Cowboy at the Crossroads. Linda Warren

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      Why did every little girl love that story? Just wait, little princess, life will change your mind. There are no fairy godmothers in this world. And as for princes, forget it. They’re all frogs. God, was that cynical or what? She didn’t actually feel that way, did she?

      She searched her mind, trying to remember the story. “Once upon a time there was a girl named Cinderella. She lived with her wicked stepmom and mean stepsisters. They made her scrub the floors and do the laundry, and they were very unkind to her.”

      “That was bad,” Nicki said.

      “Very bad,” Becca agreed. “Then one day her fairy godmother changed Cinderella’s rags into a beautiful dress, and a handsome prince came and saved her from the wicked stepmother. They rode off into the sunset on his big horse and lived happily ever after.” That was a drastically shortened version, but it seemed to satisfy Nicki.

      Nicki stared at her with wide eyes. “My daddy rides a horse. Is he the prince?”

      Before Becca could form a response, Cord appeared in the doorway. “Nicki, baby, I’ve been looking all over for you.” He reached down and drew Nicki out of Becca’s arms. As he did, his hand brushed against her breast, and a current of warmth shot through her whole body. This was crazy! His touch was innocent and unintentional and didn’t mean a thing. Her emotions were just highly charged.

      Nicki hid her face against Cord’s shoulder, still clutching the doll. Cord stretched out his hand to Becca. She placed her hand in his and he pulled her to her feet. As soon as he released her, she straightened her black dress with as much dignity as she could and picked up her purse.

      “I can’t find Mommy,” Nicki whimpered.

      Cord winced, and Becca could see that he was trying to maintain his own composure. “I know, baby, I know,” he whispered, dropping a kiss on Nicki’s head.

      Becca had a hard time controlling her own emotions.

      “Thanks, Becca,” Cord said. “I’ve got to get this one to bed.” He kissed Nicki’s cheek and headed for the staircase.

      Becca stared after him with one thought on her mind. Yes, Cordell Prescott is a prince.

      CHAPTER ONE

      One year later

      “I WANT BABIES AND A HUSBAND, and preferably not in that order,” Rebecca said as she took a swallow of champagne.

      “You’ve had too much to drink,” her friend Ginger replied, studying the bubbles in her own glass. “Or maybe not enough,” she added reaching for the bottle on the coffee table. They were in Becca’s apartment after a big night of celebrating.

      “Why aren’t I happy, Gin?” Becca asked woefully. “I just finished my residency in pediatrics. I should be happy, ecstatic. All the hard work’s behind me and now I can treat children like I’ve always planned. I don’t understand why I’m not happier.”

      “Maybe you didn’t do it for yourself,” Ginger muttered. “Go to medical school, I mean.”

      Becca’s head jerked up. “What are you talking about?”

      “Maybe you did it for Emily and Jackson. Ever since you found out they’re your real parents, you’ve been trying to be the perfect daughter—doing everything to be the daughter they wanted. But hell, Bec, no one’s perfect. Not even you.”

      “You’re drunk,” Becca said, refusing to believe a word Gin was saying. At seventeen, she’d found out that Emily, the sister she adored, was really her mother and that Rose, her grandmother and the woman she’d believed to be her mother, was not. It had been a traumatic time, but she’d adjusted.

      “Maybe.” Gin hiccuped. “But the truth is a hard pill to swallow.”

      “I’ve wanted to be a doctor ever since I can remember,” Becca said defiantly. “Finding out about my birth had nothing to do with it.”

      “Yeah, you started saying that in first grade. I want to be a doctor like my sister. Then bam, you find out your sister’s really your mother and you have to be a doctor. There wasn’t any other choice for you.”

      Becca stared at Gin with a mutinous expression. They’d been best friends since kindergarten and they knew each other better than anyone. Gin always spoke her mind, and that sometimes got on Becca’s nerves—as it did now. She hadn’t gone to medical school to please her parents. Or had she? God, she needed more champagne. She grabbed the bottle and refilled her glass.

      “You’re wrong, Gin,” she murmured under her breath.

      “Let me ask you a question,” Gin said as she twisted her glass. “You have a month off before you join Dr. Arnold’s practice in July. What do you plan to do with that time?”

      Becca’s eyes darkened, but Ginger didn’t give her a chance to speak. She answered her own question. “I’ll tell you exactly what you’re going to do. You’ll spend that month with your parents and Scotty, like you always do. You want babies? Well, doctor or not, you don’t seem to realize you need a man to accomplish that. And you haven’t had much of a social life in the past ten years, except for Colton who’s always hanging around—like a little puppy waiting for your attention.”

      “Colton and I are friends,” Becca said in a cool tone.

      “I bet you haven’t even slept with him.”

      “We don’t have that kind of relationship.”

      “The man is forty years old, Becca. If he doesn’t want that kind of relationship, there’s something wrong with him.”

      “Shut up! You’re making me angry.”

      Ginger took a long swig of champagne and set the glass on the table. “Damn, that was good. Your dad doesn’t spare the bucks when he buys the bubbly.”

      Becca knew what Gin was doing—changing the subject—but Becca wasn’t letting her get away with that. They had started this and they were going to finish it.

      “My relationship with Colton is my business,” she snapped.

      Ginger lifted an eyebrow. “Did I say it wasn’t?”

      “You’re making snide remarks and I don’t like it.”

      “Okay, I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

      Becca sighed. “I don’t want to argue with you.”

      “Me, neither,” Ginger agreed, and stretched out on the sofa. “All I’m saying is if you want those babies, you have to do something about it. You have to have a life of your own.”

      Becca settled back in her chair and didn’t say anything. She hoped she wouldn’t remember any of this in the morning, but she couldn’t shake the discontent inside her. She should be so happy. She’d finally graduated from medical school with a specialty in pediatrics, and her parents had thrown a big party to celebrate her achievement. They were proud of her and had invited all her friends and family—including Colton. When she’d first met him, she СКАЧАТЬ