Vixen In Disguise. Kara Lennox

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СКАЧАТЬ called him, had doted on her when her family had first moved to Cottonwood. He’d never had a daughter or granddaughter of his own, so he’d informally adopted Anne.

      “Will the whole family be there?” Anne asked.

      “I assume so. Even Wade. I don’t know if you heard or not, but he’s back home.”

      Anne jumped, but as her mother grabbed a flat of plants and set them on the garage floor, she seemed to assign no particular significance to dropping Wade’s name.

      “You remember him, don’t you?” Deborah carried on chattily. “He ran away when he was sixteen, ran off and joined the circus or something. You were just a little girl. Anyway, he’s come back, the proverbial prodigal son.”

      “Yes, I remember him.” In far too much detail. Deborah turned back to Anne. “How was your checkup, anyway?”

      “Fine.” She hadn’t told her parents about the blood tests. It wasn’t something they needed to know at this stage in their lives. With any luck, they’d never have to know.

      “Anne, what’s this?” Deborah held up a tiny, green plastic pot with a sprig of ivy. One of the Hardison clan’s terrarium plants had apparently migrated into her cart.

      Anne shrugged. “An impulse purchase.” Once again, she felt her traitorous face heating.

      “I’ve got at least a dozen ivy plants rooting in the sunroom.”

      Anne forced a smile. “I said it was an impulse. I didn’t say it was smart.”

      ANNE MANAGED to put Wade out of her mind for most of the rest of the day by keeping really busy. That night, after all the gardening and phone calls and applications, she was so exhausted she fell immediately into a deep, dreamless sleep.

      At precisely 3:00 a.m. she sat bolt-upright in bed with the most disturbing thoughts. Wade and those kids…

      When she’d found out she was pregnant, she’d thought a lot about how she would break the news to Wade. In her imaginings, the conversation was always hideous:

      “Wade, I don’t know how this happened, but I’m going to have your baby.”

      “No way. That’s impossible. We were careful.”

      “Not careful enough, apparently. There was that first time…”

      “How do you know it’s mine?”

      “Because you’re the only guy I’ve slept with in the past year.”

      “Like I believe that.”

      “I don’t want anything from you. I just thought you should know.”

      “Yeah, well, you’ve done your civic duty.” Click.

      She had no real reason to believe he would treat her like that, but she hadn’t had any trouble imagining how a guy like Wade would feel about fatherhood. Nightmare city. He didn’t even have a permanent address, owned nothing but his horse, truck, trailer and the clothes on his back. Obviously, he had no desire to be tied down.

      After she’d lost the baby, her mother had tried to comfort her by saying the miscarriage was probably for the best, that a child should grow up with two parents. Anne had forced herself to agree, outwardly at least, to keep the peace. She’d even allowed herself some degree of relief because now she wouldn’t have to track down Wade and tell him he was going to be a father.

      But that was before she’d seen him with Sam and Kristin. He was good with them. He obviously thought they hung the stars. Maybe he even fantasized about having kids of his own one day. And they adored him. Contrary to all her preconceived ideas, Wade Hardison might make a pretty good father.

      And she’d lost his baby.

      Anne was ashamed she hadn’t even given him a chance to prove what kind of father he could be. But now it was too late.

      Chapter Four

      “The swelling’s gone down a lot,” Dr. Rick Chandler pronounced as he poked and prodded at Traveler’s leg.

      “He’s feeling better, too,” Wade said. “I can tell he’s itching to get out of this stall.”

      “Then let’s give it a try.”

      Full of optimism, Wade attached a lead rope to Traveler’s halter, then opened the stall door and let all three of them out. To his disappointment, his horse put almost no weight on the injured leg, gimping along with an awkward gait. They walked the length of the barn, then back, with the vet observing critically. When they reached Traveler’s stall the horse entered docilely, then didn’t even turn around to face front—as if his infirmity humiliated him.

      Doc Chandler frowned. “He’s still in a lot of pain.”

      “Should I continue the hot and cold compresses?”

      “Couldn’t hurt, at least until the swelling’s gone. Don’t let him walk around on that leg just yet.”

      “You think there’s any way he’ll be ready for the American Royal in early November?”

      The vet scratched his grizzled white head. He’d been treating Cottonwood’s animal population since long before Wade was born, and he seemed to have a special bond with animals. In fact, he’d been in attendance when Traveler was born.

      “It’s a tough call. Older horses take longer to recover from injuries, just like old people—you know that. And I sure as hell wouldn’t push him before he’s ready.”

      “No, I wouldn’t do that. But the Royal…”

      “You’re up for some big prize money, aren’t you?”

      “The whole enchilada. Even with taking off this whole month, I’ve still got more points than any other calf roper in the country. I could walk away with enough to retire.”

      Doc raised his eyebrows.

      “I’m not talking a villa on the Riviera, but I’d have enough of a nest egg I could do something else.”

      “Rodeo getting a little old?”

      Wade laughed. “Not hardly. I love rodeo. It’s just that I’m not getting any younger. And it’s a young man’s game. I just have this feeling in my bones, you know, like I’m gonna win the championship this year or I can forget it.”

      The older man stared at Wade for a few moments, and Wade got the feeling he understood. Doc Chandler had been a bull rider once upon a time, or so Wade had heard.

      “I’ll do what I can for your horse. These soft-tissue injuries are tricky. They can linger for months, or they can suddenly get better.”

      “I’m pulling for the ‘suddenly better’ option.”

      Wade got out his wallet to pay Doc Chandler’s fee, but the vet waved away the cash. “It’s just a follow-up visit. СКАЧАТЬ