Cowboy Daddy (29 page)

Authors: Susan Mallery

She closed her eyes and savored the feel of the small bundle in her arms. He felt so perfect there, as if they had been made to fit together. Joy filled her, tinged with a bittersweet realization. Almost fourteen years before she’d given birth in a small hospital like this one. It had been Texas, instead of Colorado, and she’d just turned eighteen instead of being thirty-one. But the experience had changed her as much as this child being born.

As she held their son, she fought against the tears. She’d lost this with Laurel and it could never be recovered. She glanced up at her beautiful daughter. “Are you okay?”

Laurel nodded, her eyes wide. “He’s so small.”

“It’s hard to give birth to them full grown.”

“I guess, but gosh, I didn’t expect this.” She peered down at the scrunched-up red face. “He’s not very handsome, is he? He’s got monkey ears.”

Anne laughed, then winced as the muscles in her stomach protested.

Jake winked at his daughter. “It’s just how you looked, kid.” He glanced at the sleeping baby. “Nah. He’s better looking.”

“Da-ad.” She leaned closer. “Can I hold him?”

“Sure.” Annie placed her son in her daughter’s arm.

The teenager held him securely and cooed. “Hi. I’m your big sister. Laurel. Can you say Laurel?” She walked around the small room.

Jake touched Anne’s face. “You feeling all right?”

“Never better.”

“You did great in there. I’m really proud of you.”

She leaned back against the pillows and sighed. “We make a good team.”

“Well, I’m the team captain and I want to remind you that you promised not to go back to work for six weeks.”

“Jake, I’ll take the baby with me. The craft boutique has only been open a couple of months. I want to go in and keep an eye on things.”

He frowned, then shook his head. “Why do I even bother fighting you? You’re more trouble than my most stubborn brood mare.”

“Speaking of brood mares, you knew this one was going to be a boy. What’s the next one going to be?”

He took her hand and brushed his thumb against the diamond ring on her left hand. “You’d have another baby?”

“Sure. I thought we agreed on three kids.”

“I know, but I thought with the labor and all the weeks you haven’t been able to see your feet, you might change your mind.”

She looked at Laurel holding her brother. Then she stared at Jake. The love between them was as tangible as the world they lived in. She would do anything for him. Every day she loved him more. He trusted her with his heart, his soul and his flaws. If he wanted another child, she could deny him nothing.

“I liked our plan of three,” she said, smiling. “So what is it going to be? A boy or a girl?”

He placed his hand on her stomach and thought for a second. “A girl.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yup.”

“Okay. I’ll stock up on pink.” She touched his face. He was tired from staying up most of the night with her. The lines around his eyes had deepened, but he’d never looked more handsome to her. The transition hadn’t been easy but they were together and they were happy. She couldn’t ask for anything more than that. As her mother had taught her, she was holding on to their happiness with both hands.

* * * * *

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan Mallery lives in sunny Southern California, where the eccentricities of a writer are considered fairly normal. Her books are both reader favorites and bestsellers, with recent titles appearing on the Waldenbooks bestseller list and the
USA Today
bestseller list. Her 1995 Special Edition title,
Marriage on Demand,
was awarded “Best Special Edition” by
Romantic Times
magazine.

New York Times
bestselling author Susan Mallery has entertained millions of readers with her witty and emotional stories about women and the relationships that move them.
Publisher’s Weekly
calls Susan’s prose “Luscious and provocative,” and
Booklist
says, “Novels don’t get much better than Mallery’s expert blend of emotional nuance, humor and superb storytelling.” While Susan appreciates the critical praise, she is most honored by the enthusiastic readers who write to tell her that her books made them laugh, made them cry, and made the world a happier place to live. Susan lives in Seattle with her husband and her tiny but intrepid toy poodle. She’s there for the coffee, not the weather.

Visit her at
www.susanmallery.com
.

eISBN-13: 978-1-4603-7814-4

Cowboy Daddy

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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