Read Online Operation Cowboy Daddy by Carla Cassidy - Free Book Online Page A

he gazed at her somberly. “I’ll call the private detective first thing in the morning, but in the meantime maybe I should check out of the cowboy motel on the ranch and get an apartment someplace. I promised you this arrangement would only last a couple of days.”
    “Tony, please don’t do anything rash,” she protested.
    “If I had an apartment, then I could put him in day care and then have a nice place to keep him overnight.”
    “I’m good with the arrangement we have right now.” She tightened her arms around Joey. “And I’ll give you a heads-up when it’s not okay with me.”
    “You promise?” His dark gaze held hers intently.
    “I promise,” she replied.
    He reached out a hand and her heart stopped in her chest as she anticipated his touch, but he stroked a finger down Joey’s cheek, making him wiggle and coo. He dropped his hand back to his side.
    “Maybe by tomorrow night the private investigator will have some news for me.”
    “It would be nice to have some answers,” she replied. “We’ll see you tomorrow night.”
    He nodded and went out into the night.
    She closed and locked the door and then returned to the living room, where Halena sat on the sofa. “I’m just going to give Joey his bottle and then tuck him into bed.” She went into the kitchen and then returned a moment later and began to feed Joey.
    “You like him,” Halena said.
    Mary smiled at her. “Don’t you?”
    “I like some things about him, but my final verdict is still out.”
    “It really doesn’t matter whether we like him or not. He’s only going to be around until he can sort out this mess,” Mary replied.
    “He looks at you with lust in his eyes.”
    Mary couldn’t help the quickened thump of her heartbeat at her grandmother’s words. She forced a light laugh. “He’ll get over it.”
    “And will you?” Halena’s dark gaze bore into her.
    “I don’t feel that way about him,” she replied.
    “And tomorrow I might wear a live chicken on my head,” Halena retorted. Mary laughed and her grandmother raised her chin. “It could happen,” she added and got up from the sofa. “And now I’m going to bed.”
    “It’s still early,” Mary said.
    “It seems lately I only sleep in fits and starts. For the last two nights I’ve gotten up at two to check my blog. I’m hoping I can catch up on some sleep tonight.”
    “Good night, Grandmother,” Mary said.
    “Good night, my granddaughter. May you dream-walk only to happy places.” Halena left the room.
    Mary finished feeding Joey and then carried him into her bedroom, where she changed his diaper and put him into a pair of pajamas.
    She then took him into the spare room and placed him in the playpen. He had yet to cry when she put him down for a nap or for the night. She leaned over and rubbed his back and he wiggled around for a moment, then closed his eyes. Within minutes he was sound asleep.
    Mary went back into her own bedroom and got ready for bed. As she took off her clothes, she turned her back to the dresser mirror. She never looked at her reflection when she was naked. She hated the woman in the mirror.
    She pulled on an oversize T-shirt and then crawled into her bed. Like Halena, for the past couple of nights Mary had battled with a bit of insomnia.
    She didn’t have to look far to find what caused her restless sleep. Each night thoughts of Tony and Joey filled her head. They were forbidden thoughts of family and love and created an ache inside her that kept sleep at bay.
    After a while, she felt she must have fallen asleep, because she awakened to Halena yelling from the kitchen. What was going on? Had Halena suffered another heart attack?
    Her heart crashed against her ribs as she jumped out of bed. She ran down the hallway, through the living room and into the kitchen to see her grandmother, clad in a short hot-pink nightgown with orange-striped sleep pants beneath, running out onto the porch with her shotgun in her hands.
    “Come