and reminded her that his reputation was that of a heartless, emotionless man.
“Please don’t tell him,” she replied hurriedly. “What are you doing here in Shadow Creek? Last I heard, you were in El Paso protecting the border.”
For the first time a flicker of something dark shadowed his eyes. “I decided it was time for a vacation, and don’t try to change the subject. You’ve had nine years with Cody and now it’s my turn to have time with him.”
Everything inside of her stilled. Her heart stopped beating and her lungs quit drawing breath as she stared at him wordlessly. She’d always wondered in the back of her mind if this day would come, but over the years she’d convinced herself it wouldn’t. But here it was and she was so ill-prepared for it.
“How long is your vacation?” she finally asked.
“I don’t know yet.” He shoved his hands in his jean pockets. “I have a right to spend time with him.”
She didn’t care what was right in this situation; all she cared about was the best interest of her son, and she didn’t believe him spending any time with Knox was in Cody’s best interest.
“We’ve done fine without you. I just don’t think it’s a good idea,” she replied. “Especially now that your mother has escaped from jail.”
His shoulders stiffened. “My mother has nothing to do with this. I have rights, Allison, and if I have to get a lawyer and fight for them, I will.” The resolve in his eyes let her know he wasn’t playing. He was dead serious.
“I don’t want you to hurt him, Knox.”
His jaw tightened. “That’s the last thing I intend to do.”
She sighed. “If you promise that you won’t tell him you’re his father until I think he’s ready to hear it, and if the two of us can remain civil with each other, then I guess we can work something out so that you can spend some time with him.”
Worry fluttered through her. She didn’t want to do this, but Knox did have a right to get to know his son. The last thing she wanted was a custody battle. She had to do this right for Cody’s sake.
“I promise.” He pulled his hands from his pockets and took another step closer to her. “I don’t want to screw up his life, Allison. I don’t want to screw up your life.” His eyes narrowed. “But you should have told me.”
A flush of warmth filled her cheeks. “I did what I thought was best for everyone at the time.”
“You thought wrong.”
His anger was controlled, but she saw it in the tense set of his broad shoulders, in the thin line of his lips and in the depths of his beautiful blue eyes. “When?”
Next year...the year after, or maybe when he turns eighteen, she wanted to reply. “Next week?”
“Not good enough,” he replied.
She forced herself to breathe. “You can see him tomorrow after church. We’re usually home around noon.”
“Then I’ll pick him up at twelve thirty.”
A new panic leaped into her throat. “Pick him up? Where are you going to take him?”
“I thought I’d take him to Mac’s ranch. I haven’t had a chance to stop in there and say hello since I’ve been back in town.” He crooked an eyebrow up. “If you’re worried that I’ll steal him away from you, then you need to relax. I wouldn’t do that to him.”
Relax? How could she when his very presence there had shaken her to her very soul? How could she relax when he apparently wanted to step into a parent role, even though he’d walked away from her...from their love so easily almost ten years before?
“Then we’ll see you tomorrow.” She was ready for this conversation to end. She needed to go home and process just how much he’d turned her world upside down.
“I’ll send Cody out.” He headed for the house.
Allison got back into the car and finally drew in a deep breath. She’d always felt half-breathless when around Knox. He was ten years older than he’d been the last time she’d seen him, but those years had only made him more attractive.
He was deeply tanned, which made the blue of his eyes more intense. His light brown hair was clipped short, emphasizing his chiseled, handsome features.
Despite the shock of seeing him, in spite of the simmering anger that had marked their conversation, she had to admit that he still held some sort of sensual power over her.
She’d wanted to brush her fingers through his hair, feel the strength of his arms around her and taste his lips once again.
Foolish, foolish thoughts. She’d been devastated when he’d left her ten years ago. Ten years was a long time. She had no idea what kind of a man he’d really become, and the last thing she wanted was to allow Fort Knox back into her life in any capacity.
Jade’s front door opened and Cody came running out. Allison drew another deep breath to steady her emotions. Whether she liked it or not, Knox was back in her life for now. She just prayed he wouldn’t do anything to hurt Cody.
Anger still ripped through Knox as he headed back to Thorne’s ranch. The only thing that tempered it was the remaining shock of discovering he was a father.
Knox had never known his father. Livia had divorced Tad Whitman when Knox was only two and then she’d changed his last name to Colton and moved to Austin. He wasn’t even sure if Tad Whitman was really his father. There had been rumors that Tad’s father had gotten Livia pregnant.
After that there had been a succession of stepdaddies and new siblings, but never a real father figure in his life on a permanent basis other than Mac. Knox wanted better for Cody.
Maybe Cody already had a father figure in his life. The thought gave him pause. He hadn’t asked if Allison was married and another man was raising Cody as his own.
She was certainly attractive enough to have caught some man’s eyes. He hadn’t been so consumed by his anger that he hadn’t noticed she was even prettier now than she’d been when they’d been an item.
Her dark blond hair had been pulled back into a messy knot at the nape of her neck, emphasizing her high cheekbones and sensual mouth. The green blouse she’d had on had toyed with her hazel eyes, turning them more green than gold.
And nobody wore a pair of jeans like Allison. The denim hugged her long, slender legs and reminded him of how much he had loved those sleek legs tangled with his.
He tightened his hands on the steering wheel and embraced his anger. It was far easier to sustain that emotion than drift into ridiculous thoughts of his past relationship with Allison.
He’d spent far too many nights in the past thinking about her, missing her and wondering what might have been if they’d made different decisions so long ago. He’d also spent many of those nights hating her.
Almost ten years ago he’d called her to see if the baby she’d had was his. She’d told him it belonged to an old boyfriend and she’d gotten pregnant during the time after she and Knox had renewed their relationship. He’d hated her then for betraying his love.
He’d already been reeling because of his mother’s arrest. He’d told Allison in the midst of that drama that he just needed some time and distance from her. He’d needed a couple of weeks to pull himself together and to make sure his siblings were doing okay. But with his younger sisters taken care of and the rest of the clan self-sufficient, Knox had left for Texas and gotten a job as a Ranger.
He’d never really intended to leave Allison forever, but it had taken him months to get his head back on straight