âFor old timesâ sake.â
He whispered the words as his arms slipped around her on the dance floor.
As she stepped into his familiar embrace, his woodsy aftershave snaked around her, and he held her captive in his warmth and the seductive sway of his body.
Ian was an amazing lover, a good man, and she cared about him far more than was good for her.
Could they find a way to raise their baby?
Sheâd never thought that loving Ian and living in Brighton Valley for the rest of her life would be enough. But now she wondered how she could give him up.
âCome on,â he whispered. âLetâs go home.â Desire crackled between them all the way to the ranch, and even though Carly tried to ignore it, to tell Ian goodnight, something stronger overrode her common sense.
She invited him in for coffee.
But once they entered the house, she didnât go to the kitchen. Instead, she turned to face the man whoâd fathered her baby and touched her heart.
Every part of her brain told her she was about to make a mistake. A big mistake. But it was a mistake she couldnât live without.
* * *
Brighton Valley Cowboys: This Texas family is looking for love in all the right places!
Chapter One
Carly Rayburn was back in town. Not that thereâd been any big announcements, but news traveled fast in Brighton Valley. And even if it didnât, not much got past Ian McAllister.
Sheâd had a singing gig in San Antonio, but apparently that hadnât panned out for her, which was too bad. She had a dream to make it big in country music someday, a dream Ian no longer had. But he couldnât fault her for that.
Jason, her oldest brother, said sheâd be staying on the Leaning R for a while, which wasnât a surprise. It seemed to Ian that she came home to the ranch whenever her life hit a snag. So thatâs what she would do, right after attending Jasonâs wedding in town.
As the foreman of the Leaning R, Ian had been invited to the ceremony and reception, but heâd graciously declined and sent a gift instead. The only people attending were family and a few close friends, so Ian would have felt out of placeâfor more reasons than one. So heâd remained on the ranch.
Now, as darkness settled over Brighton Valley, he did what he often did in the evenings after dinner. He sat on the front porch of his small cabin and enjoyed the peaceful evening sounds, the scent of night-blooming jasmine and the vast expanse of stars in the Texas sky.
The Leaning R had been in Carlyâs family for years. It was run-down now, but it had great potential. It was also the perfect place for Ian to hide out, where people only knew him as a quiet cowboy who felt more comfortable around livestock than the bright lights of the big cities. And thanks to his granddaddy, whoâd once owned a respectable spread near Dallas, that was true.
He glanced at the Australian shepherd puppy nestled in his lap. The sleepy pooch yawned, then stretched and squirmed.
âWhatâs the matter, Cheyenne?â He stroked her black-and-white furry head. âIs your snooze over?â
When the pup gave a little yip, Ian set her down and watched as she padded around the wooden flooring, taking time to sniff at the potted geranium on the porch, her stub of a tail wagging. Then she waddled down the steps.
âDonât wander off too far,â he told her. âItâs dark out there, and youâre still getting the lay of the land.â
The pup glanced at him, as if she understood what he was saying, then trotted off.
Ian loved dogs. Heâd grown up with several of them on his granddadâs ranch, but after heâd moved out on his own, he hadnât been able to have one until now. Fortunately, his life was finally lining up the way heâd always hoped it would. Once the Leaning R went on the market, as Carlyâs brother said it would, Ian was prepared to buy it. As the trustee and executor of the Rayburn family estate, Jason was in charge now. The only thing holding him back from listing the property was getting Carly and their brother Braden to agree to the sale.