Travis Comes Home. Patricia Thayer

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СКАЧАТЬ she answered. A warmth traveled through her body as she watched the good-looking man come toward her. He had showered and changed into a pair of new jeans and a starched blue shirt. His sandy-brown hair was damp, falling over his forehead, making his espresso eyes stand out.

      “I hope you’re hungry,” he said. “Joy, Chance’s wife, along with Abby and Ella are downstairs cooking up a storm. That’s a good thing because it isn’t safe to leave Ella alone in the kitchen.”

      “But isn’t she the cook and housekeeper here at the ranch?”

      He actually smiled at her. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you when you’re feeling better.”

      She was having trouble with his sudden kindness. “I will be gone by then.”

      Travis set the tray down on the bed and drew a calming breath. Why did this woman have to be so argumentative? He glanced at her wrapped ankle and the bag of ice resting on top of it. She wasn’t going anywhere—not anytime soon. Besides, she didn’t have a drivable car.

      His gaze returned to her face. Although still a little pale, Josie Gutierrez was strikingly beautiful. Her long dark hair was braided and hung down her back, while strands of curls had sprung free and circled a heart-shaped face. Large green-gray eyes revealed a lot, sadness and fatigue. As much as he wanted to deny it, he couldn’t help but feel a kinship with her. She looked as lonely as he felt. And although it would be wiser to send her away, he couldn’t.

      Not when he’d been responsible for her accident.

      “Let’s wait a few days and see how you feel,” he suggested. “Now, eat. That’s orders from the kitchen.”

      She stared at the big bowl of stew, green salad and homemade biscuits. “I can’t possibly eat all this.”

      “Just give it a try,” he suggested. “I can guarantee it’s good. Besides, I can’t face the ladies downstairs unless you’ve made a dent in some of that food.”

      This woman didn’t give in easily. He watched her finally pick up the spoon and dig into the stew. He held his breath until two large bites disappeared. “Oh, don’t forget your vitamins,” he said as he reached for the bottle on the bedside table. He handed her a pill, then held out a glass of milk.

      She took a long drink, then made a face. “I hate milk.”

      “Well, you’re going to have to change that, because the baby needs it.”

      Josie’s spoon played in the stew. “Does everyone know about the baby?”

      He shrugged. “Ella saw the vitamins. If you think they’re going to judge you…”

      Her hazel eyes locked with his in a fiery stare. “I’ve been judged all my life,” she said. “I was just concerned about my chances for the brochure job.”

      Travis hated to admit he’d been wrong about Josie. She hadn’t been a photographer from a Houston paper. While he’d been waiting at the hospital, he’d looked at her driver’s license, telling himself that he might need to contact family. Josie Gutierrez’s home address was in El Paso.

      His mistake made him feel like a heel. He grimaced, remembering the cruel things he’d accused her of. He’d tried to chase her off the ranch out of vengeance. He was damn lucky that she hadn’t been seriously hurt.

      “Look, we’ve all been judged at one time or the other.” Hell, he didn’t want to think about how his situation was affecting the family. “If your pictures are good, then Abby and Cade will hire you.”

      “If I don’t get that job, I’ll need to find something. What about my car?” she asked.

      “Your car is fine,” he lied. “I’ll handle it myself.”

      “I have insurance, but the deductible…”

      He raised a hand. “I said, I’d handle it.” He headed for the door, then paused. “Now finish that dinner and get some sleep. If you need anything just holler. My room is right next door.” Before she could protest, he walked out. But he knew he hadn’t heard the last from Josie Gutierrez. To his surprise, he was looking forward to the next time.

      After dinner, Travis went out to the backyard patio. The evening was still warm as he took a seat at the table to enjoy some peace and quiet—something that had escaped him since he’d been home. But maybe Ms. Gutierrez’s crashing into their lives would draw attention away from him. Ella sure was crazy about having another person to care for. But how long was their house guest going to be around? The doctor wanted to recheck her ankle in five days. She couldn’t leave before then. Not without her car. He’d had it towed to a body shop, praying that the battered vehicle wasn’t going to be totaled. He knew that Josie was traveling with limited funds. She’d hadn’t minced words when she told him she needed a job.

      Earlier, he realized that Josie wasn’t as tough as she tried to make people think. He could see the fear in her eyes. She was pregnant. And alone. He shook his head. How could a man not want his own child?

      Travis tensed. He knew firsthand not all people were cut out to be parents. His mother, Dana Barnes-Randell, was great, as much as he could remember of her. But not his daddy, that was for sure. Hell, Jack Randell couldn’t stay out of trouble long enough to take care of his boys. The man hadn’t thought twice about what was going to happen to three sons when he got sent to prison. Chance, Cade and Travis had been lucky, though. Hank Barrett had come along and taken them in. For twenty years the widowed rancher had been the only father that they’d known, or claimed.

      Travis leaned forward in the chair and rubbed his hand over his face. He hated like hell that his trouble had brought scandal to the Randell name once again. Over the years, he and his brothers had worked hard to erase the stigma attached to it. His father had brought shame to the Randell name and now so had Travis.

      Chance had become one of the top quarter horse breeders and trainers in Texas. Cade had gone to Chicago and made his name in the financial world, before coming home to marry his college sweetheart and to claim his son.

      And the youngest brother of the family, Travis had gone to college and worked in the computer field. Then a few years ago he’d started his own business. Last year Private Access was on its way to being one of the premiere computer companies in the country. Once Travis had his software patented, there wasn’t going to be any stopping him. He was going to the top. He had even found the woman of his dreams and planned to be married.

      Life couldn’t have been any sweeter, until one day a month ago when it all came crashing down. It had been bad enough that his fiancée, Lisa Kyles, had been carrying on with his partner, Byron Neeley. But more was going on. Suddenly his clients were beginning to complain about security leaks. It had taken Travis a few weeks of searching, but he’d finally found the problem. For a price, Byron had allowed a competitor access to highly confidential files. It had to be his partner, because he was the only other person with the ability to break into the system.

      By then Travis had to involve the police, and his files were confiscated. Even worse and more humiliating, the press got ahold of the story. Travis had been hounded for weeks. He was ruined, and Byron and Lisa were nowhere to be found. Knowing he couldn’t handle things on his own, he’d turned to his family. But was it such a good idea to drag his problems home?

      Hearing voices, Travis looked up to find СКАЧАТЬ