight. I have a friend who could recommend a really good child-custody lawyer.”

  “Thanks, Angus, but I can contact my corporate lawyer and get a recommendation for an attorney in Dallas. I can take care of this myself. I’m sorry I fell apart all over you.” She gave him a crooked smile that melted his knees and made him want to hold her and never let her go again.

  “If I didn’t want you to fall apart on me, I’d have told you.” He held on to her hand, refusing to release her, afraid that if he did he’d lose her forever. “Let me bear some of your burden. I’m strong. I can handle it. Besides, Dalton’s a neat kid. I’d help you out just for his sake, even if I didn’t love you as much as I do.”

  “I should go back to Dallas,” she said, her voice quavering.

  “You’re not going back now. It’s too late.” He led her toward her suitcase and threw her belongings in one-handed, still holding on to hers. “You’re coming home with me, and we’ll work this out together.”

  For a moment she watched. Then she shook her head. “Okay. I’ll come with you. If you’ll let me have my hand, I’ll get my things from the bathroom.”

  Angus gently squeezed her fingers. “As long as you don’t try to make a run for it. You’re done running.”

  “Yes, sir.” She gave him a watery smile and hurried to pack her toiletries, adding them to the jumble of clothes in her suitcase. Less than five minutes later, they climbed into his truck, leaving her Cadillac behind.

  Angus’s heart swelled. It felt like he was bringing Gwen home for good. He had no doubt there would be trouble in the near future, but he hoped this would be the first step toward the rest of their lives together.

  When Angus pulled up to the ranch house, Gwen didn’t wait for him to open her door or help her down. She slipped from the truck and hurried toward the house, anxious to see for herself that her son was okay.

  With Wayne in the area, she didn’t trust him to leave her son alone.

  Angus removed her suitcase from the backseat, followed her up the porch steps and then reached around her to slip his key into the lock.

  Inside, the house was dark except for a soft lamp lit in the living room. Blankets were strung from one piece of furniture to the next in an impressive array covering the majority of the room.

  “Hey, I didn’t expect you two to come back tonight.” Colin rolled out from under the tent and pushed to his bare feet.

  “Where’s Dalton?” Gwen asked.

  “He’s fast asleep inside.” Colin smiled and held up the edge of a blanket. “See for yourself.”

  Gwen squatted beside the fort and peered inside.

  Dalton lay curled up on a sleeping bag, a pillow beneath his head, a smile playing at his lips.

  Relief filled Gwen and she straightened, unwilling to wake her son from such a sound sleep, nor did she have a good reason to.

  “He and I had a lot of fun, and we even snagged some of Mom’s best cookies. All in all, it was a good time.” Colin nodded. “That’s a great kid you got there.”

  “Thanks.” Gwen smiled.

  “No. Thank you for sharing him with ol’ Uncle Colin.” He puffed out his chest and grinned. “I kind of like the sound of that—Uncle Colin.” Angus’s brother winked. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I promised Dalton I’d spend the night in the fort.” The man stretched. “I have to admit, it was a lot easier sleeping on the floor when I was Dalton’s age.”

  “Then let me,” Gwen suggested. Colin had already done so much to make Dalton’s stay fun and exciting.

  Colin frowned. “No way. This hero-worship thing is addictive. I wouldn’t want Dalton to think I bailed on him in the middle of the night.” Colin ducked beneath the blankets. “Good night, you two.”

&nbs
p; Gwen’s belly tightened as Angus led her down the dark hallway to a room on the right and switched on the light. “This is Brody’s old room. He lives in Seattle right now, though Colin is working on getting him to come home.”

  The room was painted in a soft gray-blue. The large, queen-sized bed draped with a brown-, navy- and cream-colored quilt took up much of the space. Photographs lined the wall, all lovingly framed and tastefully placed, Gwen assumed by their mother. They were photos of a boy growing into a man. Some were taken in sports uniforms, others were of him and his brothers laughing and smiling for the camera, wearing jeans and freshly pressed shirts as if they were going to church.

  “My room is directly across the hall. Colin’s is the next one over and Mom has the room at the end. She used to be a light sleeper when we were teens, but she can sleep through almost anything now that we’re grown and not trying to sneak out.”

  Gwen paused in the doorway, her hand on the knob, her teeth chewing on her lower lip.

  Angus pulled her into the safety of his embrace. “Everything is going to be all right.”

  “I hope so.” Gwen laid her cheek against his chest, inhaling the fresh outdoorsy, masculine scent that was all Angus. Her fingers curled into his shirt and she held on. “Would your mother be shocked if you stayed in here with me?”

  A soft snort stirred the hair at her temple. “I guarantee she’d be fine with it. She’d wish for me to be happy. And being with you makes me happy.”

  He smoothed his hand over her hair and backed her into the room, closing the door behind him.

  “What about Dalton?” Gwen asked, undoing the buttons on his shirt.

  “As far as he knows, you’re at the B and B in Temptation.” Angus pressed a finger to her lips to quell her next question. “I’ll slip out before morning to make it easier for you.”

  She smiled up at him and tugged his shirt loose from his jeans. “Thank you.”

  “I’m glad you’re still wearing this dress.” He slipped one strap from her shoulder and let it fall to her waist. “I’ll be even happier when you’re wearing nothing at all.”

  “Then here, let me.” She shrugged out of the other strap and let it drop to her waist. Her breasts shone in the light from the moon coming through the open blinds. “Maybe we should close those?” She nodded toward the window.