The Cowboy's Baby Bargain

Author:Emilie Rose [Rose, Emilie]
Format: epub
Published: 2010-03-06T05:00:00+00:00

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Seven

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Consider Caleb a potential donor? The idea was ludicrous.

So why wasn't she laughing?

In her mind status quo equaled stagnant. The thought of having a day pass without making positive progress toward her goal was unacceptable.

Caleb, on the other hand, held onto status quo for dear life. He wanted the years to pass with no changes to his family's homestead.

She stood between him and his desired outcome. She'd never been the obstacle to someone's success before. It wasn't a comfortable feeling.

She washed down her antacid with a sip of herbal tea and set the rocking chair into motion. Beside her Rico whimpered and cocked his undamaged ear. She reached out a hand and scratched his head. Instead of moving away, the dog laid his muzzle on her knee and watched her with his mismatched eyes. Progress. If only it were so easy to achieve it in the other areas of her personal life.

Her back porch overlooked the corral where Caleb and the group of kids he'd recruited from area ranches put her horses through their paces. He'd said they needed to work the friskiness out before their first guests arrived.

Caleb had a way with kids. He acted like an indulgent uncle—playful for the most part, but firm when necessary. The younger ones seemed to idolize him. The teenage boys respected him, and the teen girls giggled and flirted with him. Obviously his charisma affected women of all ages the same way. She wasn't the only one who experienced an estrogen surge when he was around.

He laughed out loud at one of the boys' shenanigans, and memories washed over her. She'd grown to love Caleb's rumbling laugh during their night together. His lovemaking had alternated between overwhelmingly sensual and playfully erotic. She'd never had fun making love before. The process had always been intense and goal-oriented, but Caleb hadn't let her mistake their one night of passion as anything but a lighthearted romp. And she, who'd never indulged in casual sex just for the fun of it, had loved every second.

Her planner lay open on the table beside her waiting for her to get to work, but her concentration was nonexistent. She wrote: Whenever possible, enjoy your work as much as your play.

Caleb loved to play. He also loved his work. He'd told her so on their first night together. She saw the proof from her porch. Not that she was spying; she was learning what her new enterprise involved without risking closer contact with the animals and equipment. Or Caleb.

The last thing she needed was an entanglement with a cowboy who lacked the desire to climb the ladder of success, but her thoughts kept straying in his direction regardless of her resolution to keep them elsewhere.

Flipping to the page listing her donor's assets and liabilities, she found herself adding two more columns. Centered above them she wrote Caleb. Her sanity must be slipping. Caleb wasn't a potential donor. Making this list was a total waste of time, and she never wasted time.

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