Page 13 of Her Cowboy Baby Daddy
“I wish I could say yes right now, but...”
“I totally get it, Hayley.” A business needed to be run with logic, not emotions.
“Good.”
She met his gaze, looking grateful for his understanding, and Spence was momentarily distracted by the color of her eyes, moss green with gold around the irises. He’d stared into them through her glasses the night she’d rescued him and recalled how he’d been struck by the color back then too.
He picked up his glass and the pamphlet he’d set it on stuck to the damp bottom. It dropped to the table and Spence read the title.AI vs. IVF: What You Need to Know.
His first thought was that Hayley was either AI—artificially inseminating—cattle or implanting fertilized embryos in them, both of which were common practices in the beef industry. But when he glanced up and saw that her face had gone cherry red, he realized that he might have stumbled onto something more personal. A quick glance at the pamphlet cover showed a smiling woman with a baby. Not a cow in sight. Oh yeah. Definitely not a can of worms to be opened.
“Tell me about the Farmer’s Market in Marietta,” he said in a voice that sounded a tad too smooth.
Hayley smiled weakly and lifted her lemonade glass. Her cheeks were still burning.
“Saturday mornings, nine to one, starting next week. There won’t be much in the way of produce until later in the summer, so artisans and handcrafters will have to carry things until then. I’m going to sell seedlings from my greenhouse and cut flowers until my produce is ready.” She smiled down at Greta. “I can also show off my foster animals and see if anyone is interested.”
Hayley’s gaze strayed to the pamphlet as if she wished she could make it disappear.
Spence had mercy. He set the glass on the pamphlet, covering most of the title, then pushed his chair back. “I should be going.”
Hayley got to her feet. “I’ll be in touch,” she said as she walked him to the door. Her cheeks were still pink, but her expression was now impassive.
“Thanks.” He gave her a quick smile.
Hayley had recovered from her embarrassment, so there was no reason for Spence to feel self-conscious as he headed down the front walkway to his truck. But he did.
If Hayley was looking into fertility treatments, that was none of his business. For all he knew, she had a significant other and they were looking at having kids. Or perhaps she was researching the matter for other reasons.
None of his business.
*
He’s gone. Nowyou can curl up and die.
Hayley gave herself a mental shake. If she was going to embark on this journey of single parenthood, people were going to notice. And she, the person who still fought the occasional battle against shyness and self-consciousness despite everything, was going to have to woman-up and face it. She picked up the pamphlet from the table and after a last look—she had the information memorized—she tossed it into the trash, where it could cause her no more difficulties.
Now the water lease.
She wished her dad was there so that she could question him about what happened the last time he’d leased water. Instead, she called Ken to discuss the matter. He wasn’t in, so she left a message, then pulled the gloves from her back pocket. She had to finish turning over her garden, and then anchor her greenhouse if she wanted to keep it on the property. Winds in the area tended to move untethered buildings to new locations.
Greta danced at the door, waiting for Hayley to open it, and just outside, Remy waited in hopes of Vince magically appearing. The pig was going to miss her top ranch hand.
Hayley headed off to the garden, dog and pig following close behind. She had a decent fence, so both dog and pig stayed outside as she started the rototiller. Her cold weather plants were producing, and the tomatoes in her greenhouse were already budding, so she’d have fare for the Farmer’s Market.
She finished turning over the part of the garden she would plant tomorrow, then secured the canvas cover over the rototiller, lashing it extra tight so the wind didn’t blow it off. While she worked, she’d debated pros and cons of leasing water to the Kellers, and frankly, couldn’t come up with a con. She’d get money, and water would get used, so if there were no legal issues, she’d lease the water to the Kellers. They were good neighbors and her father had been friendly with Daniel, the patriarch of the family.
Her quiet dad hadn’t had much in common with Daniel Keller, but he had told stories about the man’s exploits when they’d gone to high school together. Reed Keller, the oldest son, had taken after his father. That said, Spence was also an adventurer, but in a quieter, less in-your-face way. Beneath that laid-back exterior was a guy looking for a good time. While Reed grabbed the bad boy spotlight, Spence managed to operate relatively unnoticed.
But Hayley had noticed.
*
The wind rattledthe house, intensifying the sense of restlessness that dogged Spence during storms. He’d never done well with the wind, while his younger sister, Em, embraced it. She said it was genetic memory from their seafaring Viking ancestors. He said that she was nuts. She’d simply smiled. Em was a Viking at heart.
He was a guy who hated windstorms.
At least all the trees close enough to buildings to do serious damage had been trimmed recently, so unless one of the roofs peeled off from a building, there was no reason not to kick back, put in earplugs and continue reading.
