LITMIR.BIZ

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doctor’s analysis. Just a hairline fracture, but they could go to the pediatrician for a cast in a couple of days.

      The love Kendall had for their daughter radiated like sunshine. How awesome would it be to have another little girl as precious as this one?

      The doctor came and went. Heath took Skylar Dawn from Kendall’s arms and cuddled her against his chest. Her head had a special baby smell that he especially noticed when she first fell asleep. It was something he already knew he’d miss whenever she got too big to be rocked.

      “Hey, for a couple who never wanted children, I think we’re handling this pretty well.” Kendall smoothed Skylar Dawn’s hair while they waited on their release paperwork.

      “Want to have a couple more?” he said, then gulped.

      “What?” Kendall’s eyes grew big. “Where does this come from?”

      “It was just a thought. I mean...I love you guys. I love our family. And you’re right. I think we’re pretty good at this.”

      “I do, too.”

      Were those tears?

      “Honey, what’s wrong?” He opened his free arm and pulled her in for a hug.

      Special Agent Kendall Barlow was full-blown crying, silent tears running down her face. And it took a lot—like the birth of their daughter—to bring them on. Heath never expected his spontaneous suggestion to affect her this way.

      “I was... I was...” she tried.

      “It’s okay, babe. Everything’s perfect the way it is. Nothing’s wrong with our family.”

      “But I was just thinking the same thing, Heath. I’d love another baby.”

      He kissed her. As much as he was able to with his arms full of their daughter.

      “I am definitely looking forward to getting you home and getting this one in bed.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

      Kendall dabbed at her eyes. “We can’t start this afternoon, silly. I’m helping Jerry with his cyber-fraud case. It’s going to take weeks. Maybe months.”

      “You want to wait?” He was surprised. Seriously surprised. And then an ugly voice shouted in his ear, How many cases will be more important?

      “Whisper, please?”

      “Sure.” He lowered his voice to match hers. “Why would finishing cases be more important? It’s not like you’ll still be trying to move up the FBI ladder.”

      “I beg your pardon?”

      “Well, if you have another baby, aren’t you quitting?”

      The words were there before he could mentally slap himself and stop them from forming. Mistake. It was the wrong thought to let out of his mouth.

      “You want me to quit my job and stay home? What? Do you want me barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, too?”

      He tucked his bottom lip between his teeth. He wasn’t going to say a word. Not a dad-blasted word. It wasn’t the time. It wasn’t the place.

      Then she stiffened and pulled away from his arm.

       Dammit.

      “Kendall, we thought having any kids in day care whose parents are both in the line of fire wasn’t a good idea. It’s still not a good idea. But two? If you’re pregnant, they’ll call you out of the field anyway. Right?”

      “For a few months. Just like last time. But I’m not going to give up my career. You stay home with the kids.”

      “I worked hard to be a Texas Ranger.”

      “And I worked hard to become an FBI agent.”

      It was the loudest whispered arguing they’d ever done. It gave him a bad feeling, like something ominous was about to happen.

      “Maybe we should talk about this at home.” He kissed his daughter’s forehead. “When the munchkin is in bed, we can list the pros and cons.”

      “Or we could be honest with each other.”

      “I think I’ve been honest enough.”

      “Oh, that’s a relief.” She crossed her arms in typical Barlow fashion, after her sarcasm had a chance to sink in.

      “It’s going to be a long night, isn’t it,” he said. Fact, not a question. Just like he knew they were stepping outside into the backyard to have an extended argument once they got home.

      “We both need to really think about your expectations for me. This is serious, Heath. I... It’s not something I can take lightly and just forget that it happened.”

      “I’m sorry for jumping the gun.” Apologizing was the easy part. Understanding what he did wrong would take a little longer.

      * * *

      SIX WEEKS OF continuous arguing began to take its toll on her family. Kendall sat at her office desk staring at the picture of Heath carrying Skylar Dawn on his shoulders. She missed him. Ached for him. Longed for someone to invent a time machine so she could take back the words she didn’t even know if she meant any more.

      Just when Kendall thought things were getting better, her mother overheard Heath say he didn’t understand why her work was more important than a family.

      She didn’t know which hurt worse—what he’d said or the fact he had talked to someone else and not her. He’d always been the strong silent type. Definitely a man of action and few words.

      When Skylar Dawn complained of tummy aches, Kendall suggested counseling. If they couldn’t communicate on their own, maybe a third party could help.

      She’d never forget the stabbing pain she’d experienced when he said, “My world has pretty much crashed down around my ears by not keeping my mouth shut.” To keep from hurting their daughter, Heath packed a bag. He made a drastic, solitary decision.

      If he was gone...they couldn’t argue. So to solve the problem he moved into the spare room of Slate Thompson’s house on a small ranch just east of Dallas. He worked in the barn and helped with riding lessons to pay his rent.

      Or at least that’s what she thought. They hadn’t really spoken since.

      They seemed to avoid each other by staying busy with their jobs. But he never failed to call Skylar Dawn at six each evening. When her caseload picked up, he stayed at the house two nights a week.

      Her mother had objected to her marriage from the beginning. For some reason, her encouragement had always been for a career. Not necessarily the FBI, just something with a title and advancement.

      “How did we get this far down the rabbit hole? Yeah... Where’s that time machine when you need it?”

       Chapter One

      Heath Murray was feeling just how crowded the small house he lived in had become. He slipped away to the rodeo every weekend, attempting to give Slate some privacy. But, man, come Sunday nights he needed to rest his weary old bones on a soft couch.

      He needed to pop the top on a bottle of beer, prop his feet up on the coffee table and listen to sports while he drifted off into blissful slumber.

      That never happened.

      He didn’t mind having his partner’s mom cook. Saved him the trouble of constantly eating out. He didn’t mind having Slate’s new girlfriend sneak back up to the main house after not catching the front door before it slammed shut at four in the morning. Neither of them knew he hadn’t really slept in months.

      He didn’t mind returning to his real bed twice a week to spend time with his baby girl. Skylar Dawn loved it. Kendall tolerated it. They both agreed it was

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