He opened the door to the May day, expecting to see a friend.

When he saw Brenna McDougall, his heart skipped at least one beat and his chest tightened.

Suddenly he realized she wasn’t alone. She was carrying a baby!

Riley’s military training served him well as he stood straight and stoic while his head spun and he calculated the fact that the infant looked to be about six weeks old. Six weeks old.

Keep your head on straight. Listen to her before you make a giant leap to the wrong conclusion.

“Hi, Riley,” Brenna said brightly. Then her confidence seemed to fade. “Maybe I should have called first, but I thought this was the best way to do it.”

“Do what?” He was proud his voice remained even as he remembered their fifteen-year high school reunion, their passionate night in his bed, then her departure without a word or a goodbye or a note.

“I had a baby. Derek is … your son.”

Dear Reader,

A man and a baby.

What can draw out a man’s tender side more completely than his child? I remember when our son was around three, my husband took him for a walk in our backyard. They crouched beside a rosebush and my husband let him smell the rose. I even shot a photo of it. It’s a tender moment I’ll always remember.

As a former marine, my hero, Riley, is usually a tough guy. But his stirred-up feelings for Brenna and his infant son change him. I hope you enjoy reading about his journey into fatherhood and his realization that since high school, Brenna has been the love of his life.

All my best,

Karen Rose Smith

About the Author

KAREN ROSE SMITH is the award-winning, bestselling novelist of seventy-nine published romances. Her latest series, THE REUNION BRIDES, is set near Flagstaff, Arizona, in Miners Bluff, the fictional town she created. After visiting Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon and Sedona, the scenery was so awe-inspiring that she knew she had to set books there. When not writing, she likes to garden, growing herbs, vegetables and flowers. She lives with her husband—her college sweetheart—and their two cats in Pennsylvania. Readers may e-mail her through her website, www.karenrosesmith.com, follow her on Facebook or Twitter @karenrosesmith or write to her at PO Box 1545, Hanover, PA 17331, USA.

Riley’s
Baby Boy
Karen Rose Smith

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To DeSales Sterner—

a wonderful mother, grandmother, sister and friend.

We love you.

Chapter One

The first knock on Riley O’Rourke’s door was hesitant.

The second was stronger.

Riley opened the door to the May day, expecting to see a friend. Family never knocked when they visited his house in the woods. They barged in. However, when he saw Brenna McDougall, his heart skipped at least one beat and his chest tightened because …

She was holding a baby!

Riley’s marine training was the only thing keeping him standing while his head spun. The infant looked to be about six weeks old. Six weeks old.

Keep your head on straight. Listen to her before you make a giant leap to the wrong conclusion.

“Hi, Riley,” Brenna said brightly. Then her confidence seemed to fade. “Maybe I should have called first, but I thought this was the best way to do it.”

“Do what?” He was proud his voice remained even as he remembered their fifteenth-year high school reunion, their passionate night in his bed, then her departure without a word or a goodbye or a note.

“I had a baby. Derek is … your son.”

Seeing Brenna again had knocked him for a loop, but her statement of his paternity felt like a sucker punch.

A former marine, he never lost his composure—not in the field, not in his post-military life. Raking his fingers through the black hair that had grown out over the past year, he recovered quickly. Yet he couldn’t take his gaze off of the little boy in Brenna’s arms.

“I guess you’d better come in,” he said, wishing he’d taken a shower, wishing he and Brenna didn’t have a past between them full of regrets.

Brenna held on to Derek as if he was the most precious bundle on earth. She rubbed her cheek against the baby’s and murmured something soft … something Riley didn’t understand.

“He’s just waking up,” she explained. “He was so good on the plane. And he fell asleep again on the drive from Flagstaff to Miners Bluff. I came straight here.”

Another surprise. Why hadn’t she driven to her parents’ first? After all, Brenna was the obedient, loyal daughter. Okay. He was still cynical about that.

Although she’d been in his house the night of their reunion last summer, her gaze wandered over it as if she were seeing it for the first time. One word could describe his place—comfortable. After living in the desert, in barracks, huts and bunkers, he’d wanted comfortable as well as enough furniture to seat a good portion of his family. With his dad, two brothers and a sister who sometimes dropped in unexpectedly, he needed a place for them to land.

With Derek in her arms Brenna turned around, assessing the long sofa and Western-patterned earth tones, the native-stone hearth, the recliner. There were two cushy chairs angled to watch the large-screen TV. Outside the dining area’s sliding glass doors, she could glimpse a patio with its brick wall and outdoor fireplace.

Still, Riley wasn’t concerned about her opinion of his house.

Anger created a slow burn through his blood. “Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?”

When she looked up at him with her sea-green eyes and pushed her long blond hair over her shoulder in a nervous gesture that had been a habit since high school, he almost forgot to listen.

“It’s complicated.”

“It’s complicated?” he snapped. When he realized his voice was a little too rough with a baby present, even though that baby had his blue eyes, he vowed to stay calm.

His gruffness didn’t seem to intimidate Brenna. After she stole a glance at him, she went to sit on the long sofa, settling the baby, who was dressed in a blue-and-white-striped onesie, in the crook of her arm. Derek waved his arms and smiled, if a six-week-old could smile. Brenna obviously thought he could because she smiled back and tickled his tummy.

But her smile slid away as her gaze met Riley’s. “I couldn’t get back to Miners Bluff before now.”

“Cell phone service might be a little spotty out here, but I do have a landline. I’m listed in the Miners Bluff directory.”

She ran her thumb over the embroidered puppy on Derek’s outfit. “I needed time, Riley, to figure out what I wanted to do. I was in the middle of designing a new bridal gown collection. I had orders for custom gowns. I had a show in March and then I went into labor early—”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “So?”

“So … I just didn’t know how I was going to handle all of it … any of it … you.”

“You wanted to handle me?”

Now her temper flared. “You know what I mean. I live in New York. You live here. I didn’t know how you’d feel about me being pregnant. It wasn’t as if we … we …”

“Picked up where we left off the summer after high school?”

“The night of the reunion, we knew we were having a fling for old times’ sake.”

Old times’ sake. She’d hit that nail on its proverbial head.

The night of the reunion they’d fallen into the past and hadn’t cared about the future. But now here she was, sitting on his sofa with his son.

His son.

Some of the shock was wearing off now, and as he approached the sofa and sat beside Brenna, the scent of her perfume, the curves of her body, the glossiness of her blond hair aroused him, just as they had when they’d danced the night of the reunion.

He steeled himself against the attraction that had begun when they were teenagers. “Can I hold him?”

Her eyes widened as if she hadn’t expected that. A reluctance seemed to come over her and he wondered what that was about. If he didn’t put her at ease, she could walk out that door and fly back to New York.

“I won’t drop him,” he said, with his own attempt at a smile, although it didn’t come easy. “Whenever I was home on leave, I handled my brothers’ and sister’s kids.”

Brenna smoothed Derek’s wavy black hair, then lifted him, warning, “You have to support his head.”

“I know.”

Those two words, I know, had an underlying message. As their gazes met, video flashed through his mind of himself and Brenna exploring each other. Their cravings when they were teenagers had defied their families’ hostility. Rebellion and defiance at work?

How stupid they’d been as teenagers. How reckless as adults.

As he took his son into his arms, Riley’s heart almost stopped. A protective urge he’d never felt before washed over him as he supported Derek’s head and then cradled his son in his arms.

He was a father!

Or was he? He had to ask the question, especially since Brenna had said she’d gone into labor early.

“Are you sure he’s mine?”

There was a look on Brenna’s face that he couldn’t decipher. He wasn’t sure if it was indignation or hurt. When she blinked, it disappeared and she lifted her chin. He knew that gesture. She was going to defend herself for all she was worth.

“I gave birth to Derek two weeks before my due date. I haven’t slept with anyone but you for a very long time.”

A very long time. Exactly what did she mean by that? Months? A year? Two? And why not? Brenna was even more beautiful now than she’d been in high school, with long golden hair, green eyes, a face that could have rivaled Helen of Troy’s. Oh, Lord, he was turning poetic. Brenna had always done that to him and he’d felt like a fool because of it. Yet as he sat next to her, realized her breasts were a little fuller, her hips a little rounder, an instinctive primal reaction he’d always had to her threatened to override any good thoughts or sense.

“But if you want a DNA test, no problem.” She glanced at him again and then added, “Maybe you don’t want a DNA test. Maybe you don’t want any part of …” She took a breath then motioned to her son. “Derek.”

Brenna had come from money, was beautiful, intelligent and always self-assured. But today there was an air of uncertainty about her. Because she hadn’t known what his reaction would be?

“I haven’t heard the roof blow off your parents’ house. Did you tell them who you think the father is?”

“I don’t think. I know.” She reached over and touched Derek’s little hand. Her arm grazed his and the awareness between them was instantaneous and potent, as it had been from the beginning.

His gaze drifted from her eyes to the pulse at her throat and it was fluttering rapidly. So was his. He waited.

“They don’t know about Derek.”

Riley felt suddenly confused. “They don’t know he’s a boy? They don’t know you’ve had him? They don’t know I’m the father?”

“All of the above.” Her voice faltered and he saw that she was tired from the trip and filled with anxiety.

“You didn’t tell them you were pregnant? How could they not know? Didn’t you see them at Christmas?” After all, the McDougalls were a close-knit family. They celebrated holidays. They kept traditions. They did everything right. Except Angus McDougall wasn’t always so right when it came to business.

“I didn’t really start showing until my sixth month. When they came to New York for Christmas, I wore heavy sweaters. They didn’t notice and I didn’t let on.”

“Because?” he prompted.

“Because I didn’t want any interference. When I left Miners Bluff, it was for a reason. You know that. I had trunk shows planned for winter and a collection to get out.”

“Trunk shows?”

He hadn’t been able to keep the real amusement from his voice. She gave in and shot him a half-smile. That smile was like a kick to the gut.

“I bring other designers’ gowns into my store and they show mine. It’s a great sales tool.”

She’d learned all about sales from wandering after her father in his department store downtown. The idea of that department store and of what Angus McDougall had done to his father could always make Riley see red.

As if Brenna knew that and didn’t want to get in to it, she hurried on. “I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, if I was going to come back here.”

“If you were going to tell me?”

Derek suddenly became restless, fretful, and Riley knew his son had probably caught that edge of anger in his voice. Careful once again to support the baby’s head, Riley picked him up, his hand practically spanning from Derek’s hair to midway down his back. He spoke to him softly and then nestled him in his arm once again. The baby quieted under his care.

“You’re good with him.” Brenna seemed really surprised.

“Brenna, you’re going to have to start trusting me.” He saw the look in her eyes that said she didn’t, the look that told him old insecurities die hard. She’d never really known if he’d dated her and bedded her in high school to get revenge on her father. It might have started that way, but in the end, he’d been tied up in knots over her. And what had she done? She’d been loyal to her family and she’d left.

How could they ever raise a child together when they didn’t trust each other?

“Trust goes two ways, Riley,” she said. “We’ll get that DNA test.”

“I know a good pediatrician my sister uses. I can probably make an appointment for tomorrow.”

“Next day maybe?”

He was about to make a comment about postponing the inevitable when she held up her hand. “I don’t think I can face my parents tonight. I called The Purple Pansy Bed and Breakfast and Mikala’s aunt, Anna Conti, has a suite free. I’m going to take Derek there for tonight. I’ll go to see my parents in the morning.” Mikala had been one of their high school classmates.

“Wait a minute.” Riley held the baby a little tighter. “You just got here. I don’t know how long you’re going to stay, and I deserve a chance to be with my son. You don’t even have the supplies you need, do you? Diapers? Formula?”

“I packed enough diapers and I’m breastfeeding. I do have some formula, too. I came prepared.”

Brenna was that type, usually always prepared. He could see how that would be a good trait as a mom. “All right, so you have what you need. But I need time with him. Stay here tonight until we figure things out.”

She went completely still and he could see she was trying to gauge his level of sincerity. “You want to change diapers, too?”

“That’s part of being a dad, isn’t it?”

“It is, though a part a lot of parents like to skip.”

“Some parents skip out altogether. We both know that. That’s not going to happen here.” There was a very good reason he didn’t trust women. His mother had left Miners Bluff for the “good” life. Essentially Brenna had done the same. She wouldn’t go public with what they’d felt when they were young. She wouldn’t defy her parents and admit her feelings about him. She’d felt leaving was better than staying. He wondered if she knew that’s what had eventually led to him joining the marines.

This time, without any hesitation at all, she reached over and touched his thigh. Her fingers on his skin were a searing heat. “Riley, I didn’t mean to suggest—”

To his relief, Derek started fussing again. This time he was grateful and didn’t croon or rock. He wasn’t going to revisit his broken-up family life with Brenna. He wasn’t going to let her touch turn him inside out.

When she reached for Derek, Riley let her lift the baby from his arms to walk with him.

He was gripped by longing he didn’t begin to understand. He rose to his feet and with his best military voice, asked, “So will you stay here tonight? Stay here while you’re in Miners Bluff?”

Brenna seemed to weigh all of her options. Finally she responded, “I’ll stay tonight, then we’ll go from there.”

One night. He had one night to convince her he could be a proper father … one night to convince her he wasn’t and would never be like his dad.

Brenna had just finished fastening Derek’s diaper, when a tingle ran up her spine. Keeping one hand on Derek, she glanced over her shoulder and there was Riley, all tall and brawny and broad-shouldered … watching her. She felt hotter than she should have for May in Miners Bluff.

He came into the room and she saw he was carrying what looked to be a dresser drawer.

“What’s that?” She was still nervous about coming, still uncertain she’d done the right thing. The bad feelings between her family and Riley’s had caused their breakup in the past and could complicate their decisions now.

“Derek needs a bed. You can’t just put him beside you and roll over on him.”

“I would never—” She stopped, seeing the glint of humor in Riley’s eyes. He was trying to lighten the situation and she really did appreciate that. Why she was questioning her decision to come here, she didn’t know. Her life had been full of decisions. Leaving Riley had been heartbreaking, but it had been the right decision. Her career had been solid. One bad decision still haunted her, though. She’d become romantically involved with the wrong man—Thad Johnson—and had ended up emotionally bruised. But Thad had taught her men couldn’t be trusted … not any more than Riley, whose motives had always been in question.

“For a bed, it’s kind of hard, don’t you think?” she asked, trying to forget the past … at least, for the moment.

“Oh ye of little faith,” Riley said with a shake of his head. “Just watch.”

When he exited the room again, she watched all right. She watched the straightness of his spine and the play of his muscles under his T-shirt. His jeans fit him really well. She knew what he looked like without those jeans. That was the problem with staying here.

By the time she’d scooped Derek off the bed, Riley had returned with an armful of linens. First he took what looked like a mattress pad and folded it in half. Next he tucked a sheet around it and smoothed it out in the drawer, ensuring the surface was tight.

“What do you think?”

With Derek on her shoulder, she crossed to his side of the bed and stood next to him. Way too close, she decided, but that’s where the drawer was so she had no choice.

She pushed down on the makeshift mattress. “You’re inventive.”

“I was a marine.”

He hadn’t said much about being in the service, but at the reunion, she’d heard chatter before he’d arrived about his tours of duty, about his Purple Heart and Bronze Star. As they’d danced he’d explained about how he’d become Clay Sullivan’s partner in his wilderness guided tour business, about how he was glad to be home with his family. But their conversation hadn’t delved deeper than the surface of their lives. His dad had been an alcoholic. Had that changed?

She’d never really gotten to know Riley’s brothers and sister because their high school affair had been a secret. That summer after their high school graduation, Riley had wanted to go public with their relationship. But her dad and Riley’s dad had felt nothing but bitterness toward each other. She’d been torn by her feelings for Riley and her desire to leave Miners Bluff and become the independent woman she wanted to be—by her sense of loyalty to her family and her love for Riley.

Family and independence had won and she’d gone to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York with her heart aching, her appetite gone, her nights filled with dreams of Riley and what they’d had. Yet she doubted what they’d had, too. Had Riley really fallen for her? Or had he just wanted revenge on her father for what her father had done to his?

“Did you learn to cook in the marines?” He’d made them a quick supper of grilled burgers, oven fries and fresh green beans.

“I learned almost everything I know as an adult in the marines.”

That sentence carried a lot of weight and she wasn’t going to ignore its importance. She patted Derek’s back as she rocked back and forth a little, more for her sake than his.

“When did you enlist?”

“The November after we graduated.”

“What made you decide? You’d never mentioned wanting to serve.”

He smoothed the padding in the drawer again, straightened, looking uneasy. “It’s not important.”

“It changed the course of your life and made you who you are. I think it is.”

“I got into trouble.”

That wouldn’t have been the first time Riley had been in trouble. Before she’d met him, before she’d dated him, she’d known he was wild. Liam O’Rourke’s kids had never had restrictions, and Riley had taken advantage of that. Sure, after his mom had left, he’d had to help with his brothers and his sister. But when he wasn’t doing that, he was raising Cain. She’d been told to stay away from him for more than one reason. But this raven-haired bad boy, with eyes as blue as the winter sky, had been temptation personified when he’d seemed interested in her.

He and some friends had been caught stealing another school’s mascot. He’d also been caught binge drinking with those same buddies in a neighbor’s barn.

“This time it was worse than school suspension,” he admitted finally, guessing what she was thinking. “I had a few beers. I drove Dad’s truck and crashed it into a fire hydrant.”

He’d had no plans for the future when they’d dated. He’d had no goals as she’d had. “What happened?”

“My case was assigned to a judge who did more than look at me as a number. He told me to shape up or die young. He advised me to visit the offices of recruiters. He told me if they accepted me and I signed up, he’d forget the fire hydrant and the damages. So I signed up.”

“You were a marine until last year?”

“Until a few months before the reunion. Since I’m skilled at computer intel, I did consulting work when I got back. But I was looking for something different. When I heard Clay was searching for a partner, guiding work seemed perfect. And it is. I know this area as well as he does and my training just adds skills that I can use when I take tours fishing or riding out to Horsethief Canyon or rock climbing near Sedona. The marines made me a man of many talents.”

“I don’t think it was just the marines. You must have been willing to learn.”

Their gazes connected and something like old feelings zipped between them. Not only old feelings—an attraction that had lasted over fifteen years. How could that possibly be?

“What time do you turn in?” he asked, his voice gruff.

“Soon. I’m beat. Traveling with a little one can be a bit exhausting.” She gave Derek a tiny kiss on his ear. “I didn’t know what I was going to do if he’d cried on the plane. But he only fussed a little and no one seemed to mind. There’s just so much paraphernalia to bring along with a baby.”

Riley glanced at the stack of diapers tipping out of her suitcase, at the box of powdered formula on her dresser, at all the little outfits and booties that were toppling over on the bedroom chair.

“Did you fit in any of your clothes?”

She laughed. “A few. I figured I could pick up something here. It was more important I had everything I needed for Derek, just in case I got stuck in an airport or stalled in a car or something. Being a mom has changed the way I think about everything.”

She saw the questions in Riley’s eyes but she didn’t have any answers.

He must have known that because he hefted up the drawer, took it to the side of the bed nearest the wall and set it on the floor. “Is that going to be all right?”

“It will be fine. He’ll sleep for me in his car seat, but this is good until I can buy a portable crib tomorrow.”

“I have a bath attached to my bedroom so feel free to use the hall bathroom. It has a shower.”

“I know.”

His cheeks grew a little ruddy and she knew he was just making conversation, trying to dispel awkwardness between them. But it was there and nothing they could say would change that. They’d broken up as teenagers, had a one night stand as adults, and now here they were … with a baby. How much more awkward could it get?

She knew she shouldn’t ask.

Suddenly more tired from the long day than she’d wanted to admit, she sank down onto the bed holding her son close.

Abruptly Riley said, “I’m going out for a run.”

“In the dark?”

“I was a marine,” he said again.

She suspected he just didn’t want to be in the house with her. “I’ll see you in the morning then. I’m going to drive to my parents’ after breakfast.”

He was silent for a few moments, then offered, “If you need anything during the night … for the baby—” He added quickly, “Just give a yell. I’m a light sleeper.”

A light sleeper? He hadn’t awakened the night of the reunion when she’d slipped out of his bed, dressed and driven away. But she didn’t bring that up. She didn’t ask him why he’d slept so soundly after they’d made love.

But they hadn’t made love. They’d had sex, and she’d better remember that.

When Riley left the room, she closed her eyes and held her baby even closer.

Chapter Two

Brenna shouldn’t be nervous. She really shouldn’t. After all, these were her parents. They’d loved her, given her anything they could and protected her. She and her dad had a particularly special bond for reasons she’d never confided in Riley. When she was little, her dad had literally saved her life. However, she’d run from her parents’ protection to find out if she could stand on her own. Now here she was, with Riley beside her, standing at their door, hoping her father didn’t blow a gasket.

“Are you sure you want to come in with me? You don’t have to,” she told him.

“Brenna, this is my son. I’m not going to let your father dictate what’s going to happen next.”

“Do you think I can’t stand up to him?”

Riley just gave her a look that said it all. She hadn’t before. She’d forgotten about him and what they’d had in order to be loyal to her family. Maybe if she’d revealed the reasons for some of that loyalty … But she’d been afraid he wouldn’t understand so she’d kept those thoughts and feelings to herself. She hadn’t wanted to give him ammunition he could use to hurt her or her dad.

She snuggled Derek close to her shoulder, not wanting him to be a pawn, not wanting anything negative ever to touch him. In that moment, she realized why her parents had so fiercely wanted to protect her.

Riley had insisted on coming along and she’d let him. He had rights, too, and maybe she was afraid her father would steamroll her. He’d done it all her life until she’d decided to leave.

“Can you promise me you won’t lose your temper?” she asked, worried. Riley’s bitterness toward her father had never ebbed. She could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice. It was simple, really. Her father had made a decision that had cost Liam O’Rourke his restaurant, his wife and his sobriety. But in defense of her father, he’d made a business decision. Rumors Liam had spread about her dad afterward had damaged her dad’s reputation. It had been an ugly situation for both families.

Brenna realized no one understood her father as she and her mother did. She knew details about his childhood her parents had never wanted her to know. She’d been about twelve when she’d overheard a conversation about how her dad’s own father had physically abused him. Maybe that’s one of the reasons her dad had always tried to give her the best life possible … had showered her with every advantage he could manage.

When the gray-haired housekeeper who had been handling household details for the past twenty-five years opened the door and saw Brenna, she burst into a grin. “Miss Brenna! How wonderful to see you. And who’s this you’re holding?”

Then Miriam caught sight of Riley just a step behind her. Her mouth rounded in a huge O as she recognized him.

“Are my parents home?” Since it was early, she was hoping her father hadn’t left for the department store yet, or her mother for errands.

“Your parents are having breakfast. Are they expecting you?” Miriam again gave Riley a look up and down as if surprised by the idea they might be. The McDougalls didn’t associate with the O’Rourkes.

“Actually, this is a surprise,” Brenna responded with high energy. “We’re just going to go right in. You don’t have to announce us.”

Before Miriam could object, Brenna glanced over her shoulder at Riley for the go-ahead, passed the housekeeper, strolled through the beautiful marble-floored foyer and into the dining room where her father had a paper propped in front of his face. Her mother was sipping a cup of coffee catty-corner from him at the mahogany dining room table.

Brenna’s mother looked up when she heard footsteps, but her father kept his eyes on his newspaper. Her mother’s green eyes, so like Brenna’s own, rounded in astonishment. She was a tall, slim woman with ash-blond hair that she kept perfectly maintained. Her makeup was always impeccable, too, but now her astonishment caused wrinkles on her forehead and around her eyes as she quickly pushed back her chair and hurried around the table.

“Oh my gosh, Brenna. Why didn’t you tell us you were coming? And who’s this little one?” Then she looked up at Riley. “And why is he here?”

Brenna transferred Derek to Riley to give her mother a hug. Her father folded his paper, laid it on the table and glanced up. His gaze first targeted Riley … then the baby … then Brenna. He slowly and stiffly stood, assessing the situation.

“You always call before you come,” he said gruffly. “You’ve never brought a baby before and you certainly never brought him. What’s going on, Brenna?”

A chill went up Brenna’s spine at the disapproval in her father’s voice. She felt her cheeks flush and she wanted to grab for Derek again. But she knew her son was better off in Riley’s arms. It made a point. It made a statement—one that her father obviously understood even before she explained.

“I didn’t call first because I wasn’t sure exactly when I could get away. I also wanted to tell you my news in person, not over the phone.” She reached for Derek again and Riley transferred the baby back to her. When she brushed her finger along his cheek, she was filled with that overwhelming love that had to spill over.

Her eyes met Riley’s and she almost shook from the charge that ran through her body. They had intimate knowledge of each other and that was potent. Then she turned to face her parents.

“Mom and Dad, this is your grandson, Derek. Riley is his father.”

Her mother gasped. Her father seemed to freeze before her eyes. His battle with hair loss had been going on for years. He was shorter than Riley, about five-ten, but he was husky and Brenna had always felt safe when he hugged her. She’d always felt safe because he could protect her. She’d always felt safe because he would give his life for her and she knew it.

Mainly, Riley didn’t know the story behind that because they’d tried to not discuss their parents.

“Oh my,” her mother said weakly, as if it were all too much for her. But then she rallied. “Why don’t we go into the living room and talk. Unless you’d like some breakfast? Miriam could make you scrambled eggs, toast, pancakes, anything you’d like.” She couldn’t seem to take her gaze from Derek.

Her father was still frozen, but his face was turning red.

“We ate before we came,” Brenna responded to keep the conversation going. “Derek had us up early, so we went with his schedule.”

Afraid her father might have a coronary, she watched him closely. He blew out a draft of air and his color receded a bit. His voice was steely when he said, “I can’t believe you didn’t tell us you were pregnant. And to bring him here. You know how we feel about him and his family. You’re flaunting it in our face. What were you thinking?”

Brenna’s throat grew thick as she saw the disappointment and betrayal on her father’s face.

Her dad picked up steam and his voice grew louder. “Babies change your life. This one’s surely going to change yours. How do you expect to keep the hours you do, the nonstop schedule, the traveling for the custom appointments? Are you going to tell me this was planned, Brenna? Did you and …” He stopped a moment, “Did you and O’Rourke want this to happen? Out of anybody in the whole world you could have chosen to have a baby with, I don’t understand why you chose him.”

This meeting would set the tone for everything that would happen from now on between her, Riley and her parents. And Derek would be in the thick of it. She had to stand her ground and somehow convince her parents that she knew what was best for their grandson or there would be constant bickering and arguing and her dad would try to cut Riley out of Derek’s life.

When Riley took a step closer to her as if to support her effort, she bumped her elbow against his for the contact. “Dad, isn’t it time you put any hard feelings you have to rest? What happened years ago shouldn’t still keep affecting us now. Can’t we move on?”

“What do you want to move on to, Brenna? O’Rourke?” Her father snorted as if that idea was beneath them all. He shook his head. “Why didn’t you tell us about your pregnancy at Christmas when we came to New York?”

Just why hadn’t she? “Riley didn’t know yet. I didn’t think it was right that you knew if he didn’t. I also needed time to get used to the idea of being pregnant, to figure out how it fit in with my career, to decide whether I wanted to move back to Miners Bluff.”

At that bit of news Riley gave her a sharp glance.

She quickly went on. “I decided I don’t want to move back here. My life is in New York now—my business, my friends, everything. That’s where I want to raise Derek. I knew you’d want to convince me to come back. I suspected Riley would, too. I had to be able to withstand the pressure and know exactly what I wanted. So I waited.”

Her father wasn’t pleased with that explanation. His scowl cut even deeper. “So exactly why are you here, Brenna? To tell us you had a baby and you’re going back to New York?”

She stepped closer to her father. “Daddy, I’m here to introduce you to your grandson. I want to stay awhile so you can get to know each other. And the same is true for Riley. He deserved to meet his son.”

Looking as if he wanted to argue with her, her dad obviously wasn’t giving Riley any standing … in his mind or in his house.

“Do you have your things with you?” he asked curtly. “We can move you into your old room, pull out your old cradle. You can have everything you need—”

“Mr. McDougall, that’s not going to happen.”

For the first time Riley broke the silence and Brenna heard the hard determination in his voice. His military demeanor was obvious in the straightness of his posture. He didn’t look ruffled or disturbed. He was just standing firm.

“What do you mean that’s not going to happen?” her dad demanded hotly. “She’s my daughter. This is my grandson. She needs a place where she’ll be comfortable and have everything she needs. This is her home.”

Brenna’s mom came up beside him and put her hand on his arm. He went quiet.

Riley didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t have to. Everything about him shouted controlled power. “What you say is true. Brenna and Derek need to be comfortable and have what they need. They will at my house. I’d like Brenna to stay with me while she’s here. We have a lot to settle. Under the same roof we can’t ignore the important questions. I’m going to get to know Derek and take care of him the way a father should.”

Brenna’s mother intervened in the highly charged atmosphere. “Brenna, what do you want to do? Stay with Riley? Or stay with us?”

Caught off guard by the question, Brenna knew she had to do what was best for Derek.

“Derek needs to know his dad, and Riley and I have details to iron out on how we’re going to manage parenting from two different sides of the country.”

When her father began to protest, she assured him, “Don’t worry, Daddy. I promise you’ll get to see Derek while I’m here. I rented a car and you’re only ten minutes away from Riley’s. I’m going to be working while I’m in Miners Bluff, but I’ll make sure you can see Derek as often as you want. I know this is a huge shock, but I hope a happy shock. I love this little boy with all my heart. I’m going to always try to do what’s best for him like you did for me.” Her gaze met her dad’s and held. “So if I make a decision you don’t agree with, please try to keep that in mind.”

“You made a decision I don’t agree with, all right,” her father muttered. “Just when did this happen?”

“Daddy!” Brenna was shocked that he’d ask this way.

“Angus, that’s none of our business,” his wife murmured.

“It was the night of the reunion, wasn’t it?” her dad decided. “You two got tangled up in talking about the past and—”

Riley cut in. “Mr. McDougall, what happened between Brenna and me is our business, not yours.”

Brenna had been about to say something like that, only not exactly in that way. Maybe not as bluntly. But she could easily see Riley wasn’t going to back down. She admired that but she also knew his attitude would make everything harder. She knew how to negotiate with her dad. Riley didn’t.

Brenna’s mom must have sensed the same thing because she came over to her daughter and broke the direction of the conversation. “Can I hold him?”

“Of course you can hold him.”

Her mother took Derek and gazed down at him with a grandmother’s love. “I guess you wouldn’t think about leaving him with us now.”

“I just got in last evening, Mom. Riley wants to spend some time with him and we also have to shop and buy supplies for him while I’m here. I’m breastfeeding for now so it’s better if Derek stays with me.”

Her mother looked deflated.

“I’m going to try using a bottle with him soon, though. I promise, I’ll bring him over for a few hours after we’re settled in.”

After her mother held Derek a few more minutes, she reluctantly handed him back. “Are you sure you can’t stay for breakfast … or something?”

“I think it’s better if we leave now, Mom.”

After a few more minutes of small talk where Riley became remote and her dad scowled, her mother said, “I’ll walk you to the door.”

Riley walked a few paces ahead.

Brenna’s mother came up to her left shoulder and said in a low voice, “Don’t hesitate to come back here if anything gets too hard. Some men don’t like babies around. Riley can think he wants to be a dad, but doing it is something else. This is your home, honey. Always remember that.”

“I will.”

She was sure Riley had overheard her mom.

Once outside he turned to her. “I’m going to be a dad, Brenna. Don’t doubt that. Whatever I don’t know how to do, I’ll learn. And as far as liking having babies around, I like my son already. That won’t be a problem.”

“Riley, she just wants me to know—”

“That you can come running home. I get that. I get it all too well.”

Then he walked to the SUV and opened the back door, ready to put Derek in his car seat. Brenna guessed he was ready to do whatever was necessary to claim his son. That scared her.

When they returned to Riley’s house, Brenna was rattled. She concentrated on Derek—changing him, feeding him, rocking him to sleep. Riley didn’t peek his head in to find out what she was doing. She heard him on the phone, though, his deep baritone carrying as he made an appointment for their DNA test the following day.

She knew why she felt shaken up. It was starting all over again, that torn-apart feeling. She loved her parents and they loved her, and she’d always tried to be the loyal daughter. She’d given up Riley back then, partly because of them, partly because she hadn’t known what to do. Now she understood that they wanted to spend time with their grandson, which was only natural. She wanted them to. She’d like nothing better than to have one big happy family. But she could still see the bitterness and resentment in Riley’s eyes when he looked at her dad, his standoffishness toward her mom. She could easily see her parents’ reaction to Riley, even though they didn’t know the man he’d become.

And here she was, staying in enemy camp.

With Derek asleep, Brenna went to look for Riley. They had to buy supplies. She found him in the kitchen, standing in front of the open refrigerator peering inside. Actually he seemed to be staring into space, but what did she know?

“Is he asleep?” Riley asked, closing the door without pulling anything out.

“Yes, he is. He’s really such a good baby.”

“I didn’t know if you needed help, but I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Did that mean he didn’t want to see her breastfeeding?

“You wouldn’t have disturbed us. Thanks for thinking about my need for privacy, but I don’t mind if you see. I mean, I cover up.”

The nerve in Riley’s jaw worked. She wondered what he was thinking, but she didn’t find out because he raked his hand through his hair and asked, “Grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch?”

“Grilled cheese is fine. I think I saw some carrots in there. That will take care of my vegetable. I’m going to need to go shopping this afternoon for everything I need for Derek.”

He eyed her with sudden intense concentration. “Do you want to do that alone, or do you want me to come along?”

“You’re welcome to come along.”

“That’s not what I asked. Do you want me to come along?”

Nothing had ever been easy between them. “If I buy a crib, I could probably use your help to get it in and out of my car. Handling Derek along with supplies—”

Suddenly Riley was there, right in front of her, close enough to touch. “Do you want me to come along?” he drawled slowly. “Anyone can lift a crib in and out of a car. I’m sure the store would be glad to have someone carry everything for you, especially if you go to McDougall’s.”

Of course she would go to McDougall’s for the crib. That was one reason she thought Riley might opt out of this.

“Do you want to set foot in McDougall’s?”

Riley blew out a breath. “No, I don’t want to set foot in McDougall’s. My family has gone the whole way to Flagstaff to avoid buying anything from your father’s store. But I will go there to pick out a crib for my son, or anything else he needs. And I want to make something clear, Brenna. I’m paying for it.”

“Riley—”

He clasped her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. “I will provide for him, especially when we’re buying things he’s going to use in my house. So don’t argue with me.”

This was the Riley she’d known in high school, the stubborn, sometimes defiant, boy who was determined to get his own way. She had to choose her battles carefully. She knew pride was as important to the O’Rourkes as it was to the McDougalls.

“If you want to pay for the crib, that’s fine. But I’ll pay for the diapers and—”

As his hand left her shoulder and came up to stroke her hair away from her face, she lost every thought in her head. No man’s touch had ever affected her the way Riley’s had. His blue eyes didn’t waver from hers … didn’t give her any room for escape.

“Having you under my roof is damn difficult,” he muttered. “I remember the last time you were here, our clothes scattered on the living room floor, down the hall to the bedroom. I remember the way you wrapped your arms and legs around me—”

“Riley …” She wasn’t sure if saying his name was meant to warn him or encourage him. He must have taken it as encouragement because suddenly his hands slipped under her hair. Then he was holding her still, bending his head, kissing her hard.

Nothing about Riley O’Rourke was soft—not his attitude, not his sense of purpose, not the muscles in his shoulders or in his arms or in the rest of his body. Riley defined the word male and she’d always found that fact tempting and seductive and something she couldn’t resist. She found herself sinking into him, responding to the desire she tasted in his kiss. She took his tongue into her mouth and let him explore, let him teach her again what passion was all about.

Passion. Chemistry. Sex. That had never been their problem.

Trust was.

Breaking away, she took a few steps back, wrapped her arms around herself and caught her breath. She could not trust Riley to put her best interests or Derek’s first. Deep down, she still believed …

“What are you thinking?” he asked, his voice gruff as if the kiss had shaken him up, too.

“We can’t let that happen. We can’t! I have to keep Derek in mind. He could unite our families, or he could be a pawn between them.”

“Do you think I’d use him?”

“I don’t know,” she said honestly.

For a moment he looked as if he were going to erupt. But then he shook his head, took a walk across the kitchen and then back to her again. “You’re the one who left, Brenna. You’re the one who walked away when I wanted to go public and tell everybody you were my girlfriend. So why won’t you trust me?”

“Because I’ll never know if you started an affair with me in high school because you really wanted me, or because you wanted to get back at my father.”

Riley went completely still, and she could see defensive pride sliding over him once more. “If we’re going to be Derek’s parents, if we’re going to make decisions about him together and decide what’s best for his life, we have to figure out a way to trust each other.”

“That could take some time,” she pointed out.

The tension in the kitchen was thick enough to grab and break in two. The snap and crackle of their attraction was like a force field surrounding them. She’d always felt drawn to Riley and now was no exception. But she knew she couldn’t give in to that need to be held. She couldn’t give in to the desire to let him kiss her. Not if she wanted to keep a clear head. Not if she wanted to make the right decisions for her and her son.

“I have to think of Derek first.”

He must have seen that she meant it. He must have seen that everything was about their baby.

Rubbing his hand over his face, he decided, “We’re going to pick out everything Derek needs together.” Then he opened the refrigerator again, pulled out cheese and a quart of milk. “Let’s eat lunch. We’re both going to have to keep our strength up for whatever happens next.”

Did he mean possibly running into her father? Or did he mean living under the same roof with her?

Brenna sat in Riley’s guest bedroom and checked the alarm clock. It was after midnight and it wasn’t Derek’s soft baby sounds that were keeping her awake. She loved hearing those. She loved putting her hand on his little heart, making sure it was beating. No, what was keeping her awake was the way the whole afternoon had played out. Riley really didn’t trust her any more than she trusted him. When he’d made that appointment with the pediatrician for tomorrow, she had to ask herself—did he really think she’d slept around? Did he really think she’d gone home to New York after the reunion and slept with someone else?

He was already acting like a dad, so maybe he did believe Derek was his. After they’d gotten home with all the supplies, and Derek had been fussy because he was overtired, Riley had taken him into his arms, rocked him, walked him, talked to him like a dad would. Every time he did, her heart broke a little bit because she’d be going back to New York and he’d be staying here. They hadn’t talked about that in detail yet. That would be a humdinger of a conversation. It would be a few weeks until the DNA results came back, so maybe they’d put off the discussion until then.

With the windows open Brenna heard night sounds she’d forgotten. She was used to lights and sirens blaring, and horns honking and trucks rumbling even at night. She wasn’t used to the silence any more, the call of the owls, the rustling of branches, the sometimes utter stillness. Scents of sage and pine drifted in the window as she heard Riley moving about in his room, heard the creak of his bed, the sound of the light switching on and off. Was he as restless as she was?

Maybe a bowl of cereal would help. That is, if Riley had cereal. She could always just have a glass of milk. The small crib on wheels they’d bought was set up beside the bed now. A mobile dangled on one side. She stood by it, looking down at her sleeping son. He was practically her whole world. Overnight she’d gone from a self-absorbed career woman to a mom. Derek had changed everything about her life.

But the career woman in her still had a to-do list. She’d have to check in with her store manager tomorrow, then with her fabric supplier, not to mention her PR consultant.

Time to get that cereal, she decided, stopping the racing thoughts.

Rubbing her hand in a full circle over Derek’s back, she finally left him and went to the kitchen.

After opening two of the upper cupboards, she found what she was looking for and she had to smile. This was the same kind of cereal Riley liked in high school—sweet and sticky. Old times were the best times? Maybe that was true for her and Riley.

She was pouring cereal into a bowl when he entered the kitchen. She looked up and her breath practically stopped. He was shirtless and the waist button of his jeans was unsnapped. She couldn’t seem to pull her gaze from all that black hair running a route down his chest.

“Want some company?” he asked.

“Can’t sleep, either?” she might as well just ask.

“My head’s too full of everything that’s going on, about Derek and things I should do for him.”

“And about me being under your roof? My parents not liking that idea one little bit?”

When he approached her and stopped right beside her, she wished she’d stayed in her room. He was all man, all temptation, all Riley, and he was close enough to touch.

“Having you under my roof is keeping me awake, too. Add that to your list.” Desire was in his eyes and she could feel an answering response to it in her belly. So he wouldn’t see it, she turned away, went to the refrigerator and pulled out the milk.

“You’re running, Brenna.”

“I’m not running. I’m turning away from what shouldn’t happen. I’m getting a midnight snack. Do you want one or not?” She knew she was being defensive and that she wasn’t handling the attraction between them very well. But she had to put some kind of barrier between them or they wouldn’t only tumble into bed, they’d tumble into heartache.

He caught her arm and she stopped moving. Gazing up into his so-blue eyes, she felt her resistance melting away, and that wasn’t good.

“Exactly how long are you going to stay in Miners Bluff?”

So that’s what was bothering him. “A month. I have to get back to be ready for my fall show.”

He looked somewhat relieved as if he’d expected her to say she’d be leaving at the end of the week.

She asked a question that had been in her mind all afternoon. “When are you going to tell your dad and the rest of your family about Derek?”

“I have to figure out the best way to do it.”

“Best way?”

“My father’s sober now. He has been for the past five years. I don’t want to do anything that’s going to rock that boat.”

“My father never meant to destroy your dad’s life. You’ve got to know that.”

He appeared to measure his words carefully as he said, “No, I don’t know that. I know your father was a ruthless businessman. All he cared about was expanding his department store. When my dad couldn’t pay rent to him, your father took advantage of that. He stepped right in, and kicked him out.”

“It was a business decision!”

Now Riley’s composure cracked a little as bitterness seeped out. “Maybe he should have looked behind the business of it. My dad was already sinking financially and that made sure he sank. Then my mom didn’t stick around because she was tired of four kids pulling on her, tired of hardly making ends meet, tired of being with a man who couldn’t get back on his feet. After she left, Jack Daniels became Dad’s best friend. Sometimes, I swear, he didn’t even know we were around. If I hadn’t worked at the grocery store and gotten day-old bread and expired meat, I’m not sure what would have happened.”

Brenna had never known that things were that bad for the O’Rourkes. Oh, yes, she’d known her father had pushed Liam O’Rourke out of the restaurant so he could expand his department store. But she’d never known the rest.

“Riley, I’m sorry. I never knew. Even in high school, you never said.”

“Back then, I was afraid of your opinion. I was afraid of anyone’s opinion. The O’Rourkes stood on their own. They made do. They got by. Now we’re all on our feet, even Dad. I don’t want to do anything that might make him pick up that bottle again.”

Maybe so. But Riley was forgetting something. “We went to my father’s department store together and stopped for gas. Tomorrow we’re going to the pediatrician. You know Miners Bluff. If your dad doesn’t hear it from you, he’s going to hear it from someone else very soon.”

Riley’s gaze told her he’d already thought of that, and he was worried about it.

Brenna stepped back to the cupboard and took out another cereal bowl, but Riley shook his head.

“Never mind. I think I’m going to go outside on the porch for a bit. Enjoy your snack.”

She wanted to tell him he needed a shirt. She wanted to tell him the temperature had dipped like it always did at night here. But she didn’t get the chance to tell him anything because he left the kitchen and went out the front door.

Riley still didn’t want her pity. He still had his pride. He’d rather be cold than sit in the kitchen with her.

That thought tightened her throat.

Chapter Three

On Saturday morning Derek suckled as Brenna sat in the wooden rocker in her room. She rocked back and forth before the sun was up, wondering if there was any new mother in the world who wasn’t sleep deprived. Not that she minded. She knew these moments with her child in her arms were precious because he was already growing fast. After all, she’d read all the baby books. Before long he’d be rolling over, sitting up, standing, crawling. She didn’t want to think about all of that. She just wanted to enjoy Derek in her arms.

However, rocking couldn’t prevent her from thinking about yesterday and the appointment with the pediatrician. She’d held Derek while the doctor swabbed the inside of his cheek and hers. Then she’d left the room with her son, knowing Riley was having his cheek swabbed, too.

She hoped just having the DNA test done would convince Riley he could trust her. Whenever they were in the same room, they didn’t seem to know how to act!

After the appointment she’d taken Derek to visit with her mom for a few hours but her father had been at the store. She wanted to find her way somehow to a new father-daughter relationship better than the one she’d had since she’d left home.

Sounds suddenly broke the early morning quiet. Riley was up and about. Why? It was only 5:00 a.m. She heard the shower running and did her best not to imagine him under it. Then she heard drawers opening and closing. She’d been hoping to catch a few more hours of sleep. Instead, however, after she burped Derek and laid him back in his crib, she belted a robe tightly around her, opened her door wider and stepped out into the hall where shadows were thick and dark.

When Riley’s door opened, he emerged, startling her. He took one look at her in her robe and frowned. “Problem?”

“No problem,” she was quick to assure him. “I was feeding Derek and I heard you. What are you doing up?”

“Clay’s coming by to pick up some gear. He’s taking over my tour this morning so I can stay with you.”

“There’s no need for you to do that. I’m fine here with Derek on my own.”

Riley took a step closer to her, maybe to see her better in the dim light that was glowing from his room into the hall. “This house is in the middle of nowhere. That’s fine for me. But for you and the baby, I’m not so sure. I was supposed to take a group on a trail ride this morning and a tour out to Feather Peak tomorrow. If I do that, I’ll be out of cell phone contact.”

“You can’t hover, Riley.” She gave him a dark look and he knew exactly what that meant. Her parents had hovered all her life and she hadn’t liked it one bit. It was one of the reasons she’d left.

His frown turned into a scowl. He looked as sexy as ever, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, all muscles and fitness and virility. So much for not thinking about the night they’d spent together. It would be so easy to fall for him all over again, and she couldn’t let that happen. She didn’t want her heart broken. She knew exactly how Riley felt about marriage and couldn’t forget the heartbreak from when she’d left before.

He was looking at her as if he’d like to unbelt her robe. He was looking at her with protective instincts that made her feel safe, yet seemed to threaten her at the same time. She didn’t want to think about him as safe because nothing about Riley O’Rourke was secure.

Her independence was a cloak she wore easily and she wrapped it around herself now and stood up to him. “I’m a capable woman, Riley. I know I have a new baby, and who knows what can happen? But my parents are only a short drive away if I need anybody. You can’t stop your life because of me and Derek. I wouldn’t want you to.”

Eyeing her warily, maybe not sure she meant what she was saying, he took another step closer. Riley within kissing or touching distance was not a good thing. But she didn’t back away.

“Did you get much sleep?” he asked, suddenly changing the subject.

“Some,” she answered cautiously.

“You know, if you’d let me give Derek a bottle you could get more sleep.”

“And you’d get less.”

“Fifty-fifty. Isn’t that what parenting is about?”

She wasn’t sure how to answer that one. Yes, she wanted her son to know his father. But they had different lives, lived in different places, and she didn’t know how they were going to settle that.

“I’ll start using a bottle with Derek some of the time. If you want to feed him, you can.”

“I’d like that.” His voice had gone all low and husky and she heard the emotion in it, something Riley usually hid. Was it the idea of taking care of his son? Experiences he’d had that had shown him how precious life could be?

As quickly as he’d taken a step toward her, he took a step back.

“All right,” he said, going back to their earlier conversation. “I’ll call Clay and tell him I’m taking out the tours. But today I’ll be back by 1:00. I need to call my family and let the fallout begin.”

She’d watched him pace at times yesterday, pick up his phone and then put it down. He had a lot more family than she did, so there would be many more judgments to combat. No wonder he’d waited until he knew what he wanted to say … and do.

“I’ll be here,” she said softly. “While Derek sleeps, I need to work.”

“Work as in—”

“New sketches, new designs, phone calls. I have good people working for me, but they still need to consult with me.”

He nodded as if he understood. Then as if he couldn’t help himself, he reached out and touched her cheek. “Go back to bed. You have blue smudges under your eyes.”

Abruptly he turned away and headed for the kitchen.

As Brenna returned to her room, she knew she was probably going to have blue smudges for the next few months. Who did Riley see when he looked at her? The girl he’d known? Or the woman she’d become?

It really didn’t matter … because nothing had changed between them. On the other hand, everything had.

Riley was supposed to meet the tourists he’d be leading on a trail ride at the Rocky D ranch. Zack Decker guided a few horses into the corral to choose from—a pretty gray-spotted appaloosa, a bay, a chestnut, and Riley’s favorite, Silver Star, a beautiful pewter-gray gelding who was as reliable as he was durable. He was Riley’s pick every time.

Zack grinned at him as Riley strode up to the horse and gave him his hand to smell.

Silver whinnied a greeting.

Riley gave him a “hey, boy,” and stroked his neck.

“What’s on for this morning?” Zack asked.

“Three businessmen who decided to take a vacation together and come West.”

“Do you think they know how to ride?” Zack asked with wry sarcasm.

“They say they’ve had some experience. But trail riding in the foothills of Moonshadow Mountain is a heck of a lot different than riding on groomed lanes outside a big city. So we’ll see.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to ride out and be back by lunch?”

“It’ll be tight, but we should do okay. I really don’t want it to go long.”

As Zack walked around Silver and checked the lead on another horse’s nose, he said, “You usually don’t care if the trail ride goes all day.”

“The men are driving to Flagstaff and have a meeting about hiking down the Grand Canyon.”

“What’s the but?” Zack asked bluntly.

Zack never beat around the bush. As a movie producer and director as well as co-manager of the Rocky D with his wife Jenny, he could put his thumb right on the pertinent point even when you didn’t want him to. Riley knew Brenna’s presence in town wouldn’t be quiet forever. He was going to put in that call to his father when he got back and meet with him later today.

But for the meantime there would be no harm in telling Zack because he’d become more than a former classmate—he’d become a loyal friend.

“I had a surprise the other day.”

“Good surprise or bad surprise?” Zack asked, propping a foot on the bottom rung of the fence, tilting his Stetson back with his other hand.

“Brenna McDougall returned to Miners Bluff and ended up on my doorstep.”

“I heard you were talking at the reunion and left together. Family feud over?”

“Hell, no. But … I didn’t tell you why she came back.”

“If she was on your doorstep, then it was to see you.”

“Did you take a class in deductive theory?”

“Get on with it, O’Rourke. You want to tell me something. You know you do. You’re just having trouble doing it.”

Riley sighed, gazed off into the distance where pines and aspen, larch and laurel gave the Rocky D its special charm. “Have you ever done anything foolish, Zack? So foolish it changed the rest of your life?”

“Not speaking to my father for all those years was foolish. Not convincing Jenny to go with me out of high school was foolish. Holding grudges for too long without knowing the real reason behind them was foolish. So, yeah, I’ve done foolish things.” Zack had reconciled with his father Silas and had married Jenny less than a year ago. He sure seemed happy.

But Riley didn’t believe in marriage. He’d been too hurt by his parents. He didn’t believe two people could make promises that would last forever. His mother couldn’t stand the heat and she’d gotten out of the kitchen. His mother’s abandonment of her family had driven his dad to the bottle. Liam O’Rourke had never gotten over loving his wife and not being loved in return. Those difficult years had had a profound effect on Riley.

And if Brenna hadn’t been able to stand by Riley during the tough times, had she ever really loved him?

He had to admit when he saw Zack and Jenny together, they looked at each other as if they were each other’s worlds. He realized the same was true for Clay Sullivan and his wife, Celeste, who had also reunited after the reunion, as well as Mikala Conti and Dawson Barrett who had been classmates and were now expecting a baby. But besides his own parents’ divorce and that of his brother Patrick, he’d seen his sister lose a husband she’d loved.

The bottom-line truth was all of that plus Riley’s tours of service had affected him deeply. He didn’t want to be tied down. He wanted room to roam and that prevented romantic entanglements from going any further. Still …

Whenever he thought of Derek, he thought about a life built around his son. He just couldn’t envision it yet.

“Brenna knocked on my door and when I opened it she was holding my baby,” he blurted out.

Zack didn’t react at first. Then he asked with that perception Riley didn’t know if he admired or hated, “This happened the night of the reunion?”

“Yeah.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“I’m a dad. I’m going to act like a dad.”

“She has her picture in magazines, doesn’t she? Jenna told me she’s a well-known bridal gown designer. Mikala wore one of her gowns for her wedding.”

“Seriously?”

“Dawson told her whatever she wanted and that’s what she wanted. Small wedding, really nice gown. Not that I noticed much, with Jenny in a dress Brenna designed, too.”

“Yeah, she’s famous—in New York, anyway, maybe in L.A. We haven’t gotten into it.”

“Well, you’d better. I imagine her life is as busy as life could get.” Zack shook his head. “How did you ever get involved with her again? Your families will never see eye-to-eye.”

“Not even over a grandson?”

After a moment of letting that question sit, Zack asked, “So, what’s his name?”

“His name’s Derek.”

“Don’t think Derek is going to solve all your problems. Especially not the ones between you and Brenna.”

“How do you know we have problems?”

“You hooked up the night of the reunion. She went back to New York and you were here. Did you have contact with her afterward?”

“No,” Riley said tersely.

“Like I said, problems. What are you going to do?”

“Let it play out a little. Then I have to decide if I’m ready to make any changes. Derek is important to me, Zack. More important than anything ever has been.”

“Then you’ll figure it out.”

The sound of a Suburban’s engine signaled the arrival of Riley’s businessmen. This morning he was going to try to forget about Brenna and Derek. He was going to focus on the trail and his clients and appreciating everything this beautiful country had to offer.

Riley turned into the lane leading to his house. A quarter of a mile and a curve later he saw the truck parked in his driveway and he stomped on the accelerator, leaving a rooster tail of gravel behind him. His father’s truck. His dad was in his house with Brenna and the baby. He could only imagine what might be going on in there.

Leaving his trail gear exactly where it was, not even grabbing his hat, he climbed out of the vehicle, slammed the door and rushed up the front walk. After he pushed open the door and stepped inside … he froze.

Brenna was hovering by the sofa, looking worried. His father was sitting on the couch, holding Derek carefully in the crook of his arm. He’d been running his finger over his grandson’s chin when Riley opened the door.

Now he stopped and turned toward his son. “Just when were you going to tell me about this?” he demanded.

Riley hated the fact that this had happened to Brenna, that she’d had to deal with his dad all on her own. He just wished he knew what she’d said and how she’d explained it all. He just wished he’d picked up the phone yesterday.

Brenna looked upset, maybe a little tense, but not angry. Another woman in this spot might have been furious this had happened to her.

Score another point for Brenna.

“Brenna just arrived a few days ago,” Riley said, knowing that was a lame explanation. He felt grimy, as if he’d ridden through a dust bowl—and he practically had.

His father shifted Derek a little, still looking down at him. Then he turned his attention to Riley again. “Brenna told me the two of you told her parents and then you went to the doc to get a DNA test yesterday.”

Riley’s gaze shot to hers.

She gave a little shrug.

“You don’t think you’re the dad?” Liam asked, now staring straight at him.

Riley stroked his hand down over his face. “This is private business between me and Brenna.”

His father studied him. “Maybe. Maybe not. Tell me when you were planning to notify me I had a grandson.”

“Today, Pop. I was going to call you when I got back from a trail ride this morning.”

Liam looked at Riley for a long moment and then nodded. “You don’t lie. I know that. I just feel a little … out of the loop. Do your brothers and sister know?”

“They will now,” Riley muttered.

“Mr. O’Rourke, can I get you something to drink?” Brenna asked. “I have iced tea, soda—”

Again Liam looked at Riley, giving him a half smile, as if to say, She’s acting as mistress of the house. Riley was a little surprised at that, too, but maybe she just wanted to escape the room. Maybe she was really angry but not showing it. Maybe a lot of things.

“Do you have any coffee?” Liam asked. “I’m working the supper shift and will be at the restaurant till late. Some caffeine roaring through my veins would be great.”

“Is the coffee in the canister, Riley?” Brenna asked.

“You don’t drink coffee?” Liam asked.

“Not while I’m breastfeeding.”

Liam had black hair shot with silver, blue eyes and a ruddy complexion that just grew ruddier. “I see. Never thought of that. I admire women who put their baby’s welfare first.”

Riley and Brenna both knew exactly why that was. Shawna O’Rourke hadn’t had the fortitude, or the compassion, or the love a mother should have for her children, to stay.

His father shifted toward Brenna now. “So, what did your parents have to say? I’ll bet your dad popped a blood vessel.”

To Riley’s relief, Brenna retained her composure. “I’ve been living in New York ever since I left after high school, so I’m on my own. I make my own decisions, Mr. O’Rourke. Now I don’t depend on my parents for anything. Not even their opinion of what I should or shouldn’t do.”

“But you did once.”

“Yes, I did.”

“I knew you and Riley were an item, even if they didn’t. But Riley wanted to keep it a secret, so I pretended I didn’t know. My gut tells me Miners Bluff was just a little too small for you.”

“I wanted a career Miners Bluff couldn’t give me.”

“And you got it. Do you think your life’s a lot different than it would have been if you’d stayed?”

“Pop! Stop with the questions,” Riley erupted.

“I’m just trying to figure out what’s happening now. How are you going to be a father to your son when he’s in New York and you’re here?”

That was the question they were all asking.

“I’ll get that coffee.” Brenna didn’t move right away. Rather, she went to Derek first to make sure he was safe in Liam’s arms.

“I held four kids at one time or another,” he assured her. “I never dropped one of them. And I’m sober. Have been for five years.”

“I didn’t mean to suggest anything otherwise. He’s just so small. Even when Riley holds him, I feel I want to put a safety net underneath him.”

His dad chuckled at that and really looked at Brenna. “We didn’t get to know each other when you were in high school.”

“No, sir. We didn’t.”

“You really are an honest woman, aren’t you?”

“I hope so. I picked up a box of cookies that aren’t home-baked, but they’re good. Be right back.”

Riley couldn’t look away from her for a couple of moments. She’d tied her hair back in a ponytail. She was wearing jeans and a beaded T-shirt. Her belted waist showed her slimness. Her legs were long and curvy. Her feet were bare.

While his father played with Derek’s fingers and toes, Riley followed Brenna to the kitchen. At the doorway, he lowered his voice. “I never expected this to happen.”

“When your dad first arrived, he was throwing questions at me. He was really upset, Riley.”

Riley studied her face, so temptingly pretty. “And what about you?”

She looked up at him, her gaze hiding nothing. “I’m okay.”

Riley sighed. “Best laid plans. I shouldn’t have waited. So why didn’t you just make small talk until I got here? Geez, Brenna, telling him about the DNA test.”

“Do you know your father?”

There was a note in her tone that warned him to be cautious. “I probably know him better than anyone. Why?”

She practically whispered, “Your father asked me detailed questions. What time I got in on Wednesday. What we did that night, then yesterday. ‘Oh, you went to the doctor’s. Just to get him checked?’ Was I supposed to lie? He would have seen it. He’s a great lie detector. I can tell.”

Riley almost smiled at that. “We all used to think that, before he started the heavy drinking. Now that he’s not drinking again, I guess you could say he’s more perceptive.”

“Yes, well, he guessed it wasn’t just a regular doctor’s appointment, so I had to tell him the truth.”

“You’re an open book,” Riley said, meaning it as a compliment.

But she shook her head. “No, I’m not. Not anymore.”

“You got hurt?”

“Oh, I got hurt.”

The idea of Brenna hurt disturbed something deep in Riley. He dropped his arm around her shoulder and guided her deeper into the kitchen. “Come on, let’s give him a little alone time with his grandson. I doubt if he’s going to get much of that. As soon as Shannon knows, she’ll be here wanting to hold him, too.”

“And how about your brothers?”

Riley’s expression must have hinted at trouble there.

“Tell me.”

“There’s nothing to tell. I don’t know how they’ll feel.”

“But you have an inkling.”

“We’re the O’Rourkes. You’re the McDougalls. My brothers consider our two families to have a feud going on. So I don’t know what will happen when they hear.”

After Riley found the coffee, Brenna quickly made a pot. As the coffee brewed, the two of them just stared at each other, wondering what came next. When Brenna finally asked if he had a tray, he looked at her as if she were crazy.

“A tray, Riley, to carry in his mug and some sugar and creamer. Surely there’s something like that somewhere.”

They looked and looked until she found a flat platter that would suffice. When she carried it out to Liam and set it on the coffee table, he looked at it as if it were foreign. “Just the mug would have been fine.”

“Do you take cream or sugar?”

“Just a spot of cream.”

She’d laid a spoon on the tray, too. “Would you like me to take Derek now?”

“I get it. You don’t trust me holding him with a cup of coffee in my other hand.”

“I think he needs to be changed and then maybe a little nap. He gets cranky when he doesn’t get enough sleep. Sort of like your son.”

Liam practically roared at that, his first real laugh. “So you know that about him, do you?”

“I haven’t been around him for a while, but I do remember that. You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like. I can wheel his crib in here if you’d like to watch him sleep.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Liam asked.

“Sure. Babies sleep so much of the time at this age. If you want to capture their expressions and just be around them, it’s easier that way.”

“You’ve been around babies a lot?”

“Oh, no. But I have read a lot of articles, blogs and books. They all help.”

“Is there anything in your books about a situation like this, where one side of the family thinks the other side of the family sucks?”

“All right, Dad. We’re not going to get into it. I don’t want you all riled up.”

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