The Rancher’s Unexpected Gift Page 5

  When the two cups were poured, she couldn't delay any longer. She set Cash's mug in front of his plate with shaking fingers.

  Hesitated at the edge of her seat, hovering there. Why had she invited him in?

  "Mom, sit down," Evan huffed. He was spooning eggs onto his plate, oblivious to the interplay between the adults.

  Cash held her gaze. "You'd better sit. You're making me nervous."

  She laughed, and even she could hear the edge of hysteria in it. "You don't get nervous." Men like Cash would bluster their way through anything. Wouldn't they?

  Cash's sock-clad foot nudged against hers. "Wanna bet?"

  The vulnerability and honesty in his eyes made her knees weak.

  She parked her butt in the seat before her knees got any wobblier.

  Oh, Rudolph. What was she doing?

  Cash felt a minuscule bit of relief when Delaney sat.

  He was feeling his way here, each step tentative, as if he were making his way through the white-out blizzard they'd had last night. One wrong move and he'd be in the ditch.

  He left his foot where it was, the contact with Delaney both energizing and settling him.

  She'd okayed him to stay for breakfast, but she didn't want him to build a snow fort with Evan.

  That was okay. He'd follow her cues. And see if he couldn't get her to agree to a date—a real date—before he left today.

  He dug into the pancakes—one red, one green, both with chocolate chips—and gave a grunt of satisfaction. "Real good."

  Evan grinned, a drip of syrup rolling down his chin. "Mom makes the best pancakes in the world."

  "Tastes like it," he agreed.

  He caught the slight wrinkle of Delaney's nose. As if she didn't believe them.

  "I don't give false compliments," he said.

  This time her stare was downright disbelieving. "What about last night?" she asked.

  "I meant everything I said." Everything. He wanted to see her again, explore this thing that was between them.

  Even with the revelations from this morning, he wanted to get to know her better. More so. She was a single mom with a sick kid, making do. He wanted to know her, inside and out.

  "You were at the ball last night?" Evan asked curiously.

  "It's more of a party than a ball," he said. "And last night was probably the shortest party in history, with the snowstorm cutting everything short."

  "Cash owns the Double Cross," Delaney mumbled. Her shoulders straightened and he sensed that saying the words had her itching to put some distance between them, like she had last night.

  "Wow, really?" Evan asked.

  He didn't intend to let her. He shifted in his seat, inadvertently-on-purpose pressing his knee against hers.

  Her gaze came up to meet his, a sharpness to her eyes.

  "So you, like, have horses and everything?" Evan asked.

  "A few." He chewed and swallowed a bite of eggs. "Your mom told me she didn't know how to ride. You two should come out, and I'll give you lessons."

  His eyes grew wide, his expression filled with joy. "Mom, can we?"

  Delaney gave Cash a baleful stare. "We'll have to check with your oncologist. Sometimes animals can have harmful germs," she told the boy. Then, to Cash, "Besides, I thought you were leaving for Austin."

  He shrugged. "Plans change."

  He'd felt unsettled on the ranch without Mom and Dad there. The decision to go back to his job in Austin hadn't been easy, and it hadn't made him felt any more settled.

  Last night, for the first time in a long time, he'd found true north. And that meant that everything else was flexible.

  But Delaney gave him a look that was part disbelieving, part something else he couldn't decipher.

  Evan scraped his fork through the syrup on his plate. He raised it to his mouth and licked it.

  Cash couldn't help smiling. He'd done the same as a boy.

  Evan bounced in his seat. "Can we do presents now? Please?"

  Delaney shot Cash an uncertain glance.

  "I'll do the dishes and make myself scarce," he offered quietly.

  Delaney's eyes went wide.

  He couldn't find it in him to be offended. "I can do dishes. I've been a bachelor for years."

  In Austin, he'd had a two-bedroom apartment, a far cry from the sprawling Double Cross ranch house. Small enough that he cleaned up after himself.

  Evan pushed past Delaney, which sent her elbow leaning into Cash's arm. He stretched his arm across the back of her chair, living in the moment.

  "Wash your hands," she said absently to the boy.

  Evan took off.

  Which left them sitting too close.

  She grabbed the edge of the table and started to get up, but he clasped his hand over hers.

  She squeezed her eyes closed. "What are you doing?" she whispered.

  "If you want me to go, just say the words," he said, keeping his voice low. "I'm not here to ruin your Christmas."

  Her head ducked. "Why are you here?"

  "I didn't like how things ended last night."

  Her lashes fluttered, and she tilted her chin up slightly. She peered at him.

  Which gave him the courage to go on. "I never should've treated you the way I did yesterday afternoon. I don't have a good excuse for my behavior.” He paused, the words sticking in his craw. “I’d make a mistake in the accounting ledgers. Something my dad never would’ve done. It took me all day to find it, and I was frustrated—but that’s no excuse. I shouldn’t have taken out my frustration on you. I only hope you can forgive me."

  For a moment, he thought she'd reject his apology. Then, she nodded slightly.

  "I'd like to stay," he said. "Build a snow fort with Evan. Whatever comes after that. But only if you want me here."

  She held his gaze, in her eyes a mix of uncertainty, suspicion, and hope.

  He found himself caught there, like she was the tractor beam. He couldn't help leaning toward her—

  "Mo-om! C'mon!" Evan's call from the living room broke the moment.

  She turned her face way, and for a brief moment her cheek pressed against his shoulder.

  "Stay," she whispered.

  And then she was up from the chair and out of the kitchen.

  Leaving him sitting there with a grin on his face.

  He heard her and Evan's murmured voices in the living room. He dawdled, sipping his still-warm coffee, not wanting to intrude on these special moments for them. Maybe next year...

  Finally, he rose and gathered the breakfast dishes from the table. A trip to the counter and he was stymied for a moment when there was no dishwasher. From where he stood, he could see Delaney sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the tree. Evan was out of sight, probably across from her.

  She glanced over her shoulder, and he smiled. Yes, he'd do dishes by hand. It couldn't be that hard, right?

  Minutes later, he'd soaked the front of his sweater, and his fingers were pruny, but he'd scrubbed their plates and silverware to sparkling. The drying rack was almost full—no room for the coffee mugs. No sweat, he'd dry some things and put them away.

  Except there was no towel in sight. He started pulling open drawers. Silverware in the first. Junk drawer—he recognized that one. He found the dish towels next, but when he reached for the top one, paper crinkled. What?

  A glance into the living room showed Delaney talking animatedly to Evan. Not paying attention. So, nosy busybody that he was, he shifted aside the few towels in the drawer and found a neat pile of medical bills, most of them stamped "past due."

  Chapter 6

  Of course Delaney was aware of Cash rattling around in the kitchen. She couldn't believe he was doing a menial chore like the dishes.

  Or that she'd asked him to stay.

  Evan exclaimed as he pulled out the small gifts she'd stuffed in his stocking, giving her moments to ruminate.

  What was she doing?

  Plans change.

  Cash's statement
, spoken so easily and matter-of-factly, was a reminder of the stark differences in their circumstances.

  She juggled numerous cleaning jobs, worked sixty-plus hours each week to put food on the table, keep a roof over their heads and chip away at Evan's medical bills.

  Cash came from a wealthy background. His family had money. Now that his parents were gone...? She didn't know details of his financial situation, but someone who could turn down a job because plans change was flying in the stratosphere while she was a peon with her feet practically cemented to the ground.

  He was making no effort to hide his interest in her. Wanna bet? he'd said when she'd argued that he wasn't nervous. The honest vulnerability of his words had hit her hard.

  She made him nervous.

  She hadn't been able to quench her attraction to Cash, even when she'd known better than to act on it.

  She'd been flustered, flattered when he'd shown up this morning. He'd braved the cold weather. The roads weren't even passable, yet he'd found a way to get to her, to return her ring.

  And to apologize. He'd been sincere and serious in his apology. He'd meant it. He’d been vulnerable and brought up his conflicted feelings about his dad.

  He'd done everything right, but that didn't mean things could work between them. Attraction was fine, but what about when reality intruded?

  She scheduled her jobs around Evan's doctors appointments. When she wasn't toting her son to Austin for treatments or check-ups, she was helping with math homework or trying to catch up on household chores.

  Her life wasn't conducive to dating. And when Cash figured that out, he'd lose interest.

  And if she let herself fall for him, losing him just might break her.

  She didn't know if she had it in her to take that risk.

  "Whoohoo!" Evan reached the toe of his stocking and found the pack of Pokémon cards she'd stuffed in the bottom. "Awesome, Mom!"

  He ripped into the package, spilling cards across the floor. She laughed a little as Evan scrambled to pick them up, sorting through them quickly.

  She swallowed hard. She didn't just have herself to think about. If she allowed Cash into their lives and the relationship didn't make it, Evan could be heartbroken, too.

  There were so many things stacked against them.

  She sensed Cash's overwhelming presence and glanced up to find him in the kitchen archway, one shoulder against the jamb, his legs crossed at the ankles. He was smiling at Evan's antics, a soft smile that reminded her of Jonah with a pang. A dad's affection.

  He was relaxed, very much at home in her tiny house, in her world.

  It was she who was overly conscious of the small pile of gifts unwrapped beneath the tree, of her decor that was a decade out of date, and of the paint peeling in the corner of the ceiling.

  Cash's Christmases must have been so different from this.

  His gaze shifted to hers, and the warmth in his eyes changed, sparked.

  Something inside her responded, twisting her stomach into a knot and floating at the same time.

  She should tell him to go home.

  But she didn't want to.

  Evan threw his arms around her, and she tucked her chin into the hug. There'd been a point months ago when she hadn't been sure he'd make it to see this Christmas. She was so very grateful to have him here.

  "Mom, can I please go outside now?"

  She laughed a soggy laugh as Evan pushed back from the embrace.

  "Don't you want to play with your new toys?" she asked.

  He eyed the remote-control racetrack in its box. It'd been the only large thing beneath the tree, the costliest gift.

  "But the snow's gonna melt. Please?"

  She glanced at Cash, who watched with twitching lips. She shrugged. "Not for very long. Bundle up!" she called after him as he dashed toward his bedroom.

  She stood, self-conscious that she was still in her PJs. She brushed a hank of hair out of her face.

  "Is it dangerous for him to be outside?" Cash asked.

  "Like he said, the chemo makes his immune system weak. Most doctors believe cold weather suppresses the immune system, too, but he's on winter break, so he won't be around other kids and germs, and I don't think being outside for a half hour will hurt him."

  The corners of his eyes crinkled, but his smile was bittersweet. "My mom would've liked you. She never wanted us to miss a chance to be kids."

  It was clear the grief from losing his parents was still potent. Somehow, she'd stepped closer to him, reached for his hand. He clasped her hand easily, naturally. As if they'd held hands for years. His fingers threaded through hers, and a zing of emotion triggered inside her gut.

  "I would've liked the chance to meet her," she said softly.

  His smile was tight, and she didn’t miss emotion in his eyes.

  He cleared his throat. "If you're only giving Evan half an hour, he might need help to get his fort done."

  Her brows went up. "You really want to build a snow fort?"

  "Sure. I'm rusty but I think I can handle it."

  She examined his face for any sign of impure motives. "Why?"

  He tugged her slightly closer, let his opposite hand come up so that his fingertips touched her waist. "Because I want to know you. And he's a part of you."

  Breath caught in her throat. The way he was looking at her...

  She was helpless against the emotion rising inside her. He dipped his head forward, and she rose up on tiptoe to meet his kiss.

  His lips brushed hers. Once. Again. She felt the brush of his scruff where he hadn't shaved this morning, the tip of his nose against her cheek.

  He settled into the kiss, as if he had all the time in the world, as if there wasn't a little boy in the other room, ready to burst in on them.

  She was the one who felt as if she were coming out of her own skin and helpless to stop.

  He moved back slightly, only a breath between them. At her waist, his fingertips brushed gently.

  What am I doing?

  "You're a million miles away," he whispered, his breath fanning her lips.

  She wasn't. She was glued to the floor, her heart beating a panicky rhythm.

  He must've caught Evan's pounding footsteps a fraction of a second before she did, because he steadied her even as he stepped back.

  The concern on his expression only made the knot in her stomach worse.

  She turned her face away, turned to Evan on the pretense of making sure he was bundled enough. "Hat?"

  "Mo-om," her son complained.

  His beanie was already on.

  "You mind if I take a shot at building that fort with you?" Cash asked.

  "Really? Sure!"

  She tugged on her son's zipper, stalling for time before she had to look back at the man.

  When she did, Cash only winked at her and made for his coveralls and boots.

  "So how do you want to do this?" Cash asked.

  He stood just steps from the stoop of Delaney's house, Evan beside him, both of them squinting in the sun's glare off the pristine blanket of snow.

  "Find a good snowbank and dig in,” Cash asked, “or go with snow bricks and build from the ground up?"

  The boy's head tilted to the side as he gave serious consideration to the yard. "Snow bricks," he decided.

  Cash nodded. "My sister and I did a big one, once. I was about... your age." He knelt in the snow and started scooping handfuls to himself. "Why don't you pace off an outline of where you want each wall to be. I'll start making bricks."

  He caught Delaney's shadow in the big picture window. She was sipping a mug of coffee. And probably watching every move he made with her kid.

  He'd freaked her out with his kiss. He'd been sure she'd wanted it. It'd been there in her eyes, in the way her body had swayed toward him... but then when he'd delivered, he'd felt tension overtake her. Like her mind had been elsewhere.

  Not his best performance if he couldn't keep her attention with his kiss.

&
nbsp; Maybe it was because Evan was in the house. It wasn't an ideal place for a first kiss, not super romantic, but he was working with what he had.

  Maybe he just needed to be a little more patient. Like when breaking a skittish horse. Move too fast, and you were bucked off, rear end sore from hitting the ground.

  Evan stomped a decent-sized circle in the ground, laughing when snow when flying.

  Cash finished pounding a third brick into shape as the boy trekked through the shin-high snow to him. "Igloo shape, nice."

  "The roof will probably be the hardest part," Evan said. "I watched some YouTube videos, and I think I can do it."

  Good for you, kid.

  Evan knelt in the snow next to Cash and watched as he formed a six inch square brick. The snow was perfect for building, just moist enough to stick together. Cash started on his own brick.

  "Were you kissing my mom?" Evan asked, his head down.

  Shoot. Cash had hoped he'd reacted quickly enough to keep the boy from seeing the embrace. He wasn't ashamed of it, not at all, but what should he say to Evan?

  He went with the truth. "Yeah."

  "Oh." Evan squinted up at him. His hat had slid over one eyebrow, which made Cash want to smile, but the boy was so serious. "Do you like her? You know, like like her?"

  Cash let his gloved hand rest on top of the brick he'd been working on and gave the boy his full attention. "I haven't known your mom very long, but I think she's pretty awesome."

  Evan nodded. "She is."

  Cash had to smile at the boy's quick agreement.

  Evan pounded another brick into shape. "She doesn't date."

  Cash lifted a brick in each hand and moved to the outline Evan had created. "Because of your dad?"

  Evan followed, carting a big brick. He placed it next to the two Cash had laid. "Because she works all the time. And when she's not working, she takes care of me. Takes me to doctors appointments and stuff. Sometimes I get sick and throw up."

  The boy looked down. "I wish she didn't have to."

  He put a hand on Evan's shoulder, conscious of how bony it was. "Your treatments won't last forever, will they?"

  Evan shook his head, still looking down.

  Cash considered for a moment. "Maybe if you guys had someone else who could help, your mom wouldn't be so stressed out." And Evan wouldn't have to feel guilty.