No, he was staying put. “Ryan…” He walked inside and stood at the end of the bed.
“Chase…” Ryan quickly wiped his eyes. “You’re still here.”
He nodded. “Your mom and I were talking. I wanted to make sure you were okay. Sometimes after something bad happens, people get scared again.”
“Grown-ups, too?”
“Yeah, I’ve seen grown men cry. How you acted the last two days was very brave. And a lot of people get nightmares.” He walked around to the side of the bed and sat down across from Mallory. “I’ve had a few myself.”
“Really?”
“I wouldn’t lie to you.”
That got a smile from the boy and another funny feeling erupted inside Chase.
“Ryan, you still need to go back to sleep,” his mother added. “There’s the roundup tomorrow. And if you want to help—”
“I do,” he told her, then glanced back at Chase. “Will you come, too? It’s so much fun. Grandpa can’t ride but I get to help ’cause I’m eight this year.”
“Ryan, Chase probably has to work.”
“No, as a matter of fact, I’m off for the weekend.” He smiled at Ryan. “It’s been a few years since I did any roping. Maybe you can show me some pointers.”
“Sure. So you’ll come?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
Mallory turned back to her son. “You will unless you get some sleep.” She kissed him and placed a lightweight blanket over the boy. “Good night, Ryan.”
“Good night, Mom. Good night, Chase.”
“Good night, son,” they both said in unison.
Mallory allowed Chase out first, then she flicked off the light and closed the door. Silently they walked downstairs.
“Are you angry because I said I’d come tomorrow?”
She shrugged. “I’m protective of my son.”
“Our son.”
She didn’t hide her frustration. “Okay, let’s discuss our son. You really want to be in his life?” When he started to speak, she raised her hand. “Before you answer, Chase, be sure, because once you announce you’re his father you can’t just walk away. I won’t let it happen to him, not again…and I don’t care if you are a ranger. I’ll fight you or anyone to protect that boy.”
An hour later, Chase found himself parking his truck in front of Jesse Raines’s house. Too keyed up to go home, he decided to take him up on his offer.
He walked to the door, seeing the small tricycle and toys scattered in the yard. Another pang of sadness rushed through him as he knocked, then wondered if he should have just gone for a drink by himself. He wasn’t the type of guy who shared much, especially not his feelings.
All that changed when the door opened and Jesse appeared. Dressed in nylon shorts and bare-chested, the young ranger looked as if he’d just finished a five-mile run.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Is it too late to take you up on that offer for a beer?”
Jesse smiled. “Never. Just happen to have a couple cold ones.”
Chase stepped inside the neatly kept living room. An overstuffed sofa and chair were placed in front of the large television. Next to it was an overflowing toy box. The sound of kids in the background was muffled by a closed hall door.
Jesse slipped on a T-shirt and motioned for him to follow him into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and took out a couple of long neck bottles. When Chase had transferred to Midland, Jesse had been the one who reached out to him. They had become friends.
He twisted off the caps and handed one to Chase. “How’d it go tonight?”
Chase took a long drink, then shrugged. “Ryan was happy to see me.”
“That’s a good start.” Jesse walked to the sofa. “So you’re the boy’s father?”
Chase nodded and took the chair at the table. “Yet, I don’t have any legal right to be with him. Hagan is listed as his father on the birth certificate.”
Jesse took a drink. “You can go to court—that is, if you want to acknowledge Ryan.”
“If you think I’m going to cut and run—”
“I didn’t say that,” Jesse interrupted. “But there’s being a father, and there’s being a father. You can write a check for child support, or you can take an active role in his life.”
Chase got up. “Hell, this is all so new to me. It changes everything.” He thought about his career plans. “I don’t have family anymore. When Mom died a few years ago…” He paused, thinking about Sara Landon who had wanted nothing more than a few grandkids. “Damn, she had a grandson.”
“Don’t do this, Chase,” Jesse warned. “You didn’t know about the boy, either.”
“And according to Mallory, she tried to contact me. Then this…Alan raced in to rescue her. Later on her marriage went sour….”
“You believe her?”
He paced, recalling years ago his mother calling him about Mallory’s message. He was still angry over the fight, and decided not to talk to her just then. “Yeah, and for Ryan’s sake, we need to get along.”
He looked toward the doorway and saw the petite woman with blond hair holding a baby in her arms. Jesse’s wife, Beth.
“Hi, babe,” Jesse said as he went to her. “Do you remember, Chase Landon. Chase, this is Beth, and this sweetie is Lilly.” He squeezed the baby in his arms and was rewarded with a giggle and a pat on the cheek. “Our son, Jason, is sleeping.”
“Hi, Beth. Sorry to intrude on your family time.”
“Please, Chase, you’re welcome here any time.” She stood next to her husband and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
“Jessie told me about your rescue today…and finding your son. You have to be so happy.”
Chase glanced at Jesse. There’s no doubt he shared the news with his wife. Was that how loving couples did things? “Yeah, I’m very happy he’s safe, but under the circumstances of how I learned about him, I’m still working on that.”
She nodded. “I’m sure you are.”
“Do you have any advice for me?”
“Just think about your son. Put him first.”
Yeah, think about Ryan. Anything to keep his mind off beautiful Mallory and how much he’d once loved her. All he had to do was think about her keeping his child from him.
“I need to go.” He set his bottle on the counter. “Nice to see you again, Beth. You, too, Lilly.”
After the goodbyes, Jesse handed the baby to her mother. “I’ve been invited back to the Lazy K for their roundup tomorrow,” Chase said. “You want to come along?”
“I think I’ll pass,” Jesse said, following after Chase. “The past two days in the saddle were enough for me.” He smiled. “Besides, I wouldn’t want to intrude on your father/son time.”
Early the next morning, Mallory watched Chase’s truck come up the road. Some things never change. When Chase Landon gave his word, he stuck by it. So she knew that if he decided to be in their son’s life, he would be there.
And now, that was something she had to deal with from now on. She also had to take the blame for this. It had been a mistake not to tell him about his son.
She’d been a coward back then. She’d married in haste and realized not long after that it had been a mistake. Alan had seen her regret, too, but he wasn’t about to let her go, and had used subtle threats to keep her under his thumb. She’d worried mostly about Ryan’s safety. She’d stayed, but when Alan’s drinking got worse and he started taking swings at her, Mallory found a way to leave.
So she couldn’t blame Chase if he hated her. She had been weak back then, but no longer. And she couldn’t let a war start up between them. Ryan would see it, too. Her son was loyal to her, so their feud wouldn’t sit well with the child.
Chase climbed out of the truck. Well over six feet tall, his buckskin boots only added to his height. He was dressed the part of a cowboy in worn jeans and a chambray shirt. His straw Resistol hat sat low on his head, shielding his dark gaze.
Mallory str
uggled to take a breath into her starved lungs. Darn, he could still get to her.
Suddenly Ryan went running toward his father. He stopped just short of giving him a hug, but his excitement was obvious. Chase put a hand on his shoulder and together they walked toward the barn.
“They look good together,” Rosalie said as she glanced away from her task of chopping vegetables.
“Yeah, they do, but will they get along as father and son?”
The housekeeper shrugged. “Not your choice to make. Although it already looks like Chase Landon is staking his claim.” She smiled. “I always liked him.”
Mallory blinked. “Since when? You hardly said two words to Chase when I brought him home.”
“Wasn’t my place,” she admitted. “Besides, back then Chase was a lot more man than you could handle.”
He was definitely that. “Well, as you’ve witnessed, it seems I’m lacking when it comes to men.”
Rosalie shook her head. “No, Mallory, you had to put up with more than a person should ever have to. Look at you. You were a single mother who fought to protect her son, and build a new life. Now, you run a successful horse broker business.”
Mallory smiled. “I guess I have done pretty well.” She glanced out the window again. “But I’ve got a really big problem now.”
Rosalie took another look outside. “Oh, I don’t know. I wouldn’t call that good-looking Texas Ranger a problem. Trouble maybe, but seems to me that’s exactly what you need to get your blood going.”
This time Mallory laughed. It felt good…at least for now.
Chase watched Mallory come out of the house. She was tall and graceful, not to mention beautiful. Even when he’d first met her years ago, she’d taken his breath away…and stirred his body. Dammit, nothing had changed.
“Good morning, Chase,” she said in a soft voice.
“Morning,” he replied.
“Mom, Chase is going to ride with me. Grandpa has a horse saddle for him. So we have to go.”
Mallory nodded to her son. “Okay. Why don’t you go and see if your horses are ready. I need to talk to Chase a minute.”
The boy frowned, but he took off, leaving them alone.
“Are you going with us to see how I handle myself?” Chase said.
Mallory looked hurt. “Of course not. I trust you.” She let out a tired breath. “Look, Chase, a lot has happened in the past few days. Can’t we just try and get through this?”
God, he wanted to hate her. Then he thought back to the young girl who’d done everything to draw his attention. She had no idea she already had, the minute he looked into her green eyes. But that was long ago, and he wasn’t the same man now.
“There’s no getting through anything, Mallory. I’m going to be around from now on. Soon, Ryan will know that I’m his father.”
Chase took off toward the corral, leaving her standing there. What did she expect? He wasn’t going to be pushed aside any more. He wanted to be a part of his son’s life.
Buck was waiting for him with a saddled mount. “I wanted to be able to ride today especially since Ryan is old enough to take part himself. But at least, you’ll be with him.”
Chase studied Buck. There’d been a time when the man had threatened to throw him off his property. Now he seemed to be welcoming him with open arms.
“I know Ryan is happy you’re okay, Buck. This situation could have turned out badly.”
The older man visibly shuddered. “I know. I owe you a lot, Chase.”
Chase shook his head. “I was doing my job.”
“Is it your job to be here today?”
“I’m here because I was invited by Ryan.” He straightened. “If you have a problem with that—”
Buck raised his hand. “No, Chase. I’m being overly protective of my family. I guess I want to know what your intentions are.”
“Not to be rude, Buck, but that’s between Mallory and me.”
The older man nodded. “I know it is. Just don’t blame my daughter for everything that happened in the past. We both know I had a lot to do with how things turned out back then. I pushed her hard to marry Alan. If it’s any consolation, I’ll regret it until the day I die.”
Chase recalled the heated discussion he’d had with Buck Kendrick. It took place right in this house, just a week after his daughter’s wedding…to Alan Hagan.
Before Chase could say anything, Ryan called to him. He waved back and took the horse’s reins from Buck. “Like I said, it’s between Mallory and me.” He walked off.
It wasn’t going to be an easy day for anyone. But when he went toward the corral and saw the smile on Ryan’s face, he realized it was all worth it.
The boy stood next to a small painted mare. “This is Mazy,” he announced. “She’s my horse when I come here. I have my own horse back home. First, I had a pony, Speckles, but last year Mom got me a chestnut gelding. His name is Rusty.”
Chase linked his fingers together, Ryan placed his boot inside and Chase boosted the boy up into the saddle.
“Do you have your own horse?”
Chase climbed on his mount. “No, no yet. But I’ve been looking for a small place of my own where I could keep a few horses.”
“Well, you get to ride all the time with the rangers.”
Chase smiled. “I wish. Most of my work has me in a car. I do get to go out on training maneuvers so we can practice tracking lost boys.”
Ryan grinned. “And you’re really good, ’cause you found me.”
“We had some help, several other men and a couple of bloodhounds.”
Ryan pushed his hat down as they rode out to follow the others. “Well, you found me and you captured one of the bad men.”
Guiding the horse through the gate, Chase watched the boy expertly handle his horse. “How did you find out all this?”
“Grandpa and I were reading the paper this morning. And he said you knew Mom when she was young.”
“Yeah, I knew your mother long before you were born.”
The boy looked thoughtful. “Grandpa also said you’re a hero.”
His chest puffed out a little when his son called him a hero. “No, I’m not a hero. I’m trained to catch bad guys.”
The boy looked thoughtful as they rode through the gate. “Maybe I can be a Texas Ranger when I grow up.”
“Sure, but it takes a lot of years of hard work.”
Those dark eyes that mirrored his gazed solemnly at him. “Good, because I want to be like you.”
Chase had to swallow back the sudden dryness in his throat. His son wanted to be like him.
Three hours later, Rosalie and the other women had worked to set up tables on the shaded patio, knowing once the herd was brought in to the holding pens the men would want food, and plenty of it. Well, lunch was ready.
Mallory had gotten a call from Mick saying the men and herd would arrive shortly. She stepped outside to see a dust cloud followed by the soft sounds of bawling calves. She smiled, realizing she hadn’t been as worried about Ryan going out as she thought she would be.
Chase wouldn’t let anything happen to him.
She grabbed her camera as she stepped off the wooden deck and walked out to the pens. The sounds grew louder and the dust cloud bigger as she climbed the fence railing to look toward the range of mesquite and patches of grass.
She searched the row of cowboys riding drag behind the herd. It took awhile but she spotted Chase. Tall and broad, and looking comfortable in the saddle, he had his rope in a lasso ready to chase after any strays. Something churned inside her, as she recalled the first time she’d laid eyes on the man.
Chase had been a Texas state trooper then. He’d pulled her over in her new car and lectured her on her reckless driving. She hadn’t remembered a word, only his piercing brown eyes and the way he looked in that uniform.
The rest of the summer, she’d continued to race up and down that section of highway just to have him stop her again. He did. Back then, she’d been
the pursuer. Three weeks and two speeding tickets later, he’d agreed to go out with her. From the start it had been intense…so hot…and she’d thought…very real.
Mallory released a breath when she spotted Ryan riding next to Chase. It was so obvious to her that they were father and son.
Ryan looked toward the pens, searching for her. He grinned and waved when he found her. She took a picture. She also got several others of the two of them.
Over the next thirty minutes, Buck stood at the gates and supervised the separating of the mama cows from the calves. When the job was completed, they broke for lunch and the ranch hands and neighbors headed for the patio.
Ryan ran up to Mallory. “Did you see me, Mom?”
“I sure did,” she told him. “Looks like you’re getting pretty good at this. I guess Grandpa doesn’t have anything to worry about when he retires and you take over the Lazy K.”
He beamed and squinted up at Chase. “Grandpa is going to leave all this to me some day.”
“That’s a pretty good deal,” Chase said as he pushed back his hat.
Ryan did the same. “Well, it won’t be for a long time.”
“Good,” Chase began, “because you need to finish school first.”
The boy wrinkled his nose. “That’s what Mom says, and then I have to go to college. Why do I have to do that just for some cattle?”
“You have to learn math to know when someone’s trying to cheat you…and how to invest all your money.”
“Is that important?” Ryan asked.
“Sure is.”
“Do I have to go to college to be a Texas Ranger?”
“Yes, you do. That’s just part of it. I was a state trooper for eight years before I could even apply to be a ranger.”
His eyes rounded. “Wow. That’s a long time.”
Chase exchanged a quick glance with Mallory. “You know what’s great about being eight years old?”
Ryan shook his head.
“You’ve got time to think about what you want to be when you grow up. So why don’t we get some food, I’m starved.”
Ryan laughed. “So am I.”
“Go wash up, I’m right behind you,” he said and the boy shot off.
Texas Ranger Takes a Bride Page 4
