Stockyard Snatching. Barb Han

in composure, whereas she was falling apart.

      “None of this seems real,” she said, bile rising, burning her throat. “I think I might be sick.”

      “Take a few deep breaths.” His voice was like calm, soothing water pouring over her.

      She did as he suggested.

      “Better?” he asked.

      “Yes.” She apologized again.

      “Don’t be sorry for wanting to protect your child,” Dallas said. And there was an underlying note in his tone she couldn’t easily identify. Was he a father?

      “You have every right to be upset,” he said.

      “It’s just that I moved here for a safe environment.” And now it felt as if everything in her life was unraveling. Again.

      “Who are you going to call to open the kitchen?” Dallas asked.

      Oh, right. She’d gotten distracted once more. Her mind was spinning in a thousand directions. “Allen Lentz. He’s my second in command and my right hand.”

      Her phone weighed almost nothing and yet shook as she held it. She paused. “You don’t think...?”

      “Get him on speaker.” There was a low rumble to Dallas O’Brien’s voice now, a deep baritone that sent a different kind of shiver racing down her spine—one that was unwelcome and inappropriate given the circumstances.

      Her rescuer’s name seemed so familiar and she couldn’t figure out why. Wait a minute. Didn’t his family own the Cattlemen Crime Club? She’d received an invitation to a Halloween Bash in a few weeks, which was a charity fund-raiser, and realized that she’d seen his family name on the invite.

      In fact, her kitchen was one of the beneficiaries of his family’s generosity. She hadn’t met any of the O’Briens yet. She’d read that they’d lost their parents in an accident a few weeks ago.

      So far, she’d dealt with office staff, even though she’d been told that the O’Briens personally visited every one of the charities they supported.

      She hadn’t expected Dallas O’Brien to be this intense, down-to-earth or staggeringly handsome. Not that she could think of a good reason why not. Maybe since he’d grown up with money she’d expected someone entitled or spoiled.

      And yet now wasn’t the time to think about how off her perception had been or that her pulse kicked up a few notches when he was close. She chalked her adrenaline rush up to the morning’s events and closed the door on that topic.

      Lack of sleep was beginning to distort her brain. No one had prepared her for the fact that she’d worry so much or rest so little once the baby arrived. No way would she admit defeat to her parents, either. They’d been clear about how much disdain they had for her decision to have a baby alone. Her mother had been mortified when she found out Kate was getting a divorce, so adopting a baby by herself was right up there on the list of ways she’d let her mother down.

      Kate had expected her mom to come around once she met Jackson, but was still waiting for that day to happen.

      This battle was hers to fight alone.

      And none of that mattered when she held her little guy in her arms. No matter how tired she might be or how distanced she was from her family, she wouldn’t trade the world for the baby of her heart.

      “Hey, what’s going on?” Allen asked, sounding surprisingly alert for five fifty in the morning. The phone must’ve startled him.

      “I need your help. Can you open the kitchen for me?” she asked, trying to think up a reasonable excuse to sell him. Then she went with the tried-and-true. “Jackson kept me up all night again.”

      “Oh, poor baby. And I’m talking about you,” Allen said with a laugh. He yawned, and she heard the sound clearly through the phone. “His days and nights still confused?”

      “Yes, and I have the bags under my eyes to prove it,” she said, hating that she had to lie to cover what had really happened. Allen had been nothing but a good employee and friend, and she hated deception.

      “No problem. I’ll throw on some clothes and head over,” he said.

      “You’re a lifesaver, Allen.”

      “Don’t I know it,” he quipped. There was a rustling noise as if he was tossing off his covers and getting out of bed.

      “I’ll owe you big-time for this one,” Kate said.

      “Good. Then get a babysitter for Friday night and let me take you out to dinner.” He didn’t miss a beat.

      Out of the corner of her eye, Kate saw Dallas’s jaw muscle clench. She couldn’t tell if his reaction was good or bad.

      “I don’t know if I’ll be in today,” Kate said awkwardly. She quickly glanced at Dallas, realizing that she needed to redirect the conversation with Allen. “The Patsy family’s donation should hit the bank today. Would you mind watching for it and letting me know when it arrives?”

      “Got it,” he said. “And don’t think I didn’t notice that you changed the subject.”

      “We’ve already gone over this, Allen. He’s too little to leave with a sitter,” Kate said quietly into the phone. Her cheeks heated as she talked about her lack of a life in front of a complete stranger, and especially one as good-looking as Dallas.

      “That excuse doesn’t fly with me and you know it,” Allen said flatly.

      Kate had no response.

      “Fine. At least take me as your date to the Hackney party next weekend,” he offered.

      “I’m skipping that one, too. Can we talk about it later? I’m too tired to think beyond today,” she said, then managed to end the call without any more embarrassing revelations about her life. The truth was her perspective had changed the instant Jackson had been placed in her arms. There was no man worth leaving her baby for, even for a night.

      “Is he usually so...friendly?” Dallas asked.

      “I stay out of my employees’ personal lives,” she said, hating the suspicion in Dallas’s voice. “There’s no way Allen would do anything to hurt me or Jackson.”

      “I take it there’s no Mr. Williams to notify?” Dallas asked.

      Clearly, he’d picked up on the fact that she was single. She’d listened intently for condemnation in his tone and was surprised she didn’t find a hint. She’d expected to and more after cashing out her interests in the tech company she and her brother had started together and moving to a small town. If her own family couldn’t get behind her choices, how could strangers?

      “No. There isn’t. Is that a problem?” she asked a little too sharply. Missing sleep didn’t bring out the best in her, and she’d been only half lying about not sleeping last night due to Jackson’s schedule or lack thereof. At his age, he took a bottle every four hours, day and night.

      “Not for me personally. The sheriff will want to know, and I’m taking notes to speed along the process once we go inside.” Dallas motioned toward the small notepad he’d taken out of his pocket.

      “Oh. Right.” As soon as Jackson was old enough to take care of himself—like, age eighteen—Kate planned to stay in bed an entire weekend. Maybe then she’d think clearly again. Heck, give her a hotel and room service and she’d stay there a whole week.

      “Where’s the father?” Dallas asked, still with no hint of disapproval in his voice.

      “Out of the picture.”

      There was a beat of silence. “Ready to go inside and talk?” he asked at last, his brow arched.

      “Yes. I’ll just get Jackson from the backseat,” she said defensively. There was no reason to be on guard, she reminded