For His Daughter's Sake Read online

  Callie grinned and shrugged. “It does look that way, doesn’t it? But I expect our dates will soon slow up. He and his brothers are planning to start a big fencing project on the Flying A and they want to get it finished before autumn weather hits.”

  Shaking her head, Saundra followed Callie out of the office and down a narrow hallway that led to a back exit of the building. “I wouldn’t bet on it. I think you’ve put a spell on him. Or maybe you had Winona put one on him for you,” she added slyly.

  Callie laughed at that idea. “No spells. We’re just enjoying each other’s company.”

  “Enjoying. Is that what you call it?” Saundra asked.

  “Saundra, you have a naughty mind.”

  A wicked grin put a twinkle in her coworker’s eyes. “Not really. I just happen to know what Tyler Abernathy looks like. He’d be darned hard to resist.”

  “Don’t worry, dear friend. I have a will of iron.” She gave Saundra a wave then quickly exited the building.

  As Callie drove her Jeep through the busy streets toward her apartment complex, she had to admit that Saundra was right. Tyler was very nearly impossible to resist. But these past three nights she’d spent with him hadn’t required her to summon any amount of resistance. After that one night, when their kisses had gotten out of hand, he’d only kissed her a handful of times and those had been the short, sweet kind.

  Callie assumed he was keeping his distance as a way to play safe. Most likely, he needed time to adjust to the connection that had seemed to spring up between them almost instantly. Still, she could only wonder where all of this time spent together was going to lead. Would he ever be ready to take her into his arms and make love to her?

  Throughout the remainder of the drive, Callie purposely pushed the question out of her mind. For now, Tyler was making it apparent that he liked being with her, and that had to be enough.

  Once she reached her apartment, she hurriedly changed into a pair of bell-bottomed jeans then tucked a baby-blue tank top into the waistband. After pulling her hair into a ponytail and fastening it with a blue-and-white scrunchie to match her top, she attached a pair of silver hoops to her ears and then dabbed blusher on her cheeks.

  She’d just finished swiping a bit of coral gloss onto her lips and touching a few drops of perfume to her wrists and behind her ears, when the doorbell rang.

  At the front door, she glanced through the peephole and saw Tyler’s tall frame standing on the small square of concrete porch. The baby was in his arms, making da-da-do noises while chewing on her fist. The sight of the two filled her with ridiculous joy and she wasted no time in opening the door and encompassing both father and baby in a bright smile.

  “Hi, Tyler!” she greeted. “Come on in. I promise I’ll be ready to go in two minutes.”

  “If that’s the case, there’s no need for me to come in. I’ll take Maeve out to the bench. If we’re lucky, she’ll spot a squirrel.”

  “Fine with me,” she told him. “I’ll be right out.”

  Inside the apartment, she gathered a few things she thought she might need on their trip to Happy Hearts. Once she had them all stuffed into her shoulder bag, she carefully locked the door of the apartment behind her and walked out to the courtyard to join him and the baby.

  When she reached the tree, Tyler had stood Maeve on her feet and was holding onto both her hands to keep her steady.

  Callie halted a few steps from the pair and stared in wonder. “Oh my goodness, Maeve is standing! I didn’t know she could do this!”

  Pride etched the smile on his face. “These last few days, she’s been trying to pull up and balance herself. She still needs help, but she’s getting closer to standing on her own.”

  He carefully walked Maeve a few steps forward until the two of them were directly in front of Callie. She quickly squatted to be closer to the baby’s level.

  “Hi, sweet Maeve.” Callie spoke gently. “Are you ready to go see the animals?”

  To Callie’s surprise, the girl responded with a happy squeal and followed it up with blowing a string of bubbles.

  Laughing, Callie looked eagerly up at Tyler. “Do you think she might let me hold her? I’d love to carry her to the truck. But I don’t want to make her cry.”

  “She’s been letting you feed her without a fuss. She might be ready for you to hold her. Go ahead and try.”

  Still squatted on her heels, Callie held her hands out to Maeve. The baby bounced and then, with a joyful shriek, attempted to take a wobbly step toward Callie.

  “Oh, what an angel.” Callie scooped up the baby, stood and shifted her to a comfortable position in her arms. Maeve was instantly mesmerized with Callie’s face and made a quick grab for her nose.

  Laughing, Callie let the baby playfully squeeze her nose before she lowered her arm. “That’s a good enough inspection for now, don’t you think?”

  Maeve must have agreed because she didn’t try for Callie’s nose a second time. Instead, she grabbed for her ponytail and gave it a hard tug.

  Tyler chuckled as Callie carefully extricated the strands of hair from Maeve’s little fist.

  “Now you’ve done it,” he said. “She’ll be wanting you to hold her all the time.”

  “That’s the idea.” She cast him a triumphant smile. “Now Daddy can rest and I’ll get more baby lessons.”

  * * *

  During the drive out to Happy Hearts Animal Sanctuary, Tyler could hardly keep his eyes off Callie and on the narrow country road.

  This evening there was nothing special about her tank top or jeans, but he had to admit she looked downright sexy. With her arms and shoulders bare, and her hair pulled up off her neck, the sight of all that creamy skin had him wanting to reach over and touch her. And the idea of tasting it with his lips was enough to send a blast of desire down his spine.

  Since Tyler and his father had talked on their ride to the ranch house three days ago, he’d done plenty of thinking. Hutch had encouraged him to be brave enough to reach for what he wanted. And there was no doubt that he wanted Callie in the worst kind of way.

  So far, he’d managed to keep his desire for her in check. He’d purposely made their kisses brief. Yet even that simple contact with her was like playing with fire and exposing himself to temptation.

  “I haven’t been out to Happy Hearts in ages,” Callie said as Tyler drove the truck deeper into the countryside. “This is a treat for me. And I’m sure it will be for Maeve, too.”

  “Maeve sees cows and horses on the ranch. And she gets to play with the barn cats and dogs. But she’s never been around any other animals.”

  “Daphne has everything on the farm. From rabbits and goats to chickens and ducks. Pigs, cows, horses and an assortment of cats and dogs. Evan says she takes in orphaned or deserted animals as long as she has room to house them.”

  “What does Evan think about her running the farm? I ask because a cousin of mine implied that the sanctuary was once a bone of contention between Daphne and Evan.”

  “Maybe in the beginning. Daphne says Evan was a cynic when they’d first met and she showed him around the farm. According to her, he didn’t care about the needy animals or her efforts to help them. He was all about making a dollar off the ghost tours of the property.” She paused and sighed. “But after he fell in love with Daphne, he began to have a change of heart. If you ask him about Happy Hearts now, I’m sure he’d say he’s proud of Daphne’s cause and all the hard work she puts into it.”

  He nodded soberly. “Loving a woman can change a man.”

  She glanced over at him. “Yes, you would know about that.”

  Her assumption caused Tyler to inwardly cringe. She had no idea he’d had a troubled marriage. Hell, how could she? He couldn’t even bring himself to mention Luanne’s name in their conversations.

  Callie deserved more from him. He recognized that
much. Yet each time he’d felt the urge to tell her about the circumstances of Luanne’s accident, the fear of her reaction sent a cold chill rushing over him. If she knew what a failure he’d been as a husband and father, what would she think? That she wanted no part of a man like him? He wasn’t ready to take that chance.

  His churning thoughts were interrupted when she spoke again. “Did you know Bronco Ghost Tours has a Happy Hearts tour?”

  Shaking his head, he shot her a look of droll disbelief. “I’ve heard bits of gossip about Happy Hearts being haunted, but never paid much attention to the stories. I figured most of them were made up.”

  “The ghost tour stories aren’t made up. That would never work. Anyone could delve into Bronco’s history to see whether these tragedies actually occurred. If people discovered they were fake, it would end the business!”

  His short laugh was skeptical. “So Happy Hearts is truly supposed to be haunted? Oh, come on, Callie. Do you really believe that?”

  “I’m sure it sounds silly to you. But there is a tragic story behind the theory. Years ago, a big barn on the property caught fire and as a result, a cowboy, his girlfriend, and several horses died in the flames. There’s even a marker on the farm where the couple was buried.”

  “I understand that incident did actually happen. And it was certainly unfortunate,” Tyler said. “But that doesn’t mean there are ghosts around the place.”

  “Perhaps not. But since the tragedy, some folks have heard horses whinnying at night when there were no horses on the property. And others swear they’ve seen the faces of a man and woman peering through the barn windows.”

  Tyler made a scoffing noise. “You actually believe such a thing?”

  “Okay, maybe some old-timers have embellished the story to scare people. But there is an archived newspaper article about the fire and it did state that a man and woman, along with the horses, perished in the flames. As for the rest, I guess it depends on who actually heard the whinnying or saw the faces. I will say this, Evan does sort of fudge the end of the tour lecture. To please Daphne, the guests are told that since the property has been turned into a happy home for needy animals, the faces of the cowboy and his girlfriend have never been seen again.”

  “Okay, that does it,” Tyler said jokingly. “I’m spooked. You’re going to have to hold my hand the whole time we’re at Happy Hearts.”

  She slanted him an impish smile. “I’ll be glad to.”

  Five minutes on down the road, Happy Hearts Animal Sanctuary came into view. Situated on a gentle grassy slope with the jagged outline of mountains in the background, a big, two-story Victorian-style house stood off to the left. On the right side of the property, several yards away from Daphne’s house, were a number of barns in various shapes and sizes.

  As they neared the property, one road continued on past the big house, while the other veered off to the left toward a parking area designated for farm workers and visitors.

  Tyler parked the truck alongside three other vehicles and, after helping Callie to the ground, fetched Maeve from her seat in the back.

  Currently, a handful of adults and children were milling around the barns. Between the parking lot and the neatly maintained structures, a pair of white-and-brown goats nipped at the green grass, while a few feet away a group of ducks waddled toward the shade of a tree.

  “Daphne might be in her office,” Callie suggested. “It’s inside the biggest barn. She also has an office in the adoption shelter. That’s where she does all the paperwork for the adoptions.” She pointed to another building. “That one is used for the camp kids. They come to learn about animal care and experience being on a farm. Van is probably busy counseling them right now.”

  “Let’s go let Daphne know that we’ve come to visit the animals,” Tyler suggested.

  “Sounds good,” Callie agreed.

  With Tyler carrying Maeve, the three headed in the direction of the largest barn, but halfway there, Daphne emerged from a nearby utility shed. Once she spotted them, she waved and called out.

  “Callie! Tyler! Wait up!”

  The fresh-faced strawberry-blonde was dressed in jeans and boots and a yellow T-shirt with Save the Animals written across the front. As soon as she came within arm’s reach, she grabbed Callie in a fierce hug then pulled back and encompassed all three with a wide smile.

  Glancing at Tyler, Daphne confessed, “I love this woman. She single-handedly saved my fiancé’s sanity.”

  Embarrassed by the compliment, Callie let out a good-natured groan. “Are you kidding? Evan was making it okay before I came to work as his assistant.”

  Laughing, Daphne shook her head and explained to Tyler. “Before Callie came along, Evan had gone through too many assistants to count. Not one of them could put up with his taskmaster attitude. But Callie is part saint or something. She was so efficient that I think Evan forgot all about snapping and snarling.”

  “He forgot my name, too,” Callie added with a chuckle. “But he finally learned it.”

  Laughing, Daphne gave her another appreciative hug. “It’s so good of you to come out to the farm. And what a surprise—you’ve brought Tyler and Maeve with you!”

  “Well, actually Tyler brought me,” Callie told her. “We thought Maeve would enjoy seeing the animals.”

  Daphne slanted Tyler a suggestive grin. “Since you don’t have any animals on the ranch. Right?”

  Tyler chuckled. “It’s a learning experience. She’s never seen farm animals like goats or pigs. And I thought you could probably use a nice donation courtesy of the Flying A.”

  For a moment, Daphne looked overwhelmed and Callie could understand why. Not all the ranchers in the area were keen about her decision to go vegan and save the cows. Apparently, Tyler’s family had an open-minded view about the issue.

  “How very nice of you, Tyler. We can use every penny we get.” She looked over at Callie and winked. “I hope you realize what a thoughtful man you have here.”

  To have Daphne imply that Tyler was Callie’s man was all it took to send a rush of heat to her cheeks. Tyler wasn’t her man. Not by a long shot. But she supposed people around Bronco were beginning to see them out together and wondering if they were seriously a couple. Callie had been asking herself the same thing, but so far she couldn’t come up with an answer. Yes, he kissed her like he meant it, but he never expressed his feelings about her in words. She could only wonder what his feelings for her were.

  She darted a glance at Tyler then said, “I’ve noticed.”

  “Hey, Daphne, do you have a minute?”

  Daphne glanced across the grassy yard to a young man dressed in shorts and a baseball cap. He was standing with a small group of adults and children.

  “That’s David, one of my high-school workers. If you two will excuse me, I’d better go to his rescue. Callie, you know your way around the farm. You and Tyler make yourself at home and stay as long as you like.”

  Callie waved her off. “Thanks, Daphne. No need to worry about us.”

  As the woman hurried away to the waiting group, Tyler admitted, “This sanctuary is another venture that I’d believed was doomed from the start.”

  Frowning, Callie asked, “Are all men cynical by nature?”

  He shrugged. “From what I understand, the Taylors never wanted their daughter to start this farm. In fact, I think there was a big rift between her and her father over the place.”

  Callie nodded. “I thought Van told me the argument was over Daphne deciding to become a vegan. With her father in the beef cattle business, he believed his daughter was making laughingstocks of the Taylors.”

  Tyler concurred. “If you’ve ever met Cornelius Taylor, you’d understand. He’s one of those iron-necked men who holds the notion that everyone should bend to his will.”

  “How ridiculous!” Callie exclaimed. “A person has a right
to choose what they want to eat without being ridiculed for it.”

  Growing restless, Maeve turned her attention to her daddy’s ear. After she’d slapped it a few times, he gently placed her hand down on her side. The discipline lasted about two seconds before the baby decided his chin looked like a better target.

  He caught Maeve’s hand once again, only this time held it as he said, “There was more to it than Daphne’s decision to go vegan. The old man thought she was betraying all the ranchers around here when she put in this animal sanctuary.”

  Callie shot him a look of puzzlement. “But why? She’s not hurting you ranchers. She’s saving animals’ lives.”

  “True. But the way the old man sees it, ranchers sell their cattle for meat. To put food on family tables. Daphne’s farm represents saving all animals.”

  Callie frowned. “But you’re a rancher. You’ve come to visit the farm and you’re even going to give her a donation. Obviously you don’t see her and this farm as a threat.”

  Smiling wanly, he shook his head. “The few cows that come to live here on Happy Hearts are not going to hurt the Flying A, or any other ranch around here, for that matter. And someone needs to take care of these castoffs. My family appreciates Daphne’s effort.”

  “Hmm. Daphne’s father didn’t want her to have this farm,” Callie mused aloud. “How sad.”

  “Yeah. With all his money, he could’ve easily supported her effort. But I doubt he’s ever come forward to offer her a penny. Although, I heard that the money Daphne’s mother gave her to start up this place was money she’d gotten through her divorce from Cornelius. In any case, I hate to imagine myself ever being that narrow-minded with my daughter.”

  Callie smiled at him. “Daphne is right, you know. You are a thoughtful man.”

  He cleared his throat. “Daphne was just being nice. She doesn’t really know me.”