Daddy Lessons. Victoria Chancellor

being ridden,” Luke explained. “Besides, zebras are wild animals. They want to buck whenever they feel weight on their back. That’s why people don’t ride them in Africa, where they’re from. Over there, the wild zebras buck off the lions and other predators who try to eat them.”

      “Wow. I didn’t know that,” Eddie said.

      Listening to Luke Simon was a lot like watching a very sexy host on the Discovery Channel. Except none of the hosts were as appealing as this newcomer.

      “So, even if Lola—that’s the zebra’s name—didn’t have arthritis, you still couldn’t ride her. She’s wild.”

      “But why do you have wild animals?” Eddie asked.

      “Because Lola and Lollipop, her friend, used to work in a small circus where they pulled a chariot. They went round and round the ring for many years until they got too old. They didn’t have anywhere else to go, so they came to live with me and the other animals. Now they can eat grass and have a nice retirement.”

      “Just like Grandpa Whitaker moved to Hilton Head.”

      Kate suppressed a laugh. Her father wouldn’t take kindly to his lifestyle being compared to that of two aging zebras, especially with his younger wife, his golf games and tennis matches. “Sort of, but don’t tell him that.”

      “Okay. I’m ready to go home now.”

      Kate stood and took Eddie’s hand. “Are you sure you don’t mind taking us home?” she asked Luke.

      “No, as long as your brother doesn’t come after me.”

      “Why would you say that?”

      “He doesn’t like me.”

      “He’s overprotective and he doesn’t know you.”

      Luke’s eyebrows rose as if asking, “And you do?”

      Kate shrugged at the unspoken question and led Eddie toward the door. “Whatever Travis says, I’m grateful for your help. I couldn’t have gotten Eddie here so quickly or easily without you.”

      “I’m glad I was home.”

      Kate paused as he unlocked the truck. “I hope we didn’t interrupt your visitors…again.”

      “No, they’re gone.”

      Good, she felt like saying, but she didn’t. She absolutely refused to be petty, especially about a man she barely knew.

      She helped Eddie into the seat and buckled him up. “I’m sure you’re very busy, though.” Although Luke had been much nicer and more concerned than she would have expected, he had his own life to lead.

      She knew so little about him. She’d imagined much more about him than she should have, first thinking him self-possessed to the point of arrogance. In reality, he was very nice. Perhaps even a little shy. And awfully concerned about Eddie, instead of being angry.

      Which made him even more endearing. Darn it. She didn’t need this. Her responsibility to provide for herself and Eddie, combined with her need to stand on her own two feet for the first time, made having any interest in a man a very bad idea. And when she did decide to date again, she would be smart to start with someone less exciting and tempting than Luke Simon.

      She definitely needed dating training wheels, not a wild ride on a Harley.

      Luke paused after inserting the key, his look again pensive. “It’s not so much that I’m busy. I’ve got some things on my mind.”

      “I’m sorry to be such a bother.”

      “You’re not a bother. That’s not what I meant.”

      “Still—”

      “Don’t worry about it,” he said, cranking the engine. He put the truck in reverse and turned to look behind him, then paused and watched her intently. “I’m working on a solution,” he said before driving toward the ranch.

      Chapter Four

      Luke straightened the collar of his white cotton shirt, the only one in his closet that was pressed. He’d waited a whole day to come to see Eddie, hoping the little boy was feeling better, and that Kate wouldn’t hold a grudge against Luke or his zebra.

      She could be the answer to all his problems.

      She was a mother, an elementary school teacher and a woman with a lot of class. If anyone could help him clean up his act, Kate Wooten was the one. She could explain what toys a little girl would like, what sorts of things weren’t safe for kids, what kind of behavior was proper and how he needed to decorate the house. So much to learn, so little time before he needed approval to take custody of Brittany.

      But as much as he wanted to get his plan in action, he didn’t think he should come right out and ask Kate for help. For one thing, she didn’t know him very well. Until Eddie tried to ride a zebra, Kate had seemed a bit…standoffish. He’d assumed she was snobby, but maybe she was just unsure of him, his animals and his ranch. Mostly him.

      Even though he didn’t have much time, she needed to feel more comfortable around him first. He hoped he could make a good impression today, and move quickly to gain her cooperation. Brittany was expecting him to be her father in more than name only. They’d talked on the phone several times, and she was already making plans. Already telling him her wishes for the future.

      He felt overwhelmed by the hopes of an eight-year-old.

      He opened the door of his pickup, looking up toward the garage apartment, feeling as though he’d “come calling,” one of the lines of dialogue he remembered from a Western film. He snatched the small bag he’d brought for Eddie from the seat and stepped out.

      At that moment Travis’s wife, Jodie, came out the back door of their house onto the wooden deck running halfway to the garage. In her arms she held a baby, maybe six months old. Luke remembered hearing that Jodie Marsh Whitaker was a famous model. Right now she looked very ordinary in a good way, dressed in jeans and a pink sweatshirt, her blond hair in a ponytail.

      “Hello, Mr. Simon,” she greeted him with a smile. “Are you here to see Kate?”

      “Luke, please, Mrs. Whitaker.”

      She laughed. “Jodie, please.”

      He grinned despite his intention not to warm up to Travis Whitaker’s family. “Jodie, then.” He shut the truck’s door and took a step toward the deck. “I came to check on Eddie.”

      “He’s doing fine, but he has a heck of a bruise.”

      “I’m sure he does.”

      “How’s the zebra?”

      “Seems to be fine.”

      Jodie nodded, shifting the baby on her hip. “I’m sure Kate is home. Why don’t you go on up? She lives over the garage for now. Just until she gets back on her feet.”

      Ah, yes. The divorce. “Thanks, Jodie.” Before he turned away, he saw her husband exit the house and stand behind her on the deck, arms crossed over his chest. Travis was a big guy, one Luke wouldn’t want to cross—unless he had to. He wasn’t sure why Travis didn’t like him, but Luke wouldn’t let that stop him from visiting Kate or putting his plan into action.