Colorado Cowboy. C.C. Coburn

to marry you. He should’ve done it fifteen years ago.”

      Luke winced at that. If he’d known about Cody, he would’ve married Megan. But she hadn’t given him that chance and he’d been robbed of knowing his son, of guiding him toward becoming a man. He looked at Cody. The kid was truly hurting. Hurting inside and hurting his mom in the process.

      Megan’s eyes held terror as she appealed to him. “Please…do something,” she begged. “He means what he says. He’ll go to juvenile detention and I’ll lose him forever!” Megan covered her face and turned away.

      Luke watched Cody’s reaction to his mom. Initially, the kid seemed upset that his mother was in so much pain, and then he got a grip on himself and set his mouth in a firm line—a look Luke associated with his younger brothers at a similar age, when they’d decided they were going to do something and nothing and no one was going to stop them. Cody glared back at Luke as though it was all his fault Megan was crying. All Luke’s fault that he hadn’t given him his name and his birthright. The love of a father and a family.

      Cody was fourteen now, far from being a man. Luke determined there and then that by the time Cody was eighteen, he’d have turned the boy’s life turned around, instilled in him what it was to be a responsible member of the community. A man. By then Cody would be graduating from high school and heading off to college. So what was sacrificing four years of his life for the betterment of his son’s? If he married Megan now, in four years, they could divorce, move on, find other partners. But in the meantime, Cody would have time and space to grow up and become a contributing member of society. If he went to juvenile detention, his son’s life could be in more danger than Luke would allow himself to imagine.

      Megan sat with her head down. She looked so vulnerable, so desperate to do the best for their son, but would she agree to such an outrageous proposal? Luke knew he was probably going to make the second biggest mistake of his life—but it might be the only decision that would save Cody.

      Sick with fear for his son, Luke got up and went to stand in front of Megan. She refused to lift her gaze to his, so he crouched down.

      “Megan,” he murmured, waiting until her head came up and she’d focused her sad, defeated eyes on him. Then he asked, “Will you marry me?”

      Chapter Two

      Luke stared out the window of the airplane as it flew west, home to Colorado. He couldn’t believe what he’d done. Within minutes of proposing to Megan, the judge had them standing before her, reciting their vows.

      He’d taken along his birth certificate and ID to the meeting as requested. Apparently the judge had asked the same of Megan. Gloria Benson had issued a marriage license and then, using her judicial powers, had waived the normal thirty-day waiting period required in New York State.

      Matt wore a grin from ear to ear throughout the short ceremony. Megan frowned at Luke and chewed her lip while Cody had looked totally bewildered that they’d gone along with his ultimatum. The fact that they’d managed to completely catch him off guard was the only high point of the ceremony. Megan had turned her cheek aside when the judge had pronounced them husband and wife and invited Luke to kiss his bride.

      If Luke had thought his marriage to Tory was a living hell, he was having genuine misgivings about marrying a woman who loathed him so much. At least Tory had pretended to like him—for a while.

      Four hours later, after arranging to have Megan’s and Cody’s possessions packed by a moving company and sent to the ranch, they were on the flight to Denver. Cody had protested that he wanted to go home and get some things, but Luke had refused to let him anywhere near their old neighborhood and instead had taken him shopping for new clothes. That, if nothing else, had earned Cody’s grudging agreement. Megan had purchased a few items to tide her over, too.

      “Thank you,” she’d said quietly as they waited at the curb outside the department store for the cab to take them to the airport. It was the first time she’d spoken to him since the ceremony.

      Luke looked at her, puzzled.

      “Thank you for giving my son a chance.” For once she wasn’t looking at him with barely disguised hatred in her eyes. “He’s our son,” he’d said. “We will make this work—together.” And then he’d spotted the jeweler’s window, turned to Matt and said, “Can we meet you back here in fifteen minutes?” He took Megan’s elbow and led her to the window. This might be a marriage of convenience and Megan might hate his guts—although Luke was at a loss to understand why—but a ring was symbolic and, right now, that was all this marriage had going for it.

      “Choose a ring,” he’d said.

      “Luke, this isn’t necessary. We’ve been through the motions. I think that’s all Cody really wanted.” She smiled tightly. “In fact, I think he’s as shocked as we are.”

      Luke couldn’t help grinning. “He is, isn’t he? Maybe we should surprise him every so often by agreeing to some outrageous idea.”

      “Careful,” she warned. “He’s got an active imagination.”

      Luke hadn’t let go of her elbow and he gave it a little squeeze, needing to impart a sense of mutual purpose. “I’m sure at heart he’s a good kid, Megan. We can do this.”

      She nodded as though resigned to their situation. “I’m determined to.”

      Luke had followed her into the jewelry store. An assistant showed them the wedding rings, and Megan selected a plain gold band for Luke. “The girls will like this,” he said. “Okay, let’s get something special for you.”

      “I’d completely forgotten about your little girls. How are they going to feel about this? You coming home with a wife and a son. It’s going to be an awful shock for them.”

      “They’ll probably insist we get married all over again for their benefit.”

      Megan bit her lip. Luke didn’t want to find it endearing, but it reminded him of her so long ago….

      “Never fear, we have our very own judge in the family. Becky will rise to the occasion with a far more romantic event than our first wedding. If that’s what you’d like.”

      Megan blushed and looked back at the rings, and Luke drew his cell phone out of his pocket. “You keep doing that. I’m just going to call my girls and let them know what’s going on.”

      Luke had turned away from Megan to make his call in private. Fortunately, he got hold of Matt’s wife, Beth, rather than one of his daughters. Matt had apparently called Beth already and explained the situation. “Congratulations, Luke! I don’t know anyone who’s gained both a son and a wife in one day before.”

      “Very funny,” he said. “Can you put one of the girls on, please? I feel I need to warn them.”

      “Lucky for you, Sash isn’t home at the moment. But Daisy’s here. I’ll put her on.”

      Luke grimaced as he waited for Daisy. Beth was right, Sash probably wasn’t going to be happy at the news of his marriage. She was full of teenage angst and hormones, and these days it was more likely she’d be in a bad mood than a good one.

      “Hi, Daddy!”

      “Hey, squirt,” he greeted his middle daughter, Daisy.

      “When are you comin’ home?”

      “Tonight, honey, but first I need to tell you something.”

      THE CALL COMPLETED, Luke had closed his phone and turned to Megan. He hoped he hadn’t said anything on his end to give any indication that things mightn’t be rosy back at the ranch at the news of their marriage.

      “How about that one?” she asked.

      He shook his head. “Too plain. Hey, that’s nice.” He pointed to a diamond-encrusted gold band.

      “It looks like an engagement ring,” Megan