The Maverick Cowboy(52)

He checked his phone again, squinting against the sun, and saw he had a message. Putting the phone to his ear, he allowed Messi to amble down the side of the hill behind Maria as he listened to Daniel's quiet voice.

"I'm sending Maria's stuff to you. You should get it in a week or so. I . . . guess I should apologize for my behavior last time. I was a complete dick. I just miss Angel so much, and I just can't get my head around loving her, and hating her and-God, Maria-the thought of her. I can't deal with it, you know? I just can't."

There was a long silence and a stifled sob.

"So, yeah, I apologize, and maybe you're right and I should try and see Maria or something. I'll call you again, okay?"

Blue sat up in the saddle and looked down the slope to where Maria was chatting to the mailman and smiling. Crap, he didn't want that drunken idiot within a hundred miles of Maria. What the hell had he been thinking?

He'd call Chase, insist that Daniel only dealt with them through the lawyers, keep him tied up in legalese until . . .

"I got the mail!"

Blue waved to Brian as he got back in his vehicle. "Need any help?"

"No, I put it all in my saddlebag."

"Smart girl. We'll take it up to Ruth, and she can sort it out. You ready to ride the fence line?" He forced himself to smile at her. "It's about time you started earning your keep around here."

She made a face at him, and this time he smiled for real. Whatever it took to keep her safe? He was 100 percent committed to doing it.

* * *

Dinner at the ranch was noisier than usual, as everyone was present including Roy, and there was some major discussion going on about a party to celebrate Maria's upcoming eleventh birthday and her becoming part of the family. Blue was only half paying attention, his mind stuck in a loop about what Daniel intended to do and what he would have to do to protect Maria.

"And Dave said the pig was fine, but I reckon Jenna would've said differently. She's got a real way with those animals, you know?"

Blue looked up. "Why is Dave looking at the pigs?"

Roy shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe Jenna is busy."

"But it's her job to deal with Morgan Ranch."

"Not her official job. She hasn't accepted my offer yet," Chase chimed in.

"You made one?"

"Yeah, last week. Didn't she tell you?"

"She's not telling me a lot at the moment." Blue wiped his mouth with his napkin. "She's still around, right?"



       
         
       
        

"How the hell would I know?" Chase smiled at January. "I have my own woman to take care of. Why don't you know?"

"Because I'm an idiot?"

"True." Chase nodded solemnly.

"She's still here, Blue," January said. "I saw her at Yvonne's yesterday." She hesitated. "She seemed okay."

"Great. So it's just me she's avoiding."

"I wouldn't say avoiding, more like keeping busy doing her own stuff."

Blue raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Yeah, stuff that doesn't involve being around me."

"No, I really think she's trying to work through some personal issues before she has to deal with you. Give her some space, Blue. I'm sure she'll work it out."

He nodded, his gaze drawn to Maria, who was looking downright miserable.

"You okay, honey?"

She jumped and looked away. "I'm just a bit tired."

"You did a lot of riding today. Maybe you need an early night. Want me to come up and say good night when you're settled?"

"Okay."

She slid out of her chair, kissed Billy, and was gone. Blue frowned after her. She'd been quiet ever since they'd returned from their ride together, and he had no idea why. He gave her another half an hour to get settled and then went up the stairs, knocking gently on her door until she told him to come in.

She'd braided her hair and wore one of her favorite rainbow pony T-shirts. The ponies looked nothing like a real horse. Blue was getting used to them, but he had no intention of learning all their stupid names.

"You did good today." He sat on the side of her bed. "We'll make a real rancher out of you yet."

"Marigold is the best horse ever. Much better than Sugar."

"She's perfect for you right now. When you get a bit older we'll choose something with a bit more fire in her."

"But what if I'm not still here?"

"Honey, I thought we'd settled all that. You're here for as long as you want to be because we all love you and you're part of our family."

She bit her lip. "But what if my other dad wants me back?"

Blue went still. "I went and saw him, Maria. All I can say is that if you want to stay here, I'll make sure he can never take you back. Don't worry about it."

She stared at him. "But what if he says he's sorry?"

"Do you think he'll do that?" Blue asked as gently as he could.

"He might."

"If he does then we'll talk to him, okay? But I won't let him take you. This is your home now, and you don't have to have anything to do with him ever again. Period." 

"Okay."

He kissed the top of her head. "Try and get some sleep. It's your birthday in a few days, so you've got to save your energy for that."

"Night, Blue." She reached up and hugged him hard. "I had a lovely day."

He went down the stairs with a sense of something still not being right, of something he'd missed, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. He poked his head into the kitchen and focused on Ruth.

"I'm going out. Can you check in on Maria later? She's worrying about something."

"Sure I will." Ruth nodded. "I thought she was quieter than usual."

"I think she's worried about Daniel snatching her back. I told her it wasn't going to happen on my watch."

"I'll make certain she's settled. You going to see Jenna?"

"I might be."

"Give her my love, won't you, and don't forget to invite all the McDonalds to Maria's party."

"Will do."

"And, BB? Sort things out with her. She's way too perfect for you to lose."

"Yes, ma'am." Blue saluted smartly and left the house. He figured if he just turned up at the McDonalds', Jenna wouldn't be able to avoid him for long.

* * *

"So when will you be coming out here?" Jenna walked back and forth in her bedroom, one finger stuck in her ear as she tried to concentrate on what her mother was talking about. "No, that's fine. I wanted to see you both anyway, so that weekend works perfectly. Yeah, you can stay here with Ron and Amy."

Her mother talked on and she half listened as the gleam of headlights swept around the drive and a truck rumbled to a stop in front of the house.

"Okay, then. I have to go. Let me know your exact arrival time, and we'll take it from there. Love you both."

She peered closer at the truck and her heart gave a little bump as she recognized the lean-muscled shape of Blue Morgan striding up to the front door. She clutched her cell to her chest so hard that it slipped out of her grasp and clattered to the floor.

She wasn't ready to see him yet. She had a plan and everything and-dear God, was that him knocking at her bedroom door? Had he just walked right on in and up the stairs like he owned the place?

She opened the door. "What?"

His eyebrows rose. "Can I come in?"

"It depends."

"On what?"

"Whether this is a social call, which means we should be downstairs in the den with Dave and my uncle and aunt."

"There's nobody down there. I checked."

"And came up here anyway?"

"Says the woman who broke into my grandmother's house and got into my bed."

She felt her cheeks heat. "That was an aberration."

"It was a good one. I liked waking up finding you wanting me."

"It was a terrible infringement on your personal space."

His smile was slow and so intimate her knees weakened. "I like you in my space. Can I come in? I promise to behave myself."

She sighed and stepped back, letting him close the door behind him. He wore his usual well-fitting faded jeans and a gray T-shirt that somehow made his eyes look even bluer.

"So what's up?" she said brightly.

"We're going to be social?"

"What else were you planning?"

His gaze ran down over her long nightshirt to her bare feet. "Getting you naked and getting inside you as fast as humanly possible."



       
         
       
        

She folded her arms across her chest. "You said you'd behave."

"You don't want to do that?"

"Fast is not necessarily what every girl wants, you know."

Still holding her gaze, he reached out and ran his thumb over her lower lip. "I'll start fast because I'm desperate, but I promise I'll slow down for round two."

A small whimper escaped her lips. "This isn't a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm still thinking."

"Can't you think and make love at the same time? I thought women were supposed to be the multitaskers of this world."

She shook her head. "When I'm with you, all rational thought goes out the window."