Teresa Southwick - From Maverick to Daddy

“Mallory Franklin. I’m his paralegal. And this little girl is Lily. My niece. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Same here.” Caleb took the slender hand she held out and his own seemed to swallow it.

He was certainly no stranger to meeting women; it happened to him on a regular basis. But this was different. She—Mallory—was different. Her auburn hair was long and shiny, spilling past her shoulders. Warm brown eyes met his and he saw easy laughter there. What was it about the combination of features that made him want to charm her straight into his bed?

There was a thought Caleb wanted to put out of his mind. He didn’t see a ring on her left finger, but that didn’t mean anything. Her niece was probably adopted and he wondered why Mallory was taking care of her. There could be a husband, and marriage was a sacred line he didn’t cross. Even if she wasn’t, a woman with a child was a complication he didn’t need.

“So, you’re here to see Ben?” She looked at their joined hands and he realized he was still holding hers.

With a fair amount of reluctance he loosened his fingers. “Yeah. I’m taking him out for a beer.”

“Good. He works too hard and needs to relax.”

“That’s what my mother says.”

“I’m guessing you’re going to Ace in the Hole?” One of her auburn eyebrows lifted.

“It’s the only place in town. And I really mean that.”

“I like that Rust Creek Falls is small,” she said.

“It is that.” Instead of being grateful that he hadn’t met her sooner, the reminder of how small the town was made him wonder where she’d been. He refused to even add all my life. “You’re new here.”

“I moved here in January.”

Since it was now August, that meant she’d been there almost seven months. “How is it I haven’t seen you around?”

“I’m guessing Bee’s Beauty Parlor and the doughnut shop aren’t at the top of your list of places to hang out.”

“Good guess,” he admitted.

“What about church?”

“I go when I can. Work on the ranch keeps me busy, but on Sundays when I can’t get away, I look at the mountains, trees, falls and that’s my place of worship. It’s prettier and more fitting than the inside of a building.”

“I can’t argue with that.” She tapped her lip and a sly look turned her eyes the color of melted chocolate. “You probably don’t get over to the elementary school much, either.”

“Nope. Once a year when everyone in town pitches in to get it ready for opening day is about the only time.”

“I like that small-town spirit. Lissa Roarke captured it in her blog and caught my attention. It’s one of the reasons we moved from Manhattan. It’s a wonderful place to visit, but I grew up and lived most of my life in Helena.”

“A Montana girl.” He wasn’t sure why that should please him, but it did.

“Yes, sir. So raising Lily in the city didn’t seem best.”

“Do you miss it?”

“Excuse me. Twenty-four-hour takeout,” the little girl chimed in. “I miss fast food whenever I want it. And Central Park.”

He hadn’t been aware she was listening. In fact he’d all but forgotten she was there. “Yeah, that’s a problem. What about you, Mallory?”

“Multiplex movie theaters,” she said dreamily.

“Museums,” Lily added.

“Montana has been an adjustment for her. It was awfully quiet at first but she’s getting used to it.”

“I have a friend.” The little girl smiled. “And I like cowboys. I want to learn how to ride a horse.”

“I rest my case,” Mallory said. “All indications are that we made the right decision moving here.”

His father appeared in the doorway to the reception area, then walked over to join them. “Caleb, sorry to keep you waiting.”

“No problem, Dad.” They shook hands.

Ben Dalton was roughly six feet tall, the same height as Caleb. They had the same blue eyes and folks said their hair was an identical shade of brown before the older man’s began to show silver. Folks also said Caleb got his good looks from his dad and a little too much charm from his mother’s side of the family.

“I see you’ve met Mallory and Lily.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Best paralegal I’ve ever had.” The older man nodded approvingly.

“It’s nice of you to say so,” she said, a becoming pink flush spreading over her cheeks.

“Not nice at all,” he protested. “Honest-to-God truth. You’re a valuable asset to this office and I appreciate all your hard work.”

“And I appreciate having a boss who understands and respects family obligations. Being able to leave at five o’clock every day to pick up Lily from day care is really important to me.”

“I was informed in no uncertain terms that the office was closed.” Caleb looked at the clock on the wall that said it was half past six. “All evidence points to a boss who’s a slave driver.”

“Mallory graciously offered to stay,” his father defended.

“It was an emergency,” she said. “Besides, Lily isn’t in school right now and Cecelia Clifton was watching her and offered to drop her off here.”

Caleb began to doubt that Mallory was married because it sounded as if there wasn’t a husband to pick up the slack. But that was not his problem and none of his business. “So, you ready to go, Dad?”

“Just let me shut down the office. I’ll be back in a minute. Mallory, go home.”

“Yes, sir.”

Caleb watched Lily close her book and climb down from the big chair to stand by her aunt. The way the little girl tucked her hand into Mallory’s tugged at something a little empty inside him.

“I’m glad we finally met,” he said. “And your niece shows a lot of promise as a sentry. No one gets past her. You’ve done a great job with her.”

“And she did it all by herself. She doesn’t have a husband,” Lily volunteered cheerfully. “But I think maybe she’d like one. Maybe a cowboy.”

Mallory looked horrified. “Lily—”

“Okay, son. Let’s go get that beer. Will you lock up, Mallory?” His father rounded the corner like the cavalry coming to the rescue.

Caleb wasn’t about to ignore a diplomatic exit strategy when he saw it. He put his hat on, touched the brim respectfully toward the two ladies, then followed his father out the door.

He’d done his fair share of dating and then some. He’d gone out with blondes, brunettes, redheads and women whose hair was every shade in between. Ladies with blue eyes, green, black and brown had flirted and cozied up to him.

His brothers would laugh him off the ranch if he said it out loud to them, but meeting Mallory Franklin had felt like a lightning strike. No woman had ever had that effect on him before and he didn’t much care for the fact that this one did. He could deal when there was a ghost of a chance that she was married, but now he knew for sure she wasn’t and it was a problem. Not only was there no husband, she was looking for one.

Then again, soon enough someone in Rust Creek Falls would clue her in that Caleb Dalton wasn’t marriage material.

* * *

Mallory wished she could get the look of panic on Caleb Dalton’s face out of her mind. Clearly, escaping from her as quickly as possible had been his top priority. That was several hours ago; she and Lily had come home to their three-bedroom house on the southeast corner of South Broomtail Road and Commercial Street. It was after dinner, so the two of them were in the middle of the bedtime routine. Still, every time she remembered this child telling him she’d like a husband, Mallory wanted the earth to open and swallow her whole.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

She looked at the little girl, blow-drying her thick, straight black hair after her shower. This child had been placed in her care by a cruel twist of fate, making Mallory a mother. Lily hadn’t come with a set of instructions or a how-to manual. There needed to be a discussion about what she had said, but Mallory didn’t want to make her think she’d done something wrong or stifle her natural enthusiasm and spontaneity.