Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Chapter Thirteen

      Chapter Fourteen

      Chapter Fifteen

      Chapter One

      John Randall regretted the past few hours.

      A trip to see an old college buddy appear in a rodeo had turned into a marathon when his friend lassoed him into a steak dinner and a few beers.

      Every time John had tried to leave, his friend announced he had one more story to tell their companions about their college escapades.

      Now he was finally on the road home—two hours late and a hundred miles from home. And the last seventy of them were on the two-lane road that led to Rawhide.

      When he left the main road, he settled in for a relaxed drive. At ten o’clock he didn’t expect to run into much traffic. But about ten miles down the road, he rounded a curve and suddenly jammed on his brakes. A car was stopped in the lane, no lights on. No leeway existed on the narrow country road and John knew he’d have to risk running his truck onto the rocky, tree-lined shoulder or crash into the stopped car in front of him.

      He twisted his steering wheel to the right…and prayed for the best.

      His truck hit a boulder beside the road and his axle snapped when he landed on lower ground. He knew it before the truck had stopped moving. He spoke words his mother would have raised her eyebrows at, but he felt sure those words were justified.

      He got out of his truck and climbed up to the road, angry now that someone had left their car on the road. Even if it had broken down, the least they could’ve done was push it to the side. He’d assumed no one was in the car, but when he knocked on the glass to be sure, a head popped up.

      He thanked God he’d avoided the vehicle. “Can you roll down the window a little?”

      The woman did so.

      “Are you broken down?”

      “Y-yes.”

      “Then why didn’t you move your car off the road?”

      “I—I can’t.”

      His eyes followed her hand as she patted her stomach, and he realized she was pregnant.

      Very pregnant.

      “We’ve got to get you out of your car before another vehicle comes along and hits it.”

      “I don’t think I can walk.”

      “Come on, I’ll help you.”

      “Where will I go?”

      “To my truck for the moment. I’ll call for help after I get you safe and your car off the road.”

      “You have a cell phone?”

      “Yeah.” He tried to open her door. “Can you unlock your door?”

      “Yes.”

      He got her door open and helped her out. Then he half dragged and half helped her into his truck down below.

      “Just stay put while I see what I can do about your car. Do you know what’s wrong with it?”

      “I don’t know, but it started hissing and smoke started coming out of the hood.”

      “Okay. I’ll see if I can push it on to the shoulder. I’ll be back in just a minute.” At least he would if he didn’t get run over on the pitch-dark road. Fortunately, he didn’t expect a lot of cars at that time of night.

      Changing the gear to neutral, he pushed the car to the side of the road. There wasn’t that much space, but it would give anyone coming around the curve some room to maneuver.

      He slid back down the gully to his truck and got in the front seat. “There, I got your car pushed to the side. Now let’s see if we can rouse some help.” He knew his insurance would pay for his truck, so he could be cheerful now that he’d calmed down.

      Until he opened his phone.

      He cursed several times and snapped his phone shut.

      “What’s wrong?” she asked cautiously.

      “I forgot to recharge my cell.”

      “Do you have a charger with you?”

      “No.”

      “Wh-what are we going to do?”

      “I don’t know. At least I got your car out of the way so no one else will have to wreck their car.”

      “Are you saying I caused your wreck?”

      “You didn’t even have any lights on!”

      “I had them on, but my battery died!”

      “Look, it’s all right. My insurance will pay for it, but I can’t drive it. So we’ll just sit tight until someone comes along.”

      “I’ve been here for a couple of hours and you were the first one to come along. Do…do you think someone else will—”

      She grimaced and grabbed her stomach.

      “Is something wrong?”

      She lay back against the seat, breathing deeply. “No, I just need to…stay calm.”

      “Just how far along are you?”

      “About eight months.”

      That brought John up short. He sure didn’t want to talk her into early labor. He agreed—calm was just what they needed.

      “Look, we’ll probably see someone fairly soon. Until then, tell me what you’re doing on this road.”

      “I’m just driving.”

      “Toward what destination? There’s not much on this road except Rawhide.”

      She jerked away from him.

      “What did I say?”

      “Nothing!”

      “Okay, well, I’m from Rawhide, a small town that most of my family lives in. I’m John Randall. I run my family ranch about fifteen miles outside of town. But I have cousins all over town and on three other ranches in the area. We joke all the time because you can’t go anywhere without running into one of us.”

      “Is it a nice town?”

      “Absolutely. Both doctors, the sheriff, the only lawyer, the two accountants, all are kin to us. My sister is a jewelry designer. The drama teacher is kin to us, too. She used to be a movie star.”

      “M-my brother is a deputy.”

      John frowned. “In Rawhide?”

      “Yes.”

      “Who is he? I bet I know him.”

      “I don’t think I should say.”

      “Why not?”

      “I’m not…not staying in town. I just needed to ask him s-something.”

      “You