Judy Duarte - The Cowboy's Lullaby

He wanted to suggest she go back and put on a robe, but wouldn’t. No need for her to suspect the kind of effect she had on him.

“Good morning,” the housekeeper said, her voice as tight as the rubber band in a cocked and primed slingshot. “Now that you’re up, I’ll put on a pot of coffee and whip up some breakfast.”

“Thank you,” Chloe said. “I’m not much of an eater in the morning, but I’d love a cup of coffee.”

When they were alone, Jake set his bags on the floor and crossed his arms. It was time to lay it on the line, to find out what Chloe’s thoughts were about all of this and what he was up against. “I imagine that you aren’t any happier about things than I am.”

Chloe met his stare, lifting her chin a little. “You’re right.” She wasn’t at all pleased about leaving her dance studio and relying on someone else to look after her rental properties. And she wasn’t especially comfortable living in someone else’s house and having a live-in housekeeper/cook, either.

Mrs. Davies was nice enough, but she had an innate way of lifting her nose and arching a brow whenever Chloe did or said anything she considered unconventional. And since Chloe never paid much attention to social mores, the older woman’s nose and brow seemed to be in constant motion.

Then, to make matters worse, she had to deal with a man who was too conservative for his own good, a man she suspected would try to control her every chance he got.

She strode toward the cream-colored leather sofa and sat on the armrest. “But do you know what? If I had asked Desiree to make a sacrifice for me, she wouldn’t have thought twice about doing so.”

Jake didn’t respond.

“And whether you believe it or not,” Chloe added, “Desiree would have done the same for you.”

“We weren’t that close,” he said.

“I know. And I’m sorry for your loss. It was huge.”

He studied her for a moment with those baby-blue eyes that suggested a softness she doubted he had. “You’re probably right about that.”

His agreement took her aback, and she tucked an unruly strand of hair behind her ear.

“What did she tell you about me?” he asked, watching her intently. Too intently.

“Not much. Just that you reminded her of your father, a man she adored. And that she’d give anything to make you feel comfortable enough to visit the ranch more often.”

“I was busy.”

“She’d said that, too.”

He shifted his weight to one foot. “I made it for Christmas and holidays. It’s not like I was a complete stranger.”

Token visits, Desiree had told Chloe. And if she’d ever had any regrets about her marriage to Gerald Braddock, it was the fact that she’d unintentionally caused a rift of sorts between father and son.

“What else?” Jake asked.

“Actually, we didn’t discuss you all that much. I’d heard you were driven. And stubborn. But that you were handsome, too. Is that what you meant?”

He squirmed a bit at the physical description, which she couldn’t help spouting, even though it hadn’t really come up. But since Desiree had said he looked like his father, and Gerald Braddock was a gorgeous older man, Chloe had put two and two together.

However, her addition had come up short. She hadn’t realized just how attractive Jake was. How appealing she might find him. Or how she might, under different circumstances, be tempted to…well, maybe not pursue him romantically. But flirting was always fun.

She’d learned early on that men like him weren’t the kind to pin her heart on. Of course, she wasn’t sure just what type of man was the kind she could trust for the long haul.

“For what it’s worth,” Jake said, “I don’t know what negative things Desiree may have said about me, but I’m not a bad guy.”

Not entirely, Chloe supposed, but Desiree must have had a good reason not to give him full custody of Brianna.

“You don’t believe me?” he asked.

“Sure I do.” She tried to force sincerity into her smile, yet a veil of skepticism slid over his angular face.

He didn’t object, which she appreciated. She wasn’t up for a confrontation until after she’d had her morning coffee.

Still, her temporary housemate could be considered eye candy, with dark curly hair that brushed his collar, a complexion that suggested some Latin blood and eyes the color of Mission Bay.

Too bad he was so stuffy.

A rebellious spirit she sometimes used as a defensive ploy swept over her, and she decided to flirt and make him squirm—a game she’d played for years. Of course, she’d only mess with him like that when Brianna wasn’t around.

Before she could conjure a teasing remark, Barbara entered the room. “Coffee’s ready.”

“Good.” Chloe slid from her seat on the armrest and followed the housekeeper back to the kitchen.

She’d have to put the flirting on hold for the time being and take care of her morning caffeine addiction.

Yet, in spite of her craving for a hot cup of java, she glanced over her shoulder, only to find Jake rooted to the spot in which she’d left him, eyes locked on her. Or rather on her fanny, since his gaze had to travel upward to meet hers.

Apparently, she would be able to tease him without even trying, and a grin tugged at her lips. “Are you coming?”

“Not yet. I’m going to put away my things first.”

“Suit yourself.”

“I always do.”

She nodded, a full-on smile busting free, as she returned to her quest for coffee.

Jake Braddock would be fun and easy to taunt, but he probably wouldn’t be a good sport about it, which meant he was her favorite type of male challenge.

And he’d just thrown down the gauntlet.

Later that morning, after taking a walk out to the barn and talking to the ranch foreman, Jake returned to the house and headed into his father’s office, only to find Chloe seated at the desk, an open phonebook in front of her.

She’d showered and changed. Her hair, once wild and free, had been swept into a twist. And she’d applied makeup, which some women needed but she didn’t. That’s the conclusion he’d easily come to this morning, when he’d seen her fresh out of bed.

She had a wholesome beauty about her. Too bad she didn’t realize a cosmetic company couldn’t bottle and sell what she’d been blessed with.

Her dark pink lipstick had been applied carefully—and thick. She wore it in a way that would definitely smear when a man kissed her. And for a moment he wondered if she did that on purpose. To keep men at bay.

Come here, big boy. But keep your distance .

He leaned against the doorjamb, studying her until curiosity got the better of him. “What are you doing?”

She glanced up. “Checking on something and getting an address. As soon as Brianna finishes her breakfast, I’m going to take her into town.”

“You mean the city?” he asked. Dallas was more than an hour away.

“No. Into Granger. How far is it from here?”

“About ten miles.”

She didn’t seem to be the small-town type. And even though he didn’t like people prying into his life, his plans, he couldn’t help himself from wondering what she was up to. But, hey, that’s only because she wanted to take Brianna with her. “What are you going to do in Granger?”

Her green eyes glimmered like those of a child who’d just been told the bus was heading to Seven Flags Over Texas for the day, rather than school. “I’m going to do some window shopping.”

Okay, so she wasn’t the open and talkative sort. “For what?”

“I’m not sure yet. Let’s just say it’s a surprise.”

Oh, yeah? Jake didn’t like surprises. And it made him suspicious, something else he didn’t like.