Page 34 of The Rancher's Secret Son

In the warm car she had opened her coat. Now she touched the heart pendant Nick had given her. “My necklace is beautiful,” she said. “Thank you again.”

“It’s just a token thank-you for Cody. You should have had more.”

“Nick, this has over twenty-four big diamonds. It’s more than a token,” she said, wondering whether he had given it to her out of gratitude or guilt.

“I promise you, that’s a token for what I feel I should give you. Here we are,” he said, stopping the car near the back door of a sprawling ranch house with an inviting porch. They each carried bags inside and Cody brought his toys. “C’mon, and I’ll show you where your rooms will be,” Nick said. “I can bring in the rest of the stuff later.”

They walked into a spacious kitchen with stainless steel state-of-the-art equipment. Nick had dark fruitwood cabinets and woodwork with pale yellow walls and floor to ceiling windows overlooking the lawn along one wall and the patio on the other. Standing at the sink was a tall white-haired man who turned to smile at them.

“Claire, meet Douglas Giroux, my cook, who’s worked for me a long time now. Zelda, his wife, heads my cleaning staff,” Nick said. “Douglas works for me in Dallas, but he agreed to come out here for these few days. Douglas, this is Miss Prentiss and my son, Cody.”

“Welcome to the ranch,” Douglas said. “I hope you enjoy your stay.”

“Something you’re cooking smells inviting,” Nick said.

“That’s a casserole to freeze. Tonight we’ll have creamed pheasant, baked potatoes, asparagus and rolls.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Claire said, as Nick took her arm to walk down the hall. The casual touch sent a tingling current down her spine. No matter how much she decided to avoid responding to him, her body couldn’t get the message. She struggled to focus on the house instead of the tall man at her side.

He led her to her bedroom for the week, done in bright colors with white furniture. Cody’s room adjoined it and held a junior bed and a big white stuffed bear that Cody ran to hug the minute he walked into the room.

“That’s for you, Cody,” Nick said, smiling at his son.

“Thank you,” Cody said, beaming as he hugged the bear again.

“My room is at the end of the hall,” Nick said. “You’re welcome to come see it.”

“Thanks. I’ll unpack instead,” she said. She needed some time away from this man, to regroup.

* * *

Through dinner and playing with Cody afterward, Nick was far more aware of Claire than before. Being together at the ranch had brought memories tumbling back, making love to her, holding her naked in his arms, kissing her for hours. Grief was leaving him along with the numbness. Without wanting to, she stirred memories and desire. He wanted to kiss her, to dance with her, to make love with her.

The past weekend and this week were so totally unlike his life—all business appointments put off, his calendar cleared to meet Cody and be with him. He had turned off his cell phone, knowing his family could get him through the ranch number or his foreman. The ranch was a world of its own and insulated from the outside world. He expected his life to shift back into its usual groove when he returned to work, but this was a reprieve that he would relish. He hadn’t spent enough time here over the last couple of years, and certainly not during the last year of his marriage to Karen. She had never cared for the ranch. She was meant for a social life, just as his mother preferred Dallas, and that had fit with his schedule. He had forgotten just how much he loved this place. Life would be ideal here with Claire and Cody.

The idea startled him. He had a busy, important career, a career that was vital to his family and could grow more demanding in the coming years. The ranch was an idyll, he reminded himself, and there was no way he could move to the ranch now, nor would Claire ever come with him. She would not leave the big business she had built and she wouldn’t leave her family. He’d best remember that.

* * *

After putting Cody to bed, Claire returned to the family room to sit with him. Her red slacks and red sweater, which clung to tempting curves, rekindled longing, making him want to untie the scarf that held her hair and let it fall loose about her shoulders, but he resisted.

“Cody’s asleep. It’s been an exciting day for him, Nick. His first plane ride, his first pair of boots and his first cowboy hat. His first meeting with a real sheriff. He has met new grandparents. So many things that he’s dazzled by them.”

Despite his good intentions, Nick took her hand, running his thumb lightly over the back of her hand. “Now I think it’s time for his mom to be dazzled.”

What did he mean by that? Claire wondered as she felt her pulse race.

“You’ve been good about all this, Claire,” he said, his voice suddenly huskier. “When you get home, go out with me. Whatever works out between us, hopefully, we’re going to be friends. Let me take you out for dinner—a ‘just friends’ thing.”

She forced a smile. “I’m tempted, Nick, but I think we should avoid that kind of evening. We’ve been in limbo, getting you and Cody acquainted. There have been no problems, no tomorrows. We’re headed for some major decisions and major upheavals in my life, Cody’s life and my family’s lives. Cody will be all right with what we do, but you and I won’t. There is no way to work out a wonderful, happy solution to sharing him between Washington, DC and Houston. It’s an upheaval for me to share him at all.”

“We might fall in love if you’d give us half a chance.”

The hurt she felt stabbed deeper. “You’ll be so busy with your career, I think that’s impossible. I’m busy with my career and my family. All I see is more heartbreak, so I don’t think dinners out together will help unless it’s something we need to do involving Cody. After this week, you’ve broken the ice and we can move on and begin to make decisions. I think the less you and I see of each other, the better we’ll each be.”

Aware Nick was unaccustomed to defeat of any kind, she gazed into his penetrating blue eyes. She couldn’t read his reaction or even guess what he was thinking, except that she was certain he was not happy about her answer.

“If that’s what you want,” he finally said. “Neither of us wants another heartbreak. I can’t deal with another one, but I didn’t see dinner leading to that. I’ve been so happy this past week that everything looks rosy.”

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