Free Daddy Wore Spurs (Mills & Boon Cherish) (Men of the West, Book 32) by Stella Bagwell Page B

inviting her to his home in Nevada. The idea staggered her. What normal woman with a beating heart could resist such an opportunity? But he was getting way ahead of himself. And she couldn’t let her romantic notions run wild.
    Her mouth was suddenly so dry she had to swallow before she could manage to say a word. “Aren’t you assuming quite a bit? You can’t be certain of what the DNA test is going to say. Before either of us makes plans regarding Harry, we need to see the results.”
    “We’ll waste the time and the money on the DNA test to put your mind at ease. But I can tell you right now—I’m Harry’s father.”
    She couldn’t let his confident attitude shake her. “We’ll see,” she replied. “But in the meantime, I have two more weeks of school. I can’t go anywhere.”
    He looked disappointed and Mariah wondered if his reaction was because of her or Harry.
    Don’t be ridiculous, Mariah. The man didn’t invite you to his home for romantic reasons. He’s already convinced that Harry is his son. He’s only thinking about the baby’s welfare. Not you.
    He slanted a thoughtful glance at her. “Well, could be that the results will return about the time you finish your school term. Would you be willing to make the trip then?”
    She stared at him in disbelief. Was having her with Harry really that important to him? She couldn’t imagine it. Not when he could easily hire a full-time nanny. “I’d have to think about that. I have so many responsibilities here. The ranch, the horses and—”
    The remainder of her words trailed away as he suddenly rose from the chair and carried Harry over to the playpen. As he carefully deposited the baby on his back, he said, “Before you say anything else, Mariah, let me get Harry settled.”
    After pulling a light blanket up to the boy’s waist, he offered him a rubber teething ring. Once Harry was happily chewing on the ring and kicking his feet, he left the baby and came to stand next to her. The nearness of his tall, lanky body towering over hers whipped her senses into a wild frenzy.
    He said, “Before my invitation, you’d pretty much written this ranch off. Now all of a sudden you can’t leave it.”
    Darkness had settled over the backyard, but there was enough light slanting through the windows of the kitchen to illuminate the porch. She watched in fascination as patches of golden glow and gray shadows played across his rugged features.
    “My feelings concerning the ranch have nothing to do with it,” she countered. “Other than the little work Ringo does around here, I’m the sole caretaker. I have to be here to keep things going.”
    “That’s no problem. I’ll hire someone to take care of the horses and whatever else is needed done around here.”
    Her heart was suddenly racing at such a frantic pace, she unconsciously pressed her fingers to the middle of her chest. “You’d do that?”
    A faint smile brought the dimple back to his cheek. “Of course I would. If Harry goes to the Horn I want him to be happy. Having you with him would surely help him make the transition.”
    Naturally his concern was all about Harry. But for one moment there, Mariah wanted to believe he was thinking of her. She wanted to think he was extending the invitation so she wouldn’t feel so cut off from Harry. Dear God, she was turning into a mushy idiot.
    Unable to look him in the eye, she turned her back to him and gulped in a breath of fresh air. She had to get a grip before she fell to pieces right here in front of him. “I see. Well, if you do take Harry—I’m not sure that my going along would be wise. He’d get to thinking I belonged there with him. And eventually I’d have to leave. He wouldn’t understand why I was gone.”
    Her last words were choked and she quickly bent her head in an attempt to conceal the tears that were rushing to her eyes. She didn’t want Finn to see a shattered woman. She wanted him to believe that she was strong enough to