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“Who are you, and where did you think you were going?”
“The name is Sam Harrison,” he answered. “I’m a photojournalist. Actually I was on my way to photograph the New Horizons Spa when I managed to get lost.” He gestured to the sodden road map lying in the mud at his feet. “According to the map the car-rental agency gave me, the spa should have been somewhere around here.”
It wasn’t the first time some tenderfoot had gotten lost on his way to the spa. She was used to strangers driving up to her door expecting a glamorous health spa instead of a run-down sheep ranch. But it was the first time anyone had managed to trash her property in the process. Frowning, she swallowed an angry retort and gazed at the unhappy culprit. “You took the wrong turn at the crossroads about two miles back.”
The baby cried again. Sam unbuckled the infant carrier, took the baby in his arms and tried to soothe her. To his chagrin, her bottom was damper than the tears that lingered in the corner of her eyes. He felt like a heel. No wonder the poor kid had been crying her heart out for attention. What kind of father did that make him?
“What do you intend to do now?” the rider asked.
“Beats me.” He glanced at the busted SUV and ran his fingers through the shock of hair that fell over his forehead. “Outside of calling the rental agency, I haven’t a clue.”
“Try.” She gestured to the fallen water tower, now a limp mass of corrugated tin, and the pieces of fencing scattered over the road. “And while you’re thinking, don’t forget to figure out how you’re going to pay for the damage you caused. Without a fence, my livestock can wander out onto the road. That is, if they don’t die of thirst first.”
That caught Sam’s attention. “Good Lord! You can’t possibly mean it’s as bad as all that!”
He looked horrified, but she didn’t take the time to explain. The sheep wouldn’t die of thirst, not after a spring storm that had left pockets of water standing in the meadow, but they would undoubtedly head for greener pastures if the fence wasn’t fixed soon. What she’d told him came too close to the truth for her own peace of mind.
She leaned on the pommel of the saddle. “Every word, Mr. Harrison. Hope you can afford it, because repairing the fence and replacing the water tower at double time are going to cost you a bundle.”
“Don’t worry. I told you I’ll take care of it.” He felt in his back pocket, then shrugged. “I’ll give you a check as soon as I get someplace dry.” He held the baby away from the damp spot on his shirt and mustered a weak grin. “I’ll have to find a motel where I can clean us up.”
Laura eyed him thoughtfully and relaxed her vigilance. The guy was a lousy driver, but she’d bet her last dollar he was honest. She would have sent him packing after he wrote her a check, but the SUV clearly wasn’t going anywhere. Besides, there was a baby to consider.
First things first. She gestured to the ranch house behind her. “I’m Laura Evans, and this my ranch, the Lazy E. As for a motel, there aren’t any. Not around here, anyway.”
Obviously dismayed, Sam eyed her. His grin faded. “You’ve got to be kidding! There are motels everywhere. Except maybe when you need them,” he added with a distracted look around. “I guess we can bunk in the SUV until help comes.”
Laura’s conscience stirred. The man needed help, and his infant daughter definitely looked as if she needed some attention. What could it hurt if she took them in for a few hours while he waited for a tow truck?
She gestured over her shoulder. “My place back there is the only building around for miles. If you like, you can follow me and get yourself and your daughter cleaned up before you move on.”
“Move on? I wish.” He gestured at the banged-up SUV sitting in the mud. To Laura it looked like a drowned duck with its nose stuck in the mud and its rear end in the air. “I don’t think I’ll be able to go anywhere for a while.” He sighed and gently rocked the baby. “But if it’s okay with you, I’d like to take you up on your offer. First I have to make a telephone call.”
“Local?”
“Don’t worry, I have a cell phone.”
Satisfied, Laura nodded. “Want to hand me the baby? You can follow me to the ranch house when you’re ready.”
He pointedly eyed the rifle and the dog poised at attention at her feet and shook his head. “No thanks. I’ll carry her.” As an afterthought, he added, gesturing to the rifle, “Had some trouble around here?”
Laura met his gaze. “You don’t have to worry. I’ve been bothered by a couple of unsavory characters lately and had to run them off. I wasn’t sure you weren’t more of the same. Or if you’d been sent to deliberately wreck the fence and the water tower to harass me.”
“Harass you? What for?”
“To get me to sell the ranch.”
Without taking his gaze off the rifle, he nodded warily. “You’re not planning on using that, are you?”
She leaned on the pommel of the saddle and looked him squarely in the eyes until he squirmed. “Should I be?”
Sam shuddered. “I told you the truth. I’m a photojournalist. I shoot with a camera, not with a gun. In fact, I’d feel a heck of a lot better about all this if you’d put that thing away.”
“No problem.” She slid the rife into the leather scabbard attached to the saddle. The dog poised at the horse’s feet relaxed, but to add to Sam’s discomfiture, continued to eye him warily. “So do I get the baby? Looks to me as if you have enough on your hands without her.”
“Her name is Annie,” he said. He tramped back to the SUV and reached inside for the diaper bag that had been sitting beside the car seat. Back on dry land, he handed the bag and the baby to Laura. “Whatever her mother had in mind when she stashed Annie in my car, I hope she remembered to provide the fixings for Annie’s care.” He managed a grin. “Too bad she didn’t take the time to explain what I need to do with them.”
Laura whistled at the watchful dog. “Don’t worry, your daughter is in good hands. I’ll take care of her for now. Make your call, and follow me when you’re ready.”
While he punched out the number of the car-rental agency in Grand Junction on his cell, Sam watched Laura Evans canter off with Annie in her arms. In spite of his dim view of women at the moment, he couldn’t help but feel attracted to the feisty rancher.
To his disgust, he was put on hold, but this time he didn’t get as steamed as he usually did. The wait gave him time to check out the way Laura Evans filled out her form-fitting jeans and cotton shirt. He actually admired the picture she made—until he thought about the reason she carried a rifle.
He glanced at the weathered buildings, the lack of any real activity that bespoke a successful ranch. If the lady’s property was a paying proposition, it would be a surprise to him.
It looked as if Laura Evans ought to make the best of the situation and sell out to the highest bidder, instead of threatening would-be buyers with a rifle.
Someone finally answered his telephone call. He swore under his breath at the reply and put the phone back in his pocket. He wasn’t going anywhere, at least no time soon.
Shivering, he reached into the SUV for his duffel bag. Considering his dripping shirt and jeans and muddy boots, Annie wasn’t the only one who needed changing.
He knew he had to find a way to move on once he and Annie were clean and dry. Maybe calling the spa and asking for transportation would work. Sure as hell, if someone was trying to harass Laura Evans or frighten her into selling her ranch, the last thing she needed was to have him and Annie around to add to her problems. And the last thing he needed was to become involved.
As far as he could tell, paying for the damage he’d caused wasn’t going to help Laura Evans, either. Considering the mess it sounded she was in, what the lady needed was a miracle.
Chapter Two
Sam locked the banged-up SUV and, with a last rueful glance at the broken fence, trudged through the mud and up the small rise to the ranch house. From what he could see, the only tall structure around had been the water tower. Just his luck.
Outside of a weathered barn and a few newly painted small cabins, the redwood-sided ranch house was the only building worth a damn, in his opinion. Judging from a recent coat of oil-based stain, someone must have paid some attention to putting the place in shape. A futile effort if ever there was one, but he had to admire the effort. A dozen sheep grazed in a distant meadow. If they were the extent of the Evans herd, no wonder she was in trouble.
He noticed newly planted rosebushes ringing the porch as he approached the house. Stones, painted white, lined the freshly raked walk. Alongside the house, two lawn swings sat under the shade of an oak tree. The only sign of life was an elderly cowhand busy assembling what appeared to be some kind of wooden jungle gym.
A jungle gym? Sam gazed around for a sign of kids. Outside of the cowboy and the dog now sprawled on the porch watching him closely, there wasn’t another soul in sight. He shrugged and continued squishing his way in his muddy boots to the ranch house.
Not bad, he thought as he trudged up the wooden steps. Children or not, at least someone cared enough about the place to try to make it look decent.
The interior of the house, as he stood behind a screen door gazing in, surprised him even more. In contrast to the worn exterior, comfortable maple furniture had been burnished to a mellow yellow-brown sheen. Inviting rose-and-sea-foam-green chintz pillows had been thrown onto a large upholstered couch protected by crocheted white doilies. Hand-hooked rugs blanketed the polished oak floor in front of the couch. A huge stone fireplace covered a wall. Two comfortable-looking armchairs were drawn up in front of the fireplace. Sam sighed. The room looked mighty inviting after the accident and shower he’d just endured.
It was the kind of setting his mother and grandmother would have appreciated. In fact, he would have enjoyed a home like this if his profession hadn’t kept him on the move. And if he’d had a wife to welcome him home.
He glanced up to see Laura standing at the door and watching him expectantly. “What?”
“You’ve forgotten something.” She gestured to his mud-caked boots. “Please take off your boots and leave them by the door before you come in.”
Hopping on one foot at a time, Sam managed to comply. To his disgust, even his socks were soaked. Under Laura’s watchful gaze, he took them off, dropped them and his boots outside the door and gingerly entered the house barefoot. Damn, he thought, there was something about not having his boots on that put him at a clear disadvantage.
“Are you ready for Annie?”
Sam felt himself flush at the reminder of his daughter. He would have offered to clean up the baby before now, except he didn’t have a clue what to do. He not only felt inadequate, but he also didn’t like the reproachful look in Laura’s eyes. So what if he didn’t know about the care and feeding of babies? Were all fathers supposed to have learned how to diaper a baby, or did it come naturally?
“Sure, but…” He tried to look cool, but the truth was unavoidable. Maybe things would have been different if Paige had stuck around long enough to give him a chance. “I’m afraid I’ve never diapered a baby before.”
Laura didn’t look surprised. “I guess you’re not part of the seventy percent of today’s fathers who help raise their children.”
If there was one thing sure to light Sam’s fire, it was being put on the defensive. Especially when he felt that, under the circumstances, he was innocent of any blame. “Where did you get a statistic like that?”
“I was a maternity-ward nurse before I came back home to take care of my folks. We took a poll at the hospital and that’s what we found. Most men today say family comes first. In fact, some choose to stay at home with their children while their wives go out to work.”
Sam tried to envision staying behind to take care of home, hearth and family while Paige flew to Paris and points unknown. Considering how little he knew about the requirements of a house husband, let alone a father, the picture that came to mind was so ludicrous he almost laughed.
He focused on one thing Laura had said that calmed him. A maternity-ward nurse? His spirits rose. This was the first bit of good news he’d had all day. “You’re not putting me on, are you? A real maternity-ward nurse?”
“Until two years ago,” she answered. “I came back to stay when my parents passed away. So if you have any intention of raising your daughter by yourself, maybe you ought to let me show you how to care for her, instead of doing it for you.”
“Go ahead, please. Teach me.”
With a wry glance at Sam, Laura took a changing pad, wipes and a fresh diaper out of the diaper bag. She knelt on the floor beside the coffee table. “Watch carefully,” she said as she undid Annie’s soggy diaper. Crooning to the baby, she laid her on the pad. “First off you have to remember to change her often. A baby’s skin is very sensitive.” Sam nodded. “Actually,” she went on as she used a wipe to dry off Annie’s little bottom before she set a new diaper in place, “you’re lucky Annie is a girl. You have to work faster if the baby’s a boy.”
Sam edged closer and cautiously surveyed the process. As far as he was concerned, regardless of sex, a diaper change was a diaper change. How difficult could it be? “Yeah?”
“Little boys are like fountains,” she answered. She applied talcum powder, and Annie giggled. “If you don’t want an unexpected shower, you have to take precautions and move fast.”
Sam flushed. The last thing he’d ever expected to do was discuss a baby’s plumbing with a woman he found intriguing.
It wasn’t only Laura Evans’s appearance that interested him—although she certainly wasn’t lacking in the looks department. It was her cool command under fire, coupled with her smile and warmth when it came to Annie that made him take a closer look at her.
He’d met, photographed and romanced a number of desirable women in his time—as a single man, of course. He’d even been fool enough to marry one of them: Paige. He’d been so taken with Paige, he hadn’t stopped to consider she was a woman bent on adventure, not on being matrimonial material.
But nowhere had he met a multifaceted woman like Laura. He was willing to bet she ran her ranch with the same skill she’d demonstrated as a nurse. And from what he’d seen of the house, she was probably just as good at nesting as she was at her profession.
Things might have been different if he hadn’t had his fill of beautiful women.
Mental warning bells sounded as one warm thought followed another. After his sorry marital experience, why was he even mulling over what made Laura Evans tick? Or thinking of her in a romantic way? Hadn’t he already decided there was no way a man could begin to understand women, let alone try to live with one? That it was better to look and admire but not touch? Nesting women could be dangerous to a man like him. He drew a deep breath and gazed around the room. “Interesting place you have here.”
Laura pulled the baby’s romper over the fresh diaper and snapped the crotch. Instead of handing the baby over to its father, she buried her nose in the baby’s neck and made bubbling noises. Not only because she couldn’t resist hearing Annie laugh, but also because playing with the baby was the only way she could think of to keep her mind off Annie’s father.
Sam Harrison, bare feet, wet clothing and all, was the masculine type of man who rang her bell. The fact that he obviously loved his infant daughter and, although he knew zip about babies, was ready to raise her by himself made him more of a man than most in her eyes. That was the trouble. The last thing she needed in her life right now was a baby she couldn’t keep or a wandering man like Sam Harrison. A man who made her think of dreams best forgotten.
A baby had been her dream from the time a sympathetic foster mother had handed her her first doll. A hand-me-down doll with faded clothing and one eye missing, the doll had been her pride and joy. She’d built an imaginary family around Dolly Dimples and dreamed of a day when she would have her own children. A dream that had been shattered when, as a newly adopted thirteen-year-old, she’d been thrown from a horse and suffered internal injuries. Injuries that would prevent her from becoming a mother.
Laura closed her eyes, gave Annie one last hug and reluctantly handed the baby back to her father. “Diapering isn’t the only task you’ll have to master if you intend to care for Annie by yourself.”
Jolted from his musings, Sam forced his thoughts from what made his reluctant hostess tick to his present problem. For sure he’d better get his act together and learn all he could about taking care of Annie while he had the chance. “Right. Maybe you can show me a few other tricks before I leave.”
Her answering frown told him he was skating on thin ice. Maybe “tricks” hadn’t been the best description for baby care he could have used. The way Laura was looking at him told him he was on probation as a father. He hurried to change the topic.
“By the way, the car-rental agency told me it’s going take a few days before they can get me another car. Seems there’s some sort of local holiday going on.”
Laura nodded. “Miners’ Days celebration.”
“Right. From the sound of it, I’m afraid I might have to stick around here until they can bring an SUV from Denver.” Laura’s frown grew deeper, but this would give Sam the time to learn how to take care of Annie. “The rental agency offered to reimburse me for my room and board until they arrive,” he added hopefully. “How about it? Can we stay?”
Laura fought her pride and lost. She knew having Sam Harrison and little Annie around would be treading on dangerous territory for more than one reason. But bottom line, she needed the money.
“I’d planned on taking in campers to make the ranch pay, but not the adult kind,” she replied. And certainly not a man who appealed to her senses as strongly as Sam Harrison did. Not that she didn’t welcome Annie’s presence, she did. But not Annie’s father.
She didn’t want to wind up caring about Sam Harrison. She knew all too well there was no future in it for either of them.
She finally nodded. “I’ll let you know what it will cost to replace the water tower and to mend the fence. As for your staying here, pay whatever you think is fair.”
Sam juggled Annie in one arm and pulled out his wallet. It was a struggle, but he managed to get it and to hand Laura two one-hundred-dollar bills. “That ought to do it for now.” When she hesitated, he hurried to add, “Go ahead, take it. The car-rental agency will reimburse me.” When she hesitated, he added another hundred. “That’s for taking care of Annie.”
“The care of Annie is on the house,” she answered with a dark look. “And so are the lessons in child care.”
He put the bill back into his wallet.
“There’s a lot more to taking care of a baby than you might realize, Mr. Harrison. Maybe you ought to consider taking your daughter back to her mother.”
Sam froze. “No way is my daughter going to be an unwanted child! Her mother put her in my SUV without my knowledge. As far as I’m concerned, that means Annie is mine. I love her, and I’m not giving her back.”
Laura’s opinion of him went up another notch. A man who loved children had to be a decent man. Only, not the man for her.
She remembered all too well the early years of her own life when, as an unwanted child, she’d been shuffled from foster home to foster home. Until she was twelve, and Elsie and Jonah Evans had appeared out of nowhere to adopt her. She’d been grateful, had come to love them dearly and had cared for them until they’d passed on. Little Annie was lucky. She might have a mother who didn’t want her, but she had a father who adored her.
“As for my learning how to take care of my daughter,” Sam continued, “I’m game. That is, if you’re still willing to teach me what I need to know.”
Willing to take care of Annie when I fell in love with her the moment she smiled at me? You bet!
But how was she going to handle Annie’s father?
A glance at miniscule lips sucking a tiny hand settled the problem. At least for the moment, Laura thought, grateful for the diversion. “Now that Annie’s comfortable, it’s time to feed her.”
When Sam looked lost, she rummaged through the baby’s diaper bag. “Any formula in here, or was the baby being breast-fed?”
He shook his head. “Knowing Paige, I doubt it. She wasn’t around that much between flights. Actually her mother helped take care of the baby. As for any formula being in the bag, I haven’t the foggiest notion. I didn’t have time to look before you came to our rescue. Which reminds me,” he went on, “I forgot to thank you for taking us in.”
Laura sat back on her heels and regarded Sam with a raised eyebrow. “Just how old is Annie? I need to know so I can take care of her properly.”
“Five, maybe six months.”
“You’re not sure?”
He tried to look innocent and felt defensive at the same time. “I was on assignment when she was born. Okay, okay,” he added when she continued to stare at him in disbelief, “I’d say maybe six months.”
Laura went back to rummaging in the diaper bag. “There has to be baby cereal around here someplace, unless Annie’s not eating solids yet.”
“Sorry, I’m afraid I don’t know that, either.”
He looked so lost Laura decided maybe she’d been too hard on him. “Not to worry. From Annie’s healthy appearance, I’d say someone took good care of her.”
She gathered Annie in her arms, nestled her against her chest and brushed the baby’s velvet cheek with her lips. Murmuring softly, she grabbed the diaper bag and gestured to Sam’s duffel. “Maybe you’d like to get cleaned up while I take Annie into the kitchen and find out just what we do have in here.”
“I’d be mighty grateful to get out of these wet clothes.” He gestured to his wet shirt and soaking jeans, and shrugged helplessly.
Laura’s gaze focused on a shirt so wet it was transparent. Under it, wide shoulders, a muscular chest and dark-brown curls were as visible as in an artist’s rendition. She didn’t dare look below his waist.
“No problem,” she said nonchalantly. “Go on upstairs and take the first room on the right. If you don’t have everything you need in your duffel bag, check the closet.”
Sam halted in midstride. “You’re married?”
“No,” Laura answered. “The clothing belonged to my dad. I’ve never gotten around to packing it up and giving it away.”
Sam muttered his thanks and fled temptation as quickly as his bare feet would take him. The sight of Annie in the ranch owner’s arms hit him where it hurt. Turned his thoughts to early dreams of a warmhearted wife and children of his own. Before his world caved in on him.
The look in Laura’s eyes reminded him he was on probation as a father. Maybe as a man, too.
Considering the situation, he might be better off out of sight. At least until he’d cleaned up, rescued his boots and was able to take charge again.
The bedroom she’d directed him to appeared to be some kind of dormitory. A kid’s dormitory, judging from the size of the trio of bunk beds and the rest of the furniture. Footlockers under the beds took the place of dressers. One small chest of drawers was in a corner with a brass lamp on it. The beds were covered with handmade quilts, freshly starched green-and-white curtains hung on the windows, and a large hooked rug covered the floor. From the look of the room, Laura must be expecting the campers she’d mentioned.
The child-size bunk beds were definitely not intended for a six-foot-two-inch man. Unless he curled into a pretzel shape and let his legs hang over the edge. A bunk might be okay for Annie, if she didn’t turn over and topple off.
Between the too-short bunk bed and worrying about Annie, how in hell was he going to get any sleep tonight?
Through an open door, he caught a glimpse of a bathroom. Good, he thought as he shucked his damp clothing down to his shivering skin. A long hot shower was just the ticket. Cleaned up and with his boots on, he could face the lady rancher on equal terms.