From Doctor...to Daddy / When the Cowboy Said ''I Do''. Karen Rose Smith

he made it clear he wanted nothing else to do with me, or a baby.”

      “He doesn’t pay child support?”

      “When I was out of work after Emilia’s delivery, I considered trying to find him. But if he paid child support, I’m afraid he’d want something in return. If he doesn’t care about his daughter, I don’t want him anywhere near her. I’ll raise her on my own.”

      “Does he know he has a daughter?”

      “No. But if she wants to search for him one day, I’ll help her. For now, it’s just the two of us and that’s okay. We’ve got a good life.”

      “I can’t imagine a man wanting nothing to do with his child,” Dillon murmured.

      “That’s because you’re a different kind of man,” Erika said, part of her knowing it, part of her afraid to believe it. That pained expression was back in Dillon’s eyes … as if he didn’t agree with her assessment. But he lifted their hands, studied their entwined fingers and leaned a little closer to her.

      She lifted her chin, anticipating his kiss, ready to feel his arms around her again.

      He enfolded her in his arms, began a heart-tripping kiss, but then pulled away. “You’ve had a raw deal once and I don’t want that to happen again. In a few weeks, I’ll be leaving. We both need to remember that.”

      The problem was she still wanted him to kiss her, even though she knew he’d be leaving. Was she willing to risk falling in love with Dillon Traub—and having her heart broken all over again if she did?