Free The Cowboy's Claim by Carla Cassidy Page A

plans for dinner,” she replied. Grant had called her right before she’d left the motel that morning and asked her and Garrett out for dinner.
    Besides, she didn’t want to make the visitations with Garrett about herself and Nick. Dinner felt far too intimate and would only lead to even more complications that she didn’t want or need.
    His gaze narrowed, as if he was unhappy with whatever plans she’d made for the evening. Tough, she thought. He wasn’t about to waltz back into town and insinuate himself into her life again. This was about him and Garrett and nothing else.
    “I work from noon to eight during the next week,” she said. “Why don’t I plan on meeting you here every morning around ten? You can spend an hour or so with him before I take him to Sophie’s.” She could tell her compromise didn’t sit well with him. “At least it will give Garrett a chance to get accustomed to being around you.”
    “Okay,” he finally agreed. “We’ll do that for a week and then see what happens after that.”
    She didn’t want to see what happened next. She just wished she could will him far away from Grady Gulch and the son who was her very heart and soul.
    He got up from the picnic table and grabbed his hat. “I’m not going to run away again when things get tough,” he said as he placed the hat back on his head. “I’m here to stay, Courtney, and you’re going to have to just deal with it. You’re going to have to deal with me.”
    He leaned down and chucked Garrett beneath his chin, then dodged as Garrett attempted to grab his hat. “I’ll see you tomorrow, little guy.”
    Courtney watched as he walked back to his truck, her emotions in turmoil. Despite everything that had happened between them, Nick Benson still stirred inside her a yearning, a longing, a desire that she didn’t feel and would probably never feel for Grant.
    It wasn’t until the truck disappeared from the parking lot that she managed to draw a full, cleansing breath. She still didn’t believe him. She was convinced he’d hang around for only a couple of weeks, maybe a month at the most, and then he’d go back to Texas, where she’d heard he’d been happy.
    Here he would be faced daily with the prospect of being a single father, the fact that Adam was quickly becoming an alcoholic and the everyday reminder that his eldest brother was a criminal.
    He’d run before. She was confident he’d run again. It was just a matter of time. Only this time when he ran, he wouldn’t be taking her heart with him.
    She let Garrett play for another half an hour in the sandbox and then with the sun starting to get hot, she loaded up the toys, slung both the tote and the diaper bag over her elbow and helped Garrett to his feet.
    “Bye-bye?” he asked as he grabbed firmly to her hand.
    “Yes, we’re going bye-bye. We’re going home and you’re taking a nice bath.”
    He let out a string of words that Courtney didn’t understand, but she smiled. “That’s right,” she agreed. Whatever he’d said, her answer must have been correct for he returned her smile and they began to slowly make their way back toward her car.
    They were halfway there when she felt it, a sharp prickling in the center of her back, a sense that she and Garrett weren’t alone in the park. But the parking lot was empty other than her car, and she’d seen no other children or adults anywhere in the area.
    Still, the uneasiness she felt nearly overwhelmed her, made her feel half-sick to her stomach. Whether it was instinct or paranoia, the strong feeling raised the hairs on the nape of her neck.
    She turned her head and glanced behind them. The picnic table was empty, and there was nobody in sight. Her gaze shifted to the thick stand of trees.
    Was somebody there? Watching her? Watching them? Was it the same somebody who had been outside her motel room last night?
    She stopped walking despite Garrett pulling impatiently on her hand. She stared at the trees, seeking