Destined to Be a Dad. Christyne Butler

      

       “Where’s my daughter?” Missy asked, hating the huskiness of her voice.

      Liam moved to the edge of the porch. Despite the passage of time, he looked the same, like an older version of the boy she’d known. He was impossibly handsome in jeans, a long-sleeved dress shirt with the cuffs folded back to his elbows and cowboy boots.

      Always cowboy boots.

      His gaze lit on her, but the setting sun and deep shadows of the porch made it impossible to see his expression as he thanked the driver who’d placed her suitcases on the porch. She tore her gaze from him and thanked the man as well when he walked past her. When it was just the two of them again, she returned her focus to Liam, who hadn’t moved other than to cross his arms over his chest.

      The defensive pose spoke volumes about his state of mind.

      Fine, but right now she wanted to see for herself that Casey was okay. “I asked you—”

      “Is it true?” The words were out of his mouth as she reached for the stair railing, freezing her on the first step. “Is Casey my daughter?” he demanded.

      * * *

      Welcome to Destiny: Where fate leads to falling in love

      Destined to Be a Dad

      Christyne Butler

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      CHRISTYNE BUTLER is a USA TODAY bestselling author who fell in love with romance novels while serving in the US Navy and started writing her own stories in 2002. She writes contemporary romances that are full of life, love and a hint of laughter. She lives with her family in central Massachusetts and loves to hear from her readers at www.christynebutler.com.

      MILLS & BOON

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      To the following extraordinary authors … you have no idea how much your books mean to me, as a fan who spends many hours lost in the pleasure of reading them and as a writer for the inspiration you provide.

       Thank you!

      Donna Alward

       Rachel Gibson

       Kristan Higgins

       Shirley Jump

       Virginia Kantra

       Laura Kaye

       Susan Mallery

       Catherine Mann

       Sarah Morgan

       Molly o’Keefe

       Christine Rimmer

       Jill Shalvis

       Roxanne St. Claire

       Karen Templeton

      Contents

       Cover

       Introduction

       Title Page

       About the Author

       Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Chapter Eleven

       Chapter Twelve

       Chapter Thirteen

       Chapter Fourteen

       Extract

       Copyright

Chapter One

      “Wankers! You cowboys promised to take me to Liam Murphy, not show me the back side of some bloody barn!”

      The lilting British accent, rarely heard here in the small town of Destiny, Wyoming, floated on the hot August morning breeze. It came from somewhere behind him and despite the voices bickering on the other end of this endless phone call—and the fact she’d said his name—the inflection kicked Liam square in the gut.

      He should have been used to it by now.

      His family’s business, Murphy Mountain Log Homes, was celebrating its twentieth year in business with a growing following in the United Kingdom, thanks to securing a contract to build a log home—scratch that, a twenty-thousand-square-foot log mansion—for a popular movie actor based in Scotland.

      Meaning as company president, Liam spent a lot of time on the phone and in meetings with people who spoke the Queen’s English. Still, whenever he heard that soft and silvery accent spoken by a female voice, it never failed to take him back.

      To another place, another time when he’d thought he could have it all.

      Aw, hell, that was a lifetime ago.

      “Are you daft?” The girlish voice came again, cutting into Liam’s thoughts. “Not bloody happening!”

       Hmm, not so soft this time.

      She sounded young and her words were angry, but there was a hint of fear laced through as well. Liam didn’t know what was going on, but he had a pretty good idea.

      Ending his call, he pocketed his phone, backtracked a few steps and headed for the far end of a nearby barn.

      The first-ever Destiny rodeo was in full swing, and campers and horse trailers filled this area of the fairgrounds. It’d taken a lot of hard work by a lot of people to pull this event together. His family’s company