And Cowboy Makes Three & the Rancher's Surprise Daughter by Deb Kastner

Author:Deb Kastner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-04-20T12:59:25+00:00

* * *

Catherine Malory thought she’d understood humility, but she’d never been brought so low as this moment. Who walked into the life of a man she’d lied to, hid a child from for years, and just blurted out that he was a father?

Luc would hate her. And she deserved it. In the beginning she’d felt vindicated keeping Ruby to herself—especially with the way Luc had left and how Cate had grown up being torn between her selfish parents. The feeling of being unimportant had never left her, like a disease that infiltrated her bones.

She’d been attempting to put Ruby first. To protect her. But Luc would never understand that.

He pushed off from the desk, a long, lean giant in a heather-brown Wilder Ranch T-shirt, faded jeans and boots. “I...have a daughter? You’re saying she’s mine?”

His words ached with a misery that resonated in her own chest. What had she done? “Yes. I’m so sorry. I know an apology isn’t enough. I just—”

“Where—” Luc scrubbed a hand through maple hair, though the short cut left little room for mussing. “Where is she?”

“She’s here.”

His head rolled back as if he’d taken a blow to the jaw.

“We came in, and your sister Emma was headed out to the barn. I remembered her from you talking about her, but of course she didn’t know me. She offered to show Ruby the horses after hearing I needed to talk to you. I tried to say no, but Ruby begged to go with her.”

And Cate had realized the conversation would be much easier without Ruby present. She hadn’t processed through that before she’d gotten in the car and trucked out here. But what would she have done with Ruby anyway? She didn’t have family to watch her. A friend would have, but Cate didn’t like to be separated from her daughter. Especially with the girl’s heart condition.

“Emma’s great with kids.” Luc’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Ru—Ruby will be fine.”

Their daughter’s name coming from his lips for the first time sent Cate scrambling to keep her careening emotions under control.

“Why are you here now after all of this time? What changed? And how do I know...?” Luc’s chest expanded. Cate could imagine his heart beating triple time, because hers felt as though it might explode. His heated hazel eyes held hers. “How do I know she’s mine?”

She’d expected it, even planned for it. Still, the sting surprised her. She stated Ruby’s birthday at the end of November. Eight months after Luc had hightailed it out of Denver. “When you first left I thought it was stress making me not feel well. Took me a while to figure it out. By then you were long gone.”

Every last doubt scrolled across his face.

“Ruby was born with an atrial septal defect.”

Luc’s hand splayed against his chest where she knew his own scars were. “Same as me.”

“As to why now, she needs to have the hole closed. And I couldn’t... If something happened to her and you didn’t know she’d even existed.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.