The Rancher's Doorstep Baby. Patricia Thayer

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      CONTENTS

      CHAPTER ONE

      CHAPTER TWO

      CHAPTER THREE

      CHAPTER FOUR

      CHAPTER FIVE

      CHAPTER SIX

      CHAPTER SEVEN

      CHAPTER EIGHT

      CHAPTER NINE

      CHAPTER TEN

      CHAPTER ELEVEN

      EPILOGUE

      CHAPTER ONE

      IT WAS time to move on.

      Cole Parrish spread the fresh straw around the horse stall. In truth, it was past time to make his departure. He’d never stayed anyplace this long. Four months he’d been at the Bar H Ranch. After the heart attack of the foreman, Cy Parks, Cole couldn’t leave the owner to fend for herself all alone.

      He braced the pitchfork against the railing and pushed his hat back. The familiar restlessness gnawed at his gut, urging him to leave. He was getting far too attached to this place but the sooner he got out of here the better. The last thing he needed was more memories to carry away with him. He had enough of those to last a lifetime.

      That was why he had to go now. And he had to tell Rachel Hewitt. Today.

      Determined not to put off the task any longer, Cole walked out of the stall and through the barn. Outside, he looked toward the two-story frame ranch house across the compound. At one time it had been painted white, but like the rest of the place, the structure could use a new coat of paint along with a few repairs.

      It would only take him a couple weeks to do the job…He shook his head. No. This wasn’t his problem. He was leaving.

      Before he reached the house, a young Rachel Hewitt came out on the porch. As on every other day she wore her usual work clothes—faded jeans and a man’s shirt. Her long, raven mane was tied back in a long braid, exposing her pretty oval face. She was tall and solidly built, but there was something about her expression that suggested a fragile quality. His gaze met her golden-brown eyes and he felt his chest constrict, making it difficult to draw a breath.

      He definitely had to leave. Soon.

      “Rachel,” he called as he approached her. “If you have a minute, I need to talk with you.”

      “What is it, Cole?” She gripped the porch post and smiled, but it didn’t hide her fatigue. He doubted she’d gotten much sleep, what with running the house and doing the work of a ranch hand. Not that anything had changed since her father’s death two years ago. He’d heard stories that old Gib Hewitt had run the Bar H from his wheelchair, but Rachel had been the one who did the physical work.

      Cole had stayed so long because he knew Gib had given power of attorney to a lawyer until his daughter turned thirty. Rachel couldn’t afford to pay much to ranch hands and Cole couldn’t allow her to struggle on alone. That was the reason why his leaving would be so hard on her. But he had to do it.

      He didn’t do permanence…not anymore.

      He stood at the bottom of the porch steps. “I’m giving my notice. I’ll be leaving in a week,” he said straight out.

      He watched as her eyes widened in panic, then she quickly masked it. “You said you’d stay on a while. You know Cy can’t do the work by himself.”

      Cole caught himself fighting a smile. “You better not let him hear you saying that.” Cy Parks had been at the Bar H for nearly thirty years. She was right. He wasn’t capable of handling it all by himself anymore. But this ranch wasn’t big by Texas standards, a three-man operation at best. “Since spring roundup is over, things should be quiet for a time. He can manage feeding the stock. That should give you time to hire someone else.”

      Rachel didn’t want to hire someone else. For one thing, she couldn’t afford to. She wasn’t even sure how much longer she’d be able to pay Cole. Although he was a drifter, she trusted the man. He was a hard worker. He was the one who’d been with Cy when he had his heart attack, giving him CPR and saving his life. Cole had kept him alive until the ambulance had arrived from town.

      “There’s no one else to hire. Most of the available men have moved onto the bigger operations around San Angelo.”

      “I’m headed there, too.”

      “Look if it’s the money…”

      He shook his head. “Just need a change of scenery. I’ll work to the end of the week and if you like, try to find a replacement.”

      Cole Parrish was a handsome man, with his dark hair and piercing gray eyes. There were times when she saw such sadness in their depths, it made her want to cry. He must have his reasons for leaving, and she shouldn’t try to stop him. “Thank you, Cole. That would be a big help.”

      He tipped his hat, then turned and walked back toward the barn. Rachel couldn’t help but watch his departure with appreciation. A chambray shirt covered his wide shoulders but it couldn’t hide his rock solid build. Years of rough ranch work showed in the muscle definition across his back and slim waist. He had a loose-hipped gait that showed off some attitude. All cowboys had a little cockiness about them. A gush of heat washed over her, making her insides ache. Since the day Cole Parrish had arrived at the ranch, she’d experienced this feeling many times.

      Definitely Gib Hewitt would not approve. Rachel caught her breath and turned away. She’d loved her father, but he’d ruled with a strict hand when it came to his daughters. He’d lectured often to her and her younger sister, Sarah, on the evils of the world. Although he’d never said it to her face, she knew he’d been afraid they’d end up loose women like their mother.

      Georgia Hewitt had left them when Rachel was ten and Sarah only five. Rachel tried not to hate her mother, but the abandonment she and her sister had felt never left them. After high school, Sarah was eager to leave and had begged Rachel to go away with her. In the end, Rachel couldn’t desert her father and Sarah ran off to follow her dream.

      Now, Sarah and her father were both gone. Rachel blinked away the threatening tears and walked into the house. Soon she’d be running the ranch on her own. That frightened her.

      It also excited her.