could talk to the way she’d always been able to talk to her mother. Catherine was great, of course, but her friend didn’t have any experience when it came to pregnancy or childbirth, so she couldn’t know anything about the worries and insecurities that plagued Antonia.
A mother’s worries never went away.
Ellie Traub could attest to that. Even when her boys were grown—as all of hers were—she never stopped worrying about them. She’d had moments with respect to each of her boys, although Clayton had always given her more cause for concern—at least until Forrest had shipped out to Iraq, but that was something she wouldn’t let herself think about right now.
Right now, she was focused on Clayton and her plan to get him back to Rust Creek Falls. The fourth youngest of her six sons and just as handsome as his brothers, Clay had done well in school, excelled at sports and had been popular with the girls. Maybe too popular.
He was a hard worker, she’d give him that, and he’d happily toiled on the family ranch alongside his father and brothers. He’d also boasted a very active social life, dating a lot of women over the years, although not any one woman extensively or exclusively. Certainly he’d never brought anyone home to meet the family, and when he hit his twenty-ninth birthday, Ellie had begun to despair that he never would settle down.
She’d only voiced her concerns to him once, at which time he’d confirmed that he was enjoying life too much to think about getting married or starting a family. And then an ex-girlfriend had shown up with a baby in tow.
There were worse things, Ellie knew very well, than having a son who’d fathered a child out of wedlock. But she worried that Clay’s refusal to marry the mother of his child was further proof that he wasn’t ever going to grow up and take responsibility. On that point, he’d quickly and definitively proven her wrong.
She couldn’t fault him for making his son his number one priority, but now that he’d proven to be so intently focused on his child, she did worry that he was ignoring other aspects of his life. A man needed a wife—and Bennett needed a mother—and she doubted that Clayton was going to find any prospects to fulfill either role while he was living as a recluse at some boarding house on the outskirts of town.
She had Bennett in her arms and was returning to the back room that D.J. had reserved for their family gathering when she saw the little boy’s eyes light up and his arms stretch out as if reaching for something. Curious, she turned to see what had caught his attention, and found the answer wasn’t a “what” but a “who”—a very attractive female who.
“You’ve got an eye for the pretty ladies, just like your daddy, don’t you?” she murmured.
But Ellie noticed that the pretty lady was looking right back at the baby and smiling. She gave a little wave. “Hi, Bennett.”
Ellie moved closer to her table. “I guess you know my grandson.”
The young woman nodded. “I’m Antonia Wright. Your sons and grandson are staying at my family’s ranch. And this is my friend Catherine.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet both of you,” Ellie said, instinctively noting that while Catherine’s left hand displayed an exquisite diamond solitaire and matching wedding band, Antonia’s hand was bare.
She found herself wondering why neither Clay nor Forrest had mentioned that there was a gorgeous, unattached woman living at the ranch where they were staying. A woman who had obviously bonded with Clay’s infant son.
Actually, she was sure that Forrest was oblivious to both Antonia’s beauty and her gender. She was equally sure that Clay was oblivious to neither. And she started to think that it might not be such a bad idea for Clay and Bennett to stay in Thunder Canyon a little while longer.
“Do you know what? I think I forgot my lipstick in the ladies’ room,” she said to Antonia. “Would you mind if I left Bennett with you for a sec while I go back to get it?”
“Of course not,” the young woman agreed, rising from her seat to take Bennett into her arms.
It was then that Ellie realized the situation might be a little more complicated than she’d thought.
Because while Antonia Wright might not have a ring on her finger, she definitely had a baby in her belly.
Chapter Three
Clay hadn’t objected to his mother’s offer to take Bennett to the ladies’ room to wash him up while they waited for their food to arrive. He knew how much Ellie missed her grandson and anytime she wanted to help out with the baby, he was willing to let her. But he did wonder, after more than ten minutes had passed, what was taking her so long. When the food was delivered before she’d returned, he slipped out of the private dining room to track her down and saw Ellie handing his little boy over to … Toni?
He hadn’t expected to see her here tonight, and his pulse gave a quick little jolt. He could lament the instinctive response as much as he wanted, but he couldn’t deny it. The bigger surprise came when he watched his mother walk away, leaving Bennett with their landlady.
Clay wasn’t worried—he trusted Toni implicitly. But he knew her; his mother didn’t. And he couldn’t help but be a little suspicious about Ellie’s willingness to relinquish her beloved grandson to a stranger.
In a few quick strides, Clay was standing beside Toni’s table. Bennett smiled at him but didn’t lift his head off of Antonia’s shoulder. Not that Clay could blame his son for choosing a beautiful woman over his daddy and, in this case, Bennett had the attention of two beautiful women.
“Small world,” he said to Toni, and smiled.
“I’m not sure about the world, but Thunder Canyon is,” she replied.
“Even so, there isn’t anyone anywhere who can top D.J.’s ribs,” her dinner companion chimed in.
“Can’t argue with that,” he replied, then offered his hand. “Clayton Traub.”
“Catherine Clif—I mean, Overton,” she said, then grinned and wiggled the fingers on her left hand. “I’m still getting used to the new name.”
“Congratulations,” Clay said.
“Thanks. But that reminds me, I should be getting home to my hubby.”
Toni narrowed her gaze at her friend. “I thought you said Cody wasn’t going to be home from Billings until late.”
“That’s what I thought, but—” Catherine held up her phone “—he just sent me a text to say he was home.”
Toni’s gaze shifted to the instrument in her hand, as if she didn’t believe her friend was being entirely truthful about the message. In fact, she looked as if she might have snatched the phone from her friend’s hand to verify the claim, if not for the fact that her own hands were full of baby.
“It was nice meeting you,” Catherine said to Clay. Then, to Toni, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
And with a quick wave over her shoulder, she was gone.
Clay slid into the seat she’d vacated. “I think your friend just stuck you with the bill.”
“It was my turn to pay, anyway,” she told him.
“And somehow you got stuck with my child again, too.”
She smiled at that. “Your mom had to pop back into the ladies’ room.”
His mother had barely let Bennett out of her sight since she’d arrived in Thunder Canyon, so Clay was still suspicious of Ellie’s motivations.
“You met my mom?”
“Bennett introduced us,” she said, which didn’t really explain anything, but Clay let it go.
“Do you want to come and meet the rest of the family?”