Walker smiled that gorgeous grin and Maddie’s knees felt weak

They weakened more as his eyes traveled over her.

“Do you know how good you look?”

“I just put on warm clothes.”

“They’re certainly warming me up.”

She thumbed toward the fireplace. “It’s the fire.”

“Not unless it has blue, blue eyes, a curvy body and blond hair.”

They stared at each other for a long moment. Almost in slow motion his hand circled her neck and pulled her forward. His lips touched hers tentatively at first and then the warmth of the room, the warmth of each other engulfed them.

Dear Reader,

When I was asked to write what Harlequin novels mean to me, I was happy to do so. Back in the sixties I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and had a hard time dealing with the drastic changes in my life. A friend gave me a box of Harlequin books. I was hooked. Whatever I was going through, I could open a Harlequin novel and lose myself in happy ever after. It didn’t take away the pain, but the books made me feel better, made me believe in love and happiness.

After reading so many books, my family encouraged me to write one. I thought they were crazy. But the more I thought about it the more I liked the idea of giving someone else that special gift of feeling better just by reading the written word. It was a dream. No way could it come true for a country girl from Smetana, Texas. But with hard work and perseverance my dream became a reality. I’m working on my twenty-fifth book, and it is the greatest feeling in the world. Thank you, Harlequin, and happy 60th anniversary from all of us who dare to dream.

With love and thanks,

Linda Warren

P.S. It makes my day to hear from readers. You can e-mail me at Lw1508@aol.com or write me at P.O. Box 5182, Bryan, TX 77805 or visit my Web site at www.lindawarren.net or www.myspace.com/authorlindawarren. Your letters will be answered.

Madison’s Children
Linda Warren

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award-winning, bestselling author Linda Warren has written twenty-four books for Harlequin Superromance and Harlequin American Romance. She grew up in the farming and ranching community of Smetana, Texas, the only girl in a family of boys. She loves to write about Texas, and from time to time scenes and characters from her childhood show up in her books. Linda lives in College Station, Texas, not far from her birthplace, with her husband, Billy, and a menagerie of wild animals, from Canada geese to bobcats. Visit her Web site at www.lindawarren.net.

A special thanks to Kim Lenz for going above and beyond in sharing her hometown of Milano, Texas.

And Melinda Siegert for explaining a nervous stomach.

And Susan Robertson for bringing me up to speed on all things little boys. And to Luke for answering pesky questions.

And Lara Chapman for kindly offering information on Giddings, Texas.

And Naomi Giroux, RN, for graciously sharing her knowledge of ovarian cancer.

Also, The American Cancer Society for their invaluable information.

All errors are strictly mine.

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to the wonderful editors at

Harlequin Books who have influenced my work and my

life. With the sale of my first book in 1999, I had the

good fortune to work with Paula Eykelhof, Executive

Editor, who guided me through the new-author nervous

jitters with patience, kindness and skill. She is, to me,

the very best example of an editor.

And Kathleen Scheibling, Senior Editor, Harlequin

American Romance. My good luck held when Kathleen

was appointed my editor. She follows in Paula’s

footsteps with her talent, insight and understanding.

She’s an exceptional editor,

and makes my writing life a joy.

Also, Wanda Ottewell, Senior Editor, Harlequin

Superromance. I was nervous when I first met Wanda,

but her warmth and friendliness put me at ease.

A true Harlequin editor.

Thank you, ladies, and happy anniversary!

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

EPILOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

SOMETHING ABOUT BEING the good sister made Madison Belle want to be bad.

Very bad.

She laughed at the thought, the sound snatched away by the late November breeze. Hunching low, she kneed her horse, Sadie, on, faster and faster as they flew over hills and valleys, slicing effortlessly through the wind. They cantered into the barn, the chill nipping at her bare nape above her Carhartt jacket. But it felt great. She was alive and enjoying every minute.

As she jerked Sadie’s reins to stop, the horse reared her head, prancing, wanting to keep running. Maddie patted her neck. “Whoa, gal, we’re home.”

Maddie’s heart pounded from the exhilarating ride, and she took a moment to catch her breath. The barn was quiet, and the scent of alfalfa, leather and dust tickled her nose. Swinging her right leg over the back of Sadie, she dismounted. Her knees almost buckled and she had to grab the saddle. Darn!

Her sister Cait didn’t tell her that staying in the saddle most of the day made your butt numb and exhausted your muscles. She wasn’t that much of a city girl, was she?

Begrudgingly, she admitted she was. She’d been raised in Philadelphia by her mother. Summers and holidays she’d spent with her father, Dane Belle, on the High Five ranch in Texas. Dane had three daughters, all by separate wives.

Caitlyn, the oldest, had always lived on the ranch because her mother had passed away when Cait was born. Skylar, the youngest, was raised by her mother in Kentucky. Every year the sisters looked forward to their summers together.

Madison was the predictable middle child. Her sisters knew what she was going to do before she did it. Easy, compassionate Maddie—the consummate Goody Two-shoes. Even if she wanted to be different, Maddie knew she’d never change.

She undid the saddle cinch, took hold of the saddle and threw it over a sawhorse. The muscles tightened in her arms and she smiled. Oh, yeah. She was getting stronger. When Caitlyn had called her sisters home to face a financial crisis, Maddie had been skin and bones. Now she was healthy again, or she prayed she was.

After the crisis had been settled, she’d planned to return to Philadelphia. But she’d found peace here at High Five and her grandmother needed her.

Caitlyn had married the man of her dreams and moved to the neighboring Southern Cross ranch. They needed someone to run High Five. Maddie didn’t know a lot about ranching, but she was happy to stay and take over the reins.

Removing her worn felt hat, she placed it on the saddle horn and tucked stray blond hairs behind her ears. After the chemo, she’d lost all her hair. It was growing back now even thicker than before. It was long enough to pull back into a ponytail, although her hair had a way of working loose by the end of the day.

Three years and she was cancer-free, but to save her life the surgeon had taken everything that mattered to her—the ability to have a child.

The ache around her heart pulsed for a moment. She allowed herself to feel the pain, and then she let it go. It was an exercise she’d practiced many times.

Rubbing her horse’s face, she said, “Ready for some feed, ol’ gal?” The horse nuzzled her with a neigh, and Maddie relaxed in the comfort of something warm and real.

Cooper, the foreman, said the horse wasn’t worth much, but with her speckled gray coat, black mane and tail, Sadie looked beautiful to Maddie. Soon she learned that with a little coaxing Sadie could fly like the wind. Finding the good in Sadie was something she never let Cooper forget. She firmly believed there was good in everyone—no matter how flawed.

She led Sadie into the corral and removed her bridle. Cooper had put out sweet feed earlier. Sadie trotted to the trough, knowing exactly where it was.

With a sigh, Maddie turned back to the barn, looking forward to soaking in a hot bath. Her muscles screamed for it. So did her aching feet. Her arches were still getting used to living in cowboy boots.

As she secured the bridle on a hook, she heard a noise. It sounded like a sneeze. Looking around, she didn’t see anyone. The open-concept barn had a dirt floor; horse stalls were on the left with stacks of hay on the end, saddles and tack on the right with a supply room. A hay loft with more bales was above—a place where she and her sisters had played many times. The big double doors opened on one end to the corral and the other to the ranch.

It must be the old tomcat that lived in the loft, making the barn his home. Then she spotted the feet barely visible under a horse stall door—two sets of sneakers, one trimmed in pink. They certainly didn’t belong to ol’ Tom.

What…?

Mystified, she walked over and opened the door. There stood two wide-eyed young girls. One was blonde and about ten, and she had a small boy at least three or four cradled on her hip. His face was buried in her neck. The other girl had dark hair and was older, maybe fifteen or sixteen, and she was very pregnant. They all wore jeans and heavy Windbreakers. Maddie was at a loss for words for a full thirty seconds. This certainly wasn’t predictable.

She cleared her throat. “What are you doing hiding in the stall?”

“We’re not hiding,” the younger girl replied in a defensive tone, “we’re waiting for someone.”

“Who?”

“Brian Harper,” the older girl said.

Maddie frowned. “There’s no one here by that name.”

“He works for Ms. Belle.”

“You mean Caitlyn?”

The girl nodded.

“Caitlyn doesn’t live here anymore. She married Judd Calhoun and lives on the Southern Cross.”

The girl’s face fell. “She still owns this ranch, doesn’t she?”

“Yes. She’s part-owner with our sister, Skylar, and me.”

The girl made a sucking lemon type face. “Who are you?”

Maddie didn’t feel she had to keep answering questions, but the worry in the girl’s eyes swayed her. “I’m Madison Belle.” Her glance swept over the trio. “What are your names?”

“I’m Ginny,” the girl responded readily. “And this is Haley and Georgie.”

The boy raised his head. “I’m Georgie.”

“Shh, Georgie.” Haley cradled the boy closer against her. Even with the winter clothes, Maddie could see the girl was very thin, and she didn’t seem to have the strength to keep holding the boy.

“I wanna go home,” Georgie wailed.

“Shh.” Haley stroked his back.

Maddie watched this with a sense of trepidation. Something was very wrong, and she decided to get to the bottom of what the kids were doing here. They surely had parents, and those parents had to be worried.

“Why do you want to see Brian Harper?”

Ginny rested her hands over her swollen stomach in a protective gesture. “He said if I ever needed anything, he’d help me.”

“And we need money to buy bus tickets to Lubbock,” Haley added. “My mom lives there and we have to see her.”

“Mama,” Georgie mumbled.

Maddie listened carefully, but none of it made any sense to her. “So basically you’re running away. I assume you have family in High Cotton.”

“That’s none of your business,” Haley spat in a defensive tone.

Maddie lifted an eyebrow. “You made it my business by hiding in my barn.”

Before the kids could form a reply, the pounding of hooves caught their attention. Cooper Yates and Rufus Johns rode in and dismounted. The cow dogs, Boots, Booger and Bo, followed. Rufus began to unsaddle and feed the horses, seeming oblivious to the kids. But that was Rufus. He spoke very little and minded his own business.

They were the only two cowboys on the ranch and both were ex-cons. Caitlyn trusted them with her life and Maddie now knew why. They were as honest and reliable as the day was long.

Rufus was in his seventies and had worked on High Five all his life. His wife, Etta, was the cook and housekeeper. In his younger days, he’d gotten into a fight in a bar, trying to protect a woman from her abusive boyfriend. Rufus was a big man and one blow from his fist sent the man flying into a table. He hit his head and died instantly. Rufus spent three years in a Huntsville prison for involuntary manslaughter. He came home to Etta and High Five and never again strayed from the straight and narrow.

“Stay here,” Maddie said to the kids, and walked over to Cooper. He removed his hat and slapped it against his leg to remove the dust.

Cooper was a cowboy to the core. There wasn’t anything he didn’t know about ranching, cattle and horses. His passion was horses, and he had worked at several thoroughbred horse farms. The one in Weatherford, Texas, had been his downfall.

Several expensive horses had died from the feed being mixed incorrectly with pesticides to kill weevils. The owner pointed the finger at Cooper. In anger, Coop had gotten into a fight with the man, who’d filed charges. Coop had been convicted for assault and killing the horses.

He spent six months in prison before the truth came to light. The owner had mixed the feed incorrectly to collect the insurance money. Cooper was released, but people now looked at him differently. He was an ex-con and people didn’t trust him, but Caitlyn and Dane Belle had. At Cait’s urging, their father had given Coop a job when no one else would.

Maddie nodded at Cooper’s bay gelding. “I told you Sadie could beat that bag of bones.” She and Coop had become good friends, and each day after work they’d race back to the barn. Coop usually won, but today she’d outsmarted him. She’d gotten a head start.

He slid his hat onto his head in an easy movement. “You cheated, and that old gray mare can’t outrun Boots.” The dog lay at his feet. At the mention of his name, his ears lifted.

“I beg to differ since I was here first and that old gray mare is in the corral eating sweet feed.”

Coop grinned, and he didn’t do that often. His past weighed heavily on him and he was a bit of a loner. Over six feet tall, Coop had sandy-blond hair and green eyes. The townspeople said he was bad to the bone, but Maddie knew he had a heart of gold.

Coop eyed their visitors. “What’s going on?”

“They’re looking for Brian Harper. Do you remember him?”

“Yep. Dane hired him back in the spring, but he left to work in the oil fields.”

“Do you know where?”

“No. Cait might.” Coop glanced at Ginny. “God, she’s pregnant. How old is she?”

“I don’t know, but I’m guessing Brian Harper is the father.”

“That kid had a head full of dreams of making big money. If she wants him to take responsibility, I can tell you that’s not gonna happen.”

“He’s not the responsible type?”

“Nope. Far from it. He’s out for himself and that’s it.”

Maddie hated to hear that. The girl was too young to have a baby. Something inside Maddie twisted at life and its cruelties.

“You might try calling Walker,” Coop said.

“Why?”

“Those are his kids.”

“What?” That shocked her. Walker was the constable and the only law in High Cotton, Texas. She’d met him at a party at Southern Cross. He’d made an offhand comment about her looking as young as his daughter. What he’d really meant was that she looked like a child. No woman wants to hear those words from a handsome man. It still rankled.

“Are all of them his kids?”

“No. Just the two small ones.”

She thought about that for a second and what Haley had said about her mother. “Where is Walker’s wife?”

Coop shrugged. “All I know are rumors.”

“Tell me, anyway. I have to figure out what to do with these children.”

“They say she left him for another man.”

“What about the kids?”

“She left them, too.”

What kind of woman would do that? A child was a gift—the most special gift. Anger simmered inside her. How could a woman disrespect that gift and walk away from the love and care her babies needed?

Coop pointed to her face. “You’re getting those little lines around your eyes when you’re angry.”

“I do not get little lines.” She stuck her nose in the air and desperately wanted to look in a mirror.

“If you say so.” He glanced at the kids huddled together. “Good luck.” He ambled out of the barn, leading his horse, the dogs trotting behind him.

She faced the kids, trying to think of a solution. “Let’s go to the house for milk and cookies and I’ll call Caitlyn.”

“We don’t want your cookies,” Haley said, and Maddie realized the girl was angry, probably from everything that was happening in her young life. And she had to wonder if the mother even knew that Haley was planning a surprise visit.

“I want a cookie.” Georgie raised his head.

“Then you shall have a cookie.” Maddie held out her arms. “Want to come with me?”

“No, he…”

Haley’s words trailed off as Georgie went to Maddie. His weight in her arms caused her throat to close up. He was adorable with caramel-colored eyes and brown hair. She melted from the contact. Turning, she headed for the house. The girls had no choice but to follow.

THEY WALKED INTO A WARM, big kitchen, and Etta swung from the stove, a spoon in her hand. A spry, thin woman, she was in direct contrast to her big husband. Her eyes opened wide when she saw the children.

She zeroed in on Ginny. “Lordy, Lordy, Ginny Grubbs, you’re pregnant.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Ginny removed her Windbreaker and slid into a chair at the table, as if to hide her stomach.

Etta had a lot more to say, but Gran entered the room. Dorthea Belle was a delicate, ethereal creature who seemed to float instead of walk. Her hair was completely white and curled into a bun at her nape. She gave the appearance of being fragile, but Maddie knew her grandmother’s inner strength.

Maddie kissed her cheek. “Hi, Gran. We have company.”

“I see.” Gran’s eyes swept over the boy in her arms. And Maddie knew she was thinking what Maddie had pushed to the back of her mind. She would never have a child of her own.

To block those thoughts, she removed Georgie’s jacket and placed him in a chair. “Etta, we need milk and cookies, please.”

“Coming right up.”

“I have to call Cait. I’ll be right back.” She leaned over and whispered to Gran, “Watch them, please.”

Gran winked and Maddie hurried to her office. Judd answered on the second ring.

“Hi, Judd. Is Cait there?”

“She’s right here.” There were muffled voices and whispers. Then silence. Maddie waited. What were they doing? Now, that was a real stupid question.

Finally, her newly married sister came on the line, sounding out of breath. “Hey, Maddie. What’s up?”

“Do you two ever stop?”

“No.” Cait giggled. Her sister was happy. Maddie wondered if she would ever be that happy.

“Enjoy, sister dear.”

“Oh, I am.” There was another muffled silence. Then Cait asked, “Is this important?”

“I found three kids in the barn. Cooper says two of them are Walker’s kids. The other is Ginny Grubbs and she’s pregnant. She’s looking for Brian Harper. Do you know where he is?”

“Good heavens, I haven’t seen him since the spring. I have no idea where he is.” She now had Cait’s full attention. “How did they get there?”

“I don’t know.”

“Call Walker immediately. He must be worried out of his mind about his kids.”

“Do you have his number?” While she waited, she tapped her fingers against the desk, thinking. After making the remark at the party, Walker had asked her to dance. She’d refused. Skylar had danced with him instead, saying something silly, like they only let Maddie out of the attic on special occasions. The tapping grew louder. Her childish behavior was now a little embarrassing. The man probably thought she was insane, just as Sky had insinuated. She’d never acted like that before in her life.

Cait rattled off the number and Maddie quickly jotted it down. “Have a fun evening,” she said before hanging up. She paused over the phone for a moment and then punched out the number.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T know where they are?” Walker stared at his aunt in disbelief. She wasn’t the most reliable babysitter, but she was all he had. He and his aunt had inherited the general store in High Cotton, and they lived next door to each other in homes their ancestors had built.

His aunt had never married and was set in her ways. She wasn’t fond of children, either. He was going to have to make other arrangements because this was unacceptable.

“Did Haley get off the bus?”

“Of course.” Nell Walker rang up a sale and handed Dewey Ray his change. “She took Georgie to the back room to do her homework. When I went to check on them, they were gone. That’s why I called you. They’re your responsibility—not mine.”

The bell jingled over the door and Frank Jessup came into the store. “Hey, Walker.”

Walker nodded. He was too worried to say much of anything else.

“Did that part come in I ordered, Nell?”

“It sure did,” his aunt replied. “I’ll get it.”

“See you later, Frank.” Walker charged outside before he lost his temper. God, he was doing a lousy job of caring for his kids. Haley hated High Cotton and skipped school regularly. She didn’t fit in with the other kids. Instead she hung out with the Grubbs girl, who was so much older. That was unacceptable, too.

Talking to his daughter was a waste of his breath, though. She had so much anger in her that at times he thought she was going to explode from the sheer magnitude of it. And his son cried constantly for his mother. If he ever saw his ex-wife again he might just strangle the life out of her. Leaving him was one thing, but leaving her kids was something entirely different.

He drew a long, tired breath. High Cotton was small, with barely five hundred people. Someone had to have seen them. First, he’d check with Earl Grubbs to see if they were there. Since the kids made fun of Ginny and her pregnancy, Haley had somehow become her champion. Two outcasts facing the world.

As he reached for his cell, it rang. “Yes,” he answered.

“Is this Walker?” a very feminine voice asked. A voice he recognized. Madison Belle. His nerves tightened.

“Yes, what is it, Ms. Belle?”

There was complete silence.

“Ms. Belle?”

“I just wanted to let you know that your children are here at High Five.”

“What!”

“Haley, Georgie and a girl named Ginny.”

“How did they get there?”

“I’m guessing they walked. You really need to keep a closer eye on your children.”

He gripped the phone so tight it almost came apart in his hand. “I’ll be right there. Do not let them leave.”

Running for his car, he cursed under his breath. Madison Belle had taken an instant dislike to him, and now he had to face the woman and see his failings as a father in her blue eyes.

He’d rather take a bullet.

CHAPTER TWO

MADDIE HUNG UP THE PHONE and made her way to the kitchen. On the way she thought about Walker. He was an enigma for sure. She didn’t even know his first name and she’d never heard anyone mention it, either. He was just Walker to everyone.

She’d met him four times; at the party, at High Five, at the convenience store, and at Cait and Judd’s wedding. Funny how she remembered every encounter. He always said hello, but little else, and she couldn’t blame him. Avoid crazy lady, she could almost hear him thinking.

He seemed very stern, very disciplined—a by-the-book type of man. Cait had said he’d been in the marines and later had joined a search-and-rescue team in Houston. He’d only returned to High Cotton because of his children. Cait hadn’t said anything about the mother, but she must be a fine piece of work.

Her sister Skylar thought Walker was a hunk. Maddie rolled that around in her head for a moment. He was tall and impressive, with broad shoulders, caramel-colored eyes like Georgie’s, brown hair that curled into his collar, lean, sculptured features, and a body that rivaled Arnold Schwarzenegger’s.

Her taste ran more to indoor guys in tailored suits and J. Crew shirts, who didn’t wear cowboy boots, Stetsons or risk their lives in the line of duty.

That described Victor, the man she’d been dating in Philadelphia. Tall and thin, Victor never got his hands dirty. As a doctor, he was very meticulous and fastidious in everything he did, even away from the hospital. He was fifteen years older than Madison and at times he made her feel like one of his children, which irritated her. But he was a compassionate, caring man and that’s what had attracted her.

Wasn’t it?

Victor wasn’t a muscled, gun-toting-hero type like Walker. The constable was all muscle and raw power.

He was too…too manly.

She almost laughed out loud at the description. Could a man be too manly?

As she entered the kitchen, Gran was telling the kids about Solomon, their pet bull. Maddie and Cait had raised him from a baby when his mother had died. Solomon was now quite large, and it wasn’t uncommon for him to be at the back door waiting for her in the mornings. He wanted feed and he didn’t like waiting.

She never knew how he got over the board fence until she saw him jump it one morning. Solomon’s father had had the same bad trait, and it had led to his demise. Maddie wanted to break Solomon of the habit. So far she hadn’t had any luck.

“Can I see him?” Georgie asked. His upper lip sported a milk mustache and his cheeks were smeared with chocolate from the chocolate chip cookies. He was so cute. How could his mother leave him?

“No, Georgie,” Haley told him. “We’re going to find Mama.”

“Oh.” Georgie stuffed more of the cookie into his mouth.

Ginny saw her standing in the doorway. “Did you get Ms. Belle?”

“Yes,” she replied, walking farther into the room. “She hasn’t seen Brian since he left High Five for the oil fields and she doesn’t have an idea where he might be.”

“Oh.” Ginny hung her head and Maddie’s heart broke for her. It was time for a heart-to-heart and she didn’t want Georgie to hear them.

“Gran, would you take Georgie to the veranda? Solomon might make an appearance.”

“Oh, boy.” Georgie bounced up and down in his chair.

Gran took his hand, which was covered in chocolate, and quickly reached for a napkin to wipe his hands and mouth.

After that, Georgie wiggled one arm into his jacket, but seemed unable to get the other one inside the sleeve. Maddie came to his rescue and zipped the Windbreaker.

“Come on, little one,” Gran said, leading him to the door. The screen banged behind them.

Maddie took his seat. “Ginny, I’m not trying to pry, but is Brian the father of your baby?”

“Yes, ma’am.” She still hung her head.

“And you think he’ll take responsibility for the child?”

“Oh, no, ma’am.” Ginny raised her head, her voice sincere. “It’s not like that. I mean, Brian dropped me after…well, you know. I just want the money to get us to Lubbock and Haley’s mom. I’m planning to keep my baby.”

The dream of a young girl who hadn’t a clue about life. Maddie wondered how she’d manage.

She looked at Haley, who was playing with her glass. “Haley, does your mother know you’re planning a visit?”

Her caramel eyes turned dark. “That’s none of your business.”

“Watch your mouth,” Etta said before Maddie could form a response.

Maddie shot Etta a silencing glance and said, “She doesn’t, does she.”

Haley clamped her lips together and no response was offered. Maddie had her answer.

She stood. “Haley, you’re a minor, and I had no choice but to call your father.”

“You bitch.” The words were fired at her with such venom that it took her aback for a second.

Etta tapped Haley’s head with her wooden spoon. “Any more words like that, young lady, and I’ll wash your mouth out with soap.”

Haley rubbed her head and glared at Etta.

Maddie took a breath and sent another silent message to Etta to cool it. She’d felt the sting of that spoon many times as a kid and knew that Etta meant well, but Haley wasn’t in their family and not theirs to discipline.

She focused on the fury in Haley’s eyes. “I’m doing what’s best for both of you.”

“Dad will take Ginny home and her dad hits her all the time. He’ll make her lose the baby and the baby is all she has.” Haley’s words were delivered with all the fervor of a brokenhearted little girl.

Ginny touched her arm. “It’s okay, Haley. We don’t have any money so we have to go home.”

“It’s not fair.” Haley crossed her arms over her chest.

“Your father will do what’s best for you,” Maddie tried to reassure her.

“He doesn’t even want Georgie or me, and he bums us off on Aunt Nell all the time.”

“Haley…”

“You don’t know my father. You have money, so just give us some so we can go to Lubbock.”

All kinds of questions tumbled like broken glass through her mind. Was Walker taking the pain of a failed marriage out on his children? Haley seemed to hate him. What had Walker done to warrant that? Did he not want custody of his kids? Maddie now had misgivings about calling him, but if anything was amiss, Cait would have said so.

“I want to help you. I really do, but—”

There was a knock at the front door.

“Please don’t make us go home,” Haley begged, tears glistening in her eyes.

Maddie’s heart dropped like a rock, and she felt like the bad guy. But she had no choice. “Stay here while I talk to your father.” As she hurried to answer the door, she wondered how she’d gotten caught in the middle of this. Her predictable world just got blown to hell.

Before she could fully open the door, Walker said, “Where are my kids?”

His attitude got to her. He made to pass her, but she held out her arm. “Just a minute. I want to talk to you.”

“Ms. Belle, I don’t have time for—”

She stepped out on the veranda and closed the door behind her. Shivering, she wished she’d grabbed her jacket. “Make time.”

He frowned at her, and she could see the resemblance to Haley. She sat in one of the old rockers on the porch and looked up at him, then wished she hadn’t. All that male testosterone was just a little too close. Her breath caught in her throat.

For the first time, she took a really good look at this strong, rigid man. What she saw was a frightened father. Tiny worry lines crinkled around his eyes. His mouth was slashed into a stubborn line. His well-built body seemed restless. He was dressed only in jeans and a shirt—he had no jacket even though the temperature was in the forties. He must be thick-skinned, too.

His eyes told a different story, though. What he could hide with toughness and bravado, his eyes couldn’t. He was hurting, but she knew he would never admit it.

He was the type of man who never showed weakness. That was clear from his strong stance. She also knew he was at a loss at how to handle his own children, but he would never harm them. She understood all of that from the desperate look in his eyes.

She wrapped her arms around her waist. “Do you know what your daughter has planned?”

“No.” He pushed back his Stetson. “My daughter has an aversion to talking to me.”

“Why is that?” She stared directly at him, and the heat from his stare washed over her. Suddenly she wasn’t cold any longer. Her body felt hot, sticky, and the rocker creaked as she moved uncomfortably.

“Ms. Belle, I appreciate you taking care of my kids, but this is really none of your business.” The words were calm and direct, not angry like she’d expected.

Even though he was intimidating, she didn’t fold like a used wallet ready to be tucked away out of sight. She lifted her chin. “Your daughter made it my business by hiding in my barn.”

“What?” He was genuinely puzzled. “Why would they do that?”

“They were looking for Brian Harper. Evidently he told Ginny he would give her money if she needed it.”

“Why would they need money?” he asked slowly.

She had to tell him the truth, and she didn’t pause in doing so. “For bus tickets to Lubbock to find Haley’s mom.”

“Shit.” He swung away, his body taut as he gazed at the barn and corrals. “Haley doesn’t know where her mother is.”

“Why does she think Lubbock?”

He swung back to her, his jaw clenched. “Trisha’s sister lives there, so I assume Haley thinks her mother is there, too.”

“And she’s not?”

“Where are my kids?” The questions were clearly over, but Maddie wasn’t finished.

She stood and took a step backward. Standing close to his male heat made her breathless, but she had a point to get across and she was determined to do it. “Before I came to live at High Five, I was a counselor in a hospital. I dealt with a lot of children. Usually when a child runs away and doesn’t want to go home, there’s some sort of abuse in the home.” She paused to gather her courage. “Haley doesn’t want to go home, so naturally I heard warning bells. But talking to you I know that isn’t the problem.”

He tensed. “Very big of you.”

She ignored the sarcasm. “Ginny doesn’t want to go home, either, and in her case I’m inclined to believe she’s being abused.”

“Her father’s a drunk and gets his kicks by beating his wife and kids.”

“Can’t you do something?”

Walker was all out of patience, and Madison Belle was treading on his very last nerve. But there was something in her blue eyes that stopped him from giving her a full dose of his anger. She cared. She had to have been born under the sign of the Good Ship Lollipop, fairy tales and happily ever after. Good was probably her middle name, and she believed in it to the hilt. He avoided women like her because they usually had their head in the clouds with reality nowhere in sight.

He’d seen the worst in people, and when push came to shove, the worst always won over the good. But Goody Two-shoes Madison would never believe that.

He dragged his thoughts back to her. From the first moment he’d seen her, at a party at Southern Cross, he’d thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. At the time, he’d said some off-the-wall remark that had irritated her. As he’d looked into her shining eyes that day, his good sense had taken a hike. That was a first for him.

Her sisters, Caitlyn and Skylar, were beautiful, too, but he had no trouble talking to them. Something about Madison tied him up in knots. He didn’t like the feeling. He was in control—always. Over the years he had mastered it, but somehow she had broken through all his defenses with just one look. He didn’t like that, either. So he avoided Madison Belle.

Now she was in his face, demanding answers and wanting the good to shine through in this situation. He’d dealt with Earl Grubbs before, and the man didn’t have an up-close-and-personal relationship with good. How did he explain that to her, though?

“I’ll do what I can” was all he could say. But he was going to make sure Earl got the message this time.

“That’s it?” She arched an eyebrow that spoke volumes.

Against his will, his eyes swept over her. Her soft curves were emphasized in the tight jeans and western shirt. Her blond hair had come loose from its ponytail and hung enchantingly around an angel face perfect in every way—smooth, gorgeous skin, pouty lips with a sexy curve and an expression of wholesomeness minimized by pure, come-hither blue eyes. Exactly what every man would want in his Christmas stocking.

He put brakes on his thoughts and took a long breath. “Ms. Belle, I appreciate your concern, but now I’m taking my kids home.” He opened the door and went inside with her on his heels like a pit bull.

Hearing voices, he headed in that direction. Haley and Ginny sat at the table eating cookies. Etta Johns was watching them.

Haley looked up and saw him. “Daddy,” she said in a guilty voice.

“Let’s go. Where’s Georgie?” He tried to keep his voice calm, but it came out as stern, probably a side effect caused by Ms. Belle.

Haley rose to her feet, her movements nervous. Her eyes were like his, but her hair was blond like her mother’s. Her jeans and knit top hung on her thin body. His daughter had a nervous stomach, and he didn’t know how to make her eat without getting sick. The divorce had hit Haley hard, and he wanted to make her world happy again. Maybe with a little of Madison Belle’s good.

He didn’t know how to accomplish that, since his daughter seemed to hate him and blame him for Trisha leaving. His gut twisted a little more each time he looked into her anguished face.

“He’s outside with Miss Dorie.”

“I’ll get him,” Madison said. In a minute she was back with Georgie in her arms, Miss Dorie behind her.

Madison was talking softly to him and Georgie was smiling. Walker was mesmerized by the picture of Madison’s face close to Georgie’s. She seemed so natural with a child in her arms.

“Daddy,” Georgie shouted when he spotted him. He wiggled free from Madison and ran to him. Lifting his son into his arms, he held him tight. His daughter might hate him, but Georgie didn’t. He was grateful for that small miracle.

“Daddy, I saw a bull,” Georgie said, his eyes bright. “A big bull.” He stretched out his arms as far as they would go.

“You did?”

Georgie nodded. “I ’cared of him.”

“He won’t hurt you,” Madison assured him.

“Is he talking about Solomon?” he asked Madison.

“Yes.” She smiled, and his heart kicked against his ribs with the force of a wild bronco. “He’s getting so big.”

Walker had been there the day Caitlyn had brought Solomon home. Back then, Cait and Judd were at odds. High Five and the Southern Cross ranches were adjoined, and Cait’s bull was always jumping the fence to get to Judd’s registered cows. Eventually, one of Judd’s cows gave birth and died shortly after. When Cait saw the calf, she realized it was from her bull and took it home. Walker felt sure there would be a fight over the calf, but Judd had allowed Cait to keep it. That’s when he knew Judd had finally forgiven Caitlyn.

The last time he saw the calf, Madison was cooing at it as if it were a child. Somehow he knew she’d make a pet of him.

He forced his eyes away from the light in hers. “Let’s go,” he said, and glanced at Ginny. “I’ll take you home, too. I want to talk to your father.”

“You can’t take her there.” Haley scrunched up her face in anger. “He hits her.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“No, you won’t. You just want to get rid of us.” Everything in him screamed at his daughter’s attitude, but he was powerless to change it. God knows he’d tried.

“Don’t talk back,” he said, “and thank Ms. Belle for any inconvenience.”

“Thank you,” Haley mumbled, grabbing her jacket and running toward the front door.

He slowly followed with Georgie and Ginny. Outside they came to an abrupt stop. A young black Brahma bull stood on the stone sidewalk. Haley seemed frozen.

Madison ran around them and grabbed the bull’s halter. “Solomon.” She stroked his face. “You’re scaring our guests.” The bull rubbed his face against her and a deep guttural sound left his throat.

The thought crossed Walker’s mind that if she stroked him like that, he might make that sound, too.

“It’s okay,” she called. “He won’t hurt you.”

Haley and Ginny made a wide circle around him. Walker stepped close to Madison. “You know, a bull is not a pet. He’s male—all day, every day, and potentially dangerous.”

Her eyes locked with his. “Yes. I know what you mean.”

He had a feeling she wasn’t talking about the bull.

CHAPTER THREE

WALKER TURNED ONTO THE DIRT road that led to the Grubbs’s trailer house. No one spoke. He glanced toward the backseat and saw Georgie was asleep. Haley leaned in close to him, always there, always protective of her baby brother. But her face was a mask of pain.

How was he going to reconcile with his daughter?

“Mr. Walker.” Ginny turned to him in the front seat. “You can let me out here. I’ll walk the rest of the way. I’ll tell my dad I missed the bus.”

“Sorry, Ginny. I need to talk to Earl.”

“Why, Daddy?” Haley asked in her usual angry tone. “It’s only going to cause trouble.”

“Mr. Walker…”

“Trust me, girls.”

“Yeah, right.” He heard Haley mutter under her breath.

He ran a hand over the steering wheel, feeling lower than sludge. Neither girl had any faith in his abilities to defuse a potentially dangerous situation. He’d have to show them. This time Earl was getting the full brunt of his anger.

Pulling into the lane that led to the Grubbs’s place, he made to get out and open the aluminum gate covered with chicken wire.

“I’ll get it, Mr. Walker,” Ginny said, and hopped out.

Earl raised goats, pigs and chickens. They were all over the cluttered yard. Ginny shooed chickens and goats away so she could open the gate.

He drove through, and Ginny quickly got back in the car. The old trailer was straight ahead. Not a blade of grass grew in the dirt yard. The aluminum siding was rusted in spots, and the screens were missing. A makeshift porch attached to the front looked ready to collapse. In stained overalls and a discolored flannel shirt, Earl lounged in a chair propped against the trailer. He was raising a jug to his lips. Walker knew it was homemade wine. And good was nowhere in sight.

Earl could be a decent-enough guy when he was sober, but those occasions were very rare. He had an aversion to getting a job, and he blamed God, the government, neighbors and anyone who came within his vision for his poverty.

Walker glanced at Haley. “Stay in the car with your brother.”

“Like I want to get out” was her clipped response.

Walker opened his door and the stench from the pigpen filled his nostrils. It took a moment to catch his breath. How did people live like this? He shooed chickens away and was careful not to step in goat crap.

Two hunting dogs barked and pulled at their chains at the end of the trailer.

“What you done now, gal?” Earl asked when he saw Ginny, his words slurred. He took another swig from the jug. “If you’re in trouble again, I’m gonna beat your sorry ass.”

Ginny stood next to him, and he could see her trembling. She was frightened to death. Fueled by anger, Walker started up the steps, the decaying boards protesting under his weight.

“My daughter and Ginny missed the bus, so I brought Ginny home.” It was a lie, but it would suffice for now.

“She got legs, she can walk. There ain’t nothing wrong with her but stupidity.”

“Go inside,” Walker said to Ginny.

“You don’t tell my daughter what to do,” Earl spit out.

Walker nodded to the girl, and she opened the screen door. A thin woman holding a small girl stood there. Four other children of various ages were behind her. He noticed the woman’s bruised face before she quickly pulled Ginny inside.

“You better have supper ready on time,” Earl shouted at his wife. “And stop mollycoddling those brats.”

Walker had had enough. He jerked the jug out of Earl’s hand and flung it into the yard. It hit a chicken and she flapped away squawking.

“What…the hell…?”

Walker kicked the chair forward with his foot. Earl spit and sputtered, but being drunk, his reflexes were slow. Taking Earl’s face in his hand, he yanked it up so he could look into his bloodshot eyes.

“Listen up, Earl.”

“You…y-ou b-bastard.”

Walker squeezed tighter and Earl’s straggly beard scratched his fingers. “You’re not paying attention, Earl. Now, listen. If you lay one hand on Ginny, I’m coming back with both fists loaded, and I’m going to show you what a beating feels like. You got that?”

“Y-ou…y-ou…” Earl sputtered.

Walker squeezed even tighter. “And lay off the wine.”

Earl’s eyes almost bugged out of his head and Walker released him. Rubbing his face, Earl said, “You can’t tell me what to do on my own p-property.”

“I have a badge that says I can,” Walker replied. “And you better listen to me. I’m coming back tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that. If Ginny, your wife or any of your kids have bruises, I’m arresting you and throwing your ass in jail. I’ll make sure you get convicted, and Earl, those inmates in Huntsville don’t care for child abusers. They’ll have a good old time with you.”

Earl’s bugged-out eyes opened wider. “Y-you can’t…”

Walker straightened. “This is a warning. Next time I won’t be so nice.”

“I can’t go…go to jail. I got kids to feed.”

Walker looked at this man who had reached the very bottom. “Think about it, Earl. All you have to do is stop drinking and take care of your family instead of using them as punching bags.”

“You think you’re high and mighty—”

Walker pointed a finger at him. “Get your act together. I’ll be returning in a couple of hours to make sure you heed my warning.” Saying that, he swung off the porch and headed for his car.

And clean air.

THE RIDE HOME WAS AGAIN in silence. Georgie woke up as he pulled into their driveway. The house was a block away from Walker’s General Store. He had no interest in running the store, but Nell had. So they worked out a compromise. They split the profits fifty-fifty and she drew a salary.

Walker had also inherited his father’s house and land. Nell lived in his grandfather’s house, which was next door. When he’d first brought the kids to High Cotton, Nell had helped him, but he could see now it had been a mistake. Her life was the store, and there wasn’t room for anything else. He would have to find other babysitting arrangements when he had to go on a call.

He lifted Georgie out of his car seat, and they went inside the white clapboard two-story house with the wraparound porch detailed with black gingerbread trim. The Walkers before him had taken very good care of the house, so it was in good shape. When he’d returned, he’d had central air and heat installed for the kids.

Since he was an only child, he’d often wondered what he was going to do with the house, land and store in High Cotton. He had no desire to live here. He’d been away too long. But life had a way of mocking his plans. At the ripe old age of thirty-six, this was the only place he wanted to raise his kids now.

He set Georgie on his feet in the big kitchen. “It’s about suppertime, what—”

Haley made a run for the downstairs bathroom and he could hear her throwing up. Dammit! He didn’t know how to help her. She’d started having problems when she was about six. The doctor thought she might have irritable bowel syndrome, but she didn’t. More tests were run and the diagnosis was a nervous stomach. She needed a stress-free environment and a healthy diet void of spicy and high-acidity foods. No matter what he and Trisha had tried, nothing completely cured Haley’s problem.

The divorce had triggered a major upset, and Walker could see his daughter wasting away before his eyes.

“Haley sick,” Georgie said, twisting his hands.

“Yeah.” Walker tousled his son’s hair. “She’ll be okay.” She had to be. “Daddy will be right back. Do you want to watch a movie?”

“Uh-huh.”

“How about Shrek?” he asked, making his way into the living room.

“No. Finding Nemo,” Georgie shouted from behind him.

Walker found the movie and slipped it into the DVD player and pushed buttons on the remote. Georgie grabbed his Curious George off the sofa and settled in front of the TV. Walker hurried to the bathroom.

Turning the knob, he saw that the door was unlocked. He tapped so as not to invade her privacy.

A muffled “Go away” came through the door.

“Haley, sweetheart, it’s Daddy.”

“Go away.”

He couldn’t do that. “I’m coming in.” He opened the door and glanced around. The bathroom was large and had an antique bathtub with claw feet. Everything in the room was antique from the pedestal sink to the pull-chain toilet. Haley was sitting by the toilet, her back to the wall, her forehead on her drawn-up knees.

Ignoring the horrible smell, he sank down by her. Honestly, he didn’t know what else to do.

“Are you okay?” He stared at his boots, searching for the right words.

“Just leave me alone,” she muttered against her knees.

“I’m your dad and I’m not leaving you alone—ever.”

“Oh, yeah.” She raised her head and his heart took a jolt at her pale face. “You leave us with Aunt Nell all the time.”

“I have a job, and I’m not leaving you alone here at the house.” They’d had this conversation before. It was the only thing Haley had opened up about.

“Why not?” Her watery eyes suddenly cleared. “I’m ten years old and I can take care of Georgie. If something goes wrong, we live in the middle of High Cotton and I could get help in no time.”

“So you think you’re responsible enough.”

“As much as Aunt Nell.”

He mulled this over and wanted to meet her halfway. “I’ll think about it.”

She placed her head on her knees again.

Several seconds went by. “We need to talk about today.”

She didn’t respond.

“I don’t know where your mother is.”

Her head shot up, her eyes filled with something he couldn’t describe. It was almost like fear. Was his daughter afraid of him?

“You do, too.”

“Haley, I don’t.”

“You’re lying.”

“I have no reason to lie.” He tried not to raise his voice. “You’re old enough to know your mother left of her own free will. I have sole custody of you and Georgie.”

“You made her leave.” The fire was back in her eyes. “You were gone all the time helping other people and you should have been home helping us.”

“Your mother and I had problems for a long time, and yes, a lot of it was because of my job. I can’t change that now, but I can be here for you and Georgie.” He paused and prayed for a break in her implacable armor. “Please give me a chance.”

“I want to see Mama,” she sobbed against her knees. “I have to see my mama.”

He tried to put his arm around her, but she jerked away. Oh, God, his heart stopped beating and he hurt for her. He felt her pain deep inside him—a place that was created the day he became a father.

The mass in his throat clogged his vocal cords. “Your mother…”

She lifted her head, tears streaming down her face. “I know she left us, and you know where she is. You just won’t tell me. I…I…” Sobs racked her thin body, and this time he pulled her into his arms and held her, searching for those magical words that would help them both. But they were elusive, and he hated that he was so bad at being a parent.

“Please, Haley. Give me a chance.” His words were hoarse, and he had to swallow a couple of times to get them out.

Before she could say anything, Georgie came running in and wiggled into his lap. “Oh, it stinks in here.” He looked up at Walker. “I’m hungry.” The odor didn’t seem to bother his appetite.

“Suppertime,” Walker said, and tried to act normal. “Haley, would you like chicken noodle soup and a grilled cheese sandwich? You usually can hold that down.”

“I guess.” She straightened and moved as far away from him as she could. That hurt a little more.

“I want peanut butter and jelly.” Georgie gave his menu choice. “Grape jelly. I don’t like any other kind.” Walker had made the mistake of using strawberry one time and Georgie had never forgotten it.

“I know, son.” Walker stood with the boy in his arms. “And we can have ice cream afterward.”

“Yay!” Georgie clapped his hands. Haley was silent. She was silent all through dinner. She was silent as they washed the dishes. Instead of watching TV, she took a bath and went to bed.

Soon he tucked Georgie in, but Walker couldn’t sleep. His mind was in overdrive. His children’s well-being was at the front of his mind—always. All he could do was be here for them and maybe Haley wouldn’t try to run away again.

Not only was he worried about his kids, but Ginny was on his mind, too. If anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself, not to mention that he’d have no hope of his daughter ever forgiving him.

An hour later, he still wasn’t asleep. He got up, dressed and went into Georgie’s room and gathered him into his arms. He carried him to Haley and tucked him in beside her.

“Daddy,” she mumbled sleepily.

“I’m going to check on the Grubbs family. Take care of Georgie.” He handed her the portable phone. “Call my cell if there’s a problem.” She wanted responsibility, so he was going to give it to her—for a while.

“Oh.” Her voice sounded excited.

In less than thirty minutes he was back. Earl was passed out on the sofa. Verna, his wife, said everything was fine. Ginny seconded that and Walker felt a lot better.

He fell into bed exhausted, but the worry over his kids was always there. What was he going to do? He needed help.

Blue eyes edged their way into his subconscious. His eyes popped open. Madison Belle. It was hard to explain his reaction to her. When he was a senior in high school, he and his dad had gone on a fishing trip to the Gulf Coast. They’d rented a cabin on a secluded cove outside Rockport, Texas. The cabin was shaded with gnarled, bent oaks, tempered and tried by the Gulf winds. The water in the cove held him mesmerized. It was the purest blue he’d ever seen, as if it had been untouched by nature and its wrath. He thought he’d never see that color again.

Until he looked into Madison’s eyes.

She had that same purity. That same quality of not being tainted by the ups and downs of life. It had to be an illusion. No woman could be as pure or as good as Madison appeared.

For a cynical man like himself, he knew it was an illusion. His motto was to avoid the woman in case she could look into his soul and see all his sins.

MADISON SLEPT VERY LITTLE. She couldn’t stop thinking and worrying about Walker’s kids. And Ginny. She was so young to be pregnant. Her family situation seemed dire, and she wondered how the girl would cope?

A baby.

Maddie would give everything she had for a child. It seemed so unfair, but she’d come to grips with her situation long ago. Every time she thought about it, though, she felt that empty place inside her that would never be filled.

She had a ready-made family waiting for her in Philadelphia. All she had to do was accept Victor’s marriage proposal. Victor’s wife had died five years ago, leaving an eleven-and a fourteen-year-old who needed a mother in their lives. But Victor was a friend, a very dear friend. She didn’t have passionate feelings for him. Hadn’t even gone to bed with him. She’d told him how she felt, and he’d said those emotions would come later. She didn’t believe that.

Soon she’d have to go home and face Victor and her future. But for now her life was here on High Five. Maybe she was in denial. Maybe she was hiding. Or maybe she believed in miracles and love.

She went to sleep with that thought.

The next morning she dressed in jeans, a pearl-snap shirt and boots, her customary garb. Oh, yes, she was a cowgirl now and she was getting damn good at it.

She hurried to Gran’s room as she did every morning. Gran was up and winding her white hair into its usual knot at her nape.

“Good morning, my baby.” Gran smiled at her.

Maddie sat on the stool beside her in front of the mirror. Gran called her three granddaughters “baby.” At thirty-one, Maddie was past being a baby, but it was useless to mention that to Gran.

“Caitlyn’s coming to pick me up. I’m going to Southern Cross for a visit,” Gran told her, patting her hair.

Maddie lifted an eyebrow. “So the honeymooners are having company?”

Gran slipped on her comfortable shoes. “I’m not company. I’m the grandmother. Besides, we were all at Southern Cross for Thanksgiving.”

“Everyone but Sky.” Maddie worried about her baby sister and wished Sky would just come home.

“Sky has a mind of her own.”

“Mmm.” Maddie linked her arm through the older woman’s. “Let’s go down for breakfast.”

“Yes, my baby. It’s the first day of December and we have to start thinking about the upcoming holiday.”

Maddie would rather not. But soon she’d have to tell her mother that once again she wouldn’t be in Philly for Christmas.

The scent of homemade biscuits met them in the hallway. “Oh, my, isn’t that wonderful?”

“Makes my mouth water,” Gran replied.

Etta pulled a pan of biscuits out of the oven as they entered the kitchen. “Good morning, lazy bugs.”

Maddie glanced at the clock. It was barely seven, but she saw the dirty plates on the table. Cooper and Rufus had already eaten and gone.

Grabbing a biscuit, she juggled it to the table. It was hot, hot, hot. She opened it on a napkin and dribbled honey over it. Picking it up, she headed for the door. She had to catch up with Cooper and Rufus.

She took a bite of the biscuit and stopped in the doorway. First, she had something else to do.

“I need to make a phone call,” she said to Gran and Etta.

On the way to her study, she finished off the biscuit. Damn, she’d forgotten her coffee. Where was her brain? In Worryville.

She licked her fingers and punched out the number Cait had given her yesterday. Walker’s number. He answered on the first ring.

“This is Madison Belle,” she said quickly.

“Ms. Belle.” His deep, strong voice came through loud and clear. “Is there a problem?”

She curled her sticky fingers around the receiver. “No. I was just wondering how the kids are?”

“Mine are fine. Haley’s getting ready for school and Georgie’s eating breakfast. Anything else?”

Yes. Lose the attitude.

“And Ginny?” she asked without even pausing.

The silence on the other end was loaded with four-letter words, and they weren’t nice.

She waited, licking her fingers.

After a moment he replied, “Ginny is fine, too. I had a talk with her father about what was going to happen to him if he hits her again. I checked on her last night and the family was fine.”

“That was so sweet of you.”

“I’m not sweet, Ms. Belle,” he shot back in a voice tighter than a rusted padlock.

“But your gesture was,” she reminded him just because it annoyed him so much.

“Anything else, Ms. Belle?” The way he said Ms. Belle was beginning to irritate the crap out of her.

“You might try working some of that ‘sweet’ into your attitude.” The words were out before she could stop them. Not that she tried very hard.

“And you might try minding your own business.”

“Ginny needs someone to help her, and I’m beginning to think that Haley might, too.” After saying that, she slammed down the phone.

She reached up to see if steam was gushing out of her ears. She was so angry. How could he be so…so ungrateful? And stern. And rigid. And infuriating.

Blood pumped through her veins with renewed fervor. She hadn’t felt this angry in a very long time. She took a long breath and blew it out her mouth. Mr. Attitude hadn’t heard the last of her.

CHAPTER FOUR

MADDIE HURRIED TO THE BARN to catch up with Coop and Ru. A little exercise was what she needed to untangle all the anger inside her. After all, Walker was the children’s father and she was sticking her nose into his business. But she cared. Children were her weakness. In this situation, though, she needed to tread carefully. Or not. Annoying Walker might become the highlight of her day.

In the doorway to the barn, she stopped short. Cooper was shoving bullets into a rifle, and Rufus held another one in his hand. Her heart skipped a beat.

“What’s going on?”

Coop turned to her. “Ru got a call from Mr. Peevy. Wild dogs killed two of his baby calves last night. We have to be prepared.”

“Prepared?”

Coop handed her the rifle, and she just stared at it. “Put it in the scabbard of your saddle.”

She shook her head. “Oh, no. I don’t do the gun thing, and since you’re on probation, you shouldn’t, either.”

His face darkened. “I promised Cait to help you run High Five, and I’m not going to let a pack of feral dogs slaughter our calf crop.”

She could see the anger in his eyes, which was very rare. Ever since he had the fight with the man who had framed him, Coop kept his anger on a tight leash. Although Coop was cleared of all wrongdoing in the killing of the horses, he was on probation for the assault. The man refused to drop the charges. Maddie understood Coop’s anger. Anyone would have lashed out at being used as a scapegoat in an insurance scam, but she didn’t want him to get into any more trouble.

Gently, she touched his arm. “I know High Five means a lot to you, but you have to be careful.”

He took a deep breath. “I’ll be very careful. Out here no one knows.”

“Let’s keep it that way.”

“Okay.” He raised the gun in front of her again. “Learn to use it. You have to be able to protect your animals.”

Against every objection in her head, she took it. The gun felt heavy and deadly in her hands. Her first instinct was to throw it on the ground and say no way. But High Five was still struggling and they couldn’t afford to lose a calf crop. The last hurricane had ripped through the ranch and had caused tremendous damages. They were still rebuilding. She had to step up and do her job, like she’d told Cait she could.

But a gun?

This is where the city girl and the country girl collided. Who was Madison Belle?

“There are six bullets in the magazine,” Coop was saying. “It’s already loaded.” He pointed to a spot on the gun. “There’s the safety. Always keep it on. If you have to shoot, push it to off and line up your prey with this guide on top. Then pull the trigger.” He tapped a forefinger against the guide.

“I’m not sure I can do that,” she admitted.

“Would you like to practice?”

“No, thanks.” Firing the gun wasn’t on this city/country girl’s agenda. “Hopefully I won’t ever have to use it.”

“Mr. Peevy’s place is about five miles away. The dogs could travel in another direction, but like I said we have to be prepared.”

She placed the gun by her saddle, not able to hold it one minute longer. “How do they become feral dogs?”

“People haul dogs they don’t want out to the country and leave them. The dogs begin to scrounge for food. They meet up with coyotes or wolves and mate. Suddenly there’s a pack of them, all hungry and killing everything they can to survive.”

“How awful.”

“Yeah, animal activists have tried to change things to no avail. Sometimes you just can’t stop people. Animal shelters are full and now charge if you bring in a dog. People who don’t want a dog are not going to pay. It’s a vicious cycle and ranchers pay the price.”

“Miss Dorie used to take in every stray dog that showed up at High Five,” Rufus said, shoving his gun into his saddle scabbard, “but since Mr. Bart died she lost interest in a lot of things. If one shows up, I take it to the shelter so they can find it a home.”

“Good for you, Ru,” Maddie replied.

“And Booger’s a stray we kept. He’s part Australian blue heeler and learned to work cattle. He’s a natural. Wish we could keep ’em all, but we can’t.”

“If everyone did that, there wouldn’t be a problem.”

“But we have a problem now,” Coop said. “Ru and I were talking, and we think it might be best to round up all the cows fixing to calf and keep them in the pen next to the corral. Except the hurricane took down the fence, so we have to repair it first.”

“Go for supplies and we’ll get busy.” That was an easy decision to make.

Coop hesitated.

“What?”

“Cait always went for supplies. Ms. Nell doesn’t want me in her store.”

“Well, that’s insane.” Maddie couldn’t believe Cait tolerated such behavior. “Make a list and I’ll pick up everything.” And she’d have a talk with Ms. Nell, too. Since she was sticking her nose in other people’s business, she might make it a trend.

THIRTY MINUTES LATER she walked through the double worn doors of Walker’s General Store. A bell jingled over her head, and it reminded her of the summers she’d spent at High Five as a kid. This was a favorite spot of the Belle sisters—candywise the store had everything.

She breathed in the scent of apples, spices and cedar, a hint of the upcoming holidays. The store was the same as it had been when she was a child: faded hardwood floors, a rustic wood ceiling from which sundries hung, and shelves of gallon jars filled with every candy a child could want.

The aisles were cluttered with everything imaginable, from buckets and fishing poles to barrels of apples, pears and oranges. Homemade quilts hung on a wall. A couple of Christmas trees were propped in a corner. A feed and hardware department was at the back. Every now and then the scent of oats wafted through the tantalizing aroma of the holidays.

Maddie walked over to the counter where Nell Walker stood waiting on a customer. Cigarettes took pride of place in the glass case beneath. A gallon jar of jawbreakers sat on the counter among chewing tobacco, gum and tempting candy bars. She always went for the jawbreakers—they were her favorite. She resisted the urge to stick her hand in the jar.

Instead, she studied Ms. Walker. She had aged since Maddie had last seen her. Her gray hair was cut short like a man’s and the lines of her stern face were set into a permanent frown. A tall, big-boned woman, Nell Walker exuded a persona of toughness and rigidity, the same as her nephew.

The customer left and Nell swung her gaze to Maddie. “May I help you, Ms. Belle?”

She noticed that Nell’s eyes were a cold gray like a winter’s day. As she pulled the list from her pocket, she thought that Nell looked very unhappy.

“I’d like to pick up some supplies.” She placed the list in front of Nell.

Nell looked it over and then shouted, “Luther.”

A man in his sixties ambled from the back.

“Is your truck out front?” Nell asked Maddie while glancing at the list and scribbling it into a record book.

“Yes.”

“Give Luther your keys and he’ll load your supplies.”

“Oh, okay.” She’d never done this before so she wasn’t sure how it worked. Digging in her purse, she found her keys and handed them over.

As Luther took the list and walked out the door, Nell said, “I’ll put everything on your bill. Anything else I can help you with?”

Maddie swung her purse strap over her shoulder. “Yes, there is.”

Nell raised frosty eyes to Maddie’s, and for a moment, a tiny moment, her resolve weakened. She stepped closer to the counter. “A lot of days I’m busy and don’t have time to come in for supplies, so I’ll be sending Cooper Yates, my foreman, in for them. I hope that’s not a problem.”

“I don’t want him in my store.” The words were delivered like an errant baseball smacking someone against the head. Unexpected and painful.

Nervously, her hand tightened on her purse strap, but no way would she bend. Coop deserved better than this kind of treatment. “Fine. If that’s the way you feel, I’ll just take High Five’s business into Giddings, and I’m sure Caitlyn will agree to do the same for Southern Cross.”

A telltale shade of pink crawled up the woman’s face. Losing two ranches’ business would hurt the store. Evidently hitting her in the pocketbook was talking her language.

“I don’t want ex-cons in here. It’s bad for business, but—”

“Is there a problem?” Walker strolled from the back, Georgie on his heels. Georgie smiled and she smiled back for a second.

Then she glanced at Walker, tall and imposing in a white shirt, snug jeans and boots. His Stetson was pulled low and hid his eyes, but just the sight of him made her heart go pitter-patter.

She took a breath. “Yes, there is. Ms. Walker refuses to allow Cooper to pick up supplies.” She stood her ground when she wanted to take a step backward. The man was just so…so intimidating, frustrating and…handsome. There, she’d admitted it. He was too handsome for her peace of mind. And that sincere note in his voice was sidetracking her.

“Is this true?” Walker asked his aunt.

“We can’t have ex-cons in here. Business will drop.”

“Caitlyn and I will certainly take our business elsewhere if the status quo doesn’t change.”

“It will change, won’t it, Nell?”

Nell puffed out her chest. “I was just about to tell Ms. Belle that.”

Walker swung his gaze to her. “Good, then there’s not a problem.”

Her insides did a crazy flip-flop. What was wrong with her? Earlier she was annoyed at his attitude, but now she was acting like a ridiculous teenager. Before she could gather her wits, Georgie stuck his hand into the jar for a jawbreaker. Nell quickly slapped his hand with a resounding swat. Georgie let out a wail.

Walker gathered the boy into his arms, his eyes turning as cold as Nell’s. “You will not hit my child.”

“He eats too many sweets and he’ll choke on those things.”

Maddie walked over to a jar on the shelf and used the scoop to fill a bag with jelly beans. “Put this on my bill,” she said to Nell, and handed them to Georgie. She waited for Walker to say he could pay for his own kid’s candy, but he didn’t say a word, just looked at her. “It’s okay, isn’t it?” she asked, to hide her nervousness under that gaze.

“Yes.”

“See?” she said to Georgie. “These are smaller and chewy. They’re good.”

Georgie wiped away a tear and poked his hand into the bag. He popped two into his mouth and nodded with a grin.

The door jingled and Luther came in and handed Maddie her keys. “All loaded and ready to go.”

“Thank you.” She looked at Nell. “I trust we won’t have any more problems.”

“No, ma’am.”

“Bye,” she said to Walker and Georgie, and headed for her truck.

Walker watched her leave with a funny feeling in his gut. God, he was falling for her caring attitude. No. It was just a natural reaction to her kindness to Georgie. He had enough problems without even thinking of Ms. Belle and her pure, pure blue eyes.

He had parked out back. His office was next door so it was always easy to leave Georgie with Nell. After resigning from his search-and-rescue unit in Houston, he hadn’t planned on going back to work. But Mr. Pratt, the constable, had passed away, and the commissioner’s court, by way of Judd, begged him to take the job.

There were two years left on Mr. Pratt’s term and Walker thought he could handle that. Then he would decide if he wanted to run for the office or not. He was already a state-licensed law enforcement officer so he’d agreed. After in-service training, he was appointed the constable of High Cotton and the surrounding precinct.

As an associate member of the Texas Department of Public Safety, his job was to keep the peace, enforce traffic regulations, go on patrol, undertake investigations and arrest lawbreakers. Since he didn’t have a jail, he coordinated his activities with the sheriff of the county.

At the time he’d taken on the job, he thought he would need something to keep him busy. But now he wished he’d thought it over a little more. He was needed at home.

Juggling his kids was getting harder. He never knew Nell was using physical discipline. That he wouldn’t tolerate.

He’d gotten a call that the Grayson brothers were fighting again. He’d planned to leave Georgie for just a little while with Nell. Now he’d changed his mind. He’d take Georgie with him. He didn’t have any other choice. His part-time deputy constable, Lonnie, was in Brenham visiting his parents.

The Graysons weren’t dangerous, just idiots fighting over a fence that was ten inches over the line. He had to talk to them about every six months to defuse the situation.

He walked closer to his aunt. “You might try losing that holier-than-thou attitude, because if the Belles and the Calhouns take their business elsewhere, Walker’s General Store will be in trouble.”

“I handled it, didn’t I?” She tucked a receipt into the register and slammed it closed.

“Yes, in a disagreeable fashion.”

“Now…”

“No.” He held up a hand. “This discussion is over. When Cooper Yates comes into the store, you will treat him cordially.”

“People don’t know their place.”

He gritted his teeth and let that pass. “And you will never slap my kids again—ever.”

“They need discipline.”

“Ever, Nell. Are we clear on that?”

She raised her chin. “Yes.”

“Okay, Georgie.” He jostled the boy, who had a mouth full of jelly beans. “Let’s go see what the Graysons are doing?”

“Aren’t you leaving him here?” Nell called.

“No,” he said over his shoulder, “not ever again.”

As he strolled toward his car, he thought about Ms. Belle. No one stood up to Nell. Most people in town would rather diffuse a bomb than cross her, yet Ms. Belle had no qualms about speaking her mind. About Cooper.

Although he was appalled at Nell’s tactics, he had to wonder if there was something going on between Ms. Belle and Cooper. When the crisis at High Five had been settled, she was supposed to return to Philadelphia. But she’d stayed. Why?

And what did he care?

MADDIE WALKED TO HER TRUCK and saw that the barbed wire, steel posts and bag of steel-post ties were loaded. As she was about to get in, she saw a young girl crossing the street to the store. It was Ginny. The school was just across the highway, but school wasn’t out. It was too early.

Ginny sat on the bench in front of the store, huddled in her Windbreaker, which didn’t reach across her protruding stomach. Her face was pale.

Maddie walked over to her. “Are you okay?”

Ginny looked up. “Oh, hi, Ms. Belle.”

“Why aren’t you in school?”

“I felt sick and the nurse said I could go home. My dad delivers eggs here and I’m waiting on him.”

“Maybe you should see a doctor?”

“No. I’m okay—just pregnant.”

“Still…”

“We can’t afford it, okay?” The words were angry, defiant. Ginny rested her head against the wall. “God, I wish Brian had been at High Five and then I could be out of this awful place.”

Maddie eased onto the bench beside her, thinking the girl might need someone to talk to. “Haley doesn’t know where her mother is, so you could have been stranded, too.”

“That would be better than this dump of a town.”

“Ginny…”

The girl sat up straight. “Please don’t give me a lecture. I’ve heard enough from the school counselor and the teachers.”

“They have a point. You’re so young.” Maddie had a good idea of what the counselor and teachers had told her.

“And stupid, like my dad is always telling me.” Ginny chewed on a fingernail that had been gnawed to the quick. Her greasy hair was pulled back into a limp ponytail. Food stains speckled her jeans, even the Windbreaker, and her sneakers were a dirty tan. The girl needed a bath. Maddie wondered at her home life.

Suddenly Ginny turned to her. “Ms. Belle, please help me. A social worker came to our house and my dad told her I was giving the baby away. He says he can’t afford to feed another kid. I want to keep my baby.”

“Ginny…”

“I have an aunt who lives in Temple, and she said I could stay with her. She’d let me keep my baby and she’d help, too. I just need money to get there. Please, Ms. Belle, help me.”

Maddie could feel herself weakening under that desperate tone, but she had to be careful. So many times she let her emotions rule her head. She had to remind herself that Ginny had a family.

“Why doesn’t she come and get you?”

“She’s had knee surgery and she’s not driving yet. I can help her, too.”

“What about your mother?” Maddie kept holding back, trying not to let her emotions get involved.

“My dad hates my aunt. She’s my mother’s sister and my mother can’t even visit her. My mom won’t go against my dad.”

This was all sounding very odd to Maddie. “How did you hear from her?”

“I called her from school to tell her what my dad was planning. I need to see a doctor and she told me to come, but not to tell my father.”

“You haven’t seen a doctor?” This one thing stuck in Maddie’s mind.

“No, ma’am. We can’t afford it.”

“But there are free clinics—if not here, then in Giddings.”

Ginny shook her head. “My dad wouldn’t let me go. He said if I was so stupid to get pregnant then I could have the baby at home just like my mom had all of us.”

Good heavens, this was terrible. The girl needed to see a doctor.

“Do you know when the baby is due?”

“No, ma’am.”

Maddie took a deep breath and looked off to the vehicles traveling on the country road, some stopping at the gas station/convenience store across the highway, others at the local café and the rest continuing on to their homes and ranches. A cool breeze wafted Ginny’s unwashed scent to her.

Everything in her told her not to get involved with a girl she didn’t know, but she couldn’t ignore the fact that Ginny needed medical attention and more.

Oh, she hoped she didn’t regret this. “What’s your aunt’s name?”

“Thelma Jenkins.”

“Do you have her phone number?”

“Why?”

Maddie bit her lip. “I’ll give you the money to get to Temple, but I want to talk to your aunt first.”

Ginny smiled and her whole demeanor changed. “Oh, Ms. Belle, thank you.” Ginny glanced at the pay phone beside them. “I’ll call her now if…if you’ll loan me two quarters.”

Maddie cursed herself for not bringing her cell, but she’d been in such a hurry to catch Cooper and Rufus that she’d left it behind. Opening her purse, she dug for change and handed it to Ginny. The girl jumped up to make the call.

The traffic was deafening, and Maddie couldn’t make out what Ginny was saying. Ginny held out the phone to Maddie and she spoke to Thelma Jenkins.

The lady assured her she would do everything to help Ginny. Hanging up, Maddie felt much better.

“I’ll give you the money for bus fare, but you have to tell your parents where you’re going.”

“Sure. They won’t care.”

Maddie couldn’t imagine a parent not caring.

“And I’d like your aunt’s number and address.”

Maddie pulled a pad from her purse and handed Ginny a pen. After Ginny scribbled the name and number, Maddie tucked it into her purse. She then reached for her wallet and counted out fifty dollars.

“That should be enough for the fare and a little extra.”

“Oh, thank you, Ms. Belle. You’re so nice.”

“And please check in at the school and let them know you’ll be gone for a while.”

“I will.”

Maddie motioned toward Ginny’s stomach. “Take care of that baby.”

“I plan to.” Ginny hugged her briefly, and Maddie got into her truck and drove away, hoping she was doing the right thing. If Ginny wanted to keep her baby, she should be allowed to. Every woman had that right.

As she neared High Five, she met Walker going in the opposite direction. She would call him tonight and let him know about Ginny. That was the least she could do. After all, he was worried about Haley and her involvement with Ginny. She’d probably get a lot of attitude and a sermon about minding her own business.

She’d call, anyway. He had been nice today, and maybe they had reached a new understanding.

Maybe.

CHAPTER FIVE

BY THE TIME MADDIE’S DAY ended, she was exhausted. They managed to finish the fence around the pen, and her arms ached from stretching barbed wire, but it was done. She was proud she had the strength to keep up with Cooper. As she fell into bed, she relished that feeling.

Before sleep claimed her, she remembered she hadn’t called Walker. Thoughts of him caused her to move restlessly beneath the covers. What was it about the man that triggered every feminine response in her? Maybe it was because he was so different from the men in her city life. Or maybe it had been so long since she’d been with a man that her feminine sensory receptors were out of whack. Or whatever. She was too tired to think anymore.

She should call him, but it was late and she might wake Georgie. The morning would be a better time.

AT FIVE MADDIE WAS UP and not so raring to go. She felt as if she’d just closed her eyes. But they planned to round up the expecting cows and wanted to get an early start. This might be just a little too early. Coop said there weren’t many cows calving this time of the year, so that was a plus. Births were usually in the spring and fall.

After brushing her teeth, she thought of calling Walker, but it was too early. She’d call at lunch. She shimmied into jeans and stuck her arms into one of Cait’s pearl-snap shirts. Luckily they were close to the same size. After tucking her shirt into the jeans, she zipped and buttoned them, then deftly wove a tooled leather belt through the loops.

She sat down to tug on her boots. Wiggling her toes, she was reminded how different her attire was from her Philadelphia wardrobe: suits, silk blouses and Jimmy Choo heels. Oh, yeah, she missed those shoes, but that was another life. Today she was a cowgirl, and work waited for her. Gathering her hair into a short ponytail, she jogged for the stairs, which she figured was a good way to wake up.

She met Etta as she was going out the back door. “Good morning, lazy bug,” Maddie mocked with a smile.

“Don’t get smart,” Etta replied, handing her something wrapped in tin foil. “Breakfast taco. I made them for Rufus and Cooper and I saved one for you.”

“Thanks, Etta.”

“Get some juice from the fridge.”

Maddie grabbed bottled water. “This will do.”

“Now, lunch will be ready at twelve and I expect everyone here. You can’t go all day without a proper meal.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Maddie kissed her cheek. “Please look after Gran. I’ll check on her later.”

“I always look after Miss Dorie.” Etta pushed her toward the door. “Go. Coop and Ru are waiting.”

By noon Maddie’s butt was numb and her body ached, but they had a penful of expecting mamas. She leaned on the fence beside Cooper. “How do you know these cows are ready to give birth?”

“Look at their udders.”

“Oh, they’re swollen.”

“Yep. Full of milk, and their…”

When he stopped, she glanced at him. “What?”

Cooper removed his hat and swiped back his hair as if he was thinking about his answer. “Their tail ends are swollen, too.”

“Oh.” She playfully slapped his shoulder. “You thought I’d be embarrassed.”

His sun-browned skin darkened. “Maybe.”

“Ple-ease.” She pushed away from the fence, placed her hands on her hips and bobbled her head in a what’s-up-with-you movement. “I really am made of tougher stuff.”

“Well, you surprised the hell out of me,” he admitted. “I thought you’d do your share of the work from the house.”

“Not on your life, buster.” She started toward the house. “Let’s go have lunch. I’m starving.”

She had thought of just doing the paperwork. Cooper could run the ranch without her help, but something about being part-owner made her take an active role. Cait had. And she enjoyed the physical exercise. And she needed to feel useful. And she craved the mind-numbing tiredness that kept her from thinking what if? What if the cancer came back?

That fear never left her.

IT WAS A TEACHER’S workday so Walker had both kids at home. He’d received a call from Lois Willham. Her husband had just gotten laid off from his job in Rockdale. He’d bought a six-pack of beer and was in the yard drinking and firing a gun. She was afraid he was going to hit an unexpected bystander.

Walker didn’t want to take the kids on that kind of call, so he left Haley in charge. He thought she would be happy, but she seemed more nervous than anything.

He didn’t plan to be gone that long, so he didn’t worry, which was an understatement. Worry was his constant companion.

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