Daddy material?
Wyatt Buckhorn is only a pal. If sharing scorching kisses that leave a woman feeble-brained means theyâre pals! But thatâs all the oilman-slash-rancher can be to Natalie Lewis. Five months pregnant and recently jilted, Natalie refuses to trust any man, least of all a man who is the definition of playboy. Throw in that every run-in turns into a fiery encounter, and âjust friendsâ gets complicated. Which is a shame, because Natalieâs life is messy enough.
Besides, she knows Wyattâs secretâheâs sterile, and so enforces a strict kid-free rule. But when circumstances have them caring for a whole clan of Buckhorn youngsters over the holidays, Natalie sees a side of Wyatt thatâs definitely kid-friendly. Weakening defenses, and even weaker knees, have Natalie determined to destroy Wyattâs anti-family policyâ¦before he leaves town for good.
âJust help me with a kiss, okay?â
Wyattâs lips hovered above hers. Then, in true Buckhorn style, Wyatt claimed what he wanted. And then he wasnât just kissing her, but transporting her to another world.
A place where she wasnât alone and trying to hide that she was five months pregnant. When he finally released her, it was a struggle for Natalie to keep her rubbery knees from buckling.
âDamn...â Wyatt looked a little dazed himself. âUm, that went better than expected.â
Natalie managed a nod.
âWe good?â
âAh, in what sense?â she asked.
âYou know, like weâre still pals?â
Pals? She choked back a laugh. If this was how he kissed a woman he thought of as his pal, she couldnât fathom what heâd do to an actual lover. âUm, sure.â
âThanks.â After landing a sucker punch to Natalieâs right shoulder, he nodded toward his scowling blonde date. âPretty sure that did the trick.â
Dear Reader,
Wyatt and Natalieâs story marks the end of marriage-eligible Buckhorns! This makes me sad, but on the flip side, when Iâm old and all the Buckhorn babies are grown, I suppose the saga can start over with all the new adult singles. For those of you whoâve read the whole series, can you even imagine what terrors Bonnie and Betsy will be while dating?
Looking back, itâs interesting to see how as my fictional family has changed, my own has followed suit. In the year itâs taken to write the four stories, my children have graduated from high school and gone on to college. Iâve gone from being an emotional train wreck over them leaving to now being buried under the pile of stuff they brought back home for summer! Itâs taking some adjusting, getting back in the habit of grabbing all of their favorites from the grocery store, but I think Iâll manage just fine, as happy as I am to have them all snug in my nest.
In this last Buckhorn installment, Mama Buckhorn takes some grief from her offspring. Theyâre put out with her for always having an opinion. But as a fellow mom, I say they should just behave and do what their mother tells them. Ha! Fat chance. Wyatt and Natalie have proven to be my most stubborn couple yet!
Happy reading,
Laura Marie
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
After college (Go, Hogs!), bestselling, award-winning author Laura Marie Altom did a brief stint as an interior designer before becoming a stay-at-home mom to boy-girl twins and a bonus son. Always an avid romance reader, she knew it was time to try her hand at writing when she found herself replotting the afternoon soaps.
When not immersed in her next story, Laura teaches art at a local middle school. In her free time, she beats her kids at video games, tackles Mount Laundry and of course reads romance!
Laura loves hearing from readers at either P.O. Box 2074, Tulsa, OK 74101, or by email, [email protected].
Love winning fun stuff? Check out www.lauramariealtom.com.
For eighteen-year-old dachshund Noodle Alisch.
You were a good dog and we loved you. Hope youâre off chasing a tennis ball on a never-ending beach!
Chapter One
If Natalie Lewis felt any more emotionally battered, sheâd dissolve into a teary puddle right there in the middle of Georgina Buckhornâs garden. Pregnant. Abandoned. Surrounded by dozens of happy, October-sun-drenched guests whose very presence dictated she force a smile. Around these parts, the christening of Josie and Dallas Buckhornâs new baby was huge. But how was she supposed to get into a celebratory frame of mind when hours earlier Craig had shattered her world?
Sheâd loved him and had assumed theyâd be married and raise a family together. But then, silly her, sheâd only been waiting for that ring on her finger for three years. What was wrong with her that sheâd ignored every sign that Craig avoided commitment the way some folks steered clear of root canals? From not wanting to even hold hands in public to bailing on too many important occasions to count, Craig made a habit of reminding her just how little she meant in the overall scheme of his life. He even refused to sleep over on the Friday nights they made love. Oh, heâd invented his own art form when it came to stringing her along. Promising to spend more time with her when his work slowed. Explaining heâd just bought a calendar to help remember their dates. Ha! Fat lot of good thatâd had done when heâd left it in a junk drawer. And he worked for UPS! Did they ever slow down? God, she was such an idiot.