They ate their breakfast, and then Shea stood to clean up the table.
“Sit for a minute, will you, honey? You got time ’fore you have to leave.”
He did as she asked, his gut churning. He knew what was coming.
“Are you and Jake seeing each other?”
He’d always had a close relationship with Patty, where he could tell her anything without judgment. Before he came out to his father, he spoke with her. So it would be no big deal to talk about Jake. If, in fact, he knew what the hell was going on in his head. Which he didn’t. From the first, Jake had turned him upside down.
“I dunno. I guess, maybe? We had a good time when we saw each other, but we never said anythin’ about the future. We’re takin’ it slow ’cause of his daughter.”
“And what’s wrong? She don’t speak at all?” Patty tsked and shook her head. “Such a shame.”
“Yeah…Jake said she was a regular chatterbox until two years or so ago. Then she stopped, and his husband walked out on them. Imagine doin’ that to your child. And she’s just the cutest thing with them big green eyes and curls.” Anger rose inside him at the thought of anyone abandoning their child.
“That’s a lot of responsibility for someone. Raising a child alone is hard enough; it’s gotta be doubly hard when she has special needs.”
Shea knew where Patty was headed with this conversation. It wasn’t anything he didn’t think about himself. Was he ready to be with a man who had a child he needed to dedicate so much of his time to, to the detriment of everything else?
But, Shea rationalized, that was what made Jake so special. Hard on the outside, the man was like a pouf of cotton candy when it came to his little girl, and he had Shea melting along with him whenever they were together.
Not to mention the white-hot sex they’d had that gave him the dirtiest dreams since he was a horny teenager. But the real Jake in his arms was a hundred times better than any dream Jake, and Shea was silly excited to see him.
He refocused on Patty’s question. “I wouldn’t say she’s special needs. They’ve been workin’ hard to find out why she stopped talkin’, but she understands everythin’ you say. Does real good in school too, according to Jake. And I can tell she loves her daddy. Jake said she’s been reacting more to people lately. So maybe she’ll come out of it soon.”
Patty gazed at him thoughtfully. “You really like this man, don’tcha?”
“He’s gotten under my skin. But he lives there, and I’m here.”
“Until you move to New York.”
“I haven’t done much about that. Been busy gettin’ the ranch ready for their visit, but I got another job in the city next month. And this time I’m gonna take a few more days to look at places. Jake may say it’s his time away too, but I know it’s all about his little girl. She’s number one in his heart.”
* * *
At one thirty, Shea waited for them to exit the baggage-claim area, and when he spotted Jake holding Stacey’s hand, flanked by the babysitter, his heart did a funny somersault. Jake spotted him too, and the pucker on his forehead smoothed as his face brightened in a smile.
It didn’t take a month away from Jake for Shea to know he was crazy about the man.
Shea waved, and he could make out his name on Jake’s lips as he bent to talk to Stacey. She craned her neck, and he gave her a big grin and a wave. Was it wishful thinking, or did he see a flicker of something pass over her face?
When their little party finally reached him, he took off his hat.
“Hi. Shea, this is Terry, Stacey’s babysitter and my savior on a daily basis.”
“Howdy, ma’am, it’s a pleasure.”
Kiss whined and gave a little yip. “Yes, little girl. I didn’t forget you none. There’s plenty of doggie treats for you when we get home.” Her tail wagged furiously as he petted her silky ears.
“Hello, Shea. So happy to meet you,” Terry said. “I’ve never been to Texas, and I’m excited to go to a real ranch.”
Terry reminded him of his Aunt Patty, and he instinctively knew they’d get along wonderfully.
“We plan to make every day special for you, Miss Terry.” He crouched down to speak to Stacey. “How’s my little Rose of Texas? Looking prettier than a peach.” She looked so cute with her head full of curls and her little pink backpack on. When she blinked at him and nodded, his heart picked up speed. It was the first time she’d acknowledged him like that.
He rose and smiled at Jake. “Howdy. You’re lookin’ good.”
“Feeling good now that we’re here. We have all our bags, so we’re ready to go.”
