Roping Your Heart (10 page)

Blake looked thoughtful but didn’t ask her any more questions.

They had finished eating before she realized it. “I guess I should head home,” she said as they cleaned the dishes and put everything away.

“Why don’t you spend the night?” He grasped her by the shoulders and searched her gaze. “Demi said Amy’s mother will drop her off sometime in the afternoon.”

Cat bit her lower lip. Was it a good idea? The more time she spent around Blake, the more likely she was going to fall for him again.

But she didn’t want to leave. She wanted to feel his arms around her and wake up in the morning with his body next to hers.

He lightly stroked the curve of her face. “Say yes, KitCat.”

It felt so good to hear him call her that again. She couldn’t help herself and said, “Okay.”

He smiled. “I’ve got to take care of those chores first.”

She smiled. “I’ll help.”

When they were finished, they headed back into the house. She’d enjoyed helping him feed the animals and take care of other chores around the ranch.

“How about a movie?” he asked once they were inside.

“Sure.” She tilted her head to the side. “What do you have?”

“Let’s go take a look.”

They agreed on a movie that had recently come out on DVD. He set it up and they cuddled on one end of the couch. He had his arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder, her bare legs curled under her on the couch.

It felt good being with him again, and so natural that it surprised her. It was like they started right back where they’d left off, only they were a lot older now. So much had happened over the past nearly two decades, in each of their lives, and it had changed them, shaped them.

Yet here they were.

The movie wasn’t half over when he adjusted her in his arms and kissed her. His kiss made her forget everything but being with him. It was slow and sensual and made her head feel like it was spinning.

Something about his kiss was magic, transporting her to another place and time. She slipped her hand up his bare chest to his neck and slid her hand into the short strands of his hair. She liked the way it felt against her fingers.

He brought her onto his lap, still kissing her, a groan rumbling up inside him and she answered it with a soft moan. She wanted him again, was ready for him in so many ways. He moved his hand to her breast and it felt so warm through the cotton of the T-shirt she was wearing. His T-shirt. The material had been rubbing her nipples all night and his touch made her nipples feel even more sensitive.

“I think I need some rope,” he murmured. “I’ll tie you to my bed and won’t let you get away.”

“Promise?” she whispered.

Still holding her in his arms, he stood in a motion so quick it caught her off guard and she cried out and held onto his neck. His gaze held hers for a long moment before he carried her back to his bedroom.

Chapter 9

Early the following morning, the front door opened then slammed shut. “Dad, I’m home.”

Blake almost groaned. Damn. Demi wasn’t supposed to be home until the afternoon. He’d had made a point of never having women over when his daughter was home.

He paused before bringing the gallon of milk out of the fridge, then closed the door and walked to the counter where two tall glasses waited for Cat and himself.

Cat had been just about to take a bite out of a cinnamon roll and had gone still, hand and roll frozen in midair. She was sitting at the kitchen table and was wearing one of his T-shirts with panties beneath that but no bra.

He met Cat’s gaze and tried to give her a reassuring look. She didn’t look the least bit reassured.

“In the kitchen, honey,” he called out to Demi. He started pouring milk into one of the glasses as his daughter walked into the kitchen. “Do you want a cinnamon roll and milk?”

Demi walked into the kitchen and her gaze stopped on Cat. She spun to face her father. “I saw Cat’s truck and thought she came over early. But she spent the night, didn’t she,” Demi stated in a furious tone. “She’s even wearing your T-shirt.”

Cat had blushed even before Demi had entered the kitchen. She set down her cinnamon roll on her plate. She wiped her fingers on a napkin and tugged down the T-shirt.

“Right now she’s having breakfast with me.” He carried the two glasses of milk to the table and set one in front of Cat. “Do you want some?”

A flush crept over his daughter’s face as she gripped her duffel bag tighter. “So, she really did spend the night?”

There was no sense in lying about it. His daughter was a smart girl, and he wouldn’t insult her intelligence.

“Yes.” He pulled up his chair at the table, across from Cat, but didn’t sit down. “How was your time at Amy’s?”

“I can’t believe you slept with her.” Demi’s knuckles were turning white as she gripped the strap of her duffel.

“Demi.” He kept his voice calm. “You can either join us for breakfast or you can take your things to your room.”

“That’s why you wanted me to go to Amy’s. You didn’t want me here.” She glared at him and Cat before she whirled and ran down the hall.

Cat’s eyes were wide as she turned to look at him. “I should have gone home last night.”

He shook his head. “It’s not your fault. I thought Demi wouldn’t be back until late this afternoon.”

“I feel awful.” Cat scooted back her chair. “I should go.”

He leaned over the table and touched her wrist. “Stay. It’s too late and you might as well eat your breakfast.”

She nodded and brought her chair back up to the table, but she didn’t look happy as she tore off a piece of the cinnamon roll and stared at it before setting it down again.

“I’m not going to let a good thing like what we’ve had be ruined.” He held her gaze. “Okay?”

She didn’t look convinced, but she nodded again.

“I need to go and talk with Demi.” He pushed his chair back up to the table. “I’ll be back.”

“Yes,” Cat said.

He rubbed his scalp with his hand as he headed down the hall to Demi’s room. Damn. This wasn’t the way he’d wanted his daughter to know he was in a relationship with a woman.

Was that what it was? A relationship?

Yeah, it was, as far as he was concerned. He wasn’t into one-night stands and he’d never think of Cat that way.

This time Demi’s door wasn’t closed all of the way. He knocked and paused before he pushed the door all the way open.

She was lying on her bed facedown, a pillow over her head so that he couldn’t see her face.

He sat on the edge of her bed, close to her. “Hey, kiddo.”

“Don’t call me that,” came her muffled voice from beneath the pillow.

He gently pulled the pillow off her head and set it aside, against her stuffed horse. Her cheek rested on the mattress, facing him, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“We need to talk about this.” He reached out and smoothed strands of blonde hair from her cheek.

“That’s why you wanted me to go to Amy’s so bad.” A sob came out of her throat. “You didn’t want me around.”

“That’s not true.” He continued to stroke her hair. “What happened with Cat and me…I never expected it. The fact that she spent the night had nothing to do with me encouraging you to go to Amy’s.”

She was silent a long moment.

“Honey, are you all right?” he asked.

“No.” Tears glistened on her lashes as she met his gaze. Whenever she cried a part of him ached inside. “How can you and Mom get back together if you’re dating other women?”

He was taken aback for a moment before he said, “Your mom and I aren’t going to get back together. We tried it, honey, and it didn’t work.”

“You didn’t try hard enough.” Demi turned onto her side, facing him, and hugged her pillow to her. “I want my mom.”

His heart squeezed. What could he say that would make her feel better? If only Sally was stable they could share custody and she could be with her mother at least part of the time. But that wasn’t going to happen because Sally had proven time and again that she wasn’t a good influence on Demi or a fit mother. She’d had problems with drugs and alcohol. Not to mention, man after man coming through her life and her moving from place to place, never settling down for long.

He hadn’t wanted Demi to witness other women in his own life, especially because she saw that happening with her mother time and again, one man after another. It was unfortunate that she’d come home when she had. Eventually, he would have let her know that he and Cat were in a relationship, but not like this.

“You barely know Cat.” Demi sniffled. “At least not anymore.”

With a sigh, he rested his hand on her arm. “I loved Cat deeply, and for a very long time. Love like that never really goes away.”

Demi studied him with her red-rimmed eyes. “Did you ever love Mom?”

For a moment, he debated on what to tell her. Again, he settled for the truth. “No, honey. We never really knew each other that well. We married because your mother got pregnant.”

“With me,” Demi said flatly. “So if I had never been born, you would never have married her.”

“You were and are a blessing to me.” He gently squeezed her arm. “You’re the best thing that has ever happened in my life. I have no regrets and I thank God that she did get pregnant with you. I wish things could have been different with your mother, but they weren’t. What counts is that I have you.” He emphasized the last three words.

“What about Cat?” Demi looked away from him. “How do you feel about her?”

“I—” He paused. “All I know is that I care about her and I want to see what happens with us.”

“That doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Demi scowled as she turned back to him again. “I don’t like it at all.”

“No, you don’t have to.” He lightly rubbed her back. “But I hope you’ll give Cat a chance.”

Demi said nothing, just looked stubbornly away.

He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I love you, honey.”

Her eyes met his. “I love you, too, Daddy.” She rarely called him Daddy, and it made him want to smile.

He got to his feet and looked down at her. “Do you want some breakfast?”

“I ate at Amy’s.” She scooted up in the bed but looked away from him “I came home early because I want to practice for the upcoming rodeo.”

He gave a nod. “I’ll time you.”

“No.” She glanced toward the door. “I don’t want
her
there.”

“Cat was planning on leaving soon.” He looked at his daughter steadily. “But even if she wasn’t, I expect you to treat her with respect. Do you understand?”

Demi scowled and didn’t answer.

“Demi,” he said with a note of warning in his tone, “do you understand?”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah. I understand.”

“Good.” He smoothed her hair that was pulled back in its customary braid. “Why don’t you get ready for practice and I’ll be out there as soon as I’m able to?”

She looked away again. “I’ll don’t feel like it anymore.”

“Don’t let being upset tarnish or interrupt what you love to do,” he said before turning and walking to the door of his daughter’s room. He paused and looked over his shoulder to see her still looking away with her arms crossed. He closed the door behind him.

He returned to the kitchen and saw that the cinnamon rolls were covered under the domed serving tray and the milk put away. Dishes were drying in the dish rack.

Cat wasn’t there. He went to the front window and looked out. Her truck was gone.

He dragged his hand down his face, wondering if he should go after her now. But no, Cat was a grown woman and they’d work through this later. Right now he needed to spend some time with his daughter.

Chapter 10

Cat wanted to bang her head against the steering wheel as she drove back to town from Blake’s ranch. The last thing she wanted was to get between him and his daughter. She should have gone home last night just to be safe.

Next Saturday was another meeting with the 4-H horse club and Demi would be there. Right now Cat wasn’t sure how she felt…embarrassed? Or did she just feel bad at being there when the girl had come home? She wondered how she would feel when she saw Blake’s daughter again, and how Demi would feel about her.

When Cat reached her small house, she parked her truck in the driveway, killed the engine, and climbed out. She jogged up the porch stairs as she dug her keys out of her purse, then opened the front door and closed it behind her before tossing her purse onto the couch and heading to her bedroom.

She left a trail of clothing on her bedroom floor as she made her way to her bathroom. A shower was what she needed now. When the water was heated, she stepped beneath the spray and found herself thinking about yesterday afternoon and night with Blake. She warmed at the memory of his hands on her, his body on hers, the feel of him inside her. Wild tingling went through her at the thoughts.