“A woman should have a proper kiss after she gives birth to a son, don’t you think?”

Katherine studied Lonnie’s rugged features as if she wanted to remember them always.

“I think you’re right,” he whispered.

She smiled as he touched his lips to hers. The taste of him was rich, tempting and oh, so delicious. She wanted to feel his closeness, his strength, breathe in the unique scent of his hair and skin.

“I think it’s time I should be thanking you,” she said.

His brows lifted and the corners of his lips turned up with amusement. “I’ve never been thanked for a kiss before.”

Her expression was suddenly serious. “I’m not talking about the kiss. I want to thank you for delivering my baby. I believe you saved both our lives.” There was a soft glow in her eyes. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Dear Reader,

Well, the wait is over—New York Times bestselling author Diana Palmer is back, and Special Edition has got her! In Carrera’s Bride, another in Ms. Palmer’s enormously popular LONG, TALL TEXANS miniseries, an innocent Jacobsville girl on a tropical getaway finds herself in need of protection—and gets it from an infamous casino owner who is not all that he appears! I think you’ll find this one was well worth the wait….

We’re drawing near the end of our in-series continuity THE PARKS EMPIRE. This month’s entry is The Marriage Act by Elissa Ambrose, in which a shy secretary learns that her one night of sleeping with the enemy has led to unexpected consequences. Next up is The Sheik & the Princess Bride by Susan Mallery, in which a woman hired to teach a prince how to fly finds herself his student, as well, as he gives her lessons…in love! In A Baby on the Ranch, part of Stella Bagwell’s popular MEN OF THE WEST miniseries, a single mother-to-be finds her long-lost family—and, just possibly, the love of her life. And a single man in the market for household help finds himself about to take on the role of husband—and father of four—in Penny Richards’s Wanted: One Father. Oh, and speaking of single parents—a lonely widow with a troubled adolescent son finds the solution to both her problems in her late husband’s law-enforcement partner, in The Way to a Woman’s Heart by Carol Voss.

So enjoy, and come back next month for six wonderful selections from Silhouette Special Edition.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gail Chasan

Senior Editor

A Baby on the Ranch
Stella Bagwell

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To Marie Ferrarella and Crystal Green,

the two best buddies a writer could have.

Love ya!

STELLA BAGWELL

sold her first book to Silhouette in November 1985. More than fifty novels later, she still loves her job and says she isn’t completely content unless she’s writing. Recently, she and her husband of thirty years moved from the hills of Oklahoma to Seadrift, Texas, a sleepy little fishing town located on the coastal bend. Stella says the water, the tropical climate and the seabirds make it a lovely place to let her imagination soar and to put the stories in her head down on paper.

She and her husband have one son, Jason, who lives and teaches high school math in nearby Port Lavaca.

My dearest Mary Katherine,

I’m not sure if you will ever see this letter or if I’ll even be around to give it to you once you’re old enough to read my words and understand what I’m trying to tell you. Although you aren’t here with me on the T Bar K, I want you to know that you are my daughter. Your father was a man I loved very much and who loved me in return. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant for us to be together as a man and wife.

To keep our relationship a secret, my generous sister, Celia, has taken you in as her own daughter. But someday I want you to know the truth of your birth and to know your brothers and sister. Leaving you with Celia has left a hole in my soul, and until we can be together, my heart aches to hold you in my arms and kiss your sweet cheek.

Your mother,

Amelia Ketchum

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Epilogue

Chapter One

He’d been searching for the woman for three months. To a dedicated lawman like Lonnie Corteen, that wasn’t a long time, but in this case, he wasn’t working in the capacity of sheriff of Deaf Smith County, Texas. He was working for a friend. And that fact had made it impossible to turn back from this trail he’d been following.

Drawing in a deep, bracing breath, he lifted a black cowboy hat from his head and ran a big hand through dark-auburn hair. There wasn’t any use in putting it off any longer, he argued with himself. He needed to get this job done and over with. It had interrupted his life, and his work, for too long. Not to mention his peace of mind.

Climbing the steps to the modest, second-floor apartment, he walked down the covered landing until he found a door with the number 36. There was no door-bell to push, so he gave the door a quick rap with his knuckles. As he waited for a response, he glanced over his left shoulder to the stark parking lot below.

Fort Worth was cold. A strong wind from the north was picking up, making him and the few pedestrians on the streets hunch down in their coats. He’d be glad to get this all over with and get back to Hereford, he thought. Not that it was any warmer there. But West Texas weather in late fall could be extreme. He didn’t want to get stranded in this city while a blue norther iced it over. But the uncomfortable weather was only part of the reason why he was eager to get back home. His chief deputy was taking care of things there, but Lonnie wasn’t one to leave the security of his county in someone else’s hands for any longer than necessary. And this mission he was on here in Fort Worth didn’t sit well in his craw. Not at all.

The sound of the rattling doorknob caused him to pull his head back around. He watched as the door opened as far as the security chain would allow and a feminine eye peeped out at him.

“Yes?”

There was a wary note in her one-word question, and since Lonnie wasn’t dressed in a uniform or wearing a badge, he pulled out his identification and held it close enough to the opening for her to examine.

“I’m Lonnie Corteen, ma’am. I’m the sheriff of Deaf Smith County, Texas.”

Several long moments passed before she finally reached up and pulled back the security chain. When she did, Lonnie found himself looking at a woman in her midtwenties, dressed in a red sweater and a pair of black jeans. Her feet were bare, and her toenails were painted the same bright red as her sweater. But none of those things really caught his complete attention. It was the rounded mound of her midsection that whammed him with surprise.

The woman was pregnant! He’d not counted on this development. Not by a long shot. From all the information he’d gathered, he’d believed she was a single woman, living alone.

“Hello,” she said. “Is there something I can do for you?”

Her voice was low, husky and guarded. The last part didn’t surprise him. Most people didn’t react joyfully when a lawman showed up at their door.

“I’m not sure,” Lonnie said and flashed her a brief, reassuring smile. “Are you Miss Mary Katherine McBride?”

She silently nodded and Lonnie could only think how much she looked like Victoria Ketchum. This woman had the same long, dark wavy hair, the same green eyes and elegantly shaped features as his friend back in Aztec.

“That’s good. That’s real good.” Shifting his weight from one boot to the other, he pulled off his hat and held it against his broad chest. “Uh, if I could come in for a few minutes, I need to talk to you.”

Shock shot her brows straight up to form slender black arcs above her eyes. Her hand fluttered near her breasts. “Me? You want to talk to me?”

It wasn’t good for a pregnant woman to receive a shock, Lonnie suddenly realized. But what the heck was he supposed to do now? He was already here at the door. He couldn’t just say oops, he’d made a mistake and leave her hanging with all kinds of questions and worries.

“Yes. If you have a moment.”

A moment! Hell, Lonnie, what you need to relay to this woman can’t be done in a few minutes. You’ve got to do this gently, kindly. The girl deserved that much.

Confusion clouded her eyes and furrowed her forehead. As Lonnie studied her perplexed expression, he couldn’t help but notice her skin was milky-white and as smooth as the petal of a rose. Not that he went around noticing such things about women. He rarely allowed himself a second look at the opposite sex. But something about this one was causing him to stare.

“I…I suppose I do,” she said haltingly. “But—”

Sensing her reluctance, he added, “I’ll try to make it as short as possible, Miss McBride.”

She pressed several fingertips to her brow. “But I don’t understand. Has something happened to someone I know?”

He smiled briefly. “Now, that would be hard to say, seeing as I don’t know your acquaintances, ma’am. But I can tell you that this visit is…personal.”

“Personal?” she repeated, as though she’d never heard the word before.

Lonnie couldn’t blame her for being confused or suspicious. But frankly, he didn’t know how to put her at ease without jumping into this thing with both feet.

“That’s right.” He motioned past her shoulder to the interior of the apartment. “It’s as cold as heck standing here on this concrete. May I come in and tell you about it?”

Her eyes traveled up and down the length of him, and Lonnie felt himself blushing under her direct scrutiny. He’d had women look at him up close before. After all, he was thirty years old and he wasn’t exactly homely. But there was something about the way this woman was looking that gave him a mighty uncomfortable urge to squirm in his boots. Especially when he had the strongest urge to keep looking back.

“I suppose,” she said in a voice that clearly conveyed she wasn’t happy about any of this.

“Thank you, Miss McBride. I’ll try not to take up too much of your time.”

She stepped to one side and gestured for him to enter the apartment. He moved past her and into a small living room/dining area. A teakettle was whistling shrilly from the direction of the kitchen, and in one corner of the living room a small television was tuned to a twenty-four-hour news channel. Two cats, a yellow tabby and a solid black were curled up together on one end of the couch. The animals seemed not to notice Lonnie’s presence, but then maybe they were used to men coming and going in Mary Katherine’s apartment.

The idea was an awful one, and Lonnie quickly dismissed it. Even though her midsection was mounded with child, she didn’t look the promiscuous sort, and thinking of her in that way bothered him. Apparently she’d been close to some man, though. But that wasn’t any of Lonnie’s business. None of his business at all.

“I was just about to make some instant coffee, Mr. Corteen. Would you like a cup?”

She tossed the offer to him as she hurried past him and toward the kitchen. He followed slowly as he tried to think of a sensible way to say what he had to say and get out. But there wasn’t anything sensible about any of it, and now that he’d discovered she was pregnant that complicated things even more.

Standing at the edge of the tiny kitchen, he watched as she pulled the teakettle from the gas flame and poured it into a nearby cup. He hated instant coffee with a passion. He liked his boiled, the old-fashioned way, so he could taste the grit of the grounds and feel the kick of the caffeine.

“Sounds nice,” he lied. “This weather chills me to the bone.”

The tiny room was equipped with a full-size cook stove and refrigerator, but the counter space was small and most of that was scattered with dirty dishes, Lonnie noticed. Apparently, Miss McBride wasn’t keen on housework or she was short on time.

“We haven’t had much cold weather yet this fall, but I hear we’re supposed to have snow in a day or two.” She pulled down another cup from the cabinet in front of her and filled it with hot water and a hefty spoonful of instant decaffeinated coffee. “Where do you live? Did you say Deaf Smith County?”

He said, “Yeah. Hereford. As I understand it, you used to live in that area, at Canyon.”

She turned away from the cabinet counter and looked at him with surprise. “How did you know?”

“I’ve been trying to find you for three months. I tracked you all the way from Hereford to here.”

Clearly disturbed by this announcement, she turned back to the counter and reached for a paper towel. Lonnie noticed she fumbled the piece of paper several times as she sopped up the puddles of water that she’d spilled.

“Well, perhaps we should take our coffee to the living room,” she suggested. “It will be more comfortable to talk there.”

He nodded in agreement, and she gestured for him to help himself to one of the cups.

“I have sugar or cream if you want,” she offered.

Lonnie picked up the cup closest to him. “No, thanks. I like it plain. It’s better that way.”

She didn’t make any sort of reply, and he followed her back into the living room area. As he walked a few steps behind her, she said, “Please, have a seat, Mr. Corteen.”

Standing in the middle of the room, Lonnie looked at the couch and the cats. The cats looked back at him. After a moment’s indecision, he headed in the direction of a small armchair filled with what looked to him to be a stack of textbooks.

Seeing his intention, Mary Katherine hurriedly stepped in front of him. “Here, let me get those out of your way,” she said as she gathered up the books in her arms. “I’m sorry about the mess. I’ve just gotten off work and haven’t had time to do much cleaning.”

“There’s no need to apologize, Miss McBride. I didn’t exactly warn you that I was coming.” He’d thought about calling first, but had quickly dismissed the idea. He hadn’t wanted to give her the chance to put him off.

While she stacked the textbooks on a nearby end table, Lonnie eased down in the armchair. As he tried to make himself comfortable, she went over to the couch and took a seat next to the cats. The yellow tabby immediately got to his feet, stretched, then climbed onto Mary Katherine’s lap.

“Okay, Mr. Corteen, now that we’re both sitting, please tell me what this is all about. I can’t imagine how you tracked me all the way from Canyon. I haven’t lived there in a long time. And it’s been even longer since I lived in Hereford.”

“Yes. I know.” He propped his ankle on one knee and hung his hat on the toe of his boot. “You moved from Canyon about seven years ago to here in Fort Worth.”

She looked at him and he could see the wheels in her head spinning at a high rate of speed.

“Why were you trying to find me? Why are you here?” she asked bluntly.

He let out a heavy breath and decided there wasn’t any more time for hemming and hawing. “I have some news for you.”

She continued to look at him, her eyes wide and waiting.

Lonnie tried again. “Did you ever know your father, Miss McBride?”

Her slender fingers settled on the cat’s head and gently stroked him between the ears. “First of all, no one calls me Miss McBride. It’s Katherine. And secondly, what does my father have to do with this?”

“Would you please just answer my question? It’s important.”

She shrugged, and from the dry twist to her lips, she didn’t seem to think it important at all. “No. I don’t know anything about my father. Except that he was a drifter. He was in my mother’s life for a little while and then he was gone.”

“What was his name?”

“Ben.”

“Ben what?”

Once again her shoulders lifted and fell. “I don’t know. Ben was all she ever told me. She didn’t want me to know his name—that way I wouldn’t think about it and wish that it were mine.” Her lips twisted mockingly. “Not that I ever would wish such a thing.”

“So you never knew your father?”

Shaking her head she said, “No. He left long before I was ever born and that was that. Mom never heard from him again.” Her features wrinkled in wry contemplation. “Actually, I don’t think she wanted to hear from him again. She never said much about their relationship, so I always assumed they’d parted on bad terms.”

Heaven help him, Lonnie prayed. How was he going to tell this woman that everything she’d ever thought about herself and her parents was all a facade?

Katherine shook her hair, and the long strands fell on her shoulder and down over one pert breast. Lonnie had never thought of a pregnant woman as being sexy, but Katherine McBride had an earthy quality about her that stirred every masculine particle inside of him. The notion embarrassed him and he tried to look at the walls, the floor, anywhere but at her.

“What’s this all about, Sheriff?” she asked. “Have you found my father? Is he trying to find me or something?”

“Call me Lonnie,” he suggested. “And as for your father—no, I didn’t find him. But—” He swallowed and curbed the urge to sigh. “Tell me, Katherine, did you ever know a man called Noah Rider?”

Recognition flashed in her eyes and she smiled. It was the first smile he’d seen on her face since he’d knocked on her door, and the sight made him feel a hundred times worse.

“Yes. Noah was a friend of my mom’s. He’d stop by and visit us from time to time. Especially when I was little. I haven’t seen him in a long time, though.”

Lonnie had been a lawman since he was twenty years old, and during those ten years, he’d been the bearer of bad news on more than one occasion. It was never an easy job, but there was something about Katherine’s tender face that made all the right words stick in his throat like wads of dry bread.

“Well, I’m afraid I have bad news, Katherine. I don’t know any other way to tell you but…Noah Rider was murdered several months ago—almost a year, actually.”

“Murdered!” She stared at him, totally stunned. “But how? Why would someone have murdered him?”

The cat in her lap must have sensed that she was agitated. He slunk off her legs and jumped to the floor.

“That’s what I need to explain,” Lonnie told her. “And the whole thing is complicated.”

Frowning, she made a faint gesture toward the kitchen. “Maybe I’d better go find a cracker or something. My stomach is a little queasy.”

“Yeah. Maybe you’d better,” Lonnie said quickly, while thinking he’d already made the woman sick. Damn Seth Ketchum! The Texas Ranger should be here doing this himself. It would’ve made much more sense for him to deal with Katherine McBride. After all, Seth and his family were the ones who’d been trying to find her. Lonnie had only volunteered to do the tracking out of gratitude for an old friend. But somehow Seth had cajoled Lonnie into being the messenger, too.

Katherine started to push herself to her feet and, seeing her struggle, Lonnie immediately jumped up and reached for her hand. “Let me help you,” he offered.

Something flickered in her eyes, and Lonnie got the feeling she wasn’t accustomed to a man offering her any sort of help, even something as simple as assisting her to her feet. Damn it, where was the father of her baby? He desperately wanted to ask her, but there was already so much to say to her and he didn’t have the time or the right to dig into the romantic side of her life.

Not that Lonnie had any personal interest, he assured himself. No, he’d tried a walk down lover’s lane years ago and that one attempt had scalded him with pain and humiliation. Since then, romance had been something Lonnie Corteen carefully steered clear of. But it would be comforting to know that Katherine and the baby were going to have support from someone.

“Thank you,” she murmured and placed her soft, slender hand in his big palm.

He tugged her gently to her feet and smiled to himself as he watched a tinge of pink fill her cheeks.

“When is your baby due?” he asked.

“In three weeks. And let me tell you, he’s really beginning to feel heavy.” She pulled her hand from his and carefully put a small space between them.

“He? You already know it’s a boy?”

She unconsciously placed a hand over her rounded stomach. “Not exactly. The ultrasound was inconclusive. But I call him a boy anyway. I just have that feeling, you know.”

He absently stroked his chin as he continued to study her. “Uh, what about the father? What does he think?”

Damn it all, thought Lonnie, there he went again. He wasn’t going to get into this. Her personal life had nothing to do with him. The only thing he needed to be thinking about was getting the message delivered and getting back on the road to Hereford.

With a tight grimace on her face, she turned and headed for the kitchen. “I’ll go get that cracker,” she said flatly.

Thoughtfully, Lonnie followed and leaned a shoulder against the doorjamb of the opening leading into the small work space. “Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to get so personal.”

She didn’t respond to his apology immediately and Lonnie wondered how he could continue with this task if she was angry with him. Suddenly one of her shoulders lifted and fell, and she said, “It doesn’t matter. It’s no secret that the baby’s father skipped out on me.”

“Skipped out?”

Her lips flattened to a grim line as she glanced over her shoulder at him. “Yeah. He ran from the responsibility like a scalded cat. But I’m glad now. He would have made a sorry husband and father. Obviously.”

She was alone. Her declaration should have made him sad, even mad. Yet all he could feel rushing through his body was unexplainable relief. The emotion took him by complete surprise, and he tried to push the crazy feeling aside as he asked, “Is that what you thought was going to happen? That the guy was going to marry you?”

Looking away from him, she opened the cabinet and pulled down a box of vanilla wafers and a package of Oreo cookies. “Don’t all of us girls?” she asked wearily. “I made a bad judgment call. But I’ll not make the same mistake again.”

Lonnie noticed she didn’t sound bitter, more like resolute. And maybe that was a good thing. It was bad enough that this beautiful woman had already been taken advantage of one time. Twice would be obscene.

He didn’t make any sort of reply. Mainly because she didn’t seem to want or expect one, so he simply watched her fill a paper plate with the cookies.

“Would you care for some?” she asked.

Lonnie started to decline but decided it would be friendlier to accept her offer. And anyway, he hadn’t had a bite of dessert after the hastily gobbled burger he’d had for supper.

“Sure. I’m a sucker for sweets. Especially two-crust pies. You ever make those, Miss Katherine?”

She fetched another paper plate from the cabinet and placed it next to the cookies. “Sometimes. Whenever I have the time and a reason.” She gestured to the plate. “I’ll let you help yourself,” she added.

He started toward the cabinet, and she backed up and out of his way. Lonnie was a big, gangly man with long arms and legs and feet to match. He wondered if his size intimidated her or if she was put off by the idea that he was a lawman. Or maybe it was merely the fact that he was a man that made her keep a wary eye on him. In any case, he didn’t like the idea of her being skittish around him. He wanted her to trust him. In every way.

Lonnie tossed several of the Oreo cookies onto the plate, then added a few of the vanilla wafers for good measure. Behind him Katherine said, “A sheriff doesn’t come to a person’s house just to let him know someone has died. He has deputies for that kind of thing. What are you really doing here?”

Her quickness shouldn’t surprise him. She was half Ketchum, he reminded himself, and they were a damn smart bunch. This woman was no more gullible than her siblings.

“Let’s go sit down and I’ll tell you,” he said soberly.

For long moments her green eyes studied his somber face, and then finally she nodded and quickly swished past him.

Back in the living room they both took up the same seats they’d had earlier. After Lonnie had resettled himself, he took a long drink of the coffee and looked across the room at her. She wasn’t what most people would describe as petite, yet to Lonnie she seemed small and vulnerable and he wished he could simply rise to his feet and say his goodbyes. He wanted to tell Seth to leave this girl alone. She’d already had enough upheaval in her life. But she deserved to know the truth about her parentage, he argued with himself. She deserved to have a family.

“You remember that a few minutes ago I asked you about your father? Well, I had a reason for that,” he said. “I wanted to know just what your…what Celia had told you about him.”

A puzzled frown puckered her forehead. “I don’t understand. I’ve already told you what little I know about my father.”

He let out a long breath and leaned forward in his chair. “I realize that. But I just don’t know how else to get into this, except—” He stopped, shook his head and wiped a hand over his wavy hair. “Let me start again, Katherine, and hopefully I can make some sense to you. I have a friend who’s a Texas Ranger. He contacted me three months ago and asked me for help in finding you.”

He watched her go very still.

“A Texas Ranger?” she asked.

Her voice was quiet and quavery, and everything inside of Lonnie wanted to go to her and hold her hand tightly between his. He wanted to assure her that she was never going to be alone again. But he was a sheriff and he’d never met this woman before. He couldn’t let himself behave in a familiar way with her. It wouldn’t be professional. But then, the strange feelings he got whenever he looked at her weren’t exactly professional, either. They were a little unsettling.

“Yes. His name is Seth Ketchum. He lives in San Antonio. The rest of his family lives in New Mexico. Does the name mean anything to you?”

Lonnie watched her mull the name over in her mind.

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “It sounds familiar. But Mom never said much about her family or friends. I accused her once of not having any, and she got so angry I never asked her anything else about them.”

“So she never mentioned her family? Or a woman named Amelia?”

Frowning, Katherine struggled to remember. “Except for a few cousins out in Arizona, she said her family was gone. As for a woman named Amelia, I remember she used to correspond with someone of that name. She told me that this woman was an old school friend. But, as well as I can remember, I never met her.”

“Well, Katherine, I don’t know how else to tell you but…there’s been evidence uncovered that leads me, and the Ketchum family, to believe that Celia wasn’t actually your mother.”

She gripped the coffee cup and scooted to the edge of her chair. “Whh…at?” she stuttered.

“It’s true,” he said starkly. “Celia McBride wasn’t your mother. She was actually your aunt.”

One slender hand fluttered up to her cheek where the blood was quickly draining away to leave her skin a pasty-white color. Lonnie was so alarmed by her reaction that he left his chair and hurried over to the couch.

Quickly reaching for the cup in her hand, he commanded, “Here. Let me take that before you drop it.” After placing the coffee on the floor, out of the way, he squatted on his heels and reached for her hand. “Are you okay? You’re not going to faint, are you?”

Katherine closed her eyes and breathed deeply. It was hard for her to tell what was more unsettling—what he’d just told her about her mother, or the fact that he was holding her hand in a very intimate way.

“I…I’m all right,” she insisted. “I just—this is all too unbelievable. You’re going to have to show me some proof. Good proof.” She opened her eyes and looked at him. “I simply can’t take your word about this.”

“I understand that,” he said softly. “And I understand this has given you a shock.”

She stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. “A shock! That’s putting it mildly. You’re talking about my mother!”

He patted the back of her hand while thinking none of this could be good for the baby. Dear God, Lonnie prayed desperately, if he didn’t get her calmed down, it might even send her into labor!

“I can see why this whole thing sounds like a wild, made-up story to you. And I don’t blame you for not believing it. But I do have a bit of proof. Seth sent a letter with me. One that your real mother received from Celia. Would you recognize your au—well, Celia’s handwriting?”

His announcement appeared to frighten her, and she drew back in her chair and stared at him with wide, dark eyes. “A letter?”

Lonnie nodded and reached to the back pocket on his jeans. “Yes. I have it right here—”

Grabbing his forearm, she blurted, “No! I don’t want to read a letter now!”

He looked at her with confusion, and she blushed profusely and said, “I mean—maybe I need to hear more about this whole thing from you first. Maybe then the letter will make more sense.” She paused and the corners of her mouth turned downward in a skeptical frown. “But I doubt it,” she added.

“All right.” He squeezed her hand and peered anxiously at her white face. Her features were pinched, and Lonnie was shocked to find himself wanting to smooth his hand across her brow. He liked women. And he could list a long string of females who were his friends. But once he’d had his heart broken he’d come to the firm resolution that a friend was all he would ever be to the opposite sex. So why was he suddenly feeling so possessive of this one? Just because she was soft and pretty and about to have a baby didn’t make her any different. “If you’re sure you’re okay.”

She let out a heavy breath, and then all of a sudden she seemed to realize she was still holding on to his forearm. Slowly she pulled her hand away from him and settled it on her short lap.

“I’m all right,” she said quietly. “Please go ahead.”

Lonnie probably should have put some space between them and gone back to his chair. But she looked so fragile, and being close to her made him feel a little more assured. Which was a sure sign he wasn’t behaving like himself. Normally he went out of his way to make sure he kept a respectable distance from women.

“I think I should start way back at the beginning,” Lonnie said. “I don’t know how else to explain things.”

She nodded and he went on, “You see, Katherine, it’s all about the Ketchum family. They own a huge ranch in northern New Mexico close to Aztec. It spreads over more than a hundred thousand acres and they raise cattle and horses. Mostly to sell for breeding prospects.”

“Do you know these people? Personally?” she asked.

Lonnie nodded. “Seth, he’s the Ranger, he helped me get elected to the sheriff’s position I hold now. And I have visited with his siblings. They’re fine, quality people.”

“It sounds like they’re rich,” she murmured as though that was equivalent to having royal blood.

Lonnie shrugged. “Oh, they’re not what you’d call stinking rich. But they’re well off. They don’t have to scrape around to pay their bills if that’s what you mean.”

“I wouldn’t know any of those sort of people,” she said wryly.

Well, the Ketchums were the only rich people Lonnie rubbed elbows with, but he kept that information to himself.

“The ranch—it’s called the T Bar K—was started by Tucker Ketchum and his brother, Rueben. Tucker was married to a woman named Amelia and her maiden name was McBride. They’ve both been dead for several years now.”

Katherine’s eyes swept back and forth across his face and he could see that her mind was whirling like a Texas tornado.

“You mean—this Amelia—she was the woman my mother wrote to? And her name was McBride, too?”

Lonnie slowly nodded. “That’s right. She was a McBride before she married Tucker. She and Celia were sisters.”

Clearly disturbed now, Katherine began to shake her head in disbelief. “But…but my mother never said anything about a sister or her being kin to some rich people in New Mexico. Why wouldn’t she have said something? Those people would be my relatives!”

Once again he felt the unaccustomed need to touch her and reassure her, and this time he didn’t resist the urge to reach for her hand. He pressed her soft skin between his fingers and watched her expression turn to total bewilderment.

“They’re more than just relatives, Katherine,” he said gently. “Seth, Ross and Victoria—they’re your brothers and sister. Amelia was your real mother. Celia only raised you for her.”

“No! No! That can’t be!”

Jerking her hand from his, she shoved herself to her feet and ran across the room to where a window displayed the dusky skyline of Fort Worth. Lonnie hurried after her, and as he took her by the back of the shoulders, he realized she was crying. Not on the outside where he could see her tears, but on the inside where emotional pain was causing her whole body to shake. The notion of her anguish cut him deeply. Because he understood exactly how she was feeling. In his younger years he’d done a lot of crying on the inside, too. Maybe that was why Seth had thought Lonnie would be perfect for this job. He’d probably figured a man without a family could empathize with a woman who believed she was entirely alone in the world.

“It’s true, Katherine,” he said gently as he stared down at the shiny crown of her dark hair. “Amelia Ketchum was your mother.”

For long moments she didn’t say anything, and then slowly she turned and tilted her face up to his. “If that’s true,” she said accusingly, “then why wasn’t I raised with my brothers and sister? Why was I sent to Texas?”

Lonnie glanced away from her, drew in a bracing breath and tightened his hold on her shoulders. “Because you—” He forced his eyes to return to hers. “Because Amelia had been having an affair and she didn’t want her family to know about her pregnancy.”

Katherine’s hands instinctively pressed against the mound of baby she was carrying, and Lonnie could see from the torn look on her face that she couldn’t imagine any circumstances that would make her separate herself from her child.

“All right,” she said, then swallowed convulsively. “If that’s the case, then who is my father?”

“I hate to have to tell you this, Katherine. But your father was Noah Rider.”

If possible, she went even whiter, and her lips began to move but no sound was coming out.

“No-No-ah?” she finally whispered.

Lonnie started to nod, but he didn’t have time. Before he could respond, she wilted like a sunflower, and he caught her just as she fell against his chest.

Chapter Two

“Whoa! Whoa, now, Miss Katherine! Don’t you faint on me!”

With his hands gripping her upper arms, Lonnie attempted to steady her. To his relief, she stayed upright, but her neck couldn’t seem to hold her head straight, and her gaze was blank.

Cursing under his breath, Lonnie quickly scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to the couch. As he eased her down on an end cushion and propped a pile of throw pillows against her back, she began to protest.

“You can let go of me now. I’m…okay,” she said stammered weakly. “I just had a woozy moment. It’s passed now.”

Reluctant to loosen his hold on her, Lonnie kept his fingers tightly fastened around her arm as he sat down on the cushion next to her. “I think I’d better take you to the emergency room,” he said with concern. “Just to make sure you’re okay.”

She looked at him, and her cheeks flushed pink, a sign that relieved Lonnie. At least her blood was pumping at a regular rate again.

“No! I’m fine, really. My head swam for only a few seconds. And that’s not unusual for a pregnant woman. Believe me, if I feel the least bit woozy in the morning, I’ll head to my obstetrician.”

The Deaf Smith County sheriff looked at her with faint skepticism. “I don’t know much about pregnant women. But you’ve had a shock and—”

“I’m tough,” she quickly interjected. “Besides, now that I’ve had a few moments to collect myself, I’m beginning to think about all you’ve said. And I might as well tell you—I’m not at all convinced that I should take any of your story at face value. As far as I’m concerned, a letter doesn’t prove anything. Anyone could have written it.”

She straightened her slumped shoulders and reached up to push several strands of disheveled hair from her face. The movement caused the grip of his fingers on her arm to loosen, and Katherine likened the feeling to a piece of hot iron being pulled away from her skin. She’d been around men before. Even rugged, outdoor types like Sheriff Lonnie Corteen. Yet she couldn’t remember one, including the father of her baby, whom she’d reacted to as violently as she had this man. It didn’t make sense. He wasn’t what she’d call handsome. He was tall and rawboned and his features were more rough than smooth. Hooded blue eyes set over a big nose. Hollow creases bracketed a wide, roughly hewn set of lips. The angle of his jaw and the jut of his chin were strong, even a little arrogant. Everything about him was potently masculine, and it embarrassed her to be reacting to him in such a downright sexual way.

“No,” he said slowly. “A letter doesn’t necessarily prove anything. After all, it could have been forged. But for what reason? What would anyone gain out of making up a story like this?”

Katherine couldn’t think of one thing anyone might gain, and that unsettled her even more. Saying Celia wasn’t her mother was like saying the sun didn’t rise in the east. “I would know my mother’s handwriting,” she quickly informed him.

He looked at her regretfully. “Don’t you mean your aunt’s handwriting?”

Her nostrils flared as she took in the meaning of his question. “Celia McBride was my mother. She’s the only mother I’ve ever known. And I…I think it’s despicable that you’ve come into my home and questioned the veracity of my family.”

“I’m not questioning anything, Miss Katherine. This is the story Seth Ketchum gave to me. And Seth doesn’t lie. He’s a Texas Ranger.”

And that was close to being godly, Katherine thought as her stomach tilted wildly. Honor and truth were a motto the Rangers lived by. But that didn’t mean this Seth person was automatically right. He could have gotten his information confused. It was some other woman, not her, that had been born to Amelia Ketchum all those years ago!

“I’m not saying that your friend is lying about any of this. I’m just thinking that he could have received misinformation.”

The sheriff reached for her hand and she allowed his big fingers to wrap around hers. The size of his hand and the rough skin of his palm reminded Katherine that he was a big, tough lawman. Yet she felt a unique tenderness in his touch as his fingers gently squeezed hers.

Shaken by that contradiction, she glanced away from him and swallowed.

Lonnie said softly, “I understand this is a whole heap of information for you to take in at once, Katherine. And if I were in your shoes, I’d probably be protesting a lot louder than you are. I’m not asking you just to take my word for the truth. I realize you need facts. And so do the Ketchums. That’s why they asked me to find you. If you’re really their half sister, they want to know it. Don’t you?”

She slanted a woeful glance at him as fear of the unknown crept over her like a night shadow. “I don’t know. I pretty much like things the way they are.”

Sighing, he pushed a hand through his hair. Katherine couldn’t help but notice it was thick and slightly wavy, the color somewhere between russet and chestnut. For a person with red highlights in his hair, he had darkly tanned skin. From hours spent in the Texas sun, she supposed. That could only mean he did much more than sit in a sheriff’s office behind a wide desk and bark orders to his deputy.

Why are you even noticing these things, Katherine? It isn’t like you to be thinking about a man in this way. Stop it! Before it gets you in trouble.

The little voice in her head made her want to laugh with self-mockery. What was she thinking? A man had already gotten her into trouble. She was facing the future of raising a child alone. But she was bound and determined to do it and do it well. Just as her mother had raised Katherine all on her own.

“But you might like things better with a family,” he reasoned.

The suggestion caused a fissure of pain to creep slowly between her breasts. Of course she would like a family. Since she was old enough to remember, she’d longed for siblings. But Celia had always told Katherine that a family had to have a daddy to have babies and they hadn’t had a daddy in their little family. As a child, that reason had been enough for Katherine to quit asking her mother to give her a sibling. But later, when she’d grown up, she’d often wondered why her mother had never married and given them a true family. Was it because Celia hadn’t really been her mother? No! That couldn’t be. The woman simply hadn’t trusted men. Ben had hurt her and she’d never wanted to be hurt again. Katherine certainly couldn’t blame her mother for being gun-shy about marriage. Especially now that Walt had deserted her like a pile of oily rags.

“Maybe,” she said to Lonnie. “But being part of a family isn’t—it’s not just something you can learn how to do! And besides, these people don’t know me. And once they did, they might not want me in their family. I don’t want to go through that sort of rejection. Not for any reason.”

His brows lifted slightly as he studied her face. “Does this mean—are you actually beginning to believe that Amelia Ketchum and Noah Rider are your true parents?”

Was she? No! It was going to take more than a sheriff and a letter to persuade her.

Her mouth set in a grim line, she looked at him. “I’m sorry, but no.”

“I’m sorry, too,” he murmured as his eyes flicked regretfully over her face. “Because I think you’re turning away from a wonderful, loving family.”

Her gaze fell to his big brown fingers wrapped around her pale hand. To have such a man as Lonnie Corteen sitting here holding her hand and talking about family was unbearably sweet. So much so that she knew she had to pull away from him. She had to quickly put an end to this whole disturbing episode. Not only the story of the Ketchums, but also her time with this man.

Pulling her hand from his, she slowly pushed herself to her feet. “I understand you’re only the messenger and you’re trying to help. But I’m really not up to this. In fact, I’m very, very tired. I’m going to have a bite to eat and lie down.”

She was asking him to leave and Lonnie certainly couldn’t argue. But it bothered him that nothing was settled. It also bothered him to say goodbye to the woman. He felt an unexplainable need to hang around and protect her. From what, he didn’t know. Hell, it looked as though he was the only one giving her a problem.

“Yeah. Maybe you should,” he agreed. Rising to his feet, he collected his hat from a spot on the floor near the armchair. As he settled it down on his forehead he looked to see she was about to rise to her feet. Swiftly, he waved her back down. “No need for you to get up, Katherine. I’ll see myself out. But there is something I need to know before I leave.”

Her brows arched with question. “Yes?”

“When can I see you again?”

She sat straight up and stared at him. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t leave town with things as they are. We’ve got to talk about this. You’ve got to decide what you’re going to do so that I can tell the Ketchums.”

Katherine said in dismay, “I can’t tell you something like that now!”

“What about tomorrow?”

She smacked a palm against her forehead. “No! I don’t—I don’t even want to think about it tomorrow or the next day! Just go back to Hereford and tell the Ketchums…tell them I’m Celia McBride’s daughter and that’s all I want to be!”

He was closer to the door than to her, but her words caused him to return to the couch and look down at her. “I can’t do that, Miss Katherine. It wouldn’t be good for them or for you.” He grimaced as he studied her bright cheeks against her pale, pale face. “Do you have a friend you can call? Someone who can come sit with you? You looked pretty peaked, and I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone.”

Squaring her shoulders, she pressed her lips into a straight line of disapproval. “I don’t need anyone. I’m not a weak woman, Mr.— I mean, Sheriff Corteen. Not physically or mentally. I’ll be just fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Lonnie would worry about her, but there wasn’t much he could do about her situation. Especially when she didn’t want his help. Sighing to himself, he walked over to the door. “All right, I’m leaving. But I’m not leaving Fort Worth. Not until we’ve hashed this all out.”

Lonnie stepped out into the cold night and, across the room, Katherine fell back weakly against the pile of throw pillows.

“I’m telling you, Seth, this isn’t going to work,” Lonnie said into the phone the next morning as he sat on the edge of his motel bed and swigged weak coffee from a foam cup. “You or Victoria or Ross will have to come here and try to talk some sense into the woman. She doesn’t believe a thing I say.”

The Texas Ranger on the other end of the phone let out a long sigh. “Look, Lonnie, I’m not a bit surprised the woman doesn’t believe the story you told her. My Lord, it sounds crazy even when I hear it myself. Obviously she’s going to need some time to let all this sink in.”

Lonnie reached for one of the fresh doughnuts he’d collected from the motel lobby. A continental breakfast wasn’t like biscuits and gravy, but it would do until he got home.

“Well, that’s probably true,” Lonnie agreed. “But I sure can’t hang around here while it sinks. I’ve got a county to see after.”

“I understand that, Lonnie. If you have to go home, you have to go home. But I was sure hoping you could persuade her to talk to us. She’s our sister, we’d like for her to be a part of the family.”

Lonnie swallowed a huge bite of the doughnut before he replied. “I tried, Seth. And to tell you the truth, I probably pushed her a little too much. Uh, I haven’t told you this part yet. But the woman is expecting a baby. Real soon,” he added while recalling the sight of her bulging waistline. “And I felt bad about giving her such a shock. But once I was there, I didn’t have much choice.”

“A baby!”

“Yep. In about three weeks, she said.”

“Is she married?” Seth asked.

Lonnie reached for another doughnut as he tried not to think about Katherine being pregnant and alone. “No. Seems like she doesn’t want to be, either. I guess the daddy must have left her bitter about that. Anyway, she appears to be pretty much all by herself. Celia died a couple of years back from kidney failure.”

Seth was silent for a few moments, and Lonnie figured his friend was thinking the same thing he’d been thinking since he’d met Katherine McBride last night. She was obviously going to need help. A woman shouldn’t bear a child and then come home to an empty house.

“That’s not good, Lonnie. Not good at all.”

“Well, I could be wrong. She may have plenty of friends who might see after her. I don’t know. I tried to ask her about that last night, but she’s pretty touchy and more or less put me in my place before I could get anything out of her.”

“Hmm. That’s a surprise. You always were good with women. That’s why I wanted you to meet with Katherine. I thought if anyone could talk to her, you could.”

Lonnie snorted with disbelief. “Me, good with women? Seth, something must have happened to you since you’ve gotten married. I’ve had one…well, one girlfriend in my lifetime, and that was an experience I wish I could forget. Other than helping them cross the street or listening to their civil complaints, I don’t know anything about them.”

Except that they were unpredictable and capable of dealing a man more pain than any bullet from a criminal’s gun, Lonnie thought grimly.

Seth chuckled. “Don’t feel badly, Lonnie. None of the rest of us men know about them, either. But you seem to be able to communicate with them. That’s why you’ve got to go back and try to reason with the woman. She needs to go to the ranch where Victoria can keep an eye on her. And since Victoria is expecting a baby herself, it would make it even better if the two women could be close.”

Seth’s sister, Victoria Ketchum Hastings, was a medical doctor with a busy practice in Aztec. She was also married to the under sheriff of San Juan County, New Mexico, and the two were expecting their second child in January.

“I’m sure Katherine has her own obstetrician. At this late stage of things she probably wouldn’t want to leave Fort Worth and change to a different doctor.”

“Hmm. See, that’s why you’re good with women. You think about those little things. I just think about the big picture. Thank God, Corrina understands me. But that still doesn’t change the fact that my half sister needs help.”

Lonnie swallowed down the last bite of his doughnut before he said, “Well, Seth, I can’t tell you how to give her any help. The last thing she said to me was to tell you Ketchums that she’s Celia McBride’s daughter and that’s all she wants to be. I don’t think she would welcome any of you into her life. Not now, at least. She needs to simmer on all of this for a while.”

“Yeah. But her being pregnant changes things, Lonnie. We don’t have time to let her simmer. We need to help her.”

Lonnie frowned. “Seth, I don’t understand why you feel beholden to help this woman. You’ve never met her. You don’t know what kind of person she is,” he pointed out. “She might not be worthy of all this help you want to give her.”

“Is that the impression you got from her?” Seth countered.

Heat suffused Lonnie’s face. It wouldn’t do for Seth to know all the intimate impressions he’d had of beautiful Katherine McBride.

“No,” Lonnie agreed with a sigh. “She seems like a nice girl. And it’s pretty obvious that she could use a helping hand. But it just surprises me that you and your family have gone to such lengths to find her.”

“She’s a Ketchum, Lonnie,” Seth explained. “Well, technically, she’s not, but she has our mother’s blood, and that makes her family. Plus, Noah was her father. And we all loved Noah. Maybe we wouldn’t have if we’d known he was carrying on a love affair with our mother while he was the T Bar K foreman. But we didn’t know it. And anyway, I guess all of us children have agreed that Mom had good reason to look elsewhere for love. God knows, she sure didn’t get much from Dad.”

He paused, and Lonnie could hear the squeak of a desk chair and then the clunk of Seth’s boots against the floor. Apparently his friend was pacing now and that was enough to tell Lonnie how important this whole thing was to the Ketchum family.

“Lonnie, I know you’re probably thinking I should let sleeping dogs lie, but I believe Mom would be happy, real happy if she knew we were reaching out to Katherine and attempting to make her a part of the Ketchum clan. That’s why I want you to go back there and try one more time. Tell her there’s a home waiting for her at the T Bar K. Ross and Bella would welcome her with open arms. We all would.”

Lonnie grimaced as he swallowed the last of his coffee. “Hell, Seth, she won’t go to your family ranch in New Mexico. The T Bar K is more than seven hundred miles from here. I doubt I could even talk her into going as far as my ranch in Hereford to meet with you, and that’s only half that much distance.”

There was a long pause before Seth’s voice came back in his ear. “That’s it, Lonnie! Persuade her to go to your ranch. She can think things over there while you keep a watch on her. Once she decides she’s ready to see us, I’ll drive up there to meet with her and take her on to the T Bar K.”

Lonnie bolted off the bed. He didn’t want a woman in his house. Especially a beautiful, pregnant woman! “That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard!”

“No. It isn’t. Getting her away from Fort Worth is the first big step. Once she’s away from her regular routine, she’ll begin to think about all this and hopefully—with a little help from you—she’ll begin to see the positive side of having a family.”

Lonnie groaned loudly. “Hell, Seth, you expect me to talk to her about family? That’s even crazier. I’ve never had a family. Not a regular one.”

Lonnie’s father had been killed in a bar room scuffle down in Agua Prieta when he’d been working in the mines at Douglas, Arizona. Lonnie had only been a small boy of five at the time, but he’d not forgotten his father, a big man who’d come home in the evenings with red dust covering his hair, face and clothes. Gilbert Corteen had been a happy man, who’d often carried Lonnie around on his shoulders and kissed his wife with the exuberance of a man in love.

After his death, Lonnie’s mother, Rhoda, had moved Lonnie to Carrizozo, New Mexico, to be close to her aunt. Once there, Rhoda had tried to get over the death of her beloved husband. But not long after they’d gotten settled there, Rhoda’s aunt, and her only relative, died unexpectedly of a heart attack. After that, Lonnie could remember his mother walking around in a stupor, hardly ever speaking. One day she’d left him with the neighbors and told him she’d be back shortly to pick him up. But she’d never returned. That had been twenty-five years ago and he’d still never heard from her.

“The Garcias were a family to you,” Seth pointed out. “And because you know what it’s like to lose your family, you have a common thread between you.”

Lonnie wiped a hand across his face and a stubble of whiskers rasped against his fingers. He’d not taken the time to shave this morning. Last night, after he’d left Katherine’s apartment, he’d decided he wasn’t going to interrupt her life anymore. No matter what he’d told her last night, he didn’t intend to stick around and add to her problems. His intention this morning had been to give Seth a quick call, check out of the motel early and head west. But his old friend was doing his best to throw a kink into that plan.

Lonnie could put a stop to the whole thing right now. He could simply tell Seth he wasn’t going to see Katherine McBride again. He was going home to Hereford. But he couldn’t bring himself to do that. Seth had been too good a friend down through the years. He’d helped Lonnie in more ways than he could count. This was Lonnie’s one chance to pay the Texas Ranger back.

“Seth, I told you—she’s pregnant. Real pregnant. I doubt she’ll agree to any sort of travel.”

“Well, you may be right,” he said with thoughtful concern. “Just do what you can do, Lonnie. That’s all I can ask of you. And be sure to remember how much I appreciate all of this, buddy. My whole family owes you.”

“Aw, Seth, don’t go making me feel awful. ’Cause we both know I could never repay you for all you’ve done for me.”

“You don’t owe me for anything,” Seth countered.

No, Lonnie thought, just a job that had given him a measure of prestige and a large enough salary to buy himself a little ranch of his own. Not to mention all the times Seth had helped him behind the scenes on criminal cases. He would be eternally grateful to Seth for all those things.

“So now that we have that out of the way, when are you going to see Katherine again?” Seth went on.

Lonnie rolled his eyes. He couldn’t picture himself going back to face Katherine McBride. Not after the adamant farewell she’d given him. Yet just the thought of seeing her again made his heart beat fast. Which was a sure sign something was wrong with him. He didn’t let women affect him that way. He’d learned better.

“It will be a miracle if she let’s me in the door again. But, all right, I’ll go back tonight, after she gets home from work. I’ll try to let you know something later.”

“Thanks, Lon. While you’re trying to persuade Katherine, I’ll let the rest of the family know that you’ve found her.”

Lonnie grimaced. “Yeah, well, somehow I get the feeling that finding her was the easy part.”

The Tarrant County Courthouse had been Katherine’s workplace for the past four years. When she’d first gotten a job as a file clerk in the tax assessor’s office, she’d been thrilled. At twenty-one, with a fresh associates degree in business, she’d not expected a cushy job to cross her path. Especially when she had no real connections in Fort Worth to give her that extra push that was often needed to land a good job.

Since that time, her hard work and dedication had gradually inched her upward in the ranks. A little more than six months ago, she’d become the secretary for the tax assessor himself, a job that was hardly ever easy, but one that definitely had much better pay and benefits.

With the increase in salary, her friend Althea, who worked down the hall in tags and licenses, often urged Katherine to move out of her modest little apartment. After all, she could afford something better now. But Katherine wasn’t interested in moving to plush living quarters. She was comfortable where she was. And, anyway, she was putting her money in the bank where it would do her the most good once the baby arrived.

As the two women shared a short, afternoon break together in a private snack room situated behind Katherine’s office, Althea exclaimed, “That is the most incredible story I’ve ever heard! Are you sure this man was legitimate?”

Katherine glanced across the small table at the other woman. The tall, curvy, brunette always managed to look sexy in any piece of clothing she put on and, in the process, made Katherine feel like a frumpy, middle-aged librarian. Older than Katherine by two years, Althea was married and the mother of a small daughter. Since Katherine had moved to Fort Worth and found this job, the woman had become her only special friend. Even though she was close to Althea, she’d not set out today to tell her what had occurred last night. But the whole meeting with Sheriff Corteen had simply been too much for Katherine to bear alone and she’d finally ended up relating the whole incident to her friend.

“Well, I didn’t call Deaf Smith County to verify that he was the sheriff there, if that’s what you mean,” Katherine replied.

The sassy brunette raised her brows. “Katherine! Why not? He could have had that ID forged or something!”

Katherine shook her head. “I didn’t call because I didn’t need to. If you’d met the man, Althea, you’d clearly see that there’s nothing phony about him. I’m dead certain he is the sheriff there.”

“Okay. So he’s the sheriff,” Althea reluctantly agreed. “But does that mean you believe this story about your parents?”

Katherine shrugged one shoulder as she jabbed a spoon at the ice floating in her tea glass. Their fifteen-minute break was nearly over. She couldn’t begin to tell Althea everything that had gone through her mind last night, much less everything she’d felt when Lonnie Corteen had turned her world upside down. Even now, nearly a whole day later, she was dazed and struggling to keep her mind on her work.

“I don’t know what to believe, Althea. It sounds—well, it sounds like it’s something that might be easily proved. But I’m not so sure I want proof. I’m not so sure I want things to change. You know what I mean?”

Althea looked at her with thoughtful confusion. “Sort of. I think you’re trying to say you’re afraid to know the truth about your parents because you might not like it.”

Katherine nodded slowly. “Yes. That’s sort of how I’m feeling. I mean, Celia, my mother, loved me. I have no doubt about that. She was the one who was there to care for me day in and day out. I’m not so sure what I could think about a woman who would give her daughter away. I don’t believe I could ever have warm feelings toward her and that would only cause friction with all her other relatives.” She stopped and gave her head a sudden shake. “No. I don’t think it would be a good thing for me to pursue this.”

Althea crinkled up a candy-bar wrapper and tossed it in a nearby wastebasket, then popped the last of the chocolate into her mouth. “Hmm. Well, what about this man—Noah? Suppose he really is your father? Wouldn’t you like to know more about him and his family? If I were you, I believe I would.”

These were questions Katherine had rolled over and over in her mind last night. But she’d not gotten any answers. Not with that sheriff popping into her head every few minutes, Katherine thought with a measure of self-disgust. She really didn’t know what was happening to her. All the extra hormones bombarding her body must be making her act out of character, she decided. She couldn’t figure any other reason for the physical reaction she’d felt toward the man. For heaven’s sake, she was pregnant! She wasn’t supposed to be feeling those sorts of things…was she?

“Katherine? Yoo-hoo. Are you still with me?”

The sound of Althea’s voice penetrated her straying thoughts, and she quickly focused back on her friend’s face. “Forgive me, Althea. My mind, it’s spinning about a mile a minute. And I’m very much afraid that Sheriff Corteen is going to show up at my apartment again this evening. He pretty much implied that I was going to see him again.” With a slight shiver, she pushed the tea glass away and shoved her hands through her loose hair. “I don’t know what to do, Althea! He says the family wants to see me. And I told him I didn’t want anything to do with them. But I have a bad feeling that he isn’t going to give up.”

Seeing the anguished expression on her friend’s face, Althea reached across the table and squeezed Katherine’s fingers. “Katherine, honey, you’ve got to calm down. All this turmoil can’t be good for the baby. You’ve probably run your blood pressure up with all this worrying.”

Closing her eyes, Katherine breathed deeply and tried to relax. “I know. You’re right. This isn’t something that’s going to resolve itself in a matter of days. I need time to think.”

Leaning forward over the tabletop, Althea looked at her brightly. “Maybe you should take some time off—go away for a week or so,” she suggested. “You have some sick leave coming, don’t you?”

“Yes—but I was saving it for when the baby comes. And anyway, work at least keeps my mind—” Pausing, she shook her head. “Who am I kidding? The work I’ve done today hasn’t helped to get anything off my mind. In fact, I think I’d better go back and reproof the letters I typed this morning. They’re probably a mess.”

Althea gave her a perceptive nod. “That’s what I figured. You’re not in any shape to be working. Besides, it’s almost time for your maternity leave. Why don’t you tell Richard that you need to start it early? You know he wouldn’t give you any problem about it. My Lord, the man’s crazy about you. He’s not about to make things hard for you.”

Katherine stared glumly at the tabletop. Having the Tarrant County tax assessor crazy about her was not what she really wanted. Richard Marek was a very nice guy and he’d been a wonderful boss to her, but she’d not once given him any indication that she was interested in him personally. Still, she knew that Althea was right. He did like Katherine, a lot. In fact, he’d asked her out on more than one occasion. A woman who was clearly pregnant with another man’s child! She’d declined each time of course, but his interest in her had clearly forced her to be much more guarded around her boss.

“I’m not going to exploit the feelings he has for me, Althea. It wouldn’t be right. Especially when I have no interest in him.”

Althea rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Katherine, you are so prim that sometimes I wonder how you ever got pregnant! And why aren’t you interested in Richard? He’s good-looking and nice. He has social prestige, not to mention the fact that he could give you financial security.”

Frowning, Katherine looked up at her friend. “You make him sound like the perfect man.”

“Well, he’s certainly at the top of the list of eligible bachelors around here. And you could have him if you wanted him. Your baby would have a daddy. A real daddy.”

Maybe she was crazy, Katherine thought, for not liking Richard more, for not giving him the opportunity to have a lasting relationship with her. But he wasn’t the sort of man she wanted to live the rest of her life with.

“I don’t want a perfect man, Althea. I don’t want money or social prestige or an impressive house. I just want a man to love me. Really love me.” A man like Lonnie Corteen, she thought. A big, tough man that made her feel like a woman by just looking at her, a man who would fight to the death to protect her and never ever desert her or their child.

Althea laughed mockingly. “And you think Richard doesn’t? You won’t know until you give him the chance.”

Glancing at her wristwatch, Katherine rose to her feet. “I gave Walt a chance and he let me down—big-time. I’m not ready to give anybody a chance again. I’m not sure I ever will be,” she muttered bitterly.

Clicking her tongue with disapproval, Althea rose from her chair, also. “I’m sorry, honey. We shouldn’t have gotten off on that subject. You’ve got enough on your mind already.”

Yeah, like who were her real parents? Amelia Tucker and Noah Rider? If that was true, then why had they deserted her? And why did the thought of seeing Lonnie Corteen again make her break out in a nervous sweat?

Chapter Three

That evening Katherine was naked when she heard the knock on the door. With her heart jumping into her throat, she tossed away the towel she’d been drying herself with and reached for a robe lying near the tub. The garment was not exactly what she’d choose for anyone to see her in, much less Lonnie Corteen. The sunny-yellow chenille had long ago faded to the color of dead grass, and in some spots there were clusters of pinholes where the chenille had fallen out. But since she’d just stepped out of the tub and he was already at the door, she didn’t have much choice.

And it had to be him, she thought, as she hastily knotted the belt above the mound of her stomach. Other than Althea, she didn’t have visitors. Sometimes annoying sales people knocked on the door, but it was already after dark, and she didn’t think a salesman would be out in such cold weather at this time of the evening.

The knock sounded again.

Muttering under her breath, she wiped strands of wet hair from her face. “I’m coming,” she called out. “Just hold on!”

Her hurried exertion to get to the door caused her breath to quicken and she was sure there were two scarlet circles to stain her cheeks, but the moment she opened the door and spotted Lonnie Corteen on the other side, she felt most of the color in her face drain away.

Even though she’d expected it to be him, she’d still not been prepared for the sight of his tall, massive body filling the doorway or the rugged face smiling back at her.

“Hello, Katherine.”

She swallowed and unconsciously pushed at the tangled hair on her shoulders. “Hello,” she replied.

He stepped forward and moved from the shadows. Katherine immediately spotted something nestled in the crook of his arm. A step closer to the light and her eyes zeroed in on a bouquet of pink roses wrapped in green cellophane paper.

“Uh, what are those for?” she asked bluntly.

A lazy grin spread over his face. “I was hoping a dozen roses would help you to forgive me.”

Dumbfounded, she stared at him. She’d only known this man for a few hours! Walt had dated her for months and she’d never seen flowers from him. Or, for that matter, any man.

“Forgive you? You didn’t do anything. You were simply a messenger.”

“I upset you last night. Believe me, Katherine, that wasn’t my intention.”

How could she turn him away from the door now? Not that it had been her intention to send him on his way. But she’d been telling herself all evening that if he showed up, her best recourse would be to send him away. But how could she shut the door on a face like his? Especially when he was holding the most beautiful roses she’d ever seen.

A gust of freezing wind whipped around him and tugged at the lapels of her robe. Clutching the fabric against her throat, she said, “You’d better come in before we both freeze to death.”

He quickly stepped inside and she got a faint whiff of aftershave and leather. The scents were as masculine as the man himself, and she realized with a guilty start that, compared to Lonnie Corteen, her baby’s father had been more boy than man.

“I hope I’m not disturbing you,” he said as he walked to the center of the small room. “Were you getting ready to go out?”

Her, go out? The question was almost laughable. She’d never been a go-out person. Even during her relationship with Walt, the two of them had rarely gone out for dinner or any sort of entertainment. She’d always been a loner and he’d been more than happy to go along with her choice of the quiet life. That is, until he’d learned about the baby. Then he’d not been happy about anything. Especially her.

Carefully locking the door behind her, she turned to him. “No. I…I’m afraid I just got out of the bath. Would you, uh, excuse me while I go get dressed?”

Lonnie was trying to be polite and not stare, but he couldn’t quite keep his eyes off her. She was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen in that old yellow robe that clung to her breasts and the baby she was carrying. Her long dark hair was wet and lay in curled ringlets upon her shoulders. A soft pink color washed her cheeks and lips, and her skin gleamed with tiny beads of moisture.

“Sure. Take your time. I’ll just make myself comfortable.” He glanced down at the roses. “What about these? If you’ll tell me where to find a vase, I’ll put them in water for you.”

He was sure he wasn’t the sort of man she would associate with flowers. His big hands were made for collaring criminals, or reining in a high-spirited horse, not clutching the fragile stem of a rose.

She shot him an apologetic look. “I don’t have a vase. I did. But I accidentally broke it. I have a big Mason jar in the cabinet where I store the glasses. You might use that,” she suggested.

“Fine. That’ll be dandy. You go on now and get dressed. I’ll take care of these.”

Nodding, she turned on her bare feet and hurried out of the room. Lonnie went to the tiny kitchen and found the Mason jar. As he filled it with water and plopped in the roses, he figured he’d made a mistake at the grocery store where he’d picked these up. He should have gotten a poinsettia. Thanksgiving was only a couple of weeks away. The seasonal flower would have been more fitting. But the roses had looked more romantic to him. Not that he had romantic designs on Katherine McBride. No, sir. He wasn’t about to let himself get that starry-eyed sickness that turned men into fools. But heck, all women liked roses, didn’t they? And he needed her in a soft mood if he was ever going to get her to listen to the Ketchums’ side of things.

Who are you kidding, Lonnie? You got her the roses because you wanted to see her face light up. You wanted to do something special just for her.

Ignoring the mocking little voice, Lonnie went to sit on the couch. His hat was resting on his knee and the toe of his boot was tapping the air when Katherine finally returned to the living room wearing a pair of black slacks and a pink turtleneck sweater. Her damp hair was fastened at the nape of her neck with a tortoiseshell clip, but she hadn’t bothered to put on any shoes. Her pearly red toenails peeped out at him from beneath the hem of her slacks.

Rising to his feet, he clutched his black felt hat between both hands. “Thank you for agreeing to see me, Katherine. I really wasn’t sure you’d let me in.”

Katherine’s gaze swiveled over to the jar of roses he’d placed in the center of the small wooden dining table. The blossoms were so pretty, like a ray of bright sunshine on a cold, dark day.

Suddenly Katherine felt more awkward than she could ever remember feeling and the baby must have sensed her unease because he was kicking like an acrobat. She smoothed a hand over the rolling movement beneath her belly. “I’m sorry I was so hateful to you last night. That’s not normally my nature, Mr. Corteen. I guess—”

“It’s not Mr. Corteen,” he interrupted.

She pulled her eyes back to his lean face. “Okay. Sheriff.”

He stepped forward and she watched his big fingers slowly move the hat round and round between his hands. “It’s not Sheriff, either. Call me Lonnie. Everybody else does.”

She doubted his subordinates called him Lonnie, but she wasn’t going to bring that to his attention. She already felt as if she was getting too personal with this man. Or maybe it was just her thoughts that were getting too personal. Either way, she could hardly keep her eyes off him. His presence was just too strong, too sexy for a woman to ignore.

“Okay, Lonnie. As long as you’ll accept my apology.”

A slow smile spread across his face, and Katherine felt something inside her begin to melt like butter on a hot biscuit.

“Let’s forget all that and start over,” he suggested. “Have you eaten supper?”

She shook her head. “Not yet. I haven’t had time to get any sort of meal together.”

“Then let’s go out and eat,” he suggested. “My treat. Anything you’d like.”

Tilting her head to one side, she took a moment to contemplate his invitation. “Hmm. Flowers and dinner. Sounds like you’re trying to charm me. I wonder why.”

He let out a casual chuckle, but inside he was wondering if Katherine was right. Was he trying to charm this woman? If he was, then he needed to quit it and fast. He and women didn’t mix. Not romantically. They liked him as a friend, not a lover. And there wasn’t any reason to think that Katherine would be any different.

“There’s no charm about it,” Lonnie said. “I’m hungry and I hate to eat alone. We could both sit here and talk with our stomachs growling. But that really wouldn’t make much sense, now would it?”

Put like that, it wouldn’t make much sense. And it would be nice to eat something other than what she scrounged up in her own little kitchen, she decided.

“Not much,” she agreed with a tentative smile. “Just give me a few moments to put on my shoes.”

“What about your hair?” he asked, his eyes traveling over the curling tendrils framing her face. “Maybe you should dry it a little before you go out. You wouldn’t want to get a cold. Especially in your condition.”

Once again her lips parted with surprise. The men she’d known had never been thoughtful about such little things, and it took her aback that this big lawman would consider her welfare in such a nice way.

“Well, I wouldn’t want you to have to wait,” she said.

He gave her a lopsided smile. “Take your time. While you’re gone, I’ll see if I can make friends with your cats.”

Katherine hurried to the bedroom and pulled on a pair of ankle boots, then rushed to the bathroom and plugged in the hair dryer. With it blowing on high speed, she hastily brushed through her hair, while asking herself what on earth she was doing agreeing to go out with a virtual stranger.

Because he knows things about your family that might be important.

Snorting under her breath at the little voice in her head, she yanked the brush through a mass of tangles. There was no secret surrounding her family. It was Celia. That’s all the family she’d ever had.

Well, he is nice.

So were a lot of other men, she mentally argued. That didn’t necessarily make it wise for her to go out to dinner with any of them.

He brought you roses. Roses! No man has ever done that just for you!

Snap out of it, Katherine, she silently commanded. A flower is just a flower. You can buy them on most any street corner. Besides, deep down you know he only brought them to you because he wants something from you. That was the way with all men. And this one was no different.

But for some reason she wanted to think Lonnie Corteen was different. She wanted to think he really was concerned about her emotional and physical well-being. Yeah, she thought dismally, just like she’d wanted to believe that Walt had really loved her.

Of the two cats, the yellow tabby was the most sociable. By the time Katherine had returned to the living room, the animal was purring and rubbing his arched body against Lonnie’s leg.

“Where’s Sophie?” Katherine asked.

Lonnie glanced up and was instantly surprised at the difference in her appearance. Her hair fell in gentle waves around her face and down onto her shoulders. A dab of pink color glistened on her lips and cheeks to give her skin an even more luminescent glow. She was a darn pretty woman, Lonnie decided. Way too pretty for the likes of him.

“If you mean the black cat,” he answered, “she shot under the couch and hasn’t resurfaced. But this one seems to like me.”

An indulgent smile twisted Katherine’s lips. “Nigel likes most everybody.”

Lonnie chuckled under his breath. “I should have known. And here I thought I’d become a special friend.” He rose to his feet and looked at her questioningly. “Ready to go?”

“Yes. Just let me get my coat.”

She went to a small closet near the front door and pulled out a tan suede coat lined with sheepskin. Before she could shove her arms into the sleeves, Lonnie came up behind her and helped her on with the heavy garment.

The masculine scent of him surrounded her and all sorts of thoughts zinged through her head as his warm fingers inadvertently brushed against her neck.

“It’s mighty cold out there,” he said softly. “You really should pull up your hood.”

“All right,” she murmured in agreement.

He adjusted the hood of her coat onto her head and tied the leather laces beneath her chin. She held her breath as his big hands came close to her face.

“There, now,” he said with a satisfied grin. “That ought to keep you toasty.”

Katherine considered telling him she was a pregnant woman, not a fragile egg that might break at the slightest jar. But she didn’t. It was nice—oh, so nice—to be fussed over. She wanted him to know she appreciated his thoughtfulness.

“Thank you, Lonnie.”

He gave her a faint smile and reached for the door. After turning out the overhead light, Katherine followed him onto the landing, and he quickly took her by the arm.

“These steps are dangerous for a woman in your condition. One little misstep and you’d go toppling down. And God only knows what that would do to you.”

The strong band of his fingers could be felt even through the thickness of her coat. She felt herself shiver and knew it wasn’t from the cold wind whistling across the courtyard.

“I’m very careful. I’ve lived in this apartment building ever since I came to Fort Worth. So I’m used to the stairs. And the noise,” she added jokingly.

He glanced at her. “You like living here? In Fort Worth, I mean.”

She shrugged. “It’s okay. Sometimes I don’t like the bigness of it, but I do have a good job.”

“You work in the county appraisal office,” he stated.

Her brows lifted in brief surprise and then she seemed to accept that he’d already learned things about her that she’d not expected him to know.

“Yes. I’m secretary to the tax assessor.”

Lonnie hadn’t known that. Only where and what department of the county courthouse she worked in. The news worried him. Not that any of this should be his concern. But if he’d ever had a chance of persuading her to travel to West Texas with him, it had just sunk to the bottom of the lake. The woman obviously wasn’t about to leave a choice job to go off to investigate some wild story about a mother who was already dead anyway.

“That’s good. It must be a relief to know you have a secure job. What with the baby coming and all,” he reasoned.

They reached the bottom steps, and he kept his hand firmly around her arm as he guided her toward a white, club cab, pickup truck. Katherine allowed him to help her into the passenger seat and then he shut the door and skirted the hood to take his place behind the wheel.

While they both buckled their seat belts and he motored the truck out of the parking lot, Katherine thought about her job and the conversation she’d had with Althea this afternoon. There was no doubt she’d been fortunate to land her secretarial position. And when she’d first taken on the job, she’d been living on a cloud. But little by little she’d felt Richard getting close to her. Closer than he should. Not physically. No, he’d always been the perfect gentleman. Yet he didn’t try to hide the fact that he wanted to involve himself with her day-today life, and that made it hard to keep a brisk business manner between them. The whole situation made her job awkward and uncomfortable. She didn’t want any man in her life now. Period.

“Well,” she said in an absent voice. “I don’t think there’s any perfect job.”

He glanced her way, and she frowned at the almost hopeful look on his face.

“You don’t like your job?” he questioned.

Frowning deeper, she shook her head. “I didn’t say that.”

“Oh. I guess I must have mistakenly gotten that impression.”

He was too intuitive, Katherine thought. No telling what else the man might be picking up from her. Dear Lord, it would be highly embarrassing if he ever realized she found him physically attractive.

“Look, it’s a good job. I’m not getting rich by any means. But it’s more money than I’ve been accustomed to having,” she said, her voice just the teeniest bit cross. “I just wish there were a few things different about it, that’s all. But like you said, a person’s fortunate not to have to worry about their financial security.”

The vents in the dash were blowing lukewarm air. She held her cold hands toward one and worked her stiff fingers.

“It’s grown even colder since this afternoon,” she said. “I hope we’re not in for a long spell of this.”

“The truck should get warmer in a minute or two.” He merged into busy traffic on a four-lane street and reached up to adjust his rearview mirror. “Do you have a special place you like to eat?”

Katherine almost wanted to laugh. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been out to eat. It just wasn’t the same when a person dined alone.

“No. You choose,” she told him. “I like most anything. Fast food will be fine, if that’s what you like.”

“I don’t like fast anything. Especially my food.”

She surveyed his profile for a few seconds, then cleared her throat and settled back in her seat. She wasn’t about to comment on that remark. Besides, she needed to figure out how she was going to get through this evening without making a fool of herself, and moreover, how she was going to end Sheriff Lonnie Corteen’s pursuit.

A few minutes later he parked at a Mexican restaurant, and they were ushered to a small round table in a corner flanked by a plate glass window on one side and a collection of huge tropical plants on the other. In the middle of the table, a fat red candle flickered inside a glass holder.

Lonnie seated her on the side of the table next to the plants, then took the chair directly opposite her. A waiter appeared almost immediately with fresh guacamole, tortilla chips and tall glasses of ice water. Once he left to give them a few moments to study the menu, Katherine looked around her.

The restaurant was old. The floors were bare, scrubbed wood and the Formica tables and chairs were all different colors and dated back to the fifties, at least. Numerous photos adorned the walls, most of them shots of Fort Worth during its early days as a dusty cattle town. From somewhere in the direction of the kitchen, Tex-Mex music was playing quietly on the radio. At the moment the restaurant was quiet, with only a few other couples scattered across the small room. But Katherine wasn’t surprised at the lack of diners. The bitter weather was keeping most Texans indoors.