The Cowboy's Pride and Joy
“Well hello, Jake. So nice to hear from you. I’m very well, thanks for asking. And you?”
Cool, her voice had that dismissive tone he knew she used on business rivals. “I’m great,” he ground out, gaze flashing to Cassie. “I just found out I’m a father and that my mother’s trying to take my kid. How’s your day going?”
Cassie’s face flushed but her gray eyes were still clouded by worry.
“I won’t have my grandson raised by a woman who can’t afford to take care of him properly,” his mother said tightly.
“He’s my son and you’re not taking him from his mother,” Jake told her. “Hell, what made you think I’d allow that?”
“You’ve turned your back on your family, Jake,” his mother said and he thought he heard a note of hurt coloring her words. “You cut me and your sister out of your life. How was I to know you’d feel differently about your son?”
“I didn’t cut you out, mother. I cut the company out of my life. There’s a difference.”
“Not to me,” she insisted. “You’ve locked yourself away on the mountain, Jake, and you worry me. You’re so closed off, so self-contained, you don’t need any of us. Well, that baby is a Hunter and if you won’t do the right thing by him, then I will.”
Furious now, his gaze firmly locked on the woman staring at him helplessly, he reminded his mother, “I wasn’t given the chance to do the right thing. Nobody told me about that baby. Until five minutes ago I didn’t know he existed.”
“Well,” his mother said softly, “now that you do know, what’re you going to do about it?”
That was the question, wasn’t it? He didn’t have an answer. How the hell could he know what to do when the world as he’d known it had been upended in his face? Could he have five damn seconds to think?
“I’ll let you know,” he snapped and hung up. Tossing the phone onto the couch before he could smash the damn thing in his fist, he faced Cassie. “That’s done. She won’t be making a grab for the baby again.”
“You don’t know that,” she whispered and he heard fear in her voice.
“I’ll make sure of it.”
A part of him wanted to go to her, pull her into his arms and hold her. Soothe her fears. Ease the worry shimmering around her like a stormy aura the color of her eyes. But a greater part of him was aching from betrayal.
From the fact that this woman had kept his son from him. Had kept his son’s existence a secret.
“You should have told me.”
She paled. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?” He stalked toward her and inwardly cringed when he saw her dart backward a couple of steps. He wasn’t trying to scare her, for God’s sake. He only wanted answers. Explanations. But maybe he was too furious right now to hear them. Stopping in his tracks, he snorted a harsh laugh. “You really think I’d hurt you?”
“No, of course not.” She shook her head and once again shoved both hands through her hair. It had grown, hanging down now to the middle of her back. With her jerky movements, long ropes of that dark blond silk fell over her shoulders to lay against her breasts. Rubbing her fingertips across her forehead, she murmured, “It’s just been a long day. Luke didn’t like the airplane ride. The passengers didn’t like a crying baby. Then they couldn’t find my luggage and the ride up the mountain road was terrifying and I just feel like...”
The tightness in his chest eased a little watching her. She’d had as rough a day as he was having. “Nice day, huh?”
Her head whipped up, her gaze locked on his, and whatever she saw there had her shoulders relaxing and a glint of humor sparking her eyes. “I’ve had better.”
“Me, too.” He still wanted to know. Needed to know. Everything. But there were things he had to do and he had to have some time to think. “Come on. I’ll walk you to the kitchen.”
Surprised, she asked, “We’re not going to talk?”
“Later. Storm coming. Have to get the animals ready for it.”
A strangled laugh slipped from her. “And we’re back to cowboy-speak. That hasn’t changed, anyway.”
“Plenty else has,” he said just as shortly, stopping only long enough to grab his hat and jacket. “And I’m gonna want to hear it all.”
In the kitchen, Anna was seated at the table, holding the baby on her lap. On the floor, a big yellow Lab sat beside her, his nose on the baby’s legs. The dog winced every time the baby patted his head, but otherwise, didn’t move.