âSo I was thinking, how about I bring over dinner later tonight?â
âClay, itâs not a good idea.â
âI thought I had good ideas. You said so yourself about a dozen times last night.â
His ideas had given her a night sheâd never forget, but morning brought her sanity back. âLast night was incredible,â she said honestly. âIâm not sorry, itâs something we both wanted and needed, but we canâtââ
âWhy not? Why canât we?â
âBecause itâs pointless.â
He hesitated for a moment. âDonât analyze it, Trish. Weâre still married.â
For the next few weeks. âWell, I canât separate the two in my head. I canât make love with you and pretend weâre not split up. I canât do that to myself or to Meggie. Sheâs already lost so much.â
âWhat is she going to lose if I come over for dinner?â
âIt wonât end there and you know it. While Iâm here, Iâm going to focus on the fundraiser. I wonât have a lot of time for anything else.â
Dubious, his eyes lit like sparks on the Fourth of July. âCount on me to change your mind.â
Dear Reader,
Welcome back to glorious Red Ridge, Arizona, for Clayton Worth and Trisha Fontaineâs story!
Iâm thrilled to have The Cowboyâs Pride be a part of Desire this month. I promise you, not only will you fall in love with Clay, the sexy, one-time country music superstar now running Worth Ranch, but Iâm pretty sure adorable, blond-haired, blue-eyed baby Meggie will steal your heart as well. Sheâs a cutie!
I guess you could say, babies are my business, my other business. For the past twenty-five years, Iâve taught childbirth and baby-care classes to expectant parents. Itâs been a great honor and joy in my life. Creating Trish Fontaineâs character, a new mommy who is learning parenting skills by the seat of her pants, has been truly fun.
Donât worry, I havenât forgotten about the third Worth brother. Jacksonâs story is coming soon, too!
Happy reading!
Charlene Sands
Award-winning author CHARLENE SANDS writes bold, passionate, heart-stopping heroes and always ⦠really good men! Sheâs a lover of all things romantic, having married her high-school sweetheart, Don. A member of the Romance Writers of America, she is the proud recipient of a Readersâ Choice Award and double recipient of a Booksellersâ Best Award, having written more than thirty romances to date.
When not writing, she loves movie dates with her hubby, playing cards with her children, reading romance, great coffee, Pacific beaches, country music and anything chocolate. She also loves to hear from her readers. You can reach Charlene at www.charlenesands.com or PO Box 4883, West Hills, CA 91308, USA. You can find her on the Harlequin Desire Authors Blog, and on Facebook, too!
This story is dedicated to
all the sweet little babies in the world! And to one very special baby girl, our first grandchild: At the time of writing this dedication, you havenât come out to greet us yet, but you are precious and loved already!
The Arizona sky over Worth Ranch was cloudless blue, the air clear enough to view a distant yellow cab ambling up the road that led to the main house. A small cloud of crimson dust billowed up in the taxiâs wake, before scattering to earth again.
âLooks like your wifeâs finally here,â Wes said.
Clayton Worth followed the direction of his ranch foremanâs gaze and gave a curt nod. He didnât have to tell him that Trisha Fontaine wasnât going to be his wife much longer. Everyone in Red Ridge knew their marriage was over.
âCover your ears, Wes.â Clay pulled off his leather work gloves and drew oxygen into his lungs. He shouldnât care so damn much that Trish was late getting hereâby three daysâhe hadnât seen her for almost a year. âThe fireworks are about to begin.â
Wes Malloy sent him a halfhearted smile. âBreaking things off ainât ever easy, Clay.â
His foreman had worked the ranch with Clayâs father way back when, helping Rory Worth build his massive cattle empire. Nothing had mattered more to Rory than the family and the ranch. The two went hand in hand. Roryâs dying plea had been for Clay to take over the reins at Worth Ranch and provide heirs to keep the family legacy strong.
But Clay hadnât been able to keep that vow to his father.
Not only had Trish refused him children, but sheâd suspected him of betraying his marriage vows. Her accusation cut deep and when sheâd walked out on him, it had been the last straw. If heâd had any doubts about the divorce, it vanished when heâd gotten Trishâs voice mail message three days ago that something important had come up and she couldnât make the Pennyâs Song opening.
Something important was always coming up.
She should have been here. Despite their yearlong separation, the charity she helped him develop on Worth land for children recovering from illness should have meant more to her than that. He never thought sheâd blow it off.