“There’s an intruder in my cabin!”

The moment he heard Kim Long’s terrified voice on the phone, Brandon Woodstock knew he had to help her and her little girl. Once, he’d promised to love and protect Kim forever. Now, in spite of the secrets that had come between them, the Texas rancher intended to keep that promise. But rescuing Kim riled all the wrong people—and rekindled the attraction he’d thought ended with their broken relationship. Honoring his role as Kim’s fiercest protector, he whisked her and her daughter to safety without considering the consequences. With a target on Kim’s back and old wounds reopened, Brandon thought there’d be no more surprises. He’d never been more wrong.

Kim knocked softly, then stepped into the doorway.

Brandon was pacing. A pair of well-worn jeans hung low on his lean hips, his broad chest shirtless, muscles bunching in his arms as he clenched the phone.

He pivoted as if he sensed she was there, then his gaze locked with hers. His eyes glittered with turmoil and other emotions she couldn’t define. But his hard, lean, muscular body robbed her breath and vaulted her back to a time when she would have run into his arms without a second’s hesitation.

So much had changed.

Cowboy in the Extreme

Rita Herron

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award-winning author Rita Herron wrote her first book when she was twelve, but didn’t think real people grew up to be writers. Now she writes so she doesn’t have to get a real job. A former kindergarten teacher and workshop leader, she traded her storytelling to kids for writing romance, and now she writes romantic comedies and romantic suspense. She lives in Georgia with her own romance hero and three kids. She loves to hear from readers, so please write her at P.O. Box 921225, Norcross, GA 30092-1225, or visit her website, www.ritaherron.com.

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CAST OF CHARACTERS

Brandon Woodstock—This rough-and-tumble cowboy had his reasons for leaving Kim five years ago. But now she and their daughter—a baby he never knew about—are in danger. He will give his life to protect them; but will he ever earn Kim’s trust and love again?

Kim Long—She needs Brandon to help her find her daughter, but she cannot lose her heart to him again.

Lucy Long—All this four-year-old wants is to come home to her mommy and daddy.

Carter Flagstone—Prison escapee, Brandon’s former best friend and Kim’s former lover. Has he come back to claim the little girl he believes is his and get revenge against Brandon for not giving him an alibi and keeping him out of jail?

Marty Canterberry Woodstock—Rumors claim Brandon’s ex is on the verge of marrying again. Are the rumors true, or is she still in love with Brandon?

Herbert Baxter—He owned the land where the kidnapper demanded Kim make the ransom drop. Is he behind the kidnapping?

Farley Wills—Brandon’s ranch hand recently came into a large sum of money. Was it a payment for the kidnapping?

Boyd Tombs—He hasn’t shown up for work since the kidnapping. Did he abduct the little girl for the money?

To my cousin Linda for being a great cousin, teacher and reader!

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter One

“Carter escaped from prison.”

“What?” Brandon Woodstock’s heart began to race as he heard the worry in his best friend’s voice. “How?”

“I don’t have all the details yet,” Johnny said, clearly agitated. “After the rodeo, I went to see him in prison and gave him the number of a P.I. I hired to investigate his case.”

“And he accepted your help?” Brandon asked. “I thought he hated both of us.” Brandon sank into the desk chair at the Bucking Bronc Lodge’s office wishing he was home on his own spread. He would be in a few hours. He couldn’t handle being on the ranch when Johnny’s sister, Kim, was here.

Kim, his first love, his only love.

The woman who’d betrayed him with Carter. The woman who’d had Carter’s child instead of his.

That hurt the worst....

“Not at first,” Johnny said. “But I convinced him to take the P.I.’s card and talk to him.”

“Now you believe he was innocent of murder?”

The three of them, Carter, Johnny and him, had been inseparable as kids. Kim had tagged along, the tomboy little sister, and aggravated the hell out of them.

Until she’d hit her teens and become a raging beauty. He’d fallen for her, then slept with her, much to Johnny’s consternation, although eventually Johnny had accepted them as a couple.

Then he’d made the worst mistake of his life by leaving her for another woman, one he’d thought would help him climb from the gutter of his trailer-park-trash past to success.

And it had worked initially. But then Brandon realized he’d crawled into bed with a snake and had been running from the venomous bite ever since.

Still, Carter had wasted no time. He’d stepped in to fill his shoes…in Kim’s bed.

That affair had ripped apart their friendship.

Soon after, Carter had been arrested and convicted of murder. Carter had begged him and Johnny to lie and give him an alibi. Their refusal to perjure themselves had cemented the end of their friendship with Carter.

Johnny cleared his throat. “After seeing the way Rachel’s ex bought off the cops and framed her for trying to kill him, I started thinking that someone could have framed Carter.”

“So did the P.I. turn up anything?” Brandon asked, getting back on track.

“No, he didn’t have time. Carter met with him once and told him about this woman he claims he was with the night of the murder. Carter recognized her in one of the photos of the rodeo.”

The newspaper featuring the rodeo was spread on Brandon’s desk. He’d tried to avoid looking at the picture of Kim and her little girl, Lucy. It hurt too damn much.

He steered his mind back to Carter. “This woman was at the Bucking Bronc Lodge?”

“In the stands,” Johnny said. “She’s Native American. Carter claimed they had a one-night stand, and that he saw her the night of the murder.”

“Did Troy find her?”

“I don’t know. Troy was working on locating her, but two days after he visited Carter, Troy was found dead.”

The air in Brandon’s lungs tightened. “He was murdered?”

A tense moment passed; then Johnny mumbled, “Yes.”

Brandon chewed the inside of his cheek, contemplating everything that had happened. “Maybe he was onto something that got him killed.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Johnny’s footsteps clattered, and Brandon realized he was pacing.

Anxious himself, Brandon went to the bar in the corner, poured a shot of whiskey and swirled the amber liquid in the glass. He hated to distrust Carter, but before the arrest five years ago, Carter had been drinking too much, constantly skirting trouble. He’d even blacked out a few times and let his rage rule his actions.

The way Carter had attacked him a few times replayed through Brandon’s head, and more doubts nagged at him. “Or maybe Troy found out Carter committed the murder, and Carter had someone kill Troy.”

Johnny sighed. “Or maybe Carter thinks Troy died because of him and it’s time he found out the truth.”

“Then he’s looking for this woman?”

“Probably,” Johnny said. “And he has to be desperate. I raised his hopes and so did Troy. And now Troy’s dead. That’s enough to do a number on anyone.”

“Dammit. We both know how Carter gets when he’s bottled up with anger.” The very reason both of them had questioned Carter’s innocence five years ago.

“Yeah, I know.” Johnny sounded frustrated. “I just wanted to warn you. Two other prisoners escaped and a guard was wounded. His weapon was stolen.”

Brandon cursed. “So Carter may be armed, and the cops probably have orders to shoot to kill.”

“That about sizes it up,” Johnny hissed. “Carter has to be scared. Whether he went willingly or not, he’s on the run, he’s pissed, he needs help, and he—”

“May show up here.” Brandon downed the liquor. Hell, Carter would probably blame him for this trouble, too. He removed his gun from the desk drawer where he’d locked it and stuffed it in the back of his jeans.

If Carter came looking for a fight, Brandon would be ready.

KIM LONG TRIED TO IGNORE the rapid tapping of her heart as her four-year-old daughter, Lucy, taped the photos of the rodeo onto her bedroom wall. Ever since the rodeo, Lucy had been asking questions about her Uncle Johnny’s friend Brandon.

“I wants to learn to do twicks like him,” Lucy chimed. “He was co-ol.”

Lucy had picked up that word from Kenny, Johnny’s fiancée’s six-year-old son who Lucy trailed after like a puppy.

Just as Kim had trailed after Johnny and Brandon and Carter when they’d been kids. The boys had dubbed themselves the Three Musketeers, and Kim had begged to be the fourth. They had refused, although they had tolerated her, mostly because she’d been such a tomboy.

Then they’d all grown up and everything had gone awry.

Lucy twirled a pigtail around one finger. “Mommy, will Uncle Johnny’s friend teach me?”

Oh, God…she didn’t think so. “I doubt it, baby. He has his own ranch to run. But maybe Uncle Johnny will.”

Lucy poked her lips into a pout. “But he gots his own family now. He gots Kenny and if they gets another baby he won’t ever see us.”

Kim tipped her daughter’s chin up with her thumb, her heart aching. She’d known that one day Johnny would have his own family and was thrilled for him. No one deserved to find happiness and love more than her older brother. That was one reason she’d taken the job at the Bucking Bronc. She and Lucy couldn’t live with Johnny forever. And he would never ask them to leave. He was too protective.

She just hadn’t realized how much Lucy would miss him.

How much Lucy had missed not having a real daddy of her own.

“Your Uncle J will always have time for us, sugar.” She kept the tears at bay. “And we’ll visit him and Rachel and Kenny all the time.” In fact, every time Brandon volunteered at the Bucking Bronc, they’d make the trek to Johnny’s ranch. She couldn’t be around Brandon and not ache for the life she’d dreamed they might share one day.

Lucy’s eyes grew sleepy. “Pwomise?”

“Promise.” Kim hugged her, then tucked Lucy’s lamb beside her and covered her with her favorite pink blanket. Lucy snuggled down under the covers, and Kim stroked her dark red hair until she fell asleep.

Exhausted from helping reorganize and clean between camps, she went to her room and crawled in bed. But as she closed her eyes, images of Brandon plagued her.

Brandon at age ten staggering up to the fort they had built, bloody from another beating from his old man. Brandon at thirteen teaching her how to shoot a BB gun. Brandon at sixteen galloping across the pasture and showing off the tricks he’d learned from the rancher who’d given him a job and some self-respect. Brandon entering into some extreme fighting contests hoping to make a buck to get him out of his hellhole.

Then the night of the barbecue. The night Brandon had first kissed her. The night the budding romance and passion kindling between them had become more…

But another memory intruded, one so painful it was like being doused with ice water. The night Brandon had broken her heart.

She closed her eyes and drifted into a fitful sleep. In the nightmare, she was riding in the open pasture, but it was dark and she’d lost her way. She couldn’t see which direction to go and someone was chasing her....

Suddenly she startled awake, her heart drumming. Outside, the wind shook the roof and something scraped the windowpane. A tree branch? One of the shutters loose?

Then another sound echoed in the silence…a door squeaking?

She vaulted up in bed, searching the darkness as she scanned the room. The dresser, the chair…the closet door was closed. Everything was just as she’d left it.

A faint sliver of moonlight seeped through the blinds, making the silhouette of the trees outside look gigantic and ominous. Had she imagined the noise? Dreamt it?

No…another sound…soft, muffled like footsteps. The floor squeaked in the living room.

Her pulse pounded, and she jumped up, slowly cracked open her door, and peered through the dimly lit hall. A shadow moved across the den.

Her breath caught as fear shot through her.

Lucy…

She reached for her cell phone, wishing she had a gun. But her shotgun was locked in the gun cabinet in the den.

She tiptoed to the bathroom and grabbed her hair spray, then eased through the door and crept across the hall to Lucy’s room. The floor squeaked again, and fear nearly choked her.

They’d had some problems with vagrants and a vandal on the Bucking Bronc property.

Was one of them breaking in now?

She eased the door shut and locked it, determination setting in. He could steal whatever he wanted. But she wouldn’t let him hurt her daughter.

Lucy was still sleeping, and Kim lifted her in her arms and carried her into the walk-in closet.

“Mommy?” Her daughter stirred, her face wrinkling with confusion, and Kim rocked her gently.

“Shh, baby, it’s okay. We need to be quiet and hide for a minute.”

Lucy clutched the lamb, squinting at her through the hazy darkness. Panic tugged at Kim. Her first instinct was to call Johnny, but he’d already left for his place.

Her hands shook as she punched in Brody’s office number. Brody was the primary owner of the ranch and could get here faster than a 911 call could send somebody.

A voice answered on the second ring, deep and gruff. “Bucking Bronc Lodge.”

Kim froze, hand shaking. Oh, God…it wasn’t Brody. That was Brandon’s voice.

“Hello?”

The rattling sound grew louder. Whoever was outside was going to break down the door!

Kim pressed her mouth to the phone’s mouthpiece, terrified the intruder would hear her. “It’s Kim,” she whispered. “There’s an intruder in my cabin.”

Lucy jerked awake, her eyes wide with terror. “Mommy?”

“Shh, baby.” Kim tucked Lucy’s head against her chest, her heart racing.

Brandon made a shocked sound in his throat. “I’ll be right there.” The phone clicked to silence, and Kim closed her eyes and said a silent prayer that he would reach them in time.

But a second later, the bedroom door rattled. Then came the sound of the doorknob being turned.

“Mommy!” Lucy’s nails dug into Kim’s arms, and she braced herself to fight.

A loud noise—a body slamming against the door—made her jerk her head up.

Oh, God, he was going to break down the door…

BRANDON’S THROAT clogged with fear as he jogged outside to his SUV. Dammit, Johnny said they’d had trouble on the ranch the last couple of weeks, but since Rachel’s ex-husband had been caught, he’d assumed the trouble was over.

What if someone had broken in and hurt Kim?

Pure terror seized him at the thought, and he stomped on the accelerator and raced toward her cabin, punching in 911 as he went.

A second later a dispatch officer came over the line.

“We have a break-in at the Bucking Bronc Lodge. Get the sheriff over here fast.” He stayed on the line long enough to give more specific instructions, then disconnected and swerved onto the road to Kim’s.

Dust spewed and gravel flew as he bounced over the ruts, bypassing the stables and dining hall, then screeching to a halt outside Kim’s cabin. He looked out the windows, the dark exterior and woods.

He didn’t see a car or stranger, only horses galloping across pasture land, but there were acres and acres of places to hide. Was the intruder still inside?

Easing the car door open, he slid out, removed his gun and crept toward the cabin, wielding his weapon in case the culprit jumped out in attack.

Seconds later, horse hooves pounded the dirt behind the cabin.

Dammit, he wanted to chase the bastard, but what if there was more than one?

He had to check on Kim and her daughter first.

He held his breath as he inched open the door. Darkness bathed the interior, and he searched blindly to see if someone was inside. A lamp was overturned, broken. A twig snapped beneath his boots, and the wind whistled through an open window. Was that how the jerk got in?

The sound of a child’s soft cries echoed from one of the bedrooms. A terrified sound that made Brandon’s blood turn to ice. Lucy.

Was she simply frightened or had the intruder hurt her or Kim?

Chapter Two

Panic bolted through Kim. Whoever had broken in was determined to find her and Lucy.

But the sound of a car engine rumbled outside, then a siren wailed, a door slammed and more footsteps pounded.

Lucy trembled against her, and Kim soothed her. “It’s all right, baby.”

Brandon’s gruff voice echoed through the house. “Kim, it’s all right. Where are you?”

Relief surged through her, and she jumped up and hurried to unlock the door. Lucy clung to her, her head trying to bore a hole in Kim’s chest.

The doorknob twisted, and he knocked on the wood. “Kim, answer me,” Brandon asked. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m okay, just give me a minute.” Adjusting Lucy on her hip, she flipped the lock and threw open the door. When she saw Brandon in the doorway looking worried and so damn handsome and big and strong, she was so relieved she almost collapsed into his arms. “Thank you for coming,” she said on a ragged breath.

He took a step forward as if to reach for her and the years of hurt and pain fell away. She ached to have him hold her again, to make everything all right, to have him love her.

But his pale green eyes, eyes that reminded her of their past, of the hurt and betrayal between them, skated over her, then down to Lucy and she stiffened.

He’d never met Lucy before. What if he took one look and knew the truth?

Brandon tensed, gripping his hands into fists. “Are you two okay?”

Kim stroked her daughter’s back, swaying back and forth rocking her. “Yes. Just frightened.”

Brandon gestured toward the living room. “Come on, let’s go into the den. Then you can tell me what happened.”

Kim’s legs felt shaky as she walked to the living room and sank onto the couch. Brandon flipped on the kitchen light, and she blinked to adjust her eyes. The sight of the broken lamp and dirt on the floor made her stomach knot with renewed fear.

“Mommy?” Lucy lifted her head slightly, tears streaking her cheeks, and Kim wiped them away with her hand.

“It’s okay, honey. We’re safe. You can go back to sleep.” Lucy sighed, then seemed to accept her mother’s answer and huddled against her chest in a tiny ball.

Blue lights from the sheriff’s approaching car swirled outside, streaking the window. The sound of the engine clicking off echoed in the tense silence; then seconds later, the sheriff appeared at the door.

Brandon went to meet him. “Sheriff, I’m Brandon Woodstock, Johnny and Brody’s friend. I was at the main house when Kim called about the break-in.”

Sheriff McRae introduced himself, then followed Brandon over to the sofa, where she sat trying to compose herself. But having someone try to break into her cabin and seeing Brandon so close that she could touch him had her nerves tied in knots.

“What happened?” Sheriff McRae asked. “Did you see anyone?”

Kim swallowed hard. The sheriff was a big guy with a barrel chest and eyes that cut through her. “No, I was in bed when I heard a noise,” Kim said. “I heard footsteps and the lamp crashed to the floor, so I ran to Lucy’s room and locked her door. Then we hid in the closet.”

Sheriff McRae shifted on the balls of his feet. “Let me take a look around.” He examined the lock, then stooped down to study the dirt marring the wood entryway. “It looks like he picked the lock.”

“Johnny said there were problems on the ranch before,” Brandon said. “A fire and fencing cut.”

“Yes, I’ve been investigating those incidents,” Sheriff McRae said. “This could be related. I’ll get a crime kit and dust for fingerprints.”

He glanced back at the door. “Was the intruder still here when you arrived, Woodstock?”

Brandon shook his head. “I heard a horse galloping away in the back, but I was worried about Kim and her daughter so I checked inside first.”

Sheriff McRae nodded, then angled his head toward Kim.

“Ma’am, can you think of anyone who’d want to hurt you? Do you have any enemies?”

Kim shook her head. “No.”

“How about a husband or boyfriend?”

Kim felt Brandon’s gaze burning through her, and gritted her teeth. “No.”

Sheriff McRae raised a brow. “No ex-husband who might want the child?”

She knew he was thinking about Rachel’s situation, that her ex had been stalking her and tried to kidnap their son. “I’ve never been married.”

“What about the little girl’s father?”

Kim glared at him for asking such a question in front of her daughter. “I said no.”

“Wait a minute,” Brandon cut in, his tone worried. “Johnny called earlier to warn me, Kim. There was a prison break. Carter escaped.”

Kim gasped, perspiration beading on her neck. “I have to talk to Johnny.”

The sheriff gave her an odd look, but she didn’t wait to explain. She settled Lucy on the sofa and covered her with an afghan, then took her phone and stepped onto the porch.

The sheriff’s questions were too probing. Too close to home. She had to do something. Get away. Hide.

If Carter had escaped and knew she was here, he might have come after Lucy.

BRANDON RECOGNIZED the fear and panic in Kim’s eyes and wanted to comfort her. But he had given up that right when he’d left her and married Marty.

Besides, she had slept with Carter. Just the thought of her in Carter’s arms, in his bed, roused his anger.

Hell, if Carter was coming here to see his daughter, Brandon could hardly blame him.

It was exactly what he would do if Lucy had been his child, and he’d been locked up for years, unable to watch her grow up and spend holidays and birthdays with her.

Had Kim carried Lucy to the prison to see Carter? What had she told the little girl about her father?

Pain knifed through him, an ache so raw that he had to suck air through his teeth to stem a moan.

He would never have a child of his own. He couldn’t risk it.

Not knowing whether he might pass on the same genetic disorder that had tormented his younger sister. Not after losing her to it…

It was the final straw that had ended his marriage to Marty. She had wanted a family. He had adamantly refused. He could not chance bringing a child into the world only to watch the child suffer the way Joanie had.

Besides, he’d known it was a last frantic attempt on Marty’s part to tie him to her.

God knows, he’d wanted to love her.

But he hadn’t been able to and she’d known it.

Because he’d given his heart to Kim years ago, and he’d never gotten it back.

“What’s going on?” Sheriff McRae asked. “You mean the prison break earlier at the state pen where a guard was shot?”

Brandon nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

“Do you know one of the prisoners?”

“Yes. Carter Flagstone.” He tightened his fists to control his temper. “He and Johnny Long and Kim and I grew up together.”

Sheriff McRae grimaced and folded his arms. “You think he’ll come to you for help?”

Brandon made a sarcastic sound. “Hardly. We had a falling-out a few years back. After he was arrested, we lost touch.” Because Brandon had hated his guts for sleeping with Kim. And Carter had accused him of not giving him an alibi because of that night. It was a pretty messed-up story.

“This falling out…” Sheriff McRae cocked his head sideways. “It wouldn’t happen to be about Kim?”

Brandon heaved a weary sigh. “Yeah, it would. That and the fact that Johnny and I didn’t stand up for him in court like he thought we should have.”

“So you think he’s looking for revenge?”

Brandon hated to bad-mouth his old buddy. But Carter had been trouble in the old days, drinking and fighting, conning his way into women’s beds, starting bar brawls, and then having blackouts. No telling how prison life had hardened him. Like Johnny said, he must be desperate.

“It’s possible,” Brandon said. He glanced at the sleeping little redhead on the sofa all curled up beneath the blanket hugging her stuffed lamb to her. “Either that, or he came here to see his daughter.”

KIM PRESSED THE PHONE to her ear in a white-knuckled grip, keeping an eye on Lucy from the doorway of the porch. The sheriff went to his car and returned a moment later, murmuring he was going to check for fingerprints. “Johnny—”

“What’s wrong, Kim?”

A sliver of guilt bled through Kim at his distressed tone. She hated to disturb him when he and Rachel were just getting settled in. “Someone broke into the cabin tonight.”

Johnny made a shocked sound. “Are you and Lucy all right?”

Tears pricked Kim’s eyes as she saw Brandon scrape a hand through his thick, wavy dark hair. “Yes. I called for Brody, but he wasn’t there. Brandon answered and came over.”

“Brandon’s there with you?”

“Yes.”

“Thank God.”

Kim breathed in and out to wrestle her emotions under control. She’d relied on Johnny for so long she didn’t know how not to. He was the only one she’d ever let down her guard around. He was the only one who knew the truth.

Johnny cleared his throat. “Kim, are you really okay?”

His words hung in the air. He was referring to the fact that she’d seen Brandon face-to-face for the first time in years. “No…” She sucked in another breath. “But I will be. The sheriff’s here now.”

“Good.”

She closed her eyes, reliving the nightmarish memory. “You should have called me and warned me about the prison break.”

Johnny released a pent-up breath. “I’m sorry. I only found out a couple of hours ago. I was going to call you in the morning.”

“Do you think Carter came here tonight?” Kim asked. “That he was the intruder?”

A heartbeat of silence passed, riddled with anxiety. “I don’t know, but sooner or later he’ll show up at your place, or mine or Brandon’s. And he’ll want to see Lucy.”

“So he knows about her?”

“He had the newspaper with the photos of the rodeo the last time we talked.” Johnny paused. “He probably thinks you’ll be more willing to help him than Brandon or me.”

“I don’t know,” Kim said. “He was furious with me the last time we talked.”

“I don’t believe he’d hurt you, but he’s in a bad way. We don’t know what happened at the jail.” He hesitated. “Still, I sure as hell don’t want you to stay there tonight or to be alone until he’s caught. Pack Lucy up and drive to my place. Or if you’re too shaken up, I’ll drive over and pick you up.”

Kim shivered at the thought of staying in the cabin the rest of the night. But she’d vowed to let Johnny have his own life now. He had Rachel and Kenny, and she had to stop leaning on him.

“No, Johnny. I’ll be fine here,” she said instead.

“Kim—”

“Listen, big brother, I appreciate the fact that you care, but I’m a big girl now. I’m not going to horn in on you and Rachel every time some little problem occurs.”

“Carter is not a little problem, Kim. He could be dangerous.” Johnny paused, then lowered his voice. “There is another option, you know.”

Kim leaned against the porch rail. She had a bad feeling he was going to want to post some goon on her. “I don’t want a stranger in my house—”

“I’m not talking about hiring a bodyguard, Kim, although I can do that.” He paused. “I think it’s time you talk to Brandon.”

A chill of foreboding rippled through her. “No, Johnny, I can’t—”

“He’ll protect you and Lucy, Kim, and you know it.”

Her throat clogged. Yes, he probably would. But all the hurt and pain of the past would resurface. Just looking at him now, remembering how deeply she’d loved him and how heartbroken she’d been when he’d left her, robbed her breath.

She had dreamed of marrying him from the time she was fifteen years old.

But he’d taken another bride.

“Listen, sis, I understand this is difficult, and I know you were hurt and had your reasons for avoiding Brandon and for keeping secrets. But he’s been divorced almost a year now, and he deserves to know the truth. So does Lucy—”

The sheriff walked out then, Brandon behind him, and she pressed her hand over the mouthpiece. “Hold on, Johnny.”

“I’m taking off now, Ms. Long,” Sheriff McRae said. “I’ll let you know if we get any hits on the prints.”

Kim thanked him, then looked up to see Brandon watching her.

“Is that Johnny?” Brandon asked.

Kim nodded, and Brandon reached for the phone. “Let me speak to him.”

She moved her hand and spoke to her brother. “Brandon wants to talk to you, but Johnny—”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to tell him anything. That’s up to you, Kim.” Frustration laced her brother’s voice. “But like I said, it’s time you two talked. You owe it to Lucy.”

Kim swallowed a retort and handed Brandon the phone, then inched closer to the doorway to check on Lucy again. Thankfully, she was still sleeping.

Was Johnny right? Was it time for her to confess to Brandon?

But what if she told him and he tried to take Lucy from her? He had money now....

“Johnny…yeah…” Brandon cut his gaze toward her, a dozen emotions flitting across his rugged face. The scar on his forehead he’d gleaned from one of his daddy’s beatings puckered as he frowned. “Don’t worry. I’ll be ready if he shows up.”

He disconnected the call, then handed Kim the phone. The simple brush of his fingers across hers sent a bolt of desire through her.

She jerked the phone to her and closed her hand around it, praying he hadn’t seen her reaction as she stepped into the den.

“Pack a bag for you and Lucy,” Brandon said, following her inside. “You’re going to my place for the night.”

Panic streaked through Kim. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Brandon.”

His jaw hardened, the vein at the base of his neck throbbing the way it always had when he was trying to control his anger. “This is not up for debate. I told Johnny I’d take you two to my ranch so you’d be safe for the night, and I intend to keep my word.”

Their gazes locked, and she remembered other promises he’d made to her. One in particular. The night they’d first made love, he’d promised to love her and take care of her forever.

A promise he hadn’t kept.

Was he remembering that, too?

“I’ll talk to Johnny—”

“I’m not arguing.” He jerked his thumb toward the house. “You either pack a bag, or I’ll do it for you.”

Kim had forgotten how bullheaded Brandon could be. That when he set his mind to something he charged after it and refused to let anything or anybody stand in his way.

Just like he had when he’d decided to better himself and buy his own ranch. Not that that had been a hard choice. Ranching was in his blood just as it was her brother’s and in hers. But with his awful childhood, he hadn’t had it easy. In fact the cards had been stacked against him.

Old hurts stabbed at her. She’d wanted them to work together to build a home and a ranch. But he’d chosen Marty to do those things with.

No. There was no way she could spend the night in Brandon’s house, not in the place he’d shared with his wife.

“I appreciate the offer, Brandon, but you can’t tell me what to do anymore. Lucy and I will be fine here.”

Anger flashed in his eyes. “You’d rather face Carter alone if he returns?”

At this point, she didn’t know if she was more afraid of Carter or Brandon. Carter had a temper, and if he was coming for Lucy and she opposed him, he might hurt her. After all, he’d had five long years for his anger to fester.

But he didn’t have the power over her that Brandon had.

Then again, she didn’t know how Brandon would react when he finally learned the truth about Lucy.

He had a bad temper, too. And now he had money and power....

“Please, just go, Brandon. I’ve taken care of Lucy all these years by myself. I can do it now.”

He twisted his mouth sideways the way he used to do when he was working his thoughts to make a point. “Really? Then you and Lucy have visited Carter?”

She shook her head. “No.” Carter hadn’t wanted to see her. And jail was no place for a little girl.

Brandon gripped her arms. “Then he’s not going to be happy with you when he arrives, is he?” Brandon’s gruff voice rose a notch, and Lucy suddenly stirred.

“Mommy?” Lucy rolled over and looked at them. Her eyes widened with fear at the sight of Brandon gripping her arms. “Don’t hurt my mommy!”

She jumped off the sofa and threw herself at Brandon, slamming her fists into Brandon’s legs. “Stop it, don’t hurt my mommy!”

BRANDON’S HEART CLENCHED at the terror in the little girl’s cries, and he immediately released Kim. Dear God, Lucy thought he was going to hit her mother.

Shame engulfed him, memories of his own childhood flashing back. His daddy beating his mama. His sister’s screams of terror. Him in the middle, trying to protect them both.

Kim stooped down to pull Lucy away. “It’s okay, Lucy. He wasn’t hurting me.”

“But he yelled at you.” Lucy’s lower lip trembled as Kim picked her up; then she rubbed her teary eyes and looked up at Brandon.

Brandon forced his hands to hang limply by his sides, determined to prove to the child that he wouldn’t hurt her or her mother.

But his chest clenched when he looked into Lucy’s big green eyes.

Pale green eyes that looked just like his own.

He staggered back, shock bolting through him as the truth hit him.

Lucy wasn’t Carter’s little girl.

She was his.

Chapter Three

The truth echoed in Brandon’s head over and over as if he’d been sucker punched.

Lucy was his.... Lucy was his.... He had a daughter....

A daughter he’d never known about.

Because Kim had kept it from him.

The anguish and rage hit him so hard that Brandon staggered backward, then gripped the sofa edge to keep from reaching for Kim and shaking her. How could she have done this to him?

For years he’d forced himself to accept the fact that he’d never have a family. Never have a son or daughter of his own because he was too afraid he’d pass on that horrific genetic disorder. Krabbe’s Leukodystrophy, the doctor called it. The bone marrow transplant had miraculously given her a few extra years, but she had still suffered.

And for four years now, he’d had a living, breathing little girl who was his blood kin. A normal child.

One he’d made with Kim.

A child he would have loved and spoiled and been there for if only Kim had let him.

Bitterness filled him, and he fisted his hands by his sides, his body trembling with the effort to control his anger.

Kim cradled Lucy to her as if she sensed that rage, as if she feared he was going to snatch her away. But her eyes also flashed with resignation as if she’d known this moment would eventually come and had dreaded it.

“Brandon—”

Their gazes locked, the air vibrating with the cloying scent of lies. “She’s m—”

Kim cut him off with a choked whisper. “Yes.”

That one word ripped a hole in his heart. “How could you?” he asked through gritted teeth. “Why?”

“You… We…” She nodded toward Lucy, her voice quavering. “This is not the time to discuss it, Brandon.”

Dammit, it sure as hell was time to discuss it. It was past time. Fury surged through him, more powerful than he’d ever felt. He wanted to shout at Kim and demand to know how she could have left him in the dark about his own child.

He wanted to pull Lucy into his arms and hug her and make up for lost time.

But Lucy clawed at her mother in fear, and he forced himself to temper his reaction.

Still, his heart was pounding, and he had to clear his throat twice to make it work. “You kept this from me all these years and now you don’t want to talk about it?”

Even though he’d tried, his voice still sounded harsh and loud in the hollow silence, and Lucy whipped her little head around, her eyes startled, scared.

His gut tightened with remorse. The poor little girl, his little girl, had been terrified of an intruder, and now he was adding to her fears.

He took a step forward, aching to drag her in his arms and hold her, to assure her that he would never hurt her. That he hadn’t been around the past four years because he hadn’t known she was his. That he would love her and take care of her and tuck her into bed at night and teach her to ride, and be the father he should have been all along.

If Kim hadn’t deprived him of it.

Images of the years he’d missed crawled through his mind, a blinding haze of pictures of Lucy. Lucy as a newborn swaddled in a pink blanket, her first laugh, the day she’d learned to crawl, her first step, then birthdays and Christmases—all memories Kim had that he’d missed.

God, what had she told Lucy about him?

“Mommy?” Lucy said in a frightened whisper.

Kim held her daughter tight, gently rocking Lucy in her arms. “It’s okay, sugar. This is Johnny’s friend Brandon. Remember, you watched him do trick riding at the rodeo and wanted to learn to ride like him?”

Lucy nodded, but her wide-eyed look made Brandon feel like the worst kind of heel.

And resurrected memories of how terrified his own sister had been of their father.

He’d sworn that if he ever had a child, a family, they would never be afraid of him.

But Lucy was.

Nausea gripped him, and he tore himself away and strode out onto the front porch. Aching inside and calling himself a hundred kinds of a fool, he leaned against the porch rail and dragged in the fresh air, desperate to stem the bile clogging his throat.

Was that the reason Kim had kept Lucy from him? Had she feared he’d be violent like his old man?

He closed his eyes, the image of Kim’s tears the day he’d broken up with her haunting him. He’d loved her but decided he could learn to love Marty. Marty was his ticket to the big time, to raising himself from trailer trash to a respected ranch hand to eventually owning his own spread. He’d been stupid and chosen wrong because he thought Marty would give him his future.

But in the end, he had been the one to lose.

His future had been with Kim and the child she’d been carrying. Only he hadn’t known it.

Her words taunted him. “This is Brandon, Uncle Johnny’s friend.”

Hell, he was way more than Uncle Johnny’s friend.

He was Lucy’s daddy. And now he knew about her, he would be a father to her.

Even if he had to fight Kim to do so.

KIM SANK ONTO THE SOFA hugging Lucy to her. She hated the devastation she’d seen in Brandon’s eyes. Pain she’d put there by her lies.

But he had left her and married another woman. And she had tried to tell him about Lucy, but…

“Mommy?” Lucy murmured. “I’m sweepy.”

Lucy’s words jerked her back to the reality of the night and the break-in. She needed to put Lucy back to bed. They both needed rest.

She listened for Brandon’s car engine and expected him to peel away in a fit of anger, but didn’t hear it. Instead her own breathing rattled, fraught with emotions.

How would she sleep tonight knowing someone had been inside the cabin? That it might or might not have been Carter?

Worse, how would Carter react if he thought Lucy was his child, showed up expecting to see her and discovered she wasn’t?

Not that she’d ever given him any reason to believe Lucy was his daughter. In fact, after their last confrontation when she’d visited him in prison, she hadn’t had any communication with him.

But if he’d seen their picture in the paper like Johnny said, he could have jumped to conclusions.

Suddenly footsteps pounded the porch, and Brandon reappeared at the door. Lucy’s head shot up again, and she dug her nails into Kim’s shoulders. Kim tried to stifle her own tremor as Brandon’s bitter look pierced her.

“I need to put Lucy back to bed,” Kim said. “We can talk tomorrow.”

“You’re not staying here,” Brandon said, his jaw clenched. “Pack a bag for you and Lucy. You’re both coming to my ranch.”

Kim’s lungs begged for a breath. The last place she wanted to be was at his house.

“We’ll be fine here,” Kim said. “Please, Brandon—”

Brandon strode past her into her bedroom and Kim followed. When he opened her closet door, she stepped in front of him. “Brandon—”

Lucy made a whimpering sound, and Brandon looked tormented as he lifted a hand and gently patted her back.

“It’s okay, Lucy,” Brandon said in a low, soothing tone. “I just want to keep you and your mother safe.”

“But you’re mad at Mommy,” Lucy said, her lower lip trembling. “I don’t wants to go if you’re mad and gonna yell.”

Brandon sucked air through his teeth, and Kim knew she had to do something to diffuse the situation. Brandon was stubborn, but he’d bent over backward to take care of his younger sister. He’d fended off bullies, taken beatings from their father to protect her, even fed her when she was sick.

He would want to get to know Lucy now.

How could she deny him his own little girl? Even though he’d broken her heart, he was a good, honorable, hardworking man. Now he’d made his wealth, he’d joined Johnny and Brody Bloodworth and several other wealthy ranchers to create the Bucking Bronc Lodge and help troubled kids.

And he was Lucy’s father.

She didn’t want her daughter to be frightened of him.

Besides, earlier, hadn’t she worried about how much Lucy was going to miss Johnny, how much she’d missed by not having a father around?

Kim rubbed circles on Lucy’s back. “You know how Uncle Johnny’s voice gets loud sometimes when he’s worried?”

Lucy nodded, a lock of her dark red hair falling across one damp cheek.

“Well, Brandon is just worried about us now. He wants us to spend the night with him so he can make sure that man who broke in doesn’t come back.” Although for all she knew Carter might show up at Brandon’s.

But at least they would be able to deal with him together.

Maybe going with him was the wise thing to do.

She would just have to keep up her guard. If Brandon wanted to know why he’d missed the first four years of his daughter’s life, she’d tell him the truth.

He had made that choice, not her. Now he’d have to live with it.

THE NEED TO HOLD LUCY was so strong that it nearly overpowered Brandon. But he forced himself to summon every ounce of restraint he possessed and simply watch as Kim deposited Lucy onto her bed and began to pack.

Lucy cradled her stuffed lamb to her like a lifeline, and memories flooded him. When his sister Joanie had been ill or had nightmares, he’d rocked her to sleep. And when she’d grown into a preteen and it seemed inappropriate for him to cradle her in his lap, he’d sat by her bed and read to her and told her stories about riding and adventures they would take one day.

Each day though, he’d seen her grow physically weaker and more mentally impaired until finally he’d been forced to seek help. Without the money to pay for private care, he’d had to send her to a group home.

Leaving her there had damn near killed him.

He’d vowed one day to make enough money to bring her home and hire a nurse, one of the main reasons he’d married Marty Canterberry. But Joanie had died before he’d earned enough money to fulfill his promise.

And now he had all the money he needed, but an empty house and an empty life.

Except for the boys at the BBL.

You have a little girl.

A beautiful little girl with Kim’s striking dark red hair and his green eyes. A little girl with crooked teeth and dimples and freckles—a perfect child.

For a moment, he couldn’t breathe again. Instead, he said a silent prayer of thanks to God. Why He’d given Brandon this chance to be a father when the odds had been stacked against him he didn’t know.

But he’d damn well do everything in his power to make the good Lord proud.

Kim fastened her suitcase, then rubbed a hand across Lucy’s hair. Her eyes were heavy with sleep, her heart-shaped face angelic.

“I’m going to pack you a bag now, honey. You can stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Lucy nodded, and Brandon felt as if Kim had given him a small gift by trusting him with their daughter while she packed.

“You’re really Uncle Johnny’s friend?” Lucy asked in a tiny whisper.

Brandon eased closer and sat down on the edge of the bed, careful not to startle her. “Yes, I grew up with your uncle and your mom. We all played together when we were kids. We even built a fort and called it our secret meeting place.”

Her eyes perked up with interest. “I wants a fort.”

Brandon blinked back emotions. Was Lucy a tomboy like Kim had been? “Tell you what, sweetie, we’ll build you one at my ranch. I’ll even let you pick out the spot. How does that sound?”

He tweaked her nose, and an excited smile curved her rosebud of a mouth.

“Good.” Lucy sighed sleepily.

Brandon soaked in the moment, memorizing the details of her face. Tiny freckles dotted her pug nose, and her long auburn lashes curled against her baby-soft skin. She had a quirky little mouth like Kim, and a defiant stubborn chin like his.

“You got horses?” Lucy asked on a yawn.

“Yes, ma’am, I sure do,” Brandon said. “Maybe you can sleep in the car on the way, and in the morning I’ll show you around and you can pick out which horse you want to be your own.” He patted her foot. “Would you like that?”

She bobbed her head up and down. “Uh-huh…” Her voice faded as her eyes drifted closed.

But he could have sworn the smile stayed tucked in place, as if she was dreaming about an Appaloosa or palomino and the fort they would build.

He filed the moment away in his mind to treasure forever. One of the first memories in a lifetime of endless ones to come, he hoped.

Kim returned a second later with a small pink rolling bag and a backpack in the shape of a bunny rabbit and set them on top of her suitcase. “I still don’t think this is a good idea.”

Her wary expression infuriated him, but he tempered his tone. “It doesn’t matter if you like it or not, Kim. Keeping Lucy safe is my job now, and I’m not going to let her down.”

Anguish flickered in her eyes and something akin to fear followed, but he didn’t take time to analyze it. He yanked up both suitcases to carry to his SUV. “I’ll be back to get Lucy.”

“No, I’ll carry her.” Kim leaned over to pick up her daughter, but Brandon caught her arm.

“You may not think much of me, Kim. And God knows, my old man was vile. But I’m not like him. I would never hurt Lucy.”

Her stunned eyes met his, the wariness dissipating. “I…know that, Brandon.”

His throat thickened, making his voice sound like he’d swallowed gravel. “That’s not the reason you kept her from me?”

She shook her head. “God, no.... I…would never think that.”

For a second, he couldn’t speak. It was as if they had stepped back in time to a moment when she trusted him and he trusted her, and their love had sparked to life.

Then he looked down at Lucy again and an image of her as a baby taunted him, hammering home the reality of the years he’d missed, and anger surged through him again.

Exhaustion lined Kim’s face as she leaned over to scoop up Lucy, and concern for her and the ordeal she’d been through tonight suffused him. They needed to get on the road so she and Lucy could rest.

So he relented and carried the suitcases to his SUV, then opened the back door for Kim to settle Lucy in the back. Kim secured the seat belt. Then he returned to the cabin and grabbed a couple of pillows to make Lucy’s ride more comfortable while Kim retrieved her purse and phone.

Kim settled into the front seat without saying a word, and he cranked the engine and headed down the drive away from the ranch. He was desperate for a confrontation, but bit his tongue.

They would have heated words, and he didn’t intend to become his father and subject Lucy to his wrath. He didn’t want to scare her again.

He punched in the sheriff’s number before they made the turn-off onto the main road from the Bucking Bronc Lodge toward San Antonio.

“Sheriff, it’s Brandon Woodstock. Kim Long and her daughter are going to my ranch until you find the person who broke in.”

“Fine. You heard from your buddy Carter?”

“No,” Brandon said. “But I’ll let you know if I do.”

When he disconnected, Kim was watching him with that wary look again.

“I need to call Johnny and tell him where we are.”

He slanted her a dark look. “Johnny knows about Lucy?”

Kim twisted her hands together, then gave a slow nod. “Brandon—”

“Don’t,” he said sharply. Pain knifed through him again. Betrayal at its worst. The two people he’d loved more than his own life had both lied to him for years. “There’s nothing you can say that will make what the two of you did to me right.”

Then he shut down. He’d had more emotional upheaval today than he’d had in years. The weight of it was choking him. Part of him wanted to roll up and die.

But then Lucy shifted in the backseat, and he saw her tiny reflection in the rearview mirror, and for the first time in years, he realized he had something important to live for. Someone more important than himself or his goals.

He had a little girl.

Love mushroomed inside him, filling him with a kind of deep-seated joy that he’d never experienced.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught Kim’s troubled expression, but he couldn’t reach out to her or forgive her, so he let the silence between them fall.

By the time they’d passed through San Antonio and sped down the long deserted stretch of country road leading to his ranch, fatigue had claimed Kim and she’d fallen asleep. Occasionally he noticed a few cars passing, one behind him in the distance, then a trucker on a late run.

But a few more miles down the road, as the scrub brush, cacti and pastureland took over and the houses and buildings of San Antonio faded into the dust, he noticed headlights behind him. Distant hills outlined the horizon, the sky an inky well with a quarter moon sitting low over the tops of the mesquite and juniper trees.

The sound of an engine speeding up broke the silence. Then tires squealed and he tensed as he realized the vehicle was bearing down on him. Was it a cop?

He checked his speedometer. He hadn’t been speeding. And it was the middle of the night. Maybe the cop was on his way to an accident somewhere, but there were no blue lights or a siren.

Then suddenly the vehicle shot forward, gaining on him fast.

Brandon frowned. Was it Carter? Could he have stolen a truck and followed them from Kim’s?

He accelerated and rounded a curve, careful to keep the SUV on the road. He had precious cargo inside.

But the truck raced forward, swerving left, then right, then zoomed up beside him and skimmed his side just as he neared the ravine. Sparks flew from the guardrail and his truck. Gripping the steering wheel to keep the SUV on the road, he lifted his foot off the gas, hoping the truck would pass. Instead, the driver suddenly swerved a hard right toward him and rammed his side.

Sweat beaded on his skin as the SUV lurched out of control. Kim jerked awake, startled.

“Brandon?”

“Hang on,” he said between gritted teeth.

The truck rammed them again, Kim cried out in shock and the SUV hit the side of a piney oak, spit gravel, then began to spin, fishtailing back and forth, skidding toward the ravine.

Chapter Four

Kim screamed as the truck skidded across the asphalt and Lucy jerked awake.

“Mommy!” Lucy cried.

“Hang on, honey,” Brandon said in a gruff voice.

Tires squealed, and the gears made a grinding noise as the truck’s headlights beamed across the ravine.

Kim clenched the dashboard to brace herself. They were going to crash!

Brandon threw out an arm to protect her as the truck spun a hundred and eighty degrees. Headlights pierced the darkness from an oncoming car and the vehicle that had slammed into them screeched past, flying down the road.

Brandon swerved closer to the ditch to avoid hitting the oncoming car, hanging on to the steering wheel to control the truck as it careened to a stop. They nosedived into the embankment, but he managed to miss going into the ravine by just a few inches.

“Mommy!” Lucy cried again.

Kim pivoted to check on her daughter. “Lucy, are you okay?”

Lucy tried to unfasten her seat belt. “What’s wrong?”

“Sorry, honey, I had to stop fast to keep from hitting that other car.” Brandon cut the engine and glanced at Kim worriedly. “Are you all right, Kim?”

She dragged in a labored breath but nodded. Brandon twisted around, clicked open Lucy’s seat belt, then helped Lucy crawl over the seat into Kim’s lap. Kim wrapped her arms around her daughter, battling tears as her gaze locked with Brandon’s.

Moonlight streaked the window, highlighting his wide strong jaw and troubled eyes.

“Brandon,” she whispered. “Who was that?”

“I don’t know,” he murmured. Then he drew her and Lucy into his arms, buried his head against them and held them. His breathing was ragged, and a fine tremor ran through him as he pressed a kiss into Lucy’s hair.

A kiss that broke her heart for him and for Lucy and all they had missed.

Guilt tugged at her, but the old hurts resurfaced. Brandon had made that choice, not her.

Still, the events of the night flashed back in a terrifying rush. The break-in. Now the accident.

Only had it been an accident? It seemed like that car had intentionally hit them.

Another shudder whipped through her, and Kim couldn’t help herself. She relaxed in Brandon’s strong embrace, welcoming his comfort.

Even if he hated her for keeping his daughter from him the past four years, he would protect her and Lucy.

But questions plagued her. Who had been driving that truck? Carter?

Had he tried to kill them to get revenge because they hadn’t helped him years ago?

BRANDON CLOSED HIS EYES, desperate to steady his pounding heart. What the hell was going on? First the break-in, now a hit-and-run?

They had to be connected.

Had Carter done this?

Surely he wouldn’t have slammed into them with Lucy in the car. Carter had a mountain of pent-up anger and bitterness, but the man he’d once known had a soft spot for kids.

Unless he’d just figured out that Lucy wasn’t his, that she was Brandon’s daughter.

Still…

The sound of another car zooming by made him whip his head up. What if the driver of that damn truck returned?

His stomach knotted as he checked the road. But a sports car raced past as if it hadn’t even seen them.

Lucy wiggled beneath his embrace, and as much as Brandon hated to let them go, he realized he was smothering them, and that they needed to get back on the road.

If that had been an intentional attack, they were sitting ducks out in the open like this.

So he slowly released them, and forced a calmness to his voice that he didn’t feel. “Everybody okay?”

Kim’s eyes still held a hint of fear, but she nodded. “Sure, we’re tough girls, aren’t we, Lucy?”

Lucy’s lower lip quivered as she looked up at her mother, then at Brandon. But she raised her little chin and nodded.

Brandon’s heart melted. “Well, then let’s go.” He tweaked Lucy’s nose. “Think you can crawl into your seat and go back to sleep?”

“I don’t know,” she said, still clinging to Kim.

“Sure you can,” Kim said with a smile. “And when you wake up, we’ll be at Brandon’s ranch.”

Brandon gently stroked Lucy’s hair. “I have a big bed your mama can tuck you into, and you can sleep as late as you want, and then we’ll have my famous cinnamon toast and look at the horses.”

Lucy studied him for a moment, her pale green eyes so like his own and his sister’s that he couldn’t drag his gaze away.

He’d protect her or die trying.

KIM WAS AFRAID Lucy might not fall back asleep, but she must have been exhausted because in minutes she was curled up with her blanket and stuffed animal again.

She wished she was as resilient. Between the break-in, hit-and-run and the tension between her and Brandon, she doubted she’d sleep another wink all night. Thankfully, Brandon hadn’t pressed for more yet, but a confrontation was inevitable.

She stole a glance at him, and noticed his rigid posture. He kept checking the mirrors, and she realized he was staying alert in case that truck returned. The thought made her sit up straighter, and she stared out the window at the passing scenery searching the darkness.

As they passed long, flat stretches of wilderness dotted with desert cacti, creosote flats, yucca and cholla, then other ranches and farmland, her mind wandered to the day she discovered her pregnancy. She had only been eighteen, but she’d been so in love with Brandon that she would never have considered doing anything but raising her baby. She’d loved their child from the moment she’d found out she had conceived.

But Brandon had broken her heart a couple of months before and was on his honeymoon.

That had hurt the worst. To know that he was celebrating his love for another woman while she faced having a child alone. A child she’d desperately wanted to raise with him.

Her thoughts stayed scattered in the past as he veered onto a long winding road that looked at if it led nowhere. Moonlight streaked the horizon, painting a golden glow over the hills and valleys, and soon she saw cattle roaming and grazing in lush pastures.

He wound down a paved drive lined with billowing oaks that created a canopy above them, and she noted several barns, stables and riding pens.

Her pulse throbbed as they reached a stone wall, carved into an arch that held a wooden sign that said The Woodstock Wagoneer.

Brandon had talked and dreamed about owning his own spread when they were growing up, and she couldn’t help but be proud that he’d accomplished it. And the name…something about it tickled her memory.

A romantic wagon ride they’d taken after prom…

No, he wouldn’t have named the ranch The Wagoneer because of that ride. Would he?

Tears pricked her eyes again, but she blinked them away. Then she spotted a sprawling white farmhouse with gigantic wraparound porches, a white picket fence and dormer windows, and her heart stopped. Flower beds filled with pansies flanked the front porch and ferns hung from the awning, swaying in the breeze. Rocking chairs created a seating area near a porch swing like the Bucking Bronc Lodge, only not as rustic. This one was painted white with blue shutters.

Like the old abandoned farmhouse where they’d played as children.

Except this house wasn’t old or abandoned. It looked exactly like the house she’d pointed to in a magazine one time when they’d been daydreaming.

She swung her gaze to Brandon’s as he cut the engine, and for a moment, their gazes locked. Memories of all the times they’d laughed and loved and dreamed together flooded her. She’d fantasized about having a home like this.

But Brandon had built it for another woman.

Pain wrenched through her as if someone had driven a knife into her chest. She threw the door open, stumbled outside the car and gasped for air.

How could she stay here on Brandon’s ranch knowing he had left her pregnant and alone while he built her dream home for another woman?

BRANDON GRITTED HIS TEETH as Kim climbed out. He hoped to hell she didn’t remember the picture of the house she’d shown him years ago. If she did, she’d know that he’d built this house for her.

That he’d never gotten over her. That he’d regretted breaking her heart and marrying Marty.

That he’d blindly hoped that one day he might win her love and trust again. He’d even contemplated asking her to let him be a father to Lucy when he’d thought she was Carter’s daughter.

How pathetic had he been?

All that time he’d tried to love another woman when Kim had been in his heart, and she had kept his child from him. Kim should have known that he would have moved hell or high water to come back to her if he’d known. That he would have sacrificed everything—the money, the job, the hopes of his own spread—just to have a child when he thought that was the one thing he’d never have.

He glanced in the backseat and saw his sleeping daughter, and the anger over his loss nearly overpowered him. When he looked up at Kim, her face was ashen in the moonlight.

A myriad of emotions flashed across her face; then she opened the door to get Lucy.

“I’ll get her,” he said, knowing Kim was exhausted and he had a flight of stairs to climb to carry her to one of the guest rooms.

Kim shook her head. “No, just get the luggage.”

“Stop arguing, Kim,” Brandon said between clenched teeth. “You’re dead on your feet. Just grab your purse and follow me.”

He opened the back door to the car, then unfastened Lucy’s seat belt and scooped his little girl into his arms. Love swelled in his chest as she snuggled up against him.

He swallowed hard, then led the way up the cobblestone steps to the wraparound porch. How many times had he sat in that porch swing and imagined Kim cuddled up beside him?

Fool. That’s what he was.

When he reached the front door, Kim hesitated, and he juggled Lucy to one side and unlocked the door, then stepped inside. He wasn’t much for decorating so the place seemed bare as he flicked on a light. It definitely needed a woman’s touch.

But it was home, so he strode up the winding staircase. Kim followed, her sigh indicating her fatigue.

He shoved open the first door to the right and gestured inside. “There are two guest rooms,” he said. “You can stay in the first one nearest the stairs. I’ll put Lucy in the one beside you. There’s a bathroom in between.”

Kim nodded, then walked with him to the second room, where he flipped on a lamp and headed toward the white four-poster bed. Foolish again. He’d let the store clerk talk him into it, saying female guests would like it. He’d thought of Joanie, who would have loved it, then a little girl that he’d never have, but he’d bought it anyway.

Kim rushed to the bed and turned down the lavender comforter, and he helped ease Lucy onto the bed. For a moment, he simply stood and looked at her, soaking in the fact that she was his child. Memorizing her face again as if he feared she was a mirage and might disappear in the night.

Finally he dragged himself away, then strode down the steps and returned a few minutes later. He dropped Kim’s bag off in the first room, then took Lucy’s little rollaway and bunny backpack and put them on the window seat in front of the dormer window in her room.

He hesitated, soaking up the sight of his daughter again, then watched Kim bend over and kiss Lucy on the forehead and tuck her in tight. He’d never thought he could feel so many emotions at once.

Love for Lucy. An instantaneous bond that overwhelmed him with the need to protect her and the desire to make up for all the time he’d lost.

Admiration for Kim because she obviously loved their daughter and was a wonderful mother.

Anger that he’d missed out on being with both of them.

Kim smoothed the covers down, then turned and looked up at him, her eyes instantly wary. She looked exhausted, and for a brief moment, he wanted to give her a reprieve. To hold and comfort her and forget all the pain between them. All the bitterness that surfaced at the thought of her with Carter.

Of her and Johnny keeping his daughter from him.

He gestured toward the door. “Downstairs. We need to talk.”

Kim bit her lip, then sighed and headed down the stairs. He followed her, then led her into the study and poured them both a drink.

He’d held his tongue during the drive.

But her reprieve was over.

He wanted answers, and he wouldn’t sleep until he had them. His heart hardened.

Although even then, nothing Kim said could ever make things right again between them.

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