The Next Man In Texas by Kristine Rolofson

Author:Kristine Rolofson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-06-03T00:00:00+00:00

“YOU DON’T THINK he’s too little?”

Isabella folded her arms across her chest and studied the baby as he sat in the high chair. “I think he likes it.”

“Really?”

“Look at him.” Isabella smiled with grandmotherly pride. “He likes being a big boy and sitting there.”

Mac grinned as if he understood what she said and slapped his little hand on the plastic tray. When he realized it made a noise, he did it again. Several times.

“I guess you’re right,” Grace said, keeping a careful eye on the child. “He can’t fall out?”

“No. There are safety straps, and I put a little pillow around him to prop him up.” She clapped her hands and made the baby chuckle. “Oh, what a big boy you are!”

Mac proudly banged the tray again, as if to show her just what a big boy he was.

“He’s a McLintock, isn’t he?” Grace asked.

“I think so,” the older woman agreed. “He looks like the boys did when they were little.”

“But none of the men are claiming him.”

Isabella motioned for Grace to sit down. “They will have to,” she said, pouring two glasses of lemonade. She brought them to the table and sat down opposite Grace. Mac practiced slapping the tray.

“Thank you.”

“You and Jack had a nice ride?”

Grace smiled. “It was more like a ‘walk,’ but I got to see more of the ranch. It’s a big place, isn’t it?”

“Yes. And it means a lot to Jack. He’s worked hard to keep it. You are going to stay?”

“For a little bit longer. Until Jason arrives.”

“Jason isn’t Mac’s father,” Isabella declared, her brown face creased with worry.

“Then, one of the others isn’t telling the truth.”

Isabella shrugged. “Jet is not the one. And Jimmy-Joe told me that he was in a play that month. He didn’t even have a car that winter, and he already had a girlfriend.”

“Having a girlfriend doesn’t necessarily mean that he didn’t, um, meet another woman.”

“No, but Jimmy is loyal when he is in love. And he thought he was in love, until the girl left him for someone else.”

“Why are you sure it’s not Jet?” Mac squeaked, and Grace patted his soft little hands. He patted hers back.

“That is for him to say, but I think the chance is only very slight.”

“Which leaves Jack.” Grace could picture Lucy with Jack, but she didn’t like thinking about it. Any woman would find him attractive and sexy and appealing, and Lucy had liked cowboys. She’d said they knew what they were doing and they took their sweet time doing it.

“I don’t believe that, either,” Isabella said, “but there’s no denying the boy’s chin. He had to get it from somewhere.” She studied the child’s face again. “But none of those boys would lie. That is what puzzles me.”

Jason, Grace decided. He was the youngest and would have been intrigued with an older, experienced woman. She couldn’t blame him. Lucy had been a woman who lived life to the fullest and enjoyed her men the same way. Now she was gone and here was Mac, a little boy who needed his daddy.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.