style="font-size:15px;"> The smile faded as she shook her head.
“Yes, Miss Parker. Ruby, my niece, will be remaining with me, here at the ranch that she will one day inherit.”
“Ruby is also my niece, and I have a lovely home and a flourishing dress shop that she will one day inherit.”
“She won’t need it,” he said.
“Maybe she will want it.”
“That is something she can decide when the time is right.” Not giving her a chance to respond, he continued, “You said you brought her here for me to meet her. Well, I have, and I’ve decided she’s staying here.”
“No, she’s not. Anna entrusted her to me, and I shall honor my sister’s wishes. The same wishes I honored by bringing her here for you to meet.” Settling a solid glare, she continued, “You could have met her anytime over the past few years, if you weren’t so bullheaded.”
That was the pot calling the kettle black, but there was no need for him to point that out. However, he would gladly point out a few very important facts. “You aren’t forgetting that through his will my brother entrusted Ruby to me, are you? I’m not, and I plan to honor his wishes.”
“You didn’t even know she existed.”
Her hands were folded and resting in her lap. Compared with a few moments ago, she was so calm an uneasiness rippled across his shoulders.
“No, I didn’t,” he admitted. “Which is why I’d never met her. However, I know about her now, and as I stated before, because Anna died before Max, his will is the one that holds precedence. If you are questioning that, I can, and will, request a lawyer to examine the wills.”
“A lawyer who is a friend of yours, no doubt.”
She was still too calm. Shrewd. But calm. He had to respect that. Respect her. Despite his misgivings. “If you believe that is unfair, we can travel to Hays. There are several lawyers there as well as a district judge.”
A thoughtful expression tugged her brows together for a brief moment. “That, Mr. Callaway, might be the most brilliant suggestion you’ll ever make. A district judge would settle this once and for all.”
Another ripple crossed his shoulders, and he wasn’t sure why. “Yes, it would.”
“Then I believe that is what we should do.”
He stood. “Be prepared to travel to Hays tomorrow, Miss Parker.”
She stood and, with her nose in the air, nodded. “Ruby and I will be ready.”
“Ruby will remain here at the ranch.”
The way she pinched her lips together said she wanted to disagree, yet she didn’t. Without another word, she walked around the sofa and out the doorway.
His instincts were good, and they told him this wasn’t over. She hadn’t agreed Ruby would remain behind, nor argued the point on purpose. She wasn’t as clever as she thought. Come morning, he’d be prepared.
He walked as far as the doorway and watched her climb the staircase. Her steps were graceful while being purposeful. There, too, he found a bit of admiration for her. She knew he was watching her, yet didn’t let it show. There was more to Miss Janette Parker than he’d first assumed.
She’d soon discover there was more to him, too.
* * *
By the time she reached the top of the staircase, Janette figured there were two burned holes in the back of her borrowed dress. Her skin was most likely singed. Years of pleasing others had taught her how to maintain her composure. It had taken all she’d learned in the past to maintain control downstairs. However, it would also take more than an idle threat to scare her, and the sooner Gabe Callaway learned that, the better off they’d all be.
Leave Ruby here. Not a chance.
Not.
A.
Chance.
Fortified by her own confidence, Janette entered the bedroom. Her heart skipped a beat as her gaze landed on the bed. Lying on her side, Ruby had both arms wrapped around the black-and-white kitten. Her tiny chin was resting on the kitten’s head, and both were sound asleep.
Janette closed the door and quietly crossed the room to undress using only the moonlight shining in through the window. Traveling with a kitten wouldn’t be that difficult. In fact, it would make the trip that much more enjoyable for Ruby.
His suggestion to visit a judge had shocked her at first, but it was a very good idea. No judge would give a child to a man living miles away from the closest town, the closest school. A breath of satisfaction filled her. Upon a visit to the judge, all would be settled, and her duty to Anna and Max complete. She’d never need to see Gabe Callaway again. Ever.
Dressed in her nightgown, Janette was about to fold back the covers on the other side of the bed when a soft knock sounded on the door. She quietly crossed the room and pulled the door open just enough to peek through the crack.
“I brought you some more baking soda and vinegar,” Rosalie said. “You’ll want to put it on your neck again before turning in. The itching could strike again if you don’t.”
“I’d nearly forgotten about it,” Janette admitted, pulling the door wider. “Thank you.”
“Do you need help?”
“No, I can manage.” Janette took the tray from Rosalie’s hands. “But thank you again.”
“All right.” Nodding toward the bed, Rosalie said, “Sleeping like a babe.”
“They both are.”
“That baking soda paste will need to sit on your neck for a while to do any good, so I made you a cup of tea to drink. It’ll help you sleep, too.”
“Thank you very much,” Janette said.
“I’ll see you in the morning, then,” Rosalie said. “Good night.”
“Good night.” Janette carried the tray to the dresser and then returned to close the door. As the hairs on her arms rose, she turned slightly. Gabe was at the end of the hall and didn’t even pretend to appear as if he wasn’t watching her. She closed the door and felt for a key sticking out of the keyhole. There wasn’t one.
She crossed the room and collected the wooden-back chair from near the dressing table and carried it back to the door. After hooking the back of the chair beneath the doorknob, she made her way to the bed, where she crawled beneath the covers and refused, absolutely refused, to allow a single thought about Gabe to enter her mind.
He didn’t. But the itching did. Dang him. How could he have made her forget the poison ivy? She pushed aside the covers, swung her feet over the edge and then made her way to the dresser, where she coated her neck with the baking soda Rosalie had mixed into a paste. Then she carried the cup of tea to the chairs near the window and sat down in one to let the paste do its job.
The
