A Rancher's Pride

chapter Five





Sam pushed his coffee mug from side to side. Dori had Becky occupied at the counter with crayons and paper. Just as he’d settled at the corner table, a steady stream of customers had come in for their midmorning coffee. The place had gotten more crowded than he’d expected. By the time he greeted all the new arrivals and made introductions, he’d begun to think he and Kayla would never get down to business.

Maybe a straight talk at the Double S wasn’t such a good idea, but he hated the thought of bringing this woman back to his ranch.

When they were finally as isolated as they would probably get, she beat him to the punch.

“Sam, as I said to you last night, your mother can’t get around. She’s not going to be able to do much housework or cooking. Or probably even to handle the stairs alone at first.” She lifted her hand for a second, then put it flat on the tabletop, almost as if she’d planned to reach out to him. “I’d like to stay at your house and help out.”

“Hell, no.” A muscle in his cheek flexed.

“Okay.” She set her teacup and saucer down in the exact middle of her place mat. “That’s fine.”

He looked at her warily, knowing she’d never let it rest at that. And she didn’t.

“As we were driving here, I noticed there’s a bed-and-breakfast nearby. Let me stay there with Becky.”

“Yeah, right. I’m supposed to trust you not to take off with her?”

“Of course you can trust me. And the judge did give us joint custody. I have every right to be with her whenever I want. Why would I try to take her away?”

“Why wouldn’t you?” he countered. “What’s to stop you? You’ve got a rental car sitting right there at the house.”

She looked at him. All the way through him, probably. “Yes. And that’s where it will stay when I’m at the ranch. Without having it penned in by other vehicles, if you don’t mind.”

So she’d seen what Jack had done to her little blue sedan. Looked like she’d gotten the message. Good.

“If Becky and your mother and I are alone all day,” she continued, “I would need the car in case of emergency.”

That kept him quiet. After what had just happened to Sharleen, he surely couldn’t argue with a need to be prepared.

“Sam, I’m a teacher. I’ve been fingerprinted for my job and have a clean record. What’s more, I’m honest and trustworthy, and you won’t have to worry about having me in your home.”

“That’s not a worry to me at all.” He couldn’t have made his tone any colder.

“Because you don’t plan to let me stay.” Her eyes brightened. He stirred restlessly in his seat. “Becky has been ‘dumped here,’ as you put it, literally with strangers. You’ve got a ranch to take care of. And you know a nanny from some agency won’t be able to sign—or worse—to communicate with Becky in an emergency.”

Sam forced himself to stare without blinking, without relaxing one bit. He would not let her get to him.

Becky came running over, waving her piece of paper. She slapped it on the table in front of Kayla and snapped her fingers.

From upside down, he saw a brown blob with a couple of floppy additions to it. As little as he could tell about it, the blob could have been anything from a rabbit to a tractor.

“A dog,” Kayla said. She looked at the picture, smiled, then brushed one palm briskly across the other. “Very nice.”

She rose. “I’m going up to get Becky’s milk.”

The child went along with her, gesturing wildly as they went to the counter. Kayla looked on, signing back to her.

What they were talking about, he hadn’t a clue. He never would. Busy as the ranch kept him, what chance in the world would he have of learning another language? Zero to none. Besides, at his age, he probably couldn’t pick up on it, anyhow.

He looked at the drawing on the table again. Beside the brown blob Becky had added a green blob that might have been a doghouse. Or an alien.

Damn.

How could he hope to raise his child? He couldn’t even understand the kid’s drawings!

For a moment, his determination wavered. With both hands, he got a firm grip on his coffee mug as if it could help him hold on to what he really wanted. For Becky to have everything she deserved. Everything she needed.

Was he the one to provide that? Could he care for her well enough? How could he know? He’d only met the child two days ago. Much too soon to tell. Did he want to take care of her?

Hell, yes.

He couldn’t handle this situation as it stood. And he couldn’t let that woman up at the counter take advantage of that.

But would he let his pride keep him from doing what he knew was right?

Kayla had spoken the truth. A nanny couldn’t take care of Becky in an emergency. She’d hit the nail square-on about Sharleen, too. Much as he didn’t want to admit it, he had problems. And only Kayla Ward had answers.

He watched as she talked for a while with Dori before turning to make her way toward their table again. Watched the handful of men in the place look her over, too. Why not? She was a beautiful woman, no doubt about that. And no resemblance to Ronnie at all.

Every time his ex had gone into town, she would dress like she was headed to the city. Big-city prices on those getups, too. Kayla wore more casual clothes, but even in chinos and a silky T-shirt, she seemed as out of place in this town as a heifer in a henhouse. He’d had his fill of beautiful women.

Especially ones named Ward.

She set the half-empty plastic tumbler of milk on the table and took her seat again.

Then she leaned forward. Her lips parted, and for some reason he couldn’t help leaning forward a fraction, too.

“I’ve got the law on my side.”

Her words slammed him back against his seat.

She looked steadily at him. “There’s no getting around the fact,” she murmured, “that Judge Baylor gave me the right to see my niece—whether you like the idea or not. And I don’t want her having to face yet another caretaker right now. You shouldn’t, either.”

Becky patted Kayla’s arm, and she transferred her attention to the child.

Tearing his gaze away, he stared down into his mug again.

She had nerve throwing the decision in his face. As if he could have forgotten the judge’s words. But she had a point, too, about the caretaker. He didn’t want Becky saddled with another babysitter, either. As far as his options went…

Well, he didn’t have any.

Even if he could get someone from town in to help, chances were it’d only be part-time.

He had a full-time problem.

Becky was talking a blue streak in her own way, arms flying. Kayla watched, nodding, saying nothing. But there was a world of response in her animated expressions, in the way she used her eyes and moved her mouth….

He forced himself to look away.

Wielding her crayon, Becky bent over her picture, leaving Kayla free to lean toward him again. This time, he managed not to follow suit.

“Come on, Sam.” Her voice cracked. “Hasn’t she been through enough?”

He set his jaw. She seemed to care for Becky, he had to give her that. Just as she seemed to distrust him. Thanks to Ronnie.

“She knows me,” Kayla continued. “She can talk to me. Even more to the point, she can understand when I talk to her.” He could tell she fought to keep her voice low, to keep their conversation as private as she could. “I’ve said this all before, Sam. And it’s all still true.”

He said nothing.

Suddenly, she sat upright, her back ramrod straight, her blue eyes blazing. “Let’s ask Becky her opinion.”

“You’re pulling my leg. She’s a four-year-old.”

Ignoring him, she waved to Becky and began talking as she signed. “Your Daddy wants to know—” Kayla eyed him for a split second. Sam glared.

“—do you want Aunt Kayla to stay with you?”

Before he could tell her what he thought of her lowdown tactic, the words were driven from his mind by Becky’s shriek of pleasure. She pushed the drawing aside and threw her arms around Kayla.

Kayla hugged her in return.

The child slid from her seat, her hands moving like the wind. “She’s saying, Can you stay?” Kayla told him. “Please, Aunt Kayla, can you stay?”

Watching his daughter bounce up and down in excitement made his chest hurt.

How could he agree to go along with Kayla’s idea?

His own unwanted reaction to her was bad enough. How could he risk letting her cement her relationship with the child? How could he just hand over to her every thing she’d need to have the judge take his daughter away from him?

He felt that muscle in his cheek twitch again.

“Look at her,” Kayla murmured, her tone neither pleading nor demanding, just daring him to see her side of things.

When he held his tongue, she added, “I’m not going anywhere, Sam. I’ll be here in town for the next six weeks, until the judge makes his decision. Let me stay at the ranch.”

He swallowed hard.

Okay, maybe that would be the best thing for Becky right now.

He wanted the best for his daughter, no matter what.

But there was no way he wanted to live in the same house with this woman. Not for any length of time.

“Let me stay,” she urged again. “For Becky’s sake.”