A Wedding In The Works?

RUST CREEK RAMBLINGS

We here at the Gazette are amazed to report that trust-fund cowboy Hudson Jones may soon be off the market. The boyish billionaire has been spending more time than ever with Bella Stockton, who manages his day-care center. It seems impossible that quiet, reserved Bella would have captured the fancy of such an alluring specimen of manhood.

Bella finds it hard to believe herself, and she keeps pushing Hudson away. What are the odds the footloose cowboy will stick around once he finds out she can’t have kids? Don’t tell Bella, but our sources report Hudson has his heart set on a Christmas proposal. When he finds out the truth, will it still be a holiday to remember?

“You went to an awful lot of trouble for me today. I guess I have to wonder why.”

“I didn’t want you dropping from exhaustion at the day care center,” Hudson said wryly, skirting the question.

Still, she kept her gaze on him. “So you’d do this for any of your employees?” She motioned to the meal and the house and he knew what she meant.

“No, I wouldn’t. You’re special, Bella.”

Her pretty brows arched. “Usually when a man does something like this, he wants something in return.”

He put down the wing he was about to eat. “Maybe I do. That kiss just didn’t happen out of the blue. There’s been something simmering since we met. Don’t you agree?”

She looked flustered. “I don’t know what you mean. I—”

“Bella, tell me the truth. If you can honestly say you don’t feel any sparks between us, I’ll drop the whole thing, take you home, not approach you again with anything in my mind other than a boss-and-employee relationship.”

“That’s what we should have,” she reminded him.

“Maybe. Are you going to answer my question?”

* * *

Montana Mavericks:

The Baby Bonanza—

Meet Rust Creek Falls’ newest bundles of joy!

The Maverick’s Holiday Surprise

Karen Rose Smith

www.millsandboon.co.uk

USA TODAY bestselling author KAREN ROSE SMITH’s eighty-seventh novel was released in 2015. Her passion is caring for her four rescued cats, and her hobbies are gardening, cooking and photography. An only child, Karen delved into books at an early age. Even though she escaped into story worlds, she had many cousins around her on weekends. Families are a strong theme in her novels. Find out more about Karen at www.karenrosesmith.com.

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To my dad,

who would have been 100 years old this year.

With his 35 mm camera, he gave me my love

of capturing memories with photography.

I miss you, Daddy.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

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

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Hudson Jones was used to getting his own way. But as he stood in the doorway of his office at the Just Us Kids Day Care Center, he had a feeling he wouldn’t get his way this time. Bella Stockton had him stymied.

The day care manager was beautiful—tall and willowy with wispy short blond hair. He’d tried to flirt with her over the past month that he’d been here to see to the day-to-day running of the center. After all, a cowboy could get lonely underneath the big Montana sky. But unlike the other pretty women he’d flirted with over his thirty years, Bella didn’t respond to him.

He studied her as she talked with a mother, one who’d apparently been involved in the parent-teacher conferences scheduled at Just Us Kids after normal business hours. Hudson recognized the expression on the parent’s face. Over the last couple of months, he’d dealt with his share of upset parents. An outbreak of RSV—respiratory syncytial virus—had hit Just Us Kids, sending one of the children to the hospital, which had prompted her parents to file a lawsuit. The day care had been cleared, but the damage to its reputation had been done.

He moved a little closer to the main desk in the reception area where Bella sat.

Marla Tillotson was pointing her finger at Bella. “If I even see another child here with sniffles, I’m pulling Jimmy out and enrolling him in Country Kids.” She turned on the heels of her red boots, gave Hudson a glare and headed for the door.

Although Hudson usually didn’t commit too much time to any one place, he had taken this job more seriously than most. After all, it was an investment he didn’t want to fail. He owned the property the day care sat on; his brother Walker owned the franchise. He’d let his brother talk him into staying for a while in Rust Creek Falls to oversee the staff and handle the PR that would put Just Us Kids back in the public’s good graces. But, to be honest, mostly he stayed in town because he wanted to get to know Bella better.

As soon as he saw Bella’s face, he didn’t hesitate to step up to her desk. “It wasn’t your fault,” he said adamantly.

As day care manager, Bella ran a tight ship. She enforced policies about not signing in sick kids, incorporated stringent guidelines for disinfecting surfaces and educated the staff. But it seemed she couldn’t put the whole awful experience of the lawsuit behind her.

Bella brushed her bangs aside and ducked her head for a moment. Then she raised burdened brown eyes to his. “I just can’t help thinking that maybe I slipped up somehow. What if I wasn’t vigilant enough before the outbreak? What—”

Hudson cut her off. “I’m going to say it again, and I’ll say it a thousand times more if you need to hear it. You didn’t do anything wrong,” he assured her. “I read numerous blogs about day care and RSV when Walker asked me to take over here. RSV looks like a cold when it starts. Kids are contagious before they show symptoms. That’s why it spreads like wildfire even with the best precautions. It’s going to be our job—” he pointed to himself, and then he pointed to her “—to make sure an outbreak doesn’t happen again.”

Bella met his eyes intently. Suddenly the day care center seemed very quiet. Maybe it was just because he was so aware of her gaze on him. Was she aware of him? They could hear low voices in one of the classrooms beyond where tables were set up for the parent-teacher conferences. But other than that, the facility suddenly had a hushed atmosphere.

Hudson noted that Bella seemed to be gazing intently at him. That was okay because he was studying her pretty oval face. He missed seeing the dimples that appeared whenever she was with the kids. That’s when she seemed the happiest. Her hair looked so soft and silky that he itched to run his fingers through it. But he knew he couldn’t. This was the first time she’d even stopped and looked at him like this. Had she thought he was the enemy, that he’d pick apart everything she did? That wasn’t his style.

He found himself leaning a little farther over the desk. He thought she was leaning a little closer to him, too.

All at once there was a rap-rap-rap on the door.

Sorry that they’d been interrupted, he nevertheless excused himself and went to the door. When he opened it, the brisk November air entered, along with Bart Dunner, a teenager who was a runner for the Ace in the Hole. Hudson had ordered a mess of ribs from the bar for anyone who was still around when dinnertime came. He paid Bart, gave him a tip and thanked him. On the way to the break room, he glanced over at Bella. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, he told himself.

“Have you eaten?” he asked her.

“No, I haven’t. I’ve been making out schedules and ordering supplies for the new year.”

He motioned to the bag. “Come join me.”

At first he thought she was going to refuse, but then to his surprise she said, “I skipped lunch. Supper might be a good idea.”

As they washed their hands at the sink, Bella kept a few inches between them, even when she had to reach around him for a paper towel. Was she skittish around all men...or just him? Maybe she was just shy, he told himself. Maybe she was a virgin. After all, she was only twenty-three.

At the table, they each took one of the Styrofoam containers with ribs, crispy fries and green beans. “These ribs smell delicious,” she said, and he didn’t think she was just making conversation. But it was hard to tell.

As they ate, he tried to get her to talk. “You know, we’ve been working together for over a month, but I don’t know much about you, except that you live with your brother and help with his triplets. I also know lots of people in town signed up to create a baby chain to care for the kids.” Jamie Stockton had lost his wife, leaving him with the newborns to care for and a ranch to run. “That says something about Rust Creek Falls, don’t you think?” If he could just get Bella talking, maybe she’d realize he was interested in her.

“That’s the way Rust Creek Falls works,” she responded. “Neighbors helping neighbors. And what you know about me is probably enough.”

“Come on,” he coaxed. “Tell me a little more. Did you grow up here?”

“Yes, I did. I was born here.”

“Have you and your brother always been close?” he prompted.

“We have. I love my nephews and niece dearly.” She took a forkful of green beans, then asked, “What about you? I know Walker is your brother.”

“I have four brothers. But we aren’t that close. Maybe because we’ve always had our own interests, or maybe because—” He stopped.

Bella studied him curiously. “What were you going to say?”

Hudson hesitated and decided he had to give to get. “Maybe because my parents never fostered closeness.”

She gave him an odd look at that. “Our parents died in a car accident when I was twelve and Jamie was fifteen. We always had to rely on each other.”

No wonder she didn’t talk about her childhood. Losing parents had to be traumatic. “I’ll bet you did rely on each other. Who took you in?”

“Our maternal grandparents took us in—the Stockton grandparents had both died. But Agnes and Matthew Baldwin didn’t really want that responsibility.”

“How can you know that, Bella? What starts that way sometimes can turn into something else—a real family.”

Looking troubled now, Bella shook her head. “When our grandmother died of a heart attack, I was fifteen. Jamie was eighteen. Our grandfather blamed us.”

“You can’t be serious.” Hudson was outraged for her. How could her grandfather have even given that impression? But then he thought about his own parents and how cold his mother seemed.

“You don’t know the situation,” Bella said gently. “Jamie and I weren’t the easiest kids to raise, and our grandfather was probably right.”

Hudson was horrified that Bella actually believed that. She was one of the sweetest women he’d ever met. “You can’t blame yourself for what fate hands out.” But he could see she did.

Bella had torn apart her ribs at that point, and instead of trying to eat them with a fork as some women might, she nibbled the meat off the bone. Her fingers were sticky, and so were her lips. Hudson couldn’t stop looking at her lips. She was in midchew when she realized he was staring. She stared back.

All eating stopped as they gazed at each other, and it was quite possible there was even a hum in the air. He wondered if she was just a little bit attracted to him.

But he never got to ask because one of the teachers popped her head into the break room.

“Got enough for me?” she asked.

That broke Hudson out of his trance. “Sure do, Sarah. Come on in and join us.”

As the boss, he knew that was the right thing to do. But as a man, what he really wanted was to be alone with Bella. To find out more about her. To get to know her.

To kiss her.

* * *

Hudson let himself into the ranch house on the Lazy B, thinking that living in Rust Creek Falls for a while wasn’t a chore. He tremendously liked where he was staying. He’d met Brooks Smith, the town’s veterinarian, on one of his first trips to Rust Creek Falls. He knew the town vet could always recommend the best place to ride or rent out a horse. Brooks had done better than that. He’d suggested Hudson rent Clive Bickler’s ranch.

Clive, an eccentric wealthy man who’d bought the property after the big flood several years ago, traveled a lot. Besides the main ranch house there was a smaller log home on the acreage where an older couple lived. They’d lost their ranch in the flood, and they lived on the Lazy B now and ran the place. Clive rented his home to high-end clients who appreciated his art collection and other niceties. Hudson, basically a trust fund cowboy, filled the bill. Living here was not only convenient but downright pleasant.

As he tapped in the code for the security alarm, he heard noise in the kitchen. That didn’t bother him because he knew who was there—Greta Marsden. She wasn’t only the wife of the foreman, but she also made sure Hudson had meals and treats to eat. Now she was loading a casserole into the refrigerator. The kitchen was all shiny stainless steel and high-end appliances. Not that Hudson cared because he didn’t do much cooking.

Greta was in her fifties with silver hair that fluffed around her face. She had a wide smile and a kind disposition. She might have been a few pounds overweight, but she was fit in jeans and a plaid shirt. Her wool jacket hung over a nearby chair.

She glanced over her shoulder at him as she made room in the refrigerator for the casserole dish and smiled. “Do you need supper?”

“No, I had ribs. Not that they could stand up to anything you make.”

She closed the refrigerator door, blushing a little. “You sure do know how to charm a woman, but save that for the ladies your age. I’m beyond it.”

Hudson laughed. “You’re not.”

She waved his comment away. “When kids are grown, companionship and affection mean more than anything else. I’m relieved I don’t need to look hot for anyone.”

So that was what marriage developed into—companionship and affection. He wasn’t sure his parents had that.

On the drive here, he’d thought about everything Bella had told him about her family. In fact he hadn’t been able to get her story out of his head. He was still distracted by it now.

Greta bustled around the kitchen and pointed to a plastic container on the counter. “Oatmeal raisin cookies. These cold nights they’ll go good with hot chocolate before you turn in.”

“So you think I’m still a growing boy.”

She laughed. “No, just a hardworking man with a big appetite.”

Hudson wasn’t sure about the hardworking part. He’d never really had to work too hard because his family was wealthy, so he was wealthy. He tended to take on jobs as he liked and then move on. His last project in Cody, Wyoming, had been about helping a friend start up a ranch—buying horses, choosing computer programs to manage the place efficiently. Over the years he’d managed ranches, wrangled cows and trained horses. This gig with Just Us Kids Day Care Center was something entirely new to him.

Greta looked around the kitchen and shook her head. “Edmond needed me to do bookwork today, so I didn’t clean up here,” she explained. “I’ll be back to do that in the morning.”

Hudson wasn’t concerned about collecting a few dust bunnies. “No problem.”

As he remembered Bella saying Our grandfather blamed us when Grandma died, he considered Greta’s comments about marriage.

“Do you mind if I ask you something personal?”

Greta shrugged. “I suppose not.”

“How would you feel if you suddenly had teenage grandchildren to raise? What if it happened overnight? What would you do?”

Greta didn’t even hesitate. “Edmond and I would try our best to love them to bits. The people who come in and out of our lives are gifts.”

When Hudson thought about Bella, he realized how she usually seemed sad unless she was around the kids. Had that been because of the way she’d been raised?

Apparently her grandparents hadn’t considered her and her brother as gifts. That had to color the way she looked at herself and the rest of her life.

Hudson nodded, suddenly a bit pleased with the evening. Though she hadn’t revealed too much over their quick dinner, he had learned quite a bit about Ms. Bella Stockton.

* * *

When Hudson entered Just Us Kids the following morning, Bella was already there.

As he walked into the reception area, he tipped his Stetson and gave her a cheery good morning. Yet she simply murmured hello and hardly lifted her head. What was that about?

He wondered that same thing again when she wouldn’t meet his gaze at a brief staff meeting before the children began arriving. He was sure something was wrong midmorning when Bella dropped time sheets on his desk without even looking at him.

She didn’t act like a beautiful young woman of the millennia. It wasn’t that she lacked self-confidence, because she didn’t. With the staff, with the kids, with every aspect of organization, she was confident in her abilities. But not around him.

He had to get to the bottom of it.

Hudson had found he enjoyed being with the kids. It was odd, really. As an adult, he’d never been around children much. Several times a day he’d wander through the sections of children in different age groups. He knew many of the children by name, and they knew his name. He often stopped to help with an art project or just to converse with a curious four-year-old. They came up with the darnedest questions. He pretty much stayed away from the babies, watching over them from afar. The teachers didn’t seem to mind him wandering through. They often gave him a thumbs-up, and he praised them for the way they handled the kids. It wasn’t an easy job, and he knew it. He’d handled two-year-old horses, and that task had seemed easier.

Throughout the day he often glanced at Bella and wondered why he was so interested in her. Her beauty, for sure, that pretty face, that pixie hairdo, that slender figure. There was something else, too, though—something that both unsettled and intrigued him.

He’d never been seriously involved with a woman. He’d never wanted to settle down because he’d seen the coldness in his parents’ marriage. When he had dated, he’d seen that women wanted to tie him to one place. Moving from place to place gave his life the excitement romance couldn’t. No woman had ever meant as much to him as not being tied down.

However, something about Bella Stockton made him want to get to know her a little better. He wanted to know why she’d gone all shy on him.

Late in the day, when only a few stragglers remained to be picked up, he had his chance.

He went to Bella’s desk and asked, “Can I see you in my office?”

She looked up at him with startled eyes. But then she asked, “Do I need my tablet to take notes?”

He shook his head. “Not about this.”

That brought a frown to her pretty face. But she followed him into his office, and this time he closed the door. He didn’t claim to be a human resources expert. Yes, he could spin a good story. However, this moment called for some honesty.

“I suspect you’re not happy that I’m here to oversee Just Us Kids. But I want to reassure you I know you do a good job. My being here is just necessary in the wake of everything that happened.”

“I know that,” she murmured.

“Do you?” He looked at her directly, making eye contact, not letting her look away.

“It’s not just you,” she said. “It’s me. I don’t want to make a mistake. I don’t want anything to jeopardize Just Us Kids.”

“I understand that. Up until yesterday, I thought we got along just fine. At least we could have a simple conversation.”

She didn’t say anything to that.

He went on. “And yesterday, I thought we were finally getting to know each other a little better. I’m glad you told me a bit about your childhood.”

“I shouldn’t have,” she quickly said.

“Why not?”

“Because Jamie and I don’t like to talk about it. We don’t like to think about it. Those were hard times for both of us, and we don’t want anyone to feel sorry for us.”

“And you think I feel sorry for you?”

“Possibly.”

Hudson shook his head. “I’m sorry you and your brother went through that. I’m sorry your grandparents didn’t treat you as the gifts you must have been.” He found Greta’s conclusion absolutely fit the situation.

At his words, Bella looked surprised.

They were standing near his desk, she at one corner and he at the other. But now he took a few steps closer to her. He could smell the light flowery perfume she wore. He could see the tiny line across her nose because it wrinkled there whenever she laughed or smiled. She didn’t wear much makeup, but what she did wear was perfect—just a bit of lipstick and a little mascara from what he could tell. Simply looking at her caused heat to build inside him. He tried to throw a dash of cold water on it with logic, but it was hard to douse the kind of attraction he hadn’t felt for a very long time.

However, he kept his voice even when he said, “It’s a good thing when people who work together share bits of their personal life. They have a better understanding of what the other person has gone through. Do you know what I mean?”

She considered that. “I guess the way I grew up taught me that children should all be treated with respect and kindness and love.”

“I can see that.”

“And why do you treat them as if you’re one of them?” she asked as if she really wanted to know.

“Because I never grew up.” He was half joking and half serious.

Bella finally broke a smile. She looked him up and down, from his wavy brown hair, to the razor stubble on his jaw, to the open collar of his snap-button shirt, to his wide leather belt, jeans and boots. Then she said, “That’s easy to believe when I see you with the kids. But it’s hard to believe when I look at you as the supervisor of this place. You wear the role very well.”

“It is a role, Bella, believe me. I’m only here until we’re sure Just Us Kids has its reputation back, then I’ll be off again somewhere else. That’s what I do. That’s what I mean about never growing up.”

She shook her head as if she didn’t understand. “But what’s your purpose?”

“My purpose?”

“Before this job, what made you want to get up every morning and face a new day?”

“A new adventure. I went looking for it, whether it was gathering wild mustangs in Wyoming or managing the books of a friend’s ranch during start-up. I have skills, and I have purpose, but that purpose isn’t always the same. I find a purpose in the places I travel.”

“With no commitment or responsibilities?”

“No commitment and no personal responsibilities. It’s an easy, uncomplicated way to live.”

“My life is full of complications,” she responded with a little shrug. “I guess I wouldn’t know what to do without them. But my commitment to Jamie and the triplets, and eventually finding my own future, gives me purpose each morning. It’s a continuing purpose. Do you know what I mean? It’s going to take me into the years to come. Yours seems like it could fall apart easily and leave you adrift.”

Oh, he’d been adrift. He’d been adrift in between jobs, and he’d been adrift when he’d just enjoyed the scenery. But Bella seemed to think adrift was a bad thing. He didn’t.

They gazed at each other for what seemed like minutes, even though it was only seconds. He found himself wanting to slide his fingers through her hair. He found himself wanting to step even closer. There was a sparkle in her eyes when she looked at him that made him believe that maybe she was attracted to him, too. But he was sort of her boss, and she already thought he was judging everything she did. How stupid would it be to get involved with her? Yet he set the rules here, didn’t he? If he and Bella ever did really connect...

He suddenly cleared his throat. “I’d better open the door before anyone gets second thoughts about what’s going on in here. I wouldn’t want there to be any gossip about your reputation.”

A shadow passed over her face, a definite shadow. Maybe he’d learned a little personal information about her, but not nearly enough. Just what was that shadow from?

But she wasn’t going to confide in him any more than she already had. He could see that. She was already stepping away from his desk toward the door.

“Bella?”

She stopped.

“Are we okay?”

“We’re fine,” she said, raising up her chin a bit.

Fine. That was a wishy-washy word that didn’t nearly begin to describe what he felt when he was in the same room with Bella Stockton. But he just nodded because he could see that’s what she wanted him to do. He wasn’t going to push anything...not yet.

Chapter Two

On Saturday afternoon, Bella was thankful for the baby chain that was helping her brother at Short Hills Ranch. This afternoon, Lindsay Dalton, one of the volunteers in Jamie’s baby chain, had stopped by. She was taking over care of baby Jared while Jamie and Bella handled the others. By the stone fireplace in the family room, Bella was holding Henry and sitting in an old pine rocker she’d found at a flea market. His little eyes were almost shutting. Jamie had taken Katie upstairs to the nursery to try to calm her down. She was teething and couldn’t be easily consoled today.

Lindsay sat on the sofa cooing softly to Jared. “If Henry starts crying again, he will, too,” she whispered.

Lindsay was a pretty brunette and Bella could easily see why Walker, Hudson’s brother, had fallen for her. Her own friendship with Lindsay had been strained by the lawsuit against Just Us Kids since Lindsay had been the lawyer suing Walker. But now Lindsay and Walker were engaged, and Walker was going to work mostly from Rust Creek Falls and travel when necessary. Lindsay and Bella were finding common ground again by helping Jamie.

“How goes everything at Just Us Kids?” Lindsay asked her, truly interested.

Bella continued to rock back and forth, watching Henry’s fists curl. Holding a baby absolutely melted her heart, yet it made it hurt at the same time.

“Everything’s going well,” she told Lindsay. “At least it seems to be. We had a mother tell us that if she saw one baby with the sniffles, she’d pull her child and enroll him at Country Kids.” Country Kids was their rival for clients.

“Sniffles and kids just go together,” Lindsay said with a shake of her head. “Especially this time of year.”

“One sniffle now and Hudson asks the parent to keep their child home. That’s the way it has to be. I know that’s a hardship on the parents, but we can’t have another outbreak.”

“I’m glad we can talk about this,” Lindsay said. “I hated being on opposite sides of the fence.”

Bella nodded. She’d missed Lindsay’s friendship, too. “How are you and Walker?” she asked.

Lindsay’s face broke into a wide smile. “We’re wonderful. He’s wonderful.”

Then Lindsay asked, “How are you and Hudson getting along?”

“Fine,” Bella responded airily. There must have been something in her voice, because Lindsay asked, “How fine?”

Bella felt her cheeks flush.

Lindsay said gently, “You know, don’t you, that Hudson has a reputation for being a love-’em-and-leave-’em cowboy.”

“His reputation doesn’t matter,” Bella said. “He’s my boss. That’s it.”

Still she remembered the way they’d sat together eating those sticky ribs, the way they’d stood close and she’d felt heat from Hudson and her own heat in return.

“You don’t resent him overseeing you anymore?”

“I’m still not sure how I feel about that,” Bella admitted. “But I’m not as resentful as I was at the beginning. I understand that both Hudson and Walker have to safeguard the business. I just didn’t want someone judging every move I make.”

“Is Hudson doing that?”

“Actually, no, he isn’t. His managerial style is hands-off, unless he has to step in.”

She thought about how Hudson had stepped in after a parent had dressed her down. She also thought about Walker’s brief visits to the day care center and his sometimes condescending attitude to Hudson because he was the older brother.

“I wish Walker would tell Hudson he’s doing a good job. After all, Hudson handled the PR for the whole problem and managed to keep most of our staff and our clients. But I get the idea that Walker doesn’t understand what a huge achievement that is.”

Lindsay rubbed her finger along Jared’s chin, studying his baby face as if maybe she was contemplating having a child of her own someday.

“I hear what you’re saying,” Lindsay assured Bella. “But you know, brothers will be brothers. I get the feeling that Walker and Hudson’s relationship is complicated, so I think it’s better if I stay out of it.”

Bella admired Lindsay’s honesty. “You’re probably right. I wouldn’t want anyone interfering in my relationship with Jamie.”

After the babies fell asleep, Bella and Lindsay took them upstairs to their cribs in the nursery. Since Katie was still fussing, Jamie carried her to his bedroom so her restlessness and cries wouldn’t wake the other two.

Downstairs once more, Bella and Lindsay cleaned up the living room and den. There were always baby things scattered everywhere, from bottles to diapers to receiving blankets to toys. After Lindsay left, Bella went to find Jamie, still in the recliner in his bedroom, rocking Katie. In a pink onesie with a teddy bear embroidered on the front, she looked like a little angel. He was looking down at her as if she were one.

“She’s almost asleep,” he told Bella. “But she’s still restless. I want to make sure she’s really into a deep nap before I put her down with the others.”

“I can take her,” Bella offered. “Why don’t you go riding? You need a break.” He’d been up half the night with Katie.

“I want to make sure this is merely teething and not something else. She doesn’t feel hot, but I want to be certain she’s not running a temperature.”

Bella could hear the fatigue in Jamie’s voice, and he looked exhausted. He hadn’t shaved today, and beard stubble lined his chin. His blond hair fell over his brow as if he’d run his hand through it many times. But as he looked down at his daughter, his blue eyes were filled with love.

Jamie was often overwhelmed; she could see it on his face and hear it in his voice. Yet he never gave up on the ranch, and he never stopped putting the babies first. He always gave them every ounce of love and caring in his heart, even if that meant he didn’t have much of a life anymore.

She’d never regret quitting college and moving back in here with him. She loved helping him take care of the triplets. She loved being around the babies. But it was also painful. She so wanted to be a mother, but she knew she might never be able to have kids. Just how fair or right was that?

“What are you thinking about?” Jamie asked her. As a close sibling, he always could read her moods.

Her past played through her mind like a mocking newsreel. She could never forget about it, even though she tried. So she answered him truthfully.

“I’m thinking about how wild I was as a teenager.”

“You were dealing with our parents’ deaths.”

“So were you, but you didn’t jump off the deep end.”

“Our grandparents didn’t want us. I pretended I didn’t care. I put my energy into sports. But you—” He shook his head. “You were younger. You needed Grandma’s arms around you. You needed them to want you. They didn’t. That’s why we were separated from the others.”

Bella sighed. Their sisters Dana and Liza had been younger, more adoptable, and had been sent to a group home for that purpose. Their brothers Luke, Daniel and Bailey had been over eighteen and had been turned out on their own.

“Don’t you ever wonder where they all are?” Bella asked.

“Sure I do. But the fact remains that you and I haven’t left Rust Creek Falls. Our siblings could find us if they wanted to. They obviously don’t want to. Case closed.”

Bella understood Jamie’s attitude. After all, they’d been rejected by their grandparents. They didn’t need sibling rejection on top of that.

“Sometimes I don’t understand how you help me like you do,” Jamie said, looking troubled.

“I’m your sister.”

“Yes, but...”

She knew what he was getting at. They rarely talked about it, but today seemed like a day for stepping back into the past.

“I think she’s finally asleep,” he said, rising from the recliner and carrying Katie into the nursery. There he settled her into the crib and looked down on her with so much love Bella wanted to cry.

Then he turned back to her. “When you got pregnant, I didn’t know what to do to help you. After you lost your baby and possibly the chance ever to have another one, I didn’t know what to do then either. I don’t know how Grandma and Gramps kept everything that happened to you a secret, but they did. Grandma died so soon after you lost your baby, and Gramps blamed you. And me. But keeping the secret about your miscarriage wasn’t good for any of us...especially you. You couldn’t talk about what happened. You couldn’t express your grief.”

“Jamie,” she warned weakly, not wanting to delve into any of those feelings.

“I feel like you’re still grieving sometimes when you look at the triplets,” he explained.

“You’re wrong about that. I love being around Katie and Henry and Jared. They fill my life with happy times.”

“I know sharing the triplets with you isn’t the same as your having your own kids, but I want you to know I appreciate everything you do to help me and to take care of them. And even if you love being around them because they’re your niece and nephews, don’t you mind being around the babies and kids at the day care center? Isn’t it just downright hard?”

“Actually, it’s not,” she assured him. “I think the day care center has been my saving grace. Your triplets and the kids there...they fill me with joy. I don’t have time to be sad.”

Jamie suddenly gave her a huge hug, and she leaned into him, grateful to have her brother. In that moment, she thought about having more, too—about having a man to love, a relationship, a life outside the day care center and Jamie’s triplets. She thought about Hudson. She’d been attracted to him from the first moment she’d seen him. But she’d also realized what kind of man he was. He had a reputation, and she knew he wouldn’t stay no matter what kind of electricity was flowing between them now. She shouldn’t get involved...couldn’t get involved. Besides, she had nothing to give somebody like Hudson. He had experienced the world.

And she was just a small-town girl who couldn’t have kids.

* * *

Late Monday morning Hudson sat in his office much too aware of Bella at her desk in the reception area beyond. She really was an expert at handling the children. This morning he’d noticed the way she put her hand on a child’s shoulder, or gave him a hug. Her smile when she was with the kids was absolutely radiant. Yes, it was safe to say there was a lot about the woman that intrigued him.

As if his thoughts had beckoned her, she stood and approached his office. He invited her inside.

“I set up a meeting for you with the holiday pageant director, Eileen Bennet, next Wednesday afternoon,” she told him.

Every year the local elementary school put on a Christmas pageant, and this year they wanted the day care babies to get involved. “The pageant isn’t that far off. I hope she doesn’t have anything too complicated in mind.”

“If she knows babies, she won’t,” Bella said with a smile. She filled him in on what she knew, then turned to go. She’d almost reached the door of his office when he asked, “What did you do before you managed the day care center?”

He’d heard the gossip that she’d quit college to help her brother, but he didn’t know that for a fact.

“I was in college—my second year.”

He must have looked puzzled because she added, “I worked after I graduated from high school to save money for college.”

“What did you do?”

“Mostly I waitressed. Lots of long shifts so I could sock the tips away. Four years of that, and I applied for and received a grant from a women’s foundation. I enrolled at Montana State University.”

“What was your major?”

“Business administration. I eventually wanted to focus on public affairs and learn strategies for helping small towns survive. Maybe that’s a pipe dream, but if someone doesn’t inject life into a place like Rust Creek Falls, it could become a ghost town. That was especially true after the flood.”

“So your college courses gave you managerial skills that come into play here.”

“I guess you could say that. I don’t know when I’ll be able to complete my degree. Working here will help me save the money to do it. But I plan to stick around Rust Creek Falls as long as Jamie needs me.”

Bella’s eyes sparkled with her dedication to her brother, as well as with the dreams that she still envisioned. More than anything, Hudson wanted to stand up and go over to her. He longed to brush her bangs across her forehead. Even more than that, he ached to tip her chin up, to bend his head, to put his lips on hers.

And that’s why he stayed sitting. Yeah, he longed to kiss her, but they were in their workplace. Besides that, he wasn’t looking for a long-term commitment, and Bella was the type of woman who deserved one.

This time when she moved to leave his office, he let her.

For the rest of the morning, Hudson felt unsettled. Finally he pushed away from his computer, stood and stretched. Truth be told, he wasn’t used to sitting at a desk for most of the day. If he had to choose a job he liked best, it would be one training horses, cutting calves or walking through a field or pasture checking fence. He liked being a cowboy. Even now he rode whenever he could at the Lazy B, but it wasn’t the same thing as being on a horse most of the day.

Leaving his office, he spotted Bella. Instead of at her desk, she was on a ladder at the bulletin board in the reception area. Instinctively, he crossed to her, fearful she was going to fall off.

As he stood a few feet from her, he could see that she was putting up photos of the babies who came to Just Us Kids. There had been an explosion of pregnancies after a wedding reception that most of the town had taken part in two summers ago. Rumor had it that old man Homer Gilmore had put something potent in the punch. The result: nine months later, nurseries had been full of babies. Many of those babies were enrolled at Just Us Kids.

He moved a little closer to study the photos, and Bella took notice of him.

“These pictures are good. Who took them?”

“I did,” Bella said proudly.

She was still on the ladder, and he stood close to her, his shoulder at her waist. “You just didn’t snap quick photos. These are well thought out, artistic even. Look at the eyes on this little guy. They absolutely sparkle.” He pointed to another one. “And this expression is priceless. You have a real artist’s eye and good timing. Kids move and change minute to minute, and you’ve caught some of their best expressions.”

She glanced down at him, and their gazes met. “Thank you,” she murmured.

Clearing his throat, he said offhandedly, “You’d probably enjoy looking at the paintings at my ranch house.”

Bella seemed to almost lose her balance. She toddled, and he put his arm around her to support her. They stood frozen, staring at each other, her face above his but not so far away. Why had she lost her balance? Had she thought he wanted her to come back to his ranch house for other reasons?

Maybe he did.

“You have to careful,” he mumbled.

She nodded slowly. “Yes, I do.” Then she pushed away from him and made her way down the ladder.

Once she was on the ground, he asked, “Do you have other photos you’ve taken? Not of babies?”

“I do. I carry my camera with me almost everywhere I go.”

“Get it,” he said impulsively. “I’d like to see them.”

“Now?”

“You’re due for a lunch break and so am I, right?”

Bella didn’t know what to think of Hudson’s suggestion. Did he really want to see her photos? Why? And just what had he meant by that comment about going to his ranch? Did he really want her to see the paintings? Or did he have something else in mind?

Did she?

She felt her cheeks beginning to flush. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. For years now she hadn’t dated. She’d kept to herself. She’d been determined not to get into any more trouble, not to do something foolish or reckless. But in a way, her heart had been frozen during those years. She’d rebelled as a teenager, and that had gotten her into so much trouble. No, she hadn’t loved the father of her baby. Yes, she’d been looking for love, and somehow she’d mistakenly thought that sex could give her love. But she knew better than that now. She knew better about a lot of things.

But having Hudson’s arm around her when she’d almost fallen, catching the scent of his aftershave, looking into his blue eyes, foolish and reckless and impulsive had all seemed like good ideas.

No, no, no, she told herself firmly. Hudson Jones is nothing but trouble for you.

Knowing all that, she still said, “My camera’s in my bag. I’ll get it.”

Going around her desk, she opened the bottom drawer. Inside her hobo bag she found her point-and-shoot camera. It wasn’t anything special, but it worked for her.

Taking the small white camera to Hudson, she turned it on. Then she hit the button that brought up the display and the photo review. “My SD card is almost full,” she admitted, handing him the camera so he could look for himself. She pointed to an arrow button. “Just press that to go backward or forward.”

He was silent for a long time as he seemed to spend forever on each photo. When she glanced over his arm, she saw he was studying the sequence she’d taken on Short Hills Ranch. She’d shot the fall foliage with horses in the background. She’d captured Jamie astride a horse as well as a bay with a star on its forehead looking straight at the camera. There was a shot inside the stable, too, where a yellow light cast a horse in a golden glow.

As Hudson shuffled through one photo after another, she watched his expression. He had an expressive face, not stoic like her grandfather’s. She saw his eyes widen with surprise when he glimpsed at a photo he especially liked. She spied his mouth turn up at the corners as he went through a sequence of the triplets more than once. There was Katie with cereal all over her face... Henry with his thumb in his mouth... Jared crawling toward a favorite toy. She’d also caught Jamie standing in a window at dusk, his profile in shadow.

Hudson suddenly lowered the camera. “Do you know how good these are?”

She analyzed every crease on his face, the openness in his eyes. Was he feeding her a line?

But his next words told her he wasn’t. “I can see you don’t know how good you are. Did you ever think about hiring out your services?”

“It’s just a hobby.”

“It’s a hobby that could take you someplace. What if I tell you I know someone who might like to hire you to take photos?”

“Of what?” she asked suspiciously. After all, she’d learned to be suspicious of men and their motives.

“Do you know Brooks Smith?”

The name sounded familiar, and all at once she placed it. “He’s a veterinarian. I’ve never met him. His dad usually comes out to Short Hills when we need a vet.”

“Brooks and his dad have separate practices but cover for each other. His dad is cutting back his hours. Anyway, Brooks and his wife, Jazzy, run a horse rescue ranch out at the edge of town. The ranch is a passion with them, and they’re going to have pamphlets printed about the facility. Jazzy mentioned she just hasn’t had time to put it all together. Do you think you’d be interested in taking photos of the horses on the ranch?”

She was so busy now that she didn’t know what to say. Between work and the triplets, she sometimes didn’t have time to breathe. But the idea of taking photographs and making extra money was downright inviting.

“When would I have to do this?”

“Pretty soon, I guess. They mentioned handing out the pamphlets at their holiday open house.”

“I don’t have much spare time,” she admitted.

“I know you don’t, but this would probably only take a few hours.”

“You don’t know if Brooks and his wife would really want me.”

“I can set up a meeting.”

“Let me think about it. If Jamie has enough help, it would be a possibility.”

Hudson motioned to the photos of the babies on the bulletin board. Then he pointed to her camera. “You have a gift, Bella. You see with your camera what most folks can’t see with their eyes. You really should share that.”

She thought about that, then asked, “Why? I mean, everyone sees what they want to see for the most part.”

“But what if you can broaden someone’s outlook? What if you could give them a positive spin instead of a negative one? What if you can make a difference?”

“We’re talking about shooting a few photos.” She couldn’t keep the amusement from her voice because she thought maybe he was joking.

“No, not just a few shots. Each of your photos is a study of your subject that you’ve captured for eternity. That’s not something to treat lightly.”

She never expected something so deep to come out of Hudson. That just proved she didn’t know him very well. And he certainly didn’t know her.

“I’ll check with Brooks and Jazzy,” he said. “You think about it. I’m going to take a walk and get some lunch. Would you like some fresh air, too? You’re welcome to join me.”

She could hear the sound of children’s laughter coming from one of the rooms. When she looked up at Hudson, she saw interest in his eyes. The children were safety. Hudson was danger.

As she had for the past few years, she chose safety. “I’d better stay here in case anybody needs me.”

“You like to feel needed, don’t you?”

“I do. It gives my life purpose.”

He shrugged. “I’ve never had that kind of purpose. I’m not exactly sure what it feels like.”

“Walker needed you here. Isn’t that why you took over supervising Just Us Kids?”

“I never looked at it that way,” he conceded. “I guess you’re right.” He motioned to the bulletin board. “It looks good. It will capture people’s attention. Soon we’ll have to decorate for the holidays.”

“It’s not even Thanksgiving yet.”

“Not so far off,” he reminded her as he moved toward the door. He opened it and looked back over his shoulder at her. “I won’t be long. If anything comes up, you have my cell number.”

She nodded. She did have his cell number. But she doubted she’d ever use it.

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