Her Baby Dreams

by Debra Clopton

  Easier said than done, Ashby thought the next morning as she looked up from her sweeping to see Dan sauntering down the sidewalk toward her. He was smiling that slow, easy smile of his, and though she’d been avoiding meetings like this for the past month, etiquette required her to stand her ground today, given his courtesy the previous night.

  “Mornin’, Ash,” he drawled, coming to a halt a few steps away from her. “Letting your hair down agrees with you. You’re looking as pretty as an apple blossom this morning.”

  Ashby’s pulse skipped. This wasn’t a personal observation, it was just Dan. He’d been at the candy store and he had probably spent thirty minutes flirting with all the ladies who worked there. It was a usual stop for him, but he didn’t have her fooled—no one ate that much candy.

  “Good morning,” she said, her hands tightening on the broom. Her resistance was irrational today and she knew it. The man had given her a ride home when, frankly, no one else had come near her—with good reason! She’d almost cried when she’d seen herself in her bathroom mirror last night. “I hope your truck is okay today.” She had awakened feeling totally embarrassed about the entire evening before.

  “It’s good. Told you it would be.” He leaned forward and inhaled deeply. “You smell much better today.”

  Ashby felt her cheeks warm. From embarrassment, plain and simple.

  He grinned and wiggled the bag in front of her. “Would you like a piece of candy?”

  Okay, so maybe he really did have a sweet tooth, and he wasn’t just over there flirting. The ladies from the women’s shelter, who ran the store, did make some of the best confections she’d ever tasted. And it wasn’t her business, anyway, what this man did and didn’t do.

  “No, thank you,” she managed to reply. “I wanted to thank you once more for your help last night.” She resumed sweeping, hoping he would pass on by.

  He nibbled a chocolate peanut cluster and continued to study her. “Got any dates lined up yet?”

  “No,” she snapped. Humiliation spurred her to sweep faster. A moment passed, and then he bent his knees and playfully peeked up at her, with irritatingly happy eyes.

  “You’re mad about last night, aren’t you?”

  Ashby scowled at him and kept working.

  “C’mon, Ash. You don’t have anything to be ashamed about. You gave it your best shot and you proved me wrong. And you clean up nice—did I already say that?”

  Knowing that he actually knew why she’d scrambled for the pig was the problem. She couldn’t tell if the burn she felt was from sunshine or embarrassment.

  Well, he could just go away. Nothing would suit her more. As a matter of fact, all the rotten men of Mule Hollow could keep their distance. She didn’t need any of them. For the moment, she was so upset that sounded exactly right. Gave her some semblance of satisfaction.

  And still Dan lingered.

  “I’m on my way over to Sam’s to grab a cup of coffee and catch up on the morning news. Join me? We can have an early lunch.”

  Did the man never give up? “I’m working.” She inhaled slowly, calmly. “But thank you, anyway,” she added, looking up at him as she struggled to hang on to her manners. She was five-eight—five-eleven in the three-inch heels she wore—and still she had to look up at him. Her lips curved in a tight smile of dismissal.

  To her dismay, he leaned against the doorjamb and crossed his booted feet. His spurs sang, drawing her gaze. It was apparent that even though it was ten in the morning, Dan had already been working. There was a fine layer of dust covering the lower edges of his sun-faded jeans, and traces of red mud on his boots. The man might move with a slow grace that made him seem lazy, but Ashby knew he was a hard worker, splitting his time between his horseshoeing business, his cattle-buying operation and running his own herd. That was the reason he could eat all that candy and not have it show up on his waist.

  “Ash, didn’t your mamma teach you it’s not nice to stare?” he drawled.

  “I wasn’t staring. Your spurs distracted me.” Amazing, just amazing, how easy it was to let her guard slip around him. And he knew it, too. Her eyes narrowed as she met his smug expression head-on.

  Not affected in the least by her ire, he nodded toward the interior of her store. “I couldn’t help noticing that you don’t have any customers, Miss Templeton,” he teased. “If a man didn’t know any better, he’d think you didn’t want to be seen with him. It’s just lunch, Ash. Or coffee. Take your pick. I’m easy.”

  “No, thank you,” she said, fighting to remain aloof. She’d been doing so for a year now and the man’s persistence was amazing. She was probably the only woman on the planet who had ever turned him down—thus she understood she represented a challenge. He might even feel sorry for her. That stung. She held his gaze, refusing to give in to the dark emotions.

  He bit into the peanut cluster and mimicked her aloof expression. “Sure you don’t want one of these? You know, the ladies next door do know how to make chocolate.”

  Ashby shook her head, while her mouth watered.

  For the candy.

  “Don’t tell me you’re on a diet.” He regarded her skeptically.

  “That, cowboy, wouldn’t be any of your business.”

  He chuckled and his eyes sparked. “That’s not my fault. It’s not like I haven’t been trying to get to know you better.”

  And that was all the reminder she needed to get her head on straight. “That, in a nutshell, is why I’d never go out with you. You are incorrigible, Mr. Dawson.”

  He beamed! “Well, thank ya, darlin’. I was wondering when you were going to notice.”

  “It wasn’t a compliment,” she said dryly. “You try to ‘get to know’ every woman within driving distance.”

  “Oh, now you’re wounding me.” He covered his heart with the bag of candy.

  She’d heard him make that statement many times and end it with his hand over his heart. Personally, Ashby felt it was a bit clichéd. Still, it made her own heart skip a beat. “We both know that’s impossible,” she snapped.

  He startled her when he pushed away from the building to step close to her. “Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do, Ash.”

  Unnerved by his proximity, she reached for the door. “I’ll take your word for it. Enjoy your coffee.”

  He reached for the door, too, and his hand covered hers. Their eyes locked and held as every fiber of her being sizzled to life. She couldn’t move, and she hated herself for it.

  He tugged on the handle, his smile blooming. “Don’t look so shocked, Ash. My mom taught me to open doors for ladies.”

  When she noticed the twinkle in his eyes was verging on mirth, her good sense started making a comeback. This man knew the effect he had on her. He knew the effect he had on all women.

  She yanked her hand back. Anger flashed through her that she’d reacted in such a pedestrian manner. “Thank you, but I could have done it myself.” She started to step past him. His hand on her arm stopped her.

  “Like I said before, you need to loosen up, Ash.” His voice softened. “Is that why you’re afraid of me?”

  Afraid? She lifted her chin. “I’m not afraid of you. You are just not what I’m looking for in a man.”

  His eyes said he didn’t believe her. The way her pulse was going haywire, she wasn’t so sure she believed herself. But she knew what was good for her and what wasn’t.

  “Ash, I think we both know you’re not being honest. Go out with me.” His voice grew husky. “Or at least have lunch with me. What could it hurt?”

  Ashby’s resolve faltered. She stiffened her back and squared her jaw. “My name is Ashby and I’m not interested in having lunch with a playboy.” It sounded ugly, but it was as much for her own ears as for his.

  His jaw tensed, but surprisingly he said nothing as she strode past him across the threshold, all too aware that he was watching her. All too mad at herself for losing control. The door closed with a refined click, as if t
o chide her.

  The man took nothing seriously.

  And she would do well to remember that bit of important information. She was looking for a husband. God’s man for her. Dan Dawson…

  She watched him saunter toward Sam’s Diner, then turned her back to the window, putting the carefree flirtation out of her thoughts. Dan wasn’t that kind of man.

  Not when she knew he’d probably stopped thinking about her the moment he’d stepped off the sidewalk and walked away.

  Chapter Five

  “Morning, Applegate and Stanley,” Dan said as he entered Sam’s Diner. It was midmorning, so the only customers were the two old-timers huddled over their perpetual game of checkers.

  “So, did she turn ya down agin?” Applegate almost shouted, his wrinkled frown lifting into a craggy grin.

  Dan slid onto a worn buckskin stool. “You know she did.”

  The two old men stared at him.

  Last night after dropping her off at her place, Dan vowed to back off, yet one look at her this morning and there he went…. “I guess either I’m a glutton for punishment, or I just like needling her.” He pushed his hat off his forehead. “What do you boys think?”

  Sam came out from the kitchen, a small, wiry man with a brisk walk. Lifting the pot of coffee, he filled a cup for Dan without even asking. “It’s both,” he said as he poured. “I gotta warn ya, though, you better be watching yor back.”

  “Look, fellas,” Dan said, not at all concerned with Sam’s unvoiced fears. “I’m well aware that the matchmakers have their eyes on me. Why do you think that is?” They’d seemed happy to leave him alone all this time.

  “Why?” Stanley’s jovial expression changed to a smirk. “’Cause now that they’ve got the hang of this matchmaking, it’s like they can’t stop.”

  Applegate nodded solemnly. “It is kinda enjoyable. I done got into it myself. But I ain’t so sure they’re gonna have thar way with Dan here.”

  Sam slapped the towel he’d been wiping the counter with over his shoulder. “I told my Adela that very thang. I told her Dan was a born bachelor if ever thar was one.”

  Dan nursed his coffee and listened to the boys. He probably did look like a born bachelor to them, and he was, to an extent. But he planned to get married someday. He wasn’t sure about having children…but marriage was something he hoped for, when the time was right. Despite what most people saw on the outside, he was a very cautious man. Marriage wasn’t something to rush. He was only twenty-eight and had a lot to accomplish before taking on that kind of responsibility. When he offered his name to a lady, there would be nothing more serious in all of his life. Though for the time being, the matchmaking ladies of Mule Hollow would have to be content fixing up others.

  He wouldn’t hold it against the ladies for trying. They would realize the futility of their efforts soon enough. In the meantime, he didn’t mind in the least being their entertainment.

  Of course, he didn’t think Ashby felt the same way.

  Dan took a swig of coffee, savoring the flavor. Life needed to be savored, every moment enjoyed and celebrated. Ash needed to learn that, which was why he teased her so much.

  Although it rankled him just a bit that she continued to refuse to go out with him. He had to admit that she’d tried his patience more than he’d thought possible. Like refusing to ride the bike. He was still baffled about that. Even if her friends had set her up, she should have been cooperative.

  Her recent efforts in the pig scramble had impressed him. He grinned, thinking about the way she’d stood out from the crowd last night.

  “You sure do have a smile on yor face about something,” Sam said, breaking into his thoughts.

  Dan set the cup down. “I was just thinking about that pig scramble last night.”

  Sam’s face crinkled. “I never figured such a prim and proper lady like Ashby ta get out thar with a pig. Wonder what made her decide ta do that?”

  Dan kept his lips sealed, steering the conversation on to other things as he ate his lunch.

  “Well, fellas,” he said when he was done, “it’s been nice talking to you, but I’ve got a load of cattle waiting patiently on me to haul them to San Antonio.” He headed toward the door.

  “Didn’t you carry a load up there last week?” Applegate asked, halting his red checker in midair.

  “That was a load to the ranch this side of Georgetown, not that far.”

  “You sure been keeping busy,” Stanley said, scowling when Applegate removed one of his checkers.

  “There isn’t any other way to be, is there?” Dan said. “See y’all later.”

  Leaving the diner, he headed for his truck and trailer parked in the vacant lot at the end of Main Street. He could hear the cattle bawling as he approached. It was a nice load that would earn him a tidy profit. Always a good thing. His small ranch was almost paid for, and if he kept up the pace of his earnings, it’d be all his before the year was out. Part of that came from having no responsibilities to anyone but himself and the good Lord. Being single had its advantages.

  Climbing into the truck, he started it up and glanced toward Ashby’s shop. She didn’t think much of him. As he drove away, he knew that particular failure bothered him more than he wanted to admit. And he wasn’t sure why.

  Turning off Main Street, he headed toward the crossroads that would take him the fifty miles to the highway. He couldn’t help thinking about the way she’d looked the night before, sitting on the ground in the middle of that arena.

  Dazed, confused and totally out of her element.

  He should have felt guilty for having goaded her into taking on the pig scramble, but he didn’t. It was for her own good, beyond trying to make those dimwitted cowboys take notice of her.

  All the other gals who’d been in that arena had had a ball letting their hair down for a good cause. Ashby Templeton had just been there for the good cause.

  Sad thing was she didn’t even know there was a difference.

  Ashby loved Sunday mornings. She always made it a point to go by the nursery and hold all the little ones before she went into Sunday school. The ladies took turns in the nursery on a rotating basis. Her morning or not, Ashby went by to say hello to the toddlers. Up until a few months ago, Mule Hollow had only had a one-year-old baby boy to fill the church nursery. But when Dottie and Brady Cannon had opened the women’s shelter, the nursery was blessed with the addition of a darling set of three-year-old twins and a fifteen-month-old toddler. The more the merrier, Ashby thought, and she fully expected that with all the weddings that had been happening around town recently, there were bound to be more soon.

  Oh, that she could be one of those parents.

  Rose, who worked part-time at the dress store for Ashby and was also a resident of the women’s shelter, waved her inside. “I’ve been expecting you.”

  Smiling, she handed over fifteen-month-old Bryce. His mother, Stacy, had come to the shelter with Rose when it relocated to Mule Hollow. Abused by her father and later the man she’d married to escape him, Stacy was very fragile. She’d only found the courage to escape from the abuse after she’d given birth to her beautiful baby boy, and had had a chance encounter with Rose. A God-given encounter that led Rose to tell her about a way out of the abuse. Rose and Ashby had become good friends over the past few months, and Ashby had great respect for her.

  Looking into the eyes of this child, and knowing that he was going to grow up in such a loving community, Ashby felt her heart rejoice.

  “I was running late,” she said. “But you know I had to come by and see my favorite people in all the world.” She tickled Bryce in the tummy and he rewarded her with a cackling laugh. He was a darling with dark hair, sleepy eyes and a smile that sent shafts of sunshine to her heart.

  “That’s okay. Saying hello to these babies is just as important as getting to class on time. You’re their favorite babysitter, after all. When you come out to the shelter and watch the boys while we go to workshops or cou
nseling sessions, their moms rest easy. It’s a great blessing.”

  “I love helping out, babysitting these fellas especially,” she said, as two sets of tiny arms hugged her knees. “How are my little men?” She stooped to accept hugs from the three-year-old twins.

  Rose laughed. “You need some of your own.”

  Ashby sighed, looking up from her little group. Unwittingly, Rose had voiced Ashby’s heart’s desire.

  “Tell me about it. I’m so ready, but I’m afraid I might have to admit defeat before long.”

  The boys had spied the animal crackers Rose was setting out, and were now intent on getting to chairs at the table. Ashby cuddled Bryce as Rose bent to say a brief prayer over the snack. It was a touching scene. Ashby joined Rose’s prayers silently, giving the Lord thanks for the children’s safety.

  “I guess that means you didn’t get any invitations to dinner from participating in the pig scramble?” Rose asked.

  “Well,” she hedged, “almost two days and no calls but…I did get one for lunch yesterday.”

  “Let me guess. Dan.”

  She nodded. “Not that I count it as a real invitation. The man asks everyone out. He’s probably already taken every new face in town out to dinner.”

  “Are you jealous?” Rose asked.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Why would you suggest such a thing?”

  “Ashby, everyone can see the way the two of you spark off each other like flint rocks.”

  “It’s a common phenomenon with him.” She gave Bryce one last kiss on the head and handed him over, missing having him in her arms immediately. “I mean, really, don’t you feel electricity when the man enters a room? He’s just like that.”

  Rose’s dark eyes flared. “Actually, no. The guy is good-looking, but he’s not my type. That doesn’t seem to be your opinion.”