Jared's Texas Homecoming

Jared stood. “I checked with Bert before I let Evan help me.”

The boy pointed to Jared. “Look at Jared’s tool belt, Mom. It’s cool.”

Dana’s gaze went to the area that had her son so fascinated. There were several kinds of tools that hung from a wide strip of honey-colored leather around Jared’s narrow waist and hips. But her attention lowered to his fitted jeans over long muscular legs. A sudden awareness rushed through her body, catching her off guard with the sensual direction of her thoughts. Her gaze shot upward to catch a knowing look in the man’s eyes.

“Yes it is,” she agreed, a little perturbed that he’d discovered her bold appraisal. “But you shouldn’t have bothered Jared, honey. He has chores to do.”

“I finished everything Bert asked me to do,” Jared assured her. “I don’t like to sit around. So I found a few things to fix.”

Dana stiffened. She didn’t needed him pointing out that the Lazy S was badly in need of work.

“Evan, why don’t you go to the truck and take the bag of groceries into the house?”

“But, Mom, I’m helping Jared.”

Before Dana could say anything, Jared spoke up. “Remember what I said, Evan. You have to do your other chores before you can work for me.”

The child frowned, but he nodded. “Okay. But I’ll be back.” He shot out of the barn, leaving the two alone.

Dana watched him go, then turned back to Jared. “I’d appreciate it if you talked to me before recruiting my son. Besides, I hired you to feed the stock and repair the fences.”

Jared stood there for a long time, then finally spoke. “I checked with Bert. He didn’t have a problem with Evan helping me. I wouldn’t let the boy get hurt. I only let him hand me some nails and help carry wood. I didn’t mean any harm, Dana.” He took a step closer and she fought the urge to back away. “What’s really bothering you? If you don’t want me around your son, just say so and I’ll leave.”

His gaze locked with hers and a warmth erupted in her stomach. She had overreacted. “It’s not that. It’s just…I can’t afford to pay you any extra.”

A smile spread across his face. “I don’t believe I asked. As I said, I finished the jobs you assigned me, and thought I could fix a few things.”

Dana blinked back threatening tears. She was acting silly. Was she jealous of this man because her son was drawn to him?

For so long, it had always been just her and Evan. He’d had a close relationship with his grandfather, but that was different. It wasn’t a secret Evan wanted a father. And as his mother, Dana was terrified her son would get hurt attaching himself to every man who he met. In walked Jared Trager and he was getting the brunt of her wrath just because Evan longed to spend time with him.

“You’re right. I apologize. I appreciate what you’ve done here.” She brushed back her hair. “I guess I just had a bad day.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Any way I can help?”

She released a tired breath and shook her head. “This is something I have to handle on my own. The worst part is, it looks like there’s only one answer.”

Chapter Three

That evening, Jared walked toward the house for supper. Bert had gone up earlier and Jared had thought about skipping the meal and just staying in the bunkhouse. He figured if Dana hadn’t wanted him around the boy, she surely wouldn’t want him at her supper table.

It had been hours since she’d stopped by the barn and more or less told him to stay clear of her son. Normally, he’d never given a second thought to kids. But little Evan was starting to get to him. No doubt the boy was aching for a father. “He needed you, Marsh. You should have been here for him.”

Emotions tightened Jared’s throat and he stopped on the porch to pull himself together. Damn, he didn’t want to do this. He didn’t want to feel anything. Years ago he’d learned how to cover all the hurt his father dished out—he’d learned to turn off emotions. After he’d left home, he’d avoided any and all attachments. Whenever he’d hooked up with women, he told them up front not to expect anything permanent, nothing that would put him in danger of getting hurt. Now, he was smack-dab in the middle of this…mess. A fatherless boy who was his nephew. If that wasn’t enough, about ten miles down the road, there was a whole other situation.

Jared looked off toward the west in the direction where supposedly the Randells lived. The last thing he wanted—or needed—was more family. He’d never fit into that cozy scene. An anxiousness rushed through him. This was usually when he’d pack up and move on. Too late. After turning up a hero to a little boy, and wanting to help out the pretty mother, he was already involved.

Besides, he owed Marsh this. He’d never been much of an older brother, so he had to stick it out. He could do this one last thing for probably the only person who had ever loved him.

“Jared?”

Jared recognized the child’s voice and turned to see Evan coming out of the house.

He smiled at him. “Hi, Evan.”

“Are you mad at me?”

Jared crouched down to the boy’s level. “Of course I’m not mad at you. Why would you think that?”

“Mom wouldn’t let me help you anymore. She said I had to clean my room.”

“And that is what you needed to do. You should always mind your mother. Besides, I didn’t do much more work on the stalls after you left. I had other chores to finish myself.”

The boy’s eyes rounded. “Did Mom get mad at you, too?”

“No. She’s just worried that you might get hurt.”

“She always gets afraid.” He pouted. “I’m not a baby.”

“Sorry, partner, that’s just a fact of life. You never stop being her baby. And it’s only because she loves you so much that she worries.”

“But I’m gonna have a birthday. In July.” He held up his hand, his fingers spread wide. “I’ll be five. I’m gonna go to school, too.”

“You are getting big. But we still have to listen to our mothers.”

“I bet you don’t.”

A sadness spread through him as he thought about the fragile woman who’d stood in the shadows as Graham Hastings ruled the family like he did his corporation. Then one day Audrey Trager had gotten sick. She’d died when Jared was only ten, taking so many secrets with her. “No, but I’m a lot older than you.”

Evan looked thoughtful. “You old enough to be a dad?”

Dana stood at the screen door, shocked by her son’s question, and surprised to find Jared Trager there. She had figured he’d be gone by now. Which was unrealistic since he didn’t have a vehicle to drive off in.

“I guess I’m old enough,” Jared began. “I’ve just never settled down and married.”

“My mom isn’t married. She’s pretty and you could—”

Hearing enough, Dana called out to her son. “Evan.”

Both males turned in surprise.

“It’s time for supper.” She glanced quickly at Jared, fighting to keep the heat from her cheeks. “You both need to wash up.” She headed back to the kitchen, knowing she had to have a long talk with her son. She didn’t want him trying to marry her off, especially to a drifter.

All through the meal, Jared felt invisible as the conversation centered around the next day’s chores and Dana directed her orders to Bert. Evan was quietly eating his supper, obviously sensing his mother’s sullen mood, and remained on his best behavior.

Smart boy.

Jared knew that he, too, better watch how far he went without checking with Dana. She wasn’t a helpless female by any means. She had run the ranch and raised her child pretty much on her own. But something had happened today, something related to her trip into town that seemed to take away her fight. Did it have anything to do with her business at the bank? Bert had let it slip earlier that Dana was having trouble financing the ranch. Even Dana herself had admitted this past year had been a rough one.

Mind your own business, he told himself. Stay the two weeks as agreed, then just give Dana Marsh’s letter and walk away. There was probably some money for her along with Evan’s trust fund.

“Jared.” Dana spoke his name, surprising him. “I want to thank you for repairing the stalls. I didn’t get a chance to see everything, but Bert said you did a great job.”

“You’re welcome. I had a good helper.” He winked at Evan.

“That’s me, Mom.” The boy puffed out his chest.

“Can I help Jared tomorrow? There’s lots of things broke.”

Dana felt a sting of battered pride. Even though the condition of the ranch was evident to everyone, she hated to think even her son saw it, too. “I know, Evan, but you can’t keep expecting to tag along after Jared. It’s not his responsibility to—”

“The boy isn’t a bother,” Jared blurted out, then quickly took another bite of food.

Dana couldn’t hide her irritation. “That’s not what I meant. I just don’t want you to think that I expect you to repair everything around here.”

“Unless you have a problem with me replacing the wood in the stalls or corral, I don’t mind doing it, and there is plenty of wood stacked behind the barn.”

“Yeah, Mom,” Evan said. “Jared’s real good at fixin’ stuff and Sammy likes his new gate. And I’m a good helper.”

Dana and Jared exchanged a look. Jared smiled, then said, “Evan is the best helper I ever had.”

“See, Mom. Jared wants me to. Please…can we?”

Once again Dana looked at Jared. Big mistake. Those bedroom eyes were lethal. “I guess it’s not a problem if your other chores are done.”

“Oh, boy!” Evan cheered, then jumped up from his chair and hugged his mother. “I love you.”

Dana enjoyed the moment. Just as quickly her son released her and went back to his seat and began eating his least favorite vegetable, green beans. So there were miracles.

“Who wants dessert?” Dana stood and picked her still-warm Dutch apple pie up off the counter.

Bert’s eyes lit up. “Hot diggity! Jared, you haven’t lived until you’ve had a taste of Dana’s apple pie. Won a blue ribbon at the fair four years in a row.”

“I guess I have to try it.” Jared carried his and Bert’s plates to the sink; Evan followed with his. Then Jared walked to the coffeemaker. “Would anyone like a cup?”

“I wouldn’t mind at all,” Bert said, “since you’re up.”

He glanced at Dana. “How about you?”

“Coffee would be nice.”

Dana turned back to her task of serving up dessert, allowing Jared to enjoy the view of how her jeans fit over her nicely curved bottom and long shapely legs. His body began to stir and he finally turned back to the counter and busied himself with the coffee.

“Jared, you want ice cream with your pie?”

He could only nod. Oh, yes, he definitely needed something to cool him off.

Around midnight, Dana couldn’t sleep and, finally giving up, she made her way to the porch. So many times she would go sit on the old glider swing and enjoy the peaceful night. The sound of the crickets and faint scent of jasmine in the air was a quick cure to lull away the day’s troubles. The ranch had always been her sanctuary. She loved it and wanted desperately to raise Evan here. But for the first time it appeared that might not be a possibility, and she had to face it.

Dana tucked her feet under her and tugged her robe tighter around her body. Where would she and Evan go? What would she do? Never in her life had she thought about doing anything else but ranching. She hadn’t finished college. So what was she qualified to do to support herself and her child? There were so many things she had to think about.

She was desperate enough, she’d even thought about finding Evan’s father, Marsh Hastings. The last thing she wanted was to drag a man into her son’s life who didn’t want to be there. Marsh had made his choice nearly six years ago. If he’d cared, he would have checked to see if something happened after their one night together. When he’d never called, that pretty much told Dana what he thought about her, and his child. A tear found its way down her cheek. It didn’t bother her anymore, but for her son, it made her sad.

Evan needed a father.

A scuffing noise drew her attention and she looked up to see Jared walk by. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” he apologized as he stopped at the porch, then rested his foot on the bottom step.

The man had only to be around to unsettle her. “It’s all right.”

“Too warm to sleep?” he asked.

“And a little restless,” she said. “I sometimes come out here when I can’t sleep.”

“I guess we’re both plagued with the same problem. Walking sometimes helps clear my head.” He stared out into the moonlit night. “It’s pretty quiet here.”

“Not like Las Vegas.”

He shook his head. “Hard to tell day from night in that town.” He was quiet for a while, then said, “I guess I better head back to the bunkhouse. The day starts pretty early around here.”

A familiar loneliness erupted inside Dana as she watched Jared start to walk off. There had been so many nights when she’d lie awake, aching to share a conversation or a touch with another person.

“Jared?” She called out his name.

He turned around and looked up at her. When her throat suddenly felt sand dry, she swallowed. “You…got a minute?”

“Sure.”

He took the three steps in one climb and swiftly he was standing in front of her, so big and intimidating. For a second she thought he was going to sit next to her; instead, he perched on the railing across from her. Still he was close, so close she could tell he’d taken a shower. She could smell a combination of soap and shaving cream.

“I wanted to apologize for earlier today,” she finally said.

“It’s forgotten.”

“I had no right to snap at you like I did. I’m not used to people helping me.”

“I was only working for my pay,” he said. “I can understand about Evan. I shouldn’t have let him get near tools without checking with you first. You barely know me….”

“I’m sure you were careful,” she conceded. “It’s just that…I know things are run-down…. Since my father took sick, it’s been hard to keep up with everything.” Darn, she didn’t want to make excuses.

“So, you’re going through a rough time. All of us have been there. I’m happy to help. If I have a little extra time, I hope you don’t mind if I work on a few things around here. It’s not a big deal.”

“It’s a big deal to my son.” She had to make him understand. Jared Trager was the kind of man you didn’t forget easily. “Evan is getting attached to you.”

“I think he’s a great kid, too.”

She smiled. “Thank you,” she said, trying to get the words out. “Soon you’ll be moving on, and…I just don’t want him hurt.”

Jared studied her a while, then spoke. “Do you think that’s wise, Dana?”

This was the first time he had spoken her name, at least, in that deep husky tone.

“You can’t protect the boy from life,” he went on.

She gritted her teeth. “I’m sure going to try. He’s only four.”

“He’s nearly five,” he offered. “And people have to say goodbye all the time. If I’m honest with Evan, he’ll understand that I have to leave when my truck is fixed. Haven’t there been other ranch hands that have left?”

Dana sighed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s just that since his grandfather died, there haven’t been many men around….”

Jared knew he should get up right now and leave but something prevented him. Maybe it was seeing her with the moonlight dancing off her hair, or hearing the loneliness in her voice. Dressed in an old-fashioned white cotton gown and robe, her auburn hair hanging loose and wild, Dana Shayne resembled nothing like the bossy woman who’d hired him. Tonight she just looked vulnerable…and too damn tempting.

“What about you, Dana? Is there someone in your life?” He told himself that he wanted to know for Evan’s sake.

She looked away. “No, not for a long time.”

“Evan’s father?”

She shook her head.

“He hurt you, so you’re not going to allow another man in your life?”

Dana looked startled at his words. “As you can see, men aren’t exactly pounding on my door.”

That made them both smile. “Then the men in this town are crazy.”

“No, they’re smart. Not many guys want to raise another man’s child, and take on a stubborn woman with a failing ranch.”

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