Daddy Lessons

I’m all she’s got, and really, I’m glad. I want to claim her as my daughter.”

Kate thought that was admirable. Many men would have tried their best to get out of the responsibility of raising an eight-year-old. “This will really change your life.”

“Exactly!” Travis said, straightening and, in the process, moving a little closer. “I’ve never thought about children much. I’ve never been around them, since I’m an only child and most of my friends are single. So I’m going to need some help. Your help.”

Kate knew her surprise showed on her face. “My help? What are you talking about?”

Dear Reader,

With mixed emotions I have written the last Harlequin American Romance novel set in Ranger Springs, Texas. I really love these characters and wanted to tell the story of two people who start over in the Hill Country, finding more than they anticipated. I also love the town of Ranger Springs, the people who “live” there, and other stories I have written about them. So although there won’t be new stories, I hope you will revisit the friends and families who found their perfect match and began a new life in this friendly town. The Fourth of July committee, which has been planning throughout seven books, finally got their parade!

Kate Wooten, sister of Travis Whitaker from Coming Home to Texas, is now divorced and starting over with her six-year-old son. She’s a schoolteacher and former soccer mom—not the kind of woman “retired” stuntman and animal trainer Luke Simon is interested in. That is, until he needs someone to give him lessons on how to be a daddy to his newly discovered eight-year-old daughter. Kate is the perfect teacher for this job, but he soon realizes he can’t keep their relationship professional. Kate must decide if she will risk her heart one more time for the right man, to create a new family.

As you read Daddy Lessons, I hope you will consider the plight of unwanted animals, whether they are the retired performance animals that Luke cares for or the thousands of pets in shelters or on the streets. I give special thanks to D. J. Schubert of the Black Beauty Ranch, run by The Fund for Animals in Murchison, Texas. What a wonderful sanctuary and what a giving man, who answered all my questions.

Best wishes to everyone, and happy reading.

Victoria Chancellor

Daddy Lessons

Victoria Chancellor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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In loving memory of my mother-in-law, Lillian Huffstutler, 1919-2005, who supported and loved me like a daughter. We miss you so much, Sudie.

Books by Victoria Chancellor

HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE

844—THE BACHELOR PROJECT

884—THE BEST BLIND DATE IN TEXAS

955—THE PRINCE’S COWBOY DOUBLE

959—THE PRINCE’S TEXAS BRIDE

992—THE C.E.O. & THE COOKIE QUEEN

1035—COMING HOME TO TEXAS

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Prologue

Kate loved sharing a meal with her son Eddie, her brother Travis and his family at the Four Square Café. The decor was a little outdated, even by the current retro standards, the menu a bit heavy on carbs, sugar and fats, and the service not nearly as speedy as the fast-food place on the highway. But the waitresses were friendly, the food delicious and the company the best she’d had in years.

Since about six months into her marriage with her lying, cheating ex-husband Ed, to be exact.

“Here you go,” Charlene Jacks said as she delivered a tray of burgers and fries to the table.

“Thanks, Charlene,” Travis said. He handed a plate to his wife Jodie, which she immediately passed to Eddie.

“Thank you, Aunt Jodie.”

Kate smiled at her six-year-old son, the light of her life, who’d thankfully remembered his manners. Her divorce and Ed’s subsequent desertion had been especially hard on their son—not that Ed had ever been an involved parent. He’d never been the kind of father that Travis was already with his infant daughter, Marsha.

“Earth to Kate,” Travis said, interrupting her thoughts in the same way he had when they were children. He held out her plate. “If you’re not hungry…”

“Oh, no you don’t. I’ll take that right now.” When she’d lived the suburban lifestyle, she’d enjoyed all the trendy chain restaurants. Now she was happy with simpler fare…even if she did sometimes miss a good grilled chicken caesar salad.

“You folks need anything else?” Charlene asked.

“We’re great, thanks,” Travis said, and Kate smiled up at her while Jodie adjusted Marsha’s pacifier.

As Charlene moved away from the table, the sunlight flooding through the front window of the café made Kate squint. And then she noticed something that made her eyes open wide. Something she hadn’t seen in Ranger Springs in the two months she’d lived here.

The heavy blub-blub-blub of the motorcycle engine died as the bike came to a stop across the street, facing the gazebo in the middle of the town square. With the rider’s back to her, she worked her gaze up from his heavy boots to his faded, tight jeans, past the black leather jacket to the dark, too-long hair that blew in the cool breeze.

He threw his muscular leg over the seat and stepped away from the bike. Kate caught her breath. Wow.

“Kate! Do you want your lunch or not?”

She blinked, moving her focus from the scene outside the window to Travis. “Yes, I want…lunch,” she said in a slightly shaky voice. She absolutely did not want to stare at the bona-fide bad boy on the big motorcycle.

“Are you okay?” Jodie asked, placing a hand on Kate’s forearm.

“I’m fine. I just saw…I wonder who that is. He doesn’t exactly look like a local.”

“Who?”

Jodie and Travis both turned toward the window. Travis narrowed his eyes, a sure sign he was getting all protective. “No, he’s not local.”

“Like I would have missed him,” Jodie added, then smiled at Travis’s deepening frown.

Kate grinned. She loved the way her brother and sister-in-law teased each other, argued in a good-natured way and made up with lots of love. She and Ed—the lying, cheating rat—had never developed that type of relationship.

“Who, Mommy?” Eddie asked.

“Just some man on a motorcycle,” Kate replied casually, then looked back out the window. The man who’d just breezed into town didn’t resemble the local guys at all. They wore snap-front Western shirts, the softer, looser jeans made for riding horses, not Harleys, and cowboy or work boots. They definitely didn’t look like…that.

The man was walking toward the restaurant, as though he’d sensed her ogling him. Not that she was exactly ogling. She was a thirty-two-year-old divorced mother without a steady job or a permanent place to live. She owned a few pieces of furniture, a couple of suitcases of clothes and a few boxes of personal belongings. Until she found a job, hopefully teaching school, she was officially unemployed, although she did substitute teach whenever possible. She didn’t have the luxury of ogling strange men.

Still, her heart thumped as he opened the door of the café. The bell overhead tinkled, drawing the attention of everyone in the place. He brought in the crisp winter air and the smell of well-worn leather. Or perhaps she just imagined the leather. One thing she wasn’t imagining was her shocking appreciation for a one-hundred-percent male. No, make that one-hundred-percent off-limit male.

“Hey, Luke,” Hank McCauley called out from across the room. From the corner of her eye, Kate saw him rise from his booth and head toward the biker.

“Hank.” The man’s soft, deep voice fit his persona as well as his white T-shirt molded his pecs and abs. He walked right by them but didn’t look over. Didn’t politely smile or nod as most of the locals did. Didn’t even notice she’d been practically drooling, despite her mental efforts to curb her unexpected reaction.

The last thing she needed right now was an attraction to a man. She didn’t have the time, energy or confidence to start a relationship. And then there was Eddie. She needed to be both mother and father to him now that Ed was out of the picture. Now that their lives had been turned upside down.

“Your hamburger’s getting cold, sis,” Travis said in a warning tone.

Just then Charlene approached their table and mentioned, as she refilled their iced tea, “He’s Hank’s friend from California. Hank said he’d be in sometime around noon. Rode all the way to Texas on his Harley.”

“California?” Jodie asked. “I wonder where. I’ll have to find out.”

“It’s a big state,” Travis said in a slightly peeved tone. “Just because you’re from the same state doesn’t mean he’s your new best friend.”

“Jealous, darling?” she teased.

Travis snorted. “Of him? Hardly.”

“I think he’s a very attractive man,” Charlene added. “Not for me, of course. I mean in general. He looks like a movie star, but Hank said he’s a stuntman and a trainer.”

Personal or animal?

“Wow, a stuntman,” Eddie said. “I know what they do.”

Oh, great. Looked as though she was going to have a serious case of hero worship. That, combined with her own wandering thoughts, meant they’d all better avoid the newcomer. “I’m sure he’s just taking a short vacation.” Probably a vacation from all the gorgeous Hollywood women chasing after him.

“According to Hank, he’s bought 640 acres, an old ranch just out of town,” Charlene said, then grinned. “Travis, he’s your new neighbor!”

Neighbor? That would be bad. Very, very bad. Kate swallowed the lump in her throat with a big drink of iced tea, vowing to have a long talk with Eddie when they got home about how they needed to not bother their new neighbor, at least until he had time to get settled in. And they knew more about him. By then, maybe she could be objective. Maybe she’d even convince herself that she could tell a good guy from a bad one without spending years being married to him.

Eddie swiveled in his chair and watched the newcomer with way too much interest. Yes, she and Eddie both needed to stay away from their new neighbor. She only hoped she could follow her own advice.

Chapter One

Luke leaned against the sturdy new fence that defined the pasture for Lola and Lollipop, two cantankerous zebras; Spot and Potsy, two arthritic Shetland ponies; and Gordon the ill-tempered donkey. Beneath a row of hackberry trees near the driveway, two swayback snowy white horses stood side by side, lazily swishing their tails in unison.

He’d moved to this small town in the Texas Hill Country for just this reason—an affordable place with a good climate where he could provide a “retirement” home for unwanted animals. Where they—and he—could live in peace and quiet. Land in California had been too expensive. So he’d come back to Texas, to the town where his friend Hank McCauley lived, even though this particular place wasn’t Luke’s hometown, not that he thought of any particular place as home.

Besides, he didn’t need a hometown. He was a grown man who could take care of himself. These animals didn’t have anywhere to go except a slaughterhouse or rendering plant.

The sound of barking reminded him that he should feed the Jack Russell terriers in their run near the barn. But first he needed to make sure his inquisitive little neighbor got back through the fence—the one that divided his property from Travis Whitaker’s ranch.

Ever since the animals had begun arriving from California, Oklahoma and Colorado, Eddie Wooten had started visiting Luke’s property. He hid behind the newly painted barn, lurked behind shrubby Mesquite trees and sneaked between the hackberry trees in the fencerow. When he figured Luke wasn’t looking, he’d coax the animals to him with carrots and apples. The same scenario had occurred at least a half-dozen times, enough that Luke was now on the lookout for one little boy.

If Eddie stayed on his side of the fence, Luke wouldn’t worry. But the boy was fearless when it came to animals—especially Lola and Lollipop—and put himself in danger by walking into the pasture. Eddie could be accidentally bitten, stepped on or knocked down.

He tried to remember himself as a child, but the image wouldn’t form. Sometimes he thought he’d been born at age fourteen. Had he ever been as inquisitive as Eddie? As naive?

Luke winced at the memory of Kate Wooten arriving at his ranch the last time the boy had strayed over. She’d been tense and worried and yet more beautiful than he remembered from the first time he’d seen her. She’d held Eddie to her briefly, assured herself that he was uninjured, and then soundly chastised him for running off. She’d told him that he absolutely could not come here again, that he had to stay away from the animals. Then she’d turned those wide gray eyes on Luke and apologized for her son’s impulsive, inappropriate behavior.

He’d never heard childish curiosity called “inappropriate” behavior before. Only later had he discovered, through an innocent conversation with Gwendolyn McCauley at the local café, that Kate was an elementary school teacher. She was one classy lady, and obviously well educated. Her reserved attitude and the fact that she stuck around only long enough to retrieve her son made their differences real obvious.

He’d gruffly told her that her son should stay on his side of the fence because any animal could be dangerous, even one that looked perfectly harmless. She’d looked at him in horror for an endless moment, then bundled off Eddie without another word. Luke had barely seen her since. Certainly hadn’t spoken to her.

She apparently found him even more frightening than his animals.

Eddie cleared the fence and ran in the direction of the Whitaker house. Or more specifically, the Whitaker garage, where he lived in the apartment upstairs with his mother.

Luke didn’t want to dwell on the attractive but uptight sister of his coolly polite neighbor. Travis wasn’t hostile, but he seemed suspicious of Luke and the Last Chance Ranch. It really didn’t matter because Luke owned the land and was here to stay, regardless of what the locals thought or said.

Just as he turned away to walk back to the house, a truck pulled off the rural road into the long driveway, past his house to the large barn. His feed shipment had arrived. When the driver, a young man named Lester Boggs, stopped and rolled down the window, Luke told him, “Pull on around to the barn door. I’ll help you unload.”

“You runnin’ some kind of zoo?” Lester asked as they piled up the sacks of feed.

“Not exactly.”

“Aunt Joyce said Hank told her and Thelma you used to work in Hollywood.”

“I did a little animal training. A little stunt work.”

“You ever do any stunts for Ben Affleck?”

“Not that I can remember.”

“Johnny Depp?”

“Not really.”

The other man seemed disappointed. Well, too bad. Luke didn’t believe in living his life in public. Hank had warned him people would be curious about any newcomer. A newcomer with a menagerie of animals…that caused extra speculation. Luke didn’t care, as long as he wasn’t bothered.

The previous owner hadn’t taken good care of the ranch. All the animals except a few half-wild barn cats had been sold long ago. The place was as close to deserted as Luke had ever seen. His first priorities had been the barn and fences. Everything else could wait.

“Why would you want a bunch of old animals?” Lester asked as they worked on the hay bales. Next year Luke planned to grow his own crop of coastal Bermuda, but for now he needed to buy hay locally.

“I like them,” Luke said, hooking another bale. “They spent their lives performing in circuses, films, animal acts. They’ve earned a retirement, but some of them were going to be put down because they weren’t useful anymore. He felt his anger build at the injustice. “Some were wasting away without food or shelter. I’m giving them a home for as long as they live.”

Lester looked at him as though he were nuts. “Whatever you say, Mr. Simon,” he said cautiously.

Luke didn’t respond. He’d had no intention of talking about himself to strangers. And as far as he was concerned, almost everyone here was a stranger, even if he did know their names and where they lived. Even if they were neighbors.

KATE STOPPED LOADING the washing machine when she saw the telltale burrs on her son’s fleece pullover. “Oh, Eddie.” He’d been in the pasture where he’d been forbidden to venture.

“Hey, Kate,” Jodie, looking gorgeous in a coral athletic suit, said from the doorway of the downstairs laundry room. Jodie, a plus-size model who had a clothing line and a fragrance, and Travis had been married for almost a year. Their daughter was just beginning to teethe—still far too young to be slipping away on her own to get into trouble.

“Hi, Jodie,” Kate replied, trying to coax some enthusiasm into her voice.

“What’s wrong?”

“My son. Our neighbor. Everything.”

“Surely it’s not that bad,” Jodie said sympathetically, leaning her hip against the dryer.

Kate held the garment briefly to her chest. “I’m frustrated that I can’t stop Eddie from running over to our neighbor’s ranch to see those odd animals. He could be injured by Travis’s huge longhorn cattle along the way. He could fall and hurt himself—hit his head on a rock or break his leg. And how would anyone know?”

“Would you feel better if Travis moved the cattle for now? Or would you like to find someplace else to live? You know Travis offered to rent you a house closer to the school.”

“No, I don’t want to put him out any more than I already have.”

“It’s no trouble.”

“That’s nice of you to say, but giving me free rent and worrying along with me over Eddie’s excursions across the fence are enough for now. Besides, I’ll be on my feet soon. I hope.”

Jodie came over and gave her a hug. Kate felt like throwing her arms around her sister-in-law and sobbing into her shoulder. But she wouldn’t. Jodie was too kindhearted, and Kate knew her melancholy was temporary. Or at least she hoped it was.

She pulled back and sniffed. “I’m sorry. I’m just down right now. I…I’m obviously not doing something right. Sometimes, especially when I spend a little too much time alone thinking, I wonder if I’m doing anything right.”

“Of course you are! We all love you. And Eddie is a great kid, even if he is a little too adventurous at times.”

“He is a great kid, but I wonder how much is my doing. I mean, I married the wrong man, allowed him to take care of me financially if not emotionally, and closed my eyes to both his unscrupulous investment decisions and his philandering. I’ve never worked outside the home, never even considered that I needed credit in my own name. I was blind and dumb to my lying, cheating husband until everything in my ‘perfect’ world came tumbling down.”

“You’re being way too hard on yourself.”

Kate shook her head. “It’s all true. And now I’m responsible for everything—Eddie’s health and welfare, his education and development. I need to run a household on almost no money, because about all I can do is substitute teach until I get a permanent job.” Kate sniffed again. “I’m sorry, Jodie. I’m just having a little pity party down here in the laundry room. I didn’t mean to burden you.”

“We keep telling you it’s no burden. We love you, Kate. We’ve never used the garage apartment, so you’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like, until you and Eddie get tired of us and want to move away.”

Kate attempted a shaky smile. “You’re too nice.”

In a moment of brash confidence, she’d decided not to take any more handouts from her oil-wealthy father and successful architect brother. She’d taken enough “handouts” from Ed without considering the consequences. No, she needed to succeed on her own merits, as much as possible, as long as Eddie’s health or happiness wasn’t compromised. Living rent-free over Travis’s garage in a nice but small apartment helped tremendously, even though the few pieces of heirloom furniture she’d managed to keep after the estate sale seemed lonely and sad against the stark white walls and light wood flooring.

“It’s just that I’ve always thought of myself as a homemaker and a mother, not a sole provider,” she explained to Jodie. “Although I know how important it is to be independent, sometimes I feel that I can’t do this alone.”

“Yes, you can.” Jodie gave Kate a fierce hug. “Besides, you’re not alone. You have us, for better or for worse. And everyone in town loves you.”

Kate nodded even as she thought of one person who wasn’t so fond of her inquisitive son—their neighbor Luke Simon. Still, she hugged Jodie back and felt better now that she’d expressed her fears. She wasn’t a wimp. She would get a job and she would be strong for Eddie.

“Okay, I’ll leave you alone with the laundry. I just came down to tell you that we’re going into town. Travis needs to stop by the hardware store, then we’re joining Hank and Gwendolyn for an early dinner at Bretford House. We’d love for you and Eddie to join us.”

“I’m not sure. He’s still napping after his little visit to the pasture.” Talking about Eddie brought Kate’s thoughts back to their neighbor. Luke could be at the hardware store, or just around town…or with Hank and Gwendolyn for dinner out. Ever since that first nonmeeting at the café, Kate had been unexpectedly conscious of him. She could barely talk to him, even to apologize for her son’s transgressions. The man flustered her more than she’d been flustered in a long, long time.

“Oh? Did he cross the fence again?”

Kate held up the shirt. “There’s evidence he did, though I didn’t get a call.” Kate sighed. “I don’t know why Eddie’s so interested in those animals.”

“Oh, come on, Kate. Zebras in the Texas Hill Country? A floppy-eared donkey and two matching white horses? Of course he’s curious. I just wish he’d listen to our warnings. Like you said, he walks—or runs, probably—across our pasture with those longhorns out there. They seem gentle, but those horns are deadly.”

“I know. He loves being outdoors. I had to be so protective when we lived on a busy street in the suburbs. I’d hate to confine him to the apartment here.”

“No, you can’t do that. Children need time to play. It’s too bad he’s such a sneaky escape artist—and I mean that in the nicest way.”

Kate laughed as she stuffed the shirt into the washer. “I know exactly what you mean. Wait until Marsha starts crawling and walking. You’ll get a real workout then.”

“Speaking of workouts, I’d better change. Bretford House isn’t formal, but I don’t like to go there dressed like I should be in yoga class or going for a jog.”