The calf stopped crying as the goat moved closer.
“Perfect.” Madeline smiled and watched as the calf followed the goat around the stall. Jackson shook his head. It was that easy to make her smile.
And he’d never cared more about making a woman happy. That thought made him want to jump in his truck and drive far and fast from this situation and this moment. Realizations like that one didn’t come around very often.
It had never happened to him before.
“Now, can we go to lunch?” He slipped a convincing arm around her waist and moved her toward the door. Ryder walked on out but turned as they followed.
“Let me know if you need anything else.” Ryder grinned. “Like advice.”
“I doubt I need advice from you.” Jackson glared and Ryder didn’t seem to notice.
“Of course not. I mean, why would you need advice? You’ve been ranching all your life.”
“Exactly. I’m very good at ranching.”
And they both knew they weren’t talking about ranching. Madeline walked away, fortunately not getting it. She followed Jade to the fence and one of the horses walked up to let them rub her neck.
“Nothing changes a man like a good woman and a kid.”
Ryder pushed his hat down on his head a little tighter.
“I haven’t changed.” Jackson didn’t have a woman or a kid, not really. He watched them walk down the fence line and he knew it bugged him, that Jade wasn’t his. That Madeline wasn’t his.
“Gotta go. Andie and the twins are ransacking the house. She’s decorating. They’re chewing and dragging stuff everywhere.”
“It’ll be a great Christmas for you all.”
“Yeah, it will. See you later, Jackson. I think your Christmas is going to be different than you expected, too.”
Jackson would have agreed, but he knew that the DNA test undid any ideas he’d had about Jade having a Cooper Creek Christmas. He wondered if she’d have any Christmas at all with her mother.
For a brief second he tried to tell himself it wasn’t his problem, but it was and it cut deep, thinking about her alone at Christmas.
He whistled, loud and shrill. Madeline and Jade turned and headed his direction. “Let’s get some lunch.”
They all climbed into the truck together. Madeline in the middle next to him. Jade did that on purpose every time.
Chapter Thirteen
The Mad Cow Diner looked like Christmas come early. Madeline walked in next to Jackson and Jade. She tried to pretend she went to lunch with someone like Jackson every day. But the stares from the locals reminded her that she couldn’t fool them or herself. She’d been here a year and she’d never dated. When well-meaning friends tried to match her up with a nice guy, she always said a polite “No, thank you.”
She stared at the Christmas tree and decorations, trying to ignore the heat creeping up her neck. Jade grabbed her hand and pulled her toward a nativity, hand-carved by a local artist. The tree sparkled with clear lights and Christmas music played softly on hidden speakers.
Last year she’d been in town just a few months and she’d joined Vera for Christmas at the Mad Cow. Vera always had a big meal for folks in town without family. Madeline had received the same invitation for this year.
Vera walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. She grinned big when she saw them. “Well, Merry Christmas.”
Madeline smiled back. Vera had switched from her normal blue dress to a red dress, white apron and a Santa hat.
“Merry Christmas, Vera.” Madeline accepted the other woman’s warm hug and skittered a look sideways to find Jackson heading their way.
“Isn’t that nativity beautiful?” Vera put an arm around Jade. “A man in our church carved that for me. I love the look of love on Mary’s face. She’d just had the most perfect baby in the world, and she had to wonder why God had brought this moment to her. I always wonder how she felt, being so young and being put in that situation. I think she must have felt as awed as the shepherds.”
“I think the cows were awed, too.” Jade grinned as she looked at the scene. “We have a calf.”
“Do we?” Vera’s brows arched and she turned to look at Jackson.
He shrugged and let it go. But Vera didn’t. Her gaze shot up and she smiled. “Why, Jackson Cooper, look at that, Madeline is under the mistletoe.”
“Vera.” Madeline tried to step away.
Jackson caught her hand, a wicked grin on his face. He smiled at Vera and then at her again. His hand on hers was rough and warm. “We can’t ignore mistletoe. Vera would be crushed.”
“I would indeed.” Vera smiled big. “I move it every morning because I want to keep things interesting.”
“But—” Madeline looked around the restaurant, half-full and everyone staring at them. A table of women giggled and pointed.
Jackson grinned and her heart stopped protesting. She stopped wanting to escape. How did he do that? When he stepped close she wobbled a little and he slid a hand to her back, steadying her. “One little kiss won’t hurt.”
She nodded but wanted to disagree. It could hurt, very much. He leaned and dropped the sweetest of kisses on her mouth. When he pulled back, his smile had faded.
“Maddie, I’m all out of self-control. Good Jackson has left the building.”
Vera laughed. “From the look on her face, I think Good Maddie has left the building, too.”
Madeline shook her head. “I’m very much still here.”
Vera clucked a little and moved them in the direction of a corner booth, out of view. She said, “I think what the two of you need is a nice bowl of chicken and dumplings. Weather like we’re having calls for comfort food. The weatherman said today that we’ve had two weeks of below normal temperatures.”
“Chicken and dumplings do sound good, Vera.” Jackson’s hand remained on Madeline’s back and he reached for Jade who had stopped to look at Christmas cards taped to the wall. “This way, kiddo.”
As they walked people were talking behind their hands and nodding in their direction. Madeline pulled her jacket a little tighter around herself and blinked fast to clear her vision. Why did moments like this make her want to hide again?
Being stared at, whispered about. It had all been too much a part of her life all those years ago. Being interviewed by police, going before judges and lawyers, facing her mother that last time. Her heart squeezed tight.
A hand touched her arm, guiding her to the booth and into a seat. She scooted across the bench and took the spot closest to the window, sighing with relief when Jade sat next to her.
“What are we going to do for the rest of the afternoon?”
Madeline looked up from her menu when Jackson asked the question. Jade, seated next to her, grinned. “I’d like to ride a horse.”
“We could do that, in the arena. This weather isn’t great for riding.” Jackson’s gaze settled on Madeline and she didn’t have an answer. He didn’t look away for a long minute and she focused on the menu, unable to meet the questions in his eyes.
“What about Christmas shopping?” He smiled up at the waitress approaching with an order pad.
They stopped to order and then Jackson returned to the previous conversation, pulling them back to the subject with him.
“So, Christmas shopping?” He picked up the wrapper from his straw and turned it into a paper wad that he flicked, hitting Jade in the nose. “I’m kind of an expert on shopping with women. It comes from having a half dozen sisters.”
“Christmas shopping sounds fun.” Madeline stirred sugar into the super-strong coffee that Vera was famous for.
“We can drive into Grove.” Jackson reached for the sugar bowl that Jade had nearly emptied into her iced tea. “I think that’s enough.”
Jade didn’t smile. She didn’t laugh. “I have to go home tomorrow. I won’t be here for Christmas.”
Madeline ducked her head and waited for Jackson’s answer. But her heart broke for Jade who jus
t wanted a family for Christmas.
“Jade, I’m not going to leave you on your own. I promise.”
Jade shrugged her slim shoulders like it didn’t matter. But it did matter. It mattered more than any of them could say. To a girl who had nothing, not even family, it mattered.
“You don’t even think you’re my dad.”
Jackson leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “What do you mean by that?”
“Why else would you need a DNA test?” Jade fiddled with her napkin, tearing it into little pieces. “You’re looking for a way to skip out on me.”
“I’m not.” He tossed his hat on the bench and brushed a hand through his hair. “Jade, I’m a bachelor. I’ve been single and on my own for a long time. I’m not going to know how to make ‘dad’ decisions right off the bat.”
“Right, yeah, whatever.” Jade hunkered, her shoulders curved forward and her head down. “I’ll be okay.”
“Jade, you’ll be more than okay. I promise.”
The waitress appeared with their chicken and dumplings, as well as a big basket of rolls and salads for the three of them.
“Let’s eat and have a good day. Tomorrow we’ll figure something out.”
Jade nodded but she wouldn’t look up, wouldn’t make eye contact with either of them. She blew on a steaming bite of chicken and dumplings but didn’t take the bite. Instead she looked down at the bowl, tears dripping down her cheeks. Madeline touched her hand and smiled when Jade looked up at her.
“It’ll be okay. I know people have told you that before, but Jackson isn’t going to let anything happen to you. He’s going to be there for you.”
And then Madeline looked at Jackson, pleading without words for him to keep the promise she’d just made for him. He had to be the person this little girl needed. Someone had to be there for Jade.
Two hours later Jackson still couldn’t shake the way Madeline’s words back at the Mad Cow had shaken him. Jackson in Charge wasn’t the name of this little family drama. The only person Jackson really knew how to take care of was Jackson.
Somehow, though, a kid and a woman had become a big part of his life. He walked behind them as they browsed the second flea market of the day. They were looking at fancy little tea cups that wouldn’t hold more than a thimble of liquid. While they looked at tea cups he tried to remember who he had been a week ago.
“This one is pretty.” Jade picked up a cup and handed it to Madeline who held it up to the light and examined it.
The guy gene didn’t allow him to see a thing different about that cup. It looked like every other cup they’d looked at.
“It’s beautiful.” Madeline turned to him, big smile, eyes dark and pulling him in. He was about to tell her he agreed.
He couldn’t stop himself.
“It is pretty.” He blinked because he didn’t drink tea. He didn’t shop in flea markets for old tea cups that other people had been drinking out of for years.
She laughed and he knew he’d blown it. “You’re not good at this.”
“Sorry, I’m not a tea person. Or a cup person.”
“Or a flea market person.” Madeline put the cup back on the shelf. “We should go to a store with guy stuff. Fishing poles and guns.”
“Madeline, do you want that cup?”
She shook her head. “Even I wouldn’t spend that much for a cup. Let’s go, before you break out in hives.”
How far gone was a guy when he picked up the flowery tea cup and carried it to the counter? As he paid he told himself this was going to pass. But watching the delight on Madeline’s face when he handed her that bag holding the perfect tea cup, he wasn’t quite sure. He wondered if he needed to go back and buy another dozen of those cups, because if each one put a smile on her face, it was worth it.
She led him out of the store by the hand, Jade skipping ahead of them.
“What am I going to do?” He watched the girl walk ahead of them, window shopping.
“Tell her the truth.” Matter of fact Madeline.
“Yeah, sounds easy, doesn’t it?”
“It won’t be. She wants to be a Cooper. And who could blame her. She wants you for a dad. Any little girl would.”
That did more than surprise him. He stopped walking, but kept his eye on the teenager a short distance ahead of them. Okay, he couldn’t let it go. He turned to look at Madeline.
“Why in the world would a kid want me for a dad?”
“Really?” Madeline watched Jade, too. “You don’t get that? You have everything to offer. You’re a good man with a wonderful home and a family. You can take care of her, make her feel safe.”
“Keep talking, you’re starting to convince me.” He grinned down at Madeline and she turned away, cheeks a little pink. “I never thought you’d think so highly of me, Maddie Patton.”
“I’m not talking for me. I’m talking for a young girl who has grown up in a pretty unstable home.”
“But I’m not that man, Maddie. I’m not dad material. I’m a bachelor who does a barely decent job at taking care of himself. And the most important fact is the one we both know. I’m not her dad.”
“No, but you’re the closest thing she has to one.”
“What am I supposed to do about that?” He was the closest thing Jade Baker had to a dad. That didn’t say much, but he knew it was true. He wasn’t anyone’s dad. But this girl needed someone to be there for her.
This relationship couldn’t be walked away from. This wasn’t a Friday night in Tulsa with a waitress who only expected one night, a decent dinner and empty words. This was a kid who expected someone to be there for her forever.
It was Madeline, standing next to him, believing he’d do the right thing. He whistled softly and shook his head. She was looking for the same thing, someone to be there for her, forever.
“Hey, what’s going on back there?” Jade turned from a window and hurried back to them, sliding a little on a slick spot in the sidewalk.
When would he tell her? The thought came to him, that he didn’t have to tell her. He could let her believe the DNA test came back positive.
But he wouldn’t lie to her.
“We’re coming.” He smiled and headed up the sidewalk with Madeline at his side. “See anything you couldn’t live without?”
She shrugged slim shoulders. “I thought we could go in that jewelry store. They have homemade jewelry.”
“Let’s go.” He opened the door for the two women to walk in ahead of him.
It looked like trouble to Jackson. A jewelry store plus two females equaled serious trouble any way he looked at it. Not that he hadn’t given women jewelry before. For Christmas. To say goodbye. Once, a long time ago he’d bought a promise ring for a girl in school. After another month of dating he realized forever felt like, well, forever. He’d taken the ring back and her brother had knocked him almost into eternity.
His phone rang, saving him from the ohhing and ahhing as Jade and Madeline went from display cabinet to display cabinet. Saved by the bell, he walked outside to take the call.
“Jackson Cooper, bring my daughter back.” The voice on the other end didn’t sound at all familiar. The words slurred and mumbled, forcing him to plug his opposite ear.
“I can’t hear you.”
“This is Gloria. Bring my daughter back. She’s not your kid.”
“So you did get the messages I left.” He walked a short distance away from the front of the jewelry store. “Listen, Gloria, I can’t really talk right now. I’m bringing her back tomorrow. But we’re going to discuss this situation.”
“We aren’t going to discuss anything. She’s my kid and I could have you arrested.”
Anger shot through him, white hot and making his heart beat hard in this neck. He swallowed a lot of things he knew he shouldn’t say in favor of carefully chosen words.
“Don’t worry, the police know that I have her. My question to you is, why didn’t you call sooner? Why didn’t you file a missing pe
rsons report?”
“That’s none of your business. Jade knows how to take care of herself.”
The anger took a pivotal turn for the worse and he had to stand there for a long minute, finding a way to respond without making the situation worse. “Gloria, she’s thirteen.”
Gloria laughed, loud and harsh. “Right, and you care?”
“Yeah, I care.”
“Just bring her home.”
The phone went dead. Jackson stood with the cell phone in his hand watching the steady stream of traffic down the street. A hand touched his arm. He turned and Madeline gave him a cautious look. “Problem?”
He shook his head and pocketed his phone. “Nothing I can’t handle. Let’s go back inside and see if Jade found something wonderful she can’t live without.”
“She found several items that fit that description.”
“What about you?”
“No, I’m not a jewelry person. And as interesting as their jewelry is, I’m more of an antiques girl. There’s something about owning something that someone treasured for years, or generations.”
“Gotcha.” He touched her back with one hand and reached to push the door open with the other. Antiques. He filed that away for future reference.
The whirlwind of a teenager grabbed him and for the next fifteen minutes pointed out every awesome thing she could find. And then she told him she didn’t want anything. She was happy just to look. Jackson hugged her tight. If he’d had a kid, he’d want her to be just like this one. He’d want her to be wild about living life, meeting people and experiencing new things.
He bought her a matching set of jewelry and she threw her arms around his neck and whispered, “I love you, Dad.”
Over her shoulder he caught Madeline’s soft-hearted expression, eyes filling with unshed tears. “You’re welcome, kiddo.”
She deserved a dad. Tomorrow he would have to tell her the truth. He knew, from talking to Gloria, that if he didn’t, Gloria would. It would hurt less coming from him. Nothing in the world would keep it from hurting, though.
“We should probably head home.” He paid for the jewelry and handed the bag, all decorated in bows and swirls, to Jade.
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