The Rancher's Bargain Page 7

  “Even though we already have one?” He’d sent one of the ranch hands to the house last week to help Mrs. Davis take one out of storage.

  There was a pause on the other end of the call.

  “You don’t like my Christmas tree?” he pressed, trying to remember what it looked like.

  “It’s beautiful.” She seemed to be weighing her words. “But maybe we could cut down a little one for the playroom where Teddy and I could hang some homemade ornaments? You know, give him a little more buy-in?”

  James couldn’t help but laugh.

  “By all means, a kid should have buy-in on his own Christmas.” Yet even as he spoke the words, he realized there wasn’t a damned thing funny about it. If anything, he found it sad to think of his nephew not being a part of a family Christmas.

  The sudden punch of grief hit hard while Lydia suggested a playroom picnic afterward.

  Only half listening, he was lost in his own thoughts for a moment as James recognized that he’d been screwing up his time with Teddy. He’d been so focused on providing the boy with better care than he could offer him personally, he’d ended up having very little to do with the child. His last remaining relative.

  And he had Lydia to thank for helping him to see that before Teddy’s grandparents got involved. He still had time to make memories with the boy. Ensure that he felt at home in the house where his father was raised.

  “That all sounds good,” James told her before she signed off for the night. “I’ve been trying to give you space. To make things easier for you while you get settled at the ranch.” He hesitated. Did he need to spell out his reasons? He was pretty sure she knew all about the crackle of awareness between them. “But I’m definitely ready to spend more time with you and Teddy.”

  “I know Teddy will be happy to have you back home,” she admitted softly, as careful as ever with her words.

  His last question remained unspoken.

  Would she be happy to have him back in the house with her every day? Every night?

  This would be the last time he backed off that question, however. Tomorrow, they were going to face their simmering mutual attraction head-on and see what happened. No more letting it keep him from his nephew. Decision made, he felt a surge of anticipation.

  “Good,” he said simply. “I’m looking forward to seeing him, and you, too. Very much.” He let the words hover there for a moment, wanting them to linger in her mind long after the call disconnected. “Sleep well, Lydia.”

  Morning couldn’t come soon enough.

  Six

  Seated beside James in a black BMW sedan the next day, Lydia reminded herself not to think about his phone call the night before. The one where he’d said how much he was looking forward to seeing her.

  After all, she’d already lost sleep thinking about what he’d meant. She didn’t dare lose focus on her job now that he was back in Royal, bringing her and Teddy on the special outing she’d requested.

  Still, as the sleek luxury car sped toward the civic center for the holiday ice show, she couldn’t help thinking how much the trip felt like a date. Especially with Teddy quietly taking in the scenery from his car seat. There was no need to entertain the baby with silly songs or toys passed over her shoulder. There was only the scent of leather seats and a hint of spicy aftershave. The sound of steel guitars muted from the speakers. And the too-rapid beat of her heart as she smoothed the belted trench coat over her knees to cover the hem of her red sweater dress.

  She was hyperaware of the compelling man behind the wheel. He wore black pants and a dark polo shirt with a camel-colored blazer and suede boots. Well dressed but not overdressed for an ice show meant for families. The tailored jacket accentuated his lean, muscular physique. No doubt she was gawking a little as he navigated easily through midday traffic for the matinee show.

  Searching for a topic to distract her, she remembered the visitors from the night before.

  “I’m not sure if Mrs. Davis mentioned it, but Tessa Noble and Ryan Bateman stopped in yesterday evening to thank you for encouraging Tessa to go on the auction block at the Pancreatic Cancer Research Foundation event.” She remembered how starry-eyed they both looked. How glowing with happiness. “They are engaged to be married, and very much in love.”

  “Is that right?” James grinned as he glanced over at her. “And Tessa was always his best friend before.” The deep timbre of his voice hummed right through her.

  “Ryan said the auction was the nudge he needed to see her in a different light.”

  “I couldn’t be happier for them.” He frowned. “Although the last I knew, Rose Clayton was angling for her grandson, Daniel, to date Tessa.”

  Lydia recalled the matriarch of the Silver C only from the occasional sightings around Royal and the woman’s charitable efforts in town. Everyone seemed to know about the enmity between the Claytons and the Slades, Royal’s answer to the Hatfields and McCoys. As a newcomer to town, Lydia had heard only bits of gossip about old battles over property lines and water rights. The feud might be dying down now that Rose Clayton’s husband was long gone and Gus Slade’s wife, Sarah, had passed away. The Great Royal Bachelor Auction had been dedicated to the memory of Sarah Slade, in fact.

  “Well, Tessa is most definitely taken,” Lydia observed. “Rose will have to turn her matchmaking efforts elsewhere.”

  “After the press coverage Daniel received following the auction, he shouldn’t have any trouble finding his own dates. The story calling him the ‘Most Eligible Bachelor in Texas’ was picked up all over the place.” James pulled off the interstate onto the ramp that led toward the civic center.

  Colorful billboards hung outside the arena with ads for upcoming shows, including one for the holiday ice show.

  “Look, Teddy.” Lydia pointed to the characters twirling on skates. “Do you see the polar bear?”

  He clapped his hands once, his brown eyes wide with childish wonder. She adored this little boy.

  “Bear,” he said.

  Clear as a bell. She couldn’t help a swell of pride in him.

  “Wow. Did you teach him that?” James sounded as awed as his nephew.

  She flushed with pleasure, even if she couldn’t take credit.

  “No. Kids his age are little sponges, soaking it all in. He surprised me yesterday by repeating a phrase really clearly.”

  “That’s incredible.” He drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel while he waited for a parking space. The lot was already busy. While he waited, he glanced over at her, his gaze lingering. “And it’s easy to see you’ve been a good influence on him. He seems calmer.”

  She knew the praise shouldn’t feel any different from the approval she’d received from other satisfied parents in the past. Yet somehow, coming from this handsome, charismatic man, it meant more. Or maybe she just wanted more with him. The realization—that it wasn’t just physical attraction between them but maybe something deeper—rattled her.

  She was growing attached to James and his sweet nephew.

  “Thank you,” she said thickly, dragging her gaze away from his. “We’ve had fun together.” Then, in a rush, she added, “Teddy and I.”

  Her cheeks felt warm. All of her felt warm from his attention. His praise. This damned awareness.

  “And I appreciate you helping me to be a part of that,” he said smoothly as he parked the sedan and switched off the ignition. In the quiet aftermath, he slid his hand over hers where it rested on the console. “No matter what else happens between us, Lydia, with your job or our agreement, please know that I am deeply grateful to you for stepping in to help me with my nephew. I realized last night that I was screwing up the one thing my brother asked of me.”

  Behind them in the backseat, Teddy made cooing sounds as he kicked the base of his car seat with one sneaker. The boy was content.

  And she was co
mpletely caught off guard by James’s sincerity. Not to mention his touch. She wondered if her racing heart was obvious where his finger lay along her forearm. Her breath caught as she went to answer.

  “I’m glad I could help.” She told herself if he moved his hand away now, then the touch was just an indication of simple human gratitude.

  His hand remained.

  “The last thing I want to do is complicate matters between us when you’re so good for Teddy.” His thumb shifted along her inner arm. Just a fraction of an inch. A tiny stroke of her wrist. Back and forth. “But I can’t be with you and pretend that I don’t feel drawn to you. Because I do, Lydia. That’s the reason I spent this past week in Houston. And why I worked all the long hours on the ranch before I left. I tried my best to stay away.”

  She was spellbound by his touch. Gentle, but sure. She had no doubt he would remove his hand instantly if she asked him to. She met his eyes again, shifting toward him to meet his gaze head-on, his words sinking in.

  “Because of me,” she clarified, surprised that he would admit it so plainly.

  There would be no taking back these words. No pretending this conversation hadn’t happened. And where did that leave them, now that their mutual attraction was out there in the open? A tangible thing they couldn’t hide from, especially while living under the same roof.

  “Because I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” He slid his hand under hers and then laid his other palm on top, capturing her fingers between his. “But I realized last night when you called that staying away from you wasn’t good for Teddy. And I’m not interested in staying apart from you either, even if it means that we have to revisit our arrangement.”

  “But we only just worked out the details of how I can help Gail repay you.” She opted to focus on that last part of what he’d said—about revisiting their arrangement—since she wasn’t ready to think about why he wanted to renegotiate the agreement. “I don’t know if I trust Gail to make an honest effort to repay you in some way, and I can’t just let it go either.”

  “I don’t want you to quit, Lydia. Just the opposite, in fact. But I guess, right now, all I really want to know is this.” He stared down at the place where their hands were joined, studying the knot of fingers like a complex problem before he looked up at her again. “Could we not worry about our professional relationship so that, just for today, I could kiss you the way I’ve wanted to for weeks?”

  They were already so close. That kiss was just a breath away, but indulging in it meant admitting that she wanted it, too. And while James had clearly already come to terms with confronting this desire, Lydia hadn’t wrapped her brain around all the ways a relationship could complicate things.

  Desire tightened inside her, the need for him turning into an ache.

  “I wish it was that simple.” She whispered her thoughts aloud, unable to move away from him.

  “Do you?” He raked his gaze over her and she felt the heat of his longing as thoroughly as her own.

  Her skin tingled, and it was all she could do to nod. Yes. She craved that kiss.

  “Then that will have to be enough. For now.” Sliding his hands away from hers, he lifted a finger to skim along her cheek. Then dragged his thumb along her lower lip in a way that did something sweetly erotic to her insides. “Knowing that you’re thinking about that kiss, too...” He let the thought trail off along with his touch before he leaned back in his seat. “That’s more than I had at the beginning of this day. And that’s a start.”

  He was out of the vehicle and around to her side of the car, opening the door for her before she caught her breath. With a stern warning to herself to rein it in, Lydia redoubled her focus on Teddy. On making this a memorable day for the little boy who deserved a happy Christmas outing.

  But she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t thinking about kissing James, too. Every. Single. Moment.

  * * *

  That evening, after the holiday ice show and the trip to cut down a small Christmas tree for the playroom, James sat with legs sprawled on the red-and-green tartan picnic blanket. It was only eight o’clock, but time spent with a toddler made it feel later. Teddy had been well behaved all day. His exclamations at the ice show were no louder than the majority of the crowd made up of almost 50 percent kids. The toddler had grown weary of sitting in the seat after about forty-five minutes, so they’d slipped out during a change of scenery and brought him out on a sleigh to hike around the ranch and choose a little three-foot tree that was perfect for the play area.

  They’d decorated it with only a couple of snowflakes that Lydia had made ahead of time, but she’d said they would add to it in the coming days. Besides, Teddy had set some of his toys on the branches. The rubber balls hadn’t worked out as ornaments, but a couple of his stuffed toys and a few blocks still rested on the boughs. No surprise that Lydia had been correct about the boy needing a more hands-on tree. Teddy still sat on the floor beside it, now dressed in his pajamas while Lydia read a story to him from a plastic-coated book.

  She glanced toward James as she read, and any sense of contentment with the day fled like smoke from a fire. Just that one shared look and his mind rewound to the intriguing conversation they’d had in the parking lot before the ice show.

  When he’d been a moment away from kissing her.

  He studied her now, as her attention returned to the baby and his book. With her boots off, he could see her polka-dot Christmas socks. Gold hoop earrings shone in the lamplight with her light brown hair twisted into a low braid.

  Realizing how close they were to Teddy’s bedtime, and the hour he would finally have Lydia all to himself, James made quick work of the picnic remains. He packed the few containers of leftover fruit and cheeses back into the straw basket that the cook had delivered earlier in the day. Then, he rolled up the blanket carefully and tucked it under the basket’s handle.

  “How about I tuck him in?” he offered, wanting to show Lydia he’d heard her concerns about spending more time with his nephew.

  He wanted the boy to always feel welcome here, even if Teddy’s maternal grandparents decided they were ready to raise him.

  “That would be great. Thank you.” She closed the book and rose. “I’ll bring the picnic hamper to the kitchen.”

  He lifted Teddy in his arms.

  “The maid will get it.” He had a cleaning service twice a week to help Mrs. Davis. “Why don’t you head to the library and I’ll meet you down there? I have a surprise for you.”

  “A surprise?” She leaned closer so she could ruffle Teddy’s hair.

  The soft vanilla scent of her lingered after she eased away. Hunger for her stirred.

  “It will only take a minute. I know you’ve had a full day with this guy.” He lifted Teddy slightly and the boy giggled. “I’ll see you in a few.”

  Turning on his heel, he went to lay Teddy in his crib. It had gone well enough the last time he’d done it that he felt more sure of himself this time. Besides, the kid had to be tired after how busy they’d kept him all day long.

  Flicking on the night-light and the nursery monitor, James made sure the crib was clear of extra toys. He was old enough for a light blanket and a stuffed rattle, but the baby seemed content to poke one foot through the slats of the crib, making babbling sounds.

  Right up until he said, “Night-night.”

  The words clutched at James’s heart, making him glad again that he’d come back to Royal today. He might not be ready for kids of his own, but he didn’t want to screw up this window of time with his nephew. Not when Parker had entrusted him to care for the boy.

  “Good night, Teddy,” he called back to him, before shutting the door.

  He carried the receiver for the baby monitor downstairs with him, his thoughts turning to the alluring woman who waited for him in his library. He hadn’t dated anyone seriously since his divorce, go
ing out a few times just to prove to himself he could.

  Now? Lydia dominated his thoughts, and not just because she was good with Teddy.

  She was honorable, for one thing. She hadn’t needed to seek him out after her sister fled town without paying for her bachelor. But here Lydia was, trying to salvage the integrity of her family name. Doing what she thought was right.

  She worked hard, for another, taking her job seriously. The difference she’d already made with Teddy was all the proof he needed.

  And, as he stepped through the open library doors to see her silhouetted by moonlight streaming through the windows of an otherwise darkened room, James was reminded how incredibly sexy she was, too. The sweater dress hugged her curves, her face tipped upward. She’d slipped into the leather boots she’d worn earlier in the day, the heels making her almost as tall as him.

  “You should see the moon,” she said softly. “It’s so huge above the tree line, it looks like a movie set. Or a honky-tonk bar.”

  He sucked in a breath, steeling himself for the inevitable draw of her nearness. Knowing the next move had to be hers after he’d made his intentions clear this afternoon.

  “One of the benefits of living out here,” he admitted. “No city lights or buildings to get in the way of the view.”

  He stopped short of her, since touching her again was out of the question. Without the barrier of the baby around, he had only his own restraint to rely on. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to test it for a second time today.

  He leaned against the windowsill the same way she did, leaving two feet between them.

  “Thank you for today.” She folded her arms, one shoulder tipping against the glass pane. “For coming home and being a part of everything I had planned.”

  “I know you did it for Teddy.” She’d been very clear about her motives. Very careful to draw boundaries. “But I had fun, too.”

  “So did I.” Her hazel eyes locked on his.