The Maverick's Ready-Made Family Page 9

  Daisy Mae remained where she was for a few minutes, catching her breath after the arduous process while her foal struggled free of the birth sac. Then the new mother climbed to her feet and the cord broke naturally.

  “So far so good,” Antonia whispered.

  “She’s got herself a beautiful little filly,” Clay said.

  “She is beautiful, isn’t she?” But she continued to hold her breath, waiting and watching while the placenta was delivered and Daisy Mae cleaned up her baby. But it wasn’t until the foal stood up on her spindly legs and began suckling from the mare’s teats—and Daisy Mae let her—that Antonia fully exhaled a sigh of relief.

  “They’re going to be just fine,” Clay said, his words echoing her thoughts.

  She nodded and touched her lips to his cheek. “Thank you.”

  His gaze locked with hers, the depths of his dark eyes swirling with something that she refused to let herself think could be desire. But she couldn’t deny the desire that was pumping through her own veins, and she cursed herself for giving in to the impulse—and for wanting so much more.

  He lifted a hand to her cheek, his touch both warm and gentle, but then dropped it away again and took a step back. “You should go get some sleep.”

  She was exhausted. Now that the excitement was over, every drop of adrenaline had drained away and fatigue washed over her like a wave. Unfortunately, sleep wasn’t an option right now. “It’s almost time for me to get breakfast started.”

  “Put some boxes of cold cereal and a gallon of milk on the table,” he suggested.

  “Yeah, that would go over well,” she said dryly.

  Clay shook his head. “Have you always been this stubborn?”

  “I have a job to do and people counting on me to do it.”

  “And who do you count on?”

  She blinked, startled by the question. “What do you mean?”

  “Have you ever let anyone do anything for you?” he said again. “Or have you always been so fiercely independent?”

  “I hardly think independence is a character flaw,” she countered.

  “Prove it,” he said. “Put someone else in charge of breakfast this morning.”

  “Peggy already does everything else, my father can’t cook, Ace is too stubborn to even try, Hudson would make the effort but the results would not be pretty, and Jonah’s arm is in a sling.”

  Unable to counter any of those arguments, he only shook his head. “Promise me you’ll get some rest after breakfast.”

  “I promise I’ll get some rest after breakfast.” She started to turn away, then turned back to him. “Maybe I do like to stand on my own two feet, but I don’t always like to stand alone, and I appreciate that you were there for me last night.”

  “I don’t want your gratitude,” he told her and took a step closer.

  Her brain was fuzzy with lack of sleep and her head was spinning because that was the effect his nearness had on her. But there was something in his eyes, something dark and unfathomable that didn’t just make her head spin but her body ache.

  She swallowed. “What do you want?”

  He reached out and tucked a strand of hair that had come loose from her braid behind her ear. His fingertip traced the outer shell, and all of the hormones flooding through her system went on high alert. Then his hand dropped away and his lips twisted in a wry smile.

  “Never ask a question if you aren’t prepared to hear the answer,” he told her.

  It sounded like good advice, but in that moment, Antonia couldn’t even remember what the question had been. And it wasn’t even that she wanted an answer, she just wanted.

  But she recognized the futility of wanting what she couldn’t have, and she turned away and headed back to the main house.

  Chapter Seven

  Antonia managed to drag herself through the rest of the day, and the three-hour nap that she stole after lunch went a long way toward restoring her equilibrium. Of course, she also made a few treks down to the stables just to confirm that Daisy Mae and her baby were still on track. And each time she stood looking at the mare and her foal, she couldn’t help remembering the arduous process of Maisy Rae’s birth—and the unexpected comfort of having Clay by her side.

  She hadn’t needed anyone to keep her company any more than Daisy Mae had needed help giving birth, but it had been nice to have him there. She remembered him asking if there was anyone she counted on. The truth was, she tried not to rely on anyone but herself. That way, there was little chance of being let down by someone else’s actions—or inactions.

  By Friday, she felt fully recovered from her all-nighter in the stables and was looking forward to spending the day with Bennett.

  She took him to the stables in the morning, to introduce him to the new foal, then around to the paddocks to visit some of the other horses. Antonia had been advised to curtail a lot of her usual activities, so she tried to compensate for the lack of physical labor with moderate exercise. She figured hiking over the fields with a sixteen-pound baby strapped to her back was pretty good exercise.

  By the time they returned to the house for lunch, they were both hungry and tired. Bennett had some rice cereal, pureed peas and a little bit of applesauce. Antonia was desperately craving a bowl of chocolate cherry ice cream, but she forced herself to eat a turkey sandwich first.

  When the baby finally went down for his nap, she decided she should pay some of the bills that had started to pile up again. At least this time they weren’t unpaid because of a lack of funds but simply because she’d been having too much fun hanging out with Bennett to think about such mundane tasks.

  She was at the computer, inputting numbers onto a spreadsheet, when there was a knock at the door. As rare as it was for anyone to stop by the office during the day, it was even rarer for anyone to knock before entering. But the real surprise came when she recognized the unexpected visitor.

  “Mrs. Traub. Hello.”

  “Hello, Antonia.” The older woman’s smile was warm and friendly as her gaze shifted to the clutter spread across the desk. “Am I interrupting?”

  “I’m happy to be interrupted,” Antonia assured her. “Although I’m guessing that you came to see Bennett rather than me.”

  “Bennett is here?” The little boy’s grandmother seemed startled by that fact.

  Antonia faltered, wondering if there was any particular reason that Clay hadn’t told his mother about their arrangement or if he just hadn’t had a chance. But he certainly hadn’t told her not to say anything and, in any event, she had no reason to lie to Ellie.

  “My brother Jonah has been laid up with a broken collarbone, so I’ve been taking care of Bennett on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays while Clay helps out on the ranch.”

  Ellie smiled. “I’ll bet Clay jumped at the chance. Not that taking care of a baby didn’t keep him busy enough, but I suspected that he would miss the ranching. And I know he’s felt torn about his decision to come to Thunder Canyon rather than stay at home to work—as if Bob doesn’t have enough hands with four other sons.”

  Then she spotted the playpen in the corner, and moved toward it. “There he is,” she murmured softly. “I can’t believe it—it’s been less than a week since I last saw him, and he looks as if he’s grown so much.”

  “He’s got two teeth now,” Antonia told her.

  Ellie sighed. “I hate not being there for every little milestone.”

  “We have one room available in the boarding house right now,” she offered.

  The older woman chuckled softly. “As tempting as that is, I don’t think either of my sons would appreciate having me underfoot, so I’ll just have to content myself with occasional visits.”

  “Do you want to wake him up?”

  “Goodness no,” Ellie said, firmly but quietl
y. “I had half a dozen children myself, and I learned early on to let sleeping babies lie.”

  Antonia smiled. “Did you want a cup of coffee then?”

  “Do you have decaf?”

  “Of course.” She turned on the transmitter that was set up beside the playpen and picked up the receiver. The kitchen was only at the back of the house, close enough that she would probably hear the baby when he awoke, but the monitor made her feel a little more comfortable about being out of sight.

  Antonia made a fresh pot, then poured a cup of coffee for each of herself and Bennett’s grandmother and put out a plate of homemade cookies.

  Ellie waited until Antonia had taken a seat at the table before she said, “You haven’t asked why I made the trip from Rust Creek Falls just to see my grandson.”

  “I didn’t realize that was the only reason for your trip, but even so, I’d imagine that missing Bennett is reason enough.”

  Ellie smiled. “And you’d be right. But there was also another reason for this trip. I wanted to see you.”

  “Me?” That revelation was an even bigger surprise than finding the woman at her door, and one that made her immediately wary.

  “When I met you last week, I couldn’t help but notice that Bennett seemed quite attached to you,” his grandmother noted.

  “He comes here for breakfast and dinner almost every day,” Antonia explained. “So I’m a familiar face to him—and one that he associates with having his tummy filled.”

  Ellie smiled. “That might be part of it,” she acknowledged. “But I don’t think it’s the biggest part.”

  Antonia didn’t know what to say, so she picked up a trail mix cookie and nibbled on the edge of it.

  “Has Clayton told you much about Bennett’s mother?”

  “No, not really.”

  It was her hesitation as much as her response that warned Ellie she would have to tread carefully. While she could—and did—respect the young woman for not wanting to indulge in gossip about her boarder, she needed to figure out if her instincts about Antonia were correct. If they were, Ellie could go back to Rust Creek Falls with at least one less worry.

  “So you probably know as much as I did when she showed up at his door with the baby,” Ellie confided. “I’d never even met her before that. Of course, Clay had rarely ever brought any of his girlfriends home—told me that meeting the parents sent the wrong message.”

  “Sounds like my brother Hudson. All charm, zero commitment.”

  “That’s about right,” Ellie agreed. “Or so I thought until Bennett came along.”

  “No one could ever question his commitment to his son,” Antonia assured her.

  “I would hope not.” Ellie sipped her coffee, hesitant about revealing information that wasn’t hers to reveal. On the other hand, she felt strongly that Antonia had a right to know the truth about Clay and Bennett’s situation. “Did you know that he tried to file a missing persons report when Delia left?”

  Antonia shook her head.

  “He contacted a friend of his in the Rust Creek Falls Police Department, but the officer told Clay that just because he didn’t know where Delia had gone didn’t prove she was missing.

  “So he hired a private investigator to find her. Despite the letter she left, he was certain something must have happened to her, because he didn’t believe that any woman would willingly walk away from her baby.”

  “I have trouble imagining it myself,” Antonia admitted.

  Before Ellie could say anything else, a soft babbling sound came through the monitor, and she felt as if her heart actually swelled in her chest. “Bennett’s awake.”

  Antonia nodded.

  “Can I go get him?” she asked, already halfway out of her seat.

  The younger woman nodded. “Of course.”

  By the time Ellie reached the playpen, she saw that Bennett wasn’t just awake but had rolled over and had a soft plastic block in his hand.

  “Well, look at you,” she said.

  And he looked up in response to her voice and gave her a droolly grin.

  “And look at those two big teeth.” She reached into the playpen and lifted him into her arms. “You’re going to be ready to chomp on some of D.J.’s famous ribs pretty soon, aren’t you?”

  But for now, Bennett shoved the corner of the block in his mouth and chomped down on it.

  Ellie continued to talk to the baby while she changed his diaper, having found the well-stocked bag conveniently stored beside the playpen. And when he was clean and dry, she carried him back down the hall. She saw Antonia at the stove, stirring a big pot of something on the stove. She heard, rather than saw, the back door open and then Clay walked into the kitchen as if he felt very much at home there.

  She didn’t fail to notice that Clay’s eyes lit up when he saw Antonia, very much like Bennett’s did. And when Antonia looked up and smiled at him, Ellie was fairly certain she could feel the crackle of electricity in the air.

  It was obvious to her that Antonia was more to both Clay and Bennett than just someone who put meals on the table. It was equally obvious that none of them had yet realized it.

  And while she didn’t like to interfere in the lives of her grown children—at least not too much, she couldn’t help thinking that both Clay and Antonia could use a little nudge in the right direction.

  “Something smells good in here,” Clay said.

  “I made a pot of beef stew to combat the gray and dreary day.”

  “My stomach is already grumbling.” He snatched an apple out of a bowl on the counter and bit into it. “Bennett still sleeping?”

  “No, he—”

  “Just woke up,” Ellie interjected, carrying the baby into the room.

  Clay lifted a brow as he finished chewing. “Do I dare ask what you’re doing here?” Though his tone was wary, he dutifully crossed the room to kiss her cheek, then nuzzled the baby’s.

  “I didn’t come to check up on your brother or you,” she assured him.

  “Then why did you come?” he asked, though not unkindly.

  “Partly for a baby fix and partly to check out Jason and Joss’s new place since we can’t be there for the grand reopening tomorrow.” And partly to check out the new woman in your life, though she was hardly going to admit that out loud.

  “Dad’s with you?”

  “He dropped me off on his way into town to see Frank Cates about getting some new bookshelves built for the living room.” She glanced at her watch. “But he should be back soon and then we’ll be out of your hair.”

  “You’re welcome to stay for dinner, if you like,” Antonia said. “And if you don’t mind sharing a table with a bunch of hungry cowboys.”

  “That’s incredibly gracious of you,” Ellie said, “especially considering that we showed up on your doorstep without any invitation or warning. But I have a better idea. Jason promised to let us sample some of the new menu items at The Hitching Post tonight, so why don’t you both join us there?”

  Her son had always been sharp, and she felt his gaze narrow on her now.

  Antonia seemed more startled than suspicious. “Thanks,” she said. “But someone has to serve dinner to the cowboys.”

  “Clay?” Ellie prompted.

  “Since I’ll get a firsthand look at the new menu tomorrow, I think I’ll stick around here for beef stew tonight.”

  She didn’t have to feign her disappointment, because his response meant that she wouldn’t get to spend that extra time with her son and her grandson. But she did have to hold back her jubilation, because his decision confirmed that her instincts regarding her Clay and Antonia were on target.

  Now if only they could figure that out.

  * * *

  Antonia was putting together a shopping list after break
fast Saturday morning when Clay came into the kitchen. He and Bennett had shown up for breakfast much earlier than usual that morning and hadn’t lingered after the meal, so she was more than a little surprised by his return now, especially since he didn’t have the baby in tow.

  “Where’s Bennett?”

  “Down at the stables with Forrest.”

  She smiled. “He’s a cowboy just like his daddy, isn’t he?”

  “He does like the horses,” Clay agreed. “But I’m not quite ready to saddle up a pony for him yet.”

  “Don’t blink,” she warned. “Or he’ll be saddling up his own before you know it.”

  “Yeah, that’s what my brother Dallas keeps saying.”

  “He has kids?”

  “Three sons—nine, seven and five.”

  “Wow, the Traub boys are soon going to take over the whole state of Montana.”

  “There’s definitely no concern about the family tree withering,” he agreed. “But I didn’t come up here to talk about genealogy.”

  “Why did you come up here?”

  “To ask you if you had any plans for tonight.”

  Her heart did a funny little skip, and she immediately chided herself for the reaction. After all, it wasn’t as if the man was going to ask her out on a date.

  “Nope, I’m free,” she said casually. “What do you need?”

  “Well, Forrest ran into Jason in town the other day and committed both of us to attending the grand reopening of The Hitching Post tonight.”

  She’d heard about the event, of course, even before Ellie had mentioned it the day before. It was all anybody was talking about in town, and since Jason Traub—Clay and Forrest’s cousin—now owned the place, it made sense that they would want to be there.

  “It sounds like it’s going to be a really big to-do,” Antonia acknowledged.

  Clay nodded. “Forrest and I figured we would head into town around seven.”

  “And you want me to look after Bennett,” she guessed.

  He seemed startled by her assumption. “Actually, I was hoping you might want to come with us.”