Second Chance Rancher. Patricia Thayer

He reached out a hand.

      Kase shook his hand. “It’s good to see you, too.”

      Rory glared at his daughter. “I also heard about what happened today.”

      Kase nodded. “Dad assures me that it’ll be fine, no matter what the outcome.” His attention went across the table to Brooke. “Well, so the rumors are true, there is another one. You must be Brooke.”

      Brooke smiled. “Yes, I am. Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Rawlins.”

      “Call me Kase, please. This is my father, Gus.”

      Kase’s father smiled. “You’re a lucky man, Quinn, to have two beautiful daughters.”

      Rory beamed. “That I am. And you have a budding beauty in your granddaughter.”

      Brooke spoke up. “She is precious.”

      Kase’s attention went to the child. “She may be, but I need to work on her running off.”

      “Good luck with that,” Rory said. “Would you like to join us?”

      “Oh, we couldn’t intrude,” Kase said. “We’ve already interrupted your supper.”

      “But, Daddy, I want to stay with Laurel. She’s my friend.”

      Laurel felt tension coming from Kase. This was awkward for all of them. “Addy, I’m having a date with my prince. So why don’t you have a date with your prince, your daddy?”

      The little girl’s eyes twinkled with excitement. “Oh, can we, Daddy?”

      Kase’s gaze went to Laurel. Immediately she felt heat flood through her body. Then too quickly he turned back to his daughter and said, “I would love to be with my princess.” He did a slight bow and held out his hand. “Please allow me to escort you to our table, Princess Addison?”

      Addy giggled, then took her father’s hand and strolled off. That picture of the two caused an ache that circled her heart.

      Laurel turned back to her family. Both her father and her sister were watching her. “What?”

      “Seems you left out a few details about today,” her father said.

      “What, my stallion impregnating a neighbor’s mare wasn’t enough?” Laurel pretended to be interested in her food. Too bad her taste buds weren’t cooperating.

      “You didn’t say anything about that adorable little girl being with him,” Brooke said.

      Laurel was confused. “Where else would she be?”

      “According to Gus, she’d been living with her grandparents, the Chappells, in Denver since her mother’s death. There’s a big custody fight for the child.”

      Laurel didn’t know that. Okay, she needed to get out more and talk to people instead of horses. “What? How can that be? Kase is the father and he has the right to raise his daughter.”

      Rory shrugged. “You would think so, but the grandparents are accusing Kase of causing his wife’s death.”

      * * *

      LATER THAT EVENING, Laurel walked around her apartment unable to sleep. The space wasn’t large, but she didn’t need much except a bed, a bath and a small kitchen. Not that she cooked much, but she could make sandwiches and fry eggs. That was all she had the energy for after working all day. She didn’t have anyone to come home to, to hold her and love her.

      She thought about Jack, and her anger began to stir. How could she have been such a fool? Maybe she hadn’t loved him as she should have, but her loneliness and wanting a family of her own drove her into their arrangement.

      Okay, so that wasn’t the perfect scenario for marriage, but they both knew that going into it. And they did have chemistry. What she didn’t expect from her husband-to-be was for him to rob her parents and Trent of their money. And for that she could never forgive him.

      Now she had a bigger problem. Kase Rawlins was back in her life. She would most likely see the man when she stopped by the ranch. She wasn’t going to break a promise to a little girl, especially when that child was still getting over her mother’s death.

      What about Kase? Was he still having trouble with his wife’s passing? Of course he was. And after her father’s declaration about Kase causing his wife’s death, she was definitely curious to find out more.

      Laurel went to the table and opened her laptop and quickly Googled Kase’s name. The first reference showed he was a junior partner with the prestigious Denver law firm of Chappell, Hannett and Caruthers. It showed Kase’s picture as a rising star of criminal defense. It named a famous case involving a son of an oil corporation’s CEO. She moved on to his bio and his five-year marriage to Johanna Chappell Rawlins. She paused to examine the picture of the handsome Kase and his young bride, a beautiful brunette with large brown eyes.

      Laurel sighed. “And to think he left a girl who wore jeans and smelled of horses for that life.” Okay, she was more the Calamity Jane type than a runway model.

      She quickly did a search for Johanna Chappell Rawlins. Several pictures of the Denver socialite came up on the screen. Seemed Mrs. Rawlins, Jonnie, as her friends called her, liked to be out on the town, whether it was at parties or at fund-raisers. She was also the granddaughter of oil tycoon Henry William Cash. So Johanna Rawlins was wealthy in her own right and her family had connections. Everything Kase had been searching for when he left here ten years ago.

      Laurel sank back into her chair. Kase had been right to leave her behind. She would never fit into that life, any more than Kase would fit in back here. He’d proved that when he left and never came back, not even for a visit.

      She scrolled down on the computer and continued to read more. She stopped at the headline “Heiress Johanna Chappell Rawlins found dead in drug overdose. Denver Police question the husband as to his whereabouts.”

      She continued to read that Kase had cooperated with the police and was never charged with anything. The Chappell family felt differently.

      Laurel sighed. No wonder he brought Addy back here. With the Chappells’ accusation and being followed by the media, that couldn’t be good for a child.

      She closed her laptop. Did he really mean he was going to stay here? Could he build a new life here, or after Gus’s surgery and recovery would he get bored and take off again? She couldn’t afford to dream about anything happening with Kase, and definitely not act on impulse. No matter how cute his little girl was, and good-looking the man was, he was off-limits.

      Her focus had to be her parents and Trent and the money she had to pay them back. There was nothing more important than that.

      * * *

      THE NEXT DAY, Laurel had been up early as usual. She fed the stock, exercised the horses and even got in some training. After Wind’s adventure yesterday, she wanted to make sure he didn’t get out again while she was in town.

      Right before 9:00 a.m., she pulled her truck into the parking lot in downtown Hidden Springs, next to the professional building. She glanced up at the name Allen and Jacobs Accounting painted on the brick facade.

      A few months ago, she’d applied for a part-time job to work during their busy tax season. As much as she wanted to train horses full-time, she was in debt over $30,000. That was the amount Jack had stolen from her parents and Trent when he had been their general contractor on fishing cabin projects. And if it hadn’t been for her carelessness, that money might still be in the account.

      She climbed out of the truck, brushed off her black pencil skirt, then reached back inside and grabbed her matching jacket off the seat. After slipping it on over her silk blouse, she headed to the door. Okay, so she enjoyed the chance to work with numbers all day, at least until tax season was over, and she was paid well.

      She greeted the receptionist. “Hi, Melody.”

      “Good morning, Laurel.”