Her Baby Dreams

The woman was a real dynamo. Who’d ever have believed it! When she’d dived, despite her obvious apprehension, every cowboy around him had hollered and cheered. Dan had a feeling she’d accomplished her mission. He was proud of and relieved for her at the same time.

And he was off the hook…

Despite the tensions between them, he was compelled to speak to her. To let her know he thought she’d done well—even though he didn’t think she’d care what he thought. He made it to the end of the stairs and was waiting a few feet from the exit as the ladies filed out. Ashby was at the tail end of the line. Her face was smudged with stuff he was quite certain she was trying hard not to think about. But her eyes were sparkling. Dan liked that.

Several of the single gals flirted with him on their way past. Beth Clark stopped to talk. She was excited and laughing, and he couldn’t help but smile back at her. She was a pretty woman, though some would say her chin was too strong. Dan was looking at the life in her eyes. He’d seen her at the shelter, helping out a few times when he was there, so he knew she had a good heart. She was going to make some cowboy a lucky man one of these days.

Beth was still talking when Ashby came through the gate. Not wanting to be rude, he placed a hand on Beth’s arm, halting her words momentarily with his touch.

“So how’d that feel?” he asked Ashby. She paused, her eyes meeting his, then flicking to Beth and back again.

“It was interesting.”

The surprise in her voice made him grin. “Told you it would feel good to loosen up.”

She tensed at his words and her eyes darkened. “Yes, you were right,” she said, then turned and walked away.

Chapter Four

“Hey, Ash, wait up, would you?” Having finally gotten through the crowd, Dan reached her just as she opened her car door. She was looking at the interior with a perplexed expression, as if it had just dawned on her that she had a problem. Knowing her the way he thought he did, Dan figured she probably hadn’t realized the state she’d be in coming out of that arena. Not that everyone had suffered the misfortune that she’d had, landing in that specific patch of dirt.

“What do you want?” She shot him a glare.

“Hold on to your bonnet. I didn’t mean anything by what I said back there. I come in peace.”

Her expression remained tense, but the hostility in her eyes eased as her gaze shifted from him to the inside of her T-Bird.

“How about I give you a ride into town? You can get cleaned up and come back for your car later tonight.” Her look turned skeptical. “Or tomorrow,” he amended. “You can get someone else to swing you by.”

She sucked in a deep breath. “I’ll mess up your truck.”

“Naw, you can ride in the truck bed.” When alarm flared in her eyes, he chuckled. “Just kidding. My truck’s built to handle the worst and keep on going. I’ll just take a hose to the floorboards and some soap and water to the seat.”

She stared at her car again. Dan took in the plush carpet lining the floor and the sporty bucket seats that were half cloth and half leather. “Those cow patties you rolled in aren’t going to come out of that cloth anytime soon. If ever.”

“I know. I’m a mess.”

It suddenly hit him that she sounded depressed. He’d first thought it was because she was less than happy at seeing him, but now he wasn’t so sure. He looked closer.

“Are you okay?”

Her lip trembled. “I smell like an outhouse. I don’t know what is in my hair and—” She clammed up suddenly but her lip still trembled.

That did it. Dan reached around her and picked her purse up off the seat. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”

She didn’t move, just stared at him. He held in a frustrated breath. “Look, I know you don’t have a stellar opinion of me, but unless you have a better offer, I’d suggest you take me up on this one.” Well, that was a low blow. But she was being obstinate again. Just as she’d been the day of the bike race. Without waiting for her, he closed and locked her door and headed across the parking lot toward his truck.

When he reached it, he set her purse inside on the console and waited as she approached, almost dragging her feet. She really was a mess. It was going to take a gallon of heavy-duty cleaner to restore his truck after he dropped her off at her apartment. Still silent, she eased into the seat with a squish. She closed her eyes as the scent filled the interior of his truck.

“If they’d warned me about what was mixed in with the dirt after a rodeo, I would never have done this.”

Dan chuckled, pulled the seat belt out and reached across her to buckle her in. She looked a little too shaken to manage it herself. The smell was worsening. He patted her knee before he closed the door. “Tomorrow you’ll be glad you did it.”

He was smiling as he hurried around to his side of the truck. She might be as prickly as a porcupine, but she sure had been something tackling that pig.

And he knew he wasn’t the only cowboy who’d noticed.

Ashby had never been so relieved to see the big Victorian where she rented a small apartment come into view. Dan’s kindness in the face of her dilemma had surprised her. She guessed she really was too much of a city girl to have realized she would be such a mess when the pig scramble was concluded.

Somehow, most of the others hadn’t seemed to be in such a hideous state. Just her luck.

Dan whistled as he drove her into town, but didn’t try to talk, almost as if he knew she needed time to wind down.

“Here you go,” he said, pulling into the driveway. “Anything else I can do for you?”

What did he mean by that?

“Don’t look so horrified. I only wanted to know if you needed me to hose you down in the backyard, or help you pull off those boots.” He grinned, and in the light of the dash, she could see his eyes twinkling.

“Thank you, but I’m fine.” Ashby climbed stiffly out of the truck and gasped when she looked back at the seat.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get this cleaned up the minute I get home.”

That was the most optimistic thing Ashby had heard all day. She nodded. “Well, thanks again for the ride. Good night.” The mortification of the entire evening was rapidly collapsing in on her. She closed the door and hurried toward the apartment house. She’d just stepped onto the sidewalk when Dan called her name. She turned to find him watching her through the open window.

“Sweet dreams, Ash. You did good.” He tipped his hat, then drove off.

She watched his taillights until they disappeared, reminding herself that the man had charming women down to a science. She could not let a nice gesture and a couple of kind words get to her.

Dan was trouble. He couldn’t be trusted. Men like him could appear sincere when it suited them. With a simple smile they could draw women like the proverbial moth to flame. Steven’s charm had worked the same way. She had believed every word of his lies until she’d found him kissing his secretary. Yes, charm was shallow. Men like Steven couldn’t be trusted and she’d do well to remember that every time Dan opened his mouth.

Easier said than done, Ashby thought the next morning as she looked up from her sweeping to see Dan sauntering down the sidewalk toward her. He was smiling that slow, easy smile of his, and though she’d been avoiding meetings like this for the past month, etiquette required her to stand her ground today, given his courtesy the previous night.

“Mornin’, Ash,” he drawled, coming to a halt a few steps away from her. “Letting your hair down agrees with you. You’re looking as pretty as an apple blossom this morning.”

Ashby’s pulse skipped. This wasn’t a personal observation, it was just Dan. He’d been at the candy store and he had probably spent thirty minutes flirting with all the ladies who worked there. It was a usual stop for him, but he didn’t have her fooled—no one ate that much candy.

“Good morning,” she said, her hands tightening on the broom. Her resistance was irrational today and she knew it. The man had given her a ride home when, frankly, no one else had come near her—with good reason! She’d almost cried when she’d seen herself in her bathroom mirror last night. “I hope your truck is okay today.” She had awakened feeling totally embarrassed about the entire evening before.

“It’s good. Told you it would be.” He leaned forward and inhaled deeply. “You smell much better today.”

Ashby felt her cheeks warm. From embarrassment, plain and simple.

He grinned and wiggled the bag in front of her. “Would you like a piece of candy?”

Okay, so maybe he really did have a sweet tooth, and he wasn’t just over there flirting. The ladies from the women’s shelter, who ran the store, did make some of the best confections she’d ever tasted. And it wasn’t her business, anyway, what this man did and didn’t do.

“No, thank you,” she managed to reply. “I wanted to thank you once more for your help last night.” She resumed sweeping, hoping he would pass on by.