A Baby on the Ranch. Stella Bagwell

      “A woman should have a proper kiss after she gives birth to a son, don’t you think?”

      Katherine studied Lonnie’s rugged features as if she wanted to remember them always.

      “I think you’re right,” he whispered.

      She smiled as he touched his lips to hers. The taste of him was rich, tempting and oh, so delicious. She wanted to feel his closeness, his strength, breathe in the unique scent of his hair and skin.

      “I think it’s time I should be thanking you,” she said.

      His brows lifted and the corners of his lips turned up with amusement. “I’ve never been thanked for a kiss before.”

      Her expression was suddenly serious. “I’m not talking about the kiss. I want to thank you for delivering my baby. I believe you saved both our lives.” There was a soft glow in her eyes. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

      Dear Reader,

      Well, the wait is over—New York Times bestselling author Diana Palmer is back, and Special Edition has got her! In Carrera’s Bride, another in Ms. Palmer’s enormously popular LONG, TALL TEXANS miniseries, an innocent Jacobsville girl on a tropical getaway finds herself in need of protection—and gets it from an infamous casino owner who is not all that he appears! I think you’ll find this one was well worth the wait….

      We’re drawing near the end of our in-series continuity THE PARKS EMPIRE. This month’s entry is The Marriage Act by Elissa Ambrose, in which a shy secretary learns that her one night of sleeping with the enemy has led to unexpected consequences. Next up is The Sheik & the Princess Bride by Susan Mallery, in which a woman hired to teach a prince how to fly finds herself his student, as well, as he gives her lessons…in love! In A Baby on the Ranch, part of Stella Bagwell’s popular MEN OF THE WEST miniseries, a single mother-to-be finds her long-lost family—and, just possibly, the love of her life. And a single man in the market for household help finds himself about to take on the role of husband—and father of four—in Penny Richards’s Wanted: One Father. Oh, and speaking of single parents—a lonely widow with a troubled adolescent son finds the solution to both her problems in her late husband’s law-enforcement partner, in The Way to a Woman’s Heart by Carol Voss.

      So enjoy, and come back next month for six wonderful selections from Silhouette Special Edition.

      Happy Thanksgiving!

      Gail Chasan

      Senior Editor

      A Baby on the Ranch

      Stella Bagwell

      

www.millsandboon.co.uk

      To Marie Ferrarella and Crystal Green,

       the two best buddies a writer could have. Love ya!

      STELLA BAGWELL

      sold her first book to Silhouette in November 1985. More than fifty novels later, she still loves her job and says she isn’t completely content unless she’s writing. Recently, she and her husband of thirty years moved from the hills of Oklahoma to Seadrift, Texas, a sleepy little fishing town located on the coastal bend. Stella says the water, the tropical climate and the seabirds make it a lovely place to let her imagination soar and to put the stories in her head down on paper.

      She and her husband have one son, Jason, who lives and teaches high school math in nearby Port Lavaca.

      My dearest Mary Katherine,

      I’m not sure if you will ever see this letter or if I’ll even be around to give it to you once you’re old enough to read my words and understand what I’m trying to tell you. Although you aren’t here with me on the T Bar K, I want you to know that you are my daughter. Your father was a man I loved very much and who loved me in return. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant for us to be together as a man and wife.

      To keep our relationship a secret, my generous sister, Celia, has taken you in as her own daughter. But someday I want you to know the truth of your birth and to know your brothers and sister. Leaving you with Celia has left a hole in my soul, and until we can be together, my heart aches to hold you in my arms and kiss your sweet cheek.

      Your mother,

      Amelia Ketchum

      Contents

      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

      Epilogue

      Chapter One

      He’d been searching for the woman for three months. To a dedicated lawman like Lonnie Corteen, that wasn’t a long time, but in this case, he wasn’t working in the capacity of sheriff of Deaf Smith County, Texas. He was working for a friend. And that fact had made it impossible to turn back from this trail he’d been following.

      Drawing in a deep, bracing breath, he lifted a black cowboy hat from his head and ran a big hand through dark-auburn hair. There wasn’t any use in putting it off any longer, he argued with himself. He needed to get this job done and over with. It had interrupted his life, and his work, for too long. Not to mention his peace of mind.

      Climbing the steps to the modest, second-floor apartment, he walked down the covered landing until he found a door with the number 36. There was no door-bell to push, so he gave the door a quick rap with his knuckles. As he waited for a response, he glanced over his left shoulder to the stark parking lot below.

      Fort Worth was cold. A strong wind from the north was picking up, making him and the few pedestrians on the streets hunch down in their coats. He’d be glad to get this all over with and get back to Hereford, he thought. Not that it was any warmer there. But West Texas weather in late fall could be extreme. He didn’t want to get stranded in this city while a blue norther iced it over. But the uncomfortable weather was only part of the reason why he was eager to get back home. His chief deputy was taking care of things there, but Lonnie wasn’t one to leave the security of his county in someone else’s hands for any longer than necessary. And this mission he was on here in Fort Worth didn’t sit well in his craw. Not at all.

      The sound of the rattling doorknob caused him to pull his head back around. He watched as the door opened as far as the security chain would allow and a feminine eye peeped out at him.

      “Yes?”

      There was a wary note in her one-word question, and since Lonnie wasn’t dressed in a uniform or wearing a badge, he pulled out his identification and held it close enough to the opening for her to examine.

      “I’m Lonnie Corteen, ma’am. I’m the sheriff of Deaf Smith County, Texas.”

      Several long moments passed before she finally reached up and pulled back the security chain. When she did, Lonnie found himself looking at a woman in her midtwenties, dressed in a red sweater and a pair of black jeans. Her feet were bare, and her toenails were painted the same bright red as her sweater. But none of those things really caught his complete attention. It was the rounded mound of her midsection that whammed him with surprise.

      The woman was pregnant! He’d not counted on this development. Not by a long shot. From all the information he’d gathered,