A Rancher's Pride - By Barbara White Daille Page 0,24
for the bedtime story Kayla had promised her.
Hurrying across the bedroom, Kayla stepped out into the hall and almost ran into Sam. She came to a dead halt. So did he.
His gaze dropped to the object in her hand.
“What’s that?”
“Just a stuffed animal.” She forced herself to speak naturally to him. “It looks pretty awful, doesn’t it? It’s well loved.” She held the toy up to show him. A small black bear, once furry but now with a worn and matted pelt, a squashed nose and only one eye. “I had it in my carry-on but forgot to tuck it in with Becky last night. I can’t believe Ronnie didn’t pack it up with Becky’s things. It’s her favorite toy. I bought it at the airport in Santa Fe the day Ronnie and I—”
Left.
She’d cut herself off, but the unspoken word hung between them, as hurtful and harsh as if she’d yelled it at the top of her lungs. Mentally kicking herself, she rushed on. “It’s the state animal, Ronnie said.”
“A black bear.” He nodded. “I would have bought one for Becky, too. If I’d known about her.”
“If you’d…?” She tried again. “What…what are you saying?”
“Plain enough. I never knew about Becky. Never even knew Ronnie was expecting.”
She gasped and shook her head. How could that be possible?
But there was no missing the pain that filled his eyes.
Despite their uneasy relationship, despite all Ronnie had said about Sam, Kayla couldn’t help feeling devastated by the sight. Before she could think, she reached out to him. Just short of touching his arm, she pulled her hand back. Frozen in place, she stared at him, unable to say a word.
Mixed emotions tumbled through her. Confused thoughts muddled her brain.
“But…” Again, she halted. Finally, she found her voice. For the little good it did her. “You never wanted anything to do with the baby. Ronnie told me—”
“Yeah,” he interrupted in a dull tone. “I’m sure she did.”
Abruptly, he turned and walked away.
She wanted to stop him, to reach out without retreating this time, to make some kind of physical contact that would ease his pain.
Instead, she did the only thing she could do. She wrapped both arms around the well-worn bear and hung on tight.
Chapter Eight
Sam paced his bedroom floor and tried to swallow his groan.
Kayla didn’t believe him.
He could tell from her expression, from her halting words. From the way she’d reached out to him and then backed away as if he were something she wouldn’t touch.
That same contrariness he’d felt out in the yard before supper had him wanting to reach for her, too. Dang, but this arrangement of theirs seemed nothing but a lead-in to trouble.
It had taken all he was worth to walk away from her without first tracing his fingers down the length of her silky brown hair.
And without responding to his need to unload more of the truth.
He wouldn’t get anywhere with trying to talk her into giving up the idea of custody if she already held a long list of grievances against him. All the lies Ronnie had ever told about him—and there were a hell of a lot. To hear his ranch hands and the townsfolk tell it, his ex couldn’t come up with a straight story if they’d handed her a slide rule. No wonder Ellamae had automatically trusted he’d never known about Becky.
Kayla, on the other hand, would believe all the stories Ronnie had made up.
Worse, Kayla had seen all the times he froze when he came near his own daughter.
Yeah, the woman sure didn’t miss that.
Dumping more on her about Ronnie would only give her ammunition to use against him with the judge.
He had to keep custody of his daughter. Too much of her life had already been lost to him.
He left the bedroom and strode down the hall, determined to head downstairs and get outside, where he could mull things over. Having that woman in his house had done serious damage to his ability to think. But as he neared Becky’s room, his steps slowed and finally stopped just outside the open door.
Inside the room, Kayla and Becky sat on the floor with a picture book spread open on the rug between them. Kayla’s arms were raised, her hands skimming through the air in gestures he couldn’t begin to identify. Becky knew what they meant. She sat there, entranced, with her eyes bright and her mouth stretched in a grin.
He stood there, staring, unnoticed by either of them.
Kayla’s gestures grew larger,