Читать книгу The Cowgirl's Forever Family - Helen Lacey - Страница 12
ОглавлениеDouble booked?
Tyler stared at the tall blonde who was standing at his door. She wore a loose-fitting corporate jacket with the name of the hotel on the pocket and had just spent over two minutes explaining about some mix-up involving a conference that had been booked months in advance and the guests were due to check in today, which meant a mess of double bookings—and no free rooms.
She looked vaguely familiar but he was certain they’d never met before. By the time she was done speaking his patience was frayed. Under normal circumstances he would have argued the point, demanded a full refund or asked to speak to the hotel manager. But he’d spent an hour trying to get Cara to take a nap and was inexplicably rattled by Brooke’s visit, and hadn’t done any one of those things. He was tired, irritable and simply wanted to rest for a while. With everything else he had to deal with, Tyler wasn’t about to get strung out about a hotel room.
He grabbed his cell phone and looked up the numbers of other motels in town. There were two, plus a place called Rusty’s and a pub called the Loose Moose that each had a couple of rooms to rent. He called them all. But nothing. Rusty’s no longer rented rooms, the Loose Moose was under renovation and the two motels were fully booked. Not one room available.
Right. What now? The next closest town was thirty-odd miles away and he certainly didn’t want to be that far from Cedar River if Matthew Laughton decided to turn up.
He looked at Cara’s things, all packed up and ready to go, still amazed at how much stuff a baby needed to get through the day, and then headed downstairs. The tall blonde was nowhere to be seen and the clerk at reception seemed confused by the whole double-booking scenario.
“Are you and your daughter leaving us already?”
Tyler was two steps from the reception desk when a man spoke to him. He stopped and turned. A suit. And an important one by the look of things. He was about to explain that Cara was not his daughter, but figured it didn’t matter. And the less people who knew about his reason for being in town, the better. The man in front of him didn’t wear a hotel jacket, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out he was probably the owner or manager.
“I’m sure the pretty blonde with the nice smile and the ill-fitting jacket can explain it to you.”
“Blonde?” The man frowned and looked at the clerk behind the desk.
The fifty-something woman shrugged and the suit walked around the desk and talked to the woman at length before he looked back up toward Tyler and then promptly apologized for the mix-up.
And it took about two seconds for Tyler to figure out that he had been royally played.
And he knew by who.
Ms. Indigo Eyes had some serious explaining to do!
Tyler propped Cara on his hip and headed out.
He had his car brought around to the front of the hotel and quickly buckled the baby into her car seat, then drove off in search of a drugstore. He needed a few things for the baby and when he found a shop on the main street he quickly pulled up outside. But when he came back out a female cop was standing by his car.
“Is this your car?” she asked, her gaze flicking from the car to the baby in his arms as she regarded him suspiciously.
“It’s a rental.”
She had a scowl on her face. “Do you realize you’re parked in a loading bay?”
He was? Tyler looked toward the hood and saw that the front of the vehicle was pushing barely a foot in the loading bay. “Really? Looks okay to me.”
“It’s not. We have laws in this town. Can I see your license and registration, please?”
“It’s a rental,” Tyler explained impatiently and placed Cara in her car seat. It had stopped snowing by now, but the air was chilly and he didn’t want to keep her outside unnecessarily.
“License and registration,” she said again, tapping a booted heel. “Or I’ll have to get this vehicle towed.”
Was she serious? He didn’t like his chances of getting another rental car on a Saturday afternoon. Cedar River was either the most uptight town on the map or it had to be a joke. Or a scam. Just like the fake double-booked hotel room. He got a good look at her face and quickly realized he’d seen her before. Just like the blonde at the hotel.
The photo on the mantel.
“You know, Officer, you and your blonde accomplice will need to get better at this kind of subterfuge if you’re going to be truly convincing,” he said and handed over his license.
“What?”
“There’s a picture of you both on Brooke Laughton’s mantel. There was another woman in the photograph too...a curly haired brunette. What was her part in this plan?”
“I don’t know what you—”
“Tell Indigo Eyes she’ll have to do better than that,” he quipped.
The officer smiled, caught out and unapologetic. “It’s strange, I’ve known Brooke for twenty years and never realized her eyes were exactly that color.”
They were...and they’d been haunting him for twenty-four hours.
“Can I go now, Officer?” he asked.
She half smiled and handed back his license. “Well, we gave it a shot.”
“The other hotels?” he asked. “How did she manage that?”
“Her cousin Brant owns the Loose Moose—and he’s engaged to the curly haired brunette,” she explained. “And she knows the owner of Rusty’s. It’s a small town...and small town folk stick together.”
Yes, they certainly did. “What exactly is she after?”
“You,” the officer replied and hooked a thumb toward the back of the car. “And that cute baby. She wants you to stay at the ranch while you’re here. It’s not such a big ask, is it, Counselor?”
He nodded at her badge. “You know very well that in cases like this the less personal involvement, the better.”
“I know that people aren’t cases,” she replied hotly. “You’d know that, too, if you stopped thinking like a lawyer for a moment and thought like a human being. She’s a good person...she’s honest and loyal and has a heart as big as this state. Brooke wants to bond with her niece... You’d realize that was a good idea if you could get out of the way of your own ego and stop acting like you’re in the courtroom.”
It was quite the accusation and he was tempted to ask the redhead exactly what Brooke Laughton had told her. But he didn’t. Brooke had friends...allies...people willing to go to bat for her. It was admirable. He looked at the baby happily gurgling in the backseat and saw the same chin as her aunt’s. He had to do what was best for Cara...and was beginning to suspect that for the moment, Brooke Laughton was exactly that.
He watched the cop walk away and grinned a little. After getting into the car, he drove back to the hotel and checked out. Then he headed for her ranch.
* * *
Brooke was finishing up repairing the chicken run out the back of the stables when she heard a car pull up. She instinctively knew who it would be. Ash and Kayla had both given her a heads-up. She dropped the tools and walked around the building, eager to see Cara again. But not so eager to see Tyler Madden.
Because he’d be as mad as hell with her for starters.
And he had every right, if she were being honest with herself.
She shouldn’t have tried to swindle him into coming to the ranch. He was too smart for that kind of underhanded approach. And as much as she appreciated her friends coming to her aid, she suspected she’d made a bad situation worse.
She harrumphed under her breath and squared her shoulders when she spotted his car parked in her driveway. He was resting against the hood and had the baby in his arms. Cara was wrapped in a pink coat and blanket and had a fluffy hat on her head. Her cheeks were bright and against the backdrop of snow on the ground, the two of them made an enchanting picture. In jeans, boots and a dark wool jacket, Tyler Madden looked relaxed and way too gorgeous for her peace of mind. The dogs were jumping around, clearly delighted to see him again and not threatened in the least. Brooke stopped about ten feet from him and planted her hands on her hips.
“Um...hi there.”
He didn’t say a word. But he looked at her. Out of his suit he possessed a kind of innate confidence that unnerved her. It took her about two seconds to figure out she wasn’t immune to it. Or to him. She’d been under a rock for two years, off the grid when it came to men and dating and sex. But right then, in his low-riding jeans and with the baby on his hip, Tyler Madden was just about the sexiest and most attractive man she’d ever seen. And her hibernating libido was immediately kick-started out of its slumber.
She knew it was foolish. She didn’t know anything about him. He’d said he didn’t have children but he could certainly be married. Or at the very least have a girlfriend. She glanced at his left hand. It was bare. Still, plenty of married people didn’t wear rings.
“You wanted me,” he said, not moving, not doing anything other than keeping his blistering gaze connected with hers. “So, you have me.”
“I don’t know what you—”
“You know perfectly well,” he said, cutting her off. “Your friends both gave award-winning performances today. The cop also gave me an earful of advice and said you wanted me here...so, I’m here.”
Brooke’s breath caught. “It’s about Cara,” she said breathlessly, taking the need and the want out of the conversation. “And my friends—”
“Care about you,” he said, cutting her off. “Yes, I can see that they do.”
Shame crept up her neck. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have involved them in this. It’s complicated enough without—”
“I’ll stay.”
Brooke stilled instantly. “You’ll stay?”
He nodded. “You went to a lot of trouble to get me here. So, yes. I’ll stay. We’ll stay.”
It should have made her day. And part of her was delighted—but another part was nervous. She’d lived alone for two years and the prospect of sharing her home with a man, a stranger, tied her belly in knots.
This is about Cara...not him.
“You’re not angry?”
“I’m not angry.”
“And you’ll stay for a week?” she asked.
He nodded again. “Have you heard from your brother?”
Unease pitted in her chest. “Not yet. But he’ll call... I know it.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Ignoring the cynicism in his voice, she stepped forward and held out her arms. Cara reached for her immediately and Tyler passed her over—hesitantly, Brooke could tell. She was such a placid, adorable baby and Brooke’s heart melted a little more each time she held her.
“Thank you for agreeing to this,” she said to Tyler. “If you want to get your things I’ll show you to your room.”
He pushed himself off the hood and walked around the car. He looked as good from the back as he did from the front and her wayward belly immediately did another loop-de-loop. She took a deep breath, ignored the feelings and headed inside.
The ranch house had four bedrooms and she walked down the hall to the room opposite hers. Next door to that was a smaller room, where they could set up the crib. She waited while he came in behind her and dropped a bag at the end of the wide bed. He looked around the walls and at the two glass cabinets filled with trophies and awards.
“Yours?” he asked.
She nodded fractionally. “I used to be a barrel racer,” she explained. “My parents had a thing for keeping all my awards.”
“They were proud of you,” he said and dropped his keys on the bedside table. “Understandably.”
She smiled. “I suppose. I thought we could put the baby in the room next door to this. It used to be my mom’s sewing room but I cleaned out all of her things and now it’s the office. Or we could use Matt’s room.”
“Next door will be fine,” he said and roped the baby bag over his shoulder. “I have a portable crib, a playpen and a stroller in the car.”
He followed her to the adjoining room and dropped the baby bag on the desk before he disappeared outside. When he returned he had the crib and stroller and quickly set the crib up in the room.
“Looks like you’ve had plenty of practice doing that,” she remarked.
He stopped what he was doing and looked at her. “I guess so. I’ve spent a lot of time with Cara over the past few months.”
She nodded. “The other night you said you came from a large family.”
He finished expanding the crib. “I said that?”
Brooke shrugged. “I think so.”
“It was more of an extended family,” he said and put sheets and blankets in the crib.
“You’re so lucky. I only have an aunt and a couple of cousins in town,” she said and sat on the chair in the corner, holding Cara close. “And of course Matt. I would have loved one of those big extended families, though, especially around this time of year. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family very much. Although, since my parents were killed and Matt left town, there’s only about half a dozen of us when we all get together.” She swallowed hard as a surge of loneliness swept through her. Five years on and she still missed her parents and only sibling. “But, Thanksgiving and Christmas time is always filled with lots of laughter and love. But with a big family you must have had a happy childhood?”
He stopped what he was doing and looked at her. There was a sudden gust of awareness in the room, an intimacy that defied logic and made her feel hot all over. His gaze held her captive and for a moment she thought how mesmerizing he would be in the courtroom. No wonder he was such a legal hotshot. That green-eyed stare of his riveted her in the chair. She couldn’t look away. She couldn’t do anything other than stare back.
“My life isn’t up for discussion,” he said flatly. “I’m here because of Cara.”
Brooke raised her chin. Boy, he might be gorgeous, but he was also incredibly uptight. “You don’t need to scold me in your best lawyer voice. I wasn’t being nosy. Tell me, or don’t... I have no opinion about it either way.”
“Good.”
“Are you married?”
His brows came up. “Didn’t I just say my life wasn’t—”
“It’s not a discussion,” she said, cutting him off. “It’s a question. I’m only asking because I thought that if you were married perhaps your wife would—”
“I’m not married,” he answered quietly.
She was stupidly relieved and then scolded herself. “Girlfriend?”
“Not at the moment.”
No wife. No girlfriend. Available. That’s what her friends would be chanting. But Brooke was determined to not be swayed by a gorgeous face and sexy body. Not after Doyle. She didn’t have what it took to hold on to a man long term. And she’d had the broken heart to prove it. But still, she did wonder why he wasn’t attached. He looked to be in his mid-thirties; surely he’d been close at some point. Maybe he’d had his heart broken, too? Although, he didn’t come across as the sentimental type. And from what Kayla had found out about him, he was top in his field and legendary in the courtroom, which might not leave him a lot of time for relationships.
And I’m not going to think about the fact that he’d probably be legendary in the bedroom, too.
“Any more questions?”
She gave herself a mental jab. “I just thought that someone might be missing you while you’re here.”
“No,” he said tersely. “Only...”
His words trailed and she raised both her brows. “Only?”
Tyler took a second and cleared his throat. “Mr. Squiggles.”
Brooke bit back a smile. “Who?”
“A cat,” he said and waved a disinterested hand. “Yelena’s cat. I inherited him when she passed away.”
Brooke was amused by the color creeping up his neck. “Mr. Squiggles? I see. And is he a big fluffy white feline who insists on sleeping at the end of your bed?”
His lips twitched slightly. “Black-and-white. And yes, he’s known for liking his comforts.”
She grinned. “And where is he now?”
“With a neighbor,” he replied. “Who will hopefully want to keep him by the time I return to New York.”
“You’re not a cat person?”
He shrugged one broad shoulder. “I’ve never thought much about it. But I’m not home much so pets aren’t a good idea.”
“You work long hours?”
“I do,” he replied and pulled a pair of baby monitors out of a bag. Clearly, he was attempting to close the door on this brief glimpse into his personal life. “I’ll set one of these up in here and keep the other in the living room or kitchen.” He pointed to a small button on the front. “Just make sure this light is on at all times.”
“Okay. Does she sleep through the night?”
“Generally,” he replied. “She’s had a lot to deal with since Yelena died and was unsettled at first. But the last month or so has been better.”
Brooke held Cara close and the baby chatted away, murmuring indecipherable words. “And she’s been living with her great-grandfather?”
“Yes,” he said. “Ralph hired a nanny to care for her.”
“Poor little monkey,” Brooke said and smoothed her blond hair. “That’s a lot to deal with.”
“Yes, she’s remarkably resilient.”
“She’s got you, though,” Brooke said and smiled. “You seem to care for her a great deal.”
Tyler stiffened a bit. “I care what happens to her, of course. She’s my responsibility.”
“Until Matt gets here?”
“If he gets here,” Tyler said quietly. “And he will still have to prove he is capable of being a fit and able parent.”
Resentment snaked up her spine, but she held her tongue. She didn’t want every discussion to end as an argument over her missing brother. “I’m sure he’ll do just fine,” she said and stood. “What time does she need dinner?”
He glanced at his watch. “In an hour or so. I should give her a bath.”
“Oh, let me do it.” She snuggled Cara and looked at him. “I mean, if that’s okay with you?”
He hesitated a little. “Have you done it before?”
“Yes,” she replied instantly. “My cousin Grady has three young daughters and I’ve been the babysitter countless times.”
He nodded. “Okay...she’s all yours.”
Brooke met his gaze. “Thank you... I mean, for trusting me. It means a lot.”
Brooke discovered that bath time was a lot of fun—even though there was more water on the floor than there was in the tub by the time she’d finished. Cara blew bubbles and splashed water and wailed for a moment when Brooke got a little shampoo in her eyes. It wasn’t the first time she’d bathed a baby—like she’d told Tyler, her cousin Grady had three young daughters and she’d been a sitter for them many times. She dressed the baby in the pale pink pajamas Tyler had given her, cleaned up the bathroom and then headed for the kitchen.
Tyler was by the window, staring out over the hills and pasture that made up the ranch. His shoulders were tight, as though he had too much pressing down on them, and she fought the internal battle in her head about feeling sorry for him. He was a lawyer. And lawyers were the enemy. He’d threatened to take Cara back to New York if Matt didn’t show up. He was not her ally. He was not her friend. He was not her anything.
“We’re back.”
He turned around and half smiled and it made him look even more handsome—if that were possible. “So I see. Did she behave herself?”
Cara wriggled in Brooke’s arms and held her hands out toward him. Traitorous child. She walked across the room and let him take her. “She likes to splash.”
“I... I can see that,” he said, faltering a little as he held the baby against his chest and then glanced away.
Brooke looked down and stilled instantly. The wet T-shirt clung to her curves, leaving very little to the imagination. She folded her arms, conscious of the sudden heat swirling around the room. Heat that was all about the awareness circling between them.
Cara immediately reached out and grabbed a handful of Tyler’s hair. He winced and it made Brooke smile. There was love in the baby’s eyes and in that moment Brooke realized how much he meant to Cara. “She adores you.”
He met her gaze and extricated his hair from Cara’s fingers. “Who wouldn’t?”
Brooke laughed loudly. “Modest, too, huh?”
“We’ve spent a lot of time together, haven’t we, kiddo?” he said and rocked her gently. “When Yelena died her grandfather didn’t cope well. Ralph is a strong man, but Yelena was all he had.”
“Her grandfather raised her?”
He nodded. “Since she was eleven. They were very close.”
Brooke grabbed the sweater that was hanging on a hook hear the door and slipped into it, zipping it up. Then she came around the counter and flicked on the coffee machine. “He must trust you a great deal... I mean, to leave Cara in your care. You said you’ve known him a long time—how did you meet?”
He didn’t reply straightaway. But he looked at her with such intensity he made her breathless. He was the secretive sort, she thought. No...private. A lot like herself. Brooke never liked talking about herself or her past. Only her closest friends knew about her health battle as a teenager and the ensuing years of treatment and surgery. Or how her parents’ deaths had forced her to abandon her professional career so she could ensure the ranch stayed within the family. Or how Doyle had sprinted out the door once he had the chance to have what she could never give him.
Since then she’d had a lonely couple of years, working the ranch, fighting lawyers and the bank who wanted to foreclose. Some days she felt like she had no one to turn to. No shoulder to lean on, to cry on, no arms to hold her tight or a soft voice to tell her everything would be alright. Loneliness had become her shadow and it had made her wary of getting close to anyone again.
But as she looked at Cara, Brooke knew she did want closeness, and family and love. And knowing her niece needed her gave her a kind of strength and resolve she’d thought she’d lost.
“How did you meet?” she asked again.
“When I was sixteen,” he said after a moment and sat down at the table, while Cara wriggled in his arms. “He was my court-appointed lawyer.”
Brooke’s gaze sharpened. “Your lawyer?”
“I had filed for emancipation from my parents,” he said, his voice void of any emotion.
She sucked in a breath. “Oh, gosh...why?”
His expression narrowed. “It doesn’t matter why.”
It did, she thought, imagining all kinds of horrors. “Were they mean to you?”
He offered a cynical grin, like he couldn’t believe how inquisitive she was. “No, they were kind people. And good parents. They still are.”
“But?”
He sighed heavily, clearly irritated by her questions. “They were a little...unorthodox,” he said and stood. “We should get Cara fed and—”
“You don’t like talking about yourself, do you?”
“Not particularly,” he replied. “Do you?”
“No,” she said. “But you have the advantage here. I need to make a good impression for Cara’s sake, so that means you get to ask whatever you want. And since we’re going to be living together for the next week, it’s only natural that I might want to know something about you. Plus, it will be a long week if we don’t speak to each other, don’t you think?”
His mouth curled, like he wanted to smile, but didn’t. “Okay, you can ask a couple of questions. What would you like to know?”
Brooke inhaled deeply. “You said earlier you don’t have a wife. Have you ever been married?”
“No.”
“Close?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Longest relationship and who was she?”
He shook his head again. “Six months. She worked in the DA’s office.”
“Do you have any siblings?”
“No.”
“Why did you divorce your parents?” she asked quickly.
“Emancipate,” he corrected. “And it’s complicated.”
Brooke raised both brows. “I’m still listening.”
He sighed. “Like I said, they are kind people, but when I was thirteen they took up residence at a shared living community. It wasn’t a life that I wanted for myself.”
Brooke’s eyes widened. “Like a commune?”
He nodded. “I wanted to go to college. They didn’t agree with that decision.”
She grabbed a couple of mugs and put them on the counter. “So you ran away and got a lawyer.”
“I ran away and ended up in social services.”
It sounded like a nightmare and made Brooke even more grateful for her happy childhood. “And that’s where you met Yelena’s grandfather?”
“Correct.”
She glanced at him. “Do you still see your parents?”
“Not much.”
“They must miss you, though... I mean, if you’re their only child. Family and blood ties are important and—”
“I was adopted,” he said, silencing her immediately.
Brooke stared at him, thinking of his complicated upbringing, and feeling an acute kind of sadness deep down. “Thank you for telling me. How old are you?”
“Thirty-four.”
“Any vices I should know about?”
He grinned just a little, showing off his dimple. “Not one.”
The air between them thickened. There was a kind of seductive energy surrounding him that was impossible to ignore.
“No one is that perfect,” Brooke said, feeling heat smack her cheeks. “Take me for instance. I like sweet white coffee, cold toast and I love sleeping in on Sunday mornings.”
He propped Cara on his hip and looked at Brooke so intently that her knees weakened. Suddenly having him living in her house didn’t seem like such a great idea.
Because there was something in the air between them.
Something she hadn’t experienced for a long time, felt for a long time.
Awareness. Attraction. Chemistry. Heat.
Call it by a dozen different names...but it was really only one thing.
Sex...
And it was everywhere. In the air, crawling over her skin, pumping through her blood.
“I like unsweetened black coffee,” he said smoothly, not missing a beat, not dragging his gaze from hers. “I like warm toast. And I only ever stay in bed on a Sunday morning if I have a woman in that bed with me.”
