And Baby Makes Three

CHAPTER ONE

THE wizened old cowboy filling his pickup truck at the service station in Elko tipped his hat back. “The Bonnibelle, you say?” His head turned toward the mountains. “Everyone knows it’s right over there in the valley, beneath those snow capped peaks.”

Catherine had heard of it, of course, but coming from the other side of Nevada she could be forgiven for not knowing exactly where to find it.

“Biggest cattle ranch around,” he expounded. “Thirty-five thousand acres. Can’t miss it. After you leave town, take the 227 and follow it all the way.”

Straight as the crow flies? she wanted to respond, but quashed the impulse because the older man thought he was being helpful. To his mind, he’d given her all the directions she needed.

O ye of little faith, she chided herself before thanking him. Then she got back in the car.

Having made her visit to the ladies’ room, plus purchasing a cold bottle of water along with the gas, she was ready to go. But who knew how many more miles she had to travel before she reached her destination?

There wasn’t any point in consulting the map she’d bought before leaving Reno. It was of no further use to her now except to tell her she was headed toward the Ruby Mountains.

In the heat waves rising from the highway, Bonnie’s precious little image swam before her eyes.

If your daddy’s there, my darling baby girl, I’ll find him. If he’s not, then I’m going to make you mine no matter what I have to do.

After losing track of time beneath a sweltering July afternoon sun blazing down on miles of rangeland, she finally spied an arch of deer antlers to her right, signifying the entrance to the Bonnibelle. A name like that must have come from the heart of some homesick Scotsman who’d settled here many years earlier and staked his claim.

It took another fifteen minutes before the dirt road climbed higher past alpine paintbrush and lupine to a crystal blue lake where an immense three-storied log ranch house hugged the shoreline. The spectacular backdrop of mountains against such splendor caused Catherine to suck in her breath.

Your daddy picked a piece of heaven when he decided to work here, sweet heart.

Beyond the main house there were clusters of immaculate out buildings and a huge barn erected amid clumps of dark pines. Some of the structures looked as if they dated back to the second half of the 1800s.

Catherine surmised that it not only took a small army of hands to keep this place in mint condition, but a cattle king with exceptional gifts and an iron hand to make certain its inner workings ran with all the precision of a fine Swiss watch.

An odd assortment of luxury cars mixed with pickup trucks and horse trailers stood parked along the border of grass planted in front of the main house. Considering the ranch was such a big business concern, she didn’t question their presence or the number of vehicles with the state’s official seal decorating the car doors.

Perhaps she might have done if she hadn’t been so intent on her des per ate mission. With time running out, she needed to act fast. Otherwise she could lose Bonnie.

At the mere thought, stabbing pain brought fresh tears to her eyes.

The idea of someone else raising Bonnie was unthinkable to Catherine. Once she’d con firmed Bonnie’s father turned out to be the no-account drifter she’d labeled him-once she heard him say he wanted nothing to do with his own flesh and blood-she was ready to go to court and claim the baby for her very own.

After finding a parking spot behind a blue Mercedes sedan, she levered herself out from the front seat of her vehicle and stepped out into the dry heat. At six thousand feet it was certainly cooler than in Elko.

Since she’d left her condo seven hours ago, the sun’s position had altered. Catherine’s willowy body, dressed in a crush-proof two-piece suit, cast a shadow against the bank of cars. She headed for the main entrance of the ranch house, grateful she’d worn medium-sized heels to navigate. They made a soft crunching sound on the gravel driveway.

A deep porch ran the full length of the beautiful old structure. Upon climbing the steps, she saw the sign that told visitors to ring the bell.

Not long after she’d pressed the button a maid answered the door. Catherine caught the cool breeze of the air-conditioning and welcomed it. As she breathed in, she detected the strong scent of fresh flowers.

Beyond the young woman she noticed several massive sprays of roses and lilies placed at either side of the bottom of the grand staircase. The interior of the spacious foyer had more the look of an English manor than its rustic western exterior conveyed.

While Catherine was wondering if she’d interrupted a wedding or some such thing, the maid said, “Everyone’s gathered in the great room. If you’d like to follow me.”

“Oh, but I’m not-”

Catherine stopped talking because the maid had already disappeared through two paneled doors on the right, leaving Catherine in a dilemma. Whatever social event she’d walked in on, she hadn’t been invited.

Making a decision to err on the side of caution, she hurried outside again. She would wait in her car until she saw someone leave the ranch house. At that point she would approach them to find out what was going on. Depending on the answer, she might have to double back to Elko for the night and return in the morning.

Her reasons for coming here were private and personal. After suffering a troubled child hood and teenage years, Catherine had been given a second chance at life. Now, years later, she was in a position to fight for someone who couldn’t.

The problem was, any information she gave to the wrong person could jeopardize everything. She refused to let that happen, not when she’d made promises to Terrie she intended to keep.

“Mr. Farraday?”

“Excuse me, Hal,” Cole said to the Lieutenant Governor and his aide before turning to face Janine, the newest member of the household staff. The tone in her voice held a certain nuance that prompted him to walk her over to one of the windows where they could be apart from the thirty or so people left in the room. “What is it, Janine?”

“A woman I’ve never seen before came to the door just now. I assumed she must be a friend of the family, so I asked her to come in and follow me.”

Making that kind of assumption was Janine’s first mistake, but Cole let her continue uninterrupted.

“When I turned around, she was gone! I don’t know if she’s somewhere in the house, or if she left. I alerted Mack, but thought you should know.”

Cole schooled his dark features not to reveal his thoughts. “You did the right thing to come to me. Give me a description.”

“She was a tallish blonde wearing a yellow outfit.”

“How old?”

Janine shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe twenty-five, twenty-six.”

Or maybe thirty-five, thirty-six, all disguised by a series of surgical makeovers? One of Buck’s bimbos from the past? Some exotic dancer his thirty-year-old brother had gotten involved with at an XXX-rated bar in Elko before he’d cleaned up his act?

Buck had the kind of looks women couldn’t resist. He came from money and was always ready for a good time. For the last few years it had taken everything Cole and his brother John could do to keep Buck’s nocturnal activities under wraps. In secret, Cole had even asked his uncle Richard, who lived in Reno, to take Buck under his wing for the latter part of last summer in the hope of straightening him out.

He smothered a groan of protest, because this woman had dared to trespass even though she knew Buck had married Lucy two months ago. That was all his shattered sister-in-law needed right now.

He knew how she felt. Ten years ago Cole had lost his wife, Jenny, and his dream of a family of his own had died with her. Maybe the Farraday clan was cursed after all.

While his flint-like gaze swerved to a white-faced Lucy, who was surrounded by her family and Cole’s married sister Penny, a feeling of rage swept through him.

After watching his youngest brother’s body being lowered into the ground earlier in the day, he’d been so full of pain he hadn’t thought there could be room for any other emotion.

“Thanks, Janine.”

The guests were congregated in groups, among them his attorney Jim Darger and his wife. On one side of the room John and Cole’s brother-in-law Rich had their heads bent together in serious conversation. On the other, he observed Brenda, a woman he’d been seeing lately, talking with a group of friends. His nieces and nephews had long since disappeared, making him wish he could have joined them.

Under the cir cum stances no one would notice if he headed for the nearest exit and slipped from the room. The less anyone in the family knew about this the better.

If the intruder in question was enjoying a tour of the place, like some stalking voyeur, his ranch manager Mack would quickly catch up with her.

Acting on a hunch, he let himself out of the house through the study doors and started walking toward the vehicles parked out front. In case she made a dash for one of them, he’d be waiting for her.

To his shock, a woman answering Janine’s description got out of a white compact car and called to him in a slightly husky voice. “Excuse me?”

His jaw tightened.

She wasn’t at all what he’d anticipated. For one thing she couldn’t be in her thirties. For another, her suit was a pale lemon color, subtle and so phisticated. Her healthy, natural ash blond hair didn’t look anything close to the cheap image that had filled his mind.

With or without clothes on her slender yet rounded body, there was an elegance to her bones. Those long legs enabled her brilliant blue eyes to meet his without difficulty, and he was a tall man.

Her upswept hair caught in a loose knot revealed classic facial features that needed no enhancement flushed from the heat. He saw intelligence in her glance. More disconcerting to him was the passionate flare of her mouth, as if she could read his mind and enjoyed confounding him. But of course she didn’t have the power to do that.

He made the mistake of drawing too close to her. The combination of her own feminine scent and the fragrance either from her hair or perfume, or both, assailed him. Cole hadn’t thought anything could drown out the cloying scent of lilies coming from the funeral sprays.

“What can I do for you?” he asked, congratulating himself for sounding willing to help her without revealing the full state of his churning emotions thrown by her presence. But the fact that he had an inordinate curiosity about her proved to be the cause of a deeper irritation at his own undisciplined thoughts on this black day.

“I came to talk to the person who does the hiring on the ranch, but I’m afraid I arrived at an in opportune time. Did someone just get married?”

At the thought of his recently reformed brother gone from this world, leaving Lucy and the whole family in despair, a fresh shaft of pain, sharp and swift, pierced his gut. He rocked back on his hand-tooled cowboy boots. “There was a funeral today.”

She bit her lower lip, drawing his attention to that succulent part of her mouth despite his darkest thoughts. What in hell was the matter with him? There’d been women since Jenny died, but none of them had stirred him the way this stranger did. It made no sense.

“Then I’m glad I didn’t intrude. Thank you for talking to me.” Summarily dismissing him, an experience he couldn’t remember ever happening before, she climbed back in her car. In a few seconds she’d be gone.

The sensible part of him wished he could allow her to drive away, but he wasn’t finished with her. She’d claimed she wanted to talk to the person in charge of personnel. He did the hiring himself. No one worked at the Bonnibelle-either in the house or on the spread-unless he okayed it.

Whatever the qualifications she might bring for a position she wanted, she’d be the last person he’d consider. Not even then…

She didn’t come off flirtatious, which was a surprise. Yet her unconscious sensuality would play havoc with the harmony he’d worked like the devil to maintain among the stockmen since their parents’ death in a light airplane crash three years back. Buck had fallen apart after that. It had taken Lucy’s sure, steady love for him to start putting himself back together.

Exhaling heavily, Cole took the few steps necessary to place his body next to the door she’d just closed. He braced his hands against the open window and lowered his head.

She turned a surprised gaze to him, giving him the full benefit of her dark fringed eyes, an unusual combination on a blond. A man could think he was falling through a cloud less western sky just looking into them.

“I’m in a position to know there are no job openings, Ms…?”

“Catherine Arnold,” she supplied evenly. “Then I should consider myself fortunate I already have a job I love,” came the evasive comment.

“I meant no offense.”

“None was taken.”

Her guile less response disarmed him. She had a lot of ready answers without asking the right questions. There was a reason she’d come to the ranch, but she didn’t intend to tell him any more than she had to. That was too bad, because he was determined to learn the truth one way or the other.

“The maid thought you had followed her into the house. When she couldn’t find you, she called Security.”

Though her expression didn’t change, he watched in fascination the way her slim fingers tightened around the steering wheel. She wore no rings, only a gold wristwatch. A clear polish covered her manicured nails. He could see the half-moons of her cuticles clearly.

Everything about her appealed to his senses. That was another thing that hadn’t happened to him in years.

A trace of a smile formed on her lips. “And here I was hoping someone would come outside to en lighten me, Mr…?”

“Farraday, but I answer to Cole.”

“Thanks for your help, Cole,” she said, without as much as a flicker of those long lashes.

Cole wasn’t a vain man, but it was a fact that their family’s name figured prominently in the settling of this part of Nevada. If she recognized it and was playing dumb, she was a superb actress, particularly since Buck’s death had been highly publicized in the media.

Angry at himself for letting her get to him, his chiseled features formed a grimace. “Why do you want to speak to the man who does the hiring?”

“That’s my business, surely. No offense,” she added in a pleasant tone.

“None taken,” came his superficially calm response. “Only I’ll have to ask you to step out of the car and accompany me to the owner’s office.” He’d give her one final chance to own up.

“Why?”

Cole sucked in his breath. Evidently she’d decided not to take it, which could mean she really didn’t know who he was. Then again…

“Let’s just say it’s my job. From here on out you’ll have to answer to him.” He opened the door, relishing the moment when he exposed her little game, whatever it was.

Her lissom body stiffened. “This is ridiculous. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

He elevated his dark brows. “Look at it from his point of view. He buried his youngest brother today and came back to the ranch house to be with his closest friends and family. In the process of trying to give comfort to his bereaved sister-in-law, a perfect stranger walks in from out of nowhere with an agenda she refuses to reveal.”

While he’d been talking, he didn’t think she could fake the growing concern on her face, most likely for the trouble she could be in.

She stirred restlessly. “Doesn’t the fact that I called out to you for information prove I have no evil intentions?” The straight for ward hint of pleading in her voice almost convinced him.

“On the contrary,” he rejoindered coolly, “your behavior is more suspect than ever. Shall we go quietly, or do I take you inside in a manner guaranteed to embarrass you in front anyone who might see you?”

Her face filled with color. “You wouldn’t-” she whispered.

Not today, no… He’d find another method. But she didn’t know that.

“Try me, Ms. Arnold.” He checked his watch. “I’ll give you thirty seconds to make up your mind.”

CHAPTER TWO

CATHERINE didn’t dare call his bluff, not with those cold pewter eyes bearing down on her features, pinning her to the seat.

Standing easily at six-three or four, this powerful-looking security guard, wearing an expensive looking formal suit of midnight-blue in deference to the funeral proceedings, had the hard-muscled physique of a male at home in the out-of-doors.

He was probably in his mid-thirties. She had to admit, albeit be grudgingly, that with his black hair and burnished skin he resembled a rugged facsimile of Adonis. To her ear the name Cole sounded too western for a man who exuded an almost international so phistication.

Having worked the front desk on the night shift at one of Reno’s top hotels while she’d finished college, she’d met attractive, wealthy men from all over the world. But if she had to pick just one who was the most memorable, he still wouldn’t measure up to the force standing next to her.

That was what this man was-a dynamic, living, breathing force. He radiated a potent male energy that set him apart from those less endowed. She had to concede she’d more than met her match here. If she could appeal to his honor-

Catherine sensed something that told her he was a highly principled male with a superior intellect who probably demanded more discipline from himself than those around him.

How she knew that she couldn’t explain, but she recognized that the owner of the ranch had known what he was doing when he’d hired Cole Farraday. She was left with little choice but to reveal what he’d immediately perceived was her secret motive for coming here.

“All right,” she exclaimed with a resigned sigh, feeling more vulnerable than ever with the door still open so he could view every inch of her body, which he’d been doing. But in case someone came outside to get in their car, she didn’t want to attract attention by standing next to hers in the presence of the security guard.

At least sitting here in the driver’s seat, people would think they were simply chatting. Heavens-there was no acceptable way out of this except to get it over with as quickly as possible.

“The truth is, I’m searching for someone.”

He kept a hand on top of the open door, perpetuating the fiction that they were acquaintances brought together by the death of a friend. She noted in consequentially he wore no rings, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t married. Not that it mattered. She was here for Bonnie’s sake, and ultimately for her own.

“That’s a start. Man or woman?”

Without looking at him she said, “I’ve been given reason to believe he might be working on this ranch, or maybe he used to work here.”

“Your lover?” he insinuated. “A disgruntled fiancé, perhaps?”

“Neither one,” she said, refusing to rise to the bait. But on second thought-considering the cir cum stances-he’d posed some logical questions. She decided it was his blunt way of speaking that led her to believe he was goading her. After all, the man was only doing his job.

She heard his intake of breath, harsh and distinct. He was growing impatient. “Why do you want to find him?”

The operative question.

Catherine could be blunt too. “To let this man know the teenager he got pregnant gave birth to his baby.”

“Ah. That’s a very sad story,” he answered, with an element of sincerity she didn’t doubt, “but, cruel as this will sound, he probably doesn’t want to be found.”

“You’re right,” she agreed in a less than steady voice now. “They never do. The story gets even sadder. The mother, Terrie, died from complications, leaving the baby without a mother or father.”

In the periphery she could see the rise and fall of his broad chest. After a tension-filled pause, “This teenager wouldn’t be your sister by any chance?”

After her emotional gaffe, he’d made another logical assumption, one that happened to strike too close to home. He couldn’t know that despite the difference in their ages, she and Terrie had bonded much like two siblings because of similar life experiences growing up.

Summoning her resolve to hold on to some vestige of control, she said, “No. She’s no relation.”

“A friend, then?”

She grasped on that. “Yes-” It was the truth, after all, but she was already growing too emotional and he sensed it.

“I noticed from the rim of your license plate you bought this car in Reno. Is that where you live?”

The man’s radar didn’t miss anything. Whether she chose to tell him or not, he’d be able to find out the pertinent details about her with one simple phone call to the authorities. Considering the nature of his job on such a renowned ranch, the man probably had an inside track. Since he would have friends in high places, she’d save him the trouble.

“Yes.”

“Did the teenager in question give birth there too?”

“Yes.”

He shifted his weight, an ominous sign which could mean any number of unpleasant things. “Does this cowboy have a name?”

She craned her head in order to look at his brooding features.

“I think he probably made it up so Terrie would never know who he really was for fear she’d try to trace him.”

“Out with it, Ms. Arnold.” He’d come to the end of his tolerance for what had turned out to be a fencing match. In truth she was tired of dancing around the subject too.

“If I tell you, and you recognize it, you have to promise me you won’t reveal it to anyone else-” she cried, then moaned inwardly, wishing she hadn’t sounded like she was begging.

“Why do I get the feeling you’re trying to protect him?” came the silky question.

Her jaw clenched. “I have no love for this man, believe me. But even he has rights I have to honor.”

He studied her as if she were a paradox. “In that case, why bother to look him up at all?”

“Because I promised Terrie I would. All she wanted was for him to know he had a daughter. What he does with that information is up to him.” Catherine had no doubts he’d do nothing with it. That was what she was counting on. “It’s no one else’s business.”

“What about you?” he questioned.

“I don’t under stand,” she dissembled, vying for time, though she didn’t know why because no one was going to come and rescue her from this precarious dilemma.

“Let’s not play games.” His lips broke into a for bid ding curl. “In my gut I know there’s a lot more at stake here than your being the simple bearer of this kind of news.”

Catherine couldn’t afford to lose her cool now. Not in front of this all-seeing, all-knowing watchdog who was sounding much more like a chief prosecutor. She needed to stay calm and collected, like the professional she purported to be.

Filling her lungs with air, she said, “I’m here because of Bonnie.”

Though his expression didn’t change, a silver flash coming from those suspicious gray eyes indicated she’d hit some kind of nerve. “Bonnie…” he repeated quietly. For want of a more precise word, he sounded haunted.

“Yes. That’s the name Terrie gave her baby.”

After an almost eerie interim of silence his deep voice spoke again, this time in a gravelly tone. “And the father’s name?”

“I-it’s one of those nicknames that could belong to any number of men or their horses, especially those living in this part of the country.”

“I’m still waiting.” He was about to take the action he’d threatened. A small shiver ran down her spine. She was going to have to trust him.

“Terrie said he called himself…Buck.”

The second the name left her lips a daunting stillness pervaded the atmosphere. While she could feel the adrenaline driving the speed of her heart, her interrogator carefully shut the door, as if he’d come to some monumental decision.

But when he finally spoke through the open window, the last thing she’d expected to hear was, “Start your car, Ms. Arnold. You’re going back to Elko. I’ll be right behind you. When we reach the first exit, follow me into town.”

So he did know Buck and had decided to take her to him.

Catherine experienced a moment of triumph to realize she’d be able to fulfill one of Terrie’s dying wishes. For herself she’d been waiting months to confront the amoral male who’d taken advantage of Terrie’s youth and naïveté, then discarded her so cruelly, never worrying if there’d be consequences.

“I’ll see you there, then,” she responded quietly.

With a mixed sense of anxiety and anticipation over what she would learn, Catherine turned on the motor, willing to cooperate with this enigmatic man who held the keys to Buck’s whereabouts.

Once she’d made contact, and had satisfied herself he couldn’t care less how many children he might have spawned in his selfish need for gratification, she’d be able to carry out Terrie’s other wish.

A wish that had become Catherine’s raison d’être.

Evening had come to the Rubies, prompting Cole to turn on his headlights. The woman at the wheel in front of his power wagon drove at a fast clip, forcing him to concentrate while he made a couple of phone calls, the last one being to his brother.

“John? Hold down the fort, will you? I’m on my way to Elko to take care of some important business.”

“I saw you leave a little while ago. Anything I can do to help?”

Cole’s thirty-two-year-old married brother was a rock he could always lean on in an emergency. They’d shared pretty much everything in life, but not this time. Not until Cole knew if their little brother had truly fathered a child.

“I’ll tell you about it later.”

He could hear the question John didn’t ask. That was what made him the good man he was.

“When will you be back?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Fair enough. Brenda’s waiting for you. She’s going to be disappointed when I tell her business called you away.”

Business, hell-

Cole rubbed his jaw. Brenda was attractive, and he enjoyed her company, but that was all. Unfortunately she wanted more. This was as good a time as any to end it with her. She would have to under stand he needed his space to mourn Buck. If she didn’t, then he couldn’t do anything about it. Catherine Arnold’s bombshell had blown him from the path where he’d been letting his life drift. But no longer.

“I’ll call her later.” He rang off, his thoughts already concentrated on the female who’d managed to get beneath his skin long before he’d learned her visit had anything to do with Buck.

When she took the first turnoff, he sped ahead of her and drove on to the Midas Inn, located in the center of town. Pulling around the side to a private entrance, he jumped down from the cab to help her from the car she’d parked along side his truck.

Her long, elegant legs distracted him as she got out of the car. “Is this where we’re meeting Buck?”

“No.” With that one word he’d extinguished the hope in those fabulous blue eyes. “We need to talk. The Midas is one of the ranch owner’s investments,” he explained, aware of her questioning glance as he pulled her over night bag from the backseat. “I phoned ahead to arrange a room for you. If you made a reservation somewhere else, let me know and I’ll cancel it.”

“It’s at the Ruby Inn.”

“In your own name?”

“Yes,” she answered tentatively. “Why do you ask?”

“You come off sounding like you might be an attorney. If so, you could have made your reservation in the name of the firm you work for.”

“I’m a social worker at a facility for young single mothers, but I’m not here in an official capacity. My reason for coming is strictly personal, if it’s any comfort.”

It wasn’t.

Buck had shown poor judgment in a lot of cases-but getting involved with an underage girl while he’d been working on their uncle’s stud farm outside Reno last summer?

“Maybe that explains why you exhibit the instincts of a clever PI.”

“Not that clever, apparently, but I’m not going to complain if it means you can lead me to Bonnie’s biological father.”

He ushered her inside the building as far as the door of the manager’s office. “Follow this hallway to the front desk and give the night clerk your name. He’ll take care of you. After you’ve freshened up, meet me in here.”

“Thank you.” She managed to get the words out before taking the bag from him. “I won’t be long.”

“In that case I’ll ask the restaurant to bring us a sandwich.”

Cole doubted he’d able to eat, but he preferred she didn’t suspect he felt like he’d been trampled in a wild mustang stampede no one had seen coming seconds before it happened.

CHAPTER THREE

TEN minutes later Catherine knocked on the manager’s door.

“Come in.”

Recognizing Cole’s deep voice, she walked inside the office. The sight of him standing behind the desk, in a beautiful white dress shirt with the sleeves pushed up his tanned arms to the elbows, rocked her to the foundations.

Minus his tie and suit jacket-the outer trap pings of civilized society-his virility was even more in evidence.

By comparison she knew she looked washed out. Other than pulling her hair back in a ponytail, she still wore the suit she’d arrived in. Until she saw the club sandwiches and sliced melon placed on the desk in front of him, she hadn’t realized how hungry she was.

“Sit down, Catherine.”

The use of her first name indicated progress. Despite their precarious beginning, she liked the sound of it on his lips. She liked the play of muscle across his shoulders and arms. Too much.

Murmuring her assent, she pulled up a chair. Now that the fencing was over, they could get down to business.

He pushed one of the plates toward her, no doubt recognizing the signs of someone who was starving. She reached for a sandwich half and began devouring it. Cole, on the other hand, drank cola from the can while he watched her through shuttered eyes.

Anticipating her needs, he handed her a cola, which she grate fully accepted. She drank most of it before putting the can back on the desk.

“Thank you. I needed that,” she exclaimed, glancing at the food he hadn’t touched. “Aren’t you going to eat?”

“Later. For now I want to hear the details about Terrie and her relationship with Buck.” His probing gray eyes were like an assault on her senses. “When they first met-where-how long it lasted-how and when you came into the picture-”

On the drive back to Elko she’d determined to tell him everything she knew in the hope her candor would be rewarded.

“A year ago this month Terrie ran away from her foster home in California. She had the help of another runaway. They stole money and a car. En route they ditched it and stole a van. Once they arrived in Reno, they changed the plates and lived out of it while they washed dishes for a local café called the One-Eyed Jack. On their breaks, they were given free meals.”

His brows furrowed. “Resourceful girls.”

“The street-smart ones are. They’d been there a month when this ‘hunky cowboy’-Terrie’s words-showed up and took an immediate interest in her. In fairness to him, she could make herself up to look closer to twenty. He could be excused for not knowing she was only seventeen. After she got off work he would take her dancing, spend money on her. He told her she was beautiful, which she was,” Catherine added in an unsteady voice. A brunette with hazel eyes…

Bonnie had been born with a head of dark hair and a rosebud mouth. The sweetest, dearest little baby on earth.

Clearing her throat, Catherine continued. “Soon Terrie was sleeping with him. She didn’t have the experience to realize it couldn’t last, let alone turn into anything permanent like a wedding ring on her finger. By September he was gone from her life without a trace, leaving her pregnant and ill with morning sickness. The café manager had to let her go, but she gave Terrie the name of a home run by private donations called Girls’ Haven.”

“You’re the case worker there?” He sat back in the chair with his strong arms folded.

“Yes. I’ve been working there for three years. Stories like Terrie’s are all too common. Her friend dropped her off in the van, then drove away. Terrie never saw her or Buck again.”

“Did this Buck actually tell her he worked on the Bonnibelle?”

“He didn’t tell her anything concrete about his life except that he was a cowboy. The night before he disappeared, someone came in the café looking for him while he was waiting for her to go off shift. She over heard this person tell Buck he’d better call the Bonnibelle on the double. Terrie went through her pregnancy assuming the other man had been referring to a woman Buck hadn’t told her about, and that’s why he’d abandoned her. It wasn’t until she was dying from an infection following the delivery that she broke down and told me about the incident. That’s when I told her Bonnibelle was the name of a famous ranch somewhere in Nevada.”

Their eyes held for a brief moment, sending an errant thrill through her body that had nothing to do with business.

“At that point Terrie said she wanted the name Bonnie put on the birth certificate. She begged me to find Buck so he’d know he had a daughter.”

Maybe it was the dim light of the office, but lines of what could be interpreted as exasperation mixed with sorrow gave Cole’s hard-boned face an almost haggard appearance. She had to remember he’d attended a funeral earlier in the day. The mention of Terrie’s death must have triggered emotions still close to the surface.

Catherine could relate. She was still in pain and shock that the teen she’d grown so close to in the last year was gone, and wouldn’t be able to raise her little girl. Life could be cruelly unfair to some people-

“What’s the name of the hospital where she delivered?”

“Reno Regional.” Her voice caught.

“When was the birth?”

“June twentieth.”

“Five weeks old already?” He echoed her concern.

She nodded.

“The only reason she hasn’t been adopted yet is because she was born five weeks premature. For a while she was on a ventilator and had to be fed through an IV. They had to recreate conditions in the womb. She also had a bad case of jaundice and had to be placed under lights.”

Catherine had spent every possible minute with Bonnie after work and on weekends, touching her through the holes of the hospital incubator until she could hold her and feed her the special formula. She couldn’t love her more if she’d given birth from her own body.

“Where’s the baby now?”

“In a temporary foster home awaiting adoption.” That familiar jabbing pain tore at her heart. “A newborn baby is in such high demand, Bonnie will probably find a permanent home with an adoptive family within the next week. That’s why it’s necessary I speak to Buck right away.”

“Provided he’s the father,” his voice grated.

“A DNA test will put the matter to rest one way or the other,” she reminded him, though of course he didn’t need to be told that. “The hospital already has the results on Bonnie. It’s a routine procedure for prospective adoptees.”

Cole rubbed the back of his bronzed neck. She had the further impression he was near exhaustion, unknowingly soliciting her sympathy. Whoever had died must have been a close friend.

A strange sound escaped his throat before he sat forward in the swivel chair. “I’ll arrange for Buck’s DNA to be sent for comparison.”

“Can you ask them to put a rush on it?” She knew he had the clout to light fires.

“I’m as anxious to clear this up as you are,” he ground out. “What was Terrie’s last name?”

“She went by Cloward with a C. That’s on her records both at Girls’ Haven and the hospital. But I’m sure she made it up, since she told the café manager it was Markham. No doubt Terrie told Buck something altogether different. They both had their secrets,” she lamented, surprising a troubling bleakness coming from his eyes.

“In case he pretends not to recognize her description, I have a photograph you can give him. It was taken before she was showing. In this one she’s not wearing makeup or clothes that tend to make her look older.”

She pulled it from her purse and handed it to Cole, who studied Catherine intently several seconds before looking at it.

“You’re right,” he eventually murmured. “She’s attractive in the way a girl is who’s standing on the brink of womanhood.”

Despite Terrie’s history, Catherine could tell Cole could see what Catherine had seen in her…a young, troubled teen in need of help. A girl much like Catherine had been once upon a time. The knowledge caused her to warm to him unexpectedly.

“Buck’s charm managed to turn her into one.” Catherine tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice, but failed. “She said he was her first experience, and that it was wonderful. He was wonderful. Tender. Again, those were Terrie’s words. I-I have to admit I was glad for that at least,” she stammered.

“You believed her?”

“Yes.” She drew in a quick breath. “Terrie had no reason to lie about him. Not after admitting to breaking several laws. But it doesn’t really matter. The fact is, she loved him and died of a broken heart long before the infection became impossible to stop.”

Reaching in her purse, she pulled out more photos. “These show Bonnie in the premie ICU, hooked up to all those tubes.”

He reached for them.

“Newborn pictures never do a baby justice, especially when they have as hard a time as Bonnie. You can see her swollen eye and how yellow she is there, poor darling.”

Silence filled the office while Cole took his time studying them.

“Here’s one I took of her two days ago. If this is any indication, she’s going to be a real beauty like her mother.”

While he examined it she said, “Am I allowed to ask a question now?”

Slowly he lifted his dark head. “Go ahead.” His voice grated.

“What’s his marital status?”

His face closed up. “He was married two months ago.”

“That news would have killed Terrie,” she whispered. “Assuming he is Bonnie’s father, I can’t imagine him wanting to claim her now. But on the outside chance that there’s a part of him wanting to do the right thing, then I-”

Before she could finish the rest of her sentence, Cole was on his feet, stunning her with the speed that had propelled his powerful body out of the chair.

“I have something to do before any more time passes.” He reached for his suit jacket, where he pocketed the photos. “I’ll call you in Reno to morrow,” he said, grabbing for his tie. “Give me your cell phone number.”

She wrote it on her business card and handed it to him.

He came around the desk and accompanied her to the door, moving with that careless male grace that distinguished him from other men. Like a wall of heat, she felt the sweep of those silvery flecked eyes.

“Your bill’s been taken care of. Have a good sleep and a safe trip home, Catherine.”

“Bonnie had her mid-morning bottle but she still fussed before going to sleep. She gets all excited when you come, and misses you when you’re not here. It’s amazing!”

Uh-oh.

“What’s her schedule like?”

“She’s eating every three hours.”

I know. I was there from the beginning.

Catherine had just driven in from Elko. Normally she would have gone to her condo and showered before starting her work day. But she hadn’t seen Bonnie for twenty-four hours. Driving to the ranch and back had made it feel like she’d been gone a week. Babies changed every day. She envied Carol Wilson for being able to take care of her on a round-the-clock basis.

Unable to restrain herself, she kissed the baby’s cheeks several times before raising up. “She looks con tented now. I’ll be by again tomorrow, Carol.”

The best part of Catherine’s job was to visit the foster parents and check on the babies. But her pleasure had become pain because Bonnie didn’t belong to her.

Assuming Buck was the father, and he wanted his daughter, then they had the God-given right to be with each other and Catherine would have to find a way to live with it.

But if he gave up all parental rights to her…

“She’s a sweetie pie,” Carol said, walking Catherine to the front door. “Makes me baby-hungry again, but Phil says three children are enough.” She winked. “Between you and me, this one’s going to be hard to give up. I swear I couldn’t do your job or I’d want to take every baby home with me.”

Catherine murmured something appropriate and hurried out to her car. The last thing she wanted was for Carol to witness her emotional turmoil. Already she was wondering how she would make it through the day while she waited for Cole Farraday’s phone call.

She had an idea the man could move mountains. When he called, he would have news for her, and he’d deliver it in that deep, cultured voice. Anticipating even talking to him again made her feel breath less.

CHAPTER FOUR

AS IT turned out, she didn’t hear from him until she got home from work at six-thirty that evening. She’d just stepped out of the shower and changed into a T-shirt and jeans when her cell-phone rang. The caller ID indicated out of area, which might or might not be the call she’d been waiting for all day.

She clicked on, aware her pulse was racing. “This is Catherine Arnold.”

After a pause, “You do realize that in answering the way you do, you give any crazy out there more information than you might want him to know.”

Her hand tightened around the phone while a fire and ice sensation spread through her body. It was a little like eating crème de menthe on top of vanilla ice cream.

In truth no man had ever shown her this kind of concern before. She was so used to fending for herself. Cole Farraday’s unexpected comment reminded her he was that exceptional kind of male who would protect his own to the death.

What would it feel like to be loved and taken care of by a man like that for the rest of your life? Catherine couldn’t comprehend it any more than she could imagine what it would be like to have a mother and father, or siblings.

“You’re right, but since a lot of troubled teens phone me when they’re most vulnerable or des per ate, I want them to know they don’t have to go through a third party to find me.”

“Point taken, Catherine. No offense,” he murmured.

She sank down on the edge of her bed, attacked by a sudden weakness. “None taken.”

“Are you still at work?”

“No. I-I’m home.” Her voice faltered.

“Alone?”

Did he ask that question because he wanted to keep their conversation private, or was she hoping something of a more personal nature was behind it?

“Yes,” she said quietly. “Do you have news for me yet?”

“I do, but I need to see you in person.”

So the Buck he knew was Bonnie’s father! Otherwise he would have told her there was no DNA match and she could check at the hospital for the results herself.

Did it mean Buck wanted to see his daughter?

Torn by conflicting emotions, she jumped to her feet. “When can you be in Reno?”

“I flew in this morning.”

Her heart leaped. He’d been here all day? Now she wouldn’t have to wait until tomorrow. “Where are you?”

“I’m just leaving the hospital. For the sake of everyone concerned I’d prefer to meet you in private.”

Catherine felt the same way. After pressing her lips together she said, “Come to my condo. I’m in a fourplex south east of the hospital.” She gave him the address and instructions to get there. “It’s a little complicated.”

“I’ll find you.”

She had no doubt of it.

With a fluttery feeling in her chest, she clicked off before racing back to the bathroom to fix her freshly washed hair and change into a cotton shirt.

Cole’s first thought when he walked into her cozy living room was that she was even more beautiful than he remembered from the night before. The dusky rose of her top, pulled down over white pants covering womanly hips, blended with the blush of her complexion.

Like a gossamer curtain, she’d allowed her hair to fall loose from a side part. It swished against her shoulders with each step she took.

Following the long line of her shapely legs to sandaled feet, he could find no flaw in the way she was put together, let alone her color scheme.

“Won’t you sit down?” She indicated the couch opposite the chair she’d claimed, ensuring some distance between them. Cole had the distinct feeling the awareness between them was growing stronger for her too.

Though she presented a poised, professional attitude, he sensed a barely sup pressed anxiety coming from her, apart from her eagerness to get straight to the point.

She couldn’t afford to get this involved with every case, otherwise she’d burn out from the intensity. If she’d spent a lot of time in the premie nursery with the baby, it would explain why she’d become so emotionally attached.

It was a situation beyond the norm-an occasional hazard in her line of work, he surmised. She’d said her visit to the ranch was unofficial.

Who would have imagined his brother being at the core of Terrie Cloward’s heartbreak and ultimate demise?

“Buck’s the father, isn’t he?” The question brought him back to the source of his bone-deep sorrow with a jolt.

“Yes. His paternity’s not in question.”

She sat forward. “Did he fly here with you?”

Cole detected a distinct throb in her voice. Her behavior was all the more intriguing in spite of his pain. “No. His DNA results were faxed from the hospital in Elko.”

She stood up, evidently too restless to stay seated. “Does that mean he didn’t want anything to do with Bonnie, even when he discovered he had a daughter?” she cried.

Something earth shaking was going on inside her to lose control like that. Join the club. Dear God.

How in the hell would Buck have responded upon learning he was a father? Poor Lucy… Still in the honeymoon stage, who could say how she would have handled the shock? With news of that nature even the strongest marriage would be tested to the ultimate degree.

The questions bombarded him, bringing him to his feet. “Since I can’t speak for him,” he began solemnly, “I can’t honestly answer you.”

Catherine faced him with an incredulous look. “What do you mean, can’t? Surely when you told him he needed to go to the hospital to have the DNA test done, he knew exactly why?”

He massaged the tight cords at the back of his neck. There was something he needed to do before this went any further.

“I’d like to see the baby, then I’ll answer all your questions.”

She searched his eyes in bewilderment before shaking her head. “My hands are legally tied. Only the father can have access, or, in the unlikely case of his death, his next of kin.”

Cole inhaled sharply. “You’re looking at him.”

A myriad of emotions chased over her face until comprehension dawned. Then she gasped softly. “The funeral-”

He gave an almost imperceptible nod of his head. “My youngest brother, Patrick Farraday. Killed in a riding accident out on the range last week. Our father called him Buck at an early age and it stuck.”

She clung to the back of the chair. “But you said it was the owner of the Bonnibelle who-”

He wasn’t destined to hear more, because a moan had escaped her throat, preventing the rest from coming out. She’d finally put the pieces together.

“Until his recent reformation, my little brother didn’t always do the right thing-as you’ve already discovered. But for all his faults and virtues, he was my brother and I loved him.”

Her eyes grew suspiciously bright. “Naturally you wanted to protect him. You did a superb job of it, Mr. Farraday.”

“So did you,” he riposted. “Another person in your official capacity might have taken it into her head to expose some of the family secrets last evening, damaging Buck’s fragile widow.”

She searched his eyes. “They’d only been married two months?”

“That’s right. After working on a relative’s stud farm outside Reno part of last summer, I told him he was needed at home. To my surprise he actually showed up without an argument. When he arrived he declared his partying days were over. Evidently something had happened to make him realize he’d been going in the wrong direction.”

His eyes caught hers. “Now we know what it was. In one of his sober moments, he must have realized his mistake in getting involved with someone as young as Terrie. At least I’d like to think so. A couple of months later he announced his engagement to Lucy, the girl who’d been crazy about him for years.”

Catherine rubbed her arms. “How old was Buck?”

“Thirty last birthday.”

“It’s too tragic,” she whispered.

He nodded. “A double tragedy considering Terrie died so recently. I’d like to see Bonnie tonight.”

His request seemed to startle her. “It’s too late to make arrangements with her foster family. But, more to the point, it’s my professional opinion it wouldn’t be a good idea.”

Cole shifted his weight. “Good idea be damned. She’s a Farraday. She has a birth right she shares with uncles, aunts and cousins.”

Catherine studied him through veiled eyes. “Nevertheless, you’re grieving the loss of your brother. You don’t need this to compound it, not when she’s going to be adopted. It would be better not to put yourself in a position where you could form an attachment.”

His teeth ground together. “Simply knowing I have a niece, I already feel attached to her. You gave me pictures of her I’m not likely to forget, remember?” he challenged.

She stiffened. “At the time I didn’t realize you were her uncle.”

He stifled an oath. “Without proof from the DNA, neither did I.”

“Look, Mr. Farraday-” She spread her hands in a conciliatory gesture. “Let’s not make this any harder than it is. Terrie asked me to find Buck. I’ve honored her wishes, and my heart goes out to you and your family. But the reality is, Bonnie’s a ward of the court. A judge will decide her new home.”

He had to tamp down his temper. “It will never take the place of that spot of earth her ancestors settled and gave their life’s blood for.”

“But would it be her home if Terrie hadn’t died?” She held her ground with surprising tenacity. “Do you honestly believe your married brother would have wanted visitation rights?”

From the first Cole had been asking himself that question. “The reformed Buck would have,” he theorized. “But since both parents are gone the point is moot. It’s a new playing field.”

“You’re right. And that playing field has to serve Bonnie’s best interests. Do you have any idea how many people in capable of having children are dying for a baby like her to love and raise?” Her voice trembled. “Some have been preparing years for the privilege.”

From the raw emotion she exuded, he could almost believe she was talking about herself. If she’d been at Girls’ Haven three years, she undoubtedly grew close to the teens who found themselves in trouble. It wasn’t that different from him getting to know the stockmen who worked for him. At times their problems became his.

Terrie’s death had to have been hard on her, not to mention Bonnie’s hospital stay. Much as he hated this situation, Cole admired her wisdom and dedication to the job. On top of everything else, she’d shown discretion, a noble attribute when all was said and done.

Changing tactics, he said, “I only want to see her. Will you arrange it for me?” He could call his attorney to do it for him, but, for several reasons he hadn’t examined too closely yet, Cole preferred to deal with her alone.

She let out a sigh that sounded troubled, if not anguished. “How long will you be in Reno?”

“For as long as it takes.”

A battle seemed to be going on inside her. After a tension-filled silence her gaze fell away and she gave a brief nod. “Come by at nine in the morning and she’ll be here.”

Without further word she walked to the door, indicating it was time for him to leave. No woman of his acquaintance had ever done that to him before. Contrarily, he didn’t want to go. There was a lot more he wanted to know about her.

She didn’t wear a wedding ring. As far as he could tell she wasn’t living with another man. He saw no signs of a male occupying her home, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t one in the picture. A woman who looked and moved like her would attract them in droves.

Hell-he’d been drawn to her from the moment her husky voice had called out to him yesterday. Being with her tonight, those feelings had only intensified.

He moved toward her. “I’ll get out of here so whoever you’re expecting won’t jump to a hasty conclusion.”

“Thank you, Mr. Farraday.” Ignoring his gambit, she opened the door. But satisfying color swept into her cheeks, intensifying the electric blue of those fabulous eyes, giving him the answer he sought. For the moment anyway.

“I’ll be here on the dot of nine,” he assured her before walking toward his rental car.

No sooner had he driven away than he pulled out his phone to check his messages. He’d turned off the ringer so he wouldn’t be disturbed while he talked to Catherine.

Two were from Brenda, the others from John and Penny. If he’d seen one from Mack, then he would have known something was wrong at the ranch.

Under the cir cum stances he didn’t feel like talking to anyone. From the second he’d taken a look at Bonnie’s pictures an idea had been percolating in his brain. After talking to Catherine this evening, it had taken on critical mass.

CHAPTER FIVE

CATHERINE brought the baby into the living room. “When I picked her up this morning, she’d just finished her bottle. I’m afraid she’s about to fall asleep again.”

Their eyes met for a moment. Cole’s were alive with anticipation. “No problem.”

As if he were used to taking care of an infant, he plucked Bonnie from her arms and carried her across the expanse to the sofa.

Such a tiny bundle nestled securely against the broad shoulder of a powerfully built man like Cole caught at Catherine’s heart. She heard low, happy laughter rumble out of him as he laid Bonnie on the cushion and began examining her.

Catherine had been guilty of doing the very same thing before he had arrived. Now she was guilty of examining his body, dressed in a navy polo shirt and pleated trousers.

Terrie had fallen in love with a “hunky” cowboy named Buck.

Now that Catherine had met his big brother-the dynamic owner and head of the Bonnibelle Ranch-she under stood the power of the Farraday charm. It was lethal.

Bonnie must think so too. While she focused on the man speaking to her in that deep, rich voice, giving her all his attention, her whole tiny body seemed to wriggle with new life.

Without conscious thought Catherine drew closer, marveling at certain similarities between the two of them. Though she saw a look of Terrie in Bonnie’s mouth and nose, her hair color and widow’s peak, the shape of her eyes was genuine Farraday. Was it any wonder she was such a beautiful child?

Cole seemed captivated by her, as if he’d for got ten Catherine was in the room. Pleasure in the baby caused the lines of his face to disappear for a moment, making him look younger and so handsome it hurt.

It was only natural he was thinking of his brother and the little girl he and Terrie had produced. Yet every minute spent with her would make it that much harder for Cole to let her go.

No one under stood that better than Catherine herself.

Time was passing. She had to bring this love-fest between uncle and niece to an end.

“Cole?” she called softly to him. “I’ve bent the rules by bringing Bonnie here. She has an appointment with the pediatrician in a half-hour. Now that you’ve had the opportunity to see her, I’m afraid we have to leave.”

That brought his dark head around. “Is there something still wrong with her?” he demanded quietly.

After the way he’d been playing with the baby, testing the strength of her fingers and kissing her sweet neck, it shouldn’t have surprised her he’d reacted to Catherine’s words like any typical anxious parent.

“Not at all, otherwise the hospital wouldn’t have released her. It’s standard procedure that while the babies are in foster care routine checkups are done with more frequency than usual because they can be adopted at any time.” She flashed him an apologetic smile. “I don’t want to be late.”

Actually the doctor would fit the babies’ visits in without an appointment, but Cole didn’t need to know that.

Perhaps it was an unconscious gesture on his part, but in the next breath he’d laid Bonnie against his shoulder, exhibiting an undeniably possessive hold on her that was at once stunning and touching.

The thing Catherine had hoped wouldn’t happen had already come to pass. His next words con firmed it.

“No stranger is going to adopt her. I won’t allow it.”

Cole Farraday was used to his word being law, but in this case the situation wasn’t so black and white. Catherine took a fortifying breath. “Then you’ll need to tell that to the judge. I’ll warn you now that, even with money and power on your side, he’ll want what’s best for Bonnie.”

“She’s going to come home to her rightful family,” he declared in a forceful tone.

“Are you married, Cole?”

His jaw hardened. “I’m a widower, but in this day and age having a wife isn’t a prerequisite, surely?”

It appeared he’d known a lot of sorrow in his life, but then so had Catherine. She couldn’t let sentiment dissuade her from her course.

“Perhaps not always, but there are other considerations.”

“What consideration could possibly be more important than the fact that Bonnie is already loved by her own surviving flesh and blood?”

Panicked, Catherine could feel the baby slipping away from her, figuratively as well as physically.

“Terrie left written wishes before she died,” Catherine answered him. “They hold weight with the court.”

She caught the glint of fire coming from his eyes. “You fulfilled them by driving to the ranch to find Buck.” His expression mirrored a faint respect for what she’d done, but that was all.

Her heart kicked against her ribs. “There was another wish.”

She could almost feel his arms close tighter around Bonnie. “Am I going to have to pry that out of you too?”

His black brows took on a threatening slant, but she was fighting for her life and refused to be intimidated.

“In the event I couldn’t find Buck, Terrie designated someone specific to raise Bonnie.”

The sudden indrawn breath she heard sounded like ripping silk.

“Someone waiting in the wings, you mean, yet you wouldn’t tell me even if the law didn’t forbid you,” he reflected bitterly, in what she guessed was a rare show of temper.

In the stillness that followed, he rubbed the back of the baby’s head with a tenderness that melted Catherine’s insides.

She sensed his frustration. Under other cir cum stances she’d be on his side all the way. “I’m sorry. As it is I shouldn’t have let you come here to see Bonnie.”

But he wasn’t listening, and she heard his next words de livered with barely veiled hostility. “That explains why you were in such an all-fired hurry to get the DNA match done.”

“Cole, I-”

“Obviously it’s someone in Terrie’s confidence.” He continued with his train of thought, staring at her as if he’d suddenly been given second sight. “A woman with a vested interest in her well being and that of her child.”

He took a step toward her. “It’s you, isn’t it?”

Catherine started to shake. “I knew there was something different about you, something that didn’t quite add up. A social worker’s job doesn’t include driving across Nevada to find a man who might have impregnated one of the teens at Girls’ Haven.”

His gunsmoke eyes impaled her. “Now it’s making sense. You had to be certain Buck wouldn’t claim his rights before you put in your petition to adopt Bonnie yourself.”

Catherine could see there was no point in denying it, not when his steel trap mind had figured it out.

He kissed the top of the baby’s head. “Terrie may have wanted you to raise her daughter, but, considering your position as the social worker for Girls’ Haven, I can guarantee that a judge will see your petition for adoption as a conflict of interest.”

“I’m sure he will,” she admitted to him. “But the circumstances were extraordinary. I spent five weeks at the hospital with Bonnie, and now she needs me. I’m counting on the judge to weigh the facts that I love this baby with all my heart, and I have Terrie’s blessing. Don’t make me out to be some kind of monster. Terrie wanted to give Buck the chance to claim Bonnie. So did I,” she defended. “Every child deserves its parents if it’s humanly possible. The truth is, I was orphaned as a baby, never knowing who mine were. Like Terrie I lived in various foster homes and ended up at Girls’ Haven, pregnant at the same age.”

His lips thinned, undoubtedly in revulsion.

“Terrie’s and my stories are very similar, except that I planned to keep my baby. But it wasn’t meant to be because I miscarried at four months. I never got the chance to hold my little girl or love her.”

Don’t break down now, Catherine.

“But thanks to Girls’ Haven I was given a second chance at life and I took it. That was eleven years ago. A lot has happened since then. After university I came to work for them, hoping to give back what they gave me. Getting to know Terrie and her situation was like experiencing déjà vu. Over the last months we grew very close,” she explained, endeavoring to get through to him. “She always planned to give up her baby for adoption. When she realized she was dying, she begged me to be Bonnie’s mother.” Her voice shook. “I told her that if I couldn’t find Buck, or if he didn’t want Bonnie, I-I’d do everything in my power to adopt her.”

Catherine had a struggle to hold the tears back. “It wasn’t hard to make that promise. She’s the most precious, adorable baby on earth.”

Though his hand spanned Bonnie’s little back lovingly, his eyes still glittered dangerously. “A wise judge will suspect you used your considerable influence to coerce Terrie into putting her wishes in writing.”

“A good judge will take the extenuating facts into consideration and rule what’s best for Bonnie,” she countered, swallowing hard. “In all probability we’ll both lose out, and he’ll award the adoption to a couple so Bonnie will grow up with a mother and father. It’s something neither you nor I can provide.”

The tension between them sizzled.

“That’s unacceptable.”

“You think I don’t feel the same way?” came her anguished cry.

Catherine under stood his anger since she felt defeated by the same in effectual emotion. This was a situation she would never have envisioned. Not in a lifetime.

“Will you please give Bonnie to me? I have to get her ready to go to the doctor.”

She expected another argument, but shockingly he said something quite different in a low aside. “Let me help. Where’s her carryall?”

It was in her bedroom, but she didn’t want him of all people going in there. “I’ll get it.”

When she hurried back with it, he lowered Bonnie into it as if he’d done this sort of thing many times before. He’d mentioned having nephews and nieces, so it wasn’t surprising he seemed a natural.

As she tucked a receiving blanket around Bonnie, who was being a perfect angel, her arm brushed against Cole’s. He didn’t act as if he’d noticed, but she felt sudden warmth spiral through her body.

“Come on, sweet heart,” she said a bit unsteadily. “It’s time to go get checked out.”

“I’ll carry her out to the car for you.”

Catherine didn’t say anything because she knew she couldn’t stop him. His proprietorial interest in Bonnie was nothing short of astounding.

He must have seen her vehicle out in the carport because he knew exactly where to go.

Amy, the good-looking red headed Realtor who lived in the next condo, was just walking toward her car. She almost tripped over a crack in the cement while she stared at Cole. As an after thought she said hello to Catherine, who could read the other woman’s mind.

Unfortunately Catherine knew her aggressive neighbor would be over later to find out who the mystery man was, because there was no question about it, Cole Farraday was an in credibly gorgeous man. However, this was one time Catherine didn’t intend to satisfy Amy’s curiosity.

After she unlocked her car, Cole fastened Bonnie’s carryall into the base of the back seat. Through the rearview mirror Catherine watched him kiss the baby’s nose and cheeks. His display of affection wasn’t feigned. This was his brother’s baby and he was crazy about her.

But so was Catherine!

He approached her window, which she had to put down. “What time do you eat lunch?”

His deep voice disturbed her as much as his nearness. She might have known Cole wasn’t going to let this go. “Most of the time I don’t,” she said, playing for time so she could think.

“Then I’ll come by Girls’ Haven later and we’ll talk.”

“No!” she cried in panic. “That would be the worst thing you could do.” She clung to the steering wheel.

His presence would create a major upheaval, starting with Sylvia, the director, who would ask questions Catherine would be forced to answer. It could get her into serious trouble and he knew it!

A satisfied gleam had entered those silvery eyes. “We have unfinished business, Catherine. You name the place.”

“There is no place that would be safe for us to be seen together,” she confessed.

“My thoughts precisely.”

He had the upper hand. If she didn’t know better, she would think he was actually enjoying this.

“Meet me here at two. I can spare a half-hour. No more.”

Needing to get away from him, she started the car and began to back out. He stood there with his hands on his hips in a totally male stance. After driving away, she could still feel his penetrating eyes following her.

Cole’s motive for wanting to see her again was transparent. With family blood on his side, he believed she didn’t have a chance of adopting Bonnie. But rather than fight her he intended to use that potent Farraday charm to gain her cooperation in helping him win custody of the baby. He wasn’t the head of the Bonnibelle for nothing.

But Catherine didn’t plan to make Terrie’s mistake and be drawn in by male persuasion at the hands of a master. Watching Cole interact with the baby had given her an idea, one that grew as the day wore on. Under the cir cum stances it made the most sense.

A few hours later she tried it out on him. For an answer Cole’s mocking tone resounded in her living room. “You’ll grant me liberal visitation rights?”

She’d been five minutes late returning to the condo from her work, and was still out of breath. They faced each other like adversaries.

“Yes. I’ve been thinking about it since I took the baby back to her foster family. You and I could petition the judge in the same pre-trial hearing. Don’t you see it might strengthen both our cases if we show that we’re willing to work together for Bonnie’s ultimate welfare?”

Cole’s mouth com pressed. “Who’s going to raise her during the day while you’re at work?” At least he’d cooled down enough to have a conversation.

She was ready for that question. “Terrie and I talked about it. There’s a wonderful daycare facility right across the street from Girls’ Haven. I’ll be close to her and can oversee everything on a constant basis.”

He made a dismissive gesture. “My house keeper could provide the same care, but I doubt the judge will be impressed with either scenario.”

“So what are you saying?” she blurted, trying to tamp down her alarm.

His gaze wandered over her features with a lazy sensuality he probably wasn’t aware of. “That your original assumption was correct. The ideal for Bonnie would be to have a stay-at-home mother whose husband provides the necessary income.”

His pessimism over her idea of a joint petition acted like a giant hand crushing her heart. If Cole, with all his resources and a last name like his, didn’t think they could sway the judge, what chance did she really have to fight for Bonnie on her own?

Tears glazed her eyes before she could turn away. She buried her face in her hands, trying not to make a sound. In searching for Buck, the dream world she’d been living in for the last five weeks had shattered. “No stranger will ever love her as much as I do.”

“That makes two of us,” he whispered behind her. “I see my brother in her, and it kills me.”

The pathos in his voice reached down to the core of her being. Catherine had no more desire to fight him.

She sniffed before wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. “I-if you plan to fight for her, I’ll help any way I can. The judge needs to hear how much Terrie loved your brother, and how much you loved him. Just promise me that if you win you’ll let me see her once in a while?” her voice throbbed.

“Oh, I plan to win,” he finally said in a low, husky tone. “I have an ace up my sleeve guaranteed to produce results.”

The hairs prickled on the back of her neck. Catherine turned to him, staring at him through blurry eyes. “What is it?”

“I’ve decided to get married.”

She received the news like a physical blow, but by some miracle she remained standing.

“Th-that ought to do it,” she stammered helplessly. “With or without my help.”

“I’ll need that too, but we’ll talk about it this evening over dinner. I’ll be by at six.”

“I’m afraid I can’t tonight. A new case is coming in. I probably won’t be leaving the office until nine or nine-thirty.” For once she was grateful she had to work late. The bombshell he’d just dropped had disturbed her in ways she didn’t dare examine.

“You can ask someone else to cover for you.”

“It would have to be an emergency.”

“What if I told you it is?”

He sounded deadly serious.

“I don’t under stand.”

“How could you when you don’t know all the facts?”

Cole seemed to be talking in riddles.

“Have you arranged to meet with your attorney? Is that why you need me there? So I can give him the relevant details?”

“We’ll do that too. But first I’ve made an appointment with a justice of the peace.”

She blinked. “Surely you don’t need me to witness your marriage-”

A strange smile broke out on his arresting features. “No. I need you to marry me tonight.”

She let out a caustic laugh. “Oh, please-”

“My word exactly,” he came back in a frighteningly sober tone. “Following that we’ll fill out adoption papers on Bonnie that my attorney will present to the judge. You were the one who warned me time was of the essence.”

The world tilted for a moment.

Catherine lost cognizance of time and place, because she knew Cole never said anything he didn’t mean, or wasn’t prepared to carry out.

“It’s the only solution,” he added, taking advantage of her silence. “We’re both free and we both want to be a parent to Bonnie. As Buck’s brother and Terrie’s choice of woman to raise her daughter, we can offer something no one else can. There’s one caveat, however,” he added, sounding mysterious.

She was still too deep in shock to respond, and he knew it.

“When I take you and Bonnie home to the ranch, I’ll be introducing you as the woman I fell in love with a year ago. We found out we were expecting a baby, but you refused to marry me because you were afraid I was still too in love with the memory of my deceased wife.”

“Are you?” she fired hotly.

“I’ll always love Jenny, but she belongs to my past. Unfortunately there are people who for reasons of their own insist on believing otherwise.”

“Meaning your ex-girl friends?”

An amused gleam entered his eyes. “After our daughter was born you realized I really did love you. Hoping it wasn’t too late for us, you came to the ranch on the day of Buck’s funeral and asked me to marry you. Naturally I was overjoyed and insisted we get married immediately.”

Catherine shook her head, finally managing to find her voice. “In the first place, two strangers don’t meet one day and get married the next-and even if by the remotest possibility we did, I couldn’t live around your family with a lie like that-”

His features hardened. “Then we’ll tell the truth in front of everyone, which will include Lucy. She’ll learn that Buck got involved with a teenager and the baby is his. That we had to get married in order to adopt her. Lucy will put two and two together, figuring out Bonnie was conceived just weeks before Buck returned to the ranch and asked her to marry him.”

“No-” Catherine cried. “That would be too awful, too cruel to her. It could destroy her faith in love. She’d grieve forever.”

“Then which is it?” he inserted suavely. “You can’t have it both ways if you want to be a mother to Bonnie.”

Catherine wanted it more than anything in the world. She’d promised Terrie. But to get married to a man she’d only met two days ago…

What did she really know about him except that he was the owner of the famous Bonnibelle Ranch?

He wants Bonnie as much as you do, her heart reminded her. He wants you to help him raise his brother’s baby. That’s what you know about him, deep down in your soul.

Her body trembled. Was that enough reason to do something so drastic it would change her whole life and his?

“Do you know the odds against a marriage like that working?” she cried.

“Probably as good as the odds of any marriage making it,” he countered, with a cynicism she vaguely shared.

“Where would we live?”

“In my house.”

“You mean the ranch house?”

“No. My brother and sister and their families live there. Buck lived there with Lucy, but I suspect that one of these days she’ll move back to Elko to be near her family. My house is on the other side of the lake.”

“Is it where you lived with your wife?”

“No. Like everyone else, Jenny and I began our married life in the ranch house.”

Though she hated asking the next question, she had to know. “How did she die?”

“A drunk teenager ploughed into her car one night as she was driving back to the ranch. She died instantly.”

Catherine’s face crumpled in pain. “I’m so sorry.”

She felt his eyes studying her. “After she was gone, I built a place of my own to get away from the memories. My sister Penny jokingly calls it the bachelor pad, but with your help we can make it family-friendly. I dare you to come and live in it with Bonnie and me.” He flashed her a rare white smile that turned her heart over.

Shaken by his proposal, she drew in an unsteady breath, attempting to keep her wits. “Supposing I were to say yes to this ludicrous idea of yours, and we get married only to learn that the judge turns down our petition?”

He gave an elegant shrug of those masculine shoulders. “Then we get an annulment. I’ll have my attorney put it in writing. But if we win Bonnie, our marriage is forever.”

Forever.

She reeled in place.

He paused at the door. “I’ll be by at six for your answer. If you’re not here, then I’ll know she isn’t your raison d’être after all.”

CHAPTER SIX

AT FIVE to six Cole pulled up in front of Catherine’s condo. He’d come early because, frankly, there was nowhere else he wanted to be.

Throughout his life he’d relied on gut instinct to get him through some rough moments. By asking him if he would let her visit Bonnie some times, she’d admitted defeat. It was the pain he’d heard in Catherine’s voice that had made up his mind for him.

Now it was a waiting game to see if she had the courage to do this outrageous thing and marry him.

“Coletrane-” he could hear his father “-whether you like it or not, you’re a natural-born leader. I’m depending on you to hold this family together after I’m gone someday. Buck bears watching, and Penny and John will always look to you, whether in good times or bad.”

Cole ground his teeth.

Watching Buck self-destruct despite many unsuccessful interventions on Cole’s part had turned him inside out. But he could do something for his brother now. He wanted to do it.

Already he thought of the baby as his little Bonnibelle. She was a fighter to have gotten through those first difficult five weeks. Nothing in life seemed more important than being a father to her. With Catherine helping him, they could be the family Cole ached for and Bonnie deserved.

He checked his watch. Five after six.

His chest grew tight. If he was wrong about Catherine and she couldn’t bring herself to marry him, not even for the baby’s sake, then he’d call out every favor to influence the judge to let him adopt Bonnie alone.

It might entail an all-out battle with the court. That was okay. He was ready for the fight, even if it meant pretending he’d been Terrie’s lover. A white lie God would under stand. His and Buck’s DNA would be a close enough match.

But he much preferred the thought of being Catherine’s husband.

Since the idea had come to him, it was all he’d been able to think about. She was a beautiful woman. Her haunting image had played havoc with his sleep. He couldn’t forget how careful she’d been to protect Buck, or how brave she’d been to stand up to Cole no matter what he threw at her.

They would have something going for them most newlyweds didn’t have-a ready-made child they both loved. In that regard he and Catherine shared an unassailable bond. It was what had brought them together. Who knew what the future might hold for them?

In two days she’d become so important to him he felt a stunning sense of loss at the thought of never seeing her again. Nothing close to this had happened to him before, except for the way he’d felt about Jenny when they’d first been introduced.

He knew for a fact that, having met Catherine, he would pursue her under any cir cum stances. But with the minutes ticking away, and no sign of her, he had to conclude she couldn’t bring herself to say yes to him, not even with Bonnie as the prize.

Cole unconsciously pounded the flat of his hand against the steering wheel. He could swear she was aware of the instant chemistry between them. Hell, he knew she could feel it. The tension between them was palpable.

But he had to remember Catherine had been deprived of her family from birth. She’d obviously struggled through her teens. Clearly she’d been let down by the man who’d impregnated her.

After the miscarriage she would have been devastated, yet she’d gone on to make a total success of her life. She couldn’t have achieved her goals without using her native intelligence to make unimpulsive decisions.

By proposing marriage, he’d asked something of her that meant she not only had to let go of old fears, she had to trust him and herself enough to face the unknown. Hopefully the possibility of raising Bonnie was reason enough for her to make that leap of faith.

Going on the hunch that she needed more time to make up her mind, he started the car and drove three blocks to a convenience mart he’d passed on the way.

Alighting from the seat, he went inside for a cup of coffee. Once back behind the wheel, he decided it was time to make the phone call he’d been putting off. Whether she was at work or home, he could reach her on her cell.

She picked up on the second ring and said hello.

“Brenda? It’s Cole.”

“At last- I know how much you’re hurting. I guess I was beginning to wonder if I’d hear from you before the weekend.”

This was the last time.

“Buck’s death has set me back, no doubt about it. But I’m dealing with another issue right now.” He paused. “I’m afraid it’s going to prevent me from seeing you again.”

“You don’t need to lie to me,” she said in a brittle tone. “I know I don’t measure up to Jenny. No woman does.”

Her comment didn’t faze him. Like a glorious rainbow over the Rubies following the most violent of storms, Catherine’s unexpected appearance had changed the entire landscape of his life.

But Brenda didn’t need to know that. He expelled a controlled sigh. “I’m sorry.”

“So am I. It’s been ten years. You should have gotten over her by now, Cole.”

The sound of the click came as a relief.

He finished his coffee, then backed away from the curb and headed for Catherine’s once more.

Bringing another colleague up to speed on the case coming into Girls’ Haven had taken longer than Catherine had realized. It was six-twenty before she turned the corner of her street so fast her rear wheels squealed.

She strained to discover if Cole’s rental car was parked out in front. When she couldn’t see it, her heart pounded sickeningly. He’d said six o’clock and it appeared he’d meant it!

Suddenly any misgivings she might still have been entertaining about the wisdom of marrying him vanished. She wanted Bonnie, and so help her she wanted Cole too, but it looked like she was too late!

He would have come for an answer. Not finding her here, he’d gone. For all she knew he was halfway to the airport and she’d never see him again-

Like a drowning victim her life flashed before her, giving her glimpses of the three of them living in that glorious piece of heaven. But the thrill of it only lasted a moment, because it was a dream she hadn’t reached for in time.

Too many old demons about trust issues had clouded her thinking. She’d taken too long to make up her mind. Now all could be lost.

Shattered by the realization, she doubled over the steering wheel in pain. She might not have known Cole for more than a few days, but she knew enough to under stand he was a man of action.

Once he made up his mind about something, he didn’t deviate from it. Those who couldn’t meet that high standard were left in the dust. One way or another he would claim his brother’s child, only Catherine wouldn’t be a part of it, and it was her fault.

Maybe it wasn’t too late to catch up to him, wherever he was-

Unfortunately he’d never given her his cell number. If she wanted to get in touch with him she would have to phone the ranch and leave a message.

But she didn’t dare do that. Cole had done everything to ensure this matter remained ultra-private. Too much was at risk for her to make a call that might alert his family and raise unwanted questions.

Barring another visit to the ranch, which would be a disaster, she didn’t know how to contact him without letting anyone else know.

Unable to stem the tears gushing down her hot cheeks, she opened the car door with every intention of making it inside her condo before someone saw her. But as she swung her legs out into the heat, she found her way blocked by a powerful male body.

“Cole-” she cried, on a little sob of joy he couldn’t have helped but hear.

He stared down at her, studying her moist face with an intensity she could feel travel the whole length of her body.

“How am I supposed to interpret those tears?” he asked in a thick-toned voice.

The time for truth had come. She would never get another chance.

“I was late b-because I had a lot of thinking to do.”

Like the sun penetrating a dark cloud, his eyes filled with light. “But the point is, you came.”

She moistened her lips nervously. “I had to. I love Bonnie too much to let her go without a fight. If I become your wife, we’ll have the optimum chance to win custody.”

Beneath the expensive brown silk sport shirt he was wearing, his chest rose and fell visibly, a sign of vulnerability she wouldn’t have guessed at considering he kept such a tight control on his emotions.

“We’ll be taking solemn vows in a little while. There’ll be no going back,” he declared with a refined savagery, reminding her he was a cattle king with an iron hand and those exceptional gifts. The idea that he was about to become her husband sent another shiver through her body.

“No.”

“If the judge grants our petition, our marriage is for real.” His eyes trapped hers. “You do under stand that?”

She knew what he was asking. Her breath got trapped in her lungs. “Yes.”

He straightened away from the door. “Good. Let’s get you inside so you can pack.”

“Pack?”

“After the ceremony we’ll be staying at the Atlantis Reno to enjoy our honeymoon. Only you and I will know what goes on behind closed doors at the hotel. Hopefully Bonnie will be ours in a matter of days.”

She froze. “I thought the whole point was to do all this in secret. If we check in there, you’re bound to be recognized.”

One corner of his mouth curved, almost knocking the breath out of her. “It could happen. More to the point, you and I have to make this look as romantic as possible. That’s why I booked a luxury suite in the Concierge Tower there. It will help carry off the myth that we’ve been secret lovers over the past twelve months. Our family and friends will expect that we celebrated our marriage in the open like any besotted newlyweds.”

Her legs almost buckled. “Since you live so far away from Reno, is anyone going to believe we ever had a relationship?”

“I’ve been flying here on personal business to see my uncle three to four times a month for years,” he confided. “Finally the family will under stand why I was willing to console myself away from the ranch as often as I did. My brother John and his wife Rosemary will be de lighted with our news.”

Not so the women who would like to be Cole’s exclusive love interest, Catherine surmised.

“Bonnie’s going to come as a huge surprise.”

His eyes softened. “She’s going to breathe new life into the Farraday clan at a very critical period. So will you,” he added silkily. “As for my sister Penny and her husband Rich, they’ll be overjoyed I’ve found love again after all this time. She’ll tell you she’s been worried I’d end up wifeless and child less.”

“Is she one of those sisters who never leaves you alone?”

A chuckle escaped, giving her the answer. Its deep male timbre excited her. “You’re lucky.”

He stared down at her through narrowed eyes. “Right now I know I am.” When he said things like that her insides melted.

“Maybe it’s bad luck to get too far ahead of our selves.”

“I don’t believe in bad luck, just bad timing.”

Her thoughts reeled. If there was one man who could impress a judge and make things happen with lightning speed, it was Cole.

No sooner had he helped her from the car than Amy drove in the next parking stall. She didn’t waste any time walking over to them with a flirtatious smile centered on Cole. There wasn’t a woman alive who wouldn’t be attracted to him.

“We meet again.” Her eyes swerved to Catherine’s “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

“I’m her fiancé,” Cole declared, effectively negating any reason for Catherine to speak. “We’re about to be married, so forgive us if we have to rush off…”

Her heart thudded at the possessiveness in his tone.

After he’d ushered her inside the condo, Catherine turned to him. “She didn’t like me before. I’m afraid that en counter just made things worse.”

“Since you won’t be living here from now on, it’s no longer your concern. You’ll need to give notice at your work.”

He moved too fast for her.

“I asked for a week’s emergency leave for personal reasons, and got it, but until we know whether Bonnie is ours, I’ll wait to call the chairman of the board who actually hired me.”

“The adoption’s going to happen,” he stated, as if it were a fait accompli. His innate confidence was a sheer revelation to her. “Now, what can I do to help? Since we can drop by here any time during the week, just bring what you need for the next few days.”

She paused in the doorway to the hall. “Are we getting married in one of those wedding chapels?”

“No.” A simple word, but she sensed his distaste at the mere idea. He regarded her steadily. “The ceremony will take place at the judge’s home, with only his wife and my attorney present.”

Thank you for that, Cole.

“I’m glad,” she confessed in relief.

“Once we know Bonnie’s ours, we’ll repeat our vows at church in Elko.”

She bowed her head. “I’d like that.” Suddenly his presence in her small living room was too over powering for her to function with any coherence. “I-if you’d like to sit down and read a magazine, I won’t be long,” she called over her shoulder before disappearing into the bedroom.

Catherine had been making a mental list: a dress to be married in, a business suit to wear in front of his attorney, a couple of tops and pants, a nightgown and robe.

The choices staring at her from her closet were hardly awe-inspiring. The more she examined her wardrobe, the more anxious she became.

On impulse she rushed back to the living room, where she surprised Cole in the middle of the room talking on his cell-phone. His glance darted to hers. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t have anything appropriate to get married in.”

“Then we’ll buy you something in one of the boutiques at the hotel and change in our suite before we drive to the judge’s residence.”

“I was hoping you’d say we had enough time. I’ll hurry.”

Though this was more of a business merger between rational adults than the romantic elopement of two young lovers, she didn’t want to embarrass Cole. He was a well-known figure. Becoming his wife would bring her into the spot light.

There hadn’t been time for them to talk about their public life together as man and wife, but she knew enough about him to realize he expected her to be a woman he could introduce with pride.

She couldn’t bear the idea of his friends and family thinking he’d made a serious mistake in his choice of bride. Perish the thought they’d feel sorry for him. For tonight she determined to go all-out to look beautiful for him.

Earlier Cole had asked her if she under stood this was to be a “real” marriage and she’d said yes. On the outside chance it would have to be annulled, she hadn’t allowed her thoughts to drift that far.

That was then. This was now.

She was really getting married in a little while, and found to her shock that she wanted it to last-even if they couldn’t adopt Bonnie.

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE suite on the twenty-third floor of the hotel had adjoining rooms leading off a private lounge, both of which over looked the Sierra Nevadas. Cole had just emerged from his room wearing a new stone-gray suit with a deeper hued shirt and silver monogrammed tie.

On the eve of his first marriage, he hadn’t known the meaning of the word nervous.

This was different. He wanted Catherine to trust him. Otherwise the plan he’d devised would never come to fruition.

Up to now he was used to making unilateral decisions without looking back when certain situations demanded it. But he realized he couldn’t do that with her. She’d come too far, fought too hard for her in dependence to imagine she’d follow blindly where he led.

He’d made a big mistake telling her she’d have to give her boss notice. She’d tossed it right back in his face.

When she’d found the fantastic soft cream crêpe dress and shoes she’d liked, and had reached for her credit card, they’d clashed because he’d told her he’d pay for them. Up had come her softly rounded chin in a mutinous gesture she probably hadn’t been aware of. But he’d noticed it, like he noticed everything about her, and backed down.

Small things could grow into big ones. He would have to learn to choose his battles more care fully. They were going to be parents, with their own ideas of how things should work. Theirs needed to be a partnership of equals. If she felt he didn’t respect her opinions, she’d keep her emotional distance. He refused to let that happen.

They weren’t even married yet, and already he knew he wanted her in all the old ways he’d thought had disappeared when he’d buried Jenny. He couldn’t wait to explore what was coming.

Whatever else you do, Farraday, just don’t blow it.

He heard a sound and turned in its direction. Catherine had left her room and was walking toward him. Her eyes looked like two dazzling sapphires.

“What do you think?” She smiled. “Too much? Too little?”

He cleared his throat. “You look like a bride. But I think you don’t need me to tell you your taste is impeccable.”

“Thank you, Cole. You make a very striking groom. I’m going to be the envy of every female when we leave this room.”

There was nothing coy or artificial about Catherine. She didn’t have theatrics in her. If he took this moment to reveal the depth of his intimate thoughts where she was concerned, she’d run a thousand miles.

He’d seen her wear her silvery blond hair several ways. Tonight she’d caught it back in a loose chignon. A few strands tipped by the sun had escaped and framed her oval face, bringing out the mold of her high cheekbones.

The simple elegance of the knee-length dress with its draped neck and long flowing sleeves brought out the singing curves of her sylph-like figure.

He’d given her a corsage of creamy roses whose petals blended with her flawless complexion. She’d already fastened it to her shoulder without his help. Another signal to let him know she needed her space.

After reaching for the digital camera he’d purchased that afternoon, he crossed the room to the glass elevator of their suite.

“It’s time, Catherine.”

As she moved toward him on those long elegant legs, he snapped half a dozen pictures. He planned to have one framed for his den at the house. The rest would go in an album Bonnie would come to treasure.

“Your turn,” she said, taking the camera from him. “I wish I’d had this while you were playing with Bonnie.” She took several shots of him.

His lips twitched. “We’ll have a lifetime to immortalize our selves.”

A worried expression crossed over her face as she handed the camera back to him. “I hope so.”

“Believe it.” He grasped her hand to draw her in the elevator, aware of a latent fire building inside him.

“After the ceremony we’ll bring my attorney back here to do the pa per work. That way he can file it with the court first thing in the morning and get a date for a hearing with the judge right away.”

“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Farraday. May your life together be one of joy and happiness.”

The judge who had married them spoke with an eloquence that had added the right amount of reverence and dignity to their wedding ceremony. Both he and his wife were very gracious and conveyed a sincere cordiality.

Catherine muttered her thank-you, but after the thorough kiss Cole had just given her, her palms ached and her legs had grown weak.

She’d known how important it was they give a convincing performance of being in love. It was shocking how easily she’d entered into her part of it, and she only had herself to blame if she was still trembling.

Cole’s attorney Jim Darger, an attractive man in his fifties, who knew their secret and was totally loyal to Cole, had taken several pictures of them. She feared he might have caught that kiss which had lasted far too long for two people who hadn’t been in each other’s arms yet, let alone shared intimacy.

The moment she’d felt Cole’s sensual mouth coaxing hers apart, a quickening in her body had driven her to respond without conscious thought. The urge to meld with him wasn’t something she’d had control over. It had simply happened.

She must have shocked him, because he’d clasped her tighter against his rock-hard physique-whether to hold himself up or her, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was that the full contact of arms, legs and mouths had charged every atom, whipping up a storm of desire in her she’d never experienced in her life.

The sound of someone’s cell phone ringing had insinuated itself into the very private party Catherine had been having with her new husband. The reminder that they weren’t alone had caused her to pull away from him, her face instantly burning.

Three people had just witnessed something Catherine couldn’t explain. You didn’t kiss a man like you were starving for him unless-unless the physical attraction was explosive. Even then she should have been able to slow down her response.

Once good nights were said, Cole’s arm hugged her waist as they walked out to the limo with Jim. During the ride back to the hotel the two men talked ranch business while Catherine studied the new diamond ring circling her finger.

He’d given her a two carat solitaire, a stone whose facets caught the light. It was exquisite. The slim gold band next to it reminded her she had some shopping to do. Before tomorrow evening she intended to present him with his own wedding ring. Maybe one with a garnet.

From what she’d learned, the Ruby Mountains were named for the red garnets found by some of the early explorers. A ring would let all those women know he was taken.

She groaned when she realized how possessive she’d become already. The possibility that their marriage could be annulled in the near future was anathema to her.

Before long they arrived back at the hotel. Within the hour they’d eaten a delicious Italian meal sent up from one of the restaurants. After a waiter had cleared everything away, Jim handed them the forms to fill out. There were so many questions to answer. The background questions took forever.

“What are our chances?” she asked him anxiously.

“You have a strong case, Catherine. Cole is well known in this state, and can provide for all of you. He’s the biological father’s brother. You have the biological mother’s notarized letter designating you as the person she wants to raise Bonnie. Your time spent in the ICU where you bonded with the baby will stack the deck a little more in your favor. Bonding is the crucial issue in adoption cases.”

She took a shaky breath. “What might be the obstacles?”

“There aren’t any,” Cole insisted, his expression implacable.

“I’m afraid there is one,” Jim asserted. The furrow between Cole’s brows deepened. “It’s a little like insider trading on the stock market. You know something no one else knows and make a move, leaving everyone else in the dust.”

Her mouth felt unpleasantly dry. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

Cole jumped to his feet. “It’s not a good analogy. This isn’t money we’re bilking out of people.”

“True, but you’re depriving other couples of being given a chance to be considered.”

Catherine lifted beseeching eyes to Jim. “Then we’ve got to pray the judge will overlook that aspect when he considers the positives. I didn’t force Terrie to write that letter. In fact I didn’t seriously consider the idea of adopting Bonnie until Terrie was dying.”

“I’ll put that in the deposition and file it with these papers. Have you answered all the questions?”

“Yes.”

Cole nodded.

“Then all I need are your signatures at the bottom. I’ll date them.”

Once she’d affixed hers she glanced at him again. “How long do you think it will take before we can get a hearing?”

He gazed at her speculatively. “Judge Lander has a busy court docket, but I think I can safely say a week.”

A week…

Sensing her disappointment, Cole’s hand covered hers. “Jim will get it done sooner than that.”

The other man pushed himself away from the table and stood up. Smiling down at Catherine, he said, “The Farraday name will have more pull than anything I say, but I’ll try my best.”

“Thank you, Jim. We love Bonnie. You have no idea how much this means to us.”

“I think I do.” He regarded both of them fondly. “For what it’s worth I applaud you for the unselfish step you’re taking for that little baby. The minute I know something I’ll be in touch.”

“If the judge rules in our favor, the case will be sealed?”

“Absolutely. No one will have access to the record so your secret will be safe. I’ve known Buck for years. I attended his wedding to Lucy and under stand why Cole wants his reputation protected. Now Lucy can never be hurt. It will be up to you if you ever decide to tell Bonnie her true pa rent age.”

Catherine’s gaze swerved to Cole’s. He always seemed to know what she was thinking because he said, “If the time comes we feel it necessary, then we’ll tell her.” She gave him an assenting nod.

“Well, my work seems to be done here. I’ll be going and leave you two newlyweds alone.”

She got up from the table and gave Jim a hug, which he reciprocated.

While Cole walked him to the elevator, Catherine hurried into her bedroom to change. The word “newlyweds” had caused a strange flutter in her chest.

She unpinned her corsage.

After the mistake she’d made kissing Cole the way you would as a prelude to making love, the worst thing she could do was waltz out there in a minute to talk to him wearing a nightgown.

The fear that her heated response might have surprised him in a negative way gnawed at her, but she honestly hadn’t been able to hold back. Embarrassed just thinking about it, she quickly removed her wedding finery and slipped on jeans, which she co-ordinated with a short-sleeved cotton sweater in a lilac color.

“What have you got there?” he asked as she darted from the bedroom and hurried over to the fridge behind the bar.

“The flowers you gave me. They’re so beautiful I want them to stay fresh.” She moistened a paper napkin to lay over them, then put the corsage on one of the shelves. Once the door was shut she turned to him, hoping she appeared composed. What a fraud she was.

His suit jacket hung over one of the chairs. He’d loosened the collar of his shirt and pulled the tie away. She felt his shuttered gaze from across the expanse.

“I haven’t taken time off to play in a long, long time,” he began. “Have you?” The question caught her off guard.

“Not that I remember.”

A faint smile tugged at his lips. “That’s what I thought. How would you like to fly down to Laguna Beach tomorrow? We’ll spend a few days sunning in the surf. Forget our worries. It will give us some time to relax and get to know each other without dead lines.”

“I’d like that a lot, but-”

“You don’t want to leave Bonnie.” He could read her mind.

“That sounds pathetic, doesn’t it?”

“No. You’re making sounds like a mother.”

She rubbed her palms against womanly hips. “It’s just that Bonnie has needed so much love and attention. Now that she’s in foster care, I go by to see her every day, either before or after work.”

His indulgent eyes had been following her movements. “Then let me suggest something closer to home. After we visit her in the morning, we could drive over to Lake Tahoe for the day and have dinner somewhere before returning to the hotel. Each day we’ll go some place different, and the day after that, until we have news. What do you say?”

She felt her heart expand. “I think you already know. It’s a wonderful idea. I-I haven’t known you long, but I believe you’re a wonderful man.” The words had come out of her mouth before she could stop them, but in all honesty he deserved to hear the truth.

“If it turns out we can adopt Bonnie, she’s going to be the luckiest little girl in the world to have you for a father.” She dragged her eyes away from him. “Goodnight, Cole.”

Four days later they got the call from Jim to meet him in the judge’s chambers for the verdict. He stood inside waiting.

Catherine’s heart was beating so hard she thought she would faint. Cole put a supportive arm around her while they waited for the judge to enter.

“Be seated,” he told them.

The judge took his place and put on his glasses. “Mr. and Mrs. Farraday? I’ve read over your adoption petition. It’s an unusual case. Your recent marriage concerns me, in that the two of you haven’t lived together, there fore no climate has been established to measure. On the other hand, for you to enter into this union tells me of your unqualified love for this child who has no mother or father living. I find it commendable that Mr. Farraday, an up standing member of the community and this state, wants to father his deceased brother’s child. I’m also impressed by Mrs. Farraday’s impeccable record as a social worker.

“I’m further moved by Terrie Cloward’s testimony that if Mrs. Farraday hadn’t intervened on her behalf from the beginning of her stay at Girls’ Haven she would have run away, putting herself and the baby in jeopardy. Her plea that Mrs. Farraday become the adoptive mother has been duly noted.

“I would like to say I was particularly touched by the part in Mrs. Farraday’s deposition concerning her feelings for the baby while she was in the hospital those five weeks, fighting for her life. The depositions taken from the hospital staff and the temporary foster mother, Carol Wilson, not only verify her constant devotion, they assert that the baby has bonded with Mrs. Farraday. I’m of the opinion that if it’s at all possible, that bond should not be broken.”

He took off his glasses and leaned forward. “After weighing everything care fully, I hereby grant full custody of Bonnie Cloward to the Farradays. Let it be noted in the record that, as of today, she will bear the legal name Bonnie Farraday. Congratulations.”

“Cole-”

His hand squeezed hers until she felt the new wedding band she’d bought him pressing into her skin. He had a strength he wasn’t aware of, but she was so happy she didn’t care.

“Thank you, Your Honor,” they both said at the same time.

He smiled. “Mr. Darger? If you’ll come forward, I’ll give you the signed order allowing the Farradays to pick up their daughter at the Wilson home immediately.”

Cole crushed her against his hard body. “We did it, Catherine,” he murmured into her hair. “Little Bonnibelle is ours.”

Catherine sobbed for joy. “If it weren’t for you-”

“Bonnie needed both of us for this to happen.”

A beaming Jim walked over to them, waving the order in his hand. Cole clapped him on the shoulder while still holding onto Catherine.

“That was a brilliant piece of work you did, getting those other depositions, Jim.”

“I told you bonding was everything with this judge.”

She kissed the other man’s cheek. “We’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

COLE’S four-seater Cessna glided to a flawless halt at Elko Regional Airport. He flashed the pilot his thanks for a problem-free flight from Reno. With precious cargo in the seats behind them, he hadn’t wanted anything to go wrong.

He’d called ahead to his brother, asking him to meet him and bring the suburban. “Come alone,” he’d advised him. “I’ll explain when we see each other.”

From the co-pilot’s window he watched John get out and walk toward the plane. Since Catherine had agreed to marry him, the excitement filling Cole’s veins kept intensifying in quantum leaps. In about a minute his hatless brother was going to get the surprise of his life.

While Catherine was busy unbuckling Bonnie’s carrycot, Cole climbed out on the hot tarmac behind the pilot.

John spoke first. “Hey-long time no see.”

So much had happened in the time he’d been away that Cole didn’t know himself anymore.

“What’s up?” Though John sounded his same old self, lines of grief were still etched in the bronzed face that resembled their brother’s. It was the face of Cole’s little girl.

“Plenty.”

John stared at him quizzically. “You look…good. Different…” He tucked his thumbs into the side pockets of his jeans. “Mind telling me what’s been going on? The family’s starting to worry.”

Cole sucked in his breath. “Everyone can relax. You’re looking at a married man.”

While he left his brother standing there dumb founded, he turned to Catherine, who handed him the carrycot. Their eyes met in a private glance before he helped her to the ground with his free hand.

Those pure blue orbs reflected anxiety. His sent her a message not to worry.

“John?” He drew his new family toward his brother. “Meet my wife, Catherine, and our little girl.”

His brother did a double take. Beneath his tan, his face paled from shock.

With the advantage of surprise on his side, Cole drew the baby out of her infant seat and cradled her in his arm, being careful that the receiving blanket shielded her eyes from the rays of a blazing noonday sun.

“Bonnibelle?” He kissed her pert nose. She’d enjoyed the flight and was awake and alert. “Say hello to your Uncle John, who’s going to love you like crazy.”

His brother looked with wonder into her adorable face. Cole knew the second John recognized the Farraday brand, because a strange sound came out of his throat followed by a low whistle.

In the next instant his brownish-black head reared. Awestruck hazel eyes flew from Cole to the blond vision standing next to him. They filled with male admiration before switching back to Cole again, his gaze saying it all.

“Congratulations, you two.” John continued to stare at them. “You’re a dark horse, you know that, bro?” he growled, before breaking into a yelp of joy, erasing the grief lines noticeable a minute ago.

The noise made the baby cry, but she settled down quickly after Cole put her against his shoulder and rubbed her back. Since they’d picked her up at the Wilsons’ a few days ago, he’d spent day and night with her.

Between him taking cat naps on Catherine’s couch, and her in the bedroom, they’d alternated getting up with Bonnie for her feedings. Once in stalled at his house, however, their sleeping arrangements were going to change…

They’d already achieved a certain harmony that made him sensitive to the silent entreaty Catherine had just sent him.

He flashed his brother a glance. “Let’s get Bonnie out of the heat. Then we’ll answer all your questions.”

In another minute John had helped them with the luggage while Cole assisted Catherine into the backseat. With a minor adjustment of the strap through the base, he put the carrycot holding Bonnie next to her. But he found it impossible to be this close to his wife without touching her.

Since the ceremony he’d been living for the next opportunity to satisfy his increasingly growing hunger for her. Cole wasn’t above using his family to force her to play house with him. In time he would get her to respond to him when they were alone.

At the moment his brother provided a convenient audience for him to give her unsuspecting mouth a long, deep kiss. When he eventually tore his mouth from hers, John would have to have been blind not to see the blush that swept into her face before he started up the car.

Once out on the highway he gave Cole a furtive wink, obviously no longer wondering what his big brother had been doing away from the ranch all this time.

Cole grinned back. They’d always been close, and for the most part could read each other’s thoughts without speaking.

“Okay.” He relented at last, sensing his brother’s impatience for an explanation. “What do you want to know first?”

John shook his head. He looked through the rearview mirror at Catherine. “You’re the beautiful mystery woman Janine told us about-the one who came to the house the day of Buck’s funeral.”

Air locked in Cole’s lungs while he waited for his wife’s response.

“I was the un wit ting intruder, yes. From the beginning Cole and I had a stormy relationship because- Well, it doesn’t matter now why. But when he asked me to marry him, I turned him down flat.”

“That had to be a first!” John chuckled before glancing at Cole for his reaction.

Cole nodded. “Remember last fall, when you told me I was a hard man to be around some times?”

“Sometimes- I’ve said that to you more times than I can count, but I do recall you were particularly difficult to reach back then. I thought it had to do with the ongoing range war over grazing rights.”

“That’s a problem that never goes away,” Cole muttered. “But the truth is, I couldn’t take it when Catherine turned me down.”

“I-I couldn’t take it either,” came a tremulous voice from the backseat. “I loved Cole. Saying no to him turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life. When I discovered I was pregnant, I knew I needed to tell him. But I didn’t want the pregnancy to complicate the issue between us, so I kept him in the dark as long as I could. He kept coming to Reno to see me, and I continued to say no to him, all because of my stupid pride. Ultimately he found out I was expecting. That’s when it got really bad, because I knew I’d hurt him by not telling him. In the end I realized I’d been a total fool. Unfortunately it took until last week to get up enough courage to ask him to marry me because we had a daughter who needed her daddy as much as I did.”

Even if the story had been manufactured, the throb in her voice couldn’t be faked. It reached down inside the core of Cole’s psyche, moving him in inexplicable ways.

“Incredible. So how did you two meet?”

“At a resort on the north end of Lake Tahoe,” Catherine volunteered.

She had to be thinking of the one they’d gone to earlier in the week while they’d been waiting to hear from Jim. She was doing such a superb job, Cole was happy to sit back and let it all happen.

“One of the condos in my fourplex had a fire. I had to find a place to stay for a few days. When I went outside for a swim, your brother was doing laps in the pool. We more or less collided.”

“It was fate,” Cole pro claimed with a satisfied smile.

Another low whistle issued from John’s lips. “This is going to knock the family up one side of the Rubies and down the other.”

By now they’d entered the property, and would be coming up on the lake soon.

“It will get Penny and Rosemary off my back.”

“No kidding.”

“While Catherine and I settle in at my house, do us a favor and break the news to everyone? We’ll be over for dinner later.”

His brother’s head jerked toward him. “Your place isn’t exactly set up for a baby.”

“All we need for tonight is a crib. Tomorrow we’ll figure out everything else.”

“I’ll bring over the one we used for Susie. It’s in the storage room somewhere.”

Cole thumped his brother on the shoulder. “Thanks.”

“We appreciate your coming to pick us up,” Catherine chimed in. “Cole’s told me so much about his family. I’ve been looking forward to meeting all of you.”

“You don’t know the half of it. To be frank, our family has feared this day would never come!”

Cole made a grunting sound. “Now that it has, better make room for more Farradays. Bonnie’s going to need a little brother or sister before long.”

Brother or sister-

What?

Catherine broke out in a cold sweat.

A “real” marriage she under stood. Cole might have been giving her time to get used to the idea, but she realized he expected they’d be sleeping together soon. If only he knew that she could hardly breathe, waiting for it to happen.

However, another baby wasn’t something they’d ever discussed. If he was looking forward to getting her pregnant, then they needed to talk as soon as possible.

After they’d circled the lake to the house, Cole climbed out of the suburban with Bonnie, visibly excited they were home. She could tell because that air of restlessness about him while they’d been in Reno had left him.

While John took their things inside, Catherine hung back on the porch, ostensibly to look at the view. When he reappeared he told her he’d be back with the crib.

She put a hand on his arm to detain him. “That’s very kind of you, John, but I’ve been thinking about it, and I’d rather your family didn’t know anything about us until we come over for dinner. We’ll get the crib then.”

Or not.

She trembled. It all depended on Cole’s reaction once they’d talked.

His eyes danced. “You’re asking me to hold back that kind of news?”

Catherine liked John a lot. No doubt she would have felt the same way about Buck.

Her eyes implored him. “Do you mind?”

“Nope. We are a pretty terrifying lot.” Then he grinned. “Now that Cole’s a married man, he might as well realize up-front he’s no longer the big boss around here.”

She kissed John’s cheek. “Bless you.”

After waving him off, she walked inside the house. There was Cole at the living room window, chatting with Bonnie while they stared out at the spectacular vista. She studied them for a minute.

He’d bonded so completely with the baby, and she to him. If there was going to be an annulment after all, the two of them would be fine.

Riddled with fresh pain, Catherine searched for the diaper bag among their suitcases. The sound brought Cole’s dark head around.

“I’m pretty sure Bonnie needs changing,” she explained, uncomfortably aware he could sense she was feeling guilty about something.

She spread the changing pad on the first piece of furniture she came to, which happened to be a brown leather couch. Cole crossed the expanse and laid the baby down without saying anything. Her nervousness in creased so much she had trouble unfastening Bonnie’s pink stretchy suit.

“H-how did I do?” she blurted.

“A propos to what?” came his deceptively mild query.

“Wh-what I told John.”

“Since I wasn’t out on the porch with the two of you, you must mean while we were in the car?”

She moaned. “Yes.”

“I believed your account to the point I decided we’d lived your version in a parallel universe.”

“If John is the litmus test, do you think we passed?” She slid a fresh diaper beneath the baby.

“What do your instincts tell you?” He answered with another question. Cole was angry. She didn’t blame him. They’d had no secrets until now.

He stood by with the baby wipes and ointment, unaware of his physical impact on her senses. They were crying for the assuagement only he could give. But when he learned the truth, she might never know rapture with him.

She kissed Bonnie’s tummy. “They don’t. John’s wonderful, just like you, but he’s not my brother.”

“He was snagged when you threw out the line about you asking me to marry you. John’s aware it would take something that dramatic for me to get off my high horse and come crawling back to you. It was the part of your story that turned the corner for him.”

Her pulse accelerated. “I’ll remember that,” she quipped, to cover her hectic emotions. “Won’t we, sweet heart?”

When she’d finished snapping the material around the baby’s tiny feet and legs, he picked her up. “Come on, Bonnibelle. It’s time to give you and your mommy a tour of our home. This is where we’re all going to live forever.”

There was that word again.

She started to shake and couldn’t stop. Cole was saying that now, but when he learned what she had to tell him…

The bachelor pad turned out to be a modern two-bedroom rambler, with two bathrooms, a den, and a great room with a wood-burning fireplace. Everything was done in a light tan color, with high ceilings and lots of bare windows giving their own close up views of the pine-tree-lined lake and the fabulous Ruby Mountains.

A sweep of open area from front room to kitchen made it seem larger. No curtains or frills. No knickknacks. Just good, basic functional living, with the beauty of the architectural design of truss work and cutouts providing the interest.

He’d made a concession to window coverings in both bedrooms, but he’d left the blinds open. Cole was a man who worked out in the open and obviously wanted to create that same feeling indoors.

Catherine loved everything about it.

Though she could see some of her things, including her favorite McKnight painting of Corfu to add color, most of them would have to stay in storage. Of necessity having a baby in the house would guarantee a lot of clutter.

Cole had promised they’d drive to Elko to outfit the second bedroom into a nursery. For the moment it contained a twin bed and dresser, nothing more. For a niece or nephew to sleep over, perhaps?

At a glance it was clear he’d wanted no hint of past memories when he’d had this built. If he needed to touch base with his life before his wife died, all he had to do was sprint around the lake to the main ranch house.

Maybe it was wrong of Catherine, but she was fiercely glad no other woman had lived here with him.

While they finished walking around, Bonnie started making noises. “Sounds like she’s hungry. You can set your watch by her.”

She felt Cole’s masculine chuckle resonate in every cell of her body. “Lie down in our bedroom with her. I’ll bring the diaper bag.” They still had several bottles of the prepared formula they’d brought on the plane. The rest was in an extra suitcase.

When they entered the room, Cole must have noticed her surreptitious glance at the king-size bed. “I bought everything new when I moved in.” Meaning his wife hadn’t slept in it, in case Catherine was wondering.

It was scary how fast he connected the dots, no matter how obscure to anyone else. But then he wouldn’t be the head of the Bonnibelle if he didn’t have that remarkable capacity necessary to run a successful cattle empire.

Meeting Catherine had kept him away from his work a long time. Yet he hadn’t touched on the subject.

That was because of Bonnie. She had him wrapped so tightly around her baby finger, Catherine hardly recognized him as the for bid ding security guard. One who’d been prepared to drag her from the car if she didn’t confess what she was doing there the day of Buck’s funeral.

Driven by pain, she now under stood, and she had no doubt that man would have carried out his threat-to hell with anyone who might be watching.

But the rugged black-haired male who’d just come back in the bedroom and laid down next to her and Bonnie bore little resemblance to the other man.

After handing her the bottle, he propped his head with his hand to watch them through veiled eyes. The baby drank thirstily, making loud noises.

His mouth widened in amusement. He was such a beautiful male. Catherine had to close her eyes against his over powering charisma.

“You’re a true Farraday, Bonnibelle. No one enjoys a good meal more than I do.”

Catherine had thought he was going to say Buck, which only proved how total was the transformation from uncle to father.

CHAPTER NINE

AFTER Bonnie’s feed, she was out like a light.

As Catherine’s eyes slid away, they met the storm cloud gray of Cole’s.

“It’s time to tell me what you were doing out on the porch with John.” His low, penetrating voice wasn’t quite a demand. “What did I say that put you off? You were different before we even got out of the car.”

She swallowed uneasily.

Cole was so intuitive she could never hide anything from him. After her experience with him the first time they met, she didn’t dare hold back. He’d only find a way to get it out of her. His methods guaranteed success.

She didn’t want to fight with him. Especially with the innocent baby sleeping peace fully between them.

“If you must know, you and I never talked about-about having more children.”

The quiet that fell after her comment could hardly be described as comfortable. She could almost hear the air crackle with tension.

His brows arched quizzically. “Isn’t that part of what a real marriage implies?”

“Yes,” came the lame concession.

“So what’s the problem?” he infused in an unruffled tone.

She choked out, “The problem is me.”

“In what way?” he persisted.

“Not so loud. We’re going to wake the baby.”

Unable to handle the nature of their conversation being this close to him, she rolled off the bed, careful to leave Bonnie undisturbed. Cole followed her into the hall.

Before she reached the living room she felt a pair of strong male hands close over her shoulders, arresting her movements. His body heat permeated the silky material of her coffee-colored blouson. Combined with his natural scent, it all worked like an aphrodisiac on her senses.

He lifted the silvery gold strands away from her neck. “I’m the one who’s been a fool,” he whispered, letting his lips graze her heated skin. “I’ve been trying to give you time to get used to me. But it appears I’ve unwittingly sent the wrong signal.”

“I-it’s not that-” she tried to tell him, but the feel of his mouth created exquisite pleasure, robbing her of the ability to think clearly.

“Surely you know how much I want you?” His hands slid down her arms to her caress her hips. “I haven’t been able to hide it. Bonnie might have been the catalyst to bring us together this fast, but believe me- I felt the desire to make love to you even as you were evading my questions in front of the ranch house.”

“Cole-” she cried in absolute panic. Much as his admissions thrilled her, she couldn’t let this go on.

His hands stilled against her trembling body. “What is it? I know you want me too. It isn’t something you can hide.”

“I-I’m not trying to. But first there’s something I have to tell you that could change everything.”

He twisted her around. She glimpsed silvery eyes molten with desire. “Don’t be silly,” he murmured against her lips, gripping her waist to bring her against him.

With undeniable mastery he explored her mouth, tasting and finding every part of it. The fire he’d lit was starting to engulf her. This was a husband’s kiss, hot with desire.

Her husband. A man who might not want to claim that title once he’d heard what she had to tell him.

“Please, Cole-” She fought for air, really frightened now, because she could feel herself succumbing to the wanton needs he’d aroused.

“Don’t you under stand I want to please you?” he growled softly against her ear, sending little sparks of delight through her sensitized body.

He was too drugged by passion, too intent on making love to her, to listen. With Bonnie asleep for the next few hours, there was nothing to interfere with this ecstasy.

She shivered voluptuously, because she was drowning in a sensual haze he’d created that was sapping her power to resist him. Somehow they wound up against the wall, their mouths and bodies in satiable.

“Hey, Uncle Cole-”

A young male voice called out with excitement. At first Catherine thought she must have dreamed it.

“Mom said you were back. Where’ve you been?”

The voice was coming closer.

Catherine struggled to surface, but she didn’t make it in time.

“Oops-” the boy exclaimed.

Incredibly it was Cole who managed to ease himself away from her. Luckily she was still pressed up against the wall, which worked as a support until she could compose herself.

Cole turned to their young intruder. She could hear his ragged breathing. “Hey, Gavin-haven’t you learned to knock yet before you barge in on people?”

The dark-haired boy wearing jeans and cowboy boots couldn’t be more than ten. He hunched his shoulders, eyeing his uncle warily. “Sorry. I didn’t know anyone else was here.”

Of course the news that Cole was back had spread. But relief swept through Catherine that John had kept his promise.

“Exactly my point,” Cole barked at his nephew.

Before another word was said, Catherine needed to talk to Cole in private.

“Hi, Gavin,” she spoke up. “If you’ll give me a minute with your uncle, then he’s all yours. Wh-why don’t you go out in the living room?”

He stared at her like she was the great mystery of the ages. “Sure.”

She reached for Cole’s hand and drew him into the second bedroom, shutting the door behind them. When he turned to her, she hardly recognized him for his wintry expression.

His brows had formed a black bar above his eyes. “What’s going on with you?” He grasped her upper arms.

Her throat tightened. “I was trying to tell you b-before you started kissing me. I didn’t know having more children was included in our agreement.”

She felt his fingers tighten around her flesh. “When I explained that I wanted a real marriage, you said you understood.”

“I did, because I realized you meant we’d be sleeping together. But until you mentioned bringing more brothers and sisters into the world I had no idea you’d included that as part of it.”

For a second she thought she saw a glint of pain in those cloudy depths.

“I guess I should have known, but all I had on my mind at the time was Bonnie.” She tried to swallow but couldn’t. “Naturally it’s your dream to rear a family. So what I’m trying to tell you is that it’s still not too late to annul our marriage. That’s why I asked John not to say anything to the family yet.”

Cole’s hard mouth had taken on a whitish tinge. He was livid. She didn’t blame him.

“I’m going to leave for Reno in the next few minutes. All you have to do is explain to Gavin I’m the woman who had your baby, but we couldn’t work things out. After considering what was best for Bonnie, we decided to let you raise her.”

His eyes had formed slits, which caused her to speak faster and faster. “In private you can tell John the whole truth and this will all be over.”

Her eyes glistened, but she refused to cry in front of him. “You’ve won Bonnie legally. She’s where she should be. I’m glad I was the one who could help you, but you’re not in love with me. In time the right woman will come along. Love will happen naturally, the way it’s supposed to. She’ll fill that ache in your heart and give you the family you dreamed of having with Jenny.”

“What’s this about?” came a voice of ice. “Your idea of revenge for the man who destroyed your dreams?”

She backed away from him, shaking her head. “You couldn’t really have asked me that question. I’m doing this to help you attain yours. To satisfy your curiosity, the man you think I was involved with was a pathetic teenager my own age. It was the first time for both of us, and from every aspect a miserable mistake. Telling him I was pregnant scared both of us to death. I never saw him again.”

Maybe she imagined a momentary bleakness lurking in the recesses of his eyes.

Taking advantage of his bemused state, she rushed past him and opened the door. Before he could stop her she made it down the hall to the living room.

Gavin was sitting on one of the chairs, playing with a small, battery-operated video game. He flashed her a surprised glance. She smiled at him, reached for her purse and suitcase and flew out the front door. By the time she made it to the truck, Cole was almost at her heels.

If the gods were kind, it would be unlocked.

They were more than kind. His keys were in the ignition.

“Whoa, Uncle Cole. Was she ever mad!”

“She’s scared.”

Catherine reminded him of a graceful filly who needed special handling to get her to come to him willingly. It was his own fault for pushing every damn button guaranteed to make her skittish.

Gavin looked up at him. “Of you?”

“Not exactly. It’s complicated.”

He pulled out his cell phone and called Mack.

“Hey, boss-glad you’re back.”

“It’s good to be home, but I’m without transportation at the moment. Do me a favor and catch up to the woman driving my power wagon. If you hurry you’ll reach her before she hits the highway.”

“What woman would that be?”

“My wife.”

Mack chortled. “Hey, Cole-it’s me you’re talking to.”

“Don’t I know it. I’m counting on you to manage the impossible.”

After a pause, “I’m on my way. Then what am I supposed to do?”

“Bring her back to my house.”

“What if she doesn’t want to come?”

“She will. Tell her Bonnie woke up feverish and is in consolable.”

“Who’s Bonnie?”

“Our daughter.”

“Maybe I’m in the middle of my own dream.”

“It’s no dream. I got married in Reno. Tell you about it later.” He clicked off.

Gavin was all eyes. “You really got married?”

“I sure did. Want to come and take a peek at your new little cousin?”

Catherine had the turnoff from the Bonnibelle in her sights when a truck barreling down the road behind her whizzed past, kicking up dust. She couldn’t believe it when the driver started to make a U-turn in front of her, forcing her to apply the brakes.

An au then tic cowboy, maybe late forties, jumped down from the cab. He strode toward her in a well-worn Stetson.

Cole had sent him, of course. She was surprised she’d gotten this far before being apprehended. No one walked out on Cole. She dashed the moisture from her cheeks, but anyone with eyes could see she’d been sobbing.

He approached her, removing his hat. Squinting at her, he said, “Good afternoon, Mrs. Farraday.”

That was all she needed to hear. The feathers were out of the pillow now. Air rushed from her lungs.

“I’m Mack Irvine, by the way.”

Cole’s ranch manager…

“How do you do, Mack?”

He held the hat in front of the brown plaid shirt covering his chest. “Cole says you need to get back to the house quick. Your daughter woke up and started to cry. He’s pretty sure she’s running a fever and needs you.”

Catherine didn’t believe it for a second, but she had no desire to argue with the man Cole not only revered but depended upon. What went on between her and her husband shouldn’t have to upset the running of his ranch. Especially when the histrionics were a by-product of her own flawed nature.

She’d run away. Just like she’d done over and over during her teenage years. When she couldn’t deal with reality, her answer was to take off. Apparently certain patterns couldn’t be broken no matter how hard she’d fought to change them.

But for once in her life she had to go back and face the consequences. She owed it to Cole, who’d been nothing but wonderful to her and deserved to hear all the truth that was in her. What he decided to do with that knowledge wasn’t her right to determine.

“Thank you for telling me,” she said quietly. “I’ll turn around.”

Mack looked vastly relieved. He nodded, put on his hat and walked back to his truck.

CHAPTER TEN

COLE saw the power wagon coming from a long way off. While he waited for his wife to materialize, he made coffee, then propped his hip against the counter while he drank it.

At long last he was going to have the luxury of being in his own home with Catherine. No more interruptions, no deadlines.

Thanks to Rosemary, who’d come for Gavin and had gone crazy the second she’d laid eyes on the baby, she’d taken everyone home with her. No doubt at this moment the whole family was marveling over the latest addition to the Farraday clan.

Cole’s eyes smarted. Maybe Buck was looking on too, from wherever he was.

He heard the truck pull up in front. In a moment foot steps sounded on the porch. She hadn’t come charging back. He braced himself, not knowing if that was a good or bad sign. He’d married a complicated lady.

“Hi.” The husky voice he’d loved from day one sounded deeper than usual.

“Hi yourself.” He studied her where she was standing next to the kitchen table. She’d been crying her eyes out. He lifted a mug. “Coffee?”

“No, thank you.” He could see her throat working. “Cole-”

“Bonnie’s been kid napped by the family. We’ll be lucky if we see her again before sometime tomorrow. Gavin thinks she looks like his dad. Rosemary insists she’s the image of Penny. You have to wonder how long it will be before someone says she resembles Buck.”

A little sob escaped her throat. “I see you in her already.”

“Spoken like a loyal wife.”

She flinched. “I didn’t give a very good impression of one earlier. Forgive me. I didn’t mean to run away like that. I’m afraid it’s an old habit when I don’t want to face something unpleasant.”

Sucking in his breath, Cole put the mug down. “Is the idea of getting pregnant again repugnant to you?”

She subsided into the nearest chair. “No.”

His frustration grew. “Are you afraid of intimacy because of your former experience?”

“I-it’s not that,” she stammered.

He rubbed the back of his neck where the muscles were bunched. “Then it’s me. You wanted Bonnie enough to marry me, but now the reality is too much for you to handle. Is that it?”

She flashed him a tortured look before she jumped up from the chair. “I don’t think I can have more children-that’s why!”

Her answer flooded him with such great relief it took him a moment to respond. Unfortunately she read something else in that brief silence.

“You see?” she cried in undeniable turmoil, staring at him with wounded eyes. “I had sex with a boy, and my high-risk pregnancy probably ruined me for any more. My punishment for doing something I knew was wrong. But I didn’t know how wrong until you talked about providing Bonnie with a brother or sister.”

Tears gushed down her cheeks. “Do you have any idea how it killed me to hear you tell your brother you were looking forward to having a bigger family wh-when I was afraid we couldn’t? And all because it was my fault?”

The rise of hysteria in her voice propelled Cole toward her. He crushed her in his arms. “Have you been checked recently by an OB who’s of the same opinion?”

She burrowed her head against his shoulder. “No. I’ve been afraid to.”

He rubbed her back in an attempt to console her. “Medical science has come a long way in the last decade to make conception possible for millions of couples. You know that.”

“I don’t think it’s far enough for us, Cole.” She sobbed against him, wetting his shirtfront. “That’s why we need to get an annulment. My past mistake shouldn’t prevent you from having the life you want.”

She threw her head back to look at him.

What he wanted was to take away the pain from her drenched blue eyes. “I’ve got everything I want right here in front of me. The rest we can work out. Who knows? Maybe I’m infertile.”

Her hands formed fists against his chest. “Don’t be ridiculous! Haven’t you heard anything I’ve been saying? You’re too good a man to have married me. I’m like a tumbleweed out on the desert. I came from somewhere, but who knows where? I’ve rolled along here and there, with every gust of wind. I know nothing of my roots, whereas you can point back to your Farraday ancestors with pride.”

Her trembling body bespoke her agony.

“Catherine-”

“Let me finish. I sensed how honorable you were the first time we met. You’re a breed apart from any man I’ve ever known. Bonnie will never know how blessed she was that you claimed her. But when she grows older, what will be her opinion of a mother with no family, no clue to her background?”

He clasped her face between his hands. “Listen to me-what matters is what you’ve made of yourself! That’s all that matters where any human being is concerned! Knowing your pedigree doesn’t give you a pass in this life, Catherine. We all make mistakes. I’ve made a ton of my own. Some I’m not particularly proud of. Until you came into my life, I was a mess.”

She shook her head. Her eyes were still swimming in tears. “I don’t believe it.”

“Gavin could tell you. So could the other children-Uncle Cole’s mean.”

She sniffed. “If you’re so awful, how come he came running into the house whooping it up because you’re back?”

“Because children are forgiving. Haven’t you noticed?”

“Yes,” she confessed.

“Adults have a much harder time of it. I know one woman who needs to forgive herself so she can make this man happy.” He kissed her luscious mouth. “I’m in love with you, darling. So much it hurts.”

“But you can’t be-”

“Let’s get something straight, then we never have to talk about it again. If this weren’t the real thing, I wouldn’t have asked you to marry me under any cir cum stances. After meeting you, I discovered I wanted you, long before I saw Bonnie. The second I saw her, I wanted her too. Since then I’ve tried to show you in every way but one. Maybe going to bed will help.”

Her eyes grew slumberous. “I think it will.” She slid her arms around his neck. “Oh, Cole-” She pressed kisses all over his handsome face. “I’ve been wanting you to make love to me forever-I adore you.” Her voice shook. “You have no idea how much.”

For an answer, his mouth came down on hers, urgent and avid. Flames of desire licked her veins, turning her into a breath less supplicant. She didn’t remember being carried to the bedroom. All she knew was that she was in his arms, trying to satisfy her craving for him.

Hours later, when the stars had faded over the Ruby Mountains and the sun was about to come up, she had to give herself a talk about leaving him alone. He was in a deep sleep at last.

She should have been sated by now, yet she realized the craving for him was worse than before and would never go away.

Out of the semi darkness she heard a velvet voice whisper, “Come here.” Cole pulled her on top of him, trapping her legs.

Her breath caught. “I didn’t mean to waken you.”

“That’s the first lie you’ve told me all night,” he teased, kissing her in a certain spot.

Her face crimsoned. “Do you know how embarrassing it is to want your husband so much you have no shame?”

“There’s no shame when two people love each other as much as we do. Only a hot-blooded woman like you could ever hold me. When my time comes-”

“Stop-” She put a hand over his mouth. “I don’t ever want to think about that.”

He pressed a moist kiss to her palm. “Naturally I’m hoping it won’t be until after a lifetime of loving. But when it does happens-remind me to thank my little brother. Without him I would never have known this kind of happiness.”

“Cole, darling-” she cried in an aching voice.

Once again her world spun away in a ritual of giving and taking and unspeakable pleasure. Catherine’s entrancement was so total she didn’t realize at once that someone was ringing the doorbell. “Sweetheart-”

“Ignore it and they’ll go away. I have other things to do,” he whispered, plundering her mouth.

The bell pealed again.

“Cole?” She tried to breathe. “I think we’d better get it. Maybe something’s wrong with Bonnie.”

“Someone would have phoned.”

“Maybe it’s Mack.”

A groan escaped. “All right. I’ll get it.” He pressed another hungry kiss to her mouth before rising from the bed.

She watched her gorgeous husband shrug into a toweling robe and leave the bedroom. In another minute she could hear Cole say, “Gavin-where’s the fire?”

“The family wants you and Catherine to come over for breakfast, but they were afraid you wouldn’t answer the phone.”

“Then why didn’t you just come in and tell us?”

“But yesterday you told me not to barge in!”

“That was yesterday.”

“You don’t sound mad anymore. I guess she’s not afraid of you anymore either?”

“Nope.”

“That’s good, huh?”

“Yup.”

Catherine had to cover her mouth to hold in her laughter. If this was how things were going to be on the Bonnibelle from now on, she could handle a hundred life times of it.