The Cowboy's Claim by Carla Cassidy

in the chest. From now on each and every action he took, every decision he made would reflect on him not just as a man, but also as a father.
    “Well, what a surprise,” Mary exclaimed.
    “Yeah, it was kind of a major surprise for me, too.”
    “Now that you mention it, I see the resemblance between you and the boy,” Cameron replied as he slid off his stool. “He’s definitely got your chin. And now I’ve got to get back to work.”
    He nodded to Nick and then gave a gentle smile to Mary. “I’ll be in touch.”
    Mary returned the smile, a light in her eyes that made Nick wonder if there wasn’t something brewing between the two of them.
    When Cameron had left the café, Mary turned her attention back to Nick. “So, what do you plan to do about all this?”
    “My original plan when I got into town was to try to straighten out things with Adam and the ranch and then return to Texas as soon as possible,” he said.
    “And now?”
    “And now, of course everything has changed,” he replied, once again a feeling of awe swelling in his chest as he thought of Garrett. “I’m here to stay and be a father to that little boy. In fact, I just met with Courtney at the park to set up some kind of initial visits with Garrett. Eventually I want joint custody.”
    “Is there any chance of you and Courtney making a go of it again?” Mary asked, displaying her penchant for matchmaking.
    “None,” Nick replied flatly. “We’ve both moved on from where we were before I left Grady Gulch two years ago. It’s all about Garrett now. We just have to figure out a way to work together in parenting him, but other than that there’s nothing between us and never will be again.”
    “At least it’s nice that you intend to step up. So many men don’t, and every little boy needs his daddy in his life. Now, what can I get you to eat?”
    Nick placed his order and waved at Junior Lempke, who gave him a shy smile and ducked his head as he peeked out of the kitchen.
    Every little boy needs his daddy in his life. Mary’s words resonated deep inside him. Even though there had been a father in Nick’s life, he’d never had a daddy. Tom Benson had been a quiet man who worked the ranch during the day and ignored his family in the evenings.
    Even Nick’s mother had been a distant figure, fawning over the man of the house at the expense of her children. Cherry had been the mother figure in Nick’s life, and for all intents and purposes there had been no father.
    Nick intended to be the father his own had never been. He wanted to be present and available any time of day or night for Garrett. He was determined to be the best father any boy could ever have.
    The tinkle of the bell over the front door turned Nick in his stool. He stiffened as he saw Daniel Jefferson and a woman he assumed was Lizzy Wiles come through the door. They went to a booth by the window as Nick turned back around.
    Lizzy Wiles. The woman Nick’s brother had tried to kill. Since the moment Nick had heard about Sam’s crime, he’d tried not to think about it, not to process it.
    Sam had always been the strong one in the family, taking care of the ranch business and making sure his younger siblings were all right.
    Even though he hadn’t been particularly close to his eldest brother, he’d depended on him to be the rock in the family, the glue that held them all together after their parents’ unexpected death.
    For the first time since he’d heard of his brother’s incarceration, he felt a little of what Adam must be feeling... A sense of intense betrayal and a deeper sense of shame.
    He turned around once again and met Daniel’s gaze, relief washing over him as Daniel gave him a friendly nod. That was all it took to move Nick off his stool and toward the booth.
    There had been a time when Daniel and all of the Benson brothers had been good friends. They lived on neighboring ranches and had all grown up together.
    “Hi, Nick. Nice to see you back in town,”