He did, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to admit that to Noah. In the course of a few weeks, she’d somehow become an important part of their lives. Lia was great with Noah. His son loved being the center of her caring attention and was quickly forming an attachment to Lia that wouldn’t be easily broken. And that was fast becoming a problem.
“Dad—”
“Okay, I’ll call,” Duran said, avoiding answering Noah’s question. “But I can’t promise she’ll say yes.”
Lia had given him her cell number but she sounded surprised he’d used it, asking immediately if something was wrong. “I was on my way out there for the party, but I can meet you in town if there’s a problem.”
“There’s not. One of your admirers just wanted to know if you were coming by the ranch today, but since you’ve answered that question, we’re good.”
He could almost hear her smile and with it, relax. “Well, it’s nice to know I have admirers. Tell Noah I’m looking forward to seeing him.”
“How about Noah’s dad?” he asked.
“Him, too,” she admitted softly. “I’ll be there soon.”
By the time she arrived, little less than an hour later, it was nearly five, most everyone else had arrived, and behind the big ranch house the talking, laughter and music signaled the party was well underway. Duran, finding himself in a group with Sawyer, his wife Maya and several of their friends from the fire department where Sawyer worked, was trying to remember all the introductions while keeping a watchful eye on Noah, playing a short distance away.
Within ten minutes of them walking into the party, his son had been drawn into a group of children around his age that included Sammy and the two Gonzalez brothers, sons of the doctor Maya worked with at the town’s wellness clinic. They were all now engrossed in building various structures out of sticks and rocks for an eclectic assortment of action figures. Noah looked happy and busy and Duran thought that, if nothing else, this trip had given his son a chance to forget his problems for a while and enjoy being a kid.
“Oh, there’s Lia,” Maya said, pulling Duran’s attention from Noah. She smiled and waved Lia in their direction. Duran found himself watching her, momentarily oblivious to everyone around him, as she made her way toward him.
She wore low-riding jeans and sandals and a tiny, deep-gold sleeveless top, and she’d left her hair loose so it framed her face, straight and smooth. She smiled for him first before greeting everyone else, the smile slipping momentarily when she recognized one of the men in the group.
“Hi, Tonio, I haven’t seen you for a while.”
He nodded, his return smile brief. “Likewise. How’ve you been?”
“Fine. Busy. How about you?”
“The same. I’m surprised to see you here, though. You’ve usually got some reason to be working.”
The last came out with a touch of reproach and although Duran didn’t understand the silent meaning behind it, the man’s tone irritated him. “Today she’s got some reason to be here,” he said as he casually slid his arm around her waist.
The gesture had everyone looking at the two of them with mixed surprise and speculation, Maya and Sawyer in particular. Lia, a little flushed, glanced at him but didn’t attempt to move away.
“I see,” Tonio finally said, and might have added something else, but a woman and another couple walked up, the woman leaning into his arm as Tonio smiled down at her.
Sawyer introduced her as Rita Pérez, and the conversation turned to some planned group outing, but Duran was only half listening. He was watching Lia, her strained smile and the stiffness in her shoulders telling him she was uncomfortable with the situation. He hoped he hadn’t made things worse with his impulse to defend her.
“You haven’t said hi to Noah yet,” he said to her. “He’ll want to know you’re here.”
When they’d made their excuses and were out of earshot of the others, Lia stopped and turned to him. “Thanks, but you didn’t have to do that. Any of it,” she added.
He wanted to ask who Tonio Peña was to her and the undercurrent of animosity that ran between them, but it wasn’t any of his business. Instead he said, “No, but you looked like you needed a reprieve.”
“I appreciate it, but now you’re going to have put up with us being the new topic of gossip around town. You’ve probably had more than your fair share of attention already since everyone’s found out you’re Jed’s son. I hate being the reason you’re going to get more. It’s the last thing you need.”
“I’ll survive,” he said, shrugging it off. “Besides, I’d rather be talked about for being seen with a beautiful woman than for being Jed Garrett’s long lost son.”
She smiled at that. “I’m still sorry. But I can’t say I was disappointed to get away from that group.” Hesitating, she seemed to debate with herself for a moment then sighed. “Tonio and I were—” she gestured, grasping for the right word “—together, for almost a year. It didn’t end very well.”
“I’m sorry. I know what that’s like.”
Her gaze slid away from his. “It wasn’t quite the same. He’s a good guy, and if I’d given him a chance, we might have…” She shook her head. “We’d been dating for a while and he wanted to move in together, to make things more permanent. I just—I didn’t think it would work. He finally gave up and walked out.” When she looked up at him again, her expression was regretful. “Fair warning, I’m lousy at relationships.”
“My mother used to tell me people who say that just haven’t found the right one.” He kept his tone deliberately light, disguising the uneasiness her confession had stirred in him. She was telling him that she wasn’t good at commitment and from the few things she’d said about her parents, he’d gathered that unlike him, she’d never had an example to follow, had never learned to value steadfast devotion and love. In that, she wasn’t so very different from his ex, though Amber had never shown the depth of caring and concern for others that Lia did.
“If I ever found the right one, he’d be smart enough to run the opposite direction,” Lia said with a short laugh, but it was layered with regrets and a touch of sorrow.
Instinctively, he wanted to reach out to her again, to offer comfort for all the past pain that had put those shadows in her eyes. She didn’t let him, but, catching sight of Noah, went over to say hi, kneeling down to accept a hug and listen with apparently rapt interest as Noah and his new friends gave her a detailed explanation of their construction project.
“Noah seems to have made a lot of new friends,” a voice spoke up behind him. Duran turned to find Aria and Cruz next to him. Aria nodded toward Lia, who was now examining one of Noah’s action figures. “Lia’s such a kid magnet. It’s no wonder she’s so terrific at her job.” She glanced at Duran, mischief in her smile. “From what I hear, she’s made an impression on you, too.”
“Don’t start,” Cruz warned. “You’re getting as bad as Maya with the matchmaking attempts.”
Aria leaned back against her husband and he took her in his arms, their hands linked over the prominent curve of her belly. “Sorry,” she told Duran. “I blame being pregnant. It’s turned me into a sappy romantic.”
“You were always a sappy romantic,” Cruz murmured, brushing a kiss on her temple.
“Says you.”
“When’s the baby due?” Duran asked them.
“The end of August. Although with our track record, he’ll probably be early or late.” Aria laughed at Duran’s questioning look. “So far nothing about Cruz and me has gone according to any plan, Mateo included.”
“But