The Cowboy's Secret Baby (The Mommy Club Book 3)

by Karen Rose Smith

  “But if you took the job as a rodeo promoter, that would mean you’d have to travel, wouldn’t it?”

  “I haven’t talked to Carrington yet. I don’t know what’s involved. But I suppose it might.”

  “I thought you wanted to be an everyday dad. I thought you wanted to be around for all of it.”

  “I do. But I have to be practical, too.”

  He could see her face fall, and maybe it was more than her expression that fell. Maybe it was her hopes.

  “Look, I’m not going to make any decisions tonight,” he assured her. “I’m going to call him back, then I’m going to get some supper and a shower. Afterward...” He eyed her with a bit of expectation. “I’d like you to come to my room to sleep tonight.”

  She turned away from him and pretended to be busy doing something at the counter, but she was really only shifting things around, making up things to do.

  “That might not be such a good idea,” she admitted, turning to look at him again.

  “Because I’m returning his phone call?”

  “It’s not just that, Ty. You’re interested. You might be giving this all up.” She motioned to the house and to the broader aspect of the ranch. “To travel from place to place again.”

  “Let’s not discuss this until I know what I’m dealing with.”

  “Fine. Go make your call. I’ll check on Jordan.”

  And with that, she left the kitchen, leaving Ty wondering how everything had gone to hell in a handbasket so darn fast.

  * * *

  The following day, upset didn’t begin to describe Marissa’s state of mind. She had been dreaming of a future with Ty, and Ty was thinking about leaving again.

  Maybe that’s why when Scott Donaldson called her at the winery and asked for a meeting in his office, she didn’t think twice about it. In fact, she was hopeful he was going to tell her he had more recommendations for her. She could start socking away money for that new apartment and tell Ty she didn’t need his child support.

  She wasn’t going to be stupid. She was going to return to her previous outlook on life—that it was best if she needed no one and depended on no man. She’d begun to depend on Ty, and that had been a mistake.

  She left work a little early because she’d told Jase about the appointment and he’d encouraged her to go. He was the best boss.

  At the end of the day, she was always eager to pick up Jordan, see his happy little face and hug him in her arms. So this meeting with Scott would be quick.

  The developer’s office was located on the edge of the town in one of the newer Fawn Grove buildings. It was three stories and housed lawyers, insurance agents and other professional offices. He’d told her he was on the first floor and she easily found his suite. When she stepped into the reception area, she felt encased in luxury—burgundy leather, light gray walls, plush gray carpeting. She was about to approach the receptionist seated at a dark wooden desk when Scott himself emerged from a hall beyond.

  He smiled at her and beckoned to her. “Right on time.”

  “I try to be.”

  She followed him down the hall, aware of his height, almost the same as Ty’s, and the scent of his cologne. But she didn’t particularly like cologne on men. She preferred shaving soap and aftershave and the smell of pine and hard work. She shook those thoughts away because they brought a picture of Ty front and center in her mind.

  When Scott showed her into his office, he motioned to a pewter-gray leather sofa rather than the chairs in front of his desk. As she sat, he went to the desk, took something from the drawer and brought it with him as he lowered himself beside her.

  A little too close, she thought, tempted to move away but thinking that would look rude.

  “Do you have another event you want me to plan?” she asked brightly, intending to keep this meeting on a purely business footing.

  “I certainly do. After Christmas. It’s a ground-breaking event. But we’ll have plenty of time because it’s at the end of January.”

  “We’ll still need those weeks for preparation,” she remarked, wondering about the box with the little bow that he held in his hand.

  “We can worry about that after the new year, as well as the friend or two who asked me about you. They were impressed with my open house.”

  “Wonderful,” she said.

  “I have something else I want to talk to you about now.”

  The wary feeling that had slipped up her spine the moment she’d stepped into his office became more intense. “What would that be?”

  “I have something for you.” He leaned a little closer and handed her the box.

  When she turned questioning eyes on him, he gave a shrug. “Just a token of my appreciation, plus a little Christmas thrown in.”

  She was tempted just to hand him back the box, tell him she couldn’t accept a gift and leave, forgetting about his contacts and possible lucrative events. But what if something silly was in the box? Like a Santa pin with a light-up nose, or something equally benign.

  Swallowing hard, she removed the lid with the bow attached and stared at a beautiful silver bangle bracelet.

  Trying to keep her wits about her, she said, “It’s beautiful, Scott, but I can’t accept this.” She tried to hand it back to him.

  But his hand covered hers. “Put it on and I bet you won’t want to take it off.”

  She was already shaking her head. “No, I can’t do that. I—”

  Before she could get out another sentence, he started to lean toward her for a kiss.

  Oh, no, that was not happening! She wouldn’t set herself up in a situation that could only be damaging to everything she held dear.

  She quickly stood, still shaking her head. “Scott, I’m sorry, but I’m involved with Ty Conroy.” At least that much was true, even though that involvement might soon be ending. Her heart broke at the thought.

  “You said staying there was only temporary.” He sounded annoyed, as if he was used to getting his way, and this wasn’t the way he’d envisioned this meeting going.

  “Our situation is complicated, but I have deep feelings for Ty. He’s Jordan’s father, and I... Well—”

  She certainly wasn’t going to explain what was going on and what might happen next. She set the box with the bracelet on the sofa beside him.

  Scott stood and started to approach her. She was shaking her head again.

  “If we can’t have a strictly business relationship, we won’t be able to do business. That’s the bottom line for me,” she said firmly.

  With that, she left his office as quickly as she could. When she reached the reception area and realized he hadn’t come after her, she breathed a sigh of relief. If she wanted to start an event planning business, she’d have to do it without Scott Donaldson.

  * * *

  Ty hadn’t been in the best of moods before physical therapy. He could still see the hurt in Marissa’s eyes, and he felt the weight of her disappointment on his shoulders. Yet, what the physical therapist had just told him had to count, too.

  “You came through the trail ride fairly well,” she’d said.

  Fairly well, he thought, and responded, “When I overuse the muscles, it’s going to take a few days for them to settle down.”

  “Yes,” she’d agreed, though he hadn’t wanted her to. “This is your life now, Mr. Conroy, and I don’t know how far you’re going to progress from this point. If you do your exercises and don’t abuse your knee, it will work well for you. Think about how far you’ve come, from surgery and a walker and crutches to going on a three-day trail ride. But you must find a balance to handle pain, wear and tear on your knee, and what you want to deal with for the rest of your life.”

  Find a balance, he thought with annoyance. Just what was that supposed to mean? Only ri
de a horse one day a week? Not take vacationers out on a trail ride? Or take a different job altogether? Let his uncle retire in style? Live in a condo in town? See Marissa and Jordan whenever he wasn’t traveling?

  Deep in thought about the launch of the Cozy C as a vacation ranch, living with Marissa and making decisions that would affect them all led him to stop at the sports bar at the edge of town. The Black Boot might have a jukebox filled with country tunes, but the owner also boasted about its several flat-screen TVs streaming the latest sports. Ty could either drive around for a while and think, or he could have a beer and think. Today he chose the beer.

  At barely five o’clock, the week before Christmas, the Black Boot wasn’t that busy. He was glad of that. Though he might want a little white noise around him, he didn’t want to be bombarded with people.

  When he stepped inside, he decided to forgo a table and chose a stool at the long wooden bar. However, after he took a seat, he spotted Scott Donaldson’s face in the mirror behind the bar. The old-fashioned glass in front of him probably held one of those whiskeys he enjoyed. Expensive whiskeys, Ty corrected in his head.

  The bartender came over to Ty immediately, and Ty ordered a beer on draft, fully intending to ignore the real estate developer.

  But spotting Ty now, Donaldson made ignoring him out of the question. Sliding the drink down the bar, the developer took the stool next to Ty.

  “Good to see you, Conroy,” Donaldson said. “I was just thinking about you and your uncle and that pretty woman you have living there with you.”

  Ty took a slug of his beer and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “You’re wasting your time thinking about us.” If Eli really did want to sell the ranch, maybe they could get an even better price from somebody other than this man.

  “My offer’s the best one you’re going to get. I heard you already had a mishap with one of your guests. Those insurance premiums will go up each time you do.”

  “You let me worry about that. It’s really none of your business.”

  “Maybe, maybe not. But I just had a meeting with Marissa. She and I are going to be working on lots of projects in the new year. And just like your uncle, I’ll wear her down.”

  “Wear her down?” Ty asked, needing to understand the message Donaldson was trying to give him. When he looked into the man’s eyes, he saw that the whiskey in front of him hadn’t been his first. Was liquor fueling his words?

  “Yeah, wear her down. Eventually she’s going to agree to go out with me.”

  Ty wanted to say, Never! That’s not going to happen. He wanted to say, She’s mine. Don’t even look at her. He wanted to say, Keep far away from Marissa. Instead, he said, casually, “I doubt if that will happen.”

  “Because she’s in-volved.” Donaldson drew out the word, then added, “With you? Because you’re the father of her son? Let’s face it, Conroy, I’m a better man than you’ll ever be. You’ll never have polish. More than that, you’ll never be the cowboy you once were. A fake knee? How long is that going to last on a ranch?”

  Ty’s fist itched to connect with Donaldson’s jaw. He’d been a wrestler, after all, and he was in better shape now than he’d ever been in his life, fake knee or not. He could wrap Donaldson in a choke hold that would make him take back his words.

  But in the end, what good would that do? In the end, he’d still be in the same predicament he was in now.

  Ty stood and took a bill from his pocket. He placed it on the counter and gave a nod to the bartender, saying, “Keep the change.”

  As he walked away, Donaldson called after him, “The Cozy C is a whole lot of work you don’t need. Sell it and start a new life. Unless you don’t know how to be anything but a cowboy.”

  Minutes later, after climbing into his truck and starting it up, Ty drove back to the ranch, Donaldson’s words ringing in his ears.

  On the drive to the ranch, he debated asking Marissa about her meeting with Donaldson. Or should he not say anything and see if she did? Would she keep their meeting a secret?

  Like she kept Jordan’s birth a secret? a little voice in his head asked.

  When he entered the house, he didn’t see Marissa. This time of day, she usually was in the kitchen preparing supper.

  Ty noticed Eli in the living room watching TV. He went to his uncle, but before he could even ask, Eli said, “She’s upstairs with Jordan.”

  “Is something wrong?” Ty asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Eli responded.

  Ty was determined to find out what that meant. Mounting the stairs, he found Marissa exiting Jordan’s room. She partially closed the door. He could feel the tension between them as soon as their gazes met. Everything she’d said, everything he’d said, whirled about them like disturbing static.

  “How was physical therapy?” she asked.

  “I’m finished with it. There’s not much more I can accomplish there that I can’t do on my own. What’s going on with Jordan? He never takes a nap this time of day.”

  “He didn’t nap at all today at day care, and he has the sniffles. He ate a little bit for me. I really don’t know what to do about tomorrow. I don’t want to send him to day care with a cold. Jase and I are supposed to have a meeting with an influential distributor. But I guess I’ll call him and ask for a personal day. Maybe he can postpone the meeting,” she said, almost to herself.

  “Don’t call Jase. I’ll take care of Jordan tomorrow. I have to do end-of-the-year bookwork and update our social media sites.”

  “If he has a cold, he could be cranky. You might not get anything done.”

  “If I don’t get anything done that doesn’t matter. He’s my son.”

  Marissa looked as if she wanted to say something to that, maybe all the reasons why he shouldn’t consider the rodeo promoting job, but she didn’t. Rather she said, “If you change your mind, I can call Jase in the morning.”

  Her words annoyed him. “I won’t change my mind.”

  When she would have slipped by him down the stairs, he decided not to play games or keep any secrets. “I ran into your friend Donaldson at the Black Boot.”

  Her eyes widened a little. “My friend?” She emphasized the word as if challenging him to dispute it.

  “Whatever he is,” Ty conceded. “He said you two had a meeting.”

  Now her eyes looked troubled. She looked away for a second. What was that about?

  But then she returned his steady gaze. “He wanted to give me a thank-you gift—a Christmas present. But I refused it.”

  “What was it?” Ty asked. He had ordered Marissa a handcrafted leather purse that should be ready tomorrow. He was curious about what Donaldson had come up with.

  “It was a bracelet.”

  “Something you’d wear?” Ty asked, wondering what it looked like.

  “I didn’t accept it, Ty. Scott is...” She stopped. “Scott was a business associate.”

  “Was?” He felt as if he was playing twenty questions. Why didn’t she just come out with what had happened?

  “It doesn’t matter. I just don’t think I’ll be planning any more parties for him.”

  “Did he make a pass at you? Did you kiss him?”

  At first, hurt flashed in Marissa’s dark brown eyes. Then it was quickly followed by spirited anger. “You’re never going to trust me, are you? You’re never even going to try to forget that I didn’t tell you about Jordan. Maybe that’s why you’re thinking about taking this promoting job. Then you won’t have to deal with us, the relationship between us and what we do or don’t have. Trust is as much a decision as it is a feeling, Ty. If we don’t have trust, we have nothing.” She waved her arms and turned away. “I’ve got to get supper on.”

  He caught her elbow before she could walk away. “Do you trust me?”

  She looke
d at him. Her answer was quick in coming. “How can I when I don’t know what you’re committed to? How can I when you think being a sometimes dad is going to be enough?”

  With that, she yanked away and hurried down the stairs.

  Ty was glad he had Jordan to focus on tomorrow, because thinking about Marissa just made his heart hurt.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Ty was in a panic.

  When Marissa had left this morning, Jordan’s head was stuffy, but he hadn’t had the cough that had developed throughout the morning and the fever that had spiked just now. Should he try to get the fever down? If he did that, what about the cough? Should he just walk Jordan around, hoping he’d nap, hoping it didn’t get worse? Eli wasn’t around to give his two cents. He’d gone into town for a dental appointment and then he was going to play checkers with friends at the feed store.

  Ty’s patience had just about run out on all levels. Waiting to see if his son’s cough worsened didn’t seem to be a good parenting strategy. But what did he know? He’d only been doing this for a little over a month.

  He dialed Marissa’s cell, but his call went to voice mail. He didn’t leave a message because he wasn’t done trying to contact her. He dialed the winery, but he was prompted to leave a voice message there, too. Then he remembered, Marissa and Jase had a meeting with a new distributor. Ty didn’t have the company name. He’d been upset with Marissa, upset with himself, upset about the situation and he hadn’t covered the bases.

  But he did have a fallback plan. Kaitlyn Preston’s practice and cell number were on the refrigerator. Call the practice or call the pediatrician’s cell?

  Call her cell.

  Jordan was crying softly now, and Ty jiggled him as he walked.

  Kaitlyn picked up.

  “It’s Ty Conroy,” he said quickly. “I can’t reach Marissa and Jordan’s sick, fever of one hundred and one, and a cough, stuffy nose, too. What do I do?”