Page 14 of The Rancher's Secret Son

She had known him long enough to know how he made friends with influential people who could help him. Some of Nick’s socializing seemed to come as naturally to him as smiling. At the same time, there was the part of him that loved his ranch and cowboy life, who could soak that up as if it was necessary to restart his engines. Nick had always claimed ranching as his first love. What would he have done if his family, particularly his dad, hadn’t pushed so hard for law and politics? If left to his own decisions as he had grown up, would Nick now be a rancher? She wondered how much of his current life was due to pleasing his family instead of doing what he wanted.

She recalled that he’d seemed the happiest when she had gone home with him to his ranch. He claimed he loved living and working on his ranch the most, but that wasn’t what dominated his life now. But Nick wasn’t the only one with contradictory aspects to his personality. She had them too. On the one hand she didn’t want to think about Nick’s kisses that still set her ablaze. She didn’t want a marriage of convenience that made the most sense for Nick and would aid his political pursuits. One in which love would not be part of the union.

Yet, on the other hand, she couldn’t let herself fall in love with Nick, or him with her. She knew that would only end up one way. With heartbreak. And she’d already lived through that agony once.

Life was truly complicated and had just gotten more so.

Because they had a child.

Nick was moving up politically, while she had a big business to run and her son and grandparents to care for. Whatever they did, she did not want to fall in love with Nick again. There had been no other man in her life because she had been busy with Cody, her family and running the business. Nick’s kisses set her on fire and it was exciting to be with him, to have his arms around her, but that was lust, purely physical. It was not love. She’d remind herself of that time and time again, until she remembered it.

Sighing, she laid her head back on the seat as the plane reached cruising altitude. While she was grateful for the private flight that would get her home earlier, there was a part of her that actually dreaded going home. She’d have to break the news to her grandmother and then tell Cody. Cody would be happy, but her grandmother... Claire could almost script that conversation, and it wouldn’t be good.

When she entered her house, she tiptoed into Cody’s room and stood beside his bed. She wanted to hold him, to get him as close to her heart as possible. Tears threatened when she thought about having to share him with Nick now. She pulled a light blanket higher over him carefully while love for him enveloped her.

She didn’t know how long she stood beside his bed watching him sleep. Finally, she went to her suite to shower and dress for the day.

By the time her gray-haired grandmother, Verna Prentiss, walked into the kitchen, Claire had made oatmeal, washed and sliced berries, and had everything set and ready. She gave her grandmother a light hug and kiss.

“I’m glad you’re home and I’m glad it went well,” Verna said. “Can you take today off, or even the morning before you go to the office?”

“I need to get to the office. I’ll take off early this afternoon.”

“Good. I’m glad. I’ll see your grandfather today and take Cody with me. I’ll tell him you’ll see him tomorrow.”

“Mom!” Cody exclaimed as he ran into the kitchen to hug her. She caught him, holding him lightly. Thin and wiry, he was still in pajamas. She kissed his cheek and then reluctantly let him go, fighting for control of her emotions.

As they ate breakfast, she listened to Cody tell her about building a spaceship out of boxes his great-grandmother had given him. As Cody and Verna talked, part of Claire’s thoughts were on Nick and how he would see Cody. She was certain Nick would love his son wholeheartedly and want to be with him as much as possible.

After breakfast she said she would clear, but Verna shook her head. “I know you want to spend some time with Cody. Go ahead. This will give me something to do.”

Laughing, Claire turned to Cody who was waiting and smiling. “Thanks,” Claire said, and left with Cody who took her hand to show her his spaceship.

She sat on the floor playing with him, praising his spaceship. It was patched and pasted, but she knew he thought it was grand.

It was after nine when she told him she had to go to the office.

Brushing his brown hair off his forehead, she smiled at him. “I’ll take this afternoon off and we’ll do something fun together. How’s that?”

“Good,” he said. “Can we take my spaceship outside and paint it?”

“That’s a good idea. Let’s go look in the garage and see what colors we have. If we don’t have any paint, I’ll get some while I’m out.”

By the time she stood at the front door with Verna and Cody to tell them goodbye, it was approaching ten in the morning. “Kiss me goodbye.” When he kissed her cheek, she wrapped her arms around him. Cody stepped back and his great-grandmother placed her hand on his shoulder.

“We’ll see you this afternoon,” her grandmother said, following her to the door to hold it open and wave goodbye as Claire hurried to her car. Before the front door closed, she had one last glimpse of Cody turning to run out of sight. Love for him swamped her again and she wished yesterday had never happened.

* * *

That night she read Cody his favorite bedtime story. Sitting beside him on his twin bed, which he’d dubbed his “big boy bed,” she cuddled him close as she read about the caterpillar that ate a hole in everything. Her son giggled as he turned the pages, eager for what he knew was coming. He loved bugs and she’d read him this story about a hundred times. Each time was like the first time he heard it.

She cherished this time together. All day at work she looked forward to the hours they got to spend together each night. As she looked down at him now in the dim light, there was a part of her that wished she could keep him from Nick, that she could keep him to herself. But that was impossible. Now that Nick knew about his son, there was no going back.

But first she had to tell her grandmother about Nick. She’d hold off on telling Cody until nearer to the time for Nick’s visit because Cody would be too excited to wait. When she finally kissed him good-night and tiptoed from the room, she returned to the family room to rejoin her grandmother.

“Grandma, I want to tell you about the closing.”

Pushing her bifocals higher on her nose, Verna looked up from her sewing. “Did everything go as you hoped?”

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