Suddenly a Father

Before she could reply, Brooke held up the stuffed animal. “Give Bunny a kiss goodbye, Daddy.”

Jake’s mouth dropped open an inch. “How about a high five?”

Her mouth set in a stubborn way that made Millie think of Jake. Already like father, like daughter. “A kiss.”

He bent forward and touched his lips to the animal’s grungy fur.

“Me, too,” Brooke said, angling her cheek toward him.

He glanced up at Millie, emotion clouding his eyes. She nodded, the tingling in her body rapidly progressing to a full-on tremble.

Jake kissed his daughter’s cheek then the top of her head. Millie wasn’t sure if the sigh she heard came from her or the therapist waiting for him. Jake straightened and she noticed a faint color across his cheeks. The doctor was actually blushing. Why was vulnerability so darned appealing when it came wrapped up in an alpha male package?

* * *

Crimson, Colorado: Finding home—and forever—in the West

Suddenly a Father

Michelle Major

MICHELLE MAJOR grew up in Ohio but dreamed of living in the mountains. Soon after graduating with a degree in journalism, she pointed her car west and settled in Colorado. Her life and house are filled with one great husband, two beautiful kids, a few furry pets and several well-behaved reptiles. She’s grateful to have found her passion writing stories with happy endings. Michelle loves to hear from her readers at michellemajor.com.

For Lauren. You are amazing in so many ways—mother, teacher and friend.

I’m lucky and grateful to have you as my sister.

Contents

Cover

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Millie Spencer took a deep breath, wiped a few stray potato chip crumbs from her sundress and knocked on the door a second time.

As she waited, her eyes scanned the front porch of the large shake-shingle house, empty save for an intricate spiderweb inhabiting one corner. The wraparound porch practically begged for a wooden swing, where a person could sit on a late-summer afternoon sipping a glass of lemonade and watching the world go by. As a girl, Millie had longed for a place like that, but in the tiny condo she’d shared with her mother there’d been no room for any space of her own.

Still no one answered, so she rapped her knuckles against the door once more. This house sat at the edge of town in Crimson, Colorado, but only a few minutes from her sister’s renovated Victorian near Crimson’s center.

She was here as a favor to her sister—half sister—Olivia. Or was Olivia doing the favor for Millie? Millie’d shown up on Olivia’s doorstop a few days ago, beaten down both emotionally and financially. To her relief, Olivia and her husband, Logan Travers, hadn’t asked many questions, just welcomed Millie into their home. Up until today, Millie had spent most of her time curled on the couch watching bad reality TV and overdosing on junk food.

Now she was here, sent to help Logan’s recently injured brother and his daughter. Except it appeared they weren’t home. Which was weird, since Logan had said his brother, Jake, couldn’t drive yet. It was a beautiful late-August day, so maybe the two had walked to the park Millie’d seen a few blocks over.

She was ready to leave when the door opened a crack. She could see a sliver of a man’s face through the opening. “We don’t want any,” he said, peering down at her.

“Any what?” She leaned forward, trying to get a glimpse beyond him into the house. Curiosity almost always got the best of her.

“Cookies or popcorn or whatever you’re selling,” he answered quickly, glancing behind him before the eye she could see, a startlingly blue eye, tracked back to her again. It was the same blue as Logan’s, so this must be the brother. “Do you have a parent with you?”

Her mouth dropped open and she pulled herself up to her full height, all five foot two. And a half. When she wore heels. “I’m not...” she began, but the man muttered a curse and disappeared into the house.

He hadn’t shut the door when he’d turned away. She could still only see through the couple-inch slat, and without a second thought, she extended her foot and nudged the door open wider. She stretched forward but didn’t step into the house. “Hello?” she called and her voice echoed.

The entry was devoid of furniture. Olivia had told her Logan’s brother had recently returned to Crimson, so maybe he had furnishings for his home on order. She hoped his purchases included a porch swing.

A sound reached her from the back of the house. Another curse and a child crying. She bit down on her lip and grabbed her cell phone from her purse, intending to call Olivia and Logan for backup. But the crying got louder, followed by a strangled shout of “no,” and Millie charged forward, unable to stop herself.