Rodeo Daughter (Harlequin American Romance)

by Leigh Duncan

  “The boys—young men, actually—they’re older than I remembered. They’re from Tampa. The day Hailey got hurt, they’d been visiting a neighbor, their aunt Cheryl. I’ve tried everything short of issuing a subpoena to get in touch with them.”

  Encouraged when curiosity gradually replaced the last vestiges of anger on Amanda’s face, he pushed on. “She called to let me know the boys had dropped by on their way home from the beach. I couldn’t risk missing them again.”

  “Did you speak with them?” Amanda asked hesitantly.

  Mitch nodded. “Joey, the youngest, had his back turned. He didn’t see a thing. The other one, Chuck, actually saw Hailey fall from the monkey bars. He’s willing to testify to that in court.”

  “Oh.” Amanda’s hand fluttered against her chest, her standard reaction whenever life took an unexpected turn. “That’s good news,” she breathed.

  “It is, isn’t it?” A fresh wave of the relief he’d felt while talking to the young men washed over him. Mitch studied Amanda, expecting to see her eyes mirror his excitement. His concern edged up a notch when she stared out the window of her office while something that looked an awful lot like worry creased her brow.

  In case he hadn’t been clear enough, he tried again. “With their sworn statements, I can finally prove Hailey’s fall was exactly what I said it was—an accident. I can get my daughter back. And then…”

  He swallowed. This was the hard part. He was putting his heart on the line, trusting their kiss yesterday meant as much to her as it did to him. He crossed the room to take Amanda’s hands in his.

  “Then, maybe you and I can look forward to more than a stolen kiss on a Sunday afternoon.”

  He refused to react when Amanda shook her head. The frown he didn’t like seeing on her face had returned, along with the impression that she was hiding something. He stared into her green eyes, where storm clouds gathered, and braced himself for a lightning strike.

  She pulled her hands from his grasp. “I’m glad for you, Mitch, but I think you’re getting ahead of yourself.”

  Cool, calm and collected. That’s the image he presented to a jury. No matter what happened in court, he never let the twelve men and women in the box see him sweat. He was the man with the plan. Secure in the knowledge that if something went wrong, even his contingencies had contingencies.

  Now he froze, while his thoughts raced. Had he misread her? Granted, they hadn’t actually discussed the future, but based on their growing connection these past weekends, he’d hoped that once this case was behind them, they could build on the relationship they’d started that summer so long ago.

  Didn’t she want the same thing?

  Amanda’s fingers trailed along his forearm, stirring a faint hope, which faded when her hand dropped to her side.

  “Even with this new evidence, Dobson won’t order a change in custody before November,” she pointed out. “Until then, Karen’s my client. You’re still on the opposite side of the aisle. We’re already walking a legal tightrope. I don’t think we can talk about the future until this is all resolved. Do you?”

  Mitch ran a hand over his damp brow. She was right, of course. He’d been so excited at the prospect of bringing his daughter home that he’d lost sight of the big picture. Still, Amanda hadn’t said no. Several hurdles stood between where they were and the day they could move forward with their lives. But as long as they had the same direction in mind, he could live with things the way they were…for now.

  “Until then, I guess we’ll have to settle for friendship. That okay with you?”

  A faint smile creased Amanda’s face. “Friends it is.”

  “In that case, I’ve brought you a gift.”

  “What is it?”

  He grabbed the bag of doughnuts and held it open. The smell of yeast and sugar soon filled the air.

  “Good friends?” he suggested, waving the bag in front of her nose.

  Amanda’s gaze dropped to the doughnuts. “The best,” she agreed. She smiled and reached for the sack. “Ohhhh…”

  He waited until she found a jelly-filled covered in powdered sugar before he snagged a glazed doughnut for himself. Moments later, he tried not to stare at the circle of white that dusted Amanda’s lips, but the view was simply too tantalizing. He reached forward to brush the sugar from her mouth, but froze with his thumb pressed against her lower lip, staring. Sounds from the outer offices signaled the arrival of her receptionist and other staff, snapping him out of his daze. As they stepped apart, he peered into Amanda’s upturned features and decided he’d never tire of the view. A drive to put that same slightly dreamy expression on her face every day for the rest of his life stirred, and he let his hand rest on her shoulder. But honoring her request, he shoved down the urge to confess his feelings and forced himself to talk about something else.

  “Now that I have proof about what happened the night Hailey got hurt, I’m going to ask Judge Dobson for an early hearing,” he whispered.

  Amanda stiffened beneath his fingers. She shifted away from his touch.

  “Don’t tell me that,” she said firmly. “When it comes to your custody case, I am not your friend. I’m opposing counsel. You wouldn’t reveal your strategy in trial to a defense attorney, would you?”

  He shook his head, and she continued. “In this case, there are rules that we have to follow. You can’t tell me anything about your plans, and I can’t talk to you about mine. It’ll take some effort, but if there’s any hope of getting through this, that’s the way it has to be.”

  The sensation that she was hiding something moved within him again. He brushed a hand through his hair, pushing the feeling aside. His case to retain custody of his daughter was so much stronger than her absentee mother’s that any plan to take Hailey away from him was bound to fail. He had no secrets, no skeletons in his closet. Hailey’s accident was the only ammunition his ex-wife could have possibly used against him. Now that he had a witness to the fall, even that wouldn’t be enough to sway Judge Dobson to Karen’s side.

  Knowing he had nothing to lose, and wanting to ease Amanda’s worries, he quickly agreed to follow her rules. A few minutes later, he whistled as he headed to his car. Amanda had chosen the losing side in the custody battle for his daughter. Yet he couldn’t fault her for doing her job. Beneath her soft exterior beat the heart of a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it.

  To be honest, her drive was one of the things he liked best about her.

  Yes, Amanda Markette was a woman of many facets. And he looked forward to discovering every one of them.

  * * *

  HAILEY TUGGED ON MITCH’S arm, urging him forward. When he didn’t move fast enough across the straw-covered floor to suit his fleet-footed daughter, she slipped her arm out of her sling and tugged with both hands.

  “Hailey,” Mitch warned. “Your shoulder.”

  He motioned for Amanda to keep going while he stopped long enough to anchor Hailey’s tiny elbow in the blue cloth.

  “Stupid old sling,” she muttered.

  He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Watch your language.”

  At last week’s parent-teacher conference, he and Karen had been surprisingly civil to one another while Mrs. Birch commented on their daughter’s expanding vocabulary…and not in a good way. The woman hadn’t come right out and said so, but they’d received her message loud and clear. The turmoil in Hailey’s life was having a negative effect. Though Mitch was certain his child would settle down once they put the custody case behind them, he was forced to correct her. “We don’t say ‘stupid.’”

  His four-year-old’s adorable face scrunched and she peered up at him. “But, Daddy, I can’t use my fingers.”

  “You must wear the sling. You cannot say bad words.”

  He held on tight when she tried to pull away, while a series of nickers sounded through the big, drafty barn. Halfway down the long row of stalls, Amanda stopped in front of one. She lifted a latch, sw
inging open the top half of a wide Dutch door. An immense brown head poked into the aisle.

  Hailey turned into a statue, her cute little mouth forming a perfect oval. She peered up at Mitch with wide blue eyes. “Can I pet him?”

  Unease shifted beneath Mitch’s ribs. Bringing his preschooler to Boots and Spurs suddenly didn’t feel quite as smart as it had originally. Amanda had assured him that Daisy was the sweetest horse he’d ever meet, and he’d been fine with that…until he caught his first glimpse of the mare. At fourteen hands, Daisy might have the world’s greatest disposition, but she still towered over his little girl.

  “Can I, Daddy?” Hailey’s imploring glance squeezed his heart.

  He sought reassurance in Amanda’s eyes. Her quiet confidence hushed his fears. With the realization of how much he trusted the green-eyed beauty, a smile sprang to his lips. He’d already placed his heart in her safe-keeping. Surely, between the two of them, they could protect his little girl.

  He turned to Hailey. “You have to listen to Miss Amanda and do everything just the ways she tells you. Okay?”

  Delight sparkled in his daughter’s eyes and she bobbed her head. With his permission, she ran down the aisle between the stalls to Amanda’s side.

  Assured that his daughter was in good hands, Mitch decided he could afford a moment to study Amanda in her element. Above scuffed and gouged boots, her snug jeans hugged every curve, stirring Mitch’s desire to find the nearest bed of straw and put it to good use. With a quick reminder that they’d decided on infinitely smaller steps, and that his daughter was present, he shifted his focus higher. Light glinted off sequins surrounding the image of a bucking bronco on the T-shirt Amanda had worn for Hailey’s sake. Beneath a tired old cowboy hat, her hair trailed down her back in a single long plait.

  “Hey, tenderfoot,” called the woman of his dreams. “You coming?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, sure.” He stopped woolgathering and put his feet in motion.

  By the time he reached them, she had helped Hailey onto a step stool placed in front of the stall door. Mitch bit back a last-minute reservation when Amanda took his daughter’s good hand in hers and demonstrated the right way to stroke the horse’s cheek.

  “He’s prickly!” Hailey squealed.

  Half expecting the mare to shy, Mitch almost snatched his child from the stool and out of harm’s way. His trust in Amanda steadied him. A trust that was rewarded seconds later when Daisy only leaned closer.

  “You want to use your inside voice when you’re in the barn with the horses,” Amanda coached. “And Daisy’s a girl. She might not like it if you keep calling her a boy.”

  Hailey nodded wordlessly. Her first tentative touches quickly gave way to gentle pats. Soon, she was stroking the long neck and jaw as though she’d been around horses all her life.

  Mitch, accustomed to dealing in nanoseconds whenever his daughter was around, thought they’d established a new world’s record when Hailey remained focused for nearly thirty minutes. When the little girl’s attention began to wane, he didn’t need to prompt Amanda, however. She was ready with the next task and moved them to it quickly.

  “Daisy’s used to getting treats whenever I come to see her. Can you guess her favorite?”

  Mitch chuckled at Hailey’s hopeful “Chocolate?”

  “Nope.” A warm smile broke across Amanda’s face. “Carrots. You want to give her some?” She pulled one from the bag she carried. “Daisy’s quite the little lady. She doesn’t bite. Some horses do, though. You never want to feed a horse you don’t know.”

  Hailey watched Amanda’s every move as she demonstrated the best way to lay the carrot in the flat of her palm. Almost before Mitch considered objecting, the petite blonde held his daughter up so Daisy could gently lip the vegetable from her outstretched hand.

  “Her mouth tickles.” Hailey giggled.

  Daisy’s table manners were somewhat lacking. She crunched her treat loudly, her powerful jaws flexing with every bite.

  Hailey looked over her shoulder at him. “Her teeth are really big.”

  Instead of being scared, she reached into the bag and drew out another carrot. All by herself this time, she fed it to the horse, following every step Amanda had shown her.

  “Can I ride her, Daddy?” Hailey asked moments after the last carrot disappeared down Daisy’s throat.

  Mitch gulped. The thought of his little girl on the back of the big mare was enough to make him lose sleep at night. Relieved that Hailey’s shoulder provided an excuse, he answered, “Not today, honey. Your doctor says your arm isn’t all better yet. Another couple of weeks.”

  He smiled, knowing that Hailey’s shoulder was fully healed. She rarely used the sling anymore, resorting to it only when she was extremely tired or didn’t get her own way.

  “Then can I ride her, Daddy?”

  So much for his hope that she’d lose interest. A quick glance at Amanda gave him the encouragement he needed. “Sure, honey,” he said, making a vague promise. “But right now, Miss Amanda has some other things to show you.”

  To Hailey’s delighted squeals, Amanda introduced his daughter to a surprise waiting in the next stall. Horses were one thing, but long-eared rabbits were soft and furry and had the added benefit of filling a little girl’s lap. Hailey immediately plopped down near the cage door and began what promised to be a lengthy session of petting and babying the hand-raised bunnies.

  Amanda propped her elbows beside his on the low stall’s top rail.

  “Did I tell you my dad’s in town?” she asked quietly.

  “Oh?” Mitch aimed a puzzled look in her direction. They’d talked on the phone this week, but she hadn’t said a word about her father. Was that her big secret? Glad that they finally had it out in the open, he asked, “And how’s that going?”

  “Well, he’s as crotchety as ever.” She gave a nervous laugh. “He busted his leg up in Bonifay, and of course expected me to hit the road, perform in the gigs he’d lined up. I set him straight on that score.”

  The thought of Amanda leaving shook him more than Mitch liked to admit. He breathed a silent prayer of thanks that she’d chosen to stick around, though the image of a father-daughter reunion didn’t jibe with the emotionally wounded Amanda he’d once known. An old wariness crept over him. When they were teens, Tom Markette had made his way into practically every conversation, and Mitch had learned to tread carefully, never knowing when something he said would trigger an emotional blowup. He stretched, repositioning his arm so it touched Amanda’s.

  “How long’s he staying?”

  “Who knows? I thought it would only be a day or two, but he’s asked if he can stay till his leg heals. By the way, I think I owe you one.”

  Mitch glanced at her. “How so?”

  “Growing up, I always thought it was my fault he never wanted me around. Before my mom died, riding was the only way I could get his attention. After the car accident, things got worse between us. He stuck to himself, didn’t want anything to do with me.”

  Mitch slipped one arm around Amanda’s waist, offering her silent support while he listened.

  “That summer at rodeo camp, you were always telling me I needed to think for myself, not see life through his eyes. I didn’t—couldn’t—listen back then.”

  She stopped for a breath while Mitch nodded. The freshness of her mother’s death had only added to her confusion, and his whispered reassurances hadn’t ever seemed to penetrate her layers of self-doubt. Feeling as if he had to say something, he told her the same thing he had back then. “You know the way your father behaved was never about you.”

  “I do now. I think I’m finally past all that. This visit has let me see him for who he really is—a self-centered, thoughtless man. You were right, all those times you told me it was never about me. He just doesn’t care about anyone but himself. He’s only here now because he doesn’t have anywhere else to go.”

  She paused again. “You’d think I’d be hurt, but it’s actu
ally kind of freeing.”

  “Are you going to let him stay?” Mitch asked.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’ve started looking for another place for him.”

  Self-confidence radiated from the woman who stood beside him, and Mitch’s chest swelled with happiness for her. Though no one ever completely overcame the early loss of a parent, she’d found ways to cope. And now, apparently, she was dealing with the lingering issues with her father.

  When Mitch stopped to think about it, the woman who stirred his heartstrings had grown into the kind of woman he wanted Hailey to become. And despite their decision to avoid a romantic relationship until the custody case was settled, Amanda played a huge role in the life he imagined.

  Chapter Nine

  Walking down the barn’s center aisle, Amanda waved to the stable hand she’d hired to exercise Brindle and Daisy on the days she couldn’t make it out to the dude ranch. Days that came a lot more often than she’d planned in the two weeks since her dad had made himself at home on her couch. She tugged on the ends of the ponytail she’d stuffed through the back of her baseball cap. This morning, like most lately, she hadn’t even had time to braid her hair.

  “You’re frowning,” Mitch said to Amanda when the little girl at his side stopped talking long enough to catch her breath. “Everything okay?”

  She flexed her shoulders, where the weight of Karen’s secret pressed down. How honest could she be with Mitch? She certainly couldn’t tell him that his ex-wife planned to move to Miami. If she broke client confidentiality, she’d lose her license to practice law, pure and simple. If she didn’t, she risked any hope of a future with Mitch.

  Not that they could even contemplate a future until Hailey’s custody was settled. So Amanda couldn’t confess that she’d looked up from a case file yesterday and realized she’d spent the past fifteen minutes daydreaming about him. Or that the way Hailey’s arms twined about her neck when she read stories to his little girl made her long for children of her own.

  No, there was a lot she couldn’t tell Mitch Goodwin. And without any easy solutions in sight, she stuck with what had become her standard answer. She focused on her dad and the trouble he’d brought into her life. Thanks to him and his constant demands, she’d been late getting to the office every day this week.