Colton Cowboy Jeopardy (Coltons of Mustang Valley)

“That’s more than enough.”

Now that she sounded more relaxed, he felt better, too. Ending the call, he forwarded the pictures he’d taken to Spencer, with a request to factor them in with the information from Mia. With no damage to the fences, he wouldn’t tell Asher yet.

As if on cue, his phone rang and Asher’s picture filled his screen. He kept Duke at a slow walk as he answered the call.

“I saw you finished at Selina’s place,” the foreman said.

“It was a loose wire on those string lights on her deck,” Jarvis replied. “Did she complain about me?”

“Should she?” Asher countered, laughing. “You know I’m more curious if she said anything helpful.”

“No clear admission of anything. My take is that she was fishing to find out if she’d told me something important when she was so tipsy after the party.”

“You couldn’t use that?”

Jarvis watched the terrain for landmarks. “No. If I had guessed and been wrong, she would’ve known I was lying. Better to keep her off balance.”

“Probably right. Where are you now?”

“I rode off into the sunset to give Selina something to ponder,” Jarvis joked. Asher howled with laughter. “Have you heard about anyone interested on the northern property line? It looks like someone pulled off the road and was poking around.”

“No one should be out there,” Asher said. “Probably a drunk driver.”

“I looked around and came to the same conclusion,” Jarvis said. “The fence is fine,” he added. “I took some photos, just in case, but I didn’t see any damage worth reporting.”

“Well, that’s a plus. Keep me posted.”

“Will do,” Jarvis promised.

Hours later, Jarvis knocked on the door of Mia’s bunkhouse. It was well past dark and his shoulders ached after another fruitless attempt to find a small metal box on the massive ranch. At least dinner would be amazing. Fried chicken, corn on the cob, green beans, biscuits and berry cobbler had been on the menu tonight for the crew. Although he hadn’t expected to be on the cleanup crew, a mishap with a kitchen knife meant he had to fill in.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said when she opened the door.

She treated him to that beautiful, open smile that made him feel downright heroic. “Smells delicious,” she said, eyeing the bag in his hands. “You’re forgiven. Get in here.”

“Grab a plate.” She did while he unpacked the bag, opening the various containers for her. “How was Silas today?”

“He had a great day. Fresh air and sunshine, a full tummy, playtime and good naps.”

“Living his best life,” Jarvis observed.

“He is.” She ate while he amused the baby.

The little guy was taking in everything with those big brown eyes. Although Jarvis knew Mia’s ex was part of the baby’s DNA, whenever he looked at the baby he only saw Mia’s features. If the genetics held, the little boy would be breaking hearts by preschool.

He and the baby smiled and played. He tried not to dwell on how natural it felt to chatter along with the baby while he waited for Mia to open up about what was bugging her. It was something to do with her son, if he read her correctly.

“Thanks for feeding me.” She blotted her lush lips with a napkin. “Did you see Regina in town?” That she’d felt the need to ask was a huge clue to the issue on her mind.

“No. But I’ve been away from civilization most of the day. I had to handle the meeting with Spencer over the phone.”

“Oh.”

“Regina might be manipulating your father’s phone and emails, but she can’t possibly have access to the MVPD.”

“True. I’m just...”

He picked up the baby and moved to the table. “Just?”