His Heart for the Trusting (14 page)

It was all the
more reason they needed to talk about last night’s visit.  But before she could
broach the subject after breakfast, Mitch had quickly disappeared to work with
Beau.

She'd wait for
him, Sara decided.  He may be able to ignore his problems out on the range, and
maybe that was a good distraction to give him time to clear his head, but he
had to come home.  His sole reason for coming home was nestled in her arms.

She glanced
down at Jonathan, who had just successfully drained the last of his bottle.  He
was such a beautiful baby.  In the last month, since she’d discovered her
feelings for Mitch were growing leaps and bounds, she'd allowed herself to
fantasize about them as a family.  About what it would be like to give this
precious child she'd fallen so head over heels in love with a sister or
brother.  What kind of hair would a child they created have?  Would they share
the same blue eyes or would their baby take more after her, and inherit the
striking Apache features Sara was born with.

It didn't
matter anymore.  She wasn't Jonathan's mother.  And no matter how much she
would love to think otherwise, Jonathan was the thread that had bound her and
Mitch together.  Without it, they would fall apart.

An ache
settled, dull but strong, in the center of her chest. 

“You knew this
could happen, Sara,” she whispered as she placed the baby in his crib.  “All
the more reason why you don't belong here.”

Mitch wouldn't
be happy about what Sara was going to tell him, but he had to know her true
feelings.  If she didn't tell him, then they'd have nothing.  No chance for any
kind of future.

As she closed
the door to the nursery, she wondered if even that had been an illusion all
along.

* * *

Sara visited
with Mandy only briefly.  Mandy was on bed rest as she neared the end of her
pregnancy, and there wasn't a whole lot she could do but sleep and read.  Sara
had sat at the foot of Mandy's new four-poster bed and chatted for a while,
wanting so much to tell Mandy about Lillian's visit, but feeling too disjointed
to put her jumbled thoughts into words.

Although Mandy
had confessed to hearing Lillian's car spin out of the driveway the night
before after everyone had come home from the Powwow, she hadn't pressed the
issue.  Sara was glad for that.

And she was
glad later on when Corrine insisted she leave Jonathan with her while Sara
brought the cowboys some lunch out in the field.  Sara was doing her a huge
favor, Corrine had said.  Besides, Alice was coming over and the two of them
needed to do some spoiling.

Sara had loaded
Corrine's pickup truck with a picnic basket full of sandwiches and drinks.  As
she made her way up the rutted dirt road toward the pasture, where the cowboys
had been baling hay all morning, her stomach clenched.  She was glad when she
found Mitch and Beau alone, and learned that the other hands had headed back to
the ranch for lunch.

Mitch's blue
eyes registered steep panic when she climbed out of the truck.

“What's wrong?”

Beau tipped his
hat to her.  “Good afternoon, Sara.  What brings you out here?”

“Where's
Jonathan?”

“Back at the
house with Corrine,” Sara said.  “Don’t worry.   He's fine and quite happy
being the center of attention.”

Mitch's face
instantly registered relief.  “I thought...”

He shook his
head and pulled off his gloves as he walked over to her.  The lines she'd seen
etched in the corner of his eyes had smoothed some, despite being under the hot
sun. Work was good for him.  And now that he knew she hadn’t come out to the
field for a crisis, he smiled one of those brilliant smiles that always melted
her heart. 

Despite how his
cowboy hat protected his fair-skinned face from the sun, Sara noticed
immediately Mitch's upper arms were starting to burn. 

“I'm glad you
stopped by then,” he said, his eyes grazing her with a hunger she felt herself
just the evening before.

She actually
felt her heart flutter.  Vaguely aware that Beau was standing nearby, she said,
“There's lunch in the picnic basket.  And some sunscreen to keep you both from
looking like a snake shedding its skin.”

“Good, because
I'm starving,” Beau said. 

She waited
until she saw Beau was settled in the front seat of the pickup, sifting through
the food Corrine had prepared.

“You need to
get some sunscreen on you or you're going to be hurting later.”

“I've missed
you,” he said, pulling her into his arms, ignoring her warning.  She settled
against him as if they fit like a glove.  She liked the feel of this glove.  

“You left early
this morning.”

He kissed her
gently on the lips and said, “I know.  I have a lot of work ahead of me.  Beau
and I want to have some time to work with the horses tonight.  Some of them are
ready to show.”

“What about
Jonathan?”

“You can bring
him on out to the corral to watch his old man.”  His grin was bright.  “It
won't be long before he'll be testing the saddle himself.  Might as well give
him his first ride.”

Sara chuckled. 
“You don't think he's too young?”

“Hell, no. 
Lots of Texas cowboys started riding from the cradle.  Will you bring him out
and come for a ride with us?”

She didn't
answer right away.  He was stalling.  And right at that moment, Sara realized
it was the absolute wrong time for her to talk to him about what was on her
mind.

When she
hesitated, Mitch tipped her chin with the tip of his fingers.  “In case you're
wondering, I'm asking you on a date.”

She blinked,
trying hard not to do something so utterly ridiculous as sigh.  “And using your
son as a ruse to get me to go riding?”

“Oh, Jonathan
will be riding.  But I'm going to make sure I get a few rides in with you,
too.  Trust me?”

“Okay.” 

They still
needed to talk.  But maybe after they spent some time together tonight, it
would be the perfect time for them to do it.  By then, maybe she'd have her
head straight on enough to know exactly how she felt.

* * *

     Sara had
raced through the day like a giddy schoolgirl, and yet, part of her knew she
should be keeping herself very much in check.  Mitch had called it a date.  It
wasn't a date.  Not really.  They were just staying right here on the ranch.  

She knew all
too well that her feelings for Mitch were growing.  With Lillian's sudden
appearance yesterday, she'd make sure that she clamped down any notion to
encourage Mitch until she knew exactly how they both felt.  It would only
complicated matters more if they rushed into another relationship with
unfinished business left behind from another.

But Mitch's
kiss.  Oh, Lord, Sara couldn't stop thinking about it.  It had been sweet and
gentle and full of excitement.  Something deep inside her burst free like a
volcanic eruption.  She remembered the feel of his arms as it slipped
protectively around her waist and pulled her close to him.  It had been like
coming home.  Like a rebirth of something she'd lost long ago and didn't know
how to find again.

She shook her
head as she folded yet more baby clothes to hand over to Mandy.  Jonathan was
growing leaps and bounds.  Her heart squeezed with emotion she knew she
shouldn't name.  She loved the baby, just like...

No, it was
natural for her to fall in love with the baby.  She was his caregiver and it
was only right that she gave him all her attention and her heart as well.  He'd
been denied a mother for so long.  But Jonathan deserved a mother's love.  Even
if she would only be staying for a little while.  None of that meant that she
was in love with his father. 

Stuffing
another baby shirt into the box, Sara wondered just how long she could stay in
Mitchell Broader's home before she couldn't ignore the truth any longer.  She
was desperately falling in love with Mitch, too.

* * *

Mitch showered
and changed before dinner.  Normally, if he were going to work the horses, he'd
just hold off until the day was completely done and he could spend some time
with his son.  And Sara.  Yes, he was giving himself a little more care than
usual because he hoped that Sara would indulge him.  What they'd started last
night as he held her was only a beginning.

 Lord, what was
he going to do with her, he mused as he pulled on his boots.  She had her heart
set on going to the reservation.  After seeing her during the Powwow ceremony,
talking to all the native children and keeping them spellbound, he had to
wonder where he and Jonathan fit into the equation. 

He'd seen
Jonathan in her arms countless times, listening to her tell her stories, not
that Jonathan understood a word of it, Mitch thought chuckling quietly to
himself.  The baby just liked the sound of her voice and the gentleness of her.

Yeah, Mitch
liked that, too.  He loved the way Sara’s eyes flashed bright with excitement. 
He loved that drugged gaze she gave him when he pressed his lips against hers,
and the way she melted into his embrace like warm honey spreading over him.  He
hadn't wanted to let go of her last night.  Not ever.

But then
Lillian showed up.  It had been a major jolt to his peace of mind.  He knew he
was being hard.  Lillian was Jonathan's mother and he had to give her some
ounce of respect for that. 

Mitch had grown
up hearing all the mudslinging back and forth between his parents enough to
know that that kind of bitterness would only hurt Jonathan.  He wouldn't do
that to his child.  When he'd looked into Sara's pleading eyes last night, he
knew that's what she was telling him. 

Okay, so if
Lillian wanted to drop by now and then, he'd let her.  He knew Lillian too well
to know that she'd get tired of it soon enough.  He only hoped that he'd be
able to keep his son from being brokenhearted when she eventually left.

Well, enough
worrying about Lillian, Mitch thought as he strode downstairs.  He had an
appointment with Cody Gentry, Beau's brother, about buying some of the horses
he'd worked.  The deal with Hank was that the Double T got first dibs on any of
the horses Mitch trained.  Beau kept a few green horses for the rodeo school. 
After that, it was Mitch's business to sell them to whomever he pleased, and
pocket the money. 

It was a sweet
deal for him as any money from the sale of horses would go right back into the
bank towards his own spread.  Mitch was determined to meet his goal.  By his
estimation, he'd have what he needed in two, maybe three years, provided he
could sell enough horses. 

Mitch was both
surprised and elated when Beau mentioned the Silverado Cattle Company, his
father's spread, was looking to buy a few horses of their own.  Beau had
dropped Mitch's name to his brother, figuring his old man would shoot the idea
down pronto, which, of course, Mike Gentry had.  But then Cody up and called
Mitch on his own, saying he'd heard of his reputation and wanted to see for
himself what Mitch had to offer.  The fact that he trained on Double T soil
didn't bother Cody like it bothered Mike Gentry.

To Mitch, it
was a great opportunity to further his business, especially since Cody Gentry
was well known as a cutting horse trainer.  Not only did the Silverado Cattle
Company have deep pockets to spend top dollar, they had connections far beyond
Steerage Rock.  That was something Mitch was counting on.  Word of mouth in
this business meant much more than the bottom line.  He'd give Cody a fair
price and a fine horse.

Smiling, Mitch
joined his family at the dinner table.

* * *

“It's still
early, but I have to get this baby to bed pretty soon or he'll be over tired
and I'll have to rock him to sleep,” Sara said. 

She had
Jonathan in the front pack.  The little bonnet on his head, protecting his head
from the sun and any dust the wind kicked up, kept tipping off and falling to
dirt each and every time Mitch road by on Midnight.  Sara finally gave up and
stuffed the bonnet in her pocket, keeping her hand protectively on the baby's
delicate head.

“My boy has you
whipped,” Mitch called out from his mount.  “I'd choose you rocking me over
settling in bed alone.”

Her cheeks
flamed and she was glad Cody and Beau were talking to each other far enough
away that they hadn't heard.

“Behave
yourself in front of your son, Mr. Broader.”

Mitch's lips
tilted into a wickedly sexy grin that made her blood run like hot rain from her
toes to her hairline.

“Care to take a
ride before you turn in?”  His cobalt blue eyes twinkled with specks of crimson
from the setting sun.  He cast her a smile so sexy that her heart raced wildly
and her pulse hammered in her ear.

“I think I'll
pass tonight.”

Beau had come
up behind her with Cody.

“Sure I can't
talk you into selling Midnight?” Cody asked Mitch.  Cody Gentry was as tall as
his brother and had the same strong, muscular build.  Though there were
distinct differences in the two, it was hard not to mistaken them as brothers. 
Sara was sure there were more than a few women in Steerage Rock and beyond who
had their eye on Cody Gentry.

“Nah, I've got
someone in mind for her,” Mitch said.

“Whatever their
price is, I'll double it.  She sure is a beautiful animal,” Cody said, leaning
his arm on the rail to peer at Midnight.

“Sorry,” Mitch
said as he got off his mount.  “This one is Sara's.”

“Mine?” Sara
gasped.

“Sure.  It's a
gift for you.”

“But...”

Cody chuckled. 
“Guess I'm talking to the wrong person.  Darlin' any time you want to do
business on this pretty thing, you just let me know.”

“Why don't you
let me take the baby in to see Mandy?” Beau said, as Sara tried to find her
voice.  “She's got those nesting instincts.  At least that's what Corrine calls
it.  I have to admit, I can't wait for the chance to have one of these in my
arms.  If I had my way, Mandy would be having our baby tonight.”