LITMIR.BIZ

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morning with an infant. She claimed the baby girl is mine. And then she collapsed.” He swallowed hard, almost afraid to tell her the rest. “She was rushed to Dead River Clinic, but she passed away last night. She had a virus. That’s why I’m so worried about you. It starts out a lot like the flu. Fever, chills, body aches. A cough, sore throat, maybe even vomiting or diarrhea. Do you have any of those?”

      “No.”

      “I still want you to get checked out. I love you too much to lose you.”

      “Fine.” She sounded grumpy, though touched, too. She knew Theo as well as he knew her. “I’ll try to go tomorrow. If I start feeling worse, I’ll call Gemma and ask her to stop by and check on me.”

      “Perfect.”

      “Now, Theo, tell me the truth. I know—knew—Mimi Rand. She was well dressed and well mannered and acted as if she was used to the finer things in life. Probably because she was Dr. Rand’s ex-wife. I can’t imagine...” She took a deep breath. “Dead?”

      “Yes. And Gemma says no one knows what it is exactly that killed her.”

      Silence while she digested this. Then she cleared her throat and spoke. “Theo, tell me the truth. Is this baby really yours?” She sounded deeply disappointed, which still had the power to crush him.

      “I don’t know.” He told her the truth. “But after talking to Dr. Rand today, it’s appearing likely.”

      “Well, then.” Disappointment gave way to her normal, brisk, take-charge attitude. “I’ll do whatever I can to help. I wouldn’t mind having a young’un to cuddle again. Once I get over this cold, I’ll come by and meet...what is her name?”

      “Amelia. She’s really tiny.”

      “Amelia. I like it.” She coughed again. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

      He hung up, smiling although her cough still worried him. But she was a tough old lady and he figured she knew if she was seriously sick or not.

      * * *

      Ellie had always avoided cocky men who were full of themselves. A lot of cowboys were like that. But from what she’d seen of Theo Colton in the short time she’d been here at the ranch, while he had swagger, and the same rough-and-tumble sex appeal, he wasn’t conceited or arrogant. There was a fine line between self-assurance and smug self-importance, and she thought Theo was merely confident and comfortable in his own body. She believed this despite the stories she’d heard the one night she ventured into town to have a drink at the Dead River Bar.

      But this morning, hearing how he’d spoken of this precious little innocent baby—his baby—at that moment, she’d wondered if she’d been wrong about him after all.

      Once he’d left to go to town, she realized he must be terrified. He’d been a big-time rodeo cowboy, a bareback bronc riding champion. She’d spent enough time around horses in her hometown of Boulder to know rodeo cowboys were footloose and fancy-free. They had to be, since they made their living driving from town to town, rodeo to rodeo.

      She also knew women of all kinds flocked to them, the way groupies hung on to musicians. All kinds of women. Mimi Rand was proof of that, may she rest in peace.

      Now Theo was dealing with the fallout. For him, just knowing that his injuries had cost him all that, everything he’d ever known, must have been bad enough. Now this—finding out he was a father. By a woman who, from what he’d said, he’d barely known.

      Gazing at Amelia while she slept in the car seat she’d been brought here in that converted to a portable bassinette, Ellie thought she’d never seen a more darling baby. Wisps of curly dark hair framed her chubby-cheeked face. As she’d done several times over the past hour, Ellie lightly touched the infant’s forehead, checking to make sure there were no signs of fever.

      So far, so good. No sign of whatever mysterious illness had plagued her mother.

      For some reason Ellie thought of her parents. She knew what they’d do in this situation. As lifelong evangelistic missionaries on the African continent, they’d elevated the act of prayer to a fine art. She only wished they’d devoted as much effort to being parents and making them all a family. She hadn’t seen them in years, and even in her younger days, she’d stayed with a neighbor while they were off saving the world. They were too busy, too full of what they considered their life’s work, to spend time raising a daughter.

      Ellie had often wondered why they’d even had her. Most likely, she’d been an accident. Ah well, dwelling on the past never changed anything. And she no longer prayed, because she’d spent her entire childhood praying her parents would want her. When her prayers had gone unanswered through the years, she’d sworn never to pray again.

      Even though they’d had a late breakfast, soon it would be lunchtime on the ranch. As the only cook, Ellie knew she had to come up with something to feed the hardworking, hungry ranch hands. Luckily, she’d started on a big pot of chili the day before, and all she had to do was place the large cooking pot on the stove and break out a couple of bags of Fritos and shredded cheddar cheese.

      Relieved that she could do this and still take care of Amelia, she knew the evening meal might be more of a challenge. She needed to do prep work now. A couple of days ago, she’d moved four whole chickens to the fridge from the freezer. She could roast those and make a pot of pinto beans and a huge bowl of rice. Simple but efficient.

      She gave the chili another stir with the wooden spoon and returned to gaze at the sleeping baby. Footsteps in the hallway made her turn, wondering if the crew had broken for lunch early.

      Not the ranch hands. Instead Theo, gazing first at her and then the baby. Ellie’s heart did a little stuttering dance as she stared at him. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, muscular arms. And that face, craggy and masculine, with that cute little bump on his nose where it had been broken. He was handsome and sexy, and so far out of her league it wasn’t funny. Even knowing this, she couldn’t keep from drinking him in with her eyes, even as she tried—and pretty much failed—to appear nonchalant.

      “How’s she doing?” he asked, his gaze on Amelia.

      “Fine.” She found a sudden need to turn away and stir the chili. “I’ve been watching her and there’s no sign of a fever. I’m guessing she’s not hungry yet since she’s been asleep since you left. Did you bring the formula and diapers?”

      “I did. They’re on the counter.” The edge of huskiness in his voice made her look at him. He was still staring at the baby, something very much like tenderness flashing in his amazing green eyes.

      Chest tight, she turned back to the simmering pot. “Lunch is almost ready. The ranch hands should be here any moment.”

      “I told you that you didn’t have to cook since you’re taking care of the baby.”

      “Then who would?” Her tone came out sharper than she’d intended. “If I don’t, the hands won’t have anything to eat.”

      “Thank you.” He came to stand next to her, making every nerve in her body quiver. “I’m sorry. I thought I’d made it back in time to get the noon meal ready.”

      She didn’t comment. It was eleven-thirty and the men ate at straight-up twelve.

      When he touched her arm, she gave a little jump. Inhaling sharply, she took a step back from him, hoping if she put a little distance between them, she could regain her equilibrium. When she’d first applied for the job, she was so desperate for work, she’d barely noticed his rugged good looks. After all, she’d been nearly broke with nowhere to live but her car.

      Now, almost a full week later, every time Theo came anywhere near her, she went weak in the knees and her entire body tingled.

      Cleary, she needed to get over this.

      “I’ve talked to my grandmother.” He frowned. “I wanted to ask her to help with the baby, but she sounds like she’s coming down

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