Coulda Been a Cowboy

She glanced at the photo of Tyson scaling Rachelle Rochester’s fence. With that glint in his eye, most men would scramble to get out of his way.

“He keeps his personal business to himself. But if I had to venture a guess, I’d say Braden’s mother is causing some trouble.”

Was it him—or her? “That’s too bad.”

Gabe looked her over. “You losing weight?”

She smiled, suddenly shy. “A little. I’ve got a lot more to go.”

“Not a lot. You look fantastic.”

She felt herself flush. “Thanks.”

“Are you enjoying the baby?”

Dakota took Braden, who was starting to cry, from the cart. “Very much!”

The babe quieted immediately. “Ba…ba…ba…ba,” he cooed and nearly broke her nose with his eagerness to give her another wet kiss.

Gabe laughed at the collision. “That kid keeps growing, he’ll be a lineman someday.”

Dakota hugged Braden close. She loved his chubby body, especially the soft rolls at his thighs and the place where he would one day grow a wrist. “He’s in the ninety-ninth percentile for height and the eighty-seventh percentile for weight. I looked it up on the Internet.”

“Sounds like Paul Bunyan’s kid to me.”

She brushed her lips across Braden’s temple, enjoying the scent of his shampoo. “It’s not as if his father is small. Tyson’s at least six-four, isn’t he?”

“Around there.”

“And Braden’s going to be every bit as handsome.”

An odd expression flitted across Gabe’s face. Or maybe it was her imagination.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

He seemed slightly hesitant, as though he was unsure whether or not to speak his mind.

She shifted the baby, so her hip could help support his weight. “What is it?”

“I hope I did the right thing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing.” He smiled again, but it wasn’t quite as genuine as before. Now it was tempered with a hint of worry.

“Gabe?”

A furrow formed between his eyebrows. “I don’t want to see you get hurt, Dakota. I envisioned this as a great opportunity for you, but—”

She waved her free hand in an unconcerned motion. “I’m not going to get hurt.”

“I hope not. Lord knows you deserve a lot better than what you’ve had. I’d like to see you get it. But…”

“Tyson would never go for a plain girl like me?” Dakota’s chest constricted. It was one thing to know the truth in her heart and another to have someone she admired as much as Gabe point it out to her. But she added a scoffing laugh so he wouldn’t know he’d hurt her. “Come on, Gabe. I know he’s way out of my league.”

Gabe’s eyes fell to Braden. “I wasn’t talking about Tyson.”

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