LITMIR.BIZ

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shaking her head. “Only I never saw you again.”

      “I vaguely remember you trying to tell me what I was doing wrong.”

      “You had a nice mare. Lolita Slide. When you put her up for sale I told Shannon Tinger to buy her. She went on to make over a hundred thousand riding barrels with her.”

      “She was a terrific horse,” Hadley said with a polite smile. “I’m glad Shannon did so well with her.”

      Liam remembered Hadley as a lanky girl in battered jeans and a worn cowboy hat, her blond hair streaming like a victory banner as her chestnut mare raced for the finish line. This tranquil woman before him, while lovely in gray dress pants and a black turtleneck sweater, pale hair pulled back in a neat ponytail, lacked the fire that had snagged his interest ten years earlier.

      “We have a three-year-old son of Lolita’s out in the barn. You should come see him. I think he’s going to make a first-class reining horse.”

      “I don’t think there will be time. Infants require a lot of attention.”

      Her refusal surprised him. He’d expected her to jump at the chance to see what her former mount had produced. The Hadley he remembered had been crazy about horses.

      “Why’d you quit?”

      Hadley stared at the landscape painting over the fireplace while she answered Liam’s blunt question. “My parents wanted me to go to college, and there wasn’t money to do that and keep my horse. What I got for Lolita paid for my first year’s tuition.”

      Liam considered her words. When was the last time he’d been faced with an either-or situation? Usually he got everything he wanted. Once in a while a deal didn’t go his way, but more often than not, that left him open for something better.

      Maggie began to stir, and Liam refocused his attention on the baby. Her lips parted in a broad yawn that accompanied a fluttering of her long lashes.

      “I think she’s waking up.” He took a step toward Hadley, baby extended.

      “You did very well for your first time.”

      Unsure if her tiny smile meant she was patronizing him, Liam decided he’d try harder to get comfortable with his niece. Strange as it was to admit it, he wanted Hadley’s approval.

      “Would you like a tour of the house?” Liam gestured toward the hallway. “I’d like your opinion on where to put the baby’s room.”

      “Sure.”

      He led the way across the hall to the dining room. A long mahogany table, capable of seating twelve, sat on a black-and-gold Oriental rug. When he’d overhauled the house six years ago, bringing the plumbing and wiring up to code, this was the one room he’d left in its original state.

      “It’s just me living here these days, and I haven’t entertained much in the last year.” The reason remained a sore spot, but Liam brushed it aside. “When my grandfather was alive, he loved to host dinner parties. Several members of Congress as well as a couple governors have eaten here.”

      “When did you lose him?”

      “A year and a half ago. He had a heart condition and died peacefully in his sleep.” Grandfather had been the only parent he and Kyle had ever known, and his death had shaken Liam. How the loss had hit Kyle, Liam didn’t know. Despite inheriting half the ranch when their grandfather died, his brother never came home and Liam dealt with him only once or twice a year on business matters.

      “I remember your grandfather at the shows,” Hadley said. “He always seemed larger than life.”

      Liam ushered her into the large modern kitchen. Her words lightened Liam’s mood somewhat. “He loved the horse business. His father had been a cattleman. Our herd of Black Angus descends from the 1880s rush to bring Angus from Scotland.”

      “So you have both cattle and horses?”

      “We have a Black Angus breeding program. Last year we sold two hundred two-year-olds.”

      “Sounds like you’re doing very well.”

      After a quick peek in the den, they finished their tour of the first floor and climbed the stairs.

      “Business has been growing steadily.” So much so that Liam wasn’t able to do what he really loved: train horses.

      “You don’t sound all that excited about your success.”

      He’d thought the abrupt cessation of his personal life would provide more time to focus on the ranch, but he’d discovered the more he was around, the more his staff came to him with ideas for expanding.

      “I didn’t realize how focused my grandfather had been on the horse side of the business until after his heart problems forced him into semiretirement. Apparently he’d been keeping things going out of respect for his father, but his heart wasn’t really in it.”

      “And once he semiretired?”

      “I hired someone who knew what he was doing and gave him a little capital. In three years he’d increased our profits by fifty percent.” Liam led Hadley on a tour of three different bedrooms. “This one is mine.”

      “I think it would be best if Maggie is across the hall from you.” Hadley had chosen a cheerful room with large windows overlooking the backyard and soft green paint on the walls. “That way when she wakes up at night you’ll be close by.”

      While Liam wasn’t worried about being up and down all night with the infant, he preferred not to be left alone in case something went wrong. “Are you sure I can’t convince you to live in?”

      “You’ll do fine. I promise not to leave until I’m sure Maggie is well settled.”

      That was something, Liam thought. “If you have things under control for the moment, I need to get back to the barn. I have several calls to make and an owner stopping by to look at his crop of yearlings.”

      “Maggie and I will be fine.”

      “Candace should be back with supplies soon, and hopefully we’ll have some baby furniture delivered later today. I’ll have a couple of the grooms empty this room so it can be readied for Maggie.”

      Hadley nodded her approval. In her arms, the baby began to fuss. “I think it’s time for a change and a little something to eat.”

      “Here’s my cell and office numbers.” Liam handed her his business card. “Let me know if you need anything.”

      “Thank you, I will.”

      The short drive back to the barn gave Liam a couple minutes to get his equilibrium back. Kyle was a father. That was going to shock the hell out of his brother.

      And Liam had received a shock of his own today in the form of Hadley Stratton. Was it crazy that she was the one who stuck out in his mind when he contemplated past regrets? Granted, they’d been kids. He’d been twenty. She’d barely graduated high school the first time she’d made an impression on him. And it had been her riding that had caught his attention. On horseback she’d been a dynamo. Out of the saddle, she’d been quiet and gawky in a way he found very appealing.

      He’d often regretted never getting the chance to know anything about her beyond her love of horses, and now fate had put her back in his life. Second chances didn’t come often, and Liam intended to make the most of this one.

      * * *

      The grandfather clock in the entry hall chimed once as Hadley slipped through the front door into the cold night air. Shivering at the abrupt change in temperature, she trotted toward her SUV and slid behind the wheel. An enormous yawn cracked her jaw as she started the car and navigated the circular drive.

      In order for Hadley to leave Liam in charge of Maggie, she’d had to fight her instincts. The baby was fussier than most, probably because she was premature, and only just went to sleep a little while ago. Although

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