His Wyoming Baby Blessing. Jill Kemerer

      “Okay, we’ll deal with it.” The earlier image of a little boy morphed from one who looked like Kit to one with Down syndrome. The image appealed to him as much as the first one had.

      “The hole could heal on its own.” A tear dropped onto her cheek, and she swiped it away. “But if not, the baby will require heart surgery. And if he has DiGeorge syndrome, there’s a strong chance he won’t make it to his first birthday. The doctor told me not to worry about DiGeorge too much and that heart defects are common, but I don’t know what to think at this point. I’ll know more after the test results come back. In the meantime, I’m praying he doesn’t die in the womb.”

      Die? He tried to process it. No wonder she’d become a shadow of her former self. She’d lost her husband, and now she might lose her baby, too.

      “I’m scared, Wade.” The faint words spun him out of his thoughts.

      He understood scared. Too many sleepless nights trying to come up with a solution to his lack of cash flow had taken their toll.

      “You’re staying here until the baby is born. Not in a hotel.” He straightened, widening his stance. “I want you to rest. You won’t move a muscle. I’ll take care of you.”

      Why had he promised the last part? Him? Taking care of her? He could barely keep up with the mortgage on his land. He didn’t trust himself to take care of a stray dog at this point.

      “No.” She clutched her hands, wringing them together.

      “If he does have special needs, would you still want him?” he asked.

      “Of course! I just want him to live. I don’t care what problems he might have. I love this baby so much. I can’t bear to think of him dying.”

      He wasn’t surprised. She’d love any child fiercely, but her declaration reminded him of those complications from earlier.

      Kit wasn’t his. Never had been, never would be.

      And that’s the way it would stay. She deserved someone who would treat her right and take care of her financially and emotionally. He’d never been good at the emotional stuff, and, frankly, he had little to give in the finance department, either.

      He’d just have to do his best to support her, regardless.

      “Stay here in the main house. I have three guest rooms. That way if you need me—”

      “No. I need space.” She shook her head rapidly, her long brown hair swishing behind her. “I appreciate the offer, but I can’t. One of your cabins will be fine.”

      “You can take your pick. Stay in one of them until the baby is born.”

      “That’s kind of you, but I’ll just stay the week.” She ducked her chin. “I’m only crashing here until the hotel has a vacancy.”

      He should be relieved. It wasn’t as if he could offer her anything more than a temporary place to stay. As much as he’d like to see her taken care of long-term, it wasn’t his place.

      “If you’ll point me in the right direction...”

      He gave her a curt nod. “I’ll take you over there right now.”

      * * *

      JPX Ranch truly was her last resort. On the long drive here, Kit had dreaded having to rely on Wade. She’d messed up her life, and he’d always been able to see right through her. But as she followed his truck down a dirt driveway behind his house, relief replaced the dread. He was the one person—the only one—she’d ever been able to count on for anything.

      And here he was, coming through for her again.

      If he had any idea what a disaster her life had been for the past three years, would he view her the same?

      She had no intention of finding out.

      Wade stopped in front of a large log cabin. She could see four other smaller structures spaced out farther down the lane. As she got out of her car, she was glad the blooming wildflowers had spread to surround the guest homes. Silver lupine and little yellow castles waved in the breeze, and she couldn’t help but enjoy their beauty. For a moment, anyway. Nothing good in her life ever stuck around for long.

      “I think you’ll like this one the best.” Strength oozed from him as he strode up the covered porch, then swung open the door and waited for her to join him.

      She tried not to stare. In form-fitting jeans, cowboy boots and a short-sleeved Western shirt, he looked every bit the cowboy most women only dreamed about. His blue eyes crinkled at the corners—a side effect of his sense of humor. He kept his dark blond hair short. The bone structure of his face was perfectly symmetrical, and she’d often thought he could model for one of those rodeo calendars she’d hung on her wall as a teen. Not that she’d ever tell him that. Most days his head was too big for his cowboy hat without her swelling it even more.

      What woman wasn’t attracted to Wade Croft? Even one on her deathbed would likely revive if it meant catching a glimpse of the prime Wyoming cowboy.

      The cabin was anything but the dusty old hunting lodge she’d expected. Freshly renovated with big windows, gleaming wood floors and comfortable furniture, it was nicer than any place she’d lived. And, better yet, it held none of the bad memories or mistakes she’d made in her other homes.

      “It’s so light and open.” The high wooden ceilings cast a pretty glow on the room.

      “The kitchen’s back here. Should meet your needs.”

      She followed him and stopped, her mouth dropping open.

      “You’re kidding, right?” She trailed her fingertips along the marble—or was it quartz? It certainly wasn’t the chipped counters she was used to. This was hands down the best kitchen she’d ever seen. With stainless steel appliances, tall cabinets and a pretty backsplash, it was her ideal kitchen.

      From the window above the sink, a carpet of wildflowers came into view. A reprieve for her weary soul.

      “Kidding? What do you mean?” His defensive tone would have made her laugh if she still had a shred of joy left, which she didn’t. Not by a long shot. “What’s wrong with the cabin?”

      “Not a single thing.” She could at least attempt to set him at ease. He’d been kind today. But then, he’d always been kind to her. “Except your boots are leaving dirt all over the floor.”

      He kicked up the bottom of his boot, then shot her a teasing glare. “My boots are as clean as the day I took them out of the box.”

      “You sure about that?”

      “As sure as I am a hotel won’t do you a lick of good.”

       The hotel. Right.

      She massaged her belly. Until recently, she’d been dealing with Cam’s death as best as she could, but finding out about the hole in the baby’s heart and learning it might be caused by special needs... As much as she hoped the hole would heal on its own, the fact the doctor was running all those tests didn’t reassure her. Nor did the online research she’d done on her own.

      “Does this place have a bedroom?” She forced a tight smile. The sooner Wade concluded the tour, the sooner she could sit and think. Well, worry and fret about the baby was more like it.

      His forehead furrowed as if he wanted to press the issue. “Down the hall. I’ll show you.”

      The bedroom had log walls, traditional furniture, a neutral area rug and a puffy white comforter on top of a king-size bed.

      “The television works. Bathroom is attached.” He paused in the doorway with one hand planted on the frame. His long body filled the space. “Tell me what you need.”

      What did she need?

      A healthy baby. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Even if the child