A Daddy for Dillon Read Online Free PDF Page B

table Leyla’s features were strained, to say the least.
    “I don’t expect an employer to take on my problems,” she said to Laramie. “And I would never ask for favors.”
    One little cat? Dear God, this young woman was either very independent, or hated accepting help from anyone, he thought. Or maybe she believed she had to make sacrifices in order for people to accept her.
    “Look, Leyla, I think you need to understand that around here everyone is like a big family and we try to help each other anyway that we can.”
    She stared at her plate and Laramie suddenly felt terrible. Not because he believed he’d sounded too rough on her, but because she seemed so utterly estranged from people.
    “We will only be here for a little while,” she said. “I do not intend to become a part of this family.”
    It was all Laramie could do to keep from slamming his fork down on the table and shouting at her. And if it hadn’t been for Dillon’s presence he probably would have. Which was crazy. This woman’s behavior or attitude shouldn’t be affecting him in any manner, but something about her made him more frustrated than he could remember being in a long time. What was it going to take, he wondered, to make her feel truly welcome and wanted here on the Chaparral?
    “Well, maybe you don’t, but little Dillon needs to be a part of it. Just because you want to be standoffish doesn’t mean he needs to follow his mother’s example.”
    Lifting her head she glared at him. “Dillon is my son. Not yours.”
    Laramie knew if he remained at the table, he was going to say something he’d regret. So he simply put his fork aside and rose to his feet.
    “Thanks for the meal. I’ve got work to do.” He gave Dillon an affectionate pat on the head, then quickly left the room.
    Dillon is my son. Not yours.
    Leyla had not only put him in his place, he thought, as he slowly trudged his way upstairs to his room, but she’d also made him see he was making a fool of himself. He’d allowed that little domestic scene back in the kitchen to set his mind to dreaming. But she’d jerked him awake real fast.
    He wasn’t a husband or a father, nor did he have any plans to be. And he should thank Miss Leyla Chee for reminding him of the fact.
    But as he entered his room and glanced at the queen-sized bed, he realized it had never looked quite so empty.

Chapter Three
    M uch later that night, Leyla sat in front of the television and tried to force her attention on the program on the screen, but her wandering thoughts made it impossible to follow the plot.
    Most likely she was going to be fired. After two short days and the trouble she’d taken to move from the res to this ranch, it was all going to be for naught. She’d never been fired from a job before. She’d always made sure that she worked hard, followed orders to a T and never shirked her responsibilities. She was very proud of her work ethic. But this evening she’d let a handsome man with a glib tongue provoke her. She figured Laramie had already phoned Quint Cantrell to let him know he was dissatisfied with the new cook.
    Well, there was always a first time for everything, she thought dismally, and she couldn’t let it get her down. She’d been in far worst predicaments. Like being in a freezing car, stranded miles away from civilization, with labor pains tearing her right down the middle. Through that ordeal there had been moments when she’d truly believed she and her baby would die. Now, years later, she didn’t dwell on those long, fearful hours. Sometimes she drew strength from them. After all, she’d survived and grown stronger from that trial.
    With a rueful sigh, she left her seat on the couch and walked into the bedroom where Dillon lay sleeping on a narrow twin bed.
    She didn’t understand why her son had taken such a liking to Laramie Jones. Up until yesterday, he’d pretty much shunned men in general. Even Dr. Kenoi, who worked at the Apache medical clinic and