The Paternity Pact (Texas Cattleman's Club: Rags To Riches Book 3)

by Cat Schield

  Only the tiniest twitch of muscles at the corner of her eyes indicated that she’d been bothered by his use of the term girl instead of woman to describe her.

  “Oh, I’m that.” Self-deprecation shaded her smile. “Back then I was spoiled and selfish. Seeing for myself how happy people are who have so much less than I do has really changed my perspective. It’s why I decided to live a much more minimalistic lifestyle. I don’t scrimp on anything for Daniel, but why spend a hundred dollars on a meal when I can visit a street vendor and get a delicious bowl of noodles for a handful of coins?”

  Daniel swam up to them and latched on to his mother’s legs. “Come swimming, Mommy,” the boy demanded. “I want you to throw me.”

  “I’m a little tired,” she said, glancing Grant’s way. “And I’ll bet he can throw you much farther than I ever could.”

  “But I want you.”

  Mother and son locked gazes like a pair of dueling swordsmen while an unspoken argument raged between them. The intense bond between mother and son reminded Grant that Harley was raising her child by herself in a foreign country. He—who’d never felt particularly understood or supported by his parents, a fish out of water amongst his own family—envied what Harley had with Daniel.

  The strength of his feelings only intensified his discomfort. He’d never expected to have a family of his own and never imagined enjoying such a tight bond with another person. Nor until this minute had he ever wondered what it would be like to know someone so intimately that you recognized what they were thinking. Fearing rejection, he’d shied away from opening himself up to such an potent connection. Yet, by cloaking himself in detachment, he’d achieved the same results. He was alone.

  Raw emotion sliced through his chest in the second before Daniel nodded and turned an enticing smile on Grant.

  “Can you throw me really far?”

  Given Daniel’s reserve toward him when they met at the clinic, Grant had anticipated a long stretch of winning over the boy. Instead, it seemed all it took to get into his son’s good graces was a swimming pool and a willingness to play.

  Grant gave his son an impish grin. “I sure can.”

  After an hour of horseplay, Daniel and Grant emerged from the pool to torment Harley by shaking their wet heads and showering her with chilly droplets. She shrieked in dismay and scrambled out of reach. Half an hour earlier, she’d retreated to one of the lounge chairs, giving Grant space to be with his son. As much as he appreciated the uninterrupted opportunity to bond with Daniel, Grant felt as if her absence had made his joy incomplete. Now, however, as her rich laughter wrapped around him like an affectionate hug, he basked in the good fortune that had brought her back into his life.

  They retreated to the covered patio where his housekeeper had set up lunch. Daniel dominated the meal with chatter about his visit the prior day to the Owens family ranch where Harley’s best friend Jaymes was raised.

  “I’m going to be a cowboy when I grow up,” Daniel announced. “Just like Sam.”

  “The Owens’ foreman,” Harley explained, catching Grant’s confused expression. “He gave Daniel his first riding lesson and claims he’s a natural.”

  “We’re going back next week,” Daniel continued. “Mom said we could go on a trail ride. You should come, too.”

  Grant doubted his son had any idea how much he appreciated being included. “As long as it’s okay with your mom,” he hedged, glancing toward Harley. To his surprise, she looked agreeable.

  “Do you ride?” she asked.

  “It’s been a while. Growing up, I used to spend my summers at my uncle’s ranch just outside of Abilene.”

  “Come riding. Come riding,” Daniel crowed.

  Grant smiled at his son. “I’d like that.”

  “Then it’s settled,” Harley said. “And now, I think we should be going. Someone is due for a nap.”

  “No,” Daniel wailed. “I wanna swim some more.”

  “You can stay if you want,” Grant offered, reluctant for their time to end.

  Harley shook her head. “He should nap before any more swimming.”

  “I have several guest rooms available.” Grant could see protests building in Harley’s expression. “I’d love it if you’d stay,” he murmured, fighting the urge to reach for her hand.

  During their weekend together, they’d been inseparable, finding a thousand excuses to touch and snuggle during the long hours in the hotel suite. He’d never been so obsessed with staying connected to anyone before, and after she’d fled on Monday morning, he’d ached at being parted from her.

  In the intervening years, he’d used his anger at her for deceiving him to blunt his need. Until she’d reappeared in Royal, he’d believed her thoroughly purged from his system. Yet all it had taken was being in the same room with her for the cravings to start in again. Only this time the stakes were higher. He couldn’t eject her from his life on a whim. They shared a son. That meant he would have to figure out what he wanted, make a plan and stick to it.

  “I guess we could stay.” Harley glanced away from Grant and fixed her son with a firm stare. “As long as Daniel promises to sleep.”

  “I will, Mommy. I promise.”

  After lunch, Grant led the way to one of his many guest rooms and left Harley to change her son into dry clothes and settle him for a nap. Seeing that Franny was clearing their lunch dishes, he headed into his den to check on the test results for several of his patients. To his surprise, Harley appeared in the doorway before he’d finished composing follow-up emails to his staff.

  “That was fast,” he remarked.

  “He’s really good about going to bed. He plays hard and sleeps hard,” she said, waving her hands as he got to his feet. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I just wanted to let you know that he’ll probably sleep for about an hour. Please keep working. I’m going to sit by the pool.”

  Grant circled the desk and headed her way. “I’d rather keep you company,” he replied, meaning every word. “How about we grab some sweet tea first.”

  “Sure.”

  The kitchen was both pristine and empty when they entered it. Earlier, his housekeeper had indicated she was going to spend the afternoon running errands and he suspected that he and Harley were alone. Anticipation sizzled through him.

  “The glasses are there.”

  He pointed to a cabinet, and then selected a knife and pulled out a cutting board. As if by design, they converged on the refrigerator, Grant in search of lemons and the pitcher of sweet tea, Harley looking to fill the glasses with ice. Their bare arms grazed and that was enough to spark the wildfire chemistry between them.

  “Harley.”

  All too aware that groaning her name betrayed his sharp need, Grant captured her narrow hips between his hands and backed her against the counter. He dipped his head and stroked his lips across hers once, twice, coaxing her to surrender. His body sang with pleasure as her bones melted and her arms went around his neck,

  “We can’t.” She shook her head.

  “You said Daniel was asleep.”

  “Daniel isn’t the problem.”

  “Then what is?” He rocked his hips forward. Desire pooled in his belly as he nudged her with his erection.

  She gasped, tightened her fingers on his shoulders, but leaned away from his questing lips. “We can’t keep going down this road.”

  “Because?”

  “Because...it has nowhere to go. Remember?”

  Her words revived the argument they’d had half a decade earlier when he’d been the one who’d made a dramatic speech about how the difference in their ages made a relationship between them impossible. He’d been convinced that both of them would be subjected to scorn and criticism if they went public with their romantic connection.

  “I do.”

  “Has anything changed?” she dem
anded. “Are you any more willing to be romantically linked to someone my age than you were five years ago?”

  “You were eighteen back then. It’s different now. And you’re the mother of my son. That’s going to get around. Plus,” he continued, ignoring her reference to romance and focusing on the physical desire that sparked whenever they occupied the same room. “It’s pretty obvious that the attraction between us is alive and well.”

  “What happened to we aren’t suited to each other in the least?” she countered in a neutral tone, her lowered lashes hiding the expression in her green eyes.

  “Back then, I spoke harshly,” Grant admitted, taking responsibility for his extreme reaction. “It’s not that we aren’t suited to each other, it’s more that I’m not any woman’s ideal partner.” His voice grew earnest as he continued to explain. “Women crave romance. I forget about birthdays and anniversaries. You yearn for flowery gestures and sentimentality. To be swept off your feet and adored. The best a woman can hope for from me is the occasional expensive dinner where I’m not preoccupied by work.” He paused and gave a little shrug. “And great sex. Although I think you already know that.”

  “I get it,” she muttered bitterly. “You don’t want to be bothered by any romantic entanglements.” She worried her lower lip as she studied him. “So, I need to decide if a sexual relationship is enough for me.”

  He nodded, even as he suspected that attempting a relationship of any kind with Harley—even a strictly physical one—would end in disaster. Still, seeing her disappointment, he felt compelled to draw her into his arms and comfort her with gentle hugs and slow sweeping kisses.

  Of course, to do that would give her the wrong impression.

  Grant shifted his hands until they gripped the counter on either side of her hips, and then pushed his arms straight. Once he was no longer touching her, some of the fog cleared from his brain.

  “And if I need more?” she asked.

  “Then we have a problem because I can’t keep my hands off you,” he admitted gruffly. “And I think you feel the same.”

  She spent several seconds considering what he’d said before sighing. “No, I suppose you’re right. But I’m not the same impulsive girl you once knew. I’m not going to fall into bed with you because I get swept up in the moment.”

  “So you’ll need some convincing.” He wasn’t at all opposed to expending considerable effort winning her over. “That sounds like it’ll be fun for both of us.”

  “Fun.” Harley set her hands on his chest and applied firm pressure until he backed up a step. “You really are an impossible man.”

  * * *

  In the days following the first visit at Grant’s house, Daniel talked nonstop about swimming and how they were all going on a trail ride in the near future. While Harley was gratified that her son had bonded so readily with Grant, she still grappled with the uncertainty of how he would react when they broke the news that Grant was his father. Knowing the longer she waited, the more confused Daniel would be, she’d decided the time had come for revelations.

  Now, however, as she stood on Grant’s front porch, anxiety compressed her chest, forcing her breath into shallow gasps. In minutes, everything in her son’s life would change. Tears came out of nowhere, threatening to derail her plans. Part of her wanted to snatch up Daniel and head for the nearest airport. Even as the impulse assailed her, Harley held her ground. She had no idea if keeping father and son apart so far had created any lasting damage, but to keep doing so would not make the situation better for anyone.

  “Ouch, Mommy,” Daniel exclaimed, tugging to free his hand from his mother’s grasp. “You’re holding me too hard.”

  Mortified, Harley tore her gaze away from the substantial wood door in front of her and glanced down at her son. She spied his pained expression and loosened her grip immediately. Dropping to her knees before him, she cupped his dear face in her palms.

  “I’m so sorry,” she crooned, grazing his soft cheek with her thumbs. “I didn’t realize I was hurting you.”

  He patted her cheek in sweet affection and smiled. “It’s okay, Mommy. I love you.”

  Harley swallowed past the lump in her throat, wondering what she’d done right to deserve such a wonderful son. “I love you, too,” she whispered, overcome with love.

  Ever since becoming a mother, Harley noticed that her emotions bubbled close to the surface. Before Daniel came along, she’d been a selfish, frivolous teenager. Now, at least once a day he did something that touched her deeply.

  Beside her, the front door opened and Grant’s long legs appeared in her peripheral vision. Daniel glanced up at his father and Harley braced herself for Grant’s impact on hers and Daniel’s lives going forward.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked.

  Sucking in a steadying breath, Harley blinked away tears. “It’s all fine,” she said, pummeled by uncertainty. “Just a little mother-and-son bonding,”

  Grant extended a hand to assist her to her feet. She hesitated only a second before accepting his help and caught her breath as her skin came into contact with his. She glanced up at his shuttered expression, cursing that her raw emotions doubled the impact of Grant’s potent masculinity. Longing hit her like a sucker punch to the gut and she extricated herself from his grip with more speed than finesse.

  Their conversation during her previous visit had rattled her more than she’d let on. Rattled. And tempted. But she wasn’t an impulsive teenager anymore. She couldn’t just jump into bed with a man because his rare smiles inspired flirtatious banter while his heated gaze sent goose bumps chasing over her skin.

  Harley ground her teeth and fought to suppress the warmth pooling in her belly. Before finding out about Daniel, he’d made his position perfectly clear. He wanted nothing more to do with her. As he had five years earlier, she’d assumed that once he’d made up his mind, nothing would change it. And then he’d learned she’d given birth to his son. Apparently, he’d taken this to mean she wouldn’t be so easy to dismiss. Still, he’d taken things farther than she’d ever imagined. His suggestion that they rekindle their sexual relationship had caught her off guard.

  Her first reaction had been to reject it. Getting over him the first time had taken forever and they’d only been together for two days. How much deeper would she fall if she spent weeks or months with him? Yet, to deny herself more of the most amazing sex of her life didn’t make sense, either.

  “I thought we’d barbecue tonight,” Grant said, as he and Harley followed Daniel toward the pool. “And maybe watch a movie later.”

  “I’m sure Daniel would love that.” As her son jumped into the pool, Harley settled onto the lounge chair she’d occupied the last time. Grant sat down beside her, his long legs filling the space between them. She opened her mouth, intending to share her plan to explain over dinner that he was Daniel’s dad, but Grant spoke first.

  “I intend to tell Daniel that I’m his father tonight.”

  “Oh.” Although they were both on the same page, for some reason Grant’s assertive tone raised her hackles.

  “The longer I wait, the more confusing it will be for him,” he continued, his set expression indicating he intended to get his way. “I know you came home to find funding for Zest and I’m prepared to help you with that.”

  Help her how? His offer had the sound of a negotiating tactic. “And in exchange for what?”

  “I want to get to know my son.”

  Harley crossed her arms over her chest, the muscles in her jaw bunching. “I’m not standing in the way of that.”

  “Not at the moment, but it seems to me that if Wingate Enterprises wasn’t having financial troubles, I never would’ve found out about Daniel.”

  Grant’s disapproval hit her like a sledgehammer. Driven by his criticism of her decision to keep him in the dark about Daniel and haunted by the humiliation she’d f
elt at his rejection, her temper spiked.

  “You’ve rather conveniently forgotten that you made it perfectly clear that you wanted nothing more to do with me. Now you’re blaming me for taking you at your word?”

  “That’s a terrible excuse and you know it.”

  “I don’t know that.” She strove to keep her voice low so their argument wouldn’t carry over to Daniel.

  If she were honest, she recognized that keeping the truth from him had been selfish. She loved her life overseas and had worried that if Grant knew, he’d force her to come home so they could share custody. She wasn’t ready to give up their life in Thailand.

  “You should’ve told me you were pregnant.”

  “What would you have done?” she taunted, making no effort to hide her bitterness. “Marry me?”

  The question came out of nowhere, followed by a wild half laugh that used up all the air in her lungs. When she tried to inhale, Harley found her chest too tight to draw in a new breath.

  Shutters slammed over Grant’s expression. “Since you left town without telling me I was going to be a father, the point is moot.”

  Harley cursed the man’s fortified walls, battlements and parapets that offered him abundant protection from where he could lob blame bombs at her. What made it worse was that she hadn’t taken the high road five years ago and was stuck defending the inexcusable. She shouldn’t have kept Daniel a secret from him.

  “So, what are you proposing?”

  “I intend to be a father to Daniel. To keep you from interfering in that, I’ll give you the money you need to fund Zest.”

  His proposal blew her away. She’d thought maybe he’d offer to intercede on her behalf with the charitable foundation his family ran. Instead, he was promising to solve all her financial problems. She should’ve felt relieved, but Harley wondered if using her son as a bargaining chip would one day blow up in her face.

  “How could I refuse,” she bit out and instead of letting him see her turmoil, she forced a laugh. “But you could’ve saved yourself a whole lot of money.”