One Mother Wanted by Jeanne Allan

Author:Jeanne Allan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-06-14T04:00:00+00:00

The filly’s ears whipped in the direction of a motor vehicle screeching to a halt in front of the ranch house. Losing her concentration, the paint spooked at the gunnysack in Allie’s hand and exploded in the middle of the round pen, humping her back, kicking her back legs and squealing. Allie mentally cursed the idiot who’d carelessly raced into the yard, and redoubled her efforts to desensitize the filly to such terrors as flapping blankets. The session over, Allie firmly rubbed the paint’s neck and shoulders before releasing the filly into the pasture.

Now she would deal with the visitor. The idiot should never have been issued a driver’s license. What if Hannah had been playing in the yard, or one of the animals dozing in the sun?

An expensive sports car with rental license plates stood in front of the house. A man ran down the porch steps and started in Allie’s direction, the low-riding sun highlighting his red hair. Hanging her coil of rope over a post, Allie wished she were anywhere but here.

“May I help you?” she called, walking toward the house.

“I’m looking for Peters. Or Hannah.” An appreciative gaze swept over Allie. “But you’ll do.”

“I’m Zane’s wife. We met briefly in the bar the other evening.” Allie saw no reason to explain Zane had taken Hannah with him while he ran errands.

The actor held out his hand. “Yes, I remember. I’m Sean Doyle.”

Allie looked at him.

Sean Doyle dropped his hand and gave her a boyishly charming smile. “I suppose Zane told you I’m Hannah’s father.”

Allie was not charmed. “He told me you said you were Hannah’s father. You’re not. Zane is Hannah’s father.”

The actor gave her a sideways glance from his baby blues and said with practiced diffidence, “Kimmie and I had this thing going, if you know what I mean. She told me I was the kid’s father. She slept with Peters to make me jealous and force me to marry her.” He followed Allie back onto the porch.

“Why didn’t you?” She sat in one of the porch chairs, having no intention of inviting him inside the house. Ruth had put dinner in the oven and gone home. No one else was around.

“I was already married, had two kids.”

Allie gazed coolly at him, unimpressed by his naughty little boy smile. “I see.”

He leaned forward and said earnestly, “Listen, fans don’t care about a little extracurricular activity as long as a man meets his obligations. I can live with that. It’s not like I sleep with every bimbo who knocks on my hotel door, and believe me, I have plenty of opportunity to mess around. The thing is, I was fond of Kimmie. I would have given her money for support if she hadn’t married Peters.”

Allie almost felt sorry for him. One day his boyish good looks would fade and he’d have nothing inside to fall back on. “Mr. Doyle,” she said quietly, “Hannah’s not your child.”

“Call me Sean. Kimmie said she was.”

Allie swallowed the words that Kim Taylor had lied.

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