The Maverick Meets His Match

by Anne Carrole

What had she been able to see? At the ranch, she’d spent a few minutes getting acquainted with his niece, meeting his brother, seeing where he’d come from and knowing it wasn’t exactly a Norman Rockwell family portrait.

  “You are going to help Trace, right? And Delanie.” Her tone held both hope and censure.

  “I’ve already set up the account for the money he needs. Should be more than enough to hire a housekeeper, enroll Delanie in preschool, and pay for an attorney. And a psychologist.” Ty could only hope there hadn’t been any long-term damage. “As I mentioned, Trace could also use some beeves to strengthen his herd. He lost quite a few in the last drought. If you and Tucker agree, I was hoping…” He didn’t get the words out of his mouth and she was nodding.

  “I already spoke to Tuck, so anything Trace might need.”

  “I’ll make sure it’s a decent deal for both sides, if you trust me to make that deal.”

  She waved her hand as if money, or trust, didn’t matter. But Ty knew money and trust always mattered.

  “It will probably be about fifty heifers, more or less,” he continued, happy for the temporary change in subject to give him time to process exactly what she was asking. “You’re running about thirty-five hundred of the Angus on the ranch now, according to the last count.” He’d made sure they had taken a count for the ranch analysis, which wouldn’t be ready for another few days. They had done the company analysis first, since that was the crucial one.

  “He’s family, Ty. We help family.”

  “He’s my family though.”

  “Right now, that also makes Trace and Delanie part of my family.” She said the words matter of factly, but the sentiment caught him off guard. “We can do the roundup Wednesday, if you like. Tucker will be home because of the Cheyenne rodeo coming up, and there might be a few others who can help. Everyone likes a roundup. We can host a barbeque afterwards.”

  Sounded like she’d already been thinking about it and had it all planned out. That was Mandy.

  “I’ll let Trace know and see if that will work for him.”

  She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking very pleased with herself. “Now about the baby.”

  The baby? As if it had already been decided?

  “Why a baby? Why now? And why me, beyond the notion you see me as a person?”

  She shrugged again. Played with the knife this time. Before she answered, the waitress came and deposited before each of them a square white plate piled high with various types of lettuce, some cranberries, walnuts, and other salad fixings for their starter salad. They both waited for the waitress to depart before digging into their food.

  “I may not get another chance.” Her voice was low and oddly fragile sounding.

  “To get married?”

  She nodded.

  Mandy Prescott? Single forever? “Why would you think that? You’re a beautiful woman. You’re smart. Ambitious. Determined.” She was ten times more interesting, and complicated, than the women he usually dated.

  “And I seem attracted to the wrong types of men.”

  He frowned, hoping she was referring to that no-account tie-down roper.

  “How so?” He stabbed some lettuce and savored the tangy flavor of balsamic vinegar that greeted his taste buds.

  Her one shoulder slid up. “The men I’ve dated tend to be good-time Charlies. In it for fun, not commitment.” She dipped the fork into the salad but didn’t spear anything.

  “Date other men.” Seemed simple enough. “There must be lots of good men, good ranching types, who’d make fine husbands and fathers. I’ve seen them at the rodeos.” Unfortunately, the thought of Mandy with any of them didn’t sit well with him. She deserved someone who would appreciate her.

  “They are already married. The good ones anyway. And besides, they aren’t looking for wives that are on the road thirty-five weekends a year running a business.”

  “That’s why selling would be a good thing. Free you up to pursue a personal life. Did you know your mother wouldn’t object if Prescott was sold? She told me so.”

  Too late, Ty realized he’d blundered by bringing Prescott into the conversation, as Mandy took a deep breath, and her nostrils flared. He’d poked the bear.

  “We’ve had this conversation. What I want is to run Prescott Rodeo Company. And have a baby. Every stock contractor I know is married and has a family.”

  And they were all men, though Ty knew he didn’t have to say it. The defiant lift of her chin said that was her whole point.

  “And if I say no? Because I can tell you, having a family is not something I’ve thought much about and am not sure I want.”

  “You didn’t want to be married and run a stock company, I’ll wager, but here you are.”

  He took a forkful of salad, buying some time. They ate in silence for a few moments. He needed time to think. What exactly would it mean to become a father, especially since he wouldn’t be married to the mother? At least not long enough to see the child born.

  “Why haven’t you ever wanted a family?” she asked. Mandy was never one to let a comment pass unremarked upon. “It isn’t natural, you know.”

  “Why isn’t it natural? Maybe if more people followed their own inclinations instead of what the world expected of them, we’d have a lot fewer dysfunctional families.” Like his had been.

  “We’re hard wired to procreate. That’s why the sex drive is so intense. And I can attest that yours is pretty damn strong.” She looked at him from across the table, her eyes dancing in the low light.

  God, she was flirting with him. And he liked it. His whole body tensed in response to the light in her eye.

  He waggled his eyebrows. “So you do admit it was good sex?”

  She tilted her head, and the left side of the mouth crooked up in a smile. He liked this flirty Mandy. He liked her a lot.

  “Yes. But you knew that. You shouldn’t need your ego stroked. It’s big enough.”

  “And with all these faults, you still want me to be the father of your child?”

  “Yes. Because you are also smart, ambitious, and surprisingly aren’t afraid of hard work. And you are rather nice looking. I’m willing to take the good with the bad.”

  “Well, thank you. I think. But I feel like I’m being sized up for my genetics, like those bulls you breed.” Not that he minded.

  “I didn’t mean to sound so clinical. But we are married, so it’s convenient. And we are planning to divorce, so that’s also convenient.”

  “You want my sperm, and then that’s it? I’m to get out of your life?”

  Unfortunately, the waitress came to clear the plates at that moment. She avoided eye contact as she grabbed the dishes and then hurried away.

  “If you want to be more involved, of course you can be,” Mandy resumed. “But I would have custody of the child. That would have to be agreed to in advance. However, you just said you’re not a family man, so I don’t want you to feel obligated, is all. I’m perfectly capable of raising a child, and I’ll have lots of help. And if it’s a boy, there will be plenty of role models around.”

  A boy. What kind of father would his son need? Or his daughter, for that matter. And shouldn’t he be that role model? “What if Prescott is sold?”

  “I’m hoping the economy keeps stock contractors from being able to buy it, but if I can’t keep you from selling, there is still the ranch. That will never be sold.” She shook that pretty head of hair, long silky hair that felt so nice brushing over a man’s skin. “Ever.”

  “The numbers for the company came in late today. I thought we could go over them together tomorrow morning. The numbers on the ranch won’t be in for a few more days though.”

  “I’ll hate you if you sell Prescott, you know. Even if we have this child together. But at least by giving me a child, you’d be giving me something precious in return for what you’ve taken away. Not that you care about my feelings.”

  Hell. She did think he was the devil. Why couldn’t s
he see that if he did sell Prescott, it would be to protect her and her family? To make sure they were economically taken care of? An even more important factor if they had a child together.

  “I’d want to be part of the child’s life. And I’d want to make sure the child was financially taken care of. I could set up a trust or something.”

  He couldn’t believe he was actually thinking about it. And neither could she, by the size of the grin on her face.

  “That would be fine. But I don’t want you to feel you’d have to do any of that.”

  The waitress appeared with their food. Steak for him. Pasta for Mandy. Given how quickly the waitress took her leave, Ty was pretty sure she’d been appalled by their discussion.

  “I’ll think about it. It’s a big commitment. A lifetime commitment, Mandy.”

  “I’m aware of that. And I’m all about big commitments, Ty. Prescott. The baby. The ranch. It’s the kind of person I am.”

  The obvious and unsaid implication was it was the exact opposite of who he was.

  “Am I to assume no sex if I say no.” And that would be a shame.

  “Don’t make it sound like I’m using sex to blackmail you. I’m not. We do have a physical attraction to each other, but trying for a baby would change the dynamic, for the better.”

  “Attraction isn’t enough for you?”

  “I want more.”

  Did he want more?

  “I’ll think about it.” It was the best he could promise.

  She bit her lip. “I hope you will give what I asked serious thought, Ty.”

  He’d give it nothing but serious thought.

  Chapter 18

  The next day Ty watched as Mandy scanned the figures on the sheet he’d presented to her as they sat in the office formerly used by JM. Karen had packed up all signs of JM except the leather saddle that still sat on its stand in the corner, like the finely embossed and polished piece of art that it was.

  Mandy had already questioned the amount that had been calculated for “goodwill,” declaring it hadn’t been high enough, and scoffed at the value assigned to the horses and bulls, arguing that both figures were too low.

  He felt tense and exhausted, having been up half the night thinking about the prospect of having a baby with Mandy while she slept inches from him, their discussion earlier that evening having placed a momentary chill on things. He thought by getting married he’d have several months of guilt-free sex, and now here he was contemplating having a baby with her, making them some sort of family.

  It certainly wouldn’t be a traditional one, but he would be a father to any child he brought into this world. What that meant he wasn’t sure, but oddly, he was curious to find out. He wouldn’t be an absentee father either. He had taken some time this morning to research the custody laws of the state, and he would make sure that he would be involved in raising the child. If he agreed to this, he wanted to do it with Mandy, not separated from her. Trouble was, it wasn’t clear what that arrangement would look like.

  If it wasn’t for circumstances that seemed to pit them against each other, he could almost see himself married to her, raising a family with her, and running Prescott Rodeo Company. It would mean belonging somewhere and to someone he had begun to care about.

  But reality was, it would never happen. Not now. Not with the figures that showed the Prescott family would be better off investing their money in stocks and bonds than in horses and bulls.

  “You say Stan Lassiter offered you only eighty percent of this figure?” she said, looking up from the paper and casting her cool, green-eyed gaze on him.

  Ty nodded.

  He wanted more than to do right by her. He wanted her to agree he was doing right by her. He wanted her approval—and understanding. He was working to make her a wealthy woman—not to rob her.

  But the frostiness in her eyes said she was having none of it.

  “And you have had no other offers?”

  “I haven’t officially announced yet that PRC is for sale. I wanted to wait until I had good numbers. Stan just jumped the gun. I think he wanted to see how desperate we were.”

  Mandy straightened. “I am not desperate. I don’t want to sell.”

  “If we could get an AFBR contract, we’d be able to increase the value of the company considerably as well as make it even more attractive to buyers.”

  “I’m only interested in making it more attractive to keep. You acknowledge PRC is profitable?”

  “The profit margins aren’t big enough, Mandy. Especially when you take into account the tenuous nature of things. Take this herpes virus that was afflicting horses last year. Rodeos get cancelled, stock gets sick. Suddenly you have a bad year. You’d get more with less risk by selling and leaving the money invested.”

  “I see you calculated an eight percent return on the proceeds from the sale. Think you can get that these days, because I’d like to know where?”

  “I assumed some of the money would be invested in the stock market, and in that case, the estimate is conservative.”

  “Invest so bankers and gambling Wall Street types can loot it? And you have the nerve to talk about risk?”

  “Recent events keep me from arguing that point, but let’s hope that was an aberration.”

  She snorted.

  “I should have the figures for the development of the ranch in the next day or two. I’d like to go over them with you.”

  “You have not been listening. We are not selling the ranch. That’s nonnegotiable.”

  “All I’m asking is for you to look at the figures. Just want you to know what you’re turning down.”

  Mandy sighed. “After the roundup and barbeque.”

  Ty had wasted no time in getting Trace’s agreement to a deal on the cattle, and Ty had arranged for the roundup to take place near the end of the week. Mandy had decided to throw a good old-fashioned barbeque for all the hands who participated, and she’d invited two of her friends to join them, one who had a son near Delanie’s age and the other who had a rodeo bronc rider for a husband, who was also supposed to be a decent roper. Since it was happening right before the Cheyenne rodeo, even Tucker promised to be there.

  Trace would bring Delanie when he selected his cattle, and Mandy had agreed to watch the tyke while she set up and her mother and Mrs. Jenkins handled the cooking chores. It was damn decent of her. She kept saying that Trace was family, but they both knew differently.

  “When will you give me an answer to my question? About having a baby?”

  Ty fiddled with his pen. He owed her an answer—one way or another. “Same day you look at the figures for the ranch.”

  “So if I say no to the deal, you’ll say no to the baby.”

  “Only one way to find out.”

  * * *

  A soft breeze wrapped around Mandy as she grabbed Delanie, dressed in her tiny denim jeans, T-shirt, and cowgirl boots, from Trace’s arms and settled the little girl in front of her on the saddle. Willow had stood still, as if sensing the precious cargo entrusted to her. The psychologist Trace had found with Ty’s help must have made some difference, as Delanie now allowed her father to hold her. Such a simple thing, yet so complicated for one so young.

  Trace touched the brim of his hat and whirled around the quarter horse he’d brought over in a much-used trailer, to face the herd milling in the open field. The cattle swirled up dust as they moved, and their lowing filled the air.

  Trace had insisted on paying the going rate, but Mandy and Tucker had agreed that Trace should get a discount. As if they really were family.

  She wished it were so. But Ty’s inability to see beyond the dollar signs on a page made any happily ever after unlikely, however much she was attracted to him physically, however much she admired his business acumen—though not when it came to Prescott Rodeo. Of course, if he agreed to a child, he would be part of her life, part of her child’s family forever.

  It was a risk. She’d seen glimpses of promise in Ty—but
the substance remained elusive.

  She was looking forward to this mini roundup, watching Delanie, and hosting a barbeque for those helping out. She was happy the occasion had coincided close to the start of the Cheyenne rodeo occurring that weekend. It meant Tucker could participate. And Libby’s husband, Chance, had offered to help when Mandy had invited them to the midweek barbeque. Libby would meet up with her husband at the barbeque, after the dealership she managed closed. Cat would be coming also, with Jake. She was anxious for both her friends to meet Ty, and little Jake might prove to be the perfect playmate for Delanie.

  She nuzzled Delanie's hair, breathing in the fresh baby-shampoo scent, careful not to crush the cowgirl hat hanging off the back of the child’s head by the chin strap. Mandy had bought it for her along with a cute little sundress for later. She hadn’t been able to resist.

  Delanie waved as Ty maneuvered his new horse, Paddy, toward them.

  She’d been amazed at what he’d paid for the horse, whose full name was Paddy’s Four Leaf Clover. It was sired by a champion cutting horse out of Texas. It was the kind of horse that would have been home in the arena. But Ty had wanted the best for his work horse, and he’d paid top dollar for it. Since he wouldn’t be staying for good, Mandy could only imagine he would use the animal as an investment, eventually leasing it out to some lucky rider.

  “Unky Ty,” Delanie called.

  The smile that lit her husband’s face at the title touched Mandy’s heart. Who would have thought this calculated businessman would go soft for a little girl.

  “Hey, peanut,” he called affectionately. “You watching?”

  She nodded as Ty waved and then rode away.

  “Where is he going, Aunt Mandy?”

  She could get used to being this little girl’s aunt for real.

  “Your father and Uncle Ty are going to go into the herd, and when they see a heifer your father likes, they are going to bring it out of the herd. It’s called cutting, but it has nothing to do with anything sharp. They are just going to maneuver the animal to the edge of the circle, and then the cowboys, with the help of their horses, will get it to that pen over there.” She motioned to one of the holding pens. “Whatever heifers they put in that holding pen will be delivered in trailers to your house tomorrow.”