Page 5 of Mateo & Nicole

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Page 5 of Mateo & Nicole

“Maybe I will,” Sophia called after him.

Mateo lifted a hand in the air, dismissing her from their conversation.

3

Nikki

Once again, Nikki was second-guessing the decisions she’d made. She hadn’t told anyone that she would be bringing her son with her, and she was beginning to realize just how bad that was.

What if Mateo rescinded his job offer? It wasn’t like she could keep the job and find a place to live in town. She’d barely had enough money to put gas in her tank for the drive over. How on earth was she supposed to have enough money for the first month, last month, and deposit?

That’s why she needed this job so badly.

She glanced in the rearview mirror at her adorable little boy, who would have scowled at her had she called him that to his face. Paxton was five years old going on fifteen. He’d endured more in his life than some kids, though overall, she liked to think that he’d had it pretty good so far.

At worst, he’d lost the man who he’d grown up believing was his father. Dennis had never officially adopted Paxton. He said it would feel weird in case Paxton’s father did end up showing up out of nowhere.

It didn’t matter that there wasn’t a father’s name on Paxton’s birth certificate. It didn’t matter that the man who’d sired her son hadn’t been heard from since the day she’d announced her pregnancy.

Dennis didn’t want to take on that responsibility.

In hindsight, she should have known something was wrong—or, at the very least, that her marriage wouldn’t last—for that fact alone.

Paxton had been two when she’d gotten married. Dennis was the only father he knew, and it broke her heart that he had to experience this kind of abandonment.

As if he felt her gaze on him, he lifted his eyes to meet hers. She’d told him that they’d get him an air mattress with her first paycheck, and he’d be staying in the same room as she was. Hopefully, it would be large enough. Maybe she could even ask Mateo for an advance and get a bunk bed.

Her sweet, sweet boy smiled at her with encouragement. He hadn’t wanted to leave his friends in Colorado Springs, but he’d been more than excited to meet some new people and be closer to horses.

Paxton sat straighter in his seat and peered out the window, his eyes rounding into saucers. “Is this the ranch we’re going to live at?”

She nodded, twisting in her seat to face him. “This is the place. We’ll have a few months before you start kindergarten, so you get to explore first.”

His smile eased some of the ache in her chest. Thank goodness children were resilient. Or maybe it was just Paxton. It was moments like this when she felt she could take on the world as long as he was smiling just like that.

Nikki let out an uneasy breath, which drew Paxton’s attention. “I need to tell you something, buddy.”

His brows creased, and a small frown marred that beautiful face. “What’s wrong?”

“The people here don’t know you are coming.” She hated the way his frown deepened, and she pushed past her worries that he felt unwanted or that he’d get in trouble. “But you know what?” she murmured. “They’re going to love you.”

That brought the smile right back. She wanted to add to what she’d said—telling him not to worry if people made any comments—but she didn’t want to add more worry to an already unsettling day.

She got out of the car and walked around to the back door where Paxton was seated, then helped him out. They didn’t have much in the way of clothes and belongings as they were still trying to figure out where to put everything. Dennis had agreed to let them gather their stuff over the next couple of months, but Nikki wasn’t sure how patient he’d be if it took too long.

When she shut the car door and turned around, her worries were confirmed. Several people, who had previously been milling around back and forth from their own vehicles to the building where most of the men would be staying, had stopped. Their eyes were trained on Nikki at first but had immediately dipped to Paxton.

She reached for his hand and held onto it firmly before she tugged him around to the trunk for their suitcases. The only person who could kick her out was Mateo. And right now, he was nowhere to be seen. She didn’t care what everyone else was thinking. All she needed to do was take Paxton into their living quarters and get situated so there was less of a chance they were turned away. She just had to prove that there was enough room for them to share a space.

Mateo had sent her a message letting her know that he’d arranged for her to have her own room at the wranglers’ cabin, and she’d thanked him graciously. No one could complain about her son if she wasn’t encroaching on their space, right?

With her hand still firmly holding Paxton’s and the other gripping her suitcase handle, she turned toward the building. She kept her head held high as she moved past everyone gawking at her and toward the front door.

Unfortunately, a tall beast of a man stepped into her path. Arms folded, he stared down at her with an unwavering scowl. She’d thought Mateo was tall. But this man? He had to be at least a couple inches taller than Mateo. And he was built like a tractor.

She brought herself up short and sucked in a sharp breath.

The man’s eyes slid to Paxton. “No children are allowed on the premises.”


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