“Close to six thousand,” she answered.
“You get much rain up here?”
“No. Hardly any in the summer. A little more in the autumn season. Normally we do get a fair amount of snow, though, and that helps. Dad always kept a few of the hay meadows irrigated. But the irrigation system needs repairing. Like everything else around here.”
He didn’t reply, and she wondered what he was thinking as he stared off toward the western horizon where a purple haze was darkening the skyline. Yes, Stallion Canyon was a beautiful place. Strange that it had taken this man to make her remember just how beautiful.
He said, “I’ve been doing some thinking this afternoon. About you and Harry.”
Something about the quiet tone in his voice made her go on sudden alert. “What about us?”
His gaze returned to her face and Mariah’s heart thumped with anticipation. In spite of the serious expression on his face, there was an appealing look in his blue eyes and it melted her like spring snow beneath a warm sun.
“I wanted to ask if you’d be willing to travel to the Silver Horn and stay for a while.” He held up a hand before she could reply. “That is, if the DNA proves Harry to be my son,” he added.
Without even knowing how she got there, Mariah was instantly standing on her feet. “To Nevada? With you and Harry?”
He shot her a crooked grin and Mariah’s gaze was drawn to his white teeth and the faint dimples bracketing his lips. He was the most masculine man she’d ever encountered, and each time she looked at him the act of breathing grew more difficult. Being around this man for only a few hours had already shaken her. A steady dose of his company would no doubt turn her into a complete fool.
“Yes. With me and Harry and the rest of the family,” he said easily. “Harry is accustomed to you. It would be much easier for him to make the transition to a strange place if you were with him. We have plenty of room. And you wouldn’t have to lift a finger. Just be there for Harry’s needs.”
Finn was inviting her to his home in Nevada. The idea staggered her. What normal woman with a beating heart could resist such an opportunity? But he was getting way ahead of himself. And she couldn’t let her romantic notions run wild.
Her mouth was suddenly so dry she had to swallow before she could manage to say a word. “Aren’t you assuming quite a bit? You can’t be certain of what the DNA test is going to say. Before either of us makes plans regarding Harry, we need to see the results.”
“We’ll waste the time and the money on the DNA test to put your mind at ease. But I can tell you right now—I’m Harry’s father.”
She couldn’t let his confident attitude shake her. “We’ll see,” she replied. “But in the meantime, I have two more weeks of school. I can’t go anywhere.”
He looked disappointed and Mariah wondered if his reaction was because of her or Harry.
Don’t be ridiculous, Mariah. The man didn’t invite you to his home for romantic reasons. He’s already convinced that Harry is his son. He’s only thinking about the baby’s welfare. Not you.
He slanted a thoughtful glance at her. “Well, could be that the results will return about the time you finish your school term. Would you be willing to make the trip then?”
She stared at him in disbelief. Was having her with Harry really that important to him? She couldn’t imagine it. Not when he could easily hire a full-time nanny. “I’d have to think about that. I have so many responsibilities here. The ranch, the horses and—”
The remainder of her words trailed away as he suddenly rose from the chair and carried Harry over to the playpen. As he carefully deposited the baby on his back, he said, “Before you say anything else, Mariah, let me get Harry settled.”
After pulling a light blanket up to the boy’s waist, he offered him a rubber teething ring. Once Harry was happily chewing on the ring and kicking his feet, he left the baby and came to stand next to her. The nearness of his tall, lanky body towering over hers whipped her senses into a wild frenzy.
He said, “Before my invitation, you’d pretty much written this ranch off. Now all of a sudden you can’t leave it.”
Darkness had settled over the backyard, but there was enough light slanting through the windows of the kitchen to illuminate the porch. She watched in fascination as patches of golden glow and gray shadows played across his rugged features.
“My feelings concerning the ranch have nothing to do with it,” she countered. “Other than the little work Ringo does around here, I’m the sole caretaker. I have to be here to keep things going.”
“That’s no problem. I’ll hire someone to take care of the horses and whatever else is needed done around here.”
Her heart was suddenly racing at such a frantic pace, she unconsciously pressed her fingers to the middle of her chest. “You’d do that?”
A faint smile brought the dimple back to his cheek. “Of course I would. If Harry goes to the Horn I want him to be happy. Having you with him would surely help him make the transition.”
Naturally his concern was all about Harry. But for one moment there, Mariah wanted to believe he was thinking of her. She wanted to think he was extending the invitation so she wouldn’t feel so cut off from Harry. Dear God, she was turning into a mushy idiot.
Unable to look him in the eye, she turned her back to him and gulped in a breath of fresh air. She had to get a grip before she fell to pieces right here in front of him. “I see. Well, if you do take Harry—I’m not sure that my going along would be wise. He’d get to thinking I belonged there with him. And eventually I’d have to leave. He wouldn’t understand why I was gone.”
Her last words were choked and she quickly bent her head in an attempt to conceal the tears that were rushing to her eyes. She didn’t want Finn to see a shattered woman. She wanted him to believe that she was strong enough to survive anything. And with or without Harry, she would survive, she forcefully reminded herself. She had no other choice.
Suddenly his hands wrapped around her upper arms and their warmth rushed through her like a fierce wildfire, scorching her senses and melting her resistance.
“You could be right about that, Mariah. I’m only trying to think of a way to make this easier for all three of us.”
Agony twisted her insides as she turned back to him. “That’s impossible, Finn. Besides, what if you’re not the father? Other than Bryce, I wouldn’t have a clue who it might be. What would happen to Harry if some stranger laid claim to him? The whole idea makes me shudder with fear.”
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Hmm. All this time I believed you didn’t want my DNA to match. Now it sounds like you do.”
A blush stung her cheeks. “Okay. Maybe I was hoping that…just a little,” she admitted. “But this afternoon I’ve been doing some thinking, too. And I’ve decided that you—”
When she couldn’t find the words to go on, he finished for her. “I’m the lesser of two evils?”
Somehow her face grew even hotter. “Something like that,” she mumbled. “I don’t know all that much about you yet. But I can see you’d be good to Harry.”
“What about Aimee’s old boyfriend? Is he the fathering sort?”
“Bryce?” She shook her head. “Not at all. From what Aimee said, he didn’t want kids with his first wife. And he didn’t want them with Aimee. If he turned out to be the father, God help us.”
His hands tightened on her upper arms. “Don’t worry. I’m the father,” he murmured. His hands eased their grip on her arms and slid slowly upward until they were resting upon her shoulders. “And if we put our minds together and concentrate on doing everything for Harry’s sake, then everything else will take care of itself.”
As his last words trailed away with the night breeze, Mariah saw his gaze settle on her lips. After that she wasn’t sure if he bent his head first or if she rose up on her toes, but something caused their faces to come together. And then his lips were fastening over hers, his arms pulling her tight against
his hard body.
Too dazed to think, Mariah’s lips automatically parted beneath his. Her arms slipped up and around his neck, while the front of her body nestled itself against a slab of masculine muscle. It didn’t matter if this was all for Harry’s sake. All that mattered was that he was making her feel like a woman. A woman who was needed and wanted.
Her senses were spinning faster and faster, until everything was a blur. She couldn’t move or think. But she could certainly feel. The search of his hard lips upon hers was tugging her to a dark, sweet place that beckoned her to move closer, to stay in the enchanting web of his arms.
But suddenly his head lifted and a cool wind brushed across her face and touched her heated lips. Gulping in a deep breath, she opened her eyes to see that he was gazing down at her. It was then she noticed that his hands were resting at the base of her throat, where a vein throbbed against his fingers.
“Mariah,” he whispered.
He made her name sound like a sexy plea and it was all she could do to keep from groaning aloud.
“Why did you do that?” she asked hoarsely.
A faint smile curved his lips. “I’m a curious man and you’re a beautiful woman. A plus B equals C.”
“That’s not the way algebra works.”
He chuckled lowly. “You’re right. That’s not algebra. That’s my own special equation.”
He was making light of the whole thing and it would be best if she did, too. But his kiss had shaken her to the very depths of her being. And she was sick of men never taking her seriously, tired of being considered a pleasant pastime and nothing more.
“Very cute,” she muttered, then quickly turned away from him and walked over to Harry’s playpen. “But I’ve had enough laughs for one night. I’m putting Harry and myself to bed.”
She was bending over to pick up Harry when Finn’s hands caught her around the waist and tugged her straight back into his arms.
“If you thought that was for laughs, then maybe I’d better do it over.”
Before she could react, he’d already fastened his lips over hers. And this time there was no mistaking the raw hunger in his kiss.
Mariah didn’t know how long she stood there in his arms, his lips feasting on hers. She eventually heard herself groaning and then he was stepping away, staring down at her flushed face.
“Sweet dreams, Mariah.”
He walked off the porch and into the shadows that stretched toward the barns. Mariah stood there until she’d regained her breath, then collected Harry from the playpen and hurried into the house.
Chapter Five
“Is anything wrong with your eggs? If they don’t suit you I can cook more.”
Finn looked up from his plate and across the breakfast table to Mariah. With Harry sitting in a high chair next to her, she was offering the baby a spoonful of mushy-looking oatmeal. Harry appeared to be enjoying every bite, even those that were dripping onto his chin.
“The eggs taste fine.” To prove it, Finn shoveled up a forkful of the fried eggs he’d covered with green chili sauce. “I was just thinking, that’s all.”
Thinking, hell. That was hardly what he’d been doing since he kissed Mariah last night. His mind had been whirling like a dust devil. What had possessed him to kiss her, not once, but twice? It wasn’t like him to lose his head over a woman he’d just met! At least, not since that brief fling with Aimee. And looking at Harry ought to remind him of the results of that particular instant attraction. Yet this thing he was feeling about Mariah was different. It was more than attraction. She made him forget all common sense.
“If you’re thinking about that kiss, then don’t,” she said stiffly. “I’ve already forgotten it and you should, too.”
“Then why did you bring it up?” he countered.
She frowned as pink color spread across her cheeks and Finn could only think how pretty she looked, even when she was vexed. This morning she was wearing a black button-up blouse with little sleeves that barely covered the ball of her shoulder. Her black hair was tied back from her face with a white silk scarf, but it hardly contained the long waves falling around her shoulders. Her bare skin glowed like a pearl that had been polished between two fingers, while her lips glistened moist and soft. She looked fresh and erotic and oh, so young. And Finn was finding it impossible to keep his eyes off her.
She said, “Because you have a miserable look on your face and I suspect you’re regretting you kissed me once. Much less twice.”
“I’m not regretting anything,” he muttered. And given the chance, he’d do it again. But he wasn’t about to let her in on that secret.
“Oh,” she said stiffly. “So when you first get up in the mornings, it’s normal for you to look like you could commit murder.”
Groaning, Finn wiped a hand over his face, then reached for the china cup filled with steaming coffee. “Sorry. I have a lot of things on my mind. And about last night—I don’t usually go around kissing women like that. But I—”
“Thought it might be a good tool of persuasion? Or you needed to end the day with a few kicks?”
A sleepless night, added to all that had happened to him yesterday, had left Finn feeling addled this morning, and Mariah’s brittle comments were only compounding the sluggishness of his brain.
He sipped the coffee in hopes it would clear the heavy fog behind his eyes, while across the table she used her fork to push the bacon and eggs from one side of her plate to the other.
“Those kisses had nothing to do with Nevada or Harry or fun,” he said crossly. “Can’t a man be near a woman just for the simple pleasure? Why does there have to be ulterior motives behind a couple of kisses?”
Sighing, she said, “I just don’t like being used. That’s all.”
“Neither do I. So let’s forget it,” he suggested. “It’s a new day. Let’s start over. What do you say?”
She looked across the table at him and Finn noticed her gray eyes were full of lost, lonely shadows. The sight made him feel like a heel. It made him want to cradle her in his arms and tell her she was special. That he would never intentionally hurt or use her.
A tentative smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “That’s a good idea. So, tell me, now that you’ve slept on it, are you still planning on staying until we get the test results?”
She was giving him a crack to wriggle through. If Finn was ever going to change his mind about being in this woman’s company for the next several days, he needed to do it now. But Harry was too important and he wasn’t going to leave this ranch without him.
He reached for the thermal pot sitting in the middle of the table. As he warmed his coffee, he said, “I’m staying.”
Her fork paused in midair. “Oh. Did you bring enough things with you for a lengthy stay? I mean, like extra clothes and that sort of stuff.”
Cradling his coffee cup with both hands, he leaned back in his chair. “Enough. But I think I’ll drive into town this morning and pick up a few more things I could use while I’m here. If you and Harry need anything, make a list and I’ll pick it up for you. Or better yet, you’re welcome to come with me.”
She shook her head. “Thanks, but I have too much to do here in the house before I go back to work in the morning.”
“I’m sure Harry can always use formula and diapers,” he pointed out. “Let me know what kind and I’ll pick some up.”
She looked like she wanted to argue, and Finn decided she was reluctant to relinquish any part of Harry’s care to him. Which was only natural, he supposed. But how long was it going to take before she finally let go of the baby? When the DNA made it clear Finn was the father? Or did she ever plan to let go?
“Okay. I’ll make a list,” she said.
“Good.”
Finn ate the remaining bacon and eggs on his plate, then drained his coffee cup. By the time he was finished, Mariah had already risen from her chair and started gathering dirty dishes from the tabletop.
“I need to get
to the barn and start feeding,” she said. “I’d be grateful if you could watch Harry. It would save me bundling him up and taking him out with me. It’s rather cool this morning.”
Finn left the table and carried his dirty dishes over to the sink. “You stay in and watch Harry. I’ll tend to the feeding.”
She walked over to him. “I know I mentioned you helping out around here. But I don’t expect you to do my chores.”
“Look, Mariah, I’m not used to being idle. Besides, caring for horses is a pleasure for me.” He walked over to the bar, where he’d left his hat. As he levered the brim over his forehead, he said, “By the way, if you’re still in a hurry to get rid of the mustangs, I think I can come up with a new home for them.”
Her eyes narrowed with speculation. “A new home? Where?”
“I need to make a few phone calls before I say more. We’ll talk about it later.” On his way out of the kitchen, he paused at Harry’s high chair and squatted down to the baby’s level. Emotions swelled in his chest as he touched a forefinger to the dimple in Harry’s cheek. “That grin of yours is going to melt all the girls’ hearts.”
As though he understood, Harry kicked both legs and squealed. Across the way, Mariah laughed softly and the warm sound had him looking over to see a tender smile on her face. The expression made her features even lovelier.
“I think Harry has already melted a few hearts,” she said. “Including yours.”
*
Straddling a river, the little town of Alturas sat in a valley with a ridge of tall mountains to the east, forest to the north and flat wetlands to the south. A wide main street was lined on either side by quaint shops and businesses, some housed in buildings that had been around for a century or more. As Finn negotiated his truck through the sparse Sunday traffic, it dawned on him that this community had been Mariah’s life for the past twenty years.
Would she still continue to live here once he took Harry home to the Silver Horn?
Why wouldn’t she? Her teaching job is here. Her friends and acquaintances. Once the ranch sells, she’ll probably move to a little rental here in town. And eventually, she’ll find a man to marry. She’ll raise children, not horses. And after a while, you and Stallion Canyon will be nothing more than a dim memory to her.
Daddy Wore Spurs (Mills & Boon Cherish) (Men of the West, Book 32) Page 7