Beneath the Stetson(48)
Cade did as he was told, leaving Bailey and Gil to face each other. She felt self-conscious about being seen by club members, given their location. When Gil smiled at her, though, all that faded away.
He reached out to touch her, but apparently thought better of it at the last minute, because he retracted his hand. “I want to kiss you, but I don’t want to embarrass you,” he said.
“It is a fairly public spot. Maybe later?”
“No maybe about it.” His gaze roved her face, his eyes burning with hunger. “I didn’t sleep worth a damn.”
“Me either.”
They stared at each other.
He raked a hand through his hair. “I want us to talk. Tonight. Serious stuff.”
“Sounds scary, but okay.”
“When you bring Cade home this afternoon, stay for dinner.” He paused, a spark of devilment in his brown eyes. “And breakfast. You can stay in the guest room if it will make you feel better. But you should know that Cade sleeps like the dead.”
“Won’t it look odd if I bring a suitcase with me?”
“Throw a few things in a shopping bag. He won’t pay any attention, I promise.”
Joy bubbled in her chest. There was no mistaking his meaning. This was as good as a declaration. “In that case, I’d love to come.”
He glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to get going. You’ll be okay with him? If he gets too rowdy, time-out usually works.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.”
Bailey held Cade’s hand as his father backed out of a parking space and drove away with a wave. She glanced down at her charge. “You ready to eat?”
Cade nodded enthusiastically. “I’m starving.”
* * *
The kid could put away a lot of food. After consuming a full-size hamburger and a mountain of ketchup-laden fries, he declared himself ready for dessert.
“What does your father allow you to have?”
“Two scoops of ice cream with chocolate sauce and one cherry.”
“A man who knows his own mind.”
Cade cocked his head. “What does that mean?”
She grinned. “It means you are definitely your father’s son.”
* * *
After a brief rain shower that left the air sticky and the ground damp, the skies began to clear. Out at McDaniel’s Acres, Cade was in his element. He had grown up on a ranch, so much of the activity was familiar to him. But because Chance’s place was geared toward tourists, there were extras to entertain a young boy. Pony rides, a miniature rodeo-themed playground, and best of all, a new litter of puppies out in the barn, just begging for someone to play with them.
Fortunately the little canines were old enough to be away from their mother some of the time. Cade sat entranced, holding two of the six in his lap. They were mixed breed, part hound and part terrier.
For a young child, Cade was remarkably patient. He stroked their ears and talked to them with such sweetness that Bailey was hard-pressed not to get teary-eyed. She’d never been allowed to have pets as a child. A moment like this was one she would have treasured.
Cade looked up at her. “Which one is your favorite?” he asked, very serious.
Bailey studied the pups carefully. “That one,” she said. “The smallest one with the black patch on his ear.”
“He looks like a pirate.”
“I agree. If he belonged to me, I think I’d call him Captain Jack.”
“Do you have any pets, Miss Bailey?”
She shook her head. “I have to travel a lot for my job, and it wouldn’t be fair to leave an animal at home alone.”
Cade looked up at her with his trademark grin. “Whenever you’re at my house, I’ll share my pets with you. I have two dogs and a hamster.”
“That’s a very nice offer.”
“Dad told me before he left today that he asked you to come to dinner at our house tonight.”
She gnawed her lip. “Yes.” She wasn’t sure she was ready for this conversation.
“Do you like him?”
It was ridiculous that she felt her cheeks warm. “Of course I do. Lots of people like your dad. He’s a nice man.”
Cade rolled his eyes, looking like one of the precocious kids from the Disney Channel. “Miss Bailey, you know what I mean. Do you want him to be your boyfriend?”
She squatted beside him, hands on her knees. “I thought we talked about this.”
“I’m not asking for a new mom. I just want to know if you like him.”
The kid should be a lawyer when he grew up. She studied his innocent face, his features so like his father’s. “Some subjects are for grown-ups, Cade. It’s not that I don’t want to answer your question. But what you’re asking me is a private thing. Between your dad and me. Do you understand?”