Little Cowgirl Needs a Mum / Once Upon a Proposal: Little Cowgirl Needs a Mum

The girl sat up straight, wiped her tears and announced, “I want to go to Carrie’s sleepover.”

Evan knew he’d walked into that one. “Gracie, you’re too young.”

“All the other girls get to go, and she’s my best friend.”

Jenny glared at him. “Best friends are important. Didn’t you have a best friend?”

He ignored her. “You can have your friends over here.”

“Really? You mean it?”

He nodded, relieved that his daughter was so receptive to the idea. “Sure.”

“A sleepover!” Gracie was so excited. “I get to have a sleepover.”

Evan shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t remember agreeing to that. “Well, huh, that might not be a good idea, since there aren’t any women living here. Some of the mothers might not like that.”

Gracie looked thoughtful. “What about Jenny? She’s a girl.”

Jenny’s eyes widened. “I’m not sure that’s what your dad wants, Gracie.”

Evan decided to play her game. “Wait. That might work,” he told Jenny. “You could organize whatever kids do. I bet you could recruit a lot of girls for your class. Maybe you could even work on Gracie’s quilt.”

“Oh, Daddy, no.” Gracie shook her head. “That’s not what girls do at sleepovers. We do things like put on makeup and do our hair, paint our toenails. We get to stay up all night and watch videos.”

“Sounds like fun.” He looked at Jenny. “But you still have to be supervised by an adult woman.”

Evan knew he was crazy for involving this woman in his life, his daughter’s life, but he was desperate. Gracie was growing up and she needed things he didn’t know how to give her.

“I guess it’s up to Jenny.”

She studied him, then murmured, “You think you’re pretty smart, don’t you, Rafferty?” Then she turned a sweet smile toward Gracie. “I think your daddy and I need to discuss this … alone.” She leaned down and kissed Gracie’s cheek and whispered. “You get some sleep.”

“Okay. Night, Jenny. Night, Daddy.” After a quick kiss from her father, the child burrowed under the blanket and closed her eyes. If he didn’t know better, he’d think his daughter had set him up.

“Good night, Gracie.” He closed the bedroom door and walked down the steps behind Jenny. Without a word, she grabbed her purse off the table at the door and walked out.

He hurried after her. “Jenny. Wait.”

She stopped on the walkway. Night had fallen, and the only illumination was from the porch light. “What do you want now, Rafferty?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all.” He studied her. “Why are you angry? You came out here and got involved in this. I didn’t ask you to come. So don’t get all bent out of shape when my daughter starts clinging to you.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “Maybe that should give you a clue.”

“About what?”

“That you don’t know much about women.”

He stiffened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You don’t want to hear what I have to say.”

He moved closer. “Give it to me straight. I can handle it.”

“You’re prejudiced, Rafferty. If Gracie was a boy, I’d bet he’d be able to go to sleepovers.”

He opened his mouth to disagree, but ended up closing it. “It’s different with a boy.”

She groaned. “I’ve heard that so many times I could scream. Then tell me this, if you had a son, would you bring him into town to play Little League games? This quilting class is your daughter’s baseball game. Give this time to her, and you won’t regret it.”

He felt like a jerk. She was right. “Okay, Gracie will be there next Saturday.”

She smiled at him and his belly tightened. “Don’t worry, Rafferty. I’ll make it as painless as possible.”

He knew that was a lie. He was already hurting for her, but he’d find a way to put a stop to that. The only female he wanted a relationship with was his daughter. He needed to make sure a certain pretty blonde didn’t cause any more complications in his life.

CHAPTER FOUR

THE following Saturday afternoon, Jenny wished she could rethink her idea of this class. Several girls between the ages of eight and twelve were running around, chattering away with the occasional high-pitched squeal. When she suggested they find their seats, they ignored her. Thank goodness for the mothers and her helpers.

Her friend, the shop’s owner Allison, walked in. The petite auburn-haired mother of three smiled as she glanced around the new classroom area. “Oh, Jenny, you did a wonderful job with this space.”

“Thanks. Millie helped a lot, too.”

They both eyed the new shelves along the wall. Every nook had the name of a student, with room for their projects. “I thought if they kept their quilts here they would have less chance of getting lost or dirty.”

They walked toward the large round table at the window and Jenny announced, “The Quilters’ Corner.”

With a smile, Allison nodded. “Has anyone claimed time here yet?”

Jenny nodded. “A few of Millie’s friends came in yesterday. They had coffee and went through a few pattern books. We’ll see what happens.”

“It might take time and the classes are a start. Not only kids are here, but their mothers.”

“And I’d better get things started.”

Jenny went to the front and suddenly the room grew quiet. With a smile, she said, “Hello, girls. Ladies.”

“Hello, Miss Jenny,” they answered in unison.

“Are you ready to start your projects?”

Again they answered in unison, with a “Yes.” A pang of regret hit her as she thought about her class back in San Antonio, and the students she’d had to leave.

“Okay, then.” She began to walk between the rows of tables. “I see most of you have brought in your fabric. For those of you who haven’t, there are several bolts on the shelves, along with any other supplies you’ll need.” She smiled. “So let’s get started. We might not get to do any sewing today, but we can cut out blocks of fabric.”

As the teams began their first task, Jenny stopped and talked to each girl along with her mother. She was happy to see Principal Perry’s daughter, Kasey, there with her grandmother, loyal customer, Beth Staley.