The Cowboy's Way

“I did offer to let them off, but they preferred me paying them double time for working this weekend,” he said, unaware of her thoughts. “So don’t worry about the horses until your men get back on Monday. I’ll have one of mine go over there again tomorrow and Sunday to take care of them.”

“That isn’t necessary,” she insisted. “I’ll do it.”

He stubbornly folded his arms across his broad chest and shook his head. “You need to take it easy for a couple more days and make sure you’re completely over the flu before you start doing anything too strenuous. You won’t be doing yourself or your little boy any favors if you’re in the hospital with pneumonia.” Something in his tone, as well as his body language, told her than he was determined to have his way in the matter.

Just as determined to have her own way, she shook her head. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

“That’s what you said last night and this morning,” he remarked. “I wouldn’t consider barely having enough strength to stand doing all that great.”

He probably had a point, but she hated to admit that he was right, almost as much as she hated that she found him so darned good-looking.

“Why do you care?” she asked bluntly. Apparently the flu had removed some kind of filter in her brain. She was unable to keep from blurting out whatever she was thinking.

His easy expression changed to the dark scowl she was more used to seeing from him. “Having the flu isn’t something you should take lightly. It can have serious complications. I’m just trying to make sure you’re around to raise your little boy, lady.”

She knew he was only doing what he thought was right, but it had been a very long time since anyone had cared to lend her their assistance or show they were concerned for her well-being. Even her late fiancé’s parents had severed all ties with her when their son died. And they hadn’t bothered contacting her since, even knowing she had been pregnant with their grandchild. That’s when she had decided she didn’t need them or anyone else. She was a strong, capable woman and could do whatever had to be done on her own.

Shrugging, she stared down at the clothes in her lap. “I’m sorry if I sound ungrateful,” she said, meaning it. “There’s no excuse for my being rude. I do appreciate your help. But I’ve taken care of Seth since I came down with the flu and I’m doing a lot better now. I know I’ll be fine.” She looked up into his hazel eyes. “Really.”

“I respect your need for independence,” he said, his tone less harsh. “All I’m trying to do is help you out for a couple more days. Rest up here, at least until tomorrow. I’ll have one of my men go over to your place, then all you’ll have to do when you get home is take care of yourself and your little boy.”

It was obvious he wasn’t going to give up and she wasn’t up to a full-scale verbal battle. And honestly, it would be nice to not have to take on everything all by herself for once.

“All right,” she finally conceded. “One of your men can take care of the horses for me tomorrow, but now that the road is clear there’s no reason for us to stay here and inconvenience you any longer.” She pointed toward the bathroom door. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to take a shower and get dressed so we can go on home. Seth and I have taken up enough of your time and generosity. Besides, we’ll both rest better in our own beds.”

She could tell Malloy wanted to say something about her insistence on going home, but Seth chose that moment to rouse up and start crying. Normally a sound sleeper, he could snooze through just about anything at home. But now that he was unfamiliar with the surroundings, their arguing had obviously disturbed him.

“It’s all right, sweetie,” she said, getting out of the chair. When she walked over to the bed to pick him up, she discovered that it took more effort than usual.

“Here, let me help,” Malloy said, stepping forward to pick up her son.

To her surprise when Seth recognized who held him, the little traitor laid his head on the man’s shoulder and smiled at her.

“Did you give him his medication?” she asked, feeling like a complete failure as a mother. She had slept while a total stranger fed, changed and apparently bonded with her child.

Malloy nodded. “I read the dosage on the bottle’s label and gave the antibiotic to him right after breakfast and then again after lunch.”

“You seem to know a lot about taking care of a child,” she commented, wondering if he might have one of his own. She felt a little let down that he might have a significant other somewhere, but she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why.

“I have a ten-month-old nephew and a six-month-old niece,” he answered, as if reading her mind. “But other than watching their parents take care of them, I’m a trial-and-error kind of guy. That’s why I had to change this little guy’s sleeper and my shirt after lunch.” Malloy grinned. “I tried to let him feed himself and quickly learned that was an error.”

Heather smiled at the visual image as an unfamiliar emotion spread throughout her chest. There was something about a man being unafraid to hold and nurture a child that was heartwarming.

Not at all comfortable with the fact that the man drawing that emotion from her was T. J. Malloy, she asked, “Would you mind watching him for a few minutes while I take a quick shower?”

“Not at all,” he said, shaking his head. “Take your time. You’ll probably feel a lot better.”

“I’ll feel better when we get home.” She stared down at the jeans and sweatshirt she still held. “Seth is going to need diapers and we both need clean clothes.”

“Not a problem,” Malloy answered. “I had one of my men drive up to Stephenville this morning to pick up a few things I thought you would need. I had him get both of you a change of clothes, as well as diapers and some kind of little kid food.”

“How did he know what sizes to get?” That explained where Seth’s new pajamas came from.

“I told Dan to take his wife along for the ride.” Malloy looked quite pleased with himself. “They have three kids under the age of five and I figured if anyone would know what you both needed, it would be Jane Ann.” He pointed toward the dresser. “Your clothes are over there in the shopping bag.”

“I’ll reimburse you for everything,” she said, thankful to have clean clothes to put on after her shower. “Do you still have the sales slip?”

“No, I don’t and no, you won’t pay me back,” he said, firmly.

“Yes, I will.” She didn’t have a lot in reserve and hoped it didn’t cost much, but she did have her pride. She wasn’t the gold digger her fiancé’s parents had once accused her of being when she’d called to let them know about Seth’s birth. And besides, considering her past with Malloy, she wasn’t inclined to have him complaining about some other way she’d been negligent.

Malloy released a frustrated sigh. “We’ll discuss it later.”

“You can bet we will,” she vowed.

Deciding there was no reasoning with the man at the moment, Heather tugged at the shirt she was wearing to make sure it covered her backside as she got the bag of clothes from the dresser, then walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

When she looked in the mirror, she groaned. Her long hair resembled a limp mop and other than the few freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheekbones, she was the color of a ghost—and a sickly one at that.

But as she continued to stare in the mirror, the weight of reality began to settle across her shoulders like a leaden yoke. A shower and clean clothes could make her feel a little better physically and T. J. Malloy could offer as much neighborly help as he wanted, but nothing could wash away the worry or the hopelessness she faced when she returned home.

Unless something miraculous happened between now and the end of the January, she and her son were going to be homeless. And there didn’t seem to be a thing she could do to stop it from happening.

* * *

When Heather went into the adjoining bathroom and closed the door, T.J. sat down on the rocking chair with Seth and released the breath he had been holding.

What the hell was wrong with him? The woman looked thoroughly exhausted, was just getting over the flu and, without a shadow of doubt, was as irritable as a bull in a herd full of steers. So why was he thinking about how sexy she looked wearing his shirt? Or how long and shapely her legs were?

Earlier that morning, he had damned near dropped the breakfast tray he had been carrying when she opened the door. She hadn’t bothered with the top couple of buttons on the flannel shirt he’d given her to sleep in and he’d noticed the valley between her breasts. What was worse, she had been too ill to even try to be enticing and she had still managed to tie him into a knot the size of his fist.

“You’re one sick SOB, Malloy,” he muttered, shaking his head.

As he sat there trying to figure out what it was about her that he found so damned alluring, he frowned. He wanted her out of his hair as much as she wanted to leave. So why did he keep insisting that Heather needed to stay another night? Why couldn’t he keep his mouth shut, help her get her son buckled into his car seat and wave goodbye as they drove away?

Looking down at the little boy sitting on his lap, T.J. shook his head. “Be glad you’re too young to notice anything about girls. They’ll make you completely crazy with little or no effort.”

When Seth looked up at him and grinned, T.J. suddenly knew exactly why he was being overly cautious about them leaving. He couldn’t stop comparing Seth’s situation with T.J.’s own as a kid. Every child deserved to have their mother with them for as long as possible, and although Heather was clearly over the worst of her illness and thought she was ready to go home, he wanted to make sure there was no possibility of a serious complication. If she had her hands full taking care of a kid and a ranch while she continued to recover that would increase the chances of her having a relapse—or worse.

“I’m just trying to keep your momma upright and mobile for you, little guy,” T.J. said, smiling back at the child.

The little copper-haired boy on his lap gave him a big grin and patted T.J.’s cheek as he babbled something T.J. didn’t understand. He figured Seth was thanking him for taking care of his mother and an unfamiliar tightening filled T.J.’s chest. As kids went, Heather’s was awesome. Friendly and well-behaved, Seth was no problem to watch and if he ever had a kid, T.J. wanted one just like him.

He gave Seth a hug. “I’ll make sure to see that you’re both taken care of so that you can be together a long time.”

He had a sneaking suspicion there was more to his interference than that, but he wasn’t going to delve too deeply into his own motivation. He wasn’t sure he would be overly comfortable with what he discovered. Hell, he still wasn’t comfortable with the fact that he found his nemesis even remotely attractive.

The sudden crack of thunder followed closely by the sound of rain beating hard against the roof caused T.J.’s smile to turn into an outright grin. “It looks like Mother Nature agrees with me about the two of you staying put,” he said, drawing a giggle from Seth.