The Rancher's Surprise Baby
NOT A FAMILY MAN…Mandy Richardson has always wanted a husband and lots of kids. She knows Ben Hartley isn’t a forever kind of guy, so she struggles to keep her feelings for him friends-only. But she can’t help her growing attraction. Then one night their relationship blossoms into more, and soon Mandy discovers she’s pregnant.Ben still bears the scars of a painful past—a past that has him avoiding love and commitment. When Mandy tells him he’s going to be a dad, he worries he won’t measure up. After all his own father was far from a role model. But he’s fallen hard for Mandy and now it’s up to him to prove he’s a better man—a stronger man—than he thought.
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NOT A FAMILY MAN...
Mandy Richardson has always wanted a husband and lots of kids. She knows Ben Hartley isnât a forever kind of guy, so she struggles to keep her feelings for him friends only. But she canât help her growing attraction. Then one night their relationship blossoms into more, and soon Mandy discovers sheâs pregnant.
Ben still bears the scars of a painful pastâa past that has him avoiding love and commitment. When Mandy tells him heâs going to be a dad, he worries he wonât measure up. After all, his own father was far from a role model. But heâs fallen hard for Mandy, and now itâs up to him to prove heâs a better manâa stronger manâthan he thought.
âCut it out...â
Ben whispered close to Mandyâs ear, âYouâre going to make me start laughing, too.â
âSorry,â she whispered as she looked up.
Her laughter froze when their eyes met. The brightness staring back at him stole what was left of his breath. And from the way she was gazing up at him, he knew he wasnât alone.
Come on, lungs, breathe!
Honestly, how could someone forget how to breathe? But as Mandy looked up at Benâs face, it was as if someone had flipped the switch on her respiratory system to Off.
Damn, he was even more handsome up close. Thank goodness they were in near darkness. If he looked this good hiding in the shadows, this type of proximity in full light might just be her end.
His mouth parted, and she felt her traitorous body start to move toward him...
One of the hallmarks of a good romance story is that the hero and heroine have to overcome some significant obstacle to achieve their happily-ever-after. Sometimes that obstacle is so big that it doesnât seem possible for them to get past it.
Such is the case for Mandy and Ben in The Rancherâs Surprise Baby. And yet true love always finds a way to change the hearts and minds that need to be changed.
I hope you enjoy Mandy and Benâs journey to their happily-ever-after.
All the best,
Trish
TRISH MILBURN writes contemporary romance for the Harlequin Western Romance line. Sheâs a two-time Golden Heart® Award winner, a fan of walks in the woods and road trips, and a big geek girl, including being a dedicated Whovian and Browncoat. And from her earliest memories, sheâs been a fan of Westerns, be they historical or contemporary. Thereâs nothing quite like a cowboy hero.
Contents
Forget out of the frying pan and into the fire. Stepping out of the arctic air-conditioning of the Primrose Café into the suffocating heat of a Texas afternoon in August was like drilling a hole in the North Pole deep enough to fall straight into hell.
Mandy Richardson hurried toward the edge of the parking lot, where sheâd nabbed the last spot in front of Blue Fallsâ oldest eating establishment and the hub of town gossip. In the time it took for her to pick up dinner for her mom and herself, sheâd heard that Franny Stokes had gone on a blind date with a guy she met online through some dating site for senior citizens, Bernie Shumaker had launched his newest in a string of business attemptsâwind chimes made from everything from silverware to driftwood this timeâand Loren Whitmanâs grandson had caught a fish so big that he fell out of their boat into the middle of the lake. To add insult to embarrassment, the fish got away.
Honestly, a dunk in the middle of Blue Falls Lake would feel really good right about now. In addition to it being hot as blazes outside, her feet ached from being on them since early that morning. Itâd been another busy day at A Good Yarn, the yarn and sewing shop her best friend, Devon, owned and where Mandy worked. The combination of the tail end of summer vacationing combined with it being the weekend of the local monthly rodeo had filled the downtown shops from the time theyâd opened their doors at 8:00 a.m. Good for business but tiring. All she wanted was to eat her fried chicken, drink about a gallon of her momâs homemade lemonade and prop up her poor feet. A foot massage would be fantastic, preferably one given by an incredibly hunky guy, but she figured that, sadly, wasnât in her immediate future.
The sound of squealing tires, followed immediately by a bang and the screeching sound of metal on metal, caused her to startle so much she fumbled the food containers she held.
âNo, no, no,â she said as she tried to maintain her hold, but all she managed to do was flick the bottom container open as it fell. The top one followed its twin to the newly paved parking lot. Sheâd swear she heard the chicken sizzle as it sat there amid a sea of splattered mashed potatoes and green beans.
