A Family For The Rugged Rancher

Harlequin Romance/Mills and Boon Cherish

Rugged Ranchers

June 2010 UK, ISBN 978-0263888874

July 2011 North America ISBN 978-0373177417

Buy in print and ebook at

amazon uk   amazon   barnes and noble 

chapters   book depository

Instant family - just add Daddy!

Gruff rancher Luke Evans's new live-in housekeeper comes with an unexpected addition: a small son! Emily may be a pretty single mum - and even Luke has to grudgingly admit little Sam's quite cute - but a family is not on this die-hard bachelor's wish list!

Luke's plan? To spend as much time away from the house as possible. But, slowly charmed by Emily's sunny smile and Sam's infectious giggle, Luke begins to wonder if there might be room on his ranch - and in his heart - for a family after all!

Excerpt

            Luke studied her face as she smiled up at him. There was no denying that Emily was beautiful. But there was more. There was a quiet resolve to her that was equally attractive. She was a hard worker - he could tell that in the sheer volume of tasks she'd accomplished today. Even as her world spun out of control, she seemed in charge of it. Grounded. Calm in the middle of a storm. Sam thought the sun rose and set in her, because she put him first. He remembered the way she'd smoothed Sam's hair today, or had firmly made him mind his manners during dinner. Her kid was damned lucky.

            "I hope you're not saying that just to be nice. I don't want pity, you know."

            "Would I say anything for the sole purpose of being nice?" He raised an eyebrow.

            "Good point." Her eyes sparkled up at him and he felt an unusual clench in his gut as her tongue wet her lips.

            It was only a partial lie. He did feel sorry for her. Sorry that she'd been hurt and sorry she was having to deal with things alone. He knew all too well how that felt. To know that everything rests on your shoulders. To know that any decision you make affects others forever. He'd wished for a helping hand so many times when he was younger, first when his mom had died and then when his Dad fell sick with Alzheimer's. He knew what it was to bear the weight of a family on his shoulders. In the past two days he'd questioned his sanity in letting Emily and Sam stay, but now that he knew a little more about their situation, he was glad.

            And he was smart enough to know that if he told her such a thing she'd be furious.  He was on good terms with their friend, Pride.

Meanwhile his body was tense just from being near her. He only wanted to help. Why then did just the soft scent of her, the sound of her voice, make his body tighten?

            "If we keep on as we've started, I think we'll get along just fine," he said, thinking it sounded incredibly hokey but he had to say something. She was a mother, for God's sake. A mother with a ton of baggage she was carrying around. The fleeting impulse to kiss her was beyond crazy. That was definitely a complication he didn't need.

            "I think so too," she agreed.

            They drew nearer the house, the walk coming to an end and with it their confidences in the dark. "Thank you for telling me about your situation," he said. He looked up and thought he saw movement at the curtain of Sam's room, but in the dark he couldn't be sure.  Was the boy watching them? Now that he knew more about it, he could understand Sam being mixed up and protective of his mother. Not that it excused bad behavior. There'd be no more sneaking out after bedtime.

"It was only fair. I'm a stranger, right? You agreed to this arrangement without knowing anything about me. You don't need me to bring trouble to your door. No fear of that, anyway,' she said softly. "Rob doesn't care enough to come after us."

She tried to make it sound as though she didn't care but he knew she did. He wondered what kind of man didn't love his kid enough to keep in touch, to know where they were. Luke didn't want the added responsibility of children, but if he had them, he'd do a damn sight better job of parenting than that.

He wasn't sure how a man could let his wife go either. Especially one like Emily.

"I'm sorry," he offered, and meant it.

"Me too." She sighed in the moonlight. "One of these days you'll have to tell me your story," she suggested.

"Not likely," he replied quickly. "Not much to tell."

She laughed, and it seemed to lighten the evening. "Now why don't I believe that?  You're pretty closed mouthed when it comes to your own saga." She grinned, looking impish in the moonlight. "But you have been kind and generous, letting us both stay."

"No one's ever accused me of being either," he replied, their steps slowing, scuffing along in the dirt of the driveway. "Most would say I'm practical." He'd had to be, getting the girls the rest of the way to adulthood and making sure the farm could support them all. There hadn't been time for what most twenty-year-olds his age had been doing -  working hard, but playing harder. It made him think of the old bible verses from Sunday school, about leaving childish things behind.

"Do you ever wish you'd finished your degree, Emily?"

She looked up at him, putting one hand on the wood railing of the steps. "When the money was dwindling, I confess I did. But sometimes you exchange old dreams for new ones. After five years, this is what I do best. I love being home with Sam. I loved looking after my house and cooking and doing all the special things I couldn't do if I'd been working all day. I was very fortunate, you know?"

"And do you ever think of going back?"

She paused, her expression thoughtful.  "Maybe. But not pharmacy.  Something else. Something that uses my strengths. I guess I just don't know what that is yet."

For several seconds they stood there staring at each other. Luke's gaze dropped to her lips and then back up to her eyes. Maybe it was the moonlight, or the way her hair curled around her collar, or the soft sound of her voice that reached inside of him and made him want. And what he wanted was to kiss her - for the second time in ten minutes.

Which was absolutely, plumb crazy. There were a dozen solid reasons why he shouldn't.

And he wouldn't.

But he couldn't help thinking about it just the same.

"Well, Mr. Evans, I believe we both have early starts in the morning." She turned to go up the steps. "There is a lot more to be done around here. I think tomorrow I'll examine your vegetable garden."

Lord, she had a lot of pride. But Luke understood that. It made him want to lend his assistance. "I haven't tended to the weeds in a while. The potatoes are sure to need hoeing."

He took a step forward, and his gaze dropped to her full, lush lips. He was standing in the moonlight with a beautiful woman and all he could do was talk about gardens and chores. Had it been that long since he'd dated, that he had lost all concept of conversation? The moment stretched out and he leaned forward, just a bit until the floral scent he now recognized as hers filled his nostrils.

He reached out and took her fingers in his hand and felt them tremble.

This was ridiculous. She'd just got through telling him about her disintegrated marriage and he was contemplating coming on to her? He straightened, took a step back.

"It's been a long day," she whispered, pulling her fingers away and tucking them into her pockets. He heard the nervous quaver in her voice and knew she understood exactly what direction his thoughts had taken.

"I'll see you in the morning."

She went inside, closing the door quietly behind her, but for several minutes Luke sat on the porch, thinking.

How could a man just walk out on his family that way? Leave his responsibilities behind? A real man did what needed to be done. His Dad had instilled that in him from the time he was younger than Sam. But just because Northcott had left his wife and kid didn't mean they were suddenly Luke's responsibility. For the last decade, he'd had the farm to worry about, and his sisters until they'd made their way on their own. Now it was the ranch and his father's failing health. It was more than enough. He didn't need to take on any wounded strays.

He just had to remember to shut down any more thoughts of kissing her. Uncomplicated. That was exactly how this was going to stay. And after she was gone, he'd manage on his own once more.

Just like he always did.

From A Family For The Rugged Rancher by Donna Alward

Harlequin Romance, July 2011

Copyright 2011 by Donna Alward

Cover art used with permission

This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

For more Romance information, surf to http://www.eharlequin.com