He raised his eyes briefly and gave Lexie a give-me-a-chance-just-this-once look before returning his gaze to Dani.
Dani blinked and stared at him in surprise. "You do?"
Mitch nodded. "Yes, will you show me what to do until your mommy comes back? Please."
Dani turned her head and looked at Lexie. She raised her small hand and wiped away her tears. Her lower lip trembled when she said, "It’s okay, Mommy. Daddy needs me to help him."
Lexie fought back tears. Oh God, her little girl was growing up only why did it have to be tonight? She swallowed and exhaled a deep breath. "Are you sure?"
Dani nodded.
Lexie looked at Mitch. She hoped she was doing the right thing. She leaned over and gave Dani a light kiss on the forehead. "I’ll be back as soon as I can."
# # #
Mitch heard the front door close followed by the sound of footsteps. Lexie came to a halt in the door of Dani’s room. She slipped off her boots and padded to the side of the bed. "How is she?"
"Fine," he said quietly. He lay on the bed beside Dani and held her close in his arms. She’d snuggled her head beneath his chin and her soft breath wafted against his chest. He'd missed so much. Why hadn’t he returned to Chimney Rock sooner? He had no one to blame but himself.
"Did she throw up anymore after I left?" Lexie asked.
"A couple of times then it was over.” Thank God. He didn’t know if he could have stood much more. Watching his little girl heave and not being able to stop it had made him feel helpless. He considered himself anything but helpless and never wanted to feel that way again.
Mitch slid Dani gently out of his arms then tucked her under the covers. With just the tip of his index finger he brushed her bangs from her forehead and laid a gentle kiss on her brow. "I love you, Dani," he said in a whisper.
Her eyes fluttered open for a moment and her mouth lifted in a brief smile before she fell back to sleep. Mitch gazed at his daughter with wonder and love nearly bursting from his heart. How could he not love her?
Lexie placed a scarf over Dani’s bedside lamp to soften the light. She looked at Dani, her eyes awash with love then leaned over and gave her a kiss. Dani shifted slightly under the covers and sighed. Lexie smiled then straightened and motioned for Mitch to follow. He shook his head and whispered, "I want to show you something.”
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, he took Lexie’s hand in his. She tried to pull away but he held on and led her to a small cork board hanging on the wall in Dani’s room. A crayon drawing of a family was tacked to the board.
Beside the stick figure that represented Mitch she’d written, "My new daddy.” On the figure for Lexie she’d dressed her in a wedding gown complete with veil and a bouquet. Mitch looked at Lexie.
She gave him a slanted look and pulled her hand from his. "Let’s go downstairs where we can talk."
When they stepped out into the hall, Lexie closed the door to Dani’s bedroom but left it slightly ajar. Without looking at Mitch, she turned and headed down the stairs.
Mitch followed her into the kitchen where she washed her hands in the sink. He walked up beside her and leaned the small of his back against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest. She balled up the dish towel in one hand then glanced at him, her mouth set in a grim line, her eyes brimming with irritation.
"If you’ve got something to say, Lexie, go ahead and say it."
She threw the towel into the dish rack, straightened her shoulders and looked at him. "Fine. I hope you didn't give her any unnecessary encouragement where that drawing is concerned."
His temper flared but he held it in check. "For the last time, I’m not here to hurt my daughter."
She paced to the breakfast table, turned and glared at him. "She thinks we’re going to get married," she said in a cool voice tinged with exasperation. "You saw the picture."
To be honest, he'd barely glanced at the stick figure bride. His focus had zeroed in on the words my new daddy. "You’re making too much out of this. I think she hopes we might get married. When she sees that isn’t going to happen she’ll accept it."
"How do you know?” Contempt radiated through her voice. "You just got here. You know nothing about Dani.” She jabbed a finger into the middle of her chest. "But I do. When she sets her mind on something she doesn’t let up."
Her cold criticism irked the hell out of him. "Why don’t you just kick me in the balls and be done with it?"
Lexie rolled her eyes and walked over to him. "You don’t get it do you?"
"Oh, I get it all right. You think I’m an unfeeling bastard who wants to crush his little girl’s heart under my boot heel."
A cynical smile trembled over her lips. "You have no idea what it’s like to try and make up for your child’s disappointments.
He gripped her upper arms and stared into her eyes. "Give me a chance to try."
She shrugged out of his hold. "Dani holds on to her disappointments. When she realizes there isn’t going to be a happily ever after family between the three of us, her heart will break.” Anxiety roughened her tone of voice. "After you leave and go back to your jet set, deal making life, I’ll be the one who has to put the pieces back together again.” She lifted her chin. "What am I supposed to say? ‘It’s okay, baby, having a daddy isn’t what it’s cracked up to be anyway.’"
Lexie shook her head and smirked. "I know that better than anyone. But it won’t help Dani’s feelings when the time comes."
Her blue eyes glistened with anger and unshed tears. All of Mitch’s indignation faded and his heart softened. She’d been through hell and back and it was going to take some doing to get her to trust him. He brushed a lock of hair away that clung to her dirt smeared cheek. "Mason was a mean spirited jerk but not all men are like him."
She looked away. "I know that," she said with a tremor in her voice, "but growing up with him is all I have to go on."
He wished the old man were still alive so he could cheerfully beat him to a pulp for what he had done to her. Mitch placed a finger on the side of her chin and shifted her gaze back to his. The glaze of tears was gone only to be replaced with resignation. "Give me the chance to convince you I don’t have plans to walk out of Dani’s life once the situation with the ranch is settled."
She studied him for a moment, her blue gaze staring deeply into his. "Why should I?"
"Because if you don’t, you’ll not only be cheating Dani out of the chance to know her father but you’ll be cheating yourself as well."
Suspicion glinted in her eyes. "What do you mean?"
"You need to witness first hand that I can be a real father to Dani.” He hoped to hell that he could. "Until you see it and believe it with your own eyes and heart, you’ll never get past what Mason did to you."
She raised a brow. "What are you a psychologist?"
Mitch shook his head. "No, I’m just a man who knows you very well."
She exhaled a long sigh. "You used to. I’ve changed."
With the tip of his finger he tilted her face upward toward his. "Everybody changes, Lex, but some things never do.” Mitch let his gaze sweep over her face. "You look tired.” And beautiful.
How could he find a woman who was dirty and smelled faintly of cow attractive? But she wasn’t just any woman. She was Lexie, the mother of his child.
"I am tired. In fact, I’m beat.” She looked up at him and her mouth curved in a weary smile. "I do want to thank you for taking such good care of Dani."
He didn't want her gratitude. He wanted her trust. "You don’t have to thank me. I’m her father."
"Yes, but you’ve only known about her for a short time. One thing’s for sure you were thrown in head first and it was either sink or swim. I’m glad you decided to swim."
Lexie started to step away. He laid his hands on her shoulders and nudged her closer.
"What are you doing?" she asked with a hint of alarm in her voice.
"I just want to hold you for a m
inute," he murmured.
She tried to pull away. "I don’t think that’s a good idea."
Ignoring her protest, Mitch wrapped his arms around her, pressing her warm, female body next to his. "I need it and so do you.” He felt the curve of her hips, the firmness of her thighs and the softness of her breasts, but she held herself stiffly in his arms. Closing his eyes he rubbed his hands slowly over her back until he felt her muscles relax.
She ran her palms up to his shoulders, turned her head and rested her cheek over his heart. It seemed so right to have her here, but there were still so many barriers that stood between them. After a few precious moments passed, Mitch pulled from her embrace and smiled down into her pretty face. He stroked a finger over her nose. "Time for bed, Kitten."
Chapter Six
"I’m bored. Can we go riding when you’re done?" Dani
asked.
Lexie sat next to Dani on the tractor seat and moved slowly across the hayfield pulling a rake hitched to the rear. The sun beamed warm and bright, the air crisp and the sky an intense blue that almost hurt the eyes to look at it. God, she loved the fall.
She turned to Dani, put her arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to her side. "You’re the one who wanted to come along instead of spending the afternoon with Hattie.”
Hattie Anderson had worked for her father since Lexie was six. She helped Lexie out two days a week and kept an eye on Dani whenever she asked. Lexie didn’t know what she would do without her.
Dani shrugged her shoulders. "I know. But she doesn’t like to play Barbie or dress up or anything like that."
Lexie laughed. "We’ll go riding when I’m finished if it isn’t too late. I promise.” She wanted to go home, take a hot bath and fall into bed. Her body cried for rest, but she’d been so busy the last couple of days she and Dani had spent very little time together. The horses needed a good workout. All she’d had time for was to turn them out for some exercise in the enclosed round paddock.
"Can Dad come over?"
Lexie wasn’t surprised by the question. Mitch was all Dani talked about these days and all Lexie had thought about. She smiled at Dani. "Maybe."
She knew that Dani needed a father, and not just any father--her father. She’d tried to make herself believe she could be both, but she knew in her heart she couldn’t.
The memory of his warmth, the strength of his arms around her, made her yearn for more, a deeper caress and the feel of his mouth on hers. But most of all she ached for someone to lean on through the hard times and help her with raising Dani.
Time for bed, Kitten.
The tender sound of his voice echoed through her mind. Every time he said it, a little more of the protective armor she’d erected around her emotions chipped away. Mitch could be gentle, loving, and yes, ruthless. She needed to rid herself of this romantic haze and remember why he was here.
Two weeks had passed since he'd strolled back into her life. She’d tossed and turned in her bed at night, feeling restless and needy. This was so unlike her. She was always so exhausted at the end of each day as soon as her head hit the pillow she slept and didn’t awaken until morning.
"He can ride with me on Aspen," Dani said bringing her thoughts back to the present. "Aspen won’t mind. He likes riding double."
She tugged on the bill of the pink cap on Dani's head. "We’ll see."
Dani sighed. "When you say that what you really mean is no.” She laid her small hand on Lexie’s shoulder and tilted her face up to hers. Sunlight illuminated her eyes, the same as her father’s and hope filled her sweet face. "Please, Mom, I want to see my dad."
Her cheeks were flushed from the chilly breeze, her hair tousled. The front of her shirt stained with mustard from the ham sandwich she’d eaten for lunch.
Lexie's heart simply melted. "How can I say no to such a face?"
Dani’s mouth broke into a wide grin and she grabbed Lexie in a quick, tight hug. "Thanks, Mom."
Lexie nodded. "You’re welcome, sweet pea.” She glanced back at the rake to make sure the hay was being gathered into long piles called windrows. When she finished the raking, she would bring out the baler and gather the raked hay into bales. She needed to finish soon. If she waited much longer, the first snow might slide in over the mountains and ruin the crop. That she couldn’t afford.
There was no money to buy hay. The cows needed to be brought in and corralled so they could be fed and fattened up for market. She had corn, sorghum silage and soybean meal to buy. Not to mention more vitamins and minerals. She didn’t feel like dealing with Mitch and the dormant emotions he’d begun to stir up inside her.
She turned back to gaze out over the field and the mountains beyond. The land was what she needed because she knew it would always be here like the sun dipping lower in the sky and the breeze turning cooler.
She needed it for Dani and for herself. Too many memories had tied her heart strings to these gentle rolling hills and pine scented air. Giving up the place she had called home for twenty-three years was not an option. "I promise to call when we--"
Dani swiveled in the seat smiling. "Look, Mama! It’s Daddy! It’s Daddy!"
Lexie whipped her head around to see Mitch’s truck cruising down the road, dust flowing out behind in a dense, white cloud. She saw him wave at them through the windscreen.
Her heart lurched suddenly and her pulse jumped in her veins. Lexie stopped the tractor at the end of the row and cut the engine. Dani scrambled down and ran to meet Mitch. She adored him already. He’d attended the father/daughter function at school and taken her shopping for girl stuff. Of course she'd fallen like a sack of bricks. What else could she do?
Mitch would eventually tire of being a father. She was sure of it. His visits and phone calls would drift farther and farther apart until they ceased all together. But Lexie knew she would be there to soften the hurt Dani would inevitably feel when Mitch walked away. She needed a stable, safe and predictable life a life only Lexie could give her. Mitch Quinn was none of those things.
# # #
Mitch stopped the truck next to the hay field and watched Dani run toward him. Her smile was bright, her cheeks flushed. She wore pink sunglasses. Her hair streamed behind her in a chestnut wave. He suddenly felt inadequate in the face of her innocence and vulnerability. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
Dani bounced up to him as he climbed out of the truck. "Hi. Will you go riding with me? Mama said it was okay.”
She slipped her small hand into his. A sharp stab of love pierced his heart. When had it happened? When had the newfound love for his daughter shaken his control and left him weak?
Mitch looked down into her clear, happy eyes and knew he was lost. "Sure, kiddo. I’ll even let you sit on my lap and drive the truck home."
Dani’s face bloomed into a combination of disbelief and unbridled joy. "Really? You mean it? I can drive the truck?” Her voice rose with each question until it topped out in a high pitched squeak.
"Afternoon, Mitch."
He lifted his gaze from his daughter to Lexie’s startling blue eyes. She stood there like a small, well built pillar holding the world on her shoulders covered in faded green flannel. She’d stuffed her hair under a dirty, baseball cap, but a few stray curls escaped to tease her neck. Her jeans were worn and hung a bit loose on her frame.
Annoyance tightened the muscles in his shoulders. Her weight loss looked even more prominent now with the strain of exhaustion and worry that etched her face. He'd noticed her thin frame the moment he'd clapped eyes on her his first day back in Chimney Rock.
At the time he hadn't said anything because he'd been so stunned to find out he had a daughter. She'd lost weight because she hadn't been taking proper care of herself. He was going to change that. Starting today.
Dani’s hand slipped from his and grabbed her mother’s arm. His gaze shifted to Dani’s face. Her lips curved in an engaging grin, her eyes sparkled. "Daddy said I could drive the truck. Cool, huh?"
Lexie cupped Dani’s cheek and gave her a smile. "Very cool, sweet pea."
Lexie took off her gloves and shoved them into her pocket. "Mind if I hitch? I'm done for the day and I don’t feel like walking back up the hill."
He stared at her, the weariness in her face, the shadows under her eyes. "You mean you aren't going to work another eight hours or more?" Mitch said his tone heavy with sarcasm. "I'd even carry you back if I thought you'd let me."
Lexie lifted a brow at his statement. "What's wrong? Did you get up on the wrong side of your breakfast meeting today?”
He leaned toward her so only she could hear his words. "You look like hell.” He tried to tamp down the irritation in his voice at finding her overworked and exhausted but failed.
"Thanks a lot," she said in a courteous but condescending voice.
He turned to Dani who stood beaming beside him. "Ready to drive?"
She raced for the truck. Mitch took a step forward to follow her when Lexie’s hand gripped his arm. He turned toward her. She was close, close enough to see the gold chips in her eyes, close enough to smell the scent of hay, light sweat and female on her. Attraction swelled in his chest.
"You’re becoming more and more important to her. Be careful. Okay?"
Mitch touched her face. "One day soon you’ll believe I’m not going to walk away from our daughter. Or you. Until then," he leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to the corner of her mouth, "Try to have a little faith."
He slid into the truck, lifted Dani onto his lap and started the engine. Dani’s small hands gripped the steering wheel and he placed his own larger ones gently over hers. They felt tiny, fragile.
Dani leaned against him, the soft fragrant scent of her hair curled through him. She turned her head and looked up at him with her eyes filled with wonder. Love washed over him and into his heart.
Mitch shifted the gear into drive and pressed on the gas. The truck surged forward and Dani giggled with glee. "Look, Mama, I’m driving."
The Secret Truth at Dare Ranch Page 7