The Cowboy and the Cougar (The Cougar Chronicles 1)

"That’s her own doing."

"True enough, but don’t blame her. I was persistent."

"Of course I blame her. She should keep my private information private."

"Sugar, your business name and address are hardly private. I would have found you eventually. Sheila just sped up the process a little by telling me you were an attorney. It was easy enough to find you after that." He leaned toward her and whispered. "I coulda googled you and found you myself."

Holly moved away. Being too close to him kept her from thinking straight. She sat down behind her desk, inhaled, and looked right at him, determined not to be mesmerized by his dark gaze.

"What is it that you want, Jack?"

"Besides you in my bed?"

A rush of heat crept over Holly’s skin. She cleared her throat.

"Yes, besides that."

"I told you. I have a legal problem."

"Which is?"

"I need a document drawn up, giving me sole custody of my son."

An anvil landed in Holly’s stomach. He had a son?

"You have a son?"

"Sugar, you look like someone just told you pigs could fly. Surely this can’t be that surprising."

"Well, I just—"

"If you’d have had that drink with me last night, so we could get to know each other, I would’ve told you all about Sam."

"And his mother?"

"Was a mistake I made seven years ago. No, I take that back. She wasn’t a mistake, or I wouldn’t have Sam. She came to me a year later. He was only a few months old. Said she couldn’t take care of him, that he was mine. So I took him."

Holly stomach was churning. Jack was not who she thought he was. He wasn’t a player, wasn’t just after sex. "Did it occur to you to have a paternity test?"

"Yep. I had it. He’s mine."

"Whatever happened to your...uh... his mother?"

"Never heard another word from her."

"Is your name on the birth certificate?"

"Yes."

"Then there shouldn’t be any problem. The mother clearly abandoned him. If you haven’t heard from her in six years, why are you worried about it now?"

"It’s something I’ve put off long enough. I need to tie up some loose ends."

"Good enough. I have to tell you though, this really isn’t my area. If you had googled me, you’d have found that I’m an estate planning lawyer. I write wills and trusts. I don’t dabble in family law."

"I want you to handle it."

"I’m not qualified. I have a rolodex full of great family attorneys who will be more than happy to help you."