Custody for Two

Custody for Two
Karen Rose Smith

IT WAS THE CALL DYLAN MALLOY NEVER WANTED TO RECEIVEHe' d lost the only family he' d ever known. His sister and brother-in-law were dead–and their premature baby was fighting for his life in a Wyoming hospital.The globetrotting photographer lost no time rushing to the preemie' s side. But much to Dylan' s surprise, he was not Timmy' s rightful guardian. Why didn' t his beloved baby sister leave him custody of the baby…instead of appointing her friend Shaye Bartholomew?Shaye loved Timmy, that much was clear. But Dylan wasn' t ready to give up custody without a fight…or to deny his chemistry with the one woman who stood in his way.

“I need to talk to you.”

Dylan’s words carried a foreboding Shaye only was beginning to understand. Did he want to take Timmy away from her?

Stalling, she asked, “Now?”

“Now.”

Swallowing hard, she turned away from him and on wobbly legs went down the stairs.

In the living room, Dylan sat on the couch. She perched on the armchair next to it. To her surprise, even that still seemed too close.

“Have you started adoption proceedings yet?”

Her dreams for Timmy were huge, her mind filled with scenes of the two of them facing the world together until Timmy could do it on his own.

She didn’t like where this was headed. “I want to. And I know that’s what Julia would have wanted, too.”

“It is, Shaye?” he returned quickly. “Or deep down in her heart did she want to leave Timmy to me?

“Did she want me to be his father?”

Custody for Two

Karen Rose Smith

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

KAREN ROSE SMITH

read Zane Grey when she was in grade school and loved his books. She also had a crush on Roy Rogers and especially his palomino, Trigger! Around horses as a child, she found them fascinating and intuitive. This series of books set in Wyoming sprang from childhood wishes and adult dreams. When an acquaintance adopted two of the wild mustangs from the western rangelands and invited Karen to visit them, plotlines weren’t far behind. For more background on the books in the series, stop by Karen’s Web site at www.karenrosesmith.com or write to her at P.O. Box 1545, Hanover, PA 17331.

To Liz Conway—

Thanks for being my lifelong friend.

With thanks to Char Rice who welcomed us

to Cody and enriched our stay there.

With appreciation to Ken Martin who knows

and understands the mustangs so well.

I’ll never forget Grey Face and his band.

For information about wild mustangs,

visit www.wildhorsepreservation.com.

For adoption information, go to

www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov.

Contents

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

Chapter One

He couldn’t believe his sister had entrusted her son to Shaye Bartholomew rather than to him. Still in shock even after two days of traveling, Dylan Malloy stepped inside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. His gaze focused intently on the woman seated by Timmy’s tiny bed…the woman who had custody of his nephew.

Walter Ludlow’s call had been a severe blow, and Dylan was still reeling from it. His lawyer and long-time mentor, calling Tasmania from Wild Horse Junction, Wyoming, had hastily told him, “There’s no easy way to say this. Julia and Will were in a serious accident. Will died on impact. Julia hung on until Timmy was delivered, then we lost her, too.”

We lost her, too.

The words wouldn’t fade out. They’d been a shout in Dylan’s head ever since he’d heard them. Seconds later Walter had followed them with, “Julia gave Shaye Bartholomew legal guardianship. She didn’t want to burden you again.”

Dylan couldn’t wrap his mind, let alone his heart, around losing Julia. The grief enveloped him like a dark shadow that continuously seeped through him, leaving no room for anything else.