Colton Cowboy Jeopardy (The Coltons 0f Mustang Valley Book 8) Read online

  Her mind spinning, Mia tried to push that disgusting picture out of her head. Knowing Regina’s tendency to take what she wanted, whenever she wanted, Mia didn’t believe that had been the first time. She doubted her stepmother had bothered to hide her affairs at the country house before Mia had moved back in. Not that it mattered.

  She sat down again and closed the laptop, dropping her head to her folded arms on the table. Her thoughts were sluggish and she couldn’t pin down the perfect way to tell on Regina without causing anyone else harm.

  If she didn’t tell...if she did...if she didn’t...

  The only thing that interrupted the futile cycle was Silas crying again.

  Mia didn’t bother checking the time. She simply gathered up her baby and moved through the motions of care, praying he’d eventually sleep off whatever was upsetting his system. As she tucked Silas into the sling that kept him close to her body, he subsided into general fussiness, which felt like a vast improvement over the constant crying. Her stomach growled and she was rooting through the grocery bag for a snack when she heard an engine rumbling closer.

  Her immediate tension caused Silas to give a start, but he didn’t wail. Maybe his throat was as tired as her ears. With one hand on the stick Jarvis had brought along from the warming hut, she peeked through the window and was immediately rewarded with a view of Jarvis swinging out of his truck. The man had an excellent, fantasy-inducing body. If she ever got to sleep again, she was sure her dreams would be memorable. Tantalizing. She soaked up the way he moved, his long stride and the easy smile on his face as he approached.

  She opened the door for him, enjoying the sparkle of amusement in his deep brown eyes as he stopped at the threshold.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “Hi.” She’d never been shy a day in her life, yet Jarvis managed to scatter her thoughts with a smile and she wasn’t sure sleep would fix it. Something about him just slid right past the defenses she’d built up against charming men. “Come on in.”

  He dipped his chin toward the baby squirming in the sling. “Did I catch you at a bad time? Is he hungry again?”

  “I wish it was that simple.” She suddenly felt disheveled and frumpy despite the shower and better conditions. He’d left her in a fully equipped cabin and she was more of a mess than she’d been this morning. “Our long night turned into a longer day.” She swept her bangs to the side. “We’re fine, really. It’s just that nothing is making him happy,” she said.

  “He’s not sick, is he?” Jarvis set a bag on the table, his amusement gone and the sparkle in his eyes replaced with concern. “Do you need a doctor? You should’ve called me.”

  “No, no. We’re fine,” she repeated. “But thank you.” She went to rub the crick in her neck and discovered the clip holding her hair up had drooped to the side. No wonder he’d been amused when he walked up. She must look a mess. “I did an online chat with his pediatrician.”

  Silas stretched his limbs, one tiny foot kicking her diaphragm. The sling was great, until it felt like pregnancy again. She shifted him for her comfort and he started to cry again. She swore under her breath, immediately feeling guilty. She couldn’t make that a habit or his first words would be embarrassing and completely inappropriate.

  “Pardon me. As I said, we’ve just had one of those days.”

  “On top of a rough night,” he observed.

  “Parenting.” She shrugged, bouncing gently in an effort to soothe her son. “It happens.”

  “Guess so.” His mouth curved into a smile. “This gives me a new perspective. I suddenly have way more respect for how my parents handled this in triplicate.”

  She couldn’t have heard him right. “Triplicate?”

  “Yup. They wound up with two boys and a girl all at once without even trying.”

  “You’re kidding. Wow.” She patted Silas’s back. She really couldn’t imagine dealing with three of him. “I hope you tell your mom and dad they’re incredible every time you see them.”

  “I wish I could. They were awesome.” His gaze was on Silas and his voice went soft. “They died when we were ten.”

  “Jarvis, I’m so sorry. Losing my mother was devastating.” To lose both parents at once was inconceivable.

  “It was a long time ago,” he muttered. “We got through.”

  She knew getting through wasn’t always enough. Restless, Silas pushed against her again, bringing her full attention back to the present. “I really thought the separation thing would be a few years coming.”

  She unwound the sling and realized he needed a clean diaper. Taking care of that calmed him for a few minutes, but he resisted when she tried to hold him again so she laid him down on the blanket on the floor so he could stretch and kick and fuss to his heart’s content.

  “I brought you a hot sandwich and a salad,” Jarvis said. “Have you eaten?”

  She opened her mouth and snapped it closed again, uncertain. “I must have,” she said. “I was about to have a snack when you pulled up.”

  “Have a meal instead.” He placed a bottle of water next to the to-go containers.

  Her backside had barely met the chair when Silas erupted again. She stood, but Jarvis waved her back into the chair. “I wanted to talk about something, but it can wait. You look like you could use a relief pitcher. Eat.”

  She wasn’t sure she could manage a coherent conversation right now. As he approached Silas, she started to ask how much experience he had with babies and stopped herself. He was only helping out while she was right here in the room, not applying for a position as a nanny. He certainly couldn’t do any worse than she’d done today.

  Mia popped the lid off the salad container, watching as Jarvis crouched on one knee by her son, his strong, tanned hand looking enormous as he let Silas kick at his palm.

  “Don’t you like cabins, little man?” he asked. “Is it too quiet out here for you?”

  Silas’s fussing eased and his big eyes followed the sound of Jarvis’s voice.

  “I didn’t think about that.” Mia felt dumbstruck. Of course Silas was more accustomed to background noise in and around her father’s house. Out here on the ranch, things were so still. “I’ve tried talking and—” she gave in to a yawn “—and singing. It just hasn’t been enough.”

  She wasn’t enough. The thought steamrolled right over her and tears threatened to ruin the wonderful food Jarvis had brought. She stabbed her fork into the salad, refusing to give in to the nonsensical emotions. She’d feel better after some sleep. Assuming Silas would eventually allow that.

  “Would you mind if I held him?” Jarvis asked. “I could take him for a walk and you could take a nap.”

  “Oh.” It was a generous offer and yet she hesitated. She was supposed to be doing this parenting thing on her own. Every time he was nice to her, she was filled with a weird, indescribable blend of feeling grateful and inept. “That isn’t necessary.”

  He was already picking up the sling. “I think it is.” His brow furrowed as he studied how it should work and where it would adjust to his frame rather than hers.

  “Here,” she began, reaching across the table for the fabric. “But you shouldn’t feel like you have to do anything more. You’ve done so much for us already.”

  “You’re supposed to be eating,” he scolded with an easy grin on his face. “I can do this. With an online assist.”

  She watched him as he scowled into his phone and smothered a laugh when she heard a tutorial video start to play. She’d had to watch that video herself a few times.

  Not Jarvis. He got it in one. He had the sling on and the baby snuggled close, a pacifier in hand. “We’ll take a walk,” he announced. “You eat up and then take a nap.”

  He was doing what? “You’re too hot.” She felt the heat of embarrassment climbing from her neck into her face, searing her cheeks. “I mean, the weather
. It’s too hot. Outside. You don’t have to do this,” she repeated.

  Jarvis’s gentle, knowing smile brought her rambling to a stop. “We won’t go far.”

  “He might get hungry.”

  “Then you’ll be right here. Take a nap, Mia.”

  “Do you know about—”

  “Mia. Whatever I don’t know, I’ll look up.” He raised his phone. “We’ll manage. I promise.”

  Silas didn’t fight Jarvis the way he’d shoved and kicked her. His eyes were wide as he quietly stared up at the cowboy, his mouth working on the pacifier. Oh, she would not be jealous that her son preferred a stranger over her on his worst day. She had to respect Silas’s taste in strangers. Like her son, she felt better when she stared at Jarvis, too.

  “It’s weird,” she admitted. “Taking a nap while you’re out with him. I mean, I trust you.”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  “But what if—”

  “Try. Just try to sleep.” He walked over to her, looking for all the world like he did this kind of thing all the time.

  Maybe he did. She didn’t know him. “Do you have kids?” she asked, horrified that she might be keeping him from his family.

  “No. Quit stalling and finish eating so you can sleep.” He patted Silas. “Tell your momma goodbye. We have man things to discuss.”

  She leaned in close to kiss her son’s downy head and was met with the heady combination of Jarvis’s warm and masculine scent mingling with the sweetness of her baby. That was dangerous territory. Edging away before she jumped him, she hoped her burst of hormones and attraction weren’t too obvious. “Have a good time,” she said.

  “We will.” Tipping his tan cowboy hat and giving her a sexy wink, Jarvis walked out. With her baby.

  Instinctively, she jerked forward to follow. Scolding herself, she took another bite of salad and tried to appreciate the flavors. Jarvis had proven himself trustworthy time and again. If he’d shared her location, she would’ve heard about it by now. He wasn’t running off with her child, her heart. He seemed genuinely respectful of her desire for secrecy. Another yawn seized her and she knew she’d be a fool to waste this opportunity. She needed rest more than food. After stowing the takeout containers in the small refrigerator, she flopped down on the bunk and pulled the edge of the sleeping bag over her legs.

  * * *

  Jarvis walked well away from the bunkhouse before he started talking to the baby. He didn’t want Mia to have any reason to follow them or worry that he was in over his head. He was, but he would figure it out. Kids were not his thing and he’d never taken much interest, knowing they wouldn’t be part of his future. He’d always resisted the burdens that came with choices like commitment and family. His siblings had recently opened themselves to that kind of thing, but Jarvis planned to keep holding out. Why give fate a chance to steal one more person he loved the way his parents and grandfather had been snatched away? It would be hard enough to cope when his siblings inevitably died.

  Every family needed a fun-loving uncle. Maybe if they’d had one, they wouldn’t have been saddled with a kid-hating aunt. Families sounded stable and reliable, and he sincerely hoped that for his siblings, that would be how it turned out. Most of the time, family sucked. Being right here on this ranch was all the reminder he needed. Generations ago, two Coltons had screwed each other over, and Payne’s side of the family prospered while Jarvis’s had floundered.

  He looked down at the baby and knew that if his brother or sister needed him to step up as a guardian, he would do it. And he’d do it with far more affection and attention than they’d received from Aunt Amelia. By all accounts, she’d been a pleasant, approachable woman until losing her husband. “That’s my role,” he said to the baby. “Fun uncle. I’m good with it. No sense doing something that would make me that kind of sad and bitter.

  “You’ve been running your momma ragged, little man,” he said to the infant. The dark circles under her eyes had been more pronounced than this morning and he was worried about her.

  Tiny fingers curled into the fabric of his T-shirt and the baby’s head rested heavy against his chest. He’d been as surprised as Mia by Silas’s reaction to his voice. “Kids won’t be in my future,” he said. “Frankly, your efforts this past twenty-four hours aren’t changing my mind.”

  Feeling rude, even though he knew the baby would never remember this conversation, he backtracked a bit. “Not that you aren’t adorable in your way. Loud and opinionated can be good traits. Like, if you grow into a coach,” he mused. “Or a stockbroker. Definitely need to be loud and decisive for that job.”

  The baby shifted and sighed, and Jarvis looked down to see he was fast asleep. His lashes were dark crescents on his chubby cheeks. “Way to go, little man.”

  Maybe if Mia and Silas both got some good rest at the same time, it would serve as a healthy reset. He wasn’t sure how long Mia needed to stay, but he was determined she’d have the time and safe space that she needed.

  He should tell Asher about Mia before the foreman found out about her presence and revealed it by accident. Jarvis was happy to cover her expenses if she did actually need money for a hotel or a rental car. She’d claimed money wasn’t an issue, but she’d also implied her stepmom could track her down by following her credit card purchases. He was better off finding a solution for Mia off the ranch. There just wasn’t a good way to inform Asher without breaking Mia’s trust. The reverse was just as true. Asher wouldn’t see this solely as an exercise in hospitality or charity. The man was compassionate, sure, but this was crossing a line.

  Then again, maybe it wasn’t Asher’s decision, assuming Jarvis found Isaiah’s mystery box soon and the contents of the box were accurate and useful. He hadn’t spent a minute on his search today, despite having plenty of daylight after the work was done. He’d wanted to get out here to see Mia, and not with Selina’s perfume clinging to his hair and clothing. So he’d squandered the daylight with a hot shower and some research into the Graves family before picking up food for Mia’s dinner.

  “Your grandpa Norton is a pretty big deal,” he said to the sleeping baby. “Your momma, too. Your dad is smart as hell, but way too glossy. Just my opinion.” The pictures online of Mia with her husband at various events were almost blindingly beautiful. Tech mogul Roderick Hodges could’ve made a career modeling, as well. “Good genes, though,” Jarvis admitted. “And he’s wildly successful. Still, if your mom left him, you can be sure it was for the best.” He wondered what it would take for Mia to tell him that story.

  He’d skimmed through several early articles on Norton Graves. He’d read archived reports on the man’s financial strategies, his interviews and theories on investing and even a graduation speech or two. Jarvis had found pictures of Norton with Dalinda, his first wife, who was from Jamaica. The biography claimed the two had fallen in love at first sight during a professional conference. Mia had inherited her mother’s almond eyes, flawless skin, sumptuous curves and brilliant smile.

  “A shame you won’t know Mia’s mom. As grandmas go, she probably would’ve been amazing.”

  From all accounts, they’d been a normal family until her death. There wasn’t much in the way of personal news on Norton and Mia until she’d started modeling. Norton had done an excellent job protecting his daughter’s privacy. Then as her career blossomed and her smile became known worldwide, reporters covering her industry and her father’s looked for any crossover they could find. The media seemed to believe Norton had pulled strings to get her into the right agencies and on the right assignments, but no one found any evidence.

  “I don’t think so. Your momma’s tough and determined enough to get what she wants when she wants it. Except maybe sleep,” he said, patting the baby’s back.

  Silas snored lightly and Jarvis smiled at the sweet sound. It was more than a little disconcerting how right it felt to be walking over a field with
a baby strapped to his chest.

  “Right or wrong, this is a short-term gig,” he said aloud. Reminding himself or informing the baby? “Families can be good when they work. For as long as they work.” And when something broke down, families were an unending source of disappointment and pain. “The trouble with families is that people are involved.” Regina was a prime example. “I hope for you and your mom it works, little man.”

  However Mia decided to proceed, Jarvis thought Regina should do hard time just for threatening harm to this innocent little boy. It infuriated him that the woman thought it was reasonable to put Mia and Silas in jeopardy for getting caught in her own mistakes. It was easy, out here with the sun sinking low on the horizon, to understand why Mia had chosen to hide rather than confront her stepmother head-on or give in to the woman’s demands.

  Pausing to soak up the stunning sunset in front of him, Jarvis swayed side to side, lost in his thoughts as the evening breeze stirred the gray-green grasses. He understood Mia’s panicked reaction better with every encounter. His own bone-deep need to protect the baby and the mother were impossible to ignore. He could only imagine how much more intensely Mia felt about protecting her son.

  When Jarvis and his siblings had been orphaned, they’d relied on each other to muddle through the grief and loss. Their parents hadn’t had much in the way of money or assets, and the family court had dumped the three of them on the closest relative’s doorstep.

  Aunt Amelia wasn’t cut out for mothering. Any maternal instinct was noticeably absent in the way she treated them like short adults. “We were left to handle ourselves,” he said to Silas. “She was a wasp, impatient and sharp. Man, I couldn’t wait to get out of school and out of that house.”

  And then she’d died. Suddenly. Proving that people were fragile and relationships were fleeting. They’d been twenty-one and it shouldn’t have mattered overmuch to any of them. But Bella had cried and cried at the news. Spencer had been shell-shocked. Jarvis had dealt with the funeral arrangements, alternating between numb detachment and blazing fury over being abandoned again.