Her breasts rose and fell as she heaved out a heavy breath. “I’ve made a decision regarding your marriage proposal.”

      His hand on her arm tightened perceptibly. He’d never expected an answer from her tonight. He’d wanted her to weigh the situation and her feelings about it carefully. But apparently she’d made up her mind without too much thought.

      Liam tried to mentally brace himself as he studied her grave expression. “Are you sure, Kitty?”

      Her eyes never wavered from his. “Yes. I’m sure that I want to be your wife.”

      Dear Reader,

      As I began to write about the Donovan family, I soon came to the realization that Liam would be the last sibling to find love. It was obvious to me that he was a special man and it would take extra time for the right woman to come along and heal his wounded heart.

      Next to love, I believe grief might be the most powerful emotion a human can experience. In some cases it stops a person cold. In others it pushes them to start over and search for a way to fill the emptiness inside them.

      In Liam’s case, he’s lost the will to search for a new beginning, but when he finally does, he slowly realizes that life can offer second chances and love is worth risking everything.

      For those of you who’ve been reading the Donovan stories, thank you so much. And please don’t think you have to say goodbye to this family. More MEN OF THE WEST stories will be coming, and some of them might even include a long-lost Donovan or two!

      God bless each trail you ride with love and happiness,

       Stella

      About the Author

      STELLA BAGWELL has written more than seventy novels for Mills & Boon. She credits her loyal readers and hopes her stories have brightened their lives in some small way.

      A cowgirl through and through, she loves to watch old Westerns, and has recently learned how to rope a steer. Her days begin and end helping her husband care for a beloved herd of horses on their little ranch located on the south Texas coast. When she’s not ropin’ and ridin’, you’ll find her at her desk, creating her next tale of love.

      The couple have a son, who is a high school math teacher and athletic coach. Stella loves to hear from readers and invites them to contact her at [email protected].

      His Texas Baby

      Stella Bagwell

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      To horses, for the love and inspiration they give us,

       and the hopes and dreams we hang upon them.

       Chapter One

      The woman was pregnant!

      Liam Donovan stopped in his tracks and stared down the long shed row. Between him and Kitty Cartwright a hot walker led a sweaty black thoroughbred toward an open doorway, a jockey’s valet carrying a saddle and tack hurried past, while a nearby horse hung his head over a gate and nickered loudly. Shafts of sunlight illuminated dust particles and bits of hay dancing through the air, and behind him a worker sang along to a nearby radio. Yet none of those things distracted Liam’s focus away from Kitty. Even at a distance, the silhouette of her rounded tummy was very evident and the sight stunned him.

      When had this happened? Like a tornado sweeping over the plains, the question roared through his head. Three months ago, when he’d attended her father’s funeral in El Paso, she’d appeared as slim as ever. And though they’d only exchanged a few words as he’d offered his condolences, she’d said nothing to even hint at her condition.

      But then why would she? The fact that Kitty was having a baby was none of his business. Or was it? He’d only been in her bed that one time. And that had been at least five or six months ago. The bump of her belly didn’t look that far along, did it? Besides, if he was the father she would’ve surely contacted him before now.

      As Kitty stood near a stall door, talking with a young man he knew to be an assistant trainer for Desert End, Liam continued to stare. Since he’d only landed in Los Angeles yesterday, Liam hadn’t yet learned whether Kitty or the Cartwrights’ entourage of horses would be stabled at Hollywood Park Racetrack for the spring/summer meet. He’d heard talk through the racing grapevine that she would be coming, filling the position of head trainer for Desert End Stables; a position that had been held by her father, the late, great Willard Cartwright for forty years. But Liam had tried to ignore the information and tell himself that it didn’t matter if or when he might be seeing Kitty again. Now the rapid beat of his heart proved just how much he’d been lying to himself.

      Inside the pockets of his jean jacket, his hands curled into loose fists as his gaze took in the lovely tanned oval of her face, the long blond hair spilling down her black sweater, the faded denim hugging her hips and thighs. When he’d first met her seven years ago, she’d been an awkward teenager with a fanatic love for horses. But sometime between then and now, she’d turned into a woman. And now she was carrying a baby. But whose? Could it possibly be his? The question whammed him between the eyes like a sledgehammer driving a steel spike, leaving him feeling dazed and queasy.

      “Liam, I’m feeling uneasy about this ankle. I’d like for you to take a look.”

      The request came from Clint, one of the Diamond D grooms who’d accompanied the Donovan horses to California. Even though the young man was at least ten years younger than Liam’s thirty-five, he’d been working for the Donovans since he was twelve years old and since then he’d grown into a competent horseman that Liam could trust implicitly. If he was concerned about a horse’s condition, then Liam was concerned, too.

      Forcing his eyes away from Kitty, Liam opened the half gate and stepped inside the cinderblock stall, where Clint was standing next to a big red thoroughbred named Reckless Rendezvous.

      Normally, nothing distracted Liam from his job. But seeing Kitty again—and pregnant at that—was wrecking his ability to focus. As he knelt next to the right front foot of the horse, Liam tried to clear his mind while he carefully ran his hands over the ankle, fetlock and up the cannon bone. “Nothing feels warm,” Liam announced. “And I don’t feel anything amiss. Have you noticed any change in his gait?”

      Clint said, “Yesterday, when we unloaded him from the plane, I thought he was a bit gimpy. But he could have just been stiff from the long ride. Or it could have just been my imagination. But I’d rather be safe than sorry, so I wanted you to have a look.”

      Rising to his full height, Liam slapped a comforting hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong. But we’ll get it x-rayed anyway.”

      “His workout is scheduled for tomorrow morning at seven,” Clint reminded him.

      “I’ll go over to the equine hospital in a few minutes and see about getting the X-ray,” Liam promised. “Right now I want to know if you and Andy have settled in and have everything you need.”

      Clint and Andy, the other groom who had accompanied them on this three-and-half-month stay in California, would be living in small quarters located next to the horses’ stalls. The beds were merely adequate and space for more than the bare necessities limited. Liam understood how much the men and his two female hot walkers, who would be housed in another area of the barn, sacrificed in order to do their jobs. That’s why the Diamond D paid them handsomely and Liam made sure they had every possible convenience he could give them.

      “Sure, Liam. Don’t worry about any of us. We’re all just excited to be here.”

      Down through the years, Liam had made a habit of shipping