His sister smoothed the skirt of her sundress and stepped back. “Now, I have to go announce my engagement.” She added a smile that reflected a touch of nerves. “Make nice, you two.”
As she sauntered away, Greta gave him a little gloating grin, as if she’d bested him.
Jack knew better. Greta could allow Laura’s cousin to stay in the main house, but he’d see to it Tracy got nowhere near Seth. His son was his whole world, and he’d protect him at all costs.
* * *
Tracy stood by herself in the cool marble foyer for long seconds after Jack gave her a warning glare and stomped off to join the party. She’d expected to have to sway Seth’s father to her idea, but she’d never imagined he’d be quite so hostile and suspicious of her.
Laura had said there was no love lost between them after the divorce. Jack took his wife’s leaving personally, she’d said. Understandable. Broken relationships had a way of being personal. But the wall Jack had erected to keep any hint of Laura or her memory out of his son’s life was overkill in Tracy’s estimation. She had her work cut out for her, breaking down his defenses and earning his trust.
Her head was telling her to run. Far and fast. She didn’t need any part of another overbearing alpha male just months after freeing herself from Cliff. But her heart was telling her Jack Colton’s bark wasn’t a reflection of the soul inside. Laura had said Jack was a loving man, a softhearted father and a protective husband before things had gone south for them. Protective, Tracy could certainly believe, and she chose to believe that the rest lay beneath the hard surface she’d seen today.
The lean and sexy surface. She fanned herself, despite having long ago cooled off in the frigid AC after their hike to the stable. The heat that swamped her now came from deep inside. A purely female reaction to shaggy dark brown hair, broad shoulders and green eyes that glittered with passion when their owner got riled.
A rustling noise in the hallway to her right drew Tracy’s attention, and she craned her neck to see what had caused the disturbance. She saw nothing at first, but when a side table with a large vase moved, rocking the vessel of flowers, she caught a glimpse of the boy who was the spitting image of Jack. “Seth?”
She stepped in that direction, sending the boy scurrying from his hiding place, jostling the side table again. The vase tipped forward, and Tracy rushed to catch it a split second before the crystal urn would have crashed to the floor. “Whoa! That was close.”
She smiled at the boy as she righted the vase on the table. “I can’t imagine your grandma would be too happy if that broke.”
He shook his head, wide-eyed. “I’d have got a whuppin’ for sure.”
“Your father spanks you?” Tracy frowned, bothered by the notion.
He shook his head again. “Not Daddy. But Pa Pa might’ve, since it’s Grandmother’s flower thing. Daddy says he used to get whuppin’s when he was bad.”
She was relieved to hear Jack didn’t spank his son, but tucked away the notion that Big J Colton had used corporal punishment on his. Discipline was one thing, but being all too familiar with domestic violence, Tracy worried where Big J might have drawn the line when spanking his grandson.
She made a mental note to investigate this further. If Seth was in any danger of harm, she’d do what it took to get him away from the Lucky C. For now she focused on the boy, her nephew, and gave him a friendly smile. “So you’re Seth, huh?”
He nodded. “Yeah.” Scrunching his nose, he corrected, “I mean, yes, ma’am.”
Tracy chuckled. “A polite young man. That’s nice.”
“Daddy says ’specting elders is important.” Seth rubbed his hand on his nose.
Tracy winced internally at being classified as an “elder.” With a wry half grin, she said, “Manners are a good habit. He’s right.”
Seth narrowed a wary look on her. “Greta said you knew my mom. That you’re...my family?”
Tracy caught her breath. Crouching to his level, she offered him another gentle smile. “You heard, huh?”
His eyes got big. “I wasn’t spyin’! Honest! I just...well, I...”
She dismissed his concern with a head shake. “It’s okay, hon. Yes, I knew your mom. She was my cousin. That makes you my cousin, too.”
His dark eyebrows rose. “Really?”
“I’m your cousin Tracy.” She held out a hand to him in greeting, but instead of a handshake, he slanted her a lopsided grin, stepped shyly closer and gave her a bear hug. Tracy’s heart somersaulted, then flooded with joy. She blinked back the sting of tears the boy’s warm greeting brought to her eyes, and embraced him back. His small body was slim but strong, and he smelled faintly of sweat and the last traces of a fresh soapy scent from his morning bath. Like his father, Seth wore his hair fairly shaggy, and it curled a bit from moisture at his neck.
“Cousin Tracy?” Seth backed out of their hug and wrinkled his nose.
Her chest filled to bursting as she heard him address her with the familial tag. “Yes, sweetie?”
“Why was my daddy mad at you?”
Her gut twisted. Just like that she was walking on eggshells, not wanting to cause problems, and handling delicate questions with the boy. “Well, I don’t know that he was so much mad as he was—”
“Yep, he was,” Seth said, nodding in certainty. “That was his mad voice, and he was all stiff, with his hands tight like this.” He demonstrated the way Jack had fisted his hands. “And his face was bumping like it does when he’s mad.”
She blinked. “Bumping?”
He pointed to his temple. “Right here. When Daddy gets mad, his head goes bump bump bump.”
She twisted her mouth as she deciphered the kid speak and decided Jack must have a blood vessel at his temple pulse point that throbbed when he was angry. “I see. Well...we had disagreed about something earlier, but it’s nothing you need to worry about. Okay?”
Seth skewed his lips in thought, then lifted a lean shoulder. “Okay.”
From the next room, Tracy her the clink of a utensil on glass and Big J’s booming voice calling for the attention of his guests.
“Sounds like it’s time for Greta’s big announcement. Want to go with me to watch?” She offered her hand to Seth, and he took it with a nod.
“It’s just about her and Mr. Mark gettin’ married. I already know that stuff, but I’ll take you in there.”
“Why, thank y—” Before she could finish, he was towing her toward the living room entrance. She stumbled a step or two as she rose too quickly from her crouch. Seth moved with a hurried, boy-like trot that had her hustling to keep up. When they reached the amassed guests in the living room, he wove his way among them, dragging Tracy by the hand and causing her to jostle through the crowd as he led her to the front of the assembly gathered around Greta, Mark and the senior Coltons. Embarrassed to have been so
