âAnd you find yourself helplessly attracted to me?â
Baylor took another step toward her.
âIf you come any closer, I might have to defend all of us from me. I might seem a helpless, pregnant thing, but I have to tell you, Iâm not.â KayLee drew herself up tall and put fists to her hips to take up as much space as possible.
âNever entered my mind that you were.â He stopped and leaned against a convenient pine tree, letting her put some distance between them. âHelpless in any way.â
âOh, I shouldnât have opened my mouth. I am so much less censored these days, but I thought if I got it out in the open I could enlist your help in keeping me from doing something weâd regret.â
He moved again, stalking unhurriedly toward her like a big cat after prey.
âDarlinâ,â Baylor said with an exaggerated drawl, âspeak for yourself.â
Dear Reader,
I hope you like reading about the people of St. Adelbert as much as I love writing about them. Thanks to each of you who reads this book. KayLee Morgan has eight weeks to rebuild her life from the rubble of her past before her child is born. In that short time, she needs to find a place to live and a way to support the two of them. A design project on a ranch outside a small town in Montana offers hope, but winning over Baylor Doyle, the reluctant rancher in charge, is the only way for her to get the job. KayLee soon realizes if she stays close enough to snag the project, she may loose her heart in the process to a man who will be gone before her child is born. It canât be helped. KayLee will risk anything, even her heart, for a chance at a secure future for her child.
I hope you enjoy KayLee and Baylorâs story as they each face their own shortcomings and search for a way to say the impossible yes to love everlasting. Bonus: See how the other people of St. Adelbert are faring, growing, loving, propagating, etc. Iâd love to hear from you. Visit my website at www.marybrady.net or write to me [email protected]. Go have a romp with the Harlequin Superromance authors at www.superauthors.com. Enjoy their blog. Comment and you could win great prizes.
Regards,
Mary Brady
THIS WAS EITHER the most brilliant move KayLee Morgan had ever made in her life or it was the biggest blunder. One thing was absolutely certain, they werenât in Southern California anymore. No, two things were certain. She didnât have a warm enough coat for April in Montana. And, for crying out loud, she shouldnât have worn her favorite blue wrap dress in this wind, either.
The early afternoon sun shone brightly, but a chill swept across the expansive porch of the rambling house at the Shadow Range Ranch and had her holding the folds of her coat tightly together for protection. To get herself pumped, she rose up onto her toes and lowered and did it again. Time to be brave.
Do-or-die time.
Do something. Donât just stand there time.
Securing the strap of her shoulder bag in place with one hand, she put her other palm on her belly. âHere we go, kiddo.â
âTalkinâ to yourself?â
KayLee spun to see a man standing several feet away from the base of the stepsânot just a man, a rancher, a real live Montana rancher. He had his cowboy hat pushed back on his forehead and gloriously blond curls spilled from under the brim. His well-worn leather jacket gaped openâdidnât he know it was cold in Montana?âand showed off a cream-colored shirt, open at the neck. His jeans clung to his muscular thighs, cowboy boots gave him an inch he didnât need and on his face he wore an expression that could only be described as neutral, though he was only a millimeter away from a frown.
But man, he wasâwell, by the standards she had left two days agoâbeautiful.
âI guess I was talkinâ to myself.â She used his own vernacular and then spread a quick so-pleased-to-meet-you smile across her face. She knew how to look confident. She had, after all, recently come from the land of people versed in becoming the part, any part. âWould you be one of the Doyle family?â
âBaylor Doyle, maâam.â He doffed his hat and the curls jumped loose. And then, oh, my God, he actually ran his hand through his hair.
A new kind of shiver passed through her. Yeah, yeah, she said to her pregnancy-crazy libido. All she wanted from this guy was for his family to hire her for the job. She did not need another pretty face in her life, but sheâd deal.