No wonder the jails were full.
And yet . . .
Whenever Raney held the little darling and looked down into those innocent blue eyes, something shifted inside of her. Her brain would turn to mush and she’d find herself doing the most idiotic things for a smile, a burp, a tiny hand wrapping around her finger. And even more incomprehensible, whenever that happened, she yearned for a square-headed baby sociopath of her very own.
Such was the power of newborns.
It was confusing and exhausting, yet strangely compelling.
And when Raney wasn’t dealing with all the changes a baby brought, catering to Joss’s every whim, managing the ranch, keeping up with the AI program and Rosco’s training, or meeting with the moneymen, she struggled to plan Rough Creek’s most anticipated December wedding. Luckily, Mama was a huge help, as was Len once she returned from Hawaii, tanned, reenergized, and back to her vibrant self. Raney hoped it was a lasting improvement, but Len and Ryan had had ups and downs before, so who knew. Len and Mama even got the wedding and reception moved to a church that could accommodate the 150 guests.
Being master planners, the dynamic mother-daughter duo quickly took over—as Raney had hoped they would—thereby allowing her to gracefully back away until the final planning stage after Thanksgiving.
She hardly ever saw Dalton alone. He had moved back into the workers’ dorm as soon as they had returned after Lyric’s birth, and since then, they had both been too busy to spend much time together. It seemed every time she tried to talk to him, there were a dozen people hovering around. Even at the barn.
It was driving her crazy.
By mid-October, the pre-works began at the top cutting horse ranches in the area. They were important for Rosco because they were intense two-day workouts with fresh cattle and would put the final touches on his months of training. Raney would be able to attend only one of the four she’d scheduled, since she couldn’t escape the madhouse very often.
Which was also driving her crazy.
Other than the nightly meal—now back in the dining room with Mama’s return and since the veranda was crowded with baby paraphernalia—she hardly saw Dalton except when she was able to sneak off to the barn or ride out with him when he took Rosco into the pasture. A few stolen kisses. A touch here or there. That was it. And the less she saw of him, the more she thought of him.
At odd times, she would laugh about something amusing and think, Dalton would get a kick out of that. Or, she would be wrestling with a problem and wonder what Dalton would advise. Or, she’d remember something goofy he’d said and catch herself smiling. And often—too often—memories of the things he’d done with those magical hands would send heat pulsing through her body.
But nights were the worst. Dreams of him would have her tangling in the sheets until she awoke, heart thudding, breathing his name into the still, night air.
And always, night or day, a voice in her head would ask her what she was going to do. About him. Them. This obsession that was consuming her mind.
But now, with Rosco’s final pre-work fast approaching, that was about to change. She had a plan. It was decision time. The point of no return. She couldn’t continue in this emotional limbo any longer.
Since the pre-works were multiday events, Dalton usually took the big fifth-wheel horse trailer, which, in addition to stalls for Rosco and Big Mike, also contained a tack room, sleeping quarters, a kitchen, a sitting area, and a bathroom with a shower and toilet. Perfect for him and Alejandro and Uno. But this time, she would be going, too, and had already booked rooms for her and Dalton at a nearby lodge where most of the other owners and trainers would be staying.
The scene was set. The seduction of Dalton Cardwell could begin.
She didn’t anticipate it would be a long or difficult task.
“Go,” Mama said to her the morning they were to leave. “Have some fun. You’ve been working too hard. Dalton, too.”
“This is work, too,” Raney pointed out. “At least for him.”
“I’m not talking about the horse part of it. I’m talking about socializing. Making time for yourselves. Taking a chance.”
“On what?”
“Yourself. Him.”
“Back to that again, are we?”
“I’m only thinking of you, dear. You’re almost thirty. You don’t want to spend the rest of your life alone, do you?”
Raney let out a deep sigh. “Why do you keep trying to foist me on him?”
Mama threw her hands up in exasperation. “I’m trying to get you to foist yourself on him. He’s perfect for you, Raney. Surely, you can see that. But you can’t expect him to wait on you forever.”
Raney couldn’t believe they were having this ridiculous conversation. “What are you trying to say, Mama?”
Her mother put on a long-suffering smile—one of her specialties—and cupped Raney’s cheek. “Just be happy, dear. That’s all I ask. Stop worrying and be happy. Now go.”
Dalton would get a kick out of that conversation, too.
* * *
Dalton was loading tack into the big horse trailer when Raney walked up with a small suitcase in her hand. “Going somewhere?” he asked.
“To the pre-work. Is that okay?”
“Sure. You’re the boss. I’ll tell Alejandro and Uno to bring sleeping bags.”
“They don’t need to. Unless they won’t share the bed in the trailer.”
“Not sure all four of us could fit.”
“That’s what I thought. So, you and I will be staying at the Pair-O-Dice Lodge with the other owners and trainers.”
“Ah,” he said, hope soaring. “One room?”
“Of course not. It would be way too crowded if all the trainers and owners stayed in the same room.”
“I meant one room for you and me.” She was such a tease.
“I booked two.”
Hope nose-dived into the dirt. “Oh.”
“But we’ll only use one,” she added. “The other is just to protect our reputations. I know what
