Texas Temptation (Making a Family #1)

Chapter One

Jordan peered through the rain at the ornate wrought-iron gate that marked the entrance to the Circle E Ranch. She sneezed again and blew her nose. Rubbing her aching chest, she tried to take a deep breath. It hurt to breathe.

This had been the trip from hell. If the blasted man had answered any of her letters, or returned a single phone call, she wouldn’t have had to drive from Florida to Texas. But he’d ignored her as completely this past month as he had over the last five years.

Not that Jordan was going to let his behavior stop her. She’d taken a week’s vacation from work, pushed her ancient car to the limit and here they were in Tumbleweed, Texas, turning onto the Everett Ranch.

The car had broken down in Biloxi. And again in that raging thunderstorm outside of Beaumont. Her cold had gotten worse by the day, made even more so after standing in the pouring rain while talking to the tow truck driver.

Determined, she pushed on. She would not be ignored or blown off. If Cade Cullen Everett thought refusing to respond to her demands would make her forget them, he didn’t know her.

Of course, she thought as they inched up the drive in the downpour; he hadn’t known her—not really. A brief two-week fling was one thing. Romantic and exciting, but not of the real world.

More fool her for believing him when he told her he loved her. Hadn’t her aunt warned her time after time? If she’d only listened.

Yet if she had, she wouldn’t have Caleb, and she wouldn’t trade him for anything. Wouldn’t Cullen wish to learn he had a son?

“Are we there yet Mommy?” Caleb asked from his car seat in the back.

“Almost, honey,” she responded, hoping it was true. Truth to tell, she hoped she could last long enough to challenge Cullen and get his agreement to help pay for the surgery before they had to leave to find a motel for the night. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and pull the covers over her head and sleep until morning.

Florida was famous for summer afternoon thundershowers, but she was wondering if Texas had them beat. This was the third stormy day in a row.

“Will we see horses?” he asked.

“I don’t know. They might be inside the barn because of the rain.”

They could see plenty of cattle grazing in the fields flanking the road, but no horses.

“How about cows?” he persisted.

“Look out your window. There are more cows than you can count.”

The large herd covered several acres, many of the steers standing stoically, backs lined up to the wind, placidly enduring the rain as it poured down.

The driveway was like a county road, two lanes wide, paved and straight as an arrow. How far to the house? Cresting a slight rise, Jordan had her answer.

Ahead rose a huge house, white, two stories tall, with soaring columns supporting the roof that covered a wide veranda. It looked large enough to hold a multi generation family. It reminded her of Tara—splashy, but suitable for a family who could donate one million dollars to charity.

Beyond the house were the ranch buildings, two enormous barns and an assortment of other buildings and sheds. She hadn’t a clue about how ranches worked. What were all the structures for? A small brick building sat to the left of the house. It looked like an office to her, squat, with tall windows—looking like many insurance offices in Florida.

“Wow,” Jordan thought, stunned at the size of the place. She slowed the car and stared. She thought Cullen’s bragging had been the wild tales of a college guy on the prowl out to impress. It looked as if he hadn’t exaggerated one bit.

Suddenly doubt crept in.

Was she doing the right thing? Maybe she should have left Caleb with her friend Patricia and come alone. Suddenly, a horrifying thought sprang to mind. What if Cullen wanted visiting rights?

Or even custody?

According to the article, he’d lost his wife and child in a terrible automobile accident. Maybe he’d want his son near him.

She felt a pang of sympathy for the man, even though she remained angry at his behavior toward her. How awful to lose a wife, but more especially a child. He wouldn’t want Caleb permanently, would he?

Jordan hesitated, wondering if she’d made the trip for nothing. She’d taken precious funds from their savings for this trip, but she considered it well spent if she could get Caleb’s father to pay the balance of the expense. Doubts not withstanding, she couldn’t turn back without seeing him, without trying to get him to pay a share, not when she was this close. And he deserved to meet his son. She hoped he’d like Caleb, but be content to leave their current living arrangement intact.

“Why aren’t we driving, Mommy? I see a house. The lights are on and it’s only afternoon.”

“I know, sweetie. It’s because of the rain.”

It was shortly after noon, yet it was so dark from the storm she needed her headlights. The glow through the windows in the house gave the illusion of welcome. Slowly, she headed forward. She’d come all this way. She needed to see it through. For Caleb’s sake.

Stopping near the front door, Jordan turned off the engine and reached back to unfasten Caleb’s safety belt.

“Climb over the seat and let’s go,” she said.

Coughing for a moment, she waited while he scrambled over the seat back and stood beside her. She really felt awful. She hoped this encounter would go smoothly.

“We’ll walk really fast so we don’t get soaked, okay?” she said.

If she’d had an umbrella, she’d have tried to carry him and kept them both dry, but she hadn’t thought to bring one. And she felt so tired and weak she didn’t think she could carry him the short distance to the veranda. Maybe she should have gotten a room in Tumbleweed first, taken a nap and then come. Too late now.

She thrust open her door and hurried them to the front of the house.

“Whee,” Caleb said as he splashed in puddles between the car and the covered veranda.

Great, Jordan thought, as she tried to hurry him along. They’d both show up looking like drowned rats.

She rang the doorbell and shivered slightly in the breeze. Her shoulders and hair were damp from their mad dash. The wind cooled her quickly, blowing through her wet clothes as if she wore nothing.

The door opened. An older Hispanic woman stood in the opening, her dark hair streaked with gray, bounded at the back of her head in a tidy bun. A large apron covered her full skirted dress.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

She held a dish towel in one hand. Her expression was pleasant, but curious.

“I’m looking for Cade Cullen Everett,” Jordan said.

Caleb peeked around her to look at the woman, his eyes wide.

“Se?or Everett is busy. Was he expecting you?”

“No, but we’ve come a long way. I only need a few minutes of his time.”

Jordan had come too far to be turned away. She was prepared to wait for however long it took.

The older woman studied Jordan for a moment, then looked at Caleb, her expression softening into a smile.

“Step in out of the storm. I’ll tell him you are here if you give me your name.”

“Jordan Carhart.”

No sooner had she said it than she began coughing again. Her chest hurt so badly. And she felt flushed. They kept the house too warm, or was it the contrast to the coldness from the storm?

“Who is it Rosita?” a male voice called.

Jordan turned and watched as a stranger strode into the entryway. He frowned when he looked at her and then spotted Caleb.

His hair was dark and cut short. His forbidding expression made him look even more intimidating than his size alone would have done. He was several inches over six feet, muscular and tanned.

For a moment she remembered the skinny college kids who strutted so arrogantly on the beach during spring break. She couldn’t imagine this man ever looking like that. But he could give them all lessons on sex appeal and how to capture a woman’s attention.

Despite feeling terrible because of her cold, Jordan was intrigued.

The rugged jaw told Jordan he wasn’t someone to be trifled with. His tanned skin attested to hours spent in the sun. His fit body didn’t come from some gym. Was he a relative of Cullen’s? Too young to be his father. Was he an older brother? She guessed he wasn’t too much older than thirty.

A cough caught her. Her perusal cut short. She didn’t have time to speculate. She was on a mission—as soon as she could catch her breath.

“I’m looking for Cade Cullen Everett,” Jordan said firmly.

“You’ve found him,” the man said.

She blinked. The world seemed to tilt and sway.

Caleb peeped around her leg and looked up at the man.

“Are you my daddy?” he asked.

It was the last thing Jordan heard before everything went black as she softly sank to the floor.

Cade dashed forward, barely catching her before her head hit the hardwood floor.

“Mommy?”

The little boy clung to his mother’s leg as she sagged in Cade’s arms.

“Mommy, what’s wrong?”

His eyes wide with fear, the child clung to Jordan.

Cade shifted and lifted her.

“Your mom will be okay, son. Let me take her into the living room to lie down.”

He carried her into the spacious room and placed her on the wide sofa. The little boy ran to her head and patted her shoulder.

“Mommy?” Fear laced his tone.

“She’ll be okay,” Cade said again, studying the unconscious woman, hoping she’d come around soon. Color stained her cheeks. Her breathing was raspy. She couldn’t weigh more than a hundred pounds, which on her made her too thin.

“Should I call the doctor?” Rosita asked poised in the doorway, her face full of concern.

“Not yet. Let’s see if she wakes up in a minute on her own,” Cade said, studying the unconscious woman.

Just what he didn’t need, a further complication to an already complicated day.

“I’ll get a cool cloth,” she said, heading for the back of the house.

This wasn’t the best of times for unexpected visitors. Not when his long-term secretary had just informed him she was needed at home for a family emergency and would leave that afternoon. Her mother had fallen and broken her hip. There was no one else to see to the elderly woman but Penny. Still, the timing couldn’t have been worse.

Not when he had a minor crisis building into a major one in Los Angeles.

Not when it was time to muster the herd and rotate cattle from the winter pasture to summer fields. He’d come home to the ranch for that event, which had already been delayed once this spring and was currently delayed because of the weather. If not for the muster, he’d still be in Dallas, or maybe even on his way to LA.

He had a dozen irons in the fire. He didn’t need further complications.

“Why is Mommy asleep?” the boy asked. “She never takes naps.”

“What’s your name, son?” he asked. He’d never seen either of them before, but hadn’t imagined the child’s comment, “Are you my daddy?” Who were these people?

“I’m Caleb,” he said. “Is Mommy going to wake up soon?”

“I expect so. Caleb who? Where are you from?”

Caleb wrinkled his brow as he looked up at Cade.

He felt a hitch when he saw the uncertainty in the child’s eyes. For a heartbeat, they reminded him of Vicki’s bright blue eyes. Except in this case, one definitely turned inward. He knew little about it, but shouldn’t the child have had some corrective work done by this age?

Rosita hurried into the room, carrying a cool, damp cloth. She placed it on Jordan’s forehead and felt her cheeks with the back of her fingers.

“She had a fever, se?or.”

“Who is she?”

“Her name is Jordan Carhart. She asked for you, said she came a long way to see you. Maybe we ought to call the doctor,” she murmured.

The little boy looked up at him.

“Are you my daddy?” he asked again.

“No.”

Cade knew that for a fact. Not only had he never seen the woman before in his life, the boy looked to be about four or five years old. And five years ago, he’d been a happily married man. Cheating on his wife had never once occurred to him. He’d loved Marissa more than life.

The familiar ache gripped him. Would he ever get over losing her? Ever get used to the gaping hole in his heart that she and Vicki once filled?

“Mommy said we were coming to meet my daddy. Where is he?”

Cade’s instincts went on alert. She’d asked for him by name and told her son he was his father. What kind of scam was the woman trying to pull?

With her blond hair and gray eyes, and the boy’s blue eyes, there was no way they could accuse him of being the father, not with his dark hair and eyes. DNA testing would cinch it if needed.

“Mommy,” Caleb said, shaking her. “Wake up, Mommy.”

Cade felt a tightening in his throat. The kid looked scared to death. He remembered Vicki when she’d been five. All bright laughter and boundless energy. Nothing had scared her.

No child should be so scared.

He squatted down beside the youngster and took one small hand in his. Memories crowded in. He remembered holding Vicki’s hand when they crossed a street or went to a store. Echoes of her laughter sounded. He could still see her delight in so many everyday things.

This child looked nothing like his daughter, but just his being here reminded Cade of all he’d lost.

“Where do you live, Caleb?”

“Seventeen-thirty Atlantic Circle, South Beach,” the boy said proudly. Obviously his mother made sure he knew his address.

“Florida?” Cade murmured, wondering if Vicki had known her address at that age.

“We’ve been driving forever, and Mommy said we’d see my daddy when we got here. We need money for my eyes. Once I have my operation, I can be just like all the other little boys, but until then, I’m special.”

Rosita threw Cade a look.

“Shall I take the boy into the back so you can talk to the mother when she wakens?” she asked practically.

“I can’t leave Mommy,” Caleb protested.

“Your Mommy’s going to be fine,” Cade said, standing. “Let her rest for a few minutes. Rosita can give you a cookie and some milk. I bet you’re hungry.”

Caleb seemed to consider the offer.

“I am hungry. We didn’t get lunch yet. Can I have lunch?” Caleb asked.

“Sure thing. Rosita, would you?”

When the housekeeper led the little boy away, he reached for the phone. It rang directly into the office.

“Yes, boss?” Penny answered, recognizing the inter-ranch line.

“Before you leave, call Paul Nance for me. I have a young woman who fainted in the entryway. She seems to have a fever and difficulty breathing. See if he thinks we need to bring her into emergency.”

“Will do.”

Penny disconnected. Cade almost smiled. Nothing fazed Penny. Not a stranger collapsing in the house, or anything else that happened around the ranch. She was as invaluable here as she was in the Dallas office. What was he going to do with her gone for who knew how long?

And she didn’t know how long she’d be gone. Penny had already called the local employment agency to send a temp, but Cade knew it wouldn’t be easy working with a stranger.

The woman stirred. Good. If she came to, he could send her on her way, with a suggestion she stop off at the doctor’s in town. One problem solved.

The phone rang just as those gray eyes opened again.

“Everett,” Cade responded when he picked up.

“Cade? Heard you have someone who might need medical help,” Paul’s voice came across the line. He and Cade had gone to high school together. Paul had then gone to study medicine while Cade had specialized in business. Their paths didn’t cross often these days, but the bond of friendship remained strong.

“I think she’s coming out of it. Hold on,” Cade squatted again beside the sofa, his eyes almost on a level with hers.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked.

Slowly, she blinked and stared at him.

“What happened?”

Her gaze darted around the room, confusion clear.

“Where’s Caleb?”

A hint of panic sounded in her voice. She tried to sit up, but Cade put his hand on her shoulder and pressed her back against the cushions.

“He’s fine, in with Rosita, having lunch. It’s you we’re concerned with. You fainted.”

“Fainted? I never faint.” She rubbed her forehead. “I don’t feel too well.”

Cade put the receiver back to his ear.

“She’s awake and lucid. I think the crisis has passed. I’ll send her in to see you. Thanks for calling back.”

“No problem. Let me know if you need anything.”

Cade hung up the phone and rose to his full height. At over six feet, she had a long way to look up. The confusion hadn’t left her expression.

“You are not Cade Cullen Everett,” she mumbled.

“I was the last time I looked. But obviously not the one you were expecting. Never knew there were two of us.”

She closed her eyes, tears seeping from between the lids.

“Can I get you something?” Cade asked, wondering who Jordan Carhart was, and why she was looking for him—or rather, some man who had the same name.

She shook her head. “I’ll be out of your way in a minute. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I thought—I saw an article in the Dallas paper that reported your donation to the Children’s Last Wish Foundation. I thought I’d found the man I’ve been looking for for years. I mean, I thought you were Cade Cullen Everett. My Cade Cullen Everett. Actually, not mine, exactly. But I’ve been looking for him for five years. I thought I’d finally located him.”

“You came a long way based on a newspaper article. Your son said you live in Florida.”

“I tried writing, calling, but you never responded. I was desperate.”

“Because?”

Cade sat on the chair flanking the sofa. Before Jordan could say another word, his Aunt Amelia swirled into the room, her lacy dress more suitable for a garden party than the ranch house. But he was used to it. Fancy feminine dresses were her standard attire.

He sighed. Another complication he did not need.

“Oh, nephew, I’m so pleased you knew to call on me in case of an emergency. I’m happy to help in any way I can. Is this the poor dear? Oh, she looks ill.”

Jordan stared at the elderly woman, delicate in statue with soft white hair curled around her face. Her dress reminded her of southern parties and gentile living. Feminine and flighty, Jordan summed up in one thought. And a bit out of place in the room, which had a strong southwest decor.

She glanced at the rugged man, who looked pained for a split second at the arrival of the older woman. He quickly schooled his features.

Could they really be in the same family? She’d called him nephew, but he looked too large, too masculine to be connected to this ethereal woman.

“How do you feel, dear?” She fluttered over and patted Jordan’s cheeks. “Oh, you are burning up. Cade,” she looked at her nephew, “she’s burning up. We need to give her something for the fever. Aspirin. I think aspirin would be fine. And fluids. Plenty of fluids. Clear like apple juice or water.”

When Jordan began coughing, Amelia raised her handkerchief to her cover her nose and mouth, still fluttering around.

“Oh dear, that cough is terrible. Cade, we must do something about that as well. Bed rest will help. Should she have the lilac room or the rose? Lilac, I think, it’s so soothing, and the rose will confuse the issue about her fever, don’t you think? She’s flushed enough without pink from the walls.”

“What?” Cade looked at his aunt. What issue?

“The rose room will make her skin look rosy. How will we tell if the fever’s gone?”

“If she were staying, we could use a thermometer,” he said, standing. “But the issue won’t arise because she’s not staying.”

“Cade, you can’t send an ill woman out into a storm like this. I won’t hear of it.”

“Aunt Amelia, she’s a total stranger. I know nothing about her. She came here from Florida. I’m sure she can make it as far as town, where she can get a motel room.”

“I’ll be on my way. I’m sorry for the problem I caused.”

Jordan tried to stand, her knees feeling like soggy spaghetti noodles. She fell back to the sofa with a soft plop.

“See?” Amelia said triumphantly. “She can’t possibly travel. If you don’t wish to put her up, I will. It’d be crowded in the cottage, of course, but I won’t shirk my duty to the less fortunate by sending a sick person out on a day like this!”

Cade suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the familiar dramatic flare his aunt was famous for. He nodded once. He’d speak to Rosita for calling his aunt. If she hadn’t arrived, he could have sent the stranger and her child on her way with no compunction.

Now he’d be stuck with her for at least a day. Hopefully, by tomorrow she’d be better and could head back to Florida.

“Then I’ll leave her in you capable hands, Aunt Amelia.”

“I’ll take care of everything, Cade. You go on back to work. Ask Rosita to help me, will you?”

“She’s busy right now with the little boy.”

Amelia’s eyes grew wide as saucers.

“Little boy? Why didn’t you say so? Oh, it’s been too long since this house has heard the ring of childish laughter. Where is he?”

“In the kitchen.”

Yes, it had been too long since he’d heard childish laughter. It’d forever be too long.

She almost ran from the room in her quest to see the child.

Cade sighed and looked at the woman now sitting on the sofa, holding a hand against her chest, rubbing absently. The coughing had stopped. The bright spots of color in her cheeks attested to the fever.

She watched him with a wary expression. Except for the two spots of red staining each cheek with brilliant color, she was pale and wan.

“I’ll leave in a few minutes. I can’t stay here,” she said.

“Amelia may invite whomever she wishes to stay. I can show you a bedroom large enough for you and your son. Or I can fix him up in another room, so he doesn’t get whatever you have.”

“If he were going to get it, four days in a car together would have exposed him,” she said.

“It took you four days to get here from South Beach?”

She nodded. “We had car trouble.”

Jordan watched him carefully, studying his features. He looked nothing like the college guy she’d fallen for. He was the wrong age, the wrong size, the wrong coloring and definitely not the man she’d want to tangle with.

“You’ve come a long way because of a newspaper article.”

He waited for something more. The suggestion of help she needed, maybe money for the return journey? Was she hoping for the sympathy play? Donations of that magnitude reported in the paper had already resulted in dozens of requests from other organizations.

Penny was fielding them all, but Jordan Carhart was the first individual to respond in person—that he knew of. Of course, Penny screened those as well.

“I thought it was fate. That I found Cade Cullen Everett just when I most needed him. He said he was from Texas. His family had a ranch. He told me stories about the place, but maybe it was all made up.”

“When was this?”

“Five years ago. At spring break in South Beach.”

“Wild spring break, fun parties and no responsibilities. You met him there?”

Jordan stiffened at the derision of his tone. What happened in her past was none of his business. She didn’t need a stranger telling her how foolish she’d been.

Jordan rubbed her forehead again, her eyes closing. She wished she could find a bed and sleep for twelve hours.

“Life goes on. I’ll get out of your way, Mr. Everett. Sorry to have bothered you.”

“Stay the night, as Aunt Amelia suggested. The storm isn’t easing and it’ll be treacherous driving in it. If you aren’t familiar with our roads, navigating them in a storm is to be avoided at all costs. Besides, the Circle E is known for its hospitality.”

At least it had been when Marissa had been its mistress. She loved having friends over, entertaining, cooking for a crowd, and showing off the ranch.

No one had stayed the night since she’d been gone. Rosita would have to make the beds, air out the rooms as best she could with this storm.

He looked out the window. The wind had the trees bent under its force, while the rain was coming down in sheets. The last thing he wanted was some stranger and her appealing little boy in his house overnight. But his aunt was right. He wouldn’t send anyone out in this—especially a sick woman and a child.

“Have you ever heard of another Everett family in Texas who has a ranch?” Jordan asked hopefully.

“As far as I know, there are no other Everett families who own ranches in Texas. I’ve been a member of the Cattleman’s Association for years. I’m sure I’d have heard if there were others.”

“He was blond, with bright blue eyes. Caleb got his eyes,” she murmured. “Maybe the whole thing was a lie. For all I know, he’s a druggist in New Jersey.”

Slowly, she toppled over to her side.

“Though he did have a Texas drawl,” she murmured as she succumbed to sleep.

“Well, blast it,” Cade said softly as he watched her fall asleep.

Once Rosita had the room ready, Cade would rouse his uninvited guest, or carry her, let her sleep the night. If she wasn’t better by morning, he’d call Paul again and have his friend come out.

But what in the meantime was he going to do with the boy?

He’d buried his wife and daughter. He’d never planned to be around children again. And he’d avoided family gatherings and made it clear to his sister and cousins he wasn’t in the mood for company.

Amelia wanted them to stay. Let her entertain the child. She’d have her work cut out trying to amuse a young boy. But she was on her own. He would not become involved.

Maybe Jack Murray’s wife could take charge of Caleb, if he proved too much for Amelia. The foreman’s wife had raised three boys of her own, all out working on their own, now. She’d know what to do with one little boy.

And she’d relish the opportunity, while to him it’d cause only anguish.

He turned and strode from the room, angry at fate for interrupting his routine. He didn’t need Penny going off. Didn’t need Jordan Carhart or her cute little boy invading his life. And he sure didn’t need to know someone had been impersonating him five years ago!