“Wake up! Come on, open your eyes!” Letter to Reader Title Page Dedication About the Author Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Epilogue Copyright

“Wake up! Come on, open your eyes!”

With a groan, Josh obeyed. Through the opening in the windshield, he saw a light. A face appeared, floating in the light. A beautiful face. Soft glowing skin, a wide luscious mouth, huge greenish eyes. Surrounded by a fuzzy, burnished halo. An angel.

“Can you move? Then do it!”

Bossy angel, Josh thought. He heaved himself through the windshield. A small angelic hand grabbed to help him. Eventually he lay on rough, wet rock. His rescuer sat beside him, breathing raggedly.

Breathing. Not an angel, then. Real...

And pregnant!

Dear Reader,

March roars in like a lion at Silhouette Romance, starting with popular author Susan Meier and Husband from 9 to 5, her exciting contribution to LOVING THE BOSS, a six-book series in which office romance leads to happily-ever-after. In this sparkling story, a bump on the head has a boss-loving woman believing she’s married to the man of her dreams....

In March 1998, beloved author Diana Palmer launched VIRGIN BRIDES. This month, Callaghan’s Bride not only marks the anniversary of this special Romance promotion, but it continues her wildly successful LONG, TALL TEXANS series! As a rule, hard-edged, hard-bodied Callaghan Hart distrusted sweet, virginal, starry-eyed young ladies. But ranch cook Tess Brady had this cowboy hankerin’ to break all his rules.

Judy Christenberry’s LUCKY CHARM SISTERS miniseries resumes with a warm, emotional pretend engagement story that might just lead to A Ring for Cinderella. When a jaded attorney delivers a very pregnant stranger’s baby, he starts a journey toward healing...and making this woman his Texas Bride, the heartwarming new novel by Kate Thomas. In Soldier and the Society Girl by Vivian Leiber, the month’s HE’S MY HERO selection, sparks fly when a true-blue, true-grit American hero requires the protocol services of a refined blue blood. A lonewolf lawman meets his match in an indomitable schoolteacher—and her moonshining granny—in Gayle Kaye’s Sheriff Takes a Bride, part of FAMILY MATTERS.

Enjoy this month’s fantastic offerings, and make sure to return each and every month to Silhouette Romance!

Mary-Theresa Hussey

Senior Editor, Silhouette Romance

Please address questions and book requests to:

Silhouette Reader Service

U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269

Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

Texas Bride
Kate Thomas

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For my parents—whose love of reading was the source.

KATE THOMAS As a navy brat, Kate moved frequently until she was lucky enough to attend college in Texas. She married a native Texan, produced another and remained fascinated by language and cultural diversity. With her writing, she likes to celebrate one trait that all humans share: a desire to love and be loved.

Chapter One

As he slid another CD into the car’s player, Josh Walker frowned. Damned if he’d admit it, but—he was lost. Smack in the middle of the biggest nothing he’d ever seen. No trees, no houses, no other traffic. Aside from some stubby wildflowers edging the road, this western half of Texas held nothing but cactus and rocks.

And weather, Josh amended. The blue-black clouds that had begun piling up along the horizon just an hour ago now filled the sky.

Josh swore. He’d encountered one—count ’em, one—intersection since leaving the interstate and he must have made the wrong turn. Dammit, he should be in San Angelo by now.

Not that it really mattered. The case in Midland had wrapped up unexpectedly this morning when his client accepted a new settlement offer. Josh had called his office back in Virginia, but there was nothing pressing at the moment.

So he’d packed away his suit and tie, donned jeans and a well-washed chambray shirt—and the boots he still favoted over athletic shoes, even after years of living back East—and climbed into his outrageously expensive imported car to indulge in the one pleasure he could always count on: a long, solitary road trip. Ordinarily, the silent slipping of miles beneath the wheels relaxed him and chased the stress from his mind.

Only it wasn’t working this time. Hell, nothing was working these days. His work no longer absorbed him; his house was just an investment; even sex—The last careful, casual physical relationship had left him completely cold. Dissatisfied. Empty.

Damned if he’d admit that, either. He was only twenty-nine. His life was not empty. Everything was fine.

Josh growled at the bright, cheerful April wildflowers dancing in the wind. Well, okay. Maybe his life was a little sterile, predictable and lonely, but—No, not lonely.

Solitary. By choice.

Because that was the only safe choice. He’d learned that lesson six years ago in earth-shattering fashion, when his girlfriend had disappeared for a weekend. To get rid of his baby. Without asking him. Without even bothering to tell him. If it hadn’t been for that blabbermouth friend of hers, he might never have discovered the truth.

But he had. For a day or two, anguish and anger had threatened to devastate him.

Then he’d fought back. Slammed a permanent lid on useless emotion. Stayed busy.

It had worked, too. He’d finished first in his class in law school. Built a successful practice, specializing in environmental issues. And he’d never been hurt by a woman again. Therefore, even though he’d been a little...restless lately, he still thought he was perfectly happy.

Certain other people disagreed. His secretary, Marletta, was making retirement noises, even though she was only forty-eight. And his sister-in-law—

Josh snorted softly at the way Matt’s wife had taken his inventory last month when he’d gone back to Montana to attend his newest nephew’s christening. When his younger brother, Dan, showed up with Mei Li, his new Amerasian bride, Annie had teased Josh about being the last unmarried Walker. Told him he’d better get moving.

He’d snarled back that hell would freeze over before he’d get involved with a woman again—and stalked out of the house.

Annie had strolled outside after him, folded her arms on the top rail of the corral and calmly asked him when he was going to stop feeling sorry for himself.

It wasn’t self-pity, he’d protested. It was wisdom won the hard way.

As he put the car through a curve, Josh shook his head, recalling how Annie had just steamrolled on. You don’t hold the patent on being hurt, Josh. Everybody gets wounded. It’s part of living. If you want to suffer, that’s your choice. But if you want to heal—stop picking at the scab!

The best way to do that is to find someone who’s hurt worse than you are and help them.

Nonsense, of course. But somehow Annie’s words had stuck in his head. Even now, weeks later, he couldn’t seem to forget them.

He didn’t understand what her suggestion was supposed to accomplish, though. Was he supposed to feel smug and self-satisfied for doing a good turn? Or grateful because he was so much better off by comparison?

Besides, Josh thought as the rumble of thunder drowned the CD’s music, he didn’t know anyone who’d been hurt worse than he had....

As the old pickup coasted to a stop, Dani Caldwell guided it toward the edge of the pavement. Unless she missed her guess, the truck had thrown a rod, which meant...

Dani swallowed the panic rising through her, since there was no point to it The disaster had already happened; now she just had to pick up the pieces and move on.

“I should be getting good at this,” she muttered as she collected the small sack of groceries she’d spent her nearlylast dollar on, then clambered awkwardly down from the pickup cab. “I’m sure getting enough practice! Maybe that’s what I’ll do after the baby comes—give seminars in coping.”

To keep her mind occupied with something besides the stifling afternoon heat, her crippled finances, the terminally ill truck or her real problems, Dani elaborated on the silly theme as she trudged down the narrow, seldom-used state road toward the primitive cabin that was now both refuge and prison.

“I’ll start small, with free lectures to church groups. Then hotel ballrooms at a fee. In no time at all, I’ll be the Queen of Coping, with infomercials, books, videos—”

Her foot slipped on a stone and she had to fight to stay upright. That might do it, Dani conceded as she shifted the groceries to the other arm and continued on. So far, she’d fought her difficulties to a standstill, but a broken ankle—out here in the middle of West Texas Nowhere—might actually convince her to give up.

But her ankle wasn’t broken, she reminded herself firmly. And she was young, strong and determined. Also broke, widowed, pregnant and just about job skill-less....

The baby kicked her so hard she staggered. Dani grinned and patted her bulging abdomen. “That’s your first comment today,” she said, “and you’re right, tiger. No self-pity. We’ll figure something out. Besides, we’re almost home.” Just before the next dry streambed, she turned off the road at the odd half-palm, half-yucca tree. It marked the beginning of the narrow rocky path that followed the wash for a few yards, then curved around a big boulder before rising to her latest hiding place, a one-room hunting cabin that belonged to a schoolmate’s uncle.

Dani had to pause to rest at the boulder. The book said that tiring easily was natural so close to delivery.

“Just a couple more weeks, darling,” she whispered to the precious burden she carried beneath her heart. “Then we’ll begin our new life together.” As she rested, Dani stared out over the stark desert landscape, so unlike the lush Piney Woods of East Texas where she’d grown up.

A wave of homesickness swept over her and she allowed herself one minute for wishing things were different. For wishing she could have stayed in Lufkin to have her baby.

For wishing her baby could have known its father.

Dani closed her eyes, but the pain she’d once felt over Jimmy’s death had faded to weary acceptance in the six months since he’d caught a bullet meant for one of his hotheaded barroom buddies. When the doctors declared him legally dead the next day, the very last of her hopes and illusions had died too.

And she’d had so many! She’d fallen in love at first sight—the instant she’d bumped into Jimmy Caldwell while filing into the high school cafeteria for freshman orientation. Within weeks they’d been going together, and four years later, on her eighteenth birthday, she’d married him and settled down to live happily ever after.

Dani sighed. “Ever after” had turned out to be five years. As for the happily part, well... They’d been happy for a while, but Jimmy had changed so much—especially in the last two years—that by the time he’d disappeared into the night that final time, the boy she’d loved had become a complete stranger.

“But don’t worry, baby. I won’t make the same mistake twice.” Dani didn’t have time to nurse another broken heart; she had a baby to bring into the world and raise.

Oh, she wasn’t naive enough to think that doing it alone would be easy, but she had no choice and that at least made it simple.

No choice. Dani smoothed her hand over the baby. Her parents were gone, killed in a car wreck only weeks after her wedding. And Jimmy’s folks... Dani held them largely responsible for her husband’s unhappiness and self-destructive behavior. They’d pressured him relentlessly to be the first, the best, the most. When he couldn’t measure up, he’d sought comfort with casual drinking companions instead of his wife.

Well, they weren’t getting a chance to damage her child with their heavy-handed treatment.

Unfortunately, her in-laws had different ideas. They also had money, powerful contacts throughout the state, and no qualms about using any means necessary to get what they wanted.

And what they wanted—now that their only son was dead—was sole custody of their grandchild. Dani refused to give up her child, but she had no resources to fight them.

So she’d run. And run. And run again.

She’d planned to wait out the last of the waiting here, then head for a good-size town and use her tiny emergency fund to pay for a midwife and a night or two in a cheap motel. After the due date, she was going to clean houses or baby-sit while she worked out the details of a real career path.

“So much for plans,” she muttered. The truck breaking down had not been in her scenario. Now what?

A deep rumbling made her look up. Dark clouds filled the sky, flashing streaks of lightning over the desert like party streamers.

“Thank you.” Dani addressed the thunderheads with a little laugh. “I was just about to waste my time worrying—as if that ever created a solution.”

The first, chilly raindrops splattered the dust around her. “I do have a roof to put over us,” Dani told her unborn child, pushing off from the rough limestone and resettling the grocery sack. “And I think I’d better hurry up and do itl”

As she hustled up the path, making it through the cabin door just before the rain started in earnest, Dani welcomed the distraction of the storm. She tried to think positively for the baby’s sake, but she didn’t honestly know how much longer she could keep up her brave front.

With no car, no job, no money, alone and a baby coming...

“Oh, stop whining,” she ordered herself. “Lots of people are worse off than you are.” Smoothing her hand over her baby’s current address comforted Dani, as usual. “I don’t know how we’ll manage, but we will,” she promised the son or daughter who was kicking merrily against her rib cage. “Because no matter what—I won’t give you up.”

While the storm grew in intensity, Dani kept herself busy mixing up corn bread and doctoring black-eyed peas to make Texas caviar.

Biting back a swearword, Josh fought to keep the car on the road as downdrafts from the thunderstorm buffeted it. Then the rain hit—the fat, individual drops splatting on his windshield quickly became a deluge his wipers could barely handle.

Josh pressed on the gas pedal, eager to drive out of the storm, find a town and check into a motel. He was tired. He’d had enough of the desert. Enough of being lost.

When the rain thickened into a solid curtain, he slowed a little.

An inch or so of water covered the road in a few spots. The car hydroplaned across them, but the tires regained their traction almost immediately. He relaxed against the leather upholstery.

Suddenly a dark shape loomed in front of him and Josh swerved just in time to avoid sideswiping it. A truck, he realized as it disappeared into the grayness again. Some damn fool hadn’t pulled completely off the pavement.

Just ahead, another shallow layer of water stretched from one side of the pavement to the other.

At least he wasn’t the only person ever to drive down this road. Which meant it went somewhere, too. With a sense of relief he refused to acknowledge, Josh increased his speed.

And drove right into hell.

The nose of Josh’s car hit the edge of the water, forward momentum carried the rest of the vehicle into the torrent before his foot could hit the brakes. Like a greedy child snatching up a toy, the angry current grabbed the car, pulled it off the side of the road, then spun it—once, twice, three times—slamming Josh’s head against the doorpost with each furious revolution.

One more shuddering impact with something and the car came to a halt.

Josh managed to unfasten the seat belt, but the churning torrent held the door shut against his dazed efforts to open it. The electric window controls didn’t work. He tried the passenger door, but it was jammed shut, too.

Before his head cleared enough to think straight, a large piece of debris smashed into the car. The impact sent Josh bouncing off the steering wheel into the doorpost again, then rammed his head into the dash. Stars exploded behind his eyes.

Through the haze of pain disorienting him, Josh noted water seeping into the car, filling the floorboards, rising.

He was going to drown here. In this gritty, muddy water. As consciousness faded despite his efforts to stay alert, Josh tasted real regret. Maybe my life is empty, he thought, but...I don’t want to die!

The oven baking the corn bread threatened to toast Dani, too, so she went out on the porch to breathe some raincooled air.

She was about to step back inside when an odd sound came thinly through the storm. It took her a moment to recognize... Then she was struggling into a jacket and scrambling for the flashlight and turning back for the length of old rope she wouldn’t trust to hold a cat’s weight. It was all she had.

“That sounded like metal, baby. Like a car being hit! If someone’s in trouble, we can’t turn our back on them, so hang on,” she said, finding a way, despite her loaded-down arms, to pat her stomach encouragingly. “Hang on!” she yelled into the misty gloom. Thank heaven, the rain seemed to be slowing.

As carefully but as quickly as possible, Dani slid down the path to the big boulder, then scrambled past it to peer at—Oh, God. It was a car. In the creek. Caught for the moment against her boulder’s twin out in midstream.

The furious, foaming runoff was trying to pull it away from the rock and drag it downstream. If she was going to rescue the passengers, she’d have to act quickly.

Maybe there isn’t anyone inside. Dani grasped at the possibility. Maybe they’d gotten out. Maybe the car had broken down—like her truck—and been abandoned. Maybe she didn’t have to risk the baby....

Biting her lip, Dani aimed the flashlight beam at the vehicle. A dark human shape slumped over the steering wheel.

“Well, that makes it simple,” she muttered, tucking the flashlight into her windbreaker. She tied one end of the rope around the yucca tree and the other end under her breasts, took a deep breath and waded into the torrent.

Letting the rough current push her toward and around the rear of the car, Dani grabbed for and found a handhold on the midstream boulder. After crawling awkwardly to its top, she inched along it, wiping the now-occasional raindrop from her eyes. And babbling, she realized as she reached a spot near the front of the car. That idiot pleading and praying aloud was her.

Okay. God probably has the idea. Now do your part.

Pulling out the flashlight, Dani pointed it at the still figure in the car. The ray of light showed only a few details clearly: the gleam of dark gold hair, a firm jaw, and broad, unmistakably male shoulders. His eyes were closed, but... Dani steadied the shaking beam and peered through the raindrops beading the windshield. Yes, the man’s chest moved. He was unconscious, but alive.

Dani’s sigh of thanksgiving became a groan as the flashlight revealed another problem. There was water inside the vehicle, already lapping over the console. Clamping her jaws together, Dani put away the flashlight. The man in the car was going to die unless she did something. Now.

The top of the boulder was littered with loose rocks. Picking up the biggest one, Dani lifted it over her head, aimed it at the windshield and let fly. She repeated the process until the glass starred, then heaved the rock one more time. As the spray of safety-glass nuggets subsided, Dani leaned down and peered through the opening she’d created to get a better look at the man she was trying to rescue.

Heat coiled deep inside her. Completely inappropriate reaction, she told herself. But just as completely undeniable.

Okay, so cope with it. And get back to work.

Despite her urgency, Dani couldn’t help studying the man for a few long seconds. He was unrelentingly male. Exceedingly handsome. Even unconscious, he exuded a sense of leashed power, like a sleeping cougar.

And she had to get him out of the car before he drowned.

But how? The man looked to be a muscular six-footer, she was a very pregnant five-three. She couldn’t even get her hand far enough inside the car to touch him.

Dani tugged on her lower lip for a second.

Then, taking a deep breath, she did the only thing she could think of. She started shouting.

Regret was still there as a thought slowly emerged from the blackness. So this... is...being dead.

Josh struggled to form another thought, but—What was that infernal noise?

“Dam it, wake up! Come on, mister. Open your eyes!”

With a groan, he obeyed. Where—Was he in a car? The windshield looked like a silvery net—except for a hole on the right side.

Through the opening, he could see a light. He’d heard about that. He was supposed to go toward it, wasn’t he?

A face appeared, floating in the light. A beautiful face. Soft glowing skin, a wide luscious mouth, huge greenish eyes. Surrounded by a fuzzy, burnished halo. An angel. Straight out of della Robbia.

“That’s it. Wake up.”

Josh blinked. One or two angels. He couldn’t tell for sure. Their edges blurred and melded as they gestured frantically. He closed his eyes. Better.

“Are you hurt?”

Sensation crept to the front of his awareness. He was cold. Wet, And...everything hurt. Especially his head.

“Answer me!” She sounded scared.

Huh? Angels weren’t afraid, were they?

“C-can you move?” This one was. Palpably.

Through the reverberating pain, Josh knew he ought to ease the angel’s anxiety. “Yes, ma’am....” He flapped a hand to demonstrate his mobility.

“Come on, then! There’s no time to waste. Crawl out through the windshield.”

No. His head would explode if he moved. Better just stay here.... “Don’t want to,” Josh mumbled.

“I didn’t ask you if you want to, mister. I told you to move. Now do it!”

Bossy damned angel, Josh thought grumpily, but began to inch his body up the steering wheel at her insistent nagging, gritting his teeth against the waves of pain that washed over him.

A couple of eternities later, Josh heaved himself over the dashboard and partially through the windshield opening. It seemed to be lined with blue nylon. A small angelic hand grabbed a wad of shirt and added its upward pressure to his efforts.

Eventually, he lay on rough, wet rock.

His rescuer sat beside him, breathing raggedly.

Breathing. Not an angel, then. Real. Me, too.... Yes, now it seemed obvious. He was still alive.

For one thing, he hurt too much to be dead.

Josh opened his eyes briefly and stared at a shapely nearby ankle. He wondered vaguely who it belonged to. But he couldn’t focus right now. On anything, except—“Thanks.” He let his eyelids fall shut again, hoping to ease the dizziness.

“Don’t thank me yet.” The words were tinged with a soft Southern accent—and more concern.

“Why not?” Josh countered, although he barely managed to form the words through the whirling in his head. “You got me out of the car. You saved my life.”

“Not yet.”

“Close enough.” Keeping his eyes shut, Josh pressed his cheek contentedly against the stone. A little rain didn’t bother him. He’d just take a short nap and...

A faint whiff of flowers and woman alerted him to her closeness. Then his rescuer’s hands were gentle as they smoothed over his limbs and fingered a lump on his temple.

Her heart, however, was as hard as surgical steel. Her next words proved it. “You’re soaked,” the woman barked. “And this is the desert—with night comin’ on fast. You ever heard of hypothermia, mister? Get up!”

Damn the woman! Okay, he owed her his life, but—

Josh pulled himself to his knees. And threw up. “Sorry,” he croaked after his stomach stopped cartwheeling.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said, amusement now warming her tone. “I’ve sure done my share of that.”

Josh didn’t get the joke. It didn’t matter; a second later, Ms. Stormtrooper dragged him to his feet Made him slosh a hundred miles or so through a snarling stream. Forced him to stagger uphill for a couple of centuries....

He threw up again. Conquered a tall step. Crossed a creaking floor. Wondered why heaven smelled like corn bread, then remembered he was still in Texas.

The gentle hands touched him again and his clothes went away....

Then he was warm and dry and lying on something soft. In the distance he heard his rescuer tell him not to go to sleep. Every time he opened his eyes, though, the room started spinning. Darkness like thick, black cotton pressed in around him.

But he was alive. He’d been given a second chance. Josh felt a smile curve his mouth. Okay, he’d admit it. His life had seemed empty lately. But that could change. Would change. Because now he had time to fill the emptiness.

“Thanks,” he whispered. “Thanks again.”

With a slow sigh, Josh let the blackness claim him....

Chapter Two

Dani’s elbow slipped off the armrest—her eyes flew open. Darn, she’d drifted off again. Sunlight streamed through the window over the sink. Oh, no... It had still been dark outside the last time she’d checked on her unexpected guest.

With a soft grunt, Dani maneuvered herself out of the battered armchair, then quietly crossed the narrow cabin floor to look at the man in her bed.

That ribbon of heat coiled through her again.

It was ridiculous, but with the heavy beard shadowing his hard jaw, he was even more attractive this morning than he’d been last night. When I undressed him.

The heat got hotter; the ribbon coiled tighter.

She could still feel his sleek, hard muscles and the smooth, taut skin she’d encountered when she’d peeled off his wet clothes. Still see the broad expanse of his shoulders, his flat stomach, his narrow hips. Her fingertips still tingled from the crisp hair on his chest and legs and around—

Dani stopped the tantalizing recital with a wry grimace. She’d undressed Jimmy plenty of times after he’d started coming in drunk every night, she reminded herself. It was no big deal.

Well, actually, this man’s was....

Oh, just make sure he’s not in a coma, Dani told herself, and carefully lifted one eyelid, then the other. With a sigh of relief, she noted that the pupils, unequal when she’d begun checking last night, were now the same size and reacted to the morning light.

Gently, Dani let the second lid drop. It hardly seemed fair. This man with the magnificent body and boldly masculine features—and a car that, even wrecked, was worth more than her truck running—this man also had the most beautiful eyes she’d ever seen. They were a rich, vibrant turquoise—the color of the Caribbean sea on travel posters.

Jimmy’s eyes had been brown. Just brown. Like his hair. And he’d never had a chance to outgrow the gangly adolescent stage; his low-life friends had seen to that.

Dani allowed herself one short sigh for what-might-have-been. Even though her romantic illusions had been crushed by reality long before Jimmy died, she would have made a satisfactory life out of raising her children and providing her husband with a warm, welcoming home. If she’d had the chance.

But Jimmy had chosen booze and self-pity instead of her. And all her love, concern and caring hadn’t helped him grow up. Or kept him home.

And it still hurt....

Well, at least she knew better than to ever get involved again. Romance was just a liability now, a distraction she couldn’t afford.

Still... Yielding to temptation, Dani smoothed back a strand of thick, honey-gold hair. The heartbreaker in her bed simply oozed raw male power and sensuality—even while he was asleep! He must have women throwing themselves at him from all directions.

And how many have you caught, Mr. Joshua Michael Walker? Dani recalled the Virginia driver’s license she’d found in his wallet when she’d looked for an information card listing next of kin—just in case.

Michael... She’d been considering that name for a boy. Emily, if it was a girl... Plenty of time to decide once it’s here, she told herself, absently massaging a dull ache low in her back as she turned and headed for the cabin’s tiny bathroom. She’d get cleaned up and start breakfast, she decided, before waking her guest.

As usual, the lack of hot water speeded Dani through her morning routine, but as she changed into clean clothes and tugged the shirt over her rounded abdomen, she frowned. The baby was awfully quiet this morning.

At least her backache was gone. Maybe the rest of her problems would disappear that easily, too.

After quietly liberating a saucepan from the small stack of dishes on the drainboard, she measured water into it and set it on the stove. Then, while the water heated, she tried to figure out how to send her visitor on his way before he asked any awkward questions.

Dani smoothed her hand over her precious cargo, but inspiration still didn’t come. The Queen of Coping’s drawing a blank today.

The lid on the saucepan started to jitter. Grateful for the distraction, Dani shook oats into the boiling water and began stirring. With her other hand, she rubbed the ache that had returned to her lower back.

By the time the oatmeal was ready for the last of her brown sugar and raisins, the pain had faded again. But the baby still hadn’t kicked. Dani bit her lip as she added the flavorings to the hot cereal. If something was wrong... If anything happened to her baby...

Dani stirred harder, trying to dissolve the fear suddenly choking her.

Even before the soft sounds and oddly familiar smell opened his eyes, Josh remembered... everything. The flash flood. Being banged around like the tennis ball in a championship match. The angel who’d ordered him out of his sinking car. Being cold and wet, then warm and dry.

He’d been lucky, that was for damned sure. But... Now what?

One part of him wanted to forget the whole near-death experience and just slide back into his old routine.

But another part insisted he remember what he’d discovered: something was missing from his life. Okay, but—Josh grimaced at the rough ceiling overhead.

But nothing, he told himself. Only fools waste second chances. And any fool could tell you how to fill that emptiness inside.

“Hell,” he whispered to the lumber overhead. He still wanted a baby, but the biology hadn’t changed in the past six years: fatherhood still required a woman’s participation. And after Carrie, he could never trust a woman enough to share such an intimate bond.

Which meant no babies for Josh Walker.

Well, there were other meaningful things in life.

Find someone... help them. His sister-in-law’s advice floated through his brain again. Okay, when he got home, he’d see about signing up to tutor poor kids or something.

“Oh, good. You’re awake.”

His lips quirking at the unintentional irony, Josh glanced up. And rational thought disappeared, buried in an explosive, visceral male reaction he’d never before experienced.

Yesterday’s angel stood over him, her soft, full lips curved in a sweet smile that made him long to trace her mouth with his finger, then with his own lips, then plunder the moist, warm depths with his tongue....

Shocked by the intensity of his desire, Josh blinked, then blinked again as her thick braid slid forward over her shoulder to dangle an inch from his nose. The rope of hair glowed like polished maple; his hand itched to take its silky weight.

“How do you feel?” she asked, her green eyes clouded with concern.

Very alive. Very male. Very ready to prove it.

Trying to slow his pounding pulse, Josh took a deep breath and caught her scent: sweetness and soap and... woman. It made him ache, then turn on his side to hide his body’s instant response.

“Fine, Ms.—I’m sorry I don’t know your name,” he mumbled, fighting desperately to regain control. This didn’t happen to him.

But it was.

“Dani Caldwell,” the woman said, then bit her lip. “Please—forget you heard that.”

“Whatever you want, Dani,” he agreed. “You saved my life. Words seem pretty inadequate, but—thanks.” I wonder if her skin feels as soft as it looks. As he propped himself up on one elbow, Josh’s free hand moved toward his rescuer.

The woman stepped back. Good. Maybe he could think straight if she wasn’t close enough to caress.

Josh tore his gaze from his rescuer’s angelic face. Looked downward. “You’re pregnant!”

“I believe you’re right.” Her grin invited him to share her joy.

Like hell. “What in damnation were you thinking of, lady?” he demanded, sitting up and wadding the blanket with clenched fists to keep from shaking the little idiot. “You could have harmed your baby! Where the hell’s your husband? What kind of knucklehead lets his wife risk his unborn child by charging headlong into raging floodwaters? He ought to—” “He’s dead.”

“He can’t,” Dani interrupted. “He’s dead.”

Josh stared at her, shocked speechless. He’d spent years grieving beneath his icy outer layer because—thanks to Carrie’s betrayat—he would never hold his baby. This woman carried a child who would never know its father’s protective embrace. “Oh, God, Dani,” he whispered. “I’m sorry. So sorry.”

She stood looking at him for a moment, her eyes dark and distant, one hand slowly rubbing her back. “Well, ‘sorry’ never changed facts,” she said at last, “but...thanks.

“They should be dry now, so here. Get dressed.” Scooping up a pile of clothes draped over the foot of the bed, she dumped them on his lap. Which was a tad sensitive—since he was still more than a tad aroused.

Josh grabbed the clothes in self-defense. “Th-thank you.”

As he sorted through the apparel, Dani turned toward the stove. Her braid hung almost to her waist, he noticed. Then had to clamp a lid on heated images of her above him with it loose, streaming over her breasts, brushing his—She’s a grieving widow, Josh reminded himself as he shoved his legs into stiff jeans. Carrying proof of her love.

“Breakfast is ready. I hope you like oatmeal.”

She didn’t act grief-stricken, but she had a right to handle her sorrow her own way. Josh knew from his own bitter experience that talking never changed anything, anyway. And he was starving, but—“Oatmeal? I’d rather have eggs and bacon. Biscuits and honey.”

“Me, too.” At Dani’s low laugh, Josh’s thoughts of food were replaced by another sort of hunger.

Facts were the best weapon against dangerous feelings. He knew that from experience, too. “How old are you?” he blurted, desperate to control his inappropriate response to this woman.

“Twenty-three,” she answered, spreading her fingers over her beach ball stomach and frowning.

She looked younger. Made him feel ancient. “How long ago did your—”

“Six months. Now, about breakfast, Mr. Walker...”

“Call me Josh.” He wanted his name on those lush lips. Instead of painful memories. “But how did you—”

“I looked in your wallet.” She turned so quickly, her braid went flying. “Everything’s still there.”

“I’m sure it is,” he agreed as he climbed out of bed, buttoned his fly—with difficulty—then pulled on his shirt.

Hell, for saving his life, she could have every gold, platinum or purple card she found, all the cash, whatever. He told her so.

“I didn’t save your life, Josh! I—” She gestured impatiently. “I broke your windshield. Please—just eat your breakfast and go.”

Fat chance. Josh Walker always paid his debts and he owed Dani Caldwell. But he reserved arguing for the courtroom. “Okay,” he said mildly.

As he headed toward the table, Dani retreated. As if... “You’re not afraid of me, are you?” Josh asked. “I swear—I’d never hurt a woman!”

Dani’s eyes looked into a distance he couldn’t see. “I’m sure you mean that,” she said, “but...well, intentions make good paving material.” Her voice was too old, too resigned for someone so young. Someone with a baby coming and no father for it.

“You can trust me, Dani.” Josh’s low voice stroked over her skin like rich, dark velvet. He seemed to fill the room with his large, lean frame, with his hard masculinity. “Are you in trouble? Let me help you.”

Dani fought an urge to accept his offer. “I don’t need any help,” she insisted, mostly to remind herself. Didn’t marriage teach me anything? Leaning on someone just means you fall over when they leave.

Josh did something with his jaw that brought granite to mind. “Then I’ll get out of your way,” he said stiffly. “May I use your phone to call a tow truck?”

“Sorry.” She shook her head. “No telephone.”

“Can you give me a lift to town, then?” Icicles dripped from every word.

“No wheels, either,” Dani confessed, flashing a rueful smile.

“You mean, you’re stranded out here? In your condition?” Josh looked as if he didn’t know whether to sit there stupefied or jump up, furious. “Are you crazy, woman?”

“Just a little unlucky, that’s all.” Dani willed herself to believe it. But that darned backache kept coming back and the baby still hadn’t moved. What if something was seriously wrong?

“Unlucky?” Josh croaked, those beautiful eyes wide with disbelief.

He was still sputtering when heavy knuckles made contact with the door. Dani seized the interruption. “Who’s there?” she called.

“County sheriff,” came the answer in a deep West Texas twang.

Terror-stricken, Dani turned to Josh. “Please,” she whispered. “Please. Tell the sheriff I’m with you. Tell him—anything. Except my name.”

For one long moment, Josh gazed at her, his eyes narrow slivers of glacial ice. Then a corner of his mouth quirked and he shook his head derisively. “I never did learn to ask the right questions at the right time,” he said softly.

Dani closed her eyes to gather her strength. She was going to need it. The visitor knocked again.

“Just a minute!” Josh shouted, then lowered his voice. “I owe you my life, Dani,” he said, “but I’m an attorney. Aiding a felon is grounds for disbarment.”

“I haven’t committed any crime,” she snapped, rubbing her back.

“Then tell me why you’re hiding.”

Dani chewed her lip but she had no choice. She knew whose side the sheriff would take if he discovered her identity. This stranger was her only chance; she had to trust him. Simple but scary. She hadn’t trusted anyone since...Jimmy, who’d proven himself untrustworthy in the end.

Taking a deep breath, Dani said, “My husband was killed by a stray bullet when a fight broke out at the bar that had become his second home. His parents blamed me for his lack of ambition, his choice of friends, and his death. And now they want custody of their grandchild. I’ve refused, of course, but they’re wealthy and have contacts all over the state. Obviously I can’t even hold a job right now....”

Josh suddenly towered over her, his hands on his hips. “Sounds as if they can offer the child more than you can.”

“I’m not giving up my baby,” Dani retorted, balling her hands into fists. “I don’t care what things they can give it, this baby is mine!”

Those turquoise eyes flared into blue fire, then Josh touched her cheek gently with one fingertip. She could feel it all the way to her toes, even through the backache gripping her now like a bulldog on a bone.

“Okay, sweetheart, okay.” Josh jerked his hand away. “I guess I can perjure myself this once.” He crossed the cabin in one stride.

Pulling open the door, Josh leaned a broad shoulder against the door frame and greeted the beefy, leatherskinned man standing on the porch. “Morning, Sheriff.”

“B’lieve it is,” the man drawled, hooking his thumbs in the service belt of his khaki uniform. He looked sleepy and slow, but Dani doubted it. Law enforcement in rural counties only meant dealing with fewer people, not less complex ones.

“Name’s Lopez,” the sheriff announced, removing his wire-rimmed sunglasses and hanging them by one earpiece from his starched shirt pocket. “And you are?”

“Josh Walker...and wife.”

After a brief, searching look, Lopez said, “Quite a storm last night. Been out since dawn, checking on damage. That your car down in the creek?”

“Yes. My wife and I barely got out in time. We took refuge here last night.” Josh did his granite-jaw exhibition again. “Hope that isn’t a problem, Officer.”

The sheriff shrugged. “Real problem’s gonna be gettin’ yore vee-hicle outta that arroyo,” he drawled. “Don’t know if Vern can get his tow truck close enough to—”

Dani didn’t hear the rest. A fresh fist of pain hit her, then—a gush of warm wetness between her legs. Her knees threatened to go on strike and she blindly clutched at Josh for support.

His arm instantly wrapped around her. “Wh-what is it, Dani? What happened?”

Before she could answer, Lopez chuckled. “As the father of five, I’d say the lady’s water broke.” Pushing the brim of his Stetson up with his thumb, he addressed Dani. “You havin’ pains yet, ma’am?”

She managed to nod. “I—I guess I’ve been having them since I woke up this morning, b-but...” She bit her lip.

“But what?” Josh demanded.

His arm still crushed her against his side. Dani didn’t resist; she needed his strength right now. She wanted this baby so much, but—“Th-the pains aren’t right!”

The sheriff whipped his sunglasses out of his pocket, snapped them open with a flick of his wrist and slid them on his face, his sleepy demeanor instantly replaced by cool efficiency. “They got a clinic in No Lake. I’ll hustle on down to the car and radio the doc. You bring yore wife.”

As the sheriff spun on his heel and disappeared down the trail, Josh turned to Dani. “What do you mean, not right?” he demanded, his hands wrapped around her upper arms, his azure eyes hot and intense.

“They’re in my back, not here.” Dani’s hand covered her abdomen.

Josh’s grip eased. “My sister-in-law had back labor,” he said. “Twice. And both babies were perfect.”

This is normal. Relief dissolved the fear washing through her, and without thinking, Dani aimed a thank-you kiss at Josh’s cheek.

As her lips neared the beard-roughened surface, she caught a faint whiff of pine and a unique male scent she instinctively recognized as his. Then Josh turned his head and mouth met mouth—one warm and soft, one cool and firm. A momentary hesitation...then someone deepened the kiss. Stars exploded. Volcanoes blew apart. The earth shifted on its axis—and babies and back pains were forgotten for one eternal second while heat and passion consumed her. Someone moaned, the sound deep and throaty. Dani thrust her fingers into Josh’s thick, silky hair. He wrapped her braid around his wrist—

Reality finally intruded. I’m having a baby. Jimmy’s baby. “I—I’m sorry,” she whispered as she pulled back. “I just... Thank you for telling me about your sister-in-law.”

“Any time, lady.” Josh gave a ragged laugh as he raked shaking fingers through his hair and let out a deep breath. “Except now, that is. We’ve got places to go.”

His briskness told Dani that the errant kiss hadn’t affected him. A tendril of pain helped her ignore the desire still racing through her veins. “I n-need to get the b-baby’s things,” she said.

Josh growled. “Where?”

She pointed to a yellow quilted bag; he snatched it up. Then the darned man scooped her up, too. He carried her out of the cabin and down the path with long, swift strides, placing her in the sheriff’s car as if she were fine Austrian crystal.

He balked, however, when the sheriff ordered him into the back seat, too. “Look, I’m not—Just take her to the doctor, okay? I’ll, er, wait here.”

“You’re the reason she’s in this condition, son,” the sheriff snapped. “Seems to me, you oughta finish what you start.”

Josh scowled. Dani wasn’t his woman; her “condition” wasn’t his fault. And Carrie had never given him the chance to finish what he’d accidentally started.

Dani groaned.

Instantly, Josh was beside her in the car. “Another pain?”

She nodded, her face pinched and tight, those sensual lips pressed into a thin line.

Which left nothing to do but—“Shh,” he murmured, pulling her onto his lap. “I’m here, Dani. I won’t leave you.” He wrapped his arms around her, held her tightly against his chest. It feels right. As right as that spine-tingling kiss a minute ago.

All of which was completely wrong. Dammit, he didn’t respond like this to a woman, any woman—especially one having another man’s baby!

“Thank you for not giving me away,” Dani whispered as the sheriff eased the patrol car onto the road. “I owe you.”

Josh just snorted at that nonsense. Of their own accord, his arms tightened around her.

“I don’t mean to tell you your business, Lopez,” he snarled, “but floor it, will you? The woman’s having a baby!”

“I ain’t licensed to fly, son. We’ll get there. Don’t worry.” The damned fool slowed down then, just to go through a blind curve.

At last, they reached a town. The sheriff spun the steering wheel, then stood on the brakes and screeched to a halt in front of a metal prefab building.

“Here y’are,” he announced. “No Lake Medical Clinic. Told ya we’d get here in time.”

“Thanks, Sheriff.” Josh jerked open the car door. “I, uh, I—”

Even Lopez’s laugh had a Texas twang. “’Pology accepted, son. Best get yore wife inside now. The doc’ll take it from here. And good luck to ya.”

Josh kept his hands steady and gentle as he eased Dani out of the car, and carried her carefully up the clinic steps.

The place was deserted—except for one small, mahogany-skinned, too-damned-young man wearing a white knit shirt, nylon shorts and striped kneesocks. “Good Sunday morning to you,” he said as he directed Josh to an examining room and helped him settle Dani on the table there. “I am Dr. Ravjani, playing soccer only moments ago.”

“Josh Walker. This is Dani.” Josh watched her anxiously. Her eyes were closed again as she rode out another contraction, breathing deeply.

“Very happy to be meeting you.” Ravjani grinned as he began taking Dani’s blood pressure. “I am guessing first baby. Right?”

“Yes,” she exhorted. “But my due date isn’t for two more weeks.”

“Oh, first babies are notorious for not heeding the calendar,” the doctor said cheerfully.

When Dani offered a tentative smile in response, Josh turned to leave.

“Good idea!” Ravjani crowed, grabbing Josh’s arm. “I will help Mrs. Dani into a sterile gown while you are washing up to your elbows.” For a small man, Ravjani had a tenacious grip. Josh found himself being hustled from the room and down a hallway. “Then I will examine your wife while you are comforting her.”

Josh shook his head. Tried to free his arm. The little man’s grip tightened.

“This was not a question, Josh Walker. My nurse is barbecuing her boyfriend today, so I am needing your help.” The doctor shoved him into a tiny bathroom. “Mrs. Dani is already afraid of what she isn’t knowing. Now I am an excellent doctor, you understand, but my English—I may not be saying the comforting clichés correctly to keep her focus off the pain. I tell you—thinking about it will only make this delivery harder.” The little man shook a finger under Josh’s nose. “For the baby’s sake, you must be helping me.”

With that, Ravjani disappeared.

Well, hell. Josh reached for the soap. He’d spent six years mourning his lost baby. As he scrubbed his hands and forearms nearly raw, some scorekeeper in his head observed, Helping Dani deliver her baby will give you part of what Carrie denied you.

Besides, he owed Dani Caldwell his life. And even if he didn’t, no man worth the name turned away from a woman in need.

Josh grabbed a wad of paper towels and dried his hands as he hurried back to the examining room.

Dani gave him a smile, but—Yes, some fear lurked in those luminous green eyes. So Josh wrapped his fingers around hers. Squeezed gently. Tried to act reassuring. Probably failed. Complications worthy of a soap opera kept flashing through his head.

After Ravjani examined Dani—while Josh examined his impressive medical credentials on the wall—he assured them everything was proceeding normally. “Rest between contractions,” he advised, patting Dani’s hand. “This will be taking some time. Do not become anxious,” he added, spearing Josh with a significant look. Then he wandered off to catch up on paperwork.

A tear slid down Dani’s cheek and lingered on the edge of her full lower lip. He remembered how soft her mouth felt under his, how sweet she tasted....

“Dammit. Please, Dani—don’t cry!”

Thank heavens. A distraction. Through her own anxiety, Dani recognized the discomfort beneath Josh’s gruffness. She knew men weren’t very good with the messy parts of life; Jimmy had especially hated her tears.

And what good were they, after all? They didn’t change reality.

“You don’t need to stay,” she said, feigning nonchalance. “My husband would have been long gone by now.”

“No man would miss his kid’s birth,” Josh declared in a voice like hammered steel.

“Do you and your wife—” She gasped as a contraction hit.

“I’m not married.”

Did he think biting off the words could hide the raw anguish and grief echoing through them? Despite herself, Dani wondered at their cause.

“Quit wasting your energy,” he commanded. “I’m not leaving you.”

His deep, quiet voice offered support, like a strong pair of hands. Okay, she’d admit it: she didn’t want to face this alone. But did she dare accept this stranger’s help?

As the contraction eased, Dani gazed up into Josh’s beautiful azure eyes. She saw apprehension in their depths, but determination was there, too. This was a man, not a boy. He carried scars—that still hurt, apparently—but maybe they’d made him strong. The way disappointment had weaned her from dreams and toughened her.

Another wave of pain pulled at her. “Then make yourself useful,” she gasped. “Talk. About anything. Just—talk.”

And so, through long, draining hours and slowly escalating waves of pain, she clung to Josh’s strong, hard hand and his deep, smooth voice as he talked of his boyhood in Montana and asked about life in Lufkin.

Late in the afternoon, the contractions changed. Dani groaned, fighting the urge to push.

Josh leaped to his feet. “I’ll get Ravjani!”

“No need,” the doctor proclaimed as he bustled into the room to stand between Dani’s legs. “Ravjani is here and, ah, just in time.”

His bubbly confidence was reassuring, Dani thought hazily, even if his English was slightly fractured.

“Look, Mr. Walker,” Dr. Ravjani ordered. “Your child is arriving.”

As Dani lay panting for the few seconds she sensed were all she’d have, she watched Josh reluctantly peek over the doctor’s shoulder.

Beneath his tan, Josh’s color faded; his expression wavered between dismay and disgust. Alarmed, Dani cried, “Josh! What’s wrong?”

“Your baby is crowning, that’s all,” said Ravjani. He smirked at Dani. “Perhaps your husband is one of those large, macho men who faints at the sight of one of nature’s miracles.”

The greenish undertones to Josh’s skin turned greener. “I... It’s too—You can’t—Do something, dammit!” Had Carrie known about this...this whole appalling birth process? Was that why—

Dr. Ravjani chuckled. “I am not the one who must be doing now. Your wife must begin pushing your creation out of his comfortable home. And you are still the cheerleader, Mr. Walker.”

Begin pushing? What the hell did the idiot think she’d been doing? For hours and hours already. And there was more?

“Mr. Walker. If I ask for the tray, I am meaning that,” Ravjani barked, pointing to a shallow metal dish filled with gleaming surgical instruments. “And I am needing it quickly.”

The floor tilted. Blackness crowded the edges of Josh’s vision.

Then, like yesterday, Dani’s voice, somehow urgent and calm at the same time, cut through the darkness. “Josh. I’ll be fine. Women have been having babies for thousands of years. Just come hold my hand.”

Like yesterday, he obeyed that voice. Then following Ravjani’s instructions, Josh moved around to the head of the exam table so he could brace Dani’s back with his chest.

As he touched her, moved her braid to the side, clasped her hands, the black mist cleared. Once again, Dani had rescued him—this time from embarrassing himself.

“Push when you are ready,” the doctor told Dani.

“Aauunnh!” She bowed forward, rigid with effort.

Nothing happened. Eventually, she went limp.

“Again.”

She made another magnificent, shaking effort—her chin on her chest, her teeth gritted.

Still nothing happened, except Ravjani in that damned calm voice said, “Once more.”

Dani shook and pushed, her face white with the strain.

“Another time, please.”

“Uuhn—nah!”

“It’s a boy,” Ravjani announced happily as he lifted a red and white streaked...thing and laid it on Dani’s stomach. It scrunched up its wrinkled face and gave a little cry of protest.

“Oh, isn’t he beautiful?” Dani breathed. Beneath her fatigue radiated wonder and joy and exultation.

Disappointment closed Josh’s throat. All that agony, all that valiant effort—and this was the result? He’d never seen an uglier being. “Oh, Dani, I’m so sorry.”

Ravjani whisked the thing away. Josh cradled Dani’s head against his chest. Tried to think of something comforting to say. Got distracted by her satiny skin and the damp, silky curls that coiled around her face and over his fingers.

“There. All presentable.” Ravjani dumped a neatly wrapped bundle in his arms. “Mr. Walker, say hello to your son.”

Hesitantly, Josh looked down at the newborn infant in his arms. “Oh, Dani, you’re right,” he breathed, barely able to form the words. Well, he was busy—falling hopelessly, ecstatically, deliriously in love. “He is beautiful.” And talented. Just lying there, this tiny baby filled a man’s empty heart. Amazing.

No, a miracle. “Thank you.” Overwhelmed by the emotions coursing through him, Josh wanted to ravage Dani’s lush mouth. He settled for a light kiss on her forehead. “Oh, Dani—thank you.”

“Show your gratitude by doing housework,” the doctor suggested, plucking the precious bundle from Josh’s arms, which immediately missed the weight. “Now, little one, meet your mother.” Ravjani handed the baby to Dani.

Who smiled radiantly at...her son.

Mine, too!

Well, not technically, legally or biologically, but... Determination as implacable as forge-tempered steel formed within him. After years of icy grief and anger and anguish, by a freak twist of fate, Josh had a baby—and he wasn’t giving it up. Not yet, anyway. Only a fool wastes second chances.

Which brought him back to Carrie and the baby she’d denied him. Dammit, why hadn’t she—

...Stop picking at the scab.

Right. He had more important things to think about than the past. Like the rest of his life. The baby he’d just seen born.

And the woman who’d given him both.

When Ravjani told him to go away while “we do a little mending,” Josh went. As far as the waiting room. There, be slumped in a molded plastic chair and tried to formulate an agenda.

High on the list: concretely expressing his gratitude to Dani Caldwell. For saving his life. And giving him the most incredible, fulfilling experience of his life.

Most urgent item, though? Figure out how to get his hands on that baby again.

What are my chances of persuading Dani to let me take the baby home to Virginia? he wondered.

Of course, the baby’s mother would have to come, too.... For a moment he felt Dani’s warm, soft mouth under his again and wondered if he was playing with fire.

No, he wouldn’t be stupid enough to kiss her again. He knew better than most how to avoid getting burned.

Anyway, how tempting were a few bone-melting, earth-shattering kisses when be could hold that baby in his arms?

Sometime later, Ravjani handed Josh a list of things Dani and the baby would need, could do and should avoid. “If you wish to be a good father,” he said sternly, “you will see that these instructions are followed by the letter.”

After scanning it quickly, Josh flashed the doctor a blinding smile and thanked him for the ammunition.

Chapter Three

Dani twisted the motel showerhead and stepped under the spray. Leaning against the wall, she let the warm water sluice over her. “This is ridiculous,” she murmured.

She’d had the baby three whole days ago. How could she still be so exhausted?

And what would she have done without Josh Walker? she wondered. Without his reassurance about back labor being normal, without his deep voice encouraging her and his hard chest supporting her, lending her strength while she pushed and pushed against the wall of pain....

And afterward... I was about as energetic as a hibernating turtle.

Dani turned so the water could cascade over her hair.

Josh, on the other hand, had come striding back into the room and told her not to chew her lip off. Then he’d practically ordered the doctor to bring them here, contacted the town druggist and demanded that he not only open his store—on a Sunday evening—but personally deliver the items on the list Dr. Ravjani had given him. Arriving at the town’s only motel, he’d continued to issue commands like the crew chief in a disaster drill. A crib for the baby. Extra pillows. Meals and diapers—even a nightgown for her.

True, it was old-fashioned, macho bullying at its worst, but at the time, it was just what she needed.

When she’d tried to protest that she didn’t want to be a bother, Josh had muttered something about just playing his husband role, keeping the story straight until they left No Lake.

Dani blinked back some stupid tears. Jimmy had been the perfect prom date, a great boyfriend with whom to exchange senior rings and notes in class. But a thoughtful, dependable, supportive husband? Dani shook her head sadly.

Josh Walker, on the other hand, could give lessons! That first day, he’d helped her in and out of bed as if she was made of fine bone china. He’d brought meals to her from the café across the street. Yesterday, he’d borrowed Ravjani’s car and collected her belongings from the cabin.

He’d even helped with the baby. Which Jimmy hadn’t even wanted....

Those dumb tears threatened again, so she thought about the first time Josh had insisted on changing a diaper—his big strong hands had ripped the tape strip right off. The next attempt had fallen to the floor when Josh proudly lifted the baby to display his handiwork.

Jimmy would have stalked away then—unable to deal with failure long enough to succeed. Josh had simply flashed a wry smile, made some comment about “third time lucky” and reached for another diaper. Moments later, with a triumphant flourish, he’d handed her the securely diapered baby.

Dani sighed. Every baby should have a father, whether he did any diapering or not. Hers would only have... A mother who loves him with all her heart. A mom he can always depend on.

“That’s not so bad, is it, Michael?” she whispered into the falling water.

Michael James Caldwell. A good, strong name for a boy—and for the man he’d grow into. If she did her job.

The tears escaped and poured down her face. “Oh, stop it,” she told herself, grabbing the little bar of soap. She rubbed it over the washcloth, then doggedly spread lather over her body. “Cope, don’t mope—remember?”

Her goals for the immediate future were simple: get back her energy, care for Michael, find a job.

And repay Josh Walker. While she washed and rinsed her hair, Dani calculated that, intangibles aside, her debt to the man in the next room already exceeded her meager savings.

Still simple, if not exactly easy.

Not easy at all. After drying off and getting dressed, Dani felt as limp as unset gelatin, but managed to braid her reddish-brown mop, then checked on her sleeping son—and couldn’t help touching him in wonder. I really ought to straighten the room before lunch arrives, she thought, smiling at Michael’s cloud of pale, fine hair.

Oh, be honest—it’s Josh you’d like to impress, not a hamburger.

It was almost noon, which meant he’d soon be bringing lunch. And if Michael was awake, she’d get her meal with a gruff order to eat while he took care of the baby.

Seeing her tiny son cradled against one of Josh’s massive shoulders made her insides heat.

The kiss they’d shared seared through her again and she wished...

Crossing to the bed, Dani jerked the covers into place, then dumped the baby’s things on the bed and started reorganizing them. She would not waste her time on impossible dreams.

They weren’t very big dreams—a home, a family, she told herself for the eight millionth time. Why had Jimmy run from them? And me?

Slowly, Dani collapsed on the bed, still clutching the little snap-front shirt she’d just folded. She knew there was no answer; she was just tired. And they were my dreams, she thought sleepily, not his. Against her will, Dani’s eyes drifted closed....

Shutting the door with his hip, Josh tossed the package of diapers at a chair and dropped the food sack on the dresser. Then he shoved yesterday’s shirt aside and plopped down on the bed. After adjusting the pillows behind his head, he picked up the remote, crossed his ankles and tried to get interested in the heated discussion on television. Couldn’t. He really didn’t give a damn about spouses who dated their ex-spouse’s ex-spouse or whatever today’s theme was.

He wanted to be with his baby, who was right next door.

Leaning sideways, Josh moved aside a balled-up sock so he could see the bedside clock.

Good. Nearly noon. In a few minutes he’d stroll over to the connecting door, knock and poke his head into Dani’s room. While he asked if she was hungry yet, he’d get a glimpse of Michael.

Josh grinned at the couple crying on TV. If he was really lucky, Dani would be in the bathroom or sleeping or something and he’d get to tiptoe over to the crib. Have a few minutes to absorb more fascinating details about that darling baby. Maybe even reach down and stroke his unbelievably soft skin.

The talk show host hit a sympathetic pose for the camera. Josh curled his fingers into fists. Dammit—he needed that baby!

Sunday, while the motel manager had hunted up a crib and the doc put Dani to bed, he’d gotten almost twenty uninterrupted minutes to hold Michael. To marvel at his incredible, tiny fingers and toes.

Since then, however, the situation had deteriorated severely. Yesterday, Dani had said something about not needing to hover over them.

Hover? He’d barely been near the baby! Or her. He’d only been allowed to burp the little guy a couple of times. So far, he’d only managed to change eight or nine diapers. Just one little shirt. One!

Josh pulled off his boots and let them drop. The couple on TV turned to shout at the audience.

He needed more time with Michael.

The talk show couple embraced. The studio audience applauded. Josh scowled and began surfing through the channels. He had to convince Dani to let him take her husband’s baby to Virginia.

But how?

Persuasive argument? Bribery? Seduction?

Josh paused at a tennis match, but one of the players was positioned behind a T-shirt draped over the corner of the TV set.

Too damned dangerous. With her luminous jade-green eyes, incredible coppery hair and smooth, creamy skin, Dani Caldwell roused protective, possessive instincts in a man. And that made him vulnerable.

Josh mashed the remote once more. He refused to let another woman hurt him.

Through the sizzle of mushrooms in a sauté pan and some sappy theme music, Josh heard the softest of whimpers.

Instantly he was on his feet, flying through the connecting doorway.

The scene that met his eyes was...his worst nightmare.

Michael lay on his back in the crib, kicking his adorable little legs. Dani was sitting on her bed, short tendrils of hair writhing gloriously around her flushed cheeks, her emerald eyes glowing beneath heavy lids.

Desire streaked through him like hot lightning.

Gritting his teeth against it, Josh concentrated on the disaster: she was packing Michael’s things into that damned yellow quilted bag.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, then forced his voice to steady. “Sorry. I meant something more like ‘Are you sure you should be up? The doctor said you needed plenty of rest.”’

“I’ve been resting.” A wry smile quirked those luscious lips into a soft curve as she brushed at her hair with one hand.

Josh’s gaze went straight to her full breasts. He should have thought about mother’s milk and Michael. Instead, another jolt of pure male desire spiked through him. He wanted his own mouth nuzzling that sweet feminine flesh—

“Josh?” She was looking at him expectantly.

“You, ah, must be feeling stronger, right?”

Dani winced. Pretty blatant hint, she thought, but who can blame him? Why would he want to stick around playing nursemaid to a hick from Lufkin?

“Y-yes.” She made herself look straight into his turquoise eyes. It was safer than ogling the rest of him. And that’s what she wanted to do because—well, honestly, Josh Walker had looked sexy in wet jeans, and like a Greek statue undressed, but this... This ought to be illegal!

The white dress shirt set off his tan the way black velvet sets off priceless diamonds. He’d folded back the sleeves, too, which just emphasized his tanned, muscular forearms. And that hint of dark, crinkly hair at the open neck—Dani knew how it swirled across the broad muscular plane of his chest, then narrowed to a wedge angling downward to... Control yourself.

To expensive dark dress slacks and patterned dress socks.

Dani sighed. The man positively radiated sleek virility and mature sophistication. Of course, he wanted her out of his hair.

Well, she had no money, no transportation and no idea where to go, but she still had her pride. “I—I can be packed in twenty minutes.” And her manners. “I sure thank you, Josh, for everything you’ve done for me and Michael. If you’ll give me your address, I’ll send you the money I owe—”

“No!” Josh barked, thrusting his long, elegant fingers into his thick, golden hair. After a moment he lowered his hand and his voice. “Dammit, Dani, you’re in no shape to go anywhere. And you can forget about the money. I want to—Just let me...”

Dani turned away. That deep velvet tone made her want to accept Josh’s help, to lean on his strength.

She couldn’t allow herself to be tempted. Much as her heart might wish desperately to love again, to trust and share again, Dani couldn’t afford the risk. Her heart wasn’t hers any longer. It belonged to her son. And Michael needed it whole. “I appreciate your help, Mr. Walker, but I think it’s time for us to leave.”

He said a word Dani hoped her son never learned, then Josh’s jaw went into granite mode as he spun on his heel and headed for the connecting door. Reaching it, he stopped but didn’t turn around. “You should at least have lunch first,” he said evenly, as if nothing had upset him.

Dani stared at his rigid back. How could he just cap his feelings like that?

“And by the way,” he added just as calmly, “I saw Sheriff Lopez this morning. He wanted to know when we’d be heading home.”

“What...” She had to push the words past frozen tonsils. “What did you tell him?”

Josh turned. “I said—” Something simmered in his blue orbs, though his tone remained cool. “Well, it doesn’t matter now, does it? I should have known you’d never leave Texas.”

With a shrug, he disappeared into his room.

Dani’s knees gave way and she sank onto the bed. If the sheriff was asking questions, it was past time to move on. So get going. Make some plans, she told herself, but her mind stayed blank.

She wouldn’t contact Jimmy’s parents. She couldn’t give up her son. Not without a fight. And today, she couldn’t fight a wet kitten to a draw.

She needed more time!

Josh’s last sentence echoed in her head. Could that mean—

Dani stood and twitched her shirt into place. Right now, no possibility was too remote to consider, no action too desperate to contemplate. Of course, he probably didn’t mean anything by it, but for Michael’s sake, she’d ask.

Maybe she should redo her braid before—“Oh, just get in there and beg before you lose your nerve,” she commanded herself. Self agreed, but her feet took a little more convincing. “I’ll pay him back,” she promised. “Every penny. And I won’t cause him any trouble.”

One foot moved. The other refused. “And I won’t do anything stupid.” Like believe in fairy tales again.

Her second foot released its deathgrip on the floor.

Checking that Michael was content for the moment, she marched into Josh’s room. It looked like the aftermath of a bomb blast, she noted, but refused to let the thought divert her from her mission. Feet slowed, though, as they approached the bed where Josh sprawled. In all his tawny, masculine glory.

I must have been mistaken. But the worst he can say is no. And then I’ll—Lifting her chin, Dani addressed the howling coyote print above Josh’s head. “What did... You said something about me never leaving Texas?”

Tinny applause erupted from the TV, then Josh touched the remote control and silenced reigned. He crossed his arms over his chest before answering in that same unreadable tone, “Dr. Ravjani said you need at least six weeks of rest. I’m willing to—” His jaw turned to titanium this time. “To see that you get it, but I have a life, too. And it’s not in Texas.”

Surging hope asked a dumb question. “Wh-where is it?” She didn’t care if it was on the moon, as long as it was far from the Caldwells’ influence.

“Fallsboro, Virginia. That’s about thirty miles from Washington, D.C.”

And plenty of miles from Lufkin. Dani chewed her lip. “And you...you’re willing to take me and Michael with you? For six weeks?”

Instead of responding right away, Josh tucked his hands further out of sight under his arms and gazed around the room. “Yes,” he said finally. “I was going to offer you...a place to stay until you’ve gotten your strength back.”

“Did... What changed your mind?”

Josh’s eyes glowed like faceted aquamarines in full sun as they found her face. “Nothing.”

Dani licked suddenly dry lips. He was offering her the one thing she needed: time.

But she wasn’t a naive kid any longer who believed in fairy god-hunks and wishes coming true. “Why?”

Which wasn’t no. Josh clenched his hands tighter against his sides. If he moved a single muscle, he’d do something explosive to release the tension coiling inside like a mad rattlesnake. He couldn’t afford to frighten her. Not now. Not this close.

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