looked at Cara’s things, all packed up and ready to go, still amazed at how much stuff a baby needed to get through the day, and then headed downstairs. The tall blonde was nowhere to be seen and the clerk at reception seemed confused by the whole double-booking scenario.
“Are you and your daughter leaving us already?”
Tyler was two steps from the reception desk when a man spoke to him. He stopped and turned. A suit. And an important one by the look of things. He was about to explain that Cara was not his daughter, but figured it didn’t matter. And the less people who knew about his reason for being in town, the better. The man in front of him didn’t wear a hotel jacket, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out he was probably the owner or manager.
“I’m sure the pretty blonde with the nice smile and the ill-fitting jacket can explain it to you.”
“Blonde?” The man frowned and looked at the clerk behind the desk.
The fifty-something woman shrugged and the suit walked around the desk and talked to the woman at length before he looked back up toward Tyler and then promptly apologized for the mix-up.
And it took about two seconds for Tyler to figure out that he had been royally played.
And he knew by who.
Ms. Indigo Eyes had some serious explaining to do!
Tyler propped Cara on his hip and headed out.
He had his car brought around to the front of the hotel and quickly buckled the baby into her car seat, then drove off in search of a drugstore. He needed a few things for the baby and when he found a shop on the main street he quickly pulled up outside. But when he came back out a female cop was standing by his car.
“Is this your car?” she asked, her gaze flicking from the car to the baby in his arms as she regarded him suspiciously.
“It’s a rental.”
She had a scowl on her face. “Do you realize you’re parked in a loading bay?”
He was? Tyler looked toward the hood and saw that the front of the vehicle was pushing barely a foot in the loading bay. “Really? Looks okay to me.”
“It’s not. We have laws in this town. Can I see your license and registration, please?”
“It’s a rental,” Tyler explained impatiently and placed Cara in her car seat. It had stopped snowing by now, but the air was chilly and he didn’t want to keep her outside unnecessarily.
“License and registration,” she said again, tapping a booted heel. “Or I’ll have to get this vehicle towed.”
Was she serious? He didn’t like his chances of getting another rental car on a Saturday afternoon. Cedar River was either the most uptight town on the map or it had to be a joke. Or a scam. Just like the fake double-booked hotel room. He got a good look at her face and quickly realized he’d seen her before. Just like the blonde at the hotel.
The photo on the mantel.
“You know, Officer, you and your blonde accomplice will need to get better at this kind of subterfuge if you’re going to be truly convincing,” he said and handed over his license.
“What?”
“There’s a picture of you both on Brooke Laughton’s mantel. There was another woman in the photograph too...a curly haired brunette. What was her part in this plan?”
“I don’t know what you—”
“Tell Indigo Eyes she’ll have to do better than that,” he quipped.
The officer smiled, caught out and unapologetic. “It’s strange, I’ve known Brooke for twenty years and never realized her eyes were exactly that color.”
They were...and they’d been haunting him for twenty-four hours.
“Can I go now, Officer?” he asked.
She half smiled and handed back his license. “Well, we gave it a shot.”
“The other hotels?” he asked. “How did she manage that?”
“Her cousin Brant owns the Loose Moose—and he’s engaged to the curly haired brunette,” she explained. “And she knows the owner of Rusty’s. It’s a small town...and small town folk stick together.”
Yes, they certainly did. “What exactly is she after?”
“You,” the officer replied and hooked a thumb toward the back of the car. “And that cute baby. She wants you to stay at the ranch while you’re here. It’s not such a big ask, is it, Counselor?”
He nodded at her badge. “You know very well that in cases like this the less personal involvement, the better.”
“I know that people aren’t cases,” she replied hotly. “You’d know that, too, if you stopped thinking like a lawyer for a moment and thought like a human being. She’s a good person...she’s honest and loyal and has a heart as big as this state. Brooke wants to bond with her niece... You’d realize that was a good idea if you could get out of the way of your own ego and stop acting like you’re in the courtroom.”
It was quite the accusation and he was tempted to ask the redhead exactly what Brooke Laughton had told her. But he didn’t. Brooke had friends...allies...people willing to go to bat for her. It was admirable. He looked at the baby happily gurgling in the backseat and saw the same chin as her aunt’s. He had to do what was best for Cara...and was beginning to suspect that for the moment, Brooke Laughton was exactly that.
He watched the cop walk away and grinned a little. After getting into the car, he drove back to the hotel and checked out. Then he headed for her ranch.
* * *
Brooke was finishing up repairing the chicken run out the back of the stables when she heard a car pull up. She instinctively knew who it would be. Ash and Kayla had both given her a heads-up. She dropped the tools and walked around the building, eager to see Cara again. But not so eager to see Tyler Madden.
Because he’d be as mad as hell with her for starters.
And he had every right, if she were being honest with herself.
She shouldn’t have tried to swindle him into coming to the ranch. He was too smart for that kind of underhanded approach. And as much as she appreciated her friends coming to her aid, she suspected she’d made a bad situation worse.
She harrumphed under her breath and squared her shoulders when she spotted his car parked in her driveway. He was resting against the hood and had the baby in his arms. Cara was wrapped in a pink coat and blanket and had a fluffy hat on her head. Her cheeks were bright and against the backdrop of snow on the ground, the two of them made an enchanting picture. In jeans, boots and a dark wool jacket, Tyler Madden looked relaxed and way too gorgeous for her peace of mind. The dogs were jumping around, clearly delighted to see him again and not threatened in the least. Brooke stopped about ten feet from him and planted her hands on her hips.
“Um...hi there.”
He didn’t say a word. But he looked at her. Out of his suit he possessed a kind of innate confidence that unnerved her. It took her about two seconds to figure out she wasn’t immune to it. Or to him. She’d been under a rock for two years, off the grid when it came to men and dating and sex. But right then, in his low-riding jeans and with the baby on his hip, Tyler Madden was just about the sexiest and most attractive man she’d ever seen. And her hibernating libido was immediately kick-started out of its slumber.
She knew it was foolish. She didn’t know anything about him. He’d said he didn’t have children but he could certainly be married. Or at the very least have a girlfriend. She glanced at his left hand. It was bare. Still, plenty of married people didn’t wear rings.
“You wanted me,” he said, not moving, not doing anything other than keeping his blistering gaze connected with hers. “So, you have me.”
“I