Rodeo King (Dustin Lovers Book 1) (5 page)

“That’s a decent room.” Feeling more in
control of herself now, she sat on the edge of the bed and stroked Carson’s
cheek. “Mommy’s going home to get a few things so I can stay overnight with
you.”

“Don’t leave.” Two tears tracked down
his sweet face as he gripped her hand.

“I won’t be gone long, promise.” She
leaned in and kissed his forehead.

“No.” Carson peeked at Caleb from under
lowered lashes. “Can’t the man go and get your things?”

“He doesn’t know what to get, or where
to find things, honey. Suppose I call Aunt Susie to bring what I need?”

After another lengthy bout of coughing,
Carson nodded and collapsed against the pillow.

“I’m going to have the nurse give him a
breathing treatment before he goes upstairs.” Apparently having finished what
he needed to do on the computer, Dr. Vine opened the door and was gone in a
flash.

“I don’t like that doctor.” Caleb
frowned at the door as it swung shut. “He spent more time on the computer than
he did looking at Carson.”

“I have to agree with you there.” She
pulled her phone from her pocket. “Carson, I’m going to step outside and call
Aunt Susie to bring my things. But I’ll be right back, and I’ll only be on the
other side of the door, okay?”

She elbowed Caleb. “Would you mind
joining me?”

He blinked, but nodded. “Sure.”

Once they were far enough away from the
door that Carson wouldn’t be able to hear them, she came to an abrupt halt and
turned. “What did you say to Carson while I was at the reception desk?”

Caleb arched a questioning brow.
“Nothing. Just tried to keep him entertained.”

“Good . . . good.” There was a beat of
silence. “If
I
decide to tell Carson you’re his father, it’ll be
when I feel the time is right.”

He rubbed the back of his neck and
sighed. “I get that, Rosie.”

“Excuse me?” A young candy striper
wheeled up a cart with a pitcher of juice and some glasses. “Would you like
something to drink?”

Glad for the interruption, Rosemary
stepped away from him. “We’ll talk about this later.”

Caleb paced the waiting room of the
hospital, where he’d spent most of the past several days wearing a path in the
carpeting as he worried about his son.

My son!

His hand clenched at his side, still
unable to wrap those words around his brain. The anxiety flooding his body was
a new emotion for him. The fear ran so deep, it squeezed the oxygen from his
lungs. And he’d left Rosie to deal with this by herself over the last five
years.

Which made him a first-class dirtbag,
and he wasn’t sure how to make it up to her. He’d do everything in his power to
gain her forgiveness, because he was determined to be there for Carson from
here on out.

“Mr. Johnson,” the young, friendly nurse
said as she approached him. “Ms. Carmichael would like you to join her in
Carson’s room.”

His heart pounded hard as he rushed down
the hall.
Is something wrong?

Although still upset with him, at least
Rosemary hadn’t shut him out, allowing him to spend time each day with Carson.
Even sick and feverish, his son was sweet and funny, and now owned a huge chunk
of Caleb’s heart. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for that little boy.

When he entered the room, Rosemary and the
doctor stood next to Carson’s bed.

“Caleb.” Her face glowed. “Carson’s
being released today.”

The gut-deep relief he felt at that news
made the wandering-cowboy part of him cry ‘uncle’ as a protective instinct he
didn’t know he had slammed into him. A fist squeezed inside his chest as he
watched Rosemary feather slender fingers through Carson’s hair, before leaning
in to tenderly kiss his rosy cheek, murmuring, “Mommy loves you, little man.”

She was an amazing mother, and had done
a wonderful job raising their boy. But from here on out, Carson would get the
benefit of both his parents.

Caleb closed the distance between him
and his son to peer down at him. He winked. “Hey, champ. Ready to get out of
here?”

He nodded, smiling shyly, then asked,
“Are you my daddy?”

A barely audible gasp fell from
Rosemary’s lips.

Dr. Vine cleared his throat and headed
for the door at a quick pace. “I’ll get that paperwork going for you.”

Caleb’s gaze shot to Rosemary as his
heart pounded a staccato beat in his chest. “Thanks, Doc.” He nervously rubbed
his leg, somewhat sore from all his pacing. He truly did not want to screw this
up.

Her hand pressing against her throat,
she chewed on her plump bottom lip as she brought her attention to their son.
“Carson—”

Caleb laid his hand on Rosemary’s
shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. “Rosie,” he said quietly, “let me.”

She glanced up at him, then back at
Carson. “All right,” she agreed hesitantly.

He advanced to the side of the bed, then
ruffled Carson’s hair, grinning in an attempt to keep it light. “Would that be
okay with you, buddy?”

His breath hitched as he waited for his
son’s answer, not knowing what he’d do if Carson hated the idea. And it’d be
Caleb’s own damn fault for not being there for his boy.

A huge smile split Carson’s cute cherub
face. “That’s great. Can I call you Daddy? Will you play baseball with me and
Uncle Mason? Can we go get pizza? I like pizza!”

Caleb sighed in relief. Taking note of
Rosemary’s emotional state, giving her a moment to collect herself, he stroked
his son’s silky head. “You bet you can call me Daddy. And pizza’s my favorite,
too.”

Rosemary laughed. “I’m sure Uncle Mason
will love having your daddy play baseball with you.”

The teasing tone in her voice was
directed at him, and Caleb grinned at her as he felt the shift in their
relationship. Although he didn’t figure he was completely forgiven, at least
Rosie seemed willing to give him a chance with their son. That was a good
starting point and a much better place than when he’d first stepped off the
bus, days ago.

Now Mason was a different story, and he
really wasn’t looking forward to that conversation. The few times he’d run into
him at the hospital while visiting Carson hadn’t been pretty. Caleb knew his
old buddy would rather kick his ass than share Carson in a game of baseball.
But for the boy’s sake, Mason would have to come to grips with the fact that
Caleb was here and wasn’t leaving any time soon.

If
ever.

***

Rosemary watched Carson and Caleb
playing with matchbox cars on the floor of her living room. Seeing the two of
them together, looking so much alike warmed her heart even as worry and hope
warred inside her.

The past week had been a whirlwind of
happenings, and she was emotionally exhausted. After another couple days of
bedrest, Carson was almost back to normal. Caleb had brought over the pizza
he’d promised, and she had the table all set.

Carson giggled as he ran his car across
Caleb’s broad chest. “Vroom. Vroom.”

The deep rumble of Caleb’s answering
chuckle, as he rolled onto his back and lifted Carson above his head, slid
across her body like a caress. Her center quivered as memories of their
passionate embrace in DeeDee’s alley filled her mind. If not for her brother
showing up the other night, she would have let Caleb take her right there, up
against the brick wall.

She shoved the memory aside. “Okay, you
two. Come eat.”

When she’d informed her brother that
Carson knew about, and accepted Caleb as his father, he hadn’t been pleased.
For his nephew’s sake, though, he’d deal. But Mason was a long way from
forgiving Caleb for deserting her. As was Susan, who’d told her she’d be a fool
to let that ‘dirty, rotten cowboy’ back into her life. Not that she could blame
them, since she hadn’t fully forgiven him herself.

Which made the way her body cried out
for his touch—every time he was near, damn it—totally pathetic.

Caleb glanced at her from under thick
lashes as Carson bounced on his eight-pack abs. His sexy grin and sinfully dark
green eyes took her breath away as butterflies swarmed in her belly. She
pressed her lips together, ignoring the tingling sensation between her legs,
and silently told herself to knock it the hell off. That road would only lead
to more heartache. She’d had little choice but to let Caleb into Carson’s life,
but no way was he getting back into her panties.

“You heard your mama, champ. Let’s eat.”
He tossed Carson into the air one last time, before rolling to his feet and
bringing Carson with him.

Her son clung to Caleb’s hand, a look of
hero-worship on his adorable face. “Pizza!” he yelled, rocking on his feet in
excitement.

Rosemary could only stare, with her
heart in her throat. Except for the bright red hair, Carson was the spitting
image of his father. A tickle of unease rolled through her, worry that her
baby’s heart would be crushed when Caleb went back on the circuit. That thought
hit like a bucket of cold water, bringing her back to her senses, and she
frowned.

Studying her, Caleb arched one curious
brow. “Everything okay?”

“Fine,” she lied, turning and heading
into the kitchen. They took their seats around the table, their pizza already
cut and waiting, along with breadsticks and a pitcher of ice tea. Carson sat
between them, his face beaming with happiness as he munched his slice of pizza.

“I’d like to stop over tomorrow and pick
up Carson for the day, if that’s all right,” Caleb said, dipping a breadstick
into the container of marinara sauce.

“I—I don’t know,” she said, concerned at
the way her son lit up at Caleb’s request. He was growing way too attached.

“Please, Mommy,” Carson pleaded. His face
had flushed with excitement.

As if to shut down her refusal, Caleb
reached across the table and placed his hand over hers, giving it a light
caress. Electricity zinged between them, and Rosemary felt it deep. Her resolve
weakened.

“I thought maybe I’d take him to the
park over near Hawthorn. I’d love it if you’d come along.” His low voice coaxed
and seduced. Against her better judgment she found herself agreeing.
Damn
it.
She’d never been able to resist Caleb when he laid on the charm.

Turning to her son, Rosemary brushed his
bangs off his forehead, leaning in to kiss the spot she’d bared. “Okay,
sweetheart. But it’s straight to bed tonight, with no squabbles. Agreed?”

He vigorously bobbed his head, wearing
an ear-to-ear grin that was just like his father’s. And she seemed helpless
against both.

After the rest of their meal and yet
another viewing of
Finding Nemo
, Carson jumped off Caleb’s lap, where
he’d sat the entire movie, and gave him a big hug. “‘Night, Daddy.”

“‘Night, champ.” Caleb’s voice sounded
suspiciously husky, his expression tender as he cupped his son’s face.

For the first time, instead of only
thinking of how his return to town affected her and Carson, she thought about
Caleb.

She’d had a crush on him since she was
twelve and he’d sauntered through her front door with her brother after a victorious
football game. But Caleb had never seen her as anything more than Mason’s
little sister. Until six years ago when he’d rolled back into town, finally
taking notice of her as a woman. She’d all but offered herself up to him on a
silver platter.

Even though her heart was broken when
he’d left without a word, she knew he
was
a good man. They’d both been
young, and their one-week affair had been intense, but still . . . it’d only
been a week.

So could she really blame him for
following his dreams? Maybe it was time to release her anger so he could have a
real relationship with his son.

***

While Rosemary settled Carson in bed,
Caleb thought about what a great kid they’d created together. Their son was a
joy to be around, sweet and well behaved but rambunctious enough to keep things
interesting. Returning to the rodeo circuit suddenly didn’t appeal to him as it
had a few weeks ago. This time, unlike six years earlier, the idea of a more
settled life didn’t send him running for the hills.

And Rosie! Damn. She’d been a teasing
temptation at nineteen, with flirty ways and a sassy attitude, but she’d grown
into a mature, sexy-as-hell woman who took no shit and knew what she wanted. Given
the way her eyes darkened whenever she looked his way . . . she wanted him.

He remembered her as a teenager, how
sweet she’d been. Her sense of humor and the silly things she’d say, just to
get a laugh from him. He also recalled a few times when he could talk to her,
really open up about his dreams of making it big in the rodeo, and she’d
listen. Caleb knew her folks fought like a couple of cats tied up in a bag, and
Rosie had always been a sensitive kid. Too sensitive to have to deal with that
shit, day after day. But she’d gotten past it. He was so proud of her.

And he sure as hell wanted her. Not just
for a week, but for something like eternity.

Rising to his feet, he strode down the
hall and stood outside Carson’s room, listening to her tender words and
Carson’s sleepy giggles as she tucked him in for the night. The emotions he’d
been drowning in over the last week fell away, replaced by an overwhelming need
for Rosie. He wanted to make love to her, find a way to bring their
relationship back where it’d been before he’d run off. He wanted to drown in
their shared memories, then create new ones with her.

He absently rubbed his sore leg. He
wasn’t stupid; returning to the rodeo circuit was iffy for him. Maybe it was
time to make a life for himself in Dustin, with Rosie and his son.

If she’d have him.

Her footsteps made a soft shuffle from
the bedroom into the hall. Her breath hitched on a low gasp when she spotted
him, then she slowly shut the door. “Hi,” she murmured. “Is something the
matter?”

Caleb closed the distance between them.
He inhaled her heady fragrance, the same flowery perfume she’d worn six years
ago when he’d explored every inch of her beautiful body, listening to the needy
sounds she made as he’d discovered all her pleasure spots.

Oh, hell yeah.
His muscles tight, he reached for her and ran one finger down the silken skin
of her cheek as her lips parted on a sigh. Yet the resistance he read in her
body language made his jaw clench.

“Caleb,” she whispered, shaking her
head. “We—we shouldn’t.”

Knowing he’d been her first lover filled
him with such a sense of possessiveness. Though it was his own damned fault
he’d lost her, he wanted to wipe away the imprint of any man who’d touched her
over the last six years
.
To have her under him again, show her all the
ways that she belonged to him, only him . . .

Gripping her gently by her upper arms,
he leaned in and nuzzled her slender neck, flicking his tongue at the rapid
pulse above her breasts.
Pleasure spot one
. At the sound of her sharp
inhale, he nipped gently on her shoulder and tugged her closer. “Rosie.” Her
name was a shudder on his lips.