A Cowgirl's Secret(47)
“Look,” he said, hands crammed in his pockets, “I’ve never claimed to be perfect. Occasionally I say things I probably shouldn’t. I’m not saying I’m ready to settle down with a white picket fence, but what could it hurt if we spend time together—like a family?”
“Don’t…” Daisy’s smile faded. “It’s not fair for you to insert yourself into every aspect of our lives without commitment. Now that you’re a part of Kolt’s life, he’ll expect you to stay.”
“Which is exactly what I’m offering.”
“No.” She smacked her palm against the hood of his Jeep. “What you want is to play house, but I’m not interested. More than anything, I crave a lasting relationship, a man to hold me in the quiet of night, but I’m not desperate. Not nearly ready to beg for a man’s crumbs.”
“You’re being ridiculous.” Taking his keys from his pocket, Luke rounded to the driver’s side of the car. “First, I never offered anything—let alone, crumbs. Second, this has nothing to do with you and me, but with me and my son. I have a right to spend time with him.”
“Of course you do.” Tears pooling in her eyes told him he didn’t have a right to toy with her heart. But he failed to see how hearts even entered into it. Was this one of those cryptic woman things?
“Thank your mom for dinner,” he said.
Daisy crossed her arms as if hugging herself.
“Sharing Kolt doesn’t have to be complicated,” Luke said. “You’re making a bigger deal out of it than need be.”
“Just go.” She turned away from him to wipe her eyes.
For the life of him, Luke couldn’t figure what Daisy wanted. She was the one who’d left him. She’d kept his son a secret for ten years. From where he stood, he was the injured party.
“Please, Luke…”
Bracing his hands on the edge of the car’s roof, he said, “I don’t know what you want from me. I’m offering all I have to give.”
Turning her back on him, she marched up the front porch stairs.
“Real mature, Daisy! We’re having a conversation here!”
She entered the house and closed the door behind her, audibly ramming the dead bolt.
Luke kicked his tire.
Honestly, the woman hadn’t matured one iota since turning fourteen. He was sorry for what Henry had put her through—more than he could ever adequately convey, but that didn’t give her the right to play with him like this.
One minute, her smile put him on top of the world. The next, her pretty pout kicked him to the gutter. Where did that leave him? The last thing he needed was drama.
What did he need?
After this latest encounter with Daisy? A good, stiff drink.
Chapter Twelve
“No way are you and my grandson spending so much as a single night here until at least the roof is fixed.” Friday afternoon, Georgina stood in the living room of Daisy’s new home, decked out in rubber boots and gloves, looking as if her family were in danger of an imminent dust-bunny attack.
“I know,” Daisy said, “I’ve already got a roofing contractor lined up.” Ever since being handed the keys, Daisy felt as if someone had pressed Fast Forward on her days. She’d had so many new legal clients that some minor cases had had to be turned away. Barb was also keeping Daisy’s work plate full. “They’ll be working in conjunction with a preservation team I hired out of Tulsa. They specialize in reinforcing and bringing up to code the overall structure.”
“Look at that crown molding.” Josie craned her neck for a better view. “It’d cost a fortune to have that kind of craftsmanship nowadays.”
“True.” Georgina parked her bucket filled with warm, sudsy water in front of the mantel. “Thank heavens you don’t have to strip all of this wood.”
“Tell me about it.” Daisy had her own bucket and was attacking baseboards. No doubt all of it would have to be scrubbed again after the carpenters did their thing, but it was satisfying to do work that made an immediate difference. With Kolt sleeping over with Jonah, the last thing Daisy needed was time for her mind to wander. “I think I’m going with a soft white for the trim, and then I’ll have to look into finding reproduction wallpapers and paint colors.”
“I had no idea you were even interested in this sort of thing,” her mother said.