Her long dark curls tumbled down almost to her waist and bounced as she walked toward him. She had never been tiny, and she had filled out more in the years since he had last seen her. With her gleaming dark eyes, rosy cheeks and snug orange T-shirt, she gave the bright pink seats and decorations in the sandwich shop some competition. He recalled her hanging around the schoolyard in grade school. He had been a couple of years ahead of her. Even that long ago, she had always acted larger than life—and been the life of the party.
Thinking of Sean, he frowned. Maybe Ally as a babysitter wouldn’t be such a good influence on a preteen or a teenager...but a one-month-old? What could it hurt? Besides, even if she accepted the offer he planned to present to her, he and the baby wouldn’t be here long enough for her to make much of an impact.
“Hi.” Sounding a little breathless, she took the booth across from him. “I got here as soon as I could.”
“Hope you didn’t have to rush.”
“No rush. No more than usual, anyhow. My papa says I never run at half speed when I can take it up to full.” She laughed. “But I’m running behind now because, just as I was leaving, one of the customers came to the register with a big order.”
Since they had met up at the store, she had slicked something on her lips, shiny and red as cherry candy. Suddenly, he felt an urge to lean across the tabletop for a taste.
Whoa, Nelly.
He’d been away from women too long. Or not long enough.
Sex wasn’t supposed to be on his radar for a good while into the future. Preferably, at least not till Sean turned twenty-one. He tried to think back to his school days and the younger Ally, when the few years’ age difference between them seemed to be a much wider gap.
“Is something wrong?” she asked. “You’re frowning.”
“No. Nothing’s wrong. I’m just trying to decide what to have. To drink.”
Layne returned to the booth, and they each ordered sweet tea without the sweet and a wedge of lemon.
Ally sat fiddling with an armload of gold bracelets she wore on one wrist. She hadn’t had them on at the store, he’d noticed...then wondered why he’d taken note of her bare, tanned arm in the first place. Anyhow, she probably didn’t want the bracelets to get damaged while she was stocking shelves.
“We have the same taste in drinks,” she said a moment later.
“I guess we do.”
They made small talk until their teas arrived. Ally’s quick drink left the straw candy-tipped from her lipstick. She smiled at him. “So, how has the big, bad city been treating you all these years? Well enough, I guess, or you would have been home again before now.”
“Houston did treat me well, I have to admit.” The woman he had met just before graduation was another story. “Going to school there was a good experience, one I don’t regret. But I’m not in Houston anymore. I’ve got a job outside San Antonio, sales manager for a distributor of farming equipment.”
She blinked those big dark eyes. “Why would you be selling farm equipment, when you have a ranch right here to come home to?”
“It pays the bills.”
“Oh.” His curt reply had thrown her. It didn’t keep her down for long. “Well, I can certainly see the benefits of that.”
He hoped so. Just as he hoped this meeting would benefit them both. But he wanted to lead up to his idea slowly. And he didn’t want to say too much about the past. If he had his way, neither Ally nor anyone else in Cowboy Creek would learn what happened between him and the woman he’d loved and had thought loved him, too.
He grabbed his tea glass. He had skipped the straw and now took such a long swallow, ice cubes clattered against his front teeth. “What about you? You didn’t sound so overjoyed about the job at the store.”
Even with her tanned skin and the pink makeup on her cheeks, he saw the telltale darkening of her flush. “I was just joking, pointing out the differences between us. Actually, it’s a great job. Of course, I could always use some extra money. Who couldn’t? But there’s not a lot of work in Cowboy Creek, unless you’re a cowboy or want to help decorate for weddings at the Hitching Post. I’d rather decorate a cowboy.”
She shot him a flirty grin. “Kidding again, in case you didn’t catch that. But, honestly, since I still live at home, my bills aren’t too bad.”
“How are your parents doing?”
“Great. Papa’s still working at the car dealership, and Mama’s still spoiling us both, making us breakfast before we head out to work every morning.” She laughed. “Mama’s always complaining my hours cut into her beauty sleep. But I’m an early riser, which means the seven-to-three shift works for me. Plus, it leaves my evenings free.”
The perfect opening. “Yeah, so you’d said. You still like to hang out at the Cantina?”
“Sometimes. My friends and I will go there for the dance nights. Or go to the movies or bowling. You know, all the highlights of Cowboy Creek.”
He laughed. “Yeah. I remember. I wanted to ask about the time you said you had free. While I’m here, I could use some help in the late afternoon and maybe some evenings.”
Ally reached for her tea glass again and hoped Reagan couldn’t see her hand shaking. This was Reagan Chase, the boy she had had a crush on all through school, the boy who had barely seemed to notice she was alive. Even back then, to her, he had looked hotter than a jalapeño—and he had grown up to become a man who looked ten times better than he had years ago.
And that man wanted her help.
“Of course,” she said brightly, trying to hide her elation. “I’d be happy to give you a hand. Since you haven’t been home since...since your mama and then your father died, I’m sure there’s a lot to be done at the house. I’m sorry about your parents, Reagan,” she said in a softer tone, “and sorry I never had the chance to tell you before today.”
How could she—or anyone else in Cowboy Creek—have told him? He hadn’t been home since before his mama died.
He nodded.
She hesitated, then said, “It’s been over a year since your father passed. What brings you home now?”
He looked down at his glass. She felt sure he wouldn’t answer. Too late, she realized maybe she shouldn’t have asked.
Finally, he said, “The right way to phrase that question probably is why haven’t I come back before now.” He shrugged. “This was the first chance I had to get here.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re back. Everyone else will be, too. And I’m happy to help you empty closets, sort through cabinets, do some cleaning.”
But not clearing out. Now you’re here, tell me you’re going to stay.
“Thanks,” he said, “but that’s not the kind of help I need.”
Because you are planning to stay.
Her heart nearly jumped from joy. She couldn’t help the reaction. She’d had years of history behind her when it came to caring about Reagan.
“That’s fine, too,” she assured him. “If it’s anything to do with paperwork, I can help. I do some of the parts orders and the filing at the store. And Tina’s a bookkeeper. She’ll help me out if you need to do anything with financial paperwork or taxes. So...what can I do for you?”
He smiled, and her heart gave an extra thump.
“While I’m in town,” he said, “I need a babysitter.”
Chapter Two
Reagan’s matter-of-fact statement sent a shock wave all the way down to Ally’s toes. “A...” She gulped. “A b-babysitter?”
“Yes.”
“For a baby? Your baby?” Now, her heart plummeted. He had a child. Did he also have a wife?
Why hadn’t she thought of that before she had agreed to meet him here? Wildly, she sent her gaze to his hand then back to his clear blue eyes. No ring on his finger. Not that a lack of one meant much.
She saw enough married men, especially cowboys and ranchers, come into the store without their wedding rings. Jewelry could become a hazard to people who worked around equipment and livestock.
If she were married, she would wear a ring. She would want people to see the symbol of her love, of her devotion—once it was a done deal. However, she hadn’t met the right cowboy yet...because no other cowboy could live up to Reagan Chase.
“Yes,” he said, “I need a babysitter for my baby. I’m not married,” he added flatly.
Relief flooded through her. Though curiosity about his past filled her, too, she knew she had to focus on the here and now. She nodded, not sure what to say.
“It’s a long story. One I’d rather not get into. But I have a one-month-old son. I’ve got someone to watch him during the day. You know Mrs. Browley?”
“Of course. She’s one of my mama’s best friends.”
“She was to my mom, too. They spent a lot of time together at the women’s club and planning events at the community center.”
“I remember,” she said softly. “Everyone misses her.”
“Yeah.” He stripped the covering from the straw he hadn’t used and concentrated on wrapping it around his fingers. “Anyway, I stopped by Mrs. B’s place to talk with her on my way here to Sugar’s. She said she’ll watch my son during the mornings and early afternoons. I’ll be back again from San Antonio two days from now, and I already made arrangements to drop him off directly there. Then I expect to be busy out at the ranch all day.” He took another long swallow of his tea.
As he tipped his head back to drink, she watched the muscles working in his throat. When he set the glass down, a rim of tea still wet his upper lip. He licked the moisture away. She shivered and glanced down at the tabletop.
“I’ll call you to confirm I’m back,” he said. “If you could pick him up at her house once you get off work in the afternoons, it would be a big help. I’m bound to be filthy from prowling around the ranch, and I’d lose a lot of good work time if I had to stop and shower up to come into town in the middle of the day.”
At the thought of him in the shower, she shivered again. Trying to blame her reactions on her iced drink, she tightened her hand around the tall glass.
“I’ll pay you whatever it is you make hourly at the store,” he told her.
I don’t want your money.
But how could she say that? He would find it highly suspicious, especially since she had said she could use the extra cash. And she couldn’t confess to him that minding his baby scared the heck out of her. Not meeting his eyes, she sipped her tea and then touched the paper napkin to her lips.
She thought of all the years she had crushed on Reagan. Everyone in school probably knew how she felt about him. He must have known it, too. He couldn’t have missed it...could he? Now the idea made her cringe. If he had noticed, she couldn’t risk saying something that would make him recall how much she had liked him...and maybe make him change his mind about asking for her help.
Worse, if she didn’t guard her reactions now, he would find out how much she still cared.
“You’d...want me to take the baby home with me until you pick him up?” That would work. Mama could help her with him.
“He’ll be fine with Mrs. B all day, I know that. But his routine will already be upset enough since he won’t be with his regular sitter. I’d rather you bring him out to the ranch and watch him there, if that’s not a problem for you.”
She was stuck between a rock and a hard place, as Jed Garland would say. She would go out to Reagan’s family home to spend afternoons and evenings with him...and a baby she had no idea how to handle.
Fear at her inexperience fought with her longing to be with Reagan.
His small smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. His expression looked hopeful...and just a bit desperate.
Longing left her light-headed. Reagan needed her.
This was the chance she had always wanted to get close to him.
Well, if she could play the role of The Girl Most Likely to Make You Laugh, she could also convince herself she would be an expert babysitter. “No worries,” she said firmly. “Watching the baby out at the ranch won’t be a problem at all.”
* * *
“BUT, TINA,” ALLY WAILED, “what was I thinking? I don’t know anything about babies!”
After her meeting with Reagan at SugarPie’s, she had come out to the Hitching Post to see Tina, as she had told Jed she would.
Her best friend reclined on the couch in her newly renovated attic apartment at her family’s hotel. She cuddled her sleeping newborn daughter close to her and laughed softly. “I know exactly what you were thinking. This is Reagan you’re talking about.”
Ally’s cheeks flamed. From the time she and Tina had become best friends, they had shared all their secrets, including her crush on Reagan.
“And, of course, you know something about babies,” Tina went on. “You held Emilia yesterday.”
“Held. For a few seconds. That’s a lot different from watching one for an entire afternoon and evening. Maybe for an entire week of afternoons and evenings.” If she were lucky. Or possibly unlucky.
She didn’t know what to hope for anymore. She ran her hands through her hair. Curls bounced in all directions, nearly blocking her vision. She swept them aside.
Tina laughed again. “That’s my Ally, always the drama queen.”
“You know it.” She flounced into the upholstered chair near the couch. Even with her best friend, she sometimes felt the need to pretend. One of these days, The Girl Most Likely to Make You Laugh might have to fess up.
“You’ve also been around from the day Robbie was born.” Robbie was Tina and her husband Cole’s five-year-old.
“Okay, so I’ve played toy horses with him, and racing cars and once—a long time ago—I rolled a ball to him when he was still too little to move out of the way. He couldn’t miss it,” she admitted to Tina. “But I never fed him. Or gave him a bottle. Or—” she shuddered “—changed his diapers.”
Shuddering aside, it wasn’t diapers that bothered her so much as her fear Reagan’s son would react to her the way other babies had. “Little kids and I just don’t get along. The minute they see me, they know they’re dealing with an amateur, and they all turn into howling, stiff-limbed little monsters.”
Why had she ever thought she could take care of Reagan’s baby?
“Ally, that’s just silly. Come here.” Tina sat upright on the couch.
Reluctantly, Ally crossed to take a seat beside her and let her place the newborn into her arms. The blanket-wrapped baby felt warmer and heavier than Ally had expected. Ally smiled down at her.
“See? Not so bad, is it?”
“You’ve got such a treasure here, mi amiga,” she told Tina in a murmur, afraid her voice might startle the child. Better to let her sleep. Her goddaughter had an angelic face with a tiny cupid’s-bow mouth, both of which Ally worried might be deceiving.
“Andi and I can teach you all you need to know.” Tina’s cousin had two small children of her own.
“Oh, right. An entire Baby 101 course, compressed into a couple of days?”
“Sure. You’re a quick study. Piece of cake.”
“Don’t mention cake,” she said with a moan. The baby moved her arm slightly, and Ally lowered her voice again. “I could eat an entire pan of your abuela’s sopaipilla cheesecake right this minute.”
Tina smiled. “I don’t think it’s on the menu tonight. But stay for supper. By the time we’re done, Emilia will need another feeding and a diaper change, and we’ll get you started on some hands-on experience.”
“This might be all the hands-on I can handle. But I suppose I can stay.” Truthfully, the deciding factor was more the thought of Tina’s grandmother’s cooking
than it was the lessons.
“What I want to know,” she said thoughtfully, “is exactly where Reagan’s baby came from.”
“Uh...Ally? We covered the birds and the bees in about fifth grade.”
She rolled her eyes. “Not fair, chica. As I always tell you, you’re supposed to be the serious half of this friendship. I get all the funny lines.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t see anything funny about this situation.”
That made her look at Tina in alarm. Her friend always was the serious one. If she were worried, chances were good there was something to be concerned about. “What?”
“Well...” Tina shrugged. “You have a point. Forgetting about the birds and bees, the question still stands. Where did Reagan’s baby come from?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t want to talk about it.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“You mean there has to be a wife somewhere? But he said he wasn’t married.” Her voice had risen, and Emilia shifted in her arms again. “Here. I think she’s waking up. You’d better take her before she opens her eyes, sees me and starts to yell.”
Tina shook her head at Ally but reached for her daughter. “Then maybe Reagan has an ex-wife. Or a girlfriend, either ex or current. Or he could be widowed.”
She gasped. “With a one-month-old baby?” They exchanged suddenly misty-eyed glances. “Oh, I hope not. It would be best if he had gotten a di—” She stopped.
“Divorce,” Tina supplied in a soft voice, “because then Reagan wouldn’t be attached to another woman.”
“Well...” She glanced down at her hands in her lap. Then, sighing, she looked at Tina again. “Yes,” she admitted finally. Feeling miserable, she yanked on one of her curls. How could she wish away a poor defenseless little baby’s mother?
Yet how could she not want a chance at winning the boy she had always loved?
* * *
WITH THE HITCHING POST’S guests all gone up to their rooms for the night, Jed Garland went along the hall of the first-floor family wing. He wandered into the hotel’s kitchen, where Paz, the hotel cook, stood at the counter making preparations for next morning’s breakfast. Tina, the granddaughter he and Paz had in common, sat at the big table with her new baby in her arms.
The Rancher's Baby Proposal Page 2