Page 5 of Texas Temptation

Not when it was time to muster the herd and rotate cattle from the winter pasture to summer fields. He’d come home to the ranch for that event, which had already been delayed once this spring and was currently delayed because of the weather. If not for the muster, he’d still be in Dallas, or maybe even on his way to LA.

He had a dozen irons in the fire. He didn’t need further complications.

“Why is Mommy asleep?” the boy asked. “She never takes naps.”

“What’s your name, son?” he asked. He’d never seen either of them before, but hadn’t imagined the child’s comment,“Are you my daddy?”Who were these people?

“I’m Caleb,” he said. “Is Mommy going to wake up soon?”

“I expect so. Caleb who? Where are you from?”

Caleb wrinkled his brow as he looked up at Cade.

He felt a hitch when he saw the uncertainty in the child’s eyes. For a heartbeat, they reminded him of Vicki’s bright blue eyes. Except in this case, one definitely turned inward. He knew little about it, but shouldn’t the child have had some corrective work done by this age?

Rosita hurried into the room, carrying a cool, damp cloth. She placed it on Jordan’s forehead and felt her cheeks with the back of her fingers.

“She had a fever, señor.”

“Who is she?”

“Her name is Jordan Carhart. She asked for you, said she came a long way to see you. Maybe we ought to call the doctor,” she murmured.

The little boy looked up at him.

“Are you my daddy?” he asked again.

“No.”

Cade knew that for a fact. Not only had he never seen the woman before in his life, the boy looked to be about four or five years old. And five years ago, he’d been a happily married man. Cheating on his wife had never once occurred to him. He’d loved Marissa more than life.

The familiar ache gripped him. Would he ever get over losing her? Ever get used to the gaping hole in his heart that she and Vicki once filled?

“Mommy said we were coming to meet my daddy. Where is he?”

Cade’s instincts went on alert. She’d asked for him by name and told her son he was his father. What kind of scam was the woman trying to pull?

With her blond hair and gray eyes, and the boy’s blue eyes, there was no way they could accuse him of being the father, not with his dark hair and eyes. DNA testing would cinch it if needed.

“Mommy,” Caleb said, shaking her. “Wake up, Mommy.”

Cade felt a tightening in his throat. The kid looked scared to death. He remembered Vicki when she’d been five. All bright laughter and boundless energy. Nothing had scared her.

No child should be so scared.

He squatted down beside the youngster and took one small hand in his. Memories crowded in. He remembered holding Vicki’s hand when they crossed a street or went to a store. Echoes of her laughter sounded. He could still see her delight in so many everyday things.

This child looked nothing like his daughter, but just his being here reminded Cade of all he’d lost.

“Where do you live, Caleb?”

“Seventeen-thirty Atlantic Circle, South Beach,” the boy said proudly. Obviously his mother made sure he knew his address.

“Florida?” Cade murmured, wondering if Vicki had known her address at that age.

“We’ve been driving forever, and Mommy said we’d see my daddy when we got here. We need money for my eyes. Once I have my operation, I can be just like all the other little boys, but until then, I’m special.”

Rosita threw Cade a look.

---