It Takes a Cowboy

“No. This is the first sane thing I’ve done in years. I’ve been a fool in a lot of ways for a long time, Blair, but I’m not dumb enough to throw away the best thing that ever happened to me.”

She couldn’t resist returning his kisses, sliding her arms around his neck. But she hadn’t surrendered entirely to the madness. “Scott?”

He slid his mouth across her cheek, pausing at her ear. “Mmm?”

“I want to take this slowly. I don’t want either of us to make promises we can’t keep.”

“I never make promises I can’t keep. That’s why I’ve never been willing to make promises before. I’m willing to do so now.”

She shook her head. “I’m not ready to hear them. Not yet.”

“I understand. You want me to prove myself to you.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I just want to be sure....”

He kissed her again, slowly and thoroughly, and then lifted his head to smile at her. “I’ll prove myself, anyway. You’re going to find me impossible to resist for long, Counselor.”

She sighed. “I’ve found you hard to resist since the day I bought you, cowboy. And that’s what makes me so nervous.”

He seemed satisfied for the moment. “Let’s go get Jeff. I’ve got a way to go to win him back yet.”

Blair hoped he didn’t consider her completely won over. He had a way to go with her yet, too.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

WHATEVER SCOTT was trying to prove during the next few weeks, he went all out to do it. He was on Blair’s doorstep almost every evening when she got home from her office. He had dinner with them, took Jeffrey on “guy” outings when Blair had other plans, played board games with them and generally made himself a part of their lives. He sent flowers and balloons to her office, called just to tell her he was thinking about her and made sure he was never far from her thoughts. As if she could ever forget him...

Jeffrey blossomed under all the attention. His tantrums declined in both frequency and intensity—especially when school dismissed for the term—and his moods were less volatile. He laughed more and mentioned his father less. He didn’t become a perfect child, nor would Blair have expected that, but the improvement was so marked that both Blair and Wanda were delighted.

Scott, of course, took his full share of credit for the improvement. If there was one thing Scott was not, she thought wryly, it was self-effacing.

She tried very hard to protect herself from his charms. But she was no more able to hold Scott at arm’s length than her nephew was. She laughed at his jokes, she sighed over his romantic gestures and she melted every time he kissed her. Because she was so determined to go slowly this time—and because Jeffrey was usually with them—there was no more lovemaking. Which didn’t mean she didn’t think about it. Often.

They spent an entire weekend at his ranch, three weeks after the first attempt failed. Jeffrey was thoroughly spoiled by Scott’s staff—mothered by Margaret and Carolyn, treated like a favorite grandson by Jake and a cute mascot by the other hands. Jeffrey spent the entire time tagging along at Scott’s heels as faithfully as Cooper, the yellow Lab, and was acting like an old cowhand before the first day ended.

“Your nephew is delightful,” Carolyn said to Blair when they found themselves alone together late Saturday afternoon. “He’s so bright. And so polite.”

Though her heart swelled with pride, Blair couldn’t help laughing a little. “There are those who would be stunned to hear you say that.”

Carolyn looked surprised. “I’m sure he’s a normal ten-year-old boy who misbehaves occasionally, but on the whole he’s a dear.”

“Only a few months ago, he was a holy terror,” Blair admitted. “He came to me very angry and sullen and rebellious. He has come a long way in the past weeks, and I have to give Scott quite a bit of credit for that.”

Carolyn smiled at her. “I think a great deal of the credit has to go to you. Jeffrey’s not the only one who has changed because of you. I’ve never seen Scott pay so much attention to his responsibilities here at the ranch and his other business holdings. It certainly makes my job easier. To be more honest than I probably should, I was beginning to wonder about his financial future the way he was running through money and caring so little about...well, never mind that. By the way, I’ve never seen him pay so much attention to a woman, either,” she added teasingly, “and I’m delighted.”

Blair blushed like a schoolgirl.

Excusing herself from Carolyn, she found Scott and Jeffrey at the main corral, where Jeffrey was riding a well-mannered paint while Scott looked on. “Look at me, Aunt Blair!” Jeffrey called, grinning at her from beneath the brim of a youth-size Stetson Scott had given him. “Scott says I’m almost ready for a real trail ride.”

“We’ll be very careful,” Scott said quickly when Blair looked at him.

She chuckled. “I know. Jeffrey hasn’t had a new bruise in days.”

He slipped an arm around her shoulders and nestled her comfortably against his side. “He seems to like it here.”

“Are you kidding? He loves it here. You would think he’d been born on a ranch instead of in a Midwestern city.”

Scott smiled, but his eyes were serious. “He should probably spend more time here, then.”