Claiming The Cowgirl's Baby. Silver James

other hands were moving cattle today. They needed supervision, he decided. There was something soothing about pushing cattle, even with the dirt and grit. Kade was good at this job. It settled him. He was desperate for that right now.

      Six hours later, Selena caught him in the barn as he unsaddled his horse. She was full of sass as she stomped toward him, face twisted into her version of a snarl—mostly crinkled nose, pursed lips and narrowed eyes. She stopped several feet from him, planted her fists on her hips.

      “Did you lose your phone?”

      Kade didn’t look up. “No.” He carried the saddle and pad he’d just stripped off into the tack room and returned with a curry brush.

      She opened her mouth to start again, but Kade beat her to the punch. “Don’t want to hear it, Leenie.”

      “Seriously? Then don’t listen. Just stand there and don’t pay any attention to me while I talk.” When he continued brushing the horse, she launched into a speech. “Dude, you do not want to be jacking the brothers around. I know things have been really weird since Mr. Barron died. I mean the Crown B has always been sort of a...a sideline. Oh, sure, Cord was nominally in charge as president of Barron Land and Cattle but that was just a thing on a line of a corporate tax return because we all know he’s into all that oil and gas stuff. You have no idea how excited Pop was when old Mr. B hired you.”

      Her father, Manuel Sanchez, was his ranch foreman now. Leenie and her sister, Rosalie, grew up on the Crown B. He tuned out her voice while he curried the horse. Then he turned his mount out in a big stall and set about watering and feeding the animal. Selena dogged him every step. He finally paid attention again when she grabbed his arm and jerked him around to face her.

      “You could have at least replied to my text so I could tell them what was what so they’d get the heck out of my office. There was so dang much testosterone in the air even Dusty was hiding under my desk. What the heck is going on between you and them?”

      Head lowered, he studied the tips of his boots. “Long story, Leenie.”

      She ducked and twisted so she could look into his face. “They didn’t threaten to fire you or something, did they?”

      How was he supposed to answer that? “Not your business.”

      Leenie straightened and glowered. “Seriously? I work for you, dude. If you get fired, it is most definitely my business. And FYI, they’d be stupid if they did. I grew up on this ranch. I know what it was before. And what you’ve done with it? Absolutely no comparison, boss man.”

      Kade removed his hat and scrubbed his fingers across the top of his head, loosening long strands of his hair. “It’s not my work ethic being questioned.”

      “Then what the heck is going on?”

      “Again, not your—”

      “Business. Yeah, yeah. I call BS. I grew up with those five. Granted, I’m closer to the twins, but Cord and Chance spent a lot of time here too. You can talk to me, Kade. And if I can help, I will.”

      Shaking his head, he stepped around her, though he wasn’t surprised when she pivoted and matched him stride for stride. He halted at the barn door, staring at the demarcation line in the dirt. Where he stood remained in shadow. One step and he’d be in sunlight. Was that a metaphor for something? He didn’t have the energy to be philosophical and he was tired of the emotions bottled up so tightly inside that his whole body hurt.

      “I’m Cyrus Barron’s illegitimate son.”

       Four

      Selena stared at him, her eyes almost as wide as her gaping mouth. “Holy cow. Talk about dropping a bombshell! Do the boys know?” She grimaced and rolled her eyes. “Of course they know. Hence the rugby scrum in the office today. Dang, boss. Talk about a tangled web. When did you find out?”

      “Yesterday.”

      “Wow. Just...wow.” She pushed his arm aside and moved close, her arms snaking around him. “Welcome to the family.”

      That startled him—both her action and her declaration. Leenie laughed and hugged him tighter as he tried to disengage. “I meant that in the figurative sense, not literally. Rosalie and I are sort of...” She smirked before finishing. “Kissing cousins.” Laughing, she added, “Big John caught us in the barn with the twins when we were kids.”

      She turned him loose and stepped into the late afternoon sunshine. “When you’re ready to talk, I’ve got big ears and a closed mouth.” She offered a jaunty wave as she headed back to the office. He started to follow her. He probably had work piled up on his desk but he didn’t want to think about the ranch, the will, the Barrons or anything having to do with his predicament. He turned toward home. And stopped. That was the heart of the matter.

      “It’s just a house,” he muttered, walking forward again. “Just a place where I sleep at night.”

      Not surprisingly, Pippa’s Highlander was gone when he got there. That was a good thing, right? He didn’t want to deal with her, with the inevitable questions she would ask for which he had no answers. He stomped up the stone steps and across the wide porch to his front door. Kade pushed through and stopped. The place was empty—as it was every time he returned. Why it bothered him now, he couldn’t say. He hung his Stetson on the rack next to the door and headed to the kitchen. He’d missed lunch—his own fault. His stomach growled and he felt a little stupid for avoiding the Barrons. He still hadn’t listened to their voice mails on his phone.

      He grabbed a TV dinner and tossed it in the microwave, then popped the top on a long-neck beer. Retrieving his phone, he stared at the number of missed messages. He’d finished the beer by the time the oven dinged. He snagged another beer, peeled the plastic off his dinner and prepared to listen to what the Barrons had to say. He clicked on the speaker icon and opened voice mail.

      “This is Chance. I wish you’d stayed to talk with us, Kade. I know this is a shock. Let’s discuss things.”

      “Clay here. Welcome to the family, Kade. Talk to Chance.”

      “Dude, don’t be stupid, says your big brother Cord. We’re here when you’re ready.”

      “Don’t make me hunt you down.” There was laughter and somebody said Cash’s name. “Seriously, let’s go get a beer, talk about this.”

      “Kade, this is Chase. Bad news, bud. You realize the wives are gonna be all over this. Fair warning. You know where to find me when you’re ready.”

      Huh. Nothing at all like what he’d expected. He knew what the Crown B was worth. Millions. Why wouldn’t they be upset at losing control of that kind of money? Wouldn’t he, if he was in their shoes?

      The messages from the Barrons continued in a round robin, before clicking over to the angry then conciliatory messages from Pippa. A stab of guilt burned in his chest and he glanced at the coffee maker. The note he’d left for her was gone. Yeah. He’d definitely taken the chicken way out of that deal. He didn’t know why he’d kissed her...and more. He swallowed a gulp of beer. He was a guy and Pippa was gorgeous. He’d thought about getting her into bed—and the experience had been everything he could have hoped for. Well, almost everything. He still had a fantasy about her mouth that hadn’t been fulfilled.

      He didn’t bother listening to the rest of the messages. He switched to the number pad and tapped in Pippa’s phone number.

      * * *

      Pippa leaned her head back against the pool lounger and sipped her wine cooler through a straw. “Was I stupid?”

      Her best friend occupied the next lounger, a frozen margarita in her hand. Carrie slurped from her glass. “Are you attracted to him?”

      Tipping her sunglasses to the end of her nose, Pippa glowered over the top of them. “Is this where I say d’uh?”