Someone's Baby

by Dani Sinclair

  Hap's horse, Fijo, stood on the far side of the house out of sight, calmly lipping grass. He whickered softly and Cade patted the bay gently, easing past.

  The kidnappers were already out of the car when he reached the front edge of the house. The bigger man held Jayne tightly in front of him, the gun pressed against her neck. Even from this angle, Cade saw an ugly bruise forming across her cheek. He clenched the rifle and his jaw as they hauled her toward the door. She had to run to keep up with the man. She was wearing a dress and a pair of very high heels.

  Her gaze darted wildly from side to side. Cade stepped back, not sure if she saw him, but unwilling to be seen by the two thugs before they got a lot closer.

  He needed a clear shot. Jayne was in the way. Cautiously, he stuck his head around the house again. Jayne sagged abruptly. The action pulled her free of the shorter man. Even the big guy let go for that split instant, barking an order at her. Both men's attention was firmly on her and Jayne was down and out of his way. Cade fired.

  And missed.

  The men spun toward him. Jayne stepped down hard with her pointy heel on the shorter man's instep. Then she launched her weight against the one who'd been holding her. He staggered back against the house, his shot going wide. Jayne sprinted away, running toward the car. Cade fired rapidly to cover her. He didn't care if he hit them. Until the shorter man turned his gun toward Jayne's fleeing form.

  Cade aimed and fired. The man screamed, a high shrill sound that sent chills racing down Cade's spine. But that didn't stop either man from returning fire. Cade ducked back behind the edge of the house. Fijo nickered at his back.

  The big guy started in his direction and stopped. The sound of a vehicle roaring across the field drew all of their attention. Rio!

  Hap had been wrong. The men hadn't waited for him at all. Nor did the two thugs wait now. Guns blazing in Cade's direction, they started toward their car. The pickup truck was still some distance away.

  Cade heard the front door of the house open. Lou turned and fired. Hap staggered forward. He collapsed on the porch, the .357 still clutched in his hand.

  The two men reached their car. Cade held his fire because he'd lost track of Jayne. He'd last seen her dart behind the dark sedan. There was too much danger of shooting and hitting her if he wasn't careful.

  As if summoned, she appeared, inching around the back of the car. The thugs hadn't spotted her yet, but she saw Cade. She looked at him and raised her hand. Sunlight glinted on the metal wiggling from her fingers. She'd taken their keys from the ignition!

  Cade grinned and started forward.

  "Frank! The girl musta took the keys!"

  Frank leaned against the car. Blood stained his pant leg. "Get us out of here, Lou! They're coming!"

  Fijo butted Cade in the back, startling him. As if that were a signal, Jayne suddenly sprinted from behind the car and raced toward him. She'd kicked off her high heels, but Cade knew she'd never make it.

  Everything began to happen in slow motion. Cade grabbed the pommel and swung onto Fijo's back. He spurred the big bay forward.

  Lou took a second to put a new clip in his gun. Then he brought the weapon up and began running after Jayne, firing wildly.

  Cade moved Fijo between Jayne and Lou, and Lou's gun jammed. With a curse, he began running in the opposite direction. Cade dropped the useless rifle. He reached for the rope instead and did what he did best.

  Fijo responded like the well-trained cutting horse he was. As Cade coiled the rope and let it fly, man and horse worked as a team. The rope settled over Lou as perfectly as a man could ask.

  Cade pulled up the slack, bringing Lou to his knees, his arms pinned at his sides. The gun dropped from his hand. Rushing forward, Cade trussed the hapless felon tighter than any steer he'd ever roped. And if his boot and his fist connected several times with enough force to shatter Lou's jaw, well, maybe the bastard would think twice before he hit a woman again. It was certainly well worth the new pain running up his arm.

  "Hey…Cade…" Rio panted, running up. "Nice work."

  "And my time wasn't bad, either," Cade said, pleased with himself as he stood back and twisted to find Jayne.

  She was standing a few yards away. She'd picked up his rifle and was holding it on Frank. Cade wondered if she realized the rifle was empty. Obviously, Frank didn't. He slumped in the dirt beside the car, his gun now several feet away. Blood soaked his pant leg and began to pool in the dirt of the yard.

  One of Cade's men hurried forward, his own gun ready.

  "Watch this bastard. If he moves, shoot him and save the state the cost of a trial," Cade ordered.

  Another of his men sprinted to where Jayne stood. Jayne handed him the rifle and ran to meet Cade halfway. She stopped just short of his reaching arms, her eyes wide with horror.

  "You're bleeding!"

  Her words were an invitation to the fiery tide of pain that had been pushed aside by the adrenaline rush.

  "Wish you hadn't reminded me. I hope you won't think any less of me, but I don't think I'm gonna handle being shot quite as well as you did."

  "Rio! I need help," she yelled as his legs began to buckle.

  She came under his arm, taking some of the weight off his uncertain legs. Funny. Now that all the shooting was over, they'd turned to rubber on him.

  "Sheriffs comin' up the drive," someone yelled.

  "Don't imagine he's going to be any too happy with us, either," Cade muttered. He leaned his face into the silken spill of her hair and closed his eyes.

  "Grab him, Rio, I can't hold him."

  "I've got him."

  Cade felt Rio's tough wiry strength on his other side. He wanted to protest, but the world kept trying to fade away.

  "Get him over there by the truck. We've got to stop this bleeding."

  Sounded like a good idea to Cade. He opened his eyes and saw Hap lying outside the front door where he'd fallen. Coming up the driveway he spotted Sheriff Beaufort and a state police car.

  "Oh, man. Look over there! Hap's been shot. Somebody get to Hap!" Rio yelled, obviously spotting the other man for the first time.

  "Don't worry about him," Jayne said brusquely. "He's the one who was behind all the trouble here on the Circle M."

  "Hap?" Rio said incredulously.

  Cade smiled inside. Leave it to Jayne to figure out the truth.

  "Yes, Hap. That is, if his last name is Ramirez."

  "Yeah. It is."

  "Luis told Zed and me he was helping Hap cause havoc here on the ranch."

  They came to a stop and Cade felt her hand pushing a curl of hair off his forehead. He felt the fine tremor in her fingers.

  "Those two thugs shot Zed."

  Cade opened his eyes. "He'll be okay. He called to warn me."

  He bit back a groan as Rio and Jayne eased him onto the truck's tailgate.

  "Don't try to talk. You're losing so much blood."

  Jayne's worried features filled his gaze. He liked that she was worried about him, but the sight of her bruised face made him want to stand up and walk back over to Frank and Lou and do some more permanent damage. Unfortunately, he was pretty sure standing was no longer an option. The way his chest felt, breathing wasn't such a great option, either.

  Jayne was ripping at his shirt to get at his bare chest. Too bad it was because he was wounded. He'd always wondered what it would be like to have a woman tear his clothes off. The thought made him smile, even as the world seemed to dim a little more.

  "Oh, God!"

  He glanced down and saw the path the bullet had cut across his chest. "At least it didn't penetrate," he managed to say. "Hap's as bad a shot…as those lousy baby-nappers."

  "Hap shot you? That bastard!"

  "But why would Hap shoot Cade?" Rio asked, puzzled.

  "Didn't someone say he wanted Cade's ranch?" Jayne asked as she reached under her dress and shimmied out of a nylon half slip.

  Rio looked away quickly, a dull flush staining his cheeks.
Jayne didn't seem concerned at all as she used the slip to apply pressure to Cade's bleeding wound.

  "Cade wouldn't sell," she continued, her worried eyes raking him. "Am I right?"

  "Not…'til I met you," he agreed.

  Puzzled, she stared at him, but before she could ask, Rio interrupted.

  "What should we tell them?" He indicated the approaching cars.

  "Anything…they want…to know." Cade whistled between his teeth as the pain spread.

  "Shh. Stop trying to talk. Send them to me, Rio. I'll handle it."

  Cade smiled, despite the pain. "Better…listen to her, Rio. If I'm real lucky…we'll all be doin' it…from now on."

  Her body stilled. He tried to say more, but it was such a tremendous effort. He closed his eyes again.

  "Cade! Cade! Stay with me. Do you hear me?"

  "Bossy," he murmured. "Not…dead yet."

  "And you aren't going to die, is that clear?"

  Cade knew his smile widened. She loved him whether she knew it or not. Hap had done him a favor after all. Now he wouldn't have to work so hard to find the words. Maybe he could work it so she was the one who did the proposing.

  "Wouldn't…dream…of…"

  Epilogue

  Cade strode over to the hospital bed where Zed lay.

  "How are you doing?"

  "Ready to get out of here. How about you?"

  "They released me last night."

  Zed's eyebrows reached for his forehead. "And you came back?"

  "Thought I'd check on you."

  "Yeah? Thanks. How's Jayne?"

  Cade pulled up a chair, hoping his expression was as blank as the white sheets on Zed's bed. "I don't know, I haven't seen her."

  Zed muttered something under his breath that Cade decided he was better off not hearing.

  "She was here last night," Zed told him.

  "Here? To see you?"

  "That depends." Zed eyed him warily. "If I say yes are you gonna hit me? 'Cause I gotta tell you, Cade, I'm not up to going a round with a housefly just yet."

  He'd lost hours thanks to the drugs and the blood loss, but Cade hadn't lost his memory. They had told him Jayne had stayed until the nurses threw her out. And he remembered her sitting beside his hospital bed, demanding that he live, and talking about one subject after another till her voice grew hoarse. He'd managed to open his eyes long enough to focus on the face he'd come to love.

  "I love you, you foolish, stubborn man," she'd whispered, a sheen of tears in her eyes. He'd slept deeply after that, believing that promise. Only she hadn't returned yesterday and they'd sent him home with Rio to his grandfather's empty house.

  "You two are a pair," Zed told him with a shake of his head.

  "Keep it in mind," Cade told him.

  Zed managed a cocky smile. He still looked wan and drawn after his ordeal. He hadn't been as lucky as Cade. The bullet had punctured his lung and torn up a few things inside as well. The doctor still had him hooked to an IV drip. Cade's bullet had skimmed the surface, tearing away skin and tissue, but nothing that wouldn't heal in time.

  "The lady is all yours, Cade," Zed assured him. "She doesn't want me. Hell, I'm not sure she even likes me."

  "You saved her life, twice."

  "So did you."

  "She hasn't called."

  And he hadn't meant to say that.

  "So you called her, right?" Zed rubbed his eyes with his large hand and shook his head again. "Of course you didn't. What was I thinking?"

  "She's young."

  "She's gorgeous."

  Cade glared at him. Zed chuckled again.

  "Her dad offered me a job," Zed told him.

  Jealousy reared its ugly head. Cade squashed it back to the dark corners of his mind. "Going to take it?"

  "A man's gotta work."

  "You could work for me. With Hap dead, I'm going to need a new foreman."

  "What about Rio?"

  "I gave him a raise."

  "Well, I wouldn't want to work for you and have to worry what you'd be thinkin' every time Jayne said hello to me."

  "You're making the assumption she'd be around," Cade said.

  "If she isn't, you really are dumber than mud. How can you be such a fool?"

  "I'm not real good with words." Cade hesitated. "If I was, I'd be able to swallow my pride and apologize to you. Jayne told me how Bonita set you up. Guess I am dumber than mud. I should have figured it out for myself."

  Zed's posture relaxed. "Bonita was good at tying a man in knots."

  "Yeah."

  "Jayne's nothing like Bonita."

  "I know that."

  "You want some advice? Go see her. You'll find the words. And Cade, I'd better be godfather to your firstborn or I'm gonna be unhappy."

  Something inside him loosened. This was Zed. He should have trusted him a long time ago. "How about best man?"

  Zed grinned. "Give me a date and time."

  "I have to get her to say yes, first."

  "Do that."

  Jayne called encouragement to the young foster child who was circling the training ring on Sandusty Sun. The young girl's eyes sparkled with excitement as she guided the gelding around the circle all by herself for the first time.

  H. L. Bateman moved up to stand beside his daughter. "Carlita's doing real well."

  "I think so. She has some natural talent."

  "And a good teacher."

  Jayne glanced at her father. "Something bothering you?"

  "I was just wondering if you'd made that young man of yours suffer enough yet."

  "Cade?"

  What was her father talking about? She wasn't making Cade McGovern suffer.

  "He called a few minutes ago. Wanted to leave you his cell phone number."

  Her heart raced. He'd finally called. When she'd gone to the hospital last night and found out he'd already been released, she'd been hurt. Zed had to remind her that Cade wasn't used to having anyone to turn to.

  "It's gonna take a little time for him to get it through that thick skull of his that you two are a team," Zed told her.

  "He thinks I'm too young."

  "So prove him wrong."

  "Jayne?"

  She looked up and found her father watching her, a wry smile playing around his lips. "Do you want the number?"

  "Cade doesn't have a cell phone."

  "He does now."

  Jayne closed her eyes briefly then remembered to yell encouragement to her young charge. "Doing real good, Carlita." The child beamed.

  "Lily Garrett also called," her father resumed. "Something about an invitation. She wants you to call her back. She still trying to get you to go to work for Finders Keepers?"

  "Yes, but I told her I wasn't interested. I'm not going back to private investigations."

  "Amen to that," he said fervently. "Your mother and your brothers will be vastly relieved."

  "So will I," a low voice drawled.

  Her body tingled in awareness even before Jayne turned around to find Cade watching her from beneath his lowered hat brim. Her heart soared. She glanced tentatively at her father, who regarded her with a knowing look on his face. "You two talk," he said. "You can make the introductions later. I'll finish up with Carlita." Then he left them to join the young girl in the training ring.

  Cade looked strong and powerful and as sexy as the first time Jayne had seen him. She absorbed every nuance of his presence, trying to curb the overpowering urge to fling herself into his arms.

  "Hello, cowgirl."

  He lifted the brim of his hat with the back of his knuckle. He studied her as if he'd never seen her before. Jayne was acutely conscious of her worn, too tight jeans, and the faded knit shirt that clung to her chest like a second skin.

  "Hi, yourself. I heard they released you yesterday."

  "Uh-huh. What happened to your hair?"

  She touched the short pixie cut and flushed. "I thought cutting my hair would give me a more sophisticated look." Instead, her brothe
r the horse trainer told her she looked like a mischievous elf.

  "Now what wicked person told you that?" Cade asked.

  He hadn't come one step closer, but somehow the entire world had been reduced to just the two of them and the crazy beating of her heart.

  "You hate it."

  He closed the distance between them without seeming to move. He reached out and touched her hair. "Actually, it suits you. It's cute."

  "I was going for sophisticated."

  He stood close enough to touch and her hands itched to do exactly that, but there was pain in his eyes.

  "Because of me?"

  "Of course not. Should you be out of bed right now?"

  His shoulders rose and fell and his hand dropped to her good shoulder. "Probably not. Want to take me home and play nurse? Seems to me, it's my turn to be the cranky patient."

  Her hand rose. She stopped it just short of stroking his face. He'd shaved recently. There were several small nicks that needed soothing. Her fingers trembled with the desire to do just that.

  "Who are you calling cranky?" she demanded.

  His eyes seemed to smile in response. "How's your shoulder?" he asked.

  "Healing just fine thanks to you. What about your ribs?"

  "I think you should have a look. I don't trust those doctors."

  The sensual message was coming through loud and clear. Her body yearned to answer that summons, but she held her ground. This was too important. He had to be sure. If he couldn't put the past behind him, there could be no future.

  "Who do you trust?" she asked.

  "You."

  Her heart fluttered to a halt.

  "Always."

  Breathing was no longer a simple, undirected operation. She remembered to inhale—finally. Her hand reached out to touch his arm before she could hold it still.

  "And Zed," he added. "I trust him enough to ask him to be my foreman today."

  She released the breath on a whoosh of air. "You did?"

  "I may be stubborn—and dense as a horse in a patch of locoweed—but I am trainable." His gaze held hers, baring his uncertainties for her to see. "That is, if someone is willing to take the time."

  She couldn't swallow and she couldn't look away. "You said I was too young."