The Secret Truth at Dare Ranch (9 page)

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Lexie
stood in the doorway of the barn, sipped her cup of punch and scanned the crush
of people. Lusty music from the band flowed around her then out into the early
evening air, along with the scent of food and idle chatter. Fairy lights and
paper lanterns were strung through the rafters; potted palms and fresh flowers
adorned the band stand.  

Mitch
stood next to Vivian and laughed at something she said. He wore a white shirt
and snug jeans that made her mouth water. Vivian was dressed in a bright
printed skirt and an off the shoulder top. She’d draped herself around a
good-looking blonde man. The blonde looked as though he’d like to take a long
lick. Poor guy didn’t know what hit him.

Vivian
stopped flirting with the blonde and threw her a big smile. The three of them
started toward her, and Lexie was glad she'd gone to the hairdresser and had a
manicure. She still felt a little self-conscious about the old dress and pumps
she wore. She wished she knew something about fashion and makeup, but who would
care if she did?

Mitch
stepped up beside her. His green gaze caressed her face with warmth and charm. She
remembered the whisper of a kiss he’d given her the other day in the middle of
the hay field. She’d thought about that kiss a hundred times since then.

Her
gaze surreptitiously rested on his lips wishing his kiss had been more than
just a light caress. A corner of his mouth tipped up. She flicked her gaze up
to his and found him watching her. Her heart tripped once then stumbled in her
chest. What was she doing thinking about kissing him? Lexie forced herself to
relax and pasted on a smile.

"Nice
evening.” His voice sounded casual but the way he looked appeared anything but.
A breeze blew in from outside and molded her dress against her body. His gaze
moved slowly over her figure. She thought she saw desire in his eyes, but she
must be mistaken.

Lexie
knew she didn’t have the kind of body men drooled over. She’d resigned herself
to that fact long ago because she didn’t have the curves to attract a man. And
she wasn’t going to get caught up in a stupid fantasy about Mitch wanting her. He
may have wanted her that long ago night, but Mitch wanted only one thing
now--to take her ranch.

Vivian
broke away from the blonde and gave her a quick hug. "Hi honey," she
said warmly, then turned to slip her arm around the man's waist. "This is
Chris. He just moved to town."

"Nice
to meet you, Chris," Lexie said and stuck her hand out for a shake. Instead
of a shake, he enclosed her hand in his and raised it to his lips. His lips
felt warm when he pressed them to the top of her hand.

Something
very feminine and indulgent slid through her veins at being reminded in such a
subtle way that she was indeed a woman. Maybe she didn’t look so bad after all
in her plain dress and shoes.

# # #

A
fast, toe-tapping song vibrated through the barn and bounced off the rafters. Mitch
watched Lexie as she danced with one of the locals. The man slid his hand lower
down her back, leaned her over his arm in a dramatic dip then lifted her up so
they were face to face. He said something in her ear. Lexie tipped her head
back and laughed.

Mitch
felt something new and totally unexpected twist through his gut. No way was he
jealous. He stepped forward intending to cut in on the happy couple, when he
felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Tommy Flowers, the party's host. A
pair of dark trousers and a light casual sport shirt covered his slightly
overweight frame.

His
face was tanned, his brown eyes warm and his smile friendly. Right on his heels
trotted a petite woman with a froth of bright, copper hair, flashing blue eyes
and a wicked grin.   

A
floral print dress, made out of some kind of gauzy material, shifted over her
body with every twitch. Between the bright hair and the careful steps she took,
Emily Flowers reminded Mitch of a poodle on parade. She sidled up to her
husband. "Emily, sweet pea, could you see how the punch is holding out?"
Tommy asked.

She
gave Tommy’s hands a squeeze. "Okay, sugar plum. I’ll be right back.”

Tommy
smiled and extended his hand. They shook hands and Mitch was surprised to find his
palm rough and slightly calloused, rather than the smooth hands of a town
mayor, who spent his days cutting ribbons and kissing babies.

"Mitch,
how are you son?"

"Fine.
You?”  Mitch let go of his hand and realized how much he'd always liked Tommy. He’d
been instrumental in helping his father get into the house in town. His gaze
couldn't help wondering back to Lexie and her partner. The song ended and the
man gave her a light peck on the cheek. She turned and walked toward them.

Tommy
shifted his attention to Chris. "And who might you be?"

Introductions
were made and Mitch explained the plan to buy Lexie’s ranch and build the
hospital. Mitch watched hungry interest light Tommy’s eyes.

"A
hospital?" Emily echoed as she walked over. Her hands grasped two cups of
punch. She handed one to her husband, then snuggled close to his other side.

"Yes,
honey."

She
pursed her generous lips and drew her pruned brows together. "Oh, that’s
right. You told me about that."

Lexie
walked to his side, her cheeks flushed slightly from the dance and a glint of
happiness in her eyes. It made him feel good to see her this way. He fingered a
strand of her hair. "You had your hair done. Looks nice."

She
smiled. "Thank you."

Dani
stepped up beside them and clasped Lexie’s hand. "Mommy, I don’t feel so
good."

Lexie
leaned down close to Dani and brushed her hair back from her forehead. "Did
you eat too much ice cream again?"

Dani
shook her head with her big eyes gazing up at her mother. "No, I haven’t
had anything to eat yet.” She rubbed her stomach. "My tummy hurts."

Lexie
frowned and laid her hand on Dani’s forehead. "You do feel a little warm. I’d
better take you home.” She turned her attention back to Mitch. "You don’t
have to drive us. I see some of our neighbors leaving early. We’ll catch a ride
with them."

"Dani’s
my daughter too. I want to help."

Lexie
threw him a puzzled look. "Okay."

# # #

Lexie
sat on the edge of Dani’s bed and pressed a cold compress to her hot forehead. She
looked across at Mitch standing on the other side of the bed. She’d never seen
him scared before. The big bad executive didn’t have such nerves of steel after
all. "Relax she’s going to be fine. I called the doctor remember? This
thing has been going around."

"Shouldn’t
you give her something for the fever and not just put a wet rag on her head?”  He
paced a few short steps them back again impatience evident in his face and eyes.

Lexie
smiled at his inexperience with sick children. "The compress is for
comfort. She has a stomach virus and she’s already been throwing up. She can’t
keep anything down yet so we have to wait."

Mitch
scrubbed a hand over his face and shifted from one foot the other. "Yeah. Okay.
Right. But for how long? What can I do?"

Before
Lexie could answer, Dani opened her eyes and glanced anxiously from her mother
to Mitch and back again. She laid a hand on her stomach then started to cry. "I
feel sick again."

Lexie
grabbed the small waste basket she’d lined with a plastic bag as Dani leaned
over and vomited into the bag. She calmly helped Dani lie back down and wiped
her face with the cool cloth. Tears dribbled from her daughter’s eyes and down
her cheeks. "I don’t like to throw up," she whimpered.

"I
know, baby. But you’ll feel better soon, I promise."

"Can
I have something to drink?"

Mitch
reached for a glass of water sitting on the night stand and prepared to give
Dani a sip. Lexie raised her hand and stopped him. "No, we have to wait at
least twenty minutes. If she doesn’t have another episode after that time, then
we can give her a spoonful of water. If she keeps that down after another
twenty minutes we can increase the amount."

He
put the glass down in frustration. "Well, how long do these things last?"
he asked impatiently.

Dani
started to cry. Lexie gave him what she hoped was a harsh look. "Keep your
voice down. She’s already upset and you’re not helping. It’s important to
remain calm."

Mitch
closed his eyes briefly and nodded. "Right. Sorry. But she won’t be sick
all night, will she?"

Men.
They wanted to fix the problem immediately. They never tried to simply
understand it. "She might.” She wiped the cool, wet cloth over Dani's face.
Dani sighed and closed her eyes. "But if the vomiting continues for much
longer, I have some suppositories on hand just in case.”

Mitch’s
eyes widened and a look of horror spread over his face? "Suppositories?"

Lexie
couldn’t help but tease him a bit. She put her thumb and index finger together
then moved her hand in an upward motion to illustrate how they were
administered.

He
scowled at her. "I know what to do with a--with one of those things."

Lexie
arched a brow. "Really. Did you know that children Dani’s age can’t do it
by themselves? They need help."

He
cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders. "Sure. I knew that. I
could"--he gestured toward Dani--"help if I had to."

Lexie
started laughing and shook her head. "Please. You’d probably faint."

"Don’t
bet on it. I’ve never fainted in--"

Lexie
heard the doorbell ring then the sound of her ranch foreman’s voice. "Lexie!"
he called from downstairs.

She
looked at Mitch. "Stay with her for a minute.” She looked down at Dani. "I’ll
be right back, sweetheart. Okay?"

Dani
nodded. "Promise?"

"I
promise."

It
didn’t take long for her to find out the bad news. Some of her cows had broken
through the fence again and wandered onto the side of the road. Her foreman
needed help getting them back in and temporarily repairing the fence line. Of
course, he didn't really want
her
help. He'd asked for Mitch
specifically.

Lexie
stepped into Dani’s bedroom and found her crying with Mitch attempting to calm
her. "The cows have gotten out again. Would you mind helping Skinny round
them up?"

He
looked at her with relief covering his face that she had returned. Then he gazed
at his daughter and his eyes filled with concern. He brushed Dani’s hair back
from her face. "It’s okay, baby, daddy’s here.” Mitch threw Lexie an
inquiring look. "You go. Let me stay with Dani."

Lexie
flicked her gaze to Dani then back at Mitch. He was out of his mind. "I
can’t do that. I’ve never left her when she’s sick. Besides, you have no idea
what to do."

"I’ll
figure it out," he said with assurance. "Please, Lexie."

"Mommy,
I want my mommy," Dani cried.

Lexie
leaned over Dani and touched her cheek. "I’m here, honey, I’m here."

Mitch
laid his warm palm on Lexie's shoulder until she looked up at him. "Please.
Give me this chance. I can take care of our daughter. It won’t take you that
long and it’ll give me some time with Dani. I need her
and
you to trust
me."

How
could she do this? How could she leave Dani and allow Mitch to care for her? She
had always taken care of everything and everyone by herself. Now, Mitch was
asking her to trust him. How could she? She gazed down at Dani.

Dani
shook her head. "No, Mommy, you stay."

Her
voice sounded small and weak. Mitch held Dani’s face gently between his hands
and turned her head so that she looked directly at him. "Dani, I know how
to do a lot of things except take care of a little girl," he said softly. "I’ve
never done it before and I need you to teach me how. You see, I need to prove
to your mommy that I can."

He
raised his eyes briefly and gave Lexie a give-me-a-chance-just-this-once look before
returning his gaze to Dani.

Dani
blinked and stared at him in surprise. "You do?"

Mitch
nodded. "Yes, will you show me what to do until your mommy comes back? Please."

Dani
turned her head and looked at Lexie. She raised her small hand and wiped away
her tears. Her lower lip trembled when she said, "It’s okay, Mommy. Daddy
needs me to help him."

Lexie
fought back tears. Oh God, her little girl was growing up only why did it have
to be tonight? She swallowed and exhaled a deep breath. "Are you sure?"

Dani
nodded.

Lexie
looked at Mitch. She hoped she was doing the right thing. She leaned over and
gave Dani a light kiss on the forehead. "I’ll be back as soon as I can."

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