Rodeo Daddy: Book 3 in the Stubborn Texas Siblings Trilogy (8 page)

Nearly a month had gone by before Mandy was sent back
home. By then, Dana had grown accustomed to having Jeff
there at the house with her. The idea of him leaving so that
her sister didn’t feel uncomfortable was too painful to even
contemplate. Tears streamed down her face as she watched
him limp outside and climb into the cab of his truck. He
reached over and rolled the window down, looking at her
with smoldering eyes.

“Are you sure I can’t sweet talk you into coming back to
the ranch with me? I’ve got loads of room… I could easily
transform one of the many rooms into a nursery for Alexis,
and my bed is huge. I assure you, there’s plenty of room in
it for both of us.”

Dana sadly shook her head. “No. Mandy needs me.
Besides… you’ve only got another week before your doctor
said you can go back to work. I’d hate to disrupt Alexis’
life and routine yet again, just to have you leave us both
hanging in seven days’ time. It’s better for both of us if we
stay here with Mandy. It’s bad enough I let my emotions
get even more tangled up in you,” she said softly, blushing
deeply when she realized what she’d just admitted to him.

Jeff sadly nodded his head and pulled the truck slowly out
of the driveway, careful not to get the tires stuck in the
mountain of snow that had covered the driveway since he’d
last moved the vehicle. He was glad that he had a few
hands that worked the land and the couple of bulls that he
owned. With this cold snap they were having, if he hadn’t
done that, the entire set up would have been lost. He
wondered briefly what had ever become of the two horses
his parents had left behind. They’d been as much a part of
the ranch he now called his own, growing up as the rest of
his family had.

When he’d suddenly found himself alone in the world
after
his father died, he’d gotten emotional and let both of the
horses out of their pens. Last he’d seen them, they’d still
been aimlessly wandering the acres and acres of Schmidt
land. He wondered where they’d found shelter from the
storm and made a silent vow to his parents that as soon as
he got back to the ranch, he’d find them. It would be a good
way to get his mind off the fact that he was walking away
from his daughter and the woman he’d somehow managed
to fall head over clumsy foot in love with.

He found the horses drinking out of the old creek that ran
through his property about five hours later. They looked
great, seeing how no one had fed them for ages. For two
horses that’d been living off the land, they’d done alright
for themselves. Guilt over what they must have endured
swamped him as he walked over to the horse that had been
his fathers and slipped a bit into its mouth. “Woe boy…
good boy, Hercules… you remember me, don’t you boy? I
see you’ve taken good care of Moonbeam,” he said
lovingly stroking the long snout of the mare that neighed
and then nudged his arm, looking for attention. Moonbeam
had been his mother’s pride and joy.

“Let’s get the two of you back to the stables where you’ll
have some warmth as well as fresh hay. Sound good?” he
said conversationally, slipping a second bit into
Moonbeam’s mouth and then attaching a lead rope to both
horses before turning around and walking back to the truck
he’d driven there in. He couldn’t very well expect a couple
of horses who’d had no contact with the human race in
forever to calmly walk behind a running vehicle, so he
grabbed his winter coat out of the truck along with his keys
and then mounted Hercules bareback. He rode all out
towards the barn, holding onto Moonbeam’s lead rope the
whole way.

He could just imagine the
look on Dana’s face when he did
manage to talk her into coming over to the ranch. He’d
proudly present her with his mother’s horse and tell her that
as long as she’d be willing to stick it out there at his house,
she could consider Moonbeam hers to ride. He was willing
to offer Dana any number of incentives to stay with him
now that he’d fallen for her. Knowing she was at the ranch
waiting for him when he was on the road would give him a
good reason to come home more often.

For Dana’s sake, he’d even willin
gly cut back on how
many gigs he accepted. From here on out, he wanted to be
with Dana and Alexis as often as possible. It wouldn’t hurt
anything if he cut back to one competition every other
week… or maybe only once a month. With any luck, he
could convince Eric or Laurie to watch Alexis for them so
Dana could go with him. That should help alleviate her fear
of him hooking up with other women when he was
working.

He had to show her that he was serious about her. It was the
only thing he could come up with, without compromising
himself any further than he already had by falling for her in
the first place. Being in love with a woman made him
vulnerable. If anything ever happened to her, he’d lose it
completely.

When he got back to the barn, he rubbed both horses down,
threw a blanket over their backs and removed the bits.
Locking the barn door so they would stay put for the night,
Jeff walked outside. It was so cold; his breath came out in
hot bursts that he could see with every exhale. He looked
down at the ground and lifted his hand to his hat, blowing
out a slow breath. He still didn’t have a shirt on and the
cold air bit into his bare chest, reminding him of the
stupidity of not bothering to get fully dressed before he’d
left Mandy’s house.

He hadn’t had
the heart to take his shirt from Dana, when
she looked so much better in it than he did. When she’d
told him that the reason she was always wearing it was
because it smelled like him and it made her feel closer to
him, he’d been unable to bring himself to ask her to give it
back to him.

The edges of his jacket brushed over his hardened nipples
and he shivered, making a run for the house. It was time to
pull his head out of his ass. Damn Eric for being right about
that… it was beyond time he grew up and acted like the
man his parents had wanted him to be. They would have
been so disappointed in the man he’d become.

The last month
he’d spent with Dana he’d come to realize
how much time he’d wasted, chasing the next ultimate
thrill. When it came to danger, nothing but nothing was
more dangerous to a Schmidt than caving in to true love.
Nothing would give him quite the thrill that Dana gave him
every time he saw her naked. No one and nothing else
could make his heart swell with love and devotion the way
Alexis and her mother did either. All this time, he’d been
out there, seeking the ultimate adventure … the one that
would provide him with the biggest, most thrilling
adrenaline kick of all time, and the one thing that gave it to
him was the only thing he hadn’t been willing to entertain
participating in.

Being the reigning champion, Jeff knew he had no choice
but to go back to the rodeo and defend his title … until he
lost it or became old enough to officially retire from the
rodeo. But once he could do one of those things, he would
surprise Dana with a ring and beg her on bended knee to be
his wife. They could settle down on his ranch and he could
become a trainer… or maybe a breeder. He’d find
something else he could use his skills to do. All that really
mattered was becoming a real family with Dana and Alexis.

Mandy sat on the couch watching Dana trying to coax
Alexis to play in the middle of the floor at her feet. Alexis
was having none of it. Tears poured down her tiny face and
she made fists with both hands as she pounded them against
her legs in frustration as she repeated one word over and
over, breaking Dana’s heart. “Daddy”… it rang out and
echoed off the walls of the living room and Dana wanted to
cry with her daughter. She missed Jeff just as much as
Alexis did.

“As much as I wanted you here, I think it might be for the
best if you went back home,” Mandy said, looking from
Alexis to Dana. “For both your sakes. That man is breaking
your hearts… both of them. The more time you spend with
him, the worse it’s going to get Dana. We both know that
man is never going to settle down. You knew it when you
slept with him the first time. Nothing’s changed. He’s
bored because he’s temporarily laid up from his injury and
he’s feeling guilty about having knocked you up, but if
you’ve managed to fool yourself into believing he cares
about you, you’re an idiot.”

Dana looked up at Mandy with tearfilled eyes. “Don’t you
think I
KNOW
that?” she sadly wiggled Alexis’ favorite
teddy bear in front of her and winced when her daughter
batted it away angrily before wailing at the top of her lungs.
“I can’t help it, Mandy… I love the man… and so does
Alexis. I can’t very well take her away from him. Not when
he’s gone so far out of his way to be a good Daddy to her.”

“And he’s going to break her little heart into a million tiny
little pieces if you let her get too used to having him around
much longer,” Mandy said patiently. “Look at her… she’s
already inconsolable and he’s still in town. Imagine how
much worse it’s going to be when he’s back on the road
with the rodeo. Remember… I live here. The man’s only
home maybe a week or two every four months… if that.
Last time he was home before he got laid up was almost six
months ago. If he hadn’t been hurt, he had gigs lined up for
another five months straight. It could have easily been a
full year between stops home… and he’s got a family here
that one would think would make him want to come back
for… but he hasn’t. His sister was pregnant, Dana… and
Jeff was too busy seeking the next belt buckle to be
bothered to come home and check on her. What does that
say to you? Do you honestly believe things are going to be
any different with you....? A woman he hooked up with at
one of his events and just so happened to get pregnant?”

Dana looked pained and Mandy decided to pull out the big
guns. “Did you even know that he’s probably got dozens of
kids out there? He’s been a regular donator at the local
sperm bank here for like twelve years. You don’t see him
seeking any of
THEM
out and demanding time with them.
The only reason he’s doing it to you is because he knows
he can use Alexis as a way to guilt you into warming his
bed while he’s injured and away from his stream of buckle
bunnies. Face it, Dana… you may
THINK
you love the
guy… but I’m here to tell you, you don’t even know him.”

Tears streamed down
Dana’s face as she picked Alexis up
and ran back to her bedroom, slamming the door. She
yanked her suitcase out from under the bed and quickly
tossed their things back in it. She then went back out to the
living room and looked guiltily at her sister.

“I’m sorry Mandy… but given the circumstances… I can’t
stay here… I’m going back home where I belong. Keep the
baby stuff here… I’ll buy new things for Alexis when I get
home. She’s outgrown most of it anyways. When Jeff
comes looking for me…” She couldn’t hold back the tears
now as she shifted Alexis from one hip to the other. “Tell
him I’ll do what I promised as far as making sure his name
is on Alexis’ birth certificate because it’s the right thing to
do… and then when he asks about me… which I can pretty
much guarantee he will… tell him I finally wised up and
realized I can’t tame a man set on living like the wild beasts
he works with and gave up. He should be relieved… no
more having to pretend he cares about me … or our
daughter. If he asks… don’t tell him where I went, only
that I left. More likely than not… I’ll probably end up
selling the condo and moving anyway. It’s time we got a
fresh new start somewhere… If Jeff Schmidt wants a child
so badly, he can just go bother one of the many women he
sold his sperm to.”

Having said that, she turned and ran out the door, wailing
just as loudly as Alexis was. Hearing about Jeff’s regular
donations to the sperm bank had been heartbreaking and
had made her face some pretty bleak facts. Her sister was
right. She didn’t really even know the man she’d fallen in
love with. Alexis would be better off being raised away
from a man who could look a woman in the face and act
like he cared so much about the child they’d created when
in fact, he most likely had dozens more out there
somewhere that he’d never even bothered to meet.

Dealing with the knowledge that he’d slept with God only
knew how many other women had been hard enough for
Dana. Worrying that he’d go right back to it once he went
back to the rodeo had been even worse… but this… this
was no different than him sticking his big fist directly into
her chest cavity, grabbing hold of her heart and jerking it
out of her body only to crush it in his hand. The pain was
that intense.

Everything he’d said to her from that moment he’d realized
that Alexis was his daughter had been one big fat lie. He
didn’t care about her. He was just trying to cover his sexy
ass so his siblings and the rest of the town didn’t chew him
a new one. The fact that he’d been able to get a little nookie
while he was laid up had been an extra added bonus, she
thought angrily as she slammed her car door shut after
buckling Alexis into her car seat.

Wel
l, she was finished catering to Jeff Schmidt’s sexual
needs. As of right now, her body was strictly closed for
business as far as he was concerned. She turned the key in
the ignition and the car revved to life. Her foot was heavy
on the gas pedal as she spun the tires on her way out of her
sister’s driveway. It would be nice to put Texas firmly in
her rear view mirror… right along with that no good lying
scoundrel she’d foolishly fallen in love with.

Alexis fell blessedly asleep a few miles down the road.
They hadn’t even hit the interstate before her daughter was
softly snoring. Dana let out a sigh of relief. It was hard
enough keeping her tears at bay enough to be able to see so
she could drive as it was. Listening to Alexis bawl, crying
out for her daddy had been almost impossible for Dana to
deal with. Her own heart was crying out for Jeff too…
Knowing she was driving away from him with no intention
of ever seeing him again was breaking her heart.

As she wiped the tears from her eyes, she managed to miss
seeing the truck that was coming right at her until it was too
late. The car spun out of control as the vehicle sideswiped
her. She slammed her foot down on the breaks as hard as
she could and the car slid on the ice that was built up under
the snow covered road. The next thing she knew they were
slamming into something hard. The car jolted to a stop and
her neck jerked forward as her forehead and then her chest
hit the steering wheel.

Her brain felt foggy as panic filled her. There was no noise
coming from the backseat where Alexis was. The last thing
Dana thought before everything faded to black was that if
Alexis survived and she didn’t, at least she had Jeff to raise
her... She wouldn’t be stuck with some stranger. Then as
the last of consciousness slipped away from her, she saw
the wide expanse of Jeff’s chest in her mind’s eye…
Memories were funny that way; the clarity they tended to
come with. A tiny smile came to her face. It seemed fitting,
if she was going to die, that the man she loved would be at
the center of her final thoughts.