the house would have time to get involved with anyone right now.”
“Mikey and I wouldn’t care.”
She cupped his chin, aware of the softness of the new stubble he was so proud of. “I was just kidding.”
“Okay.” Wes stepped out of her way. “Let me know if you hear from Mikey.”
“Same.” Beth went up the stairs feeling like she’d aged a hundred years. “He’s way more likely to contact you than me.”
“Maybe.” Wes didn’t sound convinced. “Night, Mom.”
Beth dragged herself to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and took herself to bed. The desire to cry constricted her throat and made her chest hurt, but she couldn’t seem to let her tears flow. Mikey was on a bus in the middle of nowhere, she’d chased Conner away, and even Wes wasn’t completely on her side.
Was she wrong about everything?
She was so used to having to deal with what life threw at her by herself and protect those she loved, that the idea of letting anyone go it alone was frightening. She turned onto her side and looked out at the moonlit sky. Up at the Garcia Ranch, Conner was probably already sleeping without a thought in his head. She’d told him she didn’t want a relationship and to butt out of her personal life.
And Conner, being a man who was used to taking orders and following them through, would definitely leave her alone, just as she’d asked.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Beth took another unnecessary tour of the house, making sure everything was in order for Mikey’s imminent return. To her great relief he’d contacted Wes on Sunday night and asked if he would mind picking him up from Bridgeport after he got off the bus Monday afternoon. Wes had asked Beth what she thought, and she’d been happy to relinquish the task. She had no idea what she was going to say to Mikey, so the longer she had to think about it the better.
She checked through the front window, but there was no sign of Wes’s car. As promised, she’d called Conner and had immediately been put through to his voicemail. She assumed he was sleeping in, and she couldn’t blame him. She’d offered him her thanks for helping her out, apologized for being short with him, and explained that Mikey had arrived safely at San Quentin. She’d wanted to say a lot more, but talking to thin air had never been her favorite thing, and how could she express what she was feeling when he’d be leaving town in a few weeks anyway?
Even as she continued to worry about Mikey, part of her was thinking about Conner, how it had felt to be herself for a few hours, to be desired, and free to share an intimate moment with an incredibly hot man. The idea that she deserved that—that for the first time in her life she had the opportunity to move beyond parenthood and think of herself—was both terrifying and alluring,
Beth forced herself to focus on Mikey. She’d see Conner if he came down to Garcia Ranch or if she went out to service the cabin, and she’d treat him just the same as she always had. Her cell buzzed and she went over to where it was plugged in on the kitchen countertop.
Back in 5
Beth put on some fresh coffee and headed upstairs to her bedroom. The last thing she wanted was Mikey thinking she’d been so desperate to see him again that she was lurking behind the front door ready to pounce. She’d go for calm and casual and not ask the thousand and one questions that had kept her awake half the night.
“We’re back!” Wes called up the stairs.
Beth waited another three minutes and steeled herself to go down to the kitchen, where Mikey was taking off his jacket and setting his backpack on the countertop.
“Hi!” Beth said, and immediately couldn’t think of anything to say as she anxiously scanned her son’s tired face. She grabbed her keys from the hook. “Sorry I can’t stop to chat. I’ve got to go up to the ranch to make sure everything is okay for Juan’s return tomorrow.”
“I’d really like to talk to you, Mom,” Mikey said.
“Then we can do that when I get back and you’re all settled in, okay?” She gave him a bright smile and turned to Wes. “There’s half a chicken pie in the refrigerator if you guys get hungry.”
“Mom . . .” Mikey blocked her exit. “Is this how it’s going to be? You’re too mad at