The Texan's Surprise Son

by Cathy McDavid

  Her last task was to link the tablet’s Wi-Fi to her phone’s hot spot and email the revised briefs to her boss. She’d put a lot of effort into them. If all went as planned, the briefs would assist her team in convincing Paulo Molinas to offer a decent settlement.

  When Jacob called to check on her and Cody, she cut him off before he could suggest she return to the hotel.

  “When’s your first event?”

  Next thing she knew, she and Cody were sitting in the stands, cheering with the crowd as the equestrian team entered the arena and the opening ceremony got under way.

  Jacob did only mediocre, placing sixth in bareback bronc riding and eighth in saddle bronc riding. The day was still young, Mariana told herself. Bull riding was the last event of the evening, and she crossed her fingers he’d do better.

  Despite the late hour, Cody was still awake. The noise level alone would have kept Rip van Winkle from his slumber. At times Cody sat quietly in her lap. More frequently, he fussed. She hoped her supply of toddler treats held out. Breaking one of her strictest rules, she gave him sips of her sugar-infused lemonade. The straw fascinated him.

  “Is his father competing?” The grandmotherly woman sitting beside Mariana beamed at Cody.

  “Yes. Number twenty-seven.”

  The woman referred to her program. “Jacob Baron. Ah.”

  Mariana didn’t quite know what to make of the “ah” so let it pass.

  “I follow all the top-ranked cowboys,” the woman said by way of explanation. “He’s doing well this year. You must be proud.”

  What to say that wouldn’t cause the woman to jump to the wrong conclusion? “Qualifying for Nationals is important to him.”

  “Don’t you worry, he’ll make it at the rate he’s going.”

  Was Jacob thinking the same thing or worried about his so-so performance in bronc riding?

  “I didn’t realize he was married and had a son.” Mariana was sure the woman stared at her left hand, searching for a ring.

  “We’re not married.”

  Another “ah” followed.

  Mariana drew Cody closer. “I’m his aunt.”

  “The boy’s mother couldn’t make it?” The woman clucked sympathetically.

  Okay, she was being just a little too nosy. Time to put an end to it. Mariana stood, balancing Cody on her hip and smiled so as not to offend the woman. “Excuse us just a minute. We have some pressing personal business to attend to.” To emphasize her point, she patted Cody’s bottom and grabbed the diaper bag.

  Mariana squeezed past the people in the bleachers. By the time she reached the last row, she was wishing she hadn’t returned the stroller to the truck.

  She made it back just in time to see Jacob compete in bull riding. Her seat wasn’t too far from the bucking chutes. She swore that he searched the stands for her as he straddled the side of the chute, right before climbing onto the bull’s back. When his gaze appeared to land on her and Cody, she gave a wave and then pointed.

  “Look! There’s Daddy.”

  “Daddy, Daddy,” Cody called out, twisting side to side and looking about as if he expected Jacob to come walking up.

  Her stomach in knots, she watched and waited for the chute door to open. All at once, it did. The bull, a huge, nasty brute, lunged into the arena, dirt flying as he kicked out his back legs. He achieved unbelievable height. How could Jacob possibly hold on?

  And then, he didn’t. The entire stands gasped in unison as Jacob flew off the bull’s back and hit the ground like a sack of stones.

  Mariana was instantly up, a hand clasped to her mouth. My God, was he all right? What should she do? Stay? Run to him? Just as she started to move, Jacob pushed to his knees. Then, he, too, was standing. Reaching for his fallen hat, he brushed off his jeans as he strode toward the gate. He didn’t even look back to make sure the bull was rounded up and the coast clear.

  “Hey, folks, let’s give this here cowboy a hand,” the announcer’s voice blared from the speakers. “That’s all he’s going to take home tonight.”

  “There’s always tomorrow,” the woman beside Mariana said brightly.

  At the end of the day during the ride to the hotel, Jacob said little. Mariana left him alone, recognizing his need to brood. He did see her and Cody to her room, but there was no good-night peck on the cheeks. One thing went well, however. The instant she settled Cody in the portable crib, he fell soundly asleep.

  Sticking around the hotel room on Saturday and Sunday didn’t appeal to her, so Mariana and Cody went with Jacob and Daniel to the rodeo. She planned on getting more work done but actually accomplished nothing. In truth, she had fun. It had been a long time since she took a weekend simply for herself, and in the end, she was really glad she came.

  Jacob was another story. He didn’t appear to be having any fun at all and qualified for only one event during the final rounds on Sunday. He squeaked by with fourth place in bareback bronc riding, which wasn’t going to help him much in his rankings.

  The worse he performed, the more withdrawn he became until he was hardly talking at all—though he continued to search out Mariana and Cody before each event.

  As they were leaving, she overheard Daniel talking to another cowboy, saying, “I’m not sure what’s messing with his head this weekend. I just hope he gets over it soon.”

  Something had definitely thrown Jacob off his game. The answer was revealed during the tense drive home when he abruptly announced, “We need to hire that nanny right away. Before this coming weekend. That way, you and Cody can stay home.”

  Huh. Apparently he wasn’t nearly as glad as she was that she and Cody had tagged along all weekend. Mariana tried to ignore the hurt and disappointment she felt, but it sat like a heavy weight in the pit of her stomach.

  *

  “SHE’S NOT THE ONE.”

  “Why? I liked her.”

  Mariana shook her head. “She wasn’t friendly enough. When Cody showed her his trick with Buster, she just patted his head and said he was a clever boy.”

  Jacob almost laughed out loud but managed to contain himself. “You intimidated her. I think she felt like she was being cross-examined on the witness stand rather than interviewing for a nanny position.”

  “My point. If she can’t stand up to a little pressure, how’s she going to handle a rambunctious toddler?”

  Mariana tossed her overnight bag onto her bed, then went to the closet and flipped through the clothes hanging there as if they were items on a clearance rack. Cody knelt on the floor, playing with her shoes, sticking one inside the other and squealing with frustration when they didn’t fit. He’d been cranky since waking up.

  Jacob observed them both from where he stood in the doorway to her bedroom, maintaining his distance out of respect for her privacy. Also because being in such close proximity to her caused him to feel certain things. Things that had nothing to do with their present conversation and everything to do with...well, proximity.

  “She came highly recommended from the agency.”

  “She’s not right,” Mariana repeated.

  “You didn’t like the other three, either.”

  “That first one was too shy. We need a nanny with confidence.”

  “Didn’t you see her knees knocking together? You terrified her.”

  “I’m not that bad.” Mariana selected a power suit—what else?—and after folding it neatly, packed it in the bag. At least this suit had a skirt and not pants. The lucky client she was meeting, an elderly military veteran Jacob had been told, would get to see her legs.

  “I was hoping to have someone hired by today,” he said.

  There were only a few weekends left before Nationals. With his dismal showing at the Lucky Draw, his rankings had dropped marginally. Any lower was unacceptable. Knowing Cody was being safely supervised by a qualified professional—at home—would go a long way in easing his mind.

  It would ease Mariana’s mind, too. She was nervous about leaving Cody with
Jacob for this one simple overnight trip to consult with the elderly client in Houston.

  “I’ll call the agency and set up more interviews for tomorrow evening,” she said. “I should be home by six at the latest.”

  They’d seen three women yesterday evening and one this morning. Jacob was thinking the whole interviewing process had gone on long enough. Any of the candidates the agency had sent would do a fine job. This one today, Simone, was more than fine. She was a sweet, quiet woman in her forties. Mother of two mostly grown children whom, from all accounts, she’d neither maimed nor killed while raising.

  Jacob made a snap decision. “In the meantime, Leeza can help. She lives right next door, and she’s available.”

  “She’s thirteen.”

  “And qualified.”

  “Watching a dog doesn’t require the same skill level as watching a child.”

  “She babysits her younger cousins. And Cody likes her.” The girl had been over twice since Cody and Mariana came to live with Jacob, lavishing attention on the boy to the extent where Buster sulked from jealousy.

  “Because she plays with him.” Mariana zipped her bag closed.

  “Isn’t that what babysitters do?”

  “Playing is only a small part of the job.”

  “She knows CPR. She went through babysitting training. Has a certificate and everything. She showed me.”

  “Doggie CPR?”

  “Not funny.” Actually, it was funny. He’d give her that.

  “Well, CPR training is something,” Mariana conceded. “She can’t, however, drive a car if Cody needs to be taken to the emergency room.”

  “Her parents can. Besides, we’re just talking this Saturday and Sunday while I’m gone and you’re here,” Jacob said as if the arrangement was a done deal, which in his mind, it was. “We don’t want a repeat of last weekend.”

  “Fine.” Mariana lifted the overnight bag and slung the strap over her shoulder. “But only because my mom’s still not feeling well. Or I’d ask her to come up and watch Cody.” At the mention of her mother, Mariana’s voice grew tight.

  Swell. She was still smarting from his needless and careless remarks this past weekend. Jacob had screwed up for sure. It wasn’t her fault he’d performed like someone at their first professional rodeo. Nor was it her fault that every glimpse of her and Cody in the stands shattered his concentration. Yet he’d treated her as if it was.

  Jacob could connect the dots; he wasn’t that stupid. Their inability to agree on a nanny had something, if not everything, to do with her hurt feelings. Not that she was being vengeful or spiteful. Obstinate maybe.

  An apology would probably go a long way in improving her attitude, except he couldn’t quite form the words.

  “You will call me if you need anything.” She stood facing him, indecision written all over her face. She didn’t want to leave Cody alone with Jacob.

  “We’ll be fine.”

  He’d made arrangements to go into work late so that he could be there for the interview and drop off Cody at day care, which was a good half hour out of his way. He’d also be leaving work early in order to pick Cody up. The need to find a nanny was becoming even more pressing. One who could drive.

  “I put the list of emergency phone numbers on the refrigerator.” Mariana reached for Cody’s hand. He protested loudly, objecting at having to leave the shoes.

  “I saw.” Jacob stood aside so Mariana, Cody and her bulky bag could pass.

  She recited items as she walked. “There’s an unopened box of diapers in the closet. A clean set of crib sheets in the top dresser drawer in case his diaper leaks during the night. And, please, please, limit the junk food.”

  “Here I thought the two of us would slam back a few beers with our pizza while we watched the game.”

  “I’m serious, Jacob.” They had reached the front door.

  “I know.”

  She’d go on forever if he let her, and she had a meeting to make. Jacob reached for her bag. “I’ll carry this to the car. You get Cody.”

  She watched as he stowed her bag in the rear seat of the Infiniti. Cody stood at the edge of the driveway, already waving and saying, “Bye-bye, Mama.”

  Her face crumpled. Was she going to cry?

  “Hey, are you okay?” Jacob wondered if he should put an arm around her shoulder or something.

  “It’s nothing.”

  “I’m sorry about being such a jerk this weekend. I don’t like losing and shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

  “Wow. That’s quite an ego you have.” She sniffed and squared her shoulders. “Did you really just make this all about you?”

  Three strikes. He was definitely out.

  “I’ll call you after I’ve dropped Cody off at day care.”

  “And when you pick him up,” she added, kissing Cody goodbye. Jacob got a brief hug.

  They waited until she was down the road before going inside. The stars must have been perfectly aligned, for Cody behaved like a champ, and they were out the door in record time. At day care, he gave Jacob the same wave he had Mariana.

  “Bye-bye, Daddy.”

  The young woman attendant smiled broadly. “He looks just like you.”

  Did he? Jacob studied Cody’s face, unable to see himself in it. “Thanks.”

  “Hug,” Cody insisted.

  “Sure thing.” Jacob bent and pulled Cody close. The boy’s small arms circled his neck. It was a nice feeling. “You be good. See you later.”

  “See you.”

  The workday progressed without incident, thanks to more aligned stars. Jacob attended a meeting with visiting executives, one of them Jet, and tried not to let his brother’s position in upper management annoy him. Instead, he turned his emotions inward, using them to fuel his motivation to do well at the Rough and Ready Rodeo this coming weekend in McAlester.

  Pushing paper occupied a good hour of his time. After that, he walked the rig and conferred with the various foremen. His last tasks of the day were reviewing requisition forms and answering emails.

  He considered calling the day care again and decided once at lunch was sufficient. Funny, he hadn’t done that before, call the day care. Then again, this was his first time in charge of “transportation” as Mariana had referred to it. When he’d spoken to the day care at lunch, the gal answering the phone informed him that Mariana had also called. He should have expected that.

  Leaving work a little later than he’d hoped to, he made it to the day care just minutes before six o’clock when the dreaded penalty charges kicked in. Mariana had warned him extensively to be on time. He figured she was more concerned about poor Cody being stuck waiting and not the money.

  While the two of them did catch part of the game on TV, there was no beer and pizza. Cody fussed over his packaged toddler meal, which was unusual for him. Jacob took a taste and didn’t blame the kid. The stuff would choke a snake. He offered cereal, but Cody also refused that. Eventually, he gave Cody a bath and put him to bed.

  An hour later, just as Jacob was getting ready for bed himself, Cody woke up crying and he didn’t stop. After forty minutes, Jacob called Mariana, telling her about the crying and Cody’s lack of appetite at dinner.

  “He could be teething again,” she said. “I should have figured that out this morning when he was so cranky. Open his mouth and take a look.”

  Jacob pinched Cody’s chin between his thumb and forefinger and pried open his mouth. The boy didn’t make it easy. “Hard to really tell.”

  “There’s some teething gel in the diaper bag. Try that and see if it helps. If not, call me back. Call me back anyway,” she added, a note of concern in her voice.

  The gel did help, and Jacob reported the good news when he called.

  “I’m glad.” She sounded tired.

  “Get some sleep. You’ve got an early morning.”

  After all the fuss, Cody simply wasn’t in the mood for bed. Jacob sat on the couch with his feet up, watching Cody
play with Buster on the floor and trying not to doze off.

  He obviously failed for when his phone chimed sometime later, he jerked awake. Luckily, Cody was perfectly fine. No playing with matches or sticking his fingers in electrical sockets. Ingenious tyke that he was, he’d made an obstacle course out of blocks and Buster’s front legs and was driving his truck through it, complete with sound effects.

  God, Jacob thought, what if something had happened while he slept? He tried not to dwell on that as he checked his phone’s display and answered the call. It was Darius, the night shift safety supervisor, on the line.

  “What’s going on?” Jacob asked. Darius didn’t call without a good reason.

  “Lenny Bartholomy fell from the catwalk.”

  “Is he hurt?”

  “Banged his head pretty hard and appears to have sprained his ankle.”

  Jacob sat up straight. “Did he lose consciousness?”

  “No, but he’s light-headed and complaining of pain. I’m getting ready to take him to the emergency room.”

  “Report back to me when you get there. I’m heading to the drill site now. If I need to, I’ll meet you at the hospital.” As senior safety manager, Jacob was required to inspect the accident scene, talk to witnesses, if any, write a report and make sure protocol was followed. If the injury had been minor, he’d wait until the morning. But this one was necessitating a trip to the hospital. “Have a drug test administered as soon as possible.”

  Jacob didn’t think Lenny was using, but testing was mandatory in every accident case. No exceptions.

  “Will do,” Darius said. “But in my opinion, he just wasn’t paying attention and slipped. Seems his girlfriend just told him she was pregnant.”

  Sudden fatherhood, Jacob knew firsthand, could mess with a guy’s concentration.

  He stood, looking about for the work boots he kicked off earlier...and his gaze landed on Cody. What was he going to do with him? Too late to ask Leeza to babysit, and the day care wasn’t open.