by Tina Leonard
“Have you totally lost your mind?” she demanded.
“I think so. If so, I probably should have lost it sooner. I feel great about it.” She blinked at him, dumbfounded or maybe just as shocked as he was by the new him, so he picked her up in his arms.
“Put me down!”
“We have a choice. We can do this dry or wet. But we are getting into that canoe parked beside the dock, and I’m rowing you to the center of the pond until the sun comes up.”
She shook her head. “Nanette.”
“Will be fine with Aunt Olivia. Helga. Aunt Valentine. Aunt Kelly. In the boat you go, Miss Joint Custody.”
“Mason, we could really talk about this on dry land,” Mimi said, moving out of his arms and ungraciously into the canoe. “You’ve become as dramatic as all your brothers.”
“That’s probably a good sign,” he said. “They’ve all changed for the better.” He pushed off with a paddle and rowed smoothly toward the center of the pond, where he’d have her trapped under the velvet sky and diamond stars. He could be Mr. Romance as easily as any of his brothers!
“You’re fine the way you are,” Mimi said, a stubborn tone in her voice. “You shouldn’t change.”
“Becoming a father will do that to a man.”
“You even kiss differently. I don’t think that has anything to do with fatherhood,” Mimi said, sounding annoyed.
“Mimi, I’m glad you’re the mother of my child,” he said magnanimously. He was about to say that she was a fabulous mother, and sexy as hell, but she splashed water on him with her paddle. Wiping his face, he contemplated the little woman across from him, all riled up with an opinion of some kind or another. Clearly he was hung for a sheep as much as a wolf, and there was nothing a man could do about that but be the wolf.
He rocked the canoe and dumped it, sending himself and a shrieking Mimi into the water.
“Mason!” Mimi squealed.
“Yes, my love,” he said, sending her paddle spinning away through the water with his paddle. “Let me rescue you.”
She began swimming away from him, calling him what might have been an impolite term for a donkey, so he caught her foot and dragged her toward him. He closed her mouth with his lips and silenced all those words she didn’t mean.
To his surprise, she locked her legs around his waist. He dog-paddled for all he was worth, not about to give up the Mimi-lock. Damn, she felt good!
“We should have done this before,” he murmured. “Too bad you’re such an ornery lass.”
“Smart aleck.”
She tried to kick away from him, but he pulled her back with a laugh. “I like catching you,” he said. “I only wish I’d known how much fun it was. I would have done this much sooner.”
“Mason, this new you is…a stranger. I don’t feel that I know you at all.”
He kissed her lips tenderly, claiming them the way he’d always wanted to. “I’m Mason Jefferson, father of Nanette Cannady Jefferson, owner of a ranch, brother to many misfits, and best friend to a little blonde who always gets me into trouble. I call her Mimi-jinx, but not to her face.”
With a squeal of outrage, she tried to pull away again. Laughing, he held her more tightly.
“Mason, let me go,” Mimi said, giving him the slip as she swam away. He let her go, watching her as she hauled herself up on the pier. Tempted to pull her back in, he decided to give her a little rope to run with.
Glaring down at him, she said, “Don’t expect me to help you haul that canoe back in. Nor find the paddles. Though if I did, I’d bean you with one.”
Grinning, he swam to shore, then sat on the dock to empty out his boots. “Come sit by me.”
“No!”
“We need to talk. Being contrary is all fine and good, but we need to get some things straight.”
“I prefer to keep my distance. I can hear you just fine.”
He shrugged. “No more custody talk. That’s silly.”
“Silly? I’m not going to live in your house anymore. And you’re not taking my child away from me. That means we’re going to need legal advice and agreements to keep us both happy.” She wrung out her shirt and her hair. “To be honest, I thought it was generous of me to offer joint custody. I could ask for sole custody.”
“Nah,” Mason said, deciding to strip off his socks, roll up his jeans and go barefoot. “The court wouldn’t grant you sole custody. You concealed my child from me all these years. Plus, I am the sheriff now, which would impress a judge,” he said, polishing his badge with a careless sleeve. “You insisted, you know, on the sheriff bit.”
She digested that in silence. Mason could feel her worrying about the custody issue, and that wasn’t what he wanted. He could still taste her lips on his, and could remember the softness of her body as he’d held her. A hunger for her began to grow inside him, from a place he had long suppressed.
“Mimi, we don’t need Brian. Not that I’m opposed to calling our favorite family legal beagle, but it’s best if we work this out ourselves.”
“Mason, you took Nanette and moved her over here. You specifically said she belonged at the ranch.”
“Yes, and you do, too. I’ve done the right thing and proposed in order to make an honorable woman of you—”
She gasped. “Mason, I don’t need you to make me honorable. I am honorable.”
“Then let’s make me honorable.”
A sound like a sigh escaped her. “I’m moving back to my town house tonight. Decide what days you would like to have Nanette, be reasonable, and I’ll tell Brian to hold off on the paperwork.”
A chill settled over Mason that had nothing to do with the swim and his wet jeans. Mimi wasn’t acting like the Mimi he knew. She had been a lot of things over the years, but he couldn’t remember her being cool to him. Mason stood. “I still think Nanette belongs on her family ranch.”
“Well, I don’t, and I’m her mother.”
“Proposal unaccepted.”
“Of course!” Mimi stopped wringing things and put her hands on her hips. “I hate to tell you this, Mason Jefferson, but I’m not going to marry you just because I’ve had your child. I can think of no other circumstances under which I would want you less.”
He frowned. “Well, how the hell am I supposed to fix things, then?”
“That’s the point, Mason,” Mimi said. “You can’t.” Then she walked away.
IT WAS HARD, OF COURSE. The hardest thing she’d probably ever do in her life was say no to Mason—about anything!—and then put a final wall of silence between them. But she’d loved him all her life, as a friend, as a man, and sometimes both. But he’d proved stubbornly resistant to loving her, and his proposal was not what her heart wanted to have him offer her because of Nanette.
That was pretty much like saying, “I think I’ll eat because I’m hungry.” Not, “I think I’ll eat that rosy red apple over there because it’s the most delicious-looking apple I’ve ever seen.”
Temptation was not too much to ask for from the goddess of love. Mimi wanted Mason tempted by her, wanted him to want her because she was desirable and made his mouth go dry. “Big man, offering to marry me because he got me pregnant,” she grumbled. “Some romantic love story that is!”
By the time they returned, the marshmallow roasting was winding down. Mimi could see that Nanette was very tired, so Mimi thanked Olivia for holding Nanette and thanked Calhoun for organizing the sticks and gooey bits. Mimi took her daughter and carried her up toward Mason’s house until Nanette sleepily insisted on walking. Then Mimi put Nanette in her truck and drove away from the ranch, wanting to escape before Mason could put up a big argument.
He didn’t realize that she was serious. She was weak and filled with temptation of her own, so before she cracked and said yes, Mimi made sure she drove off. She didn’t want her better judgment to be overruled by jumping into Mason’s arms.
A very nice place to be, too, she thought sadly. When he’d held her in the lake and kissed h
er so fervently, a hairline crack had formed in her determination. This was how she’d wanted Mason all those years! Passionate, loving, exciting.
But she knew too well that he would settle quite quickly into the role of husband, and then ignore her as he pretty much always had. Not ignore her in a mean way, but once he didn’t have to think about wooing her, he darn sure wouldn’t.
The only way to know if Mason was looking for a bride or Nanette’s mother was to test his “woo” gauge. If he wooed her, then he wanted her. “But if he keeps blabbing on about custody and Nanette and life at the family ranch, I’m going to give him a kick in the Jefferson jewels,” Mimi muttered, glad that her daughter had fallen asleep again before the unruly thought escaped her lips. Mason and his responsibility issues were annoying!
If he did have these powers of perception Hawk had spoken of, they were deeply embedded. “I doubt he has them at all,” Mimi said to her daughter, “and neither do you. You probably just thought he was your dad because he hangs around you more than any other man.”
Wasn’t it easy for a little girl to be confused about things like that? Mimi remembered playing imaginary games when she was a child—games wherein her mother returned. Her mother was a silver fairy, dressed in a shimmering gown, and she stayed home happily, baking apple pies and big dinners and sewing dresses for Mimi.
Mimi frowned. She didn’t want Nanette to suffer those types of daydreams. If her daughter was wondering why her father was never around…that was a bad thing. Over the years, she had let the “father” issue go unaddressed, hoping Nanette’s grandfather’s presence would be enough to satisfy the little girl’s paternal longings and questions until she was old enough to understand the real answer.
But there hadn’t been a real answer, until Mimi had told Mason the truth. “Come on, sweetie,” she said, parking the truck in front of her town house. “Let me get you inside to bed.”
“Where’s Daddy?” Nanette asked.
“He’s at home, sweetie,” Mimi said.
“Oh. Helga makes me sauerkraut and pancakes in the morning.”
Mimi smiled as she helped her daughter up the stairs. “She has sauerkraut in our fridge, too. Don’t worry.”
“My stuffed animals are at Daddy’s,” Nanette murmured.
A shock went through Mimi. This was going to be harder than she’d thought. They’d need two of everything. It wouldn’t work to send Nanette back and forth every other night—she’d get confused and unsettled. Once she started kindergarten, she’d need regularity with her schoolwork.
“Okay. We’ll get them later. Right now, let’s get you to sleep.”
She put her daughter to bed, peeked in on her dad, and then went to her own room. Was she doing the right thing, being so stubborn about Mason? He had always been so many things to her. Loving him had never been easy. She put on a T-shirt, brushed her teeth and snuggled between the covers.
Her bed at Mason’s had felt better, she had to admit.
What if they had made love before Calhoun opened the door? Would she feel differently about accepting Mason’s proposal?
She would never know. All she did know right now was that she had dreamed for years of Mason wanting her enough to show it. But she wanted him to want her, not just Nanette.
A tap on her bedroom window made her squeal. It was Mason. In their childhood, Mason had not been averse to going around the sheriff’s rules by tapping on Mimi’s window.
“Mason,” she said, after opening the window, “we do have a door.”
“I knew your dad was asleep.” He crawled off the tree branch and over the windowsill. “He needs his rest. Nice T-shirt.”
It was an old shirt, one of Valentine’s from her old days of working at the Never Lonely Cut-n-Gurls Salon. White, it had a purposely tatted bottom, with lettering that read Save a Horse on the front and Ride a Cowboy on the back. It was also very worn-out and comfortable.
“I don’t need to dress in a baby-doll gown for my dad and daughter,” Mimi said crossly. “Besides, you’ve seen this before.”
“I like it. Reminds me of a comfy old blanket.” He sat on the edge of her bed, bouncing. “Let’s go for a drive.”
“Mason!” Mimi glared at him as he turned on a bedside lamp. Clearly, he hadn’t come with seductive purposes in mind, and she wasn’t certain if she was annoyed or relieved. “I can’t go for a drive. Nanette might wake up and miss me.”
“Then I’ll just have to talk to you here.” He pulled off his boots and made himself comfortable. “Where’s the TV remote?”
“There’s no TV, Mason. What’s on your mind?”
“I called Brian.” Mason looked at her, not interested in the lack of a TV at all. “I called him to discuss how best to handle custody, et cetera. Having never given up anything that is mine—not even my brothers, when folks thought maybe it was best to separate us after Dad left—I felt I should get his advice on the matter. Since he knows all of us and has worked for all of us, I knew he was probably ideal to guide me. I wanted to try to make this suggestion of yours as easy as possible on all of us, especially Nanette.”
Mimi’s chest tightened. Her whole world sinking, she knew exactly what Mason was going to say.
“Brian says you never called him about any custody questions, Mimi. And your little lie makes me wonder what exactly it is that you want from me this time.”
Chapter Nine
Mason waited for Mimi to tell him what he wanted to know. What else was there for them to discuss? He’d already proposed to her. He really had nothing else to offer. Ever since he’d learned about Nanette, he had tried his best to be a very present father. He’d been so scared—really, scared was the only word he could think of—when Mimi told him she was seeking custody arrangements.
But when Brian had been honest with him… Why would she tell such a terrible untruth?
He waited, his heart in more of a wringer than he could ever remember it being. She was so beautiful; she was so much a part of him, that he couldn’t understand how his best part could hurt him so much.
“Mason, if you want the honest truth—”
“And I do want it,” he said sternly.
“I did call.” Her eyes were as sad as his felt. “Brian wasn’t in. The recorder came on, and…I just hung up. Something told me that I needed to talk to you first before I did anything with Brian.”
His chest eased a bit. “Inexcusable.”
“I know. I’m sorry for that.”
He liked that she didn’t try to justify her actions. “No fighting over Nanette.”
“I don’t ever want to fight with you,” Mimi said, her tone as sincere as he’d ever heard it. “Mason, I—”
He held up a hand. “Whatever it is, don’t say it. I am admiring your forthright approach.”
She blinked. “I’ll say whatever I want, and you don’t need to be a smart-ass.”
True. He was being a bit of a bear, but what was Papa Bear supposed to do when his cub wasn’t in his house where she belonged? “Mimi, you need to come back to the ranch.”
Mimi shook her head. “It’s very awkward for me.”
He sighed. “Fine. We’ll take turns being awkward. Scoot over.” Sitting on the edge of the bed, he hung his hat on the lamp on the bedside table, and decided he liked seeing his worn hat over Mimi’s girlie lamp.
“Mason, we cannot sleep like this,” Mimi said. He ignored her and settled his head on her comfy white pillow. God, he was tired. He was tired of arguing, and he was tired of thinking about all the dilemmas a big family entailed, and he was definitely weary of being responsible for everything under the sun where the ranch and all its remote members were concerned. “Mimi,” he said, his eyes drifting shut, “for once, I am not interested in your protests. I’m imagining myself in a big fluffy white oasis of clean sheets and softness, and you can be my most warm and round maiden of the sheets.”
“Mason, take your arm off my waist,” he heard Mimi say, but he didn’t care.
He held her tighter to him, and his last conscious thought was that he never wanted to spend another night without holding his little Mimi-jinx.
MIMI COULDN’T SLEEP AT ALL. She glanced at the clock, seeing the numbers glow 3:00 a.m. Something heavy was squashing her—Mason—his big, muscled frame encroaching upon her space and her person. She was on her side, and he lay against her back, his big, hairy leg resting on her most private area.
It was quite intimate. Somehow it felt right. Mimi didn’t dare move because she didn’t want Mason to wake up, but something hard at the base of her bottom let Mimi know he was as awake as she was.
“Mason,” she said, “don’t even think about it.”
“Calhoun’s not here,” Mason said, snuggling into her. “We’d be undisturbed.” He nipped her neck, giving her delicious chills all over her body. “You go back to sleep, Mimi. I’m not ready to make love to you. I’m not about to take any milk unless I get the cow, too. And until I hear you moo, I’m a free man.”
Mimi wriggled out of his arms. In the darkness, she could barely make out the lines of his face, and only that much because of the glow of the digital clock. But she knew his gaze was watching her possessively. “I do not moo, Mason. I will never moo. However,” she said, giving his chest a poke, “we can’t sleep together every night. You’re going to have to change those plans.”
“I guess the sheriff wouldn’t like it,” Mason said.
“I wouldn’t like it,” Mimi said. “I don’t want to play house with you.”
“All we’re playing is bed,” Mason said, giving her a little bounce. “Unless you feel like going downstairs and making me breakfast, you can’t really say there’s anything serious we’re playing.”
She sighed. “I think you’re going to go hungry unless you know how to fix your own breakfast.”
He nuzzled her shoulder, right into the curve of her neck. “You’re a hard woman to get along with, Mimi Cannady. But I miss you when you’re not around to bother me.”
She sniffed. “So you’re forgiving me so soon? That’s not like you.”
