Page 60 of Winter Vows

It surely wasn’t when he found her sitting by the creek with the moonlight turning her hair gold and tears streaming down her face. She’d looked so lost and lonely it had almost ripped his heart out, but that wasn’t love.

No, when he thought back really hard over the few months she’d been in Los Piños, he was pretty sure he could pinpoint the precise moment when he’d realized she was going to be the one woman he’d never forget. It had happened on a lonely stretch of Texas highway, when she’d been cursing a blue streak and having a baby with only him to help. She had trusted him with something incredibly precious. Without even recognizing the feelings, he’d been a goner from that moment on.

Since she was so darned set on staying single, on proving that she could be mother-of-the-year all alone, he figured it was going to be a while longer before he got around to sharing the news of his feelings with her.

When she’d asked him the night before to be Laura’s godfather, he’d been taken aback. On the one hand, he’d been honored that she would consider him a fit role model for the baby. On the other, he’d cursed the fact that she didn’t see him as actual daddy material. The realization that that was where his head was had stunned him. He’d never expected to want to have his own family, never anticipated that there would be a woman who would overcome all of his emotional roadblocks and sneak into his heart.

Trish had. That she was the one who’d done ita woman who had run out on another man, on an entire family—was equally startling. Funny how he had never blamed her for that, never held it against her but had assumed she’d had legitimate reasons for going, even before he’d heard the whole story.

Maybe he’d sold his own mother short all these years. Maybe she, too, had seen leaving as the only choice. He’d probably never know, but maybe it was time to forgive her, anyway.

He’d tried for a long time to tell himself his attraction to Trish was about nothing more than sex. She was off-limits, so naturally he wanted her. He’d lived his entire adult life making conquests, then moving on. With Trish there had been no conquest. Honor and circumstances had forbidden it, so there had been no urgency to move on. Only now, when it was too late, did he realize he’d stuck around just a little too long, and the impossible—the inevitable, probably—had happened. He’d fallen for her.

Now what, though? None of his past experiences had prepared him for this. He had absolutely no idea how to catch and keep a woman who really mattered. Charm alone wouldn’t do it. Trish had pretty well made that clear. She seemed to like seeing him with the baby, which suited him just fine since there was a powerful connection between him and the little munchkin. Was it possible that the way to Trish’s heart was through her daughter?

Riding out to see how the cattle had weathered the latest storm gave him plenty of time to consider his options. Or it would have if Harlan Patrick had stopped pestering him for more than five minutes at a time.

“I still can’t get over that kiss you gave Trish last night,” he said, bringing it up for the second time in less than an hour. “Right there for all the world to see. What were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t thinking.”

“Instinct, huh? Fascinating.”

“Drop it, Harlan Patrick.”

“Not just yet.”

Hardy sighed. The first time Harlan Patrick had mentioned the kiss, Hardy had brought a quick end to the conversation by telling him flatly that it was none of his damned business. Since the topic was back again, he doubted that he could silence Harlan Patrick with another sharp retort. Obviously his friend had something he needed to say.

“Is there something you want to get off your chest?” he asked, wanting the topic over with once and for all, even if it meant answering one or two sticky questions.

“Okay, here’s the thing,” Harlan Patrick said. “I know it’s probably none of my business.”

“Damn straight.”

His friend scowled, but kept right on. “It’s just that Grandpa Harlan has taken a real liking to Trish. And Aunt Kelly and Uncle Jordan have taken her under their wings. I’d hate to see her get hurt.”

“She’s not going to get hurt, not by me, anyway,” Hardy declared.

“Then that’ll be a first,” Harlan Patrick said. “You’re not exactly known around town for your staying power. Trish isn’t the kind of woman a man plays games with. Even if half my family hadn’t appointed themselves as her guardians, she’s got a powerful father who might have a thing or two to say about anybody who does her wrong.”

“I know that,” he said calmly. “I’m not worried.”

Harlan Patrick studied him intently. “What are you saying? Are you telling me you’re serious about her?”

“I’m not telling you a blasted thing,” Hardy said. “If I have something to say, I’ll say it to Trish.”

Harlan Patrick suddenly cracked a grin. “Then I can tell Grandpa Harlan that his scheming is paying off? He’s going to love that. He’ll probably wait at least twenty-four hours before asking about the wedding date.”

“You tell your grandfather if he knows what’s good for him, he’ll leave the timetable to me. Otherwise there might not ever be a wedding. Trish is skittish. She’s been hurt. She hasn’t exactly announced her undying devotion to me. The situation is delicate. Your grandfather has the tact of a sledgehammer.”

“And you’re any better?” Harlan Patrick scoffed. “Subtlety has never been your strong suit.”

Hardy regarded his friend ruefully. The remark had cut a little too close to the truth. “I’m learning, though. I am definitely learning.”

In fact, he intended to start this evening by suggesting to Trish that they take a drive around to look at some property for a house.Theirhouse. Of course, he had no intention of telling her that part of his plan just yet. No point in rushing things, when the outcome was still uncertain.

Fourteen

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