Jonas paused at the open door of the truck as he watched Alexa buckle the seat belt and adjust the strap beneath the mound of a baby.

“I guess we’ll head home,” he said.

Nodding, she smiled. “Yes. That has a nice sound, doesn’t it? Home. I hope you’re beginning to think of the Chaparral as your home, Jonas.”

“Of course I am. You’re making it easy to do that, Alexa.”

As her eyes connected with his, the smile fell from her face. For a split second he forgot that they were parked along a busy street. Something about the look on her face made him want to lean his head in, made him want to kiss her plush lips.

She was far from the woman he’d first imagined her to be. She was warmer, sweeter, stronger.

And he was far too charmed for his own good.

Available in June 2010
from Mills & Boon®
Special Moments™

The Tycoon’s Perfect Match by Christine Wenger & Their Second-Chance Child by Karen Sandler

A Marriage-Minded Man by Karen Templeton & From Friend to Father by Tracy Wolff

An Imperfect Match by Kimberly Van Meter & Next Comes Love by Helen Brenna

A Bravo’s Honour by Christine Rimmer

Lone Star Daddy by Stella Bagwell

Claiming the Rancher’s Heart by Cindy Kirk

To Save a Family by Anna DeStefano

Lone Star Daddy

By

Stella Bagwell

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Stella Bagwell has written close to seventy novels. She credits her longevity in the business to her loyal readers and hopes her stories have brightened their lives in some small way.

A cowgirl through and through, she loves to watch old westerns and has recently learned how to rope a steer by the horns and the feet. Her days begin and end helping her husband care for a beloved herd of horses on their little ranch located on the South Texas coast. When she’s not ropin’ and ridin’, you’ll find her at her desk, creating her next tale of love.

The couple have a son, who is a high-school maths teacher and athletic coach.

To Spider John,

I love you, my boy.

Chapter One

The woman was definitely pregnant, Jonas Redman decided, and from the looks of her she could go into labor any day! Quint had told him that his sister, Alexa, was a young, single woman and that she was expecting. But the man hadn’t mentioned that the baby would be arriving so soon.

Jonas’s initial reaction was to turn tail and head straight back to Texas. Unfortunately, he wasn’t in a position to leave the Chaparral. The desert mountain ranch was going to be his home for as long as it took to complete the job. A job that had nothing to do with raising cattle and horses.

In a steady gait, he walked across the lawn to intercept her. “Ms. Cantrell?” he called out as she neared the front steps of the huge hacienda-style house. “Could I speak with you for a minute?”

Pausing on the neatly clipped grass, Alexa Cantrell turned toward the voice and watched with faint surprise as a tall man, wearing faded denim and a black cowboy hat, approached her. Normally, the working hands on the Chaparral Ranch didn’t need to come by the house. But then, she’d not been living here for the past five years, so maybe things had changed.

Or maybe this wasn’t an ordinary ranch hand, Alexa thought, as he came to a stop a few steps away. He certainly didn’t look ordinary. He was tall and lean, with sunbrowned skin, wide, strong shoulders and authority stamped all over his rugged features. The brim of his hat shaded his eyes, but she could see a pair of thick brown brows and sun lines fanning from the corners. Sandy-brown hair lay in unruly waves about his ears and the back of his neck.

“Yes. May I help you with something?” she asked politely.

Moving forward, he extended his hand to her. “I’m Jonas Redman, the ranch’s new general manager. I happened to see you waving your mother off a moment ago and thought I’d take the opportunity to introduce myself.”

So this was the man taking her brother’s place, Alexa thought. She clasped her hand around his and was instantly aware of rough, callused skin and warmth that radiated right through her palm.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Redman. Quint has spoken of you. He warned me that you’d be coming around if you ran into trouble.”

His eyes, which she could now see were a hazel green, narrowed a fraction more.

“Warned you? Sounds like he’s already expecting me to fall short.”

Alexa laughed softly. “I’m sorry. I guess I chose the wrong word. He only told me that you’d be coming to me if there was a decision you weren’t comfortable making on your own. Does that sound better?”

A corner of his chiseled mouth turned slightly upward, and Alexa was shocked to find herself mesmerized by his features. Somewhere between thirty-five and forty, he was not a pretty boy. In fact, his appearance couldn’t have been more opposite to that of the father of the baby growing inside her. Jonas Redman was the epitome of toughness. A man with muscles honed from working with his back and hands, a man who often lifted his face to the sun and wiped sweat from his brow.

Her comment eased the tense lines on his face. “Yes. That’ll do fine, ma’am.”

His voice was low and raspy, with a twang that told Alexa he wasn’t a New Mexican native. Interest about the man sparked within, shocking her with its appearance. She hadn’t looked twice at a man since—well, since Barry had charmed his way into her life.

Gesturing toward the porch, she said, “Would you like to have a cup of coffee or a glass of lemonade? Mother and I just had something before she left.”

He glanced over his shoulder, toward a portion of the working ranch yard. Even though the nearest barn was more than a hundred yards away, the few trees scattered between didn’t block the view.

“I suppose I could take five minutes,” he said. “It doesn’t appear the men have arrived back from the west pasture yet.”

Nodding, she started toward the house, and he fell into step beside her.

“You’re not from around here, are you?” she questioned as they climbed the two wide steps to the porch.

“Texas, ma’am. I used to live near San Antonio. But I decided to migrate west.”

“Oh? You didn’t like it there?”

“I must have liked it,” he answered. “Up until three weeks ago I’d always lived in Texas. But I guess I got the itch to see something new.”

By now they were on the long, concrete porch connected to a huge, cream-colored stucco house trimmed with dark wooden shutters and doors. Above their heads, a balcony served as a roof for the porch and a sunning spot for the rooms on the second floor of the structure.

Three weeks ago, when Jonas had first arrived, Quint had given him a brief tour of the house. The structure was big enough for a simple man like him to get lost in. Which was probably good, since it looked as though he was going to have to spend time in it with this woman.

“Well, I hope you like it here,” the young woman said. “Our grandfather has Quint so tied up developing land near Capitan that he hardly has time to telephone. I know my brother is very relieved to have you taking care of things now that he’s working on other projects.”

“Your brother is an easy man to please.”

She gestured for him to take a seat on one of the willow chairs grouped together at the east end of the porch. Jonas waited for her to ease onto one of the padded cushions before he seated himself. In front of her was a low table with a tray holding glasses, cups and two insulated thermoses.

Leaning forward, she asked, “Coffee or lemonade?”

“The coffee would be nice.”

He watched as she poured the hot brown liquid into a bright yellow mug. Her hands were long and slender, as were her arms and legs. Even with her very pregnant belly, Quint could see that normally she was a shapely woman. As for her facial features, she looked nothing like her brother. In fact, she didn’t resemble any woman he’d seen before. Her face was square shaped, her mouth wide. Eyes the color of a robin’s egg were set beneath a pair of winged black brows. Prominent cheekbones slanted upward toward her temples, giving her a regal, almost exotic appearance. In spite of himself, he felt his gaze drawn to her comely face.

“Cream or sugar?”

Jonas released a breath of air that had backed up in his throat. “No. Black is good.”

She handed him the mug and he murmured his thanks.

“So how are you settling in?” she asked. “Having any problems with the men?”

Jonas swallowed a sip of coffee before he answered. “No problems. I’ve had a bit of time to get to know all the hands, and they all seem to be well acquainted with their jobs. Quint tells me that most of them have worked here for years.”

“That’s right,” she agreed. “We don’t have much of a turnover. We try to keep the men’s salaries and benefits comparable to others in the area, and thankfully, most of them are content to stay.”

When Jonas had first approached Alexa Cantrell, he’d not intended for the meeting to turn into a friendly visit. He was on a mission, and normally it was his style to keep things on a business track. But this was a time when he couldn’t behave in his normal fashion. If he did, it would only raise this woman’s eyebrows, and the less he did that, the better off they’d all be.

Resting his mug on his knee, he darted a glance at her. She was a young and lovely woman. Why wasn’t there a wedding band on her finger? A man at her side, eager and waiting to become a father?

Maybe there is, Jonas. Maybe Alexa Cantrell is one of those progressive women who doesn’t necessarily want a traditional family. Maybe the baby’s father is still hanging close. Still her lover.

Clearing his throat, he said, “I hear Mrs. Cantrell is going to be gone for nearly a month.”

“That’s right. She just left to catch her plane. She’s visiting my half brothers in South Texas.”

Jonas forced himself to take another sip of coffee, as though he was enjoying the break, as though every nerve in his body wasn’t wound as tight as a cornered mustang.

“So that leaves you alone in the house.”

Her brow puckered with confusion and Jonas felt like kicking himself. He was going at this all wrong. But then, he’d never been known for finesse. When there was a job to be done he jumped in with both feet. With a fight to be fought, he leaped in with two fists.

“I don’t mean to sound rude, Mr. Redman, but what are you asking?”

“Uh—seems your brother has asked me to look out for you while your mother is away. He wants me to move into the house with you.”

She didn’t try to hide her shock as she stared at him. “What? Is this some sort of joke?”

Jonas wished it were. He had too much on his mind, too much to do in a short time without having to deal with a pregnant woman. But Quint had been understanding enough to permit him to take over the position of general manager of the Chaparral. And being on this huge ranch allowed him access to information he would otherwise have to spend days digging for.

“I’m sorry. This is not anything to joke about. Your brother was concerned about your safety. I promised him I would remain in the house at night—just to alleviate his fears.”

She drew her shoulders back and at the same time rested a hand on the upper part of her belly. Jonas couldn’t help but wonder if she’d already been told the sex of the baby. And when was it due? He didn’t know much at all about expecting women, but this one didn’t look that far away from giving birth, and that left him a little more than uneasy.

“I’m sorry, too. Because my brother doesn’t run my life. I do. And I hardly need a night nurse.”

Jonas couldn’t stop a wry smile from twisting his lips. “Maybe you’d better take another look at me, Ms. Cantrell. I’m about as far away from a nurse as you can get.”

Her square jaw tightened further, and Jonas got the impression that if pushed, she could be more than stubborn.

“All right,” she said curtly. “Let me phrase it this way. I don’t need a bodyguard.”

“I wouldn’t label me one of those either. I’m just a cowboy. And your brother is simply concerned.”

She breathed deeply, and Jonas watched her nostrils flare like those of a mare getting ready to kick with both hind feet.

“Overly so, it seems. And for your information, Sassy, our maid lives in the house. I won’t be alone.”

She’d not bothered to serve herself a drink, and Jonas decided this meeting had moved far beyond sharing refreshments. “From what Quint says, Sassy is young and always on the go. Especially at night. He wants a man in the house just in case there’s a problem.”

“I think the problem is him,” she muttered under her breath.

Jonas bit back his frustration. “I’m sorry the idea of me staying with you is so upsetting. Tell you what. You talk it over with your brother. As far as I’m concerned, I’m very comfortable in the bunkhouse. And maybe you have a male friend or relative that you’d rather have stay with you.” Rising to his feet, he placed the remainder of his coffee on the low table. “I’d better get back to work, Ms. Cantrell. It was nice meeting you. And thanks for the coffee.”

He was starting to walk off the porch when she suddenly called out to him. “Wait a minute, Mr. Redman. Please.”

Slowly she rose to her feet, and he paused near the steps as she walked over to him. As she did, a faint breeze ruffled her black hair and teased it around her shoulders. Earlier he’d caught the scent of honeysuckle emanating from her, and as she drew near, the sweet perfume intensified, reminding him of home.

He remained silent and simply waited for her to explain.

She shook her head slightly. “Look, I hope you won’t take this personally, but I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself.”

“You’re going to have a baby soon.”

“That doesn’t make me an invalid.”

He lifted the hat from his head and ran a hand through the flattened waves. “No. It makes you vulnerable,” he said as he settled the Stetson back into place.

She momentarily closed her eyes, and in that moment Jonas realized just how much her blue eyes dominated her features. They were as fresh and cool as the New Mexico sky and just as enchanting.

“I have a phone with me at all times,” she reasoned. “If I go into early labor, all I have to do is make a call.”

“That’s good. I’m glad you think I’m not needed. Because frankly, Ms. Cantrell, my hands are full with other duties right now. I’ve only been here three weeks, and your brother has big plans for this place—plans that I’m only starting to put into motion.”

In other words, he didn’t want to stay in the ranch house any more than she wanted him to, Alexa thought. That fact should have reassured her. Yet for some ridiculous reason she felt insulted. Men had never dismissed her. Even her failed relationship with Barry had ended because she’d chosen to end it. Not the other way around. The idea that Jonas Redman was simply going to walk away without a backward glance irked her in a way that took her by surprise.

Propping a hand on one hip, she cocked her head to one side. “So you’re not going to be moving into the house?”

He smiled a cool little smile, which prickled Alexa’s skin. The man was sexy and tough all rolled together. He was also just a tad too independent for her taste. What in the world had Quint been thinking when he’d hired this man; when he’d suggested this long, tall Texan move into the house with her? Had her brother gone crazy?

“No. Not unless you invite me to. Good day, Ms. Cantrell.”

Tipping his hat to her, he walked off the porch and toward the barn.

Feeling rather dazed, Alexa leaned against a wooden beam and watched as the man made his way across the ranch yard. The lack of rain had left the ground like powder, and dust rose in little puffs around his black boots. His strides were long and authoritative, their aim directed straight at the cattle barn.

She watched until he disappeared into an open door, while realizing with a sharp little sting that he’d never once looked back at her, the house or anything behind him.

Maybe he’s a man who never looks back, Alexa. Or maybe he considers you at the bottom of his important list.

Irked by the mocking voice in her head, she turned and hurried over to the chair where she’d been sitting. A cell phone was lying next to the tray of refreshments, and after quickly snatching it from the table, she sat down and punched in her brother’s number.

After several rings, the voice mail came on. Alexa snapped the phone shut and leaned her head against the back of the chair.

For one split second she felt like crying. But she bit her lip and pushed away the emotional storm. She’d never been a weak woman, and she wasn’t about to start just because her hormones were in overdrive.

Damn it. Things in her family had been in turmoil for the past several months. Why had Quint finally caved in to their grandfather and gone off to work on another section of Apache Wells? Now wasn’t a good time. Not with their mother gallivanting off to Texas and Alexa getting nearer and nearer to the birth of her baby!

Closing her eyes with shame, she pinched the bridge of her nose. What was the matter with her? This selfish attitude wasn’t really her. She was grateful that Frankie, their mother, was finally healthy and that she was going to spend time with Mac and Ripp, Alexa’s half brothers. After all these years her mother deserved this visit and more. As for Quint, he had his hands full. Especially this past year and a half, since their father, Lewis, had died and Abe, their grandfather, was placing more and more demands on him. Alexa didn’t need to be adding to her brother’s problems. She needed to be helping him in every way that she could. And she knew they wanted everything in order so they would be here to support her when the baby came.

That thought had just entered her head when the phone in her lap rang. Picking it up, she saw that it was Quint and she quickly answered. “Hello, big brother.”

“Just returning your call,” he replied. “Is everything okay there?”

She paused as she tried to decide exactly what to tell him. “Sure. Everything is fine. I was just touching base with you, that’s all. Did I catch you at a busy time?”

He sighed. “I’ve finally gotten the builders out here to start on the stables, but they’re missing some of the material they need. I’ll have to drive down to Ruidoso and put in an order.”

“You can’t do it over the phone?”

“No. It’s some things I need to look over and okay first.”

“Well, Mother got off a few minutes ago,” she informed him.

“Good. You can’t know how happy I am about this trip of hers. What about you?”

“Sure I’m happy for her. And she’s promised to be back at least two weeks before the baby is due.”

At first, when Alexa had learned that her mother had been keeping a past life secret from them and that Frankie also had two sons living in Texas, she’d been shocked and a little angry. All these years, Alexa had never imagined Frankie as anything more than a wife to Lewis, a mother to her and Quint. Learning that their mother had abandoned a family prior to theirs had shaken Alexa more than she’d ever wanted to admit to herself or anyone.

Quint said, “Getting her sons back in her life has changed Mom for the better.”

Alexa swallowed at the lump that had suddenly lodged in her throat. Barry had turned out to be someone very different than the man she’d initially believed him to be. And then she’d learned that her mother was someone different, too. All of it together had been difficult for Alexa to deal with. Yet Quint seemed to be taking everything in stride. He was excited at having two older brothers and couldn’t wait to get them out here for an extended visit.

“Seems that way,” Alexa murmured, then drawing in a breath, added, “I met the new manager, Mr. Redman, a few minutes ago.”

There was a long pause before Quint finally replied. “Oh. How did that go? Please don’t tell me you got crosswise with the man. I can’t deal with that, Alexa. Not right now.”

She stiffened her spine. Did everyone view her as difficult? Now that she was home again, was her brother expecting her to be a problem rather than a help? The idea cut right through her. True, she’d shown up here at the ranch unexpectedly, throwing kinks in the plans her mother and brother had already made. But she’d wanted to surprise them. She’d not stopped to think that they had lives and schedules that didn’t always include her.

“No. No problems. He seems competent enough.” Now where had that come from? she wondered with self-disgust. She and Jonas Redman hadn’t discussed anything about the ranch or how to run it. But then, was it really her place to say how the Chaparral should be operated? For the past five years she’d chosen to stay away from her home and live in Santa Fe. At that time, she’d believed that living in the city would bring the change she needed in her life. She’d thought being Senator Hutchins’s aide would be the beginning of a satisfying career that would keep her away from the ranch. She’d not counted on Barry or the baby happening. Now her life felt as though it had splintered in all directions, and not one was the right one for her.

She pushed back a sigh as her brother began to speak.

“Jonas is more than competent, Alexa. We’re very fortunate to get him.” The phone crackled, telling Alexa her brother must be driving through the mountains, causing the signal to break. “I—you were—with him staying in the house. He—but I—made him see how important it was—have you safe.”

Alexa wearily wiped a hand over her eyes. “Your phone is breaking up, Quint. Everything is fine here. I’ll talk to you later.”

After putting away the phone, she reached for the tray of refreshments and carried it into the house. The dimly lit interior was cool as Alexa made her way through rooms with low ceilings, whitewashed walls, and comfortable Western furnishings. A large kitchen was located on the bottom floor at the back of the house. When she stepped into the room, she found the ranch’s longtime cook watering potted succulents rowed along a windowsill.

The sound of Alexa’s footsteps tapping against the tile floor announced her arrival, and the woman turned just as Alexa placed the tray of refreshments down on the cabinet counter.

“Alexa! You shouldn’t have carried that heavy tray!” she scolded. “Why didn’t you call me?”

Alexa smiled at the woman. Reena Crow had been working for the Cantrells even before Alexa was born. She was now in her mid-fifties but looked at least ten years younger. She was petite and slender, and her shoulderlength hair was as straight as a stick and salt-and-pepper in color. Her brown skin implied a Native American ancestry, but her pale green eyes belied it.

At the age of eighteen, Reena had come to work on the Chaparral as a maid, but after a few years her culinary skills had pushed her to the position of cook. Now widowed and with a grown daughter living away, Reena spent her days on the ranch and her nights taking care of her ninety-year-old mother.

“It wasn’t that heavy, Reena. I think both thermoses are practically empty,” Alexa said as she began placing dirty glasses and mugs in the sink.

“So Frankie is already gone?”

Alexa bit back a sigh. She’d come home, eager to help with stacks of bookkeeping for the Chaparral while her mother was away. She’d not envisioned having to deal with a man like Jonas Redman in the house.

You can always tell him no thanks, Alexa. You can flatly refuse to allow him in the house.

Yes, she could refuse, Alexa thought glumly. But that would only throw more worry onto Quint. And she already felt guilty enough about the heavy load her brother carried. Besides, now that she thought about it, she’d overreacted to the whole thing. Jonas Redman wasn’t going to intrude on her life. Even if he was one of the sexiest men she’d ever laid eyes on, his interests obviously didn’t include a very pregnant single woman. And she’d be incredibly conceited to think otherwise.

“Yes. I waved her off a few minutes ago.”

“She’s very excited,” Reena said. “And happy. That’s so good to see. Earlier this winter I was afraid she was going to die.”

“So was I, Reena. But once she realized she had something to live for, she agreed to the heart operation, which she desperately needed. Thank God.”

Reena climbed down from the step chair and put her watering can to one side. “Well, you having this baby has also done wonders for her.” She slanted a concerned eye at Alexa. “Are you feeling okay? Your face is flushed.”

No doubt, Alexa thought wryly. Jonas Redman had stirred her blood. Although she wasn’t sure why. He’d simply been following orders. And he’d not given her one sly look, one suggestive word. Yet she’d found herself having thoughts about him that were disturbing. She’d never reacted to any other man like that before she was pregnant.

“I’m fine. It’s just a little warm out this afternoon.”

Alexa began to fill the sink with warm water, but Reena quickly elbowed her away.

“Go. Rest. Do something. I’ll tend to these.”

Knowing better than to argue with the woman, Alexa left the kitchen and climbed the stairs. Earlier this morning, before she’d left her bedroom, she’d opened the heavy wooden door that led onto the balcony, and now a cool breeze wafted through the large room and rustled the bed skirt on the dark oak four-poster.

These days she tired easily, and oftentimes her body begged for a nap. But this afternoon she was too wired to think about sleep and ignoring the bed, she walked out onto the balcony.

The ranch house sat in a valley that ran for several miles between pine-covered mountains. To the right she could see the Rio Bonito meandering through banks lined with willows and aspens. To the left, a massive ranch yard with barns, sheds, outbuildings and cattle pens spread across many acres.

In all her life and all her travels, Alexa had never seen a prettier place than the Chaparral. And from her father she’d inherited a deep love of the land. Yet at the moment she took no solace in the majestic landscape sweeping southwest toward Alto. No, her thoughts were on Jonas Redman and the fact that she was now going to have to go over to the ranch yard and tell him that she’d changed her mind about having him for a housemate.

Across from the house, at the end of a long line of horse stables, Jonas stood in his office with a cell phone jammed to his ear while Captain Leo Weaver with the Texas Rangers tossed questions at him.

“How much longer do you think this is going to take, Jonas?”

Frowning, Jonas peered out the dusty window as he watched a couple of cowboys attempt to repair a wooden feed trough with hammer and nails. “Right now it’s impossible to say, Captain. I’ve seen nothing moving on this property or the surrounding property. But these ranches around here are hardly small. I actually need another man here—an extra set of eyes and ears. As it stands, it’s going to take me days more riding to search out the backside of this ranch.”

Normally the Rangers didn’t go out of their jurisdiction, which was the state of Texas. But this was a bistate crime, and New Mexico had invited them and asked for their help. As a result, Jonas had been chosen for the job.

“What about using a four-wheeler? That ought to speed things up.”

“Most places are far too rough for an ATV. Horse or mule is the safest means of searching. That’s why another man would sure help.”

“Right now I don’t have a spare man to put on the case. Besides, two Rangers would be easier to spot than one. Another new hand coming onto the ranch—especially one that isn’t from the area—would make everyone suspicious. You’re gonna have to go this one alone, Jonas.”

Jonas bit back the frustration he was feeling. Leo was right; two new outsiders coming to work on the Chaparral at the same time could throw up red flags. His captain expected him to deal with the matter on his own, and Jonas would. It would just take him a lot longer. And he wanted to be gone from this place. He wanted to go home to Texas. And he damned sure didn’t want to babysit a pregnant woman.

“Yeah,” he muttered.

“The Cattlemen’s Association and the state livestock regulators are on me about this, Jonas. They’re worried about diseases being shipped in and spreading through healthy herds. We’re talking millions of dollars at stake. Not to mention the criminal aspect of it. Mexico does not want to give up its corner on the Corriente cattle market and Texas does not want Mexican cattle shipped illegally across its borders. Presently, all the information points to rustlers routing their stock through southern New Mexico. Particularly from your point through Portales and Clovis. And all of the areas—Texas, Mexico and New Mexico are working on it. But we think you are in the right area to uncover something. Have you picked up on anything at all?”

“Not much. Right now I’m just trying to look like a ranch manager and get a sense of the personal routines of the hands.”

“You think one of them is in on it?”

Jonas suddenly straightened his shoulder away from the window when he spotted Alexa Cantrell walking slowly across the dusty ground toward his office. She’d changed from the slacks and blouse she’d been wearing earlier into a blue-and-white flowered dress with a peasant neckline. The wind caused the hem to dance around her shapely calves and mold against her mounded stomach. He’d never realized a woman could be pregnant and sexy at the same time. Until now.

“Hard to say, Captain. Some people are more difficult to read than others. And some don’t talk about anything. I’m hoping something will break soon.”

“Let me know the minute it does.”

As Alexa neared the door of the office, Jonas lowered his voice. “Will do. Someone’s coming—I’d better get off.”

He snapped the phone together and dropped it into his shirt pocket just as the woman stepped through the door. She stared at the empty desk chair, then jerked her head sideways as she realized he was standing a few steps away from her.

“Oh. There you are.”

Jonas stepped away from the window to greet her. “This is a surprise. I wasn’t expecting to see you again today.”

Folding her hands in front of her, she turned to face him. There was a humble look to her face, which he’d not detected earlier, and he could only wonder what had brought about the change. But then, he knew from experience that it didn’t take much to swing a woman’s mood.

“Am I interrupting anything?”

Nothing that she could know about, he thought grimly. Only Quint knew he was a Texas Ranger, and only Quint knew his reason for being on the ranch. Perhaps things might reach a point in the future where he would be forced to reveal himself to Alexa. But for the present, the less she knew, the safer they would all be. Nothing he did should bring danger to the family. He’d continue to ensure that.

“No. I just stepped into the office to see about ordering a shipment of vaccines for the cattle. Quint says the herd in the west pasture is due to be worked.”

She held her palms up in a helpless gesture. “I wish I could tell you more of the ranch’s schedule. But I’ve not been living here for the past five years. In fact, my family wasn’t expecting me to move back. I surprised them.”

“Yes. Your brother mentioned last week that you suddenly decided to move back from Santa Fe,” Jonas informed her as he strode over to an old schoolteacher’s desk made of metal and Formica. Propping one hip on the corner, he gestured for her to take the chair in front of him. “Please sit. Hopefully the seat’s not too dusty.”

She eased gracefully onto the wooden chair, then carefully smoothed her dress over her knees. Without bothering to look at him, she said in a quiet voice, “Well, I’m sure you must have guessed why I’m here.”

Looking at her jolted him. Something about her reminded him of just how long he’d lived alone, of how long it had been since he’d imagined having children of his own.

Tucking away all emotion, he said, “Actually, I haven’t. Do you have a question for me? A problem?”

“No problem. Unless—” she lifted her face and looked at him “—you’ve changed your mind about staying in the house with me.”

Her voice was stiff and halting, telling Jonas it must have cost her to come to him like this. He almost felt sorry for her. But just almost. He couldn’t warm up to people with superior attitudes, and that included beautiful women.

“Why would I change my mind? When I’m given an order, I’m not in a position to change my mind.” He tried to smile, but his lips felt uncomfortable as they stretched against his teeth. Smiling was foreign to Jonas, and when he did smile it was usually for effect, not a reflexive action. “Look, Ms. Cantrell, I don’t know what’s going on in that pretty head of yours. Maybe you just don’t like cowhands like me. Maybe they’re just a bit beneath your style to have one sleeping in the same house with you. I don’t know—I’ve only met you. But you can rest assured that I consider you a job and nothing more. Now, if you want me to stay in the house, fine. If you don’t, that’s fine, too.”

She didn’t blink as he talked, but he did notice that her eyes darkened and her lips folded together.

“You don’t have to be insulting about it,” she said.

He shrugged. “You didn’t have to be, either. But you were.”

Her head dropped, and she absently plucked at the soft fabric covering her belly. “Yes, I suppose I was a bit rude,” she admitted lowly. “And I’m sorry for that. And I…want to say—my attitude had nothing to do with you personally. I’ve not been myself here lately. For obvious reasons.”

Jonas quietly studied her bent head as all sorts of questions drifted through his mind. The father. Her health. Her plans.

“When is your baby due?”

She lifted her head and looked at him with faint surprise. As though she’d not expected him to consider her personal plight.

“Six weeks from tomorrow.”

“Are you doing okay?”

A wry grimace twisted her lips. “You mean, as an unwed mother?”

He slanted an impatient look at her. “That’s not what I meant. I’m asking about your health.”

Pink color swept across her cheeks. “Sorry. I don’t know why I’m being so—defensive.”

She thrust a hand through her black hair, then pushed to her feet. Jonas watched curiously as she began to meander around the stark, dusty room while he waited for her to say more.

“My life has been uprooted, and now that my mother and brother are gone, I feel…sort of lost, I suppose. I can’t ever remember a time I was on the ranch without any family around. You mentioned that I might ask a male friend or relative to stay with me. Well, I don’t have any male friends—not around here. And the only relative is my grandfather Abe, and you’d have to place several sticks of dynamite beneath him to get him to leave his home for any reason.”

His gaze took in the proud angle of her head. “From what you say, you’ve been living away from your family for several years now. You should be used to not having them around.”

Pausing at one of the narrow windows, she glanced over her shoulder at him. “You don’t miss anything, do you?”

It was his job not to miss anything, he thought. But she couldn’t know that. “I’m an outsider, Ms. Cantrell. It’s easy for me to look at things logically.”

She sighed and turned her gaze back to the windowpane. “You’re right. I have lived for five years without seeing my family on a daily basis. But that was in Santa Fe. This is here and now. I’m not used to being on the ranch alone,” she reasoned. “I need time to reacquaint myself with everything.”

This time the smile on his face came easier. “Have you stopped to think that your brother already understood you might feel that way? Maybe that’s why he didn’t want you to be alone in that huge house while he and your mother are away.”

She reached up and passed a hand across her forehead, and Jonas thought he could see a tremble to her fingers. Clearly the woman wasn’t as independent as she’d first wanted him to believe, and the idea that she was willing to admit that she needed someone was all it took to soften him.

Smiling gently, she turned to face him. “Yes, I suppose he did.”

She strode over to where he sat propped on the edge of the desk and extended her hand. “Shall we start over? I’m Alexa Cantrell. Please call me Alexa.”

He enfolded her soft little hand in his and felt his heart thump in a way that practically startled him. “All right, Alexa,” he said huskily. “I’m Jonas Redman. Call me Jonas.”

Dimples bracketed her mouth as her smile deepened. “Thank you, Jonas. I’d be very grateful if you’d stay in the ranch house while my family is away.”

“No, problem, ma’am. No trouble at all.”

Yeah. Right. Who was he trying to kid? The woman was going to be trouble and then some.

Chapter Two

Is Mr. Redman going to be taking his meals here?”

Alexa, who was sitting at an L-shaped bar at one end of the kitchen cabinets, looked up at the cook. Reena’s question had caught her off guard. Jonas’s meals were not something that had yet crossed her mind. Since she’d left the man’s office a few minutes ago, the most she’d tried to do was convince herself that their paths would rarely cross. “I don’t know, Reena. I suppose I’ll have to ask him. But don’t worry about it. If he does decide to take his meals here instead of in the bunkhouse, then he’ll just have to eat what Sassy and I eat.”

Reena nodded. “I’ll make plenty to go around.”

The cook’s remark only reminded Alexa all over again that she was going to have to deal with Jonas Redman being in the house. True, Sassy stayed in a room off the kitchen, but she slipped in and out at all hours of the night. Sassy was young, and so her free time was, more often than not, taken up with social activities. And evenings were exactly when Jonas would be showing up at the ranch house.

Alexa wasn’t sure if she was excited or annoyed by the prospect. Something about the man left her uneasy. Just a few words from him had made her stop and take a second look at herself, and that in itself was scary. A wandering cowboy from Texas shouldn’t have that much power over her. In fact, he shouldn’t be having any effect on her at all.

With that thought, Alexa quickly rose from the bar stool. “I’d better check to see if Sassy has one of the guest rooms ready,” she told Reena, then quickly exited the kitchen.

Upstairs, she met the young red-haired maid in the hallway. A ball of sheets was wadded in her arms.

“Need something, Alexa?”

Alexa smiled. “I was just wondering if you’ve finished preparing a room for Jonas?”

Nodding, Sassy dropped the sheets and motioned for Alexa to follow her. “I’ve tidied up the room next to yours,” she said as they walked toward the end of the hallway. “I hope that’s okay. Since you didn’t say, I thought you’d probably be wanting him near.” She looked at Alexa. “I mean, in your condition you might need help in the middle of the night. If your water broke or something, you wouldn’t want to have to go traipsing across the house to find him.”

Everything Sassy was saying made sense. Yet the idea of Jonas in such close proximity was definitely going to be a challenge to Alexa’s senses.

“I suppose you’re right,” Alexa reluctantly agreed.

The two women stepped into the room, and while Sassy gave another smoothing hand to the bedclothes, Alexa glanced around her. The room wasn’t as large as hers, but with its rustic cedar furnishings, Native American artwork and woven rugs, it was fitting for a man like Jonas. As for Barry, he wouldn’t have fit in anywhere on the Chaparral. He’d been a city boy through and through. Tailored suits, briefcases and wing-tipped oxfords were his everyday staples. Sometimes she wondered if she’d gotten involved with the man just because he had been so opposite from her home life, so opposite from Mitch.

For a moment, memories of the young cowboy assaulted her, freezing her footsteps and the images in her mind. Mitch had been her first love, and his reckless, carefree attitude toward life had been infectious to a teenage Alexa. She’d thought the world was theirs until one night, after too much beer and partying, he’d wrecked the truck they’d been riding in on a mountain highway east of Ruidoso. The crash had killed Mitch instantly and put Alexa in the hospital for over two weeks. The incident had drastically changed her life, and ever since she’d shied away from anything wearing boots and a sexy grin. Instead of the outdoor girl she’d always been, she’d turned bookish and serious and set her mind on a degree in political science. By age twenty she’d gotten a position on the mayor’s staff in Ruidoso, and two years later she’d gone to work in the state capital building. And there she’d believed she’d put cowboys and the Chaparral out of her mind.

Now here she was back home, doing something she’d never planned to do again. Thinking about a cowboy.

“Alexa—is something wrong?”

Alexa was so absorbed in her thoughts that it took Sassy’s voice a moment or two to finally register with her. When it did, she looked across the room at the maid. “Did you say something?” she asked blankly.

“Is something wrong?” Sassy repeated. “You looked sorta sad.”

Alexa did her best to smile. “Nothing is wrong. I was just thinking about something that happened a long time ago.”

The maid didn’t look too convinced but, thankfully, changed the subject.

“Oh. Well, I was asking if I should open the balcony door,” she said. “Some fresh air might make the room smell nice.”

“Go ahead,” Alexa told her. “Jonas can close it later.”

“And what about flowers? I wasn’t sure about putting fresh flowers in the room.”

Alexa walked over to the nightstand and wiped a finger over the polished wood. Everything was spotless. “No. I don’t think Jonas will expect flowers. He’s probably not used to such things.”

Sassy didn’t respond, and Alexa glanced up to see a disapproving look on her face.

“Just because he’s a cowboy doesn’t mean he can’t appreciate flowers,” Sassy muttered after a moment.

Alexa opened her mouth to assure the young woman she didn’t mean anything insulting with her remark. Everyone was treated equally at the Chaparral. But Sassy would hardly believe that now. Dear God, it seemed like everything she said today came out sounding wrong.

“I’d better go get the sheets in the wash,” Sassy said and quickly started toward the door.

Alexa called out to her. “Wait a minute, Sassy. Please.”

Alexa’s heart softened as she watched the young woman walk back to the center of the room. Sassy had been orphaned at age seventeen, when her parents had perished in a house fire. After that, Alexa’s parents had taken her in and given her a job here on the Chaparral. She’d become like family, and Alexa wanted her to understand that.

“You need something else, Alexa?” Sassy asked.

With a regretful smile, Alexa walked over and hugged the younger woman’s shoulders. “Yes, I need to apologize. For sounding like a—well, like a queen wasp.”

Sassy laughed. “Oh, Alexa, that’s a terrible thing to say about yourself. I understand you’ve been under a strain. Moving back home like this…it’s gotta be—well, something you’ll have to get used to all over again.”

Alexa sighed with relief. At least Sassy understood. “Truthfully, Sassy, it’s turning out to be much harder than I ever expected. But I’ll survive. I just wanted to say that bit about Jonas and the flowers—I honestly didn’t want you putting flowers in his room, because I didn’t want him to think I was going out of my way to make things extra pleasant for him.”

Sassy’s brows pulled together in confusion. “Why? He has to be a nice man or Quint wouldn’t have hired him.”

The young woman’s simple reasoning made Alexa feel even smaller. “I’m sure he is. It’s just that—well, it’s kind of awkward for me—having him here in the house. I’ve only just met him and he’s—”

“Darn good-looking,” Sassy finished for her. “And single.”

Alexa’s brows lifted. “How did you know that about him?”

Sassy’s smile was conspiring. “The ranch has a gossip grapevine, Alexa. I hear things from the bunkhouse cook.”

“Gus? He’s getting too old to gossip!”

“Don’t let him hear you say that,” Sassy joked, then looked at Alexa with empathy. “And don’t go worrying about the new manager. Your mother will be back soon and everything will get back to normal.”

Long after dark, Alexa was lounging on the back patio, soaking up the cool breeze and thinking about Sassy’s comment. Would things in her life ever get back to normal? she wondered.

In spite of her blowup with Barry, she was excited about the coming baby. Already she loved it with all her heart. In fact, for the past few months, thoughts of her coming child were the only thing that had kept her focused and going. Yet she wondered if she’d ever have the courage to trust another man or, for that matter, to resume her job in Santa Fe.

When she’d left, she’d done so on a leave of absence, with the option to return to Senator Hutchins’s office whenever she was ready. Which had been an overly generous offer on the senator’s part. Alexa appreciated the fact that her job would be there for her if she decided to return. But she wasn’t sure that life in politics was right for her anymore. Barry would still be hanging around the capital, and though he’d been out of her life for months now, she’d not been able to avoid running into him casually.

The whole situation was awkward. But then, she should have never been attracted to Barry in the first place, she thought with self-disgust. She should have been able to see beneath his polished appearance and glib way with words. Once she’d started dating him, her instincts should have picked up on the fact that he was out for himself and no one else. Damn it, he’d been a lobbyist. What more could she expect?

But he’d helped get great environmental laws passed for the state and the good of the people. She’d believed he was a sincere, dedicated man. And she’d been drawn to him because of their shared interests and goals.

With Barry she’d approached their relationship with logic and common sense rather than passion, and she’d felt proud of herself for not swooning and falling into a pit of sexual heat, as she had with Mitch. They had dated and then moved in with each other about a year later. She’d thought they’d shared goals and ideals.

Eventually, when she’d learned she was pregnant, she’d been happy, envisioning the three of them as a perfect family. But only a few days later she’d learned quite by accident—through a stack of paperwork he’d left lying about in their apartment—that he’d been involved in some unscrupulous dealings. And to make matters worse, when she’d confronted him, he’d clearly felt no shame over his behavior.

When she’d announced to Barry that she was leaving, he’d been shocked that she would turn down such a catch as him. He’d considered himself a rising star in the state political arena, and he’d expected Alexa to want to ride on his coattails all the way to the top. But once she’d discovered his underhanded dealings, she’d had no choice but to end everything between them.

She couldn’t live with an immoral man, much less have her child raised by one. Barry hadn’t seen it that way, and for a few weeks he’d made ugly noises about custody rights and using his political pull to take the child completely away from her. That had been his way of forcing her into coming back to him.

But she and Barry had both known that he’d not really wanted her or the child that much. He simply hadn’t wanted to lose the fight.

Fortunately, he’d eventually come to the conclusion that their relationship could never be salvaged. He’d decided that signing his rights to the baby over to her would be much better than Alexa’s exposing his misdeeds to a pack of hungry newspaper reporters.

It was a relief to know that she was free of Barry now, she thought. She only wished she was free of the damage his betrayal had done to her self-confidence, her ability to judge people on the inside, where it really mattered.

A footfall on the concrete patio pulled Alexa from her glum thoughts, and she turned her head to see Jonas Redman standing a few feet away. A duffel bag was thrown over his shoulder, and he appeared tired and dusty. Foolish excitement hummed along her veins.

“Excuse me for interrupting, Alexa. I only wanted to let you know that I’m finally here. I meant to arrive earlier, but things got busy.”

Her heart thumping, Alexa swung her legs to the ground and rose to her feet. “That’s all right. If you’d like to come in, I’ll show you your room.”

Nodding, he followed her through the back door of a small atrium filled with all types of potted plants and cushioned lawn furniture, then into a dimly lit kitchen.

“Sassy is out for the evening,” she informed him. “But Reena, our cook, saved supper for you.”

“No need for that,” Jonas replied. “I can eat with the boys in the bunkhouse. Gus will have something left over.”

She gestured toward an open door that led into a long hallway. “It’s no trouble, Jonas. And someone needs to help Sassy and me eat all the food that Reena prepares.”

At the end of the hallway they turned into what looked to be a living room. On the left side, a wide staircase made of dark, polished wood led to the second floor. Jonas followed at a respectable distance. Until they were nearly to the landing. There, Alexa suddenly sagged against the bannister and clutched it tightly with both hands as though it was all she could do to stay upright.

Leaping up the two steps separating them, Jonas quickly put his hand under her elbow to steady her. As his eyes anxiously scanned her face, he noticed her breathing was labored.

“Alexa! What’s wrong?”

Pressing a hand to her throat, she drew in a long breath. “I—I’m okay, Jonas. I just…got a little winded. That happens when I try to move too fast. All this extra weight pushing against my diaphragm doesn’t make stair-climbing easy.”

She was recovering quickly, yet he was reluctant to loosen his hold on her arm. If she happened to get dizzy and fall backward down the staircase, it would, in all likelihood, harm her and the baby.

“You didn’t need to escort me to my room,” he scolded lightly. “You could have just told me where it was.”

Straightening to her full height, she said, “Don’t be silly. I have to climb the stairs to get to my room, too.”

As Jonas stared at her, he was suddenly struck by how soft her skin felt against his hand, how sweet she smelled and how totally vulnerable she was. It had been a long time since he’d been this close to a woman, a long time since he’d touched one. He’d almost forgotten the tender feelings a woman could evoke in a man.

“Are you having health problems?” he asked. “Something I need to know about?”

Color darkened her cheeks as she shook her head. “No. I’m fine. Really, Jonas.”

Pulling her arm away from his hand, she headed up the stairs, leaving him with nothing to do but follow.

At the end of a wide hallway, she gestured to the right, where a door stood ajar. “This is your room. If there’s anything you need that Sassy might have missed, just let me know.”

Jonas entered the room and was surprised when she followed and switched on a lamp at the head of the bed. Earlier today, he’d gotten the impression that she wanted to avoid being near him at all cost. Maybe she was deciding he wasn’t a threat, after all.

“The bathroom is over there in the right corner,” she informed him. “And the balcony is beyond the open door. You might find it more comfortable to sleep with that door open. The night air cools the room nicely.”

He tossed his duffel bag onto the bed. Everything he’d brought from Texas was in that bag. Including his weapon and Ranger badge. He was going to have to find a hiding place for them. Otherwise, the maid might possibly stumble across the items during her routine cleaning.

“Everything is fine, Alexa. The room is far beyond my needs.” He lifted off his hat and placed it next to the bag. “I’ll be out of here early in the morning, so I’ll try not to disturb you. As for the evenings, I can’t say when I’ll be showing up. I’m sure you remember that ranch days rarely end before dark.”

Nodding, she gave him a brief smile. “Of course. When my father was running the ranch, he was oftentimes a stranger around here. So I don’t expect your schedule to fit with mine. You’re welcome to come and go as you please.”

Strange how she’d done an about-face, Jonas thought. She’d initially been outraged when he’d suggested staying in the house with her. Now she was the perfect welcoming hostess. Was that what being pregnant did to a woman, swung her moods wildly one direction and then another? If so, he was going to be in for a hell of a ride in these next coming days.

She started toward the door. “If you’ll come down to the kitchen in a few minutes, I’ll heat your supper.”

Jonas was hardly expecting her, the heiress of the place, to see to his kitchen needs, but he wasn’t going to argue the point now. If she wanted to extend to him a bit of hospitality, then he was going to be grateful enough to accept it.

“Fine. Thanks.”

She disappeared into the hallway, and he began to put away his things in the long oak dresser. As for his pistol and badge, he pulled out the bottom drawer of the dresser, placed them on the floor beneath, then returned the drawer to its track and shoved it back in place.

Minutes later, after a quick shower, Jonas pulled on a pair of faded jeans and boots and topped them with a white T-shirt before heading downstairs. As he walked toward the kitchen, he was struck by the quietness and reminded all over again that no one was in the house except for him and Alexa.

The smell of roast beef and vegetables met his nose long before he entered the kitchen. The growl of his stomach reminded him that he’d not eaten a bite of food since breakfast.

“I didn’t know whether you would prefer iced tea or beer with your meal,” Alexa told him as he stepped into the room. “So I gave you both.”

A plate piled high with food was already laid out on the table. Next to it was a basket full of bread rolls, an assortment of condiments and the two drinks. She gestured for him to take a seat.

“Aren’t you going to have any?” he asked as he pulled out a chair.

“I would, but I’ve already eaten,” she told him.

“Then surely you can join me with something to drink,” he suggested politely.

She studied him for a long moment, as though she couldn’t quite decide whether joining him would be the right thing to do. Jonas tried not to let her attitude offend him. After all, she’d already gone out of her way to be gracious. No one said she had to cozy up to him.

“All right. Since it’s decaffeinated, I suppose I could have a glass of tea,” she told him as she went over to the counter to fetch the drink.

“You’re not supposed to have caffeine?” he asked curiously.

“It’s not healthy for the baby, so I try to limit the stuff.”

She carried the tea back over to the table and took the chair across from him. He glanced up from his plate to see her stirring a spoonful of sugar into her glass. There was a small ruby and silver ring on her right hand, but nothing on her left. The lack of an engagement ring spoke volumes to Jonas.

“Sorry if my questions sound silly. I don’t know much about women having babies. Cows and horses are more my line.”

Tonight, without a hat and a button-down shirt, he looked different somehow, Alexa thought. Younger and sexier, if that was possible. His brown hair was the color of a pecan streaked with shades of coffee and honey. The waves stuck out in damp disarray about his head, as though he’d had an expensive razor cut to make his hair look purposely messy. But Alexa very much doubted he spent his money on such vain things. It didn’t fit his nature, she decided, as her gaze dipped down to his corded arms. They had a farmer’s tan that ended at the cuffs of his T-shirt, and Alexa found herself wondering what his chest looked like beneath the white T-shirt.

Swallowing at the nervous tightening in her throat, she asked, “You don’t have any children of your own?”

He shook his head. “No. I’m divorced. Have been for six years.”

The revelation jarred her. For some reason, she’d pictured him as always being a single man. To think that he’d once loved and married a woman put him in a whole new light.

“Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”

One thick shoulder shrugged. “You weren’t. And it’s not a secret.”

What had happened? Alexa wondered. Had he been at fault for the breakup of his marriage? Or his wife? Was his ex the reason he’d left Texas?

Forget it, Alexa. This man’s personal life is not your business. Besides, you have your own problems to think about.

After a short stretch of silence, he said, “So you’ve been living in Santa Fe. Did you like living in the city?”

Alexa slid her fingertips up and down the side of the ice-cold glass. “It was okay.” At least it was okay until everything with Barry had gone wrong, she thought grimly. “I worked at the state capital building as an aide to a senator.”

Feeling his gaze on her, she darted a glance at him and was surprised to see that he actually looked curious. Most men, especially the outdoor type, never showed much interest in her job. Maybe her first impression of Jonas Redman had been right. He wasn’t an ordinary man.

“You like that sort of thing—working in government?”

From out of nowhere a bit of shyness struck her, and she looked down at the tabletop rather than at him. “It’s interesting to me. But mostly I like helping serve the public.”

“How did you get the job with the senator? I suspect there were plenty of applicants waiting in line.”

Lifting her gaze back to him, she was relieved to see he was now focusing on his plate rather than her face. “I honestly don’t know how I happened to land it. At the time I was working in the Ruidoso mayor’s office and trying to finish up college.” She chuckled with fond remembrance. “What I lacked in experience, I made up in enthusiasm, I suppose.”

He looked at her and smiled, and for a moment Alexa felt as though everything around her stopped. The expression warmed his face and hinted at a softer side to the iron cowboy. It also endeared him to her, pulled her toward him in a way that caught her by complete surprise.

“Are you planning to go back? I mean, after your baby is born?”

A soft sigh escaped her as she turned her gaze away from him and toward the row of windows to their right. Even though it was dark, a distant outdoor lamp illuminated a part of the ranch yard. At the moment, nothing was stirring except for the wind ruffling the leaves on the aspen trees. “I—I’m not sure. I think I need a little time to make up my mind about that.”

“I’m curious about one thing,” he said.

His comment jerked her gaze back to his. “What’s that?”

He reached for another roll and proceeded to tear it down the center. “I’ve been wondering about your feelings for this ranch. It appears your father and brother put their lives into making it go. Were you never interested in it?”

Interested? Once she’d loved every inch, every blade of grass, every cow and horse on the place. Even before she’d started kindergarten, she’d followed her father around, watching him tend to everything, from a sick calf to a broken fence. He’d put her in the saddle before she’d been able to walk, and from her early childhood up until Mitch’s death she’d had one purpose in life, and that had been to help run the ranch, to do her part in making it grow and prosper. The accident had turned her away from everything she’d once loved, and now, after all this time, she was frightened to let herself love it again.

“Of course I was,” she said stiffly. “The ranch has always been my home.”

His plate nearly empty, he put down his fork and leaned back in his chair. Alexa hated the way her eyes were drawn to the broad width of his chest, the bunching of his biceps as he folded his arms together.

“Well,” he said casually, “most women don’t get involved with the grit and grime of everyday ranch life. Quint says your mother doesn’t ride at all. Do you?”

His question seemed so absurd to Alexa that she couldn’t stop herself from laughing. Which only prompted him to look at her in a calculating way.

“I didn’t realize that was a funny question,” he said as her laughter ebbed to a soft chuckle.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it.” She leaned toward him and smiled, with the first confidence she’d felt in a long, long time. “If I wasn’t so pregnant, I bet I could outride you, Jonas Redman.”

His hazel eyes suddenly glinted with interest; at the same time, a grin tugged at one corner of his mouth. “That’s a bold statement. Especially since you don’t know me.”

“Maybe. But I know myself. I’ve been riding since before I could walk. In spite of Mother’s protest.”

“She didn’t want you to do those types of things?”

Alexa grimaced. “Mother was always a worrier. She did her best to keep Quint and me from doing anything she considered risky. But Dad won out on the riding and…other things.”

“In other words it was the risk she opposed. It wasn’t that she wanted her daughter to do more feminine things.”

“That’s right. You see, Mother had—well, she had two sons by her first husband that she…had to give up for a long time. And I guess she protected me and my brother because she was afraid she’d lose us, too.”

Now why had she gone and told him all that? Alexa wondered. It wasn’t like her to share family matters with strangers. Especially such things as her mother had gone through.

Because Jonas doesn’t feel like a stranger. Because something about him is easy and calm and inviting.

“That’s only human,” he said softly. “We want to cling to what we love the most.”

A long rush of air passed her lips, and she realized her heart was thumping hard behind her breasts. When she’d heated Jonas’s supper for him, she’d not expected to join him, much less have such a personal conversation with the man. She’d planned to go about her business or pretend to have more important things to do and politely leave the kitchen.

He hadn’t allowed that to happen, and now all she could think about was that the two of them were alone, that only a wall would be separating them as they slept.

Dear God, what was the matter with her? Were her hormones going crazy all of a sudden? Since her break with Barry, the idea of even looking at another man had repulsed her. And Jonas Redman wasn’t her type at all. No, cowboys were off-limits. Forever.

And now politicians are off-limits, too. What are you going to do, Alexa? Quit men entirely because you happen to be a bad judge of character? You’ve tried passion, and you’ve tried logic. Is there anything left?

Clearing her throat, she slowly rose to her feet. “Uh—it’s getting late. Is there anything else you’d like before I head upstairs?”

Pushing his chair away from the table, he also stood. “I’ve had plenty. Thanks.”

He picked up his dirty plate, glass and beer bottle. “Where do I put these?” he asked.

She motioned to the sink. “Just put them there. Sassy will put them in the dishwasher later.”

Alexa left the kitchen, but he quickly caught up to her in the living room, just before she reached the staircase. When his hand came under her elbow and his arm circled around the back of her waist, she stopped in her tracks and stared at him.

“May I ask what you’re doing?”

His solemn expression didn’t waver. “You’re not going up those stairs without me to help you.”

Her first instinct was to laugh, but she bit back the urge. As she looked at his face, she realized he was seriously concerned for her, and suddenly the idea that he cared that much for her well-being caused tears to sting the back of her eyes.

“I have to go up and down them during the day, Jonas,” she said softly.

“Yes. But it’s late and you’re tired. I’m here now. So don’t argue.”

A smile tugged at her lips. “All right. It would be nice to lean on your strong arm.”

“That’s better,” he said huskily, then urged her forward.

He purposely kept their climb at a slow pace, and although Alexa realized he was taking it easy for her sake, she was quickly wishing the task would end. Having Jonas’s arm locked firmly around her, feeling the warmth of his hard body pressing against the side of hers, was doing strange things to her senses.

Once they reached the landing, she expected him to release her, but his arm remained at her back and his fingers stayed curled around her arm until they reached Alexa’s bedroom door.

“Here we are,” he said, “and you’re not even breathing hard.”

No. But her heart was hammering, and every nerve in her body sizzling, she thought. “Thank you, Jonas. Good night.”

Dropping his hold on her, he started to his room, only to pause and look over his shoulder at her. “You know, after your baby gets here, I might just put you to that riding test.”

She pushed a smile on her face. “I’ll be ready.”

Who was she kidding? Alexa thought bitterly as she entered the bedroom and shut the door firmly behind her. She’d not been on a horse in years. She’d not even touched a bridle or saddle or even pulled on a pair of boots since she moved away from the Chaparral.

What in heck had she been doing, telling Jonas all that stuff, acting as though she remembered how to be a cowgirl? Why had she told him such things in the first place? Why had she wanted him to know that part of her life? In Santa Fe, she’d kept that part of her past all carefully tucked away, while she tried to be a smooth, polished lady, rubbing elbows with powerful people in powerful places.

Dear God, she’d believed she’d matured into an intelligent woman, one wise enough to make good, practical choices for herself. But all that careful planning and the cautious approach she’d taken with Barry had been for naught. Now she was afraid to trust any man. And even more afraid to trust herself.

Chapter Three

Nearly a week later she was sitting in a small office off the downstairs den, writing the last payroll check, when a knock sounded at the open door.

Expecting it to be Sassy, wielding a dusting cloth, she was more than surprised to see Jonas. The past few days she’d spoken to him only twice, as he’d helped her up the stairs at night. Those conversations had been brief and polite, ending far before Alexa had wanted them to. And one evening, as she’d sat out on her balcony, she’d happened to spot him walking across the ranch yard.

“Hello, Jonas,” she said now, her heart skipping to a hard, fast beat. “Won’t you come in?”

He politely removed his hat as he stepped into the room, and as Alexa looked at him, she couldn’t help but notice a hint of fatigue on his face. Apparently he considered it his obligation as the ranch’s general manager to work day and night.

“I don’t want to interrupt,” he said as he crushed the brim of his hat between his fists. “I’m heading into town to the feed store and I wondered if you’d like to ride in with me. Since Reena told me that you’ve not been off the place, I thought you might need a change of scenery.”

She was more than shocked by his invitation. Especially since he’d not so much as exchanged a word with her since their night in the kitchen.

Alexa glanced down at her red jersey top and blue jeans. “I’m not exactly dressed for going to town. But I suppose it doesn’t matter.” She began to gather the papers scattered in front of her. “Can you give me five minutes to put all this stuff away and tidy up?”

“Sure. I’ll be waiting on the front porch,” he told her.

He disappeared out the door, and Alexa hurriedly locked all her paperwork in a file cabinet. Once that was done, she fetched her purse, swiped on a dab of lipstick and headed to the porch.

When she stepped outside Jonas was speaking into his cell phone, but when he spotted her, he abruptly ended the call and slipped the instrument in his pocket. Alexa didn’t catch any of his words, but from the sheepish expression on his face, she wondered if he’d been speaking to another woman.

“If the call was important I’ll go back in and wait,” she told him.

“I’ll deal with the call later,” he said briskly, then gave her a half smile. “I’m glad you decided to go with me.”

“I am, too,” she said and realized it was true.

He’d pulled one of the ranch’s trucks to the front of the drive so that Alexa had only a short distance to walk. After he helped her into the cab, he settled himself behind the wheel and turned the vehicle down the long lane lined with tall ponderosa pines.

“I normally send one of the hands in to town to fetch things we need,” he said as they reached a graveled country road. “But Quint wants me to take a look at some new horse feed made from coconuts. It’s high-powered protein, and supposedly it takes half as much to feed one horse. I’m skeptical, but if he thinks it’s worth looking into, I’ll keep an open mind.”

“Grandfather must have put Quint on to the idea of the coconut feed,” Alexa said. “He’s always looking at new things in the industry.”

“From the way Quint talks, your grandfather is quite a character. Just how old is he, anyway?”

“Abe is eighty-four. But he thinks he’s forty-four.”

“Hmm. Well, I admire him without ever having met him. Any man that can keep an open mind about progress at that age has to be a good man.”

Beneath lowered lashes, Alexa allowed her gaze to sweep over the long length of him. His jeans were faded and worn, but his brown boots were expensive ostrich, and his green-and-white-striped shirt had a tailored look to it. Since she’d just written out the payroll, she knew exactly what the ranch was paying him for his services. It was a handsome amount, but not the sort that would support wearing a couple-hundred-dollar pair of boots in a cow pasture. The idea made her wonder if he’d come from a moneyed family. Yet if that were the case, he’d probably be working his own ranch instead of someone else’s, she decided.

“If you’d like, we’ll drive over to Apache Wells, my grandfather’s ranch, some time soon, and I’ll introduce you,” she said after a moment. “Gramps always likes company, and I’ve not seen him in a while.”

He glanced at her and she could see her invitation had surprised him. Frankly, she’d surprised herself. This past week, she’d done her best to keep the man pushed out of her thoughts. Yet each night when she’d climbed the stairs to her bedroom, she’d missed him at her side. Missed the warmth of his hands, the tender concern on his face. And later, in bed, she’d wondered what kind of lover he might be.

“That’s sounds nice,” he said.

For some reason the baby must have known her thoughts needed to be hauled back to order. He or she was doing flips and kicks, and Alexa unconsciously splayed her hand over the movement in her stomach.

“You’ve been very busy this week,” she commented. “I’ve not seen you coming and going in the house.”

He darted another glance at her, then frowned as he noticed her hand pressing against her abdomen. “What’s wrong? Are you hurting?”

“No. Everything is fine. The little guy is just doing a tumbling act, that’s all.”

His features relaxed. “Oh. So you know it’s a boy?”

Alexa shook her head. “No. I’m old-fashioned. I want to learn the sex of the baby the natural way.”

“Is that what you want? A boy?”

Shrugging, she looked out the window. Whenever he talked to her about the baby, it made her sad. His interest seemed genuine, and she could only wonder why Barry couldn’t have been an honorable man, a father her child could have admired and looked up to. Instead, he’d been bent on acquiring power and money in ways that would no doubt eventually land him in deep trouble.

God, she’d not really known the man at all. And yet all she had to do was look at Jonas and she instinctively knew he was a man who would never take his responsibilities lightly, that he would put others before himself. Or was she seeing only what she wanted to see? she thought doubtfully. How could she know such things about Jonas Redman? Was she fooling herself again? Still, she couldn’t deny a bond was forming between them.

“I just want a healthy child,” she answered. “That’s all that matters.”

“I suppose your doctor is in Santa Fe. Do you plan to go up there to deliver?”

Alexa shook her head. “No. My doctor referred me to a good physician in Ruidoso. I wanted to be close to home when the baby is born.”

Jonas nodded that he understood and then focused his attention on the two-lane highway winding through the pine-covered mountains. After several minutes passed in silence, Alexa was convinced his thoughts had moved on to other things, until suddenly he spoke again.

“Alexa, I know this is none of my business, but I can’t help thinking about the baby’s father. Is he going to be around? I mean, when the baby is born?”

A grimace tightened her features. “No. He’s been out of my life for—well, for several months now. He…It turned out he wasn’t ready for a wife and child. And it was easy to decide that I needed to move on.”

“That’s too bad.”

He sounded as though he truly was sorry that things hadn’t worked out for her, and Alexa was touched by his sincerity. Maybe since he’d gone through a divorce of his own, he understood how humiliating and crushing it was to discover that love wasn’t what you’d dreamed and hoped it would be.

But she hadn’t really loved Barry. She’d pretended. She’d tried to convince herself that he made her heart beat fast, that he was the man she wanted to grow old with, share her dreams with. She’d believed living with a man that held a similar job to hers would make everything just perfect and happy. She’d been utterly wrong about that, about him, and so many other things.

“Please don’t feel sorry for me, Jonas. I’m much better off without Barry in my life. He wasn’t good for me.”

“If that’s the case, then why did you—”

“Get involved with him?” Alexa finished for him. “That’s a good question. I thought he was a good man. But he turned out to be totally different than I’d first believed. Has that ever happened to you?”

His expression grim, he stared straight ahead. “More times than you can imagine.”

Ten minutes later they entered Ruidoso and, figuring Alexa had no interest in joining him at the feed store, Jonas offered to drop her off wherever she’d like.

He left her at a small dress boutique on Main Street, then drove to Rogers Grain and Tack on the east end of town. As he maneuvered the truck through the traffic, he wondered what was wrong with him. He shouldn’t have asked Alexa about her ex-beau or whatever the hell the man had been to her. The guy was none of his business. Neither he nor Alexa had anything to do with Jonas’s reason for being in New Mexico. So why wasn’t he thinking about his job instead of about a pregnant ranching heiress?

Because something about her reminded him of all the dreams and plans he’d once had for himself and Celia. Like the children they would have and making a little ranch into a fine place to raise them. Jonas had the little ranch now. But not the children or the wife. And he had no one to blame for that but himself, he thought grimly.

Five minutes later, Jonas parked the truck in front of the feed store. As he stepped inside the store, a cowbell clanged above the door. To his immediate left, a middle-aged man with graying hair stood behind a long glass counter. Along the back wall, two cowboys were rifling through rows of hanging bits and spurs.

“Afternoon,” the man behind the counter greeted. “Can I help you with something?”

Nodding, Jonas explained why he was there, and the clerk motioned for him to step behind the counter and follow down a narrow hallway to the right.

“The feed is in the back, in the grain room. You’re welcome to look all you want,” the clerk said as they passed through a wide wooden door. “Sales on the stuff are beginning to pick up. ‘Course, it always takes something new a while to catch hold. You know how some people are—-want to stick to tradition.”

The grain room, as the clerk called it, was a huge, barnlike area with high ceilings and a wooden planked floor. Tons and tons of sacked grain, feed and seed were stacked to the rafters. Across the way, a pickup truck was backed up to a loading dock. A tall man with black hair and a handlebar mustache was standing to one side, while a worker loaded the truck with sacks of cooked oats, which were most commonly fed to racehorses.

“Well, I manage the Chaparral for the Cantrell family,” Jonas explained to the clerk. “Quint’s considering changing the feeding program for the horses.”

The clerk stopped in front of a particular pile of sacks and opened one that was already sitting on the floor. Reaching into the heavy paper sack, Jonas pulled out a handful of pellets and lifted them to his nose. They smelled fruity, and he figured the sweetness would please the horses.

“Oh,” the clerk said in a friendly way, “you must be the new man Quint told me about. You come from Texas, he said.”

“That’s right.” Jonas gestured toward the feed. “How much would a ton of this stuff cost?”

“Don’t know. These days the cost fluctuates almost every day—what with the cost of fuel and all. I’d have to figure it up for you. But you have to remember, it only takes half as much as regular feed. Cuts your cost in two.”

“You say you’re from Texas, mister?”

The blunt question came from behind Jonas, and he turned to see the man with the mustache standing a few steps behind him. There was a clench to his jaw and a flinty look in his eye that said he was just itching for a fight. Which didn’t make any sense. Jonas had never seen the man before in his life.

“I did. San Antonio.” He wanted to ask the man if he had any problem with that, but having a saloon fight in a feed store wasn’t a part of his duties as a Texas Ranger. Not unless it was absolutely necessary.

“You managing the Chaparral now?” the man asked curtly.

“Right again,” Jonas said coolly.

The man’s jaw grew even tighter. “Good! Because I want to know what in hell your men thought they were doing when they cut the fence to my back pasture!”

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