Colorado Cowboy. C.C. Coburn

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СКАЧАТЬ to take it. Twelve-year-old Sasha would probably hate him on sight—and not hesitate to say so! She was at that difficult age—no longer a girl, not yet a woman—with a mass of confused hormonal behavior to back it up. Nine-year-old Daisy, in spite of her feminine name, would challenge him to an arm wrestling or calf-tying contest. She was a real tomboy and loved ranch life. Sweet four-year-old Celeste would have him wrapped around her little finger in minutes.

      A pang of conscience gripped him. Was he taking a huge risk by exposing his very innocent, country-raised daughters to his tough, streetwise son? He hoped not and then wondered what Cody would make of his half sisters.

      He looked at Megan, dozing beside him, her seat reclined. With her face relaxed in sleep, he could see the beauty that had first attracted him fifteen years ago.

      Whoa there, fella! Megan Montgomery might be his wife of a couple of hours, but he hadn’t thought about her that way in a very long time. She’d been a holiday fling that had turned into something deeper—or so he’d believed until she’d run out on him. He’d had a lot of flings while working as a ski instructor. The job had provided an income over the winter months while his father tended the ranch. Luke was well aware when he started dating Tory that she’d had several lovers. But so had he. She was a willing bed-partner and he didn’t think beyond that because he didn’t intend to make their relationship permanent. When Luke married Tory a month after Megan left town, he’d hung up his instructor’s jacket and given up the carefree bachelor life for good.

      Megan stirred and shifted, moving her head closer to him. She breathed in deeply, then exhaled a tiny sigh and buried her head against his arm.

      Luke sat stiffly, waiting for her to settle, fighting his reaction to the sound of that tiny, innocent sigh and the feel of her nose pressing against his arm.

      This wasn’t what he’d planned. He’d assumed he could remain cool and aloof, treat Megan with the respect due the mother of his child and not get involved.

      He stood and made his way to the bathroom.

      MEGAN FELT LUKE LEAVE his seat, felt the warmth leave her body where her face had nestled against him. She’d woken herself up with that sigh of contentment. Woken up after having a wonderful, slightly erotic dream that even smelled good. And then she’d opened her eyes and realized where she was—on an airplane with her face right up against Luke’s arm. He was wearing a polo shirt so she’d been burrowed against his bare, muscled flesh. She hadn’t dared move, in case he saw she was awake.

      “Would you care for a drink?” the flight attendant asked.

      Startled, she sat up. “What? Um, I guess so.” Unaccustomed to the luxury of flying first class, Megan was a little intimidated by the attentive service. Once, a lifetime ago, such treatment was what she’d been raised to expect.

      “We’ll have a bottle of your best champagne,” she heard Luke saying as he returned to his seat.

      The flight attendant turned toward Luke and stepped a little too close for Megan’s liking. “Celebrating something?”

      “We just got married today.”

      “Oh, that’s lovely,” she said, although it sounded to Megan like she didn’t really think that was lovely at all. “Congratulations.” She encompassed Megan in her already faded smile. “I’ll get a bottle and two flutes immediately, sir,” she assured Luke.

      Luke stretched and then sat down. “I hope you don’t mind. It seemed appropriate. We haven’t had a chance to toast each other and our future together.”

      Our future. She wondered how long that future could possibly last. Luke wouldn’t be satisfied with hanging around home and hearth indefinitely. He’d soon be out seeking the company of other women. Willing women like the young flight attendant. Sadness engulfed her. Sadness and confusion. She could never hope to compete for Luke’s affections with such a smorgasbord on offer. But was that what she actually wanted? Luke’s affections? A real marriage—to him? Too much had happened in too short a time; her life had changed in a matter of hours and she hadn’t caught up to it yet.

      “Is everything okay?” Luke asked.

      “What? Oh, yes. Fine. Why?”

      “You look a little peaked. I hope you’re not having regrets already.”

      Not yet, but I know I soon will, she thought.

      “You’re afraid of heights. Are you also afraid of flying?” he asked, reminding them of their first date.

      Luke had packed a picnic and driven them to Inspiration Point, a local beauty spot above the town of Spruce Lake. The location would’ve been ideal—if it didn’t plunge nearly a thousand feet to the valley floor. As soon as she’d stepped from his vehicle and noticed how high they were and just how close the cliff face was, she’d suffered an attack of vertigo and nearly passed out.

      Interesting that he’d remembered that date…and how afraid of heights she was.

      To purge the memory of Inspiration Point from her mind, she said, “Tell me about your daughters, Luke, and the rest of your family. I remember you’re the oldest of five boys and that you were all raised on a ranch, but I guess in the few weeks we…knew each other, that’s all I ever found out about you.”

      The champagne arrived, and Luke allowed the flight attendant to pour the sparkling liquid into two chilled flutes.

      He turned toward Megan and touched his glass to hers. “To us.”

      She lifted the glass to her lips, took a sip, then crinkled her nose and sneezed. “Oh! The bubbles got to me,” she said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to spoil your toast.”

      He touched his glass to hers a second time and said, “Let’s try that again.”

      They did, and Megan managed to keep her ticklish nose under control.

      She settled back against the seat and listened while Luke filled her in on his family, loving the sound of his voice, deep and sure. She’d done the right thing letting the judge get in contact with Luke. Who was she kidding? She hadn’t had any choice. Judge Benson had practically blackmailed her into it! Either she gave her Luke’s details, or Cody would be sent to juvenile detention that very night.

      It’d been easy to get Luke’s number. He’d been at the ranch his family had lived on for four generations. Megan had asked to leave before the judge spoke to him. She didn’t want to be in the room and hear Judge Benson going through a long explanation of who Megan was and hearing him deny that he knew her, hearing him insist he couldn’t possibly have fathered her child. The denial would’ve hurt too much.

      When Judge Benson called Megan that night, she’d told her Luke was arriving the next day and they’d be meeting in her chambers. Stunned by the swiftness of his response, she’d asked, “Did he remember me?” and instantly cursed herself for sounding so desperate, so adolescent.

      It gave her a tiny thrill when the judge said, “Of course he does, Megan. He seems like a very pleasant man, if a little dazed at the news that he has a son. He’ll be in my chambers tomorrow at noon. Please be there with Cody.”

      “Of course I will. And, Judge Benson, thank you so much for taking the time to care about Cody.”

      “It’s my СКАЧАТЬ