Operation Cowboy Daddy

Halena sat at the table. “I know you, my granddaughter. I know your heart and I don’t want you getting involved in somebody else’s problems. Your spirit is very fragile and I don’t want it to be further broken by anyone or anything.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Mary assured her. “And my spirit is just fine.” She opened the oven door and bent down to pull out a dish of thick corn bread.

Her grandmother was worried about the baby weaving a basket of love in her heart. But Mary wasn’t going to allow that to happen. She would feed and change the little fellow for the few days he’d be here, but there was no way she intended to allow him into her heart. This was just a temporary situation and she couldn’t allow herself to embrace Joey.

Still, the very heart she wanted to deny accelerated its beats as Tony walked into the kitchen. “The playpen is all set up with sheets and I put the bouncy thingy in the living room. I also bought a few little toys Jenna said would be age-appropriate. They’re also in a bag in the living room.”

“Thank you, it sounds like you got everything we might need,” Mary replied. “We’re just about to eat. You’ll join us.” She said it as a statement rather than a question. It was still early and as far as she was concerned he was officially on daddy duty for the rest of the evening.

“Uh...okay,” he replied, appearing immensely uncomfortable. “Can I do anything to help?”

“Check on your son,” Halena said as she rose from the table. “We’ll take care of the meal.”

It always made Mary nervous when her grandmother grew too quiet, and it was a silent Halena that helped her set the table and fill water glasses for the evening meal.

When the food was on the table, Mary went to the doorway that separated the kitchen from the living room. Tony sat on the edge of the sofa and stared at the sleeping baby. Bewilderment radiated from him, reminding her that he’d been thrust into this drama as unexpectedly as she had been.

“Tony,” she said softly. “Dinner is ready.”

He looked up at her and his eyes quickly shuttered. He followed her into the kitchen and she motioned him into a chair. The pot of stew was the centerpiece and the slabs of corn bread were on the side, along with butter and honey.

“This all looks and smells delicious,” he said.

“Mary knows her way around the kitchen,” Halena replied. She pulled the stew closer to her and began to ladle it into her bowl. “And you, Tony Nakni...what do you know about life?”

He looked at her grandmother in surprise. She’d asked him a question he didn’t seem to know how to answer.

“Grandmother, behave yourself,” Mary said with a small laugh.

“I’m old enough that I don’t have to behave myself anymore,” Halena replied. “I’ve earned the right with age to do and say what I want. If I wish to dance naked in a rainstorm, I will. If I decide to wear a winter hat in July, it’s okay. And that’s that.” She looked at Mary and then at Tony, as if daring either one of them to disagree with her.

“And that’s that,” Mary agreed with amusement.

Tony’s eyes lightened and his lips twitched, as if he was controlling a smile. He filled his bowl and then slathered a piece of corn bread with butter.

It was the first hint of a smile she’d seen since he’d arrived here earlier in the day. She wasn’t sure she wanted to see a real smile. She remembered when he’d come to visit with Amy those couple of times and how that expression had lit up his face and created a warmth in her...a warmth she had no right to feel. She still didn’t have that right.

“Do you have any idea where Amy might be now?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I know she was living in Oklahoma City and I’m hoping she’s still somewhere in that area,” he replied. “She doesn’t have any relatives that she ever mentioned. I know her parents are dead.”

“They were both addicts,” Mary replied. “When we were young, Amy spent most of her time at my parents’ house. She was like an adopted daughter to my mother and father and then to my grandmother.”

“She was broken as a child and she’s still broken,” Halena said. “Why would you choose to date a woman with such problems?”

Mary knew the answer. Amy was beautiful, and when she was clean and sober, she was effervescent and funny and loving. Any man would be drawn to her.

Tony set down his spoon and met Halena’s gaze. “When I first started dating her, I had no clue about the demons she was fighting. I made it clear to her from the very beginning that I wasn’t looking for marriage and I had no wish for children. She told me she was on the same page as me and we were both just enjoying each other’s company. It was only as the relationship went on that alarm bells began to ring in my head.” He frowned and looked beyond Halena’s shoulder to the window, as if he was reluctant to say anything bad.

“She started lying to you,” Mary said softly. “And she became unreliable. She didn’t show up where she was supposed to, and when pressed about where she was, she became combative.”

Tony looked at her in surprise. “Yes, exactly.”

“I love Amy like a sister, but I know the pattern. I only hope she didn’t use during her pregnancy,” she replied.

Tony’s eyes widened. “Do you think it’s possible that she did? Maybe I should make an appointment for the baby to see a doctor to make sure everything is okay.”

“That might not be a bad idea,” Mary agreed, although during the hours she’d been with Joey she hadn’t seen anything that concerned her.

“And while I’m at it, I’ll have Dr. Rivers do a paternity test.” Tony’s cheeks flushed with faint color.

That might not be a bad idea, either, Mary thought, although she didn’t say it aloud. Just because Amy had told her that Tony was the father didn’t necessarily make it true.

“You make baskets,” he said, as if eager to change the subject.

“We make traditional items to honor our heritage,” Halena replied.

“It’s what I do for a living,” Mary said. For the next twenty minutes as they ate, she told him about Mary’s Choctaw Culture Inc., the business that had paid her bills for the last ten years.

In turn he talked about his life and work on the Holiday ranch and it was obvious by his tone that he loved what he did and had a fierce allegiance to Cassie Peterson—big Cass Holiday’s niece, who now owned the ranch.

They had just finished eating when Joey cried out from the living room. Tony shot a frantic look at her. It would have been easy for her to take the burden off him and go attend to the little guy, but she met his gaze levelly.

For now they had to function on the assumption that he was the father, and if that was the case, then Tony needed to step up and take responsibility, no matter whether he’d wanted children or not.

“Why don’t you go tend to him and I’ll clear the dinner dishes,” she said.

“And I’m going to write a blog about tornadoes and tin men,” Halena announced as she got up from the table and headed out of the room.

Tony looked at Mary curiously. “Don’t ask,” she said.

It was only when he left the kitchen that Mary realized his presence in the house had her just a bit breathless. It was ridiculous how acutely aware of him she had been while they’d eaten.

He not only had a strong and handsome countenance, but he also had hands that were big and capable, with calluses that proved he was a hard worker.

Halena’s outlandish comments during the meal had made him laugh out loud twice and his laughter had been deep and rich, and invited anyone around him to join in.

She finished up in the kitchen and went into the living room. Joey was in the bouncy chair on the floor facing Tony, who sat on the edge of the sofa and dangled a colorful plastic ring of keys in front of the baby. Joey kicked and waved his hands with a happy smile on his face.

Tony’s features held a combination of quiet horror and awe. He looked up and smiled as she entered the room. It was a smile that pooled a touch of unwanted heat in the pit of her stomach.

“Are all babies this happy?” he asked as she sat next to him.

“I’m certainly not an expert on the matter, but yes, I would guess that most babies are naturally happy as long as they have a full tummy and a clean diaper.”

She should have sat in the chair across from him. She should have never sat next to him, where she could smell his evocative male scent, where his energy seemed to wrap around her and leave her with that breathless feeling once again.

“I haven’t been around any babies before,” he said as his focus once again returned to Joey.