One Tiny Miracle
Branded With His Baby
Stella Bagwell
The Baby Bump
Jennifer Greene
An Accidental Family
Ami Weaver
www.millsandboon.co.uk
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Branded With His Baby
About the Author
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
The Baby Bump
Back Cover Text
About the Author
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
An Accidental Family
Back Cover Text
About the Author
Dedication
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Copyright
Branded With His Baby
Stella Bagwell
STELLA BAGWELL has written more than seventy novels. She credits her loyal readers and hopes her stories have brightened their lives in some small way. A cowgirl through and through, she loves to watch old Westerns, and has recently learned how to rope a steer. Her days begin and end helping her husband care for a beloved herd of horses on their little ranch located on the south Texas coast. When shes not ropin and ridin, youll find her at her desk, creating her next tale of love. The couple have a son, who is a maths teacher and athletic coach.
To my sissy, Thelma Foster.
To have a sister like you is to be truly blessed.
I love you.
Chapter One
The moment Quint Cantrell walked through the door of his grandfathers ranch house, he got the eerie feeling that something was wrong.
At this time of the early evening Abe was usually watching the news on the small television situated in a corner of the cozy living room. Instead, the old mans leather recliner was empty and the TV screen was black.
Uneasy, Quint started to call out, but stopped as he caught the sound of a radio coming from the direction of the kitchen. As he quickly strode toward the back of the house, he realized with another start that the singer was Billie Holiday.
What the heck was going on around this place? His grandfather liked music, but certainly not that kind! And the house held the peculiar scent of roses instead of pipe tobacco and old boots.
Rounding the open doorway to the kitchen, he practically skidded to a halt as he spotted a woman standing at the cabinet counter. Yesterday, while hed been eating lunch at the Blue Mesa, a family acquaintance had stopped by his table and mentioned that a rumor was going around about a woman staying out at Apache Wells. Quint had laughingly dismissed the idea as nothing more than a wild rumor. Since his grandmother had passed away fifteen years ago, the only females who ever stepped foot in this house were Quints mother or sister. Hell freezing over would be more likely to happen than a woman living in Abes house. Or so Quint had believed.
Stunned by this turn of events, Quint stared.
Tall and slender with hair the color of a black cherry hanging nearly to her waist, she was dressed casually in blue jeans and a green Western shirt with darker green flowers dotting the yokes and cuffs. If her face looked anything like her backside, Quint decided, she was definitely a pretty woman.
Uhexcuse me, maam.
Obviously surprised by the sound of his voice, the woman whirled around to stare at him. Her dark eyes were wide, and her lips parted as she took a halting step in his direction.
Oh! I didnt realize anyone had come in, she said in a breathy voice. You gave me a fright.
He stepped forward and even though his gaze was focused solely on her, he knew his grandfather wasnt in the room. He also realized his initial guess had been correct. The woman was prettythough quietly so. Like a violet hidden beneath a clump of sagebrush, it might take a second look to find the beauty, but it was there.
I could say the same about you, he replied, his eyes sliding over her face. She appeared vaguely familiar. Its not every day I walk into my grandfathers house and find a woman. Who are you, anyway?
Her lips, which were full and dusky pink, twisted ever so slightly. Im sorry. I urged Abe to warn you about me, but you know that he pretty much does things his own way. He wanted me to be a surprise, she said with a mixture of amusement and regret. As to who I am, I thought you might recognize me. But I suppose Ive been away from Lincoln County too long for you to remember.
So his earlier assumption had been right. He had met the woman before. But where? he wondered, as his gaze scanned her dark green eyes, high cheekbones and heart-shaped face. She was definitely easy to look at, he realized, and then his memory kicked in like a startled mule. Hellfire, she was one of the Donovan bunch! A rich, rough and rowdy family that owned a notable horse farm down in the Hondo Valley.
I remember now, he said. Youre one of the Donovan brood. A nurse. You were at the hospital when my sister had her baby.
She inclined her head forward. Thats right. Im Maurasecond oldest of six siblings. Youve probably seen us around from time to time.
Shrugging, he wondered why her suggestion made him feel like a recluse. I dont do much socializing anymore. But I know your brothers and sisters. Bridget is my mothers doctor.
She nodded. Bridget is very good at her job. And very busy.
Folding his arms against his chest, Quint glanced beyond her shoulder to where a pot of something was simmering on the stove. It was filling the whole room with the scent of chicken and spices. Where was Jim, the old bunkhouse cook who usually prepared his grandfathers meals? And why in the world would a Donovan be here at his grandfathers ranch?
Yesterday, when someone in town told me that a woman was staying on the ranch, I practically called him a liar. Quint shook his head as he tried to assemble the questions running rampant in it. I dont mean to sound meddlesome, but why are you here? And where is Gramps?
Her breasts rose and fell as she drew in a deep breath, then blew it out. His questions appeared to make her uncomfortable, which only roused his curiosity even more.
Abe is down at the ranch yard visiting with the hands, she answered. And Im here because I live here now. With your grandfather, as his nurse.
If shed whacked Quints shins with an ax handle, the shock couldnt have been any greater. He sputtered. His nurse!
Thats right, she said smoothly, then quickly added, Excuse me, would you? I need to tend to the soup.
Dazed by her revelation, Quint watched her turn to the cookstove, where she stirred a bubbling pot with a wooden spoon. Her movements seemed so casual, that he got the feeling shed been here long enough to feel at home.
Two weeks had passed since hed taken the time to drive to Apache Wells, but hed talked on the phone to his grandfather several times and nothing had been mentioned about a nurse, or any need for one. Shed said that Abe had wanted to surprise him. Well, the old man had done that and more, Quint thought.
Walking farther into the room, Quint lifted the gray Stetson from his head and raked a hand through his curly hair. Hed had a day that would try a saint, and he wasnt in the mood for beating around the bush.
Okay, is this one of my grandfathers outlandish jokes? Abe doesnt need a nurse. Hes as healthy as a horse.
Is that what you think? she asked politely.
Hell, yes! he blurted out, then stabbed his fingers through his hair again and added in a calmer tone, I mean of course, I do. Gramps went for a checkup about three weeks ago. The man pronounced Abe as fit as a fiddle. Or is there something I need to know?
I doubt that. Abe says youre aware of his vertigo problem.
Putting down the spoon, she turned to face him and Quint was knocked for a loop all over again. Of the three Donovan sisters, he was least familiar with this one. If his calculations were right, shed finished high school a few years ahead of him. Which would make her midthirtiesthough she sure didnt look five or six years older than his twenty-nine. He recalled hearing, a long time ago, that shed moved away and married some man from Albuquerque. But from the look of her empty ring fingerQuint told himself he didnt know why he had looked there firsther marital status had changed along with her residence.
Im aware that he has dizzy spells, Quint replied. But the way I understand it, the condition isnt life-threatening and it only hits him occasionally.
If a spell of vertigo caused him to suffer a bad fall, it could be life-threatening.
Sorry, Ms. Donovan, but I could suffer a fall walking across the backyard. Any of us could.
The likelihood of that happening skyrockets when a persons head is spinning.
Quint couldnt argue that point. Hed been with his grandfather when one of these spells hit him and the old man had been unable to walk without someone to assist him.
So? Id rather see him die than to chain him to a chair. And you cant go around holding onto his arm all day. In fact, I doubt you could keep up with him, Quint added.
She sighed. Abe isnt a young man anymore, you know.
Quint bristled. He didnt want anyone insinuating that Abe was getting old and decrepit. He wasnt. And Quint refused to let anyone make him believe otherwise.