From Maverick to Daddy

She took her change from the clerk and picked up her bag before giving him a disappointed look. “Maybe another time.”

No point in saying yes because it would be a lie. “Have a good evening.”

“You, too.” She walked out the door and lifted her hand in a flirty waggle of fingers when she passed in front of the window outside.

Vera gave him a what’s-with-you look, then rested one hand on a jeans-clad hip and stared at him as if he was wearing a snake around his neck like a tie. “You sick or something?”

Not unless thinking too much about Mallory Franklin qualified. “Never been better. Why?”

“Duh.” There was a twinkle in her big blue eyes.

“How are the kids? What are they now? Six and eight?”

“Yeah. And they’re fine. But you don’t get to change the subject.” She tossed a long, straight strand of blond hair over her shoulder. “You just turned down an invitation from a woman. And she’s your type.”

“How do you know?”

“Because she’s a woman.”

Meaning he wasn’t picky and liked them all. He couldn’t say she was wrong about that. “Yeah. Weird, huh?”

“I’d say so.” She rang up the cans of coffee and waited for money. “Good for you.”

He gave her some bills before asking, “Why do you say that?”

“Because it’s about darn time you grew up.”

“Bite your tongue, Vera.” He grinned. “You know that will never happen.”

“Never say never,” she warned. “Say hi to your folks for me.”

“I’ll do that at dinner on Sunday.” His mother insisted on it and none of her children had the nerve to say no to Mary Dalton. “You tell John and the kids hello from me.”

“Will do.”

He waved, then walked out to his truck and opened the passenger door to set the coffee on the seat. What had just happened? It was out of character for him to turn down a pretty lady, because he liked them all and kept things fun. As soon as that changed, he found a way to slide out of it without hurting anyone’s feelings. Everyone had a gift and that was his.

He never saw the point of taking it up a notch and never said no to a potential fling.

But that had changed tonight. Because he’d been thinking about Mallory Franklin? Maybe that was what happened when you got hit by lightning. Some people lived after getting zapped, but they were never the same. Since he liked himself just fine the way he was, he needed to watch out for storm activity and head for cover as soon as possible.

He was very good at that, too.

Chapter Two

With Lily securely buckled up in the backseat, Mallory parked her compact car in front of the Dalton house. Her boss had invited them to dinner because his wife said Mallory had been in town over six months and that length of time without having her over crossed the line into unfriendly territory. It was five o’clock on Sunday and they were right on time.

“Here we are,” she announced and turned off the car.

The sound of a seat belt clicking apart came from the rear seat. “Mr. Dalton has a big house.”

Mallory agreed. It was located just over the bridge and next to the creek on Sawmill Street. The two-story structure was wood and glass with a manicured lawn, neatly trimmed bushes and brightly colored flowers lining the walkway to the front door.

She’d heard about the devastating flood the previous summer when the rain wouldn’t stop and the creek overflowed, wiping out a good portion of the town. The law office was still handling claims and property issues along with renovation contracts and insurance matters. Right here, right now, you’d never know anything bad had happened. Ben’s house was on high enough ground that it hadn’t sustained any damage and she was glad for him and Mary.

“Okay, kiddo, let’s go.” Mallory opened the driver’s door and exited the car while her niece did the same from the rear-passenger side.

Lily looked up and down the street. “There are a lot of cars.”

“I noticed.”

At the front door she knocked and waited for someone to answer. That someone turned out to be Caleb Dalton. He looked as surprised as she felt, but probably his heart was beating a normal, steady rhythm, while hers was pounding abnormally fast.

“Hi.” His curious tone filled in the question he was too polite to ask. What are you doing here?

“Caleb! Do you live here?” Lily was clearly happy to see him.

“No. Just visiting.” The smile he gave her was genuinely warm and welcoming. “It’s nice to see you again, Lily.”

Mallory wondered if he really meant that after what she’d said during their last encounter. “Your father invited us to dinner. I didn’t know—”

“That I’d be here?”

“Well, yes,” she admitted.

“It’s Sunday.”

“I’m aware of that. It’s when your father told me to be here.”

Ben had mentioned the family dinners a couple of times, but she didn’t really get that it was all of them every Sunday. She’d had it in her head that this was just her and Lily with Mary and Ben. No way had she expected to see Caleb.

There was an edgy expression in his eyes, but she got the feeling it wasn’t about her. “What I meant is on Sunday my mother insists that the whole family be here for dinner.”

“That’s nice.” She couldn’t imagine her mother doing anything like that.

Before he could respond to that, Mary Dalton walked up and stood beside her son. “Caleb, for goodness’ sake. You weren’t raised by wolves. I know because I’m your mother and had a hand in raising you. Invite our guests in.” The woman smiled. “Mallory, I’m so glad you could come. And this must be Lily.”

“Pleased to meet you,” the little girl said politely.

Lily had always been in school or day care when her boss’s wife had dropped into the office. Mary Dalton was a tall, very attractive blue-eyed brunette. Trim and fit, she was wearing jeans, a plaid cotton shirt and a friendly smile. Mallory liked her a lot.

The woman sighed looking at Lily. “What a cutie you are. It’s so nice to have children here. I so want a houseful of grandchildren.” The expectant look she gave her son made him squirm.

Mallory wasn’t sure what to say to that but figured she couldn’t go wrong being polite. “Thank you for inviting us, Mary.”

She stepped back and opened the door wider. “Come in.”

They did and Mallory was forced to walk very close to Caleb, which put her closer than the last time they were together at his father’s office. He was very tall, muscular and smelled really good, the scent a pleasant manly mixture of soap and aftershave.

They were standing in the two-story entryway with twin staircases on either side. A brass light fixture descended from the ceiling over a circular mahogany table with fresh flowers in the center.

Mallory felt like a clog dancer in a ballet. “Ben didn’t mention that this was a family dinner. I don’t want to intrude.”

“Nonsense. He’s told me how hard you work and it’s much appreciated. He’d be lost without you and that means you’re like family.”

“Speaking of that,” Caleb said, “what about Sutter and Paige? With Mallory and Lily there aren’t enough places set at the table. I can put out more.”

“He means the oldest of my three girls and her husband, but you probably know that.” Mary looked at her son. “Your sister isn’t coming.”

“But you always said if our backsides aren’t here for dinner every Sunday, we better be bleeding or on fire.”

“Now I’m adding childbirth to the list of acceptable excuses. She just had a baby a few weeks ago.”

“Seriously? That gets her a pass?”

“It does. When you go through labor, delivery and the first few weeks with an infant up all night, you’ll get a dispensation, too. Until then...”

Caleb winked at Lily. “She drives a hard bargain.”

“And you’re a silver-tongued devil. Always trying to charm your way out of trouble.” She affectionately touched his arm. “Now I’m going to introduce our guest to everyone else.” She put her hand on Lily’s shoulder. “Come along, sweetie.”

That left Mallory and Caleb to walk behind them. He nodded toward the other room and said, “Let’s go meet the Daltons.”

Mallory’s head was spinning and not just from being this close to the good-looking cowboy. She was baffled by the banter between mother and son. What a concept. If her mother—or father, for that matter—were that warm and approachable she’d still have a relationship with them. But disapproval was their trademark and she was pretty sure they’d frown on Lily, who wasn’t related to them by blood. This child would never go through what Mallory and Mona had growing up.

Caleb led her past a big, beautiful kitchen with stainless-steel appliances and a granite-topped island to the large family room. It had a leather sectional in front of a big screen TV mounted on the wall. Ben was standing with his other two sons. She knew them from the photos in her boss’s office, but shook their hands as Mary made introductions.

The men were all about the same height, six feet give or take an inch, and the unmistakable family resemblance marked them as brothers. Anderson, the oldest, had the same brown hair and blue eyes as Caleb, but there was an air of authority and seriousness different from his brother. Travis was the middle son and had his father’s brown eyes.

“Are you a cowboy, too?” Lily asked him after meeting all the men.

“I am.” Travis indicated his older brother. “So is he. In fact he’s in charge of the family ranch.”

“Aunt Mallory didn’t tell me you had a ranch.”

Mallory happened to be looking at Caleb and saw his mouth pull tight when Lily called her Aunt. He’d grown tense after Lily put on her matchmaking hat at the office. Clearly he was skittish about starting a relationship with a woman who had a child.

“We have a big ranch,” Travis was saying. “The Dalton family spread.”

“Do you have horses?” When Travis nodded, the little girl practically quivered with excitement. “I’ve never been on a horse, but I’d like to—”

“Lily,” Mallory interrupted, “it’s not polite to invite yourself.”

“That’s okay.” Travis smiled down at the child. “Pretty girls are always welcome.”

“How come you never tell us that?”

“Because you’re both irritating.” Travis grinned at the two beautiful young women who’d walked into the family room from the kitchen.

Mary stood between them and slid her arms through theirs. “These are my youngest daughters, Lani and Lindsay.”

Both had the Dalton light brown hair, but Lani wore hers long, and Lindsay had a ponytail.

“It’s really nice to meet you,” Mallory said. “I feel as if I know everyone already from all the photos Ben has in his office.”

“I’m Lily.” The little girl grinned up at the girls. “My name begins with an L, just like yours.”

“That’s really cool,” Lindsay said with a big smile. “You’re just as cute as you can be.”

“So, the girls will help me get drinks,” Mary said. “Mallory, we have beer, wine, club soda, soft drinks. What would you like?”

“I’d love a glass of wine.” It was weird because these were the nicest people in the world, but her nerves were a little raw, as if they were tightly wound springs ready to come loose. Every time she looked at Caleb they got a little more sensitive.

“What about you, Lily with an L?” Lani asked. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Would it be all right if I had soda?”

Mallory nodded, but added, “Nothing with caffeine.”

“Coming right up. Boys, be nice to our guests.” Mary put her arms around her daughters and headed them toward the kitchen.

Mallory and Lily were standing with Travis while her boss formed a circle to chat with his other two sons just a few feet away. Caleb showed no interest in talking to her, unlike the first time they’d met. At least he’d seemed engaged until Lily told him she, Mallory, needed a husband. If that was a friendship deal breaker then so be it. Her feelings would not be hurt.

After watching Mary Dalton gather her daughters, Mallory smiled at Travis. “It occurs to me that with six kids, your mom must have been pretty good at herding. Maybe that’s where you and your brothers inherited the skill.”

He laughed. “It’s a good theory. And she’s anxious to take those talents out, dust them off and use them on the next generation of Daltons.”

“I understand your sister had a baby and that’s why she’s not here.”

“I like babies.” Lily looked way up at the tall cowboy. “Do you?”

“Yes, ma’am, I do.”

Mallory could almost hear the wheels turning in her niece’s head and decided a preemptive strike was called for. “Travis, you should know that Lily is a budding matchmaker.”

“Is that so?” He squatted down to her level. “Who are you trying to marry off, young lady?”

“Me.” Mallory felt as if someone was looking at her and glanced at the other group. Caleb was staring, but not at her. The frown was directed at his brother, and when it slid to her, she quickly turned away. “She thinks I need a husband.”

“Is that right?” he asked the little girl.

“Maybe.” The beginnings of hero worship glowed in her black eyes when she looked at Caleb’s brother. “And she likes cowboys.”

“Lily!” Mallory didn’t know whether to laugh or apologize. “That’s not true.”

Travis stood and there was laughter in his eyes. “So, you don’t like cowboys?”

“No. I mean yes—” She sighed. “I’m sure cowboys are lovely people for someone who’s looking for commitment.”

She noticed Caleb was still frowning, but this time his gaze was on her. Someone should tell him to be careful or his face could freeze that way. Or stop listening in on her conversation. He was close enough to hear and didn’t seem to be paying attention to what his father and brother were talking about.

“Are you aware, Mallory,” Travis was saying, “that you’re lumped in with all the other ladies who are affectionately known as the Rust Creek Falls gal rush?”

She cringed. This wasn’t the first time she’d heard that and didn’t like it any better now. “If I could have five minutes alone with whoever came up with that name they’d get a good talking-to.”

“You have to admit that the population of Rust Creek has increased with an influx of females.”

“So are you looking for a gal?” Mallory asked him, letting just a hint of sarcasm slip into her tone.

“No, ma’am, I’m not.”

“And why is that?”

“I’ve got my reasons,” he said mysteriously.

Although curious, Mallory wouldn’t ask, but if any of the town’s female newcomers heard him say that, from Sawmill Street clear up to the falls, there would be a line waiting to interrogate him and change his mind. Although she wouldn’t be one of them.

“Turnabout is fair play,” Travis said. “Are you looking for a husband?”

“No, sir, I’m not.”

“Fair enough,” he said, nodding. “So, why did you move here?”

Before she could answer, Mary and her girls returned and handed out drinks. Mallory took the wineglass and made sure her back was to Caleb. That turned out to be problematic because her skin prickled and she felt his gaze on her, no matter how stupid that sounded. Making something out of nothing was a flaw she was working on and now was an excellent time to practice stopping the habit.

But when she chanced a look, she caught him staring at her, and the intense expression on his face stole her breath. In her humble opinion, this was the very definition of mixed signals.

* * *

All through dinner Caleb had watched Travis put the moves on Mallory and he didn’t like it, not even a little bit. He was disturbed by the feeling, because earlier he’d deliberately joined a conversation that didn’t include her, then found himself wanting to hear everything she said to his brother.

Now dinner conversation was winding down and he knew table-clearing was next. When Mallory laughed at something his brother said, Caleb couldn’t take it anymore.

“Travis, you’re on dish detail.”

“I did it last week,” he protested.

“Nope. That was me. You’re up.”

Travis gave him a back-off look. “I don’t want to neglect our guest.”

Caleb didn’t like the sound of that. Age might have its privileges usually, but this time it was every man for himself.

His mother must have sensed something because she stood up. “Let’s stack these dishes and take them to the kitchen. Travis, Anderson, it’s your turn.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The oldest of the three brothers stood and took his sisters’ plates.

“I’ll entertain our guests.” Caleb looked at his brother and dared him to argue. “I’ll give them a tour of the garden.”

“Do I have to go?” Lily was sitting between his sisters. “I’m going to play a game with Lani and Lindsay.”

“Of course you can do that.” Mallory’s voice was quiet, but her expression showed equal parts unease and confusion.

Caleb was confused, too, and didn’t get his own behavior. All he knew was that he didn’t want his brother alone with her. He stood and walked around the table, then put his hands on her chair to slide it back so she could get up. Just in case Travis was planning a play, Caleb put his hand at the small of her back and ushered her out of the dining room. He guided her to the French door in the kitchen and opened it for her to walk outside.

The sun was low in the sky and would soon disappear behind the mountain. A light breeze carried the fragrances of roses and jasmine.

Mallory looked at the brick-trimmed patio and expanse of grass, bushes and flowers outlining the yard. Her gaze settled on the white gazebo in a far corner. “This is really beautiful.”

“Yeah. The folks really like it out here.”

“I want to do this in my yard. For Lily. There hasn’t been time yet since moving. Getting her settled was the priority and it was winter. Then spring arrived, but there was so much going on at work, people picking up the pieces of their lives after the flood.”

“Now we’re facing down another winter,” he said. “But when you’re ready, I can recommend a good landscape contractor.”

“That would be great.” She looked as if his being nice was unexpected.

He probably deserved that. “No problem.”

She walked across the grass to the gazebo and looked longingly at the wooden bench that lined the interior. “Is it all right if I sit?”

“Sure.”

She did and said, “This is so lovely.”

“Yeah.” But he was looking at her face. Instinct had him wanting to sit beside her but he held back, leaned his shoulder against the solid support beam beside her.

“You didn’t know I was coming to dinner, did you?”

That was direct and he liked her for it. No beating around the bush. “I didn’t know.”

“When Ben invited me, he didn’t say that the whole family would be here.”

“If you’d known, would you have come?”

She thought for a moment, then nodded. “Your father never misses a chance to say what a good job I’m doing. He treats his employees and clients with respect, as if they really matter, and understands that real life sometimes has to come first. It would have been rude and ungrateful to turn down his invitation.”

“Are you sorry you came?”

“No.” She met his gaze. “Your family is wonderful and you’re lucky to have them.”

He thought of Travis and thought sometimes not so much. “If you say so.”

“I do.” Her voice was wistful. “I wish I’d had that kind of warmth and closeness growing up.”

Lily called her “aunt,” so she hadn’t been an only child. “But you have a sibling.”

“A sister. Mona left home as soon as she was old enough, so we weren’t that close.” Sadness filled her eyes. “She died almost a year ago. Now I feel guilty for not making more of an effort to stay in touch.”

“Lily is her daughter.” Obviously the little girl was adopted. Obviously now her aunt was her guardian.

“Mona and her husband, Bill, were college professors at NYU. They couldn’t have children, so they adopted Lily from China.”

“Not New York?” That got a small smile, as he’d hoped.

“There, too. I couldn’t believe it when I got the call that her parents were killed in a terrible accident. Hit by a taxi.”

“I’m sorry.” It was automatic, but he meant the words.

“Thank you.” She sighed. “It just occurred to me how odd that is. Thanking someone who feels sorry for you.”

“Not you,” he clarified. “I’m sorry you had to go through something so terrible. I can’t imagine losing one of my sisters or brothers. Even Travis.”

“He’s a teddy bear.”

“More like a pain in the neck. But I’m related to that pain in the neck.” He sat down on the bench beside her, not touching, but close enough to feel the heat from her body, smell the sweet scent of her skin. “I can’t imagine what it’d be like without him.”

“Cherish the closeness.” She rubbed her arms as if suddenly cold. “Now there’s no chance Mona and I can ever be that way.”

“But you’re Lily’s guardian. That has to count for something. You’re the one she trusted with her child.”

“I appreciate you saying that. It helps.”

“So, why didn’t you stay in New York?” He was curious to know everything about her and liked hearing her talk. The voice that was a little honey with a side of gravel scraped over his skin and scratched its way inside.

“For a lot of reasons. It’s expensive and there were sad memories for Lily everywhere.”

“Out of all the places you could’ve come, why Rust Creek?”

The look she gave him was wry. “I admit to reading Lissa Roarke’s blog, but I’m not here to find a man.” The tone was a little emphatic, a lot defensive. “I liked the community spirit. Everyone pulling together after the flood and during rebuilding. Lily lost so much and I thought it was important for her to feel a part of something bigger than just the two of us. Not so alone and maybe a little more secure.”

“She’s pretty lucky to have you.”

Rays from the setting sun brought out the red in her auburn hair and made her sad smile angelic. “That’s nice of you to say.”

“Not nice. Just the truth.”

“Still...”

She looked down and her long, silky hair fell forward, hiding her face. It took every ounce of willpower not to bury his fingers in all that softness and slide it back to see the beautiful curve of her cheek.

“Caleb, I didn’t mean to dump all that on you. Here I am going on and we hardly know each other.”

The devil of it was that the more he found out, the better he wanted to know her. “For what it’s worth, Lily is a great kid. She seems to be really well-adjusted.”

“Guess I must be doing something right.” She shrugged. “Starting with finding a job at your dad’s law firm.”

“Yeah, he’s okay.”

“Trust me. Not every boss would invite an employee home to dinner.” She smiled. “You have an extraordinary family and that’s something Mona and I didn’t have. It’s the model for what I’d like to give Lily.”

“Speaking of her...” Caleb stood abruptly. “We should probably go inside and check on her.”

She blinked up at him, then nodded. “Of course.”

That could have been more smoothly done but he was acting purely on survival instinct. And he was really doing her a favor. He’d enjoyed being with her and wasn’t ready for it to end, but staying wasn’t fair to her. She might not realize it yet, but a husband would be part of the family she wanted for her niece. That was significant and he wasn’t anyone’s idea of a significant other. He was the good-time guy who didn’t do serious.

Not even when a woman was as pretty and tempting as Mallory Franklin.

Chapter Three

“Lily, maybe your book is at home.”

At five-fifteen on Monday Mallory picked her niece up from Country Kids Day Care. After a brutal day at work she was so ready to get home. They were buckled in the car and ready to head in that direction when the little girl had told her about the missing book.

“No, Aunt Mallory. I thought I left it at school, but it wasn’t there. The last time I remember seeing it was at your office.”