Cathy Thacker - A Baby in the Bunkhouse

Joy bubbled up inside her. “I could keep Caitlin with me at all times?”

“Absolutely. We’d see you had everything the two of you need.”

We. Abruptly remembering the Lost Mountain Ranch was jointly owned and operated, Jacey bit her lower lip. “What about your son? How is Rafferty going to feel about this?” Initially, he hadn’t wanted her on their property at all.

Eli regarded Jacey with a look that told the new mom that her instincts were right—her presence as ranch cook wasn’t something Rafferty would desire.

“You leave that to me,” Eli said.

“I DON’T CARE how providential it seems. Taking the job as the Lost Mountain Ranch bunkhouse cook is a mistake,” Mindy told Jacey as she dressed her baby girl in her pink-and white going-home-from-the hospital outfit. “Because you know exactly what’s going to happen.”

Jacey wrapped Caitlin in a matching baby blanket. “I’ll save money for a fresh start?”

Mindy swept a hand through her cropped brown hair and turned her laser-sharp brown eyes to Jacey. “You’ll get too comfortable. Before you know it, you’ll be settling for what’s convenient and easy again, rather than holding out for what you really want.”

Jacey handed Caitlin over to her older sister. As always, Mindy was nicely dressed, in an elegantly tailored shirt and slacks. “Look, I know you love me…” she began.

Mindy cuddled her niece with familial love and tenderness. “And Caitlin, too.”

“And want only the best for me,” Jacey continued, wishing her big sis were a lot less protective, now that they were both grown-up and headed down different paths.

Mindy exhaled, exasperated. “I’m just telling you what Mom would have said if she were here.”

Their late mother, Jacey was fairly certain, would have understood. After all, Karol Lambert had made her own share of sacrifices as she struggled to support herself and two small daughters after her husband died.

But figuring it would do no good to say that to Mindy—who had reacted to their beloved mother’s death, when Mindy was nineteen and Jacey was eighteen, by focusing solely on setting goals and achieving them—Jacey kept quiet. Instead, she slipped into the adjoining bath to put on the gray and pink warm-ups she intended to wear.

“You need to call Cash, tell him you and the baby are in trouble,” Mindy said.

Eager for the time she’d actually be able to go out and run again, Jacey put on her socks and athletic shoes. Finished, she marched back out to confront her sister. “First of all, I’m thirty-one years old. I can make my own decisions. Second, I don’t have a clue where Cash is. And third, you know very well that he doesn’t want to be involved.”

Mindy frowned. “Caitlin is his baby!”

Jacey exhaled slowly and counted backward from ten. “Not in any way that counts,” she argued.

Mindy’s jaw dropped.

Wondering why her sister was so flummoxed—certainly not from the same old disagreement they’d been over countless times in the last nine months—Jacey pivoted in the direction of Mindy’s gaze. Suddenly, she understood. Rafferty Evans was standing in the doorway, bigger than life. Her eyes drifted over him as shock set in. She thought he had looked good rescuing her and delivering her baby. It was nothing compared to the way he looked this afternoon in a dark brown leather jacket, light blue shirt and jeans. His thick brown hair had been cut since she’d seen him last. The clean, rumpled strands were an inch and a half in length, slightly wavy.

“Well, this explains part of it anyway,” Mindy drawled.

Figuring it would do no good to tell her sister the situation wasn’t what it seemed, Jacey turned her attention to Rafferty.

Reassuring herself she was immune to his studly presence, she demanded, “What are you doing here?”

His mesmerizing eyes kept more private than they revealed. “I heard you needed a ride back to the ranch.”

Her heart beat rapidly for no particular reason. “Your father said he was going to do it.”

He sauntered in, the fragrance of soap and man clinging to his clean-shaven jaw. “That was when your projected release time was this morning.” Steering well clear of Mindy and the baby, he lounged against the wall and shrugged his broad shoulders. “When it turned out to be later, I got tapped. He had an appointment with his rheumatologist in Fort Stockton this afternoon, although he’ll probably be back at the ranch by the time we get there.”

“Oh.”

Mindy handed Caitlin back to Jacey. As soon as the transfer was accomplished, she made a beeline for Rafferty and shook his hand with the intimidating air Jacey loathed. “I’m Dr. Mindy Lambert, Jacey’s sister.”

“She’s currently finishing up her residency in El Paso,” Jacey put in.

“I’m studying psychiatry,” Mindy stated.

“Fortunately, I don’t let her practice on me,” Jacey said.

Rafferty laughed.

It was, Jacey decided, a beautiful sound.

“I’d advise you to do the same,” she continued dryly.

Rafferty nodded, not the least bit intimidated. “So noted.” He looked around. “Listen. If you’re not done with your visit…”

Mindy held up a hand. “Actually, I’ve got to get back to El Paso. I was trying to convince Jacey to come home with me, as originally planned. But since she’s refused, I’ll just have to keep tabs on her and Caitlin another way.”

Jacey rolled her eyes. “You really need to work on that overprotectiveness. You should probably see someone.”

“Ha-ha.” Mindy watched as Jacey settled Caitlin in the Plexiglas nursery bed.

“Seriously, thanks for coming over.” Jacey embraced her sister. Despite their differences, they loved each other dearly. “I know how hard it is for you to get away.”

Mindy returned the embrace warmly. “I’d do anything for you. You know that.” Mindy drew back to look into her eyes. “You call me as often as you can and let me know how you’re doing. Promise?”

Jacey nodded, her throat thick with emotion. “Promise,” she said huskily.

Mindy bent and kissed her niece goodbye, then headed out. Jacey was so busy watching her sister go, she forgot for a moment they weren’t alone.

“So, who’s Cash?” a low male voice asked from behind her.

Jacey turned. Rafferty was standing next to the window, one shoulder braced against the glass, his arms folded in front of him. He looked sexy and indomitable. “You heard that?”

“Couldn’t help it.” Undisguised interest lit his handsome face. “And you didn’t answer my question.”

Jacey began gathering up the rest of her things. She folded them neatly and put them in her overnight bag. “He’s a friend of mine, who donated the sperm for my baby.”

Rafferty narrowed his eyes. “You talking literally?”

“It was done in a doctor’s office, if that’s what you’re asking.” She could tell by the way Rafferty was looking at her that he was thinking back to the conversation they’d had during her delivery, about the baby’s daddy—or lack thereof. “Cash and I agreed from the outset that he would not be responsible for this child.” There were, in fact, legal documents verifying this.

Rafferty stepped closer. Arms still folded in front of him, he looked down at the sweetly sleeping Caitlin. “So he’s never even going to see this baby?” He looked stunned.

Jacey inhaled. “I’m sure he will at some point.”

“But you’ve got no plans—”

“To call him? I don’t even know where he is right now. Last I heard he was headed for the wilds of Alaska to do some dogsledding.”

Rafferty regarded her, an increasingly inscrutable expression on his face.

The unexpected intimacy of the conversation left her feeling off kilter. Heart pounding, Jacey picked up her baby and held her close to her chest. “Let me guess. You don’t approve.” If so, he wasn’t the first, and she was sure, he wouldn’t be the last.