Read Online Cowboy in Charge by Barbara White Daille - Free Book Online

her son before Jason put him to bed each night.
    Once or twice she had thought of calling her brother. It surprised her that she hadn’t heard from Cole or Tina, especially now the wedding was over. They all usually touched base with each other by phone every couple of days, or even in person when one or both of them stopped by SugarPie’s.
    But of course they had been busy at Garland Ranch all last week, between visiting with Tina’s aunts and uncles, who had come to stay for the wedding, and preparing for the big day. And by now Cole had his hands full filling in for Pete while he was on his honeymoon.
    They had probably taken yesterday as a well-deserved day of rest.
    In any case, she couldn’t have asked either of them for help.
    As hard as it was to admit, under the circumstances, Jason had timed his reappearance in Cowboy Creek perfectly.
    When she ran her hand over her face, Jason glanced her way.
    “I was really out of it this past couple of days, wasn’t I?”
    He nodded. “That you were.”
    She groaned. “I’ve got to get myself together. Get back to work. I need to call Sugar.”
    “No, you don’t. She called you. I told her you were still out of it.”
    “You talked to her without telling me she was on the phone?”
    “I tried twice to wake you and then gave up. You wouldn’t budge. Sugar said take all the time you need.”
    “I don’t have time, Jason. The bills won’t pay themselves.”
    “In your state, you’ll be lucky to get dressed on your own.”
    “Well, don’t worry,” she said, keeping her voice light, “I won’t be asking for your help.” She retied the robe she had kept on during the worst of her chills. “I could use a change of clothes, though, that’s for sure.” A dim memory edged into her mind, and she looked over at him again. “Those cowboy pajamas you picked out for Scott to wear last night... They’re his favorites.”
    “He told me.”
    What else had her chatty son said? “You took care of both the kids all this time.”
    “Yeah.”
    She ought to be upset by the high-handed way he had walked in and taken charge of her life. But at the moment, she couldn’t manage to gather enough strength for that. She shifted on the couch, trying to sit upright. He leaned across the coffee table and adjusted the pillow behind her. “Thanks.”
    He nodded silently and gestured toward a mug near her on the table.
    Apple juice, still cold from the refrigerator. Greedily, she drank some down and let it soothe her aching throat. She tensed, waiting for the juice to hit her stomach, anticipating the urge to bolt. Nothing happened—thank goodness.
    “In case you’re wondering, your trips down the hall these past couple of days have been flu-symptom free,” Jason said.
    “What?”
    “You’ve provided status updates.”
    She groaned. Forget whatever Scott might have said to him in conversation. What else had she revealed? “That comes from being a mom,” she muttered.
    “Yeah, and from changing too danged many dirty diapers, I’d bet.”
    “You’re racking up experience in that, too.”
    “Well, I’m not a greenhorn anymore, that’s for sure.” He looked back at the television, but not quickly enough to hide the hint of a smile.
    She frowned. He was certainly happy this morning, probably because he saw the end of his babysitting services in sight.
    The thought triggered another memory of the past few days. She had managed to stay awake during Shay’s visit, but once she and Jason were alone with the kids, grogginess had overtaken her. She had given in to it...as if it felt safe for her to sleep with him here, natural for him to watch the kids.
    Those thoughts went beyond crazy. And were much too dangerous.
    Jason sat with his gaze glued to the television again, his thumb busy on the remote. “It always made me nuts when you’d do that,” she said.
    “Do what?”
    “Pause to watch a few minutes of a show, then flip to the next channel just when it was getting