The Texan's Surprise Son

“One horse. Amigo. I keep my working horses at the Roughneck and ride there. Amigo is retired. He was my first horse when my mom married Brock. I take him out about once a week for old time’s sake.”

She tilted her head. “A retired show dog and a retired horse?”

“What can I say? I have soft spot.”

“That’s nice.” The warmth in her voice was a pleasant change.

“Cody can ride Amigo if he’d like.”

“No riding.”

“Not tonight,” he agreed. “Another day.”

“He’s too little. And horses run off.”

Well, that didn’t last long. Mariana was back to bearing her mother-grizzly-bear teeth.

“Amigo’s crippled in his back legs and couldn’t run off if he tried. A slow walk is the most I can get out of him.”

“Absolutely not,” she stated firmly.

For some reason, her bossy attitude rankled Jacob. Cody was his son. Didn’t that give him say in what the kid could and couldn’t do?

Jacob opened his mouth to speak, then promptly shut it. The feelings to nurture and protect that had started yesterday while at the Roughneck were growing stronger and stronger. He had a responsibility, and he’d assume it gladly and without reservation. But shouldn’t he also feel love? An automatic and unbreakable bond between the two of them like the one Luke shared with Rosie?

Jacob studied Cody, who was still lavishing affection on Buster, and guilt pricked at him. This was the child he’d fathered. What was wrong with him?

Maybe they just needed more time together. The idea made sense. A lot of sense.

The three of them returned inside after a short walk around the yard. Jacob won back some lost points by having a large grassy lawn that Mariana proclaimed was perfect for playing.

“I could install a swing set,” he suggested.

“When he’s older.”

Of course. Why had he even asked?

She was a puzzle, and he found his attention drifting away from Cody and toward her. She wore another suit, except this one had pants rather than a skirt. Too bad. Jacob was a confirmed leg man, and despite the stress that marked their initial meeting, he’d noticed her legs, which were long and shapely enough to appear in a bathing suit ad.

He’d like to see her in a bathing suit. A bikini. Maybe one day soon he could suggest they all three go swimming at the Roughneck. The pool was heated year-round.

On second thought, she probably wouldn’t allow Cody within a mile of the pool. Not unless it was drained of water.

Inside, Mariana offered to wash the dishes. “It’s only fair since you cooked.”

Jacob saw an opportunity and took it. “Great. Cody and I will get acquainted.”

“O...kay.”

Before she could protest, Jacob took Cody into the family room. Buster and Cody both, that was. The kid wouldn’t go two feet without the dog.

There, Jacob sat on the couch and called Buster over. His ploy worked. Cody came, too.

“Watch this,” he said and waved his hand in front of Buster’s face. It was a technique he used to get the deaf dog’s attention. “Green ball.”

Instantly, Buster dashed over to a wicker basket in the corner of the room filled with dog toys. He stuck his nose in the basket and came up with a bright green tennis ball, which he brought back to Jacob.

Cody stared in amazement.

“That’s nothing,” Jacob said and told Buster, “monkey.”

The dog dashed off again to the toy basket and brought back a stuffed monkey with one arm and one eye missing. Buster was a little hard on his toys.

“Okay, here we go.” As Cody watched, Jacob set both the ball and the monkey on the floor in front of Buster. The dog sat and stared intently but didn’t move. “Buster, if I say three, you pick up the ball. If I say four, you pick up the monkey. Ready?”

Thump, thump, thump. The dog’s wagging tail hit the floor.

“Seven, nine, one, sixteen, twelve.” Jacob looked at Cody and winked. The boy couldn’t count, but he seemed entertained. “Ten, four.”

Buster snatched up the monkey in the blink of an eye.

Cody burst into laughter.

“Good dog.” Jacob patted Buster’s head. “Tell him he’s a good dog.”

Cody patted Buster as Jacob had done and said, “Good dog,” over and over.

A tug pulled at Jacob’s heart. It was admittedly tiny, but definitely there and something to build on.

He showed the boy a few more of Buster’s tricks, finishing with a display of Buster’s vocalizing abilities.

“Say hello,” Jacob commanded, and the dog yowled comically.

“That’s amazing,” Mariana said.

Hearing the warmth in her voice, Jacob glanced up. The matching warmth in her expression had him unable to stop staring. She was more than pretty, she was compelling, and the effect she had on him was potent.

“I can’t take any of the credit,” he said. “My friend trained him.”

She came over and petted Buster. “I bet he was something to see.”

“If you go onto YouTube and search his name, you’ll find a few videos from his heyday. They’re fun to watch.”

“I just might do that.” She moved to the couch and sat next to Jacob. “We can’t stay much longer. Cody’s bedtime is eight.”

“Thanks for bringing him by.”

“I think it went well.”