Page 21 of Sold to the Single Daddies

“West! There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you.” A beautiful blonde with the poutiest lips I’d ever seen in person came rushing over from across the street. She was wearing a low-cut tank top and the tightest shorts I’d ever seen and I was instantly envious of her figure.Shedefinitely hadn’t had a baby just three short months ago. She didn’t take a second glance at me as she wrapped herself around West’s arm and smiled up at him. “You left your hat at my place the other night. Want to swing by later and grab it?”

A sick feeling of jealousy washed over me and I rejected it as hard as I could. It wasn’t my business if West hooked up with a woman who could’ve been aPlayboymodel. That didn’t mean I wanted to sit around and watch it happen. I didn’t plan on waiting around to hear what he had to say but when I tried to slip away, he caught my upper arm and held me still.

“Wait a minute. I’m not done talking to you.” West seemingly ignored the other woman and squatted in front of me so he could look at Lucky more closely. He reached towards our son and Lucky latched onto his finger with a frown on his face. He tried pulling it towards his mouth and his frown turned into a scowl when West resisted. “Sorry, little dude. I think it’s probably best you only chew clean fingers.”

I shouldn’t have but I stared down at West in awe. He’d softened his voice and lowered it like he was having a private conversation with his son.Ourson. He rested his big palm on Lucky’s belly and a look crossed his face I didn’t recognize, but it made me want to cry. He’d claimed Lucky. I could forget all the shitty things they said to me if they’d be good fathers to Lucky. They didn’t need to like me, only respect me enough to raise a son with me.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know you. You’re not from around here, are you?” The blonde had her hands on her hips and an assessing look on her face. “Melanie Boyd. I own Petal, the florist shop down the street.”

“I’m not from around here, no. I’m Reagan—"

“West? Are you going to come over to get your hat, or not?” She cut me off and focused on West. “I guess I could ask Tate or Mills to give it back to you.”

A stiff breeze could’ve knocked me over. As much as I didn’t want to be bothered, I was. I could still hear their voices, husky with arousal, telling me they’d never shared a woman before. I thought we’d shared something special but it seemed like maybe that was a lie. It sure seemed like they shared Melanie if her raised eyebrow and smirk said anything.

I had better things to do than sit around and have their relationships shoved in my face. I gently stepped away from West so his hand fell away from Lucky.

“I have to go.”

“Where?”

I felt my face slip into a scowl and quickly relaxed it. Scowling was Lucky’s thing.

“Mason’s waiting on me. Good luck getting your hat back.”

CHAPTER 16

West

I sat across from Mills and Tate after the rest of the ranch hands had left for their morning tasks. I’d cooked breakfast that morning and no one was sticking around for seconds. I was still pushing the rubbery eggs around on my plate, my brain full of unwelcome thoughts of Reagan and our son.

“What a fucking week.” Mills sat back in his chair and ran his hands over his days-old beard growth. “Just when I think things have settled down, here comes life, ready and willing to kick me in the mouth.”

“I’m still just trying to comprehend the fact that we have a son. Well. One of us does.” Tate looked between us and shrugged. “Not that it matters. We were all there, we all contributed. He’s ours. Right?”

I nodded.

“I’m not interested in starting a custody battle with my own brothers. We do everything else together. What’s the difference?”

Mills dropped his hands to the table harder than necessary, making the plates and silverware rattle.

“Wedo notshare everything. We sharedonething and look what fucking happened.”

“I just meant that we live in the same house, we do the same job, we might as well raise the boy together.” I shrugged like it was that simple and not eating away at me, too.

“It’s for the best. I fucking doubt a single one of us is cut out to raise the boy right, but with three of us, we might just make a decent parent.” Mills stood up suddenly and paced to the windows which looked out at the barn and the land beyond. “We have a kid. That changes things. We have to figure this ranch out and make it better. I’m not going out without knowing ourson has something good to call his own. I refuse to leave him something like what our parents left us.”

I noticed Tate sigh and raised my eyebrows at him.

“What?”

“I don’t fucking know. I’m still in shock at seeing Reagan again. I don’t know what I’m thinking or feeling. Just that I’m not thrilled that she’s here. What happened was supposed to be a dirty secret that stayed at Club Devil. It’s not supposed to come to town and have dinner with our fucking sisters.”

Jolene walked through the front door then and shoved her gloves into her back pocket.

“We’ve got to get that cattle moved to the north pasture and we don’t have enough hands to take care of everything. I’m sick of pulling extra weight because you cranky motherfuckers have run everyone off. Get someone else out here or I’m going to take Maxie up on her offer and leave this place.”

I stiffened. Losing Jolene would be a death blow. The woman did anything and everything better than the rest of the ranch hands. She wasn’t replaceable.

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