Read Rodeo Daddy: Book 3 in the Stubborn Texas Siblings Trilogy for Free Online Page A

grips with that. But don’t even
try making me feel guilty for protecting Alexis from having
a father who has a different woman on his arm every time
she sees him.”
Jeff groaned and wrapped the arm that wasn’t holding
Alexis up since she’d fallen asleep across the back of the
seat so that his fingertips brushed Dana’s shoulder blades.
    “That’s not fair,” he said huskily. “For over a year, you
know damn good and well I wasn’t sleeping with anyone
but you. It would have kept going that way too, had you not
just up and disappeared on me. From the second I saw you
again, I’ve been trying like Hell to get you back in my bed
where you belong… So don’t you give me that crap about
my sleeping around. I was as loyal to you as a man can be
to a woman, Dana.”
    “That may be true, but it was only because I made a point
to be at every stop. I made it easy for you… You didn’t
have to woo anyone to your bed, because I went willingly.
You also made a point to let me know on a regular basis
that what we had was nothing but sexual satisfaction. That
isn’t the lifestyle I wanted my daughter raised around. I had
to be able to respect myself in order to expect Alexis to
someday respect me.”
    “And how about when she grew up and asked you about
her father?” he asked, leaning back, refusing to let go of the
sweet baby girl who had fallen into a deep sleep on his
chest. “Did you intend on telling her lies about me? Tell her
I didn’t want her, when you’d never bothered to even
inform me of her existence? How could you respect
yourself, knowing you were planning on not only keeping
me from her, but looking her in the eyes in the future only
to lie to her face?”
Dana blanched and lowered her eyes to the sleeping toddler
in Jeff’s arms. “I didn’t think about that…” she answered
honestly. “I tried not to think about it. My only plan as to
what to tell her was that you are a very successful man that
I loved with my whole being, but that our relationship
evidently wasn’t meant to be…”
    Jeff smoothed his big hand down over Alexis’s hair. “Well,
now you’re going to have to find a way to deal with my
presence in her life, because I’m in it now, and I’m not
going to just sit by and let you take her away from me. As
long as she needs me, I’ll be here as a part of her life.”
    He looked back up at Dana and smiled warmly. “I want you
to be part of my life too. I want you back in my bed where
you belong. At least until I’ve managed to get you out of
my system. You claim I’m the sort to eventually move on
from all of the women I’ve ever bedded. Well, here’s your
chance to get me out of your life if that’s what you honestly
want. But I’m just going to put this out there right here and
now… As long as you’re dealing with what’s happening to
Mandy… You’re good and stuck with me.”
    Not giving her a chance to say anything else, Jeff stood up
and carried Alexis back inside to put her to bed. Dana
needed some time and space to deal with his proclamation
of intent and he was man enough to give it to her.

Chapter 6
    Dana walked into the house almost an hour later, looking
like a walking zombie. Her eyes were glazed over with
shock and her skin was washed out and pale. Her eyes were
wide and bloodshot and she felt as if she’d lived a lifetime
in the last couple of days. She’d known the second she’d
seen Jeff in town that her world was about to be turned
upside down, but she hadn’t seen his determination coming.
    Jeff was sitting on the couch with his feet propped up on
the coffee table. His arm was draped over the back of the
couch as he sipped at a cup of coffee, having what looked
like a staring contest with her sister. No one was saying
anything and the tension in the room was so thick, it was
almost impossible to breathe as she made her way over to
where they were sitting.
    Mandy looked up at her and in that moment, Dana knew
that she was really in for it.