Colton Cowboy Jeopardy (Coltons of Mustang Valley)

“You’ll call me,” he said. She frowned. He was running on instinct, unable to verbalize why her leaning on him was a positive thing for both of them.

“Without a car I’ll feel trapped.”

Right now she looked too exhausted to feel much of anything else. He hated to spell it out for her. “If someone does think to look for you here and they managed to find your car, it will look abandoned.”

“How does that help me?”

He stowed her things in the truck bed while she got the car seat in place. Did she even realize she was arguing and cooperating at the same time? “Ditchin

g the car should create the impression that you’ve already moved on.”

“My car being here implies a connection,” she pointed out.

“Connection to what? No one at the ranch has seen you. The assumption will be that you found another way out of town.”

She spoke softly to the baby and then climbed into the passenger seat. As Jarvis drove across the grassy pastures to the bunkhouse, he was torn between emphasizing the remoteness of the new location as a safety feature and ignoring it to prevent undue worry if she did have a crisis. He kept his thoughts to himself and Mia seemed content with that.

The baby, too. “He got quiet fast,” Jarvis observed.

She snorted, apparently unimpressed. “He loves car rides,” she explained. “And he was up all night. They warned me it would happen.”

“It?” he queried.

“The inconsolable baby. It’s a whole thing, but like any new mom, I thought I could handle it.”

He pulled to a stop at the bunkhouse and cut the engine. “You did handle it,” he pointed out.

“Possibly at the expense of my sanity. A chunk of brain cells at the very least.” She flicked a hand toward the view through the windshield. There was nothing to mar the view from here to the mountains. “Beautiful,” she said. “I see why you like it out here. It’s peaceful. Or it would be if I wasn’t more removed from any kind of help than before.

“I’m sorry.” She rubbed her eyes. “Forgive me for being cranky. Once I get some sleep, I’ll figure out a way to handle my stepmom and stop imposing on you.”

“I’m sure you will.”

He unloaded her things while she gathered up her son. Inside, the bunkhouse was stripped to the bare essentials, but it was clean and dry. Here, in addition to basic conveniences, she had a table and chairs, plus she could choose from four bunks. He turned on the power and the water pump, made sure things were running as they should, then propped the stick against the wall by the door.

“You’ll call if you have any trouble?” he asked.

She started to nod, but the motion was cut short by another yawn.

“Want me to stay and, ah, babysit while you take a shower?” he offered, trying not to think of what she’d look like under a hot spray of water. Unfortunately, memories of her poses in swimsuits flashed across his mind. He moved toward the baby, away from her before he did something stupid.

“I should be offended, but that sounds like heaven,” she said, her mouth tilted into a grin.

“All right. Take your time.” He had no idea what babysitting an infant required. Silas was currently dozing in his seat, and with a little luck Jarvis wouldn’t have to do much of anything. If the baby did need something, he’d look it up online and figure it out.

Practical problem-solving was one of his favorite parts of his job. He’d never expected to enjoy working outdoors or all of the unpredictable moments among the daily routines of ranch life.

“You should go on to work after my shower,” Mia said. “Silas and I can manage.”

“You’re sure?”

“We’ve been managing just fine for a couple of months now.” Her smile was softer, filled with affection as she watched her son.

“What happened to his dad?” It was a nosy question, but he was more curious if there might be a better, more secure place for her and the baby to hide.

“Silas’s father isn’t part of our lives.” Her head snapped up, her eyes flat, expression stern. “Go to work, Jarvis. You’ve helped enough today.”

Okay, he’d crossed a line he hadn’t even seen. He was about to apologize when his cell phone buzzed on his hip.