Shoulda Been a Cowboy (Rough Riders 7)

He was pretty shocked she’d asked him because she never asked him for anything. “I’ll be there.”

“Thank you.”

Cam started to drift off. It was tough forcing himself to leave the warmth of her bed, the comfort of her body and the serenity she brought him. It was tougher yet when she kissed him goodnight and it felt as if she was kissing him goodbye.

Maybe it had been a goodbye f**k, because Domini had warned him she’d run with Anton if things didn’t go in her favor.

Fuck that.

No way would she leave here. No way would she leave him. He’d do whatever it took to make sure she stayed.

Whatever. It. Took.

Chapter Sixteen

“Domini, Deputy McKay. Good to have you both here, have a seat.” Ginger Paulson indicated two tweed wingback chairs in front of her desk. She scooted her leather chair in and donned a pair of glasses.

“Without violating confidentiality agreements, I will tell you I filed Nadia’s divorce. When it appeared Rex might contest it, which is a rarity in this day and age, I had Nadia on record discussing the domestic violence issues that’d plagued their marriage. I requested a copy of the police records. At the last minute, Rex agreed to the terms of irreconcilable differences. He also agreed to sign over sole custody of Anton DeMarco, to Nadia, with the stipulation he was no longer responsible for child support, which Nadia agreed to.”

Ginger peered over the rim of her glasses. “Domini, it is your intention to file for permanent legal guardianship of Anton?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that’s going to be tricky.”

“Why?”

“As much as I hate to admit it, the state does have sound reasons for the recommendation of Anton’s immediate transfer from your temporary care into a foster home.”

Domini compressed Cam’s hand painfully.

“What are the reasons?” he demanded.

Ginger looked right at Domini. “You aren’t a blood relative nor are you licensed for foster care. You are a single woman. You don’t own property. You don’t have family in the area. You have a history of transient behavior. Any one of those is a strike against you. But all of them?” She shook her head.

“But there were circumstances with the church group who sponsored me to the U.S. that I had no control over. They moved around a lot and since I was here with them on a work visa…I didn’t have a choice but to follow them wherever they went.”

“The biggest concern the state has right now, even if you were licensed for foster care, is you are considered a flight risk. A high flight risk.”

Cam said, “Bullshit,” but he noticed Domini didn’t immediately deny it.

Hope drained out of Domini’s face. “I’m going to lose him, aren’t I? The state workers will show up and drag him to a stranger’s house where they don’t know he hates carrots and he loves to draw and he has to have his Cars blanket at night or he can’t sleep and he’s scared of the dark…” Her tears fell.

Cam felt as if he’d been gutted. Dammit, it was his f**king job to uphold the law and he hated these situations existed where the law was utter bullshit. Domini was the best person to have custody of Anton. She loved him, and she’d be a great mother to him. So what if she didn’t have the official foster care certification? So what if she didn’t own a house? So what if she was single?

A light bulb pinged and the “Hallelujah Chorus” rang out in his head.

Bingo. Why hadn’t he thought of it before?

Because you were dealing with your own family issues.

“But if Domini was married to a local law enforcement officer, who has taken the required Social Services classes regarding foster care, who owns property, who has family ties to the area for several generations, what would her flight risk be considered then?”

“Practically zero,” Ginger answered.

“Fine. Domini and I will get married. Today.”

“What? Cam. No. What are you doing?” Domini was flustered and pale and about to start hyperventilating.

Cam aimed a cool look at her and faced Ginger. “Could you give us a minute alone please?”

Ginger didn’t bat an eye at his request. “Certainly.”

As soon as Ginger was gone, Domini blurted, “Cam, what are you doing?”

Cam said, “Do you want Anton? Yes or no?”

“Yes! But I don’t want him temporarily. I want him permanently.”

“I know. You can have him if you marry me.”

She gaped at him. “Us? Married? But…I thought we’d break things off now that everything in my life has changed.”

Don’t bite her head off for thinking so lowly of you. “Domini. I’m not the kind of man who bails when things get tough. You should know that.”

“But married? Us? Really?”

“Do you have a better solution?”

“Umm. No.”

Was that hope or panic glazing her eyes?

“You’d do that for me, Cam?”

I’d do anything for you. “Look, I know you’ve sworn to never get married. Neither of us envisioned this kind of scenario. So this solution makes perfect sense for a situation that was thrust on you. If you marry me, you get to keep Anton.”

“Would this be temporary?”

Fuck no. It’s for good, it’s for real, it’s forever and ever amen. “Is the thought of marrying me, even for a little while, so awful?” he asked softly.

Domini shook her head.

“Then marry me.”

She stared at him, a million questions in her eyes. “Will anyone know the real reason we’re getting married?”

“No. We’ll keep it strictly between us.”

“Why are you doing this?”

Because I love you. Because you’ll think I’m being selfless. Because by giving you the one thing you want so badly, Anton, I get the only thing I want: you.

“Cam?”

He cleared the emotion from his throat and told a bald-faced lie. “Because it’s the right thing to do.”

Domini didn’t smile. She didn’t fling herself into his arms. She didn’t happily shriek the word…yes.

Sweat broke out under his collar. Cam figured the lie was about to bite him in the ass. If he confessed the truth, shouting his love for her to the rafters, would that sway her to say yes? Or scare her into saying no?

“So what’s your answer, princess?”

“Yes, I’ll marry you.”