Deep down, she’d known eventually Ty would ask for this time with Jordan, but she still wasn’t prepared.
“You leave him with the babysitters at the day care center,” Ty prompted.
“But they’re trained with kids,” she said.
“Maybe so. But I won’t learn unless I’m with him, will I?”
“You have to promise me not to put him on a horse,” she blurted out.
His lips twitched up and there was amusement in his eyes. “I promise. I’ll let him pet Goldie and that’s as far as we’ll go.”
“And what else will you do?” she asked, wondering if he knew anything about entertaining kids.
“He has a toy bin we can explore. And I saw those books he has that make animal sounds. We can always read. The point is, Marissa, you have to go spend a couple hours with friends or find something to do away from here. How about Sunday afternoon?”
“After church,” she murmured.
“After church is fine.”
“He takes a nap around three.”
“After church till three. That sounds good to me.”
He was still holding on to her, and she was so tempted to hold on to him. But if she did, her whole world could come crashing down around her if this didn’t work out.
He leaned forward and brushed his lips across her forehead. It was just the slightest of kisses. Yet she felt it deeply. When she breathed in, she smelled his shaving soap. She smelled him.
“That bed isn’t faraway and Jordan is still asleep,” he murmured close to her ear.
He was tempting her, and the truth was she was so close to succumbing to the temptation. Good sense prevailed however as she laid her palm against his bare chest, feeling the heat, the tautness of his skin, the strength underneath.
“Eli will be up soon. I’ll get breakfast started if you look in on Jordan before you come down.”
“I’ll look in on Jordan,” he agreed, a knowing look in his eyes.
He knew she was fighting her attraction to him. He knew she wanted to find passion in his arms again. But that wasn’t on her to-do list right now. Getting the Cozy C shipshape for January was. Once the Cozy C was up and running, she’d be able to tell just how committed Ty was to it and to staying here in Fawn Grove.
* * *
Where Marissa thought she’d be staining the decks and essentially be alone doing it, she was wrong. Ty asked Clint to see to the decks, explaining a tricky sprayer was involved. He felt Clint could handle the large machine a little easier than she could.
So that’s how she ended up in the first guest cabin with Ty, working on the window sashing, plastic spread on the floor to catch any drips of stain. The tension between them had everything to do with almost kisses, and wants and desires they weren’t meeting.
“I like the light wood tones in the cabins,” she said to make conversation. “I like the warm feel the wood gives when you walk in here. Did you paint the interiors?”
“I had a hand in it.”
The interior walls held a coat of rough plaster that was then painted a creamy yellow. With the lighter wood trim, the color added brightness to the interior.
They could hear the strokes of their brushes as they applied the stain. And maybe the sound of their thoughts. When they made eye contact, the room seemed to shake a bit.
Maybe she was just going crazy. Ty-crazy. “Do you have furniture picked out yet?” she asked, changing the subject to give herself something else to think about other than the man beside her.
He shifted to reach a longer expanse of the window frame. “I have some in mind that I saw at one of the furniture stores in town.”
She dipped her brush into the stain. “If we went to the used furniture store, I’m sure we could find some good pieces at a decent price.”
When he shrugged, his T-shirt molded to his upper arm muscles. “I didn’t think I’d have time for that.”
Staring at the trim work before her, rather than at him, she offered, “I wouldn’t mind looking for you if you’re not too particular about what you’d like.”
Their gazes met again. “Not particular at all. Except I want it to be comfortable.”
A half hour later they were working on the last window frame—together. As each of them painted up their own side, Ty asked, “So would you like to stay here if you were a tourist?”
She gave the cabin another once-over, even eyeing the small kitchen. “I would. It has everything I’d need—a bedroom, a sitting room and a place to cook. You know I was thinking—”
“Uh-oh,” Ty said with a teasing tone. “That could be trouble.”
She batted his arm and he grinned at her. “What were you thinking?” he prodded.
“I was just wondering if the Cozy C and Raintree Winery could do a promotion together. You could both benefit. We can offer a 10 percent reduced rate for Raintree Winery Club guests.”
“Winery Club?”
“Yes. They receive a case of wine a month and have access to events just for them. They’re the cream of the crop of our customers, live across the state and beyond. You could do the same thing. Have a sign-up for the Cozy C Vacation Club. Every year the members would get a discount. Guests who stay here would receive coupons for Raintree Winery wines. What do you think?”
He looked at her in a way that made dreams come alive again.
She had that feeling even more so when he said, “You’re one smart woman, Marissa. Those ideas are good. I’ll have to talk to Jase about them. I’ll call him later and make an appointment. I can’t stop in tomorrow. I’m going to a horse auction, but maybe Monday.”
He laid his brush on top of the can of stain. “In fact, I was wondering. Would you like to come along? We can take Jordan.”
“A restless baby and a horse auction might not go together well.”
Ty shrugged. “It’s nothing the two of us can’t handle. There will be lots of sights and sounds and people. I think he’ll be occupied with it all. We can take that stroller you said you have in your car.”
A day away from the Cozy C with Ty. And Jordan. Sounded appealing. “I’ve never been to a horse auction.”
“We’re looking for two more horses we can use for trail rides. I’ll need them to handle well for the guests to use them. The facility might even have hot dogs and burgers to whet our appetites, possibly ice cream.”
Marissa laughed. “Now that’s a meal Jordan probably can’t refuse.”
“But you can?”
Ty was leaning toward her, and she was leaning toward him. Working together like this, talking like this, made her feel close to him. Not quite as close as she felt that night after the wedding, but still—
“I’m going to kiss you, Marissa. Is that okay with you?”
She supposed he was telling her because if she really wanted to run away, she could. But she was still standing there, not even thinking of leaving. She was just drowning in his eyes and waiting to see what would happen next.
Next.
He bent to her slowly, letting them both savor what was going to happen. Then he brushed his lips across hers, so teasingly she practically moaned. She could feel his smile against her lips, and she realized he knew exactly what he was doing.
Her brush fell to the newspaper on the floor, and her arms went around his neck. He pulled her closer, and his kiss became possessive in a way the last one hadn’t been. This one was deeper and longer and wetter. It told her he wanted to sleep with her again. It told her his body hungered for hers. It told her Ty was the sexiest man she’d ever known.
When he broke the kiss and leaned away, he said, “Your kisses always knock me for a loop. I think I’m going to be in control, and then something just happens.”
His honesty touched her. “Tomorrow we’ll have to behave w
hile we’re out in public. We wouldn’t want to give anybody the wrong idea.”
“And just what is the wrong idea?” he asked with a lifted brow. “We’re living together. We have a son together.”
“But we aren’t together,” she reminded him.
“Not in the way you mean,” he said.
“Jordan deserves more than his parents being lovers. If that ends badly, he’s the one who gets hurt.”
She removed herself from Ty’s embrace.
But Ty caught her wrist. “You will go with me tomorrow, won’t you?”
This connection she had with Ty could go somewhere, or it might not. But the only way to find out was to be with him more often, to spend time with him off of the Cozy C.
However, when she said, “Yes, I’ll go with you,” she wondered if she wasn’t making another mistake—like the one she’d made the night of her friend’s wedding.
* * *
That evening Marissa had taken a shower, picked up Jordan from day care and was putting together a supper of leftovers when there was a knock on the front door.
Eli called from the living room, “I’ll get it.”
Marissa wondered who would be calling. Scott Donaldson again?
She heard Ty’s bootfalls as he came down the stairs. He and Clint had wanted to finish the cabins and had worked late. But now he was freshly showered, too, and from the looks of it, he might have even shaved again.
They both looked toward the living room when they heard a woman’s voice.
Ty said, “That’s Hannah Johnson.”
Marissa waited for further explanation and Ty smiled. “She’s the neighbor I told you about. The one who often brings us food. She was bringing Eli food long before I came along. I think she’s sweet on him.”
They couldn’t talk anymore then because Eli and Hannah came into the kitchen. Eli was holding a casserole.
Marissa had heated gravy with pieces of turkey in it. The mixture was simmering. She’d warm up the mashed potatoes in the microwave as well as the stuffing and they could pour the turkey mixture over it.
Hannah looked at the dishes on the counter and the pot on the stove. She said, “I never imagined you’d be making Thanksgiving dinner. There’s more turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes in that casserole.”
Since Eli didn’t step in to guide the conversation, Ty did. He crossed to the corner of the kitchen where Jordan was playing with blocks and hefted him into his arms.
Then he crossed to Hannah. “Our situation has changed a little since you were here last. This is my son, Jordan, and his mom, Marissa. They’re staying at the Cozy C now, and Marissa’s a great cook.”
Hannah beamed at Jordan. “Hey, little guy, aren’t you a cutie? Will you come to me?” She held out her arms and she glanced at Marissa. “Do you mind?”
“No, I don’t mind at all,” she assured the woman, who had kind blue eyes, fluffy gray hair and a smile from ear to ear. She was a little plump and her cheeks were rosy.
“I’m Hannah Johnson,” she said to Marissa as she took the baby. “Eli and I go way back.”
Marissa looked to Eli for clarification while Hannah jiggled Jordan and cooed at him. He seemed happy enough in her arms.
Eli said, “We went to school together before everybody had cell phones.”
Marissa couldn’t help but laugh. Addressing Hannah, she assured her, “I’m sure we can use your casserole, too. These guys have big appetites. We’ll probably finish up our leftovers today. They’re going to have to fight over the last piece of pie tonight, too.”
Now Hannah laughed. “I make pies, too. We’ll have to compare notes sometime.” Then Hannah looked over at Eli. “You’d think you’d let me know you have a grand-nephew.”
“You would have found out when you come here to clean,” Eli said.
“Do you still want me to do that?” Hannah wanted to know, looking again at Marissa.
“I work full-time,” Marissa explained. “So if you clean for Eli that would be a help for all of us.”
“No reason not to keep it the way it is,” Eli mumbled, looking anywhere in the kitchen but at Hannah. Hannah, on the other hand, gazed at him adoringly.
Marissa wondered if the two had been high school crushes who’d gone their separate ways. She didn’t have long to ponder it before Jordan reached out his arms to Marissa and she took him from Hannah.
Hannah said, “I’ll be going. I don’t want to interrupt your dinner. But if you ever need a babysitter, just give me a call. My son has never married, and I don’t see babies on the horizon.” She told Eli, “I’ll be over on Tuesday as usual. You don’t have to see me out.”
As quick as she’d dropped into their lives, she was out the front door again.
Eli noted, “We might have to get someone younger to keep up with all this. We’ll need someone to clean those guest cabins, too.”
“You don’t want Hannah coming around anymore?” Marissa asked. “She seems like a fine woman. Aren’t you interested?”
Ty gave her a warning look that said this was an area she probably shouldn’t tread in. But if they were all going to be family, she had to know what was going on.
As Marissa lowered Jordan into his high chair, Eli sat at the table. “She is a good woman. She’s been a widow about ten years. But I have nothing to offer her. I can’t even pay my taxes.”
“Couldn’t pay them,” Ty corrected him. “They’re paid now.”
“A woman likes security,” Eli retorted. “I can’t give it. Everything here is still uncertain. I sure as heck can’t handle getting involved with a woman.” He paused a moment, then added, “Even if I’d want to.”
Marissa studied Ty, who didn’t say anything. She wondered if he felt the same way. Was everything still too uncertain for him to be involved in anything more than an affair?
Could they both handle an affair?
The fact that she was even thinking about sleeping with Ty again scared the dust off her boots.
Chapter Seven
Marissa had gotten Jordan up before he was awake on Saturday morning and her son was in a cantankerous mood. She knew Ty wanted to get going to the auction so she hurried breakfast a little. No pancakes this morning, just bacon, eggs and toast.
“Ketchup or hot sauce?” she asked the two men as they took chairs at the table.
Ty used ketchup and Eli used hot sauce. It had become a pattern, and now Jordan wanted ketchup on his eggs, too. He banged his little fist on his tray and shot a gap-toothed grin at Ty.
Before Marissa could say, “Don’t give him ketchup this morning, because he has a nice clean new shirt on,” Ty spooned some on Jordan’s dish beside his eggs. The little boy banged on his tray with his fist.
“He’s grumpy when I get him up early,” Marissa said.
“Not so different from a lot of cowboys I know,” Ty joked.
“What are you going to bid on today?” Eli asked.
“I’m not sure. It depends on what I see.”
“You might run into folks you used to know.”
Marissa caught Eli’s comment as a subtle warning. Ty would have a baby and a woman along. And just what would he say if anyone asked questions?
Suddenly, without warning, Jordan gripped his plate with both his little hands and flipped it over. Eggs, ketchup and a spoonful of applesauce Marissa had put on his plate flew all over him, the tray and the floor.
She, of course, had seen this happen before, but it was a bit startling for those who hadn’t.
Eli muttered, “That little rascal.”
Ty said in a firm voice, “Jordan!”
Marissa stared at Jordan and the mess, then looked at Ty. “Why don’t you go to the auction by yourself? I don’t want to make you late. This will take a
while to clean up.”
But Ty didn’t seem overly worried. Rather, he seemed more concerned about teaching Jordan the right thing to do. He flipped the little boy’s plate right side up. Then he put some of his eggs on Jordan’s dish and scooped up a spoonful.
He stared at his son straight in the eye and said, “How about if we eat some of this instead of playing with it.”
Marissa didn’t know if it was the tone of Ty’s voice or the way he was looking at Jordan, but Jordan didn’t make a fuss. With ketchup and applesauce smeared all over his new shirt, he opened his mouth and he let Ty spoon the eggs in.
After another spoonful, Marissa asked, “How did you do that? Usually after one of these little tantrums, he won’t eat at all.”
“It’s a guy thing,” Ty said, readying another spoonful. “We understand each other, don’t we, son?”
She got his drift and actually she was quite impressed with it. He wasn’t going to let a baby run roughshod over him. She guessed she let Jordan have his way sometimes because she felt guilty being the only parent. She felt guilty that she couldn’t give Jordan all the things she wanted to give him.
“He’ll be a tyrant by two if you give him too much slack,” Ty advised her. But then he glanced at her. “Sorry, I don’t mean to give you advice. I know nothing about kids. But I know something about horses, and I’m not sure they’re too much different.”
At that she laughed. “Are you sure you don’t want to get going?”
He shook his head and checked his watch. “We’re good. I’ll clean up down here while you change him. We’ll be on the road in half an hour.”
Eli had watched it all with interest. Now he winked at his nephew as if to say, “You handled that well.”
Yes, Ty had. Is this the kind of everyday dad he’d be? Or was he putting on a good front for her benefit? She knew she didn’t trust easily. Because of her father’s example, she didn’t trust men to stay, or to be consistent or committed.
But handling a baby at a horse auction could try the patience of a saint. She couldn’t wait to see how Ty would handle that.
* * *
In Ty’s crew cab truck with a double horse trailer behind, Marissa glanced at him often. Jordan napped once they were on the road and she found herself actually relaxing.
The Cowboy's Secret Baby (The Mommy Club Book 3) Page 9