“He bought me a sheep and Alissa some state-of-the art gear. I wish I’d had that stuff when I was a kid. Of course, I probably would have done even more dangerous stuff if I had.”
“That sounds like something he would do.”
They got in the car.
“Where to?” Trent asked.
“We could go to Draeger’s Peach House,” Kelly suggested.
“I can practically taste the peach pie. So, is this our official first date?” Trent asked as they pulled out of the ranch and onto the road.
“I guess it is,” she said with a small smile. “I wish we could be celebrating, but I didn’t get the loan.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Me too. I thought it was back to New York for us.”
Trent tensed up.
“It makes things more difficult, but my sister is going to share her loan money and I think we can help each other become profitable. And if by some miracle Emily is approved, we’ll be in decent shape.”
“Good. Let me know if I can help.” Some of the tension eased. There was time to see if he and Kelly could have a relationship that went beyond just being Alissa’s parents. He’d have time to get to know his daughter, at the very least, and he wanted to be in her life. And he’d have a hard time doing that if she lived in New York.
He didn’t want to have to get a lawyer and demand it, though. Of course to do that, he had to prove she was his. He considered bringing up the cheek swab, but didn’t want to ruin this time they had. It could keep for a few more weeks.
“Funny you should offer,” Kelly said. “What do you think about having me sell my services as a photographer to your students?”
“I don’t have any yet.”
“You will,” she said. “And they’re going to want pictures of them riding their first bull.”
“I only have a sheep.”
“I mean eventually.
Trent shrugged. “Sure.”
“Great, we can talk about that later. My head is swimming from having to pivot back and forth this morning. At first, I thought I was going to get the loan easily. Then when it was denied, I figured I was going back to New York. Then I decided to stay. It wasn’t an easy decision. Part of me thinks I should go back home.”
He frowned. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye to either of them yet.
“But then Janice came through and we’re going ahead with everything, just on a different time schedule and budget.” She snapped her fingers. “That reminds me. I need to find a gazebo, stat, and have it set up. I’m going to have to modify my original plans from the gorgeous thirteen-thousand-dollar Victorian gazebo to something more budget-friendly.”
“Thirteen thousand dollars?” That seemed like a lot of money to him.
“I may have to go to Home Depot and get one for three grand instead, and hold off on the better one until I get some brides who want to use it for their engagement or wedding shots.”
The restaurant was busy with the lunch crowd, but they were able to get a table inside. Trent was glad for the air-conditioning and the soft booth. His leg still gave him a bit of a twinge, but the ice last night had helped. He wound up falling asleep in Billy’s room, so Billy had bunked down in his.
“How did you get to the ranch?” Kelly asked after they placed their orders. “I didn’t see a car.”
He could practically taste the steak sandwich. He hadn’t eaten anything since the kolaches this morning. He was addicted to the Czech pastries the Bluebonnet Inn served. “Billy dropped me off. I need to look into getting a vehicle, but it’s not a priority.”
“Well, you heard my priority. Mission gazebo. What’s your priority?”
“You,” he said. “And Alissa.”
She looked at him in shock.
“It occurred to me while I was spending time with my daughter, that I’ve spent more time with her than I have with you and that seems all sorts of wrong.” Trent reached over and held her hand.
Kelly glanced around the restaurant. “People will see.”
“So?”
“People will talk.”
“Let them.”
“What if this doesn’t work out? What about Alissa?”
“I’m in it for the long haul. If you and I don’t work out, I think we’re mature enough to stay civil to each other for our daughter’s sake.”
“Shhh,” she urged, looking around to see if anyone was listening.
“I hope, at the very least, we can be friends.”
“I’d like that,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I’d like more.”
Relief thudded through him. “Me too. Because you seem to be a little embarrassed by me.”
“It’s weird being on a date with you. All the first-date awkwardness is missing, and yet…” She trailed off.
“It’s still a little awkward.”
“Yeah.” She sighed in relief.
He let go of her hand while their lunch came. After the waiter left, Trent said, “Do you have any pictures of Alissa when she was a baby?”
“I have a whole album,” she said. “She’s my favorite subject. It’s in New York, but I can ask my aunt to send it.”
“I’d like to see it. I missed so much.”
“I’m still pretty pissed at your manager,” she said.
“Yeah, we had it out.” Trent took a deep breath. “I found out you weren’t the only one who contacted him about being pregnant.”
She looked stricken and he immediately regretted his words.
“How many were there?” she asked.
“More than he thought was realistic. That’s why he gave you such a hard time. He got an earful from me and he’s investigating to see if anyone else was…” Trent’s throat closed up and he had to take a long swallow of water “…pregnant with my child.”
“So, Alissa could have half brothers and sisters,” she said slowly.
“I wish I knew. If you had asked me a few days ago, I’d have said it was impossible. I always used protection.”
Kelly nodded. “When the condom broke, I figured we were safe because I was on the pill. But I forgot to take it.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I would have made things right. You wouldn’t have been alone.”
“I probably wouldn’t have been thrown out if I’d come clean to my dad.”
It hurt to talk about this. He held her hands again. “We can’t change the past. But we can make up for it. I’m not sure what kind of dad I can be. I’m still trying to figure out who I am without the rodeo. But I promise, you and Alissa will be taken care of.”
She removed her hands from his. “We can take care of ourselves. Especially if it turns out you have other children.”
“It doesn’t seem likely that I have a bunch of kids I don’t know about, but I’m going to make sure. I want to make things right.”
“Good.” Kelly fiddled with her napkin. “What if you find another one? Are you going to want to date their mother, too?”
“Date?” Trent shook his head. “No. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the night we were together. I don’t even remember what the other women’s names were. I know that sounds shitty. But it was one big party. I was young. I had more money than I knew what to do with. And nobody to tell me that just because I could do something, that didn’t mean I should do it.” He gave a half laugh. “I wonder sometimes what it would have been like if I rode Corazon del Diablo and hopped off like normal. Would I still be on tour, partying hard and drinking even harder? Or would it have gotten old by now?”
“You miss it,” she said.
“I miss the exhilaration of the ride. I miss the excitement of testing my mettle against the bull. The rest of it doesn’t seem so important.”
“I wonder if I had tracked you down, would you have spent less time on the circuit? Would you have been on that bull, if you knew about Alissa?” Tears filled her eyes and she looked away.
“Aw, honey,” he said,
holding her hand again. “Yeah, I would have still been on the circuit. That was my job. And yeah, I would have asked for Corazon del Diablo because he was a tough son of a bitch and I wanted to prove I was tougher. What happened between me and the bull is not your fault and certainly not Alissa’s.”
She let out a shaky breath. “Thank you for that. It’s been eating at me.”
He kissed the back of her knuckles. “Let’s put the past behind us. Let’s start fresh today.”
“What if you find out you have other kids?” she asked. “Where does that leave Alissa and me?”
“Will I want to be in my child’s life? Yes. I grew up without a father and it was tough, so I don’t want to do that to a child of mine. And do I want a friendly relationship with their mother? Absolutely. But you’re the only one I want in my bed. There hasn’t been anyone else since you.”
She choked on her water. “In almost six years?”
“To be fair, a lot of the time I couldn’t physically do anything without a lot of pain.”
“What about now?”
He wasn’t a 100% sure that now would be pain-free either, but he was willing to overlook that for her. “Was that an offer?”
She blushed. “Maybe.”
He’d take maybe. It beat the hell out of no.
“There hasn’t been anyone serious for me either. I went out on dates, but…” She shook her head. “No one serious.”
“Good,” he said. “We get to finish what we started.”
“It’s going to be a little tough with Alissa.”
“It’s going to be worth it.”
“What happens if Alissa and I go back to New York?”
Trent forced himself not to react. He took a bite out of his sandwich and chewed slowly before answering. “If worse comes to worst, we can work out a visitation schedule.”
She looked down at her plate. “I’ve never been without her for a day.”
“I’ve never even had her for a day,” he said, kindly.
“I know.” Kelly blinked back tears.
“Hey,” he said. “Nothing is certain. You may decide to stay in Last Stand or maybe I’ll take my rodeo school up to New York.”
Sputtering out a laugh, she said, “You’d move to New York?”
“If it meant being close to my daughter, I’d consider it.”
“You’d be great in New York. If you could find a place that is. Leasing isn’t as cheap up north as it is down here.”
“I’ve got a long way to go until we get there. Let’s concentrate on here and now. Finish your lunch and then we’ll hit a matinee. This is a real date. I’ll even spring for popcorn and licorice.”
They caught up over lunch, talking about first-date things and seeing if they knew the same people from town. Then, they headed to the next town over for the movie theater. Trent bought tickets to see an action adventure flick he’d been itching to see. “Next time we can do the romantic comedy,” he offered.
“I like action movies. The heroes are always hot.”
“Oh yeah?” Trent slung his arm around her shoulder and she leaned her head against him. He was distracted by the warmth of her body and the sweet smell of her hair. He traced circles on her upper arm with his fingertips. She was so sweet to touch.
It occurred to him again that he really should bring up the paternity DNA test and the cheek swab sooner rather than later, but he didn’t want to spoil this first date. He didn’t need a test to know Alissa was his daughter. He felt it in his bones. Saw it in the way her eyes shone when she looked at him today. He wanted to believe Kelly was telling the truth and the test would take away any doubt and help them move forward.
After the movie, they walked out, hand in hand. He didn’t want the day to end. He wanted more conversation, more kissing, and when they were through, more of his daughter.
As they pulled back onto the ranch, she let the car idle outside of the studio. He saw that someone had given Flower a trough of water and some hay. Trent would have to ask if there was a pasture she could roam around in when she wasn’t working. But not right now. Right now, he brushed the hair away from Kelly’s face.
“Thank you for going to lunch and a movie with me,” he said, and leaned in for a kiss.
He couldn’t resist a groan at the swipe of her tongue against his. Deepening the kiss, he slid his hand up her skirt. Her panties were damp and he pushed his fingers inside them. She came up off the seat and the car engine revved. Laughing, they broke apart and she turned the car off. “When’s the futon coming?”
“This week,” he said.
Reaching over to stroke him over his jeans, her eyes darkened with a need that almost had him dragging her out of the car to take her against the wall.
“I’d like to help you break it in.”
“It’s a date.” He thumbed her hard nipple and circled it, over her thin blouse. “Unless you want to drive me back to the Bluebonnet Inn and we can indulge ourselves.”
Her breathing was erratic and when she licked her lips, he went back in for another kiss. It took a moment before a buzzing sound broke them apart. Her phone.
“I’ve got to get this,” she said shakily. “It’s Janice, probably wondering where I am and what I’m doing. Alissa will be wondering too.”
“I’ll see you later.” He couldn’t resist one more kiss before getting out of the car.
Trent hoped that she would join him inside once she was done with her phone call, but he saw her drive off a few seconds later.
Soon, he promised himself. Soon, she’d be all his.
Chapter Nine
Kelly worked all night to get the backlog of work she’d been procrastinating on doing to Candace. She called her this morning to make sure everything was all right with her delivery.
“Hey, I’m sorry it took me so long. It’s been a whirlwind.”
“I understand. I normally wouldn’t be so pushy, but the bride was hounding me. It looks great. Have you had a chance to open a bank account there yet?”
Groaning, Kelly added that to her list of things to do. “No. I’ll get that done today and send you wiring instructions so you can pay me. Although I should have you send it directly to Home Depot.”
“I think I have a line on someone looking for some rustic pictures for their engagement.”
“We’ve got rustic. Where are they from?”
“They’ve got money to burn, so wherever they want to be. I’m going to check and see if they would be interested in a Texas ranch. The bride is a horse freak. How soon can you get me pictures of Pippi and Sunflower?”
“Today. Scour Janice’s Facebook for pictures of Black Dahlia and Synergy. They’re heading back home. When are they looking to get these shots done?”
“As soon as possible.”
Yes! This was just the break she needed.
“What other pictures can you get for me?” Candace asked. “You don’t have an online portfolio set up yet, do you?”
Another item on the to-do list. “I can do a sunset shot this evening. End of this week, for the pavilion and the gazebo. Maybe.”
“I’m going to quote them five grand—sound good?”
“Sounds good.” Even with her aunt’s commission, Kelly would have enough to reinvest in the business.
“Okay, I’ll see what I can do.”
After Kelly got off the phone with her aunt, she applied for a Home Depot credit card and got enough on it to buy the gazebo and a few other things. It wouldn’t be perfect, but it would do for now. There were even a few bucks left over so she could buy the white paint.
Janice was out getting quotes for the retreat building and talking with a construction crew. Once her loan came in, they could get started. Janice was going to give notice to her job in Kentucky and then they were going to hope for the best and hit the ground running.
Early this morning, Janice had headed back to Kentucky with the horse trailer to pick up Synergy and Black Dahlia and the rest of her menagerie. Her fa
ther hadn’t wanted her to go alone, so he’d had Nate go with her. Texas to Kentucky wasn’t a bad trip, but Kentucky back to Texas with six dogs and two horses would probably try Nate’s patience a bit. Sixteen hours there and sixteen hours back. Chances were, they’d miss the rodeo or at least be too tired to go.
While Nate was traveling with Janice, Kelly barely saw her father. He was gone before breakfast and she was usually out of the house by lunch. Dinner was a quiet affair. Her father was overdoing it and anything she said to suggest that maybe he was pushing himself was met with his temper.
“If I had sons instead of daughters, we wouldn’t be in this mess,” he had snarled at her.
Kelly almost asked him what he was doing out there that required a penis, but Alissa was at the table, making herself as small as possible, so Kelly let it go. Although it killed her not to say anything at all. That wasn’t the lesson she wanted to teach her daughter.
And yet when they were all younger, they’d gone out on the cattle drives. Her father had insisted on it. Emily loved to round up the strays and herd them back where they belonged. Janice was interested in the cattle themselves, and could spot a sick one quickly so they could be isolated from the herd and given treatment, if necessary. And while they were doing that, Kelly and her father were riding fences and repairing them as needed. She had loved that time when it had been just the two of them. He would tell stories about his rodeo days and they would talk about the bull riders and the bulls they thought were going to be famous. They had talked about Trent. Her father said he admired the kid and knew that he was going to be a star. Kelly wondered what would be the best way to tell him that the bull rider was Alissa’s father.
“If you want, Emily and I can go out tomorrow.” It would give her an opportunity to build her portfolio and maybe get some pictures to sell to Getty or another stock photo place.
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re both too green.”
He wasn’t wrong, but at least they were a lot younger and healthier than he was. Kelly knew better than to say that, though.
“Can’t you do something?” she asked her mother.
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