Tied Up, Tied Down (Rough Riders #4)(5)

“Or just for dessert? Whatever you want.”


She appeared to consider him carefully. “How about if you meet me out front of the feed store at seven the night after next?”


“I’d like to pick you up at your place if it’s a date.”


“Not a good idea.”


Damn. Kade thought he’d been making progress with her. “Don’t you trust me?”


Skylar nudged him so he scooted out of the booth and she stood next to him. “After the way your sweet-talkin’ activated more than my sweet tooth? I don’t trust myself.”


She swept her fingers over brim of his hat. “Stay out of the drugstore aisle, McKay, and don’t be late.” A swish of her hips and she was gone.

Kade shook the memory away. He parked and studied the revitalized Sandstone Building. On the far end was Dewey’s Delish Dish, a family restaurant his cousin Carter’s wife Macie managed. On the other end was Healing Touch Massage, owned by AJ McKay, his cousin Cord’s wife.

Smack dab in the middle was Sky Blue and India’s Ink. And inside that space was his child.

Sweet Jesus. He’d never been so damn nervous in his life. He climbed out of his truck and sauntered up the wooden plank stairs. At the ornate metal door, he took a second to breathe, realizing the woozy sensation was from lack of oxygen to his addled brain.

A set of chimes tinkled when he entered the store.

Scents bombarded him. Not heavy and cloying like expensive perfume, but simple and sweet. Natural. Reminiscent of the wildflowers on the wide-open Wyoming prairie.

Reminiscent of Skylar.

Speak of the devil… Right then Skylar came around the corner and froze.

They stared at each other in complete shocked silence.

Lord, she was easy on the eyes. An earth goddess in a floaty turquoise dress, which exposed her swan-like neck to perfection. A scarlet sash tied around her waist brought his attention to the sexy curve of her hips. Be-ringed bare toes peeped out from beneath the jagged skirt hem. Her auburn hair was longer, curling near the bottom of her full breasts, but it suited her gypsy image.

Kade cleared his throat and met her wary gaze head-on. “Is it true, Skylar? Do we have a baby?”


Her response was a long time coming. Finally, she nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”


“I tried to, Kade. I called your parents’ house. You weren’t there. I was told you’d moved. I didn’t know where. I didn’t know if you’d care.”


Rather than snap bullshit at her, he expelled a frustrated sigh. “That means you didn’t get my letter?”


Her green eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What letter?”


Shit. “I sent you a letter about a month ago. Tellin’ you I was comin’ back. Askin’ if we could let bygones be bygones and start over.”


“Start over as in… Start dating?”


“Uh. Yeah.”


“I didn’t receive any such letter.” She squeezed her eyes shut for a second. “What else did it say?”


Her expression clearly said she thought he was lying. He had sent the damn thing.

It’d taken him nearly a week to pen a few lousy paragraphs. “We can talk about all that later. Right now, I’d like to see my daughter.”


“She’s sleeping.”


“I don’t care. Wake her up.”


Skylar’s mouth opened. Then closed. “I’ll be right back.”


That had to be the longest, most excruciating minute of Kade’s life. His whole body shook. He even had to lock his damn knees to keep them from quaking like a newborn colt’s. Sweat dripped down his spine and soaked the waistband of his jeans. He clenched his teeth and his fists.

Just when he thought he couldn’t stand the wait another second, Skylar appeared.

She approached him cautiously, holding a bundle wrapped in a fluffy yellow blanket, nestled against her lush breasts.

Kade couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t take his eyes off that tiny bundle. Lord. It was so damn small. How could there be a living, breathing human baby in there?

When Skylar sidled up next to him and peeled back the blanket, revealing a sweet, perfect, beautifully pink face, Kade had a moment of utter pride and joy before his vision dimmed.

He swayed and everything went black.

Chapter Three


Terrific. One glimpse of his fifteen-pound baby daughter and the big, tough cowboy had passed out cold. Skylar rocked Eliza side to side, waiting for Kade to come around on his own. She was half afraid to rouse him because he might come up swinging, as the McKays were rumored to do when backed into a corner.

Finally, he groaned. “What happened?”


“You fainted.”


Kade pushed to his knees. “Can you blame me? Ain’t every day a man learns he’s a daddy.”


Huh. No macho posturing. No excuses for his swooning behavior. That surprised her. “You okay?”


“I guess. Good thing I gotta hard head.” He rolled to his feet and snagged his hat.

“What’s her name?”


“Eliza.”


“Eliza what?”