Rock-A-Bye Rancher. Judy Duarte

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      “Well then, like you said, we’ll need to take this one step at a time. I suggest you stop by Spend-Mart. It’s just down the street and ought to have everything you need.”

      “I hope you have a few suggestions. I don’t have a clue what to get.”

      “Believe it or not, I have a pretty good idea. But it won’t be cheap.”

      Neither was the trip to Mexico. But money was the last thing Clay had considered. Not when he was still carrying a ton of grief over Trevor’s death.

      The pastor who’d spoken at the memorial had told Clay it would take time. But so far the weight on his chest hadn’t eased up a bit.

      Minutes later Clay and Daniela entered the crowded department store.

      “Get a shopping cart,” she told him, taking the lead. For some fool reason, Clay, who never was one to follow orders, complied.

      In no time at all, she had the cart filled with disposable diapers, wipes, ointments, lotions, pacifiers. Next, she threw in bottles, formula—both readymade in the can and powdered in packets—plus a couple of jugs of water. Then she zeroed in on receiving blankets, pajamas, undershirts and clothes.

      “You already have one of those,” he said, nodding to the pink and white PJs. “But in purple.”

      “We don’t know what size she wears, so we’ll keep the receipt and return whatever doesn’t fit.”

      Clay merely nodded his head as he followed the pretty, dark-haired attorney through the baby section.

      For a single woman, she sure was adept at knowing what things he was going to need. What an intriguing contradiction she was. On the outside, she seemed every bit as professional and competent as Martin Phillips had insisted she was. But there was obviously a maternal and domestic side to her, as well.

      “This ought to get us started,” she said. “You can go shopping again, after you get her home.”

      “Maybe you can do that for me,” he said.

      She arched a brow. “My fees are $250 an hour. I’m sure you can find someone better qualified and cheaper.”

      “But maybe not someone who knows as much about kids as you do.”

      He meant it as a joke, as a way of telling her he didn’t give a damn about the cost. But she stiffened for a moment, then seemed to shrug it off.

      “I did a lot of babysitting in the past,” she explained.

      “Lucky me.”

      As they headed for the checkout lines, he couldn’t help but watch her. She seemed to be counting each item she’d chosen, taking inventory. Making sure they had all they needed.

      So she’d spent her early years babysitting. Maybe her beginnings had been as humble as his.

      She was interesting. Intriguing.

      And attractive.

      Not that he’d ever chase after a woman who would have been more his son’s type. And one who was definitely more his son’s age.

      Chapter Two

      Thirty minutes later Clay and Daniela arrived at Hobby Airport in Houston, where Roger Tolliver, Clay’s pilot, had already filed a flight plan and was waiting to take off. Roger, a retired air force captain with thousands of hours of experience, was doing his final check of the twin-engine King Air, which Clay had purchased from the factory last year.

      After parking his truck and unloading their luggage and purchases, Clay removed the baby’s car seat from the box so it would fit in the plane better. Then he juggled it and the heavier items, along with a briefcase, a black canvas gym bag that carried a change of clothing and his shaving gear.

      “It’s this way,” Clay told Daniela, who carried her purse, a small brown suitcase and several blue plastic shopping bags, as he headed toward the plane.

      The competent young attorney, who’d been leading the way through Spend-Mart and racking up a significant charge on Clay’s American Express, was now taking up the rear. Clay had a feeling it wasn’t the load she was carrying that caused her to lag behind.

      He glanced over his shoulder and, shouting over the noise of a red-and-white Cessna that had just landed, asked, “What’s the matter?”

      “Nothing.” She carefully eyed his plane, as well as the salt-and-pepper-haired pilot.

      “Don’t tell me you’re skittish about flying,” he said.

      “All right. I won’t.”

      Great. His traveling companion was a nervous wreck. Maybe, if she felt more confident about the man in charge of the plane, she’d relax.

      When they reached the King Air, Clay greeted the pilot. “Roger Tolliver, this is my attorney, Daniela de la Cruz.”

      “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.” The older man took the bags from her hands.

      “As you can see,” Clay told Roger, “we’ve got quite a few things to take along. Daniela reminded me that we’d need supplies for the baby, so we bought out the infant department at Spend-Mart.”

      “I had a couple kids of my own, so I know how much paraphernalia is needed.” Roger nodded toward the steps that would make it easy to board the plane. “Why don’t you make yourselves comfortable. I’ll pack this stuff.”

      Before long, the hatch was secured, and they were belted in their seats. As they taxied to the runway, Clay couldn’t help but glance at the woman beside him, her face pale and her eyes closed. White-knuckled fingers clutched the armrests of her seat. She sat as still and graceful as a swan ice sculpture on a fancy buffet table. The only sign of movement was near her collarbone, where the beat of her heart pulsed at her throat.

      Damn. She really was nervous.

      “Daniela,” Clay said over the drone of the engine, thinking he’d make light of it, tease her a bit to get her mind on something else. But when she opened her eyes, her gaze pierced his chest, striking something soft and vulnerable inside. Without warning, the joke slipped away, and compassion—rare that it was—took its place. “Hey. Don’t worry. Roger was flying before you were even born. He’s got a slew of commendations from the air force. He’ll get us to Mexico and back before dinnertime tomorrow.”

      “That’s nice to know.” She offered him a shy smile, then slid back into her frozen, sculptured pose.

      According to Martin, the senior partner in the firm and Daniela’s boss, she was a bright, capable attorney. But she was clearly not a happy flyer.

      Damn. This was going to be a hell of a long trip if she didn’t kick back a little and relax.

      Moments later the plane took off, heading for Guadalajara. Once they were airborne, Clay offered her a drink. “It ought СКАЧАТЬ