Page 32 of The Rancher's Secret Son

“No, he doesn’t and he’ll be thrilled. You’re doing all the right things.”

“I want to do all the right things for his mom, too,” Nick said.

“You’re doing pretty good at that, too,” she said, but her voice sounded somber, as if she wished he wouldn’t bother trying to please her. Was she still angry with him? Or was she just trying to avoid getting friendly enough to fall in love again? He had no idea what Claire’s thoughts were. She had a big part of herself locked away, causing him to worry about their dealings. He knew his dad was going to push him to marry Claire. Now he just had to keep his dad from trying to push Claire, because that would only make matters worse.

They went to Nick’s house and when they arrived he gave them a tour. The house was only slightly larger than Claire’s, set back on a lot with tall trees, fountains in front of the house, a spacious patio and a fenced area with a swimming pool in the back. “Claire, I’ve had an alarm installed in the pool and it already had a fence. If anything over a few pounds goes into the pool, the alarm will sound. So there’s no way Cody can wander out there and fall in without us knowing.”

She stared at the pool that was surrounded by a high, iron fence. She turned to him.

“Thanks, Nick, I feel much better about that because he’ll be with you sometimes when I’m not and that’s one worry I won’t have.”

“I don’t want you to have any worries about Cody being with me,” Nick said, glancing at his son who was digging through his box of magic tricks as they stood in an informal sitting room that overlooked the patio.

“I have a staff, but I’ve given them the rest of this week off since we’re going to the ranch—at least, they’re off until Saturday when we return. My cook and the head of my cleaning staff are at the ranch today. There should be lunch left here for us,” he said. “I’ll get it on, and after we eat we’ll fly to Verity.”

“I’ll help. Cody is happy with his present.”

As soon as they stepped into his kitchen she stopped. “Nick, when did you get the booster seat for Cody?”

“I called my secretary and told her what I needed and she ordered it for me. It’ll do, won’t it?”

“Of course, it’ll do,” Claire said, smiling, and Nick couldn’t resist moving closer.

“At least it got a smile out of you and that makes it worth the expense and trouble. Claire, I want this to be good from your viewpoint, too.”

Her smile disappeared as she gazed intently at him. “I’m trying to cooperate and I know we have to work something out between us. You’ve been good, and believe me, I appreciate it.”

He hugged her lightly, trying to give her an impersonal, casual hug of reassurance that he meant what he said and he hoped to avoid hurting her. But the moment she was in his arms, he became aware of her soft curves pressed against him, of the exotic perfume she wore that was the faintest of scents, yet enticing. Locks of her silky hair touched his cheek. Desire swept him, sudden and unexpected, shaking him to his core. He stood still, trying to keep control. He thought back on how they used to flirt, tease each other and have fun together. That was gone. Now he intended to keep her from worrying and to be friendly with her. And “friendly” meant no kissing.

He stepped away. “Okay?”

“Sure, Nick.”

“I mean, am I okay? I’m trying to do what you’d like.”

“You’re fine,” she said, giving him a smile that made him feel better.

“Let’s get lunch on before a hungry kid shows up.”

“With that magic kit he won’t think about food for another hour. Food comes way down on his list of fascinating things in life.”

After holding her close, wanting to kiss her, Nick was acutely aware of her moving around him, brushing past him, their hands meeting as she handed him a dish. This week would be wonderful in so many ways, but tense and difficult in others. He needed to remember to resist Claire, as well as guard his heart. Could he do that when he would be with her constantly?

Eight

Claire looked out the plane window at the rolling land spread below. Mesquite trees, some brown, some still a dull, winter green, were bent by the prevailing south winds coming across Texas from the Gulf of Mexico. It was a view different from the area around Houston.

She glanced at Nick, who was poring over the magic book with Cody while Cody held a string of brightly colored scarves tied together and tried to stuff them into the hat. She never dreamed how much his family would like Cody and like being grandparents.

It was also easy to see that Judge Milan wanted her to marry Nick and wanted it badly. She could imagine he saw her as the perfect wife now for Nick. Marrying would smooth away any scandal about Cody’s birth and help Nick in his career. She suspected Judge Milan would start his campaign to sway her as soon as possible.

But for Claire, the most worrisome thing was her intense physical reaction to Nick. When he had taken her into his arms for just a casual hug, her heart thudded and her breath caught. Seduction would only add to their problems and she intended to guard against it, even though it seemed to grow more difficult each hour she spent with Nick.

“Here’s Verity,” Nick said when the plane banked and she saw a town below.

She gazed out the window at this town she had heard about, but had only been through without stopping when Nick had taken her to his family’s ranch years earlier. At that time he didn’t have his own ranch, but the family ranch had been vacant the weekend they went, so they had it to themselves and Nick had been far more relaxed than any other time she had been with him.

Shortly, they rode in Nick’s car down a wide street. In downtown Verity Christmas lights and wreaths were strung on lampposts and it seemed as if the whole town was decorated for the holidays. Nick parked at the back of the sheriff’s office and they went inside where a small, lighted Christmas tree stood in the lobby.

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