Free Kate Sherwood - Dark Horse 03 - Of Dark and Bright by Kate Sherwood

Not heavy, but enough for Tat to hear, and she responded with another eye roll.
    She leaned forward and patted the mare’s neck. “Trotting poles will be fun, won’t they?” she said. She scowled at Dan, smiled sweetly at Jeff, and headed back to work.
    Jeff leaned his arms on the top rail of the fence as Dan ducked through and came to stand beside him. “She never pulls the ‘it’s my barn and I’ll do what I want’ trick?” Jeff asked.
“Not once,” Dan said. He sounded proud. “She’s a good kid. If the biggest fight I have with her is about rushing jumps….” Jeff nodded. “Yeah. You’re good with her.”
     
Dan gave him a funny look. “You think so? I don’t know. I just try to tell her what’s going on. Why we’re doing stuff.”
    “That’s what’s good. You treat her like an adult, right up to the point where she acts like a child.” Then Jeff grinned. “Listen to me, talking like I know what I’m saying. I’ve never raised a damn kid.”
    “Even if you had, I wouldn’t say it was enough to make you an expert.” Dan shook his head, and Jeff was pretty sure he was thinking of somebody other than Tatiana. “Shit’s complicated, man.”
    “Yeah.” Jeff wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Wasn’t sure if it was respectful to start worrying about what to do with a baby that was not yet born, that might not be Dan’s problem, and that Dan hadn’t asked for any help with. “But you’re smart. And you’ve got help—as much as you want.”
    Dan didn’t shift away like Jeff had thought he might. There had been a time when any move toward intimacy, any expression that could be seen as acknowledging that their relationship was long-term and meaningful, had inspired Dan to look for escape routes. The behavior had faded, thankfully, but Jeff could still see it sometimes, when Dan was feeling stressed. Apparently he was okay for the time being, though. “Thanks.” Dan looked out at Tat, dutifully taking the mare over the trotting poles, and then said, “Is it something… something you’d be okay with? If I had to look after the baby for a while?”
    Jeff frowned. “Not on those terms. I mean, we’re not talking a few weeks, Tex. If Krista asks you to help with the kid, that’s going to be a multiyear commitment. Very long-term.”
    “Too long?” Dan asked, his voice carefully non-committal. “You’d be okay with something short-term, but you don’t want a permanent change?”
    Jeff turned to look straight at Dan. “No. That’s not what I’d have a problem with. Long-term is fine; it’s the ‘had to look after the baby’ that doesn’t work for me.” He shook his head. “That’s not going to work, treating it like you’re babysitting. Babies need to be loved, and they need to feel like they belong somewhere. They need a family, not a caregiver. If you take this baby, you need to think of it as a permanent commitment. A serious, life-changing relationship.” He reached out and laid his hand along Dan’s jawline, tilting his beautiful face just a little. “And I would be happy to be there for you as you go through that. But, no, I’m not interested in watching you fight to stay detached from a kid who’s going to be desperate for your love.”
    Dan nodded slowly. “It’s a lot,” he said softly. “And it’s not like… you know. Krista hasn’t really asked. Not exactly. But she’s made it clear that there’s nobody else.”
    “It’d be better to put the baby up for full-scale adoption and let it find a family that will love it than to keep it around like it’s an obligation or something.”
    Dan took a deep breath, and when he exhaled, there was a little quiver to it. “I just… it’s scary. I don’t know anything about being a dad.” His smile was sharp. “Well, I have some ideas of what not to do. But other than that….”
    “If it comes down to it, and you’re willing to try, we’ll make it work,” Jeff promised. He ignored the twinge of