Cowboy in the Extreme. Rita Herron

“You’re not staying here,” Brandon said, his jaw clenched. “Pack a bag for you and Lucy. You’re both coming to my ranch.”

       Kim’s lungs begged for a breath. The last place she wanted to be was at his house.

       “We’ll be fine here,” Kim said. “Please, Brandon—”

       Brandon strode past her into her bedroom and Kim followed. When he opened her closet door, she stepped in front of him. “Brandon—”

       Lucy made a whimpering sound, and Brandon looked tormented as he lifted a hand and gently patted her back.

       “It’s okay, Lucy,” Brandon said in a low, soothing tone. “I just want to keep you and your mother safe.”

       “But you’re mad at Mommy,” Lucy said, her lower lip trembling. “I don’t wants to go if you’re mad and gonna yell.”

       Brandon sucked air through his teeth, and Kim knew she had to do something to diffuse the situation. Brandon was stubborn, but he’d bent over backward to take care of his younger sister. He’d fended off bullies, taken beatings from their father to protect her, even fed her when she was sick.

       He would want to get to know Lucy now.

       How could she deny him his own little girl? Even though he’d broken her heart, he was a good, honorable, hardworking man. Now he’d made his wealth, he’d joined Johnny and Brody Bloodworth and several other wealthy ranchers to create the Bucking Bronc Lodge and help troubled kids.

       And he was Lucy’s father.

       She didn’t want her daughter to be frightened of him.

       Besides, earlier, hadn’t she worried about how much Lucy was going to miss Johnny, how much she’d missed by not having a father around?

       Kim rubbed circles on Lucy’s back. “You know how Uncle Johnny’s voice gets loud sometimes when he’s worried?”

       Lucy nodded, a lock of her dark red hair falling across one damp cheek.

       “Well, Brandon is just worried about us now. He wants us to spend the night with him so he can make sure that man who broke in doesn’t come back.” Although for all she knew Carter might show up at Brandon’s.

       But at least they would be able to deal with him together.

       Maybe going with him was the wise thing to do.

       She would just have to keep up her guard. If Brandon wanted to know why he’d missed the first four years of his daughter’s life, she’d tell him the truth.

       He had made that choice, not her. Now he’d have to live with it.

      THE NEED TO HOLD LUCY was so strong that it nearly overpowered Brandon. But he forced himself to summon every ounce of restraint he possessed and simply watch as Kim deposited Lucy onto her bed and began to pack.

       Lucy cradled her stuffed lamb to her like a lifeline, and memories flooded him. When his sister Joanie had been ill or had nightmares, he’d rocked her to sleep. And when she’d grown into a preteen and it seemed inappropriate for him to cradle her in his lap, he’d sat by her bed and read to her and told her stories about riding and adventures they would take one day.

       Each day though, he’d seen her grow physically weaker and more mentally impaired until finally he’d been forced to seek help. Without the money to pay for private care, he’d had to send her to a group home.

       Leaving her there had damn near killed him.

       He’d vowed one day to make enough money to bring her home and hire a nurse, one of the main reasons he’d married Marty Canterberry. But Joanie had died before he’d earned enough money to fulfill his promise.

       And now he had all the money he needed, but an empty house and an empty life.

       Except for the boys at the BBL.

      You have a little girl.

       A beautiful little girl with Kim’s striking dark red hair and his green eyes. A little girl with crooked teeth and dimples and freckles—a perfect child.

       For a moment, he couldn’t breathe again. Instead, he said a silent prayer of thanks to God. Why He’d given Brandon this chance to be a father when the odds had been stacked against him he didn’t know.

       But he’d damn well do everything in his power to make the good Lord proud.

       Kim fastened her suitcase, then rubbed a hand across Lucy’s hair. Her eyes were heavy with sleep, her heart-shaped face angelic.

       “I’m going to pack you a bag now, honey. You can stay here. I’ll be right back.”

       Lucy nodded, and Brandon felt as if Kim had given him a small gift by trusting him with their daughter while she packed.

       “You’re really Uncle Johnny’s friend?” Lucy asked in a tiny whisper.

       Brandon eased closer and sat down on the edge of the bed, careful not to startle her. “Yes, I grew up with your uncle and your mom. We all played together when we were kids. We even built a fort and called it our secret meeting place.”

       Her eyes perked up with interest. “I wants a fort.”

       Brandon blinked back emotions. Was Lucy a tomboy like Kim had been? “Tell you what, sweetie, we’ll build you one at my ranch. I’ll even let you pick out the spot. How does that sound?”

       He tweaked her nose, and an excited smile curved her rosebud of a mouth.

       “Good.” Lucy sighed sleepily.

       Brandon soaked in the moment, memorizing the details of her face. Tiny freckles dotted her pug nose, and her long auburn lashes curled against her baby-soft skin. She had a quirky little mouth like Kim, and a defiant stubborn chin like his.

       “You got horses?” Lucy asked on a yawn.

       “Yes, ma’am, I sure do,” Brandon said. “Maybe you can sleep in the car on the way, and in the morning I’ll show you around and you can pick out which horse you want to be your own.” He patted her foot. “Would you like that?”

       She bobbed her head up and down. “Uh-huh…” Her voice faded as her eyes drifted closed.

       But he could have sworn the smile stayed tucked in place, as if she was dreaming about an Appaloosa or palomino and the fort they would build.

       He filed the moment away in his mind to treasure forever. One of the first memories in a lifetime of endless ones to come, he hoped.

       Kim returned a second later with a small pink rolling bag and a backpack in the shape of a bunny rabbit and set them on top of her suitcase. “I still don’t think this is a good idea.”

       Her wary expression infuriated him, but he tempered his tone. “It doesn’t matter if you like it or not, Kim. Keeping Lucy safe is my job now, and I’m not going to let her down.”

       Anguish flickered in her eyes and something akin to fear followed, but he didn’t take time to analyze it. He yanked up both suitcases to carry to his SUV. “I’ll be back to get Lucy.”

       “No, I’ll carry her.” Kim leaned over to pick up her daughter, but Brandon caught her arm.

       “You may not think much of me, Kim. And God knows, my old man was vile. But I’m not like him. I would never hurt Lucy.”

       Her stunned eyes met his, the wariness dissipating. “I…know that, Brandon.”

       His throat thickened, making his voice sound like he’d swallowed gravel. “That’s not the reason you kept her from me?”

       She shook her head. “God, no.... I…would never think that.”

       For a second, he couldn’t speak. It was as if they had stepped back in time to a moment when she trusted him and he trusted her, and their love had sparked