The Secret Truth at Dare Ranch by Cheryl Gorman Page A

will break.”
Anxiety roughened her tone of voice. "After you leave and go back to your
jet set, deal making life, I’ll be the one who has to put the pieces back
together again.” She lifted her chin. "What am I supposed to say? ‘It’s
okay, baby, having a daddy isn’t what it’s cracked up to be anyway.’"
    Lexie shook her head and smirked.
"I know that better than anyone. But it won’t help Dani’s feelings when
the time comes."
    Her blue eyes glistened with
anger and unshed tears. All of Mitch’s indignation faded and his heart softened.
She’d been through hell and back and it was going to take some doing to get her
to trust him. He brushed a lock of hair away that clung to her dirt smeared
cheek. "Mason was a mean spirited jerk but not all men are like him."
    She looked away. "I
know that," she said with a tremor in her voice, "but growing up with
him is all I have to go on."
    He wished the old man were
still alive so he could cheerfully beat him to a pulp for what he had done to
her. Mitch placed a finger on the side of her chin and shifted her gaze back to
his. The glaze of tears was gone only to be replaced with resignation. "Give
me the chance to convince you I don’t have plans to walk out of Dani’s life
once the situation with the ranch is settled."
    She studied him for a
moment, her blue gaze staring deeply into his. "Why should I?"
    "Because if you don’t,
you’ll not only be cheating Dani out of the chance to know her father but
you’ll be cheating yourself as well."
    Suspicion glinted in her
eyes. "What do you mean?"
    "You need to witness
first hand that I can be a real father to Dani.” He hoped to hell that he could.
"Until you see it and believe it with your own eyes and heart, you’ll
never get past what Mason did to you."
    She raised a brow. "What
are you a psychologist?"
    Mitch shook his head. "No,
I’m just a man who knows you very well."
    She exhaled a long sigh. "You
used to. I’ve changed."
    With the tip of his finger he
tilted her face upward toward his. "Everybody changes, Lex, but some
things never do.” Mitch let his gaze sweep over her face. "You look tired.”
And beautiful.
    How could he find a woman
who was dirty and smelled faintly of cow attractive? But she wasn’t just any
woman. She was Lexie, the mother of his child.
    "I am tired. In fact, I’m
beat.” She looked up at him and her mouth curved in a weary smile. "I do want
to thank you for taking such good care of Dani."
    He didn't want her gratitude.
He wanted her trust. "You don’t have to thank me. I’m her father."
    "Yes, but you’ve only
known about her for a short time. One thing’s for sure you were thrown in head
first and it was either sink or swim. I’m glad you decided to swim."
    Lexie started to step away. He
laid his hands on her shoulders and nudged her closer.
    "What are you doing?"
she asked with a hint of alarm in her voice.
    "I just want to hold
you for a minute," he murmured.
    She tried to pull away. "I
don’t think that’s a good idea."
    Ignoring her protest, Mitch wrapped
his arms around her, pressing her warm, female body next to his. "I need
it and so do you.” He felt the curve of her hips, the firmness of her thighs
and the softness of her breasts, but she held herself stiffly in his arms. Closing
his eyes he rubbed his hands slowly over her back until he felt her muscles relax.
    She ran her palms up to his
shoulders, turned her head and rested her cheek over his heart. It seemed so
right to have her here, but there were still so many barriers that stood
between them. After a few precious moments passed, Mitch pulled from her
embrace and smiled down into her pretty face. He stroked a finger over her nose.
"Time for bed, Kitten."

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Six
     
"I’m bored. Can we go riding when you’re done?"
Dani
asked.
    Lexie
sat next to Dani on the tractor seat and moved slowly across the hayfield
pulling a rake hitched to the rear. The sun beamed warm and bright,