Read Beneath the Stetson for Free Online Page B

going.”
    Cade grinned widely. “I like the child care center. They have a computer station and about a jillion Lego blocks, and my friends miss me when I don’t come.”
    Gil rubbed a smear of ice cream from his son’s chin. “Well, in that case, I’ll set up some meetings with the executive committee for the next few days and get some club business out of the way.”
    When the meal was over they dropped off Cade and headed back to Gil’s office. Walking in, he noticed the faint, pleasing scent of Bailey’s perfume lingering in the air, something light and flowery. The scene that transpired in the dining room had affected him deeply. It was hard to mistrust a woman who treated his son with so much gentleness and compassion.
    “Do you need any help?” he asked abruptly, wishing he had a reason to stay.
    Bailey glanced at him, her gaze guarded. “No. But thanks.”
    He leaned a hip against his desk. “What do you do for fun, Bailey Collins?”
    “Fun?” The question appeared to confuse her.
    “I’m assuming you’ve heard of the word.”
    “I have fun,” she said, her tone defensive.
    “When?”
    Her mouth opened and closed. “I like to read.”
    “So do I. In bed. At night. But what do you do in your leisure time?” He shouldn’t have mentioned the word bed . His libido rushed ahead in the conversation and visualized the two of them entwined on soft sheets.
    Bailey shrugged. “I work long hours. But in the evenings I like to walk around my neighborhood. It’s a close-knit, established community with sidewalks and people who sit on front porches. I have several older friends I check on from time to time.”
    “Sounds nice.”
    “It is.”
    “And is there a man in your life?” Well, he’d done it now. There was no way she could interpret his question as anything other than what it was. He was attracted to her. And he wanted to know if he’d be stepping on any toes were he to follow up on those feelings.
    Bailey glanced at her watch. “I need to get back to work.”
    “Does that mean, ‘Back off, Gil’?”
    “What? No. Not at all. But I...”
    He waited. Silently.
    “You don’t even like me,” she said, her expression troubled.
    “Correction. I tried not to like you. That first day in the police station when you were grilling me like a seasoned pro, I found you wildly appealing, despite my disgruntlement. And since I am a man who believes in laying all the cards on the table, I think you should know.”
    “What changed?”
    “Dogs and children are very good judges of character. My son adores you already.”
    “But that makes you uncomfortable.”
    The sadness lurking in her brown eyes shamed him. “It does. I don’t want him to get too attached to you.”
    “Because I’ll be leaving soon.”
    “Yes.”
    “I suppose I can understand that.”
    “It has nothing to do with you personally. But Cade has this unfortunate tendency to latch onto any woman who walks into my life, no matter how briefly.”
    “Why haven’t you married again?”
    He hadn’t expected the blunt question. It caught him off guard, and for a moment, grief, regret and disappointment flooded his stomach. He shoved the negative feelings away. “There aren’t too many women these days happy to be stuck out on a ranch in the middle of nowhere.”
    “Oh, please,” Bailey said, giving him a reproving look. “You’re rich, handsome and successful. I’m sure some poor soul in Royal would apply for the job.”
    Her mock scolding erased the momentary sting of allowing the past to intrude. “But not you?”
    “I have a job.”
    “One that could get you killed.” The realities of her position still disturbed him. Alex needed to get his memory back in a hurry. Before somebody else got hurt. Gil hadn’t meant to change the subject, even if he was genuinely worried about her. “May I be honest with you, Bailey?”
    “Please do.”
    “As angry as I was with you when we first met, I felt a definite something . In