“Don’t look at me. My mom would do cartwheels in the street if I came home and went to work for my grandparents.”
That made her smile. “I’m not getting rid of my cats.”
As if in answer, the tabby stepped out from beneath the table and blinked at Cole with marginally less antagonism.
“Cut your parents some slack. At least they care, unlike my father.” Cole put an arm around Vi’s shoulders. “Besides, they’ll be gone by Monday.”
Whatever her parents were whispering about, they quieted the moment Cole and Vi returned to the living room, each of them holding two steaming mugs of coffee. Vi set her pair on the coffee table, while Cole delivered a mug to her father, receiving a gruff “Thank you” for his efforts.
They’d barely had a second sip when Julia broached the subject of Vi moving back to Seattle.
“It only makes sense,” she argued. “Won’t you please consider it? The house is huge. You and the baby would have plenty of room. And since you and Cole aren’t getting married...” She let the statement dangle.
Cole had stated his position at dinner. He wasn’t about to repeat himself.
“I’m staying in Mustang Valley,” Vi said firmly, to his vast relief.
“Sweetheart, I can’t bear the thought of my first and only grandchild growing up without me nearby.”
“You could move here after the divorce.”
Julia let out a startled gasp.
Edgar burst into laughter. “She’s got you there, Julia. Throwing a wrench into your perfectly devised scheme.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Edgar turned to Vi. “She wants you and the baby to move in with her because she thinks that will force me to give her the house in the settlement.”
Julia scowled. “Nonsense.”
“We both know I’m right.” Edgar sat up straighter, his laughter fading. “We’re selling the house.”
“But I love it.”
“You’ll find another one you love. Smaller. More affordable.”
“You’re only doing this to get back at me.”
“Quit being melodramatic.”
Cole sensed Vi’s trembling and saw the tears filling her eyes. He couldn’t take any more, and obviously, neither could she.
“If you don’t stop arguing,” he said, “you’re going to have to leave. It’s important Vi avoid stress.”
Edgar stiffened. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m very serious, sir.”
“How dare you talk to us like that.” Julia’s heavily made up eyes widened. “We’re Violet’s parents.”
“Excuse me, ma’am, but you don’t exactly act like parents.”
“That’s enough,” Edgar barked.
“I agree,” Cole stated. “More than enough.”
Julia gasped so hard she started coughing. Edgar had apparently been stunned into silence.
Cole continued with as much congeniality as he could muster. “Edgar, Vi says you’re an avid golfer. You’ll need an early tee-off time. It’s hot by noon this time of year.”
As expected, Vi’s parents didn’t stay much longer. After Julia’s attempts to pressure her daughter failed, she decided she was tired. Cole doubted they were done, merely retreating temporarily so they could start fresh tomorrow.
He let Vi walk them to their car while he remained inside. She returned five minutes later.
She shut the front door, leaned her back against it and let her shoulders slump. “I know I shouldn’t say this about my parents, but I’m so glad this night is over.”
“I’ll leave now, too.” Cole moved slowly in her direction. “You really do need your rest.”
It wasn’t his intention to kiss her. But she didn’t move from the door, and lifted her gaze to study him. Cole was a lot of things, being made of stone not one of them.
Her green eyes glistened, drawing him in. He couldn’t resist, not that he wanted to. He could, however, exercise restraint.
Dipping his head, he brushed his lips across hers. Briefly. He didn’t dare risk more. Even so, the sensation was incredible. Enough to weaken his control if he weren’t careful.
“Good night, Vi. See you tomorrow.” He reached around her for the doorknob.
She stayed his hand by taking it in hers. “Don’t go, Cole.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“I am. You were sweet tonight, and my parents were awful.”
Ah. That was it. “You don’t owe me.”
“Which isn’t the reason I want you to stay.”
“What is?”
“You and I have made a baby together. But the truth is, we don’t know each other very well.”
“True.” Cole was tempted to kiss her again. And again.
She smiled flirtatiously, causing his control to go from weak to practically nonexistent. No woman had ever affected him like Vi.
“I think we should get better acquainted.”
He was in complete agreement.
* * *
“LOOK AT THE MOON.” Vi pointed to a corner of the star-filled sky. “It’s beautiful.” When Cole didn’t respond, she glanced over her shoulder at him.
He stood there, immobile.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
He looked around her back yard. “You have patio furniture.”
“Yes.” She laughed softly. “Lots of people do. It goes with the patio.”
“I had no idea.” When she sat, he did, too. “Adirondack chairs.” He slapped the wide wooden armrests. “I like them. They remind me of the beach.”
“See? We’re learning new things about each other already. I have patio furniture, and you like Adirondack chairs. Now, look at the moon.”
He did, and nodded appreciatively at the nearly full sphere hanging as if suspended from invisible wires. A mild breeze sifted past them from the east. Vi had donned a lightweight cotton shawl, her sundress not providing enough protection against the falling temperature.
“You been to the beach a lot?” she asked.
“My mom used to take Josh and me to Ocean Beach every summer when we were kids. We’d rent a condo for two weeks. Had the time of our lives, next to rodeoing.
“It sounds fun.”
“For a while, I think I was thirteen, I wanted to be a surfer.”
Violet tried to imagine Cole on a surfboard, his blond hair long and wavy, wearing colorful swim trunks and saying things like “dude” or “gnarly.” She burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“You liked surfing?”
“I loved it. But I wasn’t very good.”
“I’m surprised, considering how athletic you are.”
“Rodeoing requires a different skill set.”
Another cool breeze wandered by. Violet took a moment to enjoy it. “This is nice.”
He reached across the space to capture her hand in his. “This is better.”
Yes, it was. Strong male fingers linked with her much smaller ones. The sight caused a stirring inside her that could only be called romantic.
She considered demanding the return of her hand, despite flirting with him earlier. She and Cole had yet to define their relationship or settle on a direction. Granted, he had initiated the conversation. Twice. But she’d insisted they postpone until her pregnancy reached that important first milestone, and then was frustrated when he didn’t broach the subject again.
In a few days, she’d pass that milestone. Perhaps it wouldn’t be tempting fate too terribly much if she and Cole made one or two small decisions.
“Do you think you might make Mustang Valley your home base?”
There, that wasn’t difficul
t. It was also completely reasonable. Nothing like Should we get married? Should we discuss visitation or joint custody? Or, How do you really feel about me?
“I do,” he said. “Now that you’re certain you won’t be moving to Seattle.”
“I was never moving to Seattle. That’s my mother’s idea.”
It was his turn to laugh. “Strange as this sounds, I like your parents.”
She gaped at him. “You’re joking.”
“They’re interesting people. And challenging.”
“Two words that describe them to a tee. But you forgot frustrating and infuriating.”
“Loving a parent isn’t always easy, trust me. My mom’s also a difficult person. Bitter and angry all the time. For a lot of years, I blamed Dad. Took me a while to realize she just plain likes being unhappy. And she had more to do with Dad staying away than she claims. I’m pretty sure she’d have taken his head off if he so much as came within a hundred miles of us.”
“He really was a wonderful man. I can’t imagine he didn’t want to be a father to you.”
“I concede I might not have been entirely fair to him, but he could have found a way to see us if he’d really wanted to.”
“That goes both ways.”
Cole seemed about to say something, closed his mouth, then started again. “You’re right. There’s no good excuse for me not coming to see Dad when he was dying. I’ll regret that the rest of my life.”
Violet didn’t push the point. It was enough that Cole had started to come around. It would be impossible for her to truly care for a man who didn’t admit his mistakes.
“I’d like to meet your mother one day,” she said. “Have you told her about the baby?” Funny, it hadn’t occurred to Violet before now to ask.
“Not yet. I will. Soon.”
“Do you think she’ll be glad?”
“She adores Josh’s kids. Spoils them rotten. I’m pretty sure she’ll be excited.” Cole leaned his head back and groaned. “She’ll probably want to come out when the baby’s born, if not sooner. Consider this fair warning.”
“I thought she refused to return to Mustang Valley.”
“She’ll make an exception for her grandchildren.”
Violet smiled. “Great.”
He groaned again. “You say that now.”
“Personally, I hope she’s an involved grandparent. I want to surround my child—our child—with lots of family and friends. Raquel, Gabe and your dad were like that with me. I love being included even if I’m not technically a Dempsey.” Though by having Cole’s baby, she felt more like a member of the family than ever before.
“You’re a pretty special person, Violet Hathaway.” He squeezed her fingers.
His sincerity touched a place deep inside her.
For the next several minutes, they stargazed in silence, their emotional bond quietly growing. Violet had many more questions to ask, but was unsure where to start. Suddenly, an idea came to her.
“Let’s play a game.”
Cole glanced at her. “What kind of game?”
“I think you’ll find it enlightening.”
He shook his head. “What am I getting myself into?”
She ignored him and explained the rules. “Each of us will take a turn voicing one doubt we have. About us, our relationship, the future, whatever. Then we’ll discuss it. List the pros and cons. Hopefully, find some common ground or learn something new about each other.”
“I’m assuming you’ve played this before?”
“Kind of. Yes.” As teenagers, she and her friends had engaged in a version of the game, though it had been more about obstacles they’d faced with the boys they liked and the boys liking them back.
Cole considered her suggestion for a few moments before relenting with obvious reluctance. “You first.”
“But—”
“The game was your idea.”
She could hardly argue that and picked a relatively straightforward concern.
“I’m worried about us being able to work together, now that we’re in a personal relationship, and not let our feelings get in the way.”
His expression brightened. “We have a personal relationship? That’s great—and here I thought I’d have to woo you.”
She matched his light tone, trying not to read too much into his remark. “Not that. The baby. We’ll be coparenting, which could affect our business relationship. What if we disagree on something? That could carry over to the job.”
“Only if Josh and Gabe don’t buy me out.”
Her stomach sank. “Then you’re definitely leaving.”
“If I don’t go back to rodeoing I’m not sure how I can earn enough money to support the baby. Which, for the record, is one of my concerns.”
“The ranch should start turning a profit, sooner or later. Then you can draw a salary.”
“I doubt we’ll see much profit this year. Possibly next spring, when we can sell off more of the calves.” He didn’t sound optimistic, causing her stomach to sink lower.
“You could always do something else to earn income.”
“Like what? Rodeoing and ranching are all I know, and I’m not good at ranching yet.”
“Horse training? You love it. And it’s something you can do to supplement your income while ranching.”
“So is rodeoing.”
“Without leaving,” she clarified.
He crinkled his brow. “I’m not sure there’s enough money in part-time horse training. Mustang Valley is a small town.”
“Are you kidding? Mustang Valley is a great place for a horse trainer. Especially with Cara’s therapy program taking off like gangbusters. You told me yourself she needs two more horses over the next few months.”
“Cara doesn’t pay me for training.”
“Maybe she should.”
The lines in his brow deepened. “I wouldn’t feel right about that.”
“Fine. Then partner with Powell’s riding stables. Their clients are always looking for well-trained horses. And what about roping or cutting horse clinics? Powell Ranch has a riding arena. You could pay them a percentage of your revenues in exchange for using their facilities.”
He stared at her. “Thought about this much?”
“Not at all. I’m just... There are plenty of opportunities if you think creatively.”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “I do like training horses.”
“See?”
“You sound like you want me to stay.”
Was that a trace of hope she detected in his voice? “You’re my baby’s father. Of course I want you to stay.”
He searched her face. “Is that the only reason?”
Before she quite knew it, she uttered a soft, “No.”
That seemed to satisfy him. “All right.”
“You’ll do it? Explore the possibilities?”
“Yeah.” He didn’t sound enthused.
Vi, however, was. Very enthused. “Good.”
“There’s still the problem of mixing business with pleasure.”
The way he said “pleasure” caused a spark of desire to ignite in her. “I said personal.”
“Oh, right.” His grin went from playful to sexy.
Violet almost moaned as the spark burst into a bright flame. She was definitely getting in way over her head.
“I think, if we set some ground rules and abide by them, we can both act professionally,” she stated. “Gabe and Reese are managing well enough working together and they’re engaged.”
“Her term as trustee of my dad’s estate will come to an end, hopefully in the next six months. Then there won’t be a conflict.”
“True.”
When Violet turned and met Cole’s g
lance, something in his eyes had changed. “We could always get married,” he said hesitantly.
She tried not to react. “Is that what you want?”
“I’m...not against it.”
Hardly a sweep-a-lady-off-her-feet proposal, if it even was a proposal.
Violet swallowed, thinking carefully before responding. “Let’s wait until I’ve reached my second trimester.”
“Okay, what’s next?”
Was it her imagination, or did Cole seem a bit relieved?
Suddenly, she didn’t want to play the game anymore. “We can stop now. I said one or two concerns each, and we’ve done that.”
“But I don’t want to stop. This is fun.”
“Fine,” she said irritably, then blurted, “Will you resent me for tying you down when you’d rather be on the road?”
He sat back in his chair. “That’s a really good question.”
“Which means you might.”
“These past seven months have been the longest I’ve stayed in once place since I left home at eighteen. In some ways, it’s been hard. I won’t lie. In other ways, it hasn’t.”
“Not being hard isn’t the same as being easy.”
“Ranching is different from rodeo. But I’ve adjusted better than I thought.”
“What changed you?”
“I ran into this pretty little gal at the Poco Dinero Bar one night three months ago, and she took me home with her.”
“Cole. I’m not joking.”
“Neither am I. Gabe and Raquel, they’ve had something to do with it, for sure. But it’s you, more than anyone, who’ve caused me to change. For the better, I hope.” His gaze raked over her, lingering when it found her face.
Oh, boy. If she and Cole continued like this, she wouldn’t be able to hold on to her soaring heart.
She had to be careful, she reminded herself. Soaring hearts were always in danger of crashing and breaking.
“I think we should head in,” she suggested.
“It is getting late.”
Not even a small protest? She didn’t know whether to be annoyed or glad.
Inside, Cole retrieved his cowboy hat and truck key from the kitchen table where he’d left them. She assumed she’d walk him to the door. Instead, he pulled her into his arms.
“I’m going to kiss you good-night, Vi. Pucker up.”
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