“No doubt about it, Evan. You’ll be the handsomest baby there.”
Kati stood back to admire her handiwork. For the Lonestar Celebration she’d bought a Texas Rangers baseball suit complete with royal-blue cap and tennis shoes. Later, she’d change him into full cowboy regalia for the baby contest. Other mothers might opt for suits or tuxedoes, but Evan was the ward of a rancher and Kati thought he should look the part.
The baby, seeming to sense Kati’s pride in him, waved his chubby arms and chattered at her, his mouth wide with happiness. Two tiny white teeth gleamed from the bottom gums, another milestone the nanny had preserved in his baby book.
“Ohh, I love you.” Kati swooped him up for a hug.
When the time came for them to part, she prayed the strength and security of her love would be enough to carry him through whatever rough times lay ahead. She never wanted him to feel rootless or abandoned.
If only they had some word on Natosha Parker.
Even that idea caused an ache in Kati’s chest. As long as the mother wasn’t found, Kati would get to see Evan every day, even after the divorce. But that kind of thinking was selfish, and she loved Evan far too much to deny him his mother’s love.
But what if Natosha never returned? Or worse, what if she was found and simply did not want her wonderful baby boy?
“Oh, Evan, what a terrible mess you and I have gotten into.” She hugged the child so close he began to squirm, slapping his hands against her chest and shoulder.
“Are you two about ready in here?”
At the sound of Colt’s voice, Kati whirled, the baby in her arms. The handsome cowboy leaned lazily against the doorjamb, his face solemn and unreadable. “We still on for the big shindig over in Rattlesnake?”
He showed no signs of anger, but Kati felt the heat rising in her cheeks. Maybe he wasn’t angry, but she was. How dare he stagger into her bed after spending the evening in some barroom, most likely in the company of a willing female? A little anger seeped away with the notion that if she’d been more willing maybe Colt wouldn’t have felt the need to go elsewhere. And yet he still wanted to take her to the “shindig.”
“If you want to come along, it’s fine with me,” she answered huffily.
Colt’s lips quirked. His eyes should have been bloodshot and he should have looked exhausted, but he was gorgeous instead. Dressed in black jeans, boots and hat, with a white-and-black-striped Western shirt opened at his richly tanned neck, he made Kati’s mouth water.
“How could I miss seeing Evan crowned the handsomest baby in the whole town of Rattlesnake?”
Her tension eased. If he chose to ignore last night’s fiasco, then so be it. He hadn’t promised her fidelity any more than she had promised to share her bed indefinitely, she thought bitterly, angry for caring too much. “In that case, let me finish putting my hair up and we’ll be ready.”
The usually quiet town of Rattlesnake took on a celebratory atmosphere each year during its Lonestar Celebration. The lights and sounds of a traveling carnival, complete with Ferris wheel and midway barkers, filled one side of the town park. The scent of popcorn and corn dogs wafted from the concession trailers. Townsfolk roamed about in frontier garb while country music blared from a bandstand at the end of Main Street.
“Where to first?”
Finding a parking spot on Main Street was impossible so they’d parked the pickup along a side street near the location of Kati’s Angels. Colt removed the stroller from the truck bed and helped Kati arrange the baby and his gear inside. Together they strolled toward the center of activities.
“We have another hour until the baby contest.” Kati glanced at her watch. “Shall we just walk around and check things out first?”
Colt shrugged. “Lead on, Mrs. Garret.”
He’d been charming and warm during the ride to town, ignoring the fight they’d had last night. Now he walked along beside her, making cute remarks. As they passed a booth of Indian crafts, he stopped and searched the display. Finding what he wanted he lifted a small dream catcher from the table, paid for it and handed the trinket to Kati.
“Sweet dreams.”
Puzzled, Kati turned the leather bound circle over in her hands. The crisscrossed center looked like a spiderweb. At the bottom a single blue feather dangled from a strip of rawhide. “What do you mean?”
The hint of a smile played around Colt’s mouth. “Didn’t you have a nightmare last night?”
Running a finger over the soft blue feather, Kati struggled not to smile at Colt’s clever way of bringing up their fight. “That was no nightmare.”
“Still mad at me?”
“I wasn’t mad.” Hurt, lonely and absolutely furious when he’d come in smelling like beer and women.
“Yes, you were. Why else would you throw me out of our bed?”
Technically, it was not “our” bed, but Kati chose not to pursue that line of argument. Instead she tried to put her feelings into perspective without revealing the awful truth that she loved him too much to keep pretending.
“Because we’ve both kept our end of the marriage bargain. In a few weeks I’ll be moving out.”
“That’s the whole point, Kati. You’ll soon be gone. Why not enjoy the time we have left?” He leaned close, his cologne stirring thoughts that set her pulse to racing. His voice dropped to a husky undertone. “We could enjoy our remaining time a lot more if you were willing.”
The familiar sense of inadequacy pulled at her. If she’d agreed to make love with him, would he have gone out last night? She wanted to, badly, but would loving him make things better or worse? And if she did, could she walk away without suffering the worst pain of her entire life?
Struggling with self-doubts, Kati bent to hand Evan a toy. She let Colt’s suggestion remain unanswered and they sauntered on. If Colt was bored and anxious to be rid of his inconvenient wife, why was he playing the perfect date today? Why was he teasing her, buying her things and keeping that warm, muscled arm slung over her shoulders?
“Colt, old buddy.” A blond cowboy ambled toward them with a big grin on his face. “How the heck are you, man?”
“Doing good, Case.” The men exchanged back slaps and general cowboy insults.
“Who’s your lady?” The blond cowboy’s gaze drifted from Kati to Evan, his eyes widening in disbelief. “Don’t tell me someone roped one of the Garret boys?”
Kati stood frozen to the spot, knowing how much her make-believe husband hated the idea of being “roped.”
“’Fraid so, Case. This is Kati, my wife.” If Kati hadn’t known better, she’d have sworn the introduction rang with pride.
“Well, I’ll be danged.” Case stared in frank admiration and amazement. “Kati, you must be some kind of woman.”
The accursed heat crept up Kati’s neck. She had no idea what to say, considering Colt’s opinion of their relationship. Especially after last night. Oddly the expression on Colt’s face appeared anything but angry.
The cowboy bent toward Evan, chucking him on the chin.
“This boy is the spitting image of his daddy.” He straightened and slapped Colt on the back. “You old son of a gun, you. I never would have believed it, but it looks like marriage agrees with you.”
Colt didn’t bother to correct the cowboy’s wrong impressions. He continued to banter, telling Case he could use a good woman of his own, all the while behaving like a happily married man in love with his wife and child.
As the friends separated and started on down the street, Case called back over his shoulder. “If he isn’t good to you, Kati, give ol’ Case a holler. I know how to treat a lady right.”
Colt’s hand tightened on Kati’s shoulder. When she looked up at him for an explanation of his strange behavior, he kissed her on the nose, winked and led the way toward the grandstands where a troupe of cowboys blasted each other in a mock gunfight.
The conversation with Case was only the first of numerous, similar encounters they would have all evening. Everyone who knew either Colt or Kati responded with the same amazed delight, assuming that Evan was their child. Kati left the explaining to Colt, and he continued to surprise her by pretending they were one big happy family. By the time they reached the civic center, for the baby contest, Kati almost felt as if they were.
The baby pageant added to the fantasy. Along with two dozen other mothers, Kati prepared her baby for the competition, dressing him in the cowboy outfit, needlessly wiping his face and hands with a wet towelette, and brushing his fine, dark hair before setting the tiny cowboy hat in place. Colt stood ready with the video camera.
Baby after baby was carried to the stage and introduced, two crying, some gurgling, and a few asleep in their mothers’ arms. When Evan’s turn came, Kati carried him forward, smiling proudly. Evan, his brown eyes dancing with excitement at all the attention, cooed and waved his chubby arms.
As the judges passed by, Evan turned on his considerable charm, laughing aloud when one woman chucked him under the chin. Feeling as proud as any real mother, Kati carried him back to his seat, certain that everyone was as enamored of Evan as she was.
Amid the general hubbub of crying babies and talking adults, the finalists were announced. One by one, five mothers were asked to bring their babies back up on the stage for the final round of judging. When Evan’s name was called, Kati squealed with excitement. The pleasure doubled when she saw her joy and pride reflected in Colt’s face.
He lowered the video camera and came toward her.
“Will you let me take him up there?” His eyes glistened like hot fudge.
Kati couldn’t have refused if she’d wanted to. After all, he was Colt’s ward, not hers. She was only the nanny. In truth, her heart swelled at the notion that Colt would want to do such a thing. With a smile and nod, she handed him the boy. The baby lunged toward Colt, happily patting the big man’s shoulder.
With his cowboy strut, Colt carried Evan to the front and settled into a chair. Kati’s throat thickened with emotion. Two dark, handsome males, they looked for all the world like father and son.
The need for family closed around her as she watched the two most important people in her life through the viewfinder of a camera. She wanted to preserve the moment, not only on film, but in her heart. Very soon memories would be all she’d have of this temporary family she loved so much.
She swallowed the lump in her throat, but it lodged painfully in her chest as she watched. With one dark, strong arm circling Evan’s waist, Colt’s smiling mouth moved above the baby’s ear. He must have been singing “Patty-cake” because Evan joyfully clapped his chubby little hands and giggled. It was a sight to behold—the big, handsome cowboy gently playing with a baby.
As a thin woman in a prairie dress stepped to the microphone to announce the winners, Kati held her breath, praying for Evan to win. She didn’t know why winning was so important, but it was. If his mother was never found, someday he’d need to know that he was a special and wonderful baby. In this small way, he would realize that he’d been loved.
One by one, the runners-up were called, and they moved forward to receive their prizes and have their pictures taken for the newspaper. Then the moment came when the first-place winner’s name echoed across the squealing PA system. Kati bit her lip.
“First place prizes for the Most Beautiful Baby contest go to… Evan Parker.”
Camera trembling, heart nearly bursting, Kati watched Colt carry his ward to center stage. Flashbulbs popped, startling Evan who blinked rapidly and tried to find the source. When Colt whispered something to the child and pointed in Kati’s direction, Evan’s mouth flew open again in a wide baby smile. He bounced up and down in Colt’s arms, his tiny hands reaching for her. The longing in Kati was almost unbearable.
From behind her a voice said, “Go on up there with them. They’ll want a picture of the whole family.”
The words sounded like music to Kati’s family-starved soul. “But I’m filming….”
“Go on. I’ll tape it for you.” The familiar-looking woman took the camera and gave Kati a gentle shove. Later, she wouldn’t recall moving toward the stage, but she did remember the moment Colt and Evan saw her coming. Evan bounced and bobbed excitedly in Colt’s arms. Colt’s white teeth glinted against the tan of his skin. He shifted the baby to one arm and held out his other, welcoming Kati into a group embrace. It felt like coming home.
Moisture pooled in the corners of her eyes. Had she been the teary kind, she would have cried with joy. Evan was special. All the world, at least the good citizens of Rattlesnake, agreed. With a video and pictures to remind him, Evan would never have to doubt the value of his existence.
“Mr. and Mrs. Garret,” a photographer said, interrupting their joyous celebration. “If you’ll please turn this way with your son, we’d like to take some pictures of him receiving his prizes.”
Kati graciously accepted a savings bond from each of the town’s three banks, a certificate for a family photo at a local studio and numerous gift certificates from merchants around town. The prizes were nice, but to Kati they were not nearly as important as the honor.
Finally the crowd began to break up, and amid congratulations, Kati and Colt made their way out of the building. Evan, who’d had all the noise and attention he could stand, began to cry fitfully as he was placed in his stroller.
“You think he’s hungry?” Colt looked from the baby to Kati.
“Hungry, hot and tired.” She handed Evan a bottle, then removed his hat and boots, smoothing the damp brown hair away from his forehead. “He’ll feel better now.”
“I’m glad he didn’t do that during the contest.”
“He’s a big ham, like his—” She’d almost said, Like his father. “He knows how to work an audience.”
“Yeah, he was great, wasn’t he?”
“Yes, and those mamas thought you were pretty special, too.” She adjusted the purse on her arm and pushed the stroller forward. “That didn’t hurt the voting any.”
“You think?” His eyes danced.
Kati laughed. “You had to know how sweet you looked—a big strong cowboy playing patty-cake with his baby.”
He shrugged. “I wanted him to win.”
Kati slowed the stroller to observe Colt’s expression. He loved the boy. Any fool could see it. Whether he was willing to admit his feelings or not was another matter entirely. And even if he admitted the truth, was he willing to give up his wild, bachelor ways to permanently care for Evan?
“What are you staring at?” Colt raised a hand to his face. “Do I have baby goo on my chin?”
“You’re a nice man, Mr. Garret.” She pulled his hand away and touched his cheek. “But, don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”
“Does this mean I can come back to your bed tonight? I promise to be good.” He pulled her against his side and lowered his voice seductively. “As good as you’ll let me be.”
“Oh, you.” Kati shook her head in mock dismay, warmth creeping across her cheeks. With the wonderful feeling of family all around her, tonight she struggled harder than ever to hold back the tide of love she felt for this man.
Pulling away, she headed toward the concession stands, purposely switching the subject to safer ground. “I’m starving.”
“Me, too.” His gaze scraped over her, his meaning clear. He pumped his eyebrows and grinned.
Kati whacked him playfully on the arm. “Would you please stop it? We’re in a crowd of people.”
“All of whom are jealous because I have the most desirable woman in town walking beside me.”
When he talked like that she was helpless against the flood of emotion washing through her. Though he was only joking, the words were powerful balm to her bruised self-concept. Desire was a poor substitute for love, but it was preferable to nothing. Last night had forced her to admit she longed for Colt’s attention. Avoiding him had only increased the craving.
“If I’m all that, you should feed me so I won’t starve to death before we get home.”
He held up both palms. “Okay, you win. What’s your pleasure? Besides me, of course.” He laughed at her mutinous expression and backed away. “Hot dogs? Barbecue on a bun? Indian tacos? There’s junk food galore. Take your pick.”
“Indian tacos.” She pointed to a booth selling the specialty of fried bread smothered in ground beef, brown beans, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese and a dollop of picanté sauce.
“Sounds good.” Colt took over the stroller, leading the way to a folding table beside the booth. “You and Evan get settled. I’ll get the food.”
He motioned toward a thunderhead in the distance as he moved away. “Looks like we could get a storm later on.”
The air was rife with music and laughter and the smells of food. With a light heart, Kati adjusted the shade on Evan’s stroller so the now-sleeping baby could rest while she and Colt had supper. With the air so humid, Colt could be right about a thunderstorm.
“Sure a fine little cowboy you’ve got there,” a smiling man said as he and his male companion threw a leg over the wooden bench and sat down across from Kati.
“Thank you,” Kati said, proudly. “He won the most beautiful baby contest today.”
“With a mama as pretty as you, I’m not a bit surprised.” The man was friendly, not at all insulting or insinuating, but Kati, unused to such comments didn’t know how to reply. She fiddled with Evan’s stroller instead.
“Kati.” Colt stood beside the table, a paper plate heaped with food in each hand. Frowning, he looked from the two men to Kati and back again. “These two guys bothering you?”
“No, of course not. They were admiring Evan’s cowboy outfit.”
“Didn’t sound that way to me.” He placed the food on the table, but remained standing, his body tense. The expression on his face was as dark and threatening as the distant thunderhead.
Kati’s heart hammered. What on earth had gotten into Colt? Why did he care if two harmless fellows said hello?
Both men rose from the table and backed away. “Hey, man, no harm intended. We were just talking to the lady.”
“Go talk to somebody else,” Colt growled.
Kati grabbed his stiff, unyielding arm. “Colt, sit down. Stop acting like a juvenile.”
Not until the two strangers ambled away, muttering to each other, did Colt obey.
“Why did you do that?” Kati demanded as soon as the men were out of hearing range.
“A man protects his property.” Colt jabbed a plastic fork into the fry bread and ripped off a piece.
Property was the wrong word to use. All her life, Kati had felt exactly like that—an inanimate object shifted from owner to owner like a used end table.
“I am not your property,” she said hotly.
“You’re my wife,” he said without looking up from the taco.
“Not for long.”
“So we’re back to that, are we?”
“We’ve never left that, Colt.”
“All right. Time out. I’m sorry, okay?” He tossed his hat onto the bench and turned to face her, pulling her hand into his. “I thought those jerks were bothering you, and I overreacted. We were having a great time before they showed up. Can we call a truce and go back to that?”
Kati sat stiffly, reluctant to give in but longing for a return to the camaraderie they’d shared all afternoon. Colt’s behavior confused and distressed her. She didn’t understand why he was so possessive over a make-believe wife.
“Please,” he pleaded, expression sincere. “I’m trying to make up for being such a bum last night. I’ll even buy you a candied apple.”
A reluctant smile pulled at Kati’s lips. Try as she might, she couldn’t stay angry with Colt Garret. Love was like that.
“I’d rather have a chocolate frozen yogurt.”
“You got it.” He tapped her on the end of the nose. “A double dip.”
“And you have to eat one, too.” She knew he hated the stuff.
“Yuck!” He clasped his forehead in mock agony. “You drive a hard bargain, woman, but, okay. Anything to further the cause of world peace.”
The ugly moment passed and both turned to their tacos, relieved to be teasing and light once more.
“The street dance cranks up at sundown.” Colt dumped another spoon of picanté sauce on his plate and stirred it around. “Do you want to go?”
“I’m not much of a dancer, but I’d enjoy the music.”
“Honey, you’re with one of the Garret brothers. Every woman’s a good dancer in my arms.”
Kati lifted his Stetson from the bench and gazed inside. “How do you get that big head of yours inside this little hat?”
Colt threw his head back and laughed. “Ah, Kati, you’re a delight.”
Taking his hat, he placed it on his head and swung his legs over the table. Nudging his chin toward the west, he said, “Sun’s going down, cooling things off. If we’re lucky, we can make the dance and won’t get rained on until later.”
After disposing of their plates and cups, they headed toward the bandstand set up on main street. Already, rocking country music vibrated the airwaves, drawing a crowd.
Colt and Kati stood on the sidelines watching and listening as couples made their way into the street where they scooted boots and two-stepped around the pavement. The dancing was fun and lively, but when Colt offered to teach her, Kati shook her head.
“The baby.” She raised her voice above the music. “There’s no one to watch him.”
In actuality Evan was an excuse. The undulating couples on the street knew what they were doing, while Kati felt awkward and out of place, terrified of making a fool of herself. Colt, with his natural grace and devil-may-care personality, would be a fantastic dancer, but Kati had never had an opportunity to learn. She didn’t want to embarrass him with an inept partner.
“Dance with someone else, Colt,” she shouted close to his ear. “I don’t mind, really.”
He shook his head, but at the very next break, a pretty blond cowgirl in tight jeans and a Pro Rodeo T-shirt approached and asked him to dance.
“Go on,” Kati urged. “It’s okay.”
In her heart she hoped he’d refuse, but he didn’t. After a moment of indecision, he shrugged and stepped out on the floor with the blonde.
Just as she suspected, he was a good dancer, expertly guiding his partner around in a lively two-step. When the music shifted into a slow dance, he touched the brim of his hat and started to walk away. The blonde grabbed his arm, pulling him back. He glanced toward Kati. Though she wanted him to refuse, Kati wouldn’t make his decision for him. Pretending to check on the still-sleeping Evan, she avoided Colt’s questioning gaze.
When she turned back, Colt had the cowgirl in his arms, moving her in slow circles around the floor. Halfway through the song, the woman rested her head on Colt’s shoulder and moved closer to his body.
Paralyzed by the pain sluicing through her, Kati couldn’t tear her gaze away. Colt was a fun-loving, high-living cowboy who’d been locked away with an unwanted wife and child for months. Why hadn’t she realized how much he would miss the attention of other women? He belonged out there with the crowd and the ladies.
Swallowing hard against the tears clogging her throat, Kati ached to be the woman in his arms. But when the song ended and Colt came toward her, she was determined not to show her suffering.
“That looked like fun,” she said brightly.
“Are you sure you didn’t mind?”
“Of course not,” she lied, forcing a smile. She would not, could not, succumb to the jealousy tearing at her insides like a wild animal’s teeth. “Great dancers like you Garret brothers shouldn’t be standing around on the sidelines. It wouldn’t be fair to the women of the world.”
Colt studied her long and hard, his face unsmiling. “I suppose.”
Thunder rumbled overhead. In the distance, lightning leaped from cloud to cloud. The crowd of dancers and spectators gazed upward, gauging the opportunity for a much-needed rain.
“Probably just dry lightning,” one man near them suggested. “We couldn’t get lucky enough to get a good rain this time of year.”
The rest of the crowd concurred, murmuring over the “blasted Texas dry spell.”
In the midst of all this talk, the skies suddenly opened, dumping gallons of cold water onto the hot crowd. Scattering like frightened quail, the people ran for cars and trucks and overhangs, shouting and squealing, half in delight, half in dismay.
Evan awoke with a start, screaming in fright at the noise and the rain drenching his stroller.
“Grab him,” Colt yelled. “I’ll get the rest.”
Kati obeyed, running with Evan toward the truck. Though she tried to protect the baby with her body, by the time she’d covered the four blocks, both she and Evan were drenched. Not far behind, Colt followed with the stroller, diaper bag, camera and all Evan’s prizes. He, too, was soaked to the skin.
Inside the pickup truck, a combination of wet clothes and hot bodies fogged the windows, making the interior muggy and uncomfortable. Colt started the engine.
“I don’t know whether we need heat or air,” he admitted, clicking on the overhead light.
“Let me get Evan out of these clothes before you turn on anything.”
She dug into the diaper bag, glad that its plastic exterior had kept the extra clothing dry. Evan, lying on the seat, kicked and fussed as she stripped him of the sopping cowboy garments and replaced them with a soft cotton one-piece pajama.
“Do you want to wait out the cloudburst?”
“Not particularly, but it’s up to you.” Jealousy, totally out of proportion considering their situation, gnawed at her. She kept seeing him moving in slow circles, the blonde pressed against him. “You were the one having so much fun at the dance.”
He didn’t deny it.
“Most likely the dance is over. No band is going to keep their equipment out in the rain.”
“Truthfully, I’ll be glad to head home. These sticky, wet clothes are driving me nuts, anyway.”
“I think they’re bothering me a whole lot more than they are you.”
Kati raised startled eyes at the husky note in Colt’s voice. Following the direction of his suddenly heated gaze, she noted the condition of her sundress. A pale yellow cotton, the once-modest garment had become transparent. Little was hidden from Colt’s intense stare.
“Hell’s bells, Kati,” Colt breathed, reaching for her. “Come here.”
“Go back to your dance partner.” The words flew out before she could stop them.
He paused. “You jealous?”
“Of course not.”
“Liar.” He grasped her shoulders and tugged. “I was jealous when those two guys flirted with you at the taco stand.”
“You were?”
“Killer jealous.” He looked puzzled at the admission. “I don’t want any other cowboy touching you.”
Kati’s foolish heart relished Colt’s reluctant admission. Was he saying, in his own way, that he cared for her? Scared to even think the word love, lest this moment vanish like the fog on the windshield, Kati scooted toward him.
“I was jealous, too,” she admitted.
A triumphant groan issued from Colt and in the next minute Kati was in his arms.
He crushed her to him, pulling her across his lap to lean against the steering wheel. Lovingly trapped there, Kati surrendered to the pleasure of his hungry, demanding mouth as his lips scorched over hers.
The damp clothes, the heated air, the dark, confined space added intensity to their ardor. Longing to make him forget the blond dance partner, Kati returned his kisses, letting her fingers explore the warm flesh beneath his cold, wet shirt. The time had come, she knew.
And even if she regretted the decision later, she had to know Colt’s love while she could.
Colt’s hands pressed at her, urging her down on the seat. Excitement tinged his voice as he chanted her name.
Someone rapped on the window. “Hey, cowboy, take it somewhere else.”
Embarrassed, they leaped apart, their heavy breathing the only sound inside the truck. Colt ran a frustrated hand through his hair and rasped out, “Let’s go home.”
Shifting the truck into gear, he added with a wry grin, “If we can make it that far.”