The Cowgirl's Forever Family. Helen Lacey

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      “And no charges were ever filed?”

      Brooke rocked the baby gently and met his gaze for just a moment. “It’s complicated. And really none of your concern.”

      “If it’s the reason why your brother is reluctant to return home then it is my concern.”

      “Matthew doesn’t come home because he feels guilty,” she said, hostility flashing in her eyes. “Our parents were killed. So was Sky Dancer. Matt couldn’t get past the—”

      “Sky Dancer?” Tyler queried, remembering the file had mentioned something about a horse being killed in the crash. “That’s the horse that was killed?”

      “He wasn’t just a horse. He was our foundation stallion,” she explained. “The ranch used to be renowned across the state for its quarter horses. Sky Dancer was the stallion that my father built that breeding program on. Without my father and Sky Dancer the ranch stopped being a working horse ranch and instead...”

      “Instead?” he prompted.

      She sighed. “Instead it became a place where I give trail rides to tourists in summer and run a few dozen head of cattle to try and keep the place solvent.”

      Her voice held all the disappointment of dreams lost and something unexpected uncurled in his chest.

      Tyler didn’t do sympathy. His job taught him to be impartial and detached. But Brooke Laughton’s haunted indigo eyes were hard to stay out of. “And do you want to return it to what it once was?”

      She sighed again and rocked the now chattering baby on her knee. “Of course. One day I’ll buy Cloud Dancer and I’ll be able to—”

      “Cloud Dancer?” he inquired, one brow raised.

      “Sky Dancer’s grandson,” she replied. “He’s on the show circuit at the moment but lives on a ranch in Montana. He’s every bit the horse his grandfather was...same strong lines, same unflappable temperament. When I was competing I rode him several times and he always gave his all.”

      Tyler was uncharacteristically mesmerized by the passion in her voice. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes shone brightly, like he’d struck a nerve with the mention of horses. He vaguely remembered Yelena telling him that Brooke used to be a professional barrel racer and how Matthew had been in awe of her commitment and success on the show circuit. It fascinated him. “Your horses mean a lot to you?”

      Her gaze narrowed, like she was immediately looking for the insult in his words. “Do you think that’s nuts? Maybe it is...but I’ve always felt more at home with animals than I have with most people.”

      “I would have pegged you for a people person.”

      “Why?” she laughed. “Because I’m so easygoing?”

      Tyler grinned fractionally. “I wouldn’t say that exactly. You did have your rifle at the ready last night.”

      “Can’t be too careful these days.”

      “I guess not. But like I said, I’m not a threat to you.”

      “I know that,” she said and looked at the baby and smiled. “Besides, my dogs are a good judge of character and they liked you. You seem very... I don’t know. Civilized.”

      Tyler laughed softly. Had anyone ever called him that before? Probably not. Not in his personal life and certainly not in the courtroom. Arrogant, cold and detached—that’s what he was renowned for. Someone who got the job done without getting bogged down in sentiment. Corporate cases were his specialty and he had a 95 percent win rate. He’d toppled big corporations and wiped out smaller contenders. He worked at one of the top legal firms in New York on a six-figure retainer, owned a penthouse apartment in Manhattan, drove a top-of-the-range BMW and had his suits and shoes made in Italy.

      It was quite a leap from being a one-day-old baby dumped in a box and left on a church doorstep in Nowhere, Nebraska.

      He ignored the twitch in his gut. Thinking about his beginnings, about the mother who’d abandoned him and then his caring, but tree-hugging, adoptive parents, served no purpose. The past needed to stay where it was. The present was all that mattered.

      “Your brother has a week,” he said quietly, purposefully, and with every effort to get her eyes and freckles out of his thoughts.

      She stared at him. “I know he’ll come back. But if he doesn’t I assure you that I can look after—”

      “If he doesn’t come back,” Tyler said, cutting her off before she had a chance to plead her case. “Then I’ll return to New York with Cara.”

      “So she can be adopted by strangers?” Brooke shot back. “When she has family right here? When I’m right here?” She took a deep breath. “I’m her family. And I have an aunt and cousins and second cousins in this town. I was born here and I’ve lived here for most of my life. It’s a good town with good people. She belongs here. Surely you can see that?”

      Tyler knew this was coming. And he admired her desire to make things right. But good intentions weren’t enough to raise a child. “You’re a single woman and you’ve just admitted your ranch is in financial trouble. Do you think it’s fair to add a child to that struggle?”

      Her chin came up. “Plenty of children are successfully raised by single parents. And money isn’t the answer to everything.”

      “No,” he said agreeably. “But money is a necessity when raising a child.”

      He watched as Brooke’s clearly rising temper was quickly subdued by the baby’s antics. Cara had a way of doing that, he thought and an unexpected wave of affection coursed through him. It was impossible to not be attached to the child. She was sweet natured and happy and he’d spent a good deal of time with her over the past few months. Which is why he had to be sure that Matthew Laughton was up to being a parent—if he ever showed his face. As for Brooke, he suspected she’d agree to look after Cara in a heartbeat, but he wasn’t going to be swayed from his duty simply because he was unexpectedly attracted to her, especially if she had financial troubles.

      “Love is all that matters,” she said, scorching him with a hot, resentful glare for a brief second before she quickly got her control back. “And she would get plenty of that right here in Cedar River.”

      She was naive if she truly believed that, and although Tyler was suddenly all out of patience, he maintained a civil expression. “Well, if your brother fails to show and you can prove that you are able to financially support a child, I will certainly consider your request.”

      “Thank you,” she said and slid onto the floor with the baby to allow Cara to crawl on the carpet. “I appreciate that. I know this must be a difficult situation for you and I understand that you need to put Cara’s needs first. So, I was thinking...perhaps you would consider staying at the ranch while we wait for Matthew to come home. That way, when he calls, you can speak to him right away. And... I’d really like to spend some time with Cara.”

      It wasn’t a good idea. In fact, he was sure it was the worst idea possible. He had no intention of living under the same roof as Brooke Laughton...not even for one night.

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