The True Cowboy of Sunset Ridge (Gold Valley #14)(33)

How do you even stand yourself?

He needed to get back to the rodeo. That was it. At least there he didn’t... He didn’t think about things. He just did them.

Except for all the free time. And there was too much of it.

And too many reminders.

And now he was as tense as he’d been before, if not more so. He went upstairs and slammed his way into the bedroom, pulling open his dresser drawer and rummaging around for some clothes. He got dressed, and then made his way back downstairs. He wasn’t drinking to excess, but he definitely wanted a second beer tonight. Right as he opened up the fridge, there was a knock at the door.

If it was Mallory...

He swore, if it was Mallory, he was going to blow a gasket. Or haul her into his arms and kiss her, protestations from both of them be damned.

He walked over and jerked the door open, but it wasn’t Mallory.

He knew the petite blonde who was standing there.

But she was holding a baby.



CHAPTER EIGHT


MALLORY WALKED OUT of the barn, a blender, a toaster and a coffee maker in her arms. She was clutching them to her body like armor, because if Colt was anywhere near here...

It’s not him that you’re worried about. It’s you.

He had looked amazing. Better than she remembered. He was a god. His body was honed. Lean and well muscled. She’d gotten an eyeful of him, all of him, when she first walked into the room, but then she just had to stare at his chest for... Well, for way too long. And it was... Incredible. Beautiful. And she was right back in the mind she’d been in that night they’d been together. She wanted to kiss him again. Lick all that golden skin.

He turned her into something she didn’t recognize, and she just couldn’t handle it. Not while dealing with all the other crap that was happening inside of her.

One thing was clear—neither of them were in a fantastic emotional space. There was no way they could deal with each other on top of it.

She came out of the barn around her car and stopped. There was another car in the driveway, and there was a woman on Colt’s porch. Blond hair pulled up into a messy bun, dark roots showing through. She was in cutoff shorts and a top that barely covered her midriff.

Mallory shouldn’t be nosy. It was his business, she supposed.

She shifted, just slightly, and Mallory could see that the woman was crying. And then she moved even more, and Mallory could see a little bundle in her arms. If there was one thing Mallory knew, it was a little newborn bundle.

A baby.

Suddenly, the woman shoved the bundle into Colt’s arms. His expression was grim and determined, his hold on the tiny delicate thing protective.

Mallory stood frozen to the spot, unsure of what to do. Unsure of how to react. The woman wiped tears away from her face and took a step back from Colt, who simply stood there grim-faced, clutching the tiny infant.

Mallory didn’t know if she was watching a custody exchange or what. Did Colt have a baby?

That made her stomach twist, turn. She didn’t like it.

Oh, she didn’t like that at all. Didn’t like the growling, groaning discomfort that roared through her at the thought.

Colt. A baby. Another woman.

He said he was a whore. Why don’t you believe him?

She should take him at his word. What were the odds that he didn’t have a random child if he really behaved how he said he did?

Colt hadn’t moved. He was just standing there, the baby in his arms, a car seat at his feet. He looked up, and his eyes clashed with Mallory’s. And she felt it. Just like she had the first time she’d ever seen him. Just like she’d felt it the second time they’d seen each other, that night at the bar when he’d taken her to bed.

But there was really no description for what happened to her body when she saw him standing there cradling that infant like he would destroy the whole world to keep it safe.

Even while she felt complicated emotions over the fact that he clearly... That that woman...

Whatever her emotions were about that, it didn’t matter. There was no denying that watching a large man holding a tiny baby was sexy on a biological level that she was just far too human to fight.

She shouldn’t watch. She couldn’t figure out why she was watching.

Her eyes went back to the woman.

This wasn’t something routine. There was something wrong with that woman. The way that she was holding herself, the despair on her face.

Mallory knew that all too well. That hollow-eyed look.

Tired and grieving, even while she had a new life to care for.

And when it came to that, Mallory was an expert. As much as any one person could be without having experienced it themselves. And she clicked into gear. Her professional mode. Whatever Colt’s relationship was to this woman it didn’t matter. That woman needed something. She needed someone. And Mallory was going to be that someone.

She charged forward without further thought. “Do you need some help?”

The woman startled like a cat.

“I have to go,” she said, breaking away from Colt.

“Cheyenne...”

“Cheyenne?” Mallory asked, jumping on the name immediately and moving to take control of the situation. The woman stopped. “Is there someone we can call who can meet you here? Someone who can talk to you? Anyone you want to talk to?”

Mallory knew, deeper than training, how much hormones could mess you up. Mallory knew how confusing this could be.