Page 25 of The Rancher's Secret Son

“When this one is over, let’s go sit and have a cool drink. I’m ready for some quiet,” she said, thinking they should stop dancing and touching each other. Every contact added to her awareness of him, building the risks to her heart.

“We can go now.” They stopped dancing and he waited while she turned off the music and then hit the light switch as they left the room.

“I love your home,” he said. “And you’ve done so well with Cody. When you come to Dallas, I’d like to have my family out so they can meet him.”

“That’s fine, Nick. How is your family? Is Madison still painting? I met her when she had an exhibit in Houston.”

“My family is fine. Madison married Jake Calhoun and she doesn’t travel as much. She has the family ranch now, but lives on Jake’s ranch. Wyatt is county sheriff, of all things. Friends talked him into taking the office, but he’s retiring to his ranch after this term. Tony is ranching and the busy bachelor. We see each other fairly often. My folks are in Dallas and Dad is retired.”

“You should break the news about Cody to your parents first. Your father will no doubt have things he wants you to do.”

“Most of my life I’ve gotten along with Dad and I’ve done what he wanted. Even more than Wyatt, who never gave Dad trouble. Madison and Tony—well, that’s a different story. Particularly Tony. Frankly, I don’t think he was right in the way Dad dealt with Madison, but that’s over and she’s married to Jake Calhoun now.” He shrugged. “I think Dad will cooperate with me just because we’ve always gotten along.”

“You mean you’ve always done what your dad wanted.”

“Yes, I have. I don’t think he’s been unreasonable,” he said. “Dad has helped me in my career and in politics. I owe nearly everything to him. He seems to have endless contacts.”

Those endless contacts worried her. Judge Milan was a powerful man. While Claire had never even met his parents, she suspected they didn’t want Nick marrying a woman with obligations far from DC, as well as someone who would not put Nick’s career first. She could understand their concern for their son’s future and his happiness, but it didn’t help her feelings when she had been so in love with Nick and he had seemed to be with her.

“I’ll talk to my dad. Don’t worry about my family,” he said as they headed to her kitchen. “This is their grandson, and right now their only grandson, so they’re going to welcome him and love him. I’ll admit that since he’s a good kid and he looks like a Milan, they will really be happy about him.”

“And want you to have him all the time.”

He stopped and held her back. “I promise I will not take Cody from you,” he said solemnly, looking directly at her.

While she nodded, she couldn’t imagine how they were going to work out sharing their son if Nick moved to Washington.

They continued to walk and within minutes they sat in the family room.

Nick turned his chair to face her, pulling it close in front of hers and to one side so he had room for his long legs. He took her hand in his. “Claire, Cody is wonderful and I’m so happy about him. I want you to be happy to have me in his life. I know it’ll be difficult for you to share him when you’ve been accustomed to having him all the time. As long as I can see him some, I promise we’ll go slowly.”

“Thank you,” she said, certain that his intentions were good, but soon he would have his family pressuring him to get Cody into the Milan family. Even as she thought over their dilemma, she was aware of her hand in his as it rested on his knee.

He sat too close and his gaze was too intense, but she didn’t care to tell him and let him know that his touch or his nearness had that much of an impact on her.

“We can have his name changed to Milan without a marriage. Would you be opposed to that?”

“I’ll think about it. I can’t give you an answer instantly,” she said, withdrawing her hand from his and sipping her drink.

“All I ask on anything I suggest is that you just think about it. We’re exploring possibilities, that’s all. Monday I’ll open a trust fund for him and a savings account. I want to be part of his life in every way I can. You’ve done well and it’s obvious you don’t need my help, but I want to share in the costs for him.”

“That’s fine, Nick. We don’t need to go back to things I’ve already paid. I’ve been able to take care of him. But we’ll share costs as we move ahead.”

“Good.”

He picked up a long lock of her hair and let it fall through his fingers. “Whatever we work out, it’s good to be with you again,” he said.

She gave him a fleeting smile, unable to say the same thing back to him. Part of her wondered whether he really meant what he said, because every moment together moved them closer to another confrontation.

Now came the part she’d been dreading. “Sooner or later,” she said, “we’re going to have to work out a time for him to be with you and a time for him to be with me. I’d rather work it out between us and not involve lawyers. That is, except you.”

“That’s fine with me. Since I am a lawyer, if you change your mind and want one, that’s acceptable. I just want you and Cody happy.”

“He’s never been away from home at night,” she said, hating that she was about to lose control.

Nick leaned closer, placing his hand over hers, holding hers lightly. “Claire, I don’t want to hurt you or Cody. I meant it when I said I promise I’ll work with you. I just want to share my son’s life and know him.”

“There are moments I can’t handle looking into the future. I’ve had him with me constantly since he was born.”

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