“May I speak to you a moment?” Her glance darted briefly to his brothers. “Privately.”

“We were just heading home,” Jacob said.

“This is important.”

“It seems you know my name.” He gave her a careful smile once they were alone. “Mind telling me yours?”

“Mariana Snow.”

Jacob felt as if he’d taken a blow from behind. “I’m sorry about your sister. I heard what happened.”

Leah Snow. That explained why he’d found this woman familiar. Three years ago he’d dated her sister, though describing their one long weekend together as dating was a stretch. He hadn’t seen her since.

Still, the rodeo world was a small one, and he’d learned of Leah’s unexpected passing after a short and intense battle with breast cancer.

“Thank you for your condolences,” Mariana said tightly. “It’s been a difficult three months.”

“I didn’t know Leah had a sister. She never mentioned you.”

“I’m not surprised.” Mariana reached into her purse.

“Leah didn’t tell you a lot of things.” She extracted a snapshot and handed it to Jacob.

He took the photo, his gaze drawn to the laughing face of a young boy. “I don’t understand. Who is this?”

“That’s Cody Snow. Your son.

The Texan’s Surprise Son

Cathy McDavid

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For the past eighteen years CATHY McDAVID has been juggling a family, a job and writing, and doing pretty well at it, except for the housecleaning part. “Mostly” retired from the corporate business world, she writes full-time from her home in Scottsdale, Arizona, near the breathtaking McDowell Mountains. Her twins have “mostly” left home, returning every now and then to raid her refrigerators. On weekends, she heads to her cabin in the mountains, always taking her laptop with her. You can visit her website at www.cathymcdavid.com.

To my son, Clay.

I couldn’t be more proud or more impressed

by the strides you’ve made in recent months.

This journey you’re on is a difficult one,

but I’m with you every step of the way.

Love always,

Mom

Contents

Cover

Excerpt

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Only a fool would venture near eighteen hundred pounds of bucking bull crammed into a metal chute the size of a closet. Jacob Burke Baron not only went near the bull, he intended to ride the son of a gun. All the way to a win.

Eight seconds and a score better than eighty-three were all that stood between him and a gold buckle—first prize at the Louisiana State Fair Rodeo. He could do it and come one step closer to earning a championship title at the National Finals Rodeo in mid-December.

Also at stake today, beating his younger brother Daniel. After three rounds of bull riding over a long, tiring weekend, Daniel currently held the number one spot. Stealing that from him would be icing on a very tasty cake.

“Steady,” Daniel said in a low, calming voice that might have been meant for the bull or Jacob. Hard to tell.

His brother straddled the side of the chute, acting as spotter for Jacob, who levered himself above the bull’s back, waiting for the exact right moment. When Daniel had taken his run earlier, Jacob spotted him. They might be fierce competitors, but they were also brothers. Close ones. The good and bad circumstances of their lives had created a bond nothing and no one could sever.

Gripping the sides of the chute, Jacob lowered himself one slow inch at a time. The bull, a heavily muscled brute named Gumption, sensed what was coming and kicked the chute wall with a hind leg. The loud bang reverberated in Jacob’s ears.

He ignored it. Once in the zone, nothing short of an earthquake would distract him.

Glancing down, he studied the bull and made mental notes. Which way was Gumption looking? Did he paw the ground with his right or left foot? How fast was his breathing?

Jacob had watched the bull perform with other riders during the first two days of the rodeo. Because of his diligence, he knew Gumption charged straight ahead when released. Jacob would incorporate that important detail into his strategy.

Bull riding, rodeoing in general, was a physical sport. No question of that. But there was also a mental aspect, and it could make the difference between a competitor’s leaving with a win or nothing more than a round of sympathetic applause from the audience.

With painstaking care, Jacob settled himself in position on Gumption’s back and grabbed the flat braided rope with his right hand. Only a rope. With a cowbell attached for weight. There were no saddles or bridles in bull riding. Letting the rope drop on the off side, he waited for Daniel to reach down and grab it. In addition to spotting, Daniel would “pull the rope” for Jacob, enabling his grip to be as tight as possible. It was a job for only the most trusted.

Gumption’s hide twitched as he grew accustomed to this new and unpleasant arrangement. Jacob maneuvered his hand inside the glove until he was satisfied. With his free hand, he pressed his cowboy hat more firmly onto his head.

“Watch him,” Daniel warned. “He’ll jump once before he starts bucking.

Jacob knew that, too. He didn’t answer his brother, however. He rarely spoke while in the zone.

Other faces appeared in his peripheral view. Cowboys hanging on to the railing. They’d pull Jacob off Gumption’s back in a heartbeat if the bull suddenly went berserk. It had been known to happen. Bulls were easily riled and unpredictable. That was what made the sport challenging and exciting.

Like the cowboys’ faces, the audience in the stands, the bullfighters in the arena, the wranglers manning the gates and the livestock handlers were all a blur. Jacob saw only one thing: the top of Gumption’s head.

He waited until the sixth sense that was ingrained in every good bull rider told him the time was right. Then, winging a silent prayer heavenward, he nodded his head, and the chute door flew open.

Gumption charged forward and jumped, as predicted. Because Jacob was ready, he compensated by shifting his weight. The bull came close to unseating him, but Jacob managed to hold on and regain his balance.

Then, the bucking started. The bull’s hind legs reached incredible heights. It was like being trapped inside a cement mixer rotating at top speed. There was a reason Gumption had earned a reputation for being one of the circuit’s top bulls. He gave a cowboy the ride of his life, and today was no exception.

Jacob didn’t think about the passing seconds. He concentrated on not being thrown and giving the judges a show worth watching. Part of his score depended on how well the bull bucked and how well Jacob rode him.

Gumption abruptly swerved left. Jacob leaned right, his grip on the rope tightening. Every bone in his body felt like it was being ripped loose from its joints. Another change in direction, and Jacob’s hat flew off as his head snapped back and forth. He dug his spurs into Gumption’s shoulders, urging the bull to buck even higher and earn them the best possible score. Gumption obliged.

Riding bulls never ceased to thrill Jacob. Controlling this kind of power for even a few seconds, facing his fears, was a kick like none other. Hard to believe he’d almost quit rodeoing last year.

Another head-snapping, gut-spinning twist, and the buzzer sounded. Jacob barely heard it. He was more aware of the bullfighters, in their clownlike costumes, diving in, waving their arms and shouting in order to distract the bull. This last part of a cowboy’s run could be more dangerous than the ride itself. Bulls sometimes turned on the rider or another bystander without warning.

Drawing a breath, he angled his body sideways and let go of the rope, executing a dismount that more resembled a somersault. By some minor miracle, he landed mostly on his feet and scrambled out from beneath Gumption’s thrashing hooves.

The bull gave a few more bucks and twists for good measure before settling down and trotting in circles. He knew his job and that it was over. Soon enough, he was herded to the far end of the arena where the waiting wranglers opened the exit gate for him.

The crowd cheered as one of the bullfighters came over to check on Jacob.

“Good ride, cowboy,” he said before performing an antic for the crowd intended to relieve the tension.

Jacob’s boots sank into the arena floor as he trudged over to where his hat had fallen. Slapping it against his thigh to dislodge the dirt, he straightened, his gaze automatically going to the scoreboard and the video replay screen. Damn, that was a good ride.

The numbers appeared in big red letters, along with his ranking: 84.5. Not his best score ever, but good enough to land him in first place. As the last rider to compete, the win was officially his.

A wide smile spread across his face. He was going to do it. Earn himself a national title in December. And when he did, Brock would finally give him the promotion at Baron Energies that Jacob deserved.

A hand gripped his shoulder as he exited the arena gate and squeezed.

“Congrats!” Jet Baron greeted him with an enthusiastic grin. “You did it, bro!”

Bro? Try as he might, Jacob couldn’t think of himself as Jet’s brother. He and Daniel were adopted. Members of the Baron family for nineteen years, yet not members. Their adoptive father, Brock, openly favored his biological children, Jet in particular. As such, Jacob had never really gotten close to Jet and his—their, he reminded himself—three sisters.

Rodeoing hadn’t helped. Like Daniel, Jacob was in competition with Jet. In fact, as the only licensed pilot in the family, Jet often flew the three of them to events in the family’s small Cessna. They’d driven this weekend, however. Shreveport, Louisiana, was only three hours from the family’s ranch outside of Dallas—and the ranch wasn’t far from Baron Energies headquarters.

“Thanks,” Jacob said, accepting a clap on his back from Jet.

By then, he was surrounded. Friends, rivals and Daniel, all eager to congratulate him.

“You didn’t do so bad yourself,” Jacob told Daniel. “Second place.”

“Yeah, but I whipped your ass in saddle bronc riding.”

He had. Jacob didn’t mind. He’d be taking home first place in two events today, bull riding and, thanks to the loan of a horse from a buddy, steer wrestling. Brock would be pleased.

The brothers hung around for the buckle ceremony at the end of the rodeo and an interview with a local TV station. After that, Jet was raring to head home. Jacob didn’t blame him. Jet had a new fiancée waiting for him. Jasmine Carter. An engineer with twin girls.

Another reason to hit the road, their sister Lizzie had recently given birth to the Baron family’s first grandchild, a daughter named Natalie Adele. Jacob felt a bit guilty about leaving town so soon afterward to rodeo. No need, he told himself. He’d made a visit to the hospital to see the baby before they left and brought flowers. In his opinion, the new parents, while elated, seemed frazzled and overwhelmed. They probably didn’t need a bunch of relations hanging around and underfoot.

Jacob made a mental note to pick up something from one of the rodeo vendors for his new niece. What size T-shirt did a newborn wear?

“You working tomorrow?” Daniel asked.

“Bright and early.”

Jacob’s shift at the Eagle started at 6:00 a.m. and ended late, 6:00 p.m. He was the senior safety manager for Baron Energies’ largest producing oil well. The extended shifts allowed Jacob to have at least three days off on the weekends to rodeo.

It was a good job, and the flexible schedule a perk, but Jacob wanted more. Specifically, to be head of Baron Energies’ yet-to-be-formed alternative energy division.

Brock had flat out refused to consider anything not dealing with oil. Until now. With each gold buckle Jacob brought home, Brock’s resistance wavered. He claimed to see potential in Jacob previously hidden. A national title would, Jacob was convinced, break down Brock’s resistance entirely.

Thanks to a B-list country singer giving a post-rodeo concert, the arena stands remained packed, and the lines to the food vendors and merchant stalls blocked the midway. Jacob, Daniel and Jet wound their way through the throng of people, saying goodbye to their friends and promising to see their fellow competitors next weekend.

“Excuse me, Jacob Baron?”

At first, Jacob didn’t think anything of the unfamiliar voice calling to him. He and his brothers were often approached by female fans.

Then he turned to look at the woman and was immediately taken aback. She looked vaguely familiar, though he couldn’t recall where he’d seen her before.

“Jacob Baron?” she repeated.

“Yes.” He answered without thinking.

She started toward him, managing to cover the uneven ground gracefully despite her absurdly high heels that had no business being at a rodeo. Neither did the skintight black skirt and jacket she wore. “May I speak to you a moment?” Her glance darted briefly to his brothers before returning to him. “Privately.”

This was no fan.

Possibly a reporter, though he didn’t think so.

Beside him, Daniel whistled. “Wow.”

That was something of an understatement. Out-of-place wardrobe aside, the woman was killer gorgeous. Striking green eyes, long strawberry blonde hair and flawless skin.

The same sixth sense he counted on in bull riding came suddenly alive, and it was warning Jacob to proceed with caution.

“We were just heading home,” he said.

“This is important.”

After a moment’s hesitation he hitched his chin toward the parking area where they’d left their truck. “Go on, I’ll catch up with you.”

“No rush, bro,” Jet said, a glimmer in his eyes. “We’ll wait.”

Jacob gestured for the woman to lead the way.

She wasted no time locating one of the few empty tables near the row of food vendors. In the arena, the band was setting up on a hastily erected temporary stage.

“It seems you know my name.” He gave her a careful smile. “Mind telling me yours?”

“Mariana Snow.”

Jacob sat back, feeling as if he’d taken a blow from behind. “I’m sorry about your sister. I heard what happened.”

Leah Snow. That explained why he found this woman—Mariana—familiar. Three years ago he’d dated her sister, though describing their one long weekend together as dating was a stretch. He hadn’t seen her since. She’d refused his calls and promptly quit barrel racing.

Still, the rodeo world was a small one, and he’d learned of Leah’s unexpected passing after a short and intense battle with breast cancer. The news had startled him, and left him empty for weeks. Had that been why she’d refused his phone calls?

“Thank you for your condolences,” Mariana said tightly. “It’s been a difficult three months.”

“I didn’t know Leah had a sister. She never mentioned you.”

Truthfully, they hadn’t talked much during those three days. He’d naturally assumed they’d get to know each other over time, only that hadn’t happened. Eventually, he’d written off the weekend as one of those temporary rodeo hookups, the kind he generally avoided.

“I’m not surprised.” Mariana reached into the leather purse she’d set on the table. “Leah didn’t tell you a lot of things.” She extracted a snapshot and handed it across the table to Jacob.

He took the photo, his gaze drawn to the laughing face of a young boy. “I don’t understand. Who is this?” He started to return the photo.

Mariana held up her hand. “Keep it.”

“Why?”

“That’s Cody Snow. Your son.”

For a moment, Jacob sat immobile, his mind rebelling. He hadn’t been careless. He’d asked and Leah swore she was on birth control pills.

“You’re mistaken. I don’t have a son.”

“Yes, you do. And with my sister gone, you’re his one remaining parent.”

The photo slipped from Jacob’s fingers and landed on the table, the boy’s laughing face staring up at him.

* * *

FRANKLY, MARIANA WAS surprised Jacob had agreed to let her drive him home to Dallas. She’d suggested it when the band started playing and conversation became difficult over the noise. She’d give him credit for that. A lot of men might have run the instant she’d pulled out the picture of her nephew.

“I’m parked over here.” She pointed to the very last row in the dirt parking lot.

He’d just gotten off the phone with one of his brothers, letting them know he’d be, as he put it, hitching a ride back to Dallas with her. That was all he’d told them, and the message had been delivered through clenched teeth.

She didn’t blame him. It was a lot to take in. She hadn’t expected him to leap with joy when she sprang the news on him. His willingness to discuss her nephew was actually more than she’d anticipated. Though talk was cheap, as Mariana well knew.

“I apologize for ambushing you at the rodeo and in front of your family,” she said. “It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I was visiting a client here in Shreveport. When I found out you were competing today, I decided to try and find you.”

“Did you think I’d refuse to meet you somewhere else?”

“The thought did occur to me,” she admitted. “Or that you wouldn’t come alone.” He was a member of a powerful and influential family, one that employed an army of attorneys and advisers.

“I’m not agreeing to anything without DNA testing.”

“Of course.”

Mariana had taken her sister’s word that Jacob Baron was Cody’s father. While unlikely, it was possible Leah had slept with more than one man. As Mariana only recently learned, her sister had been insistent on getting pregnant. Jacob required proof, and she understood that. Were he her client, she’d advise the exact same thing.

Reaching into the side pocket of her purse for her keys, she stumbled when her heel caught in a small hole. These shoes were definitely not made for traipsing across rodeo grounds. Not that she owned a single pair of boots.

Feeling a steadying hand on her elbow, she turned and muttered, “Thank you.”

Jacob let his hand linger. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Really.” Her ankle did twinge a bit. The sensation was overshadowed by the tingle his touch evoked and the look of appreciation in his eyes. That had startled her more than the stumble.

Withdrawing her arm, she attempted a smile. He was simply being a gentleman, right? Cowboys were like that. Old-fashioned and mannerly. At least, most of the ones who’d traveled in and out of her sister’s life were. The same could be said for their father. That was part of his charm and why the ladies loved him.

All the ladies. Even the ones he took up with while he was still married to Mariana’s mother.

She depressed the button on her key fob, and her headlights flashed in greeting as the door locks popped open. The Infiniti was a recent purchase. She’d decided if she wanted to make junior partner, she needed to look like a junior partner.

Jacob opened the driver’s side door for her. It was on the tip of her tongue to object. This wasn’t a date. She refrained, however. He was surely just being polite. Cowboys, she thought with a sigh.

As they bumped and bounced out of the dirt parking lot, Mariana worried about the paint on her car. What had she been thinking, coming here at the last second? The signs in town advertising the rodeo had been too tempting to resist. More so when a quick phone call confirmed Jacob was competing.

“You mentioned visiting a client. What is it you do?” He didn’t appear to mind the rocky ride. Neither did he wince with each scraping sound.

“I’m an attorney with Hasbrough and Colletti.”

“Ah.” He instantly closed down, as if a steel door slammed shut between them.

“I assure you, I’m not after your money. This is no scam or blackmail scheme. I’m concerned only for my nephew and what’s best for him.”

“Right.”

Mariana took his reaction in stride. She was an attorney, after all, and used to it. Those in her profession were frequently the answer to someone’s prayers or their worst nightmare.

They approached the main road, and she released a pent-up breath. Without thinking, she reached out and gave the dash a there-there pat. Jacob raised one eyebrow but said nothing. Once they were on the main road and traffic eased, she was able to concentrate.

“Perhaps I should start at the beginning,” she said.

“Please do.”

“I didn’t know who Cody’s father was until right before the doctors put Leah on life support. She never told anyone that I know of. I think she believed she could beat the cancer. She did once before, four years ago, and our mother’s a survivor.”

“I didn’t realize.”

A small, painful lump formed in Mariana’s throat. She swallowed before speaking. “Leah gave me your name but begged me not to tell you until Cody was eighteen. She didn’t want your money, Mr. Baron. Only to be a mother.”

“Call me Jacob. And why are you telling me rather than respecting her wishes?”

“That’s a very long story.” And Mariana wasn’t about to delve into her daddy issues with a complete stranger. “In a nutshell, I believe it’s the right thing. Legally and morally. You have a son and should be allowed a role in his life. He deserves all the benefits a father can provide.”

“A role?”

“However great or small a role you choose.”

With his schedule, she doubted he’d want more than every other weekend, if that. Didn’t rodeo cowboys like him want their freedom? That was what her father told her mother right before he walked out on them.

“Noble of you.” Jacob’s voice rang with suspicion.

“We’ve just met. You have no reason to trust me. Especially with the bombshell I’ve just dropped.”

“Bombshell, yeah,” he said drily.

“But you will see soon enough that my intentions are indeed noble.”

“I’m guessing Leah named you as his guardian or something.”

“She did. She also put your name as father on Cody’s birth certificate. You’re his legal father. DNA testing will reveal if you’re his biological father, as well.”

“You say she told you right before she was put on life support?”

“Yes. The circumstances were grave. I don’t think she was lying.”

Jacob leaned his head back and rubbed a spot on his forehead as if it throbbed.

Mariana was momentarily struck by his ruggedly handsome profile, which was not at all like her. Broad shoulders didn’t sway her. Neither did dark, penetrating eyes and a mouth that could only be described as sexy.

Had she really just thought that? Yes, she had, and she needed to stop right this second. It wasn’t easy. Jacob drew her glance like a magnet.

He’d been smiling when she first spotted him at the rodeo, and to her chagrin, her heart had given a small leap. He was staring out the windshield now, and his intense expression was nearly as captivating as his smile. No wonder Leah had chosen Jacob to father her child.

Probably best not to bring up that little tidbit. Hard enough learning he was a father. Finding out Leah had used him merely as a sperm donor...well, it wasn’t necessary and was too risky. She didn’t want to give him a reason to abandon Cody entirely. Her conscience wouldn’t let her.

Running a background check on Jacob wasn’t something Mariana had immediately done once Leah revealed his name. Rather, she and her mother had stayed by Leah’s side as the machines kept her alive. They’d said their goodbyes, made their peace and let her hold Cody in the crook of her frail arm. Her eventual passing was poignant and gut-wrenching.

With it also came a certain amount of relief. Leah was no longer in pain. After a small but moving memorial service, Mariana became the mother figure in Cody’s life. It was a role she’d gladly fulfill indefinitely.

Depending on what Jacob wanted to do, it was also a role she might be forced to give up. Mariana had wrestled over telling him for weeks.

She and her sister had never agreed on a father’s responsibility toward his children. Leah believed as their mother did: a man was unnecessary and would ultimately break your heart. Mariana felt the complete opposite. Fathers had a moral responsibility to their children as well as a fiscal one. Her profession only reinforced that in her mind.

Shortly after the memorial service, she began accumulating information on Jacob. No way would she allow him visitation, much less share custody of her nephew, should he be unfit.

Jacob certainly had the means to support a son. He was from a wealthy family, was college educated, held a good position as senior safety manager at Baron Energies’ largest drill site—though she was surprised he wasn’t further up the food chain—owned his own home and was, by all accounts, an upstanding citizen.

He had only one fault in her opinion, and it was a doozy. Rodeoing. Besides the frequent nomadic lifestyle, there were also buckle bunnies. A man with Jacob’s good looks was bound to have a vast following, though from Mariana’s research, he didn’t avail himself.

Except, apparently, for her sister. Though by her own admission, Leah had misled him.

Mariana’s sense of right and wrong had eventually prevailed, and she decided to approach Jacob. She just hadn’t planned on it being today. Maybe she should have curbed her impulses when those signs for the rodeo appeared.

“Please don’t feel that I’m pressuring you into anything,” she said to him. “We’ll take this one step at a time at whatever speed you’re comfortable.”

“If he is my son, I’ll do the right thing.”

“Good. We’re in agreement on that.”

Mariana didn’t jump for joy. She’d heard fathers make similar statements before, then go back on their word. If that happened, she was prepared to raise Cody herself. More than prepared, she was happy to. She loved her nephew.

She turned from the road onto the freeway. It had grown dark since they left the rodeo grounds. Jacob’s face was cast in shadows. Mariana allowed herself to relax. She wouldn’t be distracted by him for the remainder of the trip home.

“What’s the first step?” he asked, the edge in his voice unmistakable. “Meeting him?”

“We start with the DNA testing. I can give you the name of a facility my firm uses. It’s downtown, not far from Baron Energies’ offices. Or we can use one of your own choosing.”

“Is there one in southwest Dallas? The farther south and west the better. I can drive over at lunch tomorrow.”

He wanted a facility near the drill site where he worked. That made sense.

“If you give me your phone number when I drop you off, I’ll research a location and text you the info tomorrow morning after I arrange for the testing. You can go in at your convenience. But if you’d be kind enough to let me know when you do, I’d appreciate it.”

“Okay.”

“It’s a very simple and quick procedure.”

“How long? For the results,” he clarified.

“Five to seven business days. You’ll be notified by email when the results are available and—”

“Okay,” he said again in a tone that clearly implied he was through discussing the testing.

Again, she cut him some slack. This was an enormous amount to process. She must be patient.

Several minutes of silence followed, after which he asked, “Then what?”

“If the results are positive, we can set up a meeting for you and Cody.”

“Who’s taking care of him now? Seeing as you’re here.”

That wasn’t a question she’d expected from him. “He’s in day care during the week when I’m at work. Today, my mother’s watching him. She lives in Austin and drives up every other weekend.”

“How does she feel about this? You telling me.”

Another unexpected question. Mariana relied on the skills she acquired as an attorney to maintain her composure and smiled. “She doesn’t know.”

“She doesn’t approve.”

Jacob was obviously more astute than she’d first thought.

“She loves Cody very much, and he’s all she has left of Leah.” The painful lump returned, forcing Mariana to wait before speaking. “I decided not to tell her until you and I had talked and the DNA results are in. Why upset the apple cart for no reason?”

Several more minutes of silence passed. Mariana was ready to spend the remainder of the ride with only her own thoughts for company when Jacob spoke softly from the darkness.

“Tell me about him. Cody. What’s he’s like?”

For the first time since she’d approached him on the rodeo midway, she began to think Jacob might have an interest in Cody.

She described her charming yet headstrong nephew until the next exit on the freeway, when Jacob’s lack of response caused her earlier doubts to return. If he turned out to be like Mariana’s father, then poor little Cody would be the one to pay the price.

Chapter Two

The noise was constant and nearly deafening, even with earplugs. Jacob didn’t remove the small foam devices until he was far from the drill site, stuffing them into the front pocket of his work shirt. He could still hear the rig and the generators grinding in the distance. Sometimes, he thought he could hear them in his sleep.

His hard hat came off next, and he ran fingers through his perpetually damp hair. The drill site was in a constant state of sweltering, summer, winter, spring and fall. In addition to noise, the massive drill gave off enormous amounts of heat. Today, Mother Nature added to their discomfort by providing unseasonably warm weather for early November.

Jacob opened the door to his truck, tossing his hard hat and fluorescent-green vest onto the passenger seat. His aim was good—or bad, depending on one’s perspective. The hat hit a stack of papers and hand tools, knocking them onto the floorboard. He didn’t bother straightening the mess.

I’m a father. Could be a father, he amended. He’d find out for sure when the test results came back in roughly a week. As Mariana mentioned, he’d receive an email with a link to the lab’s secure website where he could log in and view the results.

One email, and his life could be forever changed in ways he had only begun to imagine.

Jacob lived twenty minutes from the drill site and twenty-five minutes from Baron Energies’ headquarters in Dallas. Convenient. He’d bought the house last year, planning on being promoted from the field to an executive position. That had yet to happen.

Brock refused to consider transferring Jacob. Not until he’d “gained more experience.” In truth, Brock had been waiting and hoping for Jet, his biological son, to take an interest in the company. Jet had finally started coming around, leaving Jacob even further out in the cold.

Every proposal he presented, and he did it often, was immediately shot down with Brock proclaiming in a loud voice, “There will be no alternate energy division. Not as long as I’m in charge. We Barons are oil people.”

How anyone could look at the world today and not recognize the value of alternate energy baffled Jacob. Oil was a limited resource. Wind and sun weren’t. For at least the next billion years.

Out of frustration and anger, Jacob had returned to rodeoing this past spring, seeking an outlet for his pent-up energy. No pun intended. It had been a great stress reliever and, at first, fun. Then he’d started winning, and—this was a surprise—Brock had taken notice.

The higher Jacob’s ranking climbed, the more frequent talks he and his adoptive father engaged in about Jacob’s future with the company. Brock was still determined that Jet take over one day—now it was alongside his sister Lizzie. But he was listening to, if not entirely agreeing with, Jacob’s ideas for expansion.

To that end, Jacob spent every weekend on the road or in the air. It had paid off. He was a hairbreadth away from qualifying for the National Finals Rodeo in December. Brock was thrilled. He himself had won a few titles back in the day. Carly, too. Jacob would be the first of his sons to follow in his footsteps.

Maybe follow. How would a son affect Jacob’s career? Both of his careers?

Visitation or custody? Mariana Snow hadn’t been specific as to which. He still thought it a little strange that she didn’t want full custody herself. If she hadn’t told Jacob, he might never have known he had a son. She could have easily complied with her sister’s wishes, and Jacob would have been none the wiser. It was enough to give him pause.

Rather than head directly home, he drove to the family ranch. The Roughneck was a little out of the way but worth it. Days like this one, he needed to climb on the back of a horse. In his opinion, there was no better way to work off stress or unload a heavy mind.

It was well past dark when he arrived. That wouldn’t be a problem. Floodlights were scattered throughout the barn and arena. He could ride for an hour and still be home by eight.

He maneuvered his truck into the long driveway, noting the darkened farm store as he passed it. His adoptive sisters Savannah and Carly ran the store, which offered fresh produce and homemade pies. The two had recently embarked on a search for their biological mother, Delia Baron, with only dead ends and cold trails to show for their efforts.

Jacob didn’t need to search for his biological father. He knew right where Oscar Burke resided: the Federal Correctional Institute in Beaumont. Minimum security, as if that counted for anything. This February, he’d be up for parole. The third time. Had he not been involved in an attack against a guard—an innocent bystander, he claimed; the perpetrator, witnesses had testified—he’d be out by now.

Jacob pulled in next to the barn and parked. The main lights were on. Since he was the only one who ever rode at night, that meant Luke Nobel, the Roughneck’s ranch manager and Carly’s fiancé, was dealing with a problem.

Jacob found Luke in the barn, his forearms propped on a stall door and staring worriedly at the horse inside.

“What’s wrong?”

“Colic.”

The smile Jacob would normally expect to see on Luke’s face was absent.

“Not good.”

For a few minutes they discussed the mare’s symptoms and what steps Luke had taken.

“If she isn’t better in an hour, I’m calling the vet.”

The large chestnut stood with her head hanging low between her front legs and her eyes filled with misery.

“You sure you want to wait that long? This horse is one of Brock’s favorites.”

Luke shrugged. “I’ll keep a close watch on her.” If necessary, he’d climb into the stall with the mare. “You going for a ride?” He glanced pointedly at the change of clothes and pair of boots in Jacob’s hands.

“Thinking of taking Zeus out for a spin.”

The gelding was the horse Jacob had used for calf roping and steer wrestling, two rodeo events he enjoyed but had mostly stopped competing in. His four twelve-hour shifts at the drill site left him with just enough time on the weekends to get to whatever rodeo he was competing in. Trailering a horse would be too time-consuming. As a result, Jacob focused solely on bucking events, with the occasional steer wrestling thrown in.

“I’d join you if I could,” Luke said.

“You have your priorities.”

The two were good friends and had been for years. They’d competed against each other on the circuit until Luke retired from rodeoing to care for his daughter who, Jacob just that moment realized, was about the same age as Cody. Now, Luke was marrying Jacob’s sister Carly.

Fatherhood and family life suited his friend. Would it suit Jacob? What kind of father would he be? Lord knows, Oscar Burke was a poor excuse and no role model. And Brock, while better, treated Jacob and Daniel differently from his own children.

Not once had he ever told Jacob that he loved him. Might be because he didn’t.

For a lot of years, that hurt. No more. Not that he’d admit.

“What’s on your mind?” Luke asked, giving Jacob the once-over.

Was he that transparent? “Just because I’m going for a ride doesn’t mean I’m wrestling with a problem.”

Luke shrugged. “Except you are.”

Okay, he was that transparent. “Do you miss rodeoing?”

“Sure I do. Once in a while.”

“Would you go back if you could?”

“Probably getting a little too long in the tooth.”

Jacob understood. At twenty-eight, the majority of men he competed against were younger than him.

“You’re not thinking of quitting?” Luke asked.

Jacob shook his head. “Not this year. Now, if I win a title or two...”

“You’ll be too busy pushing papers at Baron Energies to ride bulls.”

“I hope to do a lot more than push papers.” Like take the company into the next decade.

“Brock softening any?”

“He’s hinted that he might be willing to look at a new proposal after the first of the year.” Which translated into after the National Finals Rodeo. “I’ve been keeping my ear to the ground. Rumors are circulating that Starr Solar Systems is coming up for sale.”

Luke chuckled. “The accident must have had more of an effect on the old man than we thought.”

Brock had suffered a terrible fall earlier in the year while competing in a senior pro rodeo. The injury to his leg had confined him to a wheelchair for months, and he’d been forced to relinquish the day-to-day running of Baron Energies to Lizzie, his oldest daughter.

Savannah and Carly supervised his care at home, an arrangement that had driven everyone crazy. Brock had always possessed a bigger-than-life personality and the physical stamina to match. Luckily, he was well on the path to recovery and had very recently returned to Baron’s boardroom on a part-time basis.

“That,” Jacob mused aloud, “and his kids are all getting married.”

What were the odds the Baron siblings had each recently found their match?

“Don’t forget Lizzie,” Luke said. “Grandchildren can change a person. It did my parents.”

Grandchildren! Lizzie had just delivered Brock’s first, and he crowed his delight to anyone who’d listen.

Except if Jacob was Cody’s father, then, technically, the boy would be Brock’s first and oldest.

Adoptive grandchild. Not the same. Jacob had no reason to believe Brock would treat Cody any differently than he’d treated Jacob and Daniel their whole lives. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“I wouldn’t trade my life for anything.” Luke flashed his previously missing smile. “Nothing is more satisfying than coming home to Rosie and Carly. Not work, not rodeoing, not anything.”

“I’ve never given much thought to getting married and having kids.” Tired of holding his boots, Jacob set them on the ground and laid his clothes on top.

“You need to make your mark in the world first.”

Less making his mark and more proving he was as good as any Baron, regardless of his start in life and his father’s criminal history, though Jacob didn’t say it out loud.

“You must still miss your mom.” Compassion filled Luke’s voice.

“Every day.”

Seven years ago. Peggy Burke Baron had gone into the hospital for a routine appendectomy and come through the surgery with flying colors. She’d died a week later from a staph infection, leaving her two sons without a mother and her second husband a widower.

Jacob still felt the loss keenly. Brock not so much. Less than two years later, he remarried. Julieta was thirty years his junior and the mother of a little boy. Jacob’s adoptive siblings all adored Julieta and her son. She was nice enough, and the kid was okay, Jacob supposed. But that was the extent of his feelings.

He wasn’t jealous exactly. He might have been only nine when Brock and his mother wed, but he’d figured out soon after that their marriage was based on convenience and affection. Not love. But marrying so quickly after his mother’s death and to a significantly younger and beautiful woman felt like an insult.

Luke squeezed Jacob’s shoulder. “She was a fine lady with a heart of gold. She’d be proud of you.”

Jacob had a sobering thought. If Leah’s son was his, the boy would never meet either of Jacob’s parents. Only Brock.

“Do you remember Leah Snow?” he asked.

Luke scratched behind an ear. “Vaguely. A barrel racer, right?”

“She died a few months ago. From breast cancer.”

“Oh, man. That’s a shame.”

“She and I dated a few years ago.”

“You never said anything.”

“It was brief. A weekend.” Jacob gathered his courage. He’d decided not to tell anyone about Cody until the DNA test results were in and only if they were positive. Suddenly, he wanted someone to know. “Her sister, Mariana Snow, approached me at the Louisiana State Fair Rodeo. It seems Leah has a son.”

“Really.”

“She told Mariana before she died that I was the father.”

“Wow.” Luke looked as stunned as Jacob had felt upon hearing the news.

“Yeah.”

“Are you?”

“I’ll know for sure soon.” Jacob exhaled a long breath. There was both relief in the telling and increased anxiety. “But it’s pretty likely.”

“What are you going to do?” Luke asked.

“Mariana wants me to be a part of the boy’s life.”

“What does that mean?”

“Not sure, she didn’t say. Visitation. Custody maybe.”

“And you’re not sure how you feel about that,” Luke stated.

“I can barely handle work and rodeoing. How am I supposed to take care of a two-year-old? Even part-time. I don’t know the first thing.”

“No parent does in the beginning. But we learn.”

“You’re a natural father.”

“And you’re worried about the sacrifices you’ll have to make.”

Jacob squeezed his eyes shut, feeling completely out of control and at the mercy of the fates.

“I’ve worked so hard for years to get ahead. Finally, I have a chance at a championship title and a promotion. Now this.” He stopped abruptly. “I sound like a selfish bastard.”

“There isn’t a parent alive who doesn’t wonder about the impact children will have on their future.”

“What if I’m not cut out to be a dad? It’s not like I’ve had the best examples.”

“The better question might be what if you are?”

Though Jacob admired his friend greatly, he couldn’t conceive of sacrificing everything he’d worked so hard for.

“What if I just offered financial support? At least until after Finals? That’s only six weeks away.”

Luke didn’t hide his disappointment. “Now you sound just like Brock.”

Nothing his friend said or did could have made a bigger impact on Jacob. He did sound like Brock and his biological father.

Disgust filled him. “I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“It does.” Luke leaned an elbow on the stall door, his gaze direct. “You aren’t like either Brock or your father. At least, you don’t have to be.”

Cody’s photo, tucked in his wallet, burned a hole in Jacob’s back pocket. The boy deserved a better father than he’d had. The best Jacob could be.

“I always swore if I ever had children, I’d do right by them.”

Luke grinned. “Here’s your chance.”

“I’m still waiting for the DNA results.”

“That’s wise.”

The hour ride on Zeus helped to further clear Jacob’s head and give him purpose. After returning the gelding to its stall, he started for his truck. At the door, he paused and took out his cell phone. Mariana had given him her number yesterday. He dialed it now.

“This is Jacob,” he said when she answered. “I want to meet Cody. Tomorrow.”

* * *

“WE’RE HERE,” Mariana announced in a singsong voice as they neared Jacob’s house.

She’d been driving down the street at ten miles an hour, peering at address numbers posted above garage doors or on wrought iron gates. It was a nice, middle-class neighborhood. Most of the attractive homes were on large lots with drought-resistant natural landscaping.

“Daddy, Daddy!” Cody expressed his delight by tossing his stuffed pony in the air. It hit the back of Mariana’s seat and bounced off. “Wanna see Daddy.”

“We will.” She maneuvered the SUV into the driveway and parked. The vehicle belonged to her mother. Much more appropriate for transporting a toddler than her Infiniti. “Cool your jets.”

“Jets!” Cody kicked his sneakered feet wildly, and they banged into the console dividing the front seats.

“Okay, Cody. That’s enough.” She kept her voice level but firm.

Her nephew stopped. For an entire three seconds. “Wanna see Daddy,” he repeated and resumed kicking.

She’d thought it best to wait for the test results to come in before telling Cody he had a father. Somehow, he’d gleaned enough while listening to Mariana and her mother talking about Jacob to realize he had one of those magical, mystical beings: a father.

Served her right for having a supersmart nephew. Or, possibly, daddies were spoken of frequently at day care. He’d surely seen them picking up his playmates. That would explain his fascination. Wanting his and Jacob’s initial meeting to go well, Mariana had infused brightness into her voice when she talked about Jacob. As a result, Cody’s excitement soared.

Jacob had phoned her yesterday and insisted on meeting Cody, to Mariana’s surprise. She’d tried to convince him to wait, without success. He’d been adamant, and she didn’t want to give him a reason to bring in his attorneys or, worse, flee.

Errant fathers weren’t her specialty at the law firm where she worked. She did, however, have some experience with them. Her mother had spent years chasing down Mariana and Leah’s father, who never stayed in one place longer than a few months. When her mother did find him, there was a guaranteed battle over past due child support.

Mariana was twenty-nine years old, and her mother had yet to receive all the money owed her. The SOB didn’t even have the decency to show up at Leah’s memorial service.

She could understand her sister’s not wanting a man like that to be a part of her son’s life. But Jacob Baron wasn’t cut from the same cloth. Mariana knew; she’d done her homework on him and his family. He could, and hopefully would, do right by Cody.

Leah had also done her homework before selecting Jacob. Still, despite his many worthy attributes, she’d insisted on raising her son alone, even after the cancer returned and progressed at a terrifying rate.

Mariana stared at the pickup truck in the driveway, uncertainty gnawing away at her. If only he wasn’t a rodeo man like her father, she’d feel a whole lot better. At least he had a good, steady job and belonged to a family with deep roots in the Dallas area. That compensated for some of his less desirable cowboy traits.

Her cell phone rang just as she turned off the ignition.

“Yes, Helena,” she said after her secretary identified herself.

“Sorry to bother you this late, but I thought you’d want to know now rather than in the morning.”

Mariana braced herself. “What is it?”

“Paulo Molinas’s attorney has filed a motion to suppress Medallion Investments’ phone records.”

“Dammit,” she muttered, then glanced over her shoulder. Had Cody heard her curse? She didn’t think so. “All right. Pull the former case files we talked about and leave them on my desk for the morning.”

“Will do.”

They discussed a few more details before ending the call. Mariana tried to focus on Cody and his introduction to Jacob. It took all her effort. Her firm’s joint lawsuits had gained momentum in recent weeks. Ten-hour days made caring for Cody challenging. She was lucky to have gotten off early.

That wasn’t the reason she wanted Jacob to have shared custody of Cody, she told herself for the hundredth time. Her workload and demanding schedule had nothing to do with it.

Opening the rear passenger side door, she bent over Cody and unbuckled him from the car seat.

“Daddy, Daddy! Where Daddy?”

She winced at the loud voice inches from her ear. “Shhh. We’ll see him in a minute.”

“I firsty.”

“We’ll get you a drink inside.”

This constant speaking in the plural amazed her. She couldn’t recall thinking about it, only doing it. Was that normal? Did every mother, or aunt or guardian, naturally fall into the habit?

Lifting Cody from the car, she set him on his feet and grabbed the overstuffed diaper bag.

“Wait a minute,” she said when he started squirming. Setting the diaper bag down, she adjusted his little denim jacket, re-fastening the buttons that had mysteriously come loose during the ride.

She’d have preferred Cody wear something newer and without a hole in the left sleeve. But this particular jacket was his favorite, and he’d pitched a fit when she tried to put him in a hooded sweatshirt. Even his favorite cartoon character on the front hadn’t swayed him.

He would have run ahead if not for her firm grip on his hand. As it was, he pulled her and the diaper bag along like a heavy anchor through water.

“Slow down, honey,” Mariana admonished.

The house, a newer one-story with tan stucco exterior and—this was good—a block fence enclosing the rear yard, sat on a corner lot. Hopefully, Jacob didn’t own a pool. Toddlers and water were a dangerous combination.

Mariana thought it interesting that he didn’t live at the Roughneck, his family’s ranch. The place was certainly big enough. Then again, this house was closer to the drill site where he worked. Or maybe he simply liked his privacy.

If he assumed any level of custody, he’d soon lose that luxury. There was no such thing as privacy with a two-year-old in the house. If presented with a closed door or locked cabinet, Cody felt compelled to holler until it opened or his lungs gave out.

Her high heels wobbled as they walked along the slate rock path leading to the front door. Changing clothes beforehand would have been nice. There’d been no time, however. Mariana was barely able to rush from the office to day care, navigate traffic and still make it here—she glanced at her watch—twelve minutes late.

Jacob opened the door seconds after she rang the bell. Had he been watching from the window?

“Hello,” he said in a neutral voice, his gaze meeting hers briefly before traveling to Cody where it remained. “Come in.”

“Thank you.” She required a moment to collect her wits.

He looked good. His short dark hair appeared freshly combed, and the scent of soap clung to him as if he’d recently washed up. Like her, he hadn’t changed from work. His pale blue chambray shirt had a Baron Energies logo embroidered on the front pocket and the sleeves were rolled up to reveal strong, muscled forearms.

Mariana was beginning to think he could dress in a ratty T-shirt and gym shorts and she’d still be affected. How might he look in, say, a suit? Or, better yet, a tuxedo?

She wagged a mental finger at herself, warning her mind not to go there. Theirs was a business meeting. Of sorts, anyway. There were certainly business matters to discuss.

“This is Cody.” She propelled the boy ahead of her, realizing only then that he’d stopped jabbering.

In fact, his small mouth literally hung open, and he stared up at Jacob with enormous eyes.

“How do you do, pal?” Jacob smiled. If one could call the thin slash splitting the lower half of his face a smile.

Was he nervous? Angry? Shy? Distrustful? All of the above?

Cody suddenly flung himself at Mariana, hugging her legs with all his strength, and whimpered.

“It’s all right, honey.”

She stroked his downy soft hair, not noticing until right that moment how much it resembled Jacob’s. Only a shade lighter. The shape of his face was similar, too. As was the color of his eyes.

“I didn’t know if you might be hungry.” Jacob started through the living room.

Mariana and a reluctant Cody followed. “Cody can always eat. He’s not fussy like some kids.” Actually, Mariana didn’t know anything about other kids. She was repeating her mother’s frequent declarations. “I’m not really hungry.”

She spoke too soon. The moment they entered the kitchen, a delicious aroma had her practically drooling. When was the last time she’d eaten a meal that wasn’t takeout or purchased in the frozen food aisle of the grocery store?

“You cook?” she blurted without thinking, then could have kicked herself for being rude.

“I got home a little early. Figured if I was hungry, you and Cody might be, too.”

“One of us had animal crackers on the drive over.”

“Can I take that for you?” He reached for the diaper bag, and their fingers brushed.

He didn’t pull immediately away. Mariana glanced up to find him staring at her. Instantly, her mouth went dry. Oh, boy.

“Mariana.”

“Yes?”

The corners of his mouth tipped up. “Let go of the handle.”

“Oops. Sorry.” She watched him stow the diaper bag on the floor just around the corner, her cheeks hot with embarrassment. Men didn’t do this to her. She didn’t let them.

Pretending nothing was amiss, she said, “You have a nice place.”

“Thanks.”

The house wasn’t huge, but comfortable and tastefully decorated. Also tidy. Tidier even than her house. Seems Jacob was Mr. Homemaker.

Yeah, well, wait till Cody worked his toddler magic. She considered warning Jacob to enjoy the clean while it lasted.

All at once, Cody squealed with delight. Pulling his hand free of Mariana’s, he scrambled toward the table and what lay beneath it. “Puppy, puppy.”

It was then Mariana spotted the dog. “Cody, come back.” She flung herself forward, arms outstretched. For all she knew, the dog was a vicious brute.

“It’s okay,” Jacob said. “Buster’s used to kids.”

The dog raised his head to stare at Cody, who dropped to his hands and knees in order to crawl between the chairs.

“Are you sure?” Mariana fretted, ready to put herself between her nephew and any danger.

“He’s a retired show dog. Buster’s given more than two thousand performances all over the country. Mostly at rodeos and fund-raisers. But also schools and children’s wards at hospitals.”

As Mariana watched, Buster gave Cody’s face a thorough licking. The boy went insane with happiness and launched into a rapid-fire, one-sided conversation only he could understand.

“What exactly does a show dog do?” she asked, her eyes still glued on Cody.

“Tricks. I’ll show you after dinner.” Jacob reached into the cupboard for plates. “Though his repertoire isn’t what it used to be. Buster’s lost almost all his hearing.”

“He doesn’t look old.”

“He’s not really. Only eight. Just one of those things.” Flatware and salad bowls accompanied the plates. “I’m friends with his former owner and handler. Met the guy years ago on the circuit. He has a new dog now and travels a lot. Buster was left home alone.”

“You travel a lot,” Mariana commented.

“This year, I have. The girl next door watches Buster. Sometimes I think he loves her more than me.”

A two-year-old boy wasn’t like a dog. He couldn’t leave Cody in the neighbor girl’s care when he went on the road.

Mariana concentrated on slowing her thoughts. Just because she and Cody were there was no reason to jump to conclusions. Jacob hadn’t mentioned anything about custody.

He opened the oven door and removed a steaming casserole pan. “I fixed chicken. Figured everyone likes that. Am I wrong?”

“Cody loves chicken, though he needs his portion cut into bite-size pieces.”

He set the platter in the center of the table. There were also chunks of roasted potatoes and carrots in with the chicken. “Come and get it.”

“Afraid I’m not much of a cook.”

“Maybe over dinner you can tell me what you are good at.” He flashed her a smile, this time a genuine one. Mariana’s heart went pitter-patter.

To hide her disconcertment, she stooped down and retrieved Cody from beneath the table. He refused at first and started screaming, “Puppy, puppy.”

Before she could have a little talk with him, Jacob said, “Come here, Buster,” and slapped his thigh.

Instantly, the dog sprang to his feet and ambled over to Jacob. Cody chased after him and was caught by Mariana.

Show-off, she thought. Aloud, she said, “I didn’t bring his high chair.”

“What about a stack of phone books?”

“I don’t know. Cody can be squiggly and wiggly.”

He made a liar of her. Next to the dog, sitting at the table with the adults was the obvious highlight of his day. He also ate all his food and drank all his milk, copying Jacob.

Mariana didn’t know whether to be glad or annoyed. She’d been outdone by a complete novice.

What other surprises did he have in store for her? Something told her Jacob was full of them.

Chapter Three

“Would you like to see the outside?” Jacob gestured toward the French doors leading to the back patio.

“Sure.” Mariana smiled politely.

He hadn’t yet broached the subject of visitation, wanting to ease into it. A tour of the house seemed like a good starting point. As they’d gone from room to room he felt like a private standing nervously by while the general conducted his inspection. She seemed satisfied, other than the fact that he was lacking child protection devices. A lot of them, apparently. Outlet covers. Cabinet locks. Baby gates. The list went on and on.

She’d assured him all the items needed could be easily purchased and installed. If he didn’t have the time, a service could be hired to handle it.

A service? Jacob was impressed. What will they think of next?

He flipped on the patio light, and Mariana stepped outside. Her gaze traveled the yard.

“No pool,” she said with obvious relief.

“I’ve been considering putting one in.” At her horrified gasp, he asked, “Don’t kids like pools?”

“Toddlers should never be around water.”

“I guess I can wait a few years.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Man, she was obsessive-compulsive where Cody was concerned. Or he was completely ignorant when it came to young children.

Okay, guilty as charged. And given that Leah had recently passed, Mariana’s overreacting really wasn’t unreasonable.

The subject of their discussion was still enamored with Buster and paying no attention to the adults. He walked alongside the Queensland heeler, his small hand resting on Buster’s neck. Periodically, he bent and whispered into the dog’s ear or kissed the top of his head. Jacob admitted it was kind of cute.

“Is that a corral?” Mariana peered at the back of the property.

Uh-oh. She had that look on her face again. What had Jacob done wrong now? “I have a full acre, so I built a paddock and a couple covered stalls.”

“You have horses?”

“One horse. Amigo. I keep my working horses at the Roughneck and ride there. Amigo is retired. He was my first horse when my mom married Brock. I take him out about once a week for old time’s sake.”

She tilted her head. “A retired show dog and a retired horse?”

“What can I say? I have soft spot.”

“That’s nice.” The warmth in her voice was a pleasant change.

“Cody can ride Amigo if he’d like.”

“No riding.”

“Not tonight,” he agreed. “Another day.”

“He’s too little. And horses run off.”

Well, that didn’t last long. Mariana was back to bearing her mother-grizzly-bear teeth.

“Amigo’s crippled in his back legs and couldn’t run off if he tried. A slow walk is the most I can get out of him.”

“Absolutely not,” she stated firmly.

For some reason, her bossy attitude rankled Jacob. Cody was his son. Didn’t that give him say in what the kid could and couldn’t do?

Jacob opened his mouth to speak, then promptly shut it. The feelings to nurture and protect that had started yesterday while at the Roughneck were growing stronger and stronger. He had a responsibility, and he’d assume it gladly and without reservation. But shouldn’t he also feel love? An automatic and unbreakable bond between the two of them like the one Luke shared with Rosie?

Jacob studied Cody, who was still lavishing affection on Buster, and guilt pricked at him. This was the child he’d fathered. What was wrong with him?

Maybe they just needed more time together. The idea made sense. A lot of sense.

The three of them returned inside after a short walk around the yard. Jacob won back some lost points by having a large grassy lawn that Mariana proclaimed was perfect for playing.

“I could install a swing set,” he suggested.

“When he’s older.”

Of course. Why had he even asked?

She was a puzzle, and he found his attention drifting away from Cody and toward her. She wore another suit, except this one had pants rather than a skirt. Too bad. Jacob was a confirmed leg man, and despite the stress that marked their initial meeting, he’d noticed her legs, which were long and shapely enough to appear in a bathing suit ad.

He’d like to see her in a bathing suit. A bikini. Maybe one day soon he could suggest they all three go swimming at the Roughneck. The pool was heated year-round.

On second thought, she probably wouldn’t allow Cody within a mile of the pool. Not unless it was drained of water.

Inside, Mariana offered to wash the dishes. “It’s only fair since you cooked.”

Jacob saw an opportunity and took it. “Great. Cody and I will get acquainted.”

“O...kay.”

Before she could protest, Jacob took Cody into the family room. Buster and Cody both, that was. The kid wouldn’t go two feet without the dog.

There, Jacob sat on the couch and called Buster over. His ploy worked. Cody came, too.

“Watch this,” he said and waved his hand in front of Buster’s face. It was a technique he used to get the deaf dog’s attention. “Green ball.”

Instantly, Buster dashed over to a wicker basket in the corner of the room filled with dog toys. He stuck his nose in the basket and came up with a bright green tennis ball, which he brought back to Jacob.

Cody stared in amazement.

“That’s nothing,” Jacob said and told Buster, “monkey.”

The dog dashed off again to the toy basket and brought back a stuffed monkey with one arm and one eye missing. Buster was a little hard on his toys.

“Okay, here we go.” As Cody watched, Jacob set both the ball and the monkey on the floor in front of Buster. The dog sat and stared intently but didn’t move. “Buster, if I say three, you pick up the ball. If I say four, you pick up the monkey. Ready?”

Thump, thump, thump. The dog’s wagging tail hit the floor.

“Seven, nine, one, sixteen, twelve.” Jacob looked at Cody and winked. The boy couldn’t count, but he seemed entertained. “Ten, four.”

Buster snatched up the monkey in the blink of an eye.

Cody burst into laughter.

“Good dog.” Jacob patted Buster’s head. “Tell him he’s a good dog.”

Cody patted Buster as Jacob had done and said, “Good dog,” over and over.

A tug pulled at Jacob’s heart. It was admittedly tiny, but definitely there and something to build on.

He showed the boy a few more of Buster’s tricks, finishing with a display of Buster’s vocalizing abilities.

“Say hello,” Jacob commanded, and the dog yowled comically.

“That’s amazing,” Mariana said.

Hearing the warmth in her voice, Jacob glanced up. The matching warmth in her expression had him unable to stop staring. She was more than pretty, she was compelling, and the effect she had on him was potent.

“I can’t take any of the credit,” he said. “My friend trained him.”

She came over and petted Buster. “I bet he was something to see.”

“If you go onto YouTube and search his name, you’ll find a few videos from his heyday. They’re fun to watch.”

“I just might do that.” She moved to the couch and sat next to Jacob. “We can’t stay much longer. Cody’s bedtime is eight.”

“Thanks for bringing him by.”

“I think it went well.”

“Before you go, can we spend a few minutes discussing visitation?”

“Oh.” She abruptly tensed. “Don’t you want to wait for the DNA test results?”

“That’s a week away, at most.”

Sensing his performance was over, Buster stretched out at Jacob’s feet. Cody tumbled on top of the dog, whose only reaction was a soft grunt.

“Have you told your family yet about Cody?” she asked.

“Like you, I was waiting. I mentioned him to a friend the other day.” Jacob turned the tables on her. “Have you told your mother?”

There was a slight flicker in her expression and then she finally said, “Yes.”

“How did she take it?”

“She’s concerned for Cody’s welfare. Please don’t take that wrong. It’s nothing against you personally.”

“I don’t. I’m a complete stranger. Perhaps she and I can also meet. In fact, I’d like that.”

“Eventually.”

Again, her tone rubbed him the wrong way. “Wow, she must be really upset. Is she going to fight me?”

“There’s nothing to fight. You haven’t been proven to be an unfit father.”

“I’m not any kind of a father.”

“Which is one of the reasons I’d prefer to start with weekly supervised visits. Like tonight. Then, we could progress to unsupervised visits. After a few months, you could take Cody for a whole day.”

If her expression weren’t so serious, he’d think she was joking. “Am I a criminal?”

“What?”

“You’re treating me like one. Supervised visits?”

“This is going to a big adjustment for Cody. Moving too fast will only confuse him, and he’s already suffered so much.”

“I get big adjustments, Mariana. My mother married Brock Baron when I was nine, and my life changed completely. I promise you I’ll be sensitive to Cody’s needs.”

“I’m sure you will. But he’s only two.”

“And he’ll probably adjust a lot faster than a nine-year-old. Look at him.” Both their glances traveled to Cody, who lay snuggled beside Buster, the thumb of one hand shoved in his mouth and the fingers of his other hand entwined in the dog’s thick fur. “Does he look like he’s struggling?”

“It might be a different story if I weren’t here.”

“Why are you backpedaling all of a sudden?”

Her lips thinned. “I’m not.”

“You came to me. You suggested I have a role in Cody’s life, to whatever extent I choose.”

“After an adjustment period.”

“According to you, a very long adjustment period. Did your mother change your mind?”

“My mother does have reservations and raised some valid points. After considering them, I reviewed my original position.”

Always the carefully worded answer. She was definitely an attorney.

“Look,” he said. “I’m the first to admit I lack parenting experience. And I’m going to need help. But I won’t be treated like a criminal, either.”

“I apologize. I was out of line.”

He nodded. “Thank you for that.”

“I really want for us to work together on what’s best for Cody.”

“Agreed.”

“Good.” She relaxed. “What if Cody and I come by—”

“I’d like for Cody to move in with me. Right away.”

“What!” She stared at him as if he’d suggested she jump out of a plane without a parachute.

“I told you that first day, if he was my son, I’d do right by him. Well, I will. And for me, that means being a full-time father. Not pawning him off on his mother’s relatives.”

The plan that had started taking shape yesterday during Jacob’s ride crystalized. He would be a better father than Oscar Burke and Brock Baron combined.

“I love Cody. You wouldn’t be pawning him off on me.”

“You’d be welcome to visit anytime. Your mother, too. Have him on weekends.”

Mariana shook her head. “You can’t possibly care for a toddler. You don’t even have a crib.”

“Small details that can be worked out.”

“Have you ever bathed a child or changed a diaper?”

Diapers? Okay, he hadn’t thought of that. “Larger details, but they can still be worked out. Other men manage to be fathers.” He was thinking of Luke. “I’m sure I can learn, too.”

“You work during the day. And you’re gone every weekend to some rodeo.”

“Cody’s in day care now. There must be a suitable place between my house and the drill site.”

She held up a hand as if to stop him. He almost expected her to say, “Your honor, I object.”

What she did say was, “This is much, much too quick. He just lost Leah. He can’t lose me, too. There has to be another solution.”

“There is. You can move in with me, too.”

“What!”

“Temporarily. Just until Cody adjusts. A month should be long enough, don’t you think? Longer if necessary. I can get off work early on Thursday.”

Her mouth worked, but no words came out.

Jacob couldn’t help grinning. Seems he’d finally done it. Shocked the unflappable Mariana Snow into silence.

* * *

“HAVE YOU LOST your mind?” Lucille Snow pressed her palms to her cheeks and squeezed her eyes shut. “You can’t do this.”

If Mariana had lost her mind, she wasn’t the only one. Jacob was plumb crazy to suggest she stay with him. Then again, she’d agreed. What did that say about her?

“Mom, please. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”

“I’m going to lose my grandson.”

“He’ll be two hours away.”

“What if he insists on full custody and won’t let me see Cody?” She bit out the word he as if Jacob were indeed the criminal he’d accused Mariana of calling him.

“He said you could visit as often as you wanted. Even have Cody for weekends. But if by some chance he refuses, we’ll go after him. Grandparents have rights, too.”

“You shouldn’t have told him he was Cody’s father.”

“But he is Cody’s father, and denying him his son would be wrong.”

Last evening surely hadn’t gone as planned. Mariana went from being the one in control to being a helpless bystander as Jacob made plans. If only she hadn’t been so impulsive. She should have insisted they hammer out visitation before she introduced him to Cody.

“Leah wouldn’t approve.” Her mother’s voice had started to shake. “I’d stop you if I could.”

This...vehemence was new.

Mariana went over and put an arm around her mother’s shoulders. “Working yourself up into a frenzy won’t help.”

“Cody’s so little. He’s already been uprooted once these past months.” Her mother started to cry.

“Drive up again this weekend. Or maybe I’ll drive down. That way, Cody can see Grandma, too. She loves seeing him.”

Mariana’s grandmother was also in Austin. Though still living alone, she’d grown frailer this past year, ever since her hip replacement, and required more time and attention from her daughter.

“Watch him carefully.” Mariana’s mother brought her tears under control.

Him meaning Jacob. “I will, Mom. But he’s not a brute. He was really pretty good with Cody the other day.”

“He doesn’t know the first thing about toddlers.”

“Which is why I agreed to stay with him. Temporarily.” And she wasn’t leaving until he’d convinced her beyond a shadow of a doubt he was capable of parenting a small child for extended periods of time. It required more than a great dog, a nice yard and impressive cooking skills. “Leah trusted me to do what’s best for Cody, and I think this is best.”

She continued packing her suitcase, taking a mental inventory. Underwear. Toiletries. Four pairs of shoes. Workout clothes. Sleepwear.

Sleepwear? What should she bring? Mariana had never cohabitated with a man in a platonic relationship. She’d never cohabitated with a man period. Not that she was a prude. She’d spent nights at her boyfriend’s place before. When she’d had a boyfriend. Sleepwear wasn’t an issue then.

She settled on her two least-sexy pajamas and threw in a thick robe for good measure. Cody sometimes woke up during the night. She’d be appropriately covered should they find themselves wandering the house.

Helena, Mariana’s secretary, had proved invaluable. She’d ordered a portable crib, a portable changing table, plastic crates to substitute for dresser drawers and all manner of small necessities. Then, she’d had the items delivered to Jacob’s house. She’d also located a childproofing service. They were scheduled for later in the week.

Mariana saw no need to move Cody’s furniture and belongings just yet. Best to wait and see how things progressed. Jacob might reconsider. His insistence on this arrangement was a knee-jerk reaction to her insistence that they wait.

And she’d only insisted because her mother had come unglued. Mariana’s staying with Jacob seemed like a good compromise.

What had gone wrong the other day? she wondered. Mariana was usually good at coaxing people into doing what she wanted. It served her well in her profession. Yet she’d failed to coax Jacob into moving slowly. Was she blinded by his looks and appeal? She didn’t want to label it attraction. She couldn’t possibly be attracted to him. He wasn’t at all the kind of guy she went for. Besides, he’d fathered her sister’s child.

“Where’s Cody?” Her mother peered down the hall, her expression anxious.

“In his room. Packing a suitcase.”

“You’re not leaving that up to him!” Her mother started for the door.

“Mom, come back. He’s just playing.”

To keep Cody occupied while she packed, Mariana had put a second suitcase on the floor of his room. That was all it took. Cody had spent the past twenty minutes filling the suitcase with mostly toys and picture books. She’d have to sneak in later when he wasn’t looking and repack with clothes and shoes.

“How soon are you leaving?” Her mother’s frown shouted her unhappiness.

“Soon. I promised Jacob we’d be there before dinner. We need to settle in before Cody’s bedtime.”

“Doesn’t he rodeo every weekend?”

Would her mother ever call Jacob by his name?

“Yes, but he’s planning on coming home early Sunday. To spend as much time as possible with Cody and get to know him.”

Her mother harrumphed. “Your dad had every chance in the world to get to know you and your sister, and it didn’t matter. He still chose rodeoing.”

“Not every man is like Dad.” Mariana picked through her jewelry box, selecting earrings and necklaces to take with her.

“You can’t right his wrongs, you know.” Her mother sniffed.

“What are you talking about?”

“Telling Cody’s father about him. You think that Cody having a father in his life will make up for you and Leah missing out.”

Mariana gaped at her mother. “That is so far from the truth.”

“Is it?”

She couldn’t possibly be trying to re-create the past by manipulating the present. Telling Jacob about his son was a matter of principle. Or wasn’t it?

Leah had easily dismissed their father, content to live her life as if he never existed. Mariana had been different. She’d experienced an entire range of emotions where Zeb Snow was concerned. Anger at him for abandoning her, resentment that he wasn’t there, longing to know him, hope that he’d change and come back for her.

No, Cody didn’t deserve to grow up like either she or her sister had. Jacob Baron would be a good father. She had to believe that.

An hour later the three of them were loading the car, Cody again “helping.” The Infiniti’s small trunk and backseat were full to bursting.

“Have you got everything?” her mother asked. She’d already loaded her small suitcase into her car in preparation of returning to Austin.

Mariana wiped her forehead. “Probably not.”

When they were finally ready to leave, her mother held Cody and cried as if he were leaving for a year.

“Mom, please. You’re upsetting him.”

Indeed, the boy had started whimpering. Though he could simply be tired. It was nap time.

Her mother straightened. “Call me when you get there.”

“I will.” Mariana lifted Cody and placed him in his car seat. His attention was immediately drawn to the boxes and bags piled on the seat beside him.

“My blanky.” He slapped a plastic bag.

“That’s right. It’s your blanket.” She thought he might sleep better with his own bedding.

“Bye, darling.” Mariana’s mother leaned into the car and kissed his forehead. “I love you.”

“Bye-bye. Bye-bye.” He waved out the window when Mariana shut the door.

Pivoting, she found herself engulfed in her mother’s arms and the recipient of a hug as fierce as the one she’d given Cody.

“I hope you’re not making a terrible mistake.”

The statement, delivered in a foreboding tone, stayed with Mariana the entire drive to Jacob’s house. She felt no better when she arrived and saw him standing outside, waiting.

Chapter Four

There was something surreal about sitting at the table with Jacob, lingering over breakfast while Cody played on the floor with Buster. They weren’t a family, not in the traditional sense. Yet to anyone looking through the window, they could have passed for one.

“I’m glad all Cody’s fussing didn’t wake you,” Mariana said, striving to keep her voice light and conversational.

Jacob unnerved her. His casual attire—T-shirt, jeans and bare feet—combined with his slightly tousled hair advertised just how recently he’d crawled out of bed—a bed located in the room across the hall from the one she and Cody occupied.

“He did wake me,” Jacob said over the rim of his coffee mug.

“Oh. You didn’t come out.”

“I figured you’d have a harder time getting him back to sleep if Buster and I were there distracting him.”

“You’re probably right.”

Mariana tugged self-consciously on the wrist of her long-sleeved jersey shirt. At home, she’d have stayed in her pajamas and robe until noon if the mood struck her. Here, she’d dressed in what amounted to workout clothes. Well, in her defense, she might push Cody around the block a few times in his stroller. It was good exercise.

“More toast?” Jacob held up a platter.

Mariana started to say no, then changed her mind. “Hate to see it go to waste.” She snatched up the last piece.

Cinnamon toast. Prepared to perfection. She and Cody had both gobbled up an obscene amount, downing it with fresh-squeezed orange juice. Thank goodness her stay was temporary. Another month of meals like this one and the lasagna they had for dinner last night, and she wouldn’t fit into her clothes.

“Have you always liked to cook?” she asked, resisting closing her eyes in ecstasy as she took another bite of toast.

“My mother taught me. She was quite accomplished in the kitchen. More home cooking than gourmet.”

“I didn’t realize.”

“You’re not alone. Most people took her for a socialite. Which she was. Being married to Brock calls for that. But she was a great mom, too.”

“It was sad how she died. So unexpected.”

“I’m not sure anyone ever gets over losing a loved one. You know that better than anyone.”

“Yes, but we had time to prepare.” Mariana absently twirled a spoon in her coffee. “A few months.”

“Is it really better having time or not?” He looked away as if remembering. “I sometimes wonder what I’d have done differently if Mom had months to live rather than hours.”

Such a serious conversation. Not at all what Mariana had intended when she inquired about his cooking abilities. But then, Jacob was apparently a lot deeper than she’d given him credit. Besides being intelligent and talented, he cooked, kept a semi-immaculate house, had a knack with animals and contemplated the meaning of life.

Hmm. Take away the rodeoing, and he’d be exactly the kind of man she’d always pictured herself with. Except, he did rodeo.

Which come to think of it, wasn’t so terrible. His pastime provided a built-in safeguard to prevent her from losing her heart. With that stray lock of dark hair falling attractively over his brow, she was going to need every safeguard available.

“Varoom, varoom.”

On the floor beside them, Cody made noises mimicking a roaring engine as he drove his toy truck up Buster’s neck and between his ears. Mariana saved a piece of toast crust to slip to the dog later. He’d earned a reward for his boundless patience.

Her cell phone rang, calling to her from the guest bedroom down the hall.

“Excuse me.” She started to rise, her glance darting nervously to Cody. “Can you watch him for a second?”

“Sure.”

“If not, I’ll—”

“I think I can manage to keep him out of trouble for thirty seconds.” He quirked one brow in amusement.

Good grief, he was handsome.

Pulling herself together, she dashed to the bedroom and grabbed her phone off the dresser. Her first instinct was to hurry back. She resisted, certain she’d look stupid and distrusting. The whole purpose of her staying here was to teach Jacob the skills he’d need to properly care for Cody.

Her boss’s number appeared on the phone’s display.

“Hi, Saul.”

“We have a new client I want you to meet with tomorrow. 8:00 a.m. sharp.”

It was just like him to get straight to the point. No greeting. No apologies for interrupting her scheduled day off. No inquiry as to how was she doing.

“Okay.” She dug in her purse for the notebook she always kept there and a pen. “Shoot.”

He recited a name, an address, cross streets and a phone number. “It’s not far from your house.”

Mariana didn’t tell him she wasn’t staying at her home these days. “Is she expecting me?”

“She can’t wait to meet you.”

Another client. With their cases making the news on a regular basis, people Molinas had scammed were crawling out of the woodwork.

“All right,” she said. “I’ll check in with you when I get there.”

Without so much as a simple “Thanks” or “Enjoy the rest of your day,” Saul said goodbye and hung up.

She sighed. Her boss might not be the friendly, chatty type, but he had taught her a lot since she’d started working at Hasbrough and Colletti three years ago, and—this counted for a lot—he supported her bid for junior partner.

“Let me wash the dishes,” she announced upon entering the dining area, only to come to a grinding halt, her breath trapped in her lungs.

Jacob sat with Cody on his lap. The instant her nephew spotted her, he erupted in a piercing wail.

She covered the distance in the span of a single heartbeat. “What happened?”

“He fell.”

“How?”

“He tripped on the chair leg.”

“You were supposed to be watching him.” She reached for Cody, who held out his arms to her.

“I was. I watched him trip.”

“Men,” she huffed, cradling Cody’s head and bouncing him on her hip.

“He’s fine. Buster broke his fall. If anyone’s hurt, it’s him.” Jacob stroked the dog’s head. “I only looked away for a second.”

She cut him some slack. Cody could move quickly. “It happens. I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

Cody abruptly let out a second wail and attempted to hurl himself from Mariana’s grasp.

“What’s wrong?” She glanced about and spotted the cause of his distress. “Buster has his truck.”

The dog, oblivious to the drama surrounding him, had picked up the plastic dump truck and was carrying it away. Probably to his toy basket in the family room.

“Buster.” That was all Jacob said. The dog turned immediately around. “Sit,” he commanded and held his open palm beneath the dog’s mouth. “Leave it.”

The undamaged toy fell into Jacob’s hand.

“Good boy.” He rewarded the dog with another petting.

Cody squealed with delight, fighting harder than before to get down.

Mariana deposited him on the floor, and he scurried over to Buster.

“Again,” the boy demanded, all smiles.

So much for worrying about his precious toy.

“You try.” Jacob gave the truck to Cody, who shoved it at Buster’s mouth. “Easy now,” Jacob coaxed. Once Buster had the toy, Jacob told Cody, “Say, leave it.”

“Weave it,” Cody commanded and broke into giggles when Buster obediently relinquished the toy.

Okay, another crisis averted, Mariana thought. And Jacob had somewhat redeemed himself. But what would he do when Buster wasn’t around?

They wound up washing the dishes together. Another surreal experience. The last man Mariana had performed domestic chores with was her boyfriend. Her long-ago boyfriend.

Deprivation. That must explain her interest in Jacob. She refused to use the words attraction or fascination.

“What time are you getting up in the morning?” she asked, carting another stack of dishes from the table to the sink. She’d deposited Cody in front of the TV and put his favorite “learning animal names” DVD in the player to watch.

“Five.”

“That’s early. I thought the rodeo was in Allen.” A ninety-minute drive at most.

“I have chores to do first, then I’m meeting Daniel at the Roughneck.”

“Good luck.”

“I’ll leave some coffee in the pot.”

He smiled, and her heart did that silly little lurch again. She waited until she could trust her voice. “I have an eight o’clock appointment myself. Cody and I will be out of here by seven.”

“I’ll give you a spare house key and the code for the alarm system.”

“Thanks.” She’d thought about a key but hadn’t felt comfortable asking.

“Was that a work call you got earlier? I wasn’t being nosy,” he added quickly. “More curious. What do you do at Hasbrough and Colletti?” Rinsing coffee mugs beneath the running faucet, he loaded them into the dishwasher. “Bail celebrities out of trouble?”

His last remark was delivered with a chuckle, so she didn’t take offense. Not that she would. Any number of celebrities, politicians and prominent local citizens had programmed Hasbrough and Colletti’s number into their phone’s speed dial. Without question, they were the top fix-it law firm in the Dallas area, if not the state.

When a starlet was busted on her second DUI, Hasbrough and Colletti hurriedly had her admitted into an ultra-private rehab facility, then kept her face out of the papers as much as possible. When a congressman was caught red-handed texting explicit messages and selfies to a woman not his wife, they suppressed the scandal, wrote carefully worded press releases and repaired his flailing career.

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