A shiver passed over her. “Yeah, I sure did. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.”
Sarah, you little devil! I’m here with Ben’s child. Stop it.
Thankfully, the lights didn’t go all woo-woo again, and after a few calming breaths, she glanced around the bookshelves. He’d kept a few books she’d bought him as well as the cast-iron Triple M stand she’d had made from a local craftsman.
He’d kept them—here in the room that was all his own. She couldn’t imagine anyone else came in here. Ben didn’tlike people messing with his things, saying he could never find something if she moved anything around.
Was this a sign he hadn’t completely cut her out of his life? She certainly hadn’t kept any keepsakes from him around her.
“Why do you look sad, Hannah?” Cooper asked quietly.
She hated to lie to a child, but she didn’t see another way. “I’m only a bit tired after all that foraging today. Why don’t you show me your room?”
He grinned. “Okay! Come on. You’re going to love it.”
They climbed the natural beam stairs to the second floor. The hallway had more Western rugs and a few landscapes Grandma Elena had painted of the ranch while she was alive. She’d dabbled, according to family lore, but Hannah had always thought her a brilliant artist.
“This here’s my room. Uncle Will bunks across from me. Dad is down at the end. But his room is a mess. You so don’t want to see it.”
She almost laughed at the dramatic way he said it. Ben had never been good about picking up after himself. He’d always said he had to do a million things a day, and his bedroom was his place to let down. Playfully, she covered her eyes. “Thanks for saving me the horror.”
He giggled and led her inside, Tank padding in after them. “Here’s my bed. I have dinosaur sheets right now. Did you know there were seven main groups? Ask me. I can name them all.”
“You can?”
“Yes.” He puffed up his chest like he was going to recite a poem. “There’s the theropods, sauropods, stegosaurs, ankylosaurs, ornithopods, ceratopsians, and pachycephalosaurs.”
She pursed her lips in shock. “Wow! Those are pretty big words. Are you sure you’re only six?”
He tugged her over to the bookshelf. “Yep. I read a lot. Here are my books. Oh, and this box is where I keep mytrucks. Dad makes me put them away because it hurts like the dickens when you step on them in bare feet. He’s not supposed to swear around me. Except it sometimes slips out. Do you swear?”
She patted him on his cute little head. “I try not to.”
“You should hear some of the ranch hands.” He squeezed his face up in horror, looking completely adorable. “But Big Gramps says Mark Twain said it best.Profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer.”
“I remember him saying that.” She laughed. “You’ve got a good mind, Cooper McAllister, remembering dinosaur names and Mark Twain quotes.”
He tapped his head. “My noggin is plum full of stuff. Dad says he’s shocked sometimes my head doesn’t explode.”
“I stand by that, son.”
Ben’s deep voice pinged her heart. She swung around to see him lounging in the doorway, arms crossed over his work shirt, looking sexy as hell and every bit the cowboy she remembered. He’d shaved for dinner—something that had intrigued her and made her skin prickle with awareness. Although she preferred his five o’clock shadow and the dark stubble attesting to his undeniable manliness, his gray eyes held her in place. They were soft and sultry, tender even. Awareness grew, making her heart thud in her chest.
Something had changed.
He was almost like the Ben she’d known before.
“Papa, you were as quiet as a cougar. I didn’t hear your boots clomping up the steps. Hannah, you can hear Papa coming a mile away.”
His mouth curved in that sexy way she never could get enough of. “Is that how you know when to hide something you’re not supposed to have?”
His blue eyes widened as he shook his head. “Nope. Papa, I was showing Hannah my room. Did you know she tries not to swear like you?”
His husky chuckle had her wetting her lips. “Yeah, I surely do. Sometimes she used to swear at me. She’s even thrown things at me. God knew I deserved it. I tested her sorely, son.”
His gaze was straight on, filled with regret. Was he trying to tell her something?
“Her cowboy boots were a favorite. When we’d picnic out by Big Red or at the hot springs.”
