by Katie Lane
“Danny Ray?”
“In the flesh.” Danny Ray flashed a smile that had melted her like butter at one time. Now she didn’t feel anything but confusion. What was he doing here? He strode across the street in a cocky strut she remembered all too well. When he reached her, he gave her a long, thorough once-over. “Woo-whee, honey, you have sure filled out nicely since I last saw you. Have your boobs gotten—?”
Ms. Marble cut in. “You watch your manners, young man. There are children present.”
Danny Ray glanced at Ms. Marble and then at Carrie Anne. There was no sign of recognition. Not one. His gaze passed over his daughter as if she were a complete stranger. And that broke Christie’s heart in two and completely obliterated any feelings she might still have for the man. It was too bad that her daughter was more observant.
“Danny Ray?” Carrie Anne stepped up, looking confused. “You’re my deadbeat daddy?”
Danny Ray shot her an annoyed look. “I ain’t a deadbeat. And I certainly ain’t your daddy. My daughter is a cute baby. Not some smart-mouthed kid.”
It was like blinders were suddenly lifted from her eyes and she saw Danny Ray for what he was: A self-centered man . . . who was a few marbles short of a bag. “She was a baby six years ago when you left, Danny Ray,” she said. “She’s not a baby anymore.”
Danny Ray stared at Carrie Anne. “She’s my kid?”
Carrie Anne glared back at him. “I’m not your kid. I’m my mama’s kid. You’re just a deadbeat who didn’t want me.”
“I ain’t a deadbeat!” Danny Ray hollered.
People walking down the street stopped to see what all the hollering was about, and Christie quickly turned to Ms. Marble. “Could you take Carrie Anne back to your house while I handle this?”
“I don’t want to go with Ms. Marble.” Carrie Anne crossed her arms and continued to glare at Danny Ray. “I want to know what my deadbeat daddy is doing here.”
Before Christie could get after her, Ms. Marble held out a hand. “That will be enough, Carrie Anne. I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough why your father is in town. For now, we need to let your parents talk.” Carrie Anne started to argue, but all Ms. Marble had to do was lift an eyebrow. She took Ms. Marble’s hand and followed her down the street, glancing over her shoulder at Danny Ray until she and Ms. Marble disappeared around the corner.
When they were gone, Danny Ray looked at Christie. “That sassy kid needs a good paddling.”
There was a time when she had been so enamored of Danny Ray that anything he’d said she’d agreed with. But those days were gone. “You can’t paddle a child for being right. Now what do you want, Danny Ray? If it’s money, I don’t have any.”
He held a hand to his chest. “Why, Christmas Day, you wound me. I would never take money from you. I’m here because I’ve been offered a job by an honest-to-goodness rodeo legend who needs me to show him how to handle a horse.”
She blinked. “What?”
He smiled smugly. “It seems that the great Cord Evans came all the way to Wyoming and offered me ten thousand bucks to saddle break his horse. And if you don’t believe me, you can walk right over there and ask him.”
Christie slowly turned and looked across the street. Cord was still standing in front of the feed store. But now she didn’t notice how sexy his jeans fit or how his gaze melted her insides. Now, she didn’t feel melty at all.
She felt pissed.
Just that quickly she got over her rodeo cowboy fever.
Chapter Twelve
Carrie Anne was usually so talkative, but she didn’t say a word on the walk to Maybelline’s house. And Maybelline couldn’t really blame the poor child. It had to be a shock to meet your father for the first time in the middle of the street when you had no idea he was coming. Maybelline felt almost as shocked. What was Danny Ray doing here? If not for his surprise, she would’ve thought that he was there to see his daughter. Or Christie. But it was obvious that he hadn’t planned on running into either. And what had he been doing with Cord Evans?
When they reached her house, she led Carrie Anne through the side door and pointed to the hooks on the wall. “Hang your backpack and coat and I’ll get you a snack.”
After they’d hung their coats, they headed to the kitchen where Maybelline poured Carrie Anne a glass of milk and filled a plate with a variety of cookies. Once Carrie Anne was seated at the table, Maybelline started opening up the Christmas tins on the counter so she could start filling them. When Carrie Anne still didn’t start talking, she decided to broach the subject of her father. “So I guess it was quite a surprise to see your daddy.”
Carrie Anne stared at the plate of cookies for a few seconds before she lifted her gaze to Maybelline. “Why do you think he’s here? Do you think he came to see me?” The hopeful look in her eyes was heartbreaking. Even more so since Maybelline didn’t believe for a second that Danny Ray was there to be a father. But she would never tell Carrie Anne that.
“It’s certainly a possibility,” she said.
“He doesn’t like me. He wants me to be a cute baby.”
If Danny Ray had been there, Maybelline would’ve boxed his ears for making his daughter feel so inadequate. “I think he was just surprised how big you’ve gotten since he last saw you.”
Carrie Anne picked up a powder sugar-covered wedding cookie and took a small nibble. “I’m glad I’m not a baby. If I was a baby, Cord wouldn’t let me ride Maple.”
“That’s true. And now that he’s back, I’m sure you’ll get to ride Maple very soon.”
Carrie Anne’s face scrunched up in thought. “Do you think Cord went and got my daddy for me?”
The question caused a light bulb to go off in Maybelline’s head, and she had to wonder if she was getting senile for not having thought of it before. That’s exactly what Cord had done. He’d gone to Wyoming and brought back Danny Ray. And it was all Maybelline’s fault. She was the one who had brought up finding a good husband for Christie and a good father for Carrie Anne. She had intended to spark some jealousy in Cord. Instead, she had sparked a plan.
In his mind, he was killing two birds with one stone. He was giving Christie and Carrie Anne a husband and father, and he was giving Danny Ray the second chance that he wished someone had given him. She knew Cord’s heart was in the right place. He had spent so many years doing the wrong thing, now he just wanted to do what was right. Maybelline just wasn’t sure bringing Danny Ray back was the right thing to do.
Danny didn’t seem ready to take on the responsibility of a family. His immature actions today had proven that. And if that were the case, Cord’s plan would only bring more heartache for Christie and Carrie Anne. But how could Maybelline fix the mess that Cord had made? How could she keep this precious girl and her mama from getting hurt again?
Before she could come up with an answer to that question, her phone rang.
She excused herself and went to answer it. She was surprised when Bonnie Blue Davidson’s voice came through the speaker. Bonnie Blue, or Granny Bon as all her grandchildren called her, was Lucy Arrington’s only daughter and the Hadleys’ grandmother. In the years since the truth had come out, Bonnie had become like a daughter to Maybelline. But they usually talked in the evenings after Bonnie finished working at the transitional home for foster kids. So Maybelline was instantly concerned.
“Is everything okay, Bonnie?” she asked. “Are you sick?”
“No need to worry, May,” Bonnie said. “I’m as healthy as a horse.”
“Then what are you doing home? Don’t tell me you finally decided to retire.”
There was a pause before Bonnie spoke. “I didn’t decide. The new director decided for me. I was let go with a nice going away party and a small severance package.”
Maybelline knew Bonnie wasn’t happy about being pushed into retirement. The woman was a workaholic. But Maybelline was thrilled. “Congratulations! Now you don’t have any excuse for not moving to Bliss. And don’t be stubbor
n, Bonnie Blue. Your entire family lives here. Now that you’re officially retired, it’s time you lived here too.”
Bonnie laughed. “There’s no need to browbeat me. The house is already on the market. But I haven’t told the family yet. I thought I’d surprise them with the news when I get there on Friday.”
“Which will be perfect timing. Autumn and Maverick get in the day before.”
“I know. Autumn called and told me all about Maverick deciding to coach instead of play,” Bonnie said. “I couldn’t be happier. I think it’s only a matter of time before those two lovebirds are expecting a little one of their own.”
Maybelline smiled at the thought of a bunch of sweet little Hadley babies to cuddle. That only left one Hadley who needed to find a happily ever after. She hadn’t mentioned her suspicions to Bonnie about Christie. She had wanted to leave that secret for Christie to share. But that was before Danny Ray had been thrown into mix. Now Maybelline needed an ally if she wanted Christie to find her happiness.
She glanced at Carrie Annie. The little girl was munching on her cookie and staring out the back window, no doubt daydreaming about a daddy who would love her like a daddy should. Maybelline would not rest until she got her that daddy. She moved into the living room where Carrie Anne couldn’t overhear her conversation.
“There’s something I need to tell you, Bonnie. You know Christie Buchanan, the pretty young woman who helps Summer at the bakery. Well, I think she’s—”
Bonnie cut her off. “Holt Hadley’s daughter. Yes, I know. After meeting her, I had my suspicions too. She looks a lot like Holt and her daughter looks even more like my grandkids. It’s the only explanation for why she showed up in Bliss. So she’s finally decided to tell people who she is?”
“No. Christie hasn’t told a soul. I think she’s a little scared about how the news will be received.”
“That’s pure foolishness. Although I guess I was as foolish. When I found out I was Lucy Arrington’s daughter, I wouldn’t have told a soul if not for Dirk falling in love with Gracie. Now I’m glad I did. The bigger the family the better, and I intend to make sure that Christie and Carrie Anne feel the same way. When I get to Bliss, I’ll break the news and make sure the Hadleys welcome her with open arms.”
Maybelline had never doubted that the Hadleys would welcome Christie into their family with open arms—they had certainly welcomed her already. But with everything else that was going on, she didn’t know if now was the right time to drop that bomb.
“Maybe you should hold off on telling the family, Bonnie.” She proceeded to tell her the entire story of how she wanted to get Cord and Christie together and the sudden appearance of Danny Ray. When she finished, Bonnie laughed.
“You and your matchmaking, May. You won’t be happy until everyone in Bliss has been married off in that little white chapel.”
Including you, Maybelline thought with a smile. But she couldn’t work on a match for Bonnie until she finished with Cord and Christie.
“But I agree with you,” Bonnie continued. “Cord and Christie would make a cute couple. Cord is a good man. I knew that the moment I met him. And this Danny Ray sounds a lot like Holt.”
“I agree, but I also think that everyone needs to be given a chance to prove themselves. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe he’ll be a wonderful father to Carrie Anne and a good husband to Christie. But to make sure, we’ll need to keep a close eye on him. I can watch him if he’s staying in town, but if he’s staying at Cord’s ranch, I won’t be able to keep an eye on him.”
“I can,” Bonnie said. “I’m staying with Dirk and Gracie. Their ranch is just down the road from Cord’s. I’ll have no problem popping in to check on Danny Ray. Although I don’t know what excuse I’ll use for stopping by a single man’s ranch.”
Luckily, Maybelline did. “Food. Single men don’t ever question a woman bringing food. And since Cord eats most his meals at the diner, I’d say he isn’t much of a cook.”
“And what happens if you discover that Danny Ray’s intentions are not honorable?”
“Then we need to get him out of town before two hearts get broken. Or make that three. Cord hasn’t accepted it yet, but I think he’s more attached to Christie and Carrie Anne then he knows. Which is why he cooked up this harebrained scheme to begin with.”
“Talk about scheming,” Bonnie said. “People think you’re a sweet, harmless old lady. But in reality, you are one devious, manipulating old gal, Ms. Maybelline Marble.”
Maybelline smiled and repeated something she’d heard Summer say. “Damn straight.”
Chapter Thirteen
Getting Danny Ray Corbett settled into family life was going to be harder than Cord had thought. He’d hoped that once Danny Ray sobered up, he’d act a little less obnoxious. But as it turned out, Danny Ray was as obnoxious sober as he was drunk.
On the flight to Austin, he’d flirted outrageously with the flight attendants and spent most of the trip bragging to the guy sitting next him about his rodeo skills. And then there was the way he’d handled his first meeting with Christie and Carrie Anne. Cord had been too far away to hear what Danny had said to them, but by Christie’s and Ms. Marble’s reaction, it hadn’t been good. The guy seemed to have no moral compass whatsoever.
But Cord hadn’t had a good moral compass either until he’d gotten away from the booze and the bars. Danny Ray just needed a little time to clear his head. As soon as he did, he’d see what he was missing out on. Who wouldn’t want a woman as beautiful and kind as Christie and a kid as cute and smart as Carrie Anne?
Feeling pretty good about how his plan was going so far, he finished off the last of his morning coffee and looked in on Danny Ray. The man was sprawled out on the bed in a pair of stars-and-stripes boxer shorts and snoring loudly. Cord should’ve woken him up and put him to work. Hard work humbled a man. And if anyone needed humbling it was Danny Ray. But after listening to his bragging non-stop on the trip home, Cord needed a morning of peace and quiet. So he left Danny sleeping and headed out to the barn to feed the horses.
Ryker had taken care of them while he was gone, and it looked like his son had done a fine job. The stalls were clean and the water troughs full. Although Raise-a-Ruckus had gotten a little full of himself while Cord had been gone. As soon as Cord leaned over to fill his feed tray, Ruckus tried to nip him.
Cord immediately smacked his muzzle and scowled. “You better watch your p’s and q’s, mister. And I hope you didn’t try that with Ryker while I was gone. He’s going to be your new owner as soon as I get you saddle broke.” The horse was one of many gifts he planned to give his son.
The sound of a car had him setting down the bag of feed and walking to the open barn door. Christie was just getting out of her Chevy Malibu. He had hoped that the feeling he’d experienced the day before had just been a little indigestion from the airport burgers he and Danny Ray had for lunch. But he hadn’t had anything but coffee this morning, and his stomach still felt like he’d swallowed a hive of buzzing bees when he saw her.
She wore an emerald sweater that matched the green in her eyes and tight jeans that hugged her legs and curvy butt. Her hair was in the usual braid, the golden rope hanging over one shoulder. It had glowed like a flame in the flickering light of the fire the night he’d kissed her. Now it glittered like spun gold in the sunlight as she headed for the front porch steps. He should let her go inside. Maybe if she saw Danny Ray in his star-spangled boxers, their old fireworks would re-ignite. But for some reason, he called out to her.
“Good mornin’.” He was annoyed by how breathless the greeting sounded.
She whirled on a boot heel. She didn’t smile. She didn’t lift a hand in greeting. And she didn’t say a word. She just stared at him for a few seconds before she walked toward him. Or more like strode. There was definite purpose in her walk. Like she was on a mission. He figured out what that mission was when she hauled off and slapped him hard across the face. And she didn’t stop there. After she sl
apped him silly, she repeatedly poked him in the chest as she backed him into the barn.
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing? Have you lost your ever-loving mind? I knew you were an arrogant cowboy, but this goes beyond arrogance. This is you thinking you’re God!”
He was scared. Christie might be small, but she was feisty when she was mad. And she was madder than a hornet. He took a deep breath and tried to calm her like he would a horse. “Now hold on there. There’s no need to get all riled up. Just take a second and tell me why you’re so upset.”
Her eyes widened. “You don’t know? Are you kidding?” She threw up her hands and turned away, then started talking to someone who wasn’t there. “Are all men idiots? Do they all go through life acting before they think and assuming that’s just fine and dandy?” She whirled back to him. “Danny Ray. Why would you bring Danny Ray here?”
He was confused. Wasn’t it obvious why he had brought Danny Ray here?
He cleared his throat. “I brought him here to get back together with you.” This time, her eyes looked like they were going to bug out of her head. Before she slapped again, he held up his hands. “I can see that you’re mad about that. But if you just listen for a second, I think you’ll realize what a good idea it is. You told me yourself that you still love Danny Ray. And after seeing Carrie Anne’s drawing, I know she would love to have her daddy here for Christmas. Danny Ray might be a little rough around the edges, but he’s still her daddy. Besides, I was a little rough around the edges too—maybe not as rough as he is, but pretty rough. And I wish someone had taken me under his wing and shown me the mistake I was making by not being a good husband and father. I wished someone had shown me before I lost out on so many of Ryker’s years.”