The Widow's Little Secret
Mattie Ingram–the love of his life and the mother of his child–was the most stubborn, independent, contrary woman in Nevada. And in the lonely months since he'd seen her, he'd discovered he needed her more than breath itself. But Mattie was having nothing to do with him!A baby coming, her business failing… What else could possibly happen? Mattie wondered. Well, the father of her child could insist on becoming a permanent part of her life. But if Jared McQuaid thought that one night of passion gave him the right to a lifetime commitment, he had better think again!
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âI wonât marry you!â
Halfway across the churchyard, Mattie heard Jared calling her name. She didnât stop until she heard his footsteps behind her. She turned to find him towering over her.
âListen to me, Mattie. Weâre going back into that church and weâreââ
âNo!â
âYou canât raise this baby by yourself!â
âYes, I can!â She looked up into his face and saw that Jared was as angry as she.
âListen to meââ
âNo, you listen to me,â she told him. âI have a home and a business. I have friends to help me. Iâm perfectly capable of raising this baby myself. And thatâs exactly what Iâm going to do.â
âYou donât know what youâre saying. You donât know what youâre up against.â
Mattie reined in her temper. âThis doesnât concern you. Everyone thinks this baby is my husbandâs, and that suits me fine.â
âWell, it doesnât suit me at all!â
The Widowâs Little Secret
Harlequin Historical #571
Praise for Judith Stacyâs recent works
The Blushing Bride
ââ¦lovable characters that grab your heartstringsâ¦a fun read all the way.â
âRendezvous
The Dreammaker
ââ¦a delightful story of the triumph of love.â
âRendezvous
The Heart of a Hero
âJudith Stacy is a fine writer with both polished style and heartwarming sensitivity.â
âBestselling author Pamela Morsi
#572 CELTIC BRIDE
Margo Maguire
#573 THE LAWMAN TAKES A WIFE
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#574 LADY POLLY
Nicola Cornick
Available from Harlequin Historicals and
JUDITH STACY
Outlaw Love #360
The Marriage Mishap #382
The Heart of a Hero #444
The Dreammaker #486
Written in the Heart #500
The Blushing Bride #521
One Christmas Wish #531
âChristmas Wishesâ
The Last Bride in Texas #541
The Nanny #561
The Widowâs Little Secret #571
To David, Judy and Stacyâthe greatest family
Contents
Chapter One
Nevada, 1887
It just wasnât right, being envious of a dead man. Still, thatâs how Jared McQuaid felt sitting on the hotel porch, watching the funeral procession roll by.
He glanced down at the Stanford Gazette on his lap. The headline announced the untimely death of Del Ingram, and the front page article extolled the manâs many virtues.
A knot formed in Jaredâs stomach. What were the chances? Heâd showed up in this town just today and read the obituary of a man heâd grown up with miles and miles from here. A man he hadnât thought of in years.
According to the newspaper, Ingram had died from a fall. Jared had figured olâ Del was more likely to have been killed by a jealous husband, an irate wife or a poker player with an eye for cheaters.
Not so, according to the newspaper. Del had made something of himself here in Stanford. Owner of a restaurant, a solid citizen with a sterling reputation, heâd had a life any man would envy.
Jared touched his hand to the U.S. Marshalâs badge pinned to his vest beneath his coat. Seemed he and his boyhood friend had taken very different roads when theyâd parted company some fifteen years ago. This wasnât the man Jared remembered. But maybe Del had changed.
Jared sure as hell had.
The rocker creaked as Jared leaned back and watched from beneath the brim of his black Stetson as the funeral procession passed by. Matched sorrels pulled the wagon bearing the coffin, their hoofs stirring up little swirls of dust. Two dozen mourners followed, all dressed in black, their somber faces flushed red from the raw March wind.
Jared glanced west. Charcoal clouds hung over the Sierra Nevadas, blocking out what was left of the dayâs sunlight. He had nothing to do, no place to go, no one to talk to until morning when he would relieve Stanfordâs sheriff of his two prisoners and head to Carson City. Jared may as well pay his respects to Del Ingram, even though heâd never especially liked him.
A few people glanced at Jared as he fell into step behind the mourners. One woman eyed the Colt .45 strapped to his hip and the badge on his chest when the wind whipped open his coat. She chanced a look at his face, then turned away, wondering, he was sure, who he was and why he was here.
Jared found himself on the receiving end of a hundred such looks nearly every time he came to a town like this. Not that he blamed anyone, of course. Heâd arrive one day, eat supper alone in some restaurant, sleep in a nameless hotel, then take custody of his prisoners the following morning and disappear.
And those were his good days. Most of the time he was on the trail, sleeping in the saddle, eating jerky and cold beans, hunting down some rabble-rouser whoâd broken the law.
He was used to bothâthe life and the looks he got. Jared had been a marshal for nearly ten years now.
