The Rancher's Surprise Baby

“Going to Mandy’s. She says she saw a mountain lion outside her house.”

“Oh, be careful,” his mom said as she scooted to the edge of the couch.

“I’ll go with you,” his dad said.

“No, it’s okay. The thing’s probably gone by now. Just want to make sure. You might want to check that the animals are secure here, though.”

His dad gave him a nod.

“I’ll give you a hand,” Adam said to their dad as he walked into the room.

“If you don’t think Mandy will be safe there, you bring her back here.” This time, there was no teasing in his mom’s voice, telling him that her chief concern was Mandy’s safety, not his dating life.

On the drive to Mandy’s, he watched for any signs of the big cat along the sides of the road but saw only a deer bound into the trees and a dead armadillo belly-up on the narrow gravel shoulder.

When he turned into Mandy’s driveway, the lights from her little house were like a beacon in the surrounding darkness. He slowed and scanned the entire area illuminated by his headlights. As he pulled up next to her house, Mandy stepped out onto the small porch. The moment he got a full view of her, he forgot about the mountain lion. She’d changed into skimpy little pajama shorts and a matching orange top with thin lacy straps.

This day was trying its damnedest to kill him.

The reason for his visit came crashing back into his mind, and he hurried out of the truck and motioned her inside.

“I’ll check around, see if your visitor’s gone.”

She ignored him and continued to stand on the porch as he pulled his rifle out of the gun rack in the back window.

“I’d feel a lot better if you went inside,” he said.

“Well, I’d feel a lot better if you didn’t go poking around in the dark looking for the big kitty cat.”

He did a mental eye roll as he scanned the area, hoping she’d just imagined seeing a mountain lion. She’d been drinking wine, after all. But she didn’t seem overly intoxicated, so he took the possibility of the predator seriously. It wasn’t until he reached the slope that led down to the creek that he got confirmation she hadn’t been imagining the cat.

He glanced back at where she stood, the porch light putting her in silhouette. Using his flashlight, he looked beyond the reach of the truck’s headlights and the illumination coming from her little house. He didn’t see any eyes shining back at him, but that didn’t mean the animal wasn’t lurking nearby. He’d report the sighting to Parks and Wildlife in the morning and spread the word to other area residents. Ranchers would need to keep an eye on their animals, and anyone with small children and pets needed to be alert, as well.

He took a few steps backward, ready to raise the rifle if necessary, before turning and walking toward Mandy.

“See anything?”

Ben did his best to keep his eyes fixed on her face, but it was damned hard not to let his gaze drift downward. Those little pajama shorts made her legs look a mile long even though she was only of average height. For a really ill-advised moment he imagined running his hands up all that bare skin.

Remembering she’d asked him a question, he said, “Tracks down by the creek. Mom suggested you come stay at our place tonight.”

Mandy’s eyes widened a little and she glanced toward the creek. “That’s not necessary. He didn’t bother me before, just scared the daylights out of me.”

“No guarantee he won’t come back.”

“I’ll just stay inside.”

Ben put one foot up on the single porch step and extended the gun toward her. “Then I want you to keep this here tonight just in case.”

She was shaking her head before he even finished speaking. “I won’t use that. I doubt the mountain lion is going to open the door and stroll inside. Besides, I’d be more likely to shoot off my own foot.”

With a sigh of frustration, he turned and sank down onto the edge of the porch.

“What are you doing?”

“If you won’t do anything to protect yourself, guess I’ll have to do it for you.”

When he heard her exhale in exasperation, he didn’t know whether to laugh or brace for a frying pan upside his head.

Chapter Three (#u1cfc2515-c8ef-5520-af0f-c630b2529d11)

Mandy stared at the back of Ben’s head. “You know you’re being ridiculous, right?”

“You don’t seem overly concerned that a mountain lion walked across your front yard. You don’t even have a vehicle here in case something happened.”

“I figure if he didn’t try to eat me after hearing me squeal at the sight of him out the window or when I made all that racket with the pots, I’m safe. He probably hightailed it away from the crazy lady.”

“Maybe.” He didn’t sound terribly convinced.

“You’re not seriously going to sit there all night, are you?” She wouldn’t get one wink of sleep. Of course, after seeing a mountain lion only a few yards away, she doubted she would anyway. But Ben didn’t need to know that.

“I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone, especially since it’s my fault you’re stranded here,” he said.

“If I consent to keeping the gun here, will you stop worrying?”

“I’d feel better.”

“Fine, then. Now, I’m sure you have better things to do than sit on my front porch and stare at nothing.”

A long moment passed before he said anything. “I’ll leave in a bit.”

As he continued to scan the darkness surrounding her home, Mandy wondered when she’d ever had such an insane day. The ringing of her phone drew her back inside. This time it was her mom.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Hi, hon. Wanted to make sure you got home okay.”

“Yeah, Ben dropped me off on his way home.” She wasn’t about to tell her mom he was currently playing sentry on her front porch because she’d seen a mountain lion lurking about. Her mom would be out here in no time, despite the fact she needed to go to sleep soon in order to be up early for work. Mandy had planned to talk to her mom tonight about cutting back her hours, but it was a conversation best had in person.

“Have you heard how bad the car is?”

“Not yet.” Even if she had, she wasn’t going to divulge those details either and give her mom something else to worry about. “It’s not too bad, though.”

“I’m more than happy to come get you in the morning.”

“Mom, it’s taken care of. You don’t need to worry about me, okay? I’m a big girl—have been for a long time.”

Her mom laughed a little. “Old habits die hard, I guess. Well, I’ll let you get back to whatever you were doing. Have a good night, hon.”