The Secret Truth at Dare Ranch

by Gorman, Cheryl

  "We're having a party at school," Lexie heard Dani say over the pounding of her heart. "Everybody's 'sposed to bring their daddy. Can you go with me?"

  "Great!" Dani nodded her head. "Okay, I'll see you Friday.” She paused for a moment. "I love you, Daddy," she said and hung up the phone.

  Dani climbed down from her perch on the stool by the phone and ran over to Lexie. She smiled up at her. "Daddy's going to the party with me on Friday," she squealed as she jumped up and down.

  "I heard. That's great. Run up and brush your teeth. The movie starts in a half-hour. We don't want to be late."

  "Okay, Mom," Dani chimed and skipped out of the kitchen.

  Lexie leaned against the counter with her heart sinking to her toes. She shut her eyes, tight and prayed. Oh, please God don't let Mitch walk out on my little girl.

  # # #

  Mitch climbed out of his car and strolled toward the barn. His father was right. Time to wave the white flag and sacrifice a little bit of his pride. He hoped to hell Lexie didn't knock it out of his hand and throw it back in his face. He'd decided to wait a couple of days for his anger to cool and to give himself a chance to mull over what he planned to say.

  A blue sky spread overhead and a frigid breeze blew around him despite the abundant sunshine. He stepped up to the doorway of the barn and saw Lexie standing in the middle of the alley way. No doubt she'd seen his car. Her shoulders were stiff, her chin lifted. Like an avenging angel.

  "What are you doing here?" she asked in a sharp tone.

  Great. Her temper hadn't cooled one bit. His first hurtle would be just getting her to listen. "I want to talk to you."

  "We did enough talking last night," she countered in a voice edged with steel. "I'm done. Go away.”

  She spun and headed for the tack room. Frustration and anger at her stubborn attitude tangled inside his chest but he tamped the emotions down. He strolled to her side and pulled the bouquet of flowers he held from behind his back. Not just any old flowers--roses, white and dewy--her favorite or at least they used to be. The tight buds nestled amid emerald green fern and baby's breath. When her gaze fixed on the flowers, she stopped in her tracks. Come on Lex, take the flowers.

  Her gaze flicked from the roses up to his eyes. "What's this? A peace offering?"

  "I was going to wave a white flag but I thought I might have more luck with these," Mitch said around a grin.

  She crossed her arms over her chest and faced him. "Are you saying you're giving up on taking the ranch?"

  "No, I want to make peace--strike a truce between the two of us."

  She ignored the flowers he still held out to her. "Why?"

  "For Dani. I want the chance to get to know my daughter and I can't do that as long as we're at each other's throats."

  Her lips thinned. "Oh, I see," she said in a voice ripe with sarcasm. "You're just going to step in and play dad and I have to accept it. Is that it?"

  His temper burned anew that she thought he wasn't serious about being a father to Dani, but he held it in check. If he let her get to him, his anger would explode and they would end up arguing all over again. He dropped his arm to his side. "Look, I'm asking you to give me a break. That's all. I just want to spend time with Dani.” Groveling was a new experience for him and he didn't like it one bit. His pride washed over his determination to remain humble. "And I will. One way or the other."

  Lexie raised her brows and her body stiffened at his words. "What do you mean?"

  "It means I'd like to make an agreement with you without involving an attorney."

  Her face paled a bit at his words. "You would do that?”

  "If I have to.” He hoped she didn't say no and force him to see a lawyer because then Dani would be caught in the middle.

  She studied him for a moment with serious eyes. A corner of her mouth lifted as her lips thinned. "Yes, you would," she said in a derisive voice. "But it just so happens I would never try to keep Dani from seeing you. You're all she talks about."

  Thank God she wasn't going to hammer him silly with her objections. He thrust out the flowers again and gave the bouquet a little shake.

  He watched her struggle not to grin. Her shoulders relaxed. She shifted her weight to her right foot, took the flowers and sniffed them. "You didn't get these in downtown Chimney Rock," she stated.

  "No, I ordered them special.” He'd driven sixty miles to pick them up earlier that morning. "So does this mean we have a truce?"

  Lexie shrugged. "That depends on how much time you want to spend with Dani."

  She wasn't going to make it easy for him. "I thought I'd let you decide that since you know Dani's schedule better than me."

  A blend of surprise and satisfaction whisked over her face. If he had a feather, he could have knocked her over. Lexie picked up the jacket she'd shed and slung it over one shoulder. Her hair hung in a messy braid down her back. There were smudges of dirt on her cheeks and worry in her eyes.

  He had her right where he wanted her. Mitch shifted closer to her and she backed up a step. He bit back a grin. "You've done a wonderful job raising Dani, Lexie.” He let his words slide out all smooth and quiet, the same tone he used with an angry client. It hadn't failed him yet.

  "Thank you. It hasn't been easy raising her but she's a great kid and a happy little girl.” Lexie narrowed her eyes at him. "I want her to remain that way."

  Annoyance danced through his stomach. "So do I," he said with conviction.

  Lexie raked her gaze over his face. "Right now, everything is all sweetness and light with Dani. But how will you feel when the difficult times come, when she starts whining or gets sick and seems inconsolable?"

  Time to play the guilt card. "I don't know but give me some credit will you? I just got here."

  Lexie looked at him with an expression of regret on her face. "I just don't want her to get hurt." Her voice was almost a whisper.

  "I'm not here to hurt our daughter, Lex. I'm here to get to know her, to start building a relationship with her. I want you and me to put aside our differences when we're with Dani. I think it's important that we project a united front--at least where she is concerned.” He paused for a moment to let his words sink in.

  She nodded. "United front. Interesting choice of words. And how do you suggest we project this united front?"

  He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "For starters, we should back each other up and not disagree in front of Dani. We should keep any discussions private."

  Lexie walked over to Morning Star and rubbed her neck. "Dani has her Brownie Troop meeting on Thursday afternoons after school," she said. "Weeknights are okay as long as she gets home early. Wednesday is a half-day of school for her this week."

  His anxiety that she might not agree with him dissolved. "Okay, mind if I pick her up from school and take her to lunch?"

  "No, that would be okay."

  He'd asked for an inch and she was giving him some real mileage. Maybe he should shoot for the stars. "What about the weekends? Would you consider letting her spend Friday nights with me and Dad?"

  She turned toward him and frowned. "Every Friday?"

  He shrugged. "Sure, why not? We can start a father/daughter tradition. And it will give you some time to yourself."

  A hopeful light lit her eyes. Okay now he was getting to her with talk of "alone" time. "You could go to a movie, spend time with Vivian and take long soaks in the tub.” He let his voice trail away and watched her. He could almost see the wheels turning in her brain. "Can you trust Dad and me to take care of Dani?"

  Lexie stepped back. "First a truce then trust?” She shook her head. "I don't doubt that the two of you can see that Dani is taken care of but..."

  Mitch pursed his lips and cocked his head to the side. "But what?”

  She rolled her left shoulder. "If I agree to the Friday night thing it means she'll be with you for almost forty-eight hours. She's only been away from home for one night at a time to a friend's house for a
sleep-over. Two nights is a long time."

  He could compromise about spending Friday nights with him and dad if he had to. "Is that a problem? You can always call and check up on her."

  She gave him a small, rather tentative smile. "Let me think about it. Friday is pasta/movie night. It's our special time together. The week days are always so busy. Maybe you could make it Saturday night instead."

  He felt as though he'd just scaled a slippery, mountain peak and reached the top. "You got it."

  Mitch held out his hand for a shake. Lexie glanced at his hand hesitating for a moment before she gripped his fingers. Then she stared him straight in the eye and smiled as her hand clenched his tighter and tighter. Instead of returning her vice-like grip he tugged her hand up toward his mouth. She resisted but he ignored her response and brushed his lips over her stiff fingers. She stood close, too close for comfort. He let his gaze skim her eyes; roam over her cheeks before settling on her mouth. Her light, pink tongue licked over her lips and he almost leaned in to kiss her. What was he thinking? He let go of her hand and resisted the urge to rub his tingling palm against his thigh.

  Lexie straightened her shoulders. "I'll let her know you'll be picking her up from school on Wednesday. She gets out at twelve-thirty."

  # # #

  The sound of Mitch and Dani's laughter drifted into the barn where Lexie stood grooming one of the horses she planned to put through his work out. As the sounds of laughter drew closer, she turned toward the barn door. Mitch and Dani strolled inside grinning like fools at each other.

  Lexie dropped the curry comb into the grooming tools caddy and reached for a dandy brush. How could she not believe he cared for Dani when he seemed so genuine? She smoothed the soft bristles over the horse's neck and withers. Mitch had never been the kind of person to fake his emotions. If he liked someone he showed it and if he didn't he showed those feelings as well. A warm glow flowed through her. His kindness and attention to Dani pleased her. Happiness bloomed inside her heart for Dani that Mitch spent time listening to her little girl chatter and wanting to help her learn new things. But at the same time, yearning for all that she had been denied with her own father tempered the joy.

  Dani trotted toward Lexie with a smile splitting her face. The hem of her jeans touched the top of her brown, leather boots. Lexie noticed a purple stain on the front of her long-sleeved white shirt.

  A pair of goofy glasses sat on her nose. The eyes were attached to the end of a spiraled piece of wire. With the slightest movement, they stretched away from her face than recoiled back again. Mitch flicked his finger against one of the eyes sending it bobbing. Dani giggled and he laughed right along with her.

  "What have you got there?" Lexie asked.

  "Glasses. Daddy gave them to me," she gushed.

  Lexie smiled back at her daughter. "They're cool. So what did you guys do after lunch?"

  "We went by Mr. Judson's house--I mean grandpa's.” Dani's face grew serious. She cocked her head to one side, the funny eyes bobbing in front of her face. "Why did I never have a grandpa before?"

  Lexie stopped brushing the horse in mid motion. A breeze blew past ruffling her hair. Regret and anger over Mason's denial of his own granddaughter made her heart ache like a sore tooth in her chest.

  What could she say? How could she tell Dani that Mason refused to have anything to do with her? Lexie gave Dani a gentle smile and knelt down until they were eye to eye. She had one more obstacle as far as Dani and the past was concerned. Lexie gazed into Dani's trusting eyes. "You didn't know that Mr. Judson was your grandfather because Mitch didn't know he was your daddy. Understand?"

  Dani shook her head. Lexie heaved a deep breath, glanced at the ground for a second then back at Dani. She felt bad that Dani hadn't known Judson was her grandfather, but she couldn't let Dani go around calling him grandpa in front of everyone. Besides, the whole town thought Dani was Jake's child. And damn her to hell she kept right on letting them think that. "Okay, let's just say that I made a mistake. I should have told you, Dani...a long time ago. I'm sorry.” Lexie brushed a hand over her cheek.

  Dani smiled and grasped Lexie around the neck in a fierce hug. Lexie looked up at Mitch through a sheen of tears. He looked at her with a now-we're-even expression on his face. Did this mean he had forgiven her for keeping Dani a secret? Dani pulled from Lexie's arms and smiled at her. "That's okay."

  And just like that it was over. Kids were so much more resilient than adults. "Daddy and I are going riding," she said turning her head to look up at Mitch.

  Lexie rose to her feet and pasted on a smile. "Is that so?"

  "Yes ma'am," Dani said. "I want to show him how I take Morning Star over the jumps.” Her voice resonated with excitement. Dani took off the glasses and stuffed them into her pocket before she led Morning Star from her stall and got busy brushing her down.

  Lexie looked at Mitch. "Sounds like fun. She's been asking to practice a lot more lately. Now I know why."

  Mitch threw her a wink that set her pulse thumping before he walked to Dani's side and helped her put the saddle on Morning Star's back.

  "Thank you, Daddy," Dani said. Lexie heard the ring of wonder in her little girl's voice as if she still couldn't believe Mitch was her father. "I know how to tighten the girth and everything," she said proudly.

  "Did your mom teach you how to do that?” Mitch asked.

  Dani glanced at Lexie. "Mom says it real import--import--"

  "Important?" Mitch asked.

  Dani nodded her head in a rapid movement. "Yes. If the girth isn't just right it could be danger--"she shrugged a shoulder--"well anyway I could get hurt."

  Mitch smiled. "That's right.” He turned and walked over to Lexie when they both heard Dani exclaim, "Ouch!"

  Lexie raised her brows and watched in awe as Mitch rushed to her side. What she would have given to have Mason's caring and concern whenever she'd had even the slightest injury. Only he hadn't given any of her cuts and bruises a second thought. She'd had to take care of them herself.

  Dani sucked on the side of her finger then pulled it from her mouth.

  Mitch feigned mock horror. "Oh no, there's blood gushing out! We might have to amputate!"

  Dani giggled. "No, silly, I just pinched it."

  Mitch pressed a hand to his chest and heaved a dramatic sigh. "Oh, thank goodness," he said. Then he took Dani's hand and pressed a light kiss to her finger.

  Dani smiled and batted her eye lashes. "Thanks, Daddy."

  Mitch drew the tip of his finger over her nose. "You're welcome, little butterfly."

  Would Mitch still want to stick around once Dani got used to having him call her his 'little butterfly' or would he hot foot it out of town like he did years ago with 'Kitten' still on his lips?

  Mitch strolled to Lexie's side. She finished brushing the horse's coat and pulled a mane comb from her pocket. As she drew the comb through the tangled strands of the horse's mane she said, "You handled that very well."

  "You sound surprised.” He moved behind her and laid his hand on the horse's withers effectively blocking her in. He smelled clean with a hint of aftershave. His body heat wrapped around her making her skin feel tight.

  Lexie cocked her head to the side. "I am...a little. Catering to a little girl's mood isn't easy."

  "Tell me about it.” He shook his head and chuckled. "After lunch which included chocolate cake for dessert she tried to talk me into stopping at the ice cream parlor on the way home. She said the cake had been dry and made her throat scratchy so she needed the ice cream to make it feel better. Can you believe it?"

  Mitch didn't know it yet but Dani had already wrapped him around her little finger. Lexie suppressed a smile. "What did you have to promise her in return? For not stopping, I mean.” She couldn't wait to hear it.

  Mitch sighed in resignation. "Dinner out tonight."

  Lexie burst into laughter and Mitch joined her. The deep male sound of his laughter slid all the way to her toes then back
up to her chest.

  Dani strolled over to them leading Morning Star by the bridle. "What's so funny?" she asked glancing from Mitch to Lexie and back again.

  Lexie turned to Dani and yanked the brim of the baseball cap she wore down on her forehead. "I heard you talked your dad into taking you out to dinner tonight."

  Dani grinned sheepishly.

  "I was planning to take all three of us," Mitch said. He turned and looked at her. "If you'll join us."

  Lexie knew she should put her foot down and say no. After all, Dani had been indulged enough for one day. But it had been too long since she'd been taken out to dinner. "Okay," she heard herself saying before she could change her mind.

  "Ready to go, Daddy," Dani asked grabbing Mitch's hand.

  "Ready," Mitch said as he turned toward Morning Star. "I just want to double-check the girth on your saddle."

  "I can do it," Lexie stated and she swiveled the same time as Mitch. They bumped into one another, their bodies touched from hip to thigh. Their gazes collided. Awareness danced through Lexie's blood.

  Mitch smiled. His gaze roamed over her face before settling on her lips. One corner of his mouth kicked up. "Okay. You check the bridle. I'll check the girth."

  By the time Mitch and Dani left the barn, Lexie was a bundle of nerves but she'd discovered a new respect for Mitch. He'd interacted with Dani so well and with an ease that surprised her. It was as though he knew instinctively what to say and do. He didn't search for the right words. He didn't brush Dani away when she reached for his hand. He looked at her as if she were the most important person in his life. Why hadn't her father ever looked at her that way?

  Chapter Five

  A couple of days later, Lexie zipped up her coat against a cold, stiffening breeze. A bright blue sky filled her vision overhead and the fresh smell of newly mown hay lay heavy in the air.

  Dani was at school and she'd been picking up bales and tossing them into the back of the truck for the past hour. Her back ached, her arms felt like limp noodles from lifting the bales. She stuffed her gloves into her pocket and pressed her hands into the small of her back.