“Thank You, Honey, For Giving Me The Most Precious Gift A Woman Can Give A Man—His Child.”

“I should be thanking you,” Kaylee said softly. “Amber is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. From the moment I suspected I was pregnant with her, I was thrilled.”

Her quiet statement seemed to rob him of breath. All things considered, most women would have been fit to be tied by an unexpected pregnancy. “Why, Kaylee?” Colt asked. “Why were you happy at the prospect of having a baby?”

She leaned back to stare up at him. “Because I knew the baby was a part of you,” she whispered.

Colt’s heart stalled, then took off at a dead run. Kaylee had welcomed his child, loved and nurtured her, even before she’d known for sure that Amber was growing in her belly. He had a hard time expressing how much her admission meant to him. Groaning, he simply lowered his mouth to hers, letting her know without words what he was feeling.

He’d told her they would allow their feelings to build before they took the next step in their relationship. But it had been three long years since he’d made love to her, and the need to once again make Kaylee his clouded his mind. Taking things slowly was no longer an option for them, and as she melted against him, Colt wasn’t sure that it had ever been.

Lonetree Ranchers: Colt
Kathie DeNosky

www.millsandboon.co.uk

KATHIE DENOSKY

lives in her native southern Illinois with her husband and one very spoiled Jack Russell terrier. She writes highly sensual stories with a generous amount of humor. Kathie’s books have appeared on the Waldenbooks bestseller list and received the Write Touch Readers’ Award from WisRWA and the National Readers’ Choice Award. She enjoys going to rodeos, traveling to research settings for her books and listening to country music. Readers may contact Kathie at P.O. Box 2064, Herrin, Illinois 62948-5264 or e-mail her at kathie@kathiedenosky.com.

To professional bull rider Tater Porter, for taking the time to answer my many questions and for sharing his experience and knowledge with me. Thanks, Tater. You’re one of the best.

To Dr. Tandy Freeman and physical trainer Dave Lammers, for giving me a tour of a PBR training room and for explaining how they assist injured riders.

And a special thank-you to the Professional Bull Riders for showing me a behind-the-scenes look at this exciting sport. Without their help the Lonetree Ranchers series would not have been possible.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Epilogue

One

As Kaylee Simpson arranged rolls of gauze and tape on a cart in the training room, the sudden hushed silence of the Ford Center crowd sent a numbing fear straight through her. There was only one reason an arena full of Professional Bull Riders fans became that quiet—one of the riders was down and not moving.

Closing her eyes, she held her breath and tried not to think as she waited for the applause that would signal the rider was being helped to his feet. But with each passing minute the likelihood of that happening dwindled considerably. When she heard several sets of boots hurrying down the corridor toward the training room, she knew they were bringing the rider in on a stretcher.

Dear God, please don’t let it be anyone I know, she prayed.

“Get his vitals,” Dr. Carson ordered as he entered the room followed by several other men carrying a stretcher. They hoisted it onto the examining table.

Grabbing the needed equipment, Kaylee’s hands shook as she stepped up beside the unconscious cowboy. But the moment she gazed down at the handsome face of the fallen bull rider, her heart slammed against her ribs and she felt the blood drain from her cheeks.

“Colt,” she whispered out loud.

The blood pressure cuff fell from her trembling hands to the floor. She barely noticed.

“You know this guy?” one of the paramedics asked, picking up the cuff on his way back to the arena.

Apparently he had no idea who the bull riders were. But Kaylee knew.

Unable to get words past the huge lump clogging her throat, she took the cuff from him, closed her eyes and nodded. She’d grown up around most of the cowboys on the PBR circuit, and until three years ago, most of them had been like brothers to her.

But the one lying on the table in front of her had always been different. She’d known Colt Wakefield from the time he was sixteen years old and she was ten. He’d been her brother’s best friend, the love of her young life and the man who had broken her heart.

“Kaylee, if you’re not going to take his blood pressure, step aside and let one of the others do it,” Dr. Carson said impatiently as he ran clinical hands over Colt’s scalp.

The doctor’s sharp tone snapped her out of her shocked state and she moved to follow his directive. Placing the cuff on Colt’s arm, she pumped it full of air, then listened with the stethoscope. “His blood pressure is one ten over seventy.”

“Good. Help me get his riding gear off and his shirt open so we can see what we have here,” Dr. Carson instructed.

Kaylee took a deep breath and unzipped the front of the protective black leather vest with trembling fingers, then released the heavy-duty Velcro closure at Colt’s right shoulder while Dr. Carson unfastened the left side. Forcing herself to continue, she pushed the heavy leather out of the way and unsnapped his chambray shirt for the doctor to take a closer look.

But when she parted the garment, the sight of Colt’s well-developed chest and rippling stomach muscles sent a shiver straight to her core and brought back memories that she’d worked for three long years to forget. Without thinking, she touched his smooth, warm skin with her fingertips. The last time she’d seen him without a shirt—the last time she’d seen him, period—had been the night after her brother’s funeral. Devastated by Mitch’s death, they’d turned to each other for comfort and support, and ended up…

“K-Kaylee?”

The sound of Colt’s voice caused her to recoil. He’d regained consciousness without her realizing it.

Glancing down into his incredibly blue eyes, she felt as if she might not be able to draw her next breath. “Hi, Colt.”

When she’d met him fourteen years ago, she’d decided he was the cutest boy she’d ever seen. But his good looks back then had only been a hint of the devilishly handsome man he would become. With raven hair and brilliant blue eyes, he’d always taken her breath away. Unfortunately, it appeared time hadn’t lessened his effect on her.

Deciding to revert to the teasing relationship they’d shared before the events that changed her life forever, she added, “I see you’re still doing your famous header dismount.”

His lean cheeks flushed a dull red. “And I see you’re still the same smart-mouthed little brat you’ve always been,” he said, the mischievous light dancing in his eyes taking the sting from his words.

“That’s where you’re wrong, cowboy,” she said, smiling sadly. Unable to stop herself, she added, “If you’ll remember, I had to grow up pretty fast about three years ago.”

Colt felt as if he’d been punched in the gut by Kaylee’s cryptic comment. He wasn’t sure if she was referring to Mitch’s death or how he’d walked away without looking back the morning after the most incredible night of his life. Either way, the guilt that had plagued him for the past three years welled up inside until he felt as if it might choke the life out of him.

“How have you been, Kaylee?” he asked, unsure of what else to say. He watched her tuck a strand of silky auburn hair behind her ear as if trying to figure out how best to answer his question.

“I’ve survived. I finally finished my degree last year.”

He frowned. “What took you so long? A few years ago you only had one more year left.”

She seemed to avoid looking directly at him. “Something came up and I had to take time off from school.” She wiped the dirt from his face with a damp cloth. “What about you, Colt? How have you been?”

He started to shrug, but the grinding pain in his left shoulder shot up the side of his neck and caused a low groan to echo throughout the training room. Humiliated at having Kaylee see him in such a weakened condition, he gritted his teeth and said the first thing that came to mind. “I’d be a hell of a lot better if you weren’t standing over me like a vulture.”

As soon as the words were out, Colt cursed himself for being a dirty lowlife snake. He’d rather cut off his right arm than to hurt Kaylee more than he knew he already had. But from the expression that fleetingly crossed her pretty face, he could tell that was exactly what he’d done.

Before he could apologize for being a total jerk, Dr. Carson broke the tension filling the small room. “It looks like you’ve got a broken collarbone in addition to a slight concussion, Colt. To be sure, I’m sending you to the hospital for a set of X rays.”

Colt stared at the man as the gravity of the diagnosis sank in, along with an overwhelming amount of frustrated disappointment. “How long will I be out of commission?”

“Depending on how bad the break is, I’d say you’re looking at eight to twelve weeks before you make it back,” Carson answered.

It was the very last thing Colt wanted to hear. Ranked number three on this year’s PBR tour, he was close enough to the top that he had a damned good shot at the season championship. Missing the last part of the regular season events would all but end his hopes of winning the title. The best he could hope for now was to make it back in time for the finals in November.

“I’ve called the ambulance crew for transport to the hospital,” he heard Kaylee say from somewhere across the room.

She’d made good her escape and had moved away from the examining table while the doctor talked to him. Colt couldn’t say that he blamed her. He should be horsewhipped for the way he’d talked to her and he needed to apologize.

“Kaylee?”

A man in a navy-blue paramedic jumpsuit with the name of Forrester embroidered on the breast pocket stepped close. “Are you wanting the cute little chick with the great set of—”

“Watch it, pal,” Colt warned angrily. As long as he was around, he wouldn’t tolerate anyone talking about Kaylee like that. She deserved the utmost respect and Colt intended to make sure she got it. “That girl just happens to be my best friend’s sister.”

Knowing Colt was in no shape to do anything about his comment, the man shrugged. “That’s funny. She didn’t look like much of a girl to me.”

Colt ground his back teeth at the guy’s lascivious expression. “And just what did she look like to you, Forrester?”

“One hundred percent all woman,” the man answered, grinning suggestively.

If Colt hadn’t been flat on his back and in pain, he’d have knocked the guy into the middle of next week. But as much as he wanted to teach the jerk a lesson in respect, he knew it would be some time before he was up to a good old-fashioned fistfight.

“Don’t worry, cowboy. She was on her way out when we came in,” the man went on as he and his rotund partner lifted Colt to the gurney they’d rolled up beside the examining table. “She’ll most likely meet us at the hospital.”

Colt didn’t say anything as they transported him out of the training room to the ambulance. He knew damned good and well that Kaylee wouldn’t be there when they arrived at the hospital.

After what happened three years ago, combined with the way he’d talked to her this evening, he’d be lucky if she ever spoke to him again.

A month after seeing Colt at the Professional Bull Riders event, Kaylee still found herself thinking about their encounter. He’d been the last person she’d wanted to see. From his reaction, it had been crystal clear that he’d felt the same way about seeing her.

She poured herself a fresh cup of coffee and wandered into the living room of her small apartment to curl up in a corner of the couch. Their run-in had dredged up some painful memories that she thought she’d worked through. Apparently she’d been wrong.

Over the years, cheering for Colt and her brother, Mitch, had become a tradition. She’d been on hand that fateful weekend three years ago for the PBR event in Houston. But what had started out as a typical Saturday evening of watching the two men she loved most in the world compete in the first round of bull riding had suddenly turned horribly tragic.

Colt had successfully ridden the bull he’d drawn, then helped Mitch pull his rope to get ready for his ride. But the moment the chute gate opened, Kaylee had known Mitch was in serious trouble. The bull’s first jump had been violent, whipping Mitch forward and slamming his face into the back of the bull’s head, knocking him out. Bullfighters had moved in immediately, but before they could even distract the animal, Mitch had landed on the ground in front of the angry beast.

Tears welled in Kaylee’s eyes as she relived the horrific events. The bullfighters had distracted the bull enough to keep it from hooking Mitch with its horns, but as the animal jumped over Mitch to go after the bullfighters, its back hooves had come down full-force in the middle of Mitch’s chest.

With no regard to his own safety, Colt had vaulted the back of the chute and run to protect her brother. After he’d made sure someone was helping Mitch, he had come looking for her in the crush of people behind the chutes. He’d accompanied her to the hospital to wait while Mitch was in surgery. Then later, he’d held her when they received the news that her only brother—her only living relative—had died on the operating table.

“M-mommy!” a little voice cried from down the hall.

The sound of her daughter awakening from her afternoon nap was a welcomed release from the disturbing memories. Setting her coffee cup on the end table, Kaylee rose from the couch. As she walked down the hall to see about Amber, Kaylee wiped away the last of her tears. She had Amber to think about now. She didn’t have time to worry about a past she couldn’t change.

“Did you have a bad dream, sweetie?” she asked, lifting the little girl from her small bed.

Amber shook her head sleepily, put her finger in her mouth and buried her face in her mother’s neck.

“It’s all right. Mommy won’t let anything hurt you,” Kaylee said, hugging her daughter close.

She started into the living room to sit in the rocking chair with Amber, but the ringing door bell had her detouring to see who the current salesman was and what he was trying to sell today. Turning on the tape player she kept by the door, she smiled at Amber as the sounds of a snarling German Shepard filled the room.

“One of these days, Mommy’s going to get a real dog with enormous teeth and an insatiable appetite for door-to-door salesmen.” Making sure the security chain was in place, Kaylee took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob. “Until then, let’s see how fast we can send this joker on his way.”

As Colt waited at the door to the second-floor apartment, he adjusted the sling holding his left arm snug against his body and looked around at the shabby building. What was Kaylee doing here instead of living on her ranch up in the Oklahoma panhandle?

While he’d been recuperating last month, he’d done a lot of soul-searching and had come to the realization that he had to find her and make things right. He shook his head. He’d been ready to jump on that paramedic for his lack of respect toward her, yet, to his chagrin, he’d realized that he hadn’t acted any better. He’d snapped at her for no other reason than the fact that she’d witnessed him give in to the pain of a broken collarbone like some little kid.

But when he’d gotten back on his feet, he’d gone to the Lazy S only to find that Kaylee had sold the ranch and moved to Oklahoma City shortly after Mitch had died. He’d had to resort to searching through the phone book to find her. Fortunately there’d only been one Kaylee Simpson listed in the area.

The door suddenly opened as far as the security chain would allow. “I don’t care what you’re selling. I don’t want—” Kaylee stopped abruptly. “Colt?”

Pushing the wide brim of his Resistol up with his thumb, he rocked back on his heels, chuckling at the recording of a snarling dog. “Does that tape of Kujo really chase off door-to-door salesmen?”

She stared at him through the narrow opening as if she couldn’t quite believe her eyes. “W-what are you doing here?”

He winced at her blunt tone. She sure didn’t seem very happy to see him. All things considered, he couldn’t say that he blamed her.

Hoping to tease her into a better mood, he grinned. “Well, hello to you, too, brat. You want to shut off Kujo, now that you know it’s me and not somebody trying to sell a vacuum cleaner?”

She turned away and the sound of the snarling dog ceased. “I’m sorry. Hello, Colt.”

“Me see,” a little voice said a moment before a set of tiny fingers appeared around the edge of the door in an effort to open it wider.

Colt frowned. “Do you have company?”

“No, but this really isn’t a good time,” Kaylee said, prying the baby’s fingers from the door.

The panic suddenly filling her violet eyes bothered him. A lot. “Are you all right, Kaylee?”

She nodded. “I’m fine.”

“Me see, Mommy,” the little voice insisted. “Me see.”

“Not now, sweetie,” Kaylee said gently.

Colt felt as though he’d been sucker punched. Kaylee had a child? Was she married?

“We need to talk,” he said seriously.

He told himself that Mitch would want Colt to make sure she was doing okay. But the truth was, he wanted to know what was going on.

“I can’t imagine what you think we need to talk about.” She gave him a one-shouldered shrug, but he could tell from the tone of her voice that she was nervous as hell about something.

“Come on, Kaylee,” he said, watching her closely. “I drove all the way down here from the Lonetree just to talk to you. The least you can do is give me five minutes.”

Her defeated expression caused the air to lodge in his lungs. Something was definitely going on, and Colt had every intention of finding out what is was.

“Kaylee?”

She closed the door, released the chain, then swung it wide for him to step into the tiny apartment. “I’m sorry about the mess,” she said, pointing to the toys scattered on the floor in front of the couch. “I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

Colt turned to tell her he was used to seeing toys scattered all over his two brothers’ homes, but the words died somewhere between his vocal cords and opened mouth. The baby riding Kaylee’s hip was a little girl with raven curls. Her face was buried shyly against Kaylee’s neck, but something about the child caused his scalp to prickle and his pulse to race.

“Is she yours?” he asked cautiously.

Kaylee stared at him for what seemed like an eternity before she slowly nodded. “Yes. This is my daughter, Amber.”

At the sound of her name, the baby looked up, but when she saw him staring at her, she stuck one tiny index finger in her mouth and once again hid her face in Kaylee’s shoulder.

The glimpse Colt had gotten hadn’t been much, but it was enough to see that the little girl’s eyes were blue. A vivid blue. His sisters-in-law, Annie and Samantha, called it “Wakefield blue.”

His heart pounding against his ribs like a jungle drum, he had a hard time drawing air into his lungs. The child had to be around the same age as his brother Brant’s little boy, Zach. From there it didn’t take much for Colt to do the math.

Swallowing hard, he asked, “She’s mine, isn’t she, Kaylee?”

Colt watched her bite her lower lip to keep it from trembling. He knew the answer, but he needed to hear her tell him.

“Kaylee?”

She took a deep breath, then defiantly met his gaze. “Yes, Colt. Amber is your daughter, too.”

Two

“Dammit, Kaylee, why didn’t you tell me?” Colt demanded. Conflicting emotions twisted his gut and he had to force himself to take several deep breaths in an effort to stay calm. “Didn’t you think I had the right to know about my own daughter?”

Anger flashed in her violet eyes. “No.”

Colt wasn’t sure how he’d expected her to answer, but the vehemence in her tone surprised him. He’d never seen her this angry before.

“Why not?” he asked, his own anger flaring.

If anyone had the right to be pissed off here, it was him. Kaylee had been the one who kept him from knowing about his child.

The baby started to whimper and clutch at her mother. Apparently their raised voices were upsetting her.

“Would you like to have some juice, sweetie?” Kaylee asked, her voice once again soft and gentle as she rubbed the little girl’s back.

The child nodded.

“Let me get her settled down.” Kaylee’s voice was calm, but the look she gave him was pure defiance. “Then we’ll talk.”

“You’re damned right we will,” he muttered, watching her carry her daughter—his daughter— into the kitchenette.

His daughter.

Colt’s chest swelled with a feeling he’d never before experienced. He was the daddy of a two-year-old child—a little girl who looked just like him. The thought caused a lump to form in his throat and made it hard as hell for him to drag air into his lungs.

As the knowledge sank in, questions flooded his mind. How could Kaylee have done this to him? Why hadn’t she let him know that their only night together had made her pregnant?

He wasn’t sure what her reasons had been, but he had every intention of finding out. Removing his cowboy hat, he set it down beside a tape player on a shelf by the door. He wasn’t going anywhere until Kaylee gave him some answers. And, he decided as he ran a frustrated hand through his thick hair, they’d better be damned good ones.

Kaylee brushed past him to set Amber on the floor with her toys. He waited until she handed the toddler a small plastic glass he’d heard his sisters-in-law refer to as a sippy cup before he asked, “Were you ever going to tell me about her?”

Kaylee picked up a mug from the coffee table. “No.”

Shocked, Colt started to ask her why, but she stopped him by motioning for him to follow her into the kitchen. Walking behind her, he tried not to notice that her cutoff jeans hugged her cute little rear to perfection, or the fact that they exposed a lot more of her long, slender legs than they covered. When she reached up to get another coffee cup out of the cabinet for him, he swallowed hard. Her hot-pink tank top pulled away from the waistband of her cutoffs and gave him more than a fair view of her smooth, flat abdomen.

He shook his head. What the hell was wrong with him? Kaylee had not only kept his only child a secret from him, she was Mitch’s little sister. And although Colt had given in to temptation once, he couldn’t—wouldn’t—let it happen again.

Pouring them both a cup of coffee, she indicated that he should sit at the small table. When he lowered himself into a chair, she seated herself across from him so that she could watch their daughter play with a small teddy bear.

“As far as I’m concerned, you never needed to know about Amber,” she said, glaring at him.

Anger and confusion raced through him and he had to wait a moment before he could speak. Losing his cool wouldn’t net him the answers he needed.

“Being pregnant was the reason you took that year off from school, wasn’t it?” he asked, suddenly understanding her evasive answers in the training room the night he’d been injured.

“Yes.”

“You should have told me,” he said, trying to keep his voice even. “I would have helped.”

“I didn’t want or need your assistance.” Her voice shook with emotion. “I never wanted you to know about Amber.”

“Why, Kaylee?” He’d never seen her this stubborn. But then, he was just as determined. “What made you think I didn’t have the right to know that I’d fathered a child?”

“You gave up the right,” she said without looking at him. Her voice was a little more calm, but her words couldn’t have held more resolution.

His own irritation won over his vow to remain coolheaded. “How the hell do you figure that?”

“The morning after Mitch’s funeral I got the message loud and clear.” She met his gaze head-on and the mixture of hurt and resentment sparkling in her eyes stopped him cold. “You wanted nothing more to do with me. When I discovered I was pregnant, I assumed those feelings would encompass my baby, as well.”

The guilt that had plagued him for the past three years increased tenfold. He’d not only slept with his best friend’s sister the night after they’d laid the man to rest, he’d taken her virginity. Colt knew that he’d handled things badly the morning after he’d made love to her, but he’d been so ashamed of his actions, he hadn’t been able to face himself let alone her.

“Kaylee, that’s not the way it was. I—”

“Oh, really?” she interrupted hotly. “Just how many times in the past three years have you tried to get in touch with me, Colt?”

He didn’t think it was possible to feel lower than he already did, but Kaylee had just proven him wrong. “I know that if they handed out prizes for tactless jackasses, I’d win hands down. But there’s a reason—”

“Too little, too late,” she said, rising to her feet. “I’m really not interested in hearing why you left that morning without waking me or even leaving a note.” She picked up his untouched coffee and poured it down the sink.

“Hey, I’m not finished with—”

“Yes, you are.” She walked to the door. “I’d appreciate it if you’d go now. All I’m interested in is you leaving Amber…and me alone. We’ve done just fine…without you.”

He detected the hitch in Kaylee’s voice and knew she was fighting tears. The thought that he’d caused her such emotional pain made him feel physically ill.

Taking a deep breath, he rose and followed her. He needed time to come to grips with everything that he’d learned in the past hour, as well as to figure out how to make Kaylee listen to him. “I think it would be best if we continue this conversation after we’ve both had a chance—”

“No, Colt,” she said, shaking her head. “You gave up that chance three years ago when you left me behind without a backward glance. You got what you wanted, now let me have…what I want.”

The single tear sliding down her pale cheek just about tore him apart. “What do you want, Kaylee?”

She took a deep breath and impatiently wiped the droplet away with a trembling hand, then pointed toward the door. “I want you to walk out…the way you did that morning three years ago and…never look back.”

“I can’t do that, honey,” he said, reaching out to wipe another tear from her satiny skin with the pad of his thumb. “I’ll be back tomorrow after we’ve both calmed down.”

“Please…don’t.” Tears coursed down her cheeks unchecked as she stepped away from his touch. “It would be best…if you went back…to the Lonetree Ranch in Wyoming and forgot…we exist.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Colt said gently.

He picked up his Resistol and placed it on his head, then looked over at Amber playing quietly with her toys. She was curiously watching him. But the moment she realized he was looking back at her, she smiled shyly and hid her face behind the teddy bear in her tiny hands.

He fell in love with his daughter right then and there.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Turning to open the door, he didn’t think twice about leaning down to place a kiss on Kaylee’s tear-stained cheek. “We’ll get all of this worked out, honey. I promise.”

The next day Kaylee nervously sat at the kitchen table awaiting Colt’s return. She dreaded the upcoming confrontation, but at the same time, a small part of her looked forward to seeing him again. And that was a huge problem.

She’d fallen in love with Colt Wakefield almost the moment she’d met him. Her mother had called it a schoolgirl crush and told her that she’d grow out of it in time. But Kaylee had always known better. Over the years her feelings for him hadn’t diminished, they’d only grown stronger.

But after that fateful morning when she’d awakened to find him gone, she’d forced herself to forget about him and to move on. She’d had to. She wouldn’t have survived the past few years if she hadn’t.

Unfortunately she’d discovered yesterday afternoon that he still affected her in ways she thought she’d put behind her. When Colt touched her, she’d felt the familiar racing of her heart, the jolt of excitement that being near him had always caused. But the most disturbing discovery of all had been the fact that he still had the power to cause her emotional pain.

“Mommy, see!”

Kaylee looked up to watch Amber laugh and point to the animated vegetables dancing and singing their way across the television screen.

Smiling, she walked into the living room to join her daughter. “You like that don’t you, sweetie?”

“No,” Amber said, her soft shoulder-length curls bouncing as she nodded her little head affirmatively.

Kaylee grinned. One of these days Amber would get the words and the body language synchronized. As she gazed at her daughter, Kaylee was once again struck by how much Amber looked like Colt. The resemblance was amazing, and she had known the minute he saw Amber that he’d realize she was his child. She had the same dark hair and vivid blue eyes that all the Wakefields shared.

Lost in thought, the ringing doorbell caused her to jump and sent Amber scurrying to wrap her arms around Kaylee’s legs. Amber wasn’t used to strangers and tended to be extremely shy.

Picking her daughter up, Kaylee didn’t bother turning on the snarling dog tape as she moved to answer the door. There was no need. She knew who would be waiting on the other side.

“Hi,” Colt said when she opened the door. He picked up a shopping bag sitting at his booted feet. “Sorry I’m a little late, but I stopped by a toy store to get something for Amber.”

Amber’s face was already buried in Kaylee’s neck and the sound of Colt’s deep baritone saying her name caused her to tighten her little arms around Kaylee’s neck.

Stepping away for him to enter, Kaylee patted Amber’s back in an effort to soothe her. “I see you didn’t bother listening to me yesterday when I asked you to leave us alone.”

His smile sent a shiver up her spine. “Did you really expect me to?”

“No.” She sighed heavily. Why did he have to be so darned good-looking? So charming?

“Amber, I brought you something,” he said softly.

“She’s not used to strangers,” Kaylee said when Amber continued to keep her face hidden. “And especially men.”

Colt’s piercing blue eyes met hers and she could tell that he was speculating about her social life— specifically her social life with men. “She hasn’t been around a lot of men?” he finally asked.

“Not really,” Kaylee answered evasively.

If circumstances had been different, she might have laughed out loud. She hadn’t been out on a date in the past three years. But Colt didn’t need to know that.

The cad had the audacity to look relieved. “That’s going to change,” he said, sounding quite confident. “She’ll get used to me being around all the time.”

All the time?

Kaylee’s heart skipped a beat. She definitely didn’t like the sound of that. She’d done a lot of thinking since yesterday afternoon and she’d conceded that she couldn’t deny Amber the chance to get to know the man who was responsible for her existence. But there were going to be limits set.

“Colt, I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“Why not?” he asked, wincing as he adjusted the sling holding his left arm immobile.

“Do you still have a lot of pain from the broken collarbone?” She hoped to divert the conversation into safer territory.

“Not really.” He removed his Resistol and placed it on the shelf with her tape player. “But I anticipate that will change when I start physical therapy.”

“If the therapy is done right, and you don’t overwork your shoulder too soon, you shouldn’t have anything more than a little minor soreness.” When she felt Amber begin to loosen her hold, signaling that she was becoming accustomed to Colt’s presence, Kaylee walked over to sit her daughter down in front of the television. “When do you start therapy?”

“In another week or two,” he answered. “I’ve been doing some simple range-of-motion stuff, but that’s about it.”

She heard him rummage through the shopping bag and, when she turned around, watched him struggle to pull out a large rag doll. Unable to use both of his hands, he’d gotten the doll tangled in the bag handles.

“Let me,” she said, walking over to help him. Reaching to work the doll’s leg free, his hand touched hers. Kaylee jerked back from the scorching contact and handed the doll to him. “A-Amber will like this.”

He stared at her for several long seconds before he cleared his throat and asked, “Do you think it would frighten her if I gave it to her now?”

The look on his handsome face took Kaylee by surprise. It was the first time she ever remembered seeing Colt look uncertain.

“Maybe in a few minutes. She’s just getting adjusted to you being here.” Kaylee’s heart went out to him even if she wasn’t particularly comfortable with the feeling. It was clear Colt wanted to get to know Amber, but didn’t want to do anything that would upset her. “Let’s sit in the living room. You’ll be close to her, but not so much that she’ll feel threatened.”

“Okay. We can talk while Amber gets used to me.” He followed her over to sit on the couch, and she could feel his gaze on her backside just as surely as if he touched her.

When they were settled on the sagging blue cushions, Kaylee found it hard to breathe. Glancing at her daughter to keep from looking at Colt, she noticed Amber looking at them curiously.

“It’s all right, sweetie. Colt is a friend.”

“I’m your daddy,” he said, his voice gentle. Turning to Kaylee, he firmly added, “I don’t want her to ever doubt that.”

Amber didn’t seem to pick up on the sudden tension between the two adults as she turned her attention back to the television.

But Kaylee did, and it only served to increase her apprehension. Hoping to take the lead in what she knew would be a difficult conversation, she said, “Colt, I’ve done a lot of thinking about our situation—”

“I haven’t been able to think of anything else,” he said, nodding. “And this isn’t something that can be resolved overnight.”

“No, it’s not. It’s going to take time for us—”

“I’m glad you agree,” he said, smiling. “It will make everything a lot easier on all concerned.”

Where was he going with this? And why did he keep interrupting her?

“What’s going on, Colt?” she asked, not at all sure she wanted to know.

“I doubt that you’re going to like what I’m going to suggest.”

She doubted that she would, either. His tone was relaxed, but from the serious look on his face, she could tell he was anything but nonchalant about what he was going to say.

“Tell me what you have in mind and we’ll see,” she said cautiously.

“I want you and Amber to come back to the Lonetree with me.”

She couldn’t believe he’d come up with something so outlandish. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m very serious, Kaylee.” The determination in his brilliant blue eyes startled her. “I intend to get to know my daughter.”

“You can get to know Amber right here,” she argued. There was no way she would agree to go to his ranch in Wyoming.

“No, I can’t.” He turned his gaze to watch Amber play quietly with some of her toys. “If I tried to get to know her here, I’d just end up being some guy who stopped by once in a while and who she’d end up forgetting between visits.”

“It works for other fathers,” Kaylee insisted, feeling desperate. She had to make him see reason. “It would work for you and Amber.”

Colt shook his head. “Maybe if I’d been part of her life from the beginning, but not now.” He glanced back at Amber. “I’m going to be her daddy, not just a man who claims to be her father.”

Kaylee shook her head. “I can’t take time off at the hospital. I’d lose my job.”

“No, you won’t.” His knowing grin sent a chill slithering up her spine. “I’ve already talked to your superior.”

“You did what?” Her temper flared and she had to concentrate hard on keeping her voice even so as not to upset Amber. “You couldn’t possibly have talked to anyone about my taking time off. It’s Sunday. The physical therapy unit is closed.”

“I have my ways,” he said, sounding so darned smug that she was sorely tempted to belt him one.

But thinking about what he said, Kaylee suddenly felt cold all over. “What did you do?”

He casually rested his right arm along the back of the couch. “I got in touch with Dr. Carson and had him find out which hospital sent you over to work the PBR event last month. He also gave me the name and phone number of your boss.”

Kaylee couldn’t believe Colt’s arrogance. “You called Brad at home?”

Grinning, Colt nodded. “Once I explained the situation—”

She felt the blood drain from her face. She’d made it a point not to discuss anything about her private life with her co-workers. “Please, tell me you didn’t—”

He shook his head as he played with a lock of her hair. “No, honey, I didn’t tell him the whole story. That’s nobody’s business but ours. But I did tell him there was a family crisis that needed your attention and asked if you could get a couple of months off.” He smiled. “All you’ll have to do is stop by the office tomorrow to sign the papers for your leave of absence.”

Anger so intense that she actually started shaking ran through her. “How dare you?” Unable to sit still, Kaylee rose to pace the length of the small living room. “It’s one thing for you to walk in and start telling me you want to be a part of my daughter’s life, but—”

“Our daughter,” he corrected.

Upset by the angry voices, Amber started to cry. She crawled over to Kaylee and wrapped her arms around her mother’s leg. “M-mommy!”

Ignoring Colt, Kaylee picked up the baby and held her close as she continued. “You can’t take matters into your own hands and make a decision like that for me.” She stopped to glare at him. “I can’t afford to take time off. I have rent, a car payment and—”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Oh, no, you won’t.” She clutched Amber. “I don’t want anything from you.”

Standing, he walked over to her. “Be reasonable, Kaylee. The way I see it, I owe you a little over two years of back child support, and besides, I’d like to hire you to help me get back in shape for the PBR finals the first part of November. You can return here after we get back from Vegas.”

“I don’t want your money,” she said stubbornly. “And I won’t help you regain your strength just so you can go back into an arena and risk your life riding a bull for eight seconds’ worth of thrills.”

“When I come to pick up you and Amber tomorrow morning, I’ll stop by the manager’s office and take care of the rent, as well as having him see that the utilities are shut off,” Colt went on as if he hadn’t listened to a word she’d said. “Besides, Kaylee, you owe me.”

“Oh, really? How do you figure that?” she asked hotly.

His intense blue gaze held hers captive. “You deprived me of Amber’s first two years. You owe me the right to get to know her now.”

Kaylee felt her life spinning out of control with no way to stop it. She had a frightened baby screaming in her ear and an infuriating, sexy-as-sin cowboy standing over her, telling her that he was taking over her life. It was enough to wear the Rock of Gibraltar down to an insignificant pebble.

“Please, don’t do this to me, Colt,” she whispered, feeling more trapped than she’d ever felt in her entire life.

He reached out to cup her cheek. “I love Amber, and I want her to love me. Please give us the chance to develop a relationship, Kaylee.”

The weight of guilt settling over Kaylee’s shoulders couldn’t possibly have felt heavier. As much as she disliked having to admit it, she had been unfair to both Colt and Amber by keeping her secret. Kaylee knew beyond a shadow of doubt that no matter how much he wanted to forget their night together had ever happened, he would have loved and cared for his child from the very moment he learned of her existence.

Tears filled Kaylee’s eyes. She’d kept Colt from knowing about his child because of her own hurt feelings and disillusion. In the process, she’d deprived Amber of a daddy who cared deeply for her.

“What do you say, Kaylee?” he asked, wiping a tear from her cheek with his thumb. “Will you and Amber came home with me to the Lonetree?”

She gazed up at the man she’d once loved with all her heart and soul. He was right. She did owe him and Amber the time together. But it was going to take everything she had in her to keep her wits about her while she was with him. If she didn’t, she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t end up falling under his magnetic spell all over again. And that was something she couldn’t allow herself to do. Her survival depended on it.

“I can’t believe I’m actually going to say this,” she finally said, feeling her insides shake like a bowl full of Jell-O.

“You’ll go?” he asked hopefully.

Taking a deep breath, Kaylee felt as if she was stepping out onto a tight rope with no safety net below. “Yes, we’ll go to the Lonetree with you. But only until you get ready to leave for the season finals. Amber and I won’t be going to Las Vegas with you.”

“We’ll see about that.”

The smile he sent her way curled her toes and already had her regretting her decision to go to the Lonetree Ranch with him for the next two months.

Three

“Dammit all,” Colt muttered, cursing the fact that he still couldn’t use his left arm. Not being able to use both hands made installing Amber’s car seat in his truck extremely difficult.

“Problems?” Kaylee asked.

Turning, he watched her walk toward him. She held Amber in her arms.

“I could use another hand getting this car seat secured,” he said, hating that he looked helpless and inadequate in front of her.

Kaylee set Amber on her feet. “Stay right here, sweetie, while Mommy helps Colt with your seat.”

“Daddy,” he said firmly. “I’m her daddy, Kaylee.”

She stared up at him a moment before she gave a quick nod. “I’m going to help your…daddy, Amber.”

Her reluctance to acknowledge him as Amber’s father cut like a knife, but Colt ignored it. Once they got to the Lonetree they’d have plenty of time to sort things out and, hopefully, to rebuild the friendship they’d once shared. It would make their raising Amber together a whole hell of a lot easier.

A small sound caught Colt’s attention. Glancing down, he noticed his daughter curiously watching him. But the moment she saw him look at her, she ducked behind Kaylee’s leg.

“How long do you think it will take for her to be comfortable with me?” he asked, wondering the same thing about Kaylee. Would she ever again be at ease when she was around him?

“I’m not sure.” She stared at him for endless seconds before she added, “This is new territory for all of us. It’s going to take time.”

Colt knew she was referring more to herself than their daughter. Deciding not to push for more, he reached into the truck to position the car seat. “Are you about ready to leave? I’d like to get on the road. We have a long drive and I’d like to get as far as we can before we stop for the night.”

“Stop?”

When she turned to look at him, Kaylee’s breast brushed his arm. His mouth went as dry as a pile of sawdust. “I—” he had to stop to clear his throat “—thought it would probably be best for Amber if we broke the trip into two days.”

It took everything Colt had in him not to groan out loud when Kaylee’s tongue darted out to moisten her perfect coral lips. “You’re probably right,” she finally answered. Backing away from him, she picked up Amber and started toward the stairs leading to the second floor of the apartment building. “I’ll go check to make sure we brought all of the luggage down and grab Amber’s bag of toys.”

Colt waited until Kaylee climbed the steps and disappeared into her apartment before he finally managed to take another breath. Glancing at his scuffed boots, he kicked a pebble and watched it skitter across the asphalt parking lot. He hated that he’d had to resort to making her feel guilty to get her to go to the Lonetree with him. But, dammit, he needed time to get to know Amber, time to work out some kind of shared custody agreement, and time to make amends with Kaylee for what had happened three years ago.

He ran his hand around the back of his neck in an effort to ease some of the tension that had knotted his muscles since Saturday afternoon and his discovery that he’d fathered a child. How was he ever going to convince Kaylee that she wasn’t the reason he’d walked away that morning? How was he going to explain that he’d felt as if he’d betrayed Mitch’s friendship? And how was he going to make her understand that he’d been so ashamed of his actions, he hadn’t been able to face himself, let alone face her?

“If they gave medals for screwing up, you’d win hands down, Wakefield,” he muttered disgustedly.

He wasn’t quite sure how to go about doing it, but he was determined to straighten everything out with Kaylee. He had to. His, hers and Amber’s future happiness depended on it.

“Out, Mommy, out,” Amber said, impatiently tugging on the harness holding her in the car seat.

“Just a few more minutes, sweetie,” Kaylee answered as she watched Colt enter the motel lobby. “Colt…your daddy is going to get a couple of rooms for us to sleep in tonight.”

Amber blinked and nodded her head. “Not seepy.”

“I know you’re not sleepy right now,” Kaylee said, smiling. “But you will be later.”

She absently watched Colt as he talked to the desk clerk. He’d decided to stop in Hays, Kansas, for the night even though it was early and they could have driven for several more hours. His excuse had been that he didn’t want the trip to be too tiring for Amber. But Kaylee suspected his collarbone bothered him. She also knew that if that was the case, he’d never admit it. For Colt and most of the other cowboys on the PBR and professional rodeo circuits, admitting any kind of weakness was unheard of.

“Did you get rooms on the ground floor or the second level?” Kaylee asked when he got back into the truck.

“Ground floor.” He put the truck into gear. “I figured it would be easier.”

She didn’t have to ask what he meant. She already knew. He intended to carry what few bags they took to their rooms himself, just as he’d insisted on carrying all of her luggage from the apartment to his truck this morning. Unable to use his left arm, it had taken him several trips to get everything downstairs, but he wouldn’t hear of her helping.

“I’ll carry our bag to mine and Amber’s room,” she said firmly when he pulled into a parking space at the side of the stucco building.

“Our room.”

Kaylee stopped unbuckling Amber’s shoulder harness to stare at him. “You rented only one room?”

“Yep.”

Her heart hammered against her rib cage. “There weren’t any more available?”

“I don’t know how many they had available,” he answered, sounding so darned unconcerned she wanted to throttle him. “I didn’t ask.”

When he moved to get out of the truck, she took hold of his arm to stop him. “You want to give me a reason for not getting the second room?” she asked, doing her best to keep her voice level.

The feel of Colt’s rock-hard muscles beneath his red shirt sent a tingle arrowing up her arm. She immediately let go of his bicep to rub her palm on her jeans-clad thigh.

For the first time since getting back into the truck, Colt looked uncertain. “I don’t like having to admit this, but I’m probably going to need your help tonight and in the morning.”

“With your sling?” Kaylee asked, surprised that he’d admit needing assistance with anything. Because of her training she knew he probably did have trouble trying to put the restraint on with one hand, but she could help him without them spending the night in the same room.

He nodded. “I have a hard time getting it adjusted.” He looked thoroughly disgusted. “Trying to get it comfortable is a pain in the—”

Kaylee loudly cleared her throat and nodded toward Amber. “She picks up certain words faster than others.”

His charming grin sent a shiver straight up her spine. “I was going to say, it’s a pain in the butt.”

“I just assumed—”

“The worst,” he finished for her as he opened the truck door. When he walked around to open the passenger door, he smiled. “Since Morgan’s and Brant’s kids came along, we’ve all learned to watch what we say.”

“How are your brothers?” she asked, turning to lift Amber from her car seat.

Colt grinned. “Ornery as ever.”

Kaylee smiled. She’d always liked Colt’s older brothers. “How many children do they have now?”

“Morgan and his wife, Samantha, have two boys,” he said, placing his palm to her back to steer her toward their room. “Brant and Annie have one son and, if the sonogram is correct, another one on the way.”

“H-heaven help us. Another generation of Wakefield boys,” Kaylee said, feeling as if she’d been branded by his warm touch. She quickly put distance between them.

“Yes, but now there’s a Wakefield girl,” he said, gazing down at Amber as he fit the key card into the lock.

Kaylee swallowed hard at the look of genuine affection on his handsome face. No matter what he felt for her, she knew for certain that he’d fallen head over heels in love with their daughter.

Feeling guilty for keeping Amber from him, she quickly stepped into the motel room and looked around to distract herself. She was relieved to see there were two beds.

“Which bag did you want me to bring in?” Colt asked from behind her.

She set Amber down. “I’ll get it.”

“No, you won’t.” He’d already turned to go back outside to the truck.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Colt,” she said, following him. “With your arm in a sling you’ll have to make two trips. I’m perfectly capable of carrying one small overnight bag. It just makes more sense—”

When he spun around to face her, her breath caught at his deep scowl. “I may need help getting this da—dumb sling adjusted, but I’m not helpless. I’ll carry the luggage. Now, which one do you want?”

She blew out a frustrated breath. “The red one.”

“Wed one,” Amber repeated from behind Kaylee’s leg.

Colt’s expression softened instantly. “Was she actually talking to me?”

“Maybe.” He looked so hopeful, Kaylee didn’t have the heart to tell him that, like most two-year-old children, Amber parroted a lot of what she heard.

Bending, he asked, “Do you want Daddy to get the red one, Amber?”

Amber smiled up at him a moment before she clutched Kaylee’s leg and hid her face.

“Did you see that?” he asked incredulously. He straightened to his full six-foot height. “She actually looked at me for a second or two before she dived for cover.”

Kaylee could tell from his expression that the small gesture meant the world to him. “I’d say you’re making progress.”

“It’s a start,” he agreed, opening the door to go out to the truck for their overnight bags.

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