HER SECRET COWBOY CRUSH

Ally Martinez has always been known as a fun and flirty kind of gal. But deep down she’s never forgotten the cowboy who left town. When her crush Reagan Chase comes home after a seven-year absence, Ally knows this is her big chance. The guy I’ve always wanted. Only Reagan has something different in mind...

Still reeling from his last relationship, Reagan needs a babysitter for his month-old son. With Ally’s help, he can get his family’s ranch ready for sale and get out of Cowboy Creek. The problem? Ally is one seriously cute distraction. But Reagan will do whatever it takes to keep his heart safe. Even if it means losing the only place—and the only woman—he can call home.

Reagan wrapped his free arm around Ally and took her mouth.

It was firm and soft, molding to his. She nestled her body against his as if they’d been made to go together.

He was determined to have the pleasure of seeing all of her, and though he tried to slow it down, anticipation speeded things up.

The colours in the fabric seemed to blend together as he undid her buttons. The sight of pink lace beneath her blouse made his hand shake. She traced his knuckles with her fingertips as if guiding him, urging him on.

“Reagan,” she murmured, “do you know how many times I’ve thought about us like this?”

He kissed her temple. “Not as many as I have lately.”

“Oh, I doubt that.” She laughed, low and sexy. His fingers fumbled on a button. “I’ve had a crush on you forever.”

He kissed her cheek. “Forever, huh?”

“Mmm-hmm. But I’ve always known this would happen someday. And I’m happy it finally has.”

He smiled. “I’m hoping I can make you even happier...”

The Rancher’s Baby Proposal

Barbara White Daille

www.millsandboon.co.uk

BARBARA WHITE DAILLE and her husband still inhabit their own special corner of the wild, wild Southwest, where the summers are long and hot and the lizards and scorpions roam.

Barbara loves looking back at the short stories and two books she wrote in grade school and realizing that—except for the scorpions—she’s doing exactly what she planned. She has now hit double digits with published novels and still has a file drawer full of stories to be written.

As always, Barbara hopes you will enjoy reading her books! She would love to have you drop by for a visit at her website, www.barbarawhitedaille.com.

To the original fabulous four

of the Writers’ Block

and, of course, to Rich.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

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

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Ally Martinez had begun to doubt she would ever find an eligible cowboy.

In the small-parts aisle of Cowboy Creek Hardware and Feed, she knelt on the unvarnished pine flooring and tried to keep from muttering aloud. After all these years of separating nuts from bolts from washers, hauling bags of feed and restocking spools of twine, she was still as unattached as the day she had begun working here.

It wasn’t as if she had taken the job after high school specifically to find a man. It wasn’t even that she was eager to get married—or to have a brand-new baby, the way her best friend, Tina, had just done. Babies and she didn’t get along. At the touch of her hand, they somehow read her inexperience and knew they didn’t want to have anything to do with her.

No, it wasn’t any of the above that made her long to find a cowboy. She simply wanted someone special in her life. And lucky for her since she lived in ranch country, she had always been partial to men who looked good in jeans and a Stetson.

“What’s up with you, girl?” a familiar male voice asked. “You look like you just lost your best friend.”

She sprang to her feet and wiped her dusty hands on her jeans. Smiling, she turned to face the tall, white-haired man standing at the end of the aisle. “You’d better not have lost her, Jed, since I left you in charge of her and the baby.”

“I sure hope that little one doesn’t pick up any of your sauciness, young lady.” Even as Tina’s grandfather pretended to scowl at her, he laughed. They knew each other well. In his seventies now, Jed Garland had semiretired but still oversaw the running of Garland Ranch. He definitely stayed on top of things when it came to the Hitching Post, his family-owned hotel on the same property.

“How are Mama and baby?” she asked as she approached him. “Did they get discharged from the hospital today, as planned?”

“They sure did.” He beamed. “Cole brought them both home earlier this morning.”

“Great. Can I come visit tonight?”

“Now, since when do you have to ask? The Hitching Post is your second home. You’re free tonight?”

“Well...” He would expect a teasing response. Everyone expected lightheartedness from Ally Martinez, whose senior high school claim to fame was being voted The Girl Most Likely to Make You Laugh. “I do have lots of options, Jed. I could hang out at the Bowl-a-Rama, the Big Dipper or SugarPie’s. Except I don’t feel like bowling, don’t have a taste for ice cream and certainly don’t need any of Sugar’s famous desserts.” Grinningly wryly, she patted her “generous” hips, as Mama called them.

“Of course, there’s always the Cantina,” he said.

She nodded. On many Fridays and Saturdays, she spent her nights at the only restaurant in Cowboy Creek, New Mexico, with both a bar and a dance floor. “You know I love to dance. But truthfully—” and she certainly did mean it “—tonight, I’ll be thrilled to see Tina and the baby instead.”

“Good. I’ll tell her to expect you.”

He turned to leave, then suddenly took a step backward. “Sorry, young man, I almost stampeded you.”

From where she stood in the aisle, she could see only the brim of a worn Stetson and the shoulder and arm of a man wearing a T-shirt as snug as her jeans. Wrapped around that biceps, though, snug looked good.

“Well, I’ll be,” Jed said, sounding delighted. “Reagan Chase, great to see you again.”

Ally’s heart skipped a beat. Her thoughts began to race. Was it really Reagan, the boy who had left town seven years ago and left her with a broken heart? Was she going to pass out right here in the nuts-and-bolts aisle of the store?

What, and let him know how much seeing him again had affected her? Not in her lifetime.

Instead, she called up her usual response when life threw something bad or sad or uncomfortable her way. She pasted on a smile and pretended it didn’t matter.

She reacted just in time, as Reagan stepped into view and reached out to shake Jed’s hand. Reagan’s shoulders had gotten broader since she had last seen him. He’d grown taller, too. His hand looked firm and strong...and tanned. She wouldn’t have expected that from a man—a boy—who had left his hometown to go away to college in the city.

“What are you doing in Cowboy Creek?” Jed asked.

“I came back to take care of business.”

Reagan’s voice had also changed over the years. It had always been deep but now sounded hollow, too, with a serious tone she didn’t recognize.

“It’s been a while since my dad died,” he continued, “and it’s time to sell the ranch. You know our place as well as anyone does, Jed. If you hear of somebody looking for a spread that size, I’d appreciate it if you would share the info and pass my name along to them.”

“I’m happy to do that for you, of course. But I had always hoped you’d come back and work the ranch yourself someday. I know your mama and daddy looked forward to that, too.”

Ally held her breath, waiting for Reagan’s response. His family’s ranch was the only tie he had left to Cowboy Creek. If he sold that...

But he didn’t respond to Jed’s question. Instead, he turned his head and spotted her standing like a common eavesdropper in the small-parts aisle.

“Ally.” He removed his Stetson and nodded, giving her a brief smile. It was nothing like the broad grin she had loved since grade school and seen less and less often during their high school days. His face looked drawn, lined with fatigue. Her heart thumped. Was he ill?

“I’d best be getting along,” Jed said. He clapped Reagan on the shoulder. “Son, you stop by and visit us at the Hitching Post, y’hear me?”

Reagan nodded. “I will.”

Jed ambled away. Reagan stood looking at her. She stared back, fighting to find something to say. In an instant, she had returned to being the gawky teenager dying for the older boy’s attention. She had never gotten it back then. Now that she had it, she didn’t know how to respond.

Pull yourself together, that’s how.

“Hi, Reagan,” she said, hoping he couldn’t hear the slight tremor of excitement in her voice. “I...I heard what you said to Jed. I’m sorry you’re thinking of selling your ranch.”

“Not thinking of it. Doing it. As soon as I can get the place cleared out enough to put it up for sale.”

His parents had lived their entire married lives in the house on that ranch. Reagan had lived there, too, until he had gone away to school. There must be so many memories wrapped up in the property...and so many personal items in the house. He would need a while to get it ready to sell. Meanwhile, would he spend that time here in Cowboy Creek? She crossed her fingers.

He gestured down the aisle. “Taking care of some shopping?”

“Oh. No. I’m not much of a do-it-yourselfer. I work here, have worked here since I graduated five years ago.” By that point, he had already left town. After getting his degree, rumor had it, he had accepted a fancy job in the big city of Houston, Texas. Smiling, she shrugged. “I’m still only a small-town girl who replaced school with a dead-end job paying barely above minimum wage. But who’s complaining?”

He looked at her thoughtfully. “Do you get any time off?”

Her stomach fluttered as if a dozen butterflies had taken wing inside her. Sad. She had just acknowledged she was no longer a schoolgirl. She should also no longer be prey to her feelings for the boy she had once loved. And yet, she couldn’t tamp down her excitement. “Yes, I get evenings off. I only work seven to three. And once in a while I have a free day during the week, when I have to work Saturday. But that’s not too often.”

His mouth curved into a small, one-sided smile. “It’s almost three now. If you don’t have any plans for right after work, would you be able to meet me at SugarPie’s for a cold drink?”

“Yes.” Her voice cracked. She hid her nerves behind a cough. “My throat’s very dry. I could definitely use a cold drink.” But none of Sugar’s delicious desserts.

It didn’t matter. With Reagan sitting across from her, she would get all she needed of something sweet.

* * *

ONCE HE ARRIVED at SugarPie’s, Reagan found a reception committee waiting for him. At midafternoon, the sandwich shop wasn’t that busy, but the customers, the waitress and even Sugar herself had greeted him the moment he’d walked in.

As the crowd surrounded him, a wave of memories seemed to engulf him, too. These were all friends of his, friends of his folks’ and, for a moment, it felt like the old days before he’d left Cowboy Creek. For another, longer moment, he wished he could turn back the clock, change history, erase some of the things he had said and done...

Except for becoming a daddy. He would never regret having his son.

The crowd all welcomed him home, asking friendly questions he felt grateful he could answer with simple responses. He spoke to everyone in turn, shook hands with the men and gave hugs to two older ladies who had been good friends with his mom.

Then he made his way to a booth in the back of the room. The waitress, Layne, followed. As he slid onto a seat, she rested one hip against the tabletop. He had gone to school with her and her brother, Cole, though he had been ahead of them both.

“You’d have thought you all knew I was coming,” he said.

“We did.” She grinned. “Sugar had a call from Jed. He said he had run into you at the hardware store.”

And no doubt had hung around to listen in on his conversation with Ally.

He laughed, shaking his head. “I should have known. Things haven’t changed much since I left for school.” The older man probably had business to take care of in the store. It might even have required him to spend some time in the next aisle over from where they had met. Either way, it wouldn’t have mattered. He knew Jed had been friends with his parents since long before he’d been born. And there was no denying the man always kept an ear to the ground about anything that went on in town.

“No, things don’t change much here,” Layne agreed. “Except for getting married and having kids, most of us are living the same lives as when we graduated from Cowboy Creek High. Not like yours.”

If she only knew. And she would know soon enough.

The whole town would hear about it when he brought his brand-new son to the ranch. They all would learn he had been made a fool of by a woman who, as it turned out, was looking for a good time, not a husband. Not a baby—not even her own.

He would have Sean with him now, except when he had headed to Cowboy Creek yesterday morning, he didn’t know what condition he would find the house in. He also didn’t know whether he’d be able to find someone to watch the baby while he took care of putting things to rights.

On his arrival, he had discovered the house dusty but livable and, better luck, had solved part of that last concern. His quick trip to the hardware store for some basic supplies might have given him an answer to the other part.

“Speaking of babies—” Layne said.

He started, wondering if she’d read his thoughts.

“—my brother married Jed’s granddaughter Tina—I don’t know if you knew—and they just had their second baby. His other two granddaughter’s are married now, too. And did you hear about Shay O’Neill?”

All three of the names she’d mentioned were familiar to him from school—inevitable in Cowboy Creek, as there was only one grade school, one junior high, one high school. “No, nobody mentioned Shay. What’s up with her?”

“She’s trying to outdo us all.” Layne laughed. “She had triplets.”

“Triplets?” He shook his head in wonder and thought about Sean. He couldn’t begin to imagine taking care of more than one baby at a time.

Layne slipped her order pad from her uniform pocket. “What can I get you?”

“I’ll wait. Ally Martinez is meeting me here. But you probably know that already, too.”

She laughed in acknowledgment before walking away. Just as she disappeared through the doorway into the kitchen, the front door of the shop opened, and Ally entered.

Her long dark curls tumbled down almost to her waist and bounced as she walked toward him. She had never been tiny, and she had filled out more in the years since he had last seen her. With her gleaming dark eyes, rosy cheeks and snug orange T-shirt, she gave the bright pink seats and decorations in the sandwich shop some competition. He recalled her hanging around the schoolyard in grade school. He had been a couple of years ahead of her. Even that long ago, she had always acted larger than life—and been the life of the party.

Thinking of Sean, he frowned. Maybe Ally as a babysitter wouldn’t be such a good influence on a preteen or a teenager...but a one-month-old? What could it hurt? Besides, even if she accepted the offer he planned to present to her, he and the baby wouldn’t be here long enough for her to make much of an impact.

“Hi.” Sounding a little breathless, she took the booth across from him. “I got here as soon as I could.”

“Hope you didn’t have to rush.”

“No rush. No more than usual, anyhow. My papa says I never run at half speed when I can take it up to full.” She laughed. “But I’m running behind now because, just as I was leaving, one of the customers came to the register with a big order.”

Since they had met up at the store, she had slicked something on her lips, shiny and red as cherry candy. Suddenly, he felt an urge to lean across the tabletop for a taste.

Whoa, Nelly.

He’d been away from women too long. Or not long enough.

Sex wasn’t supposed to be on his radar for a good while into the future. Preferably, at least not till Sean turned twenty-one. He tried to think back to his school days and the younger Ally, when the few years’ age difference between them seemed to be a much wider gap.

“Is something wrong?” she asked. “You’re frowning.”

“No. Nothing’s wrong. I’m just trying to decide what to have. To drink.”

Layne returned to the booth, and they each ordered sweet tea without the sweet and a wedge of lemon.

Ally sat fiddling with an armload of gold bracelets she wore on one wrist. She hadn’t had them on at the store, he’d noticed...then wondered why he’d taken note of her bare, tanned arm in the first place. Anyhow, she probably didn’t want the bracelets to get damaged while she was stocking shelves.

“We have the same taste in drinks,” she said a moment later.

“I guess we do.”

They made small talk until their teas arrived. Ally’s quick drink left the straw candy-tipped from her lipstick. She smiled at him. “So, how has the big, bad city been treating you all these years? Well enough, I guess, or you would have been home again before now.”

“Houston did treat me well, I have to admit.” The woman he had met just before graduation was another story. “Going to school there was a good experience, one I don’t regret. But I’m not in Houston anymore. I’ve got a job outside San Antonio, sales manager for a distributor of farming equipment.”

She blinked those big dark eyes. “Why would you be selling farm equipment, when you have a ranch right here to come home to?”

“It pays the bills.”

“Oh.” His curt reply had thrown her. It didn’t keep her down for long. “Well, I can certainly see the benefits of that.”

He hoped so. Just as he hoped this meeting would benefit them both. But he wanted to lead up to his idea slowly. And he didn’t want to say too much about the past. If he had his way, neither Ally nor anyone else in Cowboy Creek would learn what happened between him and the woman he’d loved and had thought loved him, too.

He grabbed his tea glass. He had skipped the straw and now took such a long swallow, ice cubes clattered against his front teeth. “What about you? You didn’t sound so overjoyed about the job at the store.”

Even with her tanned skin and the pink makeup on her cheeks, he saw the telltale darkening of her flush. “I was just joking, pointing out the differences between us. Actually, it’s a great job. Of course, I could always use some extra money. Who couldn’t? But there’s not a lot of work in Cowboy Creek, unless you’re a cowboy or want to help decorate for weddings at the Hitching Post. I’d rather decorate a cowboy.”

She shot him a flirty grin. “Kidding again, in case you didn’t catch that. But, honestly, since I still live at home, my bills aren’t too bad.”

“How are your parents doing?”

“Great. Papa’s still working at the car dealership, and Mama’s still spoiling us both, making us breakfast before we head out to work every morning.” She laughed. “Mama’s always complaining my hours cut into her beauty sleep. But I’m an early riser, which means the seven-to-three shift works for me. Plus, it leaves my evenings free.”

The perfect opening. “Yeah, so you’d said. You still like to hang out at the Cantina?”

“Sometimes. My friends and I will go there for the dance nights. Or go to the movies or bowling. You know, all the highlights of Cowboy Creek.”

He laughed. “Yeah. I remember. I wanted to ask about the time you said you had free. While I’m here, I could use some help in the late afternoon and maybe some evenings.”

Ally reached for her tea glass again and hoped Reagan couldn’t see her hand shaking. This was Reagan Chase, the boy she had had a crush on all through school, the boy who had barely seemed to notice she was alive. Even back then, to her, he had looked hotter than a jalapeño—and he had grown up to become a man who looked ten times better than he had years ago.

And that man wanted her help.

“Of course,” she said brightly, trying to hide her elation. “I’d be happy to give you a hand. Since you haven’t been home since...since your mama and then your father died, I’m sure there’s a lot to be done at the house. I’m sorry about your parents, Reagan,” she said in a softer tone, “and sorry I never had the chance to tell you before today.”

How could she—or anyone else in Cowboy Creek—have told him? He hadn’t been home since before his mama died.

He nodded.

She hesitated, then said, “It’s been over a year since your father passed. What brings you home now?”

He looked down at his glass. She felt sure he wouldn’t answer. Too late, she realized maybe she shouldn’t have asked.

Finally, he said, “The right way to phrase that question probably is why haven’t I come back before now.” He shrugged. “This was the first chance I had to get here.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re back. Everyone else will be, too. And I’m happy to help you empty closets, sort through cabinets, do some cleaning.”

But not clearing out. Now you’re here, tell me you’re going to stay.

“Thanks,” he said, “but that’s not the kind of help I need.”

Because you are planning to stay.

Her heart nearly jumped from joy. She couldn’t help the reaction. She’d had years of history behind her when it came to caring about Reagan.

“That’s fine, too,” she assured him. “If it’s anything to do with paperwork, I can help. I do some of the parts orders and the filing at the store. And Tina’s a bookkeeper. She’ll help me out if you need to do anything with financial paperwork or taxes. So...what can I do for you?”

He smiled, and her heart gave an extra thump.

“While I’m in town,” he said, “I need a babysitter.”

Chapter Two

Reagan’s matter-of-fact statement sent a shock wave all the way down to Ally’s toes. “A...” She gulped. “A b-babysitter?”

“Yes.”

“For a baby? Your baby?” Now, her heart plummeted. He had a child. Did he also have a wife?

Why hadn’t she thought of that before she had agreed to meet him here? Wildly, she sent her gaze to his hand then back to his clear blue eyes. No ring on his finger. Not that a lack of one meant much. She saw enough married men, especially cowboys and ranchers, come into the store without their wedding rings. Jewelry could become a hazard to people who worked around equipment and livestock.

If she were married, she would wear a ring. She would want people to see the symbol of her love, of her devotion—once it was a done deal. However, she hadn’t met the right cowboy yet...because no other cowboy could live up to Reagan Chase.

“Yes,” he said, “I need a babysitter for my baby. I’m not married,” he added flatly.

Relief flooded through her. Though curiosity about his past filled her, too, she knew she had to focus on the here and now. She nodded, not sure what to say.

“It’s a long story. One I’d rather not get into. But I have a one-month-old son. I’ve got someone to watch him during the day. You know Mrs. Browley?”

“Of course. She’s one of my mama’s best friends.”

“She was to my mom, too. They spent a lot of time together at the women’s club and planning events at the community center.”

“I remember,” she said softly. “Everyone misses her.”

“Yeah.” He stripped the covering from the straw he hadn’t used and concentrated on wrapping it around his fingers. “Anyway, I stopped by Mrs. B’s place to talk with her on my way here to Sugar’s. She said she’ll watch my son during the mornings and early afternoons. I’ll be back again from San Antonio two days from now, and I already made arrangements to drop him off directly there. Then I expect to be busy out at the ranch all day.” He took another long swallow of his tea.

As he tipped his head back to drink, she watched the muscles working in his throat. When he set the glass down, a rim of tea still wet his upper lip. He licked the moisture away. She shivered and glanced down at the tabletop.

“I’ll call you to confirm I’m back,” he said. “If you could pick him up at her house once you get off work in the afternoons, it would be a big help. I’m bound to be filthy from prowling around the ranch, and I’d lose a lot of good work time if I had to stop and shower up to come into town in the middle of the day.”

At the thought of him in the shower, she shivered again. Trying to blame her reactions on her iced drink, she tightened her hand around the tall glass.

“I’ll pay you whatever it is you make hourly at the store,” he told her.

I don’t want your money.

But how could she say that? He would find it highly suspicious, especially since she had said she could use the extra cash. And she couldn’t confess to him that minding his baby scared the heck out of her. Not meeting his eyes, she sipped her tea and then touched the paper napkin to her lips.

She thought of all the years she had crushed on Reagan. Everyone in school probably knew how she felt about him. He must have known it, too. He couldn’t have missed it...could he? Now the idea made her cringe. If he had noticed, she couldn’t risk saying something that would make him recall how much she had liked him...and maybe make him change his mind about asking for her help.

Worse, if she didn’t guard her reactions now, he would find out how much she still cared.

“You’d...want me to take the baby home with me until you pick him up?” That would work. Mama could help her with him.

“He’ll be fine with Mrs. B all day, I know that. But his routine will already be upset enough since he won’t be with his regular sitter. I’d rather you bring him out to the ranch and watch him there, if that’s not a problem for you.”

She was stuck between a rock and a hard place, as Jed Garland would say. She would go out to Reagan’s family home to spend afternoons and evenings with him...and a baby she had no idea how to handle.

Fear at her inexperience fought with her longing to be with Reagan.

His small smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. His expression looked hopeful...and just a bit desperate.

Longing left her light-headed. Reagan needed her.

This was the chance she had always wanted to get close to him.

Well, if she could play the role of The Girl Most Likely to Make You Laugh, she could also convince herself she would be an expert babysitter. “No worries,” she said firmly. “Watching the baby out at the ranch won’t be a problem at all.”

* * *

“BUT, TINA,” ALLY WAILED, “what was I thinking? I don’t know anything about babies!”

After her meeting with Reagan at SugarPie’s, she had come out to the Hitching Post to see Tina, as she had told Jed she would.

Her best friend reclined on the couch in her newly renovated attic apartment at her family’s hotel. She cuddled her sleeping newborn daughter close to her and laughed softly. “I know exactly what you were thinking. This is Reagan you’re talking about.”

Ally’s cheeks flamed. From the time she and Tina had become best friends, they had shared all their secrets, including her crush on Reagan.

“And, of course, you know something about babies,” Tina went on. “You held Emilia yesterday.”

“Held. For a few seconds. That’s a lot different from watching one for an entire afternoon and evening. Maybe for an entire week of afternoons and evenings.” If she were lucky. Or possibly unlucky.

She didn’t know what to hope for anymore. She ran her hands through her hair. Curls bounced in all directions, nearly blocking her vision. She swept them aside.

Tina laughed again. “That’s my Ally, always the drama queen.”

“You know it.” She flounced into the upholstered chair near the couch. Even with her best friend, she sometimes felt the need to pretend. One of these days, The Girl Most Likely to Make You Laugh might have to fess up.

“You’ve also been around from the day Robbie was born.” Robbie was Tina and her husband Cole’s five-year-old.

“Okay, so I’ve played toy horses with him, and racing cars and once—a long time ago—I rolled a ball to him when he was still too little to move out of the way. He couldn’t miss it,” she admitted to Tina. “But I never fed him. Or gave him a bottle. Or—” she shuddered “—changed his diapers.”

Shuddering aside, it wasn’t diapers that bothered her so much as her fear Reagan’s son would react to her the way other babies had. “Little kids and I just don’t get along. The minute they see me, they know they’re dealing with an amateur, and they all turn into howling, stiff-limbed little monsters.”

Why had she ever thought she could take care of Reagan’s baby?

“Ally, that’s just silly. Come here.” Tina sat upright on the couch.

Reluctantly, Ally crossed to take a seat beside her and let her place the newborn into her arms. The blanket-wrapped baby felt warmer and heavier than Ally had expected. Ally smiled down at her.

“See? Not so bad, is it?”

“You’ve got such a treasure here, mi amiga,” she told Tina in a murmur, afraid her voice might startle the child. Better to let her sleep. Her goddaughter had an angelic face with a tiny cupid’s-bow mouth, both of which Ally worried might be deceiving.

“Andi and I can teach you all you need to know.” Tina’s cousin had two small children of her own.

“Oh, right. An entire Baby 101 course, compressed into a couple of days?”

“Sure. You’re a quick study. Piece of cake.”

“Don’t mention cake,” she said with a moan. The baby moved her arm slightly, and Ally lowered her voice again. “I could eat an entire pan of your abuela’s sopaipilla cheesecake right this minute.”

Tina smiled. “I don’t think it’s on the menu tonight. But stay for supper. By the time we’re done, Emilia will need another feeding and a diaper change, and we’ll get you started on some hands-on experience.”

“This might be all the hands-on I can handle. But I suppose I can stay.” Truthfully, the deciding factor was more the thought of Tina’s grandmother’s cooking than it was the lessons.

“What I want to know,” she said thoughtfully, “is exactly where Reagan’s baby came from.”

“Uh...Ally? We covered the birds and the bees in about fifth grade.”

She rolled her eyes. “Not fair, chica. As I always tell you, you’re supposed to be the serious half of this friendship. I get all the funny lines.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t see anything funny about this situation.”

That made her look at Tina in alarm. Her friend always was the serious one. If she were worried, chances were good there was something to be concerned about. “What?”

“Well...” Tina shrugged. “You have a point. Forgetting about the birds and bees, the question still stands. Where did Reagan’s baby come from?”

“I don’t know. He didn’t want to talk about it.”

“That sounds ominous.”

“You mean there has to be a wife somewhere? But he said he wasn’t married.” Her voice had risen, and Emilia shifted in her arms again. “Here. I think she’s waking up. You’d better take her before she opens her eyes, sees me and starts to yell.”

Tina shook her head at Ally but reached for her daughter. “Then maybe Reagan has an ex-wife. Or a girlfriend, either ex or current. Or he could be widowed.”

She gasped. “With a one-month-old baby?” They exchanged suddenly misty-eyed glances. “Oh, I hope not. It would be best if he had gotten a di—” She stopped.

“Divorce,” Tina supplied in a soft voice, “because then Reagan wouldn’t be attached to another woman.”

“Well...” She glanced down at her hands in her lap. Then, sighing, she looked at Tina again. “Yes,” she admitted finally. Feeling miserable, she yanked on one of her curls. How could she wish away a poor defenseless little baby’s mother?

Yet how could she not want a chance at winning the boy she had always loved?

* * *

WITH THE HITCHING POST’S guests all gone up to their rooms for the night, Jed Garland went along the hall of the first-floor family wing. He wandered into the hotel’s kitchen, where Paz, the hotel cook, stood at the counter making preparations for next morning’s breakfast. Tina, the granddaughter he and Paz had in common, sat at the big table with her new baby in her arms.

He settled in his chair across from the pair of them. “You’re starting that little one off with late hours, are you?”

She laughed. “She’s the one setting her own schedule, Abuelo. This baby likes to eat and sleep as she pleases. I just follow along to do her bidding.”

“Well, that’s the way it should be when they’re that young.” He kicked back and laced his fingers together on the tabletop. “I see Ally’s finally showing some maternal instincts.” The girl had come out to the hotel and stayed for supper, then spent the evening in the sitting room with his granddaughters and their kids.

“I don’t know about maternal instincts,” she said doubtfully. “Ally always claims she and babies don’t get along. And of course she won’t admit she remembers all the time she’s spent with Robbie, including when he was an infant. Anyhow, Andi and I need to give her a crash course in infant care. She’s going to be babysitting Reagan’s little boy.”

“So that’s why Reagan wanted to talk with her at Sugar’s.”

“You heard about that already?” She shook her head. “There’s no doubt about it, is there? News really does travel fast in Cowboy Creek.”

“I happened to be at the hardware store when Ally and Reagan ran into each other.”

“Oh, is that so?” She stared him down. He looked back at her, keeping his gaze level. “Funny. I thought Ally said Reagan invited her at the end of their conversation, after you had left.”

“He did. It so happens I had to pick up some supplies in the next aisle, and I overheard what they were saying.”

Both women laughed at that, as he had known they would.

“I’ll bet you did,” Tina said. “I’ll also bet Sugar called you right after they left the shop, didn’t she?”

Now it was his turn to laugh. His youngest granddaughter usually had the knack of seeing right through him. “You won’t let me get away with anything, will you? Yes, Sugar did call. So, Reagan has a child. And a wife?”

“Ally said he told her no on that.”

“Good.” He beamed.

Tina’s eyes narrowed. “Why? You’re scheming again, aren’t you?”

“Do you blame me?”

She shot a quick smile at her grandmother, then reached across the table and squeezed Jed’s laced fingers. “You wouldn’t be you, Abuelo, if you didn’t care so much about everyone. This is between you, me and Abuela only, but...Ally has always had a crush on Reagan.”

“Well, then, all the more reason for me to get up to some scheming, as you called it. Surely, you can’t object if I want to help her.”

Now she looked down and touched her baby’s cheek. “No, I can’t say I really object. Ally’s my best friend. I want her to be as happy as I am.”

“Good. First, we’ll have to find out exactly what Reagan’s status is. If he’s unattached...”

“Any free man is fair game?”

“Exactly right.”

“Ally would never speak to me again if she knew I was encouraging you to play matchmaker for her.”

“And that’s exactly right, too,” he said with a grin. “If she knew. But there’s no need for her or Reagan to find out.”

“And how will you manage that, Jed?” Paz asked. She dried her hands on a towel and took a seat at the table. The fine silver threads in her dark hair winked in the overhead light.

“I haven’t quite figured that out yet. But don’t you worry, I’m ready and willing to face the challenge. I’ll come up with something.”

“You won’t have much time,” Tina told him. “Ally said Reagan is leaving again as soon as he has the house cleared out and ready to go on the market.”

“Then I’ll have to work quickly, won’t I?” He smiled. “Fortunately, as you both know, I do my best work under pressure.”

* * *

ALLY TOOK A deep breath and climbed the porch to Mrs. Browley’s front door. It sure wasn’t the idea of seeing her mama’s friend that made her need the reassurance. Taking another deep breath, she rang the doorbell and filled her mind with positive thoughts.

Piece of cake. Sopaipilla cheesecake. I can do this.

A few moments later, the door opened and she was greeted with a friendly welcome and a big hug. The older woman who stood beaming at her wore her white hair pulled back into her usual bun and eyed Ally over a pair of wire-rimmed glasses.

“Hi, Mrs. Browley. I’m here to pick up the special delivery package you’re holding for me.”

Mrs. Browley laughed. “Ally. Come in, dear. That little package of yours is waiting happily to make your acquaintance.”

That wouldn’t last long.

Slowly, she followed the woman down the hallway to the kitchen. She glanced at the padded diaper bag sitting on the small table. She looked at the baby carrier resting beside it. And finally, she stared at the baby inside the carrier.

He was tiny, not much bigger than Tina’s newborn. A few wispy curls lay against his scalp. “His hair’s so much lighter than Reagan’s,” she blurted.

“It is,” Mrs. Browley agreed. “That may darken as he gets older. Or he may take after his mother.”

She shot a glance at the older woman. Could Reagan have told Mrs. Browley the “long story” he didn’t want to share with her about why he wasn’t married? But the other woman just looked down at the baby.

Ally did, too. The baby stared up at her, his eyes only half open.

“Those eyes, though,” Mrs. Browley said, “are just like the blue of his daddy’s. Aren’t they, Sean?” The baby’s eyelids drifted closed, then fluttered open. She laughed softly. “He just finished eating, and now he’s fighting sleep. You should have a nice, quiet ride out to Reagan’s ranch.”

“I hope so.” And with one feeding out of the way, she might get a reprieve from having to give the baby his bottle today. Two afternoons’ worth of lessons with Tina and Andi had left her feeling a tiny bit more comfortable but nowhere near competent. And to her relief, at least neither Tina’s infant nor Andi’s little girl had protested when Ally held them. She had no guarantee of the same result with Reagan’s baby.

Mrs. Browley gave a heavy sigh.

Ally tensed. “Is there something wrong?”

The other woman shook her head sadly. “Just thinking about yesterday. I saw Jed Garland at Sugar’s, and we were discussing Reagan.”

“You were?” Ally eyed her from under her lashes. This didn’t sound promising. Everyone in town knew anytime Jed or Sugar involved a third party in one of their conversations, at least two of those three were up to something.

“We all knew both Reagan’s parents, of course,” Mrs. Browley said. “And we think that boy is going to have a hard time out at the ranch. Sandra was a wonderful wife and mother, and an excellent housekeeper, too. But she liked her crafts just as much as any of us in the women’s circle do. And she was a fabulous cook. Their place was filled with so many of her handmade decorations, and lots of material and yarn and cookbooks and all kinds of kitchen equipment.”

Ally tried not to grimace. At home, Mama often rolled her eyes and moaned that Ally would never learn to cook. She would reply she did know how—she did just fine with a box and a microwave, didn’t she? “Wouldn’t his father have gotten rid of some of those things, or given them away?”

“No. It was hard on Larry when Sandra got so sick. I know for a fact he couldn’t bring himself to touch any of her things once she passed on.” She rested her hand on Ally’s arm. “Having your help with the baby will give Reagan more time to focus on what needs to be done.”

And give her more time to waver between wanting to run from the ranch and longing to be with him.

“Well.” She looked at the baby, whose eyes were now fully closed. “I guess it’s time to get moving with Sleepy Beauty here.”

“Sleeping Beauty, I think you mean, dear. Although she was a girl, not a boy.” Mrs. Browley’s eyebrows dipped in a concerned frown.

“Don’t worry.” She laughed. “I do know the difference. You know I always joke when I’m feeling uptight.”

“I wouldn’t have thought that applied here. There’s nothing to be nervous about. This little angel won’t give you a bit of worry.”

Ally nodded. She only wished she could feel as confident.

Chapter Three

No wonder Reagan didn’t want to make the trip into town and back again twice in one day.

Ally had visited his family’s ranch once and knew it was small compared with most of the properties around Cowboy Creek. The narrow rectangular piece of land lay tucked between two larger spreads. But the ride had been longer than she remembered.

As she pulled the car up to the ranch house, she peeked into her rearview mirror at the car seat Reagan had left for her at Mrs. Browley’s house. Luckily, she had gotten instructions from Tina on the right way to install the seat in the car and then how to fasten the baby safely inside.

Another mirror suction-cupped to the back window reflected the infant’s image. In the frequent quick peeks she had taken on the drive to the ranch, she hadn’t seen him stir. Now, his eyes were open, blinking in the light, staring up at the mirror.

“Hey, baby,” she said softly. “So, you’re awake. Listen, the two of us are going to get along great. No tricks, no temper tantrums on your part. And only first-class care on mine. I promise you that. After all, I’ve been trained by the best. There’s nothing like learning your trade from a brand-new mama.”

She winced. As far as she knew, the baby didn’t have a mama. Had he ever heard the word before? How would he react at hearing it from her?

But he lay still in his seat, blinking lazily.

She took a deep breath and let it out again. Now or never. She would rather never, but that hadn’t been the agreement she had made with Reagan.

She went to the rear passenger door and knelt on the back seat to unhook the safety harness. “This is only your first time out here at the ranch, isn’t it?” Her hands shook just a tiny bit. So did her voice.

The baby looked up at her. He had slept through the entire ride, as if the bouncing of her car on the frequently uneven road had soothed him. Maybe the wobbly sound of her voice had the same effect. If that was the case, she would let her nerves take over and talk to him all day long.

She transferred him to his baby seat and strapped him in. “I’ve only been out to the ranch once before. My mama and the other ladies of the women’s circle sometimes have special Saturday meetings. And one Saturday a long time ago, when Mrs. Chase, your abuela—your grandma—had the meeting here, she invited all of the ladies to bring their kids along.”

After hoisting her purse and the diaper bag onto one shoulder, she picked up the baby in his carrier.

So far, so good. Keep talking.

“This was when I was in junior high school. You’ll find out all about school someday. Anyway, that Saturday, I got to see your daddy.” The memory made her voice suddenly rise. She looked at the baby in alarm, but he simply stared up at her. “He was grooming his horse outside the barn. And would you believe, I got hit with an attack of shyness. Me, Ally Martinez, The Girl Most Likely to Make You Laugh. Crazy, isn’t it? Well. I sat on the darned corral fence for almost an hour, never even saying hello, just watching him work.”

As she went up the steps to the house, she shot a fond glance toward the corral. Then she looked down at the baby. Sean seemed transfixed by her story. Maybe there wouldn’t be much to this babysitting, after all.

Reagan had told her the kitchen door at the back of the house would be open. She went inside and took the baby over to the table.

She hadn’t gotten her fill of Reagan that day long ago, but it was the first time she had ever been able to sit and stare at him unnoticed by anyone. Including him, unfortunately.

“Your daddy’s a couple of years older than I am,” she explained. “Well...probably closer to three, and I guess he thought I was just a little kid. He never did pay much attention to me.” Leaning closer to the baby, she whispered, “But let me tell you, things are going to change now. What do you think of that?”

The baby looked up and instantly gave her his answer. He stiffened his arms and legs, scrunched up his face and let out a screech.

“Hush,” she said hurriedly, rocking the seat slightly. The movement did no good and even seemed to upset the baby more. “Shh-h-h. Shh-h-h. Don’t cry, baby. Your daddy will hear you and fire me on the spot.”

“I already hear him.”

She jumped and let out a screech even louder than Sean’s.

Reagan’s voice had come from the other side of the kitchen. Reluctant to turn and face him, she stared down at the baby, whose face was getting redder by the minute. So was hers, judging by the heat flooding her cheeks. Reagan had heard the baby crying. But had he also heard anything she had said to the baby?

Suddenly, Reagan was standing beside her. He had sturdy hands with long fingers, and in seconds he had unfastened the straps around the baby. “When a kid’s this wrought-up,” he said, “rocking the seat’s not going to help. He needs out of here.” He lifted Sean and placed him against his shoulder.

She noted he cupped his hand around the back of the baby’s head just the way Tina had taught her.

“Let me guess,” he said. “Mrs. B fed him not long before you went to pick him up.”

She nodded. “That’s what she said. But he was fine in the car. He didn’t let out a peep the entire trip.”

“He’s making up for it now.” He patted the infant’s back. “He’s probably battling some gas from his formula.”

Again, she nodded. In the past, she had heard both Tina and Andi say something similar about one of their babies. Obviously, it was common with little ones. Why hadn’t she thought of that herself now?

She hadn’t been in the house two minutes yet, and already she had given Reagan reason to think she couldn’t handle the job he needed her to do.

* * *

SEAN SQUAWKED IN Reagan’s ear. “Shh-h-h,” he said, the way Ally had done. The baby quieted, but only a daddy with zero experience would expect that to last.

“Come on,” he said, “while we can hear ourselves talk, let me take you up and show you where to find all the baby’s things.” Leading the way, he left the kitchen and went to the stairs.

He was having trouble getting an image out of his mind, the sight of Ally leaning over the baby seat and whispering to his son. He had overheard the tail end of her one-sided conversation, and he was having trouble forgetting what she had said right before she had lowered her voice.

I guess he thought I was just a little kid. He never did pay much attention to me.

She meant him. And she was right. He hadn’t paid her much mind years ago. Three years’ difference, give or take, made a big gap between a grade-school girl and a kid in junior high. The division between junior high and high school had caused a greater divide. Then, it had seemed like a big reason to avoid her. Not that he’d had any interest in her, anyway. He had thought of her as just a kid.

But as he looked at her now—

Sean let out another squawk.

Good boy, trying to get his daddy’s attention back where it belonged.

He cleared his throat and deliberately faced forward as they went along the upstairs hall. “Ignore the mess downstairs. When I was out here the other day, I got as far as cleaning the kitchen and bathroom, and that’s it. You might’ve seen the baby’s playpen in the corner of the kitchen.”

“I did.”

“I moved a portable television into that area, too, and a stack of magazines. You should avoid the other rooms downstairs until I have a chance to give them a good going-over. Upstairs, I’ve only tackled one bedroom and the bathroom. So this little guy and I are bunking together in my old room. The memories might remain, but at least the dust is gone.”

A dumb statement. He hadn’t meant it to come out sounding so pathetic. It was too late to take the words back and too late to stop Ally from following him into the room. He turned as she stopped short just inside the doorway and looked around.

He let his glance rove over what she was seeing. The baby’s portable crib. The pine bedroom set. The shelves still filled with memorabilia from his childhood interests and high school days.

“Is this the way the room looked when you were a kid?” she asked. “With the football and baseball pennants and the autographed balls, the 4-H ribbons and all the trophies?”

“Yeah,” he said sheepishly. “When I left for school, my mom wanted to leave everything the way it was. I think she believed I’d want to come back and relive the memories of all my school years.”

“Those were the days,” she said drily.

Was she thinking again about the times he hadn’t paid attention to her?

Blinking, she gave him a small smile. “I’m sure she missed you a lot while you were gone.”

“Yeah,” he said gruffly. “You know...only child, and all that.”

“Me, too. But unlike you, I never left my mama.”

Again, he wished he could go back and change the past. If not for his fight with his dad, he might have gotten to see his parents a lot more in those years after he left for college. By the time he had earned his degree, he had lost any chance to see his mom at all. Then, a year ago, he had learned he’d never have the opportunity to mend fences with his dad.

He yanked a diaper from the sack in the top dresser drawer and laid a towel on the bed. It took him only a minute to show Ally where he had stored Sean’s clothes and blankets.

While he changed the baby, she moved around the room, checking out the trophies. “Baseball,” she said. “Football. Softball. Track. No wonder you were named all-around athlete the year you graduated.”

When he glanced up, he found her looking at him. He turned his attention back to Sean. “You remember that?”

“I was there in the stadium the day they gave out the awards. Along with three-quarters of Cowboy Creek.”

He remembered that day, too, and not because of the standing ovation.

“Is there any sport you don’t play?” she asked.

“Not really,” he said, grateful for the question and the chance to change the subject. “How about you? What’s your favorite sport?”

“Telephone tag.”

He laughed. She did, too, a low, sexy laugh very different from the high-pitched giggles he remembered hearing from her and her friends.

Sean let out another squawk.

“I guess he gets the joke, too,” she said. “Smart baby.”

“Yeah.” Blinking, he focused again on his son.

An attraction to his boy’s babysitter was something he hadn’t expected. Something he sure didn’t need, considering he planned to have her help him out as often as she could in the next week or two.

“I’d better get back to the job.” Suddenly it seemed even more important to make progress. The sooner he finished up everything he needed to do here at the ranch, the better. “I spent most of this afternoon working in the barn and want to keep at it while the light’s still good.”

“That makes sense.”

“Yeah.” Luckily, she didn’t comment on what would have made the most sense, tackling the house first so he could get it ready to sell. But if his bedroom held so many dusty memories, he hated to think what he would discover once he went through the rest of the rooms, the closets, the cubbyholes. “My dad has a lot stored out in the barn—tack and farm tools and all the other equipment you need to run a ranch.”

“Like everything we sell at the store,” she said. “He was a regular.”

“Yeah. Of course you know all about farming and ranching equipment.” She also probably knew more about both his parents’ later years than he did.

He lifted Sean from the bed and rested him against his shoulder again.

She stood inspecting a couple of faded photographs tacked to a bulletin board above his student desk. He looked at the photos and couldn’t help shaking his head. His mom had stuck them there just before graduation. Since he’d come home, he hadn’t had the heart to take them down.

Ally turned and flashed him a brilliant smile. “Prom king. That was another pretty impressive announcement.”

“Old times,” he said shortly. “Things change.”

“So I see.” She gestured to the other photo, the one he’d looked at more times in the past couple of days than he could count. “This is you and your parents when you were a kid, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. One of my mom’s favorite pictures, from a vacation we took to California.”

“I guessed that from the big black mouse ears you’re wearing. Maybe someday, you’ll get Sean a pair of those.”

“Maybe.” Memories crowded his mind. Ally’s light perfume stirred his senses. Suddenly feeling closed in, he said abruptly, “I’ll show you where everything’s at downstairs before I head back to the barn.”

Then, until it was time for her to leave, he would stay there, working by the exposed overhead lights. Heck, by kerosene lamp, if he had to.

* * *

IN THE QUIET of Reagan’s kitchen, it didn’t take Ally long to grow bored.

While the baby slept in his crib, she kept the television volume turned low. She watched more than she wanted to of late-afternoon comedies and early-evening news. The television stations were beginning their prime-time shows before she realized how late it was. At the same time, Sean woke up.

She moved him into his carrier on the kitchen table.

“I’m getting pretty good at these straps and buckles, aren’t I, baby?”

He looked up, his mouth pursed tightly, as if he were giving serious thought to what she had said.

“Oh, everybody’s a critic,” she told him. “I’m not expecting anything less from you than two thumbs-up.”

A peek through the window over the sink showed her the light streaming through the open doors of the barn. She turned to the baby again. “Your daddy’s still out there, and you know what? I don’t believe he’s ever coming back inside.”

It was her turn to purse her lips for a moment. “He wasn’t happy about those pictures in his bedroom, was he? Or maybe he wasn’t happy about the fact that I saw them. I guess I can’t argue about that. It has to be so hard for him, losing both his mama and daddy. Like you...” She peered down at the baby and asked softly, “Where’s your mama, little one?”

Naturally, he didn’t reply.

“Well, maybe you’ll tell me someday.” She smiled. “Your daddy said he’s an only child, like me. But he has you, and that’s a very good thing. I’ll bet he misses you, too, while he’s in the barn working all by himself. Let’s go see.” She picked up the carrier.

Outside, the night was still warm from the day’s heat. It wasn’t pitch-dark yet, but the moon already cast a faint glow against the dimness of the sky. “There’s a man in that moon up there,” she told Sean, “and one day, your daddy will show him to you.”

As they approached the barn, she heard a noise she recognized from the store, the familiar sound of wooden planks thudding against one another. Through the doorway, she could see Reagan piling lumber in one corner near the stalls. He was so intent on his work, he didn’t hear her enter, not even when she cleared her throat to get his attention.

Oh, well. She had done what she could, hadn’t she? It wouldn’t be fair to call out his name and startle him.

Instead, she stood there getting a good look. She took in the sight of his threadbare jeans, his sweat-dampened back, his muscles bunching and flexing as he shifted one load after another of scrap lumber.

It wasn’t until she stood admiring his pecs and abs that she realized he had turned and stood looking at her.

Oops.

Recovering quickly, she gave a wolf whistle. “You need to apply for a job at the store. Think what having you on the payroll will do for our profits. After one look at you, all the women in Cowboy Creek will instantly become do-it-yourselfers.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Oh, but I do. Keep in mind I’m comfortable making the suggestion because I get paid by the hour. You wouldn’t have to worry about cutting into my commissions.”

“With all the wranglers who must stop in just to see you, I’d probably have to worry more about you cutting into mine.”

“A compliment, Reagan Chase?” she said archly, batting her lashes like one of the actresses from her mama’s favorite late-night movies. “How unexpected. But I’m flattered.”

He looked as if he had had second thoughts about what he had said. Maybe she’d overdone it on the exaggerated flirting attempt.

“Yeah. Well.” His smile seemed forced. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

“Oh, I won’t.” No chance of that. His words had gone straight to her heart. Obviously, she had been foolish to think he had meant them.

Afraid he might read the truth behind her teasing, she looked down at the baby for just a moment. “Sean and I were wondering if you were planning to eat tonight.”

“Eat?” His gaze went to the open doorway behind her. “What time is it?”

“Sevenish.”

“Dang.” He ran his hand through his hair, giving her another look at flexing muscle. “I lost track of time. And I showed you the baby’s formula, but I didn’t tell you what food I’d stocked in the kitchen for grown-ups, did I?”

“No.”

“Sorry. I stopped at the L-G this morning after I dropped Sean at Mrs. B’s.” The Local-General Store in the heart of town served most of Cowboy Creek. “I didn’t pick up a full order yet, but there’re sandwich fixings in the refrigerator and a loaf of bread in the box near the toaster. Help yourself.”

“You’re not planning to eat?”

His gaze sliding away from her, he shook his head. “I’ve still got a lot to do out here.”

“Won’t you wear yourself out if you don’t pace yourself?”

“Who, me? I’m an all-around athlete, remember?”

“I’ll never forget.” She had attempted her arch tone again, but the words rang embarrassingly true, at least to her.

Judging by Reagan’s suddenly blank stare, he noticed her mistake, too.

As she had told Sean, his daddy either didn’t want to resurrect memories or didn’t like the idea of sharing them with her. A shame, really.

She shifted the baby carrier on her arm, making an effort to remember she wasn’t here for fun and games, reminding herself Reagan wasn’t interested in flirting.

An even bigger shame, because that was what she did best. She didn’t intend to give it up at this crucial point—though, of course, she’d cut back on the fake vampiness from now on.

Experience had taught her flirting was guaranteed to get a man’s attention. And she definitely wanted to capture Reagan’s.

Chapter Four

As he finished piling the lumber into stacks off to one side of the barn, Reagan shook his head at himself. His plan to stay out of the house until it was time for Ally to leave for home hadn’t been very well thought out. And it hadn’t been very bright.

With plenty of work and then some to keep him busy, he could have kept going for hours. But he could hardly hang out in the barn all night. His son had to be changed and settled into his portable crib upstairs. He didn’t expect Ally to handle that. In fact, he hadn’t expected her to stay this late. If not for him, she wouldn’t have.

He knew it was too little effort, too late, but he made his way quickly toward the house.

Clouds covered the moon, and he had only the back porch light that Ally must have put on, plus the square of light from the kitchen window, to guide his footsteps through the dark. It reminded him of all the nights when he was growing up and had come in from working in the barn or, as he got older, out on the land with his dad. In the earliest days, they were two tough ranchers—one of them still in diapers and short pants.

At the sudden memories of later days, his stomach knotted.

When he entered the kitchen, Ally looked up. She sat near the darkened television in the corner, thumbing through one of the outdated magazines he had left in a pile on the counter. She had tuned his mom’s old radio to a station now playing music with a fast beat, but she had left the sound turned low.

The baby lay sleeping in the playpen.

“So you finally decided to quit for the night,” she said.

“Yeah.” He glanced across the room and noted the napkin-covered plate sitting on one side of the table. “You didn’t eat yet?”

“I did, since I had no idea what time you’d be coming in. I made an extra sandwich in case you walked in feeling ravenous.” She gave him a bright smile.

Suddenly, he did have a huge appetite, but not one connected to food.

“I’m good, thanks.” He looked away, checking in on the baby again from a distance. “I’m too covered in dirt to go near Sean, but I can see he’s sleeping soundly.”

“He hasn’t moved for a long time,” she confirmed.

“Good. He’s usually tucked in bed by now.” Great. He’d as good as told her he had stayed outside long past the time he’d normally have taken care of his son. “Since this is your first day with the baby, I’ll give you both a break. You can skip the bedtime routine with him this time.”

“Okay.” She began straightening the stack of magazines.

He shucked his boots and left them near the outside door. While he was still out in the barn, he had thought briefly of the no-frills shower stall off in one corner. But he’d only scrubbed his hands at the sink. It didn’t make sense to clean up out there, as his clothes were filthy and he’d be carrying dirt from them into the house, anyhow.

If Ally hadn’t been there, he could have left his jeans and T-shirt outside on the porch. He envisioned stripping off his clothes in front of her. “I need a cold shower,” he said abruptly.

For a moment, she looked as rattled as he felt. Her glance went from his socks to his jeans to his sweaty T-shirt, where it lingered a moment before finally rising to his face. Here he was having hot thoughts about her, and she seemed worried about dirt in the house. If so, she’d best not hope to become a rancher’s wife.

“Sean will sleep for a while now,” he told her. “I’ll let him carry on while I go get cleaned up. I can take over from here. We didn’t discuss how you want to be paid. Daily or at the end of the week?”

Again, she looked upset. He frowned. “Did I forget to say I’d want the help for at least a week, if not two?”

“You mentioned it when we talked at SugarPie’s. You weren’t very specific.”

“That’s because I’m not sure. It depends on how long it takes me to get the house in shape.” A heckuva long time if he didn’t do more than what he’d done already, which meant clean the minimum of rooms so he and Sean could stay here comfortably. And temporarily. “If you expect to run into a problem, let me know now. I’ll talk to Mrs. B and maybe Sugar, have them start spreading the word to see if I can find someone else.”

“No,” she blurted.

Obviously, her distress about the dirt on his clothes was nothing compared with the thought of losing her short-term job. She must need the extra money more than she had let on.

“It’s fine,” she said. “I won’t have any trouble working for you for a couple of weeks or...or even longer. I told you, once I’m done at the store, my time is my own. And speaking of stores, you weren’t kidding when you said you didn’t pick up much at the L-G. If you want to give me a list, I could swing by there tomorrow before I get the baby at Mrs. Browley’s.”

“You’re here for Sean. I don’t expect you to do the shopping.”

“The store is on my route. And you said yourself it’s a big hassle to stop working to run into town.”

He hesitated, then nodded. “It is. And I drop Sean off at Mrs. B’s before the L-G’s open. It would be a help if you’d grab a few things for me on your way out here. I could be that much closer to getting done, and you could make some extra money for your time.”

Judging by her fallen expression, that comment didn’t go over well with her, either. Funny. He’d thought for sure she would have been happy about the additional pay.

Women. He’d never figure them out.

But then, considering he and Sean had been deserted by one, hadn’t he realized that already?

* * *

“I’M SURPRISED YOU’RE HERE,” Tina said to Ally as they settled into the comfy overstuffed chairs in the Hitching Post’s sitting room. “You told me Reagan has you bringing the baby out to his place after work.”

“We’re on the way. But trust me, Reagan won’t notice what time we get there.”

Yesterday, when she had arrived at the ranch with Sean and the groceries, Reagan had been nowhere to be found. She had given up on the television altogether and spent the hours with the radio and the stack of magazines again. She was already bored and lonely with no one to talk to but a sleeping baby. By the time Reagan came into the house, she had begun wishing she had stopped by the Hitching Post to occupy her time.

And Reagan certainly didn’t hang around to chat.

Once he’d taken off his boots, checked on the baby and said good-night to her, he disappeared even more quickly than he had the night before.

Outside, she had stood for a moment beside her car, looking up at the light in the second-floor window and longing to be a fly on the wall in his shower—or at least to have the pleasure of seeing his silhouette in the window. Then, blushing at her own thoughts, she had gotten into the car and driven away.

Her gaze hadn’t strayed to the rearview mirror more than a half-dozen times.

“Well,” Tina said, “I’m glad you made the detour here. We’re so glad to see you—both of you.”

“You don’t need to sound so excited about it,” Ally told her. “Does she?” she asked the baby as she took off the light blanket she had used to shield him from the midafternoon sun.

“Why not?” Tina asked. “Sean doesn’t look traumatized by having you near him, the way you said all babies do. Aren’t things going well with Reagan?”

“That’s your daddy,” Ally explained to the child. Somehow it seemed easier to admit the truth aloud to him than to her own best friend. That’s what frustration did to you. Or maybe humiliation. “You know your daddy, right? So do I. But he doesn’t seem to have a clue who I am.”

“Have I missed something?” Tina’s cousin Andi entered the room holding her daughter, who, Ally thought, was just over a year old.

With all the kids around the Hitching Post and all the newborns in town, it was hard to keep track. Only a few months ago, one of their friends from school had even had a set of triplets. Ally gave thanks Reagan had come to town with a single infant. As cooperative as Sean had been so far, one baby at a time was still more than enough for her.

“I don’t know,” Tina said to her cousin. “I’ve been here for the entire conversation, but I’m not sure what we’re talking about, either.”

Andi laughed and set her daughter into the playpen in the corner.

Jed Garland had helped match up quite a few couples over the past year or two, including all three of his granddaughters. Andi, the middle one, was a slim, gorgeous blonde. This should have put three strikes against her in Ally’s book except the woman was so darned nice. And after all the sadness she had faced in her life not long ago, Ally was glad she had found new love with an old flame—which is what they would call Andi’s romance in one of her mama’s daytime television shows. And which was exactly what Ally was trying to do with Reagan.

Unfortunately, carrying a torch—as Mama would put it—had gotten her nowhere due to lack of encouragement on his part. But why would he do anything to give her hope? He wasn’t carrying a torch for her. And he never had.

Andi smiled. “It looks like our lessons are paying off. You seem very comfortable around the baby.”

“It’s hard not to be. He never gives me any trouble.” She shrugged. “Of course, he might just be sizing up the situation. I’ve only been minding him for two days now.” The time seemed to have gone by so quickly when she thought about taking care of the baby, yet so slowly in terms of her progress with Reagan. “Sean just eats and sleeps, and that’s about it.”

“That’s what they do at this age,” Tina said, looking down at her daughter.

“It means he’s comfortable with you, too,” Andi said. “In fact, he’s probably getting attached.”

“Well, I wish some of that comfort and attachment would come from the direction of his daddy.”

There, she’d said it. And in front of Andi, too. Did she have no shame? But why try to hide how she felt about Reagan now? After the afternoons of Baby 101, her feelings had to have become obvious to Andi—but she surely hoped not to anyone else at the Hitching Post.

She shook her head. “Reagan’s avoiding me, I think, doing anything he can to stay out of my way. He only comes into the house at the end of the night, right before I leave, to...”

To go upstairs to strip off his jeans and T-shirt.

Every day at the hardware store—and almost every day of her life—she saw plenty of men in clothes just like Reagan’s. But worn-out and filthy or not, his clothes had somehow become the sexiest she’d ever seen on a man.

“Um...hello? Ally?” Tina said. “You’ve got us holding our breath here. Reagan comes into the house to...”

Startled, she blushed. “Sorry. I was...uh...thinking about Sean’s next bottle. Anyway, Reagan comes in for the night, checks for updates on how the baby is doing and that’s it. I’m dismissed.”

“He puts in a long day working. He’s probably tired.” Though Andi’s expression and tone were serious, her comments left Ally laughing.

They also helped her revert to the girl everyone knew best. “Yes, he’s tired. He’s exhausted from having me look at him like he’s tastier than Paz’s sopaipilla cheesecake.”

“Wow,” Andi said. “That’s a seriously delicious example. If that’s what you compare him to, you must have it bad.”

“Awful,” she agreed. She looked down at Sean and wiggled his foot. “I shouldn’t even admit this in front of the baby.”

“Admit what?” Tina asked.

“His daddy can pretend all he likes that I don’t exist—outside of being his babysitter, that is.” She smiled slowly. “But somehow, I’m going to make the man see I can be much more than that.”

* * *

ONLY FRIDAY, AND it had seemed like the longest week of his life.

Reagan had spent his days riding the small ranch, checking the fence line and boundaries, looking for signs of any predators or other problems. If there was anything that might make a prospective buyer hesitate, he wanted to head that off at the pass.

He’d spent his evenings in the barn. But even for a man working solo, there was only so much to be done. With no livestock in the stalls, no feed in the bins, no tack or equipment being used on a regular basis, he’d run out of things to sort through and maintain. Run out of reasons to avoid Ally.

Reluctantly, he turned his steps to the house. He could see the usual back porch and kitchen lights shining, almost calling out to him. He wouldn’t mind an early night for once, a chance to spend time with his son before the baby went to bed. Back home, he’d had more time with Sean than this. But this couldn’t last much longer. Or neither would he.

All week long, he had fought second thoughts about asking Ally to help him out.

Sometime during those days, he had begun thinking about asking Ally out.

And that was crazy.

Inside the house, he followed the sound of her favorite salsa music to the living room. He found her with a dust cloth in her hand and her back to him, dancing in front of the bookshelves set along the far wall. She had tied a bright red bandanna around her nearly black hair. Big gold hoop earrings, normally half hidden by her curls, dangled close to her cheeks.

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