Cowboy Sanctuary (The Dixon Ranch) Read online

  “I didn’t say you were. I can promise you, my son’s safety will always be my first concern.” Maybe Brock realized I was having second thoughts, or he just saw things my way, but he did attempt to appease my concerns.

  “I guess we’ve got more than a few years to worry about that, anyway. So how long do you think it will take to get paternity proved?” I hadn’t researched it yet, which was an error on my part. I had no idea what would happen when I was forced to leave Jeremy in Brock’s care, and I wasn’t sure returning back to Chicago when it was so far away was something I wanted to do.

  “My brother should be calling in the morning with those answers,” Brock replied. “He said they basically just had to swab our cheeks with some Q-tips, then send them off for results.”

  “So, I’m curious, how close is the nearest big town from here?” I asked. I was already certain Brock was Jeremy’s dad, so him gaining custody was a given to me at this point. I had to figure out what I was going to do next. I knew being close to him was very important.

  “Dallas is only about 45 miles away.”

  I could see the confusion on his face and decided to elaborate. “The thought of being so far away from Jeremy is making me think about moving closer.”

  Brock looked shocked, and I wasn’t sure if it was because he was hoping I’d be only a temporary visitor in his life or that I was willing to give up big-city life to move here. Dallas wouldn’t be that bad, though.

  “You’re welcome to stay here with us,” he offered.

  My first thought was it would be nice to be in Jeremy’s life every day. The second was how strange it would be living with a man I wasn’t in a relationship with. When I opened my mouth to turn down his offer, I found I couldn’t speak a word.

  “I hope you’ll consider it,” Brock said.

  CHAPTER THREE

  State of Shock

  Brock

  I offered Dana a place to stay on a whim. The look on her face told me she wasn’t on board with dwelling on my ranch. At first I was offended, but then I thought about what I was saying. I’d just met this woman, and now I was asking her to move into my house. “I promise I won’t make any moves on you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” I quickly said. I can’t say the thought hadn’t crossed my mind, because I was a full-blooded male and she was a beautiful woman. Still, she was my little man’s aunt. That had to be against some moral rule. Right?

  “I definitely wasn’t worried about that.” Dana seemed to find her voice, but her words got my dander up. Did she think I wasn’t a man? Or maybe my backwater lifestyle wasn’t good enough for a city girl like her. Either way, it didn’t sit well with me at all. Standing up, I took my coffee cup to the sink, rinsed it out, and put it in the dishwasher. Bet she was shocked I had one of those too.

  “Glad to hear it, because I’d never make a move on a woman not interested in what I had to offer.” I bit the words out a little stronger than I’d meant to, and the way her body tensed, she wasn’t too happy about it either.

  “I’m sure you’re used to having women throw themselves at your feet, but I don’t believe in casual affairs,” Dana said. So not only did she think I was the type of man who slept with everything in a skirt, but she made it clear she wasn’t the kind of woman to be attracted to me. Well, that was just fine and dandy, because her hoity-toity, stick-up-the-ass type wasn’t my brand of woman either!

  “Contrary to what you might think, lady, I don’t make a habit of sleeping around. I admit to having a few wild flings, but real life has a way of sowing your wild oats for you.” Why were we even having this conversation? “Maybe we both need to get some sleep and talk when our heads have cooled off a bit,” I suggested. I knew things were getting out of hand, and I owed this woman for bringing my kid home.

  “Fine with me.” She followed my earlier lead, dumping her coffee out and putting her cup away before turning on her heels and sticking that pretty little nose in the air as she walked upstairs.

  She sure had a temper on her, and one fine ass. I kicked myself for thinking that. For the first time in my life, I thought I’d met someone who could meet me head-on. I wasn’t sure I liked that thought. My brothers told me I’d scare off any woman with my ill-mannered ways. Truth was, when I knew I was right I refused to back down. To me that didn’t make me a bad man, just one with principles. Pops reminded me often that I’d been a stubborn child, and I’d become even worse with age. Maybe he was right, but that’s who I was. If Miss High and Mighty didn’t like it, too damn bad!

  ***

  Upstairs in my bedroom, I struggled to get to sleep. The conversation kept running through my mind, over and over. Around 4:00 a.m. I gave up and took a shower. My day usually began at five anyway, so I thought I might as well get a head start before Travis called. It was going to be one hell of a long day.

  Frank was already baling hay when I dragged my lazy carcass to the field. I kept my cell phone ringer on and left the number on the kitchen table for Dana. I didn’t know what time Jeremy woke up but figured she’d call if she needed me before I took the first morning break. It was hotter than a burning stump by the time I finally got that chance, and my shirt was soaked through. Pulling it over my head, I walked into the kitchen.

  She was feeding Jeremy, and her sky blue eyes widened into saucers as I got a glass of water from the faucet. “How are y’all getting along?” I said. I guzzled the cold well water and sighed in relief, then wiped my shirt over my brow. Having no idea what she was staring at, I raised an eyebrow, wondering if she planned on ignoring me all day.

  “You’re fine. I mean, we’re fine.” Seeing Miss Uptight with a blush on her cheeks made me grin, almost as much as her slip on words did. She obviously liked the way I looked. Maybe she wasn’t the snob I thought her to be. Not that it mattered. I’d decided to keep my hands to myself as far as she was concerned. Still, it kicked my ego up a notch.

  “I left Frank and my boys finishing up outside, so whatever you need to do, let me know, and I’ll watch the little guy.”

  Dana looked at me peculiarly for a minute. “Um, there’s no reason for you to stay with us if you’ve got work to do. I’m used to hanging out with him.” She seemed to be doing a fine job too except for wearing more of the eggs on her than had made it into his mouth. Jeremy was tossing cereal at her gleefully, and she was laughing back. I liked seeing her this way instead of all stuck up.

  “I figured you’d want a shower before we go into town, and Travis should be calling in any minute,” I said, pulling up a chair from the table beside them. She stood up hastily. It was almost like she didn’t want to be near me!

  “That’s a good idea. Fine, I’ll have one, then we’ll switch out.”

  She glanced over my sweaty body but there definitely wasn’t any disgust on her face. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was a little smitten with me. Of course, it was probably just my ego. After dropping a kiss on Jeremy’s cheek, she scampered off, leaving me shrugging my shoulders at the little man.

  He smiled his toothy grin, and I played the train game to get him to eat a few more bites. Shaking his juice cup was hilarious to him, and the sound of his laughter made my heart melt. I’d missed so many of his firsts, and I tried to let that bitterness seep away. I couldn’t change the past, but I could enjoy all he did now.

  “I bet you want a cheeseburger,” I hedged. He was eating solid foods, and I made a note of that. His food seemed to be cut up all tiny, and that’s something else I needed to remember. When he was throwing more food than he was eating, I figured he was full and grabbed a clean rag to wipe him down. It took me a minute to get him out of the high chair. I walked him back upstairs to get him a fresh pair of clothes.

  The bedroom door was open, so I figured it was safe to walk in. I put Jeremy in his crib as I went through his dresser. Thankfully everything was neatly organized in the drawers already, and I easily found a pair of shorts and a shirt that matched. When Dana walked out of the bathro
om wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around that gorgeous body, I held my breath.

  Lord have mercy! Those smooth, toned legs went on forever, and the swell of her full breasts peeping just a tad over that towel made my shaft strain against my jeans. I should’ve been a gentleman and looked away, but she was damn near the finest woman I’d ever laid eyes on. Her dark hair was soaking wet and clinging to her ivory shoulders, and I wanted to run my fingers through it.

  “I . . . You . . . Um, could you give me a little privacy, please?” Dana stumbled.

  The color of her cheeks was redder than an apple in the orchard, and I liked seeing that vulnerable side of her. I turned back to Jeremy and dressed him as quickly as I could before lifting him in my arms and leaving her in peace. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get that lovely view out of my mind.

  I’d known she was pretty even gussied up in her straight skirt, modest dress shirt, and heels. But seeing her half-naked . . . That little lady was pure perfection. The memory of having her sister naked in my bed calmed my raging hard-on, and Jeremy tugging on my ear was like a bucket of ice-cold water being dumped over my head. “I know, boy, she’s off limits.”

  I winked at him, walked back downstairs, and put him down on the living room floor so I could adjust myself. I wasn’t prepared to see him stand up and walk away like he was a little pro. I marveled at his ability to get from point A to point B, and I believed he was the smartest little boy in the world for his age. I might have been a bit partial, but he was my son. Levi, my nephew, hadn’t started walking until he was a year old.

  Seeing him walk reminded me that my house wasn’t really kid-proof. I ran around the room putting things out of his reach, and he took it as a game. Jeremy giggled as he tried to grab things before I got them, and I realized he was a little tornado that had to be watched like a hawk. My boy was going to need a special fenced-in yard outside to get rid of some of that energy he had.

  I scooped him up in my arms before he got to the brick fireplace, afraid he’d take a nasty fall. He laughed as I spun around, and I knew I’d found a slice of heaven in a little boy’s smiling face.

  “He’s really adapted to you well.” Dana grinned, back in her city-girl clothes again, much to my disappointment. I preferred her in the towel. I needed to get those thoughts out of my head.

  “Yeah, maybe he knows we have a bond. I heard kids are smart that way.” Since my son was obviously a genius, he was probably better at it than most. He was struggling to get down, and I couldn’t refuse him anything. We’d missed too much time together.

  Dana and I corralled him away from the dangerous things. It was comfortable hanging out with her and my kid this way. When she got him down on the ground and blew raspberries on his belly, I had to join in, and pretty soon we were all laughing together. My phone went off, breaking the mood. I slid it out of my back pocket.

  “Yeah, I’ll be there then.” Travis had landed an appointment at North Texas Screening, and we had less than thirty minutes to get dressed and put stuff together for Jeremy if we were going to make it on time. I explained to Dana what was happening, and she offered to get Jeremy’s diaper bag ready. “You’re a lifesaver.” I couldn’t imagine doing this all on my own and hoped she’d reconsider taking up my offer to stay on.

  That was neither here nor there now. I had to get a quick shower, throw on some clothes, and get us into town. I showered and dressed in record time, sliding on a pair of fresh jeans and a decent T-shirt before pulling on my boots. I decided my five o’clock shadow could wait and walked downstairs after brushing my teeth. Dana and Jeremy were playing on the floor, and I felt this strange sense of déjà vu. Mind you, I’m not one for such nonsense, but it seemed right. When she looked up at me with a smile, my heart clenched.

  “Y’all ready to get out of here?” I had to resist the urge to pull her into my arms. Maybe it was time I started looking around for someone to date again. The last thing I wanted was to scare Dana off by getting too personal. At her nod, we walked back to my extended-cab truck and settled Jeremy into the new car seat I’d picked up for him at the store.

  Dana sat in the back with the little man and kept him entertained on the half-hour drive into town. I had to admit I was nervous as hell even though I had no doubt he was my kid. What if by some weird chance he wasn’t? The thought of losing that little boy when I was already seeing him as my own terrified me. My hands tightened on the steering wheel as I forced myself to focus on the precious cargo I was driving instead of the fears that I wasn’t going to allow to fester.

  When we finally pulled up to the building, I took Jeremy and tried not to squeeze him as we walked inside the sterile clinic. Dana followed me in, holding his diaper bag, and I signed in with Jeremy balanced on my hip. I handed him over to Dana as I went through the paperwork, trying to remember this was all a formality and to look on the positive side. We sat there waiting to be called for what seemed like hours but was only minutes.

  The test itself wasn’t that bad, at least for me. Little Man wasn’t happy having something stuck in his mouth that he couldn’t eat, and he was pretty fussy. It could take up to two weeks for the results, but the young woman doing the test said they usually had results in a few days. Now the only thing we could do was wait. Dana asked if she could pick up a few things while we were in town, so that gave me something to take my mind off things.

  “You finally gonna break down and get some usable clothes?” I was teasing her because all I’d seen her wear was business gear.

  “Actually I am. I didn’t think about myself when I was running away, so all I packed was what I grabbed out of my closet.” The thought of her doing that to get my boy to me endeared her even more.

  “Well, we can’t have that now, can we?” I said. I’d assumed that was just how she dressed, but what if she had a more casual side? “What kind of clothes are you looking for? My mom dragged me and my brothers all over this place growing up.”

  “Some jeans, shorts, and, um, underwear.” For a city girl, Dana’s face sure did turn red when talking about something as simple as undergarments.

  I knew I shouldn’t tease, but I couldn’t help it. “We don’t have a Victoria’s Secret in town. You sure you can make do without the expensive stuff?” I was gonna pay for that one if the look on her face was any sign.

  “That’s not something I feel comfortable talking about,” Dana replied. “Just take me to whatever store you find. I’m sure I’ll be fine.” Her arms were crossed over her chest—and what a mighty fine one it was, encased in that silky top—but she had to be hotter than hell in that business jacket.

  “I’m just poking at you. Besides, it’s all necessities.”

  Jeremy was trying to mimic her actions, and her stern look turned into a smile quickly. Guess my boy knew how to work the ladies already. Dana was nothing like her sister, and I hated that the thought came up. Danielle had tossed up her skirt the minute we’d hit my bedroom and was unbuckling my belt before I’d had time to get my boots off. Or maybe it was just me she wasn’t comfortable with. That thought wasn’t something I could ponder without feeling a little jealous.

  I drove us to the local Wally World and hoped it didn’t offend her. Outside of boots, I usually bought most of the things I needed here. Apparently it worked because she slid out of my truck with a small grin. We walked inside with me carrying Jeremy. I slid him into a buggy and pushed it while we made our way to the ladies’ department.

  I was mighty impressed. She was picking out practical clothes, without giving much thought to them outside being comfortable. I hated shopping with my mom because she took forever to make a decision, but not Dana. She seemed to know what she wanted and quickly tossed things in the cart. Until we reached the lingerie. “Do you think maybe you could give me a few minutes?” she asked.

  There was something different about her when she was vulnerable, and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out what was so damn embarrassing about buying underwear. “You know I�
�ve seen female stuff before. I don’t even mind picking up tampons.” Oh, hell, those rosy cheeks again. There was no way a woman as beautiful as her could be that innocent.

  She rolled her eyes at me, and I could tell she was ticked off, but I sure did enjoy watching her look at the frilly little scraps of material and was pleased she didn’t pick out granny panties. She seemed to favor girly boy shorts, which I found cute as hell until I realized that thinking about her wearing them and nothing else was turning me on. I was somewhat glad when she picked out a half-dozen bras and some underwear, then moved on to get socks and tennis shoes.

  I had to buy Jeremy adorable little baby-size cowboy boots while we were there, and thankfully Dana knew just what size he wore. With our buggy packed, we moved to the front of the store to check out. She whipped out her credit card, and I was offended. “I got this.” Her look told me I’d better bite my tongue, but it was my fault she was out here without the things she needed.

  “Look, if you hadn’t been bringing my boy to me, you’d be at home with all your things. Least you can let me do is take care of the bill.” I hoped that reasoning with her wouldn’t make me do more, but I felt responsible for her well-being while she was with me.

  Dana looked reluctant to agree, but I swiped my card before she could argue, and we walked out of the store together. She bit her lip. I could tell there was something she wanted to say, and after we all hopped back in the truck I figured she needed to speak her mind. “Go on and tell me what you’re thinking,” I said. “Holding things inside ain’t good for you.”

  “It’s nothing really.” She pulled on her seat belt, and I met her gaze in the rearview mirror, my eyes saying I wasn’t buying it. “I’m just not used to people taking care of me,” she explained. “I know we don’t know each other that well, but I’m pretty set financially and I like taking care of my own needs.”

  “I guess I understand that. I’ve never been really good at letting people help me out either.” My father had raised us boys to be independent.