“Me and my mama love cowboys.” A little blond girl in a pink tutu stood next to Hayden, staring up at him adoringly with bright blue eyes. “We love cowboys because they’re brave and true. And you’re a cowboy.”
“Uh… Thanks?” Hayden tipped his cowboy hat back.
The little girl beamed at Hayden as if he were her superhero. “Do you have a horse?”
“Wouldn’t be a cowboy without a horse,” Hayden replied, smitten enough to give the kid a small smile.
“If I was a cowboy, I’d ride a unicorn.” The kid tugged her pink tutu up and down by the hem as if excited. “A bright, shiny yellow unicorn. I’d call her Sparkles and feed her cake. I’d ride her every day, even to school.”
“Uh…” As an adult, Hayden hadn’t been around kids much. He had no idea what to say. It didn’t seem appropriate to tell the girl unicorns were a myth. The closest thing to a yellow unicorn was a hornless palomino, an animal that didn’t eat cake.
She’s setting her heart on something she can’t have, angling for disappointment. Like Evie.
A glance at Evie showed her talking in a low voice to her mother. She used to be good at hard conversations and handling emergency situations. Emphasis on used to. She’d panicked under pressure today.
Evie wants to marry me to stay in town? Ridiculous.
He didn’t like to think about who Evie would have latched on to for the ruse if they hadn’t run into each other. He perused the room, taking note of a few rough-looking cowboys.
I’m a safer choice than those fellas. Doesn’t mean I’m gonna marry her.
Next to him, the little ballerina twirled around and would have fallen if Hayden hadn’t caught her arm. “What’s your horse’s name?” she asked.
“Red.”
The tyke pursed her lips, pondering this information. Finally, she stared up at Hayden and said, “My daddy has a red car. It’s sparkly.”
“Does it have a unicorn horn?” Hayden deadpanned.
“No.” She giggled. “It’s a car.”
Hayden realized his coffee cup was empty. He still had paperwork to go through at the ranch. Lots and lots of paperwork. Stacks and stacks. His grandfather had never seen the value of putting his records on a computer. As executor of the man’s will, Hayden was charged with a monumental task: dividing the massive Bennett ranching operation back into five properties, each to be inherited by one of Clyde Bennett’s grandsons. The ranches were scattered across the valley and included Rolling Thunder Ranch, once owned by Hayden’s father before he died. But Hayden couldn’t legally separate the land until the property taxes were current. And given the low bank balances he was contending with, livestock would have to be sold. Too bad the stock records were out of date. Hayden had no clue as to the size, age, gender, and quality of the herd.
His little admirer circled the table, running on her tiptoes, pink tutu bouncing as mightily as her short blond curls. She stopped at a small play area with wooden puzzles, wooden toys, and dog-eared children’s books.
No one was in line for coffee. Hayden got up and bought a second cup, adding a kitty cat cake pop from the bakery case to his order.
Coffee and cake pop in hand, Hayden turned just as Evie returned to their table.
Her blue-eyed gaze met his. It contained no blame. No resentment. Just…a deep sense of despair.
Hayden had planned on giving the little girl the cake pop before heading out the door. But the expression on Evie’s face hit him like a lariat around his rib cage, slowing him to a stop.
Acting on instinct, Hayden reclaimed his seat on the green bench, indicating Evie do the same. And when she did, he handed her the cake pop. “I bought this for that little girl running around here, but I think you might need it more.”
Evie accepted the pink kitty cat cake pop with a grateful smile. “Does this mean you’re considering my proposal?”
He nearly dropped his hot coffee. “No.”
“Well, then…” Evie admired the cake pop before locating the little girl he’d intended to buy the treat for. “I can’t accept this. The first rule of being a parent is to give kids first dibs at sugar.”
“She’s… yours?” She’d mentioned a child, but he hadn’t been able to envision his Evie as a mother. Now, Hayden blinked, suddenly seeing the resemblance between the pair—all that golden hair, those big blue eyes, that perky little nose and bubbly personality.
“Katie?” Evie called to her daughter. “Do you want a cake pop?”
Katie squealed and scurried over, her short, blond curls bouncing and her pink tutu skirt springing up and down, amplifying her enthusiasm. “I love cake, Mama.” She claimed the pop, nibbled off both small cat ears, and then giggled. “Chomp. Chomp.”
Bloodthirsty little thing.