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The Cowboy's Seductive Proposal
Sara Orwig


HE MADE "MARRY ME" SOUND LIKE A DARE… .In one blazing moment, rugged rodeo man Jared Whitewolf had tempted straitlaced Faith Kolanko to do something reckless. With a nod of her head, she could have it all - a home, a baby and a long-legged heartbreaker in a ten-gallon hat. Faith was pushing thirty, and this gorgeous, exasperating man was pushing all her buttons.The determined daddy saw Faith as perfect mommy material, but to her he was trouble in blue jeans. She was far too smart to consider his outrageous marriage of convenience. And far too tempted to say "I do!"







Marry Jared Whitewolf? (#ubeb91a10-ee55-5a7d-b4a9-fefd65468605)Letter to Reader (#ua8e5e9b0-2171-5f5d-96eb-047c95d4332b)Title Page (#u0127e365-0a20-517f-99cf-6805917e4040)SARA ORWIG (#ub761d377-895d-5962-bd2e-3188d001ab2c)Dedication (#ud33557b2-9b74-5d18-9aab-c688e05b0644)Chapter One (#ud2bc7cb0-9353-57b5-88c1-8ce1597ddd7c)Chapter Two (#u4515ab33-89f9-5033-aba7-1a44ed02de8b)Chapter Three (#u18fee90f-7976-5b90-80b2-d49644b99607)Chapter Four (#u64f686cc-d946-52db-81f2-66fdc9df1803)Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)


Marry Jared Whitewolf?

It was impossible, absurd. So why was she in knots over it?

She looked at her bare fingers. Then she looked around the bedroom with its white furniture and pale blue carpeting. The room looked virginal—probably because it was. No man had ever spent the night in it. She was cautious, and the men she dated were cautious. So what happened to all that great prudence with Jared?

He had discerned her feelings more than any other guy she’d ever dated. He knew she was worried about her thirtieth birthday; he knew she loved babies and wanted her own. If she married Jared, she would have a little baby. Not a year from now, but as soon as they married.

Her thoughts shifted to Jared. His dark eyes and strong arms were as clear as if he was in the room with her. A long, tall cowboy who was all she wasn’t. A man who excited her as no other ever had....


Dear Reader,

Welcome to a new year with Silhouette Desire! We begin the year in celebration—it’s the 10th Anniversary of MAN OF THE MONTH! And kicking off the festivities is the incomparable Diana Palmer, with January’s irresistible hero, Simon Hart, in Beloved.

Also launching this month is Desire’s series FORTUNE’S CHILDREN: THE BRIDES. So many of you wrote to us that you loved Silhouette’s series FORTUNE’S CHILDREN—now here’s a whole new branch of the family! Award-winning author Jennifer Greene inaugurates this series with The Honor Bound Groom.

Popular Anne Marie Winston begins BUTLER COUNTY BRIDES, a new miniseries about three small-town friends who find true love, with The Baby Consultant. Sara Orwig offers us a marriage of convenience in The Cowboy’s Seductive Proposal. Next, experience love on a ranch in Hart’s Baby by Christy Lockhart. And opposites attract in The Scandalous Heiress by Kathryn Taylor.

So, indulge yourself in 1999 with Silhouette Desire—powerful, provocative and passionate love stories that speak to today’s multifaceted woman. Each month we offer you six compelling romances to meet your many moods, with heroines you’ll care about and heroes to die for. Silhouette Desire is everything you desire in a romance novel.

Enjoy!

Joan Marlow Golan

Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire

Please address questions and book requests to:

Silhouette Reader Service

U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269

Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont L2A 5X3


The Cowboy′s Seductive Proposal

Sara Orwig










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


SARA ORWIG

lives with her husband and children in Oklahoma. She has a patient husband who will take her on research trips anywhere from big cities to old forts. She is an avid collector of Western history books. With a master’s degree in English, Sara writes historical romance, mainstream fiction and contemporary romance. Books are beloved treasures that take Sara to magical worlds, and she loves both reading and writing them.


To Hannah Elaine Slater, another little sweetie...

And with thanks through the years to

Dr. Clifton L. Warren


One

Fifteen more minutes of peace. Faith Kolanko glanced at her watch and sighed. She could enjoy her lunch break a little longer before she had to return to her frenzied office at Graphic Design. This was her one chance during the day for solitude.

Even when it was almost uncomfortably warm like today, she loved this secluded area of Harrington Park in downtown Tulsa. In addition to a redbrick wall, a tall hedge of blooming spirea bushes hemmed in the niche where she sat. Higher than her head, the white wall of spirea divided the quiet hideaway from the rest of the park.

“Ah, darlin’, isn’t this a gorgeous day?”

Beyond the spirea bushes a rich bass voice floated on the air. Figuring the couple would move on, Faith paid little heed to their murmurings. A glance at her watch showed twelve more minutes of tranquillity.

She didn’t want to return to the office one minute shy of her hour break. She had worked until ten o’clock last night, and then her day had begun at six this morning. She needed quiet before returning to the Bradley account.

Bushes rustled and noises on the other side of the spirea caught her attention again. She heard the snap of a blanket being shaken and then the pop of a can being opened.

“Lie down there, honey, and look at that blue sky. Can you believe this day?”

Faith sighed. Knowing her solitude had to end, she folded the morning paper, brushed crumbs off her blue skirt, then straightened her blue blouse. The couple on the other side of the bushes sounded as if they were going to stay for a while. She closed her thermos and slipped it into the brown paper bag.

“Oh, darlin’, I love you so much! I never would’ve guessed it possible.”

As she listened to the masculine voice that softened with tenderness, Faith’s brows arched, and she became aware of the cooings and murmurings on the other side of the bushes. The only way out of this corner of the park was a gravel walk that curved right past the amorous couple. She prayed they would pick up and move, but they sounded pretty comfortable.

“I love you.”

Faith heard the whispered baby talk, along with kisses and coos and deep-throated noises. She didn’t want to even imagine what was going on. But if the woman began screaming with pleasure, Faith wasn’t going to sit quietly. Didn’t they know there were people around?

They obviously didn’t care, because the noises increased.

Faith frowned at the spilling fountain of white blossoms, the green foliage almost hidden by the spirea blooms. She glanced at her watch. Nine more minutes before she absolutely had to start back to the office. Should she make a loud noise or try to creep past them? It didn’t sound as if they would notice her. Or care even if they did notice.

“Honey, wait a minute. There,” the man said. “Let’s get rid of this dress, darlin’ blue eyes. Big, big blue eyes. Oh, what long lashes you have! You’re my precious sweetie. . . .”

What would make perfectly sane adults resort to such ridiculous baby talk? Never in her life had Faith felt inclined to talk in such an absurd manner to any male she had dated. Nor would she ever.

The man’s voice faded, replaced by sounds that made Faith blush. She didn’t want to hear the noises, but now she certainly didn’t want to walk past them. And to get out of her hiding place, she would have to do just that.

She looked at the brick wall and contemplated going over it. The vision of herself in heels and hose and a tight cotton skirt sliding over that wall in front of the busy intersection killed the notion instantly. The only other way to avoid the couple would be to crash through the spirea hedge, and she could, just imagine how she would look returning to work with flowers and leaves in her hair.

She glanced at her watch. She had heard about couples having sex in the park, but she had dismissed the rumors as frivolous. All she had ever encountered were other business people and a few transients.

Seven minutes. The gurgles and growls and giggles made her cheeks burn. She debated what to do. Were they stark naked? she wondered.

How many times had her friend Leah warned her that they were too isolated when they came to this spot? Next time she would listen.

“Oh, honey, I love you!” came a whisper. Then more kissing sounds and cooing. “Yum, yum, yum. Take a li’l bite here. . . .”

“For corn’s sake!” Faith whispered. She looked at her watch. Five minutes. She bit her lip and frowned. Maybe if she just ran past them, they would never notice her. But could she avoid noticing them? Sex was not a spectator event.

The sounds became more primitive and garbled, and she could too easily imagine what might be happening on the other side of the spirea.

“Oh, God! Oh, darlin’!” Unidentifiable sounds she didn’t want to hear disturbed the quiet.

Faith wanted to scream. She wanted to yell to them that they were in a very public place and could get arrested for what they were doing. “Get a room!” She silently mouthed the words.

“Darlin’, what’s the matter?”

In the midst of her mental tirade, Faith realized the man’s voice held terror. The woman sounded as if she was gagging. Or having a seizure. The woman might be having an attack of some kind!

“Oh, Lordy, Lordy,” the man cried out “What do I do? What should I do? Merry, darlin’, can you breathe? Oh, Lord, help.”

He sounded desperate. Faith had CPR training. Knowing she couldn’t stand by and ignore someone who was hurt, Faith clamped her jaw, prepared to face two naked lovers, and plunged through the spirea, scattering white petals like a rain shower in springtime.

She spit out spirea blooms and froze in momentary shock, staring into dark brown eyes as a man on his knees looked up at her. Sunlight splashed over broad bronzed shoulders that gleamed with a faint sheen of sweat. Shaggy black hair fell around his face. A muscled chest tapered to a narrow waist.

For one brief moment they stared at each other and then Faith’s attention shifted. In his arms he held a baby who was choking. A baby. She wore a diaper and a pink ribbon in her tiny black curls, and her little face was screwed up in agony.

“She’s choking,” the man said, but Faith needed no explanation. The coughing and gasping signaled the baby’s distress.

Faith reacted instinctively and with the experience of having dealt with a younger brother, sisters, nieces and nephews. She took the choking baby from him and quickly positioned the child face-down across her lap. With the heel of her free hand, she struck the baby on the back between the shoulder blades. On the second blow, something squishy shot out of the little girl’s mouth.

The baby instantly gasped for breath and screamed.

Standing, Faith placed the tyke on her shoulder, patted her back, hugged her close and talked softly to her as she jiggled her gently.

“Thank God!” the man exclaimed. “Oh, thank you, thank you!”

Watching the slender blonde quiet his baby, Jared Whitewolf experienced a kaleidoscope of emotions: shock when the woman appeared out of the bushes; terror over Merry’s choking; swift relief when the woman cleared Merry’s throat of the obstruction. Then his relief transformed into curiosity. Who was the pretty lady covered in white blossoms? Merry was snuggling in the woman’s arms, quiet now except for an occasional hiccup.

Jared couldn’t have been more dazzled if the sun had dropped halfway to earth. This woman knew how to handle a baby. A bona fide, world-class champion baby handler. Probably a mommy with three kids. His gaze ran down her slender figure, noticing her ringless fingers when she turned her profile to him. Her blond hair, sprinkled with white petals, was fastened with a clip behind her head. A practical watch with a leather strap circled her slender wrist. The blue skirt ended above great knees and long, shapely legs.

Jared stood, wiped his brow and hoped his heart would stop racing. The woman turned to face him.

“Thanks,” he said. “That’s the biggest scare I’ve had in years.”

“What did you feed her?”

“I gave her a banana.”

The woman glanced at the baby in her arms, then frowned at him, and he knew he had blundered. “She’s too little unless it’s mashed up. You didn’t let her have the whole banana, did you?”

“Well, not a whole one, but too damned much,” he answered perfunctorily, his thoughts moving on. Merry was twiddling with the woman’s silver hoop earring, as blissfully happy now as if the whole incident had never occurred. This golden-haired rescuer really knew how to care for a baby.

He thought of the few disastrous dates he had had since Merry had come into his life. He hadn’t met a woman yet who could cope with Merry for more than an hour and never in a crisis. And until today, he had never had a crisis that had been, life-threatening.

“She’s very pretty,” the woman said softly, looking down at Merry. The baby gurgled, smiled and stared at the woman. Jared’s pulse jumped.

“You’re really good with babies.”

“I should be,” she said without looking up, and he braced himself to hear she had a house filled with her own. She stopped to smile at Merry, both of them looking beautiful, adorable and contented.

“Why should you be good with them?” he asked, holding his breath.

“I grew up with three younger siblings, as well as an older brother. They are all married now with babies,” she answered.

He moved closer, catching a fragrance more enticing than the spring flowers surrounding him. Looking into her wide green eyes, he felt a tension that he recognized instantly and was delighted to discover. The sexual chemistry was icing on the cake.

“Hold still. You have petals in your hair,” he said, reaching up to pull white blossoms from the silky waves. His hand brushed her throat, and he felt a tingle that echoed through the emptiness deep inside him.

She reached back to unfasten the clip that held her hair and gave a shake of her head, scattering petals over her shoulders and onto Merry.

“Here, let me help,” he said, watching the woman as he placed his hands on either side of her head. While he looked down into her eyes, he slowly combed his fingers through her soft cascade of golden hair. Green eyes tugged at his senses. She drew a deep breath, and the tension between them sizzled, invisible, yet as tangible as if he had moved close to a blazing fire. Her eyes darkened, and her lips parted slightly as she gazed back steadfastly at him.

Never one for long, deep soul-searching, Jared knew inherently that this woman was special. She had dashed into their lives, and he wanted her to stay.

“I’m Jared Whitewolf,” he said quietly, looking at her crystal eyes, flawless skin, full red lips. “You’re holding my daughter, Meny—spelled M-E-R-R-Y.” His speech was automatic. His thoughts were on her eyes, so cool and filled with a mysterious invitation that revved up parts of him hungry for a woman’s touch.

“I’m Faith Kolanko.”

“Thanks for coming to our rescue.”

“You’re welcome.”

They stared at each other, and Jared didn’t want the moment to end. He didn’t feel compelled to talk to break the silence between them because it wasn’t an uneasy quiet. Far from it. It was snapping, popping and sizzling with chemistry so hot it should be illegal. While he looked down at her, he saw another flicker in the depths of her eyes.

For the first time since he’d become Merry’s father, he momentarily forgot his daughter—forgot everything—except the woman whose wide eyes gazed up at him. Faith Kolanko.

“We’re having a picnic. Want to join us?” he asked. “Are you alone?”

“Oh, my soul! I’m late for work!” she exclaimed, glancing at her watch, the magic sparks spinning between them vanishing as if turned off by a switch. “I’ve got to go,” she said, handing Merry to him.

Jared knew a good thing when he saw it, and he wasn’t going to let Faith Kolanko slip out of his life ten minutes after she’d arrived in it.

“Hey, wait!” he said, trying to scoop up his boots and shirt and Merry’s sundress and hold Merry at the same time.

Faith did not wait. She dashed around the spirea bushes and reappeared in seconds with a purse slung over her shoulder. “See you!”

She ran down the twisting gravel path and vanished beyond a stand of bright yellow forsythia.

“Darlin’, we can’t let that woman go,” he said to Merry, placing her on the quilt he had spread. He yanked on his boots, pulled on his T-shirt. He dropped Merry’s pink sundress over her head, straightened it and picked her up to run. He passed the forsythia, sprinting across the grassy park while he looked around, searching for a golden head of hair and a blue blouse and skirt.

Halfway around the park, the brick wall progressively shortened and then ended. There was a parking lot at the north end, and Jared scanned the few people getting in and out of cars for a blue blouse and skirt. He glanced to the east. Beyond the park and the wide expanse of sidewalk, past a fountain with silver water sparkling in the bright sunlight, up wide steps to a tall office building, he spotted fabulous legs, a blue skirt, blue shirt and golden hair. He tightened his grasp of Merry and ran.

Faith Kolanko disappeared through the revolving glass doors of the Harrington Tower. Since he suspected she would be out of sight in an office by the time he reached the revolving doors, he stopped running.

He looked down at Merry, who smiled at him. “You are a sweetie, and I’m sorry I fed you too much banana at once. I won’t do that again, I promise,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “The lady got away—for now, but not for good. Nosiree. Li’l darlin’, we’ll get our things and go look for the pretty lady. I’ll bet half the men in that building can tell me what office she’s in. You liked her, didn’t you?”

Merry gurgled and blinked when sunlight splashed over her face.

“Well, so did I. She’s special, Merry. I can just feel it down to my bones. Faith Kolanko. That’s a pretty name. Merry and Faith. I like that.”

Merry smiled at him, and he settled her against his shoulder as he strode back to the blanket he had spread. He laid her down gently, her big blue eyes watching him solemnly until a bird flitted past, and then her attention shifted to the birds and trees.

Jared folded up their things, finished the can of pop he’d been drinking and put their trash in a nearby bin. He sank down on the quilt, pulled Merry into his arms and got a bottle out of a satchel. “Now, li’l darlin’, here’s your bottle. You drink up and have a little nap. Then, sweetie, we’ll go find the pretty lady we liked so much.”

Jared watched Merry’s tiny hands grasp the plastic bottle, and he felt his heart swell with love for this little person he held in his arms. “I’m sorry your real daddy couldn’t know you, li’l darlin’. He was a good man and we’re not going to forget him.”

Merry’s eyes closed, thick black lashes a dusky shadow over her plump rosy cheeks. Jared snuggled her closer, careful not to disturb her as she drank her formula. He brushed a kiss across her forehead. While he watched her drink, he thought about Faith Kolanko. He wanted a date with her. He hadn’t had a satisfactory date since Merry had come into his life. And though he had yet to try, he suspected he’d had so few dates that he could count them on the fingers of both hands. He just hoped he couldn’t count them on one hand.

Whatever the number, it had been too damned few. He liked women and he missed their companionship. But nothing about his life was as simple as it had been before. He had to think about Merry now. He had to be friends with nice ladies who liked Merry and could deal with her. And until today, he hadn’t met anyone who fit his criteria—and who fit him.

Faith Kolanko had been marvelous with Merry. She was the first female he had encountered who could really cope in a crisis.

While Merry sucked happily, fantasies danced in his mind. Jared pictured the slender blonde in absolute detail. The way her lips curved in a smile, the hint of curiosity in her green eyes as she looked at him. The cool, decisive way she had taken charge. The warmth she exhibited toward Merry.

He had learned at an early age that a man out in public with a horse or a puppy drew women like honey drew flies. In the last four months, he had learned that a man with a baby also attracted women. Wherever he traveled with Merry—grocery, park, rodeo, beach or mall—women came up to him to see the baby. But when he carried it further, it was different. A man and a woman who met over a horse or a dog could ignore the animal for a few hours. No such luck with a baby. When Merry demanded attention, Jared had discovered that most of the women he encountered either knew little about babies or already knew too much and didn’t want anything to do with another one. Romance had gone out of his life almost as swiftly as fatherhood had come into it.

But then, springing forth from a hedge, had come a beautiful lady who obviously loved little babies. “My, oh, my!” he whispered aloud. He looked down at the baby in his arms. She had finished the bottle, and her breath was rapid, rising and falling evenly, telling him she was asleep.

“What a day we’ve had, eh, li’l darlin’? It will be downhill all the way from here.” He placed Merry gently on the blanket. “We’re going to get our things and go find the pretty lady. I suspect she isn’t going to be able to resist you. We are going to ask Faith to dinner and to become part of our lives. We need her—I can feel it clear down to my toes,” he said to the sleeping baby.

He paused and looked at the spirea bushes. Only a sprinkling of white petals on the ground indicated that anything had disturbed the flowers. He picked a little sprig and tucked it into the pocket of Merry’s bag.

Jared stretched out on the blanket, folding his arms behind his head, and watched white clouds shift across the deep blue sky. He listened to the birds and enjoyed the slight April breeze while leaves caused shadows to dance across him. His thoughts were on Faith Kolanko. She had been calm, cool, efficient. And beautiful. Big green eyes, long legs. In his heart he gave another silent prayer of thanks for Merry’s rescue and for Faith Kolanko sweeping into their lives.

All his life, there had been women around—until the last two months. He missed having a woman around. He had thought of marriage—something that had never crossed his mind until he’d become a father. Now he was ready to marry. But now, because of Merry, he couldn’t get out and meet women with the ease he had known before. Well, Faith was one lady who had charged into his life, and he wanted to keep her there. At least, he wanted her there long enough to see if he wanted her there forever.

Two hours later Jared shook out the soft blanket, rolled it up, then bound it with leather before fastening it to a carrier on his back. Catching his shaggy hair, he fastened it with a leather thong behind his head. Then he carefully placed Merry in her baby carrier and secured her against his heart, brushing her soft hair lightly with his fingers.

“Sweetie, I didn’t know how lovable a little baby could be until I met you.”

He brushed off his jeans, gathered his things and crossed the park. Whistling, Jared strolled to the Harrington Building and pushed inside. Moments later, he was describing Faith to the receptionist, who shook her head at him.

“I’m sorry, sir. There are a lot of blond women who work in this building.”

“Faith Kolanko is about five feet eight inches tall. She has long blond hair, green eyes, a few freckles across her nose—”

“Miss Kolanko works on the fifth floor.” A man in a white shirt and dark slacks appeared at Jared’s side. “She’s an artist and works for Graphic Design.”

“Thanks,” Jared said, eyeing the man as much as the man was eyeing him. Jared turned, looked at the directory posted near the elevators and spotted Graphic Design listed on the fifth floor.

“We’ll have to wait until she gets off work, Merry,” he said to the sleeping baby. “We’ll come back about four o’clock so we don’t miss her.”

He strode out into the sunshine and back to the park, this time spreading his blanket in the shade where he could see two of the building’s exits.

At four he went to his pickup, where he left the blanket and picnic basket, opting instead for Merry’s umbrella stroller. “Now, darlin’,” he said, buckling Merry into the seat and handing her a bright blue rattle, “we’ll wait for Miss Kolanko to get off work.” Hooking Merry’s diaper bag over the handle of the stroller, he pushed her toward the Harrington Tower.

They sat in the cool lobby and watched people pour through on their way home from work, but Jared did not spot any tall, beautiful blonde. Five became six, the building emptied, and a security man in a brown uniform appeared.

“Sir, do you work in this building?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Well, unless you have some reason for being here, I’ll have to ask you to leave. I need to lock up the building for the night,” he said, switching off some of the lobby lights.

“I’m waiting for Faith Kolanko with Graphic Design.”

“Miss Kolanko? Do you mind if I verify that?”

“No, go ahead. I’m Jared Whitewolf,” he said, standing.

The security guard crossed the lobby to a phone and placed a call. Jared pushed Merry and the stroller closer.

“Whitewolf. He said he’s waiting for you, Miss Kolanko. That’s right, a little baby. Yes, ma’am. You’re welcome.” He replaced the receiver.

“She said to tell you she would be right down. Sorry for the inconvenience, sir, but we have to make the building as secure as possible.”

“sure. I understand. Thanks.”

Jared pushed the stroller back to the bench that faced the elevators and sat down to wait, watching as glowing numbers above the elevator moved from five to one. He stood as the double doors slid open and the woman he was going to marry emerged.


Two

Rushed, annoyed that she had to take time to see why the man she met in the park was waiting downstairs, Faith glanced around. Her searching gaze was arrested by a tall cowboy wearing a wide-brimmed black hat with two feathers hanging over the brim, a white T-shirt and a big silver buckle on a hand-tooled leather belt. Jeans hugged his slim hips, and the tips of black boots showed beneath the frayed edges. For an instant she didn’t recognize him. The lobby was dim; the hat hid his eyes. And the shaggy black hair she remembered from the afternoon was pulled behind his head, changing his appearance considerably.

The tall cowboy turned a stroller to face her, and she saw Merry Whitewolf. Faith knew the man she was facing was Jared Whitewolf.

“Mr. Whitewolf—”

“Howdy, Faith. And it’s Jared. You saved Merry’s life, so we’re on a very personal basis.”

“I have to get back to the office,” she said as he approached. She looked down at the baby, who smiled. Faith couldn’t resist smiling back. For just an instant the cares of the day fell away. “Hi, Merry,” she said, leaning down slightly. “You are the friendliest little girl I have ever seen.”

“That’s because her daddy’s friendly” came a slow drawl. “Sorry to interrupt your work, but we wanted to take you to dinner when you’re through here.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I just couldn’t!” Faith exclaimed swiftly, straightening to face him. He tilted back his hat, and she looked into dark eyes that seemed to reach down and grab hold of a little part of her soul. She didn’t want to look away. She forgot work. She forgot where she was for a moment. In the park today, she had felt that same magnetic pull, but she had blamed it on the sweet baby, the magic of the outdoors on a sunny afternoon, the unusual encounter. And maybe an expanse of a fabulous, bare chest.

She couldn’t blame her current reaction on any of those things, yet here she was barely able to get her breath, gazing up at a man who was staring at her as if he had been searching for her all his life.

“Yes, you can,” he said quietly, touching a tendril of hair near her face. “You have to eat sometime. Have you already had dinner?”

She felt the faint brush of his warm fingers on her cheek. She knew she looked disheveled. The afternoon had been as hectic as she had expected, and plunging through the spirea bushes earlier had mussed her cotton skirt and blouse. “No, I haven’t, but I’m not going to take time now. I have another hour’s work to do.”

“We’ll wait,” he said with a smile as he smoothed her collar. When his knuckles brushed her collarbone, she tingled. What was the matter with her? Had she worked until she was senseless? She was reacting to a perfect stranger in a very primitive way.

“No, you shouldn’t wait,” she argued, making an effort to look away from brown eyes so dark, she felt she was staring into a moonless night. “I can’t go out with you. You’re a complete stranger. I know nothing about you. And I have to get back to work.”

“Faith,” he drawled, his hand catching her arm as she started to turn away. His touch was feather light, and she paused, rooted to the spot. “We’re not going to stay strangers. Are you engaged or involved with someone?”

“No, but that isn’t the point. In this day and age it’s dangerous to be friendly to strangers.”

“I agree. So let’s fix this stranger status.” He retrieved a glossy program from his satchel and handed it to her. “Here’s my picture. I’m riding in a rodeo at the arena tomorrow night.”

She stared at the smiling picture of him and noted the statistics about his bull riding, saddle bronc riding and prizes he had won. “You’re a three-time world champion bull rider,” she remarked as she read.

With a flash of very white teeth, he grinned. “Somehow, I don’t think that’s a plus in your book.”

“I can’t even imagine it,” she answered, looking again at his picture. She had to admit the man was not only handsome, he had a charm that was spellbinding.

“You can call out to the arena, and any of the boys will tell you about me. I own a home here in Tulsa. The house is on South Peoria. If Merry could talk, she would verify that I’m safe. And besides that—” he thrust the rodeo program into Faith’s hands and pulled out a card from his frayed billfold “—this is my brother Wyatt. He’s a detective with the OCPD. We’ll go call him and he’ll tell you I’m safe. C’mon.”

“Oh, no! You don’t need to call your brother.”

“I’m not going to. You are. I have coins here and you can make the call yourself,” he said, positioning the stroller in front of Faith while he tugged lightly on her arm. “There’s a pay phone, so you’ll know this isn’t a setup job. You can call the OCPD yourself and talk to Wyatt. He’ll tell you I’m totally safe to go out with. If he doesn’t convince you, I have another brother, Matt. He’s a farmer. Let’s start with the cop.”

“This is ridiculous. I have work upstairs.”

“I know you do and I’m sorry to interfere, but some time tonight you’ll have to stop work and go home. And you’ll have to eat. Merry and I can help you unwind. Just a little dinner and I’ll get you home, so we can start getting to know each other.”

“I don’t think so,” she said, facing him. He was handsome with prominent cheekbones, skin as dark as teak, lashes unbelievably thick, a firm jaw. And every time she received the full force of his dark-eyed stare, she felt weak-kneed and knew she was going to cave in to him. She took a deep breath, trying to summon a no.

“Merry really wants you to go with us. She just doesn’t know how to say it.”

No vanished as he offered the handles of the stroller to her. Faith pushed Merry to the phone. Big blue eyes stared at her.

Jared placed the receiver in her hand, turned her to the phone and put the card in front of her. He plopped a bandanna on the shelf and untied it. Silver coins filled the red cloth. “Now, you just call the OCPD. There’s the number. Ask for Wyatt, and then you ask him about my character and reliability.”

She turned to him. “I just don’t think I have time in my life right now—”

He bent his knees slightly to be at her eye level, then he leaned closer. She caught a soapy scent that was pleasant “Faith, I think you should,” he said quietly. “I think we were meant to know each other. Sooner or later we will. So let’s make it sooner.”

Her heart started a ridiculous drumming. Never in her life had she had this kind of reaction to a man.

“Call Wyatt,” Jared commanded softly.

She turned and began punching numbers. Then she listened as the operator told her the amount of money required. Each coin made a metallic clink. Jared Whitewolf moved away, pushing Merry around in her stroller, and then he hunkered down to talk to the baby.

A deep male voice finally came over the receiver and Faith felt absurd. “Is this Detective Wyatt Whitewolf?”

As soon as he said yes, she launched into an explanation. “This is Faith Kolanko from Tulsa, and I’ve just met your brother Jared. He’s asked me to dinner, and since we’re complete strangers—”

She paused as the man at the other end of the line laughed.

“My brother is safe enough,” he said, his voice filled with amusement. “With horses and with women he’s a will-o’-the-wisp charmer. He’s harmless.”

“I met him this afternoon, and his little girl, Merry.”

The explosion at the other end of the line made Faith hold the phone away from her ear, but she recognized the shock in Wyatt’s reaction.

“Let me talk to him,” Wyatt said in a tone of voice that had lost all casualness.

Jared must have heard Wyatt’s response, too, because he turned and smiled, making her pulse jump. His grin was infectious, softening his masculine features. The man was incredibly appealing.

She held out the phone. “He wants to talk to you.”

“I’ll only take a second. Do you mind?” he asked, gesturing toward Merry. They switched stroller for receiver, Jared’s hand brushing hers ever so lightly, but she was fully aware of the contact.

“Hi, brother. Yeah, I have a little girl.”

Faith couldn’t help but listen to the one-sided conversation while she wondered what had happened to Merry’s mother.

“No. It’s a long story, Wyatt. I’ll tell you when I see you. Merry’s four-and-a-half months old.” Another pause, and then he said, “Yeah, it’s great.”

Jared’s voice had softened to a buttery warmth that sent a tingle dancing in Faith, and she knew he was talking about Merry. His tone changed whenever he talked about the baby.

“I’m riding in a rodeo here tomorrow night, and then we’ll be in Oklahoma City for the rodeo next weekend, so we’ll come see you then.”

He paused and listened. “Yeah, she’s with me. How are your girls? And Alexa? Good. Tell them hello. See you Saturday.” Jared turned to her. “Faith, do you want to talk to him again?”

She shook her head, then watched as Jared turned back to the phone. With one hand splayed on his hip, he seemed so relaxed, so easygoing, yet there was an air of energy about him that she could feel every time he was near. She would go to dinner with him, she decided. It gave her a peculiar feeling, as if she was caught in a current carrying her along, out of control. Her life was order and stability and security. Filled with routine precision, it was as sure and certain as the hands on a clock. But ever since she had plunged through the spirea bushes and Jared Whitewolf had come into her life, she had felt off balance and out-of-step.

Merry began to fret, and Faith bent down to pick her up. “You have been a very good girl today. You really are a sweetie,” she said, remembering that Jared had used the endearment earlier. She turned to find that Jared had replaced the receiver and was sauntering back to her. “Have you been waiting here in the lobby with this baby all day?” she asked.

“No. We spent the afternoon in the park and then came back about closing time.”

“Your brother didn’t know about Merry.”

“No, but he does now. We don’t write letters. Now, what do you say about dinner?”

“You’ll have to wait around for a little while until I’m ready.”

“We don’t mind, do we, Merry?” he asked, and Merry smiled at him.

“She’s the best behaved baby I have ever seen. She smiles every time anyone looks at her.”

“That’s because—”

“I know. Because you smile a lot,” she said, finishing for him as she handed Merry back to him. He grinned while he fell into step beside her and walked with her to the elevator, pushing the empty stroller ahead of him.

“If you’d rather wait in our office, you may. It might be easier with Merry.”

“Thanks.” He held the elevator door while she entered, and then he pushed the stroller inside. He leaned back against a wall and faced her.

“What’s your title?”

“Executive director of advertising.”

“I’m impressed. And what do you do? Sell advertising?”

“No. I’m a graphic artist. I plan the layout and design, write copy, sometimes do the entire ad campaign or promotion. I have certain accounts I regularly handle, as well as others I do occasionally, and I have six people I supervise.”

While she talked, she was aware of his steady scrutiny. She became more conscious of her appearance, knowing her hair needed combing and her makeup had long ago disappeared. Her blouse was wrinkled and she had a green stain on her collar, probably from the spirea. Jared looked relaxed, one knee slightly bent, his booted foot propped against the wall.

“Do you always work this late?”

“No. We’re working on a big account, and the client wanted changes at the last minute, so we’re rushing to get everything done. We present the pitch in the morning.”

He nodded. “Have any particular food you like to eat?”

“Maybe Italian.” She glanced at Merry. “Won’t we be keeping the baby up long past her bedtime?”

Jared shook his head. “She sleeps off and on around the clock. And whether she’s tucked into her bed or out with us, Merry will sleep. When she’s ready to snooze, nothing will stop her. Don’t worry, she won’t lose sleep,” he said, smiling.

“You know best,” Faith replied.

The elevator doors opened and she led the way to a glass door that she unlocked.

“You can wait in here.”

They entered a large reception area with beige carpeting, dark wood furniture and pots of green plants. Faith turned to him. “I don’t know how long I’ll be.”

He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. We have all the time in the world. At least, until the rodeo tomorrow night.”

Feeling the familiar sense of being caught in something she couldn’t control, Faith left through a glass door and returned to work. She moved down the hall to a wide table where brochures and folders were spread. Nearby a colorful graph filled the screen of her computer.

Her co-worker and immediate supervisor, Porter Gaston, glanced toward the glassed-in waiting room and his blond brows arched. “Who’s your friend?”

“Jared Whitewolf. We’re going to dinner later,” she tried to say casually, wishing the announcement would go unnoticed, yet knowing it would be as overlooked as a firecracker exploding in a prayer meeting. Without really seeing it, she studied the brochure in front of her.

“You’re kidding.”

Looking up, she could see the incredulity in Porter’s blue eyes.

“Who the hell is he? Where did you meet him?” he demanded.

“He’s a friend. Shall we get back to work?” She stared at Porter, feeling a challenge rising. For the first time in her life she was doing something unexpected, unscheduled and uncharacteristic. While Porter looked at the reception area again, she turned to the computer.

“Faith, how long have you known this guy? I know I’m prying, but we’re friends.”

She turned to face Porter. “I haven’t known him long, but I’ve talked to his brother, who is a detective. Jared is a nice guy.”

“Well, damn. I can’t believe you’re going out with him. Here Madge and I have been trying for two months to get you and Kent together and you’re always busy. Yet here in the middle of this project, out of nowhere you’re going to dinner with some stranger.”

“It’s just dinner, Porter.”

“How long have you known Whitewolf?”

“His name is Jared Whitewolf.”

“Sorry. You’re evading my question.”

“I met him today.”

“Good Lord! And now you’re going to dinner with that ponytailed cowboy? Faith, the papers are filled with stories about women who get picked up by strangers and the terrible things that happen to them.”

“Look, I already told you, his brother is a detective, and I spoke to him. The guy is safe. He seems nice. He has a sweet little baby. He has a house on South Peoria. I read about him riding in the rodeo. I’ve seen a program with a write-up about him. He’s won a lot of rodeo prizes—”

“This is really you talking?”

Annoyed, she turned away. Porter was echoing her own thoughts and causing her regrets to multiply. She didn’t know Jared Whitewolf. And even if he was as reliable and charming as his brother indicated, she should be practical and go home to catch up on much-needed rest.

“Sorry,” Porter said. “I think I should meet him.”

“We will in a minute. Let’s finish this up.”

She met Porter’s quizzical gaze and then he shrugged. “All right. Look at the layout here.”

She moved around the table, scrutinizing papers that held graphs and charts and slogans. In minutes she was concentrating on her work again and had returned to the computer, rearranging the information and design. As she moved back to look at a brochure, she glanced through the glass partition.

Jared Whitewolf had tossed aside his hat. He stood with his back to her while he looked at framed pictures of advertising layouts the company had done. Her gaze ran over his thick black hair and his broad chest. The T-shirt molded the sinewy muscles in his shoulders and upper back. His jeans hugged slender hips. He was as foreign to her life as an intergalactic being. And Porter was right She should tell Jared Whitewolf that she would be working incredibly late and that she would be too exhausted to go anywhere except home. Alone.

She thought of men in her past that she had dated. Without exception, she had known them years before dating them. Buddies, school chums, childhood friends—even Earl Baines, a co-worker whom she had dated the longest. She didn’t know anything about cowboys, bull riders or men who spent their afternoons in the park with a baby and wore jeans and T-shirts. She glanced at Porter, who was seated at his desk. He had shed his suit coat, but he still wore his tie and white shirt with well-creased navy slacks. He was the kind of man she knew—professional, ambitious, punctual, whose life was filled with schedules and routines as much as her own.

She would tell Jared Whitewolf goodbye. It was absurd to think of doing anything else.

“Faith, can you look at this?” Porter asked without glancing up. “I think we should move this slogan and the picture of the machinery to the top of the page.”

She crossed to his desk and bent over the layout in front of him, forgetting Jared Whitewolf.

It was half an hour later, as she walked back to her computer with papers in hand, that she remembered her date. She glanced toward the reception room, knowing she should put the papers on her desk and send Jared home.

He sat on one of the chairs, and Merry was in his arms while he gave her a bottle. His head was bent over her, and Faith could see his lips moving and knew he was talking to her. Merry reached up a tiny hand, pale against his dark skin, as her fingers explored his jaw. Something seemed to unfold inside Faith and longing swamped her. She tried to picture Porter holding a baby, giving it a bottle, but it was impossible.

It was equally impossible to imagine either of her brothers—or even her father—tending a baby. With five children, her father had still managed to escape giving one of them a bottle unless he had been settled in front of the latenight news and her mother had placed a baby and a bottle in his arms. Nor could she imagine any of the men she had dated spending the day in the park with a baby like Jared had unless pressed into the duty.

Everyone in her life was as predictable as the sunrise. The men were busy with careers; the women busy with home and children. She was the oldest female and the only unmarried one in her family. Restlessness and a growing dissatisfaction tugged at her while Faith watched Jared Whitewolf. And she decided that this was one night she would spend a couple of hours breaking out of her routine. For once, she would let go of her orderly existence and see what life would be like with someone like Whitewolf.

His head rose and he met her gaze. They stared at each other, and even with a glass partition separating them, her pulse jumped and she felt weak-kneed and fluttery.

She waved the papers at him and he nodded, then she hurried to her alcove to try to finish. They had only the last touches now, and then she and Porter would be ready for the presentation tomorrow morning.

Ten minutes later she looked up to find Porter standing in front of her, gazing down at the brochures and folders and layouts. “We’re done!” she exclaimed. “Ten after nine. Not bad.”

“It looks great,” he said with satisfaction. “Damned good job. I think they’ll go for it.”

“Thanks,” she said, carefully placing the work in stacks.

“I’ll wind things up here and then we can go over everything again in the morning before we meet with them. Come on, introduce me to Whitewolf.”

She got her purse, shut down her computer and took a last look around.

“You’re through, Faith. Stop working.”

She smiled at him and they walked to the reception room. Jared came to his feet.

“Porter, this is Jared Whitewolf. Jared, this is my supervisor, Porter Gaston.”

“Glad to meet you,” Jared said politely, shaking hands with Porter.

“Faith said you’re taking her to dinner.”

“That’s right.”

“Before you go, I thought maybe you’d want to look around the office, see some of her work. Faith, why don’t you sit with his little baby while I show him our new promotion?”

Hearing the determination in Porter’s voice, Faith knew it was useless to protest. And she knew he wanted Jared alone to question him. Porter was a family friend who’d been looking after her for years.

“Now I can see what you’ve been working on,” Jared said easily, and followed Porter beyond the glass door.

Faith felt mildly annoyed at Porter’s meddling, but she knew her entire family would be even more curious about Jared Whitewolf than Porter was. She sat down and looked at the baby who was sleeping again, slumped over in the stroller. She looked uncomfortable, so Faith leaned down to unbuckle the strap and carefully lift the sleeping child into her arms. Merry sighed and snuggled against Faith and Faith’s arms tightened. She felt a hollow ache while the warmth of the tiny baby seemed to permeate to her heart.

Fifteen minutes later, the men returned and Jared took Merry from her arms. He picked up his hat and set it on his head, and then turned to extend his hand to Porter.

“It was nice to meet you. Thanks for the tour.”

“Sure thing. You two have a good evening. I’ll wind this up, Faith. If I see anything that isn’t ready, I’ll give you a call. You don’t mind if I call anytime tonight, do you?”

“No. I won’t be home for about an hour, but after that, it’s fine.”

“Good. I might have a question.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Gaston,” Jared said, and pushed open the door for Faith. He wheeled the stroller through the door and walked beside her toward the elevators.

“Sure that wasn’t your dad?”

Smiling, she shook her head. “He’s a close friend of my father and my uncle, Blake Kolanko. My uncle owns this business.”

“Ahh.”

“Don’t say ‘ahh’ like ‘so that’s why you have your job.’ I worked at another ad agency until last year when I came to work here.”

“I didn’t mean any such thing. I just understand better why Gaston was hovering. He didn’t want you to go out with me.”

“Well, you’re not my usual date.”

As they waited for the elevator, Jared looked down at her, then touched her collar, his fingers brushing her throat. He stood close enough that she could feel the warmth of his body.

“Who’s your usual date?”

“I date men like Porter. They work at brokerage firms or ad agencies. They don’t spend the afternoon in the park. And I’ve known them for years and years.” She knew she was rambling, but his brown eyes were playing havoc with her thought processes and she was aware she had worked since six that morning. She smoothed stray tendrils of hair away from her face and wished she had taken more time to freshen up before leaving the office.

He caught her hand and rubbed his thumb lightly across her knuckles. The touch made her draw a deep breath. Why did the slightest physical contact with him make her tingle?

“I don’t see any ring from one of these guys you’ve known years and years. Who’s the one in your life now?”

“Right now, there isn’t one. I’ve been really busy with work for the past couple of months.”

He gave her a crooked grin and ran his finger down her cheek. “Sounds like you’re ready for a little change in your life.”

The elevator doors slid open and he stretched out a long arm, holding the door open while she entered. He pushed the stroller inside.

She looked down at Merry in his arms. “You know, I really don’t know you. If it weren’t for this baby, I wouldn’t be doing this.”

Jared stretched out his arm, placing his hand against the wall beside her head and leaned close, bending his knees to look into her eyes. “I didn’t have anything to do with your agreeing to go out?” he asked in a husky voice. “You don’t feel any little zip of anticipation or curiosity when we talk?”

“Maybe,” she answered cautiously, her whole body feeling little zips from his husky voice, his nearness and his question. As she gazed up at him, her breasts tightened and her heart raced.

“Scared to admit it?”

“I told you, this isn’t what I’m accustomed to at all. I’ve never gone out with someone I just met.”

“I don’t blame you if it’s a stranger you don’t know. But you know a lot about me. You know I ride in rodeos. You’ve talked to my brother. And you’ve saved my daughter from choking. We’ll get to know each other better, and tomorrow night you can come watch me ride.”

She had to smile. “Too bad you don’t have any confidence in yourself,” she remarked.

“Faith, darlin’,” he drawled, leaning closer and placing his fingers along her cheek, “my confidence is in what I feel and what I see in your green eyes when we stand close like this.”

The elevator doors slid open. As she stepped out and walked through the doors into the night beside Jared Whitewolf, she felt as if she were leaving more than her office and day’s work behind.

They placed the stroller in the rear of the pickup and then buckled Merry in the carrier that was in the back seat.

When Jared drove out of the lot, Faith glanced back at the sleeping baby. “She is the best little baby. What happened to her mother?”

“She didn’t want a baby, so she packed and left Merry behind.”

Faith shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she said, wondering how badly he had been hurt. “Having a new baby and losing your wife about the same time must mean huge adjustments. I’m sorry you lost your wife.”

“Oh, I’ve never been married. I’m not Merry’s blood father,” he answered quietly.


Three

As he drove along darkened streets, Faith stared at him. “You said she’s your daughter.”

“I adopted Merry when her daddy died,” Jared said, his voice rough.

“You must have been close friends,” she said.

“He was my best friend.” Jared stared straight ahead as he turned into a graveled lot lighted by a tall pole lamp. He parked and cut the motor, still staring out the front window. She saw a muscle knot in his jaw.

“You know, life is strange. My family was such a mess growing up, I finally ran away. I’ve lived everywhere and done nearly everything, but when Dusty died, it got to me like not much else ever has. I think part of it has to do with Merry. Sometimes when I’m with her, I know what he’s missing. It shouldn’t be me watching her get her first tooth, it should be Dusty.”

“Sorry, Jared. But it’s wonderful you took responsibility for her.”

“She’s my life now,” he said, reaching back to touch the baby’s wispy hair. “Enough about the past. C’mon, let’s eat.”

As they stepped out of the car, Faith glanced around. Red neon burned over the door in a simple sign reading Eldon’s Café. Across the street was a bar and pool hall, and down the block another bar.

“The area’s not great,” he said, as if he had noticed her inspection. “But they have the best spaghetti south of Chicago and it’s quiet inside so we can talk. You said you like Italian.”

“I do. I’ve lived in Tulsa all my life and I’ve never eaten here.”

“This isn’t your style, Faith. Those businessmen you date prefer other places. This is pretty simple,” he said as he unbuckled the carrier and lifted it from the rear seat of the pickup. He closed the door and took her arm.

They entered a small, one-room café with wooden tables, an old-fashioned jukebox and men on stools along the bar at the end of the room. A few customers were scattered at booths and tables around the room. Jared led her to a booth and placed the carrier on the seat. He hung his hat on a peg before sitting down to face Faith. As soon as they had glasses of water and had ordered their meals, he took a drink of the beer he had requested and then lowered the bottle to study her.

“Tell me about yourself, Faith. How many brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews do you have?”

“I’m next to the oldest of five siblings. My brothers and sisters are married and all have children.”

“So you’re the career woman.”

She looked down, running her fingers on the cold glass, and watched as little drops of water dripped to the table. “I am. To tell the truth, it’s beginning to get a little stale.”

“How so? You looked pretty dedicated back there.”

“I used to love my work and couldn’t wait to get to the office. It was fun and I was eager and it was exciting.” She glanced up to meet his steady, disconcerting gaze. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this.”

“Because I’m a good listener,” he answered lightly. “If you feel that way, why don’t you ease up? Go out more. Date. Maybe you’re suffering burnout.”

“I keep telling myself I don’t have burnout, but I don’t feel like I used to.... Anyway, now you tell me about you. Two brothers. Where are your parents?” She saw him arch one brow; otherwise, there was no indication she had struck a nerve.

“My parents, darlin’, are no longer living. My grandparents are full-blood Kiowa. My brothers and I didn’t have the same fathers. Actually, we didn’t have any legal fathers—all of them were common-law husbands. My blood father was alcoholic, verbally abusive—not a sterling character.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, saddened by the knowledge that his past had been so vastly different from her own happy childhood.

He shrugged. “I have two older brothers who are great. Wyatt has grown up with a sense of right and wrong that is powerful.”

“Did he get that from your mother?”

“Oh, hell, no.” Jared paused as plates of spaghetti with thick red sauce were placed before them. The waitress set a basket with hot, golden breadsticks on the table.

“Can I get you anything else?” she asked.

“No, thanks,” Jared answered when Faith shook her head.

“You were telling me about your brother Wyatt,” Faith prompted, curious about Jared’s family.

“Wyatt got his fine-tuned conviction of what’s right and wrong from our granddad. We spent a lot of time on the farm with him. My grandparents live in southern Oklahoma, and they were the Rock of Gibraltar in our lives. We moved all over. I ran away when I was sixteen, so I didn’t finish high school,” he said, giving her a level look. “And why do I suspect you have more than one college degree?”

Surprised he had guessed, she shrugged. “I didn’t think it showed,” she answered lightly. “I have my MBA and a degree in graphic art.”

“So our life-styles and our backgrounds are different,” he said, putting his fork down. He leaned across the table, sliding his hand behind her head.

She inhaled, his touch bringing a tingling awareness to her whole body. Her pulse raced, and she felt as if she was drowning in his dark eyes. “You have a fancy executive job while I drift across the country riding horses and bulls. Even with all these glaring differences, why do I suspect we have some very common ground between us?”

“I don’t think we do have any common ground,” she whispered, barely able to get her voice. He was like a magnet, stirring and pulling everything to him.

He leaned back and placed her barrette on the table. “I like your hair better that way,” he said.

She touched her hair in surprise. “I didn’t even feel you take that out.”

Amusement sparkled in his eyes. “I have a practiced hand,” he drawled. “A very sensitive touch.” She suspected he was not talking about taking out barrettes, but she had never been into light flirting and double entendres, so she let the remarks drop.

“I’ll tell you some common ground,” he continued cheerfully. “You like Merry, and from the way you look at her, you like little babies a whole damn lot.”

“Yes, I do,” she said, trying to gather her wits and pick up the thread of his conversation.

“Tell me more about yourself. What do you want out of life?”

She couldn’t recall the last time anyone had asked her that question. Or if anyone ever had asked her. She paused, her fork halting. “When I was a little girl, I collected dolls, and all I wanted was to grow up, get married and have babies. Then I got older and began to want a successful career in graphic art. End of ambitions.”

“You want to own the company?”

“Actually, no. I like doing the design and art work. I’m not as interested in management.”

He smiled, a slight curving of his mouth, a satisfied glint in his eyes that made her uneasy, as if she had just passed a test.

“So tell me about your parents and how you spend holidays and where all these siblings live.”

“They all live here in Tulsa, very close to our folks and one another. We spend holidays together, and with all the little nieces and nephews it’s fun and hectic.”

Jared finished his dinner and listened to her describe her banker father, her attorney brother, Andy, her stockbroker brother, Keith, as well as her two married sisters who were home with their children. While Faith finished her spaghetti and talked, Jared felt more sure by the second that this lady was going to be special in his life. Every time she talked about marriage and babies, she got a wistful note in her voice. She might have a hell of a career, but the woman wanted a baby, and-it showed almost as plainly as if she had announced it.

When Merry stirred, he picked her up.

“I’ll hold her if she’ll let me,” Faith said, and Jared handed Merry to her. Faith settled Merry in her arms and smiled at the baby. She touched the baby’s cheek. “How did you get to know her father?”

“Rodeo. He was into bull riding and saddle broncs just like I am. I knew Merry’s mother, too. She was a good-looking woman. Too damn good-looking. She never intended to get pregnant, and when Merry was born, she took off. She never married Dusty, and she told him she didn’t want any part of their kid. Some mother,” he said.

“So how did you become father to her? Or would you rather not talk about it?”

“Dusty lost control of his pickup and he was thrown out. He didn’t wear a seat belt and his internal injuries were terrible.” Faith sat quietly while silence stretched between them, and she knew he was having another struggle with his emotions.

“Jared, I didn’t mean to pry,” she said softly, reaching out to cover his hand with hers.

He turned his head away, pinched the bridge of his nose and wiped his eyes. “Sorry. It seems like yesterday. I got to the hospital as fast as I could. Dusty asked me to take Merry. I didn’t want to. Hell, I felt inadequate to be a dad. I damned sure didn’t have a good role model growing up.”

“Sounds as if you did in your grandfather.”

“Yeah, I did. Anyway, Dusty was insistent I take Merry because he was dying.” Jared met her gaze and looked down at her hand lying over his. He opened his hand, his fingers closing around hers, warm and strong and sure. Why did every little thing with him seem special? This cowboy was playing havoc with her system, and she suspected she was going to remember this day and night forever.

“Dusty begged me to adopt her. When I agreed, he got a lawyer and we signed the papers. Dusty didn’t live until morning.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah,” Jared said, staring beyond her as if lost in memories. He gave her hand a squeeze and released her. Picking up his beer, he took a long drink. “Was I lost at first! I’d never been around a little baby in my life. Never held one. She’s an angel and she’s blessed my life.”

“That’s wonderful that you adopted her,” Faith said. She was amazed he had adapted so well to fatherhood after the vagabond life he must have led.

“Looks like they want to close,” he said, gesturing to the empty café. “Let’s get out of here. We can talk in the pickup or we can go to my place.”

“My stars,” she exclaimed, looking at her watch. “It’s half past twelve! We’ve been talking for over two hours.”

He gave her a crooked grin. “So we have,” he said, with so much satisfaction, she had to laugh.

“Don’t tell me you knew we would.”

“I didn’t say it.” He had paid the check long before, and as he slid out of the booth he placed his hat on his head. He took Merry from her and picked up the carrier.

The night breeze was cool when they stepped outside, catching locks of Faith’s hair and blowing them across her cheek. Jared fastened Merry’s carrier onto the back seat, and said, “She’s asleep again. The afternoon in the park must have worn her out even with her little naps.” He slid behind the wheel and turned to Faith. “Give me directions.”

She did so, and they drove across south Tulsa to Faith’s condo, where Jared punched in the code to open black iron gates. Moments later, he stopped in her driveway and cut the motor.

“Want to see where I live?” she asked. She hadn’t given thought to whether or not she would invite him in, simply because she hadn’t expected to, yet when he’d switched off the motor, the words were out of her mouth before she could take them back.

“Sure. I’ll bring Merry,” he said, climbing out of the pickup. He reached into the back seat to gather the baby.

They entered Faith’s apartment through a small hallway leading into her kitchen. She switched on a light while Jared placed Merry, still in her carrier, on an oval wooden kitchen table and dropped his hat on a chair. The spotless room contained cherry wood cabinets, tile countertops and a pale blue-and-white floor.

“This is nice,” he said.

“I’ll give you a tour.” Hanging her keys and purse on a hook, she motioned to him, leading him through a formal dining area with a fruitwood table and sideboard, the surfaces gleaming. He thought of the tiny fingerprints smudged on the furniture in his hotel room, Merry’s diapers and belongings and toys strewn over the room, and his own clutter.

The living area was equally immaculate with Impressionist paintings hanging on the white walls, muted pastel upholstery lending touches of color in the beige-and-white decor and more fruitwood furniture.

“Would you like a glass of tea or pop?” she asked.

“Whatever pleases you suits me just fine.”

He followed her into the kitchen again and when she opened the refrigerator door, he quickly pushed it closed. He placed his hands on the refrigerator on either side of her, hemming her in.

Faith’s heart jumped and she drew a deep breath as she gazed up at him. He stood close enough that she could see a faint dark stubble on his jaw. His skin was smooth and brown, his eyes pools of midnight. A faint, thin scar ran across his right cheekbone.

“I don’t really need something to drink. Go with me to the rodeo tomorrow night. Come watch me ride.”

“Jared, dinner was nice—”

When his dark gaze drifted down to her mouth, her refusal died in her throat. Her pulse drummed, and she could see his intention in his eyes. Her body tightened, heated. The magic chemistry that had flamed between them from the first moments burned hotter than ever. She wanted his kiss, wanted his arms around her. Defying all logic and past history, disregarding every sensible thing she knew, she wanted his kisses. He was an unknown quantity, a temptation to discover secrets life had so far withheld from her. She closed her eyes and tilted her face.

Jared’s heart thudded. He saw the invitation, knew she was responding to him the moment her words died.

He knew full well they were as different as a flower from the equator and a glacier in the Arctic, yet a sizzling attraction burned between them. She was wonderful with Merry, and since when had he ever held back because of fear of the unknown?

He slid his arm around her narrow waist, feeling the suppleness of her body, and watched her almost visibly melt into his arms. Her scent was a bouquet of spring flowers. Soft and tantalizing like all the rest of her.

Her hands came up to rest gently on his shoulders—a feather touch—yet the contact jolted him straight to his heart. Her eyes opened to watch him. He could see the questions in their cool, green depths, see the willingness, the invitation that made him shake with anticipation.

His mouth covered hers, tasted, sought and found a heated sweetness that shattered barriers he had built up around his heart too many years ago to remember. His arm tightened and his world shifted, and he wondered if it would ever again be the same. This woman was special to him. They barely knew each other, yet he wanted her. Needed her.

He didn’t stop to question whether his feelings were right or wrong any more than he had stopped to question his actions at sixteen when he had run into a dark night, leaving family and home behind.

And he’d felt as if he was searching for something all those years, running, drifting, always seeking. In Faith’s sweetness and searing kisses, he felt as if he was home. Yet what could he offer her in return? She was accustomed to business types with their methodical planning and driving ambitions, not rough-hewed cowboys who took each day as it came.

While his heart thudded, he fitted her against his body, one arm tightly around her, his other hand tangled in her silky hair. He felt a chance for a future with her, yet was he pushing his dreams too far? She clearly loved little babies and responded to Merry, yet she might never come to love him.

He gave a deep growl in his throat. He was a man of action, not one to spend time debating the wisest course. She felt right in his arms. She was a marvel; her kisses, her warmth were perfection. Even if he was just a cowboy, she was responding to him. She seemed ready for something more in her life, too. Take a chance, his heart whispered.

Her slender arms wrapped around his neck and her hips thrust against him. When she trembled and moaned softly, his temperature soared. He wanted her with every inch of his being.

Faith had never known kisses like Jared’s, kisses that made years of loneliness fall away. Nor had she ever experienced the dizzying passion that burned into her, igniting responses she didn’t know she had. She felt drawn to this enigmatic man. She sensed a desperate need in him that sought fulfillment as much as the empty void she felt in herself.

Her sane, logical, routine world was torn apart in the raging storm of his kisses. Time hung in the balance. For this moment he was all she knew and, for now, all she wanted to know.

His lean, hard body pressed against her, and she felt his arousal. He raised his head and she opened her eyes, dazzled and befuddled. Kisses weren’t supposed to be life-changing. And his kisses had ended too swiftly.

She looked up into smoldering dark eyes that caused her heart to thud.

“Ah, Faith,” Jared said softly, running his finger along her jaw. “Will you marry me?”


Four

“Marry you?” Faith gazed up at him, uncertain she had heard him correctly.

Reality came crashing in. Startled by his proposal, she shook her head. Her logical way of viewing a problem surfaced. “Marriage is absurd. We don’t know each other at all!” She thought about all the times she had dreamed of marriage. In all those fantasies she had always imagined dating someone for a long time, then getting engaged, followed by months of planning for the wedding.

Too aware of the slightest contact with him, she dropped her hands to her sides. Jared still held her firmly, his arms around her waist, even though she wiggled to move away. “We can’t marry,” she continued. “If I ever marry, I will be wildly in love. I will have dated him for a long time and known him even longer. My family will know him. We’ll like the same things, have the same background—”

“That’s not what your kisses just told me,” Jared whispered, brushing a kiss across her temple that made her pulse jump again.

“How many women have you proposed to?” she snapped, flustered.

“Only one, just now,” he said so solemnly it took her breath away.

“We’re strangers and we’re not in love.”

“I need a mother for Merry. I want a woman in my life. I’m ready to settle down, and you’re perfect.”

She closed her eyes, her mind reeling. “Get a nanny. Get out and date. You can’t know that I’m perfect for you.”

“Yes, I do,” he answered quietly, and with a firmness that made her want to grind her teeth.

“Well, even if all that is so, there’s nothing in it for me. I don’t want to marry. I don’t know you. You’re not perfect for my life—far from it. You’re so unlike me. By your own admission, you’re wild, a drifter, a cowboy. What makes you think you’re ready to settle?”

“Merry. Because of her, I know I’m ready to settle. Darlin’, I’ve seen the world and done everything I wanted to as a single guy. That life is done and over. I’ve grown up.”

She wiggled again, and he released her. She moved a few steps away and turned to look at him. He stood with his hands on his hips, waiting, looking patient and satisfied. And so damnably sexy!

“We don’t know each other! I don’t even know how old you are.”

“Twenty-six.”

“Oh, my word!” She reeled at his answer. “There! That’s reason enough. I’m older than you.”

He stepped close again, and her breath caught in her throat. He tilted her face while he shook his head. “In years you may be older, but not in experience. You thought I was older, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” The word was a whisper because she knew he had won this argument. She looked at the scar across his cheek, the tiny lines that fanned from the corners of his eyes, the knowledge held in his dark eyes, and she knew that of the two of them, anyone would think he was the older. And when he kissed her, she felt like a young, inexperienced girl.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-nine,” she answered grudgingly.

“Ahh, the thirtieth birthday approaches. How soon is it?”

“Six months.” She glared at him, because that milestone had been worrying her more and more often.

“Your biological clock is ticking, Faith. Now I’ve told you what I want and what I’d be getting. Let’s talk about what you want and what you’d be getting.”

“I want my career and I’d lose it!” She had the feeling she was hanging on the edge of a cliff and slowly slipping into a bottomless chasm. She could feel ground crumbling beneath her grasping fingertips. At the same time, deep inside, she thrummed with an excitement that she tried to ignore.

“I don’t think that’s what you want at all.” He reached behind his head, unfastened the leather thong and shook his head. Black hair swirled around his face, emphasizing his wildness, and the differences in their life-styles. “You’ve got your career. You’ve moved up to a lot of responsibility and you like your work, but it’s not enough all by itself, is it?”




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