Rebecca Winters, Lucy Gordon
And Baby Makes Three
© 2011
Dear Reader,
Who can resist a baby? I know I can’t. The event is miraculous. Besides bringing joy to a parent’s life, the mere knowledge that a baby is on the way changes the mother’s and father’s worlds, not to mention those of the other family members.
A baby is born into every circumstance you can think of, and maybe some you can’t! Take for example an old Western film I watched about a group of willing women being taken across the plains to meet men who wanted to get married. On the way, one of them gave birth in the covered wagon and died. When they reached their destination, another woman had fallen in love with it and claimed it for her own. The stranger husband had to take the baby, too! That’s an instant family.
The story lived with me until one day I had to write Adopted Baby, Convenient Wife. In this novel an instant family is created because of one adorable, innocent baby two strangers fall in love with and can’t give up. The circumstances are entirely different from the Western story, but one thing is clear: the love of a child supersedes all other considerations and can create a new miracle.
I’m delighted to be paired with the incomparable Lucy Gordon in this book And Baby Makes Three. I’ve been a fan of hers for years and deem it an honor to have a book coming out with hers. It’s my hope both our stories about these precious babies will give you a few hours of pure reading pleasure.
Enjoy!
Rebecca Winters
REBECCA WINTERS
Rebecca Winters, whose family of four children has now swelled to include three beautiful grandchildren, lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the land of the Rocky Mountains. With canyons and high alpine meadows full of wild flowers, she never runs out of places to explore. They, plus her favorite vacation spots in Europe, often end up as backgrounds for her Harlequin Romance ® novels. Writing is Rebecca’s passion, along with Rebecca’s family and church.
She loves to hear from her readers. If you wish to email her, please visit her website at www.cleanromances.com.
Adopted Baby, Convenient Wife
CHAPTER ONE
THE wizened old cowboy filling his pickup truck at the service station in Elko tipped his hat back. “The Bonnibelle, you say?” His head turned toward the mountains. “Everyone knows it’s right over there in the valley, beneath those snow capped peaks.”
Catherine had heard of it, of course, but coming from the other side of Nevada she could be forgiven for not knowing exactly where to find it.
“Biggest cattle ranch around,” he expounded. “Thirty-five thousand acres. Can’t miss it. After you leave town, take the 227 and follow it all the way.”
Straight as the crow flies? she wanted to respond, but quashed the impulse because the older man thought he was being helpful. To his mind, he’d given her all the directions she needed.
O ye of little faith, she chided herself before thanking him. Then she got back in the car.
Having made her visit to the ladies’ room, plus purchasing a cold bottle of water along with the gas, she was ready to go. But who knew how many more miles she had to travel before she reached her destination?
There wasn’t any point in consulting the map she’d bought before leaving Reno. It was of no further use to her now except to tell her she was headed toward the Ruby Mountains.
In the heat waves rising from the highway, Bonnie’s precious little image swam before her eyes.
If your daddy’s there, my darling baby girl, I’ll find him. If he’s not, then I’m going to make you mine no matter what I have to do.
After losing track of time beneath a sweltering July afternoon sun blazing down on miles of rangeland, she finally spied an arch of deer antlers to her right, signifying the entrance to the Bonnibelle. A name like that must have come from the heart of some homesick Scotsman who’d settled here many years earlier and staked his claim.
It took another fifteen minutes before the dirt road climbed higher past alpine paintbrush and lupine to a crystal blue lake where an immense three-storied log ranch house hugged the shoreline. The spectacular backdrop of mountains against such splendor caused Catherine to suck in her breath.
Your daddy picked a piece of heaven when he decided to work here, sweet heart.
Beyond the main house there were clusters of immaculate out buildings and a huge barn erected amid clumps of dark pines. Some of the structures looked as if they dated back to the second half of the 1800s.
Catherine surmised that it not only took a small army of hands to keep this place in mint condition, but a cattle king with exceptional gifts and an iron hand to make certain its inner workings ran with all the precision of a fine Swiss watch.
An odd assortment of luxury cars mixed with pickup trucks and horse trailers stood parked along the border of grass planted in front of the main house. Considering the ranch was such a big business concern, she didn’t question their presence or the number of vehicles with the state’s official seal decorating the car doors.
Perhaps she might have done if she hadn’t been so intent on her des per ate mission. With time running out, she needed to act fast. Otherwise she could lose Bonnie.
At the mere thought, stabbing pain brought fresh tears to her eyes.
The idea of someone else raising Bonnie was unthinkable to Catherine. Once she’d con firmed Bonnie’s father turned out to be the no-account drifter she’d labeled him-once she heard him say he wanted nothing to do with his own flesh and blood-she was ready to go to court and claim the baby for her very own.
After finding a parking spot behind a blue Mercedes sedan, she levered herself out from the front seat of her vehicle and stepped out into the dry heat. At six thousand feet it was certainly cooler than in Elko.
Since she’d left her condo seven hours ago, the sun’s position had altered. Catherine’s willowy body, dressed in a crush-proof two-piece suit, cast a shadow against the bank of cars. She headed for the main entrance of the ranch house, grateful she’d worn medium-sized heels to navigate. They made a soft crunching sound on the gravel driveway.
A deep porch ran the full length of the beautiful old structure. Upon climbing the steps, she saw the sign that told visitors to ring the bell.
Not long after she’d pressed the button a maid answered the door. Catherine caught the cool breeze of the air-conditioning and welcomed it. As she breathed in, she detected the strong scent of fresh flowers.
Beyond the young woman she noticed several massive sprays of roses and lilies placed at either side of the bottom of the grand staircase. The interior of the spacious foyer had more the look of an English manor than its rustic western exterior conveyed.
While Catherine was wondering if she’d interrupted a wedding or some such thing, the maid said, “Everyone’s gathered in the great room. If you’d like to follow me.”
“Oh, but I’m not-”
Catherine stopped talking because the maid had already disappeared through two paneled doors on the right, leaving Catherine in a dilemma. Whatever social event she’d walked in on, she hadn’t been invited.
Making a decision to err on the side of caution, she hurried outside again. She would wait in her car until she saw someone leave the ranch house. At that point she would approach them to find out what was going on. Depending on the answer, she might have to double back to Elko for the night and return in the morning.