His Heart for the Trusting (Book 2 - Texas Hearts (Contemporary Western Romance)

by Mondello, Lisa

  No, it was natural for her to fall in love with the baby. She was his caregiver and it was only right that she gave him all her attention and her heart as well. He'd been denied a mother for so long. But Jonathan deserved a mother's love. Even if she would only be staying for a little while. None of that meant that she was in love with his father.

  Stuffing another baby shirt into the box, Sara wondered just how long she could stay in Mitchell Broader's home before she couldn't ignore the truth any longer. She was desperately falling in love with Mitch, too.

  * * *

  Mitch showered and changed before dinner. Normally, if he were going to work the horses, he'd just hold off until the day was completely done and he could spend some time with his son. And Sara. Yes, he was giving himself a little more care than usual because he hoped that Sara would indulge him. What they'd started last night as he held her was only a beginning.

  Lord, what was he going to do with her, he mused as he pulled on his boots. She had her heart set on going to the reservation. After seeing her during the Powwow ceremony, talking to all the native children and keeping them spellbound, he had to wonder where he and Jonathan fit into the equation.

  He'd seen Jonathan in her arms countless times, listening to her tell her stories, not that Jonathan understood a word of it, Mitch thought chuckling quietly to himself. The baby just liked the sound of her voice and the gentleness of her.

  Yeah, Mitch liked that, too. He loved the way Sara’s eyes flashed bright with excitement. He loved that drugged gaze she gave him when he pressed his lips against hers, and the way she melted into his embrace like warm honey spreading over him. He hadn't wanted to let go of her last night. Not ever.

  But then Lillian showed up. It had been a major jolt to his peace of mind. He knew he was being hard. Lillian was Jonathan's mother and he had to give her some ounce of respect for that.

  Mitch had grown up hearing all the mudslinging back and forth between his parents enough to know that that kind of bitterness would only hurt Jonathan. He wouldn't do that to his child. When he'd looked into Sara's pleading eyes last night, he knew that's what she was telling him.

  Okay, so if Lillian wanted to drop by now and then, he'd let her. He knew Lillian too well to know that she'd get tired of it soon enough. He only hoped that he'd be able to keep his son from being brokenhearted when she eventually left.

  Well, enough worrying about Lillian, Mitch thought as he strode downstairs. He had an appointment with Cody Gentry, Beau's brother, about buying some of the horses he'd worked. The deal with Hank was that the Double T got first dibs on any of the horses Mitch trained. Beau kept a few green horses for the rodeo school. After that, it was Mitch's business to sell them to whomever he pleased, and pocket the money.

  It was a sweet deal for him as any money from the sale of horses would go right back into the bank towards his own spread. Mitch was determined to meet his goal. By his estimation, he'd have what he needed in two, maybe three years, provided he could sell enough horses.

  Mitch was both surprised and elated when Beau mentioned the Silverado Cattle Company, his father's spread, was looking to buy a few horses of their own. Beau had dropped Mitch's name to his brother, figuring his old man would shoot the idea down pronto, which, of course, Mike Gentry had. But then Cody up and called Mitch on his own, saying he'd heard of his reputation and wanted to see for himself what Mitch had to offer. The fact that he trained on Double T soil didn't bother Cody like it bothered Mike Gentry.

  To Mitch, it was a great opportunity to further his business, especially since Cody Gentry was well known as a cutting horse trainer. Not only did the Silverado Cattle Company have deep pockets to spend top dollar, they had connections far beyond Steerage Rock. That was something Mitch was counting on. Word of mouth in this business meant much more than the bottom line. He'd give Cody a fair price and a fine horse.

  Smiling, Mitch joined his family at the dinner table.

  * * *

  “It's still early, but I have to get this baby to bed pretty soon or he'll be over tired and I'll have to rock him to sleep,” Sara said.

  She had Jonathan in the front pack. The little bonnet on his head, protecting his head from the sun and any dust the wind kicked up, kept tipping off and falling to dirt each and every time Mitch road by on Midnight. Sara finally gave up and stuffed the bonnet in her pocket, keeping her hand protectively on the baby's delicate head.

  “My boy has you whipped,” Mitch called out from his mount. “I'd choose you rocking me over settling in bed alone.”

  Her cheeks flamed and she was glad Cody and Beau were talking to each other far enough away that they hadn't heard.

  “Behave yourself in front of your son, Mr. Broader.”

  Mitch's lips tilted into a wickedly sexy grin that made her blood run like hot rain from her toes to her hairline.

  “Care to take a ride before you turn in?” His cobalt blue eyes twinkled with specks of crimson from the setting sun. He cast her a smile so sexy that her heart raced wildly and her pulse hammered in her ear.

  “I think I'll pass tonight.”

  Beau had come up behind her with Cody.

  “Sure I can't talk you into selling Midnight?” Cody asked Mitch. Cody Gentry was as tall as his brother and had the same strong, muscular build. Though there were distinct differences in the two, it was hard not to mistaken them as brothers. Sara was sure there were more than a few women in Steerage Rock and beyond who had their eye on Cody Gentry.

  “Nah, I've got someone in mind for her,” Mitch said.

  “Whatever their price is, I'll double it. She sure is a beautiful animal,” Cody said, leaning his arm on the rail to peer at Midnight.

  “Sorry,” Mitch said as he got off his mount. “This one is Sara's.”

  “Mine?” Sara gasped.

  “Sure. It's a gift for you.”

  “But...”

  Cody chuckled. “Guess I'm talking to the wrong person. Darlin' any time you want to do business on this pretty thing, you just let me know.”

  “Why don't you let me take the baby in to see Mandy?” Beau said, as Sara tried to find her voice. “She's got those nesting instincts. At least that's what Corrine calls it. I have to admit, I can't wait for the chance to have one of these in my arms. If I had my way, Mandy would be having our baby tonight.”

  “We'll be by in a while to bring him home,” Mitch said as Beau walked away with Jonathan in his arms.

  Mitch was staring at her. What was he thinking giving her this horse? Not to mention the money he'd passed up not selling it to the Silverado Cattle Company.

  When they were alone, she waited next to the gate for Mitch to ride the horse by so she could talk with him without anyone overhearing. She stuffed her hands in her pocket in anticipation.

  “Mitch,” she said, looking up at his bright smile. He was pleased with himself. She could tell he wanted her to have Midnight. “I can't accept this horse.”

  His spirits didn't waiver. “Why not? Don't you like her?”

  “She's beautiful.”

  “Not half as beautiful as you, Sara.”

  Heat crept up her neck and burned her cheeks. “Mitch, I don't have any place to keep a horse.”

  “Keep her here. That way you have an excuse to come back and visit,” he said, sliding down from his mount. He wasn't looking at her now. But Sara could tell he was testing her.

  “I'm going back to the reservation.”

  “I know that.” He looked at her then and what she saw was emotion, not anger. His voice was quiet, blending in with the sounds of the coming night. She'd told him straight out and he didn't charge back at her to intimidate her. It's one of the things she…loved about him.

  She sighed.

  “Just because you're leaving some day doesn't mean you can't come back to visit.”

  She stared at him for a moment, emotion waging war inside her. Could she come back? It was a dangerous thought. She was already too close to both Mitc
h and Jonathan. Flitting in and out of their lives would only confuse them.

  “It wouldn't be the same.”

  “No, it wouldn't,” he said. “But you know what I want. There's no need for me to say more than that. I just wanted to give you Midnight as a present. She's like you. She's incredibly gentle, and her eyes flash like firecrackers when she's excited. And when she neighs, it's as if she's singing. Just like you.”

  Her bottom lip trembled. It was an incredibly beautiful thing to say. And the fact that Mitch gifted her with Midnight for that reason made it impossible for her to resist.

  “Come ride with me,” Mitch said, reaching his hand out to her. “You'll see she's meant for you.”

  Her heart couldn't tell her different.

  “Together?”

  “Sure. That way I have a valid excuse to hold you close.”

  She climbed onto the front of Midnight's saddle. Mitch slipped on the back. As he wrapped his arms around her to take the reins, she was engulfed by his warmth and spirit and she suddenly had the urge to run far away. She wasn't ready for this. Wasn't ready to open up her heart for more heartache. She'd made that mistake once before, hadn't she?

  “You want to take control? You can take her anywhere you please.”

  What she pleased was sitting their snuggled up against Mitch. She turned her head back and he nuzzled his whiskered cheek against hers, giving her a quick kiss before placing the reins in her hands.

  He let her lead. Mitch was good that way. He let her know what he wanted for sure. But the decision was always hers. She was always free to walk away.

  And she hadn't. She'd stayed here at the Double T when she could have had someone in place at the ranch to care for Jonathan within a week of her arrival if she’d really pushed hard to find someone.

  Why hadn't she? It didn't make sense. She hadn't tried hard enough to find a replacement for herself because deep down, this is where she wanted to be. How had her plans to go back to the reservation been derailed so quickly?

  Instead of giving in to self-deprecation, she reveled in the feel of Mitch's corded muscles as he helped her maneuver Midnight around the paddock.

  She was so entranced in the quiet moment, the feeling of just being with Mitch, listening to the clip clop of Midnight's hooves as she danced around the corral that she didn't notice Lillian's approach. And apparently, neither had Mitch.

  “Just what do you think you're doing?” Lillian boomed.

  Sara snapped her gaze to the edge of the corral and felt her heart sink to the dirt. There was absolutely nothing wrong with her what she was doing with Mitch. Mitch and Lillian were no longer married. But suddenly Sara felt as if she were caught red-handed stealing fresh baked cookies from the cookie jar.

  Lillian dropped to the ground and picked up Jonathan's bonnet, which must have fallen from her pocket when she entered the corral. “And just who is taking care of my son?”

  #

  Chapter Nine

  “Jonathan's fine, Lillian.”

  “Where is he?”

  “He’s safe.”

  She reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope. “Read this.”

  Mitch rode Midnight over to where Lillian stood and dismounted. Sara quickly followed.

  “What are you up to now, Lillian?”

  “Read for yourself.”

  Sara watched as Mitch's face turned to horror. “Why you...” He stopped himself short. Mitch wasn't a man to cuss out like she'd heard many men do. She'd yet to hear him use a foul word in front of her in all the time they'd spent together.

  “What is it, Mitch?”

  “A summons to appear in court for custody of Jonathan.” His voice was tight and controlled, like he always was, but Sara was sure he felt anything that resembled control. “And an order to bring him back to Baltimore within forty-eight hours.”

  “If you don't want this to turn into kidnapping charges, I suggest you comply.”

  “Kidnapping?” Sara gasped. “You're the one who brought him here.”

  “You have no right to do this, Lillian. You abandoned him.”

  “This piece of paper says otherwise. We'll let the courts decide what to do next.”

  Lillian turned to walk away.

  “You don't want to see Jonathan?” Sara called out.

  “No sense upsetting the child by putting him in between two bickering parents, huh, Mitch? Things could get ugly. I'll see you in Baltimore.”

  * * *

  It had taken every ounce of control to keep Mitch from losing his temper. It wouldn't solve anything. And he knew, even as Lillian drove off the Double T Ranch last night that she was coming back. She wasn't done playing games with him.

  “What are you going to do?” Sara asked quietly.

  He heaved a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. “Go to Baltimore and let the Judge know that a woman like Lillian has no right raising a kid. Not my kid, anyway.”

  “Don't you think you're being a little unfair?”

  “What? How unfair is it to come back after two months and say she wants Jonathan back? Until when? She's got a reason for doing this, Sara. She admitted to wanting a financial arrangement.”

  “Perhaps she didn’t have the money to care for a baby. Maybe she’s just asking for child support.”

  Mitch shook his head. “She doesn’t love this baby. None of this has to do with Jonathan.”

  He started walking back to the main house to get his son. He needed to hold him. Needed to know he was still safe here with him even though he could see the red taillights of Lillian's car bounding through the front gate of the ranch.

  When had his love for his son grown such leaps and bounds that he felt such rage of emotion to protect him from his own mother? But it had. Sara had seen that it was possible. In her woman's way, she prodded him and kept at him until the love in his heart spilled over and he couldn't help but feel so strongly for Jonathan.

  And Sara. She couldn't work that kind of magic without his heart spilling over for her as well.

  He was vaguely aware of Sara chasing his heels.

  “Mitch, you've got to think this through. I mean really think it before you do anything rash.”

  “What's to think about? I'll make a reservations for us on a flight to Baltimore tomorrow. We'll meet with the Judge, have our say, and be back on a plane before you know it.”

  “It's not that simple.”

  “Sure it is. What kind of judicial system would give a child back to a mother who abandoned him?”

  He heard her heavy sigh. “It happens all the time. People make mistakes.”

  Mitch stopped short and swung around to face Sara. “Lillian didn't make a mistake. She made a move. There's a huge difference.”

  “I know she hurt you.”

  “Yes.”

  “But how can you really be sure?”

  “I just am.”

  Sara threw her hands up in frustration. “And that makes it alright, denying her the right to see her baby? Are you really so sure a judge is going to see it that way?”

  “That's the way it was. How else can he see it?” He has to see it that way, Mitch thought with dread. He would not lose his son. Not now, not ever. Jonathan would not be used as a pawn in one of Lillian's games.

  “She made a mistake, Mitch.”

  He turned around, saw that in his haste and wide strides he was a good fifteen feet ahead of Sara. He also saw tears filling her eyes. Sad tears, not the kind that welled in her eyes when she was telling a story of something happy.

  He met her half way before speaking again. “What are you saying, Sara?”

  “Lillian might not have wanted to keep Jonathan for any number of reasons. Maybe she really believed she couldn't handle him or be a good mother to him. Maybe she was experiencing postpartum. Maybe she does just need some financial help to be able to raise him. It happens. Sometimes things seem so hopeless that you do things you regret.”

  “Are you saying I should just give Jo
nathan over to her?”

  “No. I don't know what her reasons were for leaving him here. I don't know her. But whatever the reasons were, maybe it was just a mistake. And maybe she realizes just how big a mistake she made in letting Jonathan go like that.”

  “Then she's the one who made it.”

  “That's it? She should just pay for her mistakes for the rest of her life?”

  “It shouldn't be Jonathan who pays.” He started walking toward the main house again.

  “But he will. Mitch, I made a mistake. Are you telling me I should pay for the rest of my life for it?”

  He swung around. “This isn't about you, Sara.”

  “Yes, it is. In a way anyway. I came here to help you at a time you needed it. Maybe Lillian needed a hand and no one was there to help her. I know what that's like. I've been there. Maybe she knew you'd be shocked. She knew you'd be angry that she didn't tell you about him. But she also knew you enough to know you'd love him and take care of him.”

  He didn't want to hear it. As much as he knew Sara believed what she was saying to be true, he also knew it wasn't possible. Lillian just wasn't that kind of woman. He was the one who'd made the mistake in thinking the woman he'd married was the same sweet girl he'd known as a kid. But he was wrong. She'd changed. He'd been blind to that. It was only after they’d married that he’d been able to see all the evidence of her true nature was there all along.

  “If things had been different and you'd known about Jonathan before he was born...”

  He cocked his head. “What are you suggesting? That Lillian and I would still be together?”

  She looked down at the ground. She'd lost a little of her strength. “If I wasn't here—”

  Shaking his head, he said, “It wouldn't change a thing. I'd still want Jonathan to be with me and I'd still be sending Lillian back to Baltimore alone. I know Lillian. Ever since we were married, she hasn't done anything unless it benefited her in some way. She's got an ace in the hole somewhere and she's just waiting for the right time to play her hand.”