Having His Baby

“Go Away!” Donna Cried. “I Don’t Need You, And I Don’t Want You. And Neither Does Louisa.” Letter to Reader Title Page BEVERLY BARTON Dedication Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Copyright

“Go Away!” Donna Cried. “I Don’t Need You, And I Don’t Want You. And Neither Does Louisa.”

Heat rose up Jake’s neck. “Dammit, woman! Did you ever stop to think that I might want to play a part in my daughter’s life?”

Jake cupped the back of his daughter’s tiny head. “You’re dead wrong if you think she doesn’t need me or want me.” Trembling inside, as if his body had been hit by an earthquake, Jake lifted the whimpering baby up against his chest, patted her back and said, “It’s all right, sugar baby. Daddy’s got you now.”

Donna looked up at the big man cradling Louisa against his chest, and for just a moment she couldn’t breathe. The sight of father and child overwhelmed her senses. There was something essentially right about the two of them together. Strength protecting helplessness.

A powerful man guarding what was his....

Dear Reader,

This May we invite you to delve into six delicious new titles from Silhouette Desire’

We begin with the brand-new title you’ve been eagerly awaiting from the incomparable Ann Major. Love Me True, our May MAN OF THE MONTH, is a riveting reunion romance offering the high drama and glamour that are Ann’s hallmarks.

The enjoyment continues in FORTUNE’S CHILDREN: THE BRIDES with The Groom’s Revenge by Susan Crosby. A young working woman is swept off her feet by a wealthy CEO who’s married her with more than love on his mind—he wants revenge on the father who never claimed her, Stuart Fortune. A “must read” for all you fans of Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca!

Barbara McMahon’s moving story The Cowboy and the Virgin portrays the awakening—both sensual and emotional—of an innocent young woman who falls for a ranching Romeo. But can she turn the tables and corral him? Beverly Barton’s emotional miniseries 3 BABIES FOR 3 BROTHERS concludes with Having His Baby. Experience the birth of a father as well as a child when a rugged rancher is transformed by the discovery of his secret baby—and the influence of her pretty mom. Then, in her exotic SONS OF THE DESERT title, The Solitary Sheikh, Alexandra Sellers depicts a hard-hearted sheikh who finds happiness with his daughters’ aristocratic tutor. And The Billionaire’s Secret Baby by Carol Devine is a compelling marriage-of-convenience story

Now more than ever, Silhouette Desire offers you the most passionate, powerful and provocative of sensual romances. Make yourself merry this May with all six Desire novels—and buy another set for your mom or a close friend for Mother’s Day!

Enjoy

Joan Marlow Golan

Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire

Please address questions and book requests to:

Silhouette Reader Service

U S., 3010 Walden Ave, P.O Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269

Canadian P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

Having His Baby

Beverly Barton

www.millsandboon.co.uk

BEVERLY BARTON

has been in love with romance since her grandfather gave her an illustrated copy of Beauty and the Beast. An avid reader since childhood, she began writing at the age of nine and wrote short stories, poetry, plays and novels through high school and college. After marriage to her own “hero” and the births of her daughter and son, she chose to be a full-time homemaker, a.k.a. wife, mother, friend and volunteer.

When she returned to writing, she joined Romance Writers of America and helped found the Heart of Dixie chapter in Alabama. Since the release of her first Silhouette book in 1990, she has won the GRW Maggie Award and the National Readers’ Choice Award and has been a RITA Award finalist. Beverly considers writing romance books a real labor of love. Her stories come straight from the heart, and she hopes that all the strong and varied emotions she invests in her books will be felt by everyone who reads them.

With love and gratitude to my husband, Billy, whose strength, kindness and understanding sustained me during some personally stressful months for our family, while I was writing this book.

Prologue

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into coming here.” Donna Fields hissed the words under her breath as she glared at her friend, whose attention was focused on a group of rowdy cowboys at a nearby table.

“Admit the truth,” Joanie Richardson said, her gaze riveted to one big, blond stud in particular. “You wanted to check this place out as much as I did. You’ve got to be tired of that lonely, boring existence you lead. I know I’m tired of being a Goody Two-shoes. Heck, gal, our vacation is almost over and I haven’t had any fun yet. Let’s live a little. Take a walk on the wild side, for a change.”

Donna fumed as she glanced around the smoky interior of the Blue Bonnet Grill—a name highly inappropriate for the seedy establishment. Good sense had warned her not to give in to Joanie’s fervent suggestion about spending their last night in New Mexico out on the town. For starters, there wasn’t much of a town here in Plain City. In truth, it wasn’t as large as their hometown of Marshallton, Tennessee.

“My life is neither lonely nor boring.” Donna gasped when she noticed a couple in the far corner, their bodies pressed intimately together as the man devoured the woman’s mouth. A warning shudder rippled over Donna’s nerves. “Let’s get out of this place. I feel uncomfortable in here.”

Joanie glanced away from the blond roughneck, who was smiling at her, and followed Donna’s line of vision to the couple in the dark corner. “Would you look at those two I can’t even remember what it feels like to be that passionate with a man.”

“People shouldn’t make public spectacles of themselves It’s disgusting!”

“You’re just jealous.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Those two are so caught up in the moment that everyone and everything has ceased to exist except the two of them.” Joanie sighed dramatically. “I’d like some handsome guy to back me into a dark corner and—”

“Howdy, ma’am. My name’s Big John.” The blond giant stood beside their table, a wide smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. “Would you and your friend like to join me and a buddy of mine?”

“Yes, we’d love to,” Joanie said.

“No!” Donna jerked on Joanie’s arm. Leaning over, she whispered, “Have you lost your mind?”

“I’m just waiting around with some guys from the ranch until my buddy shows up He should be here any minute We could order us a round of beers and some big ole steaks and have us a really good time.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Joanie scooted back her chair and stood. She laced her arm through the cowboy’s. “I’m ready for a good time.”

“What about you, ma’am? My friend’s an all right guy. I think you’d like him.” Big John bestowed his devastating smile on Donna as he surveyed her from head to toe. “I know J.B. sure would like you. You’re a bit classier than his usual type, but you’ve got the kind of looks that would interest him.” Big John’s gaze lingered on Donna’s breasts.

Donna crossed her arms over her chest. The man’s blatant perusal of her size 36-D chest bothered her greatly. Men could be such pigs. The only thing most of them had on their minds was sex.

Joanie mouthed the word please as she stared straight at Donna. “My girlfriend is a little shy You can tell she’s not the barroom type.” Joanie repeated her silent plea to Donna, then turned her attention to Big John. “We’re schoolteachers—actually we teach at a junior college in western Tennessee and we’ve been out here in New Mexico on an archaeological tour. Tonight’s our last night.”

“Then we should show you girls a good time before you leave.”

When Donna just sat there, unmoving and silent, Joanie sighed in disgust, then cuddled up to Big John’s side. “You and I can dance while we wait for your friend.” She glanced at Donna. “Why don’t you think things over while Big John and I are dancing? Please, honey, let’s stay and have a good time. Do it for me.”

Donna wanted to strangle Joanie. The two of them were more friendly acquaintances than true friends. They had met two years ago when Joanie was hired as a physical education instructor at the college where Donna was a history teacher. She liked Joanie, but she had very little in common with the woman, a twenty-eight-year-old recent divorcee. On the archaeology tour, they had been roommates and teammates. Joanie was good-natured and easy to be around—most of the time.

When Joanie had suggested having a little fun tonight, Donna had felt she couldn’t refuse one simple request, even though she herself wasn’t the type who was always looking for a good time. But the minute they entered the Blue Bonnet Grill, Donna had known she should have stayed at the inn.

The music was loud country hits blaring from an old jukebox. Smoke from countless cigarettes and cigars soiled the air a hazy gray. Men and women—mostly cowboys and barflies—shared beers, laughter, dances and kisses in dark corners. This was the last place on earth Donna Fields wanted to be. If her family could see her right now, they’d be appalled. She was, after all, a lady. Born and bred a blue-blooded, genuine Southern belle.

She glanced at the couple groping each other in the corner and felt a flush of heat rise up her neck and into her face. She wasn’t by nature, a. voyeur, so why couldn’t she stop watching the man and woman? While she was in the middle of giving herself a good talking to, the man wrapped his arm around the woman’s shoulders, led her across the smoke-filled room and out the front door, which was only a few feet from the table where Donna sat. An uncontrollable shiver rippled along her nerve endings. Instinctively, she knew the man and woman were headed for a motel room somewhere nearby. A tingling ache radiated up from the feminine core of her body at the thought of what the twosome would soon be doing.

Get your mind out of the gutter! she chastised herself. Then the more benevolent side of her personality pointed out that it was only natural for a healthy woman in her prime to think about sex, especially when she hadn’t had any in five years. It wasn’t that there hadn’t been opportunities. She had dated several nice men who were eager to have an affair with her. But for her, sex meant a commitment. And commitment meant love. And love meant taking a chance on being hurt again. After she’d lost Edward, she swore she’d never love anyone again. Losing her husband had devastated her. She couldn’t bear the thought of going through that kind of agony again.

Donna’s misty-eyed gaze traveled around the room and rested on Joanie and Big John, whose bodies were welded together as they slow-danced to an old Hank Williams’s tune.

Well, from the looks of that, she knew she’d be walking back to the Yellow Door Bed and Breakfast Inn by herself tonight. Joanie was definitely in heat. Tonight would be Big John’s lucky night.

The outer door swung open and a gush of hot summertime air hit Donna full-force. She glanced up as several customers called out a greeting to the new arrival. Even the bartender threw up a hand, smiled and hollered a welcoming hello.

“Hey there, J.B.,” the bartender said. “It’s been mighty quiet around here without you.”

Mighty quiet around here? Was the man kidding? If this place got any livelier, someone would have to call the police.

Suddenly Donna noticed the large, muscular man who had entered. The one called J.B. Big John’s friend. This was the guy who was supposed to be her date for tonight? Not on your life. She had to get out of here—now!

Where Big John resembled a well-worn teddy bear and possessed a devastatingly sweet smile, J.B. resembled a black panther, his grin anything but sweet. There was an aura of danger around J.B. This man was no ordinary cowboy.

Big John stopped dancing long enough to wave at J.B. and call out to him from the small dance floor in front of the jukebox. “Hey there, man. About time you got here. Your girl’s sitting right there at the table by the door. Buy her a beer, will you? Her name’s—” He looked at Joanie.

“Her name’s Donna,” Joanie yelled. “Whatever you do, J.B., don’t let her run out on you. She’s a woman who needs to have a good time.”

Donna wished the earth would open up and swallow her. Better yet, she wished the earth would open up and swallow everyone in the Blue Bonnet Grill, except her. She turned her back, hoping J.B. would take the hint and leave her alone.

The scrape of a chair being pulled out warned her that the rugged cowboy hadn’t taken the hint. Maybe if she ignored him, he’d go away.

“Donna?” His voice had a hard, gravelly tone. Sandpaper rough. Baritone deep.

She nodded, then turned slowly and faced the most alarmingly attractive man she’d ever seen in her life J.B. was a hunk. Pure and simple. But she was sure nothing about this man was either pure or simple.

He shoved the tan Stetson back on his head and a few strands of coal black hair fell down across his forehead. He stared at her with eyes so dark they appeared to be as black as his hair, but were actually a rich soil brown. His face, though handsome, was lean and hard. Not a pretty boy. And his dark, heavy beard stubble made him look as if he had a perpetual five o’clock shadow.

J.B. narrowed his gaze, focusing on her face, then he looked straight into her eyes.

Donna shivered involuntarily. The sexiest man alive was looking at her as if she were an item on the menu he was seriously considering ordering.

“Look, J.B., this date wasn’t my idea,” Donna told him. “My friend Joanie and your friend Big John—”

“What are you doing in a place like this, sugar? You’re about as out of place here as I would be at the opera.”

“I—I came with Joanie. This is our last night in New Mexico and she wanted to soak up some of the local nightlife.” Donna folded her trembling hands together and held them in her lap.

J.B. glanced over at the dance floor. “Where are y’all from—you and Joanie?”

He smiled at her then, a smile she was sure had lured many a woman to her ruin. A man like that probably had never heard the word no from a woman’s lips.

“Tennessee,” she said.

“Really. I used to live in Tennessee.”

She didn’t believe him, of course. If she’d said Alabama or Texas or Virginia, he’d have told her he used to live there. “Is that so?”

“Yep. Years ago.” J.B. let his gaze travel leisurely from her face to her neck and then let it rest on her large breasts that even the loose-fitting purple blouse couldn’t disguise. “How about a dance?”

“No, thanks.”

“I promise I don’t bite.”

She glared at him suspiciously. He burst into laughter, then slapped the top of the table with his big hand. Donna jumped from the unexpected action. Their gazes met and held for an infinite moment. Her breath caught in her throat.

“What’s the matter, J.B.?” a young cowpoke sitting at the next table called to him. “Don’t tell me you’ve finally met a gal you can’t sweet talk into the sack.”

All the men at the young man’s table exchanged a few crude comments, then laughed heartily. J.B. scowled at the baby-faced cowpoke.

“Maybe you’re not her type.” The man rose from his chair and walked over to Donna’s side. “Is that it, honey bunch? You like your men younger and sweeter than ole’ J.B.? If that’s the case, then I’m your man.”

“Leave the lady alone, Woody,” J.B. warned.

“I ain’t going nowhere until the lady tells me to.” Woody leaned over, right in Donna’s face, and placed a sweaty hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t you join me and my friends? J.B.’s got enough women already. He don’t need one more.”

“Please.” Donna wanted to scream and run away. She’d never been so embarrassed in her life.

“Honey bunch, I’d be more than glad to please you,” Woody said.

Donna looked to Jake for help, her eyes pleading with him. “Please, go away and leave me alone. I—I’m J.B.’s date.”

The moment she spoke the words, she wished them back. Why on earth had she committed herself to J.B.? She could have gotten herself out of this awkward situation some other way.

“You heard the lady,” J.B. said. “She’s mine.”

Woody hesitated for a moment, but when J.B. stood, his big body towering over the smaller man, Woody grinned and stepped away from Donna. “Sure thing. I know better than to try to take something you done put your brand on.”

Woody disappeared. The only thing Donna saw was J.B.’s long, lean legs, his broad shoulders and his smoldering dark eyes devouring her. He held out his hand.

“Let’s dance,” he said.

Reacting purely on feminine instinct, Donna rose, put her hand in his and allowed him to lead her over to the dance floor. The moment he took her into his arms, she knew she was lost. Lost to the most overwhelming sexual attraction she had ever felt in her life. Lost to the seductive look in J.B.’s eyes, the alluring heat of his hard body and the her own long-suppressed desire.

How was it possible that she could want a man she’d met only a few minutes ago? The thought was insane. She was insane! But crazy or not, she wanted J.B. Wanted him in a way she’d never wanted another man. It was as if some wanton woman had taken possession of her body.

He pulled her closer as they began to sway to the music’s beat. His hold was undemanding and yet undeniably possessive. She didn’t resist when he cupped her hip in one hand and slipped the fingers of his other hand around her neck.

“Lady, you’re the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” He mouthed the low, breathy words against her ear.

She knew she was attractive, but she’d never thought of herself as sexy. Feminine, yes. Sexy, no. Big breasts alone didn’t make a woman sexy, especially if she avoided displaying that particular asset to full advantage. She was a lady, and ladies weren’t supposed to be sexy. Most of the men she’d dated since Edward’s death had considered her an ice queen. A few had even told her she was frigid.

“J.B., I—I don’t... I’ve never.. ”

He lowered his head. She saw his mouth coming toward hers and knew what he was going to do. She could have stopped him. But she didn’t.

He kissed her. Hard and hot and hungry. Skyrockets exploded inside her. Everything female about her reacted to all that was so very male about him.

This couldn’t be happening. Not to her. Not to Donna Deirdre Fields. She’d never been publicly affectionate with a man. She had always considered public displays of emotion quite vulgar. But here she was, kissing a stranger, in a seedy bar, in a one-horse town, in the wilds of New Mexico. And she was enjoying it. No. More than enjoying. She was loving it.

He ended the kiss abruptly. She gazed up at him, knowing full well he could see the desire in her eyes. “We’d better stop, unless we want to put on a real show for the folks.”

She nodded, then when he urged her head down onto his chest, she complied and cuddled against him. While their intimately entwined bodies moved slowly in a sensual dance, Donna listened to the thundering beat of J.B.’s heart.

One song ended and another began. Time stood still. She wasn’t sure how long they danced. Had no idea what time it was. Didn’t even know exactly when Joanie and Big John had left the dance floor, ordered steaks and eaten dinner. Everything and everyone outside the realm of J.B.’s embrace disappeared.

“I want you, sugar,” he whispered. “I want you bad.”

“I know.” She felt his large, pulsating sex against her body as they danced.

“I’m staying in town for the weekend.” He pressed his shaft against her mound. “I’ve got a room over at the Crescent Motel. Stay with me tonight.”

“I—” It had been on the tip of her tongue to say no. To tell him that she wasn’t the kind of woman who would spend a night at a motel with a man she barely knew. “It would be just for the night. After that, we’ll never see each other again. Do you understand?”

“Just sex, sugar, that’s all I want. Isn’t that all you want?” He caressed her buttock, then cupped it.

Moisture flooded her body in preparation. She’d never ached so badly to have a man inside her. This hunger was unlike anything she’d ever known. “Yes, sex is all I want.”

“Then let’s go.” He stopped, grabbed her hand and led her off the dance floor. “We need to tell your friend you’re leaving with me.”

They paused momentarily at Joanie and Big John’s table. The couple glanced up and smiled.

“We’re heading out,” J.B. said.

“Joanie, I, er, I’ll see you in the morning.”

Joanie’s big blue eyes rounded into surprised saucers. “Oh! Uh... Yeah. Sure.” Joanie smiled. “Have a good time.”

In that one split second, Donna almost backed out. Almost. She knew what she was doing was crazy. The craziest thing she’d ever done in her life. But something inside her urged her on, encouraging her to sample forbidden fruit. To take a wild ride on an untamed stallion.

One

The baby in her arms whimpered. Donna lifted Susan and Hank’s son to her shoulder and crooned comforting, nonsensical words into the infant’s ear. Sighing, she stretched her back, which ached unbearably. A symptom of late pregnancy and the fact that she had been on her feet too long today. But this was such a special event. A wedding. Susan Williams, one of her best friends, had married the man of her dreams, the only man she’d ever truly loved. The father of her child. Donna sighed as she watched the happy couple cut their wedding cake.

Just as Susan pushed a piece of cake into Hank Bishop’s mouth, his sister Tallie cried out from the hallway, then burst into laughter.

“My God, Jake! I can’t believe it’s really you! After all these years you’ve come home,” Tallie said. “You’re too late for the wedding, but the reception just started.”

“You don’t mean our big brother actually came home for your wedding,” Caleb Bishop said. “Will wonders never cease. He didn’t bother making the trip for Tallie’s wedding or for mine.”

“Well, this does make the day perfect, doesn’t it?” Susan said. “All three Bishop brothers together for the first time in...how long?”

“Nearly eighteen years,” Hank said, slipping his arm around Susan’s waist as he led her over to meet the new arrival.

Donna Fields froze to the spot as she watched the Bishop family greet the tardy guest. They had called him Jake and had welcomed him as their long lost brother. But that couldn’t be, Donna thought. It just wasn’t possible!

Suddenly she felt light-headed. The room spun around and around. She couldn’t faint. Not now. Not while she was holding little Lowell Bishop.

Donna called out to Danny Bishop, Caleb’s twelve-year-old son. “Danny, will you take Lowell for a few minutes? I need to check on something in the kitchen.”

“Sure thing, Miss Donna.” The tall, lanky boy reached out and accepted the tiny bundle.

“Just take him over to your aunt Tallie if he puts up a fuss.”

“Will do,” Danny said.

Donna wanted to run. As fast and as far as her shaky legs would carry her. Unfortunately, she couldn’t maneuver very fast in her present condition. She was as big as a barrel. Dr. Farr had told her that if she hadn’t gone into labor by tomorrow, he intended to induce labor. She’d be so glad to get the birth over with and hold her precious little daughter in her arms.

Donna eased past several people gathered at the back of the dining room, smiling and nodding as she made her way toward the kitchen. She swung open the door, then closed it behind her and took a deep, calming breath. She had to get out of this house—away from the eldest Bishop brother! Dear God in heaven, why had he shown up today? Hank and Caleb’s mysterious big brother had stayed away for more than seventeen years. No one thought he’d attend the wedding. But here he was—big as life and twice as dangerous.