The Rancher's Surprise Baby

by Trish Milburn

  “And no one cares,” Mandy said under her breath, but Keri evidently heard her because she laughed.

  “Sorry. Never have liked those two.” With good reason, but she wasn’t sharing that particular story again. She was still surprised she’d told Ben the dress story, but she couldn’t stand the idea of him maybe still liking Shantele.

  “And maybe they sparked a little jealousy.”

  “Of them? Ha! You couldn’t pay me to trade lives with either one of them.” She’d rather live in an abandoned railcar and have people actually like her.

  “But what Shantele said about Ben seemed to hit a nerve.”

  “Like I said, she’s got a husband. Granted, I wouldn’t have picked him, but married is married.”

  Keri placed Mandy’s purchases in one of the white bags that sported the Mehlerhaus Bakery name and logo. “I don’t think that’s the part that brought out the claws.”

  “Ben’s a nice guy. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with that.” She gestured with her thumb back over her shoulder toward where Shantele had exited the building.

  “So maybe you have someone else in mind for him?”

  Mandy stood across from where Keri now stood behind the cash register and stared at her friend. “You, too? Seriously, did the city council put something in the water that compels normally sane people to turn into matchmakers?”

  “Hey, we just figured out Verona was onto something all these years.”

  “Oh, just give me that bag,” Mandy said as she handed Keri the money.

  Keri smiled, confirming that Mandy wasn’t very good at hiding the fact that she did, indeed, like Ben. But she had to nip that in the bud before word got back to him through the grapevine and things grew superawkward between them.

  “Snatch him up before someone else does,” Keri said as Mandy walked toward the door.

  “Be thankful I’m addicted to your pastries.”

  Keri’s laughter followed Mandy as she stepped out of the air-conditioning into the blast furnace of another superheated day.

  On her way back to work, she veered off into the small park tucked between two of the storefronts and sank onto one of the benches that faced a fountain in the middle. She pulled out her phone and texted Ben.

  Don’t need ride after work. Visiting my mom.

  She hesitated before hitting Send, wondering if she was overreacting. What if Ben was interested in her, or could be with a little encouragement? Did it make sense to walk away from that? Growing up in a single-parent home, she’d always dreamed of growing up to have a big family of her own, complete with a husband and lots of kids. So far none of that had come to fruition, so why was she freaking out at the first inkling of a real attraction she’d had in a while?

  She knew why. Because building up the idea of a relationship in your head only to have it dashed sucked. Maybe a little like having your homecoming dress snatched away by the class bitch. Unfortunately, she knew that from experience.

  Chapter Five

  Mandy took her time walking the mile to her mom’s rental house after work. Devon had offered to drop her off, but Mandy had declined by saying she wanted the exercise. Considering Mandy had been on her feet all day and it was still in the sweltering nineties outside, Devon wasn’t fooled. But she didn’t challenge Mandy beyond giving her a knowing look.

  The fact was Mandy wanted the time to herself to think. She didn’t want Devon’s pushing or questions or having to hide her sudden but true feelings around Ben. If he knew how much she’d been thinking about him since the previous day, he’d probably think she was bat crazy.

  But what if he instead saw it as a compliment? Or, better yet, had been thinking about her, as well. She had a whole new understanding of what Devon had gone through when she’d been hiding her true feelings from Cole, afraid admitting them would ruin the budding friendship.

  By the time she reached her mom’s small house, she hadn’t come to any definite conclusions and was dripping sweat. If Ben saw her now, she wouldn’t have to wonder if he was attracted to her. One look would turn him off forever, and she wouldn’t blame him.

  Since she was already hot and sweaty, she headed to her mom’s garden to do some weeding. After shifts at both of her jobs, her mom shouldn’t have to come home to more work even if she enjoyed gardening and had the greenest thumb in Texas. Even in years of drought or blight when every other gardener struggled, her mom managed to coax tasty life out of her rows of vegetables, fruits and herbs, and multicolored beauty out of the flowers surrounding the bland tan house.

  Mandy worked until she felt every bit as dirty as the soil in which the plants grew. Using her key, she let herself inside and, after gulping down a full glass of water, headed for the shower. Her mind refused to ignore thoughts of Ben for long. As she closed her eyes and stepped below the stream of water, her thoughts shot to the feel of his broad, firm chest pressed close. If it had felt that good with multiple layers of clothing between them, how awesome would skin on skin be?

  She made a frustrated sound. Having those kinds of thoughts while in her mom’s shower just seemed wrong. Now, her own shower...

  She slammed off the water, wondering if she was just going to have to go for it with Ben in order for her imagination to let her be.

  As she dried off and put on a T-shirt and shorts she’d left in her old room, she heard her mom moving around in the kitchen. Time to stop fixating on fantasies about Ben Hartley and all his enticing body parts and focus on the conversation she’d been mulling having with her mom.

  By the time Mandy reached the kitchen, her mom had a grilled chicken salad and a glass of lemonade on the table for both of them with a plate of brownies in between.

  “Okay, that was fast,” Mandy said.

  “I heard the shower come on right as I walked in the door. I already had the grilled chicken and the brownies made.”

  Her mom had been in the house when Mandy had been imagining Ben’s naked body in the shower? Yikes. She hoped her mom couldn’t read that truth on her face like she so often could.

  “Sit, and let’s eat,” her mom said, gesturing toward Mandy’s chair. Once they were sitting, she continued, “So I guess by the absence of your car in the driveway that Greg hasn’t fixed it yet.”

  “Nope. Couple more days at least.”

  “Will Ben continue to be your driver?”

  Mandy dropped the fork she’d just picked up into her bowl and looked across the table at her mom, then sighed. “Honestly, you spend half your day in Fredericksburg and you still heard something.”

  Her mom smiled mischievously. “Is there something to hear?”

  “No.” She knew the moment she said it, the single word had come out of her mouth too quickly. The hopeful look on her mom’s face confirmed it.

  “He’s a handsome young man.”

  “Yes, and one who I’d probably said a grand total of a hundred words to prior to yesterday.”

  “How many you reckon you’ve said to him since then?”

  “Mom.”

  “What?” Her mom’s innocent tone was about as believable as cows suddenly taking wing like a covey of quail.

  Mandy picked up her fork again and pointed it across the table. “Do not get your hopes up. Ben and I are just friends, at most.”

  “Many a great romance has started that way. Oh, say, your best friend’s.”

  “I think the two of you are in cahoots.” And she might as well throw Keri in for a plotting trio. Possibly Greg, too. The whole town had been infected.

  “Not yet, but there is strength in numbers.”

  “Can’t a girl eat her salad in peace?”

  “Very well, but just in case it matters, I think he’s a fine man from a good family. You could do way worse.”

  Like the man w
ho’d abandoned her mom? The father who’d only stuck around until Mandy was one year old and then disappeared for parts unknown?

  “Moving on to other topics... I’ve been doing some thinking lately, and I’d like for you to quit one of your jobs, preferably the one in Fredericksburg.”

  “You know how I feel about that.”

  “I know you’re afraid of not being able to pay your bills, but you’re a better money manager than anyone on Wall Street. I know you’ve socked away a good amount that you don’t even touch.”

  “You never know when you might need it.”

  “True, but it’s also important to enjoy life, too.” When her mom started to object, Mandy held up her hand. “Hear me out first. I think you should make jams and cookies and whatever else strikes your fancy that we can sell in the shop. I know Devon won’t mind, and you can keep one hundred percent of the profits.”

  “I doubt I can replace my pay at the restaurant by making snacks, especially with the bakery right across the street.”

  “There are at least a dozen things I know you can make that Keri doesn’t have in the bakery.”

  Her mom took a bite of her salad instead of responding.

  “You work too hard, Mom. I’m grown and able to fend for myself now, so you can afford to cut back. I want you to enjoy life and some free time.”

  “I don’t know what to do with free time.”

  “That’s why there are cool things like Pinterest.”

  Her mom still didn’t respond immediately. Granted, she was chewing her food, but Mandy got the distinct impression her mom was trying to think of a reply that would end this particular thread of conversation.

  “I’ll make you a deal,” her mom said. “If you think I can make a decent amount by putting some things in Devon’s store, then I’ll think about quitting the dishwashing job.”

  “Awesome!” The thrill of impending victory raced through Mandy. She honestly hadn’t believed her mom would cave so easily.

  “I’m not finished. I’ll agree to make that life change if you agree to be open to a relationship with Ben. If it doesn’t materialize, fine, not meant to be. But don’t actively prevent it unless you decide he’s really not your cup of tea, not that you’re just afraid of admitting your feelings.”

  Mandy considered her mom’s offer then nodded. If it got her mom to slow down enough to enjoy life, to not feel as if she was hanging on by a thread as they had when Mandy was young, then letting down her guard around Ben was worth it. She knew her mom wanted her to be happy, but Mandy had always been puzzled by how her mom equated happiness with finding the right guy after the way she’d been abandoned by Mandy’s father. When asked why she never got married or even dated after that, her mom always said she didn’t need a man to be happy, that Mandy was all the happiness she needed.

  “I know that look,” her mom said. “You and I are different people. You can’t let what happened to me make you hesitant to try to find love.”

  Love? Who said anything about love? Animal attraction didn’t necessarily mean anything other than physical desire. The truth was she really didn’t know Ben all that well.

  But now that she’d agreed to her mom’s terms, maybe she could at least satisfy that desire.

  * * *

  BEN DREW THE SWIRLING, floral pattern that he would use as a guide in hand tooling the leather saddle in progress. He’d had to try half a dozen times because he kept making mistakes. Damn if his mind didn’t keep wandering to Mandy and how disappointed he’d been when she’d texted to say she didn’t need a ride home. The news should have made him happy that he didn’t have to make another drive into town, that he could use that time to catch up on his work. But instead, he’d evidently been transported back in time to when he was a hormone-flooded teenage boy. For the life of him, he couldn’t rid his mind of the memory of her pressed close to his body and how he wouldn’t mind it happening again.

  The door to his shop opened and he looked up to see his mom step inside. In her hand was a plate of food.

  “You didn’t come in for dinner,” she said. “Thought you might be hungry.”

  He glanced at the time, surprised to see how late it was. “Sorry. Trying to do some catching up.”

  She placed the plate on the opposite end of his workbench and came to look at the pattern he was working on. “I’m always so impressed with your talent.”

  A sense of pride filled him at his mom’s praise. “Thanks. Just lucky, I guess.”

  “It’s more than luck. You work hard, too hard sometimes.”

  “I enjoy it.”

  “I know you do, but you might enjoy other things, as well.”

  He suspected he knew where this conversation was going and that he wouldn’t be able to stop it, so he decided to meet it head-on. He spun on his stool to face her.

  “And I’d lay down money you have a suggestion.”

  “I noticed you didn’t pick up Mandy from work today. I was hoping maybe you two might go out.”

  “She texted and said she was going to her mom’s.”

  “Ah. Do you like her?”

  “She’s nice enough.”

  “That’s it?”

  Ben sighed. “Okay, fine, I’m attracted to her.”

  His mom’s smile carried the same warmth he remembered seeing and not quite understanding when he’d first been placed with the Hartleys. Even though it had been foreign to him, it had made him feel happiness and hope. It still had that effect, and it was part of the reason he worked so hard. His adoptive parents were great people. They’d stuck with him, even when he hadn’t made it easy, and made him more a part of their family than his birth parents ever had. He owed them for that and never wanted to do anything that would make them regret their decision.

  “I think she’s a lovely girl. Are you going to ask her out?”

  “I don’t know. Doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’ve never thought about her that way.”

  His mom placed her hand atop his. “People change their minds all the time.”

  “I feel as if maybe that pigeon gave me a concussion or something.” Despite the fact he’d told Mandy otherwise.

  His mom chuckled at that. “I think it has more to do with timing. Things happen when they’re supposed to.”

  He wasn’t sure about that, but he wouldn’t argue the point. Especially not when he couldn’t tell her the real reason he didn’t want to get seriously involved with anyone local. Having to see someone after breaking up wasn’t high on his list of life goals. And if Mandy was like most women who eventually would want to get more serious, it would only be a matter of time before they broke up. He just couldn’t tell his mom why and break her heart. He hoped Neil and Arden had some kids to soften the blow before he revealed he didn’t ever intend to be a father. Thankfully he wasn’t the only child his parents had adopted and thus he wouldn’t be robbing them of the joy of being grandparents.

  She patted his hand before heading toward the door. “Be sure to eat your food before it gets cold. And don’t work too late. You need your beauty sleep.”

  He acted offended. “You saying your son is ugly?”

  “Not at all. You’re a handsome man, and if Mandy Richardson has eyes, she already knows that.”

  “You sure are persistent.”

  “I take that as a compliment,” she said as she passed through the doorway out into the night.

  He tossed down his pencil and picked up the plate and fork. Now with the food staring at him, he realized his stomach had been growling for a while. He took them outside and sat in the old metal chair. With the sun long gone and a slight breeze moving the air, it was more pleasant than it had been in days. He thought about how this time the night before, he and Mandy had been doin
g their best handiwork with pink streamers.

  As he ate his dinner, he tried to pinpoint exactly what it was about Mandy that had suddenly demanded all his attention. Of course she was pretty with her shoulder-length brown hair, soft features and blue eyes that always seemed to be looking for something to laugh about. There was a carefree way about her, even after he’d crashed into her car. That quality appealed to him, even though he sometimes had a hard time allowing it to come to the fore in himself. He could have fun, but a part of him was always thinking about work, about making sure his family never wanted for anything, that their future was secure. He and Neil were a lot alike that way.

  He took a bite of broccoli casserole and looked up at the sky, at the sliver of moon above the barn. He wondered if Mandy was back home, if she was safely inside her little box of a house. No matter how surprising it might be, something had clicked inside him the day before while spending time with her. It was enough to make him worry about taking his mom’s advice. He’d had the thought earlier in the day that maybe he’d ask Mandy out, just a casual date, but a little voice of doubt kept him from calling to ask. He’d always felt safer going on the occasional date with someone he met at the music hall, someone in town for one of the rodeos, women he knew weren’t looking for anything more than one night and done. They’d have fun, there would even be attraction, but he’d never been unable to stop thinking about any of them.

  By the time he scraped up the last of his food, he still hadn’t figured out what he was going to do about it.

  * * *

  MANDY LOOKED UP as the front door of A Good Yarn opened. She didn’t know why her heart rate kicked up a notch. It wasn’t as if Ben was going to stop by during the middle of the day. She’d spent the night with her mom and thus hadn’t seen him that morning, but he’d texted to say he’d pick her up after work. While part of her still felt guilty about his driving all those extra miles and taking time away from his work, she admitted to herself that she was looking forward to seeing him again.

  Instead of the object of her way-too-frequent fantasies, in came several of their friends who also had businesses in the downtown area.