rescue Olivia.
They crested the hill. The green valley revealed a ranch house and stable, and he was heading straight for them. Who did the ranch belong to? Cattle grazed the fenced slopes, forty or fifty head. She spotted two horses tethered by the hitching post. Would she dare to take one?
Would the opportunity arise?
Their mount slowed as they approached the well-kept homestead. A deep green pond shimmered beside them, the reeds around it thick and as tall as people. The reeds rustled and a muddy boy jumped out, surprising her.
Luke pulled back on the reins to stop the horse. The boy dashed to his side, holding a twisted stick. “You’re home, you’re home!”
Jenny reared back. Who was this child?
With shaggy black hair, he was no more than four or five. He stood barefooted, his skin bronzed the color of gold. His rumpled shirttails were laced with grime and his fingernails blackened with dirt. His smile, though, was a genuine flash of white. And, aimed straight for Luke.
Did Luke have a son? The shocking thought hit her full force.
“Adam,” Luke roared from the saddle, “I can’t believe how dirty one little boy can get.”
A ball of emotion sprang to her throat. The man who’d kidnapped her was a father? He would go to jail for what he’d done. Who’d look after the boy while he was in jail? What kind of a father would put his own boy at risk?
A selfish one. Just like his criminal father.
She sat there, stunned.
Suddenly overcome by the dizzying heat, she squirmed on the saddle. If Luke had a son, did he have a wife?
And what would his wife say to her?
Jenny stared at the empty grounds—at the two-seater swing on the porch, the string of bedsheets hanging on the laundry line, the pretty vase of flowers in the window. A wave of nausea welled inside her as she fought to control her swirling emotions. The man who’d kissed her earlier, who’d brushed his butterfly lips along her throat, was married?
Chapter Four
“H ow many other children do you have?” Jenny asked Luke as she slid off the saddle.
Surprised, he stepped back and glanced at Adam. She thought Adam was his? Well, Luke could see how. Similar black hair, the boy’s friendly greeting… Adam didn’t look like Daniel. At least, Luke didn’t see any resemblance. Adam looked like any little kid on any corner.
Luke met her penetrating eyes. “Adam’s not my boy,” he said softly. “I’m looking after him for a while. Or, should I say,” he corrected himself with a warm nod to Adam, “he’s looking after me?”
Adam gazed up at Luke with unabashed eagerness. Luke smiled, but shifted uneasily. Adam shouldn’t get too attached to him. Yes, Luke had watched him grow up in the saloon—one of the few stable influences in his life, apart from his mother. But Adam had to learn that soon he’d be gone from here. Either gone to his father and Jenny’s, or to another caring family for adoption.
Jenny inspected Luke. “Did you bring me here to meet your wife?”
She thought he was married? He stumbled back and nearly choked. Wasn’t that amusing?
Why was redness creeping up her jaw? Was she feeling a tad guilty? About what? The response he’d detected in her when a married man had kissed her? A response he knew she’d deny.
Nervously, she pulled her jacket over her gaping gown. The wind beat color into her cheeks and whipped loose hair around her face. Even all messed up, she was prettier than a sunrise. Her pretty blue eyes fired in his direction.
“Don’t worry,” he teased, “I’m not married.”
Flustered, she glanced away, trying to smooth her scattered blond strands away from her supple cheeks. “I’m not worried.”
His grin became laughter. Tension lifted from his muscles and he realized he was beginning to like having her around. She amused him, if nothing else.
A gust of wind kicked up dirt. Adam rubbed his eye with a fist and shoved the hair off his brows. He stepped closer to Jenny, his brown eyes
They crested the hill. The green valley revealed a ranch house and stable, and he was heading straight for them. Who did the ranch belong to? Cattle grazed the fenced slopes, forty or fifty head. She spotted two horses tethered by the hitching post. Would she dare to take one?
Would the opportunity arise?
Their mount slowed as they approached the well-kept homestead. A deep green pond shimmered beside them, the reeds around it thick and as tall as people. The reeds rustled and a muddy boy jumped out, surprising her.
Luke pulled back on the reins to stop the horse. The boy dashed to his side, holding a twisted stick. “You’re home, you’re home!”
Jenny reared back. Who was this child?
With shaggy black hair, he was no more than four or five. He stood barefooted, his skin bronzed the color of gold. His rumpled shirttails were laced with grime and his fingernails blackened with dirt. His smile, though, was a genuine flash of white. And, aimed straight for Luke.
Did Luke have a son? The shocking thought hit her full force.
“Adam,” Luke roared from the saddle, “I can’t believe how dirty one little boy can get.”
A ball of emotion sprang to her throat. The man who’d kidnapped her was a father? He would go to jail for what he’d done. Who’d look after the boy while he was in jail? What kind of a father would put his own boy at risk?
A selfish one. Just like his criminal father.
She sat there, stunned.
Suddenly overcome by the dizzying heat, she squirmed on the saddle. If Luke had a son, did he have a wife?
And what would his wife say to her?
Jenny stared at the empty grounds—at the two-seater swing on the porch, the string of bedsheets hanging on the laundry line, the pretty vase of flowers in the window. A wave of nausea welled inside her as she fought to control her swirling emotions. The man who’d kissed her earlier, who’d brushed his butterfly lips along her throat, was married?
Chapter Four
“H ow many other children do you have?” Jenny asked Luke as she slid off the saddle.
Surprised, he stepped back and glanced at Adam. She thought Adam was his? Well, Luke could see how. Similar black hair, the boy’s friendly greeting… Adam didn’t look like Daniel. At least, Luke didn’t see any resemblance. Adam looked like any little kid on any corner.
Luke met her penetrating eyes. “Adam’s not my boy,” he said softly. “I’m looking after him for a while. Or, should I say,” he corrected himself with a warm nod to Adam, “he’s looking after me?”
Adam gazed up at Luke with unabashed eagerness. Luke smiled, but shifted uneasily. Adam shouldn’t get too attached to him. Yes, Luke had watched him grow up in the saloon—one of the few stable influences in his life, apart from his mother. But Adam had to learn that soon he’d be gone from here. Either gone to his father and Jenny’s, or to another caring family for adoption.
Jenny inspected Luke. “Did you bring me here to meet your wife?”
She thought he was married? He stumbled back and nearly choked. Wasn’t that amusing?
Why was redness creeping up her jaw? Was she feeling a tad guilty? About what? The response he’d detected in her when a married man had kissed her? A response he knew she’d deny.
Nervously, she pulled her jacket over her gaping gown. The wind beat color into her cheeks and whipped loose hair around her face. Even all messed up, she was prettier than a sunrise. Her pretty blue eyes fired in his direction.
“Don’t worry,” he teased, “I’m not married.”
Flustered, she glanced away, trying to smooth her scattered blond strands away from her supple cheeks. “I’m not worried.”
His grin became laughter. Tension lifted from his muscles and he realized he was beginning to like having her around. She amused him, if nothing else.
A gust of wind kicked up dirt. Adam rubbed his eye with a fist and shoved the hair off his brows. He stepped closer to Jenny, his brown eyes
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