The Rancher's Unexpected Family

“I’m sorry. I didn’t call ahead, but—” Kathryn cleared her throat, trying not to sound nervous “—is Holt around?”

Nancy smiled at her. “I’m afraid he’s not. Since he returned from, well, I guess everybody knows where he was.”

I don’t, Kathryn thought. Because she had been determined not to be one bit curious about Holt’s personal life. No doubt a woman had been involved, Kathryn couldn’t help thinking. Holt had always had women trailing after him.

“But he’s home now, right?” she asked. “I’d heard that he’d returned.”

“He’s home, but he’s not here. Since he came back, he’s been so tied up in the office that today he declared he was getting out on the range and nothing was going to stop him.”

Including me, Kathryn thought. She’d tried to call Holt several times this week, even this morning. He hadn’t picked up. Nor had he replied to her requests for an appointment to see him. She was pretty sure that he knew what she wanted. Maybe he’d heard about it from the mayor. Clearly, he wasn’t enthused. She’d been warned not to expect much.

She didn’t expect anything, but she wanted—

No. Don’t go there, she ordered herself. Wanting wasn’t good enough. Another lesson she’d learned too well. If something was going to happen, she had to make it happen. She couldn’t rely on or trust anyone else.

“I really need to see him. If he’s on the range, could you point me in his direction?” she asked.

Nancy looked stunned. “I— You’ve been away a long time, Kathryn. I don’t know how much you knew of this place, but the Double Bar C is huge and pretty stark in places.” Nancy glanced pointedly at Kathryn’s car, down at her watermelon abdomen, then up at the sky. The day was sweltering, the sun relentless and blinding as a camera flash.

“I know, but I’ll be fine. I’m a runner and these days I keep my phone handy,” Kathryn said, ignoring her own misgivings. The ranch might have its stark areas, but the Calhouns had always run it like a well-oiled machine. Communication lines were kept open. “Or … I was a runner until recently. I’ll be okay.”

Nancy gave a curt nod. “Let me just call Holt.” She paused. “I have to be honest. He’s not going to like this.”

“I know. Besides the fact that he’s busy, I’ve already called six times. If you’re going to tell him anything, tell him that I’m—that I’m not giving up. I’ll do whatever it takes. Including wandering all over the ranch looking for him.”

That wasn’t exactly true. She was trying to keep her courage up, to appear determined. Still, she wasn’t stupid, and she didn’t plan to wander far from the road. But for now, let Nancy—and Holt—think she was a crazy pregnant woman if that was the only way she could get his attention. Frustration and fear were making her a bit desperate. She needed to get as much done as possible before the baby arrived.

“All right. I’ll see what I can do.” Nancy retreated to the other end of the room, speaking into the phone quietly. She appeared to be holding her hand over the receiver, too, but even so, Kathryn could still hear Holt’s curse when he realized what was happening.

“Just find out where he is.” She gave Nancy an apologetic look. “I’ll handle the rest. You shouldn’t have to deal with my problems.”

Instead, Nancy listened to whatever Holt was saying, then directed Kathryn to a seat in the living room. “He’s coming.”

And he clearly wasn’t happy about the situation. Kathryn could see it in the strain in Nancy’s eyes.

“Do you mind if I sit on the porch? I’d rather face him head-on. Outdoors. Just in case he throws anything at me.” She smiled slightly when she said it, trying to make it sound like a joke, but it wasn’t completely. She’d lived her whole life with people who were prone to sudden outbursts of anger. It was always good to have an exit plan.

Nancy gave her a stern look. “Suit yourself, but Holt would never throw anything at a woman. Especially a pregnant one.”

Kathryn nodded and marched to a rocking chair on the big low porch. She could tell by Nancy’s look that the woman wondered about whatever circumstances had led to Kathryn being alone and pregnant, but she wasn’t sharing that with anyone. Not Nancy. Certainly not Holt.

Not that the man would ask. He didn’t even want to see her. She was surprised he even remembered who she was.

Maybe he doesn’t, she thought. He’d always looked right past her when she was a skinny, lovesick teenager and he was a moody, broody football player who barely said a word to anyone and never even said hello to her.

She’d daydreamed about him being like her, kindred souls trapped in untenable circumstances with no one to confide in.

Of course, she’d been wrong. He’d simply been a guy who hadn’t noticed or cared. And clearly nothing had changed with him.

A lot had changed with her. Except for the fact that she still got tense just thinking of Holt coming down the road, exiting his car and stepping onto the porch.

Which was totally nuts. She didn’t have room or the inclination for a man in her world anymore. Especially not this man.

And anyway—a dust cloud in the distance heralded an oncoming vehicle—there was no time to do anything but brace herself. She and Holt were going to talk.

Finally.

Holt threw open the truck’s door. He started toward her, big and imposing with a granite jaw and dark eyes that told her she’d pushed him too far.

Kathryn swallowed hard. She reminded herself that she was a full-grown woman, almost ten years older than she’d been the last time she’d seen Holt. And determined to be what she hadn’t been then. Strong. Independent. Not affected even by a man as overwhelming as Holt.

“Hello, Holt,” she said, rising a bit more awkwardly than she wanted to and holding out her hand in as casual a gesture as she could muster. “Thank you for stopping by.” How stupid. This was his home. And she was acting like a queen expecting him to kiss her hand.

“Not an issue. I was headed in, anyway,” he said, putting her in her place. “Besides, this won’t take long.”

She blinked. “How do you know that?”

“I know it, because the answer is no,” he said, those dark caramel eyes smoldering. “I know why you’re here. I don’t know what the mayor said that led you to believe that I get involved in causes, but she was wrong. I do only one thing and that’s ranch. I’m sorry you wasted your time, but I believe it’s best to be honest.”

Kathryn sucked in a breath and hoped that her knees weren’t shaking. “I believe that, too. And the truth is that I don’t intend to stop being a pest. You’ll have to hear me out.”

“I already know what you want. There’s no point in discussing the details.”

“Whatever you’ve been told, it’s clearly not everything. And I intend to follow you around until you listen to the whole story.” It was all she could do to keep her voice from wobbling. Not just because Holt was so big, with such broad shoulders, but because he was so … male. The fact that he was also hostile … Kathryn fought to stay calm. To remain standing.

“Excuse me?” He frowned, those fierce dark eyes making her squirm inside. She wondered how many women had ever told Holt Calhoun no. Probably not many.

Probably none. The man looked like the definition of sex, all long legs, muscles and thick tousled, near-black hair. He looked like a man who knew how to do things. And not just ranching things. Things that involved getting naked with a woman.

Which was totally irrelevant … and terribly distracting. “I mean it,” Kathryn said. She frowned back at him, even if she was mostly upset at herself. Her Holt-crush years were long gone. She was going to be a mom. She needed to get her off-track life on track and do right by her baby, not get derailed by stupid, hormonally driven thoughts about a man who didn’t even want to talk to her and who reminded her of the bad places she’d been, not the good places she wanted to go.

“You plan to follow me around?” he finally said. “Lady, do you even know what you’re saying?”

No. “Yes. Mayor Hollis highly recommended you.”

Holt swore beneath his breath. “Johanna is sharp as they come, but she’s dead wrong about this.”

“I don’t think so. And you can’t make me leave. I’m … I’m persistent.” Which was such a lie. She’d never persisted with anything. And her ex-husband had loved to taunt her with that humiliating fact. Which might, she admitted, be a big part of why she had to persist with this now.

“This is a ranch,” Holt reminded her. “It’s big and dirty. There are animals that can break your foot if they step the wrong way or break your body if they fall on you. You are a pregnant woman.”

“Yes. I’ve noticed.”

He gave her a you-don’t-know-a-thing look. “No following.”

“Just give me a few minutes.”

He started to say no. She was sure of it, but she stuck out her hand and touched his arm. His blue chambray shirtsleeve was worn. His muscle was firm and warm beneath her palm. Kathryn didn’t know what the heck she was doing. She felt reckless and stupid and awkward, as she always had around him, but …