The Bachelor's Baby. Teresa Southwick
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really disrupt your life. The two of you would only be in the same city once a year.”
“That was a big assumption.”
“What else was I to think? I hardly knew you. Until ten minutes ago, I didn’t even know you had a ranch.”
“Well, I do. A prosperous one.”
She looked mildly surprised. “So how come you’re never there—prospering?”
“I’m on the rodeo circuit.”
“That part I knew. What I don’t understand is why you want Jason and me to go to the ranch if you won’t be there? Why should I pull up stakes and take my baby away from everything that’s familiar?”
“What does a three-month-old know about familiar?”
“I was talking about things that are well-known to me. I trust his pediatrician. The friends I have here are the best.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “You’re leaving out one very important fact. You’re out of a job.” Her mouth tightened at the reminder, and he hated doing that to her. But somehow, he had to get through to her. “Admit it, Casey. It’s a good solution.”
“Not for me.”
“Don’t start with that rescue thing again.”
She took a deep breath. “There’s something you need to understand about me, Tucker.”
“Shoot.” He stuck his fingertips in the front of his jeans and gave her his undivided attention.
“When I was a little girl, we didn’t have much money. Didn’t go to the movies or do a lot of anything, for that matter. What we did have was a TV set. My mother scrimped and saved to buy it” She stopped and waited for him to say something.
“Go on. I figure you’re going somewhere with this. I’m listening.”
“Besides books I borrowed from the library, my only entertainment was that TV. I grew up on John Wayne Westerns, reruns of Maverick and Bonanza. Clint Eastwood was my hero.”
That was a little irritating. Hard to go up against a fella who was bigger than life. Not that he wanted to compete. “Go on.”
“My favorite part was when the cowboy rescued the heroine. He’d ride in on his white horse, dispose of the bad guy in short order, then carry the damsel in distress off and take care of her as they lived happily ever after.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Not a thing, except it’s fantasy. I found out soon enough real life was very different from that.”
“So do you have a point?”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re a cowboy, for goodness’ sake.”
Was he supposed to know what that had to do with the price of a Stetson? “Last time I checked it wasn’t a crime.”
“That’s true. But something else you should understand. I’m an accountant. I’ve always been good at math. I like rules, regulations, equations, and formulas. My point is this—cowboy equals rescue. Rescue equals myth. Therefore, cowboy equals myth.”
“I’m no myth, sweetheart,” he said sarcastically. “I’m a flesh-and-blood man who found out his own flesh and blood is in the other room. This has nothing to do with rescuing you and everything to do with the fact that I want to be a part of Jason’s life.” She opened her mouth, and he pointed at her. “And don’t tell me you were afraid of that.”
Her mouth pulled in a straight line as she crossed her arms over her chest. “You have no legal rights to him, Tucker.”
“The hell I don’t. My father taught me that every man should live by a code. He said, ‘Write it in your heart and stand by it. Ask no more and give no less than honesty, courage, loyalty, generosity and fairness.’” He took a deep breath, remembering the way his father had always said those words with a hand on Tucker’s shoulder. He wanted to be that kind of an influence in his son’s life. “You don’t need to hold me responsible, I can do that all on my own. The way I see it, I have a moral obligation to that boy, more binding than man-made laws. But if necessary I’ll use them.”
“What are you implying?”
“I’m not implying anything. I’ll say it straight out. I intend to be a father to my son. If you force my hand, I can tie you up for a long time in court.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“I don’t want to.”
She paced for a few moments, her forehead puckered thoughtfully. Finally she stopped in front of him and said, “Tucker, I need some time to think about this. I’m glad you know about Jason. But, truthfully, I never expected to see you again. For the past year I haven’t had to consult with anyone about anything.”
Once again he realized how little he knew about the mother of his son. More than ever he was convinced that he was right about this. “You said you had no family to help you—”
“My mother and sister have their hands full taking care of themselves.”
“What about your good friends? Who took you to the hospital when you had the baby?”
“Let it go, Tucker. I got there and had a normal birth and a beautiful baby boy. You didn’t know. You have nothing to feel guilty about.”
“Maybe not. But all the same, I can’t help feeling that there’s a lot to make up for.”
“I’m sorry. As far as your proposal, there’s a lot to consider.”
“Like what?”
“Where would I live? What would I do?”
“The house is big enough for all of us. You’d have your own room, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I wasn’t worried,” she said too quickly.
“Yeah. As far as what you’ll do, taking care of Jason is a full-time job.”
She shook her head. “I can’t just stop looking for work.”
“You don’t have to. There’s no reason why you can’t do it from the ranch.”
She shook her head. “I can’t make a snap decision about what happens now. You’re going to have to understand that.”
He didn’t understand. It seemed cut-and-dried to him. She didn’t have a job, and she didn’t want to leave the baby. On the ranch she could take her time about finding work, while she cared for his son.
Something else his father had told him: “It’s better to sit on your horse and do nothing than to wear him out chasing shadows.” Her agreement to come to the ranch was not what he would get if he continued to push.
He walked to the table and picked up his hat. “I do understand that you need some time to think. I’ll just be going now.”
“Are you leaving town?” she asked.
“Why do you ask?”
“In the past, every time I needed to get in touch with you, you’d moved on.”
“Not this time.”
“Being my Lamaze coach does not constitute saving my life, thereby giving you control of it.”
“So you invited me to lunch to yell at me? Silly me for thinking that you might have been grateful I sent you the man on the white horse.”
“Grateful that you took matters into your own hands and interfered?”
Casey was only half joking as she looked at Kim Delaney, sitting across from her in a booth at the local burger joint. Dark brown hair in a short pageboy fell sleekly around her