Stockyard Snatching (13 page)

All Jackson had to do was fist his little hand or make a sucking noise for Dallas to jump to attention. Was this what parenting was like all the time? He felt like someone had set his nervous system on high alert. It was fine for a few minutes, but this would be exhausting day and night.

He’d seen that same look of panic on Kate’s face more than once in the past twelve hours, and for good reason.

Being alone with a baby was scarier than coming face-to-face with a rabid dog in a dark alley.

Jackson made a noise and Dallas jumped to his feet. He stared down at the Pack ’n Play with more intensity than if there was a bomb ready to explode inside.

The little guy must be dreaming, because he was making faces. Cute faces. And they spread warmth all through Dallas, which caught him completely off guard. He didn’t expect to feel so much for a baby that probably wasn’t even his.

The door to the guest room opened and Dallas heard Kate padding down the hall.

He swallowed his emotions.

“Going outside to get some fresh air. Jackson’s fine,” he said, before she entered the room.

Dallas moved to the back door and walked outside.

The past half hour had been nerve-racking, to say the least. A whole host of emotions Dallas wasn’t ready to acknowledge had flooded him. If he was a father, would he be awful at it?

He told himself that knowing Kate was in the shower had him on edge. But it was more than that and he knew it. Being on the ranch had always centered him, no matter how crazy the world around him became. Not this time. His life had spun out of control fast. And he felt nothing but restless.

Distancing himself from Kate and the baby would provide much-needed perspective, he told himself as he tried to regain footing on that slippery slope.

The truth was he liked having Kate and Jackson in his home, way more than he’d expected or should allow. And that caught him off guard. He chalked the sentiment up to facing the first holiday season without his parents.

Then there was the issue of what had happened to Susan and her baby. Dallas hoped both were doing fine. He hadn’t thought about babies much before being told that he might be a father. He’d been too focused on making a name for himself, striking out on his own. Not that his last name was a curse, by any means; Dallas had never thought of “O’Brien” as anything but a blessing.

But being a man, he’d needed to make his own mark on the world. Having come from a close family with a man like Pop at the helm had made Dallas want to do his father and himself proud.

Instead, he’d let him down in the worst possible way.

Dallas had always known he’d eventually come back to the land he loved so much and step into his legacy. That was all supposed to happen far off in the future, however.

His parents weren’t supposed to die. And it sure as hell wasn’t supposed to be his fault.

If they’d only listened to him when he’d said he could arrange to have the unsold art pieces taken back to the art gallery in the morning, instead of insisting on returning them that evening. Then Pop wouldn’t have had that heart attack while driving, and both would still be alive.

He couldn’t help but wonder if his father would think of him as a disappointment now. Sure, Dallas had been successful in business, but his personal life had always been more important to Pop. Dallas had failed his parents. And he couldn’t help but think he’d failed Susan in some way, too.

Not knowing what had happened to her and her baby gnawed at him.

Then there was the news about Morton’s death. So much was going on, and Dallas decided that half the reason his attraction to Kate was so strong was that, on a primal level, he needed comfort, proof life could still be good.

He tapped his boot on the paved patio as he gripped the railing. Even the evening chill couldn’t snap him out of the dark mood he was in.

He could blame his missteps on working too much, or on his emotional state, but the truth of the matter was he should’ve known better.

Now Susan might be dead, and he couldn’t ignore the weight of that thought or how awful it made him feel.

If he’d told her they could get married, would she be okay?

Maybe he should’ve strung her along until the baby was born, and all he’d have had to do was swipe a pacifier and send it to the lab for DNA testing. Susan would have never had to know and wouldn’t have been in such a desperate state.

Then he’d know for certain if the child was his. He could’ve arranged help for Susan, and not just with the baby. She needed counseling or something to help get her mind straight.

Dallas stabbed his fingers in his hair as the wind blew a chill right through him.

So many mistakes. So many questions. So many lives hanging in the balance.

He caught a glimpse of one of his brothers out of the corner of his eye.

“Hey,” Tyler said. A shotgun rested on his forearm as he approached.

“What are you doing out here?” Dallas asked, before he hugged him.

“We’re taking voluntary shifts, walking sections of the property,” Tyler replied. “Haven’t seen anything suspicious so far.”

“Thank you for everything,” Dallas said.

“What are you doing out here all by yourself?” Tyler asked.

“Thinking.”

“You figure anything out yet?” he said with a half smile. He always knew when to make a joke to lighten the tension.

“Pie is better in my mouth than on paper,” Dallas quipped.

“A math joke.” Tyler chuckled. “I like it.” His expression became solemn. “Seriously, is there something on your mind you want to talk about?”

“Nah. I got this under control,” Dallas said. He did want to talk, but surprisingly, not with one of his brothers. He wanted to talk to Kate.

“You always did carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, big brother,” Tyler said. “We’re here to help if you want to spread some of that around.”

“And you know how much I appreciate it,” Dallas answered.

They stood in comfortable silence for a little while longer, neither feeling the need to fill the air between them.

“It’s going to be different this year,” Tyler finally said with a sigh. He didn’t need to elaborate for Dallas to know he was talking about the upcoming holidays.

“Yeah.”

“Won’t be the same without her holiday goose and all the trimmings at Christmas supper,” Tyler murmured.

“Nope.” None of the boys had accused Dallas of being responsible for their parents’ deaths and none would. He held on to that guilt all on his own.

“You heard anything from Tommy lately about possible involvement from another vehicle?” Tyler asked.

“Nothing new.” Dallas rubbed his chin and looked toward the setting sun.

“I get angry thinking about it,” his brother admitted.

Dallas nodded and patted him on the shoulder. “Heard Uncle Ezra has been talking to the rest of the family about letting him take over the gala,” he said at last.

“You know him—always blowing smoke,” Tyler said. “He couldn’t handle it alone anyway, and I don’t know why he wants his hand in everything.”

“Have you spoken to Aunt Bea lately?”

“Heard it through the grapevine that Uncle Ezra has been trying to get her to sell her interests in the ranch to him,” Tyler said. “And he’s been cozying up with the McCabes, which I don’t like one bit.”

“Neither do I. That family has been nothing but trouble over the years, and just because Pop is gone doesn’t mean I’d betray his memory by bringing them anywhere near the ranch, let alone the gala.” Dallas swung his right leg up and placed his foot on the wooden rail off the decking, then rested his elbow on his knee.

“Isn’t that the truth,” Tyler said. “Uncle Ezra needs to check his loyalty. He wouldn’t have anything without Pop’s goodwill.”

“Unfortunately, not everyone is as grateful as Aunt Bea,” Dallas said. “Plus, together they only own five percent of the company. What does he hope to gain by forcing her out?”

Tyler shrugged. “He’s making a move for something. We’d better keep an eye on him. Harmless as he seems, we don’t know what he’s really up to, and I just don’t trust him. I don’t think Mom ever did, either.”

“Good point. She was adept at covering up in front of Pop, but I saw it, too.”

The back door opened as the sun disappeared on the horizon.

“Everything okay out here?” Kate asked.

“I better get back to the main house,” Tyler said to Dallas.

“Check in if anything changes,” he replied, then introduced his brother to Kate.

“Evening, ma’am.” Tyler tipped his gray Stetson before disappearing the way he’d come.

“I didn’t mean to make your brother feel like he had to leave,” Kate said.

“You didn’t,” Dallas assured her.

“I made coffee in case you want more,” she told him, stepping onto the patio and shivering.

“It’s cold out here. We can talk without freezing inside.” Dallas glanced around, aware that there could be eyes watching them from anywhere in the trees.

This time of year, the sun went down before six o’clock.

“Where’s Jackson?” he asked.

“Sleeping in the other room.” As Kate walked past him, Dallas could smell the wild cherry blossom shampoo Janis kept stocked, and it reminded him of a warm, sunny Texas afternoon. There wasn’t much better than that. “It’s been a long day and I’m glad he doesn’t realize what’s going on.”

She’d showered and had changed into the pajamas that had been brought over for her. They’d been pulled from a stash of extra supplies in case guests forgot something at home.

“Good. You found them.” The all-white cotton pajama pants and simple matching V-neck button-down shirt fitted her as if they were hand-tailored, highlighting her soft curves.

Dallas forced himself to look away after he caught himself watching a bead of water roll down her neck and disappear into her shirt.

Coffee.

He poured a cup, black, and then paused.

“Think you can sleep?” he asked.

“Probably not,” she said with a sigh.

“Coffee sound good? Because I can have some tea they serve at the main house delivered if you’d prefer,” he said.

“Coffee’s fine. Maybe just half a cup.”

“Cream’s in the fridge.” He pulled out a jar of sugar and set it on the counter.

She thanked him.

“Can I ask you a question?” Kate perched on the countertop and took a sip of her coffee.

He nodded.

“What’s your actual connection to Safe Haven?” Her eyes studied him.

“I already told you that I was investigating them.” Not a total lie, but not the truth, either. Dallas drummed his fingers on the counter. “I was in a relationship with someone.”

“Susan.” Kate’s gaze didn’t falter. “And you had a baby?”

“There’s where everything gets dicey.” He paused long enough to see the confusion on her face. “She had a baby. Said it was mine. I’m not so sure.”

“You didn’t get along with her?” Kate asked, with more of that shock in her voice.

“It’s more complicated than that, but the answer would be no.”

“What happened?” Those blue eyes stared at him and he wanted to be honest with her.

“I thought she was seeing someone else, and it would have been next to impossible for me to have fathered a child with her,” he said. This was awkward, but not as strange as talking to Tommy or the thought of opening up about this to one of his brothers. Why was that? Dallas had known Tommy since they were three years old. And he and his brothers couldn’t be closer.

Being the oldest, Dallas had always felt a certain responsibility for taking care of the others. Was he afraid he’d somehow be letting them down by admitting his mistakes?

“Why did she go to Safe Haven?” Kate asked.

“That’s a good question. I don’t have the answer to it. I had others, so I hired a PI to investigate,” Dallas said.

“Wayne Morton,” she said.

“That’s right. He started digging around. Told me that she’d had a baby and there’s a tie to Safe Haven, but I have no idea if the baby was put up for adoption or not.”

“I can’t even imagine,” Kate said, and there was agony in her voice. “That must be the worst feeling in the world.”

“Hell can’t possibly be worse,” he admitted. “Even though I know there’s barely a chance I could have a son out there, I can’t sleep at night.”

“It was a boy?” Kate said, glancing at Jackson’s blanket on the couch. “Do you have any idea how old the baby would be now?”

“Maybe three months old,” Dallas said, eyeing her reaction.

She glanced at the blanket again and then her gaze fixed on him with a look of sheer panic.

Yeah, he’d noticed the slight resemblance between him and Jackson, but that didn’t mean… Did it?

That look of determination came back as Kate squared her shoulders and took a sip of coffee.

“He’s not mine,” Dallas said, trying to convince both of them. “All we have to do is swab us both if you want proof.”

“I don’t need it. Jackson is my son until someone proves otherwise,” she said defensively. She hopped off the counter and then walked to the sliding glass door.

It was dark outside, so she wouldn’t be able to see a thing. “Don’t do that, Kate,” he said.

“What?”

“Close up like that.” He should know that was what she was doing. He was the king of shutting people out.

She whirled around and there was fire in her glare. “Is that why you’ve been so nice to us? Because you think Jackson is your son?”

“Hell, no,” Dallas said, closing the distance between them in a couple of strides. “And for the record, I
don’t
think he’s mine. I have more questions than answers, and to say my relationship with Susan was brief puts it lightly.”

Kate was too stubborn or too daring to look away, even with him standing toe to toe with her.

And Dallas noticed the second her anger turned to awareness. He could see her pulse beating at the base of her throat, her uneven breathing.

If she planned to walk away, then she needed to do it soon, because he’d made an enormous mistake in getting so close. Close enough that her scent filled his senses and he couldn’t think straight anymore.

Before he could overanalyze it, he dipped his head and kissed her.