Page 40 of Her Cowboy Baby Daddy
It was crazy,but other than her heart giving a jump when Spence pulled into the ranch, Hayley felt remarkably serene. The worst had happened—she’d asked, and he said no—but he was back to help her.
“Hey,” she said when he got out of the truck.
“Hey, back.” He met her gaze, and it was obvious that he wanted to get the inevitable awkwardness over and done with. “I brought you a donut.”
Hayley gave him a suspicious look. A donut? The way to her heart?
Spence had no way of knowing that, but she suspected the donut was intended to smooth troubled waters.
“Did you go to Marietta?” she asked.
“Lex is visiting from Bozeman, and this is her new thing. Fried donuts. She got up early and made them for breakfast.” He handed over the bag, and Hayley peeked inside. An old-fashioned buttermilk donut glistening with glaze filled the bottom of the bag.
“Big one.”
Spence laughed. “Uh-huh. You can have it for lunch and dinner.”
“I think I’ll have it now.” She pulled the donut from the bag and broke it in two, handing half to Spence, who shook his head.
“I had mine before I left.”
“Have half. I’ll work it off you.”
There was something intimate in the way his gaze connected with hers as he took the half donut from her fingers, as if he’d finally figured some things out about her and was considering what to do with the information.
She hoped that wasn’t true. She didn’t want to be figured out or thought about or anything like that. But, silly her, she’d set things up to be thought about a lot with her special request.
Guess you got to live with it.
She held Spence’s gaze as she bit into the donut, which had the perfect amount of crisp on the outside and moist deliciousness on the inside.
“Wow.”
“I know. Lex is developing skills. While we’re on the topic of my niece, would you like to come to her birthday barbecue next Sunday?”
“I... uh...”
“I understand if you don’t.”
“Why wouldn’t I want to come?”
He gave her a look that said he knew exactly why she might not want to come. “We’re good, right?”
“Yes.” She pulled a sharp breath in through her nose. “Or rather, we will be, after a day working on the fence. Which leads to my next question. This is a business arrangement, right?”
He lifted an eyebrow in a way that made her wonder if he thought she was referring to getting pregnant. He wasn’t, of course, because that matter was settled, which meant that she was being overly sensitive, which had to stop.
“I’m paying you to make the pipe corral. That’s settled. I’m also paying you to work on the ranch. Correct?”
His eyes said no. His lips played the game. “Yes.”
She gave a nod. “I have most everything we need loaded. Chainsaw, bar, handsaw, all the fencing stuff.”
“Are you driving?”
“As soon as I finish the donut.”
“I’ll drive. You eat.”
