The Cowgirl's Little Secret(25)

The sommelier arrived and served their wine with no fanfare. He'd obviously picked up on their mood. Their waiter slid in right behind him, efficiently depositing their salads and moving away without a word.

Cord sipped his wine, watching her over the rim of the crystal flute. She sat so rigid her muscles were almost spasming. Her hands were hidden in her lap, but he'd lay odds they were clasped tightly together. He wanted to gather her into his arms, kissing her until she let go, until she admitted he was right. He wanted her, dammit. And CJ. They could be a family. He was positive of it. He just needed Jolie to understand. And to agree. He reached into his jacket pocket and fingered the velvet box hidden there. He'd hoped to convince her they could be a family, and he'd taken to carrying the ring as a good luck charm. And if he were honest, he'd admit he was considering proposing tonight, if things went his way.                       
       
           



       

All he had to do was chip away at her anger. He'd already breached her defenses where making love was concerned. She desired him as much as he wanted her. He had her body. Now he wanted her heart, and he'd solemnly promised himself he'd take far better care of that treasure than he had the first time. Once Jolie agreed to marriage, they were a done deal-one Cyrus had no control over.

He swallowed his anger with the next sip of wine and allowed a fleeting smile to show as she attacked her salad, stabbing innocent greens with a fork. Cord was positive she was picturing that fork buried over and over in his chest. Setting his wine aside, he picked up his fork and ate calmly, a counterpoint to her frenzy she wouldn't appreciate. That was all part of his plan. He had to keep her off balance to get what he wanted. Her. CJ. A life and family together.

"Can we talk about Thanksgiving, Jolie? Why don't you and CJ come out to the ranch? Cassie and Miz Beth are pulling out all the stops so we can have a real family get-together. If you're worried about my old man, don't be. As soon as Cassie started organizing a family dinner, he made plans to fly to Vegas. He'll be at the Crown Casino for the long weekend."

He offered what he hoped was a disarming grin. "Heck, Clay is coming into town for it. He's bringing his speechwriter to work on campaign stuff, but he'll be there. Cassie even managed to lure Chase back to town, assuming he doesn't back out at the last minute." He watched her but couldn't decide her mood.

Jolie paused in her chewing to offer him another glare before returning her gaze to her plate. He leaned over the table and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial undertone. "Don't tell anyone, but I think Cyrus is actually afraid of Cassie." He bit back laughter when she glanced up, startled. He winked and continued, "I know the rest of us are. As for Cyrus, Cash thinks he has a showgirl on speed dial, and with Chase back here for Thanksgiving, the old man will have free rein."

A busboy appeared and whisked their used plates and utensils away while refilling water glasses. Moments later, the waiter arrived and served their entrées. The man waited stoically while he and Jolie sampled a taste and nodded their satisfaction. Cord bit back a sigh. He would have taken her to Cattlemen's for dinner, but this was her sort of restaurant, and honestly, he wanted to impress her. Just because he preferred jeans and boots didn't mean he couldn't dress up. Like all the Barrons, he could move in what he called the silk-panty social circles. The Barrons commanded incredible wealth. J. Rand Davis did, too. Hell, the man had written a check for half a million dollars to Cord's sister-in-law, drawn on his personal account. Cord was still chapped that J. Rand had warned him away from Jolie that day.

He didn't like where his thoughts were headed, so he reined them in and concentrated on the problem at hand. Jolie continued to eat, ignoring him again. He was tired of playing that game. "What happened to you?"

Her head snapped up and she glared at him. Her "laser death stare" was probably lethal to anyone but him. He thought the look was adorable, but he hid his smile.

"What happened to me? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I think you do." He leaned forward again and this time dropped his voice to a husky whisper. "What happened to the cowgirl who used to ride bareback and take her horse swimming in the lake? Where's the girl who sat in the bleachers cheering me on at the rodeo?"

Her face paled, but she held his gaze. "You, Cord. That's what happened to me. You walked in, told me you were done and walked out. That girl no longer exists."

Jolie's words sliced his heart as she'd meant them to. He bit back the retort forming on his tongue, breathing through the emotional pain as he continued to watch her. As he knew she would, she dropped her gaze. Neither of them truly had the high moral ground in this thing between them. "That's too bad. She was special."

He reached for the wine bottle and refilled their glasses. Jolie gulped hers, looking for liquid courage. He sipped again, needing to keep his wits about him. He'd worked too hard to nurture the tiny sprouts of feelings she'd developed for him to ruin it by snapping back at her. He'd already done damage tonight with his sharp retorts, which became obvious when he watched her eyes skitter back and forth as she looked anywhere but him. He softened his voice to add, "She still is."                       
       
           



       

"What are you doing, Cord?"

"Trying to talk to you. About CJ. About us."

"I don't want to talk."

He took another sip of wine, watching her, assessing her mood. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"We've been over this."

"Yes. And you still haven't been honest with me."

Jolie closed her eyes and her shoulders drooped. Cord almost felt sorry for her. He definitely wanted to take her in his arms, hold and kiss her, to tell her how he felt, that everything would be all right, over and over again until she believed him. Instead, he waited-outwardly calm but coiled like a tight spring on the inside.

"It was a one-night stand, Cord. That's all. Payback. I didn't have feelings for you anymore."

"Liar." He smiled when he said the word.

"I didn't," she protested. "And then, bam. Two months later, I find out I'm pregnant. I know how you think. How all of you think. I'm not stupid."

"I never thought you were." His forehead furrowed in consternation. "But I'm confused. What are you talking about?"

"You. Your brothers. How many paternity suits have been brought against you?"

He blinked in surprise. "Me? None. Clay's cleaner than a bottle of bleach. Chance was too careful. Same with Cash." His lips curled into a wry smirk. "Chase, however, has probably made the headlines more than he should. But, sunshine, that has nothing to do with us. With you and me."

"Don't sunshine me." Jolie huffed out a breath that ruffled her bangs. "Still."

"Still what?"

"Just...still. You didn't love me. I didn't want to trap you into a relationship that you'd end up hating me for. Besides, you wouldn't have listened."

His smile disappeared, and he leaned close enough to cup her cheek in his palm. "Do you believe that? That I didn't love you?" Had he never told her? He couldn't, for his life, remember if he had or not. Had she ever said the words to him? To his embarrassment, he couldn't remember that, either. He'd just assumed she knew how he felt. "I did. I do." He shoved his other hand back into his pocket, closing his fingers around the box, but he could already feel the moment slipping away. Until he was fairly certain she'd say yes, Cord was not going to ask her to marry him.

"You're just saying that."

"No, sunshine, I'm not. I do love you. I love CJ, too. I want the world to know he's my son-that we made something special together."

She tilted her head away from his hand, so he dropped it to the table and leaned back. "You need to stay away, Cord."

"That's not going to happen. CJ is mine. No matter what I have to do, I'm going to make sure of that."

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I've been saying all along. I want to be a part of CJ's life. And yours. I want to take care of you both."

"We don't need you to take care of us." Her eyes narrowed in speculation and worry. "Make sure of what? What have you done?" Her face flushed and her hands once again twisted in her lap.

Jolie believed she was always in control of her emotions. Cord knew better. He'd swallowed her screams as she came apart in his arms when they'd made love. He'd absorbed her tears and anger. He'd made her laugh and had laughed with her. She was his everything, no matter what she said.

"Nothing." His gaze never left her face. "Yet. Chance drafted some paperwork. CJ is my son. I want to petition the court to issue an amended birth certificate." He covered her hands with his and she tensed. "You know I want to be his father legally, Jolie. It's for his protection."

She jerked away and scooted her chair back. He tunneled his fingers through his hair. "The accident made me think, sunshine. About the future. About my life. I didn't know CJ even existed, but I do now. I could have died. I want to make sure our son is provided for."