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“I know, but Ryan needs family right now.” She straightened. “This doesn’t just involve the two of us, there’s a child to think about. And I’m going to do everything I can to protect him.”
“Is that what you’ve been doing for these years, protecting him from me?”
“However you feel about me, Chase, don’t take it out on Ryan. We’ll settle things after my son goes to bed.”
“I agree with you there, except he’s our son, Mallory.” He glared at her. “You need to remember that from now on.”
Mallory sat on Ryan’s bed watching him sleep. She silently thanked God over and over again for bringing her son home safely. When he’d been kidnapped she wasn’t sure she’d ever get the chance to put him to bed again. Now that she had a second chance, she also had a second threat. Was Chase a threat to her family?
She saw the look on his face during supper, and knew he wasn’t just going to walk away. And she wouldn’t deny Ryan his father, either. Not again.
She placed a kiss on her son’s forehead and watched as he curled up on his side and snuggled deep into the pillow. She walked out and closed the door behind her.
Whatever was going to happen with Chase, she still had to return home to Levelland in a few days. The success of her business depended on her being there. She couldn’t expect her partner, Liz Mooney, to handle both the training and the broker business. She headed down the stairs to the great room where she had left Chase with her father.
Surprisingly, she found the two men leaning over the dining table going through one of Ryan’s baby albums. She hadn’t wanted to notice how devastatingly handsome Chase was. At nearly thirty-seven, he was toned and trim. She sighed as her gaze roamed over his long body. He wore jeans better than any man she ever knew. They rode low and fitted over his tight rear end and muscular thighs.
“That’s the first time I got him on a horse,” Buck said. “Mallory threw a fit.”
She started into the room. “That’s because Ryan was nine months old.”
“I was holding him…firmly,” her father said.
She frowned at him. “He was still too young to be on a horse.”
“After that she wouldn’t let me take him out of the house until he was three.”
Mallory smiled, but Chase didn’t. She didn’t blame him. She’d been the one who’d caused him to miss all those years.
Buck closed the album. “Well, I think I better call it a night.” He turned to Chase. “I can finally sleep now. Thanks for bringing Ryan home.”
Chase nodded. “I’m glad it worked out.”
Buck paused for a long time. “So am I.” He placed a kiss on his daughter’s cheek and walked out of the room.
Mallory suddenly felt nervous. For a lot of years she’d wondered about Chase. She’d known he’d become a Texas Ranger, but she never dreamed he’d be back here… in this house.
And after today everything would change…her life and Ryan’s life would never be the same.
“Can I get you some coffee?”
“No,” he said as he folded his arms over his chest. “All I want right now are some answers.”
She nodded, directed him to a brown sofa, and took the chair across from him, putting the glass-top coffee table between them. “Ask whatever you want.”
“I’ll start with the obvious. Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?”
“At first, I couldn’t believe it was true,” she said weakly. “We used protection.”
He didn’t respond.
“And I did try to call you.”
“Like hell you did,” said growled. “I don’t remember any phone calls from you saying you were pregnant with my child.”
She took a breath and let it out. “I called…your mother. I asked her to get you a message…and that it was important that I talk to you.”
She saw a glint in his eyes that told her he’d gotten the message. “You should have tried harder—Told her the reason.”
“The day we broke up and you left, I was devastated.”
“If I remember correctly, you were the one who told me to get out,” he challenged.
Mallory remembered everything about that last night. They’d made love. She told him she loved him…and he told her he was leaving for Austin to join the rangers. “You chose to leave.”
“I told you before we started dating, that our relationship couldn’t go beyond the summer because I would be leaving for training. Besides, you were returning for college.”
“That was my father’s plan. I wanted to go with you, and you didn’t want me. You let me know that being a Texas Ranger was all you wanted.”
His jaw tightened. “So to punish me you didn’t tell me about my baby and you married another man.”
“It wasn’t like that.” She stood and went to the window. “I was so hurt. My world ended when you went off to Austin. I was convinced you’d find someone else…and forget all about the naïve college girl back home.”
She took a breath, and continued. “About three weeks later, Alan came to the ranch with his father. I hadn’t seen him since we graduated high school. We’d dated off and on, but mostly we used to be friends.” She looked at Chase’s stone-cold glare. “I had just learned I was pregnant… I was shocked and scared. And, yes, I told Alan. He listened to me, let me cry it out. He told me he’d always love me…that he’d take care of me and the baby. He asked me to marry him right then.” She left out the part about Buck’s trouble with the ranch, and Alan’s father stepping in as a business partner.
Chase’s fists clenched. “Nice to know you forgot me so quickly.”
“I didn’t!” she gasped. If he only knew how much she’d loved him. She also didn’t tell him she was terrified to be a single mother. “I didn’t decide to marry him until after I tried to call you several times, but you never returned those calls.” She paused for his explanation. She got none. “You weren’t coming back to me, were you?”
His gaze never broke with hers. “Doesn’t seem to matter now. You didn’t give me the chance.”
“It seems answering my phone call would have given you a big chance.” She felt tears well. Even after all these years, why did it still hurt so much? Pride was fighting with her emotions. “So when Alan asked me to marry him, I accepted.”
“After all these years of your silence—when you’ve been living happily ever after with my child—you expect me to believe anything you say.”
CHAPTER THREE
MALLORY WAS FUMING. How dare he?
“I didn’t think you wanted us.” She lowered her voice. “You didn’t call me, or see if I was okay.”
He glared at her for a long time. “So you just hopped into bed with another man to find a more favorable father for your baby.”
“No, it wasn’t like that. We—” She stopped. There was no reason to tell Chase about how long it took her to give herself to her husband.
“You what, Mallory?” he prodded. “Found it easy to give yourself to another man.”
“No, it wasn’t easy. You knew you were the first man…and how much I loved you.” She took a breath. “It was you who didn’t want me… And I was convinced you didn’t want our baby, either.”
He was silent as he glared at her. “If I’d known we created a child that night, I never would have left you.”
She closed her eyes. “I didn’t know that. I was young and scared, Chase. And so unsure that I could compete with your dream.” She tried to stay calm. “And you had always made it clear that avenging your uncle’s death, and being a ranger came first in your life.”
Chase’s gaze moved from hers, not before she saw a flash of his own guilt, too. So she’d hit a nerve. He wasn’t so righteous now.
“Maybe I was wrong to turn to Alan, but he said he loved me…that he’d love Ryan.” She hesitated and that caught his attention.
“What happened?” he repeated. “What did Hagan do? Did he change his mind about the boy?”
“Nothing at first, he was a good husband… and good to Ryan. But he wanted more children….”
“But what?” Chase coaxed.
“I agreed, but I never got pregnant and Alan learned he couldn’t father a child. After that our marriage was never the same. And his relationship with his son was… strained.”
“Stop calling him that,” Chase said angrily. “Ryan is my son.” His hands clenched. “What I want to know is was the boy punished for your husband’s…inadequacy?”
“No! And stop interrogating me like a criminal. Alan never lifted a hand to Ryan.” Her husband had saved that for his wife. “We separated not long after that.” Her voice softened. “About two years ago Alan was killed in an accident.”
“It still doesn’t excuse what you did, Mallory. You kept my son from me.”
She wasn’t about to tell him her recent plans to find him. He wouldn’t believe her. “And you ran out on me,” she emphasized. “I was miserable and lonely, and I turned to another man who promised to love me. I never got any promises from you.”
Chase opened his mouth to argue when a child’s cries drew their attention.
“Ryan,” Mallory gasped as she ran to the stairs and hurried up to his room. Chase was right on her heels.
She pushed open the door, rushed to the bed and eased down beside her son as he was thrashing around on the mattress. “Ryan, wake up, honey.”
The boy gasped and sat up. “Mom!” he cried and hugged her. “They’re coming after me again.”
“No, honey.” She held him close. “Those men are in jail. They can’t hurt you anymore.”
Chase stood at the door feeling awkward as he watched Mallory rock her son back and forth. This was all so new to him. How do you learn how to be a father? How do you make up all those lost years?
Maybe he should just walk away. Who would know? He saw the boy’s tears in the dim light and something tightened around his heart. Ryan had stolen that same heart the second Chase walked into the shack to find the eight-year-old trying to be so brave.
No, he was staying put. “Ryan…” He walked inside and stood at the end of the bed.
“Chase…” Ryan quickly wiped his eyes. “You’re still here.”
He nodded. “Your mom and I were talking. I wanted to make sure you were okay. Sometimes after something bad happens, people get scared again.”
“Grown-ups, too?”
“Yeah, I’ve seen grown men cry. How you acted the last two days was very brave. And a lot of people get nightmares.” He walked around to the side of the bed and sat down across from Mallory. “I’ve had a few myself.”
“Really?”
“I wouldn’t lie to you.”
That got a smile from the boy and another funny feeling erupted inside Chase.
“Ryan, you still need to go back to sleep,” his mother added. “There’s the roundup tomorrow. And if you want to help—”
“I do,” he told her, then glanced back at Chase. “Will you come, too? It’s so much fun. Grandpa can’t ride but I get to help ’cause I’m eight this year.”
“Ryan, Chase probably has to work.”
“No, as a matter of fact, I’m off for the weekend.” He smiled at Ryan. “It’s been a few years since I did any roping. Maybe you can show me some pointers.”
“Sure. So you’ll come?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
Mallory turned back to her son. “You will unless you get some sleep.” She kissed him and placed a lightweight blanket over the boy. “Good night, Ryan.”
“Good night, Mom. Good night, Chase.”
“Good night, son,” they both said in unison.
Mallory allowed Chase out first, then she flicked off the light and closed the door. Silently they walked downstairs.
“Are you angry because I said I’d come tomorrow?”
She shrugged. “I’m protective of my son.”
“Our son.”
She didn’t hide her frustration. “Okay, let’s discuss our son. You really want to be in his life?” When he started to speak, she raised her hand. “Before you answer, Chase, be sure, because once you announce you’re his father you can’t just walk away. I won’t let it happen to him, not again…and I don’t care if you are a ranger. I’ll fight you or anyone to protect that boy.”
An hour later, Chase found himself parking his truck in front of Jesse Raines’s house. Too keyed up to go home, he decided to take him up on his offer.
He walked to the door, seeing the small tricycle and toys scattered in the yard. Another pang of sadness rushed through him as he knocked, then wondered if he should have just gone for a drink by himself. He wasn’t the type of guy who shared much, especially not his feelings.
All that changed when the door opened and Jesse appeared. Dressed in nylon shorts and bare-chested, the young ranger looked as if he’d just finished a five-mile run.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Is it too late to take you up on that offer for a beer?”
Jesse smiled. “Never. Just happen to have a couple cold ones.”
Chase stepped inside the neatly kept living room. An overstuffed sofa and chair were placed in front of the large television. Next to it was an overflowing toy box. The sound of kids in the background was muffled by a closed hall door.
Jesse slipped on a T-shirt and motioned for him to follow him into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and took out a couple of long neck bottles. When Chase had transferred to Midland, Jesse had been the one who reached out to him. They had become friends.
He twisted off the caps and handed one to Chase. “How’d it go tonight?”
