Free Kade by Delores Fossen Page B

Hip to hip. Breath to breath. Except she doubted Kade was thinking about the close contact in a good way.
    That expression let her know that he hadn’t told her everything, and the part that he had left out would be something that would only add to the pain she was already feeling.
    “Okay, what’s wrong?” Bree demanded.
    He didn’t answer right away. He’d mulled over his answer. “I’m not giving up Leah.”
    For a moment she thought he meant that he’d changed his mind about the baby going to the San Antonio estate, but then she got it.
    Oh, yeah.
    She got it all right.
    Kade had physical custody of Leah since she was just a few days old. Plus, he had something that Bree didn’t—a home, a supportive family and money from the looks of it. There was also the fact that he had strong ties in the community. That meant ties with people who could help him keep custody of their child.
    Still, that was just one side of it.
    “I’m her mother,” Bree said when she couldn’t think of another argument. It certainly wasn’t a good one, and it didn’t mean she had what it took to raise a child. But the other side was that she loved this child with all her heart.
    Kade nodded. “And I’m her father.”
    Frustrated, she stared at him. “Does this mean we’re at some kind of stalemate?”
    “No.” And that’s all he said for several moments. “It means we have some things to work out. Things that will be in Leah’s best interest.”
    Bree could see where this was going, and she didn’t like the direction one bit. “You think you can be a better parent than me.”
    He didn’t deny it.
    She couldn’t deny it, either. He certainly looked at ease with Leah. So did the other members of his family that she’d met. Leah was a Ryland.
    But she was Bree’s baby, too.
    Bree huffed. “I’m not just giving her up, either.” Even though it didn’t make logical sense, it made sense to her. As a mother. Yes, it was a new role, new feelings. New everything. But it was a role she would embrace with as much devotion and love as she had her badge.
    Kade didn’t huff, but he mumbled something under his breath. “Be reasonable about this. You’re a Jane for heaven’s sake.”
    Bree jumped right on that. “And I could become a regular agent. Like you.”
    In the past that would have caused her to wince. Or laugh because she had thought a regular job would be a boring death sentence. But she wasn’t wincing or laughing now. In fact, she was on the verge of crying at the thought of losing this child that she hardly knew.
    With those iron jaw muscles still in place, Kade leaned forward and picked up the little silver object from the table. Bree recognized the design. It was the same as the tattoo on his shoulder. He began to roll it like a coin across his fingers. Maybe as a stress reliever. Maybe so he wouldn’t have to look at her. Whatever, it was working.
    Well, for Kade.
    Bree didn’t think anything could relieve her stress, but she shoved that aside and tried to reach a solution. Even a temporary one. She sure needed something to get her through this morning.
    “We only have a few hours to spend with Leah before she leaves,” Bree conceded. “We can table this discussion until after…well, after,” she settled for saying.
    Because she refused to admit this could end badly. The stakes were too high for that.
    “Later, then,” Kade agreed, and he looked back at her. His expression let her know that later, then, wasn’t going to happen immediately.
    “There aren’t a lot of rules for situations like this. And we don’t know each other very well.” He kept rolling the concho. “In fact, I don’t know much about you at all.”
    It wasn’t a gruff or barked observation. It was conversation, that’s all, and he had genuine concern in his voice. Bree knew this could turn ugly, but since he was trying to make nice, she tried, too.
    “Bree is my real name. Bree Ann Winston. I’m twenty-nine.” She paused.