The Cowboy's Secret Baby

He set his hat back farther on his head. “The Cozy C has always been a refuge to me. When I was a kid and things weren’t going right, I could come out here to the horses. I could take walks through the fields. I could go on a hike through the hills.”

The anxiety Marissa had felt driving out here became palpable, tightening a fist around her heart, making it hard to swallow. But she managed to say, “If you think I’m going to let Jordan come here and live with you, you’re wrong. He’s my son, Ty. He needs me.”

“Calm down,” Ty assured her gently. “Of course he does. I’m not suggesting Jordan come live here. I’m suggesting the two of you come live here. Think about it. It certainly would help you with expenses. You could save money for Jordan’s future.”

She was already shaking her head.

He cupped her shoulders so she’d look at him. “You kept Jordan’s birth from me. I’ve lost fourteen months with him. Don’t you see I want to know Jordan in a real way, not just sometimes, now and then, here and there?”

Looking deep into Ty’s blue eyes, she tried to see the truth. Although Ty’s rodeo days were over, would he really stay? Yes, he was committed to revamping the Cozy C. He seemed committed to his uncle. But could she trust him? Could she trust him to be the dad he wanted to be? Could she trust him not to just run off again, chasing some other dream?

“I was going to ask Jase for a raise and find a new place,” she admitted.

“Ask him for a raise. I’m sure you deserve it. But as far as finding a new place... Think about the Cozy C. We have plenty of room here.”

“Once you start taking on guests, everything will change.”

“Sure, there might be people around,” he said. “But the nature of the ranch won’t change. Wouldn’t it be good for Jordan to meet people from all walks of life? Wouldn’t it be good for him to have me and Uncle Eli around him? We’re family, Marissa, whether you like the idea or not.”

Did she like the idea? “Your uncle might not want us around.”

“You seem to get along with him. That’s a feat in itself. He has his own set of rooms. He can be private when he wants to be private. I talked to him about it before we came out here. He’s open to it, Marissa. I want you to be open to it, too.”