It Takes a Cowboy

“Of course. I’m not going to punish Belle because you messed up.”

He looked relieved.

“Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, can we have dessert?” Scott asked with a greedy look at the aluminum pan of cobbler. “You like peach cobbler, Jeff?”

“Yeah,” Jeffrey agreed eagerly, obviously relieved that the discussion of his behavior was at an end.

Scott met Blair’s eyes across the table, and he smiled. As her heart fluttered in reaction, she worried about just how much both she and Jeffrey were beginning to depend on him.

CHAPTER TEN

AFTER DESSERT, Blair sent Jeffrey to take his bath. “And don’t splash Belle,” she called after him. “Cats hate to get wet.” She’d told him that before, but thought it bore repeating since Belle was right at his heels when he left the room.

“Okay, Aunt Blair,” he shouted back.

She waited until he was out of sight, then groaned and laid her head on the table.

Scott chuckled sympathetically. “This child-raising thing isn’t easy, is it?”

She answered without lifting her head. “I’ll never survive it.”

Resting a hand on her shoulder, he gave a bracing squeeze. “Sure you will. Remember what they say about what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?”

“Just shoot me,” she moaned. “Shoot me now.”

He laughed. “Come on, Blair, it isn’t that bad. Trust me, I’ve seen some rotten kids—hell, I was a rotten kid. Jeff’s just high-spirited.”

“High-spirited,’” she repeated, finally lifting her head. “Isn’t that just another way of saying pain in the—”

“Neck,” he supplied with a quick grin.

“Yeah, that’s what I was going to say.”

He urged her to her feet. “You look as though you could use a hug.”

Though she was a bit skeptical of his motives, he was right about one thing—she could use a hug. She burrowed into his chest. “What if I handled that all wrong? What if he ends up in a tower with a rifle someday because I made him repress his anger? Or what if he knocks over a bank or...”

“Has anyone ever told you that you have a slight tendency to overreact, Counselor?”

He was teasing her, but she nodded anyway. “I know. I just worry so much about doing the right thing.”

“You’re doing fine.”

“In the past week, he has gotten lost, scraped his hands and knees, been in a fight and got a black eye, and he’s been suspended from school. If I do any better, he’s likely to end up in traction or in jail.”

Scott’s arms tightened. “Buck up, Blair. Remember, you’ve got a few years yet before he enters puberty.”

With a gasp, she buried her face in his shoulder again.

Laughing softly, Scott lifted her head with his fingertips. “Have I mentioned yet this evening that you look gorgeous? Very prim and professional in your neat blue lawyer suit.”

Her mouth quirked into a crooked smile. “Sometimes I’m not sure if you’re complimenting me or mocking me.”

“Definitely complimenting you,” he assured her. “I’m beginning to realize—rather to my surprise, I’ll admit—that this particular prim and proper attorney appeals to me very much.”

Even knowing that he was probably feeding her a line, she couldn’t help but respond in a purely feminine manner. “And I have to admit—greatly to my surprise—that I’m rather taken with a certain charming cowboy.”

He seemed quite pleased with her comment. So pleased, in fact, that he kissed her.