Marriage On The Cards: Marry Me, Mackenzie! / A Proposal Worth Millions / Heart Surgeon, Hero...Husband?

“Well, go on and tell me what it is so we can talk it out.”

“I found out a couple of weeks ago that I have...a daughter.” Dylan watched his aunt’s face to gauge her reaction. “Her name is Hope. She’s ten.”

“Did you just say you’ve got a daughter?” Aunt Gerri stopped rocking. “Who’s the mother?”

For the next half hour, Dylan talked and his aunt listened. He told his aunt about the first time he’d ever seen Hope at the barn and he recounted his recent conversation with Mackenzie. Like a confession, he didn’t leave anything out. Not even the fact that he hadn’t been sober the night Hope had been conceived or the fact that he had never dated Mackenzie. And when he was done, he felt as if a weight had been lifted. Now that Aunt Gerri knew about Hope, it was real. No matter what happened, no matter how tough it got, there was no going back.

When he had said his piece, Aunt Gerri thought a bit before she spoke. She rocked back and forth, mulling things over.

“Now that I think about it, I remember Mackenzie. She was a heavyset girl, wasn’t she? But she had beautiful blue eyes.”

Dylan nodded. “She still does.”

Violet eyes.

“She was such a sweet little girl,” his aunt said. “But so serious.”

“She still is.”

“Well...what does she want from you, Dylan? What does she expect?”

“She wants me to spend time with Hope. That’s all. She doesn’t want money...”

“Not even for the medical bills? Good gracious, cancer treatment can’t be cheap.” Aunt Gerri had always held the purse strings for the farm.

“I know,” Dylan responded to his aunt’s skeptical expression. “I thought it was strange, too. But she was adamant about the money. More than that, she doesn’t want me to be a parent to Hope, either.”

Aunt Gerri frowned. “But is that what you want? You’re the child’s father.”

“Honestly, Aunt Gerri? I have no idea what I want.”

“Well...I suppose that’s where you need to start then, don’t you? If you don’t know what you want, how in the world can you figure out what you’re going to do?”

* * *

Hope had picked Pegasus as their first father-and-daughter day. It seemed like a better idea than a restaurant, and he wanted Hope to feel comfortable, so he had agreed. Now that he was here, he started to doubt the soundness of that decision. Perhaps they should have met in private, at his house, before they went public. Dylan parked his car next to Mackenzie’s Chevy and shut off the engine. Instead of getting out, he stayed in the car. He’d never felt capable of having a panic attack until today. His heart was racing, his mouth was dry and beads of sweat were trickling down the side of his face. He was a mess. The thought of spending the day with Hope made him feel panicked. He had absolutely no idea what to say to a ten-year-old girl; ten-year-old girls hadn’t exactly been his target demographic.

“Quit being a coward,” Dylan said to himself. “And get out of the stupid car.”

After convincing himself to leave the car, Dylan headed to the office. Lucky for him, Aggie was the only one there.

She greeted him with a broad smile and a loud, booming voice. “I heard you were comin’ out to lend us a hand today!”

Aggie stomped over to him in her crusty, knee-high black rubber boots and pumped his hand a couple of times. “Come on over here and take a load off. I’ve got your papers all ready to be filled out. Nothing fancy—but the long and short of it is, you’re agreein’ that if one of our horses kicks you in the privates or eats your pinkie for a snack, you’re on your own. We volunteer at our own risk around here...so if you can live with that, I’ll be more than happy to put you to work.”

“I can live with it.” Dylan sat down at the cluttered picnic table in the middle of the room and resisted the urge to start straightening it up. Instead, he forced himself to focus on reviewing the papers.

“I’ll make you a badge so you’ll feel official. We don’t have riders today—just barn work. But anyone who wants to ride after the chores are done can saddle up.”

Aggie handed Dylan a badge and Dylan handed her the filled-out forms. Dylan stood up and Aggie looked down at his pristine boots.

“If you’re gonna hang with us, you’re gonna have’ta get you some good old-fashioned muckers. Those fancy boots aren’t gonna survive a fresh steamin’ pile of manure, I guarantee that.” When Aggie laughed, one eye stayed open and the other one shut completely. “I’m done with ya, so head to the barn. There’s always plenty to be done and not enough hands to do it.”

Dylan walked out of the office, around the corner, and bumped right into Mackenzie.

Their bodies hit together so hard that Mackenzie had the breath temporarily knocked out of her.

Concerned, Dylan held on to her arms to steady her. “Are you okay?”

“I wasn’t expecting anyone to come around that corner,” Mackenzie said, slightly annoyed. “But I’m okay now. You can let go.”

Dylan released her arms quickly, as if he was pulling his hands away from hot coals. “Sorry. I did it again.”

Dylan stared hard at Mackenzie. Something had just happened between them. When their bodies came together, they were a perfect fit. She was curvy and voluptuous and petite; not what he would normally gravitate toward. But he liked the way her body had felt against his. He had enjoyed the feeling of having Mackenzie in his arms. She felt like...home.

Mackenzie tugged on the front of her oversize, long-sleeve T-shirt. “I’m glad you came.”

“I said I would,” Dylan said defensively.

“I know.” Mackenzie had worry etched into her forehead. “I know you did...but I was...”

“Worried that I wouldn’t show?”

“Yes...I’m sorry. But, yes. Hope could hardly sleep last night. She’s so excited to meet you.” Mackenzie was speaking in a low, private voice. “But I think she’s more scared than anything.”

“Scared? Why is she scared of me?”

“She’s not scared of you. I think that she’s scared that you won’t like her.” Mackenzie pushed some wayward strands of hair away from her face.

“Well, then, that makes two of us, because I’ve been really worried that she won’t like me, too.” Dylan looked down at his outfit. “I changed my clothes three times before I finally put this together.”

Mackenzie’s eyebrows rose. Dylan was wearing a pressed Ralph Lauren button-down dress shirt, new dark-wash jeans and his spotless boots.

“I did mention that you were going to be doing barn work...didn’t I?” Mackenzie asked.

“You mentioned it. I just wanted to look nice for Hope.” Dylan frowned down at his outfit. “I look ridiculous, don’t I?”

“No. You don’t look ridiculous, Dylan. You just look...kind of dressy for the barn. That’s all,” Mackenzie tried to reassure him. “But stop worrying. Trust me. Hope doesn’t care what you’re wearing. So...are you ready?”

“Nope.” Dylan’s stomach started to feel a little queasy.

“What happened to the fearless Dylan Axel I used to know?” Mackenzie tried to tease his nerves away.

“He was too young to know better.”

“Come on, Dylan.” Mackenzie offered him her hand. “The best way to get something done is to start...”

Dylan took her hand, soft and warm, and let her gently tug him in the right direction. Their hands naturally slipped apart as they walked side by side through the barn’s dusty center aisle. As they walked along, Mackenzie greeted the ragtag bunch of secondhand horses and the handful of volunteers working that day. With thirty geriatric horses to care for, Dylan understood why Aggie was so eager to sign him up. Organizations that relied entirely on donations, grants and volunteers were in a constant state of borderline panic and flux. Pegasus was no different.

“This way.” Mackenzie tucked her fingers into the front pocket of her jeans. “Hope’s out back washing feed buckets.”

Dylan could hear the water running from the hose and he stopped walking. “Wait.”

“What’s wrong?”

Dylan backed up a step. “Maybe this isn’t the best place for this to happen.”

“Oh, no, no, no, no, no. You’re not backing out.” Mackenzie’s demeanor changed. She walked over to him and grabbed his hand. “This is happening right now.”

Mackenzie pulled Dylan forward a couple of steps, into an open area with concrete slabs set up for washing the horses.

“Hey, kiddo!” Mackenzie slapped a bright smile on her face. “Look who I found...”

Under her breath, and only for Dylan’s ears, Mackenzie said, “You’re up.”

Hope looked up from her task of washing out a large group of blue feed buckets. She looked at him directly and what he saw in her eyes was something he hadn’t experienced with anyone other than his aunt Gerri: total acceptance. Hope’s pretty face lit up with excitement as she smiled nervously at him. She dropped the hose and wiped her hands off on her jeans while she headed over to where they were standing. Hope wrapped her arm around her mom’s waist for security. She looked up at Mackenzie, Mackenzie looked at Dylan, and Dylan looked at Hope.

“Awwwkward.” Hope was the first to break the uncomfortable silence.

Dylan liked how Hope broke the ice. “You’re right. It is.”

Mackenzie ran her hand over the top of Hope’s head. “Sometimes this one doesn’t have a filter.”

“That’s okay.” Dylan was immediately hooked by Hope’s shy, brief smile. “I have that same problem sometimes.”

“Do you know who I am?” Hope asked him.

“Hope...” Mackenzie started to correct her.

“No. That’s okay,” Dylan said to Mackenzie before he looked down at Hope. “Yes. I do know who you are. You’re my Hope.”

Chapter Six

“Here...” Hope slipped a blue-and-yellow rubber-band bracelet off her wrist and handed it to him. “I made this for you.”

“Hey...thanks.” Dylan slipped it over his hand onto his wrist. He held it out for Hope to see. “Does it look good on me?”

Hope nodded. “It’s a friendship bracelet.”

It took the child of the group to ease the tension, but it took the mom in the group to get things moving along.

“Come on...” Mackenzie squeezed Hope’s shoulder. “Let’s get back to work. Aggie would have a fit if she saw us all standing around getting nothing done.”

The three of them put their nervous energy into finishing Hope’s chore together. And it turned out that having a common goal to accomplish eased the tension between them. Of course, it wasn’t perfect and there were some odd lulls in conversation. And Dylan caught Hope in the act of studying him when she thought it was safe. Dylan understood her fascination, because he had to resist the urge to stare at his daughter. Mackenzie, on the other hand, made no bones about blatantly watching the two of them interact. But by the time all of the feed buckets were washed and drying in the sun, the tension between them had slowly given way to a more relaxed, fun vibe.

“What next?” Dylan unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves. His shirt was soaked, his boots were already caked with mud, and it made him feel less out of place than when he had arrived.

“Now we have to put all the feed buckets back into the stalls.” Hope grabbed some buckets. “Carry as many as you can so we can get done quicker. Then, I get to ride Gypsy.”

“Her favorite horse,” Mackenzie explained.

Dylan grabbed as many buckets as his fingers could hold. “Lead the way, boss.”

His words made Hope laugh, spontaneously and loudly. She smiled at him again, this time without the nervousness. Hope’s smile, Dylan decided, was a million-dollar smile. It was addictive. He wanted to see it again and again.

“While you guys do this, I’m going to help Aggie in the office,” Mackenzie said. She looked at Hope specifically. “Is that okay?”

When Hope gave a small nod to her mom, Dylan felt as if he had managed to accomplish something pretty major: Hope felt comfortable enough with him to spend time alone. One by one, Hope introduced Dylan formally to the horses and it was obvious that Hope had a special connection with each and every one of them. The horses, some of whom pinned their ears back and gnashed their teeth at him, all came to Hope for some love and attention. It made him feel proud that, at such a young age, she had a special way with these horses. They weren’t pretty. They weren’t young. But she loved them just the same. In that, she took directly after kindhearted Mackenzie.

“This is Cinnamon.” Hope rubbed her hand lovingly over the mare’s face. “She’s a sweet girl. Aren’t you, Cinnamon? When you work with her, make sure you only approach her from her left side, because she’s missing her right eye. See?”

Dylan nodded. There was a deep indent where the mare’s eye should have been.

“If you walk up to her on her right side, she might get spooked and accidentally knock you over. But she wouldn’t mean to hurt you.”

After putting the feed bucket in her stall, Hope kissed Cinnamon affectionately on the nose.

“I’ve saved the best for last,” Hope said excitedly. “This...is Gypsy.”

The word Gypsy was said with flair, as if Hope were introducing the most amazing horse in the history of the equine. Dylan read the large plaque on Gypsy’s stall: Warning! This horse will bite! Dylan then took a step back from the gate. Hope wrapped her arms around the mare’s neck and hugged.

“What’s with the sign?” Dylan asked.

“Oh,” Hope said nonchalantly. “She’s just looking for food, is all. That’s why Aggie won’t let us carry treats in our pockets. And we can only give them treats in their buckets, never by hand.

“Isn’t she great?” Hope rubbed the space between Gypsy’s sad brown eyes.

Gypsy was a spindly-legged barrel-bellied mare with giant, fuzzy donkey ears, a dull brown coat and an unusually long, bony face. Even in the best of times, Dylan knew that Gypsy had never been a prize.

Wanting to be diplomatic on his first day hanging out with his daughter, Dylan said the only noncommittal thing he could say, “If you like her then I like her.”

“I knew you’d like her, too.” Hope nodded happily.

In between stuffing envelopes for the upcoming fundraiser, Mackenzie periodically checked on Hope and Dylan by poking her head around the corner. She didn’t feel good about spying, but she had to check on Hope. And she was glad she did. If she hadn’t spied on them, she would have missed a hallmark moment: the expression on her daughter’s face when she introduced Dylan to Gypsy. Hope was beaming at him. She knew all of her daughter’s many expressions by heart. That one? It was only reserved for those that Hope really liked. For Mackenzie, bearing witness to this moment confirmed for her that bringing Dylan into Hope’s life was the right thing to do. It didn’t nullify her fears for what a future with Dylan in it would mean for her, but for Hope? Her trepidation was erased just like words being wiped away on a whiteboard.

“Done!” Hope attached Gypsy’s clean feed bucket to the hook in the stall and then exited the stall.

“Nice work.” Dylan held up his hand.

Hope high-fived him. “Do you want to help me get Gypsy’s tack?”

“Of course I do. I cleared my entire Sunday just for you.”

“You did?”

Dylan nodded. He’d managed to win another smile from Hope. He was on a winning streak and felt like hugging her. But he didn’t.

“That’s cool,” Hope said.

Hope grabbed the bridle, girth and saddle pad, while Dylan hoisted the heavy Western saddle onto his hip. With two of them working, they made quick work of grooming Gypsy before tacking her up. By the end of it, Dylan felt proud of the fact that he’d managed to get the job done without being on the losing end of Gypsy’s teeth.

“You can ride, too, you know,” his daughter said as she walked Gypsy down the breezeway.

“That’s okay...I’d rather watch you,” he said. He hadn’t been on a horse since high school.

Mackenzie heard her daughter’s voice in the breezeway and she met them at the barn entrance. There was a moment when she had a front-row seat to Hope and Dylan walking together, side by side, as if they had known each other all their lives. They had the same swing in their walk, these two. The same way of holding their shoulders, the same easygoing, couldn’t-possibly-ignore-it kind of smile.

“Hey, Mom!” Hope greeted Mackenzie enthusiastically. “I was just telling Dylan all about the riding school I want to open up after college.”

“I didn’t even know they made ten-year-olds like this.” Dylan smiled at them.

“Sometimes I don’t believe that she’s ten.” Mackenzie handed Hope a bottle of water. “Hydration, sunscreen and helmet, please.”

Mackenzie raised her eyebrows at Dylan over Hope’s head. Dylan smiled at her and gave her the “okay” symbol.

“Sunscreen.” Mackenzie exchanged the water bottle for the sunscreen bottle.

Hope put sunscreen on her arms and her face. She handed the sunscreen bottle back to Mackenzie along with Gypsy’s reins.

“I’ll be right back.” Hope jogged over to the tack room to grab a helmet.

“How’s it going?” Mackenzie asked quietly.

“Good,” Dylan said. “Really good...”

“I was hoping that the two of you would...you know...figure each other out if I gave you some space.”

“I think we did okay,” Dylan said. “She’s an incredible kid, Mackenzie. I mean...my God. So smart.”

“Straight As,” Mackenzie said with pride. “Even when she was at her worst with the chemo.”

“I like her.” Dylan’s thoughts became words.

Mackenzie wasn’t a crier. But when Dylan quietly said that he liked Hope, she felt like weeping with relief.

“Well...” Mackenzie turned her head away from him until she could put a halt to the waterworks. “I can tell that she’s already crazy about you.”

“Yeah? Do you think so?” Dylan was temporarily distracted by how the sunlight was reflecting on Mackenzie’s face. It looked dewy and flushed and pretty. Her lips, lips that he’d never really noticed before, were naturally pink and plump. Kissable lips.

“I do.” Mackenzie nodded. “I do.”

Mackenzie liked how disheveled Dylan looked now. Gone was the catalog model posed in a barn. Part of his shirt was untucked, his jeans were dirty and the once-pristine boots were caked with mud and manure. He was sweaty and grimy and she liked him like that.

Irritated with her own musings about Dylan’s masculine appeal, she decided to razz him the way she did when they were kids. “I bet your manicurist is going to have a heck of a time cleaning your nails.”

Dylan checked his nails. “Yeah...you’re probably right.”

“I was just kidding! Don’t tell me you really do have a manicurist, Dylan!”

“In my line of business, being well groomed is a matter of survival.”

“Oh, dear Lord...” Mackenzie rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe I’ve actually seen the day when Dylan Axel willingly submitted to a manicure. What happened to the guy who used to love to have grease up to his elbows?”

“Hey...there’s nothing wrong with a guy taking care of himself. In fact...ow!” Dylan swung his head around quick. “She bit me!”

“What?”

Dylan glared at the mare accusingly. “You bit me!”

“Where’d she get you?” Mackenzie looked him over. “I don’t see any teeth marks.”

“That’s because she didn’t bite me on the arm.” Dylan scowled at the mare. “Did you, you glue factory reject?”

Hope interrupted their conversation when she returned with a helmet. “What happened?”

“Nothing worth talking about. Here, kiddo.” Mackenzie handed Hope the reins. “Why don’t you get started and we’ll be right behind you, okay.”

“Okay. Come on, Gyps!” Hope led Gypsy to the riding arena.

When Hope was out of earshot, Mackenzie said, “She bit you on the butt, didn’t she?”

“Let’s put it this way...” Dylan said sourly. “It’s going to be a long painful drive back to the city.”

“Wait here.” Mackenzie tried very hard to stifle her smile but failed. “I’ll be right back”

Mackenzie returned with Aggie in tow.

“All right.” Aggie held a first-aid kit in her hand. “Where’d she getcha? I swear that mare gets meaner every year...”

Mackenzie blurted out, “She bit him in the butt.”

“Once a tattletale...” Dylan muttered.

“I’m not a bit surprised,” Aggie said. “That’s one of her favorite spots... She’s gotten me on the fleshy part a couple of times. Do you want me to take a look? See if she broke the skin?”

“No, thank you!” Dylan stepped back.

“Oh, come on, Dylan...” Mackenzie teased him. “Don’t be such a baby. Let Aggie take a look.”

“Thank you,” Dylan said to Aggie, then to Mackenzie, “But no.”

“Suit yourself. But I suggest you grow eyeballs in the back of your head so you can see for yourself if she broke the skin.” Aggie handed him the first-aid kit and headed back to the office. “And remember...you volunteered at your own risk.”

“Which way to the bathroom?” Dylan asked Mackenzie.

“This way.” Mackenzie smirked.

“I suppose you think this is funny...?”

“Not at all.”

“Liar!” Dylan smiled at her. “What happened to the girl who used to have a little integrity, huh?”

“Here’s the bathroom.” Mackenzie pointed. “Light switch on the left.”

Dylan went into the bathroom and examined his backside by turning his back to the mirror and straining his neck to look over his shoulder.

“Damn if she didn’t break the skin.” Dylan ripped open a packet containing an alcohol wipe. He dabbed the wound and then closed his eyes when the alcohol hit it. “And that smarts...”

“How’s it going in there?” Mackenzie called through the door.

“She got me good.” Dylan tossed the used wipe into the trash.

“Make sure you put some ointment on it and a Band-Aid.”

“I’m not a contortionist, Mackenzie.” Dylan pulled up his underwear carefully.

After a pause, Mackenzie asked, “Do you want me to do it?”

“It’s fine.”

“If you don’t put something on it, won’t it hurt worse when you drive home?”

“I’ll manage.” Dylan pulled up his jeans.

Mackenzie knocked on the door. “Why don’t you let me help you?”

Not waiting for his response, Mackenzie turned the doorknob. “I’m coming in.”

Dylan tried to lock the door but the lock failed.

“That lock’s been broken for about a year now.” Mackenzie leaned her hand against the doorjamb. “Will you stop pretending to be a prude and let me help you?”

“Really? You just open the door and waltz right in? What if I had been in the middle of something?”

“I could see your boots near the sink, okay? Now, quit whining and turn around.”

“Mackenzie...” Dylan said. “The bite is on my ass.”

“So? Do you think that I haven’t seen your butt before? Give me a break! You and my brother and all of your stupid friends mooned everyone in the neighborhood! Remember?”

“Oh, yeah...I forgot about that.”

“What did you idiots used to call yourselves again?”

“The Moonshine Gang.”

“I’m sorry...” Mackenzie cupped her ear. “I didn’t quite catch that?”

“The Moonshine Gang,” Dylan said loudly.

“Thank you. I rest my case. Now, turn around, drop trou, then hand me the ointment. Please.”

Grudgingly, Dylan turned around and dropped his jeans just enough to expose the wound.

“She got you, all right.” Mackenzie squeezed some ointment onto the wound. “Hand me one of the big, square Band-Aids, will you?”

Mackenzie ripped open the package with her teeth.

“What’s going on back there?” Dylan asked impatiently.

“I’m baking a cake...what do you think’s going on?” Mackenzie pulled the Band-Aid out of the packet and tossed the empty wrapper into the trash.

“Voilà!” Mackenzie quickly applied the Band-Aid. “Done!”