“Hey, Momma. Guess what?” Adam said, his mouth full of oatmeal.
“I don’t know. What? And don’t talk with your mouth full, honey.”
He swallowed and drank some milk. “Mitch—I mean Daddy—said I was the best cowboy he’d ever trained. And that if I…” He scrunched up his eyes as he tried to remember what Mitch had told him. “That if I played cards with him, I could have a ranch like this when I grow up.”
Olivia leaned over to wipe oatmeal off his cheek. “Did he? Well, grown up is a few years off yet. Besides, I thought you wanted to own the gym.”
“I could do both.” His face beamed at the idea.
Mitch came to the table and sat. “Ready to ride, partner?”
Adam nodded his head vigorously. Olivia enjoyed Adam’s enthusiasm when around Mitch, evident even before last night’s revelation.
Mitch hadn’t brought up her remarrying Drake again, but Drake had last night when he called, just as he had every night since their conversation two weeks ago. When he’d first asked her—before she and Mitch had reconnected—she’d given thought to living with Drake again and being the wife of a college professor. She’d decided that a life with Drake would probably be calm and agreeable and, maybe even a little boring.
Would that be a good life for her son? After all, nothing was more important to her than him. Her needs and desires ran a distant second.
But if she decided to stay with Mitch, was raising Adam so far from town the right move? By virtue of the distance of Mitch’s ranch from the nearest grade school, Adam would be separated from other children of his own age. No neighborhood children to play with. No close friends to ride bikes with. Was it fair to Adam to uproot him from the only life he’d ever known and plop him on such an isolated ranch?
“You going today, Olivia?”
Olivia’s meandering thoughts jarred back to Mitch’s kitchen. Mitch and Adam stood hand-in-hand looking at her. Both wore jeans, classic snap-closed plaid cowboy shirts, and dirty boots. Adam’s cowboy hat sat slightly crooked and off to one side. Her heart seized at the vision of man and son.
“What are you two cowboys doing today?” She’d been with them every day, but she needed to get away from this house and her feelings for a while. She needed some time for herself.
“Well, the guys are branding and neutering today.” When she flinched, he went on. “But I need to check a fence the hands did last week, run by and pick up some dewormer, see if any of the pregnant heifers have delivered. We’ll be in the truck. Plenty of room for you if you want to ride along. We’d like that, wouldn’t we, partner?” He tapped the crown of Adam’s hat.
“Yep. You can come if you want to, Momma.”
Yep. That’d be Hobbs’s influence. She stifled a grin.
Relieved Mitch wasn’t taking her son to watch calves be neutered, she shook her head. “Sounds like a great plan for the day, but I need to run to town for a while. Since your mom brought back your other truck, I thought maybe I could use it today.”
“Sure. You know where the keys are,” Mitch said with a tilt of his head toward the laundry room.
“Can I have a word with you before you two head off?”
“Okay.” Mitch squatted down. “Will you go grab us a couple of bottles of water from the refrigerator and put them in the truck?”
Adam’s face beamed. “Sure, Daddy.”
Olivia’s breath caught. Her son had been thrilled to find out about Mitch. Getting him to bed last night when they’d gotten home from the cookout had taken reading three books—all read by Daddy. It was as though Adam didn’t want to let Mitch out of his sight for fear he’d disappear.
Adam’s boots thudded on the kitchen tile as he raced across the kitchen, flung open the refrigerator door, grabbed two bottles, slammed it and ran back. “I’ll wait for you by the truck.”
Mitch tapped on the crown of Adam’s hat, straightening it. “Wait for me by the front door, okay?”
“Sure.” Adam galloped through the door. The echo of his boot heels on the entry hall tile made Olivia smile.
“You know, I had to make him take his boots off before bed last night. He wanted to sleep in them.”
Mitch smiled and stroked a finger down her cheek. “Good morning,” he said, and leaned in for a kiss.
Olivia glanced around to make sure Adam was out of the room before returning his kiss. “Morning, Daddy.”
Mitch shrugged. “Every time he calls me daddy it feels like my chest is too small for my heart. What a kid.”
She laughed. “I know.”
Mitch brushed a kiss across her lips. “You were gone when I woke up this morning.”
“I know. I thought it would be better if Adam didn’t find you and me together. Finding out you’re his father is enough of a shock for now. Let’s give him some time to adjust.”
He pressed his lips into her hair. “Agreed. Now, what do you need? Unless it was just use of my lips, and in that case I can hang around a minute or two longer.”
She laughed. “Good thing you have a ten gallon hat to fit over that huge ego.” He chuckled, the sound sending desire curling through her like hot smoke. “I wanted to thank you for finding things to do with him today besides the calf neutering.”
“Olivia. Honey,” he said on a long sigh. “He’s a five-year-old boy. Boys love stuff like that. I did when I was his age, but I’ve got enough hands on that job. I really do need to run these errands and I want the company of…my son.”
He said the words with such affection, Olivia’s throat swelled in emotion. She swallowed past the lump and fought against threatening tears.
She nodded her understanding, not trusting her voice not to crack.
“Is there anything else?” Mitch turned to leave.
“Do you know when you’ll be back?”
“Nope. How long will you be in town?”
“I’m not sure, but probably most of the day.”
“No problem.” He took a couple of steps then came back for another quick kiss. “Don’t worry about Adam. Have a good day. Get a massage. Get a manicure. Do whatever it is that women do that drive us men crazy.” He winked. “I’ll be checking those toes tonight,” he said with a leer.
Olivia laughed. She heard Adam starting in with questions as soon as Mitch walked into the foyer. She sighed. It’d be fun to do some women stuff today.
Olivia sat and picked up her now cold coffee. She looked at the almost empty coffee pot across the kitchen, sighed and stood. It felt wonderful to be off those crutches for short steps around the house.
“I’ll get it. Sit.” Magda shuffled into the kitchen wearing a pair of Daisy Duke cutoff denim shorts, a tie-dyed T-shirt and house shoes. “I like my coffee fresh anyway.” She poured the remaining coffee down the sink, refilled the basket with fresh grounds, the reserve with water, and pressed the start button. “There,” she said with a satisfied smile.
Olivia pointed to one of the chairs at the breakfast nook table. “Sit down and keep me company.”
Magda dragged back a chair and sat. “Where are the guys?”
“Mitch took Adam with him to check on a fence and run some errands.”
“And you’re not going.”
“Right.” Olivia drew her fingers through her hair. “It’s a guy day.”
“You know you don’t have to worry about Mitch. Adam will be fine.”
“I’m not worried.”
“Then why the wrinkles in your forehead?”
Olivia laughed and smoothed the skin between her eyes with her fingertips. “Not enough coffee.”
Magda stood. “Well, that I can solve.” She took Olivia’s cup to the counter, got another from the cabinet, poured two coffees and made her way back to the table. After setting Olivia’s cup in front of her, Magda sipped hers and sighed. “Love the first taste of coffee in the morning. It was always like that with cigarettes too. The first drag was always the best. The rest simply fed my nicotine habit.”
Olivia twisted her cup around in her hands. “I don’t think I’ve seen you smoke since I’ve been here.”
“You haven’t. Hobbs made me quit.”
Olivia smiled. “Good for him. Bad habit.”
Magda shrugged. “I know, but before Hobbs no one ever cared enough to make me quit.”
Olivia thought that was the saddest thing she’d ever heard. Growing up with three brothers, a mother who’d stay up late sewing a new dress that Olivia just had to have the next day and a father who’d spoiled her rotten, Olivia had always considered her life normal. Now, she realized how fortunate she’d been.
“I’ve never had a chance to ask. How did you end up here with Hobbs…if you don’t mind me asking?”
Magda finished her coffee, went for a refill and retook her chair. “I’m sorry. I should have asked if you wanted a refill.”
Olivia covered her mug with her hand. “I’m fine.”
The two women sat there for a minute, the hum of the refrigerator the only sound.
“It’s times like these I wish I could have a cigarette.” Magda ran her finger around the rim of her coffee mug. “Mom was…well, I guess the best description would be a buckle bunny. She followed the PBR circuit. That’s the Professional Bull Riders circuit.”
Olivia nodded. “Right.”
Magda drank some coffee then said, “I think her goal was to bed all the majors. Back then Hobbs was quite the rider. A top contender for the world championship.”
When Magda took an extended pause, Olivia said, “You know, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want.”
Magda smiled. “It’s fine. Hard to believe how much I still miss her. Anyway, Mom and Hobbs got together. He moved on to the next rodeo. Mom told him she’d follow, but she didn’t. She suspected she was pregnant. Being with a professional bull rider is a hard life. She didn’t want to stay on the road with a baby. I was born in Cheyenne and we stayed there until I was seven. I guess that’s as long as Mom stayed anywhere. We moved to California, Las Vegas, Tulsa, then back to Eureka, California. Mom died there.”
Olivia laid her hand over Magda’s. “I’m so sorry. She must have been young.”
“Twenty-eight. I was ten.”
The horror of being alone at such a young age broke Olivia’s heart. “Oh, God. How awful for you.”
Magda shrugged and drank her coffee but Olivia wasn’t fooled by her nonchalance.
“The state took me because no one claimed me,” Magda continued. “I must have lived in ten different foster homes before I left for good.”
“Left?”
“Ran away. Went out on my own.” Magda got up and refilled her coffee cup. “I’m not sure what was worse…living in some of those foster homes or living on the streets.” She walked back to the table. “Somewhere along the line, social services reached out to Hobbs.” She sat. “Mom did something right. She listed him as my father. He was always one step behind the foster system, though. When he finally caught up with me, I’d been on the street for a couple of years, getting by the best I could.”
Olivia rubbed her eyes. Not surprisingly, her fingertips came away damp. “Drugs?”
Magda didn’t reply at first. After a couple of minutes of strained silence that made Olivia questioned whether she should have asked, Magda said, “Some. I was luckier than most. I was doing some coke and a little weed, but before I got deep into the lifestyle, Hobbs showed up and dragged me back here.” She smiled. “I think he pretty much forced Mitch to give me a job.”
Olivia returned the smile. “I’m pretty sure Mitch does what he wants most of the time. If he didn’t want to hire you, he wouldn’t have, and from what I’ve seen he got the best end of the deal. You keep this house running like a clock.”
Pink tinged Magda cheeks. “Thanks, but I had a lot to learn when I got here. That bitch, Joanna—sorry. I shouldn’t have called her that.”
“Why not? She is…most of the time.”
Magda snorted a laugh. “She hated me from the minute I drove onto the property. I think she’s made it her life’s mission to get me out of here.”
“Maybe she thinks you might beat her out of getting back with Mitch.”
Magda spewed coffee on the table. She swiped at the drops on her chin. “Sorry. You should warn me before you say something like that.” She laughed. “Mitch isn’t interested in me, and I am certainly not interested in him. He’s already in love and it’s not with me.”
Olivia’s heart lurched. “He is?”
“Oh, Olivia. You can’t be that blind. The man is crazy in love with you.”
She took a gulp of cold coffee in an attempt to dislodge the boulder in her throat. “Really? You think so?” Olivia felt sure he did, but he hadn’t said the words.
Magda shook her head. “When you’re not looking, he’s watching your every move.”
“Maybe he’s afraid I’m going to steal the silver.”
Magda snickered. “Not hardly.”
“What’s the deal with Joanna? Seems like every time I turn around, the woman’s oozing through the door.” Olivia hated hearing the jealous tone in her voice, but Joanna’s frequent visits were a sore point for her.
Joanna had dropped by almost every night. Amazing how she just happened to be in the area when it was a good forty-five miles from town and probably an additional twenty miles to her parents’ house where she was staying. She always had a pressing issue that required speaking with Mitch alone in his study. Olivia couldn’t imagine what issue was so dire as to require daily runs out to the ranch, and she didn’t ask. She suspected Adam and she were flies in the ointment of Joanna’s plan, and that gave Olivia perverse enjoyment.
“Oh, that woman’s got her hook set for him. I can’t see what he sees in her. I can only hope he is smart enough to avoid her trap again, which he will with you around. Want to move in?”
Olivia leaned back in her chair and shook her head. “Sorry, Magda, but Adam and I are going home. Probably soon. My ankle is doing much better. I think I’ll be off the crutches for good by the end of the week.”
Magda frowned. “I’ll hate to see you both go. I’ve loved having you here. And Adam? I think I’m in love. Hmm. Going for a younger man. Would that make me a cougar?”
Olivia laughed and stood. “You’re wonderful with him. I think he’s pretty much in love with you too, but I’m not ready to be your mother-in-law.”
When Magda laughed, Olivia pushed her chair back under the table. “I’m heading into town for a little shopping, a manicure and some me time, unless you want to come along?”
“Thanks, but I’m not the girlie-manicure type. Now if you wanna go get a tattoo, I’m your girl.”
Olivia grinned. “I’m not exactly the tattoo sort of woman, but I’ll keep you in mind if I change my mind. Do you need me to pick up anything for you while I’m in town?”
“Nope. I’m good.”
“Okay, then. I should be home late this afternoon.”
After an hour-long massage, a spa manicure and pedicure, and two new western belts she just had to have, joy and relaxation filled Olivia. She knew she wore a smile worthy of a rodeo clown, but she couldn’t help it. Today was just what the doctor ordered. Not ready to head back to the ranch, she decided if she checked on Adam and all was well, she was going to have a long lunch and enjoy not having to cut up anyone else’s food but her own.
The Red Rose Cafe came up on her left. Olivia wheeled into the parking lot. Exactly the type of place she could never take her son…and exactly the type of café she wanted—quiet, calm, and good food, if the number of cars in the parking lot was any indication. She dialed Mitch’s cell phone.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Mitch. It’s Olivia. How’s Adam?” In the background, she could hear Adam talking and cows mooing.
“He’s fine. Hold on. I’ll get him.”
“Hullo?”
“Hi, honey. It’s Momma. Are you having fun with Mitch?”
“Guess what
?”
“I don’t know. What?”
“I saw a baby cow come out of its momma’s bottom.”
Olivia squeezed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. “Really?” This might push her birds-and-bees talk with Adam to much sooner than she’d planned.
“Yeah. It was really cool.”
“Well…I’m, um, glad.”
“Daddy said I could name it.”
“Oh. Is it a boy or a girl cow?”
“I don’t know. I’ll ask. Daddy.” Adam’s voice slammed into her ear. “Momma wants to know if it’s a boy cow or girl cow.”
When Mitch answered in his deep Texas drawl, an army of goose bumps marched down her spine. She had it bad if just the man’s voice through a cell phone could evoke images of dark nights and sweaty sheets.
“Daddy says it’s a boy…like me. Can I name it after me?”
Olivia packed away her erotic fantasies until later when she could actually practice them on Mitch and refocused her attention on her son. “You want to name the bull Adam?”
“Yeah.”
“Fine with me if it’s okay with Mitch.”
“Yay!”
“Let me talk to Mitch.”
“How’s your day in town going?” Mitch asked.
“Awesome. I thought I’d grab a quiet late lunch before I head back to the ranch. Will that be a problem for you? I mean, if Adam’s in the way I’m sure Magda would keep an eye on him for a while.”
“You go enjoy yourself and don’t give us guys a thought. There’s nothing I have to do today that he can’t come along. Besides we’re having fun, right?”
“Right!” Adam yelled into the phone.
“Okay then, I’ll see you guys tonight.”
Olivia smiled as she tucked her phone into her purse. Her son was happy at Mitch’s ranch. She was happy. Mitch seemed to be happy. Mitch hadn’t asked her to marry him again since the night of their rooftop talk, but she felt sure he would. Is it possible that the foundation for a good life together was staring her in the face? Should she give serious consideration to moving to the Lazy L? Maybe it was time for her to confess to Mitch how very much she loved him. Tonight. She’d open the discussion on their future tonight. Now that she’d made that decision, she’d answered her growling stomach.
Texas Two Step: Texas Montgomery Mavericks, Book 1 Page 19