“A Family for the Rancher” by M. K. Stelmack

Excerpt 1
Mateo.
He got out of the vehicle as if he had all the time in the world, took a
good long gander around as if the Jansson homestead was a stop on
some kind of tour. She slammed her door shut and came around the
hood. “This is,” she said, “about the worst-possible time for you to pay
a visit. Dad’s not here, the guy working for us can’t be reached and I’m
heading to the hospital.”
“Why?”
She pointed to Bump. “Guess.”
“Alone?”
“What does it look like to you?”
“I can give you a ride.”
“You can’t. I’ve got the car seat in this truck.”
“I’ll drive your truck, then.”
“Then how will you get back?”
He took in a bit more of the Jansson ranch, as if she’d pointed out
interesting aspects of the house and yard he should note before he
finally looked back to her. “Haley, consider it as a way of thanking you
for the supper last night.”
Haley sucked in her breath. He had noticed. He had come back to his
old home.
Mateo crossed to her and held out his hand. There were calluses
along the pads, and the thumb jutted out as she remembered. She’d
never held his hand, even though they’d kissed.
“Keys?” he prompted.
Of course. She was as stupid as they come. Looking to hold a man’s
hand—the same man who’d treated their friendship like old chewing
gum—while about to give birth to the child of a man who’d deserted
her the day he discovered he was about to become a father. She sure
knew how to pick them.
She slapped the keys into his hand. “Fine,” she said and jerked open
the passenger door. “Let’s do this.”

Excerpt 2
She giggled. “Are you giving your mom ’tude already?”
“I wonder where he’d get that from?” Mateo said. He thought he’d
spoken softly, but the baby gave a startle reflex, his tiny hands splaying
out. Mateo didn’t think. He held his finger out, and the baby grabbed
on. A feeling of power and peace and absolute terror spread through
him.
He could only imagine what Haley was experiencing. Her eyes were
on him, and she smiled quietly. “Pretty cool, eh?”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah.”
He wiggled his finger as if in a handshake. “Hello there. My name is
Mateo. What’s yours?”
There was a slight hesitation from Haley, and then she said, “Mateo,
I’d like you to meet my son, Jonah Knut Jansson.”
Mateo looked at her in surprise. “But that’s—”
“Your middle name. I know. I’ve always liked that name—and it’s not
as if you’re the only one who has it, you know. I’m not naming him
after you, just so we’re clear on that.”
They hadn’t seen each other in twelve years before today, so he
believed her. Still. He thumbed baby Jonah’s brand-new soft hand.
Still.

Excerpt #3
Haley gave Mateo a second look. His eyes were on Jonah. Ever since
he’d started working here, it seemed his attention swung to Jonah like
metal to a magnet. She was simply the thing that fed and dressed her
son. How much was Mateo here for her and how much he was here to
soak up Jonah? “How do you know I haven’t been out here before?”
Mateo dragged his gaze to hers and gave her a dry look. “There’s not
much that goes on out here I don’t know about.”
He had a point. He practically lived and breathed these cattle. In
fact, he’d temporarily moved into Brock’s old quarters attached to the
house via a carport. From the nursery window at night, she would
watch Mateo leave with a flashlight to check on the cows. It had given
her an odd feeling of companionship and also relief to know that all
was in hand.
A feeling she shouldn’t get used to at all.