opinions, the more exasperated he became. "I'll tell you when you
should worry.
All right? " She laughed. "Yes, all right."
"Do you want to go swimming or not? " he asked. "Caleb, quit throwing
dirt and come here." The baby dropped his stick and came running.
Cole sat him on his lap and took his undershirt off.
"Is the water deep? " Jessica asked.
"I don't know, " Cole answered as he unfastened the ties holding
Caleb's nappy secure. "It probably is in the middle. Why? Can't you
swim? " "Not very well, " she admitted. "I haven't had much
practice.
" "Didn't you go swimming when you were a little girl? " She shook her
head. "There wasn't time for such frivolity." Cole looked at her.
"Why wasn't there time? " "I was busy." He could tell from her tone
of voice she didn't want to talk about growing up. If he'd been a
sensitive man, he might have heeded the unspoken suggestion and changed
the subject. Sensitivity wasn't one of his attributes, however.
"Doing what? " he asked.
She sighed. "I helped my mother in the shop where she worked . . . a
lady's dress shop, " she qualified. "When I was younger, I stayed with
neighbors or helped at school. There wasn't much time to play."
"It was just the two of you, wasn't it? Your father left."
"Yes, he left."
"Do you know where he is? " "I heard that he died, but I don't know if
that's true or not. Are you taking Caleb in the water now? " "Yes."
"You'll hold him tight? " she asked. "He's slippery when he's wet."
Cole pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. Then he
removed his gunbelt and stood up. She hastily turned her attention to
the lake, but not before she noticed how muscled his chest and upper
arms were. His skin was deeply tanned, indicating he had spent long
hours in the sun bare-chested. There was a mat of dark blond hair
trailing down to his belly button, and, God, she really shouldn't have
been looking. Cole was a handsome man. She would have had to be blind
not to notice his steely blue eyes, but what made him most attractive
to her was his behavior toward her son. He had the patience of Job.
He was gentle and soft-spoken with Caleb, and nothing the little one
did seemed to bother him.
He'd make a wonderful father. She pushed the thought aside the second
it popped into her mind. She didn't need him or any other man, she
reminded herself. She and Caleb were doing just fine the way they
were.
"I wish I had been able to talk to Grace before we left. I promised to
help her find a ranch. She offered me a job, and it would have been an
ideal setting to raise my son. He'd have room to run."
"What could you do on a ranch? " Her spine stiffened. "I could do
lots of things.
I've never been afraid of hard work, " she added.
"You don't need to get mad. I wasn't insulting you or challenging
you.