That statement was so unexpected, Eve’s jaw dropped.
“That’s sweet of you to say, Hayden,” Mom said into the void.
“Hay-Hay, can you buy me a kitty cat cake pop?” Katie squirmed her way in between Eve and Hayden on the bench, banging her large, silver fairy wings against their shoulders. “You’re my favorite cowboy ever, Hay-Hay.”
“That’s not what you told me recently,” Hayden reminded her.
“That was when you weren’t nice to Poppy.” Katie raised her stubborn chin. “But you fell in love with her. And she purred for you. That means you’re my favorite cowboy again.”
“And your mama’s favorite cowboy too?” Hayden teased, sneaking a glance at Eve over Katie’s head.
Katie nodded. “You’re our favorite cowboy, forever and ever.”
Eve held back a sigh.
In this case, forever was going to expire in six months.
*
“He’s as big as me!” Katie cried upon seeing the orphaned calf when Hayden carried him out of the horse trailer at the ranch later. She looked out of place in the ranch yard in her sparkly purple dress, even though she’d left her silvery wings in Evie’s car. “What’s his name?”
“This calf doesn’t have a name.” Hayden stopped next to little Katie, letting her pet the calf, which seemed to have no fear of humans. Hayden knew from experience that a calf like that would make a good show animal for a kid. Not that Katie was going to be around long enough to do that. He caught his stepdaughter’s eye. “We don’t name ranch stock.”
Because we eat them.
“But every animal has a name.” Katie stroked the calf’s ears. “There’s Nugget, Red, Poppy. And he is…” She kissed the calf on top of the head. “I’m going to call him Mike. He looks like a Mike, doesn’t he?”
Uh-oh.
“What say you, Mama?” Hayden sought out Evie. She was the only other adult in the ranch yard. Roddy had taken the horses into the barn, and Gran sat on the top porch step talking to herself. “Does he look like a ‘Mike’?”
“Careful now,” Evie told Hayden. She came closer to pet the calf, her blond hair billowing in the late afternoon breeze. “You’ve clearly forgotten one of the rules of parenting.”
Too late, he remembered those rules. “I shouldn’t let a kid pet an animal unless I plan to adopt it.” Hayden cleared his throat. “Katie, this calf needs to return to the range when he’s old enough.”
Katie gasped. “No, Hay-Hay. Mike is family. That means we have to love him and help him live a happy life. Here. With us.”
The way my heart wants to keep you and Evie here. With me.
Hayden swallowed back that thought, wondering where it had come from. “I guess it’s decided. Mike is staying with us.” At least, for the next six months.
“Yay! Can I feed him, Hay-Hay?” Katie turned those big blue eyes his way. “Roddy said he needs to be fed a bottle.”
Mike bellowed, perhaps expecting his mama to answer.
“Poor baby,” Katie cooed. “I’ll take care of you. Wait until you meet Poppy and Nugget. They’re family too.”
“Temporarily,” Evie murmured, too softly for Katie to hear.
Even though he’d had the same thought, Evie’s comment got under Hayden’s skin. Was she counting the days until their marriage ended?
“I’ve got a stall cleared out for that calf,” Roddy called from the barn door, his cowboy hat tipped back and that broad, gap-toothed grin on his face. “Bring him over, Katie. I’ll let you feed him dinner.”
Before Hayden knew what was happening, Katie was leading the spindly-legged calf to the barn in her sparkly purple fairy dress. And Hayden… He was unexpectedly smiling. He stopped fighting it, turning that smile Evie’s way. “That’s something I never thought I’d see—a fairy leading a bull.”
Evie patted his shoulder, sharing his smile. Her long blond hair fell in tangled waves. “Parenthood is full of sights you never imagined you’d see.”
Hayden stared at Evie, thoughts scattering in his head like dandelion fluff in an indecisive breeze. The past few days had been full of highs and lows where his relationship with Evie was concerned. Since Violet had left him at the altar, he’d given up on being a father. He’d told himself he wasn’t missing out on much. But Katie was turning that belief on its head.