He’d hunt her down tonight and then tomorrow he’d go get his baby, the son who was his flesh, his blood, and who would one day take over Ash’s kingdom.
* * *
It was the longest night Tony had ever known and in his past he’d had many long nights. It wasn’t the company of Joey in his room that kept him from sleep, although certainly the tiny boy made his presence known several times.
The suitcase was filled with bottles and formula, disposable diapers and clothes. Twice in the night Tony had given Joey bottles and changed diapers, thankful that the baby had then seemed perfectly satisfied and had fallen back asleep.
Unfortunately sleep hadn’t come to Tony. He’d lain in bed with Joey between him and the wall and listened to the little boy breathe as thoughts had whirled in his head.
Was the boy really his? He supposed it was possible. He and Amy had certainly enjoyed an intense physical relationship, but she had assured him she was on birth control and he’d taken extra protection.
He didn’t even know how old the baby was, or if Amy had been seeing Tony exclusively at the time they’d been dating each other. When he’d broken things off with her, he’d certainly suspected there was somebody else in her life.
Why hadn’t she told him she was pregnant? If the little boy was his, then why hadn’t she come to him and told him? She knew where he lived. She knew where he worked. Where had she been for the last year and what had she been doing?
And what was Tony going to do until Amy returned? He wasn’t cut out for being a father. He didn’t know anything about babies other than they were hungry little pooping beasts. Hopefully, she intended to show up here before another night fell.
Those were only a few of the questions that kept him staring at the ceiling until dawn broke and Joey awakened. He gave him a bottle, changed his diaper and clothes and then placed him in his car seat to travel to the cowboy dining room, where Tony could grab some breakfast and figure out what in the heck he was going to do with Joey until Amy returned.
At least he’d managed to make it through the night and the baby didn’t seem any worse for it, he thought as he circled around the row of rooms to the large dining and rec room in the back of the building.
Sawyer was the first person who saw him walk in. The lanky cowboy’s brown eyes widened. “Jeez, Tony, I thought I had a beer-induced delusion last night, but it was real. You really have a kid.”
“I have possession of one, but I’m not sure he’s really mine,” Tony replied.
The other men in the dining room gathered around and once again Tony told everyone about Amy’s unexpected middle-of-the-night stork delivery.
“How are you going to work and take care of a baby?” Brody Booth asked.
“And what in the heck do you know about taking care of a baby?” Jerod Steen stared at Joey as if he was a species of animal the dark-haired, dark-eyed man had never seen before.
“What are you going to do if Amy never comes back?” Flint McCay asked.
All of the worries that had kept Tony up all night crashed into him again. What on earth was he going to do? “I don’t have answers to any of those questions. I’ve just got to have some time to figure things out.”
Mac McBride leaned down and grinned at Joey. “Aren’t you the cutest little buckaroo we’ve ever had in this dining room?” he said in the musical voice that, along with his guitar, often entertained the men in the evenings.
Little Joey, who had remained silent and somber until that moment, suddenly laughed. The infectious giggling filled up the entire room and all of the men stared at him in awe.
Tony steeled his heart. There was no way he was going to get attached to Joey. He refused to be moved by Joey’s smiles and antics. All he had to do was figure out exactly what he was going to do with the baby until Amy returned.
* * *
“Big changes coming,” Halena announced.
Mary Redwing turned around from the scrambled eggs she’d been preparing to eye her grandmother curiously. “And you know this how?”
“I dream-walked last night in my sleep.” Bright morning sunshine poured in through the windows to sparkle on Halena Redwing’s long, thick silver braids. She was clad in a pair of red-and-black polka-dotted sleep pants and a ruffled bright pink blouse.
“And where did you go?” Mary’s heart filled with love as she gazed at the woman who had raised her, a woman who at eighty-six years old now shared Mary’s home. Halena had always been eccentric but had grown even more so with each year that passed.
“I went to Kansas.”
“Oh.” Mary blinked in surprise. Normally Halena dream-walked to strange and foreign places she didn’t recognize. “Hang on and you can tell me more.”
She turned back to the eggs and scooped a portion out on each plate that waited with bacon and toast already on them. She carried the plates across the room and joined her grandmother at the table.
“Okay, now, what did you find in Kansas?” Mary asked.
“A tornado and a tin man.”
Mary thought back over the past week and tried to remember what movies her grandmother might have watched. A month ago she’d gotten up early one morning and had announced that robots would soon be taking over the world. That had occurred after the previous night’s Terminator marathon.
“So you dream-walked in a terrible storm and met a heartless man,” Mary replied.
Halena nodded. “The tornado is a portent of great change coming and we have to beware of the tin man who comes. Now, let’s eat.”
Mary picked up a piece of bacon and chewed thoughtfully. She didn’t have to beware of any man. Her future had no place for a man and at thirty-two years old she’d come to terms with the fact that she would live her life alone, without a husband...without a family.
She was fulfilled by her work, by the friendships she shared and with the often amusing and always wise company of her grandmother. That was enough for her. It had to be enough.
“What’s on your agenda for today?” Mary asked after they’d eaten and as they cleaned up the breakfast dishes.
“I’m going to try to finish up that turquoise skirt so I can get started on another one. I’d like to sew at least ten more before the craft show,” Halena replied.
Despite her advancing age, Halena still made beautiful skirts with beaded detail that was stunning, along with the more traditional Choctaw dresses. They always sold well at the annual Oklahoma Days Craft Fair.
“Ten skirts in two weeks, that’s a pretty tall order,” Mary replied.
“The more skirts, the more new movies I can buy,” Halena replied.
A year ago, when Halena had been recovering from a mild heart attack, a friend had given her a DVD player and a handful of movies. Since that time she was movie-obsessed.
“And I’m going to work on some baskets out on the back porch. It’s going to be such a beautiful day,” Mary replied.
Halena nodded. “It’s always good to have a plan. And now I think it’s time to get to work. I need to get these skirts done as quickly as possible.”
As Halena headed to her bedroom, Mary smiled in amusement. Her grandmother was an amusing blend of old tradition and new-world savvy. She was often a guest speaker at the Durant Indian Nation grade school, where she spoke about the history and culture of their people, and she also had a blog with tons of followers, where she talked about everything from how to properly fold a bath towel to sex and love tips.
The screened-in back porch was Mary’s work space as long as the weather allowed. When it got colder or was too rainy, she moved inside to the spare bedroom, but today was positively gorgeous.
She stepped outside to the musical sound of wind chimes dancing in the light breeze. The scent of autumn was in the air and the river cane she used to make the baskets she sol
d tickled her nose.
She’d built a successful business for herself, selling baskets and pottery and other items not only at craft fairs, but also through her internet site.
As she sat at the long worktable, it didn’t take her long to lose herself in the artistry of weaving. She worked here most mornings and then after lunch her grandmother often joined her. The two would work and chat until dinnertime and then move back inside for the evening. After supper, Halena worked on her blog or watched movies, while Mary checked in with the two people who helped her with her web-based business.
“It’s going to be a long winter,” Halena said as she settled into the cushy porch chair after lunch. The skirt she was hand-sewing was a beautiful spill of turquoise in her lap.
“And how do you know that?” Mary asked.
“The leaves in the trees have whispered to me that the snow will come early and stay late,” she said.
“Last year didn’t the leaves in the trees whisper to you that we’d have an unusually wet summer?” Mary asked in amusement. It had been the driest summer on record.
Halena smiled with a glint in her eyes. “Okay, I’ll admit that sometimes the leaves lie to me.”
Mary laughed, but her laughter was cut short by a loud knock on the front door. “I wonder who that could be,” she said. She got up from the table and hurried through the house to answer.
She opened the door and stared at the man on her porch in stunned surprise. “Tony,” she said in shock. The last time she’d seen the handsome cowboy had been a little over a year ago, when he and her friend Amy had come to visit several times.
He held on to a baby car seat with a bright-eyed, chubby-cheeked infant tucked beneath a blue blanket. Tony was not only clad in jeans, a white T-shirt and a brown cowboy hat, but he also wore an air of utter desperation.
“Mary, can I come in?” he asked.
“Of course.” She stepped aside and as he swept past her to enter the living room, he smelled of not only sunshine and fresh air, but also a woodsy cologne that was instantly appealing.
She hated the way her heart beat just a little faster at the mere sight of him. The very first time she’d met him her heart had reacted the same way, and it had shamed her, since he was her friend’s boyfriend.
She closed the door behind him and motioned him to sit on the sofa. What was he doing here? And why did he have a baby, who cooed softly as he set the carrier on the floor next to him?
“Have you been in touch with Amy lately?” he asked as she sat in the chair opposite the sofa. He took off his hat and placed it next to him.
“No. The last time I spoke to her was about six months ago. Why?”
“She came by the ranch last night and said she was in trouble.” He glanced down at the baby and his jaw tightened. “She told me the baby is mine and his name is Joey, then she jumped into her car and drove off. I need to find her.”
Oh, Amy, what kind of trouble have you found this time? “I’m sorry, Tony, I don’t know what to tell you. The last time I talked to her she was living in Oklahoma City with a man she met not long after the two of you went your separate ways. I tried to call her a while ago, but the phone number I had for her was no good.”
Tony’s eyes bored into hers with intensity. A woman could fall into those dark depths. “Do you remember the name of the man?”
Mary frowned thoughtfully and tried to remember the last conversation she’d had with her friend. “No, I don’t think she mentioned his name to me.”
Her gaze drifted down to the baby. He smiled and cooed to her and a wave of unexpected anguish swept through her, an anguish she’d believed she’d made peace with a long time ago.
“Did you know she was pregnant?” Tony asked.
Mary nodded. “She told me she was pregnant with your child when she first took a test.”
Tony’s strong features expressed bewilderment. “Why didn’t she tell me? Why didn’t she come to me?”
“I don’t know, Tony. I certainly encouraged her to do so at the time.” But there was no telling Amy anything when she didn’t want to listen. “Besides, she made me promise I wouldn’t tell you.”
He leaned back against the beige sofa, his disturbed energy filling the air. “Do you know for sure that he’s mine?”
Mary’s heart squeezed tight as she thought about her troubled friend. “I can only go by what she told me at the time, but I know when she did tell me she was already living with the other man.” She knew that Tony probably understood as well as she did that Amy wasn’t always a reliable source of truthfulness.
He remained silent for several long minutes, his gaze directed someplace over her shoulder. Tony Nakni obviously had Native American blood. His skin tone was a warm bronze and his straight black hair was a thing of glory, falling to the middle of his shoulders.
And those broad shoulders accentuated his slim hips and long legs. Physically he stirred something in Mary that had been dormant for a very long time.
His gaze returned to her and he leaned forward. “I need your help, Mary.”
At that moment Halena came in from the back porch and stood in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen. “Grandmother, do you remember Tony Nakni? He came to visit a couple of times with Amy.”
“I don’t remember what we had for breakfast this morning,” Halena replied as she eyed Tony with a touch of suspicion. “Is that your baby?”
Tony hesitated a moment. “I don’t know,” he finally replied. “What I do know for sure is that I need help.” He looked back at Mary.
“What kind of help?” she asked.
“I’ll pay you whatever it takes if you’ll take care of Joey just until I can find Amy,” he said. She stared at him in stunned surprise and he quickly continued, “I know you’re a good woman, Mary. I wouldn’t trust him with anyone else, but I have to work during the day and I don’t live in a place that would be healthy for a baby. Besides, I don’t know what I’m doing. I know I’m asking a lot, but I don’t have anyplace else to turn. It should only be for a couple of days or so.”
Mary was speechless. In a million years she wouldn’t have been able to anticipate a visit from Tony, let alone the favor that he asked of her. He had also just spoken more words than he had during all the visits when he and Amy had been here before.
She didn’t want to get involved with this. Anything that had to do with Amy always wound up to be a big mess. Besides, he was talking about her taking on a huge responsibility.
Still, as Joey cooed and waved his hands in the air as if catching imaginary butterflies, myriad emotions surged up inside her.
“Okay, I’ll do it,” she heard herself say.
Tony jumped up off the sofa. “Thank you so much,” he said fervently. He picked up his hat. “I’ll just head into town and get some things for you that you’ll need.”
“Don’t thank me yet, you haven’t heard my terms,” Mary replied. If the baby was Tony’s, then he wasn’t going to get off so easily. She wasn’t just going to take care of little Joey without him being a part of it.
“Terms?” He looked at her warily.
“Joey can stay here with us, but when you get off work in the evenings, you need to be here with him.” All she was thinking of was what was best for the child. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was intensely attracted to Tony.
“That’s not a problem,” he replied. The darkness that had filled his eyes dissipated somewhat for the first time since he’d walked through the door. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”
He began to inch toward the front door. “I’ve got a suitcase full of stuff that Amy left with him. I’ll go get that now and then I’ll pick up some more things in town and be back here later this afternoon.”
“I’ll walk out with you for the suitcase,�
� Mary replied.
They left the house and headed toward his black king-cab pickup parked in her driveway. “It’s possible Amy will show up in the next day or so,” he said. He pulled the suitcase out of the pickup bed and then frowned. “She didn’t look good, Mary. I think she’s back on drugs.”
Mary’s heart sank, although she wasn’t surprised. Amy had fought addiction issues for years. “Let’s just hope whatever is going on with her life, she gets it together soon and comes back for her son.”
“This arrangement isn’t going to cause issues with your boyfriend or a significant other, is it?” he asked worriedly.
“Since I don’t have a significant other or a boyfriend, there’s no problem,” she replied.
Moments later she watched as Tony’s truck disappeared in the distance. She gripped the suitcase handle tightly and wondered what she had just gotten herself into.
She should have never agreed to this. The last thing she needed was to have a baby in the house to remind her of all her inadequacies. But Tony had looked so desperate.
It’s going to be just fine, she assured herself. It was possible Amy had already returned to the Holiday ranch looking for Tony and her baby.
With this positive thought in mind she headed inside. Halena remained standing in the same place she’d been during the conversation with Tony, only now she had deep lines etched across her forehead.
“Big changes,” she said. “And a tin man... You’d better guard yourself, my Mary. The leaves are whispering to me that this is not a good thing.”
Mary released an uneasy laugh. “But, Grandmother, sometimes the leaves lie to you.”
Halena’s eyes remained dark and troubled. “And sometimes they don’t,” she replied.
Chapter 2
Tony had forgotten about Mary Redwing’s beauty. Of course, the last time he’d seen her he’d been completely besotted by Amy’s curly blond hair, bright blue eyes and infectious giggles.
Operation Cowboy Daddy Page 2