The Secret Truth at Dare Ranch (12 page)

Lexie
turned and looked at him. "I've done okay so far. Besides, I've always had
a strong constitution. After the haying is done and we bring the cows up from
the lower pasture to fatten them up for market, I'll be able to slow down a
little.” She grabbed the dishcloth from the sink and headed toward the table to
wipe it down.

Mitch
exhaled a deep breath. "You need to slow down
now
, Lex."

Lexie
stopped, bunched her hands into fists and rested them on the table's surface. "Look,
I'm a little tired, I admit that but I refuse to give up.” She cleaned the
place mats, stacked them in the center of the table and wiped away the crumbs
from the table's surface.

Mitch
stepped up beside her and lightly gripped her upper arms. She felt the heat
from his body; she heard the slow inhalation of his breath not to mention the
warmth of his skin seeping into her arms. Oh, God how she wanted to turn into
him, to let someone else help her shoulder the burdens. But how could she? He
was here to take the ranch. Period.

"You're
more than tired. I'm worried about you," he stated softly.

Lexie
looked at him over her shoulder, his face and eyes barely inches away. How
handsome he was. She wanted to turn, wrap her arms around his waist and lay her
mouth over his. Years had passed since she'd allowed a man to kiss and comfort
her and not just any man...Mitch. But how could she let him?

 Was
he serious about being worried or were his concerns just a ploy to try to
convince her to sell the ranch to the foundation? She turned her face away
resisting her desire to lean into his strong chest, to close her eyes and just
breathe. "I needed to lose a couple of pounds anyway."

He
dropped his hands from her shoulders. "You've lost more than a couple,"
he said in a terse voice.

Lexie
tried to move around Mitch to head for the sink but he shifted blocking her
path. Her chin shot up. "Would you please move so I can finish?" she
asked in a polite but patronizing voice.

He
reached out and tried to pull the dishcloth from her hand. "Give me the cloth.
I'll finish. Go up stairs, have a good long soak in the tub then get into bed."

She
would like nothing better. Lexie tugged on the cloth instead. "Don't be
ridiculous. I'm almost done."

Mitch
crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her with steadfast determination
in his eyes. "I'm not moving until you agree," he stated firmly.

Why
was he being so stubborn? She let go of the cloth. "Fine."

He
stepped back but as she brushed past him he caught her arm to stop her. "There's
one more thing--sleep late in the morning."

When
she opened her mouth to protest he held up a hand stopping her words. "Tomorrow
is Saturday. Dani and I will feed the horses. I'll even make her breakfast. And
don't forget, she's supposed to stay over with me and Dad tomorrow night."

Lexie
cruised along the warm, sleepy current of her dream. Sunlight beamed down,
warmed her face and limbs while the air stirred comfortingly around her.

In
the midst of this paradise a shrill noise pierced her brain and wiped away the
dream in an instant. She opened her sleep clogged eyes, reached over and groped
for the button on the alarm clock.

Absently,
she glanced at the clock. When she saw how late it was her eyes popped open. She
was absolutely certain she'd set the clock for six but now it was almost eight
thirty.

     Lexie threw back the covers and shrugged into
her robe. Half-way down the hall to Dani's room she stopped in her tracks and
tapped her palm lightly against the side of her head. It was Saturday. Smiling
to herself, she walked slowly back to her room to shower and dress.

     At the top of the stairs, she heard the murmur
of Mitch and Dani's voices. Though she couldn't hear exactly what they were
saying Dani's laughter mingled through their conversation. The delicious aroma
of fresh coffee and bacon frying wafted through the air. Her mouth watered. She
always needed a good jolt of caffeine each morning to get her going but to her
surprise she felt more refreshed than she had in a long time. And more
optimistic as well. She wasn't sure if it was because of the restful night
she'd had or because Mitch had followed through on making breakfast.

     When Lexie stepped into the foyer she noticed
watery sunlight misting in through the sidelights on either side of the front
door. She stopped and looked outside. Clouds, thick and gray, bunched together
covering the sky like a giant quilt. She heard the wind moan and buffet the glass.

     It looked like rain or maybe even snow moving
in. Not good. She would have to hustle today to finish harvesting the hay
before the rain began. Turning, she headed for the kitchen.

     Lexie stepped up to the doorway. Her eyes
widened and despite the mess that spread before her she couldn't have stopped
the grin if she tried.

     Mitch, dressed in faded jeans that molded his
hips and thighs and a long-sleeved gray shirt, stood at the stove flipping
pancakes while bacon sizzled in another pan. Dani perched on a stool beside him
and spooned batter onto the griddle. A few dribbles joined the light dusting of
flour already covering the counter tops and floor.

     The biggest surprise of all was the ball of fur
sniffing at their feet. Golden blonde with floppy ears and big paws, the Labrador
puppy licked drops of pancake batter from the tile. Dani reached into a ripped
bag of chocolate chips and sprinkled them onto the pancakes. "How's that
Daddy," she asked as her brow furrowed in concentration.

     "Perfect. I'm making you the chief
executive chocolate chip pancake decorator," Mitch said in an official
sounding voice.

     "Thanks, Daddy.” Dani licked chocolate
from her finger tips and looked up at him. "What's cheef 'zecutive
mean?"

     He leaned over and gave her a raspberry on the
side of her neck. Dani dissolved in a fit of giggles. "It means that no
one decorates pancakes better than you."

     A mixture of joy and trepidation washed through
Lexie seeing Mitch and Dani at such ease with one another. They interacted as a
loving father and daughter in a relationship she had always longed to have with
her own father. Tears sprang unexpectedly to Lexie's eyes at the unfulfilled
yearning and she hastily brushed them away.

     A blind man could see that Dani adored him. How
could she not? He'd waltzed into her life, showered her with charm and attention
that no female alive could resist. Then to top it off he'd brought her a dog. "Good
morning."

     Mitch and Dani turned at once and looked at her.
At the sound of her voice, the puppy ceased in his pursuit of pancake dribbles
and pricked his ears. He yipped once before racing over to her all floppy ears,
lolling tongue and big feet.

     "Hi, Mom," Dani chirped and shifted
her attention back to the pancakes. Her hair hung down her back in a messy
ponytail and the collar of her checked shirt stood up around her neck.

     The dog jumped up, planted his paws on Lexie's legs
and gave her a doggy grin. His tail whipped furiously in excitement as she bent
to give his head and body a good rub. His fur felt soft and warm beneath her
fingers.

     "Morning," Mitch said in a low voice
as his eyes skimmed over her. His mouth curved in a smile that made tingles
begin to dance in the pit of her stomach. "Sleep well?"

     Lexie nodded and straightened from petting the
dog.
Don't get all hot and bothered. He's just a man cooking pancakes. That's
all.
"Like the dead.” She made a bee line for the coffee pot.

     "Glad to hear it," Mitch said when
she stepped up beside him. He smelled faintly of soap and hay. She glanced down
at his jeans where bits of straw still clung to the denim.

     "Daddy and I are making breakfast,"
Dani said happily. "He got me a dog. His name is Toby. Isn't he
cute?"

     Lexie glanced at the dog who had just hiked a
leg against one of the breakfast table chairs. She raised a brow. "Yes,
he's very cute. He also just piddled on the floor.”

     Dani's head jerked around. "Uh, oh,"
she said as she scooted down from her stool. She wagged a finger at the small
puppy. "Toby, that wasn't very nice," she scolded in a soft, sweet
voice. "If you do that again, Mommy won't like it. So don't do it again. Okay?"

     The puppy just wagged his tail and started
licking at the stray drops of batter on the front of Dani's shirt. Dani turned
and reached for the paper towels.

     She snatched the end and pulled. A long white
stream of paper draped over the counter onto the floor. "Oops," Dani
said and chuckled.

     The dog promptly thought she wanted to play. He
grabbed a corner of the paper towel in his teeth and dashed across the kitchen.
Dani chased after him snickering the whole way. Lexie managed to head the puppy
off before he ran into the hall. He dropped his end of the paper towel as she bundled
him up into her arms, lifted his head and washed her chin with his tongue.

     Mitch's laughter joined Dani's and filled the
kitchen. The full-throated sound rippled over her skin. Lexie put the puppy
down on the floor and turned to Dani. "Take him for a quick walk and I'll
clean up the mess. But only this once. From now on he's your responsibility. Understand?"

     Dani threw her a jerky nod and smiled. "My
'sponsbilty. Come on, Toby, come on boy," Dani called as she headed for
the back door. In a moment they both scrambled outside in a whoosh of wind followed
by a sharp slam of the door.

     After cleaning up after the puppy and scrubbing
her hands, Lexie reached into the cabinet for her favorite mug with a chip on
the handle. She poured a cup of coffee, added cream and sugar and gave it a stir
as she leaned against the counter. She took a sip and eyed the sloppy stack of
pancakes lying in the middle of the large white platter she used to serve the
Thanksgiving turkey. "Have a seat. I'll finish breakfast," Lexie said
reaching for the fork to turn the bacon.

     Mitch lifted some more pancakes from the pan
and added them to the platter. "Not a chance. Dani and I have everything
under control."

     Lexie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Mitch
took the fork from her hand and stared at her with raised brows. "Relax. How
often do you have someone make you breakfast?"

     "Not often," Lexie said as she walked
to the table. Never in fact.

     Mitch placed the rest of the bacon on the
platter with the pancakes and set it on the table. He turned and looked at her.
"Hope you don't mind the dog. Bill Lovett's bitch had a litter about nine
weeks ago. He had two left so I thought Dani might like one."

     She shrugged. "No, it's okay. She's wanted
a dog for a while. I just haven't had the time to do anything about it."

     The back door flew open. Dani and Toby sailed
back in. "I talked to Toby," Dani said in a breathless voice as she
closed the door. She walked to the table, slid into her chair and reached for
the pancakes. "He understands that he has to do his business outside. Don't
you Toby?"

     Toby settled at Dani's feet and looked up at
her with his ears pricked. On the sly, she nipped a piece of bacon from the
platter and tossed it on the floor. He inhaled the tidbit, then waited for
more.

     Lexie felt Mitch's hands settle on her
shoulders. His warmth, his strength felt good. Maybe too good.

     "Have a seat. You could use a nice long
breakfast," he said next to her ear. "Among other things."

     His breath blew over her ear sending shivers
down her neck and over the slope of her right breast. "Hay won't wait. Storm's
coming in and I still need to finish the baling.”

     She sipped at her coffee and nearly choked when
Mitch said, "It's being taken care of."

     Lexie slumped to her chair and set her mug down
with a thump on the table. "How?"

     Mitch forked three pancakes onto her plate
along with several strips of bacon before filling his own. "I made a call
this morning after Dani and I fed the horses. She did a great job too.” He
glanced at Dani and gave her a wink.

     Dani smiled back at him. "I showed Daddy
how to measure the feed and everything. He had to help me carry the buckets
though. They were kind of heavy.” She reached for her glass of juice and sucked
down a noisy swallow.

     "Ladies, don't slurp, Dani," Lexie
said in a firm tone.

     Dani threw her a quick glance. "Sorry,
Mom," she said in a quiet voice.

     Mitch turned his attention back to Lexie. "When
I went to pick up the dog, Bill Lovett's oldest boy, Frank, needed to make some
extra money so I offered him the job."

     Lexie thought about the near negative balance
she had in the ranch's business account as her back stiffened with annoyance. "I
can't believe you did that. I don't have the money to pay him."

     Mitch swallowed a mouthful of food. "That's
not a problem...because I do."