The Rancher's Dance by Allison Leigh Page B

gave him a thin look and deliberately stepped behind his daughter, neatly cutting off his exit. Then she bent her knees until she was on Shelby’s level. “I’m Lucy.” She stuck out her hand as if she were meeting an adult. “And it’s very nice to meet you, Shelby.”
    Shelby blinked a little, then shyly extended her ownhand. Lucy’s smile widened, revealing that dimple again, as they shook. Then she tugged on the rabbit’s fabric ear. “And who is this?”
    â€œGertrude,” Shelby answered so promptly that Beck nearly did a double take.
    â€œHello, Gertrude,” Lucy greeted the rabbit and shook one of the faded paws. “I’ll bet you and Shelby are the very best of friends.”
    Beck’s gut tightened again. “Come on, Shelby. I’ve still got some work to do before Grandpa gets back with Nick.” He held out his hand and his daughter obediently tucked her narrow fingers into his. He sidestepped around Lucy.
    â€œYou’re here to work?” Lucy straightened again, somehow managing yet again to block his exit.
    â€œWhat else would I be here for?”
    Her gaze flickered, and his head filled again with the way she’d felt the night before when he’d carried her to the couch.
    The way she’d felt.
    The way she’d looked.
    And the fact that he had looked, just as he did now.
    His hand tightened around Shelby’s. “Come on, peanut.”
    â€œWait.” Again Lucy stopped him. “What’s Shelby going to do?”
    His jaw was so tight that it felt like his molars were grinding to dust. “She has her books and toys.”
    â€œShe could stay here with me,” Lucy suggested, clearly not swayed by his abruptness. Her gaze slipped away from his to look at his daughter. “We could get to know each other.” She smiled at Shelby.
    â€œShe’ll be fine with me.” He took another step, but the resistance tugging at his hand was so unexpected that itpenetrated even his urgent desire to put some distance between him and the disturbing woman.
    He looked at his daughter. She was clutching the rabbit with her other hand and her lashes lifted enough to peep up at him. “I wanna stay.”
    His molars were definitely grinding together.
    It was a wonder all three of them couldn’t hear it.
    â€œLucy’s doing her own…work,” he said. “And she doesn’t need to be playing babysitter.”
    Shelby’s lashes swept down again. The corners of her lips turned down. “ Lucy can say well enough what she wants to do,” Lucy countered smoothly. “I’ve already offered.” She swept her hand above her head, then down to her side as she lowered into a small—and definitely goading—plié. “And my work, as you say, is pretty much done for the day.”
    He didn’t want to agree.
    It wasn’t particularly logical. He didn’t begrudge Shelby spending time away from him. She went to school. She went to her summer day camp. She had even—on a few rare occasions—spent the night at Annie Pope’s house.
    But he didn’t want her spending time with Lucy Buchanan.
    He looked from the glint in Lucy’s eyes to the disappointment in Shelby’s. And felt, too, the resistance in Shelby’s hand.
    How often did his daughter actually express what she wanted?
    He let go of her little hand. “Fine.” He didn’t let himself look back at Lucy. It was obvious that the woman wasn’t in danger of physically collapsing and he would be within shouting distance no matter what. “For an hour,” he warned his daughter, cutting short the time he’d planned to workand not caring one whit. “And then we’ll go home and see Nick.”
    Shelby’s eyes widened and looked up at him again. She nodded wordlessly.
    He turned away, only to stop dead when Lucy’s hand closed over his bare forearm.