“Then you’d find another agent.” Her steady gaze made him squirm. “You’d really let Ace O’Leary make your decisions?”
“I’d be out of business, Mom, lose the rest of my endorsements.”
Dallas remembered his most recent talk with Ace, the same day he’d heard Millie was in the hospital. Your contract’s about to expire with Prestige Boots, and they’ve decided—in part because you’re off the circuit—not to renew.
Dallas said, “The boot people already canned me.”
“There are others.” She wagged a finger at him. “If you quit before you win that championship, your father and I will disown you.”
Dallas grinned. “No, you won’t. I’m not getting rid of you either.”
She answered his smile. “I was joking. I know you won’t stop. You’d never forgive yourself, but about your—Lizzie?”
He stopped smiling. “What does she need with a guy like me? I’m practically a nomad.”
“A nomad?” His mother wouldn’t let him off the hook. “That’s part of your job and won’t last forever. Make use of the time you have. Before I’m through, I want to see you settled with a woman who loves you and a family of your own.”
“I’m not ready to get serious.”
“I think you already are.”
Dallas didn’t welcome the notion that zipped, unfiltered, through his head. Most of his rodeo friends had wives or serious girlfriends. In Barren, during this summer of recovery, he’d learned Cooper and Nell Ransom were starting their family, and they weren’t the only ones. No, Dallas wasn’t ready, yet the idea held an appeal it never had before.
As his mom had said, time was passing. The day he’d left the McMann ranch, earlier he’d surprised Jenna and Hadley having a quarrel. Later in the field, looking miserable, Hadley had told Dallas why. “It’s not bad enough she can’t have babies, but I didn’t realize she was this unhappy.” Then Dallas had gotten the call about Millie. He’d hit the road within the hour.
Dallas wasn’t bound to anyone. Or was he wasting the best years of his own life? Refusing, in part, to grow up? He hadn’t seen Lizzie since right after her doctor’s appointment, when Dallas had guessed she was still keeping something from him. He’d stayed long enough that day to watch the rodeo tape with Jordan, and during the video Seth had crawled onto Dallas’s lap and fallen asleep in his arms. Soon after, Dallas had gone back to his house. On his way across the drive he’d seen Stella watching from a window as if to make sure he was headed in the opposite direction. Would have made him smile—fierce little tigress—but he’d been too worried that Lizzie was far more ill than she’d admitted.
What did all that mean? Sure, he’d like something more than friendship with her, but he also knew they weren’t free to go further than that. Dallas’s heart ached. Or was his mom right? And he’d waded into deeper waters here? Could he be falling in love with Lizzie?
He forced his attention back to Millie. Her tired gaze had brightened. “Three children, you said?”
“Mom, cut it out.”
“Tell me their names.”
With a sigh, Dallas did just that, throwing in a couple of cute stories about his babysitting stint with Lizzie’s kids, then stood up, patting Millie’s hand as it lay on the covers. “I’d like to grant your fondest wish but not yet, and never mind me. You concentrate on getting well.” He kissed her cheek, still afraid for her, and knowing he’d likely disappoint her about Lizzie. His job, his parents, had to come first. “I’ll take care of Dad for you.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
AT THE RANCH two days ago Elizabeth had told Clara the shop was out of flyers, and today Jenna had brought a fresh supply. Unfortunately, she interrupted one of Elizabeth’s ongoing discussions with Becca about Calvin and their baby. “He won’t ever come back,” Becca was insisting, “and I don’t want to give up my baby but...”
Seeing Jenna, she trailed off. Becca’s lips flattened and she smoothed the tunic she wore to cover her stomach.
Jenna’s eyebrows rose. “Should I go out and come in again?”
“No, you’re fine.” Elizabeth took the flyers, then fanned them across a bare space on the front counter. Even she could feel the growing sense of excitement in town, as Clara had said. The rodeo was getting ever closer, yet Dallas was still missing. She hoped his mom was doing better but... “Things must be hopping out at Clara’s. I hope the disruption’s not overwhelming.”
Jenna’s eyes were shadowed. “Hadley says the barn was mostly empty anyway. Now it will be full of stock and so will the paddocks, the pastures, plus the tack room will be stuffed with equipment.”
Elizabeth couldn’t stop from asking. “Has Dallas told Hadley when he’ll be back?” Maybe he was avoiding her too, slipping in and out of his house without her seeing him. The pattern of his lights hadn’t changed, though, so probably not. And she had to admit she missed him.
Jenna said, “His mom’s better but he’s staying there as long as he can.”
Elizabeth tried to downplay her concerns. “His prep work for the rodeo was mostly done—except for some interviews I don’t know whether to cancel or find a substitute for—so that leaves Clara and me to finish the rest.” She just hoped he’d be here on rodeo day. Elizabeth had decided it was time to tell her kids about that, and now her two boys couldn’t wait, but she still hesitated to let Jordan compete. And Stella had asked to enter the baking competition with the cookies she’d learned to make at a Brownie troop meeting. Elizabeth was happy to see her involved in what would be a family outing.
Becca excused herself to eat lunch in Olivia’s office. Jenna looked after the girl with a laser-focused expression. “Did she say ‘baby’?”
“Yes.” Elizabeth wished Jenna had come in a few minutes later
