Cowboy in the Extreme

Kim shook her head. “No, just get the luggage.”

“Stop arguing, Kim,” Brandon said between clenched teeth. “You’re dead on your feet. Just grab your purse and follow me.”

He opened the back door to the car, then unfastened Lucy’s seat belt and scooped his little girl into his arms. Love swelled in his chest as she snuggled up against him.

He swallowed hard, then led the way up the cobblestone steps to the wraparound porch. How many times had he sat in that porch swing and imagined Kim cuddled up beside him?

Fool. That’s what he was.

When he reached the front door, Kim hesitated, and he juggled Lucy to one side and unlocked the door, then stepped inside. He wasn’t much for decorating so the place seemed bare as he flicked on a light. It definitely needed a woman’s touch.

But it was home, so he strode up the winding staircase. Kim followed, her sigh indicating her fatigue.

He shoved open the first door to the right and gestured inside. “There are two guest rooms,” he said. “You can stay in the first one nearest the stairs. I’ll put Lucy in the one beside you. There’s a bathroom in between.”

Kim nodded, then walked with him to the second room, where he flipped on a lamp and headed toward the white four-poster bed. Foolish again. He’d let the store clerk talk him into it, saying female guests would like it. He’d thought of Joanie, who would have loved it, then a little girl that he’d never have, but he’d bought it anyway.

Kim rushed to the bed and turned down the lavender comforter, and he helped ease Lucy onto the bed. For a moment, he simply stood and looked at her, soaking in the fact that she was his child. Memorizing her face again as if he feared she was a mirage and might disappear in the night.

Finally he dragged himself away, then strode down the steps and returned a few minutes later. He dropped Kim’s bag off in the first room, then took Lucy’s little rollaway and bunny backpack and put them on the window seat in front of the dormer window in her room.

He hesitated, soaking up the sight of his daughter again, then watched Kim bend over and kiss Lucy on the forehead and tuck her in tight. He’d never thought he could feel so many emotions at once.

Love for Lucy. An instantaneous bond that overwhelmed him with the need to protect her and the desire to make up for all the time he’d lost.

Admiration for Kim because she obviously loved their daughter and was a wonderful mother.

Anger that he’d missed out on being with both of them.

Kim smoothed the covers down, then turned and looked up at him, her eyes instantly wary. She looked exhausted, and for a brief moment, he wanted to give her a reprieve. To hold and comfort her and forget all the pain between them. All the bitterness that surfaced at the thought of her with Carter.

Of her and Johnny keeping his daughter from him.

He gestured toward the door. “Downstairs. We need to talk.”

Kim bit her lip, then sighed and headed down the stairs. He followed her, then led her into the study and poured them both a drink.

He’d held his tongue during the drive.

But her reprieve was over.

He wanted answers, and he wouldn’t sleep until he had them. His heart hardened.

Although even then, nothing Kim said could ever make things right again between them.

Chapter Five

Kim’s hand trembled as she stared into the rich red wine. She took a sip, hoping it would calm her raging nerves. But her legs felt weak and the night’s strain was wearing her down.

“Why, Kim? Why did you keep my daughter from me?”

The cold bitterness in Brandon’s voice hit her like a punch in the stomach. But painful memories swirled around her, rousing her own anger.

She lifted her head, refusing to let him dump the blame on her. “Because you told me you didn’t want me, remember? That you were in love with another woman? Then you married her two weeks later.”

The whirlwind romance had been almost as shocking and hurtful as the breakup. She had spent a lifetime with Brandon, yet he’d fallen for Marty Canterberry in weeks.

The ice clinked in Brandon’s glass as he choked down his drink. “That didn’t give you the right to keep my child from me.” Anger made his voice harsh. “To not tell me I was going to be a father.”

Kim finished the wine, then set the glass down with a thud and folded her arms. “The day I found out I was pregnant, you were on your honeymoon with your bride. Where did you go, Brandon? The Bahamas? Bermuda? I forget.” A trace of sarcasm laced her tone. “I didn’t think either you or your wife would welcome me showing up announcing that I was carrying your child.”

There, that was the cold hard truth. Let him deal with it.

Brandon clenched the glass so tightly she thought it was going to break. “You could have told me when I returned.”

“Yeah, right. Let’s see—when you were setting up house with Marty?” Kim barked a laugh. “You gave up any right to me or to Lucy when you chose her over me.”

Brandon’s eyes flared hot. “So you kept her from me out of revenge?”

“No,” Kim said, shocked that he would think she was that vindictive. “You didn’t want me, Brandon. I didn’t fit into your future, your dreams anymore. I couldn’t help you achieve the success you wanted.” A tremor rippled through her as she unleashed on him. “I didn’t think you would want a baby either. She would have messed up your plans, too.”

She paced to the window and looked out at the stars and moon. Darkness bathed the property, outbuildings and pastures. Yet she imagined Brandon and Marty riding across the land with the wind in their faces, smiling as they approached the house, and bitterness heated her blood.

Dammit, maybe a part of her had wanted to get back at him. He’d broken her heart, destroyed her dreams and left her pregnant while he was off screwing another woman and climbing his way to the top.

Brandon’s feet pounded behind her; then he swung her around to look at him. A muscle ticked in his clenched jaw. “You knew how much I loved my sister, Kim. How scared I was of having a child with that genetic disorder.”

Kim stiffened. “Yes, I knew. And believe me, I worried that Lucy would have problems.” And she’d struggled over what she would do if she discovered her baby had inherited that disorder. “Johnny took me to a specialist and paid for tests—”

“Johnny,” Brandon muttered beneath his breath. “I should have been the one there, Kim. Not Johnny.” He squeezed her arms so tightly Kim winced. Then he seemed to realize it and released her. “Johnny should have told me.”

“I made him promise not to,” Kim said, refusing to allow him to blame her brother. She inhaled a deep breath, seething. “Besides, you keep forgetting that you broke up with me.”

“Then you went straight to Carter’s bed.”

“That’s not how it happened,” Kim said in a tortured voice. “Besides, we’ve been over this before. It’s not like my sleeping with Carter for one night should have mattered to you anyway. You were already in Marty’s bed.”

“If I’d known about Lucy—”

“What?” Kim shouted. “You would have changed your mind?” She shoved her face in his. “You’re unbelievable, Brandon Woodstock. Do you remember the horrible things you said to me the last night we saw each other? You called me all kinds of hurtful names and said you hated me.” She threw up her hands. “Knowing how you felt, how could I possibly have come to you with the news that I was pregnant? You probably would have accused me of trying to trap you.”

“But you didn’t want that, did you?” Brandon said in a hoarse voice. “You didn’t fight for me at all.”

No, she’d been too crushed. And how could she have fought against Marty Canterberry, with her gorgeous body and social standing and money. She had everything Kim hadn’t had.

And she had helped Brandon achieve his dreams.

“Don’t you dare make this about me.” Kim poked him in the chest. “You walked away, Brandon. You made your feelings about me clear back then. You made your choice. I had to live with it and now so do you.”