The Rancher's Surprise Baby

by Trish Milburn

  He couldn’t stop thinking about how nice Mandy’s legs had looked below that flowered skirt. How many times had he seen Mandy Richardson in his life? Even spoken to her? Dozens. Hundreds, probably. Why today, of all days, was he suddenly attracted to her?

  He’d just finished tacking a circle of leather to the top of the saddle’s horn when his phone rang. He tossed his hammer down on the workbench and pulled his phone from his back pocket. Greg Bozeman’s name stared up at him. Why was Greg calling him?

  “Hey, what’s up?”

  “You with Mandy?”

  “No. I dropped her off at her place on the way home. Why?”

  “I tried calling to talk to her about her car but got no answer. Thought you two might be together.”

  Ben rolled his eyes. “Nope. Try her again.”

  “Can’t. Hot date tonight. Can you call and tell her it’s going to be a few days before I can get her car fixed?”

  “There’s this thing now called voice mail.”

  “It was full. Couldn’t leave a message.”

  “Fine, I’ll tell her.”

  “Thanks. Gotta run.” As the call ended, Ben couldn’t help but wonder who in the world Greg was going out with. He had to have run through every eligible female in the Hill Country by now. The dude was either very careful or very lucky that he didn’t have miniature versions of himself running over all of central Texas.

  Ben shoved the phone back in his pocket and picked up a thick, circular piece of leather that would hide the nail heads. But as he made his way through the familiar successive steps—carving a groove around the top of the leather, punching holes around the edge for the stitching, and sewing the layers together—he couldn’t help wondering why Mandy hadn’t answered her phone. Maybe she’d simply gone to sleep early. Or turned off her phone because she was just done with her rotten day. Possibly drunk herself into a stupor. Oh, hell, what if she’d wandered outside and fallen off that little porch and broken something? Or toddled down to the creek and ended up drowning in, like, a teaspoon of water.

  What could it hurt to give her a call to pass on Greg’s message? No, he wasn’t calling just to make sure his suddenly overactive imagination wasn’t correct and that she hadn’t managed to meet her undignified end.

  The phone rang three times before she finally picked up, sounding out of breath.

  “You okay?”

  She hesitated for a moment. “Ben?”

  “Yeah. What have you been doing, pushing your little house to a new spot?”

  “No, I was out trying to chase off what I swear was a mountain lion.”

  “What?”

  “I saw it out the window. At first I thought maybe I’d just had too much wine, but then the thing turned and looked at me. I was feeling a little bit too much as if he was sizing me up for his dinner.”

  “So you went outside? I hope you had a gun.”

  “No, but I made an unholy racket with a couple of cooking pots. Good thing I don’t have close neighbors.”

  “You did have too much wine if you went outside without protection. Good Lord, woman. I’ll be right there.”

  “It’s gone now.”

  “Yeah, I’m coming anyway. Do not go back outside.”

  “Huh. You always this bossy?”

  “When the occasion calls for it.”

  His parents, Angel and his niece, Julia, looked up when he burst into the house less than a minute later. When he unlocked the gun cabinet and pulled out his rifle, his dad stood, probably thinking there was some danger to their cattle herd. If Mandy really had seen a mountain lion, there very well could be.

  “Going to Mandy’s. She says she saw a mountain lion outside her house.”

  “Oh, be careful,” his mom said as she scooted to the edge of the couch.

  “I’ll go with you,” his dad said.

  “No, it’s okay. The thing’s probably gone by now. Just want to make sure. You might want to check that the animals are secure here, though.”

  His dad gave him a nod.

  “I’ll give you a hand,” Adam said to their dad as he walked into the room.

  “If you don’t think Mandy will be safe there, you bring her back here.” This time, there was no teasing in his mom’s voice, telling him that her chief concern was Mandy’s safety, not his dating life.

  On the drive to Mandy’s, he watched for any signs of the big cat along the sides of the road but saw only a deer bound into the trees and a dead armadillo belly-up on the narrow gravel shoulder.

  When he turned into Mandy’s driveway, the lights from her little house were like a beacon in the surrounding darkness. He slowed and scanned the entire area illuminated by his headlights. As he pulled up next to her house, Mandy stepped out onto the small porch. The moment he got a full view of her, he forgot about the mountain lion. She’d changed into skimpy little pajama shorts and a matching orange top with thin lacy straps.

  This day was trying its damnedest to kill him.

  The reason for his visit came crashing back into his mind, and he hurried out of the truck and motioned her inside.

  “I’ll check around, see if your visitor’s gone.”

  She ignored him and continued to stand on the porch as he pulled his rifle out of the gun rack in the back window.

  “I’d feel a lot better if you went inside,” he said.

  “Well, I’d feel a lot better if you didn’t go poking around in the dark looking for the big kitty cat.”

  He did a mental eye roll as he scanned the area, hoping she’d just imagined seeing a mountain lion. She’d been drinking wine, after all. But she didn’t seem overly intoxicated, so he took the possibility of the predator seriously. It wasn’t until he reached the slope that led down to the creek that he got confirmation she hadn’t been imagining the cat.

  He glanced back at where she stood, the porch light putting her in silhouette. Using his flashlight, he looked beyond the reach of the truck’s headlights and the illumination coming from her little house. He didn’t see any eyes shining back at him, but that didn’t mean the animal wasn’t lurking nearby. He’d report the sighting to Parks and Wildlife in the morning and spread the word to other area residents. Ranchers would need to keep an eye on their animals, and anyone with small children and pets needed to be alert, as well.

  He took a few steps backward, ready to raise the rifle if necessary, before turning and walking toward Mandy.

  “See anything?”

  Ben did his best to keep his eyes fixed on her face, but it was damned hard not to let his gaze drift downward. Those little pajama shorts made her legs look a mile long even though she was only of average height. For a really ill-advised moment he imagined running his hands up all that bare skin.

  Remembering she’d asked him a question, he said, “Tracks down by the creek. Mom suggested you come stay at our place tonight.”

  Mandy’s eyes widened a little and she glanced toward the creek. “That’s not necessary. He didn’t bother me before, just scared the daylights out of me.”

  “No guarantee he won’t come back.”

  “I’ll just stay inside.”

  Ben put one foot up on the single porch step and extended the gun toward her. “Then I want you to keep this here tonight just in case.”

  She was shaking her head before he even finished speaking. “I won’t use that. I doubt the mountain lion is going to open the door and stroll inside. Besides, I’d be more likely to shoot off my own foot.”

  With a sigh of frustration, he turned and sank down onto the edge of the porch.

  “What are you doing?”

  “If you won’t do anything to protect yourself, guess I’ll have to do it for you.”

  When he heard her exhale in exasperation, he didn’t know
whether to laugh or brace for a frying pan upside his head.

  Chapter Three

  Mandy stared at the back of Ben’s head. “You know you’re being ridiculous, right?”

  “You don’t seem overly concerned that a mountain lion walked across your front yard. You don’t even have a vehicle here in case something happened.”

  “I figure if he didn’t try to eat me after hearing me squeal at the sight of him out the window or when I made all that racket with the pots, I’m safe. He probably hightailed it away from the crazy lady.”

  “Maybe.” He didn’t sound terribly convinced.

  “You’re not seriously going to sit there all night, are you?” She wouldn’t get one wink of sleep. Of course, after seeing a mountain lion only a few yards away, she doubted she would anyway. But Ben didn’t need to know that.

  “I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone, especially since it’s my fault you’re stranded here,” he said.

  “If I consent to keeping the gun here, will you stop worrying?”

  “I’d feel better.”

  “Fine, then. Now, I’m sure you have better things to do than sit on my front porch and stare at nothing.”

  A long moment passed before he said anything. “I’ll leave in a bit.”

  As he continued to scan the darkness surrounding her home, Mandy wondered when she’d ever had such an insane day. The ringing of her phone drew her back inside. This time it was her mom.

  “Hey, Mom.”

  “Hi, hon. Wanted to make sure you got home okay.”

  “Yeah, Ben dropped me off on his way home.” She wasn’t about to tell her mom he was currently playing sentry on her front porch because she’d seen a mountain lion lurking about. Her mom would be out here in no time, despite the fact she needed to go to sleep soon in order to be up early for work. Mandy had planned to talk to her mom tonight about cutting back her hours, but it was a conversation best had in person.

  “Have you heard how bad the car is?”

  “Not yet.” Even if she had, she wasn’t going to divulge those details either and give her mom something else to worry about. “It’s not too bad, though.”

  “I’m more than happy to come get you in the morning.”

  “Mom, it’s taken care of. You don’t need to worry about me, okay? I’m a big girl—have been for a long time.”

  Her mom laughed a little. “Old habits die hard, I guess. Well, I’ll let you get back to whatever you were doing. Have a good night, hon.”

  “You, too. Love you.”

  Her mom reciprocated the sentiment then hung up. No doubt she was tired from another day of cleaning rooms at the Wildflower Inn followed by a shift as a dishwasher at a café over in Fredericksburg.

  Mandy placed her phone back on the countertop and stared at it for several seconds before glancing toward the porch. She could barely see the top of Ben’s head through the glass in the front door. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and put an end to a day filled with one frustration after another. She was normally a cheerful person, and she hated feeling irritated at every turn.

  She closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath, then let it out just as slowly. It was still within her power to make something positive out of what was left of the day. She should just do that in something other than her skimpy summer pajamas. She wasn’t even wearing a bra!

  After hurriedly pulling on a T-shirt and gym shorts, and replacing the bra she’d ditched about five seconds after Ben left earlier, she grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the fridge and went back outside. She plunked herself down beside Ben and extended a bottle toward him.

  “Figured if you were going to sit out here, you at least should have something cold to drink.”

  He took the bottle. “Thanks. And sorry if I came across as bossy. Been one of those days.”

  She smiled. “Yeah, I know.”

  A grin tugged at the edge of his mouth, and that small change in his expression made her middle feel funny. Not funny as in ha-ha or “I’m going to be sick,” but rather “Oh, that’s a nice hint of a smile on a really nice face. I wonder what those lips would feel like on mine.”

  Yep, she’d officially gone bonkers.

  “Guess we both could use a do-over,” he said.

  “My mom has always said if you’re having a bad day, don’t focus on it. Just remember there’s a brand-new one coming in a few hours.”

  “Your mom sounds very Zen.”

  “Just practical. She doesn’t see the point in wallowing in self-pity. Chances are it won’t change anything and will only make you feel worse.”

  “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade?”

  “Oh, great. Now I want, like, a bucket of lemonade.”

  “I’m not sure you have room for a bucket in there,” Ben said, gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb.

  “That’s it. It’s now my mission to make you a tiny-house fan.”

  He shook his head and chuckled as if she was setting herself up for a Sisyphean task.

  “Was that Greg calling again?”

  Again? “No, my mom.”

  “Guess I didn’t get to that part earlier. Greg called and said that it would be a few days until he could fit your car into his schedule.”

  She sighed. “Well, that’s about par for today. Why didn’t he call me instead?”

  “He said he did, that you didn’t answer and that your voice mail was full.”

  Mandy’s forehead wrinkled. “No, it’s not. And there were no missed calls.”

  Ben shook his head.

  “Let me guess. Greg is messing with us.”

  He nodded. “Guess he got infected with the matchmaking virus that seems to be spreading all over town.”

  “You say that as if it’s the bubonic plague.”

  “At least people don’t go around trying to give you the plague.”

  “Wow, remind me to tell the single ladies of Blue Falls to give you a wide berth.”

  “And there went my dating life, pitiful as it is.”

  Mandy laughed. Who knew Ben Hartley was so funny? And dang if being funny wasn’t one of the things that really attracted her to a guy.

  “We should totally mess with Greg, convince him he’s the best matchmaker ever. Go in tomorrow and tell him we’ve set a date. I could take a bridal magazine and ask him to help me pick out a dress.”

  “I’ll ask him to be my best man.”

  “Oh, oh, I’ve got it! Tell him we want him to get ordained online so he can marry us.”

  Ben snorted. “Greg Bozeman an ordained minister. And that’s where you lost me.”

  “Yeah, that was the step no one would actually believe.” She stared out into the darkness. “We could always toilet-paper his house as payback.”

  “Shrink-wrap his truck.”

  “No, wrap it in pink streamers. We just happen to have a couple of cases in the back of the shop.”

  Ben slowly turned his head to look at her, and up this close, even in the half-light, his blue eyes threatened to make off like a bandit with her ability to breathe.

  “Already stocking up on decorations for Valentine’s Day?”

  Valentine’s Day. Romance. Kisses in the moonlight.

  Oops, keep your brain in the present if you don’t want to look like a dimwit.

  “No. They were delivered to the wrong place. Were supposed to go to a party store in Austin.”

  “That mix-up doesn’t make sense.”

  “Nope, but the company said to just keep them and they’d send new ones to the right address.” She smiled wide. “I’m thinking that’s the universe telling us they have a greater purpose here in Blue Falls.”

  He lifted a dark blond brow. “You’re ser
ious?”

  “I am.”

  “And if we get caught?”

  “We won’t.”

  “You know this is going on the front page of the Gazette if we do,” he said.

  “I expect you to use your connection at the paper to keep that from happening.”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “What the hell? Not as if I’m going to get any work done tonight anyway.”

  “And it’ll be a lot more fun than sitting out here waiting for Mr. Kitty to make an appearance.”

  “Mr. Kitty?”

  “Makes him seem less scary.” She jumped to her feet. “Be right back.”

  Mandy hurried inside and pulled on her sneakers, trying not to think about how excited she was to go out pranking with Ben. Or how the idea of it seemed to dispel her earlier fatigue and frustration. She didn’t dawdle, not wanting him to have second thoughts. Maybe she should let him go home. Maybe she could ignore how much she liked being around him. But she simply didn’t want to.

  He looked up at her approach. “We’re really doing this?”

  “Come on. Live a little.”

  She expected him to call a halt to her crazy plan, but when he didn’t, she nearly sprinted to his truck. Granted, that probably wasn’t the wisest move when a mountain lion could be lurking about. She’d probably just made herself look even more like dinner. But she made it safely and breathed in a quick, deep inhalation while Ben took one more look at the surrounding area before opening his door.

  His truck smelled like him—a mixture of horses, leather and another striking scent that reminded her of pine trees and long, tall Texans making Wranglers the sexiest piece of clothing on the planet.

  Ben secured the rifle in the rack in the back window then slid into the driver’s seat. “I must be crazy doing this.”

  “Sometimes you need a little crazy in your life to make things interesting.”

  As Ben turned the truck around and headed down her driveway, she watched his hands on the steering wheel. They looked strong, probably also a little rough from his work on the family ranch. She really needed to find a safe topic of conversation before he caught her staring or, heaven forbid, drooling. Maybe she ought to toilet-paper Devon’s house instead for putting these kinds of hot-and-bothered thoughts in her head in the first place.